#(JACKIE CAN STOP HOUNDING ME NOW WE HAVE A DATE)

[vixlenxe]

[inkribbon796]

Lost Pages Ch. 2: Black and Blue

Summary: The heroes face down the two thieves and are in for a tough fight than they thought.

Chapters: 1, 2

Yan gripped onto Dark’s arm and in an instant the Entity took both Yan and herself through a portal to safety and the heroes didn’t see either of them for the rest of the day.

They left the heroes alone with the two thieves.

“Skeppy,” the taller of the two assailants pulled the crossbow up, a slight disapproving whine in his voice made the name almost sound like “S~Geppy” and was shouldered out of the way. “You muffinhead, don’t shoot them.”

“Let’s talk this over,” Silver started floating a bit as Chase backpedaled to stand with the others, immediately handing the book over to Marvin who slipped it into his cloak.

“Hey,” the taller one waved as he stepped back in front of his friend. “We can talk, it’s alright.”

Skeppy glared at his companion.

“Hello, my name is Bad,” the taller assailant gestured to himself and took another step, and the heroes realized that his height hadn’t been exaggerated. The taller cloaked figure stood at almost seven feet tall and towered over them. Marvin could see the magic keeping his hood in shadow. “This is my friend, Skeppy, and you have something that actually belongs to me and my friends and we need it back.”

“Which is why yah[1] wanted ta[2] steal it,” Marvin reminded, with the book stored away in his cloak he brought his hands up to brace and start throwing spells.

“Look we tried but they stole it from us first and wouldn’t let us have them back,” Bad said, his voice much softer and not nearly as deep as Silver would have ever expected from the assailant. “Those books belong to us and we don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Give us the book and we don’t have to fight anyone,” Skeppy ordered, his crossbow still in his hand, but it wasn’t pointed at anyone . . . at the moment, at least.

“We’re not givin’ yeh an evil fookin’ book,”[3] Marvin spat.

Bad gasped, “Language!”

“Not the time, Bad,” Skeppy spat, not taking his eyes off Marvin. “We’re not going to stand here and keep asking nicely. You are giving us that book. It belongs to us.”

“How about instead yeh give us the other four yeh’ve got, an’ we just call it a day,”[4] Marvin hissed.

“Okay, stop,” Jackie tried to step in and take over the conversation.

“No, give us the book,” Skeppy’s skin began to slowly turn blue as it took on an almost crystallized appearance. “Last warning.”

“Fook[5] off!” Marvin shouted and Skeppy summoned a shield made of metal and the front was coated with the same type of material quickly covering his skin.

The next thing to happen was something shot through the air, no one was sure who had fired first, but Skeppy and Marvin quickly responded with a crossbow bolt and a bolt of magic at each other in kind. Skeppy never physically reloaded bolts but they magically appeared in the crossbow all the same.

Jackie and Marvin were able to deflect the bolts with little trouble, but one of Marvin’s magical shots managed to slip past Skeppy’s shield and hit him directly.

“Skeppy! No!” Bad called out in horror. Before his eyes began to glow red. “How dare you hurt Skeppy!”

A pair of black bat wings sprouted from his back and his form shifted to having black hair and horns with a glowing halo hovering over his head, then he was suddenly glowing in size until he was twenty feet tall and he slammed his fists on the concrete. “Get away from Skeppy!” Bad yelled, his voice booming out before he swiped the heroes away from Skeppy to scoop him up into his hands. “Get away from him!”

“Skeppy?” Bad frowned with worry, as Skeppy pulled himself into a kneeling position, propping his arm up on Bad’s thumb. Skeppy’s blue crystalline skin was starting to knit together again. “Are you okay?”

“We need that book,” Skeppy pointed at Chase.

“But you’re hu—” Bad reminded gently.

“Get that book!” Skeppy ordered, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Bad flinched before moving his hand so Skeppy could jump onto the hood of his cloak before sliding down. As his feet hit the ground a blue sword appeared in his hand as he looked at Chase. “Hand over the book, before this has to get ugly.”

“Now!” Bad roared.

“That’s a demon,” Marvin realized, looking up at the giant, bracing himself with more magic. “I think they both are.”

“How many demons are e’en[6] in this fookin’[7] city?” Jackie spat.

A shrill whistle pierced the air and in the distance and the two assailants stopped to look at a nearby building as a figure in a long green cloak and a smiling white mask stared at them.

“We’re not done,” Skeppy told the masked man, who jumped down and at almost the last moment a swirl of water helped slow his fall enough for him to land safely. Then he started walking towards Skeppy.

“Need your help,” the masked man told Skeppy, looking over in the heroes’ direction. “Come on, you guys can pick this up later. It’s not like these guys are going to actually destroy it.”

Skeppy glared at the heroes, mentally weighing his options as Bad shrunk back down to the height he’d been at before. He pulled back up his head and his face became magically obscured.

“You sure?” Skeppy demanded. “They were talking about burning it earlier with Dark.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” the masked man chuckled, he was looking at Marvin, and the magician could feel it. “Curiosity got the cat, and all.”

“Skep?” Bad asked hesitantly, as Skeppy kept glaring at the heroes.

Skeppy took a deep breath and smiled, “You’re right, it’s not going anywhere, we have all the time in the world. Come on, Bad.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Bad tripped over his words a bit.

“We’re not done here,” Marvin spat, taking a step forward.

“No,” the masked man hummed as he pulled out a small orb of swirling dark green magic. Skeppy and Bad copying him. “I think we are. We’ll have this chat another day.”

