#ise cube writing

[barry-j-blupjeans]

"Listen," Taako said, kicking his feet up on the Director's desk. "Cha'boy needs to live somewhere else."

"I'm… sorry?" the Director said. She looked like she had just woken up. Because she did. Whoops. The concept of time and Taako didn't really agree with each other. If the best time to get his thoughts out was six in the goddamn morning, then who was Taako to reject that? Not after he spent all night with motherfucks he has to dorm with.

"Cha'boy," Taako repeated, slowly. "Needs. To live. Somewhere else."

"Can I-" the Director sighed, dropping her face into her hands. She inhaled. Rubbed at her temples. Looked back up with an expression Taako could only describe as deep and utter regret. "Do I even want to know why?"

"No," Taako said. "But I got a list, so hang onto your hat. Number one-" he leaned back in the chair, teetering on the back legs. "-I need my beauty sleep."

"Don't we all," the Director asked, deadpan.

"You'll be fine," Taako said. "But this look takes work, compadre. Do you think I just wake up looking like this?" The Director opened her mouth. "Don't answer that." The Director shut her mouth. "But I doubt Magnus even knows what an inside voice is and Merle doesn't understand the concept of closing his fucking bedroom door and I am so, so close to committing even more crimes against death."

"Taako…"

"Two," Taako said, holding up two fingers. "Merle and Magnus both, objectively, smell awful. Have you stood near Merle recently, Director?"

"I… can't say I have," the Director said. There was a deep look of worry on her face now.

"Good," Taako said. "'Cus it's bad. I think he just eats deodorant instead of actually putting it on. And number three-"

Taako considered. Being tired of having to sneak his boyfriend around probably wasn't a good excuse, considering the Director didn't know that one, said boyfriend existed, and two, that he was even on the moon in the first place. Or knew the moon wasn't, y'know, the moon. But man, it felt bad to end his list on two. That was pathetic. He at least needed a three.

"Number three," Taako began again. "I deserve it."

"You deserve it," the Director repeated dryly.

"Sure as hell do," Taako said. "Like, you deal with a weapon of mass destruction several times and you don't even get a sweet room upgrade? Do you even have a retention plan, Director?"

Yes. Score one for Taako. He was so good at this.

"I like to think that the agreement of not dying from said weapon of mass destruction is some pretty good retention for most people," the Director said, which, yeah, fair.

"But I'm Taako," Taako said.

"Yeah," the Director said. "And it's five in the fucking morning, Taako. What the hell do you want me to do about it?"

"I'll take a new room," Taako said, crossing his legs in a different direction. The Director slid some documents away from his feet. "And maybe like, a raise. Sound good?"

"Hm," the Director said. She squinted at him. Taako dropped the chair back down to all four legs. After a moment, she cleared her throat. "What month is it?"

"May-ish," Taako said. "Y'know, around there."

"Around there," the Director said, nodding. "Come back to me, uh- let's- let's say after midsummer. And we'll see what we can do."

"After midsummer," Taako said echoed. "Need I remind you that last midsummer, the entire sky kinda like, got fucked up with a buncha eyes? Remember that? That was a thing that happened."

"Rest assured that they will be dealt with this year if they so choose to return," the Director said.

"Somehow that's not really reassuring me," Taako said.

"It's part of the retention plan," the Director said. "Now if you could please get the fuck out of my office, that would be stellar."

#taako #lucretia #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #idk what this is but enjoy ig sldfsd

[ceilingfan5]

8 (What is the last scene you’ve written?) and 9 (What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?) for the wip asks ? thank u ! -ise

(wip ask game!!!)

so the youtube au got put on the shelf so i could write 90,000 words of cruise fic but i wanna get back to it!!! the last scene i had written was Kravitz getting home from work and debating whether he should snoop or mind his own beezwax  👀 

and you KNOW i love my dialogue so it's hard to choose but here's the first bit that made me smile scrollin thru:

“I’m not that grumpy, am I?” Kravitz frowns, the bussing bin on his hip. He looks at Magnus. Magnus looks right back at him, doing a stupid thing with his eyebrows. “God, whatever, maybe I am happy, fine.”

“Said like a true ungrumpy, normal aged man.”

Kravitz slams the bin down and loose ice cubes rattle.

“Go ahead, call me an octogenarian-”

“I’m not sure I can reclaim that,” Magnus says, with a shit-eating grin. 

“But I’m normal and feeling normal and everything is fine and regular-”

“Cause of the prunes? The prunes you eat? The prunes you eat every day, you grouchy, ancient, ancient motherfucker?” Magnus snickers.

#ask game #thank youuuuu

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette Drabble Eighteen: Meeting

“Phalanges…metatarsals…the one that’s the same as the ancient writing system….” Elise O’Leary bit her lip but then stopped when she realized it was messing up her lipstick.

Makeup would be furious if she got sent back to them…again.

It hit her: “Cuneiforms. Then…cube something…. Cuboid…calcaneus…talus…and one more.”

“—ise. Elise?”

Elise whipped around to see Marinette looking absolutely frazzled. “Sorry. I was trying to remember something. What did you say?”

“I said that Victoire is having a little trouble with her shoot. It will be at least twenty minutes before we’re ready for you, if you want to go sit down. I’ll come get you when it’s time,” Marinette informed, checking her notepad and beginning to chew on the inside of her cheek.

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

Marinette nodded and started on her way out of the dressing tent.

“Hey,” Elise called after her.

Marinette nearly tripped as she stopped and looked up. “Hm?”

“Are you okay, Sweetie?” Elise tentatively inquired. “You don’t look so great.”

Marinette put on a weary smile, trying to fake it. “I think Monsieur Agreste is trying to assassinate me,” she chuckled. “He expects a lot out of his interns…and I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. I had a fight with a friend that’s really weighing on me, so…” She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal.

Elise nodded. “Not…what was her name? …Alya?”

Marinette shook her head. “Another friend…. I hurt them pretty bad, so…”

“…I’m sorry,” Elise mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

Marinette attempted another brave smile. “I have to go, but thanks for asking, Elise.” She waved as she turned and strode out of the tent with purpose.

Elise sighed and pulled off her shoe to look down at her foot where she had labeled the bones to help her study for her test on Tuesday. “Navicular,” she read. “Navicular. That was it. That was the one I missed.”

She looked to the side at her reflection in the mirror and blew out a frustrated puff of air. Did she really need to be able to name all of the bones in the foot to be a good pediatrician? Probably not, but she did need to be able to pass her test to maintain her grades and keep her scholarship.

With another sigh and a toss of her long, auburn hair, Elise made her way outside with the intention of watching Victoire’s portion of the shoot.

Plans changed, however, when she spotted a familiar blonde boy some ways away on the periphery of the park, leaning against the trunk of one of the trees in the corner by the playground, surreptitiously watching the photoshoot from afar.

Elise bit her lip, momentarily weighing the pros and cons before deciding on “screw it”.

Adrien didn’t even seem to notice her approach, he was so absorbed in the action. An obvious look of longing was plastered on his face. Coupled with his intermittent sighs, it was easy for Elise to diagnose lovesickness…and that was interesting.

Before they had started dating, Adrien told her that he was already in love with someone else whom he was trying to get over, and when he’d broken up with Elise, he’d admitted that he was still so far gone on the other girl that he wasn’t able to be in a relationship with her. Now, either Adrien had gotten over the one girl and fallen hard for another in the month since he and Elise had broken up, or the girl Adrien was stuck on was present at the photoshoot.

That was very interesting.

Elise looked back at the shoot, taking in Victoire trying to look fresh and full of vitality when she was so obviously hung over. Victoire was twenty-six and probably not the object of Adrien’s affections.

Eponine, a cute blonde of nineteen, was leaning against the fence encircling the park with twenty-year-old Coralie who was twirling a long strand of her brunette wig round and round her finger. Both girls were nice enough. Coralie was a bit of an airhead that Elise couldn’t really see Adrien interested in, and Eponine mostly concerned herself with yoga, manicures, and jocks. While by no means dumb, Eponine was a little too shallow for Adrien.

That left Simone with her dirty blonde hair and her big brown eyes. She was witty and well-read. A little quiet but nice once you got her talking. She could possibly be Adrien’s type.

Elise looked back and forth between Adrien and Simone.

Yes. It definitely seemed that Adrien was gazing wistfully in the direction of where Simone was having her outfit straightened and fussed over by a very harried looking Marinette.

…Marinette.

Marinette whom Adrien talked about constantly. Marinette whom Adrien always spent his time with. Marinette, Adrien’s very best friend.

“Oh,” Elise gasped as many things that had occurred during the month and a half she had dated Adrien took on new significance. All the times he already had plans “with a friend”…who suddenly wasn’t Nino. All of the times she’d caught him smiling at his phone over an incoming text…

It stung a bit, but knowing that it had been Marinette that Elise had lost out to made it more bearable. Marinette had gone out of her way to befriend Elise after she and Adrien started dating, and Marinette had always been there to talk and explain whenever Adrien did something frustrating or weird. Marinette had been a sort of “users’ manual”. Marinette had been unfailingly kind and supportive.

Marinette hadn’t known about Adrien’s feelings for her.

Maybe Marinette still didn’t know.

“Adrien?” Elise called.

Adrien jumped, head whipping around. His facial features did somersaults from surprise to terror to absolute panic as he registered her identity.

“E-Elise?!” he squeaked and then quickly cleared his throat to correct his pitch. “What are you doing here?”

The fear and mortification on his face were without price. Absolutely adorable.

“Working,” Elise chortled. “Some of us have to pay our own way through medical school, Candy Floss,” she teased, laughing harder as his face went crimson.

