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#and I know my aunt sees herself as the matriarch of the family cause she’s the eldest of her siblings and the only girl
ryuzakemo128 · 2 years
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The Angel Of Death
Chapter Twenty One: Post Galina's Death
<-Previous Chapter / Next Chapter ->
Chapter Summary: Red is caught by one of her enemies that killed her closest friend. Now she's stuck in an underground fighting arena.
Trigger Warning: Sleep Deprivation, Violence, slight hints at death and torture.
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Red had always been a fierce fighter, always had been since she had witnessed enough to death and dealt death’s hand numerous times in the past. Despite the fact that Galina had died, she remained focused on revenge. Her captors underestimated her for long enough. Her cell looked comfortable enough. They might have been planned to kill her, but not before making enough cash from her fights with their guys.
Red heard voices coming from their office, she didn’t have to lean closer to hear what they were talking about. They were talking about her and her fights, how they wanted to sell her to the highest bidder. Even though she was causing more trouble than what she is worth to them.
“She is a beautiful but deadly Russian fighter, she’s going to go through us before the month is through.” The older man told her, but the Colombian Matriarch didn’t budge about her choice. “She stays and then we sell her to the highest bidder, as planned” She spoke in her language, she understood the tone. But other than everything was up in the air.
Red is a beauty, yet she’s a deadly fighter with scars that tell the story of her many battles. She is fierce and relentless in combat, and has a reputation for being able to take down even the most formidable opponents. Her enemies fear her, and she uses her skills to protect those she loves. Despite her tough exterior, she has a gentle heart and cares deeply for those close to her. Which made her more of a prime target after World War One had ended and her work with Ivan began.
“What on earth are you planning?” Red thought to herself, staring at the older woman pacing back and forth in her office.
“At least you have a bed,” Her father says to her, “I mean if you were even a little less skilled as you are now, you would have gotten treated worse.”
“Wrong time to be optimistic dad” Red says to him in low hushed whisper, “They find me talking to you out loud or in my head even. They’ll just kill me faster,”
“Then don’t talk back, just listen. Like we used to, back when I told you when duck and weave.” Her father says to her bluntly shrugging blocking her view of the meeting between the older women.
“What on earth are you trying to do force laser out of your eyes Red?,” Her father frowned blocking her view of the meeting more and more.
“No I’m trying to figure what the old woman is planning and I can’t do that if I can’t fucking see”
“That sounds too much like Thomas.” her father said looking out the window. “Don’t get hopeful about him getting you out though.”
A Russian family typically consists of a mother and father, along with their children. The father is usually the head of the household, and is responsible for providing for the family. The mother is typically responsible for taking care of the home and raising the children. Families often live close to extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. This allows family members to support each other, especially during difficult times.
It’s something to think about consistently while Red hallucinated her key to freedom and these fights could end up killing her. Her knuckles were bruised and battered. She didn’t understand as to why she felt more alone right then and there. She couldn’t stand repeating what happened several years ago.
“If only you were here.” Red thought to herself holding a photo of Thomas and Charlie.
“If only you didn’t get dragged through mud and muck,” Alfie says to her causing her to scream.
“Alfie, what in the name of fuck you are you doing here?” Red whispered yelled at him.
“I’m here to give you a way out of here,” Alfie replied.
“What’s in it for you though? I know how you operate Mister Solomons. What do you get out of this arrangement?”
“I’ll tell you once you’re out of here.” Alfie replied, making Red frown.
“Fine. Just tell me why you want to help in the first place and how you got here while you’re at it.”
Alfie gave a smirk that irked Red to her core and every other hair on her body shook to it’s rhythm. “I have no clue where he might be going with this explanation. But for the life of me I hope it’s not what I think it is.” Red thought to herself.
“I can’t be anyone’s teacher or instructor or anything like that Alfie. I’ll earn the cash to pay you back.” Red explained as to why she couldn’t pay him back the way he wanted her to.
“Galina taught you how to fight and you can’t teach anyone else to fight either. You two were a real pair by the sounds of it.”
“Yeah, earlier on it was easier. I fought and I didn’t have to worry about the sticky situations I could end up in.” Red started to explain why she did everything that could have ended her life.
“I can’t ask my gods for help not without a proper sacrifice, thus I’m talking to my parents. Asking them every single day what I should be doing.” Red sighed holding her head in hands.
“You are scaring people away.” The older woman said to her.
“I don’t care. I said I would kill all of you and I meant that.” Red smirked stepping closer to her, “I have new lease on life and intend to fully embrace that by killing you too,”
“I hope you have this man in your life to keep that temper in check” The older woman retorted causing Red back fire with a lie.
“He’s my new business partner and we were thinking about the best way to execute you. I mean you don’t mind right? With the lack of fighters and the more people you loose is just another step towards destroying you lot completely.”
“Red I really wouldn’t-”
“How about we finish the lack of trying on your part and we fight to the death?” Red suggest the mere presence of this woman had her angry to the core of her soul.
“You really do have a fucking death wish don’t you Red,” Alfie said to her.
“She killed my friend. Only fair to beat her at her own game.”
“We’re not going to be partners right?”
“Fuck no, I need time on my own and I like you. But we don’t work well together, trust me we don’t”
“Hang on, how do you know we don’t work well together?”
“I just know that you are way different and I’m way different. Thus unmixable and combinable and incompatible.” Red explained why they don’t work well in her own mind at least.
"It's your mistake for relying on her in first place Red"
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cinema-tv-etc · 1 year
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ATTN ‘Downton Abbey’ Fans: Your New Favorite Show Is Here
by GARRI CHAVERST January 30, 2022
To this day, one of my crowning achievements is getting my S.O. to fall in love with Downton Abbey. When the trailer for the movie came on at the theater (prior to him completely catching up on the series), he covered his ears and ran to the lobby, in fear the trailer would somehow spoil the show for him. He was right; it would have been quite the shock seeing (spoiler alert) Mary and Henry Talbot together in the trailer when he was still blissfully unaware of Matthew’s fate. Downton Abbey is a delightful show with upstairs-downstairs drama and incredibly low-stakes plotlines you can’t help but get wrapped up in (remember the case of Violet’s missing letter opener?). Needless to say, he and I have been chasing the Downton Abbey high for quite some time, and with The Gilded Age now gracing our screens, we may have found it.
From the creator that gave us Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age follows Marian Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson, and if you can’t quite figure out why she looks so familiar to you, it’s because she’s the Meryl Streep’s daughter) as she moves from a no-name town in Pennsylvania to New York City to live with her estranged aunts, Agnes and Ada. While Agnes and Ada are old money and resistant to change, Marian is more open-minded, causing a rift when an up-and-coming, new-money family builds a positively garish palace just across the street (I mean, can you believe the audacity?). Though we’re only one episode in, I can already tell that The Gilded Age has everything I love about Downton Abbey—and I am all in.
Why Downton Abbey Fans Will Love It
Characters You’ll Love… or Love To Hate
Starting with our heroine, Marian Brook is already someone I’m rooting for. She’s loyal, defiant, and wants to make something of herself in a world where women of her class are supposed to sit around and wait for a husband. In just one episode, she proves she doesn’t care about the status quo and could be the bridge between the warring old-money and new-money families.
Marian’s aunts have a dynamic to die for. Cynthia Nixon’s Ada Brook is the slightly more open of the two, and is the reason Marian came to New York in the first place. Agnes, on the other hand, exudes an air of superiority that intimidates me even though I’m safely behind a screen. The two make for a compelling pair of guardians for Marian, whose youthful openness to the changing times doesn’t exactly mesh with their steadfast traditionalism. This conflict immediately comes into play with the introduction of their new neighbors.
Those new neighbors are the Russells, and I can’t tell just yet whether I love them or love to hate them. Either way, they already provide endless entertainment. Bertha, the Russell matriarch, will stop at nothing to be accepted by New York’s elite, despite the fact they want absolutely nothing to do with her. And Larry, her son, is already shaping up to be the lovable heir of the series, a la Downton’s Matthew Crawley.
It wouldn’t be a show after Downton’s heart if it didn’t feature a billion characters we somehow grow to love, loathe, and root for. Though the first episode of The Gilded Age focused on the families upstairs, it’s only a matter of time until we get to know the downstairs cast as well. And if I’m being honest, that’s where some of the best of Downton’s entertainment happened.
A Setting To Get Lost In
If you fell in love with the Abbey, The Russell palace will be right up your alley. It’s a monstrous home built on prime New York real estate with an interior to die for. This is in stark contrast to the Brook’s home across the street, which screams, “we’ve been rich since the Revolution.” While the homes are a marvel in their own right, the backdrop of New York City promises an expansive setting we just didn’t get with Downton—and I, for one, can’t wait to dive in.
It was always hard to place myself in the English countryside, but hearing the characters in The Gilded Age mention streets like Fifth Avenue brings the series down to Earth in a way that’s kind of spectacular for being set so long ago. I may never live in a home as grand as the Russells’ or sit in a parlor like the one at the Brooks’, but the New York outside of their homes doesn’t look too different from the one I’ve seen in person—of course, aside from the horse-drawn carriages and dirt roads. There’s something special about watching a historical drama and being able to shout “I’ve been there!” at the screen.
Plotlines That Pull You In
One of my absolute favorite parts of Downton Abbey was the largely lighthearted, low-stakes nature of some of the plotlines. Don’t get me wrong—they absolutely dealt with more serious issues, but the heart of the show, and what kept me coming back, was the daily drama on the Crawley estate. Violet’s utter confusion with the changing times (remember when she didn’t know what a weekend was?), Sybil daring to wear pants instead of a dress or skirt, and Carson’s shameful history as a stage performer, among so many others. As I’ve said before, The Gilded Age is just beginning, but it’s already showing hints of the silly, endearing plotlines that kept me thoroughly enthralled by Downton Abbey. Without giving too much away, there’s a scene in episode one that came straight out of a rom-com and I’m still giddy thinking about it.
Final Thoughts
Listen, I get it. There’s a ton of great TV shows begging for your attention. But for one hour on Monday evenings, that attention should absolutely go to The Gilded Age. If you’re someone who could rewatch Downton Abbey‘s six seasons until the end of time—and I’m right there with you—you definitely won’t want to miss The Gilded Age. Just give the first episode a try, and I promise you’ll be back for more. Like I said at the beginning of this article, I am a diehard Downton fan, and I’m all in.
Stream The Gilded Age on HBO Max on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
https://theeverygirl.com/the-gilded-age/
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electricyoshi · 3 years
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Eldest grandchild pressure... like not just the eldest of my siblings but the eldest of all the grandchildren on my dad’s side... why do I feel this pressure when I’ve never even had living grandparents on that side... and it’s not like I’m competing with anyone?? My brother is 2 years younger and we don’t compete and then my 2 cousins are literal children who are still in elementary school... I think it’s just the feeling of getting older and being aware that people have expectations for you, and that they feel entitled to those expectations, whether that’s right or not
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nightwishesworld · 3 years
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Babysitting (Part 1)
You and Alcina are roped into taking care of your friend's daughter for a few days. Alcina is...less than excited about it. I mean, come on, a baby in Castle Dimitrescu? What could possibly go wrong?!
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The warmth of the afternoon sun crept its way into the windows of Castle Dimitrescu. Both you and Alcina decided it was a beautiful day to take your afternoon tea in the gardens instead of the library . Blooms grew in newly fragranced air, the sweet petals that fluttered reflected by the honeyed-sweetness within. The garden birds always warm your heart. They bring so much joy just from watching them play and dance around the hedges. There are so many of them out today, large and small, brown, red-capped, and golden stripped. You love listening to their chirping, each singing its own beautiful song.
Alcina held your hand over the table as she sipped her special blend of tea.
“Oh, Darling, did I tell you Cristofor and Lucia are going out of town? He says it’s for business but honestly, I think they just want to have a break from the baby. I mean, I don’t blame them, it’s their first kid and you know how hectic everything’s been for them lately."
Alcina nods. “Yes, well, it didn’t help that they were a little unprepared for baby Julianna. That’s her name, right? I remember we offered to buy a few things for them before she was born.”
“Yeah, that’s it, but I just call her Jewel. My precious little gem. I guess they’re gonna be gone for the extended weekend and need someone to watch her.”
Alcina scoffs. “I pity those they choose.”
“Oh stop it, Alcina, it won’t be that bad.”
She stops what she’s doing, nearly choking on her tea, and just stares at you. “You didn’t. You did not! Please for the love of Mother Miranda tell me you didn’t say we would take care of her!”
Your silence was all the answer she needed.
“Why would you do that? Castle Dimitrescu is no place for a baby!”
“Tell that to Cris! I tried telling him that and all he did was assure me that everything would be fine. They feel Jewel would be safest in our care; they were practically begging, Al. What was I supposed to say?”
“No?” You roll your eyes at her. “What about their family? Are they really not available?”
“Lucia said she would feel guilty asking her folks to do any more for them. They usually watch her every day Cris and Lucia are at work. Imagine that plus three straight days; I would want a break too.”
Alcina stayed silent.
“They’re gonna stop by in a few days with some stuff, like diapers and toys and things.”
Alcina huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m so glad you discussed the details so thoroughly with them.”
“I figured you would say no. Look, I’m sorry I went behind your back but they really need a babysitter and they don’t trust anyone as they do us. Besides, I’m Jule’s unofficial aunt, I don’t think I can say no to something like this. I know you don’t like kids, but-”
“What are you talking about? I love seeing little Julianna.”
“You do? Cause every time they come to visit you seem kind of...distant”
“I don’t...I don’t like holding her. She’s too tiny and fragile for someone like me to be holding.”
“Someone like you?” Then it dawned on you. “Oh, Alci. You don’t actually believe that, do you? You’re always so gentle with her.”
“Because if I’m not delicate I’ll crush her.” Alcina’s face held sorrow to it, not evident to most individuals.
“You wouldn’t crush her, Alci. I know you better than that. You literally came running into my study the other day because I screamed ‘spider,’ and then carried me out because I lost sight of it. You’re a lot more gentle than you’re giving yourself credit.You're a good, thoughtful, and gentle person Alci. Anyone who can’t see that is purely idiotic,” I muttered under my breath.
“I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world, having a baby running around the castle. And we have time to babyproof everything.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard, love, she’s only seven months old. She’s only just starting to learn how to crawl.”
You were talking but Alcina wasn’t listening. She was too busy making a mental checklist of everything that needed to be done before baby Julianna arrived. “Hmm? Oh yes, of course, darling. Do you know where they got those baby gates? We’re going to need quite a few of them.”
“Alci, I don’t think we’ll need-” She’s already walked away. “ Hey, at least you’re embracing it?”
True to his word, Cris arrived at the castle three days later with a carriage full of supplies. You wanted to welcome them with Alcina, but the matriarch was nowhere to be found. The past few days for her have been spent deep cleaning the walls and floors, which really sucked, especially for Bela, Cassi, and Dani. They stuck doing the hard labor as Alcina bossed them around.
You greeted him with a tight hug. “Thank god you’re here. Alcina’s going crazy trying to babyproof everything. I don’t think the castle’s ever been this protected. Or this clean,” I muttered the last part under my breath.
Cris put a hand over his heart. “Oh, she doesn’t have to do that! Julianna can barely crawl five feet. Besides, I know for certain this place is much neater than our house, even on a bad day. She would have been perfectly fine.”
“I tried to tell her to not worry so much, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. Perhaps if she hears it from you she’ll finally listen,” I rolled my eyes playfully.
Cris nods. “And you wonder why I think Julianna’s so safe up here. I’ll be sure to mention it to Alcina. Do you wanna unload this stuff now or wait for her?”
You glance behind him to the carriage. There were a few large bags filled with miscellaneous items as well as a few larger things on the back seat not bagged at all like the playpen. “I don’t even know where she is, Cris. And I’d offer to have the girls help, but they’re hiding from Alci. Let’s just get started. We can put it in the lounge in the foyer until Alcina comes around.”
“Sounds like a plan. Some of this stuff I’ll bring more of when we drop her off, like diapers, you’ll never have enough diapers,” he says as he tosses you a bag.
“So you’ve said. Didn’t you have a nightmare about it once?”
“Before Lucia even went into labor. We ran out and every shop in a 50-mile radius was sold out. To date, it’s one of my worst nightmares.”
You laughed. “So where are you guys going? I mean, really going. You don’t actually think I believe that crap about a Mortician Expo, do you?”
Cris gave you a look of skepticism and stayed silent as if he were planning his next move.
“Relax man, I don’t actually care. Taking care of a baby is more work than I can imagine. I would want a break too!” The statement seemed to ease him.
“Nowhere special. We made reservations at a nice hotel a few hours south of here; it’s got a pool, hot tub, couples massages, the works!”
You nod, tossing the last of the bags by the lounge. “Nice! You guys deserve it, like I said, I can’t imagine how much work taking care of Julianna is.”
“You won’t have to in a few days,” he laughed.
“I’m excited now, but something tells me I won’t be in a few days. Just sleep deprived!”
“Nah you’ll love it. It’s just, well only slightly tiring! That’s all. Should we go looking for Alcina? I wanna go over Julianna’s schedule with both of you.”
“She knew you were coming so she should be here any minute now. I’m sure she just lost track of time bossing the girls around. The entire west wing has been baby-proofed and when I mean the entire wing, I mean the entire wing. She had Daniela take down all of the ornate weapons and armor from the walls while Bela and Cassi scrubbed everything. And that was just this morning.”
“I’ll be sure to thank them then,” Cris chuckled lightheartedly.
As if on cue, you can just make out the sound of high heels rushing down the corridor, only to stop abruptly just around the corner. Knowing Alcina she was probably adjusting herself to look like her usual well-presented way. Sure as rain, Alcina approached looking as elegant as ever. “Oh Cristofor, please forgive me. It’s been total chaos around here- I completely lost track of time and-”
Cris waved it off and took her hand in his, bringing it up so he could kiss her wedding ring. “Think nothing of it, Alcina. I heard you’ve been keeping yourself busy.”
The matriarch sent you a glare that you shrug off with a smug smile.
“You don’t need to worry about anything, Alcina. I know my little girl will be in the best care possible up here. There’s no one Lucia and I trust more.”
“That is one very generous statement, Cristofor, but a castle is still no place for a baby, especially this one.”
“That may hold some truth, but most of all that...messy business stays in the basement, right?”
“All of it does,” you answer for Alcina. “Even I’m not allowed down there and we’ve been married for three and a half years!”
“And for good reason,” Alcina says. “You know what goes on down there. Why would I put my wife’s life in danger?”
You were about to retaliate but Cris wrapped his arms around the both of you. “Let’s just get this stuff upstairs, huh? Far the fuck away from the basement and whatever goes on down there.”
Alcina opens her mouth but Cris shakes his head profusely. “Nope, don’t want to know. Let’s just get to the bedroom. Wow, the walls do look bare.”
“Indeed,” Alcina nodded. “It’s a good thing little Julianna is staying, I should have had the walls deep cleaned nearly decades ago,” she let out an elegant laugh.
“I hope you didn’t do all this just for us.” Cris looked in awe as the various portraits and ornate weapons decorating the walls became more scarce as they neared the master bedroom. It made this part of the castle feel abandoned. The chemical smell of cleaning solvents was strong, but it would surely be gone in time for Julianna’s arrival.
“Of course I did. You are family and you deserve nothing but the best possible care.”
Cristofor shakes his head. "You're a good woman, Alcina. I genuinely hope you know that."
She gives him a warm smile while holding the bedroom door open for him. "I try to be."
"So," he sets down his two large boxes of supplies to rub his back. "Where do you want this stuff?"
"At the foot of the bed for now," you shrug. "Alcina and I will organize everything once it's all here."
He nodded and kicked it lazily to the end of the bed and took a seat on the mattress. "If we wanna be lazy we could shove the rest of the boxes in the playpen and carry it all up in one trip."
"We can do that," you smiled. "Then we can start organizing everything."
"And while we're doing that I'd like to walk you through Julianna's schedule. Lucia made you a copy with a couple of notes on how to do specific things...it's all well let’s just say pretty detailed," he laughed.
A look of fear crossed over the matriarch's face for a moment. "Why don't I go grab it? Then you two can start unpacking. If I run into the girls I'll send them up as well."
"Oh leave the girls alone," you shake your head at the matriarch. "They're already hiding from you."
Alcina lets out an exasperated laugh. "Can you believe that, Cristofor? My own daughters are hiding from me!" Alcina exclaimed with a look of sheer amusement on her face.
"Nothing I'm looking forward to." You started unpacking the many boxes of  diapers and arranging them neatly on the already emptied shelves while Cris made himself comfortable sitting on the floor, unpacking blankets and clothes. He unfolded and refolded them in a perfect square and placed them on top of the hope chest. You smiled at each plush blanket bearing a different pattern and color.
"Where can I put her clothes?"
"Um, just on the bed for now. I don't know if Alcina emptied out a drawer yet. It would be that middle one if you wanna check."
You hear almost all the joints in his legs crack as he stands and makes his way over to the dresser. He grips the knobs but pauses before opening them. "I'm not gonna find anything dirty in here, am I?"
"Not in there, no."
He turns back to you with an arched brow and hung jaw. You only laugh at him.
"Is it cleared out?"
He nods, neatly organizing the various onesies and pajama sets.
He busied himself displaying various lotions and powders on the coffee table, which would act as your changing station.
“What can I do?” Alcina asked, staring down anxiously at the various bottles.
Cris thought for a moment before taking two smaller boxes out of the playpen and pushing them towards the vampire. “These are for bath time." He quickly scanned over the contents to make sure he was correct. "This box is shampoos, soaps, and toys. Julianna loves bath time; the more toys and games the better." Alcina smiled. “And this box is her special duck towel, washcloth- also a duck pattern she loves ducks, two non-slip bath mats for both inside and outside the tub, and a sponge.”
She looked a tad overwhelmed again taking in all the items but took the boxes nonetheless. “Good thing I cleared out cupboard space, right darling?”
You wanted to laugh but restrained yourself to biting the inside of your cheek instead. “Yes, dear.”
"Well, that's everything. Oh, and don't worry about a crib. Lucia and I are bringing it when we drop Julianna off."
Alcina shook her head and simply waved him off. "Oh don't bother, Cristofor. We have one she's more than welcome to use."
You gave her a confused look. "Um, no we don't."
"Yes, we do. I just have to grab it out of storage. If you'd like to wait and see if it's up to your standards you're more than welcome to." It wasn't so much of an invitation as it was a plea.
Cris laughed. "Alcina, I told you anything you have is probably way better than ours. I'm sure it's fine."
"It would make me feel a lot better," Alcina said with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Alright, whatever it takes to make you feel better about this."
Alcina sighed in relief and rushed down the hall.
"She really is worked up about this isn't she?"
You let yourself collapse back onto the bed. "You have no idea. She's been fretting over everything since I told her three whole days ago!"
"I kinda figured she would be the calm one between the two of you since, you know, she's got three kids already."
You feigned a look of hurt. "Ok first of all, ouch my pride! Secondly, all three of the girls were turned when they were adults. Which is why I wanna know where this supposed crib came from."
He turned back to you. "And you know what you're doing?"
"Of course not, but one of us has to be calm about it."
Cris laughed, letting himself lounge back on his elbows. Any further down and he was afraid he would fall asleep. "I guess that's true. You're gonna be great though, both of you. Just the fact that you're worrying about all this stuff tells me you're really dedicated to keeping Julianna safe and happy here."
"Thanks, man. I think I really needed to hear that. Got any advice to help us prepare?"
He slaps a hand on your thigh and gives it a friendly squeeze. "Have as much sex as you can before she's here. Because once she is, you'll be way too tired to even think about it."
You sit up and look at him incredulously, which earns him a hearty laugh. "I asked you for advice on how to keep your baby alive and you tell me to bone my wife?"
"All I'm saying is Lucia and I haven't been able to do it since before Julianna was born," Cris whispered in all seriousness.
Alcina returned carrying what you can only assume is the crib covered with a sheet. Bela stepped in first to hold the door open for her.
"Thank you, darling. I found my one good daughter to help me. Not the rascals this time!"
Cris laughs. "I see that."
The blonde nodded and joined you both on the bed. "Hello, y/n. Hello, Uncle Cris."
"Good to see you, Bela."
“Alright,” you hop off the bed. “Let’s see this crib that we apparently have just laying around.”
Alcina rolls her eyes and yanks the dusty sheet away, revealing the most beautiful baby crib you have ever seen. Polished solid dark oak frame with solid gold detailing wrapping around the bars like vines. The Dimitrescu House Crest is shining proudly on both sides.
A smug grin plastered itself on Alcina’s face knowing she single-handedly put an end to your snarky remarks.
“Holy shit,” you finally say. “And you had this in storage…just because?”
The question made her uncomfortable, you could tell. A shadow cast over Alcina’s face. “I had it made a while back and forgot about it until now. I’m glad it stayed in such pristine shape. Any polishes used on it were water-based and non-toxic. Perfect for a baby to slobber on,” she chuckles almost a bit uncomfortably.
Cris shook his head as he ran a hand across the smooth wooden framework. “I don’t know what to say, Alcina. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“Only the best for our favorite niece.”
Cris clapped his hands together and pulled out a few pieces of paper from his back pocket. "Now, onto Julianna's schedule. Lucia tried to be as helpful as possible when writing it down, but she said if you have any questions just ask her when we drop her Jules off."
Both of you nodded as he handed them to you. Bela situated herself on your bed with one of the plushies he brought over just because.
 Daily Routine
7 am- wake up and bottle feed 8 ounces for about 20 minutes (doesn't have to be one the dot if she's still sleeping. It's a rare occurrence for her to sleep in, but it could happen
7:30- playtime on the floor or outside (we usually keep her inside this early in the morning but either is perfectly suitable)
8:00- breakfast (something solid-ish. Like oatmeal and fruit chunks)
8:30- more play 
Between 9-9:30- bottle-feed 6 ounces for 15 minutes then naptime
11:00- wake up and play (she loves her building blocks and rattle)
Noon- lunch (baby food! Fruit or veggie) (she'll probably refuse solids but don't take no for an answer! Even just a few are ok if she's especially cranky)
12:30- play (peek-a-boo in the mirror! she gets a kick out of it every time. 
1:30- bottle-feed 6 ounces and nap (Congrats! you're halfway there)
3:30- wake up and play (try using the hand puppets and engage her in nursery rhymes)
4:00- bottle feed four ounces for roughly 20 minutes
5:00- dinner (more baby food. Whichever one she didn’t have for lunch)! Same as the morning, she'll probably refuse)
5:30-play (maybe go for a walk if you haven't already?)
6:30- bath time! (see added note for specific bathtime notes. She loves hearing her little rubber ducky squeak)
7:00- bottle-feed 8 ounces then time for bed (good luck trying to sleep and getting her to sleep)
1:30 am- bottle feed again (she’ll wake you up when she’s hungry don’t worry)
Breastmilk can be refrigerated for five days and I’ve given you more than enough to hold her over. Protect it with your lives! Breast Milk is liquid gold!
 You read the note over a couple of times before handing it to Alcina who looked just as overwhelmed as you. "That is so much."
"Not enough," Alcina says at the same time.
Cris laughs. "Wanna see what she wrote for bathtime?"
Alcina took the second not from him.
 Bathtime Tips
Make sure the adhesive mats are set down before bath time begins. One in the tub one outside
Make sure you have everything you need nearby; towel, washcloth, toys (especially her duck), shampoos, lotion, clean clothes, and a diaper
It’s easiest (and less painful) to sit on a stool or something instead of standing and bending over
ALWAYS KEEP A HAND ON HER!
Take off any jewelry and be sure to wash your hands
Check the water temp with the inside of your wrist- it should be warm (not too hot or too cold)
Dry and dress her on the floor (hence the second mat) 
Squirty toys! (The duck is her favorite as it also squeaks)
Plastic boats that she can push around
Whale-shaped basin for rinsing hair
Once she’s all dry she can go right in her crib
 "Sweet Satan, Cristofor. This is a lot of information. I mean, the more the better but..."
You take her hand in yours and kiss the top of her knuckles. "It's alright, Love, we've got this. If anyone can manage this it's us."
She nods but doesn't really believe your words. You can see the doubt reflecting in her eyes. "You're right."
