#well anyway hopefully me blocking her is enough to dodge all that. god bless
Bend and Not Break - Ch 4: A Scar
Read here on AO3 :3
Contains 100% more smooches!
Xena stepped lightly as she opened the door to one of the interrogation rooms, narrowing her eyes as she adjusted to the dim light. The room had been quickly converted to a makeshift recovery room, the table that usually sat in the middle of the room had been pushed aside and replaced with a cot. Said cot was loaded with pillows and blankets in an effort to take as much pressure off the occupant's injuries as possible. Resting peacefully on it was Poppy, the scorpion rescued from the basement of a disgraced noble and had her venom forcibly extracted by torture. She seemed to be doing much better, her body was now criss-crossed with bandages and she was no longer twitching. She seemed to be sleeping at the moment.
She took a look at the clipboard left behind on the table where Monomon’s notes were scribbled. Electrical burns, blunt force trauma, eye damage, nerve damage...the list seemed to go uncomfortably long. She was glad she managed to get to her in time, but was disappointing that she and the other knights didn’t find out about the assassination plot sooner. Maybe they could have prevented a lot of suffering, but she couldn’t know for sure.
“Hello?” Poppy blinked awake, most likely from hearing Xena walk around. She was lying on her back and couldn’t twist her head to see who had entered the room. “Who’s there?” She asked, a tinge of worry to her voice.
“I am Xena, one of the Great Knights, I was there when you were rescued.” She pulled up a chair next to the cot and sat down. “Do you remember me?”
Poppy took a moment to breathe and then smiled the best she could through half a bandaged face. “I do.” She sounded coherent, but her speech was slurred and slow.
“You look much better,” Xena smiled in what she hoped was in a comforting way. “You must be on the good stuff, right?”
“Yeah.” Poppy didn’t bother trying to nod. “Nothin’ hurts. It’s great.”
“Well I won’t keep you long, I just need to ask a few questions and then you can go back to resting, okay?”
“Mmhmm.” The scorpion mumbled softly and did her best to focus her one working eye to the ant’s face. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I’m asking for. Do you remember how you were abducted?” Xena had a quill and a tablet ready to take notes. “Take your time and try to remember what you can, okay?”
Poppy mulled over the question for a while, and started speaking. “I was at my flower shop in...in Deepnest. Some Hallownest bug came in...I asked if they wanted flowers...I grow flowers by the way and make them into arrangements. It’s nice.”
Xena nodded, knowing full well that she was on some of those good painkillers, and would probably will go off into tangents. “What kinda bug came in?”
“It was that um….beetle. Yes, that beetle. From...the place.” Poppy swallowed thickly, “Where they were...were...hurting me…”
“Don’t worry about him, he can’t hurt you anymore.” The ant put as much conviction as she could muster into her voice. “He won’t be hurting anyone else, after today.”
“Good,” She wheezed a little, catching her breath.
“What did the beetle want from you?” Xena pressed gently. “I think I could wager a guess but I need to hear it from you.”
“He uh...he asked to buy my venom...and I told him I sell flowers, not venom! It was weird...and creepy , and its against the law cause um...uh...it’s dangerous. You hafta have a license to get some and you get it from the...oh...what do you call it…” The scorpion hrmed to herself. “Oh I can’t remember, it’s the place where you can get dangerous stuff if you are a uh...professional? Scientist?”
“A supplier is what I think you mean. Where controlled substances can be given out dependent on research or medical use.”
“Yes! That! Well he got mad and started saying something about the fate of bug kind and how there was monsters in Hallownest? He said I should work with them to save everyone and I told him to leave cause I’m just a flower bug. And then something hit me on the back of my head.” She reached up with a free arm to touch the back of her bandaged head. It looked like a mess when she was first found and Xena was glad that Poppy couldn’t feel any pain right now.
“Then I woke up all tied up and the beetle was there with some other people. He said that I was going to help them get rid of the monsters and I told them I wouldn’t! Then they...they….” She sniffled, her eye tearing up.
“Then they hurt you and forcibly took your venom.” Xena knew when to stop asking questions. Poppy was starting to get a little upset, and she felt awful that she even had to bring up what happened to her so soon. But, she had to get this down for the record, and it was better to do it now while Poppy wasn’t in physical pain than wait and do it later.
Poppy nodded in response. “Mmhmm. I don’t know how long I was there.”
“That’s okay, Right now what I need from you is to rest and get better, okay? We’ll send word to your Queen and Princess and they’ll probably send someone over to help you home once you are well enough to travel.”
“Okay...thank you.” Poppy sighed. She wasn’t going to be able to stay awake anyway with the meds she was on and was quickly falling back into the realm of dreams. “There'll...be someone outside...right? Watching?”
“There are, I promise.” Xena nodded. “Nobody will let you get hurt again.”
“Mhmm...thanks…” Poppy fell asleep, a combination of reassurance and the ‘good stuff’. Xena took a bit of time to make sure she was comfortable, and then left the room. She glanced at the two guardsmen stationed outside.
“Nobody gets in that isn’t a Knight, the King, or Monomon, got it?”
They both saluted and stayed in place.
“Good...now excuse me, I have someone to see.”
She turned and headed towards the holding cells. The cells were kept underground, and as she descended the stairs she began to hear the annoying sound of metal scraping together. There was the sound of someone loudly complaining before descending into shrieks as the scraping got louder. She took a moment to rub her eyes and sighed, locking the gate behind her and stepping into the corridor.
Tiso was just sitting there, making god awful noises as he happily ran a fork over a metal plate. He was making sure to press extra hard, making terrible squeaking noises that made Xena’s antenna twitch under her helmet. The ex-noble within the cell was close to tears, looking around to Xena as soon as he saw her.
“Oh, oh bless you. Please! Please make him stop!” The jewel beetle was in the dirtiest cell they had, tear tracks marking his face and generally looking disheveled. He crawled to the bars on his knees, gripping the bars with shaky hands. “Please! It hurts!”
“I’m not even doing anything! I’m trying to serenade you with my beautiful music, you uncultured bastard.” Tiso scraped the fork loudly and it set the hairs on her carapace standing up and the beetle to cry out in pain. “It’s not my fault you can’t appreciate artistic talent. Frankly, I’m insulted.”
“That’s enough for now, Tiso.” Xena sighed and dug out her keys. “Monomon needs this guy and she’s going to be pissed if we’re late.”
“Oh?” He casually tossed the dishes to the side. “Going to be testing the antidote then?”
“Testing the what now?” The beetle looked around, confused.
“Most likely, yeah.” Xena ignored the beetle. “Now that she has a pure sample of the poison as well, she thinks she’ll know for sure if the antidote is legit or not after a couple hours.”
“Hours?” Said beetle was rapidly turning pale as he realized what was about to happen.
“Did I fucking stutter?” Xena snarled, opening the cell door. “Get your ass out here or else I’ll drag you out.”
“You can’t do that to me! I’m Lord Maximus Pennington Chrysoch the third!” They tried to dodge her hands, but she was too fast. She seized him by the wrists and began to bodily drag him out.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are! A traitor is a traitor to me.” She looked to Tiso. “Help me drag this sack of shit to Monomon and then you can take a break.”
“Hells yeah!” He jumped up, grabbing the free wrist of the condemned and hauled them to their feet. “Think I’ll have time to head to the museum to see Myla?” The beetle started wibbling and sobbing, but was completely ignored.
“Eh, take Cloth with you and you all can have an hour together. You’ll have to be back at a reasonable time though, we need all hands on deck with this situation.”
“Yeah I got ya. Thanks.” Tiso was noticeably happier, cheerfully dragging the sobbing beetle down the corridor and to their fate. He didn’t care what happened to them, all he could think about now was finally getting to smooch his girlfriends.
---
Monomon arrived outside the door to the royal suite, a capped syringe gripped gently but firmly in her tentacles. As soon as the antidote proved to actually work, and not just be another poison, she rushed as quickly as she could to the top floor. Hollow was standing guard outside of the room and nodded to her. Seeing that there wasn’t time for chit chat, she attempted to open the door.
To her surprise, it was blocked off. She looked at the knob, confused, and tried to push again. “What’s going on here?”
Hollow chirped to get her attention, and signed. <”Father is in there. I think he is sitting in front of the door.”>
“Mato? Of course he would.” She knocked on the door. “Mato! It’s Monomon!”
There was a shuffle from the other side, and the door was pulled open to indeed reveal the Nailmaster. He seemed rather rough looking, he must have booked it from the Howling Cliffs as fast as he could. “Monomon,” he nodded, and stood out of the way.
She floated inside to see what was going on, eyes immediately going to the nest that took up a good portion of the room.
Ghost was cuddled around Quirrel, doing their best to hold him in a way that would hopefully reassure him that someone was watching over him, but not tight enough to harm him. Quirrel was still unconscious, breathing heavily and shivering and once in a while his nerves would shudder, making him twitch and spasm. Ghost was already awake, no doubt hearing the door open. They looked at her, the dark fathomless eyes behind their mask tired and fearful. Their eyes darted from the door to the syringe held in her tentacle.
“Is that…” Their voice was so small and weak, but there was a bloom of hope behind it that Monomon could feel.
“Yes.” She drifted closer and uncapped the syringe. “We have it.”
They sat up quickly. “What do you want me to do?”
“Hold one of his arms still, I don’t want the needle to break if he has a spasm while injecting him.” She checked over the syringe, going over the calculations in her head one more time. She had already triple checked everything, but it wouldn't hurt to check it one more time. Ghost sat up, pulling Quirrel into their lap and used their lower set of arms to cradle him, and the top set to grasp an arm and hold it straight. Quirrel continued to shiver, making a raspy noise of discomfort from being moved.
“Good, like that.” With Ghost holding him, it was easy for her to find the joint in his elbow and sterilize it. Then, she injected the antidote slowly, watching the liquid within disperse into his hemo system.
“There…it should take effect soon.” She deposited the used needle in a box she carried to be sterilized later. “We may not notice a difference at first, but within half an hour he should be more comfortable.”
Ghost kept Quirrel in their embrace, resting their chin on his head and tucking him up close. “Thank you.” They said, moving slightly to adjust themselves. Monomon watched them tilt their head slightly, listening to his breathing as he continued to wheeze.
“How did you get that?” Mato had stayed back to let her do her thing, but now that there wasn’t any needles involved, he approached the nest again.
“A combination of work from the Great Knights, good old science, and some very helpful mandatory volunteers.”
“That’s fucking terrifying.” Mato took a step away from her.
“It’s what they deserved. They at least did something useful with their lives instead of just being executed.”
“How many prisoners are left?” Ghost’s mental voice was whisper quiet, as though they were scared that they were going to disturb Quirrel’s rest.
