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sophi-s · 3 years

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Cost of Kindness

Chapter IV: Complications

By: sophi-s

Fandom: Darksiders video games

Words: 6,656

Characters: Raphael, Original Female Character (OC), Fury

Warnings: Blood and Injury, Swearing (a lot of it XD)

Summary:

After far too many close calls and an adventure that will last her a lifetime, Nicola and Raphael finally make their way towards Haven. Unfortunately, not everything goes as smoothly as it could.

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Many, many centuries ago taking off to the grand skies has become one of humanity's greatest dreams. They always wished to be able to fly, envying birds their wings and wishing to join them in their aerial conquest. It took many more ages to even try to think of it seriously and even longer for the humans to create the first working airplane and fulfill their dreams as the gravity kept thwarting all their plans. But once this seemingly impossible goal was accomplished, this event has been recorded on the pages of history as one of the most remarkable inventions of the human race.

When she was little, Nicola dreamed of flying on her own as well. She loved watching birds, tracking the planes soaring through the sky, so far away they looked like ants, and thinking about how it would be to have her own wings. Her dreams eventually were abandoned as she grew older, more serious and more reasonable. But honestly, if a week ago someone asked her if she would choose to have wings if she could, Nicola without hesitation would reply "a huge YES". Now however, she realised something she didn't really take into consideration before. While humans wished to rule the skies, they absolutely were not created for this. They have been made flightless, earth-ridden creatures and for a good reason. Her very apparent fear of heights made it awfully clear to her.

These thoughts were all Nicola could hear aside from the rustling of feathers on the wind as she desperately held onto her angel friend, her heart hammering in her chest, eyes wide and stomach making somersaults while everything was spinning around like a carousel. At a certain height the human body just starts to give up and refuse cooperation. For those who are afraid of heights the gap is even smaller and the symptoms more severe. All that was keeping her from fainting or throwing up there and then was the fact that she refused to look down to see how high they actually were but imagining the small buildings below her wasn't making it much better. If she survives this, she will never ask any angel for a fly again and - if it will ever be possible after the apocalypse - stay the heck away from any sort of working plane. Ground was where she belonged. Flying was not her cup of tea and no one will ever convince her otherwise.

Raphael seemed oblivious to the silent prayers spilling past her lips and just kept flying, fully focused on his destination, as she was absolutely certain she's going to die. Her muscles were completely stiff, as though she looked Medusa in the eye. She couldn't even see anything with how her face was buried in the rumpled fabric of Raphael's clothes but she assumed they were getting closer and closer. Focus on anything else than the height. Anything! She kept telling herself when her jaw started to hurt from how she was clenching her teeth. Easier said than done. Nicola knew that Raphael wasn't going to drop her. He promised her and lately she learned to trust him but the pull of gravity beckoning her down into the abyss and to a long plummet ending in a painful impact and certain death… The last time she was this panicked was when the Fallen jumped her out of nowhere. Speaking of which… God, please, let this be a smooth flight. No demons, I'm begging you..

Encounter with stray demons was the last thing they needed now. She didn't doubt Raphael's ability to defend both her and himself but if a flying demon was to attack them from surprise… Not a single part of her already malfunctioning brain could produce a scenario that wouldn't end in either of them dying or at least suffering grave injuries. In short words, any sort of aerial confrontation would mean serious trouble. And trouble wasn't something Nicola missed. Especially after the last night..

Seems like her prayers have been answered. So far nothing noticed an angel and a human passing overhead. And those demons which did apparently decided not to bother them since it didn't seem worth it or had no way of giving them trouble from where they were standing. Nicola stopped counting seconds of their journey long ago and the only indication of the passing time was the wind rushing through her hair slowing down as Raphael started to try and spare as much energy as he could, gliding whenever possible on his wings simply stretched out on both sides and flapping them only to keep the right height, out of range of any demons that could be sulking below when he began to grow weary. His stamina wasn't probably in the best condition after the time he spent in hiding and most likely not moving much.

When she gets back to Haven, Nicola is going to first, eat a solid lunch since her stomach was displeased again - though now she couldn't really feel it twisted in panic like that - second, go the fuck to sleep for the rest of the day. Even though she spent the last night sleeping like a dead woman, she didn't feel that well rested. The amount of stress she had to endure exhausted her and a few hours of rest weren't enough to regenerate her full strength. High on her bucket list was also taking care of Raphael, to at least make him look decent and dress any wounds he carried. Elanya could do that too but Nicola couldn't imagine that Raphael would let a maker he doesn't know do anything to him. She remembered how distrustful he was in the beginning. And after she gets back, no more escapades if not necessary. At least two weeks long break. Ulthane is going to make sure she stays there anyway so she might as well spend her time on sleeping and some light activities.

Speaking of Ulthane… Nicola wasn't actually sure what she'd say to him once she suddenly showed up in Haven after all that time with a traumatized, crazy angel at her side. To say it will be awkward as heck, would be a severe understatement. It's not even about Raphael. How is she going to explain herself to the overbearing maker who is standing on his head to save the last survivors of her kind while, by nearly killing herself three times already, she acted nothing if not ungrateful? And honestly, she wasn't in shape to wonder about it now because her mind refused to focus on anything else than this one thought of the lethal distance between her and the ground. Damn it all.. Why does she have to be afraid of heights and find out this very unpleasant way? Really, if someone tried to take her from Raphael before he landed or too short time after, they'd probably need a crowbar to pry her off him.

While Nicola thought that the flight itself was awful, the moment her stomach seemed to move up into her gullet as Raphael dipped towards the ground she unwittingly shrilly cried out in fear. And that was a mistake. The angel, startled by the quiet human he'd been holding this entire time suddenly screaming bloody murder for no apparent reason, tried to halt his descent to figure out what's wrong but it was already too late for that. As a result the landing was rather rough. Nicola closed her eyes and so she didn't see how Raphael clumsily hit the ground and barely kept himself propped up not to land on top of her as she slipped out of his grasp and lost her grip on his robes. The expectations of a long fall made her throat tighten and trap her voice inside. All the bigger relief once after barely an inch or two, her back connected with the surface, drawing a soft and strained "oof" from her.

Still scared, disoriented and confused, Nicola opened her eyes to see wide-eyed Raphael hunched over her, hands on either side of her head - with the staff to her left - and gawking at her with a slight panic on his face. Goodness, he was way too close. Pulling her arms close to her body in a helpless attempt to regain her personal space, she smiled awkwardly.

"H-hi there!"

The moment he saw that nothing was wrong and her face regained some of its color, Raphael breathed with relief and got off her, once again offering his hand to help her up. Once back on her feet, Nicola nearly cried out when she felt the solid ground under the soles of her boots. Blessed earth, she could literally kiss it right now. But the fact that they were not in Haven yet disconcerted her a little. Looking around, she noticed they're in an empty street in the middle of nowhere. Casting a questioning glance at Raphael she didn't even need to ask. The way his wings were slumped against his back, his breath heavier than before said it all. Plain and simple, Raphael was tired. Too tired to keep going. Still, he was eyeing her cautiously.

"Why… why were you screaming?"

Still feeling the nausea and the shaking of her knees, Nicola scratched the back of her neck and turned her eyes away ashamed.

"Ahuh… I'm not-... I'm not used to flying, that dip scared me a little. Sorry about this.."

Raphael said nothing to this, simply nodded, and lowered himself to the dusted road to have a seat by one of the decrepit stores. Nicola decided to let him have his five minutes to rest before going any further. Store. She suddenly realised. And not just any. A grocery store. At the mere thought her stomach rumbled. Not only could she have something for herself but also gather some stuff for others! If anything there is still edible that is. It wouldn't hurt to check. Every bit of food is precious.

"Raphael, can you wait here for a bit? I'll be back in a jiffy."

Out of the corner of her eye she already saw him shift in apprehension and almost begin to stand up. Probably because she ran once already and in his mind could do it again. She proceeded to calm him down immediately by pointing at the building she intended to search.

"I'll just go in there to look for stuff, don't worry. I will come back."

Staring at her for a couple of intense seconds, Raphael eyed her from head to toe twice before his concerned gaze softened a bit.

"Promise me…?"

Nicola smiled reassuringly and nodded. There weren't many options for her if she did want to run off. Besides, she wasn't quite sure where she was just yet. Her orientation in terrain was… less than decent as of late.

"I promise."

She offered and once Raphael sat somewhat comfortably back down, she took her backpack and shotgun - just in case - and stepped in through a broken window. The inside of the store was in utter disarray and even that was putting it lightly. Most of the shelves were toppled over, some even in pieces. Glinting shards of glass littered the floor, crunching under Nicola's feet every time she made a step. Unsurprisingly, nothing was working. No lights, no freezers, no ventilation. No time to waste. Nicola began her search immediately.

Approaching the fruit stand greeted her with bitter disappointment. Apples, oranges, pears and many other fruits were already rotten and sometimes even coated in white specks of mould. Definitely not good. With vegetables it was exactly the same. The only carrot that looked acceptable at first, turned out to have been completely wilted. Tossing it aside, Nicola moved on. She didn't even bother looking for meat. The stench hit her the moment she came inside and were it not for the smell of decomposing corpses that drifted around the sewers when she was there, she probably would've thrown up where she stood. Instead, she just covered her mouth and nose with her bandana.

Any dairy products were off the table too. Without working freezers every single one of them has surely gone sour by now. A diarrhea was not something she wanted to have in Haven and most likely neither did the makers. Nicola didn't dare to so much as touch any eggs that still were somehow intact. Bad idea. A smelly one as well. There's no way some of them haven't gone bad yet. The risk wasn’t worth it. Passing by one of the mostly whole shelves, she absent mindedly grabbed a bag of dry cat food and stuffed it into her backpack. It was highly probable that most of the survivors would be feeding the kitten with any leftovers but.. just to make sure the poor thing doesn't starve to death.

Most of the jars have broken during initial earthquakes but two small jars of pickles seemed to be mostly alright. Without giving it much thought, she placed them in her backpack. Four bags of freeze-dried fruits quickly found their way into her pockets once she got a hold of them. Under a broken shelf, Nicola spotted an edge of some packet. Assuming it was just crackers or something, she reached into the rubble for it but once she pulled it out… she immediately regretted her decision. It was, in fact, not a bag of crackers. It was a whole, torn bag of soured cabbage coated in some strange growth - probably mould - she didn't get a chance to really look at because her attention was caught by something inside the bag. Probably squeezed in through the tear and got stuck, a small, bloated body of a gigantic, hellish critter. Instinctively, Nicola yelped quietly and without giving it much thought she lobbed the thing across the whole store before wiping her hand on the nearest piece of rag that wasn't her clothes. She didn't even get any of the spilling juices on her but… gross. Just gross. Ew ew ew! Ignoring the wet splat the bag made when it hit the floor wasn't an easy task. Still shaking off the disgust, she continued her search, noting to herself never to touch something she isn't sure what it is.

From there it thankfully was starting to go much smoother. Two packets of crispbread, some dark chocolate and a box of tea were found and collected. Nicola nearly cheered out loud when she spotted a few Snickers on a shelf. One she immediately opened and eagerly ate while the rest landed safely in her backpack. It might be mostly sugar with a bit of peanuts but it was a good snack that could deceive the brain for quite some time. To be frank, Nicola lived half of the high school on those whenever her lessons lasted too long for her breakfast to keep her sated. Besides, she couldn't imagine others would mind her bringing a bunch. Especially Marie. Jacob will most likely strangle Nicola if his daughter eats too much sweets but in the end it'll be worth it. Anything would be worth putting a smile on that sad little face.

Somewhere on the floor, Nicola even found a box of vitamins which luckily was not out of date yet. With a deficit of fruits and vegetables, those could be lifesavers. Especially for Leslie. She needs the most of it. Unfortunately, the space in her backpack was very much limited and soon she couldn't put anything more in there. Rearranging the contents of it, she put in one bottle of water, careful not to crush the crispbread and chocolate. At least she found something. Her escapade wasn't all for nothing when it comes to supplies. But even without those, she wouldn't say she regrets it. Against all the odds, she lived. And most importantly, she gained an otherworldly friend. And in times like these, a friend is something to be treasured.

Slinging her now much heavier backpack on her shoulders, she picked up her gun and headed towards the broken window she used as an entrance before. Peeking out from the store, she saw Raphael where she'd left him and a very much awake cat playfully attacking the longest quill of his left wing. His head perked up when she dropped onto the sidewalk beneath the window and she could've sworn she'd seen the corner of his mouth twitch upwards for a second there. Smiling, she unfolded her hands and shrugged.

"See? I keep my promises."

The angel hummed quietly before leaning his head against the wall behind him and closing his eyes. Nicola was about to ask if he's good to go but let the thought perish when she noticed his eyebrows furrow and his chapped lips twist into a slight grimace. Soon after, his right hand wandered up to his chest as he took a couple of quick and shallow breaths through his clenched teeth. If Nicola didn't know any better, she'd have said Raphael was having a heart attack. Can an angel even have an infarct? She honestly had no idea. In fact, she didn't even know how old he is. She couldn't tell. All the angels she'd met so far had white hair so that's not a hint to go by and his face didn't necessarily look old or young. He seemed as ageless as the time itself. Still, she didn't want to take any chances.

"Raphael? What's wrong?!"

She asked as she crouched beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder to steady him if needed. Raphael simply slowly shook his head and turned to look at her tiredly. And in his blank eyes she saw the already familiar pain and a spark of a silent plea.

"Just a little longer.. Let me rest a while…"

It took everything Nicola had in her to stop the sigh of relief. It didn't sit right with her that Raphael was still suffering and she could do absolutely nothing about it but hearing he's mostly fine, with only the usual ailing him, made her feel a tad easier. When his breathing grew slower and calmer, she even let herself slip down to the floor beside him.

"Sure. We have time, I guess.."

It was still relatively early, barely an hour or two after noon and Nicola wasn't that eager to return into the sky so soon. Only thinking about it made her feel a little sick. Hopefully, it wasn't too far to Haven from here. Even though Nicola really wanted to finally get home, she decided to be patient with her companion. He was wounded and most likely ill but he still tried his best to help her, even though he hadn't known her that long. He deserves a moment. Nicola too needed to sit down for a second as her thigh was still a bloody nuisance. Just a few more minutes. It wouldn't do harm to have a little break now, would it?

Yes. Yes it would. Nicola suddenly realised when she saw the kitten arc its back and puff its tail out. It hisses loudly before scurrying away into the store she just left and soon enough Nicola realised why once she looked into an alley ahead of her. The sight of a massive, winged shape made it painfully obvious. Her heart nearly ceased and Raphael beside her tensed at the sight of an enormous demon with curved horns and teeth, each the size of her palm, resembling a set of barbed knives made specifically to cut meat. The edges of long healed wounds that left behind terrible scars on her abdomen began to itch as she gawked at the familiar monster that nearly took her life. Flapping of gigantic wings that covered the sky with its expanse… Razor sharp claws curling around her body… the same talons tearing into her flesh as Ulthane attempted to free her from its grasp. And this shriek… oh God, this shriek…

Despite the apparent pain and exhaustion, Raphael slowly - not to agitate the demon - got up to his feet and raised his wings threateningly as he stepped in front of aghast Nicola. The fact that due to its bulkiness this thing seems almost twice as large as he is doesn't make an impression on him. Or maybe it does but he doesn't show it. The Fallen stared at Raphael with its small red eyes as a pair of Phantom Guards rounded a corner and joined the beast. Each carried a jagged blade that could easily tear through angelic armor. Nicola had seen it happen. Following them was another bloody Goreclaw. But these three she barely even noticed. Her wide eyes were focused on the larger demon. She felt her muscles refuse cooperation and seize. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. Her mind repeatedly screamed No nono no NO! Not like this!!

With excited roars, the lesser demons charged towards the angel standing between them and the weak, pathetic and helpless human as the Fallen spread its wings and took off into the air. Even as Nicola kept stone still, Raphael remained sharp and ready to act as always. One spell spilled past his lips and the flying demon instantly went rigid before plummeting back onto the ground and crashing into a broken car, setting its annoying alarm off. It didn't discourage the other three but it let Nicola find will to move and clutch her gun tighter. Ever since she'd met Raphael, he'd been doing nothing but getting her arse out of trouble. Taking a shaky breath she decided to start repaying favors.

Though, once again she didn't really have a chance to do anything as she was dumbstruck by the following scene playing out before her. As the hellish monsters charged, Raphael took his staff in both hands and held it before himself, closing his eyes and muttering an incantation in his melodious language. The moment the first demon stepped a tad too close, Raphael's eyes snapped open, burning like two white suns and a sleek ethereal blade materialized from the tip of what Nicola previously thought just an ornament or a walking cane. It glowed like the purest light ever to exist. Another assumption Nicola made about Raphael turned out to have been false. The last thing she can say about him is unarmed. He carried no blade, no gun or anything but who needs a weapon as lame as those when in addition to powerful sorcery you have a freaking lightsaber?

Everything lasted less than a second as the angel led a wide, sweeping slash of his spectral sword… spear thing… and promptly relieved the Phantom Guard of its horned head, before stopping the pouncing Goreclaw with a flick of his free hand, suspending it in the air growling and hissing. The other Phantom Guard had no chance to either attack the vulnerable angel or retreat, when Raphael was busy cutting down the quadrupedal demon, as Nicola came back to her senses and, instead of running like she always has, jumped forward and fired her shotgun. The resounding bang travelled through the entire city, bouncing off the walls and drifting far into the desolate town but it had the effect Nicola counted on.

The Phantom Guard staggered backwards with a chest full of buckshot, wheezed a couple times and tripped over onto its back never to get up again. With adrenaline still pumping through her veins, Nicola stared at the either dead or dying demon in wonderment, her brain trying to process what just happened, before releasing a breathless laugh of triumph. She killed one. She actually killed one! Raphael too seemed rather surprised but not unpleasantly so as he let the blade fade away.

"I got it! Did you see that?!"

"That indeed, I have.."

He said as he eyed her carefully, probably just to check if she's fine. Aside from a little fresh blood on his boots and hands, Raphael didn't seem to have gotten hurt in any way. Well… more than he'd already been at least. Nicola beamed up at him nearly bursting with pride at her actual first kill on a demon larger than her shin. And he seemed happy for her, if the soft smile he regarded her with could be an indication. But this victory didn't last long. Her own smile faded when she saw the Fallen stiffly getting up from where it slammed onto the ground, pure rage on its monstrous face. Her pulse began to race again but this time she refused to let the panic get a hold of her just yet.

"Watch out!!"

She cried too late, just a sliver of a second too late. Raphael whipped around to face the attacker and all he managed to do was raise his hand before the charging demon swung its head to the left. And with the force of a truck driving at the speed of fifty miles per hour, slammed it into the angel, making a formula of a spell die on his lips as he was sent flying through the air and crashing against a nearby building. The force of the impact caved in the wall and the kind, mad angel disappeared in a cloud of dust. All that was left were a couple of white feathers slowly falling to the ground.

"NO!"

Nicola didn't pay any mind to how her voice broke and squeaked pitifully when her heart leaped up into her throat. She could only stare at the place where Raphael vanished with a rumbling crash as the enraged demon growled in the same direction. Not a single part of her being agreed with what she'd just witnessed. A second before he was standing right there, like nothing was about to happen, distracted by her gushing over her first serious kill. Nothing should have happened, why did the demon unravel Raphael's magic just like that? Even a Shadowcaster didn't manage to do that! Why would this one? And why… Tears welled up in her eyes as her lower lip trembled… why did it have to… end the way it did…?

