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mlovesstories · 5 years

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Photobombing

AN- @spngenrebingo square: heartbreak

Word count: 3100

Summary- Jensen misunderstands a situation, but recognizes another, and tries to keep YN safe.

Warnings: verbal and physical abuse, cussing

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“Hey!” Jensen yelled “You!” He stomped toward a young lady with a camera.

“Yes, sir?” She brought the camera away from her face.

“Stop taking pictures of me and my kids!” He pointed to his children running behind him across the field. “I get that I’m on TV, but you don’t get to just freely get pictures like that.”

“Sir-“

“Give me your camera!”

“Oh, shit,” she gasped. “No, sir. I wasn’t! Here, look!” The young girl passed him her camera. “My name is YN Camden! I’m in a photo class, and I was taking pictures of the bees! See?” YN pointed to a flower in the same line of sight as the Ackles children. “I wouldn’t take photos of somebody without permission. I promise.” She scrambled to get her words out.

“Fine,” He gruffly pushed the camera back into her chest. As he walked away, she called for his attention.

“Hey, Ackles!” He turned to face her. His cheeks turned red at her use of his name. “Thanks for ruining my perception of you. And to think I would enjoy my time at the convention this week. I’ll be canceling if you treat everyone like that when there is a minor misunderstanding!”

YN walked away.

“Wait!” Jensen chased after her. “I’m sorry. Please come. I’ll make it the best fan experience and have you upgraded to VIP.”

“I don’t need your upgrades. I’ll go, but you should change your freaking attitude,” she spoke through her gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry. I’ll see you there.”

“No. I’ll be keeping to myself, thanks.”

YN walked away.

Danneel and the Ackles children walked to Jensen.

“What happened?” Danneel asked.

“I thought she was taking pictures of the kids, so I went off. Turns out she was taking photos of bees. The poor girl got chewed out because I was making assumptions. “AND she told me she is attending the convention next week. I just made myself look like an idiot in front of a fan,” he huffed. “She said she planned on canceling her ticket. I think I convinced her not to, though.”

“You’re not perfect, Jay. We’ve talked about this. Maybe you shouldn’t have gone off, but you won’t act perfectly all the time.”

“She is a fan, though.”

“I get it. Maybe allow her a photo or something at the convention,” Danneel suggested.

“Daddy! Let’s play!” JJ ran into his arms.

————

YN’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Yes, hi. My name is Kathy from Creation Entertainment, and I am delighted to tell you that your ticket has been upgraded to VIP at no charge to you!” The lady smiled through the phone with a high pitched voice.

“No thanks. Tell Jensen to suck it,” YN pushed the red button to end the call. “Ugh!”

————-

“What?” YN groaned on one end of the phone line.

“Uh…. it’s Jensen Ack-“

“Ya know, I don’t know why you keep being an ass. I canceled my ticket, and I will not be watching the show anymore. How dare you-“

“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.”

“How dare you continue blaming me for doing something I proved I wasn’t doing. Then you freaking walked off. Good day, you ass.”

“I’m assuming you live in the Austin area?”

Perplexed, she answered, “Yeah. You following me?”

“No. Danneel and I want to have you over for dinner.”

“Umm- What?” YN stuttered.

“Are you free any night this week?”

“Uh-,” she took a breath. “Wednesday I won’t have too much homework. You realize you’re letting some fan into your house, right? That’s weird.”

“Well, I think I owe you. And considering your privacy policy that you stick to, I’m not worried,” Jensen smiled into the phone.

“Fine. Give me your address.” She huffed, somewhat resistant.

———-

“Code please, ma’am?” The security guard raised a brow at the girl in her chipped-painted vehicle as her tires crept toward the gate. Her brakes squealed.

“Umm,” YN looked at her crumpled piece of paper. “JD310.” The security guard looked at his clipboard.

“ID, please.” He extended his hand. When she offered it to him, he thanked her and verified her clearance code.

“Thank you, sir.” YN smiled weakly, took her ID, and she slowly rolled through the intimidatingly huge gate’s threshold. “DAMN, ACKLES.” YN’s eyes almost popped out of her head noticing the large homes. As she pulled up to the curb of Jensen’s house, she gasped. “It’s so pretty.” YN slowly got out of her car and double-checked the address. “Here goes nothing.”

Before she could get to the door, Jensen opened it with a smile.

“Hey, YN! You want some dinner?” He opened his arms to her. She gave him a hesitant hug.

“Sure. Thank you, Mr. Ackles.”

“Aw, come on. Call me Jensen.” He backed away from the hug as Danneel walked up behind him.

“Hi! I’m Danneel!” The woman extended her hand.

“Hi, Danneel!” YN squealed. The adults laughed. “Sorry. I just really liked you on One Tree Hill.”

“I appreciate the support. We had fun on that set for sure. Come in, get comfy.”

“Thanks.”

———

The Ackles’ children loved YN, and they had many laughs throughout the evening, but her phone kept ringing. Finally she put it on silent.

“You may be more popular than me, YN,” Jensen smiled.

“No, just Stev- nevermind. He shouldn’t be bothering me the rest of the evening. Anyway,” she changed the subject. “I love your screened in porch.”

“Thanks. We get to use it a lot,” Danneel answered.

“It’s pretty. I want one of those someday.”

“Can you please come to the convention?” Jensen asked after much conversation. “I’m not a bad guy,” he looked away.

“Fine,” YN sighed. “I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

“I was the jerk. I'll make sure you have a great time and that you are reimbursed,” the actor smiled.

“Thanks.”

“I’m tired. Shit, it’s so late,” YN looked at her phone.

“There’s a guest wing if you would like to stay the night. Please don’t feel like you need to run off,” Danneel offered.

“That would be great,” YN admitted. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. You have school tomorrow?”

“Not til twelve.”

“Then stay. I’ll get some pjs for you,” Danneel stood and entered the house from the screened-in porch.

“Thanks,” YN expressed a small, tired smile.

———-

“No!” YN screamed in her sleep.

“What was that?” Danneel rolled over

“I don’t know. It’s three in the morning,” Jensen groaned.

They heard it again. The couple stood and ran toward the noise.

“Ah!” YN tossed under the bed covers. Danneel slowly opened the guest room door.

“Hey, sweetheart. Wake up,” the woman whispered.

“Huh?” YN froze.

“You were having a nightmare, you’re okay.”

“Oh. Sorry,” YN’s face turned red.

“You’re fine,” Jensen assured her. He saw her phone screen light come on.

“Ugh,” YN moaned. “What, babe?”

The voice on the other end started screaming at her.

“Where are you? Where have you been? I’ve called and texted you a gazillion times!”

“I’m sorry. I had dinner with someone and they let me stay the night so that I wouldn’t be driving back to the dorm late, You knew I was going to be gone. I told you.”

