#but i don't find safety anywhere like i do in the woods

[forestofsprites]

a few photos from today:]

#i love adding new woodland spaces to my little love list #(it is not a little list) #but i don't find safety anywhere like i do in the woods #i mean. i've been heavily observed by a bear and all sorts but #in the sense of- there are no obligations in the woods #the life of me is as . i don't know.. just in situ!! it's as gently existent as everything- and boy is there a lot of everything- #around me #there are no people there are no expectations there's no mirroring of the face or tone checking in my voice #my life isn't being put up against anything #i'm just there #and everything else is there too #and we're all just fucking there #i know that i'm alive when i'm in the woods #and it's undeniable that i am surrounded and enveloped by it likewise #that we are all part of this extensive energy chain #i find a lot of comfort and comradery in the whole thing #woods!!!! can't wait to go back tomorrow!!! #my photos #nature #mushrooms #fungi #autumn

[tgirlwithreverb]

I saw that post about what to do if you're homeless again (the one that starts by telling you to spend all of your money on motel rooms lmao) anyway, here's a few thoughts, specifically for trans girls, cuz I don't really care otherwise tbh:

1) plan ahead, most trans girls are in precarious housing situations, you will have a much easier time when it falls apart if you already have a pack with most of the gear you need in it. Also, if you find yourself in a situation where you cant make rent, dont pay part of it, spend that money on gear, pocket the rest and leave, youll have a much nicer time. Look up your local eviction laws, you have plenty of time. (Gear list at the end)

2) travel! If you're in Arizona in May, leave. it's about to be hot as hell. If you're in Michigan in October, leave. It's about to be cold as hell. If you're in a big city, leave. It's way easier to be homeless pretty much anywhere else. Amtrak is cheaper and more comfortable than greyhound, hitchhiking is free and easy, if you're alone it's not that much slower than the previous two, and it's more fun, and sometimes people buy you food or whatever or give you money. I promise it's not scary and you're entirely capable of doing it, no matter who you are. 95+% of people who will pick you up are very nice. All you have to do is take the bus out of town, as far down the highway you can, to an exit with a truck stop if possible, then just stand on the side of the road with your thumb out until someone picks you up. You can stand at the bottom of the ramp(on the highway) near where the merge lane ends or at the top of the ramp(where there's usually a traffic light), the former is more likely to lead to cop interactions but will maybe get you a ride faster, check on hitchwiki for how the cops are in the area. don't be afraid to take a commuter bus or Amtrak to get out of a shitty cop area

3) skip shelters if you can (they are very occasionally a decent place to get stuff from) and encampments, good places to sleep include the trees near railroad tracks or highways, wooded areas behind shopping centers, sections of parks without paths, overgrown empty lots. Hang a tarp above you if there's an appreciable chance of rain, there's tons of YouTube tutorials on how to do this, maybe I'll make a post about what I usually do some day. There are many habits more fun than motel rooms, save your money for them lmao.

4) get on food stamps. This is easier in some places than others, but it makes the whole thing a lot easier. Just tell them you're homeless, if they don't give you a card the same day, you can probably ask to pick it up from that office, alternatively some drop in centers/day shelters can receive mail for you, or you can have it sent to general delivery(USPS service, look it up)

7) libraries are great for charging your phone and using wifi, but also keep an eye out, plenty of random outlets on the outsides of buildings are also powered

5) dumpster. sidewalk trash cans, Aldi, Einstein's, trader Joe's, pizza places, etc. You need to develop a bit of a sense for it but it's an easy way to get cooked food or travelling food or expensive food without spending resources. Also it's fun.

6) water is free, go into the bathroom of any gas station or grocery store in America(offer not valid in most big cities or on the west coast, but in that case just go to the library) and fill up your water bottle

8) hygiene notes: truckers get free showers from chain truck stops(loves, pilot/flying j) go there and ask them. convenient if you're hitchhiking, also you don't need to shower 3 times a day, really, you'll survive. Ditto with deodorant. Take care of your teeth though. Take your socks off every. day. Change them consistently. Safety razors give a good shave, work well without adequate water pressure, and the replacement blades are very stealable, they're kind of heavy though. Walmart makes these electric razors for women that take AA batteries and are pretty light but give a worse shave, also they kinda go through batteries, pick whatever works for you(cartridge razors suck)

9) traveling food notes: peanut butter is great, tortillas and bagels travel pretty well, tuna packets are pretty good protein for traveling(the ones with rice and beans or whatever are nice since theyre often the same price as the regular), condiment packets are free, hot sauce makes everything better, and mayo goes well with tuna and has a bunch of calories in it, salad dressing packets are free from truck stops and work well turning the Walmart shredded vegetable packages (labeled for making into slaw, next to the bagged salads) into a salad with real vegetables(not iceberg lettuce) in it or mixing in with tuna packets for even more calories than mayo

Gear world:

Necessary items(in order of importance): a gallon of water carrying capacity(an Arizona jug or other twist top jug is conventional, but a bladder+arizona bottles also works), a tarp(larger than 6'x9', not brightly colored), a hank of parachord, a sleeping bag (20° rated, synthetic insulation), a backpack with a padded hip belt(at least 50L, no more than 75), rain gear(a rain poncho might cover your pack too, a rain jacket can help with wind when its cold, a trash bag inside or outside your pack can keep it dry, a plan to watch the weather and not get caught also works), a z-fold foam sleeping pad, three pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear (at least one pair of boxer breifs strongly recommended if you arent incredibly skinny), a decent pair of shoes with good arch support, a functional jacket(skip if you got a rain jacket before), a base layer(wool or poly, absolutely no cotton)

Convenient items: a sleeping bag liner(cotton free, keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer), gallon zip locks to pack your stuff in(helps keep it dry and organized), no more than one change of clothes(as light as possible), a multi-tool(can opener, pliers, wire cutter), lighter(burning rope ends etc), spoon, floss and needles for patching

#anyway #not all encompassing or whatever #feel free to add your own tips but ill make fun of you if theyre stupid

[wannastayugly]

After watching Blood Origin, I kept wondering "what if the storyteller chose to show itself to Jaskier as Geralt?", and then this little thing happened. I hope you enjoy!

-

"Hello?" he whispered, getting no response. Elves and soldiers stood in place, stopped in the middle of a deadly dance.

Jaskier gets up from the bloody floor, with a heartbeat so desperate he could hear it in that deafening silence that had suddenly taken the battlefield. A fear he knew too well tightening his throat.

"Hello?" He calls, louder this time.

Jaskier had never been one to appreciate silence. It was a hard truth to admit: that while bringing music and warmth to others, the thing he craved the most was filling his own ears with their voices, whether they were singing back or telling him to leave, and that, while doing that, the bard had never really learned how to hear nor deal with his own thoughts, much less to be on his own.

Now, looking around, not really knowing what he is looking for, he feels the tears starting to come out and he closes his eyes, allowing them to wash away the dirty on his cheeks as a soldier stares in his direction, but doesn't really see him. No one to perform to tonight.

"I'll haunt you, witcher!" he roars. His chest aching. "Do you hear me? Maybe if you had treated me a little better, I'd never have tried to play hero!" I'd never have tried to be more like you.

He falls to his knees, covering his face and pulling his own wet hair with his tied hands. I don't want this to be how I end, he thinks. And he hurts his throat screaming one more time. Anger, desperation and fear taking him whole.

"Geralt!" don't leave me alone.

"Hello Sandpiper" a familiar voice reaches him, and Jaskier lets out a scream of fright as he immediately gets up and takes five steps back, almost falling to the floor when he stumbles on a death man. And then he sees him. His eyes go wide.

Geralt looks at him with the ghost of a gentle smile on his lips. He is wearing his usual black clothes. White hair falling in front of his face, moving with the wind. Jaskier's mouth is half-open, but he doesn't pronounce any sound. There's a moment of relief, a moment of wanting to run to that man and feel those strong arms around him again; to go back to the safest place he had ever known. But that moment doesn't last long, because that can't be him.

Jaskier wonders if that's just how angels look like when they come to guide you into the afterlife, then: safety. And, somewhere between the mess that is his mind, somehow he finds the strength to laugh at himself, because, if that's right, then even the angels know he'd follow Geralt again, anywhere, and that he'd do it with gratitude.

"Am I dead?" he asks, sounding like defeat. The angel denies. "What are you?"

"I'm many things. Many faces, many places" the white-haired man walks slowly, getting closer. Jaskier feels his heartbeat going fast again, frozen in place not by magic but by something else that had always been inside him, but he had always been too coward to name. And as the man approaches him, so close he can feel his breath over his face, that something screams even louder.

"Why do you look like him?" Jaskier whispers, lost in those golden eyes like a stupid moth attracted by light. But Jaskier already knew why.

I'd follow him anywhere.

"Because you love him"

The creature disappears. Becomes wind. And the next second Jaskier sees himself in the middle of the woods, in another place, maybe another time, and under daylight. He feels nauseous. The elven lady talks to him in a calm, gentle tone. A storyteller, he learns. And she tells him the story of seven warriors who came together to fight for their people, a story he is meant to sing to the people the Sandpiper now protects. But there's also something else there. Something that tears him apart.

"I know why you chose me" he says when she is done, impatient, reading what he just wrote, "It's not only because I'm helping them, is it? It's this… This stupid, tragic love story. But you're wrong about us. You're wrong, because we were never like this."

But when he looks up, the woman isn't there anymore. It's him. Close. His nose touching his. And Jaskier feels like a fool because his heart skips a beat; because he holds his breath, and because, even though he knows that isn't really Geralt, he can't help but being inebriated by the sight of him; can't help but wanting to press their lips together and taste his tongue as that thing tears his clothes apart and makes him his.

"You two are way more like them than you realize."

And just like that, Jaskier is back in the battlefield, surrounded by blood, screams, swords and arrows, with the papers in his hands being the only proof of the reality of what he had just heard and seen.

-

PART II

#geraskier #jaskier the bard #geralt of rivia #fic

[dawndelion-winery]

Hello, I’m not quite sure how to request on here since I’m new to Tumblr but may I request headcanons for platonic Scaramouche, Childe, Diluc and Albedo with isekai’d reader? Like how did they meet, got close and what’s their friendship dynamic? I hope this was specific enough for you to understand and you may add more if you like :3

Have a good day and congrats on finishing your tests!

Greetings, fresh blood. I hope you're acclimating to our lovely lil hellsite well

Friend from Afar

Platonic!Isekai! Ft. Scaramouche, Childe, Diluc, Albedo

Scaramouche:

"Stop fucking crying over this wife-ai, just remarry or something, geez."

He leads you to where slimes are hidden and then hides at the side to watch you run

"Hit them with a stick!" he yells, knowing full well that won't work because they're slimes

Was cackling until you ran into Wolvendom and alerted the rifthounds

Panicked sprinting to save his emotional support idiot

Just crashes and barrel rolls to safety with you, holding your hand tightly as he continues to drag you away from the hounds

Scolds you for cutting his fun short and getting in trouble but you can see the subtle relax in his body language telling you he's relieved you're ok

He'd met you on a mission, some lost rando close to tears, hiding amidst foliage

He took you in because you reminded him of himself when he'd wandered around after being abandoned

He slips into the role of asshole older sibling like that pretty easily

Tells you he regrets it every day but you both know he's joking

You're a pain in the ass but you're his favourite pain in the ass

Childe:

He was absolutely terrified when he'd lost sight of Teucer, begging the traveller to help him look

And then he found you playing with the kid and he'd never felt so relieved

Sure, he was suspicious of you, but Teucer seemed to like you, and that was enough for him for the time being

You eventually become his go-to babysitter whether you like it or not since you seem to know so much about how to handle his little brother and him

He also picks up on modern terminology from you, for better or worse

"Ajax, Teucer threw up on me when I gave him vegetables."

"And you cleaned it up, that is very slay of you, bestie, I promise I'll pay you well."

You often joke about how you're friends with him for the money, to which he says you're stuck with him since he has an endless supply of it

Diluc:

Why the fuck were you catching crystalflies in his vineyard?

Was that Venti with you-

Some stranger in clothes he wasn't even sure were anywhere around Teyvat was leading an archon around his vineyard....catching insects....

"I fucking swear, Kaeya, if this is anything to do with you-"

Probably isn't surprised you know his name since he's pretty famous

However you knowing the details of Crepus' death is a different story and you're taken in for questioning

Only for him to find you're pretty harmless on your own

Well, you had valuable information, it would only make sense he kept an eye on you

He swears his hair is turning white prematurely because of you but won't stop looking out for you anyway

"No, the hilichurls are not our tragic friends they atta- GET AWAY FROM THE MITACHURL!"

Please give him a break

Albedo:

I don't know why you'd think Dragonspine was a good place to start exploring but you do you, bestie

Of course you're suffering from sheer cold

You're lucky you dress funky in Teyvat, or Albedo probably wouldn't have thought much of a strange adventurer while he was out getting some wood

You come to in his workspace, warmed by a fire as he sketches your strange clothes

He's quick to bombard you with questions at first, but stops himself, apologising for overwhelming you

Klee seems to take an interest in you, so he has you stick around to help entertain her while he works

It's like a small, bustling family

Until the older brother's boyfriend shows up

It's your job to keep Klee away from the bad influence known as Kaeya Alberich while Albedo has his fun

It's not always easy, but it's honest work /hj

Taglist[send an ask to be added/removed]: @myluvkeiji @pluvioseprince @aqui-soba @euphoric-author @paradise-creator @favonius-captain @tiredsleep @raincxtter @serenenation @loverofthe-stars @gensimping-for-all @irethepotato @almond-adeptus @mx-kamisato @yuzuricebun @chaosinanutshell @howlantic @codename-hiraeth @andreiling01 @callmemeelah @stunningstratagem @sadlonelybagel @plinkuro

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #Scaramouche #childe #tartaglia #diluc #albedo #Scara #scaramouche x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #diluc x reader #albedo x reader #genshin scaramouche #genshin scara #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #genshin diluc #genshin albedo #winery specials

[folightening]

What if we ran away

Hetalia - Portswiss

It was his favorite place to run to: somewhere that didn't exist. A place where he wasn't Prince João. Where he and Vash could be together without having to hide.

"I thought this might have been where you ran off to."

João looked at Vash for a moment before turning his gaze back to the leaves dancing in the wind.

"Their Majesties weren't happy with you running off the way you did."

"I know."

Vash sat by him and comfortable silence reigned between them. For a minute he remained where he was, watching the clouds pass by as leaves danced in the wind. Then he got up and changed position so he was lying with his head in Vash's lap.

"We should run away."

"To where?"

"Away."

"Surely you have a more specific location in mind."

"Anywhere as long as you're with me."

Silence stretched on and João peered up at Vash to find him staring away, the color of his cheeks giving away how flustered he was. It was always so easy to fluster Vash.

"They would send the others after us," Vash finally said. "We would have to leave the kingdom, and even there we'd have to stay in hiding. It would be completely different from the life you've had."

"New and exciting."

"Until you tire of it." Vash pet his hair. "I don't think a life in hiding is for you."

"I could never tire of a life with you."

This time he got to watch as the lovely pink returned to Vash's cheeks.

"Okay. We run away. We avoid all the knights sent after us and make it to safety. What then?"

"You tell me. Where do you bring me?"

For a few long moments Vash was silent. João closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Vash's fingers in his hair.

"There's a cottage nestled in trees part way up the mountain."

"Describe it for me."

"An abundance of flowers surround the building, and the old path is faded and overgrown. Old, made of stone and wood. It's small and cozy but big enough for two. The opposite of your lavish castle."

The image João had was more than likely not what Vash was describing. But it was beautiful: a hideaway where they could ignore the rest of the world and be them. A fantasy to retreat to where he and Vash could live the life they wanted.

"Take me there."

Vash stroked his cheek.

"If only I could."

#hetalia #portswiss #aph portugal #aph switzerland #hws portugal #hws switzerland #portswiss prince & knight #fol stuff

[analyzingadventure]

Well I'm only like 6 months behind everyone else playing Survive but better late than never! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

So here's a quick ramble about my thoughts on the game so far!

I've just reached the early parts of Part 4, but I encountered some vague spoilers deeper in the game by accident which kinda reframe things, so Spoilers up to Part 4 with an Asterisk*

Quick note: I am doing a blind-playthrough right now and once done I'll go back and replay the game (with a guide probably) for the other endings. You don't have to send me any confirmations or explanations on how things work, thank you.

