*SIGHS*

Another AO3 app that's pretending to be official when it's not (or at least isn't making it clear its unofficial.) They're using AO3's name and logo, and embedding ads.

There is no official AO3 app

Someone else is gathering your data, potentially your log in information etc and making use of it how they please. (They say they're not but their privacy policy says otherwise)

They are making money from the ads without the fic writer's consent.

They've also rated it Pegi 3 (which is ludicrous)

Please, even if you care about nothing else, for the safety of your data, please don't use this app. Certainly don't give it your AO3 log in details.

I've told AO3 that it's infringing on its copyright. I will be requesting they remove access of my work as I do not consent to my creative content being used to generate ad revenue for them.

I will be reporting it as incorrectly rated.

The only email address I can find is Narusta@gmail.com which is included in their privacy policy, and boboxway13@gmail.com as their developer.

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS! THERE IS NO OFFICIAL AO3 APP

“Sounds both exciting and exhausting,” Missy observed. “Do you enjoy it?”

She grinned as Orianna spoke about the ocean; the trident made plenty of sense now. She could understand the affection for the ocean. The seemingly endless expanse reminded her of space: deep and dark, only partially explored, full of ships and strange creatures, and scenery that was simply incredible. She could definitely relate.

“What do I do?” Missy repeated, blinking.

She should have been expecting the question about occupation to be turned back at her, but was caught off guard, her mind going momentarily blank. What did she do? She fidgeting absent-mindedly with the chain of her pocket watch as she pondered her response.

“Well, I travel a lot, I mean, I used to,” she answered, trying to be somewhat truthful. “I was…well, a wee bit of a criminal, really. I won’t bore you with the sordid details. Eventually, I decided to give up my life of crime and ended up in Luskan - ironic, I know, The Pirate City. I make an honest living now though: I oversee ship maintenance. Designing upgrades, making sure things are measured properly, et cetera. Good place for new beginnings, Luskan. The Captains don’t care about your past, so long as you can get the job done.”

She shrugged. It wasn’t a bad job, really. She’d always been good with vehicles - any sort of vehicle; she had a good sense of direction, and an uncanny knack for eyeballing measurements and distances precisely.

“And as long as I bring back a trinket or two, they don’t mind my occasional trips to Neverwinter,” Missy concluded, smirking and nodding towards the road ahead of them.

Orianna hummed at Missy’s question. She could certainly say she did, and it was something of an inherited job in a way.

“I do. You never have the same day twice, and there is never a shortage of new experiences. Plus, the old man was an adventurer for a long time as well. He hung up his sword to raise me though.”

She listened as Missy explained her backstory, and nodded along. In her adventures she’d worked with people from shady backgrounds but that didn’t necessarily make them bad people. Some were desperate or had been in a terrible set of circumstances. Most of them used their skills for good reasons on their adventures now, and those that didn’t weren’t worth knowing.

“Well it seems to me you’re doing good work now to atone. And while the Luskans are mostly pirates, there are good people among their kind too. If I’ve learned anything during my adventures it’s not judge a book by its cover…and you’d be surprised how often that can be a literal thing.”

Orianna chuckled and muttered something about Mimics. They were nasty critters and she’d run into enough of them to double check anything she touched in an active adventure zone, particularly in wilderness areas.

“What do you think of the Luskans?”

Ben yelped and barely managed to shield their face with the towel as the fox shook herself, the spray of water going everywhere. They had to laugh as they lowered the towel, the quiet chuckle becoming a slightly wheezy guffaw as Ember almost dove into the towel.

“Naughty fuzzball,” the teen teased as they started to gently rub their friend dry, careful of her wounds. Once they'd done their best with their current method, they dropped the damp towel on the floor before standing stiffly and searching in the cabinets hoping for…

“Ah-ha!” they exclaimed, pulling out a small hair dryer. “It's no industrial dog grooming dryer, but it'll do to finish you off.”

Ben awkwardly plugged the dryer into the wall with their injured hand before they laid down a fresh hand towel and nudged Ember onto it. They flicked the switch and made sure the air wasn't too hot or strong, then turned it towards the fox. Fur was pushed back as the warm blast was moved back and forth, Ben doing their best to be thorough and get all areas but not get too close to Ember's likely sensitive skin. 

When they'd been around her twice, they finally shut off the dryer and put it aside to take care of later.

