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#i wouldnt have even bought it just read it in the store

cordcorvid · 1 month

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hi! i hope this doesnt come off as a bother or anything . but do you have any mask making tips or tutorials you could reccomend ?? (like for materials, jaw movement, and how to see out of there) im planning to do a raven named Goose :D

ive been finding some resources here and there, but i thought it wouldnt hurt to ask !!!

Absolutely not! I'd love to answer all your questions. :D I have not looked at that many tutorials, I mostly looked at pinterest pictures of raven costumes to see what I can come up with. One that really inspired me to get things going is actually another Tumblr user I found on there who has posted some helpful tips that I followed along with! They too have a raven costume and they got their resin base from the same manufacturer (Crystumes, they have a website where you can shop for their blanks) Since this post is awfully long, I'll do a read more from here on:

The tutorials I followed the most is this one by Rah-Bop:

Rah-Bop has some tips about adding feathers, making foam-feathers, adding claws to your gloves, making gloves or feet. In terms of material: I used the hinged resin base by Crystumes which by itself cost me +/- 200USD, they sent me a pair of customizeable glass eyes and a tongue.

Crystumes has some additional tutorials specifically regarding their masks on their website! Crystumes also lists some of the materials on their website that I used and where to get them (Like the apoxie clay to do the eyelids, the glass eyes etc.) I did mess the eyes up though the first time I did it so I had to order them from delviesplastics.com (As suggested by Crystumes) Since I ordered the base with hinges I'm not sure how to do them myself but I will have to figure it out for the second fursuit I'm cooking! In terms of other material I bought some long rooster feathers and hair jewelry off of Etsy. I bought a pair of long faux leather gloves from Ricardo (which is a swiss second hand online shop) but you can buy the gloves anywhere else or even sew them yourself by tracing your arm and hand on a piece of paper, then trace the pattern twice on any somewhat stretchy material like faux leather or spandex and sew those two together for one glove each. I bought black fur in another Swiss textile / sewing shop named Alja (not sure if it's actually Swiss) since it's cheaper (around 60$ for 4 yards) than to ship fur from America to Switzerland (Which amounts to 100-200 for the same amount). But if you can afford it: Take a look at Howl's Fabrics or Big Z Fabric. Both websites offer samples! I personally don't buy from them as the shipping costs for me are devastating. I suggest looking at general "furring" tutorials or "how to fur a fursuit head" tutorials on youtube. Most of them will tell you to make a duct tape pattern on your base, draw on the patterns then cut those patterns out on fur, sew the fur together then glue to the base. Crystumes once made a twitter post about it as well I think but I'm not sure I'll find it. When cutting fur in general just make sure you keep the scissors as close to the backing as possible to avoid cutting any fur fibers in the process, it will be visible otherwise. I made a fur top / shirt by tracing one of my long sleeve t-shirts onto the fur I bought and went with that. For the back of the head I used an 80s Mullet/Rockstar wig I bought from another Swiss online store. Other fursuit makers mostly sew fur even to the back of the head but my personal Raven fursuit is literally just a mask with a wig to cover the back. Which in turn makes the whole mask less hot. To keep the mask ON my face and to keep it from slipping down I used the adjusteable part of a biking helmet or climbing helmet. and attached it to the mask by using a lot of hot glue, I eventually had to use some stronger glue as it kept falling off. Since the mask was fairly big when I bought it and rather uncomfortable I used thick felt sheets and glued them inside the head as padding material! Foam works as well, whatever floats your boat. I went with felt since I could easily cut some feather patterns into them as a nice easter egg. Not sure anymore what exactly I used to cover the holes by the beak that I see out of, but it was some kind of very fine dark and flexible grid that I bought from the swiss equivalent of home depot. In terms of being able to see: The crystume base has holes between the beak and the eyes that you can look out of or you can even look through the mouth, both works pretty well and the mask allows for a lot of visibility from within- Out of all my fellow furry friends I'm the only one that doesn't necessarily need a spotter since I can see pretty well. In terms of clothing I pretty much sewed nothing by myself and only assembled a bunch of my own outfits that would fit the raven costume. Sometimes I did buy some costume specific stuff from online clothing stores or went into the thrift shop to buy some costume specific clothing pieces. In general, for your first raven costume just go with the flow and try to keep it budget friendly, as your first will unlikely be perfect. And that's about it! Not sure if I missed something but I tried to cover everything as much in detail as I could. Hope it helps!

#tutorial #costume design #cosplay #cosplay tutorial #raven #costume #furry #fursuit #fursuiters #furry fandom #fursuiter

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loser4loserswhok1ll · 10 months

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hi :) can i please request a matchup? i’m bisexual & use she/her pronouns!

for my personality, id say im pretty bubbly and excitable. i’m an esfp & cancer, & i try to look on the bright side and try to cheer up people when they’re sad. im very affectionate with the people im close to, and i kinda cling onto my friends arms and hug them a lot. im kinda scared of bugs, but i still always try to take them outside, even if i have to go kicking and screaming. i get distracted pretty easily, and im also really talkative. i also really like going for walks, shopping, yoga, baking, and reading. i like complimenting strangers, and i try to see the best in everything & everyone! but i tend to overlook faults in people if i really care about them.

please and thank you!

this pairing was damn near immediate for me lols

I match you with....

Lester Sinclair!

Hope you enjoy your pairing. Have a wonderful day/night!

He loves your positive look on the world as well as your clinginess. This boy is so touch starved and his love language is definitely physical touch. He'll tease you for being scared of "lil' bugs that cant do no harm" but ultimately take them outside or away from you. He would chase you with one at least once or twice but if you told him to stop he would almost immediately. He's a good guy :]. He listens to you like a dog. Tell him to shower? On it. Tell him to clean the truck? He's there with heavy duty equipment. Ask him for a specific thing at the grocery store? He bought multiple. Lester is also very adhd (coming from an adhd haver) and he enjoys how talkative you are. He gets distracted even quicker than you though, so if you derailed your train of thought and asked him what you were saying he wouldnt have a single clue. Your conversations are often sporadic and chaotic and full of a million separate topics that have nearly zero correlation to eachother. Makes late night conversations really fun regardless of the topics. He loves to drive you into the neighboring town and do cutesy dates with you. Walk in the park, breakfast at a cute cafe, hang out at a library, anything you want, hes gonna take you there. Lester absolutely adores you and seeing you so happy and giddy is his driving force for anything he does. Long day of scouting for roadkill? He just thinks of coming home to you and the day doesnt feel so long and the weather feels not as hot. He loves your generosity also. Every time you compliment a stranger he is reminded of how lucky he is to be with someone so damn kind. You are his sunshine, brighter than the sun during a hot louisiana summer day. One of his favorite things to do with you is lie down on a blanket in a field and cuddle under the stars. He was scared you were gonna bolt as soon as you learned about the 'family business' that his brothers mainly kept up. When you learned but didnt leave, god, he was over the moon. He gets to live with his brothers just like before, but now he has the best person ever to come home to??? This man is convinced his life is heaven. He cherishes you beyond anything you could ever comprehend and swears that you were brought to him by god himself.