I'm definitely enjoying the game a lot so far, it's so hard to put it down once I get going. I will complain that Part 1 especially seemed to repeat its own dialogue a lot, the characters speaking in aimless circles, which WAS quite frustrating since this is a visual novel, the dialogue IS the whole gameplay, but that issue seems to have solved itself by now and I'm glad for it

I do also find it quite funny how Survive really did just take the basic set up of Adventure, scrub some details out and change the tone of the story before calling it a day. Like that's really funny to me. I don't mind it at all, I love the File Island arc so getting what is essentially a fresh retelling of that story is super fun, especially since the tone is completely different. Grabbing the "fun adventure" and taking it entirely seriously, in kind of a realistic way (like, what would you do if you were in this situation-kinda way) is really interesting, it's a fun re-exploration of Adventure's story and I love watching it unfold.

I will say that I did find it annoying how Takuma and co showed no concern for Kaito and Miu so far. Like, yes, to be fair, they just met the two and knew each other for maybe like 15 minutes before getting isekai'd, so it's understandable they weren't super concerned, but also, they were worried about the Professor, and they knew him for even less time. And yes, of course, they're kids, they're going to want to reach out to the only adult nearby since adults = safety and that's what the kids want the most, but also. Miu is a small child out there on her own. It does bother me how nobody showed any concern for her (or Kaito), let alone seemed to remember them, until Kaito gave them a deadline to give a fuck. Hell, even when the kids heard there was a small child lost in the dangerous woods, none of them offered to go help look for her, instead insisting on going to the fucking radio tower instead. Like!! The radio tower isn't going anywhere, it'll still be there!! But Miu's life might have a timer on it!! God!!

That whole thing bothered me a lot, but in the end, it doesn't matter, it was a weird writing decision but it's not a big deal.

What is a big deal is that Agumon is the cutest, sweetest little thing I have ever seen and I would die for him.

All the Digimon are cute in fact, I love them so much.

(Although, I'm sorry, but everytime I see Dracumon I lose my shit because the way he grins he reminds me of Sans Undertale)

Also I love the evolutions they picked for all the Digimon (aside from Agumon since he has Options (I got Tyrannomon! ✌️✨ Oira-shock real)), I love how our Sweet Little Puppi Labramon evolves to metal ass Dobermon, and I was fucking hysterical losing my absolute shit over Vegiemon last night. I did not expect that and it was so fucking funny- like sure, new Digimon would have been cool, but also it's so great that they picked old Digimon to use instead of making some extremely tailored evolutions for each kid's partner. It's so fun and I love that, even when/because the evolutions are so unconventional.

Also RIP Kunemon I'm sorry I couldn't save Ryo. You poor little thing, I'm so sorry. (I'm assuming I could've saved Ryo if I had talked with him more? I mean from the get-go I saw this child Had Some Issues so I tried to talk with him every chance I got and I did, I had a pretty decent Affinity going with him by the end, but there was a part where Ryo was being just Too Douchey to Kunemon, where I told him off for it. That resulted with him being so pissed off he left and became unavailable to talk to for the rest of the Free Action section. So I'm guessing it's because of that section that Ryo died? Welp I guess I'll find out on the next playthrough)

BTW it's really funny that the Arukenimon Amongus Sus meme I did for Ghost Game could've been used for Survive too lmao

Also the Gazimon t-posing over the collapsed Professor was funnier than it had any right to be dfjghsjfdhg

The funniest thing that happened to me so far though is that I actually believed Survive wouldn't have Piemon, especially not as a potential evolution/party member. Like I knew Survive would scale back the amount of Digimon they'd use in this game (compared to like Cyber Sleuth), so I just assumed that Piemon would get cut. So early in the game when you could start recruiting Digimon, I, for a long ass time, evoided Gotsumon, since early on the cutscenes and battles alike it was just Gotsumon after Gotsumon after Gotsumon- like I was kind of sick of the guy, so I intentionally didn't try to recruit one. Can you imagine my fucking face when the other night I finally recruited a Gotsumon (after failing to get a Numemon so many times (I really wanted a Numemon!! ;_;)), looked at the evolution possibilities, and immidiately saw fucking Piemon right there, sitting amongst the options. The one Digimon I had really wanted (but didn't think I could actually get), right there, under my nose, this whole time, just behind a Digimon I was avoiding out of spite.

Anyway here's the Asterisk Part, look away if you don't want potential post Part 4 spoilers

Okay so a while back I accidentally did find out that there was a Piemon as a character in the game. I made sure to Look Away before I could learn any real context about the character or what he's like, I just became aware that there is, in fact, Piemon in Survive.

And then I found out (also by accident) that he's voiced by Chiikao Ootsuka's son, Akio Ootsuka

(Chiikao Ootsuka was the voice of OG Piemon and Apocalymon. Mind you, the last voiced Piemon character we had had between Adventure and Survive was Chiikao reprising his role in the Adventure PSP Game, so the fact that they got his son to do his father's character... That's so fucking sweet) ((Disclaimer I don't actually know if the Piemon/VoltoBautamon in next 0rder was voiced but that's besides the point))

Since I am a One Piece fan, I do know Akio's voice as he's the voice of Blackbeard. I could recognize the "zehahaha" anywhere

So when I reached the opening cutscene to Part 4 last night, I was losing my absolute marbles when we meet the mysterious, shrouded Digimon

Like at first I was like "is that a new Digimon?? A Demon Lord???" since the shroud reminded me of Demon's cloaked form

But then the fucker spoke

And I noticed the fucking card suit decorations on his cloak, and the blue fucking ribbons sticking out from underneath, and the entire shape of the figure being so conveniently shaped in general

And then as the fucker spoke more I could hear the rasp of the zehahaha peaking through and I just

I KNOW WHO YOU ARE YOU SON OF A BINCH

OH YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'M GOING TO WRECK YOUR ASS

YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET TO THAT SHITTY CIRCUS TENT

Anyway those are my general thoughts on the game so far; having a great fucking time, can't wait to play more

#Text post #Survive

[jupote]

Chapter Two: Legend Creates A Time Paradox In The Name Of Arson

<- Chapter 1 Archive

It had been almost a week since being in Legends world. They were now in Skys Hyrule, in the Faron Woods to be exact. Sky said they were somewhere in the Deep Woods, which he thought was a very accurate name for where they were. The trees were tightly packed together and if it weren’t for Skys weirdly intimate understanding of the woods, they would’ve been ambushed a dozen times by now. 

Even though it had been some time since their fight, he and Wild were still on tense terms with each other, the lingering resentment from the argument carrying over even a week later. Legend felt terrible now that he's had time to calm down. They hadn't been particularly close to begin with but Legend knew he didn't want to leave the two of them on bad terms, especially not when Wild was their cook. Legend knew what he had to do to make it up to Wild and he knew how to execute it. Would he get in so much trouble for it? Oh absolutely; he would be surprised if Time or Twilight didn’t kill him on the spot for it. But would it be worth it to not be on Wild’s bad side? Of course.

“Hey Sky!” Legend called out to the skyward hero who was leading their group. Said hero slowed down, giving Legend a sleepy smile. Legend only felt slightly bad as he bothered him. He had been rudely woken up by the world switch, they all had been, but Sky needed the most sleep of the group. Along with being woken up, he was immediately forced to lead the group to a safer area, given that this land was his Hyrule. Luckily, the area they were in wasn’t too dangerous, just a hassle to navigate. Sky threw his arm over Legends shoulder, pulling the slightly shorter hero to his right side in a hug. That was something Legend would never get used to, how casually Sky was willing to give others affection. It was completely alien to most of them, aside from Wind and Time, who reveled in the free affection. 

It was no use trying to fight the affection, Sky was like a blob. Once he got his hands on you, it was impossible to get him off. Everyone has been a victim of Skys night time cuddles a handful of times, some even needing to be saved from the evil clutches of his warm hugs. Legend didn’t even try fighting to get out, knowing he’d need to use every act of camaraderie to get Sky to agree to what he wanted to do. “So Sky, this forest is pretty… forest-y, right? There’s trees and… and grass. And that’s some forest-y stuff if I’ve ever seen some.” He started.

Sky, the ever patient and calm person he is, nodded along. “Yeah, the deep woods are some of the best forests you’ll ever see. There’s a dragon in the Ancient Cistern, her name’s Faron, and she watches over Faron woods. Since the deep woods are close to her cistern she makes sure to keep the forest very foresty to keep it hidden. The first time I came down here I was overwhelmed by how green and lively everything was, nothing like Skyloft." He rambled, starting to lean on Legend as he started getting more fatigued. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, since this forest is so plant-y and so tree-y and there's a bushy-ness everywhere, why don't I help you make it less… green. Make it a little less dense?"

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Well, you see. In my world, we do this thing to help the forest. When it gets too dense and younger plants have trouble growing properly or monsters get too out of hand, we do a special… uh- ceremony to help lessen the planty-ness and tree-y-ness for the health of the forest."

"Oh? Does it really work?"

"It does! Apparently we've been doing it for centuries and the forests are completely healthy and new seedlings can easily find purchase anywhere!"

"You have to tell me what the ceremony is! I'm sure Faron would love to see the forest thriving and monster free!"

"Well, the ceremony is kind of dangerous. You have to make sure all animals get to a safe spot and set up safety precautions so the… ceremony doesn't get out of hand." Legend doesn't think he's fibbed this hard since his third adventure. Even then, you could hardly call what he did fibbing. Sky seemed to buy it though, he was completely immersed in this ceremony that Legend was offering.

"That should be easy. There's not a lot of animals down here aside from the Kikwi, but they'll happily move somewhere safe if we ask nicely. And for safety precautions then we could ask the others to-"

"No! I mean- we can't ask them to help! It's uh, it's customary for the- for the um…" Legend fumbled. Crap, I didn't think this far ahead!

Luckily he was saved when a voice popped up on Sky's left. "It's customary for the owner of the forest to entrust one or two people to the task. They have to meet every requirement and make sure the forest doesn't get destroyed. Isn't that right, Legend?"

Legend almost choked on his own spit as the voice of Four scared him pantless. (He never wore pants, but that's besides the point.) When did Four get there?! How long had Four been there?! He'd been there long enough to know what Legend was doing based on the look on his face. Legend would look into that later, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth when the gift horse was three feet tall and giving him a mischievous glare. "Yes! How did you know Four? The owners' not even allowed to help, they have to trust the individuals to do a thorough job."

"I didn't know you knew about this ceremony Four! Is it really as effective as Legend says?"

"Incredibly so. The King let my grandfather do it once when he was younger and it was definitely interesting to watch."

"Really? Now you have to tell me Legend, I'll pass this information over to Faron and let her know that I'll gladly help."

Legend barely kept himself from tensing up as Sky volunteered to do it. Legend almost felt guilty for lying to their first ascendant but oh well. It couldn't be helped. "Oh uh, since you're friends with the owner of the forest then you can give permission for the ceremony! No need to bother such an important dragon for such a small ceremony!" 

Sky was deeply interested in the ceremony, no longer looking like he was about to fall over from exhaustion. He opened his mouth again, maybe to ask more questions but Legend beat him to it. "I'll tell you about the ceremony when we get to somewhere safe to camp, yeah? That way you can immediately assign someone or two to do it." And I don't have to worry that someone might eavesdrop and stop me. He wouldn't say that last part out loud as he looked at Four.

Four had the smuggest look Legend has ever seen on his tiny face. Sky nodded along, seemingly going along with the idea. He looked around for a few seconds before taking a sharp left turn, almost choking Legend as he turned with no warning. Legend let out an ugly squeak as he was ragdolled around against his will. "There's a little clearing over this way that the Kikwi Elder, Bucha, protects. We should be safe enough there for a camp."

"A little warning would've been nice, Sky," Legend growled and wrested his way out from under Sky's arm. The skyward hero laughed and loosened his hold, allowing his prisoner to escape.

"Sorry Legend, forgot I had you there. You're so comfortable to hold and didn't try getting out that I mistook you for a stuffed loftwing," he teased. Legend felt himself go red from embarrassment, looking away from Sky and he slowed his walking speed to be near Warrior. 

Warrior, the ever present thorn in his side, was quick to make fun of the shorter Link’s redness. "Did someone enjoy their cuddle time with Sky? If you wanted some cuddles you could've come to me, I've been told by the ladies that I'm extremely cuddly," the war hero teased. 

Legend choked on air and glared at him. “I am going to throttle you!” Despite his anger, Warrior only threw his head back with a hearty laugh, clearly unbothered by the threat.

It took until they were inside a hollowed out tree that they set up camp. A giant lump of grass and dirt sat outside the hole to the tree, which Sky started talking to. Legend didn’t want to question it. If Time could talk to a tree, Wild could talk to flowers and Four could talk to grass, Legend was willing to overlook Sky’s dirt friend. 

Even though it was still bright outside, Sky said he wanted to set up camp early and to give him some time to figure out where everything was. Legend was impressed by how fluidly the first of them lied.

As soon as he could, Sky dragged Legend to the outskirts of the camp, giving the shorter Link his attention. Four had seen them and ended up following them, the same smug look on his face as he noticed the predicament Legend had gotten himself into. 

“So about this ceremony you were telling me about earlier,” Sky started as soon as they were out of earshot from the others. 

“I see, i see…” sky hummed along thoughtfully. Legend could see the gears turning in his head, almost like he was trying to figure out what kind of ceremony it was. 

“Oh, right! The ceremony!”  With a grunt, Legend forcefully broke out of the near-chokehold Sky was slowly trapping him into. “Well, you have to be very careful with how you do it and how you go about doing this. The people you set for the job have to take extreme caution not to damage new parts of the forest or parts that are meant to be cleared up.”

“They also have to be vigilant and make sure the ceremony doesn't get out of hand,” Four helpfully added, adding fuel to both the metaphorical and physical fire. Legend nodded.

Legend and Four bounced off of each other as they elaborated, glorifying the ceremony and what it entailed. Just before Legend finally revealed what the ‘ceremony’ actually was, Sky cut him off. 

“You’re going to ask Wild to commit arson, aren’t you.” he didn't even ask. He stated it as if he knew what Legened wanted this whole time!

Legend stalled, caught in the line of fire as sky figured out his grand master plan. “Uh- no why- I wouldn't-! Where would- why would I ever-?!” He stuttered. He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. The look from Sky- and Four’s uncontrollable laughter - were hardly helping his composure.

“Holy shit Legend! He figured it out faster than I thought he would!” Four howled, doubled over from the pure force of his laughter.

“H-hey! Shut up!” Legend hissed, cheeks red in embarrassment. He knew his plan wasn't the most thought out, but to think Sky was able figure out everything down to who he wanted to do it?! “Was it really that obvious?” Legend sulked, looking away from the sky and glaring at Four. 

“Not at first. When Four joined in and started backing you up is when I got a little suspicious,” sky did his stupidly patient smile at Legend. “Were you really going to ask me to let you burn an ancient forest, my ancient forest, and expect me not to say anything? Why would I ever agree to that, especially in front of everyone else?”

Legend looked around them, pointedly looking at how far away the rest of their group was. “But we’re not around everyone else?” he pointed out the obvious.

“Exactly. We’re not around everyone else. I'll buy you three hours, be quick. Im not getting caught in the crossfire and Im not taking the blame. I also expect half of every bet you win today.” Sky quickly and efficiently laid out his conditions. Four didn't even have time to calm himself down, the shortest link laughing so hard that sound wasnt coming out of him anymore. If Legend wasn't so shocked about everything he would've been worried that the smallest wasn't breathing. “Hey, Wild! Come over here!” Sky shouted, drawing over thee wildest hero. 

Wild perked up and seemed to automatically start moving before he noticed who was in the party. He grimaced but headed over anyway, shooting Legend a displeased look. “You need something, Sky?” He asked, standing as far away from Legend as possible. From the campsite, Legend noticed Hyrule peer over at their forming group. Thinking quickly, he waved Hyrule over before he could draw any extra unwanted attention their way.

“Oh no, I don't need anything,” Sky chirped cheerfully. “Legend and Four here do, though! Have fun you three!” And with that he was off, heading back to the main party. “Four,” he corrected, as Hyrule passed him at a jogging pace.