“There we go. Bet you feel much better now. I have an electric razor so if you want tomorrow before we leave I can shave out your paw pads. I know too long fur can affect your grip.” Watching an older werewolf who could no longer shift back to human and therefore could not readjust fur length by simply transforming, eat dirt because they needed a haircut was a very easy way to ingrain that piece of canine information in one's knowledge banks. “But for now, how about we patch you up and get your jacket on. Then you'll be nice and toasty.”

Ben led the way back out into the main area, grabbing the new first aid kit from the trolley before herding the fox into the middle space between the two beds. They figured it was much easier to just open the brand new one now and sort out the transfer of other items later than go rooting around their bag for the older bandages and such right this second. Once they’d placed the bag on the bed they crouched down in front of Ember, shifting to their knees stiffly before they smiled.

“Alright, hold still.”

They lifted their uninjured left hand and let it hover above their friends wound, muttering yet another different spell that caused their palm to glow green. As the healing magic worked its way into the fox’s injuries, they made sure to keep their own hurt limb as far away from it as possible, resting it on the nearest bed. They’d learnt the hard way that the healing spell did nothing for their injury. In fact, it made it worse. Made the pain exponentially more unbearable and the infection take hold faster as well as deeper. They believed it had to do with the fact that the blade had been silver. Silver that was still in their system and preventing the wound from healing at all. The spell interacted with the metal and exacerbated the poisonous effects. They supposed they were just thankful that they weren’t a proper werewolf, so it wasn’t killing them.

Just making life difficult and incredibly more painful.

The magic was doing its job, and they held the spell as long as they could, but after a minute the light headedness and nausea returned along with a sudden exhaustion as most of the remaining energy, what little was there, was sapped out of their frail body. They collapsed against the bed, the spell sputtering out as they fought to keep consciousness and what little was in their stomach down. They had definitely overdone it with the magic today. But it was worth it to help their friend, they just hoped they had done enough for her injuries.

Orianna giggled at Ben's teasing. Naughty Fuzzball was apt enough, she had been in the mood to be cheeky. Plus if she'd amused her new friend, then all the better in her opinion.

The towel pulled on her wounds, but she made every effort not to let Ben know that. They didn't need to feel guilty over it. The short term pain, would be a long term gain.

When they were done, Orianna was still slightly damp but they'd started to rifle through the cabinets. She sat and tilted her head, wondering what they'd be searching for. There was much else they could do to get her dry, it would just take time now.

When they pulled out a hair dryer, she followed their lead and walked onto the hand towel. The dryer was particularly loud to her fox ears, and it made them twitch but she made no move to react any further. Despite the noise, this was largely pleasant and Orianna hadn't been this warm in weeks. She'd take all that she could get, especially with the way the hot air was getting between the individual hairs of her fur and delivering that precious warmth to her skin.

Orianna listened, her ears pricking up to demonstrate that she was. She walked over to them, and briefly brushed up against their legs to show her gratitude. She wasn't sure what else she could do in this moment to do so.

As they walked out, she followed and kept still as they crouched down, extending their hand to her. It was glowing green, and Ori associated that colour with Earth Magic. As the spell took hold, she briefly wondered if it meant the same for...whatever Ben was. A witch of some sort, most likely. However Orianna was aware of a number of species capable of wielding magic like this, including her own.

The magic flowed over her wounds, and caused them to tingle as they closed over. Healing magics always felt a little odd, and heaven help you if you were ticklish. By the time Ben was done, Orianna's wounds had closed over. It would take a long while for them to heal properly, but this was far better than her previous situation. With the wounds closed, her chances of infection plummeted. Ben had more, or less just potentially saved her life.

As they slumped back, Orianna could see them struggling and pain and nausea was radiating off them. While she couldn't wield her own magics at this moment, she could still help. Her fox form, like other animals could help to take away some of the pain, and calm a person down.

Without hesitation, Orianna jumped onto the bed, and then lowered herself slowly onto their shoulder. She then carefully draped herself around their neck like a scarf, or a particularly furry neck pillow. Hopefully this would offer Ben some comfort, and share some of the warmth they had given her with that shower.

Pin for survivors

there is an insane amount of antisemitism floating around right now.

i just want to say:

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

not even risking that shit

scrolled past this, re-evaluated my life, then SCROOOLLLED back up and hit the damn reblog button. 

Last comment same thing. Sorry to the next person who sees this. I just can’t risk it. I have things I need to do before my life becomes hell. Lol

man i fucking hate yall who tf put this up knowing damn well we all gonna reblog it im heated im really sick af bout this 

I don’t play that shit lol sorry

WHyyyy

Sorry everyone

If only if only the woodpecker sighs the bark on the tree was as soft as the sky why the wolf waits below hungry and lonely he cries to the moon if only if only

Shiddd

this post followed me to Facebook and im sooo annoyed!