The three of them turned to throw the orbs up behind them. They raced unnaturally high before smashing on the rooftop like fragile glass. When they shattered, it was like three great eyes opened right where they stood and then closed. It lasted a second, and the three newcomers were standing on the rooftop and racing away at full speed to head towards Gainesville. They used more orbs to get away from Jackie and Silver who were trying to pursue them, and in the chase the three assailants disappeared into the busy streets of Gainesville.

Silver and Jackie were forced to regroup with Marvin and Chase, both of whom stayed on guard for an attack.

“Yeh find ‘em?”[8] Marvin demanded.

“No, I think they used some kind ‘a[9] invisibility spell an’[10] disappeared in Gainesville,” Jackie shook his head. “I’ve already called the Sides an’[10] Logic promised they’d look inta[11] it.”

Marvin didn’t look happy.

“We should just head back ta the base so yeh can put that thing in a cage or somethin’,”[12] Chase told Marvin. “We’ll find King later.”

“Yeah, fine,” Marvin agreed and they headed back to the base where they met up with King and Lunky who were being sent through one of Dark’s portals.

Kay looked at them as he rushed in with them, Lunky holding onto his head, “The Old Man said you had something for me?”

“Ancient demon cult book,” Chase told him, Marvin held the book out for King once they were all safe inside and the door was closed. “We were attacked by the cult’s junior brigade.”

“Alright,” King commented as Bing and Mini walked in. Lunky saw Mini and immediately detached from King to turn fully 3D and instantly raced over to grab onto their friend.

“Play date?” Bing asked with a smile.

“Thanks Bing,” King told him before he led the group to his room. Bing took Lunky and Mini back to his office. When the heroes got to King’s room, the young man took everything off the desk and started cleaning and sterilizing everything before he took off his cloak and crown and switched his glasses. His magic moved and whirling around him as he tried to protect the air around the book. Then he put on a pair of gloves. “Looks old.”

“Didn’t ask fer[13] the carbon date,” Marvin told him, shooting a look at Chase. “Was a bit too busy tryin’ ta get this thin’ ta an actual safe location.”[14]

King flipped through the book for a couple seconds before he paused with a look of confusion on his face.

“Hold up,” King pulled off a glove and moved to look for something in his desk and pulled out some notes. And pulled out some loose pages of paper with some symbols and his writing. King looked between the pages and the book and then grabbed his phone. The heroes were close enough to see him type out a message to Illinois: “Clear your schedule, Phills. Tomorrow @ 5.”

“You said this was from a demon cult?” King was flipping through the book carefully with his still gloved hand.

“How bad is it?” Silver asked.

“That depends on who’s got this book memorized,” King told him.

“It’s apparently part ‘a[9] collection ‘a[9] five,” Chase reported.

King grabbed his phone again and typed: “Blackbird” while Illinois was trying to send a response. He stopped and instead the adventure sent: “You don’t need me now?” and “0500 or 1700”.

“That was quick,” King thought out loud, scoffing at some joke in his head. Then he typed: “0500, will have information by then. That was fast, was Eric busy?”

“Hey, hermanito,” Illinois responded and sent a picture of his middle finger and King started roaring in laughter and slid his phone away.

“You need Illinois’s help with this?” Silver asked in concern.

King shrugged. “Maybe, I just know the Old Man will tell him about the book and I want to get on top of it before Illinois hounds me.”

Then he gloved up his hand again and turned back to the book and grabbed some blank papers to start making notes. “Alright, what do you guys know about ciphers?”

“They look cool,” Chase answered.

“Can’t you write secret messages with it?” Silver asked.

“Well, yeah,” King agreed as he pulled out a paper with some symbols and images that Nate and Séan had pulled from a cave. “But the problem is that a cipher without a key is harder to solve unless it’s a shift cipher. Nate and Jackie didn’t give me enough to even try and figure out if they were words or names. But with this, I can crack it.”

“Anything you can tell us before you start?” Silver looked at the book. “You going to be okay with it?”

“Book’s evil, but not cursed, if I could get a reminder to grab a coffee and a sandwich in an hour that’d be great,” King smiled and slowly the trio bid him good luck and left. King kept his smile up until they were gone and the door was closed.

Then he grabbed his phone again and called Illinois.

“You clean?” Illinois asked.

“Yes, are you?” King asked, using the signals they’d developed for themselves back when they were both still working for their father.

“Yeah Eric’s in the other room and Dad’s in his office, he’s not even listening in.” Illinois didn’t sound rushed, and he wasn’t using any of the warning words or phrases. “What’s going on?”

“You know those cave markings the heroes brought me a while back?” King reminded as he turned to a specific page that he was the most worried by.

“Which ones, the ones I found, or the ones they found?” Illinois asked.

“The ones not from Brazil,” King answered. “But they’re probably connected. Demon cults don’t just sprout up out of nowhere. But it would be great if we could keep this from Dad as much as possible.”

“Why?”

King squinted at the book. “Because, if I’m reading the scant . . . English, I think that’s English, right then they were experimenting on and sacrificing children to some type of demon they worshipped as a god. Just, you know Dad. He’d probably try to adopt one of them and helping them is good and fine but I’ve got a kid and my brain can only take so many new people right now so just make sure we don’t get a new brother or something out of this.”

“Alright, I can do that,” Illinois chuckled. “Maybe we can set Yan up with a date or something.”

“Yeah, or something,” King agreed, and he was about to disconnect when Illinois quickly asked something.

