#i feel like the human version of any dog shaking at the loud bangs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ittybitty-enby · 4 years

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OH NO!!! POST-CANON ANGST TIME!!!!!

inspired by this post that hit hard......

@podaqon yo don’t shoot me i’m gonna have to shoot baaaaaccccccccccccccckkkk

THIS IS MY FIRST FIC I’VE EVER POSTED SO PLEASE BE NICE TO ME!!

warning, there’s some gore-ish stuff up ahead

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Bubby fucked up.

Bubby fucked up bad.

Everything happened so fast.

It was so much more than a goddamn blur.

Bubby kneeled there, kneeling in a pool of blood that was not their own. red splattered across the floor where the soldiers laid, their stomachs torn open or their heads ripped from their necks. Blood poured from their mouths, eyes, and open wounds... that same blood was the blood Bubby was soaked in.

Red lights lit up the room from outside, the screams of the sirens from the hallway seemed to make everything shake, the voice from the overhead intercom was incoherent.

Bubby’s vision swam, their mind swam also. The water in which they metaphorically swam in was murky and dark. They could only hear the screaming and gunfire that filled the room before... and it seemed to be louder than the screaming cries of the siren.

They killed so many fucking people.

More than Black Mesa would allow them to.

More than Black Mesa would-...

They were going to kill them.

They were going to end his life.

Black mesa had already killed off multiple failed and fucked up versions of themself. They’ve done it mercilessly and unforgivingly. They didn’t care that they were basically another human being. They didn’t give a flying fuck about the relationship they had with Harold. They only saw them as a lab rat. A THING. A thing they could and would easily erase like a mistake.

A... a mistake...

Bubby was a mistake.

They felt themself begin to shake, beginning with their hands- no... claws. Their bloodied claws. The fear crept up their spine... causing their whole body to shudder. The feeling was un-fucking-bearable. Tears seeped from Bubby’s eyes and fell down their cheeks, their teeth clenched and bared.

“I-....” They began, “...........I-I’M A M-MIS-TAKE.........”

They choked out a sob and broke down completely, staring up at the ceiling and letting their shoulders fall from their tense position.

Bubby cried.

They cried like they’ve never before.

and... that was true.

They never showed emotions other than hatred and disgust.

But showing emotions is different than feeling them.

Fear was something they felt a lot. During tests, check-ins with their “colleagues”, hell, even just being around people in general was nerve-wracking... but... but this?

This was so much more than just nervousness.

They were going to die.

And Bubby could do nothing about it.

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There was a large BANG behind them.

Bubby twisted around to glance at the source of the noise. Only the door was behind them, and another BANG emitted from the other side, noticingly denting the steel door.

Bubby backed away at the loud impact, still shaking violently.

Another loud BANG was heard and the door flung open. The forceful opening of the door lead to a gust of wind being blown outwards.

Bubby covered their tear stained face at the harsh cold air they came in contact with, more red being spread across their face and glasses.

They looked up, and a familiar burly figure stood in the doorway, the blaring of the sirens and the lights from outside spilling into the room.

“H-...HAROLD?”

“Bubby, darling, I-” Dr. Harold Coomer cut himself off. He ran over and hugged the bloodied lab rat tightly... probably breaking their ribs.

The test subject was frightened and tense at the contact... but soon the shaking spread throughout his body once more and Bubby buried his face in Harold’s shoulder.

“Bubby... Bubby, Dear, I’m so glad you’re alright...” Harold spoke softly, the kind of soft that could make someone melt. Bubby liked that.

“There was so much commotion in the upper levels. I had to pry the information out of some poor soul about what in the fuck was going on! speaking of which...” Harold pulled Bubby away from the embrace, both hands on each of their shoulders. Their eyes met, Harold’s filled with worry and pity while Bubby’s is filled with nothing but fear.

“Do you think you could tell me what happened here?”

Silence fell upon the two, Bubby couldn’t look into his eyes any longer. They stared at the blood soaked floor, looking at their reflection. The murky water cleared, they were able to see now, and what they saw was horrid.

Guards were talking dirty so they talked back. The bastards didn’t like it. They were getting rougher so they got rough back. Hell broke loose. The worst kind of hell. Bloodshed, gunfire, guts and innards spilled. The result of it all was laid out before them. These memories came and gone like the wind. Just like the wind, it sent a shiver down Bubby’s spine.

“I- I DON’T KNOW... IT... I-...” Bubby began to stutter, tears still flowing down their cheeks like rain. “ALL I REMEMBER IS... SOMEBODY SHOOTING ME. THEY KEPT-... THEY KEPT SHOOTING AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.”

The man brought the shivering fool back in, hugging them slightly more gently this time, “It’s alright, Dear, you’re okay now.”

“NO I’M NOT, DOC... NO I’M NOT...” Bubby choked out another sob and cried into Dr. Coomer’s shoulder, burying their face in the crook of his neck.

The two kneeled there together for awhile, there was a tense silence that sang along with the wails and shrieks of the warning sirens. They shook in the scientist’s arms, still overwhelmed and sobbing. He rubbed the experiment’s back, as a sign of comfort at the least. He feared for the worst but didn’t allow it to show.

“THEY’RE GONNA KILL ME, COOMER.” Bubby whimpered, “THEY’RE GONNA PUT ME DOWN LIKE A DOG.”

“I won’t let that happen, Bubby,”

Harold, looking up from the embrace, viewed the blossoming field of corpses, bleeding red onto the cold, cold floor of Black Mesa. He knew persuading his superiors to not terminate Subject #8U-B8-13Y would be difficult, but goddammit, Bubby was not just some lab experiment... They were more than that. They were a fucking human being and nobody, not even the Devil themself, could change his mind about that fact.

“I won’t.” Dr. Coomer repeated. “I-... I won’t.”

-End

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hellishmess · 4 years

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21: The Union Festival pt. 2

September 22,2018 [11:12 pm]

[Ana pov ]

Everything changed in a heartbeat.

Loud bangs shook the ground underneath me. People were running, taking cover. I ran too, but not before I saw some pterodactyl looking creature take a woman in its claws and lift her to the sky.

The halls of the center building was a mess. Gifted tried to defend themselves, but no one had weapons and the creatures were horrible.

A scream.

"Demons!" Someone shouted.

It was a frenzy. Instinct shoved common thought out of my brain. It had me running down an adjoining hall, away from the chaos of the main one and all the monsters.

I dove into a small hidden crevice. It had a door made of the same stone material as the walls.

I shoved against it, begging it to move.

A sickening crunching sound came from the main hallway. Panic and fear bolted all movement. I froze, back, pressed up into the crevice’s corner.

When the noise faded I managed a final shove against the door, earning entry with an open the door. I plunged into darkness, and darkness engulfed me. The door shut behind me with a final grate.

I collapsed on the floor, my back still against the door. My breaths were erratic. The booming of the blood in my ears was all I could hear.

Monsters and death was outside.

Aspen was somewhere out there too.

Christ! I should have went with her to get the punch.

I banged my head against the door.

I scrambled to find my phone, thankful it was still in the leather garter she let me borrow.

Flicking on flashlight, I stifled a scream again. I wasn't alone. A body was laid out flat along the back wall with someone crouching in front of their face. Another was curled in the far corner.

Men. The one crouching and the one in the corner turned.

I could have cried at the familiar face.

"Ana!" Eli exclaimed softly. "How'd you get in here?"

"I saw a maid leave from here." Moving closer, I saw who Eli was crouched over.

Samuel’s body was mauled with long gashes shredding his skin. They created caverns in his body.

I backed away. I escaped one circle of hell only to climb into another. I wasn't an idiot. He'll be looking for something to eat soon.

"Ana," Eli said. His worry moving from Samuel to me. "It's okay. He's unconscious."

"Oh god. Oh god," I hit the wall. Everything’s closing in. I try to focus on the light from my phone but even that was growing dim. "Oh god."

My breathing was erratic. My lungs were heaving, but my muscles tingled as if they weren't getting enough air. Maybe they were getting too much?

"Ana. Calm down." Eli sounded so far away.

"Oh holy shit." My knees shook. I felt the slide down the wall. The coolness of it touched my skin. Was I going to pass out?

Someone had grabbed me, their hands gripping my chin to force my head up. It was Eli.

Suddenly he was all I knew. The depth of his voice as he said my name, the blue allure of his eyes. I waited for him to say something to me, I'd wait forever if I had too.

"Ana," His voice reverberated in my soul. "I need you to calm down."

I took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. In, hold for a moment, then out. I repeated that task for a moment, still looking at Eli, still waiting for him to say something else.

He looked away, and the spell snapped.

"Shit," My hand ran through my hair. He just compelled me.

Eli apologized, "Sorry. I didn't know any other way to get you to chill."

I shook my hand, "No, it's fine. I think I was going to have a panic attack."

Eli went back to Samuel.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Some creature had him pinned. It had 4 arms and claws a foot long." Eli's lips turned up at the grotesque creature he saw.

I understood and took another deep breath. I didn't want to be weak. I wasn't weak. What would Aspen do?

An image of her popped into my mind. She stood tall, defiant against any adversary.

"Can he sit up?"

Eli shook his head. "No the witch over there put him under."

I glanced into the dark corner. The man was still curled up, his eyes blank as they met mine.

"He needs blood?" I asked.

Eli nodded.