“S-Sorry,” Adrien choked.

“No worries,” she assured, coming to stand next to him.

He tensed.

She laughed. “Take it easy. I’m not going to bite you.”

Adrien did not lower his guard. “Sorry. It’s just…the last time I saw you…”

He had been breaking up with her.

“I just kind of expected you to hold a grudge or something. Not that I think you’re the type of person to hold a grudge,” he quickly backpedaled, waving his arms frantically, panic in his eyes. “I mean, I know what an awesome person you are, but—”

“—Adrien,” Elise did him the kindness of cutting him off. “Relax. We’re good.”

Still he squirmed. “…Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she stressed. “It’s been a month. I’ve moved on.”

“…Oh.” Adrien re-crossed his arms, looking back out at the photoshoot. “Good. That’s good. I…It kind of slipped my mind that other people do that. Move on…. I just thought you’d hate me because I was so horrible to you.”

Elise shrugged, flipping her waist-length red hair over her shoulder. “You weren’t that bad.”

Adrien shot her an incredulous look. “I was emotionally cheating on you for the entire duration of our relationship.”

Elise shrugged again. “And yet, you are not the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had. I’ve had guys physically cheat on me, and they didn’t feel bad about it. I’ve dated emotionally abusive guys before. I’ve dated guys who were only with me because they wanted to sleep with me. In the grand scheme of things, you being a total flake and always cancelling or forgetting about plans was annoying and at times hurtful, but… You told me you were in love with someone else that you were trying to get over. I thought you’d gradually fall for me and things would work out, but…”

Adrien looked away. “Sorry.”

Elise shook her head slowly. “I liked when you brought me flowers. I liked that you actually listened when I talked to you and seemed like you cared about what I had to say. I liked that you felt bad about lying to me. I liked that you brought me candy when you felt bad about lying to me. Adrien, I kind of knew that things weren’t working after three weeks of dating you. It was stupid of me to hold out hoping you’d change.”

“I’m still sorry I dragged you into my quarter-life crisis,” Adrien sighed.

“Don’t be,” she chuckled, cheerily informing, “Dating you increased my public visibility and made marketing myself easier. I’ve gotten a lot more job offers since I started dating you.”

Adrien gave an ironic snort at that, a tentative smile starting to peek through his apprehension. “Well, at least things worked out for one of us.”

The mirth slowly drained out of Elise as she frowned in concern. “Things not going well for you, Candy Floss?”

Adrien shook his head. “I’m kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel.” He glanced back to where Marinette was straightening Coralie’s wig.

Elise looked too, pursing her lips. “Things aren’t going well with Marinette?”

Adrien jumped, terror coming back onto his face. “W-What?”

“She’s the girl you’re in love with, isn’t she?” Elise smiled hesitantly.

Adrien stared abashedly, his mouth hanging open. “How…?”

“Deductive reasoning,” Elise confessed. “I saw you watching the shoot and looking like a lovesick puppy, so I figured you had either magically managed to fall in love with someone else or that the girl you were in love with was one of the models or staff. It made sense that it was Marinette.”

“Yeah,” Adrien sighed miserably. “It makes so much sense that it’s Marinette.”

“You should tell her how you feel,” Elise urged, giving Adrien’s arm a playful nudge. “You two are such close friends, I bet it would be an easy transition to dating.”

Adrien paled. “Elise—”

“—No, seriously,” she insisted. “Marinette adores you. We used to talk about you all the time when you and I were dating, and she always stood up for you and really seemed to understand you. She already loves you; I bet she could fall in love with you if given a little push. Come on. I’ll totally be your wingman.”

“Elise,” Adrien groaned softly. “Thank you. I appreciate it, but things are really, really complicated with Marinette right now.”

Elise rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you want to languish in love with her when you two could be happy, that’s none of my business, Candy Floss. Go ahead and wait until you’re ready, but, in the meantime…” She grabbed his wrist and started pulling him closer to the shoot. “at least come say hi.”

“W-What?” Adrien tripped forward after Elise. “N-No! No, no, no. Elise!”

She’d gotten him several meters before he regained his balance enough to dig his heels in.

“You don’t understand. I can’t—”

“—Hey, M&M!” Elise shouted, waving.

Marinette looked up and froze, alarm and guilt seizing her as she caught sight of Adrien.

Plagg pinched Adrien in an attempt to remind his chosen to breathe, and the only thing that kept Adrien on his feet was the intense need to look dignified in front of Marinette.

Elise missed the cues completely and called out again. “Marinette, come over here a second. Look who came to say hi!”

Marinette briefly debated telling Elise she was too busy to talk, but the anxious look on Adrien’s face gave her pause. If Marinette made excuses, it might seem dismissive and make Adrien feel rejected. As much as Marinette really couldn’t handle Adrien right at that moment, she also couldn’t hurt him by walking away. She didn’t want to hurt him again. She’d already done enough.

Tucking a stray bang back behind her ear, Marinette resolutely made her way over to Adrien and Elise. “H-Hello,” she greeted shyly.

“H-Hi,” Adrien managed in a very small, fragile voice. He cleared his throat. “Hi, Marinette.”

Elise frowned.

Marinette bit her lip and glanced off to the side. “So…what brings you here, Adrien?” She had meant it to sound friendly and polite, as if she were interested in learning what he was up to, but it came out a little tense because of her nerves, and it ended up sounding accusatory.

“I am so sorry,” Adrien whispered contritely, rushing to get the words out. “I didn’t mean—I was never going to talk to you. You weren’t supposed to know I was here. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work, and I’m really sorry about this. I know you told me not to text or call or talk to you, and I swear I wasn’t going to. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just—”

“—Marinette, Adrien, I am so sorry,” Elise interrupted, and both parties turned to gawk at her in confusion.

“Marinette, I’m the one who invited Adrien,” Elise explained, trying to undo the damage she had unknowingly caused.

A nonplussed frown slowly formed on Marinette’s face. “You did?”

“Yes,” Elise insisted. “We were going to get coffee together, so I asked him to meet me here so we could go after the shoot.”

Marinette balked at this. “What?! Are…Are you two…getting back together or something?”

Elise laughed heartily. “No. Absolutely not. We just ran into each other and decided we wanted to try to reconnect as friends. So…coffee.” Elise shrugged by way of explanation. “But I told him the wrong time on purpose so that he’d show up during the shoot and see me all dolled up. You know. Just a little harmless revenge. Show him what he’s missing out on.”

Marinette nodded, slowly processing Elise’s words. “Oh. Okay. That makes sense.”

“I’m so sorry, M&M.” Elise reached out and clasped the hand in which Marinette was not currently gripping her notepad. “I had no idea that this was going to be a problem. I never would have done something like this if I had known.”

“No, Elise,” Marinette assured, giving the older girl’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. It’s no one’s fault.” Marinette tentatively turned to Adrien who sucked in a sharp breath. “Adrien, I’m really glad that you’re making plans with friends.” She hesitated, wondering if it would help or hurt before she added, “I’ve been really worried.”

Adrien blushed, nervously fingering the bruise hidden under his scarf. “Thanks. Um…speaking of making plans with friends…” He knew the answer was no even before he asked, but… “It’s Saturday. I know we skipped last week for obvious reasons, but…would you want to get Chinese and watch anime tonight, or…?”

Marinette winced, and Adrien regretted saying anything. She looked down at her shoes as she kicked at the dirt. She shook her head sadly.

“Th-That’s okay,” he rushed to assure, spiting out the lie as fast as he could. “I mean, I figured, but…maybe…maybe next week?” he inquired hopefully.

Two weeks was enough “space”, right?

Marinette grimaced. “Adrien…probably not next week.”

“O-Oh.” Adrien’s throat felt dry. “That’s…Okay. Yeah. That’s…”

Adrien had expected this to blow over much, much sooner.

“…fine. I mean, let me know if you change your mind. I’m…” His tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth. “I’m always an option,” he whispered with a paste-on smile.

Marinette closed her eyes and took a measured breath. It looked as if his words had physically pierced one of her lungs.

“But if you don’t change your mind, I’ll still be free the Saturday after that, so…” he tried.

Marinette slowly shook her head, prying her damp eyes open to meet his. “Adrien? I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. Right now, I can’t tell you how long it’s going to take for things to go back to the way they were before. When I know, you’ll be the first person I tell, but…until then, I really need some space, okay?”

“You think this is going to take longer than three weeks?” Adrien squeaked in dismay.

Marinette shook her head more vehemently. “Adrien, I don’t know. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to sort out my thoughts and feelings. I’m sorry.”

Adrien wilted, whispering, “So am I.”

He never should have told her the truth. He should have kept his identity to himself.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Marinette whimpered.

It was the same thing Ladybug told Chat Noir every time before she said something she knew was going to hurt him.

“Noted,” Adrien mumbled. “So…I guess I’ll…not call you…and keep not texting you and not talking to you.”

“Please,” Marinette entreated. “…And keep making plans with your other friends instead.”

Adrien made a half-hearted noise of agreement directed down at their feet.

Marinette cleared her throat. “I have to go.”

Adrien’s gaze snapped up. The words “please stay” were on the tip of his tongue because even though she was telling him things he didn’t want to hear, at least she was talking to him…and she wouldn’t be talking to him again for upwards of two more weeks once she walked away.

She put on a brave, tired smile.

Now that he really looked at her, he realized that Marinette looked exhausted, that deep, bone-weariness that Adrien had been feeling lately.

They were in the same boat. She found this draining too. She didn’t really want to do this either.

He returned her smile with a melancholy yet hopeful one of his own. “Okay. Thanks for taking the time out to say hi.”

“Sure.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It was good to see you. It’s just your father is a bit of a slave driver, so I can’t chat for too long.”

