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melon-wing · 4 years

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Trauma

This is a prequel to my story Dread, set in @gridoc ‘s pirate AU. Be warned this is angsty. For warnings go down to the tags! And yeah, I heard you guys, so Dread will also have a sequel. I’m working on it.

“One day, Taurtis, I’m going to become a great pirate, just you see! Adventure is calling my name!”

Grian smiled at his friend and raised his wooden sword in front of him. Taurtis just rolled his eyes in amusement, but raised his sword as well.

“Well Captain Grian, you’d have to get past Admiral Taurtis’ fleet first! I’m going to be the star of the navy and I’m going to put an end to your evil ways.”

Their swords clashed and both of them put everything they had into the battle, both smiling excitedly. After about five minutes Grian managed to land a hit on Taurtis’ leg, making him lose balance. He used the opportunity to send the other’s weapon flying through the air, catching it with practised ease.

“Pirate Captain Grian has triumphed over Admiral Taurtis once again”, he said with a glare, but soon dissolved into a fit of giggles and dropped both of the weapons, lying down next to Taurtis in the grass. They were both out of breath, just like all the other times they had fought.

The two of them had grown up on this island together. They lived in an orphanage in a small town by the sea. Both of them had always dreamt of sailing the big blue ocean one day. They had realised early on that their plans only differed in one crucial part. While Taurtis wished to join the navy, Grian dreamt of a live filled with danger and adventures. He couldn’t see himself joining a stuffy government organisation. He wanted to be a pirate and just do whatever he pleased. And somewhere back in his mind he had that one memory. A memory of being held by somebody and looking up at a black pirate flag on top of a majestic ship and feeling absolutely safe. He had been to young to remember anything more. But that one memory was enough for him to take an interest in pirates.

But even when he and Taurtis were so different it didn’t hurt their friendship at all. And sure, they had both tried to convince the other to give up their dream, but none had succeeded and with them being 15 years old, they both were far too stubborn to change their plans.

Grian sighed and looked at the setting sun. It was so peaceful… He just wished something would finally happen. Some pirate ship coming by where he could start working and then make his way up the ladder until he had a crew himself… If he just kept saving up until he could buy his own boat he would be stuck here until his fifties… and who could become a pirate at that age?

“Grian…?”

Grian turned his head sideways to look at Taurtis.

“Yeah…”

“I got a letter.”

“Who’d write you a letter? You got fancy friends on the mainland you hid from me?”

Grian smirked at Taurtis, but his face fell, when he saw the serious expression on his friend’s face.

“I got accepted into the navy. I’m leaving next week.”

Grian sat up abruptly, staring open mouthed at Taurtis.

“I… When? I didn’t even know you applied!”

Taurtis just gave a shrug. “I applied when it was my turn to go to the mainland to buy resources. You know… Last month when you were sick and had to stay here. I didn’t want to tell you because I wasn’t sure if I’d even make it. I got the letter today…”

To say Grian was shocked was an understatement. He should have known that something like that would happen soon. With all of the pirates and bandits going around the navy was always recruiting and Taurtis would turn 16 next week… The eligible age to become a part of the navy.

He forced a grin onto his face, giving Taurtis a pat on the shoulder. He had to be supportive now. They were best friends after all.

“That’s great, man! You can finally head out to the sea! I’m really happy for you. You need to write a lot of letters and tell me how things are out there.”

“Grian… Your birthday is in a month. You could…”

But Grian shook his head. “I’m not going to join the navy. I told you Taurtis. That kind of life is just not for me… There’s no way in hell they’d take in a rebellious teen like me anyway. I’d break all of their rules during the first week.”

He saw the sadness in Taurtis’ eyes but they had both known this moment would come one day. So why did it hurt so much? Why did Grian feel the need to once again try and convince Taurtis to go and become a pirate alongside him?

“We’ll see each other again. Out on the ocean, I mean.” Taurtis smiled, staring out at the horizon. “I promise you, I won’t attack you if possible… Just… Don’t become too evil.”

“Not all pirates are evil, Taurtis”, Grian grumbled for what felt like the thousandth time. “They have adventures and look for treasure and fight magical beasts and drink together!”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever those pirate novels taught you.”

Grian gasped in mock offence. “Don’t you dare bad mouth Mr. Tinfoil’s amazing series. His books feel like the real deal! You’ll be so jealous once I’m a pirate sailing the seas and you are stuck behind a dusty desk. I can feel it. My life is going to change soon. Something exciting will happen, I just know it…”

“Yeah you always do. Just like last year and the year before that. It’s just wishful thinking. Let’s hope everything stays as boring as it is. People here are already overwhelmed with the excitement of your pranks. They wouldn’t be able to handle real excitement. Now… How about we head home?”

Grian just nodded and followed his friend. He just hoped that he’d get used to the thought of Taurtis leaving during the coming days. He just needed to keep busy and leave no room for negative thoughts. Maybe he should plan a party… Yeah that sounded good.

Planning out a party truly kept Grian busy. The other kids at the orphanage and even the nun in charge of them helped. Everyone was so proud of Taurtis. Grian wanted to be proud too… he just couldn’t. He’d show a brave face. Taurtis deserved all of his dreams coming true. He was the most amazing person and Grian felt so lucky to have him as a friend.

“Grian…”

Grian looked up into the face of his caretaker. “Yes, Mother?”

The old woman looked pained and Grian knew that face. He’d seen it countless of times and even more so during his teenage years. She was unhappy with him… Again.

“Taurtis is going to be part of the navy. You are also turning 16 soon.”

Grian knew where this conversation was heading. He’d heard it so many times from so many different people. Nobody around here supported his dreams. They had thought it cute when he was a child, but when he became older they’d all frowned at him. He was the rotten and rebellious boy who wanted to be a pirate.

They talked about him behind his back, thinking or pretending he couldn’t hear them. He heard the hushed whispers about him following his evil blood, whatever that was supposed to mean. About him tainting poor innocent Taurtis.

And Taurtis… Taurtis had never cared. Taurtis treated him only with kindness and respect. Even when Grian kept telling him he was going to become a pirate. Sure, he had tried to convince Grian to join the navy, but only because he wanted them to stay together. In their more serious moments he’d always tell Grian to follow his dreams and not to let anyone hold him back.

“I’ll find a job soon, don’t worry.”

“I talked to General White. You know that Taurtis will be joining his crew. He promised me that he’d put in a good word for you. You could work alongside your best friend.”, she said in a tired voice. And Grian would have just ignored it like he always did. Just nod and pretend to think about it so she’d leave him alone. But she just had to go one step further this time. “Just… be glad to get that opportunity and take it. What else could the abandoned rut of a pirate hope for?”

