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justme315 · 8 months

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42). "You can't tell anyone else about me!"

"You can't tell anyone else about me!"

Meet Hel (the first one, currently 20 years old) and Mary (the secound one, currently 18)!!

!Warning!:

Abuse, undressing (not sexual), panic, wounds, fear of dying, curse words, mention: unaliving an abuser

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Hel was a 9 years old girl when she meet her best friend - Mary. Them meeting is a different story, a much funnier one.

You see.. Hel was human, Mary - wasn't.

She was a borrower, and even younger than her friend, because she was only 7 years old when they met.

Their friendship was something special, from the moment they met, they spent a lot of time together - it wasn't difficult at all, since they lived in the same house, Hel with always busy parents, and Mary with her mother and stepfather, who were not.. well- the best home for a child.

Their friendship developed over the years until that one day..

The girls were already 15 and 13 years old then. They had known each other for a long time now and trusted each other with their lives. There was no longer even the possibility that something bad could happen. Or at last, that's what they though. Hel had always been very careful and gentle, and Mary was loud enough and trusted her friend alot that their relationship was an exemplary teenage friendship, between a human and a borrower.

Hel was doing her history homework at her desk. She almost didn't notice that Mary had just come out of the tunnel in the wall.

"Hi Hells" Mary mumbled, her voice sounding somehow wrong, somehow too painful. Hel's eyes immediately turned to her friend, who normally didn't come to her at this hour, and they widened at what they saw.

"Mary?!" Hel panicked seeing that her friend was covered in blood and various wounds "W-what happened?!"

"S-stepdad had a b-bad day.." Mary held on to a textbook to keep from collapsing. Blood was flowing from her nose and a wound on her head. The same can be said about her hands and the cut T-shirt, which from every angle looked at least as if someone had just tried to stab her.

"Is he fucking mental?!" The human cupped her hands around her friend.

"We both know that h-he is.." Mary tried to laugh, but only coughed up blood. Hel lifted her higher, closer to her, examining the wounds on her body.

"I'm gonna fucking kill that bastard!" the older teen couldn't help but be angry. That asshole had no right even touch her best friend not speaking of harming her!

Maybe he should stand in front of her, then he'd feel what it was like to be weak, what it was to suffer.

"Sorry cupcake, but I c-came here not-" borrower cought with blood "-to plan the death of t-this idiot, but-" she coughed again "-for you to bandage me up."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry" Hel corrected herself, putting Mary on one of her palms and opening the drawer with the other and taking out plasters and bandages. "For this, unfortunately, you have to undress, little one."

Mary took off her shirt and pants, showing the wounds her stepfather made to the light of day. They came in all shapes, colors and sizes you could think of. Hel couldn't help the tears welling up in her eyes. While washing the wounds with hydrogen peroxide, she whispered softly 100 ways to kill Mary's stepfather. Mary chuckled at that but her head hurting made it not last more than a few secounds.

Mary's head hurt more and more and she felt faint from the loss of blood and wounds. "Hells, I'm getting weak..." she muttered.

"Holy crap" Hel couldn't control herself, she was starting to panic. Her friend had never had such serious injuries before. In addition, now Hel was having trouble stopping the bleeding, especially from the wound on her back, which was very deep. "Don't you dare faint, little one" she begged, thinking about what she could do to help her. "I can't do it by myself.."

"What..?" Mary shuddered, hoping she'd misheard because of the loss of blood. Her eyes started to become more and more heavy.

"Mary, I can't help you on my own," Hel explained "I have to ask someone for help because it's really, really bad-"

"You can't tell anyone else about me!" Mary yelled with the last of her strength "I can't go to humans, they're dangerous, I can't risk it, they'll kill me!"

"Mary, please. You're bleeding out. It's really bad and I am not able help you" Hel explained "My aunt is around, the one I told you about, she's great, she'll help us, she raised me all my life, I trust her" the girl assured with concern in her voice, terrified that so much blood had already spilled from someone as small as her friend. She was afraid of losing her.

"Y-you don't understand! Humans are dangerous! They are murderers! I can't, I don't want to... Hel, we are friends, how can you want to put me in front of these beasts?!"

"I am human" Hel's voice was cold and full of sadness. Mary flinched at that answer.

"But y-you're not like them.." Mary tried to defend her point, but she had no strength left, her body wanted to collapse, she felt that these wounds were too deep for her to come out unscathed.