"It looks way more complicated than it is, ladies. You just put her in the tub, don't let her drown, clean her, and take her out. Boom, simple as that."
Alcina lets out a relieving chuckle and you thank him silently.
 *******************************************************************************************
You lay awake that night unable to fall asleep. Alcina is awake too, but you don't dare speak to her. She's too lost in her own world to be bothered with your nonsense. But it was starting to eat you alive from the inside out. You looked over at it sitting across the room. Its existence is mocking you to the point where you can almost hear it laughing at you.
You finally break the silence. “Who’s even is it? You turned the girls when they were adults, right?”
“Yes.”
“All of them?”
You hear her sigh. “Yes of course all of them. Now please, I don’t want to talk about this.”
“But you had to have a reason, Al. No one just has a crib as intricate as that made out of the blue.”
“It doesn’t matter,” her tone grew sharper. “We have it now for Julianna and that’s what matters.”
“I guess so, but…” you turn your body to face her. Her silhouette is laying on her back staring up at the ceiling. “D-did you try having a baby with someone else and…”
She turns to look at you with wide golden eyes. Not angry, but certainly not expecting that line of questioning. You immediately regret opening your mouth.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-“ Alcina silences your ramblings with a searing kiss. One you happily return.
“It’s nothing like that, my love. My only children are ours. I had it made last year when Lucia first told us she was pregnant. I remember how excited you were for them. You did so much to help her get ready, for both of them, really.” Alcina smiled and reached blindly for your hand. “And every time they come up to visit your eyes just light up when you see Julianna. You’re so good with her, iubirea mea.”
A shadow of guilt passed over her face. “I overheard you talking to Lucia about wanting kids of your own.”
Your heart plummeted down to the pit of your stomach.
“You love our daughters with your entire heart, but it’s not the same as raising your own flesh and blood. Every time I saw you holding little Julianna or singing to her I pictured you with our baby. So, I got all excited and, albeit, ahead of myself and had the crib made.”
“For our baby,” you finished with a genuine smile.
Alcina nodded. “I wanted to wait for you to bring up the conversation before saying anything about it, and” her voice cracks. “You never did. I didn’t understand why at first. You would produce such a beautiful baby with or without me.” Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes threatening to cascade down her cheeks. “Then one night it just sort of hit me; why would you want to share something as precious and innocent as a baby with a monster like me?”
Tears flowed freely from her eyes and sobs racked her body, it broke your heart. Without thinking you throw yourself at Alcina and wrap her tightly in your arms. The vampire happily buries her face in the crook of your neck and cries her heart out. You thread your fingers through her hair to help soothe her.
“Oh, my love, I’m so sorry. Don’t you ever refer to yourself as a monster ever again, do you hear me? You are no monster, Alcina Dimitrescu. How can someone as loving, and soft, and generous like you be anything besides an angel?”
“Oh stop pretending, y/n. I’m a genetically mutated freak! The baby would take one look at me and start wailing,” Alcina let out a frustrated huff.
“Stop it, Alcina. Our baby would adore you just like Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela do. Julianna loves you to pieces! She gets so excited every time you walk in the room.”
Alcina sniffled. “She does that with everyone.”
“Because she likes us, Al.”
A beat of awkward silence passed between the two of you until you finally felt her breathing steady.
“You want to have a baby with me?”
You couldn’t contain your smile as she nodded ever so slightly into your neck. “Why didn’t you say anything before? We could have talked about it months ago. The only reason I never brought it up was that I assumed you didn’t want any more children running amuck in the castle. Imagine if they turned out to be just like Daniela.”
That got her to laugh a little. “I wouldn’t mind a baby running around; especially if they look like you.”
“Well I don’t know about that considering we would have to adopt.”
A mischievous smile crept on Alcina’s lips. “Who says we can’t have a baby ourselves?”
“Um, nature? We’re both women, Alcina. I don’t think I have to explain to you how that won’t work.”
Alcina chuckles into your neck. “We’d have quite the brood running around the castle if it did.”
“Then you want to find a donor?” She detached herself from you just enough to give you a look of disgust. “Of course not; no one is allowed to touch my y/n except me.” She flips you both over so you’re pinned underneath her. “There are ways we could have a baby, you know?”
A blush covered your cheeks down to your chest. “O-oh?”
“Mmhm. The old witch in the village could brew something up for us, should we choose to carry.” She laughs at your dumbfounded expression. “It would be a sex change tonic of sorts. Temporary of course, I believe it only lasts a week.”
You blush furiously.
“And depending on the portions of ingredients she uses we could change the erm, size, if you catch my drift.”
You couldn’t bring yourself to respond, in real words at least. Something between a yelp and a whimper came out of your mouth instead. It gets a laugh out of Alcina at least.
“That’s really a thing we could do?”
She starts trailing kisses down your neck to your chest. “Oh yes,” her free hand comes up to pull your shirt down over your breasts. As soon as they pooled out of their confinement Alcina started circling one of your nipples with her tongue. “Would you like that, darling? To feel my cock pounding into you.”
Fuck you loved it when she talks dirty to you. But that turned you on more than you were willing to admit. You gave a shy nod.
Alcina rewards your honesty by taking your hardened nipple in her mouth and sucking. Her other hand moved up your body to rest on your other breast, gently kneading it like dough.
Alcina has always been fascinated with your breasts. Always burying her face in them when cuddling. She simply melted into them on bad days. Giving her a scalp massage at the same time earned you bonus points.
Her lips abandon your nipple, leaving a bridge of saliva still connecting you, and snuggled her face deep in between your breasts. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the moment. Her eyes flutter open and you can see the corners of a smile buried in your chest. “What do you think, my love?”
“I think we should see how we do this weekend before making any big decisions.”
Alcina leaned forward only enough to kiss your lips. “Sounds like a plan.”
288 notes · View notes
lonestarfangirl2014 · 3 years
Text
LONESTARS GUIDE TO THE WAYNES AND KANES OF GOTHAM CITY PART ONE REDUX
BRUCE WAYNES UNCLES AND AUNTS(Including by marriage) EDITION
WAYNES
“Waynes never stay down. We RISE”
The Wayne's are one of the so called first families of Gotham
also known as the Founding Families of Gotham or more simply, the Five Families are the five families affiliated with the creation of Gotham as a city.
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AGATHA WAYNE
First appearance: Batman issue 89 February 1955
Agatha has been discribed as Thomas Wayne frail elder sister. She occasionally visits Bruce when he’s a adult. On Earth Two where she originally debuted it’s been said that she helped out the next person on this list with young Bruce whenever she could.
It could be possible that either Agatha or the next person on our list was the one to inherit the families gotham based ancestral home based on earth two/Golden age Bruce buying a mansion to live in shortly before becoming Batman
Agatha has a counterpart on new earth/post COIE who is said to be the only sibling of Thomas Wayne(still as a older sister.).
It is unknown if she has ever had kids. On Earth Two there is evidence that Bruce has at least one possibly 1st cousin on his fathers side who I will talk about in another post I’m planning on making about Bruce’s cousins.
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PHILIP WAYNE (Not to be confused with Martha’s brother of the same first name whose farther down this list)
First Earth-One appearance: Batman issue 208 February 1969
Originally introduced in the earth-one era of comics it is later revealed that a Philip Wayne did exist on the earlier earth-two in Secret Origins Vol 2 #6 (September, 1986)
On both Earth-One and Earth-Two Philip Wayne was the one who took young Bruce in after he was orphaned.
It is unknown who is older between him and Thomas but based on the appearance of Earth-One Philip(white hair and mustache) I would say that Philip was the older one at least on that earth where both he and Thomas took charge of the family business AKA Wayne Enterprise.
On Earth-Two Thomas was the one to inherit the family fortune suggesting that he was the eldest of the two Wayne sons on that Earth. Earth-Two Philip is only seen once and it’s only a silhouette of him.
It is unknown if he has ever had kids. On Both Earth-Two as well as as Earth-One there is evidence that Bruce has at least one possible paternal 1st cousin on each. Both of them I will talk about in another post I’m planning on making about Bruce’s cousins.
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Vanderveer Wayne SR.
first appearance: Powerless episode 3
For the sake of this post I will say a Fourth Wayne sibling to my knowledge has never appeared in the comics HOWEVER a paternal Uncle Of Bruce was introduced in the short lived TV show Powerless as Vanderveer Wayne SR.
Vanderveer Wayne, Sr. was the original boss of Wayne Security, before passing the job to his son Vanderveer Wayne Jr and taking a position on the board of directors of Wayne Enterprise.
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Patricia Wayne
First Appearance: Pennyworth episode One
The elder sister of Thomas Wayne. She has been described and shown to be a typical rich party girl who according to Thomas apparently likes to cause scandals that drag the Wayne name through the mud. The foolish sibling to Thomas responsible sibling. They bicker and she calls him names but like any typical siblings they still love eachother.
ON PRIME EARTH/NEW 52 it is said that Thomas Wayne was a only child. As of may 4 2021 none of the other Wayne siblings has so far made a appearance in Any Comics set on Prime earth. But hey screw Canon right?
KANES
“We Stand TOGETHER”
The Kane family was cited as being so rich that the only parts of Gotham that were not owned by them were those owned by the Wayne Family.
NATHAN KANE
First mentioned in Batman Incorporated(don’t quote me on that) taking place on New Earth And is confirmed to exist on Prime Earth as well.
Not much is known about Nathan. We don’t even have a proper picture of him. What we do know is that he is the eldest son(Batman Incorporated vol 1 #4)and he was the one who inherited both the family fortune as well as the family Crest Hill Estate after family Patriarch and Matriarch Roderick and Elizabeth/Elisabeth(seen it spelt both ways) both died. He is called the golden scion of the family.
On New Earth He married the original Batwoman aka Katherine Webb-Kane the year Batman became active in Gotham. He was apparently 40 when he started dating 25 year old Kathy Webb-Kane, 43 when he finally married(the year Batman age 25 debuted in Gotham) and 47 when he died.
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Kathy Webb-Kane/ Katrina “Luka” Netz.
First Earth-One appearance: Detective Comics #233 (July, 1956)
First Earth-Two Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #182 (January, 1982)
First New Earth Appearance:Batman #678 (August, 2008)
First Prime Earth Appearance:Batman Incorporated Vol 2 #10 (June, 2013
The Original Batwoman!
Strap in because this is a long one.
On Earth-One her history is as follows: Kathy Kane was a wealthy heiress who gained great acrobatic skills during her career as a circus trapeze artist and stunt cyclist. Becoming infatuated with the Batman, she fashioned herself a costume and secret hide-out and started operating as Batwoman. At first she upstaged Batman and his sidekick Robin in capturing crooks. However, Batman eventually learned her true identity and tracked her to her secret cave hide-out. Showing her how easily it was for him to learn her identity, Batman pointed out that criminals could probably do it just as easily and tried to convince her to drop out of crime fighting. Disobeying Batman's advice, she tried to capture mobster Curt Briggs. During this caper, Batman went missing and Briggs, struck with amnesia, left thinking he was Batman. Ultimately the real Batman reappeared, and Biggs was turned over to the police. Afterwards, Batwoman went back to retirement. However, Kathy Kane became tired of the dull life of a rich heiress and came out of retirement once more in order to recapture a criminal named Elton Cragg. It was during this case that Batwoman gained super-powers and after her heroic deeds, she convinced Batman to let her continue her crime-fighting career. Ironically, around this time, Kathy started dating Bruce Wayne and she started to fall in love with Batman, unaware that they were the same person.
When Bruce Wayne was framed for a crime he didn't commit, Batwoman teamed-up with Robin in order to clear Batman's name. During an undercover mission, Batwoman was captured by a criminal leader and was rescued by the Dynamic Duo. When both Batwoman and reporter Vicki Vale were nominated Gotham City's "Woman of the Year", both tried to upstage each other to get the lead in the contest. With the help of Batman and Robin, both Vicki and Batwoman captured Moose Molloy's gang and both were crowned woman of the year. When Batman and Robin were trapped in a cave in, Ace the Bat-Hound guided Batwoman to help free them and capture the criminal Dr. Midas. Batwoman next helped the Dynamic Duo capture Firefly, aided them in preventing Lex Luthor from atomizing Superman, and helped them capture the Spinner. Batwoman later met with Bat-Mite and working together, they captured some crooks to save the Dynamic Duo.After this adventure, Bat-Mite became infatuated with Batwoman and tried to become her sidekick, creating chaos for everyone until he realized his mistake and left. When trying to solve the mystery of who murdered Professor Lacy after his discovery of a living caveman, Batwoman was saved by the caveman who sacrificed himself to save her from Lacy's killer: Harbin, Lacy's assistant. When Kathy Kane purchased a mystical belt, she becames a target of the criminal Star-Man. The belt sucked Batwoman's life energy from her body and she was saved by Batman and Robin, who arrived in time to stop Star-Man.
When Kathy's niece Betty Kane came to visit her, the young girl learned of her aunt's double identity. Kathy agreed to train Betty to be her sidekick, thinking that the young girl would eventually lose interest. However, to her surprise, Betty proved capable and became Batwoman's sidekick Bat-Girl. On their first mission, the two women helped Batman and Robin defeat King Cobra and his gang.Batwoman then became a victim of Luthor's experiments, who manipulated Kathy and gave her super-powers to fight her allies. After a long struggle, Superman managed to break Lex's control over Kathy and she returned to normal.When Batman and Robin were briefly transformed into alien creatures, Batwoman was one of the few who actually believed they were the real Dynamic Duo, until they were restored to normal.She later helped Batman and Robin capture the "Rockets" Rogan Gang. Later, after Batman and Batwoman were captured by the Moth, they were rescued by Bat-Girl and Robin. Later, Kathy went on a date with Bruce Wayne to an amusement park that was previously the location where the Justice League of America recently had a battle.As Batwoman, Kathy joined Batman on a trip to Washington D.C. to testify to the Senate Committee, leaving their young sidekicks to defend Gotham City in their absence.She next aided Batman and Robin in capturing the criminal known as the Vulcan.
Kathy's romances with Bruce Wayne and Batman became rocky, first during a period where Bruce Wayne was briefly transformed into a child, he made it appear that he's seeing another woman in order to keep Kathy away,and later when Batman, while under the effect of a love potion, fell in love with a woman named Elsie.Kathys romance woes became more complicate when Alpha, the Experimental Man fell in love with her, until the artificial man sacrificed himself to save her from falling off a cliff.
When helping Batman and Robin solve a murder during Mardis Gras, she got into a feud with Vicki Vale over who is the right person for Batman, forming the first of many competitions for Batman's affections.She later helped Batman capture Catman.
When she and Batman were briefly transported to another dimension by invaders from that world, their mortality was in question unless they were freed. During this period, Batwoman managed to get Batman to warm up and admit some of his feelings toward her before they were rescued by Robin and Bat-Girl.
Batwoman's feud with Vicki Vale heat up again when both women tried to determine if Mirror Man's assertions that Bruce Wayne was really Batman were true. When Batman scolded Batwoman for getting in the way of his attempts to capture Catman, she faked her intentions to join the criminal as Cat-Woman, until Catman seemingly died in the battle.Batwoman and Bat-Girl later helped the Dynamic Duo end a feud between the Joker and Clayface,and helped Batman and Robin capture the Terrible Trio
Once more suspecting that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same man, Kathy Kane was convinced otherwise when Superman posed as Batman. However the plan went awry when a bomb goes off seemingly killing "Batman" and necessitating Superman to pose as the ghost of Batman for a time.
When Batman was briefly transformed into a gigantic creature, Batwoman teamed-up with Robin and Ace the Bat-Hound to track down the crooks that have the cure. After this, Catman reappeared and discovered his costume had mystical properties that gave him nine-lives, allowing him to continue on his crime spree. With her Cat-Woman costume, Batwoman helped Batman and Robin capture him.
Following this adventure, Batwoman went into retirement and disappear from Batman's life almost entirely. She become the owner of a circus, but often longed to return to her former crime fighting career.
Batwoman came out of retirement to aid Batgirl(Barbara Gordon)against Killer Moth and the Cavalier, but her return was never intended to be permanent.Kathy Kane was then present at a surprise party for Bruce Wayne at Wayne Manor.When Batwoman was later disintegrated into nothingness on Barbara Gordon's doorstep, Batgirl and Robin teamed-up to find the cure and restore Batwoman to her normal form. Shortly after this, Batwoman met the Huntress from Earth-Two and aided her in capturing Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Madame Zodiac. When the Freedom Fighters of Earth-X searched for a group of criminals known as the Warmakers, their search led them to the carnival owned by Kathy Kane. Kathy, as Batwoman, aided the Freedom Fighters and Batgirl in defeating the Warmakers. In her last recorded adventure, Kathy Kane was murdered by the League of Assassins who were being manipulated by Ra's al Ghul. Her death was eventually avenged by Batman.
Katherine Kane was also known as Batwoman in the Earth-Two timeline. Her history and career are said to reflect that of her Earth-One counterpart, except for that version's untimely death. When Kathy adopted the role of Batwoman, Batman wanted her to retire from the role for fear that she would be hurt in her costumed exploits. Kane would continue to operate in her costumed identity until she learned that Batman had become deeply romantically interested in someone in his unmasked identity. While Wayne never revealed his identity to her, or explicitly told her of his private life, she said she knew of his change in his attitude to her and assumed as such. She largely retired from her costumed role soon after this. Years later, she learned that Wayne was the original Batman when his costume identity was revealed to the general public after his own demise. Not long after this, Kane resumed her costumed identity when she learned of the presence of a "new" Batman. When she found him, Kathy learned that this Batman belonged in the alternate timeline of Earth-One, but the emotional shock of seeing Batman alive was still great. However, Kathy realized that he was not the love of her life reborn, but was a completely new person.
On New Earth her history is as follows
By age 25, Kathy Webb was an underground film director, a poet, and something of a wild child. But when she met Nathan Kane(who we already established as being a brother to Martha Wayne) , he bought her a circus, and she fell head-over-heels in love with him. They were together for seven years and married for four of those same years(thus making her a aunt by marriage to Bruce,Kate, Beth, And Bette) before he died of a stroke. After this, she was approached by a secret organization called Spyral to find out Batman's secret identity. Assessing the information on the Caped Crusader, she decided the best approach was to make him chase her. To that end, she brushed up on detective skills, martial arts and motor-biking, got a costume and started calling herself Batwoman. Her plan worked, and within a few months they were an item. However, Batman was careful not to give her his secret identity, and in fact worked out hers first. This, coupled with her feelings for Batman, lead her to try and break off ties with Spyral. However, her employer, the mysterious Agent-Zero, turned the tables on her, forcing her to break off on both sides, which she did. She was believed to be killed by the Bronze Tiger on behalf of the League of Assassins. The second Batwoman Kate Kane(who like Her cousins Bruce and Bette is Kathy’s relative by way of marriage) investigated the murder, but could not find anything. That was because she was never killed; after a staged death, she worked behind the scenes with Spyral to stop Leviathan. She eventually succeeded in shooting Talia al Ghul during her final standoff with Batman, before claiming that she would not be meeting Batman again, leaving to continue leading Spyral.
On Prime Earth she is Katrina "Luka" Netz one of Spyral's oldest members and the daughter of the former Director of Spyral Herr Netz. Kathy presumably being a alias that she used. Based on what I read in the comics I believe her role as Batwoman is still be canon due to nightwing recognizing her voice at one point and if not then at least her marriage to Nathan Kane is still canon.
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PHILIP KANE
First appearance: Batman vol 2 issue 21 August 2013
Introduced during Zero Year(the volume he’s introduced in isn’t in the hardback version however) on Prime Earth Philip Kane ran Wayne Enterprise in Bruce’s absence. While Bruce was traveling the world training, Philip held down the business with his adviser Edward Nygma(we all know how well that turned out)
He had studied to be a geologist as a younger man, he was on a Expedition in northern Mexico when his father Roderick learned that he was dying and had came to get Philip to take him back home. Philip and his father fought because he didn’t want to go. Their fighting resulted in Philip splitting his head open which resulted in him getting a metal plate in his head.
He had given up that dream to take up the responsibility of helping to run the family business. During the Time that Bruce was abroad Philip managed to in his own words “Finally Merged the families” with both families companies(Kane Materials/Kane indrustries, Wayne Industry)seemingly merging into Wayne Enterprise.
Philip was the one who had Bruce Wayne declared legally dead which Bruce originally didn’t want to reverse. Philip Kane was also the one who was able to mostly track where Bruce was during his training. Not even Alfred knew where he was.
Philip was unfortunately blackmailed like many other citizens of Gotham by Red Hood One into joining the Red Hood gang. Being branded “Red Hood 347”, Philip did the bidding of the gang leader until Kane turned. During Batman’s assault on Red Hood One at the Ace chemical processing plant(which ironically on new earth used to belong to the Kane family as Kane Chemicals before being sold and the company Renamed Ace Chemicals )Philip gave his life to distract the Red Hood while the villain was going to kill Batman.
Trivia:Philip Kane was the one who originally own the Giant Penny whose forging he had overseen himself.
THE UNSEEN UNNAMED PARENTS OF MARY ELIZABETH(Bette) KANE
No names or appearances have ever been given for these two.
Bette’s mom was mentioned in one issue of Batwoman and that was it. Seriously it was one where it's implied she already gave up on her daughter surviving her injuries and so she was off panel implied to be talking to the doctors about donating bettes organs or something when Jacob kane was rambling besides a comatose bette. Yeah it was implied that they moved out to the west coast and lived in California because I believe that's where bette grew up in most continuities.
Next up is one every one who kept up with Bat related related comics since 2011 should be very familiar with
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JACOB KANE
First New Earth Appearance: 52 #7 (August, 2006)(in a photograph alongside his second wife)/Detective Comics issue 854 August 2009
First Prime Earth Appearance: Batwoman Vol 2 #0 (November, 2012)
A lifelong soldier, Jacob had been a field officer with USSOCOM for most of his career, leading numerous tactical operations across the globe
He and his first wife Gabi are parents to twins Beth and Kate Kane
Jacob has earned the following military awards: the Army Achievement Medal, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NATO Medal for Kosovo, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, and an Army Aviator Badge. Jacob has worked extensively with military intelligence services.
The Kanes often moved due to the nature of Jacob and Gabi’s work. Jacob was frequently away from home, since his duties included intervention in various international military crises.
They eventually moved to Brussels in Belgium, since the parents were now serving at NATO. However, the family was soon torn apart due to a terrorist attack. Gabi took her daughters out to celebrate their twelfth birthday, and they were kidnapped by heavily armed men. Military intelligence eventually located the hostages, and Jacob was put in charge of the tactical unit sent to rescue them. However, they were too late, as his wife had been executed and his daughter Elizabeth was believed to be dead. He rescued Kate himself, but she was traumatized by the sight of her dead mother and sister.
Colonel Kane plays an important role in his daughter’s Batwoman operations. He provides her a one-man command, control, and communications center. They stay in constant radio link, with the elder Kane being able to run searches, provide advice, and generally work in the background using his considerable knowledge, contacts and experience. Colonel Kane primarily uses his connections and his intelligence-gathering and management skills. He has access to numerous databases that are normally only accessible to military and law enforcement personnel to provide intel to his daughter.
Jacob is the next kane sibling most people would know about in part thanks to both his comic appearances In multiple bat comics as well as his appearance on the arrowverse batwoman tv show.
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Gabrielle Kane(knee Goldstein in the arrowverse)
First New Earth Appearance: Detective Comics 855 September 2009
First Prime Earth Appearance: Batwoman volume 2 issue 27 March 2014
Captain Gabi Kane is the mother of Kate Kane (who later became Batwoman) and her identical twin Beth Kane. A member of the US Army’s 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, she married another soldier, Jacob Kane. Both Kanes worked extensively with military intelligence services, and often moved as a result, even after their children were born. On Prime Earth When her sister-in-law Martha died she went to the funeral with both her husband and Kids. She reminded her husband that not all of Martha was dead(referring to Bruce) Eventually, the Kanes moved to Brussels, Belgium, since the parents were now serving at NATO. The family, however, was torn apart due to a terrorist attack. As Gabi was taking her daughters for their 12th birthday, they were kidnapped by heavily armed men. Military intelligence eventually located the hostages, and Jacob was put in charge of the tactical unit sent to rescue them. However, they were too late, as Gabi had been executed. Jacob rescued Kate himself, but she was traumatized by the sight of her dead mother and her supposedly dead sister.
TRIVIA: Gabi had a tattoo of the Special Forces arrowhead insignia on her right bicep; her daughter Kate later copied this.
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Catherine Hamilton-Kane
First New Earth appearance: 52 #7 (August, 2006)(in a photograph alongside her husband)/Detective Comics Vol 1 #856 October, 2009
First Prime Earth Appearance: Batwoman Vol 2 #0 (November, 2012)
Heiress to the Hamilton arms fortune(called Hamilton dynamics in the batwoman tv show), and second wife of Jacob Kane.
Cathy is a jet-setter and socialite involved in politics.The Hamilton fortune was built upon guns. Catherine family owned the enormously successful Hamilton company, which apparently became a household name during the days of the Old West Firearms. Appears to care greatly for her niece by marriage(one can assume she might feel the same for Bruce if and when she finds out he’s Batman) if the way she reacted to finding out about Bette being a vilgilante in the comics is any indication.
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vampwritesstuff · 3 years
Text
Wing Beifong x OC / Part 1
Before this starts, you should know a few things about my OC.
Her name is Kana Soshi. She is an earthbender and is blind in her left eye, Lin taught her seismic sense, she is unable to metalbend. Has helped Lin out at the Republic City police department before and considers her as somewhat of a mother figure. She’s known Bolin and Mako for a long time and she met Korra and Asami through them, Bolin is her best friend.
Yes, I know that some of the events are out of order, I didn’t feel like rewatching the episode. But without further ado, here is part 1!
Wordcount; 5,203
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“So are we sure there’s an airbender in Zaofu?” Kana asked as she leaned against the cool metal of the airship they’re currently flying in, she would have much rather been on the ground where her Earthbending and seismic sense were of use to her. Even though she could use seismic sense, she could not metal bend, and that made being on this airship insufferable, not being able to combine metal bending with her seismic sense could not have been more infuriating to her. “Yes, Kana, we’re positive that there will be an airbender there.” Korra said as she and the rest of Team Avatar sat around the area.
Kana absentmindedly stared off at nowhere while she played with a strand of her brown hair. One of her green eyes had a certain gloss over it, a tell-tell sign that she was blind in one eye, she was glad to have her seismic sense for that reason as when in battle her eyesight was often a hindrance in her ability to fight and know where and who she was aiming at.
Constantly, Bolin would ask Kana to teach him, and every time she tried, he could never seem to get it down. But that didn’t discourage him and that made her happy that he had such a strong spirit. So when they landed in Zaofu, a little bit of her detested the fact half the city was made of metal, but she quickly forgot that as her bare feet touched the ground. “Finally, my bending can be of some use to me.” Kana smiled as Bolin came up next to her, putting his arm around her, “C’mon, Kana, being on the airship wasn’t that bad!” He mentioned, “But when most of your sight and bending depend on being on the ground, I would rather have blown up that airship.” She pouted to her best friend.
“Hello! Welcome to Zaofu, home of the metal clan.” A gray haired woman said as she came out to greet them. “I’m Suyin Beifong, the matriarch of the clan.” She smiled at everyone. Kana smirked to herself, realizing now why Chief Beifong wanted to stay on the airship. She figured Lin might have some bad blood with her family in Zaofu. As everyone walked, they met Opal, she was the airbender. “Pleasure to meet you Opal!” Kana said happily as Suyin led them all away and towards an arena type place. It had large metal columns placed in it and it was placed deeper into the ground than where the group stood. “Those are my two youngest, Wei and Wing. They’re playing a game called power disc. Came up with the game themselves.” She told each of them as they watched the boys bend a metal disc at each other and hit the columns. That continued back and forth until one of them missed the disc and it flew into the net behind the raven haired boy, a bright red light lit up and a buzzer was heard, “And Wing goes down!” Shouted the boy, whom Kana could assume was Wei.