My other choices were: Jason Voorhees, Hannibal Lecter (Series)

#loser4loserswhok1ll #slasher matchup #lester sinclair #house of wax

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gettinshiggywithit · 1 year

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Day -04

!Buying halloween decorations with mina and denki!

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

scenario:- halloween decor shopping with mina and denki!!

characters:- denki,mina and a mention of shoto

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

first stop,the nearest Party store(obvs!)

you grab a basket cos u figured more decor=more to clean up

but these bitches go and grab A WHOLE ASS CART????

you decide that youll just let em put shit in and then at check out you'd sort everything out.

yall go through the store at a snails pace because they insist on making sure you dont miss any 'hidden gems'

Thank God youd remembered to bring a few snacks

Before long the first disagreement arose.

denki had found a simple yet very much halloween-y streamer/garland thing and mina had found one with light up pumpkins.

they argued for a while before you stepped in and just snatch the two out of their hands.

you compare the prices and since mina's choice wasnt more expensive than denkis by much,you choose it.Much to denkis dismay :'(

"come on denks,its value for money!itll last us at least two years.Yours might be ripped up by the end of the season.."

" :'("

"plus now we wont have to worry about lights!"

at this mina put down the plastic pumpkin she was inspecting and stared.eyes wide.

"actually y/nn ya know what?? denki's rightt his is better and even though itll last only a little bit itll still be cuteee"

she tried to pick out the streamer out of the cart but you just slapped her hand away

"Nah uh. nice try mins but i already ticked the list.you were Very convincing! ;)"

she knew you wouldnt budge so she gave up much to denkis dismay (again)

from then on they chose some simple-ass stuff so that they could buy moree stuff.

you caught on halfway through and mentally did the math to figure out the total.

you lost the sum at somepoint and just gave up

the time to check out came and you were nervous as hell

but had decided on your method of payment the moment you lost count of the total.

the total was read and both mina and denki turned white...

HOW THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS GONNA PAY THAT.

And without even batting an eye you hand over a credit card.

they are SHOOKK

SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE A CREDIT CARD????????

"Thank You Ma'am have a good day." says the cashier.

"you too" you say as you picked up three bags and motioned for mina and denki to take the other 4

when you get back to the car their faces are still shook

so you hold up the piece of plastic one more time and they look closer

the name "Enji Todoroki" was written in little letters

it all made sense then.

"Dudeeeee." began denki, "We coulda bought moreeeeee"

"noooo" you say as you drive out of the parking lot and head back home.

your car boot full of decor and endevour's credit card very much used.!

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

please dont repost my work here as your own on any platform all rights belong to me except that of the mha characters used,their right belong to their respective owners.but this story? mine.

feedback,likes,reblogs and comments are so very appreciated tbh :’)i hope you enjoyed and ill catch ya next time!

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wanderrlust0 · 5 months

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i hung out with snow and 2 of their friends for their bday (2 dozen anni celebration) and it was a lot of fun!

we got to the city around 3:15 and walked to ktown. we went to this bakery they all usually go to and they had so many tasty treats, i wanted to try them all! i got a strawberry bouchee & snow got us this strawberry refresher thats kind of carbonated but it was good! it had pieces of strawberries in it so it was cute. then we walked to kinokuniya which is this huge japanese store filled with books,magazines,manga, stationery, plushies,toys,collectables, &moreeee. it had 3 stories!!! there was soo much to look at & i def wanna go back!! i told the bestie about it & she wants to go! (i didnt realize how close it was to bryant park as well. like i totally wouldve went there last time i was in bryant park if i knewww.) we were in there for like an hr. i bought a spirited away japanese book & a cute pop up holiday card for myself bc i liked the art. i wanted a small spirited away book but they only had the big one and the book that shows miyazakis sketches. i feel like i shouldve just gotten that one, even tho it was more money..maybe on my next trip. afterwards, we went to muji, then the nintendo store. so snows friends are very much gamers. well, they allll are lol & theyre into kpop, conventions, etc so theyre quite diff from my friend group but they were very nice! & they were already talking about stuff like how i have to see their friends room bc she has cool things and how they’ll force me & snow to watch the live action.. demon slayer mugen train musical…lolll yes that. we then went backkk to ktown to eat at abiko curry, which is a spot they go to a lot. it was my first time trying it and omg it was sooo good, i ate it all. ive never had korean curry so i thought it was so cool that i could add a pork chop to it and it was crispy! it was so satisfying lol it was like our first real meal of the day at 8:30. im gonna be thinking about that curry for a whilee. afterwards, we were gonna go to this place called starbucks reserve, which is like a very fancy coffee shop/bar, but we realized we wouldnt have enough time so were saving it for some other time. we got gelato that was nearby and they had such cool flavors!! lychee, guava, plum.. i got a scoop of ube and thai iced tea and they went perfect together omg i want it again. i didnt know how thai iced tea gelato would taste but it tasted exactlyyy like the drink so it was so refreshing after our curry meal. after gelato we went back to the bakery to pick up things we wanted to take home with us. we didnt get on the train until 10:30 so we got home later than i thought & i was soso tired the next morning bc i had to wake up early but it was worth it lol. oh yeah! i forgot to mention but i gave snow their bday gift & card in the car so they opened the gift before we walked to the train station and !!! they loved it so much they criedddd D; it was sweet and also shocking and funny bc like!! i didnt mean to make you cry omggg loll for context, the gift was a framed drawing i made of inumaki from jujutsu kaisen and so they said thats its literally the best gift theyve ever gotten, mostly due to it being handmade and i was like WhaTttt no wayyy. the best gift youve ever gotten?!? they knew i was gonna draw something already bc they didnt want me to buy a gift & wanted something handmade like my art but ofc they didnt know what id draw & didnt really expect me to draw Him. they saved the card for our train ride home bc when they first opened it in the car & saw so many words they couldnt read it yet lol. when snow was on their way to my house they realized they forgot my gift (for my bday) and i was like MY Gift!!?! i really dont know what it could even be… it was fun spending time with them and i feel like its a nice change to hangout with a different friend group. idk like something about it feels fun and refreshing & just different. ofc it depends how comfortable i feel with everyone. but yeahhh, it was a good day & i got to try a lot of yummi foods

(my bracelet fell off and idk where it went:(( it could be somewhere in my room or my bfs room.. i dont believe it fell off at work.. or the shower..but i dont wanna think about thatD: it wasnt really a sentimental one i guess.. but it was like a good bracelet..& old.. &cute:( im hoping it shows uppppp!!!!)

