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aries-rp-corner · 5 months

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The week has passed for Cipher… and things didn’t get any better for Veda. The man’s condition grew worse by day and by hour, Kane was somewhat able to nullify Veda’s curse… unfortunately he had to be in the room with his once fellow commander.. walking up to his old friend one last time, seeing the man bound to prevent him from hurting himself or anyone…

“Veda…” Cobalt softly called the former Commander’s name. As the man looked up to his new leader of Cipher, Veda looked tired from the lack of sleep holding his anger upon seeing Kane.

“Kane… I think I know why you are here… is it already dawn out there?” Veda asked, making Kane nod. “I see… I believe you have done everything to save me, but looking at you…. Nothing. I have requests… I wish for Sage to finish me off properly…and for you to cast one final spell on me… it can be anything, but I’m not done just yet… turn my soul into a soul of vengeance and the ability to possess my brother…”

“I’m…not sure I’m able to do such thing, but I’ll figure something out. As for Sage… are you sure of such thing?” Kane worriedly asked his old comrade, as the man nodded. Making Cobalt take a deep breath and sighs out… he had to respect Veda’s wishes. “All right… I’ll be back quickly with-“

“No… I recommend you do the magic thing… I’m fine with anything…Think if it as a dark rebirth or something…” Veda spoke, making Kane surprised to hear that… which now got him thinking of a past spell he thought it could cure him…yet it sadly requires his death as his soul will be freed and form into a new body of sorts… he didn’t know if Veda will lose his humanity and permanently be gone…

“Kane. I can take anything… as my royalty will remain with you, Mira, my fellow Commanders, and all of Cipher. No matter what or who I am…” He sat down as he looked to see the ancient Trenya family, looking annoyed already. Making Kane quickly catch on as he got in front of Veda.

“Alright… Just… I thank you for everything you have done for us, I hold no grudge against you for what happened to me.” Kane spoke softly, as he now moved with his claw hands glowing… it still felt odd he quickly learned how to use his new powers. Putting the thought aside as his hands formed the spell, turning it into a blade. “For this to work, Sage will or may be the one who will use this. She’ll be okay… you however…well, we shall only see.” Kane spoke, hiding the blade away as he turned over to the door. “I’ll come back quickly, I promise.”

As he left, the spirits arrived back to Veda, making the man annoyed and on edge. “You are meeting your end here! You think you won’t see us again but shall remain on your soul!” One soul howled out.

“You will never be rid of us, Veda! Your sins ends here!” Another barked out angrily, making Veda chuckle coldly. Some did looked confused as they remained silent.

“You think it may happen, but you all will fade like a nightmare… mark my words, I will have my vengeance. No matter what or who I am. I shall return…” Veda coldly spoke, despite it being a week, the man still held strong. He looked over to see doors open up, and see his once student now Commander.

“Commander Veda… Sir, are you sure you WANT me to kill you?… I’m not declining, I wish to know if this is true…” Sage asked with worry, fixing her glasses in the process. The man himself looked over to her with a soft understanding look, he can see through her stoic expression she did feel sorrow.

“I believe it’s one of the proper ways to pass my torch to you… I’m sorry it had to come to this… Kane, did you give it to her?” Sage at first looked confused, until her leader presented her the cursed blade. She carefully held it as she now looked over to Veda. “I suggest the chest. Don’t hold back, something will come out from this… I don’t know what, but I promise you this: I will never leave until not only my vengeance is done, but the goal of Cipher is completed.” He huffed out, now looking over at Sage with tired eyes. “Whenever you are ready…. I’m proud you took my place… I wish it was different sadly…” He closed his eyes and exposed his chest, he knew Sage wouldn’t hesitate with any task… but this one she did. He didn’t blame her for it.

What felt like an eternity for Sage, she finally took a breath and made her move. In a blink of an eye, she found herself close to Veda as she felt something warm dripping down from her hands… it’s now in him. Grunting in pain as he coughed out blood, he knew two things were coming… Death or something much more… Collapsing to the ground as he was gasping for air, Sage quickly went to his side to comfort him one last time while Veda looked over to see the spirits. Some looked satisfied that he is dying, but other can feel something is forming… as they all glared at the blade. Understanding what is forming…

As Veda took his final breath, something came out from him. A small energy orb floating on top of his body, this orb…it felt familiar… “C-Commander?…” Sage questioned, as the blade now exited out from the body and formed into a living beast body. Almost like a hound?

Upon the body’s completion, the orb entered its new shell and took root… the hound fell to the ground as nothing was happening at first, which caused Sage to go up to the new dark ghostly hound to inspect it… to now gasp for air and cough. Growling and groaning in pain as he curled up, soon an voice echoed in their ears as he groans. “Did this REALLY had to hurt?!” Veda huffed out, now looking up to see the two. “Am I gone?…”

“Huh… it really did work. Besides the pain, how are you feeling my friend?” Kane worryingly asked while Veda slowly got up.

“Uh…better? I guess? I need to know if this truly worked or not…” He looked over to his old body, ears flattened as he sees his old body still cursed thanks to Hana. Now looking at his now body, he felt more energy flowing through him, but more alive? “So…uh…I’m assuming this is permanent?…” He spoke as he looked at her new clawed paws.

“Yes, the notes left behind did say your form will be random… I could study more to find something better for you..” Cobalt spoke, until he sees Sage softly and carefully petting him. “Manners, but I also didn’t expect Veda to become a scary fluffy….hound?”

“Don’t get THAT use to it.” Veda huffed as he began to walk. Trying t get use to his new body. Only to find himself collapsing thanks to the wobbling legs. “I’m fine! I just need to properly train myself better in this body… also, I surprisingly feel a bit younger… for now I’ll ignore such thing and focus on how to use this new body…although, I want to learn more…”

“Of course, we’ll begin now… and put your original body in a proper burial… Welcome back Veda. I think there is something you may like about this new form. You just need to practice of course.” Kane some as the three exits, as a new Dark Phoenix has been reborn…

#Pokémon rp story #tag: team cipher troubles #Tag: Veda’s Curse #Tag: Veda’s Vengeance #tag: Cipher’s Dark Phoenix

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stardusted-bookworm · 2 years

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If you're fine with platonic pairings, then how about the Empire Kids, the day before Zeenoth's trial? I'd imagine that Caleb would be heading off to Aeor, thus why he's not stated to be present.

Big Brother

A/N: I don't know if it was winter in Rexxentrum at the time of the trial but just go with it. Hope you like it!

Caleb Widogast blew into his hands to warm them as he walked up the snow-dusted pathway to the Cobalt Soul in Zadash. He could use magic but... it was nice feeling normal for once. He gingerly pushed open the doors and marched toward the Expositor's rooms.

"Sir? I'm sorry, you can't be in here," a voice called out.

Caleb turned to see a young elf walking briskly toward him.

"The library is closed for the night! You need to leave!"

"Oh no, you misunderstand." Caleb put his hands up. "I am merely here to see—"

"He's with me, Lyari."

Never had Caleb been so grateful to hear that voice.

The elf's eyes widened. "Expositor Beauregard! I, um—"

Beauregard Lionett raised her hand, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just remember for next time."

"Yes, Expositor." The young elf, Lyari, bowed slightly and walked away.

Caleb raised an eyebrow. "What authority you have, Expositor Lionett."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Shut up." Beau turned and walked back in the direction he had been going. "Well, are you coming?"

Caleb just chuckled and followed after her.

When they got to her room, he was surprised to find Yasha fast asleep on the bed. He didn't think she'd be sleeping with the trial this close, but one look at the dark circles under Yasha's eyes tell him she'd been doing a lot more than most gave her credit for.

Beau smiled fondly at her partner and brushed a strand of hair from her sleeping face. "She's stayed up with me every night leading up to this case. During the late nights and early mornings she was there, a solid presence."

Beau looked up at him tears lining her eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

Caleb knew this emotion stemmed from extreme exhaustion, but still, it shocked him to see her so vulnerable like this. Acting purely on instinct, he pulled her into a giant hug. Beau clutched onto the back of his coat like a lifeline.

He had known her for so long and knew how important this trial was to her. These long months of careful planning and evidence gathering took a toll on her physical well-being, but... Every time he saw her, she looked more and more determined. He's heard from Yasha the long hours she'd worked, sometimes not even sleeping for the night.

He was proud of her, but he, more than anyone, knew it was time for a break.

"Beauregard, I know the trial is tomorrow—" he pulled back to look her in the eyes— "but you need a break. Even for a few minutes."

Beau snorted. "Hypocrite."

"Ja, I know. That is why I am telling you you need to take a break. However, I am also understanding of the fact you would like to be prepared. So!"

Caleb pulled away and brought out the components for his Tower. "You get one night to run around the tower, do whatever you wish, only after you run through your case with me."

Beau raised an eyebrow. "Why would running it with you be any different than running it with Yudala?"

Caleb winced. "I, uh, may have areas of expertise that may help... squeeze information out of people without them knowing you are doing it."

Beau's eyes widened. "Holy shit! Are you going to be okay with that?"

He waved her off, but his mouth curled in a grimace. "Ja, anything for friends, right?"

She eyed him suspiciously but walked over to her desk covered with papers, grabbed several things, and returned.

Beau sat criss-cross on the ground. "Okay, so here's what we have."

And for the next several hours, they went over the case for Zeenoth's trial. Every detail was planned meticulously, down to the smallest question the opposing side could hurl.

Every so often, Caleb would make an addendum or critique to an existing detail. If it were anyone else, he knew he would've fallen into a dark pit. But the depth of knowledge Caleb had buried from his Scourger days proved infinitely useful to make Zeenoth and Thoreau Lionett sweat through their shirts.

When they finished, all those hours later, Beau closed her notebook and thumbed the cover. "Thanks, man. For your help, I mean. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have never needed my help, Beauregard. This case was already very good on its own. I just helped point out extra details that might make the victory that much sweeter."

She pulled him into a giant bear hug, holding on tight. "You're the best big brother a girl could have."

Tears filled Caleb's eyes, blurring the world around him. He just held her tighter, not trusting himself enough to speak. Family. That's what they were. He had a sister now. If tears streamed down Caleb's face, only he and the wall knew.

After several comfortable moments holding each other, Beau pulled back and punched him in the shoulder. Hard. Caleb's pretty sure he heard something break. He would've protested, but he saw her not so subtly wipe tears off her face as well. It was fine... he was sure either someone at the Soul or even Essek had healing spells of some kind.

Voice still cracking with emotion, Beau asked, "So? My reward?"

"Oh, yes, right."

Gritting his teeth their the pain, Caleb once again pulled out his components for the Tower and cast the spell.

"As I promised." He bowed slightly. "Are you going to wake Yasha?"

She looked to her sleeping partner once again. A soft smile creeped over her face. "Nah. She looks so peaceful. I don't want to disturb her. And besides..." Beau shrugged. "I think I need time alone before... everything..."

Caleb nodded. "Well, then, the Tower is yours, Expositor Beauregard."

She sketched a mock bow. "Thank you, Mister Widogast."

And with that, she stepped through the shimmering doorway, vanishing from view.

Caleb reached up to support his shoulder. If it wasn't broken, it was going to be exceptionally bruised. But he couldn't be angry. He was proud of her. She'd come so far from that angry kid, and now here she was. About to take down her abusers the way she should've been able to a long time ago. He was just upset he wouldn't be able to see it in person.

Caleb frowned. Supposedly, the Cobalt Soul didn't want more people than necessary in the court room. That meant Beau's family, the Nein, couldn't be in that room when she finally received her justice. It was bullshit!

He turned to look at the sleeping aasimar and smiled. At least he knew nothing would stop Yasha from being in that room. At least one of them would be there with her.

Wincing, he stood and walked to the desk to find a scratch piece of paper. On it he wrote:

Dear Beauregard,

The tower will be up for the next 23 hours and 53 minutes. Please enjoy yourself. You deserve the break.

I will be leaving for Aeor later this week with... hot boi... and will spend much of tomorrow packing for the trip. I regret that I will not be there to see you win, but know that I am with you in spirit. I hope the bastard gets what he deserves. — Caleb Widogast

And with that, he picked up the note, poked his head into the tower, and called for Johann. When the spectral cat appeared, he said, "Could you give this to Beauregard please, Johann? And make sure the other cats pamper her well tonight. She has a big day tomorrow."

Johann chirped his agreement and gently plucked the note out of Caleb's hands before poofing to wherever in the tower Beau was.

Caleb smiled. What good cats he had. He should spoil them more often.

Glancing out the window, he saw snow coming down hard, almost like a blizzard. Better to teleport then.

Moments later, after several failed attempts, Caleb stood in the foyer of his temporary home in Rexxentrum. He made a couple checklists for packing the next day and went to bed.

Just before he fell asleep, a voice creeped into his head: the young elf from before, Lyari.

"Beau says that it was... a dick move to leave like that and... have fun with hot boi? Expositor Beauregard, are you sure that is—"

Caleb just laughed.

#critical role #empire siblings #caleb widogast #beauregard lionett #my writing

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peach-the-owl · 3 years

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Hi! I love your child of the nein writings! And I wanted to ask if you could write something with Beau meeting the kid’s crappy parents and telling them that they’re her kid now or something like that, since their parents just send them to the cobalt soul to get them out of their hair (if this is too much dw, your work is amazing)

Let’s bs some law stuff, whip out the Ace Attorney music!

Full Custody

Child of the Nein (Beau & Child!Reader)

Of all the places in the world to hold one of those political meetings, why did it have to be your hometown? It made you extremely uncomfortable to be back, constantly fidgeting around and looking over your shoulder for any sign of your parents. This abnormal behaviour of yours was quickly noticed by everyone but you tried to brush it off as best you could, silently praying that this would be over soon.

When the meeting was finally over you step outside and sit down in some grass to catch your breath, the meeting itself wasn’t that bad, a little boring maybe but not bad, it was the constant fear seeing your parents again and what they’d think of you now that really bothered you. Unfortunately those worries became a living nightmare when you hear the spine chilling voice of your father.

"I never thought I’d see you again. But perhaps that is my own fault for assuming the worst." You grimace at the hidden implications and look up to see both your parents, dressed in their high class attire, stare down at you.

"Father, mother, it’s been a while." You say taking in a deep breath to try and calm yourself.

"Indeed, time did not treat you well. Just look what they’ve done to you. You look nothing more then a scar ridden peasant." Your father says with a look of disgust.

"I’ve been training t-" You’re cut off by the sound of that damned bell, making you suck in a breath and shrink into yourself. How you hated the "power" that thing had over you.

"Well it’s good to see your original training hasn’t been forgotten, perhaps there’s still hope after all. From this point forward you are to return home, we shall find you a new tutor and you will resume your intended classes." Your father stares at you sternly, he wasn’t here to debate. You stand in place, feeling hot tears well up in your eyes. "Come here, now!" He commands impatiently. You start to slowly shuffle over to him but stop when you feel a hand place itself on your shoulder and are drawn back.

"Sorry, but I’ll have to object." Beau says, almost appearing out of nowhere and stepping in front of you. Your father stares daggers at her, his eye twitching slightly in annoyance.

"You have no right to tell us what we can and can’t do with our child." He retorts.

"Actually, I do." Beau gets a smug look on her face. "See here’s the thing. You willingly gave your child up to the custody of the Cobalt Soul, who then put them under my supervision as their mentor. So since you technically surrendered (y/n) over to me, I claimed full responsibility over them, because of this I have more of a say over what happens to them then you do." Beau crosses her arms and smirks at him. Your mother tries to step in looking rather upset.

"How dare you! You’d try to take our only child away from their parents, like some heartless fiend." Your mother tears up, you knew very well those crocodile tears meant nothing towards you.

"I didn’t take them away from you, you handed them over remember?" Beau raises an unamused eyebrow at your mother who stares with shock. "From what I’ve witnessed in this time, I can confidently say that you two are not fit to even be raising a child if you think you have to train them with a bell like some sort of animal." She slowly approaches your father, he stares intensely at her and stands his ground.

"Do you not know who I am! You will be hearing from my lawyers if you think you can get away with this!" Your father spits. Beau, completely unfazed by this just smiles and let’s out a low chuckle.

"That’s cute. Alright, sir, do you know who I am?" She stares at him intensely.

"A woman who doesn’t know her place." He scowls. That phrasing did not sit well with Beau, but she kept her cool and holds her smirk.

"No," she almost gets right up into his face, "I am Expositor Beauregard Lionett of the Cobalt Soul." She states while placing her hands on her hips, your father's expression immediately drops. "Yeah, I have as much, if not more authority over what (y/n) here can and can’t do. So if you really want to try and take this to court just know I have friends in higher places then you." She pauses a second before continuing. "While I may not be able to prove it here and now, I know you’re responsible for those hired assassins trying and forcefully take (y/n) away. So be aware that if that happens again I will get to the bottom of it and if it really is you behind the attacks, you’re going to have a lot more to worry about then just custody rights." She reaches over making your father flinch slightly and she pulls out the silver bell from his pocket, she stares at it for a second before looking right at both your parents and crushing the bell in her hand, dropping it to the ground with a dull thud. Your parents stare dumbfounded at her, for once no words were shared between them, Beau just turns around and picks your own shocked self up with one arm and walks away from them.

"I can’t believe those people raised you, they might actually be worse them my own parents." Beau remarks. You say nothing letting the whole situation set in, you let out a sniffle and your body starts to shake a little. "Whoa, hey are you alright?" She looks at you seeing some tears slide down your face, you suddenly latch yourself onto her in a hug and start crying.

"You-you stood up to them for me. I didn’t think anyone would do that." You say through some hiccups. Beau lifts her other arm up and gently rubs your back.

"Hey, after what I saw, I know for a fact they don’t even deserve you. How they managed to make such an awesome kid like you is beyond me."

"They once said I came along by accident. I honestly still don’t really what that’s supposed to mean." Beau’s face twists into an angry expression after your comment, but not towards you. You hear her mutter under her breath but it’s very quiet and incoherent to you, she shakes her head.

"You know what, forget them! From now on you’re with me, and there’s no way I’m ever letting them take you back." She says with determination.

"You really mean that?" You ask, wiping away some tears.

"Of course I do, you’re my kid now, we've gone through thick and thin together." Beau’s expression softens and she gives you a side smile. You tighten your grip around her neck a bit and rest your head against her shoulder.

"Thank you." You whisper.

"Don’t sweat it." Beau replies, securing her own grip around you more. "The others are probably waiting for us at the tavern by now, shouldn’t keep them waiting." She picks up her pace a bit and jogs the two of you off to catch up with the rest of the Nein.

