Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As she spoke, Crow could feel Penelope growing more and more distant from him again. He frowned. Just when they were finally beginning to get along, too. He wondered what he done to push her away this time. She was so back and forth with him that he couldn’t read what she was thinking at all. It seemed that it would be harder than he thought to win her trust enough for her to inadvertently give him an opportunity to escape.

He followed her to the room and crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe as she put on her armor. It was amazing how different she looked when she wore the metal suit, but now that he knew what she looked like underneath it all, he couldn’t quite see her as the big, intimidating knight he thought she had been before. If anything, it was almost cute how small she really was behind the layers of armor. He bit his tongue to keep from smiling.

“Finished?” Crow asked when she looked to be about done putting on her gear. He waved a hand, gesturing for her to exit the room first. “Come on, then. I want my breakfast.”

Once the knight had stepped into the hallway, he trailed after her, closing the door behind them. It was frustrating how he had made so little progress to gain her trust after all the effort he had put in during the first day of their travels together. Maybe I should have taken my chance to run after all, he thought bitterly as he remembered the alleyway he had spotted earlier.

For a while, they both said nothing as they walked, but eventually Crow had to ask the question he had been thinking about since the previous night.

“What made you decide to become a knight?” he said, breaking the silence. “I’ve seen very few women knights in my life, and none of them were as beautiful as you. Why would you choose the life of a soldier when you could have easily married and had a family?”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

“No complaints here,” Serix said when Cassie told him they couldn’t be separated again. After spending the past few days locked in different cells, he had no qualms with staying by her side. When Cassie leaned in to kiss him again, he held her close and closed his eyes, enjoying the touch of her lips to his. There were no more metal bars to keep them apart; no more guards to keep them from speaking their minds. Once again, everything was right in his world.

After a moment, Cassie pulled away and lay on the bed, gently tugging Serix down with her, “Now, get some sleep. The more rest you get, the better you’ll be after all that they put you through.”

“I won’t argue with that logic,” Serix said with a yawn. He carefully positioned himself on his side to avoid putting pressure on the gashes in his back, and slipped one arm around Cassie. Compared to the cold stone floor he’d been using for a bed in the cell, sleeping next to Cassie again was unimaginably comfortable. It took him no time at all to drift off to sleep with her by his side again.

--

“Well, look who’s back in the caves.”

Serix didn’t want to wake up yet. He groaned and rolled over, and then winced when his back touched the mattress, sending a dull throb through the rest of his body. He had been so content sleeping next to Cassie that he had forgotten about his injuries. He waited for the pain to pass, and then opened his eyes to see Quincy standing by the curtain. The human grinned back at him, “Lunch is starting in a few minutes. You two are probably starved. I would get there before the others take all the good stuff.”

At first Serix felt a pang of anger, thinking that Quincy was mocking him, but after a moment he realized that he was genuinely trying to be friendly. He relaxed again. At least not every human thought he was still associated with the Pilot. Or at least they didn’t all wear the thought on their faces.

“We might as well grab something to eat before it’s all gone,” Serix answered in response to Cassie’s question. “But we should bring it back here. I don’t really feel like sitting with them just yet.” He sat up slowly and turned back to his mate. “That’s okay with you, right?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“It doesn’t matter,” Crow shrugged. “I can always steal something from Abraxas’s plate when he isn’t looking.” He followed Penelope as she headed for the door. Instantly, they were confronted by William on the other side. The knight must have woken up at some time during the night. His eyes flicked down to Crow’s wrists and he glared. The thief held up his hands in an innocent shrug. What did William have to be mad about? He was still here.

The knight didn’t seem to appreciate his gesture. He stormed towards Crow with a furious look on his face, “Where in the world did you run off to?!”

Crow took a step back, ready to duck aside if the knight made an attempt to grab at him, but instead Penelope intercepted William’s advance and actually defended him. Crow watched her with interest. She actually cared about how her companions treated him? Maybe his plan to woo her had been working after all, even if he wasn’t quite sure how. Since the attack, he had forgotten about the plan, yet it was then that the knight had become friendliest towards him. Perhaps she had mistaken his casual joking for flirting? Or maybe he had done something else that he just couldn’t remember. Well, whatever it was, it seemed to have worked.

