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princessbatears · 2 years

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can i req javi g & kids taking care of were gf after fighting off a bigass animal that broke onto javi's property? just a bit of angst but mostly fluff pls tysm!!!!

Thank you so much for this lovely ask, darling! I appreciate your patience as it's taken me a few weeks to get written, and I hope you enjoy the result!

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x Werewolf Single Mom f!Reader Warnings: mild angst, hurt/comfort, injury, description of blood and wounds, first aid care, language, discussion of killing an animal, implication of non-sexual nudity Words: 2k A/N: This takes place during the time skip in Casa Werewolf Chapter 9

The full moon shines ivory through the master bedroom window of the safe house, but it doesn’t disturb the triplets as they nestle together on the bed, bellies full of squirrels and birds.

Javi watches them sleep like he does every full moon night while you’re out getting yourself food. He’ll never get over how cute they are.

He glances at his watch, then frowns. You’ve been gone longer than usual. Maybe you had to go farther to find food. You’ll likely be back any second.

After another five minutes, he’s too restless to stay sitting. He heads downstairs and peers out the front window. No massive wolf shape to ease his mind.

It’s another forty-five minutes before there’s a rapping on the door. He springs for the window again, double-checking it’s you, before unlocking and opening it.

The first thing he notices is the large amount of blood staining the cream-colored coat on your right shoulder. It drips down your front right leg, which you’re keeping off the ground. Your face is also bloody.

“Dios mío!” he gasps, fear immediately taking hold of him.

You limp inside, your breath heavy with effort and pain. There’s other patches of blood on your side and one of your flank, as well as a splattering of it across your whole body.

Javi’s first instinct is to call someone for help, but that’s immediately quashed by the realization there is no one who can call. He’s the help.

“Let me look at you in the kitchen.” The best light’s in there. “I’m going to get the first aid kit!” His voice has risen in pitch with panic.

Hearing your slow plod in that direction, he bolts upstairs. He has to calm down. He’s no good to you freaking out. But shit-shit-shit! What if it’s really serious? What if it’s too serious for your Wolf healing powers to take care of? There’s so much blood, what if you bleed out?

What even happened? Were you attacked by something? Were you shot? Fuck, what if there was someone on his property, like an illegal hunter, and they saw you?!

After snatching the first aid kit from the bathroom and as many spare towels as he can carry, he leaps down the stairs three at a time.

You’re laying on the kitchen floor on your belly, licking at your wounded shoulder. “No, no, no, we need to clean it properly!” he yelps.

The look you give him is scathing enough to finally calm him down. You’re not a child, you’re a grown-ass werewolf, and treating you like anything else is likely to get him forbidden from helping you at all.

“I can help you wash up faster,” he amends in a steadier voice.

He crouches down next to you. Now he can see a large, tearing wound on your shoulder. And there are sets of gashes on your side and flank. Another animal attacked you. A big one.

Despite how serious these wounds are, Javi’s relieved it wasn’t a human. Your secret’s still safe.

“Is it just these three?” he asks, gesturing to each injury.

You nod, jaw clenched. You’re still breathing hard and fast.

“Can you take anything for the pain?” He quickly opens the first aid kit. “I’ve got some over the counter stuff. And wine.”

When you shake your head, he bites back a frustrated curse. He knows you sense his emotions. The best way to help you really is to be calm.

Carefully, he presses a kiss to your snout. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.” He strokes your ears before moving to the sink to run the hot water. Then, he picks up the huge dog bowl of water on the floor and brings it to you. You lap at it thirstily.

Once the sink is full, he gets a few towels wet, then goes to your side again. First, he gently cleans the blood off your face. Next, he moves to the shoulder. Once some of the gore is gone, he can more easily see it’s a deep bite wound. Thankfully, the bleeding has mostly stopped.

“Was it another wolf?” There are some wild wolves around, although they’re quite small compared to you.

You shake your head again.

“Bear?”

This time, you nod.

“You need stitches.” Javi’s not sure he has thread and needle in the safe house to do that with, and he’s never sewn anything in his life, but he’ll figure it out.

Another shake of your head.

“These are really bad, mi luz,” he protests, unsure that the Wolf’s healing properties are enough. “Can I disinfect it, at least?”

More nodding. Your movements are sluggish. It makes him nervous. Are you just tired? Is it the pain? Is it serious blood loss?

He opens a couple of antiseptic wipes and begins to run them over the wound. A whimper escapes you, wrenching his heart.

“I’m so sorry this hurts.”

You rest your chin on his thigh, pressing your cheek against his stomach for comfort.

Javi kisses to the top of your head as he moves onto the gashes on your side. Once he’s cleaned your fur, it’s apparent they’re scratches. Definitely not pretty, but not as alarming as the bite wound.

Once the scratches on your flank have also been tended, he looks down at you, about to ask you if he can do anything else. But you’re asleep, head still nuzzled against him.

He remains seated, lightly petting your ruff. Your breathing has slowed and you seem stable, so he figures the thing you need most now is rest.

Finally, his back getting stiff, he moves your head off his lap and goes to the living room, where he collects blankets and pillows.

Bringing them to the kitchen, he sets up a nest right next to you. Then, calling your names softly, he touches your head. You peek at him from under heavy lids. “Can you scoot onto these?”

Avoiding using your right front leg, you army crawl onto the makeshift bed. With a moan, you relax. He covers you up with another couple of blankets.

Your tongue caresses his hand, tail wagging feebly in thanks.

“Is there anything else you need?”

With your left arm, you make the gesture of rocking a baby, which is the signal for asking after the children.

“They’re asleep upstairs.”

With a sigh, you lay your head on a pillow, eyes slipping shut again. He stretches out next to you, massaging your ears until you’re in a deep sleep.

The moon sets in the early hours of the morning before the kids are up. Javi’s awakened to your sharp cry of pain as you transform back into human.

“Sorry,” you hiss. “Probably should have waited a bit longer to shift.”

Quickly, he sits up to see if the change worsened your injuries. “Stay still,” he says softly, not wanting you to move again until he’s examined you.

Thankfully, you don’t seem to have further damaged anything. The bite on your shoulder has a good scab on it and there’s no sign of inflammation. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was several days old. The same for the scratches on your side and hip. You have a lot of bruises, as well, and they’re already yellowing.

“They’re healing, but you’re going to have to take it easy for a little while.”

You turn your head to look at your shoulder, grimacing. “That bastard took a real chunk out of me, didn’t he?”

Javi grabs the first aid kit to spread some antibiotic ointment on the wounds. It might not be needed, but it’ll make him feel better. “How did you get in a fight with a bear? You don’t normally hunt them, do you?”

“No. But I chased a buck into his territory and he stupidly decided to take me on. Usually, even a bear would run from me. Maybe there was something wrong with it. Maybe it’s because winter’s coming. Whatever the reason, he wanted me dead and he was big enough to put up a fight.”

Stomach clenching at the idea of you being attacked by a bear, Javi asks tightly, “Is it dead?”

“Made him my supper,” you say wryly.

He narrows his eyes at you. “You ate before coming back here? When you were so badly hurt?!”

“I needed fuel,” you say simply. “Can’t travel, transform or heal without it.”

He huffs, even if that’s a valid point. Then, he changes the subject, “Do you want me to make you a bed in the living room or do you want to go upstairs?”