“I’m not sure. Tiso has the numbers. The ring leader is still alive, he was the lucky one who tested the antidote. What are you going to do about them?”
Ghost was silent for a moment, idly smoothing back Quirrel’s antenna as he lay in their embrace. “I think I will wait for Quirrel to weigh in on it all. He was...the most hurt.”
“He wasn’t the only one hurt,” Monomon drifted down to the floor to sit, curling her tentacles under herself. “There was another victim who is thankfully alive. You’ll have a report on that soon, but you may want to keep her in mind too, as well as yourself and my son.”
“It seems like the best thing to do is to let them stew in their own fear and guilt until you have a chance to deal with them.” Mato also sat, leaning against the wall. “They are not going to have any type of peace as long as they are down there with Tiso at the same time.”
Ghost actually chirped a laugh at that. “That is true.”
As they conversed, Ghost noticed Quirrel subtly shift a little over the course of twenty so odd minutes. His twitching was definitely dying down, leaving him still for the first time since he was poisoned. They could hear his breath change as well, the raspy wheeze was getting smoother and less labored. It would be a while before he was back to normal, but just being able to actually rest was something sorely needed for the pillbug.
“He’s doing better.” The vessel sagged in relief, tears once again welling up in their eyes. “He can breathe now.”
Monomon floated up from her position on the floor and placed a tentacle on the pillbug's forehead. She felt it for a moment before she spoke. “His fever has gone down.”
“He’ll be okay now, right? He’ll be okay?” Ghost shivered, black streaks dripping from their eyes as they pulled Quirrel closer to their chest.
“Yes Ghost, he’ll be okay.”
Ghost broke down into tears, a combination of relief, love, and the bitter fear of loss. Once they started they couldn’t stop, the emotional dam had broken. The sheer stress they had been bundling up for the past two days refused to be ignored any longer. Thick, choking sobs filled the room as they held their husband close. He’ll be okay, they won’t have to say goodbye so soon. They knew one day they would have to, but for now, he’ll be okay. He’ll live and they can continue to share the love that never ran out in their heart. He’ll be okay.
Mato and Monomon both embraced them, and for once, they let their family help them carry the huge amount of stress and emotions swirling around in their void. They kept repeating that simple phrase to themselves, over an over, to keep them grounded in the here and now.
He’ll be okay.
---
Myla hummed to herself as she looked over a crystal in her claws. She turned it around in the light, squinting through a monocular as she studied it’s structure. It was a beautiful fluorite specimen, still rough and unpolished. Broad bands of green, purple, and blues swirled around the stone in a rainbow of colors. She just needed to do a little cleanup on it and then it would be ready for display.
She looked at the basket of rocks on the floor next to her work station, all of them mined and found by her. She was pretty proud that she didn’t lose her knack for finding the beautiful and unusual. The infection left her unable to mine professionally anymore, but she had enough energy to go on little expeditions, following her heart as she explored the corners of the kingdom.
Of course, she didn’t go alone. Either Tiso or Cloth would come with her, keeping her protected as she jumped into holes to hack away at the rocks. She wasn’t very strong, but she can still knee cap people who threaten her, and she keeps her pickaxe nice and sharp. It was fun! Especially when she could spend the time with her partners.
She sighed, she hadn’t seen Tiso and Cloth for several days now. She knew what happened, the whole kingdom knew by now. She knew they had important work to do, but she still missed them.
As if the universe was listening to her thoughts, there was a knock on her office door. She glanced at her clock, it was about time for lunch. Maybe it was a coworker asking if she’d like something?
“Come in!” She called.
The door opened, and to her delight, her two knights tried to squeeze their way inside at the same time. Tiso gasped, smushed up against the door frame as Cloth tried to force her massive bulk through, getting equally wedged in.
“Cloth! Back up!” Tiso kicked his legs that were a good foot of the ground. The force of the attempt to beat Cloth inside had angled his body upwards to get stuck on the frame, one arm free and trying to pull himself free.
“No! You back up!” She retorted, trying to squeeze her shoulders in. “I want to kiss her first!”
“Like hell you -wheeze-” Tiso started going a little blue, a stark contrast to his black shell as he got squashed harder.
Myla never in her whole life, expected that she’d ever be a girl that someone would fight over, let alone two. She knew they were just playing around and joking with their fake little rivalry thing, it was endearing, but sometimes Cloth forgot her own strength. She remembered once when Cloth gave Tiso a ‘gentle’ punch to the arm and accidentally sent him through the window.
“How about both of you back out, and I’ll come to you?”
Cloth and Tiso looked at each other. Cloth nodded and with some effort, pulled herself back and out of the door-frame. Tiso, no longer supported, just fell on the ground and wheezed for breath. Cloth helpfully picked him up and set him on his feet again and dusted off his armor.
Myla giggled, bouncing forward to leap at the two of them and was caught into a three way hug. It was a happy moment of hugs and little smooches that was sorely needed after days of being apart. “I’m so glad you two are here!”
“Unfortunately, we only got a short amount of time, then we have to go back.” Cloth replied, sounding very apologetic.
“Yeah...we still got idiots to process.” Tiso took the time to give them both a nuzzle. “Duty calls and all that.”
“That’s okay, I’m just glad you’re here for now!” Myla wriggled to escape the hug, and promptly headed back inside the office. “I processed some new minerals if you’d like to take a look!”
“Of course we would!” Tiso booked it to the door.. and ended up getting wedged in again when Cloth tried to get in at the same time. This time it was worse, because Cloth didn’t put her club down first, and Myla could hear the wood creaking under the strain of it all. She rubbed the back of her head as she watched them both struggle.
She wondered if she should just have a second door put in.
---
It felt like ages since Grimm started talking, telling Quirrel of fantastical worlds both old and new. It was fascinating, hearing of so many places that were different and unique. For the most part Quirrel listened, asking a question here and there. It seemed like the Nightmare King had visited the places Quirrel had during his wanderings on the surface world, and offered some interesting insight to things he may have missed.
“It seems our time is nearly up.” Grimm folded his claws together under his chin, looking at the pill bug who sat in front of him. He had just finished telling Quirrel about a colorful world with a legend of an eternal sprout that was constantly being searched for. “You will need to wake up soon.”
“Really?” Quirrel leaned back in his chair and poked himself a couple times. “If I’m well enough now to wake up, how come I don’t feel any different?”
“It’s because your mind is protecting itself. You won’t feel pain while in a dream. I can however, change that aspect if it is a nightmare, but I have no reason to do so here.” Grimm gave him a sinister grin, exposing many needle sharp teeth, but Quirrel wasn’t afraid.
“Thanks.” Quirrel sighed, and put down his cup. As soon as it hit the table, it began to dissolve into essence, floating away in motes of white and red. In fact, it seemed like everything that wasn’t Grimm or himself was beginning to look blurry and grainy.
“I am not going to lie. You will most likely be in for a lot of pain once you awaken, but you must wake up.” Grimm looked to the side and off to the distance, watching the walls of the cozy room fade into white. “But you will live.”
“Will we ever get to chat again sometime? Despite the circumstances, I quite enjoyed our conversation. It would be nice to revisit it sometime.”
Grimm smiled softly, hiding his wicked looking teeth once again. “Of course we will.”
“Great!” Quirrel watched the last motes of color leave the dream, leaving nothing but a white, featureless void. Somehow they were still sitting, despite the lack of anything coherent around them. “Hrm...how do I wake up then?”
“Oh, that’s easy.” Grimm laughed, his voice distorting and echoing, as though retreating backwards. “You /[Quirrel]/ just need to /open[ed]/ your /[his] eyes./”
.
.
.
Suddenly, he was awake.... and he hated it.
Quirrel’s first thought was a mess of confusion. He had managed to open his eyes, a jarring jump from the dream world to reality. It was easy, but hard at the same time.
What Quirrel managed to see through his stinging eyes was nothing but a blurry mess of darkness and shapes. As soon as his brain caught up with the rest of his body, a deep sharp ache radiated from within his core, spreading all the way to the tips of his limbs. It felt like he tried to cuddle an ooma and paid the price for it. He had no idea how, but even his mandibles hurt. At least Grimm warned him, but it still sucked.
He could tell he was lying on something soft and warm at least. Wriggling his antenna (with a wince, cause how the fuck is his antenna sore too!?!) slightly gave him the usual smells of his home in the palace. His mind was still a little foggy, so when he detected three other people around him, he wasn’t quite sure who they were at first. It was silent, so he couldn’t identify anyone by voices. He was exhausted. Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. Having his eyes open hurt. It sucked and he resolved to complain about it soon enough. He had no clue what happened other than 1. he got poisoned and 2. he got sick from it.
What he needed right now, was his spouse. They probably knew what the hell happened and could fill him in on what he missed. He didn’t even know how long he was out for. It didn’t seem so long while he conversed with Grimm, but he suspected that time doesn’t really hold all that much meaning in a dream. He moved, at least, he tried to, gasping in pain as his hand squeezed something hard and slender. He nearly jumped out of his chitin when something squeezed back. A shape moved in front of his vision, a blurry mess of white that seemed to shine in the darkness.
“Quirrel?” The voice was tinged with the feeling of hope as it whispered through his head. He knew that voice, and he relaxed.
“Hello, love,” he wheezed. His throat was dry and scratchy and he coughed on his words. He closed his eyes for a moment as the blur moved and tripped his sense of vertigo. He heard a chirp in response before he was being hauled upright and held with four arms. The sudden movement flipped his stomach around and he groaned in response. “Ugh…”
“I’msorryi’msorryi’msorry.” He was being peppered with kisses all over his face as a soft whining noise emitted from a throat that was voiceless. He managed to lift up a shaking hand to rest it on the side of Ghost’s face, happy he didn’t accidentally poke them in the eyes since he couldn't see. He rubbed them as well as he could, struggling with the effort of keeping his arm up.
“It’s alright... dear…” It was difficult to talk, he had to stop and take a breath between each word. As much as he loved kisses, it was starting to overwhelm him, so he tried to soothe his spouse. “I’m fine.”
“You are not fine. I...I…” There was another wheezing sob and he was thankfully nuzzled instead of kissed. “You could have died.”
“Heh...heh...like you could...get rid of me...that easy.” He dropped his arm, no longer able to keep it up. His hand was captured in one of Ghost’s, and they rubbed it gently. “I plan to...be around...for much longer…You couldn’t...keep me away...if you tried…” He was losing his voice and he swallowed with a wince. He opened his eyes again, it was still blurry, but he could see clearer shapes. A blob of green and a blob of red was approaching, mixing together as he struggled to focus.
“Here you are, my dear.” A glass of water was placed in his free hand and encircled with a tentacle. “Sip slowly.”