#journal #mypost

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hometownrockstar · 2 years

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ok now that i have played happy home paradise for 3 or 4 days i think i can say my opinion of it so far (coming from one of the biggest fans of happy home designer of all time)... its SOOO good and originally i was annoyed by it being paid dlc but i think its worth it and it works very well as dlc and wouldnt be as good as a stand-alone game like hhd was, specifically with how it integrates with the full acnh game with the stores and facilities u can buy items from, while not being paylocked entirely bc u can still get all that stuff in the full game thank goodness (one neat detail that happened to me was that i bought the pro camera from the nook miles abd, and after i got the dlc mr nook sent me a letter saying he refunded the original miles spent)

the facilities having more of a use in that manner makes them feel more lived in and worth building and visiting, unlike hhd where i didnt really go back to the facilities that often. im not far enough to have many of them built yet, but i have read abt the stuff u can get from them. the other stuff added that differs it from hhd, like partitions, lighting and room size adjustments, roommates, outdoor settings and customizable season/weather/time are all really nice but i dont like the partitions as much as i want to bc they only really work as just sticking out of the wall, instead of sectioning off little boxes, but thats just a personal nitpick that i like to do for bathrooms lol. also the graphics look AMAZING, this game is really really beautiful and i KNEW upon seeing the trailer for new horizons that the possibilities for hhd-type interior design and pictures would be SO good and better from the ds graphics

my problems are mostly little things that i wish were added, like being able to choose the tree color in fall (like why is it always yellow? why cant i make them have red or orange leafs like on my island?) the ability to have two accent walls at once, the first-person camera (god i wish i could walk through walls while its on) and maybe even brand new additions like being able to move windows around the walls, or moving the doorway position, or adding a floor version of the partition so u could add layer steps. also a nitpick is that i think the array of new furniture is a LITTLE small, understandable bc of all the new food items tbh.

#he is amazed by interior design

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tchallasbabymama · 3 years

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Make it Better

Heyyy y’all! Here’s Ch 8 of Playlist. Check out my masterlist HERE to catch up and read my other stories. This is a long one....

Check out the actual Playlist HERE

Word count: ~10k

CW: Smut

“What?!” K’Hari yelled at his only child as she cried at the kitchen table. Tamala had sat both of her parents down to tell them the news and so far her father was not taking it well. “Say that one more time so I know I understood you. You’re what now?”

“I’m calling off the wedding,” she said through her tears.

“What happened, busi?” her mama asked softly as her baba continued to seethe next to her.

“What happened doesn't matter, Aja. What matters is your daughter has lost her fucking mind if she thinks-”

“Baba, he loves someone else!” Tamala yelled as K’Hari’s eyes rolled in exasperation. “He’s always loved someone else.” She hung her head and berated herself for not seeing it sooner when her mother’s hand reached out to tip her chin upwards to meet her gaze.

“Sithandwa, he could learn to love you,” Aja said softly while using her other hand to wipe the tears from her daughter’s eyes.

Tamala moved away from her mother and looked at her in horror.

“I thought you would be on my side! He doesn't love me, mama, and he never will. He said so himself...he only loves her.”

“Who is this elusive love of his?” K’Hari’s voice took on a sinister tone.

“H-her name is Ashanti, she's from the Merchant Tribe-”

“Owns an art store?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Y-yes, how did you know?”

K’Hari sighed and his head fell back. He should have known all along.

“She’s the girl that got herself kidnapped by Princess Zenzi, but the king never said why she was the target. Demethi!” He struck the table, shocking Aja and Tamala. “Does he still see her?”

“No,” Tamala sniffled, “I put the fear of Bast in her and told her I would have her exiled if she contacted him again. It must have worked, I’ve never seen T’Challa so angry before.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, mama, not physically anyway. He told me...he told me I would be his queen but she would always have his heart and that this was just an arrangement. What does that even mean?!” Tamala broke down crying as her parents gave each other a look.

K’Hari and Aja Obu had wanted nothing more than for their daughter to marry well, so when the opportunity to have her marry the king presented itself they took it. In council meetings K’Hari and several of the other elders voiced their concerns about the king not being married. He would always brush it off until K’Hari had the idea to align himself with the Border tribe and not allow his immigration proposal to pass. He knew the king would want to speak with him one-on-one about it, and during their meeting he insinuated that his vote could be bought if the king would marry his daughter. Three birds, one stone. They didn’t expect the king to be so cruel and tell Tamala about their deal though.

There was a long silence as K’Hari shook his head frantically at his wife, knowing she was on the verge of telling Tamala everything.

“Busi-”

“Aja, no-”

“Thula! This was all your idea anyway,” she snapped and K’Hari shrunk into himself. Aja wiped Tamala’s tears and held both of her hands. “Honey, your father made a deal with the king-”

“What kind of deal?” she asked through her stuffy nose and freefalling tears.

“My dear, I-” he cut himself off with a sigh. He never imagined his plan going south, so he had hoped that he would be able to get away with not telling her what he did, but all of that got thrown out the window the minute she showed up at their house in tears. “I made a deal with the king. He wants to open Wakanda even further to the Lost Tribe and allow them to immigrate here. It is a good proposal, but I split the vote and convinced Hodari of the Border Tribe to follow my lead. The king came to speak with me about it and well, uh, long story short I promised him my and Hodari’s votes if he would take you as queen. I knew how important his proposal was to him, and how the rest of the council had been pushing him to find a wife. It was the perfect plan.”

“No it wasn’t! You used me! And mama, you knew about it!” She snatched her hands away from her mother and stood from the table.

“Busi, we-”

“No! You basically sold me to the king! Actually, nevermind, because in order to sell something the buyer has to actually want it! You pushed me onto him and you thought that was ok? You thought I wouldnt eventually find out?!” She quickly gathered her things and ignored her parents’ protests as she stormed out of their home.

Tamala had nowhere she could go and be alone away from everybody, so she retreated to her temporary quarters in the palace. She stayed in there for a week, only letting kitchen staff in and out, but she was upset even more by the fact that nobody came to check on her wellbeing. She already knew she wasn’t wanted by the king, but it wasn’t until then that she realized how much the rest of the royal family never seemed to like her either. She knew she could be abrasive at times, but for them to be so cold? Then it dawned on her that they must have all thought she was involved in her father’s schemes.

