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bekahdoesnerdshit · 4 years

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no one else has reblogged ask meme Mondays so I'm just going fucking apeshit with u. from the big boy: b7 for raini bc it's funny, c1 for cog bc it's inchresting, h3 for brilliance bc I know there's some gay shit going on and I want to hear more, then a17 (character proud of themselves or ur proud of ur rp as them) L5 and L6 for whomsoever u want to talk about

I won’t need a readmore for this one, I tell myself. There’s not that many questions, and they’re not proseboys. I was a fool. She’s too long to be allowed to run on people’s dashboards unrestrained 😔 Thank you! For going apeshit!!

Raini

B7. How do they respond to babies crying in public? I guarantee the image you have for how Raini would react to a crying baby is 10000% correct. She’s unhappy. Uncomfortable. Unimpressed. Can you please make that thing be quiet. Why did you have it if you can’t mange it. This is why she’s never having kids. Like she’s not gonna say anything to the parents or shoot them dirty looks, because she’s not that specific flavor of asshole, but she’s going Mind Her Business and vacate the premises if possible. People who want to take care of something should just get a cat. Goddamn. There is ONE (1) baby that may qualify for an exception, and that’s Red. This is because (and please, picture Raini, the absolute picture of ‘fed up’, squatting down to look a fussy Red in the eye while she says this) “Baby Lent. You’re better than this. I know you are, and you’re letting me down. You need to stop making that noise.” This is unrelated to the question, but please also picture a Raini who was asked (blackmailed?) into babysitting using her Mage Hand to change Red’s diaper. It has nothing to do with the question but I think it’s a Very funny mental image. Thank you.

Cog

C1. Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it? Absolutely! The way Cog approaches the world is defined by three main mantras: - Kindness is a discipline, not a character trait. - Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it is always worth doing. - If you are able to help someone, you have an obligation to do so. Between these three things, Cog sees the world in pretty black and white terms. There are right decisions, and wrong ones. The difference between the two is usually clear to anyone who cares to look, and so most of the evil in the world is born of selfishness. Consequently, Cog does very poorly in morally grey situations. She will commit without hesitation to any course of action that she deems “right” and “kind” no matter how drastic or dangerous it is, but she pretty much shuts down the second she’s faced with a decision that has consequences for someone regardless of what she does. I’m sure that has not, and will not, come in her life ever at all. Ahah! I think originally, this worldview was born of naivety. She grew up that religious kind of super sheltered where everything in the secular world was dangerous and dirty, and so when Cog began to realize that definitely wasn’t the case she made the choice to intentionally see the best in people and the world around her to fight what she was told growing up. When she started traveling with her party and actually seeing more of the world than the extremes of a) shitty cult town b) shiny clean magic school, she began to realize that the true state of the Wasteland was somewhere between what her Mama had told her and what she wanted to believe it was. But I’ve never in my life made a character who is stubborn as hell deep down, so instead of letting the world she found herself in change her Cog took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, and settled in to be the one changing it by loving and helping the people around her.

Brilliance

H3. Does your OC believe there’s only one ideal partner (or multiple ideal if not monogamous) for everyone, or that there are many people who could be right? I think Brilliance absolutely adores the idea of two people being made for one another. Two souls, wandering the world looking for one another? Who slot together so perfectly that when they find each other it’s clear they never could have fit anywhere else? Bruh. Yes, she knows love takes work. Sometimes you and your partner are going to disagree, and sometimes there’s going to be conflict. The world isn’t “love at first sight” then smooth sailing for the rest of your life. But you put in the work to make your lives better, together, because the universe gave you this person to care for. Maybe there are many people who you could be happy with, and those relationships aren’t anything to look down on. But when you find The One, Brilliance thinks, you know. She certainly did.

Don’t Worry About It

A17. What’s one of your OC’s proudest moments of themselves? Gonna hijack this question to talk about rp moments I’m proud of because Alex sorta kinda gave me permission to do that! Alright! For Raini, the biggest rp moment I’m proud of was her “I’m getting our memories back” speech a few sessions ago, specifically the line, “We’ve been fighting with one hand tied behind our backs for too long. If we’re going to die fighting this thing, I want to know exactly what I’m fighting for.” Morgan and I had been planning to kick off our return from July Hell Hiatus with Wish Two for a couple of days, which meant I was lucky enough to be able to spend a little while planning what to say. I feel like that line in particular embodies Raini’s unwavering confidence in her magic, her determination, and her specific brand of caring for the people around her without actually admitting that’s what she’s doing. I also really liked the way the scene of her apologizing to the party for being Bitchy post losing Magic for a minute went! Idk if anyone else remembers it, because it was pretty short in game, but! I thought it was a very good moment of Raini finding the most Roundabout way to say “thank you for looking out for me while I was defenseless”. If I can pat myself on the back a little, my Cog monologues kick Ass. The most recent one was when she was talking to Ace about how War is Bad (radical, I know) and there was a moment where she looked at him and said, “...I’m not going to ask for your help, because I don’t know what I’ll do if I do and you say no.” Which. OOF. That was her and I realizing in real time that she and Ace were very much on different sides of this issue. When the session ended everyone said they Loved how good and hurtful that conversation was and I :’) Also, there was a really small moment when Cog was pleading for Maelo’s life (when Sunny’s dad had him locked in a cat carrier. It’s a Long story, made slightly better by the fact that Maelo was wildshaped into a cat at the time) and Cog went Straight for the dad heartstrings by sniffling and asking if, please, would Robert at least let her say goodbye to her friend before he killed him? Please? 😢 She is using her baby face for EVIL! And oh my god how could I forget! Arcane Timeout! When the party went back to New Alexandria and was confronted by Ace for helping a prisoner escape (which, in fairness, Maelo did do) and Cog brought the encounter screeching to a halt by casting Wall of Stone to make a timeout hut with herself and Ace inside. She then sat herself down, looked Ace dead in the eye, and told him that the wall wasn’t coming down until he actually talked to her, or until he broke her concentration on the spell. She banked hard on him not being willing to hurt her, and it paid off. There were tears all around, both in and out of character. It was Wonderful. Also! I do just want recognition for the fact that I did not give into my impulses to be a little Shit as Cog last session by subtle casting Heal in Ace’s face after he Counterspelled my Healing Word. it was what I Rebekah wanted to do more than anything; unfortunately Cog is a better person than I am. There is No worse feeling than wanting so badly to do something you have no choice but to admit isn’t in character. Rip. For whatever reason, all of my favorite Brilliance rp moments came during combat. Pressing her forehead to Sabre’s after he died in silent grief, forcefully taking a Narzugon off his Nightmare and then using Misty Step to mount it herself and take off after her friend, planting herself in the chokepoint of a hallway to stare down three minotaurs so she could keep her party safe behind her, pushing deeper into the hellwasp nest to rescue Dembe and Sabre despite knowing that doing so all but destroyed her chance of making it out alive, the list goes on. There were good out of combat moments too (despite the rest of the party’s best efforts 🙄), but I feel like for once I made a character who really shone in combat. oh GOD I just remembered one really really good rp moment, when our rogue Zihro died when he got separated from the party during combat. We finished taking care of the main devil we were fighting, then began searching the dungeon for Zihro and the npc he was with. We, instead, found both of their corpses. Dembe looked to Brilliance, our healer, and demanded to know why she was just standing there instead of fixing their friend. We were only level three or four at the time, so Brilliance had to tell Dembe, again and again, that she couldn’t fix Zihro. It was too late, she wasn’t powerful enough yet, her goddess wouldn’t answer a prayer like that- It was a rough scene, and without question one of the best rp moments I’ve had with that group. Tae, if you’re reading this, you’re the only one with rights. Also, please unfollow this blog immediately. Now as a quick pick-me-up after that mess, Pip’s best rp moment was when our barbarian Durokal -who couldn’t read and had a habit of running off and causing Problems- found a plaque he could tell had five words on it, and called Pip over to read it for him when Pip finished chasing him down. Pip, annoyed and out of breath and all of two feet tall, looked up at this 7 foot half-orc and told him, “It says: I’m. Gonna. Kick. Your. Ass.” Also, he regularly called very powerful figures in Barovia by sweet nicknames with “Mr.” in the front. As a sign of Respect. Because he’s the Best. sdfhsdkfj he also he couldn’t think of a fake name quick enough one time so he told an npc that is name was Dick and he was Very embarrassed about it. She: bought it!

