#and somewhere along the way his brother was kidnapped and murdered and replaced

[newvegascowboy]

How long do you think Hancock spent hating his dead brother for things he didnt even do

#fallout #kal talks #hancock #like yeah maybe their relationship wasnt the best but siblings dont always get along growing up #i dont think they were enemies by any means #john lived in diamond city with his brother up until macdonough kicked out the ghouls so they had to have a functional relationship #of some kind #and somewhere along the way his brother was kidnapped and murdered and replaced #and john didnt even notice #do you think he feels guilty? #i mean he mentions seeing his brother after the inauguration and saying that he didnt recognize him #and says he doesn't believe the synth theory because they couldnt have copied him that perfectly #but do you think its to cover his fear that maybe his brother is dead and he spent god knows how long calling a stranger his family? #idk. im having thoughts about hancock and family and im sad

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

You Don’t Own Me (You Don’t Even Know Me)

Chapter 1

Summary:  As the son of a Baron, Roman Sanders always knew that when he married, it would be due to a political arrangement rather than true love. Still, when he is sent away to marry an older, more powerful Earl, he is determined to make the best of his situation. Despite the Earl's indifference towards him, Roman forges ahead and prepares to become the best husband he can possibly be, making new friends along the way. But when his fiancé's demeanor turns from cold to cruel, Roman must shift all of his focus to survival, and find a way out of his marriage before it's too late.

Ships: Logince (Logan x Roman)  Moxiety (Virgil x Patton)

Content Warnings: arranged marriage, abuse, attempted sexual assault, murder, poisoning, character death, hurt/comfort, angst

Word Count: 2604

Read on AO3: here!

Cowritten with @ironwoman359 masterlist

False masterlist

As the son of the Baron of Falkirk, Roman Sanders always knew that when he married, it would be due to a political arrangement. There was a small part of him that mourned the loss of the chance to meet a beautiful stranger and fall hopelessly in love, like the characters in the fairytales that his nanny read to him as a child. But those fantasies were just that, fairytales. The fanciful whims of a child had no place in Roman’s life now that he had come of age. His marriage was to serve one purpose: to elevate his family. 

And Roman had been training for that purpose his entire life. 

Barely a month had passed since Roman’s twentieth birthday when he was called into his father’s study. He knew that whatever the reason for his summons, it must be important, as his father hated more than anything to be interrupted in his work. Roman knocked twice on the familiar, thick oak doors, and held his breath until he heard his father’s muffled answer from within. 

“Come in.” 

Roman stepped inside, and was surprised to see his mother and older brother already in the room, seated opposite his father’s old mahogany desk. As he entered, his father stood, gesturing to an empty chair that sat beside his mother. 

“Have a seat, son.” 

Roman sat. 

“I have good news,” his father continued. “As you have now reached the proper age, one of my primary interests has been to find an appropriate arrangement for your marriage.” 

Roman’s heartbeat quickened, and he forced himself to remain calm, folding his hands in his lap. This was it. This was the moment that he’d been preparing for nearly all of his life; the moment that would shape his entire future. 

“There were many factors to consider,” his father said, stepping around the desk to stand beside his wife. “It was not an easy decision. However, your mother and I have entered an agreement that we believe will be very profitable, for you and for the family.” 

Roman nodded. His father was a shrewd negotiator; he was sure that, whatever the terms of the engagement were, the Sanders family would not lose more than what it stood to gain. 

“So, you’ve reached a decision then, Father?” he asked, taking a deep breath and willing his expression to remain neutral.

“I have,” his father agreed. “You are to be wed to the Earl of Asberg, Lord Garret Howard. I have just received a message from his footman: they arrived at the Fireside Inn late this afternoon. Tomorrow, they will come to the manor to bring you to Lord Howard’s estate to begin the engagement period.” 

Roman bit back a gasp, his eyes growing wide. 

“Lord Howard?” he repeated. “I was not even aware the earl was looking for a suitor.” 

“For many years, he was not,” Roman’s mother spoke up. “His youth was spent primarily securing the political and financial status of his late father’s estate. Only recently has he turned his attention to more social matters.” 

“Your dowry aside, the connections we will gain through this marriage will be of an immense benefit to us,” said Roman’s father. “I know you know your duty son; I trust you will make us proud.” 

“I will, Father,” Roman said, getting to his feet. His father held out a hand, and Roman shook it firmly, doing his best to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “Thank you.” 

His mother and brother stood as well, and Roman let his mother pull him into a quick hug and plant a kiss on his cheek. 

“Congratulations dear,” she said as she pulled away, a proud smile on her face. “I know you’ll do just wonderfully.” 

“Thank you, Mother,” he said, squeezing her hand, and then his brother was in front of him. 

“Congrats, Ro,” he said quietly. 

“Thanks, Remy,” Roman whispered, and when they shook hands, Roman hoped Remy didn’t notice the slight tremble in his grip. 

“The carriage will arrive at eight o’clock tomorrow morning,” Roman’s father declared. “I’ve already instructed the maids to pack your clothing. Whatever other preparations you need, I suggest you make them now.” 

“I will. Thank you, Father,” Roman said again, bowing his head slightly to his family.

He left the study, walking through the halls of the manor as though walking through a dream. He reached his quarters, and it was only after he shut the door behind him that he realized he very well might never walk the path from the study to his room again. He sat on the edge of his bed, his formal posture falling from his shoulders like a forgotten shawl now that he was alone. 

True to his father’s words, a trunk lay open at the foot of his bed, his shirts and trousers and suits all carefully folded and placed inside by the maid. Another, smaller trunk had been placed beside it, no doubt for Roman to fill with whatever else he wished to bring with him to his fiance’s estate. 

His fiance…

Sun, moon, and stars, he was engaged. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know it was coming; he was the youngest of his parents’ three children, after all. As the oldest son, Remington would inherit the title Baron of Falkirk and all the duties that came with it, while Roman and Remus would be married into other families to increase the Sanders’ political influence. So Roman had always known that he was destined to leave the family manor. 

That didn’t necessarily mean he was ready to. 

He sighed, sweeping his eyes around his room. What would he even take with him? A single evening was hardly enough time for him to consider all that he owned and decide what to bring on a permanent move halfway across the country. Should he bring his books, his star charts, his journals and quills? Or would he be able to find suitable replacements for them all at Lord Howard’s estate? Would he even have time to indulge in his hobbies as the husband of an earl? If only he’d had more than a day’s notice of his departure, then he’d have time to think!

A light knock on the door pulled Roman from his thoughts, and he straightened instantly. 

“Who is it?” he called. 

“It’s me, Roman,” came the answer, and Roman relaxed at the sound of his brother’s voice. 

“Come on in, Rem.” 

Remy stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and giving Roman what was probably meant to be a smile, but came out more like a grimace. 

“So, it’s finally time,” he said, and Roman rolled his eyes. 

“No need to sound like I’m on my deathbed, Remy. It’s just an engagement, we all knew this was coming.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Remy sighed, plopping down on the bed next to Roman and leaning back against the headboard. “Still...I had sort of hoped you’d end up somewhere decently close by. Gremont, for instance, I know Lady Lishan has a daughter who’s eligible. Or maybe Ravenhold. Then you could at least visit. Asberg is…” 

“Far,” Roman agreed. 

He’d been trying not to think about it. Asberg was at least four days away by carriage, maybe longer depending on the weather, and Roman had never been so far away from home unaccompanied in his life. 

“Hey though, the wedding’s only six months away. I’ll get to see you then! And who knows, maybe I’ll be able to come visit for the harvest festival next year...or you could come visit me!” 

“Only if you serve coffee,” Remy joked, and Roman laughed, the tension in the room easing just a bit. 

“Help me pack?” Roman asked. “I can’t figure out if I should bring everything or nothing.”

“Hmm…” Remy sat up and scanned the room. “My advice? Bring only what you think you can’t live without.”

Roman hesitated, then looked up at his brother. 

“You?” he suggested. He tried to shoot Remy a playful smirk, but he could feel the corners of his mouth wobbling, and he knew from the sad smile on his brother’s face that Remy didn’t buy it. 

“I wish, Ro-bro,” Remy said, nudging their shoulders together. “But I think one son running away from home is enough of a scandal for Father to deal with.”

“That’s fair, I suppose,” Roman said, looking down and fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “What...what do you think Remus would say? If he were here to see me off?”

“Honestly?” Remy looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then snorted. “He wouldn’t say anything, he’d just lock you in the bedroom and throw away the key to make you stay. Or kidnap you and hide you somewhere so that the wedding had to be cancelled altogether.” 

“You’re probably right,” Roman said. He chuckled, but the laugh felt hollow, like a piece of it was missing...gone forever and irreplaceable, just like his brother. “Did...did I ever tell you that he came to see me, the night he left?” he asked quietly. 

“No,” Remy answered. “But I had a feeling that he did.” 

“He asked me to go with him,” Roman said. “To leave you and Mother and Father and everything we’d ever known, to go chasing ‘freedom’ and ‘adventure,’ like we were children again.” He shook his head, closing his fingers into fists. “I told him I couldn’t.”

“I think he knew that,” Remy said. “But I...I also think he felt he had to at least ask you for himself. I don’t think he’d really believe that you wanted to stay unless he heard you say it.” 

“And I did want to stay,” Roman insisted. “I begged him to stay. But he wouldn’t listen, and he left, and now it’s been three years and I have to leave you and Mother and Father and everything I’ve ever known anyway, except now I’ll be alone.” Roman looked up at Remy, his eyes shining with un-shed tears. “What if...what if I made the wrong choice?” 

Remy pulled him closer, hooking his chin over Roman’s head like he did when they were small and Roman would trip in the garden and scrape his knee. 

“I can’t answer that for you, Ro-bro,” he murmured. “That’s something you have to figure out. But for what it’s worth...I’m glad you stayed. It- it would have been even harder, I think, to lose both of you.” 

“You’re losing me now,” Roman whispered, but Remy shook his head. 

“No,” he said vehemently. “I’m not. You said it yourself, Roman, the wedding’s only in six months. And Asberg may be far, but it’s not like it's across the ocean or anything. We’ll still be able to see each other once in a while. Remus…” Remy sighed, and tightened his grip around Roman’s shoulders. “Remus left us for himself. You’re leaving us for the family. That’s the difference.” 

“Yeah...I know,” Roman said, sniffling a little and nestling deeper into his brother’s hold. “I’m still gonna miss you though.” 

“I’ll miss you too, Ro-bro,” Remy said, dropping a kiss into Roman’s hair. “I’ll miss you too.”

Remy eventually left Roman to pack, and the rest of the night passed in a blur. Roman finally decided what to bring with him (his used notebooks and journals, his collection of star charts, and an old cloak that the maid hadn’t packed because it was torn, but that Roman couldn’t bear to part with) and what to leave behind (unused sketchbooks, his set of inks and quills, and the ancient paint set that he hadn’t touched in almost a year), but when he lay down to try and get some rest, sleep evaded him. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, unable to stop his thoughts from racing. Morning arrived far too soon for his liking, and before he’d really processed what was happening, he was standing at the bottom of the front steps of the manor with his family, waiting for the carriage to arrive. 

"Now Roman, remember," his father said, and Roman looked up at him. "Lord Howard oversees an estate far larger than our own. Whatever duties you are expected to perform, they will be on a scale far greater than what you are accustomed to here."

"He may look to you to aid him in business, but he may also expect you to oversee more of the social obligations. He has dealings with many different families, after all," Roman's mother added, and Roman nodded.

"Politics is never just about numbers," he recited, and his father's lips twitched in a small smile.

"That's right, son. Remember all that we've taught you, and you'll do fine."

A carriage pulled in at the end of the manor's drive, and Roman took a deep breath.

"Remember to write!" his mother said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and giving his shoulder a squeeze. 

Roman placed a hand over hers, then shot Remy a lopsided smile.

"Any last words for me, Rem?"

Remy smirked, and ruffled Roman's hair.

"If you let Earlship go to your head, I’ll cut you out of the estate when I take over."

"Honestly, Remington," their mother said, rolling her eyes, and Remy winked at Roman.

The carriage reached them then, and Roman quickly moved to fix his hair. A footman hopped down from a seat on the rear, and bowed to Roman's father.

"Good morning," he said as he straightened. "I come on behalf of my Lord Garret Howard, Earl of Asberg, to deliver a dowry payment to Lord Phillip Sanders, Baron of Falkirk, and to collect his lordship's fiance, Lord Roman Sanders."

"Thank you, sir," said Roman's father, nodding to the footman. "Our family is honored by this union. May I present my son, Roman."

Roman inclined his head to the servant, who bowed again, quick and low.

"A pleasure, my lord. Allow me to gather your things."

Roman's luggage was loaded onto the back of the carriage, and Roman tried not to think about the large trunk that was unloaded and left at his father's feet. He hadn't been told the amount of his dowry, and he didn't want to know. For some reason, it made him feel strange to think about money being given to his family in return for his hand; it made it seem more like he'd been bought, when that wasn't the case! 

“Well,” he said when everything was ready to go. “I guess this is it.” 

“Safe journey, son,” his father said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Make us proud.”

Roman swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He gave his family as strong a smile as he could muster, then he stepped into the carriage and the footman closed the door behind him. Roman drew the curtains back from the window and peered behind them as the carriage pulled away from his home. Remy and his mother were both waving, and even his father raised his hand briefly in farewell. Roman watched them grow smaller and smaller, and then the carriage turned out of the grounds and he couldn’t see them anymore. The manor that had been his entire world for the past twenty years shrank into the distance, until it was nothing but a speck on the horizon. 

Roman finally turned around so he was facing the direction the carriage was traveling. His father’s words echoed in his mind, and he took a deep breath. 

Don’t worry, father, he thought. I’ll make you proud. I’ll make our whole family proud.

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#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #roman sanders #remy sanders #logan sanders #sanders sides au #you dont own me #ydom

[jinmukangwrites]

@damianwayneweek Day 2 (6-14): Undercover | Sibling rivalry | Damian having a nice day

Warnings: Mentions of trafficking, threats, violence, attempted kidnapping, injuries, healthy doses of angst

Note: hahahahaha once again I'm begging you all to pretend I posted this when it's still the 14th somewhere in the world. Please enjoy.

---

Damian didn't mean to get caught. Honest. As annoying as it is, he understands that there are certain parts of their nightlife that have to be handled by an adult. Going undercover, for one, is usually something that's left to Grayson. It's easier for adults to blend into some things than it is for... well... Teenagers.

Children, as Grayson would say. Even though Damian is not a child.

Not that it matters, however. Grayson, for the past week, has been putting off their normal patrols to get insider information on a recent underground trafficking scheme. Grayson has been working hard to find the people responsible for this and get on the inside to find where the victims are being kept and Damian had respected that. He's kept to the sidelines and worked on other cases that don't require so much adult delicacy.

The only issue was that tonight he ended up getting bored. There wasn't anything for him to do, and that butler wasn't giving him any useful suggestions to fill his time. He wasn't allowed to patrol alone while Grayson was undercover, but escaping through his bedroom window in a dark hoodie was simple enough.

One thing leads to another. He ended up walking into an alleyway where a man was getting rather forceful with a drunk woman. Damian was jogging forward and calling him out on the disgusting behavior before he even realized he recognized the profile of the man.

Grayson turned from the woman with wide, horrified eyes, not moving a muscle even as the woman slipped from beside him and rushed back into the bar's side door.

"Shit," is all Grayson said before more people came out from the shadows, and Damian realizes he's just stumbled upon Grayson's undercover work.

Damian, for all of his training, has no idea what to do as he's suddenly grabbed by one of the newcomers. He's just witnessed Grayson in his undercover work... attempting to kidnap a woman... and he shouldn't be here.

"The fuck did this brat come from," the man grabbing Damian sneers.

Damian reacts instinctively now, slamming his elbow back into their gut. The man wheezes and weakens his hold. Damian then ducks under a new pair of arms making a mad grab for him and is sure to trip them over onto the cement ground as they stumble past.

A beefier man charges at Damian like a bull, and he prepares to retaliate... only for Grayson to grab him by his arm and shove Damian behind his back.

"Wait," Grayson gasps, bringing his free hand up in front of him. The man stops in his tracks, as do all the others. "It's my... brother."

"Your brother?" A woman scoffs, and Grayson gives her a hard look.

A mean looking man steps forward, glaring daggers at Grayson. "What's he doin' here Malone? Thought'chu said you weren't followed."

"I'm sorry," Grayson says, sounding panicked. Damian wants to jump out from behind Grayson and give these kidnappers a piece of his mind. There can't be more than seven of them. Damian can take them with his hands tied behind his back. Grayson must sense this, because he tightens his hold on his arm. "I thought he was at home."

"Well, he wasn't," the man snarls. "And now that bitch is probably in there telling the barkeep some guy got handsy with her."

Grayson shakes his head. "She isn't. I paid off the barkeep. If we calm down, I can go back in there and finish the job. Danny here won't say anything, he knows what we have to do to survive these streets. Right, Danny?"

