#(she had like three chief manipulators in her life & then came out as better then them)

[vixlenxe]

Grow up to manipulate your manipulators--

[themindarchive]

How to Accidentally Pull a Dragon.

An Original story idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while after i noticed there aren't many romance stories where it's the woman who is the more "Dominent/pursur/knight in shining armor" of the relationship.

So, using an old pathfinder character as inspiration I came up with this.

6'5" muscle mommy monster hunter with a dark past but with the help of a loving and supportive family has healed form majority of her trauma meets 5'4" ex noble turned cleric/healer that escaped to another country with his younger sister, giving up their citizenship to his home country in order to avoid arranged marriages to the unmarried members of a very toxic and abuse noble house blackmailing his family.

Mutual Pining, Dragon Shifter FMC as part of an influential and long lived Supernatural The Adams style family, FMC is blatantly flirting while the MMC doesn't believe she would ever want him. Found Family helps Birth Family. Progressive Noble family stuck in a Conservative Kingdom. Woman in stereotypical male role. Man in stereotypical female role. Man who has a weakness for a woman who can crush his skull between her thighs. Woman who has a weakness for men who gets genuinely excited about something they love and go on a hyper fixated rant about it. "Royal Family" that only pretends to act like royalty/nobilty one specific event of the year so they often forget about it. WIP. World Lore Pending.

More in depth under the cut.

Male MC: Percy Lockheart formerly known as Percival Delacroix is the chief healer and occasional secretary of his biological mother's hunting guild. He and his sister are the product of a secret polyamourous relationship between his father and his "legal" mother who still live in Citrine, his patriarchal home kingdom to the south, and his bio mother a citizen of Andromeda, a country to the north "ruled" by three separate "Families" known as the Great Houses, one of which she was a part of.

At about the age of 15 his families "scandalous secret" had been uncovered by the *insert pretentious and vaguely threatening noble family name here* and used it to blackmail his family into agreeing to marry off Percy and his younger sister to the two older, abusive, manipulative, spoiled and as of yet unmarried members of the family due to the previous.

Upon finding out, Percy's bio mom offers to do the one thing that could at least keep Percy and his sister from being forced to marry these two very abusive and manipulative older nobles.

Taking them over the border with her and making them full citizens of Andromeda through being blood related to her.

His more progressive family, wanting to at least make sure his two youngest could be saved from horrifically abusive marraiges, agrees.

Even though Percy and his sister have a much better life than they would have had back there, he could never completely shake the guilt of leaving his family at the mercy of those who blackmailed them. A guilt that still stuck with him, making him into a man who has a hard time believing he deserves the good things that are happening to him.

Female MC: Valient Bloodstone "The Grey Warden" is a famous monster hunter that spends majority of her time on the road, hunting monsters either to save lives or for coin depending on the situation.

At the age of ten, in order to protect her younger and ailing sister after their mother was cut down in front of her, she allowed herself to be taken by one of her father's old enemies, a vampire lord and was used as a child gladiator.

At the age of 15, a group of monster hunters showed up to the vampire lord's lair, eradicating her abuser and freeing her. With no other idea's on how to live her life, she studied under the hunters who rescued her, taking something that was once a skill set only for killing innocents, to saving them instead.

She ended up making quite the name for herself, so much so that the family she had been taken from were able to track her down and reunite with her, giving her the love and support she needed to heal from her past.

Now, as her body begins to show signs of slowing and the damage she has been inflicted with beginning to catch up, she is on the verge of retiring, using the more simple and "safer" hunts to save up for the next chapter in her life.

A school for monster hunters and rangers like herself.

The day the two of them met was like any other day.

Valiant or V as most knew her had come in to the guild to turn in her most recent bounty. Riding in on her construct horse, she prepared for a much needed rest, having spent the last year helping her father deal with some trouble on the Citrine/ANdromeda border that ran along the deg of his lands.

Using the money her father had given her for the help and the money that she would soon get for her bounties, she planned on taking a good two weeks off for some self care and much needed repairs.

She had earned it.

Percy was working as the record keeper and bounty receiver in place of the regular one who was on maternity leave. Upon hearing the The Grey Warden themselves were there(A figure he looked up to in his youth) volunteers to meet with them personally to settle the bounties they brought in.

