#but Mallory as a character can be quite boring but his views... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hyrule-kingdom-updates · 3 years

Note

OOC; To Mod - hello! I’m doing a fun thing where I hop into the askboxes of different writers and ask them about their favorite works! This specific blog is like. A huge undertaking, so if you wanna geek out about it, go for it! This can include anything, from arc development shit to fun facts about the blog and how it operates. This is such a cool idea anyways, and I’m sure people would love to hear about it. :)

I am going to geek out about this so hard that you’ll regret ever talking to me.

Hmm...What to talk about that won’t spoil the future of HKU...Oh I know! How about I ramble about

HKU and the Long and Arduous Process of Making Characters and Themes

I will try to avoid details when I can, but I will be discussing the latest developments with Siv, Larc, and Astor, so consider yourself warned for spoilers and catch up if you haven't yet! :3

Waste not, want not: Why I find it important to not waste characters and time

In Hyrule Kingdom Updates, Asivus "Siv" Hartell is the protagonist. Zelda(Mallory) is the deuteragonist. Then finally, LinkLink is the tritagonist. They are the perspectives that I would find most important. However, all in all, I would consider there to be six really important characters in order for HKU to work, that being: Siv, Zelda, Link, Larc, Astor, and Zavis.

Now, I say "really" important for demonstrative purposes because really, all characters are important. Every single one of them. Characters are the lifeblood of HKU, and I spend a lot of time making sure that they don't give off the impression of being self-inserts or just there for fun. I mean they are, but I spend a lot of time making sure they don't seem like that *wink wink*

This is what I define as the essentials for any "good" character:

Someone who provides an interesting/new perspective on the themes of the story

Someone whose wants and needs enhance the plot

Someone that can be understood as an individual

Yet someone that wouldn't be important to the story, without their bonds and relationships to the other characters

I don't really care about how likable a character is, or relatable, or how funny or badass they are; that's all secondary. Third-endary, even. If a character doesn't do enough to serve my story, I cut them, and merge their ideas with an existing characters. Caricautures are for comic relief, and in order to maintain a reader's interest an immersion into my story, I want to consistently give them characters that are well thought out and important. Whenever there's a new face, or an unexpected appearance, I want it to be wordlessly understood that I'm not wasting their time, that there is something this character has to offer.

A reader finding value in something/someone is one of the most important things a writer can have, because it is that particular investment that drives the story, or at least, my story. I cannot stress enough how vital characters are to HKU because this quite literally wouldn't work if you removed even one person from the plot. If you don't find these people important and interesting then EVERYTHING'S ruined. Everything. Every post is a battle for your attention and time, every piece of dialogue is a line I cast into the sea just hoping that there's someone swimming in the ocean because at any MOMENT you could click away, and I know this because I AM a reader, and I WOULD click away if I found something boring. So every plot point is just a battle between the writer me, wanting to spew everything, and reader me, who knows what the essentials are, and what to do to keep a person's investment.

This cycle of writing the story and characters, and understand what is essential and interesting to a reader is what led to me cutting over 20 characters and arcs from HKU.

That's how much time I spend on these fictional fuckers, no one is wasted or expendable. I think the only character that I could write out if I wanted to would be Hestu, and that's mainly because I did actually forget they existed until the Lost Wood's arc rolled around.

So with those points in mind, let's look at some of the characters that I spent a lot of time writing for, that is Siv, Larc, and Astor.

Welcome to the shitpost blog: First Impressions and Establishing...Everything

Welcome to @hyrule-kingdom-updates, and thank you for following! This is just a little comedic blog featuring funny posts from characters who live within Breath of the Wild Hyrule.

Hook, line, and sinker.

There's a lot of reasons why I started HKU this way, (one of them mainly being that I knew no one would read it if I opened immediately with the plot) but the main reason being I believe it was the fastest way to get you interested in the world and the protagonist.

The theme of HKU centers around trauma, and asking the question of what's the right way to deal with the malice(not the goop but like, real-life malicious things) of the world.

