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bedbellyandbeyond · 4 years

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Mystery Baby Theatre, Part 5

(Short Story Post, 5/6)

“You think I have something to do with this?” Dusty asked, hands on his hips. “The nerve…” “We’re not accusing you. You’re just the only demon we have on file,” Korsy explained. When the agent got the family to APID safely, they got them set up in the hospital wing and called Dusty in while Carlos waited outside with his kids. He’d been at home putting his son to bed when he was called so he’d had to drop Grey at his other father’s house quickly before popping into APID. Now he stood in front of Reggie’s hospital bed, glaring at Korsy. He was in no good mood. “I am a succubus,” Dusty said. “This is clearly the work of an incubus.” “What’s the difference?” Korsy asked. “Aren’t succubi supposed to be female?” Reggie asked. He was set up on the exam table but the doctor wasn’t here yet to look him over. Dusty seemed to only get more ticked off. “Demons don’t have sexes. The latin ‘succubare’ means ‘to lie beneath’. It literally just means I’m a bottom. And looking at all those children lined up outside, I could say you’re more of a succubus than I am.” “Are you calling me a whore?” Reggie growled. “If the shoe fits…”

“Hey, none of that!” Korsy said. “Dusty, I get it. You’re tired. We pulled you away from your son for this. But we need your help if you can give it. Do you know what's going on with him?” Dusty crossed his arms. “I don't know much about incubi. What I do know is that they’re terrible testosterone junkies who couldn’t care less about anyone else and always try to get what they want whenever they want. So, I imagine, whatever one that’s after you wants that kid.” Reggie shook his head. “No, we made a deal.” “What deal did you make?” Dusty asked. “What did you give in exchange for this child?” “He asked me to sacrifice a goat in his name,” Reggie said. “So, I found one on Kijiji and did it. It was really really gross…” “So, he just wanted a goat?” Korsy asked. “Hard to believe…” “Naw, goats are pretty powerful…” Dusty said. “But this is an incubus we’re talking about. He’s probably found a loophole. What exactly did he promise?” “He gets the goat, I get to keep the baby,” Reggie said. “Simple as—” He suddenly doubled over, clenching his stomach. “Ahh… Ow…” Korsy was startled. “Are you okay?” “Y-Yeah, I…” Reggie grimaced. “…Just a bit of pain…” “You’re going into labour, aren’t you?” Dusty said. “No, I’m still a month from due,” Reggie said. The lights suddenly shut off and the room got cold. Reggie suddenly let out a scream of pain. “Oh god, it hurts!” Dusty and Korsy’s eyes took a moment to adjust but soon they could see. Reggie was still balled up in pain, but there was now a puddle of black liquid pooling under him. “Your water broke,” Dusty said. “You are in labour.” “I’ll get the doctor,” Korsy said leaving the room. As he did, Carlos came in. “What’s going on?” Carlos asked, blindly trying to find his partner in the darkness. “It’s too early…” Reggie whimpered. “Your partner’s in labour,” Dusty said. He grabbed Carlos’s shoulder and directed him to Reggie’s side. “I don’t think this is a coincidence. I think your incubus is forcing you into labour.” “You think right,” a deep voice said. Everyone was startled by the sudden strange voice. Dusty suddenly saw him, a tall dark shadow standing in the corner of the room, a huge grin on his face. Reggie screamed out in pain again. The contractions hurt ten times more than any of his other pregnancies and he was in absolute agony. The stranger looked over at Dusty then tilted it’s head slightly. “Succubus? What are you doing here?” “I’m just… I’m just helping,” Dusty said, feeling his body tremble in the presence of a much stronger demon. The other stared for a moment. “…Darathan?” Dusty lowered his eyes. “Who’s asking?” “Thaungal.” He raised a hand, forcing Dusty’s chin up again. “Don’t be rude. Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Dusty whimpered, feeling the incubus’s invisible strength holding him up. “I’m sorry…” “You’re wanted back home,” Thaungal said. Dusty shook his head stiffly. “I’m not tied to home…I was bound…” “You’re not bound anymore.” Thaungal shrugged anyway and let him go. “What do I care. You’re not worth much…” Dusty immediately teleported away, leaving the humans in darkness alone with the incubus. Reggie was still clutching his stomach, his labour progressing quickly. Carlos was trying to soothe him, rubbing his back and whispering to him, though he was also frightened out of his mind. “Reggie…” the demon said in a low voice. “The child is ready for you.” He waved a hand over the labouring man, forcing his body flat against the exam table, his arms and legs out as if restrained. Reggie shrieked in pain, his body tensing in agony. He felt like he would faint from the sheer pain. The child within his stomach writhed and squirmed as if trying to rip out. “Oh, it’s alright,” Thaungal said. “I’m here for you.” He placed his hand down on Reggie’s belly and the hell spawn calmed down. The pain in Reggie’s body ebbed and he was able to regain his breath. “You promised…” he cried. “You promised not to take my baby…” “I promised you could keep it,” Thaungal admitted. “But I’ve decided I want it. But I won’t go back on my word. You can keep your child but I’ll take both of you.” “No!” Carlos yelled. “You can’t take him!” “Oh, can’t I?” Thaungal chuckled. “Perhaps you’d be right if you were married to him. But you’re not. Therefore, he can be bound to me.” Carlos threw his torso over Reggie’s body. “¡Demonio! ¡No puedes tenerlo! You can’t have him!” Thaungal let out a boisterous laugh. “Human, you’re very funny to think you have any power against—” Thaungal suddenly jumped back, narrowly missing the edge of a blade being swung at him. Dusty had reappeared with Korsy and the doctor, Sydryn, the former brandishing knives. “Stay away from them!” Korsy barked, holding his blade out to Thaungal. “Syd, take care of the patient!” “Obviously,” Sydryn huffed, moving over between Reggie's legs to check him. Thaungal eyes narrowed on Dusty. “You traitor!” “I work here, asshole!” Dusty said. “You don’t get to come to my job and just do whatever the fuck you want!” Thaungal started to approach Dusty. “You little—" Korsy lunged out in front of Dusty, slashing his knives towards Thaungal, the catching the incubus across the chest and making a shallow gash. The demon hissed, swiping a clawed hand at the agent, but Korsy ducked out of the way and countered with another slash of his knives. The demon dodged it easily and chuckled, but Korsy caught him off guard with a swift kick to the gut. What should've been a harmless kick for an incubus of his strength turned out to be fatal however and Thaungal staggered backward, black blood seeping out of his wounds. He looked at himself then glared at Korsy. “...You...” Before he could finish his sentence, he disintegrated into dust. The lights flickered back on and Korsy stood there panting. The grip on Reggie's body was lifted and he was able to relax a bit though still subject to his contractions. “What just happened?” Carlos asked, unable to have seen everything that had transpired. “Did you kill him?” “He did,” Dusty said. “But he shouldn't have been able to... Not with a kick...” Korsy caught his breath then slammed a fist against his knee. His right leg fell out of his pant and he picked it up, showing off the blade coming from his prosthetic. “Dark elf blade. Good for killing...bad things. Still sharp enough for everybody else too so watch out.” “Scary...” Dusty said, though he was a little turned on. “...You have my number.” “Thank you...for getting rid...of Thaun...” Reggie panted. “But I'm still...in labour!” “Right. Syd, how's he doing?” Korsy asked. “Crowning,” Sydryn stated. “Reggie, another big push.” Reggie grabbed his ankles and pushed hard. “Oh shit, it's almost here!” Carlos pulled out his phone and started recording, going around beside Syd to get a good angle. “You can do it, mi amor!” Reggie pushed harder, screaming in pain, and the head came free. He eased up and panted, tears streaming down his face. “Humans film these things?” Dusty critiqued. “Strange...” “Get out if you're not helping!” Reggie growled before starting to push again. “I concur. Darathan. Korsgaard. Out,” Sydryn instructed. “Köbi’s watching the children. Replace him and send him in.” Dusty and Korsy stepped out quickly and were replaced by the curly haired young man. Köbi stood ready by the doctor. “What do you need me to do?” “Prepare for the baby. Ready a blanket,” Sydryn said. “Ahhhhhhhh!” Reggie bore down with all his strength. Sydryn reached around the baby's head and helped guide it out. Finally, with a rush of more black amniotic fluid, the child was born. She was completely grey and squirmed in the doctor’s hands. “¡Una niña!” Carlos said happily. “Reggie, she’s so cute!” Reggie however didn’t respond. His energy was all drained and the pain had been unbearable. He was fighting just to stay conscious. “Reg?” Carlos dropped his phone and grabbed Reggie’s hand. “Reggie, stay with me!” “Köbi, take the child,” Sydryn said, being quick to cut the umbilical cord. “Quickly.” Köbi did as told, taking the newborn and wrapping her up in the blanket. Carlos pushed back his partner’s hair, watching as his consciousness faded. “Is Reggie going to be okay?” “He’s lost a lot of blood. If we don’t treat this immediately, it could be fatal,” Sydryn stated. “No!” Carlos’s voice shook. “Do something!” “I am.” Sydryn had already begun manually removing the placenta. “I suggest you go outside and take care of your children.” “I can’t leave him here!” Carlos sobbed. “I need him!” “I am no longer suggesting. Step outside, sir, or you will be forcibly removed.” “I can’t go!” “Köbi!” Köbi handed the newborn over to Carlos. “Trust us, okay? You have beautiful children to look after.” He placed a hand on Carlos’s shoulder which helped soothe the man. Carlos nodded and stepped outside. “Köbi, stop the bleeding while I get an IV,” Sydryn asked. “On it.” Köbi placed his hands on Reggie’s sternum and closed his eyes.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6

#lore #short story #mystery baby theatre #mpreg #Reggie #Carlos #Dusty #Köbi #Sydryn #Korsy

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omegangrins · 4 years

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Chibnall, Children, Choice and Consequence

Allow me to introduce a companion piece to A Treatise on the Doctor:

It's pretty simple:

Chibnall knows what he's doing and is playing a long game to show how the Doctor needs to take more responsibility.

Let me start off with my favorite examples. That's right, plural.

Every single villain 13 faces is never defeated, merely pushed away from causing them any immediate problems. Tim Shaw being the prime example.

1&10. Seriously, Tim Shaw. Her plan was to use his own bombs on him and then teleport him off the planet. Even without Ranskoor Av Kolos, the Doctor should have thought to check in on him. Especially after The Ghost Monument showed the Stenza were a greater threat than she knew. She still hasn't even checked up on WHAT THE HELL THE STENZA ARE! They sound worse than Daleks but naw, let's go rain-bathing in the upper tropics of Canstano instead.

2. Ghost Monument. We saw the END of an interuniversal race. What the fuck is the beginning that got them there? Who is Illyn and how and why did he orchestrate a super race?

3. Krasko. Sent back in time. Really, Doc? Not gonna take a look at the device and see where Ryan sent the prick so you can double check that he's not gonna cause anymore damage?

4. President Trump analog. Ooooo, you looked at him menacingly, Doc, that'll show him!! Not like he's gonna KEEP DOING ILLEGAL SHIT LIKE THIS.

5. The Pting. She literally shunted it off ship to be dealt with by someone else BUT DOESN'T GO BACK TO BE THAT SOMEONE ELSE ONCE SHE HAS HER TARDIS. That's like leaving a living nuke floating around after sweeping it under the rug while you fly off to Paris.

6. The Pakistani-Indian conflict still happens and millions still die. Not her fault but still....

7. Kerblam. Sure, Charlie's terrorism was solved but not the underlying problem that led to it. Humans still can't work because corporations like profits over people.

8. Similar to the Punjab, how you gonna solve sexism, classism and all the -isms?

9. WHY WAS THE SOLITRACT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE??!! It's been around since before the universe. Why'd it decide to come back now? It's a whole universe trying to hug our universe to death. Maaaaaaybe we should check out why.

11. She's gets a pass on the Dalek. Fucking impossible to eradicate them.

12. The Master!!! Finally she checks up on something after the adventures... and it's horrible. With everything gone to shit in her absence. Seeing a pattern yet?

And Barton? And the Cassaven? They didn't disappear into smoke.

13. Multiple Earths being multiply fucked. Remember when I said the Doctor couldn't solve racism, classism, sexism, or any of the other -isms? Starting to look like she needs to TRY.

14. The Skithra FLY OFF after getting hit by a laser beam. That kind of thing tends to piss people off. Even if they're idiots using other's technology.

15. Jack. The Judoon. The Ruth Doctor. All things I'd start checking out if I had a time machine BUT

16. WE CAN'T cause the TARDIS emergency alert is going off and we need to hurry up and run and solve this problem before we run out of time in our TIME AND SPACE MACHINE. Leading to another problem the Doctor could help solve but won't. Plastic and over-consumption.

17. Oh yeah, let's trap two Eternals from another universe in the same place. There's NO WAY that could ever turn out bad.

18,19,20. And again. Cyberium. Pushed off Shelley onto herself and onto Ashad and onto The Master.

That's almost 20 "enemies" the Doctor still needs to deal with.

Oh, not to mention that they let UNIT go defunct because they didn't have the forethought to ask if they needed any money in their alien fighting budget. After asking for an office, a desk, and a job. Kinda funny that way, aren't they?

I hope by now you've gotten the idea that this is VERY deliberate. This is Chibnall laying down some very heavy pipe to smack the Doctor like a clothesline. There isn't a one of these situations that can't come around to bite her in the ass.

Barton, Roberts, Skithra. These are all very loose strands for a time traveller like the Doctor to get tripped up on. Chibnall's past episodes prove it. They're all about the Doctor learning how to take responsibility.

42: The Doctor almost gets Martha killed and almost gets himself killed trying to fix it.

The Hungry Earth: The Doctor (a thousand year old "adult") tells Elliot (a 10 year old kid) that "Sure it's totally fine to go get your headphones while we prepare for an approaching unknown alien force." And 11 rightfully gets his ass chewed for it by the child's mother when the kid goes missing because OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS, JACKASS!

Cold Blood: I could write an entire essay about the Doctor's guilt over the Silurian/Human conflicts they've witnessed, but I don't need to. Because every single Silurian centered episode written in the new era is from Chris Chibnall. And you can feel the sad knowledge of Classic Who spill through. He KNOWS how many times the Doctor has fucked up with the Silurians (about 8 times in television format. And it's rough everytime. Rough.) and he writes those episodes like an apology on behalf of the whole human race. And the Doctor. You know why people are put off by Warriors of the Deep? 5 releases a gas that melts the Silurians. And though it's cheesy, the idea and execution is still horrible.

Add to that if the Doctor hadn't stopped to check the crack, then Rory wouldn't have waited and been around to be shot then absorbed by the time crack.

Power of Three: An entire episode about how the Doctor has a problem slowing down and really taking account of the lives of their companions.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: The Doctor actually tries to be responsible and pick the right people for a job. For once. But gets angry when they realize it's too late and there's another bunch of Silurians they failed to save. Classic!

Like I said, if you can't see the pattern, you're not paying enough attention to your responsibilites.

Which leads me to the why.

When you fly around time and space for thousands of years, you develop a few duties of care along the way. In every situation, you're the oldest. Technically the only adult in terms of experience. You have a responsibility to act a little less rude and be a bit more aware than needing cue cards to tell you that you should be sad about things around you. And that's the purpose of 13. She's unlucky but learning. Like 12 telling himself something with his face he couldn't say out loud, 13's instincts are leading her to a new place for the Doctor: being a caring, responsible person. Not so much laughing hard or running fast, but being kind. It's the one thing they recognized as a problem in themselves when seeing 1. Being a Doctor is about being kinder than that. Just because you HAVE to saw someone's leg off, that doesn't mean you can't wait a little and comfort them before you do it.

You wanna know what gave me every faith in Chibnall showrunning Doctor Who? 13 staying for Grace's funeral.

Do you understand how unprecedented that is? This is the same person who never said Goodbye to Jo Grant as she got married and fucked off into the night. The same Doctor who said, "I don't do domestic.", did it with Rose a regeneration later, and then closed himself off to everyone but a married couple he felt guilty about who ended up birthing his wife. Have you any idea the number of funerals the Doctor should have the common decency to sit through? This many.

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So for 13 to stay around for the death of a woman she has only just met and not only that, BUT call out Ryan's father for not doing the same, it shows tremendous character growth. It's taken millennia but they're still changing.

Something similar happens with Rosa and The Witchfinders. Realizing that there a lot of companions who have been in situations that are sometimes worse than aliens, but they still manage to make it through. So she needs to buck it up and persevere for everyone else.

That's where her anger comes from, and really it's one of my favorite traits on her. It reminds me of 7. Someone impossibly old and impossibly kind saying to hell with it and at least having some fun with the evils who drag us through the universe. And just like Cartmel planned for 7, 13's past will come to haunt her.

That's where children come in. Most of us are crying babies to the Doctor.

There's this thing you notice most in British shows about answering the question directly as asked. Someone says "Are you sure?", you answer "Sure". That's a direct acknowledgement that you heard the question, understood it, and processed it enough to respond in a manner directly correlating to the question asked. Yas and Graham got it and said "Sure" but Ryan missed it and said "Deffo". This is like Elliot with the headphones. The Doctor should have immediately been like, "Okay, Ryan, it's obvious that you're still dealing with the trauma of your grandmother's death and probably not processing things on a logical level. I said "Are you sure?" Not "Are you deffo?" Because we are most definitely not deffo, Ryan. Graham, you wanna help here?"

I'm being sarcastic for points sake but you understand the idea. The Doctor knows better and has a responsibility as such. She should've really sat down with Ryan and Graham and seen if there was a better way to process their grief.

Because I'm fairly certain that "Deffo" is gonna lead to Ryan's death and Graham's cancer resurging as time cancer (I don't know what time cancer is. I just know it's bad.)

And that is gonna piss Yas off. Which will give you all that character you think she's missing (she isn't. Her character is in her subtleties and silences.). That's WHY her character is a police officer (like how does no else see that the man who wrote Broadchurch wrote an inspector character companion?) Imagine you're Yaz and you see the Doctor flying around in a big, magic box that says POLICE. As a fellow officer, you're gonna expect some basic safety protocols.

Like do a background check on everyone flying in the TARDIS to know whether they're stable enough (mentally, physically, emotionally) for time and space travel. It's no picnic. These people are going to go through hell. A little vetting and planning like Time Heist or Dinosaurs on a Spaceship goes a long way.

Secondly, full fucking disclosure.

"Oh. I can't die because I change my body. Oh. I have arch enemies that will try to kill and torture us any chance they get. Oh. My home planet is full of the biggest assholes in the universe and I'm including my arch enemies."

Third, police like to do this thing called "check-ups" where they go back to the scene of the crime in order to see if there is any more information that can be gleaned which you might not notice when you are busy running around trying not to be killed... Like, the Doctor has the perfect machine to do this with, but nope. Adventure done, run to the next place!!

These are all things you'd expect any reasonable person to do and say when taking others flying off into time and space and "helping". Even if they are an idiot passing through and learning. Especially when you consider the Doctor is vastly older and more experienced than everyone they encounter. They SHOULD know better. And they've got the lifespan to slow down. It's not like they need to be in a hurry because they're going to die at any moment like humans. The Doctor could easily stay for tea and it would be less than a drop in their lifespan.

Now, as usually is the case when I make these theories, I have a parts 1,2,3,4 and 6. There's allways this 5th piece I miss but I manage to get at the end.

But the 6th piece is the Timeless Child. The Doctor isn't a Time Lord anymore. They're not beholden to those people and ideas anymore. Even moreso, those people basically raped her childhood for their own gain so it's not like you'd really listen to them and their "policy of non-intervention".

I'm sensing a coming Trial of a Time Lord season (even believing these two seasons are the opening statement and preliminary evidence of the trial itself) wherein the Doctor finally gets the turnaround 6 deserved. A Trial of the Time Lords, if you will.

"In all my travels through time and space I have battled against evil, against power-mad conspirators. I should have stayed here! The oldest civilization: decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core! Power mad conspirators? Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen — they're still in the nursery compared to us! Ten million years of absolute power: that's what it takes to be really corrupt!"

This is what it's all coming down to. Chibnall's takedown of the Time Lords. And The Master is going to play the most crucial role of all.

They're going to be revealed as an Ux alongside the Doctor and show how the only constants they have in this universe are each other and it's about damn time they work together and tell these high collars to eat Schitt while they explore every star and planet they can find.

Come on, the episode is called The Timeless "Children". If it was just the Doctor it'd be called "The Timeless Child". The Master says as much with the misdirect line, "built on the lie of the Timeless Child." since we see two kids playing in that flashback.

"Since always. Since the Cloister Wars, since the night he stole the moon and the president's wife, since he was a little girl. One of those was a lie, can you guess which one?"

Now we know which one was a lie, we know the Master HAS known the Doctor since they were a little girl. THAT little girl...

But this is all just speculation. It's not like Chris Chibnall could have been thinking about this for the past 40 years and was given a blank slate to do whatever he wanted for five years on his favorite TV show. If y'all want to think he took those reigns and is choosing to make things worse...

Well then you don't know much about responsibility.

I'll let the man himself tell you about it.

"Very early in my career,” says Chibnall, “someone told me that you learn more from a failure than you do from a success. And then I lived out that phrase for a year in Los Angeles. I learned that I would not work that way again or be put in that situation again.” The essential lesson was: “You either have to be in total control of a show or working with people who share your vision and will work with you to achieve it. Also, never work with 13 executive producers.

