#first sight

[hellcatinnc]

Fluffruary Day 1 - Breath Taking First Glance

(First Sight)

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Warning This includes: SFW (Read Tags Before Continuing)

Tags: sfw, fluff, first sight, love at first sight, romance, romantic, rafayel, love and deepspace, merfolk, merman, under the sea, art, artwork

Word Count: 1,796

Feature: Rafayel x Fem! Reader

Theme: First Sight

@fluffruaryprompts

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 1

Your friends had been telling you about this art museum in town. However you never really much cared for art but you were tired of hearing them so you agreed to check it out that weekend. You got up that Saturday morning and didn't go all out on your makeup or clothing, just comfy jeans and nice shirt, some eyeliner and lip gloss and go. Its not like you planned on picking someone up in a art gallery that is the last place you would think to do that. So you get there and you are surprised how so many people are into art and you keep hearing people talk about this Rafayel guy who is supposed to be the main artist in todays gallery. You tried to find anywhere on the pamphlet you grabbed when you came in for a last name but you thought guess he is so popular he doesn't need a last name like the singer Prince. This made you laugh cause at least he isn't just a symbol.

You look over the pamphlet and go from each art piece to the next based on what it says about each of them. There wasn't much standing out to you til you got to this mural on the wall of the depths of the ocean. It had fish, dolphins, whales and merfolk in it and you were drawn to this piece like no other. So many had passed this one by but this was it, this piece talked to you. The thought of merfolk as a kid interested you like no other and whales and dolphins are some of your favorite creatures. You were taking it all in when you heard a voice "That is one of my favorites as well." You quickly wiped the tears that were trickling in your eyes away then look back at this man. He was so handsome, the purple hair casting a slight shadow across his face, his purple mix tented eyes were captivating, his skin looked soft and silky with a creamy tone, he was tall and had broad shoulders and absolutely the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your life. For the first time you felt like you believed in love at first sight. You were caught up in his looks you found your eyes settling on his soft plush lips that looked like they were so kissable.

He cleared his throat and you snapped out of it, you fumbled dropping the pamphlet. "Um yeah I think I love you too.. I mean I love it too.." You were so embarrassed your words were gone, your mind couldn't think about anything but him which caused you to mess up what you were saying, you sighed. He chuckled "Your cute, whats your name?" You smile and your face is own fire at the way he is looking at you, you're now questioning if you even remember your name. You push through and you catch his gaze, your cheeks still flushed "My, name is Y/N what about you?" He smiles at you then turns and walks away, you are so shook, what just happened. You were sure you messed it up with the fumble of your words, your eyes direct back to the painting and sigh.

About that time he walks back over to you holding a picture frame in his hand which left you curious. He turned it around and it was a picture of him then underneath it said his name Rafayel, then he pointed to the painting the plaque on the wall under the painting said the same. "Oh! Oh my god! Your.....H-him?!?" He smiles and nods "Thats right, but you, are the first to take alot of notice in this one picture and I am curious why. Do you have plans after this?" You couldn't believe he was standing right here in front of you, he was someone famous and you surely weren't drop dead gorgeous yet he wants to take you out and talk. Then you started wondering is it just cause the picture or is he actually interested in you. "N-no..." He chuckles, then reaches for your hand and pulls you with him. You gladly follow along not sure why, but you know your heart is beating so loudly you are sure he can hear it.

He walks you out the back door and walks you out towards the open beach that lays behind the art gallery. You are trying to keep up he is walking much faster than you yet still holding your hand. As you reach the waters edge he looks back at you as he releases your hand. "What does the ocean mean to you, the creatures in it?" He says with a more serious tone to it as he looks out in to the blue sea. Your not sure what he wants but you tell him about your love of the ocean and the sea creatures in it. He is now looking at you with such fascination yet doesn't say anything. You are hesitant on the last part thinking he might think your crazy..."Also merfolk I have been in love with the idea they exist since I was a little girl. So when I look out at the ocean I hope that deep down they do and your art made me feel like that hopeful little girl again." His face softly flushed pink, his ears had a tint of red to them to. He was embarrassed like he had some secret he wanted to tell you but wasn't sure how too.

"I'm going to trust you, because some reason I feel like I can." His words were shaky as he pulled out his hand blowing into and little blue fish swam around in thin air. You were so captivated by this magic you couldn't take your eyes off it and when you went touch, it faded. "W-What...was that?" He could see as you asked the curiosity and dreamy look in your eyes flickered. He took your hand and walked you towards the ocean as you walked further out you were starting to get scared. He could feel you start to tremble he turned back giving you a big hug and whispering in your ear "Trust me I will protect you, I just want to show you the world you have dreamed of does exist."

You let you heart rate relax as he said these words, you were going to trust him and you just didn't understand its like the moment you laid eyes on him it was like your heart was home, like it had found the missing half of your puzzle however you knew nothing about him and this all surprised you. Right now you were following a strange man you met over a hour ago into the ocean where you can't even swim, this could be the last day you breathe on earth yet your following him blindly. You realize love at first sight is blinder than you could imagine. As you get to where the water is about to go over your head, he is still holding you close as he looks at you and his eyes light up a beautiful bright blue. You are so alarmed by this but you never pull away because even though he has some kind of magic he is still holding you tight preventing you from falling.

He looks at you smiling with those pretty illuminated eyes staring back at you, now you find your smiling back at him. "Ready for the best part?" He says with a playful sound to his voice, you nod yes and he takes you into his arms picking you up as you look up at him he leans in and kisses your lips softly. You weren't expecting this but you kiss him back, then you realized he wasn't making out with you he was doing it to help you breathe. When he pulled away after a moment he chuckled, "There will be plenty of time for kisses, I promise." You were embarrassed that you thought he was trying to make out with you. Your face felt like it was on fire and you were sure your cheeks were probably really red by now. He plunges under the water and you go to gasp and no sooner you get under the water you realize your not drowning, you can breathe under the water yet your confused why.

You reach up touching your lips as you look at him his glowing eyes looking back you. You notice scale like area on the back of his neck such a sparkly blue, when your eyes finally look down. You see the most beautiful fanned out mer tail and you gasp. Then look back in his eyes "Wow...Your beautiful!" He smiled at her as he swayed his tail back and fourth keeping them in the same area. He held you close to him as he began to swim across the ocean bottom, you saw schools of fish flipping by, coral reefs lined the bottom area near rocks and tropical looking plants. The water made everything practically shimmer down below. You were so mesmerized how this world you hoped for so long existed and he showed you a world you only dreamed of. He eventually took you back to the beach and soon as he switched back to human his eyes flipped back to normal as well.