Her sight lingered on Wing a little longer than she would let on. Suyin turned to her and Bolin, “Do you two metalbend? The boys would be happy to teach you power disc.” Her smile fell as both of them shook their heads, “We don’t, but Kana here uses seismic sense!” Bolin boasted for her, Kana sheepishly rubbed her arm as Suyin smiled at her, “Well that's wonderful to hear, I’m sure you would love to learn to metalbend, we can teach you.” She offered. “Oh, I only use my seismic sense to help me see because I’m blind in one eye, I’ve tried metalbending before, it's never worked for me.” Kana sighed as she saw the look of pity from Suyin, she hated people knowing about her sight problem, she hated the looks of pity anyone would give her once they found out, she despised that everyone would dote on her once they knew.
Thankfully, Su’s advisor came up and whispered something in Suyin’s ear that made her eyes widen. “Avatar Korra, why did you lie about this being the only people you had with you?” She questioned as everyone’s eyes went wide. Kana knew she was talking about Lin, she watched in amusement as Korra and everyone else stuttered over their words. “Well, you see, our chief of police didn’t want everyone to know she was here and asked us not to tell. But since the secret is out, I guess Chief Beifong is gonna have to deal with it.” At Kana’s words, Suyin’s eyes widened, “Lin’s here? Well I would love to see her.” She said, leaving everyone all confused. She had stopped paying attention to Su’s words as her eyes went back to the playing arena, Landing on the two twins playing another game of power disc, not noticing everyone was heading inside until Bolin pulled her away.
At the dinner table, Kana sat in between Bolin and Asami. She loved Asami, she was her greatest friend other than Bolin, though Kana hated how she always tried to convince her to wear shoes, to which Kana would always tell her no and end the conversation at that. It didn’t fail to happen that night either as everyone was preparing for dinner.
“Come on, Kana! It's just for an hour at least!” Asami pleaded as she held a pair of flats in her face, pushing them away Kana gave Asami an exasperated look, “How many times do I have to tell you no? I don’t like shoes, they mess with my seismic sense!” She told her as she gave a sigh, knowing Kana wasn’t going to ever change her mind about shoes.
So there they sat, at a fancy table with the Beifong family eating the fancy dish that their chef prepared, she didn’t bother to remember the name of the dish. Kana looked to the head of the table as Suyin cleared her throat and addressed her. “So, Kana, how did you come to learn seismic sense?” She asked, Kana noticed that the entire Beifong family had their attention on her, “Well, Chief Beifong taught me after the accident that caused me to go blind in my left eye.” She said shortly, placing her fork down on her plate. That caught the twins attention, as well as Suyin’s, “If you don’t mind me asking,” Kana knew where this question was going, “How exactly did you become blind in that eye?” she asked, she and everyone else seemed to genuinely want to know, any time some one would ask, Kana would brush them off. But this was the matriarch of the metal clan, and she did not want to disappoint her.
So Kana let a heavy sigh leave her mouth before speaking, “Back when I was 12, I got caught in the middle of a turf war between the triple threats and some other gang. I was suppoesed to be with Li- Chief Beifong but I was dumb and slipped away from her as soon as I got the chance to explore.” She took a breath before continuing, everyone was paying close attention. “While I was looking at some stuff I realised that some triple threats and other thugs were fighting each other, next thing I knew, some stray ice shard from a waterbender hit me in the eye, and that's when Chief Beifong got there and saw me, she took care of the gangs and later healers said that they could not repair the damage done to my eye. At first I was able to see out of it just barely, but over time the sight completely left my eye.” She said, running a gentle finger over the skin around her eye as Kana stared down at the table, everyone had a solemn look on their faces, Bolin placed his hand on her shoulder while Asami did the same with the other shoulder. Silently Kana stood from the table and cleared her throat, “I’m going to turn in for the night.” She said and quietly left to her room for the time being. As she shut the door, Kana placed herself on the floor and let a gentle sob escape her throat.
Losing her sight had really impacted Kana, and everyone in the dining room could tell. Asami sighed, “I see why she hates wearing shoes now.” Trying to lighten the mood, “You know, this is the first time she’s talked about the accident since it first happened.” A voice said from the doorway, everyone looked over and was surprised to see Lin even after she had stormed out earlier on during dinner. “ What do you mean?” Wing asked as he looked at his aunt, “Exactly what I just said, losing her sight in that eye was very traumatic for her, she had nightmares for weeks afterwards.” Lin told them, everyone's eyes softened and Lin scoffed. “You all act like it affects you too, Kana is a tough young woman, I taught her seismic sense so she could still kick ass when she helped me out at the police station. She was more angry than sad about losing her sight, also, she despises anyone giving her pity. So if you’re gonna do that any time you’re around her then don’t bother speaking to her.” Lin said as she walked back out of the room. “Remember when we fought Amon? Kana really did beat some equalist ass!” Korra laughed as the rest of the team avatar laughed along with her. “I felt so bad when Amon took her bending, but she showed us she didn’t need her bending to fight Amon.” Asami said and they all agreed.
“Oh! Oh! Remember when she threw Unalaq in the air with a pillar of rock? He screamed like a little girl when she was in his face right after he hit the ground!” Bolin laughed loudly, Korra butted in, “And when she punched him in the face for being annoying! She did the same thing to councilman Tarrlok.” She laughed. Everyone at the table had begun laughing at the stories of Kana not giving a shit about who she was beating up.
Wing’s heart fluttered when he heard the stories about her, Kana really seemed like a cool person and he wanted so desperately to get to know her better.
Later that night as he and Wei were preparing to sleep, Wing decided to ask his twin a question, “Hey, Wei?” He began, “Yes, Wing?” Wei responded. “What do you think about Kana?” Wing asked as he set his metal cuffs on his dresser. “Think of her in what way? She seems like a very determined person and I think that’s admirable about her.” Wei told his twin as he sat himself on his bed, “I mean, yeah you’re right about that, but I don’t know.. I get butterflies around her, and hearing all those stories about her just invested me more, what should I do?” Wing ranted as he fell onto his own bed with a deep sigh. A chuckle escaped Wei’s lips, “Seems like you have a crush, Wing. But if you really want something between the two of you, I’d do something before she and the rest of her group leave Zaofu.” Wei advised, Wing nodded his head, thinking deeply.
It was true that Kana, along with everyone else she came with, plus Opal, were going to have to leave at some point to continue the search for more airbenders. So many thoughts clouded Wing’s mind as he tried to think of what he would do. Kana seemed like an angel to him, but he hadn’t even spoken to her once! How was he going to become closer to her if he hadn’t ever spoken to her or introduced himself. Wing couldn’t help the yawn that escaped his mouth, his exhausted state of mind could barely let him think straight. He would deal with his feelings and thoughts in the morning. With that, everyone in the Beifong estate was peacefully asleep.
Sadly, that peace hadn’t lasted long for a certain earthbending girl. Kana bolted up in her bed in a cold sweat, “It was just a nightmare, one I haven’t had since I was younger.” She mumbled to herself as she lifted her body from the emerald green sheets of the bed. She placed her head in her hands and she took deep breaths. “I need some fresh air.” Kana told herself as she stood up and headed towards the door. Opening it, she checked if there were guards around, once she made sure there was none she walked from her room and towards the garden of the Beifong estate. Once outside she let out a breath of relief and sat on the steps in front of the door.
“Can’t sleep?” The voice startled Kana as she wasn’t paying attention to her sense. Turning she saw one of the twins, “Uh, yeah. Rough night.” Kana looked away, she’d be lying if she said she knew which twin he was. “Wanna talk about it?” Wing asked her as he took a seat on the steps, Kana shook her head. “No, but I could use a distraction,” She started, “But first, I’m still not good with telling you twins apart, mind telling me?” Kana gave a sheepish smile to Wing as he laughed, “Yeah, I can help with that, and I’m Wing.” He told her as he stood from the steps and offered a hand to her. Taking it, Kana was surprised at how effortlessly he pulled her up. Wing’s heart fluttered once more as she grabbed his hand, her small hands were cold from the night air but he was disappointed when she pulled her hand from his. “So what's this ‘distraction’ you got for me?” Kana raised an eyebrow at Wing, he smirked and grabbed her hand once again.
Wing pulled her up to one of the metal covers that surrounded the estate, he metalbended an opening large enough to fit through and once both of them were on the other side Wing bended the metal back into place. He continued pulling Kana up a hill where there was a small cliff face, they could see the entirety of Zaofu, “Wow, Wing this is amazing.” Kana said as she sat down with Wing on the grass and looked out at the city, it was even more stunning at night. “Yeah, I found it a while back. I come here every time I need a distraction or to just clear my thoughts.” Wing said as he looked over at the brown haired girl that sat next to him, admiring the city. Wing took the moment to really study the girl beside him, taking in little details like how her short hair would flow with every breeze and the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes, the small smile placed on her lips as she closed her eyes. Kana looked at peace, and Wing was thoroughly enjoying the look. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him, Wing blushed as he’d been caught staring, “We should get back to the estate, we don’t want anyone finding out we’re gone and getting worried.” Kana told him, ignoring his stare as she stood up and pulled him up with her.
They walked down the hill in silence until they got back to the steps in front of the garden, “Wing,” Kana put her hand on Wing’s shoulder before he left to go inside, “Thank you for tonight. It means a lot.” She told him as she walked passed and back to her room. Wing stood there, a blush on his face and a hand on the shoulder that she touched. He walked back to his and Wei’s room in a daze and held a stupid grin for the rest of the night until he fell asleep. Kana had a peaceful sleep for the rest of the night, glad that she had spent some time with Wing to clear her head.
The next morning, Kana sat on the steps as she watched the twins spar with Korra and Bolin, well spar wasn’t the right word for Bolin. “I can’t believe I’m sparring with the Avatar!” Wing said excitedly after he tangled Korra in her own cables, the same couldn’t be said for Wei, “I can’t believe I’m stuck with her friend.” Wei complained, Bolin tried to bend the meteorite at Wei but it fell from his hands, “Hold on I got it,” Bolin tried, “Don’t got it.” He slumped over, Kana gave an encouraging smile, “Don’t worry, Bo, you’ll get it eventually.” She offered him a thumbs up and he smiled, but that quickly turned to horror as he dodged metal being thrown at him by Wei, “Trial by fire, best way to learn!” Wei claimed as he continued shooting at Bolin, finally Bolin picked up a small rock and bended it at Wei, hitting him in the forehead just as Mako and Asami showed up. “Nice shot little bro, but I thought this was supposed to be metalbending?” Mako asked as Wei agreed while rubbing the spot the rock hit, “Yeah, cheater.” Wei grumbled. “Listen, Mako, metalbending is extremely hard! Only 1 in 100 earthbenders can metalbend.” Bolin stated before everyone turned to Kora as she took Wing down with some metal, proceeding to jump in the air, “Woohoo! Metalbending champion!” She exclaimed, bringing her arms up to show off her well toned muscles. Bolin gave a comical look, “She’s the Avatar, that doesn’t count!” He stated, Kana giggled at how Bolin was acting.
“You guys might wanna get cleaned up, Opal’s farewell dinner is soon.” Asami told everyone, Kana saw Bolin slump once more and begin to sulk. Kana walked over and lightly patted his shoulder, “Hey, you’ll see her again once we are finished looking for more airbenders.” Kana comforted him, although that only seemed to perk him up less than what Kana thought it would. “Hey. Kana, why don’t you try metalbending?” Korra questioned the brunette, “Oh, I’ve tried before. Never worked, and besides, I’m fine with my seismic sense.” She said before sighing, “But it would be nice so I could use my sense on that damned airship.” Kana added before Bolin swung an arm around her shoulder, earning a jealous glare from Wing, “Alright, alright. We know you hate the airship.” Bolin teased as he ruffled her hair, earning a nice punch to the gut from Kana, a laugh erupted as Bolin doubled over in pain. “I didn’t even punch you that hard.” She rolled her eyes, Mako let out a playful scoff, “Kana, even your softest punches hurt.” He laughed, Kana’s eyes widened before her eyebrows furrowed, “Do they really?” She asked, everyone, besides Wing and Wei, nodded with a laugh at how confused Kana looked. “Why do you think I refuse to do hand to hand combat with you?” Korra laughed, she truly did not enjoy being punched by her, Kana shrugged, “I just thought you didn’t wanna hurt me, miss Avatar.” Kana jokingly used the nickname she gave Korra when they met for the first time, Korra wasn’t a fan of it but never told her to stop.
“Anyways, are we just gonna stand around talking about how you guys can’t handle a punch, or are we gonna clean up for Opal’s dinner?” Kana asked, changing the subject. Everyone nodded and headed to their temporary rooms to prepare. Kana settled on taking a shower in her room’s adjoined bathroom, as the warm water hit her body, she relaxed and gave a small smile. It felt nice to clean the dirt away from her skin as she scrubbed it with a milk and honey scented body wash. After scrubbing her hair with shampoo and conditioner and washed it out, Kana stepped out of the shower and shivered as the cool air hit her wet skin. Wrapping a towel around herself, Kana proceeded to dry off in her room and get dressed in a bathrobe, lazily, Kana walked to Korra’s room and knocked on the door. Korra answered, “Yes?” She asked, “Hey, wanna do me a favor and bend the water out of my hair, please?” Kana asked hopefully, with an amused sigh, Korra nodded and bended the water from Kana’s hair and moved the water to her own bathroom sink. Thanking her, Kana left and headed back to her own room. Once there, she sat down at the vanity table, Kana examined herself before deciding that she didn’t need any makeup for the dinner. Instead, she went to the wardrobe and chose a lovely forest green dress like a robe that had many silver embellishments, putting the dress on made Kana feel like she was some kind of earthbending princess. Laughing at herself, Kana placed the large silver necklace around her neck as it hung right above her breasts, she grabbed the arm cuffs and placed each one on both of her wrists before placing two ankle cuffs on her own ankles, to finish the outfit, Kana placed a metal belt piece around her waist. Kana twirled in front of the mirror and smiled, this was by far the most expensive clothing she had ever worn. A knock at the door startled Kana from her trance, “Hey, Kana, it's Korra and Asami. Are you ready for dinner?” Korra questioned loudly from the other side of the door, “Yeah,” she started as she opened the door, “I’m ready.” She looked up at Asami and Korra, they both were staring at her with wide eyes, “Does it not look good?” Kana asked self consciously, “No! You look amazing! We just never expected you to dress up so nicely.” Asami assured the earthbender, and received a smile as Kana saw Korra nod in agreement, “Well then, lets go knock the socks off those boys.” Kana winked at both Asami and Korra as she walked past them and towards the dining room.
Once they stood in front of the door, the guards opened it and everyone stopped what they were doing, most of the boys’ stares were focused on Kana as she took a seat between Bolin and Wing, “What’s with the look, Bo? You’ve seen me dress up before.” She giggled, “Yeah, but never in earth kingdom clothing!” He exclaimed, “I guess you’re right.” She thought before paying attention to what the chef had made for the dinner, he had made Opal’s favorite veggie wraps. Kana didn’t exactly care to listen to whatever mush Bolin was spewing to Opal, so she turned to Wing, “How has your day been so far?” She asked him once she had finished a bite of her food, “It’s been great! I mean, I got to spar with Korra which was totally cool. But I’ll admit I’m going to miss Opal.” Wing said, gaining a sad tone towards the end of his response. In a kind gesture, Kana put a hand on Wing's shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile, then she was hit with an idea, “Wanna sneak out tonight and go to the hill?” She asked referring to the cliff that he had shown her the night before when neither of them could sleep. Wing perked up and gave a fast nod, “Yeah, that’d be awesome.” He told her, trying to contain his excitement.
The rest of the dinner went by smoothly, and soon everyone was leaving to prepare for bed, except for Kana and Wing. Kana did put on some more comfortable clothes before she would meet up with Wing. They both had decided to wait until everyone else seemed to be asleep so they could meet. But the sound of someone yelling caught Kana’s attention, she opened her door in confusion as Bolin ran past, in the process he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, “Bolin! What’s going on?” She shouted at him, “They’ve got Korra!” He exclaimed, passing more doors as he ran towards the outside of the estate. He had already woken up Mako and Asami, so she pulled her wrist from his grasp and started to run at his pace.
Once outside, Kana finally understood who Bolin was talking about. There was a group of four people running through the courtyard, one had Korra slung across his shoulder. Thinking quickly, Kana created a rock wall in front of the group. They quickly stopped and turned to see who stopped them, “Leave Korra alone!” Kana shouted, jogging towards them to get close and dodging blasts of rock and water. Her seismic sense had instinctively kicked in and Kana was able to narrowly avoid a rock coming at her from behind. She stomped a foot on the ground, using a large chunk of earth to throw at the intruders. Kana noticed that Bolin had only been staring in awe as Kana skillfully dodged attacks from multiple angles, “Bolin! Get your ass over here!” She yelled, momentarily she was distracted and didn’t notice the large rock that had been aimed at her.
A painful cry had alerted everyone else to where they were, and as they got there they saw Kana struggle to her feet as Bolin tried to deflect any attempt to knock her back down. Once she fully stood up, Kana gave the others one glance before turning back to the people that had Korra. Everyone noticed the change in Kana’s attitude and it sent a shiver down their backs. Kana angrily ripped a large portion of rock from the ground and hurled it at Korra’s captors but, much to Kana’s displeasure, the man with long greasy black hair had deflected it. Finally everyone else was working with you and Bolin to get Korra back, they had a chance to run and they took it, but they were unexpectedly caged in by large metal panels. Those present turned to see where the metal came from and they saw Wing, Wei, Su, and Lin. “Thank the spirits.” Kana muttered as she had a moment to breath, but that moment didn’t last long before lava started to pool from under the makeshift trap and melt the panels, “That guy can lava bend! That’s so cool!” Bolin exclaimed, but noticed everyone’s deadpanned looks, “But very bad! Very bad for us.” He corrected himself.
“Are you all okay?” Su asked as she pulled a panel to protect the group from the tall lady’s explosions. “Could totally be better.” Kana quipped sarcastically as she bended a rock at the group, only for it to be deflected once again by the earth bender. “Watch out!” Wing said as he pulled Kana back down as another explosion was sent her way, narrowly missing her but a sharp rock hit her forehead, and it began bleeding down her face. “Thanks.” Was Kana’s short reply as she kept them distracted long enough for the others to devise a plan, ignoring the pain of her cut and the looks of worry from her friends. Su, Lin, and the twins would go on top of the dome and drop in from above and grab Korra while the others would distract and temporarily stun the combustion lady. Stunning the lady was up to Kana and Bolin.
“Ugh! We can’t get a clear shot!” Bolin exclaimed a few minutes later as his and Kana’s attempts were continuously shot down. “Are we a go?” One of the twins asked from the radio, “No go! No go!” Bolin and Mako shouted, “Go? Got it!” Came the voice again, “No! Don’t go! No go!” Mako repeated into the radio but it was already too late. Lin and Su were already lowering from above, “C’mon Bo, we’ve gotta make this shot or Lin and Su are toast!” Kana gripped Bolin’s shoulders. He nodded and they both took a small piece of rock, then the combustion lady looked up and Kana saw their chance, “Now Bolin!” She shouted as she and Bolin tossed their rocks right at her, hitting her not once, but twice in her third eye looking tattoo. Lin was able to grab Korra and soon they were being hauled back up, but the air bender brought his glider out and soared up after the three. As he got closer to Lin, Su grabbed her sister’s cable and swung her out of the way, taking some metal and bending it at the man, successfully ripping the fabric of his glider and he began spiraling downwards.
As he landed, he began to create a large cloud of air, and once it cleared there was no sight of the intruders anywhere. “Where the hell did they go?” Kana asked angrily, as she frantically looked around for any trace of them. Suddenly she became dizzy, Kana placed a hand on her head, finding that her wound from early was still bleeding, “Shit..” She muttered and sat on the grass as she tried to make the spinning stop, “Kana! Are you okay?” Bolin asked worriedly as he saw his friend with her eyes screwed shut and sitting on the ground. Everyone else noticed as well, but Asami was the first to figure out the problem, “Her head is still bleeding! We need to get her medical attention!” She said as Mako picked Kana up from the ground, running up to Su, Lin and the twins. The four gave a confused look until they saw Kana’s condition, and quickly Su led the way to her office where they could patch Korra and Kana up.
At first, Kana was refusing the help, but as her headache worsened she finally gave in and let them wrap a bandage around her head and give her medicine. As the pain went away, Kana found herself slowly growing tired and letting a yawn slip, “I can take you to your room if you’d like?” Wing asked as Kana looked up to him and nodded. He helped her stand up and kept a firm grip on her waist so she wouldn’t fall, “Guess we’re gonna have to take a rain check on going to the hill, huh?” Kana half heartedly joked, “Yeah, guess we are.” Wing said, although he didn’t mind, he just wanted Kana to recover safely. Sometime through the obscurely long walk to Kana’s room, she had fallen asleep and Wing had to carry her to her bed. As he laid her down in the bed and covered the girl with the blanket, she grabbed his hand while half awake from the movements, “Thank you, Wing.” She tiredly stated before falling back asleep. He smiled, hesitantly leaning down and leaving a small kiss on her forehead, then he left the room. Shutting the door and sighing, “You must really have it bad for her.” Wing jumped as he noticed Wei standing in front of him with a smile on his face, Wing nodded, too tired to argue with his brother. “I think she’s warming up to you.” Wei teased as he and his twin walked to their shared room, “Yeah, I think so too.” He said as they both fell on their beds and contently fell asleep.
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foxydivaxx · 3 years
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The Mystery of The Black Rose Chapter 1
After this, I don't think I can write any stories or anything anymore. I should just quit.
The Davis family at a glance seem to have it all. A seemingly perfect, well rounded and God-fearing family. The late Chief Gboyega Davis passed away about 18 years ago and many expected the matriarch of the family to falter over her husband's death. Yet this woman somehow managed to bounce back via her clothing line Violet Life which is reportedly worth a billion dollars.
Naturally with such success, there would be a lot of pressure on each of her three children to succeed in whatever chosen field that they set their sights on. So far, the oldest two children are doing well in their careers. Temitope, the oldest child and the only son of the family, is now a successful and highly respected doctor. Bisola who is currently married is an accountant for Savannah Bank.
All that remained at the moment is the youngest child Wuraola who is still in University studying Journalism in the hopes that she makes it as journalist someday. The girl comes across as a shy yet sweet and friendly person to be around. However, there lies a great pain in her heart. Said pain emerged one fateful day during a phone conversation with her sister Bisola.
"Wura, you are overreacting again. Mother isn't like that."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!! I AM NOT CRAZY!! MUMMY HAS THAT TENDENCY TO NOT ONLY INSULT THE HOUSEGIRL AND TELL HER TO HER FACE THAT SHE IS ONLY A HOUSEGIRL BECAUSE SHE LACKS INTELLIGENCE!! THIS SAME OLD HAG ALSO INSULTED ME FOR TRIPPING OVER THE STUPID CARPET AS I HELPED HER BRING SOME COOKIES!! THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN BULLYING ME AND THE STAFF FOR YEARS FOR FUCK'S SAKE!! YOU WERE THERE WHE THAT WOMAN CUT MY HAIR OFF FOR NOT DOING THE HAIRSTYLE SHE WANTED ME TO DO AND YOU BLOODY DID NOTHING!! YOU AND TOPE!!"
Thank goodness their mother had gone out otherwise had the woman listened in on Wura's rant, the child's situation could have gotten worse.
"Seriously Wura calm down. Also, yelling like that will not help matters. Plus mum had every right to yell at both you and Yemisi since both of you do not know what you are doing half the time!!"
Wura just sighs. Why did she even bother herself with reporting her mother to her sister who is obviously so blind and refuses to look at anyone's point of view? It is almost as though Bisola cares more about herself than anyone else and it shows.
"So you mean to tell me that I should take whatever beatings and insults that woman throws at me?" Wura asks in a cold tone.
"Wura she is your mother...."
The last born immediately hangs up on her sister and lies down on her bed. For the past couple years, she had been questioning her role in the family. As far as she is concerned, they are all chess pieces in whatever evil game their mother intends to play.
I can't believe people find that woman's behavior to be cute. That is not cute. That is pure borderline abuse. How come no one has seen through her bullshit yet?
That was about five years ago.
Five years later, the entire family had gathered at the main Davis family home to have a family dinner to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Chief Davis' passing. As per tradition, the family and their friends and various well known celebrities that they happen to know would show up at the Church for a special Thanksgiving service. The family then heads to the family home to eat together and send some time before heading off to their various homes.
"Wait, where is Wura?" The kids' aunt, Aunty Yewande asked. The rest of the family exchanged looks.
Temitope snorts. "Hmmph that girl. She is probably watching that her favorite Korean show." he says with a mocking tone and shrugs. If there was one thing the family often mocks Wura for, it is her obsession with Korean dramas and Kpop which they often found childish.
"Or she could be sleeping. At times, Wura gets tired after church services and just doses off. She did not head downstairs for lunch." Says Violeta their mother.
"I will go fetch her." Says Bisola as she raises up from her seat. She takes slow yet tentative steps as she walks up the steep stairs.
"Wura come downstairs!! Dinner is ready!!" she calls out to her sister.
No response.
No do not panic. The girl is fine. She is fine. Nothing bad had happened to her. She is perfectly fine. Bisola kept on reassuring herself as she keeps on walking until she arrives at her youngest sister's room.
Of all the Davis children, Wura has the largest room with cute pink colored walls and white furniture at the girl's request. At the corner of the room lay a collection of CDS and books messily stacked up on the shelves above Wura's study desk. It seemed that the girl hadn't cleaned up at all. Bisola sighs. Their mother is strict on cleanliness and Wura always bore the brunt of abuse for being disorganized and having poor hygiene. This naturally affected Wura at school because how can someone so disorganized and scatterbrained like her even do well at all?
Bisola pauses as she hears notices a sea of water coming out of underneath the door of Wura's bathroom.
"Jesus wept." Could Wura have left the tap open to overflow like that?
Is she in there?
She slowly walks over towards the door and opens it. The sight that greets her forces her to scream her lungs out. Right inside the bathtub was none other than a naked Wura who seemed to be completely knocked out. There were heavy cuts and bruises all over her body and beside her were tubes of prescription pills. The rest of the family get alerted by the scream and rush upstairs to see what the fuss was about.
"Bisola wh-" Temitope freezes once he sees it. His wife Amelia gasps. When Violeta joins them, she immediately passes out with Yetunde holding on to her. "Mama Tope!! Please wake up!!"
Tope immediately springs into action and gets into the bathtub and picks up his little sister's unconscious body whilst Bisola's husband Timothy pulls out his mobile phone and immediately calls the nearest hospital.
"Hello!! Y-Yes!! We have an emergency here!! Our youngest family member drowned in the bathtub!! Please send paramedics down here!!"
Meanwhile, Tope performs emergency CPR on his sister, hoping and praying that the girl wakes up. Unfortunately for him, it seemed all his efforts were in vain. He then checks her pulse and his heart sinks.
"S-She is gone guys."
"No.." Bisola muttered in total disbelief. Tope simply sighs, trying not to appear emotional as he stares down at her body, his hands shaking in rage.
"Breaking news!! The youngest daughter of the Davis family, Wuraola was found dead in the bathtub of her bedroom at around 7.30pm today. Official cause of death is still unknown." says a news reporter who had just arrived at the scene.
Paremedics soon arrive and place Wura's body onto a stretcher and head outside. "NO!! Give me back my baby!!" Violeta screams as she chases after the paramedics. "Mummy calm down." Says Bisola.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALM DOWN?!! MY DAUGHTER IS GONE!! MY BELOVED WURA IS GONE!!"
The woman slumps onto the floor and begins to weep bitterly. Tope has tears in his eyes as his brother-in law comforts him. Amelia on the other hand, just stares up at the ceiling above them, not a single tear in sight. Thank goodness the only grandson of the family was with her parents. Lord knows how they would explain about what had just happened to his favorite aunt.
The Chief Inspector of Police arrives flanked by a group of police officers.
"Ah, good evening Mr Kasali." Says Bisola.
He simply replies her with a curt nod. "Please lead us to the crime scene."
Tope wipes his tears and takes it upon himself to lead them up to the room. "This was where we found her." he says, pointing at the bathtub which was still filled with water. There were still some blood stains on the tub.
The Inspector nods to one of his men who pulls out his phone and takes a photograph of the crime scene. Another set of police officers begin to investigate the area.
