#Ylang Mess

[cleolinda]

Samsara (Guerlain, 1989 EdP & 2023 EdT)

A sandalwood overdose embellished by ylang-ylang and jasmine. Samsara is the first woody women's fragrance in perfumery. It is constructed over a beautifully crafted sandalwood, used for the first time in these quantities in perfumery. (Guerlain.com)

From Eau de Tati, the back story:

Jean-Paul Guerlain created Samsara in 1985 for Decia de Powell, the woman he loved and who wore the fragrance for four years before it was launched. Jean-Paul took the opportunity to create the perfume for her, as she could not find a perfume that appealed to her. She liked jasmine and sandalwood, in particular, and these were the raw materials on which Samsara was based.

It seems that Gérard Anthony co-created the fragrance, but Guerlain has always loved a good legend. Whether the Sanskrit word "saṃsāra" ("the concept of rebirth and 'cyclicality of all life, matter, existence'") suits the fragrance as a name is a lengthy discussion I'll leave to others.

On the face of it, Samsara is another Guerlain journey into orientalism (stop that!); it's a classic example of loud 1980s fragrance (outdated); it's a benchmark in the Western perfume industry's use of sandalwood (notable). I wanted to write up this one purely because I already had it on hand: when I say "1989," I mean, my mom gave me an eau de parfum sample in 1989. I would have been about ten years old, and I loved collecting little sample vials that gave me too many headaches to actually use—just to keep in my little treasure boxes full of costume jewelry and tumbled rocks and skeleton keys. Apparently I was a magpie, or maybe a dragon. There's only about five molecules left, but as it turns out, that is more than enough.

I also ordered a fresh decant of the current formulation from the Perfumed Court—all they had was the eau de toilette, not the EdP, so this is not a one-to-one comparison. Instead, we have, on one hand, the most aged a Samsara can get, saved since its debut year, and on the other, the lightest, freshest iteration possible. It's lovely, that new EdT. But it's not what I expected at all. A couple of years ago I managed to uncork the 1989 Samsara, and all I got was this incredible note of mingled sandalwood and jasmine—just the richest, smoothest, deepest thing you've ever smelled. But the new one, from my notes: "BUBBLEGUM??"

Powdery fresh floral, rose? Like a living flower that happens to be powdery, not a cosmetic. Very very fresh and outdoorsy, like a garden. The vague idea of sandalwood underneath. Something a bit sweeter coming out, maybe vanilla jasmine. Very light, very easy to wear. Airy, breezy. Sheer.

And then, ten minutes in, bubblegum came out. Motherfucking bubblegum. I had to look up what the old-fashioned Bazooka Joe-type flavor is, because it's not that—there's no tiny twang of clove or wintergreen hiding behind the fruits and vanilla. This is straight-up Juicy Fruit gum. Which involves banana, pineapple, and maybe peach, for a flavor "resembling jackfruit." Now, apparently jackfruit contains "banana oil," aka isoamyl acetate, so I went and googled it on a hunch: yes, it’s in ylang ylang too. Combine that with Samsara's actual peach note (although it smells fresher than the lactone in Mitsouko) and vanilla—

Basenotes.com: Green notes, peach, ylang ylang, bergamot, lemon, iris and orris, violet, jasmine, rose, narcissus, sandalwood, tonka, amber, musk, and vanilla.

—and you've got a powdery-nectar sandalwood bubblegum. It's so good. Two birthdays ago, I got myself a wide-ranging set of essential oils, just so I could see what things smell like individually; the night after I tried Samsara, I started messing around with them, and it's 10,000% the ylang that's bringing the strange fruity note. I rarely if ever see anyone mention the ylang-ylang in Samsara—they always talk about how strong the jasmine is, but I SWEAR TO YOU that this is what it does on me. In fact, twenty minutes in, Bubble Ylang was mostly what I was smelling.

At the same time, the fresh EdT was really, really powdery—you see iris there in not one but two levels of the note pyramid, and orris is just iris root. The classic Guerlains use the ionones of iris and violet a lot; they're in the house accord, the Guerlinade, which I may also try to get a sample of. But the powder is so much stronger in Samsara than I expected. I was promised a sandalwood overdose, and I'm sitting here with Juicy Fruit floating over a bed of irises—like the row of cool dark purple ones we had lining our driveway when I was a kid—at the half-hour mark. According to my notes, I didn't really get ~sandalwood until an hour-twenty, and even that was still blurring into the ylang-ylang. (Apparently these two notes are really compatible; it's the only thing same combination I liked in Chanel No. 5.) That said, it's lovely and sweet and easygoing if you APPLY SPARINGLY. Of the three Guerlains I've tried, this one was by far the easiest to wear.

Which is wild, because supposedly, Samsara is A Sandalwood Bomb, a true big-hair fume of the '80s that will choke you out of a room. And yet, I didn't even get the sandalwood clearly until more than an hour in. There's two reasons for this, I discovered:

One is that I microdose perfume. I always point this out because I want you to understand that if you apply more fragrance than I do, you are not going to get the tame results I do. If you spray Tyrannosaurus Rex all over yourself, there is nothing god or mortal can do for you. I used two swipes of the Samsara sample wand on my left wrist—and it did project a good bit, but it was comfortable. If I'd done the same on my right wrist to balance it out, I would have considered myself good to go for a perfume-appropriate occasion. Maybe if you didn't deploy FIVE SPRAYS you wouldn’t be choking on it, idk idk.

The other reason is that the current formulation of Samsara uses Australian sandalwood—whereas the original used a much richer Indian variety. I was surprised to discover that Samsara has always been formulated as a meeting of natural and synthetic sandalwoods, though. But the current version has a newer synthetic: Javanol. And the thing about Javanol is that some people can't smell it. And I may be one of them. Because there is no reason "an overdose of sandalwood" should smell this modest to me, in the same perfume that is shouting white floral, unless I physically cannot perceive its loudest component. But I'm smelling some sandalwood; that must be the natural oil.

For more on Javanol, I turn to a fragrance I haven't actually tried yet: Escentric Molecules' Molecule 04. Javanol is, in fact, that molecule. The product website explains, it's a synthetic that

retains the radiance and endurance of natural sandalwood, but is sheer and transparent like no sandalwood in nature. “What I love about Javanol is its almost psychedelic freshness,” says [creator] Geza Schoen. “It smells as if liquid metallic grapefruit peel were poured over a bed of velvety cream-coloured roses.” Javanol is like Iso E Super, the molecule in Escentric Molecules 01, in some ways. Like Iso E Super, it comes and goes. The person wearing it loses the ability to smell it after a short while, only to re-connect with it later.

Well, "it comes and goes" may be why I'm not smelling as much sandalwood in Samsara as advertised, I guess—maybe I’m not totally anosmic to Javanol? The company that makes it, Givaudan, says that the aromachemical has

a rich, natural, creamy sandalwood note like beta santanol combined with  some rosy nuances. It can also be used at very low dosage (below 0.1%)  to bring richness and creaminess to all types of accords. With its exceptional low threshold, Javanol™ is approximately 8 times more effective in wash tests than the most powerful sandalwood product. [...] In the quest for the perfect Indian Sandalwood, Javanol™ is probably the most versatile note with its power, radiance, woodiness and rosiness, blending perfectly with flowers.

Javanol blends so perfectly with ylang and jasmine, in fact, that I can hardly distinguish it through most of Samsara's lifespan on my skin (I appreciate a good olfactory chimera, so that's fine). I can also see why you'd reformulate Samsara, already famous for its Godzilla-sized projection, with the biggest, loudest synthetic sandalwood on the market. But the thing is, the Beast of Givaudan wasn't created until 1996. Javanol may be what Guerlain has paired with Australian sandalwood nowadays, but my original sample was made with [probably a mix of synthetics including] Givaudan's Sandalore and the good stuff—20% (!) Mysore sandalwood.

Mysore Sandalwood Oil is a trademarked perfume oil extracted from the Santalum album variety of sandalwood tree (also known as a "royal tree") in the Mysore district of Karnataka, India. The tree species is said to be one of the best varieties in the world. (Wikipedia, the most concise explainer)

It's also the most expensive. But while I'm sure reformulations are a cost-cutting measure, sandalwood sustainability has also become a huge issue; I'm happy with synthetics if it helps the cause. The Australian sandalwood used in the current Samsara seems to be a popular and less-threatened natural option; it's also in two other fragrances I'm trying at the moment, Le Labo's Santal 33 and Tom Ford's Santal Blush. But it's like the difference between tulle and velvet. You can still use it beautifully, but there is a smoothness and a weight that's missing. People say that Mysore sandalwood is "creamy," even sweet, and it is, but not in a dairy or dessert way; it's legitimately this kind of olfactory texture that's so good. By contrast, the scent of Australian sandalwood feels a little harsh in the top of my nose, full of wood grain and pencil shavings, but also lighter. And yet it blends just as well with the notes of the new Samsara, just in different ways.

As for the old—Mysore and Sandalore® were what greeted me when I uncapped my vintage, 34-year-old sample:

oh my god. ohhhhh my gooooood.

That big sweet fruity ylang-ylang immediately bounced right out—how had I only smelled jasmine in the vial before? I'll stop here and tell you a little bit about ylang-ylang, which is not the note I was expecting to go on about, but here we are:

When you hear about "white florals," they're generally talking about jasmine, gardenia, tuberose (you'll remember this one from HYPNOTIC POISON), lily, lily of the valley—and ylang ylang, even though the latter is a showy yellow flower. I truly don't know how to describe the White Floral if you're not familiar with it, especially since I've never perceived any funky "animalic" indole notes. It's just good to me, very rich, very perfumy, and apparently it does, in an aromatherapy context, have a slightly sedative effect; this may be why people talk about "narcotic" white florals. Ylang-ylang takes the woozy richness of jasmine and, uniquely, adds that fruity, slightly spicy, banana-esque note; I'd love to look for the differences between white florals as I try out more fragrances. With Samsara(s), the jasmine doesn't seem distinct to me, serving instead to support the ylang-ylang, and maybe this is why I only smelled jasmine in the vial: it's my skin chemistry, once again, that's playing favorites.

You know what else my skin apparently loves? Expensive vintage sandalwood. The original Samsara skipped straight to the 1:20 mark and—speaking of narcotics—hit me like a tranquilizer dart. I just curled up on my bed and held my wrist to my nose for about an hour. I was like a cat on the 'nip. My God. I had some hand-me-down incense sticks from the '70s when I was a teenager, and I have been chasing that sandalwood high for three decades. This is it. The blanket of iris, the bergamot blast other reviewers talk about (I only got it the third time I wore the EdT), the supporting cast of notes—barely there. Just the gold.

For about two hours, it was amazing. Then, gradually, Samsara grew more and more overpowering, like a rogue science project slowly ballooning out of control. I ended up wiping it off with a little jojoba oil—not washing it off (DON'T WASTE IT!!), but reducing the amount I had on. There's only about two drops, thick as maple syrup, left in that vial, and that's fine.

Meanwhile, every time I wear the current eau de toilette, it disappears after about three hours.

I wish I'd been able to get a current EdP sample to compare the two formulations directly. But you know what? I still enjoy the iris-forward, sandalwood-backward Samsara. It's easy to wear and it doesn't overstay its welcome, which is a good thing for someone with fragrance sensitivities (me). As much as I love the smooth golden Mysore aspect, I'd rather have the option to reapply than be trapped with the Sandalwood That Ate 1989.

Perfume discussion masterpost

#perfume #perfume discussion #perfume: guerlain #the beast of givaudan #note: sandalwood #note: ylang ylang #note: iris #note: white florals #note: javanol #long post

[prettyqueerwitch]

Waning Moon

{NOTE : i did mess up and accidentally put 13-5 days after full moon) instead of (3-5 days after full moon)}

[ Marks an End.

Includes Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent.

The Waning Moon is a time of release, letting things go, and removing things from your life.

Some herbs associated with the waningmoon are: lavender, chamomile, clarysage, geranium, rose, ylang-ylang.

Associated with the time before the winter solstice, the second harvest, and Saturdays.

Some deities and spirits associated with the waning moon are: Cerridwen, Hecate, The High Priestess, Persephone, Baba Yaga, Lilith and The Crone.

Some things to do during the Waning Moon are: Weeding, Getting Waxed, Harvesting, Shadow Work, Protection Magick, Elective/ Non- Emergency Surgery (3-5 days after full moon), Getting rid of/ Removing Things or People. ]

first time trying something like this. took most of this info out of my digital grimoire.

Main resources : The Moon Book by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener, Moon Magic by Diane Ahlquist, Moon Magic by Aurora Kane

Thank you, Canva, for the background.

#moon magic #Moon Phases #Waning Moon #witch community #witchblr #witches of tumblr #witchythings #beginner witch #witchcraft #grimoire #book of shadows #book of magic

[kousaka-ayumu]

Stella Valerie

TW: this may contain r@pe in the trivia.

Nicknames: Stella(All), Pale Fish(Yuzu), Stella-chan(Sonomi), Dame Confiance(Rook), Valerie-san(Ortho), Valerie-shi(Idia)

Twisted from: KickinChicken(Poppy Playtime), Princess Cookie(Cookie Run), Hinata Hiramitsu(Healing Good PreCure), Tsukasa(Project Sekai).

Voice claim: Rie Takahashi

Age: 16

Height: 159cm

DOB: 5/17

Species: Mermaid

Homeland: Coral Sea

Family:

Audrey(Mother)

Caspian(Father)

Tsubasa(Younger brother)

Dorm: Octavinelle

Class: 1-C(No.7)

Club: Music Club, Swimming Club

Hobby: Practicing the keyboard, trolling the living daylights out of haters.

Likes: Pranking with Floyd, Bernice and Taiyou, hanging out with Mizuko, spending time in the pool.

Dislikes: Yuzu, what she trying to say is being interrupted.

Pet peeves: Being called a loser

Favorite food: Grilled chicken

Least favorite food: Sushi

Favorite drink: Chocolate Milk

"A first year of Octavinelle who is the pianist of the Music Club, she is a girl who is confident in what she's doing and took pride for it, even though she might get hurt or sent to the infirmary several times."

Appearance

Stella has with pale blonde hair that tied up in a side ponytail with a white ribbon, and soft red eyes.

Background

Stella is born in a family of the mafia in the Coral Sea, many mermans and mermaids thought they we're a scary family that you shouldn't be messing around with, but in reality they we're a humble family who loved each other no matter what.

How did she meet Azul? By scaring away the bullies with her presence alone, they immediately became friends after that and later met the Tweels and Mizuko.

Personality

Stella is an immature and overconfident girl who is the embodiment of :3, however she can be a very reckless girl that got into dangerous situations that injured her several times, but she always came out alive due to anyone's confusion especially Raymond but she would often dismiss those concerns by saying she's alright.

Unique Magic: Ylang Ribbon Reduce

It allows her to summon ribbons with a ylang-ylang scent to reduce stress and anxiety and enhance mood.

Trivia

It's ironic that KickinChicken the character she's twisted from, is a bird while Stella is a mermaid but it's also fitting that sirens are portrayed as birds in the classical Greek mythology.

Stella doesn't like any and all vampires, due to the Sakamaki's behavior towards Yui Komori however Samara and Yuri we're exceptions due to how kind those 2 we're.

She deeply wanted Yui to kill Yuzu, due to her finding out about how Yuzu r@pe Raymond, she can't do it herself since she knew Yuzu could revive herself.

Due to her coming from the mafia, it's natural for her to knew about weaponry

She shares the same VA as Ai Hoshino from Oshi no ko which is funny since her original first name is a play on Ai's last name Hoshino and Hoshiko

She would often carry Azul to his room to sleep due to him overworked himself.

What do you guys think about her?