Legend and Wild awkwardly looked at each other, the tense air not being helped by Four’s desperate pants to catch his breath. “Dear Hylia, oh my Hylia, that was not real. I know that was not real,” he wheezed out. “Oh that- I needed that laugh, dear Hylia. Thank you for that Legend.”

“Shut up, Four!” Legend pleaded, embarrassment once again coating his face. 

Legend huffed and stood up from his place on the floor, cupping his hands to make his voice louder. “Sky! We’re going to get firewood! We’ll be back!” He yelled, motioning for Wild, Four and Hyrule to follow him. 

Wild looked on in uncomfortable confusion, gaze switching between the two links. “So uh, did you guys need anything, or…?” He asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“What’s going on?” Hyrule asked, slowing to a stop. “What’d you call me over for?”

“Don't wander too far!” He faintly heard Sky yell back. 

“Hey wait-! We didn't agree to this!” Wild glared at Legend, stubbornly staying rooted in his spot. 

“Legend, at least tell us what you're doing,” Hyrule said with a frown and hesitantly followed his predecessor.

At Four’s insistence, Wild seemed to relax. At least if he and Legend broke into another fight, there'd be witnesses to prove he didn't start it. “Fine, but you better be quick. I want to make lunch before it gets too late in the day.”

“I'll tell you when we get there, don't worry. Quick, we’re losing time. We only have three hours.”

“Don't worry you two, you'll love it. Legend might get killed by Time and Twilight, but you'll love it.”

It was a short walk to the treeline of the forest, the thick greenery providing shade and cover from the rest of the party. That's where Wild stopped, stubbornly refusing to go any deeper. “This is as far as I'll go until you tell me what you're planning.” he glared at Legend. 

Four looked at Legend, looked at Wild, and seemed to burst as he put his fist to his mouth. Giggles could be heard around his hand, shoulders shaking with the suppressed laughter. 

“Is he ok?” Legend heard Hyrule whisper to Wild. 

“I’m- I’m ok, don’t-” a laugh snort spilled out from him. “Don’t worry-”

“Hyrule, do you have enough magic to cast spells now?” Legend interrupted.

Hyrule, while confused, nodded and cast a small flame spell. The flame flickered and danced at the end of his index finger. “I've had enough rest and potions, I’m fully recharged. Why?”

“Wild, you have your Slate on you, right?” Legend asked, ignoring Hyrule's question as he eyed the forest around them. They were not deep enough, the others would be able to quickly stop them if they started here.

“Yeah… I always do..” Wild shifted his body so the hip holding the Sheikah Slate was angled away from Legend.

“Do you have a flame weapon in there?”

Legend could see the moment their plan dawned on Hyrule. “Oh,,. Oh Legend don’t- Are we really going to…?” He asked, panic and disappointment in his voice. “Four, you know what he's planning right?!” He asked the smith, brows pinched in confusion. Four nodded in confirmation, a massive grin on his face. “Legend! How did you get Four to agree to this?! No, better question, how did you get Sky of all people to agree to this?!” 

“Hyrule, shush! Keep your voice down or they’ll hear us!” Legend hissed, looking over to see if the group had heard them. While they were far away, Legend wouldn't be surprised if the rancher had freakish hearing even in his Hylian form.

Wild, sick of being left out of the conversation, exploded. “Can someone please tell me what you're planning?! Legend drug us out to this forest with no explanation and I'm the only person here worried he's going to kill me!”

Four burst out laughing, unable to contain the sound any longer. 

“You’re worried that he’s going to what ?!” He howled.

“You’re worried that I’m going to what ?!” Hyrule and Legend both shouted at the same time.

Wild looked between the both of them, arms crossed in frustration. "First we had that fight a week ago then a week later he's dragging me into the woods with no explanation. I don't claim to be the smartest of the group, but I'm also not the dumbest."

"I'm not going to kill you," Legend sighed in exasperation. "I'm apologizing for starting that fight, not killing you. I got permission from Sky so don't worry about getting in trouble with him. And yes, I'll take the blame and the punishment Time and Twilight plan to dish out." 

The area was tensely quiet as he said that, Four gaining control of himself once the atmosphere turned serious. "You're… apologizing? By letting me burn Sky's forest?" Wild asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. You don't have to, just thought you'd like to safely let out those pyromaniac urges. But if you don't want to, you can head back…"

"No!" Wild shouted, eyes wide with glee at the thought of causing fire damage. "I mean, I'll do it."

Legend nodded, glad he was at least willing to try and repair their relationship. "We have to go deeper in so we don't accidentally burn down this clearing but once we're far enough in you can go crazy. Sky said there weren't many animals living in this forest and monsters should be everywhere."

Wild started bouncing in glee, hand hovering over his slate to grab any fire weapon he could get his hands on. Hyrule awkwardly raised his hand, bringing attention to himself. "If you're apologizing to Wild, why are Four and I here?"

"He wouldn't leave me alone,” Legend shrugged, pointing a thumb over to Four.

"I needed to see how this shitshow went down,” Four grinned. “You should have seen him convincing Sky earlier, it was a complete mess. Plus it's not everyday you can help burn down a forest.”

“I thought you said you helped your grandfather when you were younger?” Legend asked, remembering what Four said earlier.

Four shot him a look. “I lied. Hello! I lied, you lied, we were lying ! You can just say you didn’t appreciate my help! I can take criticism. How would you rate my lying abilities on a scale of Wind to Time?”

Legend rolled his eyes at the smith, choosing not to comment on that. "And you're here,” he directed to Hyrule, “Because I thought you would want a hand in the damage. But just as I told Wild, you don't have to stay."

Hyrule similarly shot down that idea. "No! If Sky said you could then I'm more than willing to join in! I'm just confused on why you didn't ask Wind to join instead of me."

Legend looked at him as if the answer was obvious. "Winds a good kid but he would've ratted us out immediately. You at least would let us have fun before telling on us." As he explained he started walking deeper into the forest, waiting for the others to get the memo. 

The three of them followed Legend, Wild and Hyrule excitedly chattering about the best way to light a tree on fire. Legend looked around the area they were in, deciding they were deep enough. He turned around, opening his arms in a wide gesture. "We're here. Go wild, have fun.” 

“Hyrule! Come grab some kindling with me! No good fire starts without good kindling.” Four urged the traveling hero, grabbing his wrist and marching off to a random patch of trees. Just before he left, he turned to give Legend a look. A look that he could only assume meant that he needed to make a proper apology.

Legend internally sighed, knowing what he had to do. He turned around to look at Wild, finding that the Link was already looking at him. "I know this isn't the best apology, and nothing can take back what I said and did,” he started after a moment, when he was sure the other two wouldn’t overhear him. “I said some hurtful things I really should not have said, and that was wrong of me. I hope this can at least show that I'm sorry and that I want to try and fix our relationship, even if it's so we don't hate each other. We don't have to be buddy-buddy with each other, but I don't want us to act like strangers." He faintly heard the other two arguing over what was better, tree bark or dried leaves. He wasn't going to touch that argument: they were both wrong. Pine needles were obviously the best type of kindling. 

“Not going to join us? What, are you too old to participate in arson?”

Wild was quiet as Legend spoke, soaking the words in. “You’re right, you did say some shitty things. Things I would’ve never expected a teammate to use against one another,” he paused. “But I did do something stupid. You had every right to get mad at me and I should have accepted that.” He awkwardly kicked his foot, looking away from Legend. It was an awkward apology but at least they were talking about it. “I don’t forgive you yet, but please give me a few days. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully trust you but I think I can trust you enough.”

“That’s more than I expected. Thank you for being willing to try.” Legend smiled, glad they were able to reconcile, even if just a little bit. “Now, don’t you have a fire to start?” He teased, watching as Four and Hyrule made a pile of leaves, branches and what looked like bark.

Legend smirked, grabbing his firerod from his gear pouch. (A pouch that he hasn’t taken off for more than a few minutes at a time.) “Who said I wasn’t participating?”

–

Legend, Four, Wild, and Hyrule sat, covered in fresh soot and smelling of ash, in front of an enraged Time and Twilight. Sky, the mediator he was, was trying to calm the enraged adults while also keeping an eye on the pair keeping the fire at bay. The air reeked of burning wood, the smell so much more intense than an average campfire. Though that does make sense, given how much of the forest was still ablaze.

“Do you four have anything to say for yourselves?” Time asked, the harshest glare any of them have ever seen on his face.

Immediately three voices said, “It was Legends' idea!”

Time honed in on Legend, who was wearing a smug grin on his face. “Do you have anything to say for yourself, Hero of Legends?”

“Oh shit, he said the full name,” Wild murmured.

“Maybe we should just say sorry?” Hyrule asked Wild, who shook his head rapidly.

"Nope," Legend replied flatly, smugly refusing to say anything.

“You’ll be missed, Legend,” Four snickered with a sarcastic salute. Legend looked at Time and shrugged, setting his hands behind him and leaning against them. 

"'Nope'?! Legend, explain why half of the Deep Woods is burnt to a crisp! Why is Wild naked!? And Four, I thought you were supposed to be responsible!" Time's face was pinched in frustration as he scolded them all.

As Time was yelling, Legend leaned over to say something to the small group. "Ten rupees says I can get him to let us go," he whispered under the scolding they were given.

"Twenty says you can't," Four whispered back. The other two Links watched the conversation happen, both wondering who they should put their bets on. 

“Actually Time, I do have a reason,” Legend interrupted. “You remember a week or so ago when me and Wild got in that fight? Yeah, I wanted to make up for it.” Legend casually shrugged as if it didn’t admit to ruining an ancient forest for fun.

Times face softened slightly before hardening back into a glare. Everyone remembered that fight, it was one of the worst spats their team has experienced. “That doesn’t explain how you managed to rope Sky and Four into helping you!”

“Legend forced me to help him,” Four snitched instantly with a sidelong smirk at Legend.

Twilight let out an exhausted sigh, dragging a hand down his face as if that would get rid of the stress of the situation. “Awright, one of y’all best explain how this happened.”

“He promised the forest would be healthier.” Sky answered solemnly. Legend really had to applaud him, he was a flawless liar.

#four lu #lu #legend linked universe #hyrule linked universe #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu four #lu legend #lu hyrule

[thelastrefrigerator]

This is gonna be a long one

To any new and old followers and people dropping by:

TLDR

I'm an odd person with a large amount of interests and beliefs.

You will find that I don't interact that much.

Info:

Age: 17

Bi and european.

Knows about a wide amount of topics with a small amount of knowledge in each.

Has been very good at not being an active part in that many communities (being a lurker most of the time)

Variety of youtubers and artists I follow

Linus Tech Tips

Will Wood

Cosmo Sheldrake

Tomska

Sr Pelo

Berd

Eltorro64Rus

Pantsless Pajamas

Aimkid

Grian

Technoblade (Rest In Peace)

City Planner Plays

Real Civil Engineer

Rtgame

Fun facts about me:

I have a large head, and am slightly near-sighted (literally)

I'm taller than average

I don't like interacting too much

My brain goes weird around people

I don't drink as I don't know how I am when I'm drunk. Also, beer taste disgusts me.

I like thinking up worlds, characters and stories, and proceed to not share them anywhere. Not even here.

I am not good at keeping attention when stuff feels useless/worthless (to the detriment of my grades).

I like gathering information about subjects I find interesting, keeping my attention on them for longer periods of time (to the detriment of my grades).

I like making milkshakes and smoothies when it gets too hot outside.

Music helps making me keep focus (i'm currently listening to Hawaii: part II - the mind electric).

I sometimes go on rants about literally anything, which usually drains people around me from energy (I suck their energy. It's mine now).

I overthink a lot when I make posts (this has been in drafts for weeks).

I probably maybe have a form of social anxiety and/or autism (not diagnosed, so therefore not proven).

I do not like to self diagnose.

I have read the entirety of wings of fire (and so should you)

Most of my days are spent in front of a computer screen.

I'm constantly looking for self improvement, and trying to better my mental health.

In my opinion:

Music is yes. music is all

Self diagnosing is good.

Self diagnosing up to the individual person (please for the love of god do not put labels on other people that they do not feel comfortable with).

The third arc of wings of fire was the weakest one.

The second arc of wings of fire had some of the best books.

Capitalism has on average made humanity more depressed.

Communism is currently only good on paper.

Liberalism is pure freedom, low to no taxes, but highly favors people with a lot of money. It directly ignores people in need.

Socialism is not liberal nor communistic. It is very controlling, high taxes, but has a large focus on economic safety nets for people in need.

Conservatism slows down change, be it for the better or the worse. Like socialism it is controlling, medium taxes.

Socio-liberalism is the ideal form of government in the current world.

Debates are only debates if both parties are listening. Otherwise, they are arguments.

Free healthcare is a human right.

Abortion is healthcare.

Medical weed should be legal

Recreational nicotine products should either be banned or remain unbanned on top of legalising recreational weed products.

People should be educated on the way their country is run (political system and whatnot)

The european union is great!

Brexit was dumb on so many levels.

You can't both be a good person and a billionaire (why don't you pay your workers/employees more, jackass?).

Not having consequences for your actions does not excuse them.

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.

If you have read through the entirety of this post then you are amazing

It's fine if you don't have the same political opinions as me. Just don't shove yours in my face and then tell me that I'm wrong.

I send a 'have a lovely day' to anyone that read this, and also the ones who didn't bother.

#the last refrigerator

[angelsanarchy]

Alone Together - Eddie/OC One-Shot Series PRT 21

Prt 1 - Prt 2 - Prt 3 - Prt 4 - Prt 5 - Prt 6 - Prt 7 - Prt 8 - Prt 9 - Prt 10 - Prt 11 - Prt 12 - Prt 13 - Prt 14 - Prt 15 - Prt 16 - Prt 17 - Prt 18 - Prt 19 - Prt 20

taglist:

@thetenthdoctorscompanion @siriuslymooned @samwilsonnsnns

Dani was still in shock to be riding shotgun in Eddie's van on her way out of town with her father's permission and very strict "don't get arrested, high or knocked up" rule.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going? I mean clearly my dad knows and it's also going to be far considering he gave you a full tank and a half worth of oxygen." Dani watched Eddie get comfortable in the driver seat.

"If I told you now, a months long surprise would be ruined. Can't you just sit there and trust that I only ever have brilliant plans?" Eddie smirked. Dani let out a belted laugh flipping Eddie's smirk around.

"Brilliant plans like trying to smoke in an abandon tree fort in the woods? Or the brilliant plan of thinking no one would notice the splif in your ear because your hair was extra fluffy the other day?" Dani reached over and swatted at Eddie's hair.

"You know, I'm starting to regret this big surprise. Maybe I should turn around and take someone else who is more excited to spend some alone time with me." Eddie teased.

"Can I at least guess?" Dani asked hopeful. Eddie threw his hand up encouraging the game if it would make her less anxious. She turned in her seat towards him.

"Okay let's break this down: it's far too cold for camping, we don't have a long weekend so whatever it is must get us back before school on Monday." Eddie laughed at Dani trying deduce his plan.

"Yeah because school would be my first priority in planning." Eddie glanced over at her.

"Gareth obviously knows because he's been asking me about our plans all week and I kept telling him we didn't have any." Dani looked at the back of the van to see what exactly Eddie was bringing. It wasn't much. A cooler, a sleeping bag, a big blanket and two bags of gas station snacks.

"I can smell your brain burning Murillo and I've yet to hear one real guess." Eddie interrupted her thoughts.

"My mind is racing. This is the first time I've been allowed to really go out and do anything. I can't settle on one thing to guess." Dani admitted making Eddie laugh.

"You're so lucky you're cute. I will give you a huge hint." Eddie turned the wheel and pulled off the road so he could root under his seat for something. Dani watched as he pulled a handful of cassette tapes out before finding the one he wants and putting it in the tape player. He put both hands on the steering wheel and looked over at her as Dio started pumping through his rickety speakers. Dani furrowed her eyebrows for a moment trying to figure out how Dio could be a hint.

Then it hit her.

"We're going to see Dio?" Dani asked eyes wide with shock. He nodded with a sly grin slipping across his face as she started bouncing in her seat.

"Shut the hell up! We are not going to see Dio! They aren't playing anywhere close to Hawkins." Dani challenged. Eddie reached across her lap to open the glove box and pull the tickets out for her to look at.