“I’m going to go get my armor and sword.” Penelope said. “I’ll be back down soon,” She stepped around William to go back to their room, leaving Crow alone with the knights. There was a short moment of silence before he spoke up as well, “I’ll just… go help her get her things.” He hurried to pass them by, but William caught him by the arm before he had a chance to get away.

“Not so fast, thief,” he growled. “You’re not off the hook just yet.” He lowered his voice in a threatening manner. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but just know this: I’ll be keeping a close eye on you. If you try anything that looks suspicious, I have a spare set of chains with your name on them.”

“How is helping a lady with her armor suspicious?” Crow indignantly tugged his arm out of the knight’s grasp.

“Why would you be interested in doing a thing like that?” William challenged. “You criminals only act when there is something to gain for yourselves.”

My ‘gain’ would be getting away from you, Crow silently admitted, but he met William’s icy glare. “I was merely trying to be courteous,” he said snidely. “I may be a criminal, but I seem to have a greater sense of chivalry than either of you two knights.”

“Bite your tongue,” William hissed, reaching towards his sword.

“U-um, sir,” Abraxas stammered, worriedly eyeing his companion’s hand. “The king said we can’t hurt him, remember?” He glanced up at Crow. “If he wants to act like a servant, then why stop him? Err… I mean, Penelope can take care of herself. She’ll keep him from causing trouble if he tries to start anything.”

“Fine,” William grumbled reluctantly. He took his hand away from his sword hilt, but didn’t relax. “If you want to play servant boy to us, then go ahead. Just remember that I’m watching you, thief.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Crow rolled his eyes as he stepped around the knights. “I’m well aware.” He hurried past them to catch up with Penelope, eager to get away from William’s hot temper. Abraxas had proven to be slightly more likeable company, but he was still too much of a follower for Crow’s taste. He had barely even managed to speak out when William was threatening to attack him! If he had to be guarded by any of them, he much preferred the female knight.

“Quick, look like you’re mad at me,” Crow whispered when he caught up with Penelope. “I think William would like it.” He smirked at her playfully. “Do you think you could get away with it if you delayed going back to them? I want to give him some time to forget why he hates me right now so he doesn’t do anything rash… like make us skip breakfast.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As they got closer to the inn, Crow glanced over his shoulder. Their pursuers seemed to have given up chase. He beamed triumphantly, but the expression quickly fled from his face when his eyes fell on an alleyway leading out to another part of the surrounding forest. A devilish voice began to whisper in the back of his mind. He was no longer chained to Penelope, and now that he had found a landmark—the Gods’ Mirror pond—that he could use for reference, he could easily find his way back to the outer villages. All he had to do was make one sharp turn to the right and he would be free—

“First one back gets half of the loser’s lunch!” Penelope’s voice startled him from his thoughts. She had run up beside him while he was distracted and was grinning like a child. He turned to her in surprise, never expecting to hear those words come out of her mouth. She was always so stoic and emotionless… But, then again, she had seemed a bit more relaxed since they went to the pond. In fact, in her casual nightclothes, he could almost mistake her for a wily middleclass girl. This unexpected side of her was much more pleasant to be around. Maybe he could stick around a while longer, after all. Besides, the knights were giving him a free ride into the outer villages. Why go through the trouble of wandering through the woods when he could have a first-class escort?

Crow quickened his pace to catch up with Penelope, who had sprinted ahead of him. Once he was beside her again, he grinned smugly, “Never put food on the line when taking me on in a challenge. I hope you’re a dainty eater, love, because I’ll be having half of your lunch tomorrow!” With that, he pulled ahead of her, running at the fastest pace he could manage. He had almost made it to the inn when he felt a short burst of dizziness that forced him to slow down. After spending a year locked up in a tiny cell, he had lost much of his former stamina. Still, he kept up a quick enough speed that he managed to reach the inn at about the same time as Penelope.

As soon as they arrived, Crow doubled over, panting for breath, “Well, I learned at least one valuable lesson tonight: Running is a terrible idea after you’ve spent an entire year behind prison walls.”