Brilliance, Again

L5. Which OC do you think is the most decent morally or behaviorally? AKA, which is supposed to a “good guy”? The answer is Cog, but we already went in depth on her morals this ask. She’s HAD enough screen time let’s move on. Brilliance is the only other character who, if asked, would say they saw themselves as a good guy instead of just “a person”. She strives to do right by the people around her, and to protect the light and beauty found in the world. She doesn’t have the same illusions about the world wanting to be a good place that Cog does, and she very much understands that sometimes the best thing you can do for the world is to put the things that make it dangerous six feet under. What’s interesting I think is that, despite being a paladin, she isn’t Lawful Good! She’s Neutral Good, because you know what? She wants to do the right thing, and laws aren’t always right. It’s up to you, as a person with a mind and free will and agency, to look at a situation and decide what you think is the right thing to do. And, for Brilliance, generally the right thing to do is heft her sword, raise her shield, and face trouble head on.

Raini, Once More

L6. Which OC do you think is the worst morally or behaviorally? AKA, which is supposed to be a “bad guy”? I don’t have any evil aligned characters, because I personally find things like “getting along with my party members” sexy, but the character who’s the shittiest and the worst is obviously Raini. She’s not a bad person per say, she’s just selfish and results oriented. Very much “the ends justify the means” and in a party like hers she’s aware that somebody has to be the bad guy sometimes, and she’s not afraid to make sure that’s her. She’s also very very likely to fall victim to her hubris making her feel like she definitely knows what’s best, and acting on that maybe without consulting other people (see: the whole fucking premise of the campaign). She sees a goal, she sees a way to accomplish that goal, so why shouldn’t she begin taking the necessary steps to reach it? I think the events of the game have mellowed this flaw out a little bit, but you can still see traces of it in the way she, for example, wordlessly handed Lent a bunch of diamonds before launching her consciousness into the Abeast and very nearly dying in there without consulting with the party first. It happens! Also, behaviorally, she’s just. I mean. She’s like that. The worst. And that, I promise, will never change.

#syn-odics #Rainivere #amnesia campaign #cog #wasteland campaign #brilliance #dia #word count: 2273 #new tag! just for my own personal edification #answered #mine

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utaprifanzine · 5 years

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Shining Live Fanzine: Concept Pitch

I believe @utapri-idol-hell has already mentioned this upcoming project on her blog so, without further delay, this is the completed concept pitch for an SL-themed Utapri fanzine!

(Note: there is also a link to this post on twitter! If you have a twitter account, please consider retweeting the post from this account so that non-tumblr users can also see this!)

I would like to first put emphasis on the fact that this is a concept pitch. That means this is a presentation of the initial idea to anyone who might be interested in this project. At this point in time, most of the rules and concepts are still malleable - they can be changed and shaped according to feedback from this post.

If you are interested in this project (as either a contributor or as someone who would want to acquire a copy of the zine) please consider filling out this feedback form. Any responses will be useful to determine how the zine moves forward, but the feedback is particularly important in regards to the “Application Methods” section of this post (see below).

There are, however, three rules which are already “set” and would not be changed. They are as follows:

This zine would feature work from both artists and writers.

Due to Broccoli’s history with ordering “cease and desist”s against utapri doujin artists, this would be a non-profit zine. Thus, digital copies would be completely free.

The concept for this zine is based on the intention of it being a fun project that would appeal to the majority of the fanbase. Therefore, some rules are set in place to avoid content that might spark conflict and/or be geared towards a specific audience.

Below the cut, this post is split into three sections: Concept, Rules, and Application Methods. Each section is clearly noted with a header. “Concept” covers the general theme, content, and layout; “Rules” covers additional restrictions and/or allowances for the zine content; and “Application Methods” covers various possible ways a writer or artist could possibly apply to do a page for the zine. That last section is particularly important, because at the moment the application method for the zine has yet to be decided and the final decision will depend feedback.

There’s quite a bit of information below, so for anyone who is dyslexic or has any other reading difficulties, the most important information is in bold.

The ask box is also open for anyone who has any additional questions, or would like further expansion on something mentioned in the following text.

Please also consider reblogging this post so more people can see it!

The initial concept for this zine, was that it would (hopefully) be the first in a series of SL-themed zines that followed the chronological release pattern of the in-game events and gachas.

This seemed to be a good way to establish a kind of content equilibrium, so that no specific character/event/gacha appeared too often or too little. The pages would be themed after the events/gachas and each one would have a specific amount of pages allotted to it. Since KLab has only screwed the rotation once thus far, it seems like an easier method of creating balance.

Originally, it was going to be an annual digital zine with a high page count. However, since people have expressed their interest in physical copies of a zine, the concept was revised into something that would also translate well into physical format.

The following are the revised restrictions/guidelines for the current concept of the zine:

The total page count would be 44 pages. This includes the front/back cover, index and closing pages.

The content would cover from the release of the game (Aug/Sept 2017) up through January 2018. This covers 8 gacha and 10 events, not including the SL UR set which would also be featured.

Each event and gacha would be allotted two A4 pages of content - one for art and one for a piece of flash fiction. The cover and its related story would have double that amount: front/back cover + a two page short story.

The zine would have the potential to run in both physical and digital formats. Digital zines would be completely free (hence, non-profit project) however they will still require the purchaser to put in an order/request for the file. There will be no public download link posted.