#critical role #critical role & reader #mighty nein #the mighty nein #mighty nein & reader #beauregard lionett #beauregard & reader #nothing romantic here

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razorblade180-heated · 4 years

Text

Missing You

[Smut! Lasting Embers AU]

“Finally! Home again!” Yang shouted into her house, followed by the giggling from feeling Jaune’s arms wrap around her waist.

“Only this time it’s for real.” He kissed her cheek. “Second time’s the charm.”

They walked in slowly just to take the moment in. Ten plus years of fighting had a way of making Yang very sentimental, not to mention thankful for marrying someone who never gave up on her return.

Jaune finally let go to get something for her to eat since she was probably hungry from the journey back, but was quickly pulled back into another comforting hug.

“You know, I think I missed this feeling the most.” She said as she took in his scent. “You’re as warm and calming as the day I left.”

“Which time?”

“Both, I can never describe how much I missed you.”

Jaune could say the same. Instead he lifted his wife’s head up and stole a kiss. It was passionate, not to mention liberating. All this time and it felt just like he remembered; time might’ve made it stronger even. He finally broke it off and planted another on her forehead that made her blush more than she already was.

“This almost feels like a dream. You and Yujin kept me going but even I started to think-”

“Sssshhh” Jaune said,rubbing her face. A tear threatened to appear on Yang that he wiped away. “Believe me, I know. Not a day went by that I didn’t ache for you. Yujin too, but we got through it all thankfully. Rest now and I’ll make you something.”

His words soothed her soul in a way only he could. They wouldn’t sway her from letting Jaune get out all his emotions however. “Jaune…” his name escaping her lips slowly.

Yang had stood on her toes and gave him a more passionate kiss. Jaune couldn’t help but groan as her hands rubbed his chest and her tongue invited itself into his mouth. The intensity brought them stumbling to the ground into a straddle, a thin trail of saliva still connecting them even after stopping the kiss.

Jaune’s eyes were trained on Yang’s body in its entirety. Not just in lust, but in longing. Hair, eyes, smile, blemishes, he missed it all so much.

“It couldn’t have been easy keeping faith, or raising Yujin. Yet you did it in strides.”

“Believe me, there was dark days”

“I know.” Yang pressed her body against him and put her forehead on his. The shared expression of deep desire sunken into them. “Just let it all out. I want...I need you to show me how much you missed me. Her breathing became slightly unstable. Yang’s beautiful lilac eyes drifted up and down him as they became red “because I really need to show you how much I missed you.”

A switch flipped inside of Jaune. He couldn’t stop himself from stealing another kiss, one that was hungrier than the last. He quickly went for Yang’s neck and started leaving heated kisses all over it, his teeth sinking into it to mark the pale flesh red.

Yang’s body shifted and rubbed up on him as every single thing they did made her moan for him. “Please don’t tease long…”

“Endure it.” His tone more strict from desire.

That tone could give him anything he wanted right now. Yang ironically was always the meeker one when it came to these sort of things, What could she say? It felt good to be the one being out of control for once. “Yes sir” was she could manage before Jaune removed her shirt and bra.

No time was wasted kneading and sucking on the mounds of flesh. He was going to worship every bit of her.

“Aaaa~ Fucking…..aaahh!” Yang’s hands clenched Jaune’s hair and held on for dear life. His body leaned forward until Yang’s back was against the carpet. To think the floor would be there setting for such a reunion? It was perfect. The bed would probably break.

Yang’s hips raised up by reflex and Jaune immediately removed her pants before stripping himself too.Funny how years apart didn’t change their speed in times like these.

Jaune took a moment to examine his wife yet again. Her toned thighs, sculpted arms, trained waist, and heavily breathing chest. Not to mention her dripping core she oh so let him see by spreading her legs. There were a few more scars than before, that was natural. So was the natural blemish that would come from age, mainly a few wrinkles and knowing Yang, she probably wished she was a tad skinnier.

“As beautiful as the day we met”

Those words made her look away from him. It wasn’t fair how he always knew what to say. “Lady Killer as always.”

He smirked and bent down until his breath could be felt against the wanting woman’s clit. He gave it an antagonizing slow lick before dipping his tongue lower to properly taste her. Earning him the sweet sound of a moan bellowing out for Yang.

He made his way inside of her and held her legs in place. Yang couldn’t help but quiver and shake as she felt Jaune’s tongue lap up her overflowing juices. This felt better than she remembered. Way better! Yang propped herself up with her arm to see his cobalt blue eyes looking right at her. He was so hot, so...everything. She had forgotten just how much he made her feel like she was everything.

“Jaune!” She whined. “It’s too much!”

He slid his tongue out. “Good.” There was that voice again. His mouth formed around her sensitive nub and Jaune began sucking and slurping while his middle finger took the place of his tongue.

“For fu...fu..ah gods.” It was indeed too much for Yang. Only a few thrust was more than enough before her walls clamped around the digit and her body convulsed from her orgasm. Yang wasn’t sure how she managed to go as long as she did with Jaune’s touch, but it wasn’t happening again.

Finally he was able to remove his finger. The sheer amount of excitement he got from feeling just how wet and hot she was pushed him to finally progress. “Yang, get on-”

Yang was already moving. Not to his orders, at least not at first. She turned her body around to face and grabbed a hold of his seven inch member and wrapped it around her mouth.

No sounds were made besides the subtle wet sucking and not so subtle groans as he throbbed in Yang’s mouth. Somehow resisting the urge to thrust as he felt her tongue glide across the underside.

‘His taste is thicker, more potent.’ She thought as she bobbed her head deeper. She felt his right hand press on her cheek and blushed deeper as Jaune was clearly enjoying it.

“You’re so sexy.” He groaned. Yang did everything in her power to not stop blowing him right then and there and just let him go at her. She wanted to do this though. After all this time, Yang wanted to do as much as possible. That included a load to the mouth. She wouldn’t admit it but the anticipation was making her so hot for him.

“Get ready for a mouthful.” Gods it was like he was reading her mind. Everything he said was what she wanted to hear. A slight tense in his grip signaled Yang to open wider, accepting the violent twitches of his shaft releasing thick ropes of cum that blanketed her throat. The taste was stronger too. Just how much was Jaune pent? Did he ever touch himself, he had to right? She sure did.

Jaune watched her gulp it down all at once before licking the tip of his still very erect length.Yang finally stopped and layed on her side with one leg bent and her forearm propping herself up. Jaune took the bent leg and put it on his right shoulder while his right hand held her hip.

“I love you.” He said while he rubbed the tip against her. Jaune knew he might not be able to say much once they started.

“I love you too.” Yang’s words dripped with lustful passion. “No please bury that cock into your wife and give it to her in your favorite position.”

Jaune slid in with no resistance whatsoever. Both gasped at the sudden feeling and Jaune’s right hand squeezed more around her shapely ass than her hip now.

Their eyes locked at Yang could already feel the heat start to rise in her core that threatened to melt Jaune in slick pleasure. In this position, he was gonna hit every spot from the start. His left hand grabbed Yang’s left boob for added pleasure and he thrusted deep.

Tight, she was overwhelmingly tight. “Yang!”

“Move! Don’t you dare hold back!”

He wasn’t planning on it. Jaune pulled back before thrusting his hips forward again and again and again; rapidly picking up his speed. Each thrust scraped a little deeper and kissed Yang’s womb. Years without practice and they were still in sync, making their emotions flare even more.

Yang’s nails dug into the carpet for any kind of leverage against Jaune’s passionate rutting. There wasn’t a movement that didn’t make her moan loudly and stir her up. Yang tried to bite her bottom lip to gain any sense of self control but it was a far cry from working. Her body showed many ways to Jaune just how much pleasure he was giving her.

Her pale skin was now covered in a thin layer of sweat and flushed all over. Strands of her long, beautiful hair clung to her face in a way that mesmerized Jaune. The way he looked at her only made Yang feel more sensitive, the sound and smell of her own arousal filling the room.

“I missed you so fucking much Jaune!” Her voice pleaded, letting all her emotions run free. Yang reached out to him with one arm and Jaune graciously bent forward.

It hooked itself around Jaune’s neck and Yang pulled him into their hottest kiss yet. Jaune never stopped moving his hips into her. As far as he was concerned, her love was the only thing sustaining him right now. The love he had been starved of for so agonizingly long.

“I’m never letting you go again.” Jaune all but growled. “I was...so lonely. Everything hurt some way without you.”

Jaune's left hand caressed her body and clung to it as if it might slip away. Yang couldn’t help but ache and yearn even more from his words. Their shared loneliness drives them heights better than any dream they might’ve had throughout the years. He made her feel so good, so...happy.

Time seems to erase itself as they continue their intense love making. What could’ve only been around twelve or so minutes felt like hours. And as much as Yang didn’t want it to end, she had been staving off her orgasm for half of that time.

The word “close” was all she could muster to say but he got the message. Jaune leaned into her ear.

“Your voice, body, everything…” he whispered. “I want to feel all of it again.” His thrusts got even harder and Yang could only hold her head down and shut her eyes tight as his words broke her down. Teetering on the edge never felt this incredible. Finally he said the one thing that she waited to hear since they started.

“Cum for me.” His voice, extra low… “my dragon”

A nickname that should’ve been inappropriate for this moment, and yet it’s what did her in.Yang had no choice but to scream as her body gave into Jaune’s command to cum, her blazing hot core coiling around him with suffocating grip in an attempt to milk Jaune of everything he had to give.

Jaune made no attempt to resist the pleasure and his body tensed up several thrusts later. Ropes of cum spurted right into her womb. Sending strong chills across Yang’s body as she rode out her orgasm with Jaune, with quiet groans of pleasure still lingered from both of them.

Jaune finally put her leg now which surprisingly didn’t cramp. Jaune’s body nearly fell on top of Yang’s before he managed to catch himself. Now they were face to face again with eyes that were still filled with fire as well as happiness.

Yang’s finger traced his lips before giving him a quick and gentle kiss. “You’ve gotten better with age.” Her face grew red at her own compliment.

Jaune smirked. “I’m not the only one.” He took Yang’s left hand and planted a small kiss right on her wedding ring that damn near made her heart explode.

“It’s not fair, turning the sexy off and on like that.” Yang giggled. She cradled Jaune’s face and smiled. “No more lonely nights, I promise.”

A gave her a comforting nod. Yang couldn’t begin to imagine how many brave faces he had given their daughter, or the anxiety of getting terrible news over the phone. A person can only take so much and Jaune had gotten his fair share of loss. They all had, Yang wanted to take some of that pain away.

The husband and wife found themselves kissing each other again. It couldn’t be helped, they had to make up for lost time. What started off lovingly quickly turned back into something more passionate and wanting as Yang let out a sudden gasp at the feeling of Jaune getting hard while still inside of her. Good thing Arc stamina went well with Xiao Long intensity.

”One more round?” He asked, flipping back on the sexy and husky voice. It really was too powerful for Yang’s own good in most situations. Most…

Her arms went under his and held on to his well toned and muscular back. “Two, and maybe one more right after unless you can’t handle-” she couldn’t even get here tease out before she felt Jaune go a little deeper, her cocky attitude immediately went cold as Jaune whispered in Yang’s ear again.

“We’re gonna be here awhile,ready to stop walking straight?”

“Yes sir.” Yang was glad to be home.

xxxx

A couple of hours passed and Tai had decided to stop by for a visit with Ruby, Yujin, and Raven. It would be nice to have a family dinner. All four stood quietly moments after entering.

Yang was laying on the couch watching TV while Jaune was cooking. Raven noticed the carpet marks on Yang’s arm, Tail was staring at the carpet cleaner that was left out, Ruby looked at the wide open window, and Yujin could see that both parents' hair was slightly wet. There was only so many reasons to shower at this time of day.

But they all could faintly catch a whiff of something. Yujin had zero experience in anything and yet she knew deep down what she was smelling. They all looked at Yang who didn’t turn around but showed visibly red ears. Same with Jaune.

Tai sighed, can we make this a cookout?

“Great idea.” The other three said at once. Jaune and Yang covered their faces. Next time, they would at least make it upstairs.

#rwby #rwby dragonslayer #jaune arc #yang xiao long #rwby lasting embers #taiyang xiao long #raven branwen #ruby rose #yujin xiao long

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grayintogreen · 3 years

Text

It’s WIP Wednesday! I haven’t done it in awhile. I’m gonna do something different and show off a line or two of a few of the longer (3k+) one-shots I’ve been poking at instead of a full scene from a chapter, because why not? Maybe everyone would like to see what my industrious little brain is working on between ficlets and flashfic and chapters.

a victim that doesn’t play fair. (BTHB Bingo Prompt “The Collector” as per a request from an anonymous who wanted Beau Whump. Beau gets captured by an underground gladiator ring and has to figure out how to escape.)

So it turned out that people who talk openly about that kind of shit on Rexxentrum street corners are shills and this was all a huge trap to lure well-intentioned and strong cocky hero-types into a slaver’s den, which… Honestly, not the worst tactic ever. Certainly better than kidnapping. Plausible deniability- oh well they walked into our illegal enterprise, sir, so what were we supposed to do?

The only thing worse than a slaver was a crafty one.

they weave their wicked webs among the spindrift and the rot. (The Crownkeepers return to Emon after several months of travel, a little higher leveled but still facing down an entire city of criminals out for blood. Meanwhile, Kingsley Tealeaf has just arrived for a supply run.)

Legacy was other people, in the end. He could become Plank King someday and be known for changing up the entire aesthetic of Darktow, but how many hearts and minds would that change and affect? He was born sentimental- practical yes, but no less willing to leave places better than he found them than his brother had been. He styled it differently (Lucien had too- better was relative), but the intent was there. To truly solidify himself, to truly become someone with his own legacy instead of dancing in the shadow of other, greater legacies, Kingsley needed to do for someone what Molly did for the Nein.

And preferably not die in the fucking process.

give me black cat bones as the clock strikes thirteen. (Tombtakers-centric Halloween vibes story to ring in the coming of Autumn, aka the best season. Or I just really wanted to write a story about Bloodhunters and vampires.)

Autumn came crisp and cool as an apple on the back of particularly warm summer, and Cree welcomed the change of season and the promise of no longer suffocating underneath her leathers. Being in the Empire as the seasons turned meant she could see the leaves changing colors in every place they traveled- a novelty for a child of the Savalirwood, which was a horrific, blighted thing that didn’t believe in following the laws of nature. It was probably the only thing she liked about the Empire.

broke the back of the sky. (Beauyasha. The Sentinel Babes make their way back to the Empire, run into trouble, and look out for each other. Fluff. Whump. Murder. All the thing.)

“I miss the moorbounders. There. I said it.” Beau laid on her bedroll, staring up at the endless Xhorassian sky, hands folded on her chest. Directly beside her, their shoulders touching, Yasha was tracing patterns with her eyes like she was trying to connect the stars in her head.

“I miss the dome. And the mansion.” She paused. “I think I might have gone soft. I used to prefer sleeping on the ground, but now I’m kind of like missing big comfy beds and lots and lots of pillows.”

“Eh, I think you can afford to go soft, Yash’. You’ve been fighting your whole life.”

sharper than a serpent’s tooth (the lies they tell us in our youth). (Beau is sent to the Claret Orders at sixteen at her own request, instead of being kidnapped by the Cobalt Soul. There, she meets a collection of would-be future cultists.)

The woman’s party laughed, but the ice-eyed dark-haired queen, herself, shifted her chair and beckoned Beau closer. She obeyed, both out of curiosity and because she didn’t know what would happen if she told her no. Her breath smelled like wine and the capillaries on her pale face had burst, staining her cheeks and nose blood red. She was drunk as a skunk.

But her drunken shenanigans changed Beau’s life. “Do the average adventurers do this?”

She pricked her finger on a dagger and the whole blade crystalized into ice. Beau was so close to it that she could see her breath, eyes wide with wonder.

In that moment, Beau knew where her life ought to go.

#wip wednesday #critical role fic #my writing

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primrose-path-of-dalliance · 4 years

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prim’s wildemount map scale adventures

i apologize in advance to the folk that use screen readers for this post’s reliance on image references, i will do my best to make my logic and the contents of the images comprehensible in the text portions.

this post isn’t about spoiler territory either, so i won’t go into detail about how recent developments with e111 were the initial reason i started thinking about distance on the official wildemount maps. besides, i think plenty of people will understand when i say that my digging got a lot bigger than the initial question itself lol. regardless, i’m making this post in the hopes that it might be a little helpful for anyone dealing with the same confusion.

see, i realized the funny thing about the official wildemount maps is that they don’t have any scales. as a basic explanation, scales are those funky little bars usually found on maps that illustrate what distance on the map is equivalent to what distance in ‘reality’—AKA the scale of the map.

however, for whatever reason, matt and co. did not create any for the broader wildemount maps like of the menagerie coast or the zemni fields.

[id: two images from the explorer’s guide to wildemount. the first depicts the region of the menagerie coast and related islands in the lucidian ocean. the second depicts the zemni fields, which is the central area of western wynandir and the dwendalian empire at large. map scales are absent from both images. /end id.]

this was a little baffling and unhelpful, but i’m not here to judge matt about his choice to not include scales, considering how it would give people on twitter even more ammunition to rudely question his dming with.

but then i discovered that the maps of the major cities do have scales.

(continuing past a readmore.)

[id: an image from the explorer’s guide to wildemount. it is a map of the city of rexxentrum, the capital of the dwendalian empire. in the lower left corner is a compass rose illustrating the cardinal directions and a scale. /end id.]

at first, i was excited. maybe i could use the city’s map scale to approximate a scale for the larger maps. it wouldn’t be super accurate, especially as things got bigger and errors grew larger, but it would be a little better for some thought experiments than no scale at all.

but then it got weirder.

since the map of rexxentrum takes up a full page, the resolution of the image makes it difficult to read the map scale. so let me zoom in.

[id: an image at a higher resolution of the lower left corner of the rexxentrum map, clearly displaying the compass rose and the scale. the scale is a thin horizontal bar separated into four equal lengths of alternating black and white, with indicators claiming that each part represents 500 miles for a total bar length of 2000 miles. /end id.]

so. maybe some of you can already tell what the problem is.

for those with slightly worse spatial understanding though, that map scale is measuring in miles. and a mile is pretty damn long.

let’s have a comparative illustration from real life to show my point. los angeles, california, is the city in the united states where the critical role cast live and work and stream us their wonderful d&d games. the los angeles area as a whole is massive. anyone who lives there understands what i’m saying and has probably wept before while in traffic (and i’m sorry).

if we use the google maps function to get a distance in miles between two points in the los angeles area...

