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zafaria · 4 years

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Omnivore

It became very apparent why the notches and spokes on gears were called “teeth”.

“Teeth.”

The word didn’t feel right between hers.

“Teeth ,” she said as she looked up the axle of the machine.

Overhead the gears whirred. They were the size of whole islands. They reminded her in part of Brabanzio Villa, with the notches like the little arches in the marble portico surrounding the courtyard. Except there wasn’t anything that jutted out hungrily, all of the columns were lined safely underneath the connected annulets, like their large flat heads were connected by a surrounding comfort. They were aligned. They were the flat, humble teeth of an unthreatening herbivore ground down to the gums, leveled.

Then to either side of the walkway that opened up from the dock and formed the decking around the core, there were gears connected like waterwheels that had sharp spokes, like the edges of chainsaws. Malicious things, best kept away from. Undulling shark teeth.

And all the while looking at the structure she clenched hers, then looked in front of her and saw a most fascinating sight, one she had not seen for months: Phule. He beckoned her over from beyond some destroyed marines, with his long mask. Kane gave him a mouth, and on the lighthearted side, Phule smiled. On the stern side of his face, he scowled with his mouth bitterly propped open. But there were no teeth, and it was hollow and dark underneath the mask, and she could only ever imagine what drove him, what gave him spark to continue forward in his elusive, whimsical way.

She approached, treading carefully past the guards, wary of Phule and his ruses, that the hands of one of the constructs might reach from below and trip her up.

Phule looked at her straight as she approached, but when she came within distance of conversation, he turned his bitter side to her.

“It took you long enough to get here!” His mask was an exaggerated vaudeville one, polished black to look like an onyx or marble, or something else heavy. It was theatrical, but the droop to his mustache curling downwards and the fine feathers on his brow lifted up in warning scared her. And then he turned the other way, to show his amicable side, but also pointedly looking towards one of her guests.

“What are you doing here?” The “you” was drawn out, incredulous. It was to the old man, and the word was so sharp, so cruel, she worried it had drawn his blood, would make him collapse in the wind of it, as it began to echo into his ears. But Phule again proved difficult to predict as he reached his hand out toward the old man, and the old man took his clammy little clockwork hand in kind, between his own warm, large and gnarled fingers drawn out from wringing and tinkering. She stepped back a little and saw Gazpaccio’s warm, closed-mouth smile and his breathlessness, and she saw Phule's mustache twitch and his chin move as he seemed to mouth a word.

“Grandfather.”

Gazpaccio called him a tormented soul, said he made an error when he built Kane to be heartless. He held Phule’s tiny, almost dainty hand. Honored to meet a machine made from machine, and perhaps a little sad that the poor creature was, inevitably, only in existence because of his mistake making Kane so many, many years ago.

She held the sight a little longer. She wondered if Kane did have a heart from the beginning whether he would’ve still created, and if he did, would he have still made Phule as a joke, a tormented soul, or would he have been a little kinder.

“Fixing him will be difficult,” Phule said to the old man, then turned to the pirate. “You don’t know what the machine is for, do you?”

She shook her head. And then Phule flipped his, snapping his neck to the side. She thought he might be looking out over the decks for a second, but his wincing, malformed face began to speak.

“You don’t even know where you stand! You come in here to be some hero and yet you have not any idea how to begin!”

“Well. Yes. That’s been my entire journey up to this point, hasn’t it? I didn’t have an inkling of a clue of who you were when I first met you. How could we have predicted this, then?”

“Your ignorance could fill the Spiral!”

She frowned at this. She’d done wrong, spoken wrong. She didn’t like to think of the way things were in the places she had left behind, but she wondered, hungry and pained, what happened to the smoking buildings and ships in Westminster, or the vacated bodies of the wharf rats at Blood Shoals that no one tended to after they relinquished their ghosts.

Phule turned gently, back to his kind side. He explained slowly, patiently what the gears were, why there had been so many guards (but not why he had decided to clear the way for them). It was a Machine, a big Machine, to create a new First World from dust. To get rid of the imperfect things, like her.

“He’s your father. Why do you care?” she asked.

“As you can imagine, I have a rather unique perspective on imperfection.”

Inside was full of brass and whining, and glass making the kinds of windows that bubble outwards and give the sky the appearance of storm-wracked darkness from window tint. But she knew it was just appearances, there was no tint to the windows, and they were clear glass. The sky was, in all truth, really that grey, that dusty. She’d just seen it.

And then in front of them was an elevator, but it looked an awful lot like a giant birdcage made of brass. She looked around the whole room. There were metal bars, plates, screws, up all the walls like seams. Outside, she saw a flash of green lightning. It turned in her mind, all the explicit, drenching danger of what she was about to do, but she also wondered about all the mundane dangers, the overloading of the small lift with her whole crew, the conductivity of all the metal, whether it was too exhilarating or taxing to get up to the top.

She turned to check on the old man, to make sure he hadn’t collapsed. She worried about him, that a breeze in the wrong direction might make him stumble, or that a sudden burst of lighting would send him into cardiac shock. He looked ahead, but noticed her gaze almost instantly. He turned to her and smiled with warmth, the red of his splotchy, wrinkled face a rare hue amidst the ferocious and vehement green and the unpalatable and loud orange-yellow.

She opened her mouth as if to speak a little.

“We shall be fine. Perhaps a few of us at once on the lift, yes?”

She closed her mouth.

Then, she stopped worrying about the mundane things and the minute things. There was only room, energy, emotion left for worrying about the big things, big like the Machine they were traipsing in. Gazpaccio reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it.

“We can go first.”

They walked together and held hands up to that brass birdcage and stood uneasy on the platform. She looked to him again, and he looked back with a smile, his crooked browned teeth showing in the flush of red.

The elevator ascended with more whining, and the rest of the crew stood, breathless and faced skyward as the old man and the pirate were lifted out of sight, surrounded by the miring sea of green glass and slowly moving bronze.

Above them, there was a raised center, like a stage. The Armada enjoyed their drama, after all. The entire spectacle was flanked by dragoons with heavy chests, lithe battle angels and their crowned helmets, and marines that each had sharp, polished blade axes. Kane stood in the center, his rapier extended as if he had struck already and was now plumbing the depths of the victim further.

The pirate and the old man were still holding each other’s hands. Gazpaccio unfurled his large fingers to step forwards, towards Kane and the blade. The old man began to fish something from a bag hanging on his side, sad and worn.

The pirate’s face furrowed.

Gazpaccio spoke, lifting out a small red object in a little wood-frame box. He held it up to Kane, leveling it out over the chest of the automaton. And in one swift motion, Kane grabbed his flintlock off his belt, and in the arc it took for him to raise his arm and line it up with the box, he flicked the lock back and it slammed into a little piece of flint and sparked.

The heart clamored out of the old man’s hands and fell to the floor, shattered.

She began to step forward, her mouth opened again as she moved towards the old man and held her arms out sheepishly, but somewhere above the man’s head, in the fuzziest reaches of her vision, a little fire shone and flashed out, and Gazpaccio crumbled on the floor before her, only a reach away.

She shouted, something feeble, something useless, and Kane just looked at her, interested and unfazed.

“Forget the map. Your race is over, and I’ve won.” His voice was smooth, but also crisp. It was inhuman, but interrupted by little jars and static and crackles.

She cried and tiptoed around the body of the old man, and as soon as her foot cleared his head, she ran and lept up towards the automaton’s foot, pulling at the empty, leathery tip of his boot. Kane flicked her off and sent her into the floorboards like it was a joke, taunting trapped, sacred, starving animals in a pit.

“I’ve made a new map. Took Marco Pollo twenty years; I made mine in twenty days.”

He said something else then walked away as she sat there on the ground staring at her knees, slumped next to the old man. Her parents hadn’t even been gone for fifteen years. She chased tattered, reeking and bleeding pieces of the map across the entire universe for only twenty days, and just to find that they were useless. Entirely useless. Her backbreak pulling at the lines and the sharp pains in her elbow from holding the wheel and gently guiding it, suspending her arms for hours. All of it useless.

The machines began to swarm around her and the old man. Her crew charged in and began shooting, disassembling, flinging things, knives, and yelling at each other. She stayed on the ground and felt that whole universe she had travelled and helped mend falling apart as gears would begin to grind into bedrock.

Her crew dragged her up by the elbows from her daze, interrupting her view of the ceiling and the wooden floorboards holding up the top of the machine.

“Come on! It isn’t over yet,” Bonnie said, pulling her by the arms, nearly tripping and floundering on a spiral set of unrailed marble stairs. Each little cliff in the stars reached up, like the serrated edges of some carnivore’s teeth. She stumbled over her footing again and again until the flight of stairs ended and they reached the top of the layer where Kane was standing minutes before. He had backed himself towards an edge now, near another bucket-lift.

It beeped. Well, something did. A little purple orb emerged from behind two bronzed, curved sheets. It was polished to a shine, like a singular, faulty eye found on a spider or a bug or a squid. There were no separations, it was one unending sphere of a sickly, poison pink.

“No. Not yet. Prepare my escape, and destroy this chamber,” Kane said, looking at the pink sphere.

“No.”

There was silence. The Machine refused to obey the perfect creator, and this had left everyone and everything in the room a little stumped. Then Kane began yelling, turning almost infantile.

“I gave you an order and you will obey!”

The pirate looked bewildered and still tear-streaked, staring at the plaster man, watching his grip on the railing around the lift tighten and his legs straighten out. He was preoccupied waiting for the Machine; he didn’t notice she was staring.

Between her and Kane, the floorboards opened up and a series of automatons, the same kinds of battle-angels and dragoons from before, were lifted up into the light. Kane turned and went into the bucket-lift, leaving the pirate to resolve his insubordinate, imperfect Machine.

The pirate and her crew turned to one of their favorite solutions for pretentious and condescending things: they beat the core pillars surrounding the chamber until they were smashed and compromised and the Machine was left a stuttering and defunct mess.

And then they all grasped on to each other, surrounding the pirate in a ring of arms as they clung to the overburdened lift to Kane.

At that top floor, there was a checkerboard tiling of black and white polished marble. She stepped up towards the squares, but not on them, then looked at Kane.

He stared back. Around him, he was flanked by even rows of other automatons, some they had seen and one they did not recognize.

“Allow me to introduce my greatest of creations, the Queen,” Kane said with a bow. The Queen let her hand-held mask down, revealing a slim plaster-white face with pointed, stabbing features.

“Kill them all.”

The machines surged forward on the board, and the pirate looked back to her companions only to find that they were rushing forwards, determined and set on their targets and gritting their teeth.

She heard a clatter as Bonnie Anne bashed something with the stock of her musket, the loud pangs of Gracie’s golem and her wrench hitting reinforced metal, the deft and feathery swish of the Queen’s rapier cutting air, and then a sharp little sound as she drew blood. There was grunting, small vocalizations, little things, and wheezes, but not screaming or yelling. The crew was focused. There was no fear here any longer.

And the pirate found herself walking forward, straight into the Queen at first, the unpredictable and perfected creation. She watched the Queen twirl and jab as she approached, but she was readying her hand on her own dagger, preparing to plunge it through the machine.

She stepped next to her, but as she did the Queen turned, changed direction and began to trust the rapier forward precisely, exacting. It caught the pirate and stabbed her. She cried and howled in pain as the blood began to emerge from the deep pits the sword had made.

And then, a pipe wrench smacked upwards and collided with the Queen’s lifted sword, with such a strike it bent the thin blade backwards, crinkled it at an angle. The pirate was in mincing pain, but she reached back for her own daggers, and did as she imagined she would, cutting through first the heavy silk and satin of the dress on the Queen, then hitting and piercing metal. Then striking copper springs, then going even further, piercing another layer of metal--the backside of the machine. After making the through-and-through cut, the pirate ripped up and down, wildly, aimlessly, hoping to deconstruct the thing piece-by-piece from the outside using something as imprecise as a sword.

And as she did this, Gracie turned to cover the pirate’s back, and the golem moved in as Kane gently and regally stepped into the scene, as if to try and salvage his creation.

The golem took its mace-arm and spiked it directly into Kane’s mask. It left holes in the exterior. And then Gracie struck him from behind his head, sending him lurching forward. As the clatters of the other machines echoed around the smoothed, level floors, the rest of the crew drew in bellicose and ruthless, ready to shred apart the last remaining machine. The pirate was now kneeling and continued to wildly fling her arms about and eviscerate the Queen, teeth barred and panting.

There was a ring of sounds, of metal, of lightning, of musket powder burning, and boots stomping.

She turned around, and then, there wasn’t anything at all. Everything was collapsed where it had stood.

Gears overhead continued to whir. The delirious and exasperated crew all kneeled to the ground to catch their breath, and before them, purple threads, the same sick color of that orb from the previous floor, materialized, and pulled at Kane.