Damian's lips thin, but he nods. Damian doesn't know why Richard is acting all frightful right now. Has he forgotten the legacy of Damian's father that he holds? He carries the name of Batman, yet here he is looking like a frightened animal in front of these low-lives. He wants to argue and take down these imbeciles... but if there's one thing he's learned while in his ever lengthening stay in Gotham, Grayson usually has a reason for everything he does. If he thinks they need to act like they're frightened, then Damian will humor him. For now.

The man looks down from Grayson and gives Damian a narrowed look. It lasts only a moment before he looks at the bar side-door and... smirks?

He looks back at Grayson, keeping that smirk. "Alright, Malone. I'll take you up on that offer. You get the bitch, and we'll take care of Danny."

A bad feeling settles in Damian's gut. The hand on his arm tightens even more, proof that Grayson has the same bad feeling. They don't have a chance to say anything about it, however, before the man strides forward and grabs Damian by his other arm; yanking him away from Grayson and towards the big man.

Grayson shoots them a murderous glare, but doesn't come to Damian's aid as the big man tightens both of his hands on Damian's biceps. His pointer fingers press just under his shoulders, and he swears his pinkies wrap close to Damian's elbows.

"Go on," the talkative man says, jerking his head to the door, showing his rotting teeth in a grin. "Get the bitch."

Grayson shoots a look Damian's way, then nods. "Okay," he says placidly. "Okay." He turns his back and starts towards the door.

Then, the man looks at another in their group and nods his head. The man's cheeks rise like a Cheshire cat before he starts towards Grayson, raising a fist.

"Grayson! Look out!" Damian shouts. Grayson, for his part, reacts immediately. He ducks under the blow and side steps his attacker.

However, that's all Damian sees before the man that has him in his grasp changes position quite suddenly so that Damian is practically hanging in his grasp—an arm the size of a log wrapped around his neck. Damian's hands fly to the arm and he attempts to kick his feet for purchase. His air is already cut off, and he curses himself for getting in a situation like this.

He stills, however, when something cold and metal is pressed against his head by the man's free hand. Through blurry eyes and choking gasps, he notices Grayson has gone still too.

"I knew you were fishy," the man from before cackled. "Grayson? That your real name?"

Grayson glares, but doesn't move.

"Here's what's gonna happen, you're gon let us do whatever we want wit'cha, and maybe we'll let the kid live after."

And just like that, Grayson is at the receiving end of a savage blow to his jaw from another member of the group. Grayson stumbles and clutches his jaw, but he doesn't fight back even as another jumps in and throws their own punch. Damian can already see blood dripping down his cheek from a cut in the skin.

He's hit again, and he continues to not fight back. Damian knows he'll take the beating, even though he can easily take them down. He won't risk the gun pressed against Damian's head. He won't risk the arm wrapped so right around Damian's neck it feels like he's breathing through a coffee straw.

A particularly savage punch has Grayson falling to the floor, scraping his hands, elbows, and knees on the rough and suspiciously wet asphalt. Damian growls and digs his nails into the arms of his captor, but they tighten the grip threateningly and his struggles are forced to come to a stop.

Pathetic. Idiotic. Childish. This is Damian's fault. Every blow that hits Grayson's body as punches are replaced by kicks might as well be dealt by Damian himself.

He argues with Grayson. Calls him out on not acting how his father would. He calls him incompetent, insignificant, idiotic... but some time these past few weeks the bite he means to carry with those words have turned fond.

He... He likes Grayson. He's the first person to show Damian unconditional kindness... other than his own mother. While being stuck here with him rather than his own father had, at first, been miserable and annoying... it's turned out to be... fun. For the first time in his life, he almost feels like a normal kid with Grayson here to lead him along the way.

Damian wonders at night if that's what his mother intended. Why she hasn't taken him back yet.

He doesn't mind it. He likes the time that he spends with Grayson now, even if he would never admit it. And here he is, helpless and unarmed as Grayson is being beaten to a bloody pulp all because Damian couldn't listen to instructions and snuck out when he shouldn't have.

For a moment, pure terror fills Damian's veins that he's most likely going to witness the death of Grayson tonight. If he tries to fight his captor, he'll get a bullet in his brain. If Grayson decides to fight back, then Damian would die anyways. Grayson wouldn't do that. He would rather die himself.

Another blow hits Grayson's body, and he lays on the ground and groans, unmoving for a worrying few seconds.

Then, the bar door slams open and the woman from before runs out with fire in her dark eyes. No one has a chance to do anything before she kicks the main guy in the jaw, sending him down to the floor with more force than any woman... or man... should have.

Damian doesn't question it. The rest of them are distracted by her sudden entrance, and Damian uses that to his advantage. He throws his hands up and grabs at his captor's distracted face and claws at his eyes. The man yowls and drops Damian, leaving Damian completely free to make his own attack. He easily disarms him and jumps onto his back, wrapping his own arms around the man's neck and squeezing as tightly as he can.

It's all over in a matter of seconds. The man falls unconscious in Damian's grasp, and the woman finishes taking out the others.

She was in on this whole thing too, Damian realizes as she rushes towards Grayson's still form and grabs his arm.

Grayson blinking slowly at her through already bruising eyes and whispering "Donna..." is all the proof Damian needs to confirm his suspicion.

"I got you, boy wonder," Donna says fondly. She helps him to his feet and wraps his arm firmly around her shoulders, helping him stand. She looks at Damian. "You got a way to get us out of here, squirt? The cops are gonna be on their way any minute."

"What-" Damian starts, then pauses. Shame fills his gut. "What about the mission?"

"It's fine," Grayson says with a pained strain in his voice. "They're low in the chain. Won't be missed in prison. Can't give much away. I'll-" he cuts off to gasp as Donna shifts her hold on him. "I'll just try again later."

Damian nods, but the guilt doesn't leave. He looks away from Grayson and Donna to pull out his phone and request Pennyworth send the Batmobile to their position.

The entire way back to the manor is filled with tense silence, broken only by Grayson's hissed curses and groans as Donna helps give immediate first aid to the worst of the bruises and cuts.

Damian... he messed up. He disobeyed Richard and ruined the mission. This woman, Donna, is a better companion to Grayson than Damian ever was. Or will be. They get along. She's kind. She was trusted enough by Grayson to bring her in on his solo mission, and she clearly trusted him enough to go along with it and let herself be captured.

Grayson will never trust him as much as her. He's... He's fucked it all up. He won't want Damian around anymore. He'll want to send him back to the League, and if his mother and grandfather don't take him then his suit and the name of Robin must surely now be forfeit.

Drake will take back the suit, and Damian will forever be left behind by the man he thought... He hoped...

Sitting by his bedside after assisting Pennyworth in dressing Grayson's wounds... he mulls these thoughts over in his head. Grayson is fast asleep, and Donna has retreated upstairs for a shower and dinner by Pennyworth's insistence.

Then, as he's considering leaving so he's not the first thing Grayson sees when he wakes up, a hand grabs hold onto his.

"Don't blame yourself," Grayson whispers, blinking through his puffed up and exhausted eyes. Damian wonders how long he's been sitting here with his thoughts and when Grayson started to awaken without him noticing. "You have the same look in your eyes... That B always did..."

Heat flairs behind Damian's eyelids. He bursts. "But this is my fault. If I hadn't gone out- if I had listened-"

Suddenly, his hand is jerked, and Damian is dragged onto the cot and into Grayson's arms. He attempts to fight the hold, but Grayson holds tight despite his injuries.

"Mistakes happen," Grayson says, "they always do. I will never give up on you, Dames. No matter how many you make. Trust me on that."

He sounds so very much in pain, but he's relentless in his hold. All Damian can do is stop his struggling and lay in Grayson's grasp. His brain studies the words said to him, and his heart wants to believe him. Guilt pools to his throat and he opens his mouth to let it out before he can stop himself.

"I'm sorry," he chokes. He doesn't know when he started to return the hold Grayson had him in. His hands are bunched in the material of Grayson's shirt.

Grayson shushes him. "It's okay," he says. "What's done is done, and we've learned. We're okay. I got you."

And perhaps it's the moment of weakness, but Damian can't help but believe him.

#damianwayneweek2021 #damian wayne #dick grayson #robin #nightwing #dc comics #jin writes #fanfiction #violence tw #kidnapping tw #held at gunpoint #guns tw #im just in the mood for batman!dick and robin!damian angst this week huh? #hopefully donna being here made sense lmao

[witcher-lore-enjoyer]

Viper Witchers

Cat | Griffin | Bear

Gorthur Gvaed

The Witcher School of the Viper made their home in the stronghold of Gorthur Gvaed. Guarded by a remarkable tower adorned by a frighteningly ominous spiral coiled around its contours. Yet it held not a candle to the terrifying moat that surrounded it—deep by several hundred feet and truly… breathtaking. No one could tell if what was filling it should still be called water. The smells above the moat were, to put it mildly, hard to forget. Viper witchers, who survived the fall of the stronghold, later joked that it was the stench that led the Usurper’s army to find Gorthur Gvaed. Countless soldiers died in this gutter. According to legends, so many perished that one could have made their way to the other side of the moat on a bridge composed entirely of their corpses. And the odour grew even worse

Located in Tir Tochair (a scarcely inhabited mountain range that divides the Korath desert from the modern-day northern and central provinces of the Nilfgaardian Empire. It is known as the largest lasting enclave of gnomes.)

There were many scrolls and manuscripts about the legend of the Wild Hunt.

Founder

Ivar Evil-Eye

There’s a terrible tale behind each and every scar⁠—you’d be surprised just how many are true.

Ivar was one of the unfortunate few who endured the mutations extremely well, and so was selected for further, more complicated experiments. Of those subjected to these enhancements, only he survived—perhaps due to the mages only managing to partially complete the trial.

As a result of these experiments, Ivar gained his moniker, as well as a new sight. His so-called “Evil Eye” saw a different world. Many other worlds, really. With his eye, he watched as ghostly riders dashed along the Spiral, and observed how they’d kidnap, kill, and conquer. Forever haunting Ivar’s special vision, these spectres became his obsession. 

Training

Each student is given a pet to raise during their stay at Gorthur Gvaed, in order to form a strong emotional bond throughout their training. Years later, before becoming a fully-fledged witcher, they are ordered to slaughter their companion in cold blood.

Viper Witcher Mentor

Viper mentors are especially cold and ruthless in order to prepare their students for the harsh life that awaits them.

Some Lore from Gwent

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Or weaker. It depends, really.

It is often said that witchers took on the characteristics of their schools' namesake creatures. Without a doubt, this was true of the Viper School. They were agile, quick, and frequently made use of deadly poisons.

As with the other witcher schools – the Wolves' Kaer Morhen as sole exception – none were aware of the Viper School's location. Only one detail ever became widely known... That it stood somewhere south of the Yaruga. In Nilfgaard.

Perhaps it's no wonder then that Vipers were less inclined to neutrality than other witchers. The Empire would never recognize such a stance. There is only obedient servant... Or mortal enemy.

Emperor Emhyr var Emreis gave them a choice they could not refuse: assassinate a few kings in the Northern Realms in exchange for rebuilding the school to its former glory.

The emperor, however, did not keep his promise and instead of rebuilding the school, he sent bounty hunters after its few remaining members to remove any loose ends.

Armor and Equipment

Viper Witchers are trained to fight with twin blades, often referred to as “fangs”. This style focuses on fast and furious strikes aimed to overwhelm their target, be it monster or man.

These blades would often be coated with poison as the school made great use of its knowledge of alchemy.

No need to strike deep when but a scratch will prove fatal.

Five More Witchers

Letho of Gulet

Witchers never die in their beds. - Letho

Some friends you see after many years apart and you immediately develop a headache. Not out of antipathy, but as a somatic premonition of the hangover sure to follow your drunken reunion. Seeing others, however, gives you an itching pain in your back and a desire to reach for your blade. For Geralt, Letho of Gulet had a foot in both of these camps.

Letho, if Geralt doesn’t ask him to go to Kaer Morhen, says, that he will be heading to Zerrikania citing a possible reason that it's a matriarchy and he's always had a deep belief "that it's women who should rule the world."

Serrit and Auckles

He seems different, but in reality is so similar. Our paths have been the same: we survived the Trials, endured the same training and have slain so many monsters that we no longer keep count. So many men, also. The difference is in the details – when I see him moving in combat, I want to laugh, but I also see that he is just as effective, if not more so. There is, however, one critical difference I cannot describe adequately. He has a goal, he is committed to something. He doesn't wander the world as if blown about by the wind. I believe he feels emotions at a level I cannot attain, yet these emotions are not typically human. Is it an illness of some kind? I think he teeters on the brink of instinct and emotion, and that he uses up a lot of energy to maintain his mental health. I hope I get a chance to know him better and learn from him. Nothing specific – just life. - Serrit about Geralt

Serrit was a lot more hot-headed than his brother, complaining about the lack of action they had in the past days.

Letho's got a plan… what could go wrong? - Auckles

Auckes seemed to be the less serious of the brothers, being sarcastic at times while being very confident of his skills.

He appeared to regard Geralt as a friend, which is reflected when he asked if Geralt wasn't hanged for Foltest murder and Letho asked him if he wanted to see him hanged, he lowered his head and just answered "no".

Along with his brother, Auckes was fond of using bear traps.

Kolgrim

Fate seemed to take pleasure in torturing Kolgrim. Fortune only smiled upon him if it was accompanied by a stroke of very bad luck. It was always thus, even before Kolgrim became a witcher. When he was still a young harmless brat...

On the eve of Saovine small Kolgrim was kidnapped by a weeper, which replaced him with its own cursed offspring. Fortunately, the monster was slaughtered by a witcher that very same night. The boy's savior, having taken pity on him, decided to escort him back home. Kolgrim was relieved to be returning to the warmth and safety of his mother, unaware of his impending misfortune.

The woman greeted the witcher with hatred in her eyes, not believing a single word that came out of his mouth. Blinded by her contempt, she refused to even look twice at her own crying son, utterly convinced that the weeper's baby was her real child. With the door slammed shut in their face, the witcher had no other choice than to take Kolgrim with him – straight to the Viper School.

Over many future years, fate mocked Kolgrim many times – both during his murderous training and the later travels around the Continent. His life ended most ironically. For he, who was once stolen and then rejected from his mother, was accused of kidnapping a child.

Warritt The All-Seeing

By slightly modifying the Supirre sign, Warritt gained the ability to see... everything.

Supirre is a Sign enhancing the auditory perception of the user. Drawn on a solid surface, it allows the people near the Sign to hear sounds which would be normally inaudible due to the distance or background noise. As such, it is often used for eavesdropping.

It compensated the monster hunter's lack of sight by giving him the ability of echolocation.

#the witcher #witcher #school of the viper #viper school #viper witcher #viper witchers #witcher school #witcher schools #witcher reference #gwent: the witcher card game #Letho #letho of gulet #Warritt The All-Seeing #Serritt #auckles #kolgrim #ivar evil-eye #Gorthur Gvaed

[snowdice]

Road Trips and Missing Persons (Part 2)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Patton & Virgil, Virgil & Deceit (more to be added)

Characters: Patton, Virgil, Deceit, Remus, Roman (more to be added)

Summary: Patton was just getting groceries. The next thing he knew, there was a knife at his throat and he was an unwilling uber driver. Virgil’s on the run after the murder of his dad, and it’s not just his paranoia that’s telling him he’s being chased down. He has to get somewhere safe, somewhere he can trust, and all he has is a couple of stories from his dad and a name: “Green Bellow Foods and Dispensary.”

Notes: Secret Agents AU, knives, carjacking, kidnapping, murder mentioned, guns mentioned, pepper spray, blood mentioned (more to be added)

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve affectionately named it the Goblin Brain Fic because it’s helping my brain actually get motivated for studying. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

Part 1

It had always been a quaint little house that his little brother and the boy’s father had lived in. It was a little thing with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen that faded into the living room/dining room situated in a little neighborhood with a small park and a medium sized grocery store. At one point in his life, Janus had wondered why his brother preferred to live in such a small space rather than in their mother’s much grander house that edged on a mansion, but as he’d grown, he’d come to understand.

Mom was a bitch.

And even more of one than he’d thought apparently. Really? The father of your child? The father of your 15-year-old child? He knew there wasn’t exactly any love between the two of them, but he’d hoped there was at least enough respect not to murder the man.

God. Virgil was going to be crushed when he found out.

He shook off the thought. There was no time for emotions. First thing first. He needed to get Virgil out of here before mother deigned to remember his existence. Then he’d deal with the emotional fallout.

“Virgil!” he called into the house. There was no answer.

Janus frowned. It’s fine. He was probably just listening to his music like the angsty teenager he was, right? Except… Janus was pretty good at picking up when something was amiss given his current career and something… seemed… amiss, though he couldn’t place what.

That in mind, he paused to listen. He couldn’t hear any sounds in the house, so he started to walk forward a bit. He ducked his head into the kitchen and froze. The window above the dinning room table had been broken, leaving glass shattered across the floor. Fuck.

