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hachichimitsu2 · 5 years ago

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A Comprehensive List of Stan and Kyle Moments (I UPD8 AS I GO)

Hello. Yes, you heard me. Here are all the scenes that legit scream out “STYLE” in South Park, whether these scenes are too far of a reach or not. I mostly compiled this out of my very own convenience, and hopefully this’ll help you a whole lot too. This is extremely text heavy, so I’ll put this under “Read More”. I haven’t played any of the games, so I won’t be including it here at this time, so if you guys know any good moments from the games, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list.

Cherokee Hair Tampons:

- The entire goshdarn episode.

- Stan being concerned and distraught over a dying Kyle breaks my heart. He was even bawling next to Kenny.

- Stan willing to donate his kidney to Kyle, even if it’d hurt a lot.

- Stan knowing that Kyle ate a bean and bacon soup half an hour ago shows that he’s been by Kyle’s side for quite some time now.

- Stan holding onto Kyle while they were at Cartman’s house.

- “Dude, you’re my best friend. I don’t want you to die before I do...”

Super Best Friends:

- Yeah, um, this episode...is gay.

- Stan and Kyle entering the episode with ice cream cones while Butters and Cartman wondering where they got them from. It’s assumed Stan and Kyle were hanging out with each other off-screen.

- I think Kyle being convinced that he’s not “really happy” through brainwashing is parallel to Stan being convinced that he’s “depressed” by the Church of Scientology.

- Stan trying to help Kyle escape with him, not even mentioning this plan to Kenny, Cartman or even Butters.

- Stan and Kyle looking at each other with longing looks while dramatic music plays in the background. Ah yes. I am...not even joking...this legit happened.

- How to Find Your Boyfriend 101: “OH MY GOD! THEY KILLED KENNY!!” “Y-you bastards...”

- Stan pleading Kyle not to kill himself and to hold his breath while being there for him.

- The ending where they call each other Super Best Friends and both proceed to beat up Cartman when he teased that they should make out.

Cartmanland:

- Stan comforting a distraught Kyle.

- @belovedhomosexuals mentioned that canonically, Stan helps Kyle with his hemorrhoid cream, and IM-

- Stan doing everything he can to get back at Cartman for Kyle’s sake.

- Stan demanding the doctor to wheel Kyle out to see Cartman in misery.

Asspen:

- “YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HEATHER!!” >:(

- Kyle not wanting Stan to do the K-13. He doesn’t want him to die.

- Kyle holds a polaroid photo of the both of them. How cute. Does he bring it with him wherever he goes?

The Biggest Douche In The Universe:

- Stan not wanting to go back to Colorado without Kyle and does all he can to convince him that John Edward is a fraud.

Follow That Egg:

- They are dads.

- They take care of their egg really well.

- “As a matter of fact, it is the nicest hat I’ve ever known”

- They’re the reasons gays could get married.

- Stan getting jealous of Kyle being paired up with Wendy. It does seem like a reach I have to admit, but if you’re a Stylendy fan, then this one’s for you.

Return of Chef

- The iconic beginning “flashback” where they both look at the sunset together.

Smug Alert:

- Stan and Kyle meeting in the parking lot in the beginning when Kyle was helping his dad give fake tickets.

- Kyle being moved away from South Park has Stan write a song to get Kyle and his family to come back.

- The cute hug in the end.

Fantastic Easter Special

- Stan, out of breath, asks Kyle for help in protecting Snowball

- Kyle helping him out anyways even though he was busy with fingerprinting.

- Cinematic parallels of Kyle killing Jesus and Stan killing that alien in Pinewood Derby.

Imaginationland Trilogy

- Kyle calling Stan in the morning regarding the “dream.”

- Stan and Kyle, unsure of the notes, both trying to recall the Imagination song. It was cute.

- Stan being distraught when ManBearPig got a hold on Kyle. (I swear, I’ve used the word “distraught” for over 1948388 times now)

- Kyle communicating through Stan telepathically with his Imagination.

Guiltar Queer O

- The whole episode.

- “I know...I need you.”

- The whole episode was literally as if they went through a break up.

- They’re both in sync when playing, right up to their tongues up.

- “Oh, so the gallant knight now comes to rescue me from the bowels of mediocrity! Oh, thank you, your royal lordship!” (Foreshadowing for SOT?)

- Stan thinking of Kyle as he’s “driving”.

The List:

- Stan doing all he can to prove that Kyle is a handsome mf. Another episode that screams Stylendy rights.

You Got F’d in the A:

- Kyle being so happy to see Stan dancing back to the Orange County kids.

- It’s canon that Stan can dance well while Kyle doesn’t have rhythm whatsoever. Wouldn’t it be a cute idea for Stan to teach Kyle how to dance?

You Have 0 Friends

- Kyle pleading Stan to water his crops.

- A short detail but if you noticed when Kyle announced that they made an FB account for Stan, he only added himself as Stan’s friend. This means that Kyle legit “friended” himself in Stan’s profile and didn’t bother to add Kenny or Cartman to Stan’s friend list.

- “Yes. WE’RE REALLY GREAT FRIENDS STAN!!” :D

You’re Getting Old:

- Oof. Yeah....

- Stan obviously loves Kyle a whole lot, but him seeing Kyle slowly turn into a turd probably did break his heart little by little. And when I mean by probably, I mean massively.

- Kyle shouldn’t exactly be demonized for not being able to handle Stan’s cynicism. Because I think it’s ok to admit you can’t handle such emotional drainage even if coming from your SBF, but do mind that him leaving Stan was most likely NOT easy for him. It’s kinda sad that they’ve slowly drifted away since then. BUT NO I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN ;-;

Assburgers:

- “Fuck you Kyle! You’re a piece of shit...Kyle, I love you. You’re a piece if shit though, fuck you...! I love you...”

- Stan immediately going back to Kyle when he’s feeling “better”

- That McDonalds Exec. literally narrating Stan and Kyle’s current rocky relationship and not believing every second of if.

A Nightmare on Facetime:

- “WILL SOMEONE GET ME A CHARGER OVER HERE!!’

- Kyle bringing and guiding Stan through the iPad.

Ginger Cow:

- Jokes aside, when Stan was asking Kyle about Cartman’s farts, he was really sweet and understanding to him. He genuinely wants to understand why Kyle likes Cartman’s farts so much and knew something was up by the way Kyle was hiding things.

- I also like how he was not afraid to call Kyle a dick. I think a good level of transparency is needed in a healthy relationship. That’s just how they roll.

- Stan helping Kyle cover up in the end....though it did backfire.

Black Friday Trilogy:

- “DID KYLE KNOW ABOUT THIS?!” “Kyle thought of it.” ;-;

- Stan being grounded and Kyle apologizing at the other side of the door was peak gay angst level.

- “That’s just how Xbox people are...” D:

- Ok now for something sweet. In the deleted scene, Stan was showing Kyle how the playstation controller works and...wow.......what cute babies.

Prehistoric Ice Man:

- “Oh my god! They killed Kenny!!” *looks at Kyle* “What? I’m not talking to you anymore.”

- Them fighting and arguing was so adorable. Their voices were so squeaky and cute in this episode.

- “First one to die loses.” SOGKEKGKRI WHAT MORONS

- Stan and Kyle kind of awkwardly trying to start the fight reminds me of Tweek vs Craig.

Mexican Joker:

- Stan angrily sending Cartman to the detention center after hearing about him sending Kyle there.

Band in China:

- “kyyyyyyYYYYYLEEEE :D DUDE YOU’RE BACK!!”

- Stan making a death metal band because a.) He hates living in the farm and b.) He misses Kyle so hard.

Britney’s New Look:

- Another Stan and Kyle episode where they both realized how so far in the wrong they’re in, and they desperately want to fix it.

- Stan and Kyle giving up in the end and joining in the chant.

The Death of Eric Cartman:

- Stan offering Kyle money so he could buy milk for lunch.

Two Guys Naked In A Hot Tub:

- “You can't just hang out with your buddy Kyle all the time. People will think you guys are, you know, funny.”

- When Kyle walks over in the end, Stan proceeds to complain to him how he had the worst night and they both go to Kyle’s house to hang.

The China Probrem

- In the beginning, Stan telling Kyle to refute Cartman’s racist sayings and got overly concerned when Kyle said he couldn’t do this anymore.

- Stan going in Kyle’s room to talk about moving on from what they’ve witnessed.

- Stan holding Kyle’s hand to run away in Kyle’s dream. Kyle waking up and crying when Stan wasn’t around to comfort him.

- Stan and Kyle crying in each other’s arms and telling each other “I love you”.

- Small detail but when they were leaving the attorney’s office and the attorney and the kids were crying altogether, Stan put a hand on Kyle to comfort him as they were crying.

The Mystery of the Urinal Deuce:

- Stan appearing in Kyle’s living room suddenly.

- “Well dude, maybe we're just super badass. Have you thought of that?” Yeah I know Stan was trying to cover up what he just did by saying that but still.

Cartman Gets An Anal Probe:

- Stan helping Kyle save Ike.

- “Hahaha you farted.” WHAT GROSS DORKS

- Kyle telling a speech to the aliens and Stan remarking how beautiful it was.

A Very Crappy Christmas:

- Kyle calling Stan in the middle of the night to get the guys, and Stan answering all sleepily is so adorable.

- Stan and Kyle voice acting together.

- Stan and Kyle doing the stopmotion animation together.

- Stan and Kyle laughing when they had Stan voice act Cartman to say the “ham” line.

Fun With Veal:

- Kyle taking care of a sickly Stan despite being a bit of a germaphobe.

The Snuke:

- Stan coming over to a sick Kyle’s house immediately after school has been suspended.

Crack Baby Athletic Association:

- Stan not being afraid to call out on Kyle.

- Kyle snuck into Stan’s room and Stan was listening to him unfazed.

Quintuplets 2000:

- Them trying to do gymnastics.

Pee:

- Kyle getting disgusted after hearing Stan talk about how it’s normal for people to pee in pools and in the shower.

Butterballs:

- Kyle calling Stan out in the bathroom, and they have this long ass stare. Kyle knowing that Stan will be jackin it in San Diego.

Bike Parade:

- Stan making Kyle laugh.

Proper Condom Use

- Stan and Kyle playing with a Jennifer Lopez doll and roleplaying.

- “SCREAM FOR ME BITCH!” “AHHHHHHHHH”

- Stan and Kyle in the same car with their cute big heads protruding.

World War Zimmerman:

- Stan and Kyle playing football.

The Scoots:

- Once again, Stan and Kyle playing football.

City on the Edge of Forever:

- Stan saving Kyle in his dream.

- Stan and Kyle sitting a bit closer to each other than usual in Stan’s dream.

Grounded Vindaloop:

- The tetherball date.

- Stan and Kyle saying “fuck you” to Kenny.

Clubhouses:

- Stan reading Bebe’s note, and Kyle being unfazed about it later in the episode. It was never defined whether he was informed the note came from Bebe.

#REHASH:

- Stan and Kyle being called grandpas by the little kids.

Tegridy Farms:

- When one of Ike’s classmates blew smoke in front of Kyle, Stan got extremely defensive about it.

Raising the Bar:

- Stan informing Kyle that it isn’t cool to continue on with “Fatty Doo Doo”.

- Stan checking up on Kyle as he’s sitting alone and listening to him lament about how the bar has sunk so low because of people.

Go Fund Yourself:

- *looking at Kyle’s ass* Boy this is the life huh.

Truth and Advertising:

- Stan and Kyle fist fighting for real, and Tweek and Craig looking at them concerned since they rarely ever fight like this.

Conjoined Fetus Lady:

- Stan preparing to catch Kyle if ever he fails to catch the dodgeball.

Stanley’s Cup:

- THEIR YOUNGER SELVES PLAYING HOCKEY!

ManBearPig:

- Stan’s head on Kyle’s lap. It’s so beautifully rendered.

Board Girls:

- “Wow, you are really into board games.”

A Scause for Applause:

- Kyle confronts Stan about cutting the bracelet by saying Heidi Turner saw him with super glue.

The Death Camp of Tolerance:

- “KYLE! KYLE! YOU HAVE TO KEEP MAKING YOUR MACARONI PICTURES!!”

South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut:

- Stan getting jealous that even Kyle is amazed at Gregory.

Cartman Join NAMBLA:

- Stan and Kyle putting their face against the glass.

Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics:

- Stan and Kyle making fun of Shelly behind her back.

Raisins:

- Kyle coming to visit Stan with the gang after the whole breakup.

- Kyle wanting Stan to be happy again by bringing him to Raisins.

- Kyle being annoyed over Stan being distraught over Wendy. Jealous?

Mr. Jefferson:

- When Stan hears a knock on his window, he assumes it’s Kyle.

- Stan and Kyle being good caretakers of Blanket.

- Stan and Kyle sleeping with Blanket.

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migstheruler · 4 years ago

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PLaystation 5 Event

initially great, despite the horrible pre-orders ordeal.

On Sept. 16, 2020, Sony pulled back the curtain on another slew of details regarding the PS5.

1. The PlayStation 5 releases on November 12th, 2020 in Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States (why these states, only Sony knows even though I think it’s because of their distinct market in each of these countries).

2. The PlayStation 5 releases everywhere else on November 19, 2020.

3. The PlayStation 5 launches at $399.99 for the digital edition and $499.99 for the disc-based edition.

*IF backward compatibility with the PS4 is important to you, I’d recommend the disc-based PS5. Sony execs have confirmed 99% of PS4 games are compatible with their new Flagship console.

The event also gave us a look into some new games coming to the PS5 for launch as well as games we can expect during the first year of the PlayStation 5’s life cycle. Honestly tho, I think some of those games indicating they were launching during 2021 is a lie. You mean to tell me you’re going to launch Horizon, God of War 2, Final Fantasy 16 all in one year…..really… If these games were dique going to launch in 2021, you would think they would have had at least a working demo or something, instead of a teaser trailer with the games logo…but I digress, I’ll touch on this later.

Below are a few games showed that caught my eye and I just had to write about them.

Overall, Sony’s PS5 presentation was a good one, with all the information we as consumers were asking for since June and 10/10 would watch again (I’ve seen the presentation 4 times already (twice to write this piece 😊)).

The presentations started with a trailer showing a slew of different games coming to the PlayStation five system, most games we covered in https://migstheruler.com/post/620830163010240512/ps5-reveal-event but just when you thought this was another trailer, boom!!!

Final Fantasy 16

A nice mix of old and new: as if the folks from Final Fantasy 11 and 12 made a 15 esque type game.

Shiva the ice goddess is back, and looking deadlier than ever throwing out chilly ice crystals sure to cause anyone level seven frostbite

Who´s a good boy? This little pup looks ready to be pet and given treats.

It looks like our trusty steeds the Chocobos are back, hopefully, they are more useful this time around )I’m looking at you final fantasy seven episode one)

Marlboros are looking as menacing as ever.

Final Fantasy 16 was pretty unexpected to be honest, especially given final fantasy seven episodes one releasing a few months ago. However, it’s a nice surprise to see Square Soft jk Square Enix working on a new Final Fantasy game, especially one that likes to expand upon the action RPG elements (Think kingdom hearts series or final fantasy 15 and even 7). Aesthetically, this is giving me hardcore fantasy elements with realism thrown in there.

Either way, what a great way to start off the presentation.

Spiderman Miles Morales:

Next up, Sony gives us a seven-minute look into Spiderman Miles Morales, which expands upon 2018’s PS4 Spiderman. Sony has said this is not a direct sequel but instead a look to further expand upon the world through the eyes of Miles Morales. The graphics and presentation of this game are sure to entice any spiderman man. The lighting coupled with Mile’s powers makes this game a visual PS5 treat.

Last time we saw Miles, he had just shown Peter Parker he too had powers to which Peter Parker joined him upon the ceiling, it was a bonding moment the two spider-men would have. Fast forward maybe a year (I’m not sure how much time has passed since the last spiderman game) we are thrusted into the shoes of Miles Morales.

“Mom I’m home” Can we take a moment to appreciate my man’s line up here, dam that shit looks crispy.

Walking through Harlem, music playing, and folks dancing Salsa in the street. I’m not going to lie, this made me cheese from ear to ear.

This is what I expect to encounter when I have to mediate between clients ready to rip each other apart in a gory fashion (above).

Okay, knowing how strong spiderman is, I fully expect the dude’s Jaw to be broken after this power punch.

I forgot to mention (above) Miles can turn Invisible and has access to electric powers (below) sure to spruce up and affect the way Miles plays. I can only imagine a focus less on gadgets and more of an emphasis on Miles’ powers.

Although I know this game stars a new spiderman aka Miles Morales, the developers sure are making sure we know we’re not playing with Peter Parker anymore.

“Insert obligatory spiderman being pulled from different directions trope here” I’m not even going to front; this image is pretty cool.

Lastly, how dope is this launch title? It is one of the first games I plan to beat on my PS5.

- I do want to say one thing regarding this title. I think it’s pretty great from a representation perspective to see a Black and Puerto Rican spiderman. Representation matters. I’m not Puerto Rican but am Latino and I do appreciate the flags littered throughout the trailer, folks dancing salsa and overall, Miles Morales as a character.

One gripe I have with this game unfortunately is Sony’s anti-consumer stance regarding those that purchased 2018’s Spiderman. Folks that purchase the Deluxe Spiderman Miles Morales edition for $79.99 get both Spiderman Miles Morales and a supped-up version of 2018’s spiderman for the PS5, yet Sony hasn’t extended an olive branch to those of us that supported their 2018 game (even making it one of their best sellers). IF you want to play Spiderman Miles Morales, you can cop it for a cool $49.99 which is dope but doesn’t include any type of upgrade for those of us with the PS4 version of spiderman. Honestly, as someone that doesn’t plan on playing the game again but it’s pretty anti-consumer to not even offer some type of benefit to those PS4 supporters. Here’s to hoping they offer some type of upgrade via a patch to the PS4 spiderman.

· Turns out the game will run natively better on the PS5 given the consoles superior power but for a truly next gen 2018 Spiderman experience, you gotta pay those $69.99 duckats.

Looks Like we’re going back to Hogwarts and I’m not talking about Fantastic Beasts or Harry Potter. We received our first look (aside from the leak that was released last year). In Hogwarts Legacy, we go back to the late 1800s to visit the Wizards of the Waverly place (I think I said this right, I’ve only seen the Harry Potter movies once all the way through). Either way, it looks like they managed to capture the magic of Hogwatz. The walls of Hogwarts look alive, books flying all over the place and magic spewing from cauldrons of unknown potions.

Our journey begins going back to Hogwarts with a cool looking Owl to boot.

The sorting hat is back babi, it seems like this is a create your own character adventure, where we as the player will get to customize our very own character, sure to get into whatever wizardly fun is to be found. Team Slytherin all day!! JK, I’m team Gryffindor babi. But really tho, I have no idea what school I’d be assigned too.

In both of these pictures, its quite remarkable the little details you see; the more you look, the more you see. Did you see the candles above, or the candlelight below

Looks like our boys are cooking up work in the kitchen aka cauldron. I’d also like to bring attention to the lighting, truly impressive. Time to eat some delicious grub with my fellow wizards!! (Below)

Looks like we’ll be facing a litany of different monsters and foes. I know with my Avada Kedavra, I’ll be blasting fools like the one below away.

Dam son, we fighting Dragons out here too, sheesh.

Looks like combat will be a big portion of gameplay as the video showed of a created character fighting some pretty large beasts.

Looks like we’ll be playing quidditch in this game, and I honestly can’t wait.

I sure do hope we’re able to feed these little cuties and pet them.

Looks like this game is open world, as the characters are seen flying on Griffins across the vista. They draw distances in this game are spectacular.

Hogwarts Legacy launches in 2021.

*JK Rowling has no involvement with this game and that’s a good thing given her recent problematic statements.

Demon Souls

Full disclosure, I bought demon souls for the PS3 back in the day but unfortunately, did not stick with the game. It was fun and I would proceed to play other From Software and souls genre games in the future such as Sekiro, Bloodborne and Nioh to name a few. But here we have Bluepoint games remaking the PS3 Cult Classic and precursor to the Souls Genre. I for one am super excited to jump back in and try my hand again at Demon Souls.

This place here is the game’s main hub that allows you to access other portions of the world map. IT’s nice to see it in all it’s HD Glory.

Our Player is borne anew: Rise from your grave!!! JK, this isn’t a Sega title.

The environments look super luscious and literal indistinguishable from concept art. The leaves, lighting, and armor are truly a beautiful sight to see. (Below)

Nothing like chilling by a bonfire, although if you’re new to the genre, every time you heal at these bon fires, all the enemies you spent tirelessly fighting repopulate.

Call me crazy but in the original, players from other games could leave each other messages written in blood, as a way to help each other out. It looks like this concept is making a comeback this time around.

Dragons are so hot right now…. (insert Zoolander Gif here)

If you have ever played a souls game, you know this is something you can expect to see even in your dreams. I remember going to bed thinking how an enemy boss had beaten me 13-times in a row, only to go to bed thinking and imaging different strategies on how I could kill the foe standing between me and the game's progress.

The gameplay looks faster than the original but the difficult elements remain prevalent. The player is seen mowing down enemies which seems a bit off given the extreme difficulty of the PS3 game. But this could be Bluepoint addressing the sometimes-outrageous difficulty by making it more appealing to casuals.

Launch Title!!!!

God of War Ragnarök:

Last time we saw our heroes, Kratos and Atreus were shacked up in their home when they receive a visit from a mysterious visitor brandishing what looks like Mjolnir on his waist. The game ended in a great cliff hanger and is sure to improve on the many aspects the PS4 game

Get the fuck out of here. Sony decided to drop a nuclear ton warhead on us with the teaser trailer of God of War Ragnarok, a sequel to the PS4’s God of War. Although they did not show any game play, they did manage to build the hype with the screen below:

And then to top off the trailer the list the following with a supposed 2021 release date which I think is highly unlikely but, we will see. Either way, “we must prepare”.

Sadly, when the presentation ended, pre-orders went live . We were told by Sony that we would have ample time to prepare to pre-order, nothing but the contrary occured. I was one of the unlucky folks who failed to obtain his PS5 preorder despite having the funds to do so. Here’s to hoping I’m able to secure a pre-order prior to the Nov 12 launch. I did manage to get a PS5 camera which is a must for me since I like to stream games online, it’s really quite addicting. Check out my channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiazQqSufhmIGo2a7odLOpQ?view_as=subscriber.

I do want to say one thing, I am very fortunate to have the things i’ve accumulated over the years. I know there are people in the world that lack even basic necessities. If you’re reading this, please donate to cause/fund or organization you beleive in. I know my life’s work is to improve the living conditions of everyone regardless of their creed and that keeps me plenty busy.