You ponder for a beat. “Probably down here. My whole body hurts a lot,” you admit, looking like it embarrasses you to say so.

Javi kisses you lips. “Of course. Let me get your pjs, too.”

When he goes up to the master bedroom, the kids are still piled together on the bed in their Wolf forms. Careful not to wake them, he pulls your pajamas from the dresser and slips from the room. He wants you comfortable before they get involved.

Before long, you’re laying on the sofa with pillows, blankets and water. “I’m not going to be able to hunt tonight,” you fuss. “The triplets’ll need food.”

“I’ll buy meat for all of you. You don’t need to worry about that,” he reassures.

Their muffled voices can be suddenly heard from the bedroom.

You turn your head in that direction. “They’ve never seen me hurt like this.”

Javi runs a hand over your hair. “They’ll be okay.”

A moment later, the master bedroom door opens and three pairs of feet thunder down. Tallulah jumps off the fourth step from the bottom, landing gracefully. Bo and Astrid copy her.

“Good morning!” Javi smiles. “Come talk to me and your mama before we make breakfast.”

They bound over to the sofa, but their good energy quickly evaporates when they see your pain-tightened face. And Bo says worriedly, “You smell like blood.”

“Did you get hurt?” Tallulah asks, eyes scanning you. She can only see the few bruises your clothes don’t cover up.

“I’m going to be fine,” you soothe. “It was a bear, but he only hurt me in a few spots.”

Javi doesn’t believe brushing this off so quickly is in their best interest, so he elaborates, “Mama’s got some pretty nasty wounds and her body hurts a lot. In order for her to heal, she needs plenty of rest. Would you three be willing to help me support her?”

You open your mouth to protest, but the triplets nod earnestly.

Astrid, although misty-eyed, seems to take comfort from having a task. “Do you want some ice chips to suck on?” she asks you sweetly.

A genuine smile crosses your face for the first time that morning as you caress her cheek. “Some ice chips sound lovely, sweetheart.”

She trots off to the kitchen.

“Can I see where he hurt you?” Bo’s curiosity has taken over.

You carefully pull your shirt off your right shoulder to show him. “Here’s one spot.”

“Whoa!” he gasps, awed. “And you fought him off?”

“I did. He was my supper.”

Bo grins proudly at how powerful you are. It gives Javi some much-needed perspective. The fact that you were able to single-handedly kill a male Iberian bear is no small feat.

Tallulah’s peering closely at the wound. “You can see some of the teeth marks. It had teeth almost as big as yours, Mama!”

You chuckle. “He had very big teeth.”

Astrid returns, hands carefully cradling some ice cubes. “Here,” she beams, thrusting them at you.

Javi quickly goes to the kitchen for a bowl and give himself a private moment to giggle at how adorably funny the kids are being about all this.

When he returns, he says, “Astrid, let’s put the cubes in here so they don’t melt as fast.”

She drops them in before nestling the bowl on the couch by your head. Then, she joins Bo and Tallulah in their admiration of your wound.

Javi claps his hands together enthusiastically. “Okay, I need some assistants! Any volunteers?”

The children spin around to face him eagerly, all yelling, “Me!”

“I’m going to need one egg scrambler, one table setter, and one juice pourer.”

They dash into the kitchen, arguing loudly about who gets to do what.

“Thank you, Javi,” you sigh, a mixture of gratitude and apology in your voice.

He bends over to kiss you gently. “You are the queen today. You have four willing devotees at your service.”

You smile, abashed.

When a loud crash echoes from the other room, he straightens. “I’d better go see what that was…”

- - -

Thank you SO much for reading this story; I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🥰

Spanish Translations/Notes: Dios mío - my god Mi luz - my light Mi amor- my love

Javi Gutierrez Masterlist

Werewolf Masterlist

#javi gutierrez #javi gutierrez x reader #javi g x reader #tuwomt fan fic #the unbearable weight of massive talent fan fic #javi g #werewolf reader #werewolf au #casa werewolf series

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acuaticamber06 · 7 years

Text

Undertale, Chapter Six

Woo! Weekly goal: reached!

We left Sans blushing in the car last week. (And, OHMIGOSH @reptilerach drew out the scene in comic form and I just about DIED. <3<3<3 ) Let's see what trouble they get into this time!

Warnings: More light cursing. (This is becoming a habit. lol)

Obvious Disclaimer: I don’t own Undertale or any of the characters in it, just my own characters. This story is for fun. ^_^

***

Undertone, Chapter Six

Sans tried to answer Rin's questions about Grillby, but he was more than a little uncomfortable with the honesty of his previous words. Look, you're easy on the eyes, kid. Even my sockets can see that. Heck, if you weren't already taken, I'd- He rolled his eyes at himself internally. You'd what? Sweep her off her feet? Tell her how gorgeous she really is and make her fall for your charms? Have her wrapped around your little phalange with a few well-placed kisses? You're a fool, Sans Skeleton. A dreaming fool.

He acknowledged the feelings and did his best to let them go. Squashing them down and ignoring them wasn't going to help. He'd probably start obsessing over them, and then he'd have a real problem on his hands.

No matter what, he wouldn't do that to Grillby. The elemental had been an anchor for him through the years, becoming like an older brother to him and being a giver of fatherly advice. Whatever the rest of the Underground thought of Sans, Grillby had always been his reality check, for better or for worse. Now he had to be the reality check for himself. If you ruin what they have, you will be losing your best friend. You will fracture the monster community, and Grillby will withdraw into himself. Worse than that, he might never trust another woman with his heart again. Hell, he might lose faith in every other being on the planet. A car that was rapidly closing the space between them whipped into the left lane and passed them, hitting the gas and squealing the tires as it turned a corner. "Holy crap. Could he have gone any faster?" Rin frowned and raised her voice. "LEARN TO USE YOUR TURN-SIGNAL! Jerk..." "Eh, maybe he was just hungry." Sans shrugged. "Hungry? I don't care if he was starving, that's no excuse-" "You do know what the fastest fast-food is, don't you?" Sans interrupted with a smirk. "...What?" She asked with a grin of her own. "Lamb-Burg-inis!" "Ugh, you're driving me crazy, Sans!" She laughed. "Hey, a fella has to toot his own horn sometimes." Their giggles faded and her face grew a little more serious. "You know, he might just be angry that he's driving a lemon..." His belly laughs were tempered by the realization that splashed over him again like a bucket of cold water. Stop it. It doesn't matter how pretty she is or how much she likes your jokes. It doesn't matter how much you think you like her: you have to let this one go. For Grillby's sake. He lightly punched Rin's arm. "You've got a pretty good pun game, kid. I don't think there's much else I can teach you." "And so the student surpasses the teacher." She took a deep breath and let it out. "You know, Sans, I...keep most people at arm's length. If you're distant from others, they can't hurt you. And thanks to the circumstances, I didn't have any friends when I was growing up." He parked behind the bar and turned to look at Rin. There was a vulnerable honesty in her eyes.

