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ranahan · 3 months

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Mando’a masterpost

Most of my Mando’a linguistic nerdery you should be able to find under the hashtags #mando’a linguistics and #ranah talks mando’a. Specific topics like phonology and etymology are tagged on newer posts but not necessarily on older. I also reblog lots of other peoples’ fantastic #mando’a stuff, which many of these posts are replies to.

I also post about #mandalorian culture, other #meta: mandalorians and #star wars meta topics, #star wars languages, #conlangs, and #linguistics. Not Star Wars content tag is #not star wars. I like to reblog well-reasoned and/or interesting takes on Star Wars and Mandalorian politics, but I am not pro or contra fictional characters or organisations, only pro good storytelling. You can use the featured tags to navigate most of these topics.

Currently working on an analysis of canon Mando’a. Updates under #mando’a project. Here are my thoughts on using my stuff (tldr: please do). My askbox is open & I’d love to hear which words, roots or other features you want to see dissected next.

#Phonology

Ven’, ’ne and ’shya—phonology of Mando’a affixes

Murmured sounds in Mando’a

Mando’a vowels

#Morphology

Mando’a demonyms: -ad or -ii?

Agent nouns in Mando’a

Reduplication in Mando’a

Verbal conjugation in Ancient Mando’a & derivations in Modern Mando’a

-nn

#Syntax

Middle Mando’a creole hypothesis— Relative tenses — Tense, aspect and mood & creole languages — Copula and zero copula in creole languages — More thoughts about Mando’a TAM particles

Mando’a has no passive

Alienable/inalienable possession — more thoughts

#Roots, words & etymology

ad ‘child’—but also many other things

adenn, ‘wrath’

akaan & naak: war & peace

an ‘all’ + a collective suffix & plural collectives

*bir-, birikad, birgaan

cetar ‘kneel’

cinyc & shiny

gai’ka, ka’gaht, la’mun

jagyc, ori’jagyc & misandry

janad

*ka-, kakovidir & cardinal directions

*maan-, manda, gai bal manda, kir’manir, ramaan & kar’am & runi: ‘soul’ & ‘spirit’

*nor- & *she- ‘back’ (+ bonus *resh-)

projor ‘next’

*sak-, sakagal ‘cross’

*sen- ‘fly’

tapul

urmankalar ‘believe’

*ver- ‘earn’

*ya-, yai, yaim (& flyby mentions of eyayah, eyaytir, gayiyla, gayiylir, aliit)

Regional English in Mando’a

#Non-canon words

Mining vocabulary

Non-canon reduplications

Many words for many Mandalorians

What’s the word for “greater mandalorian space”?

Dral’Han & derived words

besal ‘silver, steel grey’

derivhaan

hukad & hukal, ’sheath, scabbard’

*sen- ‘fly’ derivations

tarisen ‘swoop bike’

*ver- ‘earn’ derivations

#mando’a proverbs

#mando’a idioms

Pragmatics & ethnolinguistics

Middle Mando’a creole hypothesis

Kinship terms

Politeness in Mando’a: gedet’ye & ba’gedet’ye — vor entye, vor’e, n’entye — n’eparavu takisit, ni ceta

Mandalorian languages

#mandalorian sign language

Concordian dialogue retcon

Mandalorians and medicine, baar’ur, triage

#Mandalorian colour theory (#mandalorians and color): cin & purity, colour associations & orange, cin, ge’tal, saviin & besal

#Mandalorian nature: Flora and fauna of Manda’yaim, woorlarii (whistler), beskaab’sen (bell-bird), beshap (iron wood), galek’tal, unnamed lizard, unnamed, oltaba (mandalorian centipede crab), galkali, skredee (saw jaw), kitat (bucket bird), karikase (star flies, or mandalorian fireflies)

starry road

Other

A short history of the Mandalorian Empire

Mandalorian clans & government headcanons

Names of Mandalorian planets

Mando’a timeline

What I would have done differently if I had constructed Mando’a

Mando’a handwriting guide: part 1, part 2, part 3

Free tactical medicine learning resources for medics & those who write them

FAQ

Can I use your words/headcanons in my own projects? (short answer: yes please)

What’s your stance on Satine Kryze and the New Mandalorians? (tldr: they’re fictional and I don’t have one beyond their narrative being interesting & wishing that fandom would have civil conversations about them.)

LGBTQIA?: I’m about a flag short of an entire pride parade. Oh, you meant is this blog safe for you? Yeah, I don’t stand for any shade of discrimination. If I say something insensitive, rest assured it’s because I temporarily misplaced my other brain cell, not because of malice.