All images used in this piece were obtained from the source below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG0G44G6RI8

Credit: IGN

#ps5 #ps5 release #ps5 reveal #demonsouls #god of war ragnarok #spiderman mile morales #hogwarts legacy #final fantasy 16 #final fantasy xvi

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migleefulmoments · 4 years ago

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Hey. Just checking how you are.. I miss your blog and your words

Hi...yeah, I sorta disappeared. I’m sorry I have been feeling better (yay!) so I’ve been busier. Also, I’m working hard to get Democrats elected in Nov.(double yay because this country won’t survive another 4 years under Trump or republican control). I have an Indivisible group that I founded in 2017. I hadn’t done much organizing but I merged with another group and we are hosting events and getting people involved. I have had to learn how to organize and thankfully everything is on Zoom. Zooming might seem awful to healthy people but people like me are grateful when things come to us. I’m so much more likely to get to a meeting if all I have to do is turn on my computer. I’ve had a few meetings while lying down in bed and there is always the option of turning off the camera if I really feel terrible. One must be careful to be sure the camera is actually off. Willam’s Beatdown (On William’s self-titled YouTube channel) last week included a Zoom meeting gone wrong. It was clearly a work meeting with 5 or 6 people. The host starts the meeting and then turns off his camera, or he thinks he turned off the camera. He proceeds to look at the screen intently, get up and get his lotion and Kleenex (by now some of the guys have figured it out), stares intently at his screen-picking a video- and proceeds to open his pants. They all start yelling trying to get his attention to tell him to stop but he can’t hear them and he’s clearly covered his Zoom screen with the porn site. They can’t even remove him because he’s the host! I can’t even imagine what you say after that.

I’ve been baking sourdough bread almost every day and learned to make sourdough pizza, sourdough bagels, cultured butter, and all sorts of Indian food (man I love Indian food). I discovered water kefir which is my newest obsession. It’s fermented with a scoby like Kombucha but not as sour or vinegary. It’s light and delicate, full of probiotics, fizzy and delicious. I’ve been worrying about the COVID numbers A LOT. They are horrible in US because republicans are so full of shit they have convinced themselves that Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh are smarter than Anthony Fauci and of all the medical experts who are screaming that this isn’t going to just “disappear”. When you have spent the last 20+ years bullying your way through everything, it’s a natural instinct to believe you can bully your way out of COVID. It isn’t a surprise to anyone who respects science that America is a cesspool of COVID and it is going to take a long time to get this under control. Trump thinks a vaccine will make it disappear- it won’t even if everyone gets a shot and I don’t think that will happen. I’m not even sure I will get one. Trump has named it ‘operation warp speed”. I’ve been in medicine long enough to know that you don’t want your medications at “warp speed”. That’s how you end up with medical disasters. Trump doesn’t get or respect that. It’s going to take time to produce a viable vaccine with a strong response (I think they aiming for “more than 50%” which isn’t that impressive), get it manufactured, and then get it administrated. In the US there is no plan in place on how they will do that. I’m sure Trump just imagines that it will happen like magic but it will take a lot of coordination to get the people in place to give the injection and coordinate how to give the shot to millions of Americas during a pandemic- COVID will still be a risk so it isn’t like you can have people globbed up in lines. The Lt Gov of Texas thinks the elderly should sacrifice themselves for the economy. Amerikkkans think their freedum’s are being oppressed and they should get to refuse to wear a mask if they want to because “it’s my body, my life”. Newsflash: masks aren’t to protect the wearer but to project the rest of the community s from the wearer’s germs. Hence ‘My body, my life” doesn’t make a damn bit of sense. They should be chanting “I’m a fucking asshole and I don’t care about anyone but ME”.

What nobody is talking about is why the death rate has gone down. I’ve heard laypeople claim “we’ve learned a lot about treating the disease”. I don't’ think that is true at all. They learned to not put people on vents because they don’t come off them, they learned to put people prone (on their stomachs), and they are giving Dexathemethasone. None of those can be attributed to the drastic reduction in the death rate. I believe it is because at-risk people are staying home and the people getting COVID are younger, healthier, and much more likely to recover. But the elderly and high-risk can’t stay home forever.

Trump’s gone full racist which is somewhat comforting to me because 1.Black America screamed enough and white America finally listened. It’s not a winning platform to dig down and give the speech that Trump/Bannon/Miller gave on Saturday, call Black Lives Matter in front of Trump Tower “a hate symbol”. Mary Hart flashed the white power sign while introducing him before the South Dakota speech where he stopped pretending and let his racist flag fly. (As an aside because it also happened this weekend, Don Jrs’ girlfriend Kimberly found out she’s positive for COVID after attending a maskless republican event Friday night where spoke and then handed the mic directly to Jr sooooooo it’s getting closer and closer to Trump. Trump needs independents and some Democrats to win. He’s always needed them because there aren’t enough republicans in America to win. He’s done nothing to win voters outside his base and over the last 3 years, a pretty significant number of lifelong republicans have left the party. Doubling down on racism isn’t going to help votes in 2020 2. The rest of the gop is finally realizing that he’s a sinking ship. Their excitement and arrogance after shutting down the Mueller report and the Impeachment is now being tempered with the realization that they have created a monster that is going to eat all of them alive and there won’t be anything left of the gop when this is over. 3. The media is finally figuring out how to talk about Trump. Instead of quoting his lies and the horrible things he says without commentary on it being a lie or racism, they are finally calling him out. 4. Teflon Don is falling apart and that feels good. Watching him get away with so much awful behavior has been demoralizing, defeating, and depressing. It’s good to see he has finally hit a wall. Pretending COVID is going to magically go away, asking the Supreme Court to invalided the ACA DURING a pandemic and now his overt racism is going to be the end of Donny and the gop. The Lincoln Project has an EXCELLENT PodCast Republicans Defeating Trump George Conway has done a lot of research into Trump’s behavior and mental illness and he has a good handle on Trump’s behavior. Of course, his wife is Trump’s righthand woman- I can’t until this is over so we can all learn what the hell is going on in that marriage.

I really didn't intend to write any words but then I word vomited all over Tumblr. .

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avengerscompound · 6 years ago

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First Time

First Time: A Captain America Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Word Count: 4137

Warnings: Little bit of angst, Steve and Bucky are idiots. Smut (Bi MMF threeway, virginity loss (reader and Steve), oral, anal and vaginal sex)

Synopsis: Prompt: Steve starts dating one of Bucky’s close girl-friends and they both come to Bucky for tips because they are both virgins. Bucky gladly helps them, but first, he tells Steve that he loves him and Steve suggests a triad instead of a one-night thing.

First Time

Bucky couldn’t say how he’d formed a friendship with you. It was just one of those things that had seemed to always have been the case. You were friends. He liked that you weren’t part of his other world. You weren’t an Avenger. You weren’t a fighter at all. Just a normal person, who lived a normal life.

He knew all your secrets. Including that one you hated anyone knowing. You were a virgin. Most people judged you for it. Called you a prude or a tease. Not Bucky though. He just knew you needed more than that. You needed an attachment. To be loved. To connect with another person in other ways. Cuddling. Having them wash your hair. Cooking together. He knew when all those things fell into place, you also had a devilishly kinky side that you were aching to explore. Sometimes you would say things to him that would make him turn the deepest shade of red.

So he introduced you to Steve. Bucky knew as much as it broke his heart you two might actually be meant for each other. Like soul mates meant for each other.

So herein lay the problem. Now Bucky had his two best friends coming to him for sex advice.

It was all fine, to begin with. When you and Steve were dating neither of you needed advice. You just needed time. You gradually fell in love. There was a lot of romantic dates involving long walks in the park, hand holding and late night talks about nothing and everything.

Over time it turned into making dinners together, long make-out sessions and dancing together even when there was no music. Now you were at this new stage. Sleepovers that actually meant sleep. Long baths at the end of particular stressful days. Hands traveling that little bit further south than they used to.

Still no sex yet. Both you and Steve weren’t sure how next to proceed. So you each went to your best friend for advice. It was killing him.

“How will I know if he’s ready?” You ask.

“I’m pretty sure he’s ready,” Bucky answers not looking you in the eye.

“Then why hasn’t he done anything?”

Bucky laughs and shakes his head. “For the same reason you haven’t, dumb ass.”

“Don’t call me a dumb ass.” You scowl at him.

He runs his cybernetic hand down your arm. The cool steel makes your skin tingle. "Sorry. You’re right. That was shitty of me. You should be talking to him about whether you’re both ready though, doll.“

You lay your head down on Bucky’s lap. "Will it hurt?”

Bucky pauses thinking about his answer. "I don’t know. I only know what it was like for me. I’ve heard it can hurt for gals. I think everyone is different though. I think it might also depend on how into it you are too.“

“Have you ever had sex with a virgin?” You ask.

Bucky runs his fingers through your hair. "Yes. A couple.“

“Girls?”

He laughs. "Yes, girls.“

“Sorry. I just - I didn’t want to …”

“It’s fine.” He says squeezing your shoulder. "If you were going to ask if I hurt them, the first one I definitely did. I was too excited. It was my first time too. I didn’t really care if she was enjoying it. I just wanted to see what it would be like for me. I was a complete jerk. Things were different back then too. It was more taboo. No one spoke about. Girls weren’t supposed to be doing it. They weren’t supposed to like it.“ He shrugged. "It hurt and she cried after. I felt really bad about it. Still, do.”

You curl up making yourself really small. "Will Steve be like that? If it’s his first time as well? ��Will he want to go too fast?“

Bucky laughs. "No. Steve loves you.” Saying that hurt him. He knows it’s true. Steve is in love with you and he is jealous. He wants that kind of love from Steve too. "Anyway, I don’t think it hurt the other girl who I was lucky enough to allow me to be part of her first time. She really seemed to enjoy herself. Either that or she was really good at faking it.“

You sigh in relief.

When Steve came to see him it was worse. It felt like his heart was being ripped out.

"What do girls like you to do?” Steve asks.

Bucky shrugs and sulkily looks out the window.

“Buck, please. You’re the only one I feel comfortable going to about this.” Steve pleads. The other Avengers already look at him like a freak. Even Sam wouldn’t let him live this down.

“Steve …” Bucky says and stops. He knows his friend is just looking for reassurance. He’s just not quite sure if he can give it.

“Fine. But I thought you were my friend.” Steve gets up. In that moment Bucky can see the guy he first fell in love with so clearly. The scrawny little guy who was looking to fight everyone. Who didn’t quite trust anyone’s motives as being pure.

“Steve.” Bucky looks up at him and swallows. "I’m sorry. I want to help you, but … This is hard for me.“

Steve puts a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. "What’s the matter? Do you like her too?”

Bucky laughs. "A bit yeah. She’s awesome. Why I didn’t ask her out myself … Well … No. I know why.“ He shakes his head. "It’s you I’m in love with.”

“You’re what?” Steve asks not quite sure how to process this information. This man sitting in front of him. His best friend. The man who he’d been hiding his feeling from since he first started having sexual thoughts about anyone, was in love with him too.

Steve leans down and his lips meet Bucky’s. Bucky pulls back startled for just a split second and then lunges at him. Their mouths crash together. There is over 80 years of repressed feelings in the kiss. Bucky drags Steve into his lap and their hands hold onto each other as they finally allow themselves to give themselves to each other.

Steve pulls away. "Y/N.“ He says sadly.

Bucky pushes Steve away. "Shit.” He says. "How are we going to tell her? She loves you, pal. Like really, deeply loves you.“

Steve rubs his forearm and looks out the window. "I love her too. Buck …”

Bucky stands. Where just a second ago was love and desire there is only fury and hurt. "Then what are you doing, Steve? Why did you kiss me?“

"I love you. I always have.” Steve sighs. He doesn’t have any idea how to proceed here. How do you choose when you love two people like that? "Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you set me up with Y/N?“

"That kind of goes both ways. You could have told me.”

Steve stands, staring at his hands. There is a thought swirling in his mind. It seems greedy and impossible. If it could work though …

“Steve. Talk to me.”

Steve just kept staring down. His jaw set.

Bucky takes his hand and runs his thumb down Steve’s palm. "I love you. I just want you to be happy. If you want to stay with her …“

"Buck …”

“Just say whatever it is you’re thinking,” Bucky says squeezing Steve’s hand.

“I’m thinking of the three of us together,” Steve says. It’s barely a whisper. He’s ashamed of these thoughts. Even more than that, he had been ashamed of how he had always felt about Bucky.

“What do you mean the three of us together? You mean you get to date her and me? I’d just have to be content with sharing you?” Bucky snaps, his anger and hurt dripping from his words “I’d just have to be a side piece while you get to have everything you want?”

Steve doesn't look up at him. "No. I mean, all three of us. Together.“

Bucky just blinks up at his friend. The man he loves. When he doesn’t say anything, Steve leaves.

Steve retreats from both you and Bucky after that. It was almost like if he can’t have you both he doesn’t want either. That wasn’t it at all, he's just frozen with the inability to make the decision. He throws himself into his work. He takes every mission that comes up and becomes reckless about his own safety while on them.

You're devastated. You have no idea why Steve just suddenly turns so cold on you. You think it must be you. You must have done something. Or maybe it was just that you aren’t good enough for him. It's a doubt that had always plagued you. How can you be good enough for him? He's Captain America and you're just … You.

You stop going to see Bucky at the Avengers tower. It hurts too much being there. He has started spending countless hours at your place. Sometimes he even sleeps over just holding you as you cry yourself out in his arms.

You can tell there's something upsetting him too. He refuses to tell you what and you have no strength to pull it out of him.

He shows up one afternoon looking just as miserable as you.

"I know why Steve stopped talking to you.” He says in way of greeting.

“Then tell me. Please.”

He leads you into your apartment and sits you down on your couch, taking your hands in his.

“I need you to listen to all of this without interrupting me, okay?”

You nod in agreement and he unloads on you. He tells you how he’s been in love with Steve forever. Much longer than you’ve even been alive. That he thought it was one-sided. How he just wanted him to be happy and how he was sure you could make him happy. He tells you about how he told Steve he loved him. How Steve said he loved him back. How they kissed. He tells you about Steve’s desire to have the three of you be together.

When he finishes you slap him. He doesn’t react, which only makes you angrier. You ball your hands into fists and fly at him, hitting him again and again.

“How dare you? How dare you do this to me? You set me up with him! You told me we would be perfect for each other! You let me fall in love with him only to snatch it away from me!” You cry as your fist pummel into him.

He grabs your wrists holding them still. You struggle to free yourself but it’s hopeless. Your anger changes. Now you want to do something to counteract the hurt you’re feeling. Some kind of petty revenge to make them feel this confused pain you’re feeling. You lunge at Bucky your mouth crashing into his. You kiss him fiercely. Angrily. He doesn’t kiss back, but he lets you do what you need to do. He releases your wrists and your hands go to his hair, pulling it. Eventually, you just wear yourself out, and you collapse against him. He wraps his arms around you and holds you.

“I love you. You know that right?” Bucky says softly.

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

“I never meant for this to happen. I definitely didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Then why did you? Why couldn’t you just leave me be?”

He strokes his fingers through your hair, massaging them over your scalp. "Would it be so bad?“

You look up at him confused. "Would what be so bad?”

“The three of us? Together?”

You stare at him. He can’t be serious right? This can’t be something he’s seriously considering.

He sighs. "I love him. I know you do too. Don’t you just want him back?“

You shake your head. "Not like this.”

“You once told me you fantasized about us both fucking you.”

You blush and break eye contact with him. "I was drunk when I told you that.“

"Does it make it not true?”

You swallow not looking up. Not answering.

“Does it?” He repeats.

“It’s true.”

He takes your chin and tilts your face so you’re looking at him. "If I had asked you out instead of setting you up with Steve would you have said yes?“

"Yes.”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes, but …”

“No buts. Y/N, do you love me? Yes or no?” He asks cutting you off.

“Yes.”

“And all those things that you need before you can consider sleeping with someone. All the love and kindness. The assurance that they won’t leave. The connection. The attraction. Do I provide that for you?”

You pull away from him and think. You don’t want to admit it, but it’s true. You love Steve so much. You could see yourself spending the rest of your life with him. But the truth is if Steve wasn’t an option and Bucky was, you could see yourself being just as happy with him. You have just never allowed yourself to think that. At least not consciously. That’s why those ideas are only expressed out loud when drunk.

“Y/N?” He presses.

“Yes. You do. When you first set me up with Steve I was really hurt, because even then I thought you would be the one for me. I told myself that for whatever reason you weren't interested in me." You turn and look back at him. "It was because you were in love with him, right? You wanted him to be happy so you gave him someone who you thought could make him happy.“

He nods.

"Are you actually attracted to me?” You ask, scared the answer will be no.

“I am.”

“Can this really work?”

You go to Avengers tower with Bucky. You’re both terrified about what you’re planning. You travel up in the elevator holding hands but not looking at each other. Bucky asks JARVIS where Steve is. You’re informed he’s in the briefing room. So you both head straight there.

When you arrive Natasha is talking to him. She looks over at you both, gets up and leaves without saying anything, shutting the door behind her. Bucky turns and locks it.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asks.

You take a hesitant step toward him. He’s wearing the uniform. You’ve actually never seen him in it in person before. He’s always been so conscious of separating his job from his personal life.

Bucky steps up behind you and guides you forward.

“We both miss you, Steve,” Bucky says as you both reach Steve. Steve stands and you’re now almost pressed between both men. "If this is what you want, here we both are.“

Steve looks down at you. He’s scared. These feelings terrify him. He’s frozen, unable to act. You feel Bucky’s hand on the back of your neck. It’s reassuring somehow. He has you if this plan goes sour. Bucky reaches for Steve, his palm caresses his jaw and Steve is guided to you. You kiss. Slowly. Deliberately. Trying to convey all these mixed emotions your feeling for each other through that kiss. All the pain. All the hurt. The confusion and desire and fear. But above all the love. You both just desperately want the other to know that you love each other. That you’re in love with each other.

The whole time you and Steve kiss Bucky keeps his hand on the back of your neck. Reassuring you that no matter what he is here. He has you. Bucky leans past you and starts kissing Steve’s neck. His teeth graze over his skin and Steve reaches around you and clings to the front of Bucky’s shirt.

When you and Steve finally pull apart Steve and Bucky kiss. It feels strange to watch, but not bad strange. Your cunt begins to tingle and you nuzzle into Steve’s neck while you squirm a little against Bucky. His hand moves from your neck and wraps around you, sliding down your front. His fingers push against the fabric of your pants creating pressure against your pussy, both relieving but also heightening that tingle.

There is a sudden shift. You had almost subconsciously started to undo the fastenings of Steve’s uniform. All at once the three of you become desperate to get it off him. There is a flurry of fumbling and kissing and curses as buttons and clips and zippers are pulled apart. It would be comical if weren’t all so desperate to see the job done.

When Steve is finally rid of the uniform he stands before you in boxer briefs and a tank top that hugs his body so tightly you can see every hill and ridge of the body that science gave him back when your parents were still just ideas that your grandparents hadn’t brought to fruition yet.

Bucky lifts the shirt off over Steve’s head and you push his underwear down. Bucky guides Steve down so he’s sitting before you both.

"Shall we start with Steve?” Bucky asks.

You nod and swallow hard. You’re scared. You still don’t really know what you’re doing here. Bucky takes your hand in his and kisses you lightly on the lips. Reassuring you. He’s there, you aren’t alone in this. He pulls you down to your knees and guides your hand to Steve’s cock. As one, your fingers tangled together, you stroke up and down Steve’s length.

Bucky brings his head forward and runs his tongue up the length of Steve’s shaft. You watch as he swirls his tongue over the head of Steve’s cock and when a soft moan escapes Steve’s lips you look up at him. The dark look of primal need that has clouded over Steve’s usual bright blue eyes causes heat to flood from your cunt and pool in the pit of your stomach like molten metal.

Bucky cups your jaw and you look back over to him. He is running his mouth up and down the side of Steve’s cock, his tongue curled underneath the shaft and looking at you. He guides you forward and you both kiss over Steve’s length.

You start to work as one on Steve’s cock. While one of you sucks and licks up his length the other with run their tongue over the base and roll his balls in their mouth. Bucky slows you down every time you start getting carried away. He wants Steve to last as long as he can. When he’s confident you’ve found a rhythm that will keep Steve right on the edge of orgasm, Bucky stands.

Bucky removes his clothes. He moves to Steve’s side languidly stroking his cock. He runs his free hand up Steve’s chest, grazing his fingers over Steve’s nipple. His fingers reach Steve’s jaw and he turns his face upwards.

“Steve.” He says softly.

Steve looks at him and an expression of sudden understanding crosses his face. He pulls Bucky towards him and hungrily takes Bucky’s cock into his mouth.

As you suck Steve’s cock you watch as Steve sucks Bucky’s. You watch as the breathing of both men shallows. Their chests rapidly rising and falling. They start to moan, and Steve moves his hips along with the movement of your mouth, pushing his cock further down your throat every time he does it.

Steve releases Bucky from his mouth and Bucky takes your hand lifting you to your feet. He pulls you hard against his chest, so his cock presses against your ass and he begins to unbutton your blouse.

Steve stands and presses himself against you. His hands cup your face and he looks from you to Bucky and then back again.

“I love you both so much. I can’t believe you’re both willing to try this.” Steve says. You pull him into a kiss, and his hands start to roam your body. As they find their way to your breasts and begin kneading your sensitive flesh, Bucky’s hand slips under the waistband of your shorts and into your underwear.

Electricity courses through you and you moan into Steve’s mouth.

Bucky strokes his fingers up and down your folds. "Fuck, you’re so wet already.“ He growls into your ear. "Is this all for us?”

“Mm-hmm.” You reply, his words make you squirm almost as much as his fingers.

He pulls his hand free and sticks his fingers in his mouth letting out a low hum.

“Fuck.” Bucky groans grinding his cock against you. "You should taste her, Steve.“

His fingers return to your pussy. This time he gently inserts a finger into your cunt and swirls it inside of you. You gasp thrusting into his hand and he removes it again, offering his finger to Steve. Steve takes it, sucking it clean with a look of pure pleasure in his face. When Bucky pulls his finger away Steve scrapes his teeth over the pad.

Bucky turns you to face him and lifts you, placing you on the table. He unhooks your bra and slides it free as Steve hungrily latches onto your breast, sucking on your nipple and grazing his teeth over them. Bucky stands behind him, pressing his cock against Steve, and stroking Steve’s cock. All the while he watches you smiling.

He puts a hand on your shoulder and you lie back. Bucky unfastens your shorts and pulls them from you. He then conducts what can only be described as a lesson into the quickest way to get you off. He guides Steve’s fingers over your clit, circling it, pinching it, pressing down on it. They each take turns running their tongues up and down your folds. Bucky slowly inserts a finger into you, while Steve focuses his on your clit. When Bucky is satisfied you are ready a second finger joins the first, stretching you out.

You writhe and moan under them. Begging them for release from this perpetual state of near bliss.