To make matters worse, the Fallen was still before her, still furious and thirsting for blood. Not wasting more time, Nicola pulled out a handful of new bullets and tried to reload her weapon but it proved almost impossible with how much her hands were shaking. Thank Christ, the demon was taking its sweet time as it faced her and began to lumber towards her on all fours, huffing out breaths stinking of rotting meat. Faster, faster, damn it! Nicola cursed inwardly when she dropped a couple of shells before she finally managed to place the ammunition where it should be. But when she looked up, the Fallen was on top of her already. Parting its jaws wide, ready to swallow her whole.

The scream of anguish that felt so tempting in the back of her throat never came to be. In a second, Nicola thought about all the horrors she'd lived through. All demons she'd met, all shambling corpses of former humans brought back by vile sorcery. All friends she'd made and lost.. Raphael, do just one thing for me. She gritted her teeth as her knuckles turned white from how she was gripping her weapon. Despair started to turn into rage. Burning bright and white hot inside of her, the flame Raphael had helped her see. Please, be alive when I come for you… The demon lunged forward to sever the string of her measly life by biting her in half. But Nicola wasn't going to let it get her so easily. Her fear was forgotten as she stuck the barrel of her shotgun into the monster's opened maw. She didn't want to die. Not now, not like this. For once she wanted to have a say over her own fate. Over the date of her demise. She is still young, she had a whole life ahead of her. And all those demonic dickheads with the Destroyer leading the charge decided to ruin everything and not only for her, but for every human who lives still and who has perished. And those who are yet to be born. She refused. She will not die. Not here. Not killed by that thing.

"FUCKOFF!!!"

And she fired. Partially, the sound was muffled by the demon's mouth snapping shut just barely missing Nicola's arms as she let go of her gun. The Fallen recoiled and began to shriek in pain, spitting out its own blood onto the concrete at its feet. Nicola didn't have delusions she could kill it but it gave her the precious seconds she needed. She ran for the closest hiding place available, which was the store she just left. Nicola leaped in through the broken window and quickly made it to the opposite wall to put as much distance between herself and the writhing monstrosity as possible. And it was a good choice. A loud roar from the street made her heart fall into her heels as the injured demon finally gathered its bearings.

Nicola looked at the Fallen that was coming her way with murder in its eyes. The unexpected bout of courage has long faded and the petrifying fear once again had Nicola in its chilling grasp. Even with the mouthful of bullets, the Fallen did not intend to give up on its prey. And here she hoped it would piss off if she fed it with lead… Snarling and panting, the demon approached the broken window with its own blood pouring from between its sharp fangs. It only added to the menacing image of the beast that had Nicola trembling and frozen.

Think, Nicola, THINK! What can she do against an opponent far bigger, stronger and more dangerous than a single human without a weapon? The Fallen was trying to fit through the window, reaching out with its clawed paw to try and get her. Nicola looks around in panic, looking for anything that could save her. In a grocery store. Good luck. Eventually, she says "fuck it" and grabs a most likely rancid egg. The laughably small projectile splatters over the face of the demon with a squelch and even from far away Nicola is sure this egg was definitely rotten. Even the Fallen stops for a second to shake the disgusting goop off of its head but before it's done, another egg flies through the air and cracks on its head, just as stinky as the previous one.

"How'd ya, like that, asshole?! Wanna have some more?!"

Nicola yells at the demon, holding yet another egg, fully prepared to just chuck it at the monster. Unfortunately, all she managed to do was piss it off even further as its efforts in reaching her doubled. Pieces of plaster and bricks were coming loose as the demon tried to wriggle into the shop to finally kill that annoying pest lobbing small, smelly things at it. As a result, an egg once again hit the demon while Nicola kept shouting out profanities that probably made her poor mother toss and turn in her grave. She's not going down without a fight, even if the said fight is done by throwing eggs and all the gross shit she found on the floor. But she knew she isn’t getting out of this one.

And so, this is it. Nicola couldn't believe she would die by the claws of the same creature that nearly killed her once before. Was Ulthane rescuing her only delaying the inevitable? What a sick joke… Why does fate insist on being cruel? There was so much she wanted to say, so many apologies she had to give… so little time… There was nothing she could do. At least… she will see Nicholas again.. her parents and every friend she'd lost in this cursed apocalypse. A miracle would've been nice. A tiny one. Just this once. Please?

And boy, did she get her wish. A sudden force violently tearing the Fallen out of the shop nearly startled her out of her dirty and tattered jeans. Hardly believing her eyes, she watched as her would-be killer screeched in rage and surprise when it was wrenched free from the ruined window and was gone from her vision. A sudden tremor shook the whole building, sending small bits of debris raining down on her head as a mighty roar reverberated through her very bones. But it wasn't the Fallen. It was something meaner. Something… Nicola swallowed thickly at the thought… bigger. Or at least as large as this fucker. Then came clacking of metal, ungodly screeching of the demon. A second later Nicola saw as it was flung through the air like a sack of potatoes and crashed against a block of flats. Instant karma. She thinks with bitter satisfaction when she remembers what that faggot did to Raphael. I need to somehow get to him. Honestly though, she doesn't really want to know what managed to just YEET a Fallen like a skipping rock.

Unfortunately, she finds out and finds out quite soon. From her hideout, she sees an enormous creature, nearly as big as the demon that threatened her, charging towards the stunned monster still bleeding from its mouth. If Nicola had been terrified of the Fallen, then she was on the verge of having a straight out SCA after seeing this chunk of a behemoth. Whatever this thing was, it was the size of an average tree. Its armored hide was burning with red and white flames which were enveloping twin jagged, metal whips it held in its hands. Vestigial wings were trembling with wrath as it turned its radiant white eyes at the battered demon. Between a pair of sweeping horns that crowned its head was a flickering blaze that flared with each step the monstrosity took towards its quarry. Right.. What's the best way to get rid of a monster? Sic a stronger monster on it. The Fallen shrugged off and growled at its new assailant, challenging it to a fight.

While the two beasts were circling one another, battling she couldn't even guess what for, Nicola braced for what was to come. This is a horrible idea. Breath in and breath out. In and out. And when the Fallen pounced at its attacker, she bolted. Not stopping, she ran. Through the street the demons were fighting on, past them - so close she could feel the heat radiating off of the newcomer - and into the building Raphael disappeared in. Nicola hoped she was ready for what she was about to find. She really did. Jumping in through the punched in wall however, she soon found out she was, in fact, not ready. The moment she entered, she immediately caught the sight that made something squeeze inside of her.

On a pile of rubble from the destroyed wall was Raphael coated in dust. Still. Not moving, his mesmerising white eyes shut. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh God, oh NO! Not thinking, all fear and uncertainty she ever felt in his presence was long cast away, Nicola rushed over to him pleading, begging everything that would listen for him to be alive. Don't leave me here like this… Dropping at his side into the rubble, Nicola lays her ear on the top of his chest and doesn't let herself relax until she hears a heartbeat and a shallow breath within. Words cannot describe how much she deflated once she did. He's still alive.. but he doesn’t look good.

"Raphael! Please say something! Can you hear me?!"

Thankfully, angel's eyes lolled open as she spoke to him, hinting that he indeed can hear her. Trying his best to keep his unfocused gaze on her face, Raphael furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his upper lip in a pained sneer as his hand wandered up to clutch at his side where the demon's heat struck him.

"Nnn… Nnii… co…"

He weakly attempted to speak but without much success. No joke, he must've hit his head really hard and she dreaded to think about the state of his ribcage.. But hey! At least he hears and understands what Nicola is saying. And it's a good sign.. right…? Wasting no more time, Nicola helped him sit up, keeping her hand on his forehead to steady him as his own palm rested over hers. Even squinting in pain, Raphael kept looking at her, as though she was the only point of focus he could think of.

"Hang in there, okay?! Please, Phel.. We'll be fine…"

Liar. Something snaps at her. They're pretty much defenseless and vulnerable with a very livid demon still threatening them. One or the other will come out victorious. And to the victor go the spoils… Raphael tried to say something but still couldn't formulate words properly due to the splitting headache pulsing through his entire skull. Though even through ringing in his head and pain in his chest that somehow rivaled the one he constantly felt, he found something in this human's words that baffled him. In her panic, Nicola doesn't catch a puzzled look he sends her way.

Phel?

A choked up cry of a dying demon made them both jump a little and look out through the hole Raphael made when the demon gored him. Just in time to see the flaming beast standing on top of the Fallen and strangling it with its whips. Then, the creature of… quite blatantly feminine curves gave one sharp tug and the demon's head was brutally severed from the rest of its body. And everything fell silent.

Instinctively, Nicola halted her breath and ceased any movement, watching the winner (Nicola felt fully comfortable with calling it per "she" now) shoot a glance towards her and Raphael who by this point tiredly laid his head on her shoulder, heaving in attempts to draw a proper breath. The creature approached slowly, keeping Nicola frozen in place and desperately holding onto her injured friend. When the demon was at the wall, only her massive legs were visible. Seconds ticked by as a set of claws rested above the opening to the house, and a monstrous head loomed through the hole.

That would be more than enough to make Nicola pass right the Hell out but.. Something about this creature intrigued her. It didn't have a snarling, toothy maw but an almost featureless face with the curve of a nose and a pair of bright and ferocious, intelligent eyes. It stared at her with more understanding than any demon Nicola had ever seen. Whatever it was, it didn't seem aggressive for some weird reason. At least not yet.. Then, unexpectedly, the creature was enveloped in red flames as its humongous form began to shrink and reshape into something much smaller but still a good two heads taller than an average human.

From the hot light emerged a very humanlike woman in intricate metal armor. Black tattoos marked her stern face around her luminous, white eyes and on her forehead, right below the line of incredibly dense magenta colored hair which floated freely around her head, defying gravity like it's the most natural thing in the world. Whoever it was, even with an intimidating aura of strength and resolve, her close resemblance to a human calmed Nicola somewhat. Plus, she had to admit that this woman had the looks. Men would probably be killing one another for her. Honestly, Nicola felt kind of jealous.. But considering she was still pretty much helpless with a half-conscious angel leaned against her, it didn't put her fully at ease. At least until the stranger spoke in plain English. Then Nicola finally released the breath she was holding. Crossing her arms, the tall lady sneered slightly at the human and angel before her.

"Well, would you look at that. Guess it's your lucky day today."

--------------------------------------------------

It's finally done, my goodness! This one was hard to get right but I made it. Don’t ask me how i managed to finish it with two pictures, I have no clue :I

Fury makes an appearance! Badass as always. :D

Also, can I get an F for Raphael's poor ribs?

#darksiders #darksiders 3 #darksiders fury #darksiders raphael #raphael #fury #darksiders OC #human survivor oc #CoK #cost of kindness #chapter IV

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chiconzin · 3 years

Text

The unbearable smell of oranges

Maybe it was her untied black hair, maybe it was her strange demeanour, or the history of tragedy surrounding the house she lived in. Or maybe it was something more apparent that caused repulsion amongst the small group of children we used to play with: her smell. Eurydice was constantly surrounded by an unmistakable smell, no one could agree on what it was. It was like the smell of citrus, like the smell of rotten oranges. It took me my whole life to identify the source of that smell; that’s what this story is about.

Eurydice belonged to one of the old wealthy families in town. She lived with her grandmother, until one day, she presumably died from tuberculosis. Who were Eurydice’s parents or their whereabouts, no one knew. And because of her strange characteristics and behaviour, she remained an orphan, living in the same decaying old house.

Many of the details of Eurydice’s life and origin remains unknown because of her compulsive habit of lying. Lying was the thing she was best at, and throughout her life, it allowed her to live relatively comfortably without any family. She had a talent with words; she could convince anyone the sky was green if she wanted. Eurydice had a gifted writer’s soul; her stories were capable of stripping people of their most prized possessions. It was a strange relationship between the town and Eurydice. They had a terrific pity for her, but never enough to make a simple quick act of charity. She was an outcast, forever an outcast.

One day, while we were playing, the topic of reading and writing came up. We all were pretty amazed to discover Eurydice could do either. She said she formerly had a private tutor and that she had mastered the art of reading to perfection. Not believing her, I asked Eurydice to give me reading lessons. Surprisingly, she accepted and set a date to meet at her house. I didn’t know what to make out of this in the beginning, but I ended up going. After all, what was the scheme behind teaching someone to read?

It was one of the hottest days of the year, not a single soul was on the streets, not even birds would sing. It didn’t take me a lot to find where Eurydice’s home was, after all, it was one of the biggest in town. Like most old buildings, it was made of quarry and tezontle. It was two stories and what seemed like a thousand rooms. It almost looked like a cloister. Above the massive engraved wooden door was a family shield so eroded it was unrecognizable. A hot current of wind was flowing under the door and inside the building, like it was breathing very slowly. Fear travelled through my body as I felt I was in front of an enormous ancient beast. After knocking several times and not receiving an answer, I entered. When I got to the courtyard, I finally saw her.

She was laying on a hammock, reading with that dirty nightgown she invariably displayed, under the most immense orange tree my eyes have ever laid upon. The tree branches grew and spread throughout the balconies without a care in the world and there were thousands of oranges laying on the floor everywhere. The air was saturated by the orange’s scent, an unusual warm smell, maybe a little sweeter than the characteristic orange’s perfume.

This would be the end of the story if the orange tree was the reason behind Eurydice’s fragrance. Although similar, the aroma and aura from the house and the one emanating from Eurydice couldn’t be more different. The house fragrance was old and nostalgic, Eurydice’s one was longing, but a yearning for something not yet experienced.

Eurydice gestured for me to come and join her, so I did. She started by teaching me the alphabet and the sound of each letter, then she made me try to read some old children’s rhymes. She was a completely different person inside that house. Her charismatic tales, her spillable tenderness, and her infinite patience allured me quickly, and soon enough we became good friends. It wasn’t long before I started taking daily lessons with her.

I enjoyed how weirdly affectionate she was towards me and her even stranger ways of showing it. She would do and undo my braid over and over sometimes, other times while we lied on the hammock, she would curiously touch my face as I was the first human being she ever saw. I didn’t like when Eurydice did that. I was an insecure child growing up and my smallpox scars made me inhibited. But thanks to her tenderness, as time went by I started cherishing more of those times of idleness.

III

When I reached my teenage years, I finally started reading my first novel, I was a quick learner after all. As there wasn’t much Eurydice could teach me anymore, the moments of boredom and frivolity in the hammock during her lessons became more frequent. One of those days of sopor, Eurydice started touching my face again, caressing it rather, that’s when it happened. It was so faint and so light I didn’t read it as a kiss until she started engulfing me in them. Without knowing what was happening and unsure of what to do next, I lowered my head and stayed very still. She took notice after a while of my reaction and then abruptly stopped. The air became heavy, the atmosphere unbearably unpleasant and uncomfortable so the lesson of the day was cut short. After that, I stopped hanging with her for a while.

I tried resuming my daily life, but something ensued after I left that decaying house. Slowly but surely I was being excluded from the local social activities, like the atmosphere Eurydice brought with her was always following.My old-time friends started drifting away, and soon people began treating me as a foreigner. As I became more isolated, I started perceiving it too: the smell of rotten oranges. Eurydice’s garden had followed me.

Initially, I thought it was in my hair, in the braid she often did and undid, so I cut it. Next, I thought the odour was emanating from the books she had gifted me throughout our lessons, so I burned them. I started getting rid of anything in my life that was associated with her in hopes the curse would stop. The scent became unbearable; it wouldn’t go away no matter how many times I washed my clothes or myself. I couldn’t eat anything as everything tasted like those unduly sweet oranges, I couldn’t sleep at night as the warm smell suffocated me and made me feel dizzy.

There was only one thing I could do: seek help with Eurydice.

The day I returned to Eurydice’s house the smell stopped. When I entered, she was in crisis. The young girl told me horrible tales of what happened after I had left. Tales blurring the line between fiction and reality. She was delirious! All her charismatic lying started to flop as she would often confuse events described in the horror novels she often read with daily occurrences without order or logic.

I led her to the hammock and started reading to her as we would always do. I held her tight, as if I released her I would lose her forever. As the lecture continued, and we began to be absorbed in the dull descriptions of that badly written book, I finally found peace. The atmosphere didn’t smell like anything in particular, nor anything felt special in a singular way. At that moment I felt like I could deal with Eurydice’s extravagances and daylight nightmares, I could even deal with being labelled as an outcast by the rest of the town just for little moments of peace like that.

After months of not seeing each other, I finally answered to the incident that made me run away from her and kissed her forehead as we lay under the orange tree.

As one often wishes while reminiscing of tales from the youth, I wish I could have made wiser decisions.

We would play pretend like when we were children, we would play to pretend to be in love with each other. Her particular talent in lying made her especially good at this. We would become the protagonist in her romantic novels to spend the infinite time that isolation offered us inside the house. The line between fiction and reality was non-existent in Eurydice’s rotten orange garden.

At first, it was fine when it was just Eurydice and me in the bliss of youth, until I had to coexist with the ghosts of her past and her made-up spectres. The more open she became of her past and the enigmatic characters that were her violent parents and intrinsic family drama, the more confusing and inconsistent the overall narrative became.

On one thing she was saner than me: she wanted to abandon the house. But I wasn’t ready to confront the overwhelming smell of the outside world again. After all, wasn’t my fear of the aromatic curse the reason I bear with such a questionable character?

As years passed by, Eurydice’s starchy whiteness started to become more spectral, and her body acquired more translucent properties. Her coal-black hair had grown so much it dragged like the tail of a dress, and when she bent her head to kiss me, I felt like a black rain poured on me. Her sentences didn’t even make sense anymore, and sometimes she would call me by strangers’ names.

She didn’t even remember who she was anymore. Sometimes Eurydice would stay still looking at something that didn’t quite exist. She was tired, a Quijote tired of hunting imaginary giants and offering love poems to Dulcineas.

And just like that, she stopped existing…

…. if she ever existed.

VII

When she was gone, I started repeatedly reading the badly written book that I read to her the day of my return to the house. Always the same story, always the same place. And just like that, one day I again felt Eurydice’s scent now merged together with the scent of the house. I felt the weight of another person in the hammock, but I didn’t care to see who it was as it is useless to talk with those who have already left.

Just then I understood that Eurydice’s scent was the perfume that loneliness wears.

#short story #orange tree #vintage #horror #love story?#writting #writrblr #short fiction #orange #fiction #fic #original writing #original art #criticism #perfume #nightgown #loneliness

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natade-art · 4 years

Text

jinchuuriki rin nohara fic recs

i’m sure there are many others out there, but these are the most recent/ most favourites i have! here it goes:

precision work by refectory

Nohara Rin survives, kidnaps a child, gains a brother or two, ends the reign of a tyrant, and saves the world a little.

sadly it’s been a while since it updated… :( but still one of my faves! isobu heals rin and after a while she finds her way to haku and basically adopts him

to destroy the darkness that lingers in the earth by chadsuke

When Shimura Danzo approaches Kakashi, he and Rin flee Konoha to someone they know can keep them both safe: Lady Tsunade.

one of my fav naruto writer! badass women + conspiracies + danzo gets whats coming to him + bonus femslash!! not rin related, but you should check out “from the corner of your eye” also by the author!

third time’s the charm by peeira

Rin feels a Tailed-Beast sealed into her and decides to stay behind in order to avoid wreaking havoc in Konoha.

It hurts, but Kakashi lets her go. And it hurts even more when Obito, whom he thought dead, shows up.