“He’s really impressed by you,” Adrien hurriedly informed, stealing just a few more seconds with her. “He admires your work, and he wants to keep seeing you grow and succeed.”

Marinette stared at him speechlessly, and it was several beats before she found her voice. “Did he say that?”

Adrien shrugged. “More or less.”

A genuine smile finally broke through Marinette’s guilt and weariness. “Wow. Thank you.”

“You earned it,” he assured fondly, wishing they had more time. He’d sit with her and tell her about all the ways in which she was talented and worthy of praise and attention.

Adrien threw in one of his patented winks and did an internal victory dance as he watched her blush.

She still had feelings for him. Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything.

Marinette smiled bashfully, holding his gaze for a few electrically charged seconds before turning to Elise. “Seven minutes, okay?”

Elise nodded awkwardly.

“Have fun getting coffee.” Marinette gave a little finger wave as she turned to go.

Adrien waved back even though Marinette couldn’t see.

“Sorry for all the drama,” Adrien sighed to Elise as he watched Marinette walk away, unable to take his eyes off of her.

“Adrien, I am so sorry that happened,” Elise returned, feeling awful for what she’d unwittingly dragged him through.

Adrien shrugged. “It’s my fault for being somewhere I’m not supposed to be…. Thanks for covering for me being a creepy stalker, by the way. I swear I just…I wanted to see her. I haven’t seen her in forever. She’s avoiding me at school, and I’m not allowed to call or text or email or anything, so…I just wanted to see her and make sure she’s doing okay.”

He looked up tentatively. “Does it seem like she’s doing okay?”

Elise bit her lip but then caught herself and stopped before she could mess up her lipstick. “No. I just asked her today, since she’s looked a little run down this past week, and it sounds like she’s pretty torn up over…whatever happened with you.”

Adrien frowned. Part of him was glad he wasn’t the only one suffering, but a bigger part deeply regretted that he had brought this upon his Lady. He knew how wrecked he was feeling, and he didn’t want to drag her down with him.

“I told her I loved her. Like, three weeks ago. I kissed her and then I ran off and I avoided her for a week and a half because I didn’t have the spine to face her. Last week she cornered me, and we finally talked about it…and things blew up,” Adrien explained. “She has feelings for me too, but…apparently, I’m not emotionally stable enough to date, and there was this other guy she was interested in, but I kind of ruined her chances with him, so I think she’s disappointed in me, and…like I said, it’s really, really complicated.”

“Oh, Candy Floss,” Elise whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Adrien shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve done it all to myself. I haven’t really been thinking the past four months, and that’s gotten me into all this trouble…. I appreciate the sympathy, though.”

“…Adrien, would you actually want to go get coffee after this?” Elise tentatively proposed. “Marinette has to see us leave together so that the story appears to check out, but what’s to stop us from actually getting coffee? Unless you’re busy.”

“I…” Adrien considered the offer for a moment. “I don’t actually have anything to do. My father has cut my workload to practically nothing, and my friend group is a little compromised because of the Marinette situation, so…I could actually really use a friend, if you’re willing to hang out with a walking dumpster fire.”

“I’d be happy to spend time with you, Adrien,” Elise chuckled, giving Adrien a playful nudge.

#Adrienette #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Mikau's Writings #There's a Daisy

[beertengoku]

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA is a 6% American IPA from Ise Kadoya, based in Mie, Japan. It’s part of their limited edition range and was first released in November 2016. Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA, which is also known as Ise Kadoya Up² IPA, was brewed in collaboration with Uetake-san, famed ex-brewer from Coedo and currently brewing at Ushitora Brewery in Tochigi. It’s brewed with imported American Amarillo, Cascade, and Mosaic hops, with Uetake-san pushing “up” the brewing technique hence the name Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA. At the time of writing, it can be found in both bottles and on tap.

Looking good in the bottle.

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA Aroma and Taste

Having tried Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA both on tap and in bottle, it’s safe to say the bottled version is better than the draft. It’s not often I say that though with bars playing around with CO2 settings on a whim, it can mean a beer comes out too soft or too highly carbonated. The aroma of Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA in both bottles and tap had similar aromas of orange and citrus, with a light sweetness coming through but the appearance was the biggest difference. The bottled version was slightly more hazy and a darker golden-brown colour than the draft version I had at Cube Bar. The head lingered more on the bottled version though both faded to a slight half a finger or so in the end.

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA tasted much better out of the bottle than it did out of the tap – the bottled version was bitter but much smoother with its bitterness than compared to the tap version. However, neither version really pushed the boat out in terms of flavours – with a light sweetness from the malts coming through after a citrusy orange bite at first. Unfortunately, none of the citrus flavour lasted very long, with just the bitterness residing any longer. Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA finished off with a light crisp bite with the bottled version being slightly sharper than the draft version.

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA The Bottom Line

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA is solid American IPA that is better from the bottle than on tap I guess. However, neither really pushed the envelope in terms of flavours or style.

Where to Buy Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA

Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA can be bought online at the following places:

Ise Kadoya Online Store

World Beer Market

Goodbeer

What's up with this beer? Thankfully not a PPAP pun in sight in the review Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA by Ise Kadoya. #beer #japan #craftbeer Ise Kadoya Up Up IPA is a 6% American IPA from Ise Kadoya, based in Mie, Japan.

#American IPA #Mie Beer #Ise Kadoya #Kansai Beer #Limited Edition

[barry-j-blupjeans]

"A few people are becoming concerned about you." is not the way you want a conversation with your boss to go. But, if Magnus was being completely honest, Lucretia wasn't the most normal boss in the world. And he couldn't blame her, of course, what with the weapons of mass destruction and the memory-erasing jellyfish, and the— the everything. But still, it was not a conversation he was particularly jazzed about. Especially right now.

It was the middle of the night and he was in the quad, shirtless. He had been running, because he had too much going on in his head. The whole dying eleven times in Refuge thing was— Magnus didn't enjoy it. He didn't enjoy what the Red Robe said about the scroll he was given, or what was on the scroll when Magnus opened it, or that the Red Robe was actually looking out for them, and that the missions kept getting harder, or—

"I'm fine," Magnus said. Ooh, nat one on that bluff check. The Director— Lucretia— Lucretia gave him a look of deep and utter doubt. Magnus… had no defense.

"Wanna reroll?" she asked.

"No," Magnus said. "No, I mean— who's concerned?"

Lucretia had been quite the shock to see mid-run. Mid-run at midnight, nonetheless. And if Magnus had tried to punch her after being startled and she had whacked him on the head really bad with her staff— well, Magnus wouldn't tell if she didn't tell. And by the fact that he saw her physically sneaking past the HR office the other day, he had a pretty good feeling she wouldn't.

Maybe the hit had actually done a bit of damage, though, with the way this conversation was heading. Magnus felt a little light-headed. Not a good mid-run feeling.

"A few people," she said again, as if that helped any.

"Well, uh, tell 'em I'm— I'm doing great." Lucretia grimaced, as if she was embarrassed by his lie. "Okay, Luce, sure! What do you want out of me? I'm not— I'm not doing fantastic but I'm holding up pretty well. Comparatively."

Comparatively to other years, maybe? Minus all the death-related anxieties.

"One," Lucretia said. Her grimace hadn't faded just yet, but now it held a twist of something closer to discomfort. "Don't call me Luce, it's— it's the Director, or Madam Director—"

"You know I'm not gonna use those."

"I know," Lucretia sighed. "Two— it's just… well…" she paused. "I know talking about… past events can be— can be difficult, sometimes. But I…" she tapped her fingers against her staff. "I want to offer you my condolences. For Julia."

Magnus felt his stomach drop. Not— not in a bad way? Maybe? Maybe, actually, in a bad way, he didn't— he didn't know.

It had been six years. And last year had been bad but this year was— was—

Julia would have loved to be part of something like this. It was Magnus who was ready to settle down and live a little private life— what's the point of fighting for a life you'll never get to live, right? But Julia had been so full of life, so excited for whatever they'd do next, what would come after the Continental Craftsmen Showcase, how much prize money that she was sure he was going to bring home— and even then, they agreed on some peace. Neither of them were homebodies, but they needed a home for a little while.

And, for a little while, they had it. Until they didn't— until he didn't.

"Thank you," Magnus whispered, unable to get his voice any louder.

"It's hard," the Director said, leaning against her staff. "Having the people that you love just— just gone like that. Knowing you could have done something… Even though nothing you tried to do would be enough."

She trailed off, looking into the distance. She looked very much like the Director role in this moment. A woman who had truly seen too much. He was sure that the power dynamic between them was not the only reason why the Director kept a tight seal on her past.

"I—" Magnus paused, twisting his fingers up in his pockets. "You too?"

"Hm?" Lucretia blinked, as if she had forgotten he was there for a moment. "In— in a way, yes, I suppose. Not— not to compare our issues, of course, it's just— I get it, Magnus. It's— it's hard to lose everyone you love in one swoop. And we both know there's no way to change the past—"

"Except the Chalice," Magnus said.

"Except— yes, I suppose the Chalice is an exception, though it's not one worth the try. But for what it's worth, Magnus? I think Julia would be proud of you."

The weight in his chest lifted a bit in the way his run had not had the chance to do. Magnus sniffed.

"Thank you," he said. "I— you too."

Lucretia let out a shaky exhale.

"Thank you," she said, her voice a little watery. She cleared her throat. "I think it is time for both of us to get some rest. I'm sure I'll see you around some other regular, normal time." Magnus grinned. "Good night, Magnus."

"Night, Luce," he said, and she winced, but didn't correct him. He turned back toward the dorms, and she turned back toward her office. After a few paces, he heard he say,

"And Magnus?"

