KJ

"Those creatures are dangerous."

There were many things Ashe did not expect to find in the palace gardens when she went for her morning walk, but high on that list was the Grey Warden Alistair crouched on the grass, peering between the leaves of a well-manicured bush.

The pile of dough sat in the middle of the countertop, a congealing lump of flour, butter, and water. Paine glared at it, as though she could shape it into the form of pie crust by sheer force of will. “Are you sure you followed the recipe?”

When Paine called Bethany and told her she had an extra ticket to see Ani DiFranco, Bethany wasn’t sure which made her more surprised: that Paine liked Ani DiFranco, or that Bethany rated an invitation from her.

Peggy was not in the habit of frequenting bars as seedy as this one, but the informant had been quite clear: in the North Sea port city of Kirkwall, the Hanged Man was “the” place to meet without attracting attention.

Thor took the Wiimote from its charger stand and held it up to the light, squinting at it with suspicion. “I am not certain I understand,” he said.

"It’s a simulator." Jane plucked the controller from his hand and turned it sideways. "We race against each other in little cars. Hold it like this, see?"

Yuna set her tray down on the cafeteria table and frowned. She met her friend Alistair here for lunch every day, and usually he greeted her with a smile and a wave. Instead, he sat silent, hunched over a plate piled with macaroni and cheese, his food barely even touched. If Alistair wasn’t eating all his lunch and half of hers, something was very wrong.

“I’m not so sure this was a great idea,” Bucky said, looking over his shoulder to the other side of the clearing where Basch checked the straps of his armor. “He looks pretty handy with that sword, and I don’t know if you’ve ever as much as picked one up before.”

Steve shook his head, then hooked his shield over his arm. “I don’t see that I have much choice,” he said. “That army is threatening the whole platoon. If I can save everyone on both sides by taking out their general, then I’ll do my best with a sword.”

Tony stared across the room at Pepper, not quite certain he’d heard her right. “You have… plans? With someone who isn’t me?”

“Contrary to popular opinion, Tony Stark is not at all times the center of the universe.” Pepper crossed her arms with half a smile.

Character Seven was Balthier. Character Nine was Tony Stark. You have no idea how much I love this prompt.

The role of Elizabeth Bennet will be played by Alistair. The role of Mr. Darcy will be played by Yuna.

“C’mon, they’ll be here soon!” Sigrun ducked down behind the Warden-Commander’s desk and gestured for the others to join her. Alistair followed with a grin, but Tony didn’t move from his spot by the bar, and Yuna wavered.

“I… I don’t know,” she said. “Paine doesn’t always like surprises. I’m not sure Ashe does, either.”

This prompt slots neatly into my Wardens of Ivalice AU, as a missing scene from "The Joining."

Auron turned the handle one last time, just to make absolutely certain there was nothing to do — he couldn’t break the lock, or bust down the door. “It seems to be sealed magically,” he said.

“Then it appears we are here for the time being.” Basch slid down the wall to take a seat on the floor, and Auron followed suit, tipping his head backwards. “I don’t suppose you carry rations?”

Though any of a hundred servants could have been called to take on the chore, Ashe feels compelled to perform this duty herself. After the Strahl is safe in the royal aerodrome but before anyone disembarks, she requests a pair of scissors, and then she cuts Basch’s hair.

“You really think they’d come after us?”

Paine turned her head sharply to meet Yuna’s eyes. “You know Balthier wanted that sphere cache. You know you beat him to it, snatched it up from under his nose. And if you think the Youth League was mad when we pulled that stunt with them…” She shook her head. “They’ll be after us, all right."