"Let him feed from me." I said. "Just enough for him to heal and get some of his strength back."

Eli was shaking his head. "No way. I don't know if he'd stop. It's too risky."

"It doesn't matter. He's old, right? Powerful? We need to get out of here. We're just sitting ducks here. I mean have you seen the monsters out there?! He’s our strongest bet of making it out alive."

I scoot closer, raising my wrist to Eli. A stubborn set to my jaw. This was the only way, I told myself. The best way.

Eli hesitates, "Have you ever been bit before?"

I suck in a breath, my answer delayed. That was enough to tell him.

"This won't be pleasant," he warned. "This is really fucking dangerous."

"Yeah. Well I don't expect it to tickle and this whole situation is unpleasant." I brought my wrist up to his face. "Lets just get it done. I'm serious. I don't plan on dying just yet."

With frown, Eli took my wrist. I knew the unspoken words that hung between us. You just might if we do this.

His lips part to reveal fangs. I close my eyes. Flinching back, my eyelids pop open at the sudden sting from the bite. Eli withdraws immediately.

With a shaky breath, I quickly cover Samuel's mouth. My blood dripping between his lips.

He's still for a second. Worry starts to form.

I stifle another scream into a yelp. Samuel's latched himself to my wrist, his fangs splitting the bite even farther.

I cry out, feeling the flick of his tongue and the draw of my blood.

Suddenly, he's on top of me, snapping my head sideways to split the skin at my throat.

Pain erupts throughout my whole body, but my screams are muffled by a hand. I struggle to breath. Samuel has me fully immobilized.

Tears run down my face as I stare into the darkness. The pressure of Samuel is gone.

"Samuel," Eli's there. He's somewhere close. "She healed you."

I can't move. Shock keeps me on the ground.

Eli's closer, crouching over me this time. "Hey. You want some blood from me? It would heal you and give you your strength back."

I shake my head. I don't feel too bad. The shock dissipates allowing me to be sharply aware of my situation.

"At least let me heal the bite," Eli presses.

"Okay."

Eli pulls me in close. His tongue against my mangled throat, before hitting my wrist.

It was awkward, but I was grateful. I didn't want the open wounds or the scars.

An itching burn blossomed within seconds. My hands went to scratch but Eli brought them back down. "Don't. It's your skin multiplying and healing."

I curl my fingers into fists until the itch subsides. Slowly I manage to stand. I wasn't as weak as I thought I'd be.

Upon expressing my shock, I learn why.

"It's because I didn't take much from you. You're blood is surprisingly strong. I'm healed and at full strength from just three mouthfuls." Samuel said.

I push that out the window. "We need to get out of here."

"I agree," Samuel says.

"There’s a hallways over here," the witch says. He stood in a tight little stone walkway.

Samuel takes the lead position. "Let's go."

We all file out. It's eerily quiet. Only sometimes broken by the faint crash or scream.

The pace is quick. I drag a hand along the wall, my flashlight in my hand so only some light leaked through.

Samuel leads us up some stairs and into a kitchen. The sound of fighting and monsters is so much closer.

A high pitched screech sounds, making me flinch back into Eli. It’s too hellish to be human.

My eardrums ring. I see something fly by the little window in the kitchen.

A huge hound-like creature crashed through the door. It's jaws big enough to crush my skull, the beast stood easily at my stomach.

I gasp, backing away as it eyes us all. It's breath creeps into the room as it pants. I cough. My lungs start to burn. The witch grabs me and shoved my shirt over my mouth and nose.

"Hell hounds exhale toxic gas." He says.

The beast lunges forwards but Samuel meets it head on. We scurry to the edges of the kitchen while Samuel wrangles the beast. His stomach and thighs were scratched by its claws before he maneuvered himself behind it.

Samuel grabs the hounds jaws, prying them apart as it tries to snap. Soon the dog falls, it's jaw split wide open.

I stand there. Not moving, not blinking. This is crazy. Yet no one is really batting an eye? This was this world. I'm apart of this now.

"Ana!" Eli whispers. "Come on!"

I see Samuel grab another kitchen knife. The witch and Samuel following suit. I grab a frying pan.

We all slip through a back door and burst outside. The hell out here is being battled by gifted and some others.

In a blazing strike, lightning takes down 5 monsters at once. I see the woman that the power came from. Her eyes shining and her hair standing up from her electricity.

Another screech and something blurs in my the corner of my eyes. I knock to the ground, squealing as something with claws and a long snout tried to eat my face. The only thing saving me is my pan.

It lets out a scream of its own, a loud pain-filled bellow. I fling myself away as it's skin bubbles and boils.

A figure is rushing over, through the smoke and the chaos. "Aspen!" I yell, unsure of myself.

She comes and scoops me up in her arms. "Are you okay?!"

I look at the body on the ground. It was the demon version of a goose, with a long neck, two rows of fangs, and wings with claws at the bend of them.

"Yea. Thanks to you." I pull her close. Maybe this wasn't the time for hugs but god I couldn't stop myself. Aspen wrapped her hands around me.

But I get jostled to the side. A huge shadow looms over us all. Aspen moves towards it, encircling the 15ft tall monstrosity. Samuel and Eli draw its attention too.

I sit, stunned and hawking as they attack this Grendel like beast.

The creature swipes at Eli with a huge paw. It was crazy fast for its size, but Eli managed to duck just in time.

Samuel used his knife, stabbing at its muscles. It roars when blood gushed out of its wound.

Still, it wasn’t enough to slow it down, and Samuel’s plan backfired quickly. He hissed, recoiling in pain when the blood touched his hand.

The creature started to move but found himself unable. Aspen was to the back of it, out of sight with her hands raised. Slowly they moved together.

I saw the hard look of concentration, watched as the creature’s body bent. Aspen was crushing this thing.

Samuel and Eli step back. A confused glance was shared before Eli points to Aspen.

She ends this. Literally crushing the creature down to the ground. It squirmed, but it didn't move. It couldn't.

The realization that it might literally explode had me running behind one of the oak trees.

Just as I thought, with a last shove from Aspen the creature flattens. Blood spews in a nauseating show of gore. My eyes close, expecting the acidic blood to burn towards us.

It doesn't. The barrier Aspen set up kept it all contained like glass. Trails of dark green blood slid to the ground.

It was silent.

Aspen comes back up to me. Her hands grazing my face, then my throat. "Jesus Christ. What happened to you?"

My mind whirls. "No time. We need to go get somewhere safe!"

I twist to run, but she holds me still. "Ana, we've got them all. The Assault team was quick to respond and we managed to contain and kill the wave of creatures."

"What?" I looked around. Bodies of human and creature shapes lie dead around us. Nothing moved. The panic died down. "Oh thank god."

I pull Aspen into another hug, tears threatening to roll. "I should have went with you to get the punch."

Aspen hugs me back, her arms wrapping around me in the strong way that I loved. "I'm glad you’re safe." She pulls way, holding me at arms distance as she looks me over again. "Jesus what happened here?" Aspen draws up my wrist where crusty blood trails bled. Her eyes got to my throat next.

I notice her jaw clench, her eyes sliding over to the two vampires among us, and got the strange wariness one feels when unsheathing a sharp blade.

I bit my lip. Might as well be truthful and save these two from whatever anger is brewing. "I fed Samuel to heal him so he could get us out of the room we were in."

"You what?" She snaps. Her voice rough. There was a darkness in her gaze. She wasn't looking at me though. No, her eyes were pinned on Samuel.

I gently pull her focus back to me. She softened up when I sheepishly smiled at her, "Yeah. I escaped into their room, Eli saved me from a having panic attack and passing out, and then I tried to get myself to act like how you would."

Aspen just stared at me. Her lips parted slightly.

I clarified what I meant, "Strong and unafraid."

Aspen’s laugh was gentle as she grabs my wrist where she rubs off all the crusted blood. "So you think I would have risked my health to feed a hungry vampire?"

My face starts to redden, and I shake my head. "I didn't feed him because I thought that's what you would have done. I know you would have done something else, something better, but I fed him because I thought that's what I needed to do to stay alive. He was the most powerful friend I had at the moment. We all needed him."

"Smart, I guess. Ballsy definitely," She says. She turns to Samuel next. "You tell her thank you?"

Samuel's eyes narrow. He looks like he's going to snarl something nasty.

"He doesn't need to. He got us out safely." I interject.

"He should. You saved him, too." Aspen retorts, but she doesn't fight. "Let's go before we get roped into having to clean this clusterfuck."

I laugh, feeling all the tension in my body release.

Aspen leads us out to where the cars are parked. I think to thank Samuel but decide against it. I thank Eli instead.

"No problem." He replies. "I'm glad we all get to go home tonight."

"Me too," Aspen agrees. "Thanks for helping her."

Eli nods again and we turn away, walking throughout the destroyed lawn together.

Aspen squeezes my hand. "You don't understand how happy I am you're safe."

"Same here." I utter, looking at the damage. "I was worried about you."

Aspen laughs as if she can't believe the thought. "Don't worry about me. I'm okay."

We're quiet as we hit the sea of cars. Finding our own was gonna be hard. Aspen raised her hand and clicks her keys. Nothing sounds.

We head down the rows.

"Did you really think of me to draw strength from?" Aspen’s voice is low when she asks.

I smile, getting the faint feeling this is an important question to her. "Of course I did. You're the strongest person I know. I envy you."

