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sanktnikolais · 3 years

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What Keeps You Up At Night

A/N: one last writing before I disappear for quite a long time. Or idk maybe i’ll be back again soon, but it’s burnt out season these days. No more will to write and live HAHAKLDHFS so have this mess of neighbors au, and i might still write more of this in this au, maybe not just too soon. ;-;

Happy Halloween, ig.

Word count: 2151

AO3

The first time Zoya had finally talked properly with her noisy, infuriating neighbor without them arguing was in the middle of the night.

The endless readings for her upcoming case had taken a toll on her for the past few days, and the sleep she got was not enough to make her last the next day without verbally murdering someone in the firm. Tonight was no different, but she decided to go to bed earlier, as the noises from next door were starting to get louder again, and she was tired of going over and trying to knock his door down. They had been arguing off every little mistake they could pinpoint and use it against each other.

When Zoya had moved in the apartment complex more two weeks ago, only the ones from across and by the end of the hall came to greet her, while the one next to hers was silent the whole time, and the rest of the day.

A firefighter, the other floor tenants had said, so he was gone most of the day.

She would've appreciated it at some point, if only if he didn't make so much noise at nights whenever he was back. It was during the third night that she finally had enough rage to stomp over the adjacent door and knock, only to end up with the firefighter arguing back that she, too, was too noisy every morning.

Those arguments only got frequent for the two weeks, until they got a notice from the landlord to settle things down otherwise they’d get evicted. They had both ‘compromised’ with each other’s time schedule, but it really just involved them glaring at each other and arguing very quietly. Though their interactions had gone much calmer in the past few days, there was still no denying about the bad blood between them.

Now Zoya was just about to retreat back to her bedroom when there was a loud scratching on her front door. It wasn't the type that one would suddenly hear but was gone after a moment. Instead it was continuous and hurried, as if someone or something was trying to get in.

She raised an eyebrow, eyeing the time on her phone. 1:03. What the hell could it be at this time of the night?

The scratching continued as Zoya slowly approached the front door, her heart starting to hammer in her chest. She wasn't the type to believe in the supernatural, but who's to say it was impossible?

She stopped in front of the door, and then the scratching stopped. Coldness seemed to wash over her, the suddenness of the feeling making her shiver. Whatever it was may have left already, most likely a stray rat or something. But the sound was too loud for something as small as a rat. What if it was—

Zoya stopped her thoughts with a dark chuckle, feeling silly for even thinking about the impossible, though there was still no denying the slight fear in her chest. With a shake of her head, she took a deep breath and peeked through the peephole on her door.

There wasn't anyone outside.

She scoffed. Maybe the lack of sleep for the past week had made her imagination and hearing tacky.

"Being scared of mere sounds now, huh, Nazyalensky?" she mumbled to herself, stepping away from the door.

Only to stop when another sound came from the other side. A soft cry.

By this time, her fear was replaced by annoyance, and Zoya just turned the lights on, grabbed at the knob, and opened the door.

As expected, there wasn't any soul outside. Even the hall was dim and quiet—except for the occasional ones coming from the infuriating firefighter's slightly open door—when she turned to look in both directions, the small light by the end made it possible to see. Otherwise, the floor was empty.

She eyed the next door with a frown, shaking her head. Was he so confident to leave it open during this time of the night?

Then a thought came to her head. If she ever caught Lantsov trying to play a prank on her in the middle of the night, she would definitely not hesitate to strangle him on the spot. She shook her head, feeling annoyed with both herself and whatever it was that made the scratching sound. It surely wasted her time to check when she was supposed to be dozing off already.

She stepped back, ready to close the door, when she felt something brush past her ankle.

It was enough for a yelp to erupt from her mouth and jump, almost crashing over to her door.

Zoya quickly recovered and whirled around, expecting to see something scary, probably a ghost that had finally decided to become visible to her or anything supernatural that she's read and watched far too many times.

What she didn't expect was an adorable fluff of golden fur poised down on the floor as if it were trying to get her to play.

She gaped at the dog, turning back to the hall and expecting its owner to come over to get him. But no one came.

A soft whine made her turn back to the dog. It was now sitting up, head inclined to the side with a curious look on its face. If this was some other time, Zoya knew she would've melted on the sight. But now there was only confusion and bewilderment in her mind.

The dog couldn't be any older than several months. It was still a bit small to be an adult Retriever, but definitely not a puppy anymore.

She crouched down in level with it, and the dog immediately got up to run towards her. It only took a blink before it was jumping to her with an excited bark, and Zoya caught the dog mid-air.

The Retriever started attacking her with kisses, and the annoyance she was feeling just now disappeared completely. She laughed lightly when the dog's tail started to wag too vigorously as she stood up.

"Where did you come from?" Zoya asked, giving its head a ruffle. There was small ringings coming from the bell on its collar, and she turned the tag over. Sturmhond. "Storm dog, huh?" She leaned back to look at the golden fluff. It reached over to lick at her nose, causing a chuckle from her. "Who in the world would name you like that?"

There was a squeak of a door being opened. "Sturmhond?" a deep voice echoed in the hallway, followed by rushed footsteps. "Sturm—"

Zoya turned around to Lantsov stop by her door, already in his black shirt that had a printed Ravka Fire Protection on the upper left.

The firefighter’s stare at her lingered for a second too long before he was blinking and averting his eyes from her and to the bundle of golden fur in her arms. "Sturmhond!" His hazel eyes that had a deep look of worry before suddenly lit up when they landed on the dog.

The dog—Sturmhond—immediately squirmed off her arms and leaped over to him.

He caught him with a laugh. "Saints, there you are," he said in obvious relief. He gave the dog a ruffle on the head as Sturmhond bombarded his cheek with kisses. After a moment, he turned to her with a small wince. "I'm sorry about that, I only got him several days ago from the alley at the back and he's still trying to adjust—" He seemed to realize his own blabbing and he shook himself. “Yeah, I’m sorry for the disturbance.”

Zoya raised an eyebrow. Did he just apologize to her? “I think this is the first time I heard you apologize, Lantsov," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway. “You ought to close your door if you don’t want him escaping your place.”