“Hi mom…” He knew what his mom felt like, how she always had this sort of static energy around her, like you could get a good zap if you pissed her off. The same tentacle that used to rock him to sleep at night when he was a pip helped him drink and he gratefully swallowed down the water. It was absolute bliss. He may be king, but all the finery in the world couldn’t compare to that nice cold glass of water.
“You gave us a hell of a scare, how are you feeling?” Oh, that must have been Mato. It made sense that he would be here. The blurs of red mixed with gray and was certainly big enough to be the Nailmaster. They moved to stand closer to Ghost...at least he thinks they did. It was hard to tell for the moment.
“Hurts.” Quirrel could have lied but his mother was right there and she would have no trouble putting him in the corner for it. “All over. Hard to see.”
“I figured as much,” Monomon was still holding the glass of water for him, and another tentacle bumped against his mandibles. “Open up, I have something for the pain.”
He did just that, letting the pills go down with another few swallows of water. He imagined that he should feel hungry or something too, but he just didn’t feel like it. She must have sensed the question because she continued talking.
"Let’s wait for half an hour and see if you can handle some soup, okay?”
Quirrel nodded with a sigh. He was awake but tired again, it was rather frustrating. He closed his eyes again, letting them rest as he just laid there and breathed. He could feel the medicine begin to work, a numb tingling working down his limbs and into his core. Soon, every movement didn’t result in pain, and he managed to sit up a little. Ghost helped, sitting so that his back could rest against this chest and belly.
“What happened?” It seemed like a sensible question to ask. He was not surprised that Ghost was the one to answer.
“There was an assassination attempt and you were poisoned by the nail that cut you. The Great Knights led an investigation and arrested the ringleader and several members of the group. They are still investigating, but they are confident they caught most to all of them. You were unconscious for almost three days.”
“Three days?!” Quirrel raised his voice at that. Three whole days? As in seventy two hours?
“Yes, three days.” Monomon piped up. “If it makes you feel any better, half the kingdom has been keeping vigil outside, hoping that you would get better.”
Quirrel blinked in surprise. “Really?”
“She isn’t lying.” Mato was the next to say something, his voice moving around the room. “I nearly had to fight my way inside, there were so many people out there.”
Quirrel...didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he didn’t feel like he was a person who would warrant a three day vigil, and on the other, he was touched and humbled. He had always been a bug who was fairly social and had a lot of friends, but to have that many bugs sitting around and waiting for news about him...it was astonishing. It must mean that he is doing something right.
“You two need rest,” Mato continued. “Ghost? There’s a pot of soup in the icebox, just warm it up. I’ll go out and tell the masses that things are okay so they can go home.”
“That is a good idea.” Ghost leaned their head down to nuzzle Quirrel some more. “Thank you.”
“And you, my little scholar, are going to stay in bed.” Monomon added. “Strict bed rest until further notice, got it? I will know if you get out of bed, trust me.”
“Yes mom.” Quirrel believed her.
Soon, both parents departed, and once again the room was quiet, save for a soft rumbling. Quirrel realized that Ghost was purring as they cuddled against them. “Stay with me...for a little?” He asked. Now that their parents were gone, it felt strange, like he was a small thing in a sea of uncertainty. Most likely, it’s trauma from the experience, but he didn’t think he could stand being alone for very long now. Now that he was awake, he wanted to stay awake, but he doubts that his body will let him for long.
“I would never leave you,” came the reply. “Everything is on hold for now and will be for a little while.”
“You can’t just... shut down the government...love.” Quirrel chuckled. “Even though...I think most would...enjoy the vacation.”
“I am a king, I can do what I want. And if I want everyone to fuck off so I can care for my beloved husband who survived an attack on his life, I will make it so.” There was a hint of amusement in their voice as they gave him a nuzzle.
“What about...the assassins?” He would not be surprised if they were all dead by now, but he still wanted to know.
“The knights have them. We can talk about it later. I would rather kiss you and talk about how much I love you, if that’s okay.”
Quirrel managed a laugh as he relaxed against his spouse, feeling happy and full of love. “You know what? I would...like that very much.”
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Anguish 001- Anguish
“Out of genuine free will, I, Lee Minho, exercise the divine right to reject my sacredly designed soulmate.”
Member: Lee Minho / Lee Know x Femme Reader (she / her)
Au: Frat Boi! Minho + Rejected Soulmate AU
Genre: Angst (some comedy?,, this series is gonna be angsty because of the whole ‘rejected soulmate’ thing)
Rated T for a whole lotta swearing, a frat party, crowds, usage of alcohol and mentions of drugs, intensity, reader is a bit socially anxious (please lmk if any other warnings are needed!💞🥺)
Word Count: 4k & manually double spaced between words & paragraphs for ease of reading!!!!🥵🤠🥰
Note: this is dedicated to @trixareforlix, they’re the first-ever friend I made on here and they’re the one who sparked this frat au idea!! Ilysm always angel!!<33
Edited: 201015 (Original: 190813 )
Anguish series 1/?- ~001~, 002
The anticipated day where you’d become magnetized, the world around you becoming a blur, your heart falling into perfect sync with the one destined for you truly… was not like that at all, actually! No, the stars were cruel to you, perhaps you did something awful in your past life to deserve this, but maybe what is more likely is that your soulmate’s just an asshole. After all, one’s soulmate was the complete opposite of one’s self. Soulmates were the yin to one’s yang and vice versa and all that. To keep one balanced, or whatever.
Now, you aren’t the angel everyone may claim you to be. You weren’t angelic, not at all. Eating ice cream for breakfast was not above you. Your nail polish was perpetually chipped. You couldn’t stand to keep your hair in the same style for too long; chopping it all off or seeing how long it could grow, dying it as bright as you could, and everything in between. You adorned yourself with two or three more piercings than your parents could get behind, bless them, you’re beginning to have trouble hiding your new tattoo. Habitually, you were sensitive, soft, a bit emotional, and tended to be a bit of a smartass. You weren’t blessed with physical grace, ceaselessly tripping over yourself, spilling and knocking over anything in your path, and dancing out of beat to blasted songs.
More often than not, you would go to bed later than planned. Tonight was one of those nights, but it was not because of your natural preference. You were not too figuratively dragged into this by someone who held the title of your best friend, someone whom you were currently thinking of ways of revoking that title from.
“C’mon, dummy! We’re almost there!” Jamie elbowed you, her eyes crinkled in laughter, whacking you on the back a bit too hard.
“Jamie, I must’ve forgotten, but why’re you even dragging me to this frat party again? Why not just go to your sorority instead?” You groaned, your two left feet were dragging behind you on the aged sidewalk, your fake Doc Martens feeling like cinder blocks.
“‘Cause Chris invited me and he’s being a little bitch about it because I keep canceling on ‘im! He keeps saying that my soulmate might be there!” She reminded you for the umpteenth time, rolling her head and eyes back in frustration, sighing before continuing. “And now it’s like- I might as well try and see! I mean, come on!~ I’m starting to think he’s right!” And for the umpteenth time today, you question why she’s falling for this. She’s sharper than this. But for some reason, just this once, she found a way to shoehorn Chris’s dumbassery to logic.
In reality, you could meet your soulmate at any time or place, so to say that one's soulmate might be there is like saying it might rain. Sure, it might. But it also can rain in any season so you can’t be wrong with saying that it might. It doesn’t always rain every day, all the time, so it also isn’t that likely. Rain depends on a lot more factors. But right now, you’re a little buzzed, so it sounded pretty sound.
“So he knows your soulmate?”
“I’d hope so! If not, I’d rip his bleached hay-hair right out of his thick skull!” Now, this is the Jamie you knew and loved, you couldn't help the endeared smile on your face. “When we could’ve been eating takeout and watching a musical-“
“So which frat are we going to again?” You had to interrupt her for her sake. Takeout and a movie would always remain superior to parties in your mind and you already didn’t want to be accompanying her to a frat house.
“Hmm… It’s like- uh... Signal kite zing- wait no- hold on-“
You guys must be tipsier from the pregaming than you thought. “Sigma? ‘Signal’ isn’t greek, I think you mean sigma! And ‘kite’ isn-”
“Right, whatever! Anyways, the abbreviation is SKZ-“
“Ohhh! We’re friends with some of them- We’re like best friends with Chris!! Why didn’t you say it was Chris’s frat in the first place?” Your laugh projecting out of you unattractively with claps and swings of limbs which led to slapping a little too hard at Jamie's shoulder. This clarification did make you feel a bit better. This wasn’t a shitty fraternity you didn’t know, this was a shitty fraternity you inevitably tolerated since you knew and even approved of some of its members!
SKZ was home to a hodgepodge of eight brothers who were pretty individual as far as frat dudes go. Some of which you were genuinely fond of, like Chris, or simply acquainted with, like Jisung, whom you shared a major and program with. Others, you couldn’t even remember the names of or who they are in general. It’s also the smallest frat on campus, so they try to get as many people to come to events as possible, which is honestly exhausting as a concept to your introverted self. Thus, you’ve never actually attended one of theirs until now, now that Jamie is dragging you along with her.
“Ow! I don’t know!~ I thought you were smart enough to figure it out when I mentioned Chris!” She teased, making the two of you laugh harder, you couldn’t defend yourself on that one. The two of you just continued your idiotic banter the rest of the way to the Sigma Kappa Zeta house aka the SKZ frat.
The walk to SKZ’s lair was a bit much, more than you and Jamie bargained for. You were so kindly carrying her platforms for her until she’ll put them back on again, only for you to probably end up kindly carrying them again later tonight. The cool breeze of the September night helped with the humidity and sweat, and the sun beautifully set, leaving a delicate lilac color in its wake which was becoming darker and darker the further you walked. The hazy streetlights added to the whimsy atmosphere, yet to be ruined with the sound of an intolerable amount of bass and the overbearing smell of beer and weed when the two of you arrived on site.
“Okay, I’m pretty sure it’s this house!” Jamie halted her steps, turning towards you, her hair swaying along with the belled sleeves of her mesh turtleneck she had under her dress. The two of you really dolled yourselves up for the night, her hair was perfect, your hair was perfect, outside was perfect, and it brought you sobering back to the not-so-perfect earth. The idea of going inside a suffocating, putrid house majorly crowded with drunk and hormonal peers... was not appealing to you in the least.
“Yup, and now it’s time to turn back around!” You quipped, ensnaring her arm with your empty one, about to steer the two of you in a three-point-turn. This was your final chance at getting out of your predicament, and now that you’re here you regret playing along. Sadly, Jamie was just as stubborn as you, and your turn around was met with a roadblock.
“Oh my god, Y/n, you’re joking! We walked the whole ass way here!” She got out in between puffs of airy frustration, her socked heels digging into the ground as you attempted, gracelessly, to steer the two of you around.