Grian froze.

They had never talked about his parents. Mother had forbidden him to ever ask questions about them and he had stopped wondering when he had been young. Mother had always called his one memory of being on a pirate ship just part of his childish imagination and nothing more.

“What…?”

Grian stared at her, letting go of the plate he had just been holding. It dropped to the floor shattering,

“Oh look. There you go again, messing things up. And on Taurtis’ special night none the less”, she scolded him, bending down to carefully pick up the shards. He could still just stare at her.

“What did you just say about my parents?”

She slowly raised her gaze to look at him. She had never looked at him with the same love she held for all the other children. But she had never looked at him so outright disgusted.

“The navy dropped you of here when you were still young. They wanted you to be raised off records, where nobody could ever find you. I don’t know much… Just that your father was a famous pirate. No one knows who your mother was. You were with your father when they captured him, just a small baby… I tried my best to love you like I did all the other’s, but Grian… oh Grian…” She shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “You are starting to turn out just like your father. It’s a miracle Taurtis thinks you worthy of his friendship.”

Grian turned around and ran. He didn’t know why or where he should run to, but his legs just started moving on their own. He just needed to get away. To have some space to think.

He only stopped when he arrived at a small cliff overlooking the ocean. He and Taurtis had spend hours after hours just sitting out here watching the blue waters below and fantasizing about their future out there. He sat down, legs dangling over the edge. It helped him calm down.

He had known something was wrong with him the moment he had been old enough to realise that he was being treated different. But he had never thought about it long enough. The moment dark thoughts began to cloud his mind Taurtis had always been there by his side…

Taurtis…

What was Grian supposed to do once he left?

Looking off into the distance at the endless sea, Grian made his decision. He’d leave. Once Taurtis was gone he’d take the first ship he could get on. He’d somehow make his way through the world out there. It couldn’t be worse than around here. He’d go out, find treasure and have amazing adventures and nobody would hold him back.

“Grian…?”

Grian looked over at Taurtis who stood right behind him, slightly out of breath.

“You should be at your party right now, shouldn’t you?” “Not much of a party without my best friend, is it…?”

Taurtis took one look at him and with a sigh sat down along side Grian. And Grian leaned his head right onto his shoulder and told him about what had just happened and Taurtis kept silent and listened and just stayed there, a comforting hand on Grian’s back.

“Listen to me Grian… No matter what she or anyone else says, you follow your dreams.”

“You are always too nice to me Taurtis…”, Grian whispered, still looking at the ocean. Taurtis was rummaging around next to him and finally took off the necklace that had always been around his neck. It was a simple medallion and had always contained a picture of Taurtis as a baby. It had apparently belonged to Taurtis’ mother before she had died.

Taurtis opened the medallion and Grian couldn’t help but look over. The picture of the little baby was gone, instead there was a picture of both of them, arm in arm, swords held out in front of them and smiling brightly.

“I sold a few of my things to get this picture drawn… So I’ll have you by my side even when I’m far away. I know you better than they do. And I know you are not evil. And if your heart tells you to become a pirate, then you should. You’ll just have to prove them that you can succeed. I believe in you.”

Grian gently touched the medallion, feeling his heart beating a bit faster at Taurtis’ little speech. When he looked up their faces were so close to each other. They didn’t say anything, both moving even closer, their lips about to touch.

“TAURTIS!”

A shout rang out in the distance and Grian snapped back, looking at one of the orphans running up to them. Taurtis looked almost disappointed. He was about to say something, but Grian was faster.

“I’ll try… to believe in myself as much as you do. You should head back now. We all worked really hard on the party. I’ll… I’ just need a moment and then I’ll be there alright?”

Taurtis hesitated but finally nodded.

“And about what just almost happened… Let’s talk about that later, Grian. I need to tell you something important before I leave.”

Grian could feel heat rising to his cheeks as he heard steps slowly retreating into the distance. He wasn’t even sure himself what had just happened and he tried not to linger on those thoughts for too long, focusing instead on what Taurtis had said about following his dreams.

Taurtis was right. So what if nobody supported him? He had Taurtis who believed in him and that was all that mattered. And if they were out at sea they’d still find some way to communicate with each other.

And so what if he was the son of a pirate? That had nothing to do with him wanting to become one himself. He never knew his parents, so why should he care about them?

It took him about half an hour but he finally felt ready to face reality again. He slowly stood up and turned around only to see thick black smoke rising in the distance. No! That was right were his home town was… And by the amount of smoke it wasn’t just one building burning. What if the orphanage was on fire? “Taurtis!” A scream tore from his throat as he jumped into action, grabbing his sword and sprinting off into the distance. He needed to hurry. If there was a fire they’d need every hand they could get.

And then Grian could hear gunshots and screams. And on the horizon he saw a huge pirate ship in the port, red flag raised. His heart was gripped in cold fear. What were pirates doing here? And more importantly, why were they attacking? There was nothing valuable in their village. Nothing to be gained.

He ran as fast as he could, his wooden sword held tightly in his hands. Buildings were on fire everywhere, but nobody was even trying to stop the flames from spreading. People he had known his whole life, lying dead in the street. He needed to hurry. He needed to get back to the orphanage. He needed to get to Taurtis. They needed to get out of here.

As he reached their street, he stopped in his tracks. There were pirates in front of the entrance way of the orphanage, weapons ready in hand as if they were guarding the door. He turned back and walked around, through a small alleyway and over a stone wall. He could get inside through the back door. Maybe he wasn’t too late. Maybe he could still save them… save him.

He crouched low, walking through a corridor until he reached a door. He could hear voices inside, one of them belonging to Taurtis He slowly turned the handle and opened the door a little. Luckily none of the occupants in the room noticed him. He could see Taurtis. He had a sword in his hand. And not one of their wooden ones but the iron sword that they had all bought him as a sent-off gift. In front of him stood an old bearded man. One look at his outfit was all it took for Grian to know he must have been one of the pirates. But why…?

“So… You are the boy we are looking for? How brave of you to step up like that.”

Taurtis nodded grimly.

“Kill him.”

A shot rang through the room and Grian could see Taurtis falling as if in slow motion.

“Let’s go. Tell the captain we got rid of the little pest, so we can get out of this poor excuse of a town.”