"There is a "them" now?" the larger teen's voice cracked. She had never had such a conversation with her friend before. When they met, they promised each other that neither of them would ever tell anyone about their friendship. It was their little pact. But Hel had never thought Mary really thought so badly of humans. But that wasn't the most important thing now. The girl was getting weaker by the moment and needed help. Hel grabbed the phone and started searching her contacts for auntie Hyphatia's number.

"Hel, if you do this, it will be the end of our friendship!" Mary cried, terrified of what her friend was doing. She trusted Hel, but she absolutely did not and would not trust any other human. She knew what these beasts were capable of. She knew she might be being written off, so she reached for the darkest and dirtiest card, the "Hells, please, don't do this" emotional game.

"I'm sorry, little one, but I care more that you're alive than that you continue to be my friend" the first tear fell from Mary's right eye "I love you too much to lose you" added Hel, her tone soft and sad, calling her auntie "I promise that my aunt won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again".

Mary then fainted.

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Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed it! Introducing two new heroines/characters from my universes. You can still ask questions or give ideas from my various stories, especially regarding these two girls and their story! See ya♥️

#g/t #giant/tiny #gt related #giant tiny #gt community #g/t concept #gt #g/t writing #g/t angst #g/t related #gianttiny #gentle giant #giant #g/t community #g/t family #g/t scenario #g/t stories

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3in1disaster · 7 months

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I just thought I'd make this post cause I have a hard time finding roleplayer

Hi, my name is Juniper, and I've been in the g/t Fandom for 4 years. I really like to rp, and I can be semi lit/literate or whatever my rp partner wants. My favorite trope is adoptive family, but I can do other things too. I prefer playing the tiny, but I'm willing to be giant. My only limits are nsfw stuff and Fatal vore. I also don't do any overy aggressive giants. I like fear play, but only if it's unintentional. I make OCs every week, so I have a variety to choose from. My OCs range from nekos, neeras, normal humans, borrowers, or fairies.

Here's some of my most current and favorite ocs!

Myra! She's a human and one of my latest ocs! Her lore can depend on the rp scenario!

Hazel! She was born with a disability so she can't fly and she's a moth borrower but can be fairy if the scenario calls for it!

Namora! She's a mouse shifter! She was born in a lab but escaped!

Aria! She is a living doll who was abandoned by her owner!

Vee! I haven't used her yet but she is a borrower with squirrel features!

Cedar! She can be a human or borrower and in some scenarios she has a dog who's name is Oakley! Even as a borrower she could have the dog and its just born small!

I have a lot more ocs I can share or I can make a new one for a rp! Just dm me if you're interested! I normally don't rp any fandoms though but might consider it as long as I don't have to roleplay as a Canon character!

#g/t community #sfw g/t #g/t rp #gt fluff #gt fearplay #g/t family #g/t parental #parental g/t #black g/t community #roleplay #g/t fandom

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narrans · 3 months

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The Orion's Daughter : To Lands Beyond | Chapter Ten : The Odd Learned

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Chapter Ten | The Odd Learned

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I have officially done it – I am now the town odd ball. It has taken twenty years since moving here, leaving me a young woman of twenty-seven, but I have finally managed it.

Granted, this was not a title I initially welcomed, but it seemed fitting.

Known now as the Orion’s daughter and the most unlady-like woman in town, I – Terrilyn Lun – was known around town for my various “odd behaviors.” Sure, I often wore my combination of pants and skirt into town. Yes, I did keep my blades on hand, often wearing one or the other on my hip as well as a dagger on my thigh or by my ankle. I absolutely was seen around town reading under trees or by fence posts, chatting with anyone and everyone nearby if they wanted to talk.

I didn’t feel odd, but, in a weird way, I could see their point. Some of the things I did were a bit unusual, but it was no different than some of the men in the town. Perhaps it was because it was uncommon for a young woman to do these things.

In the end, I didn’t care about their opinions. I lived by my momma’s phrase and Steele’s encouragement to live life how I wanted and to pursue the things that made me happy.

I was friends with beggars and gypsies, nomads and traveling scholars who started to come and visit Steele. They were interested in his culture and opinions on certain issues. One wanted to write about his life imprisoned as an innocent man. Others were curious about his perspective as an Orion living in our land. Some even wanted to learn Steele’s language because, for us, it was almost impossible to find someone who understood it in its entirety.

