#I choose their among us colors heh
Text
Dazzling light
➳ Kazuha x gn!reader
➳ Oneshot ; 7.3k
➳ Strangers to lovers, fluff ; No warnings
You meet a cute guy at the local festival, but it seems like it's much more than just a one-sided crush. [10.10.2022]
Zep's Note ; I had no idea it was becoming this long until I saw the word count... oops? I hope it won't stop you from reading this heh.
content under the cut | masterlist
You always looked forward to the annual festival that was held in your city.
Stretched out over a couple of days, the main streets of the local shopping district would be occupied with many stalls and booths to provide with the best street food and entertainment. It was a festival of gratitude and mirth, of light and togetherness. Garlands and strings of fairy lights would traverse the streets, with serpentines and lanterns and various decorations that presented the local culture. The festival made for a fun day out, but it was at night that it truly came to life.
The festive illumination cast a warm gleam upon its surroundings, and the streets became a sea of light against the vast midnight sky. You had been there for a while, you watched the sun set and witnessed how the darkness brought its spark to the festival. The moon and stars were bleak against light that came from below, and for once they weren’t the one true center of the night. No, there was one week each year where the nights revolved around something else. Something human, averting people’s awe away from the celestial bodies.
There were quite a few people. The festival pulled in a wide audience; families with children, teenagers that came with their friends, many couples – young and elderly, and even a lot of people that came alone. Like you. But you didn’t feel lonely, even though you were surrounded by people celebrating together. Actually, you were quite content. You didn’t have to match anyone’s pace and could enjoy the festival in a way that pleased you. You could skip the parts that didn’t catch your interest, and linger a little longer where you wanted to.
For example, this little booth that sold the tiniest handmade plushies. They came in a variety of small animals, and they were absolutely adorable. Plus, the stall keepers were very friendly, not getting at all impatient even when you stood in front of the stall for what felt like at least half an hour. You were indecisive, and couldn’t simply pick one to buy. The cat? The panda? The fox? They were all so cute, and you really had to stop yourself from buying them all.
“I’ll come back when I made up my mind,” you promised the woman behind the colorful stall, and she nodded with a smile. It took you a second to convince yourself to move away, and with one last glance at the cute little animals, you ambled away.
You walked past a booth that hosted a game of pick-a-duck, and the children that stood around seemed to be having a blast. It made you think of gone days, how you used to enjoy those games when you were younger. You wore a faint smile as you kept walking. If you had been here with a couple of friends, you would’ve challenged them to play against you in one of the many games this festival had to offer, but it felt a bit awkward to participate on your own. You’d only be surrounded by kids, anyway. Maybe you’d take a friend tomorrow, just to have some fun at the game booths.
People all around you were chatting away happily, and the string of mirth weaved through the atmosphere, seemingly everlasting. The festival was in full swing, and the first night elicited joy among the people. The smile remained on your face as you enjoyed the elated mood.
You’ve been there for quite a while now, and despite the array of food available, you hadn’t eaten anything yet. Your stomach grumbled, and your hand flew to your stomach – as if you could cover up the slightly embarrassing sound. Now was a good time to get yourself something to eat. But that brought you to the next matter at hand; what would you pick? There was so much to choose from. Stalls offering local dishes, booths selling foreign meals to spice things up a little bit, stalls that sold sweets and pastries, and smaller stands scattered everywhere offering a variety of street food. Of course the scent that lingered in the air was amazing, which only spurred on your desire to find something to eat. You found yourself facing a dilemma. Would you try something new, or would you resort to your go-to order, the snack you got here every year?
Your feet had already taken you in a particular direction, and that was enough of an answer for you. Your eyes skimmed the displays of stands and stalls, looking for one in particular that sold your favorite snack. Maybe trying something new wasn’t bad, but you couldn’t simply abandon the delicacy you loved so much. After all, you could only get it once a year.
It wasn’t long before you found yourself lining up, patiently waiting until it was your turn. In the distance, you heard the music of a marching band parading through the streets. They played a cheerful tune, the perfect match for such a happy atmosphere. It was impossible to remain still, and your foot tapped against the pavement along with the drum beat rhythm.
You finally got up to the front. For a moment, your eyes wandered over the food they had to offer, but it was a meaningless gesture. You already knew what you were going for, anyway. You glanced up, ready to order.
“I would like a–” you began, but your voice trailed off helplessly.
The gentle ruby eyes that gazed back at you took your ability to speak away for a moment. They widened slightly, mimicking the surprise you were experiencing just as much. Those eyes, you breathlessly thought. So beautiful. Utterly in awe, you looked at the rest of his face, and found one that matched so very well with the kindness in his eyes. The male had a handsome yet gentle face, radiating a hint of friendliness despite the surprise that rested on his features. He had hair that was as pale as the moon, tied back into a ponytail. One strand was dyed a vibrant red. It looked so soft, but then again, everything about the male looked soft. Pretty and soft, you decided. Your original purpose had been momentarily forgotten.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch you,” he spoke, releasing you from your little daze. He offered you a polite smile.
Butterflies sprung awake in the pit of your stomach. His voice was gentle, his smile dreamlike. Oh, Y/N, you mentally thought. Your mind seemed too blank to properly tell him what you wanted to order, but you couldn’t really blame yourself. It took you a few seconds to compose yourself, to be able to face the beautiful male again, as you uttered out the food you wanted. You wanted so badly to return the smile, but the blush that powdered your cheeks kept you from functioning normally. You felt like a complete idiot when you stepped aside to let other people order.
You stood there, and your mind was going haywire. Despite the brevity of the moment, it had left a deep impression on you, and you pursed your lips as your heart hammered madly. Who was that guy? Who allowed him to seem so perfect merely at first sight? You stole the occasional glance in his direction, watching how he helped other customers. Always with a polite yet friendly smile. Nothing about it looked fabricated. He seemed to be smiling for real.
“Excuse me?” you heard his voice call, and you looked up.
He was looking at you, a soft twinkle in his gentle eyes as he held out the food you ordered. Your heart leaped when you took a few strides towards him, extending your arm to retrieve the food. Your hand grazed against his, and you almost dropped the sweet skewer to the ground with a gasp. Even though he was wearing latex gloves for hygiene purposes, the idea that your hand just touched his made you blush furiously. You fought to look up, to say at least a thank you because it wouldn’t make sense to just walk off.
“T-Thank you,” you forced out, mustering a smile.
“Enjoy the festival,” the male told you – wait, were you imagining things? Even in the dimmed lights, his cheeks seemed to have darkened significantly as he reciprocated the smile.
You had no excuse to linger around the stall any longer. Your feet felt heavy as you walked away, stealing one last glance at the male before you mingled with the crowd. Your eyes met, and you wondered, had he been looking at you as well? No, that couldn’t be. It was merely coincidental that he looked in your direction. You huffed out a breath, trying to calm your fluttering heart.
It amazed you how much of an impression that guy managed to leave behind. Even as you tried to focus on your food, he was all you could think about. You fought, but failed to get him off your mind. His gentle eyes and pretty smile were all you could see when you closed your eyes, and you resisted the strong urge to walk by the food stall again. Instead, you went home. Maybe your cheeks could finally cool down a little once you were away from the festival.
– – – – –
“It’s amazing to see how this festival pulls in so many visitors each year,” Thoma marveled, letting his eyes wander around as he strolled next to you.
Staying true to your word, you had returned the next day with a friend by your side. You knew how much Thoma enjoyed the festival, so taking him was an easy decision. It was a win-win situation; he was happy to be there at the festival, and he was fun to be around, which meant you were bound to have a good time with him. Your objective was to participate in as many games as possible, and your friend had already assured you that he was totally up for that.
“I know, right?” you agreed. “It’s so lively.”
Once again you were surrounded by happy families and couples having a good time, and you were glad you brought Thoma with you. As much as you enjoyed the festivities on your own, there was something nice about walking around with your close friend. You could share the mirth, laugh together, you had someone to talk to, and on top of that, you didn’t have to feel awkward participating in the carnival games on your own.
“Where do you want to go first?” the blond male asked with an elated smile.
Taking Thoma was a good decision, you concluded. He looked genuinely happy, spurred on by the festive atmosphere. He had quite the busy life, and you knew he wouldn’t have made time to visit the festival if it wasn’t for you asking him. A smile grew on your lips as well.
“Let’s just see what we run into first,” you replied, taking a look around.
On your left was a booth that hosted a game of balloon pop, the bright blue canvas that covered the stall looking cheerful and inviting. It was decorated with colorful flag garlands that moved gently in the wind. You pointed your index finger towards it, calling for Thoma’s attention.
“How about that?”
“Seems fun,” Thoma nodded. “I’m pretty good at that.”
Indeed, Thoma was good, but apparently, you were too. The darts you threw flew towards the colorful balloons, and the sound of balloons popping sounded through the booth. The game host hummed in acknowledgement when you finished, and you wore a triumphant smile. Apparently, you had collected enough points to pick out a prize, and your eyes skimmed the wall stuffed with plushies and other trinkets. You quickly decided on one plushie in particular.
“I want that one,” you said, pointing at your reward of choice.
The host took it from the wall and handed it to you. Behind you, Thoma applauded, and you smiled. You spun around, extending your arms to present the plushie to your friend.
“It’s for you,” you told him. “I know you like Shiba Inus.”
He was hesitant to accept your gift, smiling awkwardly.
“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” he questioned.
“Who cares? Just take it,” you insisted, basically pushing the stuffed Shiba into his hands.
“Alright, alright,” Thoma gave in, hugging the plushie to his chest. “I’ll name it Taroumaru.”
You took part in various other games after that. You failed miserably at bean bag toss, Thoma got lucky with a game of spin the wheel, your friend insisted on a rematch of balloon pop – which he won, and you had a blast while magnet fishing. Naturally, you were surrounded by young children most of the time, but you found yourself hardly caring. You were having so much fun, and the night proceeded full of laughter.
Thoma carried around his Taroumaru the entire time, never losing it out of sight even while he was concentrating on the games he participated in. He acted like a proud dog owner, which made you laugh. You were truly having a great time.
“I’m getting hungry,” Thoma commented after a while. “Can we go and grab a bite?”
“Yeah, sure,” you immediately said. “I’m pretty hungry myself.”
As you were going around playing games, you totally lost track of time and didn’t think about eating in the meantime. It’d been a while since your last meal, and the same went for your friend. Now was a good time to take a break and get something to eat. The very moment you decided, your mind took a detour to a certain stall a little down the street, and your heart jumped. This was a good excuse to go there again, wasn’t it? You were eager to see him again, you hesitantly admitted to yourself.
“I know a place that sells yummy street food,” you offered. “Wanna go there?”
“Sure, lead the way,” Thoma replied.
It was as if a magnetic pull guided you towards him – though you weren’t sure if he was there, no one told you whether or not he worked at the stall every day of the festival. Thoma followed you, and he was probably wondering why you were in such a hurry all of a sudden. You zig-zagged through the crowd and he struggled to keep up. Your heartbeat sped up in anticipation as you got closer; you were so close to finding out if he was there or not.
Finally, the stall came into sight, and you sighed in relief. He was there, smiling widely as he handed a cardboard container with ramen to a little girl standing next to her grandma. The sight made you swell with happiness; he seemed like such a sweetheart. Thank you! you heard the young girl squeak out before she walked away, and you couldn’t help the dreamy gaze in your eyes as you looked at the male behind the stand.
“Y/N?” Thoma called out, shaking a hand before your eyes.
You snapped out of it, finally noticing how you stood with your feet riveted to the ground. Oh, you had been totally out of it and your friend caught you staring at the street food boy! A blush crept of your cheeks and you shook your head.
“Y-Yeah?” you reacted, obviously bewildered.
Thoma looked puzzled, his eyes flitting between you and the food stall up ahead. Then, after a moment, his eyes widened slightly, as if he had a lightbulb moment.
“Oh,” he brought out, as if it suddenly all made sense to him. “I see how it is.” He offered you a grin and gently urged you forward. “C’mon, let’s get our food.”
Your entire being was rigid with nervousness as you stepped towards the front of the stall, even more so than yesterday. He was talking to his co-worker now, wearing an amused smile that still lingered when he turned to face the new customer – you. The smile almost melted you, he was so adorable! But then his soft ruby eyes flickered to the male standing next to you, and the warm smile faltered. It was swiftly replaced by a polite grin that looked like it took a lot of work to get it there.
“Hello, what can I get you two?” he asked.
“Uh,” you began intelligently. Great, Y/N. The sudden shadow that washed over the male’s face confused you, and your brows knitted together in a slight frown. Why did he suddenly look so gloomy?
Thoma stepped in and ordered for the both of you, and you felt nothing but dissatisfaction as you walked away with the food in your hands. That didn’t go according to plan at all; you wanted to see his gentle eyes and his warm smile, but you only saw them fade away and be replaced by something fake and strained. It saddened you, but at the same time you couldn’t help but wonder why.
“Uh oh,” Thoma murmured. “I think we gave him the wrong idea.”
“What do you mean?” you inquired, tilting your head a little.
Your friend simply gave you a meaningful look, as if to say, think about it. So you did, and slowly started to connect the dots. His warm demeanor, dissolving rapidly as soon as he saw you and Thoma – was it because you two stood there together? We gave him the wrong idea echoed in your mind. Your eyes widened in realization.
Was the pretty boy behind the food stall… jealous?
– – – – –
That night you would be preoccupied with something else, so you decided to visit the festival a little earlier than the nights prior. It looked different in the sunlight. Less lively, despite the colors being more vivid than they were at night. Something about the absence of the fairy lights and lanterns took away the spark, and the festival was a little dull. Even the crowd was thin; it was obvious that most people preferred to visit after sundown. Obviously, you rather visited at night just as much, but if you had to choose between going earlier or not going at all, it was an easy pick. You already decided not to stay that long, since your visit held no further purposes. You did everything that could possibly be done at the festival. Still, you didn’t just want to stay at home. For many years, you always made sure to visit the festival every day in order not to miss anything, and now you had a little extra motivation to do so.
That boy.
The gloom that rested upon his features was engraved fresh in your mind, and you hated it. Today, your mission was to replace that image with one of his warm smile – which would be a far better memory.
You made up your mind. You wouldn’t freeze like an idiot, you wouldn’t stutter or forget how to function properly. You came prepared; you wouldn’t be taken aback by how pretty he was. Not today.
For the sake of pretending, you wandered through the streets for a bit, even tried a game of balloon pop to see if you were still as good as you were yesterday – you weren’t, apparently it was only beginner’s luck. You ran into some acquaintances and walked with them for a while, and you managed to spend a couple of hours at the festival without going straight towards the stall where the cute boy worked. But now your time was running out, you had to leave soon in order to get home in time for your other activities. You weren’t at all hungry, but you had to buy a sweet skewer since you had no other excuse to talk to him. It was okay, you’d be able to force it down, it wasn’t that big of a snack anyway.
You walked with a slight skin in your step, finally giving in and gravitating towards the food stall naturally. Of course there was the slight doubt within you that wondered if he would even be there, since you had no guarantee. But since it was less crowded, you were able to spot the stall from a fair distance and recognized the vibrant streak of red in his pale hair. A smile naturally grew on your face when you saw him.
There was no queue, and you came to a halt right in front of him.
“Hello,” you greeted him, still smiling. “I’d like a sweet skewer.”
Smooth, Y/N, you complimented yourself.
“You really like those, hm?” the male grinned. “Alright, it’ll be ready soon.”
You stepped aside, satisfied with the outcome. You hadn’t stuttered at all, didn’t become a blushing mess, and the most important of all, he smiled at you and his pretty ruby eyes had regarded you with a certain gentleness again. With dreamy eyes and a faint smile, you watched how he prepared your order while he talked to an elderly lady behind the counter. They were laughing about something, and the sound was like music to your ears. Oh, you were so smitten, weren’t you? Your smile grew a little sad; falling for a boy who was just here for the annual festival was bound to have a heartbreaking outcome, right? He would disappear and you would stay behind, unable to think of anyone else for quite some weeks.
His little ponytail danced with every movement he made, bouncing cutely when he nodded along to a story the elderly lady was telling. His smile seemed to be perpetually present, the corners of his mouth always pulled upward at least a little. The male radiated so much positive energy, it was regretful that you only got to admire him from a distance.
“Hey, your sweet skewer is ready,” a gentle voice called.
You approached the counter, ready to take it from his hand. Careful not to let your fingertips touch – you weren’t prepared for another heart attack – you took the skewer.
“Thanks,” you said.
Maybe for the last time, you offered him a smile. But the smile he gave in return was one that stole your breath away. Warm and genuine, like the radiant sun that shone from the sky. It was a smile you hadn’t seen from him before, and a storm of butterflies was quick to rage in your stomach. Goodness, you thought. You were in love with his smile.
“Enjoy,” he beamed at you, before he hesitated. “Uhm, see you tomorrow?”
You blinked, processing what the male just said. He wanted to see you tomorrow? He wanted to see you tomorrow! He was working on the very last day of the festival as well. You would see him one last time before it was over. Of course you would take the opportunity. Happily so. Your poor heart was working double hours as you gave him a nod.
“See you tomorrow.”
You felt like you were afloat when you walked away, your mind lingering somewhere around cloud nine. Your mind was full of him, of his smile and his ruby eyes, of his voice that was like music and the words he spoke to you. The skewer in your hand remained idle, for you were too occupied to even think of taking a bite. The memory of his gloom in your mind had been replaced by that of a smile that bloomed brightly, and what a blessing it was. You couldn’t help but feel giddy as you walked home.
Tomorrow, you’d see him again.
– – – – –
Actually, there wasn’t much reason to go to the festival again. You had seen all that was there to be seen and you basically skipped past everything you encountered on your way. The only thing that would make tonight special was the big firework show at the end of the night, to wrap up this year’s festival. You weren’t sure if you were going to watch tonight. It would be a while before it started, and your visit only had one purpose. It would be brief; you would buy yourself a skewer, take a good final look at the boy, amble around the festival for a bit to keep up your charade, and then head home and mull about the pretty guy behind the food stall.
The atmosphere was cheerful, just like the previous nights. Not much to your surprise, you didn’t quite share the glee. In fact, you were walking morosely, realizing all too well that tonight would be the last time you saw him. You tried not to show it, you forced a small skip in your step as you approached the food stall. At least the place was a bit more lively again than it was yesterday, brightened by the fairy lights and lanterns. You glanced around the daintily decorated streets, hoping that the warm gleam would lift your spirits a little.
Your mind was at war, brightness and gloom fighting for dominance. Gloom, because it would bring an end to your short-lived crush on the festival boy. Brightness, because he basically invited you to come back today. They fought fiercely, and you were on the fence in regards to how you felt. Sadly, the gloom seemed to have the upper hand, and you dragged your feet towards the food stall.
This time, you had to line up again, and you stood impatiently as you waited for your turn. You anticipated this moment the entire day, but it would be over in the blink of an eye. You’d order your skewer, memorize the smile he offered you, and walk off with slumped shoulders. It was the inevitable outcome of tonight. One might even call it a heartbreak.
You grew a little antsy as you got closer. You could hear his voice already, taking orders and thanking customers. Even after four days of doing the same work non-stop, he still sounded animated and cheerful. How did he keep that up? He must be a truly positive spirit who loved his job.
And then it was your turn.
It was as if everything froze over the very moment your eyes met. Time stopped as the two of you mindlessly stared at each other, both equally in awe. You were awfully aware of the way your heart hammered in your chest; it was the effect he had on you. He simply looked so beautiful, radiating kindness.
He was the first one to break the silent spell, a smile forming on his lips.
“You came,” he brought out.
“Of course,” you smiled back at him.
Oh, if only this moment could last forever. Just you and him, surrounded by the warm lights and cheerful music of the festival. His smile was all you ever wanted to look at, for it was so joyous and wonderful.
“Kazuha?” the same elderly lady as he worked with yesterday spoke up. She moved to stand next to the male with hair as pale as the moon, and her eyes found you. Her skin wrinkled when she smiled, patting his shoulder. “I see,” she croaked. “You’re off for tonight.”
“What?” he began, his ruby eyes widening. “But–”
“No buts, young man,” the woman lightly scolded. “I’ll manage.”
You stood with your feet riveted to the pavement, barely processing what was happening. The boy – or Kazuha – hesitantly took off his apron and latex gloves and walked around the stand to meet you, doubt written in his eyes. The surprise got the best of you and all you did was stand there, stupefied because the pretty boy was suddenly in front of you. You gazed at the elderly lady with mild awe, and she smiled encouragingly. What was happening? Was this a dream? You fought the urge to pinch yourself.
“My name is Kazuha,” the male spoke in his gentle voice.
“I’m Y/N,” you introduced yourself, dazed by the sudden turn of events.
“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Y/N,” Kazuha smiled, seemingly catching on much quicker. He easily outdid the pace in which you could adapt to the new situation at hand. But if you looked closely, you saw the restlessness in his ruby eyes, and you could tell he carried a lot of nervousness under his charade of calmness.
Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, you took a quick look at your surroundings. The people that stood in line for the food stand all had their eyes on the scene, all wearing a hint of pleasant surprise on their features. You had no idea what to do or what to say, and wanted nothing but to vanish right then and there. But at the same time, you didn’t want to waste this golden opportunity. It would leave you with many regrets if you decided to chicken out now. He was so close yet so far out of reach every time you saw him behind the food stall and now he was in front of you, released from his duty and waiting for you to say something.
“Do you… want to walk around the festival for a bit?” you bravely offered, deciding to seize this opportunity to the best of your abilities. The boy with the dreamlike smile, who had you spellbound from the very first time you laid your eyes upon him, was within reach now and you had to make the most of it. You weren’t going to let this slip away. You mustered up a courageous smile. “I assume you haven’t seen much of it yet, since I always see you working here.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kazuha nodded. “I’ve been quite caught up in serving street food, indeed, and haven’t had the chance to enjoy the festivities myself.”
“Well then, tonight is your night,” you piped. You felt giddy and anxious at the same time, and you weren’t at all surprised that your voice came out a few octaves higher than usual.
Kazuha reciprocated your smile, and its gentleness eased your jitters a little bit. You walked off together, and you didn’t miss the way the old woman smiled fondly before you mingled with the crowd. You were electrically aware of Kazuha’s proximity; he walked so close to you that your arms touched occasionally, but that was inevitable while meandering through the swarm of people. There was absolutely nothing intimidating about him, but the fact that there no longer was a wooden stall that drove a wedge between the two of you was plenty intimidating on its own. Your interactions had been very limited to stolen glances and wistful smiles, but now you actually got to talk to him.
“Why don’t you give me a tour?” the moonlight-pale haired male suggested.
“Sure, I can do that,” you replied. As someone who loyally attended every year, you knew the festival grounds like the back of your hand. You were quite confident in your knowledge regarding these festivities, and you could tell Kazuha a thing or two about it.
Kazuha was a good listener, that was easy to figure out. What surprised you, though, was how words seemed to spill with ease around him. You found yourself talking animatedly as you led him through the decorated streets, talking about whatever came to mind; you told him about the history of the festival, explained details that represented your local culture, showed him your favorite stalls and booths and gushed about how pretty the fairy lights were. You even talked about stories from previous years, all from your own experience. It was easy to talk to him, and despite you being the one who talked the most, the conversation never felt like one-way traffic. Kazuha made sure to add little comments here and there, and sometimes he asked questions that made you elaborate on certain parts. He never seemed disinterested, and nothing made it look like he was done with all your talking.
Being so near to him made your heart beat a little faster, and every time he smiled at you awakened a swarm of butterflies in your stomach. Yet, you noticed how quickly you felt at ease around him. You were talking freely, a small skip in your step as you walked next to him.
Your mood was elated, but was that really much of a surprise? He had seemed so perfect while you admired him from afar, but up close that image didn’t falter. His smile lit up the entire festival, the fairy lights and colorful lanterns that hung from the garlands bleak in comparison to the brightness of his gentle smile. What made it even better was the fact that Kazuha was someone who wore a smile quite often, as he regarded his surroundings with a gentle demeanor. Being around him was simply so pleasant.
“I think you’ve seen pretty much everything now,” you concluded, coming to a halt near the starting point of your little tour – the food stall he worked at.
“It’s a pretty festival, I’m glad I got to work here this year,” Kazuha smiled.
You sat down on a wooden bench together, under a canopy of garlands and fairy lights. There were several other benches, all occupied by families or couples. Aside from that, the spot you decided to sit down at was fairly quiet. It was quite a contrast to the wide streets; on the last night of the festival, it was always the busiest. Everyone went all-out for the grande finale of the event. It was more crowded than the days prior, and the organization behind the festivities gave it their all. You were glad to be out of the crowd for a bit, enjoying a somewhat serene moment with Kazuha by your side.
“Say, do you live far away from here?” you began after a while. “You know, since you haven’t visited the festival before and only came around this year to work.” The question came out with a little effort, because you dreaded the answer that would follow.
“That depends on what you consider to be far,” Kazuha replied, flashing you a look. “I’m not from around, which is why I’ve never heard of this festival before. I’m only here because my job sent me to work here this year. It took me around two hours to get here, but they paid well so I took the job.”
“Oh,” you brought out, failing to hide the hint of sadness from your tone. That wasn’t what you had wanted to hear. Why couldn’t he live nearby? Two hours wasn’t that bad, but it also wasn’t necessarily around the corner. The two of you only just met, and you didn’t see it to be enough reason to travel two hours back and forth to see each other again. You would, without a doubt, but you had no idea if he was willing to. It seemed that your crush would be really short-lived, you bitterly thought.
“Why?” the male asked, and you swore you saw a teasing glint in his ruby eyes when he looked at you. “Scared that you’ll have to miss me?”
You nodded stiffly, refusing to look back at him. You were embarrassed to admit it like that, so blunt and straight-forward. It wasn’t hard to figure out how infatuated you were with him, and you were certain he would catch on as well.
“Well,” Kazuha started, clearing his throat before he hesitated. “Maybe it’s a bit early for this, but the feeling I had every time you passed by our food stall wasn’t there for nothing. Y/N, I think I like you. Traveling is nothing new for me, and I’ll be back before you have a chance to miss me. I want to get to know you better.”
His voice was earnest, the teasing glint gone entirely. Yet, the fact that he was so serious about this only stirred more butterflies to spring to life within you, and your cheeks heated up instantly. It felt surreal; you weren’t used to the idea of dreams becoming reality, and you sat frozen on the surface of the wooden bench, staring ahead of you until the festive lights were nothing but a blur. Kazuha just confessed to you, and the blissful feeling caught you utterly off guard. You forced yourself out of it, sucking in a breath.
“I like you too,” you brought out, which was nothing but the truth.
Kazuha smiled widely at you, and there was a little sparkle in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. But then he seemed to remember something, and his expression turned thoughtful.
“So the guy you came by with the other night…” he began.
“He’s just a friend,” you quickly reassured him. “Really, I only had eyes for you.”
“Yeah, you made that pretty clear,” Kazuha grinned, obviously relieved.
A small silence followed, and you mostly spent it wallowing in embarrassment. But the sensation of sheer happiness broke through the cracks, and a smile grew on your face as you looked at your hands – they rested so close to each other, a hair’s breadth away from touching. If you had the courage to do so, you would’ve dismissed the final distance and grazed your hand over his. The urge within you was strong.
“Y/N,” the male called out. “I heard there’s a firework show tonight.”
“There is, and it’s pretty famous,” you confirmed. “Locally, at least.”
“Do you want to watch it together?” he offered. “It sounds like a suitable finale for this festival.”
“Of course,” you reacted, fully aware of how romantic that idea was.
Maybe the firework show was the only moment where you felt remotely lonely, the previous years. It was the moment where love blossomed freely, as countless couples held hands as they gazed up at the glittering sky. You sneaked a glance at Kazuha and wondered, what if this year you wouldn’t be alone? Your eyes rested on your nearly-touching hands once more and for a brief moment, you allowed yourself to fantasize about holding hands.
You got up from the bench and moved away from the gazebo of light, on your way to secure a good spot to look at the firework show. Quite some others seemed to have had the same idea, and it was already pretty crowded once you got to the large plaza. Regardless, you managed to get a good position with a clear view on what was happening. Currently, some staff members were finishing the last preparations for the show. The buzz of anticipation was palpable, and you felt it too. You looked up at the dark sky, which would soon lend itself as the backdrop for a magnificent show.
“How many times have you seen this firework show before?” Kazuha asked next to you.
“Every year,” you told him. “For as long as I can remember.” You gave him a smile. “But every time feels like it’s the first time. There’s something special and impressive about it.”
Maybe it was because the everdark night sky would light up in colors so bright, or because the old tradition never failed to bring forth hope and joy. After all, it was widely believed that fireworks had the power to scare away evil spirits and fend off the darkness. This festival, but especially this night, always managed to diminish the negativity that lingered in your city. Everyone gathered together with merely one reason; to enjoy and have a good time.
And this year, it would be even more special. You stole a glance at the male next to you, who rested against the iron fence comfortably. An easy smile played on his lips as he watched the staff members prepare, and you could see the excitement in his eyes.
More and more people came to the plaza, and the carefree chatter resonated in the air. Everyone was cheerful, looking forward to the big finale that was about to happen. The minutes passed by. The announcer climbed up a stall wooden stage in the center of the square, his voice belting out his words buoyantly.
“Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between,” he bellowed, spreading his arms to add some flair to his speech. “Our festival has come to an end, but it’s not over without one last tribute to the joy we share. I hereby announce, let the firework show commence!”
The final words of his sentence were inaudible, for the first fireworks got launched with a loud bang. They traveled up to the night sky with high velocity, before erupting in frothy sparks of white and blue. They sizzled and vanished, only to be instantly replaced by a rupture of red and green. A string of colors shot up high towards the sky, and the light was truly dazzling.
It was beautiful, and you gazed up at the night sky in awe. The noise was deafening, but what you got in return was worth the strain on your eardrums. The canvas of darkness that rested over the festival exploded into a myriad of colors, and a smile ghosted over your features. You loved this moment; you always looked forward to it. You dared to believe that fireworks really diminished evil spirits, for all you felt was joy and positivity.
Something warm touched your hand, and you tore your gaze away from the sky to look at Kazuha. He smiled shyly at you as he weaved his fingers between yours, taking a hold of your hand ever so gently. You couldn’t help the blush that painted your cheeks, but you accepted his gesture and offered him a warm smile. The look in his gentle ruby eyes made your heart swell with happiness, especially now that they caught and reflected the colorful lights that painted the sky. He gazed at you as if you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Funny, you thought exactly the same about him. You felt giddy, and gave his hand a soft squeeze – which he returned ever so softly.
You felt nothing but pure bliss as you glanced up at the sky together, and you couldn’t stop smiling as you watched what remained of the firework show. It slowly came to an end, and the final bangs resonated over the town square until there was a moment of silence.
A sheen of smoke glided over the pavement, like spirits drifting away. Tonight’s firework show had fulfilled its purpose. The scent of gunpowder and chemicals wafted over the plaza, reminding you that the explosions of colors didn’t belong to merely a fairytale. It was very real, just like the way Kazuha’s hand gingerly held onto yours.
Then the crowd erupted into a round of applause, and cheers filled the air. You didn’t clap along, since you refused to let go of Kazuha’s hand – who knew when you could hold it again? Your hand fit into his so snugly, and you loved it that way. But you couldn’t help the cheers of joy that spilled over your lips, and the male next to you cheered along. It felt like long minutes until the crowd fell quiet again, scattering as they left the plaza to go home.
You turned to Kazuha, smiling brightly.
“I can’t believe I got granted a chance to talk to you,” you giggled.
Just then, a soft breeze pulled over the pavement, rusting your hair in a way most gentle. Kazuha smiled ever so sweetly, his eyes turning into little crescents.
“You’ll get plenty more,” he promised you.
This year’s festival was a great success, maybe the best festival you’d ever attended. A cute guy worked behind the stall that sold your favorite street food, but what seemed to be merely a short festival-crush turned out to be something mutual, something that had potential. Who knew where the two of you would end up? You couldn’t wait to find out.
#genshin impact#genshin impact imagines#genshin impact scenarios#genshin impact fanfiction#genshin impact imagine#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact headcanons#genshin impact kazuha#genshin impact kaedehara kazuha#kaedehara kazuha#kazuha#kazuha genshin impact#kazuha fluff#kaedehara kazuha x reader#genshin impact kazuha x reader#kazuha imagines#kazuha imagine#kaedehara kazuha imagines#kazuha x you#kazuha x reader#kazuha x y/n
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Hide and seek
Some doodles I made from the recent OTV video
#I choose their among us colors heh#offline tv and friends#offline tv#OTV#lilypichu#michael reeves#disguise toast#quarterJade#itzmasayoshi#sydeon#Eaj#twitch stream#streamers#youtube
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Zuuuuuuu!!! Hi!!!!!! How have you been?!?! Omg you did the meme!!! Love how Dream is the blanket hog lol.
I've never seen this version of the lay out before actually, did you make the template yourself?
Love how they are in contact with eachother, makes it so much better aw
How's your weekend been?
How's work going?
Also how's your eye doing? Are you doing any better
Still can't get over my commission ah! Keep going back to look at it
Hii Gayfish!! <3 Awwwsome, thank you! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)☆ YES I just found this among my drafts and decided to take a break finishing it heh, their relationship is def worth it ;3
Ah nono— I credited the original post with the template under the "read more" line (ówò) I found this one really sweet and easy to use! *^*
Thank uuu (〃ω〃) No boundaries for them anymore <3
The weekend's been busy yet grrreat! \(//∇//)\ I finally took part in that epoxy painting workshop (which I got for my birthday), it was magical ˚✧₊⁎ In a few days I can pick up the dried works and show you ♪ (Well, you can guess the colors I chose ;)
Aaand I just got back from my friend's birthday ٩( ᐛ )و♪ We had so much fun in the quest room! Have you ever been in one? It was based on Among Us, there was one imposter, and instead of killing, they were supposed to secretly switch the button while we were solving tasks. I caught them doing this in the second room (it was the birthday guy themselves heh) but decided to let them win and just looked at them every time we're alone like: :)
Work's been good as well! The other day I went to sign documents on new salary, it was raining heavily on my way but worth it xp And my eye is almost like new, thank you! <3 Only after such major incidents you begin to appreciate the details╰(*´︶`*)╯
Awww I'm really glad to hear you enjoy it! (*´꒳`*)
What about you? ♡ How's your weekend been?? How's it going with the work & drawing? *^*
UPD:
Oh it's alright! (ówò) Please don't force yourself if you feel sleepy now (it is really late :')) Have a nice rest (úwù)☆
It's actually really easy! *^* The only thing is the hardener (which is mixed with the resin), it's toxic & flammable and it's better not work with it at home x)
The mixture is poured into cups and mixed with pigments (paints), then you just pour them onto wooden coasters and that's where the fun begins! ☆
You can 1) tilt it and mix the colors; 2) paint by hand with a stick; 3) blow it with a hair dryer XD Each option is beautiful & interesting in its own way (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡
Purple is one of the four, bingo! (๑>◡<๑)★
WAIT you've been in an art club?? *0*
Ah right, escape rooms is the right name! It is worth trying *w* Ohhh I can tell you sometime about the horror escape room I've found myself in... x)
Hmm! Trapped? ☆ Sounds really similar, gotta look into this one *^*
No more indeed ;') A snow?! \(//∇//)\ YAY seems like that xp
Awww Gayfish! (ówò) That's amazing!! Did you like it there? Don't hesitate to trust your intuition ☆ I'm so happy for you, hopefully it'll turn out the best way for you ♡ Bonus for the free food xd
I feel you, I know how frightening and tiring it may be in such a large volume, but it can turn out to be even cooler, useful and interesting for you!╰(*´︶`*)╯Don't rush to choose and take your time, you know you can always change your mind (úwù)
Actually, I believe you can talk to @kotikaleo about this since she's a fulltime artist who's studying it professionally now! *^*
A dorm!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*) Roommates, parties, college life... ♪ Ohh I wish I was in your shoes to experience this ♡ The beginning of your adult life! ☆ Best of luck to you <3
And that's the main thing! (*´꒳`*) Nobody knows what will happen in a year or two, the only things that matter is what you do and love to do now ♡
Tbh I wasn't even ready going to work with news since my real specialization is a photojournalist (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) But the vacancies were quite different so I had to quickly adapt :D
Omg I shouldn't have written so long to delay you— I'm so glad you had such a productive day, please take your time with drawing and sleep well first!╰(*´︶`*)╯
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Underneath Starlit Skies: Sokkla Saturdays 2021
Day One: Happy Family
On FF.net // On AO3
"Well, goodness. I can't believe he actually pulled it off."
The building awaiting them inland had never seen more beautiful days, Azula had no doubts about that. Few people had seen the Ember Island villa in its previous prime, and only two people out of the many who would spend the week there had any notion of what it had looked like in the past. Yet the decaying estate that had seemed moments away from becoming uninhabitable had been part of yet another of many renewal efforts following the end of the Hundred Years' War: all the weed growing on the roofs had been removed, the rooftiles themselves had been replaced, the gold finish of the crests had been cleansed and renewed, the paint on the walls was vivid again, and the blocked out, old window frames had been replaced by elegantly patterned woodwork that crisscrossed over the glass.
