#dogofwar

@dogof-war sent this to me the other night and I am just 😍😍

Believing that her life would continue normally after having attended President Shinra’s birthday party as the general’s date had been a miscalculation on Melissa’s part. It wasn’t like she regretted the night – rather the opposite. It had been a most romantic and incredible outing, with so many beautiful memories that she often caught herself smiling for no reason when she recalled that day.

But it had increased the interest of the topside world in the inn (and the proprietress) by tenfold. In the wake of the gala dinner, the number of reporters and paparazzi trying to get a statement from an employee or herself skyrocketed, and the commotion it caused in the Wall Market did not go unnoticed by the Don either – the relationship between the local madame and Shinra’s head of public security brought unwanted focus to what had been an area free of corporate control.

While the immediate inn surroundings had turned progressively safer (after all, Heidegger visited frequently and he always had a few of his men with him, even if they were relegated to mere drivers), this shift in the way Wall Market conducted business was not something Corneo had welcomed – on the contrary. Melissa’s romance with the general tipped the scales of the local power balance in the favor of the queen, and she was now being regarded as more powerful – more of a real threat to her opponent.

Now, this wasn’t something Don Corneo could allow – not at all. No one had crossed him and lived to tell the tale, after all. But luckily for him, the local press had done most of the leg work he would have required already – the reporters, excited to decipher just who had stolen the general’s heart, had uncovered a rather decent amount of details from her past, getting some information right such as her birthplace and that she had not been in contact with her family for years.

Melissa had made a point to ignore these articles and to decline to comment – but obviously the common people were captured by the unexpected romance between a slum dweller and a Shinra high executive, because the influx of correspondence she now received was wild. From petitions for money to quirky notes asking about Heidegger’s preferences in bed (she usually had to laugh at those), the madame now needed to frequently sort out her mail to get rid of the unnecessary letters.

It was this newly acquired habit that made her find the note which made her blood freeze in her veins – it wasn’t signed and unlike many others was actually handwritten. It was a feminine script, no doubt – and while unfamiliar, the choice of words in the message was different from anything else. The simple message read like a letter from someone close – one of her sisters? Her mother? At any place, the sender knew she had been born near the church in Sector 5 and was only now able to track and find her thanks to the media exposure she had gained as a result of the dalliance with the general.

The sender had been afraid to disclose too much in paper for fear of being intercepted – and Melissa felt her heart racing; was this a sign? Had her sisters finally found her after all these years? She couldn’t bring herself to ignore these news, the possibility of reconnecting to people she had once thought to be dead – and she never truly stopped to consider any alternative but showing up for the meeting at the church for the next day as the letter requested in a tone of urgency.

Melissa dressed down to go outside on the agreed date – the combination of faded jeans, hoodie and sneakers, plus sunglasses and little jewelry on her or anything that could link her to the inn proprietress persona. The letter stayed behind in her locked office and the only things she took with her were her cellphone, keys and a pocket knife she always carried around when she was alone (and hoped never to use). Telling the guys out front she would be back shortly from a trip to Sector 5, Melissa departed, stomach turning and mouth dry in anticipation of what could be possibly expecting her.

It wasn’t until she arrived at the vicinity of the church and a sizeable group of lackeys appeared from within the abandoned houses that she understood everything – there was no long lost sister reconnecting. There was no regret-filled mother seeking her out.

There was a pause before Maru’s ears flattened into his hair and he looked a hell of a lot like someone getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar before dinner, eyes wide as they locked on the General with no small amount of trepidation.

“Aha... uh...” he tugged on the end of an ear as he was wont to do when nervous and tried to get a read on the imposing man before him, feeling that familiar heat in his loins at being the sole receiver of the General’s attention.

His restless behaviour was probably already answer enough but the way Heidegger was looking at him...

"Because I just broke my leg falling for you."...

