#yayyyy chapter 10 already

[ownedbytaylorswift-13]

It’s a Cruel Summer | Matt Murdock x Fem!reader (1/5)

Fevere Dream

A/N: Hiiii!!!! Sooo this is the first chapter of It’s a Cruel Summer inspired by miss DR TAYLOR ALISON SWIFT’S CRUEL SUMMER. I’m in love with taylor and i’m in love with matt so you get the best of both worlds, i have been loving writting this, i hope i don’t get bored so i can finish. Basically this is just a bunch of back story like miss gurl main character y/n was an eternal and was with druig but then what happened to thena started happening to her and then she was like it’s okay just erase my memories, sho ajak did but ooooohhh surprise she’s a baby now, apperetnly she had the power of energy and well mass=energy and mass cannot be made nor destroyed it can only be transformed, sooo miss y/n while they were errasing her mind took matter from the air and made herself a human baby, ig she wanted to live a normal life, but she actually ended up getting more powers, not overpowered yet but still more, to be more intresting, then druig was all like noooooo, and ajak was like its ok and took her to an orphanage, flashforward tony adopts her, tony gets kidnapped, tony comes back as ironman, the avegers happen, iron 3 happens, the avengers start living together in the tower yayyyy!!! ultron happens, thor and bruce leave :’(( y/n and pietro fuck, y/n and pietro stop fuking, the avengers break up :’’’’’((((((((( y/n and tony fight so now y/n relates to better man and later on my tears richochette :’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’(((((((((((((((((((((, y/n goes to wakanda, y/n leaves wakanda, y/n helps thor, y/n fucks Loki, y/n fights thanos and something I didnlt specifie is that y/n absorbed the stones but after the fight and after she recovered and when dr strange came back she gave them back but what happened was that absorbnig them caused them to explode inside of her (like when Wanda destroyed them) and even tho she braught them back fragments of the stone’s stayed within her(i love being dramatic) at first she thougth everything was normal she did feel like her already existing powers had hightend and sharpened but apart form that nothing, with time she realized that there was something diferent and with her emotions the powers started sparking but in my dr’s story line is more complex becouse the more she uses them the more she awakens this like dark side of hers blahblahblah maybe  ill write about that some other time but for this fic those powers are still suppressed and haven’t fully comes out yet just little sparks here and there anyways um.... ALSO I don’t care if it’s impossible Gamora did not die, she’s alive and fine, the bang brought her back she is ok.....so the avengers get back together, even though theres like a 4 year differece peter and y/n are besties and now y/n wants to fuck matt murdock but also hold him and kiss his hair and baby him and tell him everything will be okay, this takes place in 2019 so I think is after the events of season 3 of daredevil. Also all the flashback are literally that but the last one the one that happens at 3 am thats like a dream of the battel of wakanda like what actaully happened in infinity war. I think thats all for today. im sorry this is so long, thx for reading<33333💋💋💋💋💋

Warnings: age gap (r is like 21 and matt’s like 33-34), bad writing, y/n, over powered reader, pick me girl, rich people, fwb, maybe alcohol/drugs, insensitivity, rich savior, my writting, drama, probably more.

May 21st 1998, 10:30 am

“What just happened?!” Kingo said, getting up confused.

“She’s beautiful,” Said Ajak, turning to him while holding me.

“No…No! NO! This can’t…no,” Druig knew what had happened and he could feel hot tears blurring his vision.

February 8th 1999, 12:27 pm

“Well, I don’t know what I’m gonna tell them but you are a cute baby, so just flutter your eyes a little and you’ll make them fall too” Tony, my adoptive father said while smiling big. He had me in one arm and in the other he had a bag full of baby stuff he for sure was going to need.

“Oh my God! Is that a baby Tony!? Please don’t tell me you stole it or something. We can't afford another scandal!” The strawberry blonde, thin woman said, Pepper.

“I didn’t steal her! I adopted her! She’s mine now and there is nothing you can do about it. Right baby?” He said, while baby me just did some random baby things.

“YOU ADOPTED A BABY!?” Pepper and a big man in a suit said in unison.

“Look what you did! Now she’s crying!”

June 14th 2005, 4:18 pm

“Daddy, can I tell you something crazy?” I said, very entertained with some of the toy tools he had in his workshop.

“Shoot jellybean,” My dad said, not looking up, concentrating deep on his work.

“Sometimes I can hear voices when people are not talking,” The only thing that could be here to the normal ear was just metal hitting the floor.

“Like for example right now you are not talking but I can hear your voice say “WHAT THE FU-”

“Y/N WHAT!?”

February 2nd 2008, 7:12 am

““I said, that’s enough,” said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. “Hello,

Harry, dear. I suppose you’ve heard our exciting news?” She pointed to the brand-new silver badge

on Percy’s chest. “Second Head Boy in the family!” she said, swelling with pride.

“And last,” Fred muttered under his breath.

“I don’t doubt that,” said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. “I notice they haven’t made you

two prefects.”

“What do we want to be prefects for?” said George, looking revolted at the very idea. “It’d take

all the fun out of life.”

Ginny giggled.”

I giggled at George's funny remark too, I had always found him very interesting and a little cu-

“Tony?...Hey, Tony?” The voice of a woman sounded. I didn’t even bother to look up, probably another of my fathers sleepless nights.

“He’s in his workshop, which you don’t have access to” The woman jumped at my voice and turned to me.

“And who are you?” Said the blonde, walking determinedly towards me.

“I’m y/-”

“That information is none of your concern. I’ve got your clothes here, they’ve been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there is a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you’d like to go” said Pepper.

“You must be the famous Pepper Potts” said the blond woman.

“Indeed I am,” said Pepper.

“After all these years, Tony tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning” Probably the reporter in her, trying to get something out of Pepper.

“I do everything and anything Mr. Stark requires, including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?” Pepper could be so classy when putting people in their place, something I definitely admired.

May 4th 2008, 10:09 am

I knew he was probably sore and injured but I didn't care. I hadn't seen him in months. I ran to him as soon as I saw him and hugged him hard.

“Careful there babe, your daddy is still pretty hurt” “Shut up, Rhodes” My dad said, hugging me just as hard.

May 5th 2010, 1:08 pm

“Come on, y/n/n” Pepper said, going through the glass doors and into the fancy restaurant.

“You know, it’s Europe. Whatever happens in the next 20 minutes, go with it.” My dad said.

“Go with it? Go with what?” Pepper said, knowing my dad's unpredictable and impulsive decisions.

“Mr. Stark?” Natalie, or well, Natasha said. She thought I no one knew but I had her all figured out.

“Hey,” My father said, taking his glasses off.

“How was your flight?” Natasha said, not interested at all.

“It was excellent. Boy, it’s nice to see you.” My father said, a little more flirty than he should. If only he knew who she really was, I could tell him but I also wanted to see where this led.

“We have a photographer from the AMC, if you don't mind.” Natalie said, leading my father and Pepper. After a couple of pictures and handshakes with Elon Musk, Pepper and I where seated at the table waiting for my father to return from wherever he was.

But of course that didn’t happen.

May 3th 2011, 11:56 pm

“When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” An agent asked.

“Last night,” My father said, smugly.

“Whoa, what's a kid doing here?” A man in a red, blue, striped uniform asked concerned and disapprovingly as I sat down on the big conference table.

“She’s mine and she's going to stay, already approved by Fury.” My father ended the discussion by starting a conversation with someone else. Everyone had a disapproving look but they knew they couldn't do anything about it, just suck it up.

“So, boys, shall we get to work?” Natasha said, sneaking a little smirk to me.

March 17th 2015, 6:38 pm

“There’s fire to the left kid! Go right!” I could hear Steve on the intercom but then I saw Clint with a kid in his arms ready to take the shooting and Pietro running to get there first.

“Clint!” I yelled trying to get there before them. I could take other people's abilities even make them stronger in me, so I concentrated and ran faster than light and in no time I was in front of both Clint and Pietro feeling the hot bullets go through and into me. I could feel them burning and clinging to me, I could feel the blood dripping, I could feel everything and nothing at all I heard yelling and Clint running to me.

“I’m going to be ok.” I said, falling to the ground. I could still register some noises, it all seems slower, maybe it was the constant bleeding, the tiredness, and dehydration, or maybe it was just my mind trying to keep my physical body alive. All I remember feeling next was big strong arms picking me up from the ground.

“I told you to go right kid.” Said the familiar voice, sad and disappointed but still soothing. Strong arms picked me up, this was too big to be Clint, it was Steve. I only rested my hand on  his arm and squeezed lightly, my eyes were heavy and I wanted to close them but I didn’t let myself. I heard voices, Steve’s apologetic one, Clint and Natasha's concerned ones and my fathers angry one.

I think the voices I’m hearing may be thoughts though, they’re too fast and abrupt it doesn’t feel like something someone would say. After more listening I had come to the conclusion that apparently the fight was over, we did it. Ultron’s dead, if he was ever alive.

I felt myself coming more to my senses, maybe I could wake up, maybe I could open my eyes but it all took so much out of me. I knew I had to make sure they knew I was all right. I was in the new compound facility, upstate, I was cold. The bullets were gone, I had completely healed myself but I was exhausted. Clint was there, still worried and a little guilty.

“I told you I was going to be ok,” I said, making him look up from the very interesting floor.

“Don’t you dare scare us like that again, kid”

May 4th 2017, 8:36 pm

“I'm sorry,” my father said, sincerely. I looked up and looked at him confused, what exactly was he apologizing for? The fight? The accords? Everything?

“I’m sorry for everything, I should have  trusted you and your judgment. I jumped to the accords, I didn’t want to lose what we had created this past couple of years. I love you, your my daughter and I don’t want to lose you,” he said coming closer, I hugged him suddenly feeling so sorry and so guilty that we let all of this happen.

“I love you too, dad,” I said, shedding a couple of tears onto his shirt.

“What happened with Steve anyways? Anything it is, I'm sure you can work it out, you always do,” I said, pulling back and walking to the mini fridge, roaming for water.

“I think this time is more complicated than that, kid,” my father said, I could feel his worry and anxiety bubbling up.

“Explain to me, you’re friends, good ones. You’ll fix it. You want something?” I asked, pointing to the mini fridge.

“No thanks,” he said sitting down on the couch.

“So?” I asked, sitting close and facing him.

“I told you it’s complicated,” he said, looking down, thinking about it.

“He lied to me about my mother, he…umm…h-he knew who killed my mother y/n” he said looking up to me.

Fuck, it was written all over my guilty face and he had the power to see right through me. Suddenly his expression changed to deep hurt, like I had just stabbed him multiple times and then slapped him, hard.

“You knew too,” he said, with extreme offense, almost as a whisper getting up from his place.

“W-what…n-no, of-f c-course not” I said, shakily.

“Y/n I don’t want to repeat this one more time, DID YOU KNOW OR DID YOU NOT?!” he said suddenly raising his voice, he never raised his voice at me.

“Dad…d-daddy I swear please, I-I di-“ I said, almost crying, trying to get closer to him. God I fucked up.

“STOP, please stop. I know your incapable and it seems to be the only thing you’re actually fucking decent at but for Gods fucking sake! STOP FUCKING AROUND AND TELL ME IF YOU KNEW ABOUT MY MOTHER!” I couldn’t say anything.

“TELL ME!” He whispered, desperately. I stayed quiet again, letting the tears stream, his eyes mimicking mine.

“YOU’RE UNBELIEVABLE! I NAMED YOU AFTER HER, MARIA!  But you don’t deserve

It. YOU DON'T FUCKING DESERVE IT! GO! I don’t want to see you! I fuckking hope Steve takes you in because I won’t! And you bet YOUR LYING ASS THAT ROSS WILL BE LOOKING FOR YOU!  You ruined it y/n. I don’t want you here and I don’t want to see you. GO! GO! Do I have to repeat It again? FUCKING GO!”

June 15th 2017, 4:52 am

“Y/n, I know you are here,” I could hear the voice of general Ross, ever since I left he has been hunting me down and for some reason my abilities have been crashing, my mental state seems to be manifesting and bleeding into my powers, even my healing has become slower. Suddenly men were surrounding me, I fought with my life but it wasn’t enough, I needed my powers, but I didn’t have them.

“Remember, we need her alive,” General Ross, again.

I felt a punch, a hit, a kick. I fought back and consequently felt a bullet in my arm, the pain weighing on me but if I didn’t fight they would get me so I kept going. The pain won over me. I fell down, then I was picked up and taken.

“I want to help you, I’ll be glad to do it if you help me too,” T’achalla said, taking off his black panther mask. I was thoroughly confused, I thought Ross had taken me.

“You’ve heard about Sergeant Barnes, right?”

July 2017

I was staying with the royal family, I was brought in by T’achalla to help Bucky heal and get rid of the winter soldier with my telepathic and empathic powers, but as expected, even for them trouble did not await. T’achalla’s cousin, Erik Killmonger, wanted the throne. I helped them fight and helped heal the heart shaped flowers in the hall of kings that had been burned by Erik. My powers were not at full strength and I still felt exhausted after using them in the minimum but at least they were back.

“We thank you for all you’ve done for Wakanda, Y/n” T'challa’s mother said to me.

“It’s the least I could do to thank you for what you’ve done for me your majesty,”

June 12th 2018

Things had definitely improved, my powers stabilized and were stronger than ever. Wakanda had taught me so much and helped me heal things I didn’t even know were damaged. I also helped Bucky. He was so close to being healed. In the process of it all I became close with Shuri, the princess, she was the most fun person I had ever met. She designed a special suit for me that actually complimented and enhanced my abilities. Apart from not having contact with any of the avengers or my father for over eight months, everything was relatively ok.

I could hear New York’s life pounding in my ears, the rings, the horns, the thoughts, the feelings, perfect and place for someone like me to be overwhelmed, but not a lot of people were like me.

“Can we take a picture with you!?” A couple of girls asked, bringing me back to wherever I was.

“Sure” Thor said, and it looks could kill,  the side eye Loki gave him would already have him six feet under.

Homescreen: 12:58, June 15th 2018

click

I opened my eyes, I was in my room in Wakanda, it all seemed so real, I could swear I was there.

March first, noon. Was it a vision? COULD I SUDDENLY LOOK INTO THE FUTURE?

I didn’t know anything but it was worth following. Thor and Loki, I’m pretty sure Thor told me Loki had died years ago, so that made it even more impossible to be something real but I needed to know.