“Hey, while I have you here, do you know if the heroes have gotten into a huge fight with Dad or something?” Illinois questioned.

“Not that I know of,” King answered.

“Okay, and it’s not the hunters or Phantom either,” Illinois hummed, clearly thinking out loud. “Dad’s aura’s been acting weird, I’ve never seen it do something like this before and he hasn’t really gotten into any big fights since we cleared up that mess with the Suits.”

“Well, weird how?” King asked. “Did you talk to him? He usually tells you stuff, not me.”

“Oh, I tried, but you know how he is,” Illinois grumbled. “I asked him what was wrong and he turned into Mom and the problem was less obvious. She knows something’s up and is just hiding it. As for what he’s doing, his aura is just curling around him weird, usually it’s acting like a second suit or just doing the blue and red ringing thing but it’s turning a dark grey now.”

“I’ll try and help but I don’t know what I can do,” King admitted.

“When you come over with the info we’ll talk,” Illinois told him. “Hey, boss is back, gotta go.”

Then he was gone and King frowned at the phone before turning back to the book to compile as much information as possible before he needed to go check on Lunky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post A/N: For those new to the SMP, Badboyhalo was only one train of thought and it’s “Skeppy” and I’m so glad that’s not hyperbole in the slightest because it is as cute as it is hilarious.

Accessibility Translations:

1. you

2. to

3. We’re not giving you an evil fucking book

4. How about instead you give us the other four you’ve got, and we just call it a day

5. Fuck

6. even

7. fucking

8. You find them?

9. of

10. and

11. into

12. We should just head back to the base so you can put that thing in a cage or something

13. for

14. Was a bit too busy trying to get this thing to an actual safe location.

[signorformica]

Bibliothèque Infernale presents:

HOW ELEVEN CHINESE DEVOURED THEIR BRIDE (1926) —A grotesque, infamous short story by HANNS HEINZ EWERS

This is a story about sodomy and bestiality. Most people don’t understand such things and don’t like them. That’s all right, but, if you were born a Tartar there would be no question that sodomite stories are always very funny.

If a case comes before the court, the Judge, Public Prosecutor, clerk, Lawyer and curiously even the Justice of the Peace all see the humor in it. Only the public can’t see the humor. It is out of the question because the morality of the Public must not be endangered in any way.

So enjoy this mild story of our black gowned family. Naturally it is a light hearted story that will not seduce anyone into sodomy or bestiality. Especially when he sees how this abomination can get a poor devil stuck into prison for a couple years just for a small bit of pleasure.

That is still mild and humane says the Law. Things were not always so light. We read that our dear God rained both pitch and brimstone on the contaminated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroying them to the ground.

Only the noble Lot and his daughters were spared. His wife was turned into a naked pillar of salt simply because she once turned to look back toward these abominable cities.

Now the Lot family was not completely morally strong all the time. The behavior of the God fearing family was such that the one and only God sent angels to deliver them from this decline into abomination. How their countrymen desired these messengers and wanted to go out with them! Lot got them drunk and pleaded with them to take his daughters and use their blessed wombs instead!

How do you say, they looked pretty only after you had a few drinks?

Nevertheless this is a funny enough story in spite of all the pitch and brimstone. Funny too are the sodomite abominations in our time.

Yet they have been horribly punished. Sodomites have been crucified, quartered, drowned, broken on the wheel, burned at the stake and still they exist in all parts of the world. The weed of sodomy and bestiality is constantly new and blooming over the entire world. No pure gardener of high morals has ever been able to eradicate it from the garden of humanity.

Impassioned human lust will always explore all possible desires of the flesh. The beat of time appoints individuals across the country and in the city. Soon here, soon there, the false God, Sodom, needs a sacrifice.

The second half of the 11th century was a blooming period for sodomy and it existed in the Order of the Templars, the infamous secret sodomite society. A small group of sodomites existed as well in Sicily and the Abruzzo. The head of their organization was in India.

Today in southern China a pretty piece from Tunis and far into the Caucasus exists an abominable city of sodomy with a temple that holds all their secret love techniques. It has followers in all the large cities of the world.

In all countries, in one city or another there is a place where sodomy and bestiality are now blooming. First it is a bird, then a four footed beast that is strangely popular.

In the Rhienland in the old city of Mettmann the court is known for producing such amusing cases and almost as amusing punishments. The worthy citizens complain to the court and curse that which I applaud!

My friend, Justice of the Peace John, wanted to write his doctoral thesis about it.

“The Origin and Cultural Development linking the district of Mettmann to the second paragraph of Statute 175 R.-Str.-G.-B from the 12th century to today.”

But the Heidelberg Judicial Faculty had little sympathy for this theme. They suggested he choose to write instead about the indebtedness of the District Hubbelrath to the movement of the common people which is certainly very important but not half as humorous.

No one can deny that there is a humorous side to every single case of sodomy or bestiality. From the “Golden Ass” of Apuleius into modern times there is a long chain of droll and amusing anecdotes. These are all harmless crimes. It is a crying shame that medical knowledge never applies in these cases. In criminal law books all around the world the worst tortures known can be found.

These are promoted not only by the common people but by the higher class, the so-called educated rabble. The sturdy masses merely see these incidents as humorous. Boccaccio, Aretino, Voltaire, Goethe and Balzac all have highly polished jokes about it.

Heine’s sarcastic poem begins:

“Zu Berlin im Alten Schlosse

Sehen wir in Stein gemetz,

Wie ein Weib mit einem Rosse

Sodomitisch sich ergötzt.”