“Okay, okay, fine. We did come all this way and now our drinks’ve worn off.” You acknowledged with an irritated huff. “Okay- how about we go in and get some drinks, and then we’ll leave?!” Your pitch going up with each word of your attempt to negotiate before forcing out a chuckle, your laugh did its best to hide the fact that your body was beginning to stick with sweat and anxiety.
“No, ‘and then’ we’ll find Chris to hook me up!” She playfully fought back but it was hard to take her seriously, or yourself, with how the two of you were laughing, hers genuine, yours not so much.
“Jesus Christ, you really are set on this ‘finding your soulmate’ thing.” You breathed. As much as you hated social gatherings, you loved your best friend much, much more, therefore you were willing to be won over in the name of friendship. Though, she would owe you for this! Fortunately for her, food and drink is fair trade in you and your wallet’s eyes.
“I’m lonely, okay! I’d prefer winning the lottery but this is the next best thing!” Jamie, as per usual, brought the two you back right to laughter instantly. She had her mind made up. Plus, with you giggling it made it all the easier for her to haul the both of you right up the steps of the SKZ Frat House stairs.
Once in, Jamie stuck close to your side, literally, but not that she had the natural choice or much of an alternative; this place was packed to the gills! Jumping up on her now platform clad feet, looking for anyone she recognized or any signs of Chris, while you led the two of you, hopefully, to a kitchen. You were practically kicking yourself each step of the way as you shoved your way through the crowd. The air was stuffy and possibly even toxic, to say the least. The scent is much more foul than last you remember, pungent with alcohol, sweat, cigarettes, weed, hints of puke, and dashes of all sorts of pheromones. Despite the few times you’ve smelled this scent, it never failed to make you wish you didn’t leave your safe, sanitary bed.
There’s jabbing elbows and flailing parts of strangers everywhere that had to be watched out and dodged for, sloshing cups, sometimes drunken flirtatious hands grabbing at you, not at all fazed by the pretty companion you had your elbow linked with. The sway of the hoards of people was beginning to get you motion sick, but you were determined to keep wading through, trying to hike through this high tide, but you couldn’t help but feel vulnerable. You were cursed with a soft, approachable face that just begged to be messed with. Even in times like these, where your thoughts are nothing short of bitchy, the message would never get across with a resting bitch face. Your love for dark attire didn’t matter. Your baby face and aura won every match. Not even the eyeliner and dark lipstick you preferred could save you. All you could do is hope that your best friend’s intimidation and delightfully loud presence was enough for the two of you as you keep planting one foot after the other.
“Fucking hell!” You barely gasped out, finally freed out of the main room, and now into the hallway. The seasick claustrophobia no longer had its poisonous grips on your soft, easy to bruise skin, though, you did need to catch your breath.
“Finally!” Jamie sighed loudly and melodically, patting you on the back and easily recovering. Before she headed straight into the kitchen to scope out the place, possibly for anyone she knew and, perhaps, her Special Someone.
“So did ya see anyone you knew, Jame?” You called after her upon entering what appeared to be a stereotypical scene of the kitchen during a college party. Cliche red solo cups scattered everywhere, filled at varying degrees. A beer keg or two, some cheap bottles of vodka splayed about, remnants of ash from blunts, a couple or two aggressively making out against the wall, and four or five random stragglers fidgeting with their phone or talking overly loudly to each other. You know, the usual.
“Ughh, no” She answered reluctantly. “They have to be somewhere else, maybe, like upstairs or downstairs, right?!”
Before you could reply, behind you, you heard an enthusiastic “Jamie!!” then a muffled, “you finally made it!!” The familiar voice had you jerking your head to see if your ears were failing you, evidently, they weren’t. Right away you see Chris tackling Jamie in a hug before he met your eyes with his comically wide ones.
“Aaaahhh!! Y/n’s here too?!”
“Yeah! Don’t we look cute?” Jamie fluffed up her cropped, newly dyed hair you helped her do, yours also in a similar state.
“Yeah, but Y/n looks better.” He teased, giggling and slapping her in the arm; unsurprising, as it’s their usual fashion.
“Oh my god! Why did I come here?! Okay, we’ll leave then, Chris.” Jamie joked right back at him, snatching at your hand like it was a prize to be won and taking you away with her. Unfortunately for you, this was just a well-meaning joke, you weren’t going to be set free from a party anytime soon.
“Nooo! Don’t go!!” He dramatized, grabbing onto at Jamie, halting her from leaving with you in tow. Giggling so hard, he had to throw his head back to project it all. You snorted a “thank you” a bit late, too busy laughing. He just gave you a brotherly slap on the arm, on his way to leave before Jamie stopped him.
“Wait! What about my soulmate? You said they'd be here, remember!”
“Oh?” Chris’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion, Jamie nodded with stern wide eyes which seemed to spark back his doubtful memory, “Ahhh… downstairs… maybe… I think- hangin’ out! There’s a game about to start- Oh, yeah! That’s why I’m here-” he giggled to himself, “to get this!” He then snatched a full bottle of vodka from a sneaky cabinet you didn’t know about before ushering you guys along to follow him. Honestly, Chris didn’t make it sound too promising that Jamie’s soulmate could be down there, but it’s the best lead you got.
Shyly, you followed behind the two as he led the way to the basement. With Chris as your guide, it was relatively smooth sailing, the crowd parting minimally to make way for the president of the frat. Before you know it, you’re walking down some nasty ass carpeted stairs, forcing your eyes from questionable stains to look for a rail instead to hold onto. Strangely enough, walking down the steps was comforting somehow, the feeling as if it were inviting you in. Like it assigned you a duty instead of the alienating fish out of water experience you had earlier on the main floor.
“I picked up some stragglers!” Chris cheered as he turned into the room.
“Yeah, but did you bring the alcohol?” A brazen voice you’ve never heard before shot straight through you. You could feel it run through you with tingles down your spine and goosebumps up your arms.
“Hell yeah I did, ya jackass!”
When the two of you turned the corner, the world slowed down and your muscles instantly seized up, halting you into place without consent. Your insides clench tight, wrapping itself into a knot. Suddenly you were sweating, but in contrast, your vision looked as though you were looking through a nice refreshing glass of pink lemonade. Normally steady hands were now shaky, your ears and cheeks beginning to glow beet red. You could feel yourself beginning to sweat at the nape of your neck and underarms; all this from the sudden voice of the stranger! -What? What’s going on?!-
Immediately, your gaze pans around the room before they landed on the source, long-lashed eyes holding a dark chocolate glaze and shivering you to the bone. Like a hooked fish, you couldn’t look away. The initial astonishment of just the sensations couldn‘t compare to exploring the face in front of you.
Chiseled cheeks, and angular brows. Pouty naturally downturned lips were discovered underneath an impossibly perfect, pointy nose. Everything about him was like the artwork, his slightly covered forehead was somehow artistic as if even the space between the brow and the hairline was something new that your narrow mind could never possibly understand. His hairline soon revealed a head of luscious black hair, unrealistically voluminous, shiny and soft. Honestly, his hair was screaming at you to test out if it could be possible, that someone who looked like this was real. His entire face and head on his shoulders didn’t make conceivable sense. Maybe it’s just you, but a person this perfect couldn’t exist and you have yet to venture south to see how perfect the rest of him could possibly be.
“Y/n? Are- are you okay?”
You vaguely felt or heard your best friend at your side, but it wasn’t decipherable. Everything but this guy in front of you was fuzzy, blurry to you. All the energy in your being focused on this human in front of you. His silky, messily parted locks, begging for you to test if it was as soft as it looked. His sharp features. His lips a natural coral-y color that began to shine and glimmer with saliva as his glossy tongue began to trail along those chapped lips. You shot your eyes back to his, reeling you back in like the prey you began to feel. Oh, sweet, sweet baby Jesus, is this really happening?!
“I-“ both of you started at the same time. Embarrassingly enough, it seems as though the blurry figures of everyone else in the corner of your eyes caught on to something the two of you were oblivious to. Everyone started jumping and screaming, whooping chaotically, and taking over your vision. The slow world disappeared in a blink, launching you right back to its now rapid, woozy speed. With everyone pushing and shoving around you in excitement it was not at all helping with your wibbly-wobbly state.
Suddenly, you felt many different arms coming at you, wrapping around you, constricting you, and jumping around with you in their arms in excitement. There was a deafening amount of rambunctious hooting and hollering it was almost as if the team they were rooting for won the SuperBowl.
“And here I thought Y/n was Jamie’s soulmate!” Chris guffawed and they all joined in, all besides you and this guy- WAIT- did Chris say- say ‘soulmate’?? No, he couldn’t have!
“Soulmate?” Equally, as soon as you internally questioned the word choice, you heard his earth-shattering voice speak again, despite the fact he merely whispered, softly wondering aloud. He spoke aloud what you were thinking, right when you thought it!
You couldn’t get enough of his voice, especially now when you can’t see him in the crowd. His voice was light, honey-colored, dreamy, just the perfect amount of deep, it made you want to taste his lips to see if he’s as sweet as he sounded. You, yourself, were still in the locked-in-place state, still too shell shocked to even make a step forward, your poor brain overworking itself to make sense of any of this.
“Really?” In elated shock you chirped, slowly giving in to the hugs and excited jumping with wide and confused eyes. Is this for real? This is really happening?!
“Holy fuck, Y/n!” Jamie managed to get you, pulling you a bit too crushingly in a hug. “I can’t believe it! You found your soulmate in this shitty basement and not me!” She playfully teased, there was no ill will behind it.
By now the situation was beginning to sink in a teeny bit and you were shocked, to say the least. Frankly, you were starting to think that this day would never come. You had a soulmate and your soulmate looked like that! You were over the moon, even if you felt a bit guilty that you found your soulmate at this party instead of Jamie. It was the plan of this whole night, after all. Now that it was you, you didn’t know how to react. You were completely and utterly unprepared.
“I’m so sorry, Jamie.” You pulled her back in closer, crushing her back into you, eyes watering, lip trembling. “Oh my god, I think I might- I think I might cry.” You hiccupped into her chic mesh turtleneck and dress combo. This is too much. Too too much.
“Heyy!~ Don’t feel bad for me! It’s okay!” Jamie simply chortled, patting your head deeper into her chest, her usual protocol if you were about to seriously cry.
Humiliatingly enough, you heard a few guys begin to chant “don’t cry!” in the background. Your small moment of sincerity and calm was soon interrupted by Chris.