They all followed with their eyes, but no one dared reach for the automaton. Another moment of stunned puzzlement.

There was a great light, like the lighting outside, but this one was condensed, inside, coursing through Kane from his face downward. His mask popped off and fell to the floor, scraped and broken. She winced as she saw his head snapping back at a ninety-degree angle and something extracted from the mess of wires and copper lining the inside. He was so limp, so lifeless, so...real. And just like that, after the shockwave had course through him, after the machine, the true Machine had done its work and gotten what it desired, it tossed him to the floor like a discarded toy with a satisfied thump that was heavier and sharper than anything organic. Like something that ran out of batteries.

He lay on the floor in the same, crumpled, grotesque way that his father did two floors below. All around them, things stopped turning, the flat faces of the spokes of the gears shuddering to stop.

And behind where the plaster mask used to be, she could see clearly now that the teeth of all the brass gears had finally stopped their whirring.

#w #wizard101 #pirate101 #p101 #w101 #editing: done #tooth posting: accomplished

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andtails · 4 years

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A Prelude to Chaos Control - Chapter 10: Open Your Heart

Click here to start from the beginning. You can also read this story on FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own.

*****

“Oh Cheese…what should we do?”

Cream sat against the rusted bars of the portable birdcage dangling from Dr. Robotnik’s Egg Mobile, flying high over the green hills below.

“Chao chao…” Cheese gave the distraught rabbit a hug, wrapping its small body around her belly.

“Thank you, Cheese.” She turned her head to the side, watching the land below as she allowed her arms to fall to her sides. “I guess there isn’t anything we can do right now.” Pulling herself up by the bars, she planted her feet on the metallic surface and furrowed her brow, a new sense of determination washing over her.

“Sonic will save us…I know he will.” She looked over at the chao, who since found a spot on her shoulder to rest upon. “We just need to have faith. I’m sure momma’s already called Sonic and is waiting for us at Eggman’s hideout.”

“Quit your yappin’ down there! I’m trying to enjoy the view!” Eggman’s angry voice startled the young chao, but the bunny remained as determined as ever.

“You’re not gonna get away with this, Eggman! Sonic will stop you for sure.”

“Oh really?” Eggman gave a bellowing laugh. “We shall see about that!” The evil doctor flipped a switch in his Egg Mobile and cleared his throat as a holographic video image appeared before him. A small, blackish-blue robot was lying on a table, reading a comic book as his hand plundered an open box of Mobian Scout™ mint chocolate chip cookies, bopping his head to the music through his earbuds.

“What is this? Bokkun! Are you slacking off on the job?” The robot didn’t respond, instead taking a sip of soda through a straw as his beady, lime green eyes remained glued to the book. Turning the page with his gloved hands, the small robot laughed in a high-pitched voice before burping rudely and filling his cheeks with several cookies.

Eggman’s face grew red with anger.

“ARE YOU DEAF, BOKKUN!?”

The robot blinked a few times as he looked forward, crumbs covering his face.

“Ahh, Doctor Eggman!” Bokkun said in a muffled voice, spewing cookie bits out of his mouth as he stood up, kicking over his soda while giving his creator a salute. The large yellow M on his torso gleamed in the artificial light of his monitor, his large, pointy ears stiff, and his red boots clasped together.

“Now that’s more like it.” The vein on Robotnik’s forehead receded. “Prepare the camcorder. We have a special message to deliver Sonic and his miserable friends.”

“Aye aye Doctor!” As Eggman’s image disappeared from the monitor, Bokkun sat back down on the table, eyeing the dark, sticky beverage dripping to the floor below. His attention then turned to the half-eaten box of cookies. He grabbed a few more, shoving them into his mouth before leaping off the table, allowing his body to hover with the jetpack attached to his back. He gleefully gave a muffled laugh as he flew down the hallway, entering a storage room full of small, yellow CRT televisions.

“Hmmm…” He raised a finger to his chin as he scanned the room. “Which one should I use today?” Taking a few more seconds to ponder, he decided on the identical television nearest him. Carrying it with his small arms, he nearly fell backward as he began to walk out into the hallway. Wobbling to the side as he strode onward, Bokkun made it to a small recording studio, complete with overhanging lights and sound dampeners covering the walls. Setting the television down, he floated up to the video camera already stationed on a tall tripod.

“Let’s see…” He stuck his teal-colored tongue out the side of his mouth as he configured the settings, rotating the focus ring mounted to the lens. Spinning the small preview monitor around, Bokkun floated into view of the camera. After sticking out his tongue, flexing his arms, and performing mid-air somersaults in front of the camcorder, he got out of the shot, chuckling to himself as he turned off the device to preserve battery.

As Bokkun turned to the door, Eggman stepped inside with Decoe and Bocoe following behind, pushing the caged bunny and chao on a dolly. The small robot winced at the sight of the captured rabbit, his mechanical heart beginning to pound as a drop of perspiration formed over his brow.

Cream…

“Hey Bokkun?” Decoe asked, waving his metallic hand in front of the small robot’s face. “You need a reboot or something?”

“Hello?” Bocoe added, tapping Bokkun’s spherical head, nudging him back into reality.

“W…what?” He looked up at the two taller robots and the evil doctor standing above him.

“Go man the camera before I disassemble you for parts!” Eggman barked, pointing toward the camcorder he had set up moments ago.

“R…right.” Bokkun flew up to the video camera, adjusting the focus as he stared through the lens with a beady eye. He sighed to himself as he positioned the camera so Robotnik was front and center, Cream’s portable prison in the corner.

“All right Bokkun, let’s get this show on the road.” Eggman cleared his throat, adjusting his red jacket as the small robot pressed the record button, shuddering at the sight of the distressed, imprisoned bunny. The small robot could hardly pay attention to the evil doctor’s words or turn the camera to match his movements; his eyes focused on Cream shaking in her cell, a sense of sadness filling his heart.

As Eggman continued giving his speech, Bokkun turned his face away from the eyepiece, instead pulling a heart-shaped locket out from inside his glove. With sad eyes, he looked at the happy picture of Cream within before sighing once more, slipping the locket back into his glove as he returned his attention to the recording at hand.

*****

The sensation of something against his black nose woke Sonic from his peaceful slumber. Slowly opening his eyes, he watched as a butterfly rested against it, fluttering its wings as if to give him a show. Smiling to himself, the blue hedgehog raised a gloved hand toward his nose, allowing the butterfly to hop onto the tip of his index finger, staying in place as Sonic pulled his hand toward the side.

As the insect flew away, Sonic drew in a deep breath, allowing the moisture-filled air to fill his lungs as he sighed heavily, looking off into the distance to witness the sun glistening over the ocean surrounding Angel Island.

“What a morning.” Sonic placed his hands behind his head, looking up into the cloudless sky before noticing a slight pain emanating from his face. He winced as he inspected the bruise with a gloved finger.

What do I tell Amy when she sees my face?

Sonic looked up at the blue sky, taking in the pristine view as he wondered how to fib to the pink hedgehog.

Surely I can’t tell her the truth. That’d be too embarrassing for Tails.

After a few minutes of aimlessly studying the horizon, an idea popped into Sonic’s head.

I know! I’ll just tell her I tripped in the storm last night. Yeah…I…hit my face while climbing the stairs. She’ll definitely believe that!

The blue hedgehog chuckled to himself as his gaze turned downward. He observed as his younger brother slept against his chest, breathing softly, his namesakes wrapped snuggly around his torso.

“Heh…okay little buddy…a few more minutes.” Sonic closed his eyes, his hands supporting his head against the Master Emerald as he went back to sleep.

*****

Tails found himself in a white void, nothing distinguishable within his field of vision.

“This is odd.”

The orange fox peered around as he walked forward, his shoes clicking against the invisible floor as he seemingly made no progress in reaching his unknown destination. Before the young kitsune could further question this eerily familiar location, though, he heard a beeping sound coming from his utility belt. Fishing within its deep pockets, Tails felt what was making the noise.

“No…it can’t be.”

He peered down at the circular object, cracks all across its glass casing. Despite the damage, a dot was blinking on its screen.

“Hmmm…the radar is detecting an emerald a few hundred yards away.” The fox kept his eyes glued to his tracker as he marched onward, no thoughts on his mind other than reaching the location indicated by the device.

As if out of nowhere, the young fox walked face first into a stone wall. He rubbed his head only to find no pain. Taking his hand off his undamaged face, he looked up.

“Ah, must be the backside of the Master Emerald shrine.” Proving his hypothesis correct, the orange kitsune walked along its perimeter to reveal the same stone steps he had used numerous times in recent memory. Taking a deep breath, he climbed the stairs until he reached the top.

“Huh? What is this?”

The Master Emerald was sitting in its normal place, but leaning against the mystical gem was Sonic the Hedgehog, sleeping against the side with his hands resting behind his head, a smile on his face.

“And that’s…me?” Tails studied what appeared to be himself sleeping against Sonic’s chest, his namesakes blanketing him as he rested peacefully in the care of his older brother.

“Tails…Tails…”

“Who’s there?” Tails looked around as he tried finding the source of the high-pitched, feminine voice calling out his name. Taking a few steps forward, he heard a crunching sound beneath his feet. Moving his foot away, he gazed in horror at the broken detector he had smashed the night before, components and bits of glass strewn all around. Pulling out the detector from his utility belt once more, he visually compared the broken mess on the stone floor with the tracker in his hand, the blinking dot hovering in the center of the screen.

“Tails…listen to me…”

“Show yourself!” Tails yelled, putting the working contraption back in his pocket as he looked around frantically, hoping to find the source of the voice.

“The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power…power enriched by the heart.”

“W…what does it all mean? Who are you?” Tails circled the Master Emerald, finding nobody hiding.

“The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos.”

Tails flew upward, planting his feet on top of the mystical gem before spinning his body around, scanning the void surrounding the shrine.

“Nothing…” The fox placed a gloved finger to his chin as he heard the voice once more.

“Open your heart, and your path will be made clear. Believe in Chaos…and yourself…”

“Believe in Chaos…and…myself?”

Tails pondered these words as he sat down on the Master Emerald, his namesakes fluttering as he stared up into the white nothingness above, propping himself up with his hands.

“Heh…if that’s all, I’m ready to wake up now.” He laid down with a smile on his face, his back cool against the top of the mystical gem, placing his hands behind his head for support.

“Wait until Sonic hears about this one.” As he thought about his older brother, recent memories flooded his mind, a tear escaping his eye as he wore a warm smile. Drying his face with a gloved finger, he stood up once more, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Listen up…ummm…lady! Me and Sonic will crack your riddles and fix the detector! Just you wait!” Yelling into the empty void, he caught himself nearly slipping off the shiny surface of the gem before regaining his composure and continuing his speech. “I’ll believe in myself and Chaos and anything else too for that matter! With Sonic by my side, anything is possible!” He put his arms back to his side, his voice no longer echoing through the abyss.

“Anything…is possible.”

As he was about to fly off the Master Emerald, the ground beneath him began to shake. Balancing on one foot, Tails used his namesakes as additional support as the emerald emitted flashing green lights, static appearing all around the kitsune as dark clouds formed over the white emptiness above.

“Ahh!” Tails slipped backward, landing on his behind as he slowly slid off the front end of the Master Emerald.

“At this rate, I’ll fall on top of Sonic!” The orange fox tried using his hands to prevent himself from slipping further, but it was a futile endeavor; his fingers could not gain traction with the gem’s smooth surface.

“If this is a dream, then Sonic should be fine…but still!” Tails dangled off the side of the mystical gem by one hand, looking down to see the blue hedgehog and himself still sleeping peacefully below, except the base of the Master Emerald was much further away than he remembered. He shook his head as the ground stretched downward until he could barely make out a blue and orange dot below.

Looking back at the edge of the gem’s surface, he gritted his teeth as he attempted to pull himself up, a few more fingers losing their grip as he struggled to keep himself from falling.

“I know! I’ll use my tails!” Spinning his namesakes, he attempted to flee the shaking Master Emerald, but to no avail; a force beyond his control or understanding prevented him from taking flight.

“Figures…I hate dreams.” Tails closed his eyes as his pinkie finger slipped from the Master Emerald. Taking in a deep breath, he accepted his fate, allowing his body to fall back first with arms outstretched.

“Believe in Chaos.”

“And believe in yourself.”

These were the final words the young kitsune heard as the Master Emerald drew further away, his body falling into the endless white chasm below.

*****

Opening his eyes once more, Sonic was nudged awake by the rustling of his younger brother against his chest. The blue hedgehog looked down, feeling the kitsune’s heartrate rise against him as his breathing became labored.

“Hey little guy, it’ll be all right.” Sonic combed his hands through the namesakes still wrapped around Tails’ torso. The orange fox’s breathing and heartbeat returned to normal as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy head.” Sonic patted Tails’ legs as the young kitsune rubbed his eyes, his sight still adjusting to the sunlight.