"I'm really glad that you are my first real friend." His heart swelled and he extended his hand to shake hers. "Me too, kid. Me too." After she shook his hand, Sans pulled her under his arm and gave her a solid noogie on the head. Rin protested loudly through her laughter, and he eased off so she could sit up again. "Come on." Sans opened the car door and stepped out. "Let's go see how Grillby's doing. The bar will be open any minute now." Rin hopped out and beat him to the back door of the bar. "I've gotta run downstairs for a second, but I'll be back up in a few, okay?" "Sure." A wall of familiar smells enveloped him as he walked into the kitchen. Rin took a sharp right and practically flew down the stairs to Grillby's apartment. He plodded through the swinging doors to his place at the bar, greeting Grillby with a pat on the back. "Hey, Grillbz. We're back." The elemental lifted one eyebrow in question. "The cleaning crew finished and I paid them." Sans answered. He already knew what the bartender wanted to know. "Rin is downstairs. She said she'd be back up in a minute."

Grillby nodded and went back to polishing a glass. "I, however, would be interested in getting a Burg AND some Fries. My magic is totally gone and I'm starving." Grillby looked up at him, amusement written all over his face. He pointed to the clock on the wall. It read 3:57. "You're kidding." Sans said, exasperated. Grillby's smile grew as he shook his head. "You're really gonna make me wait until the bar officially opens to order my food? After everything I've done for you two today?" Grillby considered the question for a moment, then nodded decidedly. "Grillby, so help me Asgore, if you don't get your burning butt into that kitchen and make me something to eat, I'll-" Sans eyes shifted past the laughing elemental at the swinging doors. What he saw made him go slack-jawed. Rin walked into the room, dressed almost exactly like Grillby. She had black slacks, a white, button-down shirt, and over that was a smart, black vest. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, but one lock strayed down the side of her face. All of those things were very normal, but every piece looked like it had been made to fit her perfectly. He had never seen her in something so clean-cut. She was fully clothed, but somehow her outfit accentuated every beautiful curve on her body. Sans felt his face start to flush blue and he tried not to ogle her. Instead, he trained his eyes on Grillby, waiting for his friend to react. ~~~ Grillby was staring at Sans like the skeleton had lost his damn mind. Whether mute or not, Grillby could never get him to shut up, much less stop him cold in the middle of a sentence. Is he...blushing? When he noticed that Sans' eyes had moved to something over his shoulder, he put the glass down on the bar and turned around. Suddenly, Sans' reaction made a lot more sense. Grillby didn't know where she'd been hiding it, but she had an outfit almost identical to his bartending uniform. Although there were a few...subtle differences. For one thing, she was wearing short sleeves. Her shirt wasn't made to be tucked in, but he actually liked it better that way. It flared out at her hips like a tiny skirt.

As his eyes traveled up to her face, his temperature rose and he felt the flames on his face turn blue. Her shirt also wasn't buttoned to the top. She'd left the first few buttons undone, showing some skin underneath. But she hadn't forgotten the bow; she'd tied a black ribbon around her bare neck. He swallowed hard and tried to smile, inclining his head to her in welcome. She smoothed out her vest and looked up at the men. "Well? What do you think? Is this alright for work?" Grillby nodded a little too enthusiastically, and he heard Sans snort behind him. Laugh while you can, Sans... Rin pulled a small notepad from her pocket and tucked a pencil behind her ear. "Great! I figured we'd draft up something more official for tracking my hours later. Do you mind if I keep track of it in my notebook for the time being?" Grillby shook himself into action and handed her the tablet. *You don't have to start today if you don't want to. Aren't you tired? "Not right now." Rin shrugged. "And I'd like to learn as much as I can about how you do things. I haven't spent as much time here as I would have liked." She looked warmly around the room. "Actually, I wish I'd let myself take you up on your offer from before and just come to hang out. I guess I didn't want to inconvenience you." Grillby couldn't help the smile that peeked through his flustered state of mind. She was adorable. *You are never an inconvenience. Remember that. She read his words and returned his smile with a nod. Holding up a finger, Grillby reached beneath the bar and fished out a clean towel. He tossed it to Rin, and felt a little pride inflate his chest when she tucked the corner into her back pocket the same way he did. *Let's get started, then! Sans will be our guinea pig. I think he's hungry. Why don't you take his order? With a smirk, Rin swayed past Grillby and leaned over the bar directly in front of Sans. She looked up through her eyelashes at him seductively, and when she spoke, her voice was husky and low. "Hey there, stranger. What'll it be?" Sans gaped at her and tried to stammer out a reply when Grillby couldn't take it anymore. He and Rin broke down in a fit of laughter, leaving Sans looking flustered and confused. As soon as he was back in control, Grillby tapped her on the arm and gestured at Sans. "You're right. I'm sorry, Sans." She looked at the skeleton, wiping tears from her eyes. "I was just teasing you. Are you hungry? What can I get for you tonight?" ~~~

For the rest of the evening, Rin bounced from table to table, taking orders and chatting with customers. She especially liked talking to Big Mouth, a Monster who truly fit his name, who she immediately nicknamed "Biggie" out of fondness. She could have wasted an hour just discussing food with the guy. She also met Red, a Bird who used to communicate for Grillby before he got his new system into place. Rin wondered briefly if she had some kind of telepathic magic, but she promised that no, she couldn't read minds; she was just good at reading people. When Rin reflected on it later, she never remembered actually asking Red that question, so the Bird's response still left her wondering. But it was when the regulars from the royal guard showed up that Rin found her favorite customer. All of the Dogs were wonderful people who asked her as many questions as she asked them. Dogamy and Dogaressa made a cute couple (albeit a little over the top), Lesser Dog acknowledged Rin and then immediately went back to a variant of solitaire that she'd never seen before, and Greater Dog seemed overjoyed when Rin referred to him as "Major." Then she met Doggo. The poor fellow was practically blind. (Rin almost assumed he was totally blind by the way he dressed. She didn't know anybody who wore a bright pink tank top with leopard-print pants.) He explained that he could only see things when they moved, and from that moment on, she swayed slowly from foot to foot so he'd know she was there. She felt bad for judging him based on his clothing choices, so it was to Doggo that she directed her attention throughout the remainder of the night. After setting down one of his refills, he asked her a question that had been burning in her own mind for the bulk of the evening. He held out his arm. "Do you...do you want to touch it?" Rin stopped. "What?" "It is a common reaction in humans. We Dogs look so much like their pet counterparts that the first thing most people want to do is pet us." He held his arm out again. "Go ahead, if you want to." Haltingly, Rin brought her hand up and gently stroked his arm. It certainly wasn't the strangest thing she'd done around a Monster, and she didn't want to insult her favorite customer. "Oh! Oh, wow!" A grin crept across her face. "Your fur is so soft!"

She could hear his tail thumping beneath the table. "Thanks, but that's nothing. It's softest on my ears." Rin lightly touched his ears and was astonished to find that he was right. "So it is!" Rin leaned over to look at him. "You have to tell me. What's your secret?" "Careful, Rin..." Dogaressa spoke behind her hand conspiratorially. "He'll keep you here for the rest of the night if he can. Petting's his favorite activity. Well, next to fetch, anyway." Rin glanced back at Doggo. "Wait, you play fetch?" "Sure I do!" His tail thumped underneath the table again. "Huh. That's...uh, interesting!" "Why?" He quirked his head to the side. "Well, I didn't think Dogs would play fetch. With anyone." "Why not?" His head tilted all the way back to the other side. "I... I guess I thought it would be...demeaning somehow?" She explained delicately, twisting her towel between her fingers.