Grian stayed hidden until he couldn’t hear their footsteps any more and then rushed over to Taurtis. There was blood. So much blood. When he kneeled down next to his fallen friend his pants were instantly wet.

“Taurtis…?” His voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.

And then he realised that the other’s chest was still moving. Hurriedly he pulled one of the table clothes off and put it against the bleeding wound in Taurtis’ stomach, trying to stop the never ending flow of blood. The white cloth turned bright red so fast it made his blood freeze.

“Taurtis! I’m here. Hold on, okay. You can pull through!”

And finally Taurtis’ eyes opened again and he looked at Grian. “G-grian?”

“Yeah. It’s me. I’m here. I’ll help you.”

“Glad… you’re… not dead…”, Taurtis whispered, his voice rough and he had to cough, blood splattering out of his mouth.

“Don’t… Don’t speak. Just… Someone will come. Someone will save you. You just need to hold on. Just keep breathing.”

Grian was panicking, tears running down his cheek. He just needed to keep pressure on the wound and everything would be fine. He was startled when one of Taurtis’ hands reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek, looking up at him with a pained smile.

“Grian… I’m not gonna make it… ‘m just glad… I protected…”

Grian shook his head in denial, glaring at Taurtis through his tears.

“You won’t die. I won’t let you! You are going to survive and become and Admiral! Remember? You want to become the greatest admiral the navy has ever seen. You can’t die here!”

“I always… wanted to… see our dreams come true…” Taurtis shivered under him, letting go of Grian’s cheek. Carefully he took off the necklace with the medallion hanging around his neck and put it over Grian’s head. The silver was stained red from all the blood, leaving a bloody mark on Grian’s shirt. “Take it… So you don’t… forget... You’ll be… great… Even without… me. You’ll be… the best… captain… and I’ll… be an...”

Taurtis closed his eyes and Grian waited for him to finish his sentence. His heart was beating frantically. And as the seconds past the fear gripping his heart grew bigger and bigger. It couldn’t be. There was a slight smile on Taurtis face. No… There was no way.

“Taurtis?”

There was no answer. His chest had stopped moving under Grian’s hands.

Grian didn’t know how long he had sat there after that. The screams on the streets had long since died down and he didn’t know or care whether that was a good or a bad sign. His hands were still on Taurtis’ wound. The blood on the fabric and his skin had already gone cold as had the body below him. And finally he let go. It felt like defeat. Like he had somehow been responsible for Taurtis’ death.

If he had just been faster. If he had been there with Taurtis helping him fight… If he had just never wished for pirates and adventure to come to their home. This wasn’t like in all those books he had read. There was nothing romantic and adventurous about the pain he felt.

Grian looked down at Taurtis’ sword lying on the ground in front of him, tears dripping down onto the metal. He took it, slowly standing up, his other hand tightly gripping the medallion that was now hanging from his neck.

“I promise you Taurtis… I’ll never become like them. I’ll never become a pirate… I’ll fulfil your dream for you. I’ll become an admiral in your place. And one day… One day I’ll get revenge.”

#🍉 stories #hermitshipping #hermitship #slightly taurian #angst #major angst #beware spoilers ahead in the tags #tw: blood #tw: injury #tw: major character death #I am so sorry #I just needed to make it more tragic #the reason why Grian doesn't want to join Doc #and the reason why he doesn't want to fall in love with him #He'll need to deal with all of this first #pirate au

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psychicscavenger · 5 years

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Shance Batman AU series: A Dark Knight is Born Part 1: Dark Corners

read on ao3 here or continue down below.

Part 1: Dark Corners.

He gasped as he was pushed back against the brick building, his small shoulders and his upper back taking the brunt of the shove as his mother let out another pleading cry for help. He watched helplessly, completely frozen as the man, the same man who just killed his father, struck her. Sharp metal shined in the low light just before it dug into her throat, red splashing and staining the concrete below her just before her body, now limp, was disposed, as if common street trash.

Takashi stared wide eyed at his mother's lifeless body, the red that splashed out earlier now growing into a puddle underneath, staining the beautiful white satin dress she had donned for the banquet dinner they had to attend that evening. As he watched her eyes grow less wary of the world around her, he couldn't help but think back on his biting words to her earlier about not wanting to go to some fancy dinner for his father's company. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he sobbed out her name, mumbling over and over how sorry he was for being a brat, wishing he could wake up from this horrible dream when heavy footsteps approached him, booted feet stopping in front of the shaking boy.

Takashi paused, his heart beating franticly as he was absolutely sure this wicked man before him was going to kill him like he killed his father and mother, a quick glance at his father's corpse at the front entrance of the alley had him cowering against the building again. They were just going out for ice-cream of all things. It was a compromise his father had made earlier with Takashi in order to get him to stop whining about having to go to the banquet, knowing the promise of sweet cookies n' cream usually persuaded Takashi to listen to them, mostly when it came to attending events regarding Shirogane Industries.

Of course, neither of them would ever think some common street thief would be hiding out in an alley waiting to pounce on them, whipping out his knife when Takashi's father stepped in front to protect them just before the killer slashed his throat, blood pouring and flesh hanging down as he fell to the ground gasping for breath while his mother screamed pulling Takashi behind her before the thief advanced on them.

A high pitched whimpering sound had Takashi focusing once more on the looming man before him, wondering where that noise was coming from only to realize he was the one making it.

"I was expecting to take only them out tonight, but it looks like I got a small bonus as well." The man smiled wickedly as Takashi pathetically cried out for help, his weak cries lost to the sound of the usual nightlife. The man held out his stained knife, the jagged teeth scaring the small boy further as he retreated into his cocoon, wrapping his arms around his legs as he cowered away from the tall man. His hair was dark and flared out in the ends with sideburns and a beard short and thick. He only had one eye that Takashi could see, the other covered up by an eyepatch, enhancing his scary villainous appearance. His body was covered in a trench coat, hiding a very broad and tall figure underneath it.

Takashi gasped as the man suddenly gripped his left arm, yanking him closer as he stood over him. Takashi tried to back up, completely scrambling over his mother's corpse and ruining his own suit with the blood as the man stepped over him, placing a heavy boot on his chest, pinning him.