Asks under #ranah answers

P.s. Let me know if the links don’t work or something else is wrong (some items don’t have links, they are articles in my draft folder/queue which I’ve listed here so they don’t get lost—sorry for the tease!). Also please tell me if you need me to tag something I haven’t so you can filter it (this blog is for readers—if I was writing just for myself, I wouldn’t bother to edit and publish—so let me know what I can do to make it work better for you). Thanks!

#mando’a #mandoa #mando'a #mando’a language #meta: mandalorians #ranah talks mando’a

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aura-morgenstern · 10 months

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Omg I wanna see the full ocs graph! I want to know who loves Adona but not loved back, I want to know Resh/Alef and Mekh kid's name, I don't need sleep I need answers

Only showing this family in particular. I actually have a lot more ocs, but that’s like an info overload.

#sky au #malignant rebirth project #original character #oc #alef #resh #oc: adona #oc: miria #oc: darz ambrose #oc: alice astra ambrose #oc: ada morgenstern #oc: khet #prophet yosef #mekh #honestly how do people tag a lot of characters?#there was someone in here with horns? what?? who? ;)

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chubbysciencenerd · 8 months

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Runaway Pet Fem!reader x JacobSeed

dubcon, pet dynamic, dirty talk (slight), orgasm denial, slight Stockholm syndrome towards the end idfk and if you don't like it then simply don't read it.

(NOT PROOF READ BEEN REAL BUSY LATELY BUT I HAVE SO MANY INEADS FOR STORIES IN A GOOGLE DOC DW)

You have remained captured by Jacob at his compound for just under 3 weeks now, he would bring over your radio and hold it just out of reach forcing you to listen to your friends asking you for help thinking that you're hiding as if this was all too much, you wanted them to know that wasn't the case but you couldn't. Until today, you woke up in the stupid cage he kept you in, it was inside the veterans center and inside he office at the foot of his bed. You felt like he was keeping you like a damn pet. You look and right at the front of your cage you see your radio and a piece of paper, you quickly grab both, the paper had writing on it. Don’t say anything I wouldn’t like pup, I'm listening. You immediately talk into the radio after reading the note. “Hello?..” Sharky answers almost immediately, “Deputy! Where the hell have you been?” You tear up a little as you smile knowing he was okay, “I'm being kept at Jacobs compound, Is everyone alright?” Sharky barley let you finish speaking before he responded. “Jacob Seed? Everyones okay, I can get everyone together! We can come get you, we need you bro.. Johns going… A little Crazy.” You chuckle softly, as if John wasn't crazy already. “No no, no one is to even try to come get me. It wont end well. Sharky Listen carefully, you need to tell Hudson that she's in charge now and I need you and everyone else to help her and treat her with the same respect you treat me with okay? Just until I’m out of here.” It was quiet for a minute before Sharky finally responded. “Broskie are you sure?” You smile softly responding with a simple “Positive” Jacob enters the room and gives you a soft yet wicked smirk. You look up at him nervously as you speak into the radio one last time, “Sharky, I have to go. Tell everyone to stay strong.”

Jacob squats in front of the cage and holds his hand out, “Times up pup.” You hand him the radio hesitantly, he grabs your wrist tightly grabbing the radio with his free hand. “You smell like shit pup, I'm going to let you take a shower but there's no saying what I'll do if you disobey me. Got it?” You nod shakily, fuck.. This was probably your only chance for a while. He lets go and you snatch your hand back into the cage as he starts to unlock your cage which was more like a damn kennel for a dog, he steps to the side as you nervously crawl out standing with weak legs. He had a good feeling you couldn't run even if you wanted to. He walks over to the fridge in his office and grabs an apple and a water bottle from it and hands it to you. “For strength.” You7 take them hastily, taking a bite of the apple first and opening the water bottle drinking only about half of it, you were too smart to chug it all away. It was so nice to not eat and drink out of a bowl like a damn judge. You continue to eat the apple as he goes to a box he had brought in a couple of days ago. He pulled out 2 little travel size bottles of soap, body wash and shampoo. He sets them on the dresser before pulling out fresh clothes from the box for the deputy. After grabbing the bottles and setting them on the clothes he walks over setting the pile on the top of your cage as he lets you finish your apple. Soon enough you were practically eating the core before he rips it from you, “Did you know.. Apple seeds contain cyanide?” He chuckles before throwing away the core. “It would take around 200 apple seeds to kill someone. Just a little fact” You finish the water before grabbing the f/resh clothes and bottles. He grabs your arm roughly and starts walking you out of his office and to the nearest bathroom with a shower. “No fooling around. Let me know when you're in the shower.”