Beyond that, however, Azula found the building itself had been expanded. Her childhood's vacation villa had seemed large when she was but a little girl, but it certainly was much larger now: the grounds around it had been terraformed in current times, allowing the villa to spread wider and larger, with a brand-new annex area that had been build to provide visitors far more rooms to choose from… a necessary luxury, Azula knew, for the countless guests the villa would soon host.
"Huh, so that's the place?" Sokka asked, stepping closer to where she stood, by the ferry's railing, and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Looks… cozy."
"Cozy?" Azula smirked at Sokka's deliberately arrogant declaration. He snickered as she elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Come on, it's practically a palace of its own."
"Maybe, but it's not that fancy once you get used to fancier…" he smirked: he pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head, and Azula instinctively leaned into him. "You've spoiled me rotten over the years and you know it. I used to be so much humbler…"
"So, I ruined you, is it?" Azula asked, turning in his arms, eyebrows raised skeptically. Sokka snickered and nodded, prompting her to laugh again and shake her head. "You've never known any shame, and I love that about you far more than I should."
"Who says you shouldn't?" Sokka grinned: Azula took his bait, leaning in to press her lips against his…
"Mom, Dad! Ew!"
Their kiss broke off as Azula sighed, glancing hopelessly at Shun: the boy squirmed and stuck his tongue out at their blatant display of affection, as he always did.
"Guess now we know who says I shouldn't," Azula smirked, shaking her head at her son, who pouted stubbornly. Sokka, however, scoffed and waved a hand in Shun's direction.
"Never mind Shun, he's just grumpy I've got your attention for now," Sokka said, proudly. Azula laughed as Shun gasped in outrage. "You'd think he'd be used to it, he sees us doing this all the time, seriously, ALL the time…!"
"He's a stubborn one. Wait until he finds someone to kiss too, we'll return the favor tenfold," Azula taunted Shun, who blushed furiously while Sokka laughed proudly.
"Sounds like a plan," he said
"No! No kissing! I won't kiss anyone!" Shun determined, stubbornly.
"See? That's why your mom comes to me: if you won't even kiss her cheek, I have to make up for it," Sokka declared proudly: Shun was still far too young to learn how to navigate the waters of verbal fencing with his father and Sokka, unlike him, had countless years of training in the arts of how to turn someone's words against them. He had done it thousands of times to Azula… just as she had done it thousands of times to him. Shun, however…
"Ugh!" was the little boy's final, eloquent declaration before he stormed off, pouting irritably, on his way to the side of the ferry where his sisters were.
"Ah, sweet victory…" Sokka smirked, tightening his embrace around Azula.
She couldn't hold back her smile, comfortably nestled in his arms, as her eyes raked their ferry all the way to where the children sat: Hotaru had kept Yuuna distracted with wild tales of hybrid animals, an effective way of ensuring the young waterbender wouldn't do anything chaotic with her powers, such as accidentally building up waves that could disturb the progress of their vessel, or even breaking the hull by practicing her ability to freeze water. She had much to learn yet, but their youngest had a knack for choosing to learn it all at the worst possible timing: Sokka and Azula had taken turns keeping her busy so far, but Hotaru had graciously relieved them from the job at the last leg of their journey. Shun joined the two girls now, sitting on the floor before them, much more interested in listening to his older sister's stories than in watching his parents' relentless displays of affection.
"It feels like we set out barely a few minutes ago…" Sokka smiled, glancing back at the house with amazement. "I really hope our little vacation doesn't go by in a blur. It's been a while since we took any breaks…"
"It has. But now that things have calmed down a bit, I think we could afford doing this sort of thing more often," Azula said, with a weak smile. "Zuko did say he wanted to make this a yearly event, at the very least… he might have to make it more frequently than that, though. Some of our expected guests would surely appreciate taking breaks from the harshness of winter once in a while…"
"For that matter, he ought to rent the house to them in winter so they can flee from the nasty weather," Sokka suggested, with a smirk. "Which could mean we would get two vacations a year… that's a pretty good deal, I think."
"I think so too," Azula said, relaxing comfortably against his chest.
The sea's salty scent, the sun's bright glow, the beauty in the colorful scenery before them… all of it heralded good things, even if Azula suspected it painted a prospect far too good to be true. Even if the years had mellowed them out, she was quite likely to butt heads with her brother over anything and everything… and Sokka was bound to do the same with his own sister, whenever she arrived. Then, there was also the matter of having far too many children, of variable ages, running around within a single house… it was difficult enough keeping track of Yuuna and Shun most days, Azula hardly wanted to imagine how much more difficult it would be to handle their childish antics when combined with those of her brother's children, too… as well as all the kids that might just be part of their grand revelry. At this point, Azula wasn't sure who had confirmed attendance and who hadn't: for once, she had nothing to do with the organization of an event. Zuko had handled everything himself, therefore, she would have nothing to do but kick back and enjoy whatever madness this week had in store for them.
Even the dock, rundown and unusable as it had been the last time Azula had so much as glanced this way in Ember Island, had been rebuilt and strengthened by solid, beautiful workmanship into a magnificent pier: the manatee-whales carrying forward their ferry slowed right beside it, and the activity of the ferry's workers signaled to the children that the journey was finally at an end. As tame as she always was, even Hotaru couldn't hold back the bright smile and enthusiasm that rushed over her upon realizing they had reached their destination.
"Alright, time to reel in our three little storms," Azula smiled, clasping Sokka's hand and yanking him towards the kids, who had already leapt to their feet, beaming brightly.
"That's the house, Mom?" Hotaru asked, gold eyes bright with illusion. "It's amazing!"
"Well, it certainly is now," Azula smiled, nodding as she cast another glance at their destination. "Your uncle's done a surprisingly great job at making it better than it ever was."
"Do I get to pick my room?!" Shun asked, beaming brightly. Azula raised an eyebrow.
"I wonder about that. I mean, there should be enough room for everyone in there, if all repairs and construction were finished on time…" Azula said, tapping her chin. "But I wonder if Zuko has already decided on our sleeping arrangements, beforehand…"
"Like… a room for each family?" Hotaru asked. Sokka winced visibly at the notion.
"No… more like rooms for each set of parents, and the kids can all sleep in the same tiny room," he decided, smirking. Azula rolled her eyes and elbowed his ribs again, prompting him to chuckle… yet it didn't seem the kids were all that displeased by the idea.
"Maybe girls would share, and boys too…?" Hotaru said, smiling.
"Me and Hotaru!" Yuuna exclaimed, wrapping her little arms around her sister's leg. Shun pouted upon realizing he wouldn't be with his oldest sister too, but he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled shortly afterwards:
"That's fine, then! I'll be with Renshu and Iroh!" he declared.
"And Yuudai," said Hotaru, smiling weakly. "I guess he'll have to be in charge of making sure all of you behave yourselves?"
"Heh, I was just kidding around. Who'd have thought they'd actually like that idea…?" Sokka spoke quietly to Azula, who chuckled and shook her head.
"We'll see about all this once we're at the house, kids. Now, then…" she withdrew from Sokka's embrace most unwillingly, yet as disappointed as he was to let her walk away, he knew she meant to speak with the ferry's sailors, ensuring they would bring their luggage safely to the house.
Azula thought they hadn't brought excessive amounts of luggage but, considering the potential chaos that never failed to swirl around children – someone might spill juice over their clothes, any accidents could result in scraped knees or elbows, their possessions could be mixed up with those of their cousins, among countless possibilities –, they never could be too prepared. Each child had a small bag to carry themselves, as Sokka had taught them to pack essentials and carry them in a personal bag for any trip they might take, in case anything unpleasant happened. The two of them had bags of their own… though Sokka, as ever, was carrying his wife's. At this point, Azula was well past the point of trying to reason with him about the futility of letting him carry her emergency supplies, he'd make up any goofy excuse to continue doing it… and in the end, it was rather gallant of him to do so, anyway.
Once she had settled everything with the sailors, Azula finally returned to her family: the ramp that led to the dock had already been set down, and it seemed Shun and Yuuna were ready to race down to solid ground, eager smiles on their faces as Sokka held them back, by the scruff of their respective outfits.
"Ah, Mommy's back now, see?" Sokka smiled at Azula, and the kids grinned brightly too. "We're all stepping down this big ship together, alright?"
"As it should be," Azula determined, stepping up and wrapping an arm around Hotaru's shoulders. Her oldest daughter smiled at the gesture, watching fondly as her younger siblings put on an act of trying to run down the ramp, despite their father still held them back. "Though I have the feeling you three ought to climb down first, not sure Hotaru and I care to compete over who touches land first."
Her words wound up offering her children an idea she hadn't truly planned on giving them: Yuuna and Shun smiled viciously at each other, a telltale sign that chaos was about to begin, and Sokka only had time to yelp before the young waterbender raised a burst of water, hoisted from the sea around them, right into her brother's fistful of flames.
"Ack! No crazy bending, you…! Hey! Hey, now!" Sokka squealed: the resulting steam from his children's joint attack had seen him releasing them from his hold… and now the two kids ran down the ramp, laughing happily, while he pouted at them. "How dare you…?! I should have you grounded! Azula, can I ground them?"
"Asking me for permission to ground them isn't exactly productive when it comes to enforcing your authority, Sokka…" Azula smirked, as Hotaru laughed beside her. Sokka pouted before rising to his feet, hands fisted on his hips.
"Unacceptable! I am going to ground you, yes I will!" he declared, his voice cracking in the typical way it did whenever he was joking.
He strode down the ramp in an awkward gait, and the two kids, already standing on solid ground, only giggled guiltily as he approached them.
"Who'd have thought…? You two, little troublemaking rascals… you're always at each other's throats, but you're the best of friends whenever it's convenient, huh?!" he huffed, stepping down onto the solid ground at the end of the dock. "How shameless. Is this behavior acceptable for the children of Sokka, the great warrior of the Southern Water Tribe?!"
"Yeah!" Yuuna declared, shamelessly, as Shun laughed carelessly beside her. Sokka's eyebrow twitched.
"The fact that you're impossibly cute just… makes it so damn difficult to discipline you. Curse it," Sokka lamented himself, sighing and surrendering by dropping on his knees. "Azula! Make them behave themselves! I am hopeless!"
"What makes you think I'll do any better than you today?" Azula laughed, climbing down the ramp alongside Hotaru. "I have to save up my energies for arguing with my own brother, mind you…"
"And I have to save mine for my sister too," Sokka pouted. "No idea when Katara will get here, though, but still…"
"Aunt Katara!" Yuuna smiled, throwing her hands in the air: a light burst of water burst from the shore, accompanying her movement.
"Uncle Zuko is better!" Shun decided, grinning proudly. Immediately, Yuuna pouted and scowled at her brother.
"Aunt Katara!"
"Uncle Zuko!"
"Aunt Katara!"
"Uncle Zuko!"
Azula rolled her eyes over the pointless argument between the children, even if she did so affectionately, as Sokka rose to his feet again. Hotaru smiled awkwardly, stepping forward between her siblings.
"Now, now, no need to argue about that, you can both love Uncle Zuko and Aunt Katara, you don't need to pick either one…" her attempt to mediate, Azula suspected, wouldn't be all that successful, but the good-natured Hotaru had to try anyway.
"Uncle Zuko is in the house already, right, Mom?" asked Shun, beaming brightly before shooting Yuuna a mischievous smirk. "Race you there!"
"Oh! I'll win!"
"Hey, I didn't say you could get started yet…!"
Yuuna took off in a hurry and Shun wasted very little time following and catching up to her. As he was two years older than his little sister, his legs carried him forward much faster, no matter how short they both were.
"Hey! Slow down, you…! Oh, hell, who do they take after?" Sokka groaned, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head.
"Must be their uncle Zuko," Azula responded, matter-of-factly. Her husband smirked.
"And their aunt Katara," he agreed: both laughed at their devious shirking of any responsibility over the typical arguing between their youngest children. Hotaru smiled and shook her head as well, used to her parents' mischief, a much more contained form of mischief, yet still as entertaining as that of Shun and Yuuna.
As much as their youngest were as wild as ever, Sokka and Azula intended to enjoy this summer escapade as best they could, and that included basking in the mischief their children could weave. They walked the trail Yuuna and Shun had taken off on, with Hotaru in front of them, calling out at her siblings to be careful and sighing hopelessly upon realizing they weren't listening to her at all.
"Now, now, Hotaru… you're not responsible for your siblings' recklessness, we've told you so many times already," Azula said, and Hotaru smiled somewhat shyly at her. Sokka nodded sagely.
"Azula's right, as usual," he said. "Have fun and relax, kiddo. Your mom and I will prevent those two from setting the house on fire…"
"Or flooding it," Azula pointed out, at which Sokka grimaced.
"Zuko would lose his shit if they did, wouldn't he?"
"Now, don't say that or I'll actually want to see it happen…" Azula said, unable to convey her thoughts without breaking over a mischievous snort of laughter. Sokka gasped, though his outrage, as always, was a poor mask for his genuine amusement.
"Come on, now, Azula: play nice or it'll be obvious those two aren't taking after our siblings. Who're we going to fool if you keep laughing at that idea…?" Sokka scolded her playfully, leaning into her ear to speak through an awkward grin… fully aware, of course, that his laughing daughter could hear him, too.
"See why I have to keep tabs on them?" Hotaru laughed. Azula shrugged guiltily, and Sokka's attempt to play the straight-laced father crumbled into dust as he laughed against his wife's cheek. "If only I were half as good at it as Rei is, though… I wish she were here today."
"Hopefully she'll make her schedule work for it the next time," Azula said, with a fond smile. "There's a lot of people who should be here, really…"
"But they have to hold up the fort, right?" Hotaru asked. Azula nodded.
"We'll have to give them some downtime of their own, once we go back home," Azula said. Hotaru grinned and nodded.
"Maybe me, Shun and Yuuna could join them on their vacation too, while you and dad, uh…"
"Work?" Azula asked, amused. Hotaru blushed and shrugged.
"Guess that wouldn't be fair…"
"Oh, it'd be fine, totally fine," Sokka said, squeezing Azula's shoulder. "We'll just pretend we're working while they're gone, Azula, totally. Maybe we can redecorate everything in the silliest of ways, change everyone's belongings from room to room…"
"Well, that sounds hilarious, admittedly, and yet it's still too much work," Azula pointed out. Sokka huffed.
"Then we'll set up pranks! That should be more fun, even if it still takes some effort…"
"Now that does sound appealing…"
"Oh, Mom, Dad…!" Hotaru laughed, looking at them in disbelief as Sokka grinned shamelessly.
"Never underestimate your parents, Hotaru: we're dangerous in ways you cannot even begin to imagine!" Sokka said, menacing. Azula scoffed, shaking her head.
"She'll never believe that about her dork of a father, so you'll have to try a bit harder to sound convincing."
"Oh, but she'd believe it about you, then?" he asked, amused.
"Of course! I'm completely respectable, imposing. Everyone cowers when I amp up my authoritarian side…"
"Heh, I sure as heck don't cower before you."
"Because you lack common sense, obviously, but everyone who doesn't…"
"No, it's actually because, unlike everyone else, I can see right through every last bit of you…!"
"Hey, now. No naughty talk."
"Naughty why? I didn't mean that! Though, uh, now that you mention it…"
"Sokka!"
He laughed deviously again, though he knew better than to press their playful argument any further in that direction: while he and Azula weren't half as careful about their intimate time together as they definitely should be, it seemed they had safely preserved their children's innocence so far. Hotaru shot them a confused glance now, and Azula offered her a tight-lipped, guilty smile as the three of them continued walking in new silence: their eldest had yet to receive the famous 'talk', and Azula wasn't sure whether it was wise to continue putting it off or not. Hotaru stood on the verge of her teenage years as it was, and even if she hadn't developed much of an interest in anything to do with relationships, it was entirely possible her friends and acquaintances might talk about it far more often as she grew older. They'd have to do it sooner or later… but for now, Hotaru and her siblings were better off enjoying their childhood innocence as best as possible.
Yuuna and Shun had reached the building at last, but it was Shun who had climbed the steps faster and reached the front doors first. Yuuna pouted and stomped on the wooden floor in a typical childish tantrum, while her brother stuck his tongue out with a smug smirk.
"Got you!"
"No fair!"
"Gotta run faster next time," Shun shrugged carelessly, and Yuuna huffed, little fists tight: even at a distance, Sokka recognized the vengeful mood of his youngest daughter and rushed faster to the building to, hopefully, deflate the situation.
"Wow, wow, wow, you guys! We're all happy here, all friends, no need to give each other the stinkeye…!" he said, grinning awkwardly as he leapt over the steps that led to the front door. Yuuna huffed, folding her arms over her chest and turning away from Shun. "Oh, Yuuna…"
"I won, Dad!" Shun declared, proudly. Sokka grimaced.
"Yeah, and you're older and bigger than your little sister, so don't make fun of her or else, when she grows up too…"
"I will freeze your boogers!" Yuuna declared. Shun flinched, and Sokka snorted.
"Well, that's creative, but Yuuna, please don't do that," Sokka said: Shun instinctively covered his nose with his hands… then he huffed and lowered them again.
"Joke's on you, because I have no boogers today!" he said: drawing in a deep breath and enjoying the lack of friction between the air and his nose.
"Then I'll take out mine and…!"
"Yuuna…!" Sokka exclaimed, grimacing as he grasped his daughter's shoulders. The stubborn waterbender pouted at him – the hairdo she'd sported hours ago, a perfectly smooth top-knot, had already come undone and frizzed out in every possible direction. "You can beat your brother at something else later, I bet you can! But… wait, that's not even it! You shouldn't be beating him at anything, and he shouldn't beat you at anything either, because we're all family and we're all on the same side! Right, Azula?"
His wife had finally reached them, and to Shun and Yuuna's immediate horror, there was a humorless frown on their mother's face. They both winced, hands behind their backs, and Sokka raised an eyebrow upon realizing Azula had drawn her strongest hand already. Well, so be it…
"Aha. Looks like you're in trouble now, you two," he said to his youngest, with a proud smile. "So… what do we say when we do something out of bounds, or fight over silly things?"
"Sorry, Mom," the two kids chorused. Sokka's eyebrows twitched.
"W-what about me…?" he asked, softly.
Hotaru, behind him, snorted with poorly stifled amusement. Azula, however, stepped forward, still the pristine and perfect image of authority that often was the only thing that could get Shun and Yuuna in line whenever their sibling bickering seemed to reach dangerous heights.
"You are already aware of the terms and conditions for any arguments and conflicts that may arise in this family," Azula said, with her terrifying business voice. Her children winced, and even Sokka gazed at her warily upon hearing it. "Unless I expressly authorize you to resolve your conflicts by your own hand…"
"We must defer to Mom or Dad," Hotaru recited, smiling proudly. Azula nodded.
"Thank you, Hotaru. So… what do you have to say for yourselves?" she asked.
"Shun made fun of me because he won…" Yuuna pouted. Shun huffed.
"Yuuna tried to cheat!" Shun growled.
"If she tried to cheat and you still won, is that really a problem anymore, Shun?" Azula asked. Shun blinked blankly and lowered his gaze. "As for you, Yuuna… as tempting as it can be to pull tricks and pranks on others to get ahead, a victory gained through breaking rules will always be questioned. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom…" Yuuna pouted still. Azula breathed deeply.
"If you have anything else to say, this is the time for it," she said, ceremoniously. Sokka smiled, watching as Shun and Yuuna squirmed in front of her.
"Shun… doesn't have any boogers," Yuuna pouted. Shun huffed.
"She said she'd freeze them if I did," he mumbled. "She shouldn't threaten me, right, Mom?"
"Indeed, and you shouldn't goad her into threatening you either," Azula said. Shun pouted but nodded. "If that is all, then it is time I say my piece: as we're all aware, we'll be dealing with actual rivals and enemies once we cross that house's threshold next. It's a whole different world in there than the one we know, dangers of the sort we can't even fathom: our family must stand together if we're to face these threats. If we play pranks, it's on our rivals! If we make fun of someone, it's not of our family, but theirs! If we threaten them…!"
"We shouldn't threaten them!" Sokka scoffed. Azula blinked blankly and tapped her chin.
"Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be acceptable under most circumstances, huh…?"
Her last playful statements had finally broken the very strange tension in the air: both Shun and Yuuna laughed together at their parents' banter, and Azula smirked at them both as they gazed at her with hopeful eyes.
"Either way, just behave yourselves, you two," Azula said, leaning down to pull them in for a hug, one in each arm. Yuuna and Shun let their mother reel them into her arms, comforted and eased immediately by her embrace. "We're here to have fun, after all. We can do that without fighting too much, can't we?"
"Yes, Mom," they said in unison. Azula smiled and pulled back, caressing their soft hair gently… though she focused more on Yuuna's head than Shun's.
"And what did you do to your hair tie this time…?" she asked, with a sigh. Yuuna grinned widely.
"The manatee-whale took it!"
"The manatee-whale…" Azula repeated… then she sighed and shook her head as Sokka laughed, stepping around them on his way to the door. "And why did it take it? It didn't have any hair to tie up, did it?"
"For his daughter!"
"Ah, that makes sense! So very generous of you to share with the manatee-whale! Guess it's a good thing I brought a spare hair tie, then!"
"No! Mommy, no!" the child laughed as Azula snarled playfully and reeled her into her arms.
"Not just one spare, actually: I have about ten, hidden in each bag we brought on this journey! So, no matter what happens, you won't escape from me!" she declared, causing Yuuna to laugh and squirm, reaching for Shun in hopes he'd help her out in this difficult ordeal.
"She's just going to take them off, Mom," Shun said, grinning complicitly at Yuuna, whose wild smile matched her brother's.
"No, no, no! This reckless hair must be tamed! I will accept no other answer!" Azula growled playfully: Yuuna's legs wiggled as Azula held her and, at last, Shun reached out to grab his sister's hands, as though to help her out of their mother's grasp. If her duty as a mother was to become the common enemy for her children to join forces against in order to teach them how to get along, Azula would be all too happy to fulfill it.
Sokka smiled fondly at the silly battle waged between Azula and the two kids: Hotaru stood by quietly, no doubt relieved her siblings had set aside their latest conflict as quickly as they had. Azula typically left the more light-hearted side of parenting to Sokka, who never failed to make fun of himself if that was how he'd make his children laugh and forget their grievances, but whenever her playful side came to light, Sokka's heart could only ache with intense, heartfelt love for the woman he'd married.
Still, they weren't here to play around at the front door: Sokka turned to the twin crimson-and-gold door and reached for one of the knockers… then he smirked and reached for the other one, too. With a mischievous smirk, he swung one forward, pulling the other back and starting a wild, knocking rhythm that immediately cut across Azula's silly spat with Yuuna.
"What…?! Sokka!" Azula scoffed, as he continued to slam the knockers into the door with unnecessary power. "Cut that out!"
"Sorry! What did you say? Can't hear you with how loud this is!" he called back, still slamming the door wildly.
Azula rolled her eyes, setting down Yuuna at last – allowing the child to bask in her victory, with her hair still wild and loose – before marching towards Sokka. The two younger kids laughed loudly at their father's antics, as they always did, while Hotaru covered her face with her hands, giggling into her palms: Azula grabbed Sokka's shoulder upon reaching him, forcing him to spin around and wind up facing her, directly. The guiltiest, yet proudest of grins graced his handsome face.
"Really, now? You just can't see any doors like these without doing that, can you?" she asked, with her eyebrows raised. Sokka let out a goofy laugh before shrugging. "You do realize Zuko fixed this door recently? I don't even know if it's the same one, but whether it is or not, you could've done serious damage…!"
"Eh, I would've paid for the damages if I had to, but this is too much fun not to do, Azula," he said.
"I wanna try it!" Yuuna squealed, rushing up at her father. Shun, tailing her grinned just as madly as his sister did.
"Me too!" he exclaimed, and Azula raised her eyebrows meaningfully at her guilty husband.
"Look at what you've done now. Look at it and regret it for as long as you may live," Azula said, in a dramatic, threatening voice that, naturally, Sokka only took as a joke: he laughed with abandon as his wife shook her head, smiling weakly… and her eyes fell upon her flustered oldest daughter, who stepped closer while eyeing them with light amusement, and with evident bashfulness. "We're all embarrassing Hotaru, see?"
"Oh, come on, Hotaru could never be embarrassed because of me. I'm the coolest dad there is," Sokka declared, proudly.
"Really, now?" Azula asked, smirking.
"Of course! I'd win every belching competition, that's cool as heck!"
Shun and Yuuna laughed harder after that, while Hotaru shook her head and gazed at Azula hopelessly. Azula smiled, reaching out to clasp her shoulder.
"The only one of us with a shred of common sense. What have we burdened you with, my poor child?" she said, reeling Hotaru in for a one-armed hug the girl accepted gladly.
"With laughing myself to tears, apparently," she admitted, hugging her mother back. "It'll be great to see everyone, but I'd never get bored even if it's just the five of us."
"That's great to hear! Means we can start a comedy troupe if we're ever short on money, Azula," Sokka declared, beaming. Azula snorted and shook her head, squeezing his forearm gently…
Just then, the front door swung inwards: the two younger children gasped in delight when a dark-haired girl, close to Hotaru's age, poked her head out the door with curiosity.
"Ah! Uncle Sokka, Aunt Azula!" she exclaimed after an instant, beaming. "I thought, w-well…!"
"That it was a battering ram? Yeah, well, that's what your uncle is like, as you already know," Azula answered: her niece couldn't help but laugh at her explanation regarding the wild knocking, as she pulled the doors fully open, welcoming them inside. "You look lovely, Zi."
"So do you, Aunt Azula!" the girl exclaimed, reaching to embrace her visiting relatives quickly: she started with Azula and moved to Sokka next.
"Look at you, little Zi! Though you're so tall by now that I'm not sure I'll be able to call you that forever," Sokka smiled, embracing his niece tightly. Zi chuckled as she pulled away.
"I doubt I'll ever be taller than you or my dad, though," she said, turning her gaze to her cousins next. "It's so good to see you guys!"
"Hi there, Zi," Hotaru smiled warmly, accepting her own embrace gladly.
"Hey! Hey! Is Uncle Zuko inside?!" Shun exclaimed, jumping excitedly in front of his cousin. Zi let go of Hotaru and smiled at him next, leaning in to hug him far more briefly than she'd hugged the others so far.
"Of course! He's working in the kitchen right now, and he'll be thrilled to know you've arrived!" she said. "He did say you'd likely be impossibly punctual, and he was right to say so."
"I would not stand for anything else. My family keeps its every appointment and sticks to schedule…" Azula declared in a playful, haughty tone. Sokka chuckled, as Zi moved to hug Yuuna next.
"I wonder if Zuko has a whole itinerary planned out for this week, actually…" Sokka said, stroking his stubble thoughtfully.
"It's likely he does. The real question is if it won't get derailed at some point through the week…" Azula pointed out, to her husband's amusement.
"You're so cute, Yuuna, adorable as always!" Zi said, beaming as she smoothed her youngest cousin's hair: Yuuna offered her a toothy grin, and Zi gasped in delight. "Look at that! You have so many teeth now!"
"They grow out! Like trees!" she declared, and Zi laughed at the comparison.
"Well, your smile definitely is the prettiest I've seen," she said, beaming as she rose to her feet… and turned to Hotaru, brimming with excitement. "Mari's been waiting for you, though! She said you have to join her at playing fire kuai ball! Come, come!"
"Oh, fire kuai ball? Uh, sure?!" Hotaru grimaced, glancing at her parents with uncertainty as Zi grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside the house.
Azula's placid mood froze over at that sudden shift in the conversation, and Sokka raised his eyebrows. It was Shun who spoke first, though, yanking at his mother's hand.
"What's 'fire kuai ball'?" he asked.
"Probably something I invented and patented…" she admitted, prompting Sokka to look at her questioningly – though with amusement. "Though I have no idea if that's what they're trying to do, and even if it is, I'm not sure they should be doing it at all. Hell, and here I thought our kids were the wild and crazy ones…"
"Well, just you wait: Mari's totally going to be crushed by Hotaru at this game, you'll see!" Sokka declared proudly, to his children's delight. "We should go in now though, shouldn't we? Bet Zuko will want to know who brought a battering ram on his perfectly refurbished door…?"
"And I bet the battering ram in question is so very pleased with himself over what he did, isn't he?" Azula said. Sokka only smirked proudly, prompting her to smile and bump his flank gently with her shoulder as they entered the house: Shun clung to Azula's hand, while Yuuna held onto Sokka's. "You're incorrigible."
"And you're beautiful."
"That's neither here nor there, but thank you."
"Huh, and here I thought we were just flinging compliments at each other."
"Incorrigible isn't meant to be a… oh, never mind, you're just happily proving it further," Azula finally surrendered, and Sokka grinned most proudly anew upon defeating her at their careless argument.
The inside of the house, Azula found, was simultaneously familiar and utterly unrecognizable: Zuko had supervised the work during his downtime, whenever his duties allowed him to visit the beautiful island. While Azula hadn't been completely sure of what to make of his determination to renovate their family's old, rundown villa initially, now she found herself smiling at the finished result: the polished wood on the floor, the luxurious carpets, the beautiful, new décor, replacing the old, sober – or perhaps, somber – paintings…
"So, what's the verdict?" Sokka asked her teasingly. Azula smiled and shrugged.
"Surprisingly good, I'd say. I'd thought there would be too many unpleasant memories in this place, but… if anything, it looks like it's ready to see new memories made in it, instead."
"Sounds ideal, then," Sokka grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "If you don't think it's bad, we can come here all the time, from now on! Not like Zuko can stop us anyway, he's not moving here permanently, after all…"
"He's not," Azula laughed. "But we do have enough things to deal with that I doubt we can have too many escapades to Ember Island, anyway."
"Do we have a playroom?" Yuuna asked. Sokka turned his smile to her.
"Pretty sure you'll have something bigger than that: there's a whole beach waiting for us to have the time of our lives in it! You can build sandcastles, you can bury your cousins in the sand…!"
"Swim all you want, sunbathe if you think you can handle the heat…" Azula continued, and Shun grinned brightly.
"And chase turtle-crabs too, if you dare," Sokka said, eyeing Yuuna meaningfully: the young girl gasped with excitement over the prospect of seeing hybrid animals she had never encountered before.
"Yes! Let's go now!" she said, pulling at her father's hand: Sokka laughed as Azula smiled too.
"We have to greet the rest of your uncle's family first, Yuuna. And we can take you all to play after everyone's here, alright? Shouldn't be long before everyone arrives," Azula said, gesturing at a long, open corridor ahead.
The kitchen was at the other end of the corridor, which ran along a large, beautiful stone courtyard with a functioning fountain at its center. Where it would have been, however, a beautiful location to admire in any other circumstances, it was difficult to focus on the architecture of the courtyard when it seemed to be the place where Mari's odd fire kuai ball game was being developed.
"Look, look!" Mari was telling Hotaru: she held a strange ball, crafted out of what appeared to be some form of metallic thread: there was a second ball within the first, made of flammable material, and the four newcomers happened to enter the corridor by the courtyard just in time to see Zuko's oldest daughter setting the inner ball on fire.
Hotaru gasped in amazement: Zi had clearly seen the trick before, and she giggled at her cousin's reaction. Their two younger siblings, Iroh and Kerra, had launched into full-blown celebration over the lighting of their ball, as Mari tossed it in the air and took to bouncing it off her body.
"Gotta see how long you can handle the heat before it's too much!"
"Oh, wow: they really are about as crazy as ours. Good to know," Sokka said, as Azula's jaw dropped.
"Mari! I told not to play that way: you could get hurt!"
Suki's voice seemed to thunder across the building: Yuuna, Shun and even Hotaru seemed to freeze upon hearing their aunt's fierce scolding… yet while Zi flinched, and Iroh grimaced, Kerra and Mari only seemed perfectly content to continue testing their mother's patience.
"Oh, relax, Mom! I've got this!" Mari laughed recklessly: Azula ran her fingers over her hair, watching the scene before her in utmost astonishment.
"Well, safe to say that's NOT the kind of fire kuai ball I would play, but…"
"What did you do, then?" Sokka smirked.
"Set a regular ball on fire, of course…"
"That's still crazy dangerous!"
"Oh, don't fret, I only did it to finish off the opposing team and nobody got hurt," Azula said, waving a hand dismissively at her disbelieving husband. "I mean, yes, they probably had to buy another net, and another ball, but still…"
"I love all the stories of your childhood dearly, you know that?" Sokka said, prompting Azula to laugh and shake her head. "A powerhouse since before you learned to walk and talk, as far as I can tell…"
The sounds of their conversation served to alert the two adults in the kitchen that their newly arriving guests – whom Zi had checked on – had been exactly who they had been expecting: Suki stepped outside the kitchen with a fearsome scowl, and it seemed that was far scarier than her earlier shout: Mari caught the ball and snuffed out the fire quickly, smiling awkwardly at her mother.
"I know, I know! I'll play the nice and boring way! It's okay!" Mari laughed nervously: Suki rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Play with your cousins and don't cause trouble with your wild firebending ideas, you hear me?" she said, shaking her head before glancing at Sokka and Azula, her stern scowl morphed into an apologetic grimace. "Goodness, I swear they're not trying to hurt your kids, I do…"
"We believe you," Sokka laughed, as he and Azula stepped forward to greet Suki.
"I suppose that's what we have to look forward to, in the future?" Azula smiled, casting a glance at Mari: the oldest among the children so far, she always seemed to take a role of leadership with her siblings and cousins, all of whom flocked to her naturally. "The teenage rebellion stage…?"
"Oh, Mari's been there from the moment she was born, as far as I can tell," Suki smiled, finally reaching her sister-in-law and offering her a warm embrace. "So good to see you both, Azula, Sokka."
"Same here!" Sokka grinned, hugging Suki next. "I'd compliment you and Zuko for all your work with this place, but I actually have no idea what it used to look like before…"
"Oh, you don't want to know," Suki laughed, shaking her head as she pulled away from him. "All manner of leaks in the roofs, weeds sprouting EVERYWHERE: it was madness. But, admittedly, the house was still less rebellious than Mari… I sure hope you two aren't causing your parents any trouble, Yuuna, Shun!"
They smiled guiltily and shook their heads: Suki shot them a knowing grin and rose to her full height after leaning down to address the children.
"I have the feeling you two have your hands full with these two as it is, though," she said. Azula laughed and shook her head, as Shun tugged at her hand.
"Can we go see the game too?" he asked, beaming. Azula let go of his hand and caressed his hair gently.
"Be careful," she warned him. "And don't be too competitive, alright? I know winning's fun and all…"
"But I should enjoy the game and not just focus on winning, yeah…" Shun sighed, marching off towards the others without another word: his nonchalance upon reciting those words suggested, quite strongly, that he had no intentions of abiding by them.
Unlike him, Yuuna didn't even wait or ask for permission to take off: she released Sokka's hand, yanking hers from out of his, and raced her brother – this time without even issuing the challenge verbally, though he took it up without needing her to do so – all the way to where the other children had been playing. Iroh, Zuko's only son, smiled brightly and ran up to Shun, while Yuuna and Kerra were quick to reach each other as well, the two youngest, and the most mischievous of the two sets of children – albeit sometimes it seemed Mari might outdo the two young, unexpected benders with her inventive, wild ideas.
"Zuko will probably be surprised to learn you're trying to teach Shun not to be so competitive…" Suki smiled. Azula sighed and shook her head.
"He and I are a lost case, everyone knows that," she said, with a shrug: Suki laughed at her direct, blunt delivery. "But if I can keep those two little rascals from being as prone to fighting each other as Zuko and I were, I'll certainly try… though they're quite adamant to become exactly like that, somedays."
"Oh, come on, now: you've literally come up with a thousand strategies to make them stop going after each other and redirect their energy to something more productive. You're doing great," Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Literally, a thousand? No, it's only been about nine hundred, don't exaggerate…"
Suki laughed at their silly exchange, unsurprised to see the camaraderie between the two spouses only ever seemed stronger whenever she saw them again. Whatever they might worry about, the truth was that they, and their children, were one very happy family.
"Well, if you really have cooked up all those strategies, we could certainly use the advice: Kerra and Iroh are taking after you and Zuko a bit too much lately too…"
"Oh, of course," Azula sighed: Suki had turned to the kitchen again, and the two of them followed her. "It's like a curse in this family, isn't it?"
"Oh, come on now, Katara and I weren't much better," Sokka laughed: Azula offered him a worried grimace. "What, you think that makes it worse? You really think this sort of stuff is hereditary?"
"Two generations, four sets of siblings, boy and girl, only with a small age gap between them, all of them butting heads over ridiculous and genuine matters alike: do you really think there isn't a pattern here?" Azula asked. Sokka bit his lip and shrugged.
