#Usually you see the vault hunters become friends or something like family but not here
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Playing the pre-sequel is such a strange experience compared to every other game because half your team will either hate or want to kill each other at the end of it. Nobody ends this game clean, half the cast are villains later.
#Borderlands#Usually you see the vault hunters become friends or something like family but not here#It's epilogue slides are so grim too#I do wonder why Jack never tried to hunt down athena#But I'm glad Aurelia and her were able to get away
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Prompt 6: Avatar
“How do you stand it?” asked Estinien with a small growl in his voice.
“Stand what?” replied Aymeric curiously, unsure what he could possibly withstand.
“Having Dia in your house. Ever since I joined the Scions, she’s been a nuisance. I’ve not known peace. I’ll be on my own trying to eat, and she’ll appear from nowhere to sit down and interrogate me.”
The two engaged in a long overdue chat, borne from a request made by the Lord Commander to both Estinien (“Please, remember to stop by Ishgard sometime, old friend. I would certainly welcome a bit of catching up” Aymeric asked once upon a time) and Tataru (“I somehow doubt he’ll stop by Ishgard. Could I trouble you for an occassional update as you also provide for Dia?”) As an old friend, and one of the Scion’s most generous financial and supply contributors, she was more than happy to oblige, and even conspire to make him see the good Lord Speaker.
“The man will drown me in questions”, complained Estinien at the time.
“Who wouldn’t?!” Tataru countered, “It’s important to him, and as he’s a backer of the Scions, I would much rather keep him happy! Don’t you want to at least see your oldest friend again?”
And so he did. And so he found himself in the parlor of Borel Manor sipping on tea, sans birch syrup for the dragoon.
“How is she interrogating you?” Aymeric inquired.
“She’ll badger me with questions about the meal I’m eating and how my day is going, and make all sorts of strange quips. I don’t understand why either. She wasn’t like this when the four of us entreated Hraesvelgr, or even recently when we freed Tiamat and fought the lunar primals.”
Aymeric set his tea down on the table. “My friend, having experienced real interrogation, I believe you’re being rather dramatic.”
Estinien brought his gaze to his lap, rather embarrassed at the idea that he managed somehow to forget Aymeric’s ordeal at the Vault. It was never far from his mind, however. The image of his closest friend battered and bruised and the image of the knight who dared to protect Dia impaled by a spear of light haunted him every now and again.
“…perhaps a better choice of words was in order. Forgive me”, said Estinien meekly.
Aymeric released a sigh through his nose. “I can find it in my heart to forgive you…if you give Dia a chance. She’s not herself at work, and she’s trying to be herself with you, and engaging you in the longstanding pasttime of ‘welcoming you to a new place’ is a part of it.”
“How do you mean ‘at work’?”
“The Scions are as much employment as they are her second family. She’s rather singleminded in her focus when it comes to her assignments given by them. When no work is to be found with the Scions, it’s a very different story. ‘Twas much the same with the two of us once, and clearly, you’ve only ever engaged with her when she was working.”
Estinien harumphed and said, “Bollocks. You don’t become a different person just because you have a task at hand.”
“Really? Because I’ve watched you do just that.”
Estinien growled, but accepted defeat. He was right, after all. “Fine. I just don’t understand how she can be that chummy with the lot of us, then.”
“As I understand it, that group went through a rather harrowing experience together, a change from usually sending Dia into the harrowing experience alone.” Estinien couldn’t help but notice a tinge of resentment in his friend’s remark. Regardless, he responded, “From the meetings I’ve been dragged into, ‘harrowing’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed. The woman’s inhuman, Aymeric. No one could have survived what she did, yet she’s still here. I simply don’t understand why, and she refuses to explain.”
“Have you asked?”
“Yes, more than once. She simply doesn’t go into detail beyond what I’m sure you already know.”
Dia explained most of what transpired on the First to him after her official return when she managed to awaken the Scions. He was sure there was some sensitive information for Scion ears only that he couldn’t be privy to, but what was it that not even Estinien could know?
“And the other Scions know naught?”
“They mentioned that a wayward soul aligned with hers.” Ardbert, Aymeric thought.
“I’m well aware of Ardbert.”
“Ardbert?” Estinien shot back quizically.
“Aye, the Warrior of Darkness.”
“What in hells is she doing with a Warrior of Darkness in her soul?”
“Did they truly not discuss this in those meetings of yours?”
“Wasn’t exactly a topic of focus.”
“Fair enough”, Aymeric conceded, “At any rate, she’s incredible, is she not?”
“I’m still concerned she’s not saying everything she needs to say.”
“Hm, surviving impossible situations, refusing to discuss certain matters outright and going to great measures to avoid a conversation she does not wish to be a part of? Who could do such things, I wonder?” Aymeric faked consideration, enjoying teasing the dragoon.
“You’ve made your point”, Estinien sternly fired back, “I just wish she’d tell me what that bloody crystal does.”
“Crystal?”
Estinien raised his eyebrows at the question. “Have you not seen it?”
“No, I haven’t. What crystal?”
“There’s this strange yellow crystal that I caught her fiddling with, and when I asked about it, she hastily put it away and ran off.”
That concerned Aymeric, to say the least. What was she doing not telling him something? Not telling the Scions something?
“I’m telling you, something is off with the woman. Clutching crystals, carrying warriors of darkness in her soul- I don’t like it, Aymeric. Something’s wrong.”
Aymeric stayed silent. He was pondering just what she could be hiding. What piece was he missing?
“Speaking of, didn’t you say she’d be joining us?”
“She should have been here by now, yes. Why don’t I try contacting her? I’m sure she just landed herself into becoming a helping hand, as is her wont.”
In fact, Dia was hiding in the hallway near the parlor during that whole conversation. At first, she just wanted to leave the two of them alone for a bit, see how they’d do before she would walk in. Then, they started talking about her. They were going to demand answers, answers she couldn’t bring herself to give.
They were going to leave her once they found out, she just knew it.
She felt exactly one thing, and that was a desperate need to flee, escape from the hall before they could ask anything. She would leave them before they could leave her. Quickly, she teleported from the hall to the aetheryte in Mor Dhona.
“Did you hear that?” Aymeric inquired.
“I did, aye. Did someone teleport in?”
Aymeric stepped towards the hall quickly to investigate the sound of a teleportation spell. No one was in the hall.
“Maybe I misunderstand, but it could be that someone teleported out rather than in.”
“…that wasn’t her, was it?” Estinien hypothesized cautiously.
“I’m…unsure.” Aymeric put a hand on the linkpearl and attempted to contact her.
Nothing.
After another attempt brought no change, he decided to resort to the best person hunter in Eorzea: Tataru Taru. As she wasn’t available on his linkpearl, this required an in-person visit.
“I hate to cut this short, as I was the one who bid you come, but—“
“No need to apologize. I’ll come with you.”
The two teleported to the aetheryte in Mor Dhona and entered the Rising Stones proper.
“Oh, welcome, Lord Commander! And welcome back, Estinien. Did you two enjoy tea?” greeted Tataru cheerfully.
“Aye, for a while,” answered Estinien, “but I’m afraid we have a problem now.”
“Oh?”
Trying to hide his worry, Aymeric asked, “Did Dia come by here, per chance?”
Tataru shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen her since our meeting yesterday. I thought she was with you.”
“She was, but she had left the house earlier before he arrived to handle some leves, and promised to be back in time for tea. She didn’t come. I contacted her only to have my calls ignored.”
Tataru’s eyes widened.
“I’m telling you, it’s that hells-damned crystal and that Ardbert you mentioned” Estinien accused, “What else could make her act like this?”
“Crystal?” Tataru inquired.
“We can worry about the crystal later”, Aymeric responded, “Our first concern should be discerning her location.”
“Maybe you two should return to Ishgard, ask around and see if anyone’s seen her. I can send Hoary to ask around Mor Dhona and make sure she didn’t come by here”, proposed the lalafell.
“Not a bad idea”, replied Estinien. The two elezen teleported back to Ishgard, ready to begin a search. “I’ll take care of the asking, Aymeric. You should be there in case she comes back.”
“Estinien-“
“That wasn’t a request, Aymeric. Go home.”
*********************
They would get nowhere. They would never get to where she went.
Dia found herself in the Crystarium. The people happily greeted her as she walked through the settlement, but she could only return half-hearted sentiments. She was a bit distracted, after all. She settled on the Pendants as it offered peace and quiet while still fully assuring that no one would be able to contact her by linkpearl. The innkeeper led her to her old room, exactly as she had left it, minus the half-eaten food and Ardbert’s wandering spirit interrupting her respite.
She sat down on the bed, unsure what to make of what happened, of what she heard, of what Estinien was truly thinking. It was one thing that he was a bit grouchy about the way she would tease him when she was there. It was another thing to accuse her of becoming something completely different, of being inhuman. She’s not a monster, after all.
…right?
“I’m not a monster”, she said to herself, trying to convince herself that she was, in fact, as human as the rest. But that doubt still lingered. Beq Lugg said her soul was the densest soul she’d ever seen. Why would Emet-Selch have bothered if she were simply another “inferior being” as he put it? Where did Azem end and Dia begin? Was there ever truly a Dia? Was she technically Ardbert as well if that were the case? She flung her head into her hands, unsure what to make of any of it.
“You’re going to have to go back, you know.”
Ardbert’s voice rang through her head.
“Oh, what do you know?” she retorted to her eighth part.
“I was there. Whether you like it or not, I do see some things.”
“Try to see less, will you?”
“Would that I could.”
She sighed. “I’m well aware that I need to go back. I’m sure eventually, Aymeric is going to become concerned about how long I’ve been gone, as will the other Scions.”
“So what are we doing here, then?”
“You know what we’re doing here.”
“Ah yes, a completely rational, logical decision that only came after you gave it complete consideration and immeasurable forethought.”
She scowled at his disembodied voice. “Sarcasm is ill-becoming of dead men.”
“Good thing I live in you now. You have enough sass for two.”
She groaned, “What in hells do I tell them?” She put on a very saccharine, pleasant tone. ‘Hey, by the way, I’m eight parts of an amaurotine that was on the same council as Elidibus, Emet-Selch, Lahabrea, and all those lovely other people we’ve met that hurt all of you one way or another. I might have even been best friends with Emet-Selch, but don’t worry, I’m NOT an Ascian. I was one of good ones!’”
“Perfect, you already know your lines.”
“I’m not telling them that! That’s absurd!”
“What’s absurd is crossing time and space to avoid a conversation.”
She threw herself back into the bed and stared at the ceiling. “They hurt so many people, Ardbert. What would they think if I told them I was an ally?”
“I think somehow, they’ll figure out that you are two different people.”
“How can they figure that out when I’m not too sure myself?” Dia asked through tears.
“Simple. They wouldn’t give a damn.”
“How do you know?”
“Azem didn’t join them in summoning Zodiark and you didn’t actively try to kill them.”