The next morning I left after saying goodbye to the family and to Bucky. I was going to miss them.

My journey to New York wasn’t that hard, it only took me two days. When I finally got there I realized just how much I had missed New York. I might have grown up in Malibu but this place definitely became my home.

“Thor?” I said, standing in front of him he was looking down at what seemed like a business card, wearing the same I saw him wear in my dream. He looked up and looked at me confused.

“Y/n? It’s you?” He said in his beautiful accent, confusion morphing into a big smile,  damn he looked good.

“Yeah, it’s me,”  I said awkwardly with my hands in my back pockets.

“We’ll come here then!” He said, opening his arms to hug me.

“Ahh, I’ve missed you young Stark, you were much smaller last time” I laughed a little, it had been two whole years, so strange but so familiar to see him.

“Well, good timing! I need you to help me find Loki, I think he might be in this location, come on lady y/n”

We walked for a couple of minutes in comfortable silence, towards 177A Bleecker Street. Thor knocked on the door and suddenly we were transported inside, it was dark and full of what seemed like ancient artifacts.

“Thor Odinson, Y/n Stark,” A floating figure said, making us turn towards it. He came closer and Thor forward his umbrella.

“God of thunder, You can put the umbrella down” He said, he was quite pretty, the floating man. Thor looked beside him and put the umbrella in a holder and just as he let go of it we were one again teleported to another area, this one was lighter. Thor walked and took a piece of an artifact that either of us had an idea on how to use.

“So, Earth has, uh, wizards now?” He said chuckling,  fiddling and pointing the artifact to the wizard. I just stood there. Thor went to put the artifact back where he found it and ended up knocking them all down. He tried awkwardly to put them back, but just couldn’t do it.

“The preferred term is  “Master of the mystic arts” You can leave that now,”

“All right, wizard, Who are you? Why should I care?” Thor said, fingertips on the table, and his other hand on his hip. I was very entertained to say the least.

“My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, and I have some questions for you. Take a seat.” He said, and one again we were teleported, me and Thor were both sitting down. The doctor offered drinks, Thor took a beer and I took a tea.

“So, I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms…that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother Loki, is one of those beings” Dr. Strange said, while Thor chugged down his beer.

“He’s a worthy inclusion,” Thor said and hummed as his beer magically refilled.

“Then why bring him here?” Strange said, forwarding himself.

“We are looking for my father,” Thor said.

“So, if I were to tell you where Odin was…all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?” He tried to make the best arrangement possible, Thor agreed.

After a quick discussion of phones, emails, and computers, the tele[porting started again, I felt dizzy. I could hear Thor complain about it and complain about not wanting his hair touched, more teleporting and then a portal that showed green grass and blue skies. Thor called for his hammer, leaving a trail of destruction behind himself as usual.

“I suppose, I’ll need my brother back, '' Thor said, obviously.

“Oh, yeah. Right,” He opened a portal mid air and Loki fell through it, screaming, then slammed against the floor.

“I have been falling for thirty minutes!”

June 2018, Sakaar

“So what now?” I asked, looking at Loki.

“Go to sleep, I don’t know, I’m going to take a shower, but you should probably get some rest,” He said, going into a very strange version of a bathroom. He was being awfully nice, it was almost unsettling. After all he was supposed to be the “bad guy” right? I sat down on the ginormous bed and tried to process everything that had happened in the previous hours, and how it all led to this.

After Loki stood from the ground and got angry at the doctor, he sent us through the portal to avoid more conflict. And there he was Odin, the God of war and death, dying like any other mortal. His son’s watched him fade away as he chanted his love for them, Loki finally got what he wanted but wondered why Odin had treated him like nothing when he claimed for him to be his everything. Gold dust went into the air and the one blue skies turned a deep shade of gray.

Thor was manifesting his rage onto the sky, the brothers almost started another feud right then and there, but they were promptly stopped by the opening of a portal, Hela, their sister, walking through it. She destroyed Thor's hammer, Loki tried sending us back to asgard but she stranded us here. Sakaar, a shithole being run by a maniac, The GrandMaster. Thor was nowhere to be found and me and Loki had to “seduce” the GrandMaster to not kill us, and now we are sharing a room, with one bed, a really big bed, but still just one. He was showering and I was waiting for him to tell me something, what to do, anything. How fucking cliché.

He came back in the room wet, shirtless, with only what looked a lot like a towel but probably was some weird version of it.

“I forgot my things, '' he said, picking them up. He dropped the towel, I turned the other way, blushing. I felt him get into bed, I went under the covers too and could hear his mind racing, he was hurt, confused, and probably clueless to my powers or he would have already guarded his mind to protect himself from me. The thing he had always wanted his father to say came true and he felt worse than without it. Our backs were facing the other and there was space for at least another two people between us, but I could feel him.

“Are you okay?” I said turning towards him, I didn’t know why but I just felt this urge to hold him and tell him it’ll be okay.

“What?” He said, turning his head towards me.

“I-I mean… I just… um, uh, your father just died, I’m just wondering if you're okay?” I said scotting a little closer, he gave an even worse side eye than he had given Thor in my vision.

“He’s not my-” He sighed hard, “I’m fine, and what do you care anyways,” He said, his body now facing the ceiling.

“If you say so” I said, teasingly.

“Yes, I say so,” He said indignant, turning his body to me.

He was closer to me than he thought, we were facing the other, our faces inches apart. A strand of his hair covered his beautiful eyes. Thor was godly but Loki was beautiful, that's what he was. I tucked the strand behind his ear and cupped his jaw and freezing cheek with my hand. He flinched a little but then let himself indulge in the touch, too starved to complain, and confused as to why I was so insistent to get closer to him. And I honestly didn’t know either, there was just something pulling me towards him. I took my chance, I got closer to him, our lips hovering over the other, I could feel his breath, so close but so far away.

I shut my eyes and kissed him, slow, soft, scared that if I did anything too fast he would flee. His very large hand hovered over my waist, cold fingertips ghosting over the skin, creating goosebumps, it all felt electric. He gently slipped his tongue in my mouth eliciting a little sound from my throat, I ran my fingers through his hair and fisted gently. Even though the lack of air could be contributing to my sudden lightheadedness, maybe it was also his electric touch.

I pulled back for the air, panting, relieving the ache in my chest, he attacked my jaw and throat.

“L-Loki”

July 23rd 2018, 4:43pm, New York

I grunted as I opened my eyes, everything hurt. I had absorbed some power from the Tesseract, but I don’t think it was enough, and my state agreed with my suspicion. The portal did get us to New York, with the wizard of Bleecker street just thousands of meters above. We free falled, Hulk, a dead Loki, and me. The ship exploded and Thor couldn’t get in, for all I know he was as dead as his brother. Loki.

“Ugh” I grunted again, still in pain, but I knew I needed to heal Loki before it was too late. I put both my hands on his even colder cheeks and prayed that my magic worked.

“Wake up Loki, please, please, please wake up, I need you to do that for me, wake up,” I begged, letting ym magic flow through him.

He sat up abruptly, and inhaled, panted, startled and confused. The last thing he remembered was him getting choked to death, but he woke up to me stralidding him with my hands on his face teary eyed. I hugged him hard. He balanced himself, one hand on the floor, one wrapping around my back and waist.

“I thought I lost you,” I said, pulling back.

“I’m here, feel me” He said putting my hand on his chest.

July 23rd 2018, 5:21

“Tony Stark. I’m Dr. Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me. Oh, uh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way” Dr. Strange said, walking out of the portal he had made.

“I’m sorry, you giving out tickets to something?” I had definitely missed my fathers humor.

“We need your help, It’s not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe it's at stake” Strange stated.

“And who’s “we”? My father asked.

“Hey, Tony,” Bruce said, standing next to Stephen. It’s an understatement to say my father was speechless

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I ran to hug him, he was taken back. He saw me, for the first time in a year he saw me bloody and dirty, and so different from the girl he had told he didn;t want anymore. I could feel him, all the guilt and pain he had tried to push down all coming undone in that instant.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I so, so sorry, please daddy, I’m so sorry, I” I kept whispering, crying desperately, he hugged me back, letting himself accept it, because he never really stopped loving me in the first place.

July 24th 2018, 2:18pm, Wakanda

He was here, I could feel it. I saw Wanda, I could also feel her, ready to blow a hole in the head of the man she loved and rip her own heart out in the process. Her fingers sparkled.

“STOP!” I yelled, running to her. I knew it was risky, and that I could probably end up killing not only vision, but all of us.

“What are you doing y/n! There's no time! He’s coming!” Wanda said, never lowering her hand.

“Do you trust me? Wanda fast, do you trust me!? Yes or no!?” She nodded, I cupped Vision's face and pressed my thumbs lightly into his temples.  I absorbed the stone and at the same time kept Vision alive with it, by the time I finished he should be okay, and like Bruce said, still Vision. Vision was screaming, holding himself back from stopping me, he could if he wanted to but he knew it was necessary. I finished absorbing it and the force sent Wanda, Vision, and me backwards. I stood up as quick as possible and concentrated, I reintegrated the stone and watched it floating above my hand. Wanda destroyed it while simultaneously holding Thanos back.

It took her a couple of seconds, but it all turned into slow motion, the stone collapsed, fragments flying everywhere with a beautiful orange glow, this time it sent me and Wanda flying back. I hit my back hard, I tried to get up too quickly and failed, I just needed to lay back for a minute. After all it was over, or at least we where too naive to actually believe it was because in an instant, as if all we just did meant nothing Thanos turned back time with the time stone, pushing time through the stone and bringing it back to his hand. I saw Wanda trying to stop him but he threw her hard.

Thanos leveled the stone to the empty spot in the golden gauntlet. I could feel him struggle with all the power but he pushed through, knowing that it would all be over in a couple of  seconds. He went to snap his fingers but he was stopped by Thor, his ax on the chest of the mass murderer.

“You should have gone for the head,” Thanos said, about to snap them again.

“And you should have killed me when you had the chance,” I said, finding the strength in me, or maybe in the stone’s, to keep his hand open, And as I did with Vision absorbed the stones as fast as I could while trying to hold Thanos back with them. He was paralized, I could feel the excruciating pain I was making him feel.

“What are you doing?” He grunted out, desperation in his voice.

“Killing you,” I responded, just before absorbing the stones completely, after that I couldn’t remember anything.

I floated into the air. I was suspended for a couple of seconds, my eyes white and glowing, and the colors of the stones going through my body like circuits, as if they were wiring into me as if my body was deciding to reject or accept this new power. The circuiting and colors stopped going through my body, it all concentrated in my chest for a moment before I collapsed, I became white light, a blast that extended throughout the battle and beyond. It killed everyone on Thanos' side and healed everyone on our side.

After everyone regained consciousness they saw Thanos dead with Thor’s ax on his chest and me nowhere to be found. For a couple of seconds they thought I had died, but there was a small glow forming where I used to stand, a silhouette following and finally me, and my almost lifeless body on the floor. Natasha went to me, putting my head on her lap. I slowly opened my eyes and saw her smiling with teary eyes. Blonde did fit her.

“Hey,” She said, a tear staining my face.

“Hey,”

June 20th 2019, 3:41 am

“You should of gone for the head”

SNAP

I watched the people I love turn into dust. I watched Vision's gray lifeless body with a whole in his head and Wanda beside him, turn to dust. I watched Sam, and Bucky. I felt the world dying.

I jolted up, breathing heavily, the blanket and my hair striking to me uncomfortably. All those dreams, all those memories. They were all real, all familiar. But the last one was an alternative, how things would have mapped out if I hadn't been fast enough, strong enough, good enough. A reminded of how it was mere luck that my family and my world didn’t become mere dust.

I couldn’t sleep anymore, it had become routine. I kept dreaming of past memories and alternate endings that seem too real to ignore. I checked the temperature in my room feeling hot. I went to the kitchen of my shared floor, maybe to get some water.

“Nightmares again?” Wanda said, also having a PhD on sleepless nights.

“You know that's the thing, I don’t know if they're just made up nightmares or real alternatives,” I said, taking a glass from the drying rack as I shivered a little. It was always so cold in the kitchen.

“I don’t think it is worth killing yourself over it, all's well that ends well, right?” She said,

“I guess” No I don’t, I actually wanted to say. No one understands that one false step and we are all dead. I took my water to my bedroom and layed on my bed, sleep and tiredness washing over me. The warm fuzzy feeling of wanting to sleep a little more overcomes me. I did have to get up kind of early so it would be better if I went to sleep right now. It was all going to be okay, I just reassured myself, I went to sleep and thanked my mind for a well deserved rest.

NEXT CHAPTER >>

CHAPTER DIRECTORY

Tag list 🏷

@queen-arya22 @originalwitchsworld @isa-cabanas @chatoicboy @fancymiraclecoffee @pedropascalfanclub @lady-justice-thoughts​ @sflame15-blog​

#Matt Murdock #matt murdock x reader #human disaster matt murdock #MCU #shifit #stark!reader #y/n!stark #tony stark #the avengers #eternals #druig x y/n #matt murdock x stark!reader #matt murdock x avenger!reader #taylor swift #cruel summer

[kanejgirl]

been rereading tlh because i finally picked up chot so random dump of tlh opinions

the merry thieves friendship all together is sweet but when they’re separated the only one that matters to me is thomas. james and christopher are literally just there i just feel absolutely no strong opinions towards them. matthew is insufferable and needs to get slapped but he becomes tolerable around james. i already was spoiled to the fact that christopher dies and didnt care im sorry. i dont dislike him or james they just mean nothing to me. i adore lucie shes such a sweetheart but her chapters were mind numbing because they revolved entirely around luciejesse which i dgaf about. btw isnt is so weird hes actually 24 in his 16 y/o dead selfs body no one ever talks about that. and they first met when she was 10. i feel absolutely nothing for jordelia other than like . “well i dont know what you see in him but as long as he makes you happy”. like when a jordelia thing happens its not “oh how cute” its just “yayyyy my babygirl cordelia is happy about this :)” thomastair and arianna are the only good romantic subplots but also the ones cc seems to care the least about. i hate cc writing anna as a heartless womanizer and what that implies about lesbians but i still love her its not her fault she was written like that </3. i remember charlotte and henry being so sweet and so cool so how exactly was it them who raised charles and matthew, who seem to be constantly competing for the most insufferable and terrible man alive award. and winning. cordelia and alastair are my best friends in the world and i start cheering and clapping and kicking my feet every time they do anything

#fia.txt #tsc

[yuuri-nsane]

Bloom [Part Two]

Fandom: Yuuri On Ice

Ship: Viktuuri [Viktor Nikiforov x Katsuki Yuuri]

T/W: nothing, apart from confused&toogoodforanyone!yuuri and troublesome!viktor - dont forget though, if you read this and feel that there should be a specific warning added for whatever reason, please dont hesitate to reach out!

