Tumgik
#faraway goddess
larathia · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
46 notes · View notes
echoes-of-kemet · 1 year
Text
Ra, after asking Thoth to help Shu convince Tefnut to come back to Kemet, persuade Sekhmet and later Bast to return from Nubia, and oversee Anhur convincing Mehit to be his lover and come back with him: sooo... Mafdet-
Thoth:
Tumblr media
13 notes · View notes
sytoran · 9 months
Text
𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 | 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬!𝐧𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐭.𝟑
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
you and natasha were star-crossed lovers, separated by galaxies and timelines. like any other shakesperean tragedy, you and natasha's tale comes to an end... or does it?
pairing: goddess!natasha x dom!fem!reader (G!P)
note: this is the 3rd installment to the goddess!nat universe! please read the other parts first if you haven't already. this part contains major angst and smut. i have spent ungodly hours on this chapter.
word count: 4.5k (i am impressed with myself)
series m.list | main m.list | join the taglist | AO3
Tumblr media
Previously… 
No one escapes the consequences of their actions. Not even the Goddess of Lust, who had formed romantic relationships with a mortal. SHIELD’s decision to forbid the two of you from ever seeing each other again tears apart all the ‘what-ifs’ of a bright future.
Now…
Natasha doesn’t know how many hours she’s been crying in the bathtub.
After the finality of SHIELD’s crushing decision had truly weighed itself upon Natasha’s burdened shoulders, the mere thought of what she would have to do to you shook her to the bone.
Which is why she crashed at her sister’s place: to cry her problems away in a bathtub made of priceless gold, alongside a fine bottle of Pinot Grigio.
“Jesus, Nat, you’re gonna die of hypothermia if you stay in there a second longer.” Yelena says, kicking open the bathroom door with a tray of smoked salmon appetizers in hand.
“Take one,” Yelena says absentmindedly, sitting herself on the edge of the bathtub next to Natasha’s partially-submerged form. “Food helps with everything.”
Natasha doesn’t respond, only looking up at her sister through glassy eyes. Empty eyes. She felt raw and numb at the same time, but the contrasting emotions were merely child’s play in comparison to the storm that raged within her weary mind.
Yelena looks at her unamusedly, before folding her arms. “Talk to me,” she stated firmly, and it wasn’t a request.  The blonde sister was the Goddess of War, after all, she could be as intimidating and ruthless as she wanted to be.
Hot-headed at times, sure, but so paradoxically calculative and strategic at other times Natasha felt like she could get whiplash. Despite all of the finicky situations the older sister had found herself drowning in, Yelena was always there for her, fiercely protective with a passion like no other.
This was no different, with Yelena being the hand to pull her out of the water. Physically and metaphorically. 
Natasha inhaled shakily, then exhaled and felt a whole lot worse than before. Impulsively, she snatched one of the smoked salmon appetizers off the plate and stuffed it in her mouth, feeling her eyes well up as she does so.
“Damn, this human fucked you up this bad?” The blonde said quizically, with an air of sarcastic wit on the surface but a layer of genuine concern underneath only Natasha would be able to decipher. 
"... I've fallen in love with her." The Goddess says softly, faraway, like she was floating with the wind and time itself. Detached from reality, or perhaps running away from it.
Yelena stayed silent. For once, the Goddess of War was at a loss. 
“I’ve fallen in love with her,” Natasha says again, with slightly more conviction. She looks to her blonde sister, and Yelena’s heart nearly shatters at the sight of the sheer hurt on Natasha’s face. So broken, so agonized, everything that she did not deserve to be.
“But that doesn’t even matter, alright? She gave me her heart, Lena, and I’m going to have to break it. I’m gonna break so many– Fuck, I’m gonna have to break every single promise I’ve ever made to her, like she’s some kind of toy.” Natasha chokes out. “And I don’t, I fucking don’t– understand why it was us, why I lead her on and why I let it happen. I’m fucking stupid, and now it’s blown up in my face. Maybe I deserve it. Maybe I-”
“You’ve never deserved it,” Yelena interrupts, placing a hand over her sisters’. Is that how you’re supposed to comfort someone? Yelena doesn’t know. Anyways, she’s trying. “Nat, I know you’re the Goddess of Lust, and your reputation precedes you, but, you, of all people, deserve love.”
You deserve love… what a fucking lie that was.
“Don’t try that on me,” Natasha snaps, her walls snapping back up in record timing. Her self-destructive defence builds like armour, and soon she’s standing up. 
“I’ve done some fucked up shit in the past, and I’m very aware of it. I thought I’d moved past it, but now those demons have caught up to me, and I can’t do jackshit but watch the love of my life slip away from my fingers. I don’t deserve love, it just happened to find me and I played along because I thought it could last.”
Natasha’s chest heaves at the impact of the outburst. She stares at Yelena, who remains painfully impassive. Arms folded, jaw working on the stupid fucking smoked salmon.
Fuck, she wanted to hurt someone. Make them feel her pain. Let it consume them like it’s consuming her, let it choke them and–
“Is that what you really think, Nat? That you were simply playing a game with Y/N L/N? Because I assure you, I haven’t seen much but I know damn well that those two months with her pure, unfiltered, undying, devotion.”
Yelena’s words puncture a hole into her conscience, injecting venom with it. Each syllable, each emphasis, cuts her. Because Natasha knows that it’s true, but she can’t accept it or she’ll never be able to let you go.
So all she does is give Yelena the best death stare she can muster, and stalk out of her bathroom like her clothes aren’t dripping with bubbly water. (Yes, she had gone into the bathtub with all her clothes on. Depression waited for no man, or Goddess.)
She shakes her head, forcing the stray thoughts to dissipate, and fixes up her appearance with wordless magic.
My palace. Natasha visualizes the place, closing her eyes, and when she opens them again, she’s standing right outside the door.
Apprehensively, she puts her hand on the handle to the huge, sparkling door. You would be waiting on the other side, waiting for Natasha to come home. 
Waiting for Natasha to break your heart.
She pushes the door open before she can cower and hide, before she can run away and curse every sentient being in existence. 
It was time for her mortal demise.
It was time for Natasha to see the fruits of your hard work.
You wipe the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand, huffing heavily but proud nonetheless. You step back to admire the absolute feast you had prepared for your girlfriend.
The fancy dining table was adorned with a checkered tablecloth and ornate with all kinds of things, expensive plates and cutlery already set up, just for two.
It was no secret that Natasha loved your home-cooked meals, despite being able to eat whatever she wanted, as a Goddess with a private chef. She had sworn you put something magical into your food.
You’ll never forget the moan she let out the first time she ate your perfected medium-rare New York Strip.
Which is exactly why you’ve spent over an hour cooking up a banquet of all kinds of food for the Goddess, an array of cuisines from all around the world. As much as you loved the hot sex you had with Natasha, you were an absolute sucker for the domesticity of life with her, how simple and perfect it was.
As if on cue, you hear the front door open, which was not too far away from the dining hall. 
Your heart physically leaps, unbridled excitement adorning your features. Natasha had taken longer than she normally would, and you could barely contain the anticipation thrumming in your bones.
That is, until you see Natasha standing in the hallway defeatedly, shoulders sagged and eyes lowered. Like all the life had been sapped out of her.
Fuck, you had never seen her like this. Natasha was the embodiment of undying energy, always with a smile on her face, or her expression schooled into composure, or her eyes fluttering in a state of lust. Not like this. 
Never like this.
“Darling?” you ask, hushed. You take one step towards her, tentatively. The head of red hair looks up to you, and Natasha’s biting her lip like she’s stopping the words from falling out of her mouth, like she’ll start crying if you say one word more.
“I-” Natasha tries, her voice hoarse and choked. The rest of her sentence dies in her throat, as she shakes her head and strides past you quickly, like she can’t burn any longer under your gaze.
Your hand drops in complete loss as Natasha simply walks past you, shoulders brushing like a ghost of what used to be warm hugs and sweet kisses. You chase after her before you know it, yelling her name as the Goddess speeds up.
Natasha blinks back tears furiously, striding through the dining hall as the servants scatter like mice. She hardly registers the feast prepared on the ornate table, vision blurring with each desperate cry of her name you let out.
“Natasha? What’s the matter? Talk to me, please!” 
You sprint faster, dodging your way through the hallways and up the wide set of stairs. The Goddess is within arm’s reach, now, and you extend your arm to grab onto hers, so you can spin her around and ask what on earth is going–
And the Goddess simply teleports away at the last second, the fleeting touch of her warm skin dissipating into thin air.
“Fuck!” you yell, eyes darting in frustration. Why was Natasha acting like this? Had you done something? Forget her birthday? No, that was December 3rd. Forget the anniversary of your first meeting? Nope, that was January 24th. What on earth had you done? Or had she done something? You–
No, okay, calm down. Slow down. The rational voice in your head speaks up. Where would Natasha have gone? What was a significant place she would escape to, in times of distress?
After a moment of contemplation, you find your answer, and sooner than later you’re sprinting up the long flight of spiral staircases to the Astronomy Tower. 
Natasha’s thankful for the dome-shaped glass ceiling the tower has, doing what it can to block out the cold. The sky is absolutely breathtaking, a heart-wrenching contrast to her inner turmoil.
It’s a dark blue and a soft pink, with millions of little bright planets splashing across the canvas like silver sequins. The view of the galaxy from the land of the Gods had always been the greatest, after all. 
The Goddess stands, unmoving and breathing lightly. She doesn’t feel the least bit better, but at least she’s calmed down in the slightest.
She’s bought some time by teleporting up here. Her hands were clammy, but no matter how many times she wipes them down on her dress it doesn’t change a thing. She can’t change a thing, not for anything, not for you.
“Natasha?” you ask, weakly, heaving at having sprinted up so many flights of stairs. 
At the sight of you, the Goddess feels the tears spring back into her eyes again. Stupid. She wants to say sorry. Stroke your face and kiss your lips, maybe. Well, not maybe, because she can’t. Because it’s the last– nope, she can’t say it.
“Nat, can you….. fuck, I need to work out more. Can you tell me what’s going on, please? I made- I made a New York Strip, if you’re hungry–”
The Goddess walks up to you, cradling the side of your face in her hands. Oh, fuck it. Tender, sweet, delicate. You’ve never seen her face like this before, so soft yet so broken.
“What—”
You’re cut off when Natasha leans into your space, eyelids fluttering shut. And for once, this wasn’t preordained or predetermined. You didn’t have to calculate the next move. You didn’t have to fix a destiny. 
Natasha’s lips meet yours in a grand, cruel, beautiful, broken kiss.
It feels so right, tongues interlocking like cogs on a machine, quavering breaths escaping from the sides of her mouth. You let her in, you drink her up. All other thoughts shut down.
Natasha kisses you with a hyena’s jaw, swearing she could never get enough, never satiate her desires for you, even if everything else is wrong. You’re stealing her every breath, every kiss, every sigh — she needed more.
She slides her hand down your torso, hands already finding the hem of your pants. But then you push her away – for the first time, for that last time – you push her away, and step back, and your head is spinning.
“I deserve to know,” you breathe heavily, and Natasha’s heart cracks. “You’re scaring me, Nat, okay? First you brush past me all soulless, and then you make me chase after you, and then you kiss me so- so sadly, and now you wanna fuck? It doesn’t make sense, not at all. I wanna know, I deserve to know, I–”
“You deserve everything,” Natasha interrupts, eyes transfixed on you now, and they look kaleidoscopic, just like the galaxy that hung above your heads. “You deserve everything, but I can’t give you what you need, and that’s why this is the last time we’re ever seeing each other again.”
Silence ensues.
You take a good moment to actually mentally digest what Natasha had just said. “...What?” 
“This is the last time we’re ever seeing each other again,” she repeats, firmer. You let out a bark of laughter in disbelief, half-joking, but Natasha’ stony face makes your face drop.
“Are you… breaking up with me?” you whisper, scared to say it loud, like doing so would make it less true. Natasha feels her heart clench, and her hands shake because you’ve never sounded so small, so vulnerable.
“No, I’m not– I had to, Y/N, darling,” Natasha says, trying to reason, clasping your hands in hers, shaking her head desparately, like it would stop her eyes from welling up. “I’m a Goddess, and you’re a mortal. I love you, please. But we can’t do this, we can’t-”
“Is it me?” you ask, softly, troubled. Eyes locking Natasha’s magnificent green eyes, one’s that you’ve fallen in love with a thousand times. Ones that you were still in love with.
“No,” Natasha says immediately, her knuckles whitening. “It’s not you. Definitely not.”
“Then who is it?” you follow up, eyes narrowing, head tilted. “Who’s the one tearing us apart?”
It was them, Natasha wants to scream out, until her lungs burned and her chest heaved and she ran out of tears. You’re the best fucking thing that’s happened in my life, and I’m a damned fool if I ever let you go, but this isn’t in my hands anymore. She wanted to curse the higher beings for centuries, taint their names with bitter words, but she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.
You grow more hopeless as the silence stretches on. 