"Most of us did outgrow the game when we were pups." Dogamy nodded. Doggo folded his arms defiantly. "It's cardio with a purpose, Dogamy. Just like a foot race. There's nothing wrong with that." "Well I think it's great." Rin tousled the fur on Doggo's head and he leaned into the touch with a smile. "We should totally play sometime when I have a day off." She spotted Grillby waving at her from across the bar and excused herself. She might have been imagining it, but Doggo seemed to droop slightly as she walked away. "Are all Monsters this nice? I don't think I've met a rude Monster yet." Rin tucked her towel back into her pocket and leaned against the bar across from Grillby. *For the most part. Nearly every Monster I know is nice in their own way. Even Asgore has a kind heart, despite all that he and Toriel have been through. Rin nodded, trying to look like she understood while desperately digging through memory files to remember what little Monster history she'd been exposed to. I've GOT to get myself a book on the subject. There has to be a book, right?

To her right, Sans cleared his throat. "Heads up, Grillbz. It's a blue moon tonight." Grillby's head snapped up toward the door. Rin followed his gaze to see a beautiful Spider sweep into the room. Her skin was an iridescent lilac, and it sparkled in the low light of the bar. She was wearing a ruby red dress with butterfly sleeves for each of her six arms. Her handbag had a gold-chain strap and matched the black heels on her feet. Grillby moved out from behind the bar to greet her, and Rin could see that her hair was twisted up neatly with a red clip. As she spoke to Grillby, Rin decided that her most striking feature was her eyes. There were five in an arch across her face, and each one blinked in succession from left to right. "We use 'blue moon' as a code for her because she so rarely comes in to the bar while it's open." Sans said in low tones, bringing Rin's attention away from the Spider. "She's been pursuing Grillby ever since we came topside. Recently she's really stepped up her game; changed her look." "Oh?" A twinge of jealousy twisted in her stomach. "Yep. So I guess the 'heads up' is for you, too." Sans took a swig of his drink. "Remember when you asked me about your 'competition' earlier? Well, as far as Muffet is concerned, she's the only one who qualifies." "Did I just hear my name, Sans Skeleton?" Muffet strolled to the bar with three arms looped around one of Grillby's. He looked from Rin to Sans with an expression of defeat. "Indeed you did. Rin, this is Muffet. She owns a bakery up the street from here. Muffet, I'd like you to meet Rin: Grillby's first employee and new roommate." The whole bar seemed to go quiet, and everyone's eyes in the group did something different in that moment. Rin's widened in shock, Grillby's pinched shut with silent regret, Sans' tugged up at the corners in suppressed laughter, and all five of Muffet's narrowed directly at Rin. The look sent a chill down her spine. "Really? How...delightful." Muffet was almost able to remove the derision from her voice. "Muffet makes the best doughnuts you'll ever sink your teeth into." Sans continued. "And her bakery doubles as a tearoom. It's a quiet place; good for reading, if you're into that sort of thing."

The tension was palpable, and Rin couldn't handle it much longer. She offered her hand to the Spider with a smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Muffet." "Ah, yes. Charmed." She shook Rin's hand with the lightest contact. "And this may be Rin's first day on the job, but I can already tell that she will be an invaluable asset to ol' Grillbz here." Muffet's look narrowed further. "Hahaha, Sans!" Rin punched him not-so-lightly in the shoulder. "You're exaggerating. I'm just learning the ropes today." She glared at him beneath her smile with as much Knock it off! as she could muster. The last thing she wanted was to make an enemy on her first day in a new community. Sans must have understood, because he deflated a bit and redirected the conversation.

"Hey, it's a little later than we usually see you, Muffet. To what do we owe the honor?" "Oh, nothing in particular! It's just such a nice evening. The stars were practically begging me to take a walk." She leaned back against Grillby's chest and looked up at him with a dreamy look in her eyes. "I'm sure Mr. Domona understands. We are creatures that thrive in the darkness. Nights like these were made for Monsters like us."

Her words hurt Rin more than she cared to admit, so much so that hearing Grillby’s last name for the first time didn’t even phase her. It was one thing to know that she wasn't a Monster like Grillby, but to be reminded of the fact in a not-so-pleasant way by a beautiful Monster made that knife twist in her gut. Even worse, she was a beautiful Monster who wanted Grillby. A chime sounded and Muffet raised one of her left arms to look at her watch. She was looking down when Grillby shot a panicked I didn't ask for this! look at Sans and Rin, holding his hands up where they could be seen. "Oh, my! Look at the time! It's already two AM." She spun on one foot and took Grillby's two hands into her six. "Why don't we take a walk, Grillby? Just you and me and the starlight. Since you have an employee now, she can close up for you." Muffet's eyes narrowed and locked with Rin's. "You don't mind, do you, dearie?" Both Rin and Sans took a breath to protest at the same time, but Grillby beat them to it and slid the tablet in front of Muffet's face, breaking that steely gaze. When Rin let the breath go, it was more of a sigh of relief. "Aw, really? You still have to teach her how?" Muffet turned a boo-boo lip to the fire elemental which, frankly, Rin hadn't know to be physically possible. He nodded vigorously. "I understand." Muffet dropped her head with her many arms from the pleading position they'd been holding. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she walked the fingers on one hand up Grillby's chest towards his face like...well, like a spider. Grillby looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I suppose there will be many more beautiful summer nights to come. Now that you've hired help, maybe your schedule will be a bit more...flexible." Muffet turned and winked at Rin, obviously not caring about subtlety, then glided out the door and into the night.

You could hear a pin drop in the bar. After a moment, Sans broke the silence with a sigh. "And now you've met Muffet. She's less of a person, and more of...an experience." "No kidding." Rin honestly didn't know how to feel after the encounter. However she felt, she was pretty sure it wasn't good. ~~~ As soon as Sans spoke, Grillby went into damage-control mode. It had been a couple of weeks since Muffet's last performance, and it honestly hadn't crossed his mind as something he should warn Rin about. Seeing her downcast expression, Grillby really wished he'd thought of it sooner. He handed her the tablet with an apologetic smile. *Unfortunately, we need to check out the customers and close up for the night. Can we talk about this later? Rin nodded and seemed to bolster herself. "Alright. What should I do first?" ~~~ Sans was the last person to leave, but he kind of did that on purpose. He had called his brother to come and pick him up since his magic was gone. When he saw the headlights of Pap's car pull up to the bar, he got up with a groan. "Welp, there's my ride. I'd introduce you to Papyrus, but I think you've hand enough experiences for one night." He smirked up at Rin as she walked him to the door, but she wasn't really looking at him. She seemed worried.

"Rin." Sans stopped at the door until he got her attention. "I'm sorry if I made the Muffet situation worse than it had to be, but try not to jump to conclusions, alright? Muffet does that enough for all of us." Rin gave him a weak smile. "Okay, Sans. I'll try. Have a good night." He stepped outside and watched her smile fade as soon as she locked the door. Sliding into the passenger's seat, Sans had to admit that he hadn't felt this crummy in a long time. He'd hurt Rin. Sure, in was indirectly, but he'd made her sad. And as soon as that realization had hit him, he'd felt her sadness, too; as if it was his own. And that feeling worried him. No, not just that feeling, but all of them. How long had he really felt this way about Rin? He'd convinced himself that it was a new development, but that wasn't the truth. Sans thought back, trying to pinpoint the moment he began to fall for her. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear what his brother was saying at first. "...HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE WOKEN UP BY A RINGTONE THAT SOUNDS LIKE FRENZIED DUCK-QUACKING?!? I ENJOY THE OCCASIONAL PRANK NOW AND THEN, BUT WHEN THAT PRANK CAUSES SOMEONE TO HAVE A NIGHTMARE ABOUT BEING CHASED BY A FLOCK OF ANGRY FOWEL, THAT'S JUST..." It was the moment I saw her sitting at the bar. The day her car broke down. The very beginning.

