Shadowed Hearts/Winter Souls (Chapter Twenty)

MASTERLIST

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Natalia cried the day James came to fetch Samuel and Ronin. Wanda didn’t cry, she didn’t tear up at all. The girl simply put together food for the packs– freshly baked bread and a mix of nuts, dried fruit, carefully wrapped pieces of dark chocolate, salted meat cut into strips– and helped Pietro roll up extra blankets to tie to the horse’s back for added protection against the winter winds. Wanda spent a few days patching up Ronin’s warmest shirt and she added to the lining of Samuel’s coat as well. Pietro sat at her feet and cut squares of thick cloth to add to the heels and toes of socks, and even though he stabbed his finger at least six different times, the boy still tried to help mending cuffs and reinforcing hems. Samuel walked Pietro through the house to point out for the hundredth time where all the weapons were hidden, all the secret doors. They walked the tunnel that led out beneath the falconers lodge until Pietro had the steps memorized, and then Samuel pulled his favorite pistol from his holster and gave it to Pietro, admonishing, “It’s up to you, son. Tony’s here too, but I’m counting on you to protect Talia and your sister, do you understand? You want to be a soldier, it starts with protecting your family.” “I understand.” Pietro said solemnly, and on the other side of the kitchen, Wanda hid her face in Ronin’s shoulder, mumbling things the archer couldn’t hear but understood all the same–words weren’t needed when the girl was shaking in his arms, shivering even though they stood close to the fire. But despite having to say goodbye to the men that had acted as Da to both twins for so many years, despite knowing that this very well might be the very last time they ever saw each other, neither Wanda nor Pietro cried. Natalia cried though, wrapped in her robe and her shawl and standing in the kitchen window, staring out across the yard, her eyes wide and face pale and lips startlingly red behind the tears that dripped down to her chin and onto her dress.

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Shadowed Hearts/Winter Souls (Four)

MASTERLIST HERE

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Tony had never even heard of Sokovia.

It took most of the day to reach the borders of the little country and another several hours to reach the manor house Natalia told him about, and Tony spent the entire trip staring out the small window of the carriage watching the unfamiliar terrain roll by. Sokovia. He prided himself on being familiar with most world events, even the ones outside his corner of Italy, and he’d read about the wars taking place across the Atlantic, the former British colonies warring with anyone who looked at them twice– the Brits, the French, their own native peoples, themselves.

Howard had insisted that Tony know about the world that existed outside of Brescia so Tony had studied and read and learned all he could but in all those hours in his library and at the public forums, he had never once heard of Sokovia. Yet another reminder that for all his knowledge, Tony knew very little in the grand scheme of things– very little about the world, very little about matters of love and heartbreak… very little about the woman who was his wife.

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genuinelysurpriseditsbutter

3 years ago

if you don't at least acknowledge that Inosuke has a massive fucking crush on Tanjiro I don't trust you. Like I might let it slide if you don't ship them but if you see how inosuke grabs onto Tanjiro whenever he's nervous and don't think that little boar bitch has a crush then wtf are you doing with your life.

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genuinelysurpriseditsbutter

6 years ago