Bucky moves behind Steve again and grabs your legs pulling you to the edge of the table up against Steve. You wrap your legs around both of them. Bucky takes Steve’s cock, lining it up with the entrance of your cunt and Steve slowly pushes in. You feel tight, full up and complete, but no pain. This feels good. Right. You gasp and your back arches off the table.

As Steve thrusts into you, Bucky pushes him so he’s bent over pressed against you. Bucky crouches and spreads Steve’s ass cheeks. He circles his tongue over Steve’s anus. His fingers join his tongue and he pushes them into Steve’s ass, probing in and out.

Steve moans, kissing you, nipping at your neck. Bucky stands and presses his cock against Steve’s anus. His hands slide down Steve back.

"Are you okay with this?” Bucky asks softly.

“Yes. Please, Buck. Fuck me.” Steve pleads.

Slowly. Carefully. Bucky pushes into Steve. He is gentle and patient, letting Steve adjust to him. Allowing him the chance to tell him to stop. To change his mind. Steve doesn’t he just sucks in air through his teeth at the stinging pain caused by Bucky filling him.

You clench your internal muscles and release them as you nibble on Steve’s earlobe. The pain changes, he enjoys it. The three of you begin thrusting and writhing together. You each moan and curse and murmur each other’s names. You feel cold steel against your clit. Your core clenches and you cry out as your orgasm crashes through you.

Your orgasm seems to be the thing that sets Steve off, he grunts and you feel his cock pulse as he releases inside of you. Bucky pulls out of Steve allowing him to slip out of you. You climb off the table and Steve rolls onto his back. Bucky lifts Steve’s legs and wraps them around his waist pushing his cock back into Steve’s ass. You step up behind Bucky and run your hands down his chest to his crotch. You massage down the sides of his cock and tug on his balls. He turns his head to you and you kiss, and as you do he comes, spilling into Steve.

Bucky pulls out of Steve and the three of you try and clean yourself up a bit and get redressed. As you pull your shirt over your head Steve wraps his arms around you, and Bucky encircles you both. Kisses are shared between all three of you.

“Thank you.” Steve breathes. "Thank you for giving me that. I know whatever comes next will be hard for us, but I really truly love you both.“

You sigh and relax into the embrace of these two men. Your two boyfriends you guess. You don’t know what the future will bring but right now you’re excited to find out.

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x reader #bucky barnes x reader #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #stucky x reader #steve rogers x reader x bucky barnes #captain america fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #smut #first time

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sariasprincy-writes · 6 years ago

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Hollow Point 21

One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven // Eight // Nine // Ten // Eleven // Twelve // Thirteen // Fourteen // Fifteen // Sixteen // Seventeen // Eighteen // Nineteen // Twenty // Twenty-One (here)

a/n: Please note that this story contains themes that may be triggering. These themes include: murder, attempted rape and detailed/graphic violence. If you are uncomfortable reading any/all of these themes, please do not proceed. Thank you.

Chapter Twenty-One The Changing Tides

Sakura took a long sip of coffee. With the other hand, she scrolled through her phone, mentally organizing her day, her shipments and her thoughts.

Releasing a drawn-out sign, Sakura darkened the screen of her phone. Her gaze fell out the little café she had grabbed coffee from. The panels were covered in raindrops. Beyond them, she could see it was still raining. Just a slight drizzle that dampened everything, washing the grey city in even more grey.

It made her want to go to bed. Curl up and watch a movie between naps.

But she couldn’t. She still had so much to do. Between overseeing the packing of the storage to the North and checking in on Ino and Naruto, her day was already full. Not to mention she still needed to pass Madara’s copycat device off to Itachi. Now that Sakura had had three days to buy another phone and make a copy for her own use.

Opening her phone up again, Sakura sent Itachi a text message. The address to one of her many apartments and a time.

She finished her coffee after that and stood, intending to begin another very long day. Her phone pinged with another notification the moment she stepped outside. Under the awning of the doorway, Sakura pulled her phone out again.

This time, it was Kabuto. With a nasty email. Unsurprising since she had declined his latest payment, seeing as she had frozen all her orders. Just one more thing she had to deal with today. Mentally she went over her schedule again. She supposed she could reach out to Kabuto after her meetings with Ino and Naruto, and before she saw Itachi. As long as Kabuto didn’t take too long.

With that decided, Sakura replied to his email as she headed down the sidewalk, weaving between the businessmen moving with purpose and the tourists lingering without.

At the end of the block, Kakashi was waiting for her. His dark Charger idling on the curb, headlights off and windshield wipers on low. He reached across the center console and opened the passenger seat from the inside for her. Once inside, he merged into traffic.

They spent the better part of the day together, just as they had for the last two days straight. He went with her as she conducted her business, organizing shipments and helping her secure safe locations. The storage up north was almost done and after meeting with Ino and Naruto, Sakura was beginning to feel a little better about everything. At least on her side of things.

“I’m going to send Ino to double check on the store in downtown while Naruto surveils the port,” Sakura said as they drove back towards the city.

Kakashi glanced at her briefly before his eyes fell to the road again. “And what about your things in South Central?”

Her fingers stilled over her phone. “Shit, I forgot about that.”

“Do you want to go there now?”

“Can’t, I have to meet with Kabuto,” she said. When Kakashi peered at her, she sighed, “He’s bitching again. Believe me, I don’t want to meet with him either, but he put in an order a week ago and I cancelled it. Hopefully by going to talk to him, I can shut him up for a while.”

Kakashi still didn’t look overly happy but he didn’t reply. They drove without speaking for a few minutes after that. Just the road humming along beneath their feel to keep the silence at bay.

Eventually Sakura darkened the screen of her phone, a soft sigh spilling past her lips. “How about this: you to South Central and I’ll go talk to Kabuto, and we’ll check in afterwards? That way everything gets done.”

Even in the dark, Sakura could see the downward pull of his lips but he nodded nevertheless. “Fine. I’ll drop you at your apartment in downtown. I think that’s where you left your car, right?”

She nodded before she resumed her scrolling through her phone. That would give her just enough time to speak with Kabuto before Itachi showed up.

It was still raining when Kakashi dropped her off. Fortunately, the parking was underground, the only water on the pavement tracked in from other vehicles as they came and went.

“Kabuto’s annoying, but he still pays. Try not to kill him,” was Kakashi’s parting words.

Sakura merely smiled a smile without promise before she headed to her own car.

Less than an hour later, she crossed the main bridge between New York and New Jersey. It had been a while since Sakura had been to the warehouse Kabuto liked to hide out in, but she recalling the winding roads down to the river.

The parking lot was mostly empty, except for the crowd of usual cars. The ones Kabuto and his groupies paraded around in. Little sporty Hondas. The ones that made a lot of noise while going nowhere fast.

The warehouse itself was dark when Sakura entered, her boots echoing against the wide walls of the large bay. She expected to find Kabuto in the back, like she always did. Only when she got there, the table was empty. As were the chairs scattered around it.

Unease settled in the pit of Sakura’s stomach and her hand went for her gun automatically. Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow flickered. She turned towards it as she drew her weapon, but before she could defend herself, something struck her hard on the side of the head. And her whole world went dark.

Pain, pounding and throbbing, hit Sakura like a wave as she woke from her forced unconsciousness. She exhaled a tight breath, not daring to open her eyes just yet as she prayed for the ache in the back of her skull to recede. It didn’t, but it slowed to a deep, pulsing throb rather than a sharp, stab as she inhaled and exhaled and inhaled again.

The first thing she noticed after the pain was that she was lying on her side, her hands tied behind her back. Something she likely only realized because she wasn’t able to reach for her tender skull.

The next was that there were voices. At least two, possibly three somewhere behind her. But it was hard to make out through her pounding head and their mumbling. She strained to hear what they were saying, but the more she concentrated, the more her head ached.

Sakura wasn’t entirely sure much time passed. She dozed off and on, grateful for those brief minutes when sleep chased away the pain lancing through her temples.

She was just drifting off again when a door somewhere nearby slammed open. “So?” someone demanded. She would recognize Kabuto’s voice anywhere.

“She came alone,” one of his men told him.

“Not even her sniper?”

“Nowhere in sight.”

“Well that’s the job of a sniper, isn’t it?” Kabuto bit back harshly. “Go. Search the area. Find out for sure if he’s around.”

There was a hurry of footsteps across the concrete floors. Only once they had faded did she hear softer steps approach where she was laying. Sakura pretended to be unconscious. Which didn’t matter because Kabuto still landed a swift kick to her ribs. She hissed, keeping her yelp of pain locked firmly behind her teeth.

Kabuto was smirking down at her when she finally managed to roll over. His glasses flashed against the single, overhead light. She glared up at him.

“Well, well, Tsunade. Seems our positions are finally reversed for once,” he said, his tone openly smug.

“The only thing that’s changed, Kabuto, is where I was only just considering killing you before, is now a definite,” Sakura retorted.

He didn’t reply. Simply struck her again. Automatically she curled in on herself, hoping that the metallic taste on her tongue was from the dust and metal shavings on the floor and not blood.

“You would think someone in your position would be nicer. But you always were a big talker. I guess that’s what got you here in the first place,” Kabuto said, squatting down to be closer to her level. He rested his chin on his fist, his elbow supported on his knee. “You should have known better than to cross me. I always got you your payments, perhaps one or two were a little late, but you got them. And then you had the audacity to deny me my guns when my men needed them most.”

“Kabuto-”

But she never got the rest of her statement out as one of his men approached her from behind. The strike to her lower back left her winded, gasping for breath. She wasn’t even able to find the strength to struugle against the hands that grabbed her as she was hauled up and settled roughly into a chair. She likely would have tipped over had someone not straightened her again.

“Kabuto,” she tried again as she caught her breath, “I didn’t deny you guns out of spite. There are factors in play that you don’t understand-”

She cut off abruptly as one of his men backhanded her. She spat out the blood that coated her tongue before she glared at him. The man grinned right back, his broken front tooth gleaming in the light.

Kabuto didn’t reprimand his man but he held up a hand to keep him back. “You see, that’s the problem isn’t it?” he said, casually throwing her words from their last meeting back at her. “You’re a pretty girl, Tsunade. I’m sure that’s helped you get out of situations in the past. But it won’t help you here. I’ve found another supplier who can get me what I need. Which means I’m done with your threats and demands.”

She wasn’t sure she liked the cruel smile playing on his lips, but before she could open her mouth, he turned to a man on his left, a large brute that made Kabuto’s small frame appear even smaller. “Do whatever you want with her. Just make sure you dispose of her body afterwards.”

Sakura’s eyes grew wide as her heart jumped in her chest. Kabuto said nothing else. Merely flashed her one last parting glance before he turned and walked out of the room. The heavy, metal door slammed closed behind him. It sounded more like a coffin closing heavily over her head.

Sakura stared at the door until the man Kabuto had addressed stepped towards her. There was a dark, sinister smile on his face as he purposefully reached for the belt of his pants.

Her stomach twisted with disgust and unconsciously she pressed herself back into her chair, wishing it would just swallow her up and make her disappear. It didn’t. Instead, it only pushed against her skin, into the bruises and aches that throbbed just below the surface.

A hard knot began to grow in Sakura’s chest. A mix of terror, hate, rage. And hopelessness. She knew exactly what position she was in. What would likely happen next. And how there was very little she could do to stop it.

Her breath quickly became labored as her distress grew, but Sakura didn’t bother screaming. There was no one to hear her anyway. And in that moment, every fiber of her being regretted her decision to not have Kakashi come with her. She never realized how much she had taken him for granted until now.

On either side of her, more men approached. All wearing that same, matching smile that made her actually, physically ill. She began to struggle, the bounds around her wrists burning into her skin and unyielding. Then one of them was on top of her, one hand grasping her breast painfully through her shirt while the other snaked up the inside of her thigh.

Sakura did the only thing she could think of. She kicked off the ground, knocking her chair backwards. With her hands still tied behind her back, she landed on them heavily. Pain raced through one wrist but she ignored it, using the momentum to roll away from the men crowding her. It gave her enough time to slip her hands in front of her before she pushed herself to her feet.

Sakura didn’t know how she was going to escape. There were at least ten of Kabuto’s men in the room. All with the intent to hurt her. Defile her. They stalked towards her purposely.

“Here, kitty kitty,” one of the men cooed cruelly.

The rest of them all laughed as they took a step forward. Sakura stepped back, matching their pace.

“C’mere, doll face, we’re not going to hurt you,” another off to one side snickered.

Sakura glared at him, realizing a moment too late that the distraction had work. Another man grabbed her from the side and knocked her to the ground, pressing his body down and on top and against her. She tried not to retch at the foul musk of sweat and cigarette smoke.

“C’mon, baby,” he said huskily in her ear. “We just wanna have some fun.”

With a growl of frustration and pain and terror, Sakura tried to shove him away when his fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt and splayed against her stomach. She struggled against him, feeling herself losing the battle. She had never felt so helpless. So desperate in a fight to escape.

That’s when her knee connected with something hard against his hip. A second later, her eyes caught the glint of a handle of a gun. And in that moment, something other than panic rippled through her. Something that distracted her from how alone and defenseless she felt.

Like a light turning on, Kakashi’s training kicked in. Sakura dug her heel into the man’s other hip and pushed out with as much strength as she could muster. It gave her just enough separation to reach down with her bound hands and grab his gun before she kicked him between the legs.

With a loud curse, he scrambled back, both hands cupping himself. The fury was obvious in his eyes when he peered up at her through watery eyes. “You bitch, I’m gonna fucking kill-”

A bullet through his eye cut him off abruptly before he slumped to the floor and didn’t move again.

The rest of the men stilled, realizing the shift of power at that exact moment. Then they all scrambled. But Sakura was already moving. She unloaded two more rounds into the bodies of two more men before a third managed to reach her.

His hand tightened around the barrel of the gun just as she pulled the trigger. A scream tore from his throat as she unloaded the last two bullets into his gut. He dropped his own weapon before he collapsed to the ground, his hands around his stomach where black blood bubbled.

Sakura didn’t give him a second glance. Merely grabbed his discarded gun from the floor before she moved on.

The rest of the men either scattered for cover or tried to restrain her as well. Only one made it close enough to touch her. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back until she was looking up at him. There was a murderous sneer on his face but it vanished when she stomped on his foot and brought the gun in her tied hands up to hit him upside the nose.

He stumbled back as she ripped her hair out of his grasp. Her skull stung but her anger burned stronger. Sakura was nearly seeing red when she swung around to face him. Blood gushed out his nose as he pointed his gun at her. She dodged as the sharp crack rang through the air.

With her adrenaline pulsing, Sakura didn’t know if she had been shot, but she felt the rope binding her wrists together loosen. Not enough to fall away but enough that she was finally able to break her bounds and free her hands completely.

Then she went after the man once more. He aimed at her again just as she closed the space between them. Grabbing his wrist, she pushed his gun far above her head as she unloaded a round into his chest. This close, she felt the metal round rip through his ribs. When he gasped, she saw his broken front tooth. The man that had hit her.

With the cruelest of smiles, Sakura held his gaze as she lodged two more bullets through his flesh. Feeling the exact moment his heart stopped.

In less than a minute, Sakura took out the rest of the men. The ones who had come in unarmed looking for a show. She panted hard, her labored breathing echoing around the room like she had just run a marathon. And she felt like it with her aching sides and sore muscles.

The entire room looked like something out of a horror film. Bodies were strewn about, blood collecting in little pools around them and flecked up the walls and across the concrete. It took her a moment to realize that over her own panting, she could hear another. Just a soft, shaky inhale and exhale.

Looking down, Sakura saw the faint rise and fall of one of her attacker’s chest. Still alive. She fixed that with a single bullet to the back of his skull.

Then she exited through the door Kabuto had departed through. Her only thought of finding him. And ending him.

At the bottom of the staircase was another one man, supposedly standing guard. He must have not heard the commotion upstairs through the thick steel for he never even heard her approach. Only dropped to the ground with a single shot.

To her disappointment, Kabuto was already gone. That didn’t stop Sakura from taking out the rest of the men in the warehouse, one-by-one. Until all that remained in her wake were corpses and an unspoken story of what would become of those who tried to double-cross her.

The entire apartment building was quiet when Sakura arrived. Still, she took the back stairs to the top floor where her condo was, only too aware of the blood and other bodily fluids that clung to her skin and clothes.

She tried not to think about it. About how her hands were still shaking, about how her hair stuck to the side of her neck from more than just sweat, about how much her wrist was killing her. She just focused on one step at a time and trying to get into her apartment before anyone saw her.

Which is why when she exited the stairwell and saw someone sitting on the step outside her door, she stilled. It took her a moment to recognize Itachi but she didn’t immediately relax when he looked up at the sound of the stairwell door closing behind her. The last thing she wanted was a visitor right now.

“What are you doing here?” she asked quietly when he didn’t speak or move to stand.

He stared at her a moment before he finally said, “We were supposed to meet hours ago.”

There was a faint note of irritation in his voice. One she didn’t understand until she realized she was still standing in the shadows. Just out of the hall light.

Letting out a small, ironic laugh, she took a single step forward. “Sorry. Something came up.”

Itachi didn’t move, but his eyes grew large as he traced her from top to bottom. He seemed like he was trying to find what to say as he pushed himself to his feet slowly. The questions of ‘how’ and ‘what’ and ‘are you okay’ formed over his expression, but the words never made it past his tongue as a door slammed closed elsewhere in the building.

It seemed to blink him out of his trance. “Let’s get you inside,” he said instead.

They didn’t speak after that. Even after Itachi slid the deadbolt in place behind him. Even after Sakura slipped her boots off. She simply headed further inside towards the bathroom.

There, she stripped slowly, carefully. First her pants, followed by her shirt. A low hiss escaped her when she reached back for the clasp of her bra. The dull ache in her sides sharpening to something more pronounced with the action.

Without hesitation, Itachi stepped forward from where he had been in the doorway. So still and silent and watchful she hadn’t realized he was there. She tensed at his initial contact, barely relaxing when he helped her slide the material off her shoulders and down her arms with gentle fingers.

In the mirror, Sakura saw the full extent of the damage. Blood splattered against her hands, smeared along her collarbone and neck, and flecked across her face. Bruises had already formed on her sides, dark and looking as painful as they felt. But it was her wrists that were the worst. Rope burns cut into her skin, the right one already swollen where she had landed on it.

Unable to look at the damage any longer, she peered up at Itachi. Through the mirror, their eyes met. His gaze never wavering from hers. She could see the questions lingering there but he didn’t ask and she didn't answer. Merely turned away to turn on the shower.

By the time Sakura had scrubbed all the crimson and grime from her skin, the air in the bathroom was thick with steam. Itachi was no longer there, only a towel left by the shower stall the only evidence he had ever been there. She didn’t know if she was more or less relieved that he was gone.

Sakura dried herself in silence, wrapping the soft towel around her middle carefully before she used her hand to wipe the mist off the mirror. She frowned at the blemish in the corner of her mouth, recalling how the man with the broken tooth had hit her. Which was immediately followed with the memory of her unloading three bullets into his ribcage. Those shots ringing in her ear, feeling them ripple through his body under her hand.

Sakura looked away from the mirror sharply. She didn't dare peer into it again before she headed into the adjoined bedroom. There, she pulled on a hoodie and a pair of pajama shorts before she wandered into the rest of the condo.

To her surprise, she found Itachi in the living room, sitting on the longue chair beside the coffee table. He was typing on his phone but he looked up when he heard her footsteps. She stopped in the doorway and eyed him uncertainly. She had thought he had left. With him sitting there, watching her, she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him to go away or not.

In the end, she said nothing. Simply sat on one side of the couch. Itachi didn't speak either. Not even when he stood a minute later. Sakura watched him curiously when he disappeared into the kitchen. She didn't know what he was doing in there, but he came back a few minutes later with two shot glasses and a bottle of her best tequila.

He sat beside her before he uncorked the bottle. As soon as he filled one glass, Sakura grabbed it, tossing it back in one go. Hoping the unforgiving grip of alcohol would blur the memory of hands on her chest, between her legs. In her soul. She clung to her anger and the memory of their blood between her fingers. Warm and sticky.

Without a word, Itachi refilled her shot after he had finished topping off his. This time, they drank together.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Itachi asked eventually.

Sakura blew a long breath out between her lips. Not looking at him as she leaned forward to place her shot glass back down. He refilled it immediately.

“Not much to talk about,” Sakura said.

Not sure if she should be telling him anything. He was still CIA. And she had just doubled her kill count in one night. She didn’t know how she felt about that either.

“Just a deal gone bad,” she continued before she reached for the shot glass again. Hoping he didn’t see the way her hands trembled slightly.

She pretended not to notice he was still watching her. Or how close he sat beside her. Even after her shower, her skin was still crawling. She wanted to run her nails down her arms, over her chest. Tear the feeling of those other hands on her body.

“Do you need anything?” he asked.

Sakura let out a cruel laugh. What could he possibly do that could make her feel any better? Tell her he was sorry? Hold her? Perhaps pour her another drink?

“Why are you even still here?” she retorted instead, her anger rearing.

She hoped her words cut into him. Made him bleed. Made him hurt. Like she had. Like she still was.

Because there was something about Uchiha Itachi that made her feel vulnerable, like he could see into her, through her. And the worst part was, she didn’t entirely hate it. She felt safe with him. Secure. As if she could tell him her deepest, darkest secrets and he would only just listen. All without judgement.

But Itachi didn’t become offended by her harsh tone. Instead, a look of confusion passed over his face. Like he didn’t entirely understand why he was still there either. When he blinked, the look was gone. “I am just concerned about you,” he said so softly, so quietly like a caress.

Her eyes narrowed defensively. “It’s not part of your job to be concerned about me.”

��No, but I am anyway.”

“Why?”

Itachi didn’t immediately reply. Then he said, “Because you aren’t what I expected.”

“And what did you expect?” Sakura asked flatly, already feeling the pull of the alcohol. It helped dull the pain in her body and mind. She poured herself another drink before asking, “Did you think I was just some girl who was in over her head?”

To her surprise, he shook his head, his gaze falling somewhere out the window. “No. I thought you were cold and cruel and heartless.” Then he looked at her. “But you’re not. You’re smart and cunning, and though you may not be ‘good’, you’re not evil.”

Sakura stared at him, her anger dissipating as quickly as it had come. Their eyes met. Holding the full attention of the other for one heartbeat. And another.

Then Itachi laughed humorlessly.

"What?" she asked.

"I want to kiss you right now. But I shouldn’t," he said with a fleeting smile. “I don’t know what happened tonight, but-.”

Itachi never finished that sentence. Not before Sakura reached up and gripped the front of his shirt before she sealed her mouth to his.

There were a million reasons why they shouldn’t be doing this, but Itachi never voiced one. Not even when she slipped herself into his lap, her arms wrapping around his middle as her fingers dug into the back of his shirt like he was her lifeline. He, in turn, held her gently, his hands cupping her face as if she were made of dust. One slip away from falling between his fingers. Lost forever.