The firefighter frowned. “It was closed, alright?”

Zoya raised a brow at him. “Oh, really, now?” she said. “How come he got to my door?”

“I don’t know,” he said, a tad bit too sharply, and he seemed to realize his tone. “Maybe I did leave the door open. My shifts have been longer these days, I really would tend to forget a lot."

She fought a smile on her lips as she took in this whole new character of her neighbor. He was so far from the one that she had been arguing for the past two weeks. “Is this character development? You are awfully different today.”

Lantsov only rolled his eyes as he adjusted the dog in his arms. “Nice to finally meet you,” he said sarcastically. Then he shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “Taking care of this one probably did the trick.”

Zoya made a surprised huff. It was the first time they had talked without wanting to verbally murder one another, and it was a new thing to see. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Anyway, my shift starts in about ten minutes and it won’t end until lunch I think,” he said with an amused smile, “at least I don’t have to endure your loudness at eight in the morning.”

She erased her previous thought. Still the infuriating and idiotic neighbor. “For once, I thought you actually had some character development, Lantsov.”

Nikolai laughed, and Zoya felt the strange ease in the air that was never there before. “Only for you, dear,” he said. “Well, then. I have to go—”

He was cut off when Sturmhond suddenly jumped off from his arms and padded his way inside Zoya’s apartment, hiding behind her legs. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the dog behind her. It seemed to have shrunk smaller as Sturmhond continued to hide.

“Sturmhond. Come on, buddy, I have to go,” he said gently, bracing his hands on his knees to crouch lower. He tried to call the dog once more, but Sturmhond didn’t budge. He sighed and stood up, checking his watch. “He’s still having issues with leaving. He thinks he’s going to get abandoned again.” Then he winced, closing his eyes as if he were in pain. “Can I, uh, ask for a favor?”

She narrowed her eyes, a laugh bubbling out from her lips. The night was definitely going on a weird turn. “Nikolai Lantsov is asking a favor from me?”

His wince only worsened. “I know, but it’s all because I forgot to call my friend that’s supposed to take Sturmhond tonight,” he said, rubbing at his face. He looked up after a moment, a defeated look on his face. “Can you watch over him?”

Zoya raised an eyebrow, and before she could reply, he quickly added, “I will pay for the dog sitting, don’t worry.” He looked past her and down to the dog hiding behind her. He had a worried crease between his brows, and for once, his usual smug expression was gone and replaced by a genuine emotion she never saw him have before. “He really looks like he doesn’t want to leave tonight.”

Her frown got deeper as she contemplated the firefighter’s request. He hadn’t been the most likeable person on their floor, at least for her, and she had every right to say no. But what she couldn’t understand was her lack of resistance over the favor and the sudden urge to help him.

She sighed. “Fine, I can watch over him,” she said even before she could think of changing her mind. Then with much more surety, she added, “I’m on a day off tomorrow, anyway.”

His eyes lit up like a child being allowed to play outside. “Really?”

“He seems behaved enough. And I’m sure he’s much quieter than you.”

To her surprise, Nikolai laughed, and her stomach did a weird flip at that. “He definitely is quieter than me. And he sleeps a lot too, would pass out anywhere he lays down.”

“My rate is not cheap, though.”

“I don’t mind.” He chuckled, the expression in his eyes was soft when he said, “Thank you.”

Zoya blinked, the direction of the night catching her completely off guard. It was only then that he looked much better with a smile on his face rather than the frown he always had every time they argue, and his eyes were definitely much warmer up close.

Lantsov was indeed quite a looker.

She shook herself out of her thoughts, covering them up with a glare on the blond. “Don’t thank me yet, I am planning to use this favor against you.”

Nikolai chuckled. “Of course, anything for you, Nazyalensky.”

Oh, she still hated him for having a sudden effect on her.

She’ll charge him off big time for dog sitting.

---

But when he came to pick the dog up much later in the afternoon, Zoya hadn’t charged him off with anything.

#zoyalai #king of scars #nikolai lantsov #zoya nazyalensky #wow i am able to write again #idk man #firefighter nik with a dog #and lawyer zoya ig #it's really burnt out this time #hope i recover soon lmao #my writing #happy halloween #;-;

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jq37 · 5 years

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i know you posted your thoughts on the big arguing scene in “we need to talk about pete” but i was wondering if you were going to post a full breakdown? that episode was a lot and i love hearing your thoughts on eps. ignore this if you have done a breakdown and i’m dumb and just missed it lol

**spoilers for the war of bugs and rats and we need to talk about pete**

What’s up denizens of Magic NYC? Now, I unfortunately live in normal NYC where I have to pay bills and stuff so I’ve been MIA with recaps for the past few eps but, no sweat. We’re gonna do a double feature of the above two eps and then I’ll group in the last battle episode with the upcoming episode. So lets catch up on what’s been going on in The Unsleeping City There’s a LOT to get through so vámanos y'all.

First up, we have our big bug fight in Queens, which Sophie enters with a camelback full of box wine because Emily is Emily.

“I’ve heard of gentrification but this is crazy!”

Brennan enjoys making those gross, chittering, bug noises way too much.

Have we talked about Pete’s cowboy hat? Because, for real, what is up with Pete’s cowboy hat? It seems absolutely apropos of nothing. Was he just like, “Sick,” and he decided to wear it everywhere? That seems to be how he makes all of his decisions.

“Butthole 2: Electric Boogaloo.”

Emily clocks the cat *immediately*. Like to the point where I’m almost thinking, “Did this cat exist before Emily mentioned looking for one?” And I want to say yes because La Gran Gata seems very fleshed out, specific, and intentional. But folks, we are living in a post-Avanash world so idk what to think. (Edit: The cat does have a mini now that I’ve gotten to that but idk, that insert shot could have been shot post ep so like, who knows?)

Anyway, Emily’s entire mission objective immediately becomes saving this cat she’s vaguely aware of.

“5E you crazy.”

The Cast, Knowing Emily just rolled a 25 and still has a 1d8 Bless in Her Back Pocket if She Needs It: Brennan, Just Ask.

The horror on Emily’s face when she realizes that she just called an attack on the cat cocoon.