"Well… maybe we're all just prone to bonding through bickering."
"And through threatening to freeze each other's boogers in their nose, too…"
"Oh, spirits: Yuuna said that?" Suki gasped, once they reached the threshold of the kitchen. Azula smiled awkwardly.
"I'm pretty sure she must have found out they could be frozen the last time she caught a cold, and… well, you know how she is. Everything weird, everything unexpected, everything anyone else wouldn't think of, all of it is just second nature to her…"
"Sounds like she's the perfect blend of her parents to me."
Azula's smile gained a dangerous glint upon hearing her brother's voice, once they entered the kitchen: he smirked right back at her, hard at work with the meal he and Suki had been preparing for the first day of their week in Ember Island.
"Who was trying to tear down the door earlier? Bet it was Sokka," Zuko said, sharply: his brother-in law only smiled proudly.
"You're smarter than you look, after all!"
"And you're not," Zuko retorted, prompting Sokka to gasp in outrage as their wives laughed at their typical banter.
"Why, you…! Huh, that was a pretty solid exchange, Zuko: you should join us, then! Azula and I, we're totally going to start a comedy troupe to make some more money on the side, it was all Hotaru's idea…!"
"It was your idea, don't pin this madness on her," Azula said, smiling and shaking her head. "And besides, you said we'd do it if we were short on money, which we aren't, so…"
"Now, now, Azula, I know you need some convincing, but think about it! The audience will laugh plenty at our jabs at each other, but they'll laugh even more when Zuko takes everything seriously and plays the humorless guy to all our funny banter! It's perfect, just like it was right now, see?"
Azula smiled dryly before glancing at Suki.
"Just out of curiosity: where did you stash the lychee wine?"
"Azula!" Sokka gasped, as Suki chortled and laughed too: even Zuko was unable to hold back a chuckle at his sister's bold question. "You're the most ambitious person I know, how can you close your mind to the possibilities?!"
"You're impossible," Azula smiled, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands.
"Guess he's already practicing for the comedy act?" Suki smiled. Sokka huffed proudly.
"And I'll get lots of practice for the rest of the week, you betcha!"
"What have we signed on for?" Zuko groaned.
"Well, now, you did decide to invite us: you knew exactly what you were signing on for," Azula smirked, stepping forward. "Want help with any of this?"
"Woah. Can either of you be any help with cooking?" Zuko asked, puzzled, stopping on his motions while molding a rice ball.
"I don't see a top-of-the-line cook around here… guess you forgot to hire one," Azula said, gazing across the kitchen with a knowing grin. "Thus, I expect we'll have to work together to keep all our children stuffed with healthy food and taking enough naps so that we, in turn, can actually relax at some point or another in this trip…"
"Heh, well… you do have a point," Zuko smiled, shaking his head. "They're already a handful on their own, but putting all seven together… playing with fire is the simplest thing they would be likely to do."
"And they already did that on the first day of these vacations. Hell knows what else they're bound to do while we're not paying attention," Suki sighed, gazing wistfully at the courtyard from the kitchen's door.
The children seemed perfectly happy to meet again, for the first time in many months. As usual, the youngest four seemed to flock together as the older three did the same: Mari smiled as she handed Zi the ball before hugging Hotaru, who returned the embrace gladly.
"It's so good to see you!" Mari exclaimed. "Hope you've been doing well! Well, you and all of your family, of course…"
"Everything's okay," Hotaru confirmed, with a gentle smile. "Well, other than Yuuna and Shun butting heads all the time, but…"
"Oh, I say let them: same thing I say about Iroh and Kerra," Mari smirked: Zi sighed beside her and shook her head. "Maybe we should have the four of them in an all-out bending brawl! Don't you think that would be cool?"
"Why don't you ever have a perfectly peaceful idea…?" Zi asked her sister, with an awkward smile. Mari scoffed, taking the ball from Zi's hands.
"Because that wouldn't be as much fun! Come on, live a little, Zi!" she snickered, tossing the ball in the air and bumping it higher when it bounded on her head. "We should just practice for the real kuai ball games later, we're totally going to do some sort of family brawl after lunch, Hotaru!"
"We are?" Hotaru asked, puzzled. "But I've never played…"
"Oh, no need to worry! All you have to do is make sure the ball won't hit the ground!" Mari grinned, doing exactly that: she passed the ball to Hotaru, who caught it quickly. "Well, not by catching it, exactly…"
"You have to keep it rolling," Zi explained. Hotaru hummed, raising the ball gently and tossing it at her, "W-wait, not at me…!"
Zi raised her hands defensively, and the ball bounded in the wrong direction, falling on the ground.
"Zi! You shouldn't be such a scaredy-cat!" Mari laughed, grabbing her sister's shoulders. Zi pouted.
"I don't like that ball! It's cool for your tricks, but it hurts! Right, Hotaru?" Zi asked, looking at Hotaru's hands, hoping to confirm she, as well, had been hurt by the metal string that composed their ball. Hotaru, however, smiled awkwardly and shrugged.
"Must be because I hit it myself and nobody flung it at me… sorry," she said. Zi sighed, and Mari rolled her eyes.
"Oh, fine, then! We'll get the regular soft ball for now, but we're totally doing at least one round of fire kuai ball later by the beach, alright?!"
"But I'm not a firebender, I can't do that!" Zi grimaced: her sister smirked deviously as she turned to Hotaru again.
"Come, we have a normal ball upstairs! It's in our… oh wait! You guys don't have rooms yet, right? We should help you pick them!"
"Ah, we were talking about that earlier," Hotaru smiled. "How many rooms are there…? And how many people will come?"
"Dad invited lots of people, but one of them already said he can't make it. He can't travel down here from the Northern Water Tribe all that fast," Mari said, with a shrug. Hotaru raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Kat-Kat and Aang should be here, though… guess they might be running a little late."
"I think some of my mom's friends are coming too," Hotaru said, smiling a little.
"Then it really is a lot of people," Zi said, eyes wide.
"Do you think that means we'll have to share rooms?" Hotaru asked, glancing between both her cousins.
It surprised her to see that both Mari's golden eyes and Hotaru's violet ones would gleam brightly at that notion: the sisters exchanged a joyful smile before Mari clasped Hotaru's shoulders.
"You have to share with us!" she said.
"I wanna be with Hotaru!" Yuuna suddenly blurted out, running up to her sister and wrapping her arms around her leg.
"I gotta be there too," Kerra decided, stomping hard on the stone floor, and a light tremor shook the courtyard. Zi flinched.
"Hey, Kerra, Dad said no bending indoors, okay…?"
"This isn't indoors," Kerra said, smugly. "You can see the sky here!"
"It's still part of the house!" Zi grimaced, urgently.
"You don't even need to bend in protest at all, though: of course you can stay with us! We'll have a slumber party, all five of us!" Mari declared, proudly, and the other four girls smiled brightly at her.
"Yeah!" Kerra exclaimed: Yuuna danced happily in place, still clinging to her older sister's leg.
Naturally, the two boys in the courtyard couldn't join in on the enthusiasm of their siblings. Iroh pouted, glancing at Shun with uncertainty.
"Do you want to share rooms too…?" he asked. Shun shrugged.
"If you want," he replied, smiling. "Would be fun, I think…"
"Yeah!" Iroh responded, his mood immediately improved. "We should tell Dad, then…!"
"He should join us," Shun laughed, though Iroh smiled and shook his head.
"He'd bring Mom if he does, and then it wouldn't be a boys' room," Iroh said, yanking Shun to the kitchen area with him. "Come on, let's ask if it's okay…!"
"Sure! I haven't even said hi to him yet," Shun smiled, tagging along with his cousin as they made for the kitchen, where the four grown-ups had huddled up while the kids talked in the courtyard.
It seemed Sokka and Azula intended to help, yet Zuko and Suki had a tight system in process already, and most the work was well and truly done: Azula slapped Sokka's hand away from the finished tart pie intended for dessert, and he giggled guiltily at her when the kids stormed in.
"I'll be good, Azula, I'll be… oh, hey! Good to see you, Iroh!"
"Hi, Uncle Sokka," Iroh said, smiling reverentially at him: Shun's own admiration, however, was reserved for his own uncle, elbow deep into washing dishes in the sink.
"Ah, Shun," Zuko smiled upon catching sight of the young boy. "It's good to see you, kid."
"It's good to see you too, Uncle Zuko!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Iroh and I, we want to share rooms!"
"You… you do? Why?" Zuko asked, puzzled: his eyes shifted towards his son, who smiled and shrugged in his direction.
"The girls want to share, too," Iroh said. Zuko's eyebrow twitched.
"Which girls? All the girls?" he asked, puzzled. Iroh shrugged again. "Are they nuts? There's like twenty rooms now after all the expansion, and renovations…! And they just want to share?"
"Guess it's because it's a special occasion," Suki smiled at him. "Just remember what they were like back in the day, when Mari and Zi had to share a single room…"
"They were so thrilled to have rooms of their own when they finally did, and now they're all bunking up together?" Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess we'll have to think on how they could do it, not sure there's any rooms big enough for five beds. You two should be fine, though…"
"Yeah!" Shun grinned, throwing a triumphant fist in the air when Zuko addressed his final sentence at him and Iroh. "Thanks, Uncle Zuko!"
"Such a nice, obedient boy, so respectful with his uncle…" Sokka recited with a small voice, a skeptical smile on his face. Azula smirked, nudging him with her elbow.
"You love to make a fool of yourself for his amusement, don't pretend otherwise now," she said softly: Sokka could only laugh guiltily at her assessment.
The knocking sound by the front door resounded in the large house once more, though it wasn't quite as wild and reckless as Sokka's previous knocking. Zuko glanced at him meaningfully, gesturing in the door's direction with his chin.
"Heard that? That's how normal people do it."
"Boring people, you mean," Sokka declared, proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head, reminded of Hotaru's previous claim that she'd never be bored with their family.
"I guess someone else is here, though…?" Suki said, fiddling with her apron's fastening to take it off.
"Or it could be our ship's sailors bringing our luggage, heh…" Azula smiled awkwardly. "We can check on the door if you want, you guys should stay here."
"You would? Oh, thank you," Suki smiled: she stopped attempting to unfasten the apron, only to struggle fastening it in place all over again, an awkward smile on her face.
"Heh, sure thing," Sokka smiled as Azula pulled him with her through the door. "Oi, Shun! Don't cause any trouble for your aunt and uncle, alright?"
"I won't!" Shun stated, proudly: his eagerness to gain Zuko's approval seemed to ensure he'd stay on his very best behavior, so both Azula and Sokka could trust he'd obey whatever orders Zuko might give him.
Once again, Sokka and Azula walked hand in hand, with Sokka swinging their arms carelessly: his wife smiled fondly at him, slipping her fingers between his as they marched to the door, the sounds of their daughters' upbeat conversation with their cousins following them all the way across the corridor.
"It does seem to be a much nicer place than it ever was," Azula admitted, smiling as she gazed about herself. "Though I am curious about these expansions Zuko did. This place should have been big enough for at least our two families, though with however many guests we might have, I wonder if it will be big enough, in the end…"
"Well, with the kids being so eager to share rooms, I don't think we'll have to worry about having proper privacy at night, huh?" Sokka said, smirking at her and wiggling his eyebrows. Azula smiled, squeezing his hand gently.
"Is that the main thing you're thinking about, really?"
"Well, it's always at the top of my priorities, if you must know…"
"How utterly shameless of you," Azula said, playfully. Sokka sighed and shook his head in fake penance. "And here I thought it was at the very top of them, at all times…"
"Ah, I disappoint, then?" he asked, amused. Azula laughed and yanked him close, pecking his lips quickly before they finally reached the door anew.
"As if you could ever let me down," she said, offering him a much more earnest answer than Sokka had expected. He smiled warmly at her as Azula pushed open the door they'd closed earlier… to find, as predicted, the sailors with all their belongings. "Ah, I'm sorry the door was closed…"
"Oh, no matter!" said the sailor in charge, smiling broadly at her. "We've brought everything as requested! We'll be taking off now, and we'll return in a week, as agreed?"
"Please do," Azula nodded graciously.
"Another ferry's coming in now, too," said another sailor, already picking up his bags. "We're going to try to get out before they dock in, give 'em more room to maneuver."
"A good call," Sokka smiled, stepping among them and hoisting some of the bags himself. "I'll give you a hand, then, we should be done faster this way."
Azula relinquished her hold on Sokka's hand most unwillingly, despite knowing his help would certainly speed up this process. She watched and directed the sailors, ensuring they stashed the bags inside without obstructing either the way upstairs or the corridors that led deeper into the first floor of the large building. Within five minutes, everything had been set down on the vestibule's corner and the sailors had returned to their manatee-whale-led ferry: Azula and Sokka watched them from the front door, with Sokka waving in the sailors' direction. Azula cocked her head to the side, studying the creatures as they turned around and took the ferry into the sea again.
"Looking for Yuuna's hair tie, even now?" Sokka asked, amused.
"Just wondering where it's keeping it, you know? Since it has to bring it back to its daughter and all…" Azula said, smiling and shaking her head. Sokka laughed, reeling her in for another hug.
"The other ship's over there, though," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Think it's the last one to arrive?"
"Possibly. I think the other guests would come here with your sister and Aang," Azula said: her arms snaked around Sokka's waist, and she pressed a kiss to his bare skin, left exposed by his sleeveless, wide-necked shirt.
"Well, now…" Sokka smiled, looking at her with a devious smirk "I know we're alone for the first time in what feels like forever, but are you really looking to have some fun right now?"
"Are you opposed to it?" Azula asked innocently, her eyelashes fluttering exaggeratedly, bringing Sokka to laugh as he cradled her face in his hands.
"You could ask me to conquer the world with you and I'd just ask when do we start, Princess," he said: Azula's eyes narrowed at his familiar taunt, but his lips were on hers before she could rebuff it.
Which, come to think of it, was exactly what she'd wanted, so, as much as the urge to retaliate had surged, she set it aside quickly enough, wrapping her arms around his neck, letting him pin her to the frame of the open door as his tongue slithered past their lips, seeking hers.
It wasn't as though they never were free to act on their passion, their three kids would always fall asleep soundly, so the depths of night were always theirs for the taking. Yet the more they worked together to ensure their children grew up as healthy and happy as possible, the more their mutual passion would surge and rise… and the less chances they'd have to let it unwind, as even in their downtime they had to deal with Shun's typical complaints whenever their parents were far too affectionate in his presence. Their respective duties also kept them too busy on most days, so unless they took a break casually at the exact same time, they'd seldom be free to kiss at will, to hold each other, even to make love wherever it suited them… though they certainly didn't intend to go that far right now. This was just a quick release of joyful passion, that was all it was…
Or all it should be, anyway.
"We… have to keep our heads level, now…" Azula managed to say, between frantic kisses she pressed upon Sokka's face. He laughed at her request, as his hands carelessly traveled over her light outfit – she didn't expose much skin yet, but she'd likely change into a bathing suit later and… oh, the mere thought made his heart race wildly.
"Kinda tricky… you're making it tricky," he chuckled, kissing her voraciously again. Azula moaned heartily, embracing him tightly.
"My fault? It's totally… not my fault…" she whimpered: her hands slipped down his back, to his rear, squeezing it gently…
Sokka groaned in a throaty way, and Azula leaned into his ravenous devouring of her neck, head thrown back, a blissful smile across her features: her eyes opened, though, and she noticed, with remorse, that the next guests were just docking in.
"They're going to catch us doing this… and then they'll never stop teasing us for it, right?" she sighed remorsefully. Sokka hummed, raising his head: his face was covered in her shade of lipstick, and Azula laughed as she took notice of it. "Well, even if we stop now, this makes matters obvious enough, doesn't it?"
"So, why stop at all?" Sokka asked, with a mischievous smirk. "Why should we hide from anyone anymore, Princess?"
"Keep that up, Sokka, and you're really going to get it…"
"Am I?" he smirked. Azula laughed, pulling him closer: her golden eyes bore into his, but her desire was abloom, much as his own was, goading them both into succumbing further into their passion.
"You asked for it, then: come and get it," she hissed, her lips hovering a breath away from his: he cut the distance in an instant, following fit with her challenge.
Finding them in the midst of such heated exchanges was no surprise for most the newcomers, though it was fortunate that the youngest people in the group had lagged behind: Haru laughed at the shameless display of their friends while Ty Lee hooted in the distance.
"You guys sure are in the mood to party! This vacation's going to be a blast!"
The sound of her voice broke off their wildest kiss yet, though Azula groaned as she broke off the contact most unwillingly. Sokka chuckled, pressing his lips to her forehead one more time:
"We'll continue later, don't you worry," he said. Azula smiled, raising a hand to wipe off the many stains of lipstick on Sokka's face.
"I'm not worried at all. Just looking forward to it, as I always am," she said. Sokka grinned, venturing one more devious kiss to her lips before turning to greet their friends.
"Hey, guys! Been a while since… WOAH!"
Sokka was always one for exaggerated reactions, Azula knew as much… but when she turned her head to the side, she was tempted to let out an exclamation as loud as his:
Ty Lee, clinging to Haru's arm with the most enthusiastic grin possible, sported a prominent pregnancy belly, starkly noticeable, as she was already clad in her beach attire, unlike most everyone who intended to change after lunch.
"Are you… are you for real?!" Azula gasped, looking at Ty Lee in amazed disbelief. Her friend giggled guiltily, leaning into Haru, who smiled widely at their friends.
"Remember that the last time we met she'd had some strange cramps, and food didn't seem all that tasty to her…?" Haru said, with an innocently soft voice.
"I told you. Oh, I told you what it was, Mai told you what it was, and you didn't listen!" Azula laughed, stepping forward as Ty Lee squealed, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Azula once her friend reached her.
"Okay, okay, I know I should've had it checked out, you guys said so, but then I didn't, and I thought I was just sick and then I started to put on weight, and…! Well, here we are. I can't believe we're joining your group now," Ty Lee sighed, with a wistful smile. "I so enjoyed being the free-spirited, childless aunt…"
"Well, you enjoyed it because you loved the children in question, and you're going to love this one too," Sokka smiled, stepping up to hug her too. "Congratulations, you guys!"
"Thank you," Ty Lee said, with a high-pitched voice. "Oh, I really don't know if I'm excited or horrified, even now…"
"How far along are you?" Azula asked: Haru and Sokka had shaken hands by now – or forearms, rather –, and the earthbender stepped forward next to hug the royal.
"About four or five months, it seems… oh, it's been a whirlwind, but I'll wrap my head around it eventually, I will," Ty Lee said, with a sincere laugh.
Azula smiled fondly as Haru stepped back anew, placing a loving hand on his wife's belly. It was no secret Haru was open to having children, but he had never pressured Ty Lee on the matter. They had been married for a fairly long time, with a rhythm of their own, and it didn't seem likely that they'd try to have children… but Azula highly doubted they'd tried this time, either. This was, in all likelihood, the consequence of a short period of carelessness, and while it seemed Ty Lee might be deeply uncertain of how to raise a child, she'd have more than enough people to offer her plenty of support and help when she needed it.
The person with the most experience on the subject had hiked up the road after Ty Lee, followed by her own husband and her two sons: it was hard to believe Yuudai was already a proper teenager, yet time hadn't passed them by in vain. The young man looked much like his father had, back when Azula, Mai and Ty Lee had first met him in Ember Island: Ruon Jian no longer sported the same luxuriously stylish hair from his youth, but it seemed his son had taken after him fairly well in that department.
Their second child, however, was the odd-one out in a family as restrained, proper and ideal as Mai and Ruon Jian's was: Renshu was a chubby boy of Shun's age, with short brown hair and large eyes. His main similarity with his mother was the blank, unreadable expression on his face. But where Mai always seemed to be observing her surroundings, judging situations and weighing her choices with perfectly subtlety, Renshu simply watched for the sake of it, and was perfectly happy to convey his thoughts with absolutely no restraint or consideration of the circumstances. Out of so many chaotic children in the villa right now, Renshu was a particularly odd one, yet he seemed perfectly content exactly as he was.
"You seem very surprised, all things considered, Azula…" Mai pointed out, with a smirk, upon reaching the front door. "Here I thought you'd just laugh in Ty Lee's face for not listening to either of us."
"Maybe I still will, though probably after we have a couple of drinks," Azula smiled. Ty Lee pouted at those words. "Uh… yeah, we'll drink your share, too."
"That's the part that sucks the most about being pregnant. Got to forsake so many fun things…" Ty Lee sighed. Haru chuckled and shook his head.
"You'll go all out with everything again right after this is over, okay?" he said. Ty Lee grinned and nodded.
The new arrivals greeted each other gladly, and many friendly hugs were exchanged. Sokka compared Yuudai's height with his own, finding he already reached the level of his shoulder, and the shy but proud teenager smiled for it.
"Dad thinks I might outgrow him, but I don't know…" he chuckled. Sokka patted his shoulder firmly.
"Keep on eating the right way, and having a healthy life, and you might do just that!" he told him: Yuudai smiled and nodded proudly…
And then a small hand reached out to tug at Sokka's trousers.
Renshu's clear amber eyes met his mere instants before the boy blurted out:
"How many rooms are there in this house?"
Sokka blinked blankly before crouching down and smiling awkwardly.
"Not entirely sure, but probably about twenty? I guess?" Sokka said. Renshu cocked his head sideways.
"There are fifty-seven in the Palace," Renshu said, matter-of-factly. "That I know of. Maybe there are secret rooms that I don't know of. Do you know if there are hidden rooms here?"
"Not particularly. Looking to build one, are you?" Sokka asked, amused. Renshu shook his head.
"I don't have a shovel," he said. Sokka heaved out a disappointed breath, punching the air before him.
"Well, damn. I bet there's some sand shovels in the house, but they're probably not good enough to build a big secret room, sorry to say."
"I don't need to build one. I was just curious," Renshu said, bluntly and simply. He still didn't show any sign of amusement, remaining as inexpressive as ever. Sokka smiled and patted his head.
"Well, good then. Keep being curious, I guess…?"
"I would say 'don't encourage him' but I doubt it'll make a difference," Mai sighed, leaning down near Renshu. "Did you greet your Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka properly?"
"No," he said, simply. Mai's eyebrow twitched.
"Didn't I ask you to do so earlier?"
"You did. But I didn't do it," Renshu responded, matter-of-factly, as always. Sokka couldn't hold back a chortle as the boy turned his attention to Azula next. "Is Shun here?"
"He's inside, yes. In the kitchen, the last I knew…" Azula said. Renshu glanced at his mother.
"I will go see Shun," he declared: without even waiting for Mai to give him permission to do so, Renshu slipped between Azula and Sokka and entered the house, as though he knew it by heart despite it was his first visit.
"I… want to get mad. I do. I want to discipline him, so he actually learns to greet people the right way, at least," Mai said, eyebrow still twitching. "But… I just can't do it. He just asks me why he has to do the things I ask him to, and it's exactly what crossed my mind when I was his age, and then I end up with an existential crisis while he goes back to drawing on the walls, or whatever he's up to…"
"Well, fortunately Yuuna's easier to reel into control than that," Azula smiled awkwardly. "Though she has a knack for questioning things very similarly."
"I think he sees her as a kindred spirit because of that, actually," Ruon Jian laughed. "He says he spends more time with Shun because Yuuna doesn't like him, though."
"What, really?" Sokka's eyes widened. Azula smiled awkwardly.
"Bet she told him so, blunt and clear, to his face," she said, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips.
"And Renshu apparently wasn't bothered by it one bit," Ruon Jian laughed. "But I guess I'll keep an eye on him as best I can, so he doesn't end up angering her somehow…"
"A wise call," Azula smiled, gesturing at the house. "Well, now, you have more people to greet inside, right? And Ty Lee probably ought to sit down, or maybe go to the bathroom…"
"Joke around all you want, I do have to go…" Ty Lee whimpered: Haru wrapped his arms around her and ferried her inside, only slowing down to ask Azula for directions to the nearest bathroom.
The house had been empty for years, vacant of all brightness and enthusiasm… but Azula, who had seen it in its previous glory, was sure it had never been quite as bright and beautiful as it was now. The chatter of cheerful voices, the laughter, the sounds of children playing… back in the day, it had been her, Zuko and their parents, with a handful of servants to provide for them. Today, it was a gathering of friends and family, of many people she valued dearly, and her heart could barely keep up with the delightful feelings this new atmosphere elicited inside her.
Countless greetings were exchanged, so many it was hard to keep up with them: upon poking their heads in the kitchen again, Azula and Sokka were delightfully amused to find Zuko had the three young boys, Iroh, Renshu and Shun, working together making rice balls with unusual discipline and determination, while most the girls had taken to practicing bouncing the kuai ball between themselves – they were deliberately lighter on Yuuna and Kerra, but the two spirited young girls would strike the ball as powerfully as their arms and legs allowed them to, anyway.
Merely ten minutes before the meal was finished and served, the last arrival finally flew in through the stone courtyard itself, causing the girls to stop playing and start cheering at the sight of the massive sky bison. Appa roared a greeting at the whole group, and Aang waved at everyone, as spirited as ever, beaming while Katara nestled comfortably on the saddle – she held the twins in her arms, each one glancing outside the saddle from over their mother's shoulders.
"Hey, guys!" Aang grinned: Mari rushed towards him quickly, though she leapt to hug Appa's horn first.
"Appa! It's been forever since we last met!" she exclaimed, dramatically. Aang, of course, laughed at her emotional greeting.
"We literally visited you guys a month ago!" he said. Mari stuck her tongue out at him, unable to stifle a grin.
"That feels like forever to me!" she declared: Aang airbent himself off his seat on Appa's neck before hugging the young firebender.
"You're still as feisty and fun as ever, aren't you? Hope you're keeping your dad on his toes still!" he grinned. Mari smiled broadly and nodded. "Great!"
"If this were about anyone else, I'd tell you not to encourage her… but yeah, keep messing with your silly dad, Mari," Katara laughed from the saddle.
Aang smiled and stepped closer to the bison's body, creating small gusts of air with which he brought the two toddlers down to his level. Katara was free to climb safely by herself then, leaving it to Aang to hold their children, and his smile couldn't have been brighter as he regarded the sizable crowd around them.
"Hey, everyone!" he exclaimed: Katara stepped forward, greeting each child happily, smiling at the cluster of people who remained inside the house's corridor. "Hope we're not too late for lunch!"
"Just on time, if anything!" Sokka called back, grinning at them and waving. "Hope the journey was okay for your little clouds!"
The children in question, mostly identical, glanced at Sokka from a distance: he couldn't quite tell apart Tashi, the boy, from Tallah, the girl, while they were so far away. As much as Aang had a duty to see to the recovery of the Air Nomads, he and Katara had taken their time before starting their own family: as ready as they had hoped to be, however, Katara had been taken by surprise upon sensing two new heartbeats inside her, two sources of new chi, rather than one. Their two babies weren't as much trouble as many others could be… at least, so far. Tashi did have a penchant for crying for attention, but he was easily soothed by either of his parents.
Katara greeted Sokka with a tight hug, as ever, once she reached him. Sokka squeezed her tightly, causing Katara to protest by smacking his arm gently.
"I know, I know, nobody likes an annoying older brother," Sokka grinned shamelessly, to his sister's amusement.
"Well, I do know someone who likes my annoying older brother, somehow," Katara smirked teasingly, turning her attention to Azula: she sighed dramatically, with a leisurely shrug.
"What can I say? A goofball like him has his charms," she said: Sokka snickered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively in her direction, and Azula laughed as Katara stepped forward to embrace her too.
"Well, being a nasty younger sister usually makes you immune to those charms, as you well know," Katara laughed. Azula nodded sagely.
"Indeed, someone likes my annoying older brother too. Utterly inexplicable," she rebuffed playfully as Katara pulled away, smiling. "How are you faring? The twins still keeping you up at night?"
"Oh, yeah," Katara grimaced, though she smiled soon enough again. "They're adorable, of course, but I can't remember the last time I got any sleep."
"And you won't remember it anytime soon, guaranteed," Sokka declared, at which Katara only sighed in defeat.
"This just makes me feel bad about our parents. Were we all this much trouble all along, really?" Katara asked. Sokka offered her a tight-lipped smile and a nod.
"Probably worse, even," he determined. Katara shook her head, laughing as she covered her face with her hands.
"Then the next time I see Dad I'm going to apologize for all the hardships I gave him… as should you, Sokka," she said: he scoffed, waving a hand in her direction.
"You're still trying to win more points with him, after all these years…? I'm onto you, see? I'm so onto you," he said, making a gesture with his hand to ensure Katara knew he was watching her. The waterbender rolled her eyes, glancing at her sister-in-law in disbelief.
"Those are the charms you fell for, huh?"
"Irresistible like no one else I've ever known," Azula said, gesturing at Sokka dramatically: by then, Sokka's playfulness broke at last with laughter, and his wife and sister followed him into it shortly.
The playful banter would have continued on, even if Sokka's goofier side seemed to have receded slightly by then: Katara was just explaining Toph had been unable to join them, for she was too busy these days – she had claimed she needed to know about this big vacation six months in advance to find any room in her schedule for it –, when Suki's voice echoed through the courtyard, calling their many guests for lunch at last.
Once again, Azula was reminded of how much emptier the house used to be once everyone gathered at the large dining room to enjoy the meal: in the past, she, Zuko and her parents had eaten in that same room, and while those days had been far less unpleasant than the many years that followed, Azula had only realized how large the room truly was, and how empty it had felt, now that it was anything but: everyone crowded boisterously around the long table, the smaller children propped up on many cushions so they could reach their plates without much struggle. Dishes would be passed from one end of the table to the other, laughter bounced on every wall and smiles seemed to decorate every face… unless they were busy eating, of course.
Azula and Sokka made sure to help Yuuna with her meal, ensuring she took small bites rather than chomping down on everything on her plate, as she intended to. Then, Azula also had to reel in Sokka by dropping a fair share of vegetables on his meat-exclusive plate – he had done it to mess with her, she knew, but her retaliation saw them bickering playfully, picking each other's meal while Yuuna, sitting between them, watched their apparent fight with absolute delight. Hotaru and Shun, at the other side of the table, could only laugh between bites of their own, though they were easily distracted by their cousins and friends, too.
Once the food was almost fully spent and everyone was satisfied, however, Mari leapt to her feet, with a wicked smile on her face.
"And where are you going?" Zuko asked, following his oldest daughter with his gaze.
"To the beach!" she responded gladly: she didn't wait for her father to finish his next sentence before sprinting through the corridors, headed to her chosen room.
"You have to wait at least ten minutes after you…! Ugh, she's unreal," Zuko sighed, shaking his head. Suki smiled and squeezed his hand.
"With how long it ought to take us all to get ready, it should take her longer than ten minutes to get into the water. Hopefully our reckless girl will be fine, Zuko" she told him. He smiled back, though the sight of Kerra rushing off after her sister didn't reassure him much.
"Our reckless girls, you'll mean… plural," he raised his eyebrow, and Suki laughed and nodded.
"You did plenty of hard work as it is, dear. Don't fret much more than you already have. Your big meal was a success, your plans for the vacation have worked wonders… we're doing great."
"We are… but I'm exhausted, and it's only just started," he admitted, with a weak grin.
"Well, maybe we all can take turns cooking!" Aang suggested, surprising Zuko. "You know, each family can have a turn or so? How about it?"
"Huh… that sounds like a plan," Zuko smiled, glancing at the rest of the group… though his eyes slowed at Azula and Sokka, and his grin soured. "Though someone will have to be there for backup when it's their turn, huh?"
"Oh, they might just wind up doing something other than cooking if left alone in the kitchen," Ty Lee snickered, a hand over her mouth as though to block her words from being heard by the happily bickering couple. "We were on our way up the path to the house, you know, and those two? They were seriously DEVOURING each other against the door, just like that…!"
"Alright, you've convinced me: anyone can cook… except those two," Zuko decided, prompting those sitting near him to laugh at his decision.
He wasn't completely uncomfortable these days over his sister's blatant displays of affection with her husband, but he certainly didn't want to witness them at their most romantic… or their most passionate. Yet it was exactly what Zuko had unintentionally signed on for upon inviting them to his freshly refurbished beach house: even if Azula and Sokka had their kids to look after and think of, it didn't seem anyone could pry either of them off each other. They went everywhere together, either holding hands or embracing each other's waist, even as they checked on the rooms Zuko and Suki had assigned for them and their children. They carried the family's luggage upstairs with their children's help – Hotaru assisted them far more than the other two, who had to settle for either carrying smaller bags or carrying large ones together, which turned out to be a rather catastrophic choice since both wanted to outrun the other, again, even while making their way over a flight of stairs. In the end, though, once everyone's goods were properly distributed in their rooms, it was time to get ready for what the children looked forward to the most:
"Be careful when you go out to swim, alright?" Sokka told Yuuna, after Azula helped the child change into her one-piece swimsuit. "Remember what I've taught you… and try not to bend too much while you're there, don't freeze people even if they annoy you, all our usual rules…"
"Can Aunt Katara bend on the beach…?" Yuuna asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka grimaced.
"Yeah, well, she's all grown-up so if she wants to do it, I can't stop her. I've tried to stop her from bending in awkward situations since I was littler than you are, right now, and she never pays me any attention," Sokka said, with a resigned sigh. "But that's neither here nor there… you are a good girl, right? So, you'll be good and do as you're told. Okay?"
"No!" Yuuna grinned: she ran out the door, hands in the air, laughing carelessly on her way downstairs again.
Her father, of course, was left frozen on the spot, an eyebrow twitching. Azula behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders before slipping them around his neck, offering him a gentle hug.
"We'll make sure nothing happens. Don't fret," she said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Sometimes I think we're the best parents ever, and then sometimes I wonder if we're getting everything wrong," Sokka confessed, glancing at her from his kneeling position, where Yuuna had left him. Azula leaned over him, smiling warmly.
"Well, you told me that your father said to you that there was more worth in growth than in perfection, right?" Azula asked, pressing her lips to his brow. "True wisdom right there. We may never be the perfect parents, but…"
"But we'll grow along with our kids and do it better every time?" Sokka finished. Azula nodded proudly, and Sokka grinned, leaning in to kiss her, no matter how awkward their position might be. "I love you, Azula."
"And I love you, Sokka… though I wish we could love each other quite a bit more freely than we can, right now," she said, with a lop-sided smile. "We have to change too, and, well…"
"We can't afford to do anything naughty because our kids might just freeze the beach while we're not paying attention?" Sokka asked, with a sad smile of his own. Azula laughed and nodded, helping him stand up.
"We'll have to save it for later, I suppose. If we still have any energy by then, that is," she pointed out. Sokka cupped her face between his hands, kissing her lips softly.
"I'll make sure to save my very best just for you and our nice and cozy little room," Sokka said, smirking deviously. "Though I guess, if the kids aren't much trouble, we can at least indulge in, well, enjoying each other's scenery, if nothing else?"
"Don't we always?" Azula smiled, pinching his asscheek and guiding him towards their room, out of Yuuna's shared one with Hotaru, by the two girls' design. It was entirely possible they'd go forward with Mari's wild plans for a sleepover in her large room, but their two daughters would keep their belongings here, at the very least.
While knowing they had very little time for privacy, Sokka and Azula still locked their room's door, helping each other into their respective swimsuits while trading no end of mischievous kisses and caresses. It seemed impossible that the two of them would truly make their way to the beach instead of surrendering to their urges, but against their instincts and impulses, they finally made up their minds, gathered their beach bags and ventured out of the house, hand in hand… or hand-on-rear, when they decided to tease each other, halfway down the beach.
The children were already playing loudly by the sand: Kerra, in particular, seemed thrilled to fling bursts of sand at her brother, while Yuuna splashed by the shore, laughing with her cousin at Iroh and Shun's protests over how their two younger siblings had joined forces against them. Hotaru and Zi stood with Mari, as usual, though her mischievous streak had been interrupted, it seemed, by Yuudai: the taller teenager stood with the three girls, talking animatedly despite it was quite clear, even at a distance, that the one who did the most talking was Mari, who frequently smiled, unusually bashfully, at Yuudai.
"Hmm… that's either Zuko's worst nightmare or his dream combination, isn't it?" Sokka asked Azula, as they walked together down the sand. "He did love Yuudai quite a bit, but…"
"He couldn't be more protective of his kids if he tried? Yeah," Azula agreed, nodding. "Well, they're all kids anyway. I say let them have their fun, as long as they don't get hurt or do anything all that stupid… though of course, if it's Hotaru who's involved in something stupid I'm definitely going to stop being as calm and collected, but she's not likely to be…"
"Mari's a wild one, but I hope both Zi and Hotaru can restrain her, to a fault," Sokka smiled. He and Azula had finally reached the playing grounds, and he raised a hand, placing it by his cheek in order to call for his children. "Yuuna! Shun! Hotaru! Did you put on your sunscreen before you ran out to play?!"
The three kids, each busy with their own groups, flinched and filed towards their parents, guilty grimaces on all their faces. Azula couldn't muffle a smile as they approached, beelining towards Sokka.