“W…what time is it?” His voice was groggy as he slapped his hands against his furry face in an attempt to wake himself up.

“I dunno.” Sonic raised his wristwatch communicator so both of them could see the large 11:00 AM figure blinking in and out of existence through the glass casing. “Heh, I guess we needed the sleep, huh buddy?”

“I suppose.” Tails was the first to pull himself up, unfurling his namesakes from his chest and he planted his feet against the stone surface of the Master Emerald shrine. The kitsune turned around to see his older brother stretching his arms upward, still sitting against the mystical gem behind them. Sonic paused as an outstretched hand hovered in front of him, smiling as he grabbed hold of Tails’ palm, allowing his younger brother to pull him up.

“I could go for a chiro appointment, though.” Sonic stretched his back, cracking sounds emanating from the blue hedgehog’s bones before placing his hands against his hips, looking into the clear blue sky.

Tails smiled up at the tranquil blue hedgehog, not a worry in the world. Noticing something out of place, though, he squinted his eyes, studying Sonic’s muzzle.

“Hey Sonic, your face!” The orange fox pointed up at Sonic’s cheek as the blue hedgehog looked down, raising a hand to touch his muzzle.

“What about it?” Sonic felt around until he reached his bruise, except the dull pain he expected to feel was nowhere to be found. “What the…” Sonic dashed down the stone stairs of the Master Emerald shrine and bent over to look into a reflection of himself in a puddle along the dirt pathway leading to Knuckles’ cabin.

“Well I’ll be darned…” Pressing his fingers against his chin, Sonic moved his face around, eyeing his reflection intently as he tried to find any sign that the welt had ever existed.

“Hey Tails!” Sonic yelled from the base of the shrine, cupping his hands around his mouth. “My bruise is gone! Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, strange…” The fox rubbed his chin as he looked across the valley in thought.

But how? The bruise should have remained on his face for at least a week, if not longer. I know Sonic recovers from injuries relatively quickly, but nothing quite like this. Unless…

Tails turned himself around, staring at the Master Emerald glimmering in the sunlight.

“Is this…the power of Chaos?”

“Power of what now?” Sonic asked, zooming back up the stairs and standing next to his younger brother, as if materializing out of thin air.

“…I think the Master Emerald healed you.”

“Huh?” Sonic looked at the orange fox with a dumbstruck expression. “Can it even do that?”

“Well,” Tails began, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, “I had another dream last night…about the Master Emerald.”

“And you think this dream helped fix my face?” Sonic ran a hand through his blue quills.

“I don’t know.” Tails stepped toward the Master Emerald, placing his palm against the mystical gem. “I hate to admit it, but it almost feels like magic.”

“Magic? You of all people believin’ in magic?” The two shared a laughed, Sonic rubbing the base of his black nose as the orange kitsune smiled up at his older brother.

“Mobians throughout history have attributed unexplainable phenomena to some sort of mystical, godlike, magical power. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, though…if I’m ever gonna get my detector working, I’ll have to find out what it is.” Sonic stepped over to the orange fox, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sure you will, little bro…but remember what we talked about last night.” The blue hedgehog gently pointed his index finger in the young kitsune’s direction.

“Yeah, I know…don’t be too hard on myself n’ all.” Tails replied while nodding, giving the blue hedgehog an additional level of reassurance.

“Right on!” Sonic gave him a thumbs up, which he returned in kind. “Now let’s say we get some grub, huh?”

“Now that you mention it,” Tails looked downward, rubbing his belly as his stomach gurgled, “I am getting kinda hungry.”

“I’m sure Knuckles has a cure for that…let’s just hope it isn’t made of pumpkin this time!” They chuckled once more as the blue hedgehog began his descent down the shrine. Tails was about to take his first step as well, but he froze, turning back to face the Master Emerald once more.

“Thank you…for healing Sonic.” Tails returned to the mystical gem, rubbing it with a gloved hand, a feeling of warmth radiating through his palm.

“Hey, you comin’ or what?” Sonic yelled from the base of the shrine.

“Coming, Sonic!” Revving up his namesakes, Tails flew down the stairway, joining Sonic as they made their way back to Knuckles’ cabin, enjoying the sun against their fur and the light wind carrying the scent of the trees and the ocean to their nostrils.

As they entered the red echidna’s abode, they found everyone else was up as well.

“Hey Knuckles! What’s cracki—” Sonic’s question was cut off as he watched Amy yelling into Knuckles’ face.

“What do you mean you don’t have any breakfast?!” Amy’s face grew red as she glared menacingly at the red echidna.

“Well I don’t exactly keep a whole lot of food around the house, you know.” Knuckles kept his cool, choosing to keep his eyes closed, his forehead facing the floor. “And besides, even if I had food, my kitchen is a total mess! It’ll almost be noon by the time I clean it all up.”

“…Okay, fair enough.” Amy turned around, frustration still emanating from her.

“Amy’s got a point, though,” Rouge said, sitting at the kitchen table, keeping her head held up with her arms. “We can’t plan our next move on an empty stomach.”

“You’re gonna help us after all?” Amy asked, confusion written on her face as she turned to face the bat.

“Yeah…why not?” She shrugged he shoulders. “I don’t want Eggman to collect all the emeralds just as much as you guys, and anything to get me closer to Knucky here is a win-win for me.” The jewel thief gave the red echidna a long wink, her eyelashes fluttering as Knuckles’ face turned red.

“Yeah, think whatever you’d like,” the red echidna replied. “As long as we have your help, that’s all I care about.”

“Suit yourself, Knucky.” Rouge smiled at the red echidna as Sonic laughed from the entryway. Tails covered his mouth as he snickered alongside his older brother.

“So what are we gonna do about food then?” Amy asked.

“I think I know!” The party turned to Tails, who raised a finger upward, closing his eyes as he wore a bright smile. “I happen to keep a supply of provisions in the Tornado 2, as well as basic cooking equipment just for such emergencies.” The fox turned to Knuckles. “Why don’t you start a campfire so we don’t dirty up your kitchen even more.” He then turned to his older brother. “Hey Sonic, wanna race me back to the plane?”

“Would I?” Sonic’s lips broadened into a smile at the prospect. “You know me too well.”

“Heh, I know.” Tails itched the base of his nose in satisfaction, unintentionally imitating the blue hedgehog. Sonic smiled back at the orange fox, feeling truly hopeful about his younger brother for the first time in what felt like ages.

Glad to see you back, Tails.

“Last one there’s a rotten Eggman!” Tails bolted out the entrance, leaving Sonic behind.

“Hey, no fair!” The blue hedgehog shook himself from his stupor before running after his younger brother, leaving the cabin door wide open as the two made their way back to the biplane.

“Those two are something else,” Rouge observed.

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Knuckles replied, snorting as he left the cabin, walking along its perimeter until he came to the wooden awning on the opposite side, fetching a pile of logs kept dry from the evening rain.

*****

As Knuckles prepared the bonfire, Sonic and Tails were racing neck and neck, rapidly approaching the Tornado 2’s resting spot. Skidding to a stop, the blue hedgehog rolled himself into a ball, charging a spindash that would help him overtake the young fox.

Sonic launched himself forward, but instead of seeing the orange kitsune running in the distance, he watched as Tails remained still directly in the middle of the narrow path, his namesakes fluttering as he tightened his fists.

The blue hedgehog was rolling too fast to stop his momentum or dodge around the young fox. As he thought he was about to careen into him, Tails stepped to the side, charging his namesakes before whipping them toward the blue hedgehog, launching him back the other way like a tennis ball.

That clever lil’ kid.

“Sayonara, Sonic!” The orange kitsune snickered as he sped onward, widening the gap between them.

Sonic gradually flew back down the path, a slight curve in his projection causing him to careen higher. Holding out his arms at just the right time, the blue hedgehog grabbed onto a thick tree branch, his body twirling around several times before letting go, allowing himself to launch forward once more, rolling rapidly toward the unsuspecting fox.

“Huh?” Tails looked backward as his namesakes carried him closer to the Tornado 2, watching as a spherical blue form approached him. “Impossible! How could he have recovered that quickly?” Turning forward once more, the young kitsune increased the speed of his rotary tails, matching Sonic’s velocity as the blue hedgehog unfurled himself from spherical form and ran alongside his little brother.

“That was a clever move you had there, little guy.” Sonic smiled at Tails, giving him a thumbs up.

“Heh, not as much as your speedy recovery. How’d you do it?” Tails was huffing under his breath while the blue hedgehog showed no sign of exhaustion.

“Let’s just say you didn’t account for tree branches and my hands.” Sonic waved his palms forward, bits of bark still stuck to his gloves. The two chuckled under their breath as they picked up their speed.

“Almost…there…” Sweat formed along Tails’ brow as he reached his hands forward. “Whoever…touches the…plane first wins…”

“Right.” Sonic’s face turned serious, running with his arms behind his back as the two nearly closed the gap between themselves and the aircraft. “Time to finish this.”

As Tails blinked, he noticed a blue streak speed by, Sonic disappearing before his eyes.

“What the heck?” Tails jumped through a set of bushes, entering the clearing containing the grassy landing strip. The fox looked on as Sonic waved at him, lying on one of the plane’s wings, keeping his head upright with his other arm. Finally reaching the plane himself, Tails placed the palms of his hands against the metallic side of the Tornado 2. The orange kitsune breathed heavily, sweat rolling down his brow as he allowed himself a much-needed break.

“Ya did good, Tails.” Sonic jumped off the wing and patted his younger brother on the shoulder. “To be honest, I was worried there for a sec.”

“Heh…thanks...” Tails cracked a smile between labored breaths as he looked up at the blue hedgehog.

“You’re one of the only ones who can even come close to my speed. Just think how lazy I’d get without you ‘round!” Chuckling once more, Tails wiped the sweat from his forehead before fishing around his utility belt. After allowing his hand to search every pocket contained therein, the fox’s eyes turned wide, his jaw dropping in shock as his pupils shrank.

“What’s the matter, lil’ bro?”

“…I forgot the keys.”

*****

The sun was high in the sky, morning giving way to afternoon as the dynamic duo returned to the cabin for the second time. Sonic and Tails carried sealed bags of flavored oatmeal, a pot, small bowls, a set of spoons, and a ladle. Boiling tap water over the bonfire near to the edge of the floating island, Tails dumped a large packet of instant oats into the water, allowing the contents to cook and absorb. After stirring the pot, scooping a ladle-full of the oatmeal and lifting it to eye-level for a more thorough inspection, the young kitsune poured the breakfast into each of the small bowls before filling the pot with another container of water, placing it over the firepit once more, as he anticipated the group would be hungry for seconds.

“Wow Tails, this is really good!” Amy exclaimed, her face filling with color as a new sense of vigor pulsed through her.

“Yeah, way to go!” Knuckles added, giving the orange fox a hefty fist bump. Tails retracted his arm, blowing against his knuckles as he chuckled nervously.

“Now this is a meal fit for a hedgehog!” Sonic took several large, rapid bites before freezing, his face contorting as he pulled the silverware from his mouth.

“Water, water!” Sonic yelped as Tails handed him a bottle of H2O. The blue hedgehog gulped it down rapidly before sticking his tongue out and licking the palm of his gloved hand.

“Eww, gross Sonic!” Amy gave her boyfriend a pointed look, Sonic stopping mid-lick to match her glare.

“Whaa? ‘eye ‘oug ‘urs.” Sonic turned his face around, blowing air out of his mouth with the hopes of cooling down his burnt tongue.

“What he was trying to say,” Tails said, raising a finger in the air, “was ‘What? My tongue hurts!’” The friends laughed merrily as Sonic ran around the perimeter of the bonfire several times before finally setting himself back down on a makeshift log chair, picking up his warm bowl to continue eating.

“Well, if there’re no objections,” Knuckles began, looking out across the fire, “I think we can finally start planning our next course of action.”

“Before we do that,” Tails stood up, scratching the back of his head, “I…had another vision last night.”

“Another vision?” Knuckles raised a gloved finger to his chin.

“At least I think it was.” The young fox told the party about his dream, describing every last detail of his experience and the mysterious lady’s cryptic message.

“I wonder what it all means?” Sonic asked himself, looking toward his equally puzzled little brother.

“I think I know…” Knuckles stood up and walked toward the edge of the cliff, taking in the sight and sound of the ocean waves below.

“You do?” Tails walked toward the red echidna, observing him as he carefully studied the oceanscape stretching as far as the eye could see.

“I think you’re approaching the Master Emerald all wrong.” Knuckles turned to the orange fox. “You’re trying to study it scientifically. To unlock its secrets, you have to go beyond logic and reason.” He grabbed the kitsune’s hands, who gasped in surprise. “Trust the Master Emerald. Place your faith in the Master Emerald. Treat it like a friend instead of an experiment.”