So Emily goes off on a very Emily side quest to rescue a random cat but happens to unlock a very cool NPC–La Gran Gata–who is like the spirit of all the bodega cats out there. Sophie immediately calls upon the entirety of her limited Spanish skills to try and make friends with the cat, and succeeds.

The, “To arms, to arms my brothers!” thing kills me every time. Are all rats just Like That? Is that what they’re like when they’re out and about too?

Kingston rolling a nat 20 to literally walk across the store is wild.

Oh also, Pete failed a wild magic surge roll which just lets him fly. So far, those wild magic surges have really been working out for him.

Anyway, Bug Boss Becky turns Ricky into a “buff-ass” dog.

Zac playing dog-Ricky with almost exactly the same self-awareness (or lack thereof) as normal-Ricky is so funny. He’s an Akita and I was expecting Dalmatian but that makes sense too. Ricky, the very good boy, attacks Becky and–as a Sentinel–stops her in her tracks.

Emily does a ton of damage and Brennan, about to describe her attack, is like, “Are you still drunk?” Emily shuts down the opportunity to look cooler and is like, “I am a messy, drunk bitch. Describe that.” Emily isn’t here to be cool. Emily is here to roleplay.

I had never heard the word brindled before now and Brennan uses it to describe two separate animals in this ep.

Siobhan rolls a nat 20 to dispel magic on Ricky which is objectively good but also I would have loved for him to be a dog a little longer. Also, this moment makes me really, really want to get some backstory on Misty. Like, clearly there are some serious Fae Shenanigans going on with her and I need specifics yesterday.

Also, Ricky comes back with pointier ears and wolfier senses and I’m just picturing Channing Tatum in Jupiter Ascending.

Before I forget, Sophie, Pete, and Misty yoink magical items from the magic bodega within the bodega La Gran Gata opened up. Sophie’s is a magic ring that amps up her punches. Misty took a mirror and Pete took a grill (like for your teeth). Not sure what those do yet.

The fact that this whole fight wasn’t under the Umbral Arcana and there are people out there that remember is a little concerning for me. I can’t quite tell if it’s the sort of thing that will come back or more of a warning of what can happen if the U.A. goes down again.

Post-fight, Sophie asks La Gran Gata for mismatched David Bowie eyes like the cat has. Siobahn goes, “That’s what you’re gonna ask? You drunk bitch.” But Sophie has her wish granted. I’m sure that won’t raise any questions with people who have known her her entire life.

“She’s gonna fuck that cat.”

So the fight’s over and they realize that the Key to the City is missing which I can’t imagine is a good thing.

This brings us to the RP ep, We Need to Talk About Pete, which picks up directly where the previous ep ended.

Ally and Emily go for the exact same joke of getting Guinness’s post-fight. Kingston–as a medical professional, Vox Populi, and sanest adult of this troupe–loudly objects (smacking the beers out of Pete’s hands multiple times) and wants to know what the hell is going on with the bugs they just fought.

Sidenote: Sophie took a level in Warlock with La Gran Gata as her patron because of *course* she did. I wonder if this was the plan from the beginning or if Emily was watching all her friends spellcasting and started getting the jitters from magic user withdrawal.

Murph’s “What?” face when Emily says, “I’ll be waiting, but not in an impatient, desperate way,” is gold.

They search the bodega and find a thing of 1000 Hour Energy and Kugrash gives it to Ricky over Pete’s objections. They also find Holy Grail Laundry Detergent (Kingston pays for it), The Grill I mentioned earlier (Kingston hates this), and this bagel.

All the magic users show up. Alejandro wants an explanation pronto and everyone points a finger at Pete who explains everything in his typical, nonchalant, vague, kinda spaced out way which Alejandro is not digging at all. He starts to go off on the enormity of the situation and Pete starts dropping acid.

I’m gonna stop here for a sec to talk about how Ally is playing Pete. There are moments when I feel like Ally is doing something as a comedian for a bit. And there’s kind of a sense of, is this funny? Obviously. But what are the in game implications of this move? Like the running joke of Pete constantly being high on something is funny, out of game. But, in game, it’s massively concerning. And I’m really curious about where Ally is choosing to draw the line between doing the funny thing and doing the prudent thing. I almost said the in-character thing but Ally made a character so consistently bonkers that whatever he does could plausibly be the in-character thing. Pete is kind of a massive disaster.

Anyway, Alejandro drives home the point that Pete’s actions have consequences and have caused actual deaths at this point. Pete’s magic is internally going wonky as he gets more distressed (I really wanted to see a wild magic surge fail here but alas). But he’s still outwardly like a 4 on the giving a damn scale when the situation is a 13 out of 10. Pete is only half listening to this because he’s halfway out the door, smoking. Alejandro plans with Kingston to discuss Pete later.

Misty, always sowing seeds of chaos, suggests Alejandro stock up on Juul pods before they stop selling them completely. Kingston hates this (this is basically his mood for the episode).

Outside, Pete gets a text from Priya which ends with them planning a meet up for later after leaving her on read for a while. Pete dips without saying anything to anyone but Kingston who ignores him (and also Sophie who Emily hilariously guilts Ally into including out of character). Dipping on the conversation about how to fix YOUR mess isn’t the wisest move but Pete isn’t the wisest guy.

In the meantime, Ricky does the Twilight Bark to summon a dalmatian (yes!) to help him find the stolen key to the city. Kugrash turns into a busted ass dalmatian who has trouble keeping up.

Ricky doesn’t have the plate mail armor that usually makes a Paladin so unstealthy but he is so hot as to have the same lack of stealthiness which is one of my favorite adaptations of the game for this setting. Anyway, Ricky does the superhero thing of running through the city, helping everyone with a problem along the way, and loses the key in the Financial District which smells like death (feels about right).

Siobahn playing Misty as, “Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it was Emma Lazarus,” when, in reality, she was the first person who made the connection was great. S/o to ppl who separate player and character knowledge. Misty partied w/ Emma of course because she partied with every historical figure that’s passed through NYC since she showed up.