Once you were back standing in front of him on the ocean sand you look up at him and reach out for his hand. He meets you pulling you close to him. "Is this real? Are you real?" You had to ask because this seemed like some kind of fairy tale there was no way it was all real. "It is real, I am a merman. I am trusting you to keep that secret, but I want to see you again. Is that ok?" You were shocked by his request you wanted to see him again in and out of the water, you wanted to run away with him at this point but you didn't dare tell him that you didn't want to scare him. You nodded "Yes I want to see you again too. Can we go on a date maybe tomorrow?" You were surprised you were able to get that out and he smiled at you with the brightest smile you would ever see. "We will meet here at 3pm then, for now I have to go. Thank you for today, Y/N." As you waved goodbye you watched him walk to the gallery and back inside. You stood there flushed in the face, still soaking wet. You were excited to see what tomorrow would bring.

#fluffruary2024 #Fluffruary #day 1 #Fluffruary day 1 #first sight #Fluffruary First Sight #Fluffruary day 1 First Sight #love at first sight #fluff #creative writing #sfw #rafayel x reader #rafayel #lad #love and deepspace #otome #gaming #fan fic #fan fiction #fluffruary

[privately-andre]

Louis Tomlinson Sheer Shirt Saga.

#it’s DEATH #to me #at #first sight #pls #I’m so dead #💀

[the-ephemeral-ethereal]

Real beauty is so individual, so unfamiliar at first sight, that it is not recognized as beauty.

from In Search of Lost Time, Book 3: The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust

#in search of lost time #the guermantes way #marcel proust #proust #real beauty #beauty #individual #first sight #unfamiliar #recognize #recognition

[an-experienced-gentleman]

I wanted you at first sight.

Six Sexy Words

#six sexy words #ssw #want #desire #first sight

[lovethatsfictionallyreal]

Him noticing you in a crowd of spectators. Mesmerizing he thought at first glance but engrossed in your phone instead of the game, he was going to win ✨✨

#miya atsumu #atsumu x reader #haikyuu #anime #first sight #start of something new #maybe love

[words-and-coffee]

I see an outline of you everywhere I look.

Victoria Chang, The Trees Witness Everything - First Sight

#Victoria Chang #The Trees Witness Everything #First Sight #quote #quotes #poetry #poetry excerpt #poetry quote #poetry quotes #poem quote #poem excerpt #poem quotes

[penabersuara]

Matamu adalah bahasa yang tidak memerlukan kata-kata. Melesatkan mosaik pesan dari seribu gambar yang berbeda. Seperti serangkaian petir yang melintas dalam sekejap, merentang dari matamu lalu mencengkeram hatiku. Memanggilku ke dalam satu keheningan indah yang penuh tanda tanya.

#puisi #cinta #jatuh cinta #first sight

[linksthoughtbrambles]

Blindsighted

A short story for Zelink Week 2022’s ‘Sparring’ prompt (see end for notes). 5886 words.

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Link wouldn’t be nervous.

He would not.

He’d just eaten a meal that had probably been delicious.  He’d rushed it too much to be sure.  Usually, he could both rush it and be sure, but today his mind was on those hallways and the training yard outside.  He had to keep his cool.  He had to stay knightly (he wasn’t actually a knight yet, just a lowly trainee, and technically not even that since he hadn’t set foot in the yard yet, but he’d be there within the hour).  He especially needed to not make strange faces at that guy who kept eyeing him in the barracks.

He also had to keep his wits about him. He was almost entirely sure he’d win any sparring match today, but it would be a bad idea to humiliate people.  If he was going to win, he’d try to win gracefully, and he wouldn’t brag about it.  He wouldn’t even tell his father (not unless he asked, and he probably wouldn’t).

“Right, newbies, that’s it, up and out, up and out!”

Sir Mardec’s voice, punctuated by loud, dome-handed claps, set benches scraping, feet stomping, and plates clattering as all the “newbies” (Link among them) deposited their used breakfast-ware on the long table near the kitchen door.

“Fall in, fall in, fall in, fall in, come on!  You do not want to keep Sir Greggan waiting!”

Link knew the name, but not the man.  He’d heard some guys talking a few beds away from him the night before—about how Sir Greggan once bit the head clean off a pigeon and swallowed its beak, and that’s why his voice was so rough.

Link had fallen asleep trying not to imagine what it would be like to have a bird’s beak hooked onto your vocal cords.  Then he dreamed about tweeting every time he opened his mouth—the bird wouldn’t fly out!

He dreamed lots of stupid things, and those also needed to stay under wraps.  Not talking would definitely be best.  Maybe he really would tweet if he opened his mouth.  Considering his heart and stomach were rising toward his throat, anything was possible.

The mini-throng of new recruits finally flocked into the hallway, Link amidst it.  So far, so good.  He was just one of these people.  Nothing… weird or… shameful… or… short about him at all.  He wasn’t the shortest one here.  Liliata was definitely shorter.  She was a 15 year-old girl, but still…. shorter.  He wasn’t the shortest.

He was second-shortest.

“MOVE IT, newbies!”

The shuffling became much more shuffly but also a good deal faster.  Link concentrated on avoiding the heels of the guy in front of him.  He couldn’t see past his back (which Link’s face was roughly in the middle of).

Non-newbies went about their business, hurrying past them on the other side of the hallway, some heading toward the yard and others down to the mess hall they’d just vacated.  The wee-hour shift needed their breakfast (dinner? Maybe breakfast was dinner if you were about to sleep all day).  A few people seemed to be carrying some kind of equipment around—didn’t look like any weapons Link knew of, though.  When a pair of men passed the newbie-line carrying some unholy-looking cross between a clawshot and a giant worm, Link couldn’t resist—he leaned way out from behind the man-with-the-thick-back to watch the grapple-like thing dangle with a few careless rap-taps on the flagstones.

Then someone’s plate-armored chest smacked the back of Link’s neck and pivoted his whole body so Link’s nose became firmly entrenched in thick-back-man’s armpit.  Link spluttered and regretted it in the space of the same instant (never a good first impression to spit into someone’s folding-parts).  Thick-back-man made a unique sound (something on the order of “huwahuah-ehfth!”), and whoever’d just spun Link grabbed him by both shoulders and yanked him right-way-around.

For a split second, Link stood there, wide-eyed, while the man he’d just nosed wiped at his now-grosser underarm with a bewildered half-scowl.  Then the laughter started.

A deep flush crawled up Link’s neck, finding its way all the way to the tips of his ears and the top of his head (not that anyone could see through his hair, but Link could sure feel it).  He willed iron into his shoulders to stop them from making their way to his ear-tips, too.  He didn’t dare look at the person holding his shoulders, and while he was still fighting with his own instinct to cringe in mortification, Sir Mardec stomped metallic clangs toward him with eyes zeroing in on Link.

“What the hell’s this about?” he said with his face crumpled on one side.

Link spent a little too long trying to figure out if the half-wrinkled face was amusement or the exact opposite.  Sir Mardec barked at him next.

“I said, what. The. Hell’s. This. About. Soldier?”

First day out, not even at the training yard yet, and Link already had his first conundrum.  He wasn’t supposed to talk.  He was supposed to keep his stupid mouth shut!  He-

“Sorry, Mardec.  I barreled right into the kid.  He ended up with a face full of underarm.”

“Him?!  I’ve got an underarm full of short-pants’ snot!”