Dia stayed silent for a moment. “Are we who we say we are, Ardbert?”
“We need to make a distinction here. I see Azem as a person who lived in the time of the ancients and served in their government. I see an ascian as a back-stabbing piece of amaro shite who serves Zodiark. Now other than that big gaping hole you left in Hades, you’ve never been a backstabber, nor are you amaro shite, and unless there’s been a massive change of heart that I’m unaware of, you definitely do not serve Zodiark. Now what do you think?”
She lied still, trying to take in the feeling of the bright linen beneath her fingers, the solidity of the ground beneath her boots, the smell in the air like fresh laundry and cookies. Slowly, she started pointing out the bricks on the ceiling and counting them. She lost her grip on reality, and Ardbert was helping with her return.
“I think I need to tell Aymeric at least.”
“If it gets us back to the Source, I’m all for it.”
She sat up once again, still barely tethered to her reality. This isn’t the first time she’s had an attack like this. Usually, they’re smaller, and happen when she tries to sleep, the result being nothing more than a simple jolt upward in her bed. When that meant her bed in Dawn’s Respite, she would get up and handle other business as she could to tire herself out. In Borel Manor, it was a much quicker process, in which Aymeric would quickly join her and calm her down, holding her until she fell asleep again.
He didn’t mind because she does the same for him.
As she slowly regained her composure, an incredible wash of embarrassment covered her.
“Did you imagine you’d be dating someone when you joined your soul with mine, Ardbert?”
“The thought crossed my mind. You talked about him endlessly. A man that looks like that? I could certainly think of worse prices to pay in exchange for saving my world.”
Dia chuckled.
“You could do far worse, anyways. I’m glad this Aymeric fellow’s pretty decent.”
“Yeah, me too.”
*********************
The hours had passed. The midday that let the two men enjoy their tea earlier gave way to twilight. Aymeric sat at the settee, doing anything to get his mind off of his missing Dia. Today was an off-day, yet there he sat with paperwork at the coffee table, trying to drown himself under amendments and statutes and arguments for the coming days. It did little to assuage worries, and may have even exacerbated them, but it was something to move his mind away from it.
“THE BLEEDING FIRST!”
The roar of the Azure Dragoon shook the foundation. Aymeric shot up and hurried towards the hall.
“My lord, you have a visitor”, announced the steward in a very tired voice.
“Thank you, Angelbert.” Estinien arrived at the doorway of the parlor.
“SHE WENT THROUGH THE BLEEDING RIFT AND NOW SHE’S IN THE GODSDAMNED FIRST!”
“Estinien, calm down! Where did you hear that?!”
“Tataru called me! Apparently, Hoary had a witness tell him she went east of the aetheryte, and the Sons of Saint Coinach confirmed it!”
Aymeric, stunned by the revelation, moved to sit down.
“You all right?” Estinien checked.
“So she just…left Hydaelyn entirely?”
“From the sounds of it.”
“And…no one else can get her?”
“She’s the only bloody person capable of traveling through the rift unscathed.”
He did nothing. He couldn’t do anything. If he looked at his work anymore, his brain would simply shatter. She went back to the First, of all places. Why the First? Why did she leave? What isn’t she telling him?
As if Halone had heard his thoughts, he heard a door close, and muffled behind the walls were the words, “Ah, there you are!” from the mouth of Angelbert. Footsteps drew closer to their location until finally, her appearance graced the doorway and Dia met her gaze with Aymeric’s.
“YOU!” Estinien shouted with the force of the Fury behind his voice. He marched towards the Warrior of Light and stared her down. “Do you know what kind of trouble you caused?! You made Tataru send out a Scion after you! You made me question all of godsdamn Ishgard before we found out you went off to the First! We couldn’t contact you! What in the seven hells were you thinking?!”
“ESTINIEN!”
Aymeric rarely yelled. Yelling was not his personal go-to outside of the battlefield. In his experience, yelling did nothing but fray emotions further. Sometimes, however, it was necessary.
Particularly now, as he didn’t want his friend screaming in his girlfriend’s face anymore.
Estinien turned around, still a little shocked to hear him yell like that.
“Please go. I wish to have a word alone with her.”
“But—“
“I will take care of this! Leave!”
With a blink, and a scowl towards Dia and her behavior, he eventually stomped off to return to the Rising Stones. Dia turned to Aymeric and asked meekly, “Are you going to yell at me too?”
“No. I will not yell at you.” He kept his voice calm despite a sea of anguish that brewed beneath him.
“Are you sure? You deserve it. I hurt you, didn’t I?”
“Even if I wanted to, where would we be if I hurt you back? All I want is an answer.”
Dia reached into her inventory, and pulled out something that glinted from the light of the fireplace. A small yellow crystal revealed itself in the palm of her hand. She stepped towards him and offered it for his inspection. Curiously, he took it and gave it a look.
“There. That’s what I’ve been hiding. Not even the Scions know what it does. I pray they don’t find out either.”
To him, it felt strange holding the chunk of crystal. There was definitely something strange about it, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. He met her gaze, and asked “Why?”
She sighed, and said, “Aymeric, you know me well enough to understand that trust isn’t easily given by me.” She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop herself from losing her tether to reality once more. “I trust you. I wholeheartedly, unambiguously trust you. I tell you this for two reasons: one, because I want to tell you something that I need you to swear you’ll never speak a word of to anyone, not even Estinien.”
He nodded. She took a deep breath.
“That crystal holds my memories as an ancient, as well as a power I once held in that life that helped me escape from Elidibus’ clutches when I fought him.” He shot his gaze back at the crystal, as if it could tell him that she was joking, or lying. It said nothing. He returned his wandering eye back to her.
“Much like Lahabrea, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch, I was a member of their Convocation of Fourteen when I was whole, before that world became fourteen shards. I held the title of Azem.”
Before he could say anything, she had moved on. “Azem opposed the summoning of Zodiark and gave up their seat. Or I did. I think of all the things about this, that’s the worst part. I’m not sure where Azem ends and Dia begins, or if I ever truly was Dia for that matter. At any rate, that means that I once filled their ranks, and the ascians, including the one that corrupted the Archbishop, once considered me a…friend.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of this. He wasn’t sure if he cared. Azem was of a time well before him. Her past life was not what he cared about, but the life that stood before him now. The one to whom he owed so much, to whom everyone in Eorzea owed so much. The one that loved him, the one that he loved.
“That’s…a lot…”
“There’s a second reason I told you that I trust you. And that’s because I just broke your trust, and I’m sorry. I’m very sorry I did. I stupidly thought if you knew, Aymeric, you’d leave, and so would the others. I panicked, and-“
“That’s why.” He interrupted, something rather unlike him, but he felt it was his job to stop spirals before they could begin. “You overheard Estinien, didn’t you? We heard the sound of teleportation in the hall.” She nodded.
“Look, what you once were in millenia past is of no importance to me. You joined ranks with ascians in a time long past, but you are most assuredly not an ascian.” He placed his hands on her shoulders calmly. “You are Dia Sito, no matter what anyone says. You are my partner, you are a scholar, a master culinarian, a weaver with skills second to none, and so much more to so many. You have defined Dia Sito to all of us. None would know of you as Azem, regardless of what you were told on the First. You, Dia Sito, are not an ascian, have not conspired with ascians, and have no plans to serve Zodiark…unless there’s another thing you have refrained from mentioning.”
She let out a laugh through her nose. “No, that’s about it on secrets.”
“Good. Now come, sit down.” He gently kissed her forehead and guided her to the settee with an arm around her shoulder. “I also need you to understand that your past life having engaged with paragons is not sufficient grounds for me to leave. I’m not going anywhere.”
She took a good look at him, and he at her, before the two leaned in for a quick kiss.
“I owe Estinien an apology as well, don’t I?”
“Perhaps, but I believe he owes you one as well. Go at your own pace, Dia.”
“I will. I can’t say I won’t be walking into a death trap the minute I walk into the Rising Stones.”
“You fear Estinien will have a second wind?”
“No, that Tataru will have a first wind.” He chuckled. “Estinien is nothing compared to the wrath of Tataru Taru”, she said, meaning every word behind it.
“I imagine the lot of them might have something to say of this.”
“Yeah, you’re right…” she stood up, “I should probably—“ He grabbed her wrist gently, and told her with a smile, “They can wait.”
“I need to tell at least one of them that I’ve come back.”
“You do have a linkpearl. I would recommend contacting the one least likely to enter into hysterics.”
Alphinaud, she thought.
“Very well.” She sat back down next to him, and placed a hand on her linkpearl.
“This is Alphinaud.”
“Hi, Alphinaud, it’s Dia.”
“Dia! Thank the Twelve! Hoary said you’d run off to the First. What happened? Are you quite all right?”
“Am I alive and kicking? Yes. Am I all right? I’ll need a minute to get back to you on that.”
Alphinaud sighed in relief. That was Dia all right.
“I’m surprised, Alphinaud. Was Estinien not in a tirade upon his return to the Rising Stones?”
“He slammed the door behind him on his way into Dawn’s Respite, but that’s nothing too unusual. We tried to ask him of your return, but he ignored us. Why do you ask?”
“Uh, let’s just say he and I didn’t exactly exchange pleasantries when he saw I came back.”
“Ah.”
“Anyways, I’ll return to explain myself tomorrow. I just wanted to let someone over there know I’m in the Source and in Borel Manor.”
“Mm, I understand why you came to me now. Very well, I shall disseminate word of your arrival to our comrades. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Of course. Thank you for not shouting at me.”
He giggled. “Any time.”
“Good night.”
Little did she know that the minute Alphinaud exclaimed her name, all the Scions except for Estinien gathered to listen to the call.
“I feel better, I think”, Dia told Aymeric.
“Very good”, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Sorry for ruining your tea.”
“Think nothing of it. We’ll have more where that came from.”
She gave a rather sad smile. “Stop being so good about this. I don’t deserve it.”
“You deserve anything I could ever give. I only wish my love were enough.”
“It’s more than enough, it’s more than I’m even worthy of, my dear.”
For a moment, there was a flash. A black robe covering her arm, a black mask in her hand, and a different room appeared before her. As she turned her head, a familiar face that Dia never met before looked back to her with a wry smile on his face. In that same moment, it returned to the soft and gentle smile of Aymeric de Borel, with blue eyes shimmering as he looked into her soul itself, it seemed. She didn’t even realize until that moment that she clutched Azem’s crystal like her life depended on it. She released it quickly, not wanting it’s influence at that moment.
“I’m so tired”, she said, swallowing tears.
“I know.”
“I don’t want this.”
“I know you don’t.” He reached around her shoulder and pulled her into him.
“I’m so lost”, she said, the tears releasing.
“Then I’ll help you find your way.”
“Can you do that?”
“I’ll be damned if I don’t try.”