"Oh my god, we're going to Chicago to see Dio?! Eddie!" Dani squeaked grabbing Eddie's face and kissing him hard on the mouth as he laughed through the kiss.

"My first concert is going to be Dio. I can't believe it! How did you-"

"Consider this a celebration gift for getting off the tank. Gareth helped me score the tickets, I talked to your dad a few weeks ago so he would have time to think about it and pretty much sell my soul to get him to trust me with your safety." Eddie explained pulling the van back on the road. Dani stared at him in awe. No one had ever done something like this for her. Dani leaned over the console of the van making Eddie turn his head confused until she put her arms around his neck.

"You must like me a whole lot huh?" Eddie briefly took his eyes off the road to look at Dani who smiled sweetly. He had never seen so much excitement in her eyes.

"Yeah you could say that." He returned her smile and she gave him a much softer kiss this time. Eddie tried to keep his eyes on the road but felt the van swerving. Dani pulled back and returned to her space on the passenger side of the van, kicking her boots off and getting comfortable as she bounced excitedly.

The rest of the drive was spent playing games and singing along to the different tapes Dani picked out. Eddie had never let the passenger pick the music in the van. Never. Dani wasn't just a passenger to him though. She certainly wasn't just a friend either. Eddie had dated plenty of girls but he's never felt like how he feels when he's with Dani.

"You still didn't answer the question." Eddie teased tapping the wheel.

"Because it's insane. You can't ask me which member of Hellfire I would eat first if we were deserted on an island." Dani exclaimed in shock.

"The answer is obvious! Gareth would have to go!" Eddie teased.

"Gareth lives on cheetos and soda. He's hardly nutritious." Dani rationalized making Eddie laugh.

"I hate to break it to you sweetheart but we all eat like garbage bags. None of us are going to taste nutritious." Eddie could feel Dani's gaze shift back to him.

"I don't know, I don't think you would taste so bad." Eddie felt Dani's fit nudge his thigh and he looked at her.

"Oh yeah? Well you're always welcome to test that theory." Eddie could see Dani considering it but she shook her head.

"I'll make a note of it." Moments like these were going to kill Eddie. The more time they spent together, the more he wanted to go out of his way to make her smile. The sound of her squeal when they parked at the venue made his heart speed up and watching her scream and grin like a child when Dio finally stepped out on stage, it made him feel things.

Thing's he had never felt but remembers when he was a kid, sitting with his mom on her deathbed as she talked about how sorry she was that she was going to miss him falling in love. The way she talked about finding someone that made you want to be a better person and how you didn't need someone to complete you but give you a reason to smile. Those were the feelings he got whenever Dani looked at him.

The intro to Fallen Angels started playing and Dani leaned back into Eddie's chest, gripping his neck to bring his ear closer to her mouth.

"I want you to play this one for me. This guitar rift is insane!" Eddie nodded at Dani with a chuckle.

"You think I can shred like Vivian Campbell?!" Dani pulled back and gave him a look like he was crazy.

"Absolutely." Dani yelled without hesitation. Eddie smiled at her sincerity and pulled her in by the back of her neck for a kiss. The way his lips moved against Dani's was hungry with appreciation and lust. Dani pulled on the ends of Eddie's hair trying not to lose her footing when he tightened his hold on her. He chanced sliding his tongue across her bottom lip and was instantly met with her own rolling around his own. Dani pulled away suddenly and held onto Eddie's shirt as she tried to catch her breath.

Eddie tilted his head down trying to catch her eyes and she shifted bashfully biting her lip before wrapping her arms around Eddie and burying her face into his chest. Eddie tightened his arms around her and could feel her laughing against his chest.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?" Eddie kissed the top of her head and she leaned her head back, still holding her arms tightly around his waist and smiled up at him.

"Yeah but you love it." She smiled, the blush having stained her cheeks. There it was. That smile. Eddie shook his head as she turned her body around to watch the rest of Dio's set, resting her body against Eddie's, making sure to lace his arms around her shoulders.

Eddie realized all he needed to survive was metal, DND and Dani. Nothing else made him feel as complete and he was totally okay with that.

#Eddie Munson x OC #Eddie Munson #Dani Murillo #Alone Together #One Shots #Stranger Things fic #sorry it's so late.

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

if you're interested and or draw inspiration from it do you think you could do a pt.2 to that vaxleth caught in a blizzard thing you wrote? if not that's okay only if u wanna :)

part 1

Vax dreams of his sister. They were young, but old enough to know they shouldn't be treated the way they were. So they ran. They spent months in the woods, fighting for their very survival. Winters were the hardest. Food was harder to find, fires were harder to start.

They had traveled too far North. It was snowing, the flakes thick and freezing cold as they touched the twins' faces. Vex was tucked against his side, shivering against him. Tears welled unshed in his eyes, he swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

And she was trembling in his side, her hands shaking from lack of food and the freezing temperatures. Three blankets were wound around them, but it was still not enough. The fire in front of them was not doing nearly enough to warm them.

"I don't want to die, Vax," Vex whispered, her voice weak.

"We're not going to," Vax promised her. "We're going to make it through this. We're going to be okay." Hugged ever so slightly tighter, pulling her as close as he can.

As he looked up to the black sky, watching thick, white snow fall onto them, he prayed for his sister's safety over everything, for her warmth and full belly and strength to make it through this night.

Vax wakes up to the sound of crying. It's Keyleth, he would recognize her voice anywhere. He's being held in her arms, her hands running up and down his back. And he's warm.

"Keyleth," he breathes softly. Immediately the crying stops and he finds himself pulled away from her chest, he groans softly, wanting to be held in her arms again. But then he sees her face he doesn't mind so much.

Her cheeks are wet with tears, but her cheeks are flushed with warmth and she smiles when he meets her eyes. "Vax." She kisses him quickly before pulling back and holding his face in her hands. "I thought you were dying."

"I'm okay, Keek," Vax promises her, sitting up to pull her into his arms. She cries into his shoulder as she falls against him. "We're okay. Did you get any sleep?" She shakes her head. "Okay, I'll stay up, I'm just fine. I'm warm. You can go to sleep and then when you wake up, you can take us home, okay?"

"Okay," Keyleth mumbles. "Okay." She leans up to kiss him again before laying down, resting her head in his lap. He strokes her hair, reminding her that he's okay. She must have been exhausted, because barely five minutes later, Keyleth is fast asleep in his lap.

He sits like that the whole time she sleeps, even after his legs start to fall asleep and his back aches. He wouldn't move for the world, not when he scared her so much. His eyes fall to the crackling fire, casting warm shadows along the walls, over Keyleth.

She's warm, he reminds himself, she's warm and safe.

#my fic #critical role #vox machina

[noircartoons]

hi! 25 and 8 for the flirty ask! 😊

hii!! thanks for the ask, i was trying to find the same game on your blog to send you an ask back but there were so many rbs i assumed you werent doing it anymore :( tho if you are, then 8 and 25 back to you because theyre super cute!

8: what’s something romantic you wish someone would do for you?

Nô- cut roses from a rich person's garden to give them to me, or a date where we're both doing grafitti art in a hidden corner all alone and we're laughing at how shaky our lines are and how much we suck at grafitti

Efêmero- Love letters❣️❣️ Scented love letters with flower petals inside the envelope, always arriving on my mail box in the same day of the week so i have a day to look foward to the most...

Crow- going to a ruin in the middle of the woods together and exploring it. or being gifted a small black vintage lock box with a lock of your hair and some of your teeth inside.

Pierre- learning to dance together so we can always dance anywhere that has music and steal the show

Ofélia- ...Being gifted something that reminds you of me.

25: vague about someone you like romantically or platonically

Nô- its easy for people like me to lie to themselves, saying they're a predatory animal, looking for a prey to bite. what a ridiculous lie. to feel so fragile and weak within your human flesh that you escape to this humancentric notion of what the nature is like. i wont say i know it myself. but i know what i am. i was a scared animal that bit everything it thought was a treat. i was shaking and whining and growling. you, you were the only one to make me feel safe. when i bit you, you found not betrayal but pleasure. i learned to use my claws and fangs to love you. i learned to keep my head high to look at you in the eye. you think im hard to impress, you think so highly of me...im the one who should be trying to impress you. i can only hope to do my words justice and bring as much safety to others as you brought me

Efêmero- Romance, Platonic love, all of it feels like it looses meaning in front of you. I've been told the importance of words, i've been even told my importance was in the way i used my words. I don't think they're as relevant as they're made out to be. No, i could describe you and my feelings for you with a thousand different words in a thousand languages and hope they will suffice. I can buy a beautiful ring to put on your finger and hope it will suffice, to show others what i feel for you. To show you what i feel for you. At the end, i can see, how little any of this matters. I'll bring your hand to my chest, and make silence so you can hear the beating of my heart. Does that suffice as a poem to you?

Pierre- someone that can't be described with words. when i'm by your side, feeling the wind hit my face sharply and hearing you say one of the words in portuguese i taught you, i feel more alive than i have ever felt.

Crow- hair golden like it holds the sunrise all to itself, watercolor eyes like the home of the wind that carries birds and leaves, a laugh that could make one forget of all that is rotten in this world, a soul that holds more colors than my box of paints, yet holds a pain that speaks to me. it hums a melody so familiar, a silent cry of a child that i've seen in the eyes of so many adults i've met. for them, i will talk, for them, i will laugh, for them, i'll set them free.

Ofélia- The wine that pours on my cup reminds me of the sea we've bathed in together in my dreams, though you will never see me. Grasshoppers bring the sound of the night, they fill in the silence that would be filled with your laughs or your moans, their sound is agonizing enough to make me want to rip my ears. The moon shines the same color of your soul, but it is too fragile for someone as rotten as me to hold. Let the smoke of my cigarette fill the night with a deep fog, it is better if you never see me, my love, that way i will never hurt you.

#pierre.txt #ask

[tb-gerschutz]

Chapter Three

Word Count: 12,918

Trigger Warning(s): language, possible depictions of violence, grief, flirting (this really isn't a trigger warning, but it does give you a heads-up of what's to come)

Summary: "Rocky" and Whiskey mobilize and try to get closer to Balor in Russia.

**********

At this point in the drive, Whiskey and I's goal was to find a place that we could both consider a sanctuary. Only a place that we could lay low and stay safe at until we find out Balor's confirmed location. Going after Balor without knowing where he is would most definitely be a long wild goose chase. If me and Whiskey go at this villain without knowing what he's fully capable of or without a clearly defined plan of attack would definitely be considered a suicide mission.

"Here. Turn off this side road up here. This will take us somewhere the enemy radar won't find us," Whiskey said.

"They ain't gonna find us anyway. All we need is a place to recuperate until we find out Balor's confirmed location. Then, we hunt his ass down."

Like Whiskey said, I pulled off the main highway to a backroad, where hopefully, the perfect place for a sanctuary waited for us. I wanted to find a place that lay deep in the woods where other enemies wouldn't be able to discover us. Whiskey and I need to be hidden so we can hunt down Balor's confirmed location without having any of his henchmen interrupt the mission. If that happens, Whiskey, the world, and I...we're completely fucked.

"Whoa, sugar. See that dirt road up there? Turn onto that," Whiskey said, pointing ahead.

"What's so important about a dirt road?"

"Only the sanctuary of ours. That's all," he said.

Whiskey was right. After turning onto the dirt road and driving deep into the woods for about three minutes, we came across the sanctuary in the form of an abandoned wood cabin. I could tell it was abandoned because it was encased with a forest of weeds and rogue trees who grew there, as well. It didn't look like it was the most ideal place to shelter-in-place, but it was a shelter that I could live with. I mean, it was just temporary, so it wasn't like Whiskey and I were staying there forever. This was just our situation until we found out Balor's confirmed location.

"Welcome to our temporary home away from home," Whiskey said proudly.

"Just until Balor's location is confirmed."

After Whiskey and I unloaded all of our essentials from the truck to the sanctuary, I took some time to take in the new surroundings of the cabin. It definitely wasn't a suitable place to live permanently, but it was good enough to stay in for the night at least. There were numerous cracks in the wood-log wall, allowing for the normal breeze to blow through and change our internal body temperatures. There was also a stone wall nearby as well, so it would definitely make Whiskey and I a lot colder at night. As long as there's a solid roof on my head, I could care less about what I temporarily stay in.

"Well, this is—definitely homey."

"It ain't the most ideal, sugar, but it'll do 'til at least morning," Whiskey answered.

I put my treasured rifle up in a corner, making especially careful that it wasn't going to fall. Sure, I had the safety on, but I wasn't going to take any risks.

"We just need to stay here and lay low until we know where this asshole is," I advised. "Speaking of which, do you have any idea where this guy might be? I might have an idea, but I ain't quite sure."

"I don't know, sugar. He can be anywhere," Whiskey responded. "Why? Where do you think he might be?"

"Chelyabinsk."

"Chelyabinsk? Where the hell is that?" Whiskey inquired loudly.

"Russia. It ain't too far off from the Kazakhstan border."

"Why there?" Whiskey interrogated.

"Think about it. It's in a relatively unknown location. It ain't too far off from the Ural Mountains, and as we know, mountains can sometimes throw off tracking signatures. It's a perfect place for a shelter and headquarters."

Whiskey pondered on this idea for a while. Of course, I told him that I wasn't fully sure of this location. Given that Balor seems like an unpredictable, dangerous, terroristic asshole, it would be a good idea if Whiskey and I waited until the right time to nab him. We can't afford to make mistakes, or else, there could be deadly consequences.

"I'm not totally sure about it, Whiskey. I'm just assuming."

"Well, as long as we don't act on those assumptions until we're fully sure we know what we're doing, it's fine to have them," Whiskey answered in a low tone voice.

"Yeah. We have to be damn sure we know what we're doing. Balor prolly already knows that someone's after him," I warned with caution.

"Yeah, sugar. He thinks the Kingsman is after him, not us. He doesn't think the Statesman is an actual agency."

"Well, he'll be in for a big surprise," I said hopefully.

Whiskey and I were then left sulking inside the log cabin, becoming bored out of our minds. Turns out, there's nothing mildly entertaining you can do while you're waiting for an asshole's location to be confirmed. If we had our minds drawn to something else, then there's no way in hell that we'll be able to learn of the confirmed location. That's a whole 'nother problem in itself.

"So we've concluded that we're waiting until we know the location of this guy before we go after him?" I asked, staring blankly at the wall out of boredom.

"That's right, sugar," Whiskey said in the same tone as me. "Until then, we're sittin' ducks."

For the next hour or two, Whiskey and I waited for the call to come in. He was leaning against the wall, sometimes fighting the urge to slowly pace back and forth. I, however, remained stagnant by sitting on the ground against the adjacent wall and staring blankly into space. What else was there to do other than debating with your internal demons? I definitely had some of those, most of which Whiskey doesn't know about. Let's hope he doesn't find all of them out too soon.

"Rocky! Here it is," Whiskey said, getting a call through his earpiece.

I hopped up with anticipation, turning on the earpiece in my ear. "Finally! It's damn near dawn before we got this call."

"You can't blame the president, sugar. This guy we're hunting is an awfully dangerous and unpredictable one. They have to make damn sure that they know where he is before relaying the information to us. It's a delicate mission to deal with."

As soon as I adjusted the earpiece, Whiskey and I received the news that we were hoping for. "We got some good news, agents," the president started. "We finally confirmed Balor's location. He's residing in his villa, which isn't too far from the main headquarters for the Rings of Hellfire, in Chelyabinsk. It's pretty far away, but I'm confident you two could get there with no problem."

"We'll certainly do our best to get there as soon as possible, Mr. President, but it's gonna be quite the hike to Russia," I remarked.

"I understand, but I'm holding nothing but the utmost confidence in you two."

"As soon as we get the open window, we'll jump out of it and get on our way. You can count on that," Whiskey added.

"Good. I trust you, agents. Best of luck."

Now, the mission could be kickstarted again. Whiskey and I were in the middle of packing up our resources so we could move out as soon as possible. All the plans were stopped, however, when the sound of rain falling started to hit the walls. At first, it sounded like a light tapping that sounded quiet. As Whiskey was checking out what the weather was outside, the light rain falling suddenly turned into a full-on downpour with thunder and lightning accompanying it.