She could still taste the bite of tequila on his tongue as he kissed her. His mouth moving with hers only to break away to press soft kisses to her jaw and chin and the corner of her mouth. Where the bruising still lingered. His lips were careful and soft like he was trying to kiss the ache away.

She fought against the swell of emotion that built in her chest. It stung in the deepest part of her chest and in the corner of her eyes. She tried to blink it back as she pulled his lips back to hers, but it was too late. The feeling had sunken too deep.

If he noticed her tears, he didn’t mention it. Only smoothed his fingers through her hair and along her spine as she rested her head on his shoulder. Just listening to his strong, steady heartbeat beside her own as the rain pattered softly against the window. It didn’t stop until just before dawn.

to be continued…

#hollow point #chapter 21 #itasaku #itachi #sakura #tw: murder #tw: attempted rape #tw: death #tw: graphic content and violence #arms dealer au #crime au #not as bad as the tags sound (I hope)#just covering all basis

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

Text

The Craft (1996) Review

"Now is the time, now is the hour. Ours is the magic, ours is the power."

Witchy powers given to angsty teenagers, what could go wrong?

(This review includes spoilers.)

This movie happens in fours. There are four main characters. Four directions. Four elements. Even the movie can be seen as four parts: 1) New girl in town. 2) Girls forming a bond. 3) It's all fun and games until someone gets thrown through a window. 4) Magic tears them apart/final showdown/Bug-o-rama. I appreciate patterns I can follow.

The new girl in town is Sarah. Her family moves into a mansion in Los Angeles that's been neglected and is now falling apart. I only mention this because with all the overgrown vines and snakes, it looks like somewhere that's closer to a swamp in Louisiana than any part of LA that I've seen. Sarah is a natural born witch (she can balance pencils with her mind, don't be jealous), and has always felt like an outcast. Probably because she was sporadically going deaf, but whatevs, it makes her more than ready to embrace friendship with the fellow outcasts or as they're affectionately known, 'The Bitches of Eastwick.' Chris, the cool jock, takes an interest in the new girl too, and of course proceeds to spread rumors about her promiscuity and lack of a skill set in bed. Naturally, this makes him even more appealing to her and she eventually casts a spell "to love [herself] more and allow [herself] to be loved more by others. Especially Chris Hooker." You know what they say... if he's mean to you and shows a general lack of respect, then he must be a good guy underneath that really cares about you.

Bonnie is a burn victim with low self-esteem. You can tell because in the first part of the movie she wears a lot of giant coats (which have to be uncomfortable in the heat of LA), keeps her hair in her face and never looks up. She wants "to be beautiful outside as well as in," and once she gets it she heads straight for the backless shirts and push-up bras, because who wouldn't?

The bonding part of the movie is my favorite. It's so cheesy and predictable that it's perfect. They laugh, they watch Bewitched reruns, play light as a feather stiff as a board and have glamour makeovers. So much fun is had, but it all falls apart when Chris becomes an obsessed stalker and Rochelle's bully start losing her golden locks. There was that scene when Rochelle couldn't look at herself in the mirror, so her reflection turned away from her, but other than Sarah the girls showed no remorse for the people that were affected by magic. In the end, it splintered the group.

Mean Girls taught me that every group of girls needs a leader, no matter how insane. Enter Nancy. She's probably off her rocker from the beginning, but the power she receives turns out to be too much for her to handle. She uses them to kill her stepdad (he sort of had it coming), get rich, and if that's not enough she also wants "all the power of manon." The thing about Nancy is she doesn't bother me nearly as much as Bonnie and Rochelle. Sure, she earned the room in that padded cell, but insanity can't be helped. The betrayal and blatant disregard for their actions could be. Bad sister witches, no broomsticks for a week.

For me, watching this movie is like listening to The Spice Girls. I still enjoyed every minute of it, but how much of that is due to nostalgia?

2 or 3 out of 4 kaleidoscopes of butterflies??

Bits and Pieces

I wonder if those dead sharks that manon sent Nancy came with gift receipts, because they really won't go with anything.

At one point Rochelle said that Sarah made Laura Lizzie's hair fall out? Did she make all the wishes come true or was it just meant as a thank you for showing up and completing the compass circle?

When the girls 'called the corners' I noticed the following... — Rochelle brought a fish and called to the west with the powers of water and intuition. She was on the swim team. — Bonnie brought a butterfly and called to the south with the powers of fire and feeling. She was burned by fire and had scars all over her body. — Sarah brought a bird and called to the north with the powers of mother and earth. Her mother died during childbirth. — Nancy brought a snake and called to the east with the powers of air and invention. I can't make a connection here, and I've tried.

Also, the animals they brought were sacrificed, right? Isn't that the first sign of an unstable person?

There were two instances of leaky roofs. First, when Sarah got to her new house and again in Nancy's trailer right before her step-dad died.

The way Bonnie's spell backfires is a little confusing. She becomes mean. She specifically said that she wanted to be beautiful on the inside and the outside. So did her spell only half work?

The magic shop owner served as the obligatory sage teacher, but they never listened to her so I don't know that she really served much point other than candle provider.

The bugs were a bit much, but effective. I would almost certainly die of a panic attack.

Chris: "Oh, shit. It's the bitches of Eastwick."

Bonnie: "Everything in nature steals, you know. Big animals steal from little ones." Sarah: "Animals steal for survival."

Bus Driver: "You girls watch out for those weirdos." Nancy: "We are the weirdos, mister."

Rochelle: "I think she doesn't want to be white trash anymore, but I told her, like, you're white, honey, just deal with it."

Lirio: "True magic is neither dark nor white. It's both because nature is both. Loving and cruel all at the same time."

Lirio: "Whatever you send out, you get back times three."

Bonnie: "I spent a big chunk of my life being a monster and now that I'm not I'm trying to enjoy myself. Sorry if that bothers you."

Sarah: "Let's go." Nancy: "No. He's gotta pay." Chris: "You're just jealous." Was he right? I mean she seemed to get most upset after he rejected her each time.

Nancy: "God, if I was as pathetic as you are I would've killed myself ages ago. Get on with it."

#The Craft #Robin Tunney #Fairuza Balk #Neve Campbell #Rachel True #Doux Reviews #Movie Reviews

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flameintheblacknight · 7 years ago

Note

RVB AU where Flowers doesn't die of an asprin overdose.

OH! OH, NOW THIS–THIS IS INTERESTING!

Okay so, let’s start with the obvious thing: Flowers doesn’t die. There is no need to send anyone in. There remains an eternal stalemate at Blood Gulch, the Alpha AI lives about his days very tired and angry, surrounded by assholes.

The Blood Gulch Crew never forms, it never has a need to form, because things remain calm and boring at Blood Gulch.

Now, let’s talk about the effects this could have on the rest of the universe.

Namely, let’s talk about Tex, York, South, North, and all their respective AIs. Because in a world without a group of idiots to clean up their messes long after they’ve been made, the Freelancers are going to have to start taking responsibility for their actions.

So, let’s say that Tex and York run into each other again, and come to an agreement: Tex gets their help in getting rid of Omega permanently, and York and Delta never have to hear from her again. This has some complications, namely: Omega can fucking hear everything Tex is thinking, because… sharing a mind. So they lose Omega.

It becomes a long streak of trying to track down Omega for a while, until they run into North, South, and Theta. They all almost kill each other, then another deal is struck: Help track down Omega, South gets to keep Omega if she really wants an AI that bad, and everyone goes their fucking separate ways. Yay.

So, while on the hunt for Omega, Theta and Delta get genuine bonding time while everyone else is fucking tense around each other 101% of the time. It’s amazingly awkward.

Things proceed like that for a while until Tex and North get captured and held prisoner by a group of mercenaries who had had Omega, and Tex had gotten so close to fucking getting that AI–but nope. Victory was pulled just out from under her like it was a rug, and now she and North were locked up.

So it forces York and Delta and South to work together and South ends up venting about everything to Delta around half-way through the rescue attempt and Delta just sighs and tells South that she’s really not bad at destroying things. She just needs to remember that life isn’t just a competition, and her brother, overprotective he may be, does care about her. York just tries to ignore all of that while he lockpicks.

And North and Theta and Tex have a long talk while in their jail cell, where Tex admits the full truth of what she learned from CT’s dog tags and North and Theta both learn just how truly fucked up Project Freelancer was–is. Theta also adopts Tex as his older sister.

So the parties meet back up, awkward discussions are had in-between kicking mercenary ass.

When the ordeal ends, North and South both admit they were never at their best during Project Freelancer, and both agree to try and talk to each other more.

Theta asks if he can have some time in South’s head. Since, you know, South’s his sister too.

South agrees.

Theta ends up hopping from Dakota to Dakota a lot. He likes them both.

South teaches him swear words, North disapproves.

They continue the hunt for Omega, kind of unsure where they all stand with each other now. Because, well, they’ve become something different from what they were in Project Freelancer.

They’d started becoming something like a family. An awkward, dysfunctional family, but living through a bunch of battles and saving each other from death helps with that a lot.

At some point, they run into Wyoming and Gamma, who were both working on trying to stop the war, as well as tracking down an old friend from their days in Freelancer.

The duo aren’t seen again, but years later, a letter comes to the newfound Freelancer household on Chorus from Butch and Reginald Flowers, showing a bunch of blue-armored people in an unknown room smiling and waving at a camera. (You can see some people in warmer color shades being grumpy in the background.)

So it continues on like that until one day, they get a surprise visit from a dying former freelancer (like, maybe Georgia) who manages to get out a few words before he dies:

“The Meta… fuck the Meta. Where the fuck did it even get that scary purple AI… ugh. Hurk-blegh…”

Indeed, while the Freelancer&AI family has been traveling around, the Meta has been alive and kicking. And it’s gotten a good deal of AI on its side. Including Omega.

So now the objectives shift into figuring out what the fuck the Meta is. Because they were all there, they all saw Maine–well, the Meta now, tear Carolina’s AIs out, saw it kill Carolina. What did the Meta want with AI anyways?

Delta figures out the answer: “The Meta wants to be a fully smart and metastable AI.”

But what goes into making an AI metastable? None of them have a good answer for that, because, well, do you see any metastable AI? No? Me neither.

They continue their hunt for info on the Meta until it brings them face to face with Recovery One–Agent Washington.

He’s his usual S6 crabby self.

None of the others are quite sure what to make of this new Wash, this hardened and changed Wash. They have to wonder just screwed up his mind has been since Epsilon was in his head.

They force themselves to work together to bring down the Meta. They also make a decision, one to get Epsilon and show his memories to the court so that the Director can be tried and held accountable for all the shit he has done to so many.

They go to the AI Storage Facility and save Epsilon, and realize just in time that the Meta has been following them. Following them for a while.

So they split up. South and Wash stay behind to distract the Meta and hopefully end the lives of the AI it’s taken, North, Theta, York, and Delta get away from this place with the Epsilon unit, and Tex follows behind to make sure no one tries to attack them.

By now, Tex has become very careful in what she lets herself do. If it’s something that doesn’t matter to her or she’s doing for fun, she’s learned that she can win, easily. If it’s something important, however, she’s figured out that she will always lose, just as she thinks she’s won. So, in plans like these, she stays behind and lets other people do the important stuff.

Wash sets off the EMP. The AIs the Meta was using to run its enhancements all die. Wash, South, and the Meta all get arrested with the rest of almost all the known Freelancer personnel.

York and Delta are quick to break South and Wash out of prison.

Everyone regroups at an abandoned post in a place called “Valhalla”, before quickly agreeing that they, as a group, need to keep moving around for their personal safeties.

The Meta breaks out of prison. They don’t learn about this until they nearly die by its hands on a cold mountain. They manage to defeat it, to everyone’s surprise.

They leave the area soon after, not intending to be found by anyone.

But found they are.

Carolina finds them.

And there’s a lot of yelling, a lot of arguing, and a lot of just… freaking out in general.

York and Carolina talk while Delta goes offline. York admits he’s had his bad moments and Carolina admits she’s had hers. They work things out.

Delta starts hopping into Carolina’s head after York’s prompting.

It goes horribly, and Tex sighs in the background, wondering why they can’t just get Delta a robot body because the space needed between them all is obvious.

Tex and Carolina talk while watching a sun rise over water. Carolina admits her perspective. Tex admits hers. They admit they don’t know each other. They decide they’d like to learn.

They track down the Director. Turns out he had gotten his hands on the Epsilon unit.

So, now they had to fight an army of Tex. That sucked.

They buy Carolina and Tex enough time to get to where the Director is.

The two chew him out. Tex almost– almost shoots him, but Carolina stops her.

Carolina’s pistol gets left behind in a quiet moment.

The odd family of 6 Freelancers and 2 AI leaves in a hurry while the facility shuts down.

The group watches the sun set as they hear from their comms the universe freak out over everything that Project Freelancer had done.

In time, they would crash-land on a planet, they would be its heroes who settled into a happy, stable civilian life.

But at that moment? They were fragments and pieces Project Freelancer had left behind. But they are more than that.

They are each others’ family.

Now has a part two: https://anya5544.tumblr.com/post/171660340170/i-love-the-flowers-survives-au-are-you-willing-to

#red vs blue #rvb #rvb au #tex (rvb)#agent york #agent north dakota #agent south dakota #delta (rvb)#theta (rvb)#agent washington #agent carolina

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howsit-going-toend · 7 years ago

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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Pt. 3

A Kwon Jiyong x Reader AU series featuring Kim Jiwon and Choi Seunghyun

Genre: Crime/Mafia/ANGST

Word count: 3,100+

Summary: You joined the police force years ago to help clean up the streets of Seoul and rid the city of organized crime. You’ve seen some shit. You’re surely prepared for anything...but how are you supposed to feel when the big bad crime boss you’ve been after turns out to be a familiar (to say the least) face?

Part 1 Part 2 ... Part 4

Key: Y/L/N- your last name

(A/N: shit is going DOWN...and it is only just beginning)

Everyone in the station was impressed with how quickly your team prepared themselves for Tuesday. Under your direction, the warehouse was bugged that morning, while a group of men were assigned to keep a lookout in an undercover vehicle and monitor recordings. Three separate groups of four; yourself and Seunghyun included, would be ready to storm the building at a moment’s notice.

Having been a part of numerous busts and stakeouts in the past, you felt more than ready for the mission with the utmost confidence in your teammates. The plan was fool proof.

9:35pm

“Van 1: Move in. I repeat: move in. Most of you have done this before but some of you haven’t so I’m going to say this and I’m only going to explain it once: You’ve got to keep a low profile, otherwise any of his men keeping a look out will spot you in a second and give us all away. Do not, I repeat, do NOT let yourselves be seen. Officer Choi and I will be listening to the audio as you all are receiving it and will inform the rest of the officers when the time is right. Report any and everything you see immediately as you see it so the rest of us aren’t going in blind. Is that clear?” You gave your orders through the walkie-talkie while Seunghyun and the rest of your team assumed a low profile in parked cars along side streets.

“Clear. Moving in now.” One of your men responded. You nodded your head silently as you continued to stare forward, waiting.

“Time, Officer Choi.”

“9:39.” He announced, to which you released a deep breath. “All right. In five minutes, we should head in.”

Seunghyun had been visibly anxious for majority of the night thus far. You took notice each time he shifted in his seat, tapped his knuckles on the dashboard and any small twiddle of his thumbs. He was staring out the passenger side window, his left knee bouncing in place, when you offered a conversation starter. “Did you receive thorough simulation training for a night like this at the academy?”

He turned to you with a smirk. “Definitely. I’m ready to get in there.”

You nodded your head with a chuckle, opening your mouth to respond before he beat you to it. “You don’t…uh, I noticed that the station doesn’t have any record of what G-Dragon looks like…is that right?”

You sighed. He’d brought up the one fact that bothered you the most about this case. The piece of information that everyone constantly gave you shit for not possessing. You couldn’t keep your head from dropping slightly and releasing another chuckle.

“That’s right. Our profile regarding his appearance is pretty useless, gathering the little consistencies we’ve managed to find amongst those we’ve rounded up that claim to have seen or worked with him before. In all honesty, I don’t have the slightest clue what this man looks like.” You watched as Seunghyun nodded in response before you continued. “But I’m not worried about it.”

His head tilted slightly. “Why’s that?”

“He’s their boss. Their leader. If this meeting goes down the way Park Jihun leads me to believe it will, it’ll be a no brainer which one is him. He won’t say much, but it’ll be made very clear that he is the only one in that room whose opinion matters.”

He smiled back at you. “That makes perfect sense to me. You know, I noticed that-”

“Senior Y/L/N. Come in.” A transmission over your walkie talkie put an end to your conversation. It was the team responsible for alerting you and your men when the coast was clear.

“What’s going on? What do you see?” You replied hastily.

“Just did a quick scope of the perimeter. At least five men in the basement. We’ve got sight of two we’re suspecting on guard duty on 5th and 6th. But if you and the rest of ours come up from the south side, you should be in the clear with access to windows. Lieutenant Park and his boys will cover the two guards whenever you give word.”

“Copy that. We’re heading in now.” You replied confidently before looking to Seunghyun with raised eyebrows. It appeared Jihun hadn’t bullshitted you two after all.

Everything continued to go according to plan as Seunghyun and your team of four gathered behind a bush near the closest window viewing the basement.

There they were: five men gathered around a table topped with glasses of liquor and ashtrays. Each of them in button ups and suit pants, sporting gold watches. It was a scene straight out of a movie.

From your angle, the only man whose face you could not see was seated at the head of the table; he wore the only blazer and his fingers were decorated in rings.

Bingo.

You didn’t even need to put your ear piece in to tune into the room’s audio to confirm who he was. While the other men sat leaned forward with their fists on the table, he was sitting comfortably slouched to the side of his chair; his left hand supporting his head while his right gripped its side of the chair. You watched intently as he ran his fingers through his slicked, jet black hair while he listened to his men discuss business.

You payed attention to their lips moving long enough for Seunghyun to nudge your right arm. Your head whipped to the side as you made eye contact with him. His hand was holding his ear piece close; the look in his eyes was a silent reminder for you to do the same.

“We’ve got him.” He whispered in a low voice.

You wasted no time in placing your piece in your ear and turning it on. Your heart rate increased as their voices became clear, matching the movement of their lips.

“I’m not saying I think he’s a problem; but he knows we’re not exactly dealing with legitimate businesses here.” The man on the far right corner spoke.

The man opposite to him chuckled, taking a sip from his glass before countering. “Everyone in the goddamn city knows we’re not involved in legitimate businesses.”

“Correct, but he knows a bit more than everyone.” He muttered reluctantly.

“…And what exactly is ‘a bit more?’”

Chills ran up your spine as their boss spoke. It was the first time you’d officially heard G Dragon’s voice and it put your stomach in knots. It was almost familiar.

All of them turned their gazes to him with concerned expressions before the man who brought up the topic replied. “Well…He knows about the rackets, the extortion...the dope.” He said his third point with clear caution, understanding the list was more than enough.

You held your breath as you placed your thumb on the transmission button of your walkie talkie, ready to give the word to your team as soon as G Dragon gave some sort of confirmation to their organized crime.

Just as you heard him let out a chuckle and watched as his shoulders bounced up and down in sync with the sound, a transmission came through the device, making you jump.

“Senior Y/L/N, we might have a problem.” Detective Park whispered amongst the static.

A look of frustration pulled at your eyebrows as you silently suppressed any instinct to panic. He was responsible for watching the men guarding the corners and taking care of them once you gave everyone the signal. What could possibly be going wrong already?

As you pressed the button down and opened your mouth to send a reply, Seunghyun leaned in to interrupt. “I’ll handle it. You keep listening and I’ll be right back.”

It was an extremely reckless decision to make during a mission as important as this, but there was a look in Seunghyun’s eyes that made you trust him. You just nodded your head as he made a swift break for the outside perimeter and you checked back into their conversation.

“So...what you’re saying is...”

“I shouldn’t have to tell you twice. Fucking handle it, the same way you handled Jongsoo.”

Your eyes widened as the crime boss made a blatant reference to one of the recently slain men. He’d been suspected of working with G Dragon right before his death. You looked to your left and right and met the eyes of the other two men in your group, anxiously awaiting your signal, but saw no sign of your partner.

You sighed, quickly making an executive decision to proceed. But as you pressed your thumb on the button of your walkie talkie, a piercing whistle made itself known from the other side of the building. All three of your heads sprang up, abandoning your watch on the scene in the basement.

“Fuck.” You hissed. There was no mistaking that sound.

Someone had been spotted.

Your eyes darted back to the basement as you noticed everyone remove themselves from their seats, having heard the distress call. The four men shouted to each other, while G Dragon stood in a visibly annoyed stance with his hands on his hips and his head looking down, still with his back turned to you.

“The fucking cops! They found us!”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

“Fucking damnit, GD, what do we do?”

“Whose idea was it to meet in an abandoned warehouse? How suspicious is that?!”

“Would all of you just shut the fuck up?” He announced.

Another shiver ran down your spine as a nervous sweat made itself clear on your forehead. You all needed to act, and you needed to act now.

You stood up and immediately motioned for the two men to follow you while you held your walkie talkie close to your face. “I don’t know what the fuck just happened and why no one informed me exactly what was going on but it is time to move. I don’t care that we’ve been spotted, we need to get in there and we need to get in NOW. Everyone get inside exactly as we planned. Stay alert and stay armed. Report any and everything to me. If I am making myself crystal clear then MOVE.” You urgently gave your orders over the radio as the three of you sprinted to the nearest entrance.

You swung the door open as your two men entered with another team of four; everyone’s pistols were drawn and aimed forward, ready for anything. Nobody was leaving until somebody was put in handcuffs.

Your paces drastically slowed down as the door shut and the darkness of the building swallowed all of you. All that could be heard was breathing, along with muffled yelling in the distance.

“Someone get their damn flashlight out.” You snapped.

As the bare halls and floor beams illuminated before you, another transmission came in; this time it was Seunghyun. “They’re on the ground floor and they’ve disbursed.”

You wasted no time in giving follow-up orders. “All right, separate and cover all walkways. Do not let them flea this building.” You didn’t even bother to take the time to question what your partner had been doing this whole time. Everyone parted ways in pairs of two while you, without thinking, ran forward alone.

You could envision Jiwon’s look of disapproval perfectly once your own breathing was all you could hear and everything in front of you had gone black. You whipped your head in all directions as you walked for what felt like ten minutes until you saw a small light from afar, paired with the sound of voices.

You paced forward with both hands locked on your gun as the sounds became louder. You pulled the hammer back as you approached what you now recognized as a room and made a quick 90 degree turn to enter into its dim lighting.