He closes the door staying inside the bathroom with you, the man was decent enough to turn around so you can strip and enter the shower. You are quick to remove your clothes and get in the shower, You mutter out a soft “Im in..” before turning on the water. Jacob turned to look at the shower to make sure you didn't try anything stupid. “Why do you have to be in here?” You ask awkwardly before putting some of the body wash on a rag that was in there. As you start to wash yourself you felt, Free.. Even though you weren't, not yet. Instead of answering he hums softly. You continue your shower and almost timed perfectly as you are rinsing the shampoo out of your hair you hear yelling and gunfire outside. “Don’t leave this room.” He growls rushing out of the bathroom grabbing his guns on the way out to see what the hell was going on. You turn off the water and quickly get dressed and start to slip your way through the veterans center and out the back without being noticed. Or so you think. You find some stuff stacked near the wall and use it to hop the fence in the back. And as soon as you hit the ground you start running like your life depends on it, once you look back you see Jacob running after you. Fuck! How did he see me? Im so fucking dead.. When you glance back a second time you see he's gaining on you, right as you start to look back there was a loose tree root that you trip over. As you try to get up you feel his weight crushing you back into the forest floor. His knee digs into your back and you hear his heavy panting as he leans over to whisper in your ear. “Pets who run away deserve a punishment.”

As he finished speaking he moved his knees to be on either side of you, pinning you down before grabbing the waist of the shorts he gave you and ripping them down to your knees followed by the cheap panties. His rough and calloused hands grab your hips harshly before pulling your ass up and in the air. Soft pleas and whimpers escape your lips, “I wont do it again, Please!” You try everything but he doesn't give up. Your heart sinks to your stomach as you hear him fumbling with his belt and jeans and before you know it his thick head is pushing against your entrance. “If you ever think about running away again, remember this day.” He whispers in your ear before harshly biting your neck drawing blood as he rams his full length into you harshly pulling out and quickly thrusting back in, absolutely rutting against you like a starved animal. He pounds away at your aching core as he pulls his teeth from your neck and licking along the bite soothing it before biting almost harder on the other side of you neck, you yelp in a mixture of pain and pleasure. You felt like he was splitting you open with every thrust of his cock, it was so thick and lengthy you wanted to hate it but.. You couldn't. He grabs your hair and harshly yanks your head back before growling in your ear, “I want to hear you pup.” A mixture of whimpers and moans start spilling out of your lips and he starts going back to kissing and sucking on your neck now only leaving small almost teaseful bites. He sees your hand snake between your legs and he quickly stops after one specifically hard thrust. He grabs both of your arms roughly and brings them behind your back holding them there. “Bad pets don't get to cum”

He starts rutting into you again groans escaping his own lips as he feels his limit coming, “Im gonna fucking breed you, marking you isnt enough.” He chuckles with a low voice before leaning over you and whispering in your ear again. “I'm gonna fill you up to the damn brim so you can have my pups.” You feel him smile against your neck before biting it harshly again causing blood to trickle down your neck as his hips stutter before coming to a stop, you felt so full and almost like he truly owned you now. He draws out of you painfully slowly and you gasp as the emptiness, you felt like a part of you was missing. You look back and see Jacob tucking himself back into his pants before helping you up carefully holding you against him so he can pull your panties and shorts back up, He didn't need his soldiers to see what was his. You look at him with lost eyes trying to understand why you felt like this with one of the goddamn seed brothers. He chuckles at the priceless look on your face before picking you up bridal style. “You okay pup? I know that was rough but like I said, bad pets need to be punished.” You look up at him with a quivering lip as you rest your head against his shoulder, just because you were bad didnt mean he was the worst fucking guy he was still going to provide a little aftercare, that shit is important especially if he wants you to trust him. He starts to walk with you back to the veterans center as he softly hums Only You. Jacob had kept you in his office for a reason, He wanted you, and now.. He claimed you. You avoid the gazes of soldiers as he carries you back inside.