“Well isn’t this fun! You know what this means!”~
“Minho’s soulmate’s a lil’ bitch?” You heard Jisung, the kid whom you shared your major and many classes with, taunt. His words forcing you forward, ready to fight the kid. He’s a child, literally a child! Why do I associate myself with him?! I swear to god-
“Hey, hey, hey! It was a joke!” He squeaked away from you. He was too speedy, no chance for you and your heavy ass boots stomping after him. Safely, he skidded behind the couch, behind whom you’re assuming is “Minho”, which had your boots screeching to a halt.
Though you were scrambling after Jisung, your eyes naturally met Minho’s as you halted. Once again, your body is preparing to either fight or flight. His face was glowing like he was some sort of ethereal being, wracked up in deep, attractive concentration. In contrast, your face was beginning to burn up an embarrassing amount, your body already turning into inoperable mush. You couldn’t say anything if you tried. Any sentence structure your brain tried to form didn’t make any grammatical or logical sense, your mind racing like a hamster on a wheel. Your neural pathways were glowing, steaming with this sudden overstimulation, leading you to the same frazzling answer each and every time:
This person right in front of you? Yeah, that’s your soulmate.
A hush was spread throughout the previously hype basement, all eyes immersed in the two of you speechlessly enraptured in each other. The longer you stood there, the more you could take him in and get used to him and the idea of him. You were warming up to him, he became more and more real with each millisecond. You've studied his eyes so passionately now that could see his dark chocolatey pupils when you closed your eyes. You were no longer overwhelmed but now enchanted by his features and general presence. His cheekbones are no longer an unfamiliar art piece. His aura was still intimidating as before, but now it appeared to the cheeky kind of way like you wanted to see what amount of scary he was capable of. It was a long, jittery, drawn-out pause before anything happened, not that you noticed.
“Out of genuine free will,” You just smiled, staring at his naturally downturned lips. Only by reading his lips did you pay attention to what he was saying- Wait, what?
“I, Lee-” Hold on a second.
“Minho-” No.
“Exercise the divine right to” This isn’t happening to me. This isn’t-
“Reject my sacredly designed-” happening. No. No. It can’t be. It’s not p-
“Soulmate.” -ossible.
The electric, exciting, high energy pause between us fell and wilted. Died just like that. The connected red strings that tied Minho and yourself were chopped off on his own accord, bringing icy cold into the room in its wake. A harsh blizzard overwhelming the space. Gasps of shocked air were being taken in from everyone in this basement, everyone, including Lee Minho.
You got a gasp of bitter cold in through your lungs before you were struck like lightning. Lightning of feverish torture took over your body, struck you directly in the heart and brain before it flashed through your veins carrying the harsh poison of rejection.
You heard a pathetic squawk tear its way out of your chapped lips, the anguish forcing you down to your knees as if you were directly stabbed in the heart. The electric, immediate painful reaction faded, bringing boiling throbs through all your cells, not leaving one out. It was unlike anything you could describe, no, imagine. It was as if the blood in your veins was replaced with boiling water and your heart was simultaneously squeezed and electrocuted in the grasps of electric hands. Maybe it was the hands of Satan dragging you down with him.
Blurrily, through fresh, hot tears, you swear you could see Minho physically flinch in response, immediately, sprinting out of the room as if he was escaping from a house on fire.
That was the last you saw before it all faded to black.
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[FIC] Coco - What the Xolo Dragged In (Part 7)
Before anybody wonders, remember that in another lifeline, Héctor Rivera had the moxie to punch Pepita in the nose when he thought she was after his chamaco. This is not a cowardly man, for all that he graciously yields to more forceful personalities...most of the time.
Coco - What the Xolo Dragged In
Part 7 - Break
These days, Héctor always felt terribly out of place up in the nicer sections of the city. Everything was clean, clearly lit, and brightly painted, pretty as a picture in the mid-morning sunlight. The skeletons walking to and fro about their business were well-dressed and had the white, sturdy bones of the Remembered. The stares and whispers, however—disdainful and sometimes horrified, unlike the mere curiosity of his Shantytown peers—made him glad he’d kept to the side streets and alleys, acutely conscious of his awkward gait, ragged clothes, and chipped, weathered bones.
The Forgotten were memorable when they appeared outside their dank domain below—as memorable as a leper at a gala ball, and just about as welcome. It was always the same; the constant prickle of open stares, or the cold shoulder of being deliberately ignored.
At least if they were staring at him, they were less likely to notice the little shadow he led along by the hand, or at least more likely to pass it off as a Forgotten child—something they wanted to acknowledge even less.
Miguel was doing a good job of keeping up, uncomplaining, though his small head swiveled this way and that the whole trip, in awe of the bright maze that was the massive city of the dead and its inhabitants (they’d taken care of Miguel’s business in a dark corner just outside of Shantytown, where hopefully no one would really notice one more puddle on the damp pyramid stones). The boy was probably getting tired from the very long walk, but he gamely kept going; he had a lot of questions, but was mostly distracted by anything resembling music. Every time they passed another source of song, the child locked on to it like a pointer dog until they passed out of earshot or another one appeared.
Soon enough, the instances of music thinned and vanished as they walked, driven away by the austere silence of the forbidden zone surrounding the quiet street Héctor knew far too well. The sense of impending doom curled his shoulders more with every step; he was walking into the jaguar’s den and he knew it, but a little stomach growled audibly at his side like a tiny angry alebrije and he continued putting one foot in front of the other.
If he kept thinking about Miguel, he wouldn’t think about the anger and rejection that awaited him. Miguel was love and warmth and a ready smile and a cheerful voice that danced like happy guitar music and hugs that felt like home.
With every step he took, he grew closer to losing that joy forever.
But Miguel needed food and care and everything Héctor couldn’t provide, and that was far more important than his own wants.
Almost before he knew it (before he wanted it), they were in front of the familiar gate, overshadowed by the large sign shaped like a shoe. The high wall was brightly painted; the house beyond it was even taller, built upward to contain the family like all structures in the Land of the Dead. It was quiet within, the courtyard shaded from the sun by colorful sheets of fabric tied up in gentle swoops.
“Papá Héctor,” Miguel whispered, staying close to his side, “this looks kinda like my house. See? There’s the same sign.”
“That’s because it kind of is your house,” Héctor said softly, forcing the sadness out of his tone. “Or it will be your house, someday. It’s your family’s house, where everyone lives when they’re not visiting your ofrenda.”
“Oh.” Miguel looked up at the gate a moment longer. “They have breakfast here?”
Dios mío, I hope so!
“Let’s go find out.” Carefully, Héctor pushed the gate further open and led the boy into the courtyard. Up this high, the ground was wood and brick rather than stone, the yard tastefully decorated with art and sculpture here and there to give the look of plants and shrubs. There was even a small fountain that bubbled pleasantly, which small bird-shaped alebrijes might use as a bath.
Héctor took deep breaths to steady himself as he approached the front door, not out of any need for air but only old habit. If he let his hands shake, Miguel would notice, and the poor kid didn’t need anything more to worry about. Standing on the mat, he took one last glance down at his grandson and winced; hair sticking out around the oversized hat, face smudged with grime from the back streets, covered in a tattered, filthy poncho, the boy looked like a complete ragamuffin.
...whoops. Not gonna win me any points...but I’m already in the record-setting negatives anyway.
Héctor raised a fist and knocked timidly. He couldn’t exactly hope that no one was at home, but maybe Imelda would be out and he could speak to someone else—
A roar resounded through the courtyard and sent Miguel crowding against his legs with a frightened squeak.
Oh no.
Imelda’s huge, terrifying alebrije rose from a sunny spot on the outbuilding roof across the courtyard, wings casting a deep shadow as the massive feline leaped effortlessly to the ground. The growl the creature emitted shook the courtyard floor as it advanced. Pepita knew Héctor on sight and, after this many years, knew that her mistress didn’t want him around.
And yet, Miguel’s fearful whimper seemed to drown out all of the oncoming alebrije’s noise.
“Hey!” Hyper-aware of the tiny hands clinging to his trouser leg, Héctor pointed a finger at the big cat’s nose, marveling somewhere in the back of his mind that his hands still weren’t shaking. “Back off! I’m here on business, and you’re scaring the kid!”
Pepita snarled but stood still, as if momentarily baffled by his defiance. One swat from her paw could scatter him all over the courtyard like an upended bundle of sticks, and she’d never been shy about showing her displeasure. Before she could respond, however, a small brightly-colored bundle of excitement bounced up to her feet, yapping loudly and tail wagging in a blur. Apparently stymied by this enthusiasm, Pepita stared down at the Xolo-alebrije-pup that threw itself to the ground in front of her and wriggled endearingly as if ecstatic to see her.
With the fearsome alebrije thus distracted (perhaps she wasn’t sure if she should eat it or play with it), Héctor kept Miguel close to him and edged away from the hazard. The only thing worse now would be—
Just behind him, the door swung open sharply. “—is going on, upsetting my alebrije and—you.”
Imelda’s voice, quick to bare fangs of spite, bit into him with all the pain and force he remembered from the last time he’d darkened her doorstep—and the time before that, and the time before that...
Dios, dame fuerza.
Héctor closed his eyes, gave himself one moment to gather all his strength, and turned to her with the most neutral, earnest expression he could manage. Now was not the time for smarmy grins, romantic flourishes, or exaggerated pleas. “Imelda, buenos días. I—”
“Get out! Pendejo músico!” she snarled, her face twisting with rage. “If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times, never come back here!”
“I’ll go, just give me a moment to—!”
“I gave you my heart! I gave you years of my life!” She had her boot in her hand in the blink of an eye, advancing on him as threateningly as her alebrije had. “You spat on it all and threw it away! I will give you nothing more!”
Already he was backing away from her wrath, ducking her swing. “Imelda, listen—!”
“Cállate! I told you to get out! Out! Never show your face here again!”
When he dodged back again, his leg bumped against solid warmth. Miguel was still there, cowering from the huge angry alebrije and the shouting adults with a child’s innocent confusion, and Héctor was his only shelter from all that was frightening and unfamiliar.
Imelda had a right to her anger, but this was a separate issue.
Enough. Enough. This is not helping Miguel!
If he stepped back even once more, they’d be fighting on top of their great-great-grandson (a young child should never be subjected to their parents’ conflicts). Héctor straightened his spine as Imelda swung again. Instead of giving ground, he raised his right arm to block the blow.
Her boot slammed into his radius, snapping the brittle bone with a crack that seemed like a gunshot in the closed courtyard, thudding into his ulna with bruising force. He grit his teeth against the lightning agony that rocketed up his arm, the pain turning his voice sharp.
“Will you stop shouting and listen to me for one God-blessed minute?”
For a moment Imelda stood blinking at him, startled as much by the fact she’d actually connected as with his tone.
“This is important.” He lowered his arm, pushing her shoe away; urgency made him force the pain to the background, though he didn’t dare try to move any of the fingers of his right hand. “Miguel is here.”
