Celian

When Dante was eventually able to stop crying, he felt strangely empty. Exhausted. Almost numb. Blaise handed him a tissue and he wiped tears and snot from his face before blowing his nose. He would have preferred to take a hot shower and then crawl into bed. When footsteps sounded, he looked up, meeting Tom's serious gaze; Frank kept to the background, his face strangely contorted in defiance, massaging his finger stumps. Dante sniffled, about to say something, but then Tom held out his ha

Very interesting questions indeed. "You can leave the port quarter, but the port quarter will never leave you." Oh no, it's stated that no faces are allowed. I mean, he was already part of an art exhibition, but this time he has a choice... It probably depends even on Ellen's exact plans for the photo. We will see, I would say.

Big emphasis on IF in this sentence. I mean, you don't know everything either The really nice juicy things will come up later. Sounds like a wise decision. I know what you mean. There are those mother-son-undertones, but still a certain distance, and some fear to cross this distance, but lots of love... ❤️

I can tell you already now, this will become a problem. The way John sees Dante, I mean. It might take a while, but I believe Danica will warm to the idea of Dante being who and how he is. It's difficult to convey a proper character image in such a small glimpse, but the most important parts got conveyed, I would say 😅

Remy thought it was a decidedly bad idea. No, it was a shit idea, plain and simple, and the fact that Marc had been displaying a grim expression since they got in the car didn't make it any better. Why am I doing this, actually? "Next left," Marc muttered. With clammy fingers, Remy turned the steering wheel, turned into the port quarter. Into Black Hawk territory. Here on the edge, the neighborhood looked like any other, and the main street they drove down was lined with apartment

Well we're in Gianna '72 (January of said year) and in Inara (September) '76 is the earliest possible way Dante can be freed. Danica is expecting him to contact her as soon as he's freed, just to spite her.

That would be below her. She might be a cold bitch, but not of the scheming kind. I think deep down she is hurt, yes, but proud of him. And she's looking forward for seeing him free. I mean, we don't know how she really feels about all those rigid traditions about sending the sons away and such. Might be this is her way to cope.

Disappointed. It had taken the hours-long car ride, spent in cold silence, to find a suitable word. "I found Dante," Danica had said as they drove north the day before. "We'll bring him home." It had been like a promise when they had left from the small hotel where they had spent the night. Well. So much for that. After Dante's childhood had ended when he was twelve, and with it his dancing lessons, John had rarely seen his son. At the occasional event or party, but always on

Right? Something is off... Some scheming within the coven? Sounds interesting... Answers to all that in the next chapter Oh my god 😅 I mean, I thought this would turn out longer, but I don't want to ramble, ya know?

I don't think he would agree when I call the coven part of his family, but somehow it is. Bridget might be his great-cousin but she tought him a lot, he's closer to her than he would ever admit. So, yeah, some dirty play within the coven - even just as a thought/possibility right now - hurts. Me too 🤣 this story developed completely different than I had initially planned. Talk about characters having their own mind. But I am positive I can wrap this up in the next chapter (and then of course we get an epilogue). ❤️

~The Cursebreaker~ The short night and the crappy weather had taken their toll on me, but Vee didn't look like she was having a good day either when we left the medical examiner's office. The lab was the closest destination, so we headed there first and were greeted by an incredibly tired Josy and a much more awake Simon. “Anything interesting yet?” Vee wanted to know immediately, and they both shook their heads. I suppressed a sigh, because I hadn't expected anything else.

