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muddyorbsblr · 2 years

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relinquish the crown outtake: at first sight

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Summary: Loki has returned to Asgard after a journey all across the Nine Realms, taking a quiet walk along the palace grounds, when he's mistaken for an intruder. And he sees you for the first time.

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings (trust me you need these): themes of incest (he's adopted but still), mentions of blades, mild cussing [let me know if i missed anything and i will update immediately]

It was well after dark when Loki arrived back in Asgard, returning from a rather lengthy discussion on the conditions of their realm's peace treaty with Jotunheim. Well, truthfully, returning from nine centuries of conversing amongst the dwellers of the Nine Realms to gather consensus regarding Odin's rule.

Weak, he thought derisively. How dare they think my father weak simply because he chose to wed for love. He concluded that he simply did not know what it was like to be in Odin's shoes at the time. To be told that he was to marry within his own bloodline, as was tradition, and then to meet the love of his life?

Had he been in his father's predicament, he would have moved the realms and Valhalla themselves to be able to wed the woman he loved. If he were to ever be fortunate enough to actually find her.

He roamed seemingly aimlessly towards the palace gardens, undoubtedly his favorite place on palace grounds. The scent of all the flowers surrounding him was something he'd always associated with his mother and her comforting warmth. He was almost beside himself not to have his arrival announced right this minute, but he remained respectful of their hours of slumber, mindful of the time of day and the shroud of darkness that blanketed the Asgardian sky.

No. Tonight he would move in silence. In clandestinity. As he once did in his younger years, back when he was not even a man grown. Perhaps he viewed this as a challenge to himself as well, to see if he was able to slip past this new generation of palace guards undetected.

As he suspected, of course he was. And he almost made it to the final hall that led to the gardens before he felt someone pull his shoulder back sharply and poise a dagger to his throat.

What in the Nine Realms?

"Well well, what do we have here?" a sultry voice seethed in his ear. A woman? The palace stationed women as night guards now? How much had changed since he was gone? And trained them with daggers, too. "Give me a reason not to end you where you stand, intruder."

He quickly twisted himself out of the guard's hold and faced her in a fighting stance. "You'll have to try a bit harder if you want to end me." He took a look at her, fleeting but just enough to be taken aback by her eyes. The fiercest, most piercing eyes he'd ever met. The rest of her face was covered in a leather mask set in peacock blue, a match to the hooded cloak that covered her head.

"I haven't even begun to try," she spat out and lunged towards him. He deflected her blows with considerable effort. She was nimble, moving with a preciseness that could only come from at least a decade of practice, and strong. This was no guard. This was a warrior.

They were matched in every swing of their dagger, every sidestep, every deflection. All until she had effectively lured him to a corner and pinned him to the wall, her arm pressed firmly on his collarbone. "Do you yield, intruder?"

"Never," he hissed as his hand reached up and pushed her away by the bottom half of her face. Her steps faltered back and his grip had effectively dislodged the mask from her face.

She kept her face turned away from him and he watched in awe as she took her two daggers and joined them by the handle, her weapon now resembling Sif's. And with a flip of her hair, she faced him again.

And Loki got his first look at you. Norns, she's breathtaking, he thought to himself. The beauty of a goddess, the strength and agility of a warrior, a voice that could lead him straight to Hel without him putting up much of a fight.

A woman after my own heart. Perhaps he'd finally been fortunate and met the woman that he would move the Realms for.

You lunged towards him again, your blade ready to cut him at the jugular, but then he put his hands up as he sank to his knees, hiding his daggers back into his pocket dimension, and announced, "Alright I yield!"

You stopped mere inches away from his face and disarmed yourself, separating your blade back into two and sheathing them into the holsters you kept at your sides. "State your name," you commanded.

"I am Loki, Son of King Odin and Queen Frigga."

You immediately righted your stance, a small smile of familiarity gracing your face. Making him break out into a smile of his own. The feats he would perform, the trials he would endure, just to see that smile for the rest of his days. "Many apologies, your highness." You extended your hand to him. "I am Lady Y/N. Daughter of Lady Sif--"

Sif had a daughter now? he thought to himself. I must remember to commend her for having raised such a remarkable woman. Perhaps if I stay on her good graces she'd even allow me to court this Lady Y/N.

"--and Prince Thor."

He felt his world freeze over, his heart plummet to the ground. "My brother--?"

"Yes," you answered, the fond smile never leaving your face. He reached for your hand and you helped him back to his feet and right himself. "My father will be ecstatic to know you've returned."

You already started on your way down the hall when you felt Loki wrap his hand around your arm. "Erm…perhaps we could delay that announcement until the morning breaks. I'd much rather just return to my chambers after our little…altercation. Catch my breath. Rest. And…breathe." In truth, he didn't lose his breath from his fight with you.

He was struggling to breathe because despite already knowing who you were, all he could think about was how otherworldly you looked in the moonlight.

How your lips would feel moving against his in a kiss of pure decadence as he weaved his fingers through your hair.

How it would feel to hold you in his arms in a lover's embrace.

What a future would look like coming home to you, being the one man in the Nine Realms fortunate enough to be the one to take you to bed--

Stop it, he scolded himself. She is not yours. She cannot be yours. She is family. She's Thor's daughter for fuck's sake, he cursed at himself. Fully knowing that despite all that he would still think about exactly those lurid images the moment his chamber doors closed behind him.

Your giggle brought him out of his reverie and he brought his attention back to you. The rendition that stood living and breathing in front of him, not the image that will forever reside in his head that he could worship clandestinely. "Very well then," you spoke. "Guards."

Two palace guards walked to her and stood at attention. "Princess Y/N. Prince Loki." They looked to him with a touch of fear, while they looked to you with fondness, perhaps with the slightest touch of caution.

"Kindly escort Prince Loki to his chambers. Quietly. He does not wish to announce his arrival until the morning," you instructed with a playful gleam in your eye. You slipped your arm out of his hold and began to walk away down another call…perhaps towards the armory…or perhaps towards the library.

"Are you not to retire to your chambers yet, Princess?" one of the guards called out.

You turned around and proceeded to walk backwards down the hall, facing Loki and the guards. "The night is still young," your voice echoed through the hall. Then you turned back around and walked away from them, disappearing from the raven-haired god's view.

"It is both a blessing and a shame you only met her now, Your Highness," the palace guard addressed Loki.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Princess Y/N was quite the troublemaker in her youth. Quite comparable to your reputation, even. I cannot imagine how much more chaos she could have wreaked had she been raised around you."

"In her youth? Isn't she still?" He pleaded to any deity listening that the answer was yes, so that he could rid himself of the lewd inner workings of his mind.

"No, Your Highness. She was born 200 years after you'd left on your journey across the Nine Realms. She's been a woman grown for quite a while." They arrived at his chamber doors and bowed in his direction.

He took notice of the flowers adorning the doors to the chambers across from his. "Guards? Whose chambers are those? They were empty when I lived here last."

He suppressed a groan as they answered, "Your niece's. Princess Y/N."

Never call her that in my presence, he wanted to snap at them. The word felt like the frosty winds of Jotunheim all across his body, injecting hateful reason into his inner thoughts.

Not that that ever stopped him from thinking those exact thoughts for the coming decades. Up until you became his wife, and he was able to turn them into reality.

A/N: I told you they'd be back haha. Let me know if you don't want to be tagged in future outtakes of Relinquish the Crown and I'll make a note to only tag you in the stories outside of this "universe".

Taglist: @lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @imalovernotahater @redbluekjw @lucylaufeyson3 @thomase1 @springdandelixn @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @laliceee @xorpsbane @gigglingtigger @silverfire475 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @vickie5446 @salempoe @lokixryss @sinsandguilt @lokidbadguy @alexakeyloveloki @glitterylokislut @arch-venus25 @freefrommars @littlemortals @cakesandtom @girl-of-multi-fandoms

#loki x reader #dark!loki #dark!loki x reader #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki odinson x reader #loki x female reader

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ashcoveredtraveler · 3 months

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An approximation of what real life insects(or others) reflect Hollow Knight characters.

Let's start off the Dreamers:

Monomon(Crystal Jellyfish[right], Boxed Jellyfish [left]):

Of course I started off with the dreamer that wasn't a bug at all. It was difficult to find any jellyfish that resembled Monomon, but I chose these ones. Fun fact, the boxed jellyfish are one of the most poisonous Jellyfish.

(more under cut)

Lurien(Cinnabar Moth[right], Scarlet Tiger Moth[left]):

Based on this post by @dairyfreenugget . I like the thought of Lurien heavily contrasting the blue colors of the city. However I realized it's kinda pointless in my AU/Fic cause 1, he doesn't have his wings anymore, just stems of them and 2, he always wears his cloak so no one knows what bug he is. Though I bet you whoever is closest to him would appreciate the brightly colored stems they could occasionally see.

Herrah(wolf spider[left], Sapphire Gooty Tarantula[right])

Wolf spiders are known to hunt and are agile, and I imagine Herrah would probably be one of the best hunters in Deepnest. But they are not poisonous, we can sometimes just be allergic to them. However the Sapphire Gooty Tarantula, is one of the most venomous tarantulas. They look dope as all hell, and the colors kinda match Herrah. I might have to draw Herrah with purple fluff instead of brown.

#hollow knight #hk headcanons #headcanon #hk herrah #hk monomon #hk lurien

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queenhelaenathedreamer · 8 months

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Part two dedicated to Laena Velaryon!

I apologise immensely for the delay and, as anticipated, it will be dedicated purely to jewellery. In the previous posts about Helaena, Alicent and Rhaenyra I had made some hints about hair and hairstyles as well, but I decided to skip this part because I imagine that Laena almost always keeps her long silver curls loose. Basically she only ties them up to fly on her Vhagar, otherwise she wouldn't see anything and they would end up in her mouth, let's clarify that now.

Here too, just as in the clothes, marine subjects predominate. So ample space is given to seahorses, the symbol of her household, shells in the most varied shapes and fish. I love the first necklace, the wire surrounded by pearls of various sizes and finally the shell, made of mother-of-pearl and then enriched by the tentacles of its host. Decidedly more opulent is the second necklace, which I imagine is made entirely of silver. There is no lack of detail here either, from shells to seahorses to small mother-of-pearl mirrors encircled by pearls. Just to finish off the modest final pendant which could well be a sea dragon. Yes, a gift from Daemon who appreciates and respects her identity as a Velaryon and did not want to give her a Targaryen dragon.

Another popular accessory for Laena are the earrings. I really like the amphora-shaped ones, which I think express Laena's love for adventures, but my favourite are the blue ones. They are very refined, made of delicate porcelain and then painted. In my mind the subjects portrayed may well be illustrious men and women of House Velaryon, dating back to the days of Old Valyria.

Of course shells, as delicate as they are elegant, are inevitable. The golden details, however, I always imagine them in silver. I can't see the Velaryons wearing gold, so much for the clothes seen in House of the Dragon.

Can't miss the rings either. Yes, this one is fashioned to depict a beautiful mermaid, creatures that in the legends of Westeros seem decidedly more benevolent. The Velaryons receive the Driftwood Throne from the legendary King Merling, and the ship on which Corlys' body is transported to Driftmark is called precisely the Mermaid's Kiss. As Laena was his only daughter, it is highly likely that he compared her beauty and courage to that of a mermaid.

A far more opulent accessory is the long band that encircles her arm. Of oriental origin, it is one of the many artefacts collected by Corlys during his many travels. Considering the style of dress I imagined for Laena, I find it decidedly perfect.

Finally, I conclude with two real gems, more works of art than jewellery. Given the wealth accumulated by the Velaryons, however, it is only right that Laena should wear such refinements. These are two extremely elaborate and beautiful pendants. If desired, they can become the pendants of a necklace or even an opulent brooch encircling the fabric of a dress or cloak. As subjects I chose a woman riding a sea-horse, particularly appropriate for Laena, and a ship, the tangible pride of the Velaryon house's glory.

This also concludes my thoughts on Laena. I hope you have enjoyed these posts as much as those on Helaena, Alicent and Rhaenyra <3

#hotd critical #hotd #asoiaf #medieval dress #house velaryon #laena velaryon #lady laena velaryon #house of the dragon #fire and blood #asoiaf dress

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tired-reader-writer · 1 year

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And here it is, the long-awaited design sheet for Areyan/Arslan that... admittedly took much longer than it should have. But in my sincere defense, med school is a bitch.

We'll jump right into it, with his first outfit design. You'll notice that it's styled more after Shapur's attires in his design sheet that I've shared before, along with the third design. And that's intentional.

Arslan pretty much switches between the two styles— his father's (probably the regional fashion) and the clan's— with ease in his daily life, though he wears this sort of thing when the situation requires that he lean into an aspect of his identity that is “marzban Shapur's son, Isfan's brother” aka part of the ruling family of those lands. Especially so after the... ordeal that went down in Ecbatana, when Shapur is whisked away to Sindhura on a campaign to solve the issue of the threat looming from the east, Isfan has to step up into his elder brother's role while he's gone, and Arslan pretty much slots into a rough somewhat equivalent of Isfan's role in assisting his brother take care of the region. The colour of his coat reflects that, the same colour as the cloaks (and coats, as you shall see with Isfan's design sheet that I have yet to begin) that his father and brother wear, the family colour. It is my headcanon that purple is a household/family colour, and it's often worn as an outermost layer of garments when the wearer has to be out in public or receiving guests or stuff that requires them to be seen by people not part of the household, to signify where they belong.

The soft browns and earthy tones on the other hand, echo and complement Isfan specifically— as I associate him with autumnal earthy tones such as burnt orange and browns and such for reasons unknown to me outside of “they look good on him”— Arslan's pretty much imitating his brother to, again, pretty much be a signal that he's part of the ruling household of this particular region in Gorgan, specifically acting on behalf of the heir, the person currently taking care of it in the lord's absence.

Aside from that, though...

Let me just say that wolves are territorial.

Isfan isn't enthused about people from various factions (fake Crown Princes popping up like shrooms after rain) trying to either snatch Arslan or kill him.

That's his brother. Back the fuck off. He's ours.

That's basically what this thing is communicating, lol.

And of course, there are wolves on his coat! I'll leave the wolf stuff for Isfan's sheet instead, so that this thing doesn't get too long. I tried to evoke the feel of the moon too, albeit somewhat indirectly.

Though this outfit leans really heavily into one half of his family, that doesn't mean it neglects the other side either— it's just... a little more subtle.

For example, the silhouette of his coat, it's the same as the coat Ranna wears (just longer than hers), and one that Kashi loved to wear as well. And he wears a bird feather as an earring on one ear, and though his bird familiar/companion isn't a blue bird (it's a pigeon. yes, a pigeon. I'll get to it later) I gave him a blue feather anyways because hey, that's his colour! It echoes how Gieve wore an earring of an animal paw on one ear. That little dark orange ish line? Yeah, it's not very noticeable but I was thinking of both Isfan and Kazai when I chose the colour.

Next we move onto his second outfit, and this is one that swung the opposite direction on the pendulum, basically. He wears this sort of clan-styled stuff when he's acting in the capacity of a clan child, an apprentice healer.

First off, the blue layer, you'll have noticed that it's styled the same way as his uncle's, Kazai's. That's a clan style of garment, in a vibrant blue that I associate with Arslan. The embroidery details on that layer, I... kinda plucked it straight from Gieve's crest, lol. Two arrow-tails (for the archers in the family— grandma Eihon, Kazai with his crossbow, Farangis, Gieve), green for Farangis and a burnt orange for once again, Isfan, and a saffron/crocus flower in the middle.

I won't go into detail here because I have already gone over the saffron stuff here over in Ranna's sheet, but I will extract some relevant parts that I think could be repeated.