Now that was not fair.  Link hadn’t blown his nose in there.

He… shouldn’t say that, of course…

The laughter’d only gotten louder, but a few claps from Sir Mardrec shut it down for the most part.  “Alright, alright, what’s your name, half-height?”

That seemed unfair to Link, too, but he tried to ignore it.  “Link, sir.”

The knight gave Link a few hesitant blinks.  “Link.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir Lyle’s son?”

Link repressed a groan and an eyeroll.  He’d been outed already!  He’d hoped not to just be the royal guard captain’s son—not yet.  “Yes, sir.”

The older soldier stared at him a long, appraising moment, looking him entirely up and down, head-to-toe.

Link would not shuffle his feet.  Absolutely not.

“Well, s@$% me,” Sir Mardec said.  Then he turned on his heel and stomped back to the head of the line, which started moving again with more than a little sniggering.

“Sorry, kid,” said the non-newbie beside Link.

“…It’s okay,” he replied.

“I’m Bernes.”

“I’m Link.”

“Ha!  Yeah, I heard.”

“Oh.  Yeah!  Right.”

The older man chuckled.  It made his short red beard crack like a carved pumpkin.  “Nice to meet you.  And you’ve already met this guy, but do you know his name?”

Thick-back-man sighed and turned his head sideways to eye Link.  “I’m Kurst.”

“Cursed?”

“That’s right.”

Link supposed that was reasonable.  Not too many people get spit in their armpits.

“So, first day,” Bernes said.

“Yeah.  You?” Link asked, then kicked himself internally.  He was supposed to be quiet, not ask questions.

“Me?  Not at all.  I’m headed to the yard, but I’ll be training you.  Some of you, at least.”

“Oh.”  Link wasn’t sure why Bernes was still walking next to him, but at least he couldn’t make the collision-hazard mistake this way.

“Nervous?”

Oh boy.  To tell the truth or not to tell the truth?  Maybe if Link was quiet long enough, he’d stop asking questions.  Or maybe-

“Heh.  Nervous, then, huh?”

Crap.  “I…”

“Everyone’s nervous at first.  Nothing to be ashamed of.  Trying to live up to Sir Lyle can’t be a big help.”

A puffed laugh left Link before he had a chance to think about it.  He wanted to say ‘No, it’s not,’ but that would’ve been absolutely the wrong thing to say.  He was already short and awkward and thought about food way too much.  He didn’t need anyone gossiping about his inadequacies even more than they already would.

So, Link settled and said, “My father’s a good teacher.”

He wasn’t sure what the long pause was about after that, but he didn’t mind it either.

“Well, he didn’t teach me.  I’m too lowly for that,” Bernes said with a small chuckle.  “Sir Greggan taught me.”

Link supposed that meant he was lowly, too, since he was about to meet Sir Greggan, but that was to be expected.  He’d just arrived.

“He teaches everyone.  Every soldier’s first stop.”

“…Oh.”

“He can sus out a weak parry or a lazy eye, or a tell, or a bad grip, a dropped shoulder, or pretty much anything from a hundred yards away.  He’ll know where to put you.  In a week, you’ll be better at this than you’ve ever been in your life, and better than you would’ve been without him for another five years.”

Link didn’t think that description matched very well with the story of a man biting the head off a pigeon, but he kept that to himself.

The hall opened to skies more-than-half clouded, silvery outlines reflecting diminished light across the grass and grey stones.  Link didn’t mind clouds—they meant it’d be less hot.  At the same time, though, having a nice, sunny yard to walk into might’ve brightened his outlook.

The line turned rightward against the yard wall, and Link followed but Bernes split toward the yard’s center with an easy wave, joining a group who must be their trainers.  Link swallowed.  Bernes seemed nice, at least.  Better to get bonked by him than bonked by that guy who’d been ogling him.

And PRAISE HYLIA he had NOT said that out loud.

What was WRONG with him?

Keeping his mouth shut was clearly of major importance—he had to keep it the frick shut.

“ALRIGHT, YOU MUCK SPOUTS!”

The most gravelly voice Link had ever heard yanked him out of his invisible anxiety attack.  Its owner’s face, grizzled and bespeckled with uneven stubble that seemed to grow in fits and starts, moved in a strangely exaggerated, asymmetrical manner, but maybe that was from straining to shout so loud.

“WELCOME TO THE TRAINING YARD!  NOW YOU MIGHT THINK BEING HERE WITH ALL THESE SWORDS AND SHEILDS MEANS YOU’RE A SOLDIER.  YOU’RE NOT!  NO ONE HERE’S A SOLDIER UNTIL I SAY THEY ARE.  IF I HAVE TO KEEP YOU IN THIS YARD WITH A TRAINING DUMMY FOR FIFTY YEARS BEFORE YOU’RE READY, THAT’S WHAT I’LL DO!  AND DON’T EVEN THINK THE RUDDY WORD KNIGHT!

“EACH END OF THE LINE—APPROACH THE RACKS!  TAKE ONE TRAINING SWORD AND ONE SHIELD AND GET OUTTA THE WAY!  CIRCLE TOWARD THE OTHER HALF OF THE LINE AND PAIR OFF IN ORDER!”

It took a minute for cursed thick-back-man to start moving, but once he did Link followed promptly.  He didn’t want Sir Greggan to have a reason to shout at him.

“KEEP MOVING.  ONE.  I SAID ONE.  ONE OF EACH, YOU MUCKSPOUT!  YES, YOU!  PUT IT DOWN!”

Link couldn’t really wonder why that guy tried to pick up two shields.  Sir Greggan was still shouting too much to let him think.

“YOU ARE TO DISARM AND PARRY ONLY.  YOUR PARTNER IS THE TRAINEE ACROSS FROM YOU IN THE OTHER HALF OF THE LINE.  IF YOU GET LEFT IN THE MIDDLE, FIND SOMEONE ON THE OUTSIDE!  IF THERE’S NO ONE ON THE OUTSIDE, I’LL ASSIGN YOU A PARTNER!  YOU’RE NOT GETTING OUT OF THIS!

“AGAIN!  YOUR AIM IS TO DISARM YOUR OPPONENT AND PARRY THEIR STRIKES. MY MEN AND I WILL WALK THE FIELD AND WATCH YOU!  BEGIN!”

The fellow who ended up across from Link was gangly, freckled, and had a slightly crooked nose.  “Hi.  I’m Jessrel.” he said.  Then he sniffed, looking expectantly at Link.

Uh oh—challenged already.  Link and his father had wholeheartedly agreed he needed to stay quiet.  Link was way too silly and much too weird to be allowed to speak in public.  But as the silence stretched, it became more and more uncomfortable to the point at which Link finally blurted, “Hi!” as little more than a squeak.

“Huh?” said his sparring partner.

Mistake number one in training already: check.  Link cleared his throat and tried again.  “Hi.”

Now the other man was blinking at him and shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.  He didn’t appear at all interested in beginning the sparring exercise, and he kept the point of his blunt sword resting tip-first on the dusty ground.