It’s been a MINUTE since I’ve seen Madame Zeroni, fr fr

I HATE TUMBLR FKKKK SAKES

LMAOOOO

Not tryna fuck up any of my planetary Returns~

One time I didn’t and I was broke for like a month but the next time I seen it I rebloged it and a bitch just got 500 out the blue and a 20 gift card

I fucking hate this!!! I can’t NOT!!

Send “I’ve got you”  to carry my injured & nearly unconscious muse

What characters could you see me writing as?

(can be sent on anon! )

Holocaust Survivors on Palestine

"Jewish survivors and descendants of survivors and victims of Nazi genocide unequivocally condemn the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza

"As Jewish survivors and descendants of survivors and victims of the Nazi genocide we unequivocally condemn the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the ongoing occupation and colonization of historic Palestine. We further condemn the United States for providing Israel with the funding to carry out the attack, and Western states more generally for using their diplomatic muscle to protect Israel from condemnation. Genocide begins with the silence of the world.

"We are alarmed by the extreme, racist dehumanization of Palestinians in Israeli society, which has reached a fever-pitch. In Israel, politicians and pundits in The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post have called openly for genocide of Palestinians and right-wing Israelis are adopting Neo-Nazi insignia.

"Furthermore, we are disgusted and outraged by Elie Wiesel’s abuse of our history in these pages to justify the unjustifiable: Israel’s wholesale effort to destroy Gaza and the murder of more than 2,000 Palestinians, including many hundreds of children. Nothing can justify bombing UN shelters, homes, hospitals and universities. Nothing can justify depriving people of electricity and water.

"We must raise our collective voices and use our collective power to bring about an end to all forms of racism, including the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people. We call for an immediate end to the siege against and blockade of Gaza. We call for the full economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel. “Never again” must mean NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE!"

Image below: letter as published in the New York Times

Reblog this to as many and as ma h times as you can!! Flood Social media and the internet with it!!

✧  MAGIC  SENTENCE  STARTERS.

GOOD  MAGIC

❛ not all spells are bad, you must stray away from the bad magic. ❜  ❛ there’s nothing wrong with a bit of magic, as long as it’s for the good. ❜  ❛ you’re like a vase and the magic is the water.  ❜  ❛ i don’t need magic to see that. ❜  ❛ not every spell is considered to be bad. ❜  ❛ this spell book here contains no such bad magic nor will it ever. ❜  ❛ i’m working up a new potion. it’s for the greater good, of course. ❜  ❛ i’ve never used my powers/magic for anything but good things. ❜  ❛ there is no competition with magic, you either possess, or you don’t. ❜  ❛ no one power/magic is better nor greater than the other. ❜  ❛ remember, everything you learn is to be used for good. ❜ ❛ you think every witch/sorcerer is bad? do i look evil to you?  ❜  ❛ i’ve only ever used my magic/powers for good. ❜  ❛ it’s not the magic/powers that are bad, it’s the person who possesses it. ❜    ❛ there is good and bad in everything, you must always chose to be good. ❜  ❛ my powers/magic are not a weapon! i will not be treated as such! ❜  ❛ i cannot help you with your wishes, it’s far too evil. ❜  ❛ magic is a delicate thing and i treat it as such. ❜  ❛ i don’t always use magic/my powers, i don’t always need to. ❜  ❛ it is a blessing not a curse, it’s only a curse if you wish to do evil. ❜  ❛ i did come here to show off my powers/magic, what do you take me for? ❜  ❛ i’m not a witch! i’m a person possessing magic. big difference. ❜  ❛ these are healing potions, they will heal just about any form of life. ❜  ❛ the good always outweighs the bad, just remember that. ❜  ❛ it’s best to use magic/powers when you understand them.  ❜ 

