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#inn stash
innsstash · 3 months
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So tantalizing ~
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And so out of reach
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goldenempyrean · 3 months
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An Icy Plunge
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〚 Notes - Life's been busy! New job, exams, writers block (only for sickfics too which is beyond annoying) but here's a little something which I thought of while rewatching BlackWidow an hour or so ago - I did sob at the end credits of course.. 〛
〚 Pairing - Natasha Romanoff x Reader 〛
〚 Summary - As a result of falling into the icy Norwegian waters, Nat ends up getting sick as you two make your way to Budapest. 〛
〚 Wordcount - 1400 〛
〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙
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“I told you we should’ve tried to get you warmed up properly.” You sighed quietly, more to yourself then anything as Nat sniffled softly. Her head resting on your shoulder as the pair of you sat at the back of a crowded train carriage. 
It had been almost 2 days since both you and Natasha were ambushed by an unknown person on your drive into town. Nat had taken the brunt of their attack, in turn, getting herself kicked off a bridge, plunging down into the icy Nordic waters below. 
She was fine for the most part, only a handful of bruises which all things considered, she got away pretty lucky. But there’d been a picture attached to the glowing band of red vials that she’d stashed in her pockets and by the time you had made your way down to the riverside to help her out of the water, Nat had already come up with a plan. 
You were going to Budapest. 
You hadn’t wanted to pry too much; she had told you it had something to do with her sister, but you didn’t know all the exact details – you still had some questions. All you knew was that Budapest was the place Nat thought she’d get the answers to her own questions, so that was where you were going. 
With both yourself and Natasha being global fugitives, getting to Budapest wasn’t as simple as hopping on board the first commercial plane. You were going to have to do this the hard way. It had taken almost half an hour to walk your way to the nearest town from the river, by the time you arrived, Nat was shivering helplessly beside you. 
The temperate was already in the low minuses as it was, but that icy water must’ve been excruciatingly cold. Even with your jacket draped over her, it was clear to see she was freezing.  
“Do you think we should stay in a hostel or something for the night? You’ll get hypothermia if you stay in those clothes. We can leave at first light.” You had offered as the two of you made your way deeper into the town, passing by a small convenience store. 
Natasha seemed to debate your offer, nodding her head after a moment as she fought back another shiver, “Yeah, that’s probably best.” She agreed, before looking around and pointing to a charity shop in the distance, “They’ll sell clothes in there, can you go get us a bed?” She asked, nodding back at an inn you’d walked past earlier. 
You agreed with Natasha's plan, and she headed towards the shop while you made your way to the inn. The place seemed quaint from the outside, but you couldn't shake the feeling that it might be a little too rustic for comfort. However, beggars couldn't be choosers, and you hoped it would at least provide a warm bed for the night. 
The innkeeper was a gruff-looking man who eyed you suspiciously as you inquired about a room for the night. "We got a room, but don't expect any luxury here. No hot water tonight, and the heating is barely working," he warned. 
Well, you had a bed atleast. 
The innkeeper handed you a key, and you made your way up the creaky staircase to find your room. The space was small and dimly lit, with a single window covered by thin curtains that did little to keep out the harsh cold.  
You had a double bed so that was a positive you’d supposed. It was honestly comical the amount of times you and Nat had to share a small single bed together, but it wasn’t like you minded that anyway. Talking of Nat, she’d only been 10 minutes or so behind. Shuffling into the room with some rough but warmer looking clothes bundled under her arm. 
“Get what you needed love?” You asked, as she began to strip out of her soaked clothes. 
“The pants aren't exactly my style, but they’ll be better than these,” She sighed, taking her new clothes and heading into the tiny attached bathroom, “I’ll try hang these wet ones to dry.”  
When she came out, she looked more like herself, although the lingering chill was still evident in her eyes. "I could really use a hot shower right about now." she mumbled, rubbing her pale hands together in an attempt to generate some warmth. 
"Sorry about that," you apologised sympathetically, "The guy at the desk mentioned there's no hot water tonight. I can go check out town a little to see if there’s anywhere, you’d be able to get one, clothes can only do so much to warm you up." 
She shook her head, “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.” Natasha sighed, but she didn't complain. Instead, she walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers, fully dressed. You joined her, wrapping your arms around her to share body heat. The cold from the room made the close contact comforting rather than stifling. 
The night passed with the two of you huddled together for warmth. The room, despite its lack of amenities, did provide some respite from the biting cold outside. The next morning, you awoke to the soft light filtering through the thin curtains and the sound of Natasha stirring beside you. 
"Morning," you greeted, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. 
Natasha groaned in response, her voice sounding hoarse and congested. "Morning," 
Your brow creased in worry at the sound of her voice, “You don’t sound too good honey, I knew we should’ve gotten you into a hot shower.” Your hand came to cup her face, your thumb drawing soft circles on her subtly flushed cheeks. 
Natasha shifted uncomfortably, her hand reaching up to touch her forehead. "I'll be fine," She tried to offer a weak smile but was quickly replaced by a damp sneeze. It’s probably just a little cold. Besides, we can't afford to stay here too long anyway. We need to get to Budapest," she insisted 
Despite Natasha's insistence that she would be fine, it was clear that she wasn't in the best shape. She sniffled and shivered under the covers; her body temperature higher than it should be. Still, she pushed herself to get up. 
"I'll be alright," she reassured you, her voice wavering slightly. "Let's get going. We can't afford to waste any more time." 
You reluctantly agreed, helping her gather her things and head downstairs. The innkeeper gave you both a sceptical look as you settled the bill, and you couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for not being able to pay for a more comfortable stay. Nevertheless, you and Natasha made your way to the bus station, where you boarded a bus bound for the nearest train station. 
The bus had dropped you off at a larger town where you had to transfer to a train. The train station was bustling with people all rushing about, and you held Nat’s hand as the pair of you navigated through the crowds before coming to a ticket stand where you both bought tickets to take you to the border, from there you’d have to take a ferry to get into mainland Europe then another 2 or 3 trains to finally arrive in Budapest. It wasn’t a direct journey by any means, the several stops, long distances and changes meant it was going to take a few days to get there at the minimum. 
This had led you to where you were now. A couple hours or so into your long journey to the border with Nat resting on your shoulder, small stuffy breaths coming from her parted lips.  
She sneezed suddenly, a sharp sound that seemed to startle even herself. She looked at you with a mix of surprise and irritation, as if the sneeze had betrayed her. 
You couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Bless you," you said, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead. The skin felt warm against your lips, and you couldn't ignore the worry gnawing at you. Natasha sighed, leaning into your touch for a moment. 
"Thanks," she mumbled, her voice still raspy. "I hate being sick." 
"I know, love," you replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Once we get to the border, we'll find a pharmacy or something but for now just try to catch up on some sleep, okay?” 
“We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.” 
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whispereons · 9 months
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Oracle!Reader Part 11
Masterlist - Part 1, Part 10, Part 12
As always this is your warning! This au is dark, violent and sad at times. It's imposter sagau which is already yandere and stuff. Blood, graphic description of violence is in it.
The flower pin was rough under your fingertips as it's stashed away into your bag. A keepsake for Kuan now that the chances of her body being found without life were higher. If not certain already.
"The meeting must have gone poorly to say the least. Treasure hoarders are greedy by nature, they must have spiked the price to insane heights."
Xingqiu pushes the chunks of metal off the road as he comments on his theory. Tracks are slowly revealed leading both ways of the path.
"Which way now? They probably kept the victims together so should we split up or stay together?" Chongyun asks as you all stand together looking at the split path.
Both paths had multiple footprints, but it was hard to tell which were from fighting or fleeing. Xingqiu opens the tracking and hunting book as he flips through it.
"There was a chapter on footprints, it can probably help us know which way to go. And hopefully how long ago too."
Nodding absentmindedly, you carefully step around the tracks and compare the amount of child-sized on the left to the ones on the right. There were at least twice as many on the left than the right.
"Hey Chongyun I think they went left; can you see if the smaller footprints fade out or turn around on the right path?"
"Sure" He's gone quickly and Xingqiu joins you in the left path as he compares the text in the book to what he's seeing.
"The small tracks are digging deeper at the front meaning they must have been running. If they were just fighting, there would have been more of a bump. It would be easier to tell if there was less blood, but our best bet seems to be the left path."
"The left leads deeper into Liyue to the Minlin region, right? That's good since the mountains are too tough to get off the path with that many children but the path leads to Jueyun Karst too."
"Should I even ask how you're so familiar with the Minlin region?"
"Do you really want a repeat of the event earlier?"
"You both better not be fighting again." Chongyun butts in as he jogs back. He's holding something in his hands and stretches them out revealing the item.
"The footprints there were all grown so you were right about it being left Y/N. I also found this Fatui insignia." The blue and gold design of a sergeant insignia was stained with dried blood and dirt.
"I believe there's a good chance that the treasure hoarders managed to escape with the hostages. That would explain why the fatui agent tried to settle a 'debt' with us before."