[Translator’s note:

“In an old castle in Berlin

We see chiseled in stone

How a woman with a steed

Amused herself through sodomy.”]

The Royal family has never forgotten this mockery of their illustrious ancestor depicted in this joke as a steed lustful woman. Who can really be further offended? Friedrich the Great had a great laugh over it even though he stopped work on Voltaire’s rough draft of him with his greyhounds because it was not to his taste.

He found himself in good company with Voltaire’s “Pucelle”, which depicted the virgin, Joan of Arc, after her conquest of Orleans riding an ass into a bedroom. Voltaire really intended the love as only allegory and the ass signifying the Catholic Church.

Such humor is known to date from the 18th century and while not appreciated by the common folk was by the Lords that ruled over them. They rewrote the language and revised an old judgment where a poor fellow that had been caught in obscenities with a goat should be burned at the stake. “The offender must burn,” so declared the Law. The clever Lords revised it to read, “The goat must burn”.

Friedrich the Great was an animal lover with a great sense of humor. When a cavalry member was caught making love to his mare he hung them both along with a sign that read, “The fellow wanted to be transferred to the infantry”. Today he would hardly be reported by his comrades.

The sodomy and bestiality in hidden bloom during World War I was so pervasive there were constant jokes about it. A cow is called Mrs. Sergeant-Major Lieutenant in the East and such four legged soldier wives exist in all armies around the world.

That is simply the way things are and no cleric or Judge can change it. Everyone knows that centaurs, fauns, and other mythological beasts come from the interbreeding of human and animal species. We all know they come about through this horrible obscenity but no one really sees any wrong in it.

It is the same with this incidentally full blooded adventure of the eleven Chinese that I will now relate. This story of strange love is not meant to be taken in an evil way.

So, there were these eleven Chinese in Chicago-

But no, I must begin it differently. My friend Fritz Lange lived in Chicago. He owned a laundry business. Really he was a land assessor and gambled on the hounds, but not in this story.

Over in America a man can do what he wants. He can be a waiter, dishwasher, bill poster, carriage maker or anything. Fritz finally had some luck and married the daughter of a Laundry owner. He began working there to learn the business so that when the old man died he could take over and do well with it.

Now he had built it into a mighty laundry business with a dozen pickup and delivery points scattered throughout the city. One day he came to me very excited. I needed to help him. Eleven of his workers had been arrested. Chinese naturally, they are equally the best and the cheapest washers in the city. I could help him because I knew the criminal Judge that had the case.

It was Judge Mc Ginty, whom I played stud poker with twice a week. Now Mc Ginty was a sociable man and liked to talk. He didn’t want the eleven fellows to get off easily and it would be hard to get them released. The eleven Chinese were confined because they had beaten up a God wretched pathetic red-haired fourteen year old Irish rascal named Jackie Murphy.

“Why did they beat him up?” I asked.

“He seduced the bride,” said Fritz Lange.

“That’s not going to be good,” I opinioned. “Judge Mc Ginty is very much a son of Erin and will certainly decide for the young rascal against the yellow brothers. Still, many a man can be persuaded by whiskey.”

“It is so dangerous!” My friend Lange cried. “The bride, that’s what my Chinese call her! The bride is not the bride of just one, but strangely of all eleven! To them she is not just a feminine being of white or yellow color! In short, the bride of the eleven is not human. To be entirely correct she is curiously enough a four legged sow!” “And Jackie seduced her?” I asked.

“Entirely correct,” nodded the land assessor. “The Chinese here live on nothing. They only save and save through the day and through the year until they have enough to go back home with a full purse. There is only one thing they can’t renounce and that is the desires of the flesh in any form. They are horny as apes and can’t stop themselves. They must have something so the eleven fellows went out and bought a pig. From an economical standpoint it is certainly a clever idea, you could scarcely find anything cheaper.

They all live together in a basement apartment and the sow lives there with them. Jackie, the son of the house manager, was hiding and saw the entire obscenity go down. Then, when my Chinese were at work he snuck into the cellar and climbed into the circular pen with their lover. With him it made an even dozen. When the Chinese found out the jealousy grew so strong in their love-struck fruitcake souls that they beat the red-haired rascal half to death.”

“Thunderation!” I cried. “That looks very bad. Does Judge Mc Ginty know all this?”

“Naturally he knows,” answered Fritz Lange. “Jackie’s father had the Chinese arrested. They apologized for the atrocity and for mishandling the boy but when they found out they were going to prison they started screaming that Jackie was the 12th and in league with them. That’s when he first learned from the Chinese what really happened.”

“What will the outcome be?”

“Twenty years in prison is the minimum according to the Law in the State of Illinois. They are not as mild here as they are across the ocean! And I have lost my best workers! But there is still a chance. The case is still with the police and has not yet gone to court. I’ve always been on friendly terms with the police. I need you to take this to Judge Mc Ginty.”

He reached into a bag and brought out a large piece of Nephritis, Imperial Jade, of the most glorious green color and wonderfully cut into the shape of an enormous turkey. It was easily worth more than a few hundred dollars.

“Here,” he cried. “The fellows have given me this. It is something very valuable that can possibly get them out of this jam. Take this to Judge Mc Ginty; I think he will talk with you.”

So I took the stone and went to Mc Ginty but he was not home. His wife greeted me. She was pretty and distinguished despite being fifty-four years old and she understood the situation. I gladly showed her my lump of jade and her eyes got bigger and bigger.

