Savior with a Shoelace

OUAT indie RP blog for Emma Swan. I have seen from the pilot through 3x18 Bleeding Through and will not be watching further at this time. Faceclaim: Jennifer Morrison Younger Faceclaim: Jennifer Lawrence Secondary Younger Faceclaim: Abby Ross Mun Faceclaim: Pikachu OR Stana Katic Mun is 21+, but NSFW (smut) will be very rare. Also available - two Gremma daughters Noelle Margaret Swan-Humbert (FC Alexandra Daddario) Sylvia Rose Swan-Humbert (FC Sarah Paxton)

[saviorwithashoelace]

Hiatus Notice

So.... This is long overdue, to be honest. But I'm officially putting all my RP blogs on hiatus until further notice. Reasons: my part-time job is taking all my damn time, and my writing muse just isn't with any of these characters at the moment. It's over on fanfic for the x-men movies, and, honestly, has been there instead of here for a good two months at this point. Add in the fact that my internet right now is devoted to downloading my digital copy of The Rogue Cut of Days of Future Past, which has started over twice, and yeah. I barely have the mindset to look at tumblr, let alone RP while trying to navigate the changes to reblogging they've made since the last time I actually did.

[saviorwithashoelace]

//i just have a mighty need for princess!Emma, you know?

[saviorwithashoelace]

She could feel as he relaxed, and was grateful for the fact.  Still wasn’t used to any of this, didn’t know what to do if she hadn’t been able to reassure him at least somewhat.  Dealing with others was never her strong suit, but she puts in such an effort, because she cares.  Really and truly.

Graham & Henry & Mary Margaret, they’re her family now, the family that she never expected to have.  Boyfriend & son & almost sister (though Henry would insist that Mary Margaret was actually her mother, and the woman sometimes treated her as such, it couldn’t be true.  Magic?  Fairy tales?  There was a time she would have believed, but that time was long gone before her arrival in Storybrooke).

“As long as you’re not doing it only because you think you’re hurting me.  Because you’re not.  And I don’t want you to think you have to change anything about yourself on my account.  I l— like you just the way you are.”

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

                              There are words perched upon the tip of tongue, poised and ready to tumble past his lips. But he’s had more practice with filtering himself for twenty-eight years, & he’s more guarded than ever with his feelings. They seep out often, though, with her, but this time he manages to withhold them to a point. His eyes, blue as a stormy sea, are soft now as they meet hers. They project what he cannot allow himself to say, to reveal. That the very idea of hurting her, the one human who knows him, would be as much a pain for him as for her.           In that moment he wants to tell all. To let her know her son speaks the truth and that that is what he remembers. What she herself had helped him to recall. (somewhere in a box he’s yet to find, his heart beats an imprint, an outline into the dust covered area beneath it.)                     The words dissipate, fading into the ether. To be seen again later when the time is right, hopefully.

                    (but then, wherever his heart lies right then, it skips a beat. product of her admission.)           The smile that lingers at the corner of his mouth seems to curl up, becoming more present in the slight crinkle of eyes. He can almost hear the unspoken parts in between; what she is truly saying. Or, at least, what he hopes she is saying. His chair rolls closer as he pulls himself in until their legs are touching and he can lean in towards her. Gone is the uncertainty of before when he worried of the damage his joke could wrought. His smile is amiable now, his best, “If I change, it’ll be for the better. You have that effect, Ms. Swan. You make a man want to be his very best,”                     Just a biiiit more leaning, “An for the record—I like you too. As you are.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

You would be the first to feel that way.  The words are thought, at his declarations of her making a man want to be his very best, of liking her just the way that she is.  She has been broken and outcast for so long.  But she doesn’t say them, just smiles at him.

He is different.  He’s always been different, and maybe that’s part of why she was so upset when she found him on the night shift.  Like he was proving that he wasn’t as different as she’d let herself believe before.

(But he is)

In the moment they are so close together, and it’s------  The atmosphere is charged, the words she almost said and the meaning hidden in his.  Everything is intimate in a way that might, on an ordinary day, scare her away.