"Well, sugar, I don't think we're moving out as planned," he remarked.

"I can tell by the downpour outside," I said back. "Guess we're spending the night here and moving out early tomorrow morning, huh?"

"Looks that way, don't it?" Whiskey seemingly confirmed. "I'll keep watch just in case it lets up."

Well, our plans that were going according to plan got shot in the ass real quick. It's okay, though, because I consider myself adaptable. As an agent, I have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt to any unexpected situation. That's what Agent Whiskey tends to do, so I intend to do it too.

Right after Whiskey turned back around to observe the downpour going on outside, I managed to settle down comfortably and slowly start drifting to sleep. It was considerably hard, however, to fall asleep fully because the "bed" was as hard as a rock and wasn't very comfortable at all. I only made it comfortable because it was all that I had to work with. Though my eyes were closed, I was still conscious enough to hear my surroundings and feel what was going on around me.

"Well, sugar, these conditions are too rough to migrate in, so it'll be best to camp here and move out the next mornin'. Are you sure you're comfortable enough to sleep here?"

There was a slight pause in his voice as he turned around to find me, who was trying to sleep. "I guess you are."

Then, the sound of his boots consistently hitting the wood floor rang through my ears. With a slight pause, the sound emerged again as the steps came closer to me. They stopped after a while, however, which was good because it was a sound that kept preventing me from sleeping. I then encountered the feeling of something soft draping over my entire shivering body. I instantly felt warm after the soft object, which felt like a blanket, settled over top of me. Not only did I feel the warmth of the blanket, but I also felt the warmth of Whiskey's kind and generous soul. The part that cared for others and genuinely wanted the best for them.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty! The sun is shinin', and the birds are singin'. Time to move out!" Whiskey exclaimed loudly.

I stirred and slowly sat up, rubbing my tired eyes. It was definitely early enough for me to be stupid tired, that's for sure. Groaning, I rose to my feet rather slowly and started helping Whiskey pack up our resources. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Sunrise, sugar. 'Proximately six-thirty, to be specific,'' Whiskey answered.

"Christ! That is way too early."

"I know, sugar, but it's early enough for us to get a head start on traveling to Balor's location," Whiskey added.

Once we got outside, Whiskey and I started to have a minor yet playful argument about who was going to drive to the airport. I wanted to drive since my confidence was boosted from the highway chase that happened a bit ago, and I wanted control of the radio. But my easy persuasion disintegrated rather quickly when Whiskey chimed in with his side. Let's just say he was very persistent.

"Please, Whiskey. I wanna drive," I whined.

"Sorry, sugar. I'll be takin' the wheel this time."

"But I'm a good driver, I swear," I said, trying to prove my case right, despite it being to no avail.

"I know you are, but you're also good at being my passenger princess. I want you to be the princess and not have to lift a finger as we drive off to catch this bastard, sugar," Whiskey pleaded.

I groaned sarcastically. "Fine. I'll be the passenger princess since you want me to."

We were soon off to the airport, where our flight would be waiting to take us to Chelyabinsk. I assumed we were going on a commercial flight, maybe because I had the spy mindset. The mindset where Whiskey and I would blend into society seamlessly. The drive there was for sure going to be a long one, and Whiskey knew that. He then started a conversation that I dreaded since he forced me to work up the courage to tell him about my deep, dark secrets.

"I never got to ask ya while we were back at your childhood home, sugar, but have you ever done anything crazy in your childhood?" he asked, glancing over to me as he kept one hand on the steering wheel.

I chuckled. "Oh yeah. I sure did. I was a crazy kid."

Whiskey chuckled along with me. "How crazy?"

"Not crazy enough to get myself in trouble, but crazy enough to be dubbed unpredictable. That's for sure–"

"So what kind of crazy shit did you do?" Whiskey questioned.

I chuckled some more and added onto the laughing fit Whiskey and I formed together. "Me and my twin brother—we'd do everything together. Most weekends, we'd go out and go on our little adventures, some of which were pretty crazy," I started. "It made our dad think we were–"

"Fucking nuts," Whiskey laughed.

"Yeah. Exactly that," I answered. "I remember this one time, it was a Saturday afternoon. It was in the summer before our freshman year of college. Me and my twin brother wanted to accomplish a lot of shit before classes started. So this particular day, me and Devin stupidly decided to go to one of those rage rooms. You know, to let some steam out in a positive way. We had these virtual reality goggles on to allow us to get fully immersed in the experience. In this case, we were beating down zombies in a zombie apocalypse."

Whiskey started to smile slightly. "That doesn't sound too crazy."

"It's all fun and games until your brother mistakes you for a zombie and tries to pummel your ass," I commented. "Luckily, I convinced him that this was all a simulation, and none of us got seriously hurt."

At this point, Whiskey started laughing uncontrollably. But impressively enough, he still managed to keep steady on driving the hoop-ty. I had never heard such a laugh emerge out of Whiskey, but it was such a pleasing sound...and it made me want to hear it more often.

"Damn, sugar. That was pretty crazy of ya," he said.

"That's what my daddy said when we told him what happened," I answered back. "Let's just say he was proud that we were basically carbon copies of him and my momma combined."

As the truck tires continued to roll against the gravel backroads, Whiskey's face slowly allowed a wide grin to appear with glistening white teeth. Even though he didn't directly tell me, I definitely could tell that his mind was churning. Churning with thoughts about me. Oh God! What if he's getting second thoughts about me? What if he's mentally listing all the negative traits about me, hoping to use that to my disadvantage in the near future?

What if he thinks I'm so psychotic that it makes me forever undatable?

Sure, I have feelings for Whiskey. I do, I'll admit it! But I don't want my flaws to make me forever dangerous to him.

"I'm sorry, Whiskey. I don't mean to be this abrasive, headstrong, and downright feisty, even. I am a good person, I swear. It's just–" I started, inhaling sharply while successfully holding back tears of regret. "Everything changed for me ever since my–my twin brother died. He and I were so close, and I dreaded the day that I'd have to live a full life while he didn't."

Whiskey remained silent, which scared the hell out of me. "I'm trying to change, Whiskey. I really am. It's just–just hard for me to adjust. It's been hard since I turned eighteen and moved out to go to college. But I swear. I'm trying my best to change. I really am. You gotta believe me," I added.

Still keeping his left hand on the wheel, Whiskey placed his right hand on my left thigh, making sure that his token of affection was noticed. I, being the emotionally vulnerable dumbass that I was, accepted the gesture with silent grace.

"Listen, Blackjack. Nobody is perfect. Everyone's gonna have a flaw in one form or another. I don't care about the flaws you have. As a matter-of-fact, I see those as some of your more powerful traits. You're a great person, Rocky. I've learned that. I like ya just the way you are, and your personality right now is a reason why you're going to turn out to be such a great agent."

I was gob smacked. I didn't think that Whiskey, a classy cowboy and gentleman, would utter such kind words. Considering that I thought he and I were simply on colleague terms, it changed the whole way I thought of Whiskey. I thought of him as a colleague that I confided in, but now, it's starting to change. Maybe I consider him a friend. A true friend who knows my deepest darkest secrets.

"You'd think I'd make a great agent?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, sugar. Definitely," he exclaimed. "You're persistent, hardworking, ambitious. Plus, you're extremely stubborn. That's needed here at the Statesman. You need to be strong and not buckle under pressure so easily."

"And I do exactly that!" I added.

"Exactly."

Whiskey and I drove off into the road ahead with only one thing on our minds: the mission. The mission that was extremely risky. The mission that we had to undertake because the world's fate depended on us.

* * * * * * * * * *

Eventually, after some time, Whiskey and I had finally arrived at the airport, which was bustling with numerous types of traffic: foot, aircraft, you get the point. There had to be several people there, all doing different things. Either running to a flight, getting off a flight, wrangling unruly children, lovers giving their long, drawn-out goodbyes only to reunite moments later...it seemed like everyone was busy with something. Whiskey and I didn't have time for that shit. If we don't get to Chelyabinsk, then the mission goes to shit. Then, the whole world goes to shit. We don't want that to happen, do we?

I trudged alongside Whiskey, holding all the resources I had with me close to my person. As we got closer to our gate, anxiety started rising in my throat, mainly because of the protocols the airport followed at gate passages. I had a sniper rifle slung over my shoulder, and walking around with that through a busy airport was, of course, a red flag. Before we walked through the gate, I froze in my tracks as Whiskey took only a few steps ahead of me before stopping.

"Come on, sugar," he said, turning back to me.

Still, I remained frozen in place. Frozen because of the fear that I had about airport customs. "But won't I get flagged for carrying my rifle through the gates?"

"Not if you pass yourself off as military personnel," Whiskey said boldly, "and also if you don't get caught."

"We'll most definitely get caught."

"Not if you're going onto a private jet and passing it off as part of a military operation," Whiskey smirked. "Now, come on. We haven't got a minute to waste."

Before I could pass through the gate, I decided to make sure I had everything with me because I knew that at this point in the mission, there was definitely no turning back. As I was zipping up my bags and slinging my rifle over my shoulder again, something out of the corner of my eye diverted my attention. When I looked up to get a closer look, it was a mysterious person. A person that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Though I stared at this person for what seemed like an eternity, I knew nothing about his relation to me. He was a complete stranger in my mind. A stranger dolled up in a prestigious, clean black tuxedo and sunglasses covering his eyes. Something about him made me develop a bad feeling in my gut. He was definitely a stranger that gave me chills, and not the good kind.

"Whiskey, is that jet ready?" I asked, while anxiety rose quickly through my throat.

"It sure is, sugar. Why?"

I kept my eyes glued on the stranger, who was now quickly making his way toward Whiskey and I. "Because that suspicious agent guy is storming toward us, and we need to get our asses outta here right away!"

Whiskey and I then made a mad dash toward the private jet we were taking. We definitely weren't as fast as we usually are, mainly because we had all of our resources in tow. My heart was racing so much that I thought it was going to burst out of my chest and start sprinting itself.

Luckily, Whiskey and I managed to escape onto the jet just before the stranger could catch up to us. He got so close that I was prepared to start a fist-fight with him had he decided to grab my wrist firmly. As the private jet took off, Whiskey and I fastened our seatbelts so that we didn't fall flat on our feet when the plane ascended into the air. I watched as the stranger who tried to capture Whiskey and me at the edge of the gate, cursing at us and beating himself up. I could guess that he was upset that he didn't succeed at capturing us.

"You okay, sugar?" Whiskey asked.

I glanced over at Whiskey, who—despite still catching his breath—still had the consideration to show concern for me.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said, as I gasped for air, "Just catching my breath, that's all."

"I know. He was just about to get us, too. Let's conclude that he isn't happy about us escaping."

"He definitely isn't," I commented.

Whiskey and I shared a small chuckle about the stranger before switching to a serious tone. We had to figure out who this guy was. Even if there was no name, getting his affiliation or a clear picture of his face would be more than enough for me. My technological genius can take care of the rest.

"You think that guy was part of the Rings of Hellfire, sugar?" Whiskey asked.

I glanced at him and immediately gave my answer. "Oh definitely! This day and age, anything can be true."

"So, at this moment, let's assume that the stranger that chased us works closely with Balor," Whiskey said.

"Yeah. Let's just assume that from this moment onward, the Rings of Hellfire have tabs on us. Once we land, however, we'll get more information about where the hell in Chelyabinsk Balor is located."

"Agreed," Whiskey said simply, "but first, we'll have to blend in with society here so that they can't track us easily."

"That sounds fair. Once we land, we'll do that. We'll see what we can scope out from the locals."

It took a couple more hours to fly to Russia, so I decided that it'd be best to take a quick nap to gain some more energy for this mission. I had to be my best functional self for this risky and extremely dangerous mission. Who knows what could happen if I didn't.

* * * * * * * * * *

I must've accidentally taken a very long nap of nearly twelve hours because when I finally awoke, the jet was already nearing the secret landing hangar in Chelyabinsk. At the time, I was still a bit groggy and confused, trying to regain my sense of the surroundings I had encountered. Everything seems blurry everywhere I look, but I attributed that to my tiredness from waking up. I'm sure it will go away very soon once I get up and move.

"Well, sugar. Welcome to Chelyabinsk," Agent Whiskey said in a relatively positive tone.

I looked out the closest window and glanced down on the city below. Although I envisioned it as grand as Moscow, I quickly found out that I was wrong. Despite the Russian-esque architecture that lined almost every inch of the city, it still looked like any other city; in fact, it looked like a city that one would see in motion-picture films. It was nothing special. Nothing that was truly shocking to glance upon.

"It doesn't look like anything special," I commented.

"Just wait 'til we get down into the city. You'll love the culture there," Whiskey commented back.

After landing, we traveled into the city to scope out any possible information regarding Balor. Anything we could find, Whiskey and I were game for. At this point, anything at all would be extremely helpful. I was wearing anxiety on my shoulders like an additional backpack, mainly because I was scared out of my mind. So scared that someone from this community was going to notice me and Whiskey and rat us out to Russia's government. I was carrying around a sniper rifle and a lot of resources, and it made me and Whiskey look like foreign military officers who were secretly trying to take down the Russian government.

"Alright. Where to first?"

"It has to be somewhere with a whole lotta foot traffic," Whiskey responded. "The more foot traffic there is, the bigger the chance we hear an important piece of information on where this assmunch is located."

"Maybe a town square?" I pondered.

"No, no, no. Too risky. Someone's bound to find out about us. Balor's bound to find out and kill us right there on the spot. But I doubt it. He's hidin' out in his villa, continuing to do Christ knows what behind those damn doors."

"You know this for sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"Sugar, I'm the best damn agent the Statesman has. I've had a whole lotta experience takin' down threats and tracking their moves and motives. Of course, I'm about ninety-five percent sure," Whiskey commented.

"Ninety-five? I'd figure you'd be one-hundred percent sure," I said.

"Not with this guy, Blackjack. He's unpredictable and dangerous. We can't treat him like a low-level drug lord. We have to be careful when dealing with him. If not, he will definitely find us and kill us one way or another."

I could sense Whiskey's fear in his voice when he said that. In all the time I knew him, I thought he was a tough, rough-and-tumble, diamond-in-the-rough kind-of cowboy who's more than capable of easily wooing women and making them fall under his spell. I, however, was not one of these women. I am a lot feistier and more stubborn than all these other girls. Now, I am forced to look at Whiskey in a new light. A romantic light? A friendly light?

No, Rocky. Snap out of it! Don't be a hypocrite and break your own ground rules.

You can't be in love with Whiskey right now. You can't! Not when the mission is just heating up.

"So it has to be somewhere that is low-key but gets enough foot traffic to where we can possibly hear rumors about Balor and where he is," I said, almost somberly in response to Whiskey's apparent fear.

"Exactly," Whiskey said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the right sleeve of his coat and then turning to me. "You in the mood to check out a bar or two while we're here?"

I shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"There's one just up here a bit. Let's go see what we can scope out from there," Whiskey suggested, starting to make his way toward the bar that was within an earshot of the town square.

Even though a small part of me didn't want to go, I managed to silence that internal, shrieking voice and snap back into my normal skin. I willingly followed the boldly confident Whiskey to the bar, which had a big sign that read Биттер Кросс Тапхаус—or Bitter Cross Taphouse— high above the building. As Whiskey and I passed through the doors and into the building, I suddenly felt a sense of dread overwhelm my nerves. I'm not sure why, but something about this place threw me off. Luckily, Whiskey's presence helped reassure me that all the protection I needed was right there with me.

"You good, sugar?" Whiskey whispered into my ear as we entered.

I barely turned my head to acknowledge him. "Yeah. I'm good. Just anxious about being in a new place."

"It'll be fine. Trust me, sugar. I'm right here," he whispered in a low voice, gently placing his hand on my back as a token of security and safety.

As Whiskey and I sat at the bar, I immediately took notice of Whiskey's bold confidence. He was a lot more confident than me, that's for sure. I'm a lot more soft-spoken and quiet, and this had been the case since Devin's murder about a year ago. Before Devin's death, I was outgoing, friendly, considerably docile...

...but after that tragic day, I became sheltered, quiet, and abrasive.

I don't want to be like that. I don't, but it's been hard to change who I am since Devin's murder. Every time I would try to change and move on with life, my era of grieving for Devin would reemerge. Then, I'd be right back to where I started. It was pointless to try and continue on with life when that feeling of grief for Devin always resurfaced.

