Nikki is 💫 revising ⚔️

@nikkipwrites.bsky.social

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38. she/her. tea drinker. currently querying YA portal fantasy 📖 queer 🏳️‍🌈 ND 🧠 D&D nerd/forever DM 🎲 #amquerying

“The pleasure is mine, Your Royal Highness.” The Elder reached out for Hiro, but instead of shaking hands as Hiro had obviously intended, the woman clutched Hiro's hands in both of hers, staring deeply into Hiro's eyes. A fleet of emotions crossed Hiro's face and Kodus started to step forward to intercept, but the Elder let go of Hiro's hand. “It truly is a pleasure,” she said, as Hiro stumbled a few steps backwards, winded. Miles looked between Hiro, who seemed to be recovering from whatever just happened, and Evie, who was looking at Hiro curiously, before her eyes fell on Miles. She opened her mouth to talk again. But Kodus spoke first. “What did you do to him?”
Miles looked at her for a moment. Why would she bring it up if she didn't want to talk about it? Even in this virtual world, girls made no sense. Then he remembered something his dad had told him after his parents had had a very loud disagreement: “Son, if a woman is ever angry with you, there is one thing that you can say that will always get you back on their good side.” “I love you?” Miles had asked his dad. “No, no,” Miles' dad had said with a gentle laugh. “You say 'I understand if you don't want to talk right now, but I will be here if you want to'.” And then Mr Porter had said just that to Mrs Porter, who threw Maisie's plastic cup at him.
“What happened?” Hiro asked when they reached the beach. Miles looked at Evie, waiting for her to explain what happened underwater, but she was looking at a fixed point in the distance. Miles then looked to Zinnia, hoping she might offer some insight but she, too, was looking at Evie. “When I was underwater there was... something there,” Miles said, deciding that he could be the only one to speak up. “A huge something, maybe a sea monster...” He sighed, wondering just what it was that he saw. “I was trying to warn Zinnia and Evie, but it grabbed Evie.” He looked at Evie, but again, she didn't meet his eyes.
“It is true, then?” Kodus asked. “Are you questioning my word, Kodus?” Hiro challenged. “No, of course not, my liege, but perhaps this woman-” his eyes darted accusingly to Evie “-has enchanted you,” Kodus said quietly. Hiro sighed while Evie laughed in the corner. “The only thing the Prince is enchanted by is the sense of his own importance.”
A mood board showing ; a distant mountain range; a lone white stallion galloping in a meadow; an eerie magic wielder; a tall lonely mountain behind an old fashioned village; a person wielding fire magic; a knight clutching a sword; a verdant wood; a helmet and sword and sheath. In the centre, a male hand reaching out as if to touch the surrounding items.
Miles longed to look around the town some more now that he was – what? In the game? It still seemed impossible, yet there was no denying the new sensations, not to mention the additional weight of the armour, and the sword, strapped to his back, rather than on his left hip, where it sat when he was in VR, powered by the controller which was attached to his gaming belt. Miles supposed that the sword was too long for him to walk with it on his belt – or rather, he was too short. “Which way?” Miles asked, as they crossed the moat which surrounded the town walls, keeping it safe from outside attacks.
Green fireballs came soaring through the windows and Hiro had to grab Miles and pull him out of the way. Miles hoped that the others were able to dodge the strange fire, too. When the house started to shake again, Miles figured it was the effects of the green fire, but when one massive blast shook the house, Miles realised what it really was. A look out of the window confirmed it. They had gotten into the house.
A collage: A glittering disco ball, which is red at the bottom. An old bookcase and couch. Three friends looking out at a red moon. An old diary, handwritten in illegible script. And most prominently, a mysterious red headed woman looking into a broken mirror.
A collage of pictures, with a young male hand reaching out to grab them: a sword and knights helmet, someone casting a fire spell, an inviting path into the woods, a knight holding a sword, a mountain behind an old-fashioned house, a cloaked magic user, a white horse galloping, and a mountain range.