“Is it a guy? Are you cheating on me?” The male voice growled.

The Ackles’ eyes went wide.

“It’s three a.m., I’ll explain-“

“You’ll explain now!”

YN started to cry, but she held back the tears.

“Give me the damn phone,” Jensen demanded.

“Uh…” YN stopped.

He took it from her and put it on speaker.

“Yeah, hi. This is Jensen and Danneel Ackles. She is with us for the evening. Let her sleep you, ass!” He hung up. “You deal with that all the time?”

YN froze at what he had just done.

“I need to go,” the girl started to stand, but Danneel stopped her.

“No. Sleep. We’ll leave you alone. Good night, dear.” She shoved Jensen out of the room after taking the phone from Jensen and putting it back on YN’s nightstand.

“You can’t be serious! What were you doing? You don’t even know her!”

“She is being verbally abused!” Jensen whisper-shouted.

“We don’t know that! You may have just ruined our relationship with her!” Danneel stomped back to their room.

—————-

The next morning, YN slowly made her way down the stairs.

“Hi. YN. You want some food before the little monsters get up?”

“Sure, thanks.”

“Hey, YN. Good morning,” Jensen ran his hand through his bed head as he entered the kitchen. The young woman nodded.

“Just so you know, he isn't a bad guy. It’s my fault for not-“

“It’s your business, and I overstepped greatly. I’m so sorry,” Jensen cut her off.

“Thank you,” she sighed a breath of relief. “He isn’t a bad guy, I promise,” YN accepted a plate of food from Danneel and took a seat at their large table.

“So you have class later?” Jensen asked.

“No, I got an email from the professor. She’s sick, and she couldn’t get a sub.” YN slightly smiled. As she finished speaking, YN heard her phone vibrate against the table. “Umm. I need to take this.” Jensen saw a boy’s face on her phone screen.

“Go ahead,” Danneel smiled.

The nineteen year-old stood and walked into the living room. The couple heard her greet the caller.

“Hi, Steven,” YN said tiredly. “No, I’m still here because they didn’t want me…” Her conversation faded as she walked further away,

“SEE?!” Jensen whispered.

“Stop! Be nice, and don’t push,” Danneel responded with gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” YN ran back into the room. “I’ll change and put these PJs in the hamper. Thank you for the lovely evening. That bed is super comfy,” YN beamed.

“Don’t worry about the pajamas. Have a wonderful day, dear.” Danneel hugged the girl and stepped out of her way so that she could retrieve her things.

“Thanks for everything, I’ll see you at the convention. Nice meeting you, Danneel.” YN headed toward the door but stopped when the older female called for her.

“Here’s my number. Text me later. Enjoy your classless day,” Danneel smiled and handed her a paper.

“Thanks!” YN accepted and ran out of the house.

“See? Something is going on,” Jensen affirmed his earlier statement.

“Leave it alone. At least for now,” his wife offered him an omelette as she heard one of their toddlers cry over a baby monitor. “Eat. I’ll go take care of the kids,” she turned and walked up the stairs toward the twins’ bedrooms.

“Dammit.”

______

“Hey, YN!” Jensen greeted her as she entered the photo room.

“Hi, Jensen. Nice to see you again.”

“Again? You know her?” Jared asked his co-star.

“Yep. I was rude to her when we took the kids to the park. Turns out she’s a fan. Well, maybe not now,” Jensen looked to the ground.

“You’re not so bad,” YN giggled. “Hi, Jared. Nice to meet you,” she shook his hand.

“Woah! Strong grip you got there,” the tall actor responded, surprised.

“The only good thing my dad taught me,” YN said under her breath.

“Huh?” Jensen asked.

“Nothing. Okay, for our pose can you hold this? I want to be in the middle.” She handed Jared a sign that said ‘Pi’ and she gave Jensen a sign that said ‘Pie’. She pulled out a ‘<’ sign, the larger side of the symbol facing Jared’s.

“Wait! You like math more than pie?!”

“I like pi, just not your kind of pie!” YN giggled.

“Yes!” Jared gave the girl a high five.

“Not two of you,” Jensen playfully rolled his eyes.

“It’s funny!” Jared laughed.

“Whatever,” Jensen sighed, faking annoyance. “Okay, let’s do this.”

After they took the picture, Jensen hugged her, and Jared offered his arm for a side hug.

“I’ll text Danneel later. Thanks, boys,” YN smiled and ran into the door, not paying attention.

“Ouch, you okay?” Jared pulled her to her feet.

“Yeah, sometimes I have trouble with depth perception. Sorry. See you boys later.” YN made sure she walked through the doorway as the next fan walked in.

“What…” Jared started.

“Not now,” Jensen growled. “Hello, sweetheart,” he greeted the next photo op participant.

_______

“Steven, I am at the convention.”

“I told you not to go!” He screamed over the phone. As she walked back to her seat, she heard her name being called.

“Danneel?” She saw the female peeking around a curtain backstage.

“Come here,” Danneel whispered so that others couldn’t hear.

“Don’t talk to her,” the boyfriend commanded.

“Stop, Steven. I need to go.” YN hung up. “Hey!” She snuck behind the curtain to see her friend.

“You okay?” Danneel asked, seeing the frustration on YN’s face.

“Stupid stuff, I’m fine. I didn’t know you were here! I told Jensen I would text you later.”

“YN!” JJ shrieked and ran into her arms.

“Hey, sweetie!” YN picked her up and pulled the young girl into her chest. “How are you?”

“Good! I get to watch Daddy work! See?” JJ pointed to Jensen walking toward the split in the two black curtains.

“I think that is way cool.”

JJ looked over YN’s shoulder to wave at her dad. He waved back as he took the stage.

“Okay, YN has to go back to her seat so she can watch. Say bye, JJ.” Danneel scooped up the twins and put them in the chairs next to her. “I have your crayons, you can color Daddy a picture.”

“Okay, bye, YN. Love you!” JJ kissed her on the cheek and scrambled to the floor to run to her mom.

“Bye!”

She went to her seat and was so grateful to Jensen for the front row tickets.

As the crowd cheered, Jensen winked at her and took his seat next to Jared.

“How y’all doing?” Jared asked the crowd. “So good to have a convention at home!”

————-

Danneel text to YN

Want to come back with us? Have some dinner?

I rode the bus here, car broke down. If somebody could give me a ride back to my dorm, sure. Or I could get an Uber.

Danneel

Perfect. When the panel is over, slip behind the curtain again.

Got it. Thanks!

______

“Miss, come with me, please.” Cliff guided YN backstage at the end of the panel.

Danneel smiled when she saw the girl walking toward her with the bodyguard behind YN.