Aspen nudges her body into me, dropping the subject at that. "Come on. I think I see the car."

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dc-translator · 5 years

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[ENG TL] 201812 haruhana interview

Notice: This translation was completed without any permission or endorsement from the copyright holder. I do not hold the copyright to the original article or the photos used here. As such, a license cannot be specified. This translation will be taken down if the copyright holder wishes so.

Don’t you want to see cute nightmares?

Dreamcatcher

The members all look half asleep in the morning?!

Dreamcatcher finally made their Japanese debut with the single 'What -Japanese ver.-'.

---How do you feel after your Japanese debut?

JiU: It still doesn't feel like reality, but I am looking forward to the Japanese InSomnias(fans) singing our Japanese songs in unison during our live shows.

Dami: I got advice from a friend who had debuted in Japan earlier. They said "you just need to enjoy it, just like in Korea." I want to enjoy myself a lot.

Yoohyeon: I think communication is very important, so I'm working hard on learning Japanese-!

---What are some points that you want people to notice in 'What -Japanese ver.-'?

Sua: The songs listed in the single such as the Japanese versions of 'What' and 'Chase Me' give off different vibes compared to the Korean versions. Please note the differences in the mood.

Siyeon: In the lyrics of 'Chase Me', there's a part that goes 'Arashi mitai (TL's note: 'like a storm', or 'Like Arashi'). I thought it meant Arashi, the Japanese group. (Laugh) I learned that Arashi means 'storm' during the recording and thought 'Ah, So that's what it means.' That's an episode. (Laugh)

---The regular version includes the original Japanese song 'I miss you'. What kind of song is it?

Handong: It's a bright song that will keep its melodyline ringing in your ear. But the lyrics contain emotional, sad parts as well. I think it's a song that feels Japanese.

Gahyeon: The mood of the song is different from our music up till now, so I was worried about how to sing it. But the composer told me that 'if you sing brightly, it'll be fine'. After that, I was able to relax as I sang it.

---Like the title of your song, was there something recent that made you go 'What' because it was surprising or because you couldn't wrap your head around it?

JiU: Usually, I don't fall asleep easily. But during our Korean promotions, we weren't getting a lot of sleep so we'd fall asleep very quickly. That was surprising.

Siyeon: Especially Gahyeon and Yoohyeon. They fall asleep as soon as they sit down. We'd be talking one minute, and then I'd look and find them asleep in the next. (Laugh) I can't fall asleep unless it's on a bed, so I was surprised!

Sua: When fans come and cheer for us, I'm always very conscious of the time they have to get up to prepare, and also about how they will return home. We get around by car, but the fans are really amazing. They cheer for us from early in the morning to late in the night, so we're very thankful.

Dami: I was playing a racing game on my smartphone, but I’d get disconnected from the network whenever I got first place at the beginning of the race. It kept happening even though I tried multiple times, so that was troublesome.

Yoohyeon: I recently lost my earphones. And they were expensive ones that I had to convince myself to buy... (Cry)

Gahyeon: I too dropped my phone, and the back of it broke. Later, the perfume bottle in my bag broke, spreading its scent...

Handong: I lost my wallet recently. I can't figure out when and where I lost it. (Cry)

---Like in the lyrics, tell us how each member is as she wakes up.

JiU: Everyone only gets half awake.. (Laugh) But Dami wakes up straight away.

Dami: I get surprised and wake up just by the vibration of the alarm. JiU unnie wakes up after we call her name out loud three times, going 'JiU unnie~'.

JiU: Yoohyeon gets up on her own, but then she falls back asleep before you know it.

Yoohyeon: The one who keeps sleeping till late is Gahyeon. The members always have to wake her up.

Gahyeon: Handong unnie wakes up later than I do~ We're roommates, but even after setting multiple alarms, she still can't get up to turn them off.

Handong: I set multiple alarms because I feel uncertain~ Gahyeon can't wake up unless someone shakes her physically.

Sua: Siyeon wakes up with the alarm, but then looks vacant.

Siyeon: Yeah. For about an hour after opening my eyes, it's like my body's awake but my head isn't yet. (Laugh) Sua unnie washes her face right after she wakes up and gets prepared for the day properly.

Sua: It's because I wake up right before we have to leave. I have to get prepared fast. (Laugh)

"What” I love

What Dreamcatcher likes

Relating to 'What', we had Dreamcatcher tell us about the things they like, as well as what they like about the fans and the group!

includes balloon self portraits

Q1. What food do you like? Q2. What animal do you like? Q3. What saying do you like? Q4. What do you like about the InSomnias? Q5. What do you like about Dreamcatcher?

Yoohyeon

born on 1997 January 7th

‘I like how honest the members are’

Portrait point

Fans draw me like this in their fanarts, but I couldn't draw it very well. What stands out is how close my eyes and eyebrows are to each other.

A1 Ichiran ramen. I like spicy foods, so I tried the ramen that's 9 times hotter than the standard one. It still wasn't that hot.

A2 I think dogs are the best partners for humans. They give you endless affection.

A3 My motto is "There is no end in learning"

The saying, 'there is no end to learning' is my motto. As I age, I want to continue living without forgetting to learn.

A4 I'm happy that they love me, and I'm always thankful. When they come to see us, I think how difficult it must be for them, so I'm thankful.

A5 I like how honest they are and don't hide what they really think. We may have a scary image, but we're all kind.

Sua

Born on August 10th 1994

‘Curious about everything! I want to try anything!’

Portrait point

Drawing eyes, nose, and mouths to be big is the secret to drawing memorable drawings. So when I drew it, I emphasized my double eyelids and my high nose as much as possible!

A1 A hamburger set. (Laugh) I never get tired of eating them no matter how many I eat. They're so good. The drink has to be Cola!

A2 I like elephants. They are very wise. Also, I think they have an amazing presence.

A3 'Try everything that I want to do!'

'Try everything that I want to do'. I'm curious about everything. I'm interested in doing my bangs these days, so I carry hair spray around with me. I also want to try driving.

A4 I'm happy just to see them smile when they see me. Them cheering for us in a large voice and telling me that I'm pretty also make me happy.

A5 They're considerate, they help each other do things that can't be done alone, each member has her own good points.

JiU

Born on May 17th 1994

‘I'm happy thanks to the cheering of the fans.’

Portrait point

Part the bangs and draw a face beneath it. Once you draw a cute face, that's me. (Laugh) Hahaha! The part that I like within my face are my lips.

A1 I like fruits. My favorites are pineapples, grapes, peaches...I like all of them! (Laugh)

A2 Since fans tell me that I look like a rabbit, I've come to like rabbits.

A3 'Always be happy'

My motto is 'always be happy'. I think being happy is important in life.

A4 It's how considerate they can be in little things. For example, when we look tired, they'll cheer for us even louder.

A5 We have really amazing unity as a team. I like how we always respect and give constructive opinions to each other.

Dami

Born on March 7th 1997

‘Our strong point is how we each have clear personalities’

Portrait point

I have double eyelids and have large whites, so when I'm not making an effort, my eyes look like this. The corners of my mouth also bend upwards like this. The fans draw me like this as well.

A1 Sweet potatoes. I don't get tired of them even if I eat them every day. I like anything that's made of sweet potatoes.

A2 Pandas. They're cute. I like how they're usually gentle and are large, but also have their cute moments.

A3 'There is no answer'

There is no set answer, so I want to do the things that I want to do.

A4 I'm always thankful for them just being there. I'm thankful that the Japanese fans cheer for us despite us being foreign singers to them.

A5 Each member has different strong points, so we each have very clear personalities. That makes us a fun to watch group. I like that.

Handong

Born on March 26th 1996

‘The fans are always lovely’

Portrait point

There aren't really points of note in my portrait. I drew my eyes to be big, my face to be small, and drew it to be as cute as possible. (Laugh) Does it look like me~?

A1 In Japan, I put shabu shabu in gomadare(sesame sauce). It was delicious and I got refills for that only. (Laugh)

A2 I like cats. We have a cat in my family home. The name is 'NyanNyannii' in Chinese.

A3 'Nothing is impossible'

'Nothing is impossible,' since things that I thought were impossible in the past are possible now. If I continue making an effort without giving up, I think there's always going to be something that can be accomplished.

A4 There are lots of things that I like about our fans! They always watch over us warmly. They're always lovely.

A5 The gap between how charismatic we are on stage and the bright personalities that we have in real life. Also, the members are all nice!

Siyeon

Born on October 1st 1995

‘Fans give us a reason to exist’

Portrait point

I tried to draw it to look like me as much as possible. I think the easiest way to recognize me may be my hairstyle, so the point is how accurate the hairstyle is.

A1 I can't eat raw onions, but I like the ones that aren't spicy. The onion side dish my mom makes is essential for a meal.

A2 Wolves and cats. Wolves are romantic, and fans call me 'the wolf of the stage'.

A3 'It's all to keep ourselves fed...!'

'It's all to keep ourselves fed...!' I think that in hard times, we have to keep ourselves fed and live on.

A4 I like how they scream my name in loud voices. It gives us a reason to exist and gives us strength.

A5 I can relax when I'm with the members. We're like family. They worry for me, and I'm thankful for that.

Gahyeon

Born on February 3rd 1999

‘I was able to become a singer thanks to my mom's words’

Portrait point

My eyes are of different sizes, and my double eyelid lines are also different to each other. I like how plentiful my eyelashes are, so I drew them to look fluffy.