Summary: Chamberlain Yuuri Katsuki has grown into quite a hard-working young man. He's efficient, really, and surprisingly strong (at least when it comes to hauling ridiculous heaps of laundry, and trapping the likes of royalty within his arms on a whim). Although considerably quiet, irrational and paranoid, one thing's for sure: all he wants to do is see the gorgeous blooming of The Royal Azalea. What happens when someone interrupts his way there, in a partially concerning, and definitely suspicious way?

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three]

a/n: yayyyy!! part two of bLooOoM!!! I had a sudden spout of inspiration and wrote this at 2am last night! awesome, right? :’)

anyway, this chapters quite long actually - a lot longer than the first, so sorry for that. but still, i hope you enjoy! and don't forget, constructive criticism is always welcome! thank you!!

---

"...What do you say?"

Yuuri could only stare at the prince; entranced by his words alone.

Not like he wasn't completely floored by other aspects of The Prince Viktor Nikiforov - considering this was probably the only time he'd held more than a three-word exchange with the man, he could barely believe the circumstance he had somehow found himself in.

It was most definitely a dream.

And Yuuri most definitely prayed to any deity that was willing to listen, that he would wake up.

Any time now.

See, Yuuri was more than horrified that he had not only touched the prince in an unwarranted manner, but that the prince was set on thanking him for it!

His gaze trailed tragically along the extended arm laid out before him (since when had that happened?), as if his majesty had expected for Yuuri to take his hand and ride into the sunset with him in a golden carriage, like a damned princess.

And the chamberlain, quite unfortunately, knew he was anything but.

Yuuri retraces his steps, recalling how exactly he had found himself face to face with the crown prince of Vreosia, who was next in line to take the throne and become king.

---

It had been quite a long day.

And Yuuri was more than ready to fall asleep on the hard, cold, so very cold, floor of the corridors.

For he had insisted for some unknown reason, that he were to cover for Guang-Hong Ji - who had not incidentally, no, purposefully, attended to his own chores in the castle.

For the last three days that is.

How had he not been caught?!

Yuuri couldn't help the small, indignant screech that had echoed the walls of storage room when the launderer had first cornered him, early in the morning, begging for help. Supposedly, he had been sneaking around the castle to meet one of the guards. What was his name, Lenny? Lucas? No, it was...Logan...? Wait! Leo!

Anyway, their schedules had never lined up, so Ji had risked it all for a little rendezvous.

It was basically love at first sight, he had whispered dreamily.

Yuuri couldn't help but roll his eyes at that, and yet a subtle smile graced his lips lovingly.

And because of his golden heart, he had thus agreed to finish up Ji's aborted chores around the castle.

With the condition, of course, that this would never happen again, and Ji would do his own chores from now on.

The launderer had agreed with much reluctance, to which Yuuri had responded with a light sigh and a general 'if you want to see that soldier again, you're going to have to put the work in - and not get into trouble'.

Much to Yuuri's dismay, there was a lot more to do than he had first expected.

He could barely fathom the pile of dirty sheets in the corner of the spare bedroom Ji had ended up secretly leading him to - it was almost as tall as him for goodness' sake!

Not to mention the additional list that his friend had sheepishly handed him: an entire two pages.

If Phichit saw him now, he'd never hear the end of it.

Three days worth of tasks, and Yuuri had exactly one day to do them all.

He was going to die.

And probably by suffocation of laundry.

-

Luckily, he did not.

He had just managed to sweep the floors of the spare bedroom and change the linen of the bed as dusk so elegantly arrived. Getting rid of the evidence was far too demanding, though Yuuri swallowed his complaints; he would never in a thousand years jeopardise Ji or himself for being caught for something as menial as a failure to do the laundry.

Prior to that, he had laboriously struggled with said laundry, the whole day consisting of his efforts to drag ridiculous masses of extravagant cloths down to the laundry rooms to be washed.

It was laughable, Yuuri concluded, how an entire castle full of at least fifty, had enough riches to provide for them all - and yet it was spent only on such materialistic values, that just the royal family could actually use or even touch.

Yuuri shook his head, he needed to hurry up. He had been planning to make way to the gardens for weeks now - but hadn't had such a chance. Especially with having to tend to Ji's overlooked errands.

The maid sighed as he paced through the halls, away from the bedrooms and further downstairs. The Royal Azalea were rumoured to bloom quite beautifully during the springtime, and as luck would have it, the castle gardens had quite the selection. Though in the three quiet years that he had been working for the royal family, he'd never been able to actually take a look.

Once, Phichit (a very close friend who he had first met when he started working in the castle) had recognised that the Rhododendron Schlippenbachii were quite so extravagant.

Trust Yuuri to avow shamefully that the binomial name of this flower had slipped through one ear of his and out the other.

But to Yuuri's relief, Phichit had also disclosed the more manageable name, albeit excitedly spurting more random facts about the flowers as well, which Yuuri could barely remember.

It was the chamberlain's own fault for becoming friends with someone who specialised in plants, specifically that in the Castle’s herber.

Hurrying slightly, the young man sped almost desperately through the castle - wishing to see the flowers already. He had things to do tomorrow, and God knew that he was too impatient to miss the blooming for the third time in a row.

He continued, carefully watching out for any patrols - as a now usual resident of the castle, and a working maid of so, he was nonchalant. He thought about which route to take, knowing that conveniently, going through the kitchens would be quicker and there would be less a chance of being stopped by guards outside. Yuuri shuddered: he wouldn't know how to explain himself if that happened.

"Oh, I just wanted to see The Royal Azalea in bloom, so I snuck out of the castle after dark! Which violates the rules of the castle, because you probably mistook me for a barbarian or worse! Not like you can get worse than that or something. But either way, that meant having to leave your posts to chase me down! What a waste of time and space!"

Now that he had reflected on it, there was actually nothing to think about.

He headed straight to the cookery.

As he skipped stealthily into the aisle leading to the kitchens, his breath caught. He stiffened. His eyes glued relentlessly to the back of a silhouette that creeped through the large, umber doors and into the kitchens.

A-a thief?

Yuuri shook his head.

No. There was no way a thief could've managed to sneak through the guards. Not with the new recruits...

Then Yuuri painfully remembered, most had little to no training nor experience, for the castle had been suffering a shortage of soldiers for quite some time now. Vreosia had always been a peaceful kingdom, but with new threat now arising from a nearby domain and its ruffians, the royal family had decided to take precautions - blindly, if Yuuri could say so much, taking in as many willing volunteers and making them swear their loyalty over to the Nikiforov's.

The chamberlain winced. He squeezed his eyes and counted slowly.

1...2...

This wasn't his responsibility.

...3...4...

He should just make a run for the maid's quarters; pretend he saw nothing.

...5...6...

He didn't want any trouble.

...7...8...

He was only a maid.

...9...

He'll probably die if he followed them.

10.

Yuuri sighed in frustration. A long and deep exhale gushed out of his nostril and onto the cupid's bow of his lips.

He continued after the mysterious shadow.

In doing so, he slipped through the doors leading into the cookery, and watched discreetly, as the offender passed the island in the middle - their silver hair gleaming in the moonlight that squeezed through the cracks in between hanging cutlery, and from the mighty window beside.

Wait-

-silver hair?

Silver, as in...

Yuuri gasped against his will. He quickly covered his mouth in disbelief, the realisation hitting him square in the face like a brick.

It was Viktor Nikiforov.

No, it was The Viktor Nikiforov.

The Prince Viktor Nikiforov: beloved by the entire kingdom for, well, everything.

Not only was he, for lack of better words, Prince Charming - but he was also the same man who had given Katsuki Yuuri quite a memorable first day at the castle.

With that, Yuuri recollects, the time he had witnessed Prince Nikiforov get absolutely hounded by both the King and his advisor at what was barely sunrise, for sneaking out of boundaries at such a late time.

Yuuri had spent the day being somewhat awkwardly showed around by none other than Phichit and Guang-Hong Ji, as well the the Steward; Georgi Popovich.

And funnily enough, the day didn't exactly end there.

He giggles, barely audible, as he remembers the way the entire castle had been awoken by Yakov's uninterrupted reprimanding, along with the King's very audible (so much so that it was slightly concerning) sighs and face palms.

All the staff, now disturbed from their slumber, stayed curious and intrigued in the lower chambers of the castle. They had somehow managed to convince Yuuri and Phichit (mostly just Phichit who had tugged Yuuri along without much pity) to go and see what the fuss was all about.

The two had made their way to the Great Hall, where Prince Nikiforov was sitting at a marvellous table, surrounded by the King and who Yuuri had assumed to be the prince's advisor, Yakov. He also remembers the four other guards present in the room, who seemed to shrink away as Yakov continued to yell in absolute annoyance.

He doesn't remember what exactly they had been discussing, but Yuuri reminisces the bored look on Viktor's face - but also dwells on the underlying fear that had been ever-present in his body language.

He goes as far as to think about the fact that he swears the crown prince had saw him then, behind a small entrance to the left, where he had hidden stupidly with Phichit: who seemed content staying in the corner behind Yuuri, listening carefully to the gossip but shielding himself away from the source - much to his exasperation.

With a hesitant flinch that became a full turn of his head, he remembers the way his highness' eyes had widened ever so slightly at him; the unmistakable eye-contact.

Curious blue eyes that glinted magically in a dizzy haze - an almost taunting look that beckoned Yuuri from the darkness. He also remembers the vague purse of his lips, a thin line that the maid couldn't help but fantasise about. Not to mention his shining hair and smooth-looking skin.

He wonders briefly what it would feel like to hold his face in his hands.

He's never told anybody about this.

Not Guang-Hong Ji, nor Phichit - who, as previously mentioned, had hidden behind Yuuri at the time, and so he missed exact moment the prince had possibly seen them, because it had been blocked off from his field of view. And either way, if Yuuri had ever told either of them about his little crush on the blue blood, he'd never live it down. They'd tease and meddle and so on.

The chamberlain was much more content admiring such beauty from afar. Quietly, that is.

And he knew, obviously, he wasn't the only admirer of Prince Viktor Nikiforov: royals and peasants alike.

Yuuri's glad it was almost pitch black in the Hall then, save for a few lit candles that had been placed atop the dining table as well as the one that the advisor had been holding, well, waving around quite dangerously.

If it hadn't been-

He's suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, after hearing an almost silent but nevertheless, shrill creak of a door.

The back door.

Why was Prince Nikiforov...?

Oh...

He was sneaking out.

Again.

Yuuri raised an unimpressed eyebrow - of course, this handsome but likely spoiled brat was intent on getting into more trouble.

He hadn't truly met the man, only exchanging polite greetings when he happened to set foot into the same room as him - a room in which would coincidentally happen to be where Yuuri was carrying out a task of his or two.

This had only happened a measly three times, over the expanse of his near three-year stay in the castle.

He supposes it's not fair to call his majesty spoilt or a brat, or any combination of the two. Not when he at least acknowledged him when he entered the room, unlike other important people who had visited the Nikiforov's kingdom for whatever business.

(And being born into fortune wasn't his fault anyway - it didn't automatically make him the selfish person Yuuri had first prejudiced)

He'd always kept his down during his completion of tasks, though - never fully looking the prince in the eye, minding his own affairs and scurrying away as soon as he'd finished.

He feared that he would be recognised from that night in the Great Hall, a good three years ago - if the royal had truly seen him.

He had taken extra precautions anyway, always avoiding the prince when he could afford to, and dragging someone with him to hide behind when needed. He knows he hadn't let the his majesty get a good look at his face, and yet, it wasn't enough to truly ensure that he wouldn't have registered his face by now. But it was enough to deceptively relieve Yuuri of the constant nagging worry that he'd be punished for eavesdropping on a fairly private matter.

And besides, it wasn't as if he had run into the man in question a countless number of times afterward - again, Yuuri could recall their one-on-one encounters on only one hand.

Even more so, he recounts that there had been a sort of business that the royal family had to attend to over the course of his first week there, meaning that Yuuri and other newly hired staff hadn't been properly introduced. Additionally, they never found the time afterwards, and soon enough two years and three quarters had passed, and no one in the castle felt introductions were quite so needed anymore.

This meant that his majesty hopefully wouldn't recognise him if he saw him, nor would he recall his name.

Yuuri had begun to head back out the kitchen, making a silent promise to visit the flowers tomorrow, when he noted a flicker of black through the corner of his eye.

A shape that had flitted across the expanse of the large window of the cookery.

Out of intuition, Yuuri ran over to the crown prince, wordlessly apologising before yanking him by the shoulders, away from the door and forcing his mouth shut with a single hand.

He had underestimated his own strength - or overestimated the prince's; it seemed that the taller man struggled in his grasp, bending backward to accommodate Yuuri's stand.

Perhaps carrying all that laundry had toughened him up.

The chamberlain stumbled blindly over to the wall behind, grappling against the royalty he had bundled up in his grasp.

It was then that he had begged the Prince to stay quiet, which had somehow proved effective with the sudden stillness of the man.

Or maybe it was because he could now hear the idle chatter of two guards from outside.

Yuuri's fairly sure he heard the name 'Leo'.

The name of the mystery man Ji had been sneaking around to meet. The very man who was probably the reason why Yuuri found himself backed up into a wall, currently giving what might've looked like a back-hug to Prince Viktor Nikiforov, but was instead a strange and sad parody of something more aggressive.

He silently curses him.

Soon enough, the guards had dashed away, and Yuuri had mentally started saying thank you, to who, he wasn't sure - yet, it didn't cease his sudden joy for successfully staying hidden away from said guards.

Yuuri can pinpoint, however, the exact moment it all went to shit.

Prince Nikiforov had half the mind to, all of a sudden, push Yuuri off of him, and pin him down to the wall - reversing their roles of captive and captor.

The maid recalls the initial overwhelming fear that had possessed his body then, and he was certain he was to be executed by dawn.