@zexal-club @anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @marrondrawsalot

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x pretty cure #twisted wonderland crossover #midnight rose precure #Stella Valerie

[venerawrites]

SORRY THIS IS SO RANDOM BUT are there any songs you associate w the naruto characters? like from your personal playlists

ps ily !!!

Oh, this is such an interesting question! I wouldn't say exactly that I am "associating" the songs below with anyone specific, but this is what I have been listening to recently while writing for different characters :)

➤ Sasuke

-- Comfort/Romance Arctic Monkeys - 505 The xx - Together

--Angst/Sadness Soap&Skin - Me and the Devil Sting - What Could Have Been

-- Others/General character vibes

Daft Punk - End of Line Light Club - Blizzard

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ➤ Itachi

-- Comfort/Romance

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris FKJ - Ylang Ylang

-- Angst/Sadness

Mr. Kitty - After Dark M83 - Solitude (Felsmann + Tiley Reinterpretation) Patrick Watson - Je te laisserai des mots

-- Others/General character vibes

Molchat Doma - Kletka Molchat Doma - Sudno

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

➤ Gaara

-- Comfort/ Romantic

Childish Gambino - Redbone Gotye - Hearts a Mess Santo & Johny - And I Love Her (The Beatles Cover)

-- Angst/Sadness

 Øneheart & reidenshi - Snowfall Tom Odell - Another Love

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

➤ Kakashi

--Angst/Sadness

Hans Zimmer - Cornfield Chase Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

#ask #sasuke uchiha #itachi uchiha #gaara of the sand #kakashi hatake

[gloryride]

3. Virgile 7. Vanessa but also Enzo 20. Isao 14. Oscar 30. Mieko 17. Roxanne 23. Enzo 29. Aurore u wanted for all the babies :P

Ah ah you're crazy ! But let's do this !!!

[oc asks if you’re interested]

weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

VIRGILE

Already answered here

But I just want to add to bunch of hack he uses (non exhaustive list) :

Red-Out (freezes the attacking netrunner for a while)

Opium (personal variant of Knockout, knocks out the opponent, making them faint)

Delirium (personal hack where the opponent has visual and/or auditory hallucinations, depending on their cyberware, causing them to lose control for a few moments)

Euthan (personal hack and variant of Cyberware Malfunction, where it can reroute and stop a vital implant. Can be lethal if misused) …

7. favourite animal? why?

VANESSA

She loves felines and finds them graceful. But above all, she adores panthers. She loves their grace, their suppleness, their speed, while remaining discreet. She has a preference for black panthers, which she finds majestic. Of course, she's never seen one in real life, only in videos. To compensate, she has cats!

ENZO

He had a fascination for geckos as a child. Especially when his brother told him that they were animals dating back millions of years, little Enzo loved playing with these miniature dinosaurs. Even today, he still gets a kick out of finding one in his tent or in the middle of the clan, and takes it in his hands to give it back its freedom away from humans.

But more simply, he loves dogs, just like his brother. He managed to persuade his mother to keep a baby coyote they found on their own, which they kept for a few years before regaining its freedom.

if applicable, can they drive? if they have their own, what color is their vehicle? is the inside neat and tidy, or a mess?

ISAO

He drives both a car and a bike. He brought back from Japan his Toyota Supra, which he bought for himself after a promotion, and which he uses most of the time. It's fast, it's easy to drive, he paid a fortune to take it with him but it's worth it. In Night City, he bought a beautiful Rayfield Aerondight which he uses more for events. He also kept his Kusanagi motorbike that he'd picked up from his infiltration of the Tyger Claws. Formerly red with stickers, it's now black and chrome. He's not a great car enthusiast or materialistic, but Isao likes the best for his personal comfort.

Oh, and they're all clean and well-maintained. Nobody smokes, eats or drinks (except for water, and that's still to come), and they're tidy. Isao is tidy everywhere.

are they any good with numbers?

OSCAR

Ah ah …. no! Oscar still has learning difficulties, despite the best efforts of his parents and then his aunt Brigitte. He can barely read, hardly write and can barely count. This is quite common in the Cyberpunk universe, especially in deprived areas like Pacifica. So Oscar knows how to count, basic addition and subtraction perhaps, but don't ask him to do more than that, it would be too complex for him. That's why he often uses the calculator on his phone, which he uses by voice, like all the other functions!

do they smell like anything notable?

MIEKO

She wears a subtle fragrance of orange blossom - ylang-ylang - sandalwood - mandarin. It's light, almost childlike, but also heady, lingering in the air without you really knowing where it comes from. A bit like her!

how did they spend their summers/free time as a child?

ROXANNE

Roxy lived in Ireland until she was a teenager, and has wonderful memories of her time there. Ireland is one of the few countries to have been largely unaffected by climate change and the social metamorphosis brought about by environmental protection laws. While during the year she lived in Dublin - one of the few modern cities where her parents worked as subordinate corpo - she spent all her summers near Galway where her grandparents had a house and land. She was able to run in the green grass, jump in the mud with her boots, and stroke farm animals. A surreal life for a girl growing up in the 2030s, but perfectly normal for an Irish girl. Otherwise, to keep her busy, she listened to music. She's always loved it, always with headphones on, listening to daddy's old rock and granny's new rock. Whether she was lying in bed, on the grass or dancing in her bedroom, music was part of her life!

how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

ENZO

This question took me a while because I was looking for the right voice for Enzo … and I think I've found it (here) For me, Enzo has a deep voice, despite the Italian intonations, which is charming and pleasant to the ear. He speaks English very well, but his mother tongue is Italian, and he has an accent when he speaks, often rolling his R's, accentuating words when he shouldn't, and -th's are pronounced -f for him. And the angrier or more excited he is, the more noticeable the accent.

As far as singing goes, he's not bad. His voice is described as baritone, so it's quite deep, but he doesn't always hold the note. You'll hear him humming and singing just a few passages.

are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

AURORE

I had originally associated her with fire, but I find that this element is more suited to Misty. In the end, I prefer earth for Aurore, which is about wisdom, abundance, connection with the world and life. In a city and a world where nature hardly exists, there's this need for connection. In symbolism, earth follows fire. It gives concrete form to the conquests of fire, making them durable and adaptable in terms of materials and shapes, and they complement each other. Like Aurore and Misty.

#oc asks #about : vanessa vergara #about : virgile sarto #about : enzo sarto #about : oscar mondesir #about : isao sugai #about : roxannes jones #about : aurore mondesir #about : mieko sugai #challenging to ask everything but yes ! #thanks for asking ♥

[meatriarch]

⠀⠀⠀⠀[ ˑ ˑ ˑ ] 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑪𝑰𝑭𝑰𝑪 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑺

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE SMELL LIKE?

when she isn't wearing a perfume, maria smells either fresh and crisp, like she just walked right out of a bakery, sweet like cookies and vanilla, or will have a lingering fruity or floral scent on her from her lotions, etc. she works at a florist ship part time pre-house, and often the varying flowers will sink their fragrances into skin, coupled with the non-floral plants she helps move into larger pots as they grow, so she'll also smell of dirt / soil at times. otherwise, she wears different types of perfumes that typically have both floral & citrus-y notes. her typical go-to would be wind song, which is 'delicate & subtle' with notes of citrus, cinnamon, jasmine, lavender, rose and warm sweet spices.

OTHER PERFUMES: DOLORES : tabu, which has a rich amber floral scent that blends the soft femininity of notes like jasmine and rose with fresh zingy notes of lemon and orange. AURELIA : chant d'aromes, with floral top notes of mirabelle, gardenia, aldehydes and fruits; heart notes of rose, jasmine, honeysuckle and ylang-ylang; and base notes of benzoin, musk, vetiver, heliotrope, moss and olibanum. ROSA : rochas femme, with notes of bergamot, peach, prune, rose, immortelle, jasmine, ylang-ylang, ambergris, musk, oakmoss, sandalwood.

WHAT DO YOUR MUSE’S HANDS FEEL LIKE?

maria's hands are very soft and seemingly perfect, if not for the common little knicks she gets at times digging through flowerbeds and occasionally scraping against thorns or needle-point leaves. she keeps her nails slightly longer but maintained, often colored by red, orange, sometimes yellow polish. they become a little rougher and well-worked, namely in cc, nosy, wilted, and shine's ranch-wife route. otherwise, her hands are delicate and gentle, soft to the touch, and its definitely encouraged to hold or kiss her hands all the time. nodnod.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY EAT IN A DAY?

really does depend and varies so much, because i imagine that she and her friends often go off or show up to her apartment all the time to have dinners together, esp. pre-house, and so alot of the time things may be spur-of-the-moment choices. running to the grocery right after classes to gather a bunch of ingredients, or taking off to diners etc when they want to go out instead. otherwise, she usually eats small, sweet breakfasts - things like lemon-blueberry or cinnamon bread loaves, muffins, conchas - and simple lunches usually, as she's between classes. so tortas / sandwiches and the like from whatever the university may have that day. dinners are usually her bigger meal of the day, where depending on if she's alone or has any number of her friends stopping by, she ore than happily readies to make alot of food for everyone, together. in between she typically already has a stockpile or bakes cookies, little cakes, brownies, all sorts of sweets both to satisfy her own sweet tooth but also for whenever someone swings by, too.

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE A GOOD SINGING VOICE?

maria would probably tell you no, that she probably sounds like alley cats wailing in the middle of the night. but she does have a very soft and sweet voice! and despite her not being too convinced about her singing, she'll more than happily sing along to the radio on long drives, when a song comes on that she knows or loves. or sing along with someone else, or at parties, all of that. she'll quietly sing or hum to someone if she's comforting them, too. voiceclaim - carla morrison : tierra ajena / no vuelvo jamás / hasta la piel / todo fue por amor ( or eng ver ) everything was for love

DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE ANY BAD HABITS OR NERVOUS TICKS?

she'll often touch and mess around with her hair quite a bit, whether idly twirling it between her fingers, braiding and unbraiding a small section. she plays with her fingers, whether thats rubbing the backs of them or 'twisting' the tips of her index & thumb. maria often 'hugs' herself around her arms and rubs them and her shoulders to self-soothe. bring her hand to her mouth and faintly squeezes her bottom lip, or bites down on it and the insides of her cheeks. worst ones, to her, when her nerves get pretty bad is digging her nails against her skin, or when it hits at night and she has a bout of night terrors or sleep paralysis.

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSE USUALLY LOOK LIKE / WEAR?

i very much gesture towards both maria's personally named cosmetics & style boards for the best ideas of how i picture her dressing, but - maria wears alot of brightly colored, feminine, or practical clothing, typically. usually in reds, oranges, yellows, and floral prints; handmade embroidery usually adorns alot of her pants, shirts, buttons, collars, you name it! she LOVES adding flowers to otherwise basic clothes. she loves both looking and feeling like sunshine and wildflowers and will almost always turn to brighter, soft palettes as opposed to darker, subdued ones. she loves flowy sleeves, soft comfortable fabrics. lace and small bows or little floral pieces here and there. loves her andalusite ring she receives from johnny. loves flower jewelry, little sunflower earrings, and her sunflower choker she got as a gift from donnie. her pink stone bracelet she got from connie, that they all received as little sweet matching gifts from her.

IS YOUR MUSE AFFECTIONATE? HOW SO?

[ stares at the camera like im in the office ] do ya'll not know my girl? she is SO affectionate! she LOVES being so, doting on people, letting them know she loves them in all sorts of ways - to their degree of comfort with her doing so, of course! maria loves to give and receive hugs - whether its simple one-armed ones or ones, like danny, where she's lifted in the air and squeezed ( gently though! ) or holding someones hand ( bonus if walking and she gets to swing her hand a lil as they walk! ), gentle head bonks and kittyisms with connie, lee resting his chin on the top of her head and her doing the same in return to him when hes sitting down. loosely hugging around neck from behind when people are sitting too, resting her cheek against the side of their head. hugging from behind or the side. gently cupping cheeks / chin, wiping away tears as they fall. letting people rest their heads in her lap to rest or nap, playing with and running her fingers through their hair to help them relax or sleep.

WHAT POSITION DOES YOUR MUSE SLEEP IN?

maria typically sleeps partly curled up on her sides, cat-like almost. she feels far more comfortable sleeping huddled into herself than lying on her back or stomach, at least not for too long. if she's sleeping beside someone, theres a high chance that by morning she'll likely have her head or cheek resting against their arm / shoulder / back. again, its another form of comfort to her, that she warns them ahead of time may happen in case they'd rather sleep elsewhere / have her sleep elsewhere. she can at times get restless in the night and shift around, especially when it comes to her night terrors / sleep paralysis, so, she does give them a heads up and an apology before she sleeps that she might end up against or holding them and if she does then to wake her so she can move away.

COULD YOU HEAR YOUR MUSE IN THE HALLWAY FROM ANOTHER ROOM?

most definitely, girl isn't loud exactly but, if shes talking to someone then shes bubbly and excitable. she's laughing and beaming and depending on the conversation, who she's speaking with, who knows what silly little antics may happen. she still, to this day, hops a lil when she gets really excited about something, so could very well hear the sound of her shoes bouncing along hardwood. otherwise, if she isn't speaking, maria moves around fairly quietly, soft footfalls even with shoes on. she's pretty light on her feet, so she could sneak up on people, sometimes, without meaning to. makes for a good way of sneaking up on targets in cc / nosy. (:

#[ ♡ ] ── * maria f. / 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦. #[ ♡ ] ── * study.

[fragileizywriting]

why are things always so much harder for her? why is everything so much easier for others? why does she struggle so much to stop making things so big?

as gently as she can, she slips her phone back onto her towel. neatly folded and rolled up on the stool near the bathtub as she continues to soak. at first it’d been a good idea; a bath, a long one, to roll out her stiffened calves and get into hopefully a mood relaxed enough to find the courage to ask luka for some heavy-petting during their cuddles. still now, she has to warm herself up to the idea. get into it. she feels sexless most times when the heat dies down and her eyes are able to focus, unless she helps herself get into the mindset.

maybe not this time.

instead, she sniffles. cries a bit, when she blinks and her eyelashes stick and glitter with dew.

“luka,” she calls out, gently, just loud enough that he’ll hear if he isn’t humming under his breath while fixing up the mess they’ve made of the covers. “can you come here?” a noise from outside the bathroom has her sniffling harder. “please come in here.”

the door cracks open enough to let a draft in. she tries not to shiver, but finds comfort in the feeling.

“what’s wrong?”

“i got off the phone with my mom, and i feel...”

that’s all he needs to hear. he’s not clothed, and won’t be for a few more days, because her heat is a bitch and refuses to let polyester get close. his touch, yes; their sheets, maybe; soapy water is allowed, too. but scratchy nylon is the first to go when arousal peaks and washes over like the tide and causes her to strip anything that isn’t skin.

he climbs into the tub with her.

there’s not much room. there’s no room at all, actually, because the tub is cramped for her— a tiny thing, a small thing, a handful and a problem of a thing— and when luka stands up, he goes up and up and up. it takes him a while to find a place for his kneecaps, and a place for his ankles, and feet, and thighs— giant, muscle-filled arms wrap around her while she sobs into her hands.

“i’m sorry,” he tells her.

“i did something wrong.”

“i don’t think you did. usually whenever she does this, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“she called me a problem,” she tells him with a sob. another inhale through the nose— a wet, disgusting thing— tells her he’s stewing in bordering irritation. it bleeds through the open air, bruising the scent of patchouli and ylang ylang aromatics into submission. “she— she said that im bothering you.”

“what were her words?”

“she asked me where i was. i told her your place, but that was okay, because you’re okay with spending my first heat with me.” her throat is too tight to swallow, but she gives it a try. “she told me to be careful, that i shouldn’t annoy you, because i know how… bad i can be.”