"Then let's not waste any time, if we don't hurry, they might try to get off the path." Picking up the pace you all follow the left path and keep quiet for any signs of the victims.
As you continue past the scenery and occasional animals your mind lingers on the possibility of them going off the path or not. They definitely could if they knew the area well enough, but something is nagging you that you're missing something.
If the deal went well, the hoarders would have used the cart to drive away. It's doubtful that they would go back to the harbor with their crime so recent but going on the right path wouldn't work either.
The right path would have led them past Wangshu Inn which was like a game over since Xiao isn't all that subtle. Or to Mingyun village which was where the Fatui would have left to. They would have met up in that village and fight there instead of here so that's out too. That leaves only the left path which leads straight to Jueyun Karst.
That would be a bad option but unlike Wangshu Inn that's surrounded by water, they could escape south to the ruins. So, the hoarders would be going left either way. So whatever way they planned on escaping is canceled due to the hostages. Why did you still feel like you were forgetting something?
Your hand tightens around the strap of your bag as the path gets rocky. Maybe if you reread the commission you could remember?
Not slowing down you dig the handbook out and read the commission list. Your eyes stop on the commission that stands out the most.
Full Speed Ahead - The path is needed for a transportation vehicle moving people. Make sure the path is clear within the time limit. Defeating enemies may be necessary.
The path needed is the bridge that leads into Jueyun Karst. The vehicle in the commission isn't specified nor the reason. Did they plan to cross that bridge before escaping through the bottom mountain?
Right now, it was the only idea of what direction they could be taking, you had to get to that bridge. Stuffing the handbook back into your bag, you start to speed up.
"I think I have an idea on where they went! We need to get to the bridge that leads to Jueyun Karst."
The look they shoot you is ignored as you draw closer to the bridge. Even still, they match your pace before you all slow down at the sight of the bridge.
The bridge had multiple slimes crowding it as it swayed at the weight. Wasn't this bridge a safety hazard? Those gaps are big enough that a whole person could slide out.
"I see a group on the other side!" Xingqiu says loudly over the sound of the bouncing slimes. You look where he's pointing and can see a rough group of six people.
Chongyun takes a step on the bridge but is instantly pushed back by the slimes. Frowning he speaks with the slightest hint of worry.
"We can't cross with all those slimes but if we fight them, the bridge might collapse. We would need to go all the way around and that would not only put those people in danger but let the hoarders get farther."
"Then let's think outside the box, who says fighting is our only option?" Grinning with confidence you push past the guys and step on the bridge.
Trying not to look down the bridge you grip the rope tightly and watch the slimes start to crowd you. Unlike with the geovishap hatchlings, you didn't plan to just stay still.
Three cryo slimes tackle your legs at the same time but miss as you dodge it. The slimes fall through the wide gaps giving you more leg room.
With that you begin to quickly pick up the 'safer' slimes like the hydro and geo slimes before chucking them off. You were careful not to let the pyro or electro slimes touch you and simple dodged them.
"What are you two doing standing there?! Come and help me already!"
Your words seem to snap them out of whatever daze they were in before they ran to join you. As vision holders their bodies had some natural resistance to the slime's elemental bodies. You witnessed Chongyun pick up two pyro slimes with ease as you kicked a dendron slime off. He didn't even get a single burn!
The number of slimes dwindled down quickly till there only a handful of hydro slimes. You expected them to try to run away or charge at you but instead they simply circled you before gurgling happily.
Throwing off one of the hydro slimes you finally looked down to see that all the slimes were safely at the bottom. You did have the maximum world level 8 so fall damage must not be enough to kill them.
In your confusion you picked up the next one and bluntly asked. "Do you guys enjoy being thrown off like this?"
It smiled with 'closed' eyes almost exactly like you would see in the game as the last two hydro slimes jumped around happily. You looked up at Chongyun and Xingqiu who gave you an equally confused stare.
Shit this might have been another creator perk. If the slimes don't enjoy being thrown by them, then the guys will start to suspect you again. That means precious time and energy wasted, Yiran can't afford that.
"Can you both check up on the group while I finish these slimes. Clearing this path was also one of my commissions."
Chongyun stops mid-grab before nodding. Xingqiu is unfortunately less cooperative.
"We helped you with your commission, surely you'll let us take some of the prize too."
"Aren't you all for justice and chivalry? It's very unrighteous of you to try and steal from the poor and needy." You respond with a shrug as the last slime gets happily thrown off.
It may come from the perk of being the creator but it's still a bit creepy how much they like being thrown off the bridge. But the slimes are also quite cute, so it's forgiven.
The whole creator cult thing was a different story.
"Well then shouldn't you-" "That's enough, the bridge is clear let's get going."
Cutting off Xingqiu you begin to lightly push him across the bridge. Although he does stop talking, he begins to lean even more on your hands.
Man was he heavy, the game didn't exactly give the best body portions. Xingqiu looked quite slim, but sword training gives muscles and Xingqiu is not exception.
He even had the nerve to take out a book and begin reading leaving you with the job of pushing him.
A nice little prank is schemed as you pushed him quietly to the end of the bridge where Chongyun was waiting for you both.
Chongyun turns in your direction and sighs tiredly at Xingqiu's antics. Xingqiu begins to close the book and you smile secretively. With a quick sidestep, your hands leave his back and he falls backward onto the bridge.
The teens begin to laugh as the adults control their laughter better. You smirk down at the annoyed Xingqiu as he moves his book off his face.
"Since I did the manual labor of pushing you all the way here, I'm sure you'll let me keep the full reward."
"Fuck you" You simply flip him off before turning to the elderly man and adults with a pleasant smile.
"Hello, which one of you had filed this bridge as a commission?" Money came first, you didn't want the commissioner to slip away. You didn't even have to worry about the time limit due to the amount of slimes you had to throw off.
"That would be me, thank you for your work." The elderly man hands you the bag of rewards. You turn around to where Chongyun was helping Xingqiu up.
"You did help so do you want a portion of the rewards?"
"I only accept the base fee for exorcism jobs. It was your idea that made it possible to cross so I don't need any mora." He shakes his head firmly and you nod in acceptance.
More mora for you after all! Pocketing the money, you ignore Xingqiu who's holding out his hand for some of the reward. He tsk'd at your action as Chongyun sighs tiredly at the conflict between you two.
"I do have another commission about a kidnapping case. A group of treasure hoarders kidnapped two adults, some teenagers, and children. We followed the path here, are you part of the group that were kidnapped?" You direct your question to the adults and teenagers as they begin to sigh in relief.
"Yes, but we're only part of the group." The first adult who looks to be an older woman speaks with tears of relief. "After we were taken, we got to a clearing of some sort in Guilt Plains and the Fatui were there. We tried to escape when they began to fight but we were caught."
"When we got to the bridge the slimes were starting to crowd it, so they tied us on the other end and crossed the bridge with the children and a few teenagers. Thankfully Mr. Dao untied us, and we helped him cross the bridge." The second adult a man who couldn't be older than 20 explained with a hoarse voice.
"There's no way we could defeat the hoarders to save the children and the bridge was overfilled with slimes. But not only did you clear the bridge, but you all seem strong enough to save the kids. Please save them, my son is still with them too." The woman clasps her hands with budding tears as she looks at you.
"The information you gave us is invaluable. I can assure you that we'll keep working on this case." Carefully picking your words, you do your best to comfort the mother. Her gaunt figure and poorly maintained features are a clear indicator of her poverty. She's not the first mother you've seen suffer like this in poverty.
"May the creator bless you with luck in all that you do." She whispers pressing her lips against her hands. Muttered prayers are carried by the wind as you begin climbing up the path with the quiet vision holders.
The mood in your group is somber from the earlier conversation. Leaves flutter in the air with the rising height and birds circle the mountain. After crossing a small wooden bridge, you all get to an archway with a blue tile roof, and a large bell hangs motionlessly above. Small statues of frogs litter the area seeming to watch you.
There were also mini stone statues of you too. Fancy clothes adorn the small statues with a matching hat. It was cute but it seemed to remind Chongyun and Xingqiu that you were all entering the adepti area.
They both hesitate at the gate with conflicted expressions. Neither of them have the sigil of permission and you sure as hell don't have one. They probably could enter while you were playing as it was under the creator's command but that didn't apply here.
Even still you grab their hands and drag them past the gate. "Why are you two standing there like idiots? There are children scared out of their mind with no clue on whether help is coming or not."
"This is the home of the adepti, without a sigil of permission we aren't allowed to enter less we face punishment." Xingqiu speaks but he still allows you to pull him.
"What's more important? The lives of innocent children or the privacy of beasts that are meant to protect the lives of people of Liyue which would include those children. If the adepti can't forgive our intrusion, then they are shameful to the creator. And the creator's will overpowers all others."
You release their hands and continue hiking. Both boys walk at your swift pace with a seemingly fond look. It seems that creator perk of them becoming inclined to you is starting to affect them.