“I wouldn’t like me either.” she mused to herself and decided she would go set the record straight at breakfast.

The next morning Tamala was so anxious that she almost couldn’t make it in time, but she was able to pull herself together at the last minute. She emerged from her room and made the long walk to the elevators that would take her down to the dining area. The butterflies in her stomach flew faster and faster the closer she got, and she was sure other people could hear her heart beating out her chest. By the time she reached the door she had forced herself to calm down again, knowing that what she had to do required a clear head and an unwavering disposition.

The palace guards opened the doors for her and when she saw them she immediately lost all of the confidence she had worked so hard to build. She had expected to just see the four of them there, but for the first time since she moved into the palace a month ago they had several guests at the table as well.

M’Baku and his chieftess Shani were seated next to each other across from Queen Mother and Shuri. N’Jadaka sat next to his little cousin with Okoye to his left. It was her off day so they had invited her to join them for breakfast. Her ex-husband W’Kabi was nowhere to be seen, but instead there were two colonizers at the table next to M’Baku. One that looked like a human version of a golden retriever and the other seemed to be part robot. The empty seat at the foot of the table was her only option, so she sat down and tried to drum up the courage to make her announcement.

“Tamala, we have barely seen you this week,” Ramonda remarked, without looking up from her food, only partially interested in her response.

Tamala cleared her throat and when everyone reluctantly turned to look at her she locked eyes with the king. She could still feel how cold and detached he was towards her, which only solidified her decision.

“I needed some time to myself, to think. I have decided to...to call off the wedding.” Everyone was shocked. They all knew of the arrangement since they had each cornered T’Challa at some point to try to talk sense into him. None of them liked Tamala. She was rude, she was entitled, and she had a jealous streak that rubbed them all the wrong way. Worst of all, they thought she was only with T’Challa because she wanted the throne. “I didn’t know about my father’s plan, but I do now and I can’t go through with it. I can’t spend my life with someone who doesn’t love me.”

She kept her eyes on T’Challa and saw his face fall when he found out she was unaware of her father’s plan. He immediately felt bad for what he said to her when he realized her feelings for him were real.

“Tamala, I-”

“I know. You thought I was after the title. I wasn’t, but my father was.”

“That still doesn’t excuse what I said to you.”

“No, it doesn't, but I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.”

A silence fell over them and she looked around at the guilty faces surrounding the table.

“Did all of you know?”

Everyone nodded or grumbled their response and she felt even more embarrassed knowing that everyone knew it was a lie but her. She sat back in her chair in disbelief.

“If it helps, that’s not the only reason we didn’t like you,” N’Jadaka stage whispered to her from across the table. Shuri and M'Baku snickered as Ramonda reached behind Shuri’s chair to hit her nephew upside his head.

“That does help, thank you N’Jadaka,” Tamala said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Could someone fill me in on what just happened?” the blonde colonizer, Steve, asked of his friends after another silence filled the table.

“I got you, man. So basically T’s been trying to make it so Black people can move to Wakanda, but her daddy is head of the Mining tribe and won’t let it go through unless he marries her.”

“What happens to the proposal now? Will he still block it from going through?” Okoye asked.

They all turned to look at Tamala.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Have you told your father about your decision?” Shani added.

“Yes, a week ago.”

“So you decided to wait until the wedding was damn near upon us to let us know?” Queen Mother was getting a headache. “Come with me after you finish eating, we have to call the press and cancel all the vendors and-”

“Mama, I will handle whatever needs to be done. Tamala has been through enough in regards to the wedding.” Ramonda wanted to argue with her son, but she knew he was doing the right thing.

“Very well then,” she gave in.

“So what are you gonna do now?” Bucky asked Tamala and everyone’s ears perked up in curiosity.

“I’m not sure, but I definitely can’t go back to my parents’ after this.”

“That is understandable. You are welcome to stay as long as you need to.” T’Challa said across the table.

“Thank you, T’Challa.”

“It is the least I can do.”

-------

With three weeks left until the wedding, Ashanti was finally leaving for her month-long trip to New Orleans. She had purchased a cell phone and linked her beads to the archaic device so she wouldn’t have to use them in public. She had done her research on the city and even though her itinerary mostly involved just letting her creative juices flow, there were a few things she knew she had to see and do before she left.

When Chidi and Bisa dropped her off at Wakanda International they were still a little uneasy about Ashanti’s plan. She had never left Wakanda before, but here she was flying across the globe by herself to a city where she doesn’t have any friends or even extended family to look out for her, but they were supportive because they knew it was her dream. When she was young she always wanted to explore the world, but Wakanda was still closed to the outside so she let the idea slip away. She thought the only way she’d get to see it is if she became a War Dog, but Ashanti never had any interest in being a spy. Now her dream was finally coming true, and despite the anxiety twisting her stomach she couldn’t be more excited.

Her flight only took about 7 hours on the Wakandan jet, and when she touched down and stepped out of the airport she was met with the wet heat of the southern United States. The temperature wasn’t too different from what she was used to, but the humidity made her feel like she was under water. She summoned a Lyft and people-watched as she waited for it to arrive.

She was relieved when it finally pulled up, looking forward to what she hoped would be an air conditioned ride.

“How’s it going ma’am?”

“Hi, uh, it’s good. André, right? How are you?”

“Yes ma’am. Here picking up,” he looked at his phone for confirmation, “Ashanti, but uh, I’ve had better days. Where you from? I hear your accent.”

“Do you hear yours?” she asked playfully as she slid into the back seat while he put her bags in the trunk. He laughed and the warmth of it brought a smile to her face. “I’m from Wakanda.”

“Ohhhhh, Wakanda huh? What made you leave paradise?” He asked as he plopped into the driver seat and closed the door.

“It’s not a paradise.”

“For those of us out here it is.” He looked at her through the rear view mirror for just a second. Her face fell, forgetting how privileged she was to grow up where she did. She had been so focused on getting away from the king that she forgot just how beautiful her homeland could be. “You should be careful out here, I’m sure it’s pretty different than what you’re used to. Crazy folks out here...you going down to Bourbon at any point?”

“Most likely, I’ll be here a while.”

“Hm. Well if you do please, please be careful chère. People get real stupid when they drink.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind. Are you from here?”

“Born and raised. I moved up to Memphis for a while, but came right back. Always on the Mississippi though. What brought you here? You don't seem like the partying type and judging by all that luggage you’re planning to stay for a while.”

She sighed, not sure if she should get into it with her driver, but decided there was no harm in talking to him.

“My ex is getting married and I just needed to get away for a while.”