Meanwhile, things in Kirigakure are not what they seem, and Mei Terumi is tasked with the mission of retrieving the rogue Jinchiruuki.

[A Jinchuuriki!Rin AU. With world building and badass ladies.]

jinchuuriki rin + meirin enemies to lovers femslash!!! there’s some conspiracy going on in both konoha and kirigakure! it’s still on-going but i like it so far

Regeneration by Hiiraeth (V_eritas)

Rin always knew her life was dangerous, but she still thought she’d live past thirteen. In this world, she does.

Rin struggles with a new identity, Kakashi finds unexpected reasons to live, and Minato chooses his family over everything. Far away, underground, a young boy wakes up with no idea of who he is… Canon-divergent AU. Jinchuuriki!Rin. Slowburn KakaRin.

i like this one too. i read it like last year. technically the kakarin is mostly friendship, there’s no romance at all unless you squint really hard. we get very good rin & kushina moments!

how to not become an insane megalomaniac (by nohara rin) by WDW

Rin is rather unhappy to find herself in an underground cave, her only human company an old man with an odd fixation on her distant ancestry. Still, it was better than dying, and she hadn’t been expecting much else when she had pushed Obito out of the way of the boulder.

Now, to get back to her boys.

[role reversal]

this one is a role-reversal. its been a while since the last update but i think it’s an interesting concept tbh.

A Different World by WordCubed

It’s a different world. The Three-Tails heals Rin and Obito takes her to Madara. Sakumo never saved his comrades. Sasori never betrayed Sand. Orochimaru’s experiments were never horrifying enough that he had to flee Leaf. Tsunade’s loved ones never died, so she never abandoned her village. But Madara still wants the Ten-Tails, and Pain still wants his revolution. The world is still screwed. AU. A reconstruction of Naruto where female characters and worldbuilding actually matter.

this one is like… really long but really interesting?? a TON of worldbuilding and math went into it. the description says it all honestly. also rin’s personality is very different from what kishimoto gave us, she takes no shit from anyone.

oh my god thank u op… ive only read to destroy the darkness that lingers in the earth (and loved it) out of all of these so i will definitely be checking these out!!! putting it here in case anyone else wants

#not art #ask #fic recs #submission #lmao i wonder why it says it was submitted by my main

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darkwoods-darkdreams · 4 years

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Imagine you’re a thief (IV)

You stood at the bottom of the staircase, gazing up at the doors that separated you from the outside world. It wasn’t a barrier keeping you from your freedom anymore. No, you had quickly learned that the ruin was one of the safest places in the world for you. But now you were leaving. It brought about a nervousness you hadn’t felt in a long time, not since you had first become a thief. You paused, realizing that you had been absentmindedly rubbing your stomach. Rather than immediately moving your hand, your touch lingered. You weren’t sure if you were attached to your child, given you weren’t overwhelmed with pride like most mothers you had seen, but you certainly didn’t mind the changes to your body as much.

The elf finally entered the room, carrying a rather large box. Since he was meeting with his associates, you were sure that he was bringing some supplies and wares. If anyone asked for something to be made, he would be able to do so with the items he had brought.

“Forgive me, packing too longer than I expected,” He let go of the box, but it remained suspended in the air, “Are you ready to leave?”

You nodded, watching as he moved over to the nearby wardrobe and grabbed two cloaks. When the elf had first asked you to come with him, you had questioned his motives. He had let you stay in the ruins every other time he had left, but now he was changing his mind. He had merely smiled, explaining that he was worried about you, given the circumstances. He wanted to be by your side should anything happen. It was strange, to know that someone was worried about you. You had left any sort of family long ago and the feeling had become a distant memory. You never expected to feel that way again.

“The trip won’t take that long. A few days, at most,” He draped one of the cloaks over your shoulders, pulling it across your form. It hid your pregnancy quite well, despite how far along you were. However, he hesitated for a moment. The elf stared at you, as if searching for something in your expression, “…I would have liked to abandon this trip and stay here with you, but the meeting can’t be avoided so easily. Our child has grown much faster than I expected. It could be a moon from now or several moons. If anything were to happen, I would hate for you to be alone.”

You were rendered speechless at first. When the incident with the potion had first happened, he had referred to your pregnancy as a condition. He had tread so lightly and carefully around the subject. But he had changed. He had called it his child, one that the two of you shared. Your emotions got the better of you. You stepped away from him, “We should go.”

“Yes, of course,” He replied. There was no hint of regret in his words. He had meant what he said and wasn’t shying away from it. Still, his lack of pressing any further proved that he had noticed your discomfort. In fact, he seemed even more amused, since he slowly bowed in front of you and offered his hand, “Would you like some help getting up the stairs?”

You watched him at first, then sighed, “Yes,” You weren’t about to try getting up a set of old, worn stairs with added weight by yourself. You reached out to take his hand, only for him to gracefully lift you into his arms. The glare you gave him was sharp, “This isn’t what I meant.”

“Ah, no, but it was I meant,” He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

“Farewell, master,” The stone guardian had awoken, moving closer, “And to you, mistress.”

You glanced to the elf, trying to find any sort of reaction. But he merely turned and carried you up the stairs, the floating box following closely behind. Unfortunately for him, you weren’t about to let it go unnoticed, “It’s been calling me that for a while now.”

“Has it?”

You pouted, but it was only to hide the small grin threatening to spread across your face. He was pretending to be unaware, though you knew better. Such things imbued with magic were set to a strict set of rules. It wouldn’t have changed its opinion of you unless the elf had told it to do so. He liked to tease you, but he was prone to sentimentalities that you could use to your own advantage.

He set you down inside of the boat, then climbed in himself. The box landed gently between you. The elf waved his hand and the boat began moving on its own at a reasonable pace.

You looked out at the horizon briefly, then returned your attention to the elf, “I thought that you used portals to get around.”

“Usually, yes. But that magic is not tolerated well by everyone, especially those with child.”

“What would have happened?” You couldn’t help but be curious. You were still wary of magic, though being around the elf had lessened your fear towards simpler spells.

“You would have felt rather ill. The nausea would have lasted for hours, if not days. I think you’ve dealt with that sort of symptom enough.”

You sighed, not wanting to think about how horrible your morning sickness had been before it disappeared.

“But that sort of reaction happens to everyone. In your case, our child would have been quite restless afterward.”

“Oh,” You had expected something far more dangerous. You had felt a bit of squirming and kicking every once in a while. It had surprised you at first, but it then became yet another common occurrence. Still, his explanation made it apparent that he was avoiding magic for the sake of your comfort and safety, “…Thank you.”

He said nothing, though you could tell from the way that he leaned back and grinned that he was pleased.

Your destination, which the elf explained was a secluded meeting place for what used to be a large group of elven mages. Due to the tense relations between elves and humans, the number of people who knew of the location was limited. You didn’t understand why he trusted you with such information, given your being human, but he still insisted that you go with him rather than waiting at an inn.

You walked alongside him, though you moved closer and placed your hand in the crook of his elbow as the crowd thickened. You didn’t want to get separated in a city that you had never been to before, let alone one that had so many royal guards stationed every few buildings.

The reaction to your gesture was almost immediate. Two women that you walked by paled and began whispering to each other. Your instincts as a thief begged for you to separate yourself from the elf and head off in a different direction to avoid raising suspicion. You were wearing clothing covered in elven symbols. You were clearly human, and yet you were heavily involved with someone that wasn’t. You swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to run. Instead, you spared a glance toward the elf. He hadn’t made any effort to disguise his appearance. His hair was pushed away from his face, keeping his pointed ears uncovered. He walked with the same regality that he always did, a gait that was visibly noticeable compared to everyone else bustling through the streets. You wondered if he didn’t care because he could protect himself with magic, or if knew that carrying himself a certain way would keep him safe.

You tried to refocus on the path in front of you, but the elf gently stopped you. You paused, about to ask why, only to see that he was looking at a young girl selling crowns made of flowers and other trinkets in front of a bakery.

He approached her, bowing slightly, “May I buy one of these from you?”

The girl hesitated, clearly not used to seeing elves. You felt a pang of guilt in your chest, knowing that you used to be the same way. She looked to you for a moment, then nodded.

He gave her some money, then took one of the crowns. He turned to you with a smile, setting the flowers upon your head, “Perfect.”

You laughed a bit, reaching up to touch the flowers. You didn’t recognize half of them. Perhaps they were only found in or around the city, “Is this really necessary?” You teased.

“Of course,” He quipped, “Elves only give the best of offerings to their goddesses.”

You opened your mouth to give a witty remark in return, only to notice the same women from before. They had been following you, though they were keeping their distance. They had abandoned whispering to each other. They were talking quite loudly, obviously wanting to be heard.

“Look at them. Disgusting.”

“She’s carrying that thing’s spawn. She’s probably under some spell. No one in their right mind would do such a thing.”

“Giving life to Halflings. This town is becoming a breeding ground for filth.”

Your grip tightened on the elf’s arm. Lifting your arm had parted the cloak, revealing your swollen belly. You quickly returned your arm to your side and stepped forward to berate them, only for him to step in front of you. He leaned down, kissing you. You immediately withdrew, about to argue until he kissed you again. You sighed, holding his shoulders, “Enough. I’m going to tear them apart.”

“Cerbin,” He blocked your path again, the corner of his mouth pulled upwards. He took your hand, kissing the back of it as his eyes shone with mirth, “Relax. This alone makes their blood boil. Anything you say to them now will only make things escalate.”

You scowled, “They have no right to-“

“Yes, I know,” His lips brushed against your cheek, then your jaw, “Come. We’ll be late, otherwise.”

You reluctantly walked away with him, refusing to look back.

The mages’ meeting place was in a rather expensive looking building. On the outside, it seemed like a high-class inn. However, upon the elf using a spell to get inside, you discovered that the interior was heavily influenced by elven culture. You followed him, but caught yourself pausing to marvel at all of the designs and objects on display. You would have to ask him for a tour when you had the time.

The largest room housed a massive table, several chairs already filled with other mages. Most of them wore elven clothes, though some had made a point to look more human. Still, you couldn’t tell if it was out of personal preference or for the sake of their own safety. When you stepped inside, you were immediately greeted by everyone staring at you.

One mage, who was wearing traditional clothes, stood abruptly, “An’givare! How dare you, Gvalch?!”

“She is not a spy,” He replied as he brought you chair of your own, “Nor am I a traitor. I brought her here for her own safety.”

“What is she to you, then?” Another asked.

“Me minne,” The elf you knew as Gvalch sat down next to you, crossing one leg over the other, “An aen modron me wedd.”

You couldn’t piece together what he was saying. He rarely spoke in anything but the common tongue unless he was performing magic. You didn’t know if he was using the language in order to keep his colleagues from being offended or to keep it a secret from you. However, you could tell from the reactions of the others that he had revealed something important.

“She has done nothing to betray my trust since I’ve known her. She has no ill will towards us.”

“Regardless, she is human.”

“If you’re telling her to go, then I will also take my leave.”

The others exchanged glances, some of them visibly sighing. It seemed that, with the few mages still left, they couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.

“Fine, she is permitted to stay,” Who you guessed was the leader spoke up, turning his attention to you, “Though I’m sure you understand that nothing that is said here can be repeated elsewhere.”

“I understand,” You bowed slightly in your chair. Even if you wanted to, there was no one for you to tell. You never worked with anyone. Any friends or family were long gone.

The meeting lasted for hours. It was a fury of the common tongue, several elven dialects, and other languages you had never heard before. You waited patiently, quite entertained when they spoke in the one language you understood. Every so often, the elf would stop paying attention to whoever was speaking in order to check on you. He would smile, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. He was still so openly affectionate, even when most of the others didn’t approve.

You made it back to the inn you had stopped at to deposit your belongings. You sat down on the bed as the elf sorted through the luggage. You watched him for a moment, only to notice you were still wearing the flower crown. After gently removing it, you looked over the various flora. The situation you were both in was much more complicated than you had realized. You had spent so much time in the ruin that you had forgotten about how much the majority of humans and elves hated each other. No matter where you went, there would always be someone who disagreed with the two of you living together.

“About what happened today, with those women,” You looked up, “That happens often, doesn’t it?”

“Occasionally,” He replied, “But I’ve learned that ignoring them is the best course of action. In my youth, I used to confront them. I’ve had to avoid being tied to a pyre several times.”

You didn’t know what to say. You couldn’t imagine living such a life. Most cities and towns were filled with humans. Only small villages and secluded areas were home to elves, unless they were influential enough to remain untouched around humans.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.”

“I’m more worried about you,” You countered. You refused to make this about yourself.

“Nothing will happen to me, either,” He sat down next to you, casting you a soft grin, “Though I appreciate the concern.”

“Isn’t there a way to fix it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I would never ask you to become human,” You began, “But what if I-“

“No,” His answer held no harshness, though you could tell there was nothing that could sway him.

“It would be easier, wouldn’t it? You’re one of the best mages in that group, surely you would be capable of such a thing.”

He reached out, brushing your hair away from your face, “Even if I were capable of tearing the skies open and destroying every star, I would not change you.”

“Because you can’t disrupt nature.”

“Because I love you as you are,” He replied, “And I find your curved ears and cuspids quite adorable.”

“You like my pointed teeth?” You laughed a bit.

“Yes, but if I had to choose a trait that I admired the most, it would be your ferocity. You are unafraid. You wanted to confront those women. Even I’ve been taken aback several times by you, especially when we first made our agreement. You must be a formidable thief, when you are not hindered by magic.”

Yet again, you were rendered speechless by his eloquence. You had always brushed off his comments as just a part of his teasing nature, but you couldn’t ignore it anymore. He loved you, it wasn’t just for the sake of wit.

He turned to you, “The potion from that night, I believe it’s finally worked its way out of your system. You’re no longer a servant to your own arousal.”

He was right. You hadn’t asked him for anything since you left the ruins. Your mind was so much clearer than it used to be. You felt like your old self again. You rested your chin on his shoulder, holding his arm to your chest, “Could we? Sleep together, I mean.”

The elf looked at you, unable to hide his smile, “It would be disgraceful of me to refuse a request from my goddess.”

The travel back to the ruins took much longer than expected. As you made your way with the elf back to the boats, discomfort was beginning to impact your movement. You had nearly doubled over in pain when getting into the boat, your stomach and back aching. You had brushed it off, pretending that it was just the child kicking a tender spot. However, you knew that it more than just idle movement. You had never truly experienced someone else giving birth, let alone yourself, but you knew that was what your body was working towards. Even so, you kept quiet. Every wince was masked as fidgeting. Every moan was swallowed. When your water broke, it was hidden by the seawater that occasionally splashed into the boat.

However, the pain was becoming too great. The shore and the entrance to the ruins were visible, but you couldn’t hold out any longer. You gripped the side of the boat, whimpering.

“Cerbin?” The elf stared at you, his concern evident, “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

“I-I think I’m…” You placed a hand over your stomach, wishing the pain would stop.

You didn’t need to say anything more. When the boat reached the shore, the elf was already standing. He helped you step out, quickly lifting you into his arms. He abandoned his supplies, carrying you down the stairs and into your bedroom. He placed you on the bed, but never stepped away. He brushed your hair from your face, kissing the back of your hand.

“Gvalch,” You tensed, the pain worse than anything you had ever felt before. You gripped the sheets, trying to ground yourself as another contraction started.

“I’m right here, my love,” He kissed your forehead, then moved to the end of the bed, helping you with your skirt and smallclothes.

As soon as you were able, you spread your legs. You could feel the child moving downwards, causing your back to arch. Your cries became louder. You shut your eyes, holding your breath as you pushed. You gasped for breath, falling back against the bed. The entire process was exhausting. You had no idea how you would keep going. Tears blurred your vision, spilling from your eyes and wetting your hair. You were in so much pain, “I can’t…I’m so sorry.”

The elf returned to your side, taking your hand. He didn’t pull away, even as you gripped his hand to point that you were sure he was in pain. He watched you, eyes wide. He was horrified, and at a complete loss as to what he should do. He seemed torn between helping you give birth and comforting you. He whispered something that sounded like elven. At first, you thought it was some sort of prayer to the elven gods. He never seemed like a devout believer in such things.

However, as your pain was suddenly washed away by a feeling of slight cold, you realized that it was a spell. You turned to him, “Was that…a spell?” You watched him, worried that he knew something you didn’t, “I thought you said you didn’t disrupt nature.”

“I know,” He sighed, “I just…Seeing you in agony is unbearable. Forgive me, I can take away the pain, but I cannot make this any easier for you. Any other spell could bring consequences for both of you.”

Your womb tensing caused no pain, only a pressure that made you curse under your breath. The child shifted again, the feeling of such fullness bringing the urge to squirm. You remained still, trying to focus on something, anything else. With another push, you felt its head crowding against your entrance. You let go of the elf’s hand, “Go, it’s-“

He hesitated, as if he wanted to stay by your side, but moved to the end of the bed. He placed his hands on your thighs, pushing your legs back. It took away some of the pressure, though most of it remained, “You’re almost there.”

You nodded, gathering what strength you had left. Thankfully, you felt the child make some progress. It must have been enough, since the elf gently guided it the rest of the way. The hollowness was strange, especially when you had grown so attached. The rest was easier, especially when you finally heard the baby crying. You forced yourself to sit up, only for a wave of dizziness to overtake you.

The elf stood, cradling the child in his arm despite all of the blood and other fluids staining his clothes. He nudged you softly to one side, “You should rest. You’ve been through quite the ordeal. I’ll take care of everything.”

You blinked tiredly, carefully lying down on the bed and closing your eyes.

When you awoke, you weren’t sure how much time had passed. You sat up, noticing that you were in different clothes. The bedding had been changed. A gurgling sound made you look up. The elf had brought his chair from the study, sitting next to the bed with the child wrapped in soft fabrics. You watched, not saying anything at first. It was so small. You couldn’t believe something so tiny could survive, and yet it was right in front of you.

“Me minne,” The elf smiled, “You’re awake.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“Not long,” He rose from the chair, as graceful as ever, “Would you like to hold them?”

You nodded immediately, reaching out to take the small bundle into your arms. When you had first entered the ruins in search of something to steal, you never would have expected to be in such a situation. But you weren’t the same person anymore. So much had changed.

“She’s beautiful,” He sat down once more, giving you time to have the child to yourself, “Just like her mother.”

A girl. And he was right, she was as adorable. It reminded you of the fairytales about cute princesses. You moved the blanket a bit, smiling when you saw that she had pointed ears, “Looks like she didn’t inherit everything from me.”

“Who knows, she might still have pointed teeth,” He teased in response. He crossed one leg over the other, content with watching, “Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” You shook your head, “Just a bit tired, but I can sleep later,” You looked up at him, though you absentmindedly stroked her soft cheeks with your fingertips, “Are there any other names for birds in your language?”

“Ah, let me see,” He pondered it for a moment, “Zireael is the term we use for a swallow,” He tilted his head to one side, “Is that what you want to name her?”

“Yes. I like it for a girl’s name,” You paused, remembering that you didn’t know each other’s real names. Gvalch was just an alias. Cerbin was just what he called you, “Um, about my name, it’s _____,” You weren’t sure if he wanted to know. Even if he didn’t, you had spent so much time with him. It was something he deserved to know.

He grinned, repeating it. It sounded so much nicer with his voice and accent than it did from a human mouth, “It suits you, though you’ll always be my Cerbin,” He moved closer, sitting beside you, “Would you like to know my name, then?”

“Of course,” You replied, “It’s only fair.”