He turned to face her again.

"Yeah?"

"Don't—"

"Don't tell anyone about you hitting me in the head," Magnus said. "Yeah, I know."

"I was going to say "don't be a stranger" but that— that one, too, yes."

#magnus burnsides #lucretia #taz #taz balance #look ! lucretia is just so fun to write sdlkfsd and so is magnus #ise cube writing

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Barry was starting to wish he had bought a suitcase with a handlebar and wheels. Lup and Taako's apartment was on the third story up and, much like Lup had told him, the elevator was still in its constant state of disrepair. At the very least, a suitcase with a handlebar would be easier to lug up here. His back was already aching from the ride over (his body was not fit for airplane seats anymore) and this certainly wasn't helping.

But it'd be worth it. Tonight, for the first time ever, he and Lup would meet face-to-face. And Taako too. He was excited to see Taako. He had heard lots of good things about Taako. But he had never really talked to the guy outside of voice or video calls with him in the background and Barry- well, he had a soft spot for Lup.

That's what he told Magnus, at least, when he bought the plane ticket. Leaving Magnus to housesit didn't seem like a great plan, but Barry had no one else to turn to. Asking his coworkers felt weird and approaching any of his neighbors with the idea seemed even worse. Magnus, at the very least, was capable of fixing anything he broke. Probably. And was willing to do it for free as long as he was allowed to bring his dogs with him (he was, but Barry was very much hoping he didn't have to clean dog slobber off anything when he got back).

Magnus had seemed… uncertain about his plan. Flying halfway across the country without telling the other person you'd be there was, admittedly, not always a good idea. But Barry had planned this through. He and Lup had talked a lot about meeting up one day. What they'd want to do together, where they'd go, the plans they had. She offered to let him crash on the couch and Barry was 100% okay with that. It saved on hotel costs, at least.

And Lup loved surprises! Most of the time! Lup loved the surprises that Barry came up with, at least.

Barry paused at the third story, leaning against the wall to try to get his breathing under control. He had tried to only pack essentials, but that had quickly turned into "oh, I wanna show Lup this thing in person" and, "oh, Lup wanted to have this but I forgot to mail it to her", and "oh, Lup would-", et cetera, et cetera.

After a minute, he finally got his breathing under control. He straightened up and his back popped in at least four different places. Pathetically, he started dragging his suitcase down the hall. 310, 311, 312…

113. Lup and Taako's apartment.

Barry knocked before he could start overthinking it.

Lup would be happy to see him, right? Right. Definitely. She was cool like that.

Seconds ticked by. Barry fanned himself, suddenly feeling too hot. It was from bringing the suitcase up, that's all. He wasn't nervous. He lov- he liked Lup a lot and he wanted to make a good first impression. Second impression? He wasn't sure what it was when you've been talking to someone for years but have only just now seen them in real life.

It must have been a full minute by now. Barry raised his hand, trying to figure out if it'd be a good idea to knock again, but the door opened before he could make up his mind.

It was Taako. All of his opening plans came crashing to a halt. He opened his mouth and just kind of made a strangled sound. He cleared his throat and went to try again, or at least try to ask if Lup was home, but-

"Barry?" Taako asked.

"Yeah," Barry said, hopefully sounding confident and casual. It came out a little like he was choking down a jolly rancher.

"Fuck," Taako said. He shut the door in Barry's face.

Barry… didn't know what to do in this situation. He was hoping for a "hey!" or maybe even an "it's Barry!". This was so wildly off-script from what he had imagined he didn't know how to move forward. Luckily, Taako opened the door again and practically pulled him inside before shutting it again.

The inside of the apartment was warm and cozy and exactly what Barry thought it would be. He recognized the couch where he and Lup often had long conversations via the internet. He could see the beginnings of the kitchen as Taako pulled him further inside. A man popped out from one of the other rooms. Barry vaguely recognized him as Taako's boyfriend. Kravitz, he was pretty sure.

"Barry?" Kravitz said incredulously.

"Hey," Barry said. Taako steered him towards the couch. It was so soft.

"But Lup-" Kravitz started.

"We're getting there," Taako said. He was standing in front of Barry now as Barry sat on the couch. Kravitz leaned over the edge of the sofa. Taako took a deep breath. "Okay. So. Wanna tell me what the fuck you're doing at our apartment, Barold?"

"Uhm," Barry said. "Visting?"

"Visting me?" Taako said.

"I mean," Barry said. "I- I would definitely like to hang out with you too, but, uhm-"

"Lup," Taako sighed. He rubbed at his temples, as if he was developing a headache. "Okay, Barry, I'm gonna need you and Lup to get like, a shared calendar or maybe like- any type of clear communication, 'cus she's not here."

"Like, she's at work, or-?"

"Lup got on a plane at nine AM this morning," Taako said, "to go to fuckin' Maine! to visit your sorry ass."

"Ah," Barry said. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Sure, yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This was fine. This was normal. This was an everyday thing to him. He was pretty sure stuff like this happened all the time.

"You," Taako said, "are gonna call Lup and tell her she's a dumbass."

"I'm not gonna call Lup a-"

"She'll call you," Taako said. "'Cus you're both real fucking stupid, y'know that? Like, if you're gonna visit your partner then at least call before you show up-!"

"We're not- we're not dating," Barry said, blushing despite himself.

"Uh-huh," Taako said. "Sure."

"We're not!" Barry said. It seemed Lup and Taako had the same "I don't believe that at all" face.

His phone started ringing. Taako's look intensified at the I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston ringtone. Barry's face got even hotter.

"It's a good song," he insisted, struggling to get the phone out of his pocket. The caller ID showed up as Lup.

"Answer the fucking phone, Barold," Taako said.

Barry sighed, answering it. He pressed it up against his ear, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry at Lup's voice. Maybe both.

"So, uhhhh, we've got a problem," Lup said.

Definitely both.

#blupjeans #barry bluejeans #taako #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Angus was a good detective. The best detective, if he could say so himself. Good enough for the Goldcliff Militia, good enough for the Bureau of Balance. But there were still mysteries that completely eluded him. Sure, joining the Bureau had cleared some things up. But it also opened up so many more questions. Angus could— and has!— filled several notebooks up with things he wanted to figure out. But right, his most pressing concern was this.

"What do you— what do you mean he was just here?" Angus said, looking away from his notes at last.

The Director was sitting behind her desk, sunk deeply into her chair. She wore a look deep… something. Angus couldn't quite place his finger on it. But it didn't matter right now.

"He was just here," the Director said again, shrugging.

"Is he—he's not inoculated?"

"As far as I'm aware," the Director said, "and I am very aware of who is and isn't inoculated— he has not been."

"How can he live up here—?"

"Who's to say he's alive?" the Director asked.

"…fuck," Angus said. Okay, new page. He started scribbling stuff down. He'd have to look into undead beings more— ooh, maybe Mr. Taako could put him in contact with Mr. Kravitz, he had been wanting to ask a few things about his whole job and purpose and such. Back on topic, Angus, back on topic. Okay. The Bureau's library was probably his next best bet and if not, maybe the Militia's library, since he still had that passcode.

"If I may speak honestly," the Director said, leaning forward. She moved a few sheets of paper aside. "I don't give a fuck how he got up here because, quite frankly, I hate speaking to him. The less we interact, the better. Have you heard his voice? The man sounds like a violin that got beat into a pile of chopsticks. It's not—"

"So you just let him stay?" Angus interrupted, appalled.

"Garfield the Deals Warlock is not a force to be reckoned with, Angus," the Director said gravely. "Sometimes, the easiest way to solve a mystery is to stop thinking about it."

"Well, yeah," Angus said. "But he's— isn't it a security risk, ma'am? If he can get up here, then who's to say someone else couldn't? Someone like— like a Red Robe, or—"

"Angus," The Director said, looking him in the eye. "There are no Red Robes on the moon."

"That you know of," Angus said.

"That I know of," the Director allowed. "But I can one hundred percent assure you that Garfield is not a Red Robe."

"He has the magical ability—"

"He's as much of a Red Robe as you are, Angus," the Director said. "So unless you have something to share—"

"I was— it was a goof, Madam Director," Angus said. "I'm— I'm not a Red Robe." A pause. But could he be? If the Voidfish could erase the memories from his head about the relics, then maybe. But, no— no, Angus had been a baby. He couldn't make a weapon of mass destruction as a baby.

"Mine was also a goof," the Director said, cutting into his thoughts. Oh. Right. Okay. "Angus, I do very much enjoy chatting with you, but I do need you to get out of my office. I'm afraid to say that I have a spa appointment with Merle this afternoon and I need to mentally prepare myself. I think it would be wise for you to stop investigating Garfield and resume looking for another Relic."

"Of course," Angus said. "But if I happen to find anything about Garfield being a— maybe like a lich, or—"

"Can't be a lich," the Director said. "He'd just get blasted off the ding-dang moon."

"I'm— I'm sorry?" Angus asked.

"It really is time for you to go," the Director said, standing. A few of her bones popped and she grimaced. "I believe you left off with the, uhm, the Temporal Chalice, correct? That is— that's a pretty big one." She rounded the desk, doing a sweeping motion with her hands as if to say "shoo!". "I'm sure you can manage, though."

"Of course, I can," Angus said. "I'm the—"

"World's greatest detective," the Director said. "So you've said— and proven, too. Expect a hefty bonus around, uh— midsummer. Or thereabouts."

The Director showed Angus to the door.

"How big of a bonus?" Angus said, shutting his notebook.

"Well, it'll ruin the surprise if I tell you now," the Director said. "Have a good day, Detective McDonald."