Had mom remembered Virgil’s existence. He hadn’t thought she’d outright send someone to kill the boy, but what if she had?

Janus took a breath and then quickly set about investigating the rest of the house. Other than the broken window, most of the house looked normal until he got to the only room in the house with the lights still on: Virgil’s room. The purple and black spiderweb comforter usually on his bed had been flung to the floor across the room and both of his lamps had been knocked over along with some decorations. Also, there was some radio like device on the floor and a bottle of pepper spray which, judging by the smell, had recently been used.

There was also still drying blood on the carpet, though thankfully not enough to indicate there’d been a murder. Janus swallowed. Okay.

Maybe mom had sent someone after him, but that didn’t mean he was dead. He smoothed his face out even though no one was there to see it and took out his cell phone. He found his mother’s contact in his phone and pushed the call button.

“Yes?” she answered on the third ring, her tone already bordering on annoyed.

“Good evening mother,” Janus spoke smoothly even though he could feel the blood rushing in his ears. “I heard about the tragic,” he made a point to subtly color his tone with sarcasm, something he’d learned from her, “death of Remington Gates about half an hour ago.”

He could hear the single eyebrow raise even from over the phone. “Yes,” she replied, “and?”

“Well I was just wondering if I needed to clean out my room at the house or if there would be another solution for the man’s son?”

“Ah yes, well,” she said, “that has been a… frustration.”

“Frustration?” Janus asked. Curious tone. Not scared. Curious, not scared.

“I had sent one of my men over to pick him up and bring him to me shortly after Mr. Gates’ death. However, he apparently resisted going with a stranger.”

Janus shivered at the thought of what one of his mother’s people would do to a kid who fought him when he was trying to follow her orders, but at least he (probably) wasn’t dead. “So, he’s been taken by your man and is on his way to your house now?”

“No.”

“No?” and as much as he tried, just a bit of panic seeped into his tone. He wasn’t sure if she noticed.

“No,” she confirmed, with an angry tsk. “Honestly, I know he’s my blood, but one would think Kinsley could handle a 15-year-old child.”

“Wait… then, where is he?”

“That is the million-dollar question,” she scoffed, “The last I knew Kinsley was whining about washing pepper spray out of his eyes before he could track him down.”

“So… he’s on the run?” Janus asked. On one hand, good for Virgil. On the other hand… where the fuck was his baby brother?

“Unfortunately, yes.” The way she said ‘unfortunately’ made it clear that she was far more unhappy about her orders not being fulfilled immediately than worried about the fact that her teenage son was missing.

“Perhaps,” Janus hedged, keeping his voice level. “You should send someone more competent. I would be willing to step in if you believe it’s necessary. Not to mention, he knows me.”

“You’re volunteering?” she asked.

“If it would be of help to you,” he said smoothly.

“Very well,” mother said. “I’ll send you Kinsley’s information. You can work with him.”

Shit. “Must I?” he asked in a bored tone. “It sounds as though he is quite incompetent.” He waited with his breath held.

“At least meet up with him to get the information he has but then you can send him back or shoot him for all I care. He’s proven himself to be useless.”

“I will do as you instruct,” Janus replied, relieved.

“I know you will,” and then she hung up.

Janus collapsed on Virgil’s bed when he was sure the call was actually disconnected with a groan to wait for the information on Kinsley to come through. While he waited, he pulled out his second phone. He considered it, knee bouncing up and down and then opened the text app.

‘Virgil is missing. Help?’ he texted and sent his location before stuffing it into his pocket again.

A few second later, details about Kinsley popped up including his current location using the tracker on his phone. He was in the park down the street.

Janus didn’t know if he was following Virgil or guessing but getting him out of the way would be a good starting point either way.

He pushed himself to his feet and after a moment’s thought, grabbed the stuffed spider Remy had given Virgil when he was eight off the boy’s bed. He’d… probably want that wherever he ended up.

He shoved it into the inner pocket of his coat and then left the little quaint house behind to head to the park down the road.

He glanced at his phone and brought up a picture of Kinsley. In theory he could just text the man and ask where he was as he’d likely been informed someone else was coming to find him, but it would be much more satisfying to surprise bash his face in.

He needn’t have bothered looking at the picture though as Kinsley was fairly easy to spot seeing as he was the only grown man crying with his head in a water fountain.

Janus could help but let his lips curl in amusement. Serves the bastard right. He walked straight up to him and grabbed him by the back of the hair. He squealed as he was pulled back and tried to fight back blindly.

“I’m your replacement,” Janus said coolly, and the man froze at his tone. “Where’s the kid?”

“Fuck. I don’t know man. He ran off. I’ve been trying to check the park, but my eyes,” he whined.

“Oh, boo-hoo,” Janus growled. “Maybe you shouldn’t have let a 15-year old pepper spray you.”

“He was prepared somehow, alright. Already knew his daddy was dead and was ready to fight.” How the hell had he… didn’t matter right now.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Janus demanded, yanking on his hair harder.

He made a pained sound. “I broke through the window and found the kid in the bedroom. He refused to go with me and said screw his mom because she killed his dad. I smacked him good to get him to cooperate, but that just seemed to piss the little bastard off because the next thing I knew he was pepper spraying me.”

“And then?” Janus asked calmly.

“Then he ran. I don’t know where. I’ve been trying to find him. Assumed he ran to the park. Kids like parks.”

“I see,” Janus said and then slammed his face into the edge of the water fountain. “You know,” he informed the unconscious body. “I was given the option to shoot you.”

“Before you do that,” a voice said casually. There was the unmistakable sound of a gun’s safety clicking off. “I’d like to have a word.”

Janus turned slowly to look in the direction of the voice and, at first, thought he recognized the man, but then realized he didn’t have a stupid mustache and also the man he was thinking of probably would have (maybe) had enough sense not to point a gun a Janus when his brother was missing.)

Great. It seemed the other side also sent people looking for his brother. He’d thank Logan, but actually, screw Logan. He eyed the man pointing a gun at him idly. “Do you even know how to use that thing?” he scoffed. The moment indignation flashed across his face, Janus ducked down and charged at him, twisting his arm behind his back and kicking the gun away when it fell.

Yet, as soon as the element of surprise was gone, it became clear that Janus was physically outmatched as they grappled with each other for an edge. He was brought to the ground but rolled out of the way and kicked him in the stomach. Yet that didn’t deter him. Instead he kept coming at Janus, grabbing his arm and twisting it. Janus clocked him in the face and drew blood.

“Fucker!” the man spat but didn’t retreat at all. They continued to wrestle on the ground a bit when they were interrupted by another voice.

“Ooo! A fight! I wanna join!” Then another body slammed into both of them knocking the wind out of Janus as Remus threw Roman off of him only to pin him himself. “Hi JJ!”

“Remus, get off of me!” Janus said, shoving.

Remus did not seem inclined to oblige. “Hey, Ro.”

“You two know each other?” Roman asked, wiping off the blood coming from the side of his mouth.

“We’re double secret partners,” Remus replied with a wink.

“Oh…” Roman said seeming to get what he was implying.

“Great,” Janus said. “Now will you get the fuck off of me?”

“I don’t know,” Remus said in a sing-song tone.

“Remus,” Janus said lowly.

Remus blinked at the sudden darkness of his tone and then his eyes widened as he remembered what was happening. He was off him in seconds. “Right,” Remus said. “Jay, this is Roman. Ro, this is Janus. His brother’s missing.”

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 3 My Master Post

#sanders sides #janus sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #deceit sanders #patton sanders #knives #kidnapping #carjacking #murder mentioned #guns mentioned #pepper spray #eye wounds #study break stories #remus sanders #platonic moxiety #platonic anxceit #ts spoilers #sanders sides spoilers

[toomuchtv95]

My Savior Part 2

Characters: Jay Halstead x Reader, WIll Halstead, Jake (OC), Antonio Dawson

Word Count: 2.2k+

Chapter Warnings: Kidnapping, Fluff, Swearing

A/n: So, I know I was supposed to get out a couple of days ago, but with everything going on in the world right now I just needed a few days to process everything. Now because of the stuff happening around us, my place of work was unfortunately closed down temporarily which means I have some time to work on this. I am now working on part 3 and I plan on having a smut scene in it so just a heads up on that. Also, there might be more there 3 chapters it all depends on the ending of the next chapter and the feedback I get. Anyways, let me know what guys think of this chapter. 

Enjoy! :)

A/N: Excuse any major grammar mistakes hopefully Grammarly caught most of them.

Series MasterList

(I do not own the gif. Credits to whoever owns it.)

“Hey, Will have you seen Y/N? She said she was going to wait for me outside, but I didn’t see her. I figured she came back in here.” Jay walked into the hospital looking for Y/N, but instead, he saw his brother standing at one of the computer stations.

"No, after I took out her stitches, she left, and I just assumed she was waiting for you to pick her up.” Jay ran a hand down her face before pulling out his phone and giving you another call. When you didn’t answer, Jay started to get worried especially when your husband was still out there. “Jay?”

“I’m worried. I’m going to have Hailey ping her phone.” Jay dialed Hailey’s phone and told her what was going on. Once Hailey pinged your phone, Jay hung up the phone and headed outside with Will right behind him. “Hailey said that Y/N’s phone pinged right outside the hospital.”

"Okay, I'll go this way and you go that way." Will didn't think twice about helping Jay look for you. Growing up Will was like an older brother to you, considering you were an only child. As Jay walked towards the west parking lot, he dialed your phone number again and that's when he heard your ring tone from a distance. Once Jay ran towards the sound, what he saw made him panic even more. Squatting down, Jay picked up your phone that was laying on the floor next to your purse. Jay knew exactly what was going on and who had done it. Angry boiled underneath Jay’s skin as grabbed your stuff and headed back towards the main entrance of the hospital.

“I need to see the parking lot security cameras.” Jay saw Will walking back and Will saw that Jay was holding your purse. “That sick son of a bitch took her. I need to find them now or he’s going to hurt or worse.” Jay felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what Jake was going to do to you.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s talk to Godwin.” Both brothers head back into the hospital to find Godwin and get access to the security footage.

Jake dragged you into the house, your feet dragging against every step it took to get to the house. Jake pulled out a chair from the dinner table, tied both your hands and feet to the chair so that you were incapacitated of doing anything. He stared at you for a moment gave you a sinful smile. Jake crouched in front of you as he removed the handkerchief from your mouth. He grabbed hold of your chin so that you were forced to look at him. “You think you could just leave, and I wouldn’t find you?” Even though you were scared out of your mind, you didn’t want him to know that.

“This is your out. You can just leave. Find someone else. You said it yourself, that I was a worthless piece of shit. So why bother taking me with?"

Jake stood up to circle around you then stood behind you and leaned over and whispered in your ear, “because you are my wife.” As a chill ran down your spine as you closed your eyes to stop the tears from rolling down your face.

“You won’t get away with this. The cops are looking for you.”

Jake circled back around and came face to face again with you. "You think that your little detective boyfriend is going to come to save you? Be your night in shining armor?” Jake grabbed a handful of your hair and force you to look at him. “We will be long gone before he finds you anyways.” Without hesitation, Jake placed a rough kiss on your lips before replacing the handkerchief on your mouth. You wanted nothing more to vomit when his lips were against yours, but you needed to get through this and hope that Jay and his team would find you soon. “I have to finish making plans.”

Jake pulled out his phone and disappeared somewhere down the hall. As you left alone, the tears finally emerged and rolled down your face. Maybe this is was destiny. You were stuck with Jake for the rest of your life and thought of that makes you sick. Before you won’t think twice about spending the rest of your life with him, but now you would do anything to get away from this man you so-called your husband. Maybe you missed all the signs but, how could you? He put on the perfect act. Tricked you into falling in love with him and marrying you. He promised you a life together and this is not what he meant. Abusing you is one thing, but to kidnap you were on a whole new level.

An hour passed when Jake reappeared, and he was angry about something. “Change of plans. We’re leaving now.” Panic spread through your body as shuffled across the room to up tie you from the chair, but something stopped him. “What was that?” As Jake pulled out his gun from his waistband, the front door flew open and relief washed over you. Jake instantly stood behind you and pressed his gun to your forehead causing you to flinch.

“Let her go!” Jay slowly walked into the room with his gun raised. “Adding kidnapping to your list of charges? Murder, gun dealing, and domestic violence wasn’t enough?”

“She brought this on herself." Jay took a few more steps into the house causing Jake to press the gun harder to your forehead. "Don't take one more step or I swear I will put a bullet in her head.”

Jay stopped in his track not wanting to make Jake do something irrational. “You used her as a punching bag what did you expect? You think she was going to stay with you forever?” Jay couldn’t help but lock eyes with you as he saw the pain and hurt in your eyes. The way Jay looked at you wasn't the cop in him, it was the man who was still in love with you even after all these years.

“She got in the way. She deserved what she got.” Anger filled through Jay’s body hearing those words escape Jake’s mouth. Jay took another slow step into the room and Jake’s fingers instantly went onto the trigger.

“Don’t think about or I will put a bullet in your myself.” You shut your eyes the moment you head Antonio Dawson’s voice behind you. After a few seconds of silence, you opened your eyes to see Jake was being handcuffed and dragged out of the house.

Jay walked towards you as he holstered his gun and removed the handkerchief. "Are you okay?" You nodded your head in response as Jay crouched down to cut the ropes from both your hands and feet. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? Cause if he did, I swear-” You crashed body into his and let more tears roll down your face. “Shh, it’s okay. Your safe now.” Jay wrapped his arms around you and held you close.

For the first time in a long time, you felt safe. Jake was sentence to 20yrs in prison without probation or early release which was a relief to you. Two months have passed, and you were still trying to adjust to life without Jake. For the first couple of days, you were shaken up, so Jay suggested that you talk to someone to help you and at first you hesitate, but after some convincing, you decided to talk to someone. Since talking to someone, you started to feel better about things. On another note, things between you and Jay have changed, and maybe for the better. Being back with Jay felt like the two of you never separated. All those feelings you have held back for the last 10yrs were starting resurfaces and you weren’t sure how to deal with it. You were still married, and that makes things complicated.

Jay walked into the apartment around 10:30 pm which his later then usual but he said he was working late on a case. Jay kicked off his boots, unclipped both his badge and gun and tossed them along with his keys onto the table by the door. “Hey.”

“Hi.” You smiled up at Jay as you closed the current book you were reading and set in on the coffee table. Jay walked over the empty side of the sofa and plopped himself down, exhausted. “You okay?”

Jay has never felt this comfortable with a woman expect for you and for you to be back in his life felt like a blessing. To say that Jay didn’t love you anymore would be a lie. Jay never stopped loving you, but things right now things were complicated, and he doesn't know how to handle it. “Tough case is all.”

“Wanna talk about it?” You sat crossed-legged on the sofa and faced Jay. Jay nodded head no, which you knew not to push. The two of you sat there for a moment before you spoke up, “I talked to your lawyer friend today.”

“Yeah?” Jay looked at you with hope.

“Yeah, she said that we have to file even if we assume or know that he won’t sign them. Then there’s a waiting period and if he doesn't respond or refuses to sign, we can then file for a default divorce.” You looked down as fiddled with the loose strings at the end of your sweater.  “She said that she hopefully that once we fill for a default divorce the judge will grant me a divorce because of everything has happened.”

Jay reached over and held your hand. “You deserve everything good and he wasn't the guy was going to give it to you."

“Yeah, well I deserve someone like you.” You whispered as you looked down in hopes that he didn’t hear you. Things between you and Jay were complicated and you didn’t want to make things more complicated.

“Y/N.” You put out your hand out to stop him from saying something that he might regret.

“I’m gonna head to bed. I got an early shift in the morning.” Kissing Jay on the cheek, you got up from the couch and headed into your bedroom. “I’ll see you in the morning”

As you walked into your bedroom, you sat down on the edge of your bed and ran a hand through your hair. Before you married or worked at Jake’s bar, you were a nurse practitioner and you loved it. Unfortunately, you had left about a year ago, because of Jake. Jake started to get weird about you working at the hospital and not being able to keep an eye on you. He had forced you to work at the bar when he was there so that he could an eye on you. You never wanted to give up your career. You saved lives and that all you ever wanted to do. Once, you started working at the bar, you started to notice your bank account slowly draining not only from paying back your student loans but because of Jake. He was taking your money to use for gun dealing and god knows what else.

A soft knock filled the room causing you to pull out of your thoughts. “Y/N, can we need to talk?” The door opened and Jay leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. You looked up at Jay giving him the cue to talk. “I meant what I said back there. He was never going to give you everything you deserved.” Jay took a step into the room and stood a few feet in front of you. “There is nothing in this world I would want but to be with you again, but you are just getting your life back and I don’t be the guy that slows that process down.”

