#{ v; tbd }

[escortingsecrets]

Starter for @xxofloveandlossxx

The usual night at the Honeybee Inn was filled with people. It was a constant stream of regulars, many familiar faces that only came every few months for certain people. Many bees were listed to be in their designated rooms or on the stage performing. But some of them, those who had less clientele or none for the night, were set to be out front, entertaining those who were waiting or finished.

Shivan was- thankfully- not busy that night. His regulars were done for the night, he was free to sit at the front of the inn or on the floor. He chose the front of the inn- the floor was packed with Andrea's performance and he still had a headache from the last performance he had been there for. The music could be hear faintly from the front, but it was better than hearing the song full blast in the room.

"Welcome to the Honeybee Inn." He cooed as a new person entered- they didn't look familiar with the inn, or anything going on. That wasn't totally uncommon. Not everyone who came in knew what to expect. The receptionist was still dealing with the last person to come in, scheduling a room for one of the other bees, and Shivan moved over, hips swaying with a practised ease to move the abdomen behind him. "Might I be so bold as to ask for your name, darling?"

[thesongbiird]

plotted starter with @autopsified

Hot, angry tears stung her eyes as she slammed her car door shut and approached the house. The emotions she was feeling were bubbling into a dangerous cocktail inside of her. Anger, betrayal, hurt. No one had ever hurt her like he had, and yet she couldn't just walk away. It would have been the smart thing to do, but when had Beth ever done the smart thing? She followed her heart, whatever the cost.

Letting her anger take over, she pounded on his front door, so hard she was sure it would bruise her hands. She pounded and pounded but heard nothing from the other side of the door.

"I know you're in there. Open the damn door and talk to me, you coward!"

[therapardalis]

[Starter for @escortingsecrets ;) ]

Wall Market, Sector 6 ... late evening ...

How the bloody hell did this become her job? Thera slowed to a stop at a traffic light, glancing at the GPS to check her directions. Given her own time to visit Wall Market she might have enjoyed the trip - who didn't like a bit of shopping and decent food, after all? But unfortunately tonight she was here with a task in mind.

She pulled the sleek, glossy-black car into a spot outside the Honeybee Inn and climbed out, taking a careful look around as she locked it up, old habits dying hard. The vehicle was Shinra-issue, but bore no marks to suggest so; for discretion, perhaps, or simply to lower the temptation for someone to trash the thing while she was inside.

Eyes followed her as she climbed the steps, a mix of locals not recognising her and Honeybee clients wondering if she was a new employee. That same question lit the gaze of the Bees gathered in the foyer, curiosity and suspicion, but they wouldn't need to worry for long.

"Hi," Thera fronted up to the reception desk with a wry sort of smile, "I'm here to collect Director Palmer? That is," Lips tugged a little more from the joke, "if he's able to walk again just yet?"

[atimelesslullaby]

Warmth was in the air.

It was a feeling she hadn't felt through natural cause in some time. The snow had melted, the grass was green. Trees were beginning to show leaves again, and flowers were beginning to bloom. The woman was in the fields today, sure, the environment could take care of the flowers out here. But wouldn't it be more fun to help things along a bit?

Zelda's watering can was the same shade of violet as her dress, regal. Where the water poured out, was in the shape of a heart.

It must have been strange, t see a princess out in the wilds like this with no guard. But with her incredible magical power, Zelda hardly needed any. There was a song in the air, her beautiful, operatic voice ringing through the fields as she watered a patch of flowers. Tulips, they were, having just opened this morning. Wasn't that exciting?

Upon hearing footsteps, her song comes to an end. Regaining proper posture, rather than bending down to water the flowers, Zelda turns to her guest.

"Oh, good afternoon."

A bow of the head, as show of respect.

"I must confess, I have been keeping an eye on these tulips since they were only bulbs. Watching a seed grow into a beautiful flower feels like its own magic."

Holding her watering can in both hands in front of her, even Zelda's smile exhibited grace, as did the way her hair, and dress moved in the gentle wind.

"How could anyone stay inside on a day like this? The sky is so blue, and the clouds look like pillows."

[magaprima]

Continued from here @vyrulent

Lilith's flash of a smile was tight as she looked at the hellspawn, barely containing what was an inevitable and undeniable displeasure. But she had hidden far worse and far more dangerous things from the Dark Lord himself; his offspring was little challenge in comparison.

"No," she said with a simple breathlessness. "I'm not."

She elaborated no further as she looked about the room, taking in not only Damien himself, but his environment, the...general aura of everything around him. Dropping herself into a nearby chair, she allowed her legs to drape over the arm, crossed at the ankle, as she looked at him with a lazy confidence.

"But my being here does involve him, yes," she agreed, deliberately revealing as little as possible. "And, more importantly, it involves you."

[compellingthought]

💐 [ OPEN ] open to all

"You can't be serious. You do realise you're going to get yourself killed, right?"