Depends. Loved slaves, like partners/fathers/brothers or otherwise honored/respected members of the household are kept at home and get cared for there as long as possible. (Like Miss Carolyn got home Adam to die at home at the farm.) Then there is the possibility of retirement/nursing homes. They are expensive, though, and for the loved ones most times the very last choice. An average slave will be send to such a home often enough as soon as he has "expired" and there is no else kind of work for him. The mistress pays a fee for a couple of weeks/months and then they get a gentle deadly injection. Some of those kind of homes support a sort of teaching programm, where the old slaves (if they are still able to) teach boys some of the stuff they know. Lowers the fees and prolongs their life. I said it before, regarding Tom: he may look like the classic bully but he is not. We will hear about his reasons, or rather, there is a bomb going to drop which will explain a lot of things. Including Frank's behaviour. The fuse is already sizzling... Quite simple, the son can say no, as Dante did. It's one of the few choices a man can actively make. The whole thing has of course safety rules so the women can't abuse the law. The mother goes to the mistress and lays claims to her son, the son can say yes or no. If he says yes, his mistress has to eat shit, because the mother doesn't pay a dime. But the mother has to keep the son now for at least 5 years before she can resell him and she can claim her son for a second time only 10 years later again, in total not more than 2 times during his life. Danica told Ellen in their conversation that she was keeping an eye on Dante for a while and wanted him for John. John was a professional ballett dancer, had recently several surgeries, can't drive anymore and in general has some health problems. Her claim in this regard is real. Normally the Sapphires took back the grown son as soon as he came of age, and while we never get a full explanation, one of the reasons Danica didn't do so is Dante's sister Daphne. We will meet her in an Another Time chapter soon (it's showing John's reaction after this meeting). Danica was worried for the relationship of the siblings, how their characters would clash and cause problems (in short form). And probably she was even worried about the public image. A hothead, stubborn and proud, with a big mouth, fighting his mother and sisters on some important event? Might not go down well... Looks like he has found his place... ❤️ We will see a lot more of Blaise in the near future... And yes, he has his moments

When Dante awoke, he was terribly disoriented for a moment. In a very strange position, somewhere between sitting and Iying he was glued to someone and- Sawyer. The armchair. At some point during Tom's raunchy story, he must have fallen asleep, but it was a mystery to him why they hadn't woken him. Instead, Sawyer had even stayed with him and they were wrapped in a fluffy blanket. Sawyer still seemed to be asleep- it was a miracle he could even breathe properly with Dante's weight on his chest-

@centexhairysub I've read enough werewolf stories to believe nothing can keep them from following their instincts. But this here is just a small prompt-based one-shot, so do with the lore as you please 😉

Alex stared into the darkness, where shadows were moving. It was still two hours till dawn, but the three nights of full moon were over. Still, he didn’t dare to leave the house. Not one tiny step out on the back porch till he was sure that Max had shifted back. As if he were about to shift as well, a hard shudder and goosebumps ran over Alex’s body. No one deserved to live with this curse, but the whole world bowed to it. At least every full moon. The shadowy figure out in the backy

@centexhairysub To be honest, I'm normally writing on the darker side of realistic, so if I'm too something while trying for the fluffy side, please forgive me. 😅 Though I do know some people who are like this. Not many, but they exist. And yes, Kevin needs to find some confidence and gain some sense of self-worth.

A weird and probably unnecessary feeling of being late struck Kevin, when he walked up the steps of the front veranda of Tom’s house. Kevin’s second pumpkin sat there on one side of the big bowl with the sweets for the trick-or-treat-kids, its mouth carved fantastically traditional yet it looked like a bat. On the other side sat Tom’s pumpkin, an awesome cat-head cut into it. He must have done it while Kevin was away. For a long second, Kevin could only stare in awe, then he pulled himself

Dante is like an exotic bird amidst a bunch of sparrows. Pretty but full of trouble. Now he got his feathers ruffled and dirty, but he stood up for the sparrows, even though they treated him badly and it was a risk for him. He will never be one of them, always stand out, but he earned some respect. It seems like there was no other way for Dante and Tom than to clash and later make peace, but we will hear more about Tom's motivations and this will clear some fog. And, well, Tom is not exactly a sparrow either and Dante sees this. Dante is opening up to the idea of friends and trust, of staying long enough in one place for this strategy to work out.