Sans was really stuck between a rock and a hard place. He'd never been in a situation where he wanted something that he couldn't have; something that he shouldn't have. If Sans had ever wanted anything, he'd just turn on the charm or the magic and make it happen. Grillby is too important to me to interfere. That would break his heart...and Rin is so happy with him...just look at how much it hurt her to think that he'd choose Muffet instead. I can't do that to her. He looked down at his empty hands.

So, that just leaves me. Here. Alone. With these...feelings. "...MORE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW MUCH MAGIC YOU USE, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO INCONVENIENCE THE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU. LIKE YOUR BROTHER, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WHO WAS SOUNDLY ASLEEP WHEN YOU CALLED. REALLY, SANS, IF YOU- SANS? SANS! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?" "'There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.'" Sans quoted under his breath. "I'm definitely the tired." "WHAT? SANS, NO ONE'S GOING TO UNDERSTAND YOU IF YOU KEEP MUMBLING LIKE THAT." Sans turned his sockets out to the passing scenery. "Have you ever read The Great Gatsby?" "WHAT'S A 'GATSBY'?" Papyrus stopped at a red light and looked at him incredulously. "Never mind. Hey, Papyrus?" "YES, BROTHER?" "What do you do when you have...a problem?" "A PROBLEM?" "Yeah." His eyes were back down in his lap. "What do you do if you have a problem and a bunch of feelings and you don't know what to do with them?" "WELL- actually, I run." Papyrus only ever lowered his voice when he was being incredibly serious. A humorless laugh crept out of Sans' throat. "So you run away from your problems, huh? I figured you to be the type to meet them head-on." "No, no, that's not what I meant." Papyrus shook his head. "If I have a problem that I can't find a solution for, I use the feelings as fuel. I take all the sadness, or anger, or frustration and push it through my legs while I run. I run until I can't run anymore. Then, if the problem isn't gone just by getting rid of those emotions, I can approach it with a clear head and think about it objectively."

Sans was stunned. "That was...very good advice, bro." "OF COURSE IT WAS! Just because I'm your younger brother doesn't mean I haven't seen my share of problems." He paused before he continued. "Are you okay, Sans? You've been a bit...moody lately, and you're drinking a lot more. I'm worried about you." Sans sighed and patted his brother's arm. "I'm alright. I just need to find a way to use these feelings as fuel." "You know, I was planning on going running tomorrow... Would like to come?" Papyrus asked. "You don't have to do it alone." Sans stopped himself before he shot the offer down. Sure, he was lazy. And no, running was NOT his favorite activity in the world. But he'd been ignoring his feelings for Rin longer than he should have. Maybe...maybe it would actually help. "Only if you're prepared to be a Drill Sargent. You know how much I hate exercising." "FEAR NOT, MY BROTHER!" Papyrus' face split into a grin. Sans was a little worried that his jaw would unhinge. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE MOST MOTIVATING DRILL SARGENT YOU HAVE EVER SEEN! WE'LL GET UP AT SIX AM, SHARP, AND EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST OF SPAGHETTI! THEN WE'LL SPEND THIRTY MINUTES DOING WARM-UP CALISTHENICS IN THE DRIVEWAY! ONCE OUR BONES ARE PROPERLY STRETCHED, WE'LL-" Sans rubbed one temple and chuckled to himself. He was regretting it already. But if it helps... He looked up at the stars twinkling in the sky above. They sparkled with every color of the rainbow; it wasn't just one green light blinking in the distance. I want to be the best friend anybody could ask for. To both of them.

***

Rin against the world, Rin against Muffet, and Sans against himself...! We've got aaaaall the conflict in this story, haven't we? Hopefully some of this will begin to resolve soon. Muffet seemed pretty set on fighting for Grillby...

Tune in next week for Chapter Seven!

Chapter Five

Chapter Seven

#undertonefic #grillby #fanfic #Undertale

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sometimes-issy-writes-blog · 7 years

Text

Chapter 4:

Morning came sooner than I would have liked. Reluctantly I throw my legs out of bed sitting up. The knotting tension in my back reminds me of its presence. I ache all over I allow myself a moment of self-pity before forcing on with my day.

I’m up and out of yesterday’s clothes striding towards the bathroom at the inviting idea of a warm shower. However, before I can get there I see my work phone light up on the coffee table. Still clutching the soft towels in my arm, I walk into the open plan kitchen and living room to get it. A message from Arthur letting me know that they’ve extracted the information from the microchip and notified the relevant authorities.

I breathe a sigh of relief glad my slip up wouldn’t be of much consequence. Getting ready for the day ahead was easier now as I shower. The chill of the October air reminds me to dress warm as I open my room window it bites at my cheeks as I prime my skin for makeup. I’m out of my apartment in record time and on the road to my Mother’s house to pick my favourite four-legged friend.

I see Milo in the bay window of the house as I pull up. Not bothering to knock I push my way through the front door. “Hi Mum I’m back” I call as Milo descends on me barking and milling around legs excited. I kneel to greet him properly petting his golden fur “Oh I’ve missed you too Milo”.

My Mum appears then in the door way to the kitchen “hi sweetheart how was your trip did you close the deal?” she asked smiling.

“Of course, I did” I lie easily still absentmindedly stroking Milo. I stand and step into my Mums open arms for a hug when we break away she hold me at arm’s length giving me a once over.

“You look nice darling got anything big planned today? A date maybe” Mum questions picking up on my well put together outfit: Black fitted trousers and a cool grey knitted jumper with a yellow plaid shirt layered underneath rounded off with grey oxford shoes and tan fur lined winter jacket.

“No just heading into the office again got something to sort out” I reply noting how easy it’s getting to lie to my Mother.

“Well don’t let me keep you then” Mum says saying goodbye to Milo.

After a rushed goodbye and quick stop at my apartment to drop off Milo I’m on my way back to H.Q. Not bothering to say hello to the shop attendant as I enter the shop and bolt into the secret elevator. I shift my weight between my two legs as I wait for the doors to open. When they do I walk at a brisk pace to Merlin’s cave where the door stands wide open.

In the room Harry stands with his hand on the back of Merlin’s chair not saying a word. Agent Tequila our resident Statesmen stands on the far side of the chair both hands on Merlin’s desk leaning in to look at the centre screen. Merlin himself sits with both elbows on either side of his keyboard.

“I hope I’m not interrupting? I also hope you’re not all watching footage of Tequila’s last mission” I say making my presence known and referring to the Statesman’s latest mission where he was tasked with seducing a target to get information.

Tequila’s booming laughter filled the room. “Nothing quite as enthralling as that little lady I assure you” he replied motioning for me to come look at the screen. A bad quality video is playing of several men in cuffs being led away by police men in what appeared to be a ship yard.

I recognise the men immediately as the inner circle of the human trafficking gang I’ve been working to shut down for the last month. With a satisfied smirk I squeeze Merlin’s shoulder and say, “you got them?”