[thecockysniper]

Continued from x || @hacker-codeq

Grip tightens around the wrist of the fucker who just tried to lift his wallet. "Prick, am I?" His eyebrows raised in a can you believe this asshole? He leaned in, speaking low, "I'm not the twat who don't know how to pick a target," then pulled back and gave the other a once over. The clothes the novice pickpocket were wearing are nice and clean so he hadn't been on the street long. They look to be of good quality too. Clearly didn't come from any rough neighborhood, why then, was he out here lifting wallets? Did he not get enough of an allowance, or was he running? Any number of secrets could be hidden underneath them fancy clothes.

"You're going to get caught if you ain't careful," he said, letting him go and quickly snatching his wallet off the ground. "And if you're running you ain't exactly going to get far. You'll be easy to find and follow on CCTV wearing them clothes." Seemed like the kind that people might actually care to look for.

His mouth was making an expression that said he wasn't sure if he liked what he was thinking. Might not be a good idea to help the other young man, and he could be stepping in shit he doesn't want to get mixed up in, but he's never been one to back down from a fight, plus he knows what it's like getting away from a bad situation. "Don't know what you're running from, but if you're serious about roughing it then I'd suggest following me, if not." Gives a shrug showing it's not going to bother him, and turns, not stopping to glance back to check if he's following him.

[amanandgoodatit]

"Yes, I killed him." [lordcarlisle] 😈

@lordcarlisle || V for Vendetta sentence starters

"I- Wh-" The five stages of grief do a quick whip 'round Gregs face before his expression settles on horrified. His mind races, trying to come up with a reasonable explaination for why Harry might do such a thing but he comes up blank. He stammers, and manages just one word in his confusion.

"Why?"

[disillusionedjudge]

@notyourdumblonde sent: ‘It’s okay. You’re okay.’

"I'm here," Gylfie soothed as she sat beside Luciana - one hand rubbing the singer's back as the other held one of her hands. Her brow was furrowed with worry, her head tilted slightly as she studied her, and she resisted the urge to draw her close. Wanting to give her space if she needed it. She knew well the struggle of nightmares, and... knew some comfort could only cause more harm depending on the severity of them. "It's okay. You're alright, Luci. You are safe with me."

She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and offered a small smile. Her expression ever so soft despite her concern, and the weariness that lined her eyes. "'Twas only a nightmare. Focus on me and breathe with me, alright? It's okay."

[shinrascomputer]

@emily-lotus sent / “The first thing you learn is that nothing is what it seems.”

{Sentence Starters} | Accepting

Lucas looked over, tilting his head a little. Emily... Perhaps it was because she worked so often with the SOLIDERs that he so admired that he didn't know what to say half the time, but he mulled over her words for a moment, pursing his lips.

"... Nothing is ever what you think it's going to be." He agreed, his words coming out slowly. "I... Know that was something I didn't learn right away, either. I had to learn that the hard way." About quite a few things, he noted silently, but he didn't say it out loud. "I wish someone would have told us all that when we were younger. But... Well, I know I wouldn't have listened to it." He admitted.

[fragmcntdstars]

@araneorum ( blackie ) sent i feel appreciated but not ogled.

there's  a  soft  smile  that  works  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth  as  he  looks  at  blackie  .   jack  tries  schooling  his  features  a  little  ,  but  it  never  worked  .   he  was  his  happiest  at  sea  .   after  the  hellish  events  he'd  been  through  ,  the  taste  of  freedom  was  always  something  that  he  required  .   it  was  a  drug   –   he  couldn't  get  enough  of  it  &&  he  wasn't  sure  if  he  ever  wanted  to  .   jack's  leaning  against  a  railing  ,  fingers  clutching  the  compass  as  he  whistled  a  soft  tune  .   he  appreciated  blackie  .   he  appreciated  everything  she'd  done  for  him .   he  just  didn't  say  it .   he  thinks  that  she  knows  .   he's  hoping  that  she  at  least  knows  how  much  she  means  to  him  .   not  just  the  ship  ,  no  .

blackie  ,  herself  ,  means  so  much  to  him  .   he  feels  like  she's  a  part  of  his  soul  .   was  that  something  he  could  tell  her  ?   probably  not  ,  but  it  was  something  that  he  should  tell  her  .   maybe  .  

"  i'll  always  appreciate  you  ,  love  ,  "  he  says  ,  keeping  a  slight  joking  tone  to  his  words  .   jack  never  joked  about  emotions  .   well  ,  he  tried  not  to  .   sometimes  it  was  a  defense  mechanism  .   maybe  it  hadn't  worked  out  so  well  before  ,  but  it  still  proved  useful  on  some  different  occasions  .   now  ,  however ,  he  knew  that  he  didn't  need  to  have  any  defenses  .   blackie  meant  so  much  to  him  &&  he  couldn't  really  do  anything  to  show  her  how  he  felt  .   well  [ . . . ] maybe  that  wasn't  completely  the  case  .   he  couldn't  really  put  into  words  how  he  felt  &&  sometimes  actions  really  did  a  lot  more  than  words  ever  would  .

jack  just  wasn't  sure  how  she'd  feel  about  his  next  thought  .   so  ,  he  gave  his  head  a  small  shake  in  some  attempt  to  get  his  thoughts  back  in  some  manageable  order  .   he  makes  his  way  toward  her  near  the  bow  of  the  pearl  with  a  slight  spring  in  his  step  .   "  want  to  choose  our  heading  ?  "   he  asks  ,  directing  his  gaze  to  the  horizon  .