“I received this as a present,” I said weakly. ” I wondered if your husband was interested in it. I could really use a few dollars right now.”

At that moment Mc Ginty came.

“Buy it!” His wife cried out to him. “I’ve been wishing for a piece like that for many years. He’s letting it go really cheap, only-“

The Judge took the glorious piece and set it down on the table.

“Come with me,” he said. “I don’t want her to hear our little chat.”

He took me around back despite the pleading of his wife who stood with both hands clasped together in front of her.

“God, I’ve got fifty dollars,” she cried after us.

“What’s this about?” He asked me out on the street.

“It’s like this,” I said. “You know about those Chinese that were arrested yesterday. My friend Lange needs his workers and wants them released. The fellows gave him this stone to sell so they could get some money for their defense.”

Mc Ginty looked at me sharply.

“I know it’s not right-, “he began. “What do you know about this?”

“Nothing special,” I lied. “They beat up a fourteen year old.”

“Nothing else?” The honorable Judge asked.

He winked at me and gave me a poke in the ribs.

“Nothing that I can remember,” I laughed.

Judge Mc Ginty chuckled, and then he said. “Good, I will buy this stone because my wife wants it so badly. But I can’t give you more than ten dollars for it. There, that is enough for your defense. Go quickly to Jim Mc Namus, the lawyer, you know him. Give him the ten dollars-wait a minute,” He put down another. “There, he gets one for each. The rascal Murphy must defend his son because he is Irish, he won’t talk.

Tell Mc Namus to be in court at 6:00 this evening to get this over with quickly. Now, please excuse me. I must go to my wife and bring her this little thing she is so madly in love with.”

He played with the stone on the table.

Judge Mc Ginty knew what he was talking about. I was at the criminal court that evening. A policeman said that the eleven coolies had beaten the young Murphy. The rascal said nothing. The Chinese said nothing. The defense asked for a mild sentence.

Judge Mc Ginty ruled that each pay a dollar to the state and another in damages to the father of the youth. Fritz Lange immediately paid the twenty-two dollars and another twenty-five for the cost of the proceedings. Everyone went home happy. It didn’t take over five minutes.

A week later Fritz Lange stopped by. I should go with him to his Chinese, he said. They wanted to thank me. So I went with him. We went down into the cellar, all eleven were there and so was the young red-haired rascal Murphy.

They were very polite to me, offered me Saki and a little rice. Then the feast began. It was pork sausage. They had been taken in once and paid dearly.

“We are not doing that again,” they said.

So they slaughtered their bride, and consumed her with enviable appetites.

I like to think that I am moderately open minded and unprejudiced. I am no food critic, but it was a bit too much for me.

*Von elf Chinesen und ihrer aufgefressenen Braut. Hanns Heinz Ewers ~ 1926

“How Eleven Chinese Devoured Their Bride”: translation copyright Joe E. Bandel

Original German version, via Spiegel Online Kultur: gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/grotesken-7613/3

Image: Hanns Heinz Ewers, ca.1900: “Blood is Life”

[ofstormsandwolves]

Catching up

Written for @legendslikestardust‘s pride month

After several years apart, the Doctor and Rose have a lot of catching up to do. And maybe a secret or two to share, too...

Metacrisis 10/Rose Tyler, bisexual Rose

AO3 (account needed) | Whofic 

“-And then there was the time that Martha and I-”

Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and the Doctor abruptly stopped talking. They were halfway into the slow and arduous zeppelin flight from Bergen to London, and despite Pete booking them first class tickets (“They have little booths Rose! Little booths! We don’t have to share with your mother, do we?”), the flight still had Rose shifting every few moments and frowning out her window.

“Are you alright, Rose?” the Doctor asked after a long moment of frowning at her in confusion.

She nodded, offering him a weak smile across the table of their small two-person booth. Jackie was across from them in her own private booth, catching up on a few hours of sleep before they were back in London and little Tony was bouncing about.

“You’ve been very quiet,” the Doctor noted, voice soft. He leaned across the table, entwined their fingers, watched Rose with worried eyes. “I know this probably wasn’t what you had in mind when you started the Dimension Cannon project, but it is alright, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Rose told him, and although the smile still seemed a little strained, she squeezed his hand in hers. There had been a lot to wrap her head around in the four hours since they’d once more been left at Bad Wolf Bay, but she knew that that was the right answer for her to give. It was her honest answer.

“Is it the stories?” he questioned, still watching her in concern. “I just thought it’d pass the time, you know. We’ve still got a few hours till we reach London, and, well...” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “I don’t have to talk if you don’t want me to.”

Rose sighed a little at that, and sat forward in her chair. “It’s not that, Doctor,” she told him, and her eyes were on their conjoined hands rather than his face. “Honestly, I’ve loved hearing about stuff you got up to. An’ I’m glad you had Martha and Donna to keep you company... It’s just, hearing you talk about what happened to you while I was gone made me realise, there’s a lot I need to catch you up on too.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding then. “It’s been a long day,” he said suddenly, though his voice was still soft. “Whatever you want to tell me, it can wait. It can wait till we’re back in London, or until tomorrow, or even next week. I’m not going anywhere, Rose.”

She gave him a soft smile then, looking relieved. He beamed back.

“Go on,” he told her softly, lifting her hand to press a soft kiss to her knuckles before letting her go, “get some sleep.”