After a while you all find a man sitting on a small structure with an axe by his side. The sun is already starting to creep down, but you need a break. Chongyun starts walking to the man but not before saying, "I'll ask him for any information. You aren't used to this terrain yet Y/N, rest up in the meantime."
Were you really that obvious? In embarrassment you pat away the dust and dirt from your clothes. The snicker from Xingqiu makes you glare at him with a flustered face.
"Quit laughing before I push you off this mountain." Your mumble only makes him laugh at you more. Fed up, you shoulder him making him stumble at the unexpected action.
Now annoyed he moves to shoulder you back, but Chongyun is already pulling you behind him.
"Xingqiu can you stop fighting with Y/N?"
"Chongyun it isn't good to misunderstand situations like these. They really started it this time."
"I have no clue what he's talking about. I was tired and started to lean on Xingqiu. It's not my fault he wasn't strong enough to hold up my weight."
Xingqiu chuckles in disbelief at your innocent words as Chongyun shakes his head. "Xingqiu, you can't really expect me to believe you. You do stuff like this all the time to me."
You stick your tongue out at Xingqiu over Chongyun's shoulder as he smiles sharply at you. He silently fumes as you grin mockingly at him.
"Now back to the mission, the man Pan Guan'er is a lumbar jack looking for his axe. He said that he only sat down to rest recently and hadn't seen anyone passing by. We should keep hiking up and maybe we'll find more clues."
Nodding you all keep hiking but again you feel that sense of unease. It seems you aren't the only one as Xingqiu starts questioning Chongyun as you all cross a pond.
"A lumbar jack in the adepti area? How strange. That job requires a lot of strength so what kind of build did he have?"
"He was more on the slender side with muscles on his legs being the most prominent." Chongyun recalls as he stares down at the floor.
Muscles on the legs rather than the arms? There's no way he's a lumbar jack. You turn around first and freeze at the sight of Pan and two treasure hoarders sneaking up.
"Watch out!" One of the hoarders already has a crossbow about to shoot and you react quick enough to tackle both guys to the floor.
An arrow may have only done some damage while you played the game, but this was real life. You weren't sure if you could save either of them if they got hit in a vital spot. Let alone an organ like an eye.
The situation dawns on them as you all scramble up to avoid the attacks coming your way. A masked hoarder begins to load up another arrow as the biggest man charges with a hammer. Pan Guan'er slips a mask onto his face and readies a pair of throwing knives.
Chongyun defends you and Xingqiu from the hammer by blocking with his claymore. The heavy clang and subsequent swings of the hefty weapons in combat let you and Xingqiu go around and battle the others.
Xingqiu follows the crossbow hoarder as he backs away tactically from the agile boy. Your sickle is summoned, and your swing is electro-charged against Pan if that even was his name.
He dodges at the last minute and kicks your side making you bite back the groan. Knives slash at your clothes and are thrown at your neck as you dodge them all while being careful to avoid his legs.
You're unrelenting once you get an opening to attack. The blunt side of your sickle leaves bruises on his body as you cautiously leave shallow cuts. You can't let him die just yet.
The fight is so familiar that your body follows the movements easily. Reminiscent of all the street fights you participated while homeless. It's the jobs from your old boss that would get physical that seem to crowd your mind the most.
The fight is over before you know it with your sickle on his neck keeping him pinned down on the ground. Xingqiu climbs back up with a frustrated expression that softens at the sight of your victory.
"He fell off the cliff while I was chasing him. Who in their right mind backs up without checking?" He sighs as Chongyun comes over with blood staining the end of his pants.
"He lost too much blood and couldn't answer any questions I had. Hopefully, we get more luck with Pan." Pan gulps nervously at the sight of all three of you staring down at him.
"Why did you kidnap those people? What happened with the Fatui? But if you can't answer those questions then you better be able to answer where those children are now." The sickle presses against his neck harder letting a stream of blood trickle down.
"We heard that the Fatui needed people, so we agreed to kidnap some for them! The money they brought wasn't to the bosses liking so we fought. For some reason they retreated, and we took the people here to escape."
"And where are they now?" Pan avoids your eyes as he sweats. If he wasn't going to say more then you'll have to force it out of him. The loud crunch of bones breaking can be heard alongside Pan's screams.
Chongyun lifts his claymore and slams the dull side onto his leg mercilessly. It's surprising to see this sharp chilliness from him but it saves you the trouble.
Pan's arm swings up to hit your side, the knife glinting in his hand as he grunts angrily. "I'm gonna-! Hurk-"
His words are cut off as a sword stabs his arm back into the ground. The blood seeps through and spills onto the grass and pond as tears and snot dribble down his face.
Disgusting
What right does he have to cry? He's not the parent who's worried over their child with a dangerous fate. He's not the child stolen and at the mercy of adults with malicious intentions.
"We split up! I was staying here on Qingyun Peak to throw off any Fatui members that might come while the prisoners were taken to Mt. Hulao!" He sobs out and you draw your sickle back in disbelief.
Mt. Hulao? That was the mountain right across from here! You would have to climb down, cross the river, and then climb back up. They could go anywhere by then!
Shit, shit. What were you supposed to do?
Chongyun and Xingqiu seem just as conflicted as the draw their weapons away. Now free and bleeding, Pan begins to crawl away. Chongyun moves to detain him again, but you stop him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave him be, we got the information we needed. Besides, he'll bleed to death before he finds any help."
Xingqiu seems to be deep in thought as he stares off the cliff in the direction of Mt. Hulao. He talks with Chongyun about any possible paths to it as you stand a little farther on the side.
Warily you bring up the game screen and press the map quickly. You didn't have enough privacy or time to control one of your characters to save the children, but you could zoom in on the mountain through the map.
There you spot a flat area on Qingyun Peak facing Mt. Hulao. If you could climb higher, you could glide to the mountain saving loads of time and energy. You let that little flame of hope ignite and close the game window in a hurry.
"I have an idea, you both have gliders, right?" You ask with an excited smile as they nod in unison. Wordlessly they understand your plan and follow you up the mountain.
The path is littered with flat rocks and plants that your feet carelessly trample on. Trees, lamps, and archways are ignored as the sky starts to turn a soft shade of orange. Time is running out.
The clearing comes into view as the amber-imbued mountain stands proudly across. A huge stone circle is nearly consumed by the wildlife as you all walk to the edge.
Red ropes tied to the trees holding small signs are on your left and on the right is a strange device with two of your mini statues guarding it. A mechanical stone doll of yourself stands there with gold rings around the joints. Was that a pull-apart and put-back-together statue of yourself?
This was Moon Carver's Mountain, so it belongs to him. Maybe Cloud Retainer made it for him. You eye the path on the right that leads further up the mountain to his home. It was weird to think that even the high and mighty acting adepti worshipped you too.
The edge of the mountain makes your palms sweaty as you peek down. It's a long drop. Forcibly you activate the glider as Xingqiu and Chongyun stand next to you calmly.
"You look quite nervous Y/N, this must be your first time using one. Did you not get your license?" Too nervous to be annoyed you answer with a chuckle.
"Nope, but what the Millelith doesn't know, won't hurt them. Besides they're pretty crappy anyway." The soft breeze helps cool you down as you stare straight ahead.
"Just hold onto us if you're that nervous. If you're really scared, then I can just carry you." Xingqiu replies as he holds his arms out. It's teasingly in your eyes but he's very serious.
"Can't do that, I have to learn to glide by myself ya'know? But I will take you up on the first offer." You grab Xingqiu's right hand and turn to Chongyun.
His glare at Xingqiu softens when you look at him. Wordlessly with a shy look he holds his left hand out. Internally he's relieved that you didn't accept Xingqiu's offer to carry you. He knows him well enough to know that he was serious about that offer.
Hyping yourself up that this cliff wasn't as terrifying as you thought, you jumped off the cliff gripping their hands tightly. It's just like building parkour, it's just like building parkour. The chant is repeated as you keep your eyes closed from the wind.
"You can open your eyes now, Y/N." Chongyun's calm voice coaxes you as a playful voice continues. "Just don't flail around too much."
Slowly you open your eyes to the sight of the passing birds and Mt. Hulao slowly approaching. The wind is soft as it caresses your face while the wind pushes you all higher into the air.
"As long as neither of you let me go, then this will be a nice and easy flight." You direct your quip to Xingqiu. "And if someone does decide to be a dick then I'll let go of Chongyun and bring Xingqiu down with me."
"Real subtle Y/N."
"Aren't I always?"
"I have to thank the creator for keeping the wind in the direction we need. The faster we get to the mountain, the faster we can search for the kids. Plus, you two can stop fighting for at least 5 minutes."
"Y/N, do you see what kind of bad influence you are? Chongyun never acts this way."
"Don't blame me, it's not my fault he's sick of your antics."
Chongyun sighs softly as you and Xingqiu continue bickering until you all land on Mt. Hulao next to a chunk of amber. You mimic Xingqiu and Chongyun who mutter a prayer of thanks to the creator.
The orange-pinkish hue of the sky is now a soft purple as the amber seems to glow. You knock on the tall amber and listen to the hollowness of the mineral.
