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fangirllifu · 3 years

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Sweet Like Pudding Ch. 25

Italics - thoughts

That night Kenma received a message from Kanna. He moved without a second thought, grabbing his jacket and making his way down to the lobby, where he knew Kuroo would be. And true to his assumptions, the rooster-headed male was there sitting with Kai, talking. He approached the two, who acknowledged his presence by turning their heads in his direction.

"I'm going out for a bit." Kenma informed, getting straight to the point.

Kuroo nodded his head in response, saying. "Okay. Be sure to walk her back and return before lights out."

Kenma stilled and frowned at Kuroo. "I didn't say I was meeting anyone."

Kuroo merely raised an eyebrow in amusement as he continued to stare at him. "But you are, aren't you?"

Not wanting to deal with his insufferable friend any longer, Kenma kept his mouth shut and abruptly turned around to make his leave. Just as he walked through the doors, Yaku arrived and joined his fellow third years.

"Checking on her?" asked Yaku as he sat down beside Kuroo, who hummed in confirmation to his question.

"I hope she'll feel better soon." Kai voices, clearly still worried for her, the sentiment being shared by the two.

"We still have to do our part tomorrow though." Yaku reminds with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Oh how fun~" Kuroo slyly drawled as he smirked wide and mischievous, actively looking forward to tomorrow's grand event planned by their resident notorious Nekoma Brain.

—~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~—

It didn't take long for Kenma to spot her. She was sitting on a bench, comfortably layered in bundles of sweaters to shield her from the cold, quietly staring at the moon, as she usually did while they were still at the training camp.

Kenma walked up to her, and as he sat down, he gently placed a warm can of tea in her clasped hands. Kanna jolted at the sudden warmth and immediately looked down at her lap. She smiled as she took hold of the beverage and raised her head to glance at Kenma, who was looking ahead while drinking his own can of hot cocoa.

She inched closer to him as she commented. "Not drinking coffee?"

He pulls the can away from his lips and scoffs. "Hn. You know I hate that stuff."

Kanna giggles in response, knowing full well of his aversion to anything and everything bitter.

Kenma relaxes further into the bench, and releases a relieved sigh at the sound. It seems that, despite what happened earlier, she's, at the very least, not as bothered with it as she was before.

Kanna clicked her can open, slowly taking a couple of sips, and sighing in satisfaction at the warmth it brought her. A moment passes before she breaks the silence.

"Thank you."

Kenma turns to her in question and she simply smiles at him in return.

"No matter what I say now, you've already decided that you're going to interfere, right?" She states with not a sliver of doubt that, that is just what he has decided. And sure enough, Kenma nods his head in agreement.

"That's why… Thank You." She tightens her hold on the can and fiddles with it a bit, before taking another sip. She breaths out and watches the fog in silent contemplation.

"If I hadn't met all of you, I probably would've been even more affected and reacted worse than I had. But because you were there, you reminded me that I'm not alone anymore, that I could be happy again. That I have a reason to be happy again." She confesses as she lifts her head and smiles softly at the moon.

Kenma gazes at her for a moment, before he voices. "If that's the case, then you don't need to tell me what happened."

Kanna perks up and turns her head towards him. "Huh? Are you sure? I was certain you'd be curious."

"I was." He agrees, as he turns his head to look back up at the moon. "But it doesn't matter anymore." He concludes, lifting up his can to finish the rest of his drink.

"It doesn't matter, because you're happy. And that's all that matters."

—~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~—

It's time. Today's the day, and the cats are out to play.

Surprisingly though, they gained two more members who were more than willing to put the opposing team in their place, in the name of Haiba Arisa and Yamamoto Akane.

The two had been told of what happened, because they got curious as to why the team was acting differently than any other match they've had. They were introduced to Kanna the morning of the day, and had immediately connected. They adored her lively personality, and couldn't imagine how anybody would ever think of doing such a thing to her.

Bokuto was happy for his cousin, gaining more friends who could understand her, and would support her no matter what. He'd talked to the whole Nekoma team, thanked them and apologized that he had to leave everything in their hands.

"What are you apologizing for?" Kuroo raises an eyebrow as he questions.

"Yeah, you don't need to apologize, Bokuto." Kai agrees, nodding along.

"We're more than willing to stand in for you and do this for Kanna-chan." Yaku declares as he slams his hand on Bokuto's back, causing the other to splutter.