Post adventure, people need to go to their day jobs. Misty has a +10 to performance but rolling a 3 is rolling a 3. It’s not her best work. Later, her assistant brings her holly, silver, and assorted other stuff which sounds like Fae BS if I’ve ever heard it. Misty cuts her off before she can elaborate more. I know we’re getting a secret spilling episode next time so I’m really hoping we get some Misty lore because she is being frustratingly cagey. She talks so much but says so little that means anything.

Kugrash sneaks into his son David’s house (while Emily learns a rat fact she clearly didn’t want to know) and Murph and Brennan tag team go for the proverbial emotional jugular.

Murph rolls a nat 20 on his investigate and so he gets a lot of his old files and puts together that Robert is Robert Moses–a famous historical figure in NY who I actually heard about for the first time very recently. Or maybe I should say infamous. He did a lot with NY infrastructure–especially highways–(Emily connects this to the Highway Hex immediately) and he wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type. His bread and butter was working the system. There’s a Pulitzer winning book called The Power Broker about how he was able to amass power and influence. I don’t know enough about NY history to run my mouth off about the guy but the little I do know is in character with his T.U.S. incarnation. Also, just FYI, irl this dude died in the 80s. So, you know. That’s interesting.

Brennan, I guess: Why invent new bad guys when history is full of terrible people I just have to give magic to?

Brennan, continuing his tradition of letting people get emotionally destroyed by nat 20s, has Murph find a crushing letter from David to Kug which was never mailed.

Note: So, as I was writing this, my video timed out right at the line, “I don’t expect this letter to find you before my funeral,” which is kinda good bc idk if this is what I need at 1 AM. Anyway, back to the pain.

The letter reveals that David has devoted his life to stopping crooks like him (Kug) and that he’s mostly upset about how his leaving has affected the younger, more fragile Wally.

“I leave the letter because I’ll remember it.” Yeah I bet you will.

It looks like Kug is gonna confront Wally next ep which I am now even more excited to see.

So let’s move onto the SECOND big gut-punch of the episode. Kingston goes down to the station to give a statement about the Santa Incident. He sees a shit elemental in a lineup which isn’t super relevant to the main events but I can’t not mention something like that.

Anyway, guess what? Kingston’s ex (Liz) isn’t dead! She’s an attorney for the justice system of The Unsleeping City and she’s pissed the hell off. During their interview, he stops the tape recorder to cuss out Kingston for going on a “date” with Misty and for getting her involved in all the magical junk which means she has to do things like fingerprint shit elementals instead of being on track to be D.A. like she originally was. The way she described it made it sound like she was press ganged into it which seems like it shouldn’t be how this works, you know? Is there no blue pill option here? Also, not to be all grass is greener but I actually am a lawyer in NY (closer to Kug’s job, minus the crime) and I would swap with Liz in a heartbeat.

The fact that anything Kingston says as Vox is per se admissible is a cool detail.

Sophie fights an old man (Jackson) in a CVS and joins a monastery which sounds like a shitpost but it isn’t. With La Gran Gata’s blessing she is now a member of the Order of the Concrete Fist.

I saw the Staten Island joke coming the second Brennan started talking but it was still hysterical when it landed.

At the same time, Pete is getting knuckle tats because, sure. And he also goes to see Priya who I am baffled was with him for any length of time. Maybe it’s the artist thing?

Also, Sophie keeps postponing her meeting with Mario which is concerning to me. The story is still happening when you’re not interacting with it. Brennan specifically said when she texted him that she got no response which doesn’t make me feel good about what’s going on with him.

Ricky has three super jacked, fratty firefighter bros, all named John who are like woke as hell. I wish I could follow the dude around for a day because every single facet of his life is wild.

Well, this episode promised we were gonna talk about Pete so let’s talk about Pete.

The gang, sans Pete, meet up with the magical powers that be to discus the destruction the newest Vox his leaving in his wake.

Sidenote, wild that Sophie has been magic for like 15 minutes and got to go to this meeting.

Alejandro wants to know what the plan is for if Pete’s powers go off the rails again. Kingston, who has clearly seen Old Yeller, offers the most drastic solution immediately: if it comes to it, we take him out. (Cut to Ally’s “Yikes” face). Kug, Sophie, and Ricky push back on that.

Misty, hilariously (and also suspiciously), is mainly concerned about NY because she needs theater to keep happening. This woman is chaotic something and I’m not convinced it’s chaotic good yet.

Anyway, I already did my big write-up on this part of the episode, but I’ll say it again: Kingston is right. He’s harsh but he’s right. This is some Phoenix Force BS that’s happening and do you know how that arc ends (the OG one, not the million other Phoenix Sagas that have happened since)? It ends with Jean Grey killing herself so she doesn’t lose control and eat another planet. Ricky is too dangerous for his own good and he doesn’t seem to have the emotional maturity to care (or at least to care at the correct level). Like, he was a drug dealer when this started which is already not ideal. He caused a huge mess and then just bounced without trying to help fix it. He thought that a week was enough time for human casualties to be water under the bridge. Frankly, not considering the nuclear option and just having to figure out if killing him is something the group is willing to do on the fly would be the more irresponsible option.

And not including Pete in the discussion would bother me more if he hadn’t openly blown off every serious discussion people have tried to have with him so far. If he’s not going to take things seriously, it makes sense they don’t invite him to the serious discussions.

The version of this story where Pete accidentally gets a bunch of people killed, finds out what he did, cries about it for a full day, and then finds out they’re talking about possibly killing him is a story where Pete is more sympathetic imo. But still, finding out that people talked about killing you under any circumstances has got to be rough.

IMO, the order of things that should be done right now are (1) putting magical training wheels on Pete, (2a) getting Pete trained or his powers transferred if it’s possible/he wants out, (2b) either way, getting Pete into therapy (like, he needed therapy before he got magic. now it’s just a matter of life and death–besides just his own), (3) talking to Pete again about the stakes and telling him point blank but not in while heated that there’s the possibility of a scenario where his powers go out of control and you have to understand that at that point it’s a matter of saving as many lives as possible. Like, Kingston can say, with conviction, “If I go rogue, you should do the same to me.” They’re in the same boat. Kingston’s just been rowing longer. Well, similar boats anyway. I imagine the Vox Populi powers are less inherently chaotic. And maybe the knowledge that a nuclear option is on the table would make Pete not want the job or want him to have his powers muted or something. Cool. Then you have that discussion at that point. Just, these are the conversations that need to happen. And maybe his own mortality will be the thing that helps get Pete’s head in the game.