"Sorry, Dad…" Shun mumbled. Sokka harrumphed dramatically, setting down his bag and pulling out the sunscreen.
"Alright, those of you brave enough to try doing it yourselves, put out your hands!" Sokka said. Shun and Hotaru both did, while Yuuna showed plenty of sense, surprisingly, by not following suit with their example. "Oh, really, now? You're ready to apply your own sunscreen, Shun?"
"Yeah, I am!" he decided, beaming brightly. Sokka scoffed.
"Well, then, let's see how it goes," he said: he opened the flask with their best sunscreen lotion, pouring a small amount upon each extended hand… and upon Azula's too, as she leaned down right in front of Yuuna, ready to cover her body with it. The little girl raised her head proudly, eyes tightly closed as her mother ensured to cover every exposed bit of her daughter's body until the sunscreen blended perfectly with her skin.
Hotaru only missed a few bits, and Sokka instructed her about which ones, so she could cover everything properly too. Shun, however…
"You… think that's okay?" Sokka asked, with an awkward grin. Shun pouted.
"Well, I didn't get it wrong, did I…?" he asked.
"You have handprints all over your arms, your face is all covered in lotion, your back is mostly exposed…?" Sokka pointed out, rounding the little boy. Shun winced, cheeks reddening. "See? You're already getting sunburnt!"
"I'm not!" Shun cried out, the intensity of his blush strengthening, to Sokka's amusement.
"Come on, I'll handle your back. Spread the bits on your face more evenly, down to your neck too…"
Shun obeyed without much protest, still flustered: Azula smiled at him, and the boy withdrew his gaze from hers.
"Come on, Shun… no need to be so embarrassed," Azula said, reaching out to caress his long hair gently. "Is it you don't want your cousins to think you're being babied or something?"
"I-…! T-that's…! W-well…!" Shun couldn't seem to gather his thoughts, let alone when his mother laughed softly.
"Don't worry about it: look at them, they're an even bigger mess than we are," Azula said, smirking before gesturing at her brother's family.
Zuko and Suki had only just arrived too, and Suki had rushed to collect Kerra, who insisted she didn't need any sunscreen whatsoever: Zi apparently had applied hers all the way back in the house, and Mari kept claiming she had done the same thing, but Suki seemed to believe otherwise – Azula immediately suspected Mari had no interest in letting Yuudai see her applying sunscreen awkwardly, going by how disheartened she had been when the older boy had stepped away from their group, rallying with his family underneath an umbrella: Mai would never visit a beach without guaranteeing she'd have some form of shade, after all.
"Me next! Me, Mom!" Iroh called out as Suki covered a groaning Kerra with sunscreen.
"Yes, yes, you're next, Iroh…"
"I already applied it, Dad, you don't have to make me do it again, do you?"
"Well, if you already did it, a second coating can only do you good…!"
"Dad!"
Although his previous concerns had weighed heavily on Shun's mind, he now had no choice but to laugh at his relatives. Azula smiled fondly at him, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head once Sokka was done patching up his uneven sunscreen work.
"Have fun in a reasonable way, alright? All of you. No crazy attempts to race with tiger sharks underwater or anything like that, Yuuna," Azula said, pressing a kiss to her daughter's hair too: Yuuna's eyes brightened.
"Are there tiger sharks in Ember Island?!"
"There aren't supposed to be, no," Azula smiled, shaking her head. Yuuna blew a raspberry and shook her head.
"Boring!"
"Oh, now, you have a whole beach to have fun in!" Sokka told Yuuna, leaning down and resting his weight on his knees. "Bet you can find something other than tiger-sharks, maybe a turtle crab, and…"
"And I'll bend it at Shun!"
"Wait, no! You shouldn't…!" Sokka gasped: Shun winced as his sister took off in a mad race towards the shoreline, laughing happily as she looked for any animals to toss at her older brother.
"Okay, I'm going to go hang out with Mari and Zi now…" Hotaru smiled awkwardly… only for Shun to grab onto her leg, still glancing in Yuuna's direction worriedly.
"Take me with you! She wouldn't dare attack you!" Shun whimpered. Hotaru laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, Shun…" she smiled, wrapping an arm around her brother's shoulders before glancing at her parents. "Is it okay, then…?"
"Sure, but if you go into the water try not to go too deep, alright?" Sokka advised her. "And take breaks if you do, once in a while. No need to go too crazy swimming all day long. And…!"
"Go, Hotaru," Azula cut him off, with a smirk: their daughter laughed at Sokka's heartfelt pout, as Azula wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'll keep your protective father in check, alright?"
"Sure thing," Hotaru chuckled: she guided Shun towards the others again, and the boy kept shooting wary glances at where his youngest sister now played with something or another that she'd found in the water. In all likelihood, Yuuna had already forgotten her previous intentions to mess with Shun, distracted by whatever unusual discovery she'd made, as ever happened with the innately curious girl.
Sokka released a deep breath, running a hand over his hair as he took in the good weather and the beautiful horizon. He turned a smile to Azula, whose eyes were set on him.
"Well, we can relax now. If just for a bit?" he said. Azula shrugged, dropping her head on his shoulder.
"Until we decide we have to join in the wild games just as well, I bet," Azula said. Sokka chuckled. "We could wind up racing each other in the water, you know we could…"
"I bet, but it might be better if we wait until the kids have had their fun first. Gotta keep an eye on them, even if we're giving them some space to go wild…" Sokka said, with an awkward smile. "Sometimes I think we worry too much…"
"Then Yuuna wants to play with tiger-sharks and, if anything, you start thinking you don't worry enough?" Azula guessed. Sokka laughed and nodded. "Same here, really. I suppose it won't be all that relaxing to watch them running wild, but at least we can sit down, talk, enjoy the sea air and the sunlight until we feel all dry and drained…"
"What a beautiful picture you paint, wife of mine," Sokka smirked. Azula chuckled against his chest, but he proceeded to do exactly what she'd told him they could.
Sokka pulled out a large towel and set it down on the sand: he meant to help Azula sit first, but she made him take his seat only to nestle on his lap, shameless and comfortably. Sokka groaned as he dropped fully on the towel, bringing her with him as he did.
"This is getting dangerous, Azula," he pointed out: she simply smirked, enjoying the feeling of his naked chest against her cheek. "We're too exposed for any naughty shenanigans, you know we are."
"I do, but you can't hope I'll simply sit away from you when I can be far more comfortable on your lap, Sokka," she said, sighing happily. "Though… come to think of it, isn't it our turn to apply the sunscreen?"
"That… will only make things worse," Sokka said, looking at her warily. Azula laughed, urging him to sit up with her. "Azula…?"
"We totally should have done this indoors, but what the heck. May we end up so sticky with lotion we won't want to touch each other at all later…"
"That is literally impossible: you could be covered in the contents of a swamp bog, and I'd still want to touch you."
"Aw, so romantic…" Azula's eyes fluttered in his direction in the most mocking manner possible, as Sokka smirked knowingly.
"You wouldn't return the favor, though, I know as much. Prude, prissy Princess…"
"How dare you!" Azula scoffed, feigning offense as Sokka laughed. "I absolutely would return the favor… while complaining the whole time about how disgusting it is, how bad it smells, how wrong it is for me to do it, all perfectly normal things…"
"Suits you just fine, yeah," Sokka smiled, leaning quickly to kiss her laughing lips. "You're too clever for me…"
"As you are for me. Sneaky Sokka," she said, narrowing her eyes. His own grin widened further. "You know I'm making you pay for all that teasing tonight…"
"And you know I'm looking forward to it, Princess."
She couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief as he grinned proudly: the first bit of lotion she poured on her hands landed smack on his chest as she chided him for his misdemeanors, and Sokka laughed even harder as their attempts to help protect each other with the sunscreen became a playful struggle they enjoyed delightfully.
Their playfight was mostly ignored by the children, and dismissed by the other adults, who each seemed to have found distinct, safe spots in the beach to set up their stations at. Everyone seemed ready to relax gladly… everyone except for the children, who were already playing in the water, laughing loudly, splashing everywhere, racing each other and coming up with whatever mischief might come to mind.
The natural ringleader of most mischief, Mari, rallied Hotaru, Zi and Yuudai with her, after some initial fun in the water. Her dreams of a kuai ball match only seemed closer at hand, now that all necessary preparations were properly finished.
"Do we have a net, though…?" Hotaru asked Mari, who shot her a clever grin.
"I made sure Dad bought one before we came here! I'll go fetch it, we'll set up the court and then…!"
"Then we'll play… against who?" Zi asked, raising her eyebrows. "I think Dad said it's usually four against four…"
"Oh, it can be less than that," Mari decided, grinning. "I have it all figured out, Zi! Just follow me!"
Zi sighed but did as her sister told her: the two sprinted back to the house while Yuudai and Hotaru lagged a few paces behind, uncertain of whatever Mari had in mind.
"Is she always like this?" Yuudai asked Hotaru, amused.
"Well, we don't get to spend that much time together, but… yeah, for as long as I can remember," Hotaru answered, grinning. Yuudai chuckled and shrugged.
"Guess I'll have to get used to it, then. Nobody in my family is that energetic…"
"Guess not," Hotaru smiled, glancing in the direction of Mai and Ruon Jian.
The pair seemed perfectly content to nestle together under their umbrella while their youngest son dug a hole in the sand, not far from where they sat. As strange as Renshu could be, their family, it seemed to Hotaru, was by far the calmest of the group… though Katara and Aang, the former of whom sat with her twin children near Ty Lee and Haru, weren't all that chaotic either, at least not so far. Once their children were older, though…
"Well… we could have even bigger games when everyone's old enough, come to think of it," Hotaru laughed quietly. Yuudai smiled and shrugged.
"Maybe, though if your little sister and your little brother get to play this game, I may be too scared to join in," he confessed. Hotaru chuckled, though she couldn't fault Yuudai for thinking so.
Fortunately, Shun and Yuuna were having too much fun, swimming in the shallow area of the shore while under Aang's supervision – the Avatar was a magnet for the younger kids of the group, and even Kerra was swimming with him right now, listening to his instructions on how to swim backstroke without sinking – she wasn't particularly proficient at staying afloat compared to the other three, though.
By the time Kerra finally started getting the hang of the swimming style, soaring between waves that Yuuna relished in, Hotaru, Yuudai, Mari and Zi had returned from their venture into the house: Mari and Yuudai shared the weight of the two tall poles upon which the net, carried between Zi and Hotaru, would be hoisted.
Every set of eyes turned towards them as they started setting up the game: Mari drew a large circle in the sand around the poles – when they seemed to be unstable in the sand, Haru gave the group a hand by strengthening the sand near the poles they were setting in place, ensuring they would remain steady in their spot. Once the net had been set up, the four oldest children in the group were finally ready to play, and Mari's grand scheme would finally unfold…
"Wait, what?! B-but I can barely play! I should be teamed with you!" Zi whimpered, reaching for her sister, who huffed and shook her head.
"Hotaru's going to be a great teammate for you! Come on, Zi…!" Mari said, nudging her sister, who pouted and grabbed onto her arm.
"But you two are the tallest in the group, we're going to be crushed…!" Zi grimaced. Yuudai smiled and stepped forward.
"She does have a point," he said to Mari, whose plans were suddenly derailed by Yuudai's words. "Don't worry: I can play with your sister, and Hotaru can be on your team. Makes sense, right?"
"B-but…" Mari's eyebrow twitched: Hotaru smiled happily at her, and she couldn't seem to protest against that. "Fine, then, fine… but I'll choose teams for the next game!"
Most eyes were drawn to their kuai ball court by then: even the children by the shore seemed to slow down on their swimming training – though Renshu continued to build his hole, with absolute determination. Azula and Sokka, happily cradled in each other's arms once more, watched with amusement as their daughter took her position with her cousin.
"Two firebenders against two non-benders…?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows.
"You're not about to say that's an unfair deal, are you?" Azula smirked.
"It wouldn't be, if the two non-benders weren't… Zi and Yuudai?" Sokka smiled, poking her ribcage lightly: Azula squirmed against him, drawing closer to his bare chest. "You know I can keep up with any bender I bump into, but Zi barely could handle her mom's Kyoshi Warrior training, if she even did…"
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose we're about to witness… a bit of a massacre?" Azula asked, amused.
"Let's see if they surprise us," Sokka bit his lip: Mari had already raised the ball, flinging it into the air and slamming it hard with her hand.
Yuudai wasn't particularly athletic, but he kept up fairly well with his opponents. Zi, however, fell to shambles with every strong spike by either Hotaru or Mari. Yuudai attempted to receive their attacks, to pass the ball to Zi so she could hit it back to the other court… but by the time she seemed to get the hang of the game, she and Yuudai were down to a mere two points just before Mari kicked the ball powerfully for her final tenth point.
Another round saw only a mild improvement on the opposing team – though they kept the ball rolling for longer on each point. Still, Hotaru and Mari triumphed again, ten to six, and Zi appeared too disheartened to try playing any further. Yuudai took his loss more gracefully… but he still requested for a break, to Mari's utter chagrin.
"B-but… this was when we switched teams," Mari groaned, pressing her face to the ball. Hotaru sighed, patting her cousin's shoulder.
"It was very intense. Maybe we all can use a break now," she said, with a carefree grin. Mari pouted in her direction, but it seemed pointless to her to play against Hotaru alone…
So, she let her cousin go, and so she stood, alone on the kuai ball court she had been so determined to set up. She let out a groan, wondering if she should go for a swim for now, or if she should just wait until the others were ready for another round…
"Well, now… that's just rude. They ditched her? Unacceptable!" Sokka declared, brow furrowed playfully. Azula shrugged.
"It is a shame… but sadly most the other kids are way too young to play with her," she said: Yuuna and Kerra ran up to Mari, no doubt asking if they could play with her, but Mari only smiled and shook her head, responsibly declining to play so intensely with two kids who were about half her age.
"Well, who said only kids get to play?"
Sokka's words seemed to set off a strange switch inside Azula's head. She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and he smirked right back at her: her lips shifted into a smile, and Sokka knew she'd understood his intent right away.
"Besides… as far as I know, Mari thinks you and I are about the coolest parents there are. We can't let her change her mind, now, can we?" he snickered, nudging Azula again. She laughed, shaking her head… and making to rise to her feet.
"We really can't let her down. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we did," she decided. Sokka snickered, pushing himself up to his feet as well.
Mari had successfully convinced the two younger girls to go back to Aang when she heard the footsteps on the sand behind her: she turned quickly to find her favorite set of aunt and uncle were approaching her kuai ball court… and her eyes gleamed when they stepped inside the circle she'd drawn earlier.
"Well, well… I can't pretend I know exactly how this game goes, but I think I caught the gist of it earlier," Sokka smirked: Mari's smile couldn't have been broader as she glanced between both Azula and Sokka. "What do you say about teaming up with us, then?"
"I…! T-that would be a dream come true, but…! Are you guys sure?" she asked, smiling nervously. Azula laughed and nodded, reaching for the ball her niece was still holding.
"I was known to tear kuai ball courts to pieces, in my youth…" she said, dramatically: Mari snorted and laughed, handing the ball to Azula. "Of course, I will try to be civilized today and not wreck your nice net. Looks brand-new and everything…"
"It is!" Mari exclaimed, beaming. "You guys sure, then? Though… I don't know who we'd play. Seems like everyone else wants to take a break…"
"Oh, pfft, there's no need to worry about that," Sokka smirked, glancing over Mari's head: he didn't doubt, not for a second, that their attempt to join Mari would go answered by other fully adult players… and he wasn't surprised to see exactly who would step up to the challenge.
"Hey, now… you guys are playing with Mari?" Zuko's voice reached them: he and Suki had stepped up to the edge of the kuai ball court, and Zuko stared at his sister skeptically. Azula simply answered him with a nonchalant shrug.
"Why, I don't see a problem with that," she said, wrapping an arm around Mari's shoulders: the girl smiled wildly upon finding her aunt was on her side, in every sense that counted. "You'll need one more team member to make things even, though… or, well, as even as can be."
Sokka snickered at Azula's very obvious taunt… the funniest part about it was that he knew, of course, that it would pay off perfectly: Zuko seemed to see red at Azula's insinuation that an even number of team players couldn't possibly suffice to defeat her, Sokka and Mari…
"Mari should be playing with us, if anything!" Zuko huffed: Mari chuckled and shook her head. "Y-you… hey! I taught you how to play!"
"I want to be on Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka's team!" she said, proudly. Sokka laughed, throwing his own arm over Azula's, his free fist into the air.
"The girl knows two champions when she sees them. Can't blame her for that, now, can you, Zuzu?" he snickered: Azula couldn't ever help but laugh upon hearing her husband addressing Zuko with his despised nickname, and it was clear Zuko's patience was now at an end.
"Well, then, if that's how you three want it…!" he said, turning around quickly. Suki, beside him, sighed.
"You're sure about this? It is Mari…" she asked. Zuko scoffed.
"I'm fighting those two. I'll keep Mari out of it," he assured her, before his eyes fell upon his ideal final member for the three-member team. "Katara! Want to kick your brother's ass?"
"Woah!" Katara gasped at Zuko's sudden proposal. She had been talking with Ty Lee about her pregnancy, sharing stories about her own process, enjoying the previous kuai ball games just fine while they chatted, Tashi and Tallah nestled comfortably on her lap. The chi-blocker snickered, nudging her with her knee to join in.
"You can leave your two lovely kiddos to me and Haru, go on now!" Ty Lee said. "I'd join them myself, but as you can tell…"
"Are you sure?" Katara asked, with a weak smile. Both Haru and Ty Lee nodded, reaching out to hold one child each. Katara laughed and bowed her head in their direction. "Well… great. I guess I'm off to a new iteration of sibling wars, here…"
"Have fun!" Ty Lee called after her.
"Good luck!" Haru said, too. Katara smiled at the two of them, waving in their direction.
Aang, still in the water, watched as his wife approached the kuai ball court, slack jawed. Katara waved in his direction, so he shook his head and smiled brightly before cheering her on.
"You can do it! You can beat them, Katara!" he called out.
By then, though, the kids around him had rushed out of the water, delighted by the notion of the all-out brawl about to take place in the kuai ball court: the teams were assembled now, and the six players were ready to get going. By now, the three who had retired earlier seemed most eager to return to the game soon… but for the time being, Yuudai, Hotaru and Zi would sit with their younger siblings, watching the game from the sidelines – surprisingly, even Renshu seemed to stop digging his hole, and he sat on his brother's lap while watching the court intently, waiting for the match to start.
Each team had huddled up, and Mari's eyes brightened upon knowing she'd be a first-hand witness to her aunt and uncle's impeccable strategizing abilities today. Yet, when it came down to it…
"Well, team captain Mari… what do you think we should do?" Sokka asked: the youngest team member gasped, glancing between them in utmost confusion.
"I, uh… I'm the captain?"
"You're the one who came up with this idea. So… yes, I'd say you are," Azula smiled, nudging her gently. Mari giggled, biting her lip.
"Then, uh… I want to hear what you guys have in mind, first?" she said, too bashful to try and think of any strategies herself – she doubted she'd come up with anything on par with what either of these two could think of.
"Hmm, well… Katara and Suki are bound to be a problem," Azula pointed out, casting a glance in their direction. "As much as you're her daughter…"
"Yeah, Mom's not going to hold back with me. Not at all," said Mari, shaking her head.
"But your dad's another story," Sokka smirked: Azula mirrored the expression immediately.
"Therefore, I think the proper strategy as good as speaks for itself," she said. Sokka nodded "You should take a center-back position, Sokka…"
"I'll receive every ball I can," he said, with certainty. "And then I'll pass it forward, to either of you guys…"
"Oh, no. Not to either of us," Azula's smile gained an even more dangerous edge. "There's one sure-proof way for us to score, Sokka… and we're going to make the most of it."
"You sure?" Sokka asked. "Might be he'll catch on eventually… or the other two will."
"If they do, we'll still be so far ahead that we'll be practically guaranteed to reach the ten points before they do," Azula determined. Mari, beside them, chuckled.
"You guys are incredible. You take even this so seriously… uh, I take it seriously too, don't get me wrong! It's just, well… uh, never mind. So! What's the rest of the plan, exactly?"
Both Azula and Sokka shared another complicit smirk before conveying their ideas to Mari. The young firebender's eyes widened, as the most ironclad plan came together right then and there…
A mere minute later, everyone was ready for the game to start. Mari stood outside the court's line: she tossed the ball high in the air and kicked it powerfully towards the other side of the court.
Katara received the ball, impressed by the power it had packed: Zuko kneed it, giving the ball plenty of altitude for Suki to slam it hard with her hand…
But Sokka leapt forward just in time, stopping the ball from dropping in the sand. It hovered right above him, and Azula dashed forth, passing the ball to Mari, who was already mid-jump…
In the middle of the air, as she was, Mari smirked upon finding the exact place to slam the ball towards:
It wasn't as fast as the spike Suki had pulled off earlier, but this one landed on the ground, right in front of Zuko's unmoving form.
Both Suki and Katara gasped, finding Zuko hadn't made the slightest effort to receive the ball: meanwhile, the other team celebrated their first point quite rowdily.
"O-okay, sorry about that," Zuko swallowed hard. "I'll do better next time."
"You'd better," Katara retorted: Zuko scoffed at her. "You didn't call me here just so I'd wind up on a losing team, now, did you?"
"We're not going to lose, that's exactly why you're here! Just make the most of your chance to mess with your brother, as you always do!" Zuko grunted. Katara, despite herself, smiled at Zuko's words.
"Well, you can never go wrong with messing with your annoying older brother, that much is true…" she said, knowing Sokka, already in position again, heard her loud and clear: he stuck his tongue out in her direction, and Katara smirked as she readied herself to respond to this next service by Mari.
Again, they managed to keep the ball in play: it was Katara who dealt the spike this time, but while it was too fast for Sokka to react and receive it with his hands or feet, it bounced against his head and didn't hit the ground. Azula gasped as he rolled back on the sand, but she rushed to get the ball anyway, as it seemed to be about to fall out of the court.
With a powerful kick, Azula returned the ball to her last teammate: once again, Mari hit the ball powerfully, and this time it landed two paces next to Zuko.
"Zuko!" both Suki and Katara cried out: he flinched, knowing exactly why he was messing up… and suspecting why it was happening, too. He shot a wary glare at his sister, who had rushed up to her husband. Sokka had a groggy expression on his face, but he, of course, asked the one question Zuko expected him to ask…
"Did we pull it off?" he said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips.
"Yup. Two to nil," Azula smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his brow. "You're impossibly heroic, even in friendly kuai ball matches."
"No idea how friendly it is: we're at war with our siblings, feels to me…" Sokka smiled, as Azula helped him to his feet.
"No need to worry… we've got this, Sokka," Azula said, smirking in the direction of the opposing team.
"Come on, Zuko. Get it together," Katara hissed again. He huffed, frowning.
"I will, I will. I know what to expect now…" he said.
But he was wrong, again: this time, when he prepared himself for Mari's spike, Azula spun in a circle and kicked the ball Sokka had sent her way, right into the sand. Katara lunged for it, but she couldn't stop the powerful kick before it landed.
"You guys are AMAZING!" Mari laughed, rushing in to hug her aunt and uncle, whose smirks couldn't have been more irritating for their siblings. Suki sighed at the obvious, rising competitive spirit of both Katara and Zuko, running a hand over her hair.
"Come on, come on, take it easy, you two," she said, patting their shoulders. "We can do this. Just… don't send it at Sokka this time."
"Sure thing," Zuko huffed. Katara didn't appear to enjoy that particular order, but she nodded in Suki's direction.
Upon the next of Mari's serves, Suki passed the ball to Katara, who slammed it hard close to the net. Azula's attempt to dig the ball failed, but she only laughed off her first lost point as the others basked in their success.
"Guess they were onto us much faster than expected," she smiled, as Sokka helped her up.
"I'll be more careful, then," Sokka said, eyeing his opponents warily. "I'll be ready to jump forward whenever I have to…"
"Be ready to do more than that, if need be," Azula said, patting his chest affectionately. "No one here's bound to have a more powerful arm than you. If you don't receive it, you might just be able to spike it…"
"Huh… you sure about that?" Sokka smiled. Azula winked at him.
"Trust me."
"Always," he responded: Azula smiled brightly at his answer.
Zuko served this time: he shot the ball powerfully at Sokka, unable to make the ball land anywhere else: Mari attempted to spike it at Zuko again, but Suki leapt in the way of it, flinging the ball upwards for Katara to set it properly and for Zuko to slam it again…
But this time, Azula and Sokka had changed positions.
She received the ball, rolling on the sand as a result: Mari watched in sheer awe as Sokka seemed to levitate, gearing up with an attack that none of the other team's members were prepared for.
The ball slammed powerfully into the sand, still spinning in place as Sokka dropped on the ground again, a proud smirk on his face.
"You guys just…!" Mari gasped, her hands over her mouth as she gazed at them in amazement.
A cheer broke from their many onlookers. Hotaru, Shun and Yuuna cheered for their parents' teamwork, while many of the others clapped at the way they'd obliterated the defense of their opposing team. Most of the audience wasn't surprised in the least to see Azula and Sokka gaining such an advantage over their opponents, though the opponents in question weren't all that pleased about it.
"Guess they're taking us seriously now, huh?" Zuko said, with a proud smile that waned quickly. "Though that may not be a good thing for us anyway."
"We're NOT letting them get a win so easily. We're fighting this, to the end!" Katara declared: it would be Azula's serve next, and they were ready quickly to receive the ball.
They did fight, and quite bravely: they managed a couple more points later on, though only after Azula's serve scored two more for their side. By the time it was Sokka's turn to serve, everyone was ready to receive a powerhouse of an attack… that wound up going too far, landing outside the court and leading his three opponents to sigh in relief.
"Ugh, damn it. Should control my power better…" Sokka pouted: Azula eased him by kissing his cheek.
"Being so strong and fierce may lose us a few points in the game, but it wins you quite a few of them with me, just the same," she declared, wiggling her eyebrows: his previous irritation was eased quickly by her teasing. "Come on, then. We're not that far from crushing them completely."
Katara's serve wasn't as powerful as her brother's, but strong enough to cause Mari to roll in the sand after digging the ball right on time. Azula passed it, Sokka smacked it… but Zuko dug it too, much as his daughter had. Suki was the next to spike, though Azula received it, handing it to Sokka, and Sokka set it for Mari…
Another spike, and another out-of-bounds blast.
"Oh, damn it!" Mari huffed: her parents cheered on the other side, and their little audience seemed to cheer for them as well.
"Calm down, calm down. We're still ahead, and we'll stay ahead," Azula smiled. "If things take a bad turn, well… we'll just have to take extreme measures."
"I wonder what that means," Mari glanced at her aunt, who smirked deviously.
"I have no choice but to hold back so far, is all… I'd rather not go the extra mile unless we really have to," she said. Mari gulped but smiled. "Sokka's holding back too, so…"
"You guys are terrifying… and you're also the coolest people ever," she laughed. Azula smiled, winking at her niece before Katara served again.
This time, Mari's showdown with her mother kept them stalled in a point for almost three minutes: Sokka swept in eventually, slapping the ball right past Suki, at such speed neither Zuko nor Katara could reach it.
"Yeah! One last point and we're done!" Mari cheered: it was her serve again, and she hoped to do it right…
Her father grimaced when she took her position: he loved his daughter dearly and wanted her to be happy… but he didn't want his sister and her husband to thwart his team. It was a troubling conflict of interests… but it was one that caused him to do his best, even when the ball his daughter served went flying right in his direction.
He managed to dig it, handing it to Katara, who passed it over the net immediately: Azula struck it, making it hover just long enough for Sokka to knee it higher yet… and then Mari swept in, kicking the ball towards her father anew…
Suki leapt in front of the ball, passing it to Katara. Zuko jumped over Suki, shooting her a complicit smile before spiking the ball… and Azula received it, hard enough and in such an angle that it bounced right into Zuko's face.
Suki gasped, but Katara rushed after the ball anyway. Azula grimaced as her brother found his bearings… and glared at her for making the ball rebound that way. She shrugged apologetically, but she had little time to repent: Katara had managed to save the ball, Suki was in position to spike it…
Mari dug it this time, falling face-first in the sand to save a ball that would have almost certainly left a sizable hole in the sand if it had touched the ground. Azula turned quickly, ready to set the ball… and Sokka leapt powerfully, right above her.
Azula smirked, passing him the ball just in time for him to smirk knowingly at her. With a blow as strong as that of his failed serve earlier, but from a much better vantage point, Sokka dunked the ball in the sand, just before the other three could jump quickly enough to reach it.
"We won! We… YES!" Mari screamed, leaping to her feet: Sokka had stumbled on the sand, dropping atop his wife as the two of them laughed over their victory, rolling under the net.
"Ugh! This is exactly why I didn't want them to win!" Zuko groaned, covering his eyes from the sight of his sister kissing her husband in the most shameless manner possible – Shun did the same thing among the public, while everyone else just laughed at their reactions.
"If that was how it was, you should've been smarter about receiving your dear daughter's powerful spikes," Katara smiled, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "We lost, but I'd say we were a pretty good team, though!"
"Better than expected, considering you'd never played with us before," Suki laughed, hugging Katara to thank her for the game.
"You guys are crazy!" Hotaru laughed, entering the court and approaching her parents. They were still locked in each other's embrace, laughing carelessly at their latest successful venture.
"What do you want us to say? We're just naturals at kuai ball!" Sokka grinned, raising his head to glance at his daughter. "Or, well, I am."
"It's just the first time you play, and you crushed the competition so thoroughly," Azula smiled fondly as she cupped his face. "We were always meant to be, Sokka, I knew we were…"
"Was there ever any doubt?" Sokka snickered, prompting Azula to kiss him one more time before sitting up, utterly proud of her victory.
"Thank you, guys," Mari smiled, stepping closer to her two teammates. "That was… the best kuai ball game, EVER!"
"Woah, really? We can't try to outdo it, then?"
Yuudai's voice startled Mari: she turned quickly towards him, her cheeks flushed. He smiled at her and nodded in acknowledgement.
"You're really good at this game, keeping up with two grown-ups in your team and three in the other one… maybe you should try to make some sort of professional career out of it," Yuudai suggested. Mari snorted and shook her head.
"Is there such a thing? I doubt it… though, if there is, I definitely have to think about it," she smirked, to everyone's amusement.
"Well, then… you up for another round?" Yuudai asked, with a shrug. "Pretty sure a lot of people want to join in now…"
He wasn't wrong: Zi was back on board too, inspired by the showdown between her parents and her sister. Hotaru seemed perfectly enthusiastic as well, so their previous group was ready… while Aang had rushed in to ask to be part of the game as well, delighted to test his ability to handle a game so different from the ones he used to play with his fellow airbenders. Ty Lee had spurred Haru to take part in the game too, in her place, and Ruon Jian had stepped up as well, despite admitting he hadn't tried his hand at kuai ball since a very long time ago. Out of those playing the last game, only Suki and Mari remained in the court: Azula and Sokka stepped out and joined their youngest children, who seemed all too thrilled for their victory in the last game.
"I want to play!" Yuuna insisted, once Shun darted off to watch the start of the next game. Azula smiled, smoothing the girl's disorderly hair.
"You're not quite ready to play against your big cousin just yet…" Azula said, but she smirked soon enough. "But we could start preparing you for that, someday."
"Yeah!" Yuuna grinned, clasping her mother's hands: Azula smiled at Sokka, who nodded approvingly.
"We've got a smaller ball in our bags. Want to practice with that one?"
"Yeah, bring it over," Azula said.
Yuuna couldn't have been more excited, though her enthusiasm dwindled when a boyish voice spoke up to Azula suddenly.
"I want to learn to play too."
Azula glanced down at Renshu: he stared at her with the same straightforward bluntness he ever exhibited, and Yuuna grimaced over his presence immediately. Azula smiled, though, and nodded at Mai's second son.
"If you want, sure thing. Might be the next time we come here, the four of us will be a great team," Azula said. Yuuna stuck her tongue out at the notion, just as Sokka returned to them, the new ball in hand.
They started in the sand, simply passing the ball from one to the other… but as Yuuna seemed unamused about having to pass the ball to Renshu, Azula and Sokka decided the child needed a new variant added to the game, to distract her from being cross with the little boy: they entered the water, making it so they stood in a square, with Yuuna and Renshu closer to shore, while the two grown-ups stood deeper in the water.
"Alright, then! Remember: there's no bending in kuai ball…" Sokka said to Yuuna, though Azula snorted.
"Well, now, I never heard of that rule…"
"Hey, now," Sokka eyed her meaningfully: Azula offered him a guilty grin before he tossed the ball at her. "Come on, start passing!"
The water slowed their movements, thus, it forced them to make bigger efforts to reach the ball. Even though the kids weren't all that deep in the water, the ball slipped out of their small hands a few times… though when it happened to Yuuna once, she bent some nearby water quickly to ensure the ball would return to her hands, hoping no one would notice she had broken the passing pattern. Yet, of course, everyone did… and one of them would never fail to point out whatever he'd noticed:
"You used your bending," Renshu said. Yuuna pouted. "It's not allowed."
"… Tattletale," Yuuna pouted. Renshu blinked blankly.
"I just told the truth," he said, simply.
Flustered and irritated, Yuuna responded to Renshu's accusation by tossing the ball at him when he didn't expect it. It bounced cleanly off his head, and both Sokka and Azula gasped at her choice: Renshu, however, didn't seem bothered by it at all.
"Yuuna! There's no need to do that, Renshu's a friend…!" Sokka said. Yuuna bit her lower lip, glancing at her parents apologetically.
"Sorry…"
"It didn't hurt. It's a light ball," Renshu said: it seemed as though he had no idea what was there to be worried about, altogether. Yuuna glanced at him with uncertainty…
Then, she used her bending again to have the ball float into Renshu's hands again. The young boy seemed puzzled when the ball returned to him… and then he smiled.
"Woah. W-woah…!" Sokka gasped, reaching for Azula's arm: his wife actually laughed at the sight of the boy smiling, for neither of them had seen it before.
"Thank you," Renshu said, still grinning at Yuuna before tossing the ball at Azula again.
Azula and Sokka remained amused and amazed by the boy's unusual display of emotion as the ball came back into circulation between them. They'd definitely have to ask Mai later if he'd ever reacted this way to anyone else… but for now, they cherished having witnessed such a rare sight with Yuuna, who had relaxed a little upon realizing that perhaps Renshu wasn't bad company after all. As awkward as she was around the boy before, now she seemed much quicker to smile in his direction whenever she passed him the ball.
In the meantime, two more games passed by in the kuai ball court: at first, it was a game with Mari and Yuudai, finally on the same team, paired with Haru and Suki. On the other team, Hotaru, Zi, Ruon Jian and Aang had done their best to win, but the Avatar's frequent, instinctive airbending had caused the game to stop, and for points to be annulled, because of the evident unfairness that Aang himself acknowledged as such between awkward, apologetic smiles. In the end, Mari was happily triumphant anew, though her streak ended when the next game saw the young players teaming up against the adult ones: even without airbending, Aang's height offered him quite an advantage over his opponents, much as Suki's agility did. Haru's quick digs saw him receiving even the most complicated balls, more often than not, and as much as Ruon Jian seemed to have no special skill of his own, he passed the ball to everyone who did, always ensuring they could take the points when the opportunity came up.
The defeated teenagers weren't all that discouraged, though: the grown-ups they'd been playing seemed too tired to continue, but Mari knowingly glanced at her previous partners, finding they were finally getting out of the water with the two children they had been playing with:
"Hey, Aunt Azula, Uncle Sokka! Want another round?" she asked, with a mischievous grin. Sokka scoffed.
"Aren't you exhausted yet, Mari? Goodness, what do your parents feed you that you still can go for another game…?" Sokka asked, running his hand over his wet hair. Mari snickered and shook her head.
"Oh, come on! You totally can take another game! Though I guess you'll need two more teammates… oh, I know! Dad, Kat-Kat!"
"Woah. Did she just…?" Sokka froze: Azula grimaced too as both Zuko and Katara, who had sat out the last two games, glanced at Mari in confusion.
"You can have your rematch: join Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka to beat me!" Mari said, with a vicious smirk.
"Wait a minute…!" Zuko gasped. Katara scoffed.
"I wanted to beat them, not you, Mari!" Katara said, bluntly: her earnest answer amused Sokka and Azula, as Mari smiled and shook her head.
"Now you guys can try to work together to beat me and my team, then! Should be lots of fun!"
"Well, now… playing against Hotaru? That sounds so wrong…" Sokka said, glancing at Azula with uncertainty. His wife scoffed.
"You're not going to be as silly about that as Zuko was, now, are you? It's a game, not a battlefield…"
"As far as I can tell, every game is a battlefield of its own," Sokka smiled, as they entered the court. "But anyway, she's definitely trying to coax those two to join in because she assumes we're going to fail if we work together with them, right?"