A1 Sushi. I like Salmon and flatfish, but the Unagi sushi that I had in Japan was so good that I keep saying I want to eat it again. (Laugh)

A2 I'm bad at drawing so I can't draw well at all~ (Laugh) I like dogs because they're cute. Cats are cute too, but I prefer dogs.

A3 'Nothing can be gained without effort.'

'Nothing can be gained without effort.' My mom told me this when I was little, and I was able to become a singer thanks to these words.

A4 I like how they think of us and cheer for us to keep our morale up whatever the situation is.

A5 I think it's great how well defined our concept is. You know that it's Dreamcatcher immediately when you see us.

"What" is in the BOX?

What is the content of the box? Game challenge!

Two at a time, they played a game challenge where they try to guess the content of the box just by how it feels on the hand.

Round 1

Jiu & Yoohyeon try!

Broccoli in the box

JiU responds calmly while being watched

Yoohyeon says 'Why didn't your expression change?'

Sua & Siyeon schemes sneakily...

Sua and Siyeon tells her 'it's a chicken head!', making Yoohyeon scream, 'Kya-!' (Laugh)

After calming down, they touch it and say 'Ah~ It's broccoli'. Excellent, the two were correct!

There's a clear contrast between JiU, who stayed calm from start to finish, and Yoohyeon, who got scared after being duped by the mischievous Sua and Siyeon. It seems like she found out immediately because of the circular texture!

The always curious Gahyeon joins in. She says 'It's staying still!', and even sniffs it.

Round 2

Sua & Siyeon try!

Spider in the box

Yoohyeon goes for a revenge and says that it's 'a worm' in the box, scaring Sua and Siyeon.

Sticking in their hands together

For some reason, they both stick their hand in and make a big fuss, going 'Sua unnie's hand feels strange~!'

'Why are you touching each other's hands?' Yoohyeon says as she bursts out laughing.

After touching it for a bit, Sua realizes what it is in a flash, and screams 'I got it~!'

They answer in one voice, '1, 2, 3, It's a spider doll!'

Surprised that 'It felt cute when we were touching it but it looks gross'

After being told it was a 'Worm!' 'Sea Cucumber!' or 'Shrimp!', they were scared, but they still did well and got the correct answer. They even analyzed that 'it would be scarier to the touch with some water on it' as they looked at it.

Round 3

Dami & Gahyeon try!

Sponge in the box!

Dami puts her hand in without hesitating even a moment. 'What was this called...'

Yoohyeon and Sua taking a peek

Next up, Gahyeon also puts her hand in quickly without any fear

Yoohyeon and Siyeon asking if she's okay

Gahyeon: looks fine

They put their hands in a few times and kept touching it, but finally they seem to have figured the answer out

The two talking...

They answer in one voice, 'Sponge!' The third group also got it right!

Dami and Gahyeon are fearless! ignoring the interference(?) from the other members going 'starfish!' 'conch!, they did well and got the right answer. Still, Gahyeon said 'but when i was touching it, it felt really weird~'

Round 4

Handong & JiU try!

Konjac in the box

Siyeon: scared

Peeking as always

The members scaring them going 'wouldn't the last one be a bug?; 'Wow, scary~!'

Handong is the most easily scared

Handong, who gets scared easily, isn't unable to put her hand in quickly...

The members force her hand in. (Laugh) But her hand doesn't reach the content of the box

Everyone holds it down...

Yah~~

As soon as she touches it, Handong immediately gets her hand out, shouting 'Kya-!'

Surprised by her voice, the members also scream 'Kya-!!' (Laugh)

The two answer 'squid'. The members are without mercy, saying 'since you got it wrong, you have to touch it one more time.'

Checking from the top

JiU sees inside the box and goes 'ah~!'

Handong says 'It was a really weird feeling.'

After the game was over, other members touched it and checked its smell too. (Laugh)

10/27 Dreamcatcher dances while in a witch costume!

Dreamcatcher held a Halloween Free live in Odaiba VenusFort Church square, Tokyo. The members wore black and red dresses that were only worn on this day, making them look like cute witches. They brought the excitement up with 'You and I' and met fans with a smile on their faces. After that came the first showing of their Japanese debut track, 'What -Japanese ver.-'! They shared how they felt, saying 'When we sing in Japanese, it feels like we're one step closer to you. (JiU).' Last came the sexy and cool performance for 'Full Moon', closing a seemingly magical live show.

Secret

When they were drawing their faces on the balloons, the sharpie made squeaking sounds. The members drew even while worrying 'what if it bursts?'

#dreamcatcher #translation

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randomly-random-jen · 6 years

Text

Midnight in the Garden of Our Past Lives

Red vs Blue fic

1440 words | [PG-13] It's late, and Wash can't sleep. But he's not the only one. Maybe what him and Carolina really need is someone to talk them through the dark night. Cuddling also works.

Wash isn’t sleeping anyway when he hears Carolina call out from the room across the hall. He stares blankly at the gray ceiling trying to ignore the sobs—she would hate to know he was listening. But the sound is a knife through his heart in more than one way. Still, he doesn’t move because she’d probably kick him in the balls if he tried to play the half-assed hero with her. Carolina is no damsel in distress.

But when the noise from her room fades, he silently slips from his bed. Wash is the only one that knows the code to her lock, and the soft click of it disengaging sounds abnormally loud in the late night. He waits for Carolina to throw open the door, gun in hand. Or something equally dramatic, but it’s quiet. He’s not sure if that’s a good thing or bad.

He finds her sitting in bed, knees to her chest, staring into the dark. “Hey,” she says without looking at him like she knew he’d come. He has no idea why she would think that. He’s never done this before. Well, not the breaking and entering part—he can’t count the number of times he’s listened to her cry from outside her door, though. He needs to know she’s okay.

Carolina scoots over so he can join her on the bed but says nothing else. Wash sits, legs stretched out, feet dangling off the side. Her blankets are a twisted mess and the sheets soaked with sweat. The only light in the room comes from the digital display of her old-fashioned alarm clock. He watches her out of the corner of his eye, not sure what to say or do except be there for her.

Eventually, she leans her head on his shoulder. “I couldn’t beat her,” she whispers.

“Tex?” Wash frowns. “That’s who you were dreaming about?”

Carolina scoffs. “I know, right? How pathetic is that? Even after all these years, she still gives me nightmares.”

He snorts. “Well, she was pretty scary.” He says it almost fondly because there are so many versions of Tex in his head—all hated and loved by the many other people stuck in there as well. Sometimes it’s hard to sort out which ones are his real feelings. He’s pretty sure he had no problem with Tex personally. At least not until he tried to kill her. Then she was all up in his business. And that was fucking terrifying.

“It’s stupid,” she says after a moment, wiping at her eyes. “God.”

Wash takes a chance, sliding his arm around her and pulling her close. She doesn’t resist. In fact, she buries her face in the crook of his neck, making herself comfortable. He’s not sure what to do with that. He suddenly feels sixteen and completely unready for Angie Beckett climbing through his window that one night. He blushes at the thought. Thankfully, it’s too dark for Carolina to see. He takes a deep breath, pushing away the awkward memories and lays his cheek against the top of her head.

Carolina plays with the chain of his dog tags. “Why was I never good enough?”

Is she drunk? Wash shakes his head. “I don’t-”

“I couldn’t beat her.”

He wonders how much she actually knows. And that leads to what the fuck do I tell her? He takes a deep breath deciding to just go with the truth because he’s too tired to keep dancing around shit. “You know she was an AI, right? The fact that you stayed number two is impressive.”

Carolina jerks away and Wash sighs.

“I’m just saying—it’s not exactly easy for a human brain to compete with an AI-”

She punches him in the arm. Hard. “Whose side are you on?”

He puts his hands up. “I’m not on anyone’s side.” Her growl is unmistakable. “Your side. I’m on your side,” he says, trying not to laugh. “Always your side.”

He doesn’t know why he adds the last part, but she melts against him again, and he decides he likes that. A lot. And there are those awkward feelings again. He closes his eyes, breathing slow. His brain is working overtime to sort out the memories and feelings.

“You think I could beat her now?”

Why is she torturing herself? Why is she torturing me? “No,” he tells her honestly, risking life and limb, “but that doesn’t mean she wins. Just because Tex was on the top of the leaderboard doesn’t mean anything. She had an unfair advantage-”

“She was his favorite,” she mumbles.

Wash has had enough. He grabs her by the shoulders. “I’m not doing this with you, Carolina, and I’m only saying this once so listen.”

She blinks up at him--a little confused and a lot of hurt in her eyes.

He’s pretty sure this conversation is a mistake, but he takes a deep breath anyway. It needs to be said. “The Director—he was a rat bastard, but-” He swallows hard, finishing softly. “But your father loved you.” She tries to pull away, but he doesn’t let go. “He loved you, Carolina, even if he didn’t show it. Didn’t know how to. He was as fucked up as the rest of us.”

“I can’t believe you’re defending him. You of all people.”

Wash glares at her. “I think I’m the only one in any position to defend him. And that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just stating a fact. Leonard Church was an asshole in any incarnation, but he loved exactly two people in his life-”

“And he loved her more.”

Wash drops his arms and gets up. “Maybe you’re right. And I’m pretty sure nothing I can say will ever change your mind anyway. Good night, Carolina.” Sometimes he wonders why he even tries.