He leaned down, whispering his true name into your ear. It sounded like that of some ancient king, but he always reminded you of that sort. His name only proved his natural regality and poise. You murmured the name, trying to match the pronunciation. Still, you had a hard time imagining him as anything other than Gvalch.

He withdrew from you, though an expression flickered across his features that you weren’t used to seeing on him. He bowed slightly, “Now that you’ve given birth, I would like to offer you another choice. Before I explain and you decide, I want you to know that I bear you no ill will regardless of what you choose,” He said that, but you had gotten used to knowing when he was lying, “You’ve been a thief for over half of your life. I understand if it’s difficult to leave that sort of lifestyle. If you desire it, you’re free to leave with or without the child.”

You stared at him. He was still offering you a choice. He truly believed in free will. It was strange to have someone with so much power and influence at your feet.

He knelt before you, “However, you are more than welcome to stay. You wouldn’t be able to continue with your previous work, but I promise that you will never want for anything. You or Zireael. I love you both dearly. You are more than anything I could ever ask the gods for. No spell or magic could have brought me someone like you,” His voice cracked. He was overwhelmed, a man at risk of losing everything important in his life, “Please, Cerbin. If you love me, stay with me.”

You smiled, leaning forward and kissing him, “Am I still a raven if I don’t admire shiny objects?”

He kissed you once more, withdrawing with a wide grin, “You’ve stolen much more than a phylactery from me, me minne.”

An’givare – spy/traitor

Me minne – my love

An aen modron me wedd – and the mother of my child

#fpreg #birth #gvalch and cerbin #a thief #good ending route #elf route #series

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wittyy-name · 6 years

Text

Wild Magic - Part V: Flying - Now on Patreon

Keith/Lance, Rated M, Part Five: 27,920 words | Total So Far: 119,000+ violence, magic, vastaya au, strangers to lovers, freedom fighter Keith, entertainer Lance, action, adventure, fantasy, pining

Fic Summary: The Vastaya are an ancient and proud race, born of magic and man, and they are dying. The spread of humans makes the magic of their homelands run thin. What is left is preyed upon and corrupted by the rising galra influence.

After losing their home, what remains of the Marmora tribe scatters, fighting the spread of corruption where they can. For the last century, this is the only life Keith has known. And with Shiro’s disappearance, he’s more alone than ever. But he keeps going, even if it means losing himself. For the fight. For his people. For their future. For his homelands. For magic.

The last thing he expected to find was another feathered Vastaya, one with wings that shone like the sky and moved like waves when he danced. He never asked for company, never wanted it. But as Keith finds himself growing fond of Lance’s flippant attitude and determined blue eyes, he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to fight alone anymore.

Part I: Falling – Part II: Rising – Part III: Soaring - Part IV: Gliding

Wild Magic is my upcoming fic collab with @wolfpainters. I’ll be working on this fic between major fic updates, and posting the chapters to my Patreon for all patrons of the $15 tier and up. This fic wont be posted to Ao3 until its completely finished, and Sora is done with all the art. This will be a while in the making, so become a patron for early access!

This is by far my favorite thing I’ve ever written, and it’s by far both of our favorite fic/au that we’ve done. Part V dives deeper into the lore and world building as the gang finds the altean monastery, convinces them to unite against the galra, Keith finds Krolia, and Keith and Lance share more tender moments.

Patreon | Ko-fi | Twitter | Ao3

Excerpt Below

He's no stranger to chasing rumors. He's done so for centuries. Following whispered words and letting gossip guide him.

As such, he's familiar with the frustration that comes when a lead runs dry.

"This sucks," Pidge huffs, voice trailing to a strangled yelp as she once again on the roots and vines that crawl across the pathways. Keith peers down from his perch, watching as she stumbles, pointing angrily at the ground. "Okay, I know they're doing that on purpose! I saw it this time! The vines are moving, I swear."

Lance's chuckle comes lilting on the breeze, voice drifting from within the home Keith perches on top of. "The forest is having fun with you, Pidge."

"I hate forests." She sits on the lip of a cracked stone fountain, crossing her arms and legs, shoulders hunched. "I thought the ones outside Piltover were bad, but at least those ones didn't try to kill me."

"It's not trying to kill you," Shiro says from across what had once been a village square. His hands rest on his hips, tail flicking the air behind him and ears twitching restlessly. He turns slowly, eyes roaming. "It's just... playful."

"You talk like it has a mind of it's own."

"It does!"

Keith looks down to see Lance crawl out of one of the building's windows. He dusts himself off, straightening his clothes and taking gentle care to check Keith's feathers pinned to his cloak. He knows the feathers are far more durable than that, but the fact that he checks them incessantly makes a warmth flicker in Keith's chest.

"All forests do, but here the magic from the spirit realm is so thick that it saturates everything. The forest is actually able to act on its mind instead of standing idle."

"Great," Pidge says dryly. "So it's alive. Wonderful."

"Technically, all forests are alive." Hunk walks out of the building below Keith, using the open doorway. There's a bundle of bound parchment in his arms.

"You know what I mean," Pidge snaps, but Hunk hardly notices.

"Guys, this is so cool. I found some books? But they're like, really, really old books. It's in a language I don't even understand! I found a couple in what I assume was the kitchen, so maybe they're cook books? I found a few others scattered in the house. Do you think the Alteans can help us decipher them?"

"Probably," Matt says, swinging down from atop another building on a loose branch. He lands easily, picking a leaf out of his hair. "If they're really as old as people say they are. I agree with Hunk, though. This is amazing." He throws his arms out, gesturing to the village as he spins. "This is a footprint of ancient Ionian civilization. Back when people used to work with magic and natural to build their homes. I've read about it, but I never thought I'd see it."

"Too bad it's abandoned," Keith mutters.

"Well, yes, there is that."

Keith crosses his arms over his chest, taking a step back to turn and let his eyes scan across the village. It isn't the first they've come across. Since setting foot on this island, they haven't seen a single living person. Aside from the spirits and animals, they had nothing but eerie silence to keep them company. Even the strong melody of magic couldn't detract from the feeling of emptiness that settled across the landscape.

Like all the other villages they'd come across, the buildings of this one were woven from the trees themselves. Not built from the trees, but rather that the trees had grown and shaped to suit the village needs. They'd seen all sorts of natural architecture as they'd ventured deeper into the island. From all sorts of plant life and the earth itself. The buildings they'd come across settled naturally into the landscape rather than stand atop it.

He'd heard of such magic. Nature magic. The ability to communicate with the energies of the earth. To call out to the magic of living things and will them to grow in specific ways. Wood weavers. Earth builders.

Many vastaya villages were made in a similar way, but he'd heard that long ago, humans could use this kind of magic. He never truly believed it, but now the proof was all around him. On an island that had been abandoned and left an empty husk for spirits to roam.

The humans had fallen far if this is where their ancestry lied.

"Pidge, you have a few..." Keith glances down to find Matt sitting on the lip of the fountain next to Pidge, gesturing vaguely around his head.

Pidge sighs, shoulders slumping. There's a faint glowing bobbing around her head. Two of them. "I know. I tried getting rid of them, but they keep coming back." As Keith watches, the glowing seems to solidify. Two spirits, pale in color and bodies fat and round. Looking like palm sized caterpillars with large eyes and markings that pulsed with light. They became more corporeal, nuzzling into Pidge's hair. "Besides," She says, unable to stop her smile. "They're kind of cute, I guess."

"They think your hair is a nest," Matt snickers, and Pidge playfully shoves him.

Shiro sighs, arms crossing over his chest. "I don't think we're going to find much here."

They all glance over, smiles fading, but it's Pidge who speaks up first. "What're we looking for anyway?"

"At this point, I'd say we're looking for any sign of life around here. We know the altean monastery used to be on this island, we just don't know where or how to find it," Matt says, leaning back on his hands, eyes on Shiro.

"You said they've been missing for thousands of years," Pidge says, slight frown as she stares at Shiro's back. Her voice softens. "Are we sure they're even still alive?"

"No," Shiro breathes out a long sigh. "But we have to hope. We have to make sure. The galra are still wary of them, and the galra fear nothing. That's as good of a reason as any to believe they're still alive."

"Maybe they don't want to be found?" Hunk shifts his weight as eyes turn to him. He busies himself with organizing the bound parchment in his hands, shifting them gently into his bag. "I mean, obviously they don't want to be found. That's why they've been missing for like, forever. But maybe they really don't want to be found? What if they don't want anything to do with us or Ionia?"

"We're not going to give them a choice," Keith says, perhaps a hair too sharply.

One of Shiro's ears swivel in his direction, and the look in his eyes is of exasperated fondness. "Everyone has a choice, Keith. We just need them to hear us out."

"What if they don't want to listen?"

"Then we'll just have to be super convincing, won't we?" Lance scrambles up the building, feet and hands finding easy holds in the woven and twisted bark of the tree. He pulls himself up to Keith's perch on a wide, flat expanse that serves as a roof and a ledge before the tree continues to spiral upwards.

He hooks an arm over Keith's shoulders, leaning into him and offering a curl of his lips. He leans in close, breath whispering against the fur of Keith's ears. "I've heard I'm very convincing."

A shiver runs down his spine, and while Keith says nothing, Lance seems pleased with himself nonetheless.

"Do we have any idea where the monastery is?" Pidge asks, looking to Matt who only shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to just says that it was located at the heart of the north eastern isle." He purses his lips, looking up at the trees that towered above them. "I was kind of hoping we'd just... wander around and eventually find someone who could point us in the right direction. Ask the locals, you know? Should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Everything I've read about explorers trying to find the monastery says it's impossible. Like the whole place just disappeared without a trace."

"How does a whole monastery and civilization just..." Hunk waves a hand around vaguely. "Disappear?"

Shiro steps closer to where they gather near the fountain. His brows crease as he stares at the moss covered stonework, tail twitching behind him. "The Alteans were known to be masters of magic. From legends, we know that they were apart of an ancient order dedicated to keeping the balance in Ionia. They watched over spiritual gates and the ley lines. It's entirely possible that it's magic that's keeping them hidden."

"Cool, so we just gotta find a magically hidden ancient civilization," Hunk says, nodding as he closes up his bag and swings it over his shoulder once more. "Easy. No problem."

Pidge turns to Matt, and even from here, Keith can see the clockwork turning behind her eyes. "Do you think we could reverse engineer our magic analyzer to seek magic instead? Like read the levels in the air?"

Keith watched that brilliant spark of magic light up Matt's eyes. "Because if they're being hidden by magic, then there's gotta be a huge concentration of it."

"That would at least lead us in the right direction."

They keep going. A back and forth with no end. Finishing each other's thoughts and sentences. That precious madness flaring between them. Then Hunk joins a grounding force that allowed them to grow. Keith doesn't understand most of what they're saying, but he supposes he doesn't need to.

Shiro looks about as lost as he feels, but he's at least making an attempt to understand.

"I think we're going about this the wrong way." Lance's voice is light and thoughtful, soft enough to be kept private. Keith tilts his head, eyeing him sidelong and lifting a brow to show he has his attention. He watches Lance's profile as he frowns, brows furrowing as he tilts his head. He gestures to those below. "We're going about this like humans."

"The Alteans are human."

The pinch between his brows relaxes, and his lips start to ease upwards. "True, but they weren't blind, nor were they deaf." Lance tilts his head, catching Keith's gaze. There's a sharpness there, and a gleam in his smirk. "Shiro said they were masters of magic and keepers of spiritual gates. What are we, Keith?" His voice dips, and a shiver runs through Keith.

He feels his own lips curl in an answering grin.

Lance steps away from him, arm leaving Keith's shoulder but hand running down his arm to clutch at Keith's as he turns to face him. "We're children of the spirit realm. They might be masters of magic, but we're born from it. I think it's time we stop acting like humans and start acting like vastaya."

His fingers curl between Keith's, grin wide and fangs glinting in the light peeking between the trees. Keith smirks, heart beating wildly in his chest. He understands.

He drops to a crouch, pulling Lance with him. Lance drops at his side, allowing the tug to drag him down. Keith presses their joined hands to the bark beneath them, smooth and woven and ancient, but still very much alive.

He closes his eyes.

He breathes out.

He feels his magic swirl in his core. Bright and vibrant. Harsh warm hues. Warming to deeper purples and indigos and violets.

He feels Lance's magic next to him. Nearly as bright as his own. Washing over him. Cool and soothing. Grounding as it is chaotic. Powerful and rolling. Strength hidden in the illusion of calm. Blues of every shade, swirling and igniting together.

He feels the clash where their hands touch. The sparks where their energies connect. Arcing toward each other. Unable to resist. Unable to stop the attraction, even on a molecular level.

Reaching out, he feels the energy humming through the tree. Chases it down to the earth, where the ley lines run thick and uninhibited. They fracture outward. A spiderweb of fissures that run endless through the ground. He feels where the plant life draws from them. He feels the way it radiates from the earth into the air.

He feels the forest.

He feels the animals.

He feels the ley lines.

He feels the minor spirits that drift through the trees and hover just out of reach, drawn and curious by their presence.

He feels... something stronger. A tug. A distant pull. Something calling to him, but not in any manner he's familiar with. Faint and fleeting. A whispered question.

He snaps his eyes open, gaze locking with Lance's. His eyes are bright. Crinkling at the edges. Dancing with the dust motes.

"You felt it." It's not a question.

Lance's smile curls wide. "Yes."

"What is it?"

"Only one way to find out."

They leap from their perch, darting off into the village with hands still joined. He can hear the others' shouts of surprise. He can hear the questions. He ignores their fading voices, focusing on that distant tug.

They weave through the village, darting between trees that shape homes. Abandoned and empty husks within the woven trunks. Though the shadows and the rays of light drifting down from between branches.

Lance slows at his side. "I lost it."

Keith's hand tightens around his. "I didn't."

He still feels it. Getting stronger and stronger. He realizes that he's following the ley lines. That they're all converging on a point ahead. He pushes his pace. Feet barely touching the grass-lined cobblestones. Lance runs at his side until Keith pulls ahead. Until his hand slips from Keith as Keith darts ahead. Faster. Faster. Faster.

He stops when he reaches another clearing. Another square within the village. He stops suddenly, brought up short by a feeling in his gut. His momentum carries his wing forward, feathers rustling as they settle back down his back.

The ley lines pool here, creating a small wellspring that was no doubt once the village's heart. At the center of the village square is a pillar of stone. It rises from the earth, somehow looking natural despite the deliberate craft to it. The smooth spiral and twisting rise of it.

He steps closer, eyes narrowing at the symbols carved around the pillar. He doesn't recognize them, but he feels like he should.

He feels a presence. A sudden power that makes his hair stand on end and his feathers bristle.

He spins into a crouch, wing automatically flaring out and fingers combing through his feathers, plucking three at random. Magic sparks at his fingertips, sharpening and steeling them.

His eyes lock onto a creature that hovers at the edge of the square, tucked into the shadows of two buildings.

A spirit.

A powerful spirit at that.

Keith can feel the energy radiating from them. Cold on his tongue and washing over his skin like water. Strangely soothing, but sharp enough to keep him on edge. The spirit's body, while corporeal, seems to blur at the edges. Wisps of mist curling from it and obscuring its form. Blue of all shades, swirling and shifting and constantly in motion.

The form of... a lion? Certainly a cat of some sort. Body large. Ears pointed and curled at the tips. Tail thin and flickering, a tuft of hair at the end. Features sharp in places that seem odd and rounded at others. A feline, yes, but definitely a spirit creature.

It stares at Keith, and Keith stares black. Unblinking. Wary. It doesn't feel malicious, but he can never be too certain. Spirits rarely mean harm, especially to vastaya, but he fears if he looks away, the magnificent creature will disappear.

It's gaze, however, is fixed to him. Eyes dark and endless as the night sky. Drawing him in. Seeing through him. Taking the weight of his soul and measuring it.

His breath is caught in his lungs.

Then there's a rustle behind him. A familiar press of cool magic. A soft inhale, and a gentle rush of air. "Whoa..."

The spirit's eyes leave Keith's, snapping to Lance instead. Keith finds himself still unable to move. Waiting, though he isn't sure for what.

A flash of blue in the corner of his eye. "Lance," He hisses, but Lance is already moving forward.

His steps aren't wary, but they're slow. Deliberate. He moves forward with the same grace that fills his every movement, swaying up to the spirit with a confidence that lacks cockiness. When he nears, he drops to his knees, holding his hands out.

And Keith watches, amazed and awed, as the spirit moves forward. As it bumps its head into Lance's hands. As Lance laughs, hands running through the mane of mist.

Lance cradles the spirit's feline head in his hands, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

Keith hears the clatter of footsteps, loud in the silence. The voices of their friends. He hears their heavy breathing and loud arrival. He hears them stop behind him. Their soft gasps.

"What's... what's he doing?" Hunk asks, voice barely above a whisper.

Lance turns then, head whipping around and grin catching the light as his eyes dance. "Guys! I know where we need to go!"

Keith feels a tug at his lips. "He's asking the locals."