"How could you think that?" You stood up from your spot on the bed and stood directly in front of him. “Your right I did just get my life back and it’s because of you. So, don’t think that you are going to slow me down, because you’re not. You are the reason why I’m still going. If it wasn’t for you, I would still be with someone I never loved. Being with you these last couple months, just made me realized that I still love you and I know still married, it’s messed up, but you are the one who is going to giving me everything I deserve.”

The next thing you knew, he had slammed his lips to your and nearly knocked all wind from your lungs. You hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of your lips asking for access, which you allowed. You laid your hands on his upper biceps pulled him closer. Once the two of you pulled away after a few moments Jay leaned his forehead against yours. “I still love you too, and I am sorry that I let you go all those years ago, but I’m not doing it again.” A soft smile appeared on your face as you pulled Jay in for another kiss.

Tag List: @nervousmemzie @hehurst23 @anamile6878 @esauthor @stephmazz1990 @daenerys-targaryes @bellageorge03 @haileymatthewss @useyourmarners @kadygirl @get0verit @yienell-mariee @olihju @lovelydivs @stuffedcabbagepatch @chrisrandumness @shipatheart @jocelyn1718 @shadyfox242 @boo20-05 @beachfan412 @mheart27 @supyfish @aparkel @httphiddlestan @haleyjs86 @onechicago18 @ladyate @whatisanniedoin @citylightsla @thevelvetseries @wemma554 @samiam9525 @detectiveinchicago @tyzerman91 @foulstatesmandragonbear @spiridakos-wp @katie1996 @glittermakesmesmile @itsdesiree86​ @chloebear26 @delcateswift @rosemusic18 @transparentwombathorsedreamer @detective29 @cjhorseback​ @sgtsophie​ @onechicagofan20​ @katiehud @corie-the-writer @give-jack-a-lightsaber @yzas-stuff

#jay halstead #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead x reader #Chicago PD

[derpyslurpy-da-derp-master]

So how do you think crwby can improve from what happened in volume 7 to volume 8. It was cool that they introduced new writers but it came at the cost of how the characters were acting throughout the whole volume and not just that but with everything in the volume like for example ruby promised weiss that she would never leave her side and she did, blake and yang acted over the top this volume,etc

First off, they NEED to focus on the main characters. Especially them as a team. Focus was either solely on one or Bumbleby. The main characters were barely in the finale and that’s a problem.

We need character interactions back, the genuine non-plotserving kind we got so much of last volume. And even when the character moments were there, they either amounted to nothing, progressed the plot, or were poisoned by the simple fact that it felt like the writers wanted it to go somewhere with that but then it didn’t.

No more building up the first MLM relationship only to brutally murder one half, just punishing a character for trying to get/be better, and hinting at a relapse, hitting three different big NO NO’s of writing. Represent us without brutalizing us or don’t represent us at all.

No more completely forgetting about two characters being friends and having them ignore each other. Ruby went back on their established promise without so much as a comment like ‘We’ll be in the building, if something goes wrong we’ll be there’ which wouldn’t have taken any effort on the writers part, would’ve made it way less jaring, and just, less upsetting. You’re telling me that Ruby, best friend of Weiss who spent last volume easing Weiss’s hesitation to go back, keeping her as safe as possible, and both of them having each other’s backs... To just shoving Weiss, an abuse victim, into the space where her abuser has all the power. Without a second thought. Without anyone coming with her when everyone else was doing nothing. It could’ve been so easy to make this make sense! Weiss could have Ruby (or literally ANYONE) come with her but if they get stopped she can tell the staff that she’s just showing her friend around and it would’ve gone over just fine! Maybe they could stay outside the door of Jaques office to stand guard thus still letting Weiss have a one on one with Willow. Bam, problem solved! Situation gets more interesting as their alibi is shakier (thus increasing the tenseness and overall investment) and a prime opportunity for dialogue about the seriousness of the situation that’s entirely skipped out on in favor of political drama. But no, we had to have Weiss wander the Schnee Manor alone and probably having a mild panic attack as she walks through the house because Jaques has the power here. Woo.

No more ‘big growth’ meaning nothing. Ren and Nora finally kissing had no bearing on the plot. You could have cut it out and it would’ve changed nothing and that’s bad. In fact Ren gets MORE aggressive and is straight up upset with Nora half the time which is wildly out of character for him and just makes no sense but DRAMA!1!!

Blake and Yang along with Penny and Winter were very cute (in different ways) and had good character moments but it was poisoned for me because it reminded me how much life and character was sucked out from this volume, Blake and Yang were one of two character based focus’s that weren’t reliant on plot and felt genuine. 

But I couldn’t sit there and enjoy it because it just reminded me that 

JNR comprised of cardboard cutouts

Oscar’s personality is replaced with plotty mc plotterson deliverer of exposition and motivational speeches

Maria aka one of the most delightful parts of last volume is THANOS SNAPPED

Penny’s death being glossed over with minimal reaction from Ruby

Ruby had an entire breakdown but snapped out of it abruptly with no focus on it because she needed to instigate the plot

Weiss doesn’t talk about how bad Jaques is so RBY have no idea how to help her with what she’s going through or that she’s even going through anything

Hell we focus on WINTER more than we do Weiss and Weiss is the main character for Brother’s sake

We have a bunch of new characters to get to know

The finale barely had the TITLE CHARACTERS in it

And everyone is SO out of character Qrow teams up with the man that tried to kidnap his niece AND almost killed him.

so yeah

they just need to figure out who the characters they’re writing are. They figure out how to write the characters to feel like actual characters and not sock puppets and we’ll be golden.

i am very salty

#Ask #RWDE #RWBY Salt #Slurpy Is Salty #Original

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Chapter 2 Summary

Okay I got this I wrote the damn thing I can tell you what’s important, right? But I hope you won’t forget the things that were important to you the first time you read it - I had kind of hoped for that more personal touch, but I don’t mean to ask too much. That being said, I am just writing this as a brief overview - if you need to know things about the boys to help them or hurt them, I leave that up to you. I will not comment on their emotional reactions, weaknesses, or the ramifications to come if at all possible.

Ch. 2 Summary

Having left Norway, Anti has moved his family of puppets to a much warmer climate, somewhere the police have yet to be alerted to their presence like they were by the theft of the Haldol. The boys are living in an abandoned medical clinic at the top of an impoverished mountain. Doktor is allowed to care for people who come to him, but he is not allowed to see his twin. Trick had a suicide attempt following his possession in Norway on the night Marvin died and now Anti has cloistered him in Anti’s own room, replacing Dapper with Trick, though he plans to have Dapper returned to him once Trick is stable enough to go back to the others. Doktor has been given Dapper to care for instead in the time being.

Blue struggles with his magical powers near the beginning of the chapter, his hands shaking and turning blue with magic when his emotions rise. He is not allowed to use his powers because Anti has not learned to cloak his signals and magical presence the way he has learned to cloak Dapper’s and his own. Red, against Anti’s orders, often helps Blue to hide the fact that he is struggling to control it instead of reporting the dysfunction to Anti.

Dapper shows strong resistance to Anti at the beginning of the chapter, and in fact slaps him when Anti tries to force him back into submission. Anti becomes violent with Dapper, and then, when Doktor convinces him that it was Dok’s fault for allowing Dapper to become psychotic again, with Doktor. Doktor is hanged by the throat for the night in punishment, while Dapper is dragged back to Anti’s room to be put back into his place. Because Anti believes Dapper has become psychotic again, he decides to change his medication.Trick is glad to have a companion other than Anti for a little while. In the morning, Blue and Red take Doktor down from his chain and care for him. Later, Anti forces Dapper back into a more obedient headspace by forcing him to wear a collar and dapper clothes and to play with his puppets like he used to a long time ago. Dapper fights hard, but Anti uses so much power on him that, over the next few days, Anti is extremely weak and confined to his bed.

On Hanukkah, Anti gives Doktor candles to celebrate and promises him that if he’s good, he can see Trickshot again for Christmas. He gives Red money to take Dok and Blue into the city and buy Christmas and Hanukkah presents.

On the way home from buying the presents, Red realizes that they are being stalked by a young man and decides to draw him away from his younger brothers, telling them to return home. When the young man leaves the bus, Red follows. In the confrontation that follows, the young man is shown to be a magician who can create ice and disappear at will. Red manages to beat him, but then reinforcements come - a young woman called Genesis and an older woman with long dark hair called Emmanuela. Along with Hermann, they are able to pin Red down and plan to take him away. They believe Red to be a demon at first, and, once they are corrected, decide he must be taken away from the influence of the demon who has put the “darkness” in him.

Dapper arrives in time to save Red, having lived through the scenario once and deciding to take action to prevent Red from being kidnapped. Dapper stabs Hermann, but all three magicians get away. Genesis is able to teleport and escapes with her friends.

Back home, the cameras lose track of Trick, causing concern that something has happened to him. Dok rushes back to Anti’s room and finds his twin in the bathroom with a spilled bottle of medicine. Trick has not, however, tried to overdose again, deciding at the last moment that he couldn’t go through with it. Dok cries and because Anti is too weak to protest, they are allowed to reunite on Christmas Eve as Red and Dapper return home. Dapper is acting strangely - more strangely than usual - and twitching constantly.

Christmas is meant to be a nice day, but early in the morning Red and Dok discover that Anti has put Dapper on a dangerously high dose of a new anti-psychotic medication, cause side effects such as the twitching and potentially worse. Red promises Dok he will not allow Dapper to take the medicine again at this dose. They exchange several presents, including a new cat for Trick, who is named Pot Noodle. Anti hand-picks nice presents for every one of them. Dapper, like Anti, spends much of the day ill from the medication, while Red can’t seem to stop thinking about yesterday’s events.

The next morning, Red refuses to allow Anti to give Dapper his medicine and Anti decides that he has stepped out of line for the last time. However, he allows Doktor to monitor Dapper’s medication from then on out.

Red is sent to murder a man and Anti allows him to spend the night in prison, breaking down and fixated on the blood on his hands, before he comes to save Red. When we see Red next, he is more violent with his brothers than he has ever been, slapping and grabbing at his siblings to keep them under Anti’s control. He and Blue aren’t getting along and he refuses to talk to the cameras, exhausted by constant nightmares.

Genesis has been kidnapped and Dapper and Anti torture her together, destabilizing an already confused Dapper, whose medication is still not working right after the sudden, unsafe changes.

Blue’s hands are red with the pain of keeping his magic back and he shakes constantly. He can’t watch his brothers being slapped around anymore and when Genesis says he can summon help by letting his power explode, he climbs to the top of the mountain and unleashes the full force of all he’s kept back. Before this happens, however, he convinces Red to come and help him, causing the two to reunite. The outburst of his magic, however, is violent and out of control, causing plant life to explode down one side of the mountain and fire down the other. Anti must save Red from thorns crushing him and possesses Blue’s body in order to get the burned, injured thing back down to the other boys. Dapper is having a psychotic episode and is unable to reverse this major act of rebellion no matter how much Anti screams at him. Anti decides they must flee before Genesis’ friends come. He has not yet perfected the spell he came to this country to perform, but he no longer cares if he hurts Blue or not with it.

Because of their disobedience, Anti causes Red and Dapper, who had previously been trying to care for each other, to “spar” like they used to on the way to the equator. He forces the fight to become violent and not only do they beat each other badly, but Dapper is sent into his worst psychotic episode yet, babbling and fighting and reporting seeing ghosts and birds and worse. Anti handcuffs Red and Dapper together.

When they reach the equator - one of only a few places in the world Anti is able to cast the spell he wants to cast, using the book stolen from the body of the man he had Red kill - Anti sends Red to hide with Dapper and keep him safe, because the magicians are coming very quickly and he needs his time traveler safe first and foremost. He sends Trick and Dok to guard him with their sniper in the forest and drags Blue into the Rio Puturnayo to curse him.

The spell Anti uses strips Blue of his magic and gives it to Anti instead. Blue nearly dies and Anti goes into a seizure on the bank of the river, but soon his weakness is replaced with power, and he sees that the magicians have come. Wildly out of control with both dark and pure magic filling up his chest, he begins a vicious fight with the magicians. Blue’s fire magic sets the Amazon ablaze as Anti tears through his enemies. Because of the flames and the smoke, Red and Dapper are forced to put their cameras away and flee into the river. Meanwhile, Genesis, the teleporting magician, grabs Dok before anyone can stop her and disappears with him. Trick, shocked, must be saved by Anti before he can be stolen away too. Meanwhile, the young man, Hermann, sneaks down to the river and finds Blue’s dying body on the shore. Still weak from his stab wound, all he can do is perform a small healing spell and hold Blue in the river to protect him from the flames.

Anti kills and attacks several magicians, but he is growing weak from his injuries and frantic from the loss of his puppets. As the fire grows worse, the magicians retreat to focus on putting it out and Anti staggers back to the river. Finding Hermann protecting both Blue and Trickshot, he takes Blue from the magician and he, Trick, and Blue flee into the forest.

That is where the chapter leaves us.

#chapter two summary #that which is stolen summary #suicide attempt tw #abuse tw

[glare-gryphon]

May I put in a prompt? If you're totally burnt out on this verse, just ignore this. In the Negotiation-verse what would it be like if instead of the whole drugging and kidnapping business, they ended up sorting out the kiss and dating. Anakin has no idea his boyfriend is a serial killer. Could be serious, fluff, total crack or hell it could be Quin mocking Anakin about his hickies. I don't care.

This prompt has been sitting in my inbox for so long. I am almost ashamed.

Here u go.

Alternative

Negotiation-Verse

M/E, 2000 words.

A sharp rap at Anakin’s office door draws the detective’sattention away from the mountain of reports piled up on his desk. With no majorleads to chase at the moment, he’s been working on filling them out all morningand is grateful for whatever reprieve that the day can provide.

When he’d first become an officer, he couldn’t believe howmuch paperwork was involved in the day-to-day operations of a police station.He’d hated it then, and he still hates it now. Usually he tries to shove it offon Quinlan whenever he thinks he can get away with it, but Ventress has sweptVos away for some business conference she has to attend overseas and now Anakinis stuck catching up on both of their overdue reports. He supposes thatturnabout is fair play, no matter how much he would like to complain otherwise.

“Come in,” he calls, swiveling his office chair toward thedoor just in time for it to crack open, revealing one Coruscant Universityprofessor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Is now a bad time?” Kenobi asks, leaning against thedoorframe with a wry smile on his lips, as though already predicting Anakin’sanswer.

“Never a bad time for you,” Anakin replies, moving files offhis desk in attempt to clear a place for Obi-Wan to sit while the other mancloses the door behind him. He doesn’t here the soft snick of the lock, caught up as he is in his work, but he doesnotice the smirk on Kenobi’s lips when the man settles into the space hecleared. “What brought you over this way, babe?”

Obi-Wan shrugs. “Had a class cancelled, and just wanted tosee you. I don’t need an excuse to do that, do I?”

“No, I suppose you don’t.”

Apparently satisfied, Obi-Wan turns his attention to thefiles on Anakin’s desk. While it is technically against the rules for Kenobi tobe thumbing through them as though they were magazines in the checkout lanes ofgrocery stores, Anakin doesn’t see any particular harm in it. His partner isdiscreet, and isn’t the type to go blabbing about the detective’s cases toanyone he knows. Not like their social life is particularly riveting anyways,with most of their friends connected to the police force by way of Anakin’semployment. Really, there was no one to gossip with who wasn’t already in theloop; while Obi-Wan was popular enough with his coworkers, he didn’t maintainany particularly close relationships with any of them.

“Why was your class cancelled?” Anakin asks as Obi-Wanshifts paperwork around, digging through them to find something that catcheshis interest. Most of what is on Anakin’s desk these days is common muggingsand break-ins. Tedious work, but essential toward keeping the generalpopulation of Coruscant safe. He sometimes thinks he would like something moreexciting, but the more rational part of him knows that there will plenty ofthat come the Christmas season. He should spend the off months luxuriating inpicking up petty thieves instead of internal organs.

A hum of satisfaction marks Obi-Wan having found somethinghe likes, and the man answers with his nose buried in the pages of the file.“Not enough students registered. Apparently my Survey of Shakespeare coursedoesn’t have quite the same draw as it used to.”

“Kids today have no respect for the classics,” Anakinreplies, not because he himself has any particular interest in the works of along-dead playwright, but because he knows Kenobi likes to grumble about thedecay of society and youths today.

Leaning over in his chair to get a view of the file hispartner is reading, Anakin is not particularly surprised to find the Negotiatorfile in the man’s hands once again. Since the start of their relationship, he’sshown a keen interest in following along with the case as Anakin attempts totrack down the most prolific serial killer prowling Coruscant’s streets. Thisis hardly uncommon; nearly everyone he’s ever met are curious about theNegotiator case, as high-profile as it is.

“Do you think you’re any closer to catching him?” Obi-Wanasks, drawing a picture from the disorder and holding it up to the light asthough to get a better look.