She had nothing more to say. Only sobs came from her. Azem weighed too heavy, and she only held eight parts. Dia lost her tether after that flashback. Aymeric had a rope for her to use instead to pull her back. She felt his heartbeat, his breathing, his warmth, the fabric of his shirt, of the settee, then tried to count the symbols that made up his wallpaper through tear-soaked eyes. Slowly, she regained control of her breath, the sobs reigned in, and the tears less poured out and more trickled. It helped that he was there to gently rub her back. It was soothing, to say the least.
“I’m sorry about this.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for, my love.”
She took the crystal and placed it on the coffee table to avoid the risk of clutching it once again. Now that he knew, she had no need to hide it on her person.
“May I ask why you carry it then? If it burdens you so, it seems imprudent to keep it on.”
She shook her head. “For whatever feelings I have about the ascians, about the whole of Amaurot…that is a part of me. It feels wrong to keep it away.”
“Such is the burden of knowledge, is it not?”
“Now that it’s there, I can never truly remove it. I would rather try and learn from it as much as I can. I feel I owe it to them.”
“To the ascians?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.
“No, to Amaurot, and to history. I’d be a terrible scholar if I didn’t try.”
He let out a light laugh, and looked to her. “Even the best of scholars need a break from their tomes.”
“I know. So I’ll lay it there for now.” She let out a scoff of her own. “‘Tis strange, I feel as though I might as well have said, ‘I’ll lay my arm here.’”
“It’s that affixed to you?”
“To an extent. That is me after all.”
“In an incredibly detached sense, yes. Mayhap you should leave it alone for a while. Return to it another time.”
She let out a long breath through her nose while she stared at it. Aymeric took the crystal in his hand, feeling the strange sensation once more, and stood up. “If it’s quite all right with you, I’d like to place it in a drawer upstairs. When the time comes that you need it again, you’ll be able to access it with ease.”
As attached to it as she became, he was right. It did no good for her to obsess over it. She nodded, stood up and followed him upstairs.
Everything that made up Azem sat in a drawer in the master bedroom for quite some time. Dia still felt conflict in her soul, but it did much to separate her from further flashbacks and keep her grounded in the world as it is now. Amaurot, the Convocation, the Final Days, they laid idly by as Eorzea, the Scions, the Grand Company of Eorzea, and the looming threat of Fandaniel and his own machinations took priority. Of all times for her to place the crystal aside, it was when the knowledge was needed most. If she didn’t, however, the knowledge threatened to consume her. No, it was for the best. It needed to be away from her ever-growing curiosity.
That is, until the time came that she could no longer sit by in Eorzea. The crystal saw light once more and took it’s place with Dia when the world needed her.
#otherwise known as the girls got an identity crisis#ffxivwrite2021#ffxivwrite#ffxiv#aymeric x wol#aymeric de borel#estinien wyrmblood#tataru taru#stakey can’t stop writing about these two ahhhhh
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Sirens and Wings (Rhys Strongfork x Vaughn)
Just a fun idea inspired by this fic :)
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It started with a low ache after their first night of sex. It was rushed, and dorm beds aren’t exactly the nicest, so he thinks nothing of it. It’s strange that the pain centers on his upper back, but over time he just becomes used to it.
It’s two years into their tenure at Hyperion when the pain fades, and he is left with something in its place. They’re a small, but clearly growing pair of what could only be described as wings. The primary color is a dark green, much like the shade of his glasses, with dark grey linings littered throughout. It’s a good four-hour panic attack before he realizes that this must remain hidden.
Vaughn isn’t the most technically sound, but he crafts a compression shirt to hide the strange new body parts.
Hyperion never notices, and his blood remains unchanged despite the yearly test. His compression shirt, despite becoming worse as his wings grow and grow, is able to trick scanners and keep bumps hidden as it is upgraded over the years. Vaughn doesn’t really know how it happened, but sticks by his closest friend and secret lover, knowing that somehow in his very bones that Rhys Strongfork is responsible. He doesn’t get a chance to ask until one fateful day, their lives change. A change for promotion, a fake vault key that leads to an actual Vault upends so much, and even brings Helios to a spectacular crash. Rhys is also taken from him, gone, and leaving a feeling in his soul that can be only described as pure sorrow and longing for his other half that had never been too far away from Vaughn since he could ever remember. No longer is Hyperion watching, and after some internal debate, Vaughn masks himself much like a bandit before ridding himself of his compression shirt. His wings are massive, all raw power as he slowly trains himself how to fly, having never had the chance before.
A siren, one that helped kill Handsome Jack, sees him and approaches Vaughn after his recent failure. He rightly panics, backing away as the siren lifts her hands in a calming motion.
“Whoa, relax man, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
“Yea, excuse me for not being so relaxed. Everything and everyone has wanted to kill me since I’ve been here.” Vaughn doesn’t mean to be so snippy, but he is sore, hungry, and his wings needed a damn good preening again.
“You from Helios?” The air grows tense, and figuring that he had nothing left to lose, Vaughn nods. Lilith regards him, and after some time rolls her eyes and offers a hand. “They wouldn’t make a Protector someone who was an actually shitty guy.”
“...a what?” The term is unfamiliar, wings giving a slight ruffle when he takes the other's hand and is lifted. He feels almost like Rhys is there, but the feeling is just off-kilter that it leaves Vaughn almost upset.
“Jeeze, you Hyperion lo-nerds don’t know anything outside papers and numbers huh?” Lilith hears the soft scoff and smirks as he tucks his wings behind his back. “Trying to fly?”
“...yea, never really did it before.” Vaughn shrugged, watching as Lilith put a hand on her hip and eyed him over. Vaughn was the least intimidating one there was, yet his muscles and guarded stance showed that he was well on his way to becoming a reckoning force. “Uh, since you’re a siren and all...how did you know what I was?”
“Easy, I once had my own.” Vaughn doesn’t have to ask who it was, and Lilith doesn’t continue as she gives him a once over. “You already know who your siren is, don’t you? Because I am very surprised they’re not here with you.”
“...I don’t know where he is now...he went into the Vault of the Traveller...and now he’s gone.”
“...I feel you.” The tone in her voice makes Vaughn feel a little heard, and he offers a weak smile after removing his mask a little bit. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find him one day again...let's get you ready for that day, shall we?”
Over the next seven years, Vaughn becomes almost a myth to most bandit clans. A plundered Vladof hologram is repurposed to hide his wings in the daytime, but at night he is usually found ghosting over deserts and towns without a sound. Vaughn always wears his mask when he goes at night, and over time he is called the Wandering Soul, seeming to just fly with no destination in sight. Lilith is visited from time to time, and sometimes Ellie finds the man perched up high on some of her cars, looking up towards where Helios had been a long time ago.
His routine is interrupted when the Children of the Vault begin to spread like a disease. The hologram is ever constant now, and Vaughn snaps from being restrained when his clan wants to sell something he only views as a bad omen. It falls on deaf ears, and his hologram almost fails when he is rescued by Vault Hunters, Lilith hiding him until it is fixed. The feeling that gnawed at him only seemed to grow so much worse as months dragged by, Vaughn working hard to keep the Children from overtaking Pandora. He can hear whispers, people wondering where the Wandering Soul was, wondering if he had been taken or worse by the Children.
There are cries of joy when one night, he comes. It is the night the Raiders have returned, to mourn, and to rebuild after completing their mission from so long ago. The babble of reuniting lovers and families are startled by an excited child, pointing up as the familiar figure of Pandora flies overhead. Vaughn smiles to himself at the relief he can feel, and figures returning to his former routine will be only strengthening for the Raiders, and does so for a few weeks.
He does wake up one morning, lying on his stomach with his wings splayed out all over the bed, and something feels strange as he looks at the wall across from him. The room feels...cool, and the crushing pressure that had been on his chest for seven years was gone. Vaughn frowns and freezes when a hand caresses one of his exposed wings. They expertly work a few feathers from their small tangle from Vaughn’s shifting at night, and Vaughn can’t help but hum at the feeling. Slowly, Vaughn unwinds as the other carefully and neatly preens the bandit, getting at some areas that had never been properly cared for over the years.
“I’m so sorry.” The voice that settles around Vaughn’s ears is familiar and aching, and the bandit just lets out a weak whine. Vaughn doesn’t care as he merely lifts a wing to invite the other to lie beside him. A metallic arm slides around Vaughn’s waist, quickly taken up in one of Vaughn’s free hands. It’s red now, and the bandit rather likes the color as he traces the metal with a spare finger.
“Will you stay, or will I come with you?” A kiss is placed on the back of Vaughn’s neck, and the bandit lets out a soft purr.
“We leave when you’re ready,” Rhys speaks easily and confidently, and Vaughn wonders how the change stuck after all these years. The question is shelved, eventually, the two facing and kissing away unbidden tears that were no longer held at bay. The sun rises and sets as they lie together, sometimes in silence and other times in a passionate thrall, Rhys’ left arm glowing red to match the red shine that danced over the grey and green feathers as Siren embraced Protector. Pandorians don’t question when they no longer see their Wandering Soul, each one somehow knowing they had finally sought whatever it was he was looking for the day an Atlas ship leaves orbit. Rhys still has questions, and Vaughn only has so many answers, but when they reach Promethea, it doesn’t matter.
The city, its denizens still rebuilding and starting to go back to what was the new normal, are taken aback when Vaughn takes his first flight. He isn’t alone, the bandit still masked yet not joined by another. Rhys has changed his hand to a silver one and dons a simple version of an Atlas soldier mask, red transparent wings shimmering along the black glass and numerous mirrors of countless buildings as the two fly together. He only wears a button-up shirt, his siren marks glowing through the light blue fabric, as well as the jeans he wears, hand often being held by the bandit. Promethea is abuzz the next morning, unaware the two watched high above.
Vaughn doesn’t care much, just tucking Rhys under his wing and drawing him close. For once, finally, all was well, and he could finally relax.
#borderlands 3 spoilers#tales from the borderlands spoilers#tftb spoilers#rhys strongfork#vaughn#just something fun to write#haven't done this sort of fic in years and decided fuck it#make my own vaguely cohesive siren lore#because the game sure as fuck isn't#:)#vaughn the money man#vaughn the bandit king#rhys the company man
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Castiel Imagine
Imagine: Eavesdropping on your beautiful singing - something you do when you think no one else can hear you - is Castiel’s guiltiest pleasure until he gets caught in the act (ft. Dear Abby, aka Dean Winchester).
Requested by: @earl-grey-cafe
“Dean-” Castiel pushes the bedroom door inward; widening the sliver of an inch the hunter left it open, he swings it all the way to the gaping limits of the hinges.
A wall of pepperoni grease, malt hops, and gun oil - none of which he finds alarming or unusual - accosts the angel’s senses; nor does the sight of Dean in boxers and socked feet scrambling to mute the horror film scream of the television whilst simultaneously shoving a half empty pizza box under his pillow and sloshing beer onto the bed sheets while he sits up provoke any special interest beyond the fleeting thought that Dean’s dietary choices, perhaps, are not ideal for his long term cardiovascular health.