Link had to say something else, didn’t he?

Surely he could introduce himself.  There was no harm in that, was there?  The other guy had done it.

“I’m Link,” he said.

“Oh,” said Jessrel.  “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, sure.” Shut up, Link.  “You, too.”

“Well… should we start?”

Link managed a curt nod (finally!) rather than words, but Jessrel made a funny sort of face at that, kind of a half-a-wink on one side and a pout, and Link really had no idea what the heck that meant.

It became apparent immediately that if Jessrel had ever held a sword before, he certainly hadn’t tried to use it for anything.  There was a particular rice-farmer in Hateno who regularly used an old sword to hack at weeds (and nothing else), and that guy was way better at it than Jessrel was.

At first, Jessrel tried to hold the short-sword like a knife, which some people do the first time because they’ve never really seen people use swords but they figure you’re supposed to stab with it, and they think of stabbing as an up-to-down motion because they’ve only ever stabbed with a knife, or they’ve seen Sheikah who hold their very different blades very differently (sometimes).

When this didn’t work out well for him (Link didn’t even have to parry him, Jessrel couldn’t figure out how to get a blow to land and sort of ended up trying not to stab his own knees a lot), he tried to copy Link’s grip, which was smart, really, because Link was good at this, but Link hadn’t demonstrated anything other than grip yet, so Jessrel was still in the dark.  He just sort of… thrust his fist toward Link’s shield, as if he was trying to punch it, and he hit it alright—along with his own knuckles.  He yelled and dropped the sword to shake his fingers out.

Now, Link didn’t have to be a master swordsman to beat Jessrel.

A quick glance around the yard told him anyone here could beat Jessrel.

So… that wasn’t an issue at all.

Nope—Link’s issue was simply the next speech conundrum.  It was obvious Jessrel needed a little help.  Link could give him that, but he’d have to talk in order to do so without being a total jerk.  Jerk-Link would just keep letting him lose to figure out where he’d gone wrong.  Nice-Link would give him advice first.  Jessrel would still lose, but maybe he’d lose without feeling like cucco droppings.

He’d never been good at resisting the urge to be Nice-Link.

His father was going to roast him.

He’d say it was arrogant of Link.  He wasn’t a trainer.

He’d also say Link should keep quiet, because he wasn’t so good at saying the right things.

But Link did know how to swing a sword.

He’d just have to keep his instructions minimal.

Jessrel picked the sword back up, copying Link’s grip again, but Link spoke (softly) before he could swing.  “Can I give you a tip?”

“Huh?”

“Can I help a little?” Link tried again.

“Oh.  I thought you meant rupees.”

Well, Link had picked the right person to talk to—Jessrel wasn’t any better at not being socially awkward than he was.

They spent the next half-hour incrementally improving Jessrel’s ability to perform a simple parry.  Link thought it made sense to start there since Jessrel could do almost anything with that sword and Link would just parry it… better for him to learn how to deflect a blow (sort of… he got a little better at it, but not much).  Maybe seeing Link do stuff with his sword would help, too.

Link did notice the footsteps of pacing soldiers behind him—he wasn’t sure whose, though.  Jessrel could see them, but not Link.

“ALRIGHT, MUCK-SPOUTS!  TRAINEES TOWARD THE NORTHERN WALL, MOVE TO YOUR RIGHT!  YOU ON THE END, YOU CIRLCLE ALL THE WAY OVER HERE!  THAT’S RIGHT, YOU!  SAME THING, NEW PARTNER!  GO!”

Link’s next opponent was a little more experienced but had no idea how to parry and swung his sword like an axe.

The next time Greggan stopped them, it was to switch them to longswords.  Then they swapped partners again, then moved on to spears.

It occurred to Link that no one had tried to teach them anything yet.  The trainers were sizing them up.

Link felt a little silly, then.  He hadn’t been trying very hard to beat his partners.  He’d been trying to help them instead.

Sir Greggan called a quick break for water.  Link took a few gulps, and then a hand was on his shoulder.  He nearly choked.

“Looks like it’s you and me, Link.”

It was Bernes.  “You and me?”

“Yep.  I’ve got you next round.”

“Oh.  There aren’t enough trainers to spar with all of us, though.”  Link twitched.  He just… kept… talking.

“We’ll make the rounds,” Bernes said with that beard-cracking smile.

Of course, they would—Link rolled his inner eye at himself.  The trainers didn’t have to spar with all the trainees at once.  Of course, they didn’t.  Everything didn’t have to happen instantaneously.  Hylia, he was thick.

So, Link accepted the shield and training longsword offered to him—a little surprised they were going back to that, but sure, why not?—and joined Bernes on a particularly dusty patch of ground.  The grass around them was so trampled and dust-coated it was more grey than green.  Link spied a plum-sized stone sticking up more than enough to give someone a sprained ankle if they landed on it wrong.  He pulled it out of the dirt quick and shoved it in his pocket.

Bernes made some kind of face at that—not a bad face, at least Link didn’t think so, but he’d been wrong before—then raised his weapon and came at Link without warning.  The languid front-swing wasn’t a problem for Link.  He parried it and followed through with a closing step, nocking his own crossguard in Bernes’ with a twist that forced him to release his grip.

“Got my sword already, huh, Link?”

Suddenly Link started sweating more.  Was he being a show-off?

Bernes was smiling, though.  “Let’s try another one.”

Bernes attacked.  He swung low, high, middle, up, down, sideways, and every other kind of way and Link parried them all.  Then Bernes started getting clever, countering Link’s parries, and Link countered back.

Soon, Link was smiling, too.  This was much better than watching Jessrel suffer.  It was better than sparring with his father, too (there was a lot less criticism and a lot less thinking—Link just let himself move naturally).

At one point, Bernes called a quick halt to take a swig from his canteen.  “Need any?”

Link shook his head.

Then Bernes huffed and pointed at the rampart.  Link turned to see a tall, robed man with a very thick, very white beard… and a crown.

The king was here.

The king’s eyes were on him.

Oh, s@#$, Link.

“Yeah.  That’s what happens when you’re the royal guard captain’s son,” Bernes said, screwing the cap back on.

Link gulped and tried not to think about it.  It’s not as though he’d been doing poorly.

When Bernes raised his sword again, Link was ready—and resolute.  He would not show off.  He would not show off.  He would parry and counter, and disarm Bernes if the opportunity arose, but it hadn’t (Link figured that first lazy front-swing had been intentional on Bernes’ part).  They simply went about their business, and Link didn’t really notice that a half hour had easily passed with no more halts called.

Bernes picked up the pace and Link kept up.

He picked it up again.  No problem.

And again.

“Damn, kid,” Bernes panted.

A small, “Sorry,” escaped Link’s mouth before he even realized he was going to say it.  He paled a little, and very nearly said ‘sorry’ again in order to apologize for the first ‘sorry,’ realizing just in time how inane that was and shutting his unwise, open mouth.

“Sorry?!  Don’t be sorry.  It’s a breath of fresh air.  Let’s see what—oh.  Hey.”