He goes down to meet them only to find out that V, whom most assumed was a man due to their size, build, and the flattening effect of most armor, was in fact a very muscular woman.

And Percy had a weakness for large muscular women who could throw him over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

So of course, he folded like a god damn arm chair.

V on the other hand, though often attracted to smaller men with soft gentle eyes like Percy had, wasn't drawn to Percy beyond a professional or platonic relationship until the day she got him talking about *Insert Hyper fixation here*.

For she had a deep and profound weakness for men who got genuinely excited about talking about something they loved that they went on whole rants about it.

She had always loved the way their eyes lit up and the wide happy smiles on their faces.

It was what made her mother fall for her father and she did not fall far from that tree.

Unfortunately, due to the immense survival's guilt and the low self esteem that it caused in Percy, all V's attempts at flirting, both subtle and blatant, fell on deaf ears despite how desperate he wanted to believe them.

It was something that V recognized in herself all to well before her family had found her. The recognition set her anger a blaze for whomever hurt him, and her heart to breaking for what he thought of himself, despite being a folk hero level healer in his own right.

Fortunately for V but Unfortunately for Percy, his obsessive "betrothed" was not familiar with the concept of "No." and shows up to try and threaten/blackmail/manipulate him into fulfilling his duty to his family by forcing him to announce their engagement at an upcoming gathering he would be attending due to his status as the first born son of the Matriarch of The House of Wyld.

V see's the first interaction between them as she returns from a hunt and afterwards gets the whole story from him.

As soon as she is able to resupply, she bee lines it back to her families land and tells them about what's going on. They make a plan to help him and his family make at the upcoming peace gathering, a festival/ball that happens once a year during Citrine's "Season", as an effort to keep the peace between the two countries.

Both him and his younger sister who married the soon to be patriarch of the The House of Arcanis, prepare for the ball, fearing for what their "betrothed's" families would do if they refused their request.

They feared sparking a war between the two countries, something they didn't put past them to do over this.

But they both knew how exactly that war would end.

The Dead fields on the far west Citrine/Andromeda border where the undead and tortured souls of soldiers still walked, was perfect proof of that.

Unbeknownst to Percy however, he had been traveling, flirting with and pining over the First Born child the house the Noble's did recognize.

The House of Night.

The House of Night was a prestigious house, even to those in Citrine, because it was home to nearly all of the most influential and powerful heroes/leaders of the country. The house also often operated as the the countries "face", equivalent to Citrine's royal family, that pretends to go along with the games the nobles of the Citrine play, often beating them at it.

At the ball, Percy and his sister are among the first to arrive, their new titles and names being announced to the ball room with many whispers and shocked gasps.

But when the House of Night shows up it is Percy's turn to gasp in shock as the announcer reports "The Grey Warden" as one of it's member's.

Shocked, confused, and afraid he leaves the ballroom to try and process what he just saw, only for V to find him in the midst of a panic attack.

A calm explanation followed by a passionate confession ends with Percy being picked up and slammed against a nearby wall as V practically devours him in the dimly lit hallway.

However, much to Percy's dismay, V breaks away from him as soon as it is announced that his betrothed and family have arrived.

After a little bit of help from V's father and sister to get them back presentable again, they explain to Percy "the plan".

The Plan being, V and Percy return to the Ball from the same and separate exits they used and keep separate until it is clear that his betrothed is going for him.

At that moment, V will walk over and ask him for a dance and while they are on the floor, the two Patriarchs of the family, her father and his husband, will make a subtle show of going over to Percy's family and speaking with them in a clear, we are negotiating some terms, type of conversation.

And since everyone in attendance knows how high up the social ladder her family is, just getting the families direct attention is enough to elevate Percy's family beyond where his betrothed's family could touch them.

After the ball, the two families have lunch where instead of negotiating something that was already going to happen at this point, (V malewifing percy up) also find a way for Percy's family to either act as ambassador's and thus have diplomatic immunity or straight up move to Citrine like Percy did, with V's family as their sponsors.

It is pretty much straight to the happy ending after that with an obligatory "You begged him to kiss you, He begged me to fuck him, we are not the same" style scene for a final confrontation with Percy's former "Betrothed."