"Oof—! Thanks!" Bokuto beams back at them. He really was thankful, though it was regrettable that he wouldn't be able to watch it all go down.

It just so happened that their game was happening at the same time, so they couldn't be there. But he had no doubt, only all the confidence, that the Nekoma guys would pull through.

"Good Luck you guys!" He exclaims as he runs and waves at them from down the hall.

"Good Luck on your game too!" They shout at him as he goes.

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The guys really couldn't take the opposing team seriously, what with all the nonsense sprouting out of their mouths. The annoyingly high pitched yelling at the side, was only adding to their disdain. Even their name was laughable. They really wouldn't want to be known with such a weak sounding name for a team. Who would? Guinea Pig? Who? To have such a tiny herbivorous mascot and have the gall to be obnoxious with no substance, is just plain distasteful.

Even Nohebi was better than them. Those snakes might be repulsive, but at the very least they were crafty with their skills. The guys could only shake their heads in disappointment at their useless attempts at baiting them.

It was well known that Nekoma intentionally played slow for the sole objective of observing the other team. But this time, that was not the case. Today's Nekoma had a purpose, and fulfill it they shall.

Kenma wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to 'play' with them. He'd instructed the spikers to aim for specific spots that were a huge disadvantage on the opposing team. While at the same time, purposefully allowing them a chance to counter, keeping the scores close. He had no qualms about dragging the game. After all, they're not the ones frantically running around the court.

He's in control, and yet, he was not happy. The rest of the guys couldn't say they don't feel the same.

"These guys…." Kuroo grumbled irritably.

"They're terrible, yes!" Lev comments, nodding his head.

"How did they get this far?!" Yaku yells, angrily capping his water bottle.

"Tsk!"

A loud clicking of one's tongue was heard amidst the discussion, silencing the team. They turned as one in the direction it came from, only to jerk in surprise.

"Ke—Kenma-san?!" Lev, Shibayama and Inuoka squawked, with varying degrees of frightened expressions.

"Kenma?!" Kuroo, Yaku, Kai and Yamamoto screeched, cowering slightly from the expression on his face.

Amidst all this, was Coach Nekomata was laughing heartily from the sidelines, genuinely enjoying the show. "Go show them Kenma."

—~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~——~~~—

It was now the third set, and all jokes were out the window. The Nekoma boys were fed up, and couldn't bear to deal with the insufferable team any second longer. They were determined to end it, and end it quickly.

Nekoma was leading by a landslide, with no foreseeable chance for the opposing team to catch up. They needed only one more point to end it all. But despite lacking skills, the opposing team was frustratingly unwilling to give up. The rally was going on for forever.

But just as the ball was heading his way, Kenma noticed the Captain (the brother of the manager—Kanna's main torturer), directly opposite of him. The Nekoma guys got in position and ran up to the net, awaiting for Kenma's toss. When out of nowhere, Kenma does a setter dump right in front of the guy's face. The court stilled at the unexpected turn of events.

The guy looked up from the ball, only to freeze when he made eye contact. Despite being physically taller, Kenma seemed to be staring him down. A cold shiver ran down his spine when Kenma spoke those three words.

"Who's worthless now."

As Kenma was turning his head, he pointedly made eye contact with the opposing team's manager, having purposefully said it loud enough for her to hear. He reveled in the ghostly pale, horrified expression on her face.

He turned fully with a proud and accomplished smirk on his face, not quite hearing the blow of the whistle, nor the loud cheering of his teammates behind him. He was too preoccupied with one girl at the sides sobbing her heart out. He'd noticed her come running in, along with the Bokuto and Akaashi, just as they scored their set point.

Kenma's face softened as he saw the seemingly endless tears streaming down her face. His lips quirked upwards when Kanna waved his way, giving him a watery, but nonetheless, cheerful smile. Kenma huffs good-naturedly upon hearing her light and joyful laugh, as the other two attempted to comfort her.

Unfortunately, his silent moment was interrupted by Kuroo and Yaku glomping him and furiously ruffling his hair in their excitement, making him snap at them.

This event once again, in the minds of those knew him, further solidified why Kenma could truly be a terrifying person when he wanted to be.

Notes:

Here we go! Can I get a Hoot! Hoot! for a justice well served! But can you just imagine an angry Kenma? *shivers~* I'd be so terrified.

Just in case anybody gets confused. I alternate between calling Bokuto —Bokuto/Koutarou, when the main pov changes. For example, when it's just the guys in the scene, or if the main is Kenma. Generally, just whenever Kanna isn't the main in the scene. I hope I got that all cleared.