#klance #vastaya au #fic: wild magic #fic: wm #wing fic sorta #fantasy au #high fantasy #magic au #adventure #action #wittyywrites #patreon #long post

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warmau · 6 years

Text

{Mermaid!AU} Joshua

this got much longer than the other ones ive done,,,,i apologize find more mermaid aus (here)

you don’t remember the day it happened - when they brought him in

vaguely you remember setting up the exhibit, the people all around you muttering and complaining about overtime,,,,

“what’s this big tank for anyway? a new shark or something?” seungcheol had asked you, but you weren’t even sure

management hadn’t told you what the new addition to the aquarium was going to be,,,,,apparently it was a noteworthy surprise

but most of all - you know exactly what you felt when you saw him,,,,,,

dread

everyone else was so excited, gasping and pressing their faces to the glass to see a mermaid

a real life mermaid

but you were pushed into the back, too horrified to step forward

it was wrong,,,,it was wrong to be looking at a person like,,,,,this

“i didn’t even know they existed!”

someone had shouted and someone else chimmed in

“isn’t this a rarity? wouldn’t we be the only ones with a mermaid in our aquarium?!?”

it had been so exciting for the rest of the crew, even the gift shop cashiers had abandoned their posts to come and stare

but for you,,,it just,,,,hurt

watching this one, lonely figure swim about

in the open, empty vastness of the tank

as the excitement died down and people dispersed, sending photos from their phones to friends and chatting about him

you could swear you caught a glimpse of the mermaids face,,,,and you could feel in your heart

he was just as terrified as you

you had never told anyone you felt this way ,,,

the opening of the mermaid exhibit had brought crowds upon crowds to the aquarium

and everyone was buzzing that this year could be the year they finally got bonuses

but the money, the attention, was so far removed from your mind

you just kept thinking about how the mermaid - who had been named joshua - just didn’t look,,,,comfortable

actually he looked downright miserable

especially when hoards of eyes and flashing cameras crowded around the glass separating him from the others

and no matter how desperately he swam, left or right, he couldn’t escape their eyes

how is it,,,,to live without even an inkling of privacy,,,

you were so ashamed of it, that you couldn’t bring your head up to look at him anymore when you passed by the tank

you felt responsible

even if you hadn’t been the one that caught him

“i mean,,,,mermaids are wild animals - and for science, they need to capture animals to learn about them!”

seungcheol had reasoned when you and him had gotten lunch on your break,,,,,,but you weren’t sure if that was a good enough reason

who said humans had to know anything about mermaids

maybe mermaids didn’t want to be known about,,,,

let alone,,,captured and treated like circus acts to be gwaked and marveld upon

of course, like always, you just smiled and focused back on eating

you had been an entry-level intern for a while with the aquarium, you were more interested in at one point becoming a diver so this job was a great addition to your resume

your job just consisted of the usual; clean up of the kitchen and tanks, preparing food for the animals, and hauling shipments to and fro in the back storage rooms

you had virtually no way of getting close to the mermaid,,,,not until you were put on his tanks cleaning duty

joshua,,,,,you could see from the first time you got up and close to the glass,,,,,was beautiful

rather even,,,statuesque with his sharp, angular profile and an eyeline that ran long and elegant

his tail matched the overall air of royalty that he somehow managed to give off,,,the color was something of a sapphire blue,,,the edges of the scales dusted in silvery tones

if he swam fast enough and under the right amount of light, the tail looked like it was made of crystals

the shine had made you breathless

and what was even more beautiful was that his scales, hugged the dip of his hips,,,and the skin that showed was a gorgeous summer kissed hue

your first night cleaning his tank, you realized you were stealing peeks as much as possible

but you were also trying not to look at joshua too much

you had felt embarrassed,,,,,to you - he wasn’t like a fish that didn’t care about your prescence

he was,,,,,a boy,,,,,who had the right to not be watched every moment of his existience

it took you a while to clean, the tank was massive but the inside was just water - with sand scattered at the bottom

there was no coral or algae like in other tanks, no artificial rocks to swim through - none of that

it was barren,,,,but for water and for joshua

you didn’t notice, as you struggled to scrub at the outter glass

that joshua was slowing down his usual panicked pace of swimming, he was almost gliding in the water now

curious eyes fixed on the one human who seemed to be avoiding him at all costs

were you afraid of him? no,,,,joshua could sense it was something else,,,,something about you felt,,,,trustworthy

he had started slow, as to not surprise you

swimming over to where you were working and when you’d looked up

you nearly dropped the towel in your hand at the close up view of joshua’s face

like this, you could see his gills on his neck - one hand of his pressed against the glass and there was a thin, pretty webbing between his fingers

his mouth was highlighted by cute upturned corners that gave his face a naturally curious look

and his eyes,,,,like melted honey locked on yours

that moment you couldn’t breathe, you weren’t sure why joshua had approached you like that

and truthfully, it had made your heart jump nearly up your throat

he stared, nontheless, but you gathered your things - nearly finished anyway with your job and scurried away

you don’t know if you had angered him,,,,if he had just wanted to see what you looked like up close,,,,but the shock had made you act on impulse

and when you were gone, joshua pushed back and floated once more in the still, blue water

trustworthy - yes, you seemed like you were good

a couple of days had past since you were put on mermaid tank duty,,,,you didn’t get it again until someone had to call out sick and you were switched onto it

again, it was just you and this huge tank - and joshua

the lights of the aquarium were always dark, and never before had you been scared walking through the almost foggy like building until today,,,,,

you got to the tank and joshua was swimming away from you, his strong back muscles flexing with each swish of his tail

you didn’t stare, and got straight to work

but it happened again

this time, he did it faster - and you found joshua’s face pressed to the glass nearly giving you a heartattack

his handsome face didn’t seem to read your startled jump, because he stayed put

and looked at you

you nearly said “what do you want?” ,,,, but the words didn’t make it off your tongue

he wouldn’t be able to hear you through the glass anyway

so instead,,,you chose to ignore it

to not meet his gaze, but just clean and clean and clean

but even as you moved down the tank, joshua followed

you finished, arms aching from the work and had left just like before - hurried and confused

the third time you were on clean up for joshua, you were there with seungcheol

he was lazily working on his side,,,,which joshua didn’t touch at all,,,,,

no,,,,he kept hovering - swimming in circles on your side of the tank

and when seungcheol took a bathroom break, joshua had come closer and this time you really did say

“w-what do you want?”

voice timid and almost hushed

but,,,,,the reaction made joshua do a motion,,,a motion you quite couldn’t wrap your head around

he streaked one finger down his cheek,,,,

like he was painting a line down it

you clenched you teeth and shook your head, “what does that me-”

“are you talking to yourself?”

seungcheol passed by, gently thumping you on the head as you swatted his hand away too late

joshua wasn’t pressed against the glass this time, he was swimming farther away with his back to you and seungcheol

and for a second you marveled at his speed

also,,,he had probably felt seungcheol coming back - didn’t sea animals have some kind of heighten sense?

“don’t lose your mind cleaning, otherwise ill lose mine too!” seungcheol laughed and you managed a weak chuckle

after that,,,joshua didn’t approach you again,,,but when you and seungcheol packed to leave

you could see him - in the back of his tank, eyes focused on you

it become almost a ritual,,,,

you’d come to clean the tank and joshua would swim close enough,,,doing the same gesture each time

one finger, steaked down his cheek

and you just,,,,didn’t understand,,,,was he trying to tell you something was on your face? was it a mermaids way of greeting?

you had never been prepped with this information - and you were to hesitant to bring it up to your superiors,,,worried that they’d just tell you to stop making things up

you had considered bringing a notebook with you, writing down ‘what does that mean?’ and showing it to joshua,,,but how would he answer you? you couldn’t even figure out what one motion of his was

and as the days passed,,,,you got used to him being so close

maybe you didn’t get used to how gorgeous he looked - but that was another store

finally,,,,you had come in one morning expecting to be feeding the usual fish you were allowed to engage with - when you were dropped a complete different list

‘mermaid feeding’

you stared at it

“a-a-are you sure im qualified for this?”

your manager waved a dismissive hand, “it’s like feeding any other fish. it’s not like we’re putting you on shark duty.”

you swallowed at the thought, suddenly thinking - did mermaids have sharp teeth? would you have to be using a feeding stick?

“just take the chum bucket and go up to the edge of the tank - he’ll come up from the water and take what you give him”

it sounded like the rules to feeding someones dog,,,,and it made shivers crawl up your spine

were you the only one who saw joshua,,,as a person? not some kind of thing to be coddled and domesticated?

either way, you didn’t complain - again you needed this job

so you took the bucket of food and marched your way up the long, winding staircase to a door

behind it was a small ramp that lead slightly over the edge of the tank

there was just enough room between the edge of the water and the ceiling that you could sit at the end of the ramp and joshua would be able to poke his head up

but if he had tried to jump higher, onto the ramp - he’d end up banging his head against the wall

you stared down into the unmoving water, counting inside your head

when suddenly joshua’s head splashed out of it, dark hair sticking to his forehead

“i have br-breakfast,,,,” you felt your teeth nearly chatter with nervousness

you looked down into the bucket and saw an assortment of food, a lot of it was kelp and seaweed - but there was some parts of a lobster, crab, and shrimps

their was also a squid but when you dug it out with your gloved hand joshua shook his head

“what do mermaids like to eat?” you asked aloud,,,not sure if joshua would be able to understand or answer you

but ,,,,, when he spoke it nearly made you fall over

“sea plants. but we need nutrients from crustaceans.”

“o-oh”

your voice betrayed your feigned confidence as you grabbed a handful of what you assumed was lobster and crab

“how should i,,,”

you reached over, wondering if you should just drop the food into the water - but joshua took your wrist

and leaned forward, to eat what you had offered in your palm

it hurt,,,seeing him eat like that

right from your hand,,,,,

but at the same time,,,it made your stomach do a flip - the mermaid,,,was touching you

when he pulled back, you went to gather some kelp from the bucket as well and,,,,,fed him again

as you watched him, you wondered if asking him what he meant by that gesture he did would be ok

no one else was around,,,all the other interns were on feeding duty and divers and trainers were out with the dolphins or penguins

so clearing your throat, you suddenly mumbled

“joshua,,,,”

at first he didn’t respond, but then his eyes met yours

“my mermaid name is hong jisoo,,,,,”

“should i call you that,,,,jisoo?”

you could see him process the request, but shake his head “joshua is fine.”

was that a sign of giving up? ,,,,, was he ready to live out his life in this tank?

“ok,,,what - what do you mean when you do this?”

you slipped the glove off, dropping it into the bucket and wiping your hand on your uniform

slowly, you dragged your finger down your cheek and joshua’s eyes narrowed

“it means crying.”

“c-crying?”

“mermaids,,,,,can cry. because we can breathe above water - we are able to cry. but here,,,,”

he motions to the tank, the millions of gallons of water that trap him within

“here, i cannot cry. im always in water,,,,a mermaid cannot cry in water.”

you don’t even realize it ,,,, but your body has tensed - the response to joshua’s words has made you feel this pulsing anger and sadness

“w,,why do you want to cry?”

you ask, knowing the response will just hurt both of you further

joshua winces, eyes finally falling from yours

there’s a chance he might just sink back into the water, not answer you, leave it to your imagination

but joshua has come to know his feelings are always right, and his feelings about you have been that there is kindness in you

that you speak the truth,,,,and are good

so telling you,,,is different from telling anyone else

“i don’t want to be here. being caged like this,,,”

he bites his lip and you see it, the tears that shine in the corners of his eyes

“being caged like this,,,,,is degrading.”

there it is - the word you had avoided using - but it was true

being an exhibit,,,being unable to go home,,,being a spectacle it was degrading

and his voice, had pierced deep into your heart

“i know that there is something inside of you that understands me.”

you swallow, “that understands you?”

joshua’s tears seem to turn to sparkles in the brown swirls of his gaze

but they don’t drop,,,,,,and for a moment you consider it - you really consider just smashing this tank to pieces and somehow getting him out of here

but that’s just not a reality you can face,,,,,it wouldn’t be possible

joshua’s hand suddenly comes up to touch your cheek

the hand is wet, but warm and you gasp a little when his finger nearly ghosts over the corner of your lip

he pulls back, instantly shy of what he’s done - but at the same time he can feel it

the guilt that courses through you,,, you want to get him out but you can’t,,,

“there is one thing,,,that you could do for me,,,”

he suddenly begins and you look up - asking with your eyes what it is,,,

“if you go to the beach, you might be able to find a shell,,,,you’ll know it’s a special shell because it’ll look like one of my scales.”

you blink, “what if i cant find one like that? what if i go to the wrong-”

his hand now touches your arm, almost as if to calm you

“that is ok,,,,,,but will you try?”

there’s a brief hesitation before you nod, unable to say no to him,,,,not because of his saddness or the overwhelming guilt in your chest,,,but there is something about joshua

that loops you in and holds tight

so,,,at the end of your work week you take the bus to the nearest beach

it’s winter, and the place is desolate

the wind is heavy and nearly knocks you over but you spend a good three hours outside - searching the sands, turning shells and rocks over

you’re nearly about to give up when you see it,,,,it glimmers as it’s wedged between two big stones

a scale

a scale that matches joshua’s color

you hold it up, the sun setting on the boarder where it kisses the water and you see the scale glitter

for safe keeping, you slip it into your coat - right into the pocket beside your heart

coming back to work,,,you have the scale on a necklace

your manager complements it and seungcheol says he’s not used to seeing you accessorize

you smile at them, hoping in your mind that whatever this scale does,,,,it’s enough to get joshua out of here

you don’t get feeding duty - but you do get cleaning

and as you walk by during the day, joshua swims up close

the crowd around him goes into a frenzy, but you know where he is looking

you grip the scale on your neck and he holds his finger up toward his eye - slowly, he drags it down

the people all begin to ask in a chorus of loud voices what that means,,,,as you disappear back to your duties

at the end of the day, you clean extra slow - bowing and saying goodbye to everyone as they leave for the day

once you’re sure you and joshua are alone,,,you sneak up the stairs and unlock the door to the ramp

joshua is already at the edge of it, his face twisted into a look of excitment but worry

“here you go,,”

you unclip the necklace and pull the scale off the chain

in joshua’s hands it begins to shake,,,on it’s own

you look at it, “what’s going on-”

“thank you,,,,,,please,,,,,go for now,,,,”

his voice breaks,, and the sides of his eyes tighten like he’s holding immense pain inside

you want to reach out, soothe him, but joshua growls it this time

“go.”

you leave,,,,,,scared out of your wits - but knowing that joshua knows better than you

and when you spend a sleepless night up in bed, thinking about what in the world that scale did to him

you’re shocked to find the next morning that the entire aquairum is in disarry

your manager runs up to you, gripping your shoulders painfully

“where is joshua? where is the mermaid?”

you stammer out that he was there when you left,,,,,and he was,,,,but you also know something else happpened

what it was? you don’t know

but the tank is empty,,,,,

nothing is broken - everything is just still

seungcheol arrives beside you, “do you think someone stole him? not like he walked out of here by himself huh?”

the aquarium shuts down for a few days, you know your job is on the line

but at this point you’re just mystified - where did he go? how did he get out?

you find yourself walking one the same beach again, the beach where you’d found the scale when you see a figure standing on the rocks

he’s tall and slim, his profile looks handsome from this far

but as you get closer,,,,there’s something familiar

you don’t know why this stranger has piqued your interest,,,but you keep walking toward him

till you’re climbing the rocks and just as you reach out to ask “do i know you?”

he turns

his eyes, the same elegant and long brown lock on yours

he reaches out a hand, it’s warm

“thank you.”

he says your name and you stop breathing

“joshua?,,,,,,,,but you,,,where is your tail?”

he pulls back his jacket a bit, around his neck is the same necklace you had worn,,,,with the same scale you’d given him

“it allows me to transform, but it hurts. a lot.”

he chuckles though, rolling his wide shoulders

“but not as much as it hurt to be,,,,in there.”

your wonder doesn’t leave your expression as you nod, and joshua reaches out to let his hand touch the skin of your cheek

he pulls you a little bit, so that you’re nearly face first in his chest

there’s the smell of seabreeze circling you too, and even in the cold wind he is undeniably warm

“you did a lot for me, i will not forget it.”

he presses his lips close to your ear, it makes you embarrassed and you grip the front of his coat

“if you need me, just come to the ocean. anywhere in the world. i will owe you my gratitude forever.”

he leans back a bit, and for some reason you find your eyes on his lips,,,

up close there is evidence that he’s still a mermaid - the high collar of his jacket doesn’t hide his closed gills and scales

his hand on your cheek still has that webbing between his fingers

and there is still something unreal and magical about how handsome he is

you think,,would it be wrong to ask for his gratitude now,,,a goodbye kiss-

but you shake the thought, feeling your eyes well up

and then, like a crystal droplet - one tear rolls down your cheek

joshua wipes it away from your skin

“i will see you again, won’t i?”

“yes, i owe you-”

“no,,,,i mean i will just see you - you won’t vanish from my world right?”

joshua smiles softly

“no, i wont vanish. ill be here, so-”

his lips meet the edge of your cheek -

“don’t cry.”

#seventeen scenarios #joshua scenarios #jisoo scenarios #17 scenarios #seventeen imagines #joshua imagines #jisoo imagines #17 imagines #hong jisoo imagines #hong jisoo scenarios #seventeen joshua #member: joshua #sfw #mermaid!au #pledis seventeen #joshua

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bastardrobocop · 6 years

Text

on fallout 76

so, because im a fool i pre ordered fallout 76. frankly, i was going to buy it on release anyway because im starved for anything fallout and new california was a complete bust.

anyway, this means i have had access to the “B.E.T.A.”, which isn’t really a beta. it’s just server stress tests. i’ve done every pc round so far and i feel like i can say pretty conclusively that it’s just not very good.

sorry, this is going to be a long meandering post

i dont know if its something they can fix in the like, week before they launch the game, but the delay/latency/feel is so fucking whack it’s unbelievable. the multiplayer fallout new vegas mod feels like it has better netcode. in addition, it is dreadfully optimized. i play on a laptop, so maybe take my perspective with a grain of salt, but i’m not the only one who has pointed this out. i use an nvidia 970m, which runs fallout 4 at around 50/60 frames per second. fallout 76 tops out at around 10-30 on average. just wandering the world, the framerate is atrocious. performance is best in small interior cells and in wide open spaces with nothing in it. in more dense and enemy populated areas, the game stutters hard. more than once ive had the game freeze for several seconds during a firefight. its honestly inexcusably bad most of the time. with poor latency and framerate chugging, the gameplay experience is trying. it makes literally everything painful, including just inventory management and crafting.

the gameplay itself isnt too awful in that its just fallout 4 again but without the pretense of minimal rpg elements. performance problems can make some engagements suck, but most common enemies aren’t too hard. however, the real nasty ones that are higher level than you can be nigh on impossible to take down solo, which sucks because my friends arent always available and dealing with online randos is always bad. but it’s also the only way to get like, good weapons. but anyway, the core gameplay loop is almost the same. i say almost because the ‘workshop’ storage is your only storage. and it has a 400lb limit. which takes into account anything you put in it. this should seem like an obvious issue; you basically cant afford to store things if you gather valuable resources. im currently stuck carrying this big fucking rocket launcher which is useless right now because i dont have any inventory space for missiles, which weigh a ton. also, ammo has weight now. and you can’t scrap ammo for ammo parts like gunpowder or lead. and you can’t sell ammo either. so instead you just have to like, dump hundreds of rounds just on the ground since you can’t store them in the workshop because you need space for steel and adhesive and that M2 Browning that you can’t use yet but want to hold onto because it looks bitchin. however, you can bulk scrap with plastic, which reduces weight by about half. however, therein lies another problem; plastic becomes a precious resource because you can’t make a bulk pile of wood without it for some reason. plastic is currently more precious than literal gold. still, you get stuck holding a bunch of valuable scrap in your inventory which you can’t put into your stash because it’s full and you can’t go out and find more plastic because then you’ll be over-encumbered and you cant afford to drop this circuit board and you can’t build any more things in your camp because the budget is painfully low and even when you DO get enough plastic to bulk things the bulked stuff goes into your inventory and wont necessarily fit back into the stash and i’m still carrying this fucking missile launcher please god let me put down this missile launcher please oh please god

the ui is a disaster. it’s like they turned 4′s console/gamepad control scheme and doubled down on it; on pc, random keys are bound to multiple things and then also bound to a separate key, and you can’t re-bind things individually. so that means middle mouse is both ‘open favorite item wheel’ and ‘enter third person’ and ‘enter build mode’ when there’s also V which is also ‘enter third person’. you cannot change this. there will always be one button for this. there is still no separate binding for bash and grenade throw, of course. if you press escape, it opens the map. if you press m, it opens the map. to open the pause menu with things like ‘options’ and ‘microtransaction store’ and ‘quit the game’, you have to open the map with either escape or M and then press Z. there is no direct button to take you to the pause menu, as far as i can tell. when you go up to a workbench, there are three options; E to craft, R to scrap, Space to repair and modify. from this menu, if you want to scrap an item, you must mouse over it, and then select it. however, DO NOT MOVE THE MOUSE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. even if the prompt is open and asking if you want to scrap, say, a pump action shotgun, if you mouse over and the highlight moves over to your only power armor chest piece, it will scrap the power armor chest piece. even though it was asking if you wanted to scrap the shotgun. its potentially one of the most hostile interfaces ive ever seen. the bindings for ‘scrap mode’ and ‘scrap item’ in different menus also change. if i’m in the repair menu, G scraps an item. if i’m in scrap mode, spacebar does. the only good thing ive seen so far is the favorite wheel and also you can set it so you can see through your pip boy background while browsing it.