“Still love him?” he looked at her through the mirror again and she looked back at him before nodding.

“Yeah I do, it’s complicated…”

“Sounds like it. I been there though. My babymama moved on a couple years ago and I still ain't over it. He’s a nice guy though so I can’t be too mad about it. As long as my girls are taken care of, that’s what matters.”

Ashanti listened and nodded along, watching the city pass by as they drove down the interstate to her new temporary neighborhood. She knew they had arrived when he turned off the exit and she saw a mural painted along a wall that read “Tremé” in colorful letters. They drove a few more blocks before André stopped the car in front of a house with a colorful, plant filled fenced-in courtyard. There was a fat tabby cat lounging in the walkway by an adorable little iron bistro set. Before getting out of the car she used her iphone to review the instructions the host sent her, then she swung the door open, ready to see her living space in person. André grabbed her bags out of the trunk and placed them on the sidewalk for her.

“Could you help me carry them in?” she asked of her Lyft driver who turned to look at her like she was crazy.

“Ma’am, you sure are trusting. I’ll help you, but you can’t be out here just letting people in your place like that.”

Ashanti blushed, she hadn’t even thought of the danger she was putting herself in and she was thankful that André seemed like a good man. He brought her bags into the living room and took a look around, whistling at the sight.

“I’ve never actually gotten a look inside one of these new Air Bnb’s, these are niiiice. Ruining the neighborhood though, but what can you do?”

“How is it ruining the neighborhood?”

André chuckled a little at her naivety before concern crept up on him, too. This girl had let him into her home, alone, and he wondered what other stupid things she might get into.

“You know, how about I show you around. I’ll be your personal chauffeur while you’re here. For a fee, of course.”

“Of course. That sounds like a good idea...ok lets do it.”

“Great, did you want to settle in or go out now? I can run some quick errands while you rest up”

“I’ll be hungry in about a couple hours. Come back then?”

“You got it miss lady, see you later,” he turned to leave the house but turned back with a serious look on his face. “Make sure you keep these doors locked, you seem like the type to just keep them open.”

“I will.”

He squinted at her, not believing a word she said.

“I said I will, Bast!”

“You better,” he pointed at her as he closed the door behind him.

She plopped on the couch and she was thankful to have the space all to herself, but the vibe was quickly ruined by him yelling at her from outside.

“Lock the door Ashanti!”

She scrambled from her spot and locked the door.

“Happy now?” she shouted at him.

“Thank you!” she heard him say right before the car door closed and he drove off.

She was finally alone and could really feel the energy of the place. It would be perfect for her little artist getaway. The south facing windows let in so much natural light that she wouldn't even need to turn the lights on during the day. She had already scoped out where she would set up her easel, and she made a mental note to ask André about art supply stores since she could only bring so much on the plane.

She made her way to the bedroom and plopped down on the bed, testing its softness. Once she was satisfied she rolled off and went to the bathroom to set up her toiletries. When she opened the door she was thrown back in time to when T’Challa first invited her to his quarters after their first date. The monstera in the corner and the ivy draping down the walls reminded her of what she always called his “jungle chic bathroom”, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head. She stripped down and stared at herself in the mirror as the water heated up, but ran back to her suitcase to grab her kimoyo beads. They were synched to her phone, but she thought the sound quality was better on the beads..

“Hey Kim, play music.”

How do you mend when you worlds apart?

Ooh, carry on

Ooh, from the start

Somehow, we fell in love, then fell right out of touch

And ooh, that was hard

But ooh, here we are

And it's easier to walk away

Than to look for what would make you stay

“Next song please.” she grumbled, not in the mood for a love song. Thankfully the next song was anything but.

“There’s some whores in this house, there’s some whores in this house…,” she sang along loudly while scrubbing down.

When she was finished she got out and did her usual routine before laying down to take a nap until André came back. When he did, she was excited to see that he brought gumbo.

“I wasn’t sure if you were too tired to go out or not. Either way, this’ll heat up pretty good tomorrow. I made a big pot yesterday, figured you’d like some authentic ‘Nawlins’ cuisine.”

Her eyes lit up and she dug right in, obviously hungrier than either of them thought she would be.

“Mmm, this is amazing. You made this?” she asked, having yet another flashback to her first date with T’Challa.

“Sho did, my daddy’s recipe.”

“Well tell your daddy I said thank you.”

“Tell him yourself. We having a fish fry this weekend, you should swing by. His place is just a few blocks from here.”

“I’ll be there! It’s not like I have any real plans or anything.”

“Yeah, what you gonna do while you're here?”

“Walk around, explore, paint, take in some sights, do some touristy things.”

“Let me guess, voodoo museum and cemetery tour?”

“That’s on the list, yeah.”

“Nah, my granny can probably tell you all that better than some tourist trap.”

“Will she be there this weekend?”

“Oh she never missed a fish fry in all her 79 years.”

Ashanti laughed

“Good. So about our chauffeur situation, how about $2,000 a week?”

He stared at her in disbelief.

“What? I’m sorry, is that too low? I’m not good with the conversion rate-”

“No that’s way more than I been making, you got yourself a deal. Hell I’ll be your protection detail too if you need it.”

She giggled a little bit and finally felt her shoulders relax. As much as she knew she needed this trip, it scared her to be so alone so far from home, but André’s warm aura made her feel safe in his presence. As far as she could tell, he was a Bast-send.

The two stayed in for the night, talking and getting to know each other until André left around 9. Ashanti locked up behind him and carried herself up to bed, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

-------

The king chose to take the day to himself, and he decided to spend it the same way he spent his favorite off-day, with Ashanti at her shop. She had to have seen the news by now and known the wedding was off, but she was still not answering his calls. He grew concerned and decided to use his day off to try to make things right.

As he walked through the market with his Dora, waving at the occasional excited passerby and stopping to talk to the children that wanted his attention, he felt lighter than he had in a while. He was finally free of Tamala and once her father’s scheming was revealed to the council, he and Hodari were replaced by their second in command. The proposal to open Wakanda to the Lost Tribe had passed and now they could start prepping for the day when their doors would truly open to the world. His plan had gone through, he wasn’t being forced into marriage, and the council had even backed off of their incessant need to marry him off. All he needed now was his lady.

Chidi was the first to see him round the corner and he waved the king over, saluting him to keep up appearances in public.

“What are you doing here, my boy?”

“I wanted to see Ashanti, do you know if she’s in?”

“She’s been gone for about three weeks now, she needed to get away from all the wedding coverage. She’ll be back next week unless her plans have changed. She barely calls us so I have no idea. Can you believe it, my only daughter goes halfway around the world and can't even call me to say she’s alive! Don’t have kids, T’Challa, they’ll rip your heart out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Where did she run off to?”