No, you’re the villain. Natasha’s voice says in her head. This was what had come to bite her back, this was her karma. You’re paying for everything you’ve ever done wrong, for all the hearts you’ve broken and never mended. It’s your turn to face the music, your turn to go through suffering. What a shame, isn’t it? That she’s the one who’s so hurt because of you. Y/N L/N. Only person to blame is yourself.
…Only person to blame is yourself.
“It’s me,” Natasha finally says, a shell of a woman who once was, and the Goddess swears she hears your heart smash into smithereens, the glass pieces against the floor you trod on.
“No, what are you saying, Nat?” you ask, confused, tearing up, visibly shaking. “You’re- we’re together. We’re doing good. We’re doing so fucking good, please don’t–”
“I’m the Goddess of Lust, and you’re an attorney from earth. We were never gonna work out. I wasn’t made to have long-lasting, committed relationships. Just… lustful nights,” the falsehood of the words that fell out of Natasha’s mouth wasn’t her own. It tasted bitter on her tongue, but it was like medicine and it was the right thing to do.
You needed a villain. Someone to hate. Someone to blame it all on.
And Natasha happened to be a very good one.
“We were a time-ticking bomb, Y/N, separated by galaxies you could never even fathom.” she continues. “We were never meant to be. I realise how wrong I am for this, because it was never real–”
“It was real to me!” You yell out, voice cracking, tears in your eyes. 
Natasha is stunned by the sheer volume of your words, so ferocious and so determined and fuck, she was pathetic. “It was fucking real to me, alright? It was the realest thing I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was so fucking real, Nat, so you don’t get to just pretend you never fell in love!”
Love.
“Love?” Natasha asks, letting out an amused huff of disbelief. “Love doesn’t exist, not in my world, Y/N L/N. It had to end at some point, you know that. You have your responsibilities, I have mine. We’re over, alright?”
You stand there, feet rooted on the ground, face fallen and ashen and grey. This was a dream. This was a dream, and you’d wake up next to the real Natasha later, the one with sweet smiles and peanut butter cookies, and everything would be alright.
“I’ve said what I had to say,” the Goddess says, and she has to regulate her breathing so she won’t choke on her words and swallow them back. She had to escape before she fell to her knees and begged you for forgiveness. “I’m leaving, now.”
She turns, and you grab her arm. “You’re staying.” you state, non-negotiable. A commanding tone. One that Natasha had grown to love.
This time, she scoffs, wrenching herself out of your grasp. “Fucking make me, then.”
Just like that, a lever between the two of you was flicked, and the sexual tension you’d been trying to avoid since just now is nearly suffocating.
“We’re not gonna do this right now,” You growl, looking up at the ceiling with a clenched jaw. Teetering on the edge of precipice was your raging impulse, to either punch a hole in the wall or shove your hand up Natasha’s skimpy dress.
The Goddess tilts her head up in defiance, looking at you daringly in the eyes. Your eyes narrow, taking it as a challenge. God, she looked so fucking bratty like that, and it didn’t help that she was still wearing a stupidly skimpy dress and that her pink lip gloss made that mouth so damn kissable.
“No? Then I’m leaving,” Natasha says abruptly, her tone of voice unyielding and domineering. She uncrosses her arms and turns on her heel, her hand going to the door of the tower. 
The rhythmic clicking of her strappy high heels against the tiling of the ground ticks your brain like a metronome. You stand there with your arms folded, her long legs in the field of vision of narrowed eyes. 
Click, click, click–
And then she’s being spun around and slammed against the back of the door with an unruly force.
“The only time someone ever turns their back on me, when I’m talking, is when they’re bendin’ over,” you growl into Natasha’s skin, each pause in your sentence filled with a harsh bite to her porcelain skin. Her gasp-turned-moan is heaven to your ears. 
Natasha struggles for a moment, hand still grasping for the doorknob. “Fuck,” she cries, but she feels the gyration of your roughly-shoved thigh up her dress and she nearly loses it. You wrap a hand around her neck, letting her give up her power, and you do what you’ve done a thousand times before.
Except this was the last time.
You don’t bother to take off her garments as you hike up the bottom of her dress and push your front against her. “Fuck,” Natasha moans, feeling your rock-hard bulge against her panties. She tries to grind against it, tries to alleviate the growing tension, but you do nothing more than rut against her until she’s fucking soaking.
“I don’t think so,” you growl, hands going to her ass as you push her up against the wall. Your mouth latches on to whatever slivers of bare skin you can find, on her neck and her collarbone and her upper cleavage.
You suck hard on her porcelain skin, leaving marks like you could claim her. Like this wouldn’t be the last time. “Please,” Natasha begs, indescribably aroused, her panties completely soaked through. You had never been this unforgiving.”Need you, please.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t what you were saying just now, hmm?” You ask, harshly, slapping the side of her thigh just because you can. You pin her against the wall with your knees and your left hand, using the other to unbuckle your own pants. 
She tries to reach out to help you, but you slap her hand away. “Don’t fucking touch me,” you say coldly, and Natasha wants to cry but she knows she brought it upon herself.
It takes you more time on your own, but you get the job done and the sight of your cock, the one Natasha took the first day she met you, it makes her cunt grow a heartbeat and she’s a fucking mess against the wall.
“Now you need me so bad?” You taunt, rubbing the tip of it against the slit of her pussy. “Don’t have any more words to say?” God, she’s absolutely drenched, and you think you’re gonna die if you don’t go inside her in the next five seconds.
This was probably the worst way to communicate, but, fuck, the two of you were bad at talking and you couldn’t resist the divine goddess that was Natasha, no matter how badly she had hurt you.
You nearly cum the second you enter the Goddess. Her velvet walls cling tight to you, so warm, too fucking warm. Natasha’s babbling something you don’t understand, but you can’t wait any longer.
“Oh, fuck!” she moans, as you slide your cock into her wet cunt with ease.
Your bodies move together with every thrust, Natasha’s legs wrapped tight around your torso as you thrust into her against the door. It’s hard, and fast, and rough, and nothing tender like your Saturday mornings.
She clings to your back, head thrown back, moans and cries bouncing off the sides of the wall. The door is shaking, like it might crack from the sheer weight of your thrusts into her.
You grunt at the inconvenience of that prospect, instead opting to walk the two of you back to a desk in the corner. Natasha gasps, whimpering into your neck as you walk across the floor with your cock still deep inside her pussy. It’s too sensitive, so sensitive everywhere.
You bend her over the desk, pulling away then lining yourself up again. 
You’re about to make her beg, before the irrational, carnal side of your mind takes over, and you’re pounding into her pretty little cunt mercilessly. Grunting and groaning as lodge your cock in deeper with each harder thrust, as her moans delve into a symphonic crescendo of screams of your name.
She’s thrashing around, so warm and so wet and so overstimulated all over, but you don’t let up for a moment. You only grip her thighs harder and make her hear how wet she is, before Natasha’s eyes are rolling into the back of her head and there’s drool at the sides of her mouth.
“Pretty slut,” you grunt, pulling out to slap at her puffy clit before she’s squirting, white cream going all over the mattress. “Daddy,” Natasha moans pornographically, visibly shuddering at your degradation. She might like it, a little too much.
The title that had fallen from her lips elicits a groan of acknowledgement out of you, but simultaneously brings back the bittersweet flashbacks of your time spent with her.
This was the last time.
After she’s come down from her high and you’ve hit your climax, you spread her legs and lean down to get a good taste.
"Oh! Daddy - ungh - please," she begs, as your tongue meets her overstimulated cunt. Natasha hadn't even recovered from her previous orgasm, still bent over the desk and panting like she was in heat.
You lap greedily at her wet cunt from behind, and the sheer novelty of how many times you’ve done this truly hits you. How many hours you’ve spent exploring Natasha’s body. How many days you’ve spent worshipping.
All for it to succumb to this.
It’s only after another few orgasms that the weight of ‘the last time’ hits you. Both of you have ended up on the floor, completely naked, heaving heavily to regain oxygen.
“I loved you,” you whisper, hovering above Natasha, and the use of the past tense makes chips away at Natasha’s heart. It’s only then does she realise that there are tears on her cheeks, because you’re crying.
“You deserve someone better,” is the only thing the Goddess says, a ghost of her whisper on your lips. 
“You've ruined me for anyone else,” you say, face devoid of the passion there once was. “You loved me so tenderly I won't be able to have another, had such good sex I can't sleep with anyone else.”
Natasha doesn’t respond to that. She can’t respond to that. There were too many unsaid words, broken promises, a future yet to be.
Both of you look up at the pink-blue sky, bare backs on an astronomy tower, bound by love and unbound by timelines and galaxies. It was brokenly beautiful, undeniably so. 
You only wish everything could’ve been different.
You wake up the next day in an unfamiliar bedroom. The room was far too small, the walls were too grey, the air was too cold, and fuck.
No, no, no, fuck. This was not happening.
Realisation slams into your exhausted body like a two-hundred kilogram sledgehammer, and you're winded by the weight of the impact.
This wasn't Natasha's home. This wasn't her fancy palace. 
This wasn't the Goddess' universe.
Air crushes your lungs. Your heart pounds in your chest.
This was your bedroom. This was your universe. The one you had spent all your days in, before you met the love of your life. 
At least, who you so stupidly believed to be the love of your life.
You get up with a start, the ache in your bones forgotten with the sheer emotions coursing through your veins, terror and disbelief and anger.
Your mind swims as you grab at anything you can, overturning furniture and messing up papers to find anything, anything, that could explain why this had happened.
Deep inside your chest, you had already known. Even if you managed to fool yourself. Even if you’d dreamt up a whole future of your life with her.
With a shuddering breath, your eyes fall to an envelope on your bedside table. You open it with trembling hands, almost fearful of what lay beyond.
In the envelope, contained a signed check with so many zeroes you could live luxuriously for the rest of days. 
In the envelope, contained a note with five fated words and the name of the one that got away.
All you're left with is a broken promise, an agonized cry, and the ghost of what could've been. 
To every universe and back,
N.R.
Tumblr media
series m.list | main m.list | AO3
4.5k words my eyes are not okay i've been staring my screen and typing for two hours straight, look what i'm going thru for yall
Tumblr media
2K notes · View notes
onsomenewsht · 2 months
Text
now playing: Everything to Everyone (Intro)
track 2 >
Tumblr media
》 Alexia Putellas x Reader
》 words count: +750
》 I need the guts to go and give you up / 'cause I'll kill myself tryin' and I'm not scared of dyin'
“Qué es eso de que te vas?!” (What do you mean you’re leaving?)
Legit question, you think. One can leave so many places and in so many ways.
You can clearly read the shock in her naturally stoic face, usually unreadable for people who don’t have the privilege to orbit close to her heart.
Your head sinks, eyes too focused on your unlaced shoes to see Alexia taking a step toward you. But you sense her. And putting some more distance between the two of you is the only response you can give her right now.
She tries to make you look at her, she knows you can feel her pleading eyes desperately trying to lock into your darker ones, but you don't dare to. You will drop everything otherwise. 
“Alexia, please”
“No, no hace esto, ¡no lo digas así!” (No, don’t do it, don’t say it like that!), like she’s the one hurting you.
You take even more steps faraway from her frozen form, hitting with the back of your calves the sofa in the abruptly smaller house. You let yourself drop on it, sitting and rubbing the stiff texture of your jeans.
The catalan takes it as a sign of you being ready to explain whatever this is, to explain this epically huge misunderstanding. But your muffled sob makes it evident to her you need space, space from her.
Dropping your head into your hands is the only way you can think of to make them stop shaking so much.
You can’t let Alexia come closer, you can’t let her touch you in the way somehow capable of healing every aching part of your body and soul. You can’t glance at your lover, you can’t let her look at you the way she does when she needs you to understand the feeling she can’t communicate.
You just can’t.
However, when the blonde starts crying, silently as if not wanting to disrupt your breakdown; you’re sure.
Leaving truly is the only way.
“I got an offer”
“You got offers all the time”
“I asked for it”
You have known her for four years now, getting closer and closer with time passed and shared experiences.
Four years of studying all the finest details of the ways she acts and moves. Three years of falling asleep with your hand on her chest, her heartbeats as the only lullaby that can make you rest. Two years of heading to a future that appallingly looks a lot like the same for the both of you. One year of trying to tell yourself that nothing changed about the way you feel of your life here, of your life here with her.
You have known her for so long, so profoundly, yet this is the first time you meet this Alexia.
A truly, deeply broken Alexia.
And you’re the reason why.
“Tú lo pediste?” (You asked for the transfer?)
“Yes”
The captain moves slowly, dropping on her knees right in front of you and taking your hands in hers. She’s not shaking like you, but you can catch deep worry in her eyes. She’s the most scared she’s ever been. 
You beg every goddess and gods on earth and sky she doesn’t ask you to stay.
If Alexia asks you to stay, you’ll stay.
“Por qué?” (Why?)
She is not hiding her cries anymore and the brutal honesty of her feelings is something you will never get used to.
Something you will never forget.
“I need to leave”
“Me?”
“I can’t leave you, mi corazón”
The catalan closes her eyes and tries to calm herself down, her sudden shortness of breath alarming you. The term of endearment always gets her heart skip a beat, your broken accent somehow making it even more special.