"Did anyone else come into the room with her?"
"No sir. It was just her. We hadn't seen her since afternoon. I remember her saying something about wanting to take a nap because she was tired and did not even join us for lunch."
He was not saying the complete truth, that he already knows. Nevertheless, Kasali chose not to press him even further.
"Did she have a fight with anyone?"
Tope begins to think. "She did have an argument with mummy but that was over where she wanted to go for her Masters."
Pure utter lies. It hurts that he has to cover up their family's tracks here.
Kasali nods as he notes all this down. "Alright. We shall leave no stone unturned in this case. You have my word on that."
"Inspector!!"
He turns around and walks over to a police officer who holds up a blood-stained razor blade and knife.
Tope's eyes widened in shock. "Holy shit!!"
His mind then flashes back to one particular day where he had just returned home after his graduation. He remembers seeing Wura holding a knife and him immediately confiscating it from her.
Wura please don't tell me you still harmed yourself.
"Very well. Pack that up. We will have to talk to others that know her in order to understand what led her death." With that, he and the other police officers leave.
Once everyone else was gone, Tope immediately walks over to his mother and grabs her by the hand.
"What the hell did you tell Wura that led to her death mother?! Tell me huh!! What did you do to her?!!"
"Ah hah!! Tope leave our mother!! Can't you see she is still upset?!"
"Shut up Bisola!! You do not help matters at all with your nonchalant attitude!!"
Bisola immediately keeps silent. He then stares at their mother who was cowering in fear. "I will not repeat myself again mum. What did you tell Wura?"
The woman gulps, fear gripping her as she meets her son's angered glance.
"W-Well.....you know that Wura is a messy person who is also a scatterbrain. She always forgets things. Today she forgot to give a special package I had wrapped for Mama Kanyin."
The boy's death glare intensifies. "So because of a stupid package, you sent her to her death."
The woman looks away.
"See? That proves my point. You and Bisola should be proud of yourselves because you have murdered my little sister!!" With that, he walks away, leaving a stunned mother and sister behind.
The boy stomps all the way down and sighs to himself as he walks towards his car and slams the door shut. Amelia had already left the vicinity to go pick up things from the supermarket. He could have done better and saved Wura from that place. From all those horrible people. But he himself was way too consumed with his own darkness, his own madness to even save his little sister.
He would not necessarily call himself the closet sibling to Wura but he still tried his best to be a big brother.
He just sits down in the driver's seat, his mind a total mess as different conflicting voices start to fight for control over him. Almost as though he were possessed. Maybe he was.
He then hears his phone buzzing which distracts him for a brief second. Reaching for his iPhone, he sees a notification about a message from an unknown number. Suspecting that it could be one of his crazy girlfriends, he checks the phone and is met by the following message:
Shine your eyes Mister man,
Your problems are not yet over,
No matter how saintly you try to be now,
Your sins are about to come crashing down on you.
Tope simply laughs it off. "Sins. What sins?" Truth be told, he is aware of what this mysterious person was talking about. However, he thinks little of such.
"Must be one of Danielle's tricks to try and get into my pants again. Stupid bitch does not know when to quit." He mutters as he starts the engine and begins to drive off to his home.
Bisola sighs as she sits down in her old bedroom. Unlike Wura's, hers was a lot more subtle with plain neutral colors. Her mother was fast asleep haven given her some medication to calm her nerves down and try to force her to sleep. So far her plan worked.
Her husband has gone off to go check on their son whilst she stays with her mother to keep watch over her. Before she could do anything else, her phone vibrates next to her on the bedside table. Fearing for the worst, she picks up the phone and checks her messages and gasps upon reading a rather vague yet scathing text.
You try to see the good in others,
Yet you refuse to acknowledge your inner darkness,
Your careless tongue and bitchy attitude caused the death of someone,
Someone that ought to be close to you,
Your other brother has problems no doubt,
But at least deep down he has a heart unlike you and that wretched witch
You call a mother,
"Who sent this?" Bisola asks. No. Wura is dead. There is no way she could have sent this even though the tone used her sounds exactly like her. Must be some friend of hers.
"Friend? Wura and friends? Pfft. Yeah right." As far as she and the rest of the family knew, Wura had little to no friends. Or so she thinks.
Meanwhile, Tope arrives at his house on Banana Island. Compared to Alakada, Banana is more of a surburban area filled to the brim with extremely wealthy individuals, mostly politicians and famous musical and movie superstars and a couple wealthy billionaires.
He packs the car and walks off to his penthouse suite that he recently bought with the new paycheck given to him by his boss Dr Roberts. Perks of being a in-demand doctor.
Once he reaches his suite, he heads straight to the living room and throws his blazer onto the couch and takes a seat on one of the chairs.
"You are back."
He looks up to see his beautiful wife who was wearing a purple silk dressing gown over her night gown. He nods. "This day has been a horrible day for me." He mutters. His wife takes a seat beside him.
"Poor Wura."
He simply nods and remains silent. Lord knows how they would fix this mess.
6 notes · View notes
chaoslordjoe · 3 years
Text
Bloodlines AU - Misfire
The following skit you are about to read is based on a roleplay between me and my friend @darksaiyangoku involving my BlackSun offspring, Alex Belladonna. Dialogue has been tweaked to break free of me and others’ usual transcript format.
Blake guided her daughter through a killing house constructed from a spare shack outside her family’s manor. Alex had her flintlock-esque pistol at the ready scanning the room, while Blake had Gambol Shroud aimed at their 6′o clock as they both kept scanning. 
All targets eliminated on the 1st and 2nd floors. But the clock was running as the third floor had one room left. With 50 seconds to go, they had to find it.
“Who’s taking which side, mom?” Alex inquired.
“You take the 3 on the left,” Blake answered when they stopped at the door to the target room. “I take the 3 on the right.”
“Got it, got it.” Alex replied with a nod.
Shifting Gambol Shroud into it’s kusarigama form, Blake swung it across the room being careful not to hit Alex or their her own targets. With a viscous shout, she went for the kill.
Alex peaked inside, twirling her flintlock and snapping her fingers. In it spawned an orb of ghost-fire which she quickly bounced off into the door frame and inside. But the fire didn’t burn anything up, instead it was meant to blind targets which thankfully affected neither Huntress present.
------------------------
Blake was not impressed by her kid’s stunt. Sun immediately noticed when they came back appearing irritated.
“Okay...Let’s just take some space from each other, girls.” Sun offered.
“Yeah, dad.” Alex sulked, handing Sun her pistol.
Blake sighed. “I’m gonna go see mom for a bit, honey.” She told Sun.
Before Sun could ask if training really sucked that hard, their daughter went straight to her room while Blake headed to the gardens.
Inside the tiny greenhouse, Kali was busy feeding the fish. One of her favorite activities while Ghira was off on diplomatic work. Had to kill time somehow when your spouse is a politician.
Kali greeted Blake who sulked over to the bench.
“Great...” Alex moaned from her bedroom window, shutting it and putting on her cat earbuds booting up one of her RPGs on the computer.
“Hey mom.” Blake said.
“Is everything okay, dear?” Kali asked, seeing Blake shake her head. “Would you like to talk about it?” She then offered.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” The assassin answered. “Training with Alex got a little...Overwhelming.”
“Overwhelming?” The grandmother questioned.
“Well, no. It’s hard to find the right words, but the way Alex is progressing has me concerned. She’s way too comfortable using magic during combat, almost to a fault. It’s lazy and frankly, irresponsible. What if she ends up attacking one of her teammates by mistake? I got lucky, I’m not sure others would.” Blake rambled.
Sun peaked in seeing his wife in her current state of Blake-y-ness. In an attempt to break the tension he offered to check on their little girl after asking if the women needed anything.
Kali replied with some of her son-in-law’s famous banana cream pie. Going to check for leftovers, Sun then turned to Blake. She requested her husband to go fix up some tea. Soon as he left, Kali offered to go talk to Alex later on. To which Blake reassured that she could handle it.
------------------------
Last she left off, the teen was fighting a loot boss. The Belladonna scion frowned, tail flicking along with her ears being drooped as she left-clicked away at the boss’ minions thinking about how upset she made her mother.
An hour after a kitchen search for leftover pie and some tea, Sun went up to Alex’s room, knocking on the door to see her in sad sack mode.
“Ale- -”
“SHIT!” Alex exclaimed, slipping out of her chair and dropping her headset on the carpet floor. “Ohh, fuck my life. Need something, dad?” She asked Sun while attempting to ensure her ears weren’t cracked.
“Yeah. How you doing, pumpkin?” Sun cooed.
“Eh. Tell you the truth, I feel like I really screwed things up with mom.” Alex answered.
“How much did you hear?” Sun continued.
“Enough to know that my training is probably on hold.” She bitterly answered.
“You’re not in trouble, honey.” Sun corrected her. “Otherwise you probably wouldn’t be farming this boss here. Also, Fire Resistance affix. Just saying.” He then joked.
“I tried using the best fire gem I got.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’m guessing mom wants to talk?” The girl asked.
“Well, you grandmother does.” Sun replied.
Immediately getting the memo, the young sorceress gave her father a thankful kiss on the cheek going downstairs to join Kali in the gardens.
------------------------
Seeing that the tea was ready as she poured herself a cup, Kali smiled at her granddaughter who was awkwardly staring at the floor, ears flattened.
“You wanted to see me, granny?” She asked.
“I did. Come here, sweetie.” Kali insisted, patting a seat.
While the matriarch swirled her tea, Alex’s ears seemed to flatten further expecting a scolding. Kali wasn’t always the fun grandparent, after all.
“I think mom’s angry.” The younger cat began.
“She’s not angry. Just concerned.” Kali corrected.
Shaking her head, Alex muttered something. “I can handle my Magic. I’m not- -Granny, I’m using it to- -”
“Can you repeat that?” Kali asked, cupping one of her Human ears.
“I’m using my Magic because I’m not scared of it!” The teen blurted. “Back when mom was feeling worried about if I had dad as my favorite, I overheard her talking about how it felt like she was scared of her own Semblance again!”
Although Kali was stuttered, she still offered a hug. “Oh, honey. Come here.” She said, embracing her.
“I like to show it off because I don’t want you guys to worry so much.” Alex said with her and Kali’s animal ears brushing up. “But- -I don’t know where to start with hiding it.” She admitted when they released.
“I never said anything about hiding it all.” The elder cat said. “I’m proud of having a sorceress for a granddaughter.” She admitted.
What Kali spoke of was the presence of magical beings in this post-Salem world of Remnant. In Ozpin’s ascension to the afterlife so that he could finally be at peace, he had made a deal with the deity brothers to destroy the four Relics, spilling their energies out into Remnant.
This ‘Reliquary Cascade’ had even gone so far as to bring back select magi from the old world before the collapse of the first iteration of Humanity. But in Alex’s case, she received powers of witchcraft from being near a shrine full of dark magics. 
The shrine detonated, causing her as a kitten to being stuck in a space between the spiritual and physical planes of existence on Remnant. Now, she primarily uses her powers as a means of crowd control with hexes, circles and lots of ghost-fire.
“I mean, I know the whole ‘secret society’ thing we have going on.” Alex continued, despite not being a member of it. “If I or any other magical kids show off our powers, people freak out. So I like to show it off in your company.” She then confessed with her shoulders slumping.
Showboating was one of Alex’s habits she picked up. Being a prankster like her dad, Sun, she always enjoyed a good joke or display of awesomeness. There were a lot of green fireworks on Menagerie’s day of independence.
“I get it now. We’re not saying to stop, just maybe take a step back for a bit during your training?” Kali suggested. “Your mother wants your physical prowess to be at peak condition. And your powers are wonderful, but it shouldn’t have to be your end-all-be-all style.”
“Right.” The younger cat replied. “I wanna be as badass of a swordswoman as her, if not more. I’m just not a kitten anymore, Gran. I gotta prove it. Was I lost in the moment?” She pondered.
“Maybe a little.” Kali answered with a nod.
“Clock was ticking, so I had to think of something. I don’t even have a good one in mind for blinking to a target.” She said in reference to her ability to teleport a short distance. “Did your Semblance ever scare you?” She then asked.
Kali gave a grim pause.
“...Very much.” She finally answered. “Alex...My Semblance was as dangerous as it came. You’ve heard about the myths of the Berzerks, right? The ones your Aunt Nora told you about?” Kali asked.
“You were one of ‘em.” She plainly guessed.
“Yes, and that was also my Semblance.” Her grandmother answered. Almost like a war flashback. “I was much stronger and faster but at the cost of my sanity. I would lose myself more and more every time I used it.”
“How’d you keep it together?” Alex asked.
“It took plenty of training, combined with intense meditation.” Kali said looking less horrified. “In the end, my Semblance was more focused. My sanity was kept intact and it helped me during battle.” She admitted with another smile.
“Was this before or after you met grandpa?”
“During, actually.” Kali answered, her old smile widening. “You’re not a kitten, Alex. You’re growing up to be a fine magi and Huntress. And we couldn’t be prouder of you for that.” She said, now grinning.
------------------------
Finishing her tea and giving her grandmother a quick hug, Alex ran up to Blake’s room to see her less irritated on the bed and relaxing with a book. She tried knocking on the door only to step on a squeaky floorboard.
“I know it’s you, Alex.” Blake spoke without her eyes diverting from the book.
“You got me.” She said, opening the door fully.  “I just talked with gran. How are you feeling?” The teen then asked.
Blake still didn’t remove her gaze from the book.
“A little disappointed, I won’t lie.” She scolded. “You’ve got a knack for magic and I won’t forbid you from using it, but you can’t just throw it out there willy-nilly. It’s dangerous.” She then added.
“Yeah, I...I was being a moron about it.” She admitted. “I just wanted to prove that I didn’t fear my own powers. That I coulda used it in a...Clutch moment.” Her ears flattened as she confessed her mistake. “I just wanted to see if we were cool. And if we could try again tomorrow.”
Looking up from her book and sighing, Blake sat up.
“Alex, I understand what you’re feeling and that you don’t fear your powers. That you’ve learned to embrace them.” She said, holding her daughter’s chin up. “But using them too much is another extreme. If you focus too much on your witchcraft while neglecting your other skills, they can falter. You gotta keep in mind how others could be affected if any of your spells backfire.” She concluded.
“I can’t live with the idea of them affecting you, dad, Gran, or anyone else who’s not in my crosshairs hanging over my head. I’m- -Well, I’m sorry.” Alex moped.
And then, Blake embraced her kitten. “I’m sorry too.” She replied.
Their remorseful hug lasted for a minute, with Alex pillowing the side of her head into Blake’s chest with the tension gone.
“What’s tomorrow looking like, then?” She asked.
Blake smiled.
“Another training session.” She answered.
------------------------
By the time they reached the third room of the killing house again, there were 20 seconds left. Alex noticed her targets popping up rapidly as if it were Whack-A-Grimm.
“Crap, I can’t make out which is which!” Alex exclaimed.
“Use those sticky bombs I gave you.” Blake insisted, cocking Gambol Shroud and firing.
Alex nodded, using some of her mother’s sticky grenades she borrowed. She chucked both and hit one target. Could’ve hit the second, but the buzzer blared with Blake winning the challenge.
“Argh!” Alex grunted. “Okay, mom. We’re even.” She conceded, inserting a fresh clip into her pistol.
“That wasn’t so bad, Hellcat.” Blake admitted. “Though, this is what you get for neglecting your physical condition.” She teased.
“Yep. Guess I’ll join dad and Yang in the gym next time before this.” The teen snarked.
“Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve worked up a good appetite. You hungry?” ?her mother offered.
“Normally I’d ask about kahuna burgers.” She replied.
“But we’ve got salmon fillets!” Blake beamed.
“Oh fuc- -Er, hell yeah.” Alex caught herself.
“I’ll pretend you almost didn’t swear, young lady.” Blake said with a glare.
“Yes, mother.” She said. “Let’s eat!”
10 notes · View notes
wordlessbabbling · 4 years
Text
“In the garden I will die. In the roses they will kill me. I was going, mother, to pick roses, to find death.”
Polly Gray Story
Anonymous request
Warnings: period typical racism, swearing, mentions death and disease, angst.
Inspired by the poem: To this Day
Masterlist
She has been through hell.
So believe me when I say,
Fear her,
When she looks into the fire and smiles.
Polly looked down through her glass, past her cigarette, to the folded piece of paper on her desk.
Thomas had put it there. Walked in, slid it across the desk and left. Leaving with the feeling he’d just cursed his aunt to eternal turmoil.
She knew what was in the note. She knew exactly what it was about. She took a final swig of her drink and ripped open the folds.
Maybe if Polly’s God smiled down on her more, then she’d know the colour of her daughters hair.
She read the lines twice before taking her cigarette and pushing it into the words. Leaving it to smoke in the ash tray.
Without another word, she got up and left.
——
Polly approached the brown door with skittish feverance. The weather was humid and suffocating, the people of Small Heath always walked like zombies, but today you could just smell the rotting.
Polly put a bright smile on her face, today was the day that she got her life back. The other piece of her whole world.
She knocked on the door and on the other side she heard calls and lovesick giggles.
The woman who opened the door had dark brown, unruly hair. Her eyes were wide in warm brown doe eyed shape. Polly smiled at the woman, taking in her features. Lastly, the woman had a long scar, that covered the left side of her face, from her temple to her chin.
“Anna Gray?”
The woman sniffed, “Anna Clive-Wright.”
Polly pursed her lips to surpress a smile, she was married.
Maybe she didn’t recognise Polly?
“You’re my daughter, I’m Polly Gray. You were take-“ Polly tried.
“I know who you are. I know exactly who you are.” Anna sighed exasperatedly.
“I heard... you were taken to... Australia? You had spring fever?” Polly attempted to gain traction in the conversation.
“Yes. Yes I did have spring fever. I remember during my recovery- I remember the time I put my feet on the ground for the first time in weeks. I threw roses into the abyss and I’d say: ‘here is to the monster who didn’t succeed in swallowing me alive.’Some days I wish I’d died.
“I wish something would have taken me away. ‘Cause some nights, Polly, some nights; all I wanna know is that I’m not fucking crazy for feeling the way I feel, after going through all that bullshit that I’ve been through!” Anna slammed her fist against the doorframe.
“What are you talking about, Anna? They aren’t nothing but savages over there. Killers.” Polly furrowed her brows with concern.
“It’s Mrs Clive-Wright, thanks. They aren’t savages, not really. And killers? Really Polly? That’s rich coming from a Shelby. We’re all killers. We’ve all killed parts of ourselves to survive. We’ve all got blood on our hands. Somewhere, something had to die. So we could stay alive.” Anna looked down at Polly with a glare to send a vipers nest fleeing.
Polly matched her stare. One might think the two were related if one looked hard enough. They were, but only one party believed so.
“You have a family here, Anna. Us Shelby’s stick together. They’ll love you- I’ll love you. Like I’ve done for all these years! You were taken, I never got the chance to love you properly.” Polly’s eyes widened in pleading while Anna’s squinted in disgust.
“Family, eh? How dare you talk about family in front on me. How many sons and daughters have you Shelby’s cut? Huh? How many family’s have you torn a part? How dare you come here and talk about family.” Anna snarled.
“...What did they do to you over there?” Polly shook her head. She didn’t know what went wrong. Where did she fail?
“This isn’t ‘bout what they did to me! This is what you- you and your Shelby- Peaky bastards did!” She had strong features that looked like they’d never broken once, “somedays I wish I’d have died. I wish the sickness had devoured me whole, or at least in my head, so I could pretend all this- all this SHIT- wasn’t really real.” She waved her arms around flamboyantly, scoffing at the irony. “However, if I’d have died, I’d never have met my husband; and if I’d never have met my husband, I wouldn’t have had my son... But then again, I wouldn’t have lost my son, either.”
Polly understood now. She put the pieces together and felt a new sense of guilt. There was low-hanging tension in the air. It was held down by sorrow and weighted with tears only a mother could cry.
“How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we never became, Polly?” Anna was staring past Polly. She didn’t want to see the tears in her mother’s eyes, nor the tracks they’d leave down her face, no. “That’s right. We don’t. So don’t come here, knocking on my doorstep, invading my home. Don’t come here raving about losing sons and daughters and love, all the while you’ve created losses in others. This world isn’t a meritocracy. You can’t kill mothers sons until no one has any left. Leaving you to finally take the crown of the best mum of the year.”
The sound of heavy footsteps on floorboards invaded the silence, “everything alright here Anna?” A big burly man with a slight limp and kind face appeared next to Anna, kissing her chastely on the cheek.
Anna places a hand on his chest “of course, James. Go put the kettle on for me will you?”
“For how many?” James looked up at the Shelby woman, taken aback by the celebrity appearance.
“Just us, love.” She kissed his cheek and he limped away slowly.
The silence crept in again, “Husband?” Polly asked.
“Husband.” Anna confirmed. “Y’know Polly, life can be cruel. I don’t believe Michael and I should have been taken, but I do believe you should never have parented us. I have this mark that takes up a little less than half my face. Kids at school used to say I looked like a wrong answer someone tried to erase, but couldn’t quite get the job done.” Anna scoffed.
“Anna, I love you and I just-“ Polly was near sobbing at this point.
“I remember growing up and believing that I’d be lonely forever. That I’d never meet someone. To make me feel like the sun was something they’d built in their work room, just for me.”
Anna sniffed again, her breathing was jagged and wavering. Her voice was rising slowly, “I emptied myself of everything I held dear. So I felt nothing- don’t tell me that hurts less than a broken bone. That an ingrown life is something Doctors can cut away. That there’s no way for it to metastasise? Of course, it does!” Her voice was scratchy and feral, she snarled like a wolf who saw a bear take its food.
“Anna, I just want my daughter back.” Polly pleaded.
Anna roared, “and I want my FUCKING son back!”
The door slammed shut, and Polly was left to wilt on the other side. She put a hand to her mouth but made no attempt to stifle her sobs. She placed her hand on the door like she could reach through and touch her daughters face.
The fight was over and the matriarch lost. For years onwards, insomnia would plague her mind, as it romanticised the idea of the stars and made the moon seem like perfect company.
Polly was tougher after that. Smiles rarely spouted and her eyes never twinkled in the sun. She screamed and screamed at Thomas that day. Cursing him for the business and all he had to say.
Years on, she’d never forgive herself, she though of her daughter as her head went through the noose that her nephew placed.
...and when I greet death; I hope it’s gentle. I hope it’s like going home.
——
Thanks for the request! They really keep me motivated and give me something to do.
Thanks for the love.
Feedback and comments are wanted.
See ya next time!
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westallenfun · 4 years
Text
An Unexpected Christmas Vacation
An Unexpected Christmas Vacation, Part 1
WestAllen secret santa gift
From: @babyish14​
For: @cpflashfan​​
Note: Happy Holidays, CPFlashFan!  I hope you like your gift! This story is a part of a series of Christmas fics for WestAllen Secret Santa over the years! 
This story follows a few years after a Home For the Holidays! Found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17181491
Iris West-Allen finds herself frustrated in the holiday season. Barry Allen, always there to support his wife, plans an unexpected and unique Christmas vacation. 
In this story, Iris and Barry have been married for about 10 years; living in their new house in Central City. The twins are already born and are four years old. 
____________________________________________________________________________
Iris West-Allen stood in her bedroom with tape along her arm and a pair of scissors in her hand. The matriarch of the West-Allen family had spent the afternoon wrapping gifts for Christmas.
During her teenage years, Iris spent the holidays wrapping gifts at the local mall. Since then, Iris was the queen of the perfectly wrapped gift. It was normally the easiest task of the holiday season; however, this year was proving to be quite difficult.
“You gifts are really trying to defy me this year.” The gift on the desk looked misshapen and nothing like the usual Iris West standard of gift-wrapping. She ripped the paper off the gift and threw it across the room.
Iris took a deep breath and placed her head in her hands. “Not now,” Iris mumbled from behind her hands as she heard the sound from her phone. Her hand raised from her head to look at the message that currently required her attention.
Allegra: Got a tip on the current story. Do you have time to go over it?
Iris was happy that there was a tip on the story. It had been weeks since they had started investigating and the trail had gone cold. She was to the point of bringing in Ralph or closing the story completely. The boss reporter looked at the time and date on the wall. It was 7 pm on December 23rd.
It was barely two days before Christmas, and she had no gifts wrapped; and a few gifts were still missing. Iris wouldn’t normally fret about gift-wrapping, but one glance at all the used wrapping paper on the floor and you would understand her anxiety.
Iris: Sure girl! Send over the tips to my email.
Allegra: Will do.
As Iris waited for the email, she returned to wrapping one of the gifts. When she heard the email tone emitted from her laptop, Iris smiled. It appeared as if one thing was working out for today. The half-wrapped gift now laid temporarily abandoned didn’t look too bad itself.
Iris clicked open the file and her smile disappeared. There was only one piece of new information. The witness that they needed was found dead. The story they wished to develop was dead now too.
As Iris went to retrieve her phone, she saw a notification from Amazon shipping pop up on the laptop. The notification read: “Package delayed. New delivery expected Dec.27th.”
“Great,” Iris mumbled sarcastically as she closed her laptop with a thud.  The phone rang as expected with Allegra’s caller ID appearing on the screen.
“Hi, Iris. I’m –”
“It’s fine, Allegra. We tried.”
“Maybe we can dig into a bit more tomorrow. Susan and I were thinking…”
“No, no. It’s late. Make sure everyone heads home and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I appreciate everything all of you do. Tell Susan thanks as well and I’ll see you both after the holiday.”
Susan was one of the newest reporters that had been added to the Citizen. The newspaper had grown heavily over the past few years. The Central City Citizen now had over 50 employees and moved to a larger office. The newspaper had been named as one of the top 10 growing publications to look out for in the coming year. It was the highlight of Iris’s year, but also came with the mounting pressure of living up to the expectation and hype surrounding the Citizen.
Allegra sensing the disappointment in Iris’s voice didn’t argue. It had taken a few years, but Allegra began to have a better understanding of Iris and also began to shape herself into a true reporter.
“I will. Happy Holidays, Iris.”
“Happy Holidays, Allegra.”
Iris placed the phone down on the desk and took notice of the half-wrapped gift. She felt like it was taunting her to finish it.
At her frustration, she left the bedroom and headed to the upstairs lounge of the house. It appeared as if the weather wasn’t even cooperating with the holiday, either. It was bright and sunny outside with little to no chance of snow.
Iris loved a white Christmas and the sight of this warm weather was quite disappointing. It was quickly shaping up to be one of those Christmases in which nothing was planning out as expected.
“Iris?” A small voice rang out from behind where Iris sat on the window seat.
Iris smiled. The sweet voice of her little sister could cure a thousand problems. Iris turned away from the window. 
“Yes, Jenna?” 
Jenna stood before her big sister with a game of Candy Lane in her hands. “Can we play?” 
“Of course, we can love.” Iris moved off the window seat and onto the floor. She patted the seat next to her for Jenna to join. 
Jenna happily ran over and sat on the ground. The youngest West child opened the box and carefully laid out the pieces and set up the board. 
Iris watched as her baby sister set up her favorite game; especially this time of year. There were times she couldn’t believe that Jenna was eight and her twins were four. Time seemed to be flying and she was determined to enjoy every minute of it. 
Iris and Jenna had made it to the end of the game when Barry made it upstairs. 
“I won!” Jenna exclaimed! 
Iris made a mock frown. “Aww! Well, there’s next time.” 
Jenna giggled. “Yeah right, Iris. I always win.” 
Barry laughed. “West girls are always competitive.” 
Iris looked up at her husband and joined in on the laughing. It was honestly the thing she needed right now. 
“Yes, we are.” Iris motioned for Jenna to start packing up the game. “I’m going to assume you’ve come to tell us dinner is ready.” 
Barry leaned down on the ground and started helping his sister-in-law pack up the game. “Yes, it is.” 
He looked up at Jenna. “Sweetheart, why don’t you get washed up for dinner? Iris and I will finish up here.” 
Jenna handed the pieces to Barry and headed towards the stairs. As she bounded down the stairs, she yelled out: “I’ll help the twins get ready too.”
Iris smiled. “Sounds great, sweetie. Be careful.” 
Barry picked up the game and placed it on the side. “She takes being an aunt very seriously.” 
