One day in and I screwed up! That’s what happens when you follow your false hopes rather than your logical mind. Remember my plan to leave here and find Shayanna? Well, along with all the unintended insults of the clan Tokuro, I had ignored one more thing – this place was ruled by magic users, of course they would have spelled the place. Safety was important to them. It demonstrated that at our very first encounter when lady Akari had asked us to step into the sigil first that would identify our intentions. So why did I believe that opening a portal in their grounds will have worked? So foolish of me. I was stopped by the Lordgeneral and his family, fortunately the mask hid my identity from them. After quickly measuring the odds, I understood that meeting their terms would be the safest way. I had just one request – I would reveal my intentions to one member of the clan and return what was “stolen”. As expected, the Lordgeneral accepted. He was surprised when he found out that the person behind the jackal’s maw was me. When I was asked where I was heading too, I lied upon instinct and to my big surprise he opened a portal to get me to my destination – the lake named Torra. I knew he didn’t buy my excuse, still he did as I asked, and we found ourselves falling down the night sky like a pair of shooting stars. I must confess, it was nice to share this moment with someone else. We spent some time together, talking about random stuff that didn’t matter and when the sun peeked from the mountains we returned back, we had a business to discuss after all. After he helped me into the room, the Lordgeneral returned to his duties and I returned to mine and we went through the day like nothing had happened, pretending that we didn’t call each other by the first name. The presentation went well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to demonstrate the sword's power. See, my plan was to invite the Lordgeneral to test the sword in a friendly sword spar he had to test the metal in action, these swords are the pride of our Kingdom and my own. It’s a pity we lost such a chance, I wanted to spar with him to test my limits and his, maybe it was for the best. After the deal was sealed Ahim and the girls escorted by Hideki’s parents went to explore the city and get some souvenirs, I stayed behind and so did the Lordgeneral. He invited me to the top of the Alderman-mountains for… I am not sure why. The place was beautiful, but the winds were strong, and I had to dig my sandals into the knee-high snow and hide myself behind him to somehow shelter myself. Still, the cold was the last thing that bothered me. Right then and there the first hint was given to me, this man had no idea how to behave around someone with my status. What was he thinking when he invited me there? What was the point of this travel except having the silky skirts all trapped in between my legs? He insisted on touching my skin, unable to understand my concerns and eventually, he took what he wanted. I hated every moment of it. He had robbed me from the opportunity to discover things for myself! The way his skin felt, was it soft or rough, cold or warm and the very fact that he showed some sort of resistance to the heat of my body. Understandably, I didn’t react to this selfish act very well and when I requested to leave, a shadow-like creature appeared, a creature that now we call Ik’edih. For some reason Hideki decided that I was in danger and he swapped me off my feet and glided down the mountain, bringing me back to the hot springs. Once again, we found ourselves standing outside of the window of my chambers when I saw Hideki falling to his knees, his face pale. I was mad at that point, still am, but only a soulless creature would leave him outside in the cold. In fact, if he would have fallen from that roof, I would be accused for yet another assassination and then we would have another clan bunging at our gates. So, I helped him up and led him inside. Little did I know that from that moment and after things would take the downhill. Our conversation lasted longer than I expected, it was nice to talk to him, to take care of someone without thinking when you touched them and for how long. Despite the weird vocabulary he chose to use such as ‘nerd’ and ‘prolly’, he was pleasant to talk to. And then… When we realized that Ahim and the rest were back given no other choice we pretended to have become something more than just friends. I gave him my thigh ring along with a letter and made him promise he would deliver to Shayanna right before I let him lay in the bed. From that moment and after everyone in the house as well as Father became aware of our nontraditional union. But as per usual, I had a plan. Hideki and I would carry out this act for about a month. Then eventually I will inform father that our roads parted, and life would go on. Yet, Hideki suggested giving this a try. His eye sparkled when he looked at me and I, well, I didn’t hate spending my time with him. Furthermore, his resistance to the heat was something worth a try. So, I agreed. About forty minutes after, I regretted everything… Now we are on our way back to Ahaa’ehm and I feel torn between facts and decisions. It was revealed to us that Hideki and Kurisu as well as Kuritoo and Mira and whoever the damn exists out there- are the same person just from different timelines. This explains the sibling memory thing that they have, they share the information because they are the same person. But how am I supposed to trust him when I don’t know him. What if circumstances order him out of this world and I have given myself to him? And what if all the darkness he went through would be unleashed on me and my people? I know I am selfish right now, but unlike him I am no copy of someone, I am me and I am the only version in my world. My fall will have consequences. I am angry, at him, at life, at every little thing that brought us together.

UPDATE: Assailants will now be rolling a d20

Kindly Kettle KinSubmitted by @Lyanna Legend (Name created by @Spook ) #tame #expensive #sentient #teapot #wealthy #magical Images created with AI As much as this writer would like to claim these little teapots are not sentient beings, I have recently been proven wrong. These tea brewers are not exactly common in shops, and they are rather expensive, but they are extremely popular amongst the more wealthy. The rumor is that Kindly Kettle Kin were created by a raving wizard who was trying to fill the void of loneliness. Giving sentience to three kettles, his home was then filled with the child-like chuckles these creatures emit. Now-a-days, Kindly Kettles have the intelligence of a teen, and the humor to boot! No one is quite sure how they procreate, only that they wake with another in the troop. Most people sell their unused Kettle Kin to shops who then sell to the next home. Well...most people look at it more like adoption. Each kettle has its own name and personality and live an average of three hundred years before closing their eyes and their silver tarnishing for the last time. Kettle Kin are ambulatory and self sufficient; able to brew tea on their own, given it is within reach. They are not restricted to just tea! They can brew coffee as well, or just hot water for your soup. They have the capability to fill themselves without the need of a sink or water source, and heat it as well. Kettle Kin do not need sustenance as they take from what is left inside. Don't shelve them for too long!