Bernes relaxed his stance and turned his head half-toward the rampart where the king was standing.  He reached out without taking his eyes off something and backhanded Link’s shoulder, pointing up.  “Look who’s looking at you, now.”

Link looked.

And a silent Sun-struck thunderclap rooted his feet to the ground.

Link couldn’t move.  Not one millimeter in any direction.  He couldn’t even breathe.

There was this woman—staring at him—looking right into his eyes—beaming at him like a shaft of sunlight through clouds, grinning so hard her cheeks made a heart-shape, her hair such a shining gold it might as well be made of strands of light itself.  She had it pulled up into a super-messy Sheikah-style bun, and Link slowly noticed everything about her said she’d just been toiling hard—her rugged work clothes, the dirt and possibly grease staining them (and a diagonal smear of the same stuff right between her eyebrows), the many wisps of hair that had escaped their binding and fluttered about in the breeze, her sturdy gloves, her flush and heavy breaths (she seemed like she’d just been running), and the thing she was holding in her hand—maybe something like a book for notes.

Link looked harder and harder, trying to make sense of the nagging feeling he knew her from somewhere while also desperately trying to keep his composure.

He wanted to smile at her.

He wanted to reflect that beaming grin of hers right back at her.

He wanted to leap right up onto the rampart and ask what her name was and if maybe she liked paellas, because he liked paellas and he made a mean seafood one himself thanks to their cousin who moved to Lurelin a while back, and he would totally cook her the best paella he’d ever made and watch her eat it (that is as long as he could find good ingredients here, since you got different stuff out of the Hylia river than the ocean at Hateno Bay, and he needed to wait a minute and think because he really shouldn’t say, ‘watch you eat it’ because that would be weird, wouldn’t it?  Yes it would, it would be weird, no one cooks dinner for someone and then just stares at them while they stick it in their face, that would be creepy, especially on a first date, and holy s#@% a date?!  He’d never cared about dating anybody!!  Why did he want to stuff this woman full of tasty seafood-and-veggie-rice?!)

More images started coming.  Images of what they might do if she did indeed like Link’s paella.  Part of him thought maybe he should be ashamed of himself (because it sounded to himself like he wanted to bribe her with tasties, but that really wasn’t true, he’d be ecstatic just for the excuse to ask her a thousand questions about herself while they eat), and part of him began to panic because he didn’t have his own kitchen or even his own room anymore, which meant he’d have to take her somewhere he could light a campfire and use a cookpot, which he knew from experience he could do and do well and in fact was the proper way to make paella (well, with a huge flat pan, but he was unlikely to find one of those fast enough)—but actually doing that might creep her out (‘strange guy making me leave civilization just to eat paella?  Seems weird’)—but holy crap he wanted to meet her!

Link heard it, but just barely—the motion of air as Bernes’ sword swung at him.  Link spun (he’d turned to squarely face the woman on the rampart) and tried to parry, but he was too late, and Bernes forced the tip of Link’s sword into the dirt.

“Couldn’t resist,” Bernes said.  “You can look again.  I won’t attack.”

Link wasted no time, his eyes seeking her of their own volition.  It’s like he could feel her there!  She was still smiling at him. He tried—he tried so hard—not to smile back, not yet, he couldn’t let himself look like a crush-smacked schoolkid.  This time, he noticed the way her nails were just a little bit chipped, and in all the surface’s green fields, he’d never seen eyebrows with such a lovely arch, not that he’d ever cared about people’s eyebrows before, and maybe he’d never even bothered looking, so what he was comparing them to, he wasn’t sure.

And wow—holy Hylia—the way she kept looking at him—did she feel this, too?

“Hey.  Kid.  …Link?”

Link tore his eyes from his paella muse and blinked a little at the half-deflated smile on Bernes’ face.

What did that mean?

“You don’t know who she is, do you?”

Of course not.  They hadn’t even met yet!  He hadn’t gotten a chance to find out whether she’d talk to him, much less eat his unknown-river-fish paella!  (He hadn’t found out what her hair smelled like yet, either, and that suddenly seemed high-priority).

“No,” Link said.

“Aw.  Well.  Kid.  Look at her hair.”

“…It’s a Sheikah bun.”

“Yeah, not that part.”

Link had seen the braid, and it was pretty cool, set just above her hairline like a-

Oh no.

No.

Please, no.

It was set like a crown.

He’d heard about this.  The Princess was famous for it—for forgoing gold and jewels in favor of a crown of braids.

All the heat that had entered Link’s face at the sight of her drained, leaving him cold, strangely frightened, and a lot less hungry.  “She’s the Princess?”

“…Yeah.”

Suddenly, Link didn’t feel like pulling his next breath in.  He tracked the dust clouds on the ground.  It was always neat how those rose up and fluffed around when the ground was very dry and people’s boots smacked it a lot.

He knew he shouldn’t look again.

If his father heard about this, he’d be furious at him.

He heard his father's voice in his head already--he didn't even need to hear the actual words. He knew what he'd say.

It would be so arrogant of him to approach her.

So arrogant.

It was ridiculous, really.  Link had never ogled anyone in his life.  It figured it would be the Crown Princess.  Why was she so dirty?

Link tried not to look again.  He just breathed.  He’d started to smell phantom-paella, and he had to at least try and get it to dissipate. The Princess of Hyrule already had the best cooks around for sure, right? She did not need him to make her anything. His very best would probably end up unpalatable by comparison.

“Sorry, Link,” Bernes said.  He kept his voice mercifully down.  “I… I mean, she’s pretty, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her hit someone like that before.”

“H-hit- no, no, there was no hitting-“

“I’ve been training recruits for almost a decade.  I know what it looks like when beauty punches a man in the gut.”

Link had absolutely no idea what to say—especially since beauty wasn’t it.  That wasn’t it at all.

He didn’t need to look again to know she was beautiful beyond any doubt—the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.  But that… hadn’t been what locked him in place.

What did lock him in place?

It hadn’t been how she looked—he hadn’t seen her, checked out her shape, and then been struck still.  It was this feeling like nothing he’d ever felt before—something inside him.

If he felt free to talk, he’d say it was love, full-force-one-hundred-percent—but even he knew that was silly.  He’d never even spoken to her.  It just… seemed like the right word.  It resonated in his deepest core.

Instantaneously smitten.

It… really wasn’t fair.

He just got here!

"Link?"

"Yeah?"

"There's no rule against you talking to her. You could find her once you're off."

Link blew a soft huff. "She... doesn't need me to waste her time."

Bernes wiped some beaded sweat from his forehead. “S$@%.  I in no way meant to ruin your first day.”

Bernes was really nice, wasn’t he?  “No, no… you… you didn’t ruin it.”

“Ehhhh, you say that, but it isn’t true.”

Link had no defense.

“Look, let’s head out of here for a few minutes. Ah- don’t worry about Greggan.  He has eyes in the back of his head and they’re sharp as an islander hawk’s.  I guarantee you he’ll know why we’re breaking off.  Ten minutes, just to be in a different spot.  Okay?”