BAD  MAGIC

❛ i’ve never used magic for anything other than evil. ❜ ❛ i will be the greatest and the most powerful, mark my words. ❜ ❛ i’ve hexed so many people, i’ve lost count. ❜ ❛ a curse is never easy to lift, hence the sole purpose of it. ❜ ❛ what’s the point in having powers/magic, if you don’t take advantage? ❜ ❛ you have always abused your magical privileges.  ❜ ❛ i wouldn’t use my powers/magic for the good if it was life and death. ❜ ❛ you really only know how to cast curses/hexes? ❜ ❛ i specialize in curses and hexes only, anything else is just noise. ❜ ❛ shhh, you shouldn’t even speak of such dark magic. ❜ ❛ this book is full of the darkest magic you’ll ever read. ❜ ❛ what is the difference between voodoo and dark magic? ❜ ❛ dark magic is wonderful, you learn the most from it. ❜ ❛ there are so many hexes/curses to cast, i never know which one to pick. ❜   ❛ have you ever had a curse/hex casted upon you? ❜ ❛ there is no such thing as good magic. ❜ ❛ why are you so wicked with such a beautiful gift? ❜ ❛ you do not deserve to possess magic/powers. ❜ ❛ i’ve got a wicked idea in mind, want to hear? it involves magic. ❜ ❛ the best magic of all, of course, is dark magic. ❜ ❛ have you ever wanted to step into voodoo? ❜ ❛ this a book of dark magic/voodoo, but it is not easy to open. ❜ ❛ you have to do a sacrifice to get this dark magic/voodoo book open. ❜ ❛ have you ever participated in voodoo ritual? it’s very liberating. ❜ ❛ all of these spells contain blood and sacrifice… ❜

NEUTRAL  MAGIC

❛ what witch/sorcerer doesn’t own a spell book? ❜ ❛ for future reference, never interrupt my ritual again. ❜ ❛ gemstones are great collectibles for healing. ❜ ❛ every movie about witchcraft is kind of off point, i feel. ❜ ❛ i’m unable to use magic/my powers until i’m older. ❜ ❛ do you fly on broom stick and all that? ❜ ❛ it’s actually rather hard to stir up a potion. ❜ ❛ i don’t own a wand nor a broom stick, but i will drop a house on you. ❜ ❛ spell books are often hard to find. ❜ ❛ i could close my eyes, pretend to concentrate and you would be scared. ❜ ❛ you know they used to hang witches back in the olden days. ❜ ❛ this isn’t a spell, this is common sense. ❜ ❛ this isn’t magic, it’s just glitter. ❜ ❛ i’ve always wanted to live in a cabin in the woods though. ❜   ❛ the best time to do a ritual is of an evening. ❜ ❛ would like to do a healing ritual with me? it’s harmless. ❜ ❛ let’s go candle shopping, come on! i love candles! ❜ ❛ i’m still human, you know, with feelings! ❜ ❛ you know, there is something else i possess; feelings! ❜ ❛ look, it’s really not like any of that. ❜ ❛ what’s so special about it? nothing, of course. it’s not special. ❜ ❛ i don’t feel any greater or better because of it. ❜ ❛ there are spells/potions that can be used for both, good and evil. ❜ ❛ i would rather not use magic/my powers, i’d rather pretend i don’t have any. ❜ ❛ i would never flaunt it as if it’s something so great to have! ❜

Send a '↔' for our muses to swap bodies for a thread!

SOULMATE MEME

This is a list of different soulmate tropes. In worlds where soulmates are real and find each other in different ways. Send a word for my muses reaction to finding out your muse is their soulmate.

hozier lyrics, unreal unearth edition

Orianna tensed slightly as she was lifted up. That still felt very weird, but this was Ben so she knew she wouldn’t be hurt. When they put her down, Orianna took a few moments to make biscuits on the carpet. It had been far too long since she’d had the opportunity to have something soft under paw. Despite it being a cheap hotel, this felt luxurious.

As Ben moved into the bathroom, she hurried along behind them. The place looked nice. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and had hot water. That was all that mattered.

Orianna sat as Ben prepared the bathroom, and their clothes. Taking a moment, she purposefully tuned into her telepathy. Ben’s nervous jitters felt awful and Orianna could hear the self deprecation. This poor kid had really been hurt in life. It broke her heart to think Ben didn’t see themself as the worthy person they were.

When asked if she was ready, Ori tapped her feet on the floor and made some happy chirping noises in response.

‘Is the pope a Catholic?’

Ben was mildly surprised at the laugh that slipped out their mouth as Ember did tippy taps on the tile floor, but the sight and the noises she made were just too adorable.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” they chuckled, gesturing towards the shower. “Hop in then.”

The teen reached for the shower head, awkwardly reaching with their left hand before passing it to their right, holding it gingerly but managing a decent grip. They crouched on the outside of the tiled lip and began moving the warm water over the fox’s form, making sure to soak her fur thoroughly. Their free hand moved towards her eyeline before they slowly moved it towards her shoulder, pausing for a moment then rubbing their palm over her back to spread the water deeper.