So a while ago, I had the idea of associating either Ranna or Arslan with saffron/saffron flowers— saffron is precious, and the flowers bloom in autumn. One would be associated with saffron, and the other would be associated with “autumn crocus/meadow saffron” which is actually not saffron at all and instead is poisonous, even.

Pretty neat plan, except I kept going back and forth on who would be which flower. Because on one hand Ranna is secret royalty and it'd make sense for her to be associated with the expensive and precious saffron, Arslan the fake saffron, but on the other hand I ended up linking venom/poison and Ranna (the scorpion, poisoned weaponry), and Arslan ended up embodying a lot of saffron symbolism...

So I decided, fuck it, imma just leave it ambiguous. Figure this shit out yourselves 😭 [...] The meadow saffron I talked about? Iirc it's a colchicum, not a true crocus.

This could work in a reference to the family purple I mentioned above:

“Purple, the traditional color of royalty, is tied to gracefulness, dignity, and personal success. It’s great for symbolize someone’s recent accomplishments or to celebrate their many years of service or partnership. Darker shades in particular have a strong association with the wisdom of experience.”

And while white crocuses aren't featured on his actual clothes, white is a design I associate with him in general:

“White, the purest and most versatile flower color of them all. A bouquet of Crocuses in this color can indicate a humble approach or wishes of condolences for someone in grief. This color is commonly associated with funerals in some cultures, but it’s also used for weddings due to its ties to purity and elegance in others.”

He's a person who's not all high and mighty, not prideful of his status, and instead someone who approaches people humbly and makes many friends as a result. He ends up causing his family quite a lot of grief even though he didn't intend it, firstly by being “stolen” by Shapur and leaving Kazai to frantically search for his lost nibling, and then by having so frail of a health that Isfan and Shapur were constantly afraid he was going to die in his first few years of life until the clan came into the picture, and then by almost dying in Ecbatana and remaining comatose afterwards in a tug-of-war against death.

He was also born on the day his birth parents died, making him a... funeral flower, of sorts. A small silver lining in the tragedy that occured, a small thing of comfort for Shapur left in the absence of the two friends he held dear. The same also applies for his uncle, Kazai.

On a less bleak note though, crocus flowers also represent something like hope:

“It is most commonly associated with spring, renewal, and rebirth due to its growth during the winter or early spring. Autumn blooming crocuses may inspire some artists and writers to use it as a symbol of hope in the face of loss or death instead. These varieties can be some of the last flowers to bloom, making them a reminder of the spring to come.”

Both the saffron flower and the poisonous meadow saffron bloom in autumn— he becomes somewhat of a symbol of resistance and hope for people after the stunt he pulled in Ecbatana, and he was born in autumn as well. (I've got Thoughts™ about the calendar but that's a topic for another day) The season associated with his uncle is also autumn, but the season associated with his adoptive father is spring, instead.

He wears a wolf-and-moon brooch with it, wolves are ever-present in his garments, both for his brother and his mother, Kashi. She had wolves for familiars, and he too has a wolf companion. Again, I'll leave a deep-dive for another day with Isfan's design sheet.

And then the outermost layer, it's a soft green, and it's what the clan healers wear— maybe not this exact shade of green, it would vary a bit, but it's in the same general neighborhood, as green is the colour of healing and growth, and it's a way to honor all the plants they use in their medicinal concoctions.

Here he wears another brooch, this time a chestnut-leaved oak leaf, the same leaves as on the sleeves.

I mostly picked that tree because of a geographical factor, those trees are found in that region, even though the actual symbolism is pulled from a more general oak.

“Quercus castaneifolia, the chestnut-leaved oak, is a species of oak in the turkey oak section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is native to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains of Iran, and resembles the closely related Turkey Oak in appearance.”

“A specimen of Quercus castaneifolia found in the Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran on 29. April 2021 by Alireza Naqinezhad is considered to be the tallest oak in the world.”

The second one doesn't really serve any purpose, I just thought it was cool. (Could it be a Heart Tree that the clan rituals and stuff are centered around? Maybe.)

Now onto the oak symbolism:

“The use of oak for food was paralleled by its use for other purposes. Acorns were used for food, but other parts of the tree were used for medicine, fuel, shelter, and art, as oaks became the ‘tree of life’ or the ‘frame of civilization’. For example, almost all prehistoric pile dwellings built along the shores of lakes during the Bronze Age were made of oak logs. Oaks clearly facilitated the establishment of human populations in Europe, and humans returned the favor, contributing to the considerable expansion of oak populations across the continent. Subsistence relationships led to values and virtues being associated with trees, which ultimately became symbols in societies, or to the association of sacred beings with trees in religions. The shared history of humans and oaks also generated cultural and emotional relationships that translated into symbols or were incorporated into religious beliefs and mythology. Oaks were associated with the most important gods (e.g. Zeus, Jupiter and Thor) in the mythology of ancient Greece, Rome and Germany, and were often used to represent the axis mundi, the center of the world, in Celtic and Germanic cultures. Since the earliest ties between humans and oaks, a very strong symbolic image of oaks has developed in which these trees have become associated with longevity, strength, stability, endurance, fertility, power, justice, and honesty.”

It's the tree of life aspect that I really want to lean into, and how it was used as medicine:

“Oak bark was also used for many medicinal practices due to its strong astringent properties. Drank in the form of a tea and it was known to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. Applied topically to the skin and it would treat inflamed wounds and skin disorders such as eczema.”

But they also resonate with the clan's values and such in particular as well, of shelter and cooperation and community. It's an old species of tree with lots of history, and well, the Marda is also an ancient people with loaded history. And their thing of taking in runaways and castaways is reminiscent of oak trees being an important shelter, both for humans and other species.

“Oak trees are an ecosystem within themselves, they provide food, shelter and life for many species of wildlife. The acorns from the oak tree are nutritious and have been previously been used to combat food shortages, whether that be for livestock or human consumption.”

Similar to how I chose Ayunnen to be seated under a hornbeam tree in this ficlet (the explanation can be seen in this post), the oak tree really does fit like a glove for the clan people, especially the healers under Eihon's tutelage.

It is not a coincidence that his tattoos are more visible in this attire, either! It is by design easier for the tattoos to be visible when he wears clan style clothing. And his sash, you might notice that it mimics Kazai's design #2— the style of the household staff, and purple, his family's colour, marking him as theirs the same way Kazai chose to be, though he tucked it into itself. He works closely with the household staff, and it's a subtle way of associating himself with them.

Moving onto his third outfit, this one is definitely the simplest, a soft yellow that kinda imitates the off-white yellow of the palace staff. It's not like he wouldn't wear it back at home, it's just that this kind of thing got kinda emphasized when he was regularly visiting the palace library to look at medicinal texts, and healing the palace staff and that sort of thing. It's probably not made of silk, can you imagine wearing silk in Ecbatana's hot weather? But yeah it's probably made of some material that'll keep him a bit cooler. It's in the same style as his father yet again, so that “none will doubt that you are my son” in Shapur's own words, he's wary about letting Arslan visit Ecbatana, a bit. Arslan can always throw on a coat in the family purple, I just chose to exclude it since I already included one in his first design. The pattern on it resembles water, since water is an element I heavily associate Arslan with, symbolizing wisdom, life and rebirth, nurturing, source of life, cleansing, soothing, depth, and healing.

There's the thing on his sleeve, the outer border of Isfan and Shapur's crests, left blank because Arslan has yet to receive a crest. He has not come of age, after all. And he's still wearing the oak leaf brooch even though there's no one that'd recognize it as an indication that he's a mage-healer of the Marda clan (it's better if people don't, anyways) because he takes pride in his family, his people, his healing.

I used a base without the scars and tattoos since I wanted to showcase that this was what he wore in Ecbatana before all that nonsense went down.

And then the fourth and final— the ceremonial spirit dancer dress. There's actually not that much to say that hasn't been covered already in Kazai's sheet, but here's the rest of the stuff I got.

There's a stylized wolf snowflake thing on each sleeve because of course there is, the three tassels on his necklace are his three elder siblings (Farangis, Isfan, and Gieve, in that order), the piece that they're attached to a green that made me think of the healers (I wish I'd chosen a brighter green, though) and above that, purple for... you know who it's for. Then there's the moon(s), and light lilac/purple beads. The white detailing on the blue part of his bodice— I was kinda thinking of Shapur's crest when designing it, though of course they don't resemble each other all that much. I don't know if you can see it, but the flower detailing on his earring also made me think of his father's crest. The pendant thing on his waist, I was trying to draw the stylized pine tree I did for Kazai's necklace, but somehow it came out... too round and lumpy to be a pine tree. Ah well, at least it looks like a tree.

Giving him a red sash for this felt... wrong. I tried, but it kept looking off no matter how many shades I tried, so I gave him a sash the same colour as the night-sky thing on Kazai's ceremonial dress. Dark as his eyes. Dark as the midnight sky. I was gonna add the star-snowflakes too but... I got tired, and hey this looks nice enough anyways.

And now... his tattoos.

Boy how long is this post already?

There's the two water waves on his collarbone region, two water waves that resemble wings. One of his nicknames here in this AU is “little bird” and he has a bird companion both here and in canon— though his AU bird companion is a pigeon. We'll get to that. The symbol between the two “wings” is the center part of his father's crest, with the “petals” removed.

On his left arm, several feathers floating on a wave of water, I've already explained why I chose water so I'll get onto the feathers.

So you see, the feathers started out as those of one particular bird that ended up... not working out. So just think of them as pigeon feathers now. Or owl feathers, to reference an old abandoned AU where he had an owl. But pigeon! I ended up picking pigeon because... they were domesticated animals, our companions for such a long stretch of history, and then they just... got abandoned and considered as pests when they were no longer useful to humans and that... that made me sad! So to make myself not-sad I decided to give him a pigeon! Siiiiigh.

Worry not, though. They aren't without symbolism either. I prepared.

“Pigeons are symbolic of fertility and prosperity, fortune, luck, and transformation. They’re said to be one of the first bird species to be domesticated by humans and have been friends to us since ancient times. These birds are also symbolic of persistence, harmony and well-being, mercy and forgiveness, and freedom.”

Fits Arslan pretty well, doesn't it? And he kinda ended up being some sort of good-luck bringer to Gorgan since his attachment to Shapur was what made the clan stay and they've been helping this place out with harvests and stuff ever since.

And the flowers on his torso... Well, it's gonna be a bit of a journey— I don't know which journey will be longer, this or the pine sapling on his right arm.

“The yarrow flower is associated with both healing and love. Yarrow flower meaning and symbolism in floral terminology relates to healing, and it comes from Greek legend. The genus name Achillea is derived from mythical Greek character Achilles, who reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. The specific epithet millefolium as well as the common names milfoil and thousand leaf come from the featherlike leaves which are minutely divided. Yarrow, also known as soldier’s wound wort, military plant, and knight’s milfoil, is a symbol of courage, specifically amid wartime. Wearing the blossoms is also supposed to bring safety and bravery. In addition to the fabled Achilles, battlefield medics in the American Civil War used mashed plants and flowers to treat gunshot wounds.”

“A. millefolium was used in traditional medicine, in part due to its astringent properties and the mild laxative effect of its leaves. Yarrow and its North American varieties were traditionally used by many Native American nations. The Navajo historically considered it a "life medicine" and chewed the plant for toothaches and used its infusions for earaches. The Miwok in California used the plant as an analgesic and head cold remedy. Native American nations used the plant for healing cuts and abrasions, relief from earaches and throat infections, as well as for an eyewash. Common yarrow was used by Plains indigenous peoples to reduce pain or fever and aid sleep. In the early 20th century, some Ojibwe people used a decoction of yarrow leaves on hot stones and inhaled it to treat headaches, or applied decoctions of the root onto skin for its stimulating effect. In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of a herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavoring of beer prior to the use of hops. The flowers and leaves are used in making some liquors.”

“There are many other Yarrow flowers meaning and symbolism references. Yarrow’s flower meaning was discovered in Neanderthal tombs where ancient ancestors consider them holy flowers. The Druids are also supposed to have used vine stems and limbs in their ceremonies to predict what will happen and the climate. Some people in medieval Europe use them to invite or expel malevolent entities. Dreaming of Yarrows signifies that somebody will receive positive news. Some yarrow-related practices, such as combusting dried herbs as fragrances in the expectation of flooding the house with joy and affection. Placing flowers in hot baths to obtain magic abilities are all still done today.”

“Other names implying its historical use in healing—particularly in the military—include bloodwort, knight's milfoil, staunchweed, and, from its use in the United States Civil War, soldier's woundwort. Its use in either starting or stopping nosebleeds led to the common name nosebleed.”

“Yarrow is best known for it's ability to stop bleeding and heal skin wounds. Historically, the leaves are chewed up and then used as a poultice on top of wounds to help stop bleeding.”

So as you can see, yarrow has a strong association with healing and medicine, particularly known for stopping bleeding. When Arslan was in Ecbatana, he consumed a lot of energizing pills— which had a safeguard built in that basically makes it necessary for the pill-taker to sleep off the extra energy they obtain, for example if one pill gave you an hour's worth of energy, the person needs to sleep for an hour when the effect wears off, so that the body wouldn't be pushed past its reasonable limits. Arslan, he... took a whole bunch of them without sleeping it off, and the “debt” kept piling up and up and up, and then he got captured and tortured by the Lusitanians, at which point his body went on an energy conservation mode aka a coma to keep him just barely alive. There wasn't enough energy for the body to heal itself, it needs energy for that, all bodies do, for the natural course of the body repairing itself. If it was too late, he wouldn't have made it but anyways, the fact that his body didn't have enough energy to heal itself, it meant that it couldn't stop bleeding for a long-ass time. It took a lot to prevent him from dying of blood loss. So the yarrow tattoo is... in a way, it's a charm, with the hope that he won't have to bleed so much again. Does it have magical properties? Probably, but to a limited extent.

As for the colours of the yarrow tattoos:

“Friendship, kindness, joy, festivity, and positivity are all represented by the yellow color of the blossom. These flowers can be sent to loved ones on special occasions to commemorate and preserve happy memories. The color white is a means of regeneration, calm, purity, new horizons, hope for the future, as well as clarity of thought. This hue expresses your belief in someone’s ability to begin a new chapter in their life.”

Onto his right arm, there's not much to say about the forearm part since I didn't have a specific plant in mind, only that those tattoos are meant to represent medicinal herbs since he's a healer and all.

And then we reach the upper arm where the pine sapling and the moon are.

The moon is culturally significant to the clan, as you may well know from my other posts and my conversations with @innerchorus in the comments/notes of said posts, and since this post is probably becoming a monster I'm not gonna unload all of that here. Maybe as a separate post, if y'all are interested and don't wanna go hunting for lore in corners.

The pine tree... The Moon Tree, the Heart Tree, born from a desperate attempt to revive a loved once, the Moon Tree is an iridescent white pine tree that is ever reaching towards the moon, so yeah pines are also culturally significant to the clan people.

Aside from that cultural association, they also symbolize:

“The evergreen pine is universally known as the symbol of life. During the long and icy winter season, the evergreen does not lose its leaves nor its lush dark green color. This tree has the unique ability to withstand harsh winds and up to subzero temperatures.

In Japanese culture, the pine tree is known to represent longevity, good fortune and steadfastness. It is commonly linked with virtue and long life, even immortality. The pine tree is iconic of the Japanese New Year, as a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and a bright (hopeful) future.