"Don't get distracted Y/N! We have to hurry or else they might get away." You jump at the sudden call and catch up with the duo. The cold air is starting to make you a bit cold as you follow the path.
"Isn't it a bit strange that there aren't any monsters here? I mean the adepti wouldn't bother killing elemental creatures or even any monsters unless they actively disturbed them."
"I think that's the answer," Chongyun responds quietly to Xingqiu's question as he points ahead.
Right at the edge of the giant hole in the middle of the mountain was a few bodies. No, a few corpses.
Treasure hoarders lay on the ground, against the wall, and even in the bushes with battered bodies. Claw marks, arrows, puncture wounds, and even arrows are inflicted on the bodies. The only explanation would be that a group of hilichurls attacked them.
Walking closer you touch the blood and let it drip off your finger. "It's cold but not dry. They were here not long ago; they must be up the mountain."
Walking up the mountain with the guys in tow you wipe the blood off on an amber chunk. As you all keep climbing, more and more bodies are found, thankfully none of them are of kids.
As the path turns to stone staircases amber chunks become more frequent. Xingqiu peers into one and bites his lip.
"The amber is also encasing some of the hoarders. That's usually the fate for anyone who climbs Mt. Hulao."
"We should leave them to the creator's mercy. They're either dead or going to die. Not to mention Mountain Shaper isn't known for his grace." Chongyun responds as you glance at the passing amber coldly.
Finally at the top of the mountain you stare at the big trees with burgundy leaves, Cor Lapis are rooted around the trunks. Yelling and crying can be heard as you climb the last few steps to finally see the situation.
Mountain Shaper stands in front of his cave in the usual form of a crane as he stares down at the only standing treasure hoarder. Multiple dead bodies lay in the shallow water as the water changed to red. The hoarder is yelling something but the soft cries on your left are the only thing you hear.
Yiran is kneeling in the water as she sobs clutching a boy's hand. His features so similar to the woman you met at the bridge. Yet the pink hue of the water and dull eyes make your heart clench at having to present her with his body.
"Mortal of treachery, you and your kin invaded my mountain seeking to hide your crime and escape with your lives. Let the amber of my mountain encase you till only dust remains!"
With a flap of his wings, the last hoarder is consumed by amber with a horrified expression clear. You stare in awe at the display of power as the amber crumbles into dust and scatters among the water.
Mountain Shaper turns his attention to your group with irritation. "Intruders left to right. At the very least you three have no scent of corruption and evil, I'm sure you came for the children. The others are on Mt. Aocang under Cloud Retainers care."
The mountain seems to rumble as he walks slowly towards you all with glowing red eyes. "Yet you all trespassed on my and Moon Carver's residence. Foolish and arrogant mortals you all are, your punishment will be swift and painless."
Your heart pounds in your chest as you promptly reply but not toward Mountain Shaper.
"Yiran! Your father Kuan is waiting for you at the city. He's been worried sick about you, he commissioned me to find and save you."
"Really?" She quietly replies, "Daddy sent you? I-I want to go home! I wanna see Daddy!" She sniffles before bursting into tears.
Mountain Shaper stands in front of you with narrowed eyes. "What caliber of schemes did you plan to follow through with such an action?"
"Do you or the other adepti plan to come to the city and find the people those children belong to yourself? How do you plan on calming down traumatized children?" He scoffs at your questions and glowers at you.
"The sole reason I have not imprisoned your form despite your conceited words is due to the scent of Teyvat that surrounds you. Your comrades will care for the children while we can investigate you."
He spreads his wing into Yiran's direction silently commanding the guys to care for her. Warily they move away from you and tend to Yiran trying to calm her down.
"Answer my questions and you and your team may live. Who are you masked trespasser and why does the scent of Teyvat surround you?"
It's strange, why doesn't he recognize you? They never accepted any gnosis so the corruption from Celestia should never have affected them. Nor would they ever forget the elemental worship due to their distaste for human culture, but wouldn't they remind Morax of it too?
The adepti are under Morax's command as they all fought under him. Plus, they must all have their own contracts with him. What if that was the reason? Maybe the corruption affected them on a subconscious level leading them to not realize how they were affected by the gnosis.
"I'm Y/N, and that scent is from my occupation. I'm the creator's oracle and as the creator's vast powers protect me, Teyvat protects me under the creator's orders."
Mocking laughter echoes around the area once you finish explaining. You already expected this reaction, what thousands of year-olds mystical beings would believe a mortal would be made into an oracle? Instead, you focus on Yiran's softening cries as she's comforted by the duo.
They seem to be instructing her to pray to you. Chongyun shows her a form as Xingqiu recites a prayer that goes unheard. It's something about protection, healing, and thankfulness. It almost makes you want to laugh if the situation wasn't so horrible.
"He protected me and now he's dead. It's all my fault, it's all my fault!" She breaks down again during the prayer as they continue trying to soothe her. This memory will stay with her forever, Kuan isn't going to get the same daughter back. If she wasn't traumatized by the kidnapping, this preteen's death will.
Doesn't make it any less fucked up that when something like this happens, everyone's first thought is to pray to you. That's probably why everyone is so fanatic about you. It happens on Earth with minor obsessive religions but here in Teyvat it's widespread.
"Interloper or rather Y/N the teller of falsehoods, the adepti as a group will decide whether you deserve to live in shame or die for your crimes." It's a shame that the fan won't work in this case but that never stopped you before.
"And what about my friends? You said that they may live if I answered, which I did, but I don't believe you're that generous. If anyone must face punishment for trespassing, it should be me as I dragged them along. They're not the ones who are receiving payment, I am."
It was the least you could do, they helped you a lot and they didn't deserve to die for your reckless decision. Even if you don't regret it.
"How noble of you falsifier. Those acolytes may live and bring those children back to their homes. I'll even wrap this body to be presented to whatever careless parent that let their child be taken."
Oh, hell no
"With all the disrespect I can muster, shut your damn trap. What right do you have to speak about careless parents? That boy's mom was taken alongside him, you have no idea what kind of sacrifices she may or may not have made for him! If we're going to speak about carelessness, why don't you explain why all you adepti thought it was right to fill Qiqi with enough adepti energy that it harmed her to such a horrible degree?"
The air went cold and amber rose around you in a cage-like form. He was furious but you were too.
"Oh, I will rejoice once your little story is exposed as the fabrication it is. I'll decide your punishment and seek out how you learned about this. I pray to the creator of all beings that your death will be as painful and long as when I was forced to incase that dying child in amber to prevent her destruction."
His condescending tone is paired with a fiery glare that you deliver right back. Chongyun carries Yiran who passed out from exhaustion. Xingqiu carries the now mummified body of the dead boy with a troubled look.
The heron stands in the middle of the pond and spreads both his wings. The pond alights with yellow and red forcing you to close your eyes.
When your eyes reopen, you find yourself in a different body of water. A small table in the middle, lily pads between the rocks in the water and the multiple eyes staring at you are a near comfort.
What a familiar scenery.
Chongyun and Xingqiu are surrounded by the rest of the missing kids as the stumble from the sudden teleportation. Hurt but thankfully unharmed, the children light up at the sight of the famailair Liyue figures.
Two cranes, a stag, and a very familiar goat-featured lady stand around you. You always wondered how Ganyu's hair stayed in a ponytail look without a hair tie.
"I regret to inform you all that this mortal has claimed to be the creator's oracle."
Shocked eyes are drawn to your imprisoned form with the exception of your teammates. The rising moon seems to shine on the water around you like a spotlight. Your face is neutral as your sharp smile hides in your heart.
Yet another situation where you'll make best with what you have. The more untrusting eyes, the more relief you'll feel when you trick them with convenient words painted under the guise of truth.
It has always been like this, and even if you're sick and tired, you'll still do it. At this point, it's the only thing that you trust. So, you'll keep spouting lies until even you believe them. Besides...
Lying always was your best skill.
I finished!!! There was so many obstacles! My house started going under construction so I took off work and spent this whole week moving stuff. Then moving it back, And then cleaning it. And then restocking it. You get the idea. The beginning of this chap is really rough due to me switching between moving and cleaning plus being a lil rusty. But I think I got back to the flow as it went on. Everything sort of worked out in the end but Y/N just can't catch a break. Now the whole kidnap case seemed maybe random to ya'll but how else was I supposed to bring Y/N into adepti territory? It's a fact that travelers are encased in amber or punished for going to Jueyun Karst. I just hope I fleshed it out enough that it was enjoyable. Oh and that scene with Pan Guan'er was inspired by the actual NPC that sits there. When you walk by, two treasure hoarders spawn behind you. I genuinely think that NPC is sus as hell. I also wanna direct anyone interested in what the mask could look like to this post. The wonderful @the-dumber-scaramouche made fanart of her version of Y/N! It's so beautiful! Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention, @taiformaifoe, @sielt, @goaudduck, @carminerin, @maddysflowers, @zenith-of-all-zeniths, @crazydreamcat, @leafanonsforest, @grimreapersscythe, @leylanx, @undecidingfate, @sapphireknown, @help-whatdoimakemyusername, @zhonglisfruityass, @fluffy-koalala, @mer0n37, @victoria1676, @mochinessss, @sinnful-darling, @emilymikado
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seabirdtxt · 4 months
Text
.Irminsul stash --Traveler_Inventory
You and Scaramouche head over to ask the Traveler for some groceries [< prev] [Blog tag] [next >]
Notes: SAGAU without cult shenanigans, mostly filler chapter. sorry for the long hiatus!