"Have a good day, ma'am," Angus said. She shut the door behind him.

Angus love being a detective. That's part of why he was so good at it. But it seemed like every time he and Madam Director spoke, he ended up with more questions than answers. Maybe she was right. They had bigger problems than whatever Garfield the Deals warlock was. Or used to be, if that was anything. He should get back to finding the Chalice.

He paused, opening his notebook again.

It wouldn't hurt to look up more about liches, though. Just in case.

#angus mcdonald #lucretia #garfield the deals warlock #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #dont ask me what this is bc idk sdkfsdf

[barry-j-blupjeans]

"Dude, your top surgery is choice," Carey says the moment Magnus's shirt is over his head and off. He preens a little because he deserved to. And because it was choice. He's very happy with the results. But then Carey adds, "Who'd you get it done by?"

"Oh! Uh," and here's where the problem lies. "I... don't remember."

"You don't remember," Carey repeats, sounding a little disbelieving. Killian looks over to them now and squints at Magnus's chest.

"Uhhh," Magnus says. "Nope."

"Did you get like, black market top surgery, or?"

"I... don't think so," Magnus says.

"Magnus," Killian says, "if you hadn't left your packer in the middle of our goddamn bathroom-" Magnus grins a little sheepishly and Carey laughs. "-I would literally not know you were trans. I don't even see any scars."

"It's been a while since I got it done," Magnus says.

"Which was when?" Carey prompts. At Magnus's face, she throws her hands up. "You don't remember!"

"It was a while ago!" Magnus says. "I was like- I don't know, twenty-one? Ish? Twenty-two?"

"Magnus," Carey says. She puts her foam sparring halberd down and comes over to him. "Magnus, did you just wake up one morning with them gone? This-" she looks on the verge of laughter. "This is serious."

"If I tell you the truth, you're gonna laugh," Magnus says.

"Magnus," Carey says, laughing anyway. "How do you forget a whole fucking surgery?"

"It wasn't a surgery, it was a spell," Magnus says, because he knows that much.

"Pretty sure that's not a thing," Killian says.

"Why else do they call it transmutation, then, huh?" Carey buries her head into Magnus's side, snorting with laughter. "Look, I know it was a spell. I know it. Do I know who did it? N-"

"Was it Taako?" Carey interrupts, full of giggles. Magnus pauses.

...Was it Taako?

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I met Taako like, last year. I'm pretty sure I would remember if he did my top surgery. Top spellery? Is that anything?"

"It's nothing," Carey says. "I'm-" she wipes her eye, clearing her throat. "Maybe it's like, a voidfish thing. Like, maybe the Director fucked up-"

"And specifically erased Magnus's top surgery?" Killian asks doubtfully.

"It's a big fish," Carey says, which just seems to make Killian more confused, but Magnus nods in understanding.

"It's a big fish, Killian," he says.

"Are we gonna fucking spar or not?" Killian asks. "I came here to beat ass not uncover Magnus's whole backstory."

"My backstory is actually pretty simple," Magnus says and Carey groans, retracting herself from him. "I was born in Raven's Roost on a swelteringly hot day-"

Killian hits him over the head with her foam halberd.

#sweetflips #magnus burnsides #carey fangbattle #killian #taz killian #i *think* sweetflips is their ship name sldfsd #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #spoiler alert: it was taako

[barry-j-blupjeans]

People didn't wander aimlessly through the woods like they used to. For a good while there, neither Edward nor Lydia had had to leave Wonderland for advertising. Someway or another, a poor hero or party would stumble through the Felicity Wilds and get drawn into Wonderland for their own various reasons— fame, riches, glory, all of the above. Word of mouth, of course, was to best way to advertise. But once you've killed someone, their icky flesh body started decaying much too fast. It was hard to leave the Felicity Wilds in a timely manner and still look enticing enough to lure people back in.

But this year had been rough. Maybe they scared away too many folks— Edward had to be honest: having the body he was possessing crumble to literal dust in front of the crowd he was advertising to hadn't been the best way to sell the glory of Wonderland. And letting people actually leave Wonderland was a no-go. They had learned that rather quickly.

So they were back to the basics. Magicking up their spectral forms into something appealing (though, with the lack of Suffering, it was getting quite hard to keep it together. Thus, why they could only go out as a pair.) and drawing unsuspecting forms deeper into the Wilds, straight into Wonderland. The old one-two, conversationally speaking.

And people just didn't wander aimlessly through the woods like they used to! So when Edward finally found their first catch of the day, it was important that he didn't slip right through their fingers.

"Oh," Lydia said, seeing the man not a second after Edward had. He could already hear the note of arrogance in her voice. "Oh, he'll do beautifully."

Indeed, the man looked like a perfect victi— ahem. Guest. He was human, older in age, so they'd have much more memories to draw on. He played the part of a worn-out traveler quite well. Mussed hair, and a worn, heavy satchel that jingled with every step he took. It was too quiet to be coins, but the white-knuckled grip he had on the strap of it told Edward it was something much more valuable than he could guess. His pants— though quite an unusual style, but who was Edward to say, having been dead for so long— were stained with mud. There was a bit of blood against one corner of his shirt, where the fabric had ripped.

But to be so steely with determination still? To walk through the Felicity Wilds alone and still be going strong? Edward did have to agree. Wonderland would suit this man perfectly.

"Long way from home, friend?" Edward asked. His form materialized next to a tree and he proceeded to lean against it. The man turned, startled. There was a crack in his glasses. Lydia appeared behind the tree, peeking out at the man as if she had been there the whole time.

"You, uh, you could say that," the man said.

"You're very brave, going through the Felicity Wilds alone," Lydia said. "Are you on your way to somewhere?"

"I'm, uh—" the man hesitated, looking between Lydia and Edward uncertainly. He seemed to be deciding on what to say. After a second, he continued with, "I'm looking for a place called Wonderland."

Bingo. Better than bingo, actually. Edward glanced at Lydia. They shared a grin.

"Wonderland, you say?" Lydia said, hand over her chest.

"You— I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you're familiar with it?" the man said.

"You could say," Edward said. "and what brings you to Wonderland, if I may ask?"

The grip the man had on his bag tightened. The object inside jostled, gently ringing again, and Edward felt inexplicably drawn to the sound. He could tell Lydia was, too, but they both refrained from showing. It was never a good look to be desperate or over-eager.

"I have… an artifact," the man said, slow and carefully choosing his words. "Of— of immeasurable magical power. And I was told that no one who goes into Wonderland ever, uhm, ever comes out. That's— This needs to be somewhere that no one can reach but— but they know they can try. It's— it's gotta be wanted. It's— it's—"

Searching through people's memories was a tad harder outside the walls of Wonderland, much less when they were this low on visitors. Still, Edward reached out with his magic, carefully slipping into the man's mind.

The world was ending. And then it wasn't. And then it was, again, and again, and again. It was a rush of information— much more than Edward had seen in the oldest elves, let alone a middle-aged human. Memories flew by fast enough that Edward couldn't catch any in his hands. A red haze was settled over the entirety of it all— Edward could see it clear as day.

The man was a lich.

This made things… much more interesting.

"Say no more," Lydia said, holding up a hand. Edward blinked himself back into the present, trying not to let his face show any surprise. "Lucky for you, we just so happen to know the way to Wonderland."

"For what price?" the man asked.

"What, you don't trust us?" Lydia said, pulling off a pout Edward had the displeasure of seeing her practice. At the man's face, they both laughed a little.

"I must say, I admire a man with a touch of hesitation," Edward said. "But we'll lead you with no extra charge. If this object is truly that important, then I say getting it to Wonderland is our highest priority, Barry."

"I never told you my name," the man said.

"You didn't have to, darling," Edward said. "Running a fortress in the middle of the Felicity Wilds lets you pick up a few things here and there."

"You—?"

"You'll have to excuse him," Lydia said, "My brother loves a dramatic reveal."

Edward could feel fire running through his veins, a pull in his chest leading them straight back to Wonderland. Lydia's cool and pleasant face broke in a way only he could see through— one victim would have been enough for a while. But the possibility of more was too savory to resist.

"We'll set off now," Lydia continued, "and we'll be there before dark."

"Now," Edward said as Lydia set their pace and the man stumbled after them. "Tell us more about this artifact."

#barry bluejeans #edward and lydia #taz edward #taz lydia #taz balance #taz #mine #ise cube writing #enjoy ! #i've got many thoughts about the animus bell and how it ended up in wonderland #and this is One of them ldfsdf #i could probably write this like. 8 different ways sldfsdf

[barry-j-blupjeans]

During the Day of Story and Song, Maureen Miller could only describe herself as feeling enlightened. An emotion she had not felt for years, at that point. Inside the Astral Plane, all her senses were both dampened and vehement. There was the coursing, crashing anger, but only after periods of such lowness that she was unsure if the Eternal Stockade had just consumed her entirely. Mostly, after finally breaking free, it was crushing guilt.

Maureen Miller was a proud woman. There was nothing worth pride in what she had done. She had stuck her head into a realm that no mortal or God were made to see and she had paid her price for it. Her mind hadn't been able to handle the pressure and because of that, she had lost herself. Not only her life, but her chance for a peaceful afterlife. She sought to escape and when she did? There was no justifying the way she acted on the Prime Material Plane, even if she had quite literally been driven to that point by the weight of a knowledge someone as small as her was not meant to hold.

She attacked her son. And, when she came to, Maureen figured that the Eternal Stockade was the right place for someone like her.

It was more bearable when you collected yourself back up. Maureen supposed that's why it was seen as a punishment for those who couldn't— the years she spent in here with her mind gone were torturous, a long loop of pain and rage where there. Whatever had driven you to breaking the laws of life and death now consumed you until you fizzled out or sought help.