"Right… and we can't give her the satisfaction, can we?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka snickered and shook his head, glancing at Katara.
"Come on, Katara!" he called for her. "I promise I won't kiss Azula every point we score…"
"That's something you ought to be promising this guy, not me," Katara smirked, pointing at Zuko, whose eyebrow twitched at her words. "You guys are for real? Us against them?"
"Well, why not? We're always at odds, the fun siblings and the boring ones…" Sokka said, with a melodramatic sigh.
"And after calling us that, you still think we're going to join in?" Zuko growled, rising to his feet.
"Well, now! I didn't say which was which, you jumped to conclusions all on your own!" Sokka grinned. Zuko huffed, kicking sand in his direction and shaking his head as he and Katara joined their siblings on their side of the court.
"I'm joining in, alright… but only because Mari wants me to," he said, proudly. "And we're going to lose, deliberately, so that she and Zi can be happy."
"Wait, wait, wait, that defeats the whole point of playing…" Sokka said, grimacing.
"Your daughter is on the other team too, how are you even questioning this?" Zuko asked, eyeing Sokka with uncertainty.
"Oh, our daughter will be fine if she loses," Azula smirked, glancing at Hotaru, who grinned and waved in her direction. "It'll just toughen her up, if anything…"
"Toughen her up…?" Zuko grimaced, glancing at Mari. "Not sure I want mine to be toughen-…"
His words seemed to die out in a sputter, his brow drawn together upon noticing Mari wasn't as attentive to him as Hotaru was with Azula and Sokka: instead, Mari's attention was completely enraptured by Yuudai, who seemed to laugh happily at whatever his unusually bashful daughter was saying to him…
"W-what is… w-what is…?" he asked, blinking rapidly as he raised a hand towards what was happening on the other side of the court. "Hey now, that's not… t-that's not allowed…"
Azula, Sokka and Katara glanced back at Mari: it only took an instant for all three of them to understand what was bothering Zuko so greatly all of sudden… and it only took another instant for a clever idea to transmit between all three of them, wordlessly.
"Well, well… maybe Mari had a reason to want to play with that particular team, huh?" Azula said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Zuko's face seemed to spasm now, and Sokka could barely hold back the laughter that threatened to break him. Katara stepped up next:
"That's definitely flirty body language, yes," she said, supporting her weight by setting an elbow on Zuko's shoulder. "Oh, my, what a mess…"
"He's not… what the hell does he think he's doing?" Zuko asked, with a dangerous smile.
"Well, now… Mari's not bound to take it very well if you snap at her right now," Azula said, smiling at Zuko. "She's just being a teenager, after all. But the one you're definitely worried about is…"
"Him," Zuko finished. Katara smirked.
"And there's no better way to deal with this apparent threat… than by playing at your very best, isn't that right?"
"I…! I…!" Zuko huffed, releasing a small puff of fire with a hard breath through his nose. He turned quickly, his back towards the net as he snarled viciously. "I'm taking him down."
Azula punched the air triumphantly as Katara giggled to herself, just as bad at containing her amusement as Sokka was. Within moments, they'd huddled up, and their strategy meeting began.
There wasn't much to instruct Zuko over: his eyes shifted in every direction with concerned fury, and it was clear he'd do a much better job this game than he had in the previous one he'd played. They would take a different formation now, with Azula and Katara at either side of the court, Sokka taking the back, and Zuko standing closest to the net.
"Alright… brace yourselves!" Sokka called, as Mari readied herself to serve. Azula winked at Hotaru, opposite to her on the court, and her daughter grinned happily at her mother.
The ball flew powerfully, right into Sokka's ready arms: it bounced off Azula's palms next, in Zuko's direction…
The firebender leapt in the air, readying a spinning kick that he aimed flawlessly at Yuudai.
The young man stretched his hands out, trying to receive the ball, but it bounced wildly off his hands, slamming unevenly and bouncing out of the court. Yuudai winced, and Mari gasped, rushing towards him.
"You okay, Yuudai?! Dad! Take it easy!" she huffed: Zuko's eyes seemed to glower, and Mari flinched at the sight of it. "D-Dad…?"
"Oookay, Zuko! Nicely done! Good job!" Sokka smiled, yanking the firebender towards them: he still was seeing red, evidently. "Hey now, buddy, it's cool that you're taking it seriously but…"
"She… she just ran off to check on him, she…" Zuko huffed. Azula hummed.
"If you aim so that the ball doesn't touch him, she'll have no reason to worry about him, you know…?" she said. Katara and Sokka glanced at her in disbelief. "What? We should redirect his rage, not make him lose it. Not until we're at least five points ahead…"
"You're so competitive, you guys…" Katara smiled, shaking her head.
"Well, you can always let the rest of us do most the work and just be here to even our playing numbers, if you really don't care for victory that much…" Sokka said, nonchalantly. Katara's placid smile shifted into an irate scowl. "Or maybe not?"
"You… you're such a pain," she hissed, bumping him as they took positions again: Azula and Sokka exchanged a wicked smile before Shun came rushing back towards them, carrying the ball that had fallen out of the court earlier.
Azula served, Hotaru received it: Zi had very little confidence with spiking properly, so she set the ball for her older sister. Mari attempted her previous technique, hopeful that her father wouldn't be able to handle receiving this time…
Zuko leapt, arms extended in front of the ball. It bounced right back into her side of the court, and Mari gazed in shock at her father's disgruntled expression as Yuudai dove in to save the ball before their team lost another point. Zi hoisted the ball again, and this time it was Hotaru jumping, to spike…
Her father received it, grinning wildly at his proud daughter.
"Nice power there, Hotaru! That's my girl!" he roared: she blushed but smiled proudly as she returned to a defensive position.
The ball was Katara's to spike this time: sharp and eager to prove she was as fierce as the rest of her team's members, Katara mercilessly aimed her spike towards Zi's vicinity. The young girl squealed and shifted out of the way of the ball, and Katara's viciousness faded into remorse.
"Zi! I didn't mean to freak you out, I…!"
"Zi! Don't fear the ball, you should know better than that after all these games!" Mari stepped in, blocking Katara from view as she scolded her younger sister. Katara blinked a couple of times but sighed, guessing she'd apologize properly later.
"That's it, much better!" Sokka grinned at Katara, with a thumbs-up gesture. Katara sighed shaking her head.
"I'm letting you guys drive me crazy, aren't I? I really am…" she sighed, returning to position.
The next point lasted just two back-and-forth exchanges before the ball fell right into Zuko's hands: he slammed the ball powerfully at a corner near Yuudai, and he failed to reach the ball. Azula congratulated him for a better result now, but Zuko, clearly, wasn't satisfied… let alone was he when Yuudai himself blocked his next spike successfully, and Azula failed to dig the ball just before it fell within fair grounds.
"U-uh… I'm sorry?" Yuudai whimpered, face to face with Zuko's fearsome glare: Katara had to reel him back in, while Sokka took care to check that Azula was alright after lunging for the ball and failing to retrieve it.
"Don't mind him, don't mind him…" Mari huffed, hands on her hips. "I have no idea what's wrong with Dad right now, but… we did it! First point we've scored so far, you guys! Let's keep it rolling!"
And so they did: another mistake by Zuko resulted in a spike that collided with the topmost border of the net. Hotaru leapt in the air powerfully, kicking the ball with plenty of power, right beside Katara.
"Woah! You go, Hotaru!" Sokka roared, clapping as Azula nodded in her direction.
"Magnificent form, too. Nicely done," she said: Hotaru blushed, scratching the back of her head as she smiled shyly. Mari, beside her, huffed and shook her head.
"If only my parents were as cool as that…" she said: Zuko overheard her, and he gazed at her, stricken and distraught once again.
"Calm down, Zuko…" Katara warned him: he glanced at her in distress, though.
"Am I… losing her?! Am I losing them?! Is he going to…?!"
"To do what? He's sixteen!" Katara laughed, hands on her hips. "Come on, quit being such a dumbass about this, whatever it is. I know we thought it'd get you to do a better job, but you're actually doing worse now…"
"M-Mari hates me…" he whimpered. Katara groaned, shoving him towards the net before glancing at the other two.
"No more Zuko spikes or kicks. I think you guys broke him by accident," she said. Azula and Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but willing to abide by Katara's counsel.
Thus, the game became, by all effects, three-against-four. Zuko only seemed to pass the ball, leaving the other three to receive, set and spike together – even so, their physical superiority saw the opposing team, inexperienced and much too young, trailing behind by four points when they'd reached their eighth.
"Awesome work, Yuudai!" Mari exclaimed, rushing in to hug him quickly after he spiked and scored: Zuko's protectiveness reared its ugly head again at the sight, and he growled under his breath, waiting for the ball to reach him soon. Maybe Mari would hate him, but he couldn't let her throw her whole life away over some… some summer romance? Was that what this was? It couldn't be…!
The mere idea seemed to break what little sense he still had left: when Azula set for Katara, Zuko rushed in instead and kicked the ball powerfully, again at Yuudai… and this time it slammed right into his face.
"Yuudai!" Mari gasped: the ball dropped right in front of the net, and the young man flopped on the sand, a groggy smile on his face. Zuko scoffed.
"That's as far as this goes, Mar-…!"
"ZUKO!"
A sudden, thunderous, unexpectedly loud voice seemed to freeze the whole game. Zuko, naturally, was the most terrified one as Mari helped the still-groggy Yuudai up to a sitting position. The wounded teenager smiled awkwardly at his teammate… and then he glanced at his mother, who stood at the edge of the court, glaring fiercely at the fully-grown firebender responsible for Yuudai's many difficulties over the course of this game.
Zuko swallowed hard, eyeing Mai with utmost terror: he couldn't remember having angered her to that extent ever before… though it suddenly dawned on him that Yuudai was no common, random teenage boy. He was Mai's son, much as Mari was his daughter… and Mai would want his head on a platter after what he'd done.
"I… I… l-lost control…?" Zuko acknowledged. Mai's eyes glowered in the sunset, brighter than the last slivers of sunlight.
"You'd better not lose control again. You hear me?" she hissed. Zuko swallowed hard and nodded. "And even if you don't… this is not over."
Zuko gritted his teeth, watching as Mai stepped into the court, marching to check on her son – he seemed to be mostly fine, though he continued to smile awkwardly as his teammates talked to him. Yet, after convincing him of leaving the court to treat the unsurprising nosebleed that poured down his upper lip after a moment, Mai herself took his position. The three teenage girls watched her in sheer astonishment, and Mari gulped before bowing her head in their only adult teammate's direction.
"T-thank you for… filling in? Didn't expect that…" she admitted.
"I have to fill in for him. And I have a score to settle with your father," Mai hissed. Zuko gritted his teeth, shrinking in place: only one point remained, so perhaps Mai's motherly fury wouldn't reach him…
His hopes were unfounded: as soon as the ball was on her side of the court, Mai was merciless.
It hadn't really surprised Azula to find her friend could be quite so efficient and powerful upon setting her mind on something, but she couldn't remember Mai ever being a particularly impressive kuai ball player… and yet, all of sudden, she was the best one on the court. Her millimetric precision, her powerful attacks, her quick assessments on where to block, her leadership with the other girls… and her vengefulness at Zuko, too, saw the score slowly closing in until it stood nine-to-eight, even if still in favor of the team with the two sets of siblings.
"This is bad," Katara said, smiling awkwardly at her teammates. "They're going to kill us if we keep this up, so… you two? Got any big ideas in mind?"
Azula and Sokka glanced at each other: so far, the games had been nothing but entertainment. Taking them seriously would likely kill part of the fun – and admittedly, it had been fun for Zuko to cower under Mai's fury after his earlier outbursts. Yet neither of them liked losing, and they had no intentions of doing it now.
"Zuko," Azula said, glancing at her brother: his face, shoulders and chest sported a few circular red marks, where Mai's powerful spikes had struck him in retaliation for his cruelty with her son. "I'm going to need you to be ready to receive the next ball."
"But Mai's serving…"
"Exactly," Azula said, eyes narrow. "If we move fast enough, if Katara can toss it our way…"
"One of us can do it?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.
"We can try to, anyway. We'll keep the ball rolling until the right chance comes, at least. But stick to receiving properly now, alright? No more blocking attempts, or spiking. Got it?"
Zuko nodded meekly, willing to do whatever was necessary to end his current torment: Azula clasped Sokka's hand firmly, and he smiled proudly at his wife.
"I have no idea what we're going to do to get this last point… so I guess we're going to wing it, huh?"
"Well, on some measure, yes," Azula smirked, shrugging. "We're going all out, though…"
"You sure? Won't set the net or the ball on fire if you do?" Sokka asked, amused. Azula shrugged.
"It's been known to happen…" she admitted, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.
"Oh, I love you."
"I love you too," Azula retorted with a complicit grin, squeezing his hand before taking her position.
Mai served: as predicted, the ball soared powerfully towards Zuko, not intended to find purchase in the sand, but to smack the firebender's face. Zuko kicked the ball upon receiving it, and as much as it was a reckless move that saw the ball floating far too high in the sky, Katara still rushed towards it.
"Got it, got it…!"
Her eyes flickered down to Sokka and Azula, who exchanged a knowing look. To her utter confusion, Sokka gathered Azula in his arms, leaning down with her…
Katara tossed a high set in their direction, and just so, Sokka tossed Azula into the air.
She soared, startling everyone else in the court, even Mai, whose focus so far had been exclusively on Zuko: nobody was prepared for Azula to turn around in midair, packing a powerful kick of her own that saw the ball shooting at lightning speed, right back to the sand…
It sank in the middle of the opposite team's side with a burst of sand, as good as leaving a crater in its wake.
Katara gasped in amazement. Zuko blinked blankly, relieved, the four at the opposing team simply stared at the crater in shock, and the public froze entirely as Azula fell back again… right into her husband's waiting arms.
"And that's ten!" Sokka roared, hugging Azula tightly as they spun in circles. "We did it! You did it, Azula!"
"You're the one who threw me up there, you're the one who did it!" Azula laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck: by then, their public had launched into a loud celebration, the children squealing with joy – or simply clapping, in Renshu's case –, the grown-ups laughing at the typically unpredictable antics of the impossibly competitive couple who embraced willfully in the middle of the kuai ball court, with Sokka still holding Azula across his arms as he smiled proudly.
Hotaru watched them with amusement, letting a few chuckles tumble past her lips as she glanced at the sand crater near her, where the ball had been buried a good meter underground. Mari's own reaction was laughter, though she turned to Mai soon enough, thanking her for filling in for Yuudai, who now sat with Ruon Jian by the courtside, waving at them and letting them know they'd played brilliantly, a damp cloth under his nostrils.
"Mom! Mom, you flew like a bird!" Yuuna rushed into the court, jumping happily at Sokka's feet. "Like a dragon!"
"Oh, that's because we're a family of dragons, Yuuna, I always tell you as much," Sokka chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Azula's cheek. "And your mommy is the best dragon of all!"
"Well, now, I wouldn't be half the dragon I am if you weren't the amazing wolf that flings me six feet into the air… or however many they were," Azula laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips. "We really are the best team there is, aren't we?"
"Always have been," Sokka grinned brightly, burying his face in her neck: Shun had joined them by then, but he grimaced at the displays of affection between his parents, sticking his tongue out at the sight of them, cuddled up together that way.
All wild tempers had flared at their worst during the games: a mere few moments after it ended, Zuko went over to apologize to Yuudai, who smiled awkwardly but accepted the apology graciously.
"I know I shouldn't have played so roughly, I just… got carried away. I was completely out of place," Zuko sighed, lowering his head in a heartfelt reverence.
"It's okay, really. It was just a game," Yuudai said, with a kind smile. Zuko grinned back and nodded.
"That's right, it was just a-… wait, what?" Zuko's brain seemed to short-circuit over the possible interpretations of Yuudai's words, but this time, Suki slipped nearby quickly and yanked him away from the teenager.
"Good job apologizing, don't mess it up now," she said, with a dry grin. Zuko scoffed.
"But he just said it was a game: what was a game? The kuai ball, o-or whatever he's up to, with Mari…?" Zuko whimpered. Suki rolled her eyes.
"Probably just the kuai ball game? Come on, Zuko, we raised Mari right, didn't we? That's what matters most. And Mai must have raised Yuudai right too, but, beyond that, picking a fight with him means picking a fight with her, and you don't want to do that again, now, do you?"
Zuko grimaced over the question: Mai's good-mannered smile at Yuudai shifted into a merciless glare upon realizing Zuko had glanced in her direction: yes, perhaps Suki was right.
"I'll… shut up now," he decided.
Suki smiled, nodding at her husband before turning to the rest of the group, all of whom were finally calming down after the intense game:
"So…! Dinnertime?"
Their last meal of the day wasn't served within the house: instead, they ate around a large fire, roasting food together, enjoying leftovers from lunch, as well as a few desserts that had been ready for the meal. The sky darkened gradually, and the stars were a beautiful spectacle to behold for everyone: laughter rang across the beach as stories of all sorts were shared, great anecdotes from the old days, tales that most everyone either held dear or found intriguing, as was the case for most the children who hadn't witnessed them directly.
By the time the last of the food was spent, several of the families retired to the house again: Ty Lee and Haru took off with Zuko and Suki's family, and Katara and Aang followed shortly afterwards, carrying both their kids. Mai slowed down next to Azula and Sokka before taking off with her own family, however, finding the five members of the self-proclaimed dragon-and-wolf family were quite comfortable lying on the sand, facing the sky, not too far from where the fire still burned.
"You'll take care of that?" she asked Azula, gesturing at the burning wood. Azula nodded reassuringly.
"Have a good night, Mai. Sorry we beat you," she smiled. Mai scoffed.
"You're not sorry at all, but I don't mind. At least you two were the ones who scored the final point," she smiled despite herself, raising a hand in farewell before taking off after her husband and two sons.
Azula closed her eyes, sighing happily against Sokka's chest: he had taken to sitting against a tall rock, and Azula had joined him there. Then Hotaru had taken her seat by Azula's free side and Shun by Sokka's: Yuuna had climbed their laps, sitting with one small leg over each of their thighs… and by now, the three children, so energetic as they had been through the day, were exhausted and drained after so much fun on their first day of beach vacation. They had fallen asleep gradually, but by now it seemed they were so deeply unconscious that their parents would likely have to carry them into the house later… but only later. For now, they basked in the peaceful feeling of sitting together near that fire, with a dark but beautiful horizon spreading before them, with countless bright stars gleaming above them.
"Well… that was quite the start for this vacation, wasn't it?" Sokka smiled, glancing at Azula with a heartfelt smile. She grinned back, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder. "Think we can keep up the momentum if there's more games later? We should never lose at kuai ball, you and me…"
"Won't be long before they realize what the true challenge will be, for us…" Azula said, softly. Sokka gasped, in feigned outrage.
"What… making us play in opposing teams?! Now, that's forbidden. Absolutely," he scoffed: Azula only laughed, pressing another kiss to his shoulder.
"If you get away with that, then yes, we'd definitely destroy anyone who plays against us. It goes without saying," she declared, raising her head towards him. Sokka offered her a wild grin before kissing her lips quickly.
"You're my every dream come true, Azula. You know that, right?" he asked, smiling fondly at his wife. She raised her head to kiss him again, prodding his nose with hers.
"You're my every dream come true too, Sokka, though… right now, one particular dream comes to mind," she admitted, raising her eyebrows. Sokka hummed.
"What's that?"
"Well…" Azula started, glancing about herself with uncertainty.
She had been in this beach, in this place, so many years ago. She had played with her brother, she had tried to gain more approval and attention from her parents here… yet even though time had colored the memories into much fonder recollections than they used to be, back when she'd lived them directly, she'd known no peace, no true happiness, in those days. Right now, gazing at her sleeping children, and then at the man she had raised them with, a spark of very familiar, overwhelming joy danced inside her chest, filling her with the certainty of having experienced, for as many years as they had been together, exactly what she had dreamt of, if subconsciously, since she was a child…
"I guess I always wanted to know what it felt like, being part of a happy family," Azula said, with a small smile. "Been ages since the question's been answered, of course… but in moments like these, it's like all the happiness is renewed and strengthened all over again. Doesn't matter how tired we are, doesn't matter how much trouble these three can get into… all of it is part of our happiness, just as well. I… I'm seriously proud of us. Of everything we've built, Sokka."
His affectionate smile melted her heart all the more, no matter how many times she'd seen it before: he pressed his brow to hers, and she released a breath, as though hoping to let out some of the overwhelming, blissful emotions that surged inside her chest that way…
"So am I, love," he said, softly. "I did know what it felt like, myself… being in a happy family, I mean. But this feels… it feels even better than anything ever did, in the past. Not just because of how much has changed, all over the world… but because I got to build this happy family of our own with you: there's no greater honor or happiness to be found in this world than that."
Azula smiled warmly, leaning in for another kiss that Sokka relinquished gladly. They'd head indoors soon, they couldn't stay out in this beach forever, before the flickering embers, underneath a starlit sky… even so, that moment they shared, the comfort of their embrace, in the company of their children, nestled in the ever-surging love that only strengthened further between them all, was but a crystallized instant of bliss that encompassed eternity.
#sokkla#sokka#azula#sokkla saturdays 2021#sokkla saturdays#it begins!#my very common side ships are here#so I think it's more or less intuitive that if you read my other things#you should be fine with this one too :'D#... and yes like I say in the author's notes#I won't confirm or deny anything#this is a story#about a happy family :>#that is that :>#*evil cackling*#and about some very crazy kuai ball games too#oh honestly I know handling too many characters is difficult boy do I know it#BUT IT'S SO MUCH FUN ;_;#when your ensemble actually works well together man it's just bliss writing stories like these#(... as evidenced by the RIDICULOUS word count :'D)
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Going Angst
Day Five: Death
Trevor wasn’t sure how much luck he had.
Some adults thought it was very concerning he was found right on January 1st, 2000. A day that brought upon the paranoia that such a year would cause the end of the world.
Yet for Trevor, he knew it was lucky someone found him. Only covered in a few blankets, he would’ve died from the cold and the lack of any food. Instead he only lost his left leg and left hand to frostbite.
However this also caused some problems, such as convincing adults that he was alright, and that they should adopt him. He was able to do most things that other kids in the orphanage did, like talk, walk, watch tv. What about him made him different?
Most of the other kids in the orphanage were around six years old. A few older kids hung around upstairs, not wanting to deal with the noise downstairs. Trevor however liked spending his time in a small corner he found by himself. It was his space, just for him and his ghost parrot Skully.
Unlike other people, Trevor was captivated by the talking ghost bird. Skully was the one responsible for defining words he didn’t know, like radiant, horrendous, homophones, synonyms. He was really smart, and Trevor liked to think spending time with the bird made him smart.
“Hey Skully, guess what,” he spoke as he snuck into his corner.
Skully woke up from his nap with a snort, glancing around the room sleepily. “Oh, it’s you,” He spoke in a dull manner. “What sort of news do you bring, young Trevor?”
“One of the kids, JT, said we’re going to the pool tomorrow for a trip!” Trevor spoke excitedly. “I’ve never been to one before. I don’t think I even know what swimming is. Do you?”
“I’m afraid I wasn’t born a waterfowl, so no, I don’t,” Skully answered, stretching his bony wings.
“A waterfowl?” Trevor questioned.
The bird sighed. “Any species of bird that’s capable of swimming, complete with feathers that are waterproof and webbed feet. As you can see, my feet are far from webbed,” He added, holding up one for proof.
“Ohh, that makes sense,” Trevor spoke, searching the room for the stash of race cars he hid inside one of the room’s walls that he and his friend played. “Heh, you look like you know everything, Skully. I hope I get as smart as you.”
The bird took a moment to puff his chest out. “I don’t know if you’ll learn as much as myself, but who knows,” He replied, preening himself.
Trevor finally found one of the race cars, the blue one he gave Skully since he knew the bird had a fondness for the color. He set it aside as he searched for the other.
“Hey Skully, do you think that there might be someone looking for a kid when we get to the pool?”
The bird flapped down from his perch onto the floor. “Possibly.”
“Do you think they might choose me?”
“I don’t see why not,” Skully answered, placing a foot on the race car and driving it around. “You seem in good health, and I’m sure they wouldn’t say no to someone as chipper as you.”
“You really think so?” Trevor responded.
The bird looked up to view the human.
He held his race car in his hook hand. It resembled a pirate ship, cobwebs covering it. A spider crawled onto Trevor’s hair. Yet there was no doubt in his mind that some human would be able to see the true kindness the kid had.
“Absolutely. But you better move the spider back to its corner before you scare someone.”
“Oh, sorry,” Trevor apologized to the tiny creature, gingerly placing it back into a crevice.
“Can we race now?” He asked Skully, cleaning off the spider webs from his hook.
“Of course, you better start us off. I’ve been practicing.”
“I bet I’ll still win!”
“We’ll see about that, young Trevor!”
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Skully was napping again when he felt something stirr his core. He nearly crashed onto the floor from the shaking.
He knew only one reason why his core trembled like that.
Someone, or something, had died. And rather close by it seemed.
Skully wasn’t one to see the newly departed, but it had grown rather lonely inside the orphanage whenever Trevor went on a test trial with any human couple seeking a child.
The bird sighed as he took flight. It wasn’t Trevor’s fault that he had been found abandoned and his body already experienced his first touch of death. He didn’t like those humans who casted glances that the boy looked right through. All he asked from the world was a home. Why were humans so stupid in bot being able to answer such a simple wish?
He flew over the city to the place where his core trembled. There. A pool. Outside an ambulance was parked, it’s lights flashing. Two police cars were already driving down the street just a short distance away.
Skully panicked. Young Trevor mentioned that he and the other children were going to the pool earlier today. Had one of them died?
The bird turned intangible and surveyed the crowd. Some of the kids from the orphanage were standing outside, crying. Most were being comforted by the adults that often volunteered at the orphanage and were wrapped up in blankets.
He spotted JT, one of Young Trevor’s friends, among them, and gave a brief sigh. That boy was alive. But what of his friend?
Skully flew to the ambulance. Inside some adults were assessing a body. He recognized the bit of hair on top of the small head. His core stood still as he looked at the monitor.
There was no pulse.
He had to find Young Trevor.
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It was some short while after the sun dipped over the horizon, the sky getting darker tones of blue. Skully had searched most of the city area of Amity Park with no luck of spotting Young Trevor.
He went to fly over Amity Park and spotted a small ghostly figure resting on a bench. A small gasp escaped his beak as he swooped down.
He landed on the bench quietly. The boy didn’t seem to notice, as he was busy crying, hiding his head in his hands.
The bird cleared his throat. “Young Trevor?”
No answer.
Skully gave a sigh. “I know it’s a lot to take in, believe me. But I’m here for you if you need anything-”
“Why didn’t they notice me?”
The parrot looked up. “Come again?”
“I was right there, I wasn’t able to swim. I didn’t see how far I floated out into the deep end until…” The boy’s words were lost to his sobs.
“I thought adults were all supposed to care for kids. I wasn’t able to swim, someone, anyone should’ve seen me!” Trevor’s face peered over his hands as he looked out into the distance, tears dripping from his nostrils and his eyes. “It was so cold, Skully. The water was so cold.”
“...Trevor-”
“I hate them.”
“Young Trevor?”
“I hate them!” The young ghost yelled, sniffed his nose. “I should’ve seen it all along. Why else didn’t anyone want me when I was alive? I didn’t matter to them cause of how I looked. And now they want me while I’m dead.” The boy paused, once again processing what had happened. “And now I’m dead,” He whispered quietly.
Skully climbed up Young Trevor’s shirt till he was perched on his shoulder before nestling next to his neck.
“There there my boy,” He muttered. “It’s alright. You’re just scared of what occurred today. It wasn’t no place for you to die. But I promise you’ll be missed.”
“Who’s going to remember me?” Young Trevor asked.
“JT for one. I spotted him crying a river of tears while I went looking for you.”
“Oh gosh, JT,” Young Trevor choked, his eyes watering up. “I didn’t mean for him- I didn’t want this- I tried so hard to get someone to notice me-”
“It’s not your fault, nor should JT feel it’s his fault either,” Skully comforted the child. “Things like these just happen. We have to move on, even if it hurts now, or hurts for a long time.”
The pair were silent, the first few stars in the sky showing up.
“Skully?”
“Yes Young Trevor?”
“I want to change my name.”
The bird glanced at his face. The boy’s eyes looked irritated from crying. “Why do you want to do that?”
“I don’t want anyone to call me Trevor. That’s what all the adults called me. Everyone else like JT called me One Leg Trev. They always came up with cool nicknames cause I reminded them of a pirate.”
His eyes lit up. “I’m going to call myself Youngblood. That sounds like a pirate name. Only kids get to call me that. If any living adult tries doing that, I’ll haunt them until they leave their home.”
“Young Trevor-”
“It’s Youngblood.”
The parrot held back his words. “Youngblood, are you certain about this?”
“I’m done listening to adults. I’ll haunt the adults inside that orphanage until every kid inside gets a new home. I’ll get a crew, and we’ll all make sure that no adult who does any rotten stuff to kids gets away with it.”
Youngblood casted a look at Skully. “You’ll stay and be my first mate, right?”
Skully’s throat choked up. The boy was still grieving. He hadn’t the slightest idea of how permanent choices like these lasted in the afterlife.
But he knew he couldn’t say no. It was dangerous to leave a young ghost like him alone with no one to guide him through the Ghost Zone.
“Yes, I will.”
#danny phantom#going angst week 2021#death tw#neglect mention#youngblood#[[ I wasn't sure what to call the bird so I named him Skully ]]#pink lion dabbles
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Insert Spiderman Meme Here
Fandom: Marvel (Twitch Gamer AU)
Pairing: Chubby!Bucky Barnes x GN!Reader
Summary: You're livestreaming Among Us for Twitch and you come across another person who's doing the same thing and they also happen to be your favorite gamer??? Whaaaat?
A/N: Based off my post here.
“Hello everyone!” you greeted your viewers that were hopping onto your livestream. You used your split screen feature to show that you were hopping onto Among Us, but you were also to be seen as well.
“So like I said on my instagram story, I will be playing Among Us. Soooo let’s see how this goes!”
You typed in your twitch username as your name for your avatar. You then tapped onto a server with seven people. You were assigned the color cyan and you went to pick out your accessory, “What should I wear, peeps? Should I wear a plunger? Oh, how about the flower? Wait! The cowboy hat! Save a horse, ride a cowboy,” you snickered at your statement.
“Okay. Let’s do this!” you watched as the countdown started and you were assigned to be a crewmate.
You looked at your list of tasks and proceeded to head to the admin first to swipe your card. Several other people did the same and you caught sight of a username you know, “Hey! BorkyBarks! i wonder if that’s actually him. Anyway, I’m gonna keep going.” your little cyan character went towards electrical and you found lime green dead. You immediately report and you’re all brought to an emergency meeting.
Many players immediately ask, “Where?”
And you reply, “In electrical. Went fix wires and found lime. Didn’t see anyone else.”
The yellow character, whose username was MacnCheese, asked, “Wait, are you actually Y/N the twitch streamer?”
You look into your camera and shrugged, “Should I tell them the truth?” you read the chat on the side and saw many people say yes, so you did, “Lol yeah. It’s me. I’m streaming right now. Say hi!”
The users say hi and the supposed BorkyBarks exclaimed, “WAIT. I’M STREAMING TOO!”
And then you craned your neck, looking at the game chat, “WAIT, YOU’RE REALLY BORKYBARKS?!”
“Lol yeah!”
You quickly pull out your phone and tap onto the twitch app, typing in BorkyBarks and see he’s streaming too.
You screamed, “OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS! IT’S REALLY BORKYBARKS AKA BUCKY BARNES! WE’RE IN THE SAME GAME! HAHAHAHAHA! WHAT EVEN?!”
You quickly type, “LOL THIS IS WILD!” and then tap on skip since everyone else was doing so.
“Alright. I’m gonna finish these tasks.” you travelled to electrical to do your long task. You did the wiring there, then moved to admin, then while in the middle of fixing the cafeteria wiring, a meeting is called.
Black, whose username was sndnoods, said, “I SAW ORANGE VENT!”
To which orange replied, “whaddahex i didnt vent!”
Black, “YES YOU DID! I SAW YOU!”
“Hmmmm...,” you pursed you lips and narrowed your eyes, “Should I vote for black or orange?”
You read the chat and got more replies on black than orange, so you voted for black. While waiting for everyone else, you asked, “Hey, Borky, you almost done with tasks?”
He replied, “Yeah. I got two more.”
Then you responded, “Wanna stick together when you’re done?”
“Sure!”
So, black got voted off and he wasn’t the imposter. So the game continued. You went to finish the wiring in the cafeteria, and then empty the garbage shoot in O2. Lastly, you had to go to weapons and shoot debris.
While you were in the middle of it, a death was reported.
Orange was dead, so that meant they weren’t the imposter either. Some people left the game, so it was only five of you now. You and Bucky as Cyan and Blue, then brown, red, and green.
Brown said that red was looking sus and green agreed. It seemed like there was a consensus so all of you voted for red, but red was taking a while to vote. So in the meantime, you chatted to Bucky.
“Can I just say that you’re one of my favorite twitch gamer?”
To which he replied, “No way! Same here!”
And then he added, “I meant, you’re my favorite twitch gamer too. lol.”
Then you said, “[insert spiderman meme here]”
Your phone started blowing up with notifications from twitter, so you quickly checked it out.
gamergirlxoxo: OMG. BUCKY AND Y/N ARE BOTH STREAMING ON TWITCH AND THEY ENDED UP IN THE SAME GAME AND THEY’RE EACH OTHER’S FAVE TWITCH GAMER. WE LOVE TO SEE IT.
meesaisamessa: wait, ngl, bucky and y/n would make a really cute gamer couple. i ship it.
Meanwhile on Bucky’s end....
“Oh my god, oh my god,” he cups his round, bearded cheeks and stares at his computer screen and then his camera, “I’m Y/N’s favorite gamer? What? How? I-” he pauses to chuckle in disbelief, “This is so crazy, guys. I’ve been following Y/N’s twitch career from the beginning. They’re an awesome player and so cool and I’M their favorite gamer?! So fucking unreal!”
The meeting ends and, obviously, red is voted off, but isn’t the imposter.
Bucky’s finished with his tasks, so he goes to follow you to watch you finish your tasks. He wipes his hands on his tshirt that hugs his round belly, “I’m suddenly nervous and I don’t even know why. I’m not, like, actually meeting Y/N, so I don’t know why my hands are super sweaty now. Heh.”
You finish in weapons and he thinks that’s your last task since you start just roaming around. When you get to storage, the doors suddenly shut in front of Bucky and he’s freaking out, “Oh no! Y/N!” he starts running around in circles waiting for the doors to open and when they do, he rushes inside to find your dead body, “OH NO! Y/N!” he reports your body and then types, “I WILL AVENGE YOU Y/N!” and then added, “also they were found in storage. I was with them, but got locked out and when the doors opened, they were dead.”
“It’s gotta be brown.” Green said and Brown immediately defended themselves, “No! It’s Green! They’ve been faking tasks!”
Bucky groaned, “Shit, I don’t know who to choose. Guys, help.”
The chat started blowing up with different people saying Brown or Green, but a lot of people were saying green.
“Alright, I’m trusting you guys!” he votes green and then the Victory screen appears.
“Aaayyee! We did it!” when he’s back in the lobby, he immediately goes into the chat, “Y/N, I AVENGED YOU!”
You replied, “lmao! thank you! green was a punk for that!”
He smiled at the screen and then checked the chatbox:
ZoeSmoey: LOOK AT THOSE HEART EYES!
ZoeSmoey: BUCKY TOTALLY LIKES Y/N!
greenmeansgtfo: tell them you love them! lol!
thatspideyguy: Dude, go for it. Message them!
He snorts, “We don’t even know each other, guys! I don’t wanna be creepy and shit!”
He reads the incoming messages of encouragement and then throws his hands up in the air, “Fine!” he picks up his phone and pulls up his twitter. He knows you two are mutuals, so he goes into your DMs and types up, “Hi. I know we’ve been following each other for a while, but I figured I’d give a proper greeting, not on the livestream.” when he’s done typing, he looks at his camera, “There, I did it, guys. I don’t think they’ll-”
Ping!
He looks down at his phone to see that you replied and his eyes widened, “I stand corrected!”
The two of you proceed to make your own Among Us server. Bucky is the host and he sends you the code. As soon as you’re in, he opens it up to the public and people start pouring in. You two play for another hour before you have to go.
You leave him a DM saying, “That was fun! We should play again sometime! Let me know! xxx-xxx-xxxx”
And it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
#chubby!bucky#bucky x reader#bucky barnes x reader#gn!reader#gender neutral!reader#marvel#au#marvel au#twitch gamer au
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First Line Meme
I was tagged by @asaara-writes. Thank you, my dearest! <3
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!