Tails sighed to himself, allowing his hands to return to his sides as Knuckles let go of his wrists. Turning toward the ocean view, the fox sat down, holding his head up with his hands as he lost himself in thought.

How do I even begin to understand something so…illogical?

The orange kitsune knew in his heart Knuckles was right, even if he couldn’t provide a suitable explanation.

Knuckles placed a gloved paw against Tails’ shoulder.

“It may seem difficult, but as long as you open your heart, the Master Emerald will guide the way.”

Tails turned his head to face Knuckles once more before his gaze wondered down to the red echidna’s worn red and yellow shoes. Finally, the young kitsune furrowed his brow, looking back up at Knuckles with determination in his eyes.

“I don’t pretend to understand it all, but there’s one thing I do know.” Tails stood up, walking back to the bonfire, his friends staring back at him. “I’ll keep on trying! I’ll ‘open my heart’ a hundred times if I have to!”

Sitting back down on his log seat, the fox was greeted by Sonic’s hand patting him on the shoulder. Tails returned the gesture with a determined smile before picking up his bowl, eating as he enjoyed the company of his friends.

I’m so lucky to have them. I’d be lost without my pals…especially Sonic.

He looked up at the blue hedgehog, whose pinkie finger was wedged between his molars.

“Here, Sonic.” Tails withdrew a toothpick from his utility belt and placed it in the palm of Sonic’s free hand.

“Ah, you’re a life saver!” The blue hedgehog replaced his pinkie with the pick, dislodging an oat from between his back teeth.

Tails smiled back at him as he grabbed his spoon. Before he could take another bite, however, he heard a familiar ringing sound coming from the opposite side of the bonfire.

“Oh, hold on a sec,” Amy said, raising her wristwatch communicator to her face.

Ah, that was one of the ringtones I programmed into her phone.

The fox blew into his spoonful of oatmeal as Amy pressed a button on her watch, Vanilla’s name blinking in bold letters across its screen.

“Hey Vanilla! How is it going?”

“Amy…please…help me…he…Eggman…took Cream…please help…”

“I don’t understand.” A look of worry struck the pink hedgehog’s face as the rest of the party listened in to the call from around the campfire. “Are you saying Eggman kidnapped Cream?” The elder bunny didn’t immediately respond, too overcome with tears and grief to remain coherent. Finally, after blowing her nose into a handkerchief, she spoke once more.

“Y…yes. Cream was so tough…so fearless for someone her age. She destroyed many of Eggman’s robots before her capture. I tried to stop him, but…” A new wave of sobs interrupted Vanilla’s explanation.

“There, there, it’ll be okay.” Amy tried to soothe the motherly bunny as much as anyone could from such a long distance.

“…he even tricked me into throwing him a Chaos Emerald. I’m such a fool…”

“A Chaos Emerald?” Knuckles asked, speaking over Vanilla’s crying. “Know where he went?”

“I already know where Eggman went.” The party looked over at the jewel thief, who sat quietly on the opposite side of the bonfire, studying the fingers on her outstretched hand. “He took the Chaos Emerald back to his fortress. Where else?”

“So that means Eggman has at least three emeralds now.” Knuckles folded his arms, looking down at the smoldering fire.

“And more importantly,” Amy added, giving the red echidna a stern glare, “Eggman took Cream! We need to do something.”

“Ames is right.” Sonic stood up, clenching his fists as he turned to face Rouge. “Can you lead us to Eggman’s lair?”

“Why certainly.” She gave the blue hedgehog a smile as she crossed her legs. “As long as I can come with.”

“The more the merrier!” Sonic replied as he turned to Tails. “How ‘bout we go save Cream with the Tornado 2?”

“You bet!” Tails tried to hide his excitement. He knew that he’d be engaging in an important mission to save his friend, but he simply couldn’t lie to himself; he really wanted to save the day with his older bro.

He needed this.

“Well? What’re we waitin’ for?” Sonic turned to face the path leading back to the biplane. “Let’s go!”

“Right!” Just as the brotherly duo were about to dash off, however, the gang heard something up above, the sound of high-pitched laughter getting closer.

“What’s that?” Amy asked, squinting up at a small, dark figure slowly making its way toward the camp.

“It’s Bokkun!” Sonic looked up at the tiny robot, his beady, lime green eyes and M-shaped yellow belt buckle glistening in the afternoon sun as he descended to the camp, a cubical television in his arms. After he landed, Bokkun placed the television on the ground and stood next to it.

“All right everyone! Watch clo—” The messenger robot stopped as he took a whiff of the air. “Is that…is that oatmeal?”

“Ummm…yes it is?” Tails replied, a confused look on his face. “Why?”

“It’s just that…” Moisture began to fill Bokkun’s small eyes. “…Eggman doesn’t feed me very well, and his cooking is disgusting. I’d die for some good, sweet, delectable oatmeal.” The tiny robot approached Tails’ bowl of half-eaten breakfast, picking it up as he grabbed the metal spoon from within.

“Ummm, sure…help yourself.” Tails and the gang watched as the sad robotic henchman put the utensil in his mouth. He stopped mid-bite, the flavor almost causing him to glitch out as he opened his beady eyes as wide as they would go.

“This…this…” A smile appeared on his face, tears gushing from his eyes. “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever had in my life!” He began eating faster, matching Sonic’s speed as he wolfed down much of Tails’ leftovers.

“Oh no you don’t!” Amy grabbed the bowl away from Bokkun, the small robot reaching his arms out in a feeble attempt to snag it back. “First you’re gonna tell us what an Eggman robot like yourself is doing here, then maybe we’ll let you have some more.”

Bokkun wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

“…Promise?”

Amy sighed heavily as she looked down at the pathetic robot peering up at her with shimmering eyes, his hands clasped together as if begging for more nourishment.

“…Promise.”

“All right!” Experiencing a sudden mood shift, Bokkun flung himself backward with his jetpack, landing in front of the yellow CRTV as he prepared to give his pre-rehearsed introduction. “Listen up, folks! I’ve got a special message from Eggman you won’t wanna miss!” Stepping to the side of the television, Bokkun pressed a button near the corner of its curved screen.

The party watched in horror as an image of Cream and Cheese flickered across the monitor, the two clasping the rusty bars of their birdcage-like prison. Bokkun turned his face away, a slight blush appearing on his face.

“Sonic…Tails…anyone…please help us.”

“Chao, chao…”

*****

I hope you enjoyed chapter 10! I have a few updates and announcements below:

I slightly altered the ending of chapter 9 to make the amount of time Vanilla spent lamenting in the backyard over Cream’s kidnapping more ambiguous. This was to fill the inadvertent plot hole I almost created where Bokkun arrives to Angel Island shortly after the kidnapping. #CrisisAverted

Also, if you have the time, I’d appreciate it if you checked out the poll I posted on my Fan Fiction account; I’ve been tossing around a follow-up to “A Prelude to Chaos Control” since I began writing this story which would inevitably be a reimagining of the events of Sonic X, except with an emphasis on Tails, taking away money as a superpower, swapping around some human protagonists, and making a bunch of other changes which would divert enough from the anime to make it interesting. If this is something you’d be interested in reading, or if the idea seems lame, feel free to take the poll! I’d like to hear your opinions, as this’ll help guide my projects as I get closer to finishing this one.

Update: Chapter 11 can be found here!

#Miles Tails Prower #Tails the Fox #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic Fanfiction #Tails fanfiction #Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction #Fan fic #fanfic #Fan Fiction #Sonic X #anime #fluff #angst #action #adventure #Chaos Emerald #writing

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sweet-lil-psycho · 5 years

Text

You can hear me? - Post-death Kyle - AHS Coven - (1)

Dedicated to @slightlyvicked for her amazing contributions

Summary: The newest guest of Miss Robichaux's Academy is a powerful witch, but on of her powers is something Kyle had only dreamed of.

Word Count: 2891

(Authors Note: I know I said this would be up tomorrow, but I got super excited and ended up finishing the whole thing today. I really loved writing it and added a number to the title in case anyone wants me to write more and turn this into a series.)

You walked through the front gate of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies and immediately knew someone was watching you. It was a primal skill that most witches had forgotten or discarded over the centuries, but you had learned to harness it just as the old witches did. The person, you could already tell, did not match you in magical skill and posed absolutely no threat, so you happily ignored it. Why wouldn’t you? You were a lioness and they were... a bunny rabbit, yes, that seemed about right.

Your suitcase dragged close behind you up the walkway, propelled wholly by magic. As you stepped up to the front doors, they opened for you. Clearly the house knew better than to make you wait. They parted widely and once you, and your suitcase had stepped over the threshold, shut softly behind you.

There was a thing about thresholds that most witches didn’t know. They keep track of all the magical beings who pass through them. It was as if you had been presented with a registry of all the witches in the house the moment you walked in. Not by name, of course, but a display of the skill level and aura of each magical being which you would easily be able to pair with the witches of the house upon meeting them.

Nothing special, you noted with a small smirk, perhaps Miss Robichaux's Academy’s young ladies were not as exceptional as they thought they were.

You didn’t bother calling out your arrival, the witches of the house were expecting you... or at least the ones who mattered were. Instead, you were fast at finding your way to their library of magical texts, curious to see what books they had acquired since your last visit.

Despite all your attention being in the yellowed pages of The Witches Guide To Advanced Spellwork; Volume 4, which you were finding quite amusing, the intended entrance of a familiar witch did not slip your witchy senses. She must have been about to cross the archway of the room when you spoke

“Cordelia! What a pleasure!” You said with a large smile, only now looking up from the dusty and quite trivial tome.

“Y/N, what an absolute honor and pleasure it is to have you with us at Miss Robichaux’s.” Cordelia greeted you warmly

“I couldn’t possibly pass through New Orleans without dropping by.” You told her as you opened your arms for a hug

You and Cordelia went way back. Well...as way back as a 19 year old could go with someone. You’d briefly met and studied with her mother, the Supreme Witch, Fiona Goode, before deciding your studying efforts were best spent elsewhere. A decision which lead you far from American soil and on a long string of adventures. In the time you had known each other, you had been quite close.

“Well, we are delighted to have you stay as long as you would like.” She assured you “I’ll send Spalding to carry your bags and show you to your room.”

“No need,” you said simply “I’m quite capable.”

The bag followed you as you began to walk out of the room. Cordelia followed and watched the bag in amazement. You’d definitely learnt a few new tricks since your last meeting. As you ascended the stairs, the suitcase began to float over the steps and you could just barely hear the small laugh Cordelia gave.

You vaguely recalled the layout from your previous visit, which was enough to allow you to find the room with ‘Visitor Quarters. Not for student entry’ on the door. You couldn’t contain a laugh as you touched the doorknob and surveyed the room with your witch senses.

Predictably, the students were huddled on the bed and floor discussing some nonsense speculations about your arrival. The movement of the doorknob was enough to hear them loudly scramble and whisper ‘hide’ to one another. Generously...or perhaps cruelly, you allowed them enough time to conceal themselves before opening the door.

The room was the grandest in the house, complete with a crystal chandelier and golden velvet curtains, which seemed unnaturally lumpy with outlines of very tactless witches. The lights in the room were out and you wondered how much more obvious the hiding of the students would be once you illuminated the room.

“It’s so dark, should I open the curtains?” You wondered aloud, which was met with an audible ‘shit!’ from the direction of the lumpy fabric.

“No need” You added, snapping your fingers and watching every candle in the room light.

You could tell they were watching. Eyes boring into your skin with the telltale spark which let you know they were witches. If they want to watch, give them a show, you thought.

The suitcase threw itself onto the bed and began unclipping and unzipping. You started pulling out all your packed goods from inside the small, black suitcase. Your clothes for a start, which soared out of the bag, unfolded, and began hanging themselves in the closet, the door of which was flung open. You didn’t need to look to see the absolute fright which flashed on the face of the student who had chosen to hide in there. It made you smile, but still you played oblivious.

Next, you hoisted out the high candelabra out of the bag and allowed it to settle in the darkest corner of the room, adding to the glow of torches. Then came your armchair, which squeezed it’s way out and scuttled across the floor to a lovely spot in front of the fireplace.

“What the hell is this?” you heard a voice whisper from the curtains, promptly followed by “shh!”

Then your trunk, your vanity table, the tall, pedestal birdcage which housed your raven, Corvis, some trinkets and rarities from your travels, a large mirror with pitch black glass, and finally your cat, jumping out from the still half-full suitcase and stretching out her black body after the nap you surely woke her from.

Once she finished, she meowed loudly and walked in circles, indicating there were people about.

“Oh I know Salem, they’ll come out when they’re good and ready” You told the cat, who then decided to curl up in the center of the bed.

“Is she talking about us?” A voice whispered, “Shh!”

"You really should come out, you know. You girls are really making fools of yourselves.” You announced

They all came out and you laughed to yourself, they thought they could hide from you. The young witches were similar ages, but had no where near the experience or magical level that you possessed. Finally you were able to place each magical identity the threshold had given you to it’s owner.