Iris laughed. “That she does.” 
Barry watched as Iris rose from the floor and glanced out the window. He noticed as her joyful expression dropped. He knew how much Iris looked forward to snow on Christmas. 
He rose from his own position on the ground and started caressing Iris’s back. “We’ve got two more days. Hopefully, we’ll get some snow by then.” 
“Yeah.” Iris managed to mumble as tears began to track across her face. She attempted to shield her face away from Barry, but she knew the effort was worthless. Barry always knew when something was wrong, even when they were far apart. It was the connection the two held between each other since youth. 
Barry turned her face towards him. This was more to this than snow. “Talk to me.” 
Iris feigned a weak smile. “It’s stupid. Don’t worry about it.” 
“If it’s making you cry, it’s not stupid, Iris.” 
Iris leaned into her husband’s shoulder. “It’s just…you know I like things to be perfect for Christmas.” 
Barry continued to place caresses down her back. “It will be perfect, Iris.” 
She looked up at him. “I don’t even have gifts wrapped yet. And you know..” 
He interrupted. “I can do that.”  When she didn’t say anything, he continued on. “I may not do as well as you, but I can do it.” 
At the mention of her gift-wrapping skills, she continued to break down. “That’s the thing, I can’t seem to get it right this year. And to top it off, I don’t have all of your gifts.” 
Barry continued to listen and used his thumb to brush away some tears. It was clear she was more frustrated than she was letting on. This release of emotions was a long time coming. 
Barry responded in some attempt of comfort. He knew this was beyond Christmas, but he didn’t want to push. “It’s only Christmas. The kids will appreciate anything we give them.” 
The tears had begun to slow down. The warmth of being in Barry’s embrace was always the best source of comfort. “It’s not just Christmas. People have grown to expect so much from me. I just don’t know if I can do it all.” 
It was at this moment that Barry pulled her into a kiss. “This kiss is to remind you that I’ll always be here beside you, the same as you are with me.” 
He kissed her again. “This one is to remind you that you, Iris West-Allen, are capable of anything that is thrown your way. You will always find a solution.” 
Iris couldn’t help but smile. They had been married for over five years and she didn’t tire of hearing him call her by that name. “I love it when you call me that.” 
Barry grinned. “I love hearing it.”
The parents suddenly heard a thrust from downstairs and padded feet headed towards the kitchen. 
Barry pulled her back into his chest. “I think it’s time you go get washed up for dinner.” 
Iris managed at a laugh. “I guess it is my turn now.” 
Barry placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.” 
“I love you too.” Iris turned towards their bedroom. “Don’t wait for me.”
Barry gave her a smile. “Take your time. Dinner will be there.” 
Barry headed down the stairs as Iris closed the bedroom door. He realized when she needed a little alone time. She strived so much to make life perfect for their family, and he hated it when it caused her this much stress. He wished she knew that her just being here was perfect enough. 
Iris needed a break before Christmas and he was about to find a way to get her one. 
Part 2 will coming very soon (between later today and tomorrow) Hope you enjoyed Part 1! Gave you something to look forward to lol! 
Here’s a sneak preview: 
Iris still remembered the Christmas in which Barry showed her the house. She remembered imagining the large Christmas tree that struggled to fit in the loft, sitting in front of the living room window. 
As Iris headed down the stairs, she glanced at the Christmas tree that sat in the living room just as she had imagined. …
Iris’s focus shifted from the tree to the lack of lights and people downstairs. 
‘Where was everybody?’ Iris thought to herself. 
She turned the corner to find a trail of candles and rose petals along the floor. 
“Hello, Iris.” 
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peace-coast-island · 4 years
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Diary of a Junebug
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Corentine’s cherry blossoms
There’s nothing like starting out the day surrounded by a shower of delicate pink petals. 
Today’s the cherry blossom festival and what better place to celebrate the lovely blooms than a charming village like Corentine? 
It’s been a couple years since I stopped by so along with joining in on the festivities, I also get to catch up with some old friends! There’s Alma and Milana (who got married last month so congrats!) as well as Rika and Elowyn.   
Now that I think about it, when was the last time the five of us hung out together? Probably almost five years ago? Wow. Where did the time go? 
Newlyweds Alma and Milana have been super busy helping with the festival. They’re part of the town council, which is mostly elders though there are a small handful of members under 60 that has been growing steadily for the past few years. 
Alma is the head of her family, the Maebros, who are one of the three oldest and powerful families in Corentine. Their bloodline is intertwined with demon spirits who once inhabited the land the village stands on. Alma’s that friend who occasionally has moments where it seems like her third eye’s wide open so it makes sense. 
So her family’s got an interesting history that seems almost unreal except that it’s all true. Her mother’s side is basically village folklore. Unfortunately bearing the name of one of the most powerful families in the area has a heavy burden to bear so it’s one of those things where you have mixed feelings towards. It also doesn’t help that most of the family has been afflicted by misfortune save for the current generation. Alma’s mother, as well as many of her ancestors, have reportedly cursed their family’s name with their dying breath. 
The head of the family is designated to the firstborn and for the past eight generations, it was always a woman. Rumor has it that if the matriarchs bear a daughter for eight generations, then the sins of their ancestors will be lifted and no more descendants will have to bear the burden of the demons.   
The murders of Alma’s mother and five other controversial and closed minded council members was the last time the village was seen in a negative light. While things are a lot better in the past twenty years, the village had a reputation for being closed off and intolerant toward those who don’t agree with their often outdated ideals. With the deaths of the five, the village went through a change as the younger council members began standing up for themselves and the remaining elders were more receptive to the change now that no one got in the way. 
Although the dead were respected members of the council, they honestly weren’t good people. Like Alma’s mother and Milana’s father - both who were abusive - and the others who were bigoted elders that everyone was intimidated by. It’s generally agreed that they indirectly caused their own deaths by being shitty people. 
Alma’s father learned how to stand up for himself after years of emotional abuse from his wife. That in turn helped him become a better parent to Alma, who pretty much had to raise herself because her mother bullied her while her father tried but at the same time lacked the emotional maturity to be a parent. He even took Milana in as she didn’t have much family aside from her abusive uncle, a move that surprised a lot of people, including Alma.   
If they didn’t have each other, Alma and Milana would’ve turned out differently - likely jaded, cynical, and closed minded. They were always close as kids and their friendship later bloomed into love. After dating for eight years, Alma and Milana tied the knot in front of the Summer Blooms shrine at the outskirts of the village.   
The wedding was officiated by an elder who everyone calls Ojiichan, which means grandpa. He’s a cute little old man who always seems to know exactly what’s going on. I’m surprised that he remembers me! He’s pushing 100 and his memory’s sharper than a tack - hell, he doesn’t even look that old! At this point everyone’s convinced he’s some kind of immortal and all knowing being which isn’t surprising because there’s nothing to deny that he isn’t. 
Since we got here early before the festivities began, Ojiichan gave me and the campers a tour around the village. A lot has changed in five years though it still feels familiar - like the saying about how the more things change the more they also stay the same.   
I always found Corentine to be a charming little village because of the sights like the cherry blossoms, the distant mountains, and the numerous shrines. But at the same time it gave off the vibe of a small town where it’s kind of like a hive mind at times. I would put in the category of nice place to visit, not so much to live in. 
While listening to Ojiichan’s stories, I noticed how different things are now. I see elders casually hanging out and chatting with younger residents like they’re equals. Before the elders kinda just did their own thing - especially the village council, which was kinda like a clique. Seeing people like Alma’s dad and aunt acting all casual and even bickering good-naturedly was refreshing. Especially since most of the older adults in the council have a reputation/image for being proper and professional so seeing them relaxed and having a good time was nice. Even Ojiichan, who has always been a sweetheart, is a lot more livelier and carefree.   
Compared to my very first visit to my last visit five years ago the general vibe of Corentine has changed a lot. It’s still a small village that sticks closely to traditional ideals but over the years it’s become more open to change and is thriving because of that.   
Ojiichan spoke about how the times are changing and how back in the day the villagers fought against it. But as we all know, change is inevitable and expecting everything to stay the same is futile. The mood turned a bit somber as he spoke about how some residents who clung on to their old ideas so tightly that it hurt everyone else. Although there’s a lot about Corentine that he’s proud of, one thing he’s highly critical of is the village’s mob mentality.   
Aside from being a sweet old man, another thing I admire about Ojiichan is how he actively strives to be a good person. He’s not afraid to own up to his mistakes and he really does try his best. 
The way he sees it, the closed minded residents see things in only black and white. They’re powerful people so no one tries to correct them. Once in a while someone steps up and says the sky is actually blue. But they’re shot down by the closed minded, who insist that the sky is white and if anyone disagrees, then they are delusional. It’s a harmful mindset, he says, and not only it gave the village a shaky reputation, it also held everyone back. 
The murder of the six council members, he said, was one of those cases where bad things had to happen in order for change to break through. Not that they deserved to meet a gruesome fate, but they kind of brought it on themselves. They constantly fought against the world, making unreasonable demands to fit their narrow world-views and hurting anyone who dared to challenge them.   
Then the mood turns to philosophical as Ojiichan asked us to take the time to look at the cherry blossom trees. What he meant was to climb on a branch and hold a flower in your hand. Don’t just look at the flower but experience it - take in the light fragrance, feel the delicate petals, gaze at it’s breathtaking beauty - it might sound silly but it really is mind opening!   
For a while I felt completely at peace with the world. Like everything I was looking for was now in my hands in the form of a cherry blossom. Sitting on a branch and being surrounded by pink petals felt so surreal that for a second I thought I was in a dream. 
See what I mean when I say that Ojiichan’s probably an immortal being? And then he went on to say how we are all cherry blossoms. In a way, we’re fragile and delicate, worn and swayed by what life throws at us. Always moving in different directions at a slight breeze, always scattered about. Some of us have torn petals, some have survived storms, others have wrinkles and tears, and very rarely, few remain whole. Some bloom and are blown away, some bloom and slowly lose their petals one by one, and some remain buds until the very end. 
After listening to Ojiichan’s musings, experiencing the cherry blossom festival felt a lot more magical.
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sliptohk · 5 years
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Prompt #17: Obeisant
((Don’t upset the tribe.))
Something was different, that much was obvious to Fen as she ascended to their home, and the smell of roasting fish was quick to give away just what seemed to be awry. This was not the scent of those mud dwelling specimen that shared their land. No, something sweeter to that flesh as it cooked slowly over the coals. There must have been a visitor from deeper within the wood come calling. And the sight of the lithe Keeper lingering near those cookfires made it readily apparent just what purpose had brought them, his hair a deep midnight blue and skin the color of moonlight. Hanfe stood near, though that was hardly a surprise given her well-known desire to rear a child when a pleasing mate next found their way to the village.
A self-assured smirk rested on his face as he turned to the would-be tradeswoman and her sister, Khenma ever hovering near. They looked little older than Fen herself, an adult grown but hardly one that earned the experience to flash such a look at them. Giving a faint snort, the Keeper went about her business. She had no interest in a kit with this one. A concern for later in life and a more appealing match.
"Where are you two off to? Do you not recognize a guest when you see one?"
White teeth glittered in the moonlight as he cocked an eyebrow, the markings painted on his face deforming with the motion. There was no escaping that faint curl of her lip at his chastisement. Who was he to speak to them like this in their home? It took some effort to keep the growl from her words as she stared back at him. An easy enough task as she stood taller than most huntresses she had met, looking down her nose at him. It turned the sharp lines of her own paint into fangs. Enough to get her message across.
"One we have no intention of knowing more intimately. Cherish our aunt's attentions, do not seek ours."
As he bristled, Fen was forced to re-evaluate her earlier assumption of his age. Who had trained this one so poorly? This unproven youth should have been under the care of some other wanderer, not stumbling from village to village like a drunken croc! Already the disapproving looks of the tribe fell upon him, his face flushing an unsightly red as he snarled back at her. Oblivious to their judgement.
"I come far, bearing gifts, while you merely bare sharp words and dismissive looks?" A fleck of spittle flew, fingers curling into claws as he took a step toward her.
Khenma took a step toward him, more likely than not to pounce on him and beat civility into his skull, but before they could escalate the situation further a piercing whistle interrupted the three of them. It would have been easy enough to pretend the elder had never been there, but the Lohro sisters knew full well they had more likely just failed to notice in their distraction. Swallowing the words she wanted to spit in the impudent outsider's face, she instead dipped her head to Mehhzi, flanked by Cholm and and Vazhra, with the quirk of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
Khenma imitated the gesture as the two murmured a respectful, "Grandmother."
"Elder." Light blue eyes glittered with anger, not even attempting to banish it before turning them on the matriarch.
Vazhra let out a low hiss from the corners of her mouth, a sound her granddaughters knew well. Ghemala's ears pinned back reflexively even as Kichi struggled to hold back a giggling fit at the clear annoyance being so poorly concealed from them. Cholm and Mehhzi simply acted as if they heard nothing coming from their warrior-sister. Time had done little to dull the tone of command in the archer's voice when she spoke, something they had long since known to heed for fear of their family's chastisement.
"Why do you raise your voice at my kin, wanderer?"
He had yet to learn those lessons, a failing of either his mother or the miqo'te that had taught him on those long journeys through the wood. Anger was clear as he bared his teeth at her in turn.
"This one.." He snatched for Fen's wrist, but with an annoyed hiss she pulled it back before he could touch her. He continued on as if she had not, grasping hand turning to an accusatory jab of his pointer, "Has insulted me! I come here to do my duty and she pays me no mind!"
"I have no interest in him, Grandmother."
"You see?! I come to do my duty and she fails to do hers!"
There was no reaction that could sum up the brawny Keeper's feelings on that particular matter as the derisive laugh that let itself out unbidden. If anything, it only encouraged Kichi to cackled wildly, holding her middle as she doubled over. As amused as her generation might have been, they were the only ones. They knew how to hold their tongues, at least. Something that Fen was never particularly talented at.
"My duty? Have you been cavorting with our sun-blinded cousins?"
A whap caused her ears to pin back, not even registering Vazhra's soundless approach until a calloused hand clouted her on the back of the head. Ears pinned back, even as she offered a sheepish grin to the shorter huntress and scuttled back several paces to open more space around the increasingly isolated male. The look on the spearmaids face was fit to skewer him where he stood, even without the assistance of her ever-ready weapon. But it was the rising notes of anger in Mehhzi's voice that drew his attention.
"You dare to try laying a hand upon my granddaughter before my eyes? Demand she show you her favor? What is the name of this boy that shows such disrespect?"
"Uzi'to Shide, elder! But it was she that-"
Vazhra let forth a roar, stepping up into his face to force the taller miqo'te back, "Shut your shite-spewing mouth before I break it, you mangy couerl! My sister asked your name, not to hear you whine like some newborn kit still getting drunk off his mother's milk!"
"I did not ask that, sister." Things were clearly not going the way the stunned fellow seemed to have anticipated, "Uzi'a should have trained you better. It is your disrespect that concerns me, Uzi'to Shide. For your mother's sake we will not punish you for your transgressions, Menphina knows I slew many for harming my son. You may leave and not visit our lands for two full years, go straight home and tell your mother that Mehhzi Lohro has found you wanting. You are unfit for my children, return again when you have learned from a suitable wanderer."
It may have been the threat of that spear-wielding miqo'te lingering so near him, or the silent gaze of the Lohro tribeswomen present, but the brash youth finally managed to snap his jaws shut with a quiet click. Turning on his heal, he gathered his thing as quick as he could, save that still roasting fish, and allowed himself to be escorted from their hunting grounds. Though even as they departed, Fen felt firm hands resting on her shoulder's and Chiku's voice tinged with disapproval.
"We will, of course, speak of your behavior later. And basic civility."
The engineer's ears flattened as she offered a flimsy smile back over her shoulder, "Yes, mother."
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eleart2019 · 5 years
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A wedding invitation
Vampires....
While a new chapter opened, an old one was about to be closed. The parlour was squalid to say the least, in its artificial gothic pomposity; a fact that seemed to escape her. But then, she liked the grit, squalor of the low lives, the perdition of their bodies and souls, as lost as hers, she thrived in the decadence of the flesh and spirit. It had not always been so, yet those times were far, she was well aware of that. Once, she had been a creature of the sun…then it had all been imposed on her, the inevitable change and chemistry that made her vampire. She had wanted it…no, what she had wanted was Julian’s love. Desperately so. She had been struck, hit, devoured by his will and want, and all had been lost. Better not dwell on the mechanics, they escaped her anyway…
From the adjoining room, through a screen, she spied the guests coming in: there was her mother, Faye, who had aged, badly. Her beautiful face was sagged, her body a bit curved: Sarah could almost discern what were the lines sorrow and loss caused. She watched attentively the human woman who had given birth to her, her slow movements, her resignation to old age and a life ordinary. Yes, resigned, that’s what she was, resigned. Her two sisters and their children, all in their late twenties now. What beautiful youths they had become! What energy, what life force! She could almost see herself in the girl, actually, there was something of auntie Sarah in Jenny: she wasn’t surprised, if she had been like that, of Julian’s choice. She could almost eat Jenny herself.
Then her brother, Syd, who had been only eighteen when she vanished in thin air, or so they thought. She had not vanished…she had morphed. She had vanished from their lives, that is true. She wondered, would they be shocked, horrified, if they could see her life as a film? The kill, the hunting, the blood, the thirst…the darkness.
She could also hear some of their conversations, and the puzzlement of finding themselves in a ‘wedding shop’, these quick Las Vegas churches, in the whore’s part of town: this one sporting dark tones, coffins-fake- and red drapes, in theme with a gothic wedding, between two vampires, although the latter was not common knowledge.
“I hope this is not a joke” she heard Syd whisper into their sister’s ear- Amelie- and look at his mum, who was bent in emotional agony- yet accepting of anything that may come. She had been beaten a long time before, there was no game to lose or win. Finding Sarah, alive, might be a beautiful end to a somehow very ordinary existence. Her dreams, dead long ago. Death, coming, not next year, or the next, but soon. With that, release: that she hope for, every Sunday, at the local church, listening to the pastor talk about eternal life and salvation…release.
But what about eternal death, had she considered that? Was it true, or was it a joke, a really bad joke? The writing on the letter did, indeed, belong to Sarah. Her tone had seemed sincere, she was alive-that was a blatant lie, Sarah reasoned, but she could only speak their language-and wanted to invite them to her impending wedding, where they would all be reunited. Fair enough…but after 25 years? The letter had, of course, caused happiness and great outrage.
Faye, Sarah noticed, clutched something in her hands…Julian’s father, Jim, entered the room, not disguising a sense of almost revulsion at the sight of the tacky gothic décor.
“I’d expect Count Dracula to come out at any moment” he said, sarcastically to a youth at his side. “If his mother could see this, she would die again” he then added.
The youth didn’t respond, quite, he winced, uncomfortably so.
“Typical Julian, what an arsehole he can be sometimes” Jim muttered to himself, before realising that Faye and her family was also there.
Oh, yes, Count Dracula! She had heard of him indeed. Jim didn’t know how near his predictions were to the truth! It was almost dark outside…time for the vampires to come out of hiding?
“Why do you do this?” Julian whispered, gently in Sarah’s ear, joining her as she watched the screen, watched the people. It wasn’t a real question…there was almost something ironic in his asking.
“We need, Julian, a vampire family. We have always been family people, you and I, if I recall” she smiled, her fangs shining in the semidarkness, for some very strange effect of the light. “Family, you can always rely upon”
She turned, very quickly, standing: Julian and Sarah were face to face, their bodies almost touching, their lips equally so. An energy, a frisson, run through their bodies and beings, and a promise of ‘later’ in their eyes…the guest had all arrived. Show must begin…she looked at the nearby control panel, and remembered what the man on duty, now a corpse in the nearby chair, had explained. His helper, a girl who was already showing signs of ageing, also lay in the room, nearby. Sarah had arranged her in a sleeping position, on the sofa by the door. She had placed a fake flower between her hands, which were smeared in blood, like her neck and face, the eyes wide open…you could still read terror in there. Lovely.
“Sleeping beauty” she whispered, aimed at the girl, passing by the door. Good that she had good memory, with the keyboard.
She put some music on…the sound was eerie, distant, and the guests, in spite of their emotions and scepticism, could not but focus their attention on things to happen.
Julian let her run this show…weddings, were after all, a favourite with women. A girl’s best day: was Sarah any exception? Obviously not! She looked as excited as a kid! Why deprive her of such joy. He knew who she was…
The vampires entered the room, and locked the door behind them. The wedding room was effectively sealed, with no escape if one needed to. That was cause of excitement and worry, it’s funny how the two emotions do mix so well, overlapping almost. Of course, they didn’t imagine a thing, they could have not known in a million years what was to happen shortly. A good family wedding.
Julian and Sarah walked forward, finally appearing from the semidarkness, almost blending in it, through their dark clothes. Their pallor was remarkable though, especially in the dim light.
The people gasped: the room was alive with tormented emotions, joy, sorrow, surprise, disgust…love. They were here because they loved Julian and Sarah. They would be rewarded for that. Jim stood up, anger being the emotion that possessed him, chiefly; the others clustered around Faye, worried what Sarah’s sight might do to her weak heart; the younger members of the party’s main focus was curiosity. To them, aunt Sarah was a somehow mythical figure, a sort of saint who had vanished, probably killed or kidnapped, a virginal figure who had, most likely, met a most horrific and horrible death, in family mythology. The solution of the mystery was near. This was a such a peculiar and weird situation.
Jim was really pissed off. The past few months had been horrific, he knew Julian was alive, he was just an ass. Leaving the force like that! After this flousie! No matter what they thought, Saint Sarah was a bitch in his book. Disappearing my ass, the bitch had run away with somebody else, of that he had always been convinced. All these thoughts were running in Jim’s head as the happy couple made their entrance. Again, Sarah, in registering, noticed how near Jim was to the truth. The man must have some hidden and undeveloped intuitive ability, pity people didn’t take him too seriously. Pity, really.
“She’s dressed for a funeral!” Amelie’s daughter, Bella, whispered into her brother’s ear…her eyes, if anything, betrayed fascination. Not so Jim’s, who by them was positively fuming, but stayed seated, reserving his rage for later…no time like the present, Jim.
Amelie and Cora, at each at Faye’s side, held her, one her hand, the other her arm: the old frail woman was seated speechless, looking at her lost daughter, who was slowly emerging from behind the altar, all dressed in black, a long gothic skirt and a corset; a tall man next to her…Julian.
“The wanker” Jim thought. ”Wait until this little show finishes”
“Yes Jim. Wait until it ends” Sarah answered mentally, and funny enough, Jim looked at her. But he couldn’t have heard her words, she was aware of this, he had felt her intention and energy over him though…oh what a waste. This man was gifted, and he didn’t know it.
They walked up front, stopping right I front of Faye: the whole group was clutched together around her, some puzzled, some fascinated, none of them bored. Some angry.
Until then, none of them had reacted, had shown any visible or extreme emotion: Julian by her side, Sarah stood in front of her human mother, in all her feral beauty, concealing nothing, showing even less.
It was when it hit them. She looked young, far too young. Her face, her body, had not undergone the grinding of time. She had not grown old, or any different…well, she was different. All of this was different, but her? Her body? This woman was the woman they had seen twenty five years before, the last time, that afternoon, when she had come to say goodbye. She was only going for a short trip, work related: yet she had hugged her mother, and she had told her how much she loved her. Then nothing, for twenty five long years.
Faye, the matriarch, who had spent her life being something she wasn’t to everybody else, sat silent, cold, motionless, hit by the sight of Sarah. Unease, a sense that something was badly out of sort came over the room, slowly, as they all looked at her. There was a woman who was supposedly in her fifties, and who looked like a twenty year old. Not her eyes though: albeit perfect, her body and face betrayed a poise, and age, that was not that of youth. The vampire stood in front of her birth mother, savouring every emotion, every random thought that came from this little group of human, as ignorant in paranormal matters as one can be.
Isn’t a girl’s wedding day the one where the best memories are made?
The vampire savoured her power, slowly sensed their life force, read them like books, and chose, mentally, which ones to take first.
Faye didn’t speak for a long time, no-one did. There was a ghastly silence in the room. Jim was eyeing Julian, hating him for this. He didn’t think much of the trollop either.
Finally, slowly, having looked hard and long at Sarah, Faye whispered something.
“This is not my daughter” and she joined her hands, in prayer, and closed her eyes and started to cry, silently.
“Oh, I am…but I know what you mean” Sarah spoke, smiling. Her fangs were showing.
Syd then intervened.
“What kind of sick joke is this? Who are you?”
Faye gestured to be quiet, the others were all petrified by the presence of the two vampires. The room had become very cold.
“It’s Sarah, Syd, it is…yet she is not. I cannot find in this person the soul that animated her. How she may look so youthful, I don’t know, but it is maybe in the realm of possibilities; I cannot feel her heart, the heart of the daughter I knew, in her. It’s her, and it isn’t.”
These were very wise words the human mother had pronounced.
“Do you wish to go, mother?” asked Sarah, bending over, so that the old woman could see her face, properly.
“Stay away from me, devil! You are soiled, you are soiled! Oh, I wish this moment had never come. I can see you, and I don’t like what I see!” Faye screamed, with a strength that was somehow unusual for her. They were all taken aback.
They had expected, if anything, the frail lady to brake in tears, to be weakened and overcome with happiness at the sight of her lost daughter, even in a setting like this; sure, it was all so weird.
Sarah looked at her display with curiosity, as if studying it actually.
Faye calmed down, eventually, and they all started to stand up, not really knowing what to do, where to go: should they leave, should they stay, what was this all about?
“Please stay seated” said Julian, finally emerging from the back, not only a shadow or a presence, now a participant.
Jim, who was still wearing then goggles of anger, couldn’t help notice how Julian’s appearance had improved.
“Don’t you think you owe us some explanation, you son of a bitch?” he almost shouted, while the others were busy both fussing around Faye and regaining their previous seating positions. “How could you put us through this? Not a word since you evaporated in thin air a few months ago! And whose this trollop you are with, son? Because she isn’t your old fiancée, is she?”
Julian stayed calm. The room was silent again. They were fearful, they were. The two vampires didn’t care to disguise their true feelings and faces, while eyeing the humans, their movements and thoughts.
“Explanations, later. All in time. Family is forever, dad, I am afraid blood can be more binding than water…”
The eerie music kept playing, in the semidarkness, as a deadly silence had fallen into the room.
“We don’t have much time”
“There is more than enough”
“This needs to be done now”
The best intentions, sadly go sometimes astray. There was no-one to perform the ceremony, as there was no ceremony to be performed.
“I want out, take me out of here” screamed Faye, her breath missing, in a last attempt to release herself. Amelie and Syd stood up, and started carrying her out: the woman looked deadly pale.
“She has suffered a heart attack!” Amelie shouted, desperate. Faye’s pulse was weak, her life slipping out of her. They reached the entrance door: it was locked.
“Unlock the door! Unlock! What’s going on here?”
Jim, his nephew and Syd got to the door and started pushing it violently, in an attempt to brake free.
Sarah remained unmoved, in the commotion. So, they didn’t want to play, did they? The human mother was dying, she could sense her life slip away. That life, albeit soul less, could have been eternal; but the woman was stubborn.
Suit yourself.
Sarah smirked. The two youths were somehow unsettled, like all the others…oh, their lovely life force. She could sense their life pulsating through their veins, full of warm succulent blood, ah…snap out of it.
She approached the girl, silently from behind, forgetting for a minute the dying woman, her human mother…I could have given you eternal life. Did she know, how did she know? There was no time for this. Silently, she was now behind her niece, the beautiful young body and hair and her scent! It was amazing. Sarah was hungry. From behind, she studied the curvature of the girl’s neck, her body. She bit her lips, her tongue flicking between her teeth, savouring the pray, the kill…the life she was going to give her niece. Family.
Suddenly a bang, the door was open, all of them gushing out of the wedding parlour, out of that horrid farce…the girl was out too, all the group, all around Faye, who lay motionless in the arms of her daughters, the other daughters, Syd on a cell phone, to try and call an ambulance.
Julian and Sarah, motionless and emotionless, stood watching this like a film.
Jim was the last to flee the room.