Whiskey must've noticed my pliant, quiet distress after a few minutes because he then placed his hand on top of my hand, trying to comfort me. "You okay?"

I dared not move a muscle. "Yeah. It's nothing, really. Just grieving."

"Well, if you're grieving, then shouldn't it be a matter to talk about?" Whiskey questioned.

"Not if you're the person who can't seem to let go of your twin brother's death after a year," I shared somberly.

I sighed and then started to share my thoughts and experiences about the aftershocks that came after my dear twin brother's murder.

"Every time I'd talk to anyone about Devin's death, they'd ask how long it's been since he died. Once I'd say how long it's been, they'd start with their bullshit, telling me to let it go. 'It's been at least a couple months. Just let it go already.' Well, I can't! He was my twin brother, my best friend, and those bastards murdered him. I can't exactly let the death of my best friend go. Not when he was taken from us so young in his life. So sorry for not being able to let it go right now, but I'm not ready to forget about that night that should've never happened the way it did. Sorry if I'm not ready to let go of that grief and guilt from that night, even though I still feel like it was my own damn fault! I'm not ready to let that go just yet."

I clenched my fist in anger, managing to manage the rage from boiling to the surface. Whiskey, however, calmed my flared-up nerves just by glancing upon me with his glistening, dark brown eyes. Something about these beautiful diamonds of Whiskey's seemed to calm me down a whole lot. It was like his eyes put a spell on me in order to get my nerves to calm into a tranquil state.

"Like I told ya before, sugar, it was never your fault. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You couldn't control that. And it's okay to grieve for your twin. I ain't gonna judge ya for mourning the loss of someone who was so near and dear to ya. You should know that," he said with sincerity.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to that," I responded.

"I know it is. It's askin' a lot to put your twin brother's death behind ya. But I'm right here to help you with that. I'm always gonna be here if you need somethin' to lean on, to cry on...Hell, if you need somethin' to unleash your anger out on, I'm right here. Anything you need in your time of grieving, I'm here. And I ain't ever leavin' just in case you have memories about your twin floodin' back to ya," Whiskey vowed.

I was silent. Speechless, even. Never did I think that Whiskey would be this caring and supportive of me, since I always thought of him as a no-nonsense, hardworking agent who only sold his full attention to the agency and saving the world.

"Thanks," I simply said, thanking Whiskey for the support that he didn't have to give me.

I couldn't stay in this depressive state for much longer, or else, I'd be vulnerable. Vulnerability is not an option for us on this mission. I had to move on from this in order to carry on with this mission.

"You know, I can't hear anything about Balor," I remarked sadly. "No one's sayin' a word about him."

"They're not going to. He must've instilled enough fear in them to make them afraid of even talking about him," Whiskey mumbled under his breath.

"It's not like we're getting anywhere."

"Come on, sugar. We gotta cheer you up somehow," he said. "Anything you wanna do, I'm game for."

I pondered this proposition for a few seconds. Did he really mean what he said? Anything I wanted, he was okay with? I hadn't put my full trust into him, so I wouldn't know if he was willing to uphold his promise or not. I was still getting used to having him in my company.

"How about a bet?"

"Bet?" he asked in a perplexed tone. "What kind of bet?"

I smiled with overwhelming glee and immediately cheered up. "I'm glad you asked, Whiskey!"

I gestured to the bartender, convincing him to get me a pint of the finest whiskey that Russia had. Although he looked a bit shocked, he obliged, sliding me a pint of Russia's finest whiskey in a big, clear glass.

"What's this?" Whiskey asked.

"Part of the bet," I started, "If I can manage to chug down this pint of whiskey in one sittin', then you have to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. If I don't, well...I'll get a tattoo of your name in a reasonable place."

"Reasonable place?" Whiskey asked, chuckling.

"Arm, leg, calf, shoulder, back...not on anything too inappropriate," I answered.

He smiled crookedly, and I could tell that he was charmed by this intriguing bet. He either thought I was a psychopath or a genius. What was going on inside that beautiful, charming head of his?

"Alright," he chuckled slightly. "Deal."

Whiskey, who lowered his head and made his gaze more serious, and I shook hands firmly to honor the bet. The hand, in question, was coarse and rough, with quite a few calluses running through every part of his hand. Yet, when I grabbed it, I felt a sense of warmth and trust from it. I felt security. Something I hadn't felt in someone for the longest time.

I took the glass in my hand, feeling the cool glass against my skin. I breathed deeply, slowly preparing myself for what was to come.

In...out...in...out...

Then, I started chugging. Even though I had only been twenty-one for only a little while, I was chugging the drink down as if I had been drinking for ages. As the drink washed down my esophagus and deep into my stomach, my throat developed a burning sensation, which was probably from the whiskey. But that feeling didn't bother me because I had managed to chug a whole pint of Russia's hardest and finest whiskey within a twenty-second time limit.

"Done," I said, exhaling and beaming with pride.

Whiskey's eyes widened, as I slammed the empty glass down. "Damn, sugar. How—how—how did you do that so quickly?"

I shrugged. "Whenever there's a challenge that I know I can win, I don't back down. It's that simple."

"So your confidence enhances ya in a way," he says with a crooked smirk.

"Mm, you could say that. Yeah," I responded coolly.

"I guess this means you don't get that tattoo," Whiskey said, being disappointed in a sarcastic way.

"That's the thing, Whiskey," I started, "Since I'm nice, I'll honor both sides of the deal. I'll get the tattoo in the future, but not while we're still on this dangerous mission."

"Then, I'll honor your part of the bet," he finally said with a warm smirk.

As he leaned in close to give me the kiss, I could feel his hot breath blowing softly onto my cheek. Butterflies—hypothetical ones, of course—fluttered around throughout my stomach, causing my stomach to develop a strange feeling. What it was, I'm not sure, but it was a feeling that I could easily tolerate. I know that the kiss was only a reward of mine after the bet, but I still considered it as a token of chemistry between me and Whiskey. The first since our initial meeting.

"You're blushing," he commented.

"Yeah? And?" I asked, "It was the first time someone's kissed me on the cheek like that."

He then leaned in close to whisper into my ear, as a big smile painted itself on my face. It covered my face from cheek to cheek.

"Just wait 'til we're alone, sugar," he whispered in a low, serious tone.

Chills poured down my spine, and I began to have a new feeling. Was I horny? Maybe. No, wait...definitely. I was definitely horny. To suppress this feeling and not let it creep up to the surface, I bit my bottom lip and forced a crooked, little smirk, silently telling Whiskey that what he just did worked. It made me more attracted to him in that spur of a moment.

As I ran my tongue on the inside of my mouth, I heard an awfully familiar noise ring through my ears.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

A phone was vibrating nearby, but where was it coming from? It made me paranoid and anxious the longer it buzzed. I couldn't find the source of the sound, and it caused me to go silently psychopathic.

"Oh, sorry, sugar. Didn't notice this," Whiskey said, picking up his phone. "I'll be right back. I have to take this call from Mr. President himself."

Whiskey went off to take the call from the president, leaving me sitting all alone at the bar. Ah, yes. Vulnerability. Something that I didn't want to be familiar with.

And vulnerability would be the key factor in me being thrusted into a sticky situation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two older men walk up to me, sandwiching me in the middle of the two. Both men were built strongly like trucks, but not as strongly as dump trucks. The first man, who leaned against the counter on my left, had black eyes, black hair, and an intricate tattoo running down his neck. The second guy, who copied the first's mannerisms, was bald but had the same black eyes as the first. Both definitely fit the definition of literary antagonists, and both definitely made me suspicious of them.

"Hey, pretty thing," the first one said, trying to flirt with me, "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

The second man chimed in. "Yeah. A pretty girl like yourself shouldn't be here all alone."

"Sorry, fellas, but I'm not interested in men that give me the antagonistic vibe," I said, brushing them off.

"Come on. Surely, you'll be willing to let us be here with ya," the second guy added.

"No thanks," I said shortly. "I ain't single for y'all."

"Well, where's your fella, then?" the first one asked, getting closer into my personal space and making me more uncomfortable.

I kept my composure and dared myself to not stare these fellas deep into their eyes. "He's takin' a phone call, trying to get things at his work straightened out."

"Where does he work?" the second man pestered, getting closer to me.

I slowly turned my head to stare at him, giving him a look that could be a sign of aggression. "None of your damn business," I responded aggressively.

The two men chuckled, irritating me more than I already was. "Someone's getting irritated," the first cheered, trying to put his hand on my shoulder. "Maybe putting your hair up will do the trick."

I whipped my head around and forcefully brushed his hand off my shoulder. "Keep your hands off me, motherfucker," I commanded, "or I'll shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll have toes for a tongue."

Still, the two men didn't stop. "Damn, girlie. Does your mother feed you with that mouth?" he asked.

I got up from my place at the bar, escaping these two men for the moment. "Don't talk about my momma, and don't you fucking touch me," I said, standing behind them and preparing for a fight by rolling up my sleeves to my elbows.

Daddy would always tell me to stand up for myself, no matter what happened. So much so that he taught me how to defend myself and especially how to throw a couple good haymakers in a tussle. Now, I'd be able to put all those backyard lessons to good use.

"Aw. Look. Little pussy's gonna pick a fight," the second guy said.

Not hesitating, I lunged at the second guy, taking him down almost instantly. I pounded my fist into his face, trying to make him bleed profusely. Evidently, it worked after only a few seconds because he was already bleeding from mainly his nose and mouth. The first man then grabbed me by the waist and pulled me off the second man. I squirmed to try and break free, but it didn't work. So I elbowed him repeatedly in the side of the head until he let me go. As he dropped me to the ground, I could barely pull myself up to my feet.

If the bar wasn't there, then I wouldn't have been able to be upright.

As I just pulled myself up, the first man drew his arm back as if he was getting ready to punch me. Just as he was going in for it, a mysterious rope from out of nowhere appeared and wrapped itself around his wrist. The first man was pulled back with so much force that when he landed, there was a possibility that he broke his tailbone.

I looked over to see where that lasso came from, and I was shook. There was Whiskey at the top of the stairs, gathering up his lasso and staring both of the men down.

"Now, that is not how you treat a lady," he said as he slowly descended the stairs.

He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and stood firmly in his place. "Sugar, why don't ya jump over that counter and enjoy the show? Things are gonna get rowdy in here," he said to me.

I gave Whiskey a salute and jumped over the counter. I was ready to watch a show after checking for any possible injuries. I think I'm fine, but there's no mirror around here to help me make sure of that.

"Since you fellas clearly don't have any manners, let me show you what they are," Whiskey said coolly.

The second man launched himself toward Whiskey, but Whiskey was quick to the draw. He chucked his lasso toward the second man, wrapping it around the man's waist. Whiskey then proceeded to launch him into the bar, as the first man tried his hand at attacking Whiskey to no avail. Meanwhile, I watched as both of the intolerable men were getting floored by Whiskey and his skills with the lasso.

Whiskey must've got bored with using the lasso because he then reached to his back and forcefully pulled out his whip. In heroic fashion, he started battling the two guys one by one, whipping them and making them yelp in pain. It was great to watch. So great that I started to chuckle while I watched Whiskey continue to take the men down. After a while, though, I could tell that Whiskey was getting irritated with both of the men. Not only because they weren't going down, but also because they had made the previous mistake of messing with me.

Using his whip, Whiskey launched the first man out the nearby window, shattering it in the process. The second man was angry and tried to throw a chair at Whiskey in hopes of knocking him out. It didn't work, however, as Whiskey used his whip to grab the chair and launch it at the second man, who was knocked unconscious by the hard, wood structure. Whiskey pressed a button on his whip's handle, and it retracted back into only its handle. He then readjusted the cowboy hat on his head and put the whip back on his belt.

"Oo-ee. I feel like a tornado in a trailer park," he exclaimed as he looked over to me.

I emerged from behind the bar, making my way over to Whiskey. Immediately, he marched over to me and checked me out, in case I had any injuries.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good," I answered, wiping my bottom lip with my thumb.

As I looked down at my thumb, I saw some blood resting on top of it. It was relatively fresh, so it had to have been from a recent injury.

"Oh my. I'm bleedin'."

"Let me see," Whiskey said, using his thumb to examine the cut on my bottom lip.

As he used his thumb to hold down my bottom lip, I kept still, forcing a familiar feeling of desire to creep back down to the depths of my soul. I couldn't let that feeling show itself to Whiskey. Not at this moment. Not now, at least.

"It's a good-sized cut, but it'll heal pretty soon," he said hopefully.

He then grabbed a damp washcloth from the bar—a clean one, of course—and gave it to me.

"Here. Put that on your lip. It should stop bleeding in a few."

I put the washcloth on my bottom lip like he said. Doing this also gave me some time to come up with my next words.

"Thank you," I said, "for saving me like that."

Whiskey, once again, broke out the crooked smile. The crooked smile that never fails to make me blush.

"Of course, sugar. I'm just doing my job," he said.

"Your job?"

"Yeah. The mission, yeah. It's still my job. But the deeper job is protecting you. You're a new agent who's got a lot to live for. Without ya, this mission is gonna go to waste. I can't do it alone. This guy is far too dangerous."

After Whiskey said that, a familiar voice played deep into my ear. I couldn't place the face to the voice, but after a few seconds, I realized that it was Mr. President, who was speaking to me and Whiskey.

"Glad you two had your little moment, but I've got news to share."

I put my hand up to my ear so I could hear the president's voice better. "Give it to us straight, Mr. President. What do you have for us?"

"I've got someone new to help you two behind-the-scenes on this mission. From now on, you two will be working with Ginger Ale," the president briefed. "She'll be giving you two direct pieces of information about Balor as she works tirelessly to dig deeper. I'll still be here to track the threat and work on ways to strengthen our defenses here in the states."

"Welcome, agents Blackjack and Whiskey. I'll be working behind-the-scenes here and gain more information about this threat we're tracking," Ginger briefed. "I'll do my best to get what I can, but getting all of what this guy has done is gonna take a while."

"Oh, we understand that," Whiskey said. "This guy's done a lot of bad things, and if we don't stop him right away, he's gonna turn the whole world into a burnin' piece of toast."

"And I'm here to help you two stop that from happening," Ginger said hopefully.

I turned to Whiskey in hopes of figuring out what we should do next. I was hesitant about choosing what the next move should be because I didn't want to be the reason to cause Balor to go on the run again. Whiskey and I had to be careful in order to prevent this from happening.

"What's our next move?"

"I'm not quite sure, sugar," Whiskey said.

"I've got just the news that I just uncovered, agents!" Ginger started. "It looks like Balor Devlin is holding a masquerade ball tomorrow night. Plenty of elites, benefactors, and allies of Balor are expected to attend. Apparently, it's going to be a pretty big affair."

"So it'll be easy to sneak into," I concluded.

"Exactly," Whiskey commented. "That's our next move, then. Going to the masquerade ball and scopin' out any information about Balor."

"That's correct. As long as you two disguise yourselves as one of the elites, it'll be easy to sneak in," Ginger said.

I kept my eyes on Whiskey as I continued to ask questions about Balor to Ginger. "Speakin' of Balor, any new updates on him?"

"I'm glad you asked, Agent Blackjack," Ginger said, pausing to pull up new information that she had recently uncovered. "I've found that there's a key component for Balor and his plans of global genocide."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"It's called The Oracle. It's a set of what he calls 'antidotes' that are used to enhance the power of a mysterious weapon he plans on using. Without these antidotes, Devlin's hopes of accomplishing global-scale genocide are inadvertently dashed."

Whiskey decided to chime into the conversation. "And where might this Oracle be? Do you know?"

"It's somewhere within the Ural Mountains, which isn't too terribly far off from your location now. I'm sending the coordinates to you two now."

I looked around frantically for something to view the coordinates with. Whiskey, however, was a lot more laid-back about it. He nonchalantly pulled out a pair of what looked like high-tech glasses and put them on. Luckily, he noticed that I didn't have anything similar to his glasses, so he pulled out a second pair and handed them to me.

"Here. Put these on," he said.

Like he said, I put the high-tech glasses on gently, carefully looking for the coordinates that Whiskey and I were getting sent. As I looked through the glasses. I saw a set of electronic numbers pop up in the left lens. The coordinates. An odd set of coordinates that showed me and Whiskey where The Oracle was.