As the dirt and grime was washed away, Ben saw just how thin their furry friend was. She was skin and bones, almost as bad as them. They definitely needed to stock up on some more protein rich supplies before they left the city so the fox would have enough to eat on the road. Grey eyes strayed to Ember’s ribcage as dirt and dried blood went down the drain to see a quite nasty wound revealed.

“That looks bad,” they said with a furrowed brow. “Someone was very mean to you too huh? Don’t worry, after your shower I can wrap you up with some of those leftover bandages and maybe heal you a bit.”

Ben shielded the fox’s eyes as they moved up near her head before they placed the shower head on the floor, positioning it so it sprayed inside the alcove. They reached for the tiny bottle of shampoo nearby. They squirted the whole amount onto Ember’s back, given they wouldn’t need any themself once they’d taken care of their hair. They threw the bottle into the nearby trash can, then with their good hand they started massaging the liquid into the fox’s fur, doing their best to also give her a decent head one, before they rinsed it all off. They repeated the process with the conditioner, then after letting Ember enjoy the water a little longer, they placed the shower head down once more.

Bracing their hand against the wall they stood, knees and other bones cracking as they straightened, then turned off the water. They reached for one of the nearby towels and unfolded it, holding it open and crouching down again as they grinned at the now clean fox.

“Come on, time to get you dry.”

Orianna bounded into the shower, and chirped in delight when the warm water hit her. It had been so long since she’d been clean. Having a shower or a bath was a true delight for her. Orianna enjoyed taking the time to make herself clean, and do her skin care routine.

Although she wouldn’t be doing her skin care routine. She wasn’t in her humanoid form, let alone in possession of her products.

However, a shower was utter luxury as Ben helped her get clean. She practically arched into their hand as they massaged the water deeper into her thick fur. Feeling the dirt and dried blood start to wash away was an enormous relief that Orianna hadn’t realised she needed.

At Ben’s words, Orianna looked up at them. Yeah, her wounds were nasty. Iron did that. It cut, and it burned. She was vaguely surprised her wounds hadn’t become infected. She supposed she should thank her lucky stars for that little bit of fortune blowing in her direction. Orianna yipped in thanks for their offer of bandages for her wounds, and magical healing.

Orianna had to admit the idea of them using more magic was concerning to her. She imagined it wouldn’t help them very much, and but in the end she wasn’t in a position to refuse it. Without a touch of magic, her wounds would take far longer to heal. The iron used against her meant it could take months before her wounds properly closed, let alone actually healed. Well, she’d just have to find other ways to help Ben in return.

She leaned into Ben’s hand as they shampooed and conditioned her fur. Without meaning to, they’d helped to ease the tension in her muscles as well. The more rested she could be, the better.

Orianna enjoyed the extra time in the water, taking the time to make sure it fully warmed her, down to her skin. When Ben turned the water off, she waited until they had a towel held out to her before she shook the water off herself. Orianna was aware the water would go everywhere. Ben should have some shielding.

With that done, she bounded over to Ben and walked happily face first into the towel. The shower had been nice, but being dry and warm would be better.

The bumps in the terrain were quite rough on Orianna’s still healing body. She had no doubt that even with the padding, there would be a few bruises tomorrow. Oh well, she wasn’t about to complain. This was still better than wondering around in a daze, with a mentality that was more fox than fae. At least no one had bothered them on the way.

Orianna inspected the hotel as they approached on the asphalt. It wasn’t the Hilton by any means but it was a roof over their heads, and Orianna would take that over another night on the streets. Especially with the faintest smell of petrichor telling her there would be a storm later. Neither of them could afford to catch a cold on top of their already poor condition.

As Ben asked her to guard their things, she nodded and climbed onto the bag. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Anyone trying to steal Ben’s possessions would think twice if there was a fox already sitting on them.

Thankfully no one was around and it didn’t take long for Ben to come back. When they got to the trolley, Orianna stepped back onto the nest they made for her.

Their stop at the vending machine was quick but they definitely got more than the average citizen. At least they’d made sure to get lots of water. They’d need that.

Once they were in the room, Orianna felt her body relax. They were inside a room with a lockable door, so they could both take a moment to relax.

She felt her tail wag at Ben’s question. A shower would be absolutely amazing, and yeah, she’d need the offered help unfortunately. The lack of opposable thumbs put a real dampener on things like taking a shower by yourself. Even if Ben wasn’t so inclined, Orianna would be happy if they turned the spray on and she could just sit under it for a while.

‘Shut up you stupid mutt.’