“You ready? Oh- Hey, Jay.” Danneel looked to her husband. “Let’s go. YN is coming home with us for the afternoon.”

As soon as she said that, her husband gritted his teeth.

“Dee, I thought we said it was date night tonight,” he whispered under his breath.

“I got adult time covered. Come on,” she turned to head out.

———-

At the Ackles’ she waited while the mom and dad put the kids to bed.

“Hey, YN,” Jensen said with a yawn.

“Hey. Today was super fun.” She grinned, appreciative of the convention experience.

“It’s always a good time.” Jensen tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “You got something on your cheek.”

Oh, crap! He can see it!

“Must be from when I tripped. Thought it didn’t bruise. Dang it,” she said, knowing it had been there the whole time.

Danneel entered the kitchen.

“Okay, our children are in bed. Finally,” she smiled but noticed tension between her husband and YN. “So did you have fun today? I heard your picture was creative!”

“It was so funny. Jensen didn’t find it entertaining though,” YN giggled.

“The pie you eat is so much better than math!” He faked anger.

“Oh, stop,” Danneel slapped his arm playfully as she sat down next to Jensen. “I’m so glad you had a good day!”

“What is that on your cheek?” Jensen tried to push again.

“Nothing,” YN said quickly. “I should get back to my dorm. Thanks for a great weekend.” YN tried to stand up.

“Please, just- it scares me that a guy screams at you, you follow every command, and he keeps track of you like a maniac. We just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all.”

“He’s not a maniac. And I’m fine.” She tensed.

“I saw those bruises on your arm earlier when you rolled up your sleeves,” Danneel sadly looked at YN. “JJ even noticed.”

“I’m okay.”

“You won’t be if he keeps escalating. If he doesn’t show you basic traits like kindness and thoughtfulness, he isn’t a good boyfriend. For you or anyone,” Danneel tried to take her hand. YN’s phone interrupted their conversation. Jensen grabbed it and saw Steven’s name displayed on the screen. He silenced the call.

“Please,” Jensen begged.

The three adults heard a crash. As they stood up, Jensen saw their entry door in pieces on the floor.

“You two, get the babies. Now!” Jensen grabbed a bat in the corner. A smaller man in a hoodie and jeans stood up. The husband and father swung and knocked the intruder down. Jensen day on top of him until the police arrived. They told Jensen to get off of him and cuffed the perpetrator.

“STEVEN!” YN screamed.

As soon as YN identified the young man, Jensen charged at him. The investigators pulled the actor off of Steven.

“Mr. Ackles, cool it!”

Jensen stepped back and yelled at the intruder.

“How dare you treat a young lady like that! Get him outta my house!” He turned to see YN in shock. Once Steven had been removed, Jensen took in the surroundings. YN ran toward the door in an effort to escape the shock of the situation. “No!” Jensen bodyblocked her. “There is glass!” He saw her bare feet. Jensen absorbed her running body into his. “It’s okay. It’s okay, I promise.”

_______

“Smile!” YN grinned as she took the Ackles’ family photos. “Okay, Padaleckis’! You’re up! She checked her camera as the sunset changed. “Tom, move over here. Jared, pick up Odette so that I can get the background.” The family did as asked. “Perfect! Alright, everyone together! JJ, stand by Shep, and Jay and Dee, hold the twins. Padackles on three. One, two, three!”

After the photo session was over, The adults walked over to YN while the kids played on the grass.

We’re a little late on the graduation present, but we all chipped in on this,” Jared handed her a bag with tissue paper in it. YN took it and slowly went through it.

“This camera is top of the line! It’s so expensive!” Her shocked face expressed her love for them and their gift.

“Well, we think we can afford it,” Gen giggled.

“I didn’t mean it-” YN backtracked.

“We just want you to enjoy it,” Danneel took the gift bag as YN looked at the features of the device.

“Thank you!” The twenty-two year-old gave each adult a hug. “All of your family photos are free from now on,” she leaned her head back with a laugh.

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authorazumarill · 5 years

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Hey so remember that one anon that asked what Archie and Maxie would do if they worked in a mall? Yeah, well, I made a one shot because I liked the idea and wanted to make our lord and savior Paul Blart proud in less then 3,000 words

"You're going to end up getting someone killed if you keep on ignoring your duties, you know that, right?"

Archie could only roll his eyes at such a blunt and completely false claim.

"Relax, Max. I know how to do my job just fine. You gotta put a lil' more faith in me."

"Then why are you always hanging around my store and not patrolling the other parts of the mall, you know, like how a security guard should?" Maxie countered, leaning against the glass display that protected dazzling gem stones attached to golden chains.

"Simple logic. All the big names jewelry stores in this place have their own types of security. That, and there's more security guards in this place than just lil' ol' me. A small, family shop is more likely to be robbed than that fuckin' 'Every kiss begins with Kay' place."

"And if something like that were to every occur, which it won't mind you, I can take care of myself. My mother can take care of herself. We don't need someone to barge into our lives in the hopes of being our knight in shining armor." At this point Maxie couldn't have this conversation with hellfire in his voice like he used to. Instead, he raised his hand to cover his mouth as he yawned. The mall was twenty minutes from closing and it was wedding/anniversary season, so people were coming in all day in the hopes of finding the perfect gift for their significant others. He has been dealing with moronic men all day. It didn't look like he was going to get a break any time soon.

"Hey now. I'm not sayin' I want something bad to happen to your store. I'm just sayin' that I'll be here just in case somethin' does happen to your store." Archie shrugged and pushed himself off of the display case. "Y'know there's been a lotta talk 'bout some Team Rocket assholes runnin' around Hoenn as of late."

"And if any of them come here they will be met with a cranky Camerupt. You're about to meet the same fate. Leave," Maxie said boredly. Archie could tell that the poor man could practically go to sleep right here and now. He very well could since there wasn't a soul in this wing of the mall at this time on a Wednesday night. Wednesdays were always rather dead in the mall to begin with. Who goes out on Wednesdays? No one, apparently.

"Fine, fine. I can take a hint." Archie took a single step forward before turning around to meet Maxie again, prompting the other man to groan in frustration. "But I got a proposition for ya."

"If I hear you out will you leave?"

"Yep."

"What."

"If I ever have to come and save your ass, you have to treat me to lunch."

"No. Bye."

Honestly, Archie should have seen that one coming. He did see it coming but that didn't mean the dismissal hurt any less. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll leave ya alone, cranky ass. I gotta make my rounds anyway," he grumbled. Much to Maxie's delight, Archie left the store.