[that-one-lilith]

Double Blessing, Double Curse (1)

Thanks to @nicebonescomrade for this title suggestion!

As you can see, this will be a whole series. Three parts for sure, after that I'll have to see if I am going to continue it.

The first part is relatively soft, but I promise...it will not stay that way. This is going to be pure angst in the future.

It's also inspired by one of @chocoenvy 's works. Not gonna say which though because that would be a spoiler for the next part. ;)

And one last thing: This is a Female Reader story!

Happy reading! <3

Word count: 2.7k (i think)

Warnings: slight bleeding, nothing more; a bit of a mental breakdown; manipulation if you read between the lines

Teyvat was created by one God. It's a known fact.

Statues and temples have been erected in their honor and to show their ultimate respect to them. Many more secret, personal temples stayed hidden in homes, in which people prayed to themself and wished for their God to listen.

Everyone knew their God's face.

A woman so serene, so beautiful, so absolutely ethereal. Two halos crowned her head and sometimes glowed, although they were made of nothing else but marble. It was said that those little signs of life indicated that she was watching in that moment.

The Creator was loved above all, even by the Tsaritsa, who's cold heart has long forgotten what it was like to cherish. As long as the God looked upon her still, a small spark of her former self would remain.

Thus it was no surprise that, once the day came that the Creator's light vanished for months on end before a human resembling her appeared, that they proclaimed her coming all across Teyvat.

The Human Goddess was weak and didn't harbor any of the memories or powers the Creator was said to have. Yet her appearance and the outstanding warmth she exuded spoke of the divine essence she still had. It didn't matter what state she was in. She was their God and they welcomed her that way.

The poor young woman didn't understand the situation. She'd just been ripped out of her own world and found herself somewhere she thought to be a game and nothing more. The spark of euphoria in her heart didn't stop the anguish and fear. To find oneself alone and in a familiar yet strange world was no easy thing, even more so when she's being called the creator of said world. It's what the loyal, beloved acolytes didn't take into account. They had expected a Goddess that knew, that remembered.

The very moment she was left alone in a expensively decorated and furnished room in Dawn Winery was the moment the Human Goddess escaped. She didn't care about the injuries sustained from the fall out of the second floor, nor did she mind the calls of the guards posted all across the ground outside. She bolted as if her life depended on it, mind in a frenzy.

The acolytes yearned to follow, but they knew better than to scare their poor God more. They felt guilty for not having seen your fear and distrust before. Weren't they supposed to make her feel welcome and safe? How is it that they were able to disregard her palpable emotions with such ease then?

It was unanimously decided that the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius would follow their God and try and calm her down. Albedo was known as one of her favored vessels, often being guided across the various lands, her heavenly light surrounding him.

It irked the Archons that it was not them she had taken as vessels as much as him. They were far better than that fake of a human would ever be, much stronger, too. And they had served the Creator for much longer. In spite of their resentment and jealousy, they stood back and waited for the alchemist to return.

Albedo didn't take long to fulfill his word of doing it fast. The Human Goddess was slow and left behind clear signs of trespassing in the areas she went through. He caught up to her and came to a halt a few meters in front even, forcing her to stop unless she wished to collide with him.

Her wide, teary eyes gazed at him and she shook her head, backing up several steps. "Please, let me go. You've got it all wrong, I'm not your God. I beg you, please-"

He held up a hand, the movement ceased her begging. "Don't be afraid, Your Grace. We just want to help you and protect you. Why don't you come back with me? We'll talk back in Dawn Winery and explain the situation to you better."

He spoke softly and full of raw admiration. His body felt warm underneath her gaze. The same warth that had surrounded him as her vessel. That was all he needed to feel to confirm the undeniable truth.

Still - his God took another step back, only to trip over a branch on the ground. The fall was harsh and her hands, which she'd thrust out in order to catch her body, burnt. Tears now fell freely, running down her pale cheeks. She sobbed. "You've got it all wrong, I'm human, I'm not a god!"

Albedo was quick to rush to her side, kneeling down by her side. He clicked his tongue in dismay as he picked up her hands to inspect the possible wounds she'd attained. She flinched and tried to pull her hand back, but his strong grip stopped her. "Your Grace, you must be careful. You..."