There she was again. Where was this woman, and where did she get off calling her a stupid mutt? Wait…there was only her and Ben in the room. Ben had stopped talking, and they didn’t sound like that.

Orianna looked at Ben who had scrunched their face as though they’d heard or smelled something awful. She tilted her head for a second, and then the penny dropped. Oh for fuck’s sake! Really? Another fae ability? Now? Great.

Rather than keep Ben waiting any longer with her pondering, Orianna nodded her head. She righted her position, and stood up, waiting to be lifted out of the trolley.

That voice was absolutely coming from Ben’s mind. Orianna had heard about fae having telepathic abilities but it hadn’t been something she’d experienced until now. Although being in her twenties, she was extremely young, even for a half-fae. Her powers would continue coming in until she was somewhere in the range of 100 to 110 years old. The older she was when new powers stopped appearing, the more powerful her fae parent would be indicated to be.

One thing Ori was certain of however, despite the newness of this ability, she didn’t like that voice in Ben’s head. It was utterly foul, and now that she knew what it was Orianna would do everything she could to help Ben get it out of their head. She might also hunt down the person who put it there. No one said fairies were as sweet as Disney made them out to be.

Ben wilted a little as the fox stared at them, goosebumps prickling at their skin as the feeling of being studied washed over them, golden eyes filled with human intelligence that made the gaze even more intense and them feel pathetic for asking silly questions –

But then it all went away as Ember nodded, the teen beaming brightly as grey eyes gained a slight sparkle.

“Okay then!”

They approached and carefully lifted their furry friend out of the shopping cart before gently setting her on the carpet. The teen then led the way to bathroom, walking inside and taking a quick look around. The shower was rather small, just a tiled alcove; but it would be perfectly fine for Ember, and they’d make do with contorting. There was a counter and sink as well as a toilet, along with towels and some sundries. All the essentials, just what they needed.

Ben shifted their attention to the shower, making sure the curtain was fully out of the way before turning on the water. It sputtered to a start but soon flowed freely with fairly decent pressure for a motel. They fiddled with the knobs to make sure the temperature was just right before moving back so they could remove their sheepskin flannel. They had been wearing lots of layers to tackle to freezing nights and harsh elements, but right now they didn’t need them - they would just get hot and wet.

However, their insecurities rose, and they decided immediately they weren’t going to remove their hoodie. Ember might just be a fox, though not a normal fox, but they were still too self-conscious to parade their awful scars. The hoodie would cover their neck scarring enough for them to feel more comfortable. Or comfortable enough to help their friend shower.

They popped out the room to hang their flannel on top of their jacket before heading back, rolling their sleeves up as they went – careful of the bandages on their right hand. Thankfully their arms weren’t a patchwork like the rest of their body, the only scars on those limbs looked like regular wear and tear from being a teenager rather than evidence of their past abuse. They felt silly for being so pitiful but truly, Ember didn’t deserve to have her nice shower ruined by their ugly form.

Entering the bathroom once more they tried to push all the negativity out of their head for the moment and focus instead on the fox.

“You ready then fuzzy?”

Orianna tensed slightly as she was lifted up. That still felt very weird, but this was Ben so she knew she wouldn’t be hurt. When they put her down, Orianna took a few moments to make biscuits on the carpet. It had been far too long since she’d had the opportunity to have something soft under paw. Despite it being a cheap hotel, this felt luxurious.

As Ben moved into the bathroom, she hurried along behind them. The place looked nice. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and had hot water. That was all that mattered.

Orianna sat as Ben prepared the bathroom, and their clothes. Taking a moment, she purposefully tuned into her telepathy. Ben’s nervous jitters felt awful and Orianna could hear the self deprecation. This poor kid had really been hurt in life. It broke her heart to think Ben didn’t see themself as the worthy person they were.

When asked if she was ready, Ori tapped her feet on the floor and made some happy chirping noises in response.

‘Is the pope a Catholic?’

Orianna leaned against the trolley as prompted, and watched Ben work. Her eyes widened as she realised they were putting together a little nest for her. She hadn’t expected them to do that. Ori would have taken simply lying on the base of the trolley.

When they lifted Orianna up and into the trolley, she did her best to stay absolutely still. Part of her wanted to squirm away. Probably the part that wanted to ensure she didn’t get hurt again.

Once she was put down on the makeshift nest, Ori pawed gently at her new jacket. At least she knew it would be comfortable. She’d been about to settle in when Ben pulled out her drinking bowl, and set it down in front of her. Orianna’s eyes widened as the kid used magic to create water.