[id: a screenshot of a google maps route for traveling on foot from the olive view-ucla medical center in the far north of the los angeles area to the los angeles international airport in the southwest. the route is fairly direct as the bird flies due to the on-foot nature of the route and is labeled to be a distance of 31.1 miles. /end id.]

this is a pretty good representation of the distance from one end of los angeles to the opposite end. a modern city with a population of about 4 million people, filled to the brim with urban sprawl and suburbs.

and that distance is 31 miles, or about 50 kilometres.

that scale in the corner of the rexxentrum map? its claimed length of 2000 miles (over 3200 km) measures less than a seventh of the apparent width of rexxentrum. according to the scale, you would have to travel a distance of over 14,000 miles (over 22,500 km) to get from one end of the city to the other.

simply put, that scale at face value is nonsense lol.

[id: a screenshot of discord messages with no identifying account attached. the messages begin with, in all caps, “EXCEPT THE SCALE FOR REXXENTRUM MAKES NO SENSE” (new line) “WHAT IS THIS MATT MERCER?????” an image of the lower left corner of the rexxentrum map follows. below that is the final visible message which reads, in all caps, “DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG A MILE IS SIR. DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR TWO THOUSAND MILES IS SIR.” /end id.]

so. maybe you are wondering if matt, huge nerd that he is, is making some oblique historical reference to a previous measurement of a “mile” that is way shorter than the modern standard mile. that was the first possible explanation to occur to me! unfortunately, based on the wikipedia article on the mile throughout history, there is no prior known definition of a “mile” short enough to make this scale make any sense.

so maybe the explanation is a unit error. maybe it’s meant to be a smaller unit of length, like a metre or a foot.

i spent a bit of time trying to guess which unit it might be by comparing details of the map to each other, since there are detailed individual buildings and roadways illustrated. it quickly became obvious, though, that the details were more for artistry and not to a reliable scale.

so it was time to dive into the transcripts.

i looked for a point where matt not only described the length of time it took for the mighty nein to travel from point A to point B within rexxentrum, but a point A and a point B that i could locate with confidence on the map. i found a scenario that fit the bill in e86, “the cathedral,” when the party raced from the cobalt soul branch in rexxentrum to the chantry of the dawn.

MATT: [...] And you've stepped out from the Rexxentrum Archive of the Cobalt Soul into the wet, slick cobblestone streets of the city, heading eastward towards the base of the Shimmer Ward, where it is believed this cathedral, known as the Chantry of the Dawn, stands.

this bit (beginning 13:39) is the first clue in matt’s narration to locating the endpoints on the map. the chantry of the dawn is located near the base, suggesting the immediate south, of the shimmer ward, and is in an eastward direction from the cobalt soul. this is consistent with the relevant textual descriptions in the explorer’s guide to wildemount: the rexxentrum branch of the cobalt soul is located within the court of colors on the west side of the city, while the chantry of the dawn is near the southern wall of the shimmer ward.

[id: two images of the rexxentrum map. the first is composed of the center and western area of the city, displaying the labeled wards of the tangles and the shimmer ward along with individual points labeled “R7,” “R6,” “R3,” “R1,” and “R2″ from west-most to east-most. at the bottom is the map scale, added for reference, that measures about a fifth of the entire image.

the second image is the legend of the map, which defines a few of the illustrated details and clarifies the R-series labels. truncated to relevance: R7 is the court of colors, R6 is the vigil’s circle, R3 is the academy grounds, R1 is castle ungebroch, and R2 is the candles. /end id.]

as the party made their way to the chantry, matt revealed a few more notable details on where precisely they’re traveling through (17:18).

MATT: [...] Your [Caleb’s] eyes train on the rising walkways and towers of the Soltryce Academy that are peeking over the walls of the Shimmer Ward that you can just make out on the horizon as you pass by a series of buildings where the roofs are a bit lower than the other ones you've been rushing by. You can see pale yellow walls that surround the Shimmer Ward of the capital.

You begin to approach the exterior of the Vigil’s Circle, which is a region between where you are and your destination, as noted by the network of ring-like streets that denote the circular marketplace, some varied shops, and industries that normally fill this area, as well as the mini-fortress of gray rock known as the Tower of Writ.

the view of the soltryce academy is consistent with an approach from the western side of the city, since the academy is located along the inner side of the shimmer ward’s northwest wall. the placement of the vigil’s circle in between the cobalt soul and the chantry is also consistent with their depictions on the map, as the vigil’s circle is both labeled and illustrated through a pattern of circular roads with an apparent depiction of the tower of writ in the center.

anyway, the mighty nein had traveled a little ways into the outskirts of the vigil’s circle from the west when they were abruptly stalled by a giant purple xhorhasian worm coming out of the ground.

at that moment in time is when liam gets a travel time from their current location to the chantry (21:26).

LIAM: Caduceus just asked how far we are from the chantry. Would I know that?

MATT: You would know you're probably about, I'd say, depending on— with it being pretty empty, maybe seven minutes.

this brings me to getting a precise location on the chantry of the dawn. both the explorer’s guide to wildemount and matt’s narration only describe the chantry as located within the tangles and near the southern wall of the shimmer ward. that’s a wide potential area to be seven minutes from.

there’s a pretty helpful pattern in the map details, though. most landmark buildings are visible—the soltryce academy campus is clearly delineated, as well as the colorful tower rooftops of the candles and, as previously noted, the top of the tower of writ. castle ungebroch stands massive in the center of the shimmer ward illustration.

so if the chantry of the dawn is both a huge structure and a significant landmark, that should merit a visible illustration of it on the map.

[id: the image of the western and central area of rexxentrum plus map scale appended to the bottom, edited to include my personal labels. R7 is encircled in red with the label “cobalt soul,” R6 and the visible circular road complex is encircled in blue with the label “vigil’s circle,” and a large rectangular rooftop by the southwest corner of the shimmer ward is encircled in red with the label “chantry to [sic] the dawn.” /end id.]

the position of this large building fits the details of the narration and its description in the explorer’s guide—it’s near the southern wall of the shimmer ward, it is eastward of the cobalt soul, and streets of the vigil’s circle lie on the direct path from the court of colors to this building.

so there’s the approximate location of the chantry of the dawn. we also know the approximate location of the mighty nein on this map.

[id: an image, almost identical to the last, of the marked-up western and central area of the rexxentrum map plus map scale, but with a further addition of an orange star in the northwest corner of the vigil’s circle labeled “mighty 9.” /end id.]

since they had entered the outskirts of the vigil’s circle from the direction of the cobalt soul, they would be within its northwest area by the time they were interrupted via purple worm shortly after.

two approximate locations with a travel time in between means that now i could estimate a distance in length. so i took a look at the d&d official rules for movement speed:

a fast pace is about 400 feet per minute,

a normal pace is about 300 feet per minute.

for campaign 2, matt as a dm tends to follow the official rules. so taking into account how the urgency of the situation had the party moving quickly, along with the emptiness of the streets eliminating the variable of a slowed pace through crowds, the mighty nein are likely traveling between 300 and 400 feet per minute to get to the chantry.

with matt’s provided estimate of 7 minutes, that means the on-foot distance from the party’s current position to the chantry is somewhere between 2100 to 2800 feet.

[id: a zoomed-in image of the marked-up western and central rexxentrum map, focused on the vigil’s circle and the chantry of the dawn. imposed beside the orange star representing the mighty nein’s location and the chantry is the map scale edited to remove the ‘miles’ indicator. its position allows a viewer to measure the distance between the mighty nein and the chantry to about “1500,″ or three-fourths of the total length of the scale. /end id.]

since the scale there measures distance as the bird flies, comparing it to the probable distance the mighty nein had to travel needs to account for the twists and turns of the streets.

with that in mind, though: an as-the-bird-flies distance of around 1500 feet sounds like a pretty good approximation of the estimated on-foot distance of 2100 to 2800 feet!

so with that, it’s probably safe to guess the map scale meant to claim feet instead of miles as its unit of length.

so far i haven’t puzzled out how i might translate this into a makeshift scale for the larger maps, since none of the cities like rexxentrum are clearly illustrated on them. but if anyone was very confused about the unit of length for the city maps’ scales, i think i’ve reached a reliable conclusion that it should be feet.

hopefully some of you find this helpful!

#cr #critical role #rexxentrum #maps #wildemount #wynandir #prim post #prim says some things #long post #VERY long post #readmore #enjoy this dump of what i spent a few hours on thursday night out of sheer curiosity and frustration

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purkinje-effect · 4 years

Text

The Anatomy of Melancholy, 59

Table of Contents. Second Instar, Chapter 26. Go to previous. Go to next. TW: Body horror, nightmare sequence, unreality, incongruous chronology. Self-absorbed.

Lol, we haven’t had a flashback episode yet in Second Instar, have we? Have fun, ‘cause ‘Choly’s not. In the future this becomes another installment in ‘Choly’s Rexford Press Originals. (:

_________________________________

As he muddled through prescription fulfillment, Carey looked over his shoulder yet again. He saw the customer he anticipated finally entered the drugstore, and hastily finished up his current order. The thirty-some man he’d called earlier that morning had dusty blond side-parted hair, and stood as short as Carey, but seemed more sawed off than grown that way. Owing to the nature of the medication, as the head chemist, only he could take the customer. He pulled the pencil box size prescription carton from the cage, and confirmed it did in fact indicate it was for ‘Sal Mendez.’ He watched Angel busying itself in the front end straightening aisles, and waited until Sal was next in line before hopping onto the other register to wave him over. Mentally unable to set down the box on the counter, he kept it in both hands.

“Apologies, again, Mister Mendez, how it took weeks to get this filled. Calmex is one of the most rationed chems in the country at the moment.”

“I know. I know. But it. I talked to my doc.” Sal frowned to himself, and repeatedly smoothed at his short sleeve silk button down shirt as he eyed the various hard candies at the front counter at length. He eventually looked up at his chemist with a crumpled resignation. “The Milque wasn’t cutting it. You... you sure you don’t need it more? You look peaked, Doc.”

Carey glanced down, at the lab coat tossed over his favorite ochre jumpsuit, the cobalt scarf tucked like a cravat into his collar, and his navy oxfords. He lingered on the unfamiliar braces on both wrists and both ankles, but readily dismissed their explanation as unimportant. What mattered was that he didn’t look the part of his vocation, and a head chemist had to command reassurance and reliability. It was one thing to be haggard, but another altogether if he looked it. Well, that just wouldn’t do! He thought to what Hawthorne could usually put his hands on pretty quick, and weighed his choices against what he thought Sal might find most useful. With a big, wide grin, he straightened and patted at the Milquetoast display on the counter.

“Milquetoast is completely and totally safe. Fantastic for insomnia, shakes and nerves, headaches, nausea, you name it. But... I wouldn’t recommend using it alongside this prescription. Or with alcohol, were you to have access to any.” He leaned in and turned off his customer service voice, to discuss the consultation more privately. “I’ll see what I can do about getting you some Day Tripper, if you can water me down. I’ll even take moonshine at this point, Sal. Between you and me, I thought I was done having this war effort kill me inside-out.”

Sal’s jaw dropped a moment before he, too, leaned in with a nervous smile.

“For you, Mister Carey, I will find you something very nice. Really, though. Should I be worried? To take this? My doctor said it’s tranquilizer. She explained it all to me, but that was weeks ago...”

“Alan!”

Gretchen Nordstern didn’t seem all that gangling from where she sat on the far counter in a Peter Pan collar tea dress with the confidence to match a pair of trousers, chewing a lit cigarillo and taking notes against her lap with the phone receiver wedged between her shoulder and cheek. Her low, dark bun wore a colorful crocheted snood.

“You’ve spent half an hour with that client.” She didn’t have to look up to impose, waving him off with her free hand. “Let Mary and Trudy handle front end already.”

Carey hemmed a spell, unsure how that could be true. But he didn’t want to question his boss. He stared off in her direction as he addressed Sal.

“I, I’m sorry, Mister Mendez. I’ve got others to see to. If you’ve any questions...”

When he turned to his customer, he trailed off. Sal had vanished.

Gretchen shoved into his hands a letterhead with a handful of scripts. He stuttered, glancing it over. Med-X. Clarimentin. Immunoluxe. His eyes glazed over the usual orders until he encountered the words Psycho (Cyclomorphine Chloride). His heart hiccuped, and his eyes briefly lost focus.

“Wh-- Gretchen, please. Please. Please tell me this is some kind of-- How did this-- How did-- It’s on the--” He cleared his throat and whet his lips, but it didn’t help. He shakily pointed to the line on her invoice. “How is this on the market, ma’am.”

“Don’t be such a worrywort. It’s government approved. It underwent rigorous testing before it hit the market. What could possibly be wrong with the stuff!”

He couldn’t argue without breaching military confidentiality. Walden Drugs had to make ends meet somehow, right? And if whoever was getting the Psycho had a prescription for it, at the very least they’d be taking it under a physician’s supervision. He knew the dwindling prescription numbers didn’t mean people weren’t getting sick or injured less often: it meant more people were dying. Between the malcontent of the Canadian annexation, the endless crisis against the Chinese causing the deepest economic depression the country had ever suffered, and the mounting volume of riots taking place on home soil, the United States teetered on a second Civil War. And yet, these factors didn’t explicate in his mind why people had begun to drop like flies as of late.

Usually hear from Jacob by now.

He frowned as he dialed the Lexington branch to call in the Psycho prescription order, and got to completing the invoice Gretchen had given him. He and Jacob had planned that morning to have lunch together at the malt shop. He decided to go check on him and Sal. He hung up his lab coat in the mudroom, and waved to his coworkers to let the two ladies know he’d be stepping out.

“Angel, I’m going on break.”

“Right along, then, Sir!”

The Mister Handy followed at his side.

He popped his head into the small bed and breakfast across the way, wedged between the Wright’s Inn at the corner opposite the drugstore, and the bookstore further down. When he didn’t see Sal, he approached the check-in and asked after him of the young attendant in a chignon and sheath dress. She indicated no one had seen him since the morning. He declined her offer to take a message for him, shook his head, thanked her, and left.

It sat uneasy with him, but he chalked it up to still feeling awful about the local call for cyclomorphine. Nothing that he wanted as far away from him as possible ever stayed very far away for long.

Once a Pick-R-Up passed, he jaywalked with Angel to the hardware store at the corner. Only a few customers loitered, some genuinely lost without advice from an employee, others genuinely considering unattended theft. He got to the foot of the employees-only stairwell, but stopped short of scaling it. His gut quivered.

“Angel, be a dear. Pop up and see if you can find Jacob.”

“Certainly!” It came back quickly. “Not a soul on the roof, Sir.”

He frowned and gestured that they leave. His leg felt tight and stiff, but he shrugged it off.

Hm. Was I limping earlier? No, I’ve had this limp a long time already.

On his way back down the street, Carey glanced in the windows of the malt shop. Jacob wasn’t there either, nor Sal. Jacob’s car was still parked outside the hardware store. The repairman was disinclined to go anywhere on foot all that much if he could avoid it, so Carey doubted his roommate had gone home for lunch without saying anything about it. He gave up on the idea of malt shop food, as he preferred to share it. Instead, he sat down across the street from the drugstore, on the Wright’s Inn’s spacious porch, with a Nuka Cherry from their vending machine and an order of three arancini from Piretti’s Bakery. Sometimes the texture of the rice balls reminded him of ezhiki, and he got a bit homesick.

I should just stick to Melancholia. There’s only one flavor of toska to it.

He noticed the construction sounds in front of the municipal plutonium well had ceased. He glanced up with his mouth full to see there were no workers in the street. He supposed it was their lunchtime, too. When he finished eating, he required Angel’s help to stand again.

Am I starting to feel my age, or am I just that full?

He returned to work. Once he had on his coat again and come back out to the front end, he saw some kids poorly picking the lock on the adult care case. He side-eyed Angel, who handed him the keys. Spinning the wrist coil on a finger, he strolled up with confidence that belied his limp.

“Hey there, gentlemen! Looking to buy some No-Gesta today, I see. A fine choice in preventative care!”

The boys sputtered in embarrassment at being caught trying to shoplift. Angel simply hovered behind them to cut off their back escape route out of the drugstore, while Carey withdrew an entire case of product. They followed the veteran in service uniform speechlessly to the counter. The older one scrambled through his pockets along the way, desperate to figure out if he even had enough to buy what they’d intended to steal.

“I’ll tell you what!” the chemist announced--in his stress of recognizing he’d put on the wrong white coat, a little too loudly--though they seemed largely alone all the same. “They’re usually fifteen dollars each, but if you buy six, I’ll give ‘em to you for seventy-five.”

“Gee, that’s awful generous of you,” the older one started, urging the younger one to play along, so as to curb the possibility Carey might call the police on them. “Bruce, you wanna go in on this with me fifty-fifty?”

“Only if that’s the only thing-- never mind. Lemme count how much I got.” He produced a fistful of wadded papers Carey could tell weren’t money. “I’ve got twenty-eight bucks. What about you, Jeb?”

“Thirteen. Awful.”

Carey smiled with a twisted, cool benevolence as he set two out of the case and nudged what was left toward the boys.

“How about just four, then. Hm?” He wagged an eyebrow and held out his upturned palm expectantly. They uncertainly exchanged all their cash for the prophylactic kits with entendred packaging which resembled an exclamation point but reminded of something else entirely. He tucked them into a paper bag and folded it off lackadaisically, then handed it to them. “Off you are, then!”

Mary walked up soon after he shooed off the boys. The older squared, thick woman, in a pencil dress and cardigan, held a hand to her mouth to hush herself, aghast.

“You sold No-Gesta to some high schoolers?”

“You’d rather they have stolen it?” He shrugged at her. “Age means nothing whether someone needs that sort of care. They’ll copulate, whether or not they can get things like No-Gesta--and wouldn’t you rather they did so safely?” He tucked the vaguely paper-like wad into the register, and his glasses dipped off his nose, caught from falling by his eyeglass chain. “Besides, a sale’s a sale, and customers get scarce.”

Why haven’t I been more worried where everybody’s gotten off to?

He looked out to find Jacob’s car had been left, abandoned and askew, run up onto the sidewalk. Like it was, morning of the bombs. The cognitive disconnect insisted he had no idea what he could have meant. He slipped his glasses back in place.

“Hey, Angel...” He cleared his throat. “Have you-- Have you seen Jacob?”

“What a silly question, Sir! Just look down!”

He did, and succumbed to fever, short breath, and sweats. His legs writhed, granular, tumescent, and grotesque, more like a filariasis than the countless bodies he knew comprised them. The tightness and swelling paralyzed him from the waist down, and kept him upright in substitute of bones or any meaningful ligature. He identified Duchesne among the clumped, corpuscular rivulets, and choked up.

He looked up. Gretchen, Mary, and Trudy were nowhere to be seen.