What jewel did Ale take out of his pocket during this conversation? Taking note of that. (Juul, not jewel. Duh. Thx thethief )

Pete gets in touch w/ Alejandro’s granddaughters who tell him that Alejandro’s still pretty pissed (which is surprising to Pete but like, bro. People died). Then, Robert shows up to sweet talk Pete and show him the video (that he somehow has) of Kingston talking at the Pete Meeting. When I was watching this the first time I was like, “How long before this blows up in their face–oh, almost immediately. Cool.”

He takes Pete to his vampire nightclub and hits him with Pete’s own “I didn’t create the demand” line that you just know Brennan put a pin in to hit Pete with that Uno Reverse card.

Robert tries to get Pete to summon Nod and then just does it forcibly with some kind of blood magic when Pete is hesitant. Pete wild magic surges, kills a bunch of vamps, and Nod (super injured by being in the waking world) teleports them both to the subway.

The group (including Alejandro) meets them there so they can catch the L train to Nod but Epona shows up. And you already know from Fantasy High that Brennan is on the ACAB train (or is that AFCAB?). Epona is now wearing a crooked badge–crooked badge for a crooked cop. She wants Nod. No can do. The gang gets ready to–to quote Mr. Cubby-make some bacon while Alejandro tries to cast a spell to summon a train to Nod (the place not the person).

So I’ll see y’all next time (whenever that is) for some subway fighting and some backstory unlocking!

#asks #bbistrashbutwhatevs #dimension 20 #the unsleeping city #d20

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cocomaxley · 5 years

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Paws for a Cause Part 1

This was a prompt request from @stopforamoment

This is a part of a TRR A/U called Cordonians Gone Wild, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @leelee10898 @riseandshinelittleblossom and yours truly. Catch up HERE.

Summary: A furry friend joins the CGW squad which results in another boys vs. girls wager.

Rating: Fluff

Tag List: @hopefulmoonobject @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @katurrade @krsnlove @alj4890 @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ooo-barff-ooo @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @editboutique @wannabemc2 @enmchoices @lauradowning29 @lodberg @smalltalk88 @gibbles82 @heatherfilliez @noey718-blog @nikkis1983 @sweetest-marbear @classylady1234 @daniv2278

Liam picked up his desk phone and called Genevieve. “Hey, Gen. I have a surprise for Anitah, and I was hoping you'd be able to help me.”

“Sure! What's the surprise?”

“She's been talking non-stop about getting a puppy...the police shut down a puppy mill recently and the local animal shelter is housing them until they are adopted. I'd like to pick one out for her.”

“You're getting her a puppy! Oh my god, yes I'm coming with you!”

A little while later, Liam picked Genevieve up from Domvallier and they made their way to the animal shelter. Once inside, Genevieve could not contain her excitement. She sat in the middle of an enclosure that had five Jack Russell Terrier puppies inside. “They're all so cute! I want all of them!”

Liam chuckled, “One puppy, Gen. My wife is getting one puppy.”

Her bottom lip pouted, “but what if the puppy gets lonely and misses his brothers and sisters? You're the king, can't your hire dog nannies? ”

He shook his head, “I asked the wrong person to come with me.”

“Fine, one puppy. I think she would love this guy! Look at him, Liam. He's soooo cute.” She picked up a white puppy with brown markings on his face and ears and large brown asymmetric spots on his body. The puppy wriggled in her arms and licked her face making her giggle. “He's the one. He's so sweet. Anitah is going to die!”

He left her with the puppies while he filled out the paperwork. Once the documents were completed, the two of them along with their new furry friend hopped into the back of the SUV. “What are you going to name him?”

Liam sat quietly while observing the dog, “He looks like a Milo.”

“MILO! It's perfect isn't it, Milo? Oh, Liam, can I have him?”

He laughed, “you can babysit until tonight. I need him to stay with you until Anitah is done with her meetings. Everyone will be arriving at the palace before dinner for the start of the social season tomorrow. Gen, you have to bring him with you…”

She giggled, “Fine. I don't need to be arrested for kidnapping the royal canine. I can't wait to see her face.”

They said their goodbyes, and she entered the estate with the pup. As soon as she opened the door, Demetrius was standing there talking to the majordomo. He stopped mid sentence and turned his attention to Milo. “You got a puppy? Is this my new grand dog?” He picked up the little ball of fur, and Milo immediately started licking his face. Demetrius let out a hearty laugh.

“He's actually a surprise for Anitah. Liam asked me to babysit and bring him to the palace later. Want to go play with him in my quarters?”

“Your Grace, do you wish to continue our discussion later?” Raphael asked him.

“Yes, yes later. I'm busy.” He followed Genevieve to hers and Rashad’s chambers. She set out a bowl of water and another bowl with food for the puppy. He happily wagged his tail as he drank and ate. Milo disappeared, but neither Genevieve nor Demetrius noticed. Rashad came home a short while later and was greeted by the white puppy with a men’s black dress shoe in his mouth. “What the hell is that and is that my shoe in its mouth?”

Genevieve peeked around and saw Milo with the shoe hanging out of his mouth. She covered her mouth, “umm, no I don't think so…”

Demetrius stood up, “Would you look at the time? I have to get going. Goodbye, my darling girl. See you later little, Milo! Bye, son.” He kissed her cheek, scratched Milo behind the ear and quickly walked to the door.

She stood up and pulled Rashad into a kiss. “Honey, meet his royal highness, Prince Milo. We are bringing him with us to the palace later.”

“Ok good. I like dogs, but that looks like a rat.” He shook his head and walked into the bedroom. A few minutes later she heard, “FUCK! I just stepped in dog shit!”

She looked at the puppy and started laughing, “I think Uncle Rashad is mad, Milo. You have to be extra nice to him when he comes back.” The dog cocked his head and his tail started swaying side to side as if he understood her.