Archie understood pretty well that he was really blunt and not subtle at all by spending all of his time near Madeline's, a jewelry store ran by a Kalosian who didn't have a firm grasp on the Hoenn language and her son, who could tell anyone to "fuck off" in at least eight languages at this point. Madeline herself was a delight to be around. She was so sweet and nice. Despite the language barrier, she always tried to give Archie a compliment every time she saw him. Maxie, on the other hand, was her complete opposite. He wanted nothing more than for his mother to stop being so friendly so Maxie could finally go a day without seeing Archie's face, but even without her involvement Archie still found himself bugging the tired sales manager as if it was his favorite pass time, which it was. Now, Archie was no creep. He could understand "no" just fine. However, being able to release some of the pent up anger Maxie felt toward some of his customers toward a man with bulletproof skin seemed to help him out a lot. Over the months Archie has seen the man go from being on the verge of throwing a man out a window to being moderately annoyed with the world at worst.

Archie whistled a tune as he walked down the lightly populated tiled floors. He had to say, he did have a fun job sometimes. He was always a fan of breaking people up in fights. Most of what he dealt with was petty theft. When he could turn a blind eye on it he did, but that didn't mean he always could. With ten more minutes until closing time, a lady made the announcement over the intercom and some of the smaller stores were already beginning to close up shop. People were beginning to head toward the doors and he had to poke a gentleman sitting in one of the mall benches to wake him up.

Finally, the closing announcement was made and he could feel such a relief wash over all of the workers ready to go home. His fellow security guards were calling in, telling the others that their section was clear. After doing a quick check of the shops in his section Archie was able to give his all clear as well.

Archie himself only had two more hours before he could call it quits for the night. He wasn't on night watch, after all. He shouldn't even be staying this late to begin with. He was covering for one of his buddies who called in sick when in reality he was on a date with a cute girl who worked in one of the tech accessories stores. If Archie wasn't such a bro he would be home right now eating a TV dinner and watching a Kalosian film. He has been picking up on a few phrases by hearing them over and over again. Madeline gets absolutely thrilled when he butchers her language. He's at least trying and Madeline knows that. It's more than what everyone else has done.

An hour after closing proved to be just as boring as he remembered when he was regularly stuck on the night shift. Only a few store owners were left in the building. Madeline's was locked up with a barred wall behind the door, but Archie could still see a light on in the back. Maxie must still be in. Archie stifled a yawn with the back of his hand.

This was going to be a long night.

He whistled as he walked past Madeline's and down the now dimly lit section of the mall. The mannequins in the windows would be the only thing remotely human he sees until the end of his shift. It was possible that he could run into one of the other security guards, but knowing them they're probably just standing around in one spot, watching the monitors, or asleep. All of those actually sounded like good ideas, but Archie also liked to get his exercise in. Tonight's shift is cutting in with his home workout routine.

Right as he was thinking this was going to be a boring night, he heard barking followed by the crashing of metal. His head immediately whipped over to the sound. There was clearly something going on here. Without much hesitation, he threw out his own Mightyena who immediately pounced on him, wanting some love after being cooped up in a ball all day. Archie sputtered but still ruffled the creature's fur before pushing him away.

"You'll get to go home and eat here in a while. Right now we got a battle to win. Probably. I'm not entirely for sure what's goin' on, ol' boy. Let's go."

Following orders, Mightyena charged ahead of him. His happy release quickly faded as bared teeth and pointed ears became apparent on his features. The sounds weren't close to him, but they did sound like it was in his section.

And Madeline's was at the very edge of his section.

Not bothering to call for backup, Archie ran with Mightyena only to see that his suspicions were correct. The barred wall that protected Madeline's was ripped apart thanks to an aggressive looking Arcanine and Arbok. Two men clad in black stood in front of the store. A large red "R" was the only color their uniforms held. They no doubt would have been in the store already if it weren't for a Camerupt, Mightyena, and a very angry red head blocking their path. Between the three of them, the skinny man in the middle was the one to be feared the most. He was wearing his coat so it looked like he was getting ready to go home. Any person who takes the bliss of leaving for the day away from Maxie is a dead man.

Without taking an order, Archie's Mightyena leaped into the standstill, initiating the battle by lunging for the Arcanine's neck. Maxie grit his teeth and ordered for his Pokemon to attack while the men were surprised with the sudden Pokemon attack.

Archie was quick to move to Maxie's side. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I can't say the same for the front of my store though," he grumbled and shouted another order for his Pokemon to follow. Camerupt was making quick work on the Arbok while the Mightyenas were going after the Arcanine. The Arcanine was much larger than the two of them combined, but it couldn't keep up with defending all of its sides. One Mightyena would take the hit from the enemy Pokemon while the other would lunge in attack.

"Arcanine, forget them!" the taller of the grunts shouted. "Use Take Down on those bastards!"

With a mighty roar, the large Pokemon charged right into Archie's Mightyena, knocking the Pokemon off to the side, but it didn't stop there. It kept on charging in Archie and Maxie's direction. Even though Maxie was a mere second away from jumping out of the way, Archie grabbed his wrist and threw them out of the path of danger. They slammed into the floor and Archie was quick to shield Maxie from the shattered glass and other falling debris as the Arcanine kept going and slammed in the remains of the front of the store. Archie could feel his chest burning, not from something stupid like injuries or emotions, but rather, from the rage radiating from Maxie's body. The man was quick to push himself out of Archie's grip and got back on his feet.

"I hope you two are ready to face the consequences for messing with me, the great Maxie!"

"Cocky bastard!" the shorter of the grunts shouted back. "We'll be taking what we want, including the keystones you got!"

"Keystones?" Archie mumbled under his breath, shaking the glass from his back. Surely they weren't talking about the keystones that could trigger a mega-evolution. Not only were they rare, but they were also illegal for anyone other than government and research facilities as well as skilled trainers to posses. Why would they think Maxie had something like that?

Unless...

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. What I do know is that you two will meet your maker tonight. Camerupt-!" Steam blew out of Camerupt's nostrils as lava erupted from his back. The grunts were barely able to miss the attack. Archie got back on his feet just in time for a flash of fire to catch the corner of his eye. Maxie's back was turned to the still threatening Arcanine. Fire covered its fangs.

Letting his instincts take over, Archie shoved Maxie to the ground. He was on his way down to do gravity's bidding as well, but sharp, burning fangs buried themselves into Archie's shoulder before the large creature tossed him around like a ragdoll. Now, Archie liked to pride himself on his macho manly man toughness, but the pain was enough to make him shout in anguish.

"Archie!" Maxie shouted. Instead of staying down and watching with fear, he quickly grabbed a piece of metal debris and got to his feet. His mother must have known what she was doing when she signed him up for baseball as a child even though he hated everything about the sport. He twisted his hips and smashed the metal against Arcanine's face, forcing it to release Archie and stagger backward, only to be met with Maxie's snarling Mightyena.