Cas pauses after stating his friends name to allow Dean’s threading pulse a moment to recover from the surprise of the sudden intrusion. Not that Dean should be surprised by the suddenness of the intrusion after nearly a decade of friendship spent unsuccessfully trying to teach the celestial being to knock first.
The seraph takes Dean’s grumbling around a mouthful of coagulated cheese and irately glistening green eyes as an invitation, if not into the space itself, as one begging expedience to clarify whatever the hell he wants in order to beat a hasty exit. He speaks both without apology and without further delay, “I need to ask you a question.”
Dean swallows hard to dispatch the gummy wad of pizza. He swipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Do you ever knock?”
Cas ignores the query, determining Dean to be employing sarcasm on account of the obviousness of the answer. He moves on to the matter on his mind; namely, you. He overheard you singing in the shower again last night when you couldn’t sleep, which - the singing and the sleeplessness - happens often enough to pique his concern.
It’s a habit of yours to stretch your voice - a heavenly voice if the angel ever heard one, and he would know - only when you believe no one is listening. “Have you ever heard Y/N sing?”
Dean’s glower wobbles and weakly rolls, his temper consoled and conversely further incensed at the lack of seriousness in the situation. He makes a mental note to have a conversation with his friend about what does and doesn’t warrant the disruption of his preciously rare me time; not - Cas’ idea of urgent often dwelling in the empiric satisfaction of curiosity over the human condition - that it will make any difference.
“Yeah, I’ve caught a couple notes here and there, and-?” Dean’s huff accentuates his annoyance.
You’re talented - talented and shy. You keep your gift to yourself and Dean, having sacrificed much for family, respects the need to shroud some things in a shield of selfish pleasure to preserve the status quo of inner sanity; for example, a double cheese double meat deluxe deep dish Chicago-style pie from Gianni’s in central Lebanon on a Saturday night.
Cas’ gaze narrows; some of his friend’s snark refracts in the brightness of the blue; he feels Dean knows the unspoken remainder given what he knows regarding the angel’s especially interested affections toward you and is playing a game of chicken. In retrospect, he thinks he should have sought out Sam.
Dean sighs, and concedes to the seraph’s silence if only to be quickly rid of him to restore his peaceful pepperoni and slasher movie solitude. “Listen up - some things, people don’t share with anyone. That’s Y/N with singing. Just leave it be.”
Crease of brow softening in comprehension, Cas thoughtfully eyes the corner of the pizza box peeking from beneath the drape of the pillowcase. “So it’s like you wanting to consume copious amounts of artery clogging cholesterol while lying prone and watching Hatchet Man in private.”
Deeply wounded by the angel’s holier-than-thou tone, and a recent brotherly lecture regarding bacon from Sam, Dean scoffs, “Nobody asked you.”
Cas gets it - your singing, however beautiful, is a subject of taboo unless you choose to share. He’s glad he didn’t go directly to you and cause you the discomfort of a compliment and discomfit of a request to hear more without the barrier of a bathroom door or concrete wall between you.
“And shut the door on your way out,” Dean grouses since the angel continues to linger meditating upon this newfound clarification and the sentiment of disappointment stirring in his chest that it means he cannot compliment you or request the favor of a direct audience to your talent.
“Thank you, Dean.” Stepping backward with a grateful bob of the head, Cas does as directed and strides into the hall.
In as much as Dean has his secret enjoyments, and you your solo performances, Cas, too, considers his routine of straining to catch your murmured melodies a guilty pleasure; those sweet reverberant notes caress his ears irresistibly like a siren’s call and nurture a reverence for your singing in his celestial center such that it seems to hum musically in time, delightfully thrumming through his vessels veins, whenever he chances to perceive your sensuously strung voice.
He thinks it not a guilty pleasure in the traditional sense of the phrase, a saying which suggests he finds profound pleasure in a sound which would not inspire general awe in whomever heard it - quite the opposite, there can be no doubt in his mind, or any other, excepting perhaps your own in not sharing, of your talents; nor is it because he feels any guilt in the actual eavesdropping - one hears much, whether one wants to or no, when blessed with the aptitude of angelic perception; rather, he considers it so only because you yourself, seeming not to trust to your gift in a capacity allowing you to openly share it, and it light of Dean’s elucidation, save your songs for a safety inherent in solitude.
Your lips part, tongue plucking strings of air in vibrant tone in moments when you believe you have a motel room or the bunker all to yourself. The oxygen belts from your lungs with force to flood the vaulted heights of the ceiling on those welcome weekends with a buffer of many miles between you and the Winchester brothers.
In the spaces in between, when you aren’t quite as alone as you surmise, Cas cherishes every illicitly captured dulcet lilting of soulful tune.
It’s not that you don’t account for Castiel being around; it’s that he’s so damned quiet padding around the place with divinely dampened footfalls. And it’s not that he’s lurking intentionally long around corners or in shadow before announcing his presence; it’s that he is struck in rapture, determination of direction and intent distracted as he stills to follow a phrase of lyric or two to its mellifluous terminus.
This time though, there’s no sneaking about on the angel’s part to blame.
Sat at the kitchen table in the semi-dark, flesh of his forehead folded in a neat stack of seriousness over a knotted brow, Cas sifts through Dean’s box of Krunch Cookie Crunch in search of the cheap plastic trinket promised in colorful graphics to be hidden inside - the absence of which the elder Winchester will hold his brother accountable for whenever their latest adventure permits them to return home; needling his friend’s nerves in this manner is a lesser of the angel’s surreptitious and innocent amusements.
He stops his rustling task at the scuffing approach of your slippers and turns toward the threshold. He thought you were asleep when he arrived back and did not deign to wake you to inform you of his late arrival. His features flatten beneath the involuntary feeling of gladness the promise of your presence fosters; the early assemblage of your name rasps in the back of his graveled throat as he prepares to greet you. There, it husks into unspoken oblivion when the first hum of your voice titillates the air.
Oblivious to the celestial company, you step into the kitchen, swiping the light switch as you skip down the two shallow steps and make for the sink to fill a glass of water. Cushioned toes tapping the concrete floor, the kitchen being one of your acoustically favorite rooms in the bunker, the fullness of your unfettered voice echoes off the walls.
Glass brimming, stopping to wet your palette with a sip of the cool drink, you spin on a heel, snap shut your eyes to isolate yourself from the room and the rigors of this life, and settle your spine to the steel skirt of the sink.
Having no contingency plan that doesn’t involve awkwardly breaking for the door, Cas stares, cereal sugar-dusted palm propped to push himself up from the table, wide-eyed and speechless as you continue the tune.
By gradual degrees in sensing a worshipful sort of warmth washing your cheeks with heat, and then the unmistakable scent of the seraph tickling your nose - that uniquely stormy discharge of revving grace skimming his vessel’s skin in lieu of sweat when his adrenaline rises - you become aware of being watched and listened to.
Tongue skipping mid-note on the back of your teeth, your lashes flare and flash on the seraphim-shaped mass of trench coat seated at the table, his stance somewhere between sitting and standing, and the outline of an apology molding his mouth.
“I’m sorry, I tried-” he stumbles over the words and his feet as he straightens upright and steps into the light and nearer- “I didn’t mean-”
“It’s okay. I didn’t see you.” You soothe his fumbling; your chin drops to your chest, a bashfully-tinted flush unfurls across your face. “I just don’t usually sing in front of anyone.”
Cas cannot help his blunt honesty in reaction to your confession. “Why not? Your voice is exceptional.” His already bass register lowers as he extends his fingers to loop at your jaw, gently lifting your gaze to his. “Beautiful.” He does not add the ‘like you’ that naturally links to the accolade in his thoughts; the impact of that bit of unspoken affection stamps his own cheeks to match your blush.
A smile tugs doubtful at your lips. “You think so?”
His attention flicks from your eyes to your mouth, following the minute movement, and back. “Without a doubt.”
Self-conscious at the magnetism of desire felt to press his pout to yours in physical proclamation of his praise, his fingers falter from your chin and the tenderly glossed blues revolve to study the span of inches set between your beating hearts.
You feel it too, have felt a sentiment stronger than friendship solidifying between you for a while. The seams of your body tremble to contain a soul bursting in song at the suggestion of something more. “I could, I mean, if you wanted me to - if you’d like it-”
“Yes.” The bright shine of his eyes spill unfettered happiness to crinkle the skin surrounding them before the essence of a smile spreads to lighten his entire aspect.
The seraph’s smile - it’s purity, and the adoration reflecting the radiant potential of you as the source of his joyful feelings - is all the ovation your heart needs.
Castiel tag list: (Closed, if you’d like to be removed please let me know!) @jeepangel @sammiesamness @willowing-love @roxy-davenport @blueicevalkyrie @im-the-nerdiest-of-them-a11 @thesugargalaxy @bluetina-blog @dont-trust-humanity @honeybeetrash @bucky-thorin-winchester @superwholockz @tistai @wordstothewisereaders @gill-ons @mrswhozeewhatsis @marisayouass @stone-met @castiel-savvy18 @samualmortgrim @trexrambling @magnificent-mantle @kdfrqqg @xdifsx @mandilion76 @rockfairy @peaceloveancolor @unicorntrooper @anisolatedship @itsilvermorny @aditimukul @kudosia @goofynerd-67babylove @uninspirationalsonglyrics @gray-avidan @mishascupcake @mishapanicmeow @praisecastielamen @roseyhxnt @jessikared97 @let-the-imaginationflow @warriorqueen1991 @sebastianstanslefteyebrow @hisnameisboobear @kristendanwayne @fuschiarulerinthebluebox @coolpencilpie @jenabean75 @luciathewinchestergirl @morganas-pendragons @heyitscam99 @fangirl-and-stuff @selahbela @realgreglestrade @splendidcas @pointlesscasey @i-larb-spooderman @thewhiterabbit42 @thelostverse @castieliswatchingoverme @beccollie18 @dragonett8 @dixie-chick @jtownraindancer @carowinsthings @passionghost @ladyofletters67 @futureparent @gabbie7-11 @myfandomlife-blog @dreamerkim @shamelesslydean @earthtokace @neaeri @justanormalangel @lone-loba @supernaturalymarvel @lilrubixx @wings-and-halo @thehoneybeecastielfollows @musiclovinchic93 @81mysteriouslyme @the-bottom-of-the-abyss @jaylarkson @pixiedusts @spookysculderfiles @laqueus-ludovicus @missjenniferb @lexininja @jessiekay2010 @skrratata @rhiannonj79 @calicat79
#castiel imagine#spn imagine#castiel fluff#castiel x reader#castiel x you#castielxreader#castielxyou#castiel#cas x reader#cas x you#reader x castiel#you x castiel#castiel fanfic#spn x reader#cricket writes cas
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TroyxReader/Borderlands 3 Rewrite
Growing up on Pandora was rough to say the least, I learned early on that it was kill or be killed. Add on top of that being a Siren and I had a small chance of survival. With my tattoos being across my chest and both arms, I got accustommed to wearing my signature turtleneck long sleeve, to help combat the heat of the surrounding area, I at least cut it into a crop top. On the plus, living in constant fear of bandits attacking had kept me fit through the years.