Merlin nods as Harry says, “due in no small part to you Lancelot excellent work. I’ll need a written mission report from you of course ”

Tequila pats me on the back as he leaves the room. Cast my face down trying to hide my delight at this fortunate turn of events today is already a better day than yesterday. I take a seat at a desk behind Merlin’s massive set up and work on my report. As a comfortable silence settles between the two of us I suddenly remember what day it is.

“Ugh its Friday, isn’t it?” I ask Merlin who stops typing to look back at me straining his neck.

“Yeah all day long why what’s happening today?” Merlin probed now fully turned around to look at me.

“My oldest friend turns twenty-five today and we’re supposed to go clubbing to celebrate” a familiar feeling of dread settled over me. I hate clubs all those sweaty drunk people with no concept of personal space. Nights like this always ended the same way, my friend Polly would always get either too drunk and cry or just the right amount of drunk to go home with just about anyone. Whatever way this night panned out I would be babysitting once again.

“Oh well that sound fun!” He offered trying to get me hyped for tonight. “I love clubs and despite how exceptionally dressed you usually are it’d be nice to see out of the Kingsman attire” he added raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Laughing I reply, “come on Merlin we both know no matter how tight my dress is I just don’t do it for you!” Referring to the fact that women everywhere are devastated when they learn that this beautiful, intelligent man is about as straight as a roundabout.

“Oh, you wound me Lancelot, but I mean it since the day we met you’ve been working tirelessly its time you let loose” Merlin implores. Then adds smirking “maybe even take someone home or be taken home by someone. Ya know make some young man’s night!”

I hummed in response not dignifying that statement with an answer. Deciding that I won’t be making any more progress on this today with tonight pressing on my mind. Saying a quick goodbye to Merlin I guess I might as well knock off early.

Skipping down the steps of the shop I decide to phone Polly she answers on the second ring.

“Hey Felicity! It’s been ages how’ve you been? How’s the new job? Any cute co-workers? Ah are you excited for tonight?” Polly wastes no time bombarding me with questions.

“Hey yourself, I’m great thanks the new job is going good just got back from a business trip it was mental! As for the tragedy of my love life all the men here are either taken or gay it’s a travesty truly and yes I can’t wait for tonight.” Being used to my best friend I rapidly answer her questions; the last part was lie of course but I couldn’t tell her that. “How’s everything with you? Happy Birthday by the way god you so old”

“Oi your only two months younger than me you Christmas baby you! Oh, and yeah everything’s great with me apart from being old and decrepit blah why do we have to age?” Polly whined. “Seriously I’m half way to fifty! How does that even happen”

“Relax Pol I’m sure you’ll feel differently when we’re celebrating tonight. We can get ready in mine because I’m closer to the city centre than you are.” I’m in my car now my feet had automatically carried me to where I needed to go without me even being fully aware of it. “I’ve got to go now I’m about to start driving, try not shrivel up and turn to dust before tonight Grandma”

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” Pol said in mock exasperation then started laughing. “I’ll be over before eight I’ll bring wine I’ll see you then love you.”

“Love you too Birthday girl bye” the line goes dead.

I start my car and drive home avoiding the crazy lunchtime traffic. I had a list of things to do before tonight. Deciding that walking Milo was a priority I quickly change into my running gear. Milo who was dozing in his dog bed was quick to catch on to what was happening and ran into the kitchen to retrieve his lead for me.

“Good boy Milo” I say affectionately taking the lead and attaching it to his collar. He sits obediently waiting for me to be ready. I tie up my hair and then I’m ready to go.

It’s a short walk to the park where me and Milo do our run. Once we get there we’re all business the earphones are in music as loud as it can go. After some warm up and stretches were off at a fast pace Milo effortlessly keeping up with me. Trying to beat our personal best of forty-five minutes to get around the circuit.

The run is as unremarkable as always, we finish thirty seconds faster than last time. Slowing to a walk then stopping altogether for some well-deserved water. On the way home, an elderly woman and her grandchild stop me to ask if they can pet Milo. “Of course,” I say telling Milo to sit. He obeys quickly.

“Golden Retrievers are such a lovely breed, aren’t they?” I smile and nod at the older women who smiles down at Milo panting happily with all the attention he’s receiving. “So mild mannered great for young families don’t you think”

“I’m sure he would be, but I wouldn’t really know I don’t have any kids” I admit to the women standing beside me.

“Ah that’s a shame dear but there’s still plenty of time yet don’t fret.” She says. Yeah right that’s the last thing on my mind I think to myself. After a few more minutes of overly intrusive small talk I’m glad when she finally says, “We’d best be off now lovely meeting you dear”

I wave them off crossing the street to my apartment complex Milo plodding along beside me jauntily. We get inside and ignoring my burning calf muscles I opt for the stairs Milo has never been fond of elevators. I’m on the third floor so the climb isn’t unbearable.

Once inside Milo goes for a lie down and I get to tidying and laundry. Its half seven before I know it and Polly is outside my door with a suitcase full of possible getups and makeup.

“So, I don’t know about you, but I feel like going home with someone tonight” Polly blurts out after her second glass of wine. She’s sitting on my bed doing her makeup in my vanity.

I’m in the doorway glass in hand looking at my clothing options from afar to help me decide. I sigh and reply “really Pol I don’t mind, you do you. I don’t really do the whole casual sex thing.” Before she can call me a prude I continue “but as your friend and seeing as it is your Birthday I’ll make sure you only go home with someone on your level of hotness”

Polly snots into her wine “and that’s why you’re my best girl” we make eye contact in the mirror and raise our glasses in a silent toast. After too long a drink of wine to be considered sophisticated Polly adds “Felicity I love you, but you really need to live a little I mean come on your young and pretty. Who wouldn’t want to wake up next to you tomorrow? Take some risks.”

Oh, if only you knew Polly I think slyly. Casting my eyes back to the clothes cluttering my double bed, I decide on the tightest dress I own its red and clings to all the right places. I decided to just to freshen my makeup from work instead of starting all over again. A quick smoky eye and a little eye liner later I’m putting on my heels.

“Polly the taxi’s here come on” I yell into my room from the kitchen throwing my favourite leather jacket over my shoulders, bag in the other hand. Time to clock on for my part time babysitting gig I think as Polly stumbles from my room ready to go.

The club is already packed by the time we get there. Polly disappears to dance and pick her target for the night not nearly drunk enough for this I fight my way to the bar to try get on everyone else’s level.

The bar is swarmed by people way taller than me which is most people, but I digress. They’ve created an impenetrable wall of stilettoes and suit jackets. In my annoyance I give up huffing and stepping back without looking. My lower back bumps against the table behind me and I turn around to apologise.

The sole occupant of the table was dressed well except for the snapback on his head. He didn’t seem to notice my transgression, but feeling my eyes on him he look up to meet my gaze. “What?” he yells to be heard over the pounding bass.

I blinked realising I was gawking at his “Oh I bumped your table I was just saying sorry.” I allowed myself a good look at his face he was cute I guess handsome even.

“Apology accepted” he said scrutinizing my face too. I wondered if now was the time to bow out of this awkward conversation gracefully. Until he says, “are y’ here alone?” I step around the table, so I can speak to him easier all the while throwing my eyes around the room spotting Polly in the thick of it as usual.

“I might as well be” I admit laughing “are you?”

“Yeah completely I just really needed a drink” he said sounding a little sad.

“Bad day? I can relate you should have seen the stare of me yesterday” I probe.