"Since I was ordered to bring a trophy with me for proof, might as well be you little one." He chuckled, the flash of the knife coming out had Takashi swallowing in fear as the man descended upon him in a hurry, one arm gripping the knife, the other pinning his left arm, to prevent him from moving. Takashi whimpered fearfully as the knife was flashed in the low light once more before a sudden sharp, burning pain flared through his right arm, just above his elbow. Takashi began screaming right away, doing anything to kick this man off him as the adult just continued sawing through flesh. He struggled in the man's grip, reaching out with his face to bite the man on his arm that had him howling. The man used his knife to try and aim for Takashi's neck, but he ducked just in time only for the edge of the knife to slice through the skin on the bridge of his nose, making Takashi cry out as blood dribbled down from the cut. The man continued his work, slicing through flesh and trying to saw through bone, his hands slippery from all the blood. Takashi began to lose consciousness, his vision flickering in and out when the man made some kind of disgruntled noise before standing up, leaving the faded kid on the cold ground.

He leaned over the boy once more, his actions quick and urgent, with a final swish of his arm, Takashi felt a few wet spatters fleck across his face before the figure stalked off leaving Takashi on the cold, wet ground.

He didn't know how many minutes or possibly hours he laid there in the dark before he heard hurried footsteps and muffled shouts. He watched blearily as figures crouched over him followed shortly by red and blue lights as well as more people. He felt weightless as he was eventually moved, unable to pay attention to what exactly was happening or what the paramedics were telling him. When he was finally strapped in the back, the people began attaching all kinds of wires and IV's, speaking rapidly. Even if he was completely conscious he wouldn't have understood them anyway. Takashi watched, his vision starting to fade away as an oxygen mask came into view, the paramedics wrapping it around his head gently. He felt his eyes close as the gentle rocking of the van lulled him to sleep.

He awoke a week later, confused and disoriented, feeling oddly lighter on his right half. The commotion he made awakening had several nurses and doctors rushing in, checking his vitals and charts, some speaking over each other how it was a miracle he had survived, how lucky he was. Once things were calm again, everyone having left including the police who came to ask him about what happened, and sadly informing him the death of his parents. Takashi wasn't too surprised, after all that blood he'd seen that night he would've been surprised if either of them had survived. He remained in the hospital another week with his parents bodies kept in the body freezer as requested by his grandfather. The news had reached them a few days after it happened with them living in Japan and they were making arrangements to move to America. So with his parents lying frozen in the freezer somewhere, his grandparents out of the country, Takashi was left alone in the world, staying in an orphanage temporarily until his grandparents were able to retrieve him. During that time, reporters and light paparazzi showed up constantly to snag pictures of the orphan billionaire but Takashi stayed indoors, preferring to barricade himself in his room until they gave up and left. Thankfully the police were able to keep them at bay during his parents funeral, his grandparents finally showing up after two weeks he spent trying to recover from the emotional and physical trauma. Afterwards, they headed back home, to the mansion Takashi grew up in, dreading returning to the big, empty home memories of his parents haunting him in every item inside. It wasn't easy and still wasn't trying to recover from something as terrifying as that night, but as time went on, Takashi almost became like his old self again.

His grandparents hired a caretaker named Mr. Coran to help care for Takashi who would bring along another charge of his, Allura Altea, heiress to her fathers fortune and daughter of the city's police commissioner. The two became good friends, and slowly but surely Takashi focused on rebuilding his life. Ultimately, his fathers company became his to inherit when he came of age, but the scars and his missing arm as well as the untimely death of his parents as well as the man who took their lives would haunt him forever.

*****

Altea City gleamed amongst the dark night, stray cars flying by too quickly on the city streets, people enjoying the late evening, most likely looking for the hottest nightclub to party at to forget their weekly troubles. Yet, there were others who preyed in dark corners, watching and waiting for their chance to strike on those to loosen their constraints, making them easy pliable targets for pick-pocketers, robbers, and worse, sexual predators.

It was all Shiro could think about as he stared down at the city beneath him, a feeling that would make most think themselves on top of the world, but Shiro felt only melancholy. A doomed sense of irrational responsibility to protect the city from the evils he knew lurked around every back-end alleyway, every upper-class street, and behind office doors of their elected government officials. Of course Altea City wasn't all bad, it was charming and deemed one of the best places to live. It had good schools, nationally ranked low prices for affordable living, and decent work wages for all classes. Still like any city, there were some Shiro turned as he felt another presence creep up behind him, steadily shiro turned without hesitation hand already glowing in warning.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, a low threat to his tone much to his regret as blue eyes he once regarded with fondness and trust dimmed as they gazed over his distrustful stance over to his powerful arm which hadn't lowered since the other's arrival.

“Same as you, just ‘taking a stroll’ or ‘getting some air’.” Blue eyes smirked as Shiro or as he was known in that moment, Black Paladin flinched at his words that he once used were now thrown back at him.

“Look Kashi, I’m-"

“Don't call me that. I have a role same as you when I’m on the job and know that others cannot know my real identity. I expect you to respect that as I respect your hidden identity on the job, Blue Claw.” He spoke bitterly as Blue Claw glanced down ashamed.

“You’re right. I apologize. I won’t do it again.” Silence fell between them once more. Neither willing to speak next for fear of saying something wrong. This was the first time Shiro had seen him, like this that is, in the two months after he had found out followed by their mutual breakup.

If only it were as mutual as Shiro declared it to be.

“It’s very clear tonight.” Shiro glanced up to the stars his companion was looking at, his mask not blocking his sight of the twinkling gems. A rather fond memory that reminded him of tonight drifted up, something wistful overcoming his silent brooding as he allowed himself to bask in that evening he spent with the man beside him, back when he was just known as Lance McClain, his then boyfriend, potential fiancé, now ex.

“Do you remember that night when it was just like this?” Shiro glanced over to see the same wistful gaze on Blue Claw’s face. He knew the night he was fondly remembering was the same one he was currently thinking of.

“Yes, I was just thinking about it.” Shiro admitted. Lance, or rather, Blue Claw gazed back at him, expression hopeful which stirred up an awfully familiar feeling in Shiro’s gut bordering on longing.

“I still think about it you know. It’s probably one of my favorites memories..of us.” He tacked on that last part hesitantly, inching closer just slightly until Shiro stepped out of reach, putting distance between them causing a disappointed pout to appear on Lance's hidden face.

“I would assume the other memories are lying to my face about who you really are, and all your little ‘heists’ you performed while I ran after you like some kind of messed up cat and mouse game.” Shiro coldly spoke, a small part of him berating himself for putting that sad defeated look back on Lance’s face. He remembered seeing a more worser version that night they had the fight, he never wanted to see that expression on Lance's face again but here he was unable to hold back his anger towards the man he loved.