He didn’t have to look down again to understand he’d soaked them up as well. He dry heaved, to no effect. Desperate to reach help from someone, anyone, he tried to walk to the phone at the other end of the counter, only to fall after a single step. And he continued falling, into himself, having become an infinite labyrinth of flesh, a Klein bottle of grief.

Concord’s empty because I subsumed everyone. He cried, slipping through narrow, trembling corridors of sopping tissue. I’m the sole survivor of Vault 111 because I stole survival opportunity from them all. I stole this from my customers and coworkers. From my neighbors. From Jacob. Everyone gave their lives, so I could keep living.

And for what!

Go to Next »»»

#fallout 4 #fallout 4 fanfic #fo4 #fo4 fanfic #sole survivor #the anatomy of melancholy #melancholy #angel #mister handy #concord #nightmare sequence #body horror #flashback

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feferipeixes · 4 years

Text

Jay’s Brother (3/?)

Jay has been working in the cobalt mines her entire life. Against all odds, she’s still alive when so many others have fallen. It’s been decades since she’s had anyone she could call family. And then, out of nowhere, a demon shows up and says he’s her brother.

Naturally, she’s upset.

Chapter 3: Hope Against Hope (link to chapter 1) (2)

Shout out to my awesome beta reader, @toothpastecanyon!

(See the most updated version on AO3!)

===

Chunk.

The girl slammed her axe into the blue rock in front of her. The rock resisted -- gaining an ugly scratch but otherwise surviving unharmed. It seemed to sneer at her, seemed to say, “What, having a hard time? Getting too old for this?”

She groaned in response. Dropping her pickaxe, she straightened up, and heard a creak as something shifted in her back. She nearly doubled over again, but caught herself by resting a hand on the cavern wall. She breathed in through her nose and tried to swallow the hacking cough that she felt wriggling its way out of her. Everything was okay. She could do this. She did it every day.

Still… it seemed harder that day than usual. She glanced down at her pickaxe -- an old rusty tool that seemed to be aging before her eyes -- and then peered out at the other workers around her. They all raised their axes in unison -- brought them high above their heads before each clicking a button that shot beams of energy into their respective hunks of cobalt.

“Hey, wait a minute.” She could barely recognize her voice when it came out. It sounded about as bad as her pickaxe looked. “What’s the big setup? Why do you all have quantum axes and I’ve got this piece of junk?”

Every worker turned to look at her. “Because you’re obsolete, Miss Du,” they said together, their collective voice echoing through the cave like it was a scream in her ear.

“And junk like you doesn’t deserve more than junk in turn,” came a voice from behind her.

The girl tried to gasp, but what came out instead was an awful, spluttering cough. She whipped around to find her shift manager looming over her, staring down with a wicked grin.

“Tick-tock,” he purred, pulling up a clock display on the wall panel and thrumming his fingers against it. “You’re slowing down. If you don’t increase your output we’ll have no choice but to -”

Knock knock knock.

Her manager’s mouth was still moving, but no sound was coming out. Instead, there was a steady knocking coming from behind her. Confused, she glanced back to see a door standing freely in the middle of the room. She could see it rattle in time with the knocking, and there was a soft, white glow pouring in from the edges of the frame.

The girl stepped toward it. Her manager tried to stop her -- jumped in her path with fire in his eyes and snakes pouring out of his mouth -- but she ignored him. He wasn’t a threat anymore. All she could hear was the knocking.

She brushed her fingers along the access pad, and it slid open. A brilliant, blinding light stood on the other side. He was much brighter than Prima, but she had no trouble looking at him.

He stepped across the doorframe and extended a hand to her. “Let’s get out of here.”

She went to grab his hand, but hesitated. “I don’t know. Why should I trust you?”

His smile flickered, plunging her momentarily back into darkness. “What?”

“I don’t know you.” She sensed her manager reaching over her shoulder with a slimy tentacle, and she slapped it away. “But I know this. I know how to survive this.”

“But... this is awful. Why would you want to stay here? What happened to your dreams of exploring the cosmos?”

The girl looked up and saw the night sky projected onto the cave ceiling, semi-transparent like a hologram. It was beautiful, but it made her feel emptier than ever.

“Could I really do it? Could you actually take me there?”

“Anywhere,” he breathed. “Anywhere you want.”

She sighed. “I need some time to think about it, alright? Give me some time.”

The star nodded. “Of course. Just… let me know, alright? It’s lonely in here.”

She tried to respond, but her throat fought against her. She shuddered with pain, clutched her stomach, and a rough, stuttering cough heaved its way out of her. She looked up at him, his hand still extended out to her, his smile weak but there nonetheless. Cautiously, she reached up and accepted his invitation.

Quick as a whistle, he pulled her up to her feet. The pain was gone, her breathing once again simple, and she could swear the air around her was sparkling. She stared at her hands, which suddenly felt so strong and capable, and gulped.

“Thanks,” she said.

He only bowed in response. He spun around to leave, filling the room with a brilliant display of colors for a brief moment. Then he vanished, and it was dark again. She was holding a pickaxe again. Her manager was behind her, fury radiating out of his empty eye sockets. The world was her burden once more.

And yet it was so pointless. So insignificant.

Gritting her teeth, she turned around to face her manager. Before he could say a word, she reached out and grabbed his head with both hands. She felt the power pulsing through her, felt the fear radiating off him in her grasp. She smiled, because for once, she was in control.

She smiled, and she squeezed his skull as hard as she could, letting the slime ooze over her fingers and waiting for the moment when it would POP -

---

Jay gasped and opened her eyes.

It was a dream. It was a dream and she was awake now and she definitely hadn’t snapped at work and killed her manager. She let out a sigh of relief. Everything was fine. It was just another one of those weird dreams she’d been having for the past couple of days. No matter how much she hated Kanif and her job, physically attacking him would do her far more harm than good.

Although -- she had to admit that it felt really good to take her frustrations out on Kanif. Maybe the dreams weren’t so bad, as long as she never really acted on them.

As she gradually returned to consciousness, Jay began to realize that she wasn’t in her bed. The pillow she was using was flat and rough. Her glasses were already on, and the room was bright. She wasn’t at home at all -- she was at the library.

She jolted upright. There was a tearing noise -- a page of the book she’d been sleeping and apparently drooling on had stuck to her face. She pulled it off and examined it.

In folklore, a deer is a mythical beast that is believed to appear in times of need to guide lost souls to safety. It is often depicted as tall, furry, hoofed, quadrupedal, and antlered. According to the Encyclopedia of Ancient Creature Lore, a deer is an ordinary pony that has been touched by a divine being and granted immortality.

Jay grimaced. None of that made sense. She picked up the book she’d been resting on and read the cover -- A History of Magical Creatures. Why was she reading… Oh yeah.

It had been three days since she’d met Alcor on the way home from work. Since then, the candles and magic circle he’d left her had remained untouched in the corner of her room as she wracked her brain for reasons to contact him again. There was so much about him that didn’t make sense -- a normal person would’ve dismissed him entirely at this point -- but some part of her was curious. Some part of her wanted to believe him.

One of the things that continued to confuse her was his claim that he was a demon. She’d been combing both the library and the Interweb for any information on what a demon was, and after three days she still had nothing to show for it. She’d woken up early that morning so she could go to the library again before work, but apparently her lack of sleep had caught up with her and…

Jay jumped out of her chair. Work. She checked her phone and -- heck, it was 12th trentile. She was very late for work. Panicking, she dropped the book and darted out of the building. The torn page she’d slept on fluttered slowly to the ground behind her.

It was 12:25 when she made it to the lobby of the mine, hoping against hope that no one had missed her. She already knew her pay would be docked, but if Kanif saw how late she was she'd surely get fired, and she couldn’t let that happen. He'd been mysteriously absent the past couple of days so maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be there -

Her hope vanished quickly when she breached the double doors and saw Kanif staring up at her with a furious look on his face.

“I’msosorryI’mlateKanifsir!” Jay blurted, out of breath from running. “It won’t happen again, I -”

“Rhysti-Du!” Kanif barked, cutting her off. “I thought I made it very clear to you what would happen if you were late again! Tick-tock!”

“Sir, please, I can’t lose this job. I’ll work late again!”

Kanif grinned at her, words starting to form on his lips, and then -- something happened.

Jay’s vision flickered. The air suddenly felt very thick, like they were standing in honey. She refocused her eyes to see Kanif’s smile dead on the ground, replaced with a look of abject horror. He took a step back and hit the wall behind him. Jay could’ve sworn he was trembling. He looked so weak and puny -- kind of like in her dream. Her dream, when her hands had felt so full of power. Her dream -- or was it real life? -- where something inside of her had whispered go… do it… do it now…

Then the moment passed. The pressure in the air was gone, and Jay couldn’t remember what she’d been thinking about a moment ago. But Kanif was still backed into the wall looking as scared as if he’d just seen a monster.

“Mr. Kanif… sir?” she asked nervously. “Are you alright?”

He didn’t respond at first, just looked both ways a few times. “Yes, I’m fine, Jay!” he choked out eventually. His words were studded with nervous laughter and he could barely keep his eyes on her. “Everything is up to code. About being late today -- we can just pretend that didn’t happen, do you hear me? That’d be exemplary! Get along to work now, there’s mining to do.”

“Uhh…” She looked behind her to make sure there wasn’t some other person there named Jay that Kanif might’ve been talking to. “Alright…?”

“Great! Off you go!”

He then scampered out of the room more quickly than she’d ever seen him move. For a few minutes she could only gape at the space where he’d stood. Never in the decade that he’d been her manager had he ever shown her any mercy for lateness or mistakes of any kind. It was baffling.

Something had happened -- she thought to herself as she collected her mining equipment and set off to her post -- something had happened a few days ago and since then her life had gotten weird. She wanted answers, and she was beginning to think there was only one person who had them.

---

There was an electronic chime as Jay pushed open the door to the diner. A cheaply decorated room greeted her on the other side. The atmosphere was sleepy -- most people were eating silently, with the odd couple sitting together in a booth and whispering in each other’s ears. None of this was out of the ordinary.

Jay stepped over to the counter and sat down on a stool. A couple of people sitting nearby glanced at her -- people she’d never met but must have seen countless times before -- but they returned quickly to their food. She looked around for the waitress -- they really needed more than one, but for some reason couldn’t seem to afford another -- before spotting her at the other end of the room, taking someone’s order. She gave her a little wave, and turned to look out the window while she waited.

The world outside was still lit, thanks to Jay getting out of work a trentile earlier than she had the previous day. The view out of the diner’s front window was mostly occluded by the shops on the other side of the street, but there was a small alley between the laundromat and the convenience store through which she could appreciate the setting star. The sky was awash with color -- the greenish-blue of day replaced by a brilliant orange, soon to fade away into the saddest pink.

It was beautiful, the small slice of the sky she could see while waiting to order her food. It was beautiful and it was filled with so many memories of lying in the grass watching the sky, hand-in-hand with Akko or Sunil or Evan. These days, she never really got to watch Prima set. She wondered if maybe she should try waiting a bit before grabbing food after work, so she could spend some time outside just letting the colors swirl around her, just thinking and dreaming and hoping and -

“Jay?”

The sound of snapping fingers brought Jay back to the present. The waitress -- Gnern or Gnert or something -- was staring at her with a weird expression on her face.

Jay grimaced. “What?”

“I said, can I take your order?”

“Oh. Yes. Of course.” She shook her head. “Sorry about that. I’ll have… uh… the usual. Slashnorts with umbrella broccoli. Actually, no, wait. Make that umbrella pipsqueaks instead.”

The waitress nodded and made a complicated gesture at the notepad she was holding, which responded by dinging. Then she cocked her head at Jay. “How are you doing, pip? Holding in there?”

Jay blinked. “Uh. What does that mean?”

“You just looked distracted, is all. I don’t mind it, I mean. They say that’s supposed to happen to old folks, right?”

“I…” Jay paused. “I think I read that once.”

She tilted her head slightly to catch view of herself in the mirror behind the waitress. She studied her wavy grey locks -- once a deep brown, the color had started draining out of them years ago and they were almost white at this point. Her skin was wrinkled where it had once been smooth. She hadn’t needed glasses when she started working in the mines, but at some point everything had started getting blurry, and before she knew it, she was in the convenience store buying a cheap pair of rectangular frames.

She knew that these were things that happened when you got old, but it still felt like she was changing somehow -- like the person she had been was being squeezed from her and soon she’d become something else entirely. It was one thing knowing theoretically that people changed when they got old and it was another to actually become an old person herself. And the idea that her mind could be changing too as a part of it was very stressful.

“Yeah…” she continued. “Maybe all of... this... is because I’m getting old.”

The waitress snorted. “Pip, I’m old, and you’re twice my age. I think you borrowed the kilter on ‘getting’ old a few decades ago.”

Jay frowned. “Yeah, yeah. Are you here to take my order or gawk at me?”

“I wasn’t -” she started, but hesitated at the annoyed expression on Jay’s face. “Your order, I guess. I’ll be right back hun.”

She quickly turned away and walked into the kitchen. Jay winced at how hurt she’d sounded -- she hadn’t meant to come off so brusque but the few days of confusion and frustration must’ve taken a toll on her. She didn’t want to take that out on anyone else. The waitress stepped back into the room a moment later, carrying a couple of plates of food on her arm. She started placing them down in front of other customers sitting at the counter.

Jay cleared her throat. “Hey, Gnern.” The waitress glanced up, looking nonplussed. “I’m sorry I was being rude. I’ve had a long few days, and I might’ve been kind of annoyed because I was trying to research something earlier and was coming up with nothing, blah blah blah.”

The waitress put down the last plate she was carrying and cocked her head at Jay. “Well, pip, my name’s Gnert, not Gnern,” (DARN IT), “but I accept your apology. What’s eating at you?”

Jay stared at her blankly until what she’d said clicked in her brain. “Wait. You’re asking me about my day?”

“Yeah. You’re in here a lot and you don’t really speak up much. What’s eating at you?”

“Uh…” Jay mentally juggled images of all the weird stuff that had been happening to her. There was no way she could even begin to explain most of it. “Well, this’ll sound strange, but… Have you ever heard of a demon?”

“Oh, yeah. Is that all?”

Jay felt like she’d been kicked in the gut. “What? You- how- how do you know? I spent so much time in the library and I found nothing!”

Gnert shrugged. “Mom told me when I was young. It’s an old story for kids, you know? You wouldn’t find anything like that in the library.”

When Jay could only wordlessly flap her mouth open and shut like a fish, Gnert laughed and leaned over the counter. “Alright, pip. Here’s the story. I don’t remember any names or morals or nothin’ but I remember the basics. They say a demon is a star that fell out of the sky and has to live on the ground like a person.”

Jay felt a tingly sensation creep up across her neck. She nodded at Gnert. “Go on.”

“Well, the star is lonely down on the ground. It can’t ever go back where it came from. It misses its family in the sky so bad that it turns to wickedness.”

Jay furrowed her brow. “Wickedness? Really?”

Gnert shrugged. “It’s a story for kids. There’s always a good guy and a bad guy.”

Jay remembered Alcor telling her that most demons weren’t as nice as him. The tingling feeling spread from her neck to her torso. “Okay. Go on.”

“You know how you can go wish on a star? They say that’s because stars are made out of magic. And that means demons are too.”

Jay saw herself turning around and around and finding Alcor in front of her no matter what she did. Her arms were tingling now.

“The demons try to trick people by giving them nice things and doing favors with their magic.”

His words rang in Jay’s ears. I can’t really do magic for free.

“And then right when you’re not expecting it… BAM!” Gnert slammed her hands on the counter. “They gobble you right up!”

Gnert started laughing, but it felt very far away. The tingling had spread across Jay’s entire body at this point, and with the tingling came a thought. A memory. An image floated into her brain of Alcor crouching down next to her, her hand in his, his tongue lapping away at her cut -- lick, lick, lick -- and there was blood on his teeth. Her blood.

Something in her brain flipped over. She jumped out of her stool, and banged her hip against the underside of the counter. “Frick- agh!” she yelled, barely avoiding falling over in pain.

Half of the diner looked up at her shout. Gnert dashed around the counter to her with a panicked expression on her face. “Jay, I’m sorry, I got too excited about that story. Let me help you.”

“No, stop, I’m fine,” Jay grunted. She grabbed the edge of the counter to pull herself up. “It wasn’t the story. I’m just old, haha, remember? I’m fine.”

Gnert seemed torn between offering her more help and leaving her be. Deflating, she returned to the other side of the counter, and started fiddling with cooking instruments, all without taking her eyes off of Jay.

It took a minute for Jay’s breath to go back to normal. Her hip should’ve hurt quite a bit, but it was barely registering to her in her mind. She was too preoccupied with Gnert’s story. Her thoughts were circling around and around like a swarm of ringwats. She knew it had only been a fairytale, but at least some of it had to be true because she really had met a strange man that could do magical favors. And if some of it was true, she couldn’t help but wonder…

The star is lonely down on the ground. It can’t ever go back where it came from.

She wanted to go home. “Is my order almost done?” she asked.

Gnert flinched, almost dropping the pot of coffee she was refilling. “Sorry. Let me check on that for you.”

Jay watched her go, and felt a funny tickle in her mind. “Actually,” she added, almost absentmindedly, “can you throw in a bar of candy with my order?”

Gnert looked surprised. “I can definitely do that. What kind would you like?”

“Uh…” Jay looked at the pile of candy against the far wall, and realized that she hadn’t eaten candy in a really long time. “Wow, I don’t know. Surprise me?”

Gnert nodded, and rushed off to gather Jay’s food. She was back a minute later, and Jay quickly paid for the meal and left. She could still feel the whole diner’s eyes on her as she walked out the door and down the street.

It wasn’t until she was a couple of blocks away that Jay realized what she’d done. She looked at the candy bar in her bag -- a Sneakers bar -- and slapped her forehead. What was she doing, spending hard-earned money on candy so she could call a guy she barely knew and wasn’t sure she could trust? What was she doing spending money on the chance... to have... a family again?

Jay stopped in her tracks. Was that really what this was? The chance to have a family again? She’d gone so long without anyone she could call family. Everyone she’d ever loved was dead -- or at least, in the case of her sister, probably dead. From what he’d told her, it sounded like he was in the same situation. If she was his chance to have a family again, maybe he was hers too.

Feeling her resolve strengthen, Jay rushed the rest of the way home. She dropped her meal onto her bed and clapped her hands in front of her computer. Her computer seemed to struggle to turn on, but eventually the screen illuminated and displayed the poem she’d started writing a few days. She felt like the breath was being squeezed out of her as she reread it.