“Me estás dejando” (You’re leaving me)
“I’m not, I’m not leaving you”
Your hands unties from hers, moving fast to hold her face before she panics. You study your lover’s distinctive features one more time, one last time. You know you will never forget her, but you can’t take any chances now.
The older girl closes her eyes, letting even more tears fall. When you gently caress them away with your thumbs, smiling softly, she knows this is a goodbye.
“No puedo dejarte, Alexia” (I can’t leave you)
You kiss her, one more time.
“Voy a dejar Barcelona porque no puedo dejar a ti” (I’m leaving Barcelona because I can’t leave you)
One last time.
431 notes · View notes
fragileheartbeats · 7 days
Text
𓈒ㅤׂㅤ 𓇼 ࣪ 𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐄 𓈒ㅤׂㅤ⭒⠀
♡ ⭒ㅤ𓈒 dohaeriros daor ㅤ𝅄ㅤ ㅤ྄
Tumblr media
꒰͡ ⠀ ִ 𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑒𝑛 𝑥 𝑆𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 ⠀ׂ ⠀ ͡꒱
♡ㅤ𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶ㅤ۫ㅤ𝅄ೀ
— 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘐, 𝘔𝘢𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳, 𝘑𝘢𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘐, 𝘋𝘢𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘉𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯, 𝘈𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘐𝘐, 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘐𝘐𝘐, 𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳, 𝘈𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘐 <3
˚꒰🌼꒱‧ Hi there! Before you read this, you should know that English is not my first language. Hope you enjoy!
Tumblr media
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐈 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑹𝑶𝑹 ─ ♕ . ♡𝆬
She was his queen, his one true love, A goddess in his eyes, sent from above. Her smile, her voice, her every move, He adored her deeply, his heart did prove. With every breath, he praised her name, For she was more than just a mere dame. Her beauty, her radiance, her soul so pure, Made his heart skip a beat, that was for sure. He treated her like a precious gem, For she was the one who completed him. Her love was a divine blessing, A gift that his heart would always be confessing. His love for her was like a burning flame, That never seemed to flicker or be tamed. He would go to any lengths to see her smile, For her happiness was what made his life worthwhile. He built monuments in her honor, For she was his queen, his forever love and lover. He wrote her love letters, filled with poetic words, Expressing his love for her, like beautiful birds. The people of the kingdoms marveled in awe, As they witnessed the king's love for his queen, raw. They envied the love they shared, so pure and true, For it was a love that only a chosen few could pursue. He showered her with gifts, sparkling and rare, For her, he would conquer any fear or dare. For she was his everything, his heart did sing, He would give anything to see her happy and gleaming. In her presence, he felt like a mere mortal, For she was a goddess, in his eyes, immortal. He promised to love and cherish her till eternity, For she was his true love, his one and only divinity. As the years passed and their love grew, The king and his queen, together they drew. A love story so beautiful, so pure and divine, Their love was worshiped, like a heavenly shrine.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐌𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐑 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑪𝑹𝑼𝑬𝑳 ─ ⸸ . ♡𝆬
Her beauty was a sight to behold, Her grace and charm, worth more than gold, He would lavish her with jewels and gold, But little did she know, he was cruel and cold. He would sing to her under the moonlit sky, Her smile was his only source of joy, But beneath the façade of love and bliss, Lurked his twisted ways, something amiss. He would shower her with sweet words and praise, But behind closed doors, her happiness would erase, For he was jealous and possessive, His love for her was obsessive. He'd lock her up in a tower so high, The only view, the darkened sky, For he feared she'd leave him, his love undone, But in truth, he was the one who had her on the run. He'd force her to dance in a fiery ring, Her feet scorched, her body aching, But he couldn't see her pain and tears, For his love for her had blinded him for years. He'd send her away to faraway lands, In hopes that she'd forget his cruel demands, But no matter where she'd go, His love for her would never let her go. His love for her was a twisted fate, For her, he'd do anything, even if it meant hate, For she was his goddess, his everything, But in his love, there was no healing. As she lay dying in his arms, He realized the extent of his harm, For his love had become a dark obsession, A beautiful tragedy, without a confession. The king loved his sister, but at what cost? For his love, she paid the ultimate cost, A beautiful soul, destroyed by his hand, Leaving behind a broken king, in a cruel and lonely land.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐉𝐀𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 𝐈 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑰𝑺𝑬 ─ ✦ . ♡𝆬
He worshiped her, with every breath he took, For she was his light, in a world that was so shook. Her every move, her every smile, Was like a blessing, that made his heart worthwhile. He showered her with love, like petals from a rose, And in her presence, his heart would carefully compose. Words of adoration, that flowed from his soul, For no other could fulfill, his lover's role. He adorned her with jewels, fit for a queen, And treasured her, like a prized possession unseen. Her happiness, was all he ever desired, And in return, his heart felt so inspired. He would lay at her feet, like a humble servant, And gaze at her beauty, with eyes so fervent. For in his eyes, she was more than a lover, She was a goddess, that he would forever discover. He proclaimed her, as the queen of his wisdom, Her radiance, would illuminate the skies. And in her presence, he would feel so alive. With every passing day, his love grew stronger, For in her arms, he knew he belonged there longer. He would sing her praises, like a sweet melody, For she was his world, his everything, his destiny. He would kneel before her, with palms open wide, And pledge his heart, to her for all of time. For she was his goddess, his queen, his love, Pure and true, like an angel from above. The kingdom knew, of their love so pure, For in their eyes, it was hard to ignore. They were like two flames, that burned as one, With a love so strong, it could never come undone. And in the end, when their time had passed, His love for her, would forever last. For she was his goddess, his queen, his heart, And nothing in this world could ever tear them apart.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑶𝑮𝑼𝑬 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬 ─ 𖤐 . ♡𝆬
He stands tall, a prince of the wild, With heart ablaze and passion filed. Her beauty like a dazzling light, Enchants his soul, a love so right. He worships her with every breath, His love, a never-ending quest. Her grace and elegance, a sight to behold, In her arms, his heart gently unfolds. She is his goddess, his heart's desire, Every thought, every dream she does inspire. He bows before her, in devotion and awe, His love for her, an unbreakable law. Her smile, like sunshine, lights up his world, Her touch, like magic, makes his heart twirl. He'll climb mountains and swim the seas, Just to show her his love, his eternal loyalty. He seeks her approval, her every nod, For her love, he'll go above and beyond. He'll slay dragons and fight with might, Just to make her happy, to see her light. She is his queen, his everything, In her arms, he feels like a king. Her love, a precious gift he'll never take for granted, For she is his world, his everything, his enchanted. In her eyes, he sees the reflection of his soul, In her heart, he finds his truest role. He'll love her till the end of time, For she is his goddess, his love sublime. As the winds whisper his name in her ear, He'll hold her close and wipe away her every fear. With every breath, he'll worship her divine, His beautiful sister, forever his, till the end of time.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐁𝐀𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬 ─ ✿ . ♡𝆬
He walks with grace and noble charm, A prince so fair, without a qualm, But in his heart, there's no denying, His love for her, forever flying. With every step, his heart beats faster, As he approaches his beautiful sister, For she is his shining star, The one he loves, both near and far. Her beauty pure and unmatched, Her kindness, something to be matched, To him, she's more than just a sister, She's a love, like no other. With gentle hands, he cups her face, And gazes upon her with such grace, Whispers sweet words, for her to hear, For she's the one he holds so dear. Through the good times and through the bad, His love for her will never be sad, For she's his light, his guiding force, The one who's always his main course. He showers her with gifts and praise, For he's grateful for her loving ways, He'll do whatever it takes, To make her smile, for her heart's sake. In her eyes, he sees his future, A love so pure, there's no need to nurture, For it blooms like a flower in spring, And forever it will continue to bring. She's his queen, his one true cure, Her touch, her kiss, fills him with bliss, And he knows he'll never miss. Together they dance in the moonlight, Their love shining so bright, And in his arms, she feels so safe, For she knows he'll never waif. He'll continue to worship her, For she's his goddess, his everything and more, And in her eyes, he sees his true self, For she's the one that completes his wealth.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐈 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑫 𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 ─ ✞ . ♡𝆬
His mind was filled with twisted love, For his sister who came from above. She was his everything, his world, Her beauty, his heart had unfurled. But in her eyes, he saw only fear, As he whispered words in her ear. He built a temple in her name, Where he would worship, proclaim. His love for her, his queen divine, But little did she know, it was her prison to confine. The king would offer sacrifices, In hopes of pleasing her, his vices. For her, he would do anything, Even if it meant causing suffering. The people feared the mad king's reign, As they witnessed his love turn to pain. For he would torture and destroy, In the name of his beloved, oh how he would deploy. But she did not love him in return, For her, he would have to yearn. Still, he clung to his delusion, Of her being his ultimate fusion. The madness consumed him, bit by bit, As he worshipped her, his love not legit. But to him, she was his everything, And he would do anything, even the most gruesome offering. The kingdoms plagued by his twisted obsession, As he ruled with no sense or discretion. The people cried out, for mercy they plead, But the king's love for her was all he would heed. In the end, it was not love that destroyed, But the king's obsession, his heart void. For his lover was nothing but a fantasy, And in his madness, he had lost all sanity. And so, the mad king's reign came to an end, But his love for her would never bend. For even in death, he worshipped her still, His obsession, a twisted love that would never fulfill.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐈𝐈 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑮𝑨𝑹 𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 ─ * . ♡𝆬
He stood in awe, before her grace, His eyes adored her angelic face. Every night, he'd kneel at her feet, His heart filled with love, so deep and sweet. She was his light, in a world of darkness, Her touch, his only source of solace. Her voice, like music to his ears, In her presence, he had no fears. He worshipped her, like a deity, Lost in her beauty, he found his sanity. Her every move, a work of art, She held his heart, never to depart. But beneath her gentle facade, Lies a darkness, that he cannot dodge. She's a storm, brewing in disguise, And he's just a fragile, helpless prize. He tried to please her, in every way,But her love was fleeting, like a summer day. It burned bright, then faded away, Leaving him in darkness, to decay. He denied the truth, refusing to see, That she was not the goddess, he thought her to be. But a mortal, with flaws and scars, That he couldn't heal, no matter how hard. Yet still he worshipped, with all his might, For she was his drug, his source of light. Unable to break free, from her spell, He remained, in this hell. Days turned to weeks, and weeks to years, But his love for her, never disappeared. Even as she tore him apart, He couldn't help but worship her heart. In the end, he sacrificed it all, For a love that was destined to fall. But he couldn't bear to live, without her by his side, Even if it meant, he had to die. And so his story, came to an end, A tragic tale, of a love that couldn't mend. A man who worshipped, his lover till the end, But sadly, she was never meant to be his.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐑 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑷𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑬 ─ ♫ . ♡𝆬
Every morning, he'd wake up, With her face in his mind, He'd serenade her with love songs, And make her heart skip a beat, so divine. With every sunrise, his love grew stronger, He was her loyal knight, He'd shower her with flowers, And hold her hand, ever so tight. Her voice was like music to his ears, Her laughter, a symphony, He'd do anything to bring a smile to her face, For her happiness was his source of glee. He'd write her love letters, With every word, he'd pour his heart, She was his fairy tale come true, His one true love, they'd never part. He'd make her feel like a queen, In his kingdom of love, With her by his side, He had the strength to conquer the world above. Their love was a storybook romance, With each chapter better than the last, He was grateful for her presence in his life, For her, he'd go through the toughest task. So here's to the lovely prince, His love so pure and true, For his lover, he'd move mountains, Forever and always, they'll say 'I do.' And so, ends the tale of this prince, Whose love was like a never-ending dance, In their hearts, they'll hold each other tight, For their love was a beautiful, sweet and romantic delight.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐀𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑶𝑵𝑬-𝑬𝒀𝑬 ─ 𓆸 . ♡𝆬
His love knew no boundaries, no limits, no fear, His devotion to her, forever sincere. He was her protector, her shield, her knight, Obsessed with her safety, day and night. For she was his world, his very reason to live, His love for her, he would never forgive. In his eyes, she was the brightest star, Whose light outshone the sun from afar. Her every move, her every smile, Sent his heart racing, mile by mile. He was her shadow, her ever-present guard, A brother and his sister, forever entwined and scarred. But behind the beauty, lurked a darkness within, For his love for her, was an obsession, a sin. He would do anything to keep her by his side, Even if it meant controlling her, with every stride. She was his possession, his prized and cherished treasure, His love, a beautiful facade, with a sinister measure. His obsession consumed him, bit by bit, His love turned darker, with each passing minute. He would lock her away, in a gilded cage, For no one else to see, no one else to engage. She was his and his alone, no one else could dare, To take her away, from his possessive stare. But she, the princess, did not see, The darkness that consumed her Protector, with glee. Blinded by his love, she saw only his light, Not realizing, it would consume her, with all its might. She lived in a fantasy, a beautiful lie, Never once questioning, the darkness that lurked by. But as time passed by, he began to see, The error of his ways, his love's true identity. The sister he worshiped, had withered away, A mere reflection, of who she once was, in her heyday. His obsession had destroyed, the very love he craved, His beautiful love, now a hollow grave. His heart shattered, into a million pieces, As he saw the wreckage, of his love's diseases. His obsession had blinded him, from seeing the truth, His love had turned dark, no longer in youth. Regret and guilt flooded his troubled mind, His love's destruction, an eternal bind. His sister, now free from her gilded cage, Had lost her beauty, her light, her rage. For his obsession, had left her scarred, A mere shadow of herself, a love forever marred. She mourned the loss of what could have been, If only, the his obsession, had not consumed him within.