Who would've thought he'd live to tell the tale?

---

His lips parted in anticipated response, not yet fully knowing what he wanted to say.

Viktor Nikiforov now knew exactly what he looked like, as well as his given name. All his efforts over the years, gone lay to waste.

He should've minded his own business.

He could try to run as far and fast as his legs would allow, but it would do nothing to aid Yuuri, for the royal family could put a bounty on his head with such information.

Wonderful.

The prince stood, awaiting, arm still stretched out invitingly toward Yuuri, hopeful blue eyes that made the chamberlain feel small.

Yuuri flushes yet again, embarrassed and unsure - the crown prince was quite the charmer, he'd allowed himself to admitwithout much indifference.

It was then that the abrupt clatter of armour could be distinctly heard again, and two out-of-breath soldiers came bustling through the back kitchen door - one pointing accusingly at the maid himself.

"I told you I heard something!"

---

Taglist:

@thatonespidermonkey @stainedglassm

#yoi #yuri on ice #yuuri on ice #katsuki yuri #yuri katsuki #katsuki yuuri #yuuri katsuki #victor nikiforov #viktor nikiforov #viktuuri #victuuri #victuri #vikturi #viktor x yuuri #victor x yuuri #viktor x yuri #victor x yuri #royalty au #WAAAAA A SECOND CHAPTER #WOWOWOWOOO #:) #yuuri has a heart of gold #phichit chulanont #guang hong ji #yakov feltsman #georgi popovich #PHICHIT AND LEO AND GEORGI MAKE A SMALL APPEARNACE WOOWOWOWOW #HELL YEAH #also please tell me what you think!!! be as honest and brutal I NEED IT #THANK YOU ILY ALL

[awstenknyght]

Side By Side With Me

A/N: Here’s the next chapter! this was very fun to write. killing characters is very relaxing, 10/10 recommend

Warnings: drowning, fire, death, murder, poison, stabbing, knife, blood, suicide (kinda), i think that’s it

Tags:  @piper-koko-barnes-rogers @thatsmycigarbutyoucanborrowit @brooklyn-is-here @the-cowbi @panicky-pancakes @buttonsdelaguerra @sour-picklee @gendistic42 (tell me if i forgot you/you want to be added!)

Finn awoke early the next morning, almost forgetting the events of the night before. Until he noticed the empty spot next to him, and the memory came rushing back.

Of course it was fire. He watched his parents burn back in district 11, and now he had to watch his sister go too. It wasn’t fair.

But neither are the games.

Finn packed up his stuff and began walking around, desperate for water. He heard voices coming closer, but he ignored them. That is, until he saw a group coming towards him.

There were five total. A girl with dark brown hair in a messy braid, a girl with a messy reddish colored bun, a girl with long light brown hair, a girl with short brown locks, and a boy with dark curls. If he remembered correctly, they were Josephine, Katherine, Sarah, Ilaria, and Jack.

Josie stepped forward, pulling a knife out of her back pocket. “Let’s make this quick.”

Finn didn’t even try to fight. It wasn’t worth it. There was a quick pain in his side before the world began to fade into darkness.

***

Cookie and Twitch emerged from the cornucopia around noon. They had hidden amongst the items, staying all night. But they were running out of water.

The twins dashed into the forest together. Soon, they were able to find a small lake. Pulling out the canteen, Cookie bent down to fill it. Twitch, meanwhile, was standing near the edge, gazing into the murky water.

Cookie heard a splash. She turned to where Twitch was standing only seconds before, only to find him gasping for air in the middle of the lake. “Twitch!”

Cookie jumped in, swimming towards him in a panic. She grabbed him and tried to swim to shore, panicking. All of a sudden, a cannon shot rang out. Cookie let out a sob. She was too late.

She didn’t bother swimming back to shore. Cookie sunk down into the waves, letting out one last strangled cry before going under. A cannon shot could be heard moments later.

***

Spot heard a cannon in the distance. He turned to Lucky, who was picking berries off a bush, and told her to stay put. Rushing quickly towards where B was before, his worst fear came true.

Bruiser was laying on the ground, blood flowing out of a wound in his stomach.

Spot caught sight of his killer, a girl from district 7 whose name he couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. She had taken the one thing he had left. Without thinking, he took out his knife, ran towards her, and thrust it into her chest.

When he turned back, his boy was already being taken away.

Spot collapsed on the ground. He couldn’t even cry, he could only sit there, numb.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye”

After a few minutes, Spot turned away and went back to their camp.

Shit.

Lucky was on the ground, looking sicker than ever. “Lucky!”

“Spottie?” “Hey kid, stay with me!” Lucky’s eyes began to close. “No! I can’t lose you too!”

Spot couldn’t even hear the cannon shot through his sobs.

~

yayyyy!!!! murder!!!!!

#hanging tree #hunger games au #newsies oc #this was far too fun to write #death tw #murder tw #knife tw #blood tw #drowning tw #suicide tw #??? i think #fire tw #poison tw #tw poison #tw fire #tw suicide #tw drowning #tw blood #tw knife #tw death #tw murder #yay!!!

[squirenonny]

All squares have been claimed!

Sooooo.... Been a while. Sorry ‘bout that. Life, you know?

Fun story about this one. I've worked 10 of the last 11 days and missed my lunch break on two of those days (yayyyy Thanksgiving week at a grocery store~) Anyway, I was dead tired all this week and couldn't focus on any of my WIPs, so I scrolled through my list of @badthingshappenbingo​ prompts and this one sparked my interest.

Got 500 words into it before realizing why "Worked Themself to Exhaustion" might be striking a chord. |D

Anyway, enjoy! You can also find this on AO3 here!

Spoilers through Chapter 31 of Shadows of Stars. Chapter 34 provides some useful additional context for this chapter, but you won't find any actual spoilers for that chapter here. Set sometime nebulously in the future, relative to the most recent update.

Worked Themself to Exhaustion

Original prompt (from anon): Allura/Meri 'Worked Themselves to Exhaustion' for the Bad Things Happen Bingo?

Allura found Meri on the bridge several hours past midnight, standing at one of the computer terminals near Coran's station, backlit by a frosty blue glow. "Are you still up?"

Meri jumped at the sound of her voice, then tried to cover with a laugh. "Allura! You scared me." Allura crossed the bridge to where she stood, pulling her dressing gown closer as she walked. She hooked her chin over Meri's shoulder and peered at the screen. "Working on something important?" Meri shrugged with the shoulder that wasn't currently supporting Alllura's chin. "Nothing terribly interesting," she said. "Just going through reports from the Accords and stuff." "Couldn't that wait till tomorrow?" Meri shrugged again, tension creeping into her spine. Allura tipped her head to the side, studying Meri's face in profile. She looked tired. She had since she'd returned from her stint as a spy, but it showed now more than ever. The screen's light only deepened the inky shadows beneath her eye and accentuated the lines pulling at the corners of her eyes, and her hair hung limp around her face, the way it did when she'd gone too long without a shower. Except in the immediate aftermath of a battle or other emergency, Allura couldn't remember ever seeing Meri so not put together. Spying had changed her. Allura didn't know the details of it; Meri had remained tight-lipped on anything that wasn't actionable information. The projects Haggar was working on, the abilities of the druids, whatever she'd managed to dig up in digital records or in conversation with other druid candidates--all of this Meri shared freely and with little inflection. It gave away more than she probably wanted to admit to, but she studiously ignored any probing questions into her own well-being. She'd done what she had to to maintain her cover, and that was all she'd say on the matter.

Allura wrapped her arms around Meri's waist, pressing flush against her back. Meri instantly tensed, every line of her like stone in Allura's embrace. Allura frowned, sneaking another look at Meri's face. Lit from beneath by the display screen, it looked even more gaunt than ever, her eyes dull and distant. "Why don't you step away for a while?" Allura asked, trying not to put any judgement into the question. "Come get some sleep, start fresh in the morning. I'll help?" Meri gave an awkward shrug, her eyes never leaving the screen. She reached out mechanically to navigate the menus, and Allura idly followed her progress. She wasn't doing anything any more involved than she'd said. Just cataloging distress calls, routing memos from the Accords and the paladins' allies, approving maintenance reports and other minutiae of castle upkeep. She did it all with that same stiff posture, remaining rigid in Allura's arms. Maybe it was just Allura imagining things, but she seemed to actually be leaning away from her touch. "Meri?" Allura asked. She hesitated, all her diplomatic training failing her as she found she had no idea how to ask what she wanted to. Meri preempted her by turning around, a smile softening her face. It was a convincing smile, too. It even reached her eyes to crinkle them at the corners in the way that was so utterly Meri. But they were close enough that Allura could sense the faint currents of Quintessence running beneath her skin. Meri had shifted her features to produce this smile. If she wanted to, Allura could have reached out and cut the strands of Quintessence, forcing Meri out of the shift. She held off, but it wasn't respect for Meri's privacy that stayed her hand so much as a fear of what she would find underneath the perfect smile. How broken was Meri, that she couldn't even force a smile on her own face? "Sorry, 'Lura," Meri said. "I really should get this done tonight. Don't feel like you need to wait up for me, though. I know you've got an early day tomorrow." It was a dismissal, clear as day, and it stung enough that Allura couldn't scrounge together a response. She just gaped at Meri, fighting against her hurt and indignation. This wasn't about her. She couldn't lose sight of that. This was about Meri, hurting and upset and ashamed of it all for some reason Allura couldn't fathom, except that she knew what Meri looked like when she was punishing herself. She'd looked very much like this in the aftermath of Allura's mother's death. Freshly bonded to Blue, she'd withdrawn, building up a facade of strength and indifference in an attempt to be what she thought everyone expected her to be. She hadn't known how to build shifts like this back then, but Allura thought she would have worn them if she could. She'd never wanted to add her baggage to other people's. Meri didn't wait for Allura to find her voice. She just turned back to her busy work, shutting Allura out entirely. Allura could have pressed, could have turned this into a fight, but that wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what either of them wanted, she suspected. In Meri's eyes, she probably thought she was sparing Allura the worse pain. With a heavy heart and a tongue that felt like cotton in her mouth, Allura retreated. She would talk to Coran in the morning. He might have some advice for her on what to do to help.

Coran wished he could say he was surprised when Allura came to him about Meri, but of all the ways to describe how he felt about this complicated nest of emotions, shock was not one of them. He was, after all, adjunct to the Blue Lion. He'd felt Meri's torment since long before she returned to the castle. Allura had been waiting outside his room when he woke for his morning duties--an early call even for Allura, who had always hated wasting the day away by sleeping in. She'd been dancing on her toes, clearly battling herself over whether or not to knock on his door and risk rousing him early. One look at Allura told him all he needed to know, especially coupled with the groggy malaise he sensed from Meri's direction. She wasn't asleep, though he thought she might have been trying. For once. "It's going to take time," he told Allura once she'd finished pouring out all her concerns. He'd ushered her back into his room and sat her on the edge of his bed, sending off a quick message while he fetched the down comforter that had always been her favorite. Something had come up, he told the ranking officer on the bridge, and he would be late to his usual rounds. "I know you were hoping for a better answer, and I wish I had one to give you." Allura sighed, pulling the corners of the blanket tight at her throat and leaning on Coran's shoulder. "I just want to be able to help her. I know she's hurting. Why won't she let me see it?" That was a complicated question with a complicated answer, and Coran didn't think Allura needed him to say so. She knew as well as anyone how hard it could be to admit weakness, even to a loved one. How long had she carried her grief for her father close to her own heart before she let the other paladins see her mourning? And this situation with Meri was more complicated still. Coran had seen glimpses of it in Thace, and he'd felt whole volumes from Meri through the bond. Considering that this insight was somewhat ill-gotten gains--and especially considering she'd pushed him away as much as she pushed away everyone else, to the point that Coran hadn't been able to tell her properly what it meant for him to be her adjunct... Well, he wasn't about to go telling Allura everything he'd inferred. "She's been through a terrible ordeal," Coran said. "I don't know the full of it, but I know she probably needs time to process. All you can do is be there for her. Remind her that she's not alone anymore. Then when she's ready to talk, she'll know who to turn to." Allura's sigh said she'd already known what it was she had to do, but she didn't like the idea of sitting around waiting for something beyond her power. That was fair. Coran didn't like waiting, either.  So an hour later, after he'd coaxed Allura back to bed to catch up on the sleep she'd lost fretting over Meri, Coran himself went to find his insomniac paladin. She was down on the training deck, apparently haven given up on resting. She didn't notice him come in, and watching her sluggish movements as she took on a training bot--fairly low-leveled compared to her usual fare--Coran had to wonder just how much sleep she'd missed since her return last week. The shadows under her eyes were darker than he remembered from even just last night, her skin dry and waxen, her hair a limp mess. And she was moving slow, too. It wasn't the sluggishness of someone nearing the end of an intense workout. Meri quite simply couldn't track the training bot's movements, which meant that it kept catching her by surprise with its attacks. Coran winced as she took a blow to the ribs, staggering back with a soft grunt of pain. Her face screwed up in frustration and rage, and she launched herself at the gladiator, foregoing the staff she'd selected for this session in favor of a more... hands-on approach. Quintessence flared bright around her fingers, crackling in the air like a living thing and filling up the space between Coran and her. He couldn't read the currents to know her intent, but her hand sank into the gladiator's chest panel. The robot froze at once, its joints locking up, and an uncharacteristically vindictive smile flashed across Meri's face as she yanked her hand back and let the gladiator fall.