I involuntarily became some kind of liaison between these scholars and Steele. Initially, they kind of brushed me off. It seemed like they couldn’t believe that I could speak Steele’s native language and that I could manage answering many of the base questions they had about Steele and his culture.

Eventually, word seemed to get around to all of these university students and scholars seeking a topic to study and eventually publish on. They started to come and find me, or I would find them talking to Steele while he was out in the fields or by the ocean working or enjoying the breath of the day.

Each person I talked to said the same thing – you are very well learned.

My guess was that they meant that I was well learned for a woman, but I didn’t mind. I knew my worth, and I was going to prove it to them. The first opportunity came when one of the scholars asked me if I came from an affluent family, to which I laughed and told him no. He gave me some notes as well as a list of names of people to write to if I was interested in attending university, and he was not the only one.

There were several scholars who gave me names of professionals and scholars who, according to them, would be very interested in teaching me and learning from me based on my extensive knowledge, specifically about the Orion.

To me, this was one of the greatest opportunities I had ever had in my entire life. Steele had done so well teaching me, and now I had the chance of pursuing something I had a true passion for – learning.

The universities on the continent were far away, and it took several convincing conversations to both my mother and to Steele, which surprised me, to let me possibly attend. Their main concern was me being out in the world on my own so far away where no one would possibly be able to assist me, but I wasn’t worried. I knew how to handle myself and how to solve a plethora of problems.

Eventually, Steele came around and agreed that there was little he could teach me now and that if it was my passion that I should consider it. He spoke of his land and how our cultures were different in this way. Steele told me that it was expected in his land for both men and women to attend university and further their studies to begin a professional career.

Here, in our land, it was almost unheard of for a woman to attend university and to become a scholar of any sort. Tutored and educated, yes, but not at the well-known schools.

All of the scholars who came to visit Steele were men. Only one of these young minds brought his wife with him and, even then, she wasn’t exactly a conversationalist. She kept her conversation to gossip she had heard on the road and rumors she heard about Steele.

Boring.

Dull.

The guy, Glif Tian, was much more entertaining to talk to.

The more I interacted with the intellectuals from far off universities, the more I wanted to attend.

So, late one evening, I used an entire ink well and most of my lantern light to compose letters to all of the universities where I received names from. I wrote to them about my skills in the Orion’s language as well as herbs, stones, strategies, and histories I knew. I included a list of books I had studied, which was far less than what I had actually read and asked for their favor in letting me attend university.

It might have been a long shot, but it was worth taking. I wanted this, more than anything. This was how my adventure began. This was how it all started for me. I just needed one “yes,” and then I had my ticket to the lands and worlds beyond this small town of Creewood. Just one chance was all I needed. The real question was who was going to give me that chance.

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Continue

Beginning

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Book One: The Orion’s Factotum

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inklessletter · 11 months

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I saw your post!!!!

Could we get a flirty moment of Eddie visiting Steve at his workplace? Could be Scoops or Family Video, your choice!

I love art so much, thank you for sharing it with us!

"Yeah, but is it working?" "...Absolutely. Pick me at eight."

@weirdandabsurd42

#steddie #fanart #steve harrington #eddie munson #flirting at family video #the red neon in the store is E V E R Y T H I N G #steddie art #art #digital art #inklessletter #inky art #weirdandabsurd42

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sugarcoatedrattrap · 1 month

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happy siblings

#bobs burgers #calvin fischoeder #felix fischoeder #I have t h o u g h t s #normally I’m not into like character pasts or family histories #but it plays into their dynamic really nicely and honestly makes me more interested #hot take but I don’t super wanna know more about their parents #more interested in just how they were as siblings as kids or just younger adults I think that’d be neat

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spriteinthedark · 4 months

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G/T found family is one of my favourite things!! 😁

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t meme #size difference #g/t memes #my memes #g/t found family is gold!!#I love found family!

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g-t-prompts-all-the-time · 6 months

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If the Addams Family found a borrower, you know they’d take good care of them. “Ah yes this is cousin tiny they live in the walls!”

Any borrower that chooses to live with the Addams for more than a week has to be cool enough to fit in with them anyway

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t prompts #giant/tiny prompts #giants #gt writing #borrowers #the addams family #specifically 1960s Addams Family

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stardust948 · 3 months

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POV: You teased your rowdy kids who were shrunk by a spirit a little too much.