WC. 1.5k
----- ⚘ -----
As much as you enjoyed spending your time running around Teyvat in-game, nothing quite prepares you for how vast it actually is. 
Of course you’ve known that, logically speaking, it’s impossible to correctly scale an entire city using a limitation such as video game engines. You are still knocked completely off your feet at the sight of the sprawling verdant domes and alabaster walkways of Sumeru City. 
You jog down from the Sanctuary doors and lean over the railing, eyes tracing the knotted branches of the Great Tree where they mesh flawlessly with the infrastructure of the city. The scale of things is easily dozens of times bigger than what is shown in-game, and despite the beautiful graphics it has, the game definitely cannot do justice to the sheer variety of buildings and people that make up Sumeru City. Unable to help yourself, you make wordless noises of awe as you take in the scenery.
“You’d think you’ve never seen a city before,” Scaramouche’s deadpan voice states from a few paces behind you, where he’s lazily following you down the ramp. You turn and face him, taking note of how he’d removed the colourful belts, ropes, and other identifying markers of his outfit, leaving only his bodysuit and black jinbei. He looks deeply annoyed by this state of undress, so you wisely choose not to mention it. 
“I mean, I’ve never seen it like this before,” you agree, gesturing to the skyline with a wide sweep of your arm. “Like, I’ve seen some of it from a certain, uh, distance? But seeing it in person… Wow. Just doesn't compare.” 
Scaramouche says nothing as he finally comes to a stop beside you, arms crossed as he surveys the view. After a few seconds he snorts derisively. “Looks the same as it always does, to me.” He scoffs. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”
You let him drag you down the rest of the ramps until you both meet the pale bricks of the main road. You follow him as he leads you, presumably, to wherever the Traveler is staying. Your eyes wander aimlessly, taking in the sights. 
Something tugs at the gem of your shirt and you stop walking, surprised. When you look down, you see a small child with dirt stains on their hands and knees, and a streak of dirt across their face. The child beams up at you, holding out their closed fist and shaking it at you.
“Oh, hello. What’s up?” You ask, crouching down beside them. You hear a noise of disgust from Scaramouche, which you wave off in favor of giving the child a smile. “Anything I can help you with, buddy?”
The child shakes their fist again and you finally get the message. You present your own open hand, palm upturned, and the child drops whatever they’re holding into it. They scamper off quickly before you can say anything, so instead you peer at the tiny object in your hand.
It’s a small stone, with a very simplified carving on it. It appears to be some writing, and an angular leaf shape. The marks are gibberish to you, but surely it has significance of some kind, so you pocket it and stand back up. You give Scaramouche an apologetic grin, to which he simply rolls his eyes and continues on.
The walk is, understandably, much longer physically than it is in-game, and you find yourself a little winded by the time you’re anywhere near the Grand Bazaar. You do eventually get to a building that you (very, very vaguely) recognize as the inn the Traveler and Paimon stayed at during the Sabzeruz Festival arc, and you huff a sigh of relief that the long stroll is finally over. Before you can even approach or knock, you’re bowled over by a flying white mess of limbs.
“Creator! You’re here!” Paimon squeals in your ear as she tackles you to the best of her ability, and you wince as she excitedly hugs whatever part of you she can reach. “I’m so glad that stupid mean puppet didn't kill you yet!”
Scaramouche makes an offended noise at that last remark and flips Paimon the bird.
“Yeah, here I am!” You laugh after untangling her from around your head and pat her head as the Traveler joins her, looking a little worse for wear. Their outfit is a little stained in places, and bears some signs of scorch marks at the edges.
“Good timing, we just got back from our morning commissions,” they say with a wave. “I didn’t think you’d be out and about so soon, is there anything you need help with?”
“We want your ingredients supplies.” Scaramouche blurts out, interrupting any of your attempts to phrase it in a nicer way. 
“All of them?!” Paimon gasps, absolutely devastated. You quickly step in before Scara can say anything else.
“No no! Just a little bit,” you reassure the sprite, then address the rest of your request to the Traveler with an affable shrug. “If you have anything to spare we’d really appreciate it. We don’t exactly have a lot of food in my teapot yet. Or, uhh… Any food, at all.”
“Oh!” The traveler smacks their forehead with the heel of their palm. “I didn’t think of that, Your Grace, I’m so sorry!”
“You really don’t have to call me that,” You laugh awkwardly at the title and volume at which the Traveler said it, conscious of the curious glances your little group has attracted. All around you you begin to hear indistinct murmuring, and you frantically hope they’re not talking about you. “And, uh, don’t worry about it! It’s a bit short notice, I get it.”
“As long as you leave some for us, it’s no problem!” Paimon says as she recovers from her shock. The Traveler turns to her with a sly grin.
“As long as they leave some for you, you mean?” They tease, to which Paimon splutters in protest. The Traveler gently pokes her cheek while she throws her tantrum.
“Can we take this inside?” Scaramouche asks waspishly, stopping the pair’s bickering for a moment. “Or literally anywhere else? Maybe you two enjoy being ogled like zoo animals, but I personally don’t appreciate being eyed up by the unwashed masses.”
“How rude! You haven’t learned a single thing, have you?!” Paimon scolds, turning her wrath on the harbinger. 
“Actually, I agree,” you give a halting laugh as you step closer to the building. More and more eyes are turning toward you. You give the crowd an awkward wave, and suddenly the murmurs turn into a clamor as people begin to understand your identity.
“Oh, whoops,” the Traveler says, grabbing both your hand and Scaramouche’s bicep. Paimon quickly gets the idea and grabs onto the sleeve of their outfit. “Time to go!”
-----
You spiral back into existence high above the streets of Sumeru, close to the Akademia front doors, having been forcefully teleported as a group with the Traveler. They set you down gently, while simultaneously dropping Scaramouche like a sack of potatoes. 
“Ow! Hey, watch it!” 
“Are you alright, Your Grace?”
Three pairs of eyes watch as you dust yourself off and give a cheerful thumbs up. “All good!” You announce. “Let’s talk groceries, shall we?”
In the end, the Traveler decides to give you and Scaramouche three bags of dry products—things like fruits and veggies, rice, sugar, coffee beans, and cured meat—and promises to stop by your teapot sometime later in the week to deliver cold foods and more fresh produce. 
“I’m sure some of this probably isn’t what you’re used to in your world,” the Traveler says apologetically, giving you a wry smile. “If you have any questions about it, I’m sure you can ask Wanderer. He’s been enrolled in some cooking classes for the past few semesters, so he’ll know what he’s doing.”
“Hah! As if.” Scaramouche snatches the last bag of groceries out of their hands with a sneer. “That weakling is going to be out running errands for Buer’s every whim. Do you really expect him to be around long enough to cook adequately? I’ll handle this.” 
The Traveler only raises a single eyebrow at the declaration, then shrugs. “Suit yourself,” they chuckle. “Just don’t poison the Creator, I guess.”
“Can the Creator even get sick?” Paimon asks, hovering around you and inspecting you closely enough to make you ticklish. “I’m not sure gods are supposed to be able to get sick, you know!”
“Well, we don’t want to find out!” 
“It’s fine, a little food poisoning won’t kill me,” you reassure the three of them, knowing you’ll be having a rough go at it for the foreseeable future given what you know about Scaramouche’s current cooking skills.
“So, what? None of you have any faith in me?” Scaramouche frowns and crosses his arms as best as he can around his grocery bags. 
The response comes from the three of you at the same time.
“No.”
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jennaimmortal · 6 months
Text
Hey OFMD friends! There’s a few little things (and one big thing) I’d like to try to clear up based on a number of discussions I’ve seen in various places.
1. Stede understands sex & sex references. When he responds with “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” or something similar, that’s a posh people thing. They pretend they’ve never heard of sex whenever it’s brought up in public or with strangers. Just weird aristocrat things! But Stede knows. He’d definitely had plenty of (likely not very pleasant) sex with his wife, and he’d very likely had other sexual experiences as well. More importantly, though, he’s a voracious reader! The man likely had a whole stash of filthy, bawdy novels & books of poetry. There was PLENTY of it, even back then!
2. Ed & Stede’s inn is NOT on the same island as the Republic of Pirates. They’d never settle on an island currently occupied by British military. They sailed away from the Republic of Pirates & went to a totally different island.
3. Frenchie is the new Captain because he was already First Mate, so there was no reason for them to take a vote. Yes, the crew chose Olu in 1x9, but that was when they were mutinying against Izzy & there was no official First Mate in place. The crew don’t seem to have any qualms about Frenchie’s abilities (so far anyway!) It will be a lot of fun to explore that dynamic in S3.