Practically Spellbound [Casually Insane + Summer]

Well, that took WAY longer than I expected XD
So sorry for the wait. Last week was crazy busy and my boss just increased my hours at work, so I've been pulling late nights and running on low energy, which is awful for writer's block. Hopefully now that I finished that first post, the next ones won't be as hard to do :)

Practically Spellbound [Casually Insane + Summer]

Paxton recoiled when Mirajane exploded at him and returned to her lamp. He had just been trying to make a casual joke. He hadn’t expected her to react so violently. Was being a genie really that bad? She was immortal and had the power to use magic! …But then, she also had to live by herself until someone found her lamp and let her out, and even then, she was forced to serve her master like a faithful pet. Huh. Looking at it like that, her life as a genie suddenly wasn’t so glamorous.

Paxton glanced at a clock on the wall and jumped abruptly to his feet. His first class started in two minutes! He had been so caught up in Mirajane’s shouting that he hadn’t noticed what time it was. He snatched his backpack and hurried to his first hour classroom so he wouldn’t be late.

--

Throughout the day, Paxton found it impossible to focus on his studies. His mind kept wandering back to the incident with the genie, which he still felt bad about. She had disappeared before he even had a chance to apologize to her, and she was probably still furious with him. So far, he was making a wonderful first impression. He just wished he had a way to make up for his inconsiderate words.

…But then, maybe there was a way.

After school ended, Paxton headed back to his house and went straight to his room, locking the door behind him. His parents were both at work and his sister was at softball practice —she was the only one in the Hall family with any talent for sports— but he didn’t want to take any chances. Once that was done, he retrieved Mirajane’s lamp from his backpack and set it on his desk, rubbing it to summon the genie. He waited a moment for her to appear, and then launched into his speech before she had a chance to yell at him again.

“First of all,” Paxton said hastily. “I want to say that I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean to offend you, and I wasn’t thinking. You have every right to be mad.” He paused for breath and went on more slowly. “I also wanted to make you an offer. I know you’re stuck to your lamp because you’re a genie, but since I’m not going to use my last wish anytime soon, how about we use the time to let you live a little? I mean, I can show you around and we can do stuff that normal people do every day. I know it’s not much compared to an eternity there,” he gestured at the lamp. “But it’s better than nothing, right? So, what do you say?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay, cool XD
I'll still be busy because my boss increased my hours at work, but I'll try to get my replies done at least semi-regularly :)

Stay with Me (Summer and Heartless)

As the knights climbed onto their mounts, Destrian took up a position next to his own horse where Mirabella was perched. Once everyone was settled, one of the knights turned around to face him and he nodded. The man hesitated for a moment, likely considering whether or not he should offer the prince his own horse again, and then reluctantly turned away, signaling for the group to start moving. Destrian just rolled his eyes as he walked alongside Mirabella. The knights were too traditionalistic. A little change in the routine never hurt anyone. Besides, he rather enjoyed walking. It made him feel like he was doing something for himself, rather than just playing the part of a royal puppet.

“Your horse is very calm,” Mirabella’s voice drew him from his musings. “You must have trained him very well.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Destrian said, patting the animal’s neck. “However, I can’t take all the credit for that. I was only ten years old when Fendrel was given to me as a colt, so, since I was too young to do it myself, my father was the one who trained him.”

Soon, the kingdom walls came into view above the tree line. Destrian glanced at Mirabella and smiled at her awed expression. If this was how she reacted to seeing the outside of the kingdom, he couldn’t wait to show her the interior, especially the palace. He just hoped his father wouldn’t find out what she was and turn her away. The king was a traditionalist just as much as the knights in his army. He would not stand to allow a peasant girl be admitted into a royal event.

The group passed through the main gates and headed for the stables to return their horses. The knights dismounted easily and began unbridling their animals. Mirabella seemed to have a bit more trouble. At first, it looked like she was going to climb down on her own, but then she stopped and looked down at the prince, “This... is a little higher than I thought. It must have taken a lot of practice for you all to get on and off of horses so easily.”

“Well, that and we’ve grown up with horses throughout our entire lives,” Destrian smiled and shrugged. “Here, let me help you.” He offered Mirabella a hand to get down.

“Sire, please,” one of the knights walked up, glancing at Mirabella. “You do not have to offer your assistance to a peasant. Let me do it.”