When the spell stopped, Ori snapped her gaze toward Ben. They paused and Orianna this was a moment of light headedness. That could mean a few things, but most likely it was an indication that the kid was quite sick. She definitely needed to get them a sleeping bag or something. The tent was good, but they needed to be as sheltered from ground as possible to ensure they didn’t catch a cold on top of whatever their injury was doing to their system.

In order to ensure they didn’t use up that energy in vain, Orianna turned back and lapped up a good amount of water from the bowl. Neither of them could afford to be wasteful right now.

As they crossed the car park Ori lay down, facing forward. It wasn’t long before she also noticed the sign. That was a problem. Maybe she could jump down and zap the device off?

As she heard a zapping sound close behind her, she realised Ben had done more magic. Never mind then. She decided to keep her head on a swivel. Orianna might not be able to push the cart, but she could at least be a look out.

As Ben pushed the cart, they couldn’t help but smile whenever Ember drank from her water bowl. It definitely made them feel better knowing their fix friend was taken care of. Helping her made the extra exhaustion worthwhile.

The teen managed to keep a steady pace even as they maneuverered the trolly down concrete paths, across dirt trails, and rocky tracks whilst following the nearby highway towards the edge of town. They didn’t complain even as they grew fatigued and sore, nor when they struggled over the rough terrain. Relief did flood through them as the motel finally came into view, the sun starting to set just as predicted.

Their aching arms were thankful when they were able to push the cart onto the smooth asphalt of the building’s car park. Ben made a beeline straight for the small detached office at the far corner that housed the front desk. Once they’d parked the trolly against the outside wall they took a moment to catch their breath, closing their eyes and leaning against the brickwork. They took a couple of puffs of their inhaler to ease the tightness and slight wheeze creeping into their chest. Grey eyes landed on the nearby vending machines, taking note of the products on offer. They would definitely be stocking up on a few things from there, especially the water.

But first, booking a room.

“Alright Ember, just wait here and watch the stuff again whilst I get us a room. Hopefully.”

Entrusting their worldly possessions to the fox again without a second thought, Ben entered the office and approached the window. A balding man was sitting at a chair, bored expression on his face as he watched some sort of sports game on a small portable television. Lazily he glanced up at them, the teen offering a nod in greeting.

“Um, I’m looking for a room please. Twin, on the ground floor if possible.” With a long-suffering sigh, the man muted his television and shifted attention to his computer.

“How many?” Ben’s brows furrowed for a moment before they understood.

“Uh, two. Me and my dog.” Clacking on keys filled the room.

“ID.” The teen fished out the card they had conjured earlier at the clinic, handing it to the man. A few more clicking of keys. “$110.” After they handed him the required money, he slid the ID back to them along with a key. “Room 14, ground floor, middle of the court.”

Without another word the man went back to his television. Ben did not argue and instead offered a ‘thank you’ before heading back outside. Placing the key on their bag they gave Ember a smile.

“Let’s get to our room huh.”

Pushing the cart once more they stopped by the vending machines first, picking up five bottles of water and a couple of sodas as well as some snacks, before they went looking for room 14. It didn’t take them long to find it thankfully. Reaching for the key they unlocked the door and, after glancing back at the office, quickly opened the door and pushed the trolley in too. Once they had closed and locked the door, Ben sagged against the door and took a look around the room. It wasn’t too bad. It was clean and there were in fact two single beds as well as a bathroom. They’d stayed in worse. After a moment they carefully shrugged off their jacket and hung it on the nearby coat stand, before turning their attention to Ember.

“Do you want a shower? I usually make sure to have one before moving town so maybe you’d like one too. I can help you. If you want that is. I mean, it seems easier for you to go first if you want one.”

‘Shut up you stupid mutt.’

Ben scrunched up their face against that stupid niggling voice in their head, ceasing their rambling and focusing back on the fox with a strained smile, waiting for her to somehow answer their main question.

The bumps in the terrain were quite rough on Orianna’s still healing body. She had no doubt that even with the padding, there would be a few bruises tomorrow. Oh well, she wasn’t about to complain. This was still better than wondering around in a daze, with a mentality that was more fox than fae. At least no one had bothered them on the way.

Orianna inspected the hotel as they approached on the asphalt. It wasn’t the Hilton by any means but it was a roof over their heads, and Orianna would take that over another night on the streets. Especially with the faintest smell of petrichor telling her there would be a storm later. Neither of them could afford to catch a cold on top of their already poor condition.