Currently I was running for my life from some psychos and tinks who decided I was their next target. Breathing heavy, I ran around a bend and face planted into a firm body, falling flat on my ass. "Fuck!" Looking up, I saw the familiar uniform of the Crimson Raiders, 'I'm saved!! Fuck yeah!' Scrambling to my feet, I jump behind the soldier and see two more of them behind, they quickly took out their guns and dispatched the bandits after me. That my friends is how I owed my life to the Crimson Raiders.
Living with the Raiders was the best time of your life until Handsome Jack ruined it all. So now you and Lilith were on your way to meet the new Vault Hunters as they cleared out a COV post. I told Lilith I could have done it myself, but she insisted on bringing in help, her words were exactly "I get what you are saying kid, but I can't afford to lose you too." She had become like a mother to you and losing Roland hit her really hard. She was protective of me even before he got killed, but afterwards she really tightened her grip around me. Hardly letting me out alone, if I was allowed out my pet skag pup, not that he could do much really. Montag as I call him, I rescued him when his mother wandered a bit too close to Lil. Both moms got a bit aggressive, so I had to save him before he acted on instinct. Ever since he has been attached at my hip, it baffles everyone who meets us.
Enough story time, back to what you all came here for. Lil grabbed my hand and we flashed to the new 4 Vault Hunters, they were pretty impressive. The leader I presumed was a buff Siren, she was really pretty. I felt myself swooning a little and had to real myself back in. The second one was a small girl about my height who wore military gear, she looked tough as hell. The third was an older man who appeared to be slightly drunk with a hologram of himself behind him. The fourth was a robot who seemed pretty ordinary until my eyes met the skag at his side wearing a bandana. Monty ran to it and began winding through its legs making as close to a bark noise as a skag can get. Giggling, I ran forward and pet the new skag, "What is his name?" The robot seemed confused by this, "His name is Mr.Chew and I am designated FL4K" I grinned up at him, "He is cute, you all can call me Medic! I will be your mandatory healer." Lilith went a bit stern, "We never discussed this. You have to stay with me."
Grumbling, I pouted, "B-But, I can do so much more helping them! Come on, I am an adult now. I wanna help..." The buff Siren spoke up, "I wouldn't object to a healer helping out." She turned to me and smiled, "By the way I am Amara." My face turned bright red as I nodded, "Thank you and pleasure to meet you.."
Lilith sighed, "I will think about it." Looking at her with a hopeful face, 'That is the closest to a yes I have gotten! Yes!' The short one chuckled gravelly at my face and stuck out her hand for a fist bump, "I am Moze, good to meet ya kid!" I grinned and bumped her fist while the older man turned and his hologram spoke, "I am Zane, now that we have introductions out of the way, should we go inside and plan our next move?"
Lilith smirked and nodded, "Yeah, their is a space we can use further inside this place, let's go." We all followed her while Monty continued harassing Mr.Chew. Mr.Chew was surprisingly tolerant of the little one. It made you glad inside to know that Monty finally had another one of his kind to play with. He was too scared to leave your side, so he never met any skags except the ones you killed. Even those were few and far between due to not wanting to kill them in front of him.
Once we arrived at the back room, Lilith discussed with the Vault Hunters what they had to do before we coudl all leave and go onto Santuary. She remained firm that I had to stay with her or Ellie until we got to Santuary. She knew I was a Siren, but no one else did, she wanted me safe until we had a home base we could run to in case of danger. I decided to go hang out with Ellie for most of it. She has always been my favorite person to spend most of my time with, she helped me develop my tech that allowed me to be a Medic.
See, I knew I had to have another skill if I was gonna hide my powers. I needed something else to make me a good team member, so Ellie and I made some nanotech to heal others. It is similar to Hammerlock's sisters tech, We actually studied hers to make the base for mine. I am happy with how it came out, I just had to touch my hand to the persons skin to activate it. It came in handy alot, it automatically attempts to heal me. It just made me more frustrated by the fact that I couldn't leave and explore.
Anyway, at least Ellie let me hunt down bandits near her garage, she called it 'Spring Cleaning". Monty enjoyed it as well, he got to snack on the bodies. It is gross if you think about it too hard, that's why I try not to. It makes him happy, so I let him do it. By the time I got done with another Cleaning, Santuary was ready to go and Lil was transporting everyone to the ship.
We were waiting for the Vault Hunters to come through the door when suddenly it closed on them and I gripped onto Lilith's arm out of habit.
Following Lilith's eyes, we had the Calypso twins prowling around us, 'Fucking great! Just what we needed..' Lilith held onto me protectively while also gripping the vault key as tightly as she could.
Tyreen stopped on front of us and Troy behind, when I looked back to keep an eye on him, we locked eyes. I froze, both of the twins were not what I was expecting, but the taller male twin had really pretty eyes. 'Did I seriously just think about how pretty his eyes are when they are probably gonna kill us?? Get it together y/n..' He had me locked in a stare off as he smirked like he knew I was admiring him.
Tyreen spoke up snapping my attention forward, "Firehawk. Just give me the map." I looked up at Lilith worried for what she was gonna say next, "No. Way." Tyreen smirked happily, "Cool. Let's DO THIS!"
Lilith as if knowing what was gonna happen, teleported me up onto a platform to keep me safe. Just as she did that, Tyreen took advantage of her lack of focus and launched Lilith with her powers. The Vault key got launched into the air and Troy caught it doing a little trick.
'Fuck, Lilith is in trouble and I can't fucking do anything! If I show my powers, they will know I am a Siren and probably kill me..'
Then Troy sent out two surveyor bots, one to watch Lilith and Tyreen fight presumably to stream it to their followers and one to watch me. 'Why the hell is there one watching me?'
Drawing my attention to the fight, it seemed that Lilith was getting the upper hand until Tyreen punched her, by this point I was trying to hide the tears pouring down my face. Watching my mother figure get beat down like this with no way to help fucking sucked. It felt like a bowling ball to the gut.
Troy chuckled at the face Lilith made in pain, "Ohohoho, this is gold!" My eyes fixated on Lilith, I didn't notice Tyreen charging up a ball of energy until Lilith completely blocked it with a pillar of fire. Without thinking I yelled, "Yes!" and immediately shrank back when Troy smirked up at me.
Lilith took this opportunity to teleport behind him and punch him down, as he struggled to move away, she grew shocked to see Siren tattoos on his arm. Ny nouth was hung open as I gasped and covered my mouth.
"You're a Siren?" This couldn't be the case, Lilith knew of all the possible Sirens at the moment. Troy wore the smirk that seemed to be permanetly glued to his face, "Heh. Yeah... well... Runs in the family."
I looked up and barely had time to yell out, "Lilith, behind you!" before Tyreen had her by the neck. I chocked back a scream. Tyreen looked pissed, "I'm the Siren. He's just a parasite. Literally." I flinched at her choice of words, 'Wow, rude.' Lilith tried to break free as best she could, but it seemed that Tyreen was using her powers. "When we were born, our father had to cut him off of me! Now I'M the only thing keeping him alive."
Lilith looked paler than usual as she managed to speak, "What are you....doing?!" Tyreen seemed smug, "I can leech the power from any living thing. Even you, Firehawk."
"Legendary Vault Hunter, Slayer of the Destroyer, Firehawk. So many titles, so little impact!" Lilith's hand slid down from a fist to hang weakly at her side, this brought me to my knees with worry. 'Come on Lil, hang in there. I got my nanos ready.' I tried to project this into her head as best I could, she had been trying to teach me how to, but she only had time for so much teaching being the leader of the Crimson Raiders.
Tyreen shrugged, "Well, I've taken your powers--might as well finish you off." My body jolted up and yelled, "No!" She didn't even glance my way, but the tallr twin did, if only for a short second. He grunted "Ngh... Ty... Tyreen!" It seems he needed her to help him up. She groaned, "Fine.."
Dropping Lilith, she turned to grab her brothers hand and help him up. It looked like she was transferring some of her energy to him as she did so. Lilith weakly crawled towards the key, 'Stop Lil... Please... Just play dead, so I can help you...' Troy came over and kicked her in the gut before she could reach the key, "Ooooooh! Uh-uh-uh. Man, you should've seen your face. You, you, you were like, "Oh, my powers! Boo-hoo!" Ty--Ty, c'mon! We're live in three, two," You decided then that you hated these bastards. Mostly for hurting Lil, but also for that shit joke he made.
Tyreen got in position in front of the camera and put on her stage persona, you zoned out until you heard them talking about you afterwards while bandits prowled around. Tyreen pointed up at me, "Should we do something about her?" Troy shrugged, "Eh, she seemed like small fry. Leave her to the bandits." They both teleported out, or so you thought. As you jumped down from the platform, they were nearby watching you to see what your deal is.
"Fuck! Lil! Stay with me! The nanos are powered up.." Putting your hands on her stomach, you let the bots get to work as Monty ran over to you, "Shit! Fuckers are gonna pay for this.." Monty curled up against her while I healed. The Vault Hunters busted in just as some bandits were rounding up on us, while they defended us, Lilith grabbed my wrist, "We gotta get to Santuary." I nodded and helped her up while calling for Monty, "C'mon boy! Let's go."
The twins were intrigued to say the least, Tyreen smirked, "Maybe we should take her. Hmmm.." Troy smirked, he could think of some ways to play. Tyreen grabbed his hand, "Another time, we got a Vault to find."
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Arriving in Promethea was an insane experience for me, I had never left small parts of Pandora, let alone the entire planet. I was still worried about Lil, but my bots did as much as they could in the situation. Now that I had my chance to explore, I decided to stick close to FL4K, he was the most like me, we got along the best, plus since he is a bot, Lilith didn't mind us sharing a bedroom on the ship. The pups had a blast. Turns out he had other pets as well, they were just in a digistruct type container, he gave me one as well. He said it can only have one beast out at a time.
Every time I fight, I have to resist the urge to just fight with my powers, it would make my time easier, but it isn't a good time for people to know. My travel companions don't even know, only Lil and Ellie. I needed my powers now, especially since she had lost hers. Any time my mind drifted to that moment, my mind reminded me of Troy's eyes and how mesmerizing they were. 'Stop! You are the Medic! Keep your head in the game, he is the enemy..' I shook my head and heard a voice swearing at the bandits and shooting, for a moment I forgot about my group and fought my way over to a girl with black and turqouise hair. She was gorgeous and her accent. It sent a shiver down your spine, 'Gotta stop admiring everyone I meet..' I hated how I fangirled over any pretty face, but I couldn't help it.