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Chapter List

#Sweet Like Pudding #kozume kenma x oc #Kozume Kenma #Bokuto Koutarou #akaashi keiji #Kuroo Tetsurou #haikyuu!!#haikyuu fanfiction #slow burn #romance #family #friendship

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real-jaune-isms · 4 years

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RWBY Volume 7 Chapter 6 Review/Runthrough

I know I’m very late with this, but finals were hell.

This chapter went from a middle ground of curious tension to the highest hype to the deepest dread and despair over the course of its roughly 16 minutes of run time and I hated that. And I love it. I hope y’all did too, but let’s take it step by step together.

It starts somewhat close to where chapter 5 left off, the riots in Mantle have been quelled and several people are in handcuffs, including three familiar thirsty moms. Guess the Happy Huntresses are popular with housewives, wish fulfillment of making a difference in the world yourself and all that. Robyn herself is being interviewed as we’re shown the riot aftermath and people getting in line to vote at electronic polling machines. And we get our first major surprise of the episode. There were two other candidates we never heard about, Ivy Brown and Pearl Wistier! So can we get some F’s in the comments for these two, who didn’t get any recognition or screen time and with the election ending probably never will? As Robyn talks about hoping voters will make the right choice and that the connection between her supporters and the riots is pure coincidence, we see Team RWBY and JNR training while Oscar watches. Blake and Yang are jumping around atop towers, Weiss is sparring with Winter again, Ruby is practicing her semblance, Ren meditates, and Nora and Jaune are bouncing a dodgeball back and forth to test his new shield. The Bees jumping around reminded me a little of the Chibi episode where they played tag, so I liked that. Weiss bounces Winter’s Beowolf around on black glyphs in a manner that made me think of a move Sans uses in Undertale, a very fun connection, and then she knocks Winter off guard by sending a small version of her knight to attack Winter’s ankle. Her playful smirk says she’s not sorry~ Ruby’s petal form splits into three parts to go around a pillar, and Oscar finally calls her out on that being a little unusual if her Semblance really is speed. The dodgeball keeps getting hit harder and harder as Nora puts her thunderous all into it until it dissolves against Jaune’s shield when he uses the Dust upgrades to better defend. He takes some damage to his Aura but recovers again very quickly, much to Oscar’s enthusiasm. Ren’s meditation seems to suggest he’s trying to unlock some kind of precognition or ability to sense other people like he had in Volume 4 when Tyrian was approaching to ambush them. But he doesn’t quite get it down yet and instead Ironwood and Clover enter.

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Ironwood is impressed by how hard the teens are pushing themselves, with Ruby affirming it to be necessary with the current state of affairs, and Ironwood seems to think the info on his Scroll is evidence of that. The poll numbers favor Robyn, which is undeniably better than Jacques winning even if the Happy Huntresses and the military are in a silent stand off, and the young heroes think the general should make more of an effort to be open with her about what they are doing since they’re all on the same side of wanting to help Mantle. Nora argues for the sake of Mantle quite vehemently, furthering my theory and probably many others’ that she was born here. Jaune seems to agree, but Ironwood says that kind of communication will have to be a two way street and by his tone of voice I’m guessing he doubts that will happen any time soon. Before Nora can offer a rebuttal Ren asks why the General is here. Turns out, with the election happening tonight and the teams having done so much work recently, they’ve decided the kids should get the night off before things really start changing once Robyn or Jacques is elected. Ruby doesn’t seem to like thinking about that, probably because everything in Atlas will get very different once the Amity Project is complete and she still doesn’t know how that will go.

Regardless, Team RWBY make plans for the evening. While Weiss stands around glumly looking at the news feed on her Scroll, Blake puts on some eye makeup that I’m too uninformed to know the name of and Yang stares longingly at her from her bed. At least, that’s how I saw it. The two of them are going dancing with Team FNKI, in a club where it will be too loud for Yang to be able to hear Neon’s voice. Just the way she likes it~ Meanwhile Ruby is going with Ren and Nora to meet up with Penny at a party in Mantle to celebrate Robyn’s surefire win of the election. Because overconfidence like that has never backfired in media before. Weiss is still mentally torn about her father’s big layoff stunt and how in the world he thought it would actually work out for him with what a cunning man he’s always been. Yang thinks it was just a power play that backfired, but Weiss worries there’s a grander scheme below the surface. Then she’s asked which group activity she would rather be a part of, so after seeing Blake’s adorkable attempt to do a dance move Yang is showing her she chooses the suddenly appearing third option: going to the movies with Jaune and Oscar. Volume 2 Jaune would be so impressed his older self got Weiss to agree to that kind of thing with minimal effort... but also be very upset by all the terrible things that happened to the guy up to that point. So it barely matters to our Jaune anymore. Still, hope it was a good movie cuz that’s the last we see of those three for the rest of the chapter.