“New Orleans.”

“That fits her,” T’Challa smiled fondly while picturing her painting on an old balcony with jazz musicians playing down below or eating beignets and sipping coffee at Cafe Du Monde.

“Not enough to forget about her parents, it doesn’t!” Chidi fussed, causing Bisa to stick her head out from the back. Her face lit up when she saw the king.

“Oh hi T’Challa dear.” She came out from the kitchen and gave him a hug, surprising the few customers Zana Cafe had during the after lunch lull.

“Bisa, a pleasure as always.”

“I’m sure he told you Ashanti is off galavanting around the world avoiding your wedding. By the way, congratulations on being single again. I could tell you hated every moment of being with that woman, she seemed too clingy for you.”

“Thank you, it is good to be single again.”

“Not for too long, I hope,” Chidi’s eyebrow raised as he stared up at the king.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good.” Chidi clapped him on the back and the king said goodbye to who he hoped would be his future in-laws.

As he crossed the street to Taj’s his nerves picked back up.

“She’s not even here man, chill out.” He spoke to himself softly and took a couple deep breaths before entering the store.

The doorway chimed every time a customer passed through, so when Zina heard it chime and looked up she nearly dropped the beads she was sorting.

“M-my king!” She saluted him as Jafari came from the back room to see what all the commotion was about, before stopping and saluting him as well.

“Please, no need for that.”

“What can we do for you, your highness?” Jafari asked since Zina seemed to be stuck in a trance staring at the handsome king.

“I was hoping to place a custom order.”

“The jewelry artist is out of town currently, but we can still take your order. It probably won’t be ready for another month or so. She doesn’t allow special orders to skip the line.”

“That is fine, I can wa- is your friend ok?”

Zina was still glued to the spot, staring at the king.

“Z, why don't you finish the beads in the back, I’ll handle up here.”

“Yeah. Ok, yeah, sorry, heh.” She shook herself out of it and rushed towards the back to get away from the king so she didn't embarrass herself further.

The two men shared a knowing look and the king chuckled, used to that reaction by now. He had, after all, been fine as hell his whole life.

“So, what would you like?”

“First, I would like it to be anonymous.”

After about 30 or so minutes of finalizing the design, the king left the shop still feeling light, but now with a tinge of anxiety. He wasn’t sure how she would feel seeing him again, but the one big obstacle keeping them apart had finally been removed and he hoped she saw it that way, too.

-------

Ashanti’s time in the Crescent City was coming to an end, and she didn’t want to say goodbye to André and the rest of the François family. She invited them to come visit her in Wakanda and she was sure at least a couple of them would actually take her up on her offer. Saying goodbye to everybody had been rough, but she was more than ready to go back home. She even said goodbye to the fat cat that laid around in her courtyard most mornings. When André dropped her off at the airport they were both misty-eyed. They had become the best of friends and he was already planning to come visit Wakanda during the summer with his daughter Désirée, who simply adored Ashanti. They hugged and kissed each other's cheeks before he sent her on her way through security.

The flight back seemed to take a whole lot longer than the flight there, but she still made it in about the same amount of time thanks to the jets being infused with Wakandan tech. As they got closer to the border, she could feel the tattoo on her inner lip start to tingle, and when they landed it finally subsided. She nearly ran off the plane when she saw her parents and roommates waiting for her at the gate, and she attacked all four of them with a giant hug.

“I missed you all so much!”

“Chile no you didn't, you barely texted me.” Kwame joked as she hit his arm.

“And you barely called us. Must have been some trip!” Chidi added.

“It was! I have tons of pictures. I met this guy who-”

“A guy?” her mother interjected, concern written on her face. Ashanti misinterpreted it as concern for her safety but she was actually concerned about the state of her and T’Challa’s possible relationship.

“Yes, mama, a guy. He was my driver and we became friends and his family sort of took me in for the month. It was great!”

The five of them made their way to Zana Cafe and were met with Zina and Jafari, who were both ecstatic to have their boss back.

“Bosslady! You look well-rested.” Jafari pulled her in for a hug before Zina could do the same.

“That’s because I am. I need to do the whole vacation thing more often. Travelling is so cheap thanks to the conversion rate. Did you know our money is worth five times as much as American money?”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Why don’t you go ahead and start telling stories and I’ll bring the food out?”Chidi suggested.

Ashanti had them hanging on her every word all night long. She told them about everything, from the cemeteries to the swamps to Bourbon street to the history of Marie Laveau. She told them about the jazz musicians and what she learned about the effects of hurricane Katrina and gentrification. She told them about the François family and the kindness they showed her, and even pulled up some pictures of her work on her beads to show them.

“I’m definitely going back at some point.”

“Don't you want to go somewhere else instead?” Zina asked, stuffing her face full of food.

“I want both,” Ashanti said with a laugh. She had missed her friends and family, but wouldn't trade the last month of her life for the world.

It started getting late so Zina and Binta left to go be with their respective significant others, while the others cleaned up the table. Jafari was the next to go, and after he left the remaining three descended upon Ashanti too quickly for her comfort.

“Do you know already?” Kwame asked her suspiciously.

“Know what? You’re freaking me out.”

“About the king.”

“Why would you- I left to get away from him, I don’t want to think-”

“Intyatyambo, they called it off weeks ago,” Bisa added.

Her whole world stopped, but she was too tired to process the information they had just given her.

“I-I don't...why?”

“Nobody knows, but the king came down here looking for you the other day.” said Chidi.

“He did?!” Ashanti asked, looking to her mother for confirmation.

“He did.”

“Well, um- that’s cool I guess. I-I need to get some rest, it’s late and my brain hurts.”

“Get home safe sithandwa,” Chidi ordered.

“I will baba, bye. Bye mama.'' She hugged them both before she and Kwame drove home in his new hover car.

“So this André guy?”

“Just a friend, Kwame.”

“Ok but is he cute?”

“You know that American show you like to watch? Oh, what’s it called...Insecure! He looks like the light skinned guy on there.”

“Nathan?! Girrrrl and you didn’t hit that?”

“No, ew, he felt more like a brother.”

“Mmmhm, so you didn’t go get your groove back?”

“Meaning…?”

“Did you get that back blown out in Nola or no?”

“No.”

“Girl I swear, the wrong one of us is doing all the travelling.”

The two laughed as they entered their home and said good night before going their separate ways.

As comfortable as her bed back in New Orleans was, it pales in comparison to her bed at home. She knew not to even sit down until she was ready to pass out. She quickly showered and threw on a big t-shirt before hopping in her bed and drifting away to dreamland.