All contributors are entitled to a digital copy without placing a request. Free physical copies may be a possibility, but that depends on a number of factors (namely the amount of contributors, zine orders, and if a print run is made at all) so I can’t promise anything at this point.

Print runs would be made if there is enough demand for physical copies, and there would only be one run per zine. This is reduce the risk of Broccoli viewing the zine production as a competitive merchandise and thereby becoming offended by the project.

(The following rules were put in place regarding the intentions and concept for the zine. Since this is a concept pitch, each rule is followed by an explanation of why it exists. If you believe any rule is unnecessary, or flawed, please note that in the feedback form! Passive-aggressively ranting about it on twitter doesn’t help!)

The UR Rule

The featured UR pair (for gachas) or the featured UR/SR pair (for events) MUST be the focus of the piece. Other characters can be mentioned and/or appear, but the piece has to be clearly centered on the two featured characters for that set/event. This is to help ensure the balance of content set by following the release patterns.

This goes without saying, but the pieces must also be themed after the event/gacha for which they are the pages for. A simple mention, hint, or acknowledgement toward the set/event isn't strong enough to be considered a theme.

Non-Shining Live Characters Are Allowed

Although the zine will be SL themed, all other characters that are part of the Utapri franchise can be featured within artwork and fiction pieces submitted to the zine. Since they’re official characters, I see no reason to purposely block them out.

The UR rule still applies, however, so these characters cannot become the focus of the pieces.

Keep it PG 13/15

This is partly in place to acknowledge the younger fans of the franchise (as well as those who aren't big fans of higher rated content) and partly because there is no fail-safe way to verify someone's age over the internet.

There are a lot of minors who consume and produce adult content for this fandom, and while their choices are theirs to make (I'm not the fandom police, it's none of my business), I don't want this project to be held responsible for distributing inappropriate content to minors in case issues do arise.

It's also worth noting that this rule does not only apply to sexual content (because some people think R18 only means sex). A piece depicting other mature themes - such as serious cannibalism, gore, or class A drug use - would not be acceptable.

No Romantic Ships

I feel like this is going to be the least popular rule, so the explanation for this is twice as long. Hear me out for a minute, and, if by the end you still think it’s unnecessary, by all means put that on the response form!

There are two main reasons for this rule.

Firstly, although shipping as a concept is extremely popular within fandom, individual ships still only cater to very specific audiences within the fanbase. No matter which way you twist it, no matter the popularity of any given ship, no single ship is universal. Some fans don't even connect to the idea of shipping in the first place.

Under most circumstances, that's completely fine, but within the context of a fanzine that's intended to appeal to as much of the fanbase as possible, allowing ships starts to seem very juxtaposed to that goal.

Case and point: if I have to include an extra contents page that lists all of the ships mentioned inside the zine so people can pick and/or avoid certain ones, that, to me, completely negates the idea of having a zine that most people can just pick up and read without issue.

Secondly, as I'm sure most people already know, ships are a primary source of conflict and motivator for harassment within fandom.

In terms of problems arising from including ships in a fanzine, I'm mainly worried about contributing artists/writers as well as the other admins getting harassed for content they did or didn't include within the zine. As someone who has not only seen utapri fan blogs run offline because of ship-based anon hate, but has also seen people ridiculed and kicked out of groups for not liking a popular ship, I would rather not risk exposing contributors and admins to that kind of toxic behavior.

When thinking about potential application methods for zine contributors, I realized that the traditional method - where people send in entries and these entries are reviewed/accepted/denied by an admin panel - may not be the best suited for a project that a) is supposed to be fun, not stressful and b) is looking for as many applicants as possible to hopefully be a success.

After brainstorming several alternative ways that applications could be handled, I decided the best possible way to choose one, would be to ask people who are interested in contributing to the zine how they would prefer to apply. After collecting the feedback, the most popular application method would be the one used for this zine.

The following are three different possible application methods. Each has a description of how it would work followed by a list of pros and cons for that method.

Method 1: First Come, First Serve

This method is very well-known, and very straightforward. Essentially, the list of available pages is posted at a specified time and date, and contributors would simply message the zine admins to claim whichever pages they want to contribute for. The first person to claim that particular page is the person who that page is allocated to.

Method 2: Random Chance

There are two variations of this method.

Application for Specific Pages: using this method, applicants would apply for specific pages at any point during the application period. Then, once the period has ended, the contributing artist/writer would be drawn at random for each page.

General Application: using this method, applicants would apply to the zine in general during the application period then, once the period has ended, the contributing writers/artists for all the pages would be drawn from the same pool. Applicants would be allowed to veto certain characters/sets/events and trade among each other if desired.

Method 3: Traditional Application

This is the method that’s most often used to manage and select applications for a zine.

An applicant would send in an entry form during the application period that contains, among other possible things, which pages they would like to apply for and an example of their work. At the end of the period, all entry forms are reviewed by the admins and the contributors for each page are decided by majority/unanimous vote.

And that’s everything! Please consider filling out the feedback form if you have the time!

#utapri #utapri fanzine #uta no prince sama #concept pitch #SLfanzineV1 #looong post

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everlarkingjoshifer · 6 years

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A Different Way CHPT 16

Hello my Lovely Readers!

I’m back with another chapter of this much longer than I expected story!

As always I would like to thank a few people, beginning with @sunsetsrmydreams for her beautiful banner. To @mega-aulover , @jobanana7and my sexy hubs for being such awesome cheerleaders. To @alliswell21 for beta-ing this chapter. Finally, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my beautiful Loca @titaniasfics (I like to spoil you and ur deserve so much for being so amazing! Happy Birthday Dorko!)

Please don’t forget to read, review and reblog and if you’d like access to earlier chapters you can find them here AO3.

Trigger Warning: mature language and some mention of violence. I know It’s been quite a doozy with the last chapter but I promise to post much lighter ones now that we’re nearing the end… (I hope. This story just seems to get longer the more I continue, *nervous laughter*)

Now on to the story…

Feeling drained, Katniss fumbled with her keys as she tried to open the door to her apartment.

She sighed once the door swung on its hinges revealing nothing out of the norm. The teacup still sat on her coffee table, half its contents reflecting the light from the doorway. Willow’s toys scattered about the living room suggesting that nothing peculiar had ever happened, even as Katniss’ mind was a barrage of uncertainty and regrets. The living room’s cozy atmosphere offered no solace to her muddled, restless thoughts. It was as though she hadn’t just been in such a violent fight with Gale, and she wondered if she hadn’t just imagined the whole ordeal.

Sighing, she slumped her shoulders kicking her door close. Throwing her keys on the coffee table Katniss picked up her cold tea and went to wash that morning’s breakfast dishes. Setting the cup into the sink she slumped forward, looking at the dirty plates. Still shaking she opened the tap and threw some cold water on her face, for God knew what reason as she grunted with frustration.