He’s barely back in his room when her door bangs open. She stomps after him, and in the dim light from his desk lamp, he can see the dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. “I miss him,” she shouts, slamming his door behind her.

“The director?”

Tears slide down her cheeks as she looks away. “Epsilon.”

Oh. That makes more sense. He doesn’t know what to say so he just waits.

“He was-” She sniffles. She can’t seem to elaborate, wrapping her arms around herself.

Wash pulls her close. “He loved you too.”

She huffs. “You have that floating around in your head, too?”

He laughs. “No. His actions said everything.”

“Whatever. He was a jerk.”

“Yeah.” He hugs her tighter. “But he was our jerk.”

She glances up at him. He forces himself to keep eye contact because it’s the most intimate he’s been with anyone in a long time, and it’s the closest he’s come to actually talking about what happened, and it’s the first time he’s admitted that he actually misses Epsilon. Carolina smiles. Then laughs, leaning her head on his shoulder. “He was a jerk, and I miss him. He was-”

She still can’t seem to say the words so Wash fills them in. “He was like your father. The one you remember.”

“Yeah.”

“Your childhood must have been-” He bites back a grin. “Interesting.”

Carolina pinches his side. “Shut up.”

Wash pins her hands to her back then leans his forehead against hers. “You gonna be okay?”

She lets out a long breath. “You gonna get some sleep?”

“Probably not.”

She doesn’t answer his question—not that he expected her to—but the way she looks at him with a mixture of weary sadness and tender affection takes his breath away. Without really thinking, he walks them over to the bed, falling onto it when his knees bump the edge. He looks up hesitantly and with not a little bit of that terror he felt with Angie then slides over to the wall—an invitation. He’s not sure how crushed he’ll be if she walks out the door, but she surprises him with a soft smile, climbing in. He tucks her against his chest and tugs the blanket over them.

“I’ll sleep if you sleep,” he mumbles into her neck.

She tangles her fingers with his. “If you promise to tell me how you’re really doing with all this.”

Wash sucks in a long breath then exhales slowly. “Tomorrow, promise.” He means it completely.

“Deal,” Carolina murmurs with a yawn, snuggling closer.

Wash decides having her pressed against him—listening to her breaths even out—isn’t as scary as he thought, and as he drifts off, he thinks that maybe, just maybe, they can find some peace tonight. Together.

#fanfic #red vs blue fanfic #agent washington #agent carolina #wash/carolina #friendship #maybe more #platonic or shippy #emotional hurt/comfort #fluffy ending #angst and fluff #bed sharing #cuddling

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captainimprobable · 6 years

Text

A Good Weird (A Lapidot Oneshot)

This is the first thing I’ve written in two years!!!!!!!! It’s messy, it’s sloppy, it’s not up to par for me, but it’s something and I’m so incredibly happy that it’s finished. Hopefully one day I’ll be back to what I was. But for now, here’s this teeny tiny one shot. Also the formatting’s weird. I’ll chalk that up to Tumblr, though Ao3 Synopsis: Peridot tries to help Lapis through her first thunderstorm ~~~~ “Percy, I just…I can’t do this anymore.”

The barn was deadly still. Apart from the conversation happening on screen, the only sounds that could be heard were the distant calls of birds in the trees outside and the combined breathing of the two gems watching in rapt attention.

“I know we’ve spent a lot of time together this summer. I know we’ve gotten pretty close. But…”

Peridot, eyes glued to the television set, began excitedly tapping Lapis’s arm. Lapis absently waved her away, mouth open in awe, eyes never leaving the screen.

They’d been waiting for this moment for months. All those hours speculating, all those charts and graphs, countless hours spent theorizing and wondering. It had all come down to this.

The unaired Camp Pining Hearts TV movie that Steven had found somewhere in the bowels of the Internet.

The two gems held their breath.

“I’ve decided. I’m leaving the Blue Team.”

The rest of Paulette’s words were drowned out by Peridot’s excited scream, punctuated by her fist punching the air in triumph.

Lapis rolled her eyes, but the effect was softened when she offered Peridot a faint smile.

“I told you, Lapis! I TOLD YOU she’d do it! Strategically speaking, Paulette leaving the Blue Team is the only thing that would assure their victory. Though I am impressed with her willingness to sacrifice herself for the good of the team. I may have to reevaluate my previous analysis of her character arc.”

Peridot paused when she realized Lapis was shaking her head.

“What?”

“I’m not buying it.”

“Not buying…what exactly?”

Lapis steepled her fingers together, resting her chin on her conjoined hands. She leaned in toward Peridot conspiratorially.

“There’s no way Paulette decided this on her own.”

Peridot gasped.

“What are you insinuating?”

“I think someone put her up to it. Remember her whole ‘Forever and Always’ monologue in season 3? She’s not selfless enough to give up her Color War standing just like that.”

Peridot considered this, head cocked at an angle. “That would mean…she was blackmailed?”

Lapis nodded sagely. “It makes the most sense.”

Peridot’s eyes widened. “Lazuli, you’re a genius!” She tripped over herself in her scramble to jump down from the truck bed.

Lapis laughed. “Where are you going?” Peridot was already out of the room when she responded with a yelled “To restructure my charts!” ~~~ Peridot was still scribbling furiously ten minutes later when Lapis burst into the room, a wild look in her eyes. She didn’t even look up as Lapis scanned the barn.

“Good, you’re here!” Peridot exclaimed, not noticing her roommate’s obviously distressed state. She kept talking as Lapis searched the room, completely ignorant of everything going on around her. She didn’t even notice when Lapis started to throw things.

“I discovered that your version of events makes the most sense if you try to-“ A toilet seat flew through the air, coming so close that it ruffled Peridot’s hair. She blinked, just seeming to realize that bathroom appliances do not frequently fly on their own.

“…What are you doing??” she trailed off, as Lapis continued on what looked like a mission to destroy the barn.

In response, an engine came flying at Peridot’s face. She managed to avoid it by panicking at the last minute, throwing her hands in the air in defense, and accidentally using her metal powers to stop the errant piece of debris.

Peridot squinted her eyes open, wondering why her face was still in one piece. She was greeted with an engine floating steadily in front of her. “Lazuli, look what I did-“ she paused, considering the engine. “-totally on purpose! Am I amazing or what?” She dropped her hands to put them on her hips to stand in a more heroic pose. The engine, unimpressed, fell to the floor with a loud BANG.

When Lapis didn’t respond, Peridot finally remembered that she was in a Roommate Situation. Tired of being ignored, she cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed. “LAZULI, WHAT IN HOMEWORLD ARE YOU DOING???” Wondering if that might have been a little too confrontational, she added “AND CAN I HELP?”

Lapis jumped, as if she’d forgotten Peridot was there. She stopped throwing things, but her eyes continued to dart around, flicking from Peridot’s face, to the floor, to the rain lashing against the little window near the roof of the barn ceiling, never settling on one thing for more than a few seconds. With nothing left to throw, she wrung her hands together nervously. Her wings emerged from her back in preparation to fly, but with nowhere to go they just hung limply, flanking her like two fading, dejected ghosts.

“Someone’s attacking us,” She finally announced. “We’ve got to pack up our stuff and get out of here”

Peridot, instantly on the alert, squatted as if to make herself a smaller target and scanned the barn. “Who is it? Is it Homeworld?” She paused, eyes widening. “Of course it’s Homeworld! Oh man I knew this would happen someday, they’re finally coming to get me- Wait,” she glanced at Lapis, finally taking in the fact that they were still alone in the barn. “Where are they?”

“You don’t hear that?!” Lapis’s voice rose, almost becoming a shriek. They both paused to listen, but all Peridot could hear was the storm outside. Then it dawned on her.

“Oh!” Peridot smacked her palm with her fist. “You mean the rain?” She reached out for Lapis’s shoulder, but pulled back quickly when Lapis flinched. “That’s okay,” she said, putting her hands up in front of her, the way one might approach a terrified animal. “I was afraid of the rain, too, but Steven taught me-“

“Not the rain,” Lapis interrupted, teeth chattering. “The…the searchlights. The rumbling of a spaceship getting closer. We just…we need to leave NOW.” Lapis’s wings began to move, preparing her for flight. This time Peridot grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from flying away. ‘Wait,” she said, using the calmest voice she could muster. “Please, Lapis, just wait.”

Lapis’s eyes looked stormy, mirroring the weather outside. Peridot internally congratulated herself for that truly poetic metaphor, keeping her eyes on Lapis’s face. Finally, Lapis retracted her wings. Another booming sound, and she shrank down against the wall, protectively covering her head with her arms.

“So why are we risking our lives by staying here?” Lapis’s voice came out muffled. Peridot gingerly sat down too, making sure to leave a good foot between her and Lapis.

“Because it’s all normal. The lights, the sounds. It’s not a spaceship, it’s just this…thing that happens on this world. Another weird Earth thing, like seasons, or bathrooms.” Peridot rested her head against the wall, watching the rain streaking down the window. “But it’s…” She paused, a small smile on her face. “Well, it’s a good weird.”

Lapis poked her head out of her arm cocoon and considered Peridot. Then, in a very small voice, she muttered “What do they do in those bathrooms anyway?”

Peridot nodded sagely, then confidently replied “I have absolutely no idea.”

Another rumble shook the barn, and Lapis retreated back to her safe position.