This is reinforced by this story about a certain pine tree:

“Since the bombing of Hiroshima, even more recently the 3.11 triple disaster, the long-standing meaning of the pine tree has been revivified and relevant once more. Recently the pine has been used as a symbol of hope, especially in of the 3.11 disaster. After the devastating earthquake and following tsunami, the town of Rikuzentakata was left in ruin. The tsunami had crushed everything in its path, leaving nothing behind but one solitary tree, one lone pine to stand alone amongst a desert of destruction. It had been strong enough to withstand the grave impact of the tsunamis force. The pine's resilience to the disaster quickly spread throughout Japan and the pine soon became known as The Miracle Pine. People gathered in numbers to simply glimpse at this miraculous tree. However due to severe water damage, the tree was dying. Touched by its strength, locals and citizens a like sought to preserve the tree as a national symbol. Like the roots of the painting above the The Miracle Pine had touched the lives of millions joining them together to preserve not just a tree, but a nation.”

“The roots of this sapling very much symbolize the willpower, support, and perseverance of the people. It brings meaning to their continuous fight of survival. However, even against unspeakable odds, faith is indestructible. With enough will power, anything can be revived. As the pine is very much a symbol of strength, it also acts as a reference for rebirth. Once the pinecones open, new seeds will spread. These seeds will then grow and repopulate the destructed landscape replacing of Rikuzentakata. Where life had been once destroyed, new life will flourish once more. Soon the destroyed pines will be replaced by the new, as old wounds heal with the patience of time.”

“It is also worth mentioning that the roots of the sapling extend outwards across the page. This not only expresses growth, but also symbolizes the saplings far reaching effects and influence. Its roots will grow and expand as the tree continues to sprout, burrowing itself deep within the soil to become one with the earth. The deeper the roots spread, the taller the tree will grow; the more support the roots provide, the more stable the sapling will become. In this context the audience connects the growing sapling to the importance of cultivating strong and lasting foundations. A strong foundation provides a promising future. The outreaching roots parallel to the branching pines on the sampling. They too are dense and large in number. As the roots dig down deep into the ground, the pines on the sapling stretch tall as if reaching for the sky. The sky is indeed the limit for this little sapling to grow. Before long, it will flourish into a strong and resilient great evergreen pine to sprout samplings of its own. The future for this little seedling is indeed hopeful.”

“The sapling above captures a symbolic reference to longevity and rebirth. The seedling itself is dainty and small but with time will grow into a strong and mighty evergreen pine, as all saplings do. This is exemplified by the thickly painted roots, which extend outwards towards the center of the painting. It has been strategically painted towards the center of the page to emphasize the strong foundation of a growing pine. The centralization of the roots catches the viewer's immediate attention additionally referencing to its vital (central) importance to the piece. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of a foundation in terms of growth, even rebirth. Without its strong roots, strong upbringing, strong support, it would be unable to nourish and grow. The roots are what provide the sampling with the nutrients it needs to survive and flourish. They additionally take part in the stabilization of soil. Without its roots, the sapling would be unstable, weak, and fable. There can be no life, no hope, without a strong support system.”

I apologize for the lack of explanation and commentary, but I think these snippets I collected speak for themselves— I started typing this post at around 9pm and now it's midnight. What in the fresh fuck of hells.

The swirly stuff on his feet/legs— it's kinda both water and wind. Wind because... well, flexibility, swiftness, freedom, that sort of thing. He'll be a key player in the abolition of slavery in Pars in this AU even though he's not the Crown Prince or King.

My head hurts, my neck aches, my eyes are swimming, sorry for the abrupt ending without a proper after-word or something, but ah I'm so tired. Hopefully y'all enjoy this labor of love from me.

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #heroic legend of arslan #wolfpack au #winds of wolfsong #arslan #areyan (arslan)#rotten egg's shitty art #the character design sheet saga #symbolism #long post

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thebawdybaldurian · 4 months

Text

A Winter’s Holiday in Waterdeep

Background and description: Bard Tav and spawn Astarion head to the City of Splendors on their way north in search of a cure for Astarion’s vampirism. They drop in on their friend, Gale Dekarios, during the Winter Solstice. The couple spend the day inside, entangled with one another, before joining the night’s festivities at Gale’s tower. (This was intended to be a one-shot, but will end up getting included in post-brain chapters of Tale of the Tadpoles)

Content: minor post-game/epilogue spoilers, sex (a lot), blood drinking, soft domination.

Tav and Astarion arrived on the outskirts of Waterdeep an hour before sunrise. They had hoped to arrive with a little more leeway, but unexpected snow had slowed down their horses. They were both bundled tightly in soft wool underclothes, riding leathers, fur-lined overcoats and waterproof cloaks. They would have normally remained home in Baldur’s Gate during the colder winter months, but their newest lead on Astarion’s cure was too promising to wait for Spring. They had already contacted Gale about their impending arrival, but wouldn’t be able to reach his tower before they needed to retreat from the morning sun.

They chose to stop at the nearest inn that looked nice enough, leaving their horses in the stables before venturing inside. “Gods, it feels like I will never warm up again,” Astarion shivered as they walked passed the threshold. Being a public house, he could move freely through the downstairs tavern, but once they reached their room upstairs, he would still need Tav’s permission to enter. There were only a few souls up this early or late depending on your view. The innkeeper was just starting a large pot of porridge for breakfast and looked up at the newest arrivals curiously. It wasn’t a typical time for anyone to arrive, especially during winter.

When Astarion pushed back the hood of his cloak, the woman shivered slightly, noting his unusual paleness. He was far from the first vampire to enter and although they were typically well behaved inside, she still made a special note in her head about the pair. “Good morning,” Tav pulled her own hood down, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She noted the slight look of relief on the innkeeper’s face when she realized the vampire’s companion was of the living variety.

“Good morning,” the innkeeper responded, bowing her head slightly to them. “Will you be needing a room?”

“Just for the day,” Tav replied. “We are staying with a friend further in the city later this evening. A large bowl of that porridge and plenty of hot water would be wonderful as well, please.” She opened her coin purse and slid more than enough gold across the counter.

“Of course,” the innkeeper nodded. She brought Tav a key, telling her a porter would bring everything up once it was finished.

They climbed the stairs with their packs, finding their room the furthest away. It had become quite common during their journey, the cold making Astarion’s undeath even more apparent. He would get almost blue if out in the cold too much, so Tav made sure they were well dressed for their long trek North. She opened the door, inviting him in first, and then setting her bags near the cold fireplace. She unfastened her cloak and coat, slinging them across a nearby chair. “Halsin is certainly right about the uncomfortable restriction of clothes,” she shook her arms out, happy to be free from the extra weight.

“You should have asked him to come with, as our personal heater,” Astarion joked, taking off his cloak, but keeping his coat on for now. Even inside, he felt chilled to the bone.

“Ah that would have been nice,” Tav grinned, starting to get the fire going.

Astarion got into his pack, searching for one of his bottles of blood, needing something to eat. “Frozen solid,” he sighed, tipping the bottle upside down, the thick liquid inside not moving.

“Come here then,” she smiled slightly and unwound the scarf from around her neck. He looked through the other bottles, just in case any of them where drinkable. She knew he was being stubborn and walked over to him, putting her hands on his face. His skin felt like ice, but she kissed him nonetheless. “Come on, it will get you warmed up. You feel like an icicle.”

She swirled her thumbs across his cheeks to stimulate a little bit of color.

“Alright,” he stirred at her gentle touches. He only liked to drink from her on special occasions and dire circumstances. He hated how painful and fatigued it would make her afterwards. “But I want this,” he brushed her inner thigh with his fingers. “And I’m going to give you a massage first.”

“Deal,” she grinned and continued to undress. He took off his coat and boots, then joined her on the bed she now reclined on. She’d kept her short pants, chemise, and stockings on until the room warmed up a bit.

“You are like an unwrapped present now, with all those layers off,” he looked her over, leaning down to kiss her thigh, pulling her stocking down slightly.

“Well, hopefully you are satisfied with your gift,” she joked.

“Soon enough,” he purred.

Despite the cold, her skin was still wonderfully warm. He began to gently massage her muscles, tighter than usual due to their long ride. He had gotten adept with his hands, typically giving her massages after any of her more acrobatic performances or just as a caring gesture. He was happy to be able to dote on her as much as she did him.

“Mmmm that feels nice,” she let out a sigh, as he continued to knead her thighs.

“Do you want to stretch as well?” He asked, knowing her routine by now.

“Depends on how we’ll be spending the day?” She raised a seductive eyebrow at him.

He just chuckled, rotating her hip so he could gently press her leg back towards her. They spent most of their days off doing the same two things, reading and making love. He pressed her other leg back as well, as she slipped her feet behind her head. “Now you are just goading me,” He crawled forward, pressing a little of his weight on her to give her a deeper stretch and so he could kiss her. She let out a contented groan, opening her mouth to his tongue.

“It seems we’re both a little stiff this morning,” he smiled, rubbing his hardening cock against her.

“Gods, that was terrible,” she teased, pulling him closer, increasing the stretch of her hips even further. “You should’ve said I’ve been riding the wrong thing for too long.”

“Perhaps we should hire a carriage next time,” he moved his attentions to her neck, nuzzling her favorite spot and nipping her ear gently. There was a knock at the door, interrupting them.

“Food and hot water, miss,” someone called from the other side of the door.

“Don’t move a muscle,” he smiled, climbing off her and the bed. He readjusted his trousers to disguise his erection and opened the door just enough to take her porridge, telling the man he would attend to the buckets of hot water in a moment.

He set her porridge on the table, peeking over to see her continuing to stretch herself, and then went to retrieve the buckets. He poured the near boiling water into the large tub, adding in the room temperature buckets that had been left in the room for regular use. The water would be the perfect temperature for them in a moment. He returned to her, her legs back on the bed, yet still welcoming him. “Come have your bite, love, and then we can move things to the bath,” she beckoned. He obeyed, crawling between her legs, massaging and kissing her thigh a little more before gently sinking his teeth in. He savored every taste of her he allowed himself, closing his eyes so he could enjoy every drop that passed his tongue. He only drank what he needed for a day of vigorous lovemaking, the pre-bottled blood would be thawed for later. He licked and kissed her thigh when he was finished.

She sat up, mussing his hair a little and began to conjure a healing spell on the wound. “Thank you,” he smiled at her, the usual intoxication of her blood washing over him.

“Of course,” she grinned. “Now let’s get naked.”

She climbed out of bed, pulling her chemise over her head and setting it by the growing fire, which she added more wood to. She grabbed her porridge from the table and leaned against it, taking a few large bites and watching as he undressed. He made a show of it, teasing her with little peeks of flesh as he removed his own layers of clothing, until he was fully nude. She finished her final bite, licking the spoon sensually, before setting the bowl down and slipping her shortpants off. He waited at the tub for her, his cock wobbling for attention. She let her fingers caress it softly, eliciting a quiet moan from him. “After you,” she gave his balls a gentle squeeze, waiting for him to get in so she could straddle him.

He got in slowly, the water still a little too hot, but soothing to the coldness that had seeped into bones. He welcomed her into his lap, her body giving the tub extra volume to cover them. “Better?” She asked, cupping some of the hot water down his chest and neck and running her fingers down the wet skin, trying to warm him up.

“Much,” he grinned, letting his fingers caress her own skin. She slipped him slowly inside her, her own warmth cooler than the hot water, but much more pleasant. “Much, much better,” he moaned.

She laughed, kissing him, and beginning to ride him slowly, looking forward to enjoying a full day with him after so many on the road from Baldur’s Gate. He let his fingers explore her body, feeling for any lingering knots or tension, before fully surrendering himself to the rhythmic motion of her hips. “Gods, you feel so good,” he moaned, gripping her hips tightly.

“I know,” she joked, arching her back, so close to climax already. He knew just how to press her clit to make her come within moments. “You’re going to make me come twice, aren’t you?” She gripped the side of the tub, letting her orgasm rippling through her.

“I hope to get the total to at least ten before the day is through,” he smiled. “It is a holiday after all.”

“Is it?” she breathed heavily, climbing off of him and turning around so she could mount him again at a different angle.

“Mmmhmmm,” he helped guide himself back inside her.

Tav was rarely mindful of the time or her own schedule, something which he always had to assist with. He didn’t mind, as it made it easier to surprise her. She had managed to remember their anniversary last month, through a series of notes she’d left for herself. They had accidentally spoiled the surprise of his own atelier that she had acquired for him, but he still cried genuine tears when she’d presented it to him on the day. It was close enough to their cottage that he could slip over just before dawn and spend the day working with clients. He was finally able to make his own money again and feel less of a burden on her, no matter how much she insisted that he wasn’t.

“Which one is it?” She began naming random holidays and festivals occurring in Nightal, moving her hips along him with each wrong guess.

“Simril,” he finally grunted, pulling her hips back a little further.

“Oh?” She moaned, as he filled her completely, making her grip the edge of the tub again. “It’s the Solstice already? Gods, I’d forget my head without you,” she glanced back at him with a wry smile, pulsing her muscles around his cock.

“I know,” he teased, closing his eyes, feeling that much closer to climax himself.

She sped up her movements again, knowing the telltale quiver of his legs meant he was close. She writhed on him, her own legs beginning to quiver again as he reached for her clit. She leaned as far forward as she could, letting him take control of her hips for the pace he needed. They came together, their moans surely to cause complaints from the other guests. “Eight more to go,” she purred between heavy breaths, collapsed onto her arms that pressed on the edge of the tub.

“Come here,” he moved his legs further apart, so she could lay back against him and enjoy the remaining warmth of the bath. He wrapped his arms around her as she settled against him.

“Another year nearly gone,” she mused.

“It has flown by,” he let out a heavy sigh. “They used to crawl by so slowly before.”

She put her hands on top of his, stroking them reassuringly. “The arcanist sounded very confident in their letter,” she said. “If this scroll can do what she thinks it can, it will be worth the price.”

“You’re sure about this? It’s your entire life’s savings.”

“It’s our savings, love,” she squeezed his hand. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to help you be free of this. I need another sunset with you.”

“Thank you,” he hugged her tightly. “I’ll happily burn beside you if it comes to that.”

“I won’t let it,” she promised.

They stayed until the water grew cool, drying off, and then heading to bed for their trances. They made love again when they woke, spooning slowly, and bringing her total to five, his knowledge of her body making it quite easy to bring her to climax over and over.

They got dressed and went downstairs so Tav could have lunch and they could check to see if Gale had responded to the raven they’d sent when they arrived. They chose a table away from the windows and chatted about what to do for the night’s festivities. “Do you think Gale would let us build a bonfire on the top of his tower?” Tav wondered as she downed an entire bowl of stew. Between their lovemaking and Astarion’s tasting, she was ravenously hungry.

“I wasn’t planning to ask,” Astarion joked. “I’m sure he’s got plenty of old furniture we can toss on.”

“Speak of the wizard,” Tav saw Gale stride in.

She got up to greet him and lead him back to their table. Astarion watched as they hugged and she touched his face, now absent a beard. Despite he and Tav being married and throughly in love, he still couldn’t help but feel a little bit of jealousy seeing them together. She brought Gale back, grabbing an extra chair from an empty table. She moved her chair closer to Astarion, so Gale could squeeze in with them. “Between Tara, my mother, and Syma’s pestering, I finally decided to shave it,” Gale continued their conversation as he sat down. “Sorry I wasn’t able to come by sooner, I was wrapped up at the college for a bit.”

“It’s alright,” Astarion grinned sheepishly. “We had other things to do.” Tav kicked his foot gently.

“And how are you, Astarion?” Gale turned to him next.

“Unthawed from the cold and with my beloved. I couldn’t be better,” he answered, putting his hand on Tav’s thigh.

“I am pleased to hear it and of a possible cure for your affliction.”