“kitty—”

“—that i would be better dealing with this alone,” she whispers. “that way, i wouldn’t bother.”

“you’re not bothering me.”

“my brain feels numb. and exhausted. and i feel like i’ve been floating the entire time, only for that call to make everything crash back down.”

“your heat isn’t going to let you think about this for much longer.” he kisses her scalp. “i guess we can count that as a positive… i’m here, okay? you’re not bothering me. i want to take care of you. i want to be there for you. you’re okay, love. let’s finish washing your face and get you comfy into bed.”

#speakizys #i had a really interesting talk with my dad before bed and i’m so exhausted #man. hhhhhh #oh to have a luka #4 am ginseng tea

[newhologram]

New's Ketamine Diary

7.30.22 Unfamiliar Stability

Trips have been really mellow still, which isn't really a bad thing. I bounce back a lot faster now and haven't needed to use my cane around the house as much after. Still not sure if the humidity did something to the troches or if it's time to discuss upping the dose.

Had to do a dose 2 days late because of PET scan and other things going on. It was a pretty easy trip, with not as intense out-of-body feelings, but still some nice visuals. I saw stop-motion Khonshu and it was interesting. Luckily my mental health had already been fine, but it was nice to have this little boost.

Then 5 days went by without me realizing it was already k day again, oops. I was still feeling so great mentally and emotionally that it wasn't even on my mind, although it could have been a dissociation episode. But like in a good way? I don't know. Even though I've been so laid out from multiple flare ups and 3-5 doc appts per week, I've been thankfully supported by a fun and intensely therapeutic special interest. Even after a stressful family emergency and having to run the house and do errands by myself for a week AND work two days in a row, I feel okay. I'm tired and in pain, I'm frustrated, but I feel very level. I feel good, like I can handle all of this.

Two weeks before my period, I usually have really deep depression. I definitely had intense chocolate cravings. Like probably the most intense of my life. I tried to limit myself but I was eating a lot of it. I could feel that my hormones were being wacky but there was zero depression. Crankiness at my chronic pain, sure, but less intense than usual.

I thought maybe it was because I was so distracted by just having fun with special interests. It's also likely because I've been doing ketamine therapy regularly for 4 months now. It may be finally built up in my system enough by now.

But I did also buy an essential oil balm for periods (by Cora, for anyone interested) and have been using it every night all over my belly. I used to make my own blends all the time and used a lot of clary sage/jasmine/ylang ylang for hormone chill, but haven't been able to afford my essential oil hobby in quite some time. So having this again in my daily routine may be helping too, but--

Now doctors are finally giving me enough Tramadol and Xanax that I can use it on bad days 1-3x a week, which means I'm able to not only be more productive, but rest and recover better. I'm still generally struggling to sleep, summertime insomnia is always bad. But I've been having some good nights. I still feel like I got hit by a truck when I wake up, but the little extra spoons I have can be used to cook and do things for myself that will give me more strength. Obviously having better pain management and emergency meds for bad days has a positive impact on my mental health.

This kind of mental and emotional stability and contentment is unfamiliar to me. At least, lasting this long. It's usually fleeting, before a C-PTSD trigger or hormones or a flare up steamrolls any sense of hope I had cultivated. I spoke about it a few times with my therapist, because it's just not something I'm used to, which is why I kept wondering if I've just been dissociating. So I'm trying to familiarize myself with this kind of place, and to be present in it.

PET scan and labwork results came back generally okay, inflammation as expected in my gut, will check back with oncologist in a few months but again, I think this is just more evidence to suggest endometriosis.

In a few weeks I see the gynecological oncologist, who technically does endo surgery, but again… probably not the kind I need. What a mess.

#teku #new's ketamine diary

[seulgielle]

낭비하지 마 내 눈물은 은행. ✸

 ⠀ׂ₊ ✶⠀⠀ . . . ⠀⠀ PERSONAL INFORMATION.

BIRTH NAME :  kang seul-gi (강슬기) NICKNAMES :  kkangseul, gomdoli, teddy bear PRONOUNS :  she / her

DATE OF BIRTH :  february 10, 1994 PLACE OF BIRTH :  ansan, gyeonggi-do, south korea AGE :  twenty-nine ZODIAC :  sun in aquarius, moon in aquarius, ascendant in taurus MBTI :  isfp

LANGUAGES :  korean (native), japanese (fluent), english (basic) FAMILY :  mother, father, one older brother

RELATIONSHIP STATUS :  single LOVE INTEREST :  exo’s park chanyeol ROMANTIC ORIENTATION :  biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION :  bisexual

 ⠀ׂ₊ ✶⠀⠀ . . . ⠀⠀ PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION.

STAGE NAME :  seulgi (슬기)

YEARS ACTIVE :  2014 — present AGENCY :  sm entertainment GROUP :  red velvet POSITION(S) :  main dancer, lead vocalist

AUDITION SONG :  doll by lee jihoon TRAINING PERIOD :  seven years DEBUT DATE :  august 1, 2014

FANDOM NAME :  reveluv REPRESENTATIVE ANIMAL :  bear 🐻 DESIGNATED COLOR :  yellow

 ⠀ׂ₊ ✶⠀⠀ . . . ⠀⠀ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

one of her most favorite hobbies ever is photography, and her most prized possession is a minolta x-700 film camera that she purchased secondhand as a gift for herself for her twenty-fifth birthday

lots of online sources say that she’s 5’5, except she’s actually 5’3

amongst other things like covering her face with her hair when she cries or leaving a mess wherever she goes, seulgi’s worst habit is cracking her joints (particularly her knuckles)

her favorite number is 20, mostly because it looks pretty

seulgi is an incredibly heavy sleeper that can’t be stirred awake even with the loudest of noises

avid collector of stickers, pens, notes, and cameras

her love language is quality time, though she can be a bit of an impulse shopper keen on gift giving as well

when she was in the sixth grade, seulgi was elected class president and got so excited about it that she changed her kakao name to “class president seulgi”

LIKES :  traveling. urban exploring. pringles (yes, like the chips). dark colors. listening to cafe chatter. people watching. drawing. taking photos. junk journaling, because she keeps just about everything. trinkets and antique shops. hot things on cold days. vinyl records. poetry. classic literature. playing the guitar. the moon. museums. window shopping (and also actually shopping). the smell of ylang ylang. the sound of windchimes. misty mornings. her monolids. over-the-ear headphones. going to karaoke by herself. eating meals with friends. fountain pens.

 ⠀ׂ₊ ✶⠀⠀ . . . ⠀⠀ WANTED CONNECTIONS.

sunny afternoon :  with her thirties looming on the horizon, it's safe to say seulgi's got quite a bit of life experience that she's eager to share with those who are younger than her, whether it be professional or personal. she's a particularly good listener, and is always willing to lend an ear to be talked off or a shoulder to be cried on whenever necessary. these are people she has a sorta sibling-esque relationship with sm kiddos, i'm looking directly at you.

ladies night :  seulgi style, of course! her idea of a fun night is hitting up a karaoke lounge, drinking just enough to get buzzed, and then renting bikes to ride around the streets of seoul until their legs begin to ache. crowded clubs or loud parties aren't really her style, and i think it'd be nice for her to have a few friends who feel the same. these are the type of people to tag along on impromptu adventures; their silence is comforting, and when asked, she'd call them her platonic soulmate(s).

dumb dumb :  in everything seulgi does, she always gives 110%. it's good to be hardworking, but it can be a problem when you end up stuck in your own head, and that's something she's incredible vulnerable to. it's been nearly ten years since she debuted, and yet she can't seem to shake this feeling that she still has something to prove. in her mind, anything less than perfect is simply unacceptable. it'll be good for her to have some people she can confide in, or who can recognize the signs of her spiral and slow her down before it's too late.

pushin' n pullin' : i think it would be kinda fun for her to have a rivalry of sorts with someone, though the specific cause would have to be discussed further between muns because i also can't imagine a world where she'd be the one to spark conflict fun funsies. if you're interested, we can brainstorm together!

misc exes, best friends ... more tba ...

#pinned.

[marialeto]

Ascended Master and Tarot Card of the Day

September 8th, 2022

Thursday

Raguel

Divine Adventure

Raguel’s essential oil blend consists of 3 essential oils

Lime 3

Ylang Ylang 3

Sage Dalmatian 3

Archangel Raguel 9

Friend of God

Raguel’s divinely blessed braided intention, prayer, and meditation bracelet is made of 3 strands of yarn.

Red for God’s Will

Dark Blue for Divine Guidance

White for Spiritual Harmony

Message: Harmonious relationships bring us the most peace, love, and joy.

The gemstone is Rose Quartz

Cedarwood coffee today

❤️💙

Tarot Card :

Clear, Cancel, and Release

Angel wisdom wants you to recognize and realize the power of your words, thoughts, and intentions. It is important to clear, cancel, and release anything you no longer want or need in order to make more room for love, positivity, and peace. It is important to ask for guidance. When you are working towards your dreams, sometimes you must stop and clean up the mess, any mess that may have been made, anything that you don’t want or need, not necessarily to throw away in the garbage, but to recycle, or to give to someone else. So that we may move along this red line of synchronicity built in the cosmos and blessed by Gods.

Simple changes will clear your energy and open you up to experiencing a sense of clarity and freedom.

From: The Angel Guide Oracle Deck

❤️💙

Photo of the Day

From the Above in Autumn series

The statue stands in Calvary cemetery in Milwaukee Wisconsin. It is the oldest existing Catholic cemetery in Milwaukee Wisconsin, owned by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It is the final resting place for many of the cities early influential figures. It was designated a Milwaukee landmark in 1981.

❤️💙

Today The ray of light is cedarwood. As is the flame, flavor, color, candle, and coffee.

The chakra is crown.

Sunrise is from 6:23 AM to 7:14 PM in Virgo. The forecast is 63 to 80°

The moonrise is 6:51PM to 5:08 AM, it is 94.7% waxing gibbous in Aquarius until 11:44 PM to Pisces

The rose quartz, a pale pink coloring and a translucent transparency and a vitreous luster. It also has a hexagonal crystal system and is in the mineral class of quartz. The meaning of Rose Quartz is love and compassion.

Archangel Raguel brings us harmony and balance, love and compassion. So that we may live in peace. The extra message today is, synchronicity will take you on an adventure if you allow it.

Costa Rica is known for incredible national parks, river rafting, can your name, cave tubing, and zip lining. There’s also a wonderful place for animal lovers to discover interesting wildlife.

Today the spirit animal is oscala, the angel of the day is Joseph, the being of light is Etta, the goddess is Pisces, the god is Jude, the saint is Brian, the ascended master is Raguel, the planet is Jupiter, the number is five, the Elohim is heart, the element is wood, the place is cinnamon, the star is houses, the country is Costa Rica, the theme is houses, the gemstone is rose quartz, the day is the universe, it is the day of the sprite, the divinity is masculine, the keyword is houses and the note is carnelian.

It is Lucifer and Derek’s day three and Lucifer’s day.

We are a family.

The song of the day is No Angels by Devil City Angels song #5 on the album 2015

#family #September 8th #Raguel #divine adventure #friend of god #angels #wood #Jupiter #universe #sprites #crown #cedarwood #rays of light #Thursday #Milwaukee #Wisconsin #houses #divinity

[parfummm]

A Detail Guide on Must Cartier Perfume

The guide on Cartier Perfume will lead you through a luxury door into a world of high-end aromas that will steal your senses, mess with your wants, and expose your mind to something fragrantly surreal. With the countless Cartier fragrances and colognes for men and women, we are about to show you the world of options.

You'll want nothing more than to remain in this world. You'll never desire another fragrance again. Instead, you'll immerse yourself in a premium brand perfume's French beauty and elegance. Cartier is a high-end designer fragrance that offers both men's and women's perfumes, as well as a wide perfumery variety.

French fragrances and designer labels are among the most beautiful, with Cartier at the top of the list. Cartier is well known for its watches, but the scents will transport you to the Promised Land in a cloud of seductive odors. Paradise is just a few options away, and we are going to show you the options.

History

The enormous brand we know today is named after Louis-François Cartier. In 1847, he established the brand in Paris, taking over the studio of another skilled jeweler, Adolphe Picard. Cartier's empire began with watches and jewelry adorned with intricate diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, among other gems.

He was an artist who had no doubts or boundaries. According to a Vogue story, his jewelry immediately became well-known among the aristocracy, spanning four generations. The royals are enamored with high-end jewels. Alfred Cartier, Louis-François' son, took over in 1874.

The brand was already well-known, with royalty and Europe's wealthiest individuals wearing it. Because Alfred's intellect was as creative as his father's, he introduced Egyptian-style jewelry. Cartier had expanded its wings to New York and Sankt Peterburg by the early 1900s.

In the 1920s, Pierre Cartier took control and expanded the brand even more. Even though people like King Alfonso bought the jewelry regularly, the brand was passed down the generations. Cartier is synonymous with lavish luxury, and each generation has pushed the limits even farther.

About Must Cartier Perfume 

Cartier's Amber scent Must Cartier is for ladies. In 1981, Cartier released Must de Cartier. Jean-Jacques Diener is the nose behind this scent. Galbanum, Brazilian Rosewood, Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, Green Mandarin, Peach, and Pineapple are in the top notes; Leather, Carnation, Vetiver, Orris Root, Musk, Ylang-Ylang, Yellow Narcissus, Neroli, Rose, Jasmine, and Orchid are in the middle notes; and Amber, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Civet, and Vetiver are in the base notes. A scent of unrivaled elegance, with vanilla and powdery notes complemented by galbanum's invigorating green overtones.

Conclusion

Hence, this was all. Here you will be aware of all the details related to Must Cartier from its history to know about the product.

#must cartier #perfume #retail #lifestyle

[black-is-no-colour]

El País Semanal, 15 November 2020. Coat, Maison Margiela by John Galliano, Défilé Fall 2020 collection. 

Photographer Pablo Zamora, Model Ylang Mess, styled by Ana Tovar

#Maison Margiela #Margiela #Maison Margiela by John Galliano #John Galliano #Galliano #fashion #fashion shoot #Pablo Zamora #Ylang Mess #Ana Tovar #EL PAÍS #El País Semanal #aw20 #model #style #fashion photography

[tockamybeloved]

(c1750)

Inspiration for OC - Vasili Ilyich Volkov 

He was so much fun to write! 

mmwwaahhhh evil laughter in the background. His companion isn’t much better. Andrei Petrovich Resanov

#you will meet this character soon #bad news all around the court #suave and ylang ylang #diplomat and a mess #fluent in French #bothers both Lesaro & Magda to no end #but for different reasons #volkov means wolf

[sooibian]

Star-Crossed

Pairing: Baekhyun x Fem!Reader, OC Lys, Minseok, Yixing

Description: In his struggle with his inner demons and the outside world, will Baekhyun succeed in saving the one he loves?

Themes: Romani AU, magical realism, fluff, angst, mildly explicit, implied smut, secret relationship, knife related superstitions

Warnings: Blood, knives, violence

Word Count: 8.2k

Tagging: @changshapatrol​ @rosetvler​ @bbyunz​ @is-that-baekhyuns-shirt​ @royal-aeris @bbhmystar​ @tydontstop​ shy tagging @his-mochi-cheeks​ !

Part of the Steampunk Romani AU collab with @leewalberg​ @vampwrrr​ @xui-n-soowillbethedeathofme​​

Pre-reading notes:

Baekhyun can influence physical objects with his mind, unnamed MC is a plant whisperer, Yixing is a dragon, and Lys is a mind reader.