“I just…” Lapis faltered. “I don’t like when there’s a threat I can’t even see. It makes me feel…out of control.”

Peridot let out a breath. “It’s okay if you’re scared, yknow.” When Lapis didn’t answer, she continued. “I was scared basically all the time when I first got stuck here.”

Quiet settled over the barn, punctuated only by the heavy drops of rain falling onto the roof.

Finally, Lapis said in a quivering voice: “There’s nothing to fight. And that freaks me out.”

As if determined to prove her point, thunder chose that moment to shake the barn.

Lapis bit her lip so hard she nearly broke the skin.

“OH!” Peridot snapped her fingers, hit by a sudden thought.

“I’ve come to realize that, while Homeworld is obviously advanced far beyond earth technology, they still underestimate the tech humans do have.” She pulled out her tablet, holding it close enough to her face that the glow of the screen reflected off her gem. “The last time anyone studied the earth was thousands of years ago, and they haven’t updated any of their information since. I’ve taken it upon myself to do that.” She looked around, as though expecting applause. When she didn’t get it, she turned back to her tablet, a little crestfallen.

“Anyway, there’s this database humans use that I’ve found pretty useful in the past.” She typed “HELP SCARED OF THUNDER” confidently into the search bar, a shaking Lapis looking over her shoulder.

“Usually your best bet is to click on the first response,” Peridot said knowingly, subsequently clicking on “Did you mean: Help my dog is scared of thunder?”

“You don’t even know what a dog is, do you?”

“Shut up, Lazuli, I’m trying to help you.”

Peridot cleared her throat. “Okay. According to a human named “Web MD”, step one is to “Make the room you’re in a Safe, Welcome Space.”

The two gems surveyed the room, taking in the fixtures of their daily life: Five toilets, check. Half a truck sticking out of the wall, check. Cans hanging from the ceiling in no discernable order? Got em.

Lapis shrugged. “I guess that’s…good enough?”

Peridot nodded, looking toward the pile of broken televisions all replaying the same somber line.

“Seems incredibly safe and welcoming to me!”

She peered at Lapis. “Are you…feeling better yet?”

Lapis raised an eyebrow, a peek of her usual attitude peeping through the fear. “Um. No.”

Peridot huffed. “Fine. Part 2.” She scrolled down. “Consider a snug garment, like a blanket or sweatshirt.”

Lapis rolled her eyes, managing to look derisive even as her teeth chattered. “I don’t think this is actually helpful.”

Peridot pursed her lips. “Are you or are you not shivering?”

Lapis, shaking so hard her eyes were rattling, immediately answered with an uncertain “I’m….not?”

Peridot didn’t even say anything. She just stared. Finally, Lapis sighed. “Fine,” she conceded.

Peridot smiled, happy to be right as usual. She chattered on as she procured the blanket that usually adorned their truck bed and brought it back to Lapis’s prone form.

“Apparently this is supposed to “make you feel safe and warm”, she announced, settling the blanket around Lapis’s shoulders with much more gentleness than she usually practiced.

A few seconds passed, during which they both realized that Peridot’s hands were still on Lapis’s shoulders. Peridot immediately jumped backwards as though her palms had been scalded. “Sorry,” she muttered, shiftily continuing to watch Lapis from her new position three feet away.

“Uh. Yeah.”

A comfortable silence reigned for a few minutes. And then-

“Is it working yet?”

“No.”

“Ah. Alright.”

Three and a half more seconds passed.

“Now?”

A still shivering Lapis glared at Peridot, but her expression softened when she realized how earnest the other gem was.

“Maybe it’s working…a little?”

Peridot’s face broke out in a smile, and Lapis could swear she felt a little warmer.

Regardless, another shiver inadvertently escaped her.

Peridot gave a frustrated groan.

“I don’t understand! My research was flawless! What kind of idiot is Web M.D???”

“Are you sure you followed it exactly?” Lapis asked, now unwittingly invested in the plan’s success, regardless of whether it affected her or not.

“Yes!” Peridot said, furiously scrolling through the website once again. “There must be a different approach, or maybe a- oh wait!”

“I didn’t realize there was a part three! Okay, this part is called ‘Cuddle With Your Pet.’”

Lapis leaned in, trying to read over Peridot’s shoulder as she continued to read aloud.

‘To further comfort your dog, it is suggested that you initiate human contact with him. Touch will reassure your pet that they are not alone, and the extra warmth will calm him down.’ Excellent,” Peridot exclaimed, “We’ll just do that!”

“Uh, okay.” Lapis furrowed her eyebrows. “Do you know what cuddle means?”

“No idea. But it shouldn’t be too hard to-“ A green blush appeared on Peridot’s face, and she quickly turned the brightness of her tablet down.

“Oh. Um. Well.” Peridot coughed, looking at everything but Lapis.

“What’s wrong?” Lapis squinted, inching closer to get a better look at the screen. Peridot stood up very suddenly.

“Oh, there was just…a picture explaining,” she said, in a clear attempt to appear offhand. It was not successful.

“Okay, what’s the picture of?”

Peridot’s blush deepened. “Nothing! It’s not- it won’t- nothing!”

Lapis laughed, unable to imagine what could make Peridot look this flustered. “Okay,” she said. “Now you have to show me.”

Peridot coughed and looked up, as though willing Lapis’s imagined alien spaceship to abduct her and take her anywhere but there. Finally, she wordlessly turned the brightness back up. The horrifying picture of a dog and its owner snuggling under a blanket leaped back onto the screen.

Lapis went quiet. “Oh.”

“Haha yeah,” Peridot said awkwardly. “That’s. Obviously not something we’re going to do. Gems-“ Peridot clapped her hands together. “Well. Gems just…we don’t do things like-“

Lapis remained silent, appearing very interested in a spot of the barn floor.

“Well. Contact..I mean..casual touch is just…not something we-“ She nodded decisively. “Anyway! We’ll do something else!”

“Let’s try it.”

“And besides, it probably wouldn’t work anyway, our bodies aren’t that warm in the first place…“

Lapis coughed, and said it a little louder.

“Let’s try it.”

“-completely miniscule idea that- What?”

Peridot paused her monologue, noting that Lapis seemed to look a shade blue deeper than usual. But she chalked that up to her imagination.

She felt her heart beat faster as Lapis lifted the blanket off her left shoulder, definitively not looking at Peridot, but still providing a clear invitation.

“Are you sure? Maybe we could do something else, we-“ Peridot’s words stumbled to a halt as Lapis rolled her eyes again.

“Peridot…shut up.”

Peridot gulped, looking torn. “O…okay.”

She made her way to the wall at a snail’s pace. Checking to make sure Lapis was still okay with it, she gingerly sat down next to her. When Lapis threw the corner of the blanket over Peridot’s back, her hand momentarily brushed Peridot’s shoulder.

Peridot gulped.

For a few moments, silence reigned, and Peridot realized she was suddenly hyper aware of everything. The way the each lightning strike lit up different parts of Lapis’s face, turning each plane a different shade of brilliant blue. How Lapis’s thin arm felt against hers.

After a few tense minutes, during which Peridot refused to relax, Lapis let out an unexpected giggle.

Peridot jumped. “What?” she asked, talking loudly in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Lapis leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes. “This is just so….”

Surprising?

Terrifying?

…Nice?

“Weird,” Lapis finished decidedly.

Peridot’s face screamed emerald as she hastened to untangle herself from the blanket. Embarrassment didn’t even cut it. “Well I’m sorry this was such a disappointment to you, maybe next time I’ll just leave you alone, excuse me while I go STICK MY FACE IN THOSE TOILET BOWLS OVER THERE, that should really do-

“Wait,” Lapis grabbed Peridot’s hand, definitely blushing now.

“It’s…it’s a good weird.”

For once, Peridot was speechless.

Lapis looked up, eyes finally settling on Peridot’s face. “You can come back, if you want.”

Peridot gave a small nod, and let Lapis slowly guide her back down the wall. Lapis grinned in spite of herself.

“Hey Peridot?”

“Yeah?”

Still holding her hand, Lapis rested her head on Peridot’s shoulder.

“I hope it rains again.”

#steven universe #lapidot #lapis lazuli #peridot #writins #god this fucking thing #ok heres a really sad truth #a few years ago this would have taken me about 45 minutes to write with edits #and it wouldve been better than this #but this????#it took me 9 months #9 #fucking #months #i cant even express how deep and terrible this mental block has been #this teeny ass goddamn one shot means so much to me now #i mean its also 145 am #so #anyway where are my australians at to give this views lmao

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sowha70-blog · 7 years

Text

Chapter Three

Days have passed since their meetings about what happened to her. Dawn had wished this were all a mistake, or even a dream. About everything that Young said, her being one of the many experimental biological weapons. That she were captured in a facility island located nowhere in the middle of the sea.

It was like yesterday when Young pulled the curtain behind, revealing below what she could describe as a tropical island surrounded in both blue sea and sky. Saying things that there were military marines and air forces ready to kill ‘anything’ in or out without permission.

“I don’t get it,” to her surprise, Dawn remained calm that day, “why did you tell me all this? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll escape?”

“That’s the point!” He exclaimed, “I want to help you, and those who are treated wrongly here to escape. This is why I took this job, this is what she had wanted me to do.”

“’She’ as in your daughter?”