“You think that was as corny as it can get? Don’t tempt me.”

so i hit up the amazing @non-fatmilk to do a commission for me, and here’s the result! i’m so happy with this and you guys are missing out if you don’t grab them up while they’re taking commissions!! law enforcement 76 is my writing partner, @dog-of-war, and nurse jackie is mine in an amazing, soul shattering, life consuming modern au we have. 

A few months after the incident at the hands of the Corneo lackeys saw Melissa a transformed woman – not only because of the trauma it had inflicted and the way she now had a few minor scars on her body to remind her of that day; but also because of the complete turn her life had taken in relation to her relationship with the general.

It was official now – their relationship had been featured every now and then in the social columns, but the fact that they looked like an ordinary couple most of the time appeared to have frustrated the paparazzi. They were painfully normal despite their backgrounds and different lives – their public outings were for opera, a fancy restaurant, some charitable gala. For those who eagerly awaited some sort of scandal or any trace of possible infidelity to fuel the rumor mill – there was nothing.

And as a result of their strengthened bond, Melissa was spending more and more time topside while carefully balancing the management of the inn. It worked both as a security measure, extracting her from the Don’s reach more often; and also as a respite for the madame to revert back to the woman she had kept hidden away from so long. It was delightful to be able to relax – to feel like herself once more at his side, and to bask in the attention that Magnar never failed to provide her with.

In short – she was living the life she had read about in books or seen in movies, but never expected for herself.

She had been spending a few days topside to get things done – with her upgraded ID now, Melissa had all the luxuries of a different world available to her, and although she had by no means abandoned her loyal suppliers, the madame had expanded her network to a few new places. She had also found out a particularly lovely shop with beautiful dresses, and it just happened that the new ambassador to Kalm would be arriving shortly, and a celebration would be held in his honor – so a new gown was in order.

Heidegger had gifted her with the outfit this time – the madame had her measurements taken and was curious as to the design her boyfriend had selected, as well as the color. And while she waited for her order to be wrapped up, Melissa had time to leisurely browse through the collection on display, a few models picking her eye here and then – but she knew she had enough for now. She didn’t need other five cocktail dresses, especially now she had gradually diminishing her time on the floor.

“The order under Mr. Heidegger is ready!”

The words made her smile – it was still so very strange to have a boyfriend, and the Head of Public Security at that. Melissa wasn’t sure she would ever get used to being called anything but by her own name, but when she got to the counter to pick up the dress, she instantly realized that she wasn’t the only one that the general indulged in terms of personal gifts.

And looking at the face of the two girls who gazed back at her with inquiring eyes, she suddenly knew who they were – his daughters. There weren’t a lot of pictures around his home, but she had seen them enough to recognize them: Edlyn and Dwayna, if she remembered their names correctly. Edlyn was very clearly his – there was something about her dark hair and intelligent look with a sense of poise that reminded her of Heidegger instantly. And Dwayna took after her mother alright – one encounter with her had been enough in the madame’s opinion – and she was the first one to turn her questioning glance into one of accusation soon enough.

It had been an awkward moment to say the least – and the salesclerk had been profoundly embarrassed by the situation, too. Eventually, it turned out that Melissa had been right and the order was hers (indeed placed under the general’s name), and she left the store with her package in hand and the sensation of eyes burning holes into her back.

When the general came home later that night, he found Melissa by the kitchen table, focused on something she was writing on a notebook. Once the woman realized she was no longer alone, she smiled at him and got up to properly greet her boyfriend from yet (another) long day of work before looking up to him and locking gazes with the general.

send a  🎤 + something to talk about and I’ll make voice recording of myself talking about it . accepting

Han, I love you for indulging me so frequently - I think I’ve talked for almost one hour if you put all these bits together? But damn, that feels good, I love doing these! :D

So here’s basically me complaining about the messy compilation, then me talking about OCs and trying very hard to sound like I know what I’m doing and have good advice to give (spoiler: I don’t think I have).