The room was wide and empty aside from some broken furniture and mounds of dust and cobwebs accompanying them. There were large windows straight ahead of you and openings to the rest of the warehouse on either side of the one you’d entered through. But it wasn’t the layout that caught your attention. It was the out of breath, well-dressed man standing before you; G Dragon himself.

He was standing in one of the more poorly lit areas of the room with his back turned about twenty feet away, but you’d recognized his stature. “Don’t move a fucking muscle!” You warned, announcing your presence as you took aim.

He stayed in place, saying nothing. “Do you fucking hear me?!” You shouted after what felt like too long of a pause.

He released a cynical laugh before slowly turning to face you. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you...”

“I said don’t move a mus...!” You stopped. Your eyes widened and your heart immediately sank as his face finally revealed itself in better lighting.

The familiarity of his voice over the speakers finally made sense as you now heard it in person, clear as day.

All the intense months you’d spent trying to gain a proper description of his appearance and location flashed before your eyes. No amount of training, or trips to the psychiatrist for that matter, could have prepared you for this moment. Never again did you think you’d see this face, especially not like this.

“J-Ji-...Jiyong?” You questioned with a broken voice as you subconsciously loosened grip on your gun.

The corner of his mouth pulled into its signature shit eating grin. “Hey troublemaker.”

You couldn’t move. All you could do was stare and try to absorb what was absolutely impossible to process. Your chest clenched as anxiety flooded your veins and a million thoughts fired inside your head.

“Wh-…What are you doing? What is this?”

You could barely speak, but you forced it out, knowing just how many people in this building wanted to see the man in front of you…may he be dead or alive.

He merely raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes.

You scoffed out of frustration. “So…you’re G-Dragon?”

The words tasted just as bitter as they sounded. For a singular moment in time, you convinced yourself that your head must have slammed against something in the dark, somewhere in the warehouse. This couldn’t be real…you had to be dreaming, and your body was just laying on a floor beam, waiting to be found by your teammates. You refused to believe it...until you heard him laugh.

It wasn’t the same dark, twisted one you’d heard just moments before. It wasn’t “GD.” It was Jiyong…your Jiyong.

He held one hand on his waist, while the back of the other blocked his smile. He was acting like an embarrassed child; and you could hardly handle the memories it brought back.

“I know. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” He said to the ground, before locking eyes with you and nodding. “So you really became a cop after all.”

You inhaled sharply, pushing through the tears that had subconsciously flooded your eyes and readjusted grip on your gun. Your chest was heavy as you aimed it towards him. “Don’t fuck with me right now.” His smile fell. “Don’t try to distract me. Don’t try to downplay ANY of this. YOU are a fucking criminal.” You continued, flabbergasted. A few tears fell from your eyes, but you refused to blink. You sniffed and clenched your teeth. “And I’m supposed to take you away in handcuffs.”

His expression darkened. He placed his hands inside his pockets and sighed deeply. “You don’t understa-..”

“Shut up!” You shot back. “Don’t you say another word to me!”

You took a deep breath, trying to ignore how badly your hands were shaking. It felt impossible to maintain any sort of intimidating demeanor. More tears filled your eyes as you grew more frustrated. “Surrender, and come quietly, and no one has to...”

You’d barely began to state the ultimatum before one of his men flung themselves into the room.

Everything happened so quickly. It could have been thirty seconds for all you know, but it all seemed to pass by in slow motion.

He ran to Jiyong’s side, screaming something unintelligible. Your mind was just barely able to match his face to one from the basement. It was the man who’d sat on the far corner of the table; the one who’d brought up tonight’s topic, and evidently the one who’d felt he had something to prove.

Your eyes had fully adjusted to the lighting of the room just in time to see the gun in his hand. He’d ran in and immediately pointed the illegal firearm at you with a crazed look in his eyes. You had almost no time to think.

Jiyong bared his teeth, acting fast and grabbing the man by his collar and pulled him towards his face. His expression was scolding as he muttered under his breath.

Your breathing had increased exponentially. “Yah! Drop the gun!” You warned, now pointing yours at the room’s newest occupant.

Jiyong whispered one last thing before letting go of his collar.

“Stop the whispering and drop the gun! This is my last warning!!” Your pulse ricocheted between your ears.

Jiyong looked down to release another sigh before returning his gaze to you. “Y/N.”

Instead of replying, you merely switched aim from his cohort back to him. You felt the sweat begin to drip down your neck.

His pokerface didn’t falter. “This is nothing personal.”

As you opened your mouth to question him, his henchman quickly took aim once again.

You heard the sound before you felt anything.

BANG! BANG!

You heard the gunshots echo throughout the warehouse as you fell to the ground. You looked down, dropping your own gun, and seeing the pool of crimson red gathering around your right leg. You felt a sensation that could only be described as excruciating, radiating from your kneecap to your ankle. Your breathing was labored, working as hard as possible to keep you conscious. You cried out helplessly.

Your vision blurred as you looked around the room in a panic. The man had fled, but your eyes immediately found Jiyong, who was now climbing out of a window.

He paused to look at you, feebly laying there, with a clear sadness in his eyes. A groan ripped through your chest as you clenched your teeth, trying to bare through the pain. Before disappearing into the night, you saw him look to the hallway behind you; his expression suddenly becoming angry and alert.

You watched him duck out the window frame before you found the strength to scream, releasing every last ounce of energy. “YOU MOTHER FUCKER!”

The last thing you could remember, before surrendering to the agony and losing all consciousness, were Seunghyun’s arms hoisting your body into the air while he shouted for someone to call an ambulance.

#g dragon scenarios #kwon jiyong scenario #bigbang scenario #g dragon au #kwon jiyong au #bigbang au #kpop scenarios #g dragon fanfiction #kwon jiyong fanfiction #kwon jiyong angst #g dragon angst

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quranreadalong · 7 years ago

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#54, Surah 8

THE QURAN READ-ALONG: DAY 54

After that exciting trip back in time to learn how much disbelievers suck and have always sucked, we’re in Medina again. Welcome, everyone, to Al-Anfal, or The Spoils of War. It is, thank Allah, only 75 ayat long.

You may recall back in surah three that we dealt with a battle called the Battle of Uhud, which Mohammed’s army lost. This surah concerns the battle preceding that, the Battle of Badr, which they won. I presume y’all remember the caravan raids that Mohammed’s people were engaging in, which resulted in the Meccans getting pissed off and deciding to send an army out to defend their caravans thereafter.

You remember the story, right? If not, here’s a brief recap. Mohammed got kicked out of Mecca for that stunt in which he had some of the Medinan Muslims pledge to be his followers in warfare. He and his Meccan followers moved to Medina, where he announced that they would soon be fighting the Quraysh. So he and his followers began raiding Meccan caravans, though most of the raids were unsuccessful. But then things get dramatic when Mohammed’s cousin Abdallah kills a trader in cold blood during a month of truce, and the Meccans are pissed because this was explicitly against the rules that Mohammed himself agreed to. They complain to him about this, at which time Allah commands Mohammed to say “uhh actually killing during this month is bad but not forbidden if it’s against disbelievers such as yourselves”. The Quraysh are understandably furious and decide that the next time they get word of the Muslims trying this shit, they’re sending an army out to defend their goods.

That day comes when Mohammed hears word of a large caravan returning to Mecca from Syria with lots of goods. He plans to attack it. People at the forefront of the caravan spot Mohammed’s scouts and send word to Mecca that they’re going to be attacked and need help. In response, Mohammed orders his men to march south from Medina to Badr, which is a site of fresh water wells; any Meccan force would need to stop there to drink in order to get to the caravan. To buy time and avoid the fighting, the caravan diverts its route to the city of Yanbu, and then travels down the Muslim-free coastal region until it gets to Mecca. It’s a much longer route but it is also much safer.

The Meccan force is already depleted by the time it gets to Badr, as some men had split after hearing word that the caravan had changed routes and managed to avoid the Muslims. By the time they’ve trudged to Badr, they are wet from a rainstorm and generally unenthusiastic about fighting. Rather than engage in large-scale combat, the Meccans instead ask for a traditional Arab duel, with three men from each army (all of Qurayshi origin) fighting one-on-one. After this ends in the Muslims’ favor, Mohammed signals his archers to attack by throwing a handful of sand or rocks (uh... I guess it was an Arab custom), and it doesn’t take long for the Meccans to say “fuck this battle, fuck those people, I’m going home.”

It was not a particularly immense battle and did not have huge casualties (under 100 even going by the always-exaggerated sira sources, mostly on the Meccan side) but it was the first real army-vs-army fight of the Muslims’ young military existence, so of course it is very hyped up in the Quran. And now the battle is over. Let us discuss important topics, such as: who gets the loot from the captured Meccans and the shit the others left behind after fleeing?

The answer, of course, is Mohammed.

The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger, so keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference, and obey Allah and His messenger, if ye are (true) believers.

We will see later in the surah that a full fifth of the total booty (called khums) goes directly to Mohammed, to distribute among a list of various people, including his family members and tribal brethren. (Oh, and Allah. But Allah never claimed his share of the booty, oddly enough.) True believers don’t question this and just shut up and worship Allah; they will be rewarded with paradise. Well, fair enough. I suppose it’s neutral, if slightly unethical to lead a cult, raid and murder merchants, then engage in battle with the brethren of said murder victims and claim the largest single portion of the proceeds for yourself. Just a smidge unethical, though.

Some people were not entirely convinced of this whole arrangement. “This sounds like bullshit,” they said. Mohammed compares these people to those doubters who were reluctant to fight alongside him at Badr. They dispute The Truth.

Telling people to overlook their leader’s questionable behavior by implying that they’re doing something wrong simply for asking questions seems bad.

Now, onto Mohammed bragging about Badr. In 8:7, we learn that the Muslim army was torn between two options: attacking the trade caravan headed to Mecca in one direction or attacking the Meccan fighters in the other direction. Mohammed intended to attack the caravan, but his men were spotted by scouts and they had to change plans. They decided to march towards Badr to face the Meccans instead. That is what is being referred to here, with the “armed one” being the Meccan army and the “other” being the caravan:

Allah promised you one of the two bands (of the enemy) that it should be yours, and ye longed that other than the armed one might be yours. And Allah willed that He should cause the Truth to triumph by His words, and cut the root of the disbelievers

I dunno, Allah “willing” his believers to go kill the disbelieving army (who were, for the thousandth time, fully justified in their actions) so that “truth could triumph” strikes me as bad. I mean, I could put this entire surah as bad by that logic, but I will try to go on an ayah-by-ayah basis, just to be nice.

8:9 repeats surah three’s assertion that Allah sent thousands of angels to help out at Badr to make the Muslims more assured of themselves, which again was overkill on Allah’s part. Also, it rained the day before the battle, which Mohammed says was Allah’s way of purifying his warriors.

Then Allah sent his angels out with this speech:

I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger. That is because they opposed Allah and His messenger. Whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, (for him) lo! Allah is severe in punishment. That (is the award), so taste it, and (know) that for disbelievers is the torment of the Fire.

Well then! It took us 14 ayat to reach our first kuffar hell counter (1) entry. And I suppose I don’t have to say that it’s bad for Allah to smite the disbelievers’ necks because they opposed Mohammed.

This is not going to be an overly happy surah, if you hadn’t guessed.

8:15 has Allah commanding Muslims to never turn away from the disbelievers while in battle. If they do, they will go to hell. That’s one way to motivate the troops, I guess. Bad.

Here’s a cute one that certainly hasn’t been used to justify all sorts of horrific behavior throughout the centuries!

Ye (Muslims) slew them not, but Allah slew them. And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him.

(The stuff Mohammed “threw” was... sand. It was apparently some Arab battle thing, I dunno. But Allah was the one who did it to defeat the disbelievers, is the point!)

8:19 says that the Muslims will attack the Meccans again if necessary but it would really be better if the Meccans would just “desist” in their opposition to Mohammed. We’ve already seen what that means, but I’ll put it down as neutral.

8:20 is an obey Mohammed etc ayah (repeated in 8:24), with the next ayah saying the same thing. Also, the worst living things on earth are people who don’t listen to Mohammed, who are “deaf and dumb”. Allah would have made them believers if he saw good in them, but he didn’t, so oh well.

Finally, everyone should fear one of Allah’s trials, the likes of which we saw in the last surah, because Allah is severe in punishment.

Let’s put that last one and the two about disbelievers being dumb as bad and call the rest neutral. We’re already a third of the way through the surah. Doesn’t it feel great?!

NEXT TIME: The kuffar hell counter makes up for lost time!!!

The Quran Read-Along: Day 54

Ayat: 25

Good: 0

Neutral: 11 (8:1-4, 8:9-11, 8:19-21, 8:24)

Bad: 14 (8:5-8, 8:12-18, 8:22-23, 8:25)

Kuffar hell counter: 1 (8:14)

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛

#quranreadalong #surah 8 #al anfal

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the-reclusive-wordsmith · 5 years ago

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The Golden Hour

CHAPTER 6: QUID PRO QUO

“Infil-infiltrate? Sir? How! Why?”, asked a bemused Tao.

“Tsk tsk. You ask too many questions, Tao.”, said Howard. “For now, do as I say, and when the time is right, I will tell you all you need to know.”

At this point in time, Tao was not sure whom to trust really but he agreed reluctantly seeing no other choice.

“Go get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you.”, said Howard. “I’ll be at the station, should you need me.”

“Right, Sir. Goodnight.”, said Tao and left for the night.

Lt. Howard had returned to his office and was sitting in isolation. Sykes excused himself in, hoping to get a few papers signed. He saw the Lieutenant looking tensed and sensed something was off.

“Lieutenant. So, how was the burning house?”, asked Sykes.

“Uh. Well. Uh, it was- it was taken care of by the uh- patrol officers and fire department.”, said Lt. Howard hesitantly.

“And...?”, asked Sykes with a frown.

“And nothing. We did not find anything. It was taken care of, yes.”

Lt. Howard was relatively new to the department and had little experience about lying to his colleagues. Detective Sykes on the other hand had spent enough summers and winters to know when something is even slightly off.

“Lieutenant. It is okay. We are a cohesive unit here. You can tell me what is going on.”, said Sykes reassuringly. “Rest assured, I have your best interests in my mind.”

Lt. Howard had to tell someone about it. This case was too complicated for him to handle by his own and he needed a second set of eyes and ears on this matter. He confided in Sykes. Necessity gives rise to the most unusual of alliances and Lt. Howard and Sykes were probably the prime examples of it.

“SO YOU MEAN, YOU HAVE NOT SAID A SINGLE WORD TO TAO?”, asked Sykes flabbergasted.

“No. Not yet. I don’t want to frighten the kid. This mission requires someone like him.”, said Howard with a sigh. “And there’s something else I need to tell you, Detective. Umm, so you see, I may have promoted Tao to a Probationary Detective at Major Crimes. I believe...”

“Maybe promoted?!”

“I mean, I have.”

“WHAT?”, said Detective Sykes with a laugh of disapproval. “You gotta be kidding me. Tao? He barely has any experience with field missions. He is a goddamn Call Operator!”

“Which makes him all the more suitable for this job, Louis! Nobody knows him.”, said Lt. Howard firmly.

“I need to know the entire plan, because if shit blows south, I don’t want to be in the middle of it!”

“Okay. But this is strictly between us. If word comes out that we’re doing this, we could be tried for treason and felony against the state.”

“Not a word, I promise Lieutenant. But the way you’re going about it, I already have a bad feeling about this.”

“We need to know what is going on, Louis. I too have a bad feeling about this.”

Lt. Howard continued, “So the plan is to steal some evidence and get some leads on this case. I have been ordered to transfer all files and evidences pertaining to this case over to a Special Agent Sanchez, who will be coming in tomorrow morning.”

“Then why not take the evidence away while we still have it? Why do an espionage on the CIA and risk getting caught?”, asked Sykes.

“Where do you think we are less careful? In our homes or at work?”

“In our homes. But what has that to do with this?”

“I am an ex-CIA, Louis. I know how they work. They have internal links in all state departments, including our Major Crimes division. I can bet my ass they have put the strongest surveillance out there on all our evidence lockers and logs. We make one wrong move here, and we could end up in a state penitentiary.”

“There are people working directly working for the CIA in our very department?!”

“Yes. The CIA is ‘THE CIA’ for a reason. Look Louis, I need you to trust me on this one. I know what I am doing. Please.”

“Okay. What happens next?”, said Sykes with a frown.

“I will let the Sanchez guy take the evidences and files away tomorrow morning. Once it gets registered under the CIA logs, they’ll let their guard down, even if it is ever so slightly. This is the moment when we capitalize on them. Tao will be disguised as a janitor. He will enter the CIA headquarters and place some IEDs in the washroom next to the Central Server Room. Once the IEDs go off...”

“Hold on, hold on. IEDs? What is going on, Lieutenant? Don’t you think that we might actually be committing treason here? Bombing up the CIA is not the right way! And why are you so interested about a burning building, anyway?”

“I could not recall the number from which Tracy Beck had called earlier tonight. But I did some digging around, and found out that the number belonged to Jack Vincent’s desk phone.”

“And the surprising part of this is ... Lieutenant?”

“Jack has been AWOL for six years now. Zero trace. His position got replaced by Tracy Beck, I’m assuming. But unless confirmed dead, Beck cannot officially sit in Jack’s office. She can’t even be a Agent-in-Charge. And she can’t certainly be officially using Jack’s desk phone. She’d be an interim at best. Which means she lied to me, and quite possibly does not have operational authority. But I cannot take a risk here. I need to be able to hold my position on this case. She was registering the call under Jack’s name in the CIA call logs, but why?”

“So you suspect some foul play, Lieutenant? Why can’t we run a background check on this Beck lady and see what turns up?”

“I smell conspiracy, Louis. There is no use trying to trace Beck. We do not have the clearance for her files, which makes it very strange. How can a possible interim have her files under protection? Only the highest officials at the state departments have that privilege. Jack’s been my friend ever since. I don’t think there is any officer or agent good enough to compete with him. He is the very best of us. There is no way he is AWOL. Specially, since his records do not show any ongoing mission at the time of his disapperance.”

“Could be an undercover mission?”

“Unlikely. Jack had to place a metal rod in his right leg after a skydiving incident. Since then, he lost his clearance for field missions. If at all, he would be engaged in intelligence analysis on site with a full security detail. ”

“When did Jack go missing then? Did you not try to track him down, Lieutenant?”

“Well, to be honest, Jack was one of the vagabond types. The job did take a toll on him sometimes, so he’d disappear for a few days, but then positively return to resume operations. When he was gone for long, I did try to find him, but no luck. I eventually gave up. Thought, he might have left behind this life.

Lt. Howard continued, “Anyway, the burning building, the dead bodies and prints on the presumed murder weapon, is what we need to proceed with the case. And there is not a rat’s chance in hell, we will be able to get those leads by sitting here. However, if we can break into the CIA headquarters, we can access raw data files and also the evidence files that we need.”

“Lieutenant. Your methods are unorthodox. Very unorthodox. We seriously cannot be thinking about blowing up the CIA headquarters. We could kill someone that way!”

“No, no, no, Louis. These IEDs will only have a localized effect. It will be enough to cause a panic, and possibly a fire. But nobody will get killed. We need to take this risk...”

“Then you’re going to tell Tao everything. I do not want that kid in the middle of an espionage, which by the way, does fall along lines of treason and felony, and be thinking what to do next. You need to take full responsibility of everything!”

“Louis, I cannot tell Tao everything right now. Fear during a covert operation is not what I need. I promise you. He’ll pull through.”

“I cannot agree with you Lieutenant. I can only provide you with my assistance, but I cannot agree with you for baiting the life of an innocent kid.”

“I am not baiting Tao’s life!”, said Lt. Howard angrily. “All right. You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to. Just be there if I mess up.”

“Uh, correction. It is ‘when you mess up’ and not ‘if’. Lieutenant, have you even thought this through? Let’s assume,Tao does manage to disguise himself as a janitor, how will cross the metal detectors, and the motion sensors, an army of guards and I don’t know what you guys have up your sleeve, but I’m pretty sure, once the IEDs go off, that place will be swarming with SWAT forces and the USMC in no time. Tao is a dead man there. They will seal the area completely, find out that Tao is not what he is appearing to be, and god forbid if he speaks, you, sir, will be in a lot of trouble.”

“I’ve got it covered, Louis. I will make sure, Tao is safe. I too, have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“You better. Else, you’ll have the blood of an innocent on your hands.”

“All right, then. We will be doing this tomorrow morning after Agent Sanchez has logged in the evidence at the headquarters. Prime traffic hours. I need you to do a few things for me Louis. Here, take this card. Go to this location. You’ll find a man there named Big Daddy G. Tell him, that I’ve sent you. He’ll arrange two getaway vehicles with fake number plates, IEDs, some smoke grenades and unlicensed taser guns. He will give you a map of the area around the CIA headquarters. Find a suitable spot and park the vehicle there. And...”

“And?”, asked Sykes anticipating that the Lieutenant will give him a task that will blow his mind.

“I need you to fake a heart attack.”, said Lt. Howard shaking his head.

Sykes was aghasted at this request. Lt. Howard could not help but chuckle a bit.

He said, “Louis, don’t worry. You’re not dying so soon! I just need to establish a reason for us to be around the CIA headquarters when things go down. Security footage and our call logs will help in that.”

Sykes had to assist his commanding officer, even if it was done begrudgingly. He left to meet Big Daddy G as per Lt. Howard’s instructions.

Meanwhile, Lt. Howard had some very important calls to make.

“Hello? Who is this?”, asked a growling voice over the phone.

“Hello, Major Jenkins. I am your well-wisher.”, said Lt. Howard from the other side of the line.

“The army does not need ye voodoo men, huh. Scoot!”, replied Major Jenkins.

“Switch to a secure line, and I will tell you something very important. It is about your men posted in Afghanistan, who I think, are very eager to come back home.”

The Major was intrigued. He switched onto a recording line hoping to catch this sly man on the other side of the call. But...

“Ah, ah, Major. Now, you see, I am not your everyday ordinary man. I know you switched to the recording line instead of a secure one, in which case, I think, the recorders will be happy to know about the cash you had vanished last summer on a routine resources drop for your men posted in Afghanistan. And I’m pretty sure, your men will be very, very pleased to know how you had taken half the resources allocated to them, and made money off of it.”

The Major’s face turned red. Nobody knew about this incident. And the Major had thought he had done a good job at burying it under bundles of paperwork. He quickly switched over to a secure line and spoke nervously, yet trying to retain a dominating voice, “Okay. Shut up. Who are ya’ and what do ye’ want?”

Lt. Howard faked an irreverent laugh and said, “Now we’re talking! I am your well-wisher for sure, for I can bring your good men back from Afghanistan. They have been posted there for too long. They’re out of resources, low in morale and will get killed eventually, because the President’s peace talks are making your men sitting ducks for the Talibans, am I not right? So, I need a favour. And I am not requesting for it. I am ordering you. Else, the recording about you sniffing out money from the marines posted in the bleak conditions of Afghanistan is airing tomorrow in the news. However, I am not the devil here, so I will do you one good. I will help get your men back, but in return I need my job done.”