My Heart and I -
If there’s one thing about Evelyn Swann that the entire Commonwealth knows by now, it is her love of music. Silence does not mark Evelyn’s arrival anywhere— instead, the soft tones of Billie Holiday do, crooning about mountains moved for love. Or the sultry voice of Lady Day herself, Ella Fitzgerald, floating around her and the companions like a bubble of the past, dreaming on into the future. Heavy footsteps beat out a tempo contrasting Butcher Pete and his big old ‘knife’ and everywhere she goes, she trails ribbons of jazz and cheer.
Like Afterimages -
The settlers call her a survivor. Sanctuary calls her a savior. Codsworth cries when she returns from the wastelands, dragging in another minute— heh— victory for the Minutemen, or another rescued synth she doesn’t tell anyone about. But Mama Murphy just calls her a ghost.
That’s what she is, after all. Just a two hundred year old ghost. Like a mirage, superimposed on the darkness, burned into immortality by nuclear fallout and tragedy. Evelyn is only sometimes here, those dark gray eyes a pair of rain clouds on the distant horizon, drifting on invisible fronts. The thunder is inside of her, too, a raging storm swirling in her chest, beating fists made of babies crying and gunshots rimmed in frost ringing out against her ribs.
The Thrill of Your Hand -
Danse has been a soldier too long to be a deep sleeper.
That’s the first thing the Brotherhood trains you out of. The indoctrination comes later, because only a good soldier can be indoctrinated, and a good soldier has to wake up at the first hint of danger. So when he hears the first whimper from across the room, his eyes snap open.
Paladin’s Bubble -
The Commonwealth is quiet tonight.
It’s not silent, by any stretch: Evie can hear the hounds in the distance, their mutated throats sending their boofs echoing through the streets of Boston even from a long distance, and somewhere— a mile or more— the whoop of a raiding party rises over the station’s lookout, too far away to do anything but pity the poor prey they’ve caught. Dogmeat grunts, his paws pushing against her armored thigh as he stretches. His ears are perked, though, so he’s just catching some rest while he can. Even the thwomp-and-hiss of her partner’s power armor is missing from the darkness, the red light of his scope the only thing highlighting his face in their little bubble of quiet.
After the Glitter Fades -
“If there is a future to be had,” Fenris murmured, his lips hovering near Hawke’s, “I will walk into it gladly at your side.”
His gorgeous green eyes were fixed on hers and Hawke fumbled for a moment, a half-smile playing across her mouth as her fingers played with the crumbling stone behind her. Silly, but part of her almost wanted to believe him. With the smallest sound, Fenris leaned in, his gauntleted fingers sliding through her hair as he kissed her— it started out soft, a chaste brush of warm lips and warmer breath, but within a couple of heartbeats, it deepened into something that promised wildness and fire.
Glitter: Marginalia - (E)
She can’t remember what dragged her awake— only that it left a sour, desperate taste in her mouth like old coppers and the cheapest bottle of whatever would get her drunk enough to sleep.
Waking up with nightmares is nothing new. The Amell curse, as most of the Kirkwall film crews call it, has yet to hit Hawke directly, but it had taken her father (a stunt gone wrong) and her mother and uncle (an unlucky intruder)– had struck Carver, too. She and Garrett and Bethie are safe, so far, but it's only a matter of time until it circles back around. The curse is a generations-long predator, still and patient, and it will hunt them down one at a time if it has to
Ah, Kirkwall, she thinks, some blend of annoyance and fondness and adrenaline mixing uneasily in her heart. You fuck with us again and again and still, here we are.
He Might Like That -
“So. Let me get this straight.” Greef lifts his bad knee with a groan, settling it over his other leg so he can sprawl a little more indolently. Din’s HUD focuses in, shows the elevated temperature in the joint in a dark red, and he turns it off with a flicker of his eye. Greef lifts his glass again, takes a sip, and gestures with it before continuing. “You two. Not together?”
Where I Can’t Follow -
The day Geralt of Rivia dies, he hears the whistle of the sword which almost kills him. There’s a series of tiny holes stamped along the spine of the blade, keeping weight down and adding a sinister shrill hiss through the air on each pass. The raiding party - if it can be dignified with such language - are nearly all armed with similar steel, with hunting horns, rattling chime-spangled shields, and bullroarer slings wailing and droning like an oncoming swarm of giant wasps. The effect is deafening, overpowering all efforts to coordinate the various companies on this mission.
Malicious Compliance - (M)
So this is how it feels to have a galaxy tremble at your feet.
Not just the galaxy, though— millions of lives shuddering under the weight of your boot on their necks cannot compare to the half-lidded gray-blue eyes drinking you in like you’re his salvation and damnation both. No, there is power in this, in these stolen moments with him, that rivals nothing else you’ve found anywhere among the stars.
He’s a brave man, your Captain.
Counting the Days (since Exegol) -
“That’s good, Finn.”
Rey smiles, feeling the Force ebb and flow around Finn as he manages to lift himself a few inches off the ground-- along with the meditation mat, two glasses of water, and the plate of snacks they keep for anyone who comes to visit. Finn cracks an eye open, smiles back at her, and lands with a thump. For half a moment, she almost expects him to be disappointed that his training is progressing slowly: hyper-competency is a Stormtrooper trait he’ll never outgrow.
Star by Star -
The galaxy looks different now.
It’s not just the cautious celebrations still happening, weeks later. And it’s not just the way people step back from her now, too much reverence in them for her comfort. It’s in the way she looks at the sky and sees the color of Luke’s eyes, and the gentle wind that feels so much like Leia’s hand, she cries. The way that Poe’s back straightens at the podium, broadcasting Republic news to everyone, and Finn’s hand clutching his under the table, their life forces bright and right in her senses.
Stardust and Memory (and a little bit of romance) -
“Wow.”
Jaal chuckled against her ear, hands firmly on her waist; a good thing, probably, or she’d be on her face on the floor. “It is… a lot, I know.”
“No!” Sara protested, only wilting when Jaal tilted his head at her. “...okay, maybe a little. There’s just— a lot of them?”
Scars and Holes and Broken Things -
Whispers follow him wherever he goes.
What’s left of the crew whispers in the halls, the mess, on the bridge, and conversations trail off when his ghost walks through, haunting the only place that's ever felt like home. Whatever they’re saying doesn’t matter, though—he doesn’t care. He’s too tired to care. He hasn’t slept more than his body demands in weeks. Tali’s immune system has already begun to destroy itself, and even though the Normandy is stocked with more dextro rations than it’s ever carried before—
Almost like Shepard knew. Always prepared, that’s my girl.
Heart of the Woods - (E)
You left the Templars, but do you trust mages? Can you think of me as anything more?
Less than a fortnight of sweet words, gentle touches, and stolen kisses are the only weapons she could levy against the trauma that shaped a man’s youth. And for a moment in time, Isera hoped.
Common Ground (isn’t so hard to find) -
“Skkut! Ryder!”
“Sorry, Enroh— oh!” Sara tried to stop, bounced into a low bench, and crashed into a pile of bruised, groaning Pathfinder on the other side. At least this time, she remembered to shield her head as she skidded to rest against the wall. Lexi would be pleased. Another concussion would get her put back under the scanner and that just ruined everyone’s day. “...ow.”
A Language Reserved for Lovers - (M)
The first time you touch him, his skin flushes red; the first time he touches you back, he trembles. Interesting, since if there is a word to describe him, it is steadfast. But there is more beneath the easy surface, beneath the deadly grace and unflagging stamina. He is loyal, and good, and so fascinating under the burden of his name. But nineteen is a young age, even if you're only a little older, and he seemed so young at first, unsure and innocent— then he gave you that crooked little grin, and stole your heart with it.
Every Beautiful Thing -
I would prefer to be Mary Shelley. She died a widow.
Despite a foolhardy counter, thrown in indifference and pride, Edith never really thought she would be a widow. Despite her foolish quip so many years ago, she is no Mary Shelley. And despite moderate success as an author and teller of stories, the only thing she and Shelley have in common is a belief in a world outside of the everyday, and widowhood.
Yesterdays -
He’s always thought she was invincible.
Sure, Morrigan told them the truth of the Archdemon’s death, an account more grisly and heartbreaking than the one Riordan gave; just the sort of tale that might ensnare a young boy’s heart, give him delusions of grandeur, while an older man might look upon it with resignation. But the truth doesn’t sink in until now.
If You Ever did Believe -
“There are people dying,” Isera repeated slowly, as if she could make her advisers understand what she'd seen. As if giving her memories voice might lift some of their weight in her heart. “We couldn’t even get to Redcliffe because of the fighting.”
Three days of being stuck on a horse, only to have to turn around after three skirmishes— their first mission to the Hinterlands had been a remarkable experiment in failure. Isera had learned her skills at the hands of the best of her clan, had fought alone for years, and yet the shock of tripping over Varric and accidentally hitting Cassandra with a ball of ice had made their first fight a near loss.
Some saviors, Varric had laughed afterward, staggering around like baby nugs.
Glitter: Velvet over Veridium -
If anyone had ever accused Marian Hawke of being a reasonable adult human being, she might have laughed at them. No, she'd have pointed and then laughed at them. But under all her bluster, and all her immature jokes, her dirty one-liners and cheesy pick-up lines, there was an adult hidden in there somewhere.
Okay, maybe I put more than one opening line, but I have a thing for context, dammit!
This got so long -- mobile users, I’m sorry omg.
Forwarding the tag (no pressure as always!) to @mayihavethisdanse @athreehundredthirtythree @thebisexualmandalorian @natsora @loquaciousquark @valdomarx @theggning @cullywullycurlywurly @systlin and @third-rail-vip
#dragon age#mass effect#star wars#cullavellan#fenhawke#fallout 4#the witcher#shakarios#danse x sole survivor#geraskier#lavellan x fairbanks#ZevWarden#wardistair#rydaal#long post#my fic#i did the thing#do the thing
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May I request cute Tails and Amy friendship? You can choose which version just them being cute friends? Maybe they defend each other when someone tries to mess with them? Love your writing
Watch 18:19 of Pajama Blogs - Prompt Requests - Ep 1 for juicy first thoughts on this prompts! (I may divert away from it, but we’ll see :3c)
Thank you so much! I try hard to stay pumped with energy so that I can give you all reading material during these trying times, lol. So let’s hope and press our hands together in a prayer that I’ll entertain, satisfy, and bring joyful feels to everyone through my prompts and fanfiction updates :Db
Prompt:
“Still working on that observatory, eh, Tails?”
As Tails was about to hammer in on his half-finished ‘dome-effect’ he wanted for his upper-level room, he blinked a moment at the familiar voice and excitedly looked down.
“Amy!”
“The one and only.” She winked, grinning widely.
He had managed to get half the curve of the wall done, a dark, steel grey for it’s base color as it held a half-finished walled hole where the large glass would be for viewing the stars. He would insert a self-made telescope between there, and design a way to bring the view as though a holographic light performance right into his ‘black room’ when he wanted to personally ‘sit among the stars’.
“Permission to come aboard, captain?” Amy joked, placing a hand on the ladder and saluting him.
Tails’s twin namesakes wagged in joy, smiling and closing his eyes as he nodded, “Permission always granted! B-but be careful of the rickety-”
“Ah!” the ladder seemed to tilt as a piece of metal began to bend.
“Amy!” he was about to fly down but she summoned her hammer, wedging it into the place where the metal was bending.
“Phew~” she sighed out in relief, having some sweat trickle down the side of her face before climbing up again.
She removed her hammer and used it to place the metal back into the proper alignment again. “You might have given me permission, but did you consult your ship on that decision?”
The two laughed.
“Sorry about that. Everything is still a work in progress, and honestly, it’s kinda revolutionary if this actually works.” Tails scratched behind his head, then explained how new this technology and optical illusion trick really was.
“Yeah,... kinda amazing, Tails.” Amy admired the work already done to give Tails a space to mediate and enjoy the nature of wonderful night sky above him. “I remember when I first met you, that the dark used to be such a scary thing for ya.” She kid, looking to him kindly but nudging him with a tease.
He blushed slightly, looking away, “Well... then you and Sonic showed me how beautiful it was! A-an-and besides that, I’m too old for a night light.” he tried to seem so mature... but that pout made it obvious he just didn’t want to be looked down upon.
“Right. So a big sky-show isn’t the same thing?” She looked over to see he had already marked a place with some cushions, a reading-outlet to the side of the wall imbedded in with a shelf for the books, and a big fuzzy blanket. The tape read: Second Bed.
It all made her smile, “What a lovely little R&R space...” she lowered her eyes, wondering if he still got lonely like she did... and this was his way of coping.
He lived far away from the city, and although Amy lived down a winding road, she would visit the city often enough for groceries and other fun shopping sprees.
What did boys do to occupy their time?
“Heh, I wouldn’t say a 3D projected model of a precisely positioned magnifying glass and hyperized telescope make for a sky-light.” he tried to defend himself, and it was rather cute to Amy.
“Well, I bet Sonic’ll love to bunk here more often.”
The tone suddenly shifted as Amy and Tails both looked down, away from the other.
“Have you... heard from him lately?” Amy asked, almost worried that she already knew the answer to that question.
“No.” Tails sighed out, before dramatically leaning back and letting his head fall back on his shoulders, “Not since Eggman last showed up.”
“Yeah... he’s been rushing off more and more lately on some daring-dos that apparently don’t require any of us to come along...”
There was a quiet somberness...
“Yeahhhh...” Tails once again leaned properly back in place and dipped his head, scratching it softly...
He seemed friend-sick... and as Amy observed him more, he even looked starved for conversation.
“Hmph!” She puffed up the side of her cheek, “Well, we’ll have to give him the ol’silent treatment when he gets back this time too! Serve him right for all those times he’s left us behind on all the fun!” Amy rambled off, but Tails perked up a bit, looking over to her with a slight turn of his lowered head.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! Just you wait! He’ll come back ready to tell us all his cool stunts on his new latest adventure, and we’ll be just chatting it up about your awesome star project!” She posed with her arm out and her hand upon her muscle, as though Rosy the Riveter. “That means we should wrap this little project of love up and really see what it’s made of!”
“Y-you mean it?” Tails looked thrilled by her offer. “I-I mean, if it’s not too much trouble... I could use your hammer for a few things.” He looked down at the metal that had bent out of place. “You’re strong arm means I could patch the rest of this in one hammer hit! It’ll remain sturdy if you’re strength! Ah...! Sorry!” he looked back over and saw Amy frowning embarrassedly, pushing her fingers together. He wagged his arms out to the side of her, apologetically. “I forgot... how you sometimes take the praise for your strength a little...” he felt awkward now, seeing her begin her usual spiel.
“But I’m... elegant... A-and lady-like when I do it... right?” She looked over to him as though pleading for his approval.
“O-O-of course, you are! I-I even remember Sonic saying something about it! Your hammer is super cute and only adds to your-! Uhh... c-charms!” Tails bundled his fists up and started shaking them profusely around, not sure how to convince her a ‘giant hammer’ was somehow ‘girlish’ but he did his best. “And besides, I don’t care what anyone else says, Amy! You’re super useful thanks to your strength! Just like I am with my brains.”
He was so determined to succeed in cheering her up that Amy couldn’t bear to disappoint him.
She took in a deep breath and got over herself, straightening up. “Yeah... well, I have to be strong, to look after and protect you and the others.” She ruffled up his hair and he laughed lightly, slightly moving away from her touch as a brother would to his older sister.
“I’m sorry that you’re sensitive to that.” He admitted, “You really are super cool when you hit a robot miles away!”
She flinched.
“I-I-I meant that in a good way!” he shook his hands out again, “Honest!”
Amy just laughed, “I can cook too, you know. Why don’t we finish building this thing and then I’ll make us something good to eat. We can turn it off with some smores and maybe crackers or something too later tonight!” Amy’s usual optimism was restored and Tails immediately caught on to it’s wave.
“Woah! You mean it! T-that could take all day...” His ears lowered just slightly.
“Pfft!” Amy turned with a proud look upon her face, placing one hand to her hip as she sat off the edge with him and then slammed her hand to the top of his head again, making him flatten slightly as he was sitting slightly on his knees. He looked uncomfortable, like her force had made him do an unwilling ‘split’ sort of with his knees being parted and he looked as though in strained pain. “Think nothing of it, Tails! As you said before, my hammer strikes are good on one blow! We’ll have this done in no time, so..? Can I stay the night?”
He continued to flinch and twitch in the pain, “S-sur-sure, I-I-I don’t mind... mmm...” he had a small tear forming at the right of his eye.
A few hours passed as the two worked hard, and finally, the dome was done and the telescope he had already completed for the room was successfully moved up to the upper-room... with a lot of back-strain and power from the two working together. Tails had to really test his twin-propelling tails’s weight limit on how fast they could twirl to lift something, and Amy’s powerful arms and back were put to their ultimate test as well!
But somehow, the two worked great together, though bickered and taunted the other at times...
“You can fly higher than that, Tails!”, “D-don’t act like I’m the only one lifting my weight here!”, “AH! What is that supposed to mean!? I’m as light as a feather! And this is... nothing... compared... to what I can lift!”, “Then push harder!”, “You fly harder!”, They both ‘ggrr’d and finally got the massive telescope up that ladder...
When everything was set up, Amy put on a movie for Tails to rest and started cooking up some dinner. She wanted to leave room for the late-night snacks, and coming back in, noticed Tails wasn’t watching the television.
“Huh?” She looked up the ladder to the room and smiled, seeing the computer light on as he must have been programming the telescope and other functions. “He works so hard... he must be excited to show it off to Sonic.” she felt a slight bit of envy. She sighed, “Not like girls and guys can have that strong of a bond... botherhood and sisterhoods are really exclusive, huh?” she frowned, not liking the idea that she could never be as close to Sonic or Tails as the other was with them.
She called down Tails though, and they had a nice dinner together, complimenting their success as Tails hoped it would all work, but Amy told him not to worry.
“You’re incredibly good at designing these technological masterpieces, Tails.” Amy scolded him for about to open his mouth to answer with food in it, and seeing her hand raised and her eyes closed while one opened slightly, he chewed and swallowed before continuing.
“W-well, that doesn’t mean that their isn’t going to be some error on my part involved...”
“I’m sure Sonic will love it. I know I’m excited to see it.” She picked up his finished plate, going to wash them and as she removed her apron...
“Sonic? I was building this for us to view it together, tonight.”
Her face shot up, touched.
Her heart seemed to rise up as though being elevated to a status it thought unattainable.
“R-really?” She always had felt a distance between the boys, and found it just seemed easier and less forced when interacting with Cream... but Cream was still so young too. She loved picking flowers! Don’t get her wrong! She had just gotten really, really good at making flower crowns for so... long...
She placed her apron that she had borrowed from him down, planning to wash it if needs be as well, but turned back to Tails.
He didn’t seem to notice how much that meant to her, already wiping his hands on his white fluff like he would if he was greased up in oil or gunk stains from working on his pet-projects like the X-Tornado and this Observatory. She puffed up her cheek, “I still need to teach you proper manners, huh?” she whispered under her breath, but smiled and touched her heart.
He was already racing up the ladder, and she immediately went into mother mode.
“Ah! Tails! D-don’t move so fast after eating!” she reached a hand up but he called down to her.
“Bring up the treats! I think it’s loaded all the settings in by now! ... Yeah! Yeah it has!”
His excited voice sprang her into an excitement, “W-well, hold on! I’m coming!” It was like he just called out that the fireworks were gonna start...
She rushed through the cleaning and threw the plates into the dishwater, a little rougher than she usually would like to and washed herself up before charging up the ladder. “Don’t let it start without me!”
“Hurry!” Tails called, and she immediately started to leap passed rings on the ladder to just reach out and jump pass a few steps.
“I’m here!” her quills looked a mess as she clung to the edge of the room, Tails rushing over and helping her up as she huffed and puffed in her strain to get there in time.
“Haha, and you tell me not to rush.” He teased her back.
“Hmph.” she blew up her bottom bang of the three quills on her forehead and then smiled to him, cheekily, “If I get stomach cramps, I’m blaming you!”
“Over here!” He laughed a moment at her response but was too excited to show her what he had set up.
“Ah... Tails...” Amy felt so important and loved then, seeing he had taken the large fuzzy blanket and got in it, opening a space for her to join him.
“S-sorry, is this too... um... close?” He squinted an eye, lowering his arm that was gesturing for her to intimately cuddle up within it and watch the show together.
She shook her head, holding back tears and hoping to not confuse him. “Absolutely! I-I mean, it’s perfect! Don’t change a thing!” she crawled down and got into the blanket, taking the other side as she felt Tails bouncing in his seat.
“Okay, good. Three... two... one... Ehem,” he cleared his throat, like a child about to press ‘liftoff’ on a rocket. “Computer! Activate Spatial Definity Mock 5 Advanced Overhead Project 3.2.7.”
Amy blinked her eyes rapidly at such a long line...
“What? You couldn’t have called it, Sky-light?” she teased again, “For nightlight?”
“Quit it...” He nudged her lightly, embarrassed she kept teasing him on that one. “It sounds cooler this way... and it reminds me how long it took to set up the program and make it run right. I haven’t tested this final version yet, so SDM5AOP 3.2.7 is a perfect name for-!”
“O-okay, as long as it makes sense to you.” she decided not to question it.
The whirling of a computer was heard and the two waited anxiously for the results...
“It has to take a second to go through all it’s processing. Lots of... kinda like doors to hurdle through and collect data for.” He explained.
“...Do you... wish Sonic were here instead of me?” she looked away from him for a moment. “I mean... not that you would have a preference b-b-but...” she thought this was a bad, killing the mood he had tried to set up and wish she didn’t say anything. “Nevermind.”
“No, I think you’ll appreciate it more than he will.”
She felt that ranking skyrocket again, as though her tiny significance in life was suddenly bumped up again to a higher sphere of importance in this little fox boy’s life.
“W-... What makes you say that?” she was trying so hard to hide the sparkles in her eyes, but her quivering voice gave away how happy she was to hear that. No, not happy, overjoyed to know she was considered such a special friend to him.
“You actually helped me complete it!” He spread his arms out as the first little light formed in the blackened room.
“Ah!” Amy saw it first, marveling as it faded and then grew brighter and brighter to show the actual dimensions of the star that was currently in the sky, or at least, the radiance of it.
She marveled as he continued to talk, not noticing multiple other little constellations starting to form over his literal head and scattered all throughout the room. Accurate and pronounced, their distance was a miniature diorama of the actual space of the universe...
“I knew you’d want to see it... I’m sure he would too, but Sonic would rather be in the stars then just viewing them... though he does all the time. Heh, I guess you’ll be able to brag about how you were the first to see it! I-if it works or not... It’s still a longshot, s-so... don’t get your hopes up too hig-”
His face was yanked towards the direction of the star, then Amy started shaking his arm. “Ah-AH-AHHHH!!!” she freaked out as a very distinct cosmic entity was defined in the space.
“AH-! AHHH!! IT ACTUALLY WORKS!” Tails flipped out as they both cried out-
“EARTH!”
Then, one after another...
“The Milky Way!”, “It’s the galaxy from Chris’s world... and look! Here’s our constellations!”, “Ohhh! It’s our solar system! Ahhh! It’s so bright!”
“...Do you think Cosmos seeds found good land to grow on?”
The two suddenly stopped gawking...
Amy couldn’t even look to him, and him the same.
Instead, she scooted closer to him in the blanket, felt his tails solemnly wrap around her for support and comfort, and placed her arm to his opposite shoulder to pull him into the gap of her neck.
He laid his head on her shoulder, tearing up.
“Is... is that why you made all of this?” Amy’s heart tugged on her vocal chords, making them choke slightly.
“...Yeah.” he admitted. “If this was Sonic, I don’t think he’d be willing to talk about it... not like you.” he looked down a moment.
“No, don’t look down.” Amy’s voice plucked up an octave. “Look at your amazing work, Tails. Look at how vast... how beautiful the universe is... I’m sure you’ll see evidence of Cosmo’s seed blooming all over the place. You know why?”
She ducked her gaze down slightly, moving her head to make sure she didn’t obstruct his view.
He smiled lightly through his tears.
“Because life never quits, that’s why!” She pulled him into a half-hug and continued to snuggle up in the blanket. “Hehe, because Cosmo would want you to look at these stars and know that she’s everywhere. Smiling just as brightly as any of these ol’stars and wishing you the best forever!”
She felt his shoulders bounce a little...
She knew Sonic would have done an alright job if he were here too, but...
She was so glad...
Holding him and tucking him in better into the blanket...
That she was the one he shared this whole project with.
That she was the one... who could dry his tears tonight.
-Author: And now I cry, wow, hands slapped together in a prayer really did wonders for myself in this prompt, how about you? lolol To those of you who actually did the gesture and wished me the best, this one’s for you.
#amy and tails#amy prompt#tails prompt#miles tails prower#amy rose#sonic x#cosmo#tailsxcosmo#cutegirlmayra#sonic x prompt#sonic prompt#cosmo the seedrian#cosmo prompt#tailsmo
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TEN LAYERS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ft. TRICKY
>>> COPY N PASTE TO REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG MINE, with the information of your muse, including headcanons.
tagged by: stolen from @endersvibes
tagging: @corruptedbunny-multimuse
LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE.
name: "CLOWN IS TRICKY.”
eye color: "RED. WHITE IN DEMON FORM.”
hair style/color: "CLOWN. DUH... AND EITHER RED OR ORANGE DEPENDING ON THE DAY.”
clothing style: "DEPENDS ON CLOWN’S MOOD. MOST OF THE CLOTHING ARE TORN UP BUT SIMPLE. USUALLY CLOWN WEARS THAT SIMPLE GREY OUTFIT BUT OTHER TIMES CLOWN WEARS THAT OLD LABCOAT AND BOXERS.”
best physical feature: “EVERYONE RECOGNIZES THE HAIR.”
LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE.
your fears: “HEH! AS IF CLOWN FEARS ANYTHING!”
your guilty pleasures: “AT TIMES CLOWN LIKES EATING PEOPLE’S INSIDES AND THROWING UP BLOOD ALLLLL OVER THE FLOOR. CLOWN LIKES SEEING THE REACTIONS. THE INSIDES DON’T TASTE THE GREATEST THOUGH. TOTALLY WORTH IT FOR THE LOOKS ON PEOPLE’S FACES. WHAT? BESIDES THAT CLOWN HAS GOOD TASTE. YOU WANT TO FIGHT ME ABOUT IT????? I’LL GLADLY KICK YOUR ASS!”
your biggest pet peeve(s): “GETTING SHOT WHEN CLOWN IS VIBING OR GETTING A HOTDOG. SO FUCKING RUDE!”
your ambition for the future: “MAKING HANK SUFFER. THE USUAL. ”
LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS
your first thoughts waking up: "ANOTHER DAY. ANOTHER BLOODSHED.”
what you think about the most: "KILLING HANK AND MAKING HIM SUFFER.”
what you think about before bed: “CLOWN USUALLY ONLY SLEEPS WHEN IT SEEMS SAFE ENOUGH. EVEN THEN IT’S ONLY IF CLOWN WANTS TO. MAIN THOUGHT IS CLOWN DOESN’T FEEL LIKE DOING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.”
you think your best quality is: "CLOWN’S INTELLIGENCE. I MAY BE A CLOWN BUT CLOWN IS A LOT SMARTER THAN HE LOOKS. SENSE OF HUMOUR IS ALSO A GOOD QUALITY.”
LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER?
single or group dates: “SINGLE.”
to be loved or respected: “RESPECTED.”
beauty or brains: "BRAINS OBVIOUSLY.”
dogs or cats: "CLOWN LIKES CATS.”
LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?
lie: "LOTS OF PEOPLE LIE ABOUT THINGS. OF COURSE CLOWN HAS LIED SOMETIMES.”
believe in yourself: "OF COURSE. WHY WOULDN’T I?”
believe in love: "... THESE DAYS CLOWN DOES.”
want someone: "CLOWN IS MARRIED.”
LAYER SIX: EVER?
been on stage: "OF COURSE CLOWN HAS.”
done drugs: "NO. SMOKING ANY KIND OF SHIT GETS YOU KILLED IN NEVADA AND CLOWN PREFERS ALCOHOL.”
changed who you were to fit in: "NOT REALLY TO FIT IN BUT CLOWN DID CHANGE FROM A SCIENTIST TO A CLOWN... AND THEN CLOWN COMPLETELY CHANGED ONCE CLOWN GOT THE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE. NOW... THERE’S NO GOING BACK AT THIS POINT. HOFNARR IS NO MORE. ONLY TRICKY REMAINS.”
LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES
favorite color: “BLOOD RED. JOKING. CLOWN ISN’T THAT PREDICTABLE. IN ALL SERIOUSNESS ALL COLORS ARE ACTUALLY NICE.”
favorite animal: "CATS.”
favorite movie: "CLOWN WOULD RATHER NOT CHOOSE. TOO MANY GOOD ONES OUT THERE.”
favorite game: "KIND OF HARD TO PLAY GAMES HERE IN NEVADA. CLOWN WILL SAY THAT AMONG US IS POPULAR THESE DAYS FOR A REASON... AND ANY GOOD SHOOTER GAMES.”
LAYER EIGHT: AGE.
day your next birthday will be: “AUGUST 19TH.”
how old will you be: "CLOWN IS ALREADY DEAD, STUPID! CLOWN CAN’T AGE ANYMORE!”
does age matter: "DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN. CLOWN DOESN’T REALLY KILL CHILDREN UNLESS THEY PISS ME OFF.”
LAYER NINE: IN A PARTNER.
best personality: "CLOWN DOESN’T REALLY CARE.”
best eye color: "DOES IT REALLY MATTER?”
best hair color: "THESE QUESTIONS ARE GETTING STUPID.”
best thing to do with a partner: "KILL HANK.”
LAYER TEN: FINISH THE SENTENCE [IC].
I love: "KITTEN AND HOTDOGS.”
I feel: "LIKE TEARING HANK APART SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY AND THEN REVIVING HANK SO I CAN DO IT ALLLLLL OVER AGAIN!”
I hide: "BEHIND A MASK.”
I miss: “CLOWN’S OLD LOOKS... AND PARENTS...”
I wish: "FOR MORE POWER.”
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I have no idea how modding games work, but if I could, I would do some Undertale themed mods to Among Us. These were the ideas I had:
Imposter roles:
Chara: For every murder, kill cool-down gets shorter and kill distance becomes longer.
Sans: Can summon bone attacks and Gaster Blasters
Papyrus: Can leave puzzle-traps around that will kill you if you fail to solve them within a certain time-limit or twice in a row etc. If it's something that pops up for everyone at the same time Bonetrousle/NYEH HEH HEH will play.
Undyne: Can make a bunch of spears appear under the nearest crewmember (dodgeable). Others in crew can be killed in the attack too if they’re too close and don’t dodge in time. Can also throw spears at crew trying to flee.
Alphys: Can undo various task for people. Have a shorter cooldown on sabotages.
Toriel: Door-sabotages will be walls of fire that can kill people (time-limited on maps where you manually unlock doors. On Mira HQ it would be passages into rooms.)
Asgore: Corpses cannot be reported (cause he destroyed the report button). Might be able to temporarily destroy the emergency button?
Mettaton: Can force everyone into pose-dances (to Death by Glamour) and force them into random quizes (with Metal Crusher theme) and if they answer wrong they die. Questions can be anything from “What color do you get by mixing blue and yellow“ to that train-speed question he had in Undertale.
Mad Dummy: Can summon little rockets/dummies to do random attacks in various rooms by clicking on a map (with theme)
Annoying Dog: Imposter can summon the Annoying Dog (with theme) and it will bounce around and destroy any task it bumps into (placing it on random players)
Muffet: Can place spiderwebs where-ever she likes that will slow people down. Can also summon spiders to attack specific players of her choice.
Asriel/Flowey: Asriel (crew) will turn into Flowey (imp) if killed. As Flowey the player can attack from vents using bullets Friendliness Pellets and kill-cooldown will still work while in vent.
Gaster (big role): Imposter can turn into Gaster and gain the ability to: Turn invisible. Send a rain of random Wingding-attacks onto the crew. They can leave spots of void-goop that will absorb any crew who step onto it. Bodies of crew killed "normally" will turn into one of the Grey Monsters. And lastly they can cause Jump-scares that will mess up peoples' controls. Also bonus if the music is a version of Gasters theme.
Crew roles:
Frisk: Can help other crewmembers with tasks (one at the time)
Sans: Can teleport anywhere, anytime. Can choose to insta-finish tasks but that function have a cooldown.
Papyrus: Can place pasta around that will give a player that eats it a slight speed boost for 3 seconds. Always faster than average himself.
Undyne: Higher speed compared to rest of crew. Might possibly need to be killed twice?
Alphys: Can access cameras from anywhere and insta-clear any task that have to do with electricity - lights, wires, download, start reactor and so on. Not tasks like trash, fuel, O2 filter, water weel, etc.
Toriel: Can bypass closed doors
Asgore: Can call emergency meeting from anywhere. Imp can only kill him if they do it twice in a row (Asgore will not see any indicator on the first attempt)
Mettaton: Can smash through walls by dashing into them thrice (first two will leave cracks) and create permanent passages. On airship he can also pass over gaps.
Napstablook: Start the game as a ghost but is visible to everyone. Can ignore walls like ordinary ghosts but interact with others in proximity chat and in meetings like normal crew + they can still report bodies and vote. Cannot be killed but are slightly slower to compensate. Will also count as a living crew so imp must kill one more than they normally would've had to do to win.
Monster Kid: Can use vents and will always have visible tasks (even if that feature is turned off it will still work for MK). Is slightly faster than average player but will randomly trip every now and then.
Muffet: Have more tasks but can insta-clear them or they will auto-clear as time passes.
Asriel/Flowey: Asriel (crew) will turn into Flowey (imp) if killed. As Asriel the player can heal killed players. If they know who the killer is they can strike them with lightning but IF they're wrong they'll get struck instead.
Omega Flowey Bonus:
Where the impostor get 6 short tasks like normal crew (who should have more tasks) and if they complete them they will turn into Omega/Photoshop Flowey (in reference to when he steals the 6 human souls). Or there'll be six souls hidden on the map that imp must find.
Once that happens they become very OP and can use vines, bombs, fingerguns, flamethrowers, fly swarms and pellets to terrorize the crewmates - if they wish they can also resurrect players they’ve killed as Omega Flowey to make it harder for them to finish tasks as ghosts. They can also no longer be ejected so crew can only win by completing tasks. But also once imp have turned into Omega Flowey they can no longer use sabotages - not doors, light, reactor, anything.
I don’t know if any of these are even possible to do, but if they are and you feel like doing any of them, be my guest!
#undertale#among us#mods#i don't know how to do mods#therefore you must suffer from my ideas#i would probably do zelda-based mods too#bombs and boomerangs galore#or have the imp turn into dark beast ganon and yeet tridends and zappy balls around#or maybe a russian roulette mod#so imp can turn voting meetings into a round of russian roulette#where there's still a chance they themselves get ejected#everyone alive? 10% chance to die#only 4 people left? 25% risk you'll die
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With Time: Something Happened
Author’s Note: The doc for this is titled 'Drink some water you coward'. My friend needed to drink water but wouldn't, and I made a threat that I fulfilled. I won't say who I killed, but those of you who have been around long even may remember a tumblr post from long ago. (Heh heh, reblogged it to bring it back a few days ago)
Here's that story, which I can finally post now that With Time is over.
(Sorry for the angst. I'll post something fluffy soon.)
Summary: The team goes up against Hawkmoth, and something happens.
!!! Warnings: Character Death, Violence
It had been years. Years upon years of fighting against Hawkmoth. It had gotten bad enough that Adrien and Marinette had eventually needed to give their friends their miraculouses permanently.
It hadn’t been solely a bad thing of course. They’d been planning on doing it soon enough, but it’d happened sooner than they’d intended.
Of course, after spending a good six years - almost seven - Marinette and Adrien could not be ready for this day.
The final face off with Hawkmoth.
The man that had been terrorizing the heroes, the city, for years.
They’d tracked him down after learning of Mayura’s identity.
“How did I not know?” Chat Noir stares at the mansion he was raised in, “He’s my father! I grew up in the same building he was attacking the city from!”
“Adrien-” Ladybug begins.
“I’m supposed to be a hero! What kind of-”
“Adrien-” it’s Kit Mime this time, gripping his shoulder and turning the other boy to face him, “None of us blame you.”
“You should.”
“No, we shouldn’t. He kept it from the entire city, y’ couldn’t’ve known,” Tortue Verte cuts in.
“The entire city wasn’t living with him this whole time! For fuck’s sake, he attacked my school the most! He wasn’t even subtle!”
“Adrien, it’s not-” Honey Bee also tries to interrupt him.
“All those attacks where he or I was targeted! How could I not have realized-” gloved hands dig into blond hair, green eyes vacant.
“Chat-”
“My name literally means ‘dark butterfly’, I mean come on!”
“Adrien!” Ladybug snaps. She isn’t angry, just trying her best to reign him back in.
He pauses, taking a breath to steady himself.