The crash of metal rang loud in the sudden silence, and Coran wasted no time in stepping forward. Better to announce himself than to have Meri notice and wonder if he'd been intentionally spying. "You're up early." She whirled toward him, horror dawning on her face for a brief moment before it was smoothed over--quite literally. If he hadn't seen the transformation, he never would have guessed that Meri had donned a shift, but there was nothing natural about the way the panic in her eyes glossed over to bland disinterest, or the way her skin and hair brightened minutely, lessening the appearance of neglect and exhaustion. Even the slump of her shoulders eased by way of a subtle shift in bone structure. Coran's stomach turned at the sight--or perhaps that was the coil of fear reaching him through the bond, stronger even than the shame and guilt twisting Meri's insides into knots. "Coran!" she said brightly. "Hey! Yeah. Figured I'd start the day off right. Haven't been able to keep up with my training lately, what with all the..." She trailed off, her manufactured smile dulling somewhat as anxiety wrapped around her throat. Coran felt it like it was his own emotion, and he had to swallow before he could speak. Even then, it came out strangled. "Of course. Let me know if you ever need a sparring partner." He grinned at her startled blink. "What? I'm not an old man just yet. And I need to be on my toes, what with the whole adjunct situation." She hummed, clearly too distracted to pick up on the hint Coran was trying to give her. He sighed, contemplating how else he might broach the subject of her emotional state. She was so on edge he knew she wouldn't respond well to a direct approach, and the last thing he wanted was to make her shut him down. She needed friends now more than anything. "Do you have plans for the rest of the day, then?" he asked instead, graciously bypassing her obvious exhausted stupor. She shrugged. "I finished the signoffs last night. Went through most of the backlog of Coalition memos, too. There's a few you or Allura will have to take a look at, but..." She trailed off, tightening her mouth around a yawn. Coran wished she would just admit how tired she was--or at least admit what it was that was keeping her from sleep. It felt wrong to ignore the yelmore in the room when he could have punctured her facade without much effort. But that wasn't what it meant to be the blue adjunct. He knew what his paladins needed, and what Meri needed right now wasn't more guilt on top of what she had already piled on herself. To have churned through so much work last night--Coran, better than anyone, knew just how much of a slog that would have been. He was amazed she hadn't fallen asleep at the console halfway through the fiftieth dull report from an ally somewhere. "Well," he said brightly, clapping his hands together. "Thank you for clearing that off my plate. If it's not too much to ask of you, perhaps I could get your help with a few more tasks?" A flush of pride briefly overtook Meri at Coran's thanks--far too much pride for such a simple thing, and it spoke to the depth of her self-loathing. Even more baffling was the staggering sense of relief that answered his request for help. Coran took a page from Meri's book and applied a touch of a shift to his face to conceal his alarm. He wasn't as practiced at it as Meri, and he was sure there were flaws in his shift--he'd never been the best at crafting new forms for himself, and he'd never attempted a partial shift like this before. Thankfully, Meri was too tired to scrutinize him too closely. She crossed the training room to retrieve her discarded staff, nearly toppling over in the attempt. She caught herself on the wall, freezing for a moment as a flood of heat washed through her. She was keenly aware of Coran's eyes on her; he could feel her self-consciousness and averted his eyes before he realized what he was doing, but even knowing its source, he couldn't make himself look directly at her until she'd stowed the staff in the weapons rack and joined him by the door. She wove a bit as she walked with him toward the elevator, fatigue written in every line of her body. She didn't offer any conversation, and he didn't try to tease it out of her. She looked like she might fall asleep standing up--and, in all honesty, Coran would have been glad of it. He didn't feel her exhaustion, exactly. It wasn't carried through the bond like true emotions. But there was a thick haze over her mood, dampening her emotions and heightening those few flashes that broke through the muddle, and trying to adjust himself to it all did give him a taste of what she must have been feeling. She didn't ask where they were going. If Coran had to guess, he would say she didn't care. It seemed to Coran she just wanted something to keep her moving. To keep her awake. He wondered if it was dreams that were bothering her. He reminded himself, again, that she didn't owe him answers, and let the silence swell as they neared their destination. He'd contemplated several options for the first step of what was sure to be a long journey to healing for Meri. She needed sleep, certainly, and he'd briefly entertained the idea of taking her up to the map room in the hopes that the low lighting and peaceful atmosphere might coax her into an involuntary nap. It seemed a little heavy-handed, especially as he couldn't be sure it would be worth the effort. He might well only succeed in stoking Meri's resentment before she stalked off to less lulling pursuits. So instead, he'd opted for a simpler deception. He'd asked Thace to join them in one of the equipment storage rooms for a routine systems check on the supply of BLIP-tech drones. It was a suitably voluminous task to justify having three people assigned to it, but straight-forward enough that it didn't require the attention of someone trained in the upkeep of complex machines. All that was really required was a visual inspection of the casing for damage or corrosion and a manual verification of the last self-check. Thace didn't know anything of the troubles Meri had been facing--at least, not more than he might have inferred because of his own history with espionage. Coran hadn't asked him to speak with Meri, nor had he told him that he had arranged for Zelka to call him away half an hour into the task. It didn't make this any less meddling, but at least he wasn't conspiring on top of that.

Besides, he couldn't very well have just asked Meri to go see Thace. Coran had long suspected she was deliberately avoiding Thace, and the way she stiffened when she saw him waiting inside the storage bay lent credence to that theory. Her steps slowed, her shift slipping momentarily as she visibly weighed the benefits of simply walking out of the room. She eventually decided to see it through, though her reluctance was strong enough to slow Coran's steps, too, and he shook himself, clapping his hands briskly as he entered the room. "Well!" he said, sending a silent apology to Thace, who had startled at the sudden noise. "Now that we're all here, let's get started, shall we?" It took only a few moments to demonstrate the checks, and then they were all off, working their way down separate rows at their own pace. Meri lagged behind the other two, moving on autopilot and struggling to stay awake, but Coran didn't call her on it. They were spread far enough apart that conversation was unnecessary and somewhat awkward, so they worked in companionable silence until Zelka called and Coran took his leave. He only prayed that Thace could help Meri where the rest of them couldn't.

Meri silently cursed Coran for leaving her alone with Thace, and then felt immediately guilty for the thought. There was nothing at all wrong with Thace. He was a good man, and the advice and resources he'd provided her with when she left on her ill-informed espionage mission had probably saved her life several times over. It had certainly enabled some of her more idiotic decisions, but that was hardly his fault. It also wasn't his fault being around him reminded her too much of her time in Haggar's inner circle. He had a way about him, a vigilance even soldiers like Shiro and Keith couldn't match. He was aware of his surroundings at all times, wary of potential threats, but he also watched with an eye that was well practiced at looking below the surface. He didn't have to stare for her to feel as though she were being picked apart. The only saving grace in this situation was that he was two rows over and Coran had promised to make this as quick as he could. With luck, he'd return from helping Zelka in ten or twenty minutes, and Meri could go back to shuffling along like a zombie and trying not to pass out in the middle of her inspection. Quiznak. She was so tired. She shook her head, though, shoving away her exhaustion, and kept moving. She finished ten drones, then twenty, and still Coran hadn't returned. Thirty drones on, she looked up to see Thace approaching down the next row. He was focused on his task, but his proximity raised an alarm in her bones. Someone was here. She couldn't let her guard down. She never had found a way to confirm whether or not her shifts held while she slept, and if he saw something he wasn't supposed to-- Meri caught herself following familiar old tracks of paranoid thought and stopped where she was, staring at her reflection in the polished shell of the BLIP-tech drone. What was she talking about? She wasn't on the Eryth anymore. She was among friends, and she didn't need to worry about someone seeing that she was an Altean. A purple cast had crept into her hand while she was drowning in pointless panic, and she banished that, too, mentally checking herself for any other Galra traits that might have slipped through. It had happened at least once a day since she'd returned--fangs, fur, purple pigmentation. Once she'd fully shifted her ears to the longer, floppier version she'd used as part of her Reza shift. Thace continued working as he drew near to Meri, not looking up from the screen in front of him. "Have you ever tried krebu?" Meri lifted her head to frown at Thace. Logic said he was talking to her. After all, there was no one else in the room. Still, her tired mind couldn't quite grasp the concept of conversation. "What?" she finally said, eloquently. Thace had enough tact not to comment on her mental state. "It's a tea," Thace said. "Old Galra recipe--though perhaps not as old as we like to pretend." Meri cracked a smile at that, the expression pulling at muscles that she swore she hadn't used in months. "I imagine a lot of things seem old until you meet someone from ten thousand years ago. It's good?" "A little bland for my taste, but I suppose that's the point." "The... point?" "It's a common remedy among civilian families. A lot of my men grew up with a parent or grandparent who liked to prescribe it for all sorts of ails. Nadezda swears by it. Personally, I find it hard to believe a few herbs can do all that people claim it can. It is good for insomnia, though. Better than anything else I've tried." Suspicion came roaring back in, popping Meri's bubble of complacency. She reinforced her placid partial shift on instinct before Thace's last statement clicked into place. "You too, huh?" she asked, well aware that she was admitting her own weakness. Well, a piece of it, at any rate. But Thace had a nonjudgmental air about him and, more importantly, there was just enough distance between them for it not to feel like a threat. It wasn't like with Allura and Coran, or even Lance and Rosa. She didn't-- Well, it wasn't that she didn't care what Thace thought of her. She just didn't think he'd known her long enough to have expectations for her to live up to. Thace smiled. "Ever since I left the Accords," he said softly. Something passed between them in those few words. An understanding, of sorts, that went beyond the insomnia. He'd been there. He'd done things to maintain his cover--awful, horrible things. Things that haunted him. Things he regretted, and had regretted from the moment he did them, but he'd done them all the same because the mission mattered more than one solitary person's conscience. The tears took her by surprise, as did most emotion these days. It snuck up on her, stealing her breath, and she turned back to her work before Thace could see her tearing up. She tried to breathe, but breathing only widened the cracks in her composure, so that left her holding her breath and squeezing her eyes shut, as though by forcing the tears out faster she could reach the end of this hysteria sooner. Hysteria. She almost had to laugh at the fact that this was the word her mind had conjured to describe herself, when she'd always hated the way it was so often slung to undermine someone's emotional turmoil. To cheapen it. But she'd impersonated a druid, participated in the interrogation and torture of Imperial prisoners, risked death on a daily basis, and now here she was, crying over tea. Maybe hysteria was an apt word, in this case. "How do you do it?" she asked, hating the way her voice shook but unable to stop the words pouring out of her mouth. Thace remained quiet, waiting for her to elaborate, and she waved her hand in the air, using the gesture as an excuse to wipe her cheeks. She still stared at the pod in front of her. "After everything we've seen, everything we've done, how are we supposed to go back to the way things were?" "Slowly," Thace said, frankly, "and with the support of people who are better than us." He shifted, and when Meri finally turned, she found he had given up all pretense of keeping busy and was watching her now--with sympathy, yes, but also with an ache she knew all too well. "Is it the memories?" "No." Meri hesitated. "...Yes and no. Not memories as such. Just..." She turned away, a lump rising in her throat. "It's like it's not my mind that's stuck back there so much as my body. I couldn't... I never slept through the night while I was there. I was too afraid someone would walk in and notice something off about my shift." Her voice wavered, and she cursed herself, wiping her eyes now with both hands. There was nothing subtle about it, but Thace was far too perceptive to have missed the signs of an impending breakdown, anyway, and she just didn't have the energy to keep pretending. "I don't have to worry about that now. I shouldn't-- I want to sleep, but every time I try I wake up an hour later in a panic. It was worse when I tried to sleep in Allura's bed. It was-- She was there, and there was a part of me that thought she was the enemy."

Remembering that moment, remembering the way she'd reached for a weapon, the way she'd come so close to lashing out, to attacking the one person who mattered more to her than anything else in the universe--

Meri choked on a sob, shaking her head to dislodge the what-ifs that had been haunting her ever since. "When I wake up like that, I can't just go back to sleep. I'm up for another eight hours or more, and the only thing I can do is try to go until I'm about to drop and hope the exhaustion buys me an extra twenty minutes or so before it all starts over again." Her vision had blurred so much by now that she could hardly make Thace out across the row of drones, but he approached slowly, telegraphing his moves. Meri hated that she was so fragile he felt he had to treat her like a wounded animal, but she couldn't pretend she wasn't scared of how she might have reacted otherwise. She didn't expect him to trust her when she couldn't even trust herself. Instead, though, she remained where she was as he approached, his arms spread in a silent invitation. Of all the people in the castle who might have offered her a hug, Thace was pretty far down on the list, but coming from him it didn't feel so much like pity. She teetered on the edge for a moment, then fell against him, turning all her focus toward her breathing in a desperate attempt not to fall apart completely in his arms. "I'm sorry," Meri whispered, turning her forehead into his shoulder. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for--crying on the lapels of his uniform? Or having this breakdown on him, instead of literally anyone else? She had a whole castle full of people with more reasons than Thace to care about her bullshit. Thace only hummed, an echo of a melody in the sound. "You have nothing to apologize for. Your actions saved a great deal more people than they harmed. It will get easier to see that, with time." Meri scrunched her face up as the flow of tears increased. "I know," she said, not knowing if it was the truth. "I just wish I'd been better." "Be better now," Thace said. "That's all you can do. And remember, this team you have... They don't know the things we know. I pray they never have to learn. But they know a thing or two about healing a fractured spirit... Coran knows the weight of regret as well as us, in his own way." Meri snorted with a sudden realization, then felt immediately silly for not having seen it before now. Vrekt, she really was tired. "He didn't just 'get called away,' did he?" Thace hummed again, one hand rubbing circles on her back. "I very much doubt it. For what it's worth, I didn't figure it out until he got the call, either." "Well... It kind of worked out, in the end," Meri admitted. She lingered in Thace's embrace for another moment, then pulled back. "Thanks. And... I'm sorry. I don't want to burden you with all of my drama." "It's not a burden to offer a little sympathy every now and again," Thace said. "I'm sure Allura and Coran would say the same." "I don't know if I can talk about it with them. Not yet." Thace smiled. "Then tell them that. They'll understand. The wonderful thing about comfort is that it doesn't require exhaustive knowledge of the context. They already know you're hurting; that's enough to start. Tell them what you can, and tell them that you're not ready for the rest, and then just... go from there." Tell them what she could, huh? Meri wasn't sure what that was, but she was long past the point of having enough energy to keep running from the darkness of her own mind. She just wanted to feel safe in her own body again. "Okay," she said. "I'll try." She wiped her eyes again, and pulled back to stand beside the next BLIP-tech drone in the row. She hesitated before beginning her inspection, however, and opened her mouth to ask a question that never came. "Go on," Thace said. "I don't think you need to stay here any longer." He glanced sidelong at his own drone. "If Coran actually needs this to be done, I'm sure he can find someone else to help him." "Punishing him for tricking you?" Meri asked with a feeble smile. Thace chuckled. "If he asks, I'll tell him we figured out what he actually wanted us to do and came to the logical conclusion that nothing else was required of us." Meri shook her head, but she wasn't going to complain about getting the rest of the day off. Her little miniature breakdown had worn her out faster than three hours on the training deck. She might actually make it a full two hours before she woke this time. She nodded to Thace and took a single step toward the door, then stopped again. "Actually...." "Krebu?" Thace asked with a knowing smile. "I stole some while we were on homeworld. Would you care to join me for a cup?" Meri smiled, a weight lifting from her shoulders. "I'd like that very much."