It was chilling, hearing broken souls screaming until they lost their existence entirely. Maureen had been heading down that path once. There were others in here like her, of course, but it was rare. It was not often a soul could repent in this way, both physically and mentally.

But for her and the few others who did, the Stockade became a little less of an eternal tomb and a little more of a jail sentence. By the time they got to this state, they understood the weight of what they had done.

Most did, at least.

When Maureen built the Cosmoscope, there were no bad intentions. Only pure, unadulterated seeking of knowledge. After leaving the majority of the weight of that knowledge in her robot conduit back on the Prime Material Plane, she could no longer worry over it and thus, she had no explanation for her actions. She tried her best to unpack the little that she could remember. The dark force consuming planar systems, the Light, the research— but every meaningful connection sparked and fizzled out like a soldered wire. There was no moving forward from it.

Until the day Maureen looked out the window of her cell and knew she no longer had time to understand it. It covered the Astral Plane, taking hold of the sea. Maureen paced and thought and tried to act, but nothing would get her out of here. The other souls in the Stockade were growing restless— the corrupted ones banged against their walls, desperate for an escape, or to join in, Maureen couldn't say. And the ones like her— the ones who had finally realized what their actions had done? Maureen could see her fears reflected back in them.

The Eternal Stockade was just that— Eternal. But Maureen knew what the end of eternal looked like.

Story and Song was a wave. It was the silence in the middle of the storm, where the world-consuming force— the Hunger— paused and all the knowledge Maureen had been unable to access came flood back into her with a profound sense of understanding. And she knew these people— she knew them like she knew herself, like she had traveled with them for a hundred years, like she was the Light they sought after and she was the crew searching from it— and Maureen knew these people.

She laughed. It sounded more like a sob.

Lucretia had always been this dramatic, hadn't she?

The door to the cell hall burst open. But it wasn't the Hunger on the other side. Instead, the Reaper strolled it, a scythe materializing in his hand. He held the room at attention, just about the only person who could have drawn them back from the raging storm.

"I've got a deal to strike with you lot," he said. "Who's up for being put on probation?"

#unedited and thrown into the world ! enjoy slkdfsd #maureen miller #taz #taz balance #the adventure zone #kravitz #at the end sldfsdf #ise cube writing

[barry-j-blupjeans]

It would have been easy to miss her if Barry hadn't been keeping an eye out. She wore a dark cloak with a silver clasp and had her hood drawn up over her head. The crowded streets of Neverwinter— Neverwinter, why was he in Neverwinter again?— pushed them past each other but for a moment, they caught eyes. He got the shortest glimpse of her face, aged, and stressed, and focused— and then recognition. Surprise.

He knew her. No, he didn't.

Fuck, wait, yes he did.

So Barry did something he had recently discovered he was very good at doing: He ran. The crowd helped him along, pushing him forward as he stumbled over his own two feet. He kept his head low, trying to get cover from the people around him. He crossed the street, and then went left, and crossed the street again, trying to drown himself into the crowd. He kept going until he was reasonably sure that he had lost her and then ducked into an alleyway.

Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Barry twisted his bag, fumbling for his inhaler. Good fuckin' Gods. This day and gone from bad to worse. He took a hit of it (and someone in his head told him to stop saying that he "took a hit" of his medication) and leaned against the alley wall, trying to breathe deeply again.

He dug through his bag, finding the little gold coin he kept with him. He was… gods, Barry wished he knew what was happening anymore. But he couldn't— he couldn't lose focus. He was looking for someone. He was supposed to be looking for someone, but, well, this attempt had hit a dead end. And, for the first time (?), Barry had come across the person who was looking for him.

He pressed a little notch on the coin, flipping back through old recorded messages until he found the right one. The coin buzzed a little, like a staticky radio line, but crackled to life with a message in Barry's own voice. One he didn't remember leaving, but he knew the words by heart by now. They were important.

"— and— and another thing— there's this… Geez, I don't wanna call it an issue, but it's kinda an issue. There's a— there's a woman looking for you. Not the one we wanna find. On purpose, I mean. God, I hate this. It's making her sound like some sorta villain and she's no— well…"

The coin sighed.

"Her name is Lucretia." There was a shuffling noise in the background of the recording, as if someone was adjusting papers. "She's— she's part of the family you don't remember. But it's— I can't stress enough how much of a no-go talking to her is. Like, even more than the others, so, so much more. In fact, if you ever see her just— I don't know, just fuckin' run, I guess. That's— Gods."

The coin was silent for a moment. Barry took another puff of his inhaler.

"There's nothing good that you can get by talking to her right now," the coin continued. "And if you talk to her, she might— I mean, I don't think she'd do anything to you besides talk, but that's— that's enough sometimes, y'know? She's… she's the reason we're in this mess. Why we can't remember ###—" Barry winced at the static. "I don't— I can't physically explain what she did, but don't— don't talk to her. If you see her, just run. Just go."

The coin went on to describe some of Lucretia's features— her eyes, the white hair, her age ("—because she wouldn't fucking listen to me about Wonderland and #### ###### ##—"). Barry thought back to the glance he had caught of the woman he passed by and just barely managed to swallow his fear about it. He hit the notch on the coin again, shutting it off. Sometimes, it would delve into static for a while, especially when talking about Lucreita. He put the coin back in his bag, along with his inhaler.

He peeked back into the streets and then pulled back into the alley. He could still slightly see from his space between the buildings, but hopefully, she couldn't see him.

Lucretia had lowered her hood, and was looking around. The crowd had thinned some, just enough for her to stand in place without being pushed around. But her eyes never found his hiding spot and, after a moment, an orc woman jogged up to her. Barry could barely hear them over the hustle and bustle of Neverwinter, but he caught wind of,

"— just started running! What gives?"

"I thought I saw…" Lucretia scanned the area once more. Barry scooted back a bit to hide himself, holding his breath. "No, it was nothing. It's— I'm a just little on edge today, I suppose."

It was obvious the orc woman didn't believe her, but she must have known Lucretia enough to not question it. Or at least, not to publicly question it.

"You're gonna be late for your meeting," the orc woman said after a moment's pause.

Lucretia turned and while Barry couldn't hear the curse word, it startled a laugh from the orc woman. They retreated back the way they had come. Barry sighed, relaxing a little.

Okay. Okay, time to regroup. Refocus. Once he felt it was safe, he stepped back into the street again, carefully retracing his steps to regain his bearings. From here, he'd go to Farnfoss. There was an enchanted forest that supposedly protected some powerful magic items— it was a better lead than nothing.

As long as he made it there alive, at least.

#somewhat inspired by the post just made by anistarrose #so thank u rose <3 #taz #taz balance #barry bluejeans #lucretia #mine #ise cube writing #:D

[barry-j-blupjeans]

TAZ NC Day 2: Fake Dating

@taznovembercelebration

"It's bad, Taako," Lup said as soon as the car door was shut. "It's real bad."

Taako had to be honest— he had no fuckin' clue what was happening anymore. He and Lup had never gone to different schools before and it was weird being out of her direct ring of things-that-are-happening. It was for the best, 'cus there was no way he could have survived trying to get a science degree. And he knew Lup loved cooking, but culinary arts was not for her. Ever. Keep her away from the building, thank you very much. Yeah, sure, she'd kill this degree, but it was the principle of the thing.

So he had only been getting outside reports of whatever was happening over at Neverwinter University. But apparently, it was a lot. While Taako was over here, blissed out on weed brownies, Lup was doin'… something. Again, he didn't really understand what was happening anymore. But Lup didn't even wait for an answer before continuing.

"I asked him on a date," Lup said, buckling herself in with more force than necessary. Taako took the car out of park (look at him! He could drive! Take that, driving instructor one through five.) and attempted to maneuver his way out of the parking lot.

"That sounds like a good thing?" Taako said.

"It's not," Lup said. "It's not a real date."

"A- and that means??"

"It's not a real date," Lup said again. "I fuckin— well, first off, Greg fucking Grimaldis—"

"Fuck him," Taako said.

"Yeah, fuck him— but he was very loudly promoting his fuckin'… casino or whatever that he's inheriting. And he so graciously invited us to an event that's being hosted there about— god, I'm too angry to remember what the stupid event is for. But he was like, oh, don't bother showing up without a date though, it's a couple's event, like I fuckin' know whatever that means—"

"It just sounds like bait," Taako said. How the hell did he leave this parking lot again? He felt like he had been turning left for like, three entire minutes.

"And then I was like, "of course, I have a date". And he was like, "oh yeah? Who?". And Barry was right there, so—"

Ah, Barry Bluejeans. Taako had heard way too fuckin' much about Barry Bluejeans. Lup kept trying to deny any romantic feelings she felt towards him, but Taako knew better. Or, well, Taako had eyes and ears and the way Lup spoke about Barry Bluejeans left nothing up to the imagination. Normally Taako would have liked to meet the man that his sister had fallen in love with but honestly, he's in a place in his life where he gets assignments about spaghetti so it's not like anything makes sense anymore.

"So it was less like you asked him and more like you are going to force him—"

"I asked!" Lup said, sitting up in her car seat. If she had noticed the several loops Taako had taken around the parking lot, she hadn't said. "After, I mean. I asked after. And y'know how Barry's like, he's gonna say yes to everything 'cus he feels bad about saying no. So I had to clarify that we weren't actually dating to, y'know, make it seem better— I don't wanna seem like I'm using him, Taako, I just— babe, if you had seen Grimaldis's face when I said that. And Barry fuckin' backed me up, too!"