Glossary: bulibasha - clan leader; chao - tea; dragă - darling; dya - mother; gadjo - someone of non romani descent/origin; iubit - lover; kafa - coffee; lăutari - musicians

**********************************

The camp was bathed in an enchanting silver of the sparkling night sky. Evenings like these were ideal for bonfires and conviviality. Merry peals of laughter reached your ears in sporadic waves - delightful by nature but not entirely alluring. You’d always preferred the abyss of your own thoughts. Encumbered by gaiety, not many missed you on such occasions for you were ordinarily out of sight - living on the far edge of the camp, a stone’s throw from the surrounding forest that served your clandestine gift for curative botanicals. The one that you had inherited from your mother.

You would have loved nothing more than to spend your days curating elixirs for inflictions superficial and of the mind. Hogweed for flu, Borango for the heart, lavender blossoms for the mind...the flora would sing sweet praises of her roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Songs that could be heard by you and your mother before you. The others, they had to study. They had to spend nights on end learning and perfecting this scientific art.

Destiny demanded you take over your ailing grandfather’s weapons trade and spend a good part of your life acquiring and selling lethal daggers, swords, machetes, and often the antiquated colt. But you held no bitterness against the inexorable fate and accepted life as it came with its blunt and sharp blows.

As you sat tidying your workbench, your paring knife slid off and fell to the floor with a clang as if to signal you of an impending rendezvous. The wintry chill took you by the tips of your fingers ever so gently and guided you out of the comfort of your home only to envelope you in her warmest embrace. 

The sound of his footsteps set your heart racing and you cursed at your rather self-destructive whims and fancies. Not wanting to seem like you were dawdling, you almost hurried back into the caravan but decided against it in the last minute. Even after everything, he had your soul dangling by a string, jerking it to the tunes of a bittersweet symphony. Appearing unflustered, you forced your eyes to marvel at the blue-white Rigel and red Betelgeuse instead but they battled for a mere glimpse at him.

The moon cast a beautiful, pearly sheen on the visitor but failed at masking his savagery. His black ankle banded pants, the frayed red brocade coat that was layered over a lace up shirt, the weighty golden azazel ring on his left thumb which was a sign of his elevated status in the clan, the leather belt around his lean waist, even the bandoleer strapped over his right thigh that steadfastly held his jamdhar all bore garish smudges of dried blood. 

The guilt of seeing this dagger on his person never ceased to bog you down. Had you not found it, it would never have found Baekhyun.

He stopped at a foot's distance from you, one hand pressing a piece of cloth to an old gash across his eyebrow which seemed to have come undone. He watched you with an unmistakable conviction in his boldly lined eyes while yours landed on the sprig of basil resting against his throat. It made your heart clench with a fatal concoction of hurt and guilt. 

He shouldn’t be here.

You pointedly scrutinized the smoky emanations that rose in black wisps from the weapon. Despite your continued dissent, Baekhyun insisted on using the jamdhar. He cleared his throat meekly, drew the weapon out of the bandoleer and hid it in the inside pocket of his coat and advanced towards you. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you said "Stay", and raised your index finger at him as if in command. The last time Baekhyun wound up in your caravan it didn't end well for you. In fact, every time he came to see you, he brought along with him agonizing memories of that day - the one day on which you both wished that the sun hadn’t risen. 

As soon as you turned around, he grabbed you by your wrist to hold you firmly in place. The front window of the vehicle burst open and with a whooshing sound your medicine crate and teapoy flew out of it only to carefully descend at your feet.

"When will you ever stop flaunting your feathers like a peacock." You muttered under your breath, pursing your lips to suppress a smile. "I'll need a flask, a lidded dish...and a mat."

In one quick movement, he pulled you towards him, deliberately pressing his firm, laddish torso to your back. He leaned in closer, his tender lips and warm breath tickling your ear, as he whispered, "Take me inside, saves us the hassle", sending a frisson of wildness down your spine.

But you were quick to prise away from his captivating grasp and meet his misty eyes with an unwavering gaze. Crossing your arms over your chest, you stated with a hint of annoyance in your tone, "The Healer lives not too far from here. I'm just a weapons dealer, anyway." 

Strangely enough, only the potions and cures concocted by you soothed Baekhyun’s woes - they helped restore his strength that was devoured raw by the jamdhar. But that wasn’t the only reason why he was drawn to you. If Baekhyun knew love, it was because he saw it in your eyes. With his head rested in your lap, the one feared by all felt at home... he felt at peace. 

Averting his gaze from your stern countenance, he let out a deep sigh and conceded defeat.

***

You started him off with a decoction of Feverfew flowers diluted with water and honey to help soothe his muscular aches while concocting a balm out of beeswax, Laca leaves and powdered root of the Allheal plant for his bruises. He took a hesitant sip and thrust the flask back into your hand, wincing at the bitter taste of the brew, "More honey."

"Honey doesn’t come cheap." You jeered, immediately regretting your words as you glanced over his soul crushingly worn out demeanour. 

Baekhyun’s undertakings as the money lender’s henchman always ended up taking an ugly toll on him. This wasn’t something he was cut out for but weighed down by the burden of fealty, the obvious facts seemed to elude him. Hastily handing him the jar of honey, you inched closer to him to clean his wound.

He retreated playfully. Gaping at you, he complained in mock-offense, “Men and women shouldn’t be inappropriately intimate!”

Unheeding, you responded, “Especially if they’re spoken for.”

His jaw dropped in protest but he clamped it shut at once. Lowering his gaze, he quietly added a generous dollop of the sweet nectar to the flask and stirred the mixture with one of the decontaminated knives from your medicine crate.

“Stir with a knife and stir up strife”, you taunted him despite yourself.

Undeterred, he continued to stir with an increased vigour. “Since it doesn’t bode well for us to see each other unless I’m battered and bruised”, he retorted, chuckling darkly, the sparkle of the entire galaxy pooling in the depth of his eyes, “this solves it.” 

.

.

.

Growing up, you never concerned yourself with the frail and sickly lad who had the ability to influence physical objects with his mind; he didn’t mingle with kids his age and spent most of his time tailing the money lender’s son Minseok. Now that you think about it, it was the other way round. Minseok tailed Baekhyun, cleaning up the messes he made and looking after him despite the second-rate treatment the adopted boy received from the rest of his family. For someone that small-boned, Baekhyun was loud, boisterous, and slightly too obnoxious. It wasn’t long before you wrote the troublemaker off as someone you’d rather steer clear of. 

You, on the other hand, spent the better part of your childhood and adolescent years learning the Romano Zakono at the feet of your grandfather, apprenticing with the Healers of the clan, practising intricate embroidery and the cursive script, and secretly mimicking the songs and dances of the lăutari. 

You’ll never forget the day he sneaked up on you dancing to one of Damian Draghici’s songs. It was a little before sunset, you were alone by the pond, dressed in your newly sewn red crêpe skirt and a coordinated red blouse that showed off your elegant collarbone and just a tasteful bit of your midriff. Last year, you came of age and started discovering the sublime beauty of womanhood that was revealed by the luxe curves and graceful lines of your body. With a golden belt tinkling on your waist, beaded earrings dangling in your ears, a colourful cotton scarf around your head, eyes emboldened with the darkest kohl, lips tinted with a fearless maroon, you sneaked shy glances at yourself in the clear pond. 

The soft evening wind had rendered your already wild hair untamed and you were draped in the fragrance of the woody white oudh carrying sweet undertones of ylang ylang flowers and patchouli. You’d stolen a tiny bit of the expensive attar from your mother’s dresser drawer and dabbed it behind the top of your ear. You always wore perfume in that spot since it was oilier than the ear lobe, and oil tends to hold on to perfume better, helping it to diffuse for longer. That way, you’d carry the delectable essence of nature with you at least until the next sunset albeit at the price of a scolding from your stern but loving dya. 

To your knowledge, you were the only one by the pond. Everyone was busy celebrating the union of one of the elders’ granddaughter with the blacksmith’s son. Dressed up this splendidly, it would be an utter waste if you didn’t sneak out for just a bit to croon and sway to Damian Draghici’s latest Trandafire after being spellbound by the performance of the lăutari at the wedding. 

Halfway through your routine, you were alerted by a sudden ruffling of the leaves. As you turned your head in the direction of the sound, struggling to see in the fading daylight, a scrawny boy fell out of the magnolia tree and straight into the pond, tush first.

Mortified, you wanted to run to the Healer to ask for a little something that would obliviate your memory of this ordeal, or better yet mix that something in this rude intruder’s kafa the next morning. But the impact of him falling into the water created a huge splash, leaving you partially drenched. There’s no way you could go back to the feast looking like this. What on earth was this boy doing here while the entire clan was by the gazebo, celebrating! 

Upon a closer look you realized that he, of all people, was in dire need of some flesh to his bones.

Dripping wet he staggered out of the pond, a pout on his lips and eyes downcast. Ignoring you, he started to walk towards the camp but you yelled after him, “Creep!”

The boy who couldn’t have been more than a year younger to you, was half a head shorter. He turned around and sneered, low-toned, “Creep?”

“How dare you...how dare you..watch me..” Perplexed and livid, you contemplated on the choice of your words.

Hands on hips, he sauntered towards you with his head tilted to the side, brows pinched together and a corner of his mouth raised in a smirk. The mood of his tone sent chills down your spine when he asked, “How dare I what?” 

Fuelled with an unadulterated rage, you glared at him but he merely stood there, countenance casual, as if he’d just asked for directions to your grandfather’s weapons’ store. 

His outfit was ragged and clearly bigger for his frame but it highlighted his broad chest and shoulders. The cuffs of his pants were tattered, loose threads hanging by their seams and the right elbow of his black lace up shirt was patched with a squarish cloth of a different fabric. If you were dressed anything like him, you would have skipped the wedding, too. The patch on his elbow had come apart as a consequence of the fall, revealing a fresh wound.

Sighing in defeat, you grabbed him by his left wrist and dragged him to the edge of the pond. To your utter surprise, he followed without any protest. You sat down and he sat next to you, albeit a little too close for your comfort. You slowly dipped your feet in the cool water and he, reluctantly, after folding his pants up to his knees, did the same.   

Unfastening the drawstring on the little pouch fixed to your belt, you removed a clean gauze and a vial of white petroleum from it. Soaking the gauze in water, you took him by his right forearm but he flinched and retracted. “What are you doing?” He asked, eyes widened in surprise.

“Cleaning your wound.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Why would you do that? I have nothing to give you in return and I don’t like owing people.”

“..owing people? How old are you?”

“What has my age got to do with anything?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a small smile, “No, nothing. You don’t owe me, alright? I’m doing this to...to... improve my skills. If anything, I owe you. Clear?”

Baekhyun’s suspicious eyes eased into a soft smile and he nodded in agreement. His smile was radiant and his striking eyes were accentuated with smooth, bold strokes of glittering kohl which had smudged along the edges, resembling a beautifully chaotic thunderstorm. The dimming evening light cast a faint shadow of his eye lashes on the apples of his translucent cheeks. Amidst his pleasing facial features, it was his nose that stood out for you. You couldn’t quite tell what it was but you wanted a small bite of it. 

He was undoubtedly the most handsome boy you had ever seen. 

“Why aren’t you at the wedding?” You asked, carefully folding the sleeve of his shirt up to his upper arm and cleaning the blood off of his elbow with the wet gauze. As you were applying a generous layer of white petroleum over it, you felt his stiff posture gradually relax. 

His gaze shifted from you and he stared into the distance and replied, “No reason.”

You simply nodded and decided against prodding him further. Taking the cotton scarf off of your head, you folded it into a makeshift bandage and swathed his elbow in it. 

“Why aren’t you at the wedding?” He asked, fixing you with a steady gaze.

“Because I’m dressed way too exquisitely for a mere wedding.” You laughed.

“I’d have to agree.” He said in a small voice. “Do you come here often?”

“Would you like me to?”

“As a Healer isn’t it your duty to follow up on your patients?”

“I’m no Healer, but I’d like to see you again on the next full moon. To check up on the…. very deep gash on your elbow.”

Baekhyun’s lips curled upwards and his eyes crinkled. He nodded sagely in response. 

“I have to go now”, you said, finding a part of your heart already missing the boy you never wanted anything to do with. 

“I’ll leave first”, Baekhyun responded. 

As you watched him go, magnolia flowers came floating in the air towards you in a straight line. They spun and wove around each other in a circle as if dancing to the beats of Trandafire. The brightest fireflies fluttered and joined in on the little gala of flowers, entwined like gemstones on a tiara, as the soiree adorned its rightful princess.

***

Thereafter came a seemingly endless string of secret rendezvous under the starry night skies. Baekhyun would braid your hair with flowers, sing you sweet love songs, bring you little gifts he’d find on his travels with Minseok and his father. They were mostly ingredients that you couldn’t find in the forest; you’d only describe their physical properties once and he’d commit them to memory, presenting you with only the best of the best of his finds.

Musings of the past were quick to pave the way for promises of a future. Even with its neck haltered and back against a wall, love was foolishly brave.

The more Baekhyun got involved with the money lender’s dealings, the lesser time he had for you which made every moment of yours with him even more precious. You held on to each other until the very last second as the agony of parting continued to amplify with the next meeting.

Years went by and one sweltering summer evening, you acquired a sealed weapon from a thirsty gadjo in exchange for an amphora full of fruit wine. The gadjo said it was a jamdhar, a rare push dagger, mainly intended for piercing armours. It was useless to him since the weapon had sealed itself and only an equal could unsheathe it. 

But to you, the jamdhar meant freedom. 

The dagger was rare, unreasonably powerful, mysterious and quite unlike any weapon in your grandfather’s munition. Merely fifteen inches long, it weighed about eleven pounds on the scale but it was quite heavy to be wielded by the average person. You could use the dagger to your advantage to evade inheriting the weapons’ trade and convince him to allow you to pursue your dream as an apothecary instead. 

You later discovered that your plea had fallen upon deaf ears but you reckoned it was worth a try, anyway. 

On Sara-la-Kali’s pilgrimage day, a feast was hosted by the babas of the clan. Among the many events held that evening, one event was held by your grandfather inviting men and women, young and old, to unsheathe the jamdhar.

Eyes outlined with an ebony galena and dark hair tousled, Baekhyun was dressed in black leather slacks and a loose midnight blue silk kurti which accentuated his broad and masculine frame. He wore an ivory tooth necklace and adorned the forward helix of his left ear with a gold ring. There was something different about him that day. He was unfaltering and undaunted. He was a force of nature.

He fixed the weapon with an unflinching gaze that sent shivers down your spine and proceeded towards it with one deliberate step at a time. He grabbed the sheathed jamdhar as if holding up a feather and drew the reticent dagger out of its cocoon with a sharp hiss. 

The weapon gleamed in the moonlight. Its hilt was forged from pure carbon steel and it cut through the birchbark bench like cutting through floating sand. Vicious and double edged, its narrow blade was as clear as mirror glass. Yet, when Baekhyun glanced into it, he saw doleful eyes of strangers - men, women, and seldom children. These were reflections of the spirits of the lives claimed by the weapon. 

The jamdhar was mighty and it made the man who possessed it invincible but it was bursting with resentment. Now that the weapon had found its true master, its energy only strengthened after each kill, rendering the master’s soul a shade weakened. Baekhyun would only continue to grow restless until he lost control of the weapon...and eventually of himself. You shuddered to think what might ultimately become of him if he didn’t discard the weapon soon enough.

It was after Sara-la-Kali’s pilgrimage day, the almighty Byun Baekhyun had become a stranger to you but your hearts were still tied together by the fragile thread of...love. 

You wondered if you could still call it that. 

.

.

.

It had been a year since. 

A year of sleepless nights and frazzled days. You found him growing distant in your unyielding pursuit of asking him to relinquish the weapon. But the weapon had given him everything he couldn't afford to lose - fame, might, wealth, and most of all the respect that he yearned for growing up. Nobody dared to cross Byun Baekhyun. Nobody spoke ill of him. His mere presence would hush the busiest streets and people would bow down to him out of fear or admiration... or both.