So if you want to move a story into a direction that plunges a fictional fairytale kingdom into the realities of life, you first have to establish that fictional fairytale kingdom and it's characters,

Even from the very first post I am working to establish character.

Now, it might seem silly, but there's actually a lot of information that you automatically take in from these two posts alone.

The diction and lack of proper punctuation implies that the narrator is more casual and down to earth

The narrator is aware that people are reading these "updates"

The immediate contrast between the "professional" introduction and humerous shitpost provides insight as to the sense of humour present

The orator is new at their job, and perhaps wants to keep their position

The narrators updates are under the influence of the Royal Family, perhaps more specifically, King Rhoam.

The establishment of Rhoam being in power and Urbosa being alive tells as to when in the timeline of Hyrule we are

Addressments like "don't worry" and "wish me luck" imply that there is value in the reader's opinion and perspective

The goal of the shit post says was basically to establish the world, and what kind of person Siv is. On a meta level, I want you to laugh at the shit posts because that's what Siv is doing. I KNOW you're enjoying the shitposts, therefore it more believable for you to understand that this is something Siv does as well. There's an unspoken distance between you and the world, even if your asks impact it. For you, this is just another funny day in the life, and the same can be said for Siv, but the difference is that for him, it actually IS a reality.

That's why I really enjoyed these days because I was just schemeing behind the scenes, knowing how I was going to turn this all over your heads.

So, you know how he is at the start. Siv is an apathetic individual, he laughs off whatever shit comes his way, and cares only for himself. His view of the world of Hyrule is through the lens of someone who seems to have accept that he has no control over his life, his very job is dictated by royals.

And though he has no respect for authority, and has been deemed a lowly criminal by most people, he still seems like a pretty decent guy. Human. It seems pretty apparant that even though he pretends to not care about the world, he obviously has human morals and wants, and would more than anything like to have control over his life, but he seems to have accepted that's not going to happen.

Siv isn't just sarcastic, or just apathetic to everything, or just a rebellious person. There's a subtle layer to everything, but it's all wrapped in a clearly understandable line of logic. Therefore he is

Someone that can be understood as an individual

At this point in time, if you asked him how to deal with the woes of the world, he would probably shrug his shoulders and say, "laugh it off. Sometimes that's how it is." Whether this idea is something he will main remains to be seen. Therefore as our protagonist, he is

Someone who provides an interesting/new perspective on the themes of the story

Oh brother, it's time to go on a journey: Change and motivation

Now, another way that I break down characters is like this

Want - what they want on the surface

Lie - the belief that they have that prevents them from obtaining their need

Need - what they need to do in order to become better

So, let's break down Siv at this point.

Want: Siv wants to have control over his life, and to do what he wants in order to be happy

Lie: Siv tells himself that there's nothing he can do about his situation, and to just accept the world as it is

Need: Siv needs to learn to give a shit. About himself, and others. He needs to understand that while not everything in life can be controlled, the aspects that we do have power over, like our actions and relationships with others, are important.

Now, Siv doesn't actually go our searching or acting towards his want OR his need, as his lie tells him that he should just take what he can get, and dig in. So far in the story, there is still a distance between him and the reader and the world, because he can choose when to answer asks. He can choose when to confront questions.

So in order to really kick off the story, we have to take that choice away from him.

Enter: The Quill of Roost. Well, more like the quill enters Siv, as he eats it, and we soon discover that now, he can't really escape the questioning voices. Notice that Siv only did this in an effort to do something good, to be a hero. Maybe we'll come back to that later.

So now that we've forced Siv to leave his comfortable apathetic lifestyle, we can start to poke and probe him into a new person. He now has to listen to people more, both literally and metaphorically.

Siv's brother, Arcadius (also known as Larc, by Siv) is a foil, in that he's his opposite. He's not a criminal, he's the respected Captain of the Royal Guard. He's the golden boy, a hero in his own right. He generally respects authority and likes order. I mean, the first time you meet him, he talks like a "how do you do fellow kids" school teacher.