“You bastard, we need to have a word you and I! Did I raise you to behave like this? Are you a man or a rat? I’m disgusted!”
Jim obviously expected a response of some kind, anger, shouts, anything that would have engaged in a discussion, a communication. Jim wasn’t a bad man, Jim wanted really to understand…Jim loved his son.
“Maybe some things are better unsaid. We have said our goodbyes anyway” Julian responded, very quietly.
“You goodbyes?! That was you way of saying good bye? You have given the poor woman a heart attack for fuck’s sake! You are out of your mind or what?”
Sarah held Julian’s arm, bent her head and rested it on his shoulders.
“She was going to die anyway” she whispered. Then smiled. A chilling, long, joyless smile that froze Jim, even Jim, there on the spot.
“Something is definitely not right” he thought, and retreated.
“This doesn’t end here, young man” he said to Julian finally. Come see me at home and we’ll talk. I’ll be expecting you young man” he closed the discussion, Jim style. But he wasn’t expecting him. He was uncertain, he didn’t even know if he wanted to see them again…a chill run down his spine, for no conscious reason. It was perhaps the picture they made, the two of them together…something was so wrong.
He went out.
“He’s right” said Sarah “This doesn’t end here. As always he’s right.”
She embraced Julian and kissed his lips, exploring his teeth and mouth. Her mouth tasted of blood.
The eerie music kept filling the now empty room, with its nocturnal gothic tones, a decadent gothic rhapsody.
“Nox Eterna” said Julian, holding his bride. A feeling of accomplishment, which could have been described like happiness, had they been human, took hold of the two vampires. Sirens of police cars approaching could be heard in the distance: hand in hand, they took leave, having said their goodbyes, and disappeared into the night, at the gentle sound of the music.
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my beginning and end started with you
Chapter 3
pride.i
The table was cut from rich rosewood, sanded and polished to perfection, with a thick tablecloth made from a teal fabric draped over it. The way it felt beneath the fingertips, tough yet smooth, he could tell it wasn't anything store-bought, at least not recently. It was an old table, fit for an old house.  Many antiques laid about, from the strong wooden couches in the living room to the elaborately designed rugs that sat beneath them, the old decorative paintings of the Starry Night, and the mesmerizing terror that was the Scream.   Even the floorboards were ancient, though enduring, strong enough to last another decade. There was a hearth to, and it was still in use, filling the house with warmth. There were silky drapes hanging over the windows, so thin he could see right through the mellow yellow, and it painted the acres of green grass, darkening sky, and fading clouds gold.
The home smelled of cinnamon and pine, the scents of Christmas, and lights hanged out in the front, over the window sill.  But that was it, no Christmas tree, no presents hiding in the basement.  Not even a lot of land nearby that had those things to gaze longingly upon. Grandma had always bought a tree for Michael so that he could decorate it with their shiny red and golden ornaments. There was none of that here, and Michael wondered how Mallory could grow up in such a place until he remembered that her childhood had happened years ago, his had only just ended.
A soft withered hand placed a plate of mushroom chicken in front of him, on top of one of the many chilewich placemats. Then another plate was settled down for Mallory, who sat by him, then another for her aunt who sat across from her, and another for her mother who sat beside the aunt.
And when the woman was done settling down the plates she took her seat at the head of the table, the matriarch of the family. Three generations of unhappy women.
The mother was dazed but conscious, with half-lidded eyes and a lopsided smile on her face as she looked at Mallory.  The two had the same hazel eyes and chestnut hair but the resemblance ended there. The woman's face was long, with narrow features that must've fit her face nicely once upon a time, whereas Mallory's face was heart-shaped, delicate and soft like a porcelain doll.
“Shall we say grace?” the Grandmother posed a silent demand, stretching out her hands for her daughter and granddaughter to take.
It will burn you, the Voice whispered.  Your ears will bleed and ring with a screech, and they will know you for who you are and you will never have her.
Michael remembers the priest, remembers the scriptures, each word ringing in his ear like a thousand knives screeching against a stone wall. The only way he’d silenced the pain was by silencing the priest, cutting his throat clean open with his mind alone.  Michael could've very well done that to Mallory’s family, but as much as he’d rather he would be a fool to think she’d ever love him with her family's blood on his hands. He felt his stomach roil in trepidation.
Consider this a lesson for not listening, the Voice hissed with violence. Mallory grabbed his hand, and he tried to find strength in her touch.
The women closed their eyes and bowed their heads in prayer as they spoke in unison.  
“Heavenly father thank…”
Immediately Michael tried to drown their voices out, focused on any and everything that wasn't those god-awful words.  Instead, he closed his eyes and zoomed in on all of their thoughts, for they were loud and easy to tread.
The mother’s thoughts weren’t on the prayer at all. A little film played in her head, a moment in time from years past with little Mallory and a day at the park. It was an endless never-ending loop. The woman’s mind was a broken record, not really worth saving in the end.  Val was all tense and unforgiving at the end of the table, angry at whatever it was- be it an old feud or envy against Mallory’s mother, that set her and her sister apart in her mother’s eyes.  Other than that she was suspenseful of the boy she’d invited to dinner. That was a problem he’d deal with later. The grandmother was completely indifferent to everything, of the tension brewing at the table, of one daughter who's become somewhat of a simpleton and the other bitter, and Michael wondered if she felt at all.  Old age has taught her not to care about most things she has no control of.  And Mallory, his sweet, sweet angel, was actually focused on praying.  So much that he had to back away from her open-field of a mind, so easy to sink into.
The prayer ended as soon as it started, the women digging into their meals, but Michael found he wasn't really hungry, to begin with. Mallory let go of his hand, despite how much he internally protested against it.
An intense silence pressed in, with none deigning to speak.  It was almost ritualistic, how they all ignored each other in favor of solitude.  Something tells him that maybe Mallory’s mother was the light of the family, the one to melt the ice and bring warmth in its place.  But that light has since dimmed, and the torch has passed to Mallory for she is the first to speak.
“I really like the academy. Miss Cordelia is a kind woman, and the girls are very friendly,” she stated.
“Good,” the grandmother asserted. “Because you're going back as soon as feasibly possible, Mallory.  Why you thought you had any say in coming back here is beyond me.” she settled her fork down, pointing a slim narrowed finger at Mallory.  Michael would love nothing more than to watch it go up in flames. “Now when you return, I want you to thoroughly apologize to Cordelia for your mishaps, and for leaving so suddenly without permission.”
Mallory remained silent in response, content on being the timid obedient granddaughter until Michael reached through their bond to rouse her anger. You're not a prisoner or a slave, and she is not your master.  Who is she to tell you what to do?
“It’s a school, not a prison.” she spat back, with just as much bite in her voice.  The table went into a silent shock.
Mallory looked shocked herself, for back talking.  It was her voice, but not her words.  Still, she continued on at his insistence.
“Besides, I want to stay for a little while to take care of mom.  She needs me right now, and I’m not abandoning her again.”
The old woman’s brown eyes darkened. “Are you suggesting that I can't take care of my own child or that I took her away from you and left her in the fray?  If so, you are gladly mistaken. Separating the both of you was both for your own good. She’s not you're responsibility, Mallory.”
“Oh, because you've done such a good job with her. So much that she was nearly on her deathbed.  Had I not came she would've died on her living room floor, alone.” Mallory pursed her lips, determined to defy and disobey, and he loved it. “No, I’m not leaving yet. And you can’t make me leave.  I’ll just keep coming back until-”
“Mally, sweetheart, I’m fine-” the mother tried to chime in but to no avail. Her voice was to low and slurred with each word spoken, the first she’d spoken all day.  
“Have you lost your mind little girl?”
Val slammed her hand down on the table, causing a light thud. It was enough to garner everyone’s attention. “Please, not now mother. There really is no need.”  
The grandmother scoffed, shooting Mallory one last scolding look before focusing on her meal. Mallory looked down at her hands, clenching onto the hems of her dress just above the knees, knuckles white and red.  He found himself grabbing one of them, thumb running over the back of her hand, over the veins and bones, as the rest of his four digits moved in a circular motion within her palm. It’s okay, the gesture said. You did nothing wrong. He could see her shoulders drop a little, tension rolling off in waves.
Val smiled wolfishly, teeth gritted.  Then she fixed her feral eyes on him, a lioness in human form.  He returned the look back, with ease, a cold smile creeping upon his face.
“God, Michael.  I can only imagine what you must think of us now, arguing like a bunch of old maids.  Mind you we aren't usually like this.  It must be the cold weather.” she chuckled lightly, but there was no humor in the tone. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.  I’m sure there is much to know.”
“Where do I begin?” he laughed. “Well, I grew up in Country Club Park. I’ve ever only had my grandma, but she passed recently, and I don’t have any other family. So, I’m on my own now.” his voice grew demure, but he was anything but.  The best way to lie was to give half of the truth.
It was all a ploy, an act to soothe her suspicions, whatever they may be.  For all he knew, she could just be an overprotective aunt looking after her niece.  And could he fault her in caring for Mallory for all that he wanted her for himself?
“No family at all, not even a distant relative?” Val inquired, leaning forward on the table.
“None that I know of. It doesn't matter really, I prefer being alone.  Though I do enjoy Mallory’s company.  She’s-well, she’s my friend.”
Mallory looks at Michael then, surprised, but then she smiles, squeezing his hand.
“Hm, is that so.” The woman was not impressed. “So, what school do you go to?”
At that, his mind froze.  He hadn't been to school in a few years, didn't even know which school to go to if he were to re-attend. 
 “He should be going to Hawthorne- I think that’s what it’s called,” Mallory hastily replied in his place.
The woman frowned, looking between the two of them. “Hawthorne?  As in the Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men?” then a chilling smile crept onto her face. “So we have a warlock in our midst? Interesting, unsettling but interesting.  How did you two meet again?”
“Oh, would you stop with the twenty-one questions, Val.” the grandmother quipped abrasively. “I think we’re all growing tired of it.  So what if the boy is a warlock, leave it be.  And Mallory I haven't forgotten about what I said, you’re returning to New Orleans.”
Michael felt his blood run cold.  New Orleans?   He wasn't well versed in geography, but he was smart enough to know that there wasn't any New Orleans in any part of California. He hadn't thought her academy was that far. Michael had no means to travel that far, no money, no passport. Go to Hawthorne, the voice whispered, urged.  They will give you everything you need.
But Michael didn't want to travel all the way to New Orleans just to see her.  He wanted her to stay here, in California, forever. The mother was looking at him now, a feverish glint in her eyes, both daunting and grave, as if she’s just noticed his presence at the table, and didn't like it.
“I’m going to return grandma, I promise.  I just want to take care of mom for a bit.”
Val looked at the time on her phone.  “Would you look at that, it’s rather late. It’s time for you to go home Michael, wouldn't want you staying up late into the hours of the night.”
“I’ll take him home instead Aunt Val.” Mallory let go of his hand before coming to a stand, smoothing down her dress.
“Are you sure Mallory?  Because I don’t mind doing it and I thought we all initially agreed on me taking him home, you know, to make sure he actually gets there.”
Mallory merely rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. I think I’m capable enough to drive on my own. And I’ll take mom home to.  Grandma do you still have that blow-up mattress?  Nevermind, I’ll check in the attic.”
“That’s not what I meant but okay,” Val mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. “The keys to the Range Rover are on the counter, and I want it back in one piece Mallory. I’m only staying in town for a few days but after that, I am leaving, the last thing I need to deal with is a wreck.”
________________________________________________________________
The house-or more like the apartment was an absolute wretch.  It resembled a box more than anything else, with a living room that led to a small kitchen, and a bedroom in the far back. The carpet was covered in cigarette buds and empty bottles, with a sickening hum that just sat and never abated. He sat on the couch that was wrapped up in a suffocating plastic, watching as Mallory opened up the long rectangular windows.  The girl stood there for a moment, staring aimlessly into the night out the last window she’d opened, the shadow of her silhouette reflected on the floor from the moonlight, then proceeded to pick up the bottles, tossing them in a bag before grabbing a broom to sweep up the floor.  She looked intent, perplexed, bothered.  Michael sensed a conflict in her, anger and regret, guilt and disgust, at whom had yet to be discerned.  But her eyes were far away, lost in another place, another time. A personal hell.  She looked but didn't really see, hummed to a tune she didn't really care for either.  Mallory, his broken little angel, the source of her problems nestled away in the bedroom, soundly asleep.  He had half the mind to go back there, and just a touch of his finger alone would spread cancer in the woman’s system that’d kill her overnight.
The broomstick began to groan beneath her tight knuckled grip, the brush of the broom moving to and fro bristly across the stiff surface.
“Mallory? Mallory?” he called innocently. “Mallory do you need help?” all movement stilled.  She looked up from the floor, gracing him with a smile of acknowledgment.
“Sorry, I was somewhere else. Um, you can help if you want. Maybe hold the dustpan down as I sweep the trash into it.”
He nodded eagerly.
They went on like that for a while, her setting the place to rights with him by her side to carry out the mundane task. Taking out the trash, drying the dishes, getting the covers to lay out as she blew up the mattress, plopping down onto it as soon as it was firm.  She was exhausted by the end of their cleaning spree, and she claimed she still had to wipe down the stained walls tomorrow.  She sat on the edge of the mattress, face buried in the palms of her hand. He sat on the floor in front of her, legs crisscrossed.
“Crap, I still have to take you home.  I’m sorry, I just lost track of everything.” she tiredly ran her fingers through her hair.
“It’s alright,” he assured.  Michael hadn't wanted to go back home anyway. “You look really tired, you should sleep.  I can stay here for the night and you can take me home in the morning.”
“Are you sure?” she leaned back into the mattress, sighing in relief the moment her back hit the covers.  Her mind was already made up, and so was his.
“Anything for you Mallory.”  
The night breeze crept into the living room, and she shivered. He looked at the thick blankets, at the sea blue, and green patterns, then stood up to pull the covers over her frame.  By the grace of his mind, the lights flickered off, and after he took off his shoes and jean jacket, he slipped beneath covers beside her, arms slithering around her waist, encompassed in her warmth.
Michael fell asleep to the lull of her light breaths, the fall, and rise of her chest, a smile on his angular face.
________________________________________________________________
2018 December
The house was covered in thick spindly vines that crawled up the red brick walls, overgrown grass, and weeds that tugged at the ends of Mallory’s dress.  
The morning had been a long one before she even managed to make it out of the house. She’d taken a much-needed shower, and changed into one of her casual gowns.  The seventies styled easy wrap white dress with a geometric pattern of red flowers encircled by small green leaves and thin vines that swopped diagonally to the hems of her dress, that reached a few inches above her ankles, and a v-line that rested between her bosom.  She wore her two prized necklaces, the ones with the silver star and moon, and a pair of black ankle boots.  Her hair was an ombre of brown that gave way to gold, resting below the nape of her neck, crinkly and wet from the shower.
She’d cooked a breakfast, an easy meal of toast and scrambled eggs, and watched wearily as her mother took bite after tremble handed bite.  It got to the point where Mallory had to feed the woman herself, that in itself a trying task. Then she went on to bathe the woman and saw how weak and frail, and realized with a horrible clarity that she’d restored life and youth, but not health.  Maybe she could try later… Or, maybe her mother has always been a frail woman.  She didn't know anymore.
“It was because of you Mally.  I had you when I was only sixteen, not the age any girl should be having a baby.” her mother had croaked when Mallory dared to ask. “Giving birth to you has drained most of the life out of me, but I don’t regret it. Not one bit.”
In the background of Mallory’s turmoil was Michael, always smiling, willing to lend a helping hand.  She still shuddered from the way she found him, them, when she awoke.
When Mallory woke it was to his face buried in the crook of her neck, legs entwined with hers while her upper body was encaged within the embrace of long, firm arms, toned and strong. His chest, his body, pressed into the back of her.  And something else too, hard and hot and- Oh, Oh. she had thought, with terror and excitement.  But when he woke, nothing happened ( she hadn't known whether to feel relieved or disappointed, of all the things to feel), he simply let her go, oblivious to his own arousal.  Did he even know what lust was? Of course not.  Michael Langdon was far too naive.
So naive, he didn't even notice the way she blushed whenever he casually took hold of her hand.  Like now, as he guided her to his front door, hand in hand. He’d insisted on inviting her inside and she willingly obliged, despite every cell, joint and hair in her body screaming at her to turn the other way.  To him, they were just friends simply holding hands. She shouldn't feel bitter about that, having known him for only two weeks or so, but she does.  And it confuses her, the way he makes her feel.  At first, it was a spiritual thing, -and not all soulmates need be lovers- but now it was a physical thing.  She could feel herself gradually growing attached to him with the more time she spent with him, and it wasn't hard for Mallory to grow attached to things.  The girl feared what this would do to her emotions, her state of mind when she inevitably leaves California.  Would he even care if she left right at this moment or would he simply shrug and go on with his day?  There was no telling.  
The door creaks and groans as he swings it open, and the moment her foot passes the threshold, the hairs on her arms and neck come to stand. Little dust particles danced in the pool of light from the window near the entrance, but everywhere else was dark, with long shadows.
I should not be here, no living creature should, and yet she continued to follow him, flinching when the door closed on its own volition. It smelled like burnt roses, the ozone before a storm, and decaying leaves in autumn.  It smelled like him, and his scent carried throughout the house. Or maybe it was vice verse, the house had imprinted on him.  They climbed the stairs, before walking down the mouth of the hall that led to infinite rooms.
She did not feel the comfort he felt walking down the corridor, could not shake that penetrating feeling of being constantly watched.  Despite that, it was a beautiful home, hauntingly so.  The ones that’d you’d read about in a gothic novel, with walls painted in tragedy, that groaned from bitterness and heartache. This house was much the same, a rare thing to find in sunny California, even in the life of a girl like her, a girl whose house was reduced to burnt timber and soot by her own hand.
“So you live here by yourself?” a stupid question to ask, one that she already knew the answer to, but she needed verification.  
Michael nodded his head, his strawberry blonde curls bobbing to the beat of his stride as he led them to his room, a forlorn thing with a brilliant heat that instantly made her sweat. The walls were coated with a dusty blue-grey paint, only darkened more by the shadow that seemed to hang over the room.  There were three wooden arches as well, embedded into the walls and ceiling, and between two of them was a shut door. Beside it was a computer sitting on top of a small desk cluttered with pencils and paper and a green lamp.  On the side of the entrance, a board adorned the wall, covered in sketches and doodles, no doubt Michael’s.  Across the room dwelled his bed with a metal headboard, and behind that were two windows with white blinds.  Sheets were splayed on the floor, with a fan plugged up next to them.
He pulled the strings to the blinds, letting in natural light. Then he pulled out a vintage record player, sitting it on the sheets at the foot of the bed, and a box of vinyl discs, the kind her Grandma still has displayed in her living room.  Mallory’s interest was piqued at the sight of them.
“Where did you get these from?” she gracefully sat upon the sheets, smoothing down her dress as she did so.
“They were my grandma’s,” he responded.  Perhaps it was a trick of the light but she’d sworn she saw his eyes water at the mention of the late woman.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he smiled, then sat down beside her, their shoulders touching.
She pulled the box closer and began to search through it.  There were many classics, most of them being from the sixties or seventies.  The Mommas and Papas, the Zombies, the Turtles, the Beatles. But her hand stopped at the Rolling Stones.  The album cover was a light blue covered in clouds with an abstract picture of the band in the center. Their Satanic Majesties Request, it read.  Michael’s crystal blue eyes gleamed.
“This one is my favorite,” his hand reached in the box after her, his long fingers faintly brushing hers as he gently took the album.
She watched as he slowly took the disc out, watched the way he handled it with care, afraid the faintest scratch alone would bring it to ruin. Mallory was mesmerized by his hands.  How could something so calloused, long and large as his hands be so gentle, move so elegantly?  Once again, she was struck by his beauty.  The way his pupils focused and dilated, filling out the blue of his eyes, the way his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, lips slightly parted. The light from the window cast one side of his face in shadow, while the other half was highlighted, all the sharp angular edges, the arch of his nose and the cut of his jawline.  He looked to be made out of marble at that moment, one of those greek sculptures come to life. Once again she asked herself how a man could be so beautiful.
He placed the record on the turntable, setting it to the right speed, then lifted the tonearm and placed the needle gently on the outermost edge of the record.  The moment the needle grazed the black surface music began to resonate throughout the room.  He skipped the first two grooves, but paused at the third, seemingly content with the choice of song.
“I love this song. It reminds me of you,” he looked at her with those piercing blue eyes that could roam the depths of the soul and told her this as if it were the ordinary thing to say.
In another land, where the breeze and the trees and the flowers were blue.
The singer sounded hollow and drowned, but it was loud and clear enough. Perhaps that had been the band's attention.  Michael laid down on his back, legs stretching out, before pulling her down with him.  The movement caught her off guard, but it mattered little when he nestled his nose in the crook of her neck, much like this morning, deeply inhaling her scent. Or when he slowly threaded his long fingers in the strands of her hair that crowned her head on the floor like a halo. “You smell so sweet,” he whispered, his warm breath ghosting her skin, lips not far behind.  So close, so very close.  
A shiver crept over her body, then pooled in her abdomen. She rested her hand there to feel a strange heat and cool.  From above, a girl and a boy laid side by side in the center of the room.  Oblivious to the things that crept in the halls and watched from afar.
I stood and held your hand/ And the grass grew high and the feathers floated by/ I stood and held your hand/ And nobody else's hand will ever do, nobody else will do/ Then I awoke, was this some kind of joke?/  Much to my surprise/ I opened my eyes.
His other hand trailed on her collarbone, edging its way closer to the valley of her breast, the part her dress so generously exposed.  She wasn't even wearing a bra, the dress wasn't the type you wore a bra with. He went down further, to where her hands lay, pushing them away to replace them with his own.
“...Michael.” she choked, eyes closed, too caught up in the moment, both terrifying and exciting.
Each breath she drew was shaky and unevenly spaced. What is he doing to me?
“Only what you want me to do, Mallory.” was his voice always so deep, had it always made her tremble?
His hand went no further, only stayed in that particular spot, rubbing circles. The small friction alone made her squeeze her thighs together, trying to repress the building need.
“When will you teach me?”  The deepness was gone.
Mallory opened her eyes, bending her head to look at him.  “How about now?”
We walked across the sand/ And the sea and the sky and the castles were blue/ I stood and held your hand/ And the spray flew high and the feathers floated by/ I stood and held your hand/  And nobody else's hand will ever do, nobody else will do/ Then I awoke, was this some kind of joke?/ Much to my surprise/ I opened my eyes.
The song had such a lovely melody,  woozy and otherworldly, with such dreamy elements and sad lyrics that left her on an acid-drenched high.  The type of high that you can only get from a song about two star-crossed lovers, only together in dreams, roaming a completely different realm. It reminds me of you, he said.  Of course, it would.
We heard the trumpets blow/ And the sky turned red when I accidentally said/ That I didn't know/ How I came to be here, not fast asleep in bed/ I stood and held your hand/ And nobody else's hand will ever do, nobody else’s hand...
“Okay,” he says. “We can do it now.”
Then I awoke, was this some kind of joke? I opened my eyes much to my surprise.
________________________________________________________________
Do you ever feel things happen exactly the way they are supposed to happen?
Every move made, every word spoken, every song played, it was for a reason. Everything, even the smallest of things Michael did had a purpose, a meaning, a message behind it.  One only had to pay attention to see the subliminal stimuli. When he’d played that song, he was telling her that those dreams, those memories were without a doubt real and not a trick of the subconscious mind. A confirmation to what she’d felt she knew. And now she was certain their souls were bonded- linked and chained- it was no longer a flight of fancy in her pretty little head.
After spending hours in his home, she didn't feel so out of place anymore.  She had walked these halls a thousand times before, she knew it in her bones. If anything, the house should be afraid of her not her of it.
The house was now alive with magic, crackling in her ears like static. The result of two powerful beings testing the waters before diving in. She’d remembered the little she learned from Miss Cordelia and handed those lessons down to Michael, who excelled in each spell and ability. He was always unsure about each one, but when he did them he took the extra mile and did something more.
Magic is often something to be possessed and controlled, but the magic possessed him, controlled him. Perhaps that is what made him so good at it. Magic possessed Mallory too, truth be told. It always has.
The sun was past its zenith, and it wouldn't be long before the moon took its place as the source of light, giving the room that evening gloom. Her mother had taken her medication after breakfast, which should have put her to rest for a few good hours.  Mallory had placed the house phone near the bed stand, phone number on speed dial just in case her mother needed to call. Dinner had to be made, sheets cleaned and walls scrubbed to create a more sanitary area for her mother to be in.  Nothing less would do.  Mallory and Michael’s little waltz was a nice one, but now the dance must end.
Yet they sat side by side beneath the crystal chandelier in the living room, in front of the cold empty hearth, and Michael refused to let her leave, always diverting her from the door with one thing or the other.  
“Please, just one more spell,” he begged, his head rested on her shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist as if he were a child. Such a baby.
His Rubik's cube had been set aside after 20 minutes of him showing her the many ways it could be manipulated to a different design instead of the same monotonous one that everyone else did.
“I’ll come back tomorrow, I promise, but I need to go home now.  My mother needs me.  I’ve been with you for half of the day.” her voice was stern, leaving no room for any more debate. “Now let me go, Michael, I’m serious.”
He stared at her in intense dead silence, not at all pleased with the tone of voice she’d taken with him, and the house itself held its breath.  It lasted for only a second, but it stretched on for hours in her mind.  Then he let go.
He let out a bitter, pouty. “Fine.” before racing out the room.  She heard his footsteps receding up the stairs and the distant slam of a bedroom door.
She sat there for a moment, in the empty living room, and the almost empty house.  The empty halls that didn't feel so empty at all when you actually had to walk down them. The floorboards that groaned on their own, and the air that at one moment could turn cold and fester with the smell of rot and then become hot, overpowering the house with the smell of him.  There was a silence that permeated so loud it was hard not to hear. She wondered about the stories the walls could tell, about the things they would say if she urged them to but dare not actually try it.  And then, it made sense why Michael wouldn't want to be here on his own, why he would want someone to be with him.
But she has to leave, she has to. Mallory stands up, making her way to the foyer. The door is right there, and her hand hovers above the doorknob, ready to twist. Mallory, of course, hesitates. She looks at the stairs, knowing where they’ll lead if she goes up. Michael’s little domain.  The least she could do was say good night.  Truth be told she was going to miss having him around her all the time, miss being around him.  Maybe she could get his number?
The stairs it was.  She took two steps at a time, moving as fast as she could. And then there was a blur of burning flesh, as red as the bright embers that fell of the skin, speeding across the corridor, children's laughter following behind it. And then it was gone. She blinked once, blinked twice. A trick of the light or a trick of the mind, she reasoned, maybe tiredness. But not what she thought it was, what she thought she heard and saw.  Was it out of the realm of possibility? No, perhaps not.  Mallory would rather ignore it though.
She hurried up the stairs then down the hall until she reached his door and knocked. No response. She knocked again, and still, no response.  “Michael, sweetheart, I swear I’ll come back tomorrow.”
There was a short silence before there was a shifting on the bed and the sound of someone drawing closer to the door. Michael opened it slightly, leaving it ajar, and peaked his head through.
“But how long will you stay?”
“For as long as I can.”
He opened the door more, stepping past the threshold.  She almost forgot how tall he was, his childish nature always made her forgetful of his age and height. Mallory barely reached his chest.
“I’d rather you stay here forever.”
Mallory frowned. She was a little confused and a little worried...and maybe a little touched.
“That’s not possible. Nor is it reasonable. We’re friends, right? Well, friends see and talk to each other all the time. We can visit each other or not. We can talk on the phone, we can go to other places too.  Look,” she raised her hand, sticking out her pinky, giving him a genuine smile. “We’ll swear on it.”
Michael hesitated at first, a frown marring his beautiful face, but eventually, he relented. Such a child. He wrapped his pinky around hers, gripping tightly.
“You swear we’ll always be together?” he asked worriedly.
“Cross my heart I hope to die.”
Michael returned her smile, showing his white teeth, slightly crooked in the front but in an endearing sort of way. Suddenly, he leaned down, gently placing a kiss on her forehead. As cold as ice on her hot skin.  It left her wanting something more.
“Goodnight Mallory.”