“I can’t lie to you, I did enjoy my ‘heists’ as you call them but for the last time, lying to you was never something I enjoyed. Especially after I found out who you were-are. I’m sorry for not being honest but you were dishonest with me too!” Shiro sharply turned to him at that, failing to come up with any retort since he had also lied, technically.

“What do you want Lance? To bring up more painful memories of our time together?” Shiro demanded forgetting his earlier rule about keeping their identities secret. Lance sighed, something in his expression forlorn and stance drooping from exhaustion that had Shiro wanting to take the other man in his arms and hold him, he clenched his fist at that realization.

“No, I wanted to ask a favor from you, since you’re the only person I can think of who can help out.” Lance stated eye hardening as did his posture, gone were the flirty playful days that Shiro never thought he would miss when he was chasing this man multiple nights before finding out who he was underneath the mask.

“If its to steal something-"

“No! God no, its just... It’s Lotor.” Shiro's eyes flashed upon hearing that name. He watched as Lance drew more into himself, completely vulnerable and small-looking as he gazed back at Shiro pleadingly.

“I think he's got himself involved in something bad. I suspect it's his mother but he's been blackmailing me into helping him. He found out who I am and what I do. Shiro, if I don't do what he says he... ” Lance’s breath stumbled then which had Shiro stepping forward immediately arms raised but hovering unsure as Lance kept on speaking.

“He’ll find some way to take back Silvio’s life support. He won't be on the donor list anymore and no matter how much support your charity did for him and others, he I mean, Lotor, he’ll... He’ll find some way to stop it and I can't do that to my family, we've worked so hard to help him recover.” Lance’s breath catches then, an arm reaching up to wipe his cheeks under the mask before he took a measured breath and gazed back at Shiro.

“So I need your help. Catching these guys and stopping whatever plan Lotor has in mind. Because if we don't, alot of kids could wind up dying, not just Silvio. Call me whatever you want, I deserve it, but I'm not going to stand by while innocent little kids get hurt.” Lance finished looking surprised as Shiro stepped forward, reaching out a hand for a handshake to both their shock.

“I’ll help you. Meet me at the mansion tomorrow after work, we’ll see if we can find some information then.” Shiro stated as Lance shook his hand agreeing to their allyship.

“Okay. Thank you, I, I cant thank you enough for helping me out Shiro. Really.” Lance stated as Shiro turned to face the city once more.

“Well, as you know I'm fond of helping anyone in trouble. Plus, you kept my late night hobby a secret surprisingly when you had ample amount of blackmail on me to give to the press.” Lance turned towards him with a frown, eyes hardened as he spoke,

“I would never tell anyone about your identity. In fact, Lotor was going to tell you about my identity as part of the blackmail. I figured I'd play along just to keep yours safe and what he doesn't know is for the better.” Lance states which caused Shiro to glance at him shocked.

“Lance, I...” but his words fell short. He was taken back by how sincere and respectful Lance was right now. With a newfound respect he thought he didn't have any left for this man, he drew back to his full height side eying him as a slight curl of his mouth drew up as he spoke, “Well, I'm glad I never liked him then. Knew there was something wrong with him.” Shiro smirked as Lance giggled, playfully punching Shiro in his side as the two chuckled over a long-running joke between them, almost like old times.

"Oh stop, you didn't like him because we dated, duh." Lance teased as Shiro merely shrugged in response.

"Isn't that reason enough?" Lance simply rolled his eyes playfully before settling back on heels, gazing across the city scape, trying to ignore the flutter in his belly.

"Tomorrow then?" He prompted, meeting Shiro's determined nod and matching it with one of his own. "I'll see you soon. Don't stay up too late, you'll be cranky in the morning." Lance chastised earning a scoff and head shake from the other before racing off, leaping and parkouring off buildings that sent a racing spike of uncertainty through Shiro's heart each time his legs left the safety of a flat surface. He wasn't sure whether he was ready to face Lance again after all that happened between them and considering he was still processing that Lance was Blue Claw the infamous cat burglar of Altea City, he wasn't sure if he should be helping Lance to begin with but the idea that Lotor would do something so treacherous as to deny some sick little kids a chance to be on the donor list after all they worked so hard to get on after many years, Shiro knew he wouldn't resist lending a hand. A small fact he noted, Lance knew about and could possibly be exploiting for his own use, but as soon as the idea came to him it left with a forcible shake of his head. Even if Lance was trying to get back at him, he would never in a million years drag his family into his hair-brained scheme, especially given how nice his family is, so welcoming and so bright despite the dark shadow of death looming over them constantly. No, Shiro wouldn't add to their troubles and to do that, he would have to work with his ex, no matter how painful it might be even after these two months of silence on both their ends. With a final sigh, Shiro turned away from the cityscape, ready to head home while reminding himself it was not because Lance suggested he get some rest, he knew he had to be on his toes both mentally and physically if he was going to help figure out this case as well as juggle being around his ex whom he still held feelings for. As Shiro climbed into his vehicle The Black Lion, the memory he and Lance had discussed earlier floated back to his mind and this time, he allowed himself to reflect over it as he drove through the streets.

It had been a clear night just like tonight with Shiro having sat on his bed staring out the windows towards the city skyline much like he was just doing. He had that nightmare again, the same one thats haunted him since he was ten years old and would never forget even with all the drugs and alcohol in the world.

"Shiro?" a soft voice called to him causing Shiro to turn towards the newcomer, thoughts no longer reflecting on one of the darkest nights of his life and instead on the brunette sashaying his way towards the bed, his night robe swinging along with the movement as he moved, before crawling onto the bed, gently easing himself in Shiro's lap, arms winding themselves around the hero's neck and shoulders, nuzzling into his chest, bringing forth a soft chuckle from the man. His boyfriend's cat-like tendencies never failed to amuse him, and knowing what he did now, it made perfect sense regarding Lance's altar ego. There were definite signs and Shiro would forever kick himself for missing the most obvious of them.

"I come over here after a particularly stressful shift to cheer you up, and you're not even noticing the lengths I went through just to primp myself out for you." Lance pouted hilariously as Shiro chuckled apologetically.

"Sorry sweetheart, I've got alot on my mind tonight." Shiro gazed back out towards the windows again, eyeing the same familiar lights in he distance as Lance watched him with a worried expression on his face.

"Do you want to tell me about them? I'm here to listen and you know I love it when you share stories of your past." Lance prompted, rubbing a soothing hand over Shiro's chest that had the hero thinking it over before nodding along.

"Yea..that might help." Shiro smiled easily embracing and falling into the arms wrapped around his chest as a hand soothingly pet his head, reassuring strokes running through the strands of his forelock giving him waves of comfort as he began to ramble about his parents.