3 Inch AU

@waterfire1848

#atla #atla au #3 inch au #zuko #azula #tiny zuko #tiny azula #ozai #fire siblings #royal fire family #g/t #giant tiny #atla g/t #sketch #star's art #star's sketches

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keydekyie · 4 months

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get cherished, idiot

#I've had a cough for two weeks and I'm trying to medicate with fluff now #we'll see if it works lmao #g/t #g/t fluff #sfw g/t #Ruyak working thru some issues in book iii and iv #when you realize your family fucked you up and getting better isn't as easy as running away #and yeah sure it's not your fault they drew first blood and made you bite. but you're still the one doing the biting now #literally and figuratively #smooches don't heal everything but they certainly help #grace makes art #tmatb #tmatb iii #tmatb iv #not biting Kaelin mind you he's biting other Kanai #well Kaelin gets bitten a little but that's different 😳#why are you still in the tags reading this? go on get shoo

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justme315 · 8 months

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did Jake really die?

!Tiny Spoiler Alert!

To get the answer you'll need to read the 5th part, that i'll post soon (or let's hope at last because my lazy ass isn't writing enough for past 2 months😥) and i can tell you, the 5th part is the final part in the story but if people will ask questions on the asks there will be more stories about them just outside of the main one.

Jake was really badly injured, you'll see what will happend when they get home..

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xori-gt · 3 months

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Hii my name is Xori, and I'm interested in roleplaying with someone! I can be semi lit, literate, or just write short sentences it really depends on what my partner does and want! I don't really have any triggers, but I don't really like overly cruel giants or anything too weird! I prefer playing as the tiny but I don't mind playing as a giant depending on the scenario!

Some of my favorite tropes are

Fluff

Angst

Giant adopting (unofficially or legally) a tiny as their child

Accidental or semi intentional fearplay

Giants that are 50 to a hundred feet tall

Reversed fearplay where the giant is afraid of the human

Giant who hates or isn't good with kids getting stuck with a tiny one

Borrowers with animal or bug features

Giant rescuing tiny

Tropes I'm okay with

Accidental mouth play (I won't do it unless someone asks me too but it's basically like where the giant accidentally eats the tiny)

Nagas

Merpeople

Co-cities

Giant criminals

Borrower taking care of human child

Will not do

Nsfw

Giant enslaving tiny or having a bad history of it or hurting innocent tinies (if there's a reason idrc I just don't like redeemed murderer tropes)

Most types of vore, but it depends

Romance

Extremely young characters (anything under 6, youngest I'll go is probably 8-9)

Scenerio ideas: (I'd play tiny in these)

A few giants who are in college were paired as a group to do a project, as they were looking around for stuff to help them on their project they stumble upon a tiny child who they decide to take care of together and rent a dorm house

A scared tiny is looking for a safe place to go and almost gets stepped on by a giant before the giant notices them and takes them home since it's too dangerous out on the streets

A giant accidentally shrinking to human size or is a sizeshifter and meets a human who hates or is scared of them

Humans have started a war with giants and have lost, and although giants have offered them equal rights, they refused. Since the war, humans have been forced to live like borrowers. Giants haven't seen humans since the war, and a lot of them weren't alive around the time. Older giants would tell the younger ones about how evil and cruel humans were making a lot fear them. Humans mainly live in underground bunkers or moved to safer countries where giants aren't known to live, but my oc lives in an abandoned human town. How she meets a giant can be discussed in dms, but it could also work to combine this with another scenario

A tiny orphan child is found by a giant who is a thief or criminal. They don't really want to take care of a child because they think being a thief would cause problems for them but they don't know what exactly to do with the child either so they're stuck with them until they can decide. Eventually they and the kid get close and they quit criminal life because they don't want to be a bad influence on the kid and raises them.

Okay that's it for now feel free to dm me anyone if you want to roleplay! I am active for most of the day and night. My time zone is west mountain time! If you don't want or like one of my scenerio ideas or tropes thats absolutely fine we can discuss something together! I mainly do family tropes but I'm starting to be more open to others like friends/lovers! If you have any triggers pls make sure you tell me before we start! <3

#parental g/t #gt parental #g/t ocs #giant/tiny #g/t family #g/t roleplay #g/t related #micro macro

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narrans · 4 months

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The Orion's Daughter : To Lands Beyond | Chapter Seven : Forms and Family Names

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Chapter Seven | Forms and Family Names

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I laid back against the grass and stared up at the bright blue and seemingly endless sky. I was completely out of breath. I closed my eyes and let myself relax just for a moment. I knew Steele would have me at it again in just a moment, but I decided to enjoy this moment with every fiber of my being.