She grinned excitedly at me as the rest of the bandits were taken out and my team caught up to me, "Heya! The name's Lorelai. Pleasure to meet ya!" She explained the situation to us all while walking towards her safe spot with Atlas soldiers. I have heard some stuff about the Atlas CEO, apparently he has a robot arm. I am dying to take a look at it.
Lorelai wanted us to take back a building where we could contact Rhys from. Approaching the location of the building, everyone prepped their weapons and I got my sniper off my back and peaked through it, "I see about 20 Maliwan men outside, 5 of them are heavys, hard to tell from here with the others. I can take out some of the small fry, if you all focus the heavys." Everyone was surprised at my sudden take of control, but nodded nonetheless. Amara and Moze took the front charging at the heavys while the rest provided them with cover fire. I focused on the flash troopers I could see, expertly shooting into their back chargers. When they started exploding left and right, my team whooped and started working harder with the added motivation of successs.
After they finished cleaning up the rest of the Maliwan men, I hoisted Monty into my arms and jogged over to them, "That was amazing! I have only ever fought bandits, this was so different!" I twirled in a circle holding Monty in my arms giggling. Amara smirked and patted me on the head, " C'mon kid, we gotta talk to that CEO."
Lorelai chuckled and led the way, "So Medic, why do they call you that? You seem like an ordinary Vault Hunter to me." I smirked and summoned a cloud of my nanobots, "These are my pride and joy. Healing nanobots, I touch someone skin to skin and they get healed, I have some chips inbedded in me, that activate them when I touch someone. Took Ellie and I 3 years to perfect." Lorelai seemed really impressed by this, "Damn, I didn't think you were a child protege looking at you."
Everyone laughed while I had my mouth open in shock, " I'm not a kid! I am 21!" Lorelai broke out laughing, "Oh god! I am sorry, you are just so small!" I huffed and walked over to the control panel in the building, "Let's just call Rhys.." Crossing my arms, Rhys came up on the screen, "Hello, you have reached Rhys CEO and owner of Atlas corporation. Who are you and how did you get this number!?" He freaked out a bit at the sight of the Vault Hunters, his eyes drifted to Lorelai as she spoke, "Rhys, these are Vault Hunters and they came looking for a Vault or information on it."
He looked down at us, "Well I don't know anything about a Vault, but my operative out in the field can probably help you if you seek him out." Lorelai then noticed the mustache on his face, "What is that furball on your face Rhys??" I giggled at her wording, "I think it looks okay." He smirked at my comment, "This is my seige mustache, it garners moral with the troops. Plus she likes it, who are you by the way?"
With blush on my cheeks, I smile at him, "I am the Medic, I'm with the Vault Hunters." He seemed intrigued by this, "Are you a Siren?" I jumped on the inside while avoiding the question, "I have medical nanobots. They activate on contact." He seemed impressed by this and nodded, "Huh, we might have to discuss tech sometime." My insides lit up at the opportunity to talk to more people about tech, not many people growing up were interested in it.
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Something’s up with Jack (Another Jack analysis)
I believe Handsome Jack has Borderline Personality Disorder.
Let’s first go through the symptoms of BPD. In order to be diagnosed with BPD one needs to have repeated patterns of 5 out of 9 symptoms of BPD. I’ll go through the symptoms Jack displays.
Google gives a very brief list of symptoms. I’ll highlight the ones Jack is shown having.
Behavioral: antisocial behavior, compulsive behavior, hostility, impulsivity, irritability, risk taking behaviors, self-destructive behavior, self-harm, social isolation, or lack of restraint
Mood: anger, anxiety, general discontent, guilt, loneliness, mood swings, or sadness
Psychological: depression, distorted self-image, grandiosity, or narcissism
So let’s just dive right into his symptoms. I don’t...really need to provide examples of Jack’s narcissism, do I? Because that one is obvious as all hell.
1) An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection.
Oh yeah. And Jack reacts quite violently to what he perceives as betrayals and/or abandonment. If you trust Jack instead of Fiona at the end of Episode 2, and refuse to trust him in Episode 3 when he asks you too...uh...
“Oh. Oh, that’s a... shame. Because I thought--- I thought we were becoming pals. Saved your life back there and you...still don’t trust me? You know I’m uh...I’ve had to deal with this my whole damn life you know? You try to do the right thing and people just... crap all over you for it. Well, congrats kiddo. You’re the latest in a long line of Jack-shitters. Super psyched about it.”
This isn’t the first time Jack mentions that he should have seen this all coming, he mentions it again at the end of Episode 5.
“I should have seen this coming--ever since I came to this nacho-flavored shithole of a planet. I’ve been betrayed by everybody I gave rat’s ass about. My boss. My girlfriend. Hell...my goddamn daughter.”
Then, of course, Jack telling Rhys...
And....
Jack has extreme violent reactions to people he views as being against him, even when they aren’t. Adding to this is Jack’s hatred of all vault-hunters due to Lilith and Roland’s betrayal and also his fear of being shot in the back if he lets his enemies live. Remember he was willing to forgive the Meriff and let him live until the Meriff tries to shoot Jack as he’s walking away. This then leads to Jack airlocking scientists just for the mere possibility one of them might be working for Zarpedon. Also, when Athena or whoever else you play suggest just rushing to the vault and not fighting Jack insists they all must die, stating that if you let your enemies live, they’ll shoot you in the back.
2) A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel. (People with BPD tend to have relationships that are intense and short-lived. You may fall in love quickly, believing each new person is the one who will make you feel whole, only to be quickly disappointed. Your relationships either seem perfect or horrible, with nothing in between. Your lovers, friends, or family members may feel like they have emotional whiplash from your rapid swings between idealization and devaluation, anger, and hate.)
Moxxi, Rhys, Angel, and his second wife.
Moxxi says he was clingy and that’s why she dumped Jack, Jack blew up her slaughter dome thing due to this, but this doesn’t stop him from asking her for help to fight against Zarpedon.
Rhys? Aw man just take a look at this switch.
“Oh, wow. I wish I could hug you right now. I’m gonna make a robot that just hugs you when I tell it to. I’m so proud. I’m so proud of my special boy! This is a perfect partnership, Rhys. You trusted me. I trusted you, and now we’re here! Man--never really had a partner I could count on before. Feels kinda dope”
No Jack, Rhys doesn’t want a giant Endoskeleton to crawl inside his body.
“This was YOUR chance to make history, you moron! To be part of a legacy! To matter for once in your useless little life!”
Angel doesn’t need to be explained right? In the ECHO logs in Borderlands 2 Jack cycles between being amiable towards her and then lashing out at her.
His relationship with his second wife was ruined over him refusing to shut down the control core, and in an ECHO log it’s stated she disappeared shortly after telling Jack to shut down the control core.
3) Identity disturbance, such as a significant and persistent unstable self-image or sense of self
Jack is a meglomaniac who sees himself as the hero and as a god, but, in BL2 he brings this up:
"I know you think I'm a monster. You think I enslaved Angel. But you didn't see what she did to her mother. I had to restrain Angel's power. You get that? I had to."
He brings this up to the vault hunter. Why? What does he care what the vault hunter thinks of him? Jack sure as hell hasn’t cared at all about “bandits” opinions of him. And he really isn’t shy about blaming other people for something, come on, this is the same man who says he shot a baby because THE BABY was being a dick.
Jack doesn’t blame Angel for betraying him. As he said in TFTBL, she had no choice. He also doesn’t say that vault hunters killed her. He says that she killed herself.
This is Jack being hit with the realization that his daughter is dead, and that he drove her to it. He’s the monster who enslaved Angel, but he says he had to do it (I’ll go deeper into this in a different essay). He had to to restrain her power, he had to, as if he didn’t have a choice. There is guilt behind these words.
To compare, in Tomb Raider 2013 there was extra dialogue (that for some reason was not in the final version of the game) after Lara has her first kill, she tells herself “I had to do it. I had to do it.” That’s how Lara rationalizes taking a life. If she had not killed that man, he would have killed her, so she “had to.”
I believe its the same with Jack. There is guilt there. Why would he feel the need to defend his actions to the vault hunters? To the “bandits?” He saw Angel ask the vault hunters to end her life, he saw her call them friend, her last dying breath was needing to tell her father that he’s an asshole. Jack knows. He knows what he’s done. But he’s too mentally ill to accept it, or change it. If anything, that just drove him further into insanity.
In TFTBL Jack also mentions that he knows where Rhys is coming from and imposter syndrome is normal, and to just strangle that voice in his head that says he’s not good enough.
4) Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship
Hahahaha ooooooh yeaaaaah.
Spending sprees: Butt Stallion
“My day? It's been pretty good. I just bought a pony made of diamonds, because I’m rich. So, you know. That’s cool.“
Unsafe sex:
“If I’da just thrown stock options at the Vault Hunters instead of bullets, I’d be on a beach right now doing disturbingly graphic things with the local ladies.”
Drug abuse:
He mashed up a mushroom and snorted it...a lot...
Primo hit of electri-drugs.
His chair also has contact activated Dopamine injectors.
Jack drinks, a lot apparently, since he thought either sex or drinking would kill him.
It really wouldn’t surprise me if Jack participated in orgies which he probably totally did.
5) Extreme emotional swings. Unstable emotions and moods are common with BPD. One moment, you may feel happy, and the next, despondent. Little things that other people brush off can send you into an emotional tailspin. These mood swings are intense, but they tend to pass fairly quickly (unlike the emotional swings of depression or bipolar disorder), usually lasting just a few minutes or hours.
Jack is...really unstable and I don’t think anyone will disagree.
ECHO logs in BL2 depict Jack going from manic to a fit of rage both with Angel and Mr. Tassiter. As well as Mr. Moorin who he strangles for mentioning his wife.
Or when he gets really excited...
6) Chronic feelings of emptiness. People with BPD often talk about feeling empty, as if there’s a hole or a void inside them. At the extreme, you may feel as if you’re “nothing” or “nobody.” This feeling is uncomfortable, so you may try to fill the hole with things like drugs, food, or sex. But nothing feels truly satisfying.
After becoming CEO he became dictator of Pandora, then decided...hey why not conquer more planets? Why not basically become a god? That toppled on top of Jack’s drug use and sex life. He bought a diamond horse and named it Butt-stallion...
He also says that when he takes Rhys’ body he’s still gonna use it to eat food and bang a bunch of people.
(A side note, Dameon Clarke while answering questions as Handsome Jack said that there’s a lot of smiling going on but he’s actually dead inside. I just wanted to add it here as a point of interest.)
Jack also tolerated Mr. Tassiter’s insults until Tassiter told Jack that he’s a pathetic nobody under his mask. This leads to Jack strangling him and keeping his goatee as a reminder of what happens to people when they’re a dick to Jack.