“It’s a long story,” Prof. Young brushed his silverfish hair, looking away. For a moment there he looked really old and tired, Dawn could imagine the older version of him from the picture. “ I’ll tell you when we have the time.”

But it’s been almost a week and there was nothing regarding to this ‘escape plan’. All she was told before Stone and his people burst in was that she was to be very observant on every staffs, tests schedules, free times and the tours with Prof. Young, and to wait for him before doing anything by herself.

Everything felt like a dream. Things like brain transplantation, human experiments, X-men. Those were supposed to be mere science fiction only.

Dawn learned that not everyone liked what Young was doing, being close with the ‘specimen’ but some had their styles, like Professor Pete, he always had his two-headed snakes a playtime inside their cage. Even the two-headed dogs and whatever creatures with two heads in God knows what lives in this forsaken place. These people with ‘professor’ as their title were people who had authorities to do things, such as experiments, to such like Dawn. Others, such as the woman with the grey skirt that always came to her room, were the ‘team members’. In this case, Young’s team members were all his students, who among the four, only one was from the facility.

They learned that Dawn was, undoubtedly, human for the past weeks. She didn’t show any of her inhuman states other than her radiant red eyes that could’ve been a result of the tests. She was perfectly normal.

The fact that she also recalled bits of her memories, like an album full of childhood pictures being flipped through every page each day, meant things for her that she might be underdoing something which made her went through an amnesia phase before. Young and his team tried to look for clues from the tests but there were nothing out of ordinary from her body.

Each day passed with the feeling of missing home. Missing Nate. Missing mom and home. Drifted by the memories, she started to get teary. She have always been a crybaby, every sad scenes on the movies she watch with Nate she would cry so much. She remembered hating the fact that she never be able to really handle the urge to bawl.

“This is outrageous!” Dawn heard her door slid open with Stone yelling things on Young. “I cannot believe they are letting you like this!”

Young raised his hand idly. “I don’t blame you to not knowing that they owe me big time. Now, aren’t you having too much of a free time to be meddling with someone else’s work? The archive section are always in need of free pairs of hand.”

The bed made a ridiculous creaking sound when Dawn tried to put herself up. It distracted Stone. Rather than the lab gown, she was wearing a different shirt and pants that let her move much comfortably. “Fine!” he said, glaring at Dawn, “I’m done with this bullshit anyway.” He shoved the guards out of his way and left the room.

“Don’t mind him, Dawn, he’s just too passionate on his work. Are you crying?”

Dawn felt the urge to bail, to pull her feet up and dash away from this personal cell and hide. She didn’t, though she did hide her face with her long dark hair form Young. “I miss my home,” Dawn said under her snot.

Young exhaled sympathetically, “of course you are.”

“I don’t understand,” said Dawn, “there is nothing wrong with me. I have proven human multiple of times. There’s nothing out of ordinary from my body, outside of my eye color and that I suffer low blood pressure, I am normal. One thing that should be done is that I need medical attention on my brain damages, or psychiatrist to have my personal memories back to me.”

“I always thought that you are too calm for these past days,” Young stepped closer to her. He brushed his hand to her long bangs like drawing a curtain open to see her face better. “But sooner or later the emotions started to kick in. It is understandable. You know what? Good news is, the Central have agreed to have you moved to a better section.”

Dawn raised her head so Young didn’t have to keep holding her overgrown bangs. “The Central?”

“They practically own this place,” Young sighed, “I’ve been telling them that you are harmless—“

“And Human,” Dawn snapped.

“That too,” Young went on, “which is why today I’m going to show you your new room. I promise you it will be better there than here.”

“How can it be better? I don’t want another room, I want to be released!” Desperation chocked Dawn’s throat. Her voice was shaking. She remembered the day when her mom grounded her for coming home late after her best friend’s birthday party. The temptation of running away from home that day felt like the same, the difference was that it’s the other way around.

Young drifted back towards the mirror, touching it as he spoke gently, “there won’t be any of these mirrors and cameras. I understand that it’s not any better than what it is now. But why don’t we try it out first and see what happen.”

“It won’t change anything. You will still find nothing!” Dawn raised her voice.

“Then we will prove them about it.”

Dawn groaned. She didn’t have any other option but to comply. Unwillingly, she pulled herself up away from the bed. “Good,” Young said, sounded relieved, “follow Sage, I’ll be right behind you.”

Sage, the only woman who was in Young’s team, slender and stiff. Girls with her posture always succeed to envy Dawn in the younger days. She realized rather than jealousy, she was intimidated by her cold stares behind her glasses and stiff expression. Dawn guessed that Sage couldn’t be more than 25.

“This way,” Sage started to walk. She didn’t look back to make sure Dawn followed.

For somewhat reason, the hallway of the facility was built without any sharp corners like hospitals or schools generally made. Was it so that there will be no blind spots on the camera? Dawn wondered.

The air smelled salty but nice, it was the first time she went outside after she had woken up. Even though she wasn’t literally outside since they were actually walking through an open corridor that connects two different building. The sound of the shores felt pleasant. Even though it lasted only seconds but it calmed her.

Dawn wanted to slow her pace but the guard behind her would never let her. Young were not to be seen anywhere behind. She wondered if he was not really coming.

“He had things to do first. I assure you professor Young will be joining us before sunset,” Sage slid to Dawn’s range of vision on her peep-toe D’Orsay. “You can stop glancing back every second, it will damage your backbone.”

“I wasn’t looking for him.” Sage was actually right on the bull’s eye but Dawn was not going to admit it out loud. “I was just wondering why is this place so dead.”

“I heard from professor Young that you’re a full of curiosity,” Sage landed her palm on Dawn’s back, half pushing her to walk forward. It was clear for Dawn to see a scar just below her left brow. Imperfection on the perfect skin. “Curiosity kills even to cats, as one may say.” Her bun dangled a little as she walked just half step ahead of Dawn, with her palm stuck on the other girl’s back still.

The interior of the other building was different as well as the smell, very less dead. Everything reminded Dawn one of her cousin’s dorm she once visited. She heard faint laughter and chatter across the hallway just like what she remembered the day she strolled down looking for her cousin. The deeper they went in the more people with uniforms were seen busying themselves. Only one person, a boy not much older than Dawn was, or what she assumed her age was, paused his steps and greeted Sage. “Sage,” Dawn caught him gazing up and down on her. He reminded her of the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but with specs. They didn’t halt while the boy tailed Sage as he talked to her, “I was informed that she would arrive after dinner, not before lunch.”

Sage didn’t even flinch. She ignored the boy like he wasn’t there. Dawn pitied him. Now that she remembered that the boy was one of Young’s team member who, most of the time, worked behind the tablets.

“Oh now you’re ignoring me?” Maybe the boy had pushed his luck too much, with Sage glaring at him he looked intimidated, he stumbled on his feet as he tried to follow them.

The three of them, and the guards, who then left them seconds ago, finally found themselves in the threshold of what Dawn could refer as a school cafeteria. Girls and boys in various range of age swarmed with trays of food. Most of them were teenagers, wearing the same shade of gray shirt and pants. None of this made sense for Dawn. To be fair, the days she spent here had never made any sense at all. Why would it be not? Not an hour ago she was inside of what it she pictured as a mental ward and now she was in some kind of school cafeteria?

The chattering soon fell into murmurs, as Sage, followed by Dawn and uniformed boy, entered. Among them there was a dark-haired tall boy left his chair and stood there, his gaze met Dawn’s. Up close his eyes had the same color of the sky she saw earlier that day, the tone of blue and clouds, and freedom. Dawn’s heart fluttered even if she didn’t want to. She reminded herself of Nate.

“Dawn, this is Jesse. He’s one of the eldest among here,” Sage leaded Dawn closer to Jesse. Everyone went back into their original chattering. “Jesse this is Dawn.”

“Hi,” Jesse curled a polite smile.

“Hey,” Dawn returned his smile.

“Jesse will look out for you and teaches you things around here,” Sage said, then inquired to the tablet boy, “and Alex over here will be watching out for you. Think of him as your personal babysitter.”

Alex had a surprised and disapproval look as he followed Sage, who ignored him most of the time, out of the cafeteria. “I didn’t hear that I should—hey Sage!” Dawn watched them disappear while arguing before she felt a grab on her shoulder. It was Jesse.

“We’ve heard about you,” Jesse’s voice rang beautifully in her ears. “Let’s have you meet the other,” He reached out for his tray and offered it to dawn. “But before that, have you eaten yet? It will be pleasant if we can have our introductions while eating.”

“Oh. No, I’m fine.”

“It won’t hurt to have just one cup of pudding. I never really fancy sweets so help me out here.” He grinned, took the pudding off his tray and pushed it to Dawn’s hand.

“Thanks.” Dawn cupped the pudding with both of her hands, tailed Jesse. She hesitated but decided to take the seat beside him anyway.

The table Dawn was sitting was long and full of identical trays of sandwiches, milk cupboards, cups of chocolate pudding and salads. An odd set of triplet of around seven year-old girls sat across facing her, a group of boys beside Jesse and some girls beside the triplet and her. One of the girls in particular caught Dawn’s attention. She had a perfect brown butterscotch hair braided messily behind her back that hung just halfway through, with freckles sprinkled like stars across the bridge of her nose, a girl who Dawn had thought could only be seen in movies with fairies in it. She was right next to the triplet, staring at her in a curious way while poking her fork on her salad. Dawn knew that Jesse realized that both of the girls were staring on each other awkwardly because he then spoke, “She’s Mars,” pointing the braided girl with his fork and added, “or that’s what she wants us to call her. Her actual name is Mary Rose.”