Taako slammed on the brakes as someone tumbled into his car. And then onto the ground. Lup froze. Taako froze, too. And then started slowly backing up.

"Taako, we gotta— we gotta check—"

"Yeah, yeah," Taako said, pulling the car back a few inches. He shifted back into park and undid his seat belt. Lup was out of the car before him and when he opened the door, he caught the end of

"-arry!"

Aw, fuck.

"Oh, uh." Taako rounded the car, coming face to face with the new voice. It was a short man with concerningly thick glasses. He was wearing an honest-to-god sweater vest and bluejeans of all things. Lup was holding his hand, looking at the scruffed up flesh on his palm. He didn't look super injured or concussed. Taako had been going to stupid five miles and hour that this parking lot demanded of him. "It's— it's fine, Lup, really—"

"My guy, you just got hit with a car—"

"It was five miles an hour," Taako said, leaning against the driver's side door. "Nice to meet'cha, Barold."

"Uhm." Barry blinked a few times, looking between him and Lup.

"You're not concussed," Taako said. "We're twins."

"Uh," Barry said, eloquently. Man, this is the guy Lup was planning to fake-date? Good lord.

"You might be concussed, though," Lup said, turning Barry toward her. "Did you hit your head?"

"No, uh, no I'm good," Barry said. "Just, uhm— surprised! Haha."

This was awful. The worst part is that if Barry wasn't concussed, this was just his regular way of talking. Taako felt himself getting a headache. But Lup gave a smile that was all goopy and warm and, ugh. Taako kinda wished he had been going faster. He got back into the car, watching with a scrutinizing gaze as Barry and Lup talked.

And talked.

And talked.

Taako got out his phone, pulling up the group chat he shared with Magnus and Merle.

Gonna be late to game night, boys. I've got Lup and Barry Bluejeans existing in the same place.

Magnus sent back a saluting emoji.

#taz november celebration #taz nc #taako #lup #barry bluejeans #blupjeans #taz #mine #ise cube writing

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Carey didn't really like going into the Director's office. Like, yeah, sure, she'd have to come on by every once and a while if Lucretia wanted to talk to her or just some of the Regulators in general. But being in an office wasn't exactly Carey's preferred "let's have a conversation zone". Sadly, this was a conversation she would prefer to have as soon as possible, so waiting to catch the Director outside her office was a no-go.

Carey rapped on the door, and then let herself in before the Director could answer. The office had grown more cluttered since Candlenights. Maybe it was the quick pace they were making with collecting the Relics, but the Director often seemed much more weary than she used to. There were times when she truly looked her age. Carey didn't know much about how humans aged— though she was learning! She was learning.— but every time she looked, the Director seemed to have aged a few more years.

There was a stack of papers stacked on her desk in a messy pile. The Director had three out in front of her— Carey could recognize Magnus's chicken scratch. She seemed to be reviewing the mission reports from the last relic collection. The Temporal Chalice and whatnot. At the very least, that might make this conversation a little easier.

The Director looked up at her. Had she ever told them how old she was? She looked worn and on edge, but she put on her professional face as Carey shut the door, the face she rarely let anyone see her without. Carey knew when someone was wearing a mask all too well.

"Carey," she said, moving the reports aside. "What can I do for you?"

Okay. Okay. She could do this. Just had to say words! In a good order. Yeah.

"Well, uh," Carey said, sitting herself down in one of the chairs across from the Director's desk. "I just had a question, 'Creesh."

The Director let out a little annoyed sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Please don't call me that," she said.

"Just keepin' you on your toes," Carey said. She swung her tail back and forth to give herself something to do. "No, but, for real. I did have a question."

The Director waved her hand in a "go ahead" motion. Carey cleared her throat.

"Is there anything… other than the Voidfish that can, like, static up someone's memories?"

The Director blinked. She sat up a little.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," Carey said. How in-depth did she want to go with this? She picked around in her mind for a starting point. Her gaze lingered on the mission reports and Magnus's shitty handwriting a moment longer. "Y'know the— the whole thing that the Chalice did where it, uh… rooted through the boys' memories a bit?"

The Director kept her face perfectly neutral. Not a crack.

"I'm aware," she said, glancing down at the reports as well.

"I don't know how, uhm, in-depth they got with you on those reports," Carey said, even though she did know exactly how in-depth Magnus had gone with his (which is to say: barely anything. The deep and understandable distrust of authority figures hadn't changed in Refuge.). "But I was talkin' to Magnus and, uh. We were just wondering. 'Cus there was an entire… bit. With a buncha static, apparently? Like, a real long bit. And I know static is kinda the Voidfish's thing, but he's inoculated obviously, so—?"

She left the question open-ended, watching the Director's face. As expected, there wasn't a shift in expression. There was open concern there, a little bit of curiosity. But from what Carey could tell, the Director seemed to be telling the truth when she said,

"As far as I'm aware of, nothing else has powers remotely like the Voidfish." She paused, tilting her head. "It may be a memory spell, or mayhaps a curse? But Magnus should— he should not be receiving any memory-impacting side effects of the Voidfish since he has been inoculated with the ichor."

"Killian was thinkin' curse," Carey admitted, swinging her legs. "But then it's just like— why, y'know? Like whatever he can't remember isn't doing anything other than— than— ughhhh." Carey dragged her hand down her face. "Director, can you keep a secret?"

"Carey," the Director said, with a touch of humor. "Think of who you're asking."

"Fair enough," Carey relented. "It's just— it's not my secret to tell, but also you are like, one of the only people I could think of of knowing what the hell might be going on. But it's— well, y'know how Magnus grew up in Raven's Roost?"

"I'm well aware," the Director said. "As he keeps mentioning it every other conversation we have."

"Yeah," Carey said. "He does that. But he— I mean, again, he grew up in Raven's Roost. Like, that's his entire thing. But, uhm. He told me that sometimes in like, the last few years he lived there, things seemed… off?"

"How do you mean?"

Carey groaned, trying to think.

"Like— his mom ran a flower shop? But no one ever heard of it before. No— no one seemed to know his mom. And I can tell it upset him, but he doesn't like to talk about it, y'know? It's hard— it's hard to kinda chip away at his brain when he doesn't really trust his brain in the first place."

And there it was. For the first time since Carey entered the room, a small crack appeared in the Director's perfect mask. It was a small thing— she clenched her jaw and drew back on herself slightly, barely enough to be noticeable. And the look in her eyes changed from professional interest to completely and utter devastation and back to professional interest once more. She locked herself back up even faster than Magnus did. That being said, Carey wasn't as close with the Director as she was with Magnus.

She knew Magnus's tells. The way he held himself, the tiniest change in his expressions, the pitch of his voice. But it was hard to see past the brick wall that was the Director's facade. All she got were these little glances, the restless note in her speech, the state of her office.

Magnus held secrets he didn't know about. Carey knew that. The Director looked like she held all her secrets and the weight of the world as well. In some way, she did.

Carey didn't know if she'd be able to have the courage to do what the Director did. She was beginning to become uncertain if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Magnus should not be receiving any memory-impacting side effects of the Voidfish," the Director repeated, voice steady, body still. Carey's tail thrashed a bit. Then, with a touch of sincerity and a weird twist of what Carey could only identify as yearning, she added, "but I genuinely hope you can find something that will ease Magnus's mind."

"Yeah," Carey said, watching as the Director straightened the reports out, then pick up a pen. "Me too."

#carey fangbattle #lucretia #taz the director #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #idk if i've ever like. fully written a carey pov #but it was fun !

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Arcade Carpet and Totally Chill, Nothing Can Prove Otherwise with Dealer's Choice :3

object + emotion prompt list here! send some in!

18. Arcade carpet

4. Totally Chill, Nothing Can Prove Otherwise

--

"Sir," said the tiny fancy boy at the prize counter, "are you using wizardly magicks to make the funky fresh carpet pattern into penises?"

The air was rich with the smell of sweat and obtrusively smelling cleaning products. Taako had been on shift for exactly four hours so far and it was not getting any better. It wasn't getting any worse, either, but who could say what would come next? The lights were just as flashy and headache-y as usual. Taako had snuck to the sound booth (read: the computer that controlled all the music that had a neon label that said SOUND BOOTH) and lowered the music to a reasonable level, but some godly power had turned it right back up.

Honestly, who could blame him for having a little fun? The worst day at a children's arcade was better than the best day at a court-ordered anger management class. Or however that saying went. He usually wouldn't revert to messing with the decor until about five hours into his shift, but he was feeling a little spicy today.

Plus, it's not like anyone could prove it was him.

"Nah," Taako said, leaning against the counter. "It's always been like that."

"It— it hasn't," the fancy boy says. He's got a light-up wand that he got from Taako's counter earlier. He'd been in here for an hour or so already, methodically going around the building and figuring out how to get the most tickets. He'd already come up to Taako four times to ask about game mechanics. "It was triangles and circles before."

"Mmmmh, nope," Taako said. "It's always been dicks."

The fancy boy frowned, looking at the carpet again. He took a few steps back towards the gaming area and then stopped.

"No, sir, it stops here," he said. "It's— it's very clearly not penises from this point onward— oh, well, now this is just rude, sir."

The floor magicked back to normal, except for about a two-foot circle around the fancy boy. When he took a step, the far superior, expertly crafted pattern followed him like a shadow. He scurried back up to the prize counter, a scrutinizing look on his face. He then glanced over his shoulder, as if someone might be watching their interaction. Honestly, Taako figured that if someone was spying and able to hear over the suddenly deep chorus of Fireflies by Fantasy Owl City, they deserved to hear every word.

But the fancy boy seemed to think the coast was clear. He leaned over the counter and said, in a low voice,

"Is magic not banned in here?"