ㅤㅤ ꣸ ﹒𝆋 𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐈 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑼𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑷𝑬𝑹 ─ ☁︎ . ♡𝆬
She danced within his twisted mind, A goddess in his eyes and heart. Her touch, her presence, so divine, He worshipped her with every part. Her beauty was unmatched, they say, But her heart was cold and ruthless. He loved her in every way, But she remained cruel and heartless. His kingdom flourished at her feet, As she basked in all his glory. But her love was a cruel deceit, A never-ending tragic story. He built her temples, golden shrines, Where he laid his offerings bare. For her, he committed crimes, As his love became his despair. She reveled in his adoration, A puppet master pulling strings. But his love was her damnation, As she fed on his suffering. The people whispered, feared and cried, For their king had turned blind and weak. But he saw her, a goddess in disguise, Even as she made him suffer and weep. His heart shattered with every sigh, But he remained devoted to her. For she was his all, his reason to die, A sacrifice he gladly offered. And as his kingdom crumbled down, In her soft embrace, he lay. For her cruel love, he'd forsake his crown, And in her arms, he'd waste away. The king worshipped his lover, As a goddess, cruel and dark. His heart forever enslaved, forever, In her mercy, he'd left his mark.
Tumblr media
@ 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 . 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠.
361 notes · View notes
ventique18 · 9 months
Text
Cliché but demon lord 🐉 and goddess 🌸♀️ who constantly fight for centuries because their kind wants to see the other extinct. No one ever wins though because they're equal in terms of power.
That is false. He is stronger. They just keep up this stupid charade because they're secretly married and meet up every night. They also make love everywhere they could (they are in no place to be choosy) and their subordinates would simply implode if this scandal came out. The holy ones, for example, would go berserk and demand the evil king not to lay his filthy claws on their virgin queen.
That is false. She has not been pure for three centuries. And she was the one who initiated it with him, by the way.
The evil ones, on the other hand, would hurl fire at the holy ones' wings and scream at them that their "pussy ass" would never influence their king to feel the nauseating love and sympathy that they've been harping on about since time knows when.
That is false. He likes to go on faraway vacations with her and pretend to be a domestic husband who cooks for and massages his wife. He also enjoys being submissive once in a while.
So when their annual "faceoff" at the border approaches once again, both stare at each other and breathe a long, centuries-old sigh. Oh, what they wouldn't give to just play dead and run away together when everyone else falls asleep while mourning their corpses.
544 notes · View notes
mindblowingscience · 4 months
Text
Over the years, scientists have managed to unveil the existence of quite a few intriguing particles, pushing the entire field of physics forward with each discovery. There's the "God Particle" for instance, aka the Higgs Boson that grants all other particles their masses. There's also the so-called "Oh My God!" particle, an unimaginably energetic cosmic ray.  But now we have a new particle in town. It's named  the "sun goddess" particle  —  and is fittingly extraordinary.  This particle has an energy level one million times greater than what can be generated in even humanity’s most powerful particle accelerators; it appears to have fallen to Earth in a shower of other, less energetic particles. Like the "Oh My God!" particle, these bits come from faraway regions of space and are known as cosmic rays. The particle has been dubbed "Amaterasu" after Amaterasu Ōmikami, the goddess of the sun and the universe in Japanese mythology, whose name means "shining in heaven." And just as its mythological namesake is shrouded in mystery, so too is the Amaterasu particle. Its discoverers, including Osaka Metropolitan University researcher Toshihiro Fujii, don’t know where the particle came from or indeed what it is. They also still aren't sure what kind of violent and powerful process could have given rise to something as energetic as Amaterasu.
Continue Reading.
207 notes · View notes
minecraftninjerkid · 6 months
Text
The Lying Gatekeeper and the Blind Princess
Tumblr media
Pairing: First Meeting, Burnt Cheese Cookie x Reader Cookies in Bond Buff: Burnt Cheese Cookie, (Y/N) Cookie, Golden Cheese Cookie Warnings: Minor gore Word Count: 1,669 words Summary: Every night, on the tallest dune in the Parmesan Desert, a lone jackal would sit vigil under the night sky, soon attracting the attention of a visiting princess from a kingdom far away. When his fear brings her to ruin, only the blessing of the Golden Sovereign will give him a second chance to make things right. Scenario: Fairytale AU, Love at First Sight, Misunderstanding A/N: Okay, a friend of mine (who sadly doesn't have Tumblr) requested a fic regarding the new Cookie, and I kinda owed them one after they helped me with an art thing, which was the origin of this! Unfortunately, I was being a dum-dum and I deleted their ask, so just to clarify, requests are still closed, I have a bunch more to finish up and this is just at the top of the list to repay a little debt! Enjoy!
Once upon a time, there were ruins of an ancient kingdom surrounded by the dunes of the Parmesan Desert. The kingdom itself was said to be a frightening place. Once a prosperous land ruled by a powerful goddess, it was now filled with mysterious entities and terrible beasts. Even during the night, the desert blazed hot enough to burn a Cookie's dough. Because of this, Cookies rarely ventured into the desert.
As terrible as the desert was, the innocent souls who DID traverse into the sands were watched over when the moon was full. This was the responsibility of a lone burnt cheese jackal, who proudly sat vigil under the moon high atop the biggest dune every night.
His fellow jackals often looked down on him for it. In their eyes, Cookies were prey, and therefore it was impossible for them to get along. He once thought like them, but hearing stories of the goddess, a Cookie, care for jackals like them in her kingdom...he wasn't so sure that was the case, hence his careful watch on any that came into the desert.
One evening, the jackal drew in an unforseen admirer--a Cookie princess, traveling from a faraway kingdom. One the first night of their journey, she sensed an unseen presence watching over them all the while. When morning came, the princess left a gift, a single clover, as thanks. Her protector's identity was hidden because of the dunes, but it only piqued the princess's curiosity.
The jackal had never been praised for his dutiful watch before. He hesitated at first, but for some reason, he soon grew fond of it. For several more nights, the jackal protected the caravan from the shadows, always looking forward to the princess's gifts of thanks. However, he feared that if she discovered he was a monster, she would be frightened and would leave the desert for good. So, as soon as the sun began to rise, he would flee back into the ruins of the ancient kingdom.
Things changed one particular night, where the princess was filled not with curiosity, but determination. She wanted to see the identity of her guardian angel with her own two eyes...so she climbed the tallest dune, her heart full.
But the jackal was caught off-guard by her getting so close. In a panic, he tried to avert her eyes, but his sharp claws ended up tearing at them instead. Wounded, the princess tumbled back down the dune, her cries of pain attracting the attention of her escorts. They brought her back to their camp and to her parents. Her blindness bringing disappointment to the royal family, they made her a prisoner of their camp, with plans to return to their kingdom, where she would be locked away for eternity to hide her shame.
When the jackal heard of this, he was deeply ashamed of his actions and swore to make it right. He had heard from the creatures of the desert that the goddess that once ruled the ancient city still dwelled in the temple ruins and could be of help, so he ventured into the ruins to seek her aid.
The dingo had explored the ruins before, and by the time the sun rose, he had managed to make it into the temple catacombs, where a golden sarcophagus domineered over the others that lay in the tomb. From it, he heard a voice...the voice of the Golden Sovereign.
"What a rare customer..." she chuckled. "A Cookie-eating burnt cheese jackal, coming all the way here...what is this all about?"
"I wish to become a Cookie," the jackal pleaded. "There is a princess I wish to bring to you who is in need of your power."
The goddess let out a hearty laugh: sly jackals hardly said such things. "A monstrous jackal, becoming a Cookie?! How amusing. No need to divulge the details...I believe I already know why. But I am not one to give something for nothing, if I am to give at all, dear beast."
The room began to glimmer with golden light, surrounding the tomb. "The most valuable of hearts are the ones willing to lose what's important to them in order to get what they want," she advised the jackal. "And the most valuable thing to a jackal...is their free spirit. I will turn you into a Cookie...but in return, you must swear your loyalty to me and me alone."
The jackal's heart trembled with indecision...the mysterious free spirit that the princess so admired, or the chance to hold her hand...
"...I swear my allegiance to you, Golden Goddess, in exchange for the form of a Cookie."
The corners of the goddess's mouth curled up. "To receive such an offering from a creature usually so prideful...I shall offer you something extra," she declared, her eyes twinkling dubiously. "The desert is a cruel and dangerous place, and your fair princess shall crumble before she ever reaches me in these catacombs. I shall grant you the power of the earth itself to defend her and yourself from the monsters that guard these ancient walls."
But before she started the ritual, the goddess warned one last thing. "Beware: for if the light of the full moon should hit your dough, you shall be returned to your jackal form, as truth always shines in the presence of Moon Magic."
When the golden light faded, the jackal indeed had the form of a Cookie, and within, he felt a fraction of the goddess's power. He re-entered the desert and snuck into the camp where the princess was now imprisoned.
The princess sensed him nearby like she had before, raising her face. Her eyes were bandaged, as if to hide something shameful and dirty. "...Who goes there?"
"Be calm," the jackal told her. "I have been watching your party closely, and I have seen what's happened to you.
"You're the one who's protected us from afar..." the princess realized. "Thank goodness you're alright...I thought the beast from earlier had gotten to you."
"I am a soldier from the kingdom that lies within this desert," the jackal lied. "The queen of our land is rich and powerful. She can provide the resources to heal you, but only if you journey to the center of the city with me."
The princess was dumbfounded upon hearing this idea. "It'd be hard to take me deep inside the desert..." she said, her head hanging and her shoulders shaking. "That monster rendered me blind...I can still feel its claws raking over my eyes."
These words pierced the jackal's heart like a spear, but he remained calm. "Do not fear," he assured her. "I will protect you on our journey, as I have been doing before. You will be safe with me."
And so, the jackal reached out and grasped the princess's tiny, warm hand. Though she was scared, she weakly grasped his back. Indeed, the jackal had given up his freedom to do this...but the joy that one touch brought him, he was glad he did.
They braved the deadly desert to travel to the ancient ruins of the Golden Cheese Kingdom and heal the princess. They spoke to each other during their journey, and with every word, they grew even closer.
But as expected, they encountered many dangers on their quest. Luckily, thanks to the powers bestowed by the goddess, the jackal was able to protect the princess the whole way through.
The princess was enthralled. "Where did you receive such incredible powers?" she asked him.
There was no way the jackal could tell her it was given to him as penance for trading away his freedom to the goddess. "I was tasked as the gatekeeper of the ancient city, so such powers were bestowed upon me in order to protect our home," he lied once more.
Such feats only increased the princess's admiration for him, yet they brought him great pain. Up until then, he'd been happy to hold her hand as a Cookie, believing there was nothing to fear. But his true form was a beast that she hated, and she didn't even know he was the one who had blinded her. If she ever found out...
His mind buzzed with anxiety the longer they stayed together. He couldn't be with the princess unless he kept lying. He was beginning to feel conflicted about his feelings for her and his deceit. For he knew, deep down, his true self could not be with her.
Eventually, they made it to the temple in one piece, but before they could enter the catacombs, a beam of moonlight shone from the pyramid's skylight above, casting on the jackal as he led the princess ahead. As the goddess warned, he was turned back into his original form, and upon recognizing the feel of the claws that blinded her, the frightened princess attempted to run away. In doing so, she fell into the catacombs, fatally injuring herself.
Now vulnerable, the monsters within the cavern attempted to prey upon her, but the jackal, though having lost his Cookie form, fought fiercely to continue protecting the princess, as he swore to guide her to her goal to the end, even if she feared his true self.
As the two lay dying in each other's company one last time, the goddess bore witness to everything that had transpired. Having touched her commonly selfish heart through his actions, she had pity on them and stretched out her hand to save them once more. She restored the jackal to his Cookie form and transformed the princess into a statue that rested at the gates of the temple, with all-seeing eyes that could peer into a Cookie's very soul.
From that day on, the jackal abandoned his nameless past and became known as Burnt Cheese Cookie, gatekeeper of the Golden Cheese Kingdom. And it was said the gates he guarded were empowered by the spirit of the one he loved, the one he lied for...and the one he protects to this day.
DANG, I had an itch to write a folklore-like legend! Might be something you find etched in hieroglyphics on the wall of a pyramid or something, IDK, that's what I was trying to emulate. Based the story off of this platformer I played which I REALLY liked the story of, because y'all know I go CRAZY for love stories told in the form of a fairytale 😋
254 notes · View notes
harbingerwife · 2 months
Text
I am. deeply struggling to word my thoughts but I’ve been thinking about Childe and Garnets since morning.
Did you know garnets are gemstones generally known for their gorgeous blood-red hues (though like most other gems, they do come in other colours as well)? Did you know their name actually comes from the Latin word for pomegranate because of the similarity in colours?