4. Zheng’s very likely only going to be with The Revenge until she finds one of her remaining ships that weren’t in the Republic of Lirates harbor when Ricky attacked.
I’m hoping, though, that we, the audience, will get lucky enough to keep Zheng with them for a while before she does find one of her own ships. I definitely want to see some shenanigans with The Crew, Zheng, & Auntie, including at least one raid. Fingers crossed!
The one BIG thing:
There are MANY disabled characters on the show. Wee John has mobility issues & chronic pain. Lucius is an artist & scribe w an amputated finger & also has chronic back pain. Swede has scurvy. Jackie’s right hand is a prosthetic.
It’s extremely important to understand that all disabilities are relevant no matter how visible they are. There has been some very harmful discourse about disability representation surrounding Izzy’s death & it really needs to stop. A HUGE percentage of disabilities are invisible. Those of us (yep, myself included) with invisible disabilities have had to fight tooth & nail for basic recognition & acknowledgement, let alone benefits & proper medical treatment. We’re still fighting & it’s a major uphill battle!
Let’s not give more ammunition to those fighting against us by claiming that Izzy’s disability was the only important one.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk! 💞
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weirdmorefics · 5 months
Note
bridgerton sister ran away just before the beginning of her season and discovered by Colin in St Petersburg under a fake identity and bought back home
The Familiar Barmaid
x bridgerton!sister
Pronouns- She/her
Warning- Mother issues
Word Count- 933
Summary- The reader wants to be an author, but unfortunately, she has a season to get back to.
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Y/n Bridgerton had never dreamed of being married like her other sisters (Eloise excluded). Y/n loved reading, she imagined her own stories and stashed her written stories under her bed. She craved to be an author like the ones who made the books she admired. Her mother however had other plans for her since day one; come out, become the diamond of the season, and be courted by a handsome gentleman I loved who hopefully had an amazing title. I never craved that life I much preferred to live in the fantasy worlds I created in my head. This leads us to my escape from the Bridgerton household the night before my season.
I had packed the most important things to me; my writings, my favorite books, and the leftover money I had been saving from my gown fittings. I quietly took my horse out of the stable at night and rode the horse to a place no one would know Y/n Bridgerton.
I rode my horse for as far as she could go taking breaks in dingy inns that my Mother wouldn't dare to step foot in. By the time I was in St Petersburg, I was already short on funds. It was a better place to settle than most it had gorgeous views and so many new things to write about. As luck would have it the bar in town was looking for a barmaid. Unfortunately, the bar owner could tell very easily that I had no experience. Shockingly he gave me a chance! He said I reminded him of his daughter who recently married so her room above the bar was also available. It felt like fate like I had been sucked into my very own fantasy book.
I spent my days writing in the nearby park and the nights dealing with town drunks. Honestly, they weren't too bad just demanding their drinks. I learned quickly and I became their favorite barmaid only because I made the drinks the fastest but it still made me feel accomplished. It was a bittersweet feeling to have the town drunks appreciate me more than my mother but at least I was appreciated.
I felt true relief once the season was over no longer worried they would find me and make me a last-minute entry. The bar was just closing and I was washing the grimy tables when the chime of the door startled me. The man was bundled his scarf nearly covering his whole face.
I turned to him and frowned politely "I am so sorry sir we are just closing."
The man gasps once he hears me speak "Y/N?"
I quickly back up accidentally sending a chair to the ground with a loud thud, "I think you have the wrong woman sir."
My boss exits the backroom at the commotion, "This fella bothering you Rose?"
"Are you serious Y/n? Rose? Be a little more original," the man unwraps his scarf and my fists immediately tighten.
"Colin, what are you doing here?" I practically growl.
"You know this man Rose? Seems a little too uptight for you, but I am not here to judge your taste in suitors." My boss chuckles finding his comment hilarious.
Colin gags, "That is my little sister I'll have you know! And I am bringing you right home Mother has been worried sick about you!"
I roll my eyes "She probably did not even know about my absence until Lady Whistledown announced it. How did she cover it up? Am I in the States visiting my cousins?"Colin's face turns beat red which tells me I am right.
Colin tries to change the subject, "Your sisters miss you dearly, Daphne was devasted you were not there for her wedding."
I gasped, "Daphne is already married! The season just ended!"
Colin rubbed his arm, "There were a lot of issues with this season Y/n… honestly we all could have used some of that Y/n wisdom. I especially could have used some of that wisdom." He mumbled the last part seeming very embarrassed to admit it.
"Oh, Colin… I am so sorry. I miss my siblings all dearly but I am not meant for the home carer life. I am meant to be out there writing about anything I can get my hands on." I gesture to the world around me.
"That is one good thing about your departure, no one thinks you are Lady WhistleDown anymore," He smirks.
"Oh what a pity I did like causing fear and scaring the men off with the promise to write about them," I smile.
Colin sighs, "I will make you a deal Y/n, travel with me during my studies. You can explore the world that way, but you must write to Mother and the rest of your siblings and let them know you are safe."
"You know she or Anthony will just drag me back home," I frown.
"Not with me by your side, I am sure I can convince Anthony and she can convince Mama." He smiles as the plan begins to form in his head.
I smiley widely, "You have yourself a deal Colin Bridgerton."
He smiles back as my boss lets out a few stray tears, "You truly are just like my daughter, just as stubborn and hot-headed. Be sure to visit your welcome back anytime."
I gave him a side hug, "Oh boss you big old softie."
Colin laughs, "Y/n you are truly something."
"Why thank you," I take a bow. "Shall we take our leave?"
"We shall," Colin smiles.
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orqheuss · 1 year
Text
Orqheus(s)' Masterlist!
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🔥 - Smut, 🌸 - Fluff, 🩸 - Angst, 🎭 - Comedy, 🎀 - Hurt/Comfort, 💗 - Romantic,✨ - Platonic (💥 - gore/blood, 💀 - main character death)
All fics are cross-posted on Ao3 and Tumblr
If there's a particular headcanon you'd like to see, please message me! I am open to requests!
PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT TAGGING ME.
If you'd like to be added to a tag list for a fic (or for all my fics, if you're feeling spicy) please comment on the fic or message me!
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Any trigger warnings present are posted on each fic.
Hogwarts Legacy
I do not own the characters depicted, nor do I condone J.K. Rowling's actions.
One-Shots
The Shadow trio (Ominis x Sebastian x MC)
May I feel said he (🔥🌸) - Tumblr x Studying in the Room of Requirement can get quite tedious, especially with NEWTS around the corner. What is one to do when you're trapped between your two bored, ravenous, and incorrigibly competitive boyfriends? (Inspired by the poem "may i feel said he" by E. E. Cummings) A Fish to Water (🎭✨) - Tumblr x Becoming an animagus is not an easy feat. As much as you love your two best friends, sometimes its more fun to play a prank and take the absolute piss out of them. How would they react if they found out your animagus form was a little bit...fishy? Seven new ways that you can eat your young (🔥) - Tumblr x Slytherin's are known for their end of the year parties. On the eve of their graduation, though, Ominis hears something that makes his blood boil with jealousy. (Inspired by the song "Eat Your Young" by Hozier) Mallowsweet Bliss (🌸🎭✨) - Tumblr x “Oh, you lovely, hopelessly naive thing. Yes, mallowsweet has a great smell, but it also has an even better taste when eaten, and an absolutely enchanting effect on the mind when you smoke it.” AKA, the three of you get incredibly stoned on your stash of mallowsweet. My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway (🌸💗) - Tumblr x The Founder's ball only comes around once a year, and with your graduation fast approaching, you knew two things. One, you knew absolutely nothing about ballroom dancing, and two, you were irrevocably in love with both of your best friends and wanted to go with both of them. Was there a way to kill two birds with one stone? Not yet corpses (still, we rot) (🎀✨/💗💥) - Tumblr x Tremors were wracking through the entirety of Hogwarts, and you were nowhere to be found. Little did Ominis and Sebastian know, the repository had been opened, and you were the only thing standing between the wizarding world continuing to thrive or falling to ruin at their very feet. Mingle our ashes and bury us together (🩸✨/💗) - Tumblr x After everything that had happened in your fifth year, your mind was becoming too much for you to bear on your own. After a rather dreadful conversation with yourself, you knew there was only one way to stop your personal torment. (TW! Attempted Suicide) Insatiable Gravity (🔥🌸🎭) - Tumblr x When it rains, it pours, and when your trapped in the downpour with your two best friends, the only option is the inn down the road. The bad news? There's only one room left, and in that room is only one bed.