They say time heals but it was now your arch nemesis. So you did what you knew best. You concocted brews that would help restore his strength only for it to be swallowed up again the next time the vicious blade had tasted blood. 

You kept to yourself otherwise than when he needed you but the more you tried to fight shy of him, the more you found yourself in his company - observing the little things that pulled you deeper into your affections for him. The look in his eyes every time he saw fireflies dancing around your caravan, the erratic beating of his heart you felt against your palm when he kissed you for the last time...every time you noticed these things - your safekept heart threatened to leap out of it’s wrought iron cage only to land into his deceitful hands.

“You didn’t know ...they..they didn’t tell you?” Your trembling fingers grazed the fresh sprig of basil resting against Baekhyun’s sternum as you struggled to ground yourself by focusing on your breathing. 

His palm met the side of your face in a gentle caress. “I didn’t. Believe me, I didn’t.” His voice was but a tremulous whisper in his futile endeavour to hold back tears. 

“I was gone for one day.. I had some business up north.. and.. and everything.. everything’s changed! Just like that...everything’s changed!” You tried your best to lay hysteria off of your voice, but faltered. He wrapped his arms around you, his grip strengthening by the second, holding you closer, tighter as if his life depended on it. He then guided you to your bed and sat you down.

Whole body wracked by sobs, you squeezed your eyes shut. And then you saw her. Lys. The money lender’s youngest. She was a vision with hair as dark as the night rippling down to her waist, skin so beautiful as if covered in specks of gold. You envisioned a goddess enveloped in the strong, reliable arms of your beloved and your heart sank to your stomach.

As bewitching as she was, no man in his right mind would take her as his wife for she could hear the words they never dared to utter. And that was treacherous territory even for the bravest, the most virtuous of them all. Lys could crawl into the mind of anyone she laid a mere finger on and their deepest, darkest secrets would come unraveled to her.

She could hear them all. All but one - the only one you held dear.

As soon as they got a whiff of this, the elders arranged her marriage with Baekhyun showing utter disregard for his consent.

“Let’s run away together”, you managed feebly, dreading his obvious answer. 

Devastated, he searched your eyes as a silent tear streamed down his cheek. He took your hands in his, tenderly pressed them to his lips and broke down in sobs.

“You do all their dirty work! Why are they so cruel to you? Why? You’re capable of so much more.” You argued in vain.

His dark eyes shot up to meet yours, stoic and resolute. “I’ve known only one thing all my life that is kill or be killed. You’re only saying this because you don’t know the real me. You’ve never seen me make a man’s head explode. You’ve only ever seen the things I let you see. I am a horrendous brute who was abandoned by his own parents...a monster who deserves no love.

My parents...my parents were simple-minded villagers who perceived anything out of the ordinary as black-hearted. After they found out what I was capable of, they started looking at me like I was different...like I was not human. They’d feed me leftovers, starve me for days, even try to beat the demon out of me. Nothing worked. I was still capable of doing the things that they considered wicked sorcery. At last they decided to sell me off to a merchant for a jagged piece of silver. 

The caravan was on one of their travels to the east at the time. They stopped by a field outside my village. It was the elders who spotted me… an eight year old left to his own devices, drawing water out of a well only with the sheer force of his mind. It was Minseok’s father who saved me that day. He saved me from the unthinkable. I can’t do this to them… I can’t let them down. And the more I think about it, I know that I have nothing to offer you. I have mastered no trade, I possess no talent for the arts. I have nothing to give you. I believe you deserve better. You’ve always deserved better. Better than -” His voice trailed off.

.

.

.

“Show me your best blade.”

A glossy yet assertive female voice fell upon your ears while you sat polishing some of the antiquated procurements with alcohol. Your grandfather loved for his collection to be immaculate as if they were elegant relics or souvenirs and not lethal weapons, a single plunge in the right place from which could mean only one thing. Though gradually and unwittingly, you grew up to care for them as such too.

“What do you need it for?” You inquired, attention fixed on the task at hand.

The sound of the visitor’s footsteps grew closer but before you could turn around, firm hands rested upon your shoulders, squeezing hard. The visitor whispered in your ear, “One that is good enough for carving a man’s heart out of his chest”, and broke into a high pitched, maniacal laughter.

“Lys!” Scared out of your wits, you exclaimed as all sounds suddenly started to become more and more distant. Everything faded out of sight and you felt like a lamb to the slaughter under her terrorizing gaze. She continued to look at you intently and shot you a knowing smile, effectively binding your limbs in dread. Tossing a piece of silver in your direction, she walked away with a freshly polished navaja, a fighting knife.

.

.

.

The sheer idea of Lys being aware of your deepest secret rendered you physically and mentally incapacitated for the rest of the day. Anxiety took over, tormenting you with the worst possible consequences of your now unveiled thoughts.

One that is good enough for carving a man’s heart out of his chest.

What did she mean by that? Would Baekhyun have to bear the brunt of your feelings? Has he not suffered enough at the hands of this family by constantly living on the edge of terror and despair?

Would this cost him his life? 

Sleep evaded you that night.

Wearing a weapon in the thick braid of yarn around your waist, you threw a shawl over your shoulders, gathered your skirts and headed towards Baekhyun’s caravan.

***

Just as you were about to reach for the door, it swung open and appeared before you two well built, dark haired men - one of them a head taller than the other. Your heart stopped the moment a pair of feline eyes bore into yours. Minseok closed the door behind him and you instinctively backpedalled, almost tumbling over a piece of rock until Yixing grabbed you by your arm to steady you.

"Bladerunner, what are you doing here?" Yixing asked genially but a glint of suspicion danced in his eyes. 

Your mind made up too many excuses for you to actually be able to stick with one. 

"Answer him, Bladerunner." Minseok commanded with a hardened expression. 

Baekhyun trotted out of his caravan and answered good naturedly, "Bulibasha, I'd asked her to bring me a vial of chamomile essential oil. It helps with my muscle spasms."

"Why would you ask that of a Bladerunner, Baekhyun? Is she running an illicit trade?” Yixing inquired, tilting his head to the side, the dimpled smile on his face unflinching

“Bulibasha, I-” Trembling from head to toe, you bowed before him expressing repentance.

Minseok gave you a quick once over and asked Baekhyun, “Why is she dressed like a looter? Tell us what’s going on, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun and you were both well aware that Minseok and Yixing weren’t men you could deceive. They would smell a lie from miles away and the truth would lead to a certain death...or worse, banishment from the clan.

Forget about him, dragă. He's no nurturer...

Your mother's voice boomed in your ears, seizing your throat and bringing tears to your eyes. 

“No chicanaries, Baekhyun.” Yixing warning came out sounding more like an advice.

The moment you opened your mouth to confess in a way that would save Baekhyun's neck from the noose, he took two small strides and stood next to you. Eyes downcast, he held your ice cold hand in his and declared defiantly, “We’re in love with each other, Bulibasha.”

***

Yixing ordered to see Minseok, Baekhyun, and you in his private chamber at the break of dawn. To your utter surprise, he permitted Baekhyun to walk you back home provided he would be back within the quarter of an hour. 

Your caravan was encircled with a faint golden light from the fireflies dancing around it. Baekhyun smiled weakly at the tragically beautiful sight and you committed the slow upward curl of his tender lips to memory. 

Your heart was laden with guilt. When wrapped you in his arms, you whispered into his strong chest as your mind was clouded over with the familiar, comforting scent of sandalwood on his skin, “You shouldn’t have.”

“I shouldn’t have let it come to this. I should’ve stood up for us long ago. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” He breathed softly and plucked the string akin to a noose from around his neck and slid it into the inside pocket of his coat.

“Whatever happens tomorrow”, he whispered as a silent tear made its way down his cheek, “remember that I will never leave your side. Rest assured, I will never let any harm come to you. I love you... I always have and I always will.”

.

.

.

Yixing’s bender tent was twice the size of your caravan. Dimly lit and carpeted, it exuded an intimidating aura. Draped in black, red, and gold panels it carried portraits of eminent members of the clan and the largest one, the one the clan leader himself stood before, was that of a black and gold dragon the mere sight of which was enough to bring the bravest of the men down to their knees. Minseok was seated next to Yixing against the backdrop of the portrait of his own father. His eyes were smoldering embers as he returned your meek obligatory smile with a scowl and stared you down as you and Baekhyun knelt before them. A sense of impending doom settled deep into your bones. 

Sure, you felt dread and panic, but just this once you did not feel guilt. Apparently, neither did Baekhyun.

‘Being able to know you and love you has been the greatest gift of all’, was the only thing he’d said to you this morning. 

“Bladerunner, did you not have prior knowledge of Baekhyun’s engagement with Minseok’s sister?” Expression neutral, Yixing was quick to do away with unnecessary introductions and jump to the heart of the matter.

When your eyes met his, you realized it would take him mere seconds to burn this room and everything along with it down to ashes. You wondered if he understood the language of the eyes because it was exactly what you implored him to do.

“Bulibasha, we -” Baekhyun spoke on your behalf but with a raised hand Yixing commanded him to stay quiet while holding your gaze steadily.

“I did, Bulibasha.” You declared with all the strength that you could muster, yet your voice was no louder than a whisper.

Lips stretched into a thin line, Yixing’s gaze mellowed as did his countenance when he asked, “Yet, you continued to pursue your relationship with him?”

You hung your head in response.

“Bulibasha -” Baekhyun stood up and pleaded fervently, “Bulibasha, please -”

“This is not something a woman of honour would do now, would she, Bladerunner?” Minseok spat in disgust.

“Minseok!” Baekhyun bellowed, hands balled into fists and seething with rage. You shot a glance at his reddened face, your heart hammering wildly in your chest. A part of you wanted to grab his hand to soothe him but a Minseok’s sharp glare of contempt changed your mind.

“Yes, Bulibasha.” You chose to answer Yixing in your effort to quiet things down.

“Bulibasha”, fiery gaze still boring into Minseok’s, Baekhyun said to Yixing, “I wish to secede from the clan.” 

He turned to look at Yixing and pleaded with him, “If this isn’t something a woman of honour would do, then can I be called a man of honour? Should a man like me be allowed to serve the clan? I’ve toyed with not one but the hearts of two respectable young women. This is the only thing I ask of you, Yixing. If our friendship means anything to you, command me to leave and let the Bladerunner continue living with the clan as if none of this ever happened.”

“The Bladerunner has been found guilty of breaking ethical codes, Bulibasha”, Minseok reasoned, “the Zakono beseeches her expulsion instead and Baekhyun should be asked to keep the promise he made to my sister.”

Both Baekhyun and you stole a glance at each other acquiescing in how well-prepared Minseok was. Suddenly, you heard an unmistakable sharp, slicing sound of metal against metal. Acting upon instinct, you quickly rose and threw yourself at Baekhyun, pushing him down to the floor and out of range as a dagger came flying through from the entrance behind you. It flew past the top of your right ear, nicking your helix and lodging itself in the right eye pupil of the portrait in front of you. It was the portrait of Minseok’s father.

Under the startled glare of everyone in attendance, the knife thrower grinned proudly at her skills.

It was Lys.

It took you a moment to realize that had Baekhyun not been pushed out of the way, the blade would’ve gone piercing through his back straight into his heart. Her silken voice boomed ominously in your ears.

One that is good enough for carving a man’s heart out of his chest.

“Lys! You’ve ruined Father’s portrait!” Minseok lambasted his little sister.

Head cocked to the side, Lys sauntered over to her father’s portrait, brushing your arm with her fingernails as she passed you by. Full scarlet lips stretched into a gratified smile, lustrous skin and dark hair glimmering in the soft golden glow of the tent, she pulled the knife out in one graceful movement. 

Chucking to herself, she came and stood before you. Placing a hand on your cheek she whispered, “You have beautiful skin, Bladerunner. I’d hate to ruin it.” She ran the blade of the dagger (which you recognized as navaja) along your jaw down to your clavicle. Unflinching, you met her eyes, letting her know that you’d long accepted your fate. She pressed the blade into the side of your neck, leaving you with a deep cut that was as long as your little finger. Blood began to run from it immediately but instead of pain you felt a sense of relief wash over you. 

Baekhyun pulled you out of the way and stood like a barrier between you and Lys, glaring at her. His jaw went tight as he roughly grabbed her knife bearing arm, the firm grasp of his fingers was sure to leave her with striking red streaks along her wrist. Smiling to herself, Lys stretched out her other hand in front of Baekhyun. “Hand it over. It never looked good on you, anyway.”

He was quick to draw the basil necklace from the inside pocket of his coat and slap it in her palm. Next, he slowly drew the navaja out of her grasp, inviting a loud gasp from Minseok.

“Baekhyun! What have you done?” Yixing roared.

One prevalent belief still held by the clan was that taking a knife straight from  someone’s hand meant that the relationship between the giver and the recipient had been severed. But the enormity of his own action was lost on Baekhyun. 

He declared instead, “If the Bladerunner is to be punished, Bulibasha, I deserve a harsher punishment. I don’t care what the Zakono says. You can’t go on acting like she was alone in this!”

Minseok, who seemed to be at a loss for words, simply glared at Baekhyun’s out-of-character rebelliousness.

It was Lys who spoke first. Searching Baekhyun’s eyes, she said to nobody in particular, “He seeks her when he’s upset. And even when he’s not.” Turning to bow before Yixing, Lys stated, "Bulibasha, I would like to request a private audience."

.

.

.

You slept all day after the trial and woke up a little before noon the following morning. 

It had felt like one mammoth nightmare - right from the day you laid your eyes on the sprig of basil around Baekhyun’s neck to yesterday when he smacked it in Lys’ hand - leaving you with yet another battle wound on your quest to rescue the man you loved. What transpired yesterday between Lys and Minseok was known only to Yixing, Baekhyun, and you and you were all under an oath to never speak of it again. 

The jamdhar was now in Yixing’s custody and it was most likely to be buried deep into the earth after a final discussion with the Elders.

Work that day went by in a daze - all you wanted now was to spend every second of everyday with your beloved but you abandoned the idea till the dust on the matter had settled. You came home to a potted plant which stood pretty on the windowsill of your rustic brown caravan and looked picturesque against the pink bougainvillea creeper around it. 

The plant was that of basil.

A basil plant on the window of a woman indicated that she was spoken for. Only one person could’ve put it there. The moment reached out for the plant, you felt a firm grip strengthen around your waist, pulling you closer. Baekhyun nuzzled the side of your neck, soft lips brushing along the edge of your clavicle. This time you didn’t fight this long overdue affection, instead revelled in it.

“Men and women shouldn’t be inappropriately intimate”, you breathed as you found yourself caged between the caravan and the length of Baekhyun’s muscular frame. His lips found yours, teeth playfully tugging at your lower lip before exploring every inch of your exposed skin crudely, eliciting soft moans from your parted lips. His hands found your hips, thumbs digging deep just over your hip bone. His lips teased the sensitive part on your neck as his fingers moved to unfasten the lace of your tan buckskin waistcoat. Threading your fingers through his hair, you pulled him closer evoking a throaty chuckle from him. Giving the sensitive spot the attention that it deserved, Baekhyun took you by the waist and in one swift movement you were lifted off your feet and scooped into his strong arms. 

You buried your face into the crook of his neck as he pushed the door to your caravan open with his elbow. He gently laid you on the bed, one corner of his mouth raised in a smirk. Cocking his eyebrow, he allowed his eyes to mercilessly rove over your dishevelled state before slowly sliding into bed with you.

***

You were woken not by the everyday melody of songbirds but by a loud clang that rang mercilessly though your caravan. 