“What do you want me to do ye lil’ bastard? Ya think ye can fool them Army and threaten me? How will ye bring my men back?”

“Oof! I’d probably mind that tone if I were you, Major. Listen very carefully and do exactly as I tell you to. Tomorrow there is going to be a ‘little party’ at the CIA headquarters. You and SEAL Team Six will be invited to it. I want you to decline that invitation and also make sure that the SWAT team is taken care of. From my end, I’ll ensure that the President declares an attack on the Talibans and your men can then finish off the rest and come back home.”

“I do not have much operational authority on SWAT. Ye’ should know that!”

“That is your problem, Major. Figure it out. Think about it. This is the only way you can get your men back. That, or risk ending up in the morning news.”

The call was disconnected. Lt. Howard was not too happy having to make such threats. But the situation demanded him to lose his moral fiber for the time being. Lt. Howard’s methods were different, and to find the truth, he was even willing to tread on dangerous roads.

“Emma?”, asked Lt. Howard eagerly.

“Charles? Is that you?”, asked Emma in a surprised tone.

“Hey, hey, hey. How are you? Long time no see, huh?”, said Lt. Howard excitedly.

“Oh, really? Well I remember you were the one who had left me when you had to shift to Langley... How’s your job going?”

“Well. I, uh. I work for the V.S.P.D. now. Major Crimes Division.”

“So the CIA finally threw you out?”, asked Emma with a laugh.

“Haha. Very funny...”

A moment of pause fell upon them. The fond old memories were flashing infront of their eyes.Even after so many years, lost love did not fail to put a ache in their hearts all over again. But Lt. Howard broke the silence and said...

“So, you’re still working at The White House?”

“Yes. But lately work has been quite hectic...”

“Uh, do you get to talk to the President?”, asked Lt. Howard cutting through Emma’s line.

“Charles. Yes, I do get to talk to the President. How did you know that...?”

“I need a favour, Emma.”

“Okay. I see it now! So you already knew, that I have been appointed as the Senior Adviser to the POTUS. Funny how you kept track of that! You did not call because you were missing me or if you wanted to know how I have been doing. You called because you bloody needed a favour! You haven’t changed one bit, Charles, have you?”

“Look, Emma, dear. I need ...”

“Don’t you dare ‘dear’ me, Charles! I have been waiting for you to call for so long. So damn long. And when you finally do, it is not for me, but for a favour!”

“I’m sorry Emma. Things could not have worked out between us. You knew that too. But I really need some help on a case right now. Somebody’s life may depend on it. You have to understand... just for this last time, Emma. Please.”

“Be quick about it. I’m getting late for work.”

“I need you to convince the POTUS to declare an attack on the Talibans.”

Emma started laughing wildly. She thought Charles was making some weird joke.

“Emma, I’m serious. I really need this.”

“Charles. We’re in the middle of our peace talks. Why would the POTUS suddenly declare an attack? This is insane!”

“I’ll handle the “why” part of the thing. I just need you to convince him for the attack.”

“No, Charles. I am not doing anything without knowing the full story here.”

“Okay, listen. There will be a serial IED blast tomorrow, at the CIA headquarters. I need you to pin this act on the Talibans, and convince the POTUS to go on the offense.”

“An IED blast? What are you talking about!”

“Emma. I cannot reveal much details about this. Please, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Charles. This better be something good. I am risking everything here. I need something in return. I don’t think I can trust you fully, unless...”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever you need. Go on.”

“I want you back.”

Lt. Howard was taken aback. He did not see this coming.

“Emma, I don’t know if I can do that. I can’t promise you ...”

“I am not going to ask you again, Charles. Deal or no deal?”

Lt. Howard’s head started throbbing really fast. He had only the slightest opportunity to gather the files from the CIA headquarters. And he could not let it go now, that he had come this far, even at the cost of signing away his own life to a woman he had once left and had not met for years.

“All right. Once all this is over, I’ll come back to you in Washington. We’ll be together.”

“Promise me, Charles. Promise me!”, said Emma firmly.

“I promise.”, replied Lt. Howard.

Emma was very happy. After all these years she had finally had her chance of living the life she had imagined with her dear Charles. She agreed to his terms. But the Lieutenant was on the brink of giving up. Each of these calls seemed like a blow on his self respect, on his morals, on his heart and mind. The path of justice and knowledge, is never the smoothest one, but needs to be tread by the valiant.

There still remains one last call. And this was probably the most difficult one.

“H.O.S. Sergeant Rios?”, asked Lt. Howard.

“Yes? Who is this?”, asked Rios.

“My name is Lieutenant Howard. I am from the Major Crimes Division of the Virginia State Police Department.”

“Hoo-rah, Lieutenant! How may I be of assistance?”

“Sergeant Rios, I was hoping you could come over to our P.D. and guide us with an ongoing murder investigation.”

“A murder investigation, sir?”

“Yes. We were hoping you could help us with the security detail of the witness. We are planning to put the witness in the witness protection programme.”

“Sir, I cannot officially be engaged in anything else, other than looking after the external security of the CIA.”

“Oh, Sergeant! This is going to stay off the records. Don’t worry about that. We had heard many good things about you, and we were also wanting to present you with a medal of appreciation for your time with us, but seems like you’re a bit busy...”

“No, um. Hold on. Uh, okay. If you can promise me that this stays completely off the records, I can come.”

“I assure full secrecy of this matter, Sergeant.”

“All right, sweet. When do you want me to come over, then?”

“Now would be a very suitable time, Sergeant.”

“Now!?”

“Why yes. The sooner we finish this murder investigation, the sooner we can award you for your kind services!”

“Okay. I’ll come over right now. I still have some time on my hands before the employees come in.”

Lt. Howard was successful in inviting the Head of the Security over to the P.D. All that there was left was to make him go to sleep for a while.

H.O.S. Sergeant Rios had arrived at the P.D.

“Ah! Sergeant Rios. What a big help this is.”

“Glad to be of service, Sir!”, said Rios beamingly.

“Here, come sit in Conference Room II, while I get the case files for you. And uh, please help yourself to some coffee!”

“I will. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Rios sat down comfortably on the chair and helped himself to a large cup full of steaming espresso. The smell was fantastic, thought Rios. But, just as he took his first sip, his body started to twitch and within seconds he was knocked unconscious.

Lt. Howard came rushing in and took Rios by his arms and dragged him to his room. Luckily it was very early in the morning and nobody was there at the P.D. to catch Lt. Howard in the act. Lt. Howard turned down the window blinds, taped a mild sedative pill to Rios’ nose, just in case, and took out Rios’ cellphone from his pocket.

The Lieutenant proceeded to call up the front desk security of the CIA and asked them to take the day off and post new reserve guards at their places, citing a ‘giving opportunity to newcomers’ reason. The plan worked. Lt. Howard was a good impersonator, it seems. Rios was lying unconscious in his room and there is no way he would be able to call for backup when the IEDs would go off.

Lt. Howard locked his room, and wiped clean the evidence of Rios’ whereabouts from Conference Room II.

The plan was finally in motion. All he had to do now, was to wait for Agent Sanchez to come and collect the evidences and files from the P.D.’s Evidence Room. Once the evidences and files are with the CIA, Lt. Howard can start with the final phase of his espionage.

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pilawforhire-archived · 7 years ago

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Happy Birthday, Morgan!! @mxladymorgan

Post the campfire seafood buffet dinner and the cutting of the birthday cake, and Happy Birthday sang enthusiastically over and over, tirelessly, the crew proud to showcase and show off their flawless pitch-perfect vocals, much to Law’s ignored displeasure --- Law would have preferred to bury his head in the sand, truth be told, than listen to that incessant racket --- the Heart Pirates line up to present Morgan their gifts in what Law considered an amazing and rare occurrence. His crew, queueing patiently, without fighting over the order of which they went? Bizarro. Law stood alone in the far corner like an ostracised kid at school, waiting for all Hell to break loose.

First up was Ikkaku, because she insisted, and when Ikkaku used her authoritative voice, the rest of the men dared not question nor dispute. Ikkaku strolled up to Morgan with a pleasant smile. She held out a dark brown leather journal neatly wrapped in a vintage floral wrapping paper. “Happy Birthday, Morgan.” Ikkaku planted a soft peck on Morgan’s cheek.

Shachi and Penguin bounced toward Morgan next. They were hardly ever seen apart, close-knit as twin brothers could get. Shachi and Penguin had reused wrapping paper from Valentine’s Day because they had previously stolen a shit-ton and it was either that or toilet paper. It went without saying that toilet paper was a crucial asset onboard the submarine and thus could not be sacrificed even for something as precious as Morgan’s gift. How else would they clean their bums? Shachi and Penguin, each with one hand on the gift, presented Morgan a packaging that contained a polka-dotted bright-coloured two-piece swimsuit. Penguin blushed a tinge but Shachi grinned wide and unashamed. He shook Morgan’s hand excitedly like she was the Queen or an empress. Shachi gave the back of Morgan’s hand a slobbery kiss before both troublemakers chirped in unison, “HAPPY AGEING!! BIRTHDAY!” Both then proceed to sing a duet of Happy Birthday a cappella. Shachi blew a party noisemaker in Morgan’s face and dragged Penguin away, but not before Penguin threw a bunch of flower petals over Morgan’s head.

Bepo stepped up, following the duo. Bepo wore the biggest, good-natured, warmest smile. “Happy Bar---Birthday, ma’am!!” Bepo outstretched his arms and gave Morgan a bear hug, super tight, though Bepo was careful not to constrict Morgan and hurt her accidentally. Bepo had plenty of practice on Law, and hence, Bepo knew just how hard to squeeze without causing someone to throw up or to suffocate. From his pocket, Bepo pulled out a small box. Inside, Bepo had bought Morgan, with real money, a bottle of perfume. Bepo had no idea if Morgan would appreciate the scent but he had asked around town and all passers-by had either ran from him or turned a blind-eye. In the end, Bepo observed other women shopping for perfume and figured that Morgan, being the classiest lady he’d ever met, could use a bottle too! Bepo quickly disappeared into the shop and after several rounds of profuse apologies, the shopkeeper sold him a bottle of perfume before chasing him out. By then, Bepo stank of sweat and could use the perfume himself. However, opening a gift was rude and Bepo would never do anything so selfish. Bepo beamed at Morgan and lingered for a moment a little awkwardly, unsure what he was waiting for, until someone pushed him out of the way.

Moving on, Jean Bart carried Malik on his shoulder. Malik promptly jumped off and struck a pose with jazz hands before hopping toward Morgan. Jean Bart managed a small, quiet smile he had spent hours in front of the mirror, hunched over, practising to get right. In his expression, he retained a tinge of self-consciousness he could not repress. Malik, on the other hand, his grin took up half of his face and Morgan could possibly count every single tooth of his, including all the decays. She could probably even yank his uvula from where she stood. Malik leaned toward Morgan and balanced a jewellery box on her head. Jean Bart had picked out a diamond necklace for Morgan, albeit stolen from an islander’s home. Nevertheless, being pirates, they were delighted with their gift and accomplishment and couldn’t wait for Morgan to open it up.

Uni shuffled up once Jean Bart and Malik had cleared off. Uni bowed low and gentlemanly. Out of everyone else, Uni was the only one dressed in a suit he had dug out from his secret closet. It was several sizes too big for his lanky frame, but he squared out his shoulders and postured confidence. In a voice unbecoming of a pirate, fruity and melodious, Uni sang, “Happy Birthday, milady.” From thin air, Uni materialised a stalk of a red rose. He lifted his top hat and pulled out a whole bouquet of red roses. Uni placed the flowers in Morgan’s hands. Then he took one of her hands gently and left her a box of white pearl earrings.

The rest of the Heart Pirates had collaborated on a gift instead. One of them jogged up to Morgan and presented her a rosewood box with soft velvet lining. They had procured a Queen Anne pistol on their last raid and wholeheartedly agreed that Morgan should have the pistol as a gift. Another of the crew brought out a scroll. In it, each member of the crew, excluding Law, had penned their birthday well-wishes for Morgan, along with their signatures, accompanied by Bepo’s paw print stamped at the bottom corner. “Happy Birthday,” they chorused, and then flashed her genuine smiles of pleasure that she was now almost like another member of the crew. It didn’t matter if it was not yet official, she was akin to a respectable sisterly figure every one of them greatly admired.

That night, after he had left his present under her pillow earlier, Law, in the midst of settling down to rest, padded toward the bed where Morgan sat. His expression impassive, unrevealing of his intentions, Law scooted closer to Morgan and smiled. A smile that was half genuine, half impish in manner. His hand shot out and grabbed the front of Morgan’s shirt. Law pulled Morgan in for the second kiss that day.

“Happy Birthday,” Law said, his voice soft. If Morgan strained hard enough, she might have detected a trace of affection in his tone. He had not wished her Happy Birthday yet, since he did not believe in singing Happy Birthday songs because he did not sing.

“Hmm… Just for tomorrow…” Law gazed fixedly into her eyes. His fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt, revealing just a peek of her belly button. “Just for tomorrow… We could pretend you were captain.” The corners of his lips curved into a little smirk. “Obviously, you don’t get to order me around… Or maybe you do…? Who knows, what might happen.” For the briefest of moments, his eyes glowed. Then, with a dash of boldness, Law leaned toward Morgan and gradually coaxed Morgan to lie back down. “…It’s your birthday…” He slid her shirt up slowly and nuzzled her chest, his lips pressing kisses down her sternum, over her flat stomach, heading south. With his chin hovering below her groin, his fingers tugged slightly at the waistband of her pants and underwear. His eyes flicked up to meet hers. “Allow me?” he cooed. He slipped the fabric of her pants down over her hipbones and waited for her consent.

#mxladymorgan #v; canon #feel free to reply but you don't have to :')#this would not fit in the ask box so...

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sintheyokai · 6 years ago

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(LCRoA-2) Chapter 1: Black Snake and the Woman of Shadows

Word Count (not including a midway author's note): 10295 (Jesus christs FUCK)

Time- 1:39 p.m.

Hilda was tired.

VERY tired.

She had stayed up the night before, cracking a national drug ring she had been trying to bust for months, and Lucius had certainly tested her patience yesterday afternoon.

So needless to say, she really didn't want to deal with the senior lady who just walked in.

She was old, but didn't look as such. In fact, she was rather thin and curvaceous for someone her age. Her hair was curly, but not Sniffer curly, and was a blazing shade of white.

"Good evening!" she said cheerfully, "Is Alfendi Layton here? Or any other Laytons for that matter?"

Hilda held her temples. "No," she said, "He went out to lunch about 45 minutes ago."

The lady's eyes widened, "You mean he's OUT OF THE WORKPLACE for ONCE? How rude, he didn't even bother to let me know!" she said jokingly.

Hilda, too tired to realize such, raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"Perhaps you wouldn't mind if I wait for him? And call someone over whilst I'm at it?"

Hilda sighed, simply shaking her head 'no'

"Thank you!" the lady chirped before handing Hilda a small bottle of liquid, which the agent, understandably, looked at quizzically. "Drink that dear," the elder said sweetly, "It'll perk ya right up. You deserve it for being polite in that sorry state."

Giving a loose nod, accompanied by a yawn, Hilda raised the bottle to her lips. She had barely taken a sip before she felt like her normal self. Whatever she had been given worked like magic! Hilda stared at the woman in disbelief as the latter pulled a small black box and a phone out of her bag, quickly dialing someone and putting the box over her throat. Hilda strained to overhear the conversation.

"Katrielle Layton, please come to Scotland Yard." The woman's voice had changed to that of a man, gruff and surly, "Someone is requesting you... No, they insist that you come here... Alright, we will await your arrival. Goodbye."

If Hilda wasn't in disbelief before, she certainly was now! She watched the woman proceed to make two more calls, each in a different voice:

After she hung up on the second person, she looked in Hilda's direction and winked with a playful smile. Hilda hesitantly smiled back. Who exactly was this woman?

***

Time- 1:58 p.m.

Alfendi laughed as his assistant, Lucy Baker, skipped about with his sister, Fauna. They had, unfortunately, been forced to leave Lou's house earlier than wanted because Fauna had gotten a call telling her to go to Scotland Yard (C'mon you two; you're gonna be headin' back at some time, why not now?).

As they began approaching Scotland Yard, Lucy spotted someone familiar.

"Oi!" she shouted, "Katrielle!"

Alfendi did a double take at the name. He looked at the entrance to see his sister chatting away with another woman with wavy brown hair, dressed in a long peachy orange dress and red, wintry cape. Both he and Fauna recognized the latter and went pale.

"Nope!" Fauna and Potty said in unison, backing up, "NOPEnopeNopenope timetogo becomingantisocial N O W."

Lucy, albeit confused, grabbed the duo in a death grip by the wrists before dragging them in the direction of the building. She called out again.

"KATRIELLE!"

The woman in question looked away from her chatting partner and smiled.

"Lucy! And is that an Alfendi and Fauna I spy?"

Both grumbled a small "Yes" in response.

"Fauna, sweetie, it's so good to see you again little sister!" the other woman cried out, trapping Lou's housemate in a forced hug.

"Mhm, yeah," Fauna said between clenched teeth, "Good t'see ya too, Flora."

"What are you all doing here, anyway?" Flora asked, "Kat told me she was called here."

Fauna raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Odd... I was too. What about you?"

Flora knitted her eyebrows, "I didn't want to say anything before, but I also received a call. Alfendi?"

The inspector shook his head towards his older sister.

"Suppose they knew you worked here?" Katrielle piped in.

"Tha's good an' all," Lucy interrupted, before pointing to Flora, "But who is-"

"Are you the Laytons and Reinholds?" a soft, American voice spoke from the entrance. The addressed people turned to see an officer standing at the door. The family glanced at each other before Fauna spoke.

"Yyyyeah? Who the fuck are you?"

The officer smiled. "If you'll follow me inside." she said, not answering Fauna. Hesitantly, the group went inside.

Once in, Alfendi took note of Hilda's semi bewildered look. The officer turned to them.

"We will wait here." she commanded.

And they did so for about 5 awkward minutes before Lucy noticed the officer was giving her an amused side eye whilst unbuckling her collar. Before she could say anything, however, she spoke in a louder and more British voice.

"My, my Alfendi, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend~!"

In an instant, the woman was tackled by both Laytons and Reinholds, all crying "Aunt Okri!" (or "HOLY FUCKS" if you were Potty or Fauna). The woman gave a hearty laugh before, to Lucy's surprise, removing a wig.

"Now, now, settle! I know I haven't been around in a lo-"

WHAM!

Katrielle stood defensively, fist out.

"Kat what the fuck!?" Potty shouted.

"Nono, Al, it's fine, I deserved that! Jeez, Kat, I see you've gotten better at your socking."

"You left Alfendi in the middle of his coma!" Katrielle wailed in anger, "Over some job! Don't you care about your family!?"

Okri's face fell a bit. She slowly put her arms around Katrielle and hugged her close.

"That's actually why I had to go. If I hadn't at that time, Alfendi would've had a zero percent chance of waking up."

She patted her niece's head before Lucy finally shouted.

"Aight PLEASE SOMEONE EXPLAIN."

Alfendi chuckled before pointing to Flora, "This is my sister, Flora Reinhold. My dad adopted her which meeeans..." he turned to Fauna, "Fauna is technically ALSO adopted."

Lucy then looked at a red faced Fauna, who sighed.

"Long story short, I told Flora to literally ship me off to some rando place (in a box) when we were kids because I didn't wanna deal with my new robo mama (I'll explain that in a bit Lou, hold the fuck up). Landed in South America, adopted the kids, somehow got back to England, saw my sister with Al's dad, got adopted myself."

Lucy nodded, eyes wide as she looked at the woman called Aunt Okri. Alfendi suddenly grabbed her shoulders.

"AUNTIE..." he said, "This is my ASSISTANT and... sweetheart?? Lucy Baker!"

Okri laughed again before flashing Lucy a smile.

"Pleased to meet you, in-law!"

Alfendi smacked his aunt upside the head, face scarlet.

"What's say we go someplace?" Okri suddenly suggested, "Alfendi, Fauna, I know you two just had lunch, but is anyone else hungry? Personally, I'm not, but Kat? Flora?"

The girls shook their heads.

"We could go to the museum." Flora shyly offered, "I heard they recently got something new added to their Azran exhibit: statues and weapons from the city of Akbadain!"

"Oh, Ernest went to see that with Sherl today!" Katrielle exclaimed, receiving a few odd glances and an amused eyebrow raise from her aunt. "Unrequited assistant and a dog." she bluntly explained.

"Sounds good, unless anyone has any valid objections?" Okri waited. Alfendi slowly raised his hand.

"No, Alfendi, being an antisocial workaholic does not count as a valid objection."

"Okay..."

So they set off into the streets of London, chatting and catching up on the missed years. Lucy listened intently as the Layton aunt rambled on and on about adventures, her most recent one being a classic "government shits messing with shit they're not supposed to and nearly wrecking the planet in the process."

Of course she didn't just tell stories; she also managed to slip in typical family teasing ("Settled in with a nice man, Flora? What about you Fauna?", "Alfendi for fucks sake what exactly have you EATEN while I was gone? By Heavens fuck, look at your SHINS!", "Katrielle Layton, there is a fine line between 'unrequited assistant' and 'future in-law'").

As they began approaching the museum, they were surprised to see people being quickly evacuated. The group ran across the street and Okri tapped a guard on the shoulder.

"The hell's going on?" she asked him.

"Some boy got bit by a snake that now refuses to leave him alone; he's having violent convulsions. We've already called police and an ambulance so just stay here." the guard replied.

Katrielle scanned the crowd, hoping to catch sight of Ernest or Sherl. She suddenly heard her name.

"Kat!" she saw a red and white beagle running up to her, looking bewildered.

"Sherl!" she cried out in relief before panicking again, "Wait, where's Ernest?"

Sherl did not respond.

"Sherl, come on, where is he?!"

Again, she did not receive an answer; she sprinted inside, dodging the attempted grabs by officers.

"Kat! Wait!" Alfendi shouted, the guard blocking him, "Let me through, that's my sister!"

The officer was soon on the ground, Okri having kneed him in the stomach.

"Move it or lose it, c'mon!" she ordered, the group taking chase to Katrielle.

They found her in a room with several Akbian artifacts. She stood at the edge, gawking in horror at a green haired college boy in the middle of the room.

His eyes were pitch black, leaking some liquid of gross consistency like tears. The same liquid poured from his mouth as he twitched violently, jerking about like a fish out of water.

What made the sight more disturbing, however, was the black snake loosely wrapped around his neck. It slithered around the poor boy's head, occasionally licking the black goop from his eyes.