The air has turned from the burning of the warm months to those of change. Already, the leaves started to fade from green to dozens of other shades of reds, browns, and golden oranges. The promise of the cold months was on the horizon. Still, it didn’t stop the blazing sun from baking the ground, and me with it.

As I laid on the ground, I felt my muscles twitching and aching, the pain washing over me like waves in the ocean. One moment, it was a dull ache, and the next it might be a harsh pinch or throb.

Still, I would not change it for anything.

For these past few moons, Steele has been putting me under every test imaginable. If I was not learning common script and letters with Mehlein, I was training and learning with Steele. His knowledge of practically everything under the sun made him such an asset to me. I felt like I could spend a thousand years with him and still not know everything there was to know.

We started with different histories of the land and significant events in history, both from his land and my own. He taught me about some of the great wars as well as some of the natural disasters that occurred, as well as how to combat the tragedy and restore balance.

It was something he was very insistent and passionate about – balance.

He talked about how there was a give and take in this and every world beyond the stars, which really made me think about what else could be out there. The possibility of worlds like ours but so different at the same time was mind numbing, and I loved it.

Next, he taught me about strategies using games and scenarios. I knew it was to grow my mind, but this is something I struggled with quite a bit when he first introduced the topic to me. The games were simple, but recently he started to make them harder. The games consisted of certain amounts of supplies and soldiers. I had to move them from one point to another without casualties, minimal supply use, and as fast as possible.

Over time, he would throw in different scenarios and tragedies. There would be natural disasters and realistic injuries I had to learn how to deal with. Sometimes, I had to divide my forces, and other times I needed to keep everyone together. I wasn’t always successful, especially in the beginning. However, a few moons of practicing and working through the different scenarios made the games a little easier. I was able to see patterns in how Steele worked, and I used them to my advantage.

When he realized I had picked up the patterns, he changed them, sadly leaving me in defeat once again – but I wasn’t going to give up.

We had a game later in the afternoon tomorrow, but now was not the time to worry about that. Right now, I focused on breathing and relaxing my body, forcing my mind to function. I knew that Steele would not let me rest for very long, but just because my body needed a rest didn’t mean that my mind needed a break.

Mentally, I was primed and ready to charge forward in my learning.

So, as I laid there, I went over the words I knew from Steele’s language. He had been teaching me intermittently, but the list of words I knew had increased tremendously.

Viyoo-en rhonor meant are you alright. Please was vandri. Mother was naterma. Thank you was bromidian. Stop was zhanth. Apologies, or I’m sorry, was ptiedier. There were other things like counting that I had gotten very good at, but only up to nineteen. The twenties were a bit harder for me for whatever reason. I needed to practice them more. I was nowhere near as good as my momma and I could only hope to catch up to her sooner than later, but, for now, I knew what I knew and that was enough.

After a few minutes longer, I heard Steele clear his throat, which was a clear indicator that it was time to get back to work.

“Terrilyn? Do you want to continue?” asked Steele. I heaved another breath before glancing up into Steele’s violet eyes. Something about them held a not-so-subtle amusement at my exhaustion. It took effort despite my protesting muscles, but I managed to get to my feet and once again took the correct stance in front of Steele, placing my right foot back and making sure most of my weight was on it. I kept my hands up, fists clenched the way he told me and didn’t tuck my thumbs in this time.

Steele leaned forward ever so slightly, his torso looming over me a bit, as he evaluated my form. His finger approached, but I didn’t shy away. I welcomed it. He carefully prodded my back, checking to see if my stance was able to withstand a gentle push from the tip of his finger. I could tell he needed a moment, and so I held that position.

Despite hours of training and the exhaustion of my body, I felt completely sound and determined. I was not going to bend or break - not after today. Another minute of evaluating and then Steele leaned back to his sitting position as I stood on the dirt mound.

“Good,” he complemented. “Now. First position.”

I fell into first position, letting my left foot sweep back as I kicked and lashed out with a back handed fist.

“Switch.”

The simple command made me spin on my heel to face behind me in the blink of an eye.

“Good. First, then third, then nine.”

The sequence was the one that started the fifteen-stance exercise that wore me out.

I spun on my heel once more, leaning on my back left while lashing out with a back fist from my closed right hand. I then lunged forward, punching out with my right hand followed by a kick. Ninth was tricky, but I was determined to get it this time. I spun on my heel and swung my left with a roundhouse kick. This time, I managed to stick the landing, but I was far from done.