His voice trailed off, voice dying in his throat. She watched as he pulled her hand closer, inspecting the palm and the blood she felt running out of the scrapes.

"Your...your blood." The alchemist sounded amazed and awed. "It's..."

He had no words.

In legends and stories of old, authors often spoke about the differences between the Creator and the humans that had been created in their like. One spoke of them having golden ichor run through their veins. Another spun the tale of tears holding the universe. A third said they were taller than this world, arms capable of hugging their creation to their chest.

It seemed as if all of those were just myths, or maybe their human body was different from their god one.

The blood that started to pool on her open palm was red, albeit darker than that of a true human. Golden swirls mixed into it, moving around even when the blood didn't not, and small stars faded in and out of existence all over it.

"Look", he spoke softly, his fingers caressing her wrist. He felt her pulse beating fast, the heartbeat a sound so oddly familiar to him. "Your blood proves that you're our Creator."

The Human Goddess stared at her own blood in confusion. "But...but I remember bleeding red. Real red. Not this", she whispered.

Albedo took out a roll of bandages he always carried around in case of failed experiments and started to wrap her hands up. He took note that he had to clean it later, make sure to disinfect it. It wouldn't do good for his God to get sick. The tips of his fingers graced her soft skin occasionally and her breath hitched. She did not stop staring at her hand, even as the wounds were covered up.

"A goddess...", she repeated to herself, the word feeling weird in her mouth. Her, a goddess? She was human, she had to be. She remembered her world, her family, the red blood she bled.

Then how was this possible?

Albedo left her to her thoughts, intertwining his fingers with hers. A shiver ran down his spine and if he had any blood running through his veins, he was sure he'd be blushing right now. His palms fit perfectly against hers. Perhaps this was why Gold had made him. To be with their God and help them in this time of confusion and need; and not to find the limits of alchemy as she'd told him all those years ago.

A homunculus whose sole purpose it was to serve their Creator.

"Your Grace", he cooed, searching her face in case she was tempted to dart off again. He tightened his hold on her a bit, hoping his touch reassured her. "The others worry for you. We should go back."

The Human Goddess looked away from her hands at last and into his azur eyes. The reverent smile on his face was different compared to the stoic expression his in-game model had held most of the time.

But this wasn't just a game anymore, was it?

The pain she felt, the ache in her limbs from falling to the ground, it was all too real.

If she went with him, she'd be safe. He was strong, capable of protecting her, and maybe he could even help her get back to her own world.

However...

Would he even help her leave Teyvat behind?

They called her a God, the Creator of this wonderful world she'd come to cherish despite it being a work of fiction. It was clear that they wished to have her close. If it was in hopes of gaining favor or just basking in a godly presence, she did not know.

She didn't even know if she wanted to know the answer to this question.

Albedo saw the moment she shut herself off and he panicked on the inside. She had to come back willingly as he didn't want to knock her out, but if the progress kept going this way, he'd have no other choice.

He held onto her even as she tried to wiggle her hands out of his grip. He pulled the Human Goddess close until her head bumped lightly against his shoulder. Letting go of her hands, he was quick to wrap his arms around her in a what he hoped was a comforting embrace.

She sobbed again, fighting against his hold on her, but he didn't budge. Instead he placed a hand on the back of her head and buried her face in the crook of his head, right where the star decorated his skin.

"It must be so hard, not remembering anything." Albedo looked into the distance, all too aware of the seething people watching him from the shadows. "We just want to help you and appreciate you. I promise by my life. If it helps you, I'll stay by your side all the time unless you request otherwise. I'm yours to command."

The Human Goddess shook her head. Words failed her and she just cried, shedding the tears she'd held in ever since coming here a week ago.

Alone and separated, half of her soul missing.

What he offered was what she'd wanted this whole time. A warm place to sleep, care, comfort. Someone to confide in.

She reluctantly accepted, lips moving against his skin as she muttered. Albedo hummed, eyes sparkling in satisfaction. Together they went back to Dawn Winery, Albedo happy and the Human Goddess tired to the bones. Halfway to the manor, he picked her up and carried her on his back, her head lolling and nuzzling back into his neck.