“I just...wanted to make you some chao!” Pants hung dangerously low on his waist, a brazenly shirtless Baekhyun exclaimed, the boom of his voice echoing in your ears. Rubbing the sleep away from your eyes, you gave him a quick once over while your head had already begun to throb slightly thanks to the unwelcome blaring this early in the morning. Veiling your modesty with a fleece blanket, you floundered out of the comfort of the bed and meticulously studied the sorry state of your sacred space - your precious little kitchen. 

Olive green eggshells were carelessly strewn across the counter. The contents in the saucepan that was perched atop the stove bubbled frenetically, threatening to overflow. Even in your sleep befuddled state you could make out that Baekhyun had carelessly thrown three deshelled pheasant eggs in boiling water which had now dissipated in a foamy mess.

“Baekhyun, what do you think this is?” You raised a green box the size of your palm embossed with a delicate gold flowery pattern, to his eye level. 

“Sugar.”

The throbbing in your head increased and your eyes started brimming with tears. 

“Where did you find this box, Baekhyun?” You questioned condescendingly.

“In your medicine crate?” He drew the sentence out in a question, taking a cautious step back.

But you took a threatening step in his direction and spoke in a deep, menacing voice. “You….you thought I’d keep sugar in my medicine crate?”

“There was no sugar ...no sugar in..in the cabinet!”

“You know I never use sugar in or for anything.” You maintained, as a tear rolled down your cheek.

“Why are you crying?” He asked, eyes fixed on the green box that was clutched possessively to your chest.

“Baekhyun did you use whatever’s in this box?”

“N-no?”

“You don’t seem so sure?”

“I did not! You’re scaring me now! What is in this box?”

“Tell me you didn’t use it, Baekhyun!”

“I did not use it! I promise! Now will you tell me? Please?” 

Exhaling heavily, you answered, “My life’s work”, and hid the box in the farthest corner of the medicine crate. 

“Explain”, he said with a yawn.

“Mithridatum...a poison antidote made from sixty-five ingredients. It’s an ancient recipe and it’s taken me fifteen years to research, scavenge for ingredients, and formulate.”

“Why do you keep it around so carelessly!”

“Carelessly?! It was in my medicine crate!”

“You know I need sugar in my chao, dragă.” He pouted.

You handed him a bottle from the kitchen cabinet, “Use this. It’s tapioca syrup.”

“Won’t taste the same but I’ll survive. Now let’s put Mister Mithridatum someplace safer, shall we?”

“Miss Mithridatum is safe enough in my medicine crate as long as you keep away from it. Thank you very much.”

Baekhyun beamed. You knew this smile a little too well so you checked to see if your fleece blanket was doing its job. But Baekhyun was nothing if not audacious. He advanced towards you as you retracted. Hands on hips, putting on a wide grin, he spoke in a voice laced with sugar and spice, “Nice outfit.”

You gathered the fabric up to your neck and bit on your lower lip to keep from blushing. “Thank you.” You said sweetly, feigning innocence.

“You’d look better without it.” He towered over you as you hit a dead end, with your back against the wall of your tiny living space.

You pushed him in the chest and he cried out like a wounded puppy. “Baekhyunnie, bring us some breakfast from my mother’s, will you? Don’t make it look like you spent the night with me, alright? Go now, I’m famished!”

“Of course, you are.” Baekhyun teased and his face scrunched up in a bright yet bashful smile.

“Don’t forget to put on a shirt!”

***

Your mother sent you a generous portion of pumpkin stew and fried cornbread which Baekhyun and you ate - no - inhaled in silence in the comfort of your caravan. 

“I have something to say.” He looked at you solemnly and you felt your heart sink to your stomach. And it probably manifested in your eyes since he took your hands in his immediately and calmed you down, “Good...good something, dragă!”

“Baekhyunnie, you scared me.” Panic betrayed your voice and water started pooling in your eyes.

“We’re never to be parted again, dragă. I’ll follow you into the shower too if you like.” He nodded solemnly.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Frowning, you teasingly clarified.

“We’ll see about that later. Anyway, since Minseok has let me go as part of the settlement...you know whatever happened with...with -”

“Lys.”

“Yes. So, I have a lot of free time on hand. And your iubit doesn’t know much about anything but he knows weapons.” He looked at you intently and shot you a knowing smile.

You urged him to continue with an anxious nod.

“After we’re married, I could speak with dya and take over the weapons’ trade and you can… probably.. continue to make more Miss Mithridates? Or do nothing at all, I’ll be the sole breadwinner of our little, happy family.” He declared, flexing his muscles. 

You held him by the wrist and put his hand back in his lap to reinforce the seriousness of the conversation and asked, “You would do that?”

“Unless you want me following you into the shower everyday...yes.”

“What if Yixing disapproves?”

“He can’t, dragă. My freedom...is...it’s part of the settlement.”

You leaned back and looked up into his face, blinking tears from your eyes. You held your finger up at him and mouthed, ‘One moment.’

Rummaging through his clothes you found what you were looking for and said to him excitedly, “I can’t believe you still have this!”

It was the scarf you’d tied around his elbow the day he injured himself while sneakily watching you sing and dance by the pond.

“Already snooping through my things? You wound me!” Baekhyun pulled you into his lap and whispered into your ear, “I take it with me wherever I go.”

You skillfully drew out a couple of loose threads from the scarf and reached out for a fresh sprig of basil from the plant on your windowsill. Weaving the sprig into the threads you studied his face with rosy eyes. 

“Hurry up!” Said Baekhyun, tugging at your arm. As you were helping him wear the necklace with trembling fingers, his hands travelled the length of your back and his lips ghosted over yours, inhaling your unsteady breaths. 

An disappointing knock on the door jolted you out of your celebration.

“Are we interrupting something?” A familiar voice reached your ears and you felt your face flame. Smoothing your hair and skirts you scrambled out of Baekhyun’s lap and bowed before the visitor, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Ah! Yixing! You should know better than to walk in on a couple unannounced!” Baekhyun grumbled and ran a hand through his hair, still seated with his legs wide apart. He took your hand in his and pulled you back into his lap.

“Bulibasha -”

Yixing merely chuckled at your embarrassment while looking around your uncharacteristically messy caravan for a place to sit. Pulling away from Baekhyun, you tidied the bed for him.

“Bulibasha, you said we.”

“I’m sorry?” Yixing gaped at you, confused.

“Are we interrupting -” You explained, feeling the heat rising up to your cheeks again.

“Oh, yes! Minseok, come on in!” Yixing bellowed.

“Are you sure Baekhyun’s completely clothed?” Came a high pitched voice from outside the caravan.

Yixing snorted and exclaimed, “Pretty much!”

Minseok cautiously stepped into your caravan and bowed politely.

“You too? Can’t I have some alone time with my beloved?” Baekhyun whined.

“It’s been less than a day and you’ve forgotten us already!” Minseok chided, taking a seat next to Yixing.

“Such is a woman’s love, Minseok. It beguiles the best of us! Anyway, we won’t keep you too long.” Yixing winked at Baekhyun and you bashfully retreated to make the guests some chao.

“Come and join us, Bladerunner, there’s no need for formalities.” Said Minseok curtly and you immediately obliged. There was nothing to serve the beverage with, anyway, apart from watery eggs in a pot.

You came and stood next to Baekhyun and rested a hand upon his shoulder. He immediately intertwined his fingers with yours and you felt relief surging through your veins.

“I’d like to apologise for the things I said to your woman, Baekhyun. It was unkind of me.” Minseok stated, his tone contrite.

“You were only looking out for your little sister. If I were in your place, I would’ve probably done the same.” Baekhyun replied in all earnesty.

Minseok and Baekhyun gave each other a meaningful nod before the cat-eyed man turned to you and said gently, “I truly wish you both a lifetime of happiness, and I’ll make sure to knock some manners into the boy before he’s permanently consigned to you.”

You glanced over to the kitchen and laughed, “That would be of great help!” before peering at Baekhyun who feigned offence at Minseok’s words.

“One last thing before we take your leave.” Said Yixing, slapping his thigh, “The Elders have suggested the full moon of the fourth month for the wedding. Bladerunner, I trust you will convey this to your dya?”

You gave Yixing a measured smile and nodded.

“And Baekhyun -”

Baekhyun pulled you into his lap and held you by the small of your back. Lovingly searching your eyes, he whispered, “I can’t wait.”

*********************************

A/N: This oneshot will be followed up with a spin-off for Lys which will explain what transpired in the “courtroom” but if you know me, you’ll know about my snail’s pace when it comes to updating. So I’ll be happy to give you a summary over DM if you’d like! :)

This was my first time attempting something in this genre/theme so I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it. 

Also, Piper, I’m sorry you got stuck with me :P

#exosnet #exowritersnet #bbh-net #exo #baekhyun #baekhyun smut #baekhyun angst #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun imagines #romani au #steampunk au #exo smut #exo angst #exo fluff #exo x reader #baekhyun x reader #exo x you #baekhyun x you #exo imagines #exo oneshot #baekhyun oneshot #baekhyun oneshots

[koala-otter]

Can you do a zukka fic where firelord Zuko spoils ambassador Sokka and it can be zuko courting Sokka or established relationship and Zuko just wants Sokka to know he loves him and Sokka is thriving

ask and ye shall receive anon!

honestly, thank you for this one, it was wildly fun to write.

I was going to have sokka be much jokier the whole way through, but then I realized he’s actually normally quite emotionally mature and transparent when it comes to love and addressing his feelings for people??

you probably don’t care about all that though--I really hope you enjoy!

zukka: zuko spoils sokka edition

1.5k words

Sokka arrives at his quarters in the Fire Nation royal palace after a long day of meetings, his neck aching and his back a mess of knots. 

“What I wouldn’t give for a hot bath,” he says to himself before pushing open his door. 

His mouth drops at the sight before him. Three attendants stand inside his room, all around a large massage table. Various jars of oils have been placed on his dresser, and piles of fluffy towels cover his bed. Bouquets of flowers—larger than any he’s ever seen—dot almost every level surface of the room, and the only light is various candles on the floor. 

“What is this?” he almost squeals. He blanches and clears his throat, dropping his voice an octave when he says, “I mean, what is this?”

One of the attendants steps forward. “A gift from the Fire Lord,” he explains. He smiles kindly and gestures to the table. “We’ve been ordered to help relieve your stress with our nation’s traditional six-handed massage.”

Sokka nods appreciatively, his hand coming up to rest on his chin. “Well, I do deserve it,” he says. He looks around the room at the flowers once more, and his brow furrows once more in confusion. “But wait, Zuko? Zuko did all this?”

The attendant looks back at his colleagues. They shrug. “Well, we did the actual work,” the attendant points out, turning back around to Sokka. “But the Fire Lord asked us.”

“Even the candles?”

“Yes,” the attendant replies. “Would you like to sample the oil choices for your massage? We have ylang-ylang, lavender, orange blossom—”

“And the flowers?” 

The attendant sighs. “Yes, and the flowers.”

Sokka considers the room once more. 

“Sir, would you like your massage, or—”

“I need to talk to Zuko,” Sokka interrupts, heading for the door. 

The attendants look at each other in a panic. 

“We have a new ocean spray scent!” one of them shouts. 

Sokka stops in his tracks and turns around. He grins, almost maniacally. “I guess it won’t make much difference if I talk to him in an hour,” he says, already pulling his shirt off. 

Two of the attendants glance at each other at the sight of the chiseled, near-naked warrior, while the third coughs and says, “Actually, sir, the traditional six-handed massage normally lasts three hours.”

Sokka gawks at them, his face stretching into an expression they can only assume is delight. “Well, let’s not waste any time,” he says, hurrying onto the table. The attendants set to work, covering him in the fluffy towels and pouring oil onto their hands. He sighs as they begin kneading the knots out of his back. “I could get used to this,” he says dreamily. 

As soon as the massage ends, a newly limber Sokka rushes through the halls of the palace to Zuko’s quarters. He bangs on the door, striking it with both fists, until it opens suddenly. Sokka springs back. Zuko stands in front of him with his hair down and in a short robe, open to reveal he wears nothing but a pair of shorts underneath. 

“Can I help you, Sokka?” he asks. 

Sokka looks up quickly from Zuko’s chest to his amber eyes. “Uh, yeah, actually,” he says hurriedly. “Actually, wait, can I come in? Unless it’s too late. I can come back tomorrow, but I’d really rather—”

Zuko opens the door wider and gestures for Sokka to come in. They sit on two settees facing each other, a few feet away from the Fire Lord’s bed. Sokka becomes painfully aware of the fact that he is in Zuko’s bedroom.

“Do you want some tea?” Zuko offers, gesturing to a pot on the low table between them. “I have jasmine, but I know you really like chrysanthemum. I can ask a servant to bring another pot.”

Sokka shakes his head hurriedly. “Jasmine’s good,” he says, leaning forward. 

Zuko pours the tea into two cups, and the two men sit in front of each other waiting for it to cool.

“So, what’s up?” Zuko finally asks. He leans back, and the robe falls open to further expose his torso. 

“First, I wanted to thank you for the massage,” Sokka says sincerely, avoiding looking at Zuko’s body. 

“Oh, did you like it?” Zuko smiles lightly, his eyes bright. 

“It was heavenly,” Sokka gushes, his eyes closing as he recalls it. They open abruptly. “But I also wanted to ask—you’ve been giving me a lot of stuff lately.”

Zuko looks startled. “Oh,” he says gruffly. “Have I?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Sokka says quickly, shaking his head, “I love stuff.” He points to himself. “Big stuff guy over here!” He grins warily. “It’s just, between the new swords, all of the maps, not to mention the atlases, that cool belt, and now this?” He pauses, and his voice turns quiet. “I’m beginning to wonder what it means.”

Zuko’s cheeks turn red, and he grabs his teacup. He grimaces as it’s still too hot, but he keeps holding it anyway, and even goes to take a sip. Finally, he addresses Sokka.

“I guess I didn’t realize how much I was doing it,” he says. He looks away. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“No, no,” Sokka hurries to say. He grabs Zuko’s free hand. “That’s not what I meant at all.” He smiles at Zuko when the latter finally ventures to look at him again. “I promise, you haven’t made me uncomfortable. In fact,” he jokes, “I think that massage made me more comfortable than I’ve been in years.”

Zuko manages a small smile. He looks at his hand in Sokka’s. 

“You’ve been so helpful to me,” Zuko says quietly. “Not just recently, but ever since we met and became friends. It means a lot. Not many people have been there for me like that besides my uncle. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you.” He hangs his head slightly. “Because I do appreciate you. A lot.”

Sokka can only stare at Zuko, surprise filling every plane of his face. He becomes painfully conscious of the feeling of Zuko’s thumb unconsciously running over his knuckles, back and forth, slowly, in the tenderest gesture of affection. Sokka grins. 

“Zuko,” he says gently. 

Zuko looks up. 

“Do you like me?”

“What?” Zuko stammers. “Of course, I like you. We’re friends—”

“Not like that.” Sokka smiles kindly, patiently. 

Zuko’s eyes go wide, and he pulls his hand away from Sokka’s to bury it in his hair. “Yes, fine,” he says hoarsely. “I like you. A lot.” He groans. “Now, can we never talk about this again?”

“Zuko,” he says softly.

“What, do you want to embarrass me more?” 

“I don’t think it’s embarrassing,” Sokka says simply, “especially if I like you back.” 

Zuko looks up abruptly. “What?” he breathes. 

“I’m your ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe,” Sokka explains in a rush. “You really think I have to live in the palace and come to every single one of your meetings?” He shrugs. “I must love you at least a little to sit through every update on the firework budget, don’t you think?”

“What?” Zuko asks again, dazed. 

Sokka stands and takes the cup from Zuko’s hand. “I’m saying I love you,” he says in the steady tone of his voice. And in a move Zuko could never have expected, Sokka places his hand to cradle the left side of Zuko’s face, tilting it upward, and leans forward to kiss him. 