~0~0~

Once in London, the Doctor and Rose made the decision to go straight to Rose’s posh apartment rather than heading to the Tyler Mansion, although Jackie made them swear that they would go round to the mansion the next day. They hailed a cab outside the zeppelin port, earning themselves some odd looks from the taxi driver when they explained they had no luggage (the cabbie looked even more perplexed as he seemed to recognise Rose, and she quickly tugged the Doctor into the back of the cab to avoid awkward questions).

Rose’s apartment was actually a modern-build in an old converted factory in east London. Close enough to Canary Wharf for Torchwood work but not too close, and distanced from the hustle and bustle of central London. The interior of the flat was decorated tastefully, although sparsely.

“Wasn’t expecting to still be here,” Rose admitted sheepishly once she’d let the Doctor into the apartment and he’d had a few minutes to look around. “Suppose we’ll have to think about redecorating now.”

The Doctor couldn’t help but beam at that. She’d said ‘we’.  Rose grinned back at him.

“Look at you,” she teased as she padded, barefoot to the kitchen-diner, “going all domestic!”

He knew she was teasing him, so didn’t dignify it with a response. Instead, he followed her through to the kitchen-diner and sat at the kitchen island while she made tea.

“So,” Rose spoke up while the kettle boiled, “from what you were saying earlier, sounds like you and Martha were travelling together for a while.”

“A few months,” the Doctor responded, suddenly becoming much more interested in her fruit bowl.

Rose frowned. “Only a few months?” she asked in confusion.

He shrugged. “More or less. It’s... Complicated,” he admitted slowly. “There was this... Thing. We lived through an entire year before it was reversed, so while I remember it, I’m not really sure it counted.”

Suddenly, Rose was beside his barstool, hands on his face as she gently encouraged him to face her. “Want to talk about it?” she asked gently.

The Doctor sniffed. “Nah,” he dismissed. “Not now. I’ll tell you about it, but not tonight. It’s... It’s sort of a long story.”

Rose nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

“Anyway, Rose Tyler, what about you?” he asked, forcing a sudden grin. “How is it being the Vitex Heiress?”

At that, Rose rolled her eyes. She crossed back to the kettle and finished off making the tea, her back to the Doctor even as she responded to his question.

“I suppose it’s not too bad most of the time,” she admitted slowly. “I mean, I have to attend posh parties sometimes, and Vitex events, but they’re not too often. And of course, there are incidents like the taxi driver earlier.” She glanced over her shoulder at him then. “But it’s not too bad.” She fished the tea bags out of the mugs and crossed over to the kitchen island, taking a seat beside the Doctor. “I mean, the worst thing is if and when magazines and that run articles on me. You know the sort, they get one photo of me while I’m out shopping and somehow it’s news.”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed at that. “They’ve not been hounding you, have they?”

Rose shook her head. “Like I said, it’s not too bad. But every now and then they’ll write an article about how I don’t seem to be seeing anyone, or why don’t I have a boyfriend. Or, worse, they catch a glimpse of me out with Jake, or Mickey, or someone from Torchwood and then start rumours that we’re dating.”

The Doctor blinked at her then. “And are you telling me that in, what, four years of being in Pete’s World you’ve not been on a single date?”

Rose flushed a little then, and studied her mug intently. The Doctor smirked a little. While he wasn’t too sure how he felt about Rose dating other men, clearly none of them had stuck around and thus weren’t a threat. And also, he had always liked it when she got embarrassed.

“A few,” she admitted. “But most were set up by Mum. She only set me up with about three people though, and when they didn’t work out, she left me alone. She understood what I was going through, I suppose, with her losing Dad- I mean, my original Dad-, so she didn’t push after that. An’ all the people she set me up with were nice enough, and they were, like, sons of Dad’s friends for years, but it just didn’t work out.” She paused. “Then there were two others, both from Torchwood. But that didn’t exactly work out either.”

“How long ago?” the Doctor asked, and he surprised even himself with that- he wasn’t jealous, he was just concerned. While it was clear Rose hadn’t wanted to be with anyone other than him, there was a hint of loneliness in her tone.

“The last one was nearly two and a half years ago,” Rose admitted softly. “The first three were all in the first year, and then the two from Torchwood were soon after.”

“And did any of the relationships last very long?” the Doctor asked, and yes, he did sound a little jealous then.

“Never got past a second date,” Rose told him, shaking her head. “The three that Mum set me up with never got past the first date. The only one I felt particularly drawn to was-”

She trailed off suddenly, ducked her head once more, and flushed. The Doctor frowned.

“Rose?”

She bit her lip, met his gaze hesitantly. “Promise me you won’t, I dunno, freak out or something?” she asked, her voice small.

“Promise,” he said, though his voice wavered.

“Ok.” She took a breath. “The last person I, well, went on any dates with, was a colleague from Torchwood. Her name was Tara.”

The Doctor blinked.

“I dated a girl, Doctor. I’m, well, I guess I’m bisexual.”

The Doctor blinked again. “Oh,” he said after a moment. “Ok.”

Then, Rose blinked. “Is that it?” she asked him, and she actually sort of sounded relieved.

He shrugged. “Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked her. “It doesn’t change who you are, Rose. And clearly you still love me, so... Why did you think I’d freak out?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I dunno,” she sighed. “It’s just, it took Mum and Dad a while to get their heads around it, and Mickey, too. I mean, they were supportive and everything, just... They still had to process it, you know? And I just assumed it would be the same with you, that you’d need a day or two to process the information.”