He sets you on his bed before leaving, he comes back with a wet and warm washcloth, “Take off your shorts..” You look at him and weakly take off your shorts, he starts on your inner thighs wiping off whatever mess there was before sliding your panties to the side and cleaning up the main mess, his seed was leaking out of you and it made his cock stiffen in his pants causing him to growl under his breath. You weren't in the right state for anything more at the moment, He continues to clean you up before placing your panties back, for such a rough man right now his touch was soft, gentle and slow.. He was being weirdly comforting.. You wanted to hate it but still, you couldn't help but absolutely love it. It was the man you didn't love but he was destined to change that. “What do you need right now pup?” He asks, his voice weirdly soft. You can get yourself to speak still honestly in a bit of shock, He sighs laying on his bed next to you. Before your mind can even react your body starts to cuddle with him, hitching your leg up over his and your arm laying over his stomach as you rest your head softly on his chest. He softly strokes your hair crying to comfort you after that intense scene. He wanted you to love him, not hate him. With you being exhausted the last things you hear before drifting off to sleep are, “I'll make you love me pup.”

Im begging for criticism on my writing, please let me know what would make it better for you guys. Love you all and thanks so much for reading!

#far cry 5 #smut #jacob seed #only you #dubious consent #pet pl@y

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lonksadventures · 2 years

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Some Crimson Storm doodles plus a Resh redesign!

THATS RIGHT I NAMED THE AU! From now on any art I post for it/asks I get will be on the #crimson storm au tag! Also if you have any questions for my aus characters then drop me an ask and I’ll try draw the answer! I have a lot planned so stay tuned!

#doodle #procreate #fantasy #fantasy character #character design #lonksadventures #original art #sky cotl #sky cotl au #crimson storm au #that sky game #sky cotl oc #sky resh #sky cotl art #sky cotl eden #sky children of the light

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residenthesitant · 15 days

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

i just like hearing you talk about your fics. tell me more about any of them (=ↀωↀ=) <- giving u a stare like a cat

waow. thatsa lotta stars. i will do. three. my three most recent. because i have commentary about all of them.

i recently put up THIS FIC for the mcytrecursive. the title is from "whose eye is it anyway???" by jhariah (which i recently heard live!!!) bc that entire song is about revenge and what happens when you try to get it. important lyrics here are "If it’s an eye for an eye then we all go blind / If it came to it would you cross that line?" which generally just explains quackity's whole thing of getting revenge against techno for punching him out at wilbur's funeral (a fight which HE started, in the first place), and the lines "And the weight of your crimes weighing on your mind / Is it a knife or a lie is it in your back? / Is it all I need? Is it all I have?" which imo really is what eret's whole deal is in this fic. she's haunted by what she's done and is doing everything to try and not be that person, and maybe by helping others she can help! but. no. no, instead, her ex-boyfriend gets murdered in her living room and she has to call his CURRENT boyfriend to come pick up the body. lol.

i participated in the dsmp rare pair big bang and wrote a canon-setting courtly love au, because if there is one thing i have a special interest in, it's middle and early-modern english literature. the thing i want to talk about the most with that fic is all of the allusions to literature and all the characters eret gets compared/compares herself to. she is repeatedly compared to Tamora from Titus Andronicus for marrying her enemy's leader and becoming a pawn in his political game while also using him in return, which is kind of seen as a betrayal to her prior people; to lady macbeth for the way she is Fucking Haunted by her crimes; and to criseyde from Troilus and Criseyde for her role in her relationship specifically with quackity, in which she kind of winds up betraying him by not choosing to run away with him during/after manberg/pogtopia. she also gets compared to queen gertrude from hamlet for marrying the enemy king, at which point she fully just quotes the play because i love that trope.

and finally. ive been doing a sweeney todd au. the one thing i REALLY want to talk about most with this is a MAJOR spoiler for the final chapter, though i've been dropping hints here and there throughout (go 2 the comments comment on my fic read it please). instead, i will discuss why people are american in a fic that takes place in Victorian England and how everyone has a Full Name in that fic.

bbh: full name is b. addison halo, "bad" to his friends, and he stowed away on a sailing ship bound for london when he was a teenager

schlatt: actually he doesnt have a full name, but he came to london after running away from NYC 30 years prior to the start of the fic because he was doing Crime in his 20s

ranboo: full name is Ranboo Love, first name is chosen. in london because he decided to become a sailor at 16 and see the world. unsure if his surname is gonna come up, but if it doesnt, that's okay because neither does anthony's and he's the anthony character

dream: full name is reeve taken, "dream" to his friends. based on the french word "reve" meaning "dream." came to london 20 years ago after inheriting his grandmother's pie shop. originally from virginia!

quackity and foolish arent actually from north america in this fic but arent english - foolish is egyptian and q is spanish, neither of these things will probably come up Ever.

tubbo's full name is Tybalt.

#reshes answers #reshes fic #click those links! read my fics! ask me stuff and give me comments! i love attention <3 #latter two fics are shippy. be aware.#and what do these fics have in common?#all of them include at least one c!eret rarepair. thats right.