Wincing, her hand flew to her sore throat. Grabbing a clean cup out of her cabinet she poured herself a cup of cold water and greedily gulped it. The cold water made her hurt more but it didn’t matter to her. Instead, she was glad that the pain reminded her that she was still alive. She hadn’t gotten out unscathed, but neither had Gale. Deep down she was glad for his current misery even if she hadn’t admitted it to herself.

Suddenly her laptop dinged. Turning her attention to it, she walked over to see who it was. Frowning, Katniss warred with herself as to whether she should even disclose what had happened to Johanna, whose picture flared onto her screen. Deciding she didn’t want to deal with her friend’s temper, even if it wasn’t directed at her. If she was being perfectly honest with herself for the first time in ages, she didn’t really want anyone to pity her. It had been her choice to deal with Gale on her own. She didn’t need the sympathy even if it was what was expected.

Nodding assertively, Katniss clicked on the green button to receive the call. Katniss highly hoped Johanna didn’t catch on to whatever excuses she would come up with. Putting on a brave face she smiled as her best friend leaned her head on her hand looking bored.

“Hey dorko.”

“Hey,” Katniss said hoping her voice didn’t quake as much as she thought it did. Tears were threatening to spill and Katniss bit her tongue forcing herself to remain as normal as humanly possible. Taking a breath, she adjusted her position on the couch and sat the laptop on her thighs comfortably.

Johanna frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Katniss felt herself panic.

“You’re wearing your coat indoors, and you look like you’ve been crying,” Jo said pointing out her winter jacket with a nudge of her head.

‘Fuck.’ though Katniss. Smile faltering she tried to think of an excuse. “I’m cold and I think I’m coming down with something.”

“Oh, ok, ” Jo said not looking thoroughly convinced.

Gulping Katniss squirmed in her seat. “Yeah, I woke up not feeling too well.”

“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t come into the office this morning.” murmured Jo to herself. “Coin wasn’t too happy, but I told her I would find out since it’s not like you to not show up without any reason. You want me to come help with anything?”

“No!” Katniss quickly said and shut her mouth when Johanna frowned, looking even more curious. “I mean, no thank you. I think I’ve got it. It’s just some chills and a sore throat. Nothing I can’t handle and I don’t want to bother you in case you’re busy.”

“Bitch, you know I got nothing to do all day. I was calling to see if you didn’t mind me visiting for a while, Coin’s driving me crazy with her micromanaging, but if you’re not feeling well, then I guess I’ll leave the visit for another day.” Jo pursed her lips and sulked.

Gulping and regretting her actions as she brought her hand up to her throat wincing, “I don’t want you to catch what I’ve got.”

“Katniss, are you sure everything’s okay?” Jo asked, her eyebrows were knit with worry.

Nodding, Katniss reassured her, “I just need some rest. I’ll feel better in a few days.”

“Okay, well in that case, do you want me to pick Willow up from school? I don’t mind dropping her off.” Jo offered.

Genuinely smiling at her friend’s thoughtfulness, Katniss accepted Johanna’s offer with a quick thank you.

“Hey, just remember, I’m here if you need anything, okay?” Jo reassured, before hanging up.

Katniss closed her laptop expelling a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she’d been holding. Putting the laptop on her coffee table, she removed her coat and placed it on the coat hanger. She set about placing everything in order, before retreating to her room to change clothes. However, when she passed by her dresser’s mirror, she paused noticing the long deep bruises of Gale’s fingers around her neck. Walking closer, she leaned over and inspected every inch of marked flesh. Anger rose within her making her growled angrily as she frowned even deeper.

How did she ever let it get to this point?

Katniss scoffed. She knew the answer to that question! As embarrassing and stupid as it all seemed, she knew exactly when it had all began, and she felt not only anger but pure disgust.

She was disgusted with herself for begging Gale for anything. He clearly didn’t want anything to do with her or Willow, that much was clear. She knew that excusing his problematic behavior and insults were not doing her any favors, but more than anything, she was setting the worst possible example for her daughter. What kind of mother begged an uninterested father for a little bit attention? Even if it wasn’t for her it still didn’t excuse that she had willingly trampled her own pride in full view of her only daughter.

The feeble excuse that it had all been for Willow was no longer acceptable. Katniss flopped on her bed and looked down at her hands.

She’d put Peeta through a rigid set of personal rules and he quickly accepted them without excuses or even questions. He never once forced her to accept any conditions he might have had despite him being as much a single parent as she was. So, why was Gale any different? It wasn’t just that Gale was Willow’s father, Katniss knew that. He’d been nothing but a sperm donor. So, what else could have driven her to accept his insults and jabs so easily?

She’d use to pride herself on being unapologetically unique, of being strong and one of the few to point out bullshit where it was, but it was as though she was finally seeing the light. The fog that had entrapped her was dissipating and now all that was left was deep regret at not realizing that somewhere along the way she had lost herself. It wasn’t exactly comfortable to feel so confused after having realized where she’d been standing for so long, but for once she felt a semblance of finally coming home. It had been so long since she’d recognized her strength. It was as though she was finally welcoming back an old friend. Sighing, she gulped and winced as her raw throat ached.

Looking up at her reflection once more, she nodded reaching for her phone.

“Hey Jo. I need you to come over.”

A half hour passed and Katniss tapped her foot on the floorboard nervously when suddenly her door opened and in walked Johanna, putting her keys back into her coat pocket,

“Is everything okay?” Johanna asked walking into the living room and sitting next to Katniss on the sofa. When Katniss didn’t answer she nudged her, “Hey, what’s going on? do you need to go to the doctor?”

Katniss nodded.

“Not feeling that great? I see you’re still wearing your coat and now you’ve even got a scarf on.” Johanna grabbed the end of the scarf pointedly.

Katniss shook her head. “I need you to tell me that what I’m about to do is alright.”

Looking even more confused Joanna blinked several times. “What do you mean?”

Turning to her best friend, Katniss could feel the concern radiating off of her. “I need to go to the police, to report Gale.”

“What did he do this time?” Johanna asked in alarm.

Katniss opened her coat and unwound part of her scar just enough to show Johanna the remnants of his assault. Johanna’s eyes bulged as she cringed looking visibly disturbed.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” she yelled backing up as she sucked in a deep breath, her nose flaring. “He did this to you?”

Katniss nodded, when Johanna asked for details, she told her friend everything.

Johanna was livid. Her eyes flashed dangerously while Katniss divulged the whole ordeal.

Jo paced about the living room silently fuming to herself. “I’m gonna kill the fucker.” Turning to Katniss she paused and looked at her. “Are you okay? I mean, besides the…” she pointed to her neck.

Katniss chuckled darkly, “Well I’m not great, but I need to do this, don’t I? The problem is that I feel like complete shit for having to put my child’s father behind bars.”

Johanna sobered herself to the reality of Katniss’ dilemma. Sitting back down, she took her friends hands between hers, giving Katniss her undivided attention. “Katniss, I know I can come off as some sort of careless wreck who swears like a sailor, but I’m going to let you know that I’m here, and you wanting to report Gale is perfectly fine. I’m not exactly great at all the mushy stuff, that role is reserved for Prim, but I care more than you know. Gale needs to be in jail. Reporting him is the right thing to do.”