AHe's adored (and simped over) and has a loving family, and lives society's definition of a perfect life.

Yet, despite all of this, there is a deep saddness to Larc that is ever present. He seems to greatly sympathize with Asivus, and has a lot of (yet unseen) regret and guilt. Simiarlly to Siv, he constantly thinks about the unfairness/malice of life, but since Larc seems to have gotten the good end of the stick in life, Larc just convinces himself that any malice or negative emotions he might feel are unjustified, that they don't exist. That he's pathetic to think as such.

But of course, ignoring it doesn't make it go away, Larc still has these emotions, he's still not happy, but he's become to accustomed to them being there and not dealing with them, that's he's almost apathetic about it, similarlly to Siv.

He attempts to find happiness and satisfaction in authority, the the order the kingdom has to offer. He believes that the best thing he can do is be autonomous to whatever the world hands you, whether orders from a king or a father.

But despite this, he understands that deep down, this isn't making him happy. He still hasn't directly dealt with the regrets and guilts he has, even though he tries to hide it under "orders" and the like. He's too much of a coward to do so. Thus, he just concludes that he doesn't deserve to be happy.

Want: Larc wants someone to tell him what to do to be happy. He doesn't want conflict or confrontation, just peace.

Lie: When the life Larc lives doesn't clear his regrets, Larc tells himself that it's because he doesn't deserve to be happy. Thus the very least he could do is do as he's told, and someone like him doesn't deserve to talk back

Need: Larc needs to learn that he does deserve to be happy, but the road to doing so isn't smooth. He needs to learn to care about himself, and actually confront and deal with the problems in his life, instead of running away and being autonomous.

Therefore, Siv and Larc's outlooks on life have contridictions, theirfore their actions also oppose each other at times, and that conflict helps move the story, and make things more fun to watch.

Overtime, we can see their lies start to break down, based on their interactions with other characters, and in their attempt to even help themselves and each other. The autonomous nature and apathy they have starts to break down, whether despite, or because, of their wants and desires.

Now, Siv and Larc just on their own are cool, but with the way they're designed to highlight the theme, and affect the story based on their character driven actions, it makes them both interesting and perhaps even relatable characters, as they are

Someone whose wants and needs enhance the plot

And of course, this pattern isn't just present in the Hartell bros, but in pretty much every character (Except Hestu)

Hey what's that?/We have an older brother/You thought there were two but there is another: Character interaction is pretty cool

So. Siv has allowed himself to open up a little. He dares to be vulnerable for the sake of being happy. He's actually started to rekindle and create bonds, with characters like Larc, Zelda, Link, and Zavis.

But the thing about being open to change and love, can inevitably lead to pain. It's just a reality of life.

Enter: Didymos Astor. Just as the Champion gang comes together, Astor comes along to fuck things up.

On a meta level, Astor is an intriguing character simply because the expectation for him didn't amount to much to begin with. Age of Calamity Astor was just evil for....unstated evil reasons. Therefore writing him was practically just creating an entirely new oc.

So playing with the meta-ness of Astor, there's a lot of mystery to him that I maintained, but in such a way were I actually made sure to eventually answer those mysteries.

At first you don't know why he does what he does, but you do understand that his goal is to help Calamity Ganon rise. He also seemed absolutely confident in his decisions, he believes that his path is the best one.

Then slowly, information is revealed that allows you to understand Astor. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I purposefully did this in parallel with Siv slowly being hurt and betrayed by the people he once let himself be vulnerable with. The understanding of Astor comes with Siv's lack of understanding of the world around him.

Astor at this point in time, is basically a representation of listening to that little voice in your head. Both metaphorically, and quite literally. An "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude.

And of course, because this is HKU, he's not purely an evil villain, and he has an understandble line of logic in his actions, and even morals, as...different as they may be. I try to be very precise with my characters as I don't want to use backstory as an excuse for their actions, I fully intend to let their consequences play out, but at the same time I do want you to understand why someone does something besides just "he evil."