Zuko’s eyes close as he finally feels Sokka’s lips on his, gentle and steady, parting slightly to suck lightly on Zuko’s bottom lip. Sokka smells of something fresh and salty—the phrase that comes to Zuko’s mind is ocean spray? He reaches up to pull Sokka toward him by the waist, gasping as Sokka moves his mouth to the corner of Zuko’s mouth, to the underside of his jaw, his throat, his ear. 

“I love you,” Zuko says breathlessly. 

Sokka pauses his ministration. “I’d hope,” he laughs. “You’ve spent more than enough to show it.”

“I can stop—”

Sokka places a finger to Zuko’s mouth and shakes his head. “Like I said, I’m not complaining. I do love stuff.”

Zuko chuckles. “I did mean what I said, though,” he says. “That I want to show you how much I appreciate you.”

“Don’t worry.” Sokka settles into the seat next to him and tugs at Zuko’s hand to lean into him. “I can think of plenty of ways you can do that.”

“I’d love to hear them,” Zuko says with a wry smile. 

“Well, I have been thinking of getting an axe,” Sokka starts, bringing his fingers once again to his chin. “And I think I’d look really cool in a leather vest. Oh!” He snaps his fingers. “And those mongoose-goose feather pillows at the Beifongs’ house. Never slept better.”

Zuko laughs. “And that’ll be enough?”

“It’ll be a start,” Sokka says cheekily. He presses another kiss to Zuko’s neck and grins when he feels him shiver. “For now, though, this is more than enough.” And he leans forward to kiss him again.

#zukka #zuko #sokka #atla fanfic #zukka fanfic #ask #my writing

[the-cult-of-russo]

Push and Pull (Part 16) (first half)

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OC

A/N: So I had to split this chapter into two posts because it was so long it exceed the text limit lmao but I'm not making it two separate chapters because it would mess up the chapter numbers. I'm posting the next half right after this, so don't worry 😉

Warnings: cursing, angst

-------

She spent the day relaxing and ended up having a long soak in the bath. She put a few drops of lavender and ylang-ylang oil in for good measure. Her body was sore from everything recently and she was enjoying the moment of peace. She wondered how essential oils affected Matt. They had numerous effects on normal people, lavender being calming and ylang-ylang causing an aphrodisiac effect. She wondered if it affected Matt stronger than normal. Maybe that would be his downfall. A bunch of lavender to knock out Daredevil. The thought made her chuckle. 

After a long well deserved soak, she washed her hair and even conditioned it for good measure. With the weather getting warmer and all the physical activity she'd been doing recently, her waves were getting dry and frizzy. Once she was done, she got dried and dressed in her pyjamas for now. Leaving her hair down to dry naturally. She wouldn't bother getting ready until Karen was here to help her. She was actually a little excited about having a girl come over. Brett had been her only friend for the longest time and that was only in a work context. Then there was Foggy. But it wasn't the same as having a girl friend and she'd forgotten what that felt like. The closest being when her sister was close by. She was looking forward to the change of pace.

Hours later, Karen turned up. She looked pretty in a dark green swing dress, her hair slightly curled and pinned to one side. Daphne could see why Foggy was smitten with her. They'd gotten along better than she expected, chatting up a storm, even if some of it was lies on her behalf since she wasn't really going on a date.

"Oh! I love this one. Try this one on!" Karen gushed, pulling out a black dress from the closet. It was on the shorter side and was the kind of dress that clung to her in all the right places. The top part was lacey, like a bralette, the pattern intricate enough that she could get away with it without a bra. Then it turned into a black smooth cotton with the same black lace overlaid on top of it. It was one of her favourites if she was honest. It cinched in her small waist and made her ass and boobs look fantastic.  

After getting herself inside of it, she looked in the mirror. Her hair and make-up hadn't been done yet but she forgot how good she looked in this one.

"Damn. I'd never pull something like that off," Karen grinned from beside her at the mirror. She wasn't wrong. It wasn't the look so much as the vibe it gave off. Karen suited better to prettier things and that wasn't a bad thing.

"I think you look beautiful. Foggy's gonna fall head over heels when he sees you," Daphne smiled warmly as she turned to look at her. Karen blushed heavily and it only made her smile more how much she was clearly into Foggy.

"Thanks. What about Matt though? Like you said, he might not be able to see but he just senses these things. His jaw's gonna fall to the floor like in a cartoon," Karen giggled. Daphne bit her lip with a smirk. She sat down and allowed Karen to mess with her hair as she did her own makeup. She was handy with the stuff when she needed to be but she didn't really like how it felt on her face. She opted to forgo foundation which was the devil in her opinion and instead just framed her eyes with a more natural light smokey eye, winged liner and tonnes of mascara. She then painted her lips with a matte brown colour. She finished the look with one of her silver necklaces. It was a choker style necklace but delicate looking. The thin silver chain wrapped around her neck and had a little crescent moon charm dangling off it.

"I keep wanting to try these ones. I hate when my lipstick just vanishes when I eat or drink," Karen mused as she looked through the make up bag, holding up one of the same types of liquid lipsticks Daphne had put on herself. 

"You should try one," she suggested. Karen looked excited, sitting down on the bed next to her and looking in the small mirror they'd propped up against the headboard. 

It gave Daphne a moment to admire her hair. Karen had complemented her hair immensely to the point it made her blush. She’d always thought of her hair as more of a nuisance because she couldn't be bothered to do anything with it. Karen wanted to keep it mostly down, saying she was in love with the purple waves. She’d pinned half of it up in some intricate twists that to Daphne honestly seemed like witchcraft to achieve. It looked good though. Some waves framing her face and the twists at the crown of her head. The rest of her hair cascaded past her shoulders. 

"What do you think?" Karen asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. Daphne glanced at her, smiling with a nod. Karen had picked a deep pink colour that complemented her skin tone and her dress.

"I love it! You should keep that one. It doesn't suit me at all but it looks really good on you," she urged. Karen blinked at her for a moment before smiling shyly, tucking it away in her purse. 

They both took a moment to admire themselves in the bigger mirror before they grabbed their purses and left. Daphne felt weird walking in heels again. She typically opted for wedges in situations like these because at least she could walk fine in those. Her black simple wedges made her dress stand out more and Karen had to spend five minutes convincing her to leave her hoodie behind and wear her fitted leather jacket instead. She knew her hoodie ruined the look but the comfort it brought her had her whining as Karen pulled her out of the door. 

They took a cab, neither of them wanting to walk in heels to the restaurant and get blisters. They sat in the back and Karen pulled out her phone.

"Oh no. We're ten minutes late," she muttered fretfully. 

"Fashionably late," Daphne smirked, causing the blonde to giggle a little. She could really tell that Karen was excited for this and she felt less bad about lying if it meant being the catalyst for her and Foggy to finally take this step forward. She was excited herself but for very different reasons. She couldn't wait for the food and drink and to try and see how much she could push Matt when he had to behave like this. She wouldn't go too far, not wanting him to ruin the date for the two people actually on a real one.

When the cab pulled up outside of EnchiNada, Daphne pulled some notes from her purse and paid the driver before Karen had the chance. Karen gave her a look but she ignored it. She did just get a huge deposit from her new wealthy client after all. She brought the money not knowing if Foggy would even have enough to pay for all her drinks. She wasn't sure if Matt would throw a tantrum and ruin it since he was so unpredictable, and she'd feel bad if she caused him to ruin the night. If it was genuinely her fault then she'd happily pay for all of them as a way of saying sorry to Foggy. She just hoped Matt wasn't a dick, even when she annoyed him on purpose. He deserved it after how he'd been acting lately. She could have paid for her own meal anyway but Foggy roped her into this and if it went well then she expected that payment. 

They stepped out and Daphne glanced at Karen. She looked ridiculously nervous and it made her smile. Foggy and Karen would be adorable together. 

"Ready?" She asked softly. Karen looked at her and nodded stiffly, allowing Daphne to link her arm with hers. Daphne hoped it helped ease her anxiety a little.

"How aren't you nervous right now?" She whispered, panicked as they walked through the entrance.

"It's the dress," Daphne smirked playfully. Karen giggled and glanced around before quirking a brow at her.

"You're not kidding. I think every guy just stopped to stare at you," she muttered with a light laugh. She was catching a lot of eyes.

Her own green orbs swept the restaurant and landed on the two people she was looking for sat near the back. Matt was already looking in their direction and she saw him say something to Foggy who then also looked over before looking ready to pass out from nerves. Foggy was wearing a white shirt and no doubt dress pants, his hair combed back a bit. Matt was wearing a black button down shirt with no tie like he would in his lawyer mode. The top buttons were undone and his sleeves rolled up a little. His glasses weren't on but she presumed they'd be close by and she could see his cane resting on the table. He cleaned up nicely honestly. She wasn't surprised.

The restaurant itself was beautiful. It was dimly lit and there were fairy lights strung all around the walls. Numerous pieces of Mexican art but not too much. The ambience was nice and chill with some Mexican music playing very quietly in the background. It was packed full of people, chatting and eating and having a good time. 

"There they are," Daphne whispered, gesturing to where the boys were. Karen took a shaky breath as they walked arm in arm to the table. 

"Ladies! I didn't expect you to come together, and late too. I mean just a little. I'm not complaining," Foggy rambled nervously as he stood to greet them, Matt standing too to be polite.

"We had some girl time and got ready together," Karen replied shyly. Foggy reached out and gave Daphne a hug and Karen and Matt exchanged a quick hug. 

"You look… I mean… wow," Foggy mumbled and shyly kissed Karen on the cheek. Daphne was too busy watching the cutest couple in the world with a dopey smile on her face and jumped a little when she felt Matts lips on her own cheek. She should have known since they were on a ‘date’. It needed to look real. 

"You look breathtaking," he whispered, his voice low and making her belly clench. She moved away and looked up at him, his eyes unfocused on her face as his lips quirked up in a sly smirk. So he planned on pushing her buttons too. Game on. She was aware of Karen glancing at them curiously.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she smiled up at him, running her hand up his chest. She felt him tense and watched his adams apple bob as he swallowed. He lowered his head, pulling her seat out for her. She smirked to herself as she sat and noticed Foggy practically mimicking his best friend, watching what he was doing before he pulled out Karen's chair. It was like watching a little brother copy his older brother. It was cute. 

While they waited for the server to come by with the menu, she glanced at the couple sitting opposite her and Matt. They both seemed really nervous and clearly didn't know how to break the ice. It wasn't like they never spent time with each other; they were friends. But the prospect of the date seemed to have them both acting like they'd never met. She decided to help out. Familiar ground to help them ease back into being around each other, even if it was a different context.

"So Karen, what's it like working for these two? Honestly, I'd tear my hair out," she snorted with a warm smile. Karen looked relieved, tension leaving her shoulders and Daphne was pretty sure she knew what she was doing because she shot her a grateful look.

"It's good. I really love it there. Sometimes I wanna smack their heads together, but it's fun," she grinned.

"Yeah but, not me right? I mean smack Matt's head all day long, I get it, but not mine," Foggy huffed playfully. Karen laughed, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Does that mean I get to smack your head? I think I'd really enjoy that," Matt smirked. Just as she hoped it set them into some easy small talk and then the server popped up and placed the menus on the table. 

Daphne looked at them and frowned, not even thinking when she looked up at the young man serving them with a raised brow.

"Do you have one in braille?" She asked carefully. The server looked to Matt then and looked somewhat bashful.

"We don't, I'm sorry," he muttered. Foggy looked like he was about to open his mouth and he had a grumpy look on his face. Daphne was anticipating one of his rants about establishments and how they don't care about blind people, he'd done it before when swapping life stories with her. She didn't want him to ruin the mood of the date.

"You know what? It's fine. I can read it to him," she shot the waiter a smile and he nodded before scurrying off. 

"I swear, one of these days-" Foggy started grumbling, getting promptly cut off by Daphne. 

"Hey, it just gives me an excuse to kick up the romance, right?" She asked him pointedly. Trying to give him a huge hint. Realization dawned on his face then and he nodded, glancing at Karen with a sheepish smile. 

"I can read it to you too… if you wanted?" Karen asked Foggy shyly. He looked flustered for a moment before grinning with a nod. These two, seriously. 

She scooted her chair closer to Matt who had been silent through the whole thing. He was probably used to it all by now. 

"Ready?" She asked softly. She wasn't going to be an asshole with this part. He couldn't actually read the menu, she wasn't that much of a bitch. 

"Yeah… thanks," he murmured in response. She picked up the menu before listing off what they had, keeping her voice quiet as the other couple did the same. Once again, the pair seemed to follow their example, bringing their chairs closer together. It was quite intimate and it was sweet. 

"I think I'm gonna have the enchiladas. They sound so good," Daphne mused when she’d read it all out. 

"I think that sounds good for me too," he replied. He seemed high strung tonight for some reason, she kept seeing him do his head tilt thing and clench his fists. Something was annoying him and she hadn't even started yet. He moved away from her a little as she set the menus down and the server came over and took their orders.

"And for drinks?" The guy asked politely.

"Uh… just a beer for me," Foggy requested. 

"And me," Matt said with a nod.

"A bottle of tequila sounds good," Daphne said, shooting a sly smirk at Foggy when he looked at her shocked. Didn't expect that did you? 

"Oh, I've never tried tequila before," Karen mused.

"Share it with me. It's so good," Daphne grinned. Karen nodded as the man wrote their order down.

"I see you're a woman with exceptional taste," he commented casually with a glance at Daphne.  Matt sat up straighter and cleared his throat causing the waiter to look back down before leaving to place their order. 

"Wow, it really is the dress," Karen giggled to her, making her snort. 

"What does it look like?" Matt piped up, looking for all intents and purposes like a curious blind man even though she knew better. 

"Well it's-" Daphne started, her mouth clamping shut when he held up a hand and shook his head. He turned his head to the couple across the table. 

"I'd like to hear it from them. We all know how modest you are, Daphne, I want to know what it really looks like," he flashed her a sly grin and she had no idea what he was doing but she rolled with it. At Matt's expectant gaze, Foggy's mouth floundered.

"I… uh… Karen?" He asked, shooting her a pleading look. Maybe he was scared of saying anything nice when he was on a date with someone else. It was hilarious. Karen snorted and shook her head at him, glancing back to Daphne and then Matt.

"It's a black. The top part is lace. It's a really pretty design on it. Then the rest is a black lace overlaying black fabric. She's got a great body so it clings her to her in all the right places," Karen shot her a cheeky grin and she hated that she blushed from it. Karen was obviously trying to butter up her 'date' for her. If only she knew.

"It sounds beautiful," Matt murmured, glancing back at her still playing his little act. 

She decided to play his game and gently took one of his hands.

"Here, you can feel it," she smiled, fluttering her lashes at him even though he couldn't see. Her hand was holding his and she rested it on her collar bone where the lace tapered off into a strap. His finger trailed along and upwards, not about to touch her breasts in front of everyone, and trailed down the back where it was much safer to do so. His touch was feather light and touched her skin as they slid down the strap. She felt her stomach clench as he did it, rousing goosebumps on her skin. A quick side glance caught a devilish smirk on his face, he was doing it on purpose. His fingers trailed further and came to more lace and his hand continued to where it turned into the rest of the dress.

"Okay, Jeez, no heavy petting at the table," Foggy whined. Matt moved his hand with a chuckle as Karen burst out laughing at his outburst.

"Hey, man. I'm blind. I see with these," Matt smirked, wiggling his fingers and making his friend groan in annoyance. Karen seemed to find the whole thing amusing though. Daphne was feeling a little flustered and was more than happy when the drinks were put down. The bottle of tequila was set in the middle with four shot glasses. Of course they'd presume it was for all of them. She guessed she didn't mind sharing some of it. The boys had their beers placed in front of them too.