“You should have warned us, Nan!” One of the girls huffed

“Warn you of what? Her mind is blank.” Nan replied

“Not blank, simply unavailable to the likes of you. I’m not too fond of little witchlings prying through my thoughts” You interrupted

“This is all your fault, Madison, I told you we shouldn’t be in here! We’re going to get in so much trouble!” One of the girls snapped at another

“Shut up, Queenie!” Madison snapped back

“Surprise! Welcome to Miss Robichaux's Academy” Nan said with an innocent smile

“She’s not an idiot, Nan. What’s wrong with you?” Madison said viciously

“Hey! Don’t talk to Nan like that!” Another girl defended

“You shut too, Zoe!” Madison added

“Don’t tell me to shut up, you shut up!”

“Yeah Madison, why don’t you shut your mouth for once!”

“This is all your fault anyway, Madison.”

“Yeah, she’s right”

“Shut up, Nan”

“Shut up Madison!”

“Yeah, shut up Madison!”

“All of you shut up!” You raised your voice and it echoed around the room

All the girls went quiet, not by choice, but because their voices had left them entirely. This seemed to enrage them more and they started mouthing louder at each other in an attempt to continue their argument.

“Now when you’re all done blubbering like fish, let’s get a few things straight.” You said and watched them quiet down, realizing they weren’t going to get their way by fighting each other soundlessly

“First of all, this is the last time any of you come into my chamber uninvited. Secondly, Cordelia will be hearing none of this from me so long as you little witchlings show me a bit more respect from now on. Third, no more bickering...it is unpleasant and frankly, very unbecoming of all of you. And finally, any more of this kind of nonsense and you will regret the day you ever met me. Am I clear?”

Madison noiselessly muttered some snarky comment which made Nan break out into a grin

You flicked your wrist and Madison’s eyes widened as her hair was violently tugged backwards.

“Am I clear?” You asked again, waving your hand over them so they could speak once more

“Crystal clear.” They all said in a dreary unison, probably habit from Cordelia asking them the same question so many times

“Right then. If that’s everything” You said and the door swung open behind you, inviting them to leave

“You can come out now Kyle, she caught us.” Zoe called out and a final figure emerged, this time from under the bed.

How could you have missed this?...Hang on, he’s not magical...or human..., you were puzzled, which was rare, especially when it came to magic.

“Kyle?” You said, feeling the name in your mouth curiously

He didn’t speak as he went to stand behind Zoe. He was tall and muscular looking, almost the frat-boy type if it wasn’t for his vacant expression and strange, detached way about him.

“Kyle” You said again, softer this time as you tried to understand what he was and how you hadn’t detected him

“Yes, I’m Kyle”, a voice wrung inside your head clearly, your telepathic abilities picking up on his response

It’s nice to meet you Kyle, you sent the message telepathically, wondering if he could hear it. You’d never met anyone like this before and had no idea what his capabilities were.

The girls had begun to file out of the room, but Kyle stood in place, his dark eyes locked with yours, thinking.

“Come on Kyle” Zoe called him

He didn’t move and you stepped closer to him without acknowledging her, waiting for a response

“Who are you?” he asked, he sounded almost scared

I’m Y/N, I’m not going to hurt you, you transferred the message into his mind.

“How can you hear me? No one can ever hear me.”

“Kyle, come on!” Zoe called him once again, this time tugging at his arm

“No.” He said, still not looking away from me

“What are you doing to him?” Zoe demanded, moving away from Kyle and coming up to me

“No!” Kyle shouted more urgently, stepping forward to pull Zoe back, but you beat him to it and flung her back with a magical force which sent her stumbling to the ground

“What the hell!” Madison exclaimed after watching her fellow witch get tossed aside. She walked back into the room and heading towards Kyle, no doubt to try and drag him out. “Come on, Kyle. We’re leaving!”

“No! No! No!” He shouted

“That’s quite enough” You groaned tiresomely, growing more and more irritated by these little witches.

With a sweeping gesture of your hand, the girls were thrust out of the doorway and the door closed loudly after them. The lock on the door slid over and fastened into place, preventing them from reentering, though they still tried.

Kyle still seemed agitated and you put your hands up gently to calm him

Everything is alright, Kyle. They’re gone now, they’re not going to make you leave before you want to

“I didn’t mean to yell, I really didn’t” his voice came softly “I just get so angry some times that I can’t stop what happens.”

It was like his consciousness was trapped in a body which couldn’t contain it. His emotions were unable to regulate themselves as they traveled from his mind to his actions. His mind seemed perfectly intact and developed, it was almost as if the connection between his mind and body was damaged in some way.

It’s okay Kyle. Why don’t we sit down?, you suggested, sitting on the bed where Salem watched curiously

“Sure, why not.” he came and sat on the bed, his eyes finally leaving mine in order to look at Salem

“Salem, this is Kyle, he’s a friend.” You told the cat

Salem immediately let her guard down and she rolled on her back, displaying her stomach for belly rubs

“I like cats. A big tabby named Monty used to live on our street, he was such a fat cat, always rummaging through people’s bins for scraps.” He smiled at the memory and began to pat Salem

“Why can’t the others talk to me like this?” he looked up for a moment, there was so much sadness in his eyes

I’m a very powerful witch. I’ve studied my whole life and learned from the best teachers all over the world. Telepathy is a tricky skill on it’s own to master, but for some reason it’s more complicated with you. Usually there’s just a locked door leading right into someone’s consciousness, but with you, it’s like there’s a labyrinth. It was true, his whole consciousness was locked away by this elaborate protection. The more you learned about Kyle, the more interested you became.

“Oh...How long are you staying?” His voice held a tone of worry at the thought of you leaving. You knew you would be the same if the only person who could truly talk to you was only passing through on their own travels.

I haven’t decided yet, Kyle. I didn’t think I’d meet someone as interesting as you, you told him and he smiled in such an effortlessly charming way that you had to stop yourself from swooning.

He was cute, to say the least, and in the moment where his more human side came out, he made your heart pound so loud you were surprised he couldn’t hear it.

Kyle moved his arm to further pet Salem and you noticed a severe looking scar on his neck.

What’s happened there? you pointed at the mark

He instantly moved to hide it, pulling the neck of his t-shirt higher, which only loosened it and made the mark more visible.

“It’s nothing. Nothing at all, really.” he replied quickly

Kyle please, is it a scar? Let me take a look? you asked him telepathically and he didn’t answer

“Please, Kyle. I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I just want to see.” You said aloud

Hesitantly, Kyle moved his hands away from his neck and allowed you access to the deep scar-tissue. It looked incredibly painful, but when you touched it gingerly, he didn’t flinch. Upon closer inspection, the mark went entirely around his neck and you gasped.

He immediately pulled away and tried once again to cover it up.

It’s okay Kyle, really. I just...it looks like it hurt a lot, you said, suddenly teary for some reason.

Kyle noticed the sudden redness of your eyes and stopped pulling away.

“It didn’t really. I hardly felt it.” He told you.

You wondered how that could be for a second and then the answer hit you hard. A lot about Kyle rapidly began to make sense and you realized why Kyle was so unlike anything you had come across before.

May I? you asked him, holding your hand up to touch the scar once more.

He moved himself closer to give you better access to the wound, silently complying with your ask.

Once again you placed your hand on the scar, this time channeling it with a skill you had learned in small town Romania.

“arătați-mi” you whispered

Your eyes glossed over with a pale film of white and you began to see Kyle’s life unfold before your eyes. The good, the bad, and the just plain tragic.

It was blurry, but as you came closer to the events which led to the scarring, it became clear. You saw his time at Kappa Lambda Gamma, the party, Zoe, Madison, the party bus, Madison and Zoe’s sloppy, infantile attempts at a complex post-mortem revival spell, Kyle’s struggles with his new life.

“Oh my gods above and forgotten... what in the name of Hecate. Someone had better slap those girls from Venus to Neptune.” You whispered to yourself “I am so sorry this happened to you, Kyle.”

You cupped his face in your hands and rested your forehead against his. He stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, putting his hands on your waist so gently, as if he were afraid of hurting you.

“You don’t...hate me, do you?” he asked after a few seconds of silence

Hate you? Kyle, why would I...how could you think I would hate you?, you were baffled by it, he’d been put through so much and he thought you would...hate him for it?

“Fiona always says I’m disgusting and unnatural. I’m like Frankenstein's monster.” He told you

“First of all, Fiona’s a bitch. Second, I always did like Frankenstein.” you said aloud, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

#kyle spencer #kyle spence x reader #kyle spencer oneshot #ahs oneshot #american horror story #american horror story coven #kyle oneshot #evan peters #american horror story oneshot #post death kyle

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porkofdoom-blog · 6 years

Text

Maru’s Little Secret

for @shortcut48

Eyelids fluttered and Maru can feel warm breaths below her neck. Maru groaned when she felt her arm muscles stiffened at the weight that pillowed her arm. Maru squinted at the huge familiar blur sighing when Maru shifted on their bed. It was one of the mornings that made Maru's heart clench. The first sight that greeted her when she opened her eyes. Maru can't help it, but to smile.

It was their morning night in their new apartment. After a year of dating, and a month of spending on each other's houses, they finally decided that it would be best if they shared a home instead. They bought a new apartment and it was the best among the selections offered to them. High ceiling, natural light and has a bathtub wide enough for two people. It has two-rooms, with the master bedroom that can fit a California King-size bed (but oh, com'on, they only bought a King-size though, after purchasing the said bed with red faces) and the other room as a make-shift office for Maru. The kitchen is to die for, good ventilation, and Maru can only imagine kissing her girlfriend into a beautiful curve on the dining table as she—

Then, there was the sound of their doorbell, breaking Maru's little moment of thinking–er... watching her beautiful girlfriend's slumber.

"Mmm... Urusai." The blur mumbled, her voice hoarse from all the karaoke they did with their friends last night. (Annoying.)

"I'll get it." Maru sighed and kissed her girlfriend's hair as she got up from their bed.

"Stay," her girlfriend says, burying her head to Maru's pillow and raised her arms trying to get a hold of Maru.

Maru caught her hand and kissed her fingers, "I'll be back before you know it." She grinned at her girl and tucked their blankets up to her chin.

Satisfied, her girlfriend only hummed her reply before sleep took over her again.

Maru chuckled as she got her eyeglasses and phone from the bedside table, then padded to the door when it buzzes again.

"Hai, hai! Ikemasu," Maru muttered, rushing to the intercom to check who was it. "Yes?" She watched the screen flickered to life and the delivery boy beamed to her. (Yes, yes! I'm coming.)

"Package for Hoshino-san!"

Ugh. Maru grimaced. It's too early to be this cheerful but nonetheless, she opened the door.

"Sign here, please!" The delivery boy chirped, showing a small clipboard with a receipt and a check mark beside the blank next to her printed name to sign.

"Thanks," Maru muttered after she scrawled her signature and took the medium box inside their apartment.

"You're welcome. Have a nice day!" The boy beamed again.

Maru only grunted before she toed the door close and the lock automatically clicked and a robotic voice echoed by the foyer, "Autolock enabled."

"Oh, it's from Hiroko-san..." Maru whispered to herself as she placed it on the middle of the coffee table. She sat on the couch and began on texting her aunt.

To: Hiroko Subject: Package Message: Good morning. Thanks for sending the rest of my things. I received it well. Send my regards to Aeri and samchon. :-)

She was about to open the package with a blunt edge of the nail file she found on her girlfriend's box of nail polish when her phone began to ring. She paused, placed the nail file back on the table and took her phone instead and went outside the balcony as she answered the call.

"Ohayo, Neko-chan~," Hiroko greated her, she gave a little wave at Maru, showing her fingers.

"Ohayo," Maru grinned, her cheeks flushed from the morning cold.

"Have settled okay?"

Maru had to roll her eyes. Hiroko had been protective of her and always have been a mother hen. She couldn't actually help it, even Maru thought of her as her mother, since Hiroko's family had been a positive influence in her life. Maru's always thankful that they met them.

So, Maru answered truthfully, nodding as she explained that, "Yes, we had assembled most of the furniture last week, we had filled the fridge yesterday and had already filled their closet with our clothes," blushing a little deeper when she thinks how they attempted to mix some of their clothes together.

"I'm glad," her aunt sighed, a peaceful expression resting on her face.

"Love?" Her girlfriend called out and Maru turned her head to their bedroom door.

"Oh! Is that—"

"Hiroko-san! I should go." Maru blushed as she walked back inside.

"Yes, yes. Send my regards to—"

Maru had accidentally cut the call off when her girlfriend draped herself on her back. Maru eyed her phone but thinks that Hiroko would surely understand...

"Was that Hiroko-san?" She mumbled, tickling Maru's ear. "Oh, you got a package."

"Yeah...", Maru gulped.