Harsh cold nights in the recesses of space Plucked right out, leaving me without a trace Death defied, now she’s on her way back home One last hope that I won’t be so alone

She’d had her sister in mind when she’d written it, but as she turned Alcor’s words over in her head, she wondered if maybe it wasn’t about him instead. Maybe he was the family that she’d been hoping against hope for all of this time.

Jay took a deep breath, and made a decision.

There wasn’t very much space on the floor, but she managed to find a spot big enough for her to completely unfold the magic circle picture Alcor had given her. She arranged the candles so that they sat on the symbols that went around the edge. She activated the lighter on her phone and lit the candles one by one. Almost done. She looked around for the bag from the diner -- it was still on her bed. She reached in and grabbed the candy bar. It was light, but she felt out of breath anyway. She unwrapped it and dropped it into the center of the circle.

“Hey, Alcor,” she said, trying to sound confident. “I’ve thought about it. I want to give this a try.”

Instantly, all of the lights in the room went out. The candles lit up by themselves shortly after, but their flames were blue instead of yellow. A prickly presence came over her -- the fuzzy feeling she’d been having on and off for the past few days. And finally, a smile appeared in the middle of the room.

“Jay!” Alcor exclaimed. He hopped over the candles and wrapped her in a vice grip hug. “You mean it?”

The light gradually returned to the room, and in the light she was reminded of everything that was wrong. His positively ancient clothing, his pointed ears, his wings like windows into the sky. How was it possible that this was her brother? It didn’t make sense. This was madness. She couldn’t be doing this.

“Yeah,” she breathed. She hesitated for a moment, and then hugged him back. “Yeah, I mean it.”

(AO3 link)

#gravity falls #transcendence au #dipper pines #alcor the dreambender #mizar #jay rhysti-du #reincarnation #space arc #fic #my stuff #long post

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teamoliv-archive · 5 years

Text

Interlude: Picking Up the Pieces

Violet wasn’t sure how long she had stared at her uncle’s body at the modest funeral they had put together. Several grateful people in the kingdom had helped donate materials or money to give a proper burial one of the huntsmen who helped save people from the attack that was currently being blamed on cult that grew out of a White Fang splinter group. She hadn’t heard about Cobalt Ymir’s death until after it was all over. It had taken several weeks for things to return to what was as close to normal as they could be anymore.

“Do you think he would have been proud of us?”

“If he knew half of what we had to do to get here, I’d say so. Lapis stood nearby with what was left of their team. They were the only ones of the four present save for Lazuli who decided to stay for emotional support. Ivory didn’t dare show herself and he didn’t even want to think about Onyx right now. Everything about the end of that fight still haunted him. “He believed in us, even when we didn’t.”

Violet forces a smile and nods, wiping some tears away. “You’re right. What matters now is that we don’t forget that.” She turned around when she heard her name being called.

“Hey there, Sundrop, I hope I’m not interuptin’ anything. I need to talk with you for a bit, okay?”

“Sure. Hey, Dad, I don’t think you ever met my partner from Atlas. This is Lapis and his sister, Lazuli.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“You guys need a minute?”

“Actually, you might want to stick around for this.” Shin explains, “We’re going to have to head back home soon.”

“We can’t go so soon!” Violet protests, The Dustwings aren’t really in good enough shape to help the city rebuild yet. They’re going to need huntsmen and huntresses out here.”

“You’re right, but I want to know if you noticed somethin’ about those safe houses. Notice how empty they are?”

“They look packed to me.” Lazuli notes, watching the throngs of injured and recently homeless crowding around the area. ”Violet’s right. There’s too many mouths and not enough help. We can’t just... not do something. Maybe you need to leave but we can’t. If we send a letter home I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“That’s exactly the problem. Tyrael Cheshire packed up his goons masqueradin’ as help and left already. He snuck his way back to Solitas and to be blunt, our families might be danger. The Dustwings will have help soon. That militia that saved Haven’s still around, I think.” Shin looked to Violet with a nod. “I spoke with your brother.”

“You found Robin!? What happened?” Violet caught her breath and cursed herself for having missed him again. “Where? What did he say?”

“That ‘Red Arena’ might be gone but it won’t be long before Cheshire just throws his money into a new project. Robin claims he’s going to target us soon. We need to get back to Mantle to make sure nothin’ happens to them.”

“Dad....” Violet shook her head, “Mom’s a huntress, too, I think the two of you can take care of yourselves. I- I can’t leave yet. The Dustwings need help and we’re here to do exactly that. Besides... we have some people who need us more than ever now. Lapis and I might have homes to go back to, but half of us don’t.”

Shin let out a sigh. “You know, he told me you’d say that. I guess I should accept you’re a big strong girl now. Here.” Shin holds out a scroll to her. “Hold onto this. We managed to get some replacements for everyone. It’s got a message for you, too.”

“What’s it say?” Lauzli says, peering over Violet’s shoulder.

Violet opened the scroll to an audio message. She recognized the voice instantly.

“Hey, Sis.

Sorry I didn’t catch you when I talked to Dad. Well, I guess I’m sorry about a lot of things. I know it won’t make anythin’ better but this is all I’ve got for now. You did a good job out there, you know? I’ve got some information on this scroll you’ll need to know. Jade didn’t work alone. He’s got friends- and if you stick around, you’ve gotta watch out for them, and don’t think his old paycheck’s going to forget what happened to his daughter, either. But, hey, you kids took down some pretty nasty people. So long as you stick together, you’ll do fine.

“I’m not gonna say you won’t ever see me again, but I’ve got my own things to take care of right now. In the meantime, keep bein’ who I couldn’t, and tell that tin can of a Lieutenant I said hello, would ya? We went to Atlas together.”

“I'm bad at showin’ it, but I love you, Violet. Make everyone proud.”

“Robin... I just finished crying...” She smiles and rubs her eyes gently.

“So you’re staying then?” Lapis asks after a few more moments. “We’ll need to find Reynard soon. I don’t really want to leave her or her crazy friend unattended.”

”I can go find them,” Lauzli replies, “I think you guys need to get a few other things straightened out. Don’t you both have people to say goodbye to still?”

______________

Ivory takes a deep breath, having gotten far away from the small gathering in the ruined square. She and Molly made it a point not to be seen by anyone. They were recognized by a lot of the populace in the district. She feared retaliation for Jade’s failure to protect them as promised. The news that he had been killed had not been kind of either of them, but Ivory felt a strange serenity in it. Though, she had her family and Onyx growing up. Jade Leroux was a lot of things to her- a mentor and master first and foremost but to Molly he was the closest thing to a father she likely had. She entered one of the ruined houses where they promised to meet. “Hey, how are you holding up?”

Molly sat in the middle of her ring weapon, letting it rest on the floorboards. “About as good as I can be. Honestly, I’m glad we’re both still alive but...” She balls her hands into fists and starts shaking.

“What are we going to do now? No one here’s going to give us anything. They have new real heroes now, right? They don’t want us. Even your stupid team is being talked about.”

“Yeah, well as far as fuck-ups go this could have been a lot worse.”

Ivory spins around and draws her ax immediately. “What are you doing here!?”

“I’m here to come clean, okay? I’m layin’ it all out on the table to let you figure out what to do next besides sit here and not know. Yes, I killed my uncle. I basically killed Jade, too. I’m not askin’ you to forgive me for either of those things and I ain’t here to gloat.”

“Then what!?” Molly darts up and spins around, standing with her wheel around her. “You’ve always hated us!”

“You’re right.” Robin says, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. “You want to know why? I want you to look at my little sister and then ask yourself, what if she wound up like you? How about you look at Darcie and her crazy parade and ask if you want to see each other in a place like that years from now?” He watches the two girls stare at him and then each other in awkward silence. “You’re wasted potential is what you are. I made my choice when I had a mind to do so. You were snatched away as kids. I ain’t blind. You two are damn near siblings to one another and as weird as it’s gonna sound comin’ from me, I’m glad for it. So I’m tellin’ you right now- you can either sit here and cry over what you lost like Lilac Cheshire did, or pick yourselves up and have your own fuckin’ lives for once.”

“And do what? We can’t just become huntresses just like that! What, do you think we’re just going to pick up our stuff show up with your sister and her friends and walk off into the sunset like some stupid fairy tail!?”

“Why not? S’what I’m doin’. Well, sort of. See, I’m plannin’ on makin’ Tyrael Cheshire’s life a livin’ hell and all his buddies with his creepy business partner at Ciar to boot; so I’m grabbin’ my old team together. We’re about to make some noise and make off with whatever we can in the process.”

Ivory trembles as she thought of Onyx, holding his bloody body in her arms. “We all fought together in the end.” She mutters to herself, “M-Maybe we can do it again.” She turns to Molly and holds out her hand.

“I’m not doing this without you, you know that. I promised I wouldn’t abandon you. You won’t be alone again.”

Molly didn’t say anything for the longest time. She heard Robin’s footsteps leave the building without even saying goodbye. “Sure, fine, just stalk off...” She says to herself before staring at Ivory. Her mind flashed a moment to that girl from the Arena.

‘I forgive you.’

“Fine.” Her reply was reluctant and slow, but maybe something good could come out of this. “You know... I always wanted to be a huntress as a little girl.”

“We can at least give a shot, right?”

_____________

“It is going to take a while to rebuild.” The elderly huntress says, having donned a new mask and walking the streets. The kingdom had already heard rumors of the elusive “Mother Marianne” sighted in Mistral- it was time to show that face again.

“Yeah.” Morado still hadn’t even begun to process everything he had learned about his fiance in recent weeks, let alone grieving. “We’re staying right here, though. Mistral’s not about to turn us over to Atlas needing us as much as they do. Besides, I should have been able to stop this. Lilac... If I had known maybe I could have done something more to help her.”

“Some would take you for a fool, but I believe we need more people like you in this world, Lieutenant. But if I may be so bold as to give you some sage advice, don’t dwell on who you couldn’t save. Look to see who you can. It will never get easier. I can promise you that.

“Every victim, every lost soul, every life lost still hurts me whenever I come across it. Having a heart is not a weakness, but do not let it turn into guilt. You have to be the one these people look up to now. You’re all they have left anymore.”

“Lieutenant!” “Marianne!”

Lapis and Violet rushed to their side, breathing heavily. They had been running back and forth looking for them. “There you are. We needed to talk to you.”

“Did something happen?”

“Well, sort of? Not yet. We’re going to be leaving soon. Lieutenant, if I could have permission to-”

“Granted.”

“That was... quick.”

“We’re grabbing Reynard and her crazy friend to try and set them back up. Hopefully in a way that won’t get anybody arrested or killed this time, but we need to get them out of the kingdom first- at least until things calm down some more.”

“Rather noble of you to give them a second chance.” The elderly huntress replies, “They will need good guidance to put themselves back together, let alone on the proper path.”

“Let’s just say we owe our team leader a favor. Before that collapse, he still tried to reach out to his sister even when she tried to blow us all to kingdom come. If he could believe in a second chance like that, we can.”

“Besides, there’s still whatever Robin left on this scroll. Something about another operation like Jade Leroux’s. Apparently he wasn’t alone.”

“If I may see that?” Marianne had a feeling she already knew what it was about. Jade’s sadistic other half was just as ruthless as he had been and perhaps even more twisted. “I would like to copy this. You will not need to worry about her.”

“I hope you don’t plan on keeping me out of the loop this time. If there’s something else going on, we’re staying to help.”

“It is a long story, I will have to tell you later. For the time being, children, do not worry about Darcie. I have an old score to settle with her. I worry that Leroux’s death will make her more unpredictable, though. It is best if you leave that to us. Go find your friends and get ready to go.”

______________

“We’re almost there.” Lauzli announced, leading Ivory and Molly out to a clearing outside the kingdom. It was surprisingly easy for them to leave with all the commotion. She stayed a small distance from the two, but kept feeling eyes on her.

“H-Hey. Kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for... you know... back during the fight. Not the ‘saving me’ part the... ‘I forgive you’ part.”

“I managed to figure out what your old boss was doing. How he was doing it. You guys didn’t realize did you?”

“We’re... still... processing that.” Ivory states, trying to ignore a suppressed angry look from Molly. The idea that their emotions were being directly toyed with through a semblance was a heart-wrenching thought, but a long time without it present felt strange. Things made a bit more sense with that context but she worried what that took away from her actual feelings. Where did any actual ideas or thoughts begin and Jade’s old influence end? Was that really a bad thing? She couldn’t imagine Molly wasn’t going through a similar internal crisis.

Lapis was standing firmly next to a large rock, his gear ready to go already. “You all set? I know a few nearby villages that know my face. We can get you some work and get your feet wet. You sure this is what you want to do?”

“What else do we have anymore?” Molly admits, her tone more flat than it used to be, “You sure you’re okay having two people who tried to kill you follow you around?”

“Oh, I’m not worried, we put our best in charge right beside yours truly.”

Ivory frowns, unable to really bring herself to reach for her ax like she used to. “It’s not going to be the same without him.”

“No one said it has to be.” Violet keeps walking through the trees to another figure waiting nearby.

“I did say we put our best in charge.”

_____________

Tyrael Cheshire had been quieter than usual ever since returning to Atlas. He had been absorbed in work both regarding retrieving money from Jade Leroux’s failed operation as well as the troubling news of the deaths of both his children. The official record deviated from what actually happened, of course, but it affected him nonetheless. Today would be when that turned around.

“Sir, Auroras Hallward here to see you.”

“Auroras Hallward of Blood Brothers LLC at your service, Mr. Cheshire. We will offer you the absolute best in elite mercenary services! No job out of the question for the right price and-”

“Auroras...”

“Fine, fine. Take all the fun out of it. Really though, Tyrael it’s been nearly twenty years since you seriously contact us and it’s for a job? Cobalt has seen us more than you and he’s on a military schedule.” The man removed his hat and adjusted his glasses before setting a large stack of papers on Tyrael’s desk.

“I heard you both just came back from Mistral. How was that?”

“Cobalt is dead.”

“I’m sorry. Repeat that?”

“One of my investments tried to manipulate and double-cross me and got Cobalt’s family involved. He was killed for his efforts to remedy the situation himself.”

“So that’s why you called us, is it? Is this because you don’t want to mix business with pleasure for the sake of revenge or were you just being kind enough to allow the rest of your old academy compatriots to share in it? He was just as much Hari and I’s friend as he was yours, you know. But surely, you wouldn’t call us for simple revenge.”

“You’re correct. I have a list of people I will need you all to hunt down. First is Robin Goodfellow, the man who killed Cobalt and was, to my understanding, instrumental in helping Leroux’s operations fall apart. The next is a group of young huntsmen and huntresses that are responsible for my daughter’s death. Find and bring them to me, dead or alive. In the meantime you will be covering for Redmond while he reestablishes my presence in Mistral.”

“That’s quite a lot for us to do at once, you know. It won’t be cheap. Of course, if you had told Hari that we were after Cobalt’s murderer I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to do it regardless.”

“Not... that that’s an invitation to work for free. We do still have a business to run. You know how it is.”

“Where is Hari by the way? I specifically asked for both of you to show up.”

“Currently locked up, I’m afraid. With our workforce cut in half it’s been a bit difficult to keep up the money to-”

“Auroras, you charge millions. You simply haven’t given yourself the time.” Tyrael waves a hand and two large briefcases are placed one on top of the other at the side of the desk. Tyrael slides Auroras’s stack of blank papers aside and lets it open to reveal a large amount of lien. “Half of your payment down as per your usual.”

“This is... actually more than usual, Tyrael. You’re not about to add another job onto this are you? You know we don’t stack work.”

“The second one isn’t for you.” Tyrael replies, “That is to get Hari out of jail. Do that, then begin your work. You are to kill Robin Goodfellow, find what remains of my son’s old Atlas team and bring them to me, and make sure that Leroux’s associates do not swipe away what is still rightfully ours.”

#teamoliv #cutscene #Onyx Cheshire - Overheard Conversations #Lapis Hamelin - Overheard Conversations #Ivory Reynard - Overheard Conversations #Violet Goodfellow - Overheard Conversations #Molly Briar - Cutscene #Lazuli Hamelin - Cutscene #The Seeker - Overheard Conversatoins #Mother Marianne - Cutscene #Morado Amun - Cutscene #Tyrael Cheshire - Overheard Conversations #Auroras Hallward - Cutscene

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jojosbizarreblog · 3 years

Text

Let Down Your Crystal Walls

7 /// 8 /// 9

Chapter 8: An Ol’ Switcheroo

Song inspiration: ‘I Know A Place’ By Conan Gray

Apparently, life did not approve of the plans that Avdol and Joseph had set out for the day. Unfortunately, Polnareff had been taken into custody because of the blood and body found in his room, which had forced the group to remain at the hotel overnight until a Speedwagon Foundation lawyer to reach and help bail him out. Joseph had called the teens in that morning to tell them to go out and explore the city, handing Jotaro a credit card. As the teens, along with Anne in tow, exited the hotel, Kyogen spied a little clothing shop with homely vibes emitting from it.

“Hey Kujo,” She said, turning to the tall male and pointing to the shop. “I need to go buy some stuff. I might take a while so you guys can go ahead of me.”

“No,” he stated. “It’s better to stick together.”

“He’s right. It’s probably not a good idea to be too far from each other…” Kakyoin mused. “We could get attacked and it’s better to stay together in case of that.”

“Fine,” Kyogen sighed. “How about you three wait for me outside? If anything happens, I’ll shout.”

Jotaro frowned. “Yare yare daze. Fine”

Kyogen split herself off from the group, sticking up her hand in farewell. “I’ll try to finish this quickly.”

She entered the shop and scanned the front, searching for something important. Spotting said item, Kyogen crossed the store and came to a stop in front of the currency exchange machine. Carefully untucking the roll of money from her bag, Kyogen counted over the bills before inserting a portion of them into the machine. Singaporean dollars began filling out and Kyogen took them out and pocketed them after she was done. The rest of her remaining money was exchanged into American dollars, more versatile than the other bills. With her exchange done, Kyogen eyed the store and set off into the store. Hopefully, she would be able to replace her scrapped one with something new and also find pants suitable for the journey ahead.

Some tank tops, a gray collared blouse, and slacks were what Kyogen found in the cheapest aisle. She was now browsing the silken neckties hung on the display rack in the back. Trailing her fingers through the soft, colored fabrics, Kyogen wondered if it was worth it to buy herself one. Her eyes fell on a cobalt blue strip of fabric. It shone like a satin ribbon as she picked it up to inspect it. The fabric was something that she had never seen before, something of higher quality than all the rest of the others on display.

“That’s a beautiful piece that you’ve got there, miss.” A masculine voice said next to her.

Kyogen twitched and angled her head to see a tall, muscular male with curly black hair pulled into a poof at the nape of his neck. She nodded the slightest bit to show that she heard.