"Ernest!" Katrielle shouted, grabbing a small pocket knife from inside her coat.

The snake turned its head to the detective, tilting it slightly in a confused manner. It suddenly hissed, slowly, as if getting used to the word.

"Er... Errrrneessssst..."

It looked at him and spoke again.

"Ihrrrrniihwoooolt (irniwoolt)"

It slowly removed itself from the poor youth's neck and began making its way towards Katrielle. It lifted itself up so that it was eye level with her.

"Tichahngoox.... Thhhhanksssss".

And just like that it was gone, literally disappearing into the shadows.

Snapping out of her shock, she ran to Ernest, who was no longer moving and surrounded by her family.

Okri was force feeding him a drink, every sip somehow ridding Kat's assistant's eyes of the black slime. As Aunt Okri continued pouring the liquid down Ernest's throat, Katrielle thought she saw a woman in the window.

When Ernest finally came to, the police and medical staff arrived. Okri slapped the chief medic in the face.

"Well LOOK who's LATE!" she shouted, a team already helping Ernest to his feet and out the museum, "You're no longer needed for saving; I managed to heal him just in time, unlike your sorry ass who took forever and would've arrived to a dead body had I not stepped in!"

"Inspector Layton, do you know this woman?" Alfendi turned to the speaker.

"Yes, Detective Britannia, she's my aunt."

Katrielle's head snapped towards the man in. "Britannia?" she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same to you Ms. Layton."

"We were going to come see the newest Azran exhibit when I heard Ernest got bit."

Britannia raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You haven't heard?"

The Laytons looked at each other before looking back at the officer.

"'eard wot?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm... I see. Inspector and Ms. Layton, perhaps you could prove more useful to this odd case than us." Britannia turned to Katrielle, "Both the statues and the weapons that arrived the day before yesterday were discovered to be missing this morning. And Inspector, I believe for your part, it's best you simply see for yourself. I pray none of you are squeamish."

He then led the family to a door that had been shut and plastered with warnings.

Promptly opening it, they felt their hearts stop.

Presumably three people, two women and a man dressed in black, were dead, all dismembered and disfigured in horrible, grotesque ways. The only mild death, Alfendi noted, was the woman in front of an empty exhibit, body cut cleanly in half and face flayed off.

The man had been sliced open, his own intestines wrapped around his neck and tied to a weapons rack. The other woman was completely destroyed, body parts scattered and head on a spear placed near a stone tablet.

It took most of the group's, excluding Alfendi and Okri, will to not vomit or retch at the sight.

"Well whoever did this sure had speed and patience." Okri said, scrunching up her nose in disdain.

"Let's start the investigation." Alfendi said, "Britannia! Make sure a file gets sent to the Mystery Room, I'll be there soon. Kat, I assume you're going to stay and ask around?"

His sister nodded, still looking a little shaken. "When Ernest gets better, can one of you make sure he gets here safely? I want him to help."

Flora raised her hand, "I'll stay at the hospital with your dog and bring Ernest once he recovers."

Alfendi nodded before wiping a finger on a newspaper, the black goop quickly appearing, "Managed to get it before Auntie rid of it all." he said when he noticed Lou staring, "I'll get Florence to test it, along with anything the snake put in him." Fauna suddenly grabbed her brother by the shoulder.

"Aunt Okri and I talked." she said, "She's gonna stay here with Kat and help investigate in her assistant's place. I decided I'm going with you. Also, she gave me this." Fauna held up a stone ball, just slightly larger than a tennis or baseball. "Told me to guard it for her, no clue why; government shits tryna mess with it I guess. Put it in your big ass pockets for me, will ya? I have none."

Taking the ball, he placed it in a lab coat pocket as he, Lou, and Fauna walked out of the museum and back to the Yard. As they did, Fauna caught a glimpse of a woman, clothed in black and purple, standing across the street from the museum. Not thinking of it much, she continued to follow her brother and housemate.

A/N: We have now reached a split point! Throughout the investigation and story, there will be moments where I need to tell what all parties are doing. It's like first person, but in third instead (if that makes ANY sense). They will be distinguished by the beginning letter(s) of the character.

-Lo: Loopy, L: Lucy, Lu: Lucille

- Fl: Flora, Fa: Fauna

And Alfendi will be A, Kat K and so on. For any new main characters that come up, I will provide a key as to what letters refer to who. You are also welcome to try and solve the investigation (though I think it'll be a bit obvious; ya never know though) in the comments, as you will be given clues from each sector!

Now, with that out of the way, you may continue reading:

Key

A- Alfendi's party

K- Katrielle's party

Fl.- Flora's party

N/A- There is no party, but there are still clues to be gained

---------------

Time- 2:15 p.m.

(K)

Katrielle watched as Aunt Okri came up to her from Detective Britannia.

"Okay, here's what I got." Okri said:

The day before yesterday, they got the statues and weapons from a Mr. Randall Ascot and Henry Ledore in Monte d'Or. Both sets of artifacts were found in some Azran ruins from the ancient kingdom of Akbadain. Last night, the entrance doors of the museum were locked and the only way in could've been through the windows. This morning, however, not only did they discover the bodies and missing artifacts, but they also found the supposed getaway car parked close by. The morning guard also saw that someone had burned a small hole in the one of the empty rooms' back wall.

"I'll tell this to Alfendi, too, Kat." Okri said.

Katrielle simply nodded, taking this into consideration:

3/15 clues gained!

- Entrance locked

- Parked escape car

- Burned hole

"Guard also gave me these." Okri said, handing her niece two photos, "It's the statues and the weapons. So we have a reference." Katrielle inspected the photos carefully.

The first one showed statues of six adult women, arranged in a neat row.

From left to right, they appeared as followed:

- A serene, yet mature looking woman with ear length bobbed hair and wearing a long sleeved long dress; she is posed so that it looks like she is holding a bow, pulling back a single arrow.

- A pure, shy appearing woman with curly, rear end length hair and wearing a long tiered gown with a sweetheart neckline; she has one hand out as if she were either reaching for something below her waist or pushing away a crowd from below. The other is somewhat hidden, but clenched as if she were holding a weapon.

- A boyish, toned woman with short, scruffy hair and wearing a tank top and shorts; she is in a war like pose: hunched so that her chest is close to her knee, legs bent and far apart, and arms up like she is wildly holding two of something in tight fists.

- A bubbly, smiley woman with knee length hair and wearing a strapless bra-esque top and puffy tiered skirt; she has one leg up, bent at the knee, and she looks as if she is supposed to be holding a violin.

- A cold, emotionless appearing woman with back length hair and a bang covering half her face, wearing a simple sleeveless long dress; she is slightly hunched and has one arm out to the side, as if she were once holding a staff.

- A sweet, gentle looking woman with back length hair and wearing a puff sleeved knee high dress; she is posed to look like she's clutching her heart and reaching out for something coming down or releasing a bird.

Kat then looked at the other photo:

- A silver bow fitted with garnets.

- An obsidian dagger with a silver hilt, fitted with a singular sapphire.

- Two identical wooden wands, blades coming out further down it and an emerald on the ends (basically it looks like a question mark without the dot- ?).

- A golden violin and bow, two citrines symmetrically mirrored on either side of the instrument.

- A large, golden and intricate staff topped with a fairly sized and deep purple amethyst.

Soaking in the information, Kat began walking to ask around. Before she could, however, her aunt was tackled to the ground by a blue and brown blur.

"Aunt Okri!" she cried out as guards and officers simply stared at the cat-fight taking place. Okri was quickly overpowered and given a bloody face as the creature grabbed her bag and began rummaging through it. Kat took note of its appearance.

It was a woman of sorts, her thin, torn hair the color of muddy ice, and eyes glowing with the color of the frozen sea. Both her icy blue nails and slightly yellow teeth were long and sharp, her skin a gross shade of french gray and clothes made of still bloody animal pelts. She began panicking as she, apparently, couldn't find what she was looking for. She gave the older Layton a sneer and snarled.

"Wichihrih eex eet?"

(Where is it?)

When Okri didn't respond, the woman launched at her and harshly grabbed her by the throat. She asked again, in a scream.

"WICHIHRIH EEX EET!?"

"Aunt Okri! Let her go!" Katrielle threatened the woman. Okri put her hand on the her attackers'

"Paxihd eet awn. Sweend eet eerawoo xawn awswih a beetshich~"

(Passed it on. Find it you son of a bitch~)

The woman, in a rage at whatever Okri had said, slammed her head down before leaping up the walls and out the high window. Katrielle hurried to her aunt.

"Auntie! Are you-"

"I'm fine, Kat, don't worry," Okri said, clutching the back of her bleeding head, "I'm just glad she didn't go after you. 'Specially after what I said."

"What was that thing looking for?"

"I'd really rather tell you once the whole family and friends are gathered in one place. C'mon, let's try starting, take two."

4/15 clues gained!

- Aunt Okri's attacker

They went around, first going to the museum's caretaker, Kyuray Tohr.

"Mr. Tohr," Katrielle tapped the man's shoulder, gaining his attention, "Might I have a word? I'm Katrielle Layton."

"Ah, Ms. Layton! I've heard of your achievements." he smiled, "I assume you've come to ask me about the thefts?"

"Yes."

"Well, I was just waking up when I got a call from the guard who opens up saying there had been a murder in the museum! Not only that, but the new exhibits had been stolen as well!"

Katrielle put her chin in between her thumb and forefinger. "I see..." she mused, "Would you mind speaking to my brother at Scotland Yard? You can testify to him." Mr. Tohr frowned slightly.

"I see no reason to suspect me, but be it as it may, I'll do that." he said, "I suggest, however, you talk to the guard who opened up the museum this morning: Ivgaw d'Keez. He might have something. Hope to meet you again Ms. Layton."

Saying goodbye, Kat and Okri began searching for the guard. They found him in the back room, inspecting a hole.

"Mr. d'Keez?" she called out, the acknowledged guard turning around, "My name is Katrielle Layton; is it true you were the one to open the museum and discover the crimes this morning?"

"Yes." the guard said, before hastily adding, "But it was not me who did it, in case you're wondering. I know that is the suspicion with most people who discover crimes. I'm not sure where he is, but there was a man who saw me come up to the museum this morning. He was taking a Stagecoach London bus. Tall, lanky, brown and scruffy hair."

Katrielle nodded, "And when did you come by to open up?" she asked.

"6:30, I believe."

"I see... Aunt Okri, can you tell Scotland Yard to check the London Stagecoach bus schedule? And if anyone got on at 6:30 this morning? If there is, make sure they get sent to the Yard"

"Sure thing, sweetie."

"And Mr. d'Keez, if you could head on over to Scotland Yard for questioning, that'd be great!"

"Very well." Ivgaw shook Katrielle's hand, promptly leaving without saying anything.

"Alright!" Kat exclaimed triumphantly, "That's all the suspects we can get to for now!"

Okri pointed to the hole, "That's wonderful, Kat, but why was he looking at this?"

Kat peered at the decent hole, large enough to put her fist through. She smiled childishly, trying to cover her laughs.

"It's a glo-"

"Katrielle Layton, if you finish that sentence..."

"You're smiling too~!"

"I am and I hate it!"

"I'm kidding anyway. It's obvious that this is the hole found after the murder and theft."

"No person could fit through a hole that small, although an animal could." Okri pointed out.

Katrielle nodded, quickly noticing oddities about the hole. There was something black around the edges and inside, along with pale pink petals. Kat quickly realized it was a black goop, similar to the one Ernest had been leaking. She also noticed that, despite the scorch marks, the hole was slightly wet, and a small puddle had formed directly in front of it.

Odd... she thought, How could it have something destructive and painful while also having such pretty petals? Be damp with a puddle whilst still being scorched? What even went through this hole?

Okri suddenly tapped her niece's shoulder, "C'mon Kat." she said, "They're bout to start letting people in and closing off the murder scene. I'll call the others and we'll head on over to your office."

Albeit slightly disappointed, Katrielle nodded and followed her aunt out the museum. On the way out and across the street, Kat saw five women, all gathered near an alleyway. For some odd reason, she thought they looked familiar, but she dismissed it and continued trailing behind her aunt.

6/15 clues gained!

- Stuff around scorched hole

- Familiar women

----

Time- 2:15 p.m.

(A)

The crime scene reconstruction device hummed, displaying the brutal scene once more for the trio to see. Fauna grimaced, although she didn't retch at it like the first time. Lou, on the other hand, gagged to see the mauled bodies. Placid simply stared before Potty came out and grinned.

"According to the file," he said, "The city of this exhibit, Akbadain, was one where war and bloodshed was commonplace among rival clans. Seeing the scene awash with crimson glory... it's just so fitting and fantastical~!"

Fauna rolled her eyes, "I still dunno how you can talk like you're having an orgasm when it's a mauled body."

"Now, now, Fauna, you know living with Aunt Okri changed me!"

"Yeah, but even as a scrawny, shinless and stick kid, you were nothing like this."

"Wot were it like?" Lucy butted in, pausing her evaluation and analysis of the crime, "Livin' wiv that woman? Why did you 'ave t'live wiv 'er?"

"Aunt Okri?" Fauna raised an eyebrow and grinned with a wild joy.

"Simply put, she was the best aunt to have around!" Potty exclaimed with the same joy, "We would always have to go when Dad went on some adventure or another."

"Hm? Wouldn't Flora 'ave been old enough?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Fauna nodded, deadpanned "Alfendi, when you were born, she was... what, 14?" Alfendi nodded at this in affirmation, so Fauna continued, "And Dad didn't go on another adventure after the whole time travel fiasco until she was, like, 17 or 18, which made Alfendi 3 or 4 and me 12 or 13. So yeah, she would have been perfectly capable of babysitting!"

"Sooo... why did-"

"If she didn't run off to join him every time he went."

"Oh."

"Al, remind me what our little joke was when you got older?"

Alfendi smirked, "There she goes, having a 'let me join you bastards' moment again. I'm sure it's just a phase." he chuckled, "Then we'd pretend to sip tea from mugs."

Fauna cracked up at this memory, and Alfendi continued talking to Lucy.

"Because Flora would leave, we often had to go to Aunt Okri's house in the woods. And because she lived in the woods, there was often a lot of wild animals trying to break down the door. So she taught us certain animal weak points."

He let Lucy soak this in before continuing.

"And I already told Loopy this, but she taught me a bit of fencing, including rules and tips neither my father nor my uncle ever taught me. Then- Fauna you remember how she taught us how to throw knives and what the most lethal attack points were?"

"And how you and I were pretty much the only ones to use said lessons?" Fauna smiled at her little brother, "Of fucking course I do!"

Lucy giggled before feeling a sharp pain in her head. Suddenly, Loopy was in control.

"Wot's 'appenin'?" she quickly asked, receiving a synopsis of both the crime and the conversation with Lucy. Loopy quickly pulled a notebook from her back pocket and began recording everything said. When she got an odd look from Fauna, she smirked.

"Star'ed makin' sure tha' Longstockin' an' Barde are up t'date wiv stuff told t'me."

After she was caught up, she looked at the holographic display and licked her lips.

"Lookie 'ere~" she purred, "A brutal murder of three people tha' I didn't do~! Why, I 'appen t'be quite jealous!"

"Alright, that knocks you off the board." Fauna said under her breath.

Loopy zoomed in on one of the bodies and gave it a look of confusion. Alfendi noticed.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Potty asked.

"Who th' fuck puts flower pe'als an' thorns in a robber's body?" she spat, sounding as if she had had enough bullshit already. Alfendi and Fauna looked at each other, then back to Loopy. She got a discouraged look that looked like she was about to cry and contemplate death.

"A-An' they put wa'er in 'em too? Th' fuck do ya expect th' pe'als an' thorns to do??? 'oney no tha- tha's not 'ow we do this you ignorant SLUT."

"There's petals and water in the body?" Potty asked, raising an eyebrow. Loopy looked up with wide, disheartened eyes.

"YEs!" She wailed, "REd we neED t'arRESt them they- they'resofuckingstupidohmygod"

While Fauna rubbed her despairing housemate's back in comfort, Alfendi inspected the bodies closer.

Loopy was right.

Stuffed deep in the wounds of all three victims were pale pink flower petals and pale yellow thorns, whereas water was slowly dripping from each victims' mouth.

Odd... Placid thought. Isn't it? Potty agreed, Aunt Okri told us the doors were locked, and you could only go through the windows. To carry flowers and water inside through a window would be tough, even for Fauna.

7/15 clues gained!

- Petals and water in bodies

The door to the Mystery Room suddenly opened, and Florence came in looking both confused and frustrated.

"Al?" she said the name as if she was surprised he was in there.

"Ah, Florence!" Placid came back out, and Loopy caught sight of Fauna giving him a slight frown, "Did you manage to get tests on that substance and Greeve's blood?"

Florence gave a simple silent nod, the look of frustrated confusion never leaving her sickly face.

"Yeah, and you're going to *a-achoo!* to find it a bit weird." she said with a tone of urgency. Alfendi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? How so?" he asked.

"Al... that boy was poisoned."

The room was silent until Alfendi quickly went to grab his phone.

"You don't need to call the *sniff* the hospital, Al." Florence said, albeit not very calm.

"Florence, my sister's assistant is DYING!" Potty suddenly reappeared in a violent rage.

"ALFENDI IF HE WAS GOING TO DIE, IT WOULD'VE BEEN A LONG WHILE AGO!"

"What do you mean he would've died a long while ago?!"

Florence violently held up a small report, "That wasn't any snake poison he got; it was black mamba poison."

Alfendi froze. He gave the forensics expert a look of utter terror, as did Fauna.

"That boy should've died within seconds after being bit, and yet *cough cough**achoo!* and yet he's somehow still alive? I think he's perfectly safe."

Alfendi calmed, Placid returning.

"Sorry t'in'errupt, but wot th' fuck's a black mamba?" Loopy suddenly asked nonchalantly. Fauna looked at her housemate.

"A hella deadly snake native someplace in Africa." she answered, "If I remember correctly, one bite can kill, like, 10 or somethin' men in a few seconds. It's basically a snake carrying a death sentence in its mouth..."

"Loopy, how do you not know what a black mamba is?" Alfendi asked, deeply confused. Loopy shrugged.

"Snakes aren't my thing. I don't deal wiv 'em."

"Al, focus." Florence turned the groups attention back to her, "*achoo!* The goop is the other thing."

She sneezed before taking a deep breath.

"I can't identify it."

"What?" Potty was back out again.

"I have tried three or four times already to put it in a reactor of some sort; every time, it nearly *sniff* killed me and Sniffer! I only used a few drops of the slime and barely a drop of any given reactant. I tried *achoo! sniff* I tried decomposing it in a way, and all that came out was a mixture of dried blood and some sort of toxic, black blood that we had to isolate because *cough cough* because it made Sniffer woozy and me nearly collapse. Al, I'm going to be completely honest with you: "I don't what you gave me, but you never should have even considered bringing it here."

Alfendi was confused beyond his normal limit. An unidentifiable mass of, pretty much, blood, and Ernest surviving a black mamba bite... Two things that his genius brain seemed to draw a blank on...

And both Potty and Placid hated it.

9/15 clues gained!

- Mamba poison

- Mysterious substance

"That's all I have to report Al. *achoo!* Sorry I couldn't help that much." Florence sighed as she turned. She stopped for a bit before turning back around.

"Oh! By the way, *cough* Hilda wanted me to give you this. Apparently some woman *sniff* had her clothes robbed some time near the murder and theft. This is what she told Hilda."

She placed a note in Alfendi's hand and left.

Alfendi began reading the note aloud:

- A woman with green hair seems to be the perpetrator.

- Woman claimed to have seen two wands strapped to perps back; pointed one at the woman.

- Perp said something in a foreign language before, as the woman claims, she was launched back by a cloud of dust that made her feel violently nauseous.

- Managed to see the perp steal: a business top and skirt, a thick sweater, two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, and two tank tops before passing out.

- Woke up to find a puff skirt, baggy hoodie and knee high party dress were also missing.

Potty curled a lip in disgust, "Why would Hilda want me to take such a feeble and common case? She mocks me!"

Fauna shrugged, "Maybe she thought it had somethin' t'do with the case. Ya gotta admit, that robbery's awfully close to the time of the reported crimes. Could be related, just sayin'."

Alfendi simply sneered and put the note in a back pocket. He'd have to deal with it later.

10/15 clues gained!

- Stolen clothes

"Prof?" Lucy was suddenly back out, "I'm bout t'go ge'ma sarnie from th' community fridge, jus' le'in ya know."

And with that, she walked out, heading down the hall to the lounge. On her way, she heard the chipper voice of her favorite janitor.

"Oi, Luce!" he said, mop over his shoulder, "Aren't ya s'possed t'be in the Mystery Room wiv' Alfendi?" he said.

"Aye, bu' I go' 'ungry an' told 'im I were goin' t'ge my sarnie from th' lounge."

"Haha! Oh, Lucy, luv, yer 'unger always seems t'be at it's 'ighest!"

Lucy giggled at this, "You know me, Dusty, 'ungry 'ungry Lucy!"

At this, the duo laughed and parted.

Although Lucy could've sworn that, when she passed the steel pen cup on Blaine's desk, Dustin's reflection was that of a shady woman in a hoodie instead.

Time- 2:27 p.m.

Potty slammed the desk with such strength, it nearly snapped in two.

"DON'T MOCK ME MR. TOHR! As it is proven by the alibis of Mr. Ivgaw d'Keez AND Mr. Beist Ander, YOU are the only culprit left! And I've half a mind to say you're collaborating with your wife!"

Loopy sat in the back with Fauna before whispering over.

"It weren't him." she said.

"How can ya be sure?" Fauna asked.

"Fauna, 'un, you forget tha' I'm a criminal too, an' tha' I can read them be'er than Red could ever dream. I can read their faces, their movements, their voice, and in the end I'll know: They're like me, or they're not."

There was a silence between them as Potty tried to break the curator into a confession he didn't have.

"Poor Mr. Tohr..." Loopy mocked with a pouty face, "'e's scared~..."

"Obviously..." Fauna smirked.

"But it's not a look of 'I've been caught!'," Loopy said, "It's a look of terror tha' ya rarely see in people. Th' fear of dyin' at th' 'ands of a madman. A look of 'I dunno wot I did wrong... but please stop.' I should know... Me an' Barde gave Beelzedad tha' look alot."

When Potty realized that he could not break Kyuray, he angrily let him go.

"I don't understand!" he shouted, "How could all three suspects have such tight alibis!?" He took a deep breath and slammed the table.

"Lily, Fauna, c'mon. We're back to square one."

11/15 clues gained!

- Tight alibis

Time- 2:41 p.m.

They sat, again in the Mystery Room, Potty pacing back and forth, hands entangled in his crimson hair, repeating "I don't understand" and "How?!" like a mantra.

Suddenly, Hilda came in.

"Al, don't mean to bother you, but did you get my note?"