It's nice to see that there is more to the seemingly cliché bully than just cliché right? I'm afraid that's inevitable. Too some degree at least. I can promise you that for him this story will end with a win. Absolutely true. Since he seemed able to grasp at it and act more childish at will, I think he will show that maturity when it's needed. Which would be now, to be honest, but on the other hand, we don't know why he acted how he acted. ❤️

The armchair was actually too uncomfortable and Sawyer was actually too old for such contortions, but for the life of him he couldn't bring himself to wake Dante. The latter's head rested on Sawyer's chest and it took Sawyer some willpower not to slide his hand, which was resting on Dante's side, under his sweater and caress the bare skin. It wasn't fair. But then, when was life really fair? This dark-haired mortal demigod with the sharp tongue, who was so different from all the other

She cares a lot for and about her little brother and as was said more or less clearly (like with Val) she stayed at the farm for him. Given that she gets the guardianship for him, the timing is, as you said, of the essence. How fast will that go? How fast will the others increase the pressure on her regarding Matthew? Because I do think she would like to live in a cute small town, with opportunities for Dante and Henry to grow and learn and heal, opportunities for Frank to grow. But she needs to talk to Frank for that as well. We will hear about that in a couple of chapters. Till then, maybe Dante and us piece together some theories? And it will only get worse before it gets better... muhahahah *cough* sorry, I'm afraid I work in patterns. Dark patterns. Guess I will go to the corner to be ashamed a bit?

It will get explained, but you need some more chapters of patience we officially meet someone else first. She does have her principles. I don't want to excuse her but her own mother was a real tyrant and some things do run in the family... Looks like it, right? Makes one wonder how that will go for Tom... 🙃

I would say Alice will thrive, if the new city is not too big. But Frank? I have serious doubts there. I think Henry would be already happy if he could share the room with TJ and Mickey. Or well, even a proper room with two beds only with Dante would be fine. The separation between house- and workslaves is normal and as Sawyer mentioned in other places the workslaves live even in an extra house. Interesting and potentially dangerous...? I mean, given what happened between Dante and Tom in "the past" and Sawyer's feelings, this could go sideways fast. Frank seems like the gentle giant, but he got the Mitchell-fire. When both Frank and especially Dante get over this shock, they need to have a serious talk. Because such a reaction is not normal, there must have something happened somewhere in the past. And I mean, many slaves have seen abusive behaviour between slaves or from freedman to slaves, but there is a limit. In my opinion it's a good sign that the other slaves don't shrug it off or take the free man's side out of fear. We will see in the hopefully soon future what comes from all this new happenings...

Dante rubbed his face, took a deep breath, and then entered Mistress Alice's room. Of course, he hadn't found a conversation strategy, but who said this conversation had to be right now? However, Mistress Alice, leaning at her desk and typing on her phone with a furrowed brow, certainly looked like she had something to talk about, too. He hadn't finished the thought when she raised her eyes and nodded seriously at him. "Dante, a moment, please." "Of course. What's up?" She ran a h

I think Pierre's thought of "I want to make a point in running away even though they will catch and beat me" was truly brave. What a bad truckload of shitty luck he had gotten a malfunctioning collar so they couldn't come for him... But Harlaney House is the best that could happen to him. He will get care, education, and Ellen and Therese will make sure his next mistress is a good woman. Not to forget Remy's guilty feelings towards him, he might get a treat or two out of that... As Marc said, K is his best friend Keith. Either Keith wants him back in some way or shit is hitting the fan in Black Hawk territory and they want one of their best fighters back. That is a really good question. Or, are they good for each other now, for the healing process, but bad in the long term? This country and society is based on a theocracy (turned monarchy, turned democracy). I swear to all the deities who might listen I didn't think of the Islamic world years ago when I created this universe, but nowadays there is a comparison possible. What's happening to women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule... *shudder* I mean, Dante or Remy are intelligent and "educated". Not comparible to someone out of high school, but their minds were fed. Chris from the steel mill who barely knows the world is not everywhere like his life? Sawyer, who is reasonably happy and would be completely lost given freedom? We will meet other men of course, and their views might change with time, but I don't see any seeds of revolution.