“Are you going to buy it?” He asked, perusing through the selection like she was.

Clearing her throat, Kyogen answered, “Yes.”

“Ah,” He sighed, gently putting a hand to his cheek. “A shame, I was eyeing it too.”

She was about to offer the man the fabric, but he waved her off. “First come first serve. You certainly do have good fashion tastes, take care.” He gave her a wink and walked past her, his arm brushing against hers. Kyogen frowned at the odd interaction between them but resumed perusing the display rack. Deciding to just settle on the single one, Kyogen moved away from the stand and made her way to the front of the scarf.

The portly man at the storefront gave her a passing glance as she gave him the items. “Miss, we got extra shipments of hair tie orders and we’re offering them to people who would want a set. Would you like one?”

Hair ties… They would come in handy in the long run.

“Yes please,” Kyogen said pleasantly to the man.

He smiled at her and placed a packet of hair ties into the bag. Picking up the scarf, the man’s mouth stretched into a pleased little smile. “You found a treasure, miss! It’s marvelous, just like your eyes. I’m sure boys will trip over themselves trying to ask you out.”

Kyogen let out a noise of surprise as her cheeks turned pink. “Ah-Ah thank you, sir—”

The man handed her the bag of clothes. “No, thank you for coming to my little shop. I appreciate you and your sister coming by!”

“I—Uh… alright.” Kyogen was confused at that statement but assumed that he probably saw someone familiar-looking. She gave him a nod in thanks and grabbed the bag, bidding him goodbye. Now time to go and join the others, who hopefully haven’t been waiting too long for her—

Oh.

Kyogen came to an abrupt halt right outside the shop doors and stared at the empty streets around her. Well then, after all that adamant talk of staying together, she didn’t expect for them to leave her all alone by herself. Her moment of self-wallowing was interrupted by Sharpnote materializing next to her. The Stand whistled imploringly and pointed back to the direction of the hotel. Kyogen huffed and nodded her head, letting a sigh slip through her lips. Nothing to do now except to go back to the hotel.

***

The doors slammed shut and Kyogen allowed herself to let loose a low groan as she dropped the bag at the foot of her bed. She slid into a chair and turned to stare at the scenery out the window. Alone with her thoughts and Sharpnote again. It wasn’t as if being alone with her companion was a bad thing, Sharpnote was great at dragging her out of her head when she got too lost in her thoughts.

Her journal landed in front of her and Kyogen blinked surprised to find it out of her backpack. Sharpnote dropped the hotel pen next to her hand and whistled a short note as it sat down next to her. Kyogen huffed and uncapped the pen, drawing staff lines on the paper. It was a shame that all her other music works were all left back in Japan. Especially the one that she was in the middle of writing.

It was a few peaceful minutes as Kyogen rewrote all of the progress on her song. Something nudged her foot and Kyogen glanced at Sharpnote to see the Stand with its head resting in its hands, somehow giving her a hopeful look despite the rectangular eye holes and the lack of facial muscles. She sighed, knowing exactly what it wanted. “You want me to sing, don’t you?”

Sharpnote nodded rapidly, letting out a few whistled notes. A small smile pulled at her mouth and she gave a good-natured chuckle. “Of course you do.”

Pursing her lips, she scanned over the written song on the paper. It would have been better if she had her guitar here, but she couldn’t be picky. Clearing her throat, she tested out a few notes as a quick warm-up (warm up before you sing y’all). She resumed marking down her music, letting it calm her as the notes flowed forth.

“I know a place we could go.

I know a place where there aren’t any roads.

Where the grass is always greener…

And doesn’t hurt my fingers.

I know a place.”

Kyogen closed her eyes and thought of the place. Maybe… once this was all over, maybe she could find a different place to live.

“So come with me dear,

The halogen hum hurts my ears.

Swim in the springs.

We could be free…”

Free… This was the freest that she had felt in months. A spur of the moment decision that stemmed from just one kind act. Singing a song in an empty hotel room with her own soul-person next to her. Yeah, it was free.

“Oh, I know a place we could go.

Unpack our bags and we'll call it a home.

The sea will sing our minds to sleep,

I know a place we could go.”

A wistful look crossed Kyogen’s face as she put the last touch to the piece of music. She picked up the notebook and inspected the piece, running over the notes again in her head. Pushing the book over the table towards Sharpnote for the Stand to see. “Do you like it?”

The Stand gently took from her hands and held it up to the light, inspecting it. Sharpnote looked at her and gave her a thumb-up, whistling a sharp tune in happiness. Kyogen smiled and stood up, stretching and tightening her ponytail. The hair tie would slip down in a little bit though, all her hair ties usually did. Really benefiting of the ‘Housewife’ nickname that the other students had given her.

Closing the journal, Kyogen was about to tuck it away before the hotel phone rang. Exchanging a curious look with her Stand, Kyogen crossed the room and reached to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“KYOGEN!”

The aforementioned girl jolted at the loud exclamation of her name and pulled the phone away from her ears. “Mr. Joestar is there a problem?”

“Wait—What are you doing in the hotel room?! Aren’t you with Jotaro, Kakyoin, and Anne right now?”

Kyogen raised an eyebrow. “I am not. They left me earlier for unknown reasons so I made my way back to the hotel. I’ve been here ever since.”

A groan radiated from the receiver and she heard Joseph sigh. “For some reason, Anne phoned earlier about you turning disfigured or something and that Jotaro and Kakyoin had left in pursuit of ‘you’.”

“I-I—What—” Kyogen paused and massaged the bridge of her nose. “Mr. Joestar, I’ll come up there, then we can talk about this.”

She hung up the phone and tilted her head at Sharpnote. “We have a situation on our hands, Sharpnote.”

The Stand tilted its head then phased away. That was the signal for Kyogen to pick up the hotel keys and make her way out of the room. It didn’t take long for her to reach the room where the two older men were staying in. She was about to knock but a throb of pain rushed through her temple. Kyogen’s vision flashed crimson before images flashed before her eyes. Dirt, dust, a darkened sky, and a darker liquid. She could barely catch the images before they disappeared, leaving only a lingering ache behind her temple. The door opened as Kyogen straightened, revealing Joseph before he led her into the room to the table. The three stared at each other for a moment.

“Well this is awkward…” she muttered underneath her breath. “Mr. Joestar, you said something about another me?”

“Right! As I said, Anne called us in a panic about how Jotaro and Kakyoin had followed you after something happened. But obviously, you’re here right now with us.”

Kyogen hummed in thought. “I don’t quite know how this could have happened.”

“The theory that Avdol and I were considering is that maybe someone had swapped places with you.”

“Perhaps,” Kyogen racked her brain. “I separated from them early on, but they promised to wait for me until I finished my trip. But they were gone when I came out. I would assume that was when the switch happened.”

It was in moments like these that she wished her head was clearer at times. Kyogen frowned as she tried to remember most of what happened. Exchanging currency… clothes… getting a necktie.

“There was a tall man,” she blurted. It was slightly useless because practically everyone was taller than her. “He had curly, black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He initiated a conversation with me. He left soon after…”

Avdol nodded. “Anything else?”

Kyogen frowned in thought. “The shopkeeper. He said something about thanking me and my ‘sister’ for coming by.

Joseph pointed at her. “That’s must be it!”

“It might be safe to assume that he’s a Stand user then,” Avdol concluded

Joseph groaned. “Great, first Polnareff, and now this attack. We don’t get a break, do we?”

“I’m sorry.”

Both men gave her a curious look. “Why are you sorry?” Joseph asked. “None of us could have predicted this. Now we’ll just have to act accordingly.”

“Alright,” Kyogen relented. “Well, how are we going to go about this now?”

“We should split up,” Joseph said. “One group picks up Polnareff and the other can meet up with Jotaro, Kakyoin, and Anne. With Hermit Purple, I can track where Jotaro and the rest are. What about you two?”

“I don’t think it’s smart for me to come to meet the group,” Kyogen mused. “It’ll only be more confusing if they decide to take my form during the confrontation.”

“I’ll accompany Kyogen,” Avdol decided. “It’ll be easier for an adult to be at hand when we reach the police station.”

“Great,” Joseph said, standing up. “Once we’re done, we’ll meet up here again.” He checked the clock on the nightstand. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to reach our next location before sundown. We might have to stay another night at the hotel.”

Kyogen nodded and stood up to follow the older men as they walked out of the room. It was when they left the entrance of the hotel did Joseph split up with them, bidding them goodbye. She followed after Avdol as the Egyptian turned right, striding briskly through the streets.

“How are you feeling, Kyogen?” Avdol asked her.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she replied mechanically.

“Are you sure?” He pried.

Kyogen stiffened. She knew that Avdol was asking out of concern but she didn’t want to bother the man. “Mhm,” she hummed. “You don’t need to worry about me, sir.”

“Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I will be here. You don’t have to keep things bottled up.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Polnareff was waiting by the door with two police officers and another man who she supposed was the Speedwagon Foundation lawyer that Joseph had called in, a bored look on his face. The French straightened up and threw his hands up in the air when he saw them. “Ah, finally!” He turned to the officers and pointed at them. “See? They’re here now, can I go yet?”

The lawyer exchanged hushed words with the officers, who soon tipped their hats and re-entered the station. Avdol passed Polnareff and greeted the lawyer, engaging in a conversation with the man while Polnareff and her watched. The French leaned over and greeted her, “Ah, Wind! Where’s Mr. Joestar?”

“There was a crisis with Kujo and Kakyoin so he had to go and meet up with them,” Kyogen explained

“I thought you were with Jotaro and Kakyoin?” Polnareff questioned.

“I am the crisis.”

Polnareff gave her an aghast look and Kyogen swore that she could see visible question marks pop up around his head. She didn’t elaborate and Polnareff didn’t ask as Avdol bid the lawyer goodbye.

“Well, you’re good to go, Polnareff. Let’s head back to the hotel to see if Mr. Joestar is back yet,” Avdol decided.

“What took you guys so long?” Polnareff groaned as they started walking.

“Well Mr. Joestar and I were going to come earlier but then Anne had called us about an emergency so we had to split up to tackle everything,” Avdol explained. “The plan was for us to pick you up while Mr. Joestar met up with the kids. We will, unfortunately, have to prolong our stay at the hotel.”

Polnareff stiffened. “Are you kidding me? My room’s a wreck and one of the staff there was found dead in it, do you think they’ll even let me step foot into the building?”

“We might need to talk to Mr. Joestar about that,” Kyogen muttered. “See if he can book you a new room or not.”

Avdol nodded. “If not, you can stay with Mr. Joestar and I or with Jotaro and Noriaki.”

“Look,” Kyogen said, pointing to an approaching group. “There they are. Polnareff, you can probably talk to Mr. Joestar now.”

“Ah great. MR. JOESTAR!”

Kyogen flinched and stumbled away from the French with wide eyes. Her first instinct was to swing an elbow into his ribcage out of surprise but she managed to restrain her knee-jerk reaction as they neared the other group. She barely managed to regain her composure before a blur of purple and green came towards her.

Two faces invaded her vision and she found her arms pinned to her sides. She was lifted closer to Star Platinum’s and Hierophant Green’s faces as Star’s large hand squished her cheeks together. “Ora!”

“Raggh!” Kyogen snapped at the offending fingers. “Put me down I swear I will—”

“Jotaro! Kakyoin! Please tell your Stands to put poor Kyogen down!” Avdol interjected.

She was unceremoniously dropped back on her feet as the Stands backed away slightly. Sharpnote was in front of her, staring at the two in slight hostility as Kyogen rubbed her jaw. Sensing her distress, Sharpnote slowly backed away from the other two and then turned to her. Her vision was covered by the crystal humanoid’s pink-peach chest as it slowly leaned over on top of her, shielding her from the others.

Kyogen patted its chest gently. “I’m alright Sharpnote,” she said. “I was just startled, that’s all.”

Sharpnote pulled back to eye her. Kyogen gave it a poker-faced thumbs-up.

“Kyogen!”

The Stands moved aside as Anne rushed up to her. A slew of questions fired off and Kyogen could barely keep up with them. “What happened? Are you okay? Was that you on the cable cars?”

Kyogen held up a hand to halt Anne. “I’m fine, and that was not me on the cable cars. You guys had already left when I came out.”

Anne scratched her head. “But… we met you coming out of the shop, and you had said that there was nothing else you needed to do.”

“That wasn’t me,” Kyogen told Anne.

“How is that possible? There’s only one of you!”

“Remember what I told you before? There are many people coming for our group and some of them are capable of things you can never imagine.”

Anne didn’t seem too perturbed as she pursed her lips. “That’s obvious,” she said. “Your group is weird, you keep talking to thin air, there are incvisible ghosts and stuff, and trouble follows you all. But it doesn’t seem like any of you guys want to hurt people.”

Right.

Kyogen smiled humorlessly as she fished the hotel keys out of her pockets and passed them to Anne. “You can go up to rest if you need to. I’ll be up there soon.”

The girl graciously took the keys, leaving Kyogen, who turned to the rest of the groups. “Kujo, Kakyoin,” she greeted them coolly. “I hope that there’ll be less surprise Stand checkups later on.”

Noriaki threw her a small smile and Jotaro huffed. “You nearly bit my Stand,” the latter muttered, scowling at her. “What the hell was that?”

“A stress response,” Kyogen replied. “You try being picked up by beings nearly two heads taller than you.”

“Sorry about that Wind,” Kakyoin apologized with a bemused smile on his face. “We were still wary from the previous events.”

“Whatever happened anyway?” Polanreff asked. “None of us really knows what happened.”

“How about we go up to the hotel room and talk about this?” Avdol suggested. “It’ll be more comfortable for us to talk about everything inside.”

Kyogen nodded. “Alright.”

***

Kyogen startled awake as the train rattled around them violently. She stared at her reflection in foggy terror. Shreds of the dream still clung to her mind but it was quickly disappearing the longer she was awake. She remembered a stark white place and a single figure with their back to her, purple-edged dark cracks creeping out from them and into the environment around them. The train rattled again and Kyogen straightened up, adjusting the tied bow around her neck, ignoring the look that Jotaro shot her from where he was next to her.

“Welcome back Wind,” Kakyoin greeted her wryly. “I’m surprised you were able to sleep with all the noise around us.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kyogen grumbled, still fixing the bow. “I don’t sleep easily but I’m a heavy sleeper.”

“What woke you up then? It certainly couldn’t have been Polnareff here. He’s been talking for the past 2 hours and you’ve been out cold.” Kakyoin jerked a thumb to the French.

Her hand paused, then it gave a harsh yank and the bow unraveled, the piece of fabric laying limp in her hands. “I can’t remember,” Kyogen replied, pointedly ignoring his eyes and focusing on her hands. Not exactly a lie, but not exactly a truth either.

“Hm, alright then,” Kakyoin said. “Well, at least you got some sleep.”

The train rattled onwards.

#jjba x oc #jotaro kujo x oc #noriaki kakyoin x oc #oc insert #jjba oc insert #part 3 oc insert #Let Down Your Crystal Walls #oc story

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panthera-tigress-infernis-blog · 7 years

Text

Heaven’s Light

He was but a young boy, not even on the cusp of true manhood, when the Six called upon him. First heir to the Lucian throne, and brother to a boy twice below his age. It had all happened rather suddenly. The Crystal that had been held aloft by sturdy ropes within the throne room had begun to glow. Its light was warm, pleasant, even inviting. The eldest prince had stepped toward the heavenly glow, unaware of what was to come; blissfully ignorant of the enormous responsibility that the Gods were thrusting upon him. The elder son of the first king was suddenly engulfed, and before him, stood the Draconian. His impervious, blue and gold armor shone brightly with the same, ethereal glow that had emanated from the crystal,

“O’ blood royal,” He bellowed, his monstrous voice nearly deafening the small lad, “It is time for you to go forth unto battle,”

“Battle?” The child’s voice was barely even a whisper, “I am but a child, sir. I cannot fight.”

The Draconian’s cobalt eyes stared down at the boy that stood in his armor-clad palm, “It is not a physical battle, child,” He began, “It is one of spiritual origin. Your kind are being overtaken by a terrible sickness. One that is caused by the very daemons that terrorize your homes.” A moment of silence passed,

“Why do you need my help, pray tell?” The boy finally inquired, his golden eyes staring up at the old God, “Can’t you do it without me?”

“No, child,” the gargantuan warrior responded, “We cannot aid your people, for we do not have the power to vanquish the foul beasts that plague the lands.” A bittersweet smile had appeared beneath the Draconian’s helmet, “Only you can rid this world of darkness.”

“Only I?” His face lit up, *I can do what the Gods cannot?* “O’ great Draconian,” he spoke to the holy figure with a puffed out chest, “I shall do what is asked of me. I shall heal the people of my home- nay, of the world. I swear to thee that I shall rid the people of this plight!”

“We trust in thee, O’ prince of Lucis.” The Draconian rumbled as the light began to swallow him, “Keep thy vows, and heal thy people, Ardyn Lucis Caelum.”

He had awoken from his meeting with the elder God, and found himself in his bed, surrounded by his family. He had told of what had happened,

“Papa,” he piped, “I met the Draconian! He says I have the gift of healing!” The sudden frown that had down turned his father’s lips, and the tears that began to streak down his face, should have been a warning to the unwary child. However, the weight was not felt until his eighteenth birthday.

So many times out there, I've watched a happy pair of lovers walking in the night. They had a kind of glow around them It almost looked like heaven's light.

He was never allowed to leave the castle walls since his encounter with the Draconian; a foul mistake that his father had made out of fear. Whenever the youth found himself unable to sleep, he would go out onto his balcony, and gaze at the people down below. Men, women, children, all living their happy lives like he had once lived his. To the prince, they all seemed to glow with a warmth that rivaled the sun itself. Deep within him, something stirred; something dark that clawed at his heart.

What is this feeling? He placed a hand to his chest as he searched for a meaning to the sinking feeling in his soul. However, there was no answer.

“You should be in bed, brother,” a low voice whispered. There was a somewhat-noticeable air of bitterness to the words.

The healer-king to be looked over his shoulder to see his younger sibling standing behind him, “I am well aware, Izunia,” he replied smoothly, “Alas, I cannot sleep.”

“Perhaps some tea will relax you,” the suggestion had come rather suddenly, “I had one of the servants make some. Would you like a cup?”

“Such a tempting offer,” He replied as he turned away from the street below, “But, I am afraid that I must decline. I shall retire for the night. Sweet dreams, little brother.” He had walked passed Izunia, and headed for his bed, where he would be undisturbed for the remainder of the night.

I knew I'd never know that warm and loving glow, Though I might wish with all my might No face as hideous as my face was ever meant for heaven's light.