“Have you ever heard of this arcanist, Magnabout of Luskan?” Tav asked.

“The name is not familiar to me,” Gale pondered. “But I could ask some of my colleagues.”

“We would appreciate it. If it turns out to be a false lead, we will still be on our way to Neverwinter to finally meet my parents.”

“That’s right, they weren’t at the wedding.”

“By my choice,” Tav sighed, a pang of anxiety wreaking her stomach just thinking about it. “But I don’t know when we’ll ever be this far north again and they might even pretend to care if they knew I’d been in the city and not visited.”

Gale saw how uncomfortable it made her to talk about and tried to change the subject. “My, was that stew you just ate? It smells wonderful. I didn’t get a chance to eat this morning.”

“I would take another bowl,” Tav pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to push the anxiety away.

“Two bowls of stew, coming up,” he left to see the innkeeper.

Astarion gently rubbed her leg, sensing her worry. “We don’t have to see them if you don’t want to,” he reassured her.

“I know, but I should. They aren’t exactly young anymore, and Gods knows with my father’s experiments. He could accidentally incinerate the whole house one day.”

“Let’s wait until we get to Neverwinter to decide for sure alright? Put it out of your mind for now.”

“Okay,” she put her hand on top of his and leaned in to kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he kissed her in return, leaning over slightly to kiss her deeper.

“Still in the honeymoon phase, I see,” Gale returned with two steaming bowls of stew, a slight blush to his cheeks.

“I don’t know if it will ever end,” Tav grinned at Astarion, caressing his face. “Speaking of, when are you and Syma going to get married?”

“You know me, trying to calculate the perfect moment to propose and how. We all know my grand gestures in the past have been disastrous, but I don’t just want to do it just anywhere.”

“Well, as long as you don’t spring it on her right before the most important opening night of her life, making her a blubbering mess, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Tav teased Astarion’s sudden proposal on the night Tale of the Tadpole premiered. She looked down at the amethyst ring he’d presented her with a smile. He pinched her on the thigh playfully. “Ouch,” she punched his shoulder softly in return.

Gale laughed, pleased to see they were both doing so well and still madly in love. He hoped the same for himself and Syma. Tara and his mother had come to welcome the tiefling into the family quickly, he just needed to make it official. “You are right, of course,” Gale swallowed a mouthful of stew. “Simple would be best. I’m just, well, you know me.”

“You’ll find the right time and place,” Tav smiled.

They continued to chat while they both finished eating. “Tonight’s festivities should be quite jovial,” Gale discussed. He was hosting his own stargazing party with a few of his colleagues and friends. “You are staying with me for a few days, yes?”

“Yes, I wanted to consult some of the libraries here about other possible avenues,” Tav replied, gently stroking Astarion’s thigh.

“I know all the best ones and can get you special access. I should be getting home, of course, to make sure everything is running smoothly for tonight,” Gale excused himself.

“We will see you at sundown,” Tav nodded. Gale bid them farewell and left the pair alone again.

“Well, darling, should we go upstairs and get a head start on number 6?” Astarion grinned at her. She grinned widely back at him, saying nothing, but taking his hand and leading him back upstairs to their room.

They drifted back to bed after adding more wood to the fire. They employed their mouths this time, making quick work of Tav’s sixth and seventh climaxes and his third. They dozed again, half dressed, and then read together in bed until it was time to get ready for Gale’s party. They changed into their nicer clothes, Tav putting on a lovely dress for the occasion and Astarion in a finely tailored overcoat and trousers of his own design. They bundled backed up in their cloaks and hired a carriage to drive them to Gale’s tower for the evening so Tav didn’t have to ride in her dress.

They waited at the doorway after Gale came down to welcome them in. “You have to invite me in nowadays,” Astarion sighed a little. He was at least glad Tav had begun to wait with him for his invitations now, instead of walking right in.

“Oh, right. Sorry about that. Please, I invite you in,” Gale blushed with embarrassment.

Most of the guests were already upstairs at the top of the tower, the bonfire yet to be lit, but other small braziers keeping the rooftop warm. They socialized together and Tav eagerly sampled the food and drinks. Gale had been kind enough to procure a ‘vintage red’ especially for Astarion, so he was able to sip from a chalice for most of the night.

Once the bonfire was lit, they gathered around it singing songs and lighting off loud fireworks. Tav and Astarion lingered near the edge of the crowd, Astarion taking the opportunity to pull up the back of her cloak and dress to furtively and quickly stimulate her eighth orgasm of the day. He whispered playfully in her ear that they were running out of time, though even if they’d had more time, he still loved teasing her in public. Her gentle cries were covered by the sounds of the party goers, her quivers disguised as a gentle dance to the music.

When it was time for stargazing and searching for their birth stars, they chose a more secluded area of the roof so they could have a little privacy as well. They spread out the blanket Gale had provided, lying on their backs and gazing up at the clear sky. They were both a little tipsy from the generous amounts of wine circulating and after a few minutes of discussing the stars, they found themselves entangled in their final tryst of the night.

They kissed each other messily, Astarion’s hand pushing up Tav’s dress once again. She was still slick from earlier, so he snuck a quick taste of her before unbuttoning his pants and climbing on top of her. Hidden by the darkness and their cloaks spread on top of them, he moved slowly in her, catching her soft moans in his lips. “Do you think we are the only ones doing this?” He breathed heavily in her ear.

“With all the wine flowing, I’m surprised no one has come over to join,” she laughed, pulling him closer.

“Mmmm,” he purred, tilting her hips up a little so he could press his weight around her clit. “I might let them fuck you for a bit, on your knees of course, so you could still have my cock in your mouth.”

“Oh really,” she moaned softly, ready for her ninth climax. “Would they fuck me hard or slow?”

“Very hard,” he grinned, thrusting against her harder, daring her to come. “They wouldn’t be able to resist that cunt of yours.”

They had tried to bring in a third on a few occasions in real life, but he still wasn’t comfortable enough for things to be satisfying for all of them, so it remained in their fantasies for the moment. Talking helped keep him present in the moment, avoiding his past disassociations and allowing him tto enjoy himself fully. They also liked to see who could turn the other on the most.

“Is it nice?” Tav quivered, on the precipice. “My cunt?”

“I can’t get enough of it. I thought about tying you to the bed earlier, when you were all wrapped up with your legs behind your head.”

“Yeah?” She gripped his back tightly, so very close.

“I’d leave you tied up there, all day, exposed, while I sat and read across the room. And I’d tease you, every hour or so, until you couldn’t stand it any longer.”

“Oh Gods,” she whimpered, trembling under him, trying her hardest to not scream his name as she came.

“Good girl,” he slowed down his pace to give her a little rest. “One more to go.” He kissed her deeply, shifting his weight to his other arm so he could brush a bit of her hair out of her face.

“What would you do if I was a bad girl?” She grinned, goading him to continue.

“Depends on what you did?” He grinned back.

“What if I summoned a Mage Hand while you weren’t looking and used it to touch myself?”

“You naughty thing,” he teased. “But you wouldn’t be able to keep quiet. I’d find out right away.”

“I can be very quiet when I want to,” she whispered, conjuring the spell silently. He laughed, knowing that wasn’t usually true. Even at her quietest, she couldn’t help a little whimper or sharp breath escaping her throat. She carefully guided the hand under their cloaks and along his legs, gently gripping his ass with it.

“You little devil,” he smiled, spreading her legs wider with his own, knowing what she wanted to use the hand for. She gently teased the fingers of the hand along his asshole, waiting for just the right moment to ease one inside him. He let out a little moan, pressing more of his weight on her. “I’d make you watch as I used the hand to fuck my ass while I stroked my cock, right in front of you on the bed. Your cunt would get so wet, begging me to touch you.”

She grinned, lifting her knees up so he could penetrate her deeper. There was no way to hide what they were doing now if someone were to stumble upon them. She added another finger inside his ass, continuing to use the mage hand to stimulate him as he fucked her. He increased his pace again, ready for their final climaxes of the evening. “Please,” she softly begged. Their dirty talk had put her near the edge again.

“Please, what?” He gently demanded.

“Please cum in me, cum all over me,” she quivered, begging for him to finish in both scenarios.

“You’d make me, uh,” he groaned loudly, his climax coming on a little more suddenly with her added stimulation. They shuddered against one another, the last of their desires flowing out of them for the night. They heard others giggling and whistling in the distance, clearly catching wind to what someone was doing in the dark. They happily laughed themselves, untangling from their cloaks and curling up side by side.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” she teased quietly, gently sucking on his ear. “What would you do with me after you came all over me? Leave me tied up again?”

“Hmmm,” he chortled and pulled her even closer. “I’d untie you and lick every last drop from your cunt until you screamed and then fall asleep face first.”

“Oh,” she squealed a little. She liked the idea of him teasing her all day in contrast to her ten separate climaxes today. “Maybe the day before we leave?”

“Did you bring our toy with you?”

“Of course,” she grinned.

“Perhaps if we can manage to get enough rest,” he smiled.

They looked back up at the stars, chatting about their journey so far and other things their minds moved to.

Another couple eventually wandered over, their smacking lips and soft giggles revealing that Tav and Astarion weren’t the only ones feeling amorous this evening. “Oh sorry,” the woman apologized. “We didn’t know anyone else was over here.”

“We were just heading back to the fire actually,” Tav gave Astarion a little grin, subtly helping him button his pants back up.

“Yes, feel free to take our spot. The view is quite nice,” he added.

They got up and wrapped their cloaks back around themselves, leaving the couple to their own fun, and returned to the large bonfire in the center of the roof. Gale and Syma were still there, cuddled up next to one another. “How are the skies?” Syma asked when Tav and Astarion stopped next to them.

“Transcendent,” Tav leaned against Astarion.

“It’s so nice to see you both again, isn’t it Gale?” Syma hugged the wizard tightly.

“It is indeed. Especially without the impending threat of doom,” Gale replied, nuzzling her closer.

“Well, Gale and I have an announcement,” Syma grinned widely.

“We’re getting married,” they both blurted out at the same time.

“How wonderful,” Tav grinned. “I’m sorry we missed the proposal.”

“Oh Gale did it in private, thank the Gods!” Syma beamed. “He called me to the kitchens for an ‘emergency’ and Tara sat there with the ring in her mouth. I was half expecting some huge fireworks show that would’ve overshadowed the entire evening.”

“That was in the works, darling, but they ran out of smoke powder trying to spell out ‘resplendent beauty,’” Gale teased her, though that has been on the list of his considerations.

“How sweet,” Tav nudged Astarion gently. “We’re both so happy for you, aren’t we?”

“Way to not blow it,” Astarion teased, clapping Gale on the shoulder.

“Astarion, I would be honored if you would make my dress,” Syma requested.

“The honor would be mine,” he nodded.

The two couples shared a toast and chatted for a while, before finally retreating to their beds for the night as the festivities winded down and a light snow began to fall. The guest room Gale had shown them to had another great view of the large city and was already warm and toasty from a well -maintained hearth. Tav stood at the window a moment to watch the snow fall among the glowing dots of other distant bonfires. Astarion came up behind her, gently massaging her shoulders for a moment before beginning to pull her hair down from the elaborate updo he’d helped her with. They were both happy and exhausted, crawling into bed beside one another when he’d finished. They shared one last long kiss before drifting into their meditations in each other’s arms.

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #ao3 #Post BG3 story #winter solstice #Simril

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sephirthoughts · 9 days

Text

ok i got that nasty one out of my system here’s the nice one

Vincent Got a Phone

[but to the tune of Janie's Got a Gun you're welcome]

WARNINGS: none yet but we’ll get there keep your pants on (for now)

INFO: CID/VINCENT, BBFs vincent & aerith it makes sense i swear, background sefikura, fluff, eventual smut, humor, no angst just idiot-related shenanigans

SYNOPSIS: Vincent had a crush, then he got a phone, which has started him down a road toward genuine human connection that he is in no way prepared for. Aerith, his self-appointed friend and wingman (who may not be nearly as sweet and innocent as one would think, based on the dresses and flowers), is determined to steer her favorite ship on the right course!

Chapter 1: The Friend-ship Sails!

BIGDICKDADDY: hello everyone. i bought a phone.

SolidStrife: sephiroth?

SolidStrife: typo oops

SolidStrife: i mean who the fuck is this

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : yeah how did you get our group chat ID creep! >:C

BIGDICKDADDY: this is vincent valentine.

SolidStrife: ...

SolidStrife: quick question

BIGDICKDADDY: cid chose this name for me. i don’t know how to change it.

TheChief: hahaha it’s a real good one why would you change it

✿FlowerGal✿: i thought Dick was short for Richard? shouldn’t it be Big Vince Daddy?

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : oh honey

✿FlowerGal✿: or Big Vic Daddy? that works too.

SolidStrife: but the daddy part is ok with you

YiffYuff: i think it’s a funny name lol

SolidStrife: you would

YiffYuff: wtf what is that supposed to mean

SolidStrife: it means i know what your username means

YiffYuff: ????

VValentine: nevermind. cait sith showed me how to do it.

TheChief: aw boo y’all are no fun

TheChief: damn robot cats these days

✿FlowerGal✿: I’m really glad you got a phone, Mr. Valentine! Now we can all talk to you and you won’t miss anything! :-D

[VValentine has left the chat]

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : wow rude

SolidStrife: he lasted longer than i expected

YiffYuff: what does my username mean!!

YiffYuff: what the hell are you talking about!!!

YiffYuff: CLOUD!!!!

SolidStrife: why don’t you ask cait sith

Vincent had a phone, now. That was…good. A phone was a thing one used to communicate with other people. It was a step toward humanity. Toward the light. Out of the abyss.

Only, he found himself reflexively wanting to retreat back to the safety of his coffin. After all, was taking such a step even allowed, for him? Was this not just collecting another sin with which to freight his soul and trouble his sleep?

But…when sin felt so much like sunshine on your skin, when it was blue and brilliant gold, so vivid you could almost taste the colors—when sin was a wisp of that heartbreaking warmth, so desperately craved during those long, cold, solitary years in the dark…how was one meant to choose atonement?

He would never try to touch the sky, he reasoned. He would only slip out of the shadows and stand in the sunlight for a little while, to quietly absorb some of its warmth, before he sank back into the eternal darkness. Even such a creature as himself yearned for some small comfort, after all.

A soft voice broke in, drawing him from his ruminations. “Um. Mr. Valentine? Are you coming to dinner?”

It was the lighter haired girl. Aerith Gainsborough. And she looked like she was cautiously approaching a rabid dog.

Vincent suppressed a sigh and withdrew deeper into his cloak, in order to appear less threatening. He couldn’t tell from her expression whether or not it was working. But all he had to do was politely decline, and she would go away.

“No, thank—”

“Hey, Vinnie! Vin!” Cid called out, just then, from ten meters behind her, where the rest of them were gathering. “We’re goin’ to eat, you comin’?”

“Yes, thank you,” Vincent said to the girl, as he pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning on, and strode away toward the group.

Aerith paused for a moment, with an unreadable look on her face, before she trotted after him.

“Did you not like your food, Cloud?” Tifa was asking, as the party exited the restaurant, a couple of hours later.

“Huh? Food?” Cloud said distractedly. “Oh. It was fine.”

“Do you even know what you ate?” Yuffie retorted. “You were staring at your phone the entire time.”

“I wasn’t staring at my—” Cloud pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. “I gotta go. I’ll be back…later.”

“Where are you going? Cloud!” Tifa shouted after him, as he hurried away down the street. Annoyed with the young man’s wayward behavior, she naturally turned to her friend, for support. “Can you believe how rude he’s being? What is going on with him?”