Link nodded.  He didn’t think he had words in him, anyway.

Link was supposed to be keeping quiet and learning how to not make a fool of himself at the castle.

He couldn't think of many better ways to look like a dumbass than to walk right up to the Princess and offer to make her paella.

Especially if she turned him down.

Which she would.

Of course she would!

Not a single Hateno girl had shown any interest in Link at all. Even Coraa hadn't, and she was interested in everyone.

The Princess of Hyrule had far, far more important things to do than indulge Link's fantasies, too, right?

She probably had a ton of guys who wanted to marry her already.

Granted, some of them were probably stink-faces who just wanted to be king, but some could be legitimately nice fancy people who actually knew things about politics and economics and stuff.

Link didn't know about those things.

He imagined how horrendous he would be at managing a negotiation table considering he was a total sucker. His sister pretty much always had to tell him when someone was lying to him. Link would end up giving away half the kingdom in crap-ass trade deals.

No. No, he wasn't going to go find her. He was an idiot. He did not belong on a throne. At best, he belonged next to the throne so he could make sure no one hurt her.

That, he would do.

No question.

...She'd been smiling.

He wished he knew why.

~~~~~‿ ‿~~~~~‿ ‿~~~~~

“Well. That young man seems to have to caught your eye, daughter.”

Zelda was too transfixed to argue—filled to overspilling with an inexplicable joy, a warmth at first she thought was the light of the Goddess herself when she’d sighted the sky-eyed (and clearly talented) new swordsman—and that warmth turning to utter saturation of all her senses when he laid his eyes on hers.

She entirely missed the mirth on her father’s face.  He teased her so rarely—he did little other than push her toward more prayer and less of everything else, so she had no expectation of him meaning such words as anything but reproach.

She ignored him in favor of watching the young man be near-blindsided by his trainer’s blade, parrying very poorly at the last moment with a painfully-embarrassed grimace—he’d been caught red-handed it seemed.  Zelda giggled without taking much notice of the sound herself (though her father did—his smile broadened).

When the young man's eyes alighted on her a second time, it was as though some tether had been stretched between them, and she felt its tension as a weight pulling her toward him.  She wanted to run into the yard—to ask his name—to set a time to talk later if he agreed.

She knew she under no circumstances should do that.  It would be highly irregular, and the gossip would be far ahead of whatever might actually occur between them (and she would also disrupt the training session).  She would find some other time—perhaps she could frequent the hallway near the barracks.  She’d very much like to find out what his voice sounded like.  She could ask him about his bright blue earrings.  Were they ceramic? Metal? Were they a family tradition?  Did he purchase or make them out of his own sense of aesthetics?  Did he intentionally match them and his hairband to his eye color?

Of course he did.  Just looking at them made it evident—though he was young enough, it’s possible an older family member had done that part at some point and he simply wore them.

She rather hoped it was the former.  It would be more interesting.

She found that hope in herself odd, for she never much cared for her own state of dress.

He looked away.

They hadn’t returned to sparring.  They were talking.

The way he’d looked at her—like he’d been examining the soul within her body—he-

With a jolt, Zelda realized he hadn’t returned her smile.

Not even a little.

He’d been smiling while sparring.

He didn’t smile at her.

That glow of joy within her ebbed.

Could she have been mistaken?  She’d thought—the intensity with which he’d gazed…

Perhaps… perhaps he had simply been trying to keep composure.

Or perhaps he’d looked only because his trainer pointed out her shameless staring, and his attention had nothing to do with any attraction he might feel toward her.  Perhaps it was simply interesting to see the Princess and her foolish grin aimed at him.

They were leaving—about to enter the hallway toward the castle’s innards.

“H-he hasn’t looked at me again,” she said to the air.

If she’d been watching, she’d have seen her father’s face soften.

The young man and his trainer disappeared into the wall.

She wanted to hurry that way herself, but perhaps she needed to compose herself before further investigating this situation.  The Sheikah slate was shaking in her arms despite her hugging it tight across her chest.

“Are you well, Zelda?”

“Yes, father.  I- I ought to clean up.”

Zelda hurried toward her chambers without another word, and without glancing at the training yard.

A young trainee stuck his sandy-haired head back out from the doorway, his eyebrows drawn up and together, rather retriever-like as he searched the rampart—but he retreated quickly, eyes downturned on stone.

Later, Zelda scrubbed her skin with a ferocity she’d never employed—a self-cleansing to match her self-originated frustration.  She had been such a sight.  That blackish streak had run from the bridge of her nose to near the center of her forehead!  She knew just when she’d given it to herself, too—they’d been digging around one of the guardians at the excavation site, she’d been sweating profusely, and she'd wiped carelessly at her own moisture with a grease-and-dirt-coated wrist.

Her clothing had been utterly filthy.

It was no wonder anyone might stare at her in such a state, truly.

Well, she wouldn’t allow that to happen again.  She’d not parade herself—any man who wished her to behave so could find some vapid creature who better suited him—but she’d at least keep herself clean when she tried to bump into him.  At least then she could be sure his eyes were on her, and not on her failures.

She’d grown so tired of that.

~~~~~‿ ‿~~~~~‿ ‿~~~~~

[Notes: Google doesn't think blindsighted is a word in the dictionary and definition sense, though there is at least one unrelated book of that title. 'Blindsight' is a real term for the ability to respond to visual stimuli unconsciously even if unable to consciously see the stimulus. That's pretty much what Link and Zelda do in this story--but this title also came about because they both get blindsided by each other, and Link gets blindsided by other people a few times, too, and Link in general is somewhat 'blindsighted' - he can see, but has trouble interpreting what he sees in regard to people/social situations.]

[Note: This fic is part of the Adventure Log+ AU which you can find on my fic masterlist. It's a prequel to Link's Thought Brambles.]

Here's my Zelink Week 2022 fic post list.

@zelinkweekofficial

#zelink week 2022 #sparring #botw #zelda #zelink #loz #breath of the wild #legend of zelda #fanfic #first sight #love at first sight #or is it the first sight #it's not really #adventure log+ au #prequel #botw link #botw zelda #king rhoam #original loz characters

[imagine-loki]

imagine you and Loki falling for each other on first sight. But both of you thought it was unrequited, so let the mutual pining begin! 

#Loki #Lover #Imagine #hijauindah #falling for #first sight #mutual pining #unrequited

[ask-healthy-light]

First Sight

A loud, angry groan was heard throughout the house as Prince hovered around in his room, struggling to think of any lyrics to write, even though he could usually do this in his sleep; as he landed on his bed and put his head in his hooves, his roommates knocked on his door to ask if he was alright.

But Prince only quietly pointed to a toppled rubbish bin by his desk, with sheets of crumpled paper around it, but he could not utter even a single word as his stomach rumbled loudly, and interrupted him; the others chuckled and asked if he wanted to join them to a restaurant near the edge of town.

At the same time, wandering through a quiet forest outside of town, carrying a small sketchbook and a pencil under her wing, Manta let her head hang down as she headed home, where she idly tossed her materials on a chair, dropped onto her bed, buried her face into a pillow, and let out a deep sigh.