But ordinary days were before Storybrooke, and she’s different now.  Changed.  Not completely, but enough.  She doesn’t want to run from this.  Instead, she wraps her arms around his shoulders, leaning in just as he is.

“Now that that’s cleared up---”  Here she pauses, if only for a moment, “You really should eat.”  Another way of saying that she cares, really, even if she’s unsure as to how he’ll receive the suggestion.

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          Horrible as he found it, he could not elaborate much further. To do so would mean telling her who he truly was, & she did not seem quite ready for that knowledge. Soon, though, for time was ticking away. The hands of the clock were a menacing presence that most could not see nor hear; Emma among them only due to her stubbornness. Until such time that she began to believe, however, he could tell her little of the truth regarding his connection to the wolf.           Cautious as she seemed, he was grateful that she trusted him as much as she did. Many other humans feared wolves but she took his word and believed in it. At least there was that.

          The distance between the brothers and she became less. His hand extended to her, palm up so that he might take hers. & the other was gently continuing to card through the smooth fur around Balthier’s neck. Patient was he that he might show her there was no need to be wary or unsure. The wolf remained still, calm. He knew very well what was happening and was patiently awaiting whatever came next.           “You met once already—I didn’t have the chance to introduce you to one another. This is Balthier.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

She took his hand as soon as she was close enough.  As strange as the evening was turning, she wasn’t going to let that get in her way.  She cared about him, and he cared about this.  That was what mattered.

“I think it’s technically twice we’ve met without actually meeting,” she countered, voice soft.  “I wasn’t lying about why I hit the sign.  I hit it trying not to hit him.”

A part of her absently wondered how the name had come about, what it meant, but if that was a story that he wanted to tell her, she knew that it would happen when he was ready, and not a moment sooner.  Same with how he was so close to the wolf when he’d once insisted to her face that there were no wolves in Storybrooke.

It wasn’t her place to ask those questions, just accept the gesture of the meeting for what it was.  Something important to him.

[arianakristine]

Gremma + (AU) What could have been

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          Her palms are soft, warm as they fall over the backs of his hands. They cover them, projecting care and concern—comfort—in the simplest touch. Though he will probably never know how to say it, he appreciates the gesture. Appreciates her more than he thought possible.           The effect she has is near instantaneous; his grip upon the chair arms loosens until it’s slack. Circulation returns to normal. Shoulders, arms, no longer stone. Features remain the same; searching, inquiring for honesty. Eyes are unwavering, yet they’ve softened, & continue to do so as she gives him the final answer. It’s all he needs, because he trusts her. Believes her when she tells him she is certain.           Tension bleeds from him in a single exhale and nod. Gaze averts down to their hands. Relief is almost palpable when his palms overturn and press up against hers. Fingers gently twine around her hands and hold them in his when he finally looks up at her again. His lips give what could be a small smile when he speaks, “I’ll still make up some new material. Don’t want the joke to become overused.” (not that it already wasn’t.)

[saviorwithashoelace]

She could feel as he relaxed, and was grateful for the fact.  Still wasn’t used to any of this, didn’t know what to do if she hadn’t been able to reassure him at least somewhat.  Dealing with others was never her strong suit, but she puts in such an effort, because she cares.  Really and truly.

Graham & Henry & Mary Margaret, they’re her family now, the family that she never expected to have.  Boyfriend & son & almost sister (though Henry would insist that Mary Margaret was actually her mother, and the woman sometimes treated her as such, it couldn’t be true.  Magic?  Fairy tales?  There was a time she would have believed, but that time was long gone before her arrival in Storybrooke).

“As long as you’re not doing it only because you think you’re hurting me.  Because you’re not.  And I don’t want you to think you have to change anything about yourself on my account.  I l--- like you just the way you are.”

[dinglehxpper]

           “Oh, no I didn’t mean people ———- just, that you              were kind of the savior of what’s right. Well ———–              fixing what’s right.”

       Whether head SHAKES at the misunderstanding or her incapability        of explaining herself with coherent sentences with some sort        of meaning, she isn’t sure.      ( and it seems to be a vicious cycle:        something spoken is misconstrued and she’ll stumble over words        until she’s made herself a fool )      Her gaze had strayed from the        other, only returning as she told her more about her past, concern        and an understanding she doesn’t have crossing her countenance.        She wonders then if there was any doubt that the woman in front        of her was Snow White and Charming’s daughter —————– curse        NOTWITHSTANDING.