[therapardalis]

[Starter for @peterbsideparker.]

Port of New York, warehouse district ... evening ...

Thank goodness for cooler weather. Not that Thera was a fan of the cold, leaning more toward the opposite, but it made being dressed head to toe in black, with a bike jacket over the top, more bearable.

You could hardly go clandestinely lurking about the docks in a summer frock, after all.

A forklift was rolling along the carriageway between the buildings, an innocent looking crate on the pallet hoisted on its jaws. Hmm ... Thera watched it from above, lifting dark-tinted thermos to her lips. The Port itself rarely ever slept, but it was less common for cargo to be ferried about after dark. Especially one single crate rather than a bunch all at once. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe ... She settled back, waiting, but she was already fairly sure which door was going to be 'moe'.

Container Warehouse 333, one of the older section with a suspiciously new-looking office space added up above. It had taken a bit of detective work to find the location (some of it the more ruthless kind), and she felt her pulse speed up a little as the forklift driver stopped and climbed down to open the rollerdoor.

Thera used the metallic clatter of the ascending roller as distraction and cover, darting to the nearest overhead crossway and skipping to the other side. Everything pointed to that lonely singular crate holding what she was here to find, and the new pre-fab office section was going to be her way in ...

[neredoesnotfail]

“You failed me, MALE. You will NOT fail again.” // @aracnaregis

Why? Why is this happening now?

How long had he existed as one forsaken before he was stolen from the Weaver by the Absolute?

How long has it been since he was rescued from being one of the mindflayers' pawns?

How long has he been able to enjoy the quiet of his own mind without the presence of another to encroach upon it?

He should have known the peace would never last.

Peace isn't for their sort, no matter what Asha says.

He would like to be able to say that his heart races due to the danger of this, of being noticed. He would like to be able to say that there is at least some vestige of fear that accompanies the realization.

Instead, as he closes his eyes and exhales a sigh, there is only a grim resignation...

[ He does not think that his family will merit two instances of divine intervention, and certainly not when he did nothing nearly so defiant as his older brother had done. ]

... and, yet, there is also that ever present anger, churning below the surface.

Though it takes a moment longer than he would like, when he finds his voice once more, he replies, level and quiet.

"I have failed no one except my own blood... But then I suppose you would know nothing of that, Dark Weaver. Your people---doubly misguided and misled though they are---were freed of the Absolute that they might return to your worship. What more could you want than to have your very own puppets returned to their strings?"

[magaprima]

@chaosfindsaway sent: "You know who I am, don't you?" //From Beetlejuice cause I think they might be a fun combo

Lilith glanced over the creature--for to call him anything else would be inaccurate-- with a barely contained irritation, disdain filling her features as she realised that he was not going to leave, that beyond expecting an answer to his question, he was likely expecting something further.

Sighing heavily, Lilith she forced herself to pay attention. "I am aware of you are, yes," she confirmed. "Caring who you are, however, is another matter entirely." She paused, looking at him fixedly for a moment. "Why, exactly, are you here?"

[spideystark]

❛ take me with you. ❜

((from K-Mart!))

“I don't - ” He didn't know if he could, honestly didn't know if he should. Traveling between universes was dangerous even when you prepared for it, which was evident by the fact that he was here when he had been trying to get to Peter 2's world. But she had helped him and now she was asking for his help, he couldn't just say no when someone asked him for help.

“I can't promise it'll be safe, it's not like I was trying to get here and I don't have a suit for you. I might be able to come up with one, but it'd take time and we would have to find the equipment for it.” That was the main issue, finding the materials. Maybe if they could get to Houston they could find what they needed at NASA's headquarters? He didn't know if Stark Industries even existed in this world.

[beyondtheroll]

@notyourdumblonde (Thea) sent: ❛  nothing comes of the songs people sing.  ❜

Strix's gaze slowly slid toward the girl with a twitch of their torn ear. Their expression unreadable as ever. What a strange thing, that. Was this a common belief amongst humes, or just to this one in particular? No matter. They would entertain this conversation, as they were now curious themself, and mulled over their answer. Over the words said, and shook their head.

"I would not be so certain of that," they said - their voice low and steady. "Songs can give hope and inspire others. They can rally the lost, spark a new flame, or bring even the most hardened to their knees. To dismiss songs as no more than mere entertainment is a disservice, {kit}."

Though, with him being the possible cause of this conversation, Strix nodded in the direction of the nearby street performer. His voice was loud, clear, and melodic, though mayhap not enough to ring out from a stage. "Although his song may not be a driving force, even those sung for entertainment can earn a gil or two. And what harm is there in trying to make a living?"