Potty snapped his head towards her and growled a "yes" before going back to pacing. Lucy pointed at the keys in Hilda's hands.

"Why d'ya 'ave-"

"Needed something from the supply closet, but I just could't find Dustin! So I had to get a key from the Commissioner. And since it's literally next to you all, I thought I'd ask about the note."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Dusty? Odd, I saw 'im earlier today!"

"Did you?" Hilda exclaimed, "Well, that's a relief to know he's not locked up somewhere." And after that, she left.

Potty sat down, hands trembling with pent up anger as he spoke.

"I still don't get how-"

"AHHHHH!"

There was a loud piercing scream before the slam of a door, presumably the supply closet door, as Hilda burst back into the room, eyes wide with fear and anger. She glared at Fauna, then Lucy.

"I don't know which one of you two owns the snake, but it's not funny to put it in the supply closet!" she shouted.

The room was silent as Hilda tapped her foot.

"Well?! Fess up, one of you! Who owns it!?"

"Hilda..." Potty said, previous anger being replaced with a slight fear for the worst, "I know both of them well enough to know that they'd never own a snake of all things."

"Well, someone put a snake in the closet, and I want to know-"

"'ilda..." Lucy interrupted, "Wot color were the snake?"

"Black, why?"

The room became silent once more before Lucy asked another question.

"Were- Were there anyone int' closet?" she asked. Hilda shrugged dramatically.

"Lucy, I don't know! All I saw was a snake before I panicked and closed the door!"

Fauna, Lucy, and Alfendi looked at each other. Alfendi asked Lucy, "Do you know where Loopy keeps her weapons?"

Lucy nodded, "She keeps a 'atchet int' office actually, since she started bein' 'ere." she went to the back room and quickly returned with said hatchet. Alfendi got up and looked at Hilda.

"Pertinax, you better steel yourself; we might find something worse than you want."

Hilda nodded as the quartet went back out in the hall and stood in front of the supply closet door. Slowly, Hilda reached out for the knob. Hesitating for but a moment, she swung the door open, Lucy tightly holding the hatchet.

It was as Alfendi feared, both Placid and Potty.

A long, black snake, just at eye level with Lucy. But that was not the worst of the situation. The snake was not just there in the closet, but was wrapped around something.

That something was the ankle of Dustin Scowers.

He had collapsed, and was propped up against the shelves, his arms seeming to be the only things to prevent him from entirely slipping.

"Dustin!" Lucy called out.

No response.

"Prof..." Alfendi turned to his assistant, noticing tears, "Ya- Ya don't think 'e's-"

"No." Potty said, pointing at Dustin's face, "Look."

Lucy turned back to see, from underneath his bangs, a viscous black liquid was running down his face, barely missing his slightly agape mouth. It hit Lucy and Fauna at the same time.

Whatever had been protruding from Ernest, was now coming from Dustin; the snake in front of them was most likely the same to bite Ernest. But what did it want?

The snake made no movement towards them, only hissing. It suddenly spoke, like at the museum.

"H...Hiiiillldaaa..... Cheeeslehdaaa... Luuuucyyyyy..... Sleh-ooooosssheeeer..." It then looked at Dustin, "Duuussstiiiiin... Dooowoolteeeen..."

The groups eyes went wide and faces pale.

It had been learning their names.

"Mond... Are ya causin' trouble again, luv?" A very familiar voice came down the hall. The gang turned to see Dustin, his face devoid of any emotion. Lucy was the first to growl.

"Who are you? Who did I talk to int' hallway?"

"Dustin" did not smile, or grin. In fact his face never moved a muscle as he reached outwards, curling his fingers in a slow, beckoning motion. He spoke again, but this time, it was a woman who spoke, quiet and monotone.

"Mawnd Tans. Shawmihr."

(Mond Tanz. Come.)

The snake seemed to understand, and began uncoiling itself from the janitor's ankle, moving towards the fake Dustin. As soon as the creature was wrapped around the imposter's leg, they dissipated into shadows, the shadow of a woman escaping down the hall as the gang simply stared in shock.

Thud! Crash!

Dustin had finally collapsed; apparently the snake had been keeping him up. He groaned, the black goop vanishing from his face. He looked up.

"Guys??" He said feebly, "Wot... Wot just 'appened?"

12/15 clues gained!

- Shadow Dustin

----

(Fl)

Time- 2:28 p.m.

The trip to the hospital had been a bit long, about 15 or so minutes, and Ernest rushed to a room. Flora sat and watched as he lay there, sleeping.

She was lost in thought. What had exactly happened? She had only caught a glimpse of the snake before it disappeared, and yet she was certain she had seen it before... perhaps in a book? She noticed the beagle at Ernest's side and smiled.

"You're worried about him?" she asked. The dog nodded. "Don't be. Aunt Okri's elixirs usually keep people alive after something like that."

"Usually, she says." Flora felt her smile grow wider as she heard the dog spoke.

"I can hear you, ya know. I've met a lot of talking animals in my life."

The dog gave her a bewildered look. Flora giggled.

"Oh don't be so surprised, Sherl. I heard you talking to Katrielle earlier."

"How do you know Kit Kat, anyway?" Sherl asked accusingly.

Suddenly, there was a groan as Ernest woke up. He looked around tiredly before his eyes landed on Flora.

"Miss... Miss Layton? No, you're not Miss Layton... Where-Where am I?" he asked, voice groggy.

"In the hospital, Pinstripes. That snake bite did you something nasty."

"Hello, Ernest." Flora smiled at the boy, "My name's Flora Reinhold; I'm Katrielle's sister."

"E-Eh?!" Ernest stuttered, "Miss Layton has a sister?"

Flora giggled before she noticed something outside.

It was a black snake, coiled on a tree branch leveled with the window. Flora saw nothing wrong with it, but Ernest began freaking out once he noticed.

"I-It's back! It followed me here!" he shouted.

Flora raised an eyebrow, "That's the snake that bit you?" she asked, "What's that bird doing so close to it?"

"Bird, what bird?"

"The little robin a few good inches away from it, looking at us!"

"Ms. Reinhold, are you alright? I see no bird." Ernest gave her a quizzical glance.

Flora was very confused. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

Sure enough, there was a robin unnervingly close to the black snake outside. The snake, having noticed it was now being watched, slithered down and off the tree.

"It's leaving... Has it decided to stop torturing me?" Ernest whispered. Sherl rolled his eyes in response.

"Pinstripes, you're being dramatic."

Flora was not listening to the quarrel, however.

Why had she seen the bird, yet they didn't?

13/15 clues gained!

- Illusory bird

The doctor suddenly came in, looking astonished.

"Mr. Greeves?" he said, "Are you trying to build up any immunities?"

Ernest furrowed his brows and slowly shook his head. This seemed to frighten the doctor more as he handed Flora a report.

"This came from Scotland Yard after they tested his blood," he told her before muttering under his breath, "This boy might be a god..."

Raising an eyebrow, Flora scanned the report.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the words "Black mamba."

She did a slight double take. "Ernest..." she said.

"Yes, Ms. Reinhold?"

"Youuu... should be dead."

"What?" Sherl exclaimed, "Dead?" Flora nodded in affirmation, showing the report to the dog before handing it to Ernest, whose face had gone worryingly pale. When she was sure he had read it entirely, she asked.

"So how do you feel?"

"Emotionally? Rather terrified, although proud I survived a bite like that!" Ernest said, keeping his voice surprisingly steady, "And physically, I feel fine! I don't feel as if I'm dying or weakening."

"Hmm..." Flora simply said.

14/15 clues gained!

- Ernest's health

Before she could say any more, her phone began to ring. She answered as quickly as she could, "Hello?"

"Flora?" the voice on the other line replied, "That you?"

"Aunt Okri! Yes, it's me."

"Good. Hey, how's the Greeves boy?"

"He says he's fine, Auntie. Feeling great, for that matter!"

The line was silent for a while before Aunt Okri spoke again.

"I see... Well, listen here, I'm bout to call Alfendi, but I called to tell you that we're meeting at Kat's agency. If Ernest is up to it, I'm sure he'll show ya the way."

"Okay. We'll try and be there as soon as we can."

Saying her farewell, Flora hung up before standing from her surprisingly comfy chair.

"Well, Ernest, I've been told we're expected at Kat's office." she said, "And since I've never been, would you mind leading the way?"

Ernest gave her a soft smile, nodding as he got up from his bed.

"Not at all, Ms. Reinhold!" he chirped. Flora giggled.

"Please, call me Flora."

----

Time- 2:58 p.m.

(N/A)

Katrielle and her aunt sat in her office, happily chatting and catching up. Okri refused to talk about the attack at the museum, saying she would later before moving on to a different topic, usually relationship status or old memories.

Her stomach suddenly growled, Kat's soon following. Okri chuckled.

"Leave it to a good clean murder mystery to make ya hungry." she got up with a small grunt, "I'm gonna go get food for us to eat. You hold the fort, and let the others know where I am if they get here before I do."

Kat nodded, and Okri took her leave. Kat sat in the silence of the office. It honestly felt odd without her infatuated assistant and talking dog. She just thought it to be...

A bit too quiet.

Katrielle would never admit it to anyone in her family, but she had a fear of being alone for too long. Living in the woods with Aunt Okri meant she, Alfendi, and Fauna would often be alone when their aunt had to head to the store.

She still shuddered at the memory of the wolves.

She had been about four, with Alfendi being twelve. Fauna had gone with their aunt, as Okri had seen Alfendi a fair age to look after his little sister on his own. However, instead of keeping a close eye on her the entire time, Alfendi had let her play outside as long as she stayed in his line of sight from the large kitchen window.

While she did do just that, playing with handmade dolls and other various toys, she had noticed how quiet it was. She looked towards the window, and remembered not seeing Alfendi there; presumably, he had gone to the bathroom.

But at the time, Kat had not known that, and so little her had panicked. It hadn't helped that soon after, she had begun to hear growling. She remembered the immense fear she had felt when she looked towards the edge of the woods to see a pack of wolves, which, due to poor little Kat's size back then, appeared much bigger and much more threatening than they would to someone of normal size.

She remembered how she whimpered and shook, feet frozen to the ground. They had kept getting closer, creeping closer... and closer...

Her heart stopped speeding as she remembered how Alfendi had suddenly burst out with a knife as a wolf lunged at her little self. Grabbing her, Alfendi had had the wolf down in a matter of seconds, hands coated in the animal's crimson red blood.

Ever since, Kat had always had the fear of quiet, empty places. She always got the brooding feeling that something would come and get her like before.

She jumped and snapped out of her memories as the agency door opened.

"Kat? Aunt Okri?" Alfendi called out into the seemingly empty place. Kat gave a silent sigh of relief.

"Auntie went to go get food for us, so it's just me right now." Kat called back as her siblings and friend entered the room. She noticed Alfendi take a stone ball out of his pocket and place it on her desk.

"What's that?" she asked, picking it up almost immediately after he sat down beside Lucy on the long couch.

"Careful Kat," Fauna said, "Auntie Okri gave it to me to guard."

"So why did Al have it?"

"Don't got pockets."

"Ah."

The agency door opened once more, this time a chipper voice spoke.

"Miss Layton! Are you here?"

"Yes, Ernest, I'm in here."

Ernest hurried to the voice, Flora and Sherl following behind.

"Golly, Miss Layton, I didn't know we'd have this many clients today!"

Kat's head dropped in disappointment, "Ernest, these aren't clients."

When she was given a look of confusion, Placid stood up and shook the boy's hand.

"I'm her brother, Alfendi Layton." he then pointed to Lucy, "That's my assistant, Lucy Baker"

Fauna gave a sharp whistle to get Ernest's attention.

"Name's Fauna; I'm Flora's sis, which legally makes me Kat's too."

After Ernest introduced himself to these new people, Katrielle waved her arms about wildly.

"Since everyone's here, except Aunt Okri, can we discuss what we found? I'll start, if no one minds?"

No one objected, so she started summarizing Aunt Okri's and her finds.

"Despite a clear attempt at escape, a scorched hole in the back and open windows, an escape car was still parked outside. There was a bunch of stuff around the hole: water, flower petals, and, oddly enough, the same black goop Ernest was spewing. Aside from all that, Auntie got attacked."

Placid leaped up, "Attacked?!"

"Yeah," Kat affirmed, "Some crazed, icy looking lady launched at her and tried to strangle her. They had a short conversation in some foreign language, and I guess Auntie said something that the other lady didn't want to hear, because after about two sentences, she slammed Auntie's head onto the ground and ran off!"

There was a silence in the room before Katrielle turned to her elder sister, "Flora, what about you?"

Flora put a finger to her chin, "Well..."

"Your assistant might be a god."

Kat did a double take, "Beg pardon?"

"We got his doctor report from Scotland Yard," Flora continued, "And it said that he was bitten by a black mamba. He should've been dead. Also, the snake reappeared, we all saw it, but only I saw a bird next to the snake. It was a small robin."

"So... Ernest is fine after being bitten by a death carrier, and two animals? One of which only you saw?" Kat summarized. Flora nodded. "Alright... Alfendi, your report?"

Her brother sighed, Potty coming out, "Nothing much, sadly." he said, "Aside from water and flower petals in the victims' bodies, all the suspects had air tight alibis. We tried testing the goop, and it nearly killed our forensic scientist. I got report of a meager clothes robbery halfway through the case, and overall, a genius mind like mine got stumped!"

Lucy lightly smacked him, "Prof, ya're forgettin' summat!" she said. When she received a raised brow, she gave an exasperated sigh before turning to her friend.

"I've told ya 'bout our janitor, Dustin, right?" she asked. Katrielle nodded.

"Well, earlier today, we found 'im int' supply closet, passed out an' leakin' th' same black stuff your assistant were leaking from 'is eyes! We asked 'im wot 'appened, an' all 'e said 'e remembered were, when 'e went to th' supply closet, 'e noticed 'is shadow weren't 'is own, but tha' of a woman in a baggy 'oodie and jeans, carryin' a staff. 'e said th' door opened on it's own, 'e saw a black snake, an' tha's th' last thing 'e remembered!"

A black snake? A different shadow? How is that...?

15/15 clues gained!

- Lucy's account

Conclusion reached!

"I've got it!" Katrielle exclaimed.

"Huh?" Alfendi raised an eyebrow, flicking away a crimson strand that had fallen in front of his eyes, "Got what?"

"I've solved both the murder and theft, of course!"

Flora's eyes widened, "Really now? So then, tell us what you think!"

Kat spun on her heel to turn to her elder sibling.

"The statues came to life!"

There was an awkward silence.

"Kat..." Fauna groaned, "I know your whole schpiel is 'The truth is stranger than fiction', but isn't that a bit far fetched?"

The detective stomped her foot, "Now, now, hear me out!"

"Here's how it begins!" Katrielle sat on her desk.

"Initially, there were three robbers that would later appear dead. To make their job easier, they tried to put each weapon with the statue that owned it. However, this proved false as they gave the one statue her staff. This caused the statue to come to life and realize that she and her companions were, quite literally, being robbed. Panicking, the staff became a scythe in which the new woman used to slice open the thieves. She freed the rest of the statues, and they all tried to escape out the front door. Finding it locked, they went to the back. They then turned into different substances: fire, water, flower petals, and the black goop from Ernest (Unfortunately, those are the only ones who left traces). Using these new forms, they escaped, the fiery one going first."

Katrielle made sure everyone's attention was still on her before continuing.

"Of course, these people are from the past, so their clothes were easy to point out. Thus, the clothes robbery. Moving on, the staff owner also owns the mamba, which, for reasons still unknown, stuck around to wait for someone to bite. Cue when it bit Ernest; it follows him to the hospital, only leaving once it knows it's been spotted. It goes to Scotland Yard, and bites the janitor so the woman who became the goop can impersonate him!"

The room was dead silent. Potty gave his little sister a dark chuckle.

"Alright. Say we were to believe that. Where are they now? How would we find them? Why was there motive to bite an innocent boy like your assistant?"

Katrielle huffed, crossing her arms, "We just have to find people who look like them! I have a photo of the girls' faces, so it shouldn't be too hard!" She began playing around with the stone ball mindlessly.

"What have you got there, Kat?" Flora pointed to the object and asked.

"Something Okri gave to Fauna, who gave it to Alfendi before I grabbed it. She was told to guard it."

"Well, she's not doing a very good job now, is she?" Flora giggled, Fauna quickly flushing pink.

"Definitely not." Kat chuckled in reply, making poor Fauna turn even more pink.

She began inspecting the stone in her hand. It had six gems, each placed in a spot where, had the stone been cubic, it would've looked like a die with only ones. A garnet on top, a sapphire on the bottom, and an emerald, citrine, amethyst, and diamond circling around it.

"Looks like a puzzle, if you ask me." Flora said, Alfendi and Fauna trying and failing to hide visible groans.

"It does, doesn't it? The question is, what is the puzzle?" Kat mused.

"Well, seeing Aunt Okri still isn't here, why not try to solve it?"

Out of curiosity, Katrielle pressed the sapphire on the bottom.

It clicked before springing up again.

Both she and Flora soon realized it was a simple click in the right order. Now, what was said order?

"Try alphabetically." Flora suggested.

The others began gathering around as Katrielle pressed the amethyst. It sprung back up.

Wrong.

"It's a dumb idea," Alfendi pitched in, "But try number of letters, least to most. If they have the same amount, then do alphabet."

Interested, Kat pressed the garnet, six letters. It stayed down, so she moved on to the citrine, C and seven. The stones popped up.

Wrong again.

"Color of the rainbow!" Lucy suddenly shouted out, before realizing that'd be the same order that they tried.

They stood around Kat, silent as they tried to solve the puzzle. Suddenly, in a quiet voice, Ernest spoke.

"Birthstones."

They all looked at him to see his pupils were far too dilated and dull for him to be alright."

"Eh? Ernest?" Lucy said, "Art al'reet (Are you alright) lad?"

"It's... the birthstones..." he repeated, as his pupils gained life again and returned to normal size. He noticed everyone looking at him and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

Katrielle raised an eyebrow. "You just said the answer was in order of birthstones, don't you remember?"

Ernest cocked his head to the side, "Nnnnoo?"

Katrielle, albeit confused and a little creeped out, began testing the offered solution.

Garnet, January. Stayed. Amethyst, February. Also stayed. Diamond, April; emerald, May; sapphire, September; and lastly, citrine, November.

There was a slight whirring as the stone split into two even hemispheres and opened up.

Correct.

Kat peeked inside to evaluate the contents.

Two silver bracelets decorated with garnets, a silver ring topped with a sapphire, a single emerald earring, a gold hairband with a dangling citrine, and a simple diamond necklace.

Alfendi scoffed, "Doesn't seem that important. I get most of them, but why guard a hairband?"

Katrielle smirked, "Maaaagiiiic~~" she said jokingly, as she reached for said hairband. Before she could, however, the top went flying, quickly returning to it's other half.

The group stood in shock as the room grew silent again.

WHAM!

They jumped as there was a loud thud against the window. They turned to see a woman, hair the color of muddy ice, eyes a piercing icy blue, and bloody pelts adorning her stick thin body. Kat recognized her as the woman who attacked Aunt Okri. The woman gave the group an eerie smile as she spotted the stone in Katrielle's hand, baring her sharp, yellow tinted teeth.

"Sweenasleheer..." she whispered, "Ee swawoond eet~! Tichih Cheegich Preeihxtihx weesleh bih xaw prawood~~!"

(Finally... I found it~! The High Priestess will be so proud~~!)

Backing up a bit, the group stood in a defensive huddle. They didn't realize as the room grew colder, the glass ready to shatter, until the woman pounded the glass with both fists, the window giving way into a thousand shards.

The creature stood, not caring about the bloody cuts she had received from the fall. She slowly began approaching the gang, staring intently at the little stone in the detective's hand.

"Geevih eet... Geevih eet... GEEVIH EET!!" she screamed, lunging at the frightened Layton.

(Give it)

There was a flash of red as Kat closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the woman was on the floor, sliced cleanly in two.

They then noticed as Flora's shadow elongated, and a head slowly emerged from the blackness. What had come out was a woman, decked out in a black, baggy hoodie and jeans, carrying a large scythe. The party watched in disbelief as the blade receded, the original scythe transforming into a staff topped with a deep purple amethyst.

It was only then did they hear the pounding on the door. The new woman turned, and only at that moment did Katrielle recognize her.

It was the statue that had the bang over half her face.

The woman, face devoid of feeling, reached a hand out and spoke.

"Awpihn..."

(Open)

The door swung open, and Okri was quick to tackle her family in a protective hug.

"Babies, what happened!?" she managed to get out between pants, "Wh-Why was the door frozen shut?!"

Alfendi had barely pointed to the dead body on the agency floor before his aunt growled.

"She was after the ball, wasn't she?" she asked menacingly. Katrielle nodded as Okri hugged her.

The shadow woman cleared her throat, still deadpanned, as the others returned their attention to her. She lightly hissed, and a black snake came through the window. It slithered, coiling around the woman's body until it rested comfortably around her neck like a scarf. It then lifted its lower half, pointing it at Ernest, who reasonably stepped back.

"Tichat awnih, Mawnd?" she said, face never moving.

(That one, Mond?)

The snake, in reply, seemed to nod. The woman made a noise of questioning before suddenly reaching her hand out to Katrielle. Ernest immediately stepped in front of her.

"I-I won't let harm Ms. Layton!" he shouted in an attempt to be confident. Okri quickly pulled him away.

"Kid, stand down. Ya don't know what you're getting into." she then turned to her niece, "Kat, give her the ball." Alfendi and Fauna gave her an offended look.

"Auntie, you told us" Potty began before Okri harshly cut him off.

"I know what I said!" she took a deep breath and chose her next words, "But it's hers."

The woman still waited, ever patient, until Katrielle cautiously walked over and placed the ball in her waiting palm. She noticed how her eyes were glued to Alfendi.

Saying nothing, the woman of shadows gave Ernest one last look before she dissolved into shadows, escaping out the window.

Again, the room fell into silence. Everyone then turned to Okri.

"Auntie, I think you have some explaining to do."

"I know." Okri hung her head, "Well, I suppose I should-"

"Oh shit!" Everyone turned to Fauna, then they noticed Ernest and felt the same panic.

He was having another seizure, jerking about with black slime dripping from only one eye this time. However his other eye fared no better, as it constricted and dilated at a fast and unusual pace. It didn't take long for them to notice the black foam gathering in his mouth as his body snapped to attention, the crack in his spine clearly heard.

The gang stood and watched as he swayed back and forth ever so slightly.

He collapsed to the ground.

A/N: CONGRATU-FUCKING-LATIONS. If you managed to read this far, you have pretty much read the equivalent of perHAPS two Magic Tree House chapters. I HOPE no other chapters will be this long, but don't be surprised if they are.

#layton anime #layton's mystery journey #layton brothers mystery room #layton series #fanfiction #fanfic

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