           “It must run in the family ———- the whole ‘finding              people’ thing.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

Savior of what’s right------          She hadn’t thought of it like that.

Of course, that’s her own fault, trying to avoid thinking about the “Savior” thing at all.  It’s reality, but it’s not a reality that she always wants to face.  Things were simpler before, when she was just the lost little girl that no one ever wanted.

                Lonely, but simpler.

And then the other speaks of finding people running in the family and she knows that it’s true---  But it’s another of the things that she doesn’t always like to think about.  Still, she’s sure that it was meant innocently enough.

       “I guess it does, yeah.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

//if anyone’s still out there that cares, i just want to give you all an update. i was planning to be online last night - because i had two days off in a row, yesterday and today, and that meant i didn’t have to worry so much about being dog-tired this morning, but then i found some inspiration for the upcoming gremma appreciation week, and i had to jump on that because i’m running low on time and had nothing done. But looking at my schedule, there are days coming up when I should be able to get on and do some replies, as I’ll have time in the evening, hopefully not be too tired, and not have to be up too ridiculously early the next day. With those as my criteria for when I’m going to be online, tonight doesn’t qualify, but Friday might and Sunday definitely should.

[eligoamentia]

PSA

//so i got a job! and my orientation is on friday. and i have no idea what my hours are going to be like at this point, except that it’s part-time. so… while i know my activity is spotty at best at times, it may be getting even more so while i get into the swing of things.

also! on saturday/sunday i’ll be going out of town to take two of my cats to the vet. yes, there is a local vet, but i don’t like him and my uncle does any veterinary care we need for free because my mom took care of his pets while he was in college, so we go to him for just about everything except emergencies. and he lives five hours away. i may bring my laptop, but rp is unlikely.

[saviorwithashoelace]

She shouldn’t have been outside the palace walls.  That was a given; her parents were entirely too prone to worrying about her.  They’d trained her with sword and bow, both, but that still seemed not to assure them.  Then, if she didn’t have a tendency to run off on her own, maybe they wouldn’t.  She wasn’t entirely sure.

She was well into the woods when she heard it - a rustling sound of someone else.  Caution would have dictated remaining silent longer, seeing what she could learn from listening, observing.  But she never was one for caution, and so she took a breath before calling out.

“Who’s there?”

[dinglehxpper]

           “I don’t think I really ever expected perfection from              humans, but ————-                        I guess I just expected more, you know?”

       She finds it a bit sad, really, that there are so many bad people        in the world that someone could make a CAREER out of finding        them. Lips purse to the side in thought, brows furrowed and        eyes downcast. And it isn’t until she hears her next statement        that a flicker of amusement dances across her countenance.

           "So you were kind of like the Savior before you came here?“

[saviorwithashoelace]

She never thought of her previous position as anything like being the Savior, and now that the idea is presented it gives her pause.

              “I didn’t---                 I never figured it as saving                 anyone.  More like finding.”

After all, the people she had to find had already played their victims for fools.  She wasn’t saving those people.  Just---  Getting back the ones who wronged them.

             “My whole life, I was trying               to find my family, my parents.               Before, I had no luck at that...               But at least doing what I did,               I could find someone.  For good               reason.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

Arrival of the Swan

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          The air was rife with tension. His own a natural feeling in close proximity of a stranger. Someone whom he had no trust for. Hers—well, it was quite obvious. A protector of the law he may be, but that did not make him any less intimidating as a predator. & simply telling her that he had no intention to kill and/or eat her was not going to be sufficient in convincing her of that fact. Something that he could not fault her for. After all, he had his own reservations about her & her son’s presence in town.           Her bravery was commendable, though. With the step taken that closed some distance between them he caught the scent of her caution. It was as tangible as the thinly veiled tension. Yet she remained where she stood. Another point in her favour.