His face was hidden by the hood of his mantle, and the collar of his tunic, preventing all from seeing his supposedly holy face. He had been instructed to keep his visage out of sight, even if those in need wished to thank him. Deep within his heart, lay a bitter hatred for such a stifling rule. However, he had made no attempt to mention it to his escorts. Gilgamesh, his shield, always stood near him, keeping the enamored masses out of the healer-king’s path. The young king had been summoned by a wealthy family in a fishing village near Wennath River. Their daughter had fallen ill with what they claimed was an unknown disease, and they begged him to heal her.

He and his retinue had arrived just after sunset, and began preparing for the ritual as soon as they had dismounted their worn, black steeds. The healer-king had entered their house, and entered the daughter’s bedroom,

“Good day to you, little one,” he greeted her warmly, as he had done to those he had healed in his homeland. He felt his heart break when he saw the weakness in her dull, green eyes. To see a child in such a dire state was a new ordeal for him to overcome. He strode over to her bedside, and sat upon a wicker chair. He carefully took one of her pale hands,

“Do you know why I have come?”

“Mommy and daddy said that you were going to help me, your Highness,” The girl’s voice was weak; just barely a whisper.

“And help you I shall, my child,” he crooned. He scooted closer to her, and pressed his forehead to hers. Like water flowing through a stream, the holy words poured out of his mouth, “Blessed stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness’ blight.” A soft light filled the room, ridding the child of the hideous, black splotches that dotted her flesh,

“Your daughter has been saved,” he informed the parents calmly, “However, she is to stay on bed rest for three days.” He and his entourage had stayed at the village that night. However, the selfless man had stayed by the child’s bedside, watching over her like a shepherd over his flock. So far, things had been remarkably easy for him, but things would soon change. At dawn, he and his men departed, and headed toward the area of Longwythe, where an entire village was said to host the selfsame affliction that the child had been cured of.

But suddenly an angel has smiled at me, and kissed my cheek without a trace of fright.

They had been in Longwythe for several days, tending to the ill village from sunrise to sunset. His retainers had tried to aid him, but it was the holy King himself that had done most of the work. Cleaning linens, changing bandages, and administering potions. The work had the poor soul exhausted by the time the moon had risen. However, that did not stop him from visiting with a young maiden whenever he had the time. She had lived in a house along the outskirts of the village. It was a rather crude home, almost as though it were built by a nomad. It had a straw roof, and clay walls,

“Eliza,” Ardyn had called softly into the bedroom, “How do you fare?”

“I fare well. Though, this blasted fever will not leave me be,” Her response was filled with irritability.

“I know, dear,” he crooned as he placed a cool, damp rag onto her forehead, “You must have patience. It will take quite a while for the illness to leave you.” He would not admit it, but he found himself charmed by her. He would often find himself laughing at her jokes, and he had even caught himself staring into her deep, heaven-hued eyes, and shivering at her sweet, gentle voice. However, the people that she lived among had deemed her mad for her strange lifestyle; she was a headstrong warrior who helped to defend the village; a role that, to most, was exclusively for the men,

“Here, drink,” He held a cup of water to her parched lips, “You need to keep your fluids up.”

He had cared for her for nearly a week before she could even stand on her own. Even then, she was still very weak; he even thought that the Six were going to take her. Regardless, she had managed to survive. After the seventh day, the healing troupe had gathered their items, and were ready to head back to Insomnia. The prince had strapped on his bird’s saddle when Eliza approached,

“I thank you for your aid, your Highness,” she said as she watched the king-to-be load his saddle bags.

“There is no need to thank me, dear one,” he responded, “I was merely doing my job.” He hadn’t noticed her sudden approach until he felt soft lips graze his cheek in a chaste kiss. He could feel his face heat up as though he were standing before Ifrit’s flame,

“What....what was that for, pray tell?” He turned his cognac gaze to her, his cheeks still burning bright red, like freshly forged steel.

“To show my appreciation for you, your Highness,” A giggle bubbled forth from her lips, “Do not tell me that you have never been kissed before,”

Before he had a chance to respond, his shield had called out to him, “Your Highness, we must leave at once if we are to return home before nightfall.”

“Right,” he sighed and mounted his chocobo, “Fare thee well, fair maiden.”

“Safe travels, your Highness.” She smiled bittersweetly, “And do write me when you get home, won’t you?”

Without a response, Ardyn and his men rode off toward Insomnia, unaware of the darkness that loomed on the horizon.

I dare to dream that she might even care for me And as I ring these bells tonight My cold dark tower seems so bright I swear it must be Heaven's light.

The sun had sunk beneath the horizon line when they had returned to the ever-bustling Crown City. The stars that had begun to appear shone brighter that they had done a mere night ago. At first, he had given credit to the Six,

“They have guided our way,” he had said with utmost certainty, “I shall go to the altar and give them my thanks.”

“Allow me to accompany you, your Highness,” Gilgamesh ordered in his usual, gruff manner, “I shan’t let you go alone.”

The healer-king had agreed with an understanding nod, “As you wish.” He rode his trusty steed to the nearby cathedral, wherein he began his trek to the shrine within. The halls were dark, and sparsely lit by candle light. Each dancing flame trembled as the two men passed them by. Climbing a long, spiraling staircase, they came upon the old, wooden door that led to the extravagant shrine,

“Gilgamesh, will you wait for me here?” The order came gently, as though he were speaking too a lamb.

“Of course, your Highness.” the shield replied, “I shall keep watch here until you return.”

“Thank you, my friend,” The Chosen King carefully pulled the heavy door open, and stepped into the small room. He closed the door behind him, and lit a stick of incense as an offering to the Six. The small flames that lit the room revealed the massive, gold etching upon the walls. It was of the Six, fighting an unidentifiable force. Around that, were a vast array of paintings that depicted the prophecy; the King of Light, dispelling the darkness. Silently, he knelt before the altar, and clasped his hands in prayer,

“O’ great redeemers,” He began, “I come to you to offer my thanks. My men and I would not have made it home safely, had it not been for the stars you had placed in the heavens. I thank you for every day you have given us, and I thank you for the bountiful harvest we shall no doubt consume in our home.” He paused for a moment as the memory of Eliza invaded his mind,

“If I may, I have something to ask of you,” the prince finally spoke up once again, “Please, let Eliza recover from the scourge that I hath removed in your name, and I ask that you forgive her, for she knows not what she does.” He slowly rose from the floor, and turned to leave, feeling a light, warm breeze brush passed his face; there was no opening in the walls. The King-to-be exited the shrine, and descended the spiral stairs with his trusted shield. The two remounted their avian allies, and returned to the great, stone castle. There, his aging father had greeted them with open arms,

“Good evening to you both!” He had rumbled, “Come! The others are waiting for you in the dining hall.”

The prince had followed unquestioningly until he had noticed a small detail, “Father, where is Izunia?”

The King sighed, “He was feeling a tad under the weather, so he retired early.”

“Without supper?” How queer... The three of them entered the vast dining hall to see that nearly every seat was filled. People of varying occupation sat before a rather large banquet. Servants, knights, gardeners, and even maids were all sitting together, and enjoying their food. At the head of the table, sat his mother; a fair-skinned, blond-haired woman who was often very sickly. The two empty seats closest to her were for her husband and elder son; both of which had eagerly taken their seats.

Soon, every soul in the castle had bid one another goodnight, and had gone to bed. The prince, however, did not. He stood out on the balcony, looking out over the remaining people on the streets below as he had done three nights ago. He could still see the warm, heavenly glow that danced among the families and couples. However, the doleful sensation that had once clawed at him had not come. Instead, a feeling of warmth radiated throughout his chest as the bells in the nearby clock tower announced the time,

Eliza, I thank you for showing me love when everyone else could not. He sight blissfully as he turned away from the street and headed inside, May the gods watch over thee. He crawled into bed, closed his eyes, and fell into slumber; dreaming of the woman who had stolen his heart.

#panthera-tigris-infernis #fanfic #fanfiction #FFXV #Ardyn Izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #Hunchback of Notre Dame #Heaven's Light #Here it is #I out it under read more so it wouldn't clutter the dash #But wow #My hands are killing me #It's not my best work #But it's okay

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nekolatte · 5 years

Text

Chapter Six: Sir Knight

Preview: His smile was charmingー add that to the sparkle in dark eyes and Weiss’s unfamiliarity with the attention of attractive young men on herー and her heart skipped. She cast a glance toward Ironwood, but he was talking with the Knight-Captain once more, and she didn't know why but felt a sting of disappointment.

---

It wasn't that Weiss never ventured out of the castle and into the city proper, but the trips were infrequent and never close to informal, so she hardly counted the ventures. The Knight-General was still nobilityー but nobility hardly seen in the central of Atlas, and was given little fanfare when they passed through the city or entered the Knight Academy. He reassured Weiss they were only meeting a friend of his, and she needn't interact with a soul if she wasn't up to it. But it felt like a test, and was certain she failed it when she shook her head and agreed to meet with a few ranking officers. Ironwood looked surprised but made no comment, instead filling the time with observations and questions of the city around them. Though when it became evident that Weiss’s knowledge of the land that lay just beyond her borders of the castle were lacking, it was dropped entirely.

Weiss was only all too grateful to exit the carriage once they were well within the compound of the Academy, stretching her legs and allowing her curiosity to pull her in small, aborted directions while Ironwood instructed their coachman when to return for their departure.

There was a main path that lead further into the academy and towards the clanging of steel that drew her in, curiosity brimming. She had been far too young the last time a tourney was held within Atlas, and between that and her mother's passing, there was no one to conduct it and bestow a proper gift upon the victor. The maids talked about how lackluster it had beenー with no gallant knight eager to show off and romance a young woman of nobility. Instead there was her father, to reward coin and a title, and everyone went home unsatisfied. Adding that blemish and the war still being fought up north, it seemed no one was eager to conduct another soon.

“James!” A voice boomed and broke through Weiss’s fleeting thoughts, forcing her attention back to why she came here in the first place. She watched as the knight-general and a stranger embrace like old friends, and could only speculate that this was the head instructor by the decoration on his uniform and the grey in his hair. It was the first time Weiss had seen Ironwood genuinely happy to see someone, and the differences between his courteous smiles and this outright grin were astounding. “What brings you down here among us commoners?”

“You're hardly a commoner, Cobalt.” Ironwood's voice was fond and friendly, at odds with his usual demeanor. “I’ve come to see if you're teaching my knights anything worthwhile.”

“Was my last batch not good enough for you, bastard?” Said in obvious jest, Weiss still blanchedー blinking in surprise. Old friends or not, Weiss had heard of nobles hanging people for much less than a few improper words. “Only time I ever see you these days is when you need something. And now you dragged some poor girl out here into the muck and grime without so much as anー”

Finally noticed, as Weiss had stood quiet and a bit behind Ironwood, she instinctively straightened out to appear every bit as regal and proper as her status dictated. The man gave her a single glance over and shut his mouth so quickly it was a miracle he didn't lop off a bit of tongue and turned an alarming shade of white.

In a flurry of gangly limbs, the man immediately bent at the knee in front of her and pressed a fist over his heartー arm held out perpendicular to his body and bowed his head. “Your Royal Highness, this knight begs your forgiveness for his impropriety.” Gone the slight accent and the slurring end to his words, though what caught her attention more were the muffled sounds coming from Ironwood as he turned away from the scene. There was an unmistakable shake to his shoulders. “Had I known Your Highness was visiting, I would have prepared a royal welcomeー”

Realizing she had been used to pull a mean trick, and the guilty look Ironwood showed her after she attempted to ease the poor instructor's fear and quiet his ramblings, she spoke with a tone she heard her father use time and again. Though instead of berating the man as the king would, she politely asked him to stand.

“You had no way of knowing I would be coming. Please do not concern yourself over matters that can no longer be remedied. I am only here as a visitorー a guest of the Knight-General.”

Frantic eyes turned to Ironwood, who simply nodded, back in control of himself, and formally presented the two. “Cobalt, as you know: Her Royal Highness and my lovely new bride, Weiss Schnee. Your Highness: Knight-Captain and head instructor of the Royal Knights, Cobalt Blu. We were friends in our youth and served in a battalion together.”

“A pleasure to formally meet you, Your Highness, and I must apologize once again for not attending the wedding ceremony, but there is still much to prepare for the campaign up north.”

Weiss waved off his apology, and remembered the act she was meant to be playingー convincing people that she was utterly enamored with the Knight-General. “It was dreadfully dull; the only saving grace of the night was your friend willingly taking my hand.”

Both men laughed politely, but Ironwood shook his head and spoke in an utterly warm and fond tone that had her chest twisting up in knots, and the look he gave her nearly made her believe again that none of this was an act. “The other way around, Your Highness.”

“...I’m a bit jealous.”

Weiss immediately turned away as the start of a blush rose to her cheeks from Blu’s innocent comment, hearing Ironwood cough before continuing the idle conversation.

“You were the one that decided a bachelor life suited you best.”

“And I still think that, but I don't think that's what you came down here to talk about.”

The clipped conversation that followed was lost on Weissー talk of supplies and recruits going over her head. Still, she stood there quiet and patient while her gaze wandered, always drawn back to the clang of steel beyond. She knew Winter had trained with a sword before going to the front lines, and wondered just how difficult it would be for her to learn. Though there probably wasn't room for such lessons amongst her many others, and she would only be taught as a performance rather than for actual combat. She sighed wistfully.

“I think we're boring Her Highness, James.”

Startled, Weiss turned back and immediately began protesting, though Ironwood's placating gestures had her calming down before she could really get it in her head that she was doing something wrong.

“I didn't bring you here to have you stand to the side while I talk, Your Highness. I’m sure Cobalt will be more than generous to allow you to wander freely among the grounds.”

“Oh, of course! Though, do be carefulー there's always bits of metal flying around. Perhaps we can find you an escort...” The Knight-Captain frowned out to the distance where a small group of knights were passing by. He called over one specifically by name, and they waited while the young man trotted over in full armorー the Schnee crest polished to a sign upon his chest. “Your Highness, this is Flynt Coal; he can escort you wherever you wish to go. Coal, as you knowー”

As Blu had done so earlier, though with much less hurry and far more gracefully, Coal got down to one knee despite the bulky armorー armored palm braced over his chest and head bowed. “Her Royal Highness, second of her name and heiress to the Atlesian throne, Weiss Schnee. It's an honor to be in your presence, Your Highness.”

To her ear, the spiel sounded flat, but Weiss mentally shook herself free of the wriggling thought, and bowed her head before instructing the knight to rise. “There is no need to be so formal. I am but a guest here.”

“An important one, Your Highness. And one’s whose beauty we rarely get to see.” His smile was charmingー add that to the sparkle in dark eyes and Weiss’s unfamiliarity with the attention of attractive young men on herー and her heart skipped. She cast a glance toward Ironwood, but he was talking with the Knight-Captain once more, and she didn't know why but felt a sting of disappointment.

Sighing to herself, and giving Coal her undivided attention, she offered him a small smile of her own. “You flatter, Sir Coal. Are you just a good of an escort?”

Without a word, he presented his arm to her, which she laid a palm upon the tepid metal, smooth and unblemished beneath her fingertips. He lead her in a slow circle around the main entranceー speaking low to her about the history of the place, the accomplished knights that have walked out the gates and made names for themselves, Ironwood being among them. The guided tour slow going, but there was something practiced to it all that left Weiss uneasy. She didn't dare voice it, as Coal was pleasant enough company for the time being, and managed to pick up on her subtle cues to turn their tour towards the training grounds.

They stayed far enough away to be safe of any flying projectiles, but close enough for Weiss to be mesmerized by the clang and spark of steelー the quick and graceful movements of combatants, even in armor. There were different weapons for different knights: tall, short, stout and lanky, all applying different fighting styles to suit their needs. She had always considered knights to be akin to soldiersー uniform, under one banner. She was horribly wrong.

“Howー” Perhaps it was because she was around someone her own age, who knew of her only as a figure in the distance, that she felt emboldened to ask, or perhaps because there were no prying eyes and ears to report back to her father, but Weiss continued with a manufactured air of indifference. “How long does it typically take to learn how to wield a sword?”

“If my instructor is to be believedー straight away. But if you want to learn how to use it well, then forever. Most learn how to parry within a month.”

The farther they got from the Knight-General and Captain, the less animated Coal seemed to become. She was thankful she hadn't swooned from his earlier smile and then made to feel like a fool now. The uneasiness made sense, tooー it was an act. But rather than let the sleeping snake lie, unknowing if and when it would strike, she thought to prod it out of hiding to see how sinister it meant to be.

“And yourself? How long did it take for you to learn to parry?”

Coal was silent for a moment, and Weiss subtly watched him as his features pinched with barely-concealed emotions. There were words in his mouth he was keeping back by clenching teethー forcing them down after a thick swallow, though they seemed lodged in his throat. “I was very young.”

“I suppose it was the only route open to you.” It was not what was said but how, and Coal didn't miss the subtly. Many knights were nobles by name onlyー third, fourth sons of minor homes wishing to make something of themselves before they were cast out of their family homes by older siblings. A desperate grab to keep status and known luxuries, and the reaction was immediate. She had been right to be wearyー the mask was cast aside in that instant, and Flynt Coal turned upon her with a fury that would have terrified her on a greater man.

The court had leverage over herー they could hinder her reign before she even took the throne, not counting the damage they could do if their gossip reached her father, but one lonely knight had little power to go against her. And Coal seemed to know this, at the very least, because while he stood there in anger, looming over her in his well-polished armor, he did not strike as his shaking fists seemed to want.

“You don't even know who I am, who my family is, do you?”

“Considering you were not deemed important enough to gain an invitation to the royal weddingー no, and I cannot imagine I should care.” It was a cruelty that reflected her father's beliefs more than her own, though she mirrored them now only because she wanted to put this stranger in his place.

That he would think it his privilege to speak to her in such a manner was offensive, and she had every intention of letting him know what she thought of his family, though he had words of his own that had her visibly blanching in shock when he beat her to them. From the incompetence of her father to the lives he's destroying in his pursuit of power, Coal’s own family among them, forced to supply Atlesian soldiers under penalty of death until their village was depleted of resources with no means to pick themselves up againー to Weiss herself, “the Ice Doll” as the peasantry took to whispering out of earshot of any royal guard. Nothing more than an empty vessel for her father's voice, a far cry from the previous Queen who at least had a voice of her own.

Weiss’s fears and insecurities laid bare by a young man that didn't even know her, shaking her already unstable foundations. The order was on her tongue, her face turning red from rage and shameー unable to hide the effect he had on her as a proper heir to the crown should. She had never ordered another's death before, until this point she never thought she would have to, but before the words could be choked out, Coal was shoved out of her line of vision and a happy, if visibly tense, face replaced it.