Did you know that because of that similarity, garnets have been seen as a symbol reflecting the affection shared between Persephone and Hades? Did you know that the gemstone actually developed an association with Persephone, the Greek goddess known for her duality? The goddess of spring, and fertility but also queen of the underworld?
A duality finding balance of gentle innocence and growth, and death, reincarnation; even referred to as a protector(ess) in reference to the latter?
And on the topic of protection, did you know it was used by travellers journeying far from home so popularly that it’s sometimes referred to as the Traveller’s stone? It was seen as a bringer of good fortune and protection for those travelling; it was thought that it would bring them back to their homeland safely. It was actually given to loved ones embarking on faraway journeys quite commonly, with the hope that this stone would guide them home safe and sound. It has also been noted to be a popular gift among lovers to symbolise their affection but its most popular tradition (at-least in the past) remains that of it being gifted with the hope of being reunited, of having this person who means so much to you, finally come back home to you. And whether or not you believe in stone-related superstitions and myths, is there not sweetness to be found in the desperate human impulse to find comfort? Even if you view the belief to be silly, the fact that to console the anxiety and fear rooted in that separation, the people from those times dedicated these feelings and warmth to this stone, isn’t that special?
That said though, this stone also stands to represent passion, strength, vigour and life. It’s recommended for those who feel fatigued because it’s said to energize the wearer’s mind and body alike, while granting protection and strength alongside. This strength is generally seen to be mental but some might even argue it to be physical due to the belief that it promotes health of the heart and bones; and in association with the heart, promotes recovery from disorders or deficiencies regarding the blood. This stone protects, strengthens, energises, protects, and impassions.
Tumblr media
I mean, I don’t know, the idea of a blood-red stone related with life, passion and strength that also has a history of being given to loved ones journeying away from their homelands to protect them and bring them home in one piece while also standing to represent the goddess, the protector, that balances both the gentle spring and the depths of the lower world just sounds strangely suitable for a certain someone.
+TL;DR: [desperately trying to flirt] wow handsome, you are so. rock
107 notes · View notes
lendeah · 3 months
Text
After the Weave 1.
series masterlist
Summary:
After defeating the Nether Brain, Gale makes a promise to Tav: he will move to Waterdeep and marry her. However, he breaks his pledge when he feels the pull of his former goddess, Mystra, and leaves to forge the Karsus Crown and become a god, which leaves Tav feeling betrayed and alone.
Astarion, now fully consumed by the shadows, offers Tav a new mission. Together, they try to rebuild themselves and move on from their past. As they rely on each other in unexpected ways, they find a new sense of purpose and meaning, and realize that fate will always lead you back to where you belong.
Pairing: Astarion x OFC!Tav, past Gale x OFC!Tav
Tags: Angst, Drinking to Cope, References to Depression, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Emotional Baggage, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Post-Break Up, Tav finds herself again with Astarion, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Word count: 4.4k
Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption, language.
Also on AO3
Tumblr media
Being with him was like being enveloped in a warm, golden glow; his presence adding vibrancy and light to every moment. Even in the bleakest moments, when I felt lost in the chaos of battle, he remained a constant beacon of hope and love. His strong arms always provided support and comfort, our souls intertwining in ways I never thought possible. But every now and then, when the chaos around us subsided and we had a moment of peace, Gale would pull me away from the rest of our troop. We would find a quiet spot, away from prying eyes, and just be together. In those moments, it was like the rest of the world didn't exist. It was just him and me.
"With you, I forget my goddess. I love you" he had whispered in my ear, under a sea of stars. And in that moment, it felt like all of my doubts and fears disappeared. Gale's love for me was real and true; it was something worth holding onto amidst the chaos of war.
So as we stood victorious over the defeated Brain, I turned to the wizard with a triumphant smile and tears streaming down my cheeks. This was what we had risked our lives for, what we had fought and bled for.
"Beloved," Gale whispered, his voice brimming with emotion. "We have faced countless perils together, defying fate itself. Our love has withstood trials and tribulations that most would crumble under. I cannot fathom another day without you by my side."He took a step closer, our bodies gravitating towards each other as if pulled by an invisible force.
The crashing waves and salty sea air filled their lungs as they stood on the decks of the city, overlooking the ocean. The sun was setting in a blaze of pink and orange, casting a warm glow over our faces. "Let us leave this place," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "We should go back home to Waterdeep. We can build a life together, away from the battles and the constant threat of danger. We can find solace in each other's arms, and create a haven where love and peace reign supreme." he took a deep breath, mustering the courage to add, "Let's get married." His words resonated deep within my soul, stirring a longing I hadn't realized was there. Yes, Waterdeep, the city of wonders and dreams, seemed like the perfect place to start our new chapter.
"Yes," I whispered, the word escaping my lips like a fervent prayer. "I'd be honored to marry you, Gale Dekarios."
He took me that same night, slow and deliberate, as if we had all the time in the world. As we laid in each other's arms, the the warm body next to mine, our intertwined hands, and synchronized breaths felt like an unbreakable bond, our future stretching out before us like an endless summer day. And through the days following the battle, it did. Helping reconstruct buildings, tending the wounded, and giving food and shelter to those in need; everything was keeping us so busy that I didn't notice the faraway look in his eyes. He still held me close at night, his touch as loving as ever, but something seemed to be weighing heavily on his mind.
One morning, exactly one week after the last battle, when my hand reached out instinctively to the side of the bed where Gale used to lay, I felt coldness that wasn't there before. The familiar scent of his cologne lingered in the air, but the silence revealed a very different reality. A heavy feeling settled in my chest as I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat. My eyes scanned our small tent frantically, searching for any sign of him, but all that remained was a single letter addressed to me. Its edges were slightly crumpled, evidence of many folds and unfolding during long nights. With trembling hands, I opened it and read every word carefully, trying to hold onto every piece of him that I could.
To my love
The crown is somewhere in the Chionthar. If I salvage the stones I can reforge it. Only then can I attain the power to protect us from all harm, my love. We could rule together, you as my goddess by my side as I ascend to godhood. I know I pledged to forsake my past for you, but now I must break that vow. The weight of this curse is too heavy for me to bear alone, and I cannot bear the thought of living with it forever. I need to confront her, to stand as her equal this time. I will do everything in my power to surpass her, to make up for all the wrongs she has done, even if it means leaving you behind. But you must understand that if I am successful, I will return to you and make up for all the time we have lost. Please hold onto hope and know that my heart aches with every step I take away from you.
Farewell, my love, until we can be reunited once again.
My tears turned into a relentless stream, blurring the words on Gale's letter as I read it for what felt like the hundredth time. Each phrase cut deeper than the last, carving painful wounds that would never heal. How could he do this to me? Betrayal and rage consumed me as I struggled to understand how the person who had asked me to marry him barely days before could turn their back on it for the sake of power and vengeance.
After that, everything became a blur. I found myself falling into a rhythm of constant busyness. I would wake up at the crack of dawn and immediately begin tackling the tasks that awaited me. And while it brought me some sense of fulfillment to help those in need, it also served as a convenient distraction from Gale's absence and his quest for power. If I kept myself busy enough, I wouldn't have time to dwell on my shattered relationship with Gale, on the nightmares that plagued my mind with the blood and death I had been through in the last year.
I had become known as the go-to person for any problem, big or small. I made sure to accept every task that came my way, no matter how difficult or time-consuming it may have been. Whether it was helping someone mend their broken roof or comforting a grieving family, I threw myself into each task with determination and purpose. But it wasn't just physical tasks that occupied my time. Many villagers would come to me seeking advice or simply wanting someone to listen to their troubles. And so, in addition to being their physical savior, I became their emotional support as well. For that brief moment when they smiled or thanked me for my help, all the weight on my shoulders lifted and for just a moment, everything felt okay again. Yet, behind my forced smile and empathetic words lay the reality of my shattered existence, haunted each night by the memories of my past as the darkness enveloped me.
Each night, I awoke drenched in sweat, my mind haunted by visions of cruel emperors, slaughtered gnomes, and fallen tieflings. The stench of death clung to me, as if the blood was still fresh on my hands. And the nightmare continued, as I woke up alone in a dirty basement, with no one to turn to. So it became my mission not to sleep; if I was busy and distracted, I didn't have time to think about Gale or death. And if my actions were making other people happy in the process, then everyone won.
However, as the days passed, I could feel myself becoming more and more distant from my friends. With Halsin, Wyll and Karlach gone, Lae'zel busy settling her people in the city, Shadowheart tirelessly rebuilding Selûne's temple, and Astarion retreating into the shadows, I felt completely alone. I found myself longing for their company, for the familiar banter and laughter we used to share. But every time I even attempted to reach out to them, something held me back. Maybe it was fear of being a burden or just not wanting to face my own emotions by confronting theirs. And even on those few occasions I did meet with Lae'zel or Shadowheart, I couldn't bring myself to tell them about Gale's letter or how much it hurt me because I couldn't bear to see their pity or judgment.
"He's just traveling. You know him, always seeking knowledge!" I lied through gritted teeth.
But deep down, I knew that the lie was eating away at my soul. The truth was too painful to voice out loud, even to my closest companions.
So, I buried my agony in feeling helpful, as I always did. I worked tirelessly to provide aid to those who had lost their homes and loved ones. I took on more tasks, stayed up later, and pushed myself beyond my limits. But it seemed like the harder I tried to deny my emotions, the louder they screamed for attention. My exhaustion finally caught up to me, both physically and mentally. One day, as I was helping a family rebuild their home after a devastating fire, I collapsed from exhaustion. The family helped me, of course, but word quickly spread that I had fallen ill. People began to avoid me, their once-welcoming demeanor turning cold and distant. They no longer sought out my help or accepted any aid I offered. This only added to my mounting frustration and despair, until finally, I reached my breaking point.
With nothing but time on my hands, the memories of Gale flooded back with a force that knocked me off balance. All those moments we shared flashed before my eyes in vivid detail – our first meeting on the portal, our adventures in the underdark, where we had first kissed, him asking to marry me... It was like ripping open an old wound that never fully healed. But even worse were the memories of slashing, cutting, severing flesh, of fresh blood and dead bodies. I needed another distraction; and that distraction came in the form of wine and rum. But even as I drowned my sorrows in ale, I knew it was a temporary escape. The sweet burn of alcohol numbed the pain for a little while, but it always came back tenfold once the drinks wore off. Before long, I found myself frequenting taverns more and more often. It was my new coping mechanism, my escape from reality. With each passing day, I could feel myself spiraling deeper into despair and self-pity.
One night, as I stumbled out of yet another tavern, swaying on unsteady legs, the piercing sound of my name being called cut through the fog of alcohol-induced numbness.
"Elara, what-?" The voice was familiar and filled with concern. "Oh gosh... he has left for good, hasn't he?" the tone was gentle but firm.
My dizzy eyes can make up a silver updo and tan skin. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I glance over at Shadowheart. Her usually warm and welcoming expression was replaced by a mix of concern and disappointment.
I let out a bitter laugh before taking another swig of rum. "No shit," my words are slurred and barely coherent. "I can't believe you really bought into that whole traveling bullshit."
Shadowheart's expression shifts from concern to irritation as she leans closer to me. "Don't you dare mock me," she hisses. "You know as well as I do that something is wrong with you."
I smile grimly
"Oh, so now you care?" I say, trying to glare at Shadowheart through bleary eyes. "You have been away for months and it's only now you decide to play the savior card."
Shadowheart's expression darkened at my words, and I could see the hurt in her eyes. But I am too angry, too drunk, to care.
"Well, I'm doing just fine," I continue, taking another long sip of my drink. "So why don't you return to your temple or whatever shithole you came from and leave me alone."
She rolls her eyes.
"Yes. Of course, you're doing fine. You're so fine that I found you lying in a tavern, wallowing in self-pity, drunk off your ass. Clearly the picture of good health and sound mind."
I scoffed, staring at Shadowheart with glazed eyes. "What do you know about me? About what I've been through?" My words slurred together, fueled by the mixture of anger and alcohol coursing through my veins. "You think you can just waltz back into my life and judge me? Well, you can't. You have no idea what it feels like to be abandoned by the person you love."
Shadowheart's brows furrowed, her normally composed demeanor faltering for a moment. "I do know" she snapped "In fact, the person I love is all the way down in the freaking avernus!"
The word hung in the air between us, the weight of its significance crashing down on me like a heavy stone. I stare at Shadowheart, the alcohol dulling my senses but unable to numb the pang of guilt in my chest. She's right - I hadn't even considered what she must be going through, separated from Karlach.
"I'm sorry," I mumble, lowering my eyes in shame.
Shadowheart's expression softens slightly.
"It's alright. I know you're hurting." She pauses, choosing her next words carefully. "But drinking yourself to death won't make the pain go away. It will only make things worse."
I struggle to keep my mouth shut, but my stubbornness gets the best of me and I shake my head defiantly. "I don't care," I mutter through clenched teeth, taking another long sip of my drink. But deep down, I know that's a lie. All I want is to forget, but part of me knows that I can't just push these feelings away so easily.
Shadowheart sighs and reaches to grab my hand.
"Listen to me," she says firmly, looking me in the eyes with a determined gaze. "I know how hard this is for you. But you can't give up like this. We need you - your friends need you."