          Her reasonable inquiry, however, did nothing to relax. Muscles bunched into tight cords; his arms folding ever tighter against his chest as a shadow passed briefly over his features. The answer served as nothing but a reminder to what he had recently lost. Again his eyes cast away from hers. Body turning as he put physical distance between them as if it would serve to push away the memories, the pain, as well. Booted feet were silent as a ghost gliding across the floor. His thigh checked the side of a desk before he turned around and leaned against it.           “There’s Ruby an Granny—they’ve the blood, but not enough. It’s distant,” his voice was was forced casual, light, as he contemplated who else in town could be counted as a threat. If she meant both non-human and human, though—           “There are a couple people who know about—our kind,” shifters, the ‘supernatural’ “They have extensive knowledge on magic and all sorts of stuff as well. But they shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

She wasn’t blind to his reaction to her inquiry.  Whatever she’d said had caused him distress, and that hadn’t been her intention, but at least it could be used to make an assumption - there had been more like him, whatever he was, and now there weren’t.  His family, she assumed.  She couldn’t imagine losing Henry.

She hadn’t thought about humans potentially knowing what they were.  Not more than she’d had to.  Most, she found, were blind to the things happening before their own faces.  Oh, there were the few that did, in fact, know about things...  Not human.  But they were usually far between.  She hadn’t contemplated the thought of a couple people in town who would potentially try and send her home, like the humans she’d met before that could tell what and who she was.

“I appreciate your honesty.”  The words stilted, uncomfortable.  She doesn’t know how to broach another topic.  To say that she’s sorry for his loss - whatever it was - without seeming insensitive.  He hadn’t mentioned it to her, it was just inference.  For all she knew, she was wrong anyway.  “And in the interest of cooperation---  I have been considering staying here longer.  But if you want us out of your territory - say the word.  If we’re unwelcome, I understand.”

[saviorwithashoelace]

First Christmas; [fluff tho]

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          What he had just done was, unquestionably, stupid. Though he did not know Mr. Gold very well in either realm he knew that the man had once been capable of terrible things. Of using the darkest magic with no effort; The Dark One they had called him in their world. He wielded power that easily rivaled whatever Regina had, of that he was certain. & it was possible he would once again when Emma finally broke the spell over Storybrooke. Which meant that there could be no true way to break the deal that had just been made. Something done in lieu of any other option. (considering there weren’t many others to choose from—)           & so Graham had, for the second time in either life, struck an accord with a dangerous being. Aside from Emma he had little to lose and he had very much doubted that the man would ask him to give her up. In fact, it was his connection to her that gave him an advantage.           The deal: in exchange for Gold’s aide with distracting Regina, he would do all in his power to help Emma believe in the truth and break the curse.

          His thoughts were interrupted by the dull ringing of his mobile. Without looking away from the road he used a hand to reach over and snag it up from the seat next to him. Only when it was in his grasp did he glance away to catch a look at who was calling. Her name was on the screen, prompting him to feel a measure of satisfaction—Gold was making good on his end of the bargain. Hitting the button that accepted the call he lifted it up to his ear, voice steady despite how on edge he felt “Are we clear?”

[saviorwithashoelace]

“She’s leaving now.”  The words said without fanfare the moment that he picked up.  “I don’t know how you did it or how long you bought us...  But she is leaving.  So, yeah, we’re clear.”

She stayed low in her seat as she watched the other car drive away.  Didn’t need to up her chances of being noticed in the Mayor’s rear-view mirror by moving and drawing attention to herself.  She knew how to perform a stakeout, and that was essentially what this was.

”How much longer do you think you’ll be?” Much as she wanted to see Henry, she was going to wait for Graham.  She wouldn’t have a chance to see her son at all if it wasn’t for him (for several reasons), and she didn’t know if there was more to his plan that she should wait to know before heading in anyway.  And even if there wasn’t, it didn’t feel right not to  wait.  He was a part of her family too, as much as she might not be fully ready to admit it.  She wanted all of her family together, as best as she could have it.

[saviorwithashoelace]

First Christmas; [fluff tho]

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          Doubtless that Regina was at least somewhat prepared for he or Emma to make an attempt to get her away from Henry. She was nothing if not careful and clever. This was to be his girlfriend’s first Christmas having known her only child—of course they would want to spend at least some of it with him. & she would have an eye out for anything suspicious.           But with what he had in mind, he didn’t believe she would expect it. Especially given that she hadn’t an idea that he had recovered his memories. & what his plan entailed—           It came with a risk he was willing to take if it meant thwarting Regina and making Emma happy.

