Ding Rong has walked himself through five vivid calculations of Wang Zhi’s death at his hands in the carriage before Wang Zhi speaks.

“I’m in need of a second,” he says.

On the one night of their journey that suspends itself in the in-between, not yet Hetao but no longer home, Wang Zhi joins him for dinner.

A sabre is, by nature, forthright.

Mipha would go out with the Guard and take stock of the Domain. She would eat fish fresh from the river and feel the sun on her skin. And when the sun began to set, she would be ushered back to her rooms and told to stay the night, safely in the center of the Domain. Nobody noticed when she slipped out, dressed in armor meant for a man who did not exist, exploring the world around her.

A little breaking-and-entering never hurt nobody, right? Especially if they're rich pirates who deserve it.

(For the Star Wars Rare Ships Challenge over on Pillowfort!)

The Brides have their hooks in Jonathan, less pleasurably than before. Written for Elise, prompt "naked".

Adventures in keeping power in a country that would rather you stepped down, or: Prunella still has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Parker and Hardison pretend to be married for a job.

It's 2006, but just barely. Overall, 2005 was a relatively shit year, but this one is looking even worse. It's also looking like Dean's last.