Steele continued increasing the movements by two until I was up to seventeen when, as I sprung forward for a high front kick, I lost my balance and tripped down the hill, skidding my knees against the grass.

I laid there, once again, and stared at the sky.

I took a few deep breaths of the clean, wildflower smelling air, feeling the way my heart pounded and raced. The sequences were getting harder and faster, and I was definitely feeling each and every practice session that Steele and I had together.

After hearing Steele’s thoughtful chuckle, I saw his hand lower and rest right beside me.

“Care for a hand up?” Steele asked. I could hear the thoughtful caring as well as the amusement in his aged voice, and I welcomed it. Still, I was not ready to get back to it. I let out a puff of air and let it blow away one of the strands of my auburn hair that slipped out of the ponytail I put it in away from my face.

“If I sit up, do we have to get back to it immediately?” I asked. It felt like I needed to use all of the energy I had left to call up to Steele, making sure I spoke clearly. I knew in that moment that Steele felt completely conflicted. I saw the amusement and firm hand rise to tell me no, but the softer, gentler side rose up to meet it, and won.

“Very well. You do not need to start immediately. We can talk instead,” said Steele. Satisfied, I lifted my throbbing arm and rested my hand against his. I could feel his pulse against my fingertips, and I let his warmth, not the warmth of the day, spread through me. It somehow soothed my muscles and gave me new energy.

At least, it gave me enough energy to pull myself up onto his palm and lay with my back pressed against the side of his hand. He kept his hand there for me, unwavering, as I continued to catch my breath.

I looked back up into his features after a minute, my breath and heart finally under my control once again and nodded.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” I asked. I didn’t want there to be too much silence between us - not when he had so many things he needed to teach me.

“Well,” said Steele. He pulled his lips into an inquisitive purse off to the side as if in suspicious disbelief while his brow furrowed in contemplation. From where I was, I could see every all of the different smatterings of lightening dark blond and gray in his facial hair. “You could choose the topic, or I could talk of… eh… koonyardo vi… weak points on hands and limbs if you are in a tight spot.”

I felt excitement at that second option.

“Could you talk about the pressure points please?” I asked, remembering my manners this time. The last time I asked him to talk about something, I all but demanded it, shouting ‘that one that one’ and interrupting the other options. Steele smiled warmly, but I saw the glint of mischief in his eyes.

“Say it in my tongue, and perhaps I will,” he stated. I knew he was going to tell me regardless, but it was the true effort he wanted to see out of me.

I liked that about him.

He didn’t care if I was right or perfect. He just asked that I try with as much effort as I could.

Sadly, my effort was going to be very little. Some of the words he wanted me to use were ones I just memorized, and I just knew that I was going to get the pronunciation wrong in so many ways.

“Ooofff… alright,” I said as I conjured the words from my currently muddled mind. “Sa… wait… no… um… oh, yeah. That’s it. Vandri, sabon… ke….”

Steele must’ve seen the bit of panic in my eyes and the hesitation in my stuttering words and took pity on my floundering because he simply chuckled thoughtfully, as a wise grandfather would do, before he stated the phrase in his language.

“Vandri, sabon ke’tzellel rraha snikrik tab-va f-veryon,” stated Steele, making sure to speak slowly and deliberately so that I could hear the pronunciation of each and every word.

“Vandri, sabon ke’tzellel rraha snikrik tab-va f-veryon?” I bit my lip and hoped that I had managed to do his language some kind of justice. Steele made his language sound so beautiful and effortless. Even when momma said it, she seemed so certain and was able to spit out the words with ease. She had spent more time with Steele, and I had a lot to catch up on, which is exactly what this exchange taught me.

Steele smiled and nodded.

“Very good,” he said. I felt my heart swell with joy as I saw the twinkle of pride in Steele’s violet eyes. “Do not forget to roll or flip the ‘r’ sound against your tongue and keep the ‘n’ sound softer to where you almost do not hear it.”

“I won’t forget,” I said firmly, repeating the words and rules over and over in my head and softly out loud so I committed it to memory. Steele smiled proudly again and waited patiently to see my eyes meet his before continuing.

“To do this, you need to sit on the heel of my hand to see the points I… eh… koonyardo vi… reef-fur to,” stated Steele.

“Refer?” I asked, hoping to help him just as much as he has helped me.