"I missed you."

"M-Me too."

Her girlfriend looked at her amused. But her grin turned into a frown after a few seconds.

"What's wrong?" Maru asked when her girlfriend pulled the blanket resting on her shoulders and dropped them to a nearby armchair.

"I had a call from the company."

"But it's your day off." Maru stated as a matter of fact. Her girlfriend rarely gets a day-off.

Before, they made plans to go out of town. They visit an onsen or sight-seeing but since they live together now, Maru only wants to spend it in their new home. Maybe cuddle for a bit in their new king-sized bed or break into it, as what other couples call it (Maru blushed at this). Or maybe they could watch a some Ghibli movies on their brand new TV set and make-out on their new couch and (again) break into it.

There's a list of areas Maru thought of to christen their new home... except the bathroom since the two bathed together last night and things... Well, things got escalated pretty quickly which both of them slept soundly afterwards, exhausted and blissed out.

"Anyway, I have to go." Her girlfriend said sadly and kissed her temple and started to walk towards the bathroom.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Maru suggested.

"To the office? Or... to the bathroom?" Her girlfriend smirked, her hand resting on the bathroom's doorknob.

"Both?" Maru grinned as she started to follow her girl to the door.

Maru as a dutiful girlfriend helped her girl into her clothes delaying as much possible as she could. Placing little kisses in small areas she only gets to do and —

"Love, I'm going to be late."

She was drying her girlfriend's hair when she asked again," Are you sure it's going to be okay with me not being there?"

"Yes, and you already asked that before." Her girlfriend replied, putting one small swipe of strawberry lipgloss on her lips and started to spread it with her finger.

"Well, I can go. I have nothing to do here." Maru sighed, her outdoor clothes are already out of the closet and placed strategically on their bed.

Her girlfriend grinned as she spun around the stool and faced Maru. She plucked out the hairbrush and hairdryer from Maru's hands and placed it back to the table. She held Maru's hands as Maru pouted, leaning over to taste that strawberry-flavored lipgloss on her girlfriend's lips.

"You can't go." Her girlfriend sighed, placing a finger on Maru's lips only to get attacked with Maru's little kisses. "Besides, you have things to do like, walk Orion (their dog), feed Paru (their cat) and Jurina (their soft-shelled turtle) and, clean Sayaka and Miyuki's cage (their lovebirds)."

"I can call Sakura over and let her do all the chores. You know she likes to watch Jurina swim by."

"No, you have to do it yourself. And you call yourself a co-parent? And Sakura's probably just weirded out with that turtle", Her girlfriend tsked and started on showering herself with perfume. "I'll be back before lunch." And she kissed Maru squarely on the mouth, nibble a little on Maru's lower lip and squeeze her into a tight hug.

When they separated, Maru looked dazed and mind blown.

"I'll miss you," her girlfriend says again, sadly this time and planted a shy kiss on the corner of Maru's mouth and before Maru knows it, her girlfriend was out of the door.

"Autolock enabled," said by a robotic voice.

After a short walk in the park near their apartment, with only Orion glomping on some ducks and chasing pigeons while Maru nursing a hot coffee between her hands, they came back in her girlfriend-less apartment. Maru then feed their cat, Paru, and Orion. Both of them wiggling their furry butts as they inhaled their food.

She then feed a scoop of fish food to Jurina who was lazily swimming in her aquarium. When she went to birdcage by their balcony, she felt a pang of jealousy as the two love birds groomed eachother with their tiny beaks.

"Good for you two," Maru glumly muttered as she dump two scoopful of birdfeeds on their bowl.

She then proceeded to clean their apartment. Fixing their bed, wiping spotless tables and chairs, dusting bookshelves twice , and vacuuming their already dust free floor. When she was done, Maru slumped on the couch and noticed the unopened box on the coffee table.

"Oh!"

She remembered the package and proceeded on opening the box, this time with a box-cutter she found on the countertop.

When she was done, she carefully opened the flaps, tore layers of bubble wraps and watch the contents unravel to her.

It was her collection, carefully gathered all these years.

When Maru flew to Japan and had an unexpected turn in career, she was saddened to leave this part of her in Korea. Ofcourse her girlfriend knows these vast collection since she once visited her apartment in Korea and accidentally ran into her Shimazaki Haruka shrine while she was looking for the bathroom. It was a spare room dedicated to her most favored AKB48 member. And even in their new home, Maru never neglected to organize some of her collections she had bought as she stayed in Japan around her home office. Ofcourse her girlfriend didn't mind because she has, too, her own collections carefully placed around the house.

The posters which decorated her Shimazaki Haruka shrine before are now carefully rolled and wrapped in plastic. Her AKB48 CDs and Blu-ray DVDs which were proudly displayed before are now stacked up with a cushion of cloth in between the plastic case as Maru preferred not a scratch on them. The calendars were stacked and wrapped in a bubble wrap, afraid that the metal wires would scratch her other beloved merch. There are also action figures of her AKB48 favorite members with a number of Shimazaki Haruka in different poses and clothes and sizes each on their individual boxes. There's her Paruru mug which was custom-made, also a few pillow cases she ordered online. Also, cheap collection of ballpens, pencils, erasers, stickers, slippers (that is too big for Maru's feet), mouse pad, notebooks, and backscratcher and more. There's also her treasured photobook of Shimazaki Haruka, gifted to her by Hiroko and a few Shimazaki Haruka custom-made plush toys which samchon gave her every Christmas, and a photo album filled with carefully collected Shimazaki Haruka photos, which Aeri helped her bid online.

Maru can't help but to sigh lovingly at each item. She carefully removed each one from the box, letting her fingers trail at the plastic covering her collection. When she reached at the bottom of the box, she gasped at the sight.

It was her Nike shoebox. She reached for it and opened the cover.

There rested among the package peanuts is a foot-long balljointed doll.

The doll's glass eyes are looking at her under the fan of her black eyelashes. Her lips pink and glossy and her cheeks dimpled as she was smiling shyly to Maru.

"Baby..." Maru cooed as she lifted one resin arm and locked a finger in the inside of the hand of Shimazaki Haruka doll.

This doll had been a product of Maru doing small part-time jobs for months. She played online games for lame gamers, she tended the convenience store, she had fried some chicken and delivered jajangmyun to houses, she made lattes for snobbish office workers, she mixed alcohol for rich businessmen, and she had climbed mountains and picked ginseng for this. This doll is the embodiment of her hardwork, tears and blood, and obsession. This was the center, the Queen of her shrine and not even her girlfriend knows this (because the doll was inside her Nike box, a makeshift bed Maru made for her doll).

It started with her search for merchandises of her favorite idol. And after searching the web for various dolls, she has stumbled upon a small website for doll collectors. Some were pro in painting the doll's faces, making them look like famous actors and actresses, some were painted like idols and it perked her interest. She researched for 3 nights. Obsessively watching YouTube videos of doll owners. Reading Tumblr and blogsites of how to make your own wig, how to make doll clothes, how to make the eyeballs. And after a month of watching them she decided to save up money for her own doll.

After six months of working, and a month of waiting for the package, her custom-made doll arrived. She even made a box opening video for her to reminisce the first ever feelings she had.

She remembered she was slightly disappointed.

Her doll was faceless, her eye sockets are empty. Her face has no colors. The resin body is naked, and her head is bald.

A month later, her Shimazaki Haruka doll, was glaring at her. Maru thinks she needs to practice her face-painting more. Her clothes was a pre-made sailor uniform, ordered online because it was 75% off. Her socks have different lengths, because Maru don't know how to sew, and her shoes where from an old Barbie doll she found lying in a dumpster.

Maru was placing her newly made beanie made from her old sock on doll Haruka's head when Hiroko came inside her room. The older woman looked at the doll who looked like she has cancer because of the lack of wig and at the helpless look on Maru's face.

"Oh, Neko-chan..."

A week later, doll Haruka has 137 set of clothes, 87 pair of shoes, 53 undergarments, 41 pair of socks of different designs and sizes, 95 pieces of accessories, and 37 wigs of different hair color and styles. Doll Haruka had her face pofessionally painted, a small blush dusting her cheeks and her smile brighter with her glossed lips. (Courtesy of Hiroko-san) And had various home-made furnitures that Maru delicately assembled on nights.

Hiroko only beamed at her when Maru dressed her doll for the first time in Japanese traditional clothes. She trembled as she let it kneel on a small plush pillow and placing a small teacup on her little hands.

Maru smiled wetly at the doll and pulled the gloves folded and tucked at the bottom of the box's lid. She wore them and carefully picked the doll up, fixing the doll's wig, straightening her already straight clothes and fixing her shoes. She let it sit on the table and opened another box nested beneath her Nike box. "Now, what do you want to wear for today?"

Maru had finished putting her collection back to the box, re-taped it and placed it safely in their closet, except for her Nike shoebox and another box filled with doll clothes and accessories. When she received a text that her girlfriend would be late and that Maru could order some food for lunch but would be back for dinner. But Maru opened their cupboards instead, boiled some water and unpacked a pack of ramen.

When she placed it on the dining table, sitting across her on the table was doll Haruka on her own dining set and sporting a miniature ramen bowl and chopsticks on her hands.

"I'm glad you're keeping me company." Maru smiled and started on eating her noodles.

After lunch, Maru unboxed her gaming consoles and played games on their widescreen TV, beside her is doll Haruka and on her hand is her own plastic mini-gaming console, smiling at the TV all the same.

After Maru got bored playing, she pulled a random book from their shelf and lounged on the couch with her feet propped up by the arm on the end.

Beside her, on the coffee table is doll Haruka sitting prettily on her arm chair with a book.

Maru swooned.

Maru woke up with a start. The first ray of sunset filtered through the glass wall and she looked at the clock. In an hour her girlfriend would be coming home and she should be starting on preparing for dinner. But first...

Doll Haruka was standing on the breakfast counter. She's wearing a bandana headband to keep her bangs from falling and a pink frilly apron on her clothes. Her hands were rested on the countertop of her kitchen set as she watched patiently on her empty plastic pots placed on the top of the plastic stove.

Maru smiled as she tasted the soup from a pot and added a pinch of pepper to it.

"Perfect."

"I'm home!"

"Okaeri!" Maru rushed to the door. She placed her blue apron on the chair and meet her girlfriend who was placing her handbag on the couch. (Welcome home)

"How was your day?" Her girlfriend asked and meet Maru's lips halfway.

"Oh... It was fun!" Maru smiled and started on setting up the table.

"Fun? Really?" Her girlfriend muttered as she sat on one of the empty chairs which was replied with an enthusiastic hum from Maru. "Love, are you sick?" She asked because Maru doesn't do fun. She always replies with an, "okay", "it's alright" or "no, I missed you a lot" then would attack her with little kisses until she can't breathe.

"I'm fine, really."

"So... what did you do?" The girlfriend asks scooping the soup into the little bowls they bought two days ago.

"Well... I walked Orion to the park, feed all the pets and cleaned the litterbox, the birdcage and set the thermostat in Jurina's aquarium. Played some games for a while, read half of the book and slept for two hours then made dinner." Maru explained, her voice tilting in a melody she had never heard of before.

"O-okay..." She picked a pickle and munched on it, weirded out with her beloved enthusiasm.

When the two of them finished eating, Maru draw a bath for her girlfriend and started on cleaning the kitchen. Maru bathed after, put on some matching PJs with her girlfriend and eyed the Nike box on their closet longingly before walking to the bed and sitting beside her girlfriend.

"You know..." Her girlfriend whispered by Maru's ear that had Maru's stomach clench needily. "I don't have anything scheduled tomorrow morning. We could break in the bed today."

"Y-yeah?"

Her girlfriend bit her lip as she loomed over Maru. "Yes." As she kicked a leg and sat on Maru's lap. " I missed you a lot." She whimpered and embraced Maru tightly.

"I missed you, too." Maru breathed in a good amount of her girlfriend's scent.

And they kissed. Hungrily, exploringly and lovingly wild. Their hands roamed each other's bodies and as her girlfriend started to undress herself, Maru watched in horror when the closet door slowly opened.

"Baby!" Maru exclaimed and started on pulling her girlfriend's clothes back and held her hands tightly.

"Baby? You never call me that." Her girlfriend gaped. Then she was pushed aside by Maru as Maru rushed to the closet and locked it firmly.

Maru looked so panicked that her girlfriend got so curious over what was inside the closet.

"Love? What's wrong? Is someone in there?"

"N-no! Noone! There's no one." Maru assured her as she flailed her arms frantically.

"Are you sure?" She asked but Maru only gulped so she decided to take the matter in hand. She got up from the bed and shoved Maru aside after fighting for the door lock and opened the closet.

It was dark and full of their clothes and shoe boxes. Her girlfriend stuck an arm and started on reaching out to spacious areas and found that there as no one. She sighed and closed the door and put on the lock.