“Camelot was the classic case of too many cooks. It wasn’t a harmonious set-up and I think that does manifest itself on screen.

“I had a fantastic cast but you have to be free to tell the story you want to tell in the way that you want to tell it. What ended up on screen was not what I wanted and so it is a blemish on my CV.”

Credit to @thirteenthdoc

“You immortals - so entitled, so spoiled. You never clear up after yourselves and you always leave stuff lying around.” - Thirteenth Doctor in Can You Hear Me?

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blog-sliverofjade · 4 years

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7: Tête Dure Minous

Pairing: Remi Denier x OFC

Summary: Lorel Maddox just wants to live as a human, run her bakery in peace, and forget. Unfortunately, the alpha of the local leopard pack has very different ideas.

Remi Denier doesn’t know what to make of the female Changeling who wants nothing to do with him or the RainFire pack. He does know that he has a driving need to protect her. Even if it’s from herself.

While they’re embroiled in a battle of wills, there’s a war brewing on the horizon. The outside threat could not only destroy everything they hold dear, but tear apart the fragile new bonds of the Trinity Accord, plunging the world into bloodshed to rival the Territorial Wars of centuries past.

Word count: 2018

Content warning: Racist cop

Hearth Fires Masterlist

Beta read by the wonderful pandabearer

Lorel bared her teeth at him when a wave of power washed into the shop; it tasted wild, male, and lethal. She tore her attention away from the cop in time to see Remi stalking through the open door. Her cat went from snarling and ready to pounce to wary watchfulness in the presence of a bigger predator. She hated that some of her anxiety eased the moment she caught his scent, but at least her cat’s homicidal urges went from screaming to a dull roar.

And damned if she wasn’t relieved to see Denier, like he was some sort of knight in shining armour. Or, rather, a knight in jeans and a t-shirt. Said jeans hung low on his hips, emphasizing his narrow waist in contrast to the breadth of his chest. The black t-shirt clung to the ridges and hollows of his densely muscled chest and wide shoulders.

“Mr. Denier, she here one of your’n?” Shank turned square to him and jerked his head in Lorelei’s direction.

“All changelings in Swain County are mine.”

She opened her mouth to protest the hard, possessive statement, but Remi cut her off with a look, the cat rising in his eyes. Although they never changed colour, her own cat recognized his and urged her to back down. The animal usually urged the opposite; the sudden shift in temperament had her scrabbling to regain her equilibrium after she’d prepared to fight for control.

Even though the sheriff was human, some latent instincts must have sensed something because he dropped his folded arms to hook his thumbs behind his belt. Remi’s gaze didn’t stray from Shaw’s, but she had no doubt that he was keeping careful track of the cop’s hands in relation to his weapons.

“Ya need to get your girl in line. Had a call she was intimidatin’ folk.” Shank levelled him with a hard look below thick, dark brows.

The thought that either of them believed she was under his protection soothed something within that she hadn’t even known had been stretched taut. The relief was like setting down a burden she’d been carrying for so long she only recognized the strain once it was gone. And that set her teeth on edge.

“The CCTV footage doesn’t corroborate the allegation.” There was a drawl to his voice, but it lacked the thickness of the bayou it’d had when they first met.

“Yer a big guy, what a young girl’d find intimidatin’ you’d hardly sneeze at,” he shrugged.

“Are charges being pressed?” Remi merely tilted his head and, somehow, she knew that his leopard was close to the surface even though his eyes continued to remain completely human.

Some long-buried instinct in Shaw must have recognized it, too, because the hand closest to his stunner twitched. Claws burst from Lorel’s fingertips. For once, she didn’t try to force them back in. Remi, however, kept his hands in his pockets. Only a fool would miss the lethal threat hidden beneath the lazy demeanour. How on earth he managed to hold the alpha’s stare, full of barely restrained savagery, she had no idea.

“Naw, I think we’ll let this’un go with a warnin’.” Shaw shrugged and resettled his hat. “But you best show your girl how things are ‘round here.”

Shocked speechless by the blatant paternalism, she could only gape at him.

“Oh? And just how are ‘things ‘round here’?” Remi’s tone was deceptively calm, but whatever the other man saw on his face had drained the blood from his own.

“Well, that… you see…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped. “You can’t just go ‘round intimidating people you don’t like!”

“I think you should take your own advice, officer.” The predator was present in his voice. “Cher, why don’t you make a copy of that video for Sheriff Shaw here?” He never looked away from the cop so the silent snarl she threw his way went unnoticed.

“Testosterone’s getting thick in here anyway,” she muttered in a volume pitched for his ears alone.

Once Lorelei was out of the room, the red haze fogging his mind cleared a little and he could think clearly again. Shaw, on the other hand, realized he was alone in a room with a leopard in human skin, which meant he was less likely to do something stupid to prove his masculinity in front of a third, feminine party. Men could usually be counted on to pull supremely senseless stunts when it came to pretty women. Such as issuing premature ultimatums instead of merely taking the measure of a prospective packmate.

“Now look here…” the sheriff licked his lips.

“I assume the human will be charged with filing a false report?” He leaned against the cash counter, bracing his hands against the edge, palms down. The relaxed stance fooled Shaw into downgrading his threat level and puffed up accordingly, crowding the alpha’s space. Remi barely avoided rolling his eyes. His leopard didn’t take it as a challenge, merely huffed and sat down to scratch behind an ear.

“We have to dispatch a car ‘cause if something happens, we could be held liable if we don’t. We don’t want people to avoid callin’ if they see something suspicious.” Remi wondered if the sheriff realized just how much of a stereotype of the rural hick cop he was, despite his law degree. When he’d decided to found RainFire, he’d compiled dossiers on the local Enforcement brass and he knew that Shaw was well-educated. Was it a deliberate good ole’ boy ruse to put the humans at ease?

Lorelei returned with the data chip and his leopard snapped to attention, snarling a warning at the male in the room. Neither half of him wanted the cop anywhere near the curvy redhead. Remi caught the eye of Sugiyama through the door, which was still propped open, and waved him over. The lieutenant accepted the chip and promised it would be entered into the incident report, ignoring his superior who clearly smelled displeased. Scenting no lie from the officer, his leopard settled somewhat.

“Now I assume that Ms. Maddox is free to resume business unless ya’ll have any further questions.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a threat.

Though Shaw was pissed at the brusque dismissal, he strode out of the bakery. Sugiyama lingered to thank Lorelei for her hospitality and cooperation. Remi crushed the urge to throw the officer bodily out of the shop. He could probably hit Shaw like a bowling pin with the lieutenant as the ball.

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Denier,” she said stiffly and smoothed her apron. Today, it was patterned with autumn leaves and edged in yellow worn over a russet dress. He wondered what he would find if he tugged on the satin tie and parted that modest Peter Pan collar to lick at the freckles that peppered her neck. Were there more scattered across her creamy breasts? Did they trail across her soft stomach to…

“Mr. Denier, was there something I can help you with?” By the sharp arch of her brow, she was repeating the question. Unlike Shaw, she wasn’t afraid of being alone with him although she was at the other end of the hierarchy. Even with all the training in the world, a submissive could never hope to win against an alpha leopard in a physical battle. And yet still she defied him while maintaining all outward propriety that could never be mistaken for an actual challenge.

“There’s no need to be so formal, please, call me Remi.” It was an obvious ploy to keep him at arm’s length. If she thought that would work, well, she had another thing coming. He intended to solve the mystery of this woman who played at being human, needed to figure out why his cat wanted to hunt her in the most sensual way.

“Was there anything you require?” Icy haughtiness that would have done those few who still clung to Silence proud. Coaxing her out of her shell was going to be fun.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice.” A slow, feline smile curved his lips.

“For what? Barging in here and claiming responsibility for me like I’m a child?” That was interesting. Most submissives liked feeling safe and protected, that she found it upsetting was another facet to the puzzle of Lorelei Caine/Maddox.

“Keeping you from assaulting a law Enforcement officer.” It had been obvious that she wanted to go for Shaw’s throat the second he walked in.

“Thank you, Mr. Denier, for sweeping in here uninvited and undermining my authority in my own business. I am ever so grateful you patted me on the head and shooed me away while you menfolk postured at each other.” Her tone was sweet enough to drizzle over one of her confections and the drama was so over the top it would have done Scarlett O’Hara proud. Any minute now he expected her to start soliloquizing about root vegetables. “Since you’re marking your territory and all, I think the sheriff peed on that tree over there in case you feel the need to over-mark.”

“Il y a pas de quoi. Next time Shaw wants to cause a fuss, he’ll have to notify RainFire.” She blinked, considering the ramifications of having a pack of predatory changelings on her side when it came to dealing with the bigoted sheriff. “One of the benefits of pack is protection.” It was not just a case of safety in numbers. Dominants lived to defend their pack, the need to protect ingrained into the core of who they were.

“It was one person. Besides, you can’t be there 24/7,” she said dismissively.

The cat didn’t like the insinuation that he couldn’t protect this stubborn woman who regarded him with eyes of cool slate ringed with Prussian blue.

“No one messes with RainFire.” Any and all challenges were met with swift and brutal force. Yet the challenge of Lorelei was one that couldn’t be resolved with violence. Not as the initial offensive, anyway.

“You make it sound like you’re running a protection racket. Should I pay protection money in cookies? Are you going to shake down the grocery store for milk, too?” Cocking a hip, she braced a fist on it and gestured in the direction of the grocer with her other hand.

“What if next time it’s someone with a gun?” The blood drained away from her face and he bristled at the spike of doubt in her luscious sugar and spice scent. At their first meeting, he’d thought that the smell was from her array of goods; now he knew that it was part of her. When he’d walked in, the sweetness had been tainted with a hint of something foul that nearly left an aftertaste. That note quickly faded while he dealt with Shaw and he wasn’t yet certain whence it came.

“Then it’s a good thing I keep a hot pot of tea going.” She glanced at the faintly steaming kettle within arm’s reach. As a makeshift defensive strategy, he had to admit it wasn’t half bad. A faceful of scalding liquid would give even him pause.

“A clever answer,” he mused. “Do you have one for me?”

A faint vertical line formed on her brow. Normally she took care to avoid meeting his gaze in case his leopard took it as a provocation, she did so now with remote appraisal.

“Are you going to kill me if I decline your offer?”

“Only if it’s necessary. Why? Do you plan on hurting my people, t-minou? You’ll find we’re not easy prey.” He knew his eyes flashed cat bright as he stalked closer to her. Wide-eyed, she mirrored his movements until she bumped up against the counter. Bones pushed up against her skin from the grip she had on the white ashwood. The pulse of her heart was a fluttering butterfly under the thin skin of her throat, the sound of it like the hoofbeats of a racehorse.

“If you’re calling my bluff, cher, this is a game you won’t win.”

Tête Dure - Hardheaded

Minou(s) - Cat(s)

T - Small, shortened form of petite

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four-loose-screws · 4 years

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FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 9 Part 4

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Chapter 9 - And So, the Door of Fate Opens...

Part 4

Mages rained down meteors from atop the rocky mountains scattered throughout the desert, attacking Sigurd’s approaching army.

To safely proceed, Sigurd’s army needed to defeat them. And the only person they could rely on for that job was Erinys.

She aimed at the mages from the skies above them, and swooped down to attack.

The moment she defeated all the mages atop the first mountain, she saw a large group of dragons far off in the south.

She hurried back down to the rest of the army, and reported to Sigurd, “We don’t have good footing here, so we can’t fight! Let’s retreat back to Luveck Castle.”

There was still plenty of time left before the dragon knights caught up to them, so they could afford to retreat and organize their army. The soldiers all gathered in battle formation together, with the archers and those who could use offensive magic placed behind them.

Because he’d claimed such an easy victory against the Leonsterian Army, Magorn was full of arrogance.

When he saw Sigurd’s army, he ordered his soldiers to attack immediately, without taking the time to properly survey their battle formation.

The Thracian dragon knights were known for their bravery and valor, and put up a terrifying fight, but they only managed to just barely endure the first assault, while Sigurd’s army perfectly maintained their formation.

When they flew back up into the skies to regroup, their numbers had already dwindled by more than half.

Magorn realized that the battle was lost, but didn’t hesitate to give the order to attack a second time.

The lands of Thracia were barren, and the money the dragon knights made as mercenaries was the country’s main source of income. Their bravery and valor was the service they sold, and their absolute rule was to never retreat.

The moment they started to move to make their second attack, Sigurd’s army’s front line stepped back to allow the second line to attack.

While the dragon knights fought the second line, the archers stationed in the back picked them off one-by-one.

Magorn was also killed after taking a direct hit from Brigid while in the middle of a divebomb.

With the battle over, the heavily injured returned to Luveck Castle, while the rest of the army regrouped into their normal positions, and reentered the desert.

Erinys resumed her attack on the mages atop the rocky mountains.

To continue onwards, Sigurd’s army would have to conquer Phinora Castle, located in the middle of an oasis.

Erinys secured their path, and taking the castle was easy by comparison. Afterwards, Sigurd decided to allow his soldiers to rest.

Their next destination was Velthomer Castle, where Duke Arvis and Duke Reptor’s units were likely to be waiting for them.

Sigurd once again ordered the female soldiers to return to Luveck, especially those who were pregnant.

Azel persuaded Tailtiu to leave.

“Tailtiu, The Friegian Army is your father’s unit. You probably won’t be able to fight them. Go return to Silesse now. I’ll follow along after you. I promise.”

“But…”

“Or do you think you can kill your own father?”

“I… couldn’t…”

“And that’s okay. I couldn’t love someone who could callously kill their own father. ...When I first became a father, I realized exactly what a father is - a person who wouldn’t regret throwing away his own life for his children.”

“Azel, do you think you'll die?”

“Not at all! When I see Arthur’s face, I know that I cannot throw my life away. But if someone must fight, then it is the father’s duty to fulfill. And you have a duty as their mother to raise our children. It has to be you, because going to have another. Please take good care of them for me.”

“Azel!”

They both hugged each other tight as they could.

With their bodies so close together, Azel could feel the new life growing inside of her.

Jamke suggested to Aideen that she go to Isaach.

“Aideen, we vowed together to fight all the Sandimas in the world. And I don’t think they’re all going to be gone, even after this war ends. The fight must go on. That’s why I want you to go to Isaach, so you can raise Lester and our unborn child as part of the next generation of warriors.”

“Jamke, do you have a bad feeling about this?”

“N-No, that’s not it.” He denied her worries in a panic. “I’m just thinking of our children. And… Shanan and Oifey are in Isaach, but there’s no mother figure for the children there, so I was thinking that they’d really need one…”

“I was thinking that, too. But, Jamke, please be honest with me. You… do have a feeling something is going to happen too, don’t you?”

“For you to bring it up, means that you have the same feeling, doesn't it?”

“Yes, sometimes, the fear is so much that it makes my heart beat wildly. Though I don’t know why at all…”

“I feel the same. So please, go to Isaach.”

“Can’t you come with me?”

“No, I can’t. So please…”

“I understand. I do, I just thought I’d ask. Jamke, please survive, and come home to us.”

“Of course I will. I promise.”

It was finally time for the army to begin marching towards Grannvale.

Aideen and Tailtiu watched the army leave from Phinora Castle.

Jamke looked back time and time again, burning the image of Aideen over and over again in his heart, even as she became smaller and smaller.

When he turned around for what felt like the hundredth time, and swore to himself that it was the last time he would, he saw Dew wandering up to him.

‘Why is he ignoring Prince Sigurd’s orders?’ He thought, and stopped to wait for Dew.

“Hey, Jamke! What’s the matter?”

“You’re still here, Dew? There’s no place for you here any more. Hurry up and get away from here.”

“Wow, even Jamke’s tellin’ me to get outta here now! What’re ya’ll bein’ so weird for? You’re so close to winning, but ya’ll are on edge! What gives?”

“Sorry. ...Yeah, I guess I am being a little irritable. But you’re not really a soldier, so don’t follow us anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll go on home.” He said, and started to walk away, but then turned back around and said in a very serious voice, “Jamke, I like you. When I think about it, I always did from the very beginnin’, back when I helped ya out at Marpha Castle. Ya may be a prince, but ya treat me like a human being. Thanks.”

“Whoa, where’d that come from all of a sudden? Now you’re the one acting weird!”

“Naw, I just wanted to say a little somethin’ nice. ...Well, I’ll be goin’ now. See ya.” Dew said, then broke out of the marching lines and wandered off.

‘Even Dew senses it.’ Jamke thought.

Beowulf jumped off his horse and waited for Lachesis to catch up to him.

“Hello, Beowulf! What’s the matter?”

“I was just thinkin’, you should go before the final battle starts.”

“What? Why do you look so serious?”

“Lachesis, I want you to take Diarmuid and go to Leonster. Finn’s there, and he’s a good guy. He won’t do anything to hurt ya.”

“Don’t say things like that! Where you go, I’ll go, too!”

Beowulf didn't argue back, instead looking straight at her and saying, “Lachesis, I ain’t good enough for ya.”

“Huh? Why…?”

“You’re a princess of Nordion, and I’m just a lowly mercenary. If only I were a more noble knight, then…”

“Seriously, why are you saying something like that!? I’ve never seen a more noble knight than you!”

“...”

“People aren’t born knights! It’s about what’s in their hearts! And you have a very noble heart. Your rough way of speaking just hides that. I’m very proud to have married you.”

Beowulf felt warmth spread through his heart. So as not to show it, he immediately mounted his horse, and said with his back turned to her, “Don’t forget what I just said to you. See ya, Lachesis.”

“Wait, Beowulf!”

But he didn’t wait, instead ordering his horse to gallop away. He didn’t even look back.

Midir slowed down his horse to walk aside Brigid, who was leading the bow unit.

“At long last, the final battle is about to begin. Are you doing alright, Brigid?”

“Yes, I am, because you’re by my side.”

Her words made his cheeks turn bright red.

“C’mon, I still make you blush?”

“Brigid, I’m very happy to have met you. Words can’t express how thankful I am to have you.”

“You liked Aideen, right? ...Are you really happy with me?”

“Yes, I did. But I didn’t love her as a woman. I was looking for someone to love and devote myself to as a knight, and she was the lady closest to me, so I chose her. To be honest, I thought of you in the same way, too, at first. But then, the more and more we talked, the more and more I learned what women are like as people. And that is why you, Brigid, are my first love. And my last.”

“Thank you, Midir. ...Please watch over me until the very end…”

Though it was still far off in the distance, everyone could now see Velthomer Castle.

Alec, who was marching directly behind Sigurd, said to Noish, who was next to him, “Noish, we’ve been through a lot together, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ve counted on you for a lot.”

“Me too, Alec…”

“They were all fun times.”

“They were…”

“Well then, take care of yourself, Noish.”

“You too…”

Lex overheard Alec and Noish's conversation, which prompted him to halt his horse and wait for Ayra, who was leading the infantry.

When she saw him, she continued marching along and called out to him, “We’ve finally reached the end, Lex.”

“Yeah… but you’re being really stubborn! What can I do to get you to go back to Isaach?”

“And why would I do that? Because I’m a woman? I won’t allow even you to say something like that! We are both responsible for our children!”

“You’re right… I’m sorry. I was just thinking of them, lonely without us in Isaach…”

“And that’s why I’m trying to say that we should return to them together! After this battle is over, of course.”

“You’re right, Ayra. Alright then, I’m going on ahead.”

“I’m sorry, Lex. This is the only way of life I know…”

“Ha ha ha, I get that. And it’s why I love you. I don’t know what’s in store for us, but let’s go as far as we can together.”

“Yes…”

Once she defeated the last of the mages, Erinys landed her pegasus next to Lewyn.

“We’ve been through so much together, haven’t we, Lord Lewyn?”

“Yes, we have. But, Erynis, you must keep your promise.”

“That I will survive and return to Silesse, correct?”

“Yes. If anything strange happens, do not fight. Run. I will not die, so you can’t, either.”

“Yes, I promise. ...The dreams I’ve had since I was a child have come true, but it will all be over if we die in battle. I won’t leave your side.”

“My mother is waiting in Silesse. I think she’s looking forward to seeing you even more than seeing me. I bet she wants to meet her grandchild already.”

“Yes, we must make Lady Rahna… no, Mother, happy…”

And so, the final battle began.

Sigurd gave the order to attack, and everyone rushed up the hill leading to Velthomer Castle at once.

Atop the hill waited the Freigian Army, led by Reptor. And around the castle and the surrounding hills, waited Arvis’ fire mage unit...

However, when Sigurd’s army reached the top of the hill, the fire mages all attacked Reptor’s army. This sudden betrayal sent Reptor’s army spiraling into chaos.

Sigurd completely ignored both the betrayal and confusion, raising Tyrfing with one hand and charging directly into Reptor’s formation. He cut down the enemy soldiers on both his left and right sides, then made Farron gallop straight towards Reptor.

Again, the red monster appeared.

Seeing the blood soaked horse and rider coming towards them, the enemy soldiers were terrified, and stepped aside to let him through.

Finally, Sigurd found Reptor.

“Sigurd!? ...You traitor!”

“You’re the traitor!” Sigurd screamed, and kept galloping straight towards him.

Reptor opened Mjölnir and shot a spell at Sigurd.

Tyrfing was able to absorb most of the attack, but a bolt of lightning still made it to Sigurd’s arm and coursed through his body. “Dammit!” He bit his lip, endured the pain, and swung Tyrfing down in Reptor’s direction.

Reptor looked up at him in pure disbelief.