After getting ready and packed for the palace, Rashad and Genevieve got into their car. Milo happily sat in her lap. Rashad reached his hand over to the passenger seat. Genevieve went to hold it, but he dodged her hand, petting the puppy on his head.

“Someone's soft for you, Milo. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist you.” She giggled which made him roll his eyes.

“He's cute, but don't get any ideas. I don't want any pets, not right now anyway,” he took her hand in his as he continued to drive. They pulled up the palace and walked towards the royal chambers. Rashad knocked and Liam answered the door. “Perfect timing, she's just getting changed.”

Anitah walked into the living room and froze, “Is that..is that...a puppy?” She knelt down on the floor, and Milo bolted towards, knowing she was his new mommy. “Yes, love, he's your puppy. His name is Milo.”

“Milo? It's literally the perfect name!” Anitah burst into tears. “Liam, thank you!” She said still crying. “Hello, Milo, I'm your mommy.” She put the puppy down and hugged Liam. Milo decided to explore his new home and disappeared. The four friends sat and talked when there was a knock on the door. Brad entered and Milo ran out the door with a brown loafer in his mouth.

“Brad! The dog! Go get the dog!” Liam shouted. “Was that my shoe that he took with him?” Anitah and Genevieve burst out laughing.

Genevieve said, “He likes shoes, but he prefers men’s shoes. Especially expensive leather, right honey?” Rashad just shook his head.

Meanwhile in the hall, Milo turned around and saw Brad chasing after him. He wagged his tail while still holding Liam's shoe in his mouth. “Come here little doggy. Come here…” Brad said in a singsong voice, not wanting to frighten him. He was about to reach down and pick him up when Milo took off running again. He dropped the shoe and turned the corner. Thoroughly enjoying this game, he sat down and waited for Brad. However, before Brad could get to him, he started scratching at a door.

Leo opened the door and looked around the hall before looking down and seeing the puppy by his feet. “Hey little guy. Who the heck do you belong to?” Milo let himself into Leo and Alicia’s quarters. Leo shrugged and walked in after him. Brad turned the corner and panicked. The dog was gone, and he had no idea where the dog went.

“Leo...why is there a dog here?” Alicia asked.

Leo chuckled, “he knocked on the door, and just walked in. I have no idea where the hell he came from.”

Milo strutted around the apartment, sniffing everything in sight. He came back to the living room and jumped on the couch. He plopped down on Alicia’s lap, making her giggle.

“I'm usually more of a cat person, but he's so cute! Aren't you so cute?” Milo barked in agreement. He jumped off the couch and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. Alicia straddled Leo on the couch and pulled him into a hard kiss. Then they heard a faint vibrating noise and looked over at Milo. He was standing in the living room, wagging his tail with a vibrator in his mouth.

Alicia yelled, “Leo! Get that from him!”

Leo got off the couch and chased Milo into the kitchen. He ran a couple of laps around the kitchen table before dropping the sex toy on the floor. Leo chuckled as he picked it up. All of a sudden a foul odor hit his nose. He looked down as Milo relieved himself on the kitchen floor. “Alicia, get him out of here!”

Gagging at the sight, Alicia opened the main the door. Milo happily walked out of their chambers into the hall where he spotted Brad. He sat down in the middle of the hallway, and Brad slowly approached him. “Alright, puppy, stay. Stay, ok?” As soon as Brad took a another step towards him, Milo ran off towards the kitchen. Every once in a while, he turned around to make sure Brad was still following him.

Stephanie and Maxwell were at the kitchen island enjoying some snacks. Milo snuck through the kitchen door as one of the staff was leaving. He beelined towards the couple hoping to get some scraps.

Stephanie’s eyes widened, "Baby, what is that?!"

Maxwell looked down and immediately started baby talking, "Aww! Wook at the widdle puppy.”

She wrinkled her nose, "That's not a dog that's a gerbil."

“Stef, don't call him a that! He's precious!" Maxwell scooped him up and started kissing Milo’s precious face.

“Do you want a snack little guy?” Maxwell grabbed a piece of cheese, and Milo eagerly accepted the morsel. He put the puppy down on the counter, and Milo walked up to the tray of snacks. Maxwell let out a belly laugh watching the puppy gobble up the cheese and sausage from the tray.

“Rosebud, can we keep him…”

She immediately cut him off, “Oh heck no! You have Evie. You don't need a hamster. Besides he clearly has an owner if he's in the palace. This place is like Fort Knox, no stray could just waltz in here.”

Maxwell's face fell and she patted his hand. “We can talk more about it some other day, ok hon?”

“I'll wear you down eventually, Red.”

This made Stephanie giggle, knowing her husband was right. She was just as soft for him as Drake was for the people he loved. Brad burst through the kitchen door. Milo wagged his tail and barked at his friend. He jumped off the kitchen island and ran to the door.

Maxwell followed him and asked, “You need to go outside, little buddy? Here you go.”

He opened the door as Brad yelled, “Noooo!”

Milo ran into the yard smelling the fresh air. He laid down in the grass and waited for Brad. Once Milo saw him, he bolted towards the stables with Brad hot on his heels. Milo walked into the stable and pranced from horse stall to horse stall, making sure to bark hello to his new friends. Having heard the bark, Drake turned around and smiled.

He picked up the wriggly puppy and asked him, "Hey, what are you doing out here alone, little buddy?"

“Where do you think he came from, Drake? He's so little.”

Pam patted his head in an attempt to show the puppy some form of affection. Milo licked Drake's face which made him chuckle. “Pam, we should get a dog. He could keep me company while I’m with the horses. Dogs are also known to help them during the rehabilitation process.”

Pam smiled at her husband and said, “No.”

Drake’s face fell, “But I just told you that there’s benefits for the horses and the stable.”

Pam rolled her eyes, “Baby, that’s a lot of responsibility. I really don’t want a dog.” she whispered so he couldn’t hear her, “I don’t like animals.”

“What was that?” Drake asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing, I said we can discuss it.” She leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.