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Ruby and Renora are next seen walking down the street as celebrating Robyn fans pass by in a truck. Ren admits he sees Weiss’ point about celebrating a bit soon but Nora tries to be an optimist about it, that the people should be allowed to enjoy this supposed surefire thing. Ruby admits nothing will probably be a sure thing anymore once the Tower goes up and Salem’s existence becomes known, with Ren and Nora affirming that they’ve spent so long worrying about the secrets they’ve been keeping they haven’t thought about how they would have no plan to face her even once they get past that. Afterall, Jinn said she can’t be beaten. Ruby reminds them the exact phrasing was that she told Oz he couldn’t destroy her, and Nora picks up on the specifics. If Oz can’t, then maybe someone else can. And with her Silver Eyed powers Ruby seems like their best gamble for that. Personally I’m still of the mind that the point Jinn was trying to make wasn’t that “Oz can’t destroy Salem” and was instead that “Oz can’t destroy Salem”. Redemption and the restoration of her kinder former soul may be the best solution to this. But who knows? Regardless, Ren is restless and thinks they should go back to training, that they don’t have time to waste with social gatherings and fun distractions, but Nora says they’ve done enough for now and they need to unwind otherwise they’ll snap. So they’re at odds now, unfortunately...

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The three reach the town hall/auditorium where the rally is taking place and meet up with Penny, who is very happy to see them but wonders why it is only these three. Nora explains what Weiss and the boys are doing and that the bees are off doing their own thing, and Ren comments that he’s relieved the two are back on good terms after everything that happened. But Nora sees this as an opportunity to be passive aggressive. See, the situation with Blake and Yang is very similar to her tumultuous “will they won’t they” with Ren. So she calls into question whether or not Blake and Yang are actually just friends or something more intimate and close after being through such deep bonding experiences, but we can tell she’s actually asking about where she and Ren stand. Ren picks up on what she means immediately and fires back how he feels on the matter while keeping up the pretext of this being about the others. It’s kinda funny to realize they’re being so indirect and also teasing how romantic things seem with Blake and Yang when the fandom has been having similar arguments. But it does offer insight into their actual feelings: Nora wants to take that step and has always worn her heart on her sleeve so she’s ready to show how she feels but she also wants to be sure Ren feels the same so she doesn’t misread the signs. But Ren is worried that with all the deep political stuff happening and the impending threat of chaos Salem’s reveal will bring, now isn’t really the right time for relationship stuff. Nora fires back that they can’t figure anything out unless they talk about it, and I do kind of agree. If there’s tension like this between the pair then it might affect their teamwork and trust.

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Ruby wants no part of this awkward conversation and slides over to Penny’s side, who also realizes the argument probably isn’t about the Bees. So the two head backstage instead, where Marrow is waiting and initially seems happy to see Ruby before getting back into a work mindset and says she shouldn’t be here since she’s still an amateur who wasn’t assigned to this job. But Ruby says she’s just here to be with her friend, and offers Penny a fistbump. Penny looks overjoyed to see this invitation, and eagerly gives Ruby a bump. Unfortunately, steel fists really hurt and Ruby’s hand starts throbbing red. Ouch~ Marrow just tells her not to get in the way, since they need to stay vigilant in case of any trouble. He is interrupted by the one and only... May Marigold, one of the Happy Huntresses we saw when they stopped the truck last episode.

May is... a deep new kind of character, for reasons that have become clear in recent days and were first brought to my mind when I saw the cast list for this episode. May is voiced by Kdin Jenzen, a lovely woman who works for Rooster Teeth and is memorable for such feats as being able to handle super hot chips with ease on the last two RT Extra Life livestreams. She is also a trans woman. This does nothing to diminish my opinion of her and it should not affect yours. This fact also adds a layer of depth to the character, as the likelihood of May being trans as well seemed rather possible. And as of December 17, this is confirmed: May Marigold is RWBY’s first confirmed trans character. An extra layer of diversity to the world of Remnant is most definitely welcome, and it also adds some depth of character to Robyn Hill. Her group is comprised solely of women, and its a very good look for her that she sees May as one every bit as much as Fiona or herself. Because as we all know, TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. Okay, tangent over for now.