That night had been the night he shared what he remembered about the incident. Lance was supportive and patient throughout his rambling, interjecting with a hum or gasp when appropriate, and even when Shiro got frustrated with himself Lance was right there to pull him out of his head, keep him from drowning it felt like.

Reflecting over that memory usually felt soft and calm, like everything in his body was floating like some kind of high, now he felt only bitterness and sadness as he pondered whether all of that was also a ploy just to find out his identity. Shiro had to once again remind himself Lance wasn't that kind of person, he was too kind and thoughtful to pretend to care about someone emotionally and physically the way he cared about Shiro but ultimately, he still lied about himself and acted selfishly in regards to withholding certain information involving Shiro's 'night-time activities'. No, the issue wasn't Lance and whether or not Shiro could trust him, the person he still didn't trust was Blue Claw and if they would be working together, he would proceed with utmost caution because working with a thief like him proved you had to be careful around tricksters. They could weasel themselves into the darkest corners of your mind and no matter how charmingly goofy they acted, it was all just a game cause one-second they're flirting with you, and then the next thing you realize, they have a gun against your back, finger ready to pull the trigger.

#shance #batman inspired au #minor character death #violence and blood #limb is cut off #angst #emotional hurt/comfort #not sure what else to tag this as

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when-the-spring-dies · 3 years

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Azumaya Sakurai (ENG)

LIFE IS a constant battle between Sakurai and God. Ever since he was born, nothing good served on his plate. On Monday, it would be pain; on Tuesday, it would be despair; on Wednesday, it would be violence; on Thursday, it would be regret; on Friday, it became milder, shame; on Saturday and Sunday, Lord gave him a little bit mercy and fun with lust.

Had Sakurai plead for more mercies, God might send him a packet of blessing every day. But no one ever taught the man how to kneel down or to slosh in tears, asking for forgiveness and hoping the heaven belonged to him. But for once, he saw and heard his parents shouting: “God! Oh, God! Forgive me. God!” while raising a kitchen knife. Later, they thrusting at each other with it, still calling out for anybody’s God.

When the shouting stopped and the red river claimed the lifeless builds, Sakurai crawled on top of them. His dark hair which inherited from his mother and his sharp strong-willed eyes gifted by his father, shaped him like a vulture in a huntㅡready to devour the corpse before flies and maggots joined the feast.

For days, he sucked on his mother’s stiff nipples, but no milk calmed his hunger; all left was dried blood and maggots eddying around him. They nudged his weakened cheek and hand several times as if inviting the boy to play. But he was too hungry to move and his mother’s warmth had gone, so he did what a three years old would do: crying. And when the vocal cords couldn’t support another weep, he fell asleep.

Days passed, Sakurai was saved. He didn’t know who and when, but what he faced once he woke up was a woman dressed in white, carrying him while feeding something unfamiliar. A year later, he learned that he fed from a cow and he loved it. He loved it more than his mother’s which he couldn’t recall the taste anymore.

Everything became blurred to him. How his parents look like? What nickname did they give him? What was the title of his favorite bedtime story? All those memories dead along with his parents.

Fighting over flower scented blanket or new donated toys was the usual activity. Some kids would use their fist and the others would cry. The strongest got the blanket and the toys while the weak ones bawled together in the corner of the room. Sakurai believed they shouldn’t cry because later, once someone took them away, they would have their own toys and bedroom. Just like Nanao who left with an uncle who had big belly, she sent some pictures where she went to the Disneyland and stuffed her pink bedroom with dolls from there.

Soon, Sakurai figured that not every child who left the orphanage could have a beautiful life like Nanao. He remembered he held hands with his fellow orphans, dressed in all black, following the caretakers who cried while hugging a photo of a kid named Genta. They said Genta was beaten and starved until he passed. The police arrested his adopted parents and threw them into jail.

After Genta’s death, everyone became murky. None of them excited whenever they were told to line up or to hear: “The parents are here!”. Sakurai saw them and himself like the goods being sold in the market. And it was just his luck that a woman dressed in kimono took interest in him. She said he looked handsome and not so Japanese; that his records showed he behaved well.

For a week, Sakurai who lived for only six years on earth, felt nervous. Would he end up like Genta? But did he have anything to lose? He didn’t even know how the future would like.

So he left with Makoto, the woman’s name. She took him to Gion, Kyoto, where she worked as a geisha in her early twenties. Now she in her middle thirties, no one interested being entertained by her. And with her charming mind, Makoto opened a restaurant which serving her hometown delicacies to tourists and the tea houses’ visitors.

Sakurai didn’t end up like Genta and didn’t end up like Nanao. He ended up as Azumaya Sakurai, the adopted son of Nakamura Makoto. Every morning he helped his mother to clean the restaurant and went to school with his friends from the same neighborhood. He grew up bright and playful. Everyone loved him, but some couldn’t help to tease him for being parentless and for being adopted by Makoto.

One afternoon, Sakurai got home with cuts and bruises. Makoto asked him if he were falling or fought someone. And the answer was the latter. “I defeated them,” he said. “Then, I’ll make sure to visit your school tomorrow,” she said.

After Makoto patched his wounds, Sakurai asked her if she didn’t want to know the reason of his fight. And with a motherly smile, she said, “I know the fight is for me. Thank you, Saku-kun. If I were born as a real woman, you wouldn’t need to through this embarrassment.”

And Sakurai yelled in rage: “What was the purpose of the sentence?” For him who left by his parents and knew nothing about how warm a mother’s love could be, Makoto was the most beautiful mother in the universe. Even when she turned into ashes.

Sakurai forgot how to count. He forgot how to count the times he had cried over Makoto’s full name on a tiny jar. It was unreal how he could feel a great sadness in his heart.

The aching, the yearning, and the emptiness he experienced, every single of it were for Makoto; for his mother. That day, Sakurai had his first conversation with God to condemn Him. My mother would still alive if You didn’t allow those drunkard yakuzas came in. I hate You!

An eleven years old boy who grew up with manner didn’t know how to cuss properly. Even when a stranger held him in his arms, Sakurai got nothing to say but to ask: “Who are you?”

His dark long silky hair swayed beautifully as he walked. And his droopy but keen eyes stared at him tenderly, just like Makoto’s. “I’m Makoto’s little brother. So, you are my responsibility now. But because Makoto didn’t have a good relation with our family, you should work harder than everyone else to gain the Oyabun’s favor.”