Astor used to have a close relationship with the old Queen of Hyrule, a literal symbol of hope for the kingdom given she possessed the power of Hylia. He himself wasn't a very important person, just some random orphan that probably only got a place at the castle because he was friends with the queen. But when she died, and the fate of Hyrule was apparantly sealed, so too did his hope. A much more depressing outcome of the "you can't control life so be apathetic" view that Astor shares with his brother.

He tried to apply logic to his situation, whether by trying to justify the end by saying that everyone in Hyrule is a fool, or a bad person, or by twisting the memories of his better days into something worse so that he doesn't have to feel as bad.

But of course, the TRUE and absolute reason he does all this, is to save Zelda, because as much as he would loathe to admit it, there's a part of him that still cares. If siding with the Calamity is the only way to save the last connection to the light of your life, then so be it. In a cruel world like Hyrule, why should he be able to enact just a sliver of justice in it.

And honestly he might be right. In the hundreds and thousands of timelines out there, I think there's only two were Zelda actually survives. Not very good chances *wink wink*

He couldn't care less if he looks like a villain as he does this. In fact, he would probably want to. He's been ignored his whole life, so some dramatic time in the spotlight to prove everyone wrong would be euphoric.

Want: Astor wants power over his life, even just a little bit. Just enough to rid the world's vermin, and save Zelda.

Lie: Hope is a lie and everything is doomed. We deserve to lose

Need: If Astor wants to be an actually good person, he needs to learn there are aspects and realities of life that you can't predict or control or assign logic to, yet despite that life is good anyways. Hope isn't always about winning, but about letting yourself live as best you can, and persevere.

Astor is a blast to write, because sometimes he's a stupid emo teen that you can bully for being called "Didymos," and then two minutes later he's a genuinely terrifying villain, and then two minutes after that you're feeling just even the slightest bit of sympathy for him. He's a cunning, cucking, emo bastard and if Larc didn't exist he might just be my favourtie character.

But another thing I love about writing Astor has to do with my fourth point on how I craft characters:

Someone that wouldn't be important to the story, without their bonds and relationships to the other characters

People being enjoyable on their own is great, but I think the best part about writing different characters is seeing how they fit together, like puzzle pieces. This again goes to my point about how no character is wasted, because a complete puzzle doesn't have extra pieces (except Hestu)

So let me just talk about my themes of trauma and how I use malice in HKU

I made this venn diagram awhile ago, but it's kinda....bad. Lmao. So let me summarize in a way that's coherant.

When you get traumatized by something, or something terrible happens to you, even if that experience gets solved, you will probably still have that memory for the rest of your life. That experience, and the consequences that it had, will be something you have with you for a long, long time, and the reality is that sometimes there's nothing you can do about it.

And so the question of HKU becomes...well what exactly do you do with it? Is it a strength, or a weakness, or do you pretend it doesn't exist?

Asivus is the protagonist of the story because it is from his perspective that we explore the most viewpoints and angles of the stories theme, not just through Siv himself, but from his perspective of those around him, and his relationships with them. Again, per the "no character wasted," because quite literally everyone has an opinion on the subject.

For now, let's just focus on Siv, Larc, and Astor.

Hartell Bros and using pictures to appeal to the neurodivergent asshat (AKA myself): The Journey to find your need

This is pretty much where these characters stand at the start of HKU.

Through the beginning arc, Siv becomes less apathetic and actually starts to care, about others, and himself. And eventually, he even follows the hope (ambition) to help Zelda save Hyrule. Now, at this point, Siv doesn't respect Astor, and he envies Larc, so he moves further away from their respective "places" and values. He allows himself to be vulnerable.

Meanwhile, circumstances threaten the most important thing in Larc's life, his family. These circimstances force Larc to go against his usually autonomous lifestyle, and actually act out of personal ambition, and try to take the helm on his life.