“Kitten, none of us blame you,” Kit Mime keeps his own gloved hands on Chat Noir’s shoulders, “So you shouldn’t be blaming yourself.”
The hero looked doubtful, but didn’t respond.
“He’s right,” Ladybug comes to his side as well, hugging him tightly.
Doing so triggers a group hug among the heroes. There’s a lot of feelings towards what’s about to happen.
There’s a lot to process, but they didn’t have much time. They wanted to settle this as quickly as possible - both for Paris’ sake and to avoid Gabriel getting suspicious.
“Alright. Let’s go,” and Chat leads the charge into the house.
It’s time to end this.
---
Despite having hoped to take the man by surprise, he must have been clued in somehow. They burst into his lair to find it empty.
They tense, walking forward hesitantly and looking around cautiously.
“Where-” Honey begins to speak.
There’s a sound, quiet enough that only Kit and Chat hear it. They motion for silence and turn in the direction, night vision carefully scanning the area.
Honey Bee inhales sharply.
“This would be an ideal time to hand over your miraculouses.” a cold voice cuts through the silence.
The group turns to see Hawkmoth himself standing before them, sword drawn from his cane and pointed precariously near the heroine’s neck. She stands stiffly, hands raised slightly.
Low growls come from the two tallest boys, while Ladybug and Tortue shift to fighting positions.
“Give it up Gabriel,” Chat snarls.
“You’ve lost,” Kit Mime adds.
“It would seem I was correct to assume that Nathalie had been compromised,” the tip of the sword pushes further into Honey’s neck, and she tilts her head safely away.
“Gabriel Agreste, your reign of terror on Paris is over. Hand over your miraculous.” Ladybug holds out her hand, glaring at the monster before them.
“No. Not until I’ve completed my goal.”
“The consequences of any wish would be catastrophic. The world can’t afford your selfishness-”
“Selfish?!” The man roars, “You are the selfish ones! I only want what’s best for my family! What’s best for my son!” In his anger, he gestures carelessly and a pinprick of blood appears on Honey Bee’s neck as he speaks.
Chat Noir growls, snapping and swiping at the man, “What’s best for your son?! What’s best for your son?! How is terrorizing Paris supposed to help your son?!”
Taking the distraction, Honey Bee ducks and slides over to her other teammates. Tortue looks worriedly at her neck, but she smiles at him, “I’m fine,” she says quietly.
Kit Mime seems to disagree, scowling - a rare expression for him - and joining his friend in the barrage of attacks at the supervillain.
“Well,” Ladybug says, readying her yo-yo, “We do this like we always do…”
Honey Bee and Tortue Verte speak with her, readying their own weapons and dropping into offensive stances, “...together.”
The trio joins their teammates in the fight.
---
They didn’t think it was going to be this hard. Especially given that it was five to one.
Yet here they are. At least one and a half hours later, and the fight hadn’t gotten anywhere.
They’re exhausted.
Maybe it’s closer to two or three hours. None of them have really bothered to check the time, simply focussing on their goal, aiming to end this nightmare as soon as possible.
Hawkmoth swipes his sword at the spotted girl. She dances away to the best of her abilities, though she feels it makes contact anyways.
It wasn’t the first time, and she’d stopped checking once they’d all been false alarms.
Her suit is impenetrable after all.
This needed to end soon. The exhaustion of her team was palpable, but somehow Hawkmoth seemed fine.
Maybe he was just better at hiding it. Or he had more experience. The reason didn’t really matter to her anyways.
The team of five continues in their assault, their teamwork they’d built up on for the past five years shining through.
Still, it wasn’t a perfect art, and mistakes were bound to happen.
No one is quite sure how it happens, but the frenzy of movement halts when Hawkmoth wrenches Kit Mime toward him by the arm.
“Let him go,” Honey Bee growls.
“Give up your miraculouses.” It’s basically his mantra with how many times he’s said it now. He’s holding the fox hero to him tightly, gripping his neck from behind so that both miraculous holders are in clear sight.
“That’s not going to happen,” Chat repeats.
“This is your final warning,” Hawkmoth cautioned lowly, a hint of something in his voice.
He correctly takes their silent glares and battle stances as refusal.
The dark chamber is silent for a moment.
Five teenagers wait patiently for the next move.
A sickening crunch echoes through the room.
Even with most of them lacking night vision, their eyes have adjusted enough that they can see what happened.
Hawkmoth holds up Kit Mime by the neck, dangling the boy above the floor. The hero’s face is an unnatural color, and his feet kick uselessly at the floor, searching for traction.
His hands reach for the one that has crushed his throat, but the adult’s iron grip is too tight.
His teammates, friends, can only stand in horrified silence. The only sound is the ocaissonal scuffle of boots against the floor. The color that has appeared on his face is deepening, and his hands still claw at the one around his neck. His flute is on the floor, dropped in surprise when the moment came.
None of them are looking at any of that though.
It’s his eyes.
Kit- Claude’s eyes, normally bright and full of mirth are wide with fear.
Even through the worst attack, Kit Mime had been able to smile, keep things light and spirits up.
And now…
It’s when his eyes begin to glaze over, growing unfocused, that they break out of their trance.
Chat Noir’s and Honey Bee’s faces harden in resolve, both rushing forward.
Ladybug hears a furious ‘cataclysm’ and ‘venom’, which somewhat shakes her out of her oncoming attack. She can panic late, right now she has to…
What does she do?
Tortue isn’t doing well, hyperventilating beside her.
Kit Mime is still struggling in the villain’s grip, though his desperate kicks and gasps have become fainter, weaker.
The five of them couldn’t defeat Hawkmoth together, should she really let only two of them try alone? They need all the help they can get, right?
The heroine’s eyes dart back and forth, undecided. Comfort Tortue?
Help Chat and Honey with Kit?
Comfort Tortue?
Help Chat and Honey with K-
-it?
The moment of indecision costs her. In the time it takes Chat and Honey to cross the room, Hawkmoth grows impatient.
Tired of holding up the struggling boy, Hawkmoth tightens his grip on his sword, raises his hand, and runs it through the boy.
Honey and Chat can’t stop their momentum in time, Honey’s hand slides past the intended target, and she can’t pick herself off the floor, instead staring in horror at the scene above her.
The scene doesn’t last long.
Chat’s outstretched hand makes contact.
With an orange suit.
The darkness spreads like an inky disease across the brightly colored uniform. Shadowy tendrils make their way over it, spreading like a horrific wildfire and leaving nothing but ash and dust behind.
Chat Noir stares in terror at his gloved hand, now coated in dust that looked too soft for something so nauseating.
Reality chooses this moment to resume its normal speed. In comparison to the last eternal minute or two, everything feels like double speed.
Honey Bee manges to put together enough thoughts to hit her venomed hand to their foe’s leg, and stands to take the miraculous.
Chat hasn’t moved.
Tortue is barely breathing with how badly he’s panicking.
And Ladybug?
Ladybug defaults to her usual solution.
“Miraculous Ladybug.”
Claude’s body reappears right where it had been previously. He falls to the ground, the other heroes nearby follow him, too exhausted to do anything else.
After a moment they’re all far too aware of the fact that he isn’t breathing.
“Miraculous Ladybug.”
He remains still.
“Miraculous Ladybug.”
Nothing. She’s beginning to feel dizzy.
“Miraculous Ladybug.”
Why isn’t it working?
“Miraculous Ladybug!”
Why isn’t he coming back?!
“Miraculous Ladybug!”
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Miraculous Ladybug!!”
How had this happened?
“Miraculous Ladybug!!!”
She feels sick.
“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”
Still nothing.
Her shouts become a repetitive echo, ringing through the terrible chamber. What else can she do? She’s the leader. She’s the one who fixes everything.
So why isn’t everything fixed?!
Of the team, she’s the only one still speaking. The only one still standing.
Until she isn’t anymore.
The others look up after her quiet, pleading calls go silent, soon followed by a thud.
Against a surface other than her bright red suit, the alarming amount of blood flowing from a distressingly large gash in her side is hard to miss.
---
When Felix walks into the hospital room he does not know what to expect. He had known they were going after Hawkmoth, so the fact that Adrien had sent him a text with nothing but the words ‘we’re here’ and the hospital’s address and a room number concerned him.
Still, he did not want to jump to conclusions.
Perhaps Hawkmoth had been critically injured.
He repeated that thought over and over because the alternative-
No, there is no alternative. Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
He loops that thought.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends are fine.
Hawkmoth is injured and his friends-
He walks into the room, hearing the steady beeping of the heart monitor and turns to see…
Marinette in the bed. All manner of tubes and wires attached to her.
When he manages to rip his eyes away, his fears do not cease.
Adrien is staring at Marinette, though his eyes are far away.
Allegra is barely holding herself together.
And Allan…
Felix hadn’t seen that look on Allan’s face since- since-
Something is missing.
Someone is missing.
“Where is Claude?” He barely manages to keep his voice steady.
Those three words are all it takes.
The Allegra’s final threads snap and she loses the little composure she already had. She falls to her knees like beggar and sobs.
The look on Allan’s expression gets worse, and he stops breathing momentarily, and even afterwards his breaths are irregular.
Adrien is gripping Marinette’s hand like a lifeline, head buried in the sheets of the hospital bed as he sits beside it.
No one speaks.
The picture is becoming very clear, but Felix just will not accept it.
Surely Claude is just somewhere else.
Grabbing something perhaps?
Another sob from Allegra is all it takes to dash all his hopes. Anyone with half a mind can see the only answer to this question.
Something happened.
The mission went wrong.
Claude is gone.
---
I'm just going to leave this here. No more words from me.
Reminder: This is very much not canon to my With Time storyline.
#miraculous ladybug#with time#fanfic#angst#hurt no comfot#sadness#character death#final battle#missions gone wrong#injury#this is not my usual story#no fluff#i'm sorry#also#I wrote this to fulfill a threat to my friend#so#i'm obligated to remind you to drink water#let something good come from this?#yeah#nothing good can come from this#i'll post some fluff soon#so very sorry
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982
survey by vsmilee
Have you ever been to Disneyland?
Nope. I’d like to visit a Disneyland at least once in my life just to say that I’ve gone there, but overall I think it’s too tourist-y for me and I might just find the sheer amount of people annoying.
What's your favorite color?
I like pink and its different shades.
What's your boyfriend's name?
I don’t have one.
How many siblings do you have?
Two.
Do you sing in the shower?
Eh, sometimes. But I typically don’t because I hate hearing my singing voice and the echo in the bathroom just makes it louder.
When you get dressed in the morning, what do you put on first?
Well, underwear.
What do you do right before you go to sleep?
I pick a video to watch and then let the background noise lull me to sleep.
How far have you gone with someone of the opposite sex?
Slow dancing, lmao. I’ve never been physical with a guy.
Have you ever been drunk?
Yes. Ah, college days. I did some pretty dumb shit too.
It's 2am and your phone rings. Do you answer it?
Yes, as long as I know the person. If they’re calling at 2 AM there must be a reason, and it’s always better to treat everything as an emergency instead of having regrets in the end.
What would be a good reason for you to skip school?
I didn’t feel like going to class. I’m not that hard to influence, ha.
Are you in a band?
Nope, never been.
As a child did you ever suck your thumb or fingers?
I don’t think that was ever an issue with me. If it was, my mom would have had endless stories about it but she’s never mentioned anything about me sucking my thumb, so.
Do you twirl your hair?
It’s not really a quirk of mine. I brush my fingers through it a lot more often.
What make is your cell phone?
Apple.
What is your dad's name?
Edgardo. He hates his main nickname so I won’t share it on here, but I do know he’s made it a point to be known as Ed in his workplace.
Do you have a planner or calendar?
I have neither. We do have a Google Sheets file at work where we list down the tasks we do everyday, and I guess that counts as my planner since that’s how I keep track of my deliverables.
Do you keep a journal?
I’ve started keeping one, yes. But I don’t write on it everyday or even weekly. I just do so whenever I feel like it.
What's your biggest secret?
The biggest one I’ve ever kept was probably my relationship with Gabie. And this blog, haha.
What is your favorite subject in school?
History. All kinds of it. Language class in middle school was also fun because it literally just taught English grammar, which I had already mastered at that point.
What year do/did you graduate high school?
I graduated in 2016.
What do you want to major in in college?
I majored in journalism. I’m done with college as well.
What is your best friend's name?
Angela, Gabie. Take your pick.
What is your favorite TV show?
Breaking Bad. I recently came across the “Stay out of my territory” scene after several years of not watching it and holy fuck. I need to watch the whole damn series again. The writing is unbelievable.
What time do you usually go to bed?
It ranges from 9 PM to 12 AM. Depends on how much caffeine is still left in my system at the end of the day.
What side of the bed to you sleep on?
It’s a twin, it’s not like there are sides haha. But back when Gab and I would sleep in the same bed, I was always on the right side.
Where are your parents right now?
My mom is either still at work or on her way home from work. I’m guessing my dad is already in the kitchen preparing dinner.
How many days old are you?
According to a quick Google search, 8211 days.
What do you want to wish for?
Some goddamn normalcy. I’m also wishing for a full-time job, but I’ve been happy in my internship too so I’m not feeling too desperate for the former now.
What are you hoping to achieve this year?
Well I planned to come out after graduating, but that never panned out. Otherwise, I’ve done everything I had set out to do for 2020 - graduate, graduate with honors, finish my thesis, (kinda) get employed, start earning my own money. There’s a lot to be proud of, now that I think about it.
Do you love anyone?
Yes.
Does anyone love you?
I hope.
What's your favorite animal?
Dogs or elephants.
Have you ever been to the zoo?
Yeah, once. Hated the experience. It was a family trip though so I couldn’t get out of it.
What is your favorite ride at Disneyland?
What is your favorite teacher's name?
I don’t want to say full names but the name of my favorite teacher from my first school starts with an E, and the name of my favorite prof in college starts with...oof, also an E, heh.
Have you ever been in marching band?
No, we don’t have that kind of club here.
What group were/are you a part of in high school?
I was in yearbook, a media club, and table tennis.
Do you have any enemies?
Nope.
Have you ever been a cheerleader?
Nah. I like watching cheerdance competitions, but I was never one of them.
Did you ever date anyone on the football team?
Nah, I wasn’t interested in them. Plus they all dated each other anyway.
What is/was your rival school in high school?
Tbh all the all-girls schools in Metro Manila and other neighboring cities act like rivals, but there’s never been any official feud among us or between any two schools.
What grade in school was your favorite?
I liked Grade 7 and Years III and IV.
Where do you want to go to college?
I wanted to go to UP and ended up going to college – and graduating – there.
How many stars can you see in the sky right now?
I can make out one very bright star, but there’s also a big tree blocking most of my view when I look out the window.
What is your favorite color?
This was the second question on this survey. I answered pink.
If you could eat dinner with anyone (dead or alive) who would you choose?
My grandpa so I can get him up to speed with all the things I’ve done and achieved since he passed.
Do you believe in God?
No.
Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Never did.
What is your favorite book?
I don’t have any.
Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Kate Winslet.
What's the worst lie you've ever told?
I don’t like telling lies. If I do, they’re small, forgettable ones.
Are you pretty gullible?
Quite, yeah. It makes me an easy target for both family and friends, haha.
How many consecutive days have you ever missed of school?
I think it was around 3-4 days, when my dad booked a trip to Bali in the middle of a school week.
What do you want right now?
Well it turns out my dad had food from Shakey’s delivered so I just wanna be all over that right now...
Have you ever been pregnant?
Never have.
What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
Milk chocolate laced with peanut butter.
Who is most likely to read this?
It’s hard to tell. Maybe a couple of people, maybe no one but me.
What are you going to do after you're done?
Probably take another one orrrrrrr go on YouTube.
Are you in love with anyone?
Yeah.
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moved this over to a text post, hope u don’t mind anon! ( ᐛ )و
ANYWAY EEEEEE THANK YOU AND I’D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHARE!!!! o(*≧□≦)o tbh this headcanon is me 100% refusing to accept that post-route!alice just stays in red/black army hq as a… uh, maid??? cook??? cheerleader??? idk lmao but imo alice has a lot of potential with her canon profession lolol! okay so maybe they did her justice in kyle’s route bc she ends up as his assistant but as for other routes fight me cybird (ง •̀_•́)ง
context side a
i got the idea after reading fenrir’s dramatic end, where alice gets a job in cradle’s best confectionery (like wow lmao if only getting a job was that fast irl). anyway!!! i’d like to dream that alice does this for all routes + a month after the route events (sans kyle’s). you’d think she doesn’t need to get a job especially if her ikeman’s part of the red army, but she does this bc she wants to. and to feel less like a freeloader lmao. since the situation’s different with the neutrals, this isn’t much of an issue.
so, yay! she feels better about passing time productively + having her own lin to spend but tbh she doesn’t really buy much stuff???? eventually she saves up quite the amount that it becomes a problem - what could/should she do with that much cash????
tbh the idea to start her own business came from her boss lol…. it started from his objective assessment that she was good enough to open her own shop… eventually she starts entertaining the idea…. then she gets second opinions from friends + ikeman…. and she actually does it after much consideration?!??! her boss is shook, but he wishes her well anyway! he gets a free slice of cake whenever he visits the cafe lol!
so alice ends up with a cafe! since confectioneries were more on selling than service + she’s on her own now & has a lot of stuff to handle on her own, she becomes pretty busy and takes some time to adjust, but eventually she gets by! it’s tiring, but she enjoys her every day!
any of her extra profits she chooses to donate to various causes + she eventually ends up becoming some sort of sponsor to the armies with all her donations HELLA RAD ೕ(•̀ᴗ•́)
context side b
alternatively, in a common route scenario where amon still gets his ass kicked + alice stays in cradle but doesn’t fall in love with that one ikeman (no one falls in love…. not yet LMAO), she lives with the black/red army + works in a confectionery until she has enough to buy a home of her own. blanc + oliver + mousse have been secretly helping her scout around for a good place. it’s only when everything’s ready that she talks to the black/red army about her intentions.
get this - her general explanation goes this way: she starts off by saying that she’s very thankful that everyone has accommodated her and she’ll always be in their debt, but now that she’s living as an actual resident of cradle and no longer just a guest, she’d hate to impose on them any further. to boot, she’s not even an official part of the army + a soldier, so it may look odd that she’s still staying within army hq. stuff about reputation and pride, something like that.
the black army (see: seth) is sad about this, but they understand her sentiments and let her go. after a three-day long party. aaaaand of course, they’re more than willing to do any heavy lifting for her move + just anything in general - all she needed to do was ask!
the red army respects her decision as well, and they’re… more subtle in expressing their disappointment (how is jonah’s blatant frown even subtle lol). like the black army, they let her go + remind her that she can always ask them for help.
so alice lives alone for a couple of months.... then the armies hear that she’s planning to open a cafe from blanc.... ha.... the black army totally helps her out with general recontrustion + repairs. she does not take no for an answer when she pays them for their work lmao. plus, they totally helped her out by giving her tours around the stalls on the central quarter market that give the best bargains + freshest produce! the flowers alice put up for decoration + plant outside her yard are always sponsored by canis major..... and seth drops by regularly to talk about trending aesthetics alice could adapt in the cafe!
the red army’s idea of helping her out with her cafe is to send her furniture + kitchen appliances + sets of tableware.... they’re gorgeous + simple but UMMMM????? alice literally panics about the kitchen, especially about the stove + oven bc it be so fine.... and expensive-looking.... but negotiating with lancelot + jonah is like talking to a brick + diamond wall so edgar + kyle + zero convince her to just take it lmao - it isn’t much, but lancelot gets a free drink & jonah a free mille-feuille each time they visit!
again: she donates to various causes + sends the black/red army a fair amount of her extra profits each month! she’d give more to the red army bc she still can’t get over their....... generous gifts and how much they probably cost lmao....... edgar stops her there though bc honestly..... do u think the red army needs more money??????????
the cafe
so why in central of all places? actually, it does make sense to set up a business there since it’s like the country’s central business district. but if i’d base it from alice’s general personality, i think she’d choose central bc that’s where every citizen of cradle; whether they be from red, black, or neutral territory, all gather together. in central, she can see every side living side cradle, not just red or black - and in a simple establishment like a cafe, something simple like food can bring all those different sides together.
she set up her cafe in central with the thought of helping in the efforts of bridging the gap between the armies + to have an actual experience of how it is to live as a citizen of cradle. technically she is one already, but sometimes living in cradle is really so different from living in london. it makes her feel displaced sometimes.
her cafe is probably somewhere close to blanc’s house or smth and u bet that blanc is very happy to have a pretty lady living close by/around his neighborhood lmao! but if you want to be serious about it, this is intentional on blanc’s part bc her safety isn’t exactly assured after the magic tower fiasco - disciple stragglers might come back for her, and since the whole of cradle already knows that she’s the alice the second, there may be other people/groups lurking around that are interested in her power......
in comparison to most cafes in central, alice’s place is relatively small - she doesn’t mind though, since she’s running the place on her own. the thought of expanding makes her doubt her capability of providing + distributing the same quality of service + attention she usually gives to a small crowd.
alice changes the cafe decors + scents according to each season!!! in general, she wants her cafe to have a homey, relaxing feel, doing her best to impart a feel of london + her hometown in her cafe. you’d think that seasonal redecorating would be a hassle, but magic makes that process very easy... once she learns about cradle’s unique holidays + festivals, she also redecorates + tweaks her menu in tune to the special day!
a variety of sandwiches + light meals such as pastas are on the menu now and then, but her cafe is well-known for the desserts. like the decor, the food + drink selection adjusts accordingly to the season.
her edge among her competitors is the fact that she’s from the land of reason - her techniques + use/handling of ingredients + and other assorted methods are quite different from that practiced in cradle since they have the advantage of magic. tastes, colors, textures, and even presentation end up differently. plus, she knows how to make various foods + sweets unfamiliar to cradle, so some of the stuff she makes are seen as novelty to the locals!
she does pay attention to what tastes of london are positively + negatively recepted in cradle though - from there she experiments or improvises her recipes, and seeks out feedback immediately.
following context side b, i’m all in for the romance with her ikeman developing here instead OH YEAAAH ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) it’s a lot more hectic tho since it’s an open playground and there are the.... common interferences..... coughsethcoughlokicough LMAO
also!!! following all the not-so-spoilery content of her + seth, i’ve recently been digging the idea of nojisha / rapunzel (localization ain’t being subtle anymore lol) working + possibly living in alice’s cafe too bc god knows that alice needs an actual girl friend among all that testosterone lmao!
rapunzel’s more of a waitress but is totally into designing whatever cakes + drinks + pastries alice has on the menu and on display… takes dibs in writing out the menu on the chalkboard as her chance to practice some pretty lettering… and also actively helps out alice in picking seasonal decors + packaging for the cafe!
on the sidelines rapunzel also keeps a close eye on alice bc… heh… them odd folks coming in for the foods but staying longer for the girl(s)… those red army officers dropping by more often even if they’re on patrol…. dudes from the civic center + other colorful characters talking so familiarly to alice…. yaaa~n! pick up the pace, onii-chan!!! lmao
depending on who’s the ikeman out for alice, rapunzel can and will cockblock, omfg...... she’ll totally stop if she sees that alice has mutual feelings for the guy but sometimes rapunzel really has impeccable, unintentional timing haha... seth hyde, what have u been teaching ur little sister smh (ಡ艸ಡ)
opening time: 6AM, closing: 7PM. accepts orders of wedding + birthday cakes, does not handle catering. for any inquiries, pls call....... (^ц^ )
other
alice’s cafe develops different reputations depending on who she ends up with LMAO........ local newspapers + cradle’s grapevine love her cafe and totally not bc they can get a glimpse of the red/black army chosen if they get their timing right haHA..... here’s a couple of examples:
if she’s with mousse, her cafe has quite the interesting reputation! while there’s a good selection of the local teas/coffees in her menu, there’s also a fair share of exotic blends with brief details about the country where the blend is from + how the beverage is prepared + possible tastes, written by no other than mousse himself! sometimes alice showcases some limited edition sweets + pastries made from an interesting mix of local and foreign ingredients + spices too......
if she ends up with a king, novels/tales + plays + songs/poems about royalty/nobility falling for the common worker (lancelot) or adventures of a hero and a maiden (ray) suddenly become a thing™….. the boom is especially huge in black/red territory, be it from nobles to commoners.... another common point??? there’s always a cafe referenced in there, a rendezvous point some way or another in the story… and it sounds veeeeery familiar, even if they switch the setting into a tavern/inn, hmmmm....
did you know that one cafe in central quarter is owned by alice the second, the woman who’s rumored to be the lover of cradle’s most notorious criminal + strongest wizard???? no???? are they really a thing??? do you think the stuff she sells in her cafe is fit is for consumption???? does she make those cakes herself or does she ask the wizard to make it through dark magic or are those smuggled goods??????? man, those cakes are damn good though!!!!!
newspaper headlines: students of cradle’s local boarding school promptly create a literal lake of tears in the central quarter after spending time and meeting a kind cafe owner who happens to really be their terror professor’s lover (side note: this article was removed upon the request of a certain mr. d.)
the sole exemption i have for this hc is kyle’s alice! she has her hands full + committing herself to being a doctor’s assistant so opening a cafe doesn’t cross her mind, but that doesn’t stop her from making treats now and then for their patients… in fact, becomes a thing among the children of cradle that if you be a good boy/girl who takes their medicine + shots from the redhead doctor without complaining, the pretty assistant lady will give you a tasty treat for being so well-behaved! (*≧▽≦)
#askdfghjl#ikemen kakumei#ikemen revolution#ikerev alice#... there aren't that much hcs on alice herself and i wish to address that lolol#this is one of my fav hcs for her bc i really like the concept of a common route lmao#alice ain't best otome mc to me but i do like her + fleshing out her character!
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Omochabako no Kuni no Alice School Opening
This is a translation of the first part of the opening for the school parody route in Omochabako no Kuni no Alice.
Notes: Some of the spelling of the various places may change as I get more info. Everything in ** is in a larger font in the game for emphasis.
Runevinus, a comparatively small country among the numerous countries on this continent, is a country based on magic.
Most of the citizens can use magic to some extent, and the industries there also revolve around magic.
In the history of the continent, it's survived numerous wars through the power of its magicians, and at times has been victorious....
In other words, Runevinus is the land of magicians.
Those with powerful magic are the elite, and skilled magicians have a high status.
Magic is central. Magic is everything. Hurrah for magic.
And, the princess of this country.... *is not me, of course.*
I'm a normal student, trying to decide on her course of study.
(I shouldn't be running away from reality, dreaming of being a princess...
I've got to live in the real world.)
And like that, I, Alice Liddell, live in reality as much as possible.
I reject the opinion that a magical kingdom is in itself unrealistic.
That's the setting, so I can't do anything about it.
Here in Runevinus, most students continue their studies after completing basic education.
Of course, I intend to do that as well.
The problem is.... what sort of school I should choose.
Lorina: A boarding school? Don't go to one...
There's a lot of schools you can commute to from our house.
Alice: But nee-san, isn't it hard on you if I'm here?
If I'm gone, you'll have more free time.
L: That's not true. I love to spend time with you. So you don't need to worry.
L: Heh heh, you're a very kind girl, Alice.
A: ......
I wish to attend a boarding school, in order to ease the burden on my older sister, who's acted as a mother to my younger sister and me after our mother died when I was young.
I'm aware of how much of her time and hard work she's given to her younger sisters.
If I leave the house, she will be able to have more time for herself.
My father, who I have to rely on financially, has given me permission to attend a boarding school.
However, the most direct opposition is from my sister herself.
It seems my gentle sister may have suspect that I'm forcing myself to go to a boarding school for her sake.
A younger sister, gallantly enduring misfortune.
....Although, I think I've been fairly blessed.
(...I'm not that good of girl)
My sister might be that sort of overly doting parent.
I have a feeling she looks at me though rose-colored glasses.
L: I've also researched a bit. The school you that to go to now is a boarding school, isn't it?
L: There's a school nearby that has pretty much the same curriculum, where you can study the same things. What about going there?
There's nothing pushy in her voice as she suggests this gently.
She's acting with consideration.
Though kindly, and at the first glance soft, she's a splendid woman who has inner strength.
That is my sister, Lorina Liddell.
A: But, nee-san...
L: Then...
Alice, could there be... some reason you don't want to be at home...?
After I had tried to argue, my sister looked saddened and uneasy.
Realizing that I had made my gentle sister sad, my chest tightened with guilt.
A: No way! That's not true!
I care deeply about my family.
I love my father, who's rarely home, my younger sister Edith, and of course, Lorina. Family or not, I think there's no one who would dislike my sister.
But, there's just one small thing.
Being next to my sister, flawless, beautiful, an ideal lady...
I'm spoiled by being under her protection, but I've ended up finding it difficult.
I'm fortunate be able to feel this way, so it's a selfish personal feeling.
I don't need to tell this to my sister.
L: That's good then...!
You've still got time, so you can think it over again.
She smiles, sincerely happy at my words, and with a sigh of relief.
Seeing her like that, I can't bring up the subject of boarding school again.
For my sister to accept a boarding school, it would have to be a special school with a particular curriculum found only there.
(Is there a convenient school like that... )
A: Yes, I'll do that.
Replying to my sister, I swallow the sigh rising from my throat.
Though my sister had said there was still time, time continues to gradually advance.
The day where I've got to decide on my course is definitely coming near.
I've gathered materials on some boarding schools and schools I can commute to, but...
In the end, I haven't even opened them.
I'm only continuing to study hard, running away by claiming that it'll be fine whichever one I choose in the end.
(This is... a fine way of avoiding reality.
Even if I study now, it's not a decision.)
(Speaking of running away from reality... maybe I only want to leave the house.
Am I being self-centered and making trouble for my sister?)
(....)
(....No.
If I stay like this, the time will pass and I'll end up staying here.)
The opportunity to break out of this situation visited my house one holiday afternoon.
A: Ye~s.
Thinking about it now, I should have checked to see who the visitor was.
Or better yet, I should have pretended not to hear the doorbell.
...However, I neglected to check.
Though it's a safe area, I was too careless.
I can't excuse myself by saying I thought it was the mail.
I'm a realist. I can't deny what actually happened.
I opened the door, and as a result of that, my life was greatly changed.
A: Who is it?
Peter: *Alice!!!*
A: ....
P: What's wrong, Alice?! Shutting the door without saying a word?!!
Ah, you're embarassed? You're always so cute!
While I was trying to shut the door, the visitor wedged his foot in it, with a practiced air.
(...tsk)
P: Aah, my beloved!
Please don't be so shy!
A: I'm not being shy. I'm disgusted.
He may be saying sweet things, but this man and I have never had even once a relationship like that.
A: ...Like always, you haven't changed.
P: Yes! I am always in love with you, wherever I am!
No matter how far apart we are, these feelings won't change!
A: ...I'd like them to change.
Since you've gone away.
This man, Peter White, is my childhood friend, although that's a rather favorable way of saying it.
To put it more directly, he's a longtime stalker.
Though he's a childhood friend, I haven't seen this man since he went to a boarding school, so I had thouroughly forgotten about him...
I gave up on shutting the door on Peter and reluctantly opened it.
Peter grinned broadly.
But, I don't intend to let this stalker in the house.
I've only opened the door.
I'm still holding the doorknob.
Keeping the door open to the smallest possible extent, as if responding to a salesperson I don't want to buy anything from.
P: This time away from you, has been like hell...!
Aaah, Alice, I am so moved to meet you like this...!!!
If he keeps quiet, Peter might look like a handsome man, with an intellectual air to him.
But, speaking excitedly at meeting me, with moist red eyes, he's without a doubt a maniac.
(His face is good, but.... it's too bad.)
Whenever I meet this man, the phrases "a waste of aptitude" or "talent wasted" come to mind.
His appearance is good, and he has a sort of talent.
Since he's lucky enough to be attractive, this man should remember to act in a way that puts his looks to use....
(....Huh?)
What is it?
I have a feeling there's something odd.
Such as *those two long ears* growing from Peter's head.
In a second, I have a strong feeling there's something wrong.
A: P-Peter?
P: Yes, what is it?
Ah, the sound of you calling my name, why is it so wonderful?!!!
Peter seems happy to hear me say his name, and he trembles with feeling (he's totally a maniac).
And on top of his head, the rabbit ears twich, as if shuddering with the same feeling.
A: Um... What is...
Have they always, been there...?
Peter is my childhood friend and... a human....
Human...?
(He should be... human, in this setting.... )
Though he's a maniac you can't talk to, to the point where he might seem to be nonhuman, my childhood friend should be a human.
P: What is it?
What's wrong, Alice?
One of Peter's ears droops.
(Um...Um...)
How do I deal with the fact that my childhood friend has rabbit ears?
The most bothersome part is that I can't remember at all having a friend without rabbit ears.
When I force myself to imagine it, it's somehow painful.
Like, if his ears were ripped off, what would happen? [Not sure about this part; maybe it's more like "how could you rip off his ears?']
P: Alice...
P: There are things in this world you mustn't inquire into too deeply, you know?
Although it's not that I don't understand your feelings....
Peter sighed boredly.
I have a bad feeling about this.
P: First of all, putting this group into a school parody was a mistake to begin with.
What about the ages, like her majesty, for example.
P: She's clearly not the age to be a student.
Come to think of it, what do you think the age range for a student is?
(Darn it)
*He's blown it*
A: Ahhhhhh!
I burst out of the door and covered Peter's mouth.
I heard the door close behind me.
It's enough of an emergency to make me rush outside without putting on shoes.
P: !?
(muffled noises)
I'm forcing him to shut up.
Many things were suddenly at risk of breaking down.
(Ah, that was dangerous)
I took my hand off Peter when I had made sure he was totally quiet, with a sigh of relief.
A: What is it all of a sudden, my *childhood friend*?
P: Actually, my dear *childhood friend* I had something to say to you.
Our phrasing confirming the setting is fairly forced.
But, we can't worry about that.
This is reality.
Not escapism.
(...cough)
I've been worrying about whether I should go to a boarding school.
Asking Peter, who's already chosen that path, would be helpful.
I turned away from Peter, and opened the door and got my shoes.
Today I had been in the house all day, so I was feeling dispirited.
I thought I'd have him go for a walk with me.
And then, there were many things I want to ask him.
Although his personality is in shambles, he's extremely capable.
A: By the way, Peter, it's good you came.
I had some things I wanted to ask you about the school you're going to...
P: *!!!!!*
Peter's eyes widened a bit exaggeratedly at the words I said while turning back.
It's like he's been struck by lightning.
After turning around, I was shocked.
P: You've taken interest in the school I'm going to....!
This can only be said to be destiny!
A: ....That's going a bit far.
What's this destiny....
P: It's destiny!
I came today to talk about that!
I stopped placing my shoes by my feet, and raised my head.
A: ....you came to talk about school?
P: Yes, that's right!!
Although I don't like how the school doesn't easily give permission to leave!
Could it be that my sister consulted him?
(Then, he deliberately came back?)
Although he's drifted away from here, a childhood friend is a childhood friend.
Of course, my sister knows about Peter.
If he was asked for advice, he wouldn't ignore her.
A: ...Your school is a boarding school, right?
It's natural that they wouldn't give you permission to leave quickly.
P: But, because of that I haven't been able to come and see you, so you've been lonely.
P: But! From now on we'll always be together, don't worry!
A: Lonely?
Hmph, I scoff.
I'm totally fine, so there's no problem on that front.
Rather, I'd like to send my thanks to the school administration for not giving Peter permission to leave.
But, I'm more concerned about what he said after that...
P: You are indeed kind, to act strong in order to console me...!
P: In return for your kindness, from now on *we shall not be parted, even for a second!*
A: *Get away from me this instant*
After saying that, I peel myself off of Peter, who's trying to stick to me.
P: No! From now on, we will be always together!
No one will be able to tear apart our love!
...As usual, I can't communicate with him.
Because our ways of thinking are so different, I feel like I'm talking to an alien.
No, since he's got rabbit ears, he's definitely a magical being or something, definitely an nonhuman....
(....No, no, I can't think too deeply about that.)
I'm a realist.
This is reality.
Since this is reality, I must accept it.
(More importantly...
....*from now on we'll always be together?*)
My face twitches, because I have a really bad feeling about this.
Peter smiles meltingly at me.
Sleepily.... as if dreaming of love
If I didn't know of his character, it would be a happy, beautiful expression, enough to enchant.
But I know what he's really like.
You can't let down your guard around this man, or view him optimisticly.
Instead, I only have a hunch that this is bad...
P: This contains my feelings....!
Please accept it!
What he presents to me as if he were giving a love letter, is a large envelope.
It closely resembles the still unopened envelopes of applications and school materials in my room.
No, it looks like one of those.
On the front of the envelope, the school name is written in a beautiful script.
A: ...!?
Symphonia Advanced Magic School?!
I dropped the shoes I was holding.
The name is that shocking.
P: Yes, that one.
Symphonia Advanced Magic School.
P: You know the school I go to!
Ah, as I thought, you love me, and so cannot help knowing...