The acolytes were happy to see her back safe. Some disliked the fact she got hurt, although even they were happy to hear that they hadn't been wrong, her starry blood proving her godhood.

Once the Human Goddess got proper rest, she was sat down on an armchair, the Archons standing in front of her in a semi-circle. They all vowed to serve her until she ascended back into her heavenly plane, ignoring her requests to just treat her like another human being.

Only the Cry Archon didn't come, opting to send an envoy in the form of a Harbinger instead.

Albedo stayed true to his words the whole time. He only left her side in the bathroom or at night as she slept, opting to either wait outside her room or in Diluc's study. He lacked any motivation to continue his alchemical experiments and even as he tried to read a book, his mind always wandered back to her.

The Archons made her have hearings, during which she'd be forced to listen to people's worries and fears, and hopes and dreams. Her helplessness was clear and at first one or the other whispered the right words to say into her ear until she got the hang of what they wanted to hear. She didn't know it, wouldn't believe it if she ever found it, but sometimes her words came true.

A farmer crying to her for help after rain destroyed his most recent harvest was said to have grown new plants in less than a week after his visit to the Human Goddess.

An infertile woman begging for a child had a healthy baby growing in her belly two months later.

Little miracles, but miracles nonetheless.

The hearings and forced conversations with the ever greedy Archons drained her.

At night, before she went to bed, she'd sit beside Albedo on a couch, pressing close to him and hiding her face in his side. The alchemist enjoyed these peaceful moments the most, treasuring them and drawing them later as a means to remember them far into the future.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

The Archons were jealous. They didn't like that their God clung to one person so much. Weren't they made just as their Creator wanted them to be? Why didn't she spend time with them? He was a low homunculus, lesser than a human. He had no right to bask in her presence this much.

They started to pester the Human Goddess about meeting up with some of her acolytes to spend some time outside the house. Albedo was a busy man, for sure he'd appreciate the reprieve of going back to Dragonspine and continue his research.

What about Chongyun? The poor exorcist had been hoping to have her accompany him on one of his missions.

Or maybe Klee? The little girl would love to go fish-bombing with her.

Perhaps she'd prefer someone like Thoma? He could take her to festivals, watch Yoimiya's firework shows.

The constant nagging wore her down. The pressure was too much for her and she caved in, on one condition.

"Of course, Your Grace! Whatever you want." Venti grinned at her.

The Human Goddess worried on her bottom lip. "I'd like to meet the Traveller."

All these weeks she's spent holed up in Dawn Winery, she never once saw them. She didn't even know who was where in this world. Though she understood. The Traveller Siblings came from a different world, they would have no reason to bow to her feet as the whole of Teyvat did. Passerbys, that's all they were.

Her reasons to meet up with the good sibling were different though. Something that she hadn't even told Albedo. She'd been careful about what she said to the alchemist. He may do his best to keep the Archons at bay half of the time, but he was still an acolyte. The moment she'd talk about wanting to go back home was the moment all hell would break lose. She saw it in their eyes, in their devotion.

A day after her request, Lumine stood in the Winery's salon, Paimon floating by her side and complaining about being hungry. Both didn't understand why they'd been called.

She had heard the stories of a so-called Creator descending to Teyvat as a human, of course. It was impossible not to. People were happy and even the monsters and animals responfed to their presence.

But she was still an outlander, not from this world.

It didn't seem to matter to the Human Goddess. The moment she spied Lumine from atop the stairs, she raced down the steps, ignoring the concerned voices of her acolytes telling her to be careful. She flung her arms around the Traveller and shocked the ones in the room into silence. Lumine's arms automatically came up to catch her, too stunned to speak at the familiarity she was greeted with.

Only to grow sad upon hearing the words whispered fast and quiet into her ears. She hugged the Human Goddess tight, the two sharing each other's pain in silence.

If the Archons had thought her connection to Albedo was bad, this certainly was even worse.

Lumine and the Human Goddess were inseparable, always whispering in each other's ears about things noone else was allowed to hear. They tried to bully the Traveller into telling them what their God was speaking of, but that only caused Lumine to glare and stomp off, disgusted by their blatant disrespect for her privacy.