Finally, Astor has been in his spot for awhile, ever since he became set on helping to revive the Calamity. And over the first few arcs, nothing happens to him that forces him to change. He stays in his place, because his brother's relationships to him basically make him a moral compass of what they DON'T want to be. (Almost like...getting bad advice, and not taking it.) Astor at the moment is a stationary catalyst who tries to convince Siv to share his viewpoint. And this doesn't happen yet.

So its because of their interactions and relationships that their characters move to here:

HBut the thing about letting yourself be more autonomous, or vulnerable to other people, is that while it does have great benefits, you still might get hurt by other people, so you need to learn how to handle these situations properly.

Asivus does not handle this properly.

When Zavis betrays him, and makes him look like a fool, Siv books it out of the vulnerability department as fast as he can. When Link seemingly shows Siv that the future is broken, and that the world is unfair and out to get him, Siv detaches himself completely from being content (apathetic) and when Siv see he can't rely on anyone to save him, even Zelda, then he moves further into control.

So yeah, Siv's character quite literally wouldn't exist without his relationship to others, and they, him.

Meanwhile, Larc is forces even further into the control and ambition department by being turned into the literal emodiment of ambition and power: a Hollow. Thanks Astor! So for a brief amount of time, he lives at the extreme ends of purple and red, and once he recovers, he desperately wants to move back towards the blue and yellow areas because it wasn't exactly the best of experiences for him.

So now Larc is no longer autonomous to the world around him, and after he is truly revealed as a traitor thanks to being kidnapped and almost dying and the world finding out about everything the gang's been up to, Larc really cannot return to his "following orders" lifestyle. He's on the edge of being where he needs to be, but he still is of the mindset that he doesn't deserve to be happy. So while he allows himself to be in control of his choices, and to follow and protect his family, he rejects hope for himself, and dips into just not caring about himself.

Finally, Astor. His change starts small, but the fact they he shifted at all when he's spent so much of the story as immovable is significant. In a combination of not liking Siv's extremes, and actually expressing hesitation the more he interacts with Zelda, Astor moves out of the yellow and just barely dips into the side of ambition, and the desire to actually change a seemingly unchangeable situation. But it's just barely, and he still sides with Ganon.

So thus, after all those interactions, the Hartell Bros stand around here:

And where will they go from here? Who knows! I'll give you a hint thought...things are really looking Up for Siv (wink wink).

The beauty is that you don't even know if anyone will ever truly live in that perfect harmony that the middle offers, because let me assure you, the people that DO live in that perfect middle, are currently dead. The movement toward that center is a positive character arc, but will everyone achieve a positive character arc? People can enter there sure, but the hard part is staying, of keeping those ideals. And Hylia...don't even get me start on how Link, Zelda, Zavis, and everyone else fits into this, I'd be at here for another six hours.

And also, I think my little graph is a good example of my other themes on mortality and how it's not black and white. There's no extreme good end, and extreme bad end; being a good person is a harmony of the different difficulties every day has to offer.

And then ALL OF THIS, I hide under the guise of mystery, and plot, and humour, and shitposts; evil soup, hot sword people, disaster gays, giant robots, cucking, ninjas, knights, musicians and seers...Just a constantly battle between not being too preachy and not going too off the rails, I myself am constantly trying to find that center harmony as I write HKU.

But make no mistake, this is probably the most fun thing I've written...ever. It kicks my ass sometimes, but it's so....I don't even know how to describe it, it's just great. There just so many things that I have to think about to deal with the story and the characters and it's work but I'm really passionate about it so it's FUN and I love it and I will ramble about it again one day because, fuck man...

Writing is badass.

#consider this my gift of content in these Launo-less days #not that he's dead #well. not that he's NOT dead #but uhhh #yeah #out of character

31 notes · View notes

katherinemallory · 3 years

Text

#2 The late-night date with James Bond

You can read the previous chapter here.

I could feel the increasing heart rate in every inch of my body. I have already learnt a few important facts about my new mission and I’ve been going home in order to find out more. I was so curious I even wanted to open the files Mallory had given me earlier while I was still sitting in my car, but my professionalism didn't allow me to do it.