Archie hissed in pain as he held his wound. Blood was quickly soaking his dark shirt. The world was fuzzy and he wasn't entirely for sure if he blacked out for a few seconds. One moment they were dealing with a vicious Arcanine, the next it was gone and the grunts were making a break for it. He could have sworn that he was standing too, but he soon became aware of his kneeling state. Maxie's hand on his not injured shoulder was probably the only thing that kept his upright.

"Archie! Archie, stay with me here," Maxie demanded as he patted Archie's cheek in the hopes it would prevent him from blacking out for another few seconds. His normal, irritated eyes were instead showing concern in the most extreme way possible.

"Team Rocket..." Archie mumbled, trying to get back on his feet but Maxie's hand kept him down.

"One of your fellow security guards is currently chasing them with a Manectric. Don't worry about them. Focus on me like you always seem to do," Maxie said and snapped his fingers in front of Archie's face just to make sure he had the man's attention.

"You're actually givin' me permission?"

"You better not waste it."

Maxie whistled and a brief moment later Archie felt a warm and fuzzy beast by his side. Maxie forced him down into a sitting position, leaning him against Camerupt's overly warm side. Archie tried to protest and get back on his feet, but Maxie was persistent.

"Stay down," he ordered. "You don't need to be moving with that injury."

"What? With this lil' scratch?" Archie tried to laugh, but the slight movement was enough to make him wince in pain. He doesn't think he's felt a pain like this since the attack that lead to him getting an "X" shaped scar on his face.

Maxie bit the bottom of his lip as he rapidly thought about what to do next. He tugged off his coat and pressed it against the wound, causing Archie to shout in pain again despite his macho manly man wishes.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, but it will help the bleeding while we wait for an ambulance. At least, I hope it does."

"Ambulance? I don't need a damn-" Archie was quick to cut himself off when he caught Maxie's glare. Without leaving his side, Maxie pulled out his PokeNav and explained the situation to the operator on the other end before ending the call. He looked to Archie, then over at his completely destroyed store. At least they had good insurance, he kept on telling himself.

"So," Archie started, wincing as he readjusted himself, "what's all this talk 'bout keystones?"

"I'm just as curious as you are," Maxie replied coolly. "As much as I've dreamed about it, I have never seen a keystone up close and in person, let alone sell them in bulk. Besides, my mother would kill me if I were to use our store for illegal activities like that."

Honestly, Archie didn't have a reason to doubt Maxie. He was cold and liked to keep his distance, sure, but he has always been an honest man that customers trust. Archie wouldn't like him if he didn't have that quality to him. "Well...maybe we could theorize this shit over lunch sometime?" he offered because now was as good a time as ever. Maxie seemed taken aback.

"Is now really the time to be asking me out?"

"Well, I did have that proposition earlier today."

"Which I turned down. Besides, I think I did most of the work in protecting my store, thank you very much." Archie wasn't going to dispute that because Maxie was right. He didn't really do much to help in the fight other than throw himself in harm's way just to protect the man not once, but twice. Yep. Archie didn't do shit. He actually felt kind of offended at the claim.

However, he did notice Maxie's face soften up a little bit. "But...I'm sure that you will be given some time off to recover. Perhaps instead of lunch we can get dinner sometime when I have all of this mess sorted out?" he suggested, vaguely gesturing to the remains of his store.

Now it was Archie time to be taken aback, but he was quick to recover from his shock and smirked. "Sounds like a deal to me. Just please don't make me shake on it."

"I have enough of your moronic blood on me. I wasn't going to."

#azumarill talks #hardenshipping #team aqua archie #team magma maxie #its such a fucking absurd thing to think about #which is why i had to make a fic #violence #blood

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giabtw · 6 years

Text

black&blue ;; a self para

october 14, 2008.

they dyed her favorite dress black because she refused to wear anything else.

there’s a picture of her from a few months ago, framed, where she’s wearing the same dress --- a pale blue, before it was dyed --- and sitting in her father’s lap, her face blurry from laughter as she holds his two cheeks squished between her hands. her mother’s thumb is there (like it always was), a pink blob in the corner, but they framed it anyway.

she sat cross-legged on top of the dryer and watched her grandmother dunk the dress into the murky black water. after they hung it up to dry, she held her hand out and caught a few of the gray-black droplets in her palm.

she’s wearing it now, sitting up straight on the couch, ankles crossed --- just like her grandmother told her to sit. she’s been rubbing the starchy material of the skirt between her forefinger and thumb so much that the tips of her fingers have started to stain gray. she’s gotten up to wash them twice now, and she keeps her hands balled into fists to stop herself from doing it again.

she hadn’t been tall enough to see into the casket at the viewing. she couldn’t find her mother, and her grandmother wasn’t strong enough, so the entire room had to watch as she struggled to pull one of the red velvet, silver trimmed chairs down the aisle. no one bothered to help her, not even her grandmother, who only backed away once she ran the chair into the red-carpeted stair of the stage and climbed up.

it didn’t look like her father. she knew it was him. at least, that’s what everyone else told her. but it didn’t look right. for one, his face didn’t look right. there was a bruise around his eye, which she’d seen before, but it was faded, like someone had painted over it. but what bothered her the most was that his eyes were closed. she just stared at them for a few moments and willed them to open.

“dad.”

her voice was quiet at first. she nudged his shoulder with one hand. softly. nothing.

“dad.”

she tried again, this time her voice louder, pushing his shoulder to try and wake him up. this time she drew the attention of a few others, and just as she went to grab both of his shoulders, someone had her from behind and was pulling her down from the chair.

“get off of me!” she cried out, squirming around in his arms until she was released onto the ground. he looked familiar --- one of her dad’s friends --- but she ignored everyone else as she lunged forward and punched his leg, waiting a few moments before trying to shove him back.

her grandmother had her by the arm before she could try and hit him again, spewing out a number of apologies to the people in the room before leading gia away, one hand held tightly around her collar of her dress.

that’s why she sits here now, ankles crossed, on the red couch with the cushions so hard that they barely even moved when she sat on them. she isn’t even allowed to go hide in her mom’s childhood bedroom, because that’s where they’d put her baby cousin down for a nap. she’s only allowed to “sit on the couch and mind herself,” which, she figures, is better than being forced to talk to everyone else in the main room, where they’d all tell her dumb stories about her dumb dad that she hadn’t even been there for. she doesn’t want to hear them. they’re dumb. it’s all dumb.

she can hear them all in the other room and it’s driving her crazy. they’re all too happy. she wants to find her mom and grab her hand and make her take them back home. she wants to put on her pajamas and get in the car and drive around the neighborhood until she falls asleep --- like her dad used to do when she’d had a bad dream. but her mom is in the other room. and she’s wearing gloves. so holding her hand doesn’t really feel like holding her mother’s hand. it just feels wrong.