Allura got another hour of sleep before giving up the effort. A very large part of her wanted to go find Meri--not that she knew what she would do after that point. Her conversation with Coran kept rattling around in her head. Be there for Meri, but don't push. It was a delicate balance to strike, especially for someone like Allura, who by her nature wanted to fix problems, not merely commiserate. Unfortunately, Coran was right. This wasn't a problem she could fix. There was no clever solution she could propose that would mend all of Meri's hurts, and until Meri reached a point where she was ready to ask for help, there was very little Allura could do. But she would commiserate until the end of time if that was what Meri needed. It would be better than trying to help and getting pushed away again. Apparently she had time to come to terms with the gentle approach, though, because Meri seemed to have finally gone in search of sleep--or at the very least, she wasn't in any of her usual haunts, new or old. No in any of her favorite places--the synthetic hot springs at the top of Blue Tower, the observation deck where they'd spent so many evenings watching the stars. She wasn't with Blue, either, and Lance hadn't seen her all morning. But she wasn't on the bridge or the training deck either. She may have been in her room, but if she was, Allura was loathe to disturb her. Allura stifled her disappointment and returned to the observation deck to think. It was good that Meri had allowed herself to take a break. She needed all the rest she could get. It did leave Allura feeling rather useless, however. Coran had told her to take the morning off, which meant she still had several hours before he expected her on the bridge. She supposed she could go find Shiro and see what else needed to be done today. She contemplated doing just that, but she'd already settled in on the cushioned bench beside the large, round window, a blanket draped over her lap and a mound of pillows behind her. It was a cozy little nest (not as cozy as it would have been with Meri beside her, but some things were outside of Allura's control), and she was reluctant to move. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, watching the slow drift of stars as the castle-ship drifted through space, but it was long enough that she'd begun to drift herself, her mind falling into that pleasant, weightless warmth right on the edge of sleep. The door hissing opened startled her awake, and she scrubbed at crusty eyes as she turned to see who had found her. Meri stood in the doorway, a sweater in the human style pulled over her rumpled uniform. She had a steaming mug in each hand, bags under her eyes, and a shy smile on her face. "Meri!" Allura stood, tripping over her blanket. She was wide awake now--wide awake and filled with directionless energy. She wanted to say something to Meri, but she didn't know what. Didn't know why Meri had come to find her, after spending the last week trying her best to avoid being alone together. Meri closed the distance between them first, holding out one of her mugs to Allura. "I brought you some cocoa," she said. "Rosa's recipe." "Oh," Allura said, staring dumbly at the mug. "Thank you." They stood there awkwardly for a few moments longer, Meri staring into her own mug, which looked more like tea than cocoa, Allura watching Meri for a sign of what she wanted Allura to do. She looked more vulnerable than she had last night, like she'd finally decided to let her guard down, but Allura didn't want to ruin that by asking probing questions. "Do you... Do you want to watch the stars with me?" Allura finally asked. Meri's answering smile lit a bonfire in Allura's chest, and they settled in together on the bench by the window, shoulders pressed together, the blanket spread over both their laps. The cocoa was delicious, and it spread the warmth throughout Allura's body, soothing some of her nerves. "I'm sorry I've been so distant," Meri said, both hands wrapped around her mug. She stared out at the stars, the soft blue glow of the room's emergency lighting catching in her hair, which was still damp from a recent shower. The light softened her, washing away the marks of her experiences in Haggar's circle. Allura laid a hand on her arm. "You don't need to apologize, Meri. You've been through a lot. You're allowed to take some time to adjust." Meri gave her a watery smile, laying her own hand atop Allura's. "Thanks. I... I know you want to help, and you deserve to know everything. I just... I don't know when I'll be ready to talk about it. It's all too fresh right now. Is it okay if we just... sit... for a while? I've missed you." "I missed you, too," Allura said, squeezing Meri's wrist. "We can do whatever you like. You know I'll always be here for you." Meri's face crumpled, and she gave a self-conscious laugh as Allura pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice hitching. "I just... You shouldn't promise things when you don't have all the information." Allura's throat constricted, and she carefully set aside their two mugs--her still mostly full, Meri's down to the dregs. She turned, cradling Meri's cheek in the palm of hand and gently turning her head until their eyes met. "You're right that I don't know everything you've done," she said, bringing up her other hand to curl around the back of meri's neck, her fingers tangling in the short, fine hairs at the base of her skull. "But I know you, and I know why you did what you did. That's enough for now. When you're ready to talk about what happened, I'll listen, but I already know nothing you say will change how I feel about you." Meri's eyes watered, and she pulled away from Allura's touch. "You can't know that." "Of course I can," Allura whispered. She leaned back into the mound of pillows, pulling Meri with her. "We're at war, Meri. We all face impossible decisions--some more horrific than others. Sometimes we regret our decisions. Sometimes we wish there had been another way." She paused, weighing her words. "You think I think less of Shiro for his past? Or Keith? Thace? I won't pretend that the decisions I've had to make are anything like what you've faced, but I'm not naive. I know the ugliness that exists in this universe." Meri wound tighter in Allura's arms for a moment, then slowly relaxed against her, her breathing evening out. "I guess we all do, by now."

"Unfortunately." Allura wove her fingers into Meri's hair, combing it back from her face. "But I also know that good people are still good, whatever ugliness they’ve faced, and that we can still carve out places to breathe for a moment, away from it all."

"Places like here?" Meri asked, turning so her chin rested on Allura's breastbone. A crooked smile had taken over her face, and it made Allura's heart melt.

"Places like here. Whatever ugliness is out there, I won't let it reach you while we're together. I swear it. So try to get some rest, all right?"

Meri's smile slipped. "I... I'll try. But, Allura, you need to know--sometimes, when I first wake up, I forget that I'm not back there. I don't--You don't need to worry about it. I'm dealing. I'm learning how to. But you should know, because I'm probably going to wake up in a couple hours, and there's a good chance I'll wake you up when I do."

Allura's chest tightened in sympathy, and she kissed Meri's forehead. "Thank you for telling me. Is there anything I can do to help if that happens? Or should I give you space?"

"Space," Meri said, after a moment's pause. "Just for a minute. Just until I figure out what's happening."

Smiling, Allura guided Meri's head down onto her chest. "I can do that. Now rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I love you, Allura."

"I love you, too. I always will."

#bad things happen bingo #bthb #voltron duality #alluri #worked themself to exhaustion #my fic

[cassandramccord]

But also? Five months is one less months than six months and then HENRY CAN COME HOME YAYYYY which will be a whole OTHER emotional entanglement but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Anyway, I cannot believe we're already 10 chapters deep. It's like that saying "time flies when you're having fun" but instead it's "chapters fly when you're reading an incredibly well-written literary masterpiece."

WELL WRITTEN LITERARY MASTERPIECE my god I’m dying. I am currently writing the last chapter before the epilogue and I’m gutted at the idea of saying goodbye to this story like..can’t handle it. It’s gonna be 20 chapters total including the epilogue so you’re halfway through it. 

[fire-dwelling]

Fire Force, Chapter 113: ‘The Outside World’

Translated from Japanese to Portuguese to English

Page 3

The artwork of Shinra, Arthur, and Vulcan says, “Hello, Hello, How Low? Hero is here, now world!! More than 1,800,000 copies sold! On the next page is a summary for newcomers! Enter the Chinese Peninsula Saga! This is a dark fantasy about firefighters--who fight fire with fire!”

Page 4

Narration: “To investigate the Great Disaster of 250 Years Ago, the Fire Force go to the China Peninsula! Now they arrive at their destination--but chaos breaks out due to a mysterious gas!”

Over an image of a mortified Shinra is the caption “The Burning Red Flames.”

The caption below is a summary:

“A Summary in 4 points for those who started reading today!”

1. The protagonist is Shinra. He’s a special firefighter who can kick out flames to defeat Flame Humans!

2. The enemy is the Preacher. Their goal is to gather all those with the Adora Burst!

3. To investigate the Great Disaster of 250 Years Ago, Shinra and members of the Fire Force go to the Chinese Peninsula!

4. Their destination: the Tear from Space.”

Page 5

Victor sits in the truck. Noise is all around him.

Victor: “...”

???: “Ho! Yayyyy!!!”

Victor sweats slightly and looks at the driver, Pan, who looks to be in a dazed, lazily blowing on his whistle. Gas is outside the window.

Victor: “Well, I warned you.”

Outside, the van is slowly driving through what looks like wreckage--torn ladders and criss-cross building material--in front of a smoking volcano. Attached to the back of the van is a small wagon, on which Takeru stands with Shinra on his shoulders.

???: “Hell!!! Yay!!!”

Page 6

Victor: “I had told you this gas would affect you immediately--and that it was spreading…”

Shinra shouts orders.

Shinra: “Come on, Juggernaut! Let’s go! Go! Go!”

Inside the van, Tamaki is sitting on some supplies. She’s holding up her hand like she’s talking on the phone.

Tamaki: “Hello, Mother? It's me~ I won’t be able to come home today! What?! Where am I going to sleep? I can not talk about this... After all, I'm on the Chinese Peninsula!”

Tamaki starts slapping her hand down, like slamming the “phone.”

Tamaki: “Even the phone doesn’t work here!”

Inside the truck as well, Arthur is meditating while Ogun swings his arm behind him.

Ogun: “Ah! It’s so hot that I want to dance!”

Arthur opens his eyes.

Arthur: “If you don’t wear a mask, the gas fires you up...So it's better to extinguish the soul.”

Page 7

Shinra spots a tall rock formation.

Shinra: “!! Enemy rock approaching! Get ready to ambush! Ready...Aim...Fire!”

Takeru unleashes his attacks.

Shinra: “Tra tra tra tra! Tra tra tra tra!”

Page 8

Takeru’s attacks blow up the rock, knocking the truck.

Tamaki and Arthur look from inside the truck.

Tamaki: “Fiu fiu!”

Arthur: “Hmph.”

Victor: “That crack in the ground...Is that where the gas comes from?”

Smoke comes out of the rocks.

Page 9

Victor: “Captain Pan, you remember our mission?”

Pan: “We're exploring the Tear from Space to find something related to the Adora Burst and the cause of the Great Disaster 250 Years Ago...Why do you ask?”

Victor: “At least for now you’re holding up.”

Pan: “But of course PIHH…”

Pan blows his whistle and calls to the back.

Pan: “PIPIHH!! Hey, you kids--sit still and stop screwing around!”

Ogun: “!!”

Ogun and Shinra: “Okaaaaaaaaaaay, teacher~”

Shinra: “Where are we going now?”

Page 10

Victor: “Northwest of New Quindao...To a place with a high incidence of the Adora Burst.”

???: “It’s still going to take some time to get there, so don’t waste your powers goofing around.”

Shinra: “Why can’t we get there sooner?”

Shinra: (thinking: “Information about the Preacher...We may discover the relationship between the Adora Burst and the Great Disaster 250 Years Ago…”)

Tamaki peeks outside. She looks up.

Tamaki: “Uah...What’s that?”

Page 11

The truck is driving away from a rock formation, which looks like the remains of some gigantic clawed beast.

Tamaki: “That rock seems to be looking at us…”

Shinra: “Is Tamaki scared?”

Tamaki: “No, I’m not.”

Page 12

Ogun: “That rock formation can’t just be caused by the weather: even a strange climate wouldn’t leave something like that…”

Shinra: “Was it formed by the Adora Burst incident during the Great Disaster?”

Takeru: “Uahhhh~ It’s like the end of the world!”

Arthur: “Extinguishing my soul leaves me cold…”

Pan: “Shut up. It's going to take us a while to get there, so sleep…”

Then something pops out of the ground.

???: “Somebody help meeeeeeeee!!!”

Shinra: “A voice?! I heard it, out there!”

Page 13

Suddenly, a gigantic stony sandworm on fire bursts out of the ground behind the truck.

Shinra: “What?!!”

Page 14

The worm slams down again, knocking up the truck.

Shinra: “Are you kidding...That’s just a hallucination from the gas, right?”

Ogun: “What happened? What was that noise?!”

Victor: “No...I’m sober and saw it, too…”

Shinra: “So that voice calling out for help was that big thing?”

Shinra then notices something quickly moving underground parallel to the truck. Again, the first “something” that popped out of the ground does so again.  

Shinra: “!!”

Page 15

It’s a mole.

Mole: “Of course not?! It was me! I ended up encroaching on that Giant Worm’s den...You're the troop from the New Qingdao, right?! Then save me!”

Shinra’s mouth hangs open.

The Mole sits on the truck’s trailer.

Mole: “Phew, safe.”

Ogun: “Hey! Don’t sit there! You're being followed! Don’t involve us in this!”

Shinra and Tamaki pop their heads out with Ogun to see the trailer.

Tamaki: “Ah...Come on, Ogun…”

Shinra and Ogun stare in shock.

Shinra and Ogun: “...”

Shinra, Ogun, and Tamaki: “The mole talked?!”

Page 16

Arthur picks up the Mole by their satchel.

Arthur: “Abomination! Devil! Get lost! Go be worm food!”

Mole: “GUEEEEEE! St-Stop!”

Takeru pops out his head to see something fall from the Mole’s satchel: a potato.

Takeru: “!! Potato!”

Takeru seizes the Mole.

Mole: “GUEEE~”

Takeru: “You’re the one who wrecked my family’s potato farm?!”

Mole: “This is your first time here, right? I know everything about this region! It was my fault bothering the worm, but if you save me, I can guide you to your destination!”

Page 17

The worm leaps again.

Tamaki: “Come on, teacher!”

Pan: “Check out how I drive!”

Pan skids, just missing the worm as it dives again.

Pan: “Oh, this is bad! Shinra, Ogun! Do something!”

Shinra and Ogun pop out of the truck.

Shinra: “Let’s go, Ogun!”

Ogun: “Good, I was getting bored anyway!”

The worm emerges from the ground again.

Page 18

Shinra is already flying over the worm.

On the trailer stand Arthur, Ogun, and the Mole.