Sigurd swung Tyrfing yet again, this time landing a direct hit.

“Guah!” Reptor groaned, and fell.

‘I’ve avenged you, Father. But there’s still things I can do yet.’

“No, there’s still something that you must do.” He heard a voice ring through his head. It sounded like his father’s voice, yet nothing like it at the same time.

‘You’re right. I must reduce any further bloodshed as much as I possibly can.’

Sigurd straightened his back and yelled at the enemy army, “Everyone, listen! Duke Reptor is dead! Lay down your weapons!”

At his words, Reptor’s soldiers all threw down their weapons. The fire mages also stopped casting spells.

Then, Velthomer’s castle gate opened, and General Aida came out, followed by her subordinates.

Sigurd waited for her to come up to him, Tyrfing still in his hand.

Aida bowed at him and said, “This is Lord Sigurd. He’s made it home safe!”

“Why did you start attacking your allies!?” He asked accusingly.

“Duke Arvis knows that you are innocent. He said that Dukes Reptor and Lombard plotted everything together. They were just too powerful for him to stop on his own.”

“Is that what happened? So the dishonor on my father’s name will be erased as well?”

“Yes. Duke Arvis is waiting for you with His Majesty in Balhalla. He and all the troops in Balhalla should be there to greet you. He thinks the ceremony he has planned for your triumphant return will be celebrated across the entire country.”

#fire emblem #fe #fe4 #genealogy of the holy war #nintendo #super nintendo #snes #famicom #super famicom #japan #japanese #translation #light novel #novelization #fe4 suzuki novelization translation

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txladyj-blog · 4 years

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Chapter 2 - This Time Around

a Daryl Dixon x OFC collaboration written by @xmistressmistrustx

Rating: Explicit

Relationship: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character

Tags: Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Awkwardness, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Crush, Fluff and Humor, Angst and Humor, Mild Smut, Strong Language, Eventual Sex, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Canon Divergence, Some Canon Scenes and Dialogue

Chapters 15/?

Shane tossed Daryl a pair of gloves and pointed to the back of the pickup, laden with logs and pieces of wood he’d gathered to make a shelter over the food preparation area. Daryl, more than Merle, tended to be a little more inclined to help around camp as opposed to only lending a hand if it benefited him directly. However, Daryl’s relationship with both Shane and Rick was strained at best. They were cops and both Dixons’ had always hated cops. But Daryl was smart and had already realized that if he was going to get by in this camp, or if he and Merle were going to get any closer to their end goal, he would have to play ball and make nice with the law enforcement.

Shane hopped up onto the truck and bent his legs, hooking his hands under a heavy log on the top of the pile. Sweat glittered on his forehead as he centered himself and lifted. The end of the log tilted towards Daryl and he took hold of it, bearing the weight and slowly easing it down towards him.

“Saw you sat with Jess up on the RV last night. You guys buddies now?” Shane asked through gritted teeth, the veins in his neck bulging as he continued to lift the wood.

“Just invited her damn self up there.” Daryl rasped. The log hit the ground with a thunk and Daryl rolled it to one side, coming back to the truck and sliding the smaller pieces of wood from the top. Shane climbed back down and began doing the same.

“Somethin’ about her. Always the quiet ones you gotta watch.” He pointed out.

Daryl's back pricked with irritation. Typical cops, always finding something where there was nothing. His impression of Jess had been that she was a bookish nerd who was as socially awkward and outcast as him. His judgement of character hadn’t let him down in the past and when he looked at the groups newest addition, he saw nothing untoward or untrustworthy in the least.

“They teach ya that in the academy?” He quipped.

Shane huffed at him and paused his task, resting one gloved hand on the remaining pile of wood.

“Maybe I should be watching you too.” He suggested.

“Ya ain’t already? You a rookie or somethin’?” Daryl challenged.

Shane steppes closer to him, lowering his head and voice as he spoke to avoid anyone nearby overhearing.

“Why are you and your brother here? I know your kind. You two can survive just fine on your own. It doesn’t make sense.”

Daryl's jaw tightened and his chest puffed as he fought to control the urge to punch Shane in the face. Who did he think he was? The world was over, there’s no more laws and cops had no authority, yet there this guy was, still trying to make his life difficult.

“Safety in numbers.” He managed to shrug noncommittally.

Shane’s gaze was locked on Daryl's casual and nonchalant face as if trying to catch him in a lie. But Daryl stood strong and gave nothing away.

“You better not be lying to me” warned Shane.

“What ya gonna do about it? You can’t prove nothin’.” Daryl sneered, his face twisting into a mocking smile.

“You do anything to put these people in danger and I’ll make you disappear.” Shame continued to scold, stepping closer and prodding Daryl in the chest with his gloved index finger.

“Looks like we all above the law now, huh?” Daryl smirked. “Ain’t so bright, are ya? Pissin’ off the person that provides the camp with food. You don’t back off, I’ll make sure ya starve.”

Shane looked down his nose at the angry Redneck in front of him before curling his lip and turning his attention back to the task in hand.

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From the top of the RV. Dale laughed to himself and sighed, placing a hand on his head and securing his hat. Jess pressed her lips into a line and gave him an awkward look as he shook his head. From what she could tell Dale was in his 60’s with a weathered face and a white beard. He was logical and wise, full of opinions at the wrong moment, unafraid to offer ideas and seeing all of the commotion that presented itself among a group of individuals that didn’t really know one another, all living together in close proximity. Dale took up the majority of watch shifts, being the owner of the Winnebago meant he wanted to be the one sat on top most of the time.

Jess found that on the odd occasion she had climbed the ladder and settled next to him, he had shared his musings with her at best, but required little in the way of a response from her, which suited her just fine. Able to exist next to each other in peace, she realized she’d found the place where she felt most at ease. A high vantage point where she could see everything and everyone approach. No surprises and a sense of control were what she found most helpful from being so high above the rest of the group. Maybe Dale felt the same in some way, or even Daryl when he sat there of a night. She couldn’t be sure, but there was a possibility she’d find out, if she made the effort to do so.

“There’s a little too much testosterone going on around here. We need to be careful we don’t lose sight of why we’re all here and why we need each other.” Dale expressed to an intrigued Jess. Her face was still displaying a look of uneasy amusement at the exchange between Daryl and Shane.

“It doesn’t look like those two would get along anyway.” She pointed out.

“No, aside from the fact that Daryl and Merle have probably had a few brushes with the law in their time. He and Shane are both hot headed. No doubt they’ll clash again at some point and we’ll just stay up here, out of the way.” He nodded as if confirming his plan to himself and rubbing at his beard.

You got that right. Jess thought.

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Merle shoved Daryl forwards over the dry, cracked ground. The younger brother whirled around; his face stony with vexation as he pulled the shoulder of his vest back into place. It was a common occurrence when the two of them were hunting. Merle would become impatient and annoyed with Daryl's methodical and careful approach to tracking. He walked at a slower pace, took longer to think and was generally a better hunter because of it.

Daryl carried on through the woods, picking his way over fallen trees and branches across his path while remembering his confrontation with Shane earlier in the day.

“Shane’s onto us.” He told Merle who grumbled something inaudible from behind him and lit a cigarette. The click of his lighter rang through the trees and Daryl realized there and then that he wasn’t going to catch anything with Merles careless attitude that afternoon.

“I said, we gonna have to do this thing. We’re off like a herd of turtles right now.” Merle repeated after getting no response.

Daryl stopped in his tracks and turned, dropping his crossbow to his side. Merle, exhaling a plume of smoke, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“We really gotta do this?” Daryl asked.

“Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout?”

“Maybe we should just stay here. It’s safe enough.”

“You pussyin’ out, little brother?” Merle challenged.

Daryl sighed loudly and glanced at his surroundings in the woods. He’d always felt at home there, even as a child when he’d amble in and out of the trees, a place that was much preferred to his own home at the time. He couldn’t say the idea of staying and hunting every day sounded like a bad one. Going off with Merle again would mean more confrontations, more fights and trying to make Merle see past his own nose. Life had undoubtedly been easier since their arrival at the camp and he couldn’t find a reason why they should throw that away.

“Naw, just think it makes more sense to stay instead of makin’ a ton of enemies.” He offered.

Merle’s body language changed instantly, becoming defensive and confrontational. He squared his shoulders and stepped closer to Daryl, looking down at him.

“Right. ‘Cause you ain’t been doin’ that, have ya? I saw ya, flarin’ up Shane’s temper.”

Daryl instinctively switched to argumentative mode and opted not to let his big brother win this one. Nearly all of his decisions had been a detriment to both of them and he wasn’t about to let him get away with thinking he had it all under control, when the truth was far from that.

“At least I ain’t been brawlin’ with black guys in the middle of camp.” Daryl snapped.

“Ahh he’s slicker’n owl shit.” Merle chuckled to himself. “Was just a little right hook”

“You wanted to do this! This was your dumb idea!” Daryl began to yell with now little to no regard about the potential food he was scaring away or the Walkers he could attract. His hand flew up in exasperation and he pointed with intent to Merle’s head. “You said we had to keep a low profile, but you don’t even know what that means!” He stalked off, quietly seething before turning back to Merle who was taking a long, slow drag of his smoke. “We got what we need here. I’m stayin’ a while and I ain’t robbin’ these people.”

With that, he stomped away with a half hope of resuming tracking at some point.

“What about me?” Merle called out.

“Do what ya want!” Daryl raged without even looking back.

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Finding herself more comfortable sitting on watch over the sleeping camp, darkness wrapped around her like a comfort blanket and a soundless watchman by her side, Jess figured she was likely to be spending many more nights on her perch next to Daryl. She quickly gathered that he really didn’t sleep and if he did it wasn’t for long and rarely when everyone else was in their blissful slumbers. How a person functioned on so little rest was a mystery to Jess, but then again so were a lot of other things about the archer of the group.

Most of her time in his presence was spent desperately trying not to ask half a million questions, her curiosity only becoming stronger with each moment spent around him. Maybe it was the now clear difference between him and his brother, maybe it was their matching reluctance to get too involved with anyone or maybe it was something else, but Jess felt more relaxed and social with Daryl than anyone else in the group.

Her fingertips flitted over the cover of her journal, the subtly mottled surface bumping under her skin as she counted the stars above them. Leaned back in her chair, her hands finally rested over the leather object on her lap.

“How old are you?” she asked, internally scolding herself for not being able to hold back the question. From the corner of her eye, she saw him slowly turn his head to her.

“Why ya wanna know that?” He responded bluntly.

“Curious.” She shrugged. “I’m 26.”

“Good for you. 26 trips around the sun.” He snapped back.

Feeling a little put out by the baffled look on his face and his dismissal of her interest with a shake of his head, she began to nervously drum her fingers on her journal.

Daryl tried his best to ignore the noise but soon found himself unable to concentrate on anything else. Feeling a slight sting of embarrassment for coldly throwing her attempt at conversation back in her face, he tried to think up a less offensive thing to say.

Jess shifted in her spot and took a sip of water from a crumpled bottle she kept by her chair leg. She knew he was watching her when he thought she wouldn’t catch him.

“Older than you” she heard him mutter when he looked back out at the crowded camp.

She studied the side of his face as numbers raced through her mind and she tried to guess how much older Merle was than him. She also wondered what he was doing with his life before everything went bad. Sensing her looking at him, he side glanced over at her.

“You wanna see some I.D officer?” He questioned.

The tuneful melody of her giggle was surprising to him. He fought against it, hiding a smile until it occurred to him that she was laughing because she found him funny. It was a new and interesting experience, having anyone think him humorous, let alone a female.

Reaching down to pick up her bottle of water, she offered it out to him.

“You want some water?”

He waved it off, rarely accepting anything from anyone else. Sometimes it was guilt, sometimes it was selflessness and sometimes it was him being plan pig-headed.

Jess withdrew the bottle, putting it back in its place and started to tap her sneaker against the edge of the RV in a nervous drumming until Daryl looked over at her in irritation. She immediately stopped.

“Sorry.” She mumbled.

What followed next was one of the longest half an hours in Daryl’s life, Jess read her graphic novel while intermittently lifting her gaze to him. In an attempt to ignore her, he found the motivation to unsheathe his knife and carve some bolts from the small pile of wood he’d brought up with him.

Whispering and chuckling in the distance meant that both Daryl and Jess squinted into the distant dark in time to see Sarah and Jodie emerge on a late night walk around the camp. Jess was sure they only did it to taunt her and make her feel uneasy, or was she being arrogant enough to assume it was for her benefit when it wasn’t? They made everything questionable, drew in paranoia and riddled Jess with an anxiety she really could have done without.

The two girls were talking amongst themselves when they saw Daryl and Jess sat together on the Winnebago. When he sat back in his seat, Daryl noticed Jess’s body language change straight away, becoming still and wary. His eyes moved between her troubled expression and their disdainful glimpses back at her.

“The blonde one is fuckin’ my brother.” He mentioned.

As if he’d flicked a switch, she completely changed. Her eyes widened and a satisfied smile swept across her face.

“What was that?!” she exclaimed.

“Shh. Keep ya damn voice down” He scolded, unable to stifle a smirk

She cleared her throat and leaned towards him, encouraging him to elaborate.

“That is some serious gossip, Daryl.” She whispered.

“Yeah. Caught ‘em at it in the woods. Merle said it’s been goin’ on since we got here.” He explained.

She couldn’t help it, a laugh escaped her and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Being completely unaware just how humorous she would find the situation and in turn how funny he would find it once it had been said out loud; he hung his head and released a chuckle of his own.

“You got more than you bargained for when you were hunting that day.” She snorted as her body juddered with giggles.

“That shit can’t be unseen.” He confirmed with a nod.

“Well, thank you for that golden piece of information.” She offered.

“I know ya ain’t gonna sing.”

“What?”

“Ya ain’t gonna tell nobody.”

“Oh, right. No. Of course not.”

The atmosphere between them had vastly improved and Jess clicked on her torch and opened her journal. Sometimes, she thought of her mind like a sponge, absorbent of information but it was like it sometimes got overloaded and would become weighed down. Memories were important to her and her journal had become a roadmap of all the important events in her life, people she’d met along the way and of the small things that she knew not to take for granted. Small things like sitting on a roof and laughing together with Daryl.

‘I’m sitting with Daryl right now, he’s just given me the best piece of gossip and I even got a smile and a laugh out of…’

The ink from the pen faded before running out completely and she frantically scribbled on the page, furrowing her brow before throwing the pen in her bag and growling under her breath.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

With the ability to write now taken away from her, the morning light saw Jess meandering along the outskirts of the camp alone. Her hands were shoved in her jeans and her shoulder length, black hair was braided at the back. A lot of the group had left early for a supply run, resulting in there being a tense feeling around the camp.

Taking herself away from it with her own thoughts had seemed like the best idea at the time and before long, she was so consumed by the sound of the leaves fluttering in the trees that she had reached the makeshift border in the woods. Rope with tin cans hung from it to create as much noise as possible should anything collide with it or try to pass through. The path seemed clear and she couldn’t hear any evidence of threats.

Not too far. She told herself.

It was a hot day and she wished she’d brought water with her before she embarked on her little trip. She shrugged to herself and swung a leg over the rope, taking extra care to hold onto the cans so as not to alert any of the others. When she was clear of the border, she continued to amble through the trees, dragging her sneakers on the ground and humming a tune to herself.

In a split second she plummeted to the floor, her hands hitting the mud and her shoulder stinging with pain. Her toes throbbed and she quickly scrambled to her feet to discover that she’d tripped over a Walker. It was immobile and sported a small, bloody hole on its forehead. She swallowed hard. It was the first time she’d seen one so close without being chased. The dead man on the ground looked to have been turned quite some time ago due to it’s sallow and gaunt face, the normal color of it’s skin now gone forever and replaced by a grey hue.

She listened to the others in the group more than she spoke to them, which meant she was a gatherer of information. She had once heard Rick telling Glenn to make sure he checked the pockets of as many Walkers as he could after putting them down. The likelihood of them carrying useful items too good to pass up in such desperate times. Standing over the monstrous sight of what once was someone’s brother or husband, she concluded it wasn’t such a bad idea.

She crouched beside the body, having to shield her nose from the unbelievable smell with the back of her wrist. Her free hand hovered over the clothing and she moved with trepidation, having to tell herself it wasn’t going to come alive and bite her.

Something barreling out of the bushes in front of her sent panic spiking through her veins and she jumped back, her ass colliding with the dirt.

Daryl, coated in sweat and with brown smears all over his exposed arms, swung his crossbow at his side and rolled his eyes at Jess sat on the floor of the woods and trying to catch her breath.

“Jesus.” She panted “you scared the shit out of me.”

“The hell you doin this far out? You got a death wish or somethin’?! Here” he offered her his hand and for a brief moment she toyed with the idea of completely refusing, afraid to embarrass herself when he felt the weight of her. Instead, she trusted him and took hold of his hand. The first thing she noticed when he effortlessly helped her get back on her feet, was his strength and how tight his grip was. With minimal effort from herself, she was soon brushing her clothes down and giving him an awkward look.

“I was just walking; thought it’d be okay if I didn’t go that far. Was going to search his pockets but…” She stopped talking, not wanting to disclose the fact that she was actually quite petrified of the dead man at their feet.

“But what?” he asked.

She blinked at him.

He knows I’m terrified anyway. Who am I trying to kid, here?

“…I kept thinking it was just going to shoot up and bite me.” She admitted.

He huffed and kicked at the Walker with his boot, stirring up the smell and making it even more putrid. Jess hoped that one day she would get used to it, if she survived that long.

“Naw. S’dead. I shot it earlier.” He told her.

She nodded and backed up away from the odor, unable to take anymore of it’s sting in his nostrils. doesn’t know what else to say.

“You all the way out here with no weapon?” He wanted to know.

She passed the weapons table on her way out of the camp but arming herself hadn’t crossed her mind. She was simply embarking on an early morning walk and at the time had no plans to leave the compound. That was until curiosity got the better of her.

“Yes. I am.” She sighed.

Daryl gave her a lingering look of disapproval before bending down and rummaging in the dead man’s pockets, pulling out a silver hip flask that still had some weight in it.

“Bingo.” He unscrewed the cap and sniffed it, screwing his face up in disgust “God damn. That’s strong shit.” He threw it to her, catching her off guard but she still caught it, albeit at a strange angle in the crook of her elbow and with a twisted expression on her face. She held it out to him.

“Finders keepers.” She smiled.

“Naw.” He declined, waving her off. “Can’t let Merle see that shit.”

“Why?”

“He’s a mean drunk. You keep it.”

She turned the hip flask over in her hand, examining the initials engraved on the front before shoving it in the back pocket of her jeans.

Daryl swung his crossbow over his shoulder and started towards her, twigs crackled under his boots and she followed him with her eyes as she walked past.

“C’mon, I’ll walk ya back to camp.” He muttered.

“I’m fine” She quickly stated, noting him stop and huff. “I can go by myself. Really. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Ya think ya got a choice? I’m walkin’ ya back. Can’t have ya out here without a weapon. Now, c’mon.”

It was a point she couldn’t argue with; she was out in the open, past the safety of camp with nothing but a hip flask to defend herself with. Admittedly, her morning plan was probably one of the dumbest she’d had in a while. She raced off after Daryl, noticing he’d slowed down to let her catch up.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

After a day of unexpectedly being dragged into digging over a patch of ground with the intention to plant crops, Jess wished they had the use of a mechanical digger instead of shovels and bucket loads of sweat. Nevertheless, she had mucked in and done her part, which is more than she could say for the likes of Sarah and Jodie, who sat filing their nails and screeching with laughter for the majority of the day.

When evening rolled in the supply run team hadn’t returned, the mood around the campfire was somber and Jess wanted to be there even less than usual. She sat in the entrance of her tent, with her legs sprawled out in front of her and her book on her lap. Reading by the light of her torch, she looked up when she heard footsteps passing by some distance away. Daryl was heading to the RV after a full day of hunting and playing chaperone to an inquisitive yet thoughtless Jess. She flashed him a wide smile and he nudged his head up in acknowledgement to her before climbing the ladder to the RV and switching watch shifts with Dale.

She got to her feet and followed him, ignoring his mildly irritated look when she reached the top of the ladder. Taking up her usual seat, she fished around in her pocket and pulled out a candy bar. Snapping it in half in the packet, she opened the foil and offered it to him.

“Naw.” He refused after taking a small peek at it and resuming his watch over the two people that sat beside the fire.

“Take it. I bet it’s been a while since you’ve had candy. Think of it as a thank you for walking me back to camp.”

He dropped his gaze, leaning forwards and bracing his elbows on his knees. Jess was convinced she wasn’t going to get an answer until he turned his head and stared at her.

“What are you doin?” He rasped.

“Sharing my candy with you. I have it on good authority that this is the last one around here.” She chirped, shoving away the suspicious nature of his question.

His eyes moved from her rounded and bright face to the candy bar in her grasp. He wanted to take it. She was right, the taste of confectionary was something he’d not indulged in for as far back as he could now remember. He took his half of the candy and messily chomps down on it while Jess happily chewed her own half.

“How did you end up here? At this camp?” She enquired with a new sense of confidence that seemed to come from nowhere.

I will never know unless I ask.

Daryl's back prickled and he blinked down at his boots. Jess waited in ignorant bliss while he tried to figure out a way to avoid the question. Coming up with nothing, he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to provide her with an answer..

“Was just makin’ our way through the woods” He grumbled, tossing the candy wrapper over his shoulder.