May sasses Marrow a bit, saying the Happy Huntresses won’t be the ones causing any trouble and are there to make sure nothing goes wrong. So Marrow can scram, he’s not welcome. The poor pup tries to stand up for his faction, saying Ironwood just wants to help and the Ace Ops are there for good reasons. He’s interrupted by Robyn herself though, who accepts his presence as protective assistance as long as he stays out of the way. Clearly this isn’t what May or Joanna were expecting to hear, but Robyn says they need to learn how to get along if she’s gonna be on the council. Marrow tries to give her attitude by saying getting along will be easy as long as she stays within the law. Clearly her prior roadblocking activities make him think she hasn’t been. She tries to appeal to him and get through the strict military obedience, saying the law isn’t fair to everyone and he shouldn’t always have to obey it to the word. But he’s a Faunus in Atlas, it’s preaching to the choir at this point. She says all she wants to do as a council member is make Mantle and Atlas a better place for everyone, including the Faunus. But Marrow is unmoved, he still wants to guilt her about keeping her activities legal. But she matches his attitude tit for tat, everything so far has been totally legal and he can’t prove otherwise~ Their staredown is interrupted by the absolute angel that is Fiona Thyme causing feedback on the microphone and reminding Robyn she needs to get back to the party activities. Marrow backs off and tells Ruby to leave so he and Penny can do their jobs, so she sticks her tongue out at him behind his back and waves goodbye to Penny before returning to Ren and Nora... where things haven’t gotten any better. So she just turns right around to hang out at the front of the crowd.

Fiona has a very touching speech about how this victory has been a product of Mantle’s united effort to make things better, how this is their moment and they all know Robyn will do right by them. She even gets emotional herself, and then invites Robyn herself to come on stage and talk to the crowd a bit. The two seem to whisper to each other a little, likely encouragement by Fiona that she’ll nail her speech and reassurance from Robyn that the dear girl did a good job just now. Robyn opens with a joke that her difficulty with public speaking is a bad match for this career in politics, and Ruby seems amused. She always has seemed to sympathize with Robyn and think she’s a good person, and for the most part I would agree.

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The speech proper starts with Robyn thanking her gathered followers for their votes and for thus putting their faith and belief in her. And she assures them the feeling is mutual, that she believes in the strength and change a single determined person can bring just as much as she knows there is unlimited potential to what people can do when they work together.

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And with that unity, it doesn’t matter if she wins or loses because they will all continue to fight for the sake of the city that brings them together. That earns a lot of applause and she leaves the stage, though she starts to show visible concern as the radio announcer points out how close the votes are as the deadline draws fatally near. The Happy Huntresses are still confident she’s got this in the bag...

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But she’s no less tense.

With all this talk of unity in mind, Nora tries again to try and address the tension between her and Ren, but deep talks like this really aren’t his thing. Ren has always been emotionally closed off, it’s just in his nature and with emotion being so important for his Semblance it’s clearly been ingrained in his mindset for a long time. Talking is not his love language, he’s always shown how he feels through acts of physical contact. Hugs, leaning on her, holding her hand at the end of Volume 4. So while she’s seeking verbal validation that it is something deeper between them, he’s not used to that and doesn’t really know how to articulate himself and express all his feelings how he wants to. That’s how I interpret it anyway. Nora gets her own read out of his attempt at an answer, and it seems pretty similar to my takeaway from it. Clearly it was encouraging enough for her to know he does like her back he just has so much on his mind he can’t figure out how to say it. Why? Because she literally says “screw talking” and kisses him!!! A KISS FOR RENORA, 7 YEARS IN THE MAKING!!!!! So the two get blissfully lost in the kiss and each other’s company for a little while, and I’m so happy for them.

Unfortunately, this is where we start to have a bad time. We cut to Watts hiding out somewhere booting up several Scrolls in front of a screen showing drone footage of the party as well as older video of Penny’s hero work in Mantle, and he’s activating tech in his rings as we see that Tyrian is in the party crowd in a cloak ready to strike on his partner’s command. The polls are about to close, Ruby is looking over at Penny happy as can be... and sees Tyrian’s tail. She moves to get a closer look, and eyes meet between former foes. She screams towards the stage to watch out, but it’s too late. The lights go out as the election countdown chant hits one, Ren and Nora are holding each other close unsure what’s happening... and Watts gives the order to begin.