“I’m sorry, but who is Oyabun?”

Nobody said anything. Not even the men in the front row of the car, they were as quite as the dead. But once the car stopped and a grand gate appeared behind the tinted window, the man opened his mouth: “The Head of Sui-kai, my father.”

General Information

Name: Azumaya Sakurai (東屋櫻井)

CV: Howl

Place and Date of Birth: Tokyo, September 13 1991

Gender: Male

Height and Weight: 188 cm and 87 kg

Blood Type: A

Education: Bachelor of Science Communication University W

Job: Yakuza mentor to Hanase, Vice President of Celestial Entertainment, (former) kindergarten teacher

Outfit: Simple modern black suit, tracksuits, and hoodie

Pants: Anything that's comfortable

Shoes: Classic shoes (Oxford/Chelsea), sneakers

Tattoo: Irezumi style (on the back)

Accessories: Watches, earrings, and a belt

Perfume: Gentleman by Givenchy

Weapons: Daggers, swords, knives, and fists

Favorite Food: Anything

Favorite Drinks: Whiskey, tea

Favorite Cigarette: Camel Wide

Group: Murakami-gumi, Sui-kai (former)

Pets: Kyosuke, Hanase, Otsuka, You.

Personality

MBTI: INFP Alignment: Lawful Evil/Good Keywords: Analytical, intelligent, reserved, critical, helpful, conscientious

Usually, Sakurai is a good-hearted man. He is sensitive to his surroundings and tend to help his peers in need. Generally, he is respectable, hard-working, and bright in knowledge and practical matters. Everyone will search for him when they need advices.

Sakurai doesn’t enjoy spotlight. He prefers standing in the background as long as he is appreciated for doing things well. He may brush off people’s compliment harshly which leads to uncomfortable situation, but honestly, he’s just shy.

Not everyone knows that Sakurai is honestly a playful and has mischievous sense of humor. He’s a bright person who enjoys life and freedom; he loves to travel the world and meeting new people, creating many lovely memories.

Sakurai doesn’t like to hold back due to his temperamental nature. He’ll dealing with his problems right away so he can get on with other things. He secretly enjoys trouble and confrontations, stagnant life isn’t for him. And some people can’t hate him deeply because of his childlike innocence.

Even so, Sakurai used to live as a soldier; the knight in fairytale stories. He lives listening to the Lord’s command, not the one in command. He’ll submit and do the tasks bestowed upon him, bringing the victory for his Lord.

He is chained by the destiny. He is forced to do what his heart refused to do. All the blood, the suffering, the dying souls in the battlefield, he must weight them on his shoulders for years to come; eating up the little light inside him.

How to trigger him? Anyone who breaks the rules and creates a chaos will not live peacefully until they pay for their actions. Sakurai doesn’t get along with people who have bad manners and direct or abrasive expression of feelings. Not only they’ll keep fighting, but Sakurai has tendency to give in (avoiding conflict) and let the person always bullies him.

Physical Statistics

STRENGTH (2,205lb/1,000kg)

CONSTITUTION

stamina: 100%

endurance: 100%

vitality: 100%

recovery: 85%

resistance: 90%

fortitude: 100%

resilience: 85%

DEXTERITY

agility: 90%

accuracy: 97%

Mental Statistics

INTELLIGENCE (90%)

CHARISMA

presence: 100%

charm: 100%

social skills: 100%

PERCEPTION

awareness: 100%

POWERS

interrogation (4/5)

firearms (3/5)

hand-to-hand combat (5/5)

intimidation (5/5)

manipulation (3/5)

skilled acrobat (4/5)

multilingual (English, Korean, Japanese) (4/5)

technology (4/5)

Trivia

He has affectionate nature.

He has more networking with older people than younger ones.

Stamina King.

Twitching his eyebrows and gripping his buckle when he’s mad or irritated.

Changing his home or office interior regularly.

Controlling his sensitive side with working out and cleaning home (loves domestic works).

Discount Maniac, he knows when the supermarket will have great deals.

Contributed to society as a health instructor for the senior citizens.

Yes to extreme sports, not much scared of anything; even the dark side of human nature.

Love music and art, Makoto taught him.

Can’t sleep alone, he collects bear dolls to accompany him or sleeping with someone instead.

Cover Up Tattoo

#profile #backgroundstory

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khrow-shinku · 4 years

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The Great War S2

D&D 5e Campaign The Great War Session 2 Ara follows Rin back to her room. Rin tells Ara to start by dropping her illusion and show her who she is really talking to. Ara obliges, takes a deep breath and then explains. “I’m not a demon. I’m a tiefling, I hid it because I was raised with the belief that a lot of people view tieflings as evil and as such tieflings get a lot of bigotry directed at them and hunted by paladins. So my mother when I was very young taught me how to use the illusion spell to hide my tail and horns. I can’t really use the spell to alter my appearance in any other way, however I’m able to hide just those bits. My mother spent every day training me until I could do it at will and hold it at all times. She was so scared of someone trying to kill me. She did the same thing with herself, hiding her features too and never really talked about our lineage, however she died when I was 7.” Rin’s eyes began to water as she thought about how hard that had to have been. She hugged Ara and said into her ear gently “Oh you poor thing, I had no idea that tieflings had it that rough. I am so so sorry.” Ara responded; “Yeah, I mean sure some tieflings are bad but my mom just owned a bakery and wanted to see people smile from her food. She was just trying to live a normal life.”Rin pulled back, stealed herself and continued to ask questions. Rin asked her; “Did you know anything about those demons and why did you feel the need to kill that dragonborn so bad, and why did he seem to know you?” Ara took another deep breath, “I don’t know about the demons. No clue why they were here or why the dragonborn killed them and not us. As for why I was so intent on killing the dragonborn, you see my father was a dragonborn from an assassin clan, he left the clan in pursuit of a normal life. He did not like killing, he dreamed of being a world renowned blacksmith. However his clan didn’t accept that. He would be in the family business or die to prevent any leaks of info about them. After he had managed to keep himself hidden for years they finally caught up to him. And yes he was a gold dragonborn so he was good, his clan is good for the most part… and that is why I’ve got the natural affinity for fire magic and thanks to my mother it is amplified. But I digress, I believe he knew who I was because he was from that clan. I have no clue why he was testing us, or why he didn’t kill me. I figured as my father’s child I would have been marked for death if they knew about me. Maybe he was an uncle or cousin? I have no clue. I was going to ask him but he fled. Sorry I don’t have more answers for you than that but this is all I know. Now you also understand, please don’t smite me now.” Rin hugs Ara again and tells her “Don’t be scared. I won’t tell anyone however I believe you should tell them yourself when you're ready. Honesty will be important in helping our group bond as we move forward if we are going to stop this.” Ara for the first time since her mother died felt the most sincere warmth from another person. Sure her father loved her but it was awkward as any father daughter would be. Resnoa while a very nice woman Ara knew Resnoa’s kindness was as much for her own benefit as it was for Ara’s. Rin’s kindness felt different, it felt like Rin wanted nothing in return. For the first time Ara embraced Rin back. After their long embrace Ara looked at Rin and said, “Well with that out of the way, we need to go and question the bartender and his niece. They bolted out of here fast, a bit too fast.” Rin stops Ara and responds, “Yes we do but not tonight. For tonight we need to sleep. We’ve been through a lot tonight so please sleep for now.” Ara nodded and went back to her room. Everyone else had left to go to bed too except for 2.