“And you just decided to stay?” She continued.

It was so far removed from the real reason they’d ended up at the camp, but Daryl wasn’t about to confess that they had designs on robbing as much as they could and setting off into the night. It was all about waiting for the right moment, biding their time and making sure there were minimal people around at the time to stop them. It meant Rick and Shane were both absent, which wasn’t a regular occurrence. When one was out, the other usually stayed behind to keep an eye on the camp. But it wasn’t impossible and patience was a virtue in such a situation. Daryl and Merle has always been together, two outcasts that had managed to survive on their own before the world went awry and as a result, they still believed that any more than two was a crowd. But Daryl had his reservations and was beginning to wonder why they would ever make the decision to move away from what was a rare situation of stability that had given them the chance to take a breather and utilize the fact that the sheer number of people around them would help to keep them safer

“Safety in numbers.” Daryl eventually replied.

“You seem like you can handle yourself, even if you were on your own.” She expressed.

It was a compliment he hadn’t been expecting and one that made his pride swell, as much as he tried to ignore it.

“Maybe.” He grunted.

“At least you wouldn’t starve.” She pointed out with a smile as she hinted at his much-admired hunting skills. “Take it you’re from Georgia?”

He studied her face and she knew he was trying to figure her out. She was apparently as much of a mystery to him as he was to her. She couldn’t tell if he was about to snap at her, answer her question or ignore her entirely. So, she waited patiently for the few seconds it took for him to reply.

“You ask a lot of questions for a shy girl.” He commented.

OK, I wasn’t expecting that.

“I’m not shy per se. I’m introverted. There’s a difference.” She explained.

“Whatever.” He grumbled, picking at a hole in his jeans. She quietened and tried to force away the urge to ask what she wanted to know again. Obviously irritated by her curious nature, she didn’t want to push him so much that he asked her to leave or lost his temper. She waited in silence, spotting him take a peek at her for a moment. “Didn’t live far from here. In the mountains.” He eventually admitted.

“So that’s why you’re such a good hunter.” She smiled. His face softened slightly as he looked at her, finding her need for information both baffling and fascinating. He had never seen her probe anyone else like this before and was well aware that it was only him that she seemed to want to chat with. Which was strange, considering Daryl didn’t see himself as a conversationalist at all.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Despite her tendency to keep herself to herself, bury her head in her journal and books and stay away from any drama, Jess was always polite around everyone and spoke when she was spoken to. However, she was still somewhat withdrawn. What she wasn’t expecting from talking to Daryl, was how they seemed to have struck an unsaid balance. He was curt in his replies and obviously not well versed in the art of politeness whenever she engaged him in conversation, but Jess was strangely comfortable in his presence and after almost ten days, Daryl was sure he was the only one who could see the appealingly funny and smart side to her. Unsettled only by her rambling episodes, during which he worried that she’d somehow run out of oxygen before her brain ran out of words to say, he noticed she had eventually ventured out of her shell with him and shocked him with her propensity for banter and light, playful mockery. Each afternoon became a routine, she would bring the food and he would offer his usual stunted answers to all of her questions as they used the tree line or the top of the RV as a solace away from the energy draining dynamics of the rest of the group. On the odd occasion, Daryl found that sometimes she wouldn’t speak at all, simply being content to eat in silence, read or scribble in her journal, trying to get her pen to work next to him for upwards of an hour before she would retire to her tent.

Her every move was still ridiculed by Sarah and Jodie, neither one of them seemingly less heartless and selfish than the other. It was something Jess could never understand, the need to make another person feel terrible just to feed one’s own ego. She sensed part of their hatred for her came from a fear of the unknown or something they didn’t understand about her.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Daryl busied himself checking his crossbow before heading out into the woods for the day on what had become his day job; keeping everyone fed. Sat by the extinguished campfire, he listened to the others quietly milling around and discussing the tasks that needed completing for the day. Everything from laundry, cooking, building more shelter and reinforcing the borders in the woods. The supply run group had finally returned in the small hours and were catching some rest, which meant that Daryl had some peace and quiet before he left.

He didn’t even look up when Jess sat next to him and passed him a bowl of berries.

“Eat. If you pass out in the woods and turn into a Walker we’ll all have to rely on Merle for food and that’ll be bad. Very bad.” She shoved the bowl closer to him, giving him little choice to refuse.

“Hm. He don’t bring back as much.”

“It’s not that. More that none of us want to rely on Merle for anything.” She remarked. “He would just love that.”

He looked sideways at her and mirrored her smirk, thinking her statement to be both true and understandable. He took the bowl from her hand and threw handfuls of berries into his mouth, chewing noisily and following Shane with his eyes as he passed, glaring down at him sat next to Jess. He slowed his chewing until Shane was out of sight, and Jess opted not to mention the volatility between them . She noted his leather vest with angel wings sewn onto the back that were now greying and boasting more dirt than the woodland ground.

“If you let me wash that vest, maybe the deer won’t smell you a mile away.” Jess joked in an attempt to keep the mood light hearted.

“No one touches the vest.” He grumbled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist.

“Right. The magic vest. Holds your powers. It’s where you keep all your energy for your angry glaring.” Her nonchalant tone made her mockery of him all the more effective and he finished up the last berries in the bowl and handed it back to her.

“Ain't ya got some superhero shirts to wash?” He asked.

Jess laughed quietly to herself at his ability to seem both entirely disinterested in her, yet still able to dish out ridicule as well as taking it.

“Make fun all you want. My shirts are vintage. Some are collectibles.” She wagged a finger at him which only earned her a confused expression from before he placed a boot in the stirrup of his crossbow, slid a bolt into the flight groove and pulled the drawstring back, readying the weapon for hunting. Jess averted her eyes.

Too many muscles. Too many shiny muscles.

“Ain't much good in the apocalypse.” He pointed out.

Struggling not to become overwhelmed with bashfulness and desperately trying to ignore the butterflies he seemed to provoke in her stomach, she got to her feet.

“They’ll be good enough quality to strangle you with when I can’t stand the smell from that vest any longer.” She shot back with a wide grin.

Daryl squinted up at her stood with her back to the sun. Chewing on his bottom lip, he partially closed one eye and managed to catch her peering down at him.

“Thanks for the food.” He said, possibly in the most sincere way she had ever heard him say anything before.

“Sure thing, Stinky.”

She turned and started back to the food preparation area, keeping his focus until she disappeared from view and he hauled himself up from his seat and set off into the woods.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

After a morning helping Carol out with the laundry and avoiding Sarah And Jodie like the plague, Jess found herself resting in the sun on a rock and using her backpack full of books and comics as a pillow. She closed her eyes and listened to the pleasant and relaxing lapping of the small waves on the shore of the quarry. She didn’t like to dwell too much on what once was, finding it all too depressing when her heart longed to see her family again. Her pushy, demanding family that drove her crazy but who she still loved without question.

She also avoided re-living too many memories of her friends. Nights spent gaming and eating four different types of pizza with four of her close friends. Meet ups in the local Diner. Months of meticulous designing and creating of cosplays for comic cons. All gone. All of them. She was the only one left.

She was grateful for the saving grace of getting changed out of her renaissance dress before she left the fair. Running through the woods for her life wearing such a huge dress would have no doubt got her caught up in a bush somewhere and snacked on by a fellow renaissance fair fan. Either that, or weighed down by all the fabric and having to strip, mid run. She shivered at the thought. Somehow, turning up at the camp partially dressed was a much more chilling prospect than being eaten by another human being.

Someone sat next to her and stirred her from her almost slumber. She opened one eye to find Carl perched on the rock beside her. She sat up and drew her legs in, crossing them and getting comfortable again.

“Hey Carl.” She yawned.

“Hey” He mumbled sadly.

Jess had gotten to know both Sophia and Carl quite well since being at the camp. All in all, she found them a lot less taxing to talk to than the adults. Things were simpler with the innocence of youth and she enjoyed taking part in conversations about TV shows they liked and playing ball games with them down at the quarry in the late evenings before she would eat, return to her tent to read and then join Daryl on top of the RV.

“Something wrong?” She enquired.

Carl scratched at the side of his face under his father’s huge sheriffs’ hat that had quickly changed ownership and become his.

“I heard mom and dad talking.” As he spoke, he drew patterns on the rock between them with a pebble he’d picked up from the ground. White shapes of spirals and stars. Jess watched his absent-minded artwork come to life on the surface. “They say more of those things are turning up at the fences.”

“Yeah, I think there are. You’re safe though. Your mom and dad won’t let anything bad happen to you.” She assured him.

He slowly looked up at her face, his freckled nose and clear skin glowing in the sun.

“Do you get scared?” he whispered.

Jess’s heart ached. She could only hope that there were other pockets of survivors around the world that housed and protected children from the horrors of what lay outside their groups. But the reality of it was that a lot of very young lives had been lost and those that were left were now even more precious than ever.

“Yeah. I get scared. But I think we’re going to be OK. We’re fighting them. Like Superheroes.” She told him. “There is a superhero in all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape. Do you know who said that?”

Carl grinned at her, a wide, genuine smile that filled her with a sense of achievement.

“Superman.” He replied.

“That’s right. Superman. He wouldn’t back down from this. So, neither are we. Right?”

“Right” Carl nodded. “What Superhero do you think would be able to make all this go away?”

Jess took a deep breath. It was a good question and a very debatable one. The kind of question she’d spend hours discussing on the floor of a comic con over some corn dogs and a slurpee. The kid was speaking to her soul with this one.

“Hmm…” She hummed, catching sight of Rick at the top of the quarry, his hand at his forehead and shielding his eyes from the sun. Once he saw Carl sat with her, he turned and wandered back to the camp. “How about Vision? His powers practically make him immortal and he can heal himself. He could rid us of a lot of Walkers and Ultron created him, he’s an android instead of human so he can’t be turned.”

Carl thought for a moment, resuming his drawing on the rock between them. The scraping noise was a lot less irritating than jess would have thought. In fact, it was soothing and a nice distraction.

“True. He’s pretty awesome. Maybe a Hulk would be handy.” Carl mused.

“Noooo. Too noisy. Huge bull in a very fragile china shop. Plus, he’s big and green part of the time but he’s still human.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

She lifted her vision again to the sky and clouds above them, she didn’t know how much she had needed this pointless and casual conversation with a kid that just wanted to be told by someone other than his parents that everything would be OK.

“Dr. Strange.” She eventually said. “He could just go back in time and stop whatever caused this.”

Carl nodded and paused his drawing, throwing the pebble between both of his hands as he contemplated her suggestion.

“Yeah, that’s a good one. Dr. Strange could solve this.”

“He sure could. But until he shows up, we’re on our own and I think we’re going to be OK ``she beamed at him. She didn’t believe it herself but felt she was convincing enough to him and that was all that mattered. She took the pebble from Carl's hand, shuffled over to create some space and began to draw her own image on the rock. A circle with four curved lines inside it. The Symbol of Dr. Strange.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

‘I think maybe we all need a little something to hold onto sometimes. When we're scared or uncertain of the future or if we'll even survive long enough to see the world rot or flourish again. I sat with Carl today and did my best to reassure and distract him from his own fear. What I didn't realize is how strong my own is. I'm terrified. I don't want to die. But I'm not sure if I'm right for this world the way it is now. Daryl, he seems to just get on with things, like nothing is all that different to before for him. But for me...I'm sure I should be dead ten times over. I still have this strong sense to just figure all this out on my own. Maybe Jodie and Sarah are right in the things I hear them say about me. Maybe I'm just a drain on the resources here. An extra, bigger mouth to feed. Not that they're any better. I should get some sleep, my head gets too noisy when I'm tired and I can't see Daryl on the RV tonight. Looks like I'll have to drown out my own thoughts this time. I wish I had a damn pen so I could write all of this down instead of just laying here, thinking it.‘

NEXT CHAPTER

#daryl dixon #daryl x oc #daryl fanfiction #twd fanfiction #twd #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead fanfiction

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unpack-my-heart · 5 years

Text

Above, Beneath, Betwixt, Between (formerly ‘The Ghost of You’) – Updated

@tinyarmedtrex @violetreddie @xandertheundead @constantreaderfool @eds-trashmouth @mrs-vh

PSA: I changed the name of this fic. It was once ‘The Ghost of You’ but I don’t think that fit the story anymore, so I changed it. Hope that isn’t too confusing!

Chapter 4 - Nothing Ever Becomes Real Until It Is Experienced

Read on AO3 HERE

A stream of lava-hot water hit Richie’s back, waging a brutal war against the knotted muscles of his back.

“SHE’S ALL I NEED ALL OF MY LIFE!”

He rubbed the bar of ivory coloured soap between his hands, before rubbing the soapy lather over his chest.

“I FEEL SO GOOOOD IF I JUST SAY THE WOOOOOORD”

Turning around, Richie closed his eyes against the torrent of water, letting it rush over his face and chest, the soapy suds disappearing down the drain.

“ SUH-SUH-SUSSUDIO”

Richie opened his eyes, mouth still half open from where he’d been singing, and, as if he had always been there, Eddie’s disembodied head looked back at him from where it was sticking directly through the shower curtain.

“Richie! The lambs have come back down off the hills and – oh good lord, you’re naked!”

“JESUS FUCK!”

A primal scream tore its way out of Richie’s throat as he unceremoniously tumbled to the floor of the shower, clasping helplessly at the shower curtain as he fell. The curtain ripped from its fastenings, and floated to the ground gently. Richie grabbed at it, yanking it towards him to cover what was left of his modesty.

“What the fuck, Eddie!”

Eddie was standing in the bathroom, looking scandalized but also very mildly amused.

“I’m ever so sorry, Richie!”

“The door was locked, how the hell did you even get in here?!” Richie demanded, feeling his face bloom with blush, caused not only by the scalding temperature of the water.

“I – I didn’t use the door”

Richie blinked, incredulous.

“You didn’t use the door” he deadpanned, raising his eyebrows, an invitation. ‘Explain yourself’.

“I haven’t used a door in seventy years, and I don’t intend on starting now!”

For a moment, neither of them speak. Eddie has his arms crossed in what Richie imagines is supposed to be indignation, a silent ‘I’ve been here longer than you, this is more my house than it ever will be yours.” Richie can’t help but feel a pang in his chest, something so close to affection it’s uncanny, a cloying kind of feeling that envelops his heart and holds it hostage.

Eddie breaks first.

“It really was an accident, Richie, I sort of forgot – I forgot about …” he trails off before he can say it, but Richie knows.

I forgot what it’s like to be alive. What it’s like to spend time with another person.

Richie’s annoyance melts like snow.

– X –

The house is almost finished. Nearly all of the major appliances have been installed, the water runs perfectly, and the electrics have been wired and approved. The only major task facing Richie now was decorating, which was unfortunate because Richie had been cursed with perpetually shaky hands meaning that his lines were never straight or clean enough. He’d been complaining about it to Eddie one evening, sat out on the porch, wind rustling Richie’s hair like autumn leaves, but leaving Eddie’s untouched, each hair frozen in time and space.

Richie had fallen asleep outside, a combination of the lake’s lullaby-ripples, and the warmth of the balmy night. He’d slept deeply, watched over by the moon and the stars, and woken up with a crick in his neck and freezing hands.

Eddie was no-where to be seen, but Richie was unbothered. Eddie made a habit of wandering the moors at night, unbound by the mortal need to sleep, dream and recharge. He was free to roam as he saw fit, truly a being of the night, drifting amongst the dreaming lambs and the trees that stretched humbly towards the moon. He always returned, though. Returned to the house that he’d died in, and, by association, to Richie.

Richie hauled his heavy bones into the house, and up the rickety stair case, desperate to change out of the stale smelling clothes from the night before. He could hear the clanging of something metallic, and Eddie’s high and bright whistling, like a bell beckoning Richie into the room. When Richie cautiously pushed the door open, his mouth opened in shock.

While he slept, the summer sky had materialised on his bedroom walls. Fluffy marshmallow clouds on a cornflower blue sky.

Eddie was standing in the corner of the room, paintbrush in hand, looking somewhat guilty.

“I didn’t think you’d wake up yet. You don’t normally wake up before 7 or so”

“Eddie what the hellllll” Richie drawled, eyes scanning the room in astonishment.

“Do you like it?” Eddie asked, eyes and voice earnest and so sugary sweet Richie couldn’t take it.

“I so wish I could hug you right now, this is fuckin’ torture, s’what it is. This is beautiful, Eds. It’s – I don’t have the words”

“Heh. The oven mitts are downstairs, so, I suppose … I’m glad you like it, though. I was worried you’d hate it and think that I’d over-stepped, or something”

“No! Not at all. It’s … thank you, Eddie. Seriously, thank you. This might be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me”

“I know you hate painting and I used to paint a bit, when I was, y’know, so … I thought I’d help you out a bit”

“You’ve done more than just help me out, Eds, yowza!”

Richie sincerely wished Eddie was wearing those damn oven gloves, as he wanted nothing more than to squeeze his hand and never let go.

– X –

The kitchen hated Richie, and, by all accounts, the feeling was pretty mutual. Laying a new floor down had been an absolute nightmare, considering the fact that the room was bizarrely shaped, so Richie had had to painstakingly cut each piece of timber out with a circle-saw to the exact measurements. This had taken longer than Richie cared to admit, but he had eventually finished, and the glossy oak floorboards smiled up at him, thanking him for his time and effort. Painting the kitchen was a breeze in comparison, throwing a white emulsion onto the walls before covering it with a blueish-grey, light and bright enough for a kitchen, but not an emotionless white. The back wall was the only one that was still just white emulsion, and Richie had planned to paint it grey in the afternoon.

That had been his plan, before he heard an almighty crash echo throughout the house, a metallic clang, and then a horrified yell.

“Eddie?! Eddie, are you okay?” Richie shouted, running down the stairs at light speed, expecting to find Eddie contorted in pain, or gone from the house entirely, or a number of equally as horrifying possibilities.

What he found when he rounded the corner, and burst into the kitchen, was blueish-grey paint covering practically every surface in the kitchen, and a very forlorn looking Eddie staring at the mess.

“What – What happened in here?!”

Eddie looked up at Richie with pleading, guilty eyes, wringing his hands together.

“I… I tried to walk through the wall carrying the paint and … Well, I suppose paint cannot travel through walls”

“What have I told you about using the effing doors!” Richie bellowed, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder to the door that he had just sprinted through.

His new floor, his expensive oak floorboards that he had laboured over for weeks, ruined. The oven had thankfully not been installed yet, and sat in its protective plastic packaging, but even that was splattered with paint. The clock was covered in paint. The gas stove that Richie had been using to cook was covered in paint. In short, everything was covered in a sheen of grey paint.

“I was trying to help,” Eddie mumbled, mouse-small, “You said you loved your new bedroom walls and I thought – I thought I’d save you some work because I know how much you hate painting and – I am a catastrophe”

Richie felt awful.

“Naw, Eds, you’re not. C’mon, it’s not that bad. I can get some white spirit on the floor, that’ll probably lift most of it, and maybe Mike will let me borrow his electric sander. Hey now, Eds, c’mon, you look like you’re going to cry, you’re killing me”

“I would cry if I could”

“Can you cry?”

“No, because if I could, I would be doing so now”

Richie opened one of the now grey kitchen drawers, and pulled out Eddie’s oven mitts. He passed them over to Eddie, who reluctantly slipped them onto his hands, the scrunch of concentration that Richie had grown so fond of etched onto his face.

“I’m gonna hold your hand now,” Richie announced, before taking Eddie’s hand in his, “I promise that I’m not mad with you. I’m just – I’m just a bit frustrated but it’s not the end of the world. Kitchens come and go but Eddie Spaghetti’s are forever”

“Is that a joke … because I am dead?” Eddie asked, voice hesitant but Richie watched as a smile formed on his face, slowly, like a flower opening to pray to the sun.

“It wasn’t ‘sposed to be” Richie shrugged, hand still gripping onto Eddie’s mitted-hand tightly.

“Are you sure you’re not mad with me?”

“I promise”

– X –

One thing that Richie soon came to learn was that Eddie loved music. Richie often heard Eddie’s ethereal whistling echoing around the house, or heard him humming little ditty’s that Richie didn’t recognise. Sometimes Eddie sang properly, a surprisingly rich and strong tenor that stirred things in Richie’s heart that had been dormant for years.

One day, when Richie was sanding the grey paint off the floorboards in the kitchen and singing along to Higher Ground by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eddie’s voice announced his presence before Richie was even aware of him being in the room, a habit of Eddie’s that he was growing slowly used to.

“This music sounds so different to the kind of things I used to listen to when I was younger”

Richie turned off the electric sander, before turning the radio up, Anthony Kiedis’ voice booming out of the speaker. Eddie looked vaguely alarmed, before tapping the toe of his boot slightly, face screwed in concentration, as if he was sampling the music like wine, trying to decide whether he liked the taste of the beat or not. Richie hopped around on alternate feet, pretending to slap an imaginary bass, his face screwed up in his best approximation of ‘bass face’. He wasn’t sure that Eddie would know what bass face was, but he didn’t care. Eddie watched Richie with wide, half-confused half-amused eyes, the toe of his left boot still tap-tap-tapping away to the beat.

The song drew to a close soon after, and Richie bounced over to the radio and turned it off.

“So, d’ya like it?”