Not even Albedo, who returned from Dragonspine a week after his departure, managed to get her to tell him the things she told Lumine. It hurt. He was replaced and couldn't do anything about it. The few times they spent alone were not enough to ease the ache in his heart.

It was all the Archons' fault. Had they never pressured the Human Goddess, she'd be holding onto him still, finding comfort in his presence, not Lumine's. Yes, it really wasn't her fault.

Days turned into weeks and soon, the Human Goddess grew easier to be around. She'd spent time with more people, even if she came back to Lumine at the end of the day. She visited the various nations and greeted the people, always listening to their problems and pleas.

Teyvat's nature wanted to bloom in response to their Creator's happiness.

Yet something was missing and it found itself impossible of showing their God's state.

Three months after the Human Goddess's arrival, news of a human male resembling their beloved Creator reached their ears.

The Archons rallied hunting parties, angered by the thought of someone daring to impersonate the Human Goddess now that she was finally here. And a man no less!

They made sure to not let her hear the news, thinking it better to leave her in innocent bliss.

Which would prove to be their downfall.

[morwensteelsheen]

so @tinacharles and I have sort of been having this conversation about the varying levels of culpability of all the men in Éowyn’s life re: her abject fucking misery, which got me to thinking about how that discussion would play out in-universe.

I know it’s pretty popular (and not incorrectly so, imo!) to have Éomer being fairly distrustful of Faramir, but I think it's underplayed just how much ammunition Faramir has to be out-and-out fucked off with Éomer on Éowyn's behalf.

Part of that understatement is a desire, I reckon, to see all the named Rohirrim as basically innocents, manipulated beyond aid by Wormtongue, and functionally helpless until Gandalf and the Three Hunters show up, but that's a take that is, imo, too reliant upon what we get in the movie canon and not reliant enough on what's actually written in the text! The point of Théoden's downfall is that it is his pride and his hubris (and not any magic!) that is his undoing, and it is Gandalf's reminders that his responsibilities are greater than the weight of the injuries to his pride that "brings him back" so to speak. The ability to stop fucking around exists at all moments within Théoden, there is no magic, no great battles, not valiant rescues involved, it's just about him putting his big girl panties on and dealing with his own life. But because there's a tendency to see too much of the movie canon in these characters, their relative culpability in Éowyn's immiseration is largely erased, which is incredibly unfair both in terms of treating these characters with the nuance they deserve, but also in terms of treating Éowyn's misery with the seriousness it deserves!

And a key element of this is Éomer's complacency/culpability in all of this. I often quote the conversation between Gandalf, Aragorn, and Éomer after the Pelennor about Éowyn's ~fundamental unknowability~, but I think it is, uhhh, pretty fucked up that Aragorn, Faramir, and Gandalf are all able to spot out Éowyn's deeply destroyed mental health within minutes of coming into contact with her (and yes, it is true enough that they're all powered-up slightly by magic-ish things) while Éomer, who has spent literally his entire life around her, doesn't really have an inkling of what's actually going on in her interior life. That's really upsetting to me, and is no doubt deeply upsetting and isolating for Éowyn, who has basically no other people in her life until Faramir shows up (you know, after she literally tries to kill herself!).

More than that, when Gandalf and the Three Hunters show up and immediately break Théoden free of his pity party, we don't get a sense that undermining Wormtongue has any actual political repercussions—Hama (👑) immediately names Éowyn as the favoured heir to the throne, which says that she's got a substantial amount of organic support where and when it matters. Yes, it's true they immediately have to go fight Saruman's forces in Helm's Deep, but Helm's Deep is a pretty unique battle in the books for how "small" it is in terms of coalitions: the Rohirrim fight that sucker almost entirely unaided! So if a consequence of unseating Wormtongue had been facing down Saruman's lot on the battlefield (assuming that he would have been prepared to do so at any point before the canonical Battle of the Hornburg), we know that the Rohirrim could have handled it, and what's more, they might have been in an even better position to have handled it, because Théodred would have likely still been alive, alongside however many men they lost at the Battle of the Fords of Isen. A lot of words to say: there's really no indication that there was a danger, per se, to beating Wormtongue's ass down; but we do know that there was some obstacle. Tolkien goes pretty far out of his way to hint that it's a lack of will that's doing most of the work there. As readers, I think we're all mostly content to ignore this element of Éomer's complacency because we do largely see Éomer at his best and most noble, but I think we do a real disservice to both his and Éowyn's characters for not dealing with that more intimately.