“More like bad month but y’ won’t catch me complaining” he said putting an end to my line of inquiry.

“Listen I’ve spilled your drink can I buy you a new one?” I offer, for some reason I feel compelled to keep the conversation going. What can I say he intrigues me?

“Sure, I’ll have a martini” the man in the snapback replies. I raise an eyebrow at him wondering if he’s taking the piss. Deciding he’s not I move towards the bar only to remember why I’d given up on getting a drink.

I try muscling my way in but to no avail. I try to squeeze into a gap in the corner only to be knocked off balance by a tall man far too drunk to notice me all the way down here. As I go to stumble a pair of firm hands steady me at the waste. The man from before is looking down at me as I look over my shoulder.

“Ah, my hideous hat wearing hero” I quip noticing his hands haven’t left my waist yet.

He leans forward and speaks into my ear “hey say wot you want about me but don’t go after my hat oright?” He laughs, and I smile. “Now let’s get those drinks yeah?” He moves though the bar crowd without much difficulty keeping an arm around my waist to guide me along with him. As we settle at the counter and wait our turn to order I stand as tall as I can to try see Pol over the throngs of people.

“Your friend’s over on the dancefloor with some blond rugby player type,” the man’s voice says close to my ear. I follow his line of sight and see her.

Then it occurred to me “how’d you know I was lo.” The arrival of the barman cuts me off.

“Hi what can I get ya?” he asked shortly clearly run off his feet.

The man begins before I can “Hey can I get a martini and a…”

“Oh” I say realising he’s waiting for me to tell the bartender what I want. “Rum and coke please”

“Coming right up” he makes our drinks and when I go to pay him I’m interrupted once again.

“Nah I’ve got this don’t worry” he says paying for our drinks promptly. Then taking the lead through the crowd glancing back at me to make sure I’m following. I do, and we make it back to his table.

“I thought I was supposed to be paying for theses” I motion at the drinks not set down on the table.

“You can get the next round granted you can make it to the bar!” He says teasingly. I do my best to look indignant, but I know it’s true just as much as he does.

Picking up my rum and coke to take a sip before I reply, “that sounds acceptable but, next round we’re having shots.”

~Two hours later~

Why did I have to suggest shots? I can drink rum all night but add sambuca into the mix and things get messy. Shots are what have in my current predicament. Can you call being backed up against the wall of an ally outside a club with a stranger’s tongue in your mouth a predicament? I’m going to. Not that the situation is unpleasant more so that it is completely out of character for me. Usually I don’t hook up, I date. Most importantly however I don’t typically let a man who’s name I still don’t put their hands up my dress but here we are never the less.

The worst part is I’m enjoying being out of character so much. Genuinely that may be the alcohol talking, but once again I digress.

The ringing of my personal phone causes us to break apart. I duck under his arm which, is still resting beside where my head was moments ago to retrieve it.

I see Polly’s name flash across the screen and quickly answer it. “Pol what’s wrong?” I snap and instantly regret it. Part of me knows she didn’t intentionally sabotage my very out of character moment. Another part of me is still annoyed at her for doing so.

“You’re mad at me” Polly replies drunkenly but still full of emotion.

Clearly Polly had transitioned from drunk and easy to drunk and sad. I adjust my dress and look over my shoulder at the now snapback-less man, who smirks at me awkwardly. I hold one finger up indicating for him to wait a minute.

“I’m not mad Polly, tell me where you are I’ll come get you” I smile apologetically back at him.

“I’m outside the club, come find me” she whines. I don’t say goodbye before I hang up on her.

Turning fully to face the man behind me I say, “I’ve got to go rescue my friend.” When he looks somewhat disappointed I add “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be its oright, another time yeah?” he held out his hand but as I go so shake it he moves it away. “No, I mean give me your phone.”

“Oh, here” I hand it to him feeling stupid and he puts his number in.

He hands it back without another word and we walk together to the top of the ally. I spot Polly immediately and unfortunately for me she sees me too.

“I guess this is where we say goodnight.” I say to him smiling slightly “thanks for an interesting night.”

“Thank you for spilling my drink” he says ever the charmer even in his drunken state. I smile at him again before we finally say goodnight.

He’s gone before Polly makes it to me grabbing my forearm through the crowd. “You could have told me you were busy, you know getting busy?” I cringe as she laughs loudly at her own joke.

We throw ourselves into the first taxi we can find. We’re half way to Polly’s before she speaks again “he was fit, what’s his name?”

I didn’t know but not wanting to give Polly anymore reason to tease me I remember he put his number in my phone. I search down through the names until I find one that’s unfamiliar. “Eh Eggsy” I say finally.

“That’s a weird name” she says giggling.

We arrive at her house not long after that and twenty minutes later I’m outside my apartment paying the cabby. Opting for the elevator this time, shoes in hand I unlock my door stepping inside. Milo looks up from his bed before going back to sleep. I head straight for bed not bothering getting undressed or pulling the blinds. Without another thought about the past few hours I fall easily to sleep.

A/N: Longest chapter yet. I also still don’t own Kingsman.

#kingsman #fanfic #fanfiction #kingsman fanfiction #kingsman fandom #eggsy unwin #eggsy unwin x oc #harry hart #my writing

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redscullyrevival · 7 years

Text

Dragon Haven: Rain Wilds Chronicles Rundown

@sonnetscrewdriver

Plot/Narrative/Setting

This was a fun time! HAHAHA

Okay, so with Rain Wilds it feels like a... I dunno, less extreme Liveship Traders or a less emotional Fitz and Fool? It isn’t lesser but it’s certainly different, and I think a lot of that has to do with the pacing. Rain Wilds is much faster - an advantage of switching narrative view points more often.

And since this wasn’t the setup book, Dragon Haven raced forward at a break neck speed (for a Elderling book anyways).

As such there has yet to be any long wallowing plot lines; most things propped up in the first book have been resolved or half resolved within this second book and there are two more books to go.

Amazing!

I love a slow burn, don’t get me wrong, but with such a big cast and a story devoted to travel it would have been agonizing to have Sedric and Alise and Leftrin and Jess circle each other and misunderstand each other one book after the other.

The keepers are changing faster; the characters are evolving past their starting perspectives quickly; so the story moves with agility. I like that narrative mimesis.

How about that stuff about rules though? Elderlings is all about CHANGE yes yes we know, but this series’ discussion of CHANGING RULES is an interesting avenue to wander.

The most obvious moment of EXPLAINING RULES was Jerd’s miscarriage and while it is a scene that seemingly plays straight forward it isn’t really about anything straight forward.

Its one of those scenes where you have a character making sense expressing their/society’s views and speaking truth on shared experiences (“the rules are here to project you and others”) but it doesn’t feel at it’s core as though the wider narrative entirely supports Bellin’s lecture.

Which is tricky!

Rules don’t belong to a physical place like Greft views them; rules aren’t guide posts like Thymara views them; rules don’t secure happiness as Alise learned; and Bellin is right that rules can exist for a greater good but that doesn’t mean they don’t also do massive damage - just look at Thymara’s struggle with her self worth and identity.

THE RULES change from group to group and as dynamics shift, but change can be come about by force as well; personally I think that’s what the flash flood was all about.

At first there was a Bingtown/Rain Wild distinction. Then Human/Dragon distinction. Then a Barge/Keeper/Hunter/Dragon distinction. Then a flood smashed them all together and blew them apart and now they’re beyond those boxes of identity and are making everything up as they go.