          Seven minutes after he had entered a small shop in Storybrooke he left it. The wee little bell above the door gave a quiet jingle as he exited and made for his car. It was best if he got away from there as quickly as possible. If she found out he had been there she would have definitely been suspicious.           Madam Mayor couldn’t be allowed to know he had made a deal with evil itself for the happiness of a loved one.           His car door closed behind him as he was seated and carefully strapped in. The engine coming to life as the key turned in the ignition and he drove away, making for the back ways to get to his destination. Phone on the seat next to him; silent as he awaited news.

[saviorwithashoelace]

The atmosphere was tense; waiting and wondering what exactly his distraction was going to be.  Worried that they would get caught in whatever this plot was, that Regina would only use it as more fuel on the fire that was her hatred of Emma and possessiveness of Henry.

Emma really didn’t want this to backfire, but she had to be prepared for the worst.  Despite the date there was a certain feeling of foreboding around this plan --- whatever it was.  Then, hopefully that was just her imagination and cynical side getting the better of her, something that she certainly wouldn’t rule out.

In compliance with his request, her eyes were trained on the end of the Mayor’s driveway, waiting to see the car coming out.  No matter what she might be worrying, the plan could still, conceivably, work.  The worry was more than likely all in her head, after all.

It seemed forever - and she didn’t exactly check the time, but she was sure it was really only a few minutes - but then, finally, there was the movement that she was looking for, and Regina was leaving the house, without Henry.

She picked up her phone and dialed Graham’s number, hoping that he was ready to pick up & hear the news.

[arianakristine]

(x)

[saviorwithashoelace]

First Christmas; [fluff tho]

[mosthonourablewolf-deactivated2]

          Without wasting any sort of time he had shed away his sleepwear and was in the picked clothing for the day. The plan he had formed required they leave as soon as possible. Less than a full minute later he was opening the door to the bathroom, appearing before her. His hair was disheveled, mussed at length & his clothing was little better. The jumper he wore was half tucked into the waistband of his trousers on one side and a sleeve was rolled up a small bit. All was fixed, though, as he turned his form to the side, moving past her & allowing her to move into the restroom to prepare as well. A brief beat passed; hesitance, “I’ll be going off on my own. You need to take your car and wait near their home so you can make sure she leaves. Call or text me when she does so I’ll know.”

          She was given no time to argue or question him. Speed was his as he laced his boots and was snagging his keys up. They clanged within his palm as he went for the front door and grabbed his favourite jacket along the way out the door.

[saviorwithashoelace]

He was moving so fast that she was practically dizzy, but she did her best.  Nodded to show her understanding of her part in the plan as he was leaving---  Doubted he’d even paused long enough on his trip out the door to know she had, but nodded anyway, before getting ready and changing.

She might not know what the plan was, but she did know what he wanted her to do, and it was only a few minutes before she was a few doors down the block from the mayoral mansion, sitting in her bug (slightly worried that its presence would attract unwanted attention.  it was fairly distinctive, after all), slouched down in the seat so that hopefully while she could see out should Regina leave the house, she would not be seen.

Waiting, phone in easy reach for if and when his distraction succeeded.

[dinglehxpper]

       It’s disheartening to see humans in any other light than        through the rose-colored lens she’s always viewed them.        She’s always believed that life above the waves was BETTER,        and each puzzle piece of evidence that’s constructed in support        of her father’s assertions is like another blow to her certainty.

           "One of————-?                        There are MORE?“

[saviorwithashoelace]

“Well---     No one’s perfect.”

A mild way of putting it.  As c y n i c a l as she herself had become at a young age, there’s a part of her that hates shattering the worldviews of anyone else.  No matter how much foreign optimism they displayed--------- truly, she envied them, in a way. for not having that ability ripped from them, the way she had

           “Before I came to Storybrooke,                    my job was to track down people                    who had broken the law and                    disappeared before justice could                    be served.”