Anyways, my original point is that I think Faramir has really good reason to be quite grumpy with Éomer and I think he'd actually probably be supported in that frustration by Éowyn, who would almost certainly be pretty chuffed to finally have someone fighting her corner after so many years. I don't know exactly how Faramir's frustration would manifest—almost certainly not with the level of vitriol and overtness that his frustration with his father manifested itself, but I do think he would be very good at making sure that Éomer is keenly aware that Faramir is Unhappy about his actions/lack thereof. That, I think, adds a really interesting dynamic not just to Éowyn and Faramir's personal life, particularly as they're off starting their lives together, but also their political life, given that Éomer is the new King of the Riddermark, shown to be exceptionally close with both Aragorn and Imrahil, and, of course, is later married to Faramir's cousin—some of Faramir's last living family.

Edit: just picked up the books to double check some stuff so adding cites beneath the cut

On Théoden's 'malady':

"the influence over him that Gríma gained when the King's health began to fail. This occurred early in the year 3014, when Théoden was sixty-six; his malady may thus have been due to natural causes, though the Rohirrim commonly lived till near or beyond their eightieth year. But it may well have been induced or increased by subtle poisons, administered by Gríma. In any case Théoden's sense of weakness and dependence on Gríma was largely due to the cunning and skills of this evil counsellor's suggestions."

From Unfinished Tales, V. The Battles of the Fords of Isen.

On Éomer Missing The Fucking Point:

"But Aragorn came to Éowyn, and he said: ‘Here there is a grievous hurt and a heavy blow. The arm that was broken has been tended with due skill, and it will mend in time, if she has the strength to live: It is the shield-arm that is maimed; but the chief evil comes through the sword-arm. In that there now seems no life, although it is unbroken.

‘Alas! For she was pitted against a foe beyond the strength of her mind or body. And those who will take a weapon to such an enemy must be sterner than steel, if the very shock shall not destroy them. It was an evil doom that set her in his path. For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens. And yet I know not how I should speak of her. When I first looked on her and perceived her unhappiness, it seemed to me that I saw a white flower standing straight and proud, shapely as a lily, and yet knew that it was hard, as if wrought by elf-wrights out of steel. Or was it, maybe, a frost that had turned its sap to ice, and so it stood, bitter-sweet, still fair to see, but stricken, soon to fall and die? Her malady begins far back before this day, does it not, Éomer?’

‘I marvel that you should ask me, lord,’ he answered. ‘For I hold you blameless in this matter, as in all else; yet I knew not that Éowyn, my sister, was touched by any frost, until she first looked on you. Care and dread she had, and shared with me, in the days of Wormtongue and the king’s bewitchment; and she tended the king in growing fear. But that did not bring her to this pass!’

‘My friend,’ said Gandalf, ‘you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours. Yet she was doomed to wait upon an old man, whom she loved as a father, and watch him falling into a mean dishonoured dotage; and her part seemed to her more ignoble than that of the staff he leaned on.

‘Think you that Wormtongue had poison only for Théoden’s ears? Dotard! What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among their dogs? Have you not heard those words before? Saruman spoke them, the teacher of Wormtongue. Though I do not doubt that Wormtongue at home wrapped their meaning in terms more cunning. My lord, if your sister’s love for you, and her will still bent to her duty, had not restrained her lips; you might have heard even such things as these escape them. But who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?’

Then Éomer was silent, and looked on his sister, as if pondering anew all the days of their past life together."

From Return of the King, VIII The House of Healing

[nexstage]

Amphibia’s environment, both social and natural

If there is something everyone knows about Amphibia is that growth and change are two of the most important themes in the show apart from establishing healthy relationships and what makes a friendship healthy or unhealthy.