“Ah! Yes. Bromidian. Refer. Points I refer to,” said Steele. I nodded and hoisted myself up onto his hand and practically crawled onto the heel of his palm because my limbs were practically screaming in protest with every movement I made.

Once I made it, Steele began pointing to different fingers and explaining how to pinch and twist them to place someone into submission easily.

“You pinch the little one like this,” he said as he took his pinkie finger, curled it in toward his palm, and squeezed on the bunched, curled up finger. “Moving it like this is not normal and painful for the body. Then, bending the wrist back can bring an enemy to their knees.”

“I see,” I said.

“Good. Then, notice how your arm twists as you move,” said Steele, rotating his left arm for me to see as a demonstration. Steele continued to explain as he lowered his left arm and pointed to different spots on his arm and hand. “By grabbing the hand here and twisting along this line here, you can pry someone’s hand off of you and get them in a submissive stance.”

“So, I’m supposed to twist and push down like this?” I asked. Instantly, as I performed the motion Steele told me about, I felt a twisting pain shoot through my limb. I didn’t even twist very hard and yet knew this was a very strong power move to be used if someone tried grabbing me.

Steele continued for the next hour talking about different poses and maneuvers to use. One of them, which was really useful and simple, was anticipating someone lunging, snagging their wrist, pivoting, and then using their forward momentum and weight against them as you forced them to the ground and pinned them there.

The more he spoke, I saw that there was something in his eyes. I could not quite place the emotion. It almost looked reminiscent at times, but other moments it was sprinkled with pain and renewed knowledge.

The more Steele talked, the more I started to wonder whether or not he had explained these things before to someone else. With the ease of his explanations, I could only assume he had done this at least a few times before.

An unexpected pang hit me full on in the chest. All I could think of was all of the people Steele had told this knowledge to and how I wished that I could be learning things like this from my own father. I wondered about him for a moment.

Would my father know how to fight? Was he any good at fighting? Or was he more of a scholar. You could be one and the other, as Steele demonstrated every day from his expansive knowledge and his use of tactics and skill. Was he a smooth talker? A diplomat who could talk his way out of conflict?

As I wondered these things, another painful pang hit me and made my heart clench.

What did it matter wondering these things about him?

I would never see him.

I would never meet him.

What good did it do thinking about him and all of the things he failed to teach me when he left my momma?

I must’ve stopped paying attention just long enough for Steele to notice, because I felt his index finger reach up and brush against my shoulder tenderly.

“Terrilyn? Are you alright? Are you finished for the day?” asked Steele. I didn’t realize it, but I suddenly felt warm moisture at the corners of my eyes. Why was my vision blurry?

“Um… yeah… I mean… yes. Sorry. Or, um…. Ptiedier. I was just thinking about something. I was distracted. That was rude. I’m sorry,” I stammered, realizing only after a moment that I had thrown in an apology in his tongue. Steele, instead of accepting and continuing the lesson now that I was paying attention, unfolded and then refolded his legs to readjust his sitting position and lifted the hand that I was in so he could rest his arm against his knee.

Waves of concern seemed to emanate from him and wash over me, only giving me that compressed feeling in my chest more. My cheeks started to feel warm. Everything tingled. I wanted him to look away and continue with the lesson, but it somehow felt like everything came to a screeching halt with my mental wanderings.

After a few more moments, Steele did as I predicted and began to ask questions of his own.

“Thinking? About what?” Steele asked. That concern in his voice did not help that compressed feeling in my chest. I felt so cornered and vulnerable all at once, but it oddly didn’t make me feel helpless. It was like my momma was asking me a question – asking to know and to help rather than just for the sake of gathering information.

Somehow, someway, Steele felt my momentary hesitation or saw my internal conflict and, in his way, offered comfort. “Terrilyn, you do not have to tell me if you do not want to. Just… if I have done something to hurt or offend, I want to apologize.”

I felt my insides flip guiltily. It was not his fault, and he didn’t need to apologize. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and turned around to face Steele.

“No, don’t apologize. It isn’t your fault. I was just… thinking,” I said. My mouth felt dry like I stuffed cotton in my cheeks, but I felt some odd urge to talk about the thoughts rattling around in my head that led me on my mental tangent. I let the warmth from Steele’s palm spread through my body to give me the reassuring boost I needed to voice what I had kept in my mind and heart for so long.

“I was just thinking about… my dad.”