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the-vault-apprentice · 3 months

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Sup' have some chicken drummies 🍗🍗🍗

Right! Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

If you were given a railgun, 500 money, a bowl of college ramen, a block of cheeze, a multiversal 5d chess set, and The King (Resh) shrunken down and trapped inside a jar..

What would you do?

- @absolute-chaos-skykid

Ummmm......

> She eats the chicken

I don't know what a railgun is, but I don't think I want it. Ramen is... Noodles?

> Looks at the mun for confirmation. It is confirmed.

I would eat the noodles! And cheese is ALSO for eating, so I would eat that, too!

..... I don't know how to play chess. But I would NOT eat the pieces.

500 is a lot of moneys. Is it candles or hearts, though? Because that changes my answer.

> She has a sneaky look on her face

If I had the king in a jar... I think I would poke some holes in the lid and also shake it really hard for a couple seconds. Then I would probably hand him off to the Isle Elder or to @tiny-prince-alef and make him apologize!

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reshiram-and-zekrombw · 5 months

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Hello, Humans

Resh: I am Reshiram, and over there is Zekrom. We have seen a few other legendaries do this, so Zekrom wanted to try. It might take us a while to respond, as we are doing this off of an old Rotom phone, which Zekrom managed to charge. Zek: Yes, so feel free to ask away! We want to see what the humans think of us, and how the other regions are doing.

Hi! This is a Pokemon IRL blog. Pelliper mail is on! I'm Rea, I go by she/her, and im a minor, so no NSFW things please. Im an avid Pokemon, Genshin, and Honkai Starrail player. Because of school and stuff, I wont be able to post a lot, but i'll try. And if I get any lore or anything wrong, please tell me! Also kinda new to tumblr, so I have no clue on how to do some of the text font things. Also please send asks, tho i cant guarantee that they will be answered right away! Any new blog things will be posted to @roselikespokemon !

Another update lol, but Bold text is Resh and Italic is Zek and Both is Kyu! Another another update, if u want ur ask to be to just one of them, then please specify which!

They all use they/them mainly, but he/him works as well for them because i feel like they are more male-ish. dont know why.

#reshiram #zekrom #ask resh and zek #ask reshiram #ask zekrom #rotumblr #pokemon irl #pkmn irl

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starlit-hopes-and-dreams · 8 months

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Chapter 20 ~ Surprise surprise

Hidden Depths

Previous ~ Masterlist ~ Next

Also on ao3

Genre: Fantasy whump

CW’s: not much really. brief mention of a minor character death? huh. congrats y’all. welcome to the first chapter I’ve posted here with no warnings :’)

WC: 3046

In which there are a few surprises... shocker with that title, right?

AN: Really, in which I should've foreshadowed a certain something but never could figure out how exactly to pull it off. So, uh. That's why posting as you write is considered a first draft, yeah?

This is a bit of a filler chapter, I suppose, but I felt it was necessary so here you go. As a reward, you get some new curses from Carr. Enjoy lol.

Carr

Carr didn’t find Resh at the top of the hill.

She spent what felt like hours searching every dip, every patch of shrub and undergrowth, growing increasingly worried as the light started to fade. It would be pitch-black in this forest long before the sun actually dipped below the horizon.

Occasionally, she’d call out to Orla, less and less concerned about a bandit overhearing as there seemed to be nothing and no one around them. Birds and bugs and small animals began making their little noises again, which she took as a good sign. She thought. Wilderness wasn’t exactly her specialty.

Small scratches and welts criss-crossed her exposed arms and hands, itchy, irritated evidence of her search efforts.

Every time she climbed out of one hollow, she told herself he would be in the next.

Or the next.

“Are you done with this fruitless search yet?” a low, masculine voice asked.

Shit! Who the fuck was that, and how hadn’t she noticed them? So much for the sounds of nature warning her. She crouched in the fucking thorn bush she’d been looking under, withdrawing her daggers.

A man stepped out from behind a massive tree on the other side of the path, dressed in black from head to toe, and pushed a hand through thinning, light brown hair.

Wait. Was that–

“Brant? The fuck are you doin here?” Carr asked incredulously. She couldn’t think of one godsdamned reason Nykim’s second would be here, in the fucking forest so far from the city.

He gave her a look. The same one he shot the vermin back home when they’d fucked up, insinuating with his glare just how fucking dead they’d be if they’d tried whatever they’d done anywhere else.

“You telling me you didn’t know I’ve been following you since you left? Seriously?”