Ogun: “Take the mole inside. Yoruba Lance!”

Spears appear in the sky, somehow forming a skateboard.

Page 19

Ogun sails on the skateboard, circling the front of the truck and the worm.

Shinra: “Ogun! Draw out the worm!”

Ogun: “Yoruba Blacksmith!”

Translation note: Ogun is named after the spirit of metal work in the Yoruba religion.

More flaming spears appear, following Ogun.

Ogun: “Follow me, worm!”

Page 20

In the back of the truck, the Mole lands head down.

Mole: “Mogu…”

The Mole gets up.

Mole: “T-This is the Giant Worms’ land! If those two humans move carelessly, two or three worms may attack us!”

Takeru: “Hey, what about my potatoes?!”

Tamaki: “Now’s not the time!”

Takeru: “Okay…”

Victor: “Now approaching the Tear from Space…”

Mole: “Tear? That’s where I’m from! I know all about it!”

Victor: “This map may be wrong…”

Mole: “Go northeast…”

Page 21

Pan makes a sharp turn, knocking over Victor into the Mole.

Mole: “DOAAH!”

The Mole rubs their head.

Mole: “Why are you going there?!”

Victor: “We’re looking for information about the Adora Burst...You know anything?”

The Mole has a flame tail.

Mole: “ ‘Know anything’? I know everything--I was there! The Adora Burst? It exists.”

Victor sweats.

Victor: “An animal that can speak like a human...What happened there?”

The Mole drops the potatoes.

Mole: “If they hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have needed to steal potatoes.”

Page 22

Flames appear around the Mole.

Mole: “I want to recover Oasis!”

Narration: “The Chinese Peninsula is full of unknown things! A mole is now their guide?! The destination is called Oasis?! Before unmasking the mysteries, they have to stop the Giant Worm!”

Shinra: “Face me, Evil Worm Monster! I, the Mighty Shinraman, will be your opponent!”

Narration: “To be continued in Chapter 114: ‘The Road to the Oasis’!”

#fire force #fire brigade of flames #enen no shouboutai #en en no shobotai #enen no shobotai #long post #spoiler #spoilers

[daqtranscripts]

Ep. 5 Transcript

Ep. 5 Alpine Escape - Chapter Five

Sophie: Previously on “Dungeons & Queers”...

[RECAP WITH MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND]

Sophie: The villagers had been rescued and had gone down that path; basically, there’s a local village that some of them have heard of called Northpass Haven… It’s famed as being attacked by orcs and stuff like that and surviving.

With little protective outerwear, these former prisoners move slowly and begin to falter in the face of the relentless mountains.

Mara: We are sending the stronger people ahead and we are staying back with the people who are not doing quite as well.

Sophie: As the alpine forests fade into lush woodlands, a heavily fortified town’s outer wall made of very solid, vertically stacked logs appears in the distance. As you approach, a huge Orog emerges from the forest and fells 4 of the villagers before you can get to them. It’s 3 orcs and an orog -  Yeah, you actually, you see Kenwick go down as the Orog sinks its axe into his chest.

[END RECAP]

Announcer: This show is part of the trans podcaster visibility initiative.

[THEME MUSIC]

Sophie: Okay

Credence: Let’s fucking do this cuz Lazza’s not

Mara: Ellywick’s fucking pissed

Credence: Alright. Initiative time?

Sophie: Initiative time

[DICE ROLLS]

Mara: Euch. It’s a garb roll

Sophie: What’d you get?

Credence: I got 17. [PAUSE] Okay???

Sophie: Yeah. It’s just, I’ve got 7 people in initiative right now.

Credence: So it’s an orog and 3 other orcs? Or just 2?

Sophie: Yup. 3 orcs.

Credence: Okay

Mara: 4 Enemies total

Joe: Dang. how’d they catch up with us?

Sophie: They’re very good at what they do.

Mara: Says Sophie. Says the DM whose upset with them trivializing her fights.

Sophie: This is in the plan! I can show you. I can show you - look!

Mara: [DISBELIEVING] Uh-huh. Uh-huh. [LAUGHING] Okay.

Sophie: I actually - I eliminated one orc because basically I took two encounters and mashed them up.

Mara: It’s a mash-terpiece.

Sophie: It’s a mash-terpiece. Yes. Okay! So, first in the order is the orc whose mother named it Orc 3

[SNICKERING]

Joe: Auch. That motherly love.

Sophie: Yeah. [DICE ROLLS] Awwww it’s a critical miss against Lazza.

Mara: Yayyyy!!! Ayyyyyy!

Sophie: [EXASPERATED] Oh boy.

Credence: Lazza just laughs at him.

Sophie: Yeah. I think actually in game he’s so surprised to see it’s you, that he just misses.

Mara: Heh! ~WhooOOooooh~

Sophie: “Wait. What’re you doing here” Okay! Lazza. You’re up next.

Credence: Okay. Lazza is going to rage. She’s . . . she’s . . . yeah. She’s fucking pissed about this situation. So that means that “she has advantages on strength checks and strength saving throws, + 2 damage with melee attacks, resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.”

Sophie: Okay

Credence: ‘And it lasts for one minute or end when knocked out or if she hasn’t dealt any damage or taken any damage in a turn. She enters that as a bonus action. “ She’s gonna have her shield out and she’s gonna do a one handed swing with her battle axe at the dumbass who just tried to attack her.

Sophie: Okay

Credence: Well, actually, how close are the others?

Sophie: Close enough that you could attack them

Credence: Nahhh, nah. She’s gonna get rid of him. She’s not gonna Reckless Attack this time. [DICE ROLLS] Alright, so we’ve got an 11 . . .  + 6 . . ..

Sophie: Yup. That does it

Credence: Okay. So 17. So she does 1d8 + 6 cuz she’s in rage.

Sophie: Okay

Credence: [DICE ROLLS] So 4 + 6 is 10.

Sophie: Okay. The orc is badly bloodied, but still on its feet. Kind of about to give up the ghost.

Next in the order is Defiance.

Joe: Alright. So. Curious to know if I’d be able to cast Spare the Dying which is a cantrip on one of the people that got felled. I guess I’m not sure

Credence: I’m guessing that E would want you to do that to Kenway

Mara: Yeah. Buuut.

Sophie: Hmmmm. Can you read me how that works?

Joe: Sure! “You touch a living creature that has 0 hit points. The creature becomes stable. The spell has no effect on undead or constructs.”

Sophie:Okay. So that’s if they’re still alive and not already dead. Like dead. Like not dead, dying. Okay. Is there a particular person you wanna target with this or just whichever one is closest?

Joe: I wanna do a medicine check to see if I can’t discern if at least one of the four people or maybe all four, who knows are indeed just dying and not dead dead.

Sophie: I’d say that’s a perception check cuz medicine is like your ability to heal them. Or maybe and investigation?

Credence: I thought medicine was also for checking the state of somebody’s wounds.

Sophie: Yeah, but given that you’re trying to do multiples -

Joe: S’kind of accessing each quickly

Sophie: And you’re not really trying to learn anything about their wounds, you’re just trying to figure out if they’re dead or not

[DICE ROLLS]

Joe: You said perception? That’s just a 10.

Sophie: I’ll say one of the villagers is fading fast. Kenway and the other four are dead.

Joe: Kay. Alright. Then, I’ll touch that person that is fading, stabilize them, and can I also cast Bless?

Sophie: Is Spare the Dying a cantrip?

Joe: Yes.

Sophie: Okay, then you can do that.

Joe: Then I cast Bless on Ellywick annnnd  on  Lazza

Sophie: Can you cast it on multiple people?

Joe: “Up to three creatures of my choice”

Sophie: Okay

Joe: “Within range” I’m guessing they’re both within about 30 feet?

Sophie: Yeah and you can cast it on yourself too.

Joe: ‘Kay. I was just gonna ask. Then I’m gonna cast it on myself too then.

Sophie: Unless you wanna cast it on the orog . . .?

[SNICKERS]

Joe: Uhhhhh . . . Pass. So. “Whenever a Blessed creature makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack or saving throw”

Sophie: And that’s not like a one time use. You can just do that, no?

Joe: Yup

Credence: Okay. And how long does the spell last?

Joe: One minute.

Sophie: Ten rounds of combat. Okay! So you consider yourselves Blessed. Ellywick! You are up next.

Mara: Who put the axe through Kenway’s chest again?

Sophie: We will say the orog did.

Mara: Ellywick is gonna run up to the orog. Cuz I’m assuming that Defiance and Lazza are out of the way of this? At least not within a fifteen foot cube?

Sophie: Yes

Mara: Annnnd Ja boi the orog must make a constitution saving throw cuz Ellywick is going to cast Thunderwave.

Joe: [PAINED] Ooooh.

[DICE ROLL}

Sophie: Ooohhh. 18 plus-

Mara: Yeah that saves. Don’t even worry about it.

Sophie: 18 plus 4 is 22 [LAUGHING]

Mara: Can I use my point of inspiration?

Credence: [INTRIGUED] Ooooooh.

Sophie: Let’s ask Google? Can Inspiration give disadvantage?

Mara: Cuz they’re full of this unholy rage and . . . .I mean it doesn’t matter cuz they’ll still take damage.

Sophie: Yeah. I think I’m gonna allow it because in this stance, you’re not even allowed to make a roll. You in this case - If you were making a ranged attack, you would be able to use that, so it seems acceptable to me that you would be able to use that here.

Mara: Okay

Credence: Mmhmm

Sophie: I think that that’s fine. And if I’m wrong, don’t tweet at me. Consider it a house rule.

[DICE ROLLS] Oof-a-doof-a 4 +

Credence: 4?

Sophie: 4 + 4 is 8

Mara: Yeah. That doesn’t save. So . . . 2d8 fire damage -  Er- Thunder damage is 7? Would I just add my spell attack bonus?

Sophie: Your spell modifier.

Mara: Oh! In which case is 12.

Sophie: Okay. 12 damage . . .

Joe: Niiiice

Mara: And push ten feet away

Sophie: We’ll say . . . I’ll give you given that it’s a 15 foot cube, I’ll give you one other orc was in there.

Mara: Okay!

Sophie: 12 damage you said? Pick Orc 1 or Orc 2?

Mara: [DEEP SIGH] Orc 1

Sophie: Okay then he’s killed. He has very low health to begin with. I knew that it would do - He had 12 health so it literally -

Joe: Oh wow! Sophie: I couldn’t make that choice.

Mara: Nice!

[SOMEONE BLOWS A RASPBERRY]

Joe: Murderation!

Sophie: It felt like cheating for me to make that choice having seen it.

Mara: How’s the orog looking?

Sophie: The orog’s fine . . .Pissed off, but fine.

Mara: Sonofa bitch.

Sophie: It’s got a nosebleed.

Credence: It’s the big guy, guys. This is final boss territory.

Sophie: Yup. This fight has a challenge rating well above two, I will tell you.

Credence: Alright.

Joe: [SARCASTICALLY] Yayyyyy

Sophie: So! Next in the order iiiiiis . . . Orc 1 who was just killed, so the orog! Actually. Who is going to run up to Ellywick. [DICE ROLLS] 12 + 6 is 18 vs. AC?

Mara: Yeah. That does it.

Sophie: One d12 plus 4 . . .

Mara: [PAINED] Ohhh God!

[DICE ROLLS]

Sophie: 12 + 4 is 16 damage! -

Mara: Ouch!

Sophie: -with his great axe.

Mara: Oof-a-doof-a. I am currently sitting at . . . 3 health points

Joe: Whhoooooo Boy

Mara: That hurts.

Sophie: You got his attention.

Mara: I guess so!

Credence: Oh boy.

Sophie: Next is Orc 2 who is gonna make an attack on Defiance [DICE ROLLS] What is that? I can’t see

Mara & Joe: 16

Sophie: 16 well that’s enough. It’s 16 plus something.

Joe: Yeah I was gonna say that definitely hits.

Sophie: 16 plus 5 is 21. For all of you that have a hard-on for stats.

[CHUCKLING]

Sophie: Okay. And it’s going to make 1d12 + 3 [DICE ROLLS]

Mara: Shit!

Sophie: Another 12! 12 + 3. 15 damage

Joe: Oof!

Mara: Huh! None of us are looking to hot. Well. Lazza’s fine.

Credence: I’ve got . . . I mean. We never rested, so I still only have 20 hit points?

Joe: Mmmmm?

Mara: Yeah, but compared to Joe’s 2 and my 3 . . .

Credence: Yeah, if we could do a mass heal, that would be raaaaaad.

Sophie: So next in the order is Orc 3! Top of the order. Who is going to make an attack on Lazza

Credence: Alright

[DICE ROLLS]

Sophie: 14 . . . + 5 . . . 19?

Credence: How the fuck does he have a +5!? That just barely hits.

Sophie: Okay. 1 d12 + 3. 6

Credence: Total of 6?

Sophie: Yeah. Total of 6 slashing damage, which you have resistance to.

Credence: So that means I get 3? Damage, right?

Sophie: Yup.

Credence: Cool! Is it my turn yet?

Sophie: It is your turn. The Orc 3 that just attacked you looks very, very bad off. Very easy to kill. Orc 2 is completely undamaged and looks very robust. And the orog is obviously still doing fine.

Credence: Okay. I’m gonna go ahead and do a Reckless Attack on . .. Orc 2.

Sophie: Okay

Credence: I’m still also Enraged.

Sophie: Yup

[DICE ROLLS]

Credence: AHahah! Second one was a crit!

So I’m doing 1d8 er- like. I’m doing one handed battle axe. I’ve still got my shield out. So that means I roll .. . 3? D8s?

Sophie: Yeah. 3. Cuz you’re a barbarian.

Credence: Yeah because I’ve got the plus one damage dice for on a crit cuz of Savage Attack. And then it’s already a crit. So 3d8 . . . plus 6.

Sophie: Yup

[DICE ROLLS]

Credence: We gotta 6 . . . got an 8! . . . and another 8! So that’s 22 plus . . . 6. So that’s gonna be 28.

Sophie: You take this thing’s head right off.

Joe: Nice

Credence: Excellent! I think When Lazza’s enraged, she’s just like . . .

Joe: UNSTOPPABLE

Credence: Well. I think she’s like laughing like she’s having a ton of fun, but she’s also like screaming in rage. Like it’s back and forth and she’s just . . . a little deranged? But y’know she’s focusing really nicely on what she’s doing, so there’s that.