There was a silence after my statement that was filled only with the gentle breeze with the smell of warm flowers mingled with it. The words seemed to sink into Steele’s mind slowly, like water through one of his water filters, when his eyes narrowed and he nodded thoughtfully.

“I understand,” he said softly, his thunderous voice rumbling deep in his chest. “You did not know him?” I shook my head, glimpsing my auburn curls that managed to slip out of my ponytail as they fell into my face.

“No. He left before I got to know him. I don’t even have his family name to go find him,” I muttered, remembering my momma explaining this to me when I asked why our family names were different.

“Family name? What is yours?” asked Steele. My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I don’t know why I felt embarrassed. Perhaps it was because I had not talked about it before with him or because it was a reminder of what I had been teased about for years of my life. I picked at the dirt under my nails for a moment before responding.

“Lun. It’s Terrilyn Lun, and my momma is Raina Toro,” I replied. “Lun comes from the time of day I was born, since it was at night, and because my father… didn’t give me his name.” Steele nodded slowly. I felt his hands trembling just beneath me. Was it because of age? Or was it from frustration and emotion?

One glance up into his violet eyes told me it was because of his emotions. He was obviously upset for me but was doing what he could to conceal and control his emotions as to not upset me.

He is so thoughtful that way.

“Ptiedier, Terrilyn. I did not know…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just how things are,” I said, forcing a bit of a smile onto my face as I gazed up at Steele’s concerned features, his expression wrinkling his crow’s feet by his eyes and furrowing his brow. “It’s just… I wish I knew more about him. I wish he taught me things the way you’re teaching me. I… don’t ask momma about him because I know it will upset her, but it doesn’t stop me from being curious and wanting to know.”

Steele readjusted his sitting position, being careful as I sat there on his palm, before a melancholy, curious expression filled his face.

“What did you want to know?” asked the older Orion. I squirmed a little as I sat there, thinking about everything I wanted to ask my dad.

“You know… just… anything,” I replied. “Like, asking him about what it was like growing up and what kind of plants are good and bad to eat. I’d know if he was a scholar like one of those educated types or if he was stronger and could take a punch. Just… a little bit of everything. That’s why I love spending time with you. You teach me so much. You taught me about your language, and you tell me stories. You’re teaching me to fight and to think. You care about me, like how momma cares about me.”

There.

I said it out loud.

I managed to get out some of those wretched words that had been rattling around in my head for as long as I could remember. In a weird way, I felt a weight lift from my chest. It felt like the compression ended just a little, but it was still there. Just because I voiced something didn’t mean it would make the feeling go away. I should have known that it wouldn’t leave me, even though I wished it would.

“I am sorry to hear this,” apologized Steele. His left index finger came up and brushed my back gently, which made me smile. “Can I do anything to help?” I thought about it for a long moment, thinking about everything Steele had already done for me. Was there anything more that he could do that he wasn’t already.

I ended up shaking my head.

“No, I just…” I looked into his violet eyes and felt that weight lift just a little bit more. If I was behind honest with myself, more time spent with him seemed to lessen the burden in my heart. I had no real words how to describe what was going on. I felt confused, but also determined. Steele had done so much for me and continued to do so much every single day.

Instead of trying to verbalize all of my thoughts, I decided on something different that would mean just as much to him.

I wiggled my legs out from under me and laid down on Steele’s palm, spreading my arms as far apart as I could in an effort to hug his entire hand before muttering a single word.

“Bromidian.”

Steele’s smile was so genuine – so warm – and I knew that he cared for me as if I were his own. His fingers curled lightly over me as he nodded.

“Youl-heiris,” he smiled. I closed my eyes and, though the day was still burning warm, I let myself lay against his hand. At some point, he readjusted to lay on his back and laid me against his chest. I stayed curled up against his chest, listening to the sound of his deep, rumbling breath and the gentle thumping of his heart pulsing beneath me.

At some point, the both of us drifted off, Steele’s calloused hand laid gently over me like a tent. The last thing I remembered was gently grasping at the vast canvas of cloth that made his shirt. When we woke, Steele decided we had worked enough for the day and that, the next day, he would teach me about swords and knives.

“You are doing well in your stances and switches. We will start with sticks, but it is important to know these other skills,” said Steele.

Once again, I felt invigorated and determined to learn everything I could from Steele. What was more exciting was that I was about to learn about weapons – something that only boys got to study and learn about. Excited beyond words, I made sure to stretch and eat well at dinner to be ready for the next day.

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Continue

Beginning

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Book One: The Orion’s Factotum

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