Mmm, Ashanti.

Come sit on your throne, kitten.

Ride me just like that.

Bounce on it.

Cum on my dick.

Nah-uh, don’t fucking move, I’m cumming in this pussy. My pussy.

“Your pussy, baby,” Ashanti whimpered in her sleep just moments before her eyes flew open. She hadn’t had a dream like that in months, now all of a sudden her body was acting crazy just because she heard he was single again. As far as she knew, the council could have another wife lined up for him so there was no need to even get excited. Apparently, nobody told her pussy that.

She looked at the clock and was surprised it was well after 10am, until she remembered she probably had jet lag. Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at the door.

“Oh good you’re up, I was just checking to make sure you were breathing,” Binta joked as Ashanti threw a pillow at her from the bed.

“I’m alive, just jetlagged. I don't think I’ve ever slept this late in my entire life.”

“Yeah girl that's why I came up here to make sure you were ok!”

“I guess it’s something I’ll have to get used to if I’m going to be travelling a lot.”

Binta sat on the end of the bed.

“You really did love it huh?”

“I did, and there are so many places to see!”

Binta laughed and was about to say something when her beads rang.

“Oop, gotta go. Mrs. Obi is going into labor, but her doula came down with a stomach bug this morning so I get to step in.”

“Good luck!” Ashanti shouted at Binta as she frantically ran down the steps to grab her work bag and go.

Ashanti sat up in bed and stretched her arms out wide before swinging her legs over the side and standing up, stretching even further. She padded her way to the bathroom and checked herself out in the mirror while brushing her teeth. She decided to shower again since last night was more of a quick rinse, so she cut the water back on and got naked.

“Hey Kim, play music.”

How do you mend when you worlds apart?

Ooh, carry on

Ooh, from the start

Somehow, we fell in love, then fell right out of touch

And ooh, that was hard

But ooh, here we are

And it's easier to walk away

Than to look for what would make you stay

This time she was in the mood for the love song, so she allowed it to play all the way through.

Remember when we first met?

We were having so much fun

So, now, how can we both forget

Telling each other, "We're the one"?

We would make love (We would make love)

At the drop of a hat

Remember that?

(Yeah)

I remember you and me (You and me)

Close as any two can be (Two can be)

Now we're strangers in the night (Strangers)

Awkward in the tight

Oh baby, do you want to make it better?

Do you want to stay together?

Hey, if you do

Then let's please

Make some new

Memories

The song was cut off by her beads ringing. She finished rinsing off and hopped back out the shower to see who was calling her. She threw on a robe, then answered the call. She was surprised to see Zina on the other end.

“Hey Z, how’s it going?”

“Hey Shanti, so um the shop is really busy and Jafari got that stomach bug that’s going around and-”

“I’ll be there in 30, no worries. Breathe Zina.”

She took a deep breath and was able to destress a little bit.

“Sorry, I just get a little tense sometimes.”

“I understand. If it's too busy for you to handle, just close the doors and we can reopen when I get there. See you soon.”

She ended the call and searched for something to wear. She threw on a white t-shirt and colorful joggers with sneakers before grabbing her bags and heading out the door.

When she arrived at Taj’s the customers had died down so she was able to work in the back and look through her commissions. There was one that stood out to her, it was an anonymous client who wanted a very simple necklace. They could have bought one like it at the front of the shop, but she guessed this person wanted it made just for them. Looking at her calendar and other commissions she guessed it would be ready in a month or so, but with it being such a simple design she decided to go ahead and make it to get it out of the way.

-------

The king was surprised when Jafari called him to come pick up his order. It was way earlier than he had expected, but he would never complain about getting to see Ashanti sooner rather than later. T’Challa decided to take the day off again, and he knew his sister wouldn’t take too kindly to it so he decided to make her favorite breakfast for her. When his mother and sister rolled into their en suite kitchen, following the delicious smells wafting through the royal wing of the palace, Shuri immediately knew something was up.

“Unyana, shouldn’t you be working?”

“Oh no. Is this a bribe?” Shuri asked, eyes scanning over the American-style breakfast and mouth watering at the fluffy golden pancakes. She wanted to stand her ground, but they called to her. T’Challa knew what he was doing.

“Don’t think of it as a bribe, think of it as a thank you in advance,” he said with a sly smirk on his face.

“Let me go clear my schedule-” she sighed.

“No need. Already done,” he smiled at her as he shovelled scrambled eggs onto her plate.

“You’re the worst. This better be for a good reason.”

“It is.”

“Are you going to tell us what it is?” Queen Mother inquired.

“No, not yet.” T’Challa didn’t want his family to get too excited.

“Ugh, I deserve to know since you're making me queen for a day.”

He stared at her, deciding between telling her and keeping it to himself. His decision was cut short when his kimoyo beads rang and he answered to see Nakia looking very excited.

“N’Jadaka told me everything! How did it go?”

“Oh so you told him but won’t tell us?! Your own mother and sister? Your own flesh and blood? How rude.” Shuri said, crossing her arms and giving him a look of disapproval, making him roll his eyes at her dramatics.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to start anything, I was just so excited. You know the prince can’t hold water, I don’t know why you ever tell him anything.”

“You are right as usual, umhlobo wam.”

“Well, I’ll let you go since you obviously have some explaining to do,” she looked behind T’Challa at the princess and Queen Mother who had looks of displeasure on their faces. “Call me after!” And with that she ended the call and her hologram disappeared from his hand. He took a deep breath and turned to face his family.

“So?” Ramonda asked impatiently, Shuri nodding along.

“So...I am going to see Ashanti.” He paused as their faces lit up and he couldn't help but smile, too. “I went to see her on my off day a couple weeks ago, but she was out of town. Apparently she left to avoid the wedding coverage...but she’s back now, so I took the day off to go see her.”

Their smiles were up to their ears despite the silence that followed T’Challa’s explanation.

“I haven’t seen you look this happy in a long time, unyana wam.”

“Thank you mama, I’m hoping all goes well.”

“Bast be with you, dear.”

“Ugh, I guess I’ll do your job for you. Tell my sister I said hi and I miss her!”

Ramonda smirked at her daughter’s choice of words, and T’Challa fought to keep a smile off his face.

“I’ll do just that.”

“Well, go ahead and eat so you can get out of here,” Ramonda encouraged her son.

T’Challa chuckled at his mother’s insistence, but did what she said. He tried his best to not rush through the meal, but his excitement took over and he inhaled his breakfast before kissing Shuri and Ramonda on their foreheads and running out the door.