Aerith was looking the other direction, however, apparently engrossed in something else. “Hm? Oh, yeah. Totally. What a jerk.”

“You weren’t even listening!” Tifa said, stamping her foot. “Why is everyone acting like this tonight?”

“You mean, why’s no one paying attention to the princess?” Yuffie smirked.

Tifa scowled. “Shut it, brat. Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know frowning gives you wrinkles?”

“Oh, ho ho! Did you guys see that?!” Aerith exclaimed, startling them both.

“See what?” they replied, nearly in unison.

“Mr. Valentine just yawned, and exactly ten seconds later, Mr. Highwind said he was tired and wanted to head back!” She gave a delighted little giggle and then squealed, clutching her phone to her chest, like a teddy bear.

Yuffie and Tifa looked at each other, then back at her, with expressions one might adopt when addressing a mental patient.

“Mr. Valentine yawns all the time, Aeri-chan,” Tifa pointed out.

“Yeah, what’s so interesting about old men being tired?” Yuffie scoffed. “They both fell asleep in the theater, the other night, and you weren’t wetting your pants about that.”

Tifa made a face. “You want to rethink that phrasing, maybe?”

“Hehehe it’s nothing, nothing at all. You wouldn’t understand,” Aerith gloated, while rapidly typing something on her phone. She hit what must have been the ‘send’ button, with an air of triumph, then finally looked up. “Hey…where did Cloud go?”

Over the next several days, Vincent began to get a feeling that he was being watched. He had this feeling because he was definitely being watched. By the Gainsborough girl, of all people. She seemed to have taken an unusual interest in his activities, and had been surreptitiously observing him, at random intervals throughout each day.

He was aware of it pretty much immediately, due to his high level of training and artificially heightened senses, and also the fact that she was really bad at spying. Like, he literally saw her ducking behind a trash can, once. Whoever among their enemies had got to her, they obviously hadn’t given her much in the way of instruction, before they sent her to work. Maybe it was a blackmail job.

Either way, if she was under hostile influence, she was now a threat to the group, and it was his duty to get to the bottom of it. It’d be better not to alert the others, yet, in case anyone else was compromised, so he’d be going this one alone. Besides, it wasn’t as if he needed help handling one little teenaged girl.

That night, after supper, he took a walk around the general area of the group’s rooms, making sure he was clearly seen, then faded into the shadows, to lie in wait for the spy. Three minutes and seventeen seconds later, he heard stealthy footsteps coming down the walk.

Tch. Amateur. She didn’t disguise her gait, control her breathing, or even try to mask her scent. When she passed the dark space between the buildings, she was playing with her phone, pretending to be looking at it, but glancing stealthily about, obviously looking for her target.

In less time than it takes for a human heart to beat once, a whirl of crimson whipped out of the narrow alley, silently engulfed the young woman, and vanished. Behind the building, in the deep shadows, Aerith suddenly found herself pinned against a brick wall, with the big triple-barrel of Cerberus pressed to her throat.

“Scream and it will be the last sound you make in this life,” Vincent said, in a low, menacing snarl (which was just his usual voice but slightly quieter). “Who are you working for?”

“Mr. Valentine?” Aerith replied, in a normal, conversational tone, looking at his face, rather than the gun, for which he had to inwardly applaud her cool-headedness under duress. “What are you doing lurking around in the alley?”

The hammer clicked back. “A name, Ms. Gainsborough. Or I paint this wall with your—”

“Oh, please, you’re not going to kill me,” she laughed (Actually laughed! At him!!). “If you were, you’d have cut my throat or strangled me right away, instead of trying to scare me with your very loud gun, with all our friends right within hearing distance.”

He wrapped his other hand around her neck and holstered the weapon. “You’re right. There are plenty of ways to kill you quietly. Answer the question. Who are you working for? How did they get to you? Are they blackmailing you? Holding someone hostage? If so, why did you not come to us for help, rather than betray us?”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” She eyed him doubtfully. “Are you…feeling ok, Mr. Valentine?”

“I am never feeling ok. That is beside the point. You have been following me and spying on me, for five days. You appear to be recording my movements and reporting them to someone. I also saw you take several photographs of me and Cid Highwind, when you believed yourself to be unobserved.”

Her eyes went wide. “Eh? You saw tha—I mean, I have no idea what you mean! You have no right to interrogate me! I want a lawyer!”

“A lawyer? I am not with the police, Ms. Gainsborough. In case you forgot…I’m a monster.” As he said this, he leaned closer, baring his sharp canine teeth, and letting his irises flash brilliant crimson-gold, in the darkness of the alleyway.

“Ooh, that was so cool!” Aerith breathed. “Wow, you’re really sexy, Mr. Valentine.”

Vincent choked and actually took a step back, letting go of her neck, from sheer astonishment. “What are you—that’s not—how can a nice young lady like yourself use such a word, so casually!”

“What, sexy? You really have been living in a coffin, haven’t you. Times have changed. Nice young ladies like me can say and think and do whatever we want. That includes thinking you’re sexy and telling you so. Not that I’m into you! Even if I swung that way, you’re like a million years too old for me, yuck.”

When she said that last bit, she laughed and stuck her tongue out, with a little shudder of disgust, to which Vincent took great umbrage. He was old, sure, but he didn’t look old. He looked pretty good, he thought. Anyway, he definitely wasn’t worthy of a shudder.

Also, how did this tiny girl flip the situation around on him, so fast! Saying all these bizarre things and confusing him! On top of that, she wasn’t even a little bit scared of him! That hurt his pride even more than the shudder, and he became morose.

“As I was saying, you’ve got the situation all wrong,” Aerith informed him, flipping her braid over her shoulder. “I mean, yeah…maybe I was spying on you a little. But that was for my own reasons. No one got to me and I’m not betraying anyone. I’m actually your ally, here. Maybe the only one you have.”

Vincent was hiding in his collar, with his arms crossed sullenly, glowering down at her from the shadow of his black bangs. “What nonsense are you talking? What do you mean, ally?”

“Let’s just say, I represent a certain community, of very devoted, extremely supportive enthusiasts, who take a special interest in…gentlemen such as yourself.”

This was definitely some kind of trick, to trip him up, but he couldn’t see the hook yet. Better play along, for now. “Such as myself, in what way?”

“Gentlemen who, you know,” she winked suggestively, which nearly sent him stumbling back another step, “prefer the company of other gentlemen.”

“I prefer no one’s company,” he growled. “Try again.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not even…Mr. Highwind’s?”

What the hellfire? What did she know?? Would he have to kill her, after all?!

“I can tell by the look on your…forehead, that you know what I’m talking about,” the infuriating and deeply bewildering young woman continued. “It’s also clear from my observations, that no one else knows. And that, if it’s left up to you, he never will. That is where your dearly devoted fujoshi sisters come in.”

This was obviously an attempt to baffle him with more gibberish. Vincent’s hand was already on Cerberus’ stock again. “You’re stalling. So, you have backup coming. You think they can kill me, before I kill you?”

“Seriously, tone down the drama, Mr. Valentine. I’m trying to tell you I want to help you. Look, I’ll show you.” She pulled her phone out and held it up so he could look at the screen. “This is our server. These are all sisters—that’s what we call our members. Each channel is devoted to a different ship, but we encourage multi-shipping and no ship hate is allowed, whatsoever.”

“Channel? Ship? You like…nautical engineering?” Vincent attempted, utterly at a loss.

“Ship is short for relationship. The Fujo-Friends server is dedicated to fanship of the MLM variety.”

He blinked stupidly at the screen, as she scrolled through what she called a channel. It looked like a group chat, sort of like the one their party used on the phone, but it was made up of far more participants.

They all had little cartoon avatars, and inexplicable names, like ‘Mrs. Genesis’ and ‘disco slut kadaj’ and ‘sefikurafan’ and ‘rudeXlovesXreno’, and even a ‘Sephiroth’s Daddy’ which he did not like, at all. Messages were popping up, constantly, and they seemed to be talking about…

Vincent’s head spun, and he had to lean on the wall, to catch his breath. He had literally never seen so many euphemisms for that crucial part of the male anatomy, in his life. He didn't even know most of them, before.

How…how could all of those people talk so openly about these things? How could they all care enough about total strangers, to say so many weird and perverse (and also a lot of very sweet and supportive) things, about them? How could they know so much more about that kind of thing than he did?!

He passed a hand over his brow. “You, and all these other women…you talk about men, having…sexual relationships, with other men? Why?”

“Oh, it’s not just women,” Aerith chirped. “We welcome sisters of all genders. Why do we do it? For a ton of reasons. Mostly because it’s fun, but honestly, a lot of us are just sick of the heteronormative status-quo getting pushed on us in every form of media, and want to imagine more people in happy, queer relationships. I mean, there are toxic ships, too, but those are strictly for the sake of hotness. We don’t condone any abusive or unhealthy relationships, IRL.”

Vincent shook his head helplessly. “I—I don’t know what any of those words mean.”

“It’s ok, that’s why I offered to help you. You don’t seem to know what you’re doing in that area. Like, at all.”

“What I’m doing in which area?”

“Well…you like Mr. Highwind, right?”

“If you already know, why do you keep asking,” Vincent returned crossly.

“Good! The first step is talking about your crush to a trusted friend,” Aerith encouraged.

“Who said you were a trusted—”

“As for the other steps, a socially challenged but otherwise high-spec man, like you, is just the kind of person who could benefit from the sisters’ help! Don’t worry, I won’t put you on the server, or anything. Unless you want me to.” Vincent’s glare intensified. “Ok, I’ll take that as a no. What I can do for you, is act as your relationship consultant. With the input of the sisters, of course. The Fujo-Friends will help you make a plan to get your man!”

Vincent nodded. “I’m leaving. Goodnight.”

“No, no, wait!” Aerith said, stepping hastily in front of him. “Just hear me out, ok? I know this all probably seems ridiculous to you, but…I can’t stand seeing you so sad, Mr. Valentine. You’re a good person, and you’ve survived through so much. You deserve happiness. You deserve love. And I deserve to see you and Mr. Highwind together.”

“A good person.” His lip curled in a sneer, which was totally lost on Aerith, as it did so behind his collar. “What could possibly have lead you to believe that about me? Do good people live in coffins in the basements of disused bioengineering facilities?”

“They do if they’re trying to protect other people from something. I know your story. What happened to you. And I know all you’ve done is help people, since you went underground. You’re even helping us, now. So…let me help you, a little. Consider it a thank you, for being on the team.”

Vincent withdrew gloomily into his cloak again (like a turtle retracting into its shell, which was far more adorable than he realized or he’d never do it again), and said nothing. But he didn’t say no. The moment he failed to say no, he handed Aerith the reins.

“Great! So excited to get started!” She clapped her hands delightedly and bounced up and down, like a child. “I'll message you tomorrow morning, with the details!”

Vincent sighed heavily. “Alright.”

He was still in a daze, musing on how he’d even gotten into this mess, when he found himself back in his room. It was…something of a relief, to be honest. He had no idea how to ask for help and wouldn’t have accepted it, if it was offered.

But if it was urgently pressed upon him, what choice did he have? He couldn’t hurt Ms. Gainsborough’s feelings, after she’d been so kind as to reach out to him. Aside from Cid, she was the first one in the group to speak directly to him, excluding strictly necessary communication.

Also, he had a sneaking suspicion that this small girl could be scarier than Sephiroth, if she took a mind to, and he had no desire to find out if he was correct.

link to it on my ao3 just in case you want to leave me a nice comment. or a mean one fuck it bring it on

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crazybutgood · 2 years

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Day 3 (tackytigerfic)

Today’s gift is dedicated to @tackytigerfic from @teacup-tai! Please click on the images for better quality and view the video for the quotes inside the book 😊:

Images’ description: in the image on the left, there’s a closed yellow and white origami book with ‘tackytiger’ handwritten on the front cover in cursive in black ink. In the image on the right, the book is opened to show its pages and a yellow origami tiger bookmark.

Video description: The book is flipped through to display the quotes handwritten in cursive in blue ink from Tacky’s fics. The quotes shown here are also typed out in the post.

Tacky, here’s Tai’s fic recs and messages to you!:

My darling Tacky,

I love and appreciate your friendship and your magical presence in this corner of the fandom very much. I’m also a massive fan! *cheers* So this is a cheering up gift that CBG folded and organised with so much talent and care. <3 thanks CBG for sharing your art and talent with us!!

And that’s how it starts. - Modern Love (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t?

Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years.

And that’s what starts it all.

This is indeed one of my favourite fics, the fic that actually helped me out while mourning having left Ireland and introduced me to you. I can still feel my heart constricting while I read it. There are whole sentences that live in my brain from this fic. Reading you is always like watching a movie.

Monster Baby - this is a multiverse inner joke. I’m constantly sending inspo and shaking my cheerleading pom poms. You got this, Tackster!

“I felt like some proper tea.” - Between the Powerlines (M, 3261)

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy.

Or: this is not an AU! It's just Harry and Draco meeting by chance in an imported food shop in Connecticut and going on a road trip together. Featuring motels, cacti, Americana, and a hefty dose of pining.

I feel like this fic hits something very deep inside me, this kind of feeling that pulls the heartstrings. I chose this quote as a joke, honestly, because: tea, tacky! Of course it would be tea! Unfortunately here, we all know they won’t be having any good Barry cuppa, it will probably be Tetley’s.

“Everyone fancied the vicar." - oopsie, Modern Love again, shame on me, as I love the fact that Reverend Andrew exists. Honestly, I could spend hours here going on about it. I won’t though, I think everyone already knows how I feel about this trope. lol

“Harry, I’m on your side.” - Relic Radiation (M, 927)

Draco goes into space, leaving behind his son Scorpius (who has just started at Hogwarts, at least), and his not-quite-boyfriend Harry Potter. But Harry can't stop loving Draco just because he's approximately 408km up, in constant orbit.

I’m a complete sucker for universes. My favourite films are about Space stories. So this fic was just very much a niche lovebomb for me. And I love your Harry being this side of jelly. The poor thing, let’s give him interspatial love.

The sky was a split plum, an aging bruise. - Oíche Shamhna (T, 1201)

The Celts believed that on Hallowe’en night, the boundary between our world and the other world is thin. So that's why Draco’s in their back garden, wearing his best cloak and stirring a cauldron.

A fic that feels like old magic, poetry and complicated feelings. My dearie peteen, incredible how you can pack small stories with the most beautiful images, with the most intense anticipation, with the careful touch of love story undertones and a tiny bit of eternal loving rivalry.

Go leave some love for Tacky on these fics, and check out their ao3 here!

#book 3 #gifted to #tackytigerfic #from #teacup-tai #author appreciation origami project #cbg folds #origami #mine #fic rec #drarry #harry potter #q

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voolfman · 2 months

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Bring Out the Deadman

Sctir fanfic multi-chapter fic posted on ao3 by voolfman

Chapter 2

“Guildmaster,” Kim Sunghan muttered, “I don’t believe this is the wisest idea.”

Yoohyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “May I remind you, my brother and I both have more enemies than allies, and I fear that publicly removing him during normal business hours will leave him open to stressful situations that could impede the progression of his health. Or if he is here too long, someone with enough ambition could actually kidnap him.”

“Sir, that’s not what I meant."

A chilly breeze ruffled his hair and his cloak, and Yoohyun worried whether this would be too cold for his brother to handle. "Then what did you mean, Sunghan?"

The second in command hesitated a moment before clenching his fists and squaring up his shoulders. "I don't think it's a wise idea to take in your brother. I know he raised you, and that you feel like it's your fault that he turned out like this. But at some point he has to take responsibility for his own actions and he can't blame his reactions on you. I won't lie and say that I condone your way of protecting him by ignoring him, or even say I understand it, due to all the help you gave me with my grandfather, of which I am very grateful for. I'm just worried that this is just another ploy by him to take advantage of you, again."