He starts doing vague techno stuff with the Scrolls that‘s mostly theatrical hand waving, while at the party Robyn drops her microphone and Ruby gets knocked to the ground by the panicking crowd. Tyrian has started killing people in the audience, in an attacking style seemingly unlike his usual work. Penny activates her night vision at the prompting of Marrow (who SHOULD be able to see in the dark as a Faunus but maybe he’s in a bad position to see what’s happening or her tech optics can do more than ordinary eyes Faunus or otherwise?) and pulls out her swords before she tells Tyrian to surrender. But either that scorpion boy has some mad jumping skills to get to the rafters or Watts could hack Penny’s eyes, because in the time it takes a panicked person to run in front of her he is gone. Watt’s puppeteer act continues as he seems to lift Penny’s movements from one video and put them into the footage of Tyrian’s massacre over the image of his body. How terribly devious. And with a single tap of a district map on one Scroll he changes which candidate several entire parts of Mantle voted for. He may very well have been doing this little by little over the course of the night so the election fraud would look natural, or maybe a significant portion of people actually were voting for Jacques and Arthur just forced the final push. I think the former is a lot more likely.

Meanwhile, Marrow is calling for backup and Robyn calls her Happy Huntresses to her side so they can all keep each other safe. Fiona wants to get Robyn to safety, and at the last second sees Tyrian running across the stage to attack them. His eyes and right arm both glow purple, and he scratches a hole in Fiona’s Aura before slicing at the exposed spot with the blades on his other arm. Seems his Semblances is being able to tear through Aura and then attack a person’s body directly. Useful skill for a killer like him... Still, we know only his tail is poisonous so she probably won’t die. That was likely on purpose too though... If they found venom in her they would know Penny didn’t do it cuz she doesn’t have anything like that. Speaking of Penny, she flies up to tackle Robyn to the floor when it looks like Tyrian is going to attack her next, but he just jumps up to the rafters and giggles maniacally. This part was planned too, because when the lights come on Penny is the one standing on stage with swords drawn over an injured Fiona and confused Robyn. Much like Pyrrha and to a lesser extend Yang before her, Penny has been set up as a brutal killer. Worse yet...

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Jacques has officially won the election and gives a live acceptance speech that seems like a total slap in the face. And if we look more carefully at those lying dead on the floor, a few familiar outfits can be seen. The same thirsty moms last seen getting in trouble for taking part in the riots are now going to be orphaning their children... Whether he meant to or not, Tyrian has proven his ultimate villainous status above all others. Ruby, Marrow, Ren and Nora all rush onto the stage to help Penny and Robyn, but the latter doesn’t trust them at all and the former is in shock that such brutality is blamed on her, that she’s failed her purpose as Mantle’s protector when it mattered most. It’s not helped by the fact that a survivor loudly proclaims Penny did it, and refers to her simply as “Ironwood’s Robot”. Dehumanizing her, saying she’s just another machine that’s been taken over and used as a tool of evil. When the Happy Huntresses and angry members of the crowd charge to attack Penny and those that would try to help her, Marrow uses his Semblance for some literal crowd control, making all of them freeze in place. Ren and Nora are quite unnerved to hear Tyrian was the perpetrator, but they get Penny out the back door to relative safety while Robyn stops pointing her weapon at the girl long enough to shove Ruby out of the way when she was trying to help Fiona. Our dear sheepy says she’s gonna be okay, but Marrow still feels bad and offers assistance. Too bad that means he relaxed enough for his Semblance effect to wear off and Joanna starts shooting at him so he and Ruby leave too, though he does try to assure Robyn that Atlas had nothing to do with this.

Watts uploads his deep faked footage and packs up for the night, telling Tyrian their good work is done. Out in an alley, the good guys catch their breath and quietly panic how bad things just got while Penny just stands in despair and shock. Ruby reaches out a hand to try and reassure her before realizing it’s covered in Fiona’s blood. Marrow tells Penny she has to go back to Atlas, but she’s initially not responsive. She does fly off though,, just as the Grimm attack alarms go off and the others get ready for the long night ahead... with the girls not having their weapons unfortunately. As Manticores are seen flying over Mantle and into the streets, Jacques’ victory speech continues to lay faintly veiled dread into our hearts.