Brad pushed open the stable doors, his eye twitching when he saw Milo in Drake’s arms. “Do not put that little fucker down. I’ve been chasing him around the palace for the past hour. He’s been taunting me.”

Pam and Drake broke into laughter as Milo tried to struggle free from Drake’s grasp. Brad took hold of Milo, and the puppy immediately started squirming in his arms.

“No, you don’t. You are going back to Queen Anitah.” Brad stomped back to the palace. He knocked on the door of royal chambers and Anitah happily took Milo into her arms.

“Aww, baby, where’d you go? Did Brad give you a hard time for running off with daddy’s shoe?” Anitah looked at Brad trying to hold back a laugh.

Brad mumbled under his breath, “He acts just like his mommy. God help me when they have actual children.”

Anitah turned to him, “What was that Bradley?”

“Nothing ma’am.” Brad quickly left the room.

Genevieve burst out laughing, “He basically said you’re both assholes!”

Liam could no longer hold back his laughter. “You called him Bradley! Can we fire him now?”

“Absolutely not! He’s fun to torture and it looks like Milo picked up pretty quickly on that. Didn’t you, baby boy?” She kissed her pup’s face and he returned them with his own sloppy kisses on her cheek.

The rest of the group came to Anitah and Liam’s chambers for dinner. It would be the last casual dinner they would have once the social season started. Once everyone realized that Milo was Anitah’s new puppy, everyone got excited knowing they would see a lot of him. Liam told everyone that the animal shelter was inundated with animals because of the puppy mill raid. Maxwell, Drake and Genevieve turned to their significant others with pleading puppy dog eyes and each were met with a resounding “No!” from their partners. Liam expressed his concern for the animal shelter since it was almost at capacity and funds were tight before having to house the additional dogs.

“What if we did a fundraiser for the shelter? Anitah said to the group.

“As long as it doesn’t involve being naked or being on a date with someone else, I’ll consider it,” Alicia replied with her arms crossed.

“How about a calendar with each of us posing with animals? All of the money raised from the calendar sales would go to shelter. It might even encourage people to adopt. I’m a photographer, I could take all of the pictures, which means we’d save money,” Stephanie said.

The group looked intrigued at her suggestion. “So do we have all of us pose for the calendar and then some group shots or do you think it would sell better if it was just the ladies?” Pam asked.

Leo snickered, “Come on girls! You know that women are suckers for animals. Add us guys posing with them, we would definitely sell more calendars.”

“That sounds like a challenge, pretty boy,” Genevieve said with a smirk.

Rashad held his arms up, “Whoa, whoa. Before we start betting anything…”

Leo cut him off, “You’re on! We will do a men’s calendar and you ladies do a women’s calendar. The group with the most sales wins!”

“You’re going down, Rhys! And when we win, you guys have to do a carwash in speedos to raise additional money for the shelter. Cordonia would love to see their king and Playboy Prince all wet and soapy.” Anitah said with a laugh.

“Fine! If you girls lose, which you will. I mean come on, we can’t lose every single challenge. You get to clean up dog poop and the animal shelter for an entire day,” Leo responded with a smug grin.

Drake slapped his forehead while Rashad covered his face. Liam sat there with his mouth open, unsure of what just happened. Maxwell turned to Stephanie with a concerned look on his face, “Rosebud, do you want to, uh, switch teams for this one? I feel like I should be with the girls.”

Stephanie threw her head back and laughed, “Oh, honey, no. You’re with the boys on this one.”

#cordonians gone wild #cordoniansgonewild #cgw #liam x anitah #drake x pam #maxwell x stephanie #leo x alicia #rashad x genevieve #the royal romance #trr au #squad goals #cgw squad

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iamvegorott · 5 years

Text

Just Robots

Summary: Experiments since birth, Google and Bing are now reaching their final days in the lab, euthanization just around the corner but the scientist who named them allows them to do free and they two soon meet a strange due of dog and cat

Just Robots

Google sat straight up, ears raised and bright blue, artificial eyes wide and alert. His dark fur was flat at the moment but the ends of it were ready to perk up at a moments notice if he heard anything. He knew he was a labrador, his job was to be strong, brave, aware and, with a glance down at the other sleeping dog in their cell, loyal.

Bing.

Bing was what they called a ‘Shiba Inu’, or at least that was what they referred to him ask when they didn’t use their names. Although only one of the humans here called them by their names and the smile on their face when they came up with it made Google decide to keep it, Bing just liked having a name. Google looked back down at Bing again, seeing the black and tan fur on his hind start to rise and whimpers come out of Bing’s mouth.

“Bing, Bing wake up,” Google said softly, using his paw to prod at Bing’s side. Bing only whimpered some more. “It’s okay, you’re not there.” Google dipped his head down and gave the top of Bing’s a few, soothing licks, the whimpering finally calming down. Google placed his nose on Bing’s cheek for a moment to make sure he was actually calm, jerking back up when he heard the loud creak of the door opening. Google stepped over Bing with his front paws, covering as much of the other dog as he could since Bing was only a tad bit smaller than him.

“The Labrador and Shiba Inu only have a few more experiments left.” Google crouched a little and held his ears back, wishing he knew what the two men in white coats were saying. “Do you think we’d be able to adopt them out?”

“What family would want to adopt grown dogs that are practically just robots at this point?” Google didn’t like the tone of the other human’s comment.

“They do it with military dogs.”

“No one is going to want a lab rat as a family pet. We’ll just euthanize them when we’re done. It’s probably more humane to do that anyways.”

“So, after all they’ve been through, we’re just gonna kill them?”

Kill

Google knew that word, that was the word they used when they took the other dogs away and they never came back. Were they next? They had to be talking about him and Bing since they were looking right at them. Google fought the urge to growl at the men when they stepped closer to their cell.

“It’s not like we haven’t done it before.” The first male human shrugged before taking out a marker, drawing in red on the glass wall that kept them separated and then walking away.

“I’m sorry, Google and Bing, guess I shouldn’t have favorites in my line of work.” The second human let out a sad noise and left as well.

“We have to get out,” Google whined, lowering himself completely to lay on top of Bing. “I have to get us out.”

x~x~x

Bing woke up with a few rolls and he perked up when he saw Google.