When I arrived home, I could barely think straight. My black double-breasted coat felt like it was made of lead. I was probably way too sensitive for this job... I knew I needed a bath to be able to relax and look at the files once again with a clear head. I put a kettle on, because a huge cup of Earl Grey would always do the trick, and went to the bathroom.

After at least ten minutes (I wasn’t sure how much time I had spent in the bathtub, but honestly I couldn’t care less...) I went to my bedroom and changed into more cosy clothes. I chose a velvet turquoise track suit, and then tied my short hair as I headed to the living room. I sat on the sofa, looking at the files with a cup of Earl Grey in my right hand.

What I had found inside didn't surprise me at all. I would meet 005 tomorrow. Standard procedure, I thought. The man we had to observe in Geneva used to collaborate with a crime syndicate from Milano, but Italian intelligence lost the track of his links to the criminals after the assassination of one of the secret agents involved in the investigation. Such an unusual beginning to the mission that would require the involvement of two field agents... I started to get pretty sarcastic, as I was reading the details. The operation seemed like it was just another undemanding mission, and it didn't excite me at all. Maybe a secret mission shouldn’t ever get you excited, but I always felt that a bit of positive emotions wouldn't hurt that much. In that case I couldn’t spot *anything* to look forward to...

Nevertheless, ironic way of thinking wasn't the right one either. In order to change my indifferent attitude, I kept recalling what Mallory had said about the mission earlier, and, to my surprise, I couldn't focus on the information properly. The only image I had in my mind was the one of my supervisor looking incredibly dashing in his suit. I tried to forget his mysterious green eyes, as I continued to browse the files and photos of Abbruscato and his friends.

I got both bored and hungry really quickly. I didn't intend to eat much, because I remembered I would spend the upcoming evening with James Bond. Sure, he mentioned only "a drink", but I predicted he wouldn't like to spend the whole date having just one drink. I’d lie if I said I didn’t expect a fancy dinner.

I started to dress up as 8 P.M. got closer (Bond was supposed to pick me up one hour later). I wasn't sure what kind of outfit would be appropriate, because it all depended on Bond’s views on the character of our date. If it was just a drink, an evening dress would be definitely too much, and I didn't want to end up as overdressed for the occasion. On the other hand, it was more or less obvious that Bond would wear one of his favourite suits - maybe not one of his most luxurious ones, but it would still be a suit.

I didn’t see that coming, but I ended up wearing a violet suit myself. I guess that regardless of his views on the matter, I needed Bond to understand the message. I wasn’t interested in anything else than just a one-night date (not to be confused with a one-night stand)... I didn’t care if he wanted to get to know me better or if he only intended to spend one night with me. My intentions remained the same.

However, it didn’t necessarily mean I looked ordinary. Just the opposite. I found some time to do my hair the way it suited me best, and chose one of my favourite diamond earrings (I bought them years ago after my first pay from the SIS). As usual, I refused to do my make-up (I didn’t even know how to do it... I always preferred my natural look).

When I was ready, I looked in the mirror for one last time, just to make sure my outfit was right. It definitely was. The delicate colour of my suit contrasted my dark brown layered hair. My hair was short and wavy, exposing the diamond drop earrings. It was a deadly look, both powerful and feminine.

I enjoyed the view for a few seconds and out of the blue an insane thought came to my mind: how would it feel if Mallory was gazing at me right now? Would he enjoy the view as much as I did? What would he say...? I closed my eyes and imagined my supervisor sitting behind his wooden desk, as I entered to his office just before going on a date with him. There was a combination of astonishment and delight in his sight when he undid the top button of his deep blue shirt and run his fingers through his hair to seem more attractive.

Such vision turned me on really quickly. I got a chill, and then I suddenly realized I shouldn’t have been fantasizing about M. He was my supervisor after all and I was dead sure he wouldn’t reciprocate my interest. And apart from that, he was probably married... Oh, come on. M wouldn’t comment on my look. He would just instruct me to stop smiling so foolishly and focus on the mission.