“Oh, damn the traditions,” Destrian said sternly. “Peasants are people, too; just as much as any noble. I will not treat them less than that simply because they hold a lower status.”

The knight hesitated, “Your father—”

“Is an honorable man,” Destrian interrupted. “But I do not hold all of the same beliefs as he does. You should know this by now.” He turned back to Mirabella and helped her down from the horse, and then looked back at the knight. “Take the horses back to their stalls and tell my father I would like to speak with him shortly. I have some minor business to take care of first.” Of course, he couldn’t bring the peasant girl to the king as she was now. She wouldn’t even pass for a member of the middleclass. If he was going to get her into the ball, he would have to make her look a bit more presentable.

Destrian turned to Mirabella as the knights began to walk away, “Come along. We’re going to the market.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

After everything Cassie said, Serix wanted to immediately take her offer and return to the hangar. He missed the privacy and peace they had when they were alone together. In the human caves, it felt like they were always being watched and threatened from the shadows, and they had hardly any time to themselves. When looking at everything that way, it only seemed logical that they should go back to their old hideout. They would be happier there… Or would they?

Sure, right now the hangar sounded like paradise compared to the human compound, but just how long would it last? The appearance of the Pilot only reaffirmed Serix’s fear that his people were moving. They could arrive on Earth tomorrow or a year from now, but whenever that happened, the securest place to be would have to be —as much as he hated to admit it— with the humans. There was something to be said for the concept ‘safety in numbers,’ and when the impending invasion happened, he would much prefer be part of a group rather than half of a pair. He would be selfish and stupid to put them in a dangerous position just because it was easier at that moment. If he and Cassie wanted to survive, their best option was to stay in the caves. He would just have to tread lightly around Hunter and the other hostile humans until the situation cooled down.

Serix wrapped an arm around Cassie, hugging her close to his side, and kissed her gently on the lips, “Running away sounds great. It really does, but… we should stay here.” He leaned back slightly to meet her eyes. “I just have a feeling that even though it’s hard now, we’ll be better off here in the long run. The worst is pretty much over, right? Whatever Hunter was doing, it didn’t work. As long as we don’t give him another opportunity to cause trouble, things can only get better from here.” He smiled at her, trying to seem optimistic. He really did want everything to work out. Not all of the humans were as cruel as Hunter, and some were even friendly. Maybe, with time, his hope that the caves could become their home would be a reality.

He brought a hand up to lightly brush a strand of hair from Cassie’s face, “What do you think?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“No arguments here,” Crow grinned at her as they sprinted for the town. Behind them, he could hear the thudding of boots against dirt as their pursuers took chase. Their footsteps blended together, but it sounded like there were about five or six of them in all. He let out an ecstatic holler and ducked as an arrow zipped past his head. No matter which side of it he was on, he had always enjoyed a good chase. He could brag a winning streak of forty-nine to one—the ‘one’ being the time he had been captured and sent to prison—when it came to pursuits like this. He happened to be quite good at them.

Up ahead, Crow could see the outskirts of the village. He cast Penelope an impish look, “Let’s have some fun with them, shall we? This way!” Just before they reached the edge of the road, he made a sharp turn to the left, leading her along the border between the forest and the outer buildings. In one swift motion, he reached up to grab hold of the edge of a wall and swung himself up, landing on top of it. He only paused for Penelope to catch up before he took off again, moving quickly along the wall with catlike balance. When he was close enough to the house that the wall encircled, Crow leaped onto its flat roof, crouching down as another arrow sailed over his head. He glanced back at the knight, who was keeping up with him rather well.

“Come on,” Crow teased. “It’s time you learned how to vanish from a real escape artist.” He waved a hand for her to follow and then kept going, jumping over to the next rooftop. He stayed close enough to be just within their pursuers’ line of sight, but far enough away that any arrows they shot at them would fall short. He stayed where he was for a moment, pacing back and forth on the roof as if he couldn’t find a way down, until the attackers started climbing the wall to come after them. Once they were all off the ground, the thief crossed over to the beams of some nearby stable rafters and jumped down into some bales of hay that weren’t visible from where their enemies stood. In their current position, he and Penelope now had a significant head start.

“Voila,” Crow said to her, flourishing his hands in a bow before they took off running again. “Who ever said we needed to fight?”