It’s of one of the latest cycle’s crime scenes, another ofAnakin’s not-quite brothers left brutalized and bared for the world to see. Thepattern has changed again, much to Anakin’s frustration. While before they knewthe Negotiator was luring his victims with sex, the seduction seems to havetrailed off entirely with his newest set of victims. In its place are drugs—thecheap kind, easy to get on the street and difficult to trace for their prolificnature—slipped into drinks at busy clubs with distracted bartenders.

The level of brutality in thesemurders had risen with the exclusion of sex, each victim bearing more of thebruising and evidence of assault only sporadically found in older victims. Thescenes themselves had changed as well, no longer as careful and precise as theyonce were. Not rushed, by any means, or sloppy. Not enough to leave evidencebehind. But Anakin, when he looked at the cuts and the gaping, open wounds,could tell that each one had not been given the same carefulconsideration they once might have received.

“Not really,” Anakin confesses, and Obi-Wan frowns as he draws another picturefrom the file. The Negotiator’s pattern had always been consistent, its onedrastic change clearly instigated by Anakin arrival on the case. What hadcaused this most recent change, he can’t quite figure out. There are a fewpieces, in the rush of his work, but they connect to nothing of significance.No events that Anakin can identify.

“Made a bit of a mess, didn’t it…” the man mutters distastefully, more to himselfthan to Anakin as he grimaces at the picture. It had been a mess, blood usuallydrained away left cool and tacky on the floor and of the county library. Limbshas been shelved neatly away with the books, the head and heart sitting on thelibrarian’s desk when police arrived. There was no note for Anakin, nor hadthere been one this whole cycle. He’s unsure whether or not this comes as arelief that the targeting has stopped, or as warning that his nemesis had begunto lose interest in their game.

“It was messier than usual.” Anakin informs his partner. “I told the guys—Ithink he had a workstation somewhere, and for whatever reason, he can’t getback to it as much anymore. He’s having to work on fly, and it’s not as cleanas it might have been otherwise,”

Obi-Wan hums thoughtfully, offering the younger man a wry smile as he replacesthe picture and sets the file aside. “Perhaps he has someone to go home to, atthe end of the night.”

Anakin chuckles at the jest. “Is there true love for serial killers?”

“There’s true love for anyone, if you look within the pages of literature,”Obi-Wan replies, leaning over to run his fingers through Anakin’s hair.“Princes and paupers, knights and beggars.”

Anakin doesn’t resist when his partner uses his grip on his hair to draw himover, leaning eagerly across the desk and into Obi-Wan’s space. “Cops andserial killers; you and me,” the man breathes, and pulls Anakin into a kissthat is anything but chaste.

Obi-Wan, he has come to find sincetheir initial encounter, is an excellent kisser. When they’re together, it’slike the world around them fades away, as cliché as it sounds. He never used tothink it a thing that could actually happen, but when it comes to Obi-Wan, hesupposes it makes sense. The man himself is almost a cliché at times, seeminglywalking straight out of Anakin’s teenage wet dreams. It’s easy to lose himselfin Kenobi—so much so that he almost doesn’t notice the man sliding off thedesk, shuffling around to where Anakin sits, until he’s upended from his chair.Until Kenobi is bending him over the flat of his desk, tugging his pants downand freeing Anakin’s achingly hard cock from the confines of his slacks.

Another cliché.

“You planned this,” Anakin accuses when he hears the distinctive sound of a capopening. He tries to turn around, but the hand at the base of skull, pinninghim to the desk, only presses harder to still the movement.

“More hoped than planned, really,” Obi-Wan replies calmly, even as Anakin bucksin surprise at the sensation of cool lube drizzled between his cheeks. “Iconfess that this has always been a fantasy of mine, and when you mentionedDetective Vos stepping out of the office for a few days, well… I am quite theopportunist, my dear.”

“You do know you’re supposed to discuss these things with your partner first,right?” Anakin grumbles, but still finds himself pressing back against theslick fingers that have begun to work him open. “What if somebody were to walkin? You’re not the only one in demand of my attention, you know.”

Obi-Wan curls his fingers in a way he knows Anakin likes, dragging a raggedmoan that the detective has to stifle with his fist when the man’s actions sendpleasure racing up his spine. “The door is locked; if you’re quiet, no one willever know what we’re up to.” He murmurs as leans forward, nipping at the shellof Anakin’s ear. His fingers slip from Anakin’s hole with a last stretch, thesound of a zipper being undone quickly following. “You can be quiet, can’t youdear? For me?”

Anakin nods rapidly; he can be good for Obi-Wan. As much as he’d protested, thethought of getting caught—or someone knowing—comes with an unexpected rush ofexcitement. He wouldn’t have thought himself and exhibitionist before Obi-Wancame along, but then, his new parter had proven himself talented in draggingparts of Anakin to the light that he hadn’t even known were tucked away.

“That’s a good boy.”

Breath coming in excited pants, Anakin adjusts his grip on the desk as Obi-Wanslicks himself up. He has to bite down on his lower lip as the man spreads hischeeks, the blunt head of his dick pressing up against Anakin’s stretched hole.The feeling of Obi-Wan pushing into him is a familiar sensation now, but heremembers what it was like the first time they made love. Remembers how nervoushe was, splayed out on the man’s bed. Remembers how gentle his partner hadbeen, as though Anakin would shatter if handled too roughly.

He is not always so gentle now, not that Anakin minds, and today is noexception. He gives Anakin time to adjust of course, aware of the length andgirth of his cock, but once Anakin pushes back against him in unspokenpermission, he quickly finds a pace that has the younger man’s hips biting intothe edge of the desk with every thrust, that keeps him pushing back and takingObi-Wan deeper simply to stop from sliding up into stacks of papers he hadn’tcleared aside when this encounter began.

One of Obi-Wan’s hands lays over his own as the man thrusts roughly into him,their fingers entwining, and Anakin realizes that his palm lays on the openNegotiator file that Obi-Wan had set aside. His eyes catch for a moment on thepale, bloodless faces of his unfortunate look-alikes, and something twisted inthe back of his mind wonders if they liked what the Negotiator gave them. Ifthey enjoyed being stretched and filled and taken the way he enjoys being underObi-Wan. If they regretted it in those moments before he killed them, or ifthey even had a chance to think about it.

When they’re done, clothes adjusted and Obi-Wan sweeping from the door with alast kiss goodbye, Anakin has to close the file and stow it away in a drawer ofthe desk he’d just been taken over. Must throw himself into the work despitethe lingering scents of sweat and sex, to keep his mind busy. Must think ofother things, despite the feeling of Obi-Wan’s cum leaking from him, because ifhe doesn’t, he can’t help but wonder what would happen if the Negotiator foundhim, and if he’d like it too.

#gryph fic #obikin #fic: negotiation

[greygamer]

Brain Dump: Riverdale “The Sweet Hereafter”

1. Ah, Archibald Archikins and friends, I have to admit, this has been a weird and wonderful ride through this season of Riverdale. I didn't know what to make of it at first, and honestly, I'm still not entirely sure I do. But it's been fun!

2. Nice "pesky kids" reference, Juggie!

3. The mayor wants the corruption squashed? Didn't she take bribes in something to do with the drive-in? Damn these two-faced politician.

4. "We're all still in it." But are we really, Fred?

5. What is Smithers' job exactly? Can someone explain that?

6. Oh look, Betty's having a nervous breakdown.

7. I agree with Betty here though -- her family went through some shit, they can't just sweep it under the table.

8. Oh, now Archie and Veronica are semi-dating? I thought she was blowing him off last episode.

9. It seems weird to celebrate these "pesky kids" wh oprobably shouldn't have been meddling in these criminal affairs in the first place.

10. Betty, why would you write for the register? I thought the school newspaper had replaced that as the primary source of journalism in Riverdale.

11. "We've kissed a couple times." WHAT A CRAZY CONFESSION! MIND IS BLOWN!

12. Well, it's good to see the Blossom family is still fucked up even after Daddy's death.

13. Alice Cooper is running this paper with some pretty intense double standards.

14. CHERYL IS NOT FINE.

15. Haha, for a second it looked like Veronica was sewing Betty's foot back on to her leg.

16. So Betty just published her article on her own? Jesus, welcome to the town where libel was never invented!

17. Oh great, Jughead is getting ousted to the south side, and will have to transfer to a new school. NOOOO! Give the kid a break, goddammit.

18. FP isn't wrong here. I mean, you can argue for or against snitching, but it's never okay when the snitchee is innocent.

19. Haha, Cheryl made a joke about Jughead eating burgers even though he's literally never eaten burgers until just now.

20. This is what happens when you don't have libel laws.

21. Pig's blood!? Carrie is calling! It wants its IP back!

22. The fact that Fred and Hiram won't get along seems like a shitty reason to kick Fred out of the business deal. He actually was the only person who was decent to you, Hermione.

23. SO MANY SECRETS IN THE COOPER FAMILY.

24. But I still think the story Alice doesn't want getting out is about a maybe abortion.

25. Oh, here comes the truth?

26. So there was no abortion, but Betty has a brother out there somewhere! COULD IT BE JUGHEAD? Haha, probably not.

27. "Hey Betty, I'm at the stabby murder school with the metal detecters, but please don't worry about me."

28. Yeah, kidnap him from school, I guess?

29. Uh oh, what's Cheryl doing? Oh shit, she's planning a suicide isn't she. That's why she was making peace with people.

30. Hahaha, Jughead is already making friends.

31. Well, Betty and Jughead are way more Romeo and Juliet now that Jughead's on the south side.

32. CALLED IT. CHERYL IS SUICIDING!

33. Well holy shit.

34. It's nice that now that they're all panicked that the ice isn't cracking any more.

35. Holy shit, Archie's gonna fuck up his guitar hand trying to save Cheryl.

36. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Jason just moved!?

37. Was that for real?

38. Yay! They saved Cheryl!

39. Archie won't be able to play at the whatever thing he's supposed to be playing at, but yay!

40. Hey everyone, stop hating on Cheryl, please.

41. Jamboree? Jubilee? They literally just said the word and I've already forgotten what it was.

42. Yes, Veronica, Archie was looking at Betty because, as we've learned from this season, Archie will never settle down and be satisfied with a single woman. HE'S A PLAYA.

43. Oh, of course they're going to play Archie's song.

44. Is this the first time we've seen the Josie and the Pussycats logo on the drum? It's the classic logo! So great!

45. Surprisingly touching scene between Juggie and his dad. I wouldn't have predicted that ultimately this show would end up being about Jughead, but it definitely has.

46. Uh oh, Betty just went off script.

47. Jughead should have slow-clapped that.

48. AND THEN A SNIPER SHOT!

49. Oh great, now Hermione is going to end up in the middle of a love triangle.

50. When your suicide goes wrong, might as well try burning your whole house down.

51. I'm not sure Cheryl's plan there is for the two of them to go up in the flames or not.

52. Everyone's gonna be knockin' boots!

53. Knock and knock and knock and knock.

54. Coitus interuptus!

55. Ah, the serpents showed up and gave Juggie a biker jacket!

56. And Hot Dog the dog was there!

57. BUT BETTY DOESN'T APPROVE!

58. Come on, Mrs. Blossom, it's just a house. I'm sure you've got some liquid assets somewhere.

59. WHAT THE FUCK!?

60. Fucking cliffhangers, man.

61. Oh, I guess it's no cliffhanger. Fred got murdered. But maybe he's not dead! He's just bleeding out!

62. Well, that was certainly a season of TV. I don't see Fred dying in Season Two, but what do I know.

#riverdale #archie #the cw #tv #television #review #commentary #brain dump

[jflashandclash]

Blood of a Mayan---TOO

Twenty-Five: Kalypso

Solar Deities are Creepy and Need Restraining Orders

             The most frustrating thing about Kally’s nightmare was simple: she’d already beaten Python by using her godly nova blast, but it never worked in the nightmare. She’d be choking for air, paralyzed by fear and wishing Pax could make her as angry as he had in Howe Cavern. Then she could defeat Python. Then she’d be free.

           But this time, like the last two times she’d been saved in dream world and when she’d beat Python in real life, it took an external force.

           “Be gone foul creature!” someone roared.

           Python completely ignored the shout. A dim sparkle of light sprinkled around both of them. The shimmer looked like someone was trying to promote Python on a dating simulator.

           Another voice teased, “Really? You’ve only been out of the game for what? A few thousand years? And that is all you can do?”

           A different, rosier light warmed Kally’s body, loosening the coils.

           Last time someone saved Kally from a dream, she’d learned her lesson on accidentally kissing strangers, since they could end up being your long lost half-brother’s completely homosexual boyfriend.

           With the way these two saved her from her nightmare, Kally wouldn’t have even considered it.

           Someone slapped through Python’s coils with a cheery, “Goooooood MORNING!”nailing Kally in the face.

           Kally jerked awake—er—she jerked out of Python’s nightmare. Upon a frantic glance around, she could tell she was still dreaming. Or she hoped she was.

           Everything blazed with a glaring light. There were celestial bronze columns around an audience chamber. The walls were completely covered with emeralds, glowing Kally’s favorite color. The ground felt cold under her fingers—marble? Mirrors reflected more light across the chamber, like the set up in Cabin Six.

But the place looked hollow and empty. There were only two figures standing in front of Kally.

           The more her eyes came into focus, the more imperfections she noticed. There were cracks in the columns and emeralds that had fallen off the walls to reveal blackened holes. For some reason, something her priest used to say fluttered through her head: All material things fall. The only immortal thing is the kingdom of God.

           Here was a god’s throne room starting to decay.

           Then Kally felt the overwhelming pain in her cheek from being sucker slapped by a goddess.

           “Oh good! You’re up! That’s so exciting! Did you have a nice sleep? You don’t look like you did. That’s my favorite time to wake people. At dawn when they haven’t slept at all.”

           The woman standing before Kally spoke rapidly and with enough cheer that Kally could imagine Euna punching her through several skyscrapers. She would probably agree with Kally: morning people made the worst super villains.

           The woman was young, maybe nineteen with brown auburn hair that flowed loosely down her shoulders. She wore a pink pair of yoga pants and a tight work out shirt with floral print. She hopped back and forth and giggled, like she was warming up for a race. Her fingers, hands, and forearms were stained a deep pink and Kally had to wonder how many flowers were killed in the making of those hands.

           There was a Starbucks coffee cup in her hands with the words Mornings Rule! on the side.

           The man beside her was terrifying. Not in the ax-murderer way though. His hair was golden, flowing in curly locks over his shoulders. His shoulders were broad and Kally could imagine he’d be handsome if he stood up straight and smiled. He wore a dirty purple sheet like a cloak and a ragged, torn shirt and shorts. Instead of looking handsome, he looked like, well, her dad—if Apollo had become a hobo and tried out for the Walking Dead. But none of that was scary. It was his eyes.

           They burned like the sun setting along the horizon. Kally felt like those eyes were as ancient as the sun and as omnipresent as light during day. “It’s not dawn for her,” he chastised the woman.

           She giggled. “You know what they say? It’s 5:00 AM somewhere.”[1]

           “That’s not how that saying goes.”  

“Hey!” She folded her arms and gave him a playful scowl. “Dionysus stole that from me with those military shenanigans. Augh, I used to be so much more popular before the Industrial Revolution! Stupid Antoine Redier!”[2] She dramatically shook her fist downwards.

Kally really didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, but she had no idea what was going on or what the Industrial Revolution had to do with this little inception. “Um, excuse me but—who are you?” she asked timidly.

The woman put a hand to her chest. “I am the beautiful, coveted, adored—”

“Don’t listen to her. She kidnaps people to get affection,” the man interrupted.

“Helios!” she cried and swatted his shoulder. “Don’t spread that rumor! They come to me. You’re as bad as Hemera.”

Helios… Hemera… Kally remembered Axel mentioning something about people Hemera knew.

“Eos!” Kally said. “You’re Eos. You’re the Titaness—er—Goddess of Dawn. The one that poured out all of Hemera’s grains so Euna, Joey, and Axel had to collect them.” After everything that happened that day, Kally couldn’t believe she remembered that little bit, but Axel had been particularly angry about why they were doing their activity.

“Eh, Titaness. Goddess. I accept eith—wait—no! I did not pour out all of her grains. Is that why Hemera was so indignant all morning? She seemed even snipper than usual. I keep telling her an hour ahead of schedule is a perfectly considerate amount of time to arrive at a house. I mean, Aphrodite was even earlier than I was!”

Kally really didn’t want to get into whatever dispute was going on between the Goddess of Dawn and the Goddess of Day, but it wasn’t like she could snap her fingers and have an Uber drive her home. “Um, if you didn’t, then who did? Not that you would,” she quickly added, hoping it wouldn’t make Eos angry. Kally figured that people who made this goddess angry just darkened the stains on those rosy fingers.

“That’s part of why we’re here,” the man said. He gave Kally a dazzling grin, literally dazzling since she had to look away or be blinded. Then the light dimmed. “I’m Helios,” he said simply. There was a sad emptiness in the explanation.

Eos groaned. “Oh, go on. Say it. ‘I used to drive the sun chariot.’ And whose fault is it that you don’t now? I keep telling you. Early bird gets the worm.”