It was only a few minutes left until 9 P.M. I looked through the window and saw Bond’s silver Aston Martin DB10 parked outside. He might be a bit annoying if you focus on his enormous ego, but this guy’s got style, I thought. I was ready, so I locked my apartment and went down.

Bond was standing next to his Aston Martin, looking like a million dollars in his grey suit. Or maybe the suit was silver, just like his car. I couldn’t tell because of the night’s darkness.

“Evening, Targett,” he said with his hands still in his pockets. “We meet again.”

“Evening, Bond,” I replied, trying to form a smirk on my face. “Impressive. You already know my surname. And I wondered how you knew where I lived...”

He smiled.

“Did I just surprise one of our best secret agents?”

“Not so loud! I thought you were more responsible than that,”, I sighed.

He came closer to me and murmured into my ear: “I thought so too, but it seems your presence affects me so much... I lose my mind easily.” He looked me right in the eye as he opened the car door.

...

That Aston Martin car was really *something*. I’ve never even *seen* such an expensive car in my life, so I didn’t feel truly relaxed riding shotgun. When Bond started the engine and tried to look at me, I avoided his sight, turning my head to the right window. I felt a bit ashamed. I observed the city streets as we travelled into the night. London seemed quite peaceful in the evening. Me and Bond were both quiet and after a few minutes I heard a tender melody. It matched how I felt inside. At first, it felt kind of weird and uncomfortable to listen to the song, as I wondered if the words had some hidden meaning.

... but I can’t see a thing in the sky I only have eyes for you...

I turned to Bond.

“This song really does create an atmosphere,” I stated.

“It’s the Flamingos,” said Bond. “One of those really old songs I happen to enjoy.”

“Oh,” I teased him.

“Don’t you like it?” he asked and you could observe a small sign of concern at the corner of his mouth, even though his voice sounded as overconfident as usual.

... maybe millions of people go by But they all disappear from view And I only have eyes for you...

“Just the opposite. I love it,” I laughed loudly, and then realized I had absolutely no idea where we were going. “So where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see. I do not plan to ruin the surprise,” Bond answered immediately, catching a glimpse of me. Another double-meaning song came from the speakers.

... I don't have plans and schemes And I don't have hopes and dreams I don't have anything Since I don't have you...

...

It turned out Bond had invited me to his own apartment. It was pretty small and unarranged, as he probably didn’t spend a lot of time there. But honestly, it didn’t matter at all to me. I instantly forgot where I was, because Bond did everything he could to make me feel truly special.

“Can I offer you a drink?”

I decided to use my best weapon: a joke.

“Isn’t that the purpose of my visit here?”

He laughed. “This is the exact reason why I like you, Targett. The sense of humour which doesn’t allow you to take everything people say too seriously.”

“Is that the *only* reason to like me?” I teased him again.

He showed that *famous* Bond smirk and refused to comment on my question. “So, what is your pleasure?”

“A glass of dry red wine will do.”

He poured me a glass and let me sit behind the table. It took him a while to serve me a dinner, which, to my surprise, he had prepared himself earlier. I still can’t remember what we have eaten, but it definitely was delicious.

“How was it?” asked Bond with curiosity in his eyes.

“Do we really have to talk about work?” I replied, being clearly disappointed with the topic of our conversation.

“We don’t, but actually I have one question for you,” he insisted.

I agreed to hear that one question. A forced smile appeared on my face.

“Shoot,” I said.

He laughed at me again. “I have to admit I didn’t expect a different reaction from someone whose name’s *Targett*,” he said and looked me directly in the eyes. “This is a name for the job, isn’t it?”

“Yeah”, I replied, still faking the smile.

“So,” said Bond after he took a sip from his glass, “which of the numbers has been assigned to you?”

“Assigned?” I faltered. “It hasn’t been assigned to me, I have chosen it.”