                                                          ________________________________________________________________
envy.i
It simply wasn't enough. Maybe it hadn't truly clicked for her yet, maybe the bond wasn't as strong on her end as it was on his. He didn't want to have her around only sometimes, didn't want to hear her voice for a brief moment over the damn telephone. Michael needed her by his side, forever and infinity. That’s what the bond called for.  He should have gone further when they were laying on his bedroom floor, should have given in to his desires, should have given her his mind, body, and soul completely. Should have kissed her lips instead of her forehead when he’d said goodbye.  They both had wanted it.  But he had to show some form of restraint, and he didn't want it to be here.  With friend and foe alike watching in their dark corners (and they were always watching, always hiding).  Her moans, her sighs, her body, should only be for his eyes and ears. Michael Langdon was too prideful to have it any other way.
Liar, the voice cackled. You were too scared.  You have no idea what you're doing.
No, he doesn't, he can’t deny, but he was going to damn well try. He buried his nose in the sheets she laid on, branding her scent into memory.  It still lingered there, the warm vanilla sugar aroma. His sweet flower, his sweet angel. She’d written down her number on the chalkboard before she left, and will soon be awaiting a call.
You will never truly have her with her mother in the way.  She loves her mother more than she will ever love you. The voice taunted.
“That’s not true,” he muttered into the lorn darkness. The ghost of this house must think he’s a madman if they don’t already. He clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to swallow down the envy that was steadily brewing in his system.“That’s not true, leave me alone.”
Yes, it is. The voice only returned with a vengeance. How about, for once, you actually do something useful with your powers, instead of doing those pitiful witchy tricks and gimmicks. Do you know what you are capable of?
Oh no. “Please no, please just shut up.” he tried covering his ears, but there was no point in that.  Whoever the voice was, whether it be his father or his father's demonic servants, it was in his head. And it was taking over again. Michael hated not having control, especially over himself.
It always started like this, with the faint whispering and hissing.  And then if Michael listened long enough it would go on, filling his head like a toxic gas before it drowns him out and takes over. In those moments, he fades into the dark place and disappears.
You could bring the greatest mountains to kneel, could bring about the downfall of the greatest nations and their armies, befall millions with plagues and storms, could turn souls into ash if you so wished, yes...souls into ash, The Voice seemed to consider the last option, an insidious chuckle resounding in his head. And you only need use your mind.
Michael’s body began to tremble as something stronger than adrenaline coursed through his blood, sending chills down his spine.
You need to push yourself past anything you can do in this realm, the Voice reasoned. Conquer your ability in the realms that truly matter.
The last time he incinerated souls, it had been in this house, and he’d lost someone he cared for.  Ben Harmon, the father he’d always wanted but never had a chance to have.
Michael was paralyzed, something was holding him down. Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and darkness consumed him.
Whatever dwells between the realms of man and spirit, a soul should not tread upon. But this was no normal soul if it could even be called that.  A being that dwelled between both worlds and entered both the gates of hell and the gates of life with ease.  A realm that was a dark, hollow replica of both, filled with nothing but the lost and tormented, the damned who have yet to be damned and the saints who have yet to be saved.  The being walked with ease it did, marveling at the moaning and screaming and crying, and sicky-sweet laughter, a herald of a demise.
This was different.  Michael was still here, this time he had not faded into the dark. The Voice was guiding him in the netherworld, controlling not even his body but his spirit. What else could it control, if it so wished?  He might as well be dumb, deaf and blind.
There was a gloomy long hall, thick with fog, with an infinite amount of doors, but it only wanted one.  Whatever the being wanted he was obligated to want to, like master and slave.
He walked, footsteps loud enough for the damned to hear but none would harm him. All knew who his father was, all knew that they belonged to his father, and therefore belonged to him.  He stopped in front of the aforementioned door and opened.  There were other spirits in here. The apartment had a history, despite how recent that history was.  
The girl slept on the mattress in the living room, oblivious to all of them, oblivious to the kindred spirit that walked past her, down the hall and into her beloveds room.
He and the being looked over the frail body that dwelled there, listened to the leisurely taken breaths that echoed throughout the room. Do it, Michael, you know what you have to do.
It wasn't as if Michael had a choice. His hands moved on their own, hovering above the woman's body. An ancient tongue spilled from his lips that sounded like the crackling of ice on a winter lake.  The body began to spasm, the soul coming undone from its vessel. It rose, and rose, becoming an entity of its own, a weak one that didn't have an ounce of strength to fight back. The spirit levitated, before touching the ceiling, face looking downward below.  The woman's eyes were wide open, looking down at her body beneath her.  Her eyes flickered toward them then. The flesh that was her lips were sealed shut, becoming a patch of skin beneath the nose.  She wouldn't be able to scream her way awake, and the rest of her body was under their control. She wouldn't be able to wriggle her way awake either.  Meanwhile, her physical body was sound asleep.
Her lips may be sealed but her thoughts are as loud as ever. ‘It’s you, that boy. I knew it, I knew but I couldn't…’ the woman seemed more sound of mind than she did in the physical realm, even under the thumb of his power.  He could smell the fear and the anger but mostly the fear. That cold terror that caused a cold sweat to break out on her physical form. She so desperately wanted to return to it, but she couldn't, wouldn't. ‘Stay away from my daughter, stay away from me.’  The woman was crying now, but none would hear her.  Mallory was asleep, lost in her dreams of him.  ‘God save me.’ she pleaded. ‘Mallory save me.’
He felt rage, and humor, and regret for what he was about to do.  Other emotions that he was sure wasn't his own.
“I’m sorry,”
Are you Michael?
“I’m so sorry.”
Is that remorse I hear? Funny, I thought she didn't deserve the gift of life bestowed by your little angel. Hypocrite, you're being the very thing you hate. That was different, he thought. 
It’s always different, isn't it? it spat back venomously. Now do it. One finger alone and cancer will spread throughout her body remember? The Being, the Voice, the Darkness was forever the amplifier of his sinful thoughts.
And one finger he used. It was almost daunting, how impossibly still he rendered her body. A Metastasis cancer spread as quickly as brushfire, rattling her with tumors and a depressive sickness. The breathing had gone still, and so had the room. Her soul cried out for her daughter, each attempt futile.
He looked up at her, raising his hands toward her just as he spoke more of the ancient tongue, twisted and olden, more old and powerful than Latin itself. The language of Heaven and Hell. The woman would go to neither. Her soul caught flame, her ashes falling gracefully like snow, and she screamed bloody murder, a scream that no one could her except him. ‘MALLORY’ she screamed, and he laughed a sorrowful laugh, filled with pain and joy and self-disgust. The Voice laughed with him.
Ben was right, there was no saving him.
When he awoke, it was to the murderous sound of crows.
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last-on-your-lips · 3 years
Text
Perspective
Talin had never had many ‘normal’ friends since taking the duty of Faern’s care. The people that thrived in Lostresh, she found, needed a great deal of adaptation to handle the wild animals, toxic plants, and wild roaming dragons. Faern had therefore grown up seeing few natural human figures, and perhaps associated the draught drinkers that lived in exile as their norm. As she lay under the young drakes, bemused at how light it felt to have three densely built reptilian children atop her petite chest, she contemplated if that had been wise of her. The great dragon coiled half in on itself conversing with the Sire Drake didn’t seem like it would threaten anything, even given a chance. Gone so far as making a splendidly loud display of defending her, even. She contemplated this while she fluffed the downy feathers on the nestlets and idly chattered with their Carrier, only half attending what she said at all.
Faern was supposed to become a dragon, this much she had known for the entire twenty six years of their life, this much she had prepared them for as their mum. The ability to hunt, the basics of magic, and the knowledge of alchemy were drilled into the brilliant young dragon from the moment they’d started asking questions as a sharp toothed toddler. Every year up to this had been a race to teach them everything they would listen to. The effects of the wild plants, the uses of the elements. How to read and write in all of the human words on the continent. How to brew everything from tea to draughts, how to make enchantments and how to think for themselves. She’d done her best as a mother to teach a strong and capable person, someone who would make choices reasonably and apply their natural curiosity and discipline with some modicum of wisdom and restraint.
While she listened to them discuss what it meant that they were a Dragon with a Drake, she worried she had taught too much deep thinking. It was clear to her that her child, dragon or not, had gained many worries as they carried on learning about themselves from that Sire Drake. It had been several hours now of them conversing, and the questions Faern poised had cut deep into draconic politics. It was a political boon that they were a dragon, but the other colonies and species would be manipulative by their own ends. They hardly sounded any wiser than humans, really, Dragons were revered as graceful and commanding among all drakes. While that was agreed on, it also lead them all to covet the ideal of having a Dragon within their own beliefs. Matriarchs and Patriarchs of large colonies were known to be cunning, and it had driven most of the older Dragons far and deep into the wilder and less hospitable territory of Hocrayle as they sought to be free of folks human and not trying to use them.
“Finding another dragon would be nearly impossible then, wouldn’t it?” Grumbled deep from the chest of her child. She felt a pang of regret for them as she recognized the note of loneliness back in their voice.
“Liege Faern I can’t honestly tell you if any of them yet live. It has been many clutch seasons since a drake met a true Dragon, and I don’t blame them for their absence.” The Sire seemed to have noticed the younger beast’s forlorn note as well, and his wings and feathers rustled sympathetically. Talin considered it lucky they had found Fisherman’s Friends as the first drakes they affronted, kindly and pretty drakes who enjoyed human company and easily bonded with Draught Drinkers too. Even luckier that the Sire happened to be a friend of one of Faern’s parents too, and happy to endure a young Dragon’s long interrogation.
With that it seemed the interrogation had ended, however, and Faern’s head turned to level on her with a slow blink of their pale silver eyes. Somewhere amidst their discussion the Sire had explained what a Dragon’s Draught was, and the concept of the Beast Drinks that humans sometimes partook. He had also mentioned that he knew few humans that would drink them in their right mind, with them often being painful and causing great and uncomfortable disfigurement rather than providing any refined effect. At that point it had seemed a good thing that most of the humans that Faern knew were such folk, and they knew many of the conditions that their ‘aunts and uncles’ had undergone to be influenced to drink. Being Faern’s mum, however, she could recognize that her child had belatedly recognized her as also having taken a Draught.
“You’re a dragon yourself, some part of your instinct responded to my features as quite normal.” A lame answer as it passed through her lips when the nestlets allowed her to sit up and meet the Dragon’s gaze. “My reason wasn’t good enough, and I caring for you has been an atonement for this.”
“You were chosen by my mother because of the poison you drank.” The words cut directly through the bullshit that Talin was concocting as Faern rose up on their feet, horns flickering with magic and head turning up to taste the air. “You’re my mum. You don’t have to justify why you drank it, and I won’t ask you to. You didn’t raise me to become one of those Draughts, and it seems like our lives have become more dangerous than ever.”
Talin watched them with her own draconic gaze, mouth pursed shut by pride and relief. The Drakes crooned and fluffed toward the monolithic stance of the great Dragon, anticipation making their body language eccentric and excited.
“I have no reason to expect I can find another born dragon on my own by going into the wilderness, and I don’t know how to speak to drakes. We should find the other Draught Dragons instead.” Words spoken with conviction and a distant gaze toward the wilderness. Talin wondered what Faern could sense there as they spoke their intentions. “Uncle Kyn knows how to transform, and I don’t. We should send for him before we do anything else.”
“I thought the Sire could–” Talin began and was promptly interrupted.
“You do not allow your horns to grow so you could not have heard it when we discussed it, but your dragonet can not transform in the same way a Drake does. Liege Faern will have to learn from a human with the ability or another born dragon, simply because their familiarity is with how a human body works, and they do not understand their body in the same way that drakes do.” Apologetic and polite in his tone to her, the Sire deferring as if she was a Dragon herself definitely seemed to stump Talin.
“My dragonet?” The only dumbfounded answer she could muster.
“Well, are they not? Like a Drake you have stayed in flock with your young, instead of casting them away when they were capable as a human would have. You may be a Dragon by Poison, Half-Queen Talin, but to many Drake you are going to be Dragon-Friend and Half-Queen.” He seemed equally dumbfounded she would not understand her place in the hierarchy of his own kind as he continued. “Draught Dragons age slowly, much like born dragons… And until we met you we assumed many of them would seem inferior to a born Dragon. Half-Queen Talin, you have raised a born dragon, you command magic no lesser than a true Drake. Perhaps even equal to your dragonet!”
“Thank… you?” With a glance cast back to Faern, who helpfully offered a roll of their wing and shoulder as though to say ‘I only know what you’ve shown me’.
“I need no thanks for speaking a truth you had not realized, Dragon-Friend. Be ready to use those strengths as you aid your dragonet. They seem like they are more ambitious than sensible.” All too knowing were the words of a Sire.
I watched my mum try to form some conclusions about how well this was likely to go after the Sire regarded her as, for lack of a better word, mighty. I don’t think she was used to that being assumed about her, mostly because of how tiny she seemed in comparison to many of the folks we knew. It was natural for most human-born to assume she needed protecting, and I was probably the worst to assume it. Drakes, I had learned, had an innate sense of how much magic anything they came near possessed. Sire Itun had shown me how to use this sense, and I could do nothing but agree with him when I came to understand the scope of my Mum’s presence in comparison to himself and his family. As he had said, she was no less dense in magic than I was. He’d mentioned during our conversation that was unusual for humans, even Mages and Draught Drinkers.
He’d also mentioned that Draught Drinkers were known to be kinder to Dragons of any type, and that they’d been allies with Drakes for as long as any history. Long we had spoken, and I felt that I had learned much of what I needed to travel Hocrayle and conclude the war he warned me of… About that assumed ambition: he wasn’t entirely wrong. The continent we stood on was the last realm where drake and human kind hadn’t come to peace, and my parents had come from opposing nations both intending to infiltrate and change that fact. Rounding back, of course, to the natural cunning of Drake flocks. Although mum had been terribly, terribly underestimating the impact of them battling to the death.
Rhaekson had come from the neighboring continent Athedis, a place where cooperation between dragons and humans built lush gardens, thriving cities, and worldwide trade of rare products their traditions produced. Known for exotic foods and complex textiles, and renown to produce educated and noble dignitaries like herself. She had come with a long mission of smoothing relations between her home and the military dominance of Traeduros… The nation I was born in and the nation she had carved a line through, to quote Sire, “With Urthylo’s unprepared body.”
Urthylo, my Sire, had been a Knight King from a further continent in the east. Indemnis was a place that thrived with technology, machinations that paralleled the refined magics and tools made by Mages on our own continent. He had been equally interested in creating good relations in Hocrayle, although his target nation had been the more level-tempered trade nation of Xocrana. In fact, he had introduced technology to Xocrana that was still used for a multitude of convenience purposes in their relations internationally. Which was most of why Traeduros hadn’t yet managed to mount a war with anything but themselves.
According to Sire Itun, the issue with their deaths had been greater than an inconvenience on a dauntingly intercontinental scale. Rhaekson and Urthylo had done no less than start a war between their Continents by killing one another, and it was absolutely no secret that I was the cause of their battle. While Talin herself was reduced to estimating when I would emerge as a dragon in order to keep my survival and location hidden, he assured me that Drake and Humans from their home nations would have suffered no such uncertainties. Remaining stuck in the form of a dragon was a certified non-option if I didn’t want to help some unfortunate mage look like Mum. He was a reasonable Drake, obviously, and offered that I should venture away from the humans, and retire deep into the wilderness.
I am not a reasonable person. I am a hunter, and I am a dragon.
As of yet, I’m not sure what the dragon part is going to mean. Seems like a bad lot all around for me, honestly. I already had a problem with overthinking before I had the room in my head to do too much of it. Had too much ambition too, before I had the muscle and the fundamental magic to put behind it. In fact, hours ago, I felt like being a dragon and having the power to do anything but live in exile with Talin was an impossible maybe that we both were beginning to give up on.
“Mum, do you need to rest tonight?” I asked it as I felt the heat of the sun waning into dusk. Moving during the day would be too much a risk.
“Kyn will be working, we’d have to clear the whole forest and break the border into Traeduros of all places!” Understandably incredulous, the average Drake wouldn’t have the faintest hope of crossing an entire country border to border over a single night. Also it’s mostly suicide for a dragon to touch Traeduros, that’s where they make the Draughts.
“Kyn knows I’m a dragon, Mum. Infirili is close enough to the border that it won’t take anyone from Orthrain long to know it’s the only place that we would have made friends.” I lowered my head close up to hers and huffed a breath against her. “Do you think our friends are safe?”
Terror seized my Mum as my statement sunk in. She’d heard Sire Itun when he told me that others would have been waiting for me to mature. She hadn’t quite put two and two together that the network of people she’d befriended, the folks I had grown up assuming as family, would be the first people that any interrogative force would reasonably meet looking for us. “They’re hunting you, not them.”
“What lengths have you warned me humans will go to for a dragon, Mum?”
What lengths indeed. She’d warned them too, often. Getting too comfortable, too close to each other. It was liable to get them all killed by the same people that fed them their beasts. Some quality about Faern had always made them ignore her, and the voices of the Beast Drinkers that made up their family of the last two decades were racketing around her head. What lengths might the Alchemists and Mages who make Draughts go to?
How small her fears were. What lengths would warring nations stretch to?
The recognition seized her chest and she felt like the child under the Dragon’s unwavering gaze. “We have to go.”
There was no conviction in her voice, no emotion. It was a breath of fact and action, given as she leapt by the strength of her Draught-given legs onto Faern’s back. Claws caught against the ridge of rough scales as her dragonet burst into motion due east of their annual perch.
It was something she had always noticed about Faern, they were careful. They thought deeply and looked far ahead before they exacted motion or exerted any of their natural born strength, speed and force. The moment that they took flight, grasping massive trunks and launching themself along without any restraint, Talin recognized she had been wildly underestimating what her child was restraining. Bark crumbled under claws that only made contact long enough to crush dragon-sized grappling holds into ancient trunks, and they sprung from grapple to grapple with a familiarity and grace as if they were handling their spear in a hunt.
Each leap surprised Talin, in that she wasn’t jostled or flung off by the sheer force of the brief impact landings between them. Neither the great serpents or the storm drakes were known to possess such a grace, both often reported to be heavy and clumsy when they were seen in the wild. Other than the small feathered drake types, she didn’t know of any species reported to move with such grace or precision in fact. This in mind as the country went by them leap by leap, she became less concerned about her Dragonet and more concerned about what precisely they had in mind.
“What are you going to do when we get there, Faern? You don’t know how to be a dragon yet!” Attempting to be a voice of reason felt a bit late, if she admitted it to herself.
“I know magic.” Gruff, and disconcertingly not out of breath.
“I taught you very simple magic, and gracious little of it is anything we can—” Fretting, naturally. And interrupted by a snort and a pause in Faern’s motion. A pause, she realized with thinly veiled horror, that meant they had reached the end of the forest itself already. “That’s damn near thirty miles, how did you…”
“Sheer muscle and determination, mostly. I’m built to move through trees like that and I’m massive. I was throwing myself by full body length between the trees, without them I don’t know how fast I’ll be.” Reasoned as they were calculating the route, a mostly flat plain, to get the rest of the way to the border town of Infirili.
Talin noted that Faern was right, a long and slender frame reminiscent of a serpent, four powerful grappling limbs, and single jointed wings made for gliding spoke a story of sleek huntsmanship within the jungle or the forest, perhaps even suitable for streaking through deep waters. Very little of the renowned storm dragon’s flight seemed to have translated into them.
“Your legs are fairly long and slender for your framing. You can try sprinting at a gallop?” Suggested as she clambered up to clutch closer to their ears, using their massive horns as wind shields and peeking across the plain. Halfway through it turned into a crowded swamp before it actually reached the border, and she found that she fretted again about Faern’s health just as they leapt into action.
She had made a wise choice to grip behind the horns, a dead leap from near enough four hundred feet into a controlled glide giving her a taste of the sheer strength that her dragonet possessed. It was easier to see how much ground the full body throw covered when they were out of the tree crowding, and yet further did her meters long child glide on their unpracticed wings, surprising her when said membraned wings gave the rotation for a flap and gained some lift. Though nothing as jerky as a bat, it made the same leather flapping noise when they rose that slight bit into the air, and both herself and Faern gave incredulous twitches about it.
“I suppose you can fly then.” Matter of fact in tone, watching the ground slip past at alarming speeds below.
“Seems like it.” Agreed with another flap, and some experimental banking and wing adjustment. “Don’t think it’ll be a fancy show thing, but this could be good for going distances.”
“Can see that, we’re coming up on town fast.” Talin focused downward, seeing the familiar shabby adobe and lean to buildings from above made it painfully clear how much the trade center for Exiles wasn’t a real town. It also made no break on the horizon to hide the oncoming force of a foreign battalion. “Those aren’t Traedurin flags, Faern. We’re cutting in close.”
A grunt, and wings tucked tight. Talin let loose a shrill scream as they went from a fearfully high glide into a diagonal dive, speeding down to ground where Faern caught themself in a deep crouch. The shake that gave the ground collapsed a pair of less-used ‘buildings’ by the bar, and summoned the usuals and the barkeep outside in a flustered and half alebound mob. A mob that went quiet as Faern lowered their head and levelled familiar eyes on them.
“Hello Uncles. We need to leave.” Growled a dragon that felt they needed no introduction to a crowd of visibly drunk beast draughted.
Talin helpfully perked her head up from behind Faern’s horn, holding her mouth to prevent herself from losing what little she’d had to eat and looking down at the assembly of their friends, as well as watching the rest of them begin staggering out from the bar in confusion and curiosity. “Kyn!”
“Shit!” Roared the barkeep in answer, and the crowd went notably more sober at the realization that they weren’t having a beer fueled hallucination. “Get everyone out! Move!”
I watched the commotion from where I’d landed as my friends staggered, stumbled and scattered to bang on doors and wake those who were sober and sleeping in the settlement. Children, half dressed women and glinting weapons began to appear in moments as the exiled folk mobilized out of their slumber and towards myself and my mum. Luckily the panic itself didn’t have to do with us, these were the people that knew what I was and had done their best to give me a well versed human experience. These were also people that knew what they were risking when they chose to do that.
Mum leapt back to the ground to help organize, sprinting between folks and chirping for them to get to the trees with boosts of one of her energy elixirs. Off she sent the mothers first, laden with sons and daughters on hip and back and instructing them to bare the bone of their heels before they stopped. I lifted my head to turn back to the forest, finding the glint of the Drakes that we had met and finding a certain relief they seemed to have chosen to make way behind me. A signal for them to stop their hectic chasing, and a missive that they meet the humans at the treeline to show them a safe track through.
“There will be Fisherman’s Friends to find you, they will show you safety.” Barked my draconic voice, and I heard an eruption of expletives and thank yous from the crowd. Lifting my head I could make out the flags of the march, not close enough for me to make out the markings yet. That was good. I bowed my head down and carefully plucked my feet between the huts as I sought out Kyn, routing children towards adults as I came across them. The town itself was only cresting two hundred residents, but on the crest of midnight there was confusion to dampen the usually organized nature of it. “Kyn! I need you!”
My demand was heard by the wolf, standing brown and shaggy with his golden eyes appreciating me from the end of the road we were on. He was herding the cattle, horses and sheep out of the pasture, directing them toward the tree line for the fleeing folk to sort out in the morning. I rounded behind the mixed herd of beasts and gave a solid snap of my jaws, hissing a warning out and his job was done as hoof struck ground by the hundreds. We met on the field of the pasture, and I saw him transform back to human with a scowl dressing up his face for me.
“Faern what the hell! You shouldn’t be coming tae here like that!” Still wearing the growly layer of his wolf’s voice as he darted to get his pants out of the stable and over his bare rump.
“Don’t know how to change back yet, Uncle.” Huffed as I looped my tail around his waist, his hand grasping his tunic and a grunt escaping him as I scooped him up and swung my focus back toward town. Not a torch had been lit during the scramble to get everyone up and out, and mum was herding people out with a faint spell of light to guide them. I fell behind her and saw most of the feet left to run were the lame and frail. A frustrated grunt from me, and I cast my eyes over the broken pieces of the town for anything they might hide in, knowing the horses were routed and they couldn’t walk the plain.
“The Hull, the whole bar is a broken ship’s hull. Old as brass, but she’s solid. Get them inside it!” Kyn demanded of Talin as he clung to one of my horns, and I cast my eyes toward the bar as he continued. “Figure you can carry it as you are, Faern?”
“I can dig it out. We’ll see.” Already leaping over the rushing limp of the crowd, I dug my claws under the bar and hefted, finding the metal hull surprisingly light and hearing the crash of the furnishing inside as I righted the mostly intact length of a narrow boat. I had many questions to ask Kyn later, but we were relatively close to a large lake so I was going to settle on that for the explanation for now. A test of my wings and I found I could lift the ship with ease enough I could fly with it, and further Kyn helped by sliding down and rushing to connect lead lines to hooks on the railings while Talin helped the ailing board.
“It’s ah… Its a dragon boat. From Indemnis.” He explained as he scrambled over my chest, harnessing the ship around my ribs. “They have dragons smaller than you, these are how they move people around.”
“Kyn…” Talin beat me to the inquisitive tone, arms crossed over her chest and her brow quirking up.
“Dun worry about it too much. I think Faern gets it.” Spoken as he dropped onto the boat and pulled the rope to test it. I elected not to question him as I pushed up, beating my wings to gain height and leading toward the forest with a brief look over my back. The flags were still too dim to read, but they marched on steadily toward the town. I looked down and to Talin, giving her an expression of distress before I spoke.
“Level it.” A simple demand given in my growl.
“What? Why!?” I can’t honestly say if her resistance came from not wanting to use her magic for destruction or because it was the only town we’d been remotely welcome in for my entire life.
“They’re a battalion. They’ll follow any tracks we leave Mum.” And given that I was burdened to carry the weakest out, it seemed obvious why I wasn’t razing the town myself. I didn’t have to ask again, Kyn putting his hand on her shoulder and nodding his head in agreement was enough to convince her that my suggestion was sound.
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Para: Samcedes Thanksgiving
Who: Mercedes and Sam
When: Afternoon, 23 Nov 2017
Where: Granny Truitt’s Farm, Hohenwald, TN
What: Thanksgiving with the Truitt’s
The hour and a half drive to Sam’s grandmother’s house was filled with singing and chatter as Sam caught Mercedes up on life at his job and her about school and work, and all of the crazy things she and Santana seemed to get up to. His feelings about her aside, Sam was genuinely happy that she seemed to have bounced back completely from almost getting married just a few short months ago, and that things seemed to be on an upswing otherwise for her. Her happiness had always been the priority over his own feelings for her, and that hadn’t changed in the last few years. If anything, it just reaffirmed his commitment to being the very best friend to her that he could be.
Mercedes loved hearing about Sam’s work and all the things he and his team had to do for clients.  Sometimes they asked for some of the most ridiculous things to be put on their websites.  As they talked about school,  she mentioned the senior project she had done with her friend Todd, who was a musical theater major.  She promised him that she would give him a sneak peak of it once they got back home later.  Home.  Mercedes needed to get her mind right and remember that Tennessee and Sam’s apartment were not home.  No matter how much it felt like it, and no matter how much she found herself wanting it to be true.  She was about to meet some of his family and she needed to make a great impression as his best friend.
They drove up the long drive of Sam’s grandmother’s 10-acre farm and parked among one of the many cars always parked outside. Kids came running from around the back of the house, sporting their Sunday best as they chased each other loudly before stopping to look and see who’s arrived. Once they realized who it was, they all came rushing over, throwing their arms eagerly around Sam with excited greetings and questions.
Mercedes just looked at the vast acreage with wide eyes like a kid.  It was beautiful land, and the trees that still had leaves were full of red and gold colors.  When she saw Sam get swarmed by a team of kids she couldn’t keep herself from giggling at how cute it was, it reminded her of the way the twins would always greet him when he came home from school.  She made sure she was dressed church appropriate, opting for a simple teal colored dress that complimented her full figure.  She was wearing her hair natural (because Sam would sweat out any other style she wore except braids), so her curls were on full display.  She let Sam introduce her and made sure she greeted each child by name once they gave it, so she would remember.