Helios’s eyes dimmed further until the glare of his eyes looked filtered by water. “I wouldn’t expect you to know who I am,” Helios said. “Most of the gods think I’ve already faded.” He touched his forehead, like he was adjusting an invisible crown. His eyes gazed at one of the blackened holes in the wall. “What I wouldn’t do for one last ride in my chariot—to watch Pyrois, Aeos, Aethon, and Phlegon galloping westward, to see Hemera ahead of me, scattering her mother’s mist to prepare the path for the sun.” He sighed and closed his eyes.

From his description, Kally could almost envision it. Those must have been the names of his horses. There must have been a lot of glory in striding across the sky—

“And the chicks,” Helios added. He opened his eyes and cocked his head thoughtfully to the sky. “That chariot is a babe magnet and Apollo kicked me out before low cut shirts were in fashion. That scoundrel.”

Eos swatted him. “Helios! That’s gross!”

“What? You spy on people showering in the mornings.”

Were all day deities this creepy? Kally didn’t remember Axel describing Hemera as this creepy.

“Um...” Kally prompted. “About why you’re here..?”

“Oh! Yes! I have an itinerary,” Eos said. She snapped her fingers, her coffee disappeared, and a papyrus scroll appeared in her hands. She read aloud, “Scold Kally for not doing her sun salutations to greet her dad…” Eos glanced over her list, frowned, pointed one finger at Kally and said, “Shame.”

Helios rolled his eyes.

Eos kept reading. “Wake Kally up so she can save Leo Valdez. Remind her to do sun salutations to greet the morning deities. Startle hiker awake and off a cliff—okay!” She snapped her fingers and the scroll was replaced by a white mug that read Here Comes the Sun and a picture of Kally’s dad. “No one has seen Hemera in two days, since that whole cereal incident, when Aphrodite said she had some handsome heroes over to clean up the mess.” Eos giggled. “Maybe Hemera isn’t fading after all if she’s having handsome heroes over. Now, if you ask me, that old bag is being overdramatic and playing hookie—”

“She’s not. I worked with Hemera for thousands of years. She’s reliable and never takes a sick day,” Helios said.

“Except those few months on the North and South Pole—” Eos waved her cup of coffee around.

“Nyx told her to stay home and she deserves some vacation time—”

“Socialist. You know, I’m just as reliable—”

“You’re annoying,” Helios said. The fiery blaze of his eyes returned as he glanced back at Kally. “Mount Olympus has too many problems for anyone to worry over Hemera’s disappearance.”

“Aren’t they in a time of peace right now? And what was that about Leo Valdez?” Kally asked. Although she hadn’t sat through many explanations from the Athena Cabin about the gods, she hadn’t heard of any wars going on or problems in Olympus. And Leo seemed in fine shape before she… how had she fallen asleep in the middle of the morning?

Helios shook his head. “I would say the usual fights, but none of them make any sense. Not that their fights ever do—and trust me, I helped sort out all the craziness with Persephone. Man, does she have a creepy husband. But these fights make even less sense than usual. Hephaestus is mad at Aphrodite and Ares for going off on vacation—”

“Which is false because Aphrodite is scheduled for an exfoliating session with Hygieia today and she would NEVER let anything get in the way of that,” Eos said like it was common knowledge. She winked at Kally. “It was an article in this week’s edition of The Glade.”

“Athena and Poseidon are in the middle of a fight over some museum that wasn’t supposed to originally feature either of them. It was originally supposed to feature Pontus…” Helios gave an exhausted sigh. “How I miss Pontus. Regardless, Artemis and Apollo are trying to chase down the Teusmessian fox, both claiming the other challenged them to it, while Apollo is still trying to hide from Zeus. And Hera and Zeus just got into another fight over some lover or another that Zeus hasn’t seen in years—”

“I feel bad for whatever mortal Hera runs into first with her little riddle, ‘who knows how to have the secret to a happy marriage better than the goddess of marriage.’ If she’d only cheat, she’d be so much happier.” Eos giggled.

That might have explained Joey’s encounter. Kally thought about her mother with Apollo and felt sick. Every time she heard about a Greek god, it sounded like fidelity was as high on their list of priorities as protecting LGBTQ+ rights was for the Westboro Baptist Church. Maybe people fell out of love after several hundred years but…

“Wait—Did you say Hemera went missing two days ago? Euna, Axel, and Joey helped her yesterday,” Kally said.

“You’ve been asleep for a day and a half,” Helios said.

Kally gaped. A day and a half? She didn’t even get to do that on weekends.

Eos took a long sip from her mug and glared. “Someone used Morpheus Dust on you and your group. You know that crust you get in your eyes? If you can collect it off Morpheus from one of his naps, it’s like, my anti-venom. I tried waking you all morning yesterday but it was like you’d had three bottles of Nyquil.”[3]

“When you do wake up, remember to look out for Hemera. Apollo might not care to watch out for his business partners—” Bitterness seeped into Helios’s voice “—but I care. This isn’t like Hemera. No one has any qualms against her. I mean, she and Nyx fight a lot, but I don’t think Nyx would ever harm her.”

Eos gave Helios a skeptical look. “Hemera is too boring for anyone to have qualms with her. Anyway, you’re about to wake up. Things will be clearer for you about how to help Leo Valdez and find Hemera.”

There was no way Kally would be useful in any situation that one of the Seven couldn’t help themselves. “Uh, couldn’t you just tell me how things will be clearer now?” she squeaked.

Helios and Eos gave each other a bewildered look. “Do… gods just TELL heroes things now?” Helios demanded. “That’s so… distasteful.”

Sensible was the word Kally wanted to supply him with, but she felt a chill creeping along her face. Until she fell through the floor, she hadn’t realized how warm it was in the audience chamber.

  When Kally woke up, things were not clearer. Her vision was—in fact—blurry, but she could see two furry creatures curled in her hair. One wore an orange Hero-In-Training shirt and the other cradled the remains of some kind of toy. A… decapitated man’s head?  Bleeding stuffing. Well, it used to be a centaur. She remembered seeing those at Camp Half-Blood’s shop.

Someone nearby was crying. It was a quiet, continuous sob, one that made Kally chest hurt with sympathy pangs. She hated when you’d been crying to the point of chest pains and couldn’t stop.

“But he’ll leave me. You know he will,” Pax whined to… someone.

Kally willed herself to stand to see the other person. Her limbs wouldn’t work. Everything felt numb. It wasn’t the right time of day. Hadn’t it been morning? Early morning? Now it was dark, with nothing but her glow stick and a campfire lighting up Hunnie and Baller’s fur. When she remembered that weasels liked to store dead things in people’s clothing for snacks, she wished she could recoil. From the look of it, Hunnie was… still unmoving.

Every few seconds, Baller would perk up, yawn, and twist his body to climb all over Hunnie. When she didn’t react, he’d give her ear a halfhearted nip. After pawing at her, he’d give up and curl back up with his tail dangling over her face.

Oh, my little terror muffin, another voice spoke. The voice was feminine and warm in a noxious way, like a pillow pre-fluffed to smother someone. Kally wasn’t sure she could hear it aloud, but it echoed in her head. Although Kally’s arms didn’t feel strong enough to lift her body weight, she strained to reach for Hunnie and Baller.

I’m sorry you might lose your brother forever, Ajax. Here’s a voucher for free ice cream to cheer you up.

Kally managed to get up to her elbows. The weasels rolled out of her hair, Baller with a soft huff. Someone had tucked her into the Morpheus sleeping bag—Pax once told her it belonged to Alabaster, a friend of his from Mount Othrys. Supposedly it granted good dreams, though she was struggling to remember hers clearly. Around her, she found Merry, Joey, and Euna also tucked into various sleeping bags. Whoever had taken care of them—definitely Pax, judging from this last part—had unceremoniously plopped a blanket on the upper half of Calex and left his feet exposed. That was something Kally could see Pax finding evil.

The others in the distance blobs of color. Sometime in the night, her contacts must have dried and popped out of her eyes. Her eyes definitely felt sore and dry enough for it. She fumbled in her bag to produce her backup glasses and slipped them on.

Centaurs and nymphs lay scattered around the campfire. She could hear a rhythmic creaking sound. Upon seeing the startling shine of bronze highlighted in the flickering flames, she realized Festus was snoring on the edge of the camp.

“Forever?” Pax hiccupped. “I’d give up ice cream for the rest of my life if I could stay with Axel. He’s all I have left.”

That’s a serious ultimatum, the person warned. Ice cream is delicious. Remember how much you love Reese’s Sundaes.

“Even Reese’s Sundaes, Mom. Even. Reese’s. Sundaes. And what are you saying? Is Axel going to die if he goes to arrest Dad?”

Kally picked up the furry, serpentine bodies of Hunnie and Baller. She expected Baller to bite her. Instead, he curled up into her arms.

Oh, he’ll die if he goes alone, the woman said, like it was an assurance. But he was always going to die before you Pax… Well, unless your little nightmare-prophecy comes true.

Pax recoiled from… a weird thing sitting in front of him. His legs were crunched up, his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands tugging at his hair. His face looked puffy from crying. At his feet, there was some… weird mix of various creatures: goat parts, feline part, bat wings, and horns. Looking at it, Kally didn’t know if she was still dreaming or if a taxidermist had decided to play Mr. Potato with various animals.

“That nightmare won’t come true. Axel wouldn’t do that,” Pax snapped. His tone shook with fear and anger, but tapered almost apologetically. “I don’t think. I—I’m sorry. But—but you said alone. Will he be okay if he has his proper fan club?” He gestured vaguely towards Kally and the others without looking up. “How are we supposed to be his Sailor Scouts if he doesn’t want us there?”

The creature flicked its reptilian tail up to stroke Pax’s cheek. I’ll do what I can to keep the family together. Just keep calm and use that voucher. There should be more for you to steal in Leo’s shack.

Kally wiggled out of the sleeping bag. Despite her attempt to be quiet, the zipper whined.

The creature disappeared.

Pax jumped to his feet. “Kally! You’re awake?!” His yellow and black eyes widened in alarm. He rubbed his face on his duster jacket sleeve. “I mean, completely sincere sounding, ‘Yay! You’re awake!’”

Kally tried to talk. Her mouth felt like it was full of ferret bedding. She adjusted the weasels so she could lean down to withdraw her water bottle from her messenger bag. Once she took a swig, coughed once, and put the water bottle away, she approached Pax.

Morpheus Dust.

Eos’s words lingered from her dream. Kally couldn’t recall the full conversation, but she slowed down. “What’s going on?” She remembered the party and Hera giving Joey her quest, and something about Morpheus Dust. Why had Eos mentioned it?

“Everyone fell asleep after Leo started making Axel’s unbreakable buster sword. Except Axel, Leo, and I. I think it’s because we’re Latino and awesome,” Pax said. He perked up and sniffled. “But now that you’re awake, we can draw on everyone’s faces. Leo said he’d be done with the sword soon so we probably don’t have much time before Calex wakes up.”

Something about Leo Valdez. All the warmth from the sleeping bag sapped out of Kally. The evening November chill made her shudder, huddling into her sweatshirt.  “Where’s Leo?” she asked. That’s what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to protect Leo. How? Kally wasn’t sure. She assumed it would involve her sacrificially tripping and rolling into an enemy so Leo had enough time to get away.

“He and Axel are at his forge, but we could cause way more chaos if we stayed here and—”

Kally walked up to Pax and set her weaselless hand on his arm. “I—” Her mind ground to a halt. What would Merry say? She was so much more assertive and better at this type of thing.

That didn’t matter. Merry was asleep. It was completely on Kally to screw this up and either crumble to Pax’s wishes and write I love Manchester United all over Calex OR to not be a doormat and put herself in a life or death situation to save Leo Valdez from... something. Assuming her dream with Helios and Eos had been more than just a dream…

When Kally took too long to finish her sentence, Pax supplied her for, “… love chinchillas?”

“What? No—well, yes, but no. That isn’t what I was going to say.” Kally took a deep breath. “I want to go check on Leo and Axel. Please Ajax.”

Pax’s eyes narrowed. The alarmed hopefulness of his expression melted into his standard devilish grin. He stood and took a step closer, so he could stroke under Baller’s chin, his finger brushing against Kally’s sweater as he did. Baller’s head bobbed sleepily with each pet. “You know Cyclopes, the only people allowed to call me that are my childhood friends, my family, and my lovers.”

In the tiny repertoire of retorts Kally had prepared—pretty much a single retort—Kally wasn’t ready for Pax to say that. She felt her face heat up. He’s just trying to distract you, the logical part of her brain reminded her. The rest of her brain was encouraging her to walk back to her sleeping bag, hide her face for the rest of eternity, and pretend the conversation never happened.

“Because if you’re building a time machine to become one of my childhood friends,” Pax said. He tapped her nose with the hand he’d been using to pet Baller. “I would want to know your intentions. I would love to use modern technology to scare some settlers into thinking we’re ghosts. We could create some nice mass hysteria.”

Kally did her best to glare. “Leo and Axel,” she said again. As the grogginess of sleep retreated to awareness, the weirdness of the situation hit her. What had Pax and his mother been talking about? Had that been his mother? She’d never seen a goddess show up in a form like that. Before asking about that, she needed to make sure they were on their way to Leo.

“Maybe I can talk to Axel about… about us coming with him to arrest your dad,” she offered.

As much as the Pax boys were great at putting them into life threatening situations, and as scary as Santiago sounded, she didn’t want anything bad happening to them. Their ragtag team of seven was pretty strong. If nothing else, she was sure Calex could make Santiago fall in love with a toaster and Joey and Euna could tie him up in some Clematis bindings while he was serenading it.

Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them. He took the hand she had on his arm and laced their fingers. “You heard Mom and me talking?” he asked.

“Yea. Your mom was…”

“An awesome whatever,” he supplied like that described it perfectly. Without being a helpful term at all, it did do his mother justice. “Kally,” Pax hesitated and rolled his thumb across her knuckles. The motion had grown more comforting than panic-inducing over the last month. “He’s… he’s not a villain for young adult novels. He’s a big kid villain, for like, an R-rated movie. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Considering how Python wanted to murder she and her half-brother Will and how the Aphrodite Devils attempted to rip she and Pax apart, she wanted to protest that Santiago would probably feel at home with their other villains. “I’m pretty sure convincing your brother will be way harder than defeating your dad. Axel’s pretty stubborn.”

Pax hugged Kally. Baller made a loud chirping sound at being crushed between the two of them. Kally squeaked when she felt Baller squirm and claw at her sweater.

Pax started to babble in some other language, then switched over to English. “—go talk to him. Maybe you can convince him to leave Leo’s memory alone too. Kally, thank you! I’m sure this’ll blow up in our faces, but at least we’ll be miserable together!” He released her, allowing Baller to scamper down her leg and disappear into the grass.

“What about Leo’s—”

Pax squished Kally’s cheeks together with both hands, gave her a kiss, then tugged her towards Leo’s shack. With his other hand, he picked up a quiver of arrows off the ground.

As they walked, Kally tried to keep focus and ignore how Pax’s lips had felt. She desperately hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. To distract herself, she asked, “Why do you have a quiver without a bow?” She remembered Pax saying he hated long distance weapons other than his darts. And there didn’t seem to be a lot to shoot other than stationary centaurs.

“Axel needs it to make the sword.”

           Maybe she hadn’t paid attention when Nyssa or Matt explained Blacksmithing 101, but that sounded like saying you needed turpentine to make pancakes. “You need a quiver to make a sword?”

           “We descend from Greek gods. Recipes get messy sometimes…” Pax glanced over his shoulder at her. “Hey, uh, if you ever want someone there when you talk to your mom, or for ice cream and cry support afterwards, I’m here. Or to punch your dad in the face. I’m always up for punching a god in the face.”

Kally’s stomach clenched at the thought. She was still terrified of talking to her mother. “You’re too much of a coward for that,” she managed.

“Yea,” he admitted without a hint of offense. “But I could put something in his drink that will make him flatulent. That’ll make him WAY more upset than a silly punch.”

They laughed. For a moment, Kally forgot that all her other friends were unconscious in the clearing and Leo Valdez was in some kind of danger. She could pretend Pax and she were going for a nighttime hike in the forest. Alarms went off in her head at the words, put something in his drink.

Morpheus Dust. They’d toasted before everyone fell asleep hadn’t they? Pax had given them Kool-Aid. Kally squinted at Pax’s utility belt in the moon and glow stick light. There was a third vial beside his Sleep and Poison (Do not mix up). It was the same one he’d pulled out for Calypso “that worked better than a dream.” The vial was mostly empty, only a thin layer of glitter at the bottom.

“You, uh, don’t have a thing for Axel, right?” Pax asked. He slipped the quiver’s strap over his shoulder so he could take Hunnie from Kally’s arm and stuffed her into his jacket like a toy.

Kally glanced away from the vial, hoping she looked calm. Why would Pax do that? He and Axel had done dumb stuff before for “noble” reasons. They’d kidnapped Rachel, so they could save her and gain the trust of the Greeks—all to get the proper equipment to take out their father. But what didn’t they want them seeing now? That was just so invasive, and creepy, and overall wrong.