So yeah. Hell of an episode, and one I took way too long to review. School was hell, just like this chapter.

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jackblankhsh · 5 years

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A Blood Red Reindeer Knows part 8: Message in the Pigpen

Spotting a dark dive I duck inside. Being on the street is a bad idea. There's no telling who may've followed me from the Krampus building. The place is called Persiflage 130. Candles are the only light inside save for a few low lamps on a tiny stage. Sitting in a corner where I can watch the door, I wait to see if anyone seems to follow me inside. Though the place is on the verge of vacant the band on stage is giving it their all. The donkey on an upright bass thumps a steady rhythm. My heart slows. The rooster on a keyboard plays a mellow neo-soul tune. Crackling nerves cease spitting sparks. The cat on a saxophone grooves to the beat. The tension melts out of my muscles. An old dog on a trumpet fuses some urban jazz into the mix. I'm not at peace, but fear isn't in control. A clockwork doll tick-tocks her way over. She asks what I want to drink. I tell her, "Three fingers of something strong." "Coming r-r-r-ight up." Her eye clicks shut in a slow wink. Even in the dark I can spot the rust on her body. She's an old doll. Odds are she's older than this building. When she returns I'm delivered a glass brimming with red liquid. It tastes sweet, but the kick soon threatens to punt my brain out of my head. She twitches into a palsied sexy pose, "How's that sh-sh-sh-sugar?" I nod, "Just what I needed." On stage the old dog howls, "Anywhere we can find something better than death... together you see, you and me got no fear of our last breath." He blows the trumpet. The saxophone orbits the melody, while the bass bumps in the background. It's a bittersweet tune. Hearing it I can't help thinking about being resigned to fate. Now that Elfonso's dead perhaps I'm destined to take his seat in that chair. The ghost-odor of blood and sweat conjures a vivid scene of me getting sliced up in that grim basement. There's a dark tide rising at the North Pole. The only way to keep from going under is to get ahead of it. Rummaging in my pocket I pull out the pages I swiped from the Krampus building. The writing, something about it strikes me as familiar. I've never been one for codes. Vixen tried to teach me ciphers when we were kids. That way we could communicate in secret. Thick fool that I am I never could do anything complicated. So Vixen kept it simple. Unfortunately, it's been too many years for me to recall. Looking at the pages, it feels like the message is at the edge of my mind; the tip of my tongue. I should know this. We used to pass each other notes all the time. Little bits arranging rendezvous where the other reindeer wouldn't find us; sweet words her parents couldn't realize were mine. Granted, it didn't work forever. Her parents didn't care about the words only their origin, and the other reindeer, well, they learned the hard way Vixen wasn't soft. When they got mean they got cut. Part of me thinks it was always only a matter of time. Two people on parallel roads can only walk together until a fork arrives. We went our separate ways, but we left a mark on one another. Signaling the clockwork waitress I watch her clitter over. "An-nuh-nuh-nother?" she asks. I shake my head, "Nope." A fat tip goes her way, courtesy of the late Black Jack. At this rate the cash'll be gone soon. I don't mind. He doesn't need it anymore, and I'm pretty sure I can't buy my way out of what's coming. I ask the doll, "Is there a backdoor?" Pocketing the tip she points the way. I thank her. The band flourishes. She tick-tocks away. I finish my drink, and dive back into the night. Maybe it's just the drink, however, though I'm still in over my head, I'm ready to go down swinging. # The upside to having one lead is that there's only one place to go. After sneaking back to my bike I ride to a westside borough. There's a pool hall there called Jamaica Greene's. Tobacco smoke fogs the joint. Pool balls clatter constantly. Occasionally low claps and intense murmurs tell of miraculous shots. It's a mixed bag inside. Some folks here are just looking for a game. Others are killing time between running numbers, or robbing the next liquor store. That said, everyone here is a hustler. Those aspiring to be pool sharks cut their teeth at Jamaica Greene's. The only rule, besides pay what you owe, is no falsehood. There's no attempt to down play one's ability, though more than a few folks have overestimated their skills. I can feel eyes clocking me the minute I enter. Whispers kick up all over. It's a safe bet some here recognize me from news reports, and no doubt somebody is thinking about grabbing me. Civic duty isn't the motivation. Cops are on the hunt. If they show up here, Jamaica Greene's doesn't want them thinking I'm the kind of person frequenting this place. Tossing me out is the safe