Katniss sighed. “But he’s Willow’s father.”

“Says who, genetics? He may very well be biologically linked to her, but that doesn’t make him her father anymore than my own dad makes him mine.” Johanna paused. “Kat, he’s unhealthy to be around, and he’s never once cared about how you or even his own daughter get by. Willow’s feelings are nothing more than trivial nonsense to him. If he truly cared, at least once, he would’ve never said the things he’s said to you in front of her.

“The moment he called you hurtful things in front of Willow, as a form of getting back at you for whatever he thinks you’ve done, he failed as a parent. He knows how much Willow looks up to you, and he still doesn’t care because everything has to be about him. He has such little regard for anyone else, that he doesn’t think how his actions or words will affect his only child. He barely even covers her expenses and that’s only because it’s legally mandatory.”

Johanna looked as though she had been wanting to say this for so long, but had been biting her tongue.

Katniss expelled a weak sob knowing her friend was right. “But, he’s her father and I don’t want Willow to hate me.”

Looking earnest Johanna squeezed her hand gently and gave her an encouraging smile. “Kat, she’s not going to hate you. You don’t even have to explain every little detail to her. Let her ask whatever questions she has and answer them honestly. She’ll eventually catch on and understand. Besides, if Willow was in your place, would you want her to sell her self-respect for the sake of her child? What kind of lesson do you really think you’ll be teaching her?”

“I just,” Katniss began looking down at the ground feeling so conflicted. “I don’t know how this got to this point.”

“Yes, you do. You let him get away with everything, but not everything’s your fault. When you guys met, he knew you’d never been in a relationship before and because he’s a manipulative jackass, he took advantage of that fact and tried to mold you into some bizarre, twisted form of who he wanted you to be. The funny thing was, that as hard as he tried to change you, you always seemed to rebel in small ways. That’s why he was always so pissed at you. He could never fully control you and it made him feel weak.” Giving Katniss a small lopsided smile Johanna shrugged, “How could you possibly know he would turn out the way he did?”

Katniss slumped her head forward feeling tears run down her face. Sniffling she looked back up at Jo, who gave her a sympathetic look.

“Jo, how do you know all this?”

“Psh, I’m observant! been this way for as long as I’ve known you. You’re stronger than you think and a little stubborn, that’s why I wanted to be friends with you, to begin with.” Leaning closer, Johanna lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Plus, I’ve been reading a few books on psychology, and I find them to be pretty interesting. I’m actually thinking of going back to school.”

Katniss smiled, “But what about your writing?”

“Ugh, honestly, with Coin’s ways I’m starting to really hate my job and I don’t get paid enough to get yelled at for as much as she usually does, which is now up to four times a day. I can only take so much micromanaging. Besides, who says I can’t still write as a Psychologist?” Johanna shrugged.

“Point taken,” Katniss said blowing her nose with the napkin Johanna had gone to the kitchen to retrieve.

Putting her hand out to Katniss, Johanna beckoned her with a nudge of her head, “Let’s go put that prick where he belongs. You at least are doing more than my mother ever dared to.”

Hesitating for a few seconds, Katniss nodded and reached her hand out to her best friend.

Xxxx

“- And you say this was your husband, ma’am?” the officer asked glancing up at Katniss.

Nodding, she fidgeted in her chair. It had been two hours since she’d been sitting on the stiff, uncomfortable chair at the police station and she was beginning to worry, even more, every time she looked at her cell phone. It was 1:30, and Willow was due to be dismissed from school in less than two hours. Looking up at Jo, Katniss shook her leg anxiously.

Raising her eyebrows, Johanna questioned her wordlessly.

“School lets out soon.I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here.” Katniss glanced down at her phone once more.

Nodding, Jo took her own cell out of her pocket and began to dial. Walking away she put a finger up to pause Katniss’ questioning as she spoke to another person on the line.

Looking back to the officer, Katniss apologized and continued to give her statement.

After what seemed like hours, Katniss glanced at her phone again as she waited for the officer to return with some chips and soda. She was now sitting in a room waiting for the next step in the line, when Prim all but ran into the room, with Johanna trailing closely behind,

“You called Prim?! Why?” Katniss flashed her eyes as her sister sat next to her to engulf her in a tight hug.

“Because I’m your sister, you dumb-dumb!” Prim wept.

Johanna let out a breath and shrugged. “She needed to know.”

“Johanna you had no right! I called you because this is exactly what I was trying to avoid.” Katniss said rising from her chair, ignoring her sister’s worried eyes scanning her face.

Grabbing her face to get her attention, Prim furrowed her eyes. “I have a right to know what’s happening with my sister! Especially if someone hurts you the way Gale has!”

“I didn’t want to worry you.” Katniss sulked.

“It would’ve been worse if you’d have kept it from me,” Prim replied.

Noting the tense scene was beginning to simmer down, Johanna pulled on her coat and placed her hat on her head before zipping her jacket up part of the way.

“I’ll leave you two to talk. I need to go pick up Willow.” Before stepping out of the room, Jo looked at Katniss. “Don’t worry, I’ll take her back to your house, and I promise not to tell Willow anything until you get back.”

Katniss nodded still a little angry at her friend, for reaching out to Prim without her consent.

Prim, on the other hand, shifted her position to look at her older sister. “I know what happened, Jo filled me in,” before Katniss could argue Prim cut in, “and before you say anything, I want you to know that I think you ’re doing the right thing. Gale should never have put his hands on you, and to be honest, this is the perfect way to make sure that Willow never ends up having to deal whether she’ll ever have to live with an abusive father. He doesn’t deserve her or you. Hell, never even made an effort to actually have Willow in his life.. He just wanted to have her just to spite you.”

“Why didn’t you ever say any of this to me before?” Katniss frowned.

Prim scoffed darkly. “Oh trust me, we wanted to tell you. Jo and I would rant at home from time to time, but you weren’t exactly ready to hear any of it, and as much as we wanted to open your eyes, we couldn’t force you to see our way. Not until you were ready to see the bullshit for what it was. We knew that you’d eventually get there, it was just a matter of time. I’m just glad my silence didn’t get you into a worse position.”

“You must think me pretty pathetic, huh?” Katniss leaned her face in her palm, elbows propped on the table.

Prim shook her head. “No. You’re human and honestly, I think you’re far too hard on yourself. You can’t do it all, Katniss.”

“You shouldn’t have to see me like this.” Katniss moaned.

Prim raised her eyebrows. “Like what, human? Honey, I’m your sister, not some random stranger who’s gonna judge you. ou used always to protect me when we were little. But I’m a big girl now and you need me. Let me take care of you for once”

Taking Prim’s hands into her own, Katniss smiled weakly. Her little sister was no longer so little and for that she was grateful.