A surge of anger rises within me at her words, and I jerk my hand away from hers.
"Don't talk to me about friends," I snap bitterly. "Where were my friends when I needed them? Everyone left." I choke "Everyone always leaves."
Shadowheart's face creases "We were all dealing with grief in our own ways."
I scoff and take another gulp of my drink.
"Grief? Is that what you call it? How convenient."
Shadowheart's eyes narrow slightly at my accusation, but she keeps her composure. "I never abandoned you," she says firmly."None of us did. We were worried about you."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Sure, you were all so worried."
After a long moment, she lets out an exhausted sigh, seemingly coming to terms with the fact that I will not budge on my decision. "You know what? Fine. Drink yourself into oblivion," she says with a resigned tone. "But just know that when you're ready to face reality, we'll be waiting." Slowly, she turns and leaves the dimly lit street.
----------------------------------------------
Several days later, I find myself in a similar situation, but at a different place. I wanted to ensure that none of the others will attempt to track me down. While Shadowheart's words still hangered in my mind, I couldn't help but feel shame at the person I have become. It was hard to admit that I needed their help. Accepting it would mean admitting defeat and acknowledging that I hit rock bottom. But the hardest part was accepting that Gale would never come back to me, enduring the nightmares without any ale to numb them.
I sit alone at a table in the corner, watching the other clients as they laugh and drink with their companions. I envy their untroubled attitude and wish I could join in on their happiness. But deep down, I know that my grief is consuming me.
A group of rowdy half-orcs stumble over to my table, clearly drunk and looking for trouble. I try to ignore them, hoping they will just pass by. But instead, they stop right beside me and leer down at me with malicious grins.
"Looks like we found ourselves a little present," one of them slurs, gesturing towards me with his mug.
Another one takes a step closer and smirks at my face, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Look at her, all alone and pathetic."
My hands grip the edge of the table tightly as I feel a surge of anger rising within me. If I had my magic... But I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice steady as I respond,"There is nothing here for you."
The orcs, however, don't seem to care about my words as they continue to make crude comments about my appearance.
"All those scars, what are you? A mercenary?" one of them snorts, taking another step closer.
I feel a lump form in my throat as I struggle to hold back tears. Normally, I would have stood up for myself or even fought back, but tonight I am too lost in my own misery to even react. Suddenly, one of them reaches out and grabs my arm forcefully, causing me to flinch in fear.
"Come on, babe," he slurs. "I'll make you forget all about your troubles."
I start to panic, my mind racing as I search for a way out of this situation.
But before things can escalate any further, a strong hand grabs one of the men's wrists and forcefully pulls him away from me.
I look up to see a familiar face - For a second, I think it's going to be Shadowheart again, a flash of ivory hair aprearing in the corner of my eye. But then I realize it's someone much, much worse.
"Leave her alone," he growls, his voice full of authority.
It seems like they want to replicate, but once they take a look at his bared fangs, the half-orcs hesitate for a moment before backing off and leaving the tavern with grumbles and curses. When he turns his head back to me, Astarion has his usual smirk plastered over his face.
"Hello, my dear" His sharp features and piercing eyes send a shiver down my spine. "I see you've fallen quite low since our last encounter."
"What do you want, Astarion?" I spit out through gritted teeth, still shaken. Yet another companion to make fun of my state. Great.
Astarion sits down across from me, still wearing his smirk. "Just curious to see how you were coping without your favorite vampire comrade," he taunts, taking a sip of his drink. "Not very well, by the looks of you." he comments, gesturing towards my disheveled appearance. I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I try to smooth out my hair and straighten my clothes. This is not how I wanted to be seen by any of my friends, let alone Astarion.
"Whatever" I reply nonchalantly, "Did Shadowheart tell you to come here?"
Astarion smirks, knowing exactly how to push my buttons. "No, no, she didn't. I just happened to be in the area and thought I'd check up on my dear friend." His words drip with sarcasm.
I scoff and take another swig of my drink, trying to ignore him.
"But really," Astarion leans in closer. "What happened? One minute we're all fighting side by side, and the next, you're drowning yourself in ale."
I glared back at him, feeling defensive. "None of your damn business."
He leaned back with a smug grin. "Ah, but I think it is."
I let out an exasperated sigh and take another swig of my drink, hoping he'll get the hint and leave me alone. But as usual, Astarion seems to enjoy getting under my skin. He reaches across the table and grabs my drink before I can protest.
"Hey!" I try to grab it back but he holds it out of reach.
"No more drinking for you," he says with a mock stern expression. "Now tell me what's going on."
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." I say, trying to dismiss the conversation.
Astarion's eyes narrow as he studies me intently. "Fine? You look like you've been through hell." he states bluntly.
I sigh and run a hand through my hair again, feeling a sense of exhaustion wash over me. Maybe it's because of everything that has happened in the past few days or maybe it's just the alcohol finally catching up to me.
I glare daggers at him and finally relent with a heavy sigh. "Fine. Gale...he's gone."
"Gone?" Astarion's eyebrows raise in surprise. "As in dead?"
I shake my head sadly. "No...just...gone." My voice cracks on the last word and I have to take a deep breath to compose myself.
A look of understanding crosses Astarion's face and he nods slowly. "Well, it looks like he really went all in on his illusions this time."
I sigh, in no mood for jesting.
Astarion, sensing my lack of humor, leans back in his chair and adopts a more serious expression. "I'm sorry for your loss," he says sincerely, sliding my drink back across the table towards me.
I reluctantly take the drink and give him a nod of acknowledgment, appreciating his rare display of empathy."Thank you," I reply, my voice softening slightly. "I appreciate that."
He nods, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before speaking again. "Although, you know, at the end of the day it's Gale we are talking about, so is it really that big of a loss?"
I roll my eyes at Astarion's insensitive comment. "He was still a good boyfriend, despite his flaws," I reply pointedly.
"Hmm..." Astarion seems to be pondering this before shrugging nonchalantly. "Well, if you say so."
I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down before continuing. "Anyway, what do you want from me? You always have an ulterior motive for your visits"
Astarion smirks again, leaning back in his chair. "You know me so well," he drawls sarcastically. "I actually came here with an interesting proposition."
I raise an eyebrow skeptically. "What kind of proposition?"
He smirks, "You see, even though I excel at pretty much everything, it appears I'm struggling with the... spawn issue, if you know what I mean." He pauses dramatically, waiting for my reaction. "And being the hero that you are," he continues with a hint of condescension, "I was wondering if you could grace me with your whole knight in shining armor wisdom and help me out. Not that I actually need it, mind you. I just think even someone as skilled as myself needs guidance in this kind of situations." He leans back in his chair, with a relaxed smile.
"No"
His face falls dramatically. "What? What do you mean no?"
I roll my eyes.
"I mean exactly what I said," I reply firmly, not breaking eye contact with Astarion. "I have no interest in being your 'knight in shining armor' or helping you with any spawn issues. Find someone else to pester."
Astarion's face falls at my immediate rejection, but he quickly composes himself and leans forward with a suave smile. "Come on, darling," he purrs, reaching out to touch my hand. "Think of the thrill, the excitement of facing such a challenge together."He pauses and adds "just like the old times."
A wave of emotion washes over me at the mere thought. Memories of the past flood my mind, when Gale's presence provided a comforting weight on my side. When our group was at its strongest and most united, standing together against all odds. When everything seemed so easy, so at reach.
I reply with a bitter tone, "Those days are gone for good."
Astarion groans "Gosh, will you stop being so dramatic."
I raise an eyebrow at that. He is one to talk.
Astarion chuckles at my eyebrow raise, a playful glint in his eyes. "Touché, my dear." he admits. "But I'm serious about this, you know. We make a great team, you and I. And who knows, maybe hunting down vampire spawn will help distract you from your... sorrows."
I sigh, torn between the desire to wallow in my grief and the possibility of finding some kind of purpose again. I will admit, weeping and drinking myself to sleep every night does, while comforting, sounds sad. Plus, Astarion's proposition is tempting. At least that way I will have something other than ale to distract myself with.
"Fine," I finally relent, surprising both him and myself. "But Just because I'm agreeing to this doesn't mean I have forgotten you haven't reached out in months."
Astarion's smirk widens as he raises an eyebrow mockingly. "Oh, I would never dream of such a thing," he says with exaggerated sincerity."But let's just say, I did save your sorry behind from those hideous orcs. So I'd say we're even now."
I roll my eyes at his theatrics but can't help feeling a glimmer of anticipation deep within me. Perhaps there is still some fight left in me after all.
With a clap of his hands, he exclaims triumphantly,"It's decided then, dear Elara. You'll join me at the Crimson Palace tomorrow. I've already arranged for a room for you here," he says smoothly. "And trust me, it's much more luxurious than any tent or tavern room you've ever stayed in."
My brows furrow
"Absolutely not. I refuse to live in that sinister place." I say firmly. "Much less if it's with you"
Astarion lets out a dramatic sigh. "Oh, of course not. Because living alone in a moldy, cramped basement beneath the barracks is much more appealing."
I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. It almost sounds like he's been planning this for a while now.
"Wait, what? How do you even..." And then, I know. "Shadowheart told you, didn't she? Is there anything she didn't tell you? That damned snitch."
Astarion chuckles at my outburst and shrugs nonchalantly. "She may have mentioned it," he admits with a sly grin."She has always been keen on gossip, after all."
I let out an exasperated sigh and shake my head.
Astarion grins, his red eyes sparkling with amusement "You can't expect me to trust you to do a good job while out of my sight. I mean, from what I see now, you could scape at any moment to get drunk and pass out in the street. And then, what good would that do to our poor spawn?" He says, pretending to be deeply worried.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms defensively. "Fine," I huff. "You win. I'll stay at the Crimson Palace, but only because it's the best option for the spawn."
Astarion raises an eyebrow in mock surprise. "Oh, so you do care about the spawn after all? I'm touched," he says sarcastically.
I shoot him a glare, and he relents with a smirk.
"Alright, alright. Enjoy your drinking session then. But don't forget, tomorrow we have important responsibilities."
"Ah yes, the joys of parenthood" I say sarcastically.
And to my surprise, I don't even finish my drink before returning to my basement, finally having something to look forward to.
122 notes · View notes
panxramic · 16 days
Text
q!Phil sees Tallulah’s new look, sees the black hair and the purple outfit. “You remind me of someone,” he says. There’s a faraway look in his eyes, memories from long ago but never forgotten. A beautiful woman in a purple dress and purple hat, and long beautiful black hair.
It’s a particularly bad day, Tallulah had too many close calls, and the voices were getting far too loud.
The first time she sees her is in the void. It’s quiet, deathly quiet, for the first time in days Tallulah experiences silence. A woman approaches, she’s tall, hidden behind her purple hat and a black veil. Here in the cold expanse of the void she can’t help but feel warm, comforted. Tallulah wants to cry, she wants to fall to the floor and let all the pain and suffering she’s been feeling flood the void.
The woman kneels to the floor and takes off her hat. She’s beautiful, just like her papa said. She has the brightest smile, the kindest eyes. Her hair is long and black and a purple dress that imitates the starry night sky. She’s everything, she’s the universe and more.
“I like your hair,” she says. Tallulah’s cheeks heat up at the compliment, and the purple hat and black veil the woman was wearing get placed on her head. “There, I think it looks good on you.” The hat is too big on her, it falls and covers her eyes, the goddess giggles and lifts it up, “it’ll fit one day.”
Tallulah’s hands find themselves on top of the hat, steadying it above her head. Two hands open the veil, they wipe the tear off her cheek.
“Hi gorgeous, do you wanna go on a walk?” She smiles.
Hand in hand they walked across the void. Laughing and talking as stars sparkled in their every step. The universe enveloped them both, the universe smiled and laughed.
79 notes · View notes
Text
This particle has an energy level one million times greater than what can be generated in even humanity’s most powerful particle accelerators; it appears to have fallen to Earth in a shower of other, less energetic particles. Like the "Oh My God!" particle, these bits come from faraway regions of space and are known as cosmic rays. The particle has been dubbed "Amaterasu" after Amaterasu Ōmikami, the goddess of the sun and the universe in Japanese mythology, whose name means "shining in heaven." And just as its mythological namesake is shrouded in mystery, so too is the Amaterasu particle. Its discoverers, including Osaka Metropolitan University researcher Toshihiro Fujii, don’t know where the particle came from or indeed what it is. They also still aren't sure what kind of violent and powerful process could have given rise to something as energetic as Amaterasu. "This is the most energetic charged particle ever detected by the Telescope Array experiment," Fujii told Space.com.
120 notes · View notes
mysticstronomy · 4 months
Text
WHAT IS THE "SUN GODDESS" PARTICLE??
Blog#353
Wednesday, November 29th, 2023
Welcome back,
Over the years, scientists have managed to unveil the existence of quite a few intriguing particles, pushing the entire field of physics forward with each discovery. There's the "God Particle" for instance, aka the Higgs Boson that grants all other particles their masses. There's also the so-called "Oh My God!" particle, an unimaginably energetic cosmic ray.
named the "sun goddess" particle  —  and is fittingly extraordinary.