As soon as he left the kitchen his nerves kicked in and he decided to smoke a little something on his balcony before heading out. The royal grower had left him a nice hybrid strain, and after a couple of hits he felt calm enough to do what he needed to do. He ashed his blunt before making his way down the palace elevators and out the front entrance.

He strolled through the city with Okoye and three other Dora, standing tall and smiling at the few other pedestrians when they caught his eye.

“You’re in a good mood today. Is it the weed or our destination?” Okoye teased him.

“Yes.” he responded and chuckled as she gave him a knowing glance. She hadn’t seen her king this happy in...well it’s been a while.

They stopped just around the corner from Taj’s and T’Challa took a deep breath before walking forward. Thankfully it was still early and the market hadn’t livened up yet, so Taj’s would most likely be empty or at the very least not busy.

The Doras stood watch at the open doors and he stepped in, causing the chimes to ring out once again. He was met with the same smiling faces as before and he immediately deflated since he had been hoping he would get to see Ashanti.

“My king.” Zina and Jafari said in unison, saluting him in the process.

“Hello, I received a message that my order is ready. I would love to speak with the artist if she is in.”

“Sure, I’ll go grab her. She’s just in the back working on another order, I’ll be right back,” Zina said before hopping off her stool and disappearing behind a multicolored curtain that had been dyed by children in one of their art classes.

By the time Zina reached Ashanti’s workstation, she was overflowing with excitement.

“The-anonymous-client-is-here-and-they-want-to-meet-you!” she rushed out.

“Zina, breathe. One more time, please.” Ashanti looked up from measuring the pair of pendulums that would become pearl drop earrings when she was through with them.

“Just come out front and see for yourself.”

Ashanti sighed and set down her tools, brushing off her clothes as she stood and following Zina out to the front. She figured the anonymous order was either from someone she knew or from someone of nobility from one of the tribes, but nothing had prepared her to see T’Challa standing in her shop just like he did almost two years ago. She froze on the spot when she saw him and her two employees snickered at what they assumed was her “starstruck” face, not knowing it was anything but.

“Hi.” he said softly with a smile.

“Hi. So you’re my anonymous client?” her voice softened as she took in his form. T’Challa was many things, but he was not someone who repeated outfits, yet here he was in her shop wearing the exact same clothes as the day they met.

Zina and Jafari’s jaws fell to the floor as they both realized that Ashanti knew the king.

“That I am. I hope you don’t mind, I needed a way to see you. I didn’t want to just pop up at your home, but you blocked me, so...I understand though-”

“Holy shit-” Jafari said under his breath but much louder than he anticipated, causing Zina to elbow him in his side.

“W-we’ll just be in the back,” she stuttered as she pushed Jafari into the back room to give them privacy.

There was a tense silence for a moment before T’Challa spoke.

“I heard about New Orleans. How was it?”

“It, uh, was great. I was there about a month and met some really great people. Got a lot of painting done-”

“Hm” T’challa nodded with a warm smile on his face.

“What?”

“When Chidi told me you were in New Orleans that’s exactly what I pictured you doing. You, on a balcony, painting, with Jazz musicians playing on the street below.”

“So you pictured me, huh?” she teased.

T’Challa laughed. “Yes, quite often I’m afraid,” he took a step forward. “And you? Do you still think about me?” he asked her while moving closer so that the only thing between them was the counter.

Ashanti’s heart beat faster and her palms got sweatier with every step he took.

“All the time.”

“Do you have someone special in your life?”

“No. Any more arranged marriages on your end?”

He chuckled and shook his head, “No.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Mhm.”

“Ashanti,” he took a deep breath. “I really am sorry.”

“For what?”

“I should have never let you go-”

“I needed to go, T’Challa. If you had chased me I just would’ve run further away.”

“Ok,” he nodded. “However, I know that if I had to see you with another man it would tear my heart to pieces, so I am sorry from the bottom of my heart that you had to experience that pain.” His big brown eyes twinkled with sincerity and her nerves simply melted away.

“Eh, I’ve had worse,” she joked, shrugging and holding up her pinky.

The two of them stared at each other in silence with small smiles plastered on their faces.

“Ashanti,” he began as he grabbed her hand and kissed it, feeling the cold metal of her robotic pinky beneath his lips, “I know it’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least, but my heart will always be yours.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and one escaped, prompting his thumb to reach out and swipe it away.

“Please don’t cry, kitten.” he said as tears threatened to escape his eyes, too.

“I’m sorry, I just-”

“Don’t be sorry, my love.”

She looked at him in that moment and took in his face that she missed more than her heart could bear. She missed his deep dark eyes, his broad nose, his bushy yet tamed eyebrows, and that lopsided gap toothed smile. She missed scratching his beard when they kissed and oiling his scalp with him seated between her legs. She missed the little things about him and their time spent together, and she was tired of running. She was tired of letting her fear dictate her happiness. She was tired of other people standing in their way, but now there was nothing in their way but a wooden countertop.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

He quickly rounded the counter and pulled her body in close, planting his lips on hers. She melted into him as they both finally let their tears fall. They stayed in that embrace for Bast knows how long, taking in the moment and reacquainting themselves with the feel of each other.

T’Challa had missed the smell of her perfume and the pomegranate leave-in conditioner she used in her hair even more than he realized. Her soft body conformed to his and it took all of his willpower to not explore her body more, so he leaned back to untangle himself from her momentarily only to be pulled back into her embrace. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the comforting sound of his heartbeat.

“Not yet,” she whimpered as she pulled him in tighter. He chuckled and rested his chin on top of her head after placing a light kiss on her crown. He saw the curtain ruffle slightly and knew her employees were eavesdropping.

“I think we have an audience.”

“I figured.” She refused to let go. “Can we go somewhere else?”

“Anywhere you want.”

The wheels in her head turned and turned. She didn’t want to be bothered by either of their loved ones, but she wanted privacy.

“Take me back to the lake.”

“Anything for you.”

She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye. This time it was true, he really would and could do anything for her. There was no fiancee or council standing in his way.

“Zina, Jafari, you two can come out now,” she said as she pulled only halfway out of the king’s embrace, his arm still around her waist. Her two employees tripped over themselves from behind the curtain and emerged with guilty looks on their faces.

“I’ll be gone the rest of the day. If it gets too crazy I trust you two to handle it on your own.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Of course, bosslady.”

She momentarily left T’Challa’s warmth to grab her bag from the back before they sauntered out of Taj’s hand in hand.

-------

When you take somebody for your own

It can't survive on history alone

Meet me at the hotel, motel

Though we got a room at home

Go to a place that we don't know so well

It be nice, add a little spice

Try some new seduction

Show each other how

Give each other new instructions

On what makes us

Feel good

Now

I just wanna make you feel good now