After laying around for some time, she turned her head to look at her sketchbook, only to find that her eyes were welling up with tears, staining her face and pillow; ever so slowly, Manta rolled out of bed and called her friends, hiding her strained voice, asking them to join her for dinner later.

Though it was just a small restaurant some distance away from the city centre, it was famed for its impressive buffets and its cozy, homely atmosphere, and after the two friend groups arrived, Prince and Manta's moods were easily lifted by chatting with their friends, before they got up for dinner.

But as they were talking with their friends, they did not pay attention to where they were walking, and neither Prince nor Manta realised how close they were, until a moment later, when they ran into each other and fell, shattering their plates, and spilling food all over each other and themselves.

Both Manta and Prince started to apologise for their clumsiness, until they met one another's gaze, for they saw a sparkle in the other's eyes, and they froze as bright blushes formed on their faces; but just as quickly as they had started to blush, did they turn around, and return to their tables.

With their wings folded over their heads, failing to hide their bright, unfading blushes, and their ever growing smiles, neither Prince nor Manta could utter a single word to their friends; they only blathered whenever they tried, before discreetly peeking at the other and hiding their faces again.

To either their relief, or dismay, they knew not which, the evening swiftly flew by, but Prince and Manta failed to stop thinking about each other, which was immediately noticed by their friends, who invited them along more often, but they never dared to step up whenever the other was with a group.

Eventually, after an incredibly productive day for both, filled with renewed inspiration, they went to the restaurant by themselves, where, in the same spot they ran into each other, they did so once again, entirely unstained by food or drinks, and they smiled as they finally introduced themselves.

Their faces shone a bright red and grand smiles grew on their faces, as they hovered to a corner of the restaurant, where they accidentally, yet constantly spoke over the other whenever they tried to talk, until Prince raised his hooves, allowing Manta to speak, whereafter she asked him for a date.

With a sparkle in his eye, Prince only quietly replied:

"I-I wanted to ask you the same thing…!"

(Thanks for reading this bonus! If you'd like a story of your own, feel free to send a request!)

Featuring: PrinceWhateverer (@pwhateverer) as Prince Whateverer, And MantaNova (@MantaNova_) as Manta Nova

#first sight #bonus #not story related #my little pony #writing #oc #princewhateverer #prince whateverer #mantanova #manta nova

[theinkofdusk]

And what if I tell you, My heart is full of love;

Do you understand my heart is full of you?

#life #poem #poems and quotes #loved and lost #love poem #sad poem #dark academia #reminiscing #memories #lover #first love #first sight #personal #unique #on own #poets #writers #writers on tumblr

[jessicanjpa]

A few readers have asked when I will post Spreading Our Wings (3 of 3) but I have to confess I haven't written more than a paragraph or two so far 😑

But I have been working on a one-shot requested by a couple of people: an expansion of the locker headcanon in this ask. It's almost done!

#Tale of Years #Fanfiction #Spreading Our Wings #Esme #Vampires in school #First Sight #Locker #Edward #Spreading Our Wings is an Esme three-shot about how she is trying new things (and various family members do too) #So in this final installment she finally goes to college for the first time #But this whole three-shot has been so hard to write for some reason

[virtuouslibertines69]

"I meant it when I said I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It takes time to really, truly fall for someone. Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth within you. In that moment, you don’t belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you. After that, you can’t take it back, no matter how much you want to, no matter how hard you try." — Claudia Gray

#literature #quote #reading #writing #book #novel #author #writer #books #claudia gray #art #artist #drawing #black and white art #love #first sight #time #moment #glimpse #truth #within #belong

[jpop-translations]

Uverworld - First Sight (translation)

I wish I could just talk with you. I wish we could just be connected. Those feelings from the day we first met have started to fade. While we are apart, I hope that in your heart A song like this is playing.

I wanna sing on forever... No matter how many years may pass, Let’s relive our love just like today’s. Whenever I start to forget the miracles of that moment, I will go see you countless times over, to discover you for "the first time”.

I wish I could just talk with you. I wish we could just be connected. The days where we cannot meet continue, as do the inaudible sighs.

I tell myself it’s alright. That if I should look into your heart, A song like this might just be playing.

Though I’m also fond of the days where we can’t meet up. The happiness that has dissipated along with the sighs, Will simply be found again by the two of us. There’s no such pride more important than love. There’s nothing in this world more important than you.

Dreams and jobs, there should be many things that are of importance... But when I’m with you, there seems to be only one thing that’s really precious.

I wanna sing on forever... No matter how many years may pass, Let’s relive our love just like today’s. I wanna sing on forever... No matter how far in the future, I will find you time again and again, to once more fall in love for “the first time”.

I wanna sing on forever... Even if this wish does not come true. It doesn’t even have to be forever. Just as long as it’s for the days we spend together. There’s no such pride more important than love. And there’s nothing in this world more important than you.

#Uverworld #First Sight #lyric translations #jpop translation #jpop lyrics

[thevivaciousone]

#smile #quotes #love #admiration #admire #first sight #if only

[yzeltia]

Dreams of a Lost Paradise

Chapter 8: First Sight Characters: Shadowhunter, A-Ruhn-Senna, Raya-O-Senna, Keith Summers, Y'hmitra Rhul, Hayzel Baker, Terris goe Sirius, Emet-Selch Rating: Teen Notes: CW: Torture via Claustrophobia - First Chapter - -Previous Chapter- -Next Chapter-

"What do you make of him?"

A-Ruhn watched quietly as Keith, Y'mhitra, and his sister, Raya-O gathered around a food stall, taking a moment to observe before realizing that the Garlean was talking to him.

"Not a lot going on upstairs, but he's well-intentioned. I don't think anyone else could get away with the way he speaks to Master E-Sumi," the white mage answered before rubbing his nose, "If you're intent on making small talk. Why are you staying around? You don't seem like the team player sort."

Shadowhunter grunted then leanded up against a light post as he crossed his arms. "I was on the hunt for the Ascian...and led his little brother straight into their trap. He's just a lordling boy that's never seen a battle. I don't want to rob someone of two sons."

"You speak as if the battle is decided. We've yet to pin down their whereabouts in Gridania. All might be well," the Padjal offered, watching the trio as they headed back towards them, Keith trying to get Raya-O to feed him something as he struggled to carry the majority of the snacks in his arms. 

"Optimism is something that-,"

"Mr. Shadowhunter, your reputation for monologuing is well known by a certain few. I think I'll assume you mean something bleak about the struggle of man and how you've had to power through it."

The Garlean stared at A-Ruhn for a moment then smirked before turning away as the rest of their group returned. 

"It seems our friend here has deep pockets. There's something for everrryone," Y'mhitra announced, taking a skewered freshwater fish for herself while offering another to their older charge who held up his hand in turn. 

Keith knelt to drop the rest on the bench beside A-Ruhn before pulling out two caramel apples for the white mages. 