the world feels desolate and boring. the lack of human npc interaction has been replaced with finding some dead persons holotape. there are robots. there is at least one AI. but all the questgivers are pieces of paper, holotapes, or voices on a radio. sometimes it’s a robot. you don’t actually interact though. there’s no interaction beyond listening and being told what to do. while im bitching about how the world feels, lets talk about factions. bethesda has kind of casually hyped up factions as being some kind of meaningful, cool choice. they’re literally nothing. there is no indication to other players what faction you are in. you can join every faction and reach top rank in every faction. you cant see if anyone is a member of your faction unless theyre in your faction specific base. there is no inter-faction conflict, there are very few faction quests aside from random events, and once you’re done with the main faction quest, you’re basically done for good except for repeatable ones. i honestly expected factions to be a meaningful choice, which was probably my mistake. i was hoping it would force you to commit to your current faction once you joined it, or would prompt you to abandon another faction in order to join a new one. but there’s just nothing. i was expecting something like, i dunno, destinys faction thing. like joining new monarchy. and maybe butting heads with members of other factions, like i figured the Brotherhood faction would be my enemy if i joined the enclave. but it’s just nothing. the world is nothing, the quests are nothing, everything just feels pointless.

this is also a personal gripe, but there are like no energy weapon alternatives to small guns aside from the errant laser pistol, but ammo is extremely rare. the only new energy weapon i’ve seen so far is the plasma gatling, which is a big gun. otherwise, it’s just the crappy pistol/rifle converting laser and plasma rifle. no plasma pistol, just a pistol conversion. no laser pistol, just a pistol conversion. i’ve always loved energy weapons and just like. not getting any variety while guns and melee weapons get tons of variety is grating. there are many new ballistic weapons that look neat. the 10mm smg is back, and i am admittedly fond of it. however, 10mm ammo is painfully rare. i spend basically all my lead making more ammo for it. i can kind of get by with my laser pistol and my shotgun always makes up however much ammo i lose because a lot of enemies use shotguns, but my 10mm just goes up in smoke and there’s none to be found elsewhere. there’s a shocking amount of .308 because almost every early/mid enemy uses a hunting rifle, but i guess it makes sense because the big MG-32 thing takes .308 so they want you to be able to use it when the time comes. still, i’d rather be using an energy weapon. i want like. a recharger pistol. or the plasma rifle with all the tubes. or a pulse gun. just like. anything other than the ugly aer9 pistol conversion. i think the folks down at bethesda just dont like energy weapons very much; theyre leaps and bounds less viable than small guns.

the enemies look okay. instead of raiders, you have the Scorched. they’re Marked Men, but weaker and also a cult formed by radioactive bats. there are super mutants, because bethesda cant be bothered to go outside of the comfort zone of Things People Recognize and also they hate lore i guess. the wild animals are kind of fun. theres a big toad that looks cute, and frogs that have MASSIVE arms that they run on, which looks funny. theyre small though. things like the mothman and snallygaster look neat. the flatwoods monster is okay. the grafton bastard is big and kind of easy to cheese out. there is a monster named after a flawed and racist interpretation of indigenous beliefs. theres a big sloth, who i love. the mole men (called mole miners) are intimidating and ANNOYINGLY precise with shotguns. they’re later game enemies and very aggressive. they drop a neat looking unarmed weapon that ive been using, called a mole miner gauntlet. it’s like a power fist with big claws. there’s a big bee called a honeybeast. ive basically covered all of the new monsters, though. everything else is from fallout 4 and dlcs. this includes things like anglers, which had obviously evolved on far harbor along with the lure plant so it doesnt make sense for them to be there, and gulpers which are big salamanders so i guess that’s more okay. there are swarms of bees that are just he same repeated png of a bee, spinning around. oh yeah, there are a couple new insect types; ticks and fireflies. both use the animations of the radroach and bloatfly, respectively.

solo play can be kind of boring and difficult. most randos you meet will either ignore you or call you a slur and run away. ive only had one guy break into my house and i murdered him. however, even though he had a bounty on his head, he was still allowed to get ‘revenge’ on me which meant he could spawn right next to me and this time he had a power armor suit, so he killed me a couple times before logging out to avoid my wrath. coward. if you’re out there dude, i’ll kick your ass. also, quick note about the bounty system; its kinda rough around the edges. i tried to save someones garden by shooting a ghoul that was stomping their flowers in the back. however, my shot somehow curved around him at point blank and broke a blackberry bush. from then on, i had a 20 cap bounty on my head. i had to hide from people in my secret enclave bunker and get my friend to kill me so i could perceive other people on the map again and also not live in fear of every tom dick and larry with a power armor frame and a bad attitude.

i feel like i should wrap up. fallout 76 is not very good, but if they can work out performance and latency it wouldnt be too bad for just dicking around with friends. in terms of being like, a fallout game, it’s worse than 4. i haven’t gotten into story spoilers, but its not great. and it feels remarkably desolate for a game thats advertised as being a cool time with your buds. maybe itll be better when there are more people playing. i dunno. its just not very good. i dont recommend it.

#long post #fallout 76 #i just want a good post apocalyptic role playing game #is that too much to ask

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winterschild999 · 7 years

Text

You’re Safe

SUMMARY - Bucky escapes from Hydra but isn’t able to save you .When Steve finds him he begs him to search for you and bring you back . Will you be able to escape Hydra?

WARNING- Angst , fluff

WORDS - 1477

A/N- I really like this story . Hope you do too .

Not edited ,any mistakes I am sorry . Also I am taking requests now so if you got any send them in . THANK YOU .

He was free. He was out of the hell hole that made him the killing monster. The place that induced horrible nightmares months after being out of it . It was 70 years of torture.70 years of torture that he has to come to terms with and accept that it wasn't him .That he was brainwashed.Yet,he never felt free. His demons surrounded him every second of the day .

He's screamed your name as he thrashed in the bed late at night,Steve would come in and bring him back to reality far,far away from his nightmares.He begged Steve to search for you . He begged him to let him go so he could find you . He cried every night ,blaming himself for leaving you back there. He escaped but you couldn't. He promised to you every night as you lay your naked body on his,that he would one day escape and take you with him because you deserve better,you deserve to see the world,experience happiness,the little things that bring joy and more importantly love.

Steve knew he had to find you . Bucky would not get better until you are here. But he also knew that to go out and search for you is going to be very dangerous.He and Bucky are criminals and they can't afford to be caught.He did his best to search for you though . He asked T'challa if it was possible to track you down . To see if there was anybody who was alive in any of the Hydra facilities. Every time T'challa came back and gave Steve the bad news that they found no one Bucky's hurt would break. He didn't want to accept the possibility that you might be dead. However selfish it may sounded he wanted you to be alive for him . You were the one for him .

The first time he met you was when you were assigned to a mission along with him. There was some softness in your eyes that wasn't present in the other soldiers. It made him weak to look in your eyes. A sadness in your eyes that broke his walls. The empathy in your eyes that made him want to scream and yell at you for making him so vulnerable. He hated it. He felt as if he was naked in front of you .Like you could see all of him ,and right through him .He didn't like it one bit. He felt exposed. He wasn't used to such behaviour from anyone. Everyone saw him as a killing monster.Not a human .Not a person with feelings,just a body that was capable to take life.

But then you come along,breaking the iron walls he build around himself,trying to understand him, empathise with him ,he didn't know what to do . For a long time he showed aggression towards you.He treated you badly. But you understood everything he was doing and why he was doing . You knew he was scared. You were once like him. You have been here long before he was. You have been through everything he has been through . But you didn't want him to become like you. Distant and cold. So you showed softness. You gave him the touch he craved for . You were the opposing force of Hydra,stopping him from breaking .

"Shh..It's okay." You soothe him as your fingers run along his cheek .

His face was bruised with cuts,there were shave cuts too,it wasn't like his keepers were going to be gentle while shaving him . His face twitched as your fingers touched his cheek,his heart was beating out of his chest ,bated breath.He wasn't looking at you , his eyes stuck to the ground concentrating on the feeling of touch ,that too one that wasn't meant to do any harm . Slowly the tension in his shoulders decreased and you lifted his face up by his chin . His eyes roamed yours to see if you held any ill intentions,and he couldn't find any . You moved your face closer to his ,lips barely touching .You wanted to give him the power to choose whether to kiss you or not. Hydra has been taking away his will but you won't . With uncertainty in his eyes he closed to gap between your lips. His lips didn't move against yours .They were just pressed to yours as you hands rest on his shoulders. You pulled back to look at him .Tears were running down his cheek .You heart broke for him.

"Come here. It'll all be okay . Shh..I'm here James."You bring him in your embrace as he sobs.

He wraps his arms around your torso as hard as he could as he if he was scared to lose you , like this was all not real and you are not going to be there when he wakes up . But you were right there ,you head on his arm ,hand on his chest sleeping peacefully. As the days went Bucky couldn't keep his hands off of you , he needed you , he wanted you and it took quite some time for him to feel comfortable being naked in front of you . He hated his body .He hated what they had done to him . He hated the scars. But you showed them love. He melted under your touch , under your kisses.

"I am going to get you out of here. We are going to get out of here."He said every night.It was a promise he made to you and himself.

"I don't know James .All my life I have been here. I don't remember my life before Hydra. I had no life before Hydra. I was an orphan . I have no one when I get out of here."

"You have me ."He assured you and you smiled up at him and snuggled closer to him .

You were so happy when James escaped.You were happy that he got another chance at life. He deserved it . He was a good man.As soon as he escaped though you were all taken for another Hydra facility. So even if he came for you , he wouldn't have found you .

"Call Steve Rogers." T'challa ordered as he brought back a body to Wakanda. Weak and barely alive . He put her on the hospital bed and immediately the doctors surrounded to save her life.

"It's her?Is it Y/N ?" Steve asked as T'challa walked out.He just nodded.

Steve didn't know how to tell Bucky this . He didn't know if he wanted to . Bucky would be even more heartbroken if you died here.

"Steve?Who is it?" Bucky asked from behind Steve.

"Bucky.."Steve warned trying to keep him away from you . He didn't want him to see you in the state you were in. T'challa had found you in an abandoned Hydra facility.Your skin sticking to your bones like you hadn't eaten in ages.You wounds open,dried blood all over. You couldn't even open your eyes or properly sleep. You were hanging to life on a very thin thread.

"Y/N? I want to see her." Bucky pushed Steve out of the way and his eyes feel on you . He broke down in tears looking at the state of you. Guilt filled every inch of his body.

Everyday he would come to the ICU and sit next you silently,looking at you hoping that you would come back to conscience.You were the one who made him better. You broke the walls of the Winter Soldier. You brought him to his right mind but when it was his time he could do nothing but stare at you. You slowly opened your eyes . You looked around you and everything was white. You didn't know where you were. You didn't know what happened. Were you captured again?You could not understand what was happening .You were panicking .And people in lab coats approached you and you started pulling at the wires attached to your body .

"Call Barnes."You hear one of them say .

You pulled your hand harshly as on of them came to touch it and it ripped off the IV tube causing you to hiss in pain .Your eyes showed fear.You didn't want this anymore. You don't think you can do this any longer .You'd rather die than be back at Hydra.

"Y/N." You hear a firm voice, you know right away who it belongs to .

"James?" You say turning towards the direction of the sound .

You start crying as soon as you see him . The only face you were familiar with. The only person you could feel safe with .

"Shhh...Come here.It'll all be okay . I'm here Y/N . You are safe."He holds you tight in his arms as your arms wrap around his torso as hard as you could hoping that this was all real , and he would still be here when you wake up . And he was.He was there for you .

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@supersoldierslover

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#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #fanfiction #my writings #marvel #avengers #youre safe

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1ofus1ofthem-blog · 6 years

Photo

AGENT #0028

full name: Lewis Simon

age, birthday: 30, 4/4/88

gender, pronouns: Cismale, He/Him

species: Organic Mutant

ability: Resurrection

occupation: Field Agent

faceclaim: Jeremy Jordan

ABILITY

Lewis’ ability first revealed itself while he was deployed as an Army Ranger. He was a rather late bloomer, not ever having a reason to bear knowledge of his true identity as mutant until his convoy was ambushed and he was killed. Or, at least, that was what he thought until he awoke covered in his fellow comrades’ blood, perfectly intact and healthy. The fatal wound above his heart healed to form a faint scar, nothing more. Lewis pulled himself from the carnage and made his way back to the base, deciding to keep this incident to himself and stating that he was the sole survivor of the ambush.

From what he does understand about his abilities, he cannot be killed, though he can still be injured. Thus, if the wounds are not fatal his body heals like a regular human’s would (i.e. if he were shot in the shoulder and the wound was not fatal he’d have to wait for it to heal naturally). If killed, however, Lewis is revived with a minor scar/reminder of the incident not ten minutes after his heart stops. He hasn’t tested how this would work in various instances (such as if he were caught in a burning building) since he’s more scared of his abilities than anything else.

Another element of his resurrection capabilities is the ability to revive another from the dead, which he has used maybe twice on fellow Army Rangers. He cannot revive anyone that has been dead for more than five minutes, however, or if their physical body is not intact. Lewis is far more interested in figuring out this ability than his own self-regeneration.

BACKGROUND

cw: child abuse/neglect

Lewis Simon was born to an alcoholic mother and an abusive father, and grew up learning to take a beating. His mother often didn’t care what happened to his well-being and was prone to forgetting her son was in another aisle in the grocery store and beginning to leave without him. Lewis had to take care of himself more often than not and despite the care he did feel for his parents, he also resented the fact that the other kids at school got to brag about their parents’ jobs whenever they came in for Parent Day. His father was an Army Ranger too and the only real income the Simons gained came from his veteran’s pension and his mother’s job as a waitress at a local diner. When Lewis was in high school he started looking into joining the Army himself, more so as a way out of his parent’s house than anything else.

The night he left to join, his father accused him of abandoning them both and nearly beat him to death had his mother not stepped in for the first time in her life. Unfortunately, his father wound up backhanding his wife and she hit her head on the tiled floor, killing her instantly. Lewis left as his father came after him next, but the guilt has stuck with him ever since.

Thinking everything would wind up turning normal once he was on his own, Lewis was unprepared for his first deployment where he and his men were killed. He awoke covered in their blood with only a scar over his heart. Realizing that his abilities would not be thought of as normal and scared of himself, Lewis didn’t dare tell anyone else about what he could do and hasn’t spoken a word about what he can do to anyone else, opting to lie when he found out that he could revive other comrades if he was quick enough. The only person who knew something was up was his ex-boyfriend who got into a car accident with him on one of Lewis’ first days back from deployment, though he doesn’t know the specifics. Lewis got transferred to becoming a field agent for the government and hasn’t bothered to correct their assumption that he remains human.

HEADCANONS

i. Lewis is bisexual, with a preference towards men, and only became aware of this within the last few years.

ii. Lewis is terrified of Initiative X deep down, not that he’d let anyone know this. He doesn’t know how he feels about mutants being controlled and doesn’t want to think about what might happen if anyone found out about his capabilities.

iii. He has PTSD and gets panic attacks sometimes from his experiences with war. He also has nightmares about his father killing his mother and people he was unable to save.

iv. He has a bit of a temper, especially when it concerns those he’s loyal towards, and it scares him a little that he might be turning into his father if he can’t control it.

v. Lewis is surprisingly good with kids, however, and used to babysit his neighbor’s kids often to get easy money.

#all #skel #taken skel #skelmutant #takenskelmutant #mutant

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machinakrp · 4 years

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>> OPEN OH NOEUL’S FILE …

:// AGE — 24 :// OCCUPATION — beat cop / undercover cop :// CLASS — elysium native

>> LOADING DEVELOPMENT …

:// MODIFICATIONS —

out of lack of money alone, noeul doesn’t have any personal augmentations. any money he did manage to save up went towards any augmentations he found necessary for his little sister instead. as a result, all of noeul’s current augmentations were added and paid for by the station out of necessity.

cyberoptic camera: neo seoul’s answer to the police body camera’s of yore, these are required for all officers to install. technically, they’re supposed to keep it on at all times on-duty, indicated by a little red light glowing on the skin in the corner of their eye. when on, it records everything he see’s and uploads it all to the precinct’s cloud. when he was chosen to undercover, they upgraded the camera, allowing the red light to be off even while he’s recording.

hidden built-in compartment: again, something he was given after his undercover assignment, the augmentation replaces part of his upper leg with a small metallic compartment, allowing him to stow away his gun. it acts as an undetectable holster, as his skin was placed over the metallic door to disguise it naturally. to open the compartment, he has a small trigger behind his right ear that will activate only when he places his right hand’s index finger on it for one second. this allows for easy access and ensures no one else aside from himself can accidentally (or purposefully) open it.

cyberaudio: implemented as built-in chips into both of his ears and yet again something that was given after his latest assignment, this augmentation grants him a wider radius of hearing, as well as improving his sound recognition. he’s better able to distinguish wind or other odd sounds from actual human footsteps, for example, and his hearing radius has expanded to as far as he can see, though the sound gets slightly muddled and harder to recognize the farther it is. but should he need to, he is able to adjust the radius if he wants to make it smaller and his hearing more accurate as well.

radio link: another required installation for officers, the radio link replaces the walkie talkies of days past. it’s an upgraded feature of his cyberaudio augmentation chips, only audible in his right ear and can be toggled on/off by a fingerprint sensor chip in his left wrist. on default, it was only wired directly to his precinct’s frequency, but he has had it jailbroken to allow connection to other frequencies, most notably to his sister’s radio link.

>> LOADING BIOGRAPHY …

tw verbal abuse, death, child abandonment and neglect

POLICE REPORT [ CASE NO. 21460930 ]

first incident: the birth of oh noeul

– [ details of event ]

on the last day of september, year 2146 at 0928 hours, lee miran gave life to a baby boy she later named oh noeul. the husband was no where to be found, claiming his inability to get out of work even for the birth of his first son. miran did not seem to mind, mumbling something about understanding and not being able to afford rent that month and desperately needing those paid hours. upon hearing this, the nurse moved swiftly to get them discharged (read: kicked out), pulling iv’s and wires out and shoving a barely bathed, still crying noeul into his mother’s arms. they were left out on the street slick with rain and grime within the following thirty minutes, the door to the underground ‘hospital’ locked behind them.

miran walked home, singing old lullabies to her son all the way there. but the lock would not turn for her key.

– [ actions taken ]

oh kyungsub, noeul’s father, got up from his desk at his precinct’s station and caved for the first time, but certainly not the last. there has always been more money in dirty bribes than in honest hours, after all. one simple write-off gathered him more than enough to slam hard cash onto their landlord’s desk in a fit of anger. later, he sold his morals for retribution too, for making sure that same underground hospital’s door was locked for good.

second incident: noise complaints lodged towards the oh family’s semi-basement home

– [ details of event ]

on the 15th day of august, year 2152 at 0314 hours, the neighbors living just feet away from the oh family called the police to complain about loud noises from the semi-basement keeping them up. this was not the first or last time they called.

oh kyungsub had just returned home, reportedly smelling like alcohol and smoke. upon arrival, he started yelling at his wife and waking up oh noeul (six years old) to do just the same. that only instigated further yelling until the argument went from being angry at noeul’s existence forcing him to go against his own morals, to blaming miran for doing nothing all day and being useless at even taking care of their child. then, it devolved to him almost threatening noeul to cry for christ’s sake, because did he have no shame for what he’s done to their family?

noeul just shook his head, silent. he had already run out of tears over this repeated event. instead, he waited for his father’s slurred words to wind down. he waited for his mother to retreat back to their room, resigned and listless like she’d always been since noeul could recently remember, leaving him to take care of the mess left behind as usual. when his father collapsed against their tattered couch and knocked a few bottles on the side table over, noeul righted his head and tossed a blanket over him, dutifully picking up the broken bottle glass soon after.

the sun rose before noeul finished and rather than going to sleep, he scoured the kitchen for something to cook for the first meal of the day.