“It’s … interesting. It’s different, absolutely, but … it’s good. It’s got a good beat, I like the rhythm. I … rather liked his voice,” Eddie stuttered, and Richie was sure that if it were possible for Eddie’s face to flush with embarrassment, it would be doing so right now, “but one thing I don’t understand is where you put the records in that tiny machine? Are records really tiny now?”

“Records? Why would there be records?” Richie asked as confusion washed over him in waves, before realising that Eddie had no idea what a twenty-first century radio looked like.

“Oh, no, this is a radio, not a record player. Some people still use records, but those people are called ‘hipsters’ and you wouldn’t like them. But this is a radio, you know what a radio is, right?”

“Yes, Richard, I know what a radio is. I wasn’t born 700 years ago” Eddie groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Jus’ checkin’, jus’ checkin’. So you know how radios work, right? Like … the music is in the air? Radio waves and all that jazz?”

“The music is in the air?!” Eddie spluttered, eyes wide like dinner plates.

“I thought you said you knew what radios were?!”

“Well, I know what they are, I never professed to know how they work”

Richie can’t help but laugh at the expression on Eddie’s face, a picture of exasperation mixed with confusion, and he is semi-horrified by the realisation that he wants to kiss it off Eddie’s face.

Well that’s new.

Richie tries to squash all ghost-kissing desires deep into his brain into a box marked ‘bad idea’ but he knows that that box has a habit of refusing to remain closed and springing open unexpectedly.

In his desperation to sway his attention from Eddie’s grumpy, kissable face, Richie cranks the radio up even further, switching the station to the all-day 80s bangers station he’d found a few weeks ago. Bonnie Tyler’s voice filtered out of the speakers, and Richie lip-synced along with her as she lamented about the fact that she didn’t have a street-wise Hercules. Eddie watched as if transfixed, eyes following the minutia of Richie’s movements but standing on the side lines, not joining in Richie’s one-man dance party.

“Dance with me!” Richie yelled, waving his arms erratically in the air as Bonnie’s voice howled around the room.

“I can’t!”

“You can!”

“I can’t!”

“YOU CAN!” Richie practically screamed, “dance with me, Eds! Please!”

Richie’s pestering finally broke Eddie’s resolve, and just as the song peaked, Eddie started to dance.

Now it was Richie’s turn to gawp.

Eddie threw himself around the room wildly, feet a blur as he alternated between rhythmic walking, jumping and kicking his feet , whilst waving his arms in a jaunty swing, occasionally snapping his fingers or clapping his hands in time with the music.

“You’ve been holding out on me, you sneak! Look at you go!” Richie yelled over the music, hardly moving, just watching Eddie spin and twist and jump.

“I may or may not have been quite the accomplished swing dancer when I was … y’know …” Eddie gasped, mid spin.

“I fuckin’ bet you were! Look at your fancy feet!”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Eddie laughed, performing a particularly complicated piece of footwork, and peeking up at Richie with his tongue caught between his teeth.

“Damn straight, look at us, a couple-a movers and shakers, but damn, Eds, you shake it the best. You gotta teach me.”

Eddie laughed as he span past Richie, and Richie followed him, shimmying his shoulders and shaking his hips in a way that he assumed looked ridiculous, but the way Eddie’s eyes lingered on the swivel of his hips suggested otherwise.

The song finished, and a slow ballad started to play – all slow, smooth guitar and mellow vocals.

Richie, gasping from exertion, stopped dancing, and so did Eddie, who looked exactly the same as he always did, not a hair or piece of fluff out of place.

“How do we dance to this one? It’s a bit slow, Rich”

An idea crashed into Richie’s brain at warp speeds.

“Hang on”

Richie disappeared downstairs, and returned clasping Eddie’s oven mitts in his hands.

“Put these on” Richie instructed Eddie, like he always did, and once Eddie had put the mitts on, he grabbed his hands and placed them on his shoulders.

“We gotta slow dance to songs like this, them’s the rules”

“Uh … but we’re both … you aren’t a … I’m not a woman”

“I won’t tell if you won’t”

Eddie didn’t say anything in response, but he didn’t move his hands, either. Knowing that he couldn’t put his hands on Eddie’s waist like he wanted to, Richie settled for placing his hands over Eddie’s mitts, on his shoulders. They swayed back and forth.

“Are you like me?” Eddie whispered, voice barely loud enough for Richie to hear over the music.

“Depends what you mean by that, Spaghetti. Am I dead? No. Am I a wicked dancer? Yes. You gotta be more specific”

“You are a brute! You know exactly what I mean”

“Do you mean ‘do I fall in love with men’?”

Eddie hesitated for a second, before nodding the affirmative.

“Then yes, I am like you. But I also fall in love with women. I like ‘em both. Greedy like that”

“Is that … is that possible?”

“Sure is, sugar!”

Eddie closed his eyes, and Richie was sure that if Eddie could cry, this would be another occasion where he would be doing so.

“I only … I only fall in love with men. I had – Rupert. We – he died. I never got to say goodbye”

A heavy sort of sadness settled in the room. Eddie’s eyes, downcast and lidded, refused to meet Richie’s. They stood in the middle of the room, touching but not really, dancing but not really, in silence.

“I hate that I can’t hold you, Eddie”

“I hate that you can’t hold me, too”

– X –

Something changed after they danced together. Not a seismic shift, but a small tremor. Eddie told Richie about Rupert, and how they’d lived together in relative sin, and as he spoke, he’d screwed up his face as if willing himself to cry, to feel something. Richie cried enough for the both of them.

A few days later, it was a lazy Sunday, and Richie is listening to a local Scottish radio station sat out on the porch with Eddie in a comfortable silence.

“I don’t know what everyone else’s plans are for the afternoon, but I’m off to have a lovely roast dinner!” the radio host announces, before signing off for the day.

“Oh, I do miss a roast dinner” Eddie announces wistfully, rubbing at his stomach comically.

“What’s a roast dinner?”

“You’ve never had a roast dinner?!”

“Uh… no? Should I have? What is it?”

Eddie abruptly stands up, and walks back into the house, listing off all the components of a roast dinner as he walks. When they get to the kitchen, Eddie marches straight over to the fridge and, without opening it, sticks his head right through the door, before also sticking his left hand straight through the metal, as if the fridge was not a solid object at all. Richie is sure that there will never be a day that he doesn’t find that unbelievably funny.

“You have all the vegetables, but the only meat you have is … this!” Eddie pulls his head back through the fridge door, looking at his hand triumphantly, only to find that his hand is empty.

“I keep forgetting I cannot move things through other solid objects” Eddie deadpans, smacking his forehead in embarrassment.

Richie cackles at him, before moving to open the fridge himself, and seeing a lonely looking peperami lying on the bottom of the fridge. With Eddie’s help, Richie manages to cook the roast dinner without too much issue. The only time Eddie screeches at him is when he pours way too much oil into the roasting pan for the potatoes, but that issue is quickly rectified. After a few hours, the meal is prepared, and Richie plates up feeling overwhelmingly guilty that Eddie can’t share in the meal that he helped to prepare. Eddie assures him that he doesn’t miss eating that much, and ushers Richie into the dining room, where the new dining table stands proudly in the middle of the room. Richie places his plate on the table, before realising that he’d forgotten cutlery and a glass of water. Eddie, who had been standing behind his chair, follows him into the kitchen, walking straight through the table, and babbling nonsense about how Richie was about to experience something truly magical.

When Richie returned to the dining table, he found that his food was now burnt beyond recognition, the fresh vegetables that had been lying on his plate mere seconds ago now transformed into a smoky black sludge.

“What in God’s name …” Richie muttered, staring at the burnt food in disbelief as the cutlery slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a thud.

Richie looks at Eddie, then back to the ruined food on his plate, then back to Eddie. Without saying anything, he ran back into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of broccoli, before charging back into the living room and throwing the broccoli directly at Eddie’s head.

The broccoli fell to the floor.

Or, more accurately, the broccoli that was now a black, burnt sludge fell to the floor.

“For fucks sake!”

– X –

Richie stays up late that night, sleepy eyes glued to his computer, scrolling through useless website after useless website before he lands on the first thing that looks even remotely promising 16 pages into the google search.

Stanley Uris – Corporeal Reanimator

#reddie #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #ghost au #property developer au #Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak #ao3 #thefutureisbright

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kchatjjigae · 5 years

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Another big day in Kdramaland! We’re counting down the last hours of Leila’s stay in Korea with a march through the city. We get all classy and cultural with tours of a few palaces, one we meant to and one on accident, get our Coffee Prince on while we chase away some hanger, then activate our idol hunting skills as we cross the river back into Gangnam on a hunt for JYP. The offices, not the man. All this before we hit the critical point of our day: Korean Pizza.

So, so, so many pictures ahead.

Unlike the leaving of Alix, we knew right from the start of planning the trip that Leila wasn’t going to be with us the entire time the three of us planned on staying. Leila knows precisely at what length journeys stop being fun for her and plans accordingly. It was part of the reason we chose to hit Busan first over Seoul as it would be easier for her to get back to her plane. I’m not certain I’m the person who can leave when I know that other people are still there, having fun without me, but I do admire her for her strength to say “Naw, Bishes, I’m done.” Especially now knowing that she was doing these last few days on a sprained toe.

As I mentioned in the last post, this day was going to be a Leila and I date, where we toured the palaces, possibly the Hannok Village, and any other old thing we wanted to see that SaraG and Alix had already seen before. It’s not that they don’t appreciate them, but as they’d seen them before, they thought they’d fill their time with new experiences instead. We were all, you do you boos, we’re gonna get our saeguk on.

Now with the change in our numbers, SaraG has decided to join us!

With a quick consult to the Naver Maps, we head back towards the palaces, thankfully, at the palaces subway stop. Throughout the station, as we headed above ground, I saw adverts for their palaces museum, which said it had some of the clothing and regalia in residence. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it there, and it’s probably one of my biggest niggling regrets. I’m sure if I’d just said, hey, I really want to go here, the ladies would have been fine with it, but at the time it didn’t seem important enough to make a fuss. That’s okay, it will give me something to go to next time!

You know, when I go visit the whole giant palace WE ACCIDENTALLY MISSED.

So we popped above ground and SaraG decided she wanted to hit up the coffee shop next to the palaces where she’d catch up on life now that she has a phone back and wait for us to do our thing.

As we approached Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty, built 1395, the sun was bright and warmer than when we’d been there previously. So the hanboks were aplenty. Here I should probably mention, surrounding these historical areas are hanbok rental shops, where you go in and get dressed in period clothing, rented by the hour. If you do, not only do you have a fantastic experience, but your entry to the inner palace is free. As we wandered the grounds, this totally makes sense! Watching the people walk around in hanboks really adds to the atmosphere, helps you picture what it would have been like during the Joseon dynasty. Just with less slavery and more selfies.

There was a hot minute where Leila and I had talked about doing this, but as things had changed in the dynamic and, frankly, I wasn’t up for another ahjumma belly pat-down, we decided to pass. Maybe next time.

On our way in, we spotted a photoshoot going down to what we imagined is an up and coming girl group. You could tell between shots they were freezing in their outfits, their puffy coats tossed to the side, but they took it like troopers. I wonder how those shots turned out.

The outer courtyard was just as beautiful as before, but this time it was even more exciting as we got to go in! Well, after we purchased our very cheap tickets. I did have a moment of GAH when at the self-automated booth, my credit card was declined. There is nothing quite like that moment of panic when that happens.

Side note. When you’re in Korea, or, I guess, anyplace overseas, use your credit card, not your bank card. I actually went into my bank to talk about this with them about how best to pay for things. I ordered some won beforehand but had planned on just using my bank card while I was there. My bank said that there are actually more fees attached if you do it that way, however, there are no extra fees if you use your credit card. So that’s what I did. I just got cash a couple of times using my bank card, but primarily used the card, just transferring my savings right over to it once I got home.

We ended up having to go through the person manned line where, after hesitatingly giving my card over with crossed fingers, I had no problems getting our tickets.

As it was early, the place wasn’t hugely packed, so we wandered around the buildings on our own, deciding to forgo a guided tour. BIG MISTAKE! Oh sure, we got along fine, had no troubles, but when we saw the cute little school-aged tour guides working on their English skills to other tourists? We were beyond jealous! (We also missed Steve.)

How epic is this?

You’d think by now the experience would be old. The same architecture, the same colors, the same carvings that we’d seen in Busan. But, there’s just something being around all that history, something that has survived, in one form or another, for all these years that’s just fascinating to me. You picture all the things that went on. How was this even created? Built? How did they choose these colors? The toppers at the corners of buildings I couldn’t’ stop looking at.

I also couldn’t stop talking in the formal saeguk accent, which I’m sure was annoying, but I couldn’t stop.

Check out this throne.

Now picture your favorite Kdrama saeguk hero perched upon it. Do you have a favorite? Share, please!

Not sure what this is, but it has flowers and faces on the knees. Who does that? It had to be something important. Unless it was just some arts and craft gift to some king of old and he stuck it there because his niece painted it and he’s a good uncle who simply made up some vital reasoning for it to be there. Who’s going to argue? He’s a king!

See how much fun I am to travel with? That’s the sort of brilliance I come up with.

We wandered the endless maze of rooms, of separate buildings, trying to make sure we got through everything we wanted to see. Seriously though? I could probably spend hours there just going through every nook and cranny. Taking each tour, finding out precisely what that thing with the face knees was.

Seriously, look at this ceiling!

Watching the young girls work industriously on their selfies, again I was reminded that a good selfie is hard work. You want to be all judgy, but they were having so much fun trying different, unique poses, giggling with their friends, all dressed up prettily in hanboks, and it just looked like fun. Plus, they are going to have some great photos later!

And the girls weren’t the only ones in on the game.

As I was saying in the previous post, the fact that this exists in the middle of ultra technologically advanced Seoul is pretty amazing. Seeing all of this history while on the edges you see high rises and electronic billboards, is the perfect blend of the past and the future. Which, in a nutshell, is the ideal description of South Korea itself.

Some areas were busier than others, a few school trips, but everyone was friendly and pretty respectful.

There was another lake in the middle of the grounds.

We were working our way towards a large pagoda in the background as we didn’t really have a map to go along. It’s like when I lived in New York City — just keep the Empire State Building in sight, and you’ll always know where you are. We tried to get to the pagoda but couldn’t seem to find our way, eventually giving up and turning back instead checking out the lake as it was on our way back and people were getting hungry.

As hanger is a very real thing, we decided to be along our way, to meet up with SaraG, but not before a quick stop off at the bathroom (yes, I have now peed in every single royal palace. Its a thing.) and the gift shop, before heading back to the front.

But not before one more selfie and one more…weird experience.

We stood in front of my camera… side note: Fun Stephanie Fact of the post? I have very long arms. While it’s a bitch to make sure shirts fit, on the upside? I’m brilliant with group selfies. It’s where I really carry my weight on trips, also why you see my smiling mug front and center on every group shot. I’m not an attention whore, just monkey-like.

So we’re standing there with my camera, and this guy comes up to us and asks if we’d like him to take our picture. Delighted, we said yes and handed him my phone. Posing, we smile in front of the first building where he begins to take photo after photo, crouching into the ground, bending himself in half, moving the camera around, like we’re shooting some sort of album cover. We’re just standing there, smiling, feeling more and more hilariously awkward as he slowly inches forward to us. Should we be moving? Should we be practicing our posing? Are we now disappointing Tyra Banks with our lack of Smizing? Is this guy going to steal my phone?

Finally, he hands me back my phone and with a smile and a bow, simply walks away as we shout thank yous out to him.

What a weird-fun experience.

From there, we met up with SaraG, and we decided to wander the neighborhood looking for food and the Changdeokgung Palace, which is known for being the one with the Secret Garden. However, finding food wasn’t as easy as we anticipated and we walked and walked, circling the edges of Gyeongbokgung. We were turning into a more residentially neighborhood and were despairing we’d never find food. Then we found a cute little coffee shop on the corner of an intersection, said good enough and tramped in. There was, in fact, bistro-style food, so we sat there, basking in the sunlight, recharging those batteries, taking a moment just to hang and chat. It was lovely.

Side note. Sitting at a ShareTea drinking bubble tea writing this. It’s post-move, I’m exhausted from a solid week of non-stop, my house is in disarray, so while this post will be late, it’s for a good reason and taking the time to write it is actually giving me a much-needed rest. What makes me think of this is my previous statement: It was lovely, which comes straight from what I hear from the song playing over the shops loudspeakers.

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But now back to it because it really is driving me crazy my house is such a mess.

Where were we? Ah, a random neighborhood in Seoul. Batteries charged enough to move, we got to our feet and continued onto where we thought the second palace was. Spoiler alert? It was not where we thought it was. We may have done a little shopping in some boutiques as we passed, nothing serious, just some meandering. Looking up, we realized we were right outside the Hannok village, which was straight uphill, up a butt-ton of stairs. Leila noped it and while I was initially disappointed, it was pointed out we had actually been there a few days ago when Alix marched us through on the Kpop shop lookout. We consulted Naver maps again and realized we’d actually walked out of the palace in completely the wrong direction. Feet being what they were, we couldn’t face walking all the way back and then onto the palace. Luckily we were right by a bus stop which appeared to be able to take us right to where we wanted to go and was even more luckily enough to be placed right next to a Churro shop.

Churro in hand, or, more realistically, churro in mouth, we boarded the bus on our way to the next palace.

We passed Gyeongbokgung, which, great news, meant we were at least headed in the correct direction, we passed Gwanghwamun Plaza with its giant statues of Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin . I looked longingly out the window at them. I hadn’t realized we were so close! Visions of Faith popped into my mind, and I itched to explore. Naver announced our stop was upon us, and we piled out of the bus, realizing, uhoh, we should have probably recognized that there were more palaces in the area than just the main two and I probably should have been more specific when I looked at it in the map.

Whatevs. It was a palace, and we were there! So we paid the fee and piled in. It was fun to explore with the three of us. Deoksugung palace was actually a later palace, used for ceremonies and visits of state when the actual people lived in a more modern building. It was interesting to see the two together. New meets old. We continued our long-held tradition of going to the bathroom on royal grounds before we heard it, the drums in the distance. Turns out we were at the wrong palace at the right time, the ceremonial changing of the guards. We watched the procession march by us, the bright colors of their regalia, the bouncing feathers of their hats.

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Changing of the guard at the Deoksugung palace. From old to new, now headed to Gangnam. #deoksugung #palace #guard #travel #seoul #southkorea

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We headed back towards the front gates, following them along, where they waited for the actual ceremony to begin. It was fun to see these people, not at attention, just hanging out, bored. A reminder they are real people, not fixtures of the past.

Once we had our fill of palaces for the day, it was time to begin the real task, heading over the river to try and hunt ourselves down some idols, it was time to go visit the JYP offices. After a wrong start, or a wrong stop, hopping off a stop too soon, we were ready for it, prepared to see the legendary building where the likes of 2PM, Got7, Stray Kids came from. Though not yet. Turns out, he’s cleverly not anywhere near the subway stop, so we hoofed it there, stopping for more, much-needed caffeine. On the way there we passed the location of the Seoul Olympic Games which we saw the empty buildings from our position on the street. Sure, we didn’t actually go to them, but we saw the buildings, so I get to count that on the list of places I’ve been on this trip.

Don’t agree? Go ahead, fight me.

Finally, we were there!

It’s an office. Dude. Get yourself a gift shop. Something. Other fans were milling about. We’d buy stuff. Mr. and Mrs. McFeeley are huge Stray Kids fans, I would have gotten something for them, and the ladies would have encouraged me, despite my DON’T LET ME BUY ANYTHING MORE. But I’d simply be able to get around that by saying, “I said I wasn’t allowed to buy anything else for RYAN. This would be for Sean. Totally different person”. But, since they didn’t have a gift shop, the point was moot. Across the street was a coffee shop, and you could see, the way people were positioned, a lot of them were just waiting for someone to come in or out so they could take a photo, be it for dispatch or just a fan site. Not wanting to be one of those people, we simply circled the block, and when we passed a snazzily dressed and perfectly coifed man, we crafted stories about who he was and what he did for the company.

Good times.

Realizing we weren’t going to get to have the idol meet-cute we’d desperately dreamed of, we decided it was time to move on, back across the river.

Oh! I think it was here, but if not, it’s the perfect time to talk about it. Remember the whole thing that was happening while we were there, with Seungri and his band of ugh? All about secret cams and chats and douchebaggery? Well, it’s no lie to say that this is rampant across the country. Did you hear about the member of staff who put a camera in one of the girl’s rooms on a variety show? Or there was a sting that happened at a hotel where people were recording women? It happens all of the time. While we were on the subway, we were separated, which happened when we wanted to snag an actual seat. This particular time, it was Leila and me on one side and SaraG on the other. Next to her was a man on his phone, who we joked looked just like a police detective from a drama. See? I just had to say that, and you know EXACTLY what he looked like. Turns out?

Not so police-y.

We got off the train, laughingly told SaraG our ideas, and she was like, “Ummmmm…yeah, he was watching pervy hidden video footage.” Apparently, there are Instagrams out there dedicated to this shit, and this guy is just, sitting on the subway, casual as can be, watching it. Ew.

Shaking it off, we decided first on our list was to cross something off Miss Leila’s list, stopping off at the mall by our subway station and picking her up a foundation she’d seen online, but had yet to see it anywhere in Seoul except for this mall. And I was on a mission too! Find the Flying Tiger, a Copenhagen store, take a picture and show it to my friend Thea who is a big fan of their New York store. It was a huge shocker to see that they were in Korea!