Hopefully they’ll get to a place where information and personal choice will replace or at least better guide THE RULES.

We’ll see.

Alise

Get it girl!

YEAH

I like how Alise’s entire approach is fake it until you make it. I can relate to that.

So glad she has time to heal.

Thymara

Alright we’re coming around, we’re coming around!

I enjoyed Thymara a lot more this book.

She’s still super serious and confused but she is growing. She can only go up from here!

Haha, I made a funny - SHE HAS WINGS.

Captain Leftrin

Captain Leftrin is great and stoic and blablahblah lets talk about Tarman!

I LOVE TARMAN

I. Love. Tarman.

I can’t get over this long low barge with old creepy painted eyes having this hidden dragon body thing, it kills me! I think he’s so cute! Like, I think of his displeased old face with this chubby lizard body and I die.

omg

If everyone and everything got off of him I wonder if he could plod along on the shore?

Envision this: An open field of Kelsingra, a young settlement in the distance. A fresh flock of sheep are grazing. Waddling along is Tarman, the unphased sheep moving parting to make way. Swarge is chasing after the liveship, winded from the run up hill. “What are you - what are you doing?! We need to - hey Tarman! Tarman! Turn around guy!”

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sedric

Aw, I love Sedric. I love Carson too, although Carson my buddy, my pal, maybe hitting on someone who just tried to kill themselves isn’t like a great go-to move? Skeevy. Everything else seems in line though, so that’s good.

Get away from Hest! Burn his tiny picture! Be besties with Alise and live free!

Tats

Tats is slipping into The Nice Guy™ territory a bit, huh? Not a full blown situation going on here but it’s scuttling the line.

It doesn’t help that I only know Tats as through Thymara who doesn’t know what she’s doing - but the fact remains I’ve known her exact frustration/confusion/decisions in my own life with male friends so I instinctively side with her.

I’m keeping my eye on you Tats.

Rapskal

I was mad distressed for a while there y’all, I was mad distressed.

But my boy pulled through!

He had to! He was too perfect for guiding a new set of RULES to be dismissed from the narrative! And a part of me knew that, knew he’d be coming back sometime.

I’m just super stoked it was sooner than later!

Very excited.

Greft

Oh boy.

What a douche, right?

Felt bad for him in the end but only marginally if I’m honest.

All that disgusting talk about picking a mate and needing to choose and ugh. Massive barf.

He was just pushy and nasty in that alpha male way???

Jerd

I was so relieved when Jerd and Thymara talked to each other.

And I also like that they’re not super close friends suddenly.

Some people just don’t get along that well and don’t like each other, but at least they can be somewhat mature about it.

I want happiness for Jerd though, she’s lost like Thymara just in a different way - I wish we knew more about her.

Sintara

dis bitch need to figure her own shit out before she goes hootin’ and hollarin’ at everyone else

I kind of love her now but still

she is faking until she is making but way to slow and poorly lol

Highlighted Passages

I sometimes think that age is based more on what you’ve done and what you remember than how old you are.

Did she have to hold on to her hurt and anger? Could she just let it go and forgive him and have him back as her friend? For a moment, it seemed as if it were purely her decision; she could make what he had done an important matter or she could let it go as just something that had happened. Holding on to it was hurting both of them. Before she had known what he had done with Jerd, he’d been her friend. All that had changed was that now she knew.

Whatever it was that was chafing him, Thymara already wanted to defy whatever older, male wisdom he intended to inflict on her.

She was the one who had accepted those limitations and brought them with her. She was the one who lived by the restrictive rules.

“After a lifetime of being told that no one should touch you, that no one would or could touch you because you were born too much of a monster? Then a soft-skinned boy with a gentle manner doesn’t seem to think it matters…that just made me feel free. So I decided to be free.”

But when all was finished Tarman had what the barge had conveyed to Leftrin it most desired. Four stout legs with webbed feet and a long tail had been added to the hull. Tarman could now go almost anywhere he and his captain wished to go.

“But it still wasn’t enough to prove that I deserved to live. It was just what was expected of me. What would have been expected of any Rain Wild daughter.” She did look at him then. “Proving I could be ordinary, despite how I looked, wasn’t enough for any of them.” His hands, tanned brown, worked like separate little animals, stripping the fruit and loading it into his pack. She’d always liked his hands. “Why wasn’t it enough for you?” he asked her. There was the rub. She wasn’t sure. “It just wasn’t,” she said gruffly. “I wanted to make them admit that I was as good as any of them and better than some.” “And then what would happen?” She was quiet for a time, thinking. She stopped her gathering to eat one of the yellow fruit. Her father had had a name for them, but she couldn’t remember it. They didn’t commonly grow near Trehaug. These were fat and sweet. They’d have fetched a good price at the market. She got down to a fuzzy seed and scraped the last of the pulp off with her teeth before she tossed it away. “It would probably make them hate me more than they already did,” she admitted. She nodded to herself and smiled, saying, “But at least then they’d have a good reason for it.”

“Greft changes the rules, it’s no risk for him, is it? He’s not the one who’s going to go into labor out here with no midwife. He’s not the one who’ll have to deal with a baby who can’t survive. I don’t think he’s ever wondered what he’s going to do with that baby if Jerd dies and the baby lives.” “How can you think of such things?” Tats was aghast. “How can you not think of them?” she retorted.

She hated that her voice rose to a shriek and broke on the words. She sounded hysterical and frightened, when in truth she was angry.

“You’re asking me to make a big decision. I’m not playing a game when I say that I don’t think I’m ready to make that decision. I’m not waiting for you to do something or give me something or even be something. I’m waiting for me. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”

“You sound as if you are still angry.” “Yes. I’m still angry. I don’t hate you; I’ve decided that. But I’m angry in a way I’ve never been angry before. I think that if I hated you, I’d just hate you. But once I realized that only someone I loved could hurt me this badly, I realized I didn’t hate you. And that is why I’m so angry.”

“I was dazzled. He did buy me gifts. Clothing. Pipes. A horse. I look back and I think now, those things were not really for me. They were things he gave me so that I would look how he wanted me to look. So I would not shame him with my shabby clothing or my poor taste in horseflesh. I was like…like cloth. Like something he had cut and sewn into a garment that suited him.”

He cried for all the things he’d thought he’d had but had never possessed. Wept for what he’d let Hest make him, how he’d deceived Alise, for what he’d thought of doing to Relpda. He cried because it was suddenly safe to do so.

Who smiled like that? Not the sophisticated and urbane Traders who had once been Sedric’s companions. They muted their expressions, never laughing too loud, hiding smiles behind well-tended hands. Appearing to be disaffected or cynical was stylish. Why had he thought that was attractive and civilized?

“Sintara!” The bellow came from Mercor. “Close your jaws and fold your wings! Do not harm your keeper for speaking truth to you!” “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Spit was trumpeting joyously.

They spoke their minds to each other, and she found that didn’t displease her. After their last crisis, their relationship had resumed as it had been before. Thymara tended the dragon and brought her food when her hunting went well. She enjoyed Sintara’s beauty, just as she would have enjoyed living in a fine house, just as she had once enjoyed the art and music of her neighbors in the Cricket Cages. She didn’t confuse that beauty with Sintara herself.

#realm of the elderlings #year of book #fandom talks #Rain Wilds Chronicles

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