"Yes!" Daphne grinned, swiping the bottle greedily before starting to pour four shots. She set them out in front of them all.

"Drink up," she smirked.

"I don't think that's a good-" Matt started, she shot him a look.

"Really? You wanna be the Debbie downer of this party, Matthew?" She asked with a sigh. 

"Yeah, Matt. Come onnnn," Foggy pleaded. 

"It'll be fun," Karen grinned in a sing-song voice. 

"I hope you know this is peer pressure," he relented, grabbing the shot glass. 

"To double dates!" Foggy grinned. Daphne almost laughed. They all slammed their shots down and Foggy made a ridiculous noise with shudder.

"Don't be such a baby," Daphne laughed at him.

"Wow that was strong," Karen murmured.

"That's why it's my favourite. One time I got so drunk off this stuff, I woke up on a fishing boat," she snorted, licking her lower lip. Karen and Foggy burst out laughing as Matt looked at her incredulously.

"How?" Was all he managed to get out.

"Honestly no idea. One minute I'm drinking and the next I wake up on a boat full of old dudes that don't speak a lick of English. They were good to me though. Fed me some instant noodles before sending on my way," she grinned at the memory, pouring herself another shot. 

"That's insane! How old were you?" Karen asked curiously. 

"Around 19. My parents chewed me out so bad for that because I missed college," she rolled her eyes, settling back in her chair. She’d only had one shot but the warmth bloomed in her chest and she enjoyed it.

"College? You never told me you went to college," Foggy complained. He sounded so offended and she laughed. Karen gave him a grin, shaking her head at him. 

"Well I mean, I dropped out so it didn't feel worth mentioning," she shrugged. 

"Foggy's gonna cry about this for a week now. He loves to know every little bit of his friends' lives," Matt teased with a grin. Foggy flipped him off making the girls giggle.

"What did you study?" Karen asked. She genuinely sounded interested and Daphne shifted in her seat a little.

"Photography," she explained.

"Of course!" Foggy said dramatically.

"That's where it all started, huh?" Matt asked with a smirk.

"I bet you were a real wild child. I bet the tequila story is nothing for you," Karen grinned at her.

"Are you telling me you never rebelled at all?" She quipped back playfully.

"I guess I did," Karen replied. She was smiling but there was an inflection in her voice. There was something there Karen didn't want to talk about so she decided not to press.

"You heard this, Matt. We scored a couple of bad girls. What kind of lawyers are we?" Foggy asked, acting disappointed in himself. Matt barked a laugh and she giggled when Karen slapped Foggy's arm.

"Right, I bet you two were little angels in college," Karen teased.

"We partied a bit but never anything crazy," Foggy defended. 

"Honestly I didn't party too much. Not a big people person," Daphne defended with a grin.

"Shocker," Matt murmured next to her. She squinted at him as Foggy snorted.

"I mostly got in trouble for fights," she shrugged. 

"Fights like real fights?" Foggy asked, sounding surprised.

"I had issues with using my fists and not my words. I was never actually good at fighting but it's amazing what you can do if you're pissed off enough," she murmured.

"Were they critiquing your people skills?" Matt asked dryly.

"It's like you want me to punch you," she commented with a sweet smile. 

"I'd like to see you try, sweetheart," he smirked, raising a brow. She made a mental note to try and kick his ass next training session. Karen seemed to take their banter as flirting and gave her a look as if she thought the date was going well. 

Soon enough the food was at their table and Daphne was loving it. She wanted to come here at some point on her own. They'd been making casual small talk and the night had actually been going really well. She hadn't even fucked with Matt too much as she kept getting distracted by the drink, amazing food and actually good conversation.

"So I have to ask, how did you two meet?" Karen smiled glancing between Daphne and her fake date. She should have known this was coming. Foggy choked on his food a bit and Karen looked at him worried before smacking his back a little. 

"We met at the precinct, just kinda crossed paths I guess," she shrugged with a grin.

"She had that bad attitude and I couldn't resist," Matt smirked. She rolled her eyes at him and the others laughed.

"Daphne told me you've been training her. Helping her defend herself," Karen mused, just making conversation. 

"Yeah. She's actually doing really good. She's a fast learner," he actually sounded sincere and she couldn't help glowing with the praise. 

"I can't even imagine how scary that must have been for you though. What that guy did… and now he's awake again," Karen said with a furrowed brow. Daphne stilled completely, her head whipping from one person at the table to the other. Matt grimaced, looking down at the table and Foggy looked like he'd seen a ghost. Karen glanced at them before her eyes widened a little.

"Wait. You- you guys didn't tell her?" She asked hesitantly. Daphne's heart went into overdrive and she hated how those simple words had an effect on her. But she was also more bothered by the betrayal she felt at no one telling her. 

"He's awake and you guys just didn't think it was important to tell me?" Her voice was tight and higher pitched than normal and she saw Foggy deflate as if realising he and Matt had ruined the date. She released then just how much Foggy meant to her because she felt bad. She didn't want Karen's association with the date to be a bad one because then she might not have a second one with him. 

"You know what, it's fine. Let's not even think about that right now. Let's just enjoy the night," she plastered a smile on her face with force as she grabbed the bottle and poured herself another shot and drank it in one. 

"Are you sure?" Karen started carefully. She hated the pity she saw in her eyes.

"Mhm. I don't want it to ruin the date," the word date felt like acid in her mouth as she tried to push back the burning betrayal and dose of anxiety all the way down. She gave her another smile and it seemed to do the trick. Foggy gave her a look that was relief mixed with pure guilt and she looked away.

"I think we should get dessert," Karen said after a moment to diffuse the tension.

"Good idea! We'll go up and order it. You guys want anything?" Foggy asked, standing up so fast his chair almost tipped over.

"No, I'm good thanks," Matt muttered. 

"The fudge cake seems good. But can I have it to go so I can eat it later?" She asked politely. So she could eat it in bed tonight when she lost sleep over the mess that the night turned out to be. Karen smiled as she ushered Foggy away and they walked to the counter across the way.

"Daphne," Matt started softly.

"Don't," she bit out with pure anger. She grabbed the bottle but Matt swiped it from her easily and set it back down. The pure need to drink was overwhelming her and she could feel her heart thumping against her ribs.

"I think you've had enough," he scolded lightly. She looked at him with such fury that he recoiled even though he couldn't see it.

"You know what I've had enough of? Lies, people turning out to be shitty. Keeping important things from me," she hissed. She could feel her blood pressure rising with each word and she felt like she couldn't breathe. 

"Come on. Let's get some air," he said firmly, standing up and reaching for her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to stand and she swayed a little from the alcohol and the anxiety making her head rush. 

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Foggy asked, confused as he came back to the table Karen in tow after they'd placed the orders. 

"Just need some air," Matt murmured, not even sparing them a glance as he ‘watched’ her. They must have seen her anxiety because they just nodded as they sat. Matt led her outside and off to the side out of the way. 

"You know, I'd expect this from you, but from Foggy? And Brett? Why didn't Brett call me the second that piece of shit woke up?" She yelled, not caring if people heard her. Matt didn't have his glasses on and his hazel eyes burned into her as he frowned.

"It was me. We only found out because we were with Brett when he got the call. I suggested we wait to tell you and asked Brett to keep it quiet too," he sighed regretfully. 

"Why?" Her voice was pained and he grimaced, taking a step towards her.

"What good would it do? If I told you earlier when I found out, all that would have done was make you panic sooner. And you were so set on coming here and helping Foggy out and I didn't want you to just lock yourself away," he explained.

"I like Karen, I really do and I think there's potential to be friends, but do you know what a slap in the face it is to have someone's who's practically a stranger tell me?" She was upset, more than upset and her brain was a pile of mush as she tried to sort through it. 

"If I knew this would happen, I would have told you sooner. But it doesn't change anything. He's awake now and there's nothing you could have done differently to change what's happening," he placated. 

She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. She didn't want to cry. Not now and not in front of him. She regretted drinking now as it always made her a little more emotional.

"I just want it to end," she lamented. 

"I get it, and it will," he soothed. She scoffed and shook her head incredulously. 

"You don't get it though, Matt. He got in my head! He messed me up so bad that I barely slept because I didn't want to deal with the nightmares. They finally stopped after we slept together and now they're gonna come back and I'm just gonna drown in the fucking anxiety!" She raged, swinging her arms around wildly as she swayed slightly. 

"With all the evidence you have on him, he's going away for life. And I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to know what it's like… what you went through. But I know a thing or two about trauma and nightmares and they get better. Yeah, he's awake, but soon he'll live his life in a cell and be far away from you," he pressed. She bit down on her lower lip to stop it from trembling. Her eyes prickling with tears she was fighting away. That overwhelming helpless feeling had returned along with flashes of Mr Lee's dead body on the floor. 

"Matt… you're a lawyer but you're also a vigilante. You can't stand there and tell me that justice always gets served," she hissed quietly, keeping her voice to a minimum.  He looked frustrated as he tilted his head looking in her direction.

"I know it doesn't. Believe me I do. But I still try to have faith in the system. This should be an open and shut case. The stuff you have on him will be enough to convince a jury and he'll be gone. And if by some miracle he gets out, I'll keep you safe," he sounded almost desperate and she wanted to believe him. 

"Right, what are you gonna do, camp out on my fire escape every night to make me feel safe?" She scoffed bitterly.

"If I have to," he stated firmly. She blinked at him for a moment but her brain was too much of a mess to deal with whatever this was.

"I… I can't sit there in court and face him, Matt. I don't know if I can do it," she whispered brokenly. She hated feeling weak. It had been a rare occurrence in her life and she relished feeling in control. But her attack had flipped her upside down with that and she hated how badly it bothered her. People out there lived through worse things and she was still hung up on this. It made her feel small and stupid. 

"You can do this. You're one of the most headstrong, stubborn people I've ever met. You want to bury this whole thing? Then you go to court and tell them what a monster he is. Tell your truth. Mr Lee's truth. Get justice," he said forcefully as he rested his hands on her shoulders. It was pretty motivational, she wouldn't lie. She'd never seen him in court but she bet he was a great lawyer. 

She blew out a breath, reigning herself in. Panicking was getting her nowhere and there was truth to Matt's words. She wanted to have faith in the system but after everything she saw with Fisk, it was hard to. But she did have a lot of evidence and she herself was a victim and witness. It would be a good case. Once again it would just be a waiting game and she hated it. The thought of looking at that asshole in the eye made her stomach clench with fear. But she needed to take back that control and maybe that was the only way to do it. 

"I uh… always seem to become a mess when you're around," she snorted self deprecatingly as she sniffled. She wrapped her arms around herself as Matt released his hold on her. The night air was a little chilly and she'd left her coat inside. 

"I have that effect on people," he teased and she smiled at him.

"Thanks, I guess… for the pep talk. We should get inside," she mumbled awkwardly. She let her guard down around him too many times to be comfortable with it. He'd seen her vulnerable a few times now and it made her feel weird. She didn't like it. 

"Right. Back to the double date," he smirked, shaking his head.

"I hope it's going well. It seems like it right?" She asked him as they got to the door. She opened it and he took her arm and it looked like she was leading him.

"I'd say so," he grinned, gesturing with his head. She looked over and saw Karen and Foggy sat close together, smiling and talking to each other. She felt a pang of envy watching them. She glanced at Matt as they made their way through the make of tables and people but his head was already tilted in her direction.

"What?" She asked softly.

"Nothing," he muttered, turning away from her again. Weird, but nothing new for him.

They finally reached the table and the pair smiled widely at them. She smiled back as they sat down. They had empty plates in front of them from dessert and in her place was a box.

"How was the cake?" Daphne asked.

"Amazing. The best cake ever," Foggy beamed, looking at Karen every so often like he couldn't take his eyes off her. 

"It was. I think you'll really like it," Karen agreed with a warm smile. She really did like the woman and it would be nice to add to her new collection of friends. Something she never thought she'd want. 

Karen excused herself to go to the restroom and Foggy watched her go with a love sick smile on his face.

"Going well?" She asked him. His eyes dropped to her then and be flushed with a nod.

"Better than I hoped. And I know things went a little… ass upwards at the end but I really appreciate you guys doing this for me. And I'm sorry, Daph," he frowned. He looked like a wounded puppy.

"It's fine. We ready cleared it up," Matt murmured, reaching over and patting Foggy’s arm with a smile. 

"So… I really wanna walk her home. You know, get some one on one time, talk a little. Make the night last a little longer. But I'm just so…blegh ," he made a swirly motion with his hands and Matt chuckled. 

"I've got your back, dude. You both seem to be taking cues from us all night. I think she's as 'blegh' as you are," Daphne teased, making the same hand gesture he did.

"I've not been taking cues from you two!" He defended with a pout.

"You really kinda have been," Matt snorted.

"You're the little brother mimicking his big brother," Daphne grinned. Foggy threw his napkin at her with a playful huff as they all laughed. 

"Oh my god, I've been taking cues from a fake couple on a fake date. What is wrong with me?" Foggy whined. 

"You're just nervous and want to make sure it goes right, there's nothing wrong with that," Matt smiled at him. It was kind of nice seeing Matt be a decent human to his best friend. 

"Thanks, man," Foggy said sincerely. A truly touching moment. 

Karen came back after a moment and Daphne glanced at Matt, acting mask in place. She leaned into him a little and smiled, watching his confused face turn to her.

"It's nice outside. I think we should walk back to your place, see the stars and all that. That sounds nice, right?" She asked sweetly. Matt seemed to follow her lead as he shot her a smile he'd never given her before. She wondered how many ladies had been on the receiving end of it.

"Of course," he said softly, lacing her hand that was on the table with his. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. A little over the top but he seemed to sell it well as Karen grinned at them.  Daphne would deny until her last breath that her heart fluttered when he did it. 

"That does sound nice actually," Karen murmured shyly, glancing at Foggy. Foggy quickly shot Daphne a look that she could only interpret as a mental high five before he looked back at the blonde.

"Sounds great," he grinned at her. It was kind of adorable how neither of them knew what to do and seemed to be following hers and Matt's lead, she started wondering just how far she could take it. How many seeds she could plant to get them to make a move on each other. She also felt kind of weird to know just how closely the other pair was watching them. She was very aware she had to stay in character for this to work. Maybe she had too much tequila for her to be overthinking this so much. 

They all stood, Matt grabbing his cane and his glasses. He went to put them on but Daphne stopped him, her hand clasping around his.

"Leave them off. I like your eyes," she murmured, her other hand reaching up to his face. His eyes fluttered shut and he swallowed thickly as her fingertips teased his eyelids. She faintly heard a murmured 'aw' from Karen and she inwardly smirked. She removed her hand and he opened his eyes. It was weird how he seemed to look right at her even though he couldn't. He gave her a small smile and nod, slipping his glasses into his pocket. 

She laced her hands with his and he used his cane as they navigated their way out. Karen and Foggy behind them. Once they got outside, she noticed the pair also holding hands. Matt's lips quirked up and she knew he knew it too. The four of them stopped on the sidewalk, about to go separate ways.

"It's been really fun guys," Daphne said warmly. She meant it too. Apart from the hiccup she'd actually had a good time. Fake date or not. 

"We should do this again sometime," Karen said eagerly. Her cheeks flushed red at her words and she glanced at Foggy like he was going to say no to another date. But Foggy had a dopey grin on his face that he couldn't even hide. She didn't want to say anything about how her and Matt weren't really dating. That was something they'd figure out another time. Foggy could tell her it hadn't worked out and that was that. But they could still all hang out. Foggy and Karen as a couple with her and Matt as 'not really friends but sometimes okay with each other'.

(Continued in next post)

#matt murdock x oc #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock #daredevil x oc #daredevil fanfiction #daredevil