she’s been crawling into bed with her every night, now that there’s enough room. she sleeps with her stuffed rabbit hugged under her chin, with her head on the pillow that still smells like aftershave --- the kind that reminds her of what a mountain would smell like. and every night, she has the bad dream that makes her hands shake, and her mother coaxes her awake, holds her tight and talks her down until the tears stop. after that, gia curls up and fakes sleep, and listens to her mother cry, staring at the alarm clock and counting down the seconds in her head, trying to predict when the minute will change.

she wants to go back home. her grandma’s house is all white --- pristine, with glass tables and big golden cabinets, with mirrors that always make her face look like it’s melting. she wants to go home and sit down at the big oak dinner table, across from her dad, and he’ll do the thing where he balances a spoon on his nose, and she’ll try to do it, too, but hers will fall on the floor, and they’ll all laugh when---

she shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut. no. it’s just two of them now --- they eat their dinners in front of the tv because it’s too quiet at the big table.

the television there is on mute. for what feels like forever, she’s been watching a woman with big hair walk around a table of plates and bowls, a phone number flashing on the screen in bold letters. glancing behind her to make sure no one’s watching, she slides off the couch and sits on her knees in front of the television, messing with the buttons until she finds the right one to change the channel. they’ll be mad at her if she turns it up --- but no one will notice if she switches the channel.

she’s looking for the animal show about the monkeys --- the one that her dad likes --- when a picture of her father flashes across the screen. she only catches a glimpse of it before it’s gone, but she sits back on her heels and stares at the television in confusion. another picture appears --- this time of both her parents, and she can see the top of her blonde head in the very corner, cut out of view. she’s confused.

she does a once over of the room again before leaning in closer and turning up the volume --- just to one. she wants to hear what the news lady is saying about them. the next picture flashes up, and this time, it’s from today. her mother in her black dress and gia in the same, trailing a few steps behind her. it’s blurry. she shakes her head to herself and turns it up one more click.

they’re talking about her dad. she’s trying to make out the words but the volume’s way too low. she presses an ear against the screen and keeps an eye on the doorway, turning it up a few more clicks. the screen changes colors and she sits back quickly so she can see, recognizing the familiar setup of the fighting ring. her dad’s fought in them countless times before. she quickly recognizes the coloring in the ring and realizes what this clip is from. she narrows her eyes to try and see it better through the fuzzy static of the screen.

a laugh rings out from the other room and attempts to pull her attention away, but she glances back for only a second, gritting her teeth in the back of her mouth. she doesn’t know why she does it, but she whips her head back around and jabs her finger into the volume button, holding it down and watching the green line across the screen fill up --- the mixture of the cheering and commentary of the clip growing louder and louder until it feels like it’s closing in from all corners of the room.

that’s when her grandmother comes in and pulls her back from off the ground, someone else quickly grabbing the remote and scrambling to shut off the television. by this point, gia’s screaming, trying to fight her way out of her grandmother’s arms so she can see the screen again. she escapes for a second and grabs onto the back of the couch, but the same man from earlier reappears and pries her hands away, scooping her up off the ground and helping her grandmother corral her back into the master bedroom. he sets her down on the bed and she immediately crosses her arms. her ears are ringing. she wants her mom but she doesn’t know how to ask for her.

“go away!” she kicks her legs out and backs up on the bed when her grandmother sits down on the edge, trying to calm her down. she doesn’t want anyone to touch her. she hugs a pillow against her chest and stares her down from the other side of the bed.

her grandmother tries to convince her to take a nap, and stands at the end of the bed until gia untangles herself from the pillow and curls up under the sheets. she squeezes her eyes shut until she sees stars and waits until she hears the door close to open them again.

when she does, it takes a few seconds for the room to come back into focus. she sits up. the lights are off, but it’s daytime, and the room’s lit up a dull golden brown. the sun bleeds in through a gap in one of the curtains and she can see specks floating in it. she holds out her hand and watches it dance across her fingers for just a moment, before snatching it away and scooting further back on the bed.

it’s then that she’s reminded of her dress. she just now realizes how itchy it is. the sleeves are too tight and the skirt material feels like a bunch of tiny pricks against her legs. she shakes herself out from under the covers and out of the bed, shedding herself of the dress and holding it balled up in her hands for a few moments. she suddenly regrets dying it black.

a panic rushes over her and she shakes her head quickly. she wants it back to blue. it was her favorite dress when it was blue. now it just doesn’t feel right. her eyes skate around the room quickly before she’s hurrying into the adjoining bathroom and shoving the dress into the sink.

the water turns a light gray as she swirls the fabric around, but the thick black still sticks to the dress and no matter what she does, she can’t find a trace of the baby blue that she loved so much. she doesn’t realize she’s crying until her vision starts to get blurry, and she backs up a few steps, plopping down onto the floor in frustration and letting her head fall into her hands.

the gray water drips down from the counter and starts to form puddles on the floor. she doesn’t realize until it travels to where she’s sitting. she lifts her head, wipes her eyes quickly, and watches as the sink continues to overflow, watches as the water floods down the front of the counter, across the bathroom floor, and starts to soak into the brown carpet of her grandmother’s bedroom. she knows she should get up and stop it, knows she’ll get in trouble, but all she does is press one hand down into the water and wiggle her toes.

it’s not even a minute after that that her grandmother finds her. she’s pulled to her feet again and the sink is immediately turned off. she stands in the doorway, dripping from the waist down, and watches her grandmother roll up her sleeves and free the tangled mess of a dress from the drain. it’s still black.

as soon as her grandmother opens her mouth --- but before she can even get a word out --- gia’s bursting into tears and collapsing back down onto the floor.

her grandmother kneels down in the still-wet carpet and lifts her chin. gia melts away from her touch and shakes her head, watching a moment later as her grandmother sighs, gets up, and leaves the room.

her mother enters a few minutes later and gia’s clinging to her as soon as she sits down, burying her head into her shoulder and squeezing her eyes shut. it’s as if she can’t hold her tight enough --- she wants to feel her dad come up from behind and wrap his arms around the two of them, but she can’t. she thinks that’s why she can’t stop crying, either.

she never sees the black dress again. she never gets in trouble for flooding the bathroom, either. the next thing she remembers is waking up in the back of the car, following her mother back inside the house and upstairs to her bedroom. her stuffed rabbit is there, sitting on her bed as if nothing’s changed. she grabs him and holds him tightly to her chest as her mother tucks her in. she tries to fight sleep for as long as she can, so she can sneak into her mother’s bed, but she’s so exhausted, and her eyes are so heavy from crying, that sleep washes over her within minutes.

when she wakes up next, she’s in her mom’s bed. she doesn’t remember how she got there, but she’s still holding onto her rabbit. she crawls closer to her mother, finds her arm and wiggles under it. the events of the day before feel so far away, and she falls asleep with one hand balled tightly in the fabric of her mother’s shirt.