The officer walked back into the room with soda and chips in hand. He placed them gently in front of Katniss. “Alright Ms. Everdeen, I just need you to write down your version of the events as clearly as possible. After that, you will need to go to the hospital with one of our deputies to have some pictures taken as evidence, and then you can be on your way. I know it’s not exactly comfortable, but I’m sure your lovely sister, here can accompany you.” He glanced up at Prim who smiled, her cheeks exhibiting a dusting of red as she blushed but nevertheless, she nodded.

Katniss looked at the officer and back to her sister suspiciously. “How does Officer Thresh know you’re my sister?”

“Oh, I had to tell him in order for him to let me in the room,” Prim said never losing eye contact with the tall, dark, and handsome officer before them.

Sighing Katniss looked around. “Um, where exactly am I supposed to write down my statement?”

Blinking quickly, Officer Thresh cleared his throat and reached for a notepad and pen on top of a filing cabinet, placing them in front of a very flustered Katniss.

“Would you mind if I stayed with my sister?” asked Prim looking at Officer Thresh.

Shaking his head, Officer Thresh backed away from the room. “Not at all.” He placed his hand on the doorknob and before he could close it, he looked down at Katniss. “It’s probably not necessary for me to say, but I suggest you are as specific with every detail as possible. It can help your case.”

Katniss huffed and got to work as her sister opened the bag of chips and soda to silently share with her.

Time passed, and Katniss missed her daughter. Wishing for a tight hug from Willow who would’ve surely wrapped her long skinny arms around her, Katniss rolled her neck feeling exhaustion settling in.

When she was finally done, Katniss flexed her fingers to rid herself of the stiffness and stood to arch her aching back. Looking to Prim, who gave her a bolstering grin, she grabbed her coat preparing to go to the hospital for the next step.

Turning towards the precinct’s main entrance Katniss froze, as a handcuffed Gale was being dragged into the holding cell.

He took one glance up at her and narrowed his eyes in a hateful glare. “Is this what you wanted Katniss, to ruin my life?”

Before she could react, Katniss heard a resounding slap and suddenly, Prim stood before an enraged Gale shaking down to her very toes. “Don’t you fucking dare blame my sister for something that you brought on yourself!”

If looks could kill, Katniss was sure that Prim would’ve been dead by now. His cheek was slowly turning a very angry shade of red with Prim’s fingerprints branding his skin.

Looking at the officers, Gale hollered for Prim to get any sort of punishment, but the officers feigned ignorance stating that they hadn’t seen what he was accusing Prim of.

“That bitch ruined my life!” yelled Gale with an angry thrust of his chin.

Prim blinked slowly, “Oh, she ruined YOUR life?” Stepping closer Prim was the picture of restrained anger.

For once, Katniss was afraid of what her sister would do, so she walked close to Prim to whisper in her ear. “It’s not worth it, Prim. Let’s just go.”

Prim shook her head ignoring her. “Oh no, This asshole is going to finally hear me out. So listen closely, Gale. YOU ruined your own life. I know it’s gonna be extremely hard for you to find a job if you ever find a way to get out of this, but you know what? Katniss has had to live like this for over a decade! She works a job where she’s unappreciated, not to mention she’s had to raise Willow practically by herself since you weren’t man enough to step up to the plate. Money doesn’t make you a man. You lost all the respect I once held for you, you became a parasite who delighted on putting my sister down, to feed off her insecurities, but she’s far too much woman for the likes of you!”

Gale shook with suppressed anger and likely because there were officers holding him back as Prim continued.

“You alienated my sister, making her feel alone, you were both wrong because I’m here and I’m not gonna let you hurt her or my niece. Not anymore.”

Taking a deep breath she stepped back and looked at Officer Thresh. “I’ll be in contact to make sure this,” she pointed to Gale, “sycophant stays in jail for what he did to my sister.” Turning back to Gale, Prim smirked. “By the way, you’re never getting Willow back. You made sure of that yourself.”

Katniss could hardly believe that it was her baby sister who had stepped up to Gale in a manner she never thought possible. It was as though she had somehow received a much-needed boost of strength, just by knowing that she wasn’t alone in her pursuit for her justice. Prim turned to shield her as Gale’s anger turned to pleading, with it echoing throughout the precinct asking her to reconsider.

Once they were in her car, Katniss turned to Prim and hugged her. No words were needed, she knew her sister understood the meaning behind such a fierce embrace.

“By the way, what were you doing before you got here?” Katniss asked turning on the ignition.

Prim shrugged. “I was enrolling for my second year of med school, and before you ask me what I’m specializing in I’m just letting you know, I’m not telling until I graduate.”

“I wasn’t saying anything!” Katniss shrugged.

Prim looked at her unconvinced but shrugged it off.

Katniss smiled. “I think Officer Thresh likes you.”

“I think so too,” Prim replied turning to look at her, eyes gleaming excitedly. “Should I ask him out on a date?”

Katniss sputtered. “Wh-what? No! I was joking. For god’s sake, Prim he’s in charge of Gale’s arrest! That’ll be like, conflict of interests or something.”

“So? All he has to do is pass his stuff over to a different officer and we’re good.” Prim shrugged.

Katniss chuckled as she shook her head. “You’re hopeless.”

“No, I’m optimistic. I also go after what I want. Besides, he’s really hot and has a good job.” Prim finalized, matter of factly.

Xxxx

It was night when Katniss finally made it home and she closed the door gently not to wake a sleeping Jo, who was sprawled on the sofa. Feeling a pang of guilt she took her shoes off and tiptoed into the room removing her coat and putting it on the coat rack.

Johanna stirred. “Hey,” she said groggily.

“Hey. How was Willow?” Katniss whispered.

Yawning, Jo nodded satisfactorily. “She was great, as usual. Don’t worry, she finished her homework, took a bath and we read a book before bed. I told her you were out at your job because your boss called you.”

Katniss sat next to her best friend and hugged her. “I’m sorry for getting mad at you, for calling Prim. I know why you did it, and you were right to do so. I really needed the support. I’m not exactly sure if I would’ve handled everything as well without either of you.”

Johanna hugged her back. “Anytime.” Pulling back she looked at Katniss. “So, how did everything go?”

Katniss shrugged and told her what had transpired since she left.

Johanna sat listening intently without interruptions. Once Katniss was done, Jo smiled. “I’m really proud of you Katniss. I know this couldn’t have been an easy step to take, but the point is you did it. I know it’s not gonna be a peachy road, but Prim and I are here for you.” she gulped and turned to wipe her eyes with her shirt sleeve.

Katniss smiled. “Are you crying?”

“N-no! Your house is just really dusty.” Johanna protested.

Katniss laughed. “I love you girls. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You’d have a really boring life,” Johanna added putting on her boots.

Katniss shrugged accepting the reasoning. “Prim is waiting for you back home. Thanks for driving me to the station.”

Johanna raised an eyebrow and smiled before opening the door and waving a quick goodbye. “Bye dorko.”