The young Guildmaster hung his head as he stepped closer to the edge of the hospital's roof. "Maybe he is, and maybe I'm a fool for hoping that hyung would want to help me repair the crack in our relationship. The crack that I caused in our decimated foundation-" Yoohyun activated his skill [Blue Willow Leaves], "but I believe he's being sincere. He did bring me back to life, after all. He could have chosen anything and any path with the Wish Stone." A small and ever so fragile smile graced his face as he and Sunghan made their way down to Yoojin’s room. "But he chose me."

Sunghan clearly wasn't sure how to respond to Yoohyun’s decision, as a few complicated emotions flashed across his stern features, but by the time they had arrived at Yoojin’s window, he had settled on a mildly concerned grimace that could be, if Yoohyun so wanted, interpreted as concern for the injured F-class who should really still be hospitalized for at least two more days. Even if the concern featured was, under no uncertain terms, not focused on the older of the two brothers.

Peeking in through the window before he entered, a confused wrinkle formed between Yoohyun’s eyebrows."Hyung, what are you doing? And what are you wearing?"

Yoojin turned around from where he was leaning against the wall and carefully re-packing his backpack. "Oh, you're here!" He said as he sheepishly pushed himself off the wall and slung the tatty old bag across his shoulder. "Just getting ready so I wouldn't slow you down. Ah, and it turned out, surprisingly, one of the nurses actually owed me one and lent me one of his extra pairs of scrubs, so that way I wouldn't look like an escaped hospital patient when I walk back to my apartment."

Sending him an incredibly incredulous glare, Yoohyun grabbed his brother’s crutches and handed them over. "You think you're going to walk back to your apartment?"

"Well, I admit it's more of a hobble-" he started to say as he shrunk into himself, getting his crutches under him.

"Hyung, you're not going back to your apartment, it's already been cleaned out and packed up. You're coming home with me." Having announced his plans he made his move to usher the exhausted man towards the window, however, Yoojin wasn't budging.

This time it was Yoojin's turn to shoot his brother an incredulous look. "What- why- what are you talking about? I can't do that!"

"Of course you can," he huffed az he crossed his arms and hiked up his shoulders a smidge. "You apologized and…and said you loved me."

"No, no- that's not-" his grip on the crutches tightened, and he looked off to the side. "You can't, Yoohyun. I- I treated you terribly. I've done some truly awful things… said some truly awful things. And I said those things to you. You shouldn't live with that. I can take care of myself- we can still see each other from time to time if you'd like, I'll never turn you away. But you can't, Yoohyun-"

Ever so softly, Yoohyun placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, and made sure to get into his field of view. "Forgiveness is a two way street, hyung. When one side is cleared of the thistles and sins that prevented one from walking, it leaves the area with enough space to clear the other side. Please, Hyung, won't you let me try to forgive you as well?"

For a moment Yoohyun worried that he had either angered his brother or that perhaps he might try to tell Yoohyun that his younger brother was wrong and that he didn't deserve forgiveness, but instead Yoojin's grip on his crutches loosened and he released a long pent up breath before he dredged up a smile that Yoohyun hadn't seen since he was a highschooler. "Alright, alright I'll come to your place Mr. Smooth Operator-" he chuckled quietly as he ruffled his brother’s hair. "Is that how you impressed Miss Soyoung Kang?"

The younger's eyebrows drew sharply together and a dusting of pink graced his marble cheeks, "Miss Kang is a work associate, hyung, please do not spread any unfounded rumors."

"Alright, if you say so," Yoojin chuckled and he hobbled to the window. "Just remember if you have any questions-"

"Hyung!" He shouted before clearing his throat, "Let's just get you back to the guild, you're looking awfully pale."

Warily Yoojin took Sunghan's outstretched hand to crawl through the window as Yoohyun collected his crutches, but right before he crawled through the window, Yoojin smirked ruthlessly towards his brother, "That would be because the blushing boy beside me has taken all the color!"

Perhaps it was that he was in shock, but it seemed to Yoohyun that his brother slipped through the window faster than he should have been able to, or maybe that was because even though Sunghan didn't like Yoojin, he was having a hard time keeping a straight face at Yoohyun’s blush thanks to a certain older brother’s teasing, and took him out of the building swiftly making sure he wouldn't have to struggle. Whatever it was, Yoohyun grumbled to himself only a little as he ducked out of the hospital window and lowered all three of them down to the sidewalk.

"The car's a few blocks down the street, hyung do you-" he began to ask, but when he spotted the smaller man shivering as the breeze blew through the flimsy nurse scrubs, Yoohyun shrugged off his coat and dropped it on him. "Sunghan, run and bring the car back here."

"Yes, sir," he bowed and sprinted off towards where they had parked, leaving the two two alone in the darkness that lingers between the late night and the early morning.

"Thanks for the coat," Yoojin murmured, breaking the ice.

Yoohyun shook his head, "I hardly even feel the breeze if it's this light."

"You call this 'light?' Hah, I must be weaker than I thought."

"Hyung," Yoohyun finally broached after a couple moments of silence, "I would also like to apologize."

"Yoohyun, you don't-"

"Please hyung," he interrupted, "I shouldn't have just cut you put of my life without explanation. I know now that trying to make you hate me was the wrong decision to make. I should have, at the very least explained a little bit, but I was terrified of you going into those dungeons. Terrified of losing my only family member. Ah, Sunghan's here now. Let's go home."

Bonus:

Sunghan looked into the rearview mirror of the car, only to see Yoojin out cold and leaning heavily against his brother’s shoulder.

"He's out cold already," the young Guildmaster mused with a small worried frown, having noticed Sunghan's quick glance to the back.

"Well, we did just kidnap him. In the middle of the night. And from a hospital he was still recovering at," he checked ahead for any police officers before pressing down a little heavier on the gas pedal. His Guildmaster was a little zealous in matters regarding his older brother.

Yoohyun seemed to genuinely consider what Sunghan had said. "Make sure to have a healer on standby when we arrive."

"Yes, sir."

#sctir #han yoojin #s classes that i raised #han yoohyun #the s classes that i raised #tsctir #ao3 #kim sunghan #bring out the dead man

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goonsgospel · 8 months

Note

I need to know more about Ev immediately (also it's hilarious to me you chose jerma as the voice claim bc that's my voice claim for spam 😭)

Ok SO

I believe I've mentioned before but Ev was not always a UTDR oc, in fact Everett isn't his real name at all! "Everett" is simply an iteration of another character I've been working on for the better part of five years. A catalyst to organize and rationalize any self-insert characters, but also something much more personal.

Everett, much like Spamton, is a living contradiction; One and many, sweet and sour, cowardice and courage, wielder of the pen and the sword. It's all very poetic until you realize he's the biggest idiot this side of the multiverse (I say this with affection, of course.)

This is actually something I've been meaning to talk about for awhile, but my thoughts and my drafts get so jumbled that I just Don't. Anywho, the way Ev and Spam's dynamic works is very similar to this concept of contradiction: they're too similar, yet too different. They can barely stand one another, yet they rely on each other because right now, that's all they have. Spamton, alone after being used to further some unknown being's goals, only to be discarded, and Everett, alone in a city he doesn't understand as he runs from something he can barely stand to think about. Again, beautiful poetry until you realize they're both dumb as bricks.

You know that cow tools comic? I think about it a lot in terms of writing and storytelling, and I cannot think of a better example to describe how writing Ev went. The pen/sword has been a concept I've held onto for awhile, like pre-Deltarune Ch1 release. Kris using their pencil as a sword occurred to me as I was playing, which was surreal in the best way. It was only after I designed Ev, with his blue cloak, that I found this:

There are many more accidental connections I've made, some very glaring in the context of Ev's story (wings, wink wink), but I've been rambling for long enough.

I have the basic outline of a story blocked out. I'm hesitant to post it, or even continue writing it, but I do truly enjoy doing it. I love dropping hints, but actually telling a story seems so much more fun.

Regardless, I can't thank you enough for your ask. I absolutely adore talking about Ev, and I have SO MUCH to talk about. This barely scratches the surface. I know I've mentioned this before but I love your work, and you taking an interest in mine too is so so cool!! I'm always more than willing to spill some secrets about my characters.

(Also, Spamton is 100% Jerma voice coded, but that one clip of Tom Kenny in jimmy neutron catches my attention all the same. I think I'll let Ev and Spam share a voice claim. As a treat)

#im normall im normal normal #everett oc #ask goon #ALSO HIIIII HOW YOU DOING MY FRIEDN

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popsiclewrites · 11 months

Text

The Princess and The Pirate: Love at First Fight

Chapter One: The Meeting

In the middle of the sea, a battered, old pirate ship bobbed gently on the water. On its deck, a short, pink triton woman stood alone, mop in hand. And In the quiet of the night, she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. The smell of the ocean, the feeling of the cool sea breeze, the creaking of the ship as it sailed on the sea. To her, this was the perfect feeling. She knew she was exactly where she belonged. She was at home.

“HEY IDIOT!”

Adoryn's eyes sprung open.

“Yes, Captain?” she jolted to attention as a large, crusty man thunked down the stairs, a sickly sneer painted across his face.

“Ya think ya deserve a break!” He spat.

“No, sir. Of course not, sir.”

She was ridged, unmoving in her perfect posture. A habitat that held over from her navy days.... But this certainly wasn’t the navy.

The Captain’s heavy footfalls landed him right in front of her face. His nose mere inches from hers, she could smell that the rum on his breath was barely masking the other, even less savory smells. Nope… this was nothing like the navy.

“Then get back to swabbing the deck!” He growled, “... if ya lucky maybe ya’ll get the scraps after the real sailors are done eatin for the night…” He paused, scanning her up and down, a smile began to slide across his face.

He leaned in close and whispered, “Or maybe you’ll have to do even more despicable things to earn yer dinner …”.

Adoryn withheld a gag. Refusing to break eye contact, she held her stance. “I’ll get right back to work, sir.”

The Captain returned her gaze for a moment longer before rolling his eyes and disappearing back below deck. She waited until he had fully vanished before allowing the tension to release from her body.

She hated this Captain. She had come to realize that even for a pirate, that guy was gross, sexist and just an overall dick. Adoryn often dreamed of the day she would take her rapier and separate his disgusting head from his pitiful body. However, she knew that being here was way better than her more lawful seafaring options. After all, the law never did suit her well. And here, she could go where she wanted, leave when she wanted, and take what she wanted. Here, she could be herself. All things that made putting up with the Captain almost bearable.

And one day, when she had learned everything she could from this crew, her blade would find its target.

She chose to focus on that thought as she returned to swabbing the deck in the dark of the night.

___________

Under the cover of dark, beneath the water, a shadowy figure circled a small barrier island until it spotted what it was searching for. Altering its path, it silently swam towards a small, isolated beach. The shape surfaced, revealing itself to be a beautiful, young, teal mermaid.

The surprisingly elegant woman moved to sit in the shallow water, her dark blue tail slowly relaxing under the steady beat of the soft waves. Her breath, still rapid from the swim, began to slow as she ran her fingers through her long braids, drying them off slightly.

After a moment, her tail separated into two legs and the woman stood. She reached into a well sealed, leather pouch strung around her hips. From it, she pulled a hooded cloak, wrapping it around her torso so that the part that would normally hang, instead crossed over her chest.

She flipped the hood up over her head and as if routine, and she began expertly moving through the brush, away from the beach and toward the bustling port town.

Still slightly damp, she moved silently through the shadows of town. From alleys to untaken side streets, a young Adella made her way into the heart of town, completely unseen.

“Why hello there, young lady! How are you today?”

Or at least she thought “completely unseen”. Adella froze for a moment before turning to face a small merchant looking up at her with a round face and a huge smile.

“Uhhh...”, she fumbled to find the words, her heart pounding in her ears drowning out any potential reply that her brain could provide. After a moment of the two staring at each other, the merchant gave her a confused look before backing away slowly. She simply stood there as the merchant went back to his booth, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder at her.

Adella had been afraid of this. After 2 years traveling alone, slipping through the shadows, trying to remain unnoticed, she was starting to get… weird. Was she forgetting how to talk to people entirely? It’s not like she didn’t enjoy talking to people. She actually used to be quite good at it, some would even go as far as to say that she was charming. But the skill had begun to fade with her travels.

As much as she enjoyed her nomadic lifestyle, she did really miss getting to know someone, getting to know a community. However, for her, staying in one place too long, carried an inherent set of risks. She often thought that perhaps, in a bigger city, she might be able to get away with staying for a while. People in cities tended to not notice a single new person, and thought nothing of it when a traveler moved on. But all the major cities were on the mainland. Adella simply had no way to get there. It was too far to swim and she didn’t exactly have access to a ship. So, for the time being, she was stuck with these small island towns, where every new stranger was a newsworthy event, forcing her to keep to the shadows, hiding her face.

She weaved through the crowd, hoping to hide in the bustle enough to make her way to a tavern of some kind for some food and a place to rest for the night.

A nearby shout drew her attention. On a small crate in the middle of the square, a Newise cried out, “Extra Extra, King Finley ups the reward for the safe return of his daughter, the Princess!”

Adella stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat.

Did she hear that right?

“King Finley Ups reward!” The news boy shouted once more.

Adella gulped hard. She looked around and quickly snatched up a discarded flyer. On it was exactly what she had feared. Staring back at her from the page was a large portrait of her own face with a 100,000 gold piece reward advertised beneath it.

“I gotta get out of here.” Adella mumbled to herself as she discarded the flyer back to the ground.

The flyer tumbled through the marketplace landing at the friendly merchant's feet. He studied it before realization entered his eyes. He looked up, his gaze locked with Adella from across the crowd as her eyes began to shimmered slightly. Her skin bubbled and shifted, changing her appearance into a mirror image of the merchant. The merchant yelled for help but Adella had already fled off into the night.

___________

The next day, Adoryn woke up bright and early, buzzing with excitement. Today was a port day!

They would dock the ship for about a day and a half and as the ship got restocked with food and whatnot, meaning that the crew would be free to explore whatever city or town they dock at. As much as she loved being at sea and definitely didn’t want to stay on land for too long, she loved visiting these small port towns. There were always interesting people to meet, cool things to buy, great food to eat. And it was a great opportunity to escape the Captain’s terinay for a little while.

She rushed over to a sleeping Wart and shook him awake. Wart was a small man. From a race called the Verden, he had a very goblin-like appearance. His serious and practical nature was a good compliment to the methodical chaos that Adoryn had to offer. He was a good friend, her best friend.

“Wart,” She whispered softly. “WAKE up!” she pushed down on his hammock, causing it to bounce him out and land on the floor…hard.

“Ughh.” He groaned, “Why do you always do this?”

Adoryn shrugged as Wart righted himself, rubbing the site of impact. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now,” He continued, “ but you would be mistaken.”

“When you get used to it it won’t be fun anymore.”

Wart gave a defeated nod of unfortunate agreement and the pair headed out of the sleeping quarters and to where the crew was beginning to gather before leaving the ship. But as they ascended the stairs an arm jutted out, blocking Adoryn’s path.

“Hey Nobanath, can I talk to you for a minute?” The First Mate, Lucas asked.

“Uh, sure.” She and Wart exchanged a look of confusion before she waved him to go ahead to the meeting.

A rail thin man with friendly eyes, Lucus was a stark contrast to the large, unpleasant Captain. “I just wanted to talk about your conversation with the Captain last night.”

“Oh, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, no. I just wanted to apologize for him. I overheard and it sounded a bit rough.”