– [ actions taken ]

there were no actions taken by the police regarding the noise complaint, because of course not. they wouldn’t betray one of their own, especially not one willing to accept even the dirtiest of bribes if it meant money to keep a roof over his head. even if he complained constantly about hating it, about feeling vile.

noeul, on the other hand, made a promise to himself to not become his dad. he went out of his way to be an upstanding citizen in a crooked city, picking trash up off the streets, giving even the smallest scraps of food he could to any of the homeless he came across, buying old school earplugs for his neighbors and telling them about some affordable hearing augmentations he researched. he bottled his anger instead of projecting it, pressure slowly building inside him, waiting to burst.

noeul grew up and cared for himself and his parents because they couldn’t do it themselves.

third incident: the birth of oh goeul

– [ details of event ]

on the 13th day of january, year 2153, lee miran gave life to a baby girl she later named oh goeul. the husband was no where to be found. miran said nothing about it this time. in fact she barely said a word. the baby was an accident, and noeul, then eight years old, was the only one to welcome her warmly. he cradled her before their mom even did and whispered promises to shield her, to care for her, promises he intended to keep (promises he wished were made to him).

because her presence meant another mouth to feed, another body to clothe. meant more money. meant more selling of oh kyungsub’s soul, if there was even anything left. and so, verbal fights continued like they always had. tension grew further, became palpable, insufferable.

on the 13th day of january, year 2158, lee miran left.

– [ actions taken ]

oh kyungsub did not notice her absence until three days later, and all he did was laugh and mutter something about it being about damn time. the yelling didn’t stop, though, chorused this time by little oh goeul’s cries. miran’s absence didn’t mean he could quit being an informant, could quit turning his cheek away from crimes. he was in too deep now, and there were still 2 extra mouths to feed. and so it continued.

nothing changed, no different course of action was taken.

noeul continued to bottle his emotions because he had no time to process them.

noeul continued to raise goeul and watch after his dad when he came home wasted in the middle of the night because someone had to.

noeul became atlas, holding the weight of his world on his twelve year old shoulders and tried so hard not to buckle under it.

fourth incident: assault with deadly weapon in a corner convenience store

– [ details of event ]

on the 13th day of january, year 2158, it rained. on the 14th day of january, year 2159, it poured. at 2309 hours in a dimly lit convenience store, officer oh kyungsub called in for backup. by the time they arrived, it was too late. they roped off the store, made a mess of its produce, burned the surveillance footage, and called it an open and shut case. robbery gone haywire, they said. wrong place, wrong time. they failed to report that the store was a front for a particularly prominent drug lord at the time that kyungsub may have wronged.

either way, the oh siblings were left completely on their own.

– [ actions taken ]

noeul didn’t grieve again. not healthily, anyway. not at first. someone had to take care of goeul, someone had to be strong for her and there was no one else now but him. their aunt moved in with them, but she might as well shouldn’t have. she was less equipped to be a parental figure than noeul was at thirteen, and could barely cover their rent.

so, noeul took to the streets. not to pick pocket or swipe snacks from the convenience stores nearby, but to look for any odd jobs people would allow a child to do. babysitting, cleaning rooms, handing out flyers, whatever was available.

(and still, it was barely enough).

fifth incident: disturbance at a vr café

– [ details of event ]

on the 20th of june, year 2162 witnesses reported a fight breaking out in the alleyway beside a bootleg vr café. at the center of the incident was oh noeul, lips cut up bloody and knuckles even more so.

but he was not a victim. in fact, he laughed when familiar police officers arrived.

the other assailant, even bloodier and swollen, claimed noeul antagonized him relentlessly as if purposefully trying to pick a fight. that it was all noeul’s fault and he was just defending himself. in the end, the officers let him go and took noeul into the precinct for the countless time in the past two years.

old pals of his father, they questioned what was going on with him. but he couldn’t tell them because he barely knew himself. he didn’t realize that the pressure he built up inside finally popped, that he finally buckled under the weight on his shoulders he’s held for years. didn’t realize he was releasing all that bided anger, all that bottled stress through his bloody fists.

so he just shrugged, silently picking at his scabs until they released him once again.

– [ actions taken ]

on that particular day, no action was taken.

but on the following one, noeul picked another argument with someone larger than him he had no business fighting with. this time, it didn’t end with a call to the police. it ended with him limping back home, coughing blood and applying pressure to an open wound on his chest.

it was two in the morning by the time he made it home and the way his heart sunk when goeul opened the door ached more than all his injuries combined. the way she helped him in, a bowl of warm water and a rag already set up at the table reminded him too much of himself at her age. only, now, he became his dad. he broke his promise.

noeul vowed that night to not do it again.

sixth incident: noeul joins the force

– [ details of incident ]

on the tenth of february in the year 2168, oh noeul officially joined the elysium police force in the same precinct as his father before him. at 21, he joined a bit later than he’d hoped on account of the officers blocking his entrance every year, though noeul was none the wiser and persevered because part-time jobs weren’t going to cut it for long.

he and goeul had moved out of the semi-basement they used to call home into a larger and marginally cleaner apartment nearby as soon as he turned 18. he had saved for that moment, wanting to provide better for goeul. but his savings depleted quickly, forcing them to move to a smaller apartment at 19, and then to a studio at 20, having to take out a loan from someone he shouldn’t have.

and so joining the force was his goal. surely, he thought, a steady career would pay more.

but being stuck with demeaning beat cop duties and receiving paychecks barely larger than his part time gigs quickly proved him wrong. whispers of bribes made it his way soon enough, and still he vowed not to take them. hard, honest work, he figured, he foolishly hoped, would rise him through the ranks, would get him that detective badge he desperately wanted. as if it was the only thing that could serve as proof he was not – and never would be again – his father.

– [ actions taken ]

noeul worked hard.

that was it, and it got him no where.

nearly three years later, he was still viewed as a rookie, still given tasks to patrol the streets and not much more. it’s always been hard to climb the ranks playing fair in this city, after all, but that didn’t make the feeling of defeat discourage him any less. but in some ways, it helped him understand his father. helped him understand why he did it. why he caved, why he drank. and on occasion, he considered it himself. just small bribes, maybe. from one-time offenders, people who truly didn’t mean to, who didn’t affect the city at large.

but he never could.

so when the opportunity came for him to go undercover and infiltrate the dealings around the afterlife and ambrosia, he took it. he saw it as a turning point, a stepping stone to get him at least one rung up the ladder.

there was one problem: goeul.

but then at seventeen, his sister insisted she’d be fine living on her own. that he shouldn’t give this opportunity up on account of her, that he’d sacrificed enough for her already. he hated that he’d be on the complete other side of the city away from her, in an area that didn’t know his name, his face – but in the end, he caved. he needed to.

now, he’s been undercover for a few months, slowly making acquaintances with people he ought to arrest. he knew to begin with it’d make him feel dirty, but he didn’t anticipate everything else. didn’t anticipate the aggressive urges he bottled back up after that shameful night in his teenage years to slowly bubble again in his blood and clench his fists. didn’t anticipate just how hard it would be to resist temptation when living right in the dirty thick of elysium.

#neobio #neoatlas #neo jeon jungkook

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chiconzin · 3 years

Text

The unbearable smell of oranges

This is a short story I did for an English asigment, however I’m not very confident in my grammar and the story itself so I would be very happy if you could help me out with some good ol’ criticism.

Maybe it was her ever untied black hair, maybe it was her strange demeanour, or the history of tragedy surrounding the house in which she lived. Or maybe it was something more apparent what caused repulsion in the small group of children whom we used to play: it was her smell. Eurydice constantly was surrounded by an unmistakable smell, no one could agree on what it was. It was like the smell of citrus, like the smell of rotten oranges.

It took me my whole life to identify the source of that smell; that’s what this story it’s about.

Eurydice belonged to one of the old wealthy families in town. She lived with her grandmother until one day she presumably died from tuberculosis. Who were Eurydice’s parents or their whereabouts, no one knew, and because of her strange characteristics and behaviour she remained an orphan, living in the same decaying old house.

Many of Eurydice’s life and origins details remain unknown because of her compulsive habit of lying. Lying was the thing she was best at, and through her life that allowed her to live relatively comfortably without any family. She had a talent with words; she could convince anyone the sky was green if she wanted. Eurydice had a gifted writer's soul; her stories were capable of stripping people of their most prized possessions.

It was a strange relationship between the town and Eurydice. They had a terrific pity for her but never enough to make a simple quick act of charity. She was an outcast, forever an outcast.

One day, while we were playing, the topic of reading and writing came up. We all were pretty amazed to discover Eurydice could. She said she formerly had a private tutor and that she had mastered the art of reading to perfection.

Not believing her, I asked Eurydice to give me reading lessons. Surprisingly she accepted and set a date to meet up at her house. I didn’t know what to make out of this in the beginning, but I ended up going. After all, what was the scheme in teaching someone to read?

It was one of the hottest days of the year, not a single soul, was on the streets, not even birds would sing.

It didn’t take me a lot to find where Eurydice’s home was, after all, it was one of the biggest in town. Like most old buildings it was made out of quarry and tezontle. It had two stories and what seemed like a thousand rooms. It almost looked like a cloister. Above the massive engraved wood door was a family shield so eroded it was unrecognizable.

A hot current of wind was flowing under the door and inside the building, like it was breathing very slowly. Fear travelled through my body as I felt I was in front of an enormous ancient beast.

After knocking several times and not receiving an answer, I entered. When I got to the courtyard, I finally saw her. She was laying on a hammock reading with that dirty nightgown she invariably displayed, under the most immense orange tree my eyes have ever laid upon. The tree branches grew and spread throughout the balconies without a care in the world and there were thousands of oranges laying on the floor everywhere.

The air was saturated by the orange’s scent, an unusual warm smell, maybe a little sweeter than the characteristic orange’s perfume.

This would be the end of the story if the orange tree was the reason behind Eurydice’s fragrance.

Although similar, the aroma and aura from the house and the one emanating from Eurydice couldn’t be more different. The house fragrance was old and nostalgic, Eurydice’s one was longing, but a yearning for something not yet experienced.

Eurydice gestured to me to come and join her, and so I did. She started by teaching me the alphabet and the sound of each letter, then she made me try to read some old children's rhymes. She was a completely different person inside that house. Her charismatic tales, her spillable tenderness, and her infinite patience allured me quickly, and soon enough we became good friends.

It wasn’t long before I started taking daily lessons with her. I enjoyed how weirdly affectionate she was towards me and her even stranger ways of showing it. She would do and undo my braid over and over sometimes, other times while we lied on the hammock she would curiously touch my face as I was the first human being she ever saw. I didn’t like when Eurydice did that. I was an insecure child growing up and my smallpox scars made me inhibited. But thanks to her tenderness as time went by I started cherishing more of those times of idleness.

III

One of those days of sopor, Eurydice started touching my face again, caressing it rather, that’s when it happened. It was so faint and so light I didn’t read it as a kiss until she started engulfing me in them.

Without knowing what was happening and unsure of what to do next, I lowered my head and stayed very still. She took notice after a while of my reaction and then abruptly stopped. The air became heavy, the atmosphere unbearably unpleasant and uncomfortable so the lesson of the day was cut short. After that, I stopped hanging with her for a while.

My old-time friends started drifting away, and soon people began treating me as a foreign.

As more isolated became, I started perceiving it too: the smell of rotten oranges. Eurydice’s garden had followed me.

The scent became unbearable; it wouldn’t go away no matter how many times I washed my clothes or myself. I couldn’t eat anything as everything tasted like those unduly sweet oranges, I couldn’t sleep at night as the warmth smell suffocated me and made me feel dizzy.

There was only one thing I could do: seek help with Eurydice.

At that moment I felt like I could deal with Eurydice’s extravagances and daylight nightmares, I could even deal with being labelled as an outcast by the rest of the town just for little moments of peace like that.

After months of not seeing each other, I finally answered to the incident that made me run away from her and kissed her forehead as we lay under the orange tree.

As one often wishes while reminiscing of tales from the youth, I wish I could have made wiser decisions.

At first, it was fine when it was just Eurydice and me in the bliss of youth, until I had to coexist with the ghosts of her past and her made-up specters. The more open she became of her past and the enigmatic characters that were her violent parents and intrinsic family drama, the more confusing and inconsistent the overall narrative became.

As years passed by, Eurydice’s starchy whiteness started to become more spectral and her body acquired more translucid properties. Her coal-black hair had grown so much it dragged like the tail of a dress, and when she bent her head to kiss me I felt like a black rain poured on me.

Her sentences didn’t even make sense anymore, and sometimes she would call me by strangers’ names. She didn’t even remember who she was anymore. Sometimes Eurydice would stay still looking at something that didn’t quite exist. She was tired, a Quijote tired of hunting imaginary giants and offering love poems to Dulcineas.

And just like that, she stopped existing…

.... if she ever existed.

VII

When she was gone, I started reading over and over the bad written book that I read to her the day of my return to the house. Always the same story, always the same place.

And just like that, one day I felt again Eurydice’s scent now merged with the one of the house. I felt the weight of another person in the hammock, but I didn’t care to see who it was as it is useless to talk with those who have already left.

Just then I understood that Eurydice’s scent was the perfume that loneliness wears.

#short story #writting #english is not my native language #bad grammar #short fiction #horror story #oranges

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scottpilgrimversustheworld · 5 years

Text

I’ve just been thinking about the fact that I’m like... an okay person. I feel like my heart is in the right place and I’m doing my best to become kinder and softer every day. I let myself be vulnerable more with people that I trust and also with people that I previously wouldn’t have opened up to previously which has paved the way for more human interactions that allow us to understand each other.

I’ve come a long way from being a person that doesn’t want to see anyone, that doesn’t want to make friends because of the belief that it’ll eventually fall apart. I was in such a bad place a year ago: I didn’t have the energy for people, I was introverted to a degree that hurt me. I stuck to routine: class, work, sleep, repeat. but now I have people that invite me out every weekend, most weekdays, and love me to a degree that they trust me with information reserved for close friends. even my coworkers who, granted the friendly atmosphere of our store, have trusted me with some of the most valuable information of their lives. they invite me to movies, to housesit their homes and animals while away, invite me to bars and to personal dinners purely for fun and because they... enjoy who I am. they want me to be apart of their lives, even if our contact has been constricted to our professional lives. it just feels good to be wanted, to know that you’re perceived as a genuine and trustworthy human being who is sincerely worth having around.

ive always doubted that about myself. I spent so much of my life thinking that I wasn’t good enough for other people. that I was burdenous and unworthy the love that people tried to show me, even then. I thought people stayed with me out of obligation rather than sincere and genuine human love. I couldn’t see it because I was blinded by my own insecurities and self doubt. but now... I think it’s kind of undeniable. I’ve allowed myself to be vulnerable and kind and optimistic about people’s intentions instead of being reserved, to the point, and cynical about everything that I could see, and I’ve been rewarded for it. people want to be in my life which... makes me want to cry I’m so happy. I’ve earned a place at dinner tables for people that I once thought disliked me, dog sitting for and drinking beers with coworkers that I once didn’t think once about when leaving the store for the day, people I’ve gotten high with and cried with and drank with and shared the most intimate and personal details of each others lives with, simply because I’ve... allowed myself to be loved by others. it was never that people didn’t love me, and it was never that I never loved any of them, but I just.... didn’t think I was worth it.

I’m just. Happy that I’m growing and learning still. And that I am finally realizing that it’s worth being vulnerable and openly in love with the people that I know. platonically. familialy. in every which way that you can love another person!

sorry I’m rambling I’m just. kind of having this revelation moment that I needed. My heart has been so sick for so long because I just... never have felt so genuinely in touch with how I’ve felt about myself and about what I want and need from other people. ive felt so... idk at peace with myself, more comfortable at work, more comfortable in my day to day relationships between friends and family, for the past few months. people want me and I want them, I’m excited to do things with other people, I’m excited to go dinner and explore haunted buildings and visit each other’s homes and watch movies and play video games and argue about whether or not ahegao girl clothing should be socially acceptable and make food with the people that matter to me!!!

2019 is going to be fucking awesome and I’m going to make it awesome!!!! I’m going to be a radiant shining wild ball of love that is endlessly supportive and shouting with love and wild abandon!! fuck putting up walls and isolating myself because I’m worried that people will think I’m a bad person if I open up!!! I’m going to let myself be loved and vulnerable and happy and indulgent in the friendship and warmth I’m given!!!!! I’m going to give every stranger and loved one every ounce of my sincerity and kindness!

🥰🥰🥰🥰 I WANT TO LIVE TO CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THE WARMTH I FEEL NOW!!

#long LONG post #doin some reflectin while wicked baked and sentimental #anyways i love being alive and having people who love me!!!#bye!!!#personal #crab post

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ilygsd · 6 years

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odfidk: 270618

i cry at least once aday cus im only surrounded by whites but like.... there are poc here. theres other adoptees of color and some poc in my DM’s wanting to chat with me and maybe even hang out but fuuuCKKK WHAT IS WRONG WTH ME WHY AM I NOT SOCIAL

i also always cry about how social and happy i used to be but im doing anything about it lmao. like i KNOW that in order to get my shit together i need to sleep and eat and exercize and shit..... do i do that?? absolutely the fuck no cus i love to feel sorry for mysel and watch myself destroy everything

i hate myself, i hate my life i can feel the anxiety coming and when that is i always call my mom but she’s white and im so paranoid i dont trust white people with anything i REALLLY RESLLY REALLY want a therapist of color but my lazy ass cant even manage to call one cus i’d rather lie in my bed and DIE than doing smth productive with my life

also im together with a white dude and just thinking about how confused i am about this relationship makes me want to die alone. i cant trust my own thoughts and feelings but i SURE AS HELL cant trust anyone else either. not white people, no poc and not adoptees of color either. the only person i trust is my partner cus they know me better than anyone else and theyre wise but fuck i dont trust them either cus i cant even manage to tell them this cus ive already been such a horrible partner and i dont want to huet them but hey no its not even about that. its about ME not wanting to lose them cus im so fucking selfish which is only another reason i should break up. if you knew what a horrible partner, friend and human being ive been you’d all hate me. im such a hypocrite and when i hear my partner forigve me despie me KNEOING what i am like.......

how will i ever find someone who loves me like them. i’ll never find anyone like them. does it really matter that they’re white in that case? yes it does can i’d literally kILL myself if our children were to become white. how can i love myself after all of this. im holding onnto a dream of re-visiting my homecountry and my birth place. im holding omto a dream of learning mandarin and more abt my culture and get lots of chinese and asian friends but like..... who am i kidding. that wont solve my problems. what i feel is so much deeper. what i feel is nothing that can be fixed

IM SO FUCKINF SAD EVERYONE. IM SO SAD AND I MISS MY BIOLOGIAL PARENTS SO FUCKING MUCH. I HATE EVERYONE BUT ONLY BC I DONT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH MY OWN SELF HATRED AND DISSATISFACTION. IM SO SAD AND FRUSTRATED AND LONELY AND I JUST WANT TO BE IN MY MOMS BELLY.