Once the door closed, Katniss grinned feeling lucky that she had such amazing people she could trust. She took the blanket Johanna had been using and folded it, placing it in the linen closet. Turning the T.V off she tiptoed into Willow’s bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed contemplating her daughter.

Her flushed cheeks were scrunched ever so slightly as small breaths of hot air puffed out of her mouth. Long dark lashes framed her face as her hair lay about in disarray. Katniss reached over and ran her fingers gently through her hair, as Willow shifted positions.

Leaning down to kiss her, Katniss smiled, basking in the sole purpose for her perseverance. She was proud of Willow and despite her many regrets, she decided not to dwell too much longer on them and instead, became determined to set everything right. She had to do it for Willow, but in a way, it was as though she was reclaiming her old self back again, and this time she wasn’t going to lose herself. Walking out of her daughter’s room, Katniss closed the door and got ready for bed.

#ADW chpt 16 #everlark fic #i don't mean to be so depressing but i promise to write a lighter chapter as soon as I can #enjoy

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fiftyeightminutes · 7 years

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I love to read how kalagang relationship would if they're not sensates can you write this prompt Someone gave me a fake phone number and it’s actually yours and if you can't its okay and I really enjoyed reading your drabbles thankyou

I also got another request from another anon for the same prompt:

“Omfg I saw ur reblog about thrilling au’s and I was wondering if you could do the “someone gave you a fake number and its mine” with kalagang pls and thank you”

First of all, thanks both of you for being so nice. :) I’m glad you guys like my writing so much. Also, holy shit this really isn’t a drabble anymore. This became like 2500+ words. I really don’t think I know how to do short AU fics lol. Kala is working inBerlin in this AU because that made things easier for my brain. Please accept any geographical errors, theonly part of Germany I’ve ever visited was Munich. (Also holy shit y’all, people are making baddecisions in this fic. I do not advisedoing what people do in this fic. Like Imade it fluffy, but IRL this is not a good idea lol.)

—

When Kala wakes up on Saturday morning, she finds a textfrom an unknown number on her phone.

Do you want to come tomy place? (Received 3:02 AM)

She’s confused. Noone she knows would have messaged her at that hour. Kala wakes up early to visit the local templeevery morning, and she doesn’t keep that fact a secret. Plus, her family is a million miles away.

Who is this?(Delivered 8:39 AM)

Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t receive a response rightaway. If they were asking someone over at three in the morning, they’reprobably in bed now, she reasons. Kala puts it out of her mind, choosing instead to get out of bed and concentrateon preparing for her day.

—

Kala has all but forgotten about the stray text message bythe time she’s finished praying that morning. When she gets home and begins to cook herself some breakfast, her phonebuzzes. She absentmindedly takes it outof her pocket, unlocking the screen to find that she finally has a responsefrom the unknown number.

Wolfgang. We met at the club last night. (Received 10:46 AM)

She raises her eyebrow. She’s only been living in Berlin for two weeks or so, but she didn’tthink anyone was actually named Wolfgang anymore. Kala wonders if this person has given her afake name for some reason. She dismissesthe thought pretty quickly, though. Towhat end would they do that?

I think you have thewrong number. (Delivered 10:49 AM)

And with that message, Kala figures her conversation withthis stranger is done. She puts herphone down on the counter and turns her attention back to her food. Several minutes pass as Kala finishes cookingand serves herself a plate. She grabsher phone to listen to music while she’s eating, only to find that she hasanother text.

I just checked. This is the number that was written on thenapkin. If you don’t want to come over,I’m not offended. (Received 10:55 AM)

She chuckles as she realizes what must have happened. Poor guy.

I’m not sure who youthink I am, but I didn’t go to any club last night. Someone gave you a bad number. (Delivered 11:07 AM)

Kala eats her food and cleans up after herself, her phonebuzzing as she’s putting everything into the dishwasher.

Sorry. My mistake. Won’t bother you again. (Received11:21 AM)

And from there, Kala intends to forget about the exchangeentirely.

—

A little over a week later, Kala ends up getting stranded ather job. She had been working late, justwanting to test a few more things before going home for the day. But before she knew it, thirty minutes turnedinto an hour turned into three, and now it’s dark out. Normally she walks home, but normally shealso leaves work at 5 PM. She is a lotless comfortable with the idea of walking home in a strange city at night. Kala checks her bank statement on her phoneand winces. She hasn’t received herfirst paycheck from her new job yet, and without that Kala isn’t sure she canafford both cab fare and groceries for the week. She hasn’t even been in town long enough toreally make friends, either, so she doesn’t know anyone she can ask for a lift.

Kala scrolls through her text messages just for something todo with her hands while she’s thinking over her options when she happens uponthe unknown number from the previous week. The area code tells her the number is from Berlin. She doesn’t want to contact this person – she’snever met them, doesn’t know anything about them except that they wereaccidentally given her number. But shefigures it can’t hurt to ask a local for advice.

Do you know a cheapway to get from Rhinstrasse to Haupstrasse? (Delivered 8:11 PM)

When she doesn’t get an answer right away, Kala startsscolding herself. What am I doing? You don’t knowthis Wolfgang person and now you’ve told him where you are and where you wantto go? But Kala considers her otheroptions and sighs. She can’t come upwith a better idea. A few minutes later,her phone vibrates in her hands, and she tentatively opens the message.

How cheap are wetalking? (Received 8:17 PM)

Kala thinks about her bank account.

As close to free aspossible? (Delivered 8:19 PM)

She wonders why this person on the other end is answering atall. But since they’re kind of her onlylifeline right now, she figures beggars can’t be choosers.

There’s nothing reallylike that. Why do you ask? (Received8:22 PM)

Kala’s wondering that herself. She’s not sure what exactly sheexpected. All she knows is she’s gettingkind of desperate. There’s no food inthe building where she works, but if she leaves to get some, the timed locks onthe doors will stay shut behind her. Soit’s stay here and go hungry for the night, risk walking home alone, or messagethis person. None of the choices aregood.

I’m new to Berlin andstuck at work. Was just hoping theremight be an inexpensive way home. Thankyou anyway. (Delivered 8:24 PM)

The next message comes almost immediately.

How stuck areyou? Is it an emergency? (Received 8:25PM)

She half laughs at that, as if she would be contacting somestranger if she had any other choice.

I mean, I’m not goingto die if I stay the night, if that’s what you mean. But there is no food. (Delivered 8:26 PM)

Again, she receives a reply almost instantly.