Adoryn shrugged, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Lucas smiled softly, “Well, I just wanted you to know that he’s hard on you now but your good work doesn’t go unnoticed. Since you and your buddy are new, he just wants to make sure you have the grit needed to make it on the ship.”

His tone was friendly, but something about it rubbed Adoryn the wrong way. Each word he said seemed like a calculated choice, but Adoryn couldn’t figure out what exactly he was trying to calculate.

“Thanks.” She said hesitantly.

Lucas gave her another smile, this one not quite reaching his eyes as he studied Adoryn’s face. He dropped his arm and Adoryn continued onto the deck of the ship, joining Wart in the herd of pirates.

“What was that about?” Wart whispered.

“I’m not sure. He’s either being nice or he’s up to something.”

“He’s probably just being nice.”

Adoryn looked over her shoulder at Lucas, smiling and laughing with some of the other pirates.

“Yeah… maybe…”

The Captain made his way up the stairs, so that everyone could see him, and a hush came across the crowd.

“ALRIGHT shits for brains, we are about to dock. Y’all know the rules for town. Do whatever the fuck you want, just make sure you are back in time or we leavin’ without your sorry behind.” He bellowed. “Now get to your positions and prepare to dock.”

The crew scattered like shrapnel and made quick work of making port at the small barrier island of Tillran.

Once docked, Adoryn grabbed her friend and the pair fled the ship.

“Where to, Nobanath?” Wart asked.

“Well we have a whole day soooo, the marketplace then tavern. I wanna do some shopping before I get sloppy drunk.”

Wart simply nodded as this was the standard routine and the two took off into the heart of town.

___________

Adella awoke the next morning in a small inn. Last night, she slipped into an unoccupied room as she fled from the chaos that became of the marketplace. Now, in the light of the morning, it all felt like a distant nightmare.

She placed her feet on the cold ground causing a shiver to run up her spine. As she got out of bed she grabbed the bowl of water placed in her room only to stare blankly ahead as thoughts raced through her mind.

Where would she go now? What should she do? What options did she even have anymore? The image of law enforcement moving towards the shouting merchant just repeated over and over in her mind. Screams of the crowd searching for the lost princess rang in her ears, drowning out any potential thoughts or plans.

On top of being distraught, Adella was also mystified. She never dared to imagine that the news of her disappearance would have been able to make it this far from her kingdom. Her father was a very powerful man, but even so, it had been two years. It must've been nearly impossible to find a messenger willing to travel such long distances. And honestly by this point, she kind of figured that the common people would have lost interest in the search. However, money is a great motivator and the king was hardly lacking in that regard. He would search every island, and have the people constantly on guard.

Her time here was severely limited. Where could she even go now? Where would be out of his reach?

She dunked her head into the bowl of water. The brisk water shocked her system and quieted the frantic thoughts for just a moment. She re-emerged, a plan beginning to crystalize in her mind. She sighed, a world weary sigh.

She was going to need a ship.

Adella had been in enough villages, towns and cities to know that one this size would not have much in the way of law enforcement. Which meant that since she lost them last night, as long as she laid low she should be safe for a day or so. However, she knew there would be both guards and random citizens looking to claim the reward lurking around any of the docks.

In the quiet of the early morning, she could hear other people in the inn begin to rise and staff starting their morning rounds. Adella gathered her few belongings as down the hall she could hear housekeepers knocking on doors.

She reattached the small satchel to her belt before descending out of the window. Making her way down the street, she saw exactly what she had expected. Pairs of officers roaming around the town, searching alleyways, dark corners, and the woods surrounding the town. She couldn’t rely on the shadows to keep her out of sight while she waited for the search to be disbanded. She needed a crowd that she could fade into.

No sooner than that thought did a herd of pirates enter the marketplace. Fresh off the ship, a loud and rowdy group of 30 or so offered Adella the perfect opportunity.

___________

Adoryn had scoured the marketplace until the sun began to set and now her backpack rattled with newfound trinkets. Satisfied with her purchases she looked to Wart.

“You ready?”

With his own armful of goodies, he grinned up at her. “Indeed.”

A stillness swept across the marketplace. An uncharacteristic hush falling over pirates. A calm before the storm.

“LET’S GO FELLAS!” Boomed a large bearded pirate. Like the starting pistol of a race, the pirates swept through the crowd not caring who got caught in their path, making a beeline for the Tavern.

Adoryn and Wart, still used to the rigid order of the Navy, began to be overtaken by the current of the pirate stampede. Adoryn grabbed the back of Wart’s backpack in a desperate attempt to stay together when a gangly sailor plowed right between them, taking Adoryn with the group and knocking Wart down to the ground.

“I’ll find you at the tavern!” Adoryn shouted as she was hurdled away.

Wart immediately switched to survival mode. Like a bug trying not to be squished, the small man quickly got up. He had to use all his nimbleness to avoid being trampled. But he was off balance and the crowd was merciless. He got bumped and bruised and knocked to the ground several times before he just decided to stay there, tucked into a ball, until they all had passed.

He stayed there, not daring to move for a moment. Quiet returned to the marketplace just as quickly as the chaos had begun. He was safe and the marketplace was almost completely abandoned. Several locals looked mystified by what had just occurred.

Down on the ground, Wart uncurled himself. In the panic, he had dropped his armful purchases and a lot of the contents of his backpack had spilled out.

He started to reclaim his belongings, inspecting what had survived the hurricane of pirates when he overheard two nearby guards talking.

“Yeah, she got away last night but I’m pretty sure she’s still in the city.”

“I don’t know about that. I bet she’s skipped town by now. ”

“I hope not. I could really use that reward money.”

Wart wondered to himself who they could be talking about when he found a discarded flier on the ground as he picked up the last of his stuff. It read “Missing Princess: Reward 100,000 Gold”. Wart’s eyes lit up at the sight. He quickly folded the paper up and stuffed it into his pocket before hurrying off to join the others at the tavern.

___________

In a dark corner of the tavern, Adella sat alone in a booth as her disguise faded. She quietly watched the poor bartender, who looked on the verge of tears, struggling to keep the pirates from climbing over the counter and storming the bar.

Lost in the crowd, A short pink triton with green dreads and tattered clothes, waved her hands rapidly calling “HELLO?!”. Her small frame made it easy for her to be overlooked. Her pleads fading into the chorus of voices.

The woman huffed in frustration before a look of determination crossed her face.

Adella’s eyes followed her as this small woman expertly weaved between the stumbling drunks and ducked instinctively beneath a pirate as he launched his body at the bartender. It was as if she knew it was going to happen. Adella watched in awe as the woman effortlessly slipped behind the bar, making quick work of grabbing her prize.

As she stood up, an arm-full of bottles, she locked eyes with Adella. Adella panicked slightly at being spotted, but the woman only smiled, raised her eyebrow and motioned to the bottles. Adella felt the gentle smile from this stranger relax her, just a little. She returned the smile, shrugged and tilted her head to invite the woman to approach.

With the same level of precision, the woman slipped her way over to Adella’s booth, as if choreographed. And in a moment she was at the table, placing about 6 bottles of ale down in front of Adella.

“Mind if I join you?” she said, her freckled cheeks rose with that delightful smile.

Adella’s heart raced as the woman made eye contact, her eyes a piercing green. She knew that she should keep to herself but a deep pang for just a bit of company betrayed her.

“Sure, take a seat.”

The woman slipped into the booth across from her, “Hi, I’m Adoryn.” she said, her voice sweet and friendly, she offered her hand.

Adella hesitantly shook it. “Nice to meet you.” was the only reply she dared offer.

“Don’t want to share your name, I take it?” Adoryn said, opening two ales on the table and passing one to Adella.

“How’d you guess?” She answered with a slight smile.

“Well, a beautiful stranger in a place like this…. Bound to have some baggage.”

Adella felt the heat come to her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing. She averted her eyes for a moment.

“Well… if that’s true then what’s your baggage?” Adella said, trying to return the compliment but still staring straight down at the table.

“Psh…” Adoryn leaned back in her seat, taking a swig of her ale, “You won’t tell me your name but you ask me about my baggage? How’s that fair?” Adoryn giggled, a warm, joyful giggle.

Adella looked up once again, meeting those green eyes. “Fair enough.” She paused for a moment. “....what should we discuss then? Us both being so private leaves us little room for discussion.”

The stranger, Adoryn, thought for a moment.

“We could simply sit here quietly.” Adella feebly suggested. “And just enjoy the company of another person.”

The woman looked up at Adella dismissively, “What fun would that be?”

Adoryn paused, that same look of determination and focus from before crossed her face again. Everything was so expressive, you could see the wheels turning in her mind as she thought. Adella chuckled a little at the strangers intensity to think of a topic.

Suddenly, she lit up and tenderly grabbed Adella’s hand. The heat of her hand made Adella’s heart flutter. She swallowed hard.

“Cats or dogs?” Adoryn asked, confidently. Her eyes wide with excitement and a huge smile breaking across her face.

“What?” Adella laughed.

“Cats or dogs?” Adoryn repeated, firm and unwavering. Her grin went fully from ear to ear now. “A simple way to get to know each other without any sort of….” She leaned over the table, her nose inches from Adella’s, “.... incriminating information.” then looked around, in a goofy, over the top, suspicious way.

Adella laughed, a delighted laugh, and Adoryn flopped back down into her seat.

“Hmmmmmm…” Adella pondered aloud. Tapping her finger to her chin and really playing up the amount of thought she was putting into her answer.

“Well you see, that’s a bit complicated, because where I’m from we don’t really have either of those.”

Adoryn looked enraptured with each word Adella said. No one had paid this close attention to her as she spoke for so long. In her mind she knew it was dangerous, but something about this woman just made her feel ….safe somehow.

“But in my travels, I’ve met several stray dogs that have been so sweet. Stray cats, however, they are not as good company. So I’ll have to go with the dogs.”

“That’s a good answer.” The woman nodded approvingly. “The tricky thing about cats is you have to prove yourself to them. They don’t give their affection easily.” She stared deep into Adella’s eyes “And I love me a challenge.”

The blush returned to Adella’s cheeks and she looked back down at the table, but the stranger didn’t let up, placing her hand on Adella’s once again.

Her heart was beating so loud she almost couldn’t hear Adoryn’s next question.

The two sat there exchanging light hearted, superficial questions tucked away in the back of the bar. Their conversation was light and effortless - exactly what Adella had been craving. But, it was cruelly cut short as ruckus sprung up at the bar. The two turned to look at the commotion and saw a small, green goblin being tossed between pirates.

“Oh no,” Adoryn said, her eyebrows knitted together as she suddenly stood up from the table.

“ What?” She instinctively reached for Adoryn’s hand to stop her before she thought better of it.

Adoryn looked back at her. “I’m sorry, that’s my friend. I would love to stay,” Adoryn looked down at Adella’s hand, touching her own, “But I have to go.” She leaned over and planted a brief kiss on Adella’s cheek before running off and disappearing into the crowd.

Her whole face had a tint of red as she touched her hand to her cheek. Speechless, she simply watched the insane bar fight from the safety of her secluded booth.

___________

“This is perfect,” Adella thought to herself as she bobbed in the shadowy waters under the dock. The wood above her groaning as a large group of pirates sauntered down it towards their boat. Sloppy and drunk, they locked arms like school girls and began singing sea shanties. All the while Adella watched them through the cracks beneath their feet.

Their song grew louder as more of the crew joined in. Adella smiled as her plan to get onto the ship unnoticed was becoming easier with the loud chaos of a bunch of pirates singing.

“That was one hell of an evening!” Adoryn babbled, swaying back and forth in a dangerously unstable manner.

“It sure was.” Wart added, slipping beneath her arm to keep her drunken stumbling from falling off the dock. “But you didn’t need to drink that much.”

“Pssssssssh, silly Wart. Of course I did!”

Wart and Adoryn slowly made their way up the ramp of the ship as Adella swam out from underneath the dock. She began to hoist herself up when a younger pirate girl stopped. Adella froze as the girl began to turn. Her heart rate quickened but she remained perfectly still.

Stopping just short of seeing Adella, The girl doubled over, spilling all the contents of her stomach into the sea below.

“Oh boy, are you alright?” Her short friend asked.

The girl weakly waved a hand to him while wiping her mouth with the other.

Adella breathed a sigh of relief, only to immediately gag at the smell.

The pair continued onto the ship. Adella quickly hoisted herself out of the water, away from the chunks that had begun to float towards her.

Adella tried to not vomit herself as she loaded onto the boat. The song grew loud enough to fill the night and Adella slipped below deck, unnoticed.

___________

They had been sailing for a couple days after port when Wart left to do his nightly patrol of the ship. No one ever asked him to do this. It’s just something he did.

Wart was diligent. The work ethic was the one thing he actually liked about the navy. Sometimes, he really missed the order, the structure, and the respect... but then he would remember all the power hungry, self-indulgent asshole superiors and the deeply embedded corruption. Piracy would suit him just fine.

Wart didn’t enjoy drinking as much as the others. Which meant he tended to stay up later in the evenings than everyone else. Usually, one might assume that the drunks would be the ones up late. However, it must be taken into consideration that pirates start drinking at high noon leading to a quick drunk collapse of the crew come sundown. So, Wart decided to take the night shift. He enjoyed having the ship mostly to himself. The other crew members that tended to the ship at night kept to themselves as well, so it was pleasantly quiet and quite peaceful. He didn’t mind it, not one bit.

His standard routine would be to patrol the ship for an hour or two before going to his own cot for the night. On this particular night, he was about two hours in, down in the very depths of the ship when he heard something…

A creak in an area that didn’t usually creak.

He paused, cocked his head like a confused cat, quieted his breath and waited.

He stood there in silence for several minutes without a sound. No sign of anything out of the ordinary but Wart’s gut told him something was up. So he waited.

And there it was again… that creak. It didn’t come from him, or from a box, but a creak a board makes from a foot standing on top of it as the boat rocks back and forth. He was sure of it now... Someone was back there.

He had two options.

1) Disturb whoever was back there and risk some sort of confrontation, which could be dangerous while all alone.

2) Tell himself it’s nothing to worry about, go to bed, and talk to Adoryn about it tomorrow to see what she thinks.

Obviously, whatever it was, was trying to stay out of sight. Leading Wart to the conclusion that the creature was some sort of stow-away.

Wart wasn’t a narc but he also wasn’t willing to rule out that this person could be dangerous. They were pirates after all. They had plenty of enemies.

He couldn’t risk leaving it be, but he could be smart about it.

He walked out of the room casually, being careful to act as calmly as possible. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he broke into a sprint. Not wanting to give the creature time to find a new hiding spot before he got back, he ran to the sleeping quarters.

He quickly located Adoryn curled up on her cot. “Adoryn! ADORYN!” he whisper-yelled in her ear.

“Ugh.” her eyes rolled underneath her eyelids. Impatient and starting to panic a little, He gripped her shoulders and shook her. “ADORYN!”

“Huh, What?!”She shoved his hands off of her and sat up in a huff. “What!? WHAT!? What is it?!”

“Something’s here!” Wart hissed under his breath.

“Huh?” A groggy Adoryn rubbed her eyes, “You’re not making any sense. What’s here? What are you talking about?”

“Something’s hidden in the bowels of the ship. You have to come with me… now!”

“Hold u-” Before she could finish her thought, Wart pulled her arm, forcing her out of bed. Before her eyes were even fully open, he had dragged her down the stairs and into the cargo bay.

“Now shush. We don’t wanna spook it.” Wart whispered as they approached the doors.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I got you.”

“Well, thanks for that. Sooo glad to be a part of whatever this is.”