“H-Hi, Your Highness! I mean, greetings!” In leather armor, the knight’s feminine silhouette was obvious, as was the tail swinging irritably behind her, making Weiss recoil at the sight. She had met only one faunus in her life, long ago and under strict circumstances, yet it was not enough to prepare her for the sight of another.

The tail looked unnatural, as if fixed in place by some demonic power playing god, revolting her like the sight of a pest would. It didn't belong on a human body, and took effort to tear her sight from it as her skin crawled. The faunus in question hadn't missed her reaction, and neither had Coal. He looked ready to speak over the newcomer’s attempt at civility, but a sharp jab between plates of armor had him choking down on the outburst, the new knight smiling through the uncomfortable situation.

“I can only hope that a kind and generous princess, such as yourself, will take pity on Sir Coal’s disrespectful and untoward actions. We are all under stress, you seeー soon to be shipped out, to fight for your glory and honor! Whatever he said was justー” Here she snorted, unladylike in behavior and chivalry. “He was justー heatstroke, ya know?”

Weiss's nose wrinkled, disgust evident. She took a step back, ready to shout for someone to apprehend both, when the faunus caught Coal by the arm and dragged him down to kneel alongside. Both now at her feet, neither making eye contact. It sounded like it pained the faunus to plead, but she did anyway. Mercy for bothー the sole providers that kept their families out of destitution. Whatever Coal had done, because she didn't even know, yet was quick to come to his aid anyway, was not done out of true malice. They were scared of their future and only Weiss had the power to ease some of their worries.

Seeing them now, willing to drag themselves to such lowly status, made pity blossom in her chest. But this was what she had wanted, wasn't it? To see those below her act like they were? Yet it didn't bring her any satisfaction, only a twisted feeling in her stomach that made her mildly ill. She looked off to the side, where a few knights had caught sight of the exchange and openly murmured among themselves. It wouldn't provide good moral to have two of their brothers in arms executed, and it would certainly cause Ironwood troubleー to be forced to side with her decision or outright reject it. She wouldn't put him into such a position, not after their agreed truce.

Sighing to herself, and steeling her nerves, Weiss told both to rise with enough command to broker no hesitation. Then low, for their ears only, she pardoned Coal’s disrespect on one condition: she be taught how to use a blade.

Neon Katt, who recovered first and gave her name after Weiss reluctantly asked for it, spoke with a small measure of awe and confusion. “Why does a princess want to know how to use a sword? That's what we're here for.”

Straightening her back even more, though Weiss was still shorter than both, she put on the airs her position dictated and huffed as if the answer should be obvious. “Because it would be your honor to teach a member of nobility, and to boast of your capabilities and skills.”

Weiss didn't think it imperative to mention that she just wanted to learn and this was the only way she could see it happening. Winter's letter, the subsequent understanding that her father was trying to manipulate her, made the need to know important.

“It is this or the stockade.”

The knights exchanged looks, and while neither looked particularly willing, Coal nodded and Katt agreed aloud.

“You must keep this to yourselves as well.”

“Then how are we supposed to 'boast'ー?” Another jab silenced Coal, who took it with little grace and a round of curses that made Weiss flush, but Katt’s carefree attitude rolled right over him.

“What could possibly go wrong? When do we start!”

#therell be plot soon #maybe #these vows we make

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buckybarnesappreciationsociety · 7 years

Text

Sacred Vows

Summary: This was written for @bionic-buckyb‘s 5K writing challenge. I chose the prompt, “There’s no one else I’d rather have in my life than you” Thank you for allowing me to take part in this. Hope you like it.

Word Count: Kinda lengthy (sorry)

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

A/N: I’m a true romantic and James Buchanan Barnes deserves to love and be loved.

Bucky wanted a simple ceremony in front of a justice of the peace. You didn’t care as long as you and he were joined in holy matrimony. Natasha Romanoff super sleuth discovered your plans and alerted the team. Tony scoffed at the thought of a “shot gun wedding.” “You’re getting married on my private island. Pepper will handle the wedding details and the rest of us are your wing men and women.” Tony rubbed his hands together with a gleam in his eyes. You could see the cogs turning in his head!!

“But Tony, Bucky and I don’t want anything over the top,” Y/N pleaded, trying to keep up with his long strides. “Uh, sorry future Mrs. Frost Bite, did you say something?” Bucky slapped his forehead and sighed heavily, finally relenting, “okay Stark. Our wedding is in your hands.”

A chorus of “yay” and thunderous applause erupted in the common room. Pepper sprang into action contacting the necessary shops. While on the phone with the decorator, she removed the phone from her ear, “YN? What are your colors?” Honestly, you and Bucky never discussed colors. “We don’t have a color preference.” “Pish posh. Let me see. What about cobalt blue, grey and white?” “Okay, let’s see the colors together.” Hanging up from the decorators she pulled up the colors on her tablet and showed them to Bucky and his fiancé.

“What do you think, babe?” Bucky looked in amazement. “I really like the colors. What do you think, Doll?” “I say YES.” Wanda and Nat found a quaint little bridal shop in Manhattan, Le Chic. The bridal party arrived via white stretch limo.

“Ladies, your chariot awaits.” YN, Wanda, Nat and Dr. Cho gasped. “Really Tony? A limo?” “Yep future Mrs. Frozensicle. Go big or go home.” The ladies looked at each other and made their way to the white stretch limo. Pepper knew Tony had a soft spot for YN and wanted to make her special day one they’ll never forget.

****

“Stevie, I don’t wanna assume anything but will ya be my best man?” The blonde super soldier gripped Bucky’s shoulders, “I’d be honored, jerk.” “Thanks punk.” Sam and Clint feigned hurt. “Well damn, looks like we’re the ugly step sisters, Clint.”

Bucky knew YN wanted Sam and Tony to walk her down the aisle. “Look buttheads, Y/N wants Sam and Tony walking her down the aisle. So, that leaves Clint, Thor, Scott and Bruce as my groomsmen.” Thor announced with his booming, “my friends, let’s go and procure attire for the fair Lady Y/N and James’ impending nuptials, which I will gladly officiate.” Everyone gave him an exasperated glance.

****

The limo carrying the bridal party pulled up to Le Chic Bridal Shop. Onlookers swore they were movie stars. Once inside, Nathaniel and Pepper exchanged hugs and air kisses. She gave him information on what Y/N wanted and he went to work. Complimentary drinks and finger food were served. Wanda and Dr. Cho looked around for the perfect bridesmaid gowns. Nat beamed when asked to be Y/N’s maid of honor. Of course, she opted for something short but not too fancy. This was her best friend’s day!

Finding dresses wasn’t a hard task for the ladies. Dr. Cho and Wanda chose beautiful Vera Wang bridesmaid dresses, with lace on the top half. They thought it best to dress the same.

Nat found the perfect dress that accentuated her curves but wasn’t too fancy.

Y/N browsed through the wedding gowns and stopped on a gorgeous Stella York gown. It had a 1940’s look, white with a cobalt blue inlay at the bottom.

The dressing room attendants helped her try the dress on. She stepped from behind the curtain and everyone gasped. Nat became teary eyed; Wanda and Dr. Cho clapped. Y/N was choked up. “Ladies, I’ve found my wedding gown.”

“Mission accomplished.” Everyone raised their glasses and toasted a successful shopping trip. Next stop, LUNCH!!!

At Giovonni’s Tailor Emporium, Bucky suggested everyone dress alike. Grey suits, white shirts, cobalt blue vests, ties and pocket squares. Bucky’s tie was striped with grey, cobalt blue and white! “Well, that was easy. Gentlemen, lunch awaits.” Why don’t we frequent our watering hole for bar food and brew?” The groom’s party fancied hot wings, fries, beer and scotch.

Bucky spoke, “listen guys. I ain’t for mushy speeches but I just gotta say how much me and Y/N appreciate what you’re doing to make our wedding special. Tony, I appreciate your generosity. She’s worth it and then some.” Everybody held their glasses high. “To finally getting Sir Frosty married.” Raucous laughter erupted, as the men continued to eat, drink and be merry. Thor, Steve, and Bucky were enjoying his Asgard mead.

Arriving in St. Bart’s

The Stark jet landed on a private air strip. Tony’s concierge, Reynaldo and staff met the wedding party and helped load luggage and wedding attire on a yacht and sped off to Tony’s private island!! Bucky and Y/N were speechless. 3 different hues of blue dotted the water with white sand, along with waves gently crashing against the rocks. “Dollface, look at this place. It’s beautiful.” “Yes, my love, it’s a dream come true.” Bucky planted a lingering kiss on her lips. “Oh good grief, get a room already,” Sam teased the happy couple. Bucky flipped him off!!!

The ferry shuttle to “The Isle of Tranquility” arrived and everyone boarded. The view was fascinating. Tony’s estate could be seen over the horizon. Wanda and Nat enjoyed the feeling of nothingness; no training or missions. Just rest, relaxation and rejuvenation!!!

The ladies had a wing to themselves and were treated to a massages, manicures and pedicures. The guys enjoyed the ultimate man cave! Pool tables, video arcade, projection televisions, fully stocked bar and food for days. Bucky and Steve engaged in a rousing game of pool, while Sam, Clint, Scott, and Bruce played video games. Thor, Tony, Rhodey and Nick watched a football game on the massive television. Vision took a stroll on the beach. This was a new experience for him.

***

Nightfall beckoned them to the beach for dinner. Y/N stopped Tony on their way to the table. “Oh Tone, this is more than we could ever dream of. Thank you so much for making our wedding extraordinary.” “Hey, you and Ice Man deserve it. Just be happy and name your first kid Anthony Edward Barnes.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll have to talk to Bucky about that. I love you.” “Love you too kiddo. Now, let the pre-wedding festivities commence!!!” Succulent island dishes were served as laughter and conversation filled the air.

Wedding Day

Y/N stood on the balcony, sipping coffee, as pink and yellow streaks ushered in the sunrise. Her mind drifted to Bucky. In a few hours, she would become his wife.

Nat walked up and stood by her side. “Are you ready to become Mrs. Barnes?”

“I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life, Nat. I love him so much.”

“I know Y/N/N and he loves you too. C’mon let’s get this day started.”

The ladies linked arms and walked back inside to eat, then on to hair, make-up and getting dressed.

The Union of James Buchanan Barnes and Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N

The white canopies adorned with beautiful blue and white flowers dotted the patio. White chairs with cobalt blue seat pads. Pepper kept it simple, but elegant. In the background was the ocean. The sun rays danced on the water and gave the impression of twinkling stars.

The atmosphere was laid back, only a select few were in attendance.

Soft violin and harp strings strummed in the background.

Bucky, best man Steve and his groomsmen took their places at the altar.

First down the aisle was Wanda, followed by Dr. Cho.

Afterwards, Natalia made her entrance.

All eyes were transfixed on the entry of Y/N. As the bridal march played, everyone stood.

Tony and Sam stood in the back waiting to walk her down the aisle.

Bucky’s eyes watered as she began her decent towards him.

Wow, she looks like a dream Stevie.”

“Yes she does Buck.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Even Nick Fury turned his head to compose himself.

After walking Y/N to her waiting fiancé, Tony and Sam gave her a kiss on the cheek.

True to his word, Thor, via the internet, officiated their wedding. When time came for the vows, Bucky and Y/N wrote their own:

Y/N

I’ve always believed everyone has a soul mate; that one, unique person picked and set aside just for them. But being the cynic, the idea of a soul mate didn’t register with me until I met you, James Buchanan Barnes. One look into those bright azure blue-grey eyes melted my hardened heart and turned my empty world completely upside down. My love, you’re the strongest, kindest and gentle man I know. You’re my protector, rock, lover and best friend. God truly showed out when he created you. Thank you for taking my barren heart, filling it with love so deep and pure. I’ll love you till the end of my days and beyond. You’re my first, my last, my everything!

Bucky

My Angel, I’m so nervous my hands are sweating, but here goes. You came into my life during a really bad spell. My nightmares had become unbearable and I was withdrawn. Truth be told, I wanted to end it all. But one day, you walked into the common room, smiled at me and I was bitten. At that moment, a heavy weight lifted from my worn shoulders and the sun was bright again. I mean, look ‘atcha. You’re a goddess. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. And you actually wanna spend the rest of your life with me. Doll, you chased away the demons that had me bound; took this broken man and put me back together again. I’ll love you till the day I die ‘cuz there’s no one else I’d rather have in my life than you.

TAGS: @bionic-buckyb @omalleysgirl22 @amrita31199 @theimpossibleg1rl @sgtjamesbuchananbarnes107th @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @commvnderdamerons @erisjade @goody2shoessmut @goodnightwife @papi-chulo-bucky @deals-with-demons @cant-stop-the-fandoms @dretjie12 @nenyakj @just-another-fanfiction-writer @captainbuckybarnes @supersoldierslover @gaybybirth @redgillan @gingerbatchwife @irene-rogue-adler @flirtswithdanger @rhyjr2

#bucky barnes #beautiful #bucky imagine #writing prompt #seaside wedding

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depressedvegetable-blog · 6 years

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Dreaming

I have been tormented with nightmares for the better part of two years, ever since I went through a very traumatic period in my late teens. Almost every night without fail I have horrifying dreams that utilize every guttural fear I didn't know I had. Seriously I could make horror films about some of these. For example.

I was going down a deserted road in a sir urban neighborhood in a shopping cart when I came across a hill at the edge of the neighborhood, which bordered a swamp. I went down the hill under no control of my own as shopping carts don't have steering wheels, and veered off the road into the wooded area. There was also a very steep drop off where the ground literally disappeared and reappeared 30 feet lower with no angle of decline, just a fucking mini cliff. And of course I fell down it in my shopping cart, as the vines got caught in the wheels and the branches in the trees blinded me. I don't remember hitting the ground.

There was a Russian man like Gru from despicable me(I hate that movie) but like actually evil and grim reaper powers ish. He told me that he knew when my mother would die, and then he set out an outfit for her that she would die in. This would signal to me, who was the only one who could talk to the Russian man, that this was the day my mother would die, as he would not tell me the date precisely. I talked with him in a heated conversation in an attempt to figure out how to stop it, but I could do nothing. The outfit was bumble bee themed, with a striped black and yellow dress with matching socks and various other black and yellow accessories. As I was talking with the Gru Reaper my mother entered the room, unaware of any danger. Then I was forced to clothe my mother in the bumblebee outfit, signaling to me that I had wasted all my time arguing with death and now my mother was about to die but I couldn't tell her(for dream reasons).

This is more recent and probably the most horrific objectively. There was this girl I didn't get along with in school named Amanda and she was a fucking bitch. She was. She made up lies about me and was always being rude for no reason. Anyways, I hadn't thought about her in a long time when I had this dream. In the dream Amanda had gone rabid and was trying to kill everyone in school, as a rabid person does. She would run around with a knife/multiple knives of various styles and sizes trying to kill my schoolmates and myself. I tried over and over to defend myself without hurting her, because although I hate that bitch I wasn't just going to try and kill her if I didn't have to. But I did have to. And I think one of my friends actually did end up hurting her badly or killing her but it turned out she was like an actual demon or something and so she couldn't be killed unless every piece of her body was completely destroyed, think like terminator 2, or the silver metal melty one, whichever one that is. She was like that. So I ended up having to,HAVING TO stab Amanda in the back with her own knife, in the trapezius muscle, around the spine of her left scapula in the upper middle portion of her back. I dragged the knife right so I cut a long line across the top of her back near her neck. I then drug the knife cut around her neck, cutting her Carotid and jugular from the back so I wouldn't have to look at her while she died. I held her head away from me as she thrashed and bled out. I stabbed her several more times to make sure she was dead, and then I chopped her up Hannibal lecter style. I spirilized all of her body into flesh pasta(raw btw) and had to eat it so she wouldn't come back. And she was a big girl so I had to eat A LOT. And I don't eat meat irl so it was hard to deal with that. It tasted texture wise like undercooked butternut squash, which I had eaten a month earlier that had been unpleasant. The flesh pasta had no sauce since I cut her up in school and there was no communal kitchen so I ate it without salt or marinara or anything. I told one of my friends what I did and I gave him and one other unknowing friend the last two pieces of flesh to eat(because dream logic) and the unaware guy ate it just fine but the knowing guy flushed it down the toilet LIKE A FUCKINNG IMBECILE and made all the work and calories I just consumed literally useless. So Amanda regenerated in the sewer and the rush started over. Thanks Todd for throwing out a bite sized piece of human flesh. IT WASNT THAT FUCKIG HARD TODD. GOD.

Next one was scary because of mental issues I personally deal with. There was a monster that takes away your soul when you're most alone(which is almost always when you take a shit) and then incorporates it with all the other souls it's taken and blends you into itself, erasing your identity so you no longer exist, you are only the monster now without a consciousness. Two scary things about this: 1)losing your identity and being aware of your consciousness stripped from you and 2) shirting in front of people. Two very real fears. So I end up shutting in a clothing drawer of mine which still hold clothes because the toilet is under the control of the monster and I hold my friend's hands and look into her eyes as I do so so the monster can't get me, but he does. I feel myself being erased and it was one of the most horrifying things to be aware of your consciousness being erased. Then I became this digital version of myself that was exclusively existing inside a daily talk show. I wore a cobalt blue lace burka. I was angry because the monster made me, the white girl, representing the traditionally Arabic Muslim community. It was a whitewashed cast in my opinion.

I accidentally murdered four people and threw their chopped up corpses into an underground pool with crocodiles and empty suits of armor in it. This came way before Amanda, and I shot these guys with a heavy duty gun which left big holes in their chest. It wasn't good. I'm not pro gun just as an FYI, I feel like I am coming across as psychopathic because of these dreams. PSA I have no control over what happens in them. Interestingly this dream also had a shopping like cart in it too in which I hauled around the dead body pieces, which was also cobalt blue, but larger than a traditional shopping cart and with plastic siding.

A demon monster of an underground school lagoon possessed and killed hundreds of kids. There wasn't much plot there but the monster made all of the possessed kids into marble like statues that she could take control of. It was refreshing to see a female character in my dreams in such a position of power.

My art teacher told me I was too annoying to be worth teaching. I was also told that I have a 49% in my hardest class going into the final. In reality I have a 96% in that hard class and, well, my art teacher may find me annoying, I have a bad habit of talking back to his criticism.

There's more but these are the most poignant in my brain. As I throw this into the empty void of the internet, if anyone wants to hear more of these let me know and I'll post another of these with more. I have plenty of them. It's every night bro.(fuck u Logan Paul)

As always, with disgrace and shame,

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