We wandered around the food court, looking for something to eat, but it was pricy and not what we were looking for (we’ve been spoiled eating beautiful and delicious food for under 10000 won.). Despite how tired we were, we decided we wanted to skip the food court, instead planned to hit Hongdae in order to find something better. Added plus? This would get Leila her last night in Hongdae with some buskers. Where did we end up? Korean Pizza! After seeing some Eat Your Kimchi posts on the weirdness that could be Korean Pizza back in the day, I’ve always wanted to try it. There was a Mr. Pizza in LA that every time I went to KCon I’d say, this was the time I was going to go there, but as one of our group was a vegan, it always managed to be pushed to the side. (We felt bad enough dragging her to Korean BBQ.) In Haeundae, our apartment was right above a Pizza School where we would pass by and look at the poster proclaiming all of their weirdo pizza flavors and planned on hitting up that one, but we just never had the chance. Tonight was the night!

I wish I’d taken pictures of the menu to tell you exactly what we had eaten, but I can tell you, one of them had mashed sweet potatoes, and the other one had galbi. Both were actually pretty yummy. We’d chosen this particular restaurant in the din of all the others as 1) was something we could all get behind with all of the other choices, and 2) was an upper floor establishment, overlooking all of the buskers. Dinner and a show!

As we ate, Leila and I investigated one last thing stop on our phones, the Han river. We knew it was close, had crossed it several times via subway, but had yet to go and find it in person. Had yet to find out which pairing of us were going to officially breakup on its shores as Korean dramas tell us is the norm. It was a must on all of our lists, and we couldn’t believe we hadn’t been there yet. It was a little difficult for us to pinpoint the best place to go to as you couldn’t really put Han River into the map, sure we’d find a shore but what else would we find when we got there? We found a park that seemed promising, but, honestly, at that time of day, after all, we’ve done, and now knowing about Leila’s poor toe, we decided to pass.

But don’t worry Han River fans. There are still two of us who have days left and hours to fill….

With this, we close out another chapter of our trip. Another day passed. Another person packing up to go home. Which leaves SaraG and I. All by ourselves for three days. Will we make it? Will our friendship survive? Or is it going to be the relationship that crashes by the shores of the Han? Stay tuned to find out!

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY ONE: AIR PLANES, TIME TRAVELS, AND MULTIPLE SARAG(S)

Korean Adventure Day Two: Sadly, No Zombies

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY THREE: THE SOLO JOB

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY FOUR: BY THE POWER OF STEVE!

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY FIVE: STAIRS, AND MEERKATS, AND POLICE…OH MY!

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY SIX: EMERGENCYS, BELLY RUBS, AND TIPSI TEXTS

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY SEVEN: THAT WEIRD SHAPED ARTY BUILDING IN GANGNAM

KOREAN ADVENTURES DAY EIGHT: KPOP TAKES A VACATION

KOREAN ADVENTURES DAY NINE: WE LOVE A MAN WHO LOVES A MARKET

KOREAN ADVENTURE DAY TEN: STEPHANIE DOESN’T DO NAKED

Korean Adventure Day Eleven: Let’s Get Saeguky Another big day in Kdramaland! We're counting down the last hours of Leila's stay in Korea with a march through the city.

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taterjoseph · 5 years

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Ebony x Erik Pt 3

Nandi

“Ma,” her whispered voice echoed through the house. Having found a note next to her pillow stating that her mother would be in the office, she felt that it was time to put her plan into action.

In the three days since “The Incident”, as she now liked to call it. Not a word of it had been spoken past the talk at the restaurant and she could tell that her mother wanted to talk about it, but couldn't find the right words. It was typical of her, and kind of cute if Nandi did say so herself.

After looking in her mother's room and her home office, she decided that the coast was clear, running up to her room and rummaging through her closet to find something to wear.

Picking a tank top and a trusty pair of her Nike leggings, she made her way over to her vanity, being sure to moisturize her skin thoroughly. Once she was finished, her socks and shoes were next before she grabbed her house keys, her backpack, jacket, and her basketball. Grabbing an apple and locking the door, she made her way to the bus stop. It was a big day, and she couldn't afford to be late.

“Hello Nandi!”

“Good morning, Mrs. Kingsley.” Mrs Kingsley was her bus driver. Well, not her bus driver, but her bus was the only bus that Nandi had ever ridden alone. Her mother trusted Mrs Kingsley to get her from point A, which was her house, to point B, which was the park where she played basketball.

“Mrs. Kingsley,” she started, tapping nervously at the ball that rested in her lap. The woman looked at her as she fiddled, waiting patiently for her to say something. “Yesterday, I saw my dad for the first time.” The older woman sighed, sure not to miss the newly installed stop sign.

“What did you do, Jitterbug?” She smiled at the use of her nickname special for Mrs. Kingsley. It was almost like she could see through her, even when her mother couldnt, and it was credited to her successfully raising seven children as well as being her mother's former middle school teacher, as well as her high school English teacher when she was a junior. At that thought, she looked up at the woman. If she was her mother's teacher, he probably taught Erik too!

“Jitterbug, are you on a love mission again, child?” She blushed, squirming in her seat, and that's all the answer that the older woman really needed. Her mind went back to the time she pretended to run away to stop her grandparents from fighting, spending the entire day at her house with her granddaughter, Tianna, which was two doors down from her great-uncle Ray. Knowing that her grandmother would never entertain the idea of telling her mother, they were able to spend the entire day working together, realizing that fighting was pointless.

“I found his number in her phone a few days ago. She's been holding onto it for Ieight yearsI, can you believe that? Also, who has the same number for eight years? They're tragic.” The woman's stern look was not lost on her, but she went on anyway.

“My mama has been walking on eggshells around me for the past three days and it's really getting annoying, so it's time for action. I tricked him into thinking that I was her and he's going to meet 'my mom’ at the park. I'll meet my dad, let him know that he broke my mom's heart, and help him get her back. They obviously can't be trusted to do it themselves, so I have to help them. Simple.” Looking up at the older woman, she saw that she gave her one of those. It was a look, a look she hated. It told her that what she was doing had BAD IDEA written in big, bold letters.

“You know, if you was my child I'd whoop your little sassy black ass.” She felt herself coloring as she clutched the rubbery ball to her chest. “But you not, and I'll be damned if it ain't like somebody took your daddy and put him in your mama's body to make you.” Shaking her head, the woman pulled up to Nandi's stop. Before she could make it to the door, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Turning back towards the older woman, she watched as she unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbing something off of her belt loop, placing it in her hand. “Now I'm not saying you need it, but if his ass get hostile, you flick this red cap and you spray his ass and run straight to your Uncle Ray's house, do you hear me?” looking down at her open palm, she realized quickly that it was pepper spray, she knew because her mom carried it. Nodding, she stepped back, clutching it close as she began the walk to the park, which was in her line of eyesight.

When she approached the park, she scanned the area, placing her backpack in its usual spot on the gate hook. First, she noticed some boys playing basketball on the big court. She usually came with her friends, but sometimes, it was just her practicing. Next, she noticed some couples sitting in their cars and talking, half likely doing something they had no business doing, but she wasn't anyone to judge.

Then, she saw him. He had his back to her, almost as if he were surveying the area. She used that time to slow her pace and really get a good look at him.

He was tall, easily over six feet. He had lots of muscles, but not to the point where he looked like a giant turd, like her Uncle Jay. He was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and what looked like Timberlands, accompanied by a black jacket, though it wasn't really cold outside. His hair wasn't like it was when she saw him the first time, braided back, though it was tapered. Once she was truly up on him, she realized that he was a lot bigger up close.

Clearing her throat, she waited for him to turn around, which he didn't. “Excuse me,” she started, her mouth falling open slightly when he still ignored her, likely waiting for her to go away and stop bothering him. Placing her hand on her hip, she used the nails on her index finger and thumb to pinch his skin, watching as he jumped.

“What the fuck?!” She leaned back to stare at him, her brow furrowed.

“Don't cuss at me, and I know you heard me talking to you and you just gone stand there and act like you don't see me. I'm little, but I'm not invisible!”

“Listen here lil girl. I'm waiting on somebody and I ain't tryna buy no damn girl scout cookies so take,” he started, hooking his hands under her arms with ease, “ya lil bad ass on somewhere.”

When he placed her back on her feet, she turned back around to face him, pulling out her phone. “You mean you waiting on Ebonnyyy?” He looked down at her with wide eyes, blinking a few times. “Gullible,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ah hell naw,” he said loudly, fisting his dreads as he loomed down at her, his loud voice causing her to flinch away slightly, stepping away from him. He froze, taking a deep breath and straightening his shoulders.

“This is nothing like in the movies,” she groaned, scratching the back of her head as she straightened her posture, offering her hand to him. “Hi, my name is Nandi.” He stared down at her hand. “This is the part where you take my hand,” she said, seeming to spur him into action.

“I'm Erik. How old are you?” She perked up at his question.

“I'm eight. I'm in the fifth grade and I like basketball,” she said, holding up the ball that she had brought from home. She opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of her ball exploding next to her, accompanied by several loud bangs. Something hard crashed into her and she fell to the ground, surrounded by a really strong scent.

Her chest hitting the ground knocked the air from her, a wheeze leaving her as she heard people screaming and fleeing. The scent didn't make it any better, it was really strong. Reaching out, she grabbed onto something bumpy, digging her nails into the hard, but soft material.

“Nandi?!” She couldn't breathe and her chest hurt. Opening her mouth, she tried to vocalize her discomfort, but nothing came out. Her vision was beginning to back out around the edges. Feeling a slapping against her cheek, she tried to focus, but she couldn't. Her chest was painfully constricting and her mind was fuzzy. Suddenly, she felt like she was flying, and then everything went black.

Honestly, I didnt know this was gonna happen. I had a completely different path that I wanted this to take, but this came up and I went with it. Next chapter, Nandi finds out what happened and y'all know she gone be VERY upset. How do you think she's gonna react to seeing Erik again?

#erik killmonger #erik killmonger x oc #killmonger #killmonger x reader #killmonger x oc #black panther #black panther imagine #n'jadaka x oc #n'jadaka #killmonger imagine #erik killmonger imagin #erik x reader #erik x oc

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narnian-neverlander · 6 years

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Hot Stuff [AceXF!Reader] [Modern!AU One-Shot]

So apparently I've caught a flu and I've been feeling like shit for days and basically running on 4 hours of sleep and I have to get back to my apprenticeship on Monday and honestly I'm just so sick of being sick. Long story short, I needed some cute fluffy fire boy to cheer me up, so if anyone else isn't feeling well, I hope this helps ^^

Hot Stuff

Fic Summary: Being sick always sucks. But when you have a walking heater as a boyfriend to take care of you, it might not even be that bad.

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: None, maybe like two swear words if you wanna be nitpicky about it

She couldn't remember the last time she'd wanted to just curl up in bed this badly. Or maybe she just needed to kill someone to make her feel better, at this point, it was hard to tell.

She'd barely managed to drag herself out of bed this morning and she was pretty sure it was because she'd felt the fingertips of a beginning flu or cold starting to grasp at her. Granted, her boyfriend reenacting Sleeping Beauty with her as the mattress and himself as the impossible to wake damsel in distress probably hadn't helped, either. Think of the devil; her phone buzzed, indicating a message from said princess. She quickly took a look at her screen and didn't know if she should surpress an eyeroll at the realization that the idiot had changed his own name in her phone again, or a groan at what the message actually said.

Hot Stuff ;): Hey darling, the cover-up tattoo for this guy is gonna take longer than expected, so I can't make it to the store, you think you could pick up the order for tonight?

Shit.

She'd completely forgotten about his brothers coming over. She let her head hit the desk with a sigh. She loved those two like her own family, but she could picture better ways to spend her evening today - and definitely less exhausting ones, too. Nonetheless, she quickly typed a reply, telling him not to worry and that she'd take care of it.

A few hours later and she wished she hadn't. Her boss had dumped another workload on her, which had resulted in her leaving her workplace last and barely making it to the butchery in time, because of course those three dorks needed a special meat from a special store that had the most ridiculous business hours she'd ever seen. To top it all off, her decision to walk this morning to try and clear her head of the sickness induced foginess came back to bite her when it started to pour. And of course her ever helpful boyfriend hadn't bothered to look at his phone and maybe pick her up.

She'd never been so glad to just be able to close her apartment door behind her and be done with the day, despite how upset she still was. She ran a hand through her drenched (h/c) locks and glanced at the watch on the wall. Good. At least she had another two hours or so until the ASL Trio would tear through her place and especially her fridge again. Enough time to freshen up, throw in some cold medicine and chew Ace out for literally leaving her out in the rain, unintentional or not. Or at least, that's what she thought.

"Luffy, spit that out, it's not done yet!"

"Bwut it's twasty alrwaedy!!"

"Luffy, for fuck's sake!"

Oh you've gotta be kidding.

She carefully peaked her head around the corner and wanted to scream at the sight of Ace and Sabo trying to pry some unidentifiable piece of food out of their brother's teeth. At any other point she probably would've laughed or even helped them, but right now it only added to her steadily increasing headache. And to the list of reasons to yell at the tattooed boy before her.

She stepped into view and chucked her bags to the ground with a loud thud, the contents noisily spilling across the floor, causing three pairs of eyes to turn towards her.

"(y/n)? Woah, what happened?" Ace asked, letting go of Luffy, who fell off and behind the counter as a result, and walked towards her. She immediately pointed an accusing finger at him, stopping him in his tracks.

"You happen to look at your phone recently, darling?" she hissed, stressing the last word.

He gave her a confused look before pulling the device out of the backpocket of his jeans. His eyes widened when he saw the multitude of missed calls and messages.

"Oh shit, babe,I'm sorry. Luffy and Sabo came over earlier and I--"

"Yeah, so I've noticed. And apparently you truly forgot how a phone works, otherwise you might've thought about giving me call to tell me." she snapped.

He furrowed his brows at her outburst. This wasn't like her at all.

"What's the big deal? Not like this is the first time they came by unannounced."

"Oh yes this is a big deal!" she yelled, stomping her foot in frustration like a child, a move she quickly regretted when it blurred her vision. "You send me on a goddamn errand you could've very well done yourself instead of goofing around wasting time! Not to mention you didn't even possess the fucking courtesy to maybe even consider picking me up so I wouldn't get drenched to the bone! But hey, no problem, after all your brothers aren't supposed to be here for another couple of hours, so I've got more than enough time to - oh wait a minute!"

"Ok I get you're mad, but I wasn't goofing off! I told you that cover-up would take longer and it did, I barely made it home ten minutes ago and they were already here! What was I supposed to do, leave 'em out in the rain?!"

"You had no trouble doing that to me!"

"That was an accident! Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you tonight?!" he questioned angrily. Sure he felt bad about not picking her up, but this was no reason to blow up at him like this.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! But if you think I pose a problem, do accept my apologies, I'll leave you boys to it!" she shouted, giving a mock wave to the ravenett and blond who had taken shelter behind the counter before grabbing her keys off the floor and storming to the door. "I'll just be outside for another couple of hours, after all, a little bit more rain isn't going to kill me, right?!"

With that, the door slammed shut behind her.

"What... was that?" Sabo asked carefully, coming to stand beside Ace.

"I dunno! She's never that easily upset!" he complained.

But when he thought about it for a moment longer, there actually was one situation when she got irritated quite quickly: When she was sick.

"Oh crap..." he muttered under his breath, guilt already starting to weigh down on him. He turned to his brothers. "I think I know what's wrong with her. Sorry guys, but we're gonna have to reschedule this."

The blond smiled understandingly and gave his brother a thumbs up, while Luffy started to pout.

"Naw, but we wanted to play video games later! Why don't you invite (y/n) to join, I'm sure that and some food will make her feel better!" he suggested happily. Ace sweatdropped at his little brother's optimism.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that, Luffy. But we'll do it some other time; I'll go after her." he said, grabbing his own keys and an umbrella.

"You sure you don't need any help searching?" Sabo asked in a concerned tone.

"Nah, if she really is sick, too many people are just gonna make her worse. You two just head home - and take the meat as an apology!" he shouted the last part, already out of the apartment and just hearing his younger brother's cries of joy before the elevator doors shut behind him.

Luckily, he knew her well enough by now to figure out that there were very few places she could and would have gone in such a short time. And just as he thought, he found her curled up on a bench under a tree in a nearby park, trying to at least partially shield herself from the rain. He jogged over to her and held the umbrella over her head. At the sudden loss of rain, she lifted her gaze, her eyes red and puffy, and a few stray tears still rolling down her cheeks. When she saw who it was, she immediately buried her face in her pulled up knees again.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured, barely audible.

He sat down and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were sick?"

She sniffed and lifted her head to look at him again.

"I'm not."

He gave her the most exasperated Are you kidding me? look she'd ever seen.

"Ok maybe just a little. But not really, not yet anyways, and I didn't wanna ruin your night. But then everything kept piling up: the sickness, my boss being an ass, the rain... And I took it out on you. I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that."

"Well, I kinda did. But enough of all that, let's get you home and into bed, alright?" he said with a smile and stood up, offering her a hand.

She smiled back and grabbed his outstreched hand, only to wobble and almost fall right after she'd lifted herself to her feet. Whatever sickness she'd managed to catch, it sure was hitting her now.

"Woah, ok, there is no way I'm letting you walk." he stated with a sense of finality and placed the umbrella on the bench next to them before turning around and gesturing for her to get onto his back for a piggyback ride.

Even when healthy she never refused one of those, so she grabbed the discarded umbrella and hopped onto his back. Once he started the short walk back home, she rested her head against his shoulder blade and closed her eyes.

"You're warm..." she hummed happily. Her hazy mind registered what she'd said just in time. "If you make a pun about you being hot, I swear I'm locking you out of the apartment tonight."

He laughed in response and before they'd even reached their destination she was fast asleep.

When she woke up again, she was back in her own bed, tangled in the covers. She opened her blurry eyes to try and get them to adjust to the dim lighting in the room. She could make out the door, creaked open slightly to let in the light of the hallway. The next thing she noticed were the glaring red numbers of the alarm clock, telling her it was the middle of the night. Her eyes wandered over the several other things placed on the nightstand: tissues, various medicines and a thermos which she assumed to be full of tea. She slowly sat up, her head screaming at her to lay back down, and realized that she was wearing new, dry clothes, as opposed to the drenched ones she fell asleep in. That's when her ears picked up the sound of running water just down the hall. Was Ace still awake?

She decided to investigate and swung her legs off the bed, meaning to get up, but her feet had barely touched the ground when her vision was obscured by black spots and she let herself fall back down to the mattress. Ok, so standing up too fast was a no-go. Got it. She'd just heaved herself back into a sitting position and was about to try again when she heard the door creak open. Ace tiptoed inside, but when he saw she was already awake he straightened up and gave her his signature lopsided grin.

"Hey, you're up!" he stated in a quiet, yet happy voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Gross." she said through a stuffed nose. "But mostly everything's just sore; my back, my throat and my head feels like it's about to explode."

"Thought so." he said and made his way over to her. "I was just gonna wake you up, anyways, though. Come on."

Until now she hadn't realized that he was only clad in a pair of black boxers and socks. Of course.

He picked her up bridal style and walked out of the room.

"Where are we going?" she asked with a yawn and snuggled herself against his bare chest.

He didn't say anything at first, but simply kicked open the already ajar door to the bathroom. Her eyes went wide at the sight in front of her: a steamy bubble bath and candles placed around the room.

"How long was I out again...?" she asked, an awestruck expression on her face.

He snorted and pressed a kiss to her temple before carefully setting her down to sit at the edge of the tub and reaching across to switch off the faucet.

"Can you get out of your clothes yourself or are you gonna fall backwards and drown?" he asked with a small, mocking smirk.

"You're just looking for an excuse to get into my pants even though I'm sick." she quipped back, followed by a short cough.

"I've already done that once today, you know." he reminded her, gesturing at the new clothes she was still wearing, his smirk widening.

She gave him a half-hearted glare and a small punch to the shoulder, a smile spreading across her features.

"Perv..." she mumbled, but started to slip out of her clothes anyway and was submerged in the water not a minute later.

She sighed in happiness and relaxation, already feeling the pain in her head and back starting to dissipate, and let herself slip further into the tub, until only her nose remained barely above the water level.

"I actually used your favorite scented candles, but you probably can't tell, huh?" he asked jokingly and gently pinched her nose between his fore- and middlefinger for a moment before she swatted at his hand with her own.

She sniffed and scrunched up her face and he actually had the audacity to laugh.

"You're ridiculously cute."

"Well, I am glad my misery amuses you." she complained nasally.

"You're always cute. But would your misery maybe be lessened by some food? I'll make something."

She raised a sceptical brow at him. "You will make something? As in cook? Without setting the kitchen on fire?"

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before answering: "Nope, make as in order something. Don't worry, I won't add a visit from the fire department to your list of worries - not tonight, anyways."

She genuinely laughed at that, not even regretting it when it worsened the scratch in her throat. Ace always managed to brighten up her day, no matter what.

He smiled and tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear and placed his warm hand lovingly on her cheek. "So, what do you want, princess?"

Any other time, she probably would've grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him into a passionate kiss and said that she wanted him. But right now...

"Soup. I don't think I can get or keep anything else down."

"Gotcha." he answered and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, before getting up and snatching his phone off the counter by the sink. He turned to her again once he'd reached the door. "Will you be fine without me for a bit or are you gonna fall asleep and I'll have to fish you out before you drown?"