"Well?" Maru asked calming down and holding her girlfriend's hand pulling her away from the closet.

"There's no one."

"Told you so."

Her girlfriend only hummed as she went back to bed. Her back turned to Maru.

"Oyasumi," she said as she turned her lamp off on her side. (Good night.)

Maru only frowned, putting her own lights out and hugged her girlfriend from behind.

Their morning was domestic as ever. They shared slow kisses after Maru woke up ehen she found her girlfriend fixing breakfast. The impending fight forgotten from last night and the two lazily planted soft kisses in each other's lips.

"We could do it in the kitchen." Maru whispered as her left hand started on groping her girlfriend's right butt cheek and her other hand massaging the inside of her girlfriend's thigh.

"N-no, not in the kitchen. We cook food in here." Her girlfriend moaned but all the same grinded on Maru's fingers.

"Livingroom?"

"Oh, yes!"

When they reached to the living room they discovered that there were no curtains on their full glass wall.

"Bedroom." Her girlfriend started to pull her to their room but Maru look so scandalized and pulled her hand.

"No."

"Love?"

"Just... Just not there, please?"

Her girlfriend looked at her confused.she then headed straight to their room and started to open all the doors of their closet. Maru could ony watch her reach out again and started on checking if there was hidden doors or something.

When the last of the doors are closed, her girlfriend look like she was about to cry.

"Orion!" She called and dog bounced to their bedroom. "I'm going to walk the dog out." She announces and picked her coat and plucked the lead hooked beside the door. "I'm eating breakfast outside."

The door clicked shut.

"Autolock enabled."

For the first time, Maru felt ashamed.

Maru walked to the closet and opened the box. Doll Haruka was smiling brightly at her. She wore a white nightgown and there was a little dirt on her arm.

"I'm going to take care of you."

After cleaning up Haruka, she had the doll dressed up in some pretty sundress, matched her shoes to the color of her handbag and placed some sunglasses on her hair.

"Beautiful." Maru says and tears fell from her eyes.

She placed doll Haruka back in the box and waited for her girlfriend to return, her fingers deep in Paru's fur.

When the girlfriend returned, the two of them had red-rimmed eyes, flushed cheeks and red swollen lips. The two embraced tightly and cuddled on the couch and spent the rest of the morning watching some old Japanese gameshow.

Two days later, the girlfriend discovered some blonde strand of hair on their bathroom sink.

She clutched the strand of hair tightly and stopped herself from crying.

"Love..." Her girlfriend says as the two of them lied on their bed, equally naked as Maru acting as the big spoon and her girlfriend's back on her.

"Yeah?"

"You'll tell me when there's another person, right?" Her girlfriend whispered.

"Huh? What brought this on?"

"Please... Just tell me when that time comes, okay?"

"I don't understand."

"Please..." She trembled and Maru thinks this is her fault. She embraced her tightly as her girl curled in tighter to herself.

"I will... I promise." Maru says, but she knew that it would impossible.

"Thank you." She sobbed.

Four days later, the girlfriend found a small piece of jewelry on the carpet. It was a small tack earring with a small diamond on the end of the thin wire.

She placed it carefully on a piece of tissue and put it on the coffee table, where Maru could see it whenever she looks for it.

She left home in a hurry and came back by midnight — drunk.

Maru doesn't wear an earring.

Maru had enough. Her girlfriend doesn't even speak to her anymore. One day her girlfriend came home drunk, ignored Maru's nagging and questions of where she had been to or who was with her. Maru bristled when her girlfriend continued to ignore her and drunkenly dropped herself to bed without removing her socks and coat.

Maru just sighed to herself and started on undressing her girl. She wiped her body with warm water, clothed her and kissed her forehead worriedly. When she tucked her lover to bed and when settled beside her, Maru can feel her tremble and soft sobs whacked her small body. Maru did as best she could, holding into her lover afraid that when Maru wakes up, she would be gone.

Maru can't even understand what was happening. One week in their new home and their relationship is falling apart. She thinks that this is some curse or something. She definitely heard the landlord says that it was pre-owned by a married couple and decided to sell the place when they got divorced.

But Maru wasn't even religious. She paced on the kitchen sporting a new apron with the same design as doll Haruka, which was sitting on the countertop, her resin legs dangling on air.

"What should I do?" Maru whispered as she paced back and forth. "This definitely started when we made love in that new bed. She started on saying like there was some sort of third party between us."

Maru paused from her pacing and looked at the doll straight in its glassy eyes.

"She isn't cheating on me, right?" Maru whispered and she sunk on the nearby seat. "But she's not like that."

Maru thinks of the times her girlfriend pushed her when she tried to kiss her. There was one time when Maru playfully planted a kiss on her cheek, too overjoyed that she found the missing earring of doll Haruka the day before but her girlfriend only ducked away from her and ran to the bathroom muttering that she's going to be sick. Maru only ignored that time because after that encounter, she can hear wretching and vomiting in the bathroom. When Maru later came with a glass of water, she was again ignored as her girlfriend tells her that she wants some tea instead.

Maru watched doll Haruka which was smiling at her, never judging and also never talking. She sighed and Maru untied the apron from doll Haruka and started to pick another set of clothes from the box.

"Today, Haruka's going be a guest-host in a talkshow. Let's try to match her up."

Maru was excited, there was a new package delivered to her before dinner and when she opened it, it was the new curtains she had ordered online. Hiroko helped her match it up on the interior of their living room, also choosing the design and quality that would be suited during daytime and night.

Orion sniffed at the new curtain, followed by Paru who left after a few sniffs, uninterested. Jurina only swam by and the lovebirds ignored it, too busy cuddling on their perch.

"Autolock enabled."

The sound pulled Maru out of her thoughts and walked towards the foyer, welcoming her tired girlfriend as she plucked her shoulder bag and gathered her coat.

"Welcome home!" Maru greeted her lovingly. She was excited to do the most awaited deed on their couch. She knows that her girlfriend is looking forward to it. Maru though hard and she traced the problem way back when they tried to do it the living room but found out of the lack of curtains. Now, there are two beautiful heavy set of curtains hiding their privacy away from the public's eyes.

Maru placed the bag and coat on an armchair and led her girlfriend to the couch.

"I know that we should be choosing the curtain together but I wanted to surprise you."

Maru watched her girlfriend crane her neck and spare a look at the said curtain.

"I asked someone who is expert in this field. I showed her our interior and she said beige would suit our living room well. Then I had her picked among some items I personally liked but she said, I should choose this kind of material because it's durable, eash to clean and — Eh?! Why are you crying?"

Maru panickedly kneeled in front of her girlfriend as she started to cry. Maru tried to hold her hand but her girlfriend clutched at a throw pillow.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"I'm not your baby!" Her girlfriend shouted which shocked Maru. "I—I... Let's breakup." She deflated and started crying harder.

"W-what do you mean? I... We just..." Maru started on babbling, she can't understand this situation. Her girlfriend should like her surprise. She was very sure of it when she picked the design, even their dog approves of it. She started on rummaging her thought of what to say but she's reaching nowhere and she's starting to feel so helpless. Then her thoughts stopped altogether and Maru can only think what can make her beloved stay."... So much. I—I love you so much."

"Do you?!" Her girlfriend snarled and threw the pillow at her. "You were... You were ch-cheating on me."

Maru gawks and she threw the pillow back to the couch. "I'm not! I'm not cheating on you. Where did you get that idea?" Maru softened her glare, there must be some reason why her beloved girlfriend acts like that. But there wasn't anybody else. She had remained loyal and so, so inlove with this girl that sometimes it scares her. "Tell me who told you that!"

"No one!" There were tears on her girlfriend's eyes, rolling to her cheeks, never ending. And Maru badly wanted to brush them away. "You bought this damn curtain with her, right?!" She waves forcefully at the curtain and surprising Orion and Paru which made tge two fluffs raced to the kitchen.

"No way! Hiroko-san helped me buy it!"

"Excuses!" She scoffed and shoved Maru. "Who's that girl you were hiding then? You even let her entered OUR apartment! I saw a blonde hair on the sink when neither of us had dyed hair! And–and there's this earring I saw the other day. I don't own that one and I know don't even wear one! Tell me if that isn't proof enough! And on our second night–oh, god, our second night into OUR NEW home and you invited someone else into OUR room. Just who is that you were hiding that night in that damned closet?!!" Her girlfriend heaved and like a burnt out candle she stopped crying as she realizes something.

"I'm going to... move out." Her girlfriend says and it's enough to bring Maru out of her shock.

"No..." Maru whispered as she held on her girlfriend's hand.

"I should leave... Now!" She says as she tried to free her arm, pulling it from Maru's grasp.

"No, let me explain!" "And then what?! Hurt me some more?" She pulled her arm successfully but she ended up sitting back couch instead. Maru kneeled infront of her again. Her heart ached when she saw the tears on Maru's eyes. God, she love this girl so much for letting Maru do this to her. The girlfriend thinks she doesn't deserve to be this hurt. But she also thinks that Maru shouldn't be this hurt when Maru was the one who was hurting her from the start. So, she gave up, giving small chance to fix this. To fix them.

Lacing their fingers together as Maru begged her, "Come with me. I need to show you something. Please..."

How could she deny when Maru looks so desperate to her? She nods and followed Maru to their bedroom.

Maru lets her sit on the bed as she opened the closet and got a shoe box. She placed it on her girlfriend's lap and urged her to open the box.

She gasped. The doll looked at her with a small shy smile, a blush on her resin cheeks, as she meets her owner's beloved girlfriend for the first time.

"She's... She's..." She has no words for this but Maru helpfully finished her sentence.

"She's... You."

And Shimazaki Haruka cried and laugh so hard as she clutched the box tightly, afraid to muss up the delicate doll nestled on a bunch of foamy peanuts.

"I hate you so much." Haruka says as she throw a fist to Maru's chest. Maru caught it and kissed her fingers which made her cry some more.

"I love you, too."

That night they placed doll Haruka by the couch she's wearing mini-headphones and a small laptop was perched on her lap. Beside her is Paru on her back and her white belly exposed.

The two dorks are inside their bedroom, making love slowly, kissing tears in each other's eyes as they explored a new part of their relationship.

"I still hate you for letting me cry this much." Haruka pulled Maru closer, letting their lips touch but doesn't kiss.

"I hate myself, too, if that would comfort you." Maru grinned, her eyes, too, are puffy and Haruka gently brushes some stray hair from her cheeks.

"So... She's Baby?" Haruka shyly asked.

"Hn... My Baby."

"And... And, what am I to you?" Haruka looked so small when she asked it, she held on to Maru afraid that a doll would win her lover over.

"You're my lover, my girlfriend, my partner, my everything, my forever... My love and life. My beautiful, beautiful Haruka."

Haruka blushed and she ducked her head. "You're an idiot." Haruka says, planting a soft kiss on Maru's kiss-bruised lips.

"Your kind of idiot." Maru murmured and started on deepening the kiss. "And besides, Baby and I go way back. She was everything."

There was a sparkle in Maru's eyes that made Haruka gritted her teeth. "Shut up."

"Make me — A–Ah... Haruka~"

Two months later, there was a built-in glassed-covered wooden shelves in the living room. Each shelf was designed like a room, filled furnitues and trinkets of random miniature things. And on the bedroom at the top most shelf are two dolls sitting on a miniature couch, resin hands holding and equally smitten with each other.

Doll Haruka smiled her dimpled smile while doll Maru had a small smile playing on her lips. The two are wearing a couple sweater. Pink and full of hearts.

The two are equally and irrevocably in love.

Extra:

"My Baby's all grown up!" Maru sobbed as she placed doll Haruka carefully on the miniature bed, beside doll Maru.

"Someday, you'll find yourself sleeping on the couch alone." Haruka warned and pushed the glass cover close. There was a small click and she walked back a step to look at their miniatures selves looking quite contented in their bed.

"Oh... Are you jealous, Shimazaki-san?" Maru teased then wrapped her girlfriend in her arms.

"Congratulations, Hoshino-san. You just won a night in the living room." Haruka bristled as she opened the latch of the doll house and pulled doll Maru out, leaving doll Haruka with a sad smile. "Yobo and I are going to sleep in the bedroom tonight." Haruka left a gaping Maru. "I'll leave the blanket to you, it gets cold here." Then the sound of the door lock.

"Y-Yobo?!?"

#AKB48 #ThingsThatMIx-fic #OC-Hoshino Maru #Shimazaki Haruka #Matsui Jurina #Miyawaki Sakura #yamamoto sayaka #watanabe miyuki #Haruka is a doll #Creepy Fangirling #Jurina is a soft-shelled turtle #Sayaka and Miyuki are lovebirds #Sakura is a clueless girl as always lol #TTM #shortcut48

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krixwell-liveblogs · 7 years

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“Nothing to apologize for. Anyways, it all more or less worked out. The doc got the capsule out of Brian’s nose, patched you up, gave Regent an IV.