“What?” Her jaw went slack. “You mean—my Miguelito? But...I-I should’ve been notified—!”
“He’s not dead,” Héctor reassured her quickly, reaching back with his good arm to nudge the child forward. He reclaimed his fraying hat, removing the haphazard disguise on the boy. “He didn’t come in through Arrivals.”
Stunned, Imelda stared down at the living child on her doorstep. Wary of her, Miguel kept a grip on Héctor’s trouser leg as if expecting him to disappear.
“He showed up last night near—near my place,” Héctor went on, “and...I thought it best if I brought him to you.”
“Last night?” Imelda snapped, her ire quickly returning. “He’s been here since last night and you didn’t—?”
“He didn’t recognize me.” Héctor tried not to bite out the words, tried not to sound the slightest bit accusing, the pain in his arm already sharpening his tone. “And I didn’t know who he was at first. And he was soaking wet—I wasn’t going to run him across town like that in the middle of the night!”
Imelda’s scowl deepened along with her glare. “Explain. Now.”
“He came from the Waters.” Héctor kept his good hand on Miguel’s hair, trying to reassure the boy as he spoke quickly. “Something about a ghost trying to grab him—maybe La Llorona?—and this alebrije puppy rescued him from it, but somehow he got from the river in Santa Cecilia to...here.”
Imelda spared a quick glance at Dante, where the pup was bouncing happily around Pepita’s paws as if trying to reach the big cat’s face to lick it.
“Alebrije can’t carry anything across the Veil,” she stated skeptically. “If they could, people would have been sending letters and packages back and forth every day instead of only on Día de Muertos.”
“I don’t know how.” Héctor shrugged, and immediately regretted it when the movement jostled his fractured arm. Wincing, he hissed through his teeth and pressed on. “I found my living grandson washed up from the Waters with this alebrije that used to be his pet, and he doesn’t understand what happened either, only that he heard a scary sound, fell in the river, and saw something that looked like a ghost before his dog pulled him under and he woke up here! And now he’s got to get back to the land of the living, he’s hungry, and I don’t have any way to help him!”
“Another inconvenience you’re so eager to leave behind,” Imelda sniffed, folding her arms.
Struck, Héctor found himself glaring back at her for several beats, wondering if she’d actually heard any of the words he’d said. He had to tighten his jaw to keep from retorting something about how she’d wanted him to bring the boy sooner. His worry over Miguel had apparently short-circuited his usual guilt and passivity in her presence, but if he fought with her they’d get nowhere; Imelda never backed down from a fight, and the quickest way to defuse her was to avoid locking horns.
“I have nothing,” he said, as flatly as he could manage. “I have no food for him, and my house is not fit for children. You can provide for him better than I can. You can make sure the Department does everything possible to return him to the living world. This isn’t about me—this isn’t even about us. Miguel takes priority, and I can’t help him.”
She studied him for long moments before finally rolling her eyes and looking away. “Fine. You’ve done your good deed. Of course I’ll take care of him. Now get out.”
“Gracias, Imelda.” With only one arm, Héctor tried to push the boy toward her, but Miguel wouldn’t let go of him. “Miguel...mijo, you’re gonna stay with Imelda now, alright? She’ll get you some breakfast.”
“No...Papá Héctor, I wanna go with you!” Miguel resisted the soft pressure, balking more when Imelda reached for him. “I don’t want to stay here!”
“Easy now—I got it. Hey, hey, Miguel,” Héctor said gently, kneeling to look the child in the eyes, “this is your Mamá Imelda. You know her, right?”
“She’s on top of the ofrenda,” the boy said after a moment, guarded. “Mamá Coco’s mamá. She made shoes first.”
“That’s right.” Héctor smiled encouragingly. “Mamá Imelda has room for you, and food too. That’s why you need to stay here.”
“But...” Miguel cast a wary, suspicious look up at the stern woman, keeping a tight hold on Héctor’s left arm bones. “She’s the one who said no music. She’ll hate me.”
“No way! Mamá Imelda loves you. She takes care of your family that lives here, just like your Abuelita takes care of your family where you live. You’re much more important than music, mijo. You need to stay where it’s safer for you.” Héctor didn’t let his smile waver, cajoling and positive. “You’ll feel better when you get some food, okay? Your family here will be so happy to see you! And then Mamá Imelda will help you go home to your mamá and papá. You’ll be fine.”
“Well...okay...” Very reluctantly, Miguel let go of Héctor’s good arm. He didn’t look pleased, but at least he wasn’t digging in his heels.
“Come along, Miguel.” Imelda held out her hand, her voice firm but not cold.
The boy glanced at her outstretched hand, then at Héctor. “When are you coming back?”
I’m not. I’m sorry.
“Imelda’s gonna take care of you now.” The tears he held back burned as his good hand cupped his grandson’s cheek, cherishing the warmth he would never touch again. Leaning close, he kissed the boy’s forehead, lingering to murmur, “Be good, Miguel. I love you.”
Please don’t forget how much I love you.
As Héctor rose and stepped back, holding himself rigid, Imelda caught Miguel’s arm when the boy reached for him again. She still glared at him, but there was something off in her gaze that he couldn’t process; all his strength was taken by staying upright and polite. There wasn’t time or space for one more hug, one more goodbye, one more anything—he would always want one more, and another, and another...
One more chance. Please, just...
If he started he’d never stop. He had to hold himself up in spite of his broken heart breaking all over again, in spite of the jagged pain in his cracked arm. As if it wasn’t his family he was walking away from once more; as if it wasn’t the only kin who’d shown him any affection in almost a century he was leaving behind, never to see again.
I can’t...
I have to.
He’d told her he would leave as soon as he’d explained. His face a mask, he cleared his throat and tipped his hat to the lady as if she was a stranger he’d bumped into in the marketplace. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Señora. Good day.”
She started and looked as if she wanted to say something, but he turned away too quickly. He was already at the edge of his tolerances, and if he lingered now he’d collapse. He could only try to ignore the sounds behind him—the scuffling of little feet, the click and rattle of a door opening.
“Papá Héctor’s gonna come back, right? M-Mamá Imelda? He’s gonna come back? After breakfast?”
“Of course not.” Imelda’s voice, gentler with a child but still displeased. “That músico is not welcome here.”
“B-but, he’s—!”
“Miguel, behave and come inside. We need to get you home.”
“No...no, Papá Héctor, please!”
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t help you.
Héctor kept walking, telling himself he couldn’t hear anything behind him, not the upset little boy or the irritated woman or the confused whines of the alebrije-dog. Everyone here hated him, but Miguel didn’t want him to leave, and that was almost enough to break him.
My boy. I love you. Go home. Live.
Closing the courtyard gate behind him helped drown out some of the noise, but it didn’t really stop until Imelda managed to get Miguel inside and shut the door. Then he was walking through the quiet of an ordinary neighborhood in the late morning, with no living child at his side (no small warm hand in his, no sweet musical giggles, no curious little voice asking so many questions) as if once more it had all been a dream, as if it had never happened at all.
Every step he took carried him further away from the last scrap of love in his existence. If by some astronomically slim chance he lasted long enough to see Miguel again, his grandson would be grown, old enough to understand the truth, and turned against him by the stories of their family. The little chamaco who looked at him with love and adoration would never do so again.
But Miguel would live. And that was all that mattered.
Héctor kept putting one limping foot in front of the other, his only company the broken-glass ache of his fractured arm. He didn’t care where he was going, just away, and his feet carried him along aimlessly until he found himself all the way back where he’d started, just outside of Shantytown. Old, old habit had led him back home.
Beyond the gate there was music and joking and raucous teasing shouts. Everyone within sounded far too happy in the afternoon lull. Like they hadn’t had their fondest wishes offered to them on a silver platter and had to let the gift slip through their fingers.
It wasn’t fair of him to be bitter. He should not begrudge his Shantytown Family any happiness they could find. They hadn’t had the privilege of a surprise living family visit, not even through an ofrenda. He’d had an opportunity few of them could even dream of, and he should be grateful for the time he’d had.
It was his own fault. He’d known Miguel for less than a day, and sending his grandson away was almost like leaving Coco behind all over again. He got attached far too easily, even when he knew he shouldn’t. He knew it only caused pain, missing what he couldn’t have, and he already had enough to miss just trying to see his daughter again.
His heart disagreed with his head. His heart said that Miguel was his grandson and he had every right to miss him, even if he’d only known him for a few hours. His heart wanted to rush back to his family’s home and beg for one more chance, even if pleading had never worked before. His heart knew that he loved that beautiful little boy helplessly, instantly, eternally, just like he loved his wife, his daughter, and all of his faceless grandchildren no matter how far apart they were.
Héctor couldn’t stand the thought of returning to his cold, empty hut without the music of Miguel’s voice to fill it. He had no strength left to don his careless grin for the sake of his fellow Nearly-Forgotten. He turned away from the merry voices of his Shantytown Family (their laughter he couldn’t join and their questions he didn’t want to answer) and his feet took him onward to the shadowed place at the edge of the misty Waters where he’d first found Miguel.
There he slumped like a forgotten marionette, with his broken arm and his broken heart, silent tears rolling down his cheekbones. In over a hundred years of existence, he’d never learned to stop longing for things he couldn’t have, and all he could think about was the precious boy just beyond his grasp and the beloved daughter whose whole life he’d missed.
He didn’t move from that spot until Chicharrón found him, hours or days or eternities later.
(tbc)
How can I not love you?
What do I tell my heart?
When do I not want you
Here in my arms?
How does one waltz away
From all of the memories?
How do I not miss you
When you are gone?
How can I not love you
When you are gone?
— Joy Enriquez, “How Can I Not Love You” (Anna and the King)
I know it’s a romantic song, but it has the right sentiment.
Partial inspiration for the bone break comes from @im-fairly-whitty and This Post. (I hope you don’t mind, Wit! I thought “Hey wouldn’t this be dramatic?” and then remembered “Didn’t someone already do this?“)
Imelda didn’t give Miguel the best of first impressions in the film canon, either. (He tried to escape her then, too.)
This chapter was just plain hard to write.
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Time to attempt to do an Electric gym with no Ground types in a Nuzlocke! Pray for me :D
All the way from Mauville Gym to Lavaridge! Plus, which team member will die?
Alrighty, here’s the plan. Chickweed takes out the part-Steel types. Snowdrop and Daisy go for the pure Electrics. Draining Kiss may not be SE, but it’s also not resisted, and if she gets hit by Electric moves, up goes her sp.atk! Aggie, Milkweed, and Sequoia stay the fuck away :D (Especially the two WATER/FLYING types, yeesh.)
Inwards! Onwards!