why did it turn out like this. what am i so problematic snd why am i not doing anything about it. why did i destroy and fux up every single relationship i ever had. why cant i love my adoptive family like anyone else. but why al i not strong enough to cut them off. is it bc i actually love them? or is it bc im scared of being alone? will i love them again when i’ve healed, when i’ve revovered from whatever it is im revorigin form. abandonment? loss? lost family, lost identity, lost culture, lost people

it doesnt matter how many POC i connect with or how many adoptees i connect with. i’ll always feel lonely. i’ll always be lonely. and im so pathetic i cant stand it. i’d rather kill myself than knowing i’ll always be lonely. ive fkd up every friendship and relationship i have and im too scared of building new ones bc im so over attatched and want to rely on them forever. and now i dont even feel anything but anger and hatred. im such a fucking mess. im a danger to myself and everyone around me. im abusing the ones i claim to love, i dream about taking a gun and just shoot everyone down. i dream about committing suicide but not bc i actually want to, but because i want to revenge. on who? i want my family to suffer. i want society to suffer and know my pain. but they wont. they never will

im all alone, im so lonely im so lonely i keep isolering myself. i keep dreaming about fkn kpop idols and anime characters. i will never get better if i dont do smth but im so tired and im so angry. but it only hurts me. im only hurting myself even more. no one cares. no one will ever care, its only hurting ME

i thought i had gotten better. i used to feel like this everyday. now its only once a month. but idk. i cant think straight, i cant control myself. i know i shouldnt post stuff lile this DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IVE FKD UP CUS I CANT CONTROL MYSELF WHEN IM IN THIS KIND OF STATE ONE TIME I ACTUALLY THOOUGHT I WAS GONNA KILL SOMEONE AND THEN JUMP IN FRONT OF A BUS

im sitting in my room. my little sister is outside and when im done with this message i’ll go out to her and pretend nothing happened. i cry for myself. i cry for other adoptees too. i cry for my adopted little sister and how white she is. i cry for all adoptees who’ve grown up to become whites. i cry because im such a fkn mess. i cry bc my abusive tendencies started so early. i abused my little sister bc of my own fkn issues and our adoptive parents didnt even care, they didnt even realize.

i feel like this is who i was supposed to be. a disgusting manipulative abuser but i know thats just another excuse for me to not do smth about myself

why dont i care about my family? about my partner or my little sister? i’d say i love my partner the most but i care more about my little sister

sometimes when i see children of color, or asian children i just feel something so fucking strong. i feel like i want to die for them on the spot. i feel like straight out giving them my jeart and protect them forever.

i got pregnant when i was 17 and it changed my life. ive never been interested in children but after that i was. but its so unhelathy. im only interested bc i want someone like me. i even doubted the abortion. fuck i felt like absolute SHIT after the abortion. i felt like they took smth from me, they took my mom, they took my baby. everhthing was taken from me and i got nothing. if im not able to have biolocial children in the future i’ll kill myself. if my children is looking white or nothing like me i’ll kill myself. im happy i had an abortion tho. i wasnt mentally stable. poor child would have only been born bc i was feeling lonely

i’d be such a horrible mom too. i’d be so overprotective. im always like that. overprotective in a possessive kind of way. like YOURE MINE. my child would hate me and i wouldnt blame them. i just feel like i have to protect something. i NEED something to protect. no one ever needs me. im always clinging into others but no one ever needs me as much as i need them. a child would need me. but they would eventuellt grow up so im thinking about a dog or a car instead. they would need me.

you know what i want? uncondotional love. from people of color. yes i have that from my white adoptive parents but i dont feel it. instead i feel like im using them. im shitting so fucking much on them and i dont know if i do it even more cus i feel guilty for shitting on them. most times they just take it and its like that makes me even angrier but if they were to argue with me i’d fkn explode right there and now. ive always been such a problematic kid. i can feel it. my sister’s been so calm and perfect but ive always been unstable. its like i always test people. ive tested my adoptive parents for 17-18 years now.

but everhtime i actually have someone love me uncondotilnally i feel like i have to isolate myself. its such a weird fkn thing i have such a weird fkn conception abt relationships and such. its just the way i thought it was like. in a friendship, relationship or family theres ONE dominant and ONE submissive. i realized relationships doesnt work lile this AT AGE 17 WHEN I LOST ALL MY FRIENDS. can you believe i’ve lived like this for 17 years???? i still categorize ppl into this and its so fucked up. how could i think like this?? how can I STILL think like this?? the submissive have to love the dominant one but the dominant will always protect the submissive one. i always, ALWAYYS go for dominant ones. and its always, ALWAYS going shit. either bc i expect too much from them. i expect them to love me back snd PROTECT ME or im just too clingy and get rejected. bc when im the dominant one i get bored. its like i WANT to fight for peoples attention. i see them as superior and i feel good when they give me that. but not too much cus if they give me too much I’LL feel superior and then i feel bored. thats basically my relationship with my partner now. ive been an awful fkn asshat and they’re still staying with me. it disturbed me once so much i forced them to break up with me only to guilt trip them when they did.

im so fucked up i really am. my partner deserves so much better. im so fucked up that i want to break up with them but if i would, if they would, i’d go fucking banans. thats not a healthy relationship. i shouldnt be in relationship

i should be alone til ive fgired myself out. but lonliness and isolation drives me mad. i dont trust myself

this post wasnt supposed to be lile this. i was going to write smth intellectual but instead im exposing myself like this. why do i do that? i dont know. do i wan people to feel sorry for me?? is that what i want? do i want advice? advice that i know i wont follow anyways cus im a dumbass?? is it because i just cant hold it in? why dont i post it somewhere else private? especially when i KNOWW THAT ILL GET SO FKN ANXIOUS ABT POSTING THIS THAT ILL NEVER FACE ANYONE AHAIN SND ILL REBLOG SO MANY TAEHYUNG GIFS AND JUST LAUGH IT OFF BUT LILE..... IM STILL GONNA POST IT???

sometimes i tell myself i wouldnt care if i died but im actually so afraid of dying

i want to be happy i want to be good but i dont know if i can or if i deserve it. when im not feeling like shit i dont want to talka but this bc then i’ll feel like sjit snd im scared of myself. i feel like im turning into a demon, something i cant control and im scared i’ll do stupid shit

how do i get rid of this? how dont become happy. the fact that my family is white, my partner is white. is that a problem or is it only me? do i have to break up, do i have to cut off my family in order to become satisfied? in order to decolonize? i know adoptees who have. mostly cus they got real weird fkn prents but my parents are....... so-so. they’re white. they’re good parents except they’ee white. but other adoptees parents weren’t even good parents to start with and their whiteness and racism made it 722771x worse

i hate feeling so split always having to choose. choose between AP and bio family. whites and poc. i’ll choose poc. i’ll choose my birth family. but i dont have a birth family like...... and now im stuck with this white one. ive been abandoned multiple times im not strong enougg to get rid of my AP’s even if i want to. but i dont think that i want to. i think i love them. im just so fkn heartvroken abt the fact that they’re white and therefore constantly hurting me and my sister wether they want it or not. im stuck. its like a fkn curse.

i was a fine kid before. i always had these issue but the abortion def triggered it. the abortion and break up with my friends that was like the 3rd break up and i just knew that damn i dont have the energy to keep going. dont even get me started on the breakup. i was a sjit friend. yeah im still a bit salty cus i think hey could have handled it better but tbh........ they probably sensed the fucking freak inside of me me before it jumped. i keep telling myself they only protected themselves but im paranoid and hate everyone and when i feel abandoned and rejected i deal with it with being an abusive asshat

i wonder why im like this. im obv not the only one since i keep reading abt adoptees who murder and stuff. i kinda think thats me sometimes. that im gonna turn out like that and just go on a murder spree. when i see x-men or the black panther...... i always feel for erik and eric (sre they both named eric lmao). mage to and killingen. and all charcters like that. i cried so much when i watched these movies cus im so sensitive when it comes to families AND people. (xmen jewish ppl) (black panther black ppl). and i kind of undersyood them

especially xmen apacolypse. he really tried to turn good. he really got himself a family but even they got killed. everyone got kille. i kinda admire him but i also think he’s weak. how come he’s able to just turn good after that????? i’d probably kill the whole fucking world. like what kind of propaganda IS THAT??? is that even real??

and i feel so awful cus i had a good childhood i guess??? i mean fkn killmonger grew up all alone and poor and he found his fkn dad murdered??? i understand that trauma!!! and magneto had his mom shot in front of him and watched his whole people fkn die. and what about me? i havent been through any of that

ofc i dont know. i dont know what happened before and i dont remember. my APs got divroced tho and my A mom got PTSD and i def think that affected me as well tho. i kind of lost my family AGAIN. and ive never really tristes them after that. even there u could feel me snd my fucked up ness

i was such a shithead to my mom who had freaking PTSD. i blamed her for everything. breaking up with dad, bad ekonomy and then our fkn white big brother moved home bc he was depressed too or smth and there we were. 3 kids sharing a room while mom was unemployed and slept in the living room. that was such a messy time and my 11 y/o self was so angry and aggressive. and my poor sister was so scared and shy. of me. of all of us

anyways why didnt my sister turn out like this? is it bc of my temepramwnt?? maybe. ive read abt mental illness but i dont really feel like anyone fits. im leaning more towards bpd. bipolar and ptsd are similar but i dont rly get those periods and i dont get flashbacks of my trauma either cus im not even sure what my trauma is. its more like..... a feeling rather than smth specific. i mean its not like i remember anything

but why did i tjen out like this. irs cus everyone hates me right? lmao u always think lile that ots so pathetic. i always think ppl do shit to huet m. my poor partner and ex-friends..... the simpliest mistake would make me crazy.

im such a horrible human and sometimes i dont want to do anything abt this. i just dont wanna CARE but i know i feel line that cus i feel guilty deep inside. and it wont make me happy either

if i recover will i stop hating white people? will i stop hate my family and non-adoptees? probably not white ppl and non-adoptees. i mean i still hate men and so so why would i stop just cus i recover. but my family? will i forgve myself? will i fogive them? i cant forive them ew no. ugh idek what im saying. what do i have to do to stop feeling like this?

maybe get out of bed? yeah thats a start

thanks ill reblog bts now and then ill turn off my phone and never come back. cant wait to comeback and cringe the fuck out of myself wow i love

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adrisalomonm · 6 years

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THE ENCHANTMENT OF THE HECHIOCERA: Episode 8.

ORIGINAL OF: Adriana Salomón.

Roma, I hope her sister and her cousin will leave, Augusta will bring her a beige liquid, sip it and fall into a deep "dream" ...

I was in a boat and it was very cold, I looked at the sides because the place looked very peaceful, I was in total silence only heard that the small boat broke the water to cross it, a harmonic noise, she knew where she was going and started to recite Psalm 91 in Latin:

- "Morando sub umbraculo Domini commorabitur

XCI Qui habitat in adiutorio Altissimi,

Et sedebit sub umbraculo Domini commorabitur.

II Ego dicam Domino: Susceptor meus is your et refugium;

Deus meus, sperabo in eum.

III frees me from lacquer venantium,

A verb rough.

IV Scapulis suis et erit extensio,

Et sub alis eius invenies confugerunt;

Scuto veritatis est ... "- Reciting this, a shining light appeared before her that blinded her for a moment, Rome covers her eyes and tries to look under her forearm that protected her eyes, in that boat was a beautiful sunset, when the light under the intensity Rome saw some feet and a beautiful angel, who was his guardian angel; he smiles at him:

- Versaliis esset Romam! - They smile and speak to him in their native language.

He sat down next to her and she says:

- You're always by my side! But I guess it is not very common to see me here- The guardian angel was tall, very good build, very thin and blond hair medium, clear look, but not clear eyes.

- To these places you have to go very cautiously, remember that we do not have much time- She agrees and both kept silent the boat began to move faster and Rome knew that something was coming, his human nature warned him of a danger, something unknown, I take the hand of his angel and looked towards the horizon a black cloud was visualized the beautiful and peaceful sunset began to turn somber and the calm waters were becoming more turbulent, it was not the first time Rome was there, but I could not avoid that nervous feeling.

She does not know what time she was there, but when they went deeper into the turbulence, Rome felt very cold and her angel shivered, she ran her hand all over her body and she covered herself with a special cloak, they were very close to that turbulence, the waters had been transformed into a strong wave, and threatened to tuck and drown, Rome and his angel began to recite Psalm 91 in Latin:

- "Non timebis a timore noche

- Et sagitta rulante per diem

- VI, nec in negotio perambulante in tenebris;

- Nec plagae exitio meridiano.

- VII milia parte tua ruina,

- Decem millia a dextris tuis;

- Sed quia non venerunt.

- VIII Only tuum et vide oculis meis

- Et retributionem peccatorum videbis ...

When they reached the center of the turbulence, both covered themselves and held for a long time like this ...

Sepia and Beaumont arrived at the place where they indicated Rome, touched an old door, it was actually an old building but the man was the best valuer of relics in that city, Sepia felt that something looked at them, Beaumont was very quiet, did not suspect anything , the man when listening to the door opens them, recognized Sepia:

Hello my darling! - And he embraced her with a lot of familiarity, introduced him to Beaumont and they both passed, the person or that something Sepia felt watching them was Calanit dressed in fine clothes and went to knock on the door, but a voice whispered:

- Come back! - It was a dark voice ... From the grave, he snapped his fingers and dissolved out of nowhere ...

Armand was called the appraiser, he had a small exhibition of strange objects and Beaumont looked at them with interest, they both talked animatedly and Sepia took off the crucifix of the paper and spread it out.

When I hold it in my hands, I breathe deeply:

- Maybe he has no material value! ... - He returned to suck and close his eyes - But it is very "dense" - Sepia looked at him with bright eyes:

- Do you think you can determine where it comes from? - Armand looked at him with interest and took out a magnifying lens.

- Shines a lot to be silver! ... Although it does not seem ... Beaumont looked at a very beautiful bronze cameo and asked Armand:

- That cameo to whom it belonged?

Sepia opened his eyes and Beaumont under his face. Armand smiles broadly:

- It's a cameo! ... I do not know who belonged to it but it was sold to me by a young woman in a hurry but it's not bronze, it's gold and very old ... It cost me a fortune! But few know it, I prefer that they believe it is bronze - The three smiled and looking at the Sepia he said:

- - Whatever it is is a jewel in terms of polishing and craftsmanship ... Do you think that dating dates? - Sepia looked at Beaumont and said:

- One or two years after Christ . Armand raised his eyebrow, his white and mature face looked at her for a long time: - Did Rome get it in his excavations? - Beaumont replied: - No ... actually Rome has not gone digging- Sepia closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. Armand looked at her questioningly and Sepia said: - No! I take it to a client I leave it in this wrapper ... You know how they are! -It was not that Armand did not know but it was very complicated to explain where it came from, Armad continued to detail it and both were silent ... Calanit came to a place, looked like a rock, stared at her, reciting some words, it opened a portal and she went inside. he, with his eyes closed, began to walk, he saw hands with deformed nails that wanted to tear his clothes and they waved their hands away, there were unintelligible shouts, you could see all kinds of deformed beings and others without a defined corporeal identity When I got to where I had to go, a very old wrought iron door opened, she entered and there was a figure, rather appreciating a bundle, Calanit bowed and the voice spoke slowly, but with a plaintive tone and afterlife : - You sent me to call ... - The bulge was of a lead color and inside it it moved incessantly.- There is a woman who is looking for questioning me ... - Calanit nodded: - But she did not know e- The voice shouts: - Of course he knows that I am immortal! - Calanit under the face - She wants to know about that crucifix and I just want it back ... Tells a story that should not be known ... - But humanity wants to know more every day, there are many who investigate ... But they have not come to you- I keep silence. - For the moment I will not show myself, but I think it's time we changed the course of this story - Calanit looks at him curiously: - What will you do? - The bundle laughs in a creepy way: - Ah! Humanity is so basic! That I will use a feeling that can hardly be overcome ... Rome raises her face and the angel too, a skeletal figure but it was not a skeleton waiting for them with a beacon in his hand, the boat was docked on a bridge and both went down, the skeleton when seeing the angel, sketches a half smile and turns around Rome and his angel follow him, they suddenly entered a black hole and what they saw was a whirlpool that was spinning and turning, Rome felt tired, and recited Psalm 91 silently takes the arm of his angel and feels that the pressure drops a little, the skeleton looked at them sideways without erasing his ironic laugh, Rome felt a headache and kept praying the same, he heard a voice saying: - Why do you pray? No one can save you here! - She unfolds and walks after her and her angel: - You have no power over me! - Other voices whispered things and even approached in a thousand ways, played with each other, Rome felt that his breathing was heavier and his heart began to beat wildly, the skeleton puts his hand on a wall and Rome feels like vomiting, but is contained, her angel covers her again with light and she sees when all those voices and spirits are removed, the skeleton opens a path and the angel takes his hands to Rome: - You must go, I wait for you here - She embraces him and whispers to him. The angel passes through her halo of light a little bag and she keeps it. - Do not abandon me! - He smiles a smile and she walks, when she goes further down the road she sees that she is alone and mentally says: - - No there is evidence that GOD submits to you that you can not bear - She listens to chains and laments, could not help feeling chills, that presence was very dense, Calanit hid and Rome arrived, every time he approached he felt a terrible alarm beat in his brain and his heart. That misty report watched her and she looks at him defiantly: - Rome Versailles ... Are you looking for me? - Towards an effort to stay erect and that mass knew it, it was not other than a creeping spirit of very low spiritual rat.- I know very well what I do here and you too ... - Rome spoke with some difficulty and whispered extracts of the psalm 91. The crowd with a very distorted voice laughed and said: - Of course I know! ... But did not your GOD tell you that I am immortal? - Rome does not respond, I felt stitches in her stomach.- For I am here ... I am sure that you will not be able to defeat us.The mass took the form of a man very similar to Herod but not He was the one, I just let him see his face that came to Rome staring at her, Rome avoided his eyes because his eyes were incandescent, while looking for the bag that the guardian angel gave him: - You know what I'm coming from and remember you OUR LORD fulfilled his covenant and you must let go of the condemned souls that you have with you. Without stopping looking and looking for his eyes he said: - And why should I do it? - Rome takes a breath of air and then throws a white powder and yells at him: - Why did your time come out and face your power! - Rome feels faint and the demon was sucked by a hole that opened, the angel ranto help Rome who was fainted, Calanit, scared out after the smoke of his master without the angel and Rome realized or if they did it was necessary to get Rome out of there, the place where the mass was informing was about to collapse and the angel covered it with a light and quickly took it out of there ... Beaumont and Sepia left there, Beaumont was distracted and did not realize that a beautiful woman had tripped him, he was carrying some bags and they fell to the ground, he was wearing a impeccable suit of soft yellow color, Beaumont could not help but look at her more than once, she blushed, tried to pick things up and Beaumont gallantly picked up the things immediately, undoing herself in apologies. Strange Sepia approached: - What's wrong? - The lady with brown hair and penetrating look apologized with Sepia: - Ah sorry lady I tripped up with her husband! - Beaumont said quickly: - No ... It's my cousin! - Sepia I raise an eyebrow and look questioning at the stranger who was all embarrassed: - My name is Dilcia ... I am the assistant of Armand! - Sepia and Beaumont looked at each other surprised. - I did not hear that Armand had an assistant - Dilcia blushes and said : - I started yesterday! - Beaumont and Sepia exchanged glances again and then left, Beaumont could not help but turn to see her go, but she had not left, she was standing there with a strange smile and she raised her hand and folded her fingers in farewell signal leaving Beaumont impregnated with a feeling that had lived before, smiled gently shaking his head in a negative way and left ... Dilcia enters the business of Armand and he sees her is surprised she waves her hand and the change to the attitude: - I'm at your orders ... What do I do? - Waving her beautiful hair says: - For now nothing, although you have released Rome Versailles, we will always antagonize and you ... Follow the plan -That this is put into a room and Armand lowers his head without losing sight of the crucifix ... Registered history.

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