The Doctor just smiled and tapped the side of his head. “Still Time Lord up here, Rose. 900 years of time and space, and you being bisexual isn’t remotely a problem.”

Rose nodded mutely at that, staring at him. “I feel silly now,” she admitted slowly. “After all that panicking on the zeppelin back, and you’re not remotely bothered-”

“Wait, that’s why you kept fidgeting?” the Doctor asked, perplexed.

She nodded, biting her lip. “Well, yeah. You were tellin’ me all this stuff that had happened to you, an’ I realised we both had a lot of stuff to catch each other up on, and my dating Tara was one of them. I mean, we never got past a second date, ‘cause Tara could see that my heart wasn’t really in it, but we’re still friends, and I wanted to tell you before you found out from someone else. Like Jake, or Mum and Dad, or someone from Torchwood, an’ I just started panicking. ‘Cause I knew I had to tell you, an’ soon, but I didn’t know how. I mean, I never even realised I was bisexual before Tara asked me out, you know? Sure, Shareen and Keisha and I used to mess about rating girls at school and stuff, and I found some of them attractive, but I never really thought anything of it-”

Suddenly, her mug was pulled from her grasp and set on the kitchen worktop, then the Doctor’s hands were on her shoulders.

“Rose, calm down. It’s fine, ok? It’s all fine. Like I said, it doesn’t change who you are, and it certainly doesn’t change how I feel about you. You’re still Rose Tyler, ok?”

Rose nodded meekly at that, staring at him wide-eyed. Once she’d calmed down enough, she finished off her tea, and then the Doctor took her mug from her to put it with hers in the sink.

“I’ll deal with them in the morning,” he told her. “It’s getting late.” Indeed, the sky out of the kitchen windows was already a dark blue, punctuated by the street lights outside. “And I think that’s enough catching up for tonight. How about we get to bed?”

Rose nodded, took the Doctor’s hand in hers, and led him towards the bedroom.

[hoopfeed]

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Since the news broke last Thursday that the San Antonio Stars were being sold and relocating, fans of the team, and of the league in general, have taken to social media to voice their concerns about sale of the franchise.

Die-hard Stars fans have been the most vocal, expressing a myriad of emotions from sadness to outright anger that Spurs Sports and Entertainment (SS&E), the parent company of the Stars, have been in negotiations to sell the franchise. If the team relocates to Las Vegas, as rumored, it will be the third city for the Stars. The franchise started out in Salt Lake City as the Utah Starzz in 1997. In December 2002, the league announced that the Starzz would be moving to San Antonio.

Some fans have backed the Stars even before the team played its first game at AT&T Center in 2003. They shelled out money for season-ticket deposits to help secure the team for SS&E.

During the Stars’ first four years in San Antonio, the team experienced losing seasons before earning a 20-14 record in 2007 under former head coach Dan Hughes. The following season the Stars had their best year, earning a trip to the WNBA Finals before losing in a sweep to the Detroit Shock.

Hughes left the team after the 2016 season, capping a four-year stretch of losing seasons. The team ended the 2017 season with an 8-26 record, at the bottom of the league under first-year head coach and former Stars player Vickie Johnson.

Four fans took some time over the weekend to share their opinions with Hoopfeed.com about the relocation of the team. Their responses to questions about the team are below.

Suzanne Kenoyer – A “fan of the WNBA since the beginning of the league and a season ticket-holder since the Stars came to San Antonio.”

Jackie Freeman – A Stars fan “since day one. Went to the unveiling of the San Antonio Silver Stars uniform and new name.” She was introduced to the league when she attended a Houston Comets game soon after Sheryl Swoopes returned after giving birth. “I still have my program and poster. It was the best.”

Jeanne Chew – A “WNBA fan since its inception and a 15-year season ticket-holder for the Stars.”

Cathleen Coyle – A “WNBA fan since the league started. Living in San Antonio, I rooted for the Comets, but being from Jersey, I was a huge Liberty fan. They had T-Spoon! I have been a Stars fan since I knew they were relocating here from Utah. I was one of a group of folks dropping the $50.00 deposit to get the team here.”

Are you surprised that the team is moving? Why or why not?

Suzanne: Somewhat surprised because nothing was rumored, but as I look back – Hughes stepping down, only a one-year contract for [Vickie Johnson], not being billed for our season ticket renewals – maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s no secret that SS&E has done little to attract or retain new season ticket-holders over the years, and we’ve often felt that the team was an afterthought. Knowing that SS&E acquired a professional soccer team meant there was less money to go around. I understand that it’s a business decision for them – the team never made money – but it’s still a knife to the heart for all the fans.

Jackie: “I was floored. I honestly didn’t see this coming. I had no idea we were being put up for sale because I had not heard any rumors among our fellow STH friends at the games, nor had I seen anything on the internet. Of course, we have always been the last to know anything about the Stars from the front office.”

“I’m just shocked. But there should have been signs that I look back on over the past year:

Why just a one-year contract for Coach VJ? That puzzled me and my husband, plus our fellow STH. Now it makes sense, because we were going to be one and done this year.

No pink court. We were the only WNBA team with a pink court for Breast Cancer Awareness. It was awesome! I was invited to help paint a portion of that court, got to shoot some baskets on that court with fellow survivors and sometimes one or two players, too. But no pink court this year. I asked and never got an answer.

We never got billed in September on our credit card for the season ticket renewal. We waited, we emailed and asked and the response was a changed date in billing.

There was even less coverage than the usual less coverage this year in the local newspaper and TV. There used to be billboards along major roadways with schedules of the next three to four home games back in the day.