Guitarist Kirk leads with Magnemite, level 16. Time for my level 25 Fire/Fighting type, haha. Next is Electrike, level 16. Snowdrop’s Bite is a OHKO! Bless being overlevelled.
Upstairs we go!
Youngster Ben has a single Electrike, level 17. Snowdrop (level 23) again OHKOs it. Nice.
Battle Girl Vivian has... a Meditite, oddly enough? Level 19. Normally I’d use Aggie, but this is an ELECTRIC gym, so gonna get Daisy in in case it does have an Electric - yup, Thunder Punch XD Ooh, that Draining Kiss will be extra painful :D Confusion gets in a bit of damage, another Draining Kiss heals most of it!
Guitarist Shawn leads with Voltorb, level 15. I am... not actually sure how Snowdrop bit it, but it’s a OHKO nonetheless XD Now another Voltorb, level 17. And another OHKO!
Holy shit yes Milkweed you can learn Mega Drain.
Time for Wattson!! Leads with Magnemite, level level 19. Bringing in Chickweed! He takes a Thunder Wave, annoying. Ooooh, Volt Switch, you pain in the arse. Voltorb next. It uses Charge, and Chickweed gets in a Double Kick that takes it out! Nice job! Magnemite back in, ANOTHER Volt Switch, yeah yeah yeah. Now it’s the Magneton, level 21 - right into the Flame Charge ;D Down to the reds, I assume Wattson will now heal up so I’ll do the same! Going for health, those Volt Switches do a fair bit of damage. Chickweed dodges Supersonic, but doesn’t get the Flame Charge out. Oof, this Supersonic hit, but so does Flame Charge! Back down to the reds for Magneton! Another Volt Switch I s2g... and Chickweed hits himself XD;; You know what dude let’s switch Daisy in briefly, haha. She tanks a few Tackles while I see to Chickweed, send him back in in fine form, and Magnemite is down to... 1 HP, Sturdy you dick. Another Thunder Wave then Volt Switch, really? Well that’s okay, Flame Charge just takes out Magneton instead XD Back to Magnemite, and it’s dooown!
That was moderately irritating, but still, done! :D
Also I now have a Gyarados.
Now that I have Rock Smash, to the north! To the desert! Prayer circle for a Trapinch, please please pleeeease...
Whoops, was hoping to avoid the trainers, haha. Picknicker Irene leads with a Plusle, level 16. This would be a lot easier with a Ground-type XD Snowdrop chomps on it. Next is Illumise, this is Chickweed’s! Level 18. Flame Charge eviscerates it.
Dangit! I can’t even get into the earliest parts ;_; Ugh fine into route 112 for plot - hey, Brendan! Free heal and Strength HM, though!
And the route catch is... a Numel XD Okay why not, haha. She shall be named Lithops.
Now for trainers! Camper Larry leads with a level 16 Taillow. Snowdrop is leading, Ice Fang does it. Next is - yikes, Zubat. Daisy can have this one! It’s level 18, Electro Ball takes it out.
Picknicker Carol has a level 19 Gulpin. Snowdrop Bites it, it uses Sludge, and she finishes it off with another Bite.
Hiker Trent leads with a Geodude, level 17. Since both my Water types are also part Flying, let’s stick with Snowdrop’s Ice Fang, haha. Another Geodude! Also level 17. Sturdy you dick. And finally, hold on to your asses, another level 17 Geodude! This time without Sturdy.
Hiker Brice leads with Numel, level 18. Sequoia still doesn’t have any Water moves, so this is Aggie’s! Next is Machop, level 18. Still Aggie’s! ...So I hit Water Pulse instead by accident, but it confused the Machop, and it... punched itself unconscious. That works XD
And now Aggie evolves!! :D
Looks like the Aquas are blocking the cable car? Cave it is, then! Fiery Path, so I can get a new friend! UGH IT’S A GRIMER. Okay, a new box-only Pokemon :| Oh whoops I OHKOed it. What a pity. What a shame.
Back in route 112! And a battle against Street Thug Jaylin, who has a Mightyena! Level 21. Mine’s 25, haha. Anyway, this is Chickweed’s.
And back to route 111? Well, okay! Ace Trainer Wilton leads with Electrike, level 20. Let’s try Daisy! Hmm, Draining Kiss doesn’t do THAT much, but it does at least keep healing the damage from its Quick Attack. Third time’s the charm! Next is BAGON <3 Level 20. Snowdrop’s Ice Fang is a OHKO. Last up is Makuhita, time for Aggie! Level 20. Takes two hits, but it’s down!
HEY IT’S AARUNE. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll do the whole Secret Base thing this time around.
Ayyy rest stop. Alrighty time to pick fights with trainers XD
Backpacker Deon has a Linoone, level 21. You know, Milkweed hasn’t done much in a while? Mud Sport, okay, no problem there XD Odor Sleuth, ditto. Air Cutter gets it down to half, that works. Headbutt does a bit of damage, Air Cutter finishes it off. Nice :)
Oh jeez a Fairy Tale Girl. Fairy Tale Girl Cece has a... Spoink? That’s not a Fairy-type! Snowdrop it is, then, and assume she can tank any Fairy move. ...Or Confuse Ray, you pest. Bite fail XD;; Odor Sleuth does nothing, next Bite goes through! Next up is Mawile. Hooboy, this’ll be risky! Level 19, Chickweed is level 28, hopefully Flame Charge is a OHKO... not quite, oof. Vice Grip, that’s okay!! Next Flame Charge does it!
Ace Trainer Brooke leads with Wingull, level 20. You still have a Wingull? I have a Pelipper! This one is Daisy’s, haha. Next is Roselia, over to Chickweed! God they’re so cute <3 Last is Numel, and that’s Aggie’s!
On to route 113 - hey Brendan. Nearly to town, just a few more trainers! Going to actively avoid the grass until I get the ash bag, actually.
Youngster Neal has a Trapinch! I want one ._. Aggie, uh, OHKOs it. Next is Electrike, Snowdrop can have this one!
Oops. No avoiding this grass XD Ninja Boy Lao! He leads with... Koffing, ew. Oi, no poisoning my birb! Another Koffing next. Okay, Aggie’s in trouble so we’ll switch him out for... let’s try Chickweed. Hey, don’t poison my other birb! >:( ANOTHER Koffing? Okay, Daisy this time! OHKO! No poison for her!
Parasol Lady Madeline has a Numel, level 22. Aggie destroys it. Nice straight-forward one XD
Aww yes Double Team TM. I can use this for maximum annoyance 8D
Youngster Dillon has an Aron! Level 21. Water Pulse from Aggie takes it out nicely. And Sequoia learned Dragon Rage nice.
SNEAKING FOR THE WIN. SKARMORY. He’s level 18 and will be named Edelweiss!
Ninja Boy Lung leads with Nincada, level 18. My, um, my 11-levels-higher Fire type destroys it. Next is Ninjask, level 20. It uses Agility, but Flame Charge - once it hits lmfao - takes it out pretty quick!
Into Fallarbor, and let’s have a look at Edelweiss!
Edelweiss the Skarmory | level 18 | male | Sturdy | Gentle, very finicky | Assurance, Metal Claw, Air Cutter, Fury Attack | found route 113
Okay, let’s see. I’ve been hella debating what to do between Aggie and Sequoia, since having both is a little redundant. Aggie makes use of both Fly and Surf, but Sequoia is the one who learns Dive, which is essential. Sequoia also has a better moveset overall (or, at least, will). With Edelweiss, I can use Fly on him, plus I’ll have a Fairy counter with STAB Steel moves, AND a Rock counter, as well as another Ice counter.
Sequoia doesn’t have any Water moves - yet. On the plus side, Surf is coming up at Petalburg Gym. So I think I’m going to keep using Aggie until I hit Lavaridge Gym and Mt Chimney, switch Edelweiss in so he doesn’t get left behind, level-wise, and switch out... Milkweed, who hasn’t really done much at this point. Then, once I finish Petalburg Gym, I’ll let Aggie retire!
Brendan’s here, and so is A Mess? :o
Quick stock-up for healing stuff - QUICK BALLS. GIMME :D
Alrighty, on to route 114! Ayyy Roar TM. Some Swablu just flew overhead I WANT ONE.
Teammates Tyra and Ivy send out Roselia and Azumarill. I love both of those ;_; Hoooo Azumarill is tanky. Think I’ll bring Daisy in, haha. Meanwhile Edel’s Sky Drop murders the Roselia, haha. Electro Ball gets the Azumarill!
Poke Maniac Steve has an Aron, level 23. Water Pulse gets it down to 1 HP, it roars and brings in Edel, it protects and then Edel finishes it!
Probably cheating to use the radar to try and find a Pokemon you want in a Nuzlocke lmfao. Okay fuck it I mostly wanted an Altaria because flying and I have Edel now, let’s just. Dive in XD And it is... Seviper, ew XD;; Off to the box, Rauvolfia!
Aaaand PLOT.
Really, Camper Shane? Really? He leads with Minun, level 20, Snowdrop can take this one. Next is Volbeat, level 20. Chickweed cooks it.
Kindler Bernie - seriously I’m trying to stop a kidnapping here - leads with Slugma, level 20. Aggie’s turn! Next is Wingull, level 22. Daisy takes this one!
Ahhhhh. Hiker Lucas leads with Geodude, level 22. How come Brendan didn’t get held up by these guys? Snowdrop takes it. Next is another Geodude, level 20. Snowdrop tanks a Magnitude and takes it out.
Okay I s2g... Hiker Lenny has a single Machop, level 23, Edel’s still underlevelled so Aggie can take this one.
OKAY. FINALLY. METEOR FALLS. God this place is so pretty.
SHELLY <3 Brendan, ‘jerks’ is a bit mild, haha. He and Atsuko look so DETERMINED. Leading with Mightyena and Grimer, I have Sequoia leading and Brendan has Shroomish. Chickweed, I think, will do better here! Oof, Swaggered, and Shroomish is now poisoned. Double Kick takes out Mightyena, though! Yeah, Shroomishh is dead XD Brendan sends out Marshtomp, Shelly sends out Carvanha. This is Daisy’s! ...Oh never mind Marshtomp killed it XD Dangit, Mud Shot got disabled, WE REALLY COULD HAVE USED THAT ON GRIMER, BRENDAN... Well, let’s try Electro Ball - hey, and it’s down!
Hey, it’s Maxie! Wow Maxie chill a bit. Okay, guess it’s off to Mount Chimney, huh? And a Smack Down TM! Hell, you know what? I will take that free trip to Mauville! A heal up, and then to Mount Chimney! Cable car is free this time!