“You don’t have to point that out for her, Jesse.” The girl leaned closer to Dawn. Her eyebrow went up. “I hate to say, but I really envied that eye-color. You’re not wearing any contacts, are you? You know, that tiny cylindrical thing that you stick to your eyeballs, some of the caretaker wear those.”

“I know what contacts means and no, I’m not wearing any,” answered Dawn.

Mars stuffed herself back to her seat as if she had lost her interest and started eating her salad. Dawn tried not to notice how Mars had forgotten on asking her name. “Uh, I believe I heard something about ‘caretaker’?” She turned to Jesse who was prying the tomatoes out of his sandwiches.

“Ah, right. Caretakers are those people who wear the uniforms and tags. They are the ones who teach us things and tell us what to do. I was told that you came from the outside of—“

“Outside?” Jesse’s sentence was interrupted by one of the triplets exclaiming with their mouth full. “You came from the outside?”

“Tell us about the outside.”

“Have you seen snow?”

“What does outside look like?”

More questions were shooting out from the girls like rifles, Dawn was left confounded by what the girls were asking. Does that mean that they were raised here in the facility? She found herself feeling sorry for them. At least Mars began to look interested again and shushed them down. “Is that true?” Mars asked in disbelief.

Before she could answer, the boy beside her started to talk on behalf of her, “Look girls, what I meant is that she was not from our section. She just came out form the Lab, just outside from our facility.”

Mars gave out a disappointed look. “Another sister,” Dawn could hear her mumble under her breath.

An orchestra of disappointment was heard. It was like as if most of the people were secretly listening to them while eating and chatting themselves. It was always like this when the teacher on her school back then joked about the cancelled exams and revealed their jokes afterward.

Dawn didn’t even try to deny Jesse. There was something on his gaze to her that made her decide to bury some of the truths for her own.

“Now, before questions or any more interruptions,” Jesse, hadn’t had his sandwich bit, waved his sandwich-holding-hand towards the triplets who wore longer sleeves and odd gloves, “meet June, July and April. Since you’ve met Mars already I suppose we could skip to Am.” Am waved cheerfully beside April. Dawn wondered, why would she be called April and not August while the other sisters were called June and July. August came after the other two, not April. She considered on asking after Jesse finished. “The guy beside me here, his name is Peter. But since he never looked as old as he is, we all decided to call him Pan as in ‘Peter Pan’”

“Hey!” A voice protested. It was an Asian boy who looked so much younger than Jesse, which probably might not be the case, and since he had his hair cut into a shape of a flipped bowl.

Jesse chuckled before taking a mouthful bite of his sandwich. He turned from his grumbling friend to Dawn, who now was also taking some bite out of the chocolate pudding. “You thirsty? We can share the milk if you want to,” said Jesse with a grin.

“No, you don’t have to. It would be disgusting.” Mars pushed her cupboard of milk to the other side of the table, saving Dawn from having to face Jesse’s charming jest. “Dairy products aren’t my favorite. You can have mine, Umm…”

“Dawn, but I’m fine without it, thanks,” said Dawn, unwillingly. It was like that she admitted her name was Dawn, having it to be spoken by her own tongue. Giving a terrible pang in her stomach on how it reminded her that she still had not recalled her own name.

Jesse was about to say something but as soon as he opened his mouth, a figure loomed behind him. It was Young.

“So you’ve made new friends now,” said Young impressed. “You have even met your roommate already.”

“Jesse is her roommate?” said Pan, choking on his milk.

Young gave out a muffled laugh under his mask, “no, silly! Not him, but Mary.”

“Of course,”

“I’ve never seen you before,” Am pointed out, her pigtails dangling just above her shoulders. Young had caught more attention. Some of the children watched, the others just didn’t really care.

“He is professor Young, he’s new in this section and he will be in charge of us for a while,” answered Jesse, licking the sauce from his fingers uninterested.

“What happen to professor Hunt?” One of the triplets asked.

“She had to take care of some problems so he was discharged. But I assure you that I will take care of you guys better than she does.” Young gave Jesse a big pat oh his back, the boy tried to ignore it. “By the way, where’s Alex? He was supposed to be with you today, Dawn.” He gave out a big disappointed sigh. “Anyway, come with me after you finish your desert.”

It was bothering Dawn that she could not read what Young probably think since the mask was between the way to every expressions Young might be having. But there was no one she could trust more than Young so far. Dawn chugged her pudding whole, half realizing how un-lady like she was in front of the boy beside her, half trying to not care how fast her heart beat every time she caught a glimpse of his elegant features. “We can go right away,” Dawn put the empty plastic cup to the table and pulled herself up.

“NO!”

To everyone surprise, Jesse sprang off from his chair to his feet and had himself turned facing Young. He had a challenging expression. Even Mars was left agape. “Take me instead. It will be my turn tomorrow anyway. I will have her turn so give her some break,” Jesse spoke as if defending Dawn from something bad she had done.

“Jesse, get back to your seat,” now Mars too was on her feet. “Jesse had already taken two of the little one’s turn this week. He barely could even stand this morning and he only just stopped coughing blood last night. If he had to take another test today,” she laid her eyes to the boy’s back, with a grim look she added, “he could die.”

“I won’t die that easily,” Jesse insisted.

Dawn was unable to understand a single thing. Young on the other hand, after drawing his attention from Mars to Jesse, finally realized what the two of them meant. “Ah. You don’t need to worry, I just wanted to have a little chat with her that’s all.” Relieved, Mars went back to sit.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, Jesse.” Dawn could not help to smile.

She could see his ears gone red as she left with Young, who leaded her to what he claimed to be his new personal bureau. It was smaller but tidier than the last one. Such a shame that, unlike the previous one he had, it was lacking of windows, just like almost every part of this entire building. “He likes you,” Young said finally after he closed the door behind him.

“What? Who?”

“That boy with the blue eyes. John—“

“Jesse,” Dawn corrected him unconsciously. “Is that why you brought me here? To find out whether someone will like me? How thoughtful are you, professor.”

“I see you’re getting more honest on yourself,” said Young, flipping out some papers out of a box with a word ‘classified’ written on the lid, he was looking for something. “I brought you here because I think that meeting people and doing more activities will help us to find out more about you that even yourself do not know,” he added, “or forgotten.”

“I thought you’re going to get me away from here,” she demanded.

Young raised his head; his dead-goggled eyes reflected Dawn’s face like two round dusty mirror. “I am. But we actually found something from your cells that is, um, inhuman.”

The word inhuman stung her ears. “You’re lying! I AM human! I’m a normal person who just lost a part of her memories.” Desperation was heard from her voice.

“Calm down, Dawn. My team was actually keeping your test results clean all this time along. It was so that we can have you transferred here. They thought by that they could, at least, have you be useful for them. We have plans,” Young tried to reassure Dawn. It still bothered her, however, having to be told that she was not what she thought she was, or supposed to be.

“Useful,” Dawn began, “as in turning into their test-subjects like a lab bunny, or mice.” It sounded more like a statement than a question she originally intended to. She came to realize every of her own words before, and gasped, “is that what those people are? Test-subjects?”

“Almost every one of them was raised here, even born here.” Young answered reluctantly. “There are so many desperate mothers out there who are willing to sell their babies for better lifestyles. And these guys are also good at creating life inside tubes, as you can see they are indeed very advanced.” He paused. “You can say that these guys own the children’s life.” Dawn was dumbfounded, she felt pity for them but also terrified for herself.

“Why do this to them? Isn’t it enough already with the poor lab animals?”

“It is never enough for science and human curiosity. Besides, the governments around the globe are willing to pay a big sum of money for new inventions of cures, disposable candidates for agents and spies, and even biological weapons.”

Dawn had to lean on one of the shelf. She could smell the odor of paper and dust filling her nose. All of the information that was given to her sounded crazy, even crazier when it came out from some person with cracking, muffled voice, gas-masked face wearing an identical sickening white lab robe everyday. Ironically, mysteries and science fiction were always her favorite genre before all of this happened. There was a time when she once wanted to have an unusual life, like what the books told her. Magical lands, peculiar creatures, but never imagined how horrifying it was to be facing things she had never understood.

She was lost in her thoughts when Young suddenly slammed the piles of papers back to its box. “For the sake of God, it’s supposed to be here somewhere. It should be here. Where the hell is Alex anyway,” Young sounded frustrated.

As if he heard Young calling out his name, Alex came throwing himself inside slamming the door ajar, breathing hard like he just had a marathon.

“Nice timing, Alex,” Alex toppled some stacks of boxes but didn’t stop to look, Young seemed to ignore it and continued, “where did you put UOR09 file I gave you yesterday morning?”

Dawn just realized that something wasn’t right with him. His face were red and sweaty, he did not wear his glasses and his usual coat. Between his heavy breath, he struggled to speak, “I… The files… Professor… I… She… It was an accident.” He looked really fragile, like he could break from just a single touch. His voice was shaking as if he forced to keep himself from crying.

“You look Dreadful, Alex. What the hell happened to you?”

Alex threw his head down and buried it with his hands, covering his face. “I think,” he hesitated for a while. He took a deep, shaking breath, and said with a much clear tone, “I think I killed Sage.”

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