“What?” Kally asked. She needed to keep it cool. But she also had to make sure Pax didn’t have a reason to dart her and tuck her right back into the sleeping bag.

They walked around where Festus creak-snored. The shack was bigger than she thought it would be. Around the back, she could see several work benches and a forge two dozen feet away. There were some kind of hybrid torches—lights surrounding the work space. Various types of tools littered the ground. Over to the right was a small greenhouse. Kally had to wonder—if Leo and Calypso hadn’t settled down in one spot for long—what kind of transformer move this place did to fit on the dragon.

The ground around the workspace, other than the greenhouse, was bare dirt in a wide radius.

Axel sat on one of the work tables with his legs crossed pretzel style. Although he might have been meditating, Kally could envision a tail irritably flicking behind him. His head twitched at their approach.

He wore what looked like a reflective jumpsuit, complete with booties and gloves. Despite the circumstances, Kally almost hoped he’d do some astronaut break dance. As they got closer, Kally could see the material was… uncomfortably tight on him.

Pax hadn’t noticed her unease. “I didn’t know if you had a thing for Axel and you were turning me down because of that and not because you’re wisely not trusting me.”

That was weird to consider. Axel was definitely one of the reasons Merry suggested their group take a trip to the pool at some point. He was an excellent fighter and charismatic leader and the muscles under that silver suit were quite obvious. But…

“Your brother is too cool for me,” she said. Plus, she wasn’t sure she could trust either brother with how this night was turning out.

“You’re… right.” Pax added a skip to his walk. “He is too cool for you.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Kally?!” Axel demanded.

She and Pax froze when he rounded on them. For a split second, his jaw was clenched in fury as he rose to his feet. Then he relaxed and he gave her a rough smile. “I’m glad you’re awake,” he said evenly. As the words came out, he shot Pax a quick glance. “Everyone fell asleep after Leo started working on the blade. I should have known something like that would happen with the curse.”

The practiced ease of the lie scared Kally more than the lie itself.

Pax’s hand tightened on hers. He set the quiver down on a workbench. “She woke up all on her own, like a big kid,” Pax said. “Nice suit. Good for preventing alien abduction and mind reading.”

“I’ve been helping Leo at the forge. He said it would be safer if I wore Calypso’s fireproof clothing.” As he spoke, Axel examined Kally’s face. That was a familiar look, the same one her parents gave her brother, John, when he’d messed up: a forcibly neutral expression that said I still care about you, but what am I going to do with you now that you’ve screwed up?

A tension spread through Kally’s chest. She wanted Pax to let go of her hand and Axel to take a step back.

“Man, I really don’t like this thing. It gives me the heebie-jeebies—”

Kally exhaled in relief when Leo walked out from the shack, something oblong in his hands. His arm and face were covered in soot and sweat. Those elfish features were slack from exhaustion and worry. When he glanced up to see Kally, his brown eyes lit up with excitement. “Someone is up? Are the others awake? Is Calypso okay?”

As he asked, he rushed over to another work table. Until then, Kally hadn’t registered the comatose person. Calypso was on top of the table, curled up on a roll-out matt with several layers of blankets, including a fancy electric one.

“Hey, Sunshine, stop being so lazy! Wake up… please,” he called to the resting girl. When she didn’t stir, he frowned and punched the edge of the table.

“I’m the only one up,” Kally said. She wanted to tell Leo that Helios and Eos were worried about him, but he didn’t need the extra stress. This kid looked like he hadn’t slept in… well, a day and a half.  

“I told you they’d probably start to wake up once you finished the sword. Maybe the curse just needs to wear off,” Axel supplied. He took a step closer to Leo, examining the object in Leo’s arms. It was wrapped in a colorful beach towel. Well, Kally assumed it was normally colorful. In the dim torch lighting, the towel was just striped.

“Calypso had better be okay,” Leo muttered.

“If Kally is up, I’m sure the others will wake up soon,” Axel said. He glanced at Pax, like he was looking for affirmation.

Pax lifted his hands up, Kally’s included, as if to say not it, bro.

If Kally hadn’t been suspicious of the Pax brothers before, she took that exchange as a plea of, guilty and shameless.  

Axel turned back to Leo. “But you did finish it, right?”

“This sword isn’t worth all the trouble,” Leo grumbled. He released the towel with one hand to stroke Calypso’s cheek. Judging from the smears of soot across her head, Kally assumed this had been a standard procedure each time Leo walked past.

He wrapped his hand back around the towel and turned to Axel, glaring. “I don’t know how to explain it hombre, but it didn’t want to be a sword. I had to really fight with the metal. I know we had a deal, but the deal was to make the sword. Not to have my girlfriend cursed into Sleeping Beauty. I feel like I’m carrying around thirteen black cats and a broken mirror with this thing. If she and the others don’t wake up in the next hour, we’re melting it.”

“Of course,” Axel agreed. “Kally, Pax, can you go check on the others to see if they’re waking up? We probably shouldn’t leave them vulnerable in the forest.”

Every muscle in Kally’s body encouraged that notion—that survival and snacks were back towards the others. But something about this whole scenario was giving her goose bumps. Although Pax was already tugging at her hand, she didn’t budge.

“No,” she said.

The Pax brothers stared her.

“I—”

You’re not a doormat, she scolded herself. And it’s just Axel.

“I want to see the sword first,” Kally said. That wasn’t true. She never wanted to see what had caused all of this, but she wasn’t supposed to leave Leo by himself. Her instinct had made that much clear.

There was a pause where she wouldn’t have been shocked if Axel told her to go to her room, in his best Dad impression ever, disregarding the hundreds of miles preventing that.

Axel clenched his jaw.

Then he sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Very well. Leo, let’s see if this was worth all the trouble.”

“It wasn’t, but whatever,” Leo grumbled. He shoved a set of tools off a work table to put the towel on it. Axel, Kally, and Pax all gathered around as Leo unwrapped the towel.

Kally shuddered.

The sword was a xiphos, a double-edged, one-hand Greek blade. Those were common in Camp Half-Blood. What was uncommon was the coloration of the blade. One half gleamed with celestial bronze. The other half shined with steel.

As Axel’s fingers wrapped around the grip, Kally heard an undeniable growl from the blade, Hello Lieutenant. A wave of malice billowed from the blade, like its past occupation was decapitating puppies.

“Yea, and that’s the creepiest part. That happens sometimes when you touch the metal and it sounds about as friendly as a clown in a dark parking lot,” Leo said.

Pax whispered, “Don’t discriminate against clowns. They have funny feelings too.” Although he tried to joke, Kally could hear the tremble in his voice. He pulled her gently from the table.

Axel’s arm seized. He grunted and lifted the blade. He began to shake and sweat.

“Why do you even want this sword man? It’s no bueno,” Leo said. “Uh… man?”

“Because…” Axel’s voice dropped to a gravely tone, the same he used to scare her brother John. Kally felt the pressure drop. Her ears popped. The torches around them dimmed with the next gust of wind. One sputtered out.

“Its name is Backbiter,” Axel growled. His arm stopped shaking.

“It was reforged to fight oppression and dethrone rulers that should have rotted with their archaic methods centuries ago.” Axel spun the sword in his hand. The blade flashed wickedly in the disappearing torch light and Kally thought she could hear it scream.

Pax dragged Kally backwards a step. “Bad timing for him to have an episode,” Pax whispered.

An episode? Kally wanted to demand, but she was too scared. With each movement Axel made, she felt herself tremble more. What was happening?

Two things sprouted along either side of Axel’s hair.

Leo took a quick step back, towards Calypso. “Wow—dude—”

The voice was no longer Axel’s, but a guttural mimic. “And it was supposed to be mine.”

Pax spoke rapidly, “Hey, uh, Axel, you’re doing that thing—”

Axel grunted. He crunched his eyes closed and clutched at his head with his free hand. As his fingers made contact with his hair, whatever was along his hairline disappeared.

Axel collapsed onto his knees. He hugged himself, breathing heavily. The sword was still firmly clutched in one hand.

“Okay! Sword is definitely being melted!” Leo shouted and stood defensively in front of Calypso’s table. From what Kally could see, he’d already set his hands on fire. “Possessions are not okay at Camp Leo!”

“Hold up,” Pax said. He released Kally’s hand to kneel near Axel, though strategically out of sword slashing distance. “Ola,” he said.

Axel grunted. “I’m okay.” The voice sounded like his, though strained. “I’m okay.”

He dropped the blade.

Leo immediately whisked it up.

“Wait,” Axel called.

“You’re in a no-waiting-zone,” Leo stated. “This baby’s gotta burn.”

“I helped you make it. I want to help you destroy it,” Axel gasped.

He rose to his feet. There was no golden glint to his eyes, like she’d seen in the van. There were no elongated teeth. He looked like a tired, sweaty eighteen-year-old, only standing due to determination. His limbs had stopped shaking and he straightened his posture. Kally couldn’t place it, but there was still something wrong with him.

He’d given up too easily.

To get this far, Axel lied to the Romans and the Greeks. He’d kidnapped the Oracle. He’d risked fighting the automaton monster that killed his childhood guardian for the chance at this sword. Kally might not have known what just happened to Axel or what an “episode” was, but she knew he would never submit with so little fight.

“Kally, let’s go stuff some crickets in Calex’s sleeping bag before he wakes up,” Pax suggested. He rose from where he’d been kneeling beside Axel, stepped to her side, took her hand, and pulled.

Leo raised a skeptical eyebrow at Axel. “There’s not much to destroying it. Unless you want to roast marshmallows over the fire I’m about to make.”

Pax tugged at her hand again, urgently. When she glanced at him, she saw his cheeks had puffed up. He nodded back towards the campfire. She shook her head and glanced back to Axel. No—no, she definitely wasn’t leaving after whatever Axel just did.

Axel picked up a silver mask off one of the work benches. It matched the rest of the fireproof suit. When he slipped it over his head, the material seemed to mesh into the rest of the suit, making an impermeable seal. Kally had to wonder how he—or Calypso for that matter—could breathe in it.  

Leo didn’t wait for him. He got about two paces towards his forge.

Then Axel grabbed him.

The motion was too fast for Kally to shout a warning.

Axel stepped behind Leo and wrapped an arm around his neck. From the self-defense classes she’d been learning from Mr. Paine, she could tell Axel had pinched the arteries to Leo’s head, crushing his throat between Axel’s bicep and forearm.

Leo had seven seconds before he’d be unconscious.

With the same motion, Axel lifted Leo off the ground. With his other hand, he grabbed Leo’s sword arm and snapped his wrist. The sword fell to the ground.

As it did, flames burst around Leo, engulfing them both.

The fire skyrocketed into the sky. She’d never seen anything explode like that. As they vanished, she could see Axel clasp Leo’s last functional hand and Leo kick frantically backwards.

Heat nailed the exposed skin on her face and hands. The moisture wicked out of the air. There was no way someone could survive that.

Kally tried to run forward. She didn’t know what she was going to do. There wasn’t enough water around to dowse that fire, if she could dowse it. She couldn’t see Axel to drag him off Leo, and probably couldn’t wrestle Axel down if she could see him. And she didn’t have a fireproof suit.

“STOP!” she shouted, hoping someone at their campfire would hear her. Maybe Calex could force one of them to fall in love with a random tree so they’d break it up or Merry could talk them down or Joey and Euna could snap up roots from the ground to separate them or Festus could do whatever dragons do that didn’t involve killing Axel or stealing gold.

But all of them were asleep. When she felt Pax’s hand clamp down on hers, she remembered why everyone was asleep.

“Kally—wait—” he said. His yellow eye gleamed fiercely in the firelight. The flicker of the flame cast shadows into his wild dark hair. Between that and the way his duster jacket billowed, Kally felt like she’d been fraternizing with a monster.

“Let go—” Kally yanked her arm away from him.

Pax stepped forward to brace against her. “This is just a misunderstanding. We didn’t mean for things to—ha ha—flare up like this—and as long as Axel doesn’t get—tee hee—carried away with Leo—”

Despite the laughter in his voice, he looked scared. He glanced past her at the conflagration. The flames were dying. Leo must have run out of time.

In that split second, she stopped trying to pull away from Pax, reversed her movement, and slammed her elbow into his gut. As Pax doubled over to clutch his stomach, she followed through with her other hand in an open palm strike. When her palm made contact with his jaw, light flashed out of the tips of her fingers, bright enough to blind someone wearing Apollo brand sunglasses.

Pax released her and toppled backwards.

She hadn’t knocked him unconscious—just bought herself some time. He sat on the dirt, gasping for air and clutched his eyes with one hand. Pax couldn’t breathe enough to whine, “Ay!”

The heat disappeared off her back, replaced by a chilled wind.

Kally whirled towards where the flames had been.

Smoke sizzled up into the night air, half obscuring the scene. Sections of the dirt smoldered in a way that made Kally want to call for a fire alarm for any building within three miles, [4]  though the dirt circle had been wide enough to avoid the trees. As the coils of grey dissipated, she could see two figures.

Leo lay in the dwindling embers, his neck bruising. Both his hands were bent at odd angles. Although Kally was terrified he might be dead, she had to note an oddity in his clothing. Nothing had even been singed. Kally didn’t know they made explosion resistant clothing.

Apparently Axel’s fireproof suit was made from the same material. Although blackened, she could see a silvery figure walk to a nearby work bench. Axel swiped something off the surface—the quiver Pax had brought out—and withdrew a cloth from therein.

He knelt beside Leo and pressed the cloth into Leo’s face.

“Axel, stop!” Kally shouted and ran towards him.

She expected him to be a pile of ash, not smothering Leo with arrow dirt. That had terrified her. What had Axel been thinking?! Why would he do that?

When she approached, Axel withdrew the cloth. He pulled the mask off.

Kally dropped beside Leo to check his pulse and injuries. He was alive, but would need a lot of ambrosia. Despite the flames and struggle, Axel had done an expert job knocking Leo out without crushing his trachea.

“It’s just water from the River Lethe, so he won’t remember reforging Backbiter,” Axel said softly. He grabbed a clasp on his neck. Once he touched it, the silvery suit expanded and peeled off, revealing his Ares hides from me at night shirt.

Kally needed to get her messenger bag from the area with the others. All her ambrosia was in there. She was rested enough to sing, but Will had taught her to start with ambrosia when—

“Axel, why…” Although her question began with a fury, she trailed off when she saw how intensely he examined her.

His eyes gleamed gold in the moonlight. He couldn’t quite close his jaw because of how his fangs slipped over his lips. “The less people who know about the sword, the better,” Axel explained. He’d detached the entire suit, except the gloves.

The way he said it made Kally think of how good a fighter he was. That and the horrifying bear trap of a mouth. She scrambled to her feet.

Axel rose beside her, except he was much taller than she remembered. Kally craned her neck to look up at him, stumbling a step back.

Axel stepped over Leo’s body towards her, readying the Lethe-soaked rag.

“Axel—s—stop. You’re scaring me,” she whispered. Stupid. You, Kally, are stupid, her brain helpfully reminded her instead of supplying an escape strategy.

Axel paused in his approach, letting her increase the distance between them. When she glanced down, she saw he’d stepped on the edge of that cursed sword. “You should be scared of me, Kalypso Kassand, Daughter of Apollo,” he whispered. His voice slipped into that gargle.

Kally shrieked when she backed into someone.

Pax stood behind her. From the way he still clutched his face with one hand, she figured he couldn’t fully see. Instead of grabbing her, Pax slid between she and Axel. He held his other hand out in Axel’s general direction. Although he was visibly trembling, Pax muttered, “You hit REALLY hard, you know that Cyclopes? Next time I’m in trouble for stealing, I’m cowering behind you.”

“Bring her to me, Silver Tongued Snake,” Axel growled.

There was a moment where Kally felt like the wind gods were holding their breath. She didn’t have a weapon. Judging by the way Axel’s calves had gained an awkward, animalistic curve, she figured she couldn’t outrun him. Even if she could, she could also envision getting to the van and Axel and Pax patiently waiting outside, eating popcorn, as she stalled the manual transmission over and over. Fighting them would result in some sort of death or memory deprivation. No one else was awake to help.

Kally felt like she was caught in Python’s coils again when all she had left to do was pray. But how much good did praying do when you know the gods didn’t always listen?

 Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed—even if that means you hated me a little bit for it XD

 Here are some songs that inspired this scene:

(of course) Emperor’s New Clothes—Panic! At the Disco 

Don’t Mess with Me—Temposhark

And MOST prominently, this male cover of Control, originally by Halsey

[1] Random fact: Jimmy Buffett actually trademarked the phrase “It’s five o’clock somewhere” and took legal action against a shoe company for using the phrase. Imagine if Rebecca Black could sue us every time we shouted, “It’s Friday!” People would be getting wrecked at the end of every school week.