Nice work, doc.

I sat and watched you while Brian went and got Rache, her dog and the money.

Well, that part was easier resolved than I was expecting.

Only two or three thousand gone, that someone thought they could get away with grabbing from the bag before it was all counted. Our boss sent a van and picked it up a little after midnight. Money he gave us is already in our apartment, with more to come after he decides what the papers are worth.”

Nice.

“You said it more or less worked out, and you still haven’t told me the second piece of bad news. What aren’t you saying?”

She sighed, “I was hoping you were too out of it to ask. You really want to know?”

If there’s one thing Taylor does, even when concussed, it’s pay attention.

“Not really. But if I’m going to lie here for a while, getting better, I don’t want to be left to imagine worst case scenarios.”

Good call. If there’s another one thing Taylor does, it’s consider different possibilities.

“Okay.” She fished inside her jacket pocket, then handed me a newspaper clipping. Except it was torn, not clipped. Newspaper ripping? Across the top, in big bold letters, was the word ‘Escaped’.

When I tried to read the article, though, I found I couldn’t keep my eyes fixed on one line. “Read it to me?”

Escaped... but who escaped.

Lung? Honestly, Lung was a piece of work, but he’s not really threatening compared to Bakuda. Although Taylor did rot his dick off... no, I’m not letting her outlive that one, and I don’t think Lung is inclined to either.

“I’ll give you the cliff notes. Just before she started to come after us in the Jeep, Bakuda gave the order to put another plan into action. Bombs started going off all over the city. Blowing up transformers to deny power to entire districts, a school, a bridge, train tracks… the list goes on. People are freaking out. Front page news, it’s on every channel. They’re saying at least twenty people confirmed dead so far, with other bodies yet to be identified, and that’s not counting the four people she blew up when she was holding us at gunpoint.”

Okay, let’s be real here: I kind of expected this. If you’ll recall my initial post of this liveblog, I was spoiled on the narrative moving on from high school drama to “bombed out city”. Even without that, though, I would’ve speculated on Bakuda having placed bombs all over town when it was implied (or was it explicitly stated, I don’t remember) that she’d done it in the Docks. Bombs that would go off if she died, though she seems to have called for their activation ahead of her demise.

“Escaped” is kind of an odd headline for that, though. Did she place a bunch of those bombs on the Birdcage? I’ve been speculating on her breaking people out from there ever since she was first mentioned in 2.2, although I initially only considered her and Oni Lee working together to get Lung in particular out. I’ve started leaning towards a mass breakout, though, especially after the nature of the Birdcage as a prison specifically for the particularly nasty villains was revealed.

#Worm #krixwell liveblogs #Arc 4 #Chapter 4.11

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stellxuk · 4 years

Text

Day 1 - Kensington Gardens/ Buckingham Palace/ Westminister Bridge/ Checking in/ The Fish House

London, 7am. I got on the Heathrow Express for a straight train ride to Paddington station before transiting to High Street Kensington, where I’ll be dropping off my luggage at my Airbnb hosts’ office. It was already quite a navigational process to find the Heathrow Express platform just ‘cause I wasn’t used to needing to take a monorail to another terminal to get to customs and head out of Terminal 5. I remember queueing even with others to get my passport stamped, only to have the customs officer firmly tell me that I could’ve gone through the e-gate. Already embarrassed I walked through the lane and as my mom had always reminded me, check and make sure your passport’s stamped. There was no stamp. So I approached another customs officer and he looked at me, eyebrows furrowed, physically it didn’t make sense, yet I was asking a rather outdated question.

“You don’t need a stamp anymore.” Ah.

High Street Kensington felt familiar, with my first pret-a-manger in sight – a place that would’ve served me very well to buffer time and grab quick bites in the following days.

At my Airbnb hosts’ office, conveniently just across the road, the receptionist (French 20-something who thinks she’s superior with her bob and straight bangs) rudely brushed me off by saying nobody’s in the office yet so I’d just have to wait. I was too tired to argue and had no reason to be equally sassy so I waited, it was by then 8am in the morning anyway so I was ahead of schedule. However, sitting in the lobby watching other office-workers and executive members walk in an out, eyeballing me and giving subtle looks, I got increasingly uncomfortable and wondered if the lady was going to ignore me perpetually. Thank goodness she approached right on cue then with a nicer tone, asking to follow her to the office.

It was a quick straight walk down to Kensington Gardens, and with the morning light the barren trees gave off sepia hues in the cool winter. The grass, however, thrived in luscious green and abundance. There were so many dog walkers, but all rather aloof to my smiles at their pups, who also trotted along and paid no heel. I started snapping away – of William and Kate’s abode (the Kensington Palace), of a lone man walking down a narrow path separating two large grass fields, of the pond inhabited by swans that swam so close to the edge you could see them eye to eye. I r e a l l y loved the pond at Kensington Gardens, circular and central to the park, I didn’t care that I looked like some greenhorn who’d never seen anything so typical of a park as others just jogged past with their ears plugged. I live just opposite a reservoir, yet this pond – its serenity in the cold, the swans’ majestically floating, ducks pruning their feathers by the edges – was a sight to behold. It overwritten all the rough encounters I had earlier in the morning.

Walking further down to Hyde Park I was headed to Buckingham Palace for their changeover at 10am. Crossing the road to enter Buckingham Palace Green, I saw that my phone was soon dying. But shit. I had left my portable charger in my carry-on that had been left at the office. My first onset panic mode. I was contemplating whether to take the walk back, albeit far but still manageable, to grab my portable charger and re-walk the whole route to hopefully make it in time for the changeover at the Palace. Or should I just keep going, since after the palace I just wanted to walk around the city for a bit and head back in a couple of hours in time to check in to the Airbnb. While my head battled the options on the outside I was calmly making my way further and further from the office, and so I guessed my feet had made the decision for me. We walk on and hope I won’t be crippled without access to Google Maps.

Buckingham Palace! There was already a crowd lined up, flagging themselves to the gates and looking through the thin steel railings to see the guards marching to and fro intermittently. I found a spot to squeeze in between 2 families and took it all in. At one point the Royal Mail van drove in, and a couple of luxury cars were also taking their exit. People were also seated around (and on) the Victoria Memorial just opposite.

I checked the time – 9.30am, I didn’t think there’d be much to do for 30 minutes, plus we were on a time crunch cause my battery was at 10%. So I decided to forgo the ceremony and continued walking.

Making a turn down to birdcage walk I chanced upon this area (?) called the Victoria Nova/ The Nova Building. Thinking maybe I can grab a proper bite, the only thing that attracted me was a standalone push cart called the Chai Guys. You guessed it, they were selling coffee but more importantly, chai. I got my first cuppa and their design was so cute I had to take that typical arm-extended-against-cityscape shot:

Looking at the underground sign at the entrance of Victoria station I contemplated yet again to take the train back to High Street Kensington to grab my portable charger before getting back on my itinerary (you can see how ensuring my phone stays alive has killed some fun and ability of being in the moment). But the thought of needing to explain myself to the rude French receptionist and trouble her to escort me up and down again deterred me entirely. Instead, I circled back again to Buckingham Palace to see if the changeover had started.

Thinking I’ll keep walking instead of stopping to watch the whole thing, in order to get back on track and head towards the city, I managed to catch them just walking in to the palace. The crowd grew bigger and there were security personnels warning people to carry their backpacks on their fronts because there’re pickpocketed lurking in this area. That all the more made me want to keep walking.

Another 5-10 minutes and I found the famous red telephone booth. I didn’t trust want someone to help take a picture for me so I wanted just the memory of a lone telephone booth. I eventually had to wait a minute for it because couples, mother-daughter duos and tween groups were all taking turns to enter the booth and take their signature interactive poses. From the aloof locals, to how easily my space could be “invaded” and presence kinda looked over, London was starting to make me feel a little transparent and for a split second it hit me that I was really alone.

What happened next didn’t help to soothe my soul in any way. After the telephone booths, past Westminister Abbey, was of course the Westminister bridge that would lead me into the city centre of London. It was a very very very busy bridge – everyone was almost passing through shoulder-to-shoulder and I had my eye on a pop up store selling souvenirs when suddenly a lady stopped me and started shoving a clipboard and a pen against my torso.

“For the deaf and blind. Please sign.” She chanted, refusing my refusals and letting me walk ahead. Soon another guy and woman on her team cornered me and continued pressurising me to sign it. I knew what this was – one of those petitions where after you “harmlessly” sign you’d have to make a mandatory donation, something I was already warned about by my colleague. So I kept saying “No”, zig-zagging to pass them but they locked me down and met me even when I pushed through the crowd to get to the other side of the bridge. Finally as I was saying my 100th no, this time also physically pushing away her clipboard, the lady interrupted me with a mumble in a foreign language before dropping everything and walking away. It was instant. Like an off-switch was activated inside of her. I was slightly perturbed as to why she’d suddenly give up, and what exactly she was mumbling about, when an instinct kicked in to look down and check my bag. My heart dropped when I saw my fanny pack zipped open, my camera (which took up the bulk of the space) in plain sight.

I rushed to a quieter corner at the end of the bridge and rummaged through my things. Passport, wallet, oyster card, they were all intact. But I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was there something more valuable I was forgetting that should’ve been inside? I hurried again, almost deliriously, to someplace I could properly sit down, catch my breath, slow my heart rate, and be sure that I wasn’t just pickpocketed.

Finally I saw there was a Starbucks and I took a sit outside among pigeons nibbling on leftovers and families feeding their children in prams to take out my things and account for each one. Nothing was lost, seriously. I didn’t know how to find relief, a part of me wanted to just retreat and go back to the unwelcoming office lobby. But I’d have to find a way that didn’t involve passing that damn Westminister bridge again. Throughout the entire trip I’d never revisited that bridge.

“Just keep going, Estella. Don’t let this ruin the day.” And so I did. I walked along Southbank, took that quintessential tourist picture of the London Eye, of the National Theatre, and ended up at Gabriel’s Wharf. Thinking I’ll finally (finally) have my first meal at this fish and chips restaurant, I walked away because of the crowd and the price for a simple Dory’s fish and chips.

I ended up at OXO Tower Wharf, which seemed like a Design Orchard equivalent with cubic spaces across two floors that showcase the works of up and coming designers and artists. Walking into a quirky design store, I thought I’d be able to find a portable charger but alas, there were Frida Kahlo lip balms and kids schoolbags in the shape of a space rocket, but absolutely z e r o portable chargers. I was at 2%, and Blackfriars bridge was where I threw in the white flag. I was supposed to make it all the way to Borough market, but I clearly had underestimated the walk, and it was enough risking (and turn of events) for the day.

I settled for a chicken salad from LEON and sat by the window, people watching as friends met up at the entrance of High Street Kensington station, grandmas got ready to head out with their daughters and grandchildren, mature couples stepping in to Marks and Spencers for their daily shopping. Even though my phone was dying, I was struggling with time because it was 1pm, an odd time to be heading to the office and waiting to check in until 3pm. But there wasn’t enough time to grab my portable charger and head out again. So I just sat at LEON, in slight disbelief of the sights and sounds I had encountered in a mere 5+ hours. London, baby.

We were inching to 2pm when I could no longer hog the seat at LEON, so I took a stroll into the famous Boots store just adjacent to the station, and took a look at Zara Home just opposite. Oh yes, I’d also forgotten to bring my glasses on the trip, so I walked into a prescription store along the street as well but soon realised it was a dumb move because frames alone were minimally 50 pounds (and those were ugly). My astigmatism isn’t dreadful enough for me to spend money on a pair of glasses that would be deemed useless once I got back to Singapore.

Finally, finally, after a little more waiting in the lobby (the French receptionist had ended her shift and now a nice 20-something male Londoner helmed the desk) I could finally check in to my Airbnb. I took a quick 2-stop bus ride down to Notting Hill Gate and arrived at the bright pink door. Lugging my suitcase up the 4 flights of stairs was THE WORST, and I soon came face-to-face with the small cubic loft that, in the following days, would’ve risen my anxiety levels with its misleading paper thin walls that made me purvy to when every neighbour was coming home, opening their doors (which often sounded like they were trying to barge through mine), stepping into showers, and when the garbage collector came on Wednesday morning and made such a ruckus I thought a fight broke out along the street.

After taking a video tour of the place and sending it to Mom, I settled in, changed and freshened up for dinner. It was at a nearby fish and chips place called the Fish House. No more adventurous trails and exploring for me. The restaurant was in a quaint shophouse with a very tiny shopfront where you could order takeaways. To get a seat, you’d then have to take another 2 narrow flights of stairs up to their topmost floor. When I arrived a family had just finished their dinner so by the time I ordered I had the whole place to myself (which I thought was quite iffy cause Google shown great reviews). The fish and chips was alright, along with the cup of hot tea, and after an hour or so I made my leave and called it a night.

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