“Oh, really? Tell me,” he requested.

“You know, when I came to M’s office earlier today he passed me a list of spare double-0 numbers. Then he ordered me to pick one of them and I had no doubts...”

“Interesting,” interrupted Bond, and continued to talk, as he noticed my confused face. “Mallory’s never allowed anyone to pick their number before. When there is more than one number to choose from, he does it himself and you just get informed about his decision.”

I was still a bit surprised and I didn’t know how to react.

“That kind of special behaviour,” added Bond, “means Mallory truly likes you.”

His last sentence left me speechless. Putting my thoughts into words wasn’t easy.

“Okay, you’re just confusing me now,” I confessed after a few seconds of silence. “Probably he just respects my previous work and for some reason...” I couldn’t finish the sentence and got a bit annoyed. ”You should stop looking for whatever you’re looking for,” I added, and immediately felt it sounded a bit too harsh.

“His reason is totally understandable,” said Bond calmly. “I would have let you choose your own number anytime... Especially if you looked like that,” he commented, then paused for a while and looked deeply into my hazel eyes. “That violet shade does suit you well. You’re a very attractive woman and you are aware of that.”

I blushed as if I had been caught naked. I couldn’t deny that his words had pleased me, but he didn’t know the reason behind my reaction. The truth was, I imagined that this implicit special treatment from Mallory had been really caused by both my skills and beauty.

“Thank you, James,” I said, realizing I called Bond using his first name for the first time.

“It’s the truth, Katherine,” he replied, refusing to call me by my surname as well. “So...” asked Bond, “... which one’s your number?”

“It’s double-oh-two.”

“Why?”

“It’s a very personal story. I do not think I can tell you right now.”

“All right,” he said and it seemed like he had really understood. “I noticed that you said *double-oohhh* instead of *double-0*. Does it mean anything?”

“Yeah, it means you are interested in only one thing,” I said and started to laugh at him.

...

Later that evening, probably around midnight, Bond ordered a cab for me. He wanted to make sure I got home safe, so he went with me, holding my hand for the whole time. I was fully satisfied with the way our date had gone and I even enjoyed his confident, but gentle touch... However, I couldn’t articulate my feelings when we got out of the cab.

“It was a lovely evening and...,” I struggled with words again that night. “I don’t know how should I thank you for this. I really enjoyed it.”

“A simple kiss would do,” he replied, looking at me with his cold blue eyes. I could tell he was hoping for the prize.

“Thanks, James,” I whispered into his ear and placed a kiss on his right cheek. After a few seconds of silence, I asked: “Is James Bond disappointed?”

“Not at all,” he said, but I didn’t believe him this time. “I’ll have to earn it, I suppose.”

I didn’t answer, I just gave him a smile and then turned around.

...

Even though I knew I had to wake up early and report to Q, I kept wandering around my apartment. Ironically, I was pretty tired, but couldn’t sleep because of the intense emotions I had experienced during the day. First of all, I met my new supervisor and received my first double-0 mission. Then, I went on an *actual* date with James Bond, which had gone better than I could possibly imagine. For a moment I wondered if I began to fall for his charms.

I needed to distract my mind with something, so I checked my e-mails. It seemed like I had received a new one. It was sent at 10 P.M.

002,

Meet me in my office tomorrow after the medical. I will introduce you to 005.

See you there at 11 A.M.

Yours sincerely,

I wasn’t sure if M had mentioned this during our meeting earlier today. It was a long day and in the end the details didn’t matter that much. Wow, I thought. Was he really still working at 10 P.M.? And can you be more specific than him? What a man.

I looked through the window and observed the stars. Peace. Nothing needed to be done until tomorrow. The next day would be full of new experiences. Time to meet both Q and 005, then.

And see Mallory once again before I leave for Switzerland.

***

To be continued.

#james bond #bond james bond #james bond fanfiction #gareth mallory #m #002 #katherine mallory #q #fanfiction #007 #mallory

10 notes · View notes