Tumblr media
This particle has an energy level one million times greater than what can be generated in even humanity’s most powerful particle accelerators; it appears to have fallen to Earth in a shower of other, less energetic particles. Like the "Oh My God!" particle, these bits come from faraway regions of space and are known as cosmic rays. The particle has been dubbed "Amaterasu" after Amaterasu Ōmikami, the goddess of the sun and the universe in Japanese mythology, whose name means "shining in heaven."
And just as its mythological namesake is shrouded in mystery, so too is the Amaterasu particle.
Tumblr media
Its discoverers, including Osaka Metropolitan University researcher Toshihiro Fujii, don’t know where the particle came from or indeed what it is. They also still aren't sure what kind of violent and powerful process could have given rise to something as energetic as Amaterasu.
"This is the most energetic charged particle ever detected by the Telescope Array experiment," Fujii told Space.com.
The hope is that, just as Amaterasu is credited with the creation of Japan according to the Shinto tradition, the Amaterasu particle can help create an entirely new branch of high-energy astrophysics.
Tumblr media
High-energy cosmic rays are extremely rare to begin with, but Fujii said the Amaterasu particle has an energy level not seen in a staggering 30 years of cosmic ray detections.
In fact, when the researchers spotted Amaterasu with the Telescope Array experiment — involving 507 detectors spread across 270 square miles (699 square kilometers) of the high desert of Millard County, Utah —they initially thought the detection must be some kind of mistake.
Tumblr media
"I thought it would be my mistake or bug, and then after checking the details of the event, I was excited to find it was not an error," Fujii said.
First spotted by the Telescope Array experiment on May 27, 2021, the Amaterasu particle exhibits an energy of 224 exa-electron volts (EeV). For contest, one EeV is equivalent to 10¹⁸ electron volts. This puts Amaterasu on a similar energy level to the most energetic cosmic ray ever discovered — yes, that's the "Oh My God!" particle, which was detected in Oct. 1991 by the Fly’s Eye camera in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The latter had an energy of 320 EeV.
Tumblr media
"The Amaterasu particle should be an important messenger from the universe about extremely energetic phenomena, but we need to disentangle the origin of this mysterious particle," Fujii explained.
There isn’t an astrophysical object, or any cosmic event for that matter, in the direction from which the sun goddess particle appears to have come from. That's why scientists are pretty unclear on what led to its creation.
Tumblr media
But, while the origins of the Amaterasu particle may be currently unknown, Fujii does have some avenues of investigation to follow up on. Importantly, some of these ideas could extend beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, which is the best outline we have of the universe’s particle zoo and how each of those particles interact with one another.
Originally published on www.space.com
COMING UP!!
(Saturday, December 2nd, 2023)
"HOW OLD IS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM??"
105 notes · View notes
missparamelontea · 25 days
Text
Devil Nightmares
Tumblr media
Space Riders AU - @onyxonline Eve Ewe, Bolt - @missparamelontea
(CW/TW: nightmares, panic attack)
This is an angst/comfort fic for onyxonline's Space Riders AU! This is mainly centered my OCs Eve Ewe and Bolt! Please check Oynx out, their work is super cool!
Although the skies of the galaxies were forever a sunset to nightfall, it was no later than 9 in the planet of the Lilim.
Its princess, Eve, resigned to her chambers in the west palace, the planet's natural flora greeting her as she entered the room. She took a moment to touch the lotuses in the lily pond close to her balcony, enjoying their fresh and sweet scent.
She looked out to the windows and glanced at the stars and the faraway planets. She took a moment to remember how she and her sister tried counting how many planets there were and how many would soon come to their world in the following years. Now, that time had stopped.
Now, Eve would become a queen and her sister to be general their planet's military.
Eve quickly shook the thought and began to settle for the night. Her favorite book was at the edge of the other side, the portraits of her parents and grandmother looking back at how she had grown. She couldn't help but smile at how proud they could be while they watch over her with their goddess.
With a quick, soft clap of her hands, her lights dimmed as she hurried into bed. Then, to dream.
...........
The unnerving void of nothingness felt like eyes were on Eve that watched her every move. She felt cold, yet she couldn't shiver nor try to exhale the coldness.
Red smoke clouded her view and it felt potent to her senses to even try to breathe in, so she kept her mouth closed. Eve kept walking on, to at least find a exit to this strange place.
Then.
A hand. Then another. Then more. All, so many, grabbed at her as whispers echoed in her ears.
"Join him." "He will bring us salvation." "He is our God."
And Eve ran. Ran far away from whatever was trying to lead her astray. She couldn't look back, not when she could feel those creatures, those voices, right behind her.
It felt like a loop, a never-ending hall to nowhere, no escape. Eve was starting to feel hopeless, like there was no one to come for her. She was vulnerable, easy to take and to indoctrinate. She couldn't even bear to look as the voices captured her and a long, lanky hand reached out for her as the sufferable red smoke corrupted her mind and her soul.
...........
Eve never thought she could scream so loudly. She was in brink of sweat as tears rolled down her face and her hands shook violently.
Her chamber doors opened immediately as the dark wolf critter, her guard Bolt, looked at her with concern.
"Princess? You screamed. Are you-"
Bolt took a moment to realize how she was clutching onto her evening blouse tightly and her breathing rapid. He rushed to her side and kneeled.
"Can you hold my hands?"
Eve turned to him and quickly grabbed his hands as she looked down to her lap.
Bolt didn't clutch her hands nor fully held them. He knew she needed room as he did what he could to get her back calm. He spoke softly, never looking away.
"Good, princesa. Now breathe with me."
The dark wolf critter demonstrated first as his paws rubbed her hands to soothe her shakiness a little. Eve listened to him and started to take deep breaths, the shakiness in her voice slowly soothing away.
"Good, good. Now, tell me what do you see."
Eve's eyes glanced around her chambers before opening her mouth to speak despite her screaming earlier created a painful sensation to her throat.
"I... I see the lotuses.."
"What else do you see?"
"I see you.."
Bolt nodded softly as he sat up and guided her to the lily pond, his eyes on her. The two sat down at the edge, the lotuses gliding in the water.
He kept his eyes on the princess and held her close, his paw and her hand intertwined. With a small exhale, he softly sang a old song.
Seas invite in the evening sun,
To light the somber abyss.
Clouds dance up with the heavens stars,
Chanting an air of joyous bliss.
Water fades back from blue to jade,
Guiding young rainbows high.
Flowers bloom in to reds and whites,
Quenching our hearts as they run dry.
Angels chained,
By a beast locked in slumber.
Sin washed away,
By the swift flow of time.
I may know the answers,
Journey over snow and sand.
What twist of fate has brought us,
To tread upon this land?
Bolt looked down at Eve, noticing how she had gotten calmer after his song. He rest his chin on top of her head as his paws gently went through her hair.
Whatever her dream was, whatever had frightened her like this, was now a priority to discover.
The dark wolf critter looked down at her with a soft, small smile.
"Don't worry, my princess. Nothing will happen to you or our home as long as I am here and our friends."
51 notes · View notes
dia-souls · 2 months
Text
Diabolik lovers Bloody Roses Novel [Chapter 03]
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Chapter 03
Yui's fever was very high and while the stranger heard Yui's voice and followed her, Yui fainted from the pain and high fever and fell by the bushes. The man walked past the bushes until he found the tired and thin body of a beautiful girl next to the bushes.
The young man was staring at the strange girl's face. As if he was looking at a beautiful goddess, he did not want to take his eyes off her. She had white and delicate skin like snow and golden hair that was like the waves of the sea and covered her innocent face. This girl was like an angel.
The man moved closer and as he approached her he knelt down next to her and gently brushed her hair that had fallen from her face with his finger. He was lost in watching the young girl and caressed her cheek gently until a faint moan came from her.
Yui: Mmm.....
The young man noticed the girl's bad condition and also her high fever. He picked her up and carried her to his horse and laid her gently on the ground like a delicate flower in need of care. He removed his cloak from his horse's saddle and threw it over Yui's body, hoping to warm her up a bit.
The young man started gathering firewood to light a small fire and warm the girl. But unfortunately there was not much firewood in that area, but still he tried his best to protect this strange girl.
*TIMESKIP*
She felt the cloak with silk fabric. It felt very good and soft. It was the finest fabric she had ever touched. She could feel the weight of this cloak on her and she could hear the sound of the breath of an animal next to her ear. She slowly opened her eyes as she felt her face being licked.
Yui slowly opened her eyes and saw a silk robe on her and a beautiful horse sitting next to her and kissing her soft cheek with his tongue. The horse licked Yui's cheek again and Yui gave a soft giggle and gently stroked the horse with her small and delicate hands.
Young man: So you finally woke up? Were you the one who was spying on me from behind the bushes?
Hearing a strange voice, Yui turned her head and realized that the strange man who she was watching him from behind the bushes was now sitting in front of her. He was very beautiful. Yui couldn't stop her eyes from looking at him and was overwhelmed by his beauty. But she could not see his face completely. The young man covered one of his glowing eyes with his hair. It was as if his wine eyes were behind a white feather to take care of himself.
Yui: Umm..... I.... Who are you?
Young man: Answer my question first. Why were you spying on me?
Yui: I wasn't spying. I was looking for my book when I heard the neighing of a horse and I wanted to see who was there. But I was scared. That's why I didn't show myself to you and watched you from behind the bushes.
The young man stared into Yui's bright pink eyes. Her eyes were very innocent and it was clear that the young girl was telling the truth. He could tell by looking at the young girl's face. Her face was so innocent.
Yui: May I ask what is your name?
Young man: It has nothing to do with you. My name is Subaru.
Yui: What a beautiful name.... Well, Subaru-kun.... Thank you for helping me and throwing this silk cloak on me.
Yui thanked Subaru with a small smile on her face and to her disbelief she saw Subaru's face turn red making Yui laugh. She had never seen a boy so shy and quiet. Usually in her village the boys were very rude and mischievous. But this boy seemed very kind.
Yui: Where are you from? Because I am sure you are not from our village.
Subaru: I... I'm from a faraway land and I'm traveling.
Yui: Are people very rich where you live?
Subaru: Huh? What kind of stupid question are you asking?
Yui: Oh, you wore flashy clothes. And this cloak you threw on me is made of silk fabric, which is very expensive. Such clothes and jewels are used only by nobles and children of the king.
Subaru: .....! Well, yes. In a way, I am considered an aristocrat. And I have a rich family.
Yui: Fufu I knew that. So you are very lucky.
Subaru: Lucky?
Yui: Yes. You have a big and rich family. I dreamed of having a big family, but I don't even know who my real parents are. Even if they are not rich, it doesn't matter to me, I just want to be surrounded by people who love me from the bottom of their hearts and I can call them my family.
Hearing Yui's sweet words, the young man frowned and lowered his head and looked at his hands. It was as if he understood the pain of Yui's every word and this pain was also tormenting him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He wished he had the ability to express his feelings like this girl.
Subaru raised his head and stared at the young girl again. She wrapped the cloak around the lump and rubbed it against her nose and smelled it. The young girl had a sweet smile and whenever the horse approached her, she would caress him with her delicate hands and give him all her love. Subaru didn't know why, but when he saw this girl's smile, his heart beat faster and he got a strange feeling.
Subaru: You asked my name. Now it's your turn to tell me your name.
Yui: Oh... I'm sorry. I am very rude. I should have introduced myself earlier. I am Yui Komori.
Subaru: Are you from this village?
Yui: Well, I don't know exactly. I don't know who my parents were and where they were from. But I live here now. The hunter of this village, Seiji Komori, he is a wonderful and kind man. I am so lucky that he found me and adopted me.
Subaru stared at the girl in silence for a while. He had noticed something different about this strange girl. But he could not express this feeling in words. He was only sure that this girl is very special and different from other girls.
Subaru got up and went to the girl. He poured dirt on the ashes of the fire with his foot and extinguished it. He walked over to Yui and knelt down next to her, staring straight into Yui's bright pink eyes.
Subaru: I'll take you home. Just show me the way to the village.
Yui: But... But before I go home, I have to find my book.
Subaru: What book?
Yui: A very special book. Actually, it is a diary belonging to a strange man who wrote for his lover. About the legend called Bloody Roses.
Subaru: Bloody roses? I have not heard anything about this legend.
Yui: Seriously? How is it possible? This legend is the biggest legend of our village. This legend has caused this village to be named Rose Town.
Subaru: Anyway, I don't care about this book or anything else. I don't have much time, I have to leave this village. It is almost noon now. If you want, I can take you home. If you like, you can stay in this forest until night. Anyway, that's not my problem.
Saying this, Subaru got up and prepared his horse. He put the saddle on his horse and sat on the horse himself, looking back at Yui who was struggling to get up.
Subaru: Just remember that this forest is full of wolves.
Subaru moved his horse and the horse began to move slowly. Yui stared in amazement at Subaru as he slowly walked away, leaving her alone in the forest. Looking around, the memories of a few days ago that were lost in the forest came alive for her and her body trembled. She closed her eyes and ran towards Subaru's horse and tried to stop him.
Yui: Subaru-kun... please wait.