Carr gaped, her mind automatically circling back around. She’d been a little too concerned about other things to pay that much attention–hadn’t thought she needed to. Shit, how much did Brant know? She hadn’t been binding her chest; it was uncomfortable as fuck when they just sat around in a carriage most of the time. Did it even matter if he did know?

Brant shook his head and crossed the path. He extended a hand, which Carr just stared at, confused.

“I’m disappointed you didn’t notice, Carr. Now take my damned hand unless you want to continue slicing yourself up getting out of those thorns on your own.”

Her heart actually sank at the criticism until she remembered she wasn’t fucking vermin anymore. She sheathed her knives and slapped her palm in Brant’s hand with more force than was strictly necessary.

“Don’t give a fuck,” she muttered as Brant bodily lifted her out of the thorn bush. Show off. “You gonna answer my question?”

Brant ignored her, crossing his muscular arms while she brushed herself off. “I know where the bandit camp is. They got the boy, if that’s who you’re looking for.” He scratched his head at that. “Although, wasn’t there a little girl with you?”

Fuck, Orla. Carr gave Brant a sideways glance and rushed over to where she’d climbed up. It was getting late, and the ravine was pretty shadowed. Luckily, she didn’t have to look far, as the girl was already halfway up the hill. The fuck–how was she doing that?

Sweating a little–the fall from the girl’s current height would not be pleasant–Carr reached out with earth… only to find that Orla was already using the element herself. Huh. Carr rocked back on her heels, realizing only then that she had no clue what elemental abilities Resh’s sister possessed. Well, she knew one now, anyway.

When Orla got close enough, Carr grasped her hand and helped her the rest of the way up.

“Anything?” Orla gasped, hunching over her knees.

Instead of answering–because what she was doing was answer enough, wasn’t it?–Carr turned back to Brant.

“You saw him?” She thought her knees might buckle when Brant nodded, but she locked them and took a deep breath. “Take me there. Now.”

“Carr–”

“Don’t ‘Carr’ me,” she snapped.

Brant stepped into her space, snarling as he glared down at her. “I still outrank you. Don’t interrupt.”

She backed down for a moment, the response ingrained after a decade of following the pack’s chain of command. But then her gaze sharpened. “I’m not part of the pack anymore. You can’t outrank me. Take. Me. To. Him.”

“I won’t get in the way,” Orla’s soft voice interrupted.

Carr twisted at the same time as Brant, the pair of them peering at the child they’d already forgotten. Fuck.

“You’re gonna need backup,” Brant said, stepping back. “There’s too many, is what I wanted to tell you before you started ordering me around. Could send her.”

“Is there even a town close enough for that? A town, mind you, with a fuckin guard.” Carr scrubbed her hands over her face. Shit, could she even send the girl? By herself?

“There is,” he said slowly, like he didn’t think she’d like the answer. Paper crinkled as Nykim’s second pulled a map out of his pocket and held it under one of the last beams of dying light.

Orla and Carr crowded around him.

“Here.” Brant pointed to a triangle with a name over it that Carr couldn’t yet read beyond its initial letter. “We’re about half a day’s ride from the forest’s edge, and Hallin is roughly a day’s ride from there.”

He was right–she didn’t like it.

“That’s three days turnaround, and that’s if they come right away, no questions asked.” Carr sighed. “I can’t wait that long, Brant. I won’t.”

“You will if you don’t want to die.” Brant folded up the map and glared at her, but she just pursed her lips, so he turned to Orla.

“Hello there. My name’s Brant. I work… used to work with Carr.”

“Nice to meet you,” Orla said primly, looking at him like he was daft.

Carr snorted. “Pretty sure she’s figured that out already. Kid’s smart like that. Saw me talkin instead of stabbin, you know?”

He cleared his throat. “Alright then. Guess the real question is, can she ride?”

They both turned to look at her. Shit, she was a city kid. On top of that, she would’ve been… what, nine or something when she’d lost everything? Carr had no idea how long she’d been ill prior to that. She held her breath, watching as the girl considered.

“Not very well,” Orla finally admitted, wringing her hands together. “The queen… she wanted me to learn to ride like a lady. I had a couple of lessons, but…”

“It’s okay,” Carr said, but the girl’s eyes welled anyway.

Shit. How did one comfort a child? Most people liked to be touched, Carr had noticed, so she reached out and placed her hand on top of Orla’s soft brown curls.

The tears overflowed, tracking silently down the girl’s face while she stared up at Carr with her big doe eyes.