Sam made sure to take a moment to chat with his younger cousins before they were off again. They’d given Mercedes a few shy replies when he introduced her, but then they were gone, leaving Sam to shake his head before he led the way to his grandmother’s front door. The moment he opened the door, the delicious smell of his grandmother’s home cooking wafting as they walked in. “Granny, your favorite grandson is here,” he called out.
The closer they got to the front door, the more nervous Mercedes felt.  She shook her head in amusement however at Sam’s words as they entered the house.  “Just wait until I tell Stevie you said that,” she joked softly.  She was not surprised at the immediate aroma of good food that hit her senses, and contrary to her big brother’s foolishness, she knew Granny Truitt had major cooking skills.  Mrs. Evans was as amazing in the kitchen as her own mom, and she knew a lot of those recipes had been passed down through family.  She could hear the football game playing nearby, as well as the distinct sound of a busy kitchen.
The sounds of his uncles and cousins cheering and jeering at the game on in the other room drew Sam’s attention and he stopped when his mom’s oldest brother came out of the family room. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” his Uncle Vernon drawled, a huge smirk on his face as he eyed up Mercedes. “And he brought a lady friend. Look at this, boys,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.
The next to make an appearance was Sam’s uncle, Rhett. “Hi there, welcome. Sammy didn’t tell us that the friend he was bringing along was a lady. Must be special. I’m his Uncle Rhett, and this here is Uncle Vern. It’s nice to meet you…” His blue eyes turned to Sam expectantly.
Welp, Sam thought. He should’ve known that his uncles would be in rare form. He shook his head. “This is Mercedes...Mercedes, these are my mom’s brothers, Uncle Vern and Uncle Rhett.”
“Oh...this is the famous Mercedes. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Vernon said, holding out his hand for her to shake.
Rhett offered her his hand next. “All this time we figured that he’d made you up when he moved to Ohio. “ He was joking because,  of course, they’d all seen pictures of her and heard stories from his parents and siblings, but Sam had never brought her home before and now they figured that meant things were finally official.
“Hi, nice to meet you both,” she said as she shook each uncle’s hand.  She could already tell this was going to be an interesting evening and that Mrs. Evans was going to get all kinds of calls and texts from the family.  She also could start to see the hints of family traits that were running through the family as well.  Truitts had some mighty fine genes from what she had seen so far.  And even though she knew that he may have mentioned her before, it had been forever ago! At least since they would’ve really heard about her from him.  It was kinda cute how Vernon said it like she was a big deal.  She looked over at Sam discreetly, wondering if he was thinking this was a colossal mistake.
By now, his cousins had started to gather around, and Sam almost rolled his eyes. He hadn’t expected them to remember Mercedes at all. It had been years. So a part of him suspected that his mom may have let it slip or one of his siblings. Which was just peachy. Not. Though he had known that people might make assumptions since he’d brought her along to meet the family. It was just that now they wouldn’t believe him when he said that they were just friends. He took the time to introduce her to the other cousins, ignoring his uncles’ constant poking. “Come on, ‘Cedes, let’s go find my granny,” he said, ushering her away towards the kitchen.
She waved politely at the posse of relatives, her nerves coming back tenfold now that they were off to find the matriarch.  She knew it was silly to be this worked up, especially since she and Sam were just very close friends, but she knew how much he loved his granny, and she wanted her to know that she loved her grandson, as a friend of course, very much.  “Your uncles are hilarious,” she said softly as they made their way towards the kitchen.  “I bet they gave your dad hell for his first few visits.”  
“Still do. My mom said she never had to fear bringing anyone home to her daddy. It was her big brothers that were likely to threaten the guy within an inch of his life,” Sam replied with a laugh. He walked into the kitchen, spotting his grandmother, Aunt Patty, and his cousin, Connie, working on dinner. “Well, Granny, your favorite has finally arrived,” he announced with a grin.
Turning, Ruby Truitt let out a happy scream and rushed over to her grandson, throwing her arms around him. She had a close relationship with all of her grandchildren, but she and Sam had always had a special kind of bond. She squeezed him tightly and kissed all over his face until he was squirming away and made her laugh. “You know I have to give you a kiss for every month I don’t see ya. I still owe you five.”
Sam hugged his aunt and cousin and then turned to Mercedes. “Everyone, this is Mercedes. Mercedes, this is my Granny, my Aunt Patty, she’s married to Uncle Rhett. And this is my cousin, Connie. She’s married to Brady. Uncle Vern is her dad.”
“But don’t hold either one against me,” Connie teased.
Walking around the counter, Ruby approached Mercedes. “It’s great to finally meet you, Mercedes.” She hugged the young woman to her. “You can call me Granny or Miss Ruby.”
Mercedes had to cover her mouth to keep her giggles in check when she saw Granny Truitt love up on her grandbaby.  It was the most adorable sight.  He looked more like one of the little kids running around outside than a grown man for those few moments.  She greeted his aunt and cousin, a soft laugh coming out at Connie’s words.  She wondered if Uncle Vern put the fear of everything in Brady when they started dating.
“Oh my goodness, you too,” she smiled brightly as she hugged the older woman back.  “I’ve heard stories about you for quite awhile now. And yes, they were all good, especially when they involved your legendary cooking. Although, he always seems to leave out the ones where he probably got in trouble for stuff.”  She could only imagine the kind of mischief little Sam probably got into.   “Thank you so much for letting me come visit and spend Thanksgiving with y’all.”  Hanging around Sam had caused her to pick up certain words and use them.  She wasn’t as twangy as Sam could get at times, but it was obvious that some of her words had started to get a bit of an accent to them.
She let out a hearty chuckle. “Oh honey, do I have some tales to tell about that one over there.  After dinner I’ll get out the photo albums.  It isn’t a proper Truitt Thanksgiving if someone isn’t getting just a bit embarrassed, and I think our Sammy is way overdue.” She gave her grandson a wink before she moved back around the counter.  “Now we’ll be ready to eat in about fifteen or twenty minutes tops.”  That meant it was time for parents to wrangle up the kids and get their hands washed and get them seated so they weren’t running under anyone as they brought the food to the table.  “Sam, why don’t you give Mercedes a little tour and also make sure none of your cousins are upstairs.”
Sam had to bite back his groan, knowing his granny would have his backside if he didn’t. He’d never brought a love interest home to meet his family. So he had actually escaped the baby picture embarrassment. There was no way anyone was gonna let him live it down either. So he nodded for Mercedes to follow him and started on his was to show her around.
——
The Truitt Thanksgiving meal was a spread worthy of Bon Appetit magazine it looked so good, and it tasted even better.  After Uncle Rhett said grace, the turkey was carved and the plates began getting prepared.   As the sides and bread began to pass around, the talking picked up. Kerrianne wanted to know all about New York, so she and Mercedes fell into an easy conversation about the pros and cons of living there.  The fact that Mercedes told her Tennessee was way safer and just an all around better place in comparison did not miss Granny Truitt’s ears.
The nerves that had been eating at Mercedes all morning had faded away for the most part.  Everyone was so nice, and there were some hilarious people in this family on top of it.  And the best part of it all, at least in her opinion, was watching Sam interact with his family.  There was an ease and almost childlike demeanor to him when he joked with his cousins or playfully got into it with his uncles on who was the best quarterback playing.  She’d catch herself every now and then just smiling at how happy he was in this environment.
What she was also grateful for was that no one questioned their relationship as being anything other than friends.  She knew that some were wondering, but they never brought it up, which she appreciated greatly.  Once bellies were full, the table was cleared and the family dispersed to different areas of the house.  Some to the den to resume football watching, others went outside to enjoy the back deck or go play out in the yard. For some unknown reason, baby Mason had taken to Mercedes and she was currently holding him as Granny Truitt showed her old pictures of Sam.  There was one of him buck naked except for a pair of cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, running out the front door.  He couldn’t have been more than two.  Apparently he was going through an au naturale phase she told her.  Mercedes couldn’t stop laughing, which made Mason laugh, and that only made her laugh even more.  Tears were in her eyes and was glorious.
“You’re pretty good with the little ones,” Ruby smiled.  “Sam is too.  He could get the twins to sleep even when I wanted to pull out my hair.  Twins run in our family too.” She liked Mercedes.  She fit in with the family and all their antics, and she didn’t even bat an eye to help out with the cleaning, even though she didn’t have to.  She also saw the way she looked at Sam when she thought no one was watching her.  She wasn’t sure what the two of them were trying to prove, but they weren’t fooling her in the least bit.
Mercedes shifted Mason so he was laying against her, his head on her shoulder.  He looked like he was getting tired so she was rubbing his little back.  “I used to babysit a lot in high school, even help Sam with the twins at times.” She smiled, thinking back on those times fondly.  “He’s an amazing big brother.”
“I agree.  He can be a bit stubborn at times though, set in his ways when he makes up his mind about something.  He gets that from his grandaddy.  He’s still young so he hasn’t fully learned that bending a little isn’t a bad thing.  It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.” She smiled as she put away the photo album.  “You two look at each other like no one else is in the room, did you know that?”
“No ma’am,” Mercedes replied softly, not sure if she was going to get a stern talking to or an interrogation about her intentions with Sam, but she hoped she wouldn’t be asked any questions, because lying to a grandmother to her face is probably an unwritten 11th commandment, separate from just the plain thou shall not bear false witness one.
Ruby chuckled, noticing the worried look on her face as she sat back down. “Oh hun, it’s not a bad thing as far as I’m concerned.  I’m glad he has someone that cares about him that deeply.  But y’all do need to talk about your feelings, because you’re not really fooling anyone with the whole friends thing.  And I know I’m just being a meddling ol’ woman, but you make that sweet grandson of mine smile like you hung the moon just for him.  And I’ve never seen anyone get all his corny jokes and think they’re funny too.  So I’m not sure if the timing isn’t right or maybe something else is going on that’s keeping y’all from saying you’re together, but let’s just say I wouldn’t mind having you back for some more family gatherings.”  She got up and gave Mercedes a wink.  “Looks like Mason is passed right on out, I can go put him in the crib if you want.”
“That’s okay, Miss Ruby, I’ve got him,” Mercedes said softly.  “Thank you for sharing those pictures and stories with me. And for the talk.”  It meant a lot to her that she knew how much she cared about Sam without her having to say it.  She made her way toward the room where Mason’s travel crib was set up so she could lay him down.
Sam had had his own talking to by his uncles and grandfather. He hadn’t stopped to examine too closely why he’d thought it would be a good idea to bring Mercedes to meet his family, but at the time, he’d just wanted her to meet them because she was important to him and so was his family. However, as his Grampa had pointed out, bringing someone to meet your family was the opposite of cooling things off, especially when it was so apparent to everyone else that he had feelings for Mercedes. So he hadn’t bothered to deny that part. He’d just pointed out that having feelings for someone didn’t mean that they should be together when their lives weren’t compatible. They’d argued with him about it, but no amount of counterpoints were going to make him think differently. So he’d excused himself and went in search of Mercedes, whom he’d found putting Mason down for a nap.
He stood in the doorway and just watched her with the baby, his love for her growing even stronger as he thought of what she’d one day be like with her own children. She’d always been so good with the twins. He had no doubt she’d excel at being a mother. It just really sucked that it wouldn’t be with him. He pushed the thoughts away and cleared his throat to announce his presence. “There you are. I came to see if you wanted to take a little walk with me before the sun sets and we get back on the road.”
She looked at the cute little boy as he slept, and it made her think about how much she wanted her own little family someday.  How she wouldn’t mind having a house just outside of a big city, with land for kids to run and play and climb trees.  But the problem is that she kept wanting Sam in that family, and she knew that wasn’t an option.  Miss Ruby meant well, and as wonderful as her words had been, she knew where she stood with Sam.  She was the ride or die bestie, and she’d probably end up in his wedding party with Blaine and Stevie.  She turned her head when she heard him, smiling slightly.  “Sure, let me turn on the baby monitor and we’ll go, okay?” She was glad he showed up before her brain went any further down the rabbit hole it was tumbling down.  She turned on the monitor sitting on the nightstand and then followed him out the room.
He waited as she turned on the monitor then led the way down to the back door. He told his Aunt, Patty, that he was going to show Mercedes around the farm before the sunset then he headed out the door with Mercedes behind him. “I hope you tell your brother that I didn’t feed you unseasoned, nasty food,” he joked after the peaceful quiet of their walk had stretched between them.
Mercedes laughed, her head shaking slightly,”He is a fool for sending you that.  But believe me, by the time I finish telling him about all the delicious food, he’s going to want to come down here and meet Miss Ruby.”  It was so peaceful out here. She had always thought she was a city girl, and she did like the city, but there was something so relaxing and nice about being away from all the buzzing and lights.
“That was probably one of the nicer things he’s ever sent me, if I’m honest,” Sam replied with a chuckle. It was weird to think that, even though his relationship and friendship with Mercedes was completely separate, he’d managed to get close to her brother in the years where they’d lost touch. It probably had to do with the fact that, until recently, she was a subject they avoided altogether. Sam didn’t ask any questions, and Royce didn’t volunteer any information. Once he didn’t have to fall into the protective older brother role, the older guy and Sam had just kind of reached a natural flow in their friendship. It was really something Sam had come to cherish. And if things were different, and he could end up with Mercedes for the long run, having that bond with her brother would make it all the better. “If he came to visit, I think he’d never leave. Plus, I don’t trust him with any of the Truitt women. He’d probably end up trying to sweet talk one, then I’d have to be the protective family member, and I don’t reckon I’d like that kind of role reversal.”
She was happy that Sam and Royce had stayed really good friends all these years. That was a positive outcome of their mutual and amiable breakup, that friendships could remain intact and that there was no drama or bad blood between them.  “I am not surprised at all. He has sent me some ridiculous stuff, and he tends to censor things with me like I’m still a teenager.” Which made her laugh softly.  “He definitely can’t be trusted around the women in your family, that’s a given.  I think Miss Ruby would get a kick out of him though.” She looked at him with a slightly worried look, mirth in her eyes. “Oh no, he’d probably get along with your uncles way too well.  That could be dangerous.”  It wasn’t lost on her that this was a talk that would happen if they were going to be together.  Blending families and who would get along with the other.  The impeccable battle of the grandmas that would happen via delicious baked goods.  A massive flag football game with all the cousins. It was nice to think about, but she knew it was unrealistic and selfish to hope.
“Definitely, my Granny would love him, and I can’t have anyone else vying for the spot of her favorite. I already have a gajillion cousins doing that. Beau is the closest on account of him and my granddaddy having the same name, but she loves us all ‘equally’ as she likes to say, but I know I’m up there at the top because my mama’s the baby of the family, and she was spoiled to hear the other’s tell it.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Royce would mess that right on up with his good looks and his flirtin nature.” He wasn’t even aware that as he spoke, his southern accent had become even more pronounced. It tended to happen whenever he was around his family for a long time. It was even worse when he was with the other Evanses. “Stevie already looks up to him way too much for my likin. So, I don’t need anymore competition.” He gave her a little grin and led the way over to the stables. He missed getting to take care of the horses even if he didn’t miss having to wake up before the sun to do it. “But I think everyone took a shine to you today, not just little Mason. You didn’t show fear. That was good,” he teased, but he was happy she fit in so well. If they were different people in a different life, he’d probably be proposing right now.
“Stevie is trying to be a thot in training, and I’ve told Royce he needs to stop influencing him.  However, I am thrilled that he has a girlfriend now, so he can stop trying to be my man.” She laughed and just shook her head as she remembered the last time she talked to Stevie. That boy was too much.  “And don’t tell Royce he’s good looking, he will start posing and primping around like a dang peacock.”  She followed behind him to the stables, marveling at the pretty horses that were there.  “Your family is amazing, Sam.  Everyone was so nice and welcoming.  And I don’t know why Mason likes me so much, maybe it’s the boobs.” She teased. “And you’re right, Beau might come for your number one spot with Miss Ruby, better stay on your toes.”  She could spend every night of her life like this, just walking and talking with him. It was so natural and easy, and she just felt happy.  “Which horse is yours?” She asked.
Her comments about his little brother made him laugh. He wanted to be annoyed with Stevie, but all in all, he and Stacy were pretty great siblings. “Well, I’d be mad, but the boy has good taste in ladies. My mom said his girlfriend is from a good family and very polite and sweet.” He looked out into the distance for a moment then turned back to her. “I love my family. It was why I missed Tennessee so much when I moved to Lima. I mean, you...and the others helped, but I knew I had to come back.” He glanced at her for a long moment then looked at the stables again. “If you were here...and like Blaine, it would be the most perfect place. I keep trying to talk my parents into moving back, but they don’t wanna move the twins. I get that, but I still wish they would.” He paused when they got to the doors and opened. “I don’t have one that’s just mine, but I’m pretty fond of that little filly over there. Her name is Ruby-Jean. My grandpa took one look at her and said she was as beautiful as the first time he seen my Granny. So they named her Ruby-Jean. She’s really gentle and sweet, but she’d got a stubborn streak. Just like my Granny...and you.” He said the last bit with a sly grin before he went over to the aforementioned horse.
She couldn’t look away from him when he mentioned how perfect it would be if she and Blaine were here too.  It felt like her heart had dropped and then slowly made its way back into her chest.  That wonderful feeling of awesomeness before reality snatched the dream away.  She couldn’t even entertain that idea for several reasons, one of them being she was going to be out of the country soon, and then graduating college, and who knew where she would be after that.  Maybe another tour? Maybe she’d finally get signed? There were so many maybes in her life, and Sam did not like maybes.  She was about to comment on how his grandpa Beau had to have mad game to get Miss Ruby, but then he had to throw in that last bit.  “Wait. Me? Stubborn? Surely you’re joking.”  She said as she put her hands on her hips.  Yes, she knew she was stubborn, but she didn’t want him pointing it out!  
Sam laughed loudly at how incredulous she was. “Yes, you. You are one of the most stubborn women I have ever met. It would actually be frustrating if you weren’t so dang nice and beautiful, and you know it. So you can wipe that surprised look off your gorgeous face and come meet the other stubborn filly in my life.” He whistled and called Ruby-Jean over to them, letting her nibble some of the oats he’d grabbed from nearby. “She’s a beauty isn’t she? She was born three summers ago. She’s nearly a full blown mare, but she’s still got a lot of filly in her.” He smiled and looked at Mercedes. “RJ, this here is MJ...no relation to the famous one,” he joked. “She’s gonna be famous one day and we’re gonna listen to her songs on the radio.”
He may not have known it, but her entire day was made by getting him to laugh like that.  She rolled her eyes at him, but was smirking the entire time as she moved closer to meet Ruby-Jean.  “She is gorgeous, Sam.” Her voice was soft as she gazed at the chestnut hued mare.  She nudged him gently with her elbow, laughing at him. “The famous part isn’t really important, I just want to share my music with people.  Also, we’re not stubborn women, we’re just determined and headstrong, right RJ?” She gave the horse a wink.
“I don’t know how anyone could hear you sing and not fall in love, Cedes. You have such an amazing gift, and it’s only gotten better with time,” he said sincerely. He could listen to her sing anything. He’d never met anyone as good as she was. “I just can’t believe a voice like that comes from anyone who isn’t like...some kind of weird half-angel/half-mythical creature hybrid.” He’d thought about making a graphic novel about a siren that bore a striking resemblance to Mercedes, but he just hadn’t gotten around to it. Maybe he should, though. It was the perfect storm for graphic novels that were more diverse.
She couldn’t say anything for almost a minute. She just stood there and looked at RJ, gently combing through her mane, until the burning from the tears that wanted to fall went away.  “You know you hype me up way too much, right.” She finally whispered out. “You’re going to have me thinking I’m all that and Miss Ruby’s cornbread dressing when I go back to New York.” Which she had been repeatedly reminded over the last several years that she was not.  Her voice wasn’t marketable enough on it’s own, she wasn’t what they were looking for, or the usual was check back after she lost 50 pounds.  She wanted to be accepted as she was, and even though it wasn’t happening the way she wanted career wise, she knew her friends and family, the people that knew and loved her, they did.  “Sounds like another character you can add to your king and queen from different kingdoms novel.”  She loved the way Sam’s brain worked, his imagination and the way he could create some of the most beautiful characters and art she had ever seen.
Sam smiled when he looked at her again. “I’m saying it because it’s true! I know it takes a long time for some people to really get into the music business, but I know when it happens, it’s gonna be huge,” he said, jokingly mimicking Donald Trump’s favorite saying. “But seriously, what’s up with the people in New York? In Nashville, you’d be on your third album. I’m sure of it.” He paused a moment and wondered why, in all of this time, he’d never considered that she could get her break in Nashville. It was just really random that neither of them had ever mentioned the possibility. Now he was certain that that had more to do with the fact that neither of them had truly wanted to “make it work.” “Though, going on tour with PMJ is like hella impressive. So, someone must have ears.”
“When has anyone signed with a record label from Nashville and put out a soul or R & B album though?  I could probably get signed with a gospel label, but I’m not really trying to be the next Yolanda Adams.  I’ve got way too many songs that have nothing to do with praising the Lord.” She chuckled softly.  “Even though y’all are getting more famous folks living here.  Justin Timberlake.  And did you know Jill Scott lives in Nashville?”  She probably shouldn’t have shared that info, Sam loved him some Jill Scott. “But who knows really, the New York angle isn’t working at all.  I am so lucky that the PMJ tour worked out, and I’m really hoping one of the songs Kelly put on the album gets radio play.  Once I graduate, there isn’t much keeping me in New York.  I feel that Santana is going to move to be closer to Finn once she’s done with this semester.  Maybe not back to Lima, but there are some good schools that are close.  I’m sure Puck isn’t going to care, he’ll probably be relieved.”
Sam’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know much about the music scene around here, but I know there are some R&B artists and like some other soul type music I hear a lot but don’t know the name for.” He scratched at his chin. “Yeah, I did know. I’ve resisted looking her up though. I wanna give her time to heal from her divorce then I’ll slide on in there like ‘hey, you ever think about dating a younger man?’ Think that’ll work?” he joked, shaking his head. “I’m sure that your shot’s coming. Next year is gonna be your year. Mark my words.” He didn’t like the idea of her being alone in New York, but he had no idea what she should do. “Blaine might be there next year. Then you’ll be in one place, and I can get some besties’ time in all at one time.”
“Boy if you do that, I need to have screen caps so I can see what she says.  I mean, you a fine looking man, Jill might take you up on the offer.” She chuckled and then tilted her head, making a face. “So 2018 is going to be my year, huh? I’m going to hold you to it too. If it ends up sucking, I’m moving into your guest room on January 1, 2019.”  She turned to look at RJ. “You have my permission to kick him in the butt if next year ends up being anything less than amazing, okay?  Not too hard though, he doesn’t have a lot of padding back there.”
“I’ll show you if...she doesn’t turn me down.” He tilted his head back and laughed again. “No way am I gonna show you proof that she shot me down like a hurt deer needing to be put out of his misery.” He sobered a little and shook his head as he looked at her. “If I’m wrong, you can move in...rent-free.” He liked the idea of her living with him, and he knew that was just a terrible idea. “Hell, if you’re still in New York, and Santana does actually move, then you should just come be my roommate anyway. How fun would that be?”
“Aww, my poor Sammy. If she turns you down I promise I will tell her that she’s missing out on being with the most amazing man and it is her loss.” She raised her eyebrow, amused slightly. “One, you know I’d never stay with you rent free. Two, I think your neighbors would move out if I moved in,” she laughed, keeping the mood light, even though her heart was nearly doing somersaults and screaming ‘do it’ in her chest.  Her brain, ever the buzzkill, was reminding her of all the reasons that would be a bad idea.  She could only imagine how their parents would chew them out if they were living together but no ring or commitment on the table.  “It would be fun though, we’d have the best Titans watch parties for away games.  Ooh, I wonder if they’d let me sing the national anthem? Maybe we could get season tickets?”
“Maybe I should have you write me a letter of recommendation. You can tell her how funny and sexy I am, and how good I am at laying it down.” He paused and started doing body rolls as a demonstration. “Tell her about my sweet moves,” he joked with a laugh. “Nah, it’d be totally fine...especially if you can get us some season tickets.”
She just shook her head at him, doing her best to hide a giggle. “Okay now you’re asking me to do too much, sir.” She was grinning though, so he knew she was teasing.  “I’ll let her know you have a thing for thick thighs, and that your public dance moves have nothing to do with your private skills.”  She gave RJ a few more loving scratches around her face before she moved to see the sun as it started to lower into the horizon.  Even though they were joking around, the idea of Sam being with someone else put a knot in her stomach.  She thought back on the evening of girl talk she and Quinn had not long ago, how she had told the gorgeous blonde that she knew Sam would find his perfect girl someday, and she’d be happy and supportive. Smile even though your heart is breaking, right?  “It’s so beautiful here,” she said softly.
“Oh am I? I don’t think so. You’re the one that would know best.” He grinned at her, shaking his head. He wished it could just be her and that this was another time where they could just be together, but he also reminded himself she’d never even brought up being together, and she’d just almost married someone else not five months ago. It was great to reconnect and all, but she could’ve easily been Mrs. Puckerman right now. It was just that easy. He didn’t think that she still had feelings for Puck, but he was sure she wasn’t even thinking about settling down right now. For one, she was about to go on a tour. Plus, he knew her. She wasn’t one to just hop from relationship to relationship. She was probably just having a bit of fun or something. It didn’t upset him because this wasn’t something either of them planned. It was just something that had kind of occurred. It was nice, and sometimes it felt like they were just drawn to one another no matter how hard he tried to resist. Only the truth of the matter was that he didn’t try to resist her at all. He’d probably given up on that the second she’d shown up at his door in that UPS outfit, and he hadn’t even bothered to wait until they got his room to be inside of her. So, it was kind of a lost cause. “Yeah, I used to want to own this place someday, but it’s not really a functioning farm anymore. It’s just been in my family for three generations, and my Uncle Rhett’s gonna take it over because Uncle Vern doesn’t want it.”
She wished that she could bare her heart and soul to him, confess all her fears, hopes, and dreams.  But to open herself up that way would leave her with no protection when he had to say that they just wouldn’t work.  At least with her keeping part of herself to herself, she could save him from having to go through that talk with her again.  Once had been more than enough.  “That’s good that it will stay in the family.” She looked at him and smiled. He was so unbelievably handsome, and she really wanted to kiss him, but that would be very inappropriate.  “We should probably head back to the house before they send out a search party.”  Or before she said or did something she shouldn’t.
Looking at her with the sun setting behind her at his grandparents’ farm was kind of breathtaking. It was kind of something he’d always dreamed about when they’d been in high school, bringing her here to meet his family. He’d always imagined he’d have a big ol’ ring, and he drop to his knee and ask her to be his wife. It kind of made the pit of his stomach knot nervously because for a moment, he worried he’d just blurt out his thoughts, and that was trouble. He reminded himself to calm down because he didn’t want to ruin the moment. It was just so intimate, and he couldn’t tear himself away. He moved closer to her, telling himself in his mind that he shouldn’t want to kiss her right now, especially after he told himself that they weren’t meant to be. But she was standing there before him, and she was just so beautiful. “Yeah, probably...but hang on. I just wanna…” He didn’t finish the sentence in favor of pressing his lips to hers.
Had he been thinking the same thing she was? It wouldn’t be the first time.  She would’ve laughed about it if she wasn’t so caught up in kissing him back.  This wasn’t a hot and heavy kiss that would lead to intense sex.  This was a tender, sweet, full of a lot of unspoken emotions kiss.  All the words that she knew she couldn’t say to him, she mentally said them in that moment.  Everything about today, meeting his family, talking to Miss Ruby, being loved on by Mason, and meeting RJ was so perfect and amazing, she felt like she was seeing a glimpse of what she wanted her future to be, and it was beautifully overwhelming.  She let her hand find his, threading her fingers between his own.
The kiss transported him for a moment to the land where this was real, and she was his. They were happy and had a future so bright before them that they needed shades. He kissed her with all of the emotions he felt in that make believe world, relaying to her feelings that he couldn’t speak into existence for fear of shattering the fragile bubble they’d carefully constructed around themselves. He felt her hand in his, and he gentled the kiss, pulling back. He brushed her hair back from her face and ran his thumb over her full lips before he tugged slightly at her hand. “Come on, let’s get inside,” he said softly, leading her back towards the house.
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