"Read the sign, kid," Taako said, pointing the the sign above his head that read "NO MAGICKS ALLOWED IN THE ADVENTURE ZONE©." In smaller text, below it, it read, "for full Adventure Zone© magic related rules and services, please see one of our friendly PARTY MEMBERS for details."

"Yeah, but you just did magic," the fancy boy said. "So there's no like, barrier or runes to stop magic use inside the building."

Taako liked the turn this was taking. He raised his eyebrows at the fancy boy.

"You could say," he said. "And why, pray tell, are you asking?"

"Well," the fancy boy said. "If I pay the games the normal, non-magical way, it'll take me approximately nine hours to get enough tickets for the detective kit you have on the wall."

The fancy boy pointed at the wall of prizes. Near the very top, above the long plush snakes and the bin of Hot Wheels, a shiny play-pretend detectives kit was sitting, priced at 14,000 tickets, which was truly absurd.

"Only, I don't have nine hours, sir," the fancy boy said. "And frankly, I don't have the pocket money for five hours. So if, maybe, we could turn a blind eye to the rule— which seems very important and I respect that— then I could be out of here in about, uhm! Thirty minutes, tops. And then you don't have to deal with me and the birthday party that's about to start."

Both of them looked at the mom trying to wrangle her excited child through the doorway. The child had a pin on that said "BIRTHDAY GIRL". She looked like a feral cat.

"That's a tempting offer, little man," Taako said. He glanced around. No one was gonna come up to the prize counter any time soon. These kids were too sugar-powered to care about anything more than beating each other in stupid arcade games for babies. "You get me one of those fucked up bears—" Taako pointed at the wall behind him once more. Slightly below the detective kit was a poor attempt at a teddy bear, which looked more like a failed demon exorcism. "And we've got a deal."

"Deal," the fancy boy said, holding out his hand. "It's nice doing business with you Mr…" he squinted at Taako's name tag. "Tay-co?"

"You never pronounce my name like that again and we're good to go, kid."

#taako #angus mcdonald #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #asks #a-vampire #thank u felix!!!!

[barry-j-blupjeans]

hair dye stain + oh i gotta know (20 on the emotions list) + taakitz?? - egg 🧡

object + emotion prompt list here!

6. Hair dye stain

20. OH BUT I GOTTA KNOW??? I GOTTA

--

Kravitz was this close to deciding that his home was now, in fact, the Eternal Stockade and he had to stay there forever and ever. It was— it's not been a good day. In fact, it's been the opposite of a good day. A bad day. No, an awful day. A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

First, he had to get up at fuck-early in the morning to go on a mission. Which he was used to, sure, but now, it meant tearing himself away from Taako's arms, having to put on a shirt when he could just be wearing a blanket, having to miss out on vital snuggle time. It was supposed to have been an easy, regular mission too. But then he had to deal with necromancers who were all a bit too much into their stupid bit, and he got blood on his favorite robe, and then he had to call for backup because there were so many necromancers holy fucking shit—

The easy-peasy little takeout had turned into a six-hour brawl. And Kravitz had to give it to them— turns out a group of frat boys could do a whole lot of damage if they were determined enough. And stupid enough. Which, of course, they had been. At the very least, they had wiped the amused little look off of Kravitz's face. And Lup's, when she got there. By the time they decided they needed Barry, there wasn't really room for amusement anymore.

Kravitz was tired. He was sweaty and gross and had blood in places he did not want blood to be; namely, on his flesh and clothes. Both were bad places for blood. By the end of the fight, Barry and Lup— who both looked fucking rad covered in blood. Kravitz wished he could look that good covered in blood— had sent one pitying glance at him and told him to go home. They'd do the paperwork.

Any objections Kravitz may have had to coworkers before were now gone, thank you.

It was still technically morning when Kravitz got back. Angus Jr. curled between his legs as a greeting, meowing impatiently at him. Garbanzo blinked at him from over by the couch, sitting on a towel that Kravitz could distinctly remember not being stained… blue? Purple?? Blurple. No, it had definitely not been blurple the last time Kravitz had seen it. Which could only mean that either Garbanzo was suddenly leaking blurple everywhere or someone was having a hair dye session.

Someone being Taako. …Hopefully. Maybe Taako helping Merle dye his beard again. Except that Merle usually went with pink and not blurple, so it had to be Taako.

"Babe?" Kravitz called out, shuffling down the hall. He stopped about halfway into his second step and realized that his shoes were leaving bloody, muddy marks all over the floor. Ugh. He struggled to kick them off for a second, trying not to hit Angus Jr. who liked to play a game called What if you did things and I was in your way?. Once he did, he called out again. "Taako? You home?"

"Just barely!" came Taako's voice from down the hall. Kravitz gingerly picked up his shoes, his body protesting the need to bend over, and put them at the shoe rack by the door.

"Marco," Kravitz said, moving down the hall.

"What are you, five?" came Taako's voice from the bathroom. And then, "polo."

Kravitz peeked into the bathroom to find Taako spreading a generous glob of blurple into his hair. The counter was a mess, blurple handprints (and cat paws) everywhere. Kravitz could only assume, using the context clues and the fact that their baby gate was set up in the bathroom doorframe, that Garbanzo had been up to some mischief earlier. Taako glanced at him and then did a double take. Probably because of the blood and whatnot.

"Do I wanna know?" he asked, hands still tangled up in his hair.

"Frat boys," Kravitz said exhaustedly.

"Well now I gotta know," Taako said. "Don't let the cats in."

Kravitz awkwardly stepped over the baby gate, something that proved very unnecessary as it swayed open when he shifted wrong. But Kravitz must have really looked in bad shape because Taako didn't even laugh at him. He did let out a little snort, though.

"Rough mission?" Taako asked, bringing him into a hug. Kravitz sighed, dropping his head against Taako's shoulder. He was going to have to burn this suit at this point, what with the grime and the blurple.

"Mh-hm," Kravitz said.

"I figured when Lup left in the middle of our brekky," Taako said. He rub Kravitz's back comfortingly. "And then Barry left in the middle of helping me choose hair dye and I couldn't decide."

"Blurple," Kravitz said knowingly.

"Blurple," Taako confirmed.

They stood there for a minute, holding each other. Taako smelled like peaches.

"D'you wanna dye your hair?" Taako asked.

Kravitz paused, thinking. Maybe it was the entire fucking fraternity he had spent his morning with, but he felt a lot more stupid now than he usually did. After a few seconds of deliberation, he said,

"Yeah." Another pause. "Not blurple though."

"Well we've got green, red, like, a suuuper dark blue, grink, orange—"

"Sorry?" Kravitz said, pulling back from the hug. "Grink?"

"Green pink," Taako said, nodding as if that made sense. Maybe it did. It probably did. "And yed."

"Yellow red," Kravitz said. "Isn't that just orange?"

"Babe, I have got so much to teach you."

#taakitz #taako #kravitz #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #asks #egg #thank u egg !!!!!! i love u !!

[barry-j-blupjeans]

"You can't just ask me questions and expect me not to ask them back!" Merle said, scooting his chair in. They were sitting around the circular meeting table. The meeting itself had ended about an hour ago, but this room wasn't booked for another two hours.

Originally, they were all supposed to stay, but Taako and Lup had made up some bullshit excuse (Lucretia wanted to doubt the existence of a live cooking themed around Fantasy Hocus Pocus, but with how insistent they had been on its existence, she wasn't sure anymore). Davenport did actually have another meeting to go to. Barry, at least, seemed to tell the truth when he said he was going to go home and nap. Magnus's had obviously been a lie, unless "going to walk my fish" was a euphemism that Lucretia didn't know about.

So here she was with Merle.

"I think I can," Lucretia said, pulling her journal closer to her.

"It's team building," Merle said. "Y'know, with the whole team." He gestured around to the empty table.

"Sure," Lucretia said.

"Fine, fine," Merle said. "I'll come up with a different question." Merle leaned back in his chair, squinting his eyes up to the ceiling as he thought. Lucretia finished writing down Merle's answer to the last question. Then, "alright. I've got one."

"Hit me," Lucretia said.

"What's your biggest fear?"

"That's.... so much deeper than what I've asked you," Lucretia said.

"First you want me to make a new question, then ya don't want my question-!"

"No, no!" Lucretia said. "I mean, I'll answer it. But that's a pretty deep cut, Merle."

"That's just how I role, baby."

"Never call me that again."

"Right. Right, gotcha."

Lucretia tried to think. Her biggest fear? She was scared of lots of things. One of her family members dying. Her dying. Ferrets. The big filing cabinet Davenport had next to his desk, the one that wobbled every time someone went near it. But her biggest fear?

"Forgetting who I am," Lucretia said, before she could really even think about it more. "Forgetting where- where I came from and just- everything about me. Not knowing who I am and not being able to remember."

"Oh," Merle said. "Wowza."

"You asked," Lucretia said, laying her journal flat. She had started to bring it up to her chest as she thought.

"Wowza like, that's deep!" Merle said, "not like, that's bad. Is that- I mean, d'you think that's why you, uh, chronicle so much? So you remember stuff? Or am I just pullin' at straws here?"

"The writing is... a part of it," Lucretia said. "But I- to be honest, Merle, I try not to think about it too much, considering it's my biggest fear. Maybe the journalling is part of it, maybe not, but it's not the main reason I write, no."

"Gotcha," Merle said.

"Now to throw it back at you-" Merle groaned and Lucretia cracked a little grin. "What's your biggest fear, Merle?"

"Fantasy Kool-Aid Man," Merle said, no hesitation.

#lucretia #merle highchurch #taz #taz balance #i just love their dynamic alright !!! #mine #ise cube writing