"We have to find a place to shelter," Whiskey said, "so we can rest up and not get a bad case of frostbite."

"Yeah. I'd figure," I responded.

"Good luck, agents. I'll be in touch once you arrive at the location," Ginger said, closing out the conversation.

And off Whiskey and I went to find The Oracle and move one step closer to saving the world.

* * * * * * * * * *

I never knew the Ural Mountains were even more beautiful than the pictures showed. As the snow crunched underneath Whiskey and I's feet, I took in the breathtaking surroundings, almost slipping into a daydream state. The sights were so delightful that they made me feel like I was in a movie.

No, Rocky. Don't daydream. Veronica Paige Crawford, you better not daydream. Don't you dare daydream.

The world is depending on you.

Whiskey and I trudged through the snow only for a little while longer before stumbling across—you guessed it—an abandoned log cabin. This time, it has the added bonus of snow on top of it, especially the wooden roof.

"Well, this looks homey," I remarked.

"It ain't ideal, sugar, but it'll do for now," Whiskey added. "It's not like we're spendin' the night here. We're just settin' up camp so we could successfully hunt for this Oracle everyone's talkin' 'bout."

Whiskey and I went inside the cabin, and it did not show the same beauty as the outside world did. Sure, it had the potential to be beautiful, but it definitely wasn't. Wood planks, broken glass, and what looked like old drywall and stone cluttered the ground below and made the ground unsuitable to comfortably lay on. Luckily, we weren't staying here overnight. We're just setting up camp here so we can find The Oracle and get closer to Balor.

"Good news, agents. The Oracle's location has been confirmed. You should be good to move out whenever you're ready," Ginger told us through our earpieces.

"Copy that, Ginger. Thanks for sharing," Whiskey said.

After Whiskey and I made damn sure that we had all the supplies in the sanctuary, I uttered words that I would end up regretting later on.

"What if I go up and get the antidotes?"

Whiskey whipped his head around as he was taking inventory on the supplies. "Are you fuckin' crazy? Do you wanna get yourself killed?" he exclaimed.

"Whiskey, this whole mission is practically suicide in itself!" I exclaimed back.

The atmosphere between us went silent, causing my blood to run cold. I felt as though I struck a nerve in Whiskey. A nerve that I never intended to find nor damage. Great! Did I forever tarnish this relationship I thought I had with Whiskey? I sure hope I didn't. Even though I kept denying the fact that I was in love with Whiskey, I was starting to see certain traits in him that I doubt any other person would notice. I didn't want to tarnish this camaraderie that has the potential of turning into a romantic relationship.

"If I don't go up there and snatch these antidotes from under Balor's nose, then we're fucked, and we could die. If I stay down here and be a lookout, I might miss something, like enemy soldiers, and then, we're fucked and dead," I explained.

"But if you aren't careful, then you could die! I can't risk that, sugar," he shouted, his voice's intensity rising in anger. "My job is not only to neutralize this threat, but to protect you, sugar. If I let you go up there alone, a lot can go wrong. You could be kidnapped, killed, God knows what else. Who knows? Balor could've laid a trap up there, and then, I'd have to bust my ass to get you out of trouble! A lot can go wrong at the drop of a dime, and if you make the wrong decision, that's on me."

I had no choice but to match Whiskey's intensity in the argument. "Why is it on you? I don't need to be babysat, Whiskey. I'm an adult trying to be an agent. I can't exactly be an agent if you're holding me on a fucking tight leash! I think that if I go up there, then I can successfully get the antidotes, and we'll be on our way. Why is that hard for ya to grasp?"

"No. No, I won't let ya, sugar. Not when there's too much risk involved in that," he said, still shouting.

"What choice do we have in taking different positions? We're fucked either way!"

"Don't think like that, sugar. We're not fucked," Whiskey said, slightly calmed down but not fully calmed down.

I could still sense Whiskey's frustration and anger in his voice. I guess I can say that I did indeed strike a nerve.

"I can go up there and get the antidotes, so that we could go on our way after that," he said in a relatively calm tone, despite still being angry. "I just don't want you to go up there and get hurt, or worse, killed."

"But if you go up there, Whiskey, then you're gonna get yourself killed. If these assumptions are as bad as you say they might be, then there's an equal risk you pose when going up there as I pose if I were doin' it. I don't want you to get yourself killed because then, I'll feel guilty."

"Why would you feel guilty? I thought we were just colleagues, sugar," he said.

"Well, lately, I hadn't been feelin' that way. And sorry if I don't want to see you get killed like my twin brother did! I have enough guilt from that terrible night. I don't wanna have any added guilt on top of that. That would break me, Whiskey. If you thought that my twin brother's death would break me down, then you wouldn't know what would happen if I saw you die right in front of me. You'd have no fucking idea!"

Now, I definitely damaged a nerve. How did I know? Whiskey blew up in frustration, being so angry that his face was turning beet red, and a couple veins in his forehead were very much visible. They looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

"No fucking idea? No fucking idea?! Of course, I have a fucking idea! I was married to my perfectly innocent high school sweetheart. She was the love of my life! She was pregnant with my little boy too.! He would've been alive right now if his momma didn't get caught in the crossfire when two meth head morons decided to rob a fucking convenience store! So if you think I don't know pain and guilt, then you're dead wrong, sugar!"

The atmosphere fell silent again. Tears were forming in my eyes as I heard Whiskey's tragic backstory for the first time. I could feel my heart physically shatter for him. Sure, I cared about him, but I didn't think he'd suffer just as much as I did. I guess my confidence and bullheadedness blinded me like that.

God, Rocky! You fucking idiot!

"And I'm sorry if I care about your fuckin' safety because I couldn't do that with my wife and unborn son! It's just that—every time I look at you, I see—I see her. And if you go up there and possibly die getting the antidotes into safe hands, then it'll be like her gettin' fuckin' murdered all over again," Whiskey said somberly, tears welling up in his eyes as the intensity in his voice died down to a more calm tone, "and I don't want that to happen to ya."

Cue more silence and tension between us.

"You see her in me?" I asked, as I continued to fight back tears.

"Of course, I do," he responded, wiping a tear off my cheek with his thumb. "Your personalities are pretty much the same. Headstrong, mature, perceptive...you two were eerily alike."

The atmosphere started to lighten up a bit, but I was still pretty frustrated with myself. Whiskey and I had not gotten anywhere so far with the mission because of this argument. Plus, I didn't know how to tell Whiskey what I was feeling because they were so complicated to deal with.

"But if you cared about me, why don't you let me go?" I asked, my voice rising again and embracing the conflict-seeker side of me.

"Because it's too dangerous, and if you die, it's on me! Why can't you understand that?" Whiskey shouted, as the argument started all over again. "You won't let me go up there, but you still wanna go, despite it being so dangerous. If we don't decide one way or another, it's Genocide Day here on Earth, and Balor will win. I just—I just don't understand what the fuckin' problem is and why you seem to care so much about me stayin' here and being the look—"

"Because I fucking love you, okay!?" I exclaimed.

I could sense the atmosphere changing in tone. Whiskey was stunned silent, and so was I. I had finally confessed to Whiskey these complex feelings I'd been feeling for him, and it was hard for me to admit to it. Now, it was out there that I was in love with Agent Whiskey, but how will he take it? Will he return the favor or abandon me and not care about my feelings whatsoever? Nevertheless, there was definitely a change in the way the both of us saw each other.

"Ever since you rattled off that damn pickup line when we first met in person, I'd been in love. But I denied it at first and set up ground rules because I didn't think I'd be ready for love a year after what happened to my twin. I didn't want to go through another heartbreak like that again. So I kept denying these feelings for a long time and focused on the mission at hand, and ever since I had these feelings for you, I'd been at war with myself. I loved you then, Whiskey, and I love you now. And I pray to God and hope that you return the favor, mainly because—"

Whiskey then grabbed the sides of my face and forcefully and swiftly pulled me into him, subsequently forcing me to be pressed hard against his soft, considerably moist lips. Despite my eyes being closed, I could tell that this moment—this intensely passionate moment between us—had stemmed from frustration that had boiled for a considerable amount of time. I was breathless, having the air that was in my lungs snatched out by Whiskey, who continued to kiss me hard in the heat of the moment.

While he kept one hand at the back of my head and intertwined his fingers into my long brown hair, I slowly ran my hand up and down the side of Whiskey's jawline and kept the other firmly grasped onto his arm. My fingernails dug into his coat, as my grasp tightened on his right tricep. After we parted after several minutes of an intense few moments of intimacy, I still had a feeling lingering within me. A feeling of desire. I wanted him—I wanted Whiskey—badly, but I knew that this mission was more important. I had to set these feelings aside for now. I had to refocus on the mission.

Silence lingered between the two of us, as I was left reeling from what happened moments before. I was speechless. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, no words came rolling out. A few moments went by, and I eventually opened my eyes again to see Whiskey again. This time, however, we saw each other differently. We not only saw each other as agents and colleagues, but as lovers.

I smiled only slightly, carefully and gently nibbling my bottom lip. I wanted Whiskey desperately, but the time constraint on our hands was more important.

"Damn," I quietly uttered. "Didn't know you were that good of a kisser."

Whiskey shrugged. "You don't know anythin', sugar."

I remained silent, trying to remember all that happened moments before this passionate moment went down. Nothing came to mind, for I was distracted by that memorable moment that I proudly call my first kiss.

"What were we fightin' about?" I asked, genuinely forgetting what happened before this all happened.

Whiskey's mind remembered what happened before this all went down, but I assumed that he thought it was better to bury the hatchet we had. That small, miniscule hatchet.

"I'm not sure," he said in a relatively low-toned voice. "My mind's drawin' to a blank."

"Probably best that way, huh?" I responded.

Whiskey and I shared a relatively quiet chuckle to try and ease the awkward tension between us.

"You can go up to that hill and get the antidotes if you want," Whiskey commented. "You're probably much quicker than I am."

As I grabbed my now empty backpack, I smirked at Whiskey. "Hope that doesn't happen while we're alone in a more comfortable place than this."

Whiskey damn near choked on his own laughter, while I laughed on my way out the sanctuary. As my feet crunched against the snow, I knew that my attention and mind had to be put toward getting these antidotes. My mind, however, was weakened, as it kept daydreaming about Whiskey. No matter what I did while I was on my way up the mountain, the thought of Agent Whiskey still remained trapped in my head. Ever since I met him and even what happened just moments ago, I now deny myself the strength to put him out of my head. I want to remember him forever.

After only a few moments, I managed to arrive at the top of the apparently small mountain, finally getting the chance to rest my tired legs. All the hiking, all the physical work...it almost turned my legs to jelly. But I knew that I couldn't give up now. If I don't get these antidotes into safe hands, then all hell will break loose. Hell is already going to break loose since I'm snatching the antidotes, but at least right now, it was only a matter of time before it happened.

"You up there, Blackjack?" Whiskey's voice asked me through my earpiece.

"Yeah. Just got up here. It was a bitch to do it, but I made it," I answered. "Now, I'm trying to figure out how exactly to get these antidotes."

"There should be a computer pad up there, where you enter in a five-digit code to override the system. That five-digit code, according to what Ginger relayed to us, is...six, four, six, nine, six," Whiskey started.

I found the keypad and entered the code, being especially careful not to mess it up. Luckily, I got it the first time. "What next, Whiskey?"

"Did you see a small door or somethin' open?" he asked.

I looked at the tall column at the top of the machine known as The Oracle. "Yeah. There's these small capsules with some sort of liquid in them."

"Okay. You're gonna carefully grab all of them," Whiskey continued. "You don't wanna break 'em."

"I'll try not to," I said, carefully snapping the antidotes out of this peculiar device.

As I was stuffing the last antidote into my backpack, I noticed enemy soldiers that were coming up the other side of the hill. Clad in white winter uniforms and their weapons drawn, they were moving up the hill relatively quickly. Much quicker than I made it up here to the top. In my version of a fight or flight response, I decided to fly and flee the scene. Carefully but swiftly, I slung my antidote-filled backpack over my shoulders and made a break for the sanctuary, hearing the snow crunch beneath my feet quicker than ever before. Even though I almost toppled down the small mountain a couple times, I always kept my footing.

As soon as I came within one-hundred meters of the sanctuary, I saw Whiskey standing in the doorway, waiting for me.

Aw. How cute. He cares about me, I thought, as I tried to distract myself from the threats that were coming.

"Whiskey, get down! They're comin'! Get down now!" I shouted.

He couldn't hear me, despite my loud cries. "What?"

"Get down!" I shouted, tackling Whiskey in order for him to avoid the gunfire.

I tackled Whiskey to the hardwood floor as hard as a linebacker. We both dove behind the walls to avoid the enemy fire, which broke through the glass windows as easily as butter. I could hear the bullets hit against the wood, but luckily, this wood was thick enough that they didn't pass through and hit us. Through all this, however, Whiskey didn't seem too pleased that I floored him with ease.

"You could've made your entrance a hell of a lot smoother," he shouted.

"Fuck you! I just saved your life!" I shouted back, matching the high volume amidst the gunfire.

"Yeah, and your entrance might've cost us the easy way to Balor."

"Does it look like that matters now? We're getting shot up faster than a runaway eight-point buck during huntin' season, and all you care about is getting the cash prize at the end!" I shouted back.

Whiskey and I took a quick peek at the soldiers firing at us before dipping back behind the walls, our backs feeling the rough hickory of the cabin. Despite adrenaline pumping through both of our bloodstreams, we remained stagnant. We were sitting ducks at the moment.

"How did they even find us, anyway?" Whiskey asked in a high volume voice.

"I don't know! I was just snapping the antidotes out of that thing like ya told me to do. Next thing I know, I'm stuffin' the backpack with the stuff, and they're climbin' up the mountain trying to get my ass. Came awfully close, but they didn't."

"We must've tripped an alarm or somethin'," Whiskey said.

"Or maybe you were right, and Balor set a trap for us," I suggested. "I'm sorry, Whiskey. I shoulda listened to you."

"Trust me, sugar. We're way past that. No need to bury an already buried hatchet."

The gunfire ceased for only a couple split seconds, which gave me a new opportunity. Now was the time to properly fight back against these bastards.

"They're reloading their weapons," I pointed out. "Now's our chance."

I loaded up on the solid black glocks that I had since I didn't want to use my sniper rifle in such close range. "Cover me, Whiskey!"

Before the gunfire could start again, I rose to my feet quickly and dashed out the cabin and into the winter wonderland. Whiskey covered me by shooting at any other soldiers that I wasn't directly fighting. I could assume that he did this because he didn't want to risk shooting me and being liable for what might happen next.

I was tearing through the enemies one by one, either shooting them in their chests or knocking them unconscious, using either the handles on the glocks or my fists. It was relatively easy at first, but my confidence might've gotten the best of me as the enemies that flooded in were much tougher than I thought. Now, it took more than one hit to take them down. With one soldier left, he and I stared each other down. It was like time froze for only a few seconds. Every time I stared deep into his soul, he stared deep into mine. Who was going to crack first? Definitely not me. I had too much training and discipline to crack.

Carefully, I drew my two glocks once again. It didn't go unresponded, though, because as soon as I drew the glocks, the soldier drew his small knife. I pulled the trigger to both glocks, and nothing happened.

Damn it, Rocky! You didn't reload, I thought to myself.

I didn't worry. At least, I didn't let the enemy soldier know that I was. I tilted my head to let the enemy know that I was cocky enough to keep going, and he smiled an evil grin. It was so evil that even Satan himself might run away in fear. Loading the glocks back into their holsters, I realized that I had to think of something else to use. Then, a lightbulb clicked on in my head.

"Whiskey!"

"What, sugar?" he asked.

"Toss me that high-tech lasso of yours."

He looked at me as though I was crazy. "Are you flippin' nuts?"

"Just trust me," I said. "I just need it for one split second."

"Fine. Here," Whiskey shouted, tossing me his high-tech, retractable lasso.

I caught the high-tech lasso with ease and started to use my arm to spin it around. When the enemy soldier charged, I used my arm to launch the lasso's loop toward, ultimately bisecting him at the waist. I was reeling after that battle and its result. I thought it'd be relatively easy for me to kill someone who worked for the enemy. I thought that witnessing death a year after what happened would be easy to deal with.