7)Explosive anger. If you have BPD, you may struggle with intense anger and a short temper. You may also have trouble controlling yourself once the fuse is lit—yelling, throwing things, or becoming completely consumed by rage. It’s important to note that this anger isn’t always directed outwards. You may spend a lot of time being angry at yourself.
I don’t feel I need to provide examples for this one. We’ve all seen Jack’s rage. He uh....really goes off and it is not easy to stop him.
Now that we got Jack’s symptoms out of the way let’s move on to causes.
Most mental health professionals believe that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is caused by a combination of inherited or internal biological factors and external environmental factors, such as traumatic experiences in childhood.
...
Hereditary predisposition. You may be at a higher risk if a close relative — your mother, father, brother or sister — has the same or a similar disorder.
Stressful childhood. Many people with the disorder report being sexually or physically abused or neglected during childhood. Some people have lost or were separated from a parent or close caregiver when they were young or had parents or caregivers with substance misuse or other mental health issues. Others have been exposed to hostile conflict and unstable family relationships.
Let’s start with Jack’s genetics. If you saw my last post about Jack, it was wondering if Jack’s grandmother was a bandit and/or psycho due to her buzz axe. It is very possible that Jack’s grandmother and mother also suffer with some mental illness.
Onto the stressful childhood. Grandma’s buzz axe which was a disciplinary weapon she used on Jack, and in The Pre-Sequel, Jack is asked to describe his childhood which he says his mother abandoned him on his abusive grandmother who would smack him around. He also had a pet cat that his grandma drowned because he didn’t make his bed. He cites this as “the usual stuff”
Jack has both genetics and environmental factors that can lead to someone having mental disorders.
Jack’s drug use and drinking would aid in making his BPD symptoms much worse as well.
So...yeah, there’s my Jack analysis.
#handsome jack#handsome jack borderlands#I was listening to Jack's Obsessions from the nightmare before christmas
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The Treasure Hunter - Saga 1 (Chapter 18) - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction
AN: Another short chapter and another one filled with information, bit I promise that the next chapter will lead us back to some action. Please be patient~
Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet
Chapter 18:
“It was less than twenty-four hours since we've been here last,” Blayke commented as both he and Drayce stepped from the carriage the moment it pulled to a stop in front of the Council Hall.
“I know,” Drayce said with a half-smile as he closed to the door to the carriage and singled to the driver that they were free. “He's going to get sick of us really quick, isn't he?”
Blayke snorted lightly as the two of them quickly made their way up the tall stone stairs to the hall and pushed their way through the usual masses. “Well, it would prove to him that he made the right choice in hiring you as a treasure hunter.”
“Awww, you're so nice~” Drayce couldn’t help but tease, but only earned him a roll of the eyes from Blayke.
They quickly made their way into the halls of the council and made a beeline to Ramus. Thankfully he didn’t appear to be speaking with anyone at the moment so that allowed them to hurry straight up to him.
“Hm?” Ramus murmured as he lifted his head up and a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. “Oh, hello once again.”
“Hey,” Drayce greeted in return with a half wave of his hand. “Sorry, we know it's getting late but we need to have another little chat.”
“Of course,” Ramus immediately but politely replied as he made a motion with his hand to follow him. “Let's head into my office then.”
Once more, in less than twenty-four hours, Drayce and Blayke followed Ramus to his office. He ushered them in first and they quickly moved over to the usual two chairs and sat down as he closed the door behind them. He had a mixture of interest and mild concern on his face as he sat down in his chair to face Drayce and Blayke from across his desk.
“You have news on the Radiant Moon, I take it?” Ramus immediately asked as he folded his hands atop of his desk and gave them his full and undivided attention.
There was no point in beating around the bush. Just lay it all on the table and see what they could do next afterwards.
“Yes and no,” Drayce answered. “Good news is that we were able to transfer the spell on Caelem's back onto a piece of mana infused parchment. The sorta good news is that it while it does mention the Radiant Moon; it also makes reference to someone called The Forgotten Princess.”
Ramus’ eyes subtly widened before he furrowed his brow in a confused but still intrigued manner. “Forgotten Princess?” he repeated. “Could that be referring to the princess who had allegedly stolen the Radiant Moon all those years ago?”
“We seem to think so, too,” Drayce answered as rested back into his chair. “Also some more information you might be interested in. The spell that Caelem had carried is called Moon Legacy and Shashi, a symbolist and a friend of mine, believes that the Moon Legacy was first created out of necessity but was soon regarded as a burden and forced onto others, which was what happened to Caelem. Also that Moon Legacy is the key, or rather compass, that will lead to possibly the Radiant Moon or even something connected to the Forgotten Princess.”
“That's...” Ramus murmured softly, truly not knowing what to say. He honestly hadn’t expected any of the information Drayce had just delivered to him.
Blayke uttered a sigh as he leaned forward the rest his elbows on his knees and furrowed his brown into a serious expression. “Both or either, they are important to the royal family, so we can assume that should anyone else learn of this Moon Legacy, they may become interested as well.”
“Th-these bandits you mentioned before,” Ramus stuttered as he leaned forward. “Do you believe they knew of this information?”
Drayce wished he could ease the prince’s concerns but he couldn’t safely say one way or the other. And he was certain that Ramus would appreciate his honesty over his comfort in regards of such matters.
“Hopefully not,” Drayce said. “We're hoping that they figured that a powerful spell would lead to a pricey treasure. However, we can't rule out that they didn't know. A necromancer was believed to have detected mana from Caelem which was the reason why he was targeted. He surely knew something beforehand.”
Ramus nodded his head as he slowly leaned back into his chair, uncharacteristically slouching. “To think that there is a possibility to learn more of...”
Ramus was no doubt interested in learning more of his ancestors, especially more on the one that was banished from the royal family. But there was another person Drayce himself was interested in. Shashi had mentioned that the Moon Legacy may have been created out of necessity. Could the Moon Mage have been the one to have crafted it?
“Do you happen to have any information regarding this Moon Mage?” Drayce asked.
Ramus immediately straightened his posture and leaned forward slightly to pick up a thin book that sat on the corner of his desk. Now that Drayce’s gaze was drawn to the desk he had noticed that there appeared to be more books and scrolls than there was yesterday.
“I have been searching, yes,” Ramus admitted as he placed the book in front of him and opened it. “From what I have learnt is that the Moon Mage was young but highly regarded. He reportedly held powerful psychic abilities, especially in regards to Divine Intuition. When he gifted the Earthlain Royal Family with the Radiant Moon, many referred to the offering as a blessing from the Moon. He and the Earthlain prince had developed a close bond and it was through that friendship that the two races formed an alliance once more.”
“So the princess stealing the Radiant Moon could have potentially caused tensions between the two races to reform,” Blayke commented. “Is that enough to earn her banishment?”
“Not just banishment, but virtually wiped from the royal achieves,” Drayce added.
Ramus sighed as he shook his head and closed the book. “I'm afraid I do not know. Times back then were very different to how they are now.”
Drayce folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in through with the other. “That's true. So soon after the Legendary War, tensions would still be running high.”
There was something else gnawing at him though. About that princess in particular.
“There is something that’s been bugging me,” Drayce said as he dropped his arms from his chest and leaned forward. “You said that the princess who stole the Radiant Moon was virtually wiped from the archives. That must mean that the Radiant Moon was extremely important to the Earthlain Royal Family. Or she had done something else either in the time period before and this was the last straw. Or in the days after the Radiant Moon's disappearance.”
Truthfully, though, those explanations didn’t sit right with him. He felt that something else was involved in all of this.
Ramus, however, didn’t appear at all surprised by the question. “I had wondered that, too, to be honest,” he admitted again. “But I'm afraid I haven't found any information on the princess involved. However, if she is being referred to as the Forgotten Princess, then perhaps there are some hidden documents of her fate.”
Blayke leaned back into his chair. “Do you think information on the Forgotten Princess could have been buried along with her? That is if we’re assuming that the mention of the Forgotten Princess in the Moon Legacy is actually pointing to her final resting place.”
“That's a possibility,” Drayce murmured before he shook his head slightly. “Another question though would be how old was she when she was placed in that tomb? Was she banished or was she fatally punished?”
Blayke roughly scratched the back of his neck. “Maybe it isn't a tomb at all then. Maybe it's something else to be considered a treasure. Like the books and scrolls of her before her banishment. A vault of sorts.”
Drayce turned to face Blayke and nodded his head. “You know, you're probably right. If she was banished after stealing the Radiant Moon, no doubt considered a traitor and hated for what she had done, who would build a tomb for her?”
“Someone who believes her to be innocent...?” Ramus murmured as he gazes off to the side in thought.
“Or an attempt to hide her involvement,” Blayke added with a shrug of his shoulders.
Drayce raked his hand through his hair once more. They were getting ahead of themselves. There was a lot for them to speculate on and assume, but at the moment they had no solid facts. So they shouldn’t assume anything or limit their options.
“At this point anything could be possible,” Drayce said. “The best thing we can do is to follow where this Moon Legacy leads us and go from there.”
They should probably return to the Crescentia as well. Ashton and Shashi were still researching and he was also concerned for Caelem. He knew that he was in safe hands with Fiorello watching over him, but he was still worried. He couldn’t help himself.
There was also a slight niggling feeling that made him cautious. Ever since he felt that prickly feeling of being watched in the labyrinth earlier that day he felt hyper vigilant. It may be nothing more than reasonable paranoia. Still he rather everyone to be together at the Crescentia.
“We just wanted you to know what we’ve learnt so far,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet and Blayke followed. “If we learn anything more, we’ll be sure to inform you.”
“Yes, please do,” Ramus said as he also took to his feet as if to show them out. “But take care of yourselves first. Do not do anything reckless.”
“Ah, don’t worry too much about us,” Drayce said with a smile. “I’m a professional treasure hunter, after all. I know my limitations. We’ll catch you later.”
Both Drayce and Blayke left Ramus’ office quickly and immediately made a beeline to the outside where carriages often gathered to drop off or pick up visitors of the council hall. Luckily just as they stepped out into the courtyard a carriage rolled up and dropped off a small group of explorers. As soon as the group paid the driver, Drayce and Blayke approached him with their own request.
Naturally, he readily agreed. So they proceeded to give directions and climb into the carriage.
As soon as they began to move, Blayke slumped back into his seat and clutched at his forehead. “This has been one information dump after another lately. And we're not even official explorers yet.”
Drayce chuckled but it sound tired, even to him. “Been one hell of a couple of days, that's for sure. But that’s the life of a treasure hunter.”
Blayke dropped his hand from his forehead and folded his arms across his chest. “So what happens next?”
“Next we head back into the labyrinth,” Drayce answered as he glanced out the window to stare idly at the passing scenery. “The Moon Legacy is believed to activate when it was near the location it is connected it to. Be it the Radiant Moon or something else to do with the Forgotten Princess.”