As Ben asked her to guard their things, she nodded and climbed onto the bag. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Anyone trying to steal Ben’s possessions would think twice if there was a fox already sitting on them.

Thankfully no one was around and it didn’t take long for Ben to come back. When they got to the trolley, Orianna stepped back onto the nest they made for her.

Their stop at the vending machine was quick but they definitely got more than the average citizen. At least they’d made sure to get lots of water. They’d need that.

Once they were in the room, Orianna felt her body relax. They were inside a room with a lockable door, so they could both take a moment to relax.

She felt her tail wag at Ben’s question. A shower would be absolutely amazing, and yeah, she’d need the offered help unfortunately. The lack of opposable thumbs put a real dampener on things like taking a shower by yourself. Even if Ben wasn’t so inclined, Orianna would be happy if they turned the spray on and she could just sit under it for a while.

‘Shut up you stupid mutt.’

There she was again. Where was this woman, and where did she get off calling her a stupid mutt? Wait…there was only her and Ben in the room. Ben had stopped talking, and they didn’t sound like that.

Orianna looked at Ben who had scrunched their face as though they’d heard or smelled something awful. She tilted her head for a second, and then the penny dropped. Oh for fuck’s sake! Really? Another fae ability? Now? Great.

Rather than keep Ben waiting any longer with her pondering, Orianna nodded her head. She righted her position, and stood up, waiting to be lifted out of the trolley.

That voice was absolutely coming from Ben’s mind. Orianna had heard about fae having telepathic abilities but it hadn’t been something she’d experienced until now. Although being in her twenties, she was extremely young, even for a half-fae. Her powers would continue coming in until she was somewhere in the range of 100 to 110 years old. The older she was when new powers stopped appearing, the more powerful her fae parent would be indicated to be.

One thing Ori was certain of however, despite the newness of this ability, she didn’t like that voice in Ben’s head. It was utterly foul, and now that she knew what it was Orianna would do everything she could to help Ben get it out of their head. She might also hunt down the person who put it there. No one said fairies were as sweet as Disney made them out to be.

Missy was quite content to remain at Orion’s side, communicating wordlessly through the Bond as her spouse sent their enemies reeling. It was such a relief to be close to them again that she was practically purring as they strolled together through the ship. (She had finally developed the ability after centuries of mimicking Ori and Ben’s rumblings). She hardly noticed being transported, only realizing they were back on the ship she’d stolen when Ori moved to turn on the viewscreen, the hollow feeling returning in her chest for a few moments until she was in their arms once more.

“Oh right, hang on,” she was reminded, looking at the screen, that these new eyes did not have perfect vision. Now it was her turn to leave her partner’s side and go to the console, quickly fiddling with the replicator. Once the pair of glasses were done, she put them on and returned to Orion, watching the hellfire together.

“Mm, probably best if we discuss it sooner than later, yes,” she agreed. “I do realize we’ve just started a war, which is a bit inconvenient, though necessary. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that when we’re not within close physical proximity, there is a rather intense yearning over the Bond. At least, for me there is. I’ll admit I’ve been a bit distracted and haven’t noticed what it feels like from your end. But,”

She paused, snuggling as close to them as she could get at that moment.

“I’m fairly sure this Bonded Need is physical touch.”

Orion arched a brow at the glasses. Now that was interesting. They’d never seen a form where Missy hadn’t had superhuman vision before. This would be interesting and new for both of them. But that could wait for later…and Orion would be sure to tease their wife about this.

They hummed at Missy’s description, and tightened their hold on her as she snuggled into them. These symptoms were going to present them with some problems.

“For me, it feels like some rather extreme tension over the bond. Like I’m being pulled in your direction. I suppose that only makes sense.”

Orion took a deep, contemplative breath. They needed to address this sensitively, and maturely. This was the most intensely the Bonded Need had presented itself, and they’d just started a war.

“These aren’t the most intense symptoms I’ve heard of, but they’re the most intense we’ve experienced. And I’ve heard people being driven mad by prolonged exposure. So I’m going to need you to be extremely honest with me. No holding back, because I think we both know it will be a while before we can act on this. If you have to take your cat form and curl up on my shoulders, do it. Whatever we can do in that moment, we should.”

Orion affectionately squeezed Missy’s side, and laid a cheek against her head. They gave a short rumble, hoping the vibration in their chest would be comforting.

“As you said, we’ve started a war. It will take time for us to establish our victory, and have the governmental bodies accept it. Then I suppose there will be discussions of whether we’re holding coronations or doing something else. I’ll need to defer to your knowledge of Gallifrey for that.”