She smirked mischieviously.

"I think you're confusing me with yourself, Mr. Narcolepsy."

"Oh come on, that was one time!"

Not much later, they were both sipping soup out of the delivered containers, herself still in the tub while Ace was sitting on one of the rugs, his back propped up against a cabinet next to her.

"Thanks, Ace. You really didn't have to do that, you know. Especially after how I acted earlier."

"Oh come on, everybody gets cranky when they've had a bad day, even more so when they're sick. I do, too."

"Still... Remind me to say sorry to Luffy and Sabo as well. They kinda got caught in the crossfire and I really don't want 'em to think that I don't like having them over."

"Nah, don't worry, they know you better than that. Sabo even offered to help look for you and Luffy... well, Luffy tried to help in his own way. And I already gave them the meat you brought as an apology, so I think you'll be fine."

"It's a good thing all problems with you three seem to be solvable with meat." she laughed and stretched, making her back pop.

"It's getting kinda cold in here..." she stated, looking at Ace out of the corner of her eye, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Well then, maybe it's about time for you to get out of there." he answered, placing his cup aside and standing up to help her.

"Or maybe..." she started, reaching her arms out to him. "It's about time you got in here."

He contemplated it for a moment, then shook his head.

"I dunno, I actually really like the view from up here." he said with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She splashed him with water in return.

"I'm cold and I don't wanna get out yet, so would you just...?" she pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

The smile slipped off his face and he groaned, running a hand trough his black hair.

"You know I can't say no to you when you look at me like that..." he complained and started to tug off his socks.

"That's the point!" she sung happily, cursing herself when it made her cough, and scooted forward to make room for him.

"You know" he began while sitting down behind her and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "I'm really hoping our kids won't get that look, otherwise, I'll be totally screwed."

The silence that followed stretched on longer than what was comfortable.

"Our... Our what?"

"Nothing! I didn't say anything at all! You must be in some sort of fever delirium!" he sputtered out way too quickly and when she craned her neck to look at him, his cheeks were bright red under his freckles and his gaze was on anything but her.

A small smile spread across her face and she settled back against his warm, muscular chest and closed her (e/c) eyes.

"Whatever you say, freckles. Speaking of those, I hope they get yours~"

Knowing that she'd heard him perfectly, he desperately tried to shift the focus to something else: "So, uhm... you've got absolutely no concerns about me getting sick as well?"

She snorted.

"You never get sick, matchstick. It's probably that abnormally, inhumanly high body temperature of yours. Any kind of germs or bacteria gets burned before it could even make you sneeze."

"Well, duh. Even bacteria knows to stay away from hot stuff like me."

She could practically hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

"Dear lord, I walked straight into that one..."

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qtsp00k · 3 years

Text

Hey y'all. Don't know if I mentioned but I felt a presence in my new apartment and been talking to someone who helps keep a song in my heart. Felt like it was my ego interfering when I felt like calling the presents Bruce. Cuz that's my dad's name. And then when I heard my neighbors talking about Bruce who died recently before I moved in I thought oh well I'm probably not in Bruce's apartment right. Cuz that would be a lot. And I'm a music person and a joy who's singing downstairs all the time so to hear that Bruce was a musical person who played instruments and sang in the lobby all the time is like whoa someone stepped off this plane to make room for me here. That would be a lot of synchronicity. And synchronicity is all well and good but organizations aware of synchronicity can do quite a bit to manufacture it for someone.

Well today I didn't feel anything or anyone. My dolls look like dead lifeless corpses and I was so brain dead that I just stood in my apartment and couldn't even think of where I would begin to look for the hard drive that this art is on that I'm ready to put on a shirt since Y2K.

And I kind of flipped out on my friends. That happens from time to time because my hexahedral God mind is a lot to manage and I don't know if you've looked around the world but there's a whole lot coming.

So I finally managed to get myself together and I was feeling pretty spun and just left the apartment hoping to feel better by getting out of the house you know. And I go downstairs in the mailman is just shut the big door that my mailbox is in and he sees I'm carrying a box and he compliments my shoes and just thinks I'm cool and offers to carry the box out to the recycling for me and so I let him and I take that cue from the universe to get my mail.

The nice mundane task of getting mail. Right?

NOPE hahaha fn naw bro

My mailbox is full to the brim with mail for Bruce E Levens. So not only folks am I in Bruce's apartment and the presents here is definitely Bruce and it's not me being crazy or fearful about my dad having died without my knowing it or anything like that. I just see dead people and I'm brain damaged so even though that's not new to me I react to it like it's news to me.

But on top of this I just received confirmation with some more mind fuckery sprinkled on top for good measure.

My dad, Bruce Lee's, birthday is November 11th which is 11/11. E Levens is elevens. You can't make this shit up!

and this freaks me out initially and I just fistful pack everything back into that mailbox and I shut it and I go out and I just spin out in the parking lot literally moving in circles in my power wheelchair before I go back in and I have to look at that mail again because I've already convinced myself that I didn't see what I saw and even as I'm reaching into the mailbox to get out the mail that says Bruce 11s I'm thinking I'm going to look at it again and it's going to be something close to what I mistook it for and nothing's going on here. But I pull the mail out and it says Bruce e Blevins and I have the mail with me in my hand the whole rest of my day because I need that to ground me.

The day was not over yet because my Transit service was late late late late late late late. It rerouted and it reassigned and it rerouted and it reassigned and then eventually it lands on 418 for my estimated time pick up.

and sure enough at 4:18 it arrives and it's my favorite driver. An old truck driver who retired and then needed something to wake up in the morning and go do with his life that was helping other people and he has great stories and his father is assault of the earth and he loves seeing me and he is so happy that I've moved here and I can bring joy into the lives of old people.

418 is my birthday April 18th.

Now I don't know how I'm going to feel about this tomorrow but right now I just feel like laughing about it and it's freaky and it's weird and I've known all my life that I am God and now I'm talking about it and I thinking maybe talking about it is making me beat it even more consistently then I used to.

But last night I felt pretty okay about everything in the world and went right to sleep after the Donnie Darko CD finally gave out in my system and I actually took out the CD which I never take out the skipping CD cuz I just don't have my mind about me and I don't know how to do basic things at all I'm absolutely a retard if you were observing me just absolutely retarded yo.

And I realize that I understand and have this opportunity to also set the time on my stereo system which I have not done for a decade and I look at the time and it's 8:32 32 is the number of the CD I'm holding in my hand and it has expired Donnie Darko is the movie that I wanted to see the day I got out of mental institution and my mother would not allow it because my boyfriend's name was Donnie and the day before I went wondering after I got my chore done and found myself speaking to my ex-boyfriend Donny's father for hours.

Now I don't know if it's heavenly Father or if the Illuminati has my back but someone does and it feels like I'm still moving up.

Like everything is coming to a head.

And my challenge which I accepted before incarnating on this planet in this density is to not lose my mind completely and become a non-functioning schizophrenic like the bat majority in my bloodline.

Oh and did you know the once upon a Time it wasn't planets that told you something about yourself that you needed to know concerning the month in which you were born, but demons. That's right the month you were born in is associated with a demonic presence that sabotages you for the entirety of your life.

Mine is belfigor. Belfigor gives humans great ideas and those get rich quick and easy schemes to lure them into the sin of sloth and of course luring into sin is just luring someone off of the path towards heaven and putting them on the path towards hell. And that's a very linear time frame perspective of that so when you remove that linear time frame from it when you do sinful things you are simply in hell and when you do angelic things you are simply in heaven.

So yeah I fully acknowledged in the way that I sort of have access and try to look away from future events a lot of the time because I have an omnipresence and omniscience that comes along with knowing that one is God. So in a way I knew that the friend I had who was helping me to edit my art into vector form for putting on merchandise was going to rape me. But yeah I fully got raped in order to get my art onto a t-shirt for me to wear and for me to gift to all of my friends and for you to buy.

But deeper than that this idea that I can be an artist and make money just being an artist is entirely represented as a potential future for me to look forward to and I have sat 100% ready to kill myself and the only thing stopping me was that I hadn't gotten that image onto a shirt yet.

Now I think you know well and good that I am not lazy and I am not Lord into sin because I go willingly with open eyes when I do and I don't linger long in hell, but I do sing and dance the entire time I'm there. And I hope you know by now that my trying to come up and make something of myself as an artist and my full intent to become a household name that makes everyone forget Lady Gaga is entirely fueled by my mission in life that I have had firmly since I was 6 years old.

The evolution of human consciousness. Evolution of human consciousness brings about world peace and ends suffering for all.

So I'm not even over here struggling and hustling for myself. And that's more true than ever now that I have all of my basic needs met. and I tell you I think that's what's making the difference.

The other thing making the difference is that the devil has tempted me many times with outlets and avenues that are not in alignment with highest good and are not benevolent collaborations and I have walked away from success and I have walked away from Fame and I have walked away from money over and over.

Cuz I tell you being a little girl at age 6 who knows she's God I just wanted to unknow more than anything and I wanted anything to prove me wrong so badly that everything that came before me and claimed to be above me, to be God, I stepped. I said prove I'm not God cuz one of us is mistaken and I'm still standing.

Creation is just making sure that I am who I say I am just like it should.

0 notes

ask-the-phan-site · 3 years

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Phan Cam: Phantom Force 5 (I prefer 12)

>The Hub underneath Vert’s garage. This place became our hideout thanks to Battle Force 5.

>I was walking in to find everyone just doing their thing, hanging out and getting to know each other. Then, I notice Oracle, Sophie, and Wayne with Sage, Sherman, and Tezz all surrounding a holographic computer screen. It looked like they were up to something.

And there we have it. Let’s try it.

Ready, Sophia?

I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.

Then let it rip!

>After pressing a few buttons, a light started flying around. Then... Sophie appears out of Oracle’s phone. Everyone saw this.

SUCCESS!

Holy shit! Is this for real!?

Sophia? Is that really you?

Sophie: Yes. In some form.

>Vesuvius puts his hand right through Sophie as if he was sticking his hand as if he was putting it through light which he was.

Un ologramma?

A hologram?

Pretty impressive, eh? Now she can be on the same level as the rest of us.

But only in the Hub. Outside, she can only go around in Cyberspace.

That’s a shame. But at least you can go around a bit on your own, Sophia chan.

Sophie: Thank you, Sumire san.

You should thank my little brother. I may have the looks, but he’s got the brains and brawn.

Unlike me who has all three.

Too bad one of them isn’t humility.

Stanford: Ah, now I’m just wounded.

I think you’re missing the bigger picture: Why did you make Sophia a holographic body?

Sherman: Believe it or not, Hub duty.

Hub duty?

Skull: But I thought you guys already collected all the Battle Keys.

Sage: The Multiverse is very large and almost infinite. My people my have created the Battle Keys, but we have made so many so long ago that we do not even remember how many we have created. Besides, it sounds like we might need someone here to monitor at a safe distance while the rest of you go on your mission to erase Sheriff Johnson’s distortion.

Queen: Why? We all usually go.

Sage: True. That is what I am told. However, I was also told that four of you usually fight enemies.

This is in case one of us falls and have to take their place.

Sage: I see. There is some logic in that. It is just that I was told that you also have vehicles. So, I have decided to upgrade them to make them more efficient in your mission. However, only five Sentient Chips can be used in a Battle Zone.

Yes, Vert told me. But Sage san, where we’re going isn’t a Battle Zone in the Multiverse, this is a Palace in the Metaverse which exists alongside Earth. So more than five chips can be used at once.

Tezz: This is true. We tested it with all seven of us and everything works fine.

>Tezz showed Sage their research.

Sage: I see. Very well, I think you could all use an upgrade.

Queen: I should let you know that only five of us drive.

Sage: I see. Now, can you please produce your vehicles so I may upgrade them?

Joker: About that.

>Me, Panther, Crow, and Wolf produce... our toy-sized cars from our pockets.

Crow: In the Metaverse, they are real cars, but in the real world, this is what we get. But I suppose your can upgrade our RV if you like.

Oracle: I don’t think Sojiro would be happy with that.

Panther: What about you, Ren? Don’t you have a car?

Joker: I do. But I couldn’t bring it with me since I’m so used to driving on the opposite side of the road. Even when I raced on Thanksgiving, I only came in 3rd Place.

Sage: Actually, I think we can work with this.

How so?

>Sage takes the toy cars and puts them under some kind of machine. Then, the cars suddenly get bigger until they were full size.

Oh my! And I thought Japan, Ant-Man, and the Atom were capable of that.

Sage: (after a little more scanning) It appears all the regular functions of the cars are in order... I guess that message I received the other day was right.

Joker: (curious) What message?

>Sage showed me a message on the screen. It talked about how if you change the cars’ sizes to full size, they would become real cars. However, the features they have in the Metaverse would not follow. The message ends saying that it was from “L”. At figures.

Sage: Now, please tell me which car is which?

Joker: My car is Phantom Flyer.

Mine’s Flaming Kitty.

Crow: Freedom’s Strike for me.

Wolf: And I’ve got Howling Silver.

Sage: Very well.

>Sage produces four triangle-shaped chips. One has an image of my mask, the second with Panther’s mask, the third with Crow’s mask, and the fourth with Wolf’s mask. Then, some machines started working on making modifications on our cars. Suddenly, some cable-like things came down on me, Panther, Crow, and Wolf.

Wolf: (fussing) Whoa, whoa, whoa! I know what those things are for and you are outta your minds!

Sage: You mean the designing of your Shocksuit? They are for withstanding high-impact G-force that is considered fatal.

Wolf: Trust me, lady, I’m still getting used to my thief’s outfit. There is no way you’re putting me in one of those ridiculous uniforms.

Joker: Actually, when I think about it, you might look good in a Shocksuit.

He’s right. You would looks almost as dashing as I am when I first got mine. Besides, it’s for your own safety.

Wolf: I understand why I have to wear it. It’s just that it reminds me a little too much of the man I used to be before I gained my Persona.

I didn’t think the Prefectural Police or even Public Safety wore something like this.

Wolf: It’s complicated. But please, Sage san. I must insist on the suit.

Sage: Very well. I understand. But in case you change your mind, I have the suit saved in my databanks.

Wolf: Thank you.

Wise choice. You go with what works best for you... That, and even I wouldn’t be caught dead in something so tacky.

Vert: (chuckling) Is that so?

Taro: You know what I mean.

>And so, the machines begin upgrading our Phantom Thief vehicles and the cables scan us and begin zapping us into Shocksuits. When it was over, we saw that our cars were now upgraded and me, Panther, and Crow were now wearing Shocksuits.

>My Shocksuit is black with red accents, a metal number five on the right side of my chest, and a pair of matching goggle that look like the ones Vert has.

>Panther’s Shocksuit is red with pink and violet accents with the same five on the right side of her chest.

>Crow’s Shockuit is black and white with gold accents with the five on the right side of his chest.

>We have gained Shocksuit Costumes for me, Panther, and Crow.

Sage: To complete the upgrade, you must name your vehicles. But it looks like you already did that.

Wolf: Howling Silver.

Freedom’s Strike.

Flaming Kitty.

Phantom Flyer.

Skull: (a bit envious) Dude, I totally wish I had my license now.

You’ll get it soon enough with a few more lessons... Just make sure you don’t drive wildly backwards at the beginning.

Skull: (caught up) For real?

Krakatoa: Just being honest.

Sage: It appears that there is one more chip here and I was told that five of you are the best drivers.

Queen: That would be me, but I don’t have a car and I don’t think your chips can upgrade a Persona.

What about this motorcycle here?

Fox: Ren’s motorcycle? I guess that would work, but who would drive it?

Mona: I can do it! I’ve been watching Joker ride it so many times, I’ve learned how. Besides, this would finally get Lady Ann to like me.

Panther: (unimpressed) Next!

Stanford: (smirking) Better luck next time, Kitty.

I have a license. Can I drive it?

Phantom Thieves: NO!!!

>The Scorchers and Battle Force 5 just stared in confusion.

Queen: (nervous and quickly) What we mean is, we might need you as a back-up driver in case I’m unable to drive Mona.

Haru: ...

Alright, that makes sense.

You owe me big, Queen.

Taro: I have already thought of someone who is best qualified to drive the motorcycle.

>Taro turns his eyes... to Fox.

Me?

Skull: You do remember our story 'bout all of us drivin', right?

Taro: I know I he told me that his true talents lie in his art, but if he has been with Ren most of the times on his motorcycle as much as Morgana has, Yusuke might know how to ride it. It will take a lot time to teach him, and I do mean a lot of time, I know I can do it. I have driven motorcycles before.

Fox: You would teach me?

Taro: Consider it part of our deal. I’ll especially teach Yusuke how to ride a motorcycle.

Joker: And in return, we help you reopen Highway 35.

Spinner: We already tried that using the Battle Keys.

Sage: However, the Battle Keys only go to the Battle Zones they are connected to. Sentient Tech and Acceleron Tech are much too different. Unless we can get ahold of some Acceleron Tech and Dr. Peter Tezla’s research, there is not much we can do.

I don’t know about Tezla’s research... But I do have some Acceleron Tech.

Vert: (shocked) You what!?

Taro: Why didn’t you tell us before?

Harrison: Because I was afraid that it wouldn’t work. During that time when I betrayed you guys to join Clyp, I got my hands on some. But I left before they went down without ever learning what it does. But after learning this, maybe I should have said something.

Taro: Yes, you should. But, you had your reason and it was probably a good thing. You know little of how the tech works, but now that we have a little more help, we might have a way to get it to work.

Sage: I suppose we can. Do you have the Accelron Tech?

Harrison: Naw, it’s back at our hangout in L.A. But Everest’s girlfriend has a spare key.

He’s right. I can call her and tell her to mail it to us. It won’t be easy. How do you get alien tech through the mail without alerting the Plumbers, S.H.I.E.L.D., or even the Avengers?

Skull: Leave the Avengers to me. Or rather, my little brother. He knows 'em personally.

Crow: I’ll call Peter to see if he can help, too.

Spinner: How can they help? And how does your little brother know the Avengers?

Let’s just say, he’s not all hot air.

Sage: That just about covers the Acceleron Tech, but we still need Dr. Tezla’s research.

Taro: The only place we could think that he kept it was his old computer in the Cube. But it was destroyed with it and Tezla took what he memorized with him to the grave.

?? ????????: Actually, I think I can help with that.

>We all turn to see Mr. Wheeler coming in.

Vert: You know something, Pop?

Well, there’s something I probably should have told you. I didn’t say so before because, now that I’m no longer a Silencer, telling you could put you and your friends in danger.

Vert: I think we’re capable of taking care of ourselves from the Silencerz, Dad. You can tell us.

Mr. Wheeler: Alright... The Silencerz have Tezla’s research.

Everyone: (shocked) WHAT!?

Mr. Wheeler: Before Tezla’s Cube and computer was destroyed, Gig made a copy of the research in his memory banks and sent it to the Silencerz. The reason Tezla didn’t make a back-up of it is because he fully committed it to memory.

Vert: I see. He wanted to make sure that the secrets of Highway 35 die with him so Clyp or some other evil organization would take advantage of them.

Taro: Major- Do you still go by Major.

Mr. Wheeler: I left the Force a long time ago. You all can call me Jack for all I care.

Taro: Alright then, Jack, where is the research now?

Jack: Still saved in the Silencerz’ databanks. But since I’m not with them anymore, I can’t just ask them to let me look at them, never mind borrowing them... Even Banjee can’t help us.

Vert: I see. I would have thought that even after you left, you would still have some privileges.

Jack: It’s just our team’s policy. I’m just lucky they didn’t wipe my mind so I wouldn’t be telling you all this... Though, I’m sorry that they did wipe yours.

Vert: I’m still a little ticked off about that, but I knew why you had to do it. But thanks to Sage, I got those memories back.

Queen: Hold on a second. What do you mean by “privileges”?

Jack: That... is another story for another time. But I’m telling you, getting that research now is impossible. Even a skilled hacker can’t get into their databanks.

Until now.

Jack: (a bit surprised) You?

Vert: No offense, Futaba, but you heard my dad. Even a skilled hacker like yourself would have a hard time getting in.

Mona: That’s because they never had to deal with a hacker like Futaba before.

Tezz: (a bit skeptical) Really? How so?

Oracle: Ever heard of Medjed? You’re looking at the original founder.

Tezz: (shocked, which is a surprised to us) You!? You’re Medjed?

Oracle: You bet. But that was a long time ago. I’m Alibaba now. And I think I know how to solve this problem.

Sherman: How so?

Oracle: Jack said even a skilled hacker can’t hack into the Silencerz’ mainframe. But what about hackers plural.

Jack: You mean, more than one hacker?

Oracle: I think the mainframe can only be protected from one hacker at a time. But if more than one comes in, we might have a chance. Kinda reminds me of that movie, Hackers Jackers.

Jack: Well, even if you could get in, there’s still the failsafe. Any file in their databanks that you hack into will delete itself 10 minutes later. Not enough time to read or copy all of it.

Oracle: You never know until you try.

Jack: Well, I suppose.

Oracle: Good. I’ll just get into contact with of my hacker friends and see if we can come up with a plan.

Sherman: I hope you do. Actually, me and Spinner have a cousin who might help... But I think it can wait until after we’ve done this heist.

Sage: Now, if we may proceed.

>The chip suddenly now has Fox’s mask on it. She activates it and the motorcycle gets upgraded as Fox is dressed in a Shocksuit that is blue and white with red accents and the five on the right side of his chest.