Oh no. She’d fucked it up. Carr snatched her hand back and turned to Brant; he dealt with the vermin–maybe he knew? But the man just shrugged, looking about as freaked out as she felt. Great.

While she was trying to think of something, thin arms wrapped around Carr’s waist, about stopping her heart.

Just Orla, Carr told her rapid heartbeat, holding her hands awkwardly off to the side to give the girl room.

Resh’s sister promptly buried her head in Carr’s chest, her shoulders shaking. Everything was catching up with her, most like. Brant started pantomiming behind her, but Carr was already moving, placing one hand on the girl’s head and the other around her shoulders. A hug. She should’ve thought of that to start.

“I’m sorry,” Orla babbled into her shirt, her voice muffled by the fabric. “I’m in the way, I-I can’t go for help, I’m…” Great gulping sobs cut off the rest of what she was trying to say.

“Shhh,” Carr said, stroking her hair stiffly. What did you say to something like that? Orla was in the way. Everything she said was true, but it wasn’t her fault. She was just a kid.

She was only twelve. Of course, at twelve, Carr had been anything but a kid. She wasn’t truly sure she’d ever had the chance to be one; kinda hard when one scrounged on the streets for years before joining a pack at the tender age of ten. But she’d heard the saying before and was pretty sure it applied to someone like Orla. Someone who’d grown up with people who loved them, someone who’d never hurt another person in their life. Someone innocent.

Brant bent to pluck a stem of grass, the movement catching Carr’s eye as he stuck it in his mouth and chewed, appearing deep in thought.

“Whatcha thinkin?” Carr swayed gently from side to side, still holding Orla, who stiffened at her question.

“You could ride to Hallin with the kid,” Brant said, “fetch help while I keep an eye on the camp.”

Carr scoffed. “You’re insane if you think I’m leavin. You take Orla to Hallin, and I’ll keep an eye on the camp.” An eye, and a hand, and a dozen knives, maybe, but he didn’t need to know that.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow, proving that he probably already did know that. What the fuck ever.

“How about… we go check out the camp before we make any decisions.”

It was Carr’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“We won’t get close enough for the girl to be in any danger. Just close enough for you to see what a shit idea it is to do anything before the guard gets here,” Brant continued, twirling the grass stem in his fingers, one end chewed down to a nub.

Orla’s crying had quieted, but she still hadn’t released Carr’s middle. She appeared to be listening, her muscles taut with tension.

It–wasn’t the worst idea. Carr sighed and nodded. “Fine. But then you take her and go.”

Brant flicked the stem away. “Follow me.”

~~~

Carr stared down into what should’ve been nothing more than a fly-infested piss trap and cursed under her breath.

Brant was a godsdamn cumguzzling cockweasel. But he was also right.

That didn’t mean she had to like it. Son of a buggering fuckbag. Fucking shit.

They’d left Orla several yards behind them with the horse. Still within eyesight–or what was left of it anyway, with the rapid approach of nightfall–but marginally safer than creeping in on the boundaries of the bandit’s camp.

Camp, hah.

A full-ass fucking village was more like it.

Maybe it had once been a camp, set up on the banks of a small lake in a clearing at the base of two tree-covered hills. The forest surrounded the clearing on all sides; anyone who didn’t know this was here would stumble into the open area and find themselves surrounded by the resident bandits… and their families?

There were still plenty of tents set up. But there were also a few cabins, with evidence of more being built. These bandits were turning this place into a permanent camp.

Because of course they were. Godsdamned cuntknuckles. She clenched her hands into fists, stewing inside.

“So,” Brant said softly from where he crouched beside her, “are you still eager to go storming into this place, or will you wait for backup?”

A noncommittal grunt was Carr’s only answer as she scrubbed a hand over her face, wincing as her fingers brushed over the cut on her brow. Fuck.

She sensed more than saw Brant roll his eyes.

“The kid and I need to leave. You should find a place to rest–you’ll need more light to case the place properly.”

She grunted again, an affirmation behind the sound, and began picking her way through the brush back to Orla, Brant following her lead. Some light still fell on the bandit’s valley, but beneath the trees were nothing but ever-deepening shadows.

“Did you see him?” Orla whispered when they got closer. “Is he okay?”

Carr wrinkled her nose. “No. Actually…” She turned, squinting at Brant as he rose and strode towards his horse. “How do you know Resh is in the camp?”

The horse whinnied as Brant stroked the animal’s muzzle, and it began nuzzling at the second’s pockets. He pulled a root vegetable out, allowing the horse to snatch it from his palm.

“After you crashed, I hung back while the bandits found a way down into that ravine and raided the remains of your carriage. They already had Resh slung over one of their horses; he was unconscious but had to be alive, or why would they bother? Then I trailed them to that valley before I returned to see how you had fared. He’s in there somewhere. In what state, I couldn’t say.”

There was a strange buzzing in Carr’s ears; she shook her head violently, trying to get rid of it, which only served to disorient her. Gods. Squeezing her eyes closed, she crouched and rubbed her aching temples. This wasn’t happening again. Why was this happening again? Hadn’t he been through enough?

Her world narrowed to the tightness of her throat, her wildly beating heart, her breath sawing in and out in short bursts. Stars burst behind her closed eyelids, and she… she didn’t have time for this. Couldn’t panic like this in front of Brant and Orla. So she forced herself to hold her next breath, letting it out slowly, counting in her head.

After a moment, she stood back up, feeling light-headed but steady. Steady enough, anyway. “Hit my head,” she said by way of explanation, feeling the way their gazes lingered on her.

Brant’s expression was skeptical, but he played along. “You aren’t in top form after that crash. Be careful and don’t do anything stupid. Your lover won’t thank you if you get captured or killed trying to rescue him.”

“Not my lover,” Carr automatically said, but her gut clenched at the denial. He wasn’t–but he was something. Something she had no name for.

“Sure.” The sarcasm was thick in Brant’s voice, but he turned away to help Orla into the saddle, encouraging her to ride astride rather than sidesaddle. After some protests over the way her skirts rode up to her thighs, Brant got her comfortable and then took the reins in hand.

“Take care of her,” Carr said sharply as he started walking away, guiding the horse.

There was a barely visible nod and a wave from Orla before they disappeared into the false twilight beneath the canopy.

Carr’s stomach twisted as she crept back onto the ledge they’d used to spy on the bandit’s camp. She’d study the place for a little longer, then find someplace safe to rest for a few hours.