#well #this hurt #my heart? broken #me? emo #gia? my damaged bb #this got long and bad i'm sorry #self para #muse

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magmasliveblogs · 5 years

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interlue - 1.00 R

due to more spotty internet today i will post however many i can and hope i catch up

to recap: last chapter erin utterly trounced olesum, got her money back from the shopkeeper as part of the bet, and got a supplier in the name of a gnoll who hasnt introduced themselves by name yet! it seems we are changing perspectives, given there is a new letter.

The wind blows through my hair. It’s a great feeling. People often underestimate how a good breeze can change your day.

And on this day, when the sky is blue and clear without a cloud in the sky, who wouldn’t want to be outside? The air is cool, and the breeze is better than air conditioning.

It’s a perfect day for running. I’ve run through bad days when the heat can drop a horse, and I’ve run through thunderstorms, typhoons and even dog crap. Twice. And while I can grit my teeth and keep running even when the world’s against me, I live for the days when it has my back.

The wind cools and energizes me. As I sprint through the knee-high grass I grin. With the temperature in the air I won’t sweat as much. That means I won’t overheat and so I can run faster. It’s little things like that which make the difference between a good run and a great run.

A rock appears in the grass and I hop over it just in time. Careful. At the speed I’m running I can easily break a foot if I trip over one. I’ve split my toenails more than once by kicking rocks at high speed. Not fun.

Keep running. Actually, scratch that. Run faster. The wind blows against my face and I smile again. It’s the small things that make life good. Like the wind.

The wind cools you down. It gives you something to run against; makes you feel alive. It also helps throw off arrows when people are shooting at your face.

An arrow flies through the air and I change my course slightly. It slices through the air past my left arm. Too close.

I adjust my path and pick up speed. I’m nearly out of the range of the Goblins that have been hunting me. A few more seconds and I’ll lose them.

Goblins. They’re frightening little monsters with red eyes and pointy teeth. They look more like demons, actually. But they’re real enough, and they like eating humans. If they can catch them, that is.

One pops out of the grass as I run towards the city in the distance. It’s a larger Goblin than normal, and he’s wearing rusty chainmail and holding a short sword.

He swipes at me and I jump. Straight over the blade. The Goblin gapes as I land and then sprints after me.

My legs blur. The Goblin slices at my legs but I’m already out of range. He runs as fast as he can, but I pull away so quickly that it’s like he’s standing still.

“Nice try.”

I mutter under my breath as I keep running. I don’t have the time or air to actually say that out loud, of course. Besides, I’m not good at comebacks. Or…insults. Either way.

The Goblin stops after a few more feet and screeches at my back. I ignore him and keep running. After a while I hear the Goblin’s shrill war cries end as they give up the chase.

After what feels like a few miles or, to be more worldly, a few kilometers, I stop. I do a quick scan of the area around me. Shorter grasses dominate this gentle downwards slope. Looks like I’ve lost the Goblin tribe.

I take a few deep breaths and wipe at my forehead. Not much sweat. Good. I’d be worried if I got tired that quickly.

This is my morning. It’d be lying if I said it was normal for a girl born in the greatest city in the world*, but I can get used to anything.

*Obviously, New York.

a runner it seems, and one from earth!

Back to running. After a few seconds I start walking, and then transition into a jog. But time is money and soon I’m back up to speed. Not sprinting speed; I need to conserve as much energy as possible for the emergencies like Goblin attacks, Dire Wolves, bandits, zombies, skeletons, Crelers*, and the other nasty things that live in the plains**.

*I’ve never actually seen these particular monsters. I’m not even sure if that name is right—the locals just call them ‘Tunnel Crawlers’. Apparently they’re not something you want to meet.

**If I make it sound horrible, it’s only because I’m aware of the possible dangers. At any given time there’s really not that many monsters lurking around. It’s just that you never know when one will pop up.

those crelers are different from how they are mentioned here

Anyways, I keep running. I enjoy the wind blowing through my hair for a bit and finally reach the city in question.

Tall gray walls, and spearmen and archers in towers that keep an eye out for monsters. This is Cerum, or something like that. It’s a city, one of the Northern Plains Confederation, which is to say a city-state*. And the my destination for the moment.

*More like just a city. It’s not that big, but all of the cities have their own form of rule. Some are ruled by a council, others have elected leaders like we do back at home, and some still have lords and ladies, although apparently only one or two still stick to that system. The point is they all band together if threatened, but they have their individual squabbles and goals. Just like good old USA.

I approach the open gates. A guard’s on duty so he can slam the gates shut if a dangerous person approaches or if they’re really ugly, but he doesn’t even twitch as I approach.

“Hoy there.”

He greets me. At least, I think it’s a greeting. I wave at him.

“Goblins. A few miles outside the city.”

He nods and say something I don’t quite catch. ‘Shame they ran off?’ Something like that. I nod as if I’ve heard him as I run into the city and the grass changes to hard cobblestone. Annoying and harder to run on; I’m going to have to slow down.

From a fast run I slow down to a jog, but not the kind that you see in TV. I hate the stupid bouncy run actors pretend to do, which clearly misses the point of running. Jogging, like sprinting or walking or anything else should be fluid and concise. You don’t waste energy looking like you’re standing on a pogo stick.

Let’s see. Pedestrians are already out and about despite the early hour. Good. I’d hate to have to wait. I navigate down the streets, using the wooden signs posted above the streets for guidance.

It’s great that everyone around here speaks and writes in English. How amazingly annoying* would it be if they wrote or spoke a different language? But by some contrivance of fate, English is the dominant language in this world. Of course, other languages exist but apparently most species know English.

*And realistic.

Anyways. As I slow down to let a cart go by I think of what the guard said. Was it a warning? Was he saying it was a shame I ran off and didn’t fight back? It’s going to bother me on the run back. Why don’t people understand that it’s not a good idea to say things to someone running? We barely hear them even when we don’t have an iPod blasting music* in our ears. Plus, I’m really bad at listening.

*Pop. And rock. And techno, but that’s hit-or-miss. Look, if I can run to it I will. I have a soft spot for country music, but it’s hard to keep up speed when I’m listening to a harmonica’s croon. Country is for crying or nostalgia. At least, that’s the only kind of song I download.

it seems we have a cynic on our hands

At last I reach my destination. By which I mean I reach a tall stone façade of marble and gaze up at a fancier class of painted wood door than I’ve seen elsewhere. Urban housing meets rich people.

I take a few deep breaths. This is the part I hate the most. But it has to be done, so I steel myself. And hesitate. I take another deep breath, worry about hyperventilation, and knock.