Ominis x MC
In the pursuit of knowledge (🔥🌸) - Tumblr x When you and Ominis are alone in the Undercroft, it isn't uncommon for some secrets to come to light. After revealing that you've never been kissed, were there some sparks flying between the two of you, or was it just the firewhiskey talking? How could I fear any hurricane (🎀💗) - Tumblr x After almost severely injuring Ominis during a duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts, you retreat into yourself far out of the reach of your closest friend. There's only one thing Ominis can think of to do to bring you out of your turbulent mind. (Inspired by the song "Francesca" by Hozier) In any version of reality - Soulmate!AU (🌸💗) - Tumblr x Ominis was sure that he didn't have a soulmate. That is, of course, until he hears you sing one winter night in the desolate music room and is transported through the past to the first time your souls ever met. (Inspired by the song "Epic iii" by the Hadestown 2017 Original Soundtrack) Clumsy Love (🌸💗) - Tumblr x A relaxing day in the Room of Requirement takes a turn that you never expected. Not that you were complaining, though. Who doesn't love a little bit of dancing? If only your heart would stop trying to pound its way out of your chest whenever a certain blond Slytherin was near. I would know him blind (🔥💗) - Tumblr x You'd been with Ominis for some time, and as much as you loved your intimate times together, you wondered what it would be like to be in his shoes for a change. Your darling husband is more than happy to help you satiate your curiosity. Snake Charmer - Greek Mythology!AU (🌸🎭-ish) - Tumblr x Why was everyone so interested in the new girl? Ominis Gaunt was about to find out.
Ominis Gaunt and the Sallow's
Free and young and we can feel none of it (🎀✨) - Tumblr x Ominis knew that he had to leave his family home. The abuse would only get worse if he stayed. One winter night, he fled to the only place he felt safe, and into the arms of an unlikely friend.
Sebastian x MC
A duel most desirable (🔥) - Tumblr x Emotions are running high, and a friendly duel between you and your best friend, whom you're completely and entirely infatuated with, takes a very...steamy turn. Anything to make you smile (🌸💗) - Tumblr x Sebastian, remembering you lamenting about not being able to experience going to Hogwarts as a first year, decides to take you on a romantic boat ride so you could enjoy the journey from Hogsmeade like he did as an eleven year old. Too bad he forgot one crucial thing: he was terrified of the Black Lake.
Chapter Fics
The Shadow trio (Sebastian x Ominis x MC)
Life is not a paragraph, and death, I think, is no parenthesis (🩸💗💥) - Ao3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (All fic titles in this series come from various E. E. Cummings' poems) Victor Rookwood kidnapped you, in broad daylight, on the streets of Hogsmeade, and Sebastian is willing to do anything to get you back. Will he and Ominis be able to find you before it's too late? (TW! Graphic depictions of torture)
For whatever we lose (like a you, or a me) (🩸💗💥) - Tumblr x The Scriptorium called your name, and who were you to ignore its song? At least, that's what you told yourself as Sebastian pushed you and Ominis deeper and deeper into the mausoleum. (Pre Parenthesis!Universe)
Awake, chaos: we have napped (🩸🎀💗💥) - Ao3 x After everything that happened to you that night in the poacher camp, it was only normal for you to have nightmares. After a particularly rough one, will your partners be able to pick up the pieces? (Post Parenthesis!Universe) (TW! mentions of attempted rape/non-con)
I like my body when it is with your body (🔥🌸💗) - Tumblr x Sebastian believes that he doesn't deserve to be happy after everything he's done. His partners don't agree, and are hellbent on proving him wrong the best, and most effective, way they know how. (Post Parenthesis!Universe)
I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) (🔥🌸💗) - Tumblr 1 2 3 The finale of "Life is not a paragraph, and death, I think, is no parenthesis." It is a beautiful day to get married, and you couldn't ask for better partners. (Post Parenthesis!Universe)
The sun does not weep for Icarus (🩸✨/💗💥💀) - Tumblr 1 2 3 4 The arrival of the Daily Prophet brings the news of Sebastian Sallow's fate after the events of his fifth year. Ominis and his new friend can't help but feel guilty for their decisions. (TW! Child abuse, suicide)
Even the iron still fears the rot (🩸💗💥) - Tumblr 1 2 3 4 5 6 It was supposed to be a normal trip to Hogsmeade. But, when Sebastian and Ominis are kidnapped by poachers determined to seek revenge against the one who killed their fearless leader, will you be able to save them in time? (TW! Graphic depictions of torture)
Ominis x MC
How to ask for help - 5+1 Times (🌸💗) - Tumblr 1 2 3 4 5 6 The five times you helped Ominis, and the one time he helped you.
Headcanons
Sebastian x MC
Sebastian Sallow headcanons
Misc
HL boys as things my students have said - Part 2 Sebastian and Ominis wand headcanons
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innsside · 8 months
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WELP
I officially moved all my gallery to my 𝓢𝓮𝔁𝔂 Official sideblog (@innsstash). Easier to see all the stuff I have, past and future so If you haven't already give it a follow :o)
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chaosheadspace · 1 year
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Hob's relationship with food is a complicated one. He stands in the kitchen of the New Inn, because the big pots fit better on the stove down here than on the one upstairs. He has been hungry many times in his life, not just in the century following Eleanor's and Robyn's death. There were many occasions when food was sparse or straight up not available. Sometimes he thinks it has messed with his brain a bit.
Hob checks the temperature and hopes none of the jars have opened or spilled over. Twist-off is a marvelous invention, but for this he'd rather put his trust in metal clips and rubber. It feels safer. That's why he's doing this in the first place, even if it takes up much of his time in the summer and fall. It feels safe. It calms him.
The small backyard of the inn is crammed with raised garden beds, trellises put up along the wall and fences. In the beds against the brick wall are the tomatoes, because it absorbs and reflects the warmth of the sun. There's one bed full of straw and potatoes, one with beans, one with carrots, there's cabbage and salad and turnips and strawberries. In the corner grows a small, gnarly apple tree and next to it a single cucumber plant, taking over almost the entire floor space between the beds. Hob has tried and failed to tie it up along the trellis countless times, so he lets it be where it is happy and just carefully steps over it each time he comes to the garden, big leaves brushing his bare legs.
The raspberries along the fence are a right hassle to maintain, growing through to the other side to grab at the pedestrians for nutrients, Hob is sure. They're vicious. He keeps them anyway, because he is a sucker for preserved raspberries over porridge, especially in winter. It's easy to make a lot of it, too. He just picks the ripe ones, pops them into the freezer and preserves a large batch at the end of the season. Hob still remembers the early centuries of his immortality, when he could only eat berries whenever he came across them in the woods and that would be it.
He checks on the pressure canner next to the large pot with the tomatoes and takes the heat down a bit. Beans are tricky. He'd done them his usual way up until he'd got a nasty bout of botulism in the 60s. And while he's immortal, he's as partial to pain as the next bloke, which is not very. Well. Except in certain circumstances, none of which ideally involve beans. Or jars. He only ate store bought beans for two decades after that, until he saw an ad and purchased his first pressure canner and welcomed the tall, delicate plants back into his garden. Because despite the rising quality of preserves and cans in stores it never tastes quite the same, does it?
He's done his fair share of curing meat, too, ham and sausages and fish, way, way, back. Still remembers his mother teaching him, remembers her big, strong hands, smoke burning in his eyes. This winter he plans on getting back into it, reading a few books, maybe taking a course. A bit less nitrite in his diet would do him good. Hob shakes his head. He sounds like his own grandmother would if he'd been born 35 years ago.
He's still working on refilling his stash. After the pandemic hit he'd slowly given most of it away, to students, to neighbors, to friends. Some of it he personally put on doorsteps, for the rest he'd organised a pick-up system with boxes. The walk-in pantry behind his kitchen had been almost empty. Sometimes he wonders if he would have liked more space in his kitchen, but then again the kitchen down here is also technically his. He wouldn't trade the calming reassurance of having food readily available to him, no matter the circumstances, for a bit of sitting space.
The next day, when the jars have cooled down, he carries them upstairs into his pantry, past the food-safe buckets full of grain and flour and sugar, past the empty crates where he will store his cabbages, his carrots and turnips in cool sand, his apples wrapped in newspaper come fall, and sorts the new jars behind the few remaining ones from last year. He figures after more than 600 years of living he's allowed to be a little crazy.
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greenlotusleaf · 10 months
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I'm the valiant knight protecting you. Well, protecting that cursed ring you pilfered from my order. We're not mad at you, it's just what the ring does.
After a night at the inn, getting a little too drunk and a little too flirty, I accidentally knock you up. This where the ring comes in. Every day, your belly is bigger; your body is softer. It's becoming harder to get your armor on. It's only been a couple weeks and you're showing despite how heavy you're getting. Both of us wondering just how many you have in there, and how big you'll end up.
I guess the real question is, are we trying to get the ring off, or make you grow bigger?