~~~

The next morning found Carr back where she’d started, munching on some sweetroots found using elemental earth and rinsed in a stream on her way there.

What she witnessed in the bandit camp as she watched their early morning activity made no sense.

A light-haired woman with a babe strapped to her back made rounds of the tents and cabins, carrying a large basket that appeared to grow heavier and heavier. When she’d nearly finished, a large man dressed in patchwork leathers approached and snatched the basket from her arms, carrying it down to the shore of the lake, the woman appearing to scold him from behind. He put the basket down, then pulled her into an embrace, kissing her, then the babe before taking his leave.

The night watch filtered in from the fringe of the forest surrounding the camp, joking with their yawning replacements.

Several more children appeared, some playing, some helping as men and women alike began working around the valley. There were several small patches of land where it looked like they were growing crops. What looked like a fucking blacksmith fired up a forge. Over to the side was a lean-to serving as a stable for several horses, some of whom were being brushed down while the others roamed a fenced-in portion of the valley, grazing.

The place looked idyllic. Carr wouldn’t have realized it was a bandit camp if she hadn’t known in advance.

But these fuckers were bandits. They’d attacked them, uncaring if any of the people they were robbing survived. The carriage driver certainly hadn’t; Carr had caught sight of his body while searching for Resh.

They’d taken Resh.

Why? She couldn’t figure it out. Why would they take an outsider into this community they were trying to build and maintain, risking its security?

Her eyes darted around the camp, noting small details here and there. She would need to move to a different position soon, observe from another angle. Perhaps try to sneak past the sentries, get a closer look, do a little eavesdropping.

Although her chest was tight with worry for Resh, she forced herself to think as she started picking her way off the ledge.

She ran various scenarios through her mind while she knelt by a stream to assuage her thirst. Obviously, she couldn’t just sneak in and start stabbing people. She’d probably be lucky enough to get in, but no way would she be getting back out after doing something like that.

If the camp had been smaller, she might’ve just slit every bandit’s throat and been done with it. But she wasn’t killing women who’d likely done nothing wrong. And she sure as fuck wasn’t harming a child.

Her reflection wavered in the pool of water she held in her palms. Carr watched the ripples distort her dirt-laden features and raggedly chopped hair. They seemed to have some good people among them–this clearly wasn’t a typical rag-tag band of criminals.

The corner of her mouth kicked up at the thought. Maybe… she cut off the idea before it could fully form. It might work, it might not. It would certainly be better than waiting three-plus days for her supposed backup. If Hallin’s guard ever even came–which she had her doubts about.

Carr took a deep breath, then raised her hands to drink. First, some subterfuge was in order.

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