“Googs! Googs! Googs!” Bing greeted happily, jumping up to his feet and rushing over to the other dog, nuzzling his nose into his side. “Wanna play?”

“Bing, we need to leave,” Google stated.

“Leave?” Bing sat and tilted his head to the side.

“We need to leave here, it’s not safe.”

“But this is where we live, this is where we get food.” Google could tell that Bing wasn’t arguing, he was just confused.

“They’re going to kill us.”

“Kill.” Bing’s mood went all the way down. “But, but we behave, we’re good, why would they want to...” Bing whimpered and lowered himself all the way, tail no longer wagging.

“We didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t, I promise. They’re the bad ones, not us.” Bing’s ears went up.

“Really?”

“Really.” Bing bounced right back up and ran around Google a few times.

“We’ll get out! I know we will!” Bing went under Google’s legs and laid down on his stomach, happily yipping when Google went straight back down and was on top of him. Bing easily wiggled his way out and jumped around while Google shook his rear, waiting a moment before pouncing and catching Bing. “The one-eyed bandit is down!” Bing started rolling back and forth while Google pretended that he was going to bite him, just nipping at the air. Both stopped when there was a whistle.

“Hey guys, I don’t know how good of an idea this is, but I can’t be the one to take you two out.” The second human from early that morning was speaking while pressing a few buttons on a pad. “You’re both strong and brave and as long as you two stay together…” The glass door slid open. “You’ll be safe.” Bing and Google both just looked at the human. “Go, hurry.” The man stepped away and Google made sure to put himself between Bing and the human as they stepped out, seeing that he was pointing towards another open door, the cool air telling him that it leads outside.

“Googs! It’s the outside!” Google watched as Bing took off. Google gave a quick look at the human and bowed his head in thanks before going after Bing. “Where do we go?” Bing was practically spinning as he looked around. “There’s trees and rocks and buildings and...buildings? We’re near a city? People! Nice people! We can have a home!”

“Bing-” Google stopped himself when Bing was once again running off. “At least wait for me!”

“We’re gonna have a big family! With little kids and happy parents, a big yard and lots and lots of treats everytime we-” Bing fumbled to a stop when he saw two teenage human males. “Play?”

“Bing, wait!”

“Dude, look at its face!” One of the teenagers laughed.

“It’s got a robo-leg.” One of the other teenagers kicked out, hitting Bing’s front legs and making him whimper and stumble away.

“Shit!” Both cursed when Google got between them and growled loudly.

“Stupid mutt scared me.” The first teenager said harshly and the second kicked out towards Google this time.

“His eyes look like glass, what a freak.”

“Don’t be mean to him!” Bing barked, bitting into the human’s shin, not knowing the words but the movement was enough to tell him what was going on. The human screamed and fully kicked Bing this time, making him fall down.

“Bing!” Google rushed over to Bing and covered him with his body, growling at the teenagers. He lowered his head and braced himself to get his as well, but there was some barking that came from further away.

“Seriously!?”

“Let’s go!” Google stayed where he was if there were more dogs here and they wanted to fight, he wasn’t going to let them hurt Bing, he’s been through enough.

“Hey, you can get up.” Google refused to move. “Hello~”

“They’re gone. You’re safe.” Google opened one of his eyes and was not expecting the sight he saw. “There’s something different about you two, I can smell it.” An overly fluffed cat mewed, padding around Google and Bing.

“I can see it.” A dog that looks much like a wolf let out a laugh, one of his eyes being a bright blue while the other was a dark brown, somewhat matching his feline companion, whose eyes had a bright blue while the other seemed to be red.

“Hush, Wilford.” The cat raised a paw towards the dog. “You’re not from here, are you?”

“No,” Bing answered, pouting when Google covered his face with both front paws.

“What do you want?” Google asked.

“You came from the building down there, didn’t you? The lab?”

“I’m a lab,” Google stated.

“Yes, yes you are, but I mean a laboratory. A place that does tests, a place that would give you glass-eyes and metal legs.” The cat purred, crossing his tail over his paws and sitting straight up. “You have no home, no place to go.”

“What do you want?” Google asked again.

“I want to ensure those in my pack are well-fed and cared for. That they’re happy in the lives they were given.” Google just stared. “I can tell that’s what you want for your mate.”

“Mate?” Bing asked, peeking his head between Google’s paws.

“Oh, you’re definitely from the lab.” The cat stood back up and went over to Wilford. “I have a pack I run that lives in a nearby park, all are fed, kept warm and safe.”

“I thought dogs did packs.” Bing now had his head sticking out all the way since Google was too distracted trying to understand this cat.

“I’m not any ordinary cat if that much wasn’t clear.” The cat walked back over to Google and Bing. “My home is open for you two to join but you’ll have to do a few favors since we saved your lives.”

“Favors?” Google asked.

“Nothing beyond what you’d do to live. Get food, water, intel, the works.”

“One of those don’t match the others,” Bing said.

“You’ll keep him safe, right?” Google stood up slightly, allowing Bing to squeeze out.

“Of course, I can’t risk losing valuable members of my pack. We have to work together to survive.” The cat turned around, his tail swiping against Google’s nose and making him sneeze. “We already have a few other dogs if that makes you feel better and another cat, there’s also some other animals you may not expect.”

“We do owe you, that’s the least we can do,” Google mumbled.

“We’re going to have a home? With other animals?” Bing sounded excited.

“Somewhat.” The cat went back to purring. Google went over to Bing and pressed muzzles with him, allowing him a second to think.

“Fine. We’ll come.” Google said.

“Perfect.” The cat looked at Wilford with a glare when he started to laugh again.

“I get it, ‘pur’fect and you’re a cat.” Wilford stood up. “Wanna ride?”

“I can walk on my own this time around, we’re in no rush to bring the new ones back, it’ll let them get a good view of the city.”

“We never got your name,” Bing said. “We know he’s Wilford, who are you?”

“Call me, Dark.”

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Tag List: @succos-tacos @mirrored-calamity @thesinginggal @always-in-a-fandom @thedarkeningdusk

#ego animals au #dog!bing #Dog!Google #bingle

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