play, though calling the cops might also pay off. Grateful police are never a bad thing. The point being, I'm on borrowed time every second I'm in here. Over in one shadowy corner I spot a pool table surrounded by a tiny catwalk. Scurrying along it is a mouse. He lines up a shot, and sends the cue ball bouncing off three rails, ricocheting its way between obstacles until it softly kisses the nine into a corner pocket. There's no whispered exclamations. For him, the shot is almost guaranteed. Clapping as I approach I say, "Not bad Mortimer. Looks like you're still good for one thing." Glancing my way the mouse, Mortimer Read, shakes his head. Hurrying down the catwalk he heads towards me. Along the way he pulls out a flick knife. Brandishing the blade Mortimer says, "You owe me some money motherfucker with years of interest." Backing away I say, "Chill Morty. I sent you that cash." Pointing to a nearby sparrow I add, "I gave it to Andy to give to you." Mortimer pauses. He glares in Andy's direction. Mortimer says, "Rudy's a lot of things, but one thing he ain't never been is a liar." The sparrow starts to stammer out a response then bolts for the nearest window. An otter slams it shut. Mortimer nods, and Andy the sparrow gets dragged into the alley out back. He'll be seen again. Mortimer is severe, but no monster. However, Andy won't ever be pretty again. Twenty grand buys a lot of wreckage. Putting the knife away Mortimer says, "Now that that's out of the way, it's good to see you." "Good to see you too. Look, I need some help." "Then here's some free advice." Mortimer goes back up onto the catwalk, "Why ever you're killing those reindeer -- I don't care -- but it's time for you to get out of town." Part of me doesn't disagree. There's only one problem. I don't mind going down for something I did. However, I'm not about to be the fall guy in this situation, and though Big Red tends to leave the Outskirts alone, I get the feeling killing his fliers is exactly the kind of thing he'll chase someone to the ends of the Earth over. I need to clear my name if I want to be left alone. So I pull out the pages saying, "My hoof's out the door. There's just one, or two things I need to know before I go." Mortimer hops the cue over a line of balls. It clips a stripe into the side pocket. He orbits the table, walking slowly to his next shot. He says, "It's been a while Rudy. I'm not as well connected as I used to be. The Shortage." He shakes his head, "Things got desperate. That strained a lot of relationships, ya follow?" Everything down to the bare minimum. People starving in the streets. No amount of money able to buy a crust of bread. I can imagine everyone going at each other's throats. On the Outskirts we did okay, though not much better. Even good friends ate one another, some literally. Flashing the pages at him I say, "I'm not here for your connections. I'm here for you." I toss the pages on the table. Mortimer glances at them. He gestures, and a cat clears the pages off the table. After his shot Mortimer motions. The cat holds the pages closer to him. He nods, "It's a pigpen cipher." Hearing it out loud connects all the dots. Suddenly I remember the code. Vixen loved to use it because the pigpen felt like alien writing -- "Something from another world," she used to say. I ask if Mortimer can read it. He snorts. He knows all the codes, invented a few of his own. So he says, "That's almost insulting." I smirk, "Then what's it say?" He reads, "'King Crimson is on the menu. Three days. Be ready to devour.'" A coded phrase in a coded message. It makes sense. Using a simple cipher made it easy to encrypt any messages, but also left it likely those letters, if intercepted, might get decoded. An extra layer made the details a bit harder to figure. The rest of the pages are pretty much the same. The only consistent bit is they all mention King Crimson. It's a safe bet those three days are up, or damn close to being. Something is about to happen if it hasn't already. Mortimer nudges the cue ball into the eight. The black ball rolls along a rail until it stops just short of a pocket. Sighing, Mortimer shakes his head. He says, "What've you gotten into Rudy?" I tell him, "Honestly, I don't know." A gesture from Mortimer, and the cat hands me back the pages. Mortimer comes around on the catwalk. Looking over at me he seems to be considering something. He says, "You were never really a bad guy Rudy. Trouble, yeah, but not bad. Do yourself a favor, okay? Just disappear." I say, "Would if I could, but you know the old saying. 'He sees you if you're sleeping,' and such." A dim bulb brightens, "Of course." "What is it?" Mortimer asks. "I gotta go. Thanks Morty." Running out I shout back, "I owe you one." He hollers, "Where're you going?" "To see King Crimson." I'm on my way to Big Red's.

#writer #writing #fiction #shortstory #neo-noir #pulp #pulpfiction #honestyisnotcontagious #Rudolph the Reindeer #weird #mystery

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