Sophie: Okay! Next in the order is Defiance

Joe: Okay! So. What is left?

Sophie: Orc 3 is looks really bad off and the orog is looking fine.

Mara: Wait. I thought Lazza just killed Orc 3?

Credence: No. I went after Orc 2 which hadn’t been hit at all.

[CHORUS OF OH’S]

Sophie: Fuckin’ destroyed it in one hit. And that was the toughest of all the orcs. Just so you know.

Joe: Nice! Credence: Excellent. So the - honestly. [STAGE WHISPERED] I think you should heal.

Joe: Yup. So what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna . . . spend my last spell slot to cast Cure Wounds, but I’m also going to use the War Priest ability? I guess you’d call it? Just “Your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the attack action, you can make one attack as a bonus action.”

Sophie: But you’re not using the attack action

Joe: Aw fuck. You’re right. Hmmmm.

Sophie: So you gotta pick.

Joe: Shit. Well, I’ll have to use that next round I guess.

Sophie: You can cast a spell and a cantrip this round if there’s a cantrip you wanna cast.

Joe: Mmm. Yeah Maybe. Can I make one more perception check to see if among the people that got cut down, if I missed anybody?

Sophie: If you wanna re-roll your perception check, yeah.

Joe: ‘Kay. If maybe on a second look around [DICE ROLLS] [MUTTERING] That will beee . . . 17?

Sophie: Yeah. You saw everything that there was to see.

Joe: Aw fuck it. As a cantrip, I’ll do Thaumaturgy. I’ll make some of them tremors again. Maybe it’ll at least

Mara: Scurr it.

Joe: Yeah. Maybe it’ll give the orog or the other orc some sort of pause, like. [IN A SILLY VOICE] “Hmmm maybe there are others that we missed”

Sophie: Okay

Joe: You never know. Sophie:But you wanted to cast Cure Wounds?

Joe: But I cast Cure Wounds on myself.

Sophie: On yourself?

Credence: How - How’re you doing? Cuz Ellywick has 3 hit points.

Mara: They’re at 2.

Joe: I have 2 hit points.

Credence: Ooooh. Yeah go ahead and do that.

Mara: Yeah neither of us are well off right now. So.

Joe: Yeah. And if I’m not mistaken, doesn’t Ellywick have Cure Wounds as well?

Mara: I have Cure Wounds.

Sophie: Okay! Roll that dice.

Joe: [DEEP SIGH] Alright.

[SIMULTANEOUSLY]

Sophie: 1d8 plus your spell casting

Joe: [MUTTERED] 1d8 plus my spell casting

Joe: So. [LONG BREATH] [DICE ROLLS]. Aw. That’s disappointing. Just 6. So I’m up to 8.

Sophie: Okay.

Credence: It’s better than nothin’

Sophie: Next in the order is Ellywick.

Mara: Okay. Well. Ellywick is gonna cast Cure Wounds on themself. [DICE ROLLS] Euch! Uh! Christ! Okay. So I get 5 points back, so I am also now at 8 health points.

Joe: Heyyyyy!

Mara: And then as a free action, I’m gonna cast Vicious Mockery. One sec . . . Let me find an insult here.

Credence: Who’re you casting it on?

Mara: It would probably kill Orc . . . which number is it?

[CHORUS OF 3’s]

Mara: Orc 3

Joe: Yeah, whichever one’s left.

Sophie: They were brothers.

Joe: Whomp-whomp

Sophie: Orc 1, Orc 2, Orc 3

Credence: [SINGING] “Heyyyy, brother . . .”

Sophie: [FORCEFULLY] NO. DON’T.

Credence: Just fucking with ya

Sophie: It’s such a good song and it’s gonna make me cry. Especially with that Adventure Zone animation of it.

Credence: I know

Joe: Mmmmmm?

Mara: I think Ellywick is gonna turn to good ol’ Orc 3 and say

Ellywick: Hey! Fuck face! You’re the reason baby gnomes cry.

[DICE ROLLS TWICE]

Mara: For fuck’s sake. That’s a one.

Sophie: Okay. HE is damaged but not down.

Mara: Cuz I don’t add my spell attack bonus to that do I?

Sophie: Hold on. Let me look it up.

Mara: I wouldn’t think so . . . Yeah. I don’t think it does. - Oh! Also! Something I’ve been for- well I’ve just killed everything with it so far. It has disadvantage on its next attack.

Joe: Oh! Nice.

Credence: That’s good.

Joe: Yeah! That’s helpful. It’s the sort of thing that it would normally take pride in, but there’s some part of it that’s -

Sophie: Oh wait! Shouldn’t he have to take a Wisdom saving throw before he takes that damage.

Joe: Oh! Yeah.

Mara: Yeah!

[DICE ROLLS]

Sophie: 19

Joe: Shit!

Mara: Oh. He saves.

Sophie: Yeah

Mara: He’s proud then.

Sophie: He’s like

Orc 3: Yeah! I am! I am the reason baby gnomes cry

Joe: [AS ORC 3]: Glad you could recognize that.

Credence: [AS ORC 3]: I’ve worked really hard to build up this aesthetic.

[CROSSTALK AND CHUCKLING]

Sophie: Okay! What did you wanna-? Oh you cast Cure Wounds as your action.

Mara: Yyup

Sophie: Okay! Next up is the orog

Mara: [WHISPERED]: Fuck!

Sophie: Who is going to make another attack on Ellywick.

Mara: [WHISPERED]: Fuck!

Credence: [PAINED] Ohhh!

[DICE ROLLS]

Sophie: Hold on . . . . That was 13 vs. AC?

Mara: Urhg. Tie goes to the runner. FUCK!

Sophie: That is 1d12

Mara: [LAUGH/CRYING]

Sophie: 1d12 plus 4

[DICE ROLLS] 7 plus 4 11

Mara: Kay. I’m at 8-11. -3. So we’re gonna need to make some death saving throws

Sophie: Which is always exciting. Okay! Next  in the order is Orc 3!

Joe: [SOFTLY] Yayyy!

Sophie: Who is going to make an attack on . . . I think he’s not the most strategic in the world, he’s just gonna keep making the attack on Lazza. [DICE ROLLS] Oof. Oof-a-doof-a! That is . .. 20 . . . something.

Credence: Yyyup.

Sophie: 20- something. 23.

Credence: Yyyyyuup. [DICE ROLLS] Was that a - it wasn’t a crit though, right?

Sophie: No. That is 13 slashing damage, which you are resistant to. So do we round up or down?

Mara: Up.

Sophie: Up. So 7 slashing damage.

Credence: Alright. I’m down to 10 hit points.

Joe: Shit.

Sophie: It’s gonna be very interesting if you all die here.

Mara: [SINGSONG] 13 more than I have~

Sophie: And that was the podcast!

Joe: Neat!

Credence: Is it my turn now?

Sophie: It is!

Credence: Does it count as an action to give someone a healing potion?

Sophie: Not to give one, but to use one.

Credence: Okay. So here’s the thing folks. I have a healing potion. But I feel like we’re better off trying to take these guys down. As quickly as possible.

Joe: Mmmmm

Mara: Yeah, I’d say that’s fair.

Credence: So like, I think I’m gonna attack to Orog this turn and then yeah .. . god dammit. Yeah. I think seeing Ellywick get taken down Lazza is going to do a Reckless Attack against the Orog and at this point she’s got her axe out. She’s put her shield away, she’s doin’ her axe two handed against this fucker.

Sophie: Okay.

[DICE ROLLS TWICE]

Credence: Oookay. So I’ve got . . . 25! Does that it?

Sophie: That hits

Credence: Alright, so I get 1d10 plus 6. That’s a 9! So 15 damage.

Sophie: Oof-a-doof-a

Joe: Nice!!!

Credence: Again, to the orog

Mara: Well and can you add Bless to attack rolls? Or is it only saving?

Credence: Oh! Can I add Bless to damage?

Sophie: Not to damage, but to attack rolls.

Mara: Aw okay.

Sophie: Yeah, which that already hit. Okay! He looks pretty bad off. The Orog does. Next in the order is Defiance.

Lazza: Take him down!

Joe: In that case . . .hmm. Curious about this. Since I’m technically gonna do an attack, can I do Spare the Dying on Ellywick and then the two attacks using that War Priest ability?

Sophie: Is that War Priest ability - does it say it’s a bonus action?

Joe: Yes

Sophie: Then, no. you can only have one bonus action.

Credence: I mean, I think Ellywick  . . . You can cast Spare the Dying before Ellywick’s next death saving throw.

Sophie: IF! You’re up and alive.

Credence: Sorry, what?

Sophie: If Defiance is still up and alive.

Joe: Well then perhaps keeping more with the character, I’ll do Spare the Dying and then one attack.

Sophie: I mean, this is a pretty desperate situation, so I’m not gonna be like “That’s not a logical character choice”

Joe: No, I know. But . . .

Sophie: Cuz like, Ellywick hasn’t even made one death saving throw.

Credence: I think we should - I think you should try to do -

Joe: [RESIGNED]: I’ll do two attacks.

Sophie: Yeah. Cuz like. I’m the DM. Y’all can do whatever you want.

[DICE ROLLS]

Credence: Who are you attacking?

Joe: Can I split my attack between once with the orc and once with the oroc? Or do I have to attack the same thing twice.

Credence: I honestly - What kind of damage are you rolling? What does your warhammer do?

Sophie: Bludegeoning

Credence: Right. But like 1 d8

[CROSSTALK]

Joe: 1d8+3

Credence: Honestly, I think Lazza’s gonna shout

Lazza: TAKE OUT THE BIG GUY!

Credence: Cuz like, honestly. He still has his turn left and he does a lot of hits.

Joe: Yeah. That’s true.

Credence: 3 has already gone.

Sophie: I will say because you would have noticed by now, the orog is wearing plate armour which is very thick.

Joe: ‘Kay. And just so you know, I’m gonna do the extra Bless for both my attacks too.

[DICE ROLLS] So. Then . . .21 is the first attack. Second attack . . . 22.

Sophie: Those are both against the orog?

Joe: Yeah Sophie: Alright Yeah. Those are both gonna hit. Good job with that Bless spell.

Joe: Aw thanks. [DICE ROLLS] Auch. Bless.

[LAUGHTER]

Joe: Literally. Okay, So. First attack, 9 damage. Second attack is . . .11

Sophie: Okay!

Credence: TWENTY DAMAAAGE

Sophie: You just smash him in the chest twice and his platemail armour just collapses in and he goes down.

Mara: Whooo!

Joe: Auch! Thank god.

Mara: Alright time for me make a saving throw?

Sophie: Yup! Make a death saving throw, Ellywick.

Credence: Wait! So, the orog is dead?

Sophie: Yup! The orog is dead.

Lazza: YESS! GOOD JOB!

Sophie: Ellywick just rolled a critical 20 on a death saving throw so you are stable.

Mara: Oh! [CLAPS HANDS] That’s good!

Joe: Good!

Mara: I didn’t know that’s how that worked.

Joe: Yayyyyyy

Sophie: Yeah, It doesn’t work that way on a critical miss, but on a critical save, you are stable.

Mara: Bless!

Joe: Cool!

Sophie: Next is Orc 3 who is gonna run and make an attack on Defiance who just killed his boss.

[DICE ROLLS]

Joe: Alright

Sophie: What is that?

Joe: Yeah, that definitely hits.

Mara: 14

Joe: Yeah, I gotta 12.

Sophie: Okay. 1d12 + 3 [DICE ROLLS] [LAUGHS] That’s 4 damage.

Joe: Nice. Down to four.

Sophie: Kinda- Kinda clips ya

Joe: Argh.

Mara: ‘Sokay cuz clips pretty bad right now

Joe: Right. Auch. [SUCKS IN AIR]

Sophie: And actually, both of you that are still conscious go ahead and make a perception check.

Joe: Perception? Okay.

[DICE ROLLS]

Credence: I’m gonna add-

Joe: 13

Credence: I’m gonna add the Bless thing, cuz it’s on any check right?

Sophie: It’s not a saving throw or an attack, so no.

[DICE ROLLS]

Credence: Eh-heh. Lazza got a 6.

Sophie: Okay. I think Lazza doesn’t notice, but Defiance notices the gates of the town opening and people rushing out with like - armed people rushing out. So next in the order iiiis . .. . Lazza

Credence: Alright. Llazza’s fucking done with this shit. She’s going to Recklless Attack Orc number 3. Gonna add that d4 as well. Cuz we’re not - We’re not fucking around her. And she’s doing two handed battle axe. [DICE ROLLS] [MUTTERING] Okay  . . . so there’s that one. I’m gonna roll both cuz I wanna see if I can crit [DICE ROLLS] Noooooo. Okay. First one was 19?

Sophie: Yup! That hits.

Credence: Alright, so we get 1d10 + 6 [DROPS DICE] Oops! Sloppy dice. Sloppy, sloppy dice. Alright she only hits for 8.

Sophie: Yup! That is more than enough. You kill this last orc as the village militia runs up to you.

Credence: Phbth. Oh boy

Lazza: I’m not one of them! I just - I just stopped ‘em!

Sophie: Okay. So. Yeah. You all are the remaining villager that you spared - and kind of all the bodies are brought in.

Joe: I thought there was like 2? And then one that I spared that got cut down.

Credence: No there was two - well two died earlier. And then we got four . .. .

Sophie: Oh yeah! There were four remaining villagers and they ran off and they were actually probably pounding on the doors and they’re what allerted the local militia that something was even up.

Joe: Okay! Gotcha, gotcha.

Credence: And then the four who went down, you stabilized one of them?

YEah

Joe: I’ll carry that one in.

Sophie: Death shrouds are put over the lost, and

Mara: Ellywick unconsciouses unconsciously

Credence: Lazza’s carrying . . .I think Lazza picked up Ellywick. I think Lazza picked up Ellywick and is kind of barking orders at the people making sure that they’re really carefluy with Kenway. And like, also kind of trying to make sure that they don’t do anything with Kenway until Ellywick is awake.

Mara: Awwwe

Sophie: Okay. Yeah.

Joe: Say some last rights for them.

Sophie: I think that’s the episode. The next one we will deal with the conclusion of this and some table talk

Mara: Cool!

Credence: Lookit! Lazza cares about Ellywick.

Mara: [LAUGHING] I know, I know.