[2] He patented the alarm clock. There were others before him that definitely had clocks that could ring at certain times of day, dating incredibly far back with ancient Greece and the Tang Dynasty of China, but Redier’s patent lead to mass production. So next time you throw your alarm clock through a wall, you should make a bull’s eye with the name “Antoine Reider” at which to throw it.

[3] And Jack feels obligated to say: don’t do that at home kids. It can definitely wreck your stomach.

[4] Plus, it would disrupt classes for a bit.

#Blood of a Mayan #Traitors of Olympus #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #fanfiction #writing #Enjoy all the reevveeeeals! XD

[cwnerd12]

Nye ver’, nye boysia, nye prosi

“Nye Ver’, Nye Boysia, Nye Prosi” Wednesday sits at the bar of a fancy hotel, sipping a martini. She nervously eyes the front door. One of Silas’s advisors enters. Wednesday smiles and stands up. The advisor comes over and kisses her on the cheek, “You look lovely this evening.” Wednesday: “Thank you. I was just finishing my drink, would you like one?” Advisor: “No. Let’s just go up to the room.” Wednesday and the advisor enter a luxe hotel room. Wednesday, “I know you want to get busy, but you’re going to have to give me a minute to get ready, all right?” Advisor sighs, “You tease.” Wednesday laughs, casts a glance behind her, and says, “Just a minute.” She goes into the bathroom. Advisor takes his jacket off, loosens his tie, and lays down on the bed, “You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had! You paid any attention to the news?” Wednesday, in the bathroom. shimmies out of her dress, revealing fancy lingerie underneath, “Uh, yeah, I’ve heard about the bombings.” Advisor: “Everyone who works for Silas now has to keep their car under 24-hour surveillance. It’s an enormous pain in the ass. And Silas is screaming at everyone who enters his office. I’m in the ministry of communication, and somehow, Silas has it in his head that it’s our fault that people are supporting David Shepherd and the AFG. I’ve actually had to explain it to him, it’s not my fault that Shepherd is good-looking. He has kind eyes! How the fuck am I supposed to convince people that this good-looking kid with kind eyes is really some evil would-be tyrant?” In the bathroom, Wednesday adjusts her hair, making sure something is well-covered. Advisor, “Wednesday?” Wednesday turns around and exits the bathroom, “Baby, you’re a big, important man, I know, and your job is hard.” Advisor: “Lookin at you, my job’s not the only thing that’s hard.” Wednesday saunters over to the bed. She leans over the advisor and touches his face, “You just let me make your life a little bit easier, all right?” Advisor, “You always do.” Wednesday smiles, and crawls onto the bed. She straddles the advisor, bends over, and kisses him. She reaches into her hair, and slips a razor blade in between her fingers. With a swift single movement, she cuts the blood vessels on one side of the advisor’s throat. The advisor clutches at his neck, and sees the blood on his hands, “What the fuck?!” Wednesday slashes the other side of his neck, even more blood gushing out. She hops off the bed and hurries into the bathroom. Frantically, she washes the blood off of her hands. She puts her dress back on, and grabs her purse. She pulls a can of spray paint out, and goes back over to the bed, where the advisor lays dead. Wednesday sprays three golden stars over his body. She puts the can back into her purse, and leaves. Outside the hotel, she gets into a car. Driver: “You get him?” Wednesday: “Oh, christ, that felt good.” The driver hands her a stack of papers, “False ID, get you to Gath.” He starts the car. Wednesday, “I’m joining the Queens of Gilboa!” Driver, “Yeah, before you go, we have to stop somewhere.” Wednesday: “Where?” Cut to: outside a run-down warehouse, the driver and another guy shove a blindfolded, gagged, and bound spy who pointed David into the trunk of the car, and slam the door shut. Driver gets back in the car. Wednesday: “Who the hell is that? Are we doing kidnappings now?” Driver starts the car, “Kidnappings for ransom aren’t our thing. This bitch, she’s special. She’s a spy, went to Gath, tried to poison David.” Wednesday: “You’re kidding me.” Driver: “Yup. Gath spy network identified her, we’re just picking her up and bringing her where she needs to be.” They drive off.

At the hotel, Jack sits reading the newspaper in bed while David gets dressed in a suit. Jack, “HAAA HAHA (advisor) got killed by a hooker last night!” David: “Sex worker.” Jack: “What?” David: “Hooker is derogatory, say sex worker instead.” Jack, “Yeah, well, (advisor) got his ass murdered by a sex worker working for us. I fuckin’ hated that prick!” David puts a tie on, “Listen, Joel told me we’ve got a bunch of missions going off right now. I want to stay here and listen to the progress reports, but Gerald invited me to Mass and I can’t really say no. Some people are coming in from Shiloh, you’re gonna have to be the one who greets them. I think your sex worker is gonna be one of them. You can congratulate her on a job well done.” Jack, “Yeah, fine. Just don’t let Gerald hit you over the head with a copy of Das Kaptial, all right?”

David climbs up the front steps of the National Cathedral of Gath. At the top, Gerald and his family wait, “David! So glad you came to join us this morning!” David shakes his hand, “I’m glad to be here, sir.” Gerald, “I’d like you to meet my family. My wife, Queen Lena.” David shakes her hand, “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Gerald, “And my sons, Princes Michael, Fredrick, and Leon.” David shakes their hands, “Pleased to meet you.” Michael: “You’re the one who freed our hostages and blew up a Goliath.” David, “Among other things, yeah.” Gerald, “You’ll have to forgive Michael, he’s spent quite a bit of time leading his unit in battle against the Gilboan army. When he heard the news of your… escapade, he was very angry.” David laughs nervously, “Yeah, well, Gath did kind of kill my father and my brother, so I guess I can understand what it’s like to be angry.” Lena, “King Silas murdered my father!” David, “And Silas tried to kill me, so, hey, we can all agree that we don’t like Silas, right?” Gerald, “Why don’t I show you the cathedral?” Inside, David looks up at the bright stained glass windows, depicting various saints and the instruments of their martyrdom. Gerald, “Modern Gath was founded on the principals of socialism, but in keeping with the North American tradition of monarchy. One way we differ from other socialist countries is that here, we embrace God, we worship him and ask him for guidance. Gath doesn’t have the same moral corruption as Gilboa. I am a king, but I lead for the people. I’m not swayed by the whims of the bourgeoisie the way that Silas is.” David, “You wouldn’t believe the kinds of things William Cross was able to get away with in Gilboa.” Gerald, “Do you want to be king, David?” David sighs, “That’s a really good question, sir.” Gerald, “What do you believe it is that a King should do?” David, “Not kill his own citizens, for a start.” Gerald laughs, “Being king isn’t easy, but it’s very rewarding, in its own way. We should join Lena and the boys. Mass is about to begin.” Cut to: David sits beside Gerald, praying along to “Our Father.” “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.” David leans over to Gerald and whispers, “Deliver us from evil. That’s what a king does.”

Before the front door of HQ can even shut on him, Jack runs up to David, “We got her!” David: “Who?” Jack: “The bitch that poisoned you!”

Gath version of the Lubyanka. David, Jack, Shay, Joel, Abby, and Asher stand on the hidden side of a one-way mirror while the spy sits handcuffed to a table on the other side. David: “So….. now what do we do?” Jack: “We interrogate her.” David: “Do any of us know anything about how to interrogate a spy?” Jack: “I know a few techniques!” Shay: “I know how to cause immense amounts of pain, that’s all you need.” Abby: “She’s fucking trained, if you try torturing her, she’ll only give us false information!” Shay: “Having your head held under water is not torture.” Abby: “I have reports, study after study, all of which show that harsh interrogation techniques do not fucking work!” Shay: (childish mocking voice) “I have reports, I have studies!” Abby: “Just see how fucked we’ll be when we make a mistake because we acted on a spy telling us what we want to hear!” David rubs his eyes: “Oh my God. Asher, what do you say?” Asher: “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to tell you that torture is wrong, but I spent an afternoon cleaning up your barf because of her, so fuck that bitch.” Spy: “Are you in there blowing each other, or are you going to fucking interrogate me?” Shay: “The longer we take, the more she’s gonna know we have no idea what we’re doing.” David: “Fine. Jack, Shay, you two go ask some questions, okay?” Jack: “Give me a minute. I think I have a plan, I just… I just need to think it out.” Shay rolls her eyes and goes into the interrogation room. Joel: “David, can I talk to you in the hallway?” David follows him out into a hallway. Joel: “Do you know the history of this building?” David: “Um….. it’s a police building?” Joel: “In 1965, my grandfather came to Gath from the Soviet Union on a cultural exchange. They found him carrying human rights reports on the Soviets and brought him here. The tortured him for days, and then sent him to a prison camp. He managed to escape from there and defect to Gilboa.” David: “Oh. That’s… cool, I guess?” Joel unbuttons the top buttons of his shirt and shows David the “Не Верь Не Бойся Не Проси” tattoo on his collarbone, “Do you know what this means?” David: “No.” Joel: “Nye ver’, nye boysia, nye prosi. Don’t trust, don’t fear, don’t beg. It’s how you survive in a gulag. We can’t trust, fear, or beg from Gath or Gerald. You can trick yourself into thinking that just because we seem to be safe here, it means we really are safe. You can come to think that maybe things are better in Gath than they are in Gilboa, but trust me, things here are just as fucked up.” David: “Are… you familiar with Bilal?” Joel: “Bilal? He’s a fucking religious nutjob who wants to replace one brutal regime with another. But he’s not wrong about Gerald, okay?” David, exasperated, “We can’t really be an army without Gath’s help. We’d be pretty fucked without a safe place to stay.” Joel: “Yeah, I know, it’s why I didn’t say anything to you earlier. But you need to know. Gerald’s help comes with a price, and some day soon, he’s going to come asking. What are you willing to sacrifice for what we’re fighting for?” David: “I’m not even entirely sure what it is we’re fighting for. I’ve got to figure some shit out.”

In his office, Gerald speaks to his computer, “What do you want?” On his screen, William appears, “Good afternoon, King Gerald. I know you aren’t terribly fond of bourgeois scum such as myself, but since you buy plenty of my weapons, I thought I should speak with you.” Gerald, “Yes?” William: “I’m not gonna fuck around. You hate Silas. I hate Silas. I tried to overthrow Silas. Someone else who’s trying to overthrow Silas is currently a guest in your country. I believe there’s an agreement to be made here.” Gerald: “Shepherd has said he is going to be king. I know you want the crown all for yourself.” William, “It should have been mine in the first place!” Gerald: “Are you going to try to overthrow me, too?” William, “No. Why would I want to rule Gath?” Gerald: “What do you want, Mr. Cross?” William grows cold and serious, “Shepherd is going to turn on you.” Gerald grows more serious, “Why do you say that?” William: “Because he has fucking morals, and he’s going to learn about your prison camps sooner or later. I don’t give a fuck, and because of that, you can trust me.” Gerald: “What are you trying to do?” William: “Overthrow Silas and get my crown! I believe that David can help me do that, but I need your help to help me help Shepherd.” Gerald: “So what do you want?” William: “The deets on Shepherd. What he does, where he goes, the people he’s with.” Gerald: “Right now, I believe he’s at our police headquarters. Something about the person who poisoned him.” William: “He was poisoned?!” Gerald: “Prince Jack recognized it right away and acted quickly.” William: “I need to know this!” Gerald: “Very well, I’ll stay in touch with you, then.” William: “You need to keep Shepherd loyal to you.” Gerald: “And how am I going to do that?” William: “Offer autonomy to the borderlands. That’s his home, he’s not going to say no.” Gerald: “I can’t undermine my own authority.” William: “How badly do you want to see Silas gone? Because if Shepherd remains loyal to you, you can use him to fight Silas.” Gerald: “I just ended a war. I vowed that I would protect the peace, and I will continue to do that!” William, smarmy and sarcastic, “Oh, will you? Because I promise you, Silas is gearing up for another war. It would be a shame if he should declare on and Gath should suddenly not have any weapons with which to defend itself. There’s gonna be another war, and with Shepherd on your side, you can fuckin’ win.” Gerald sighs heavily, “I’ll think about it.” William: “Also, if you’ve got one Gilboan spy in Gath, there’s more. If I were you, I’d get that spy to talk.” Gerald, “Thank you, Mr. Cross.”

David goes back into the room beside the interrogation room. On the other side of the mirror, Shay holds they spy’s head down in a bucket of water. David: “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He leans into the microphone, “Knock it off, will you?!” Shay lets go of the spy, who comes up sputtering, but laughing. Spy: “Whoo! That was fun! Just like going to the waterpark when I was a kid!” David: “Shay, would you come here, please?” Spy: “Shepherd’s here?! Yeah, I recognize your voice! How’d you enjoy the shake?!” Shay leaves the interrogation room and joins David and the others. Shay: “Does anyone else have a fucking plan?!” Jack: “I do.” Jack goes into the interrogation room. Spy: “Ooooh! I get the prince! Nice!” Jack: “You shoulda tried something other than aconite, I’ve seen it a million times and recognized it right away. I personally would have gone with ricin. Slower acting, starts out like the flu, probably woulda just thought David was sick and wouldn’t have pinned it on the diner.” Spy: “I don’t have that kind of patience. I’m a kill-em-quick kinda girl.” Jack: “Too bad. Because your fuckup landed you here.” Jack sits down: “Look, I get it, you’re a professional. I’ve seen our spy training program up close, so I know what it’s like, and I know the old head in a bucket trick isn’t going to work on you.” Spy: “And now you’re onto the good cop part of the interrogation, right?” Jack: “Do you believe in God?” Spy: “What?” Jack: “My dad says God is on his side, King Gerald says God is on his side, a lot of people say God is on David’s side. Seems like a good place to start when getting to know you.” Spy: “I believe in God. I accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior.” Jack: “Okay,” He tries to say more but Spy cuts him off, “And I hold that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger! I’ll believe whatever the fuck you want me to believe, buddy! I know you’re trying to be my friend. And I know exactly what you want from me. Who am I? How did I get to Gath? Are there others like me? What are they planning? So don’t expect me to tell you any of that.” Jack smirks, “Do you want some coffee?” Spy makes a curious face, but smiles, “Sure. Anything that’ll make this go faster. Four sugars, no cream.” Jack turns around, “David, go get our guest some coffee.”  David looks on, surprised. Jack: “Seriously, go get her some!” David goes and fetches a cup. He goes into the interrogation room. Spy, sarcastic: “Oh my god, it’s David Shepherd! I can’t believe I get to meet him!” She drinks her coffee, “You were so fucking easy to find. You go to the same diner and eat the same shit almost every day. Seriously my job shouldn’t be this easy!” Jack: “How’s the coffee?” Spy: “The coffee in this country tastes like shit.” Jack: “It’s not the coffee that tastes like shit, it’s the ten milligrams of ricin that David put in there.” The spy sits coffee all over the table. Jack laughs: “Just kidding. You’ll be fine. Maybe. You should be more careful when making your assumptions about us.” He gets up and leaves, and David follows. In the observation room, Gerald is waiting for them. David, “Uh, hello, sir, we’re just trying to talk to this spy.” Gerald: “Have you gotten anything?” Jack: “No. In Gilboa, the spies have these fucked up loyalty tests, it basically makes sure they won’t say shit under sudden duress. I think I can get her to talk to us, but it’s gonna take time.” Gerald: “That won’t do. If Silas has a spy network in Gath, I need to know as soon as possible.” Jack: “I think I can get some real answers from her, but I’m gonna need more than an afternoon. It could take weeks, months even.” Gerald: “If you can’t get get me answers right now, I’m sending my professionals in.” Jack: “No, you don’t have to!” Gerald leaves. David: “Shit!” David rushes into the interrogation room, panicked, and speaks to the spy, “Look, Gerald is bringing his men in, and if you want us to be the ones dealing with you, you need to give us some answers, now!” Spy: “Fuck you, Shepherd! I know psychological pressure when I see it!” Two uniformed Gath officers enter behind David, one carrying an ominous-looking case that he sets on the desk. David: “Just tell us one thing!” Spy: “FUCK YOU!” One of the officers says, “Would you please leave the room, Captain Shepherd?” Spy: “Yeah, Captain Shepherd, we don’t need you any more!” David, with a defeated sigh: “Please, just tell them what you know.” David leaves. As the door closes, one of the officers open the case, and takes out a power drill. The two officers both look at the spy, and fear comes into the spy’s eyes. In the observation room, David and the others look on in wordless horror. David has to look away, “Do we have to stay here?” Abby, shaking: “This is in violation of so many international laws!” Joel: “International laws don’t mean shit in Gath.” David: “Seriously, if we don’t have to be here, I’m leaving.” He stands up, and the others follow him. Out in the hallway, Gerald stops David, “Can I speak with you privately once more?” David looks at the others, “I’ll catch up with you.” The others leave, and David turns to Gerald, “What do you want?” Gerald: “I’ve come to appreciate how valuable your allyship has been to Gath. I don’t want to let it go unpaid. If you continue to help us, David, I’m willing to offer autonomy to the borderlands.”

#Kings