"Let's see, the red one for the lovely Raya-O and the green one for the charming A-Ruhn," the Gyr Abanian offered with a smile.

The younger white mage tilted his head back looking at Keith from under his bangs, brow raised high before taking the apple as the other joined him and the treats on the bench.

Keith licked his lips as he unwrapped a curled piece of walnut bread that had been slathered in honey while looking as the siblings picked at their apples. "Ah. Those look kinda good. I wouldn't mind a bite. I'd give you a nibble of my bread. If you- AFF!"

Keith whined as he was hit, gently, atop the head by the Shadowhunter's fist. "Enough of that. You're no bard."

"Huh…Whath do you meanth…ah, myth tongue…"

The siblings laughed a bit while Y'mhitra nodded toward the Garlean as he ignored Keith's question. 

"Thank you," she offered before turning to address everyone, "Now then. We should take stock of what we know to help narrow our search down."

Shadowhunter rolled his shoulders a bit then turned his head to the group. "They're not a red-mask…And as far as I'm aware, between me and the Warriors of Light and the Scions, all have dealt with anyone that might be pulling their strings."

"So then as I understand it, they would be an awakened soul native to the Source. I apologize, I'm not as versed as my Archon sister. Still, this means they probably do not pose a greater threat, at least enough for us to call for aid," Y'mhitra mused.

"Any Ascian suffering to live is a threat. Native or not. I could easily take care of this myself-"

"But then we'd be letting the infamous Black Wolf run free and unchecked in the shroud," A-Ruhn interjected.

"And the elementals might not take too kindly to your presence without us to babysit. My little brother here was pulled out of his pilgrimage to help so you better start acting like a team player."

A-Ruhn waved his hand out of embarrassment towards his sister as she scolded the older man.

"Anyroad…That being said. The elementals do seem to be bothering our friends here so they haven't left the shroud. Keith, you've been in their company the longest. Are you sure you don't have any insight?"

Keith huffed a bit, finding his tongue still a bit swollen. "Ah…No. As I said before, they were held captive during the occupation…or I guess that's what they told me. Since we found them, everything has been mostly smooth sailing. My brother fell in with them pretty fast though. I was sorry if third wheeling it while we traveled, but I'm the one that has the in with the Gubal Restoration Guild."

"Who held them captive," Shadowhunter asked gruffly.

"Terris goe Sirius?"

The mercenary pushed off the lamp post then knelt down before Keith, looking him straight in the eyes. "You are sure?"

"Y-Yeah!"

The older man looked down for a moment. "A grotesque man and a hypocrite. Money brought him into power. He had a penchant for torturing those who violated moral law. I imagine he weaseled his way into power in Ala Mhigo after…after the incident with the Ultima Weapon. I would have never let him set foot on my claimed territories."

Keith tilted his head. "Your claimed territories? I never asked what your…ah…what is this…" 

Keith groaned then dropped his bread before falling forward into Shadowhunters arms while the rest quickly sat up to check on him. His head throbbed as he felt his vision blur. 

In a haze, he tried to move his body, but found himself frozen, no longer in Gridania but in an Ala Mhigan cellar. Two soldiers passed through him, carrying a makeshift coffin. Setting it on an altar, they saluted and then stood at the ready while slow deliberate metal footsteps rang against stone. 

"If you're going to refuse to divine for me then there's really no use for you anymore. It's a pity. I had high hopes for our union," a sadistically honeyed voice rang out from behind Keith.

Passing through him, a man in red armor and a wolf-like helm with horns approached the coffin. "I could have handed you over to our researchers, or let you pass from house to house, being the court's songbird…but I decided to give you a nice home and station out of the generosity of my heart. And yet you refuse to sing for me. Perhaps while you're six feet under a vision will come to you. A pity no one will be around to relay it too."

The man laughed then squatted down to grab a fistful of dirt and toss it over the lid. Hayzel's muffled scream soon echoed through the room.

"Scoop until they're well covered then we'll return to see if they're more agreeable tomorrow," he ordered before turning to let the soldiers shovel earth up onto the alerter. Keith's gut twisted as he listened to Hayzel's screams and flailing in their wooden prison. As much as he tried to scream out to let them know they were in no real danger, no voice came.

When the soldiers finished, they left, leaving Keith to listen to his friend's sobs. He tried to pull free of the vision, but he remained. In the corner, a black aura appeared and from it, the most tired-looking Garlean, perhaps even a person, he'd ever seen.

"What's all this then? Surely you didn't fall for this half-assed attempt to frighten you," the ornate man sighed before blowing aside the dirt with a dark wind.

With little effort, the lid was freed and out popped Hayzel who quickly fell to the floor and panted. "Thank you…thank you…"

The tired man helped the other to his feet then propped them on the altar. "Don't thank me yet," he huffed before waving his hand over the blond's face.

Hayzel seized up, a red mask of light briefly appearing over his face before dissipating. As if coming up for sure again, Keith's friend gasped and clutched their chest.

"Good Morning, Hypnos," the man greeted before wandering around the cellar, looking unmoved.

"I…I am…you are…"

"Emet-Selch. In the flesh, so to speak. No need to grovel or bow. I'm only here to see that you're awakened before I go on a little trip. I sense something awry here and my allies are dwindling. You, though, seem to be able to peek between shards. I would have you check in with me…there's a world of light. I'm sure you're familiar."

"Yes my lord…the First?"

"Good. That's the one…In the meantime, perhaps you should remedy the situation you're in. Show your captive what a true nightmare is."

Hayzel stood properly and nodded, eyes flicking up with anger. "I believe I shall."

Emet-Selch shrugged then opened another portal. "And Hypnos. Do not get distracted looking for him. I expect you to fulfill your duty to the Convocation and star before all else."

With that, the man departed, leaving Hayzel to exit the room through Keith.

"Wake up lad! Wake up," Shadowhunter’s voice rang out, concerned but not losing its bite.

"Sir, please don't shake him. This is rather common for those new to the Echo we've gathered," A-Ruhn sighed.

Keith winced a bit as he came to, spread out on his back with his face wedged between the calloused hands of the Garlean, thumbs raking at the corner of his eyes to wipe his tears while the back of his head rested in Raya-O's lap.

"What gift leaves a man screaming and vulnerable?"

"I believe he'll become steadier as he grows accustomed to it," Y'mhitra offered.

"I'm…okay I think," Keith finally answered, voice hoarse from his supposed yelling.

"You gave us a scare," Raya-O said, stroking his bangs.

"Well. All is right now that you're here. I'd feel better if you rubbed my shoulders a bit too" Keith sighed, closing his eyes before finding his pillow quickly departing and his head upon the Earth.

"Something has seized this poor lad," Shadowhunter sighed while shaking his head.

"I think he has an affinity for those "kissed by fire". I've known him briefly, but long enough to have never seen him be such an intentional try-hard," Y'mhitra laughed.

"My patience is thin… On your feet boy!  Tell us what your precious Mother had you screaming about."

Keith hopped up then swallowed and started to explain what he'd seen.

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