Turns out, being on the other end of the fight as the villain is a lot harder to stomach.

As I started to get back to my feet after remaining in a kneeling position for a few moments, Whiskey came over to give me a hand and help me up. Of course, I grabbed his hand willingly since he took the time to make sure I was alright.

"You okay, sugar?" he asked.

"Yeah. I guess. You better thank your fuckin' stars I didn't need no more backup."

"I guess I should, then," Whiskey chuckled.

Then, the sound of rumbling trucks emerged. Two heavy-duty military trucks came barreling toward Whiskey and I, which meant that we weren't in the clear yet.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, being in disbelief that there were more coming.

"A sign that says that we're not out of the woods yet, sugar," he responded, dashing back to the cabin.

I quickly followed Whiskey, making sure that I didn't get hit by any possible gunfire heading my way. As I neared the cabin, I stepped wrong and tripped over my feet, almost immediately feeling a horrible pain in my right ankle. In terrible pain, I screamed, letting out a slew of profanities that were unfortunately a part of my daily vocabulary.

"Damn it! Motherfucker, that goddamn hurts!"

Whiskey looked over to a pained me after he dove behind the wall to avoid the bullets' range. "You okay? What happened?"

"I rolled my fuckin' ankle! God, it hurts like a bitch!" I exclaimed.

"How bad is it? Can you stand on it?"

I rose to my feet and tried to stand on both my feet. After touching my right foot to the ground, I collapsed with defeat. Luckily, Whiskey was there to catch me and make sure I didn't face plant into the wood floor.

"I'll take that as a no, then," Whiskey voiced out loud.

"How about a hell no?" I suggested.

I heard the soldiers outside preparing to fire their weapons, while Whiskey and I remained in the wooden sanctuary assessing my apparent injury.

"Agents of God knows what agency," the enemy commander started, "We'll give you one chance to come out here, with your hands up, and surrender the antidotes to us. Then, you'll have the opportunity to live."

I stuck my head out of the shattered window and saw this wave of soldiers holding their weapons steady and aiming for the cabin. My ankle was still hurting at this point, but I learned to deal with it.

"Fuck you! We ain't budgin'. If you want us, you'll have to drag our cold, dead corpses with ya," I shouted, "and do us a favor, eh? Go to hell!"

After the soldiers readied their weapons, they fired upon the cabin again. This time, the gunfire was a lot more rapid, so there was more of a chance of me or Whiskey getting shot. If that ever did happen, I'd lay my life on the line for Whiskey. I love him so much that I'm willing to take a bullet through my heart for him. As soon as the gunfire ended, the soldiers left on their tank-like trucks presumably back to their base. They thought that Whiskey and I were shot dead, even though, in actuality, we weren't. We were safe behind the wood walls that had thick enough planks that nothing could pass through. Not even bullets.

"They're gone," Whiskey said, looking out the window as the trucks left. "Must've thought we were dead."

"I should be after what I said to them," I said, still wincing in pain.

"Hey. Don't you ever regret that, sugar. That was awesome," he said. "I had to do everything in my power to not laugh out loud so that those guys couldn't hear. It was unfiltered, unexpected, and I loved it!"

I smiled, but only for a brief second before the pain radiated through my body again. I grabbed my ankle and yelped, trying to self-diagnose this pain myself. But it was a hard task to do because I wasn't a doctor. I knew that I couldn't stand on it, so that was a big indicator already.

"Jesus fucking age Christ, that hurts!"

Whiskey quickly came to my side and knelt down, checking out my ankle and making sure it was okay. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think, cowboy? I'm cursin' in pain, I can only stand on one foot. What do you think?"

As Whiskey looked at my ankle, I winced in complete agony. I think I had a broken ankle, but I couldn't be sure because, again, I wasn't a doctor.

"It's fine. I've been through much worse," I said, accepting the pain and putting that thought aside.

Whiskey gave me a look of shock and denial at the same time. "You've been through injuries worse than a possible broken ankle?"

"Oh yeah. I've been through a lot worse pain," I answered, snapping my ankle back into place so that it didn't hurt anymore.

Yep. Definitely a fracture. But what type of fracture it was...I don't know.

"Trust me, Whiskey. If I pass out and become unconscious, then that's when you really need to worry," I reassured.

"I'll keep that in mind," Whiskey said. "Come on. We have to go."

"Where?"

"A secret base in Yekaterinburg. If we can get more antidotes from there, then it'll be better for us and worse for Balor," he said.

I tried to follow Whiskey, but I kept hobbling, which slowed me down significantly. "Might take me a bit to get there. Damn ankle's actin' up again."

Without even hesitating, Whiskey swiftly came back to my side and slung my arm over his shoulders. He dared not to speak a word, but his actions spoke louder anyway. I didn't let it show, but I was screaming on the inside. He didn't know it, but I was falling in love with Whiskey all over again...and I wouldn't change that for the world. 

#agent whiskey #creative writing #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #fanfiction

[hopeformankind]

@savior-of-humanity continued from here.

Shinji's hands trembled violently, barely able to keep the pistol secured in his own grip. He was silent, though the look of cold-blooded fear plastered on his face spoke volumes. It was only after a moment that he allowed the gun to drop out of his hands, clattering to the ground, before he immediately wrapped his own arms around himself - knees pulled close to his chest.

"I'm sorry, I-I thought- I thought..." That you were going to hurt me, were the words that went unspoken. Shinji was familiar with the concept of otherworldly horrors that tried to kill him and his friends time and time again - but he was used to them looking like monsters. Nothing could have prepared him for the things in these woods. At first glance they looked like people - but the similarities between them and humans ended. They moved and acted like beasts, shambling like drunkards, distorted bodies swaying like they were about to fall over at any moment. And, to top it all off, they apparently had an appetite for human blood - Shinji was unfortunate enough to bear witness to an entire group of people, armed with gear and clothes and weapons utterly foreign to him, fall victim to only a handful of them. That was how he got the gun in the first place. That was also how he nearly died to one that caught sight of him - as a matter of fact, he'd be dead if it wasn't for her. His EVA. He didn't know why it was here. How it was here. Only that it wasn't 80 meters tall anymore but a mere 13 - and it was alive. When he'd been scrambling on the ground trying to get away from the monster looming over her, she had come from nowhere - moving like lightning, screaming, throwing a punch at the thing's head with such force and fury that it blasted its head clean off in a spray of blood and gore. That had been hours ago. Neither the EVA or any of those things were in sight, thankfully. But he didn't know how long it was going to stay quiet for.

--

Finding people outside of the Walls, at this rate, seemed to be growing more common than expected. It happened once before, when Shadis was still in the Survey Corps, not to mention with everything at Shiganshina... and now, it was happening again. A young man, no doubt, very young-- armed with some sort of weapon that was no doubt mostly unfamiliar to those within the Walls, Erwin himself included, with Shinji's EVA moving like one of the many Shifter-Titans that they'd found. Specifically... it reminded him of Eren's Attack Titan.

Erwin stood there as his white horse stared with its big eyes towards Shinji and the other Scouts that looked around in the area, keeping guard for their still-alive Commander, whom now spoke with a shockingly softer tone to Shinji.

" It's okay... I can understand how terrifying it is-- especially when those Titans look so much like people, seeing what they can do. But you're not going to be hurt by any of them. My name is Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps, and we were originally here on a mission. I'm going to approach you, but I will keep my hand visible to show you I won't have it anywhere near my anti-Titan weaponry. " Explain his intentions now. " I want to check you over for injuries, and if you are injured, I will make sure you're brought to a medic on the wounded cart to be properly tended to. If you're not injured, then I'll keep myself at a distance if it helps you feel safer, since I know we don't know one another. "

" I'll help you to one of our spare horses, and we'll take you back to our Headquarters within the Walls to ensure your safety and wellbeing. "

" You're safe. I promise. "

They needed to get out of here. But he'll be damned if he terrified the boy further-- he'd get Shinji out of here in one piece, even if they'd just met. He refused to have a repeat of Shiganshina.

#[ if we fail here; we will never get another chance | ic / in character . ] #savior-of-humanity #ask to tag tw #death tw #ptsd tw #trauma tw #gore tw #violence tw #blood tw #//get adopted idiot #//u got a new dad

[hythlodaeus-mynewoldfriend]

Cassette!!

“Early childhood memory…..hmm, oh I got one!” Demos says with a snap, "When I was like four maybe even as young as three I went to explore the woods, as one should do honestly. An' it was getting to be later afternoon when I found my favorite little creek again when the like horn sound comes out from the bushes right behind me. Had me fallin' right into the water scared me so bad. When I look up though just see its this little deer looking creature, not much bigger than I am and just looks at me kind of sad." He pouts with an exaggerated frown, "Just like that. Didn't see his mom anywhere so we went looking but couldn't find none. What else was I supposed to do but take him home with me? Mom normally would have made a fuss but it was well past dinner and the sun had gone down by the time I got back home, so I think she focused on that more than the fact I brought a friend home."

He laughs turning to pet the reindeer standing at his side, "By the time she was ready to make a fuss about it, Oisín here wouldn't leave my side and I gave him a name so that was that. Would find out when we had that stint in Ishgard that he could make illusions, and only coming to Sharlayan did I even find out the amount of mythology there was on others like him. So I don't know why you picked me, but you're stuck with me."

So Demos has a companion that is the Starlight Steed in the game but its not a recreation of the animal, it is the actual reindeer. Demos grew up in the North Shroud and while being a terror in running off since he could walk pretty well at that age, stumbled upon the little guy and brought him home. He gave him the name Oisín (oh-sheen) in an attempt to name him after Oschon the deity, but once he could say the name correctly the reindeer didn't respond to anything else. Oisín was with Demos throughout ARR and HW before Demos left him behind in Stormblood for his buddy's safety. He missed him terribly and frankly contributed to his feelings of no longer being himself since that was his way of always having some kind of home with him.

When the Scions all find themselves in the First, he's at the Rising Stones keeping everyone company and waiting for Demos to come back. In Endwalker Demos is done leaving behind his friend and brings him to Old Sharlayan with no paperwork, literally this man just walks by with his pet and ignores the protests the woman that handles all that gives him. When once again he must travel far he gives Oisín to Yugiri in Doma. He assures he'll be back, but the unspoken message being "I trust no one else but you to take care of him if I don't.", Demos had the utmost faith that they could stop the world from ending it just became a matter if he himself would be there to see it.

Demos didn't know about the illusion magic until walking around the Brume one day and Oisín making some fun illusions for kids that looked down on their luck. It did make the kids confused as to why Demos wasn't in a red jacket, which he just assured it was off season and was doing research for the Saint. Once away he did pull his buddy aside and ask him why he didn't inform him he was capable of such things over the course of nearly 30 years. Oisín was much more open about the trick after that and really wanted to bring joy to the children and this got proven even more when Demos came back to Doma to bring his friend home, the kids there didn't want to give him back (lovingly). A constant companion there was a small amount of time spent in Gyr Abania bringing some joy to the children there also.

#as always more lore under the cut! #Thank you for the ask! Sorry its delayed! I had to finally finalize the name of Demos reindeer #but hes a good boy and so is Demos :) #demos reyes oc #demos headcanon #demos ic ask

[riverelfe099]

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[merbyteslibrary]

Heaven Sent : Chapter 9 | Fight or Flight

Trigger Warning | Sexual Situations, Gore, Abuse, Foul Language.

I woke up to the sound of shelves being thrown on the ground, all of my preserves and cans were busted open on the floor. Once my eyes started to fully focus ahead of me I realized who was destroying my home.

"Brad...?" I said weakly, when I tried to stand up I realized he had torn apart one of my blankets and tied together my wrists as well as ankles.

"Where the fuck is it?" He snarled, now that I was awake he grabbed onto my shirt collar and punched me— saw white spots amidst a background of white from each hit he landed.

Now I was squirming to break free, desperate to keep from getting punched again. "W-where is what? I don't know what you want!"

"You're not so tough anymore- are you bitch?" He started strangling me; I saw black starting to outline my vision before he finally released me and punched me one more time. "Where are your souls?" I glanced around my room, trying to find my sewing kit among the broken glass and spilled food. "Come on! You had a lot to say to me earlier didn't you?" He kicked me in the ribs and I spat out blood. "Where is your smart mouth now?"

"M-my ... sewing..." He grabbed my jaw- I winced from how sore it had gotten.

"Speak up."

"Sewing kit..." I gasped finally.

He shoved my face away and started throwing things around again.

I focused on my bindings, slipping my heel up to loosen the fabric of the blanket around my ankles. If I could just get my legs free, then I could run.

"This is what I'm talking about; there are easily two thousand souls in here." His face was illuminated by the blue inside of the basket, his wild eyes turned to me. "You were really only going to give me fifty souls when you had all of this?"

"I told you, I was saving up too!"

He tore off the magazine clipping and pressed it against my face. "You think you can go to heaven, a stupid bitch like you?"

"No, I wasn't trying to-."

"Were you going to see Rebecca?"

"N-no, I was just going -."

"I bet Rebecca would love that, she adored you- you know... Thought you could do no wrong, loved you so much she could have been a lesbian." He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back, "She was better than you in bed, you know that?"

"Brad, please just let me go ..."

"No, no! You got to say anything you wanted to me earlier- now I'm going to take you down a peg." Brad threw me onto my stomach, rubbing my face in the cement floor. "I'm going to see Rebecca, because with these souls I'll have enough to fulfill one of my contracts... And then I can fuck her every day in heaven- just like I did on your bed the first time."

"Stop... Stop telling me this... Just take your souls and leave me alone!"

"Oh Bonnie, I promise you'll never see me again after this." He stomped on my right leg several times as I screamed, tears rolling down my cheeks. Finally he got the desired result; my bone gave a sickening crack- the pain was like needles and fire tearing through my nerves. "Just to make sure you can't go anywhere..."

He crawled out of the bunker, I scanned the room with teary eyes and finally scooted over to grab one of the glass shards on the ground- cutting my wrists free and making easy work of my ankles.

I knew I had to bind my leg somehow, so I used one of the broken shelves and tied the blanket around it- hoping it would hold straight long enough for me to get to safety.

The bunker was filling with smoke; I could smell the fire upstairs as it greedily ate away at the dried wood and fresh foliage along the walls.

There wasn't any time to waste thinking about anything else, I crawled toward the back of the bunker and swung open two cellar doors that had nearly rusted shut overtime. I took a quick look around to make sure I didn't see Brad and made a break for it.

I was hobbling as fast as possible down the dilapidated streets, falling over and screaming as pain shot through my leg.

"Fuck!" I wiped away tears with my now torn apart sleeve; I had to get back up... I had to go anywhere else.

"How the fuck did you get out?" My stomach dropped into my legs, Brad was just leaving my now burning home – he was a decent distance away but in my condition he could walk and catch up to me.

I ran anyway.

I'm such a coward; natural selection must have failed me since my only instinct was to always run away.

Even in such a hopeless situation as this one.

I limped as fast as I could anyway, by the time Brad had caught up to me I had crossed over into the downtown area.

Downtown was just a nice way of saying the lesser demon-owned businesses.

Brad was walking beside me- taunting me - as I tried to speed up my pace. He tripped me and my hands were cut open by the unsteady gravel beneath us.

"Oops, looks like you should have stayed home." He laughed, "I was trying to avoid using my bare hands for this."

"Brad, please..." He grabbed my head and slammed it into the gravel, I threw my hands in front of my face on instinct- smashing them in the process.

Brad gave an aggravated sigh and stepped on my forearms to continue hitting my face against the street.

I thought for sure this was how I was going to die; just a few more times and I would pass out... I could feel it as my eyes filled with blood.

Then his hands stopped, the tension on my arms released.

"The fuck is all this, then?"

"Mind your fucking business."

"Aren't you a ray of fucking sunshine? Get the fuck out of here before I skewer you and roast you over the burning potholes."

"Lucifer...?" I managed; parts of my jaw didn't seem to be working quite right.

"Holy shit... Bonnie?" I felt a hand cover my entire face, "I'm not an angel so this is going to hurt like hell."

Whoever it was, they weren't wrong.

My jaw bone cracked into place, blood sizzled out of my vision, and at the same time a searing hot pain covered my skin- I was screaming through the entire process until the pain grew so intense that I blacked out again.

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