A: It would be stranger if I didn't know it!
Peter, you go to Symphonia?!
I had known that Peter was an outstandingly excellent magician.
But I was amazed that my childhood friend was going to Symphonia.
I had only known that he was going to some great school somewhere. Peter himself hadn't spoken about that when he came back.
Or, he was always chasing me around, so we never had a proper conversation.
(Wow, he's going to Symphonia Advanced Magic School...)
Symphonia is an extraordinarily elite school, where only the top students are accepted for attendance.
It's a famed school with a long history, and well known as the world's top magic school.
I'm dazed.
Although it's a boarding school like the ones I was trying to apply to, the level is too different.
My skills are definitely not bad, but if you asked me whether I had the talent to apply to Symphonia, I'd shake my head.
I'm honestly not sure what I would do with the informational materials for such a school.
Perhaps he's giving them to me out of kindness.
A: ....Sorry, Peter.
It's a bit beyond me.
No matter how much I look at the materials, there's no way I have the talent to go to that school.
Even if I ask him about it, I don't think I can make use of the help.
P: What's wrong?
Could it be that you don't like Symphonia?
A: It's not that I donn't like it, it's purely that I can't with my skill.
I'd be a fool to even take the exam.
Generally, there's a rumor that for Symphonia, it's necessary to be qualified in some way to take the exam.
Many youth gather from all over the continent, regardless of country, but since it's an extremely prestigious school, there are many students of high rank.
I've heard that because of this, there's a strict investigation into the background of the students, and in some cases a letter of introduction is necessary.
They're chosen before the exam.
Although it seems unreasonable, perhaps it's necessary.
P: No, no, you don't need to take an exam.
That's why I'm here!
(....Hmm?)
What's this about not needing an exam?
I suspect this conversation is going in an unexpected direction.
I once again look over the front of the envelope I had gotten from Peter.
A: Guide for... new students?
I was speechless after reading the front of the envelope.
(... Guide for new students?
It's not an application?)
Usually this guide is a document sent only to students who will be attending.
But, naturally, I have no recollection of ever contacting Symphonia Advanced Magic School.
If I don't recall having taken the exam, then I hadn't even sent in an application.
P: I made the arrangements for you!
Then in spring, we can go to the same school!
P: Going to the same school as you is like a dream...!
Let's have a happy school life, Alice!
A: A..arrangements...?
Arrangements....
A: ....????
P: Please don't worry?
It was close, but I was able to do it without doing any *dark deeds*!!
A: A, ah.
P: It's thanks to your excellence!
It wasn't necessary to do anything very bad...
A: I, I see.
Nothing very bad...
P: No, for your sake, I was prepared to do anything. For you, there's nothing I wouldn't do!
A: Uh, whatever dark deeds....
While I was saying that, Peter's snow white ears twitched proudly.
P: I had many things prepared, but I was able to avoid using the *card up my sleeve*.! I knew you could do it...!
(It was close, dark deeds...
The card up his sleeve...)
That it was close, and he didn't need to act underhandedly, meant that his hands were clearly stained by a grey zone. I'm already scared to hear that it got up to his secret plan.
(What is this rabbit up to at the famed Symphonia?)
P: Oh? What's wrong?
Alice, you've gone pale?
Peter turns his sparkling eyes to me, like a dog... no, rabbit, waiting for praise from his master.
(Is this for real....?)
(...No, it's definitely for real, with this guy)
A man who will actually do things that seem like a joke.
That's Peter White.
If his words are true, then this document is indeed an entrance guide from Symphonia.
A: Y, yeah, I've really gotten pale....
I wanted to yell at him, but I'm so surprised my voice has lost strength.
(Symphonia....
...It's Symphonia?)
I look down at the envelope I'm holding once more.
The elegantly written words on the front don't change.
As always, they continue to say "Symphonia Advanced Magic School: Entrance Guide."
When I think about how this is a guide from Symphonia, my hand feels like it might start to shake.
It's a special school with no peers, and all students board.
This is a ticket to a school that fits my requirements exactly.
When you get a chance, you should take it...
A: ....No, I can't do it.
A: No matter how you did it, I can't attend this school.
I said this quietly, expelling a deep breath
P: Why?
Ah, are you dissatisfied with Symphonia? YOu don't like it?
A: No.
It's pathetic to admit it...
A: I'm not good enough to be a student at Symphonia.
...Even if I went there, if I couldn't keep up it would be meaningless.
I don't know how he did it, but it's not only an introduction.
The admission process must be proceeding smoothly.
But, it's fradulent, as he himself said that he "barely avoided dark deeds" to do it.
Even if I can attend Symphonia, it would be pointless if I can't keep up with the classes.
A: That's why I won't accept this.
I return the envelope Peter had gone through so much trouble to get to him.
P: ...Aaah, Alice.
You are such a high-minded and beautiful person!
P: But be assured!
Though I definitely was on the verge of darkness, this was done by gathering the necessary documents about you!
P: Please relax, your attendance has been properly accepted by the principal of Symphonia!
Look, here's your acceptance!
Just like the the guide, Peter casually presented the acceptance letter.
An acceptance letter from Symphonia Advanced Magic School.
The unparalleled Symphonia...
A: ....
A: ....*Now I can't relax for an entirely different reason.*
What are these documents about me?
Probably they're school-related, about my current grades, but....
Those documents are normally carefully restricted by the school since they're personal information.
Since he used certain methods to get them, and use them without my permission to apply, Peter's actions are definitely "pitch-black."
(How could they have so easily accepted me...
I hope he didn't forge my grades or record. )
In any case, an original must have been needed.
P: So, Alice, will you go with me?
This is yours.
He pushed back the envelope I'd been trying to return to him.
Strangely, I stopped wanting to refuse it.
When I looked up from the envelope I was holding, Peter grinned happily from the bottom of his heart.
A: .....
A: ....I'll think about it.
P: Being able to share school life together, it's like a dream come true!
A: ....I said I'd think about it, so why are you acting like it's been agreed on?
However, although I was annoyed at Peter, in my heart I had already decided.
Along with those easily seen-through words, mixed with a sigh, a smile appeared on my face.
I deliberately turned the corners of my mouth up.
I'm grinning.
P: Alice....
A: ...Peter.
There's something I want to ask you.
While carefully holding the Symphonia admittance documents, I picked up the shoes which I had dropped. I no longer felt like taking a walk with Peter.
There's something more important than that.
P: Yes, what is it?
Aaah, Alice, I'm overjoyed by your interest in me!
A: Oh, really? Then rejoice.
I'm really interested in you now.
I now throw the door open, no longer quibbling about unwanted door-to-door sales.
I let go of my shoes, as if tossing them.
Then once more, I turn to Peter with a smile.
P: R, really....?
This time I'm the one who's feeling shy, Alice!!!
(No, I wasn't embarassed at all that time, though...)
A:.... How much did you find out about me, how did you get those documents, and where are they kept now?
I'm ve~ry curious about that.
P: ...Uh. Um, um, Alice?
You're making a scary face?
Huh? Alice?
A: Hehehehehe.
Shall we talk about this slow~ly?
P: Ah, aah, you're bold, Alice...!?
I'm happy to be invited into your house...!
P: I'm happy, very happy, but...
Wah, gyaah! I can't breathe, Alice....!?
I'm thankful that now I can see a way foward on the path which was troubling me.
....But, this is a separate matter.
Anyway, it's necessary to have a thorough talk with Peter.
Yes, a thorough one.
P: Aaah, Alice, it hurts... Ouch...!?
Wha, it could it be.... that you're into this kind of thing?...
That evening, I called on my sister, making sure it was after my younger sister Edith had returned to her room.
A: Hey.
There's something I want to talk to you about.
Lorina: A talk?
...What could it be?
L: Could you wait a bit?
I'll pour some tea.
Before I could say I didn't need any, she headed to the kitchen, elegantly lifting the hem of her skirt.
It somehow felt like she was trying to stall for time.
(... I've gotten a bit dispirited.)
Since I had missed the opportunity to help her, I sat obediently on the sofa.
On my lap is the Symphonia introductory pamphlet I had received from Peter that afternoon.
(...Uuuh)
Though I actually hadn't been waiting much, the time it took for her to return felt very long. I had gotten anxious.
(She's here...!)
I straightened up.
Seeing me, my sister chuckled after she entered the room.
L: What's wrong, you've gotten so stiff.
...Aren't you a strange one?
A: Um...yeah.
My sister put the tray holding two servings of tea on the table, and then put one before me.
A: ....
Out of nervousness, I want to wet my throat, so I take the cup.
As I'm bringing the lip of the cup to my mouth...
L: You've decided, haven't you?
A: ....!!!
Her foice was soft, but within it there could be felt a firm core.
When she asked me this, the tea in my cup rippled strongly.
A: H, how'd you...
L: You're a stubborn girl.
I know that once you say something, you won't listen.
A: ....
For some reason I began to feel guilty.
Although I said it was for my sister, in the end this is my own will.
Compared to her, I'm merely a child.
As I look down and stare at the surface of the trembling surface of the tea, my sister gently smiles.
L: Heh, you don't need to make that kind of face?
It's fine, I know that you took great pains to come to this decision.
L: ...A lot of things must be bothering you this time.
Then, if this is the conclusion you've come to... heh, it can't be helped.
A: ...Nee-san.
L: So which school is it?
You'll tell me that much, won't you?
She asks me this while bringing to cup to her mouth elegantly.
A: It's...
Please don't be shocked, but...
L: What?
It's a school that'll shock me?
L: If you've decided to go to a boarding school, I won't say anything more...
But if it's a terrible place, I'm going to be against it.
She's knitted her brows anxiously.
She's probably worried as a guardian that I might be so tied to the idea of boarding school that I might have chosen a school below my level.
...In reality, it's the exact opposite result.
I put the entrance documents in front of her.
A: It's Symphonia.
Her eyes widen, as if she can't believe what she's heard.
Unsurprisingly though, she doesn't drop the cup she's holding.
When I had heard that name before, I had dropped my shoes.
L: S, symphonia?... That Symphonia...?
The.... best magic school in the world?
She put the cup of tea back in its saucer.
Though she's normally not the sort to do this, the cup and saucer made a noise as they touched, perhaps because of her shock.
Then, she carefully reached for the entrance pamphlet I had placed before her.
She's handling it as if there's a risk it might bite you if you touch it.
L: ......
L: Is it... real?
A: ...Yes.
It's real.
My sister said this, although she doesn't think that I'd like to her like this.
That's how hard it is to believe that I've been admitted to Symphonia.
Though we're more than middle class, it's a school that even nobles have difficulty entering.
It feels like winning the lottery.
L: Uh, er... that's right.
You're not the sort to tell lies....
L: This is... the real thing.
L: .....
L: ...It' real.
My sister silently began to look through the entrance pamphlet and the accompanying documents.
She paid special attention to the acceptance letter which gave me permission to enter the school.
After she looked at them enough to be satisfied, she sighed deeply.
My back, which had been straight up to that point, now relaxed and sank into the sofa.
A: Ne, nee-san...?
I softly called her.
She looked at me and smiled wryly.
L: ...I'm surprised.
Really...
L: When did you apply to Symphonia?
I was so shocked I thought my heart might stop.
(I feel the same)
I answer her in my mind.
When I had heard about it, I was about as shocked.
But, I can't tell my sister that I didn't apply.
Telling her that Peter got me admitted using grey zone, nearly black zone methods is out of the question.
A: If I went at it openly... it would be a bit too high of a goal?
I let my shoulders droop a bit.
I wanted to act as if ... Sypmphonia was far too lofty of a school, so I couldn't admit I was aiming at it.
(This is sneaky...)
L: You're saying stuff like that again...
If you had told me about it earlier, I would have cheered you on more.
A: I"m sorry...
But I didn't think that I would pass either.
*(No, I didn't even dream of it)*
Who would imagine that they'd be accepted to a school they hadn't applied to?
L: My sister is going to Symphonia...
To the best magical schol in the world...
She's deeply moved, saying this softly as though she were dreaming.
When she speaks like this, she reminds me of my mother, although we're not that far apart in age.
If my mother were alive, would she be happy for me like this?
I try to imagine, but since that role had already been missing for a long time in our household, it was difficult to do so smoothly.
It's because I would see my sister's face.
L: Heh heh.
This evening I'll put in more effort and make your favorite meal.
A: Huh??
You don't need to do that.
L: What are you saying, Alice?
You're going to Symphonia.
L: It's natural to celebrate.
And...when you've gone to Symphonia, I'll miss you.
A: ....
She looked sad, as she said.
L: Until then, I'll make you a lot of your favorite foods.
Eat a lot, ok?
A: ...Yeah.
(Yes...
That's right.)
(...I'll miss her.
When I go to Symphonia... I won't be able to eat her cooking for awhile)
Thinking about that, although I was trying to be independent, I felt something tighten in my chest.
A: ....Let me help you?
L: It's your celebration, so you can't... is what I want to say, but shall we make them together?
L: Let's tell father and Edith at dinner.
I'm looking forward to seeing the look on their faces.
A: But... they might be against it.
I'm not looking forward to that.
L: Even if it's Symphonia?
A: Even so, it's possible.
No matter where, it could happen.
Our family gets along well.
Although we had issues after my mother died, now everything is going very well.
(Enough for them to be overprotective)
It's not that I never find it troublesome, but that's mixed with a smile.
We get along miraculously well.
Thinking of how I could be considering independence if things weren't like this, I'm pretty fortunate.
I think I'm happy.
Now everything has come together, so I've become afraid as well.
Now everything is almost frighteningly perfect.
I imagine if things weren't working out well now.
(Being afraid of my imagination)
A: Edith might be against it.
Father gave his permission, but if he were to change his mind...
Though I talk like this, I also will feel sad if they don't oppose it.
Really, how spoiled of me.
This time which allows this.
L: Yes...
Heh heh, but, if they oppose it... I'll be on your side.
My sister chuckles and looks very happy. She's glad that I'm going to a well-known school like Symphonia.
When I think of this, I'm a bit... just a little bit, grateful to Peter.
We chat together until we finish the tea. Then we go to the kitchen to wash up the dishes.
I stand up to take the two cups.
L: You always called him a stalker and other terrible things, but...
You and that childhood friend get along well.
L: Enough for you to follow him to the same school.
Heh heh.
No way... hearing that loaded statement, I nearly dropped the cups.
I feel like revealing everything about how Peter was involved in this situation.
(No no no....
I can't do that.)
I force myself to stop.
After once again firmly gripping the cups that had been about to fall, I sighed.
A: *This is a big misunderstanding, nee-san.*
It's too big for me to leave it alone.
I've got to clear it up without touching on the central matter.
(No matter what it takes...)
Anyway, it seems today we won't run out of things to talk about while making dinner.
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Thank you for the request Zallinna. So sorry as it took a long time to update.
As for this request, I will take on Masamune’s storyline then.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TITLE : THE PRICE
Pairing: IkeSen Masamune x MC
Rated: Angst
Type: One Shot
Warning: MIGHT be character’s death. Up to reader to take it how it goes. (So it’s up to you if it’s a happy ending or not)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been almost a month since he has gone for another war.
Day and night she waited, and waited. Pondering, regretting on how she could be there with him, to assist him, in any way she can. Words had came among all those days of where, they have lost in the war, and Masamune had been injured badly. If it's not because of Hideyoshi's help he would have leave her alone in this era.
She beamed when his features come into surface near the bridge that connects to the castle. Her feet ran as fast as it could to reach him, and it halts when her orbs scanned his expression. There were no single curve on his lips even when his eye met hers. Still, she breathe a sigh of relief, hugging him tight before he could dismount fully from his horse. "Masamune..! Welcome home..!"
"...."
Masamune just stood there, his mouth were silent. "I missed you..! I'm so glad you are back..!" She buried her head on his chest, oh how she missed his soothing smell. She wanted to cup his cheeks; to have closer look at him but then he mildly push her away, enough to untangle her arms around his neck. She let out a soft gasp of surprise when he did that, blinking to his dead eye. "I'm sorry, Lass. I'm not in a mood to see anyone right now."
"Masamune..? Ma-Masamune??"
He walked pass her.
'He must have been tired.. o-of course he is. He's just recovered from his injuries after all.' She wheel her head to the other soldiers and she realized the amount is less than a few, worst than the ones before they depart. The loss must have hurt him so much. He have lost majority of his vassals, including the stronger ones.
That night, a loud sound of broken plates could be heard from his bed chamber, together with a sound of a terrified scream. MC quickly run to where the sound had came from, eyes widened to the maid whom right cheek were injured.
..By Masamune.
"Masamune..?? What happened here??"
"I TOLD YOU I REFUSE TO EAT DINNER..!!" He shouted, slamming another bowl of food. "Masamune..! Stop..!!" She covered the injured maid with her body, and the crashed bowl wound her back. "Princess..!! Oh no..!!" She smiled weakly to the maid. "I'm fine, now go back and tend to your injury alright?"
She turned to the shocked Masamune. "M-MC.. I'm-" She shake her head, showing that she was fine even though her back had started to bleed. "It's alright, Masamune. Here-"
SMACK!!
He smacked her hand away. "..Shit- shit- shit SHIT..! I'm sorry Lass, I'm-..” He grit his teeth. Please, leave me alone..!" He grunted, tugging onto his temple. "Masamune, I-" She pauses, and speak again, "Please, if there's anything I could help, I-"
"..There's nothing that you can do." He mumbled.
"..What?" Her voice turned into a whisper when he said that.
"...There's nothing. You won't return back time and you can't bring the dead back."
The room went silent.
Drip.
Drip.
Then it was filled with the sound of rain and rumbling thunder.
MC nods her head, giving a wry smile. "..Alright. I'm sorry. Forgive me." She hung her head low, not showing her beloved her falling tears. "..Excuse me." She ran out before he could reach for her, she ran and ran, the pain on her back didn't matter anymore. Eventually her feet brought her to Ieyasu's manor, and she hugged the nearby pillar for support. Her sobbing were covered by the sound of pouring rain as she slide down, resting her head on the wood to gradually come into contact with pain on her body.
"Masamune.. why.."
Why would you say that..?
"MC..?"
Ieyasu's voice interrupt her thoughts. He flinched to the spreading blood on her back and he quickly rush to her side. "Hold on to me." He stare at her blank, teary face, and to her injury--he choose not to say anything. He knew that Masamune received a huge pang on his pride, and MC must have said that she wanted to help, this typical overly concerned chatelaine of Azuchi; but to let it out on his fiancee, Ieyasu find that Masamune is the idiot one in this matter.
"..It was only from a bowl of rice. He didn't mean it." She whimpered silently when Ieyasu dab on her wound.
"Only a bowl huh? What's next then? A plate of teriyaki chicken?"
"..I didn't mean to ask that question.. I was only trying to help. If anything- I wanted to sooth the pain in his heart."
"Of course. That's idiotic of you." He sighs, applying ointment on it before plastered it with a bandage.
"..Thank you Ieyasu."
"It's better to stay away from him now. You got me?"
"..I will try." She smiled sadly.
-------------------
Ever since that day, Masamune has been avoiding her. Her terrified expression of that night, her wound that he had caused, both physically and emotionally, had scarred both of them. It's better for him to stay away, he just couldn't bring himself to touch her. How could he do such thing, how could he injure her, with his own bare hands?
She tried to approach him every now and then, he realized that. But he couldn't bring himself to talk or even see her face. Just.. how could he let his emotions take over his heart? He hurt her-- he had break her heart into two. Despite all those times when they are together, facing ups and downs, side by side.. and for a mere lost in a war-- he had become an immature person himself. His fiancee is stronger than him, no matter how broken she is inside, and he is not.
If it's not because of Hideyoshi, his life would have gone that day. He grit his teeth on how ungrateful he is.
"My Lord, I will leave your lunch here."
It was one of his vassals. Looks like all the maid is afraid of him now, even though he had gone and apologize personally to the maid he had injured previously. They had gone aware of him, terrified if he will throw some fits again. He stare at the untouched food, oh how he miss those days where his fiancee eats together with him. He can't always be like this, he thought. Then, after a long of deep thinking to himself, he decided to bring himself to meet MC. As he were about to wear his casual hakama, there was a ruckus outside his room.
Curious and still half dressed, he peek out his head and saw running maids and vassals. Are they under attack??
He quickly rushed to grab his swords when one of his vassals shouted, "MASAMUNE-SAMA!!! IT'S THE PRINCESS!!!"
---------------------------
It was few hours back.
MC were about to finish with her seamstress requests until one of the maids announce that her presence is needed in the war council. 'Masamune would be late.. no, he will not attend again, I'm sure of it.' She thought as single tear dropped on her cheek. She shake her head, throwing those negative thoughts, hoping for the best to come back again, hoping he will recover his heart soon. She folded the kimono in her hands, gave a last brush on her hair and walk out from her working room. "Hm..?" She heard a low whisper not to far from the place she were standing.
"You got that?"
"Understood."
"The moment that One Eyed Dragon eat this, he will be gone. His role is not useful anymore after that war. The Date clan should just perish..!"
She clench her hand tight when the man pour a white powder on Masamune's persimmons. "Heh..! They wouldn't recognize this color. It will just be the same as the other persimmons that are covered with white sugar powder.”
"H-Hey..! I heard something..! Let's go..!"
One of the men didn't manage to pour everything onto the persimmon as they quickly escape from the kitchen.
MC slowly look around, sneaking into the kitchen as there's no one around. With full of determination, she switched the persimmon on her plate to Masamune's, smiling to it. "This is all I could do for you. As long as your smile is back on your face." After switching them, she sneak out again and walk towards the war council hall as if nothing had happened.
Hideyoshi huffed angrily. "He is late again."
MC lowered her gaze, and Nobunaga noticed it. "..Let him be, Hideyoshi. Or else our fireball will be sad again."
"..MC.." He pat her head. "Forgive me. Don't be sad alright?"
She nodded. "It's alright. I should be thankful for your aid for him, Hideyoshi." He chuckled. "Don't mention it. It's what fellow warlords should do. Look..! We have a special fruit imported all the way from the border land, you should taste it..!"
"Yes..! I can't wait..!" She feign her giggle, and turn to the persimmons on her plate. "..I can't wait. To taste it." Her hands trembled in her kimono. But, she won’t hesitate. Anything for him.
She took a bite, a full bite, despite Ieyasu saying "You should start with the rice first, aren't you eager to eat that thing?" Curtly.
But then, all of the warlords eyes went wide the moment she dropped the persimmon and blood drip out from the corner of her mouth. Everything went dark, and she couldn't hear the loud sound all around her anymore as she closed her eyes.
-----------------------
"Please.. please.."
She flutter her eyes open in that darkness. She see someone, someone that she loved so much in front of her, cupping his face and crying his only eye out. "Please.. don't leave me.. it's my fault.. it's my fault..!" He cried, holding her limp hands in his tight to his chest.
"..It's never yours." She find herself saying that, but no words came out from her lips.
"Enough, Masamune. She's.." She heard another voice. "Brace yourself, Masamune. Losing in a war is common..! But it taught you something! It teaches you to cherish on what you have!" Hideyoshi grab him by his collar, pushing him onto the wall, nearly breaking the door screen next to it. "Look what you did! Look what you just did!! She wanted to do anything, ANYTHING, MASAMUNE!! NO MATTER HOW IT WILL KILL HERSELF!! AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT HURT AGAIN! I KNOW YOU LOSE THE BATTLE DUE TO THE BETRAYAL WITHIN YOUR OWN MAN-..! BUT ISN'T IT ENOUGH THAT YOU HAD SURVIVED THOSE INJURIES??"
He could only let out a sob as Hideyoshi shake him throughout the banter. "Enough!"
Nobunaga voice stopped Hideyoshi. "...Enough. Now we just wait for the ninja from Kasugayama to arrive in time. He is the only one that know how to cure her."
"Because that ninja is fellow time traveler with her, huh?” Ieyasu clench his fists as he himself find it hard to stay calm. He couldn’t do anything as this type of poison is beyond his knowledge. “..We are losing her." Mitsunari's chin quiver from holding back his own tears. "This poison can kill anyone in instant but it seems it was poured halfway and not all of it on the persimmon, and so she manage to hold back longer. Or else-.." He failed to hold his tears and it brimmed on his cheeks. "Princess.. hang in there."
"I am. For all of you. ..For him."
......
"My Lord..! He's here!"
"Quick! Bring him here..!"
MC closed her eyes again, feeling liquid sipped into her body.
"Masamune..."
......
Seasons after seasons, war after war. Then, after another victorious shout of joy she can see him return with a biggest grin on his face.
Then, she can see her laughing together with him as they hug tightly, as there no more sadness and painful things in this world.
...And that's what she foresee.
-------------------
Hope you guys like it!
#ikemen sengoku#ikemen sengoku date masamune#angst#ikemen sengoku masamune#ikesen masamune#ikesen nobunaga#ikesen mitsunari#ikesen hideyoshi#ikesen ieyasu
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Winx Club Season 8/18
You’re right, all the episodes were gone from Raiplay! Dang, now I wish I’d watched til the end when they were all up. This was the last episode I have; now we’ll have to wait until the next batch drops on @winxclubcomics. Go send her a nice note wouldya? She is a true load-bearing member of this fandom. And I hope her sources deliver the rest of the season soon!
Shameless plug: I also write fiction. Very long fiction. If y’all need more Winx while you quarantine, I’ve got a story that’ll probably last you ‘til we can all go out again!
In the meantime...
In which Palladium teaches a spell and some lumens lay down the law.
18 Valley of the Flying Unicorns
Yay flying unicorns! Bloom seems just as enthused as I am when she voiceovers the title.
In Palladium’s class. The girls take notes. Bloom draws a picture of Sky. Love it when the writers remember that she draws.
Palladium announces they’re going to learn to make a perfect hair and makeup potion! He sounds totally thrilled about it, heh. Is that how Palladium keeps his hair lookin’ so good? Is it normal in elf society for dudes to be all about the perfect hair? Or is there something we should know about our favorite elf? Well in the comics he has a girlfriend, Athris, so I guess the only canon we have for Palladium in love says he’s straight.
Stella is enthused too, of course. She squees about how she adores cosmetic potions, and leaps to be Palladium’s assistant for a demonstration.
But these potions are very delicate and require “maximum concentration and minimal excitement.”
Stella deflates. Dang, there could’ve been a callback to season one where we hear Stella blew up the potions lab trying to create a new shade of pink.
Palladium decided Bloom is a better choice for assistant. But she’s distracted by mopily drawing Sky. Tecna pokes her and says, “Are you offline?” which I have never heard to mean that but I think it’s great. Like Tecna’s “achievement unlocked” thing I think Rainbow is trying to get her back to a unique (nerdy) way of speaking. I kinda would have preferred the real season one’s “I am logical and don’t understand normal stuff” Tec rather than “Nerd is the new cute!” Tec, but either one is an attempt to make her unique, so props to Rainbow!
Bloom mopes. Palladium growls. Bloom pops up and has no clue what she’s supposed to be doing. She drops things in the cauldron.
Ingredients: five drops of liquid beauty, three petals of a young lily, and a teaspoonful of lunar essence. Hmm, so if I were going to make this… the lily petals are easy, and for lunar essence you put a quartz crystal in a bowl of water and leave it in the light of a full moon. The “liquid beauty” is a red liquid in a test tube, so… lemme get Cunningham’s… where the heck is my Cunningham’s?!… well, none of the plants listed under” beauty: to attain” are plants that would create a red liquid. So I’d use some kind of pomegranate juice drink, because pomegranates are associated with Persephone whose beauty was so great that death himself fell in love with her.
Next Bloom has to visualize the final effect of the spell. But since Bloom is distracted there’s a poof and then Palladium’s hair is a bird’s nest, with an egg and two parent birds in it! He is very grumpy, but still cute! The rest of the class laughs and Bloom apologizes. Stella snarks that her excitement didn’t turn out to be the problem here!
So it’s not a potion for drinking, so you could totally cast this spell. Just not if you have cats; lilies are toxic to cats so they shouldn’t be in the same house just in case.
Great outdoor shot of Alfea. In the courtyard the girls ask Bloom what has her so distracted. It’s Sky, of course it is, he hasn’t been in contact for days! Bloom knows he’s on a secret mission, but she can’t stop worrying that he’s in danger. A rather sensible worry with the Trix and Valtor out there. But Bloom was worried about Sky getting caught by “Eraklyon’s royal condors” which resulted in the bird nest.
Bloom shifts to the next worry: either Sky isn’t able to message, or he’s choosing not to. Flora rather shallowly tells her not to think about it, but here’s Twinkle to shift the scene by crashing into Bloom!
There’s no trouble, Twinkle just came to visit. But then the star case appears. “The third prime star waits on Monocerous, not far, look beyond the clouds and higher, you’ll find the trust that you desire.”
Monocerous?! I- I- That is a dumb name! Yeah I know it means one-horn, it’s still dumb sounding!
Stella doesn’t know the place, but Twinkle has visited and tells them about the unicorns. She’ll take them there!
Valtor’s watching. He sends the Trix out. Darcy says following the Winx is getting annoying. Stormy says the riddle was about trust and she trusts—herself! She wants to go alone! can’t say I disagree, Stormy, with sisters like yours.
Icy jumps on her about how finding one star doesn’t make her the strongest witch in the magic universe and how SHE’ll get the star just time. Stormy snarks back. Lovin’ Stormy this season! Valtor gets bored with this and snaps at them but he does show off his green star, he’s keeping it in a bubble with a sort of pink thorny vine grown around it.
Cut to winxboarding over a green land of lakes and rainbows and waterfalls, just the kind of place winged unicorns like to live. This realm also has floating islands, what I think are called “earthmotes” in D&D, they’re a terrain feature I’m fond of. The girls enjoy boarding. Twinkle says it’s “starsome” here.”
Tec says she’s read that winged unicorns don’t trust strangers and maybe they should “prepare some kind of speech.” but Stella and Flora are sure they’ll be fine.
And then Diaspro plummets out of the sky. Wait, what? It looks like the same world but clearly not exactly where the Winx are. Sky is flying with his Specialist suit and Disapro has similar metal wings-- NOT her fairy wings—and she’s flailing around unable to fly straight. “I hate this flying gizmo! Sky, can’t you just carry me?” she asks in the most smarmy voice ever.
Sky says that’s not an option, in the most utterly done voice ever.
Why isn’t Disa using her own wings?? Is she for absolute not a fairy since the timeslide??
Sky says they need to get past the floating rocks to reach the lost locket of Eraklyon, which they’re apparently still looking for. Was that temple on Monocerous? Why would the locket be on an uninhabited world that’s so out of the way Stella hadn’t heard of it even though it has unicorns and I’m sure Stella went through a phase when unicorns were the greatest thing ever, since every girl goes through that phase! I’m not sure I ever left that phase!
We see some flying unicorns, white with wings and colored manes and tails. I think the sight of them does Sky some good because he questions if they’re really going to find the locket—but Diaspro’s walked away.
Then she… startles a unicorn and it tries to take off but Diaspro floats into the air for no discernible reason and she falls on Sky. Did her wings malfunction? Do the unicorns have a flight field around them that she got caught in? It was a very weird little moment.
Because this is not an anime, she does not land with her boobs on Sky’s face but I’m sure she wishes she had. Sky gets up, growling, and Disa says, “I can’t imagine what I’d do if I were alone, among such fierce creatures!”
“Yeah. Very fierce.” Sky says with all the skepticism we’re all feeling.
He flies off into the sky with Diaspro wobbling after. He asks Diaspro if she’s sure they’re in the right place. She unrolls her ‘map’ again—still emojis of her and Sky in a heart!--and says the medallion is on one of the floating rocks. But there are a lot of them. Sky suggests splitting the party but Diaspro is too scared.
But they’ve got company! Unilumens! With pink hair and unicorn horn headbands. They say the floating rocks are just for unicorns and their friends.
Sky starts to ask about the medallion but Diaspro says, ‘We’re on a special mission for the king of Eraklyon so we can go where we please.”
Disa, these lumens are not Eraklyon subjects…
The lumens attack! Ahahahaha! Yay unilumens! They shoot pink blasts and Sky and Diaspro jump into the air to dodge. Diaspro drops her map, which unrolls on the ground. Sky sees it!
Sky: “But this is not a real map! it’s a fake!”
Diaspro; “Um, uh, I, I can explain, well actually...” she admits she made it up to keep their mission going as long as possible.
Sky yells at her.
Eventually he realizes there is in fact no medallion to find. Disa admits to this too.
Lumen: “I think she deserves to be punished! Can we handle this?” She sounds delightfully eager to lay some karma on Diaspro, it’s a wonderfully delivered line.
But Sky says, “No thanks, lumens. We’ll just go back home.” He throws the map at Diaspro’s feet and walks off, leaving the crowd of lumens disappointed.
Diaspro: “Ooooh! My plan has failed! And it’s all your fault!”
Unilumen kicks the map and sticks her tongue out at Diaspro. Ahahahahaha! Love it!
Back with the Winx, more boarding, gotta sell those toys! They land and watch the three unicorns, but every unicorn they approach flies away.
They’re talking about looking for the prime star when up rumbles… a stampede of unilumens!
“More uninvited guests! Are they all coming today?” Heh. Unilumen attack!
But Twinkle stops them. The unilumens recognize her as a fellow lumen and she explains the mission. Unilumens consult each other and decide to trust the Winx.
Cute scene of everybody sitting on the grass as the unilumens give them flower necklaces. The head unilumen introduces herself as “Esteria, leader of the Monocerous lumens tribe.” I would’ve gone with “Epona” because I’ve always liked that name, but Esteria is prettier.
Bloom tells them about the mission, and Esteria says the prime star may be in “the horn” but only the ubnicorns can fly there; a magic barrier blocks anyone else. Stella despairs.
But Esteria says the unicorns just don’t trust them yet. She whistles and color-coded unicorns fly down. Purple, blue, pink, green, more-pink, and yellow. They’re… boring designs. Your basic winged unicorn, nothing special.
Esteria says winged unicorns are kind, but they choose who can ride them. Stella’s keen to give up after just being snubbed by a few unicorns, but Aisha gets her back on target for the mission.
Esteria says they just have to walk slowly through the group and the unicorns will choose them.
Bloom steps on a twig and it scares her unicorn, but they make friends anyway. The other girls and unicorns pair up in short order. Aisha is adorably enthusiastic, I knew she’d be the most keen on riding.
Stella is the least interested, which is weird. I’d think she’d love everything about unicorns. Her unicorn takes a bite out of her skirt and sniggers at her.
Then the unicorns grin in a way unicorns should never do, and their horns light up and the girls get new clothes! Cowboy wear! With short layered skirts that are super cute but probably not practical for riding, boots, and cowboy hats. The unicorns gave themselves hair decorations at the same time, heh.
Esteria confirms that the girls have made another bond, I guess the new clothes are a sign of it. Could this be a transformation? Without wings, because a transformation granted by a winged creature wouldn’t need them. We shall call it… Cowboyix! ...or maybe we won’t.
Everybody mounts up, the unicorns kneel to let them, except for Stella’s who makes her chase it.
Now the unicorns will take them where they want to go… if “he” allows them through.
Everybody’s off! Twinkle stays with the unilumens.
Flying! Stella’s unicorn bucks her off but then catches her. Stella screams a lot in general. Stella really doesn’t like riding, or unicorns. Do we have any precedent for her not liking horses? I don’t remember her having any trouble riding Shiny in Tynix form, and they all ride horses in season 4, right..? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen season 4. So maybe not being good at riding is a new quirk the riders gave her, or maybe it’s just part of her general Usagi-ish comic relief-ness.
On the other side of wherever, Sky is giving Diaspro some well deserved grief. Good grief Sky, just haul her home and dump her already. Diaspro sits and pouts while he rants about how she noticed his fight with his father and sprang the mission knowing Sky wouldn’t check with Erendor since they were on the outs.
Diaspro: “Oh, lay off! Was it really so terrible to take a tour of the magic universe in my company?”
Sky: “Of course it was terrible!” Heh.
Sky rants how he hasn’t been home and hasn’t seen Bloom, Disa says if Bloom really cared she’d understand it was an important mission, Sky points out that it was not in fact an important mission.
A scary wind blows! “He” is coming! Unicorns and unilumens, who were totally watching Sky and Disa fight, flee!
It’s… it’s…
The baddie from the My Little Pony movie?
(which I haven’t seen since I didn’t get around to getting it out of the library.)
It’s a big black unicorn with a silver horn that’s broken off halfway up. He rears and trumpets, then dives at the two humans. Sky drags Diaspro out of the way. The black unicorn chases them!
Sky leaves Disa on a small floating island and flies off, leading the black unicorn away. Oh no, he went the wrong way! Dead end! The unicorn blasts him with fire from its horn and he falls down, his suit sparking. No more suit powers!
The unicorn advances menacingly… cliffhanger!
Hmm, this unicorn has fire colored eyes, just like Diaspro’s. I’m glad we got more from Diaspro this episode, I was so looking forward to seeing more of that “map.” Hehehe.
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