I've always had a habit for resourcefulness, for making the best of a difficult situation, but this one was admittedly tougher than most. At least I knew I had you wrapped around my little finger, for the next little while anyway. A dramatic pout, a playing-up of my "helplessness", a little reminder that it's your fault I'm so fat and pregnant in the first place-- I've seen the way you look at me, even more plaintively after you've triggered this curse. Why does your stupid knightly order even keep things like this around, anyway? I know I have to pivot my plans, and quickly. The idea is still to find a wizard who can break this curse, but it's proving difficult, and I'll need a contingency in place before I've burned through my stash of gold and I'm too big for thiefwork. (I'm already too big for my armor to properly fit. Soon I'll be too big for pants.) But I know you'll do my bidding if I bat my eyes sweetly, if I squeeze my arms together around my fat breasts fetchingly, if I pour my new bulk into my old leather cuirass, spilling out as if from the most sinful corset. I don't even terribly mind to spread my huge thighs for you again-- each already as big as my waist was, before you ruined me, and still swelling. I know that I don't want to give birth. I'm terrified of what's happening to me, and I don't know if there's the normal end in sight, or if this curse will just have me blow up indefinitely, pregnant and growing without end. But I conceal my fear, and use my confidence to seduce you, dragging you into dungeons I'm increasingly ill-suited for in search of a cure for my condition. After all, the clock is ticking-- every day I wake up heavier, and if I don't succeed soon, I'll have to hang up my daggers and lockpicks and invest the rest of my savings in a room with an extra large mattress and a series of increasingly roomy gowns....
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linkemon · 8 months
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Soldier, Poet King headcanons 1
Friendly reminder that English is not my first languge. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.
Soldier, poet and king is a theme related to the song of the same name. Fans assigned each of the archons one of the listed roles.
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Ei ✧ Soldier
✧ You first met Ei on your way to the city. She was alone, on a rather dangerous trade road. You didn't see then how highly valued she is and that she leads the king's troop of soldiers.
✧ You offered her some fresh dango, which she accepted with interest. She liked it so much she offered to buy it all when you got to town.
✧ Just then, bandits appeared in the forest. They took you hostage. You were shaking terribly, worried that the stranger would leave you. After all, you didn't know each other at all. To your surprise, you came out of the whole situation unscathed. Her spear was second to none. In the blink of an eye, she got rid of several people, except for the only one she decided to take for questioning. After all, she rode away on horseback, saying that you will be fine on your journey.
✧ You met her again at the entrance to the city gates. You wanted to walk over to greet her and ask her name. Only then did it turn out that Ei was not an ordinary wandering warrior. Her subordinates looked at you like you were a freak. None of them were able to converse so freely with her.
✧ She took you for a walk around her favorite spots. Then she realized how much had changed since the last time she took an afternoon off. She was very grateful to you for the opportunity to experience many attractions anew.
✧ Ei is very busy, but she promised to help you reach the king if you wait a bit.
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Venti ✧ Poet
✧ You met Venti in the main square in front of the palace. The boy played, sang the lyre and recited poems. All this to collect small coins into the green hat. There weren't many. When you tossed the coin, he invited you to join him. You knew the melody, so you sang a few lines of an old song. That's when the guards arrived and announced that it was illegal to sing in this place.
✧ Venti grabbed your hand and you ran away from the scene together. You were very angry with him, but he didn't really care about the whole situation. Apparently he was used to it.
✧ It was starting to get dark and you realized that you haven't found a place to sleep yet. You had no idea how, but Venti figured out what you needed.
✧ That's how you ended up in an inn that was supposedly run by his friend. Master Diluc, as he called him, did not seem pleased to see him. Nevertheless, he accepted your money and offered you a meal. You spent the night having a big party in the company of strangers and to the accompaniment of your boy's drunken songs. Venti even danced on the table, earning himself the title of the Hero of the evening.
✧ The next morning the boy disappeared. Apparently, a few stray cats that he is allergic to have wandered into the inn.
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Zhongli ✧ King
✧ It took quite a few days before you managed to meet Ei again. This was slightly worrying as your cash stash was depleting quite quickly. When she announced that she was taking you to an audience with the king, you were completely unprepared. You thought you'd knew beforehand. You landed in front of a mighty man in the worst coat and dirty boots.
✧ When you entered the palace, you expected everything but the way you were received. His Majesty forbade you to bow, made you call him by name, and accepted you with tea.
✧ It took a long time before you even introduced Zhongli to your innovative milk. The king spoke and spoke, asking where you came from. You didn't dare interrupt him. When he finally tasted the dango, he said it was wonderful and poured it into his tea. You didn't expect this. You admitted the taste was unusual but nice.
✧ After endless conversation, Zhongli offered you a long-term cooperation. The amount of money he offered you was inadequate for the task. Only his adviser reminded him that the treasury also has a bottom and reduced the amount by half. Your face dropped but you decided to take what they gave you.
✧ You already know why you have to wait so long to meet him. If everyone takes up as much time as you do, no wonder. As you were leaving, the king asked you to come again when you come up with another great idea.
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Miles Davis - Recorded Onstage, 1973/1974
Let's close this week out with one of my favorite things — Electric Miles! Over on Aquarium Drunkard, my buddy/bandmate Jeremy has shared an unreal mix of 73-74 tapes made by Miles' band members, giving us an intimate glimpse of the radical directions these musicians — Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Michael Henderson, Dominique Gaumont, Mtume, etc — were going in at the time. From Connecticut to Brazil, ride the fiery breeze!
Details: Collected here are five selections from that private stash of stage recordings, capturing the band at the Shaboo Inn in Willimantic, CT, London’s Rainbow Theater, and a pair of dates on its extraordinary tour of Brazil in the summer of ‘74. Beyond the blistering performances featured therein, the Brazil tapes are a notable document of guitarist Dominique Gaumont’s brief time with the band – a tenure that began on March 30, 1974 (as captured on sides 3 and 4 of the Dark Magus LP) and lasted through the fall. For my money, the June 1 performance is the superior document but grip all of the circulating on-stage tapes while you can.
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st6rly · 9 months
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rare is this love (keep it covered).
synopsis: when my time comes around . . . you know where to find me (aka, treating xiao's wounds) | wc — 0.6k
[ !! ] — masterlist.
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characters: xiao x gn!reader
categories: implied modern au, implied spy au, angst, hurt comfort
warnings: blood mentions, pretty graphic descriptions of injuries/cleaning said injuries, verbal fighting + past physical fighting (not between reader and xiao)
notes: im a hoe for hozier songs bro. this is my submission for @june-again's song event! and also ig the revival of my writing blog lmao. out of context this is going to sound wildly wrong but ig i have a thing for hurting xiao bc he's always hurting in my fics :skull:
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Crimson dripped from split skin and slowly started to seep into the wood flooring of the inn. Harsh breaths escaped bloodied lips as Xiao did his best to pull himself into the shared room with a hand pressed to his side, a dying hope in his chest based around getting put together enough to keep you from noticing his state. He stumbled into the tight-fit bathroom as red is smeared on the walls and clumsy hands work to find the medkit you had stashed away when you first arrived here. 
Knees clattering on the worn tiles, he pulled himself to lean against the bathtub and ripped open his blazer to reveal the knife wound that grazed through the white dress shirt you had just bought him. He grumbled something that even he didn’t understand and used a lead filled hand to unlatch the bottom buttons of his shirt. Xiao hissed as he peeled the shirt away from the wound; blood had started sticking it to the skin. 
“Well, what do we have here?” you coughed, a grim smile placed on your lips as his murky eyes filled with shock and something desperate. “You should’ve told me. I finished my part an hour ago.”
You crouched down and pressed your hands to his side firmly to staunch the bleeding more. Xiao felt his head swim and had his vision blank on him before coming back into fuzzy focus. Worry coated your face and you chewed on your lip. He wanted to reach up and smooth out the scrunch in your nose, but instead, let himself relax in your hold. 
“The whole point was to not worry you.” 
You laughed bitterly, and replied, “And you think this doesn’t worry me? You’re lucky it’s just a graze and the weapon didn’t hit anything vital.” 
Silence is all that followed as you moved his hands back to his side with a stern eye to keep pressure. You grabbed a towel from under the sink and wet it, returning back to his side to wipe away the surrounding area of the wound. The cold brought his mind back before it could drift father out. A grumble about needing stitches left your lips and he huffed, restlessness pooled under his skin at the unexpected, but not unwelcome, attention. Xiao knew you had a sharp eye, but the way you placed a hand to turn his head had him wondering if you could also read his mind. 
“I care about you, Xiao. I don’t care how much I need to say it,” you stated, that familiar firmness laced in your voice, “but I need you to know that you are worth taking care of.” Your eyes softly fell to his torso before they locked with his eyes. 
“I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” 
“Xiao, you of all people should know that we can’t make that promise.” 
“But I am. You can raise me from the dead and kill me again yourself if it gets broken,” Xiao said with the same fierceness that gets carried with him on the field. The same type that makes his targets fear him. “No grave can hold my body down.”
He took your free hand in his own, eyes filled with such sincerity and passion, emotions that his face would not portray. 
“I’ll crawl home to you. Always.”
“I’d prefer it if you’d just walk through like a normal person,” you muttered with a saddened but grateful smile, “but we’re not exactly normal people so that will have to do.” 
“I promise you, I'll come back.”
“And the same for me. Always.”
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