By this time Tinkerman had finished replacing and improving the door downstairs and had a discussion with the knights while the rogue hung out in the corner being all creepy. The Knights thanked Tinkerman for replacing the door, it made things easier on him. He also explained that some mages would be by in the morning to clean up the dead bodies and told them all to get some sleep he would likely need statements from everyone the next day. Tinkerman came upstairs into Rin’s room to find her already in bed and climbed into his bag to do his thing for the night and the rogue went to his room as well. In the middle of the night a large gentleman rents a room and enters the establishment, the sound of his large stature creaking through the halls and vibrating the floor wakes Ara up with a mild orgasm, confused about what just happened, she goes back to sleep.

The next morning the party comes down and has breakfast. At which time they meet their new party member hired by the queen of this empire, not the one who hired them. He introduced himself as Grimgore Shrike, the loxodon cleric.(loxodons have the head and size of an elephant but the body of a man). He explains that he was hired to help them by his queen after she had learned they did not have a cleric in their party. The party quickly realizes that he has 2 volumes, loud and louder. A wandering mute mage, stops in just to eat. Upon hearing the loud boisterous loxodon she puts a dampening spell on him that only lowers the volume of his voice on her way out. After they eat Rin and Ara start asking the bartender questions and find out he was just doing as he was trained to do by the town guard. When trouble happened they were to go get a knight and let them handle it and that was all he knew about any of it. He then had questions of his own like what the hell happened after he went to get the knights. Rin and Ara explain what had happened and the barkeep said his thanks for them trying to defend his bar. The party now turned their attention to something that had been on everyone’s mind since last night, the bag of medallions. Lolxsis tried to see if they were magical, and while yes they were, there was not a specific spell attached to them more like just a general magical essence attached to it. Ara, not wanting to wait around and take it slow after seeing the one in Lolxsis’s hand glow, just dumped the bag out, and each one almost magically tried to fall closer to one of the people in the room except for 3. They began investigating them. Ara and Tinkerman due to their backgrounds in metals and alloy work could tell that the metals used in the medallions were all naturally occurring in the world however the alloy made with them was unusual. They had never seen the materials combined in this way to make an alloy and this was essentially an unknown alloy. Once each person picked up the one closest to them and examined it, each attached itself to the appropriate person and hid itself in a way that would disguise it. The party not sure what this was about and no way to know anything more at the moment chose to follow up on the only thing they knew right now, the queen here was sick, and a wizard showed up to town around the same time and left shortly after she had fallen ill.

Once at the queen’s castle, Grim, Tinkerman, and Rin gather around the queen and do their miracle stuff and heal the queen and remove the poison that was plaguing her. After she woke she asked why all of these people were here and who were they. The party explained themselves and the queen was confused as she hired no cleric. It was at this time her handmaiden walked in and explained she had hired them in her stead as she saw the party had no cleric and thought it best she send them assistance per the agreement she had made with the queen of Urildyr. The queen of Dustreodan nodded and said “Ok that makes sense well, I don’t mean to be rude but I’m not presentable at the moment to have guests so please leave and come back in an hour, I need time to make myself proper.” The party leaves the castle and heads outside to kill some time. At this time news is brought to them that the orphanage caretaker requests an audience with them. So Tinkerman, Rin, and Grim head over there while the rest of the party waits outside the castle for news to come back in.

At the orphanage, the patron running it had some questions for them. She was curious what had happened to her, she felt as if she was 5 years younger and her illness was completely gone. She was baffled to say the least, the trio explained that their attempt to heal her worked a bit too well and they actually made her 5 years younger. While yes she was better now, if the illness was of natural causes it could and likely would come back eventually someday. She responded informing them that it was not of natural causes that this pesky wizard who came into town had done something to her so now that he was no longer in town she wouldn’t have to worry about getting it again and now she had 5 years added to her life. She was so overjoyed that she fainted, the trio laid her down in her bed and got her back awake so that the children would not be left unattended when they left to go back to the castle. She thanked them for everything and with that the trio rejoined with the rest of the party at the castle.

The entire party now back together at the castle, they go in and sit down at the royal meeting table to discuss things. However before they get the chance to, there are attackers raiding her castle and they manage to get by her guards but only just. The party quickly springs to their feet, JJJ checks the door and sees 2 men approaching it and steps back and readies his shield. Lolxsis fires a firebolt at the 1st one and kills it. The queen and her handmaiden get behind everyone in the corner. Rin looks back at them and tells them “Don’t be scared, the party will protect them” and runs to the door. Her arrow misses but her firebolt hits and kills the 2nd one. Grim charges through the door and looks down the hall to see 2 more and fires a guiding bolt killing the 3rd and tries to kill the 4th but he dodges out of the way of the cleric’s sacred flames. Ara, looking to get some brownie points with the queen hoping she can talk her way into her bed later, looks back at the queen and says. “Don’t worry beautiful, I’ve got this.” She runs out the door as well and fires a scorching ray so intense it vaporized every trace of the 4th one’s being from existence. She then pulls her finger up to her lips and blows the smoke coming from the tip and says loud enough for the queen and her handmaiden to hear, “No one lays a finger on my girls.” At that time a 5th guy runs through the door and Grim and Ara give their most intimidating looks and he turns around to flee and grim smacks him with a sleep spell as he runs away. The party then gathers at the table again with the queen and her handmaiden and as they do, Ara puts her hand on the queen’s leg and lightly strokes it while winking at her and saying, “Told you I’d take care if it, now let’s continue our discussion, beautiful.”

#the great war #d&d5e #d&d #campaign #homebrew #session 2

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