Oh hey, an Aqua grunt that’s not already facing a Magma XD Leads with Poochyena, level 22. I’ve already put Daisy at the front, she can Draining Kiss it! Ew, Grimer next. Uh, Chickweed. Ayyy OHKO!
SHELLY <3 Big mood tbh. She leads with Grimer, level 24. Flame Charge only does like half, dang. Oof, a Ground move. Chickweed tanks it, Flame Charge finishes it! Next is Carvanha, level 24. Electro Ball OHKO!
HI ARCHIE YOU’RE SO COOL. FIGHT ME. Mightyena first, level 25. Daisy gives him a smooch. Ooh, only half damage, huh. Swagger, annoying. Another Draining Kiss does it! Sharpedo! Level 27. ...Oh fuck Daisy is fucking dead. Swagger damage then Assurance. Heck. Um. Dark/Water, I have a Fighting/Fire type that would be quite a bit slower than a fully-evolved Sharpedo. Fighting, Bug, Grass, Electric, Fairy. I now have none of those lmfao. I am going to try... Aggie. Wing Attack at least hits for neutral damage. Another Swagger, Wing Attack into reds, cannot risk Confusion damage so a quick switch to Edel, he copes with Assurance, another Swagger, hits himself dammit, okay back to Aggie, another Assurance then Screech, nothing, Wing Attack finishes it! Next is Golbat, switch to Snowdrop, take it out with Ice Fang - no, into the reds. Confuse Ray I AM SICK OF CONFUSION. But she gets another Ice Fang in and it’s OVER.
RIP, Daisy.
Got the meteorite, at least! But like... dang XD;;
Welp, on to Jagged Pass and then Lavaridge, haha. Oh, didn’t end up catching any there. Okay XD So I can still catch someone at Jagged Pass later!
Into town, RIP Daisy, and I’ll bring back... Milkweed, for now. Will leave it at that for now!
Current Team
Chickweed the Combusken | level 32 | male | Blaze | Serious, takes plenty of siestas | Flame Charge, Peck, Double Kick, Cut | starter
Agapanthus the Pelipper | level 30 | male | Keen Eye | Modest, a little quick-tempered | Water Pulse, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Quick Attack | found route 104
Snowdrop the Mightyena | level 30 | female | Intimidate | Lonely, loves to eat | Ice Fang, Bite, Odor Sleuth, Rock Smash | found route 101
Sequoia the Gyarados | level 26 | female | Intimidate | Bashful, nods off a lot | Splash, Tackle, Bite, Dragon Rage | found route 106
Milkweed the Beautifly | level 25 | female | Swarm | Lax, somewhat stubborn | Air Cutter, Mega Drain, Silver Wind, Morning Sun | found route 102
Edelweiss the Skarmory | level 22 | male | Sturdy | Gentle, very finicky | Assurance, Steel Wing, Sky Drop, Fury Attack | found route 113
Reserves
Wattle the Taillow | level 9 | female | Guts | Quirky, alert to sounds | Peck, Growl, Focus Energy, Quick Attack | found Petalburg Woods
Bristlecone the Zigzagoon | level 14 | female | Gluttony | Lonely, good endurance | Tackle, Headbutt, Baby-Doll Eyes, Odor Sleuth | found route 103
Onion the Whismur | level 16 | female | Soundproof | Adamant, likes to relax | Pound, Echoed Voice, Astonish, Howl | found Rusturf Tunnel
Poison Ivy the Tentacool | level 5 | male | Liquid Ooze | Sassy, capable of taking hits | Poison Sting, Supersonic | found Dewford Town
Euphorbia the Makuhita | level 12 | male | Thick Fat | Hardy, capable of taking hits | Focus Energy, Sand Attack, Arm Thrust, Fake Out | found Granite Cave
Lithops the Numel | level 14 | female | Simple | Quiet, likes to run | Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy, Magnitude | found route 112
Rauvolfia the Seviper | level 19 | male | Shed Skin | Careful, impetuous and silly | Poison Tail, Screech, Venoshock, Glare | found route 114
Dead
Catnip the Skitty, found route 116, killed by Lass Janice’s Marill in route 116
Daisy the Pikachu, found Slateport City, killed by Archie’s Sharpedo at Mount Chimney
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Heteroclite realm of sorrow
Journal #01 Heteroclite realm of sorrow
I walked down to the street, I witnessed an unusual event happened in front of me. A group of people in an old Chinese shop house building were standing in the shop but they were facing outwards towards me, then a group of people were sitting behind them as well. From far it looked like some creepy mannequin standing and sitting that looked like sets decorations. My second soul was urging me to walk over that place to investigate what is going on right there. I took a deep breath to walk into that creepy mannequin place. Well, as I am reaching to the shop closer and closer, the monkeys in my stomach started bungee jumping with my intestine and the hallucinated monkey drummer in the chamber of heart started drumming insanely. And as soon I reached near the shop, I realised that they are living things just like me and they looked normal. The people who stood in front of the big crowd were holding some sort of objects, it looks like some puppets that I have seen it before but I just can’t remember what was that. Then, I drew closer to the shop and I saw a band of the hybrid orchestra. I soon realised that this is a performance theatre. My curiosity grew larger in my spirit. Thus, it made me wanted to know what is going on in that theatre but surprisingly there's no entrance from the front. It triggered my nosiness again to search for the clue to find the entrance. I looked from top to ground, left to right through the window and I found the environmental graphics of the entrance at last. The entrance is located in the back lane of the shops. The back lane was once a prominent merchant lane, where now has become a quite and dull lane which makes you felt insecure sometimes.
I saw the crowd and the sound of the music started as soon as I entered the unorthodox theatre, they were sitting on the steps looking at the performers who faced the streets instead of us. It was not right, I took my courage to move nearer to the performers in order to know what’s going on. The audience started to pull me back down, they were clinging their hands-on me and one of the other audience as well. We resisted to sit down and went forward to the hipster performers. We soon found out that The hipster performers were the legendary long extinct Dalang, the shadow puppet master. The puppets that they were holding are not the shadow puppets that we used to know, they were small in scale compared to the ones in our memory, and the mien has changed. it looks so synchronous, not like the cow-skin shadow puppet that we used to seen and touch. It seems like they were performing to the streets of the disfigured human but the projection was projected to the back of the wall. Clearly, it was not axiomatic enough until the performer asked us to look thru the magnifying glass on his hand. The scene of the production evoked the wistful memories of the heritage culture that we once owned. From our view, we clearly have seen that the audience were isolated, metamorphosing into the form of deformity. Then the puppets pointed at the opening which was just right next to us. The orchestra then lowered the key of the soundtrack, composing a more intense environment rather remain sentimental. As we look back, each of the actors was expressing the dance of seclusion while the performers with the muted voice asked us to run. Looking at the light that came out from the pros hole of the disfigured portal, hopefully, it will lead us to a more subtle space. I lean my face against the porous wall which it is part of the portal. I saw mirrors of the human expressions reflections, it was like a kaleidoscope filled with the pattern of human natural expressions. The human looks were so lively and I can vouch that it is not programmed with the science of android. The stranger that I knew placed her right ear towards the pore holes. She raised out her left hand, and moved her hand like the conductor of the orchestra. Instantaneously, the soundtrack transmuted firmly according to what my stranger friend was doing with her hand. We were astonished by the situation. Hence, it urged us to move forward into the portal space.
As soon as we entered the portal that could bridge us to the next phase, we started to question ourselves, did we just entered an anomalous domain or the kingdom of surreal because our intuition told us that it will be a whole different realm after the portal. It was gloomy and dark inside the vessel, the visual was vague like in the pit of hades though we can see the glimpse of lights coming thru the ruins and we can feel that we were gradually ascending towards the second level, maybe a mezzanine floor. I looked down at the sleek opening, I saw the despair and lost souls of the disfigured slowly enter the state of deep sleep. The shadow of the puppets reached out their hand to the despair ones covered them with darkness. My stranger friend then reached the chamber next to the vessel. She was stoned at the entrance because the width of the chamber was too small, it would only fit one person at one time. The chamber consisted quite numbers of small openings for peeking we guess. Suddenly we saw these huge shadows followed us side by side then followed by the voice of the choir which came from the bottom. The elongated chamber was lighted up with some lighting system which it could reflect our shadow out to the solids with a very soft light. Anyway, that didn’t stop us from moving forward, but as we speed up our pace, the chamber started to shape its own form, it became narrow and narrower, forming a cave-like structure. We tried to push the organic structure back to its original form. In the meantime, Some sound of woe begins to transmit in the chamber. Did the sound just produce itself? Well, basically the chamber like vessel was squeezing us like a prey of a python till we need to craw and dodge some parts of the chaotic chamber. Finally, we saw some glimpse of light shining towards us, and the chamber shaped back to the usual form instantly. God blessed, we have finally exited the chamber of hell, The first thing we saw is the deconstructed mirrors right in front of us, the shadow appeared behind us again. All we want now is to end the misery and ambiguity. The eerie shadows were augmenting and it stretched its hands even closer to us. At that time, we hope the mirrored wall was not a dead end, We pushed the mirror inwards, It was an overexpose infinity chambers, well arranged huge black blocks, created a delusional eternal maze. Each of us took one step into the realm together, making sure that every step we took is safe as we saw some human still wandering around searching hopes in escaping this prison of the avant-garde. They looked like the lost souls searching for meaning, just like a lonely planet searching for its star in the vast universe.
We swear to god that we won’t let us drench into that dark realm. We began to search for the Coda of all realm. Looking at the monolith in front of us, trying to search for the insinuation. My stranger friend went forward to ask the wanderer for some clue and requested them for help but no one seems to respond to the questions. Do they even know our existence? Everything in this confined space is mirrored and wry which made finding a way out is an exigent thing to do. As we move forward, we found out that there’s a huge void in the monoliths. I think putting our head in was the only way that we can do with that monolith. It immersed us into a whole new domain and space, there are people, we saw people were walking in a very gracious pace, talking to each other which this scenes only appeared to be in our shattered memories. The directions that they are walking to gave us a clue to the next stop, by the time I turned to my stranger friend, she was tearing so hard. she shouted,”I can never see this beauty of human nature again”. I believed that these monoliths are potted with our collective and the fragmented memories of our past. But it is not the time to sob and regret. Then it started to rain. We quickly ran to the next monolith in searching for the exit. Our perceptions are failing us, most of the monoliths are unreal, it was just a reflections. My stranger friend stood up and told me, we have to stop trusting the death objects and sound, don’t trust the material, trust the nature. The rain stopped, next thing we heard is the amplified sound of the water flow, my stranger friend took the lead, she followed the sound of the water flow because the water flow might lead us to faith, hope, love. In the end, our iris contracts, we see the godly light shining towards us, telling us we are freed from the sorrow.
End of the journal.
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