I really do hate this part the most.

is she anti social or is this client particularly annoying?

Celum, just past dawn.

The instant Lady Magnolia, a member of the noble echelons of the city opened the door she clasped her hand to her heart.

“Oh my! Are you here with the delivery already?”

The girl—the young woman who still thought of herself as just an older girl at times—nodded her head silently. Magnolia needed no further invitation.

“I hadn’t expected you so soon! But where are my manners? Magnolia Reinhart, at your service. You are the Runner I’ve been expecting, yes?”

“Mm. Your seal?”

The young woman nodded. Lady Magnolia hesitated, and then touched her fingers to her brow.

“Oh. Of course. It’s been so long since I—I’d completely forgotten. Please come in while I fetch it.”

The young woman hesitated and eyed the pristine mansion behind Magnolia. The lady noticed her hesitation and glanced down. Her eyes widened slightly, but she took the moment in stride.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have plenty of servants who can deal with little stains. Please, come in, come in!”

The young woman hesitated and then reluctantly stepped into the house. She looked up and around and the marble flooring she was currently dirtying, and the fancy rugs, the tapestries on the wall, and clearly wished to be elsewhere. But Magnolia was fiddling around with a little pot set next to the wall.

“Now, where did they put the seal? Normally I’d leave this all up to the head maid – Ressa, but I just knew it was my delivery. Hm…hmm…here!”

Her hand plucked a silver-and-sapphire token from the plate. The beautiful seal was half gleaming silver, the other half a semi-translucent pool of cerulean.

She presented the token to the young woman who received it with extreme care. Magnolia patiently waited as the young woman carefully stowed the token in a belt pouch at her waist and then undid her pack.

It was a backpack, but not one that would ever grace any store in the world the young woman had come from. Rather, instead of Velcro and machine-tooled stiches and individual and superfluous compartments, this pack was made of leather stitched to cloth and had all the aesthetics of a black bug crawling on her back. But it could be tightly secured with strings and opened without having to be taken off.

Carefully, the messenger for that was what she was, removed a heavily-wrapped item. She held it out.

“Here.”

Lady Magnolia practically snatched the parcel out of the young woman’s hands and carelessly unwrapped the heavy layers of wool and string that had protected the item. The young woman blinked at the detritus littering the floor and then looked back at the package she’d so painstakingly brought this far.

An enameled bottle of red crystal caught the light in Magnolia’s hands and practically illuminated the foyer with light.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Magnolia swished the blue liquid inside the bottle and smiled gently. She turned to the young woman and bowed her head slightly.

“I can’t thank you enough for bringing this in time for brunch. I’m entertaining several of my friends and I promised them I’d share a glass of this delightful drink with them. It’s very expensive, but so delicious! It’s distilled from a very poisonous fruit – the Amentus fruit, I think they call it. So hard to get a hold of, but I did promise! And wouldn’t you know it, but I drank the last glass yesterday. And so I put in my request and here you are!”

first of all, new city name, celum! also, i assume this is the same fruit as erin has survived on. could erin totally crash the market of these fruits?

She beamed at the young woman. The young woman said nothing. Her left eye twitched.

“Please tell the Guild that I’m very happy with their efficiency.”

Nod, nod. The young woman shifted her feet and glanced towards the door.

“Do you have another request?”

It was the traditional response and Magnolia dithered.

“Well, I suppose—but no, I don’t believe I need—well, at the moment no, but it would be a shame too—no. I suppose not.”

The young woman nodded and began to edge back towards the door. Magnolia was ringing a silver bell and aproned women and an elderly gentleman were descending the stairs towards their mistress, but when she noticed the young woman leaving she called out.

“Won’t you stay and have a glass? I would hate to send you on your way without a little reward.”

“…Sorry. I have more deliveries to make.”

Magnolia’s face fell, but she rallied at once.

“Then at least take this gift for your trouble. No, no! I insist.”

She pressed a coin into the young woman’s hands. The young woman tried to give it back, but Magnolia wouldn’t hear of it so she gave up.

“Bye.”

yeah i would say its a combo, this lady magnolia is inherently an extrovert on the far side of the spectrum, while our character is anti social

The young woman left the mansion of a house and walked down the street. It turned into a jog as soon as she had enough room, and she moved out of the richer housing and into the common districts. There she knocked on two more doors and, with much less conversation and a lot more efficiency, handed over a letter and a bag and received two red tokens.

Her deliveries made, the young woman took care to stow both tokens in the same pouch the silver and sapphire token had gone in. She made sure the pouch was closed as well. It was crucially important that she not lose any of the tokens, or seals as they were known.

Messenger Seals. A proof of delivery. Without one of the brightly-colored bits of stone, any delivery was suspect. A messenger had to deposit such seals in order to receive their reward, and so they were valuable.

To an extent.

Among the wealthier class of patrons, Messenger Seals were a sign of their status and power. Merchants and bankers used lesser gemstones instead of common stone, and the most elite members of society even had their own unique form of Seal to prove delivery beyond a doubt.

However, anyone without such means had to use the simple cut stone provided by their cities at nominal prices. These were cheap, but also meant that they could be used to prove false deliveries.

Cases of messengers taking goods and providing false Seals happened every year. Thus, trust was just as important with messengers. Their reputation for honesty was a key part of receiving individual contracts, just as much if not more so than their ability to deliver packages quickly.

The young woman set off for the gate. She was tired. Not physically tired, but drained from the effort of interaction. But her pace picked up as she went out the gate and soon she was running down a well-worn road that would lead her back to her city. She wanted to make more deliveries today, and so she had to beat the midday rush on requests if she wanted to get any of the profitable ones.

She was a messenger. Or Runner as they were referred to. Other names included Travelers, Sealers – after the Seals they used, Carriers, and a whole host of rude words whenever they ran into someone.

She preferred to think of herself a Runner. Because she was a runner and running was what she loved to do. The deliveries she could take and mostly leave, unless it was the wrong address. Or the deliveree was dead. That had happened twice.

The point is she was running, and there was a breeze in her face. At a moment like this she could ignore the fact that she was in another world, or that she had no way to get back, or even that the Goblins were chasing her again. She was running, and she was free.

She was also barefoot.

Her name is Ryoka Griffin, a name which she hates. She enjoys running, and not talking to people. Her hobbies include not mentioning her name, running, hunting, and drinking coffee. Currently—

Running.

and we have a name! ryoka griffin! also more runner lore!

quick note: i know some people find ryoka to be an annoying character, or just dont like her as a person. while i disagree and quite like her as a character and as a person, i can see why people dont really like her, or at least until more recently

also thats the end of the chapter! will ryoka and erin meet ever? will we get more info about the runners guild and humans in general? is celum even on the same continent as liscor?

see you next post

#chrono

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