I’m near Rhinstrasseif you need a ride. (Received 8:27 PM)

Kala considers this. Is she really going to accept a ride from a stranger? Her stomach growls as if to answer herthoughts. She hasn’t eaten since aroundnoon and is actually starting to feel a bit light-headed, but she doesn’t wantthat to distract her from the danger she may be putting herself in. She weighs it against the potential risk ofwalking home in the dark, and finds that both kind of terrify her. Part of her feels like she should just try tostick the night out in the office without food, but she also wonders what theywould even look like to her boss tomorrow. (She imagines herself, and she knows it won’t look good. Nothing nearby that sells food opens up untilaround the same time as she is supposed to get to work, which will mean she won’tget a chance to eat until lunch. Wearingthe same clothes as the day before and possibly sick, she wonders what thatwould even look like to her supervisor. She literally can’t afford to lose this job.) In the end, she’s not sure if it’s logic orhunger she’s following, but she decides to text this Wolfgang person back.

Sure. I’ll meet you at the corner of Rhinstrasseand Allee der Kosmonauten. (Delivered 8:30 PM)

—

She’s only been waiting for a few minutes when a black carparks nearby. After a moment, shereceives a text.

I’m here. I just realized I don’t know who I am lookingfor. (Received 8:48 PM)

Kala looks down at her clothes, grateful she’s always had acolorful sense of fashion.

I’m the woman inyellow pants. (Delivered 8:49 PM)

And sure enough, after that message is sent the black carpulls up to her. When it gets to thecurb, the man inside the car rolls down his window. “Hello?” he asks.

“Wolfgang?” Kala replies with her own question.

The man nods and she hears the doors of his car unlock. Tentatively, she pulls the passenger dooropen and gets in. She clutches her phonetightly, the thought that at least she can still call the police if necessarythe only comfort in her mind. After shebuckles herself in and they start pulling away, he asks, “Do I get to know yourname?”

She looks down in embarrassment, not even realizing she’dnever given it to him. “Kala,” she sayssoftly.

Wolfgang doesn’t reply, instead focusing back on theroad. She looks back up, finally takinga moment to actually observe the stranger she is trusting. His features are sharp, intense blue eyesframed by high cheekbones and a square jaw. He’s dressed in black from head to toe. She notes with amusement that he’s even sporting a leather jacket to completethe ensemble. Part of her wonders if she’sjust gotten into a car with a German mobster.

To his credit, though, he is taking the fastest route to theaddress Kala gave him. (If he’s planning on trying something, shethinks, at least it’s not a kidnapping.) Never good with silence, Kala feels the needto say speak. “Thank you for doingthis. I know you don’t know me and thisis probably a huge inconvenience, but I really didn’t have anyone else to ask.”

Wolfgang shakes his head, giving her a small smile beforelooking back to the cars ahead of him. “Don’tworry about it.”

Kala shakes her head. Now that she’s out of the immediate panic, she’s frustrated with herselffor even getting stuck in this situation in the first place. “It’s my own fault. I just got so caught up at work that I losttrack of time.”

“What do you do?” he asks.

“I work for a pharmaceutical company,” she answers beforeshe thinks about it. (She wonders whyshe’s telling him any of this, actually. Why is this man she’s never met so easy to talk to?)

“So you make drugs,” he says with a chuckle.

Kala scoffs. “Idevelop new medicines.”

“The only difference between the two is how you use them,”he replies.

She pauses. “That’sone way to look at it.”

Before Kala knows it, they’re pulling up to her street. Wolfgang pulls over at her address and stopsthe car. The doors are still unlocked,and she realizes he really isn’t going to try anything. He’s letting her leave. This stranger really just showed up out ofnowhere to drive her home, with no ulterior motive at all. She’s kind of amazed at her luck.

“Do you want gas money?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “Isaid don’t worry about it.”

Kala nods, but she still feels like she should thank himsome way. “Have you eaten?” she asks.

Wolfgang shakes his head again.

“Just a minute. Waithere,” she says. Kala gets out of hiscar and hurries up to her apartment. She’snot sure if he’ll still be there when she gets back, but she wants to at leastgive him something. When she gets intoher home, Kala scurries over to her kitchen and grabs some tupperware out of acabinet. She then grabs some of theleftovers that she had been planning to eat that night out of the fridge andscoops a hearty amount into the new container. It’s not fresh, but she figures it’s better than nothing.

She’s almost surprised to find Wolfgang still waiting whenshe comes back outside. But there he is,checking his phone while his car idles at the curb. She knocks on the passenger window to get hisattention, and he rolls it down.

“Here,” Kala says with a smile and hands him the food.

“What’s this?” he asks.

“Nothing special. Just some leftover lamb curry. But I figured it was the least I could do.”

Wolfgang inspects the food for a moment, then puts it on hispassenger seat and smiles up at her. “Thankyou.”

Kala shakes her head. “You’re the one who came to save me.”

He chuckles. “I wasin the neighborhood. It’s nothing.”

She shrugs. “Well,the food’s there now. So you might aswell enjoy it.”

Wolfgang’s grin widens. “Alright, alright.”

“Thank you again, Wolfgang,” Kala says.

“Any time,” he replies with a nod. With that, he finally rolls back up thewindow and pulls away. For some reasonthat Kala can’t quite place, she feels a bit disappointed.

—

That Friday, Kala is feeling restless. Other than her adventure at the beginning ofthe week, she hasn’t had a chance to do anything but go to temple, work, eat,and sleep. Once she gets out of work,she wants to do something different for a change. But she still doesn’t know her way aroundBerlin or have anyone to show her, so she’s not sure what to do.

An idea comes to her. Kala’s not sure if it’s a good one, but she just got her first paychecktoday so she really wants to go out somewhere to treat herself. So even though she has no reason to expectthis to be a necessarily great plan, she texts the only local person outside ofher coworkers that she has in her phone.

Hey. Are you busy tonight? (Delivered 9:01 PM)

She doesn’t get a response at first, and she scolds herselffor having sent the message at all. Just because he helped you in an emergencydoesn’t mean he wants to be friends, Kala thinks. You don’teven know him.

Kala has all but resigned herself to another night in whenshe feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. (She doesn’t admit to herself how eager she is when she retrieves it tocheck the message.)

No. What’s up? (Received 9:26 PM)

She thinks about how to word what she wants to saynext. (Kala feels a bit like a teenageragain, analyzing text messages so acutely.) In the end, she scrolls back up to their first conversation and decidesto take a cue from there.

Do you know any clubsnear Hauptstrasse? Finally got paid and wantedto see what Berlin has to offer. (Delivered 9:28 PM)

Wolfgang’s next answer comes much more quickly.

I can think of acouple. Do you need another ride?(Received 9:29 PM)

No. I was thinking more of a tour guide this time.(Delivered 9:30 PM)

If that’s okay, Imean. Don’t feel obligated. (Delivered 9:31 PM)

Kala kind of wants to smack herself. (She wonders why she’s so bad at this, whentalking to him in the car had felt so easy.) Then her phone goes off again.

I think we could worksomething out. Meet you in 30? (Received9:33 PM)

She pretends her stomach isn’t full of butterflies, but whenshe goes to her bathroom to start putting on makeup, Kala finds she can’t stopsmiling.

#kalagang #kalagang fic #kala dandekar #wolfgang bogdanow #my stuff #anonymous #answers

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