“Whether it's a tomb or another treasure chest, whatever is connected to the Forgotten Princess is likely to be the target of those bandits,” Blayke said with a slight frown on his lips. “Tombs hold countless treasures after all.”
“Very true,” Drayce said as he nodded and he felt a frown tug at his own lips. “We're going to need to be on our guard.”
The frown on Blayke’s face deepened. “Tsk. As if the monsters weren't bad enough.”
Drayce understood his frustration well. “The monsters we can deal with. It's the unpredictably of those bandits I don't like. Let's just head back to the Crescentia for now. It's getting dark already.”
They sat in silence for the rest of the journey to the Crescentia, both lost in their own thoughts. Drayce was musing not only about the information he learnt but rather what he should actually do tomorrow when they return to the labyrinth. The best thing for them to do is to pretend that they were hoping to complete the first mission.
He remembered Ashton’s warning about others wishing to take advantage of him because he was a treasure hunter. If those bandits were reckless enough to kidnap someone on a hunch, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they may try to accost him into doing all the work while they take the rewards.
And there was also no doubt that they would take whatever they could get their hands on, either the Radiant Moon or information on the Forgotten Princess, and hold it for ransom. They could make a fortune through that method.
Drayce was pulled from his musing when the carriage abruptly pulled to a stop and it was then that he realised that they had reached the Crescentia. Slipping out of the carriage, Drayce paid the driver before he and Blayke quickly made their way up the stone path to the front entrance of their guildhouse and let themselves inside.
“We’re back!” Drayce called out as Blayke shut the door behind them.
“Welcome back!” Faelen greeted from top of the stairs with Nashoba sat at his heels.
“Hey,” Drayce greeted in return as he and Blayke ascended the stairs. “I see the place is still in one piece. Knew you could do it.”
“Heh,” Faelen chuckled, subtly thrilled at his trust in him before his expression faltered into that of relief. “But I'm glad you're back. Nashoba has been acting strangely. He keeps staring outside.”
Drayce glanced down at the white-furred wolf and noted that while he wasn’t tense or uneasy, he was still agitated by something. His ears would flick and twitch on occasion despite his eyes remaining forward.
“I see...” Drayce murmured as that sense of protectiveness in the pit of his stomach grew. He, however, placed a smile on his lips to cover up his own unease. “Anyway, how’s Caelem? I know he’s safe under Kamali and Fiorello’s watch, but has his awaken?”
“Not yet,” Faelen answered as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Caelem’s room. “But Fiorello says he should wake up soon.”
“Ah, good,” Drayce said with genuine relief. “And I assume Ashton and Shashi are still in the library?”
“Yep!” Faelen replied.
Well, back to the library they go then.
“Ah, you’re back,” Ashton greeted the moment that Drayce entered the library with Blayke and Faelen at his heel. “How did the meeting go?”
“Hey, Shashi, Ashton,” Drayce said as he walked over to the table in the centre of the table and stood before the Moon Legacy again. “As well as to be expected. Learn anything else?”
Shashi sat on the other side of the table across from where the Moon Legacy sat in a circle of candles and stones. Before him were several books and note pads with words scribbled on the scattered pieces of paper.
“A little bit more,” Shashi said as he tapped his pencil against his cheek but kept his gaze down on the book in front of him. “It says the Radiant Moon draws upon the light of the full moon to shine the light of truth in the darkness of deceit. If I am to assume anything, it means that the light emitted from the Radiant Moon can only be seen in the dark of night.”
Well, that would make a lot of sense actually.
“Wait,” Blayke called out from behind him. “So does that mean we have to go into the labyrinth at night?”
Shashi’s eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded his head. “It...seems that way.”
“When’s the next full moon?” Faelen was the one to ask.
“Two nights from now.”
A couple of days to prepare themselves then. Good. Plenty of time to go snooping about in the labyrinth. If they went charging in now that may only inspire those bandits to be more suspicious of them. As far as they were aware of they simply saved Caelem from that monster attack.
“Ok, that’s fine,” Drayce said. “I still want to head into the labyrinth tomorrow with the Moon Legacy. At least find the location it is pointing to. Even if we find nothing there at the time, we can return on the night of the full moon to see what happens.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Ashton said as he walked over to the table and placed down a book. “But for now I better make some dinner. Everyone is likely starving.”
Now that he mentioned it, Drayce was pretty hungry. He had missed lunch after all. Ok so he’ll have something to eat first, check in on Caelem to see if he was awake and get him something to eat before he headed to the drawing room to study the map.
Life of a treasure hunter sure was a busy one. Not that Drayce would have it any other way.
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8 Ways to Make Fitness a Habit
New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/8-ways-to-make-fitness-a-habit/
8 Ways to Make Fitness a Habit
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Exercise doesn’t have to only come in the form of a planned workout. It’s a great idea to build it into your everyday life in the form of family fun. But setting aside some time for a workout every day is also important. Having a fitness habit is the best way to reach fitness goals, but creating that habit is sometimes tough. That’s why it’s important to be intentional about making a habit.
8 Ways to Make Fitness a Habit
The hardest part of trying to be more active is finding a way to make it a daily habit. This is an area I’ve been working on for years, and I feel like I’m finally getting somewhere!
Here are my best tips for getting into the exercise groove (even as a million things seem to conspire against you)…
Make It a Priority
We all know the many benefits of exercise from better sleep to increased energy, but sometimes excuses get in the way of sticking with a fitness routine. Not just silly excuses like not being able to find a favorite sports bra, but legitimate ones. We have real struggles every day, like little ones who need to be fed and washed, dishes and laundry that pile up, and jobs or businesses that need attention. All of these are important and can easily push exercise off the list.
But exercise is just as important as these other things. So, making exercise a priority every day is key to ensuring it will actually happen. A bonus is that setting aside some time each day for a fitness routine means you get all of these benefits:
Exercise (can help you reach health goals)
Time to yourself
A lesson for your kids that self-care is a priority
Increased energy
Better sleep
According to a Harvard Health article, regular exercise also improves memory and thinking skills.
When creating your daily or weekly schedule, make sure you schedule in exercise so you will have no excuse not to follow through.
Create a Routine
When we create a routine for our day (including time for exercise) we have more control over our time. They say that it only takes 21 days to form a habit, but getting through those 21 days is much easier when you start with a routine!
Some experts recommend exercising in the morning. Getting your workout out of the way first things means there’s less of a chance of something getting in the way. Also, starting the day with a cardio boost can help keep the metabolism burning all day (and may help you avoid unhealthy habits like eating sugar for breakfast and crashing).
But ultimately the best time of day for a workout is the time of day that will work best for you. Early mornings before the kids wake up work well for some people while lunchtime or after dinner might work better for others. Some people have more energy later in the day so they should capitalize on that!
Additionally, you may have to make fitness choices based on weather or climate. The key is to find a time that works for you and your schedule so you can stick to your fitness goals.
Important caveat: As women, doing the same thing at the same time every day may not be the best for us. Female hormone expert Alisa Vitti recommends creating your routines around your cycle. This concept has helped me tremendously… see this podcast to find out how it works.
Choose Something You Are Excited About
If you want to make fitness a habit you have to love what you’re doing. No one wants to do things they dislike!
Trying to make an exercise activity you hate into a habit is an uphill battle. Instead, explore different possibilities for physical activity. The gym is not right for everyone but walking, swimming, hiking, running, dance, Zumba, or rebounding may be right up your alley.
There are many ways to get a workout outside of the gym (and even in your own home).
One of my favorites is Tabata exercise because it doesn’t take much time and burns serious calories.
I currently use the Hunter Fitness program as a part of my fitness and flexibility routine.
I’ve always loved kettlebells (the one pictured above is one of several fun kettlebell options from Onnit).
This AI-assisted home bike has been a game-changer. It’s an investment, but so are years of gym membership fees!
Consider exercising as a family. We started pole vaulting lessons together recently and the kids love seeing Mom and Dad do something adventurous!
The point is, frequently changing up our exercise outlets brings back that sense of fun and play that keeps us engaged in an active lifestyle as a family.
Vary Your Exercise
Finding something you love to do is important, as I mentioned above, but finding more than one activity is even better. Different activities use different muscles in the body and are different levels of cardio, so it’s a good idea to have a few kinds of exercise that you rotate through. This can help keep you from getting bored with one activity as well.
I like to have something for every occasion. That means I have an indoor floor exercise routine that I can do anytime at home. I also have an outdoor activity (walking or hiking), and I have something I do with friends or family — a backyard game, volleyball, or currently, pole vaulting!
Just Do It
One of the hardest parts of starting a new fitness routine is getting started each day. A simple way to get yourself to exercise more often is to make a rule that you must start your chosen exercise but you don’t have to finish it. Tell yourself that if you want to quit after 5 minutes you can.
This works because the hardest part is usually getting started and once you get going you no longer feel resistance to exercising. Often you remember how good it feels and you’ll want to keep going!
Create Rules Around Skipping Days
One of the best ways I’ve found to make fitness a habit is to create a rule that I can’t skip more than one day in a row. This helps me to exercise more often because I have to carefully plan my skip days. For example, if I have a wedding one day and don’t think I’ll have time to exercise, I’m sure to get a workout in the day before and plan for a workout the day after.
Make It Easy to Stick With It
When we add something new to our lives, it can be tough to adjust. It may be a struggle at first to get yourself to follow your fitness plan, but eventually, it will become a habit that you can’t live without.
However, there are some things you can do to make it as easy as possible to stick with your fitness routine, reducing the chance you’ll fall off the wagon. Reduce as many barriers to working out as possible:
Make sure your workout clothes are clean
Bring workout clothes with you to work if you plan on going to the gym afterward (instead of needing to stop home first)
Plan a hike with friends so it’s more difficult to back out
Sign up for a pilates class in a building as close to home (or work) as possible
Another important barrier to deal with is young kids. Find a way to include the kids in at least one physical activity so that you never have an excuse not to exercise. Walking is great when you have stroller-aged kiddos (or older ones who like to walk) while a hike could work if you have just one little one and a backpack-style baby carrier. For school-aged kids, a game of tag or soccer can work.
Create the Right Goals
Remember that increasing your level of exercise is ultimately about better health (though a healthy weight probably plays into that). Instead of measuring results, like stepping on the scale every day, focus on your effort. If you make sure you’re doing your best to take care of yourself every day, many other goals will just fall into place.
These health apps have helped me to set realistic goals and stay motivated by tracking tangible results.
Creating a Fitness Habit
As busy moms, we have lots of legitimate excuses for why we can’t fit exercise into our day. But the reality is that because we are busy, exercise becomes even more important as a way to reduce stress and gain more energy. These tips have helped me make exercise a normal part of my day and I know they can help you too!
How do you make fitness a habit?
Source: https://wellnessmama.com/423513/fitness-habit/
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