Theme nights, back in the day (up until a few years ago) we had theme nights. We love San Antonio night, Recycle Night, Military Night, First Responders, Hoops and Hounds, Father Daughter Night, Fill the School Bus for Back to School, SA Food Bank night (bring in some canned goods and get a voucher for a ticket Breast Cancer Awareness (used to be a huge event, not this year or last year). We even had a Hawaiian themed night. But these stopped. Everything this year was tossed together last minute.?”

Jeanne: “I am surprised that the team is moving because it seemed though we supported them through several tough seasons the future was looking bright. No indication was given to STH that the team was leaving. The reps pushed hard for ticket renewal and I know of many new season ticket-holders that came on board for the 2018 season.”

Cathleen: “I am more upset than surprised. For the first 10 years, I really felt Spurs Sports & Entertainment were behind the Stars. Hell, our first COO was Clarissa Davis – played an undefeated season for UT – A local hero. Slowly and methodically, we started losing the little perks. Free t-shirts, fan rewards etc. I think we knew it was coming, we just didn’t want to admit it. The Spurs organization finally showed their true colors and loyalty. Unfortunately, our local news never really covered the Stars. Hell, high school football got more coverage.”

What does the loss of the team in San Antonio mean to you?

Suzanne: “We (there are four of us who have had season tickets by each other since the beginning) also support UTSA women’s basketball, so we will still support the sport. But not having the professional team here is a blow. Before the Stars came here, we tried to go to some of Houston’s games, but that’s not an option now. Dallas is much further to travel to, so I doubt we will make many of those games. It’s disappointing that the girls’ basketball teams that attended the professional games won’t have that option any more, either. It seems like boys have plenty of athletic role models, but girls? No so much.”

Jackie: “Well, it was something my husband and I enjoyed going to together and along with our friends. We made so many new friends. We both love sports and this was something we really loved to go watch Live. Didn’t like the losing seasons, those were painful, but we stuck it out. This team also presented a positive role model for our young women in sports in and around [San Antonio]. They inspired young women to make a goal and go for it. Now that is gone. I’m going to miss not having something to look forward to this next WNBA season, going to miss it a lot!”

Jeanne: “The loss of the team leaves me sad and angry. The young ladies on the team were such good role models for the young girls and boys in the community and they gave their time and energy to make the community a better place. The price for tickets to the games was affordable to most families. I will miss the friendships formed with the players and not being able to see other STH that I became acquainted with through the fifteen seasons.”

Cathleen: “The loss means everything to me. This was more than a basketball team. This was a group of talented athletes that gave hope to young girls that they could dream big, be anything. It was a summer full of great basketball with athletes that cared about the community. This franchise did Ruth Riley and Vickie Johnson wrong. We were a young team, just starting to gel. They never gave us a chance. “

“On another note, I was part of a group called Stars Section Leaders. This was a group that would ‘adopt’ a player and highlight them in the section they sat with. Out of our own pocket we would purchase banners – at $75.00 a pop, that would have the players section name. For example – “Hamby’s Hoopsters.” We would purchase rally towels, draw-string bags, make posters, had out balloons, all on our personal dime! SS&E never gave us a nod, but we did it for the team and the fans. I will really miss doing that. The players loved it.”

Do you have any thoughts on the performance of the team in the past few seasons with losing records, change in coaching, etc.?

Suzanne: “I love Coach Hughes as a person, but some of the trades he made were baffling. We also questioned why he continued to start players who weren’t performing. But our losing seasons have also had a lot to do with injuries – they killed us.”

Jackie: “We were a revolving door for the first few years with coaches. I loved Coach Hughes and his wife, but sometimes his coaching decisions and trading decisions (if they truly were his) made my head spin. I never understood why some players that showed potential didn’t get the playing time they deserved…. I got frustrated that we were constantly losing, repeatedly. There had to be a reason, but what was it? The coach? The team chemistry? What? But loyalty factors in this for me and win or lose, we were there to cheer on our team. If you truly are a fan, I think, you stay for the good, the bad and the ugly. And Lord knows our team the last few years was the poster child for the WNBA in injuries. That killed us for at least the last three seasons. It was like we never could catch a break.”

Jeanne: “Though the Stars struggled to achieve winning seasons many times, I was a true fan who supported them whether they won or lost. Those of us who were loyal fans celebrated the wins and mourned the losses. Would I have like to have seen the Stars win a championship? Of course, but I supported these young ladies who played with so much heart and left in on the court every game. There were coaches that I liked and some that I felt were not a good fit. In the end I was elated that Vicki Johnson was given the chance to be the head coach and even though it was a tough season, toward the end she had the team moving in the right direction. Everyone was looking forward to next season and the core of young players the team had to build on.”

Cathleen: “Did we underperform in the last year or so, probably. This season was marred by injuries before it started, thanks to overseas play. We had a No. 1 pick that really didn’t want to be here, but warmed up to situation. I love Dan Hughes, but I think we got a little stale. STH were beyond excited they hired VJ. I knew, and the fans knew, VJ would bring a new passion, but that takes time and by the end of the season – the team was playing great. It was finally starting to click and the fans had really high hopes for next season, but the organization bailed on the team and on their fans.

Bottom line, SS&E used us as a seat filler.”

Upset, floored, sad and angry: San Antonio Stars season ticket-holders fans speak out on team relocation Since the news broke last Thursday that the San Antonio Stars were being sold and relocating…