Sage: To complete the upgrade, you must name your vehicle.

Oracle: Well, this is Inari we're talking about, the obvious choice would be the Inari Special.

Panther: That sounds like something out of a 60s cartoon.

Fox: I think I have an idea on what to call it.

Joker: What’s that?

Fox Wheel.

Skull: Goin’ with somethin’ simple and right to the point. I guess that works.

I like it. It suits you.

>Fox smiles happily.

Sage: So be it. From this moment on, you shall be known as... Phantom Force 5.

Joker: That’s a great name, Sage... However...

I prefer 12.

Sage: Why is that?

Joker: Sage, twelve of us make up the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. More if you count the Reserved Team. If you want five of us, you get all of us.

Tezz: He has a point. We’re called Battle Force 5, and yet there are seven of us. Sure, you were just counting cars that go into the Battle Zone, but still, you can’t deny that we’re all here.

Sage: Understandable. Since Ren is the leader, he may name his team.

Joker: Well, we all still technically called the Phantom Thieves and we’re not about to change our name, so I guess we can go by Phantom Force 5 for now.

Fox: I just hope I can handle this.

Joker: You’ll do fine. I’ll be there to help.

Taro: And me. I know it maybe to late to the the father you need, but I can still help you as a good friend can.

>Me and Fox can sense Taro’s sincerity.

Rank Up!

Confidant: Taro Kitano

Arcana: Force

Rank: 3

Ability: Fox Wheel

Fox now has a vehicle that and can ride. Also increases chance of enemies being Down after a successful ambush.

>We gained a Shocksuit for Fox.

Jet: (confused) Hold on. Seven? I thought there were eight. Where’s that ice guy who’s usually with you?

>Battle Force 5 suddenly begins to look grim. Particularly Vert and Tezz.

Taro: I think we should focus on the heist.

Jet: Right, sorry.

Vert: It’s okay.

Tezz: (looking down) Почему он должен был принести его? Спустя все это время все еще тяжело.

>We were returning to what we were doing... when I thought I heard a magical swirling sound... Something tells me there’s more to this than what we’re told.

>To be continued...

#phantom thieves cam

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shuakkinda-blog · 7 years

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Vernon crushing on you !! // scenario

a bullet-point scenario featuring the legendary meme, Vernon/Chwe Hansol !!

Send in requests for scenarios and reactions on my page if you’d like to :)

- Hansol yall

- this guy is a literal dork but he doesn’t always show it

- on stage he’s kinda cautious and uptight

- but he’s suuuper funny and genuine off stage

- and I guess he’s kinda like this when it comes to his crushes

- he’ll be super serious at first

- but once his crush breaks the ice for good

- she better get ready for a shit ton of moments with

- not just vernon

- but with our legendary memesol too ;)

- ENOUGH OF THE INTRO NONSENSE, ON WITH THE SCENARIO !!

- you’ve been an intern at pledis for a couple of months now

- and during those months you found this one svt member that you really really really click with:

- PPU PPU BOO SEUNGKWAN

- you love his sass and he loves how you react to it

- the conversations you guys have are just so interesting too, and they’re nEVER quiet

- he’s practically screaming and making a fool out of himself whenever he’s with you because he loves hearing you laugh

- Seungkwan is so full of energy whenever he’s around you like

- he’d be practicing a extremely difficult dance in the practice room with the rest of svt and feel like he’d rather die than get the moves right

- but then you’d walk in and Seungkwan would spring from the dead like

- “HEY GUYS GET UP WHY ARE WE SO TIRED LET’S JUST DANCE THIS BS BECAUSE WE CAN C’MON NOW!1!!1!!!!” IJE WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKEE UP

- and the rest of svt would groan and want to slap the shit out of him for interrupting their much-needed break

- anyways, knowing how much !positivity! and !motivation! you guys bring into each other’s days, the two of you choose to hang out often

- and a lot of his fellow group members would think it’s because Seungkwan is crushing on you

- but it’s not that

- it’s just one of those super duper close bff connections ykno

- your amazing friendship with Seungkwan is probably one of the best things you’re getting out of the internship

- ONE of them, just wait ;)

- and although you know that the other svt members find Seungkwan’s attitude is 5x more annoying when he’s with you

- you didn’t know your friendship was really starting to bother a particular member:

- “Hansolieeeee~” Seungkwan comes barging into the practice room to see Vernon sitting by himself on the floor, back leaning against the wall mirror

- “mm?” Vernon hums but doesn’t look up from his phone. He knows the loud voice can only be Seungkwan’s

- “wanna go get some bubble tea? Like right now?” Seungkwan grins widely, but his positive gesture is met with a dull response

- “I don’t know,” Vernon’s eyes are still glued to his phone

- “come on,” Seungkwan pulls on one of Vernon’s arms. “It’ll be fun because-”

- “y/n will be there, I know,” Vernon huffs

- “you never hang out with us,” Seungkwan pouts. “Why can’t you just give today a chance?”

- “you go have fun with your little crush. I’ll be here,” Vernon says coldly

- “HANSOL, FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON’T LIKE HER LIKE THAT,” Seungkwan gets defensive

- “and you’re my best friend. I can’t just leave you here like this...” he looks down in guilt

- “well then go have fun with your new best friend then,” Vernon says as his eyes avoid Seungkwan

- (now a lot of us would expect Boo to get offended by this statement and sass the living shit out of Vernon)

- (but nah)

- (in fAct)

- Seungkwan snickers. “Is my best friend... jealous?”

- “I’m not, I just...” Vernon struggles to make up an excuse

- “HAH YOU’RE SO CUTE, JEALOUS OF SOME GIRL HUH...?” Seungkwan collapses and rolls on the floor, dying of laughter

- Vernon doesn’t respond and keeps busy on his phone

- “okay okay, I’m sorry,” Seungkwan collects himself again. “But for real, I can’t replace someone like you. Ever. You’ll always be my best friend, and no other person can say otherwise.” VERKWAN FEELS YO

- “just please, I’d love to hang out with the two of you guys. I think you’ll get along well... I mean there’s gotta be a reason why I’m so close to both you,” Seungkwan justifies

- Vernon contemplates for a long moment

- “... okay,” he says hesitantly

- “AYYAYAY OMG OKAY LET’S GO LIKE RIGHT NOW BC Y/N IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE BUILDING AND I DON’T WANT TO MAKE HER WAIT SO LONG,” Seungkwan screeches says excitedly as he pulls Vernon off of the floor and onto his feet

- Vernon smiles as he gets dragged out of the building

- and upon arriving at the building’s entrance, he sees you casually waiting on your phone

- while keeping quiet, Seungkwan pushes Vernon closer to you, making you look up

- “uh hello, I’m Vernon,” Vernon smiles plainly at you

- “oh come on,” Seungkwan lightly punches Vernon. “She knows you and you know him. Don’t act awkward like that.”

- “call him Hansol if you want,” Seungkwan looks to you and pats his original bestie. “He’s usually not like this, so please forgive him, y/n.”

- “ah okay,” you smile. “Nice to finally hang out with you today! Seungkwan has told me a lot about you.”

- “same here,” Vernon replies and his smile grows a little. He points to Seungkwan “This guy just doesn’t know how to shut up when he’s talking about you sometimes,” he says as he nudges Boo in the gut

- you laugh. “I think he just needs to learn how to control himself in general,” you respond

- “ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, let’s not gang up against me so soon,” Seungkwan comes in between you and Vernon to link arms with the both of you. All three of you start heading over to the bubble tea cafe

- and during your trio date

- it’s pretty awkward at first

- but then you bring up something dumb or embarrassing that Seungkwan has done before

- and Vernon would be like

- “oh my god I thought I was the only one who saw him do that before.”

- “yeah I know, I can’t believe he actually sneaks his plush toys to the company building everyday. I always catch him talking to them when he’s alone. It’s hilarious.”

- “I know, right?” Vernon would laugh. “You know there was this one time he-”

- “OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH,” Seungkwan would have to shut up the both of you before he can be insulted any further

- and for the rest of the time at the cafe, you and Vernon are just snickering at each other every time Seungkwan tries to change the subject from something he can’t/doesn’t want to talk about lmao

- overall the bubble tea date turns out to be a great time

- while Seungkwan goes to use the restroom, Vernon leans over to your side of the table and asks

- “hey, if you ever need some more Seungkwan blackmail, I gotchu.”

- you shake your head and laugh. “I could definitely use some of those.”

- “yeah, if you give me your number, I can send you a few right now if you want,” Vernon smiles and holds out a hand, which you place your phone in

- as he’s entering his contact info into your phone, you spot Seungkwan returning from the restroom

- “hurry hurry,” you lean over to Vernon. “He’s cominG.”

- “okay, aaaaand done,” he smiles as he finishes up filling out his profile

- he quickly slides your phone back to you before Seungkwan can spot the suspicious activity

- on the way back to the company building, you and Vernon are separated by Seungkwan once again

- but as Boo chats away, you send your new friend a text

- you: “now would be a great time to send some blackmail, don’t you think?”

- upon receiving the text, Vernon looks to you, then to Seungkwan, then back to you

- a huge smile flashes across his face and he begins typing away at the keyboard

- Vernon: “you right” “hold up”

- Vernon: <img231>

- OH MY GOD this is g o l d, you think to yourself as you try to hold back the laughter

- you: “YO I DIDN’T THINK THEY WOULD BE THIS GOOD”

- Vernon: “like I said, I gotchuu”

- Vernon: <img257>

- and the two of you silently laugh at each other as the blackmail keeps rolling into your phone

- until

- Vernon: <img47747>

- Vernon: “WAIT NO I DIDN’T MEAN TO SEND YOU THAT ONE”

- you check the image and

(pic creds to topsy.one)

- you: “... I think this picture beat all of the Seungkwan ones”

- “HEY,” Vernon accidentally responds aloud. An embarrassed smile spreads across his face

- Seungkwan turns to the both of you

- oh shit, you and Vernon think simultaneously

- silence sets in for a moment

- “... ANYWAYS,” Boo continues his conversation with himself

- Vernon looks to you and silently wipes his forehead, mouthing the words “phew”

- you sigh in relief

- Vernon: “my bad omg”

- you: “it’s okay Seungkwan won’t suspect anything this early on”

- you: “he’s super oblivious to everything when he’s on chat mode”

- Vernon: “damn it’s like you’ve known Seungkwan for as long as I have lol”

- you: “lmao I think he’s just super predictable”

- Vernon: “naw, comprehending Seungkwan takes talent”

- Vernon: “and lots of patience”

- and the two of you kinda start of your meme friendship from there how beautiful :’)

- Over time, you guys text more, and then texting leads to talking irl, and then meeting up a few times a week

- and it just comes to the point where the both of y’all are practically ditching Seungkwan for your own hangouts lol sorry boo

- the both of you become so comfortable with each other to the point you can freely unleash your inNER MEME SELVES and it’s gREAT LMAO

- all you guys do together is secretly take pictures of other people around the building and make memes out of them I’m so mean I’m sorrY PLEDIS

- and on most days you’d snap pictures of each other and text them as end-of-the-day (aka i-kind-of-miss-you) messages aw

- one day, Vernon’s gonna be hanging out with you and trying to take pictures of you off-guard without catching your attention

- he wouldn’t check them until the end of the day, when the both of you text each other for your nightly meme exchange is that even a thing?? o o p s

- he’d look through what he managed to capture from earlier

- but

- all of the pictures he took of you

- they’re not off-guards

- they’re bomb ass candid photos

- you’re smiling, laughing, looking at him, just being super genuine in the moment

- and Vernon just thinks:

- why is she so... perfect?

- he smiles as he swipes through the pictures over and over again

- but then another thought hits him:

- do I like y/n?

- also:

- shit what am I supposed to send her today?

- then a text notification comes in

- you: “hey where’s the daily dose of my memeself??”

- Vernon: “uhhh... none today, sorryyyyyy”

- you: “wth did you not take any?”

- you: “whatever I have shit load of memesol from today anyways. ENJOY <3″

- and as you’re sending the pictures you took of him that day, Vernon isn’t even checking any of them

- he’s looking through all of your photos again and griNNING LIKE THE CUTEST KID OMG

- Oh god I do like her...

- wait what the hell am I supposed to do no-

- “wHATCHU GRINNING AT THERE,” Seungkwan sticks his nose into Vernon’s buisness

- “n o TH In G,” Vernon’s eyes widen as he shifts away from Seungkwan and turns off his phone

- “I’m not dumb, Hansol. I saw you scrolling through those pics of y/n,” Seungkwan laughs at him

- “they’re just nice pictures, that’s all,” Vernon tries to cover it up but his blush gives it away

- “mmhmm, ‘nice pictures’ my ass,” Seungkwan isn’t buying it mY FAVORITE PART OF SEUNGKWAN IS...

- “and your smile isn’t like that all the time, I know you,” Boo adds. “It’s really cute right now, and that says a lot.” VERKWAN I TELL YOU

- “okay, fine. You caught me,” Vernon gives up. “But it’s not like anything is gonna change because I like her.”

- “actually,” Seungkwan clears his throat. “knowing you so well comes with the duty to inform you with all of the dumb things you’ll do that’ll make your crush obvious to y/n. May I?”

- “Oh my God,” Vernon smiles and rolls his eyes

- “Oh and by the way,” Seungkwan leans over to Vernon and whispers. “If you don’t make it obvious, I will.”

- “SeungkwaN.”

- “Okay fine, I’ll try not to,” Seungkwan replies. “AnYwAyS...”

- IT’S CRUSHING HABIT ASSESSMENT TIME WOOT !!

- Seungkwan’s right when he says that Vernon will be doing things that’ll make his crush obvious to you

- because for one, he’s gonna have to discontinue that end-of-the-day meme exchange because he’ll just be snapping really cute candid pics of you instead:

- you: “okay memesol, don’t disappoint me today”

- you: “where’s the y/n meme I’ve been waiting for?”

- Vernon: “sorry I ain’t doing that anymore”

- you: “wait really?”

- you: “bUT WHY?”

- Vernon: “Idk I haven’t been getting any memeable pics of you lately”

- you: “wdym? my natural look is an ugly meme”

- Vernon: “it’s not and that’s the problem”

- you: “... whatchu tryna say then, bud?”

- you: “WAIT A SECOND”

- Vernon: “gn dork”

- and although he may seem pretty calm about hinting here, he’ll probably slap himself in the face a couple of times for slipping up

- Vernon would also stop making jokes about you that insult your personality because whY would he insult something he loves so much about you?? do you hear me screaming?

- but don’t worry, meme time with memesol will still be fun because he’d still be willing to make a meme out of himself for you not like he has any control over that anyways lol

- also, he’d be super blushy whenever you guys have accidental skinship moments nkadbkadfbsd

- like even the slightest touch of your hand would trigger him, and he’s definitely one to stutter afterwards

- last crushing habit he’d have would be fuCk tOns of eye contact omg

- and it’s not just your casual, everyday eye contact

- I’m talking about the kind of eye contact that stares you down to the very core of your s o u l

- okay maybe not that deep, but Vernon’s eye contact with you would just be full of admiration

- trust me, he tries to pay attention to the conversation, but when he looks into your eyes, he gets so thrown off and it’s kinda of cute:

- “hellO, earth to hansOl???” you’d say and wave a hand in front of his face

- “ah, sorry, I was kinda-” Vernon scratches the back of his head

- *cue Vernon’s really shy smile that brings tears to every human*

- and sad enough, sometimes you’ll mistaken this constant staring for lack of interest and/or tiredness:

- “dude, are you alright?” you ask with a concerned face. “you seem kind of tired...”

- “aw no no I’m fine really. I’m just-” Vernon tries to snap out of his daze

- “hey, if you want to go relax or take a nap instead of hearing me blabber about nothing, I totally understand,” you explain. “Your schedule doesn’t always come easy, and I want you to rest if you need to.”

- “no y/n, really I’m fine. I love talking to you, and you know that. And even if I was tired, I’d still want to talk to you.”

- Vernon begins to blush and so do you

- “ah, I’m sorry if that didn’t come out the right way. But you get me, right?” he laughs nervously

- overall, Vernon is a pretty shy crusher, but he wouldn’t be any less of a meme for you while he’s crushing so don’t worry

- now when it comes to confessing, this guy would want to make it short, simple, and all planned out in his head

- but hey, that’s probably not gonna happen because we caN’t forget about Seungkwan in this equation !!1!1!1!1

- so one day you’re eating dinner with verkwan peacefully when all of a sudden

- “it took me awhile to realize that you guys have been hANGING OUT WITHOUT ME FOR SOME TIME NOW,” Seungkwan bursts his bubble. “CARE TO EXPLAIN?”

- “uhh... you’ve just been really busy I guess?” Vernon shrugs

- “Hansol, wtf we have the same exact schedule for god’s sake,” Seungkwan snaps

- “I think it’s all the meme-ing we do,” you laugh and say in an attempt to save your side with Vernon

- “yeahh. We like to play around with memes a lot and we just thought... you know... you might not be too interested in all of it???” Vernon smiles timidly

- “mmhmm, suUUUuuure. Like anyone said I would rather hang out with myself than listen to you guys talk about memes all day,” Seungkwan says sarcastically and rolls his eyes

- before you could justify your point any further, Vernon’s phone rings

- “oh, sorry guys,” he gets up from his seat. “Let me just take this call.”

- you and Seungkwan watch Vernon leave the table and walk away

- and once he’s out of sight...

- “okay, y/n,” Seungkwan looks you dead in the face and leans closer from the other side of the table. “What’s the deal with you and Hansol?”

- “why? Are you jealous of our friendship or something?” you laugh at him

- Seungkwan shakes his head. “No no, I don’t have to worry about that because I know you can’t replace MY spot as his best friend. What I’m trying to ask is...”

- “... are you guys dating? BehiND my baCK?”

- your face goes red

- ofc you guys aren’t dating

- but the fact that Seungkwan is suspecting it makes you think about how suspicious your friendship with him looks

- do we really look like a couple?

- “w-what? No, what the hell, Seungkwan,” you try to cover up your flustered appearance

- “I mean,” Seungkwan scoffs. “If you two are gonna hang out without ME, there’s obviously gotta be something going on...”

- “It’s funny you think we’re dating because I don’t see any reason why he’d like me like that,” you say as you fake a smile and play around with your food.

- Seungkwan stares at you in silence for a moment

- and then he laughs

- hystererically

- like he’s about to fall of his seat

- “yo are you okay, Boo?” you ask the dying fellow

- “no no no, I just-” Seungkwan tries to catch his breath and wipes the tears from his eyes. “Oh my god, y/n.”

- “what’s going on with you???” you say with concern

- “no, I should be asking you that question,” Seungkwan collects himself.

- “I don’t get it,” you reply

- “y/n, I hate to spoil it but how are you not picking up on Vernon’s obvious crush on you? What is going on with you?” Seungkwan smiles widely

- your face lights up at Seungkwan’s words

- does he... really like me?

- “Are you being serious right now?” you ask for reassurance

- Seungkwan sighs. “Hansol has been liking you for awhile now. And I know he really likes you because he doesn’t even talk to me about it. He tells me almost everything, but nothing when it comes to you.”

- “And that just tells me that you really mean something special to him.”

- “I mean pff, not as special as me but you know... pretty close,” Seungkwan fakes a hair flip

- you shake your head. “I don’t want to believe you,”

- Seungkwan’s eyes widen. “Wait why no-”

- “but for the record, I’ve definitely liked him for awhile,” you cut him off

- Seungkwan smiles but his face contorts at the sight of Vernon coming back. “Good to hear, but looks like your ‘boyfriend’ is walking back riGHT NOW, SO ACT NATURAL.”

- “SEUNGKWAN HE’S NOT MY BOY-”

- “Y/N SHUT UP HE IS- OH HEY HANSOL, WHAT’S UUUUP?” Seungkwan sweats nervously, but Vernon doesn’t suspect a thing

- so after the dinner at the restaurant, the three of you walk back to the company building so that you can head home to your apartment from there

- but the boys agree that it’s too dark outside for you to walk alone

- and of course Seungkwan, being the slick one out of the bunch, complains about one of his feet hurting and insists on staying behind at the company building actor kwan at his finest

- so it’s just you and Vernon walking together

- and although you guys usually talk comfortably

- the walk home was different

- no one says a word

- it’s pretty awkward

- the both of you are busy thinking

- “alright,” you say at the foot of your apartment building. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow like usual?”

- “yeah, that’s... that’s fine,” he rocks back and forth on his feet. “Like usual.”

- after exchanging “good night” greetings, you proceed to enter the building, but

- “I like you.”

- the words fall out of Vernon’s mouth quietly

- You turn around and see Vernon standing in place, but he’s staring at the ground

- “I don’t believe you,” you say

- “w-what?” Vernon looks up to you again

- “I said I don’t believe you,” you repeat yourself

- “what? Why not?” Vernon says in confusion

- you sigh

- “you would’ve looked me in the eye and told me so.”

- after processing your words, Vernon walks up to you with his eyes down.

- and after lifting his head up to see your eyes only inches away

- he tilts his head and presses his lips against yours

- and at that moment, you believed his words

- realizing how cheesy the moment is, you both giggle into your kiss

- the two of you say to yourselves...

- how did I fall for a dork like you?

#seventeen #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #seventeen reactions #seventeen vernon #vernon chwe #hansol vernon chwe #hansol

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