“You’re welcome.” Wart slowly pushed open the door, and the pair crept into the room.

___________

Already on high alert, Adella heard the door swing open and froze, not even daring to breathe. It was the goblin from before. Why had he returned?

“Seriously, Wart. What is it?” A female voice whispered. Adella panicked, he had brought someone back down with him! He must’ve known she was here somehow. But how?

“Sh!” The man commanded his companion, taking a few more light footsteps towards the crates that hid Adella.

She was outnumbered and quite literally cornered. She needed an escape plan, but she couldn’t think, panic flooding her senses.

In a fit of pure desperation, she burst through the crates. They toppled down onto the goblin man, incapacitating him for a moment. Adella scrambled to her feet and started to run. When, out of nowhere, a quarterstaff appeared. It hit her hard in the throat and knocked her to the floor.

Dazed, Adella could only make out a silhouette as a large boot landed on her chest, pinning her to the floor.

“So, was this what you were talking about?”

___________

Adella sat in the center of the cargo bay. The rough rope digging into her arms and legs as her captors exchanged hushed, frantic whispers. The two of them stood off in the shadows, so Adella couldn’t tell much about the figure that had tackled her. However, the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Her heart raced. She was so anxious she worried that she would be sick right then and there. They just kept whispering, standing there, discussing her demise. She couldn’t take it.

Her nerves overcame her, “What are you going to do with me!?” Escaped from her lips.

The two suddenly turn to look at her, shocked by her interruption. The figure that pinned her moved out of the shadow and realization hit Adella. It was the girl from the bar, Adoryn. Her eyes went wide. Was this good news? Or just… news? They had gotten to know each other… but was that enough?

Adella couldn’t let herself get too hopeful for a potential ally simply due to the way the woman was staring at her now so dissimilar from how she looked at her at the tavern. Before she was warm, kind, her beautiful green eyes filled Adella with a sense of security. But now her gaze was cold, detached and calculated. Adella could see the wheels turning in her head and could find no sign of mercy on her face.

“...Please, I need to get to the mainland.”

Adoryn’s eyes narrow at that. “Why do you need to get to the mainland?”

Adella froze, the emphasis on ‘need’ catching her off guard. “Ummmmm……..baggage?” She fumbled. Adoryn’s eyes stayed locked on hers, unwavering in their intensity. Adella swallowed hard.

“You see how that is suspicious right? You sneak onto our boat for ‘reasons’.” Adella paused, averting her eyes from Adoryn’s gaze. The small goblin man’s face turns to one of deep contemplation, studying Adella’s face.

“You’re asking us to risk our skins, our jobs, our livelihoods for you and you won’t even tell us why.” Adoryn's voice was the same as her gaze, little tone to give any indication of her thoughts or intentions.

Adella took a deep breath and returned her stare, “Look, all you need to know is I’m trying to get away from something. Start a new life. I’m sure as pirates you can understand that.”

That caused Adoryn to pause.

Wart remembered there was that flyer in town. He pulled Adoryn away from Adella and the two moved out of earshot of their prisoner.

“I think she’s that missing princess.” Wart whispered.

“What?”

“You know, Adella Finelly….the one with the reward!”

Adoryn’s eyes went wide and she cast a side glance at Adella.

“So, should we get the captain?” Wart asked, “That reward money would give us a great reputation around here…”

Adoryn stared at Adella, her look much softer than before. Adella noticed, her eyebrows knitted together as she grew concerned, unable to tell the meaning behind it.

“They’ll force her to go back…” Adoryn said softly, barely audible.

Wart looked at her, confused, “Yeah, to her nice cushy castle.”

Adoryn ignored him, walking back over to Adella. “What will happen to you if we give you to the Captain?”

“Um….” Adella was taken aback. This question felt different than the others. More gentle. More personal.

“We know who you are, Adella.”

Adella’s heart stopped.

“What will happen if we hand you over to our captain?” Adoryn repeated, staring daggers into Adella's eyes, unyielding but not unsympathetic.

“Well, I would have to fill my role. Stay in the kingdom and learn how to be a proper ruler.”

Adoryn took a knee to be eye level with Adella “And what’s so bad about that?” her voice even keeled and calm.

Adella paused, “...Nothing, really… I just- I just want to see the world first.”

Adoryn nodded slightly. “What about your kingdom? It’s fine without you?”

“Fine enough. Don’t get the wrong idea. I love my kingdom. I would return if they were in trouble. I left now, because I knew I needed to do this and currently my parents are there to run things. If I do this now, I can be a great ruler when I return… but I’m not ready yet.”

Adoryn stands up and pulls Wart back out of earshot. “We hide her.”

“What? You heard what she said, she has a nice life back home. She’s planning on going back eventually anyway. Why not claim the reward?”

“She wants more time and her kingdom is safe. Plus, the captain might not even send her back. He might sell the pretty princess to the highest bidder.”

Wart recoiled at that thought.

“It’s only 2 weeks, then we port again and she’ll go.”

Wart hesitated. “Okay,” he sighed heavily then turned to Adella, “but you need a WAY better hiding spot!”

___________

The next week, Adella moved from spot to spot on the ship, careful to not stay in one place for too long, per Wart’s very specific directions. She was a little annoyed with the constant adjustments he gave her. She had been hiding for 2 years and never been caught, but whatever, he was doing her a favor and was nice enough the rest of the time.

He and Adoryn would come visit her every night after the bulk of the crew was asleep. They would talk, eat and occasionally play cards. Adella enjoyed it, after all it was the first time she’d had regular company in a long time.

“So, why are you a pirate? You seem too nice to steal for a living.” Adella asked one late night after Wart had passed out on the floor.

It was calm, the two laid on the floor next to the tiny, snoring goblin. Staring up at the ceiling, listening to the creeks of the ship and the sounds of the sea outside.

Adoryn shrugged, “Ehhhh, nice is relative.”

Adella chuckled a little.

“I just wanted to be out here. I don’t know… I like the ocean.” Adoryn smiled.

“Well, you could be on the ocean and not be a pirate.”

“Eh, the other options didn’t suit me. With piracy, I only follow a captain, which is far less complicated than a bunch of arbitrary rules and regulations that are made up mostly for appearance over anything else.” She paused, “...Plus, I can leave whenever I want.”

“Then why don’t you? You keep complaining about this captain. Why don’t you find a new one? One less slimy and stinky.” Adella joked, nudging Adoryn at the word ‘stinky’.

Adoryn laughed “I don’t know. He’s gross but if I rise in the ranks here maybe I can overthrow him or something.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Adella suggestively.

They both burst into laughter, then Adella got quiet and she turned away.

“What is it?” Adoryn asked, concerned at the sudden tone shift.

“What if you guys came with me?” Adella whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

Adoryn's mouth opened to say something when Wart sat up with a start.``Did you hear that?” His large green ears twitching, “Someone’s coming!”

They scrambled to their feet and started tucking Adella back into her hiding spot but it was too late. The door slammed open and the first mate barged into the room. The trio froze, their eyes as large as dinner plates, they stared at Lucas. Lucas stared back, just as surprised.

A moment passed where no one dared move.

“Heyyy Lucus. How’s it go-” Adoryn started before Lucas spun around and bolted out of the room.

“Shit!” Adoryn exclaimed. She pursued him out the door, rushing up onto the desk.

“Sir, the lost Princess Adel-” Lucus was quickly cut off as Adoryn swiftly caught up to him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and yanked him violently backwards, restraining him in her grasp.

Her moment of victory was short lived however, as a large, dirty hand landed on her own shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to see the dark, black eyes of her captain laser focused on her. The intensity of his glare burned into her as she met his eyes.

His grip tightened. “Where are you keeping her?”

Adoryn swallowed hard as the Captain’s gaze turned from just intense to a death stare.

With all his strength he shook the small woman, forcing her to release her grip on his first mate. Lucas fell hard on the deck of the ship, knocking the wind out of him.

Adoryn flopped like a rag doll in the Captain’s arms as he boomed “Tell me girly!”

The volume of his voice not only hurt Adoryn’s ears but caused the other pirates to be alerted to the situation and they began pouring up onto the deck.

The Captain threw her to the ground and slammed his boot down by her head.

Adoryn was shaken but refused to let him see. She slowly got up and met his gaze.

“Where’s who?” She said coyly.

The Captain’s nostrils flared in anger. You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears in the early morning air.

“She’s under the deck.” Lucas choked out.

Without hesitation, The Captain shoved Adoryn to the side, knocking her back down to the ground where she was quickly surrounded by pirates.

Back below deck, Adella and Wart could hear nothing but a vague kerfuffle. “What do we do?” Adella whispers to Wart.

Wart frantically looked around before quickly scurrying up the stairs to peek through the crack in the door. Only to see the Captain marching towards them and a crowd of the crew up on deck.

For a brief moment, bodies parted and Wart saw Adoryn down on the ground. The two made eye contact through the door. Adoryn nodded.

Wart scrambled back down the stairs and grabbed Adella’s arm.

“We’re going up on deck,” Wart said matter-of-factly.

“What?!” Adella whisper-yelled. “Is that not where the bad people are?”

“Yes. It sure it.”

Adella stared at him dumbfounded as he pulled her towards the stairs. Adella stopped, resisting the pull of the small man’s grip.

He turns to face her, “Adoryn has a plan.” his face no longer full of panic but of a trained calculating assuredness, “We can trust her.”

Adella remained unsure but what else could she do? So far these people seemed trust-worthy. So, she followed him up the stairs.

The doors burst open once again. The morning sunlight burned Adella’s eyes. She saw the silhouette of a large, grizzled man.

“There she is!” Lucus yelled.

“Oh my god, will you shut up!” Adoryn snapped.

Adoryn jumped up off the ground once more, but the pirate crew was closed in around her. Her breath became heavy. She felt the fear and panic of the situation flood her. No escape routes, limited options and decreasing time. She closed her eyes, slowed her breathing and focused in on the soft ocean spray gently touching her skin. She concentrated on the small droplets of water over the top of the ship. They began to drift upwards before erupting into a dense fog.

“What the fuck?” A muffled voice cried.

“I can’t see a thing!” Another one yelped.

“She’s over by the edge!”

Adoryn wove through the crowd, slicing, bashing and stabbing as she went.

Mystified and confused, Wart and Adella stood in the fog with ready weapons but no clue. Then a soaked and blood-covered Adoryn appeared before them.

“Okay, listen closely.” Her eyes filled that determination, she stared at Adella. “I have a fog cloud up right now, have you made one of those before?”

Adella nodded, Adoryn smiled “Great. It should stall them long enough for you to get to a dinghy on the starboard side. You lower it while me and Wart stall.”

Adella’s eyes wide with panic. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could Adoryn grabbed her hands. Her gaze softened. “It’s going to be okay,” She said.

“Come with me.” Adella whispered.

“That’s the plan. We certainly can’t stay here after this. We’ll meet you there but don’t wait. Just get down and we’ll swim to you.”

“We’ll what?!” Wart interjected.

Adoryn scoffed “You’ll be fine, you baby. I’ll carry you like a little green backpack. My swimming capabilities are our main advantage over these guys. We’ll find Adella, paddle to land and find a new ship. But we have to move now!”

Wart disappeared into the fog, Adoryn turned to do the same but Adella held tight onto her hand.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Adoryn gave her a coy smile “No problem, Princess .She gave Adella’s hand one last squeeze before readying her sword and charging back into the battle.

Adella watched Adoryn disappear into the fog for a moment, steadying herself.. She swallowed the lump in her throat and then zigzagged unnoticed through the chaos.

She found her way to the side of the ship and felt her way to the dinghy. Silently she eased herself down into it. As she reached for the rope she felt the cold metal of a blade meet her throat.

“I believe my Captain is looking for you,” Lucas appeared from the fog, “Get out of the dinghy” he commanded.

Adella froze. She couldn’t go back, she couldn’t see Adoryn or Wart for help… She was once again alone.

She whipped her claws around his wrist, twisting the sword away from her throat and pulling him down into the dinghy with her. He fell on his head. Adella grabbed her own dagger out of her belt and she began cutting through the thick rope, weakening it. The dinghy jolted.

The first mate attempted to right himself, but Adella kicked him in the head, dazing him. She lunged for the remaining rope.

Lucus regained his footing once more. He charged at her causing the boat to sway. She ducked beneath the blade and stabbed her dagger up under his ribs. He cried out in pain.

“What was that?” a distant pirate asked.

“Someone is in the dinghy!”

“She’s getting AWAY!” The Captain howled.

Adoryn focused on that voice, using it to locate the Captain in the fog.

“You…” He muttered softly. “You betrayed us.”

Adoryn laughed at that, “You assume I was loyal to you to begin with.”

The two began to circle one another. “You were on my crew, that demands loyalty!”

“I am loyal to those who deserve it.You deserve nothing.” She spat.

The Captain’s lip curled in disgust. “aaaAAAAA!” His rage boiled over as he released a primal scream. He rushed her, recklessing swinging his blade.

Adoryn dove under the blade sliding across the slick deck of the ship. The Captain went to spin around as Adoryn placed her staff behind his foot causing him to stumble. Adoryn took the opportunity to shove him to the ground. The hard impact knocked the wind out of him. Adoryn slammed her boot down onto his neck.

The captain gagged and gasped. Adoryn readied her sword over his chest. “You little…” His words cut off as Adoryn plunged her sword deep into his chest.

Holding his wound, Lucus still attempted to fight Adella. However, in his weakened and woozy state his swings were more helpful than harmful. He cut the last bit of rope and the dinghy plummeted. The violent splash as it impacted the water echoed out as the last bits of life faded from the ship's Captain.

The dinghy flipped as it hit the water and Adella and Lucus were propelled down into the waters.

Having heard the crash, a fleet of pirates ran to the side of the ship.

“WHERE’D SHE GO?” One yelled as the capsized dinghy began to drift away from the ship.

“I doubt she survived the fall.” Adella hears a muffled voice say as she bobbed underneath the damaged dinghy. She stayed silent.

“Maybe we should check?” At this, she panicked. Her survival instincts of fight or flight kicked in. Without a thought strong enough to stop her, she dove beneath the water, her legs transformed into a massive tail and she swiftly retreated into the sea.

Back on the deck of the ship, Adoryn heaved her sword from the Captain’s corpse.

The fog began to clear and The crew gathered at the he side of the ship turned to see a clear, unapologetic sight of Adoryn bloodied and standing over the corpse of their Captain.

“Uhh…” Adoryn began to say as the group collective gaze swiftly went between her and the corpse.

Wart called out from across the deck, “We have to go.”

The group charged at Adoryn.

“Yup.” Adoryn agreed. She made a Beeline towards her friend, sweeping him up onto her back. She jumped up on the railing and without hesitation the two of them dove overboard.

They painfully smacked into the harsh, cold ocean, rocketing deep underwater.

Adoryn opened her eyes, the salt water stun but she was able to spot Wart. She grabbed his arm and led them back up to the surface.

They were greeted by the many faces of their former crew staring down at them.

“Good luck swimming, traitors!” The crew laughed.

Adoryn coughed the salt water out of her nose and Wart rubbed his eyes before looking around.

“I don’t see the dinghy.” He said.

“I don’t either,” Adoryn whispered sadly.

“What do we do?” Wart asked.

Adoryn paused.“Swim, I guess?”

Wart shrugged, “We’ve been through worse.”

Adoryn gave a sad smile and the two of them swam off.

#Popsiclewrites #The Princess and The Pirate Love at First Fight #The Princess and the Pirate #Love at first fight #dnd #based on a dnd party #fantasy #romance #mermaid #goblin #triton #ocs #wlw #wlw story #tw: violence #tw: death

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