Hearing Yui's voice, Subaru pulled on his horse's reins and stopped him. Until Yui reached Subaru while trying to run with short steps.
Yui: Wait, Subaru-kun... Please take me with you.
Subaru: Hehe... why did you change your mind?
Yui: I don't want to get lost in the forest again. If this happens, my father will punish me worse.
Subaru raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what was going on, but he decided to help Yui. He held out his hand to Yui and stared into her bright eyes. Yui took his hand and Subaru helped her into the saddle. Yui was sitting in front of Subaru, and Subaru was holding Yui's thin waist with his hand so that she wouldn't fall. Yui felt strange at this closeness and it made her blush.
With a gesture, Subaru ordered his horse to move, and the horse began to move through the forest to reach the village. There was a short period of silence between the two people. Because of his height, Subaru could see Yui's golden hair under his chin, which was shining because of the sunlight and was like a river full of gold. He was staring at her golden hair in silence and moving forward.
After a short horse ride, palace could be seen from behind the trees. Yui's body trembled when he saw the palace, and her breathing became heavier. Yui knew that this boy was a stranger and she should warn him about the dangers around the heirs' palace.
Yui: Subaru-kun, please be careful. We should not approach the Palace. Use another route to go to the village.
Hearing Yui's worrying words, Subaru raised his head and stared at her in surprise. However, he tried to listen to Yui's words without asking questions and used another route to go to the village. Apparently, he was not too eager to get too close to the heirs' palace, or maybe Yui's warning scared him.
Subaru: Why shouldn't we approach the Palace of the Heirs?
Yui: I don't know. Only the villagers are very afraid of that place. They believe that if a girl approaches there, she will not return alive. And the people of the church also believe that the palace is an evil place where devils live and destroy people.
Subaru: What is the reason for these stupid thoughts? As far as I know, the Palace of the Heirs is where the sons of King Karlheinz live.
Yui: That's right. King Karlheinz-Sama has six sons and these six sons do not live in the capital with their father. Those six people have been sent here to become independent. But good things never happen near their palace. Because some of the village girls went there and never came back.
Yui's words were disturbing, but they were telling the truth. No one knew what happened to the village girls. Five of the girls of the village have disappeared after approaching the Palace. The villagers believe that if the sixth girl is kidnapped by demons and disappears, the demons have eaten the number of heirs and will attack the villagers to destroy them.
After a short period of time, Yui could see the village from behind the trees, and she smiled and pointed to the village with her hand.
Yui: Subaru-kun... There is our village.
Subaru: I understand.
Subaru reined in his horse and led him towards the village. As they were getting closer to the village, Subaru was staring at Yui and her golden hair, which was even more golden under the lovely sunset, and a soft smile appeared on his face.
As they exited the forest Subaru dismounted and grabbed Yui's hand to help her off the horse. Yui straightened her clothes and took off the cloak that was around her to present to Subaru.
Yui: Subaru-kun, thank you for helping me and also for this cloak. It was very pleasant to wear.
Subaru: If you like it so much, you can keep it.
Yui: Really? Oh my God.... You are so.... so kind. But no, please take it back. I am not really a good trustee. Last time someone gave me a book and I lost it.
Subaru: Is this book the same book of diary?
Yui: Yes. Peter-San, the village librarian, gave me that book to read. But last night something unexpected happened in the forest and I lost the book. That's why I went back to the forest to find the book. If Peter-San finds out that I lost his valuable book, I am sure he will be very disappointed with me.
Subaru was staring at Yui in surprise. He was really amazed and couldn't believe that such a small thing made this girl so upset and disappointed in herself. He couldn't stop himself and started laughing.
Subaru: Pffff.... Hahahaha..... You.... You're really weird.
Yui: Huh??? Subaru-kun, why are you laughing at me? Did I say something strange?
Subaru: Yes. Everything you said was strange. I can't believe that a person is so clumsy and simple and also innocent that she would be so ashamed of losing a book. You are really very special.
Yui stared at Subaru with wide eyes in surprise. She could not understand what he meant by innocent. In any case, it was a real shame for Yui that she couldn't keep her promise and take care of the book, but it seemed like this young stranger had a different opinion. It seemed that he saw guilt and shame in other things than a small and inadvertent mistake like losing a book.
However, Yui smiled. Her face was like a goddess under the golden light of the setting sun. Her smile was as warm as spring and her hair was golden and shining like the sun. Subaru smiled as if blessed by a goddess and placed his hand on Yui's soft golden hair to caress her.
Subaru: Listen, little girl. You are a good girl. You don't have to be so hard on yourself for losing a book. This is something that any other person can do.
Yui: I... But I promised. I promised Peter-San that I would take good care of that book. If he finds out, he may be very upset.
Subaru: If he's your friend, I'm sure he'll understand that you didn't do it on purpose and it was just a small mistake.
Yui: Yes, you are right, Subaru-kun. He is a kind friend. I'm sure he understands.
Subaru: Please keep the cloak with you. Accept it as a gift from me.
Yui: But this cloak is very expensive and valuable. Are you sure you want to give it to me?
Subaru: Of course. I'm a noble, so you don't have to worry about the price of the cloak. It is very easy for me to prepare such things.
Yui gave Subaru a warm smile to thank him and hugged the cloak and smelled it. This cloak was very soft and fragrant. Subaru looked at Yui and gave a small smile, but quickly turned his head so that Yui wouldn't notice.
Subaru went to his horse and mounted it. He looked at Yui and the small village one last time. This girl was very special. Subaru didn't want to part with her so soon, but he had no other choice. He could not stay in this village any longer. He felt insecure here and wanted to leave this village as soon as possible, as well as heirs' palace. So far that no one can reach him.
Subaru: I have to go now. From now on, take care of yourself and don't come to the forest when you are sick. Even now, it is better to return to your home as soon as possible and warm yourself up so that you don't get weaker.
Yui: Wait, Subaru-kun. You helped me a lot. I would like to make it up to you. Would you like to come to my father's cottage? You can rest there until tomorrow and I will welcome you. It's getting dark now and I think it's better for you to not stay in the forest. The forest is very dangerous at night.
Subaru: Thank you for worrying about me and thank you very much for inviting me. But I can't come. I have to leave this village as soon as possible.
Yui: Oh, you don't like it here?
Subaru: No. The issue is not related to the village... well... the issue is that... I don't want my heirs to see me.
Yui: Why? Aren't they your family? You are an aristocrat. Aren't you?
Subaru: That's right, I'm an aristocrat. But I have no interest in seeing the heirs. Maybe I should listen to your warning about them and the devil's curse.
Yui nodded and smiled. Subaru's words were strange and didn’t show that he was really afraid of the villagers' curses and rumors about the heirs. It seemed like something else was bothering him, but Yui chose not to ask any more questions.
Yui: I understand, Subaru-kun. Thank you again for helping me and also for this cloak. This gift is very valuable. I will always remember you. Have a safe trip. I hope you reach your destination faster.
Yui gave Subaru a warm smile and said goodbye to him and went to the village. After walking away from Subaru, she turned her head and waved at him. Subaru smiled at her and pulled the reins of his horse and rode away. This cloak and this event was like a dream. A dream that ended too soon and now Yui had to move towards reality.
A strong wind blew and the weather was getting darker and darker every moment. Thinking that his father is now angry that she is not at home, Yui got scared and went home faster. However, she was sure that his father would be angry that Yui had disobeyed his orders again and would punish her more severely this time.
After a short walk, Yui reached the hut, but to her surprise, there was no light in the hut. Maybe her father hasn't come home yet. With fear and trembling, Yui opened the door and entered the house, only to find that there was no one in the cottage.
Yui looked around the hut in surprise. The fire in the fireplace was off and the weather was very cold. Yui was very worried about her father's absence. Her father usually returned home before sunset and it was very strange that she hadn't come home yet and this fact made Yui a little worried.
Yui tried to take a deep breath and calm down. Maybe her father is just hunting and doesn't notice the passage of time. Yui went to the fireplace and threw some wood into the fireplace and lit the fire to warm the hut a little.
Yui turned on the lantern lights and went to the kitchen to cook a hot and delicious soup for herself and her dear father. Yui started cooking and hummed old Hina's lullaby under her breath. She enjoys these sweet and relaxing times.
*TIMESKIP*
The howling of wolves and the chirping of crickets could be heard. Almost all the villagers were asleep, but Yui was still awake. She was waiting. She was waiting for the door of the hut to open and her father to enter the hut to hug him again and offer him the delicious dinner she had cooked for him.
Yui: Where are you, father?
Yui was very worried. It was past midnight, but there was no news of her father. Her father had never been so late. No matter how busy he was hunting, it couldn't have taken that long.
Desperately, Yui took one of the lantern lights and went to her room. She opened the door of her room and went to her bed. She put the light of a lantern by the window of her room and stared out of the window.
Yui: Father, please come back. Please be safe. I am very worried.
Yui felt heavy on her eyes as she stared outside, so she lay down on her straw bed. Yui slowly closed her eyes and fell into a sweet sleep. Her father's thoughts did not allow her to sleep easily, but she had a very difficult day, so with great effort, she was finally able to sleep.
48 notes · View notes
Text
i wrote this mostly because, if these two really sat down to talk after everything, i think the name and pronoun situations would be extremely fucky on multiple fronts and i think that's fun.
so, i present to you, a fragment of a draft in which harrow and paul have a heart-to-heart.
-
Paul sat at the table while she worked. She could feel their eyes on her, and she got the sense that they wanted very badly to say something to her. They were reminding her of Teacher—of John—almost, that way he had of letting his thoughts build up in the air until she could almost raise a palm and catch one, like a spiderweb. She had hated it when he did that. But he had been her God. Paul was only her housemate and, theoretically, her friend.
"What?" she asked, not turning around.
The answer was delayed by several seconds. "Nothing."
"I am sick and tired of being lied to, Sixth, and I think you are, too. You've been staring at me for weeks. I cannot take this anymore."
"You…remind me of someone."
"The B– Alecto?"
"No. I mean, yes. But no."
"I don't understand."
"I don't suppose we ever told you the whole story. About her." They paused, seemed to steel themself. "She wasn't…she wasn't like you knew her. She was– She needed help. We had to care for her."
Harrow thought of the Alecto she had known, the goddess-thing who had been so ancient, so raw, and yet so distinctly inhuman. So unable to pretend to be human. She thought of her own body, which had been inviolate for so many years, so carefully distanced, so brutally maintained. She felt a bit sick. "What kind of care?"
"She wasn't accustomed to the shape of a body. She didn't know quite how to manipulate it, at first. And she didn't understand certain things. Why they were done, what made them necessary. The maintenance, you know. Eating, exercising, bathing."
"Bathing?" Paul was looking at her with a frank, doctorly sincerity. They were not embarrassed or ashamed, and Harrow didn't know if she wanted them to be. They had helped Alecto bathe. They had helped Alecto bathe her body. She hated how much it bothered her.
"We weren't sure how to tell you. Pyrrha and I, I mean. The extent of it."
"I see."
"I'm sorry about the staring. I didn't realize I was doing it. It's just been difficult, you see, to stop. For months we were trying to get her to eat, and putting her to bed at a certain time, and reminding her to bathe. It's been hard to watch you. To know that I have no right to say anything."
Harrow contemplated all the things she could say to that. All the things she may once have said to that. But there was only one thing, really. One important thing. One thing that she couldn't quite figure out how to ask. In the end, with no idea how to achieve subtlety, she was blunt. "Did you love her?"
"Yes." The answer was immediate and firmly punctuated. There was no question in it. "God, yes. I still do. Not like I should've, though. We–they–I didn't love her like she deserved to be loved. It was selfish what I– What they–” They blinked hard. “It was selfish to leave her."
"You talk about her like she was a child."
"She wasn't, exactly, and we all knew she wasn't. Palamedes was the most adamant in not treating her like one, I think. But all of us struggled to remember that sometimes. It was so easy to pretend."
This wasn't right. This felt a little like the moment when Augustine had kissed John at the dinner table, the sudden and violent mundanity. The reminder that the sacred and untouchable was actually imminently touchable and may even like it, and it was similarly alien to her. It was blasphemous and strange and wrong, and it was something else, too. A nagging, needling something else, just beneath her understanding. She wanted to stop thinking about it. She said, "Is that why you haven't been sleeping? Are you grieving her?"
She regretted it immediately, but Paul only got a faraway look in their strange, muddy eyes. It was thoughtful in a numb, sleep-deprived sort of way, a visible turning of gears. "Yes," they said. "sort of."
Harrow didn't want to ask further questions. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She didn't know the protocol for these sorts of conversations, was floundering without a script. But after a long moment of thought, Paul said, "I– Camilla–” Sigh. “Part of me still isn't used to sleeping alone."
Harrow was startled. "Is soul melange not–"
"What they don't tell you about becoming one person," said Paul, cutting her off, "is that, afterwards, you're still only one person. I wouldn't go back for the world, but…well. I don't have to explain this to you, do I? You of all people."
"I suppose I can understand," said Harrow, and she thought of Gideon, snoring soundly just down the hall, whole and real and autonomous and alive, and she understood completely.
Belatedly, she registered the implications of what they had said.
39 notes · View notes