The four themes are deeply connected and the understanding the girls have of friendship is portrayed in how they interact with one another and with others characters. But while Anne learns through all the hard lessons and experiences with the Plantars how friends should be with one another, Marcy and Sasha are still stuck in their unhealthy ways, no matter if one is more visible than the other.

Her constant character development and the stagnant/static condition of her friends weren't only portrayed in the dynamics they have with multiple characters; the environment, the nature, and especially the temples symbolize the nuance, flaws, struggles each one has faced or are still facing.

Anne's arc, for starters, is everything about maturity and development. Before Amphibia, she was negatively influenced by Sasha and Marcy, unhappy with the dynamics between the three, and even copying Sasha's toxic behavior. However, once she became part of the Plantar family and was confronted with responsibility, Anne started to change for the better. She grew kinder, wiser, and more confident.

That growth is related to the environment she found herself in when she was stranded on Amphibia. Wartwood is a village of farmers, they use their pieces of land to cultivate vegetables, herbs, etc.

The Plantars are farmers too. Let's not forget the twigs and leaves on her hair throughout the whole show that grew a lot when she activated her Calamity Powers.

One could say that is overthinking but if you watched Season 1 and True Colors with this data in mind you would see the meaning behind Anne ending up with the Plantars and in Wartwood of all places. With their influence, she overcame the toxic traits she had copied from Sasha and stood up for herself and the people she cared about when the moment came.

Concerning the temple of Courage/Heart, here is where it gets interesting. The temple was hidden from everyone because it was placed on the top of a tower, in a snow-covered landscape.

The location and the weather symbolize both betterment through hard work and surpassing the hardships of the past respectively. How? In every trial to charge the blue gem, Anne risked her life to protect or save someone despite the dangers: first Marcy from a giant bird, then she tried to warn a stranger from an avalanche, and then she saved Valeriana during their fight. Those three challenges highlighted her caring nature, but the most important one was accepting responsibility for her past actions: stealing the music box, in this case. And it happened at the top of the mountain where the blue gem was charged. By owning up her mistakes, added to her empathy, Anne could pass the trials, she learned from a difficult time of the past and overcame it, which represents the growth of nature after a harsh winter, the spring. And being at the highest place to succeed in charging the blue gem represents how far she had come since she ended up in Amphibia.

With Marcy we could say is the opposite, though. It has been implied in her debut episode and with the seashell on her coat that water is the element for her character arc. Besides, Newtopia, the place where she ended up, is surrounded by water, kind of like an Amphibia version of Atlantis.

Now water is an invaluable element. Water is life, remember the motto? So, where could be the cons if it's rooted in Marcy? Simple, water changes.

It does it ALL the time. It can be liquid, gaseous, or solid depending on the weather and place. It can also take any shape because it doesn't have one. You pour water inside a square, spherical, or cylindrical container, and that's the form it will take.

The irony is glaring because Marcy is connected to an element that changes so many times while she's averse to change. It's because she didn't want to be separated from her friends and planned to keep things as they always were that the three were stranded in Amphibia. That is another tragic irony for the sole reason that she refused to accept this change in her life, moving to another state because of her father's job, but decided to change her and her friends' life forever by sending them all to Amphibia.

As well as this elemental circumstance, we cannot forget how influential, positively and negatively, has been Newtopia for Marcy. The whole place spelled history and scholars everywhere, it was where her thirst for knowledge thrived, where she became an important figure thanks to her improvements for the city, and where she met King Andrias, the supposedly kind ruler who stabbed her later.

And water makes its appearance once more. How? With King Andrias. He who manipulated and enabled Marcy's escapism tendencies. He represented the poison, the toxicity while Marcy, despite being toxic in her own way, was the water, dirty already but then contaminated much more by Andrias. There is also the fact that he gained her trust for his own gain, which represents pouring water into a container of your liking to give it shape.

Let's go now to the first temple. Like in any typical movie with ancient places filled with traps and treasures, the temple of Wisdom is shown as this mystical site of a few millennia surrounded by dense vegetation.

Nothing has changed outside or inside of it, and that's the thing. Nothing. Has. Changed. The temple covered in moss, a once-imposing place in history, represents Marcy's desire for things to remain static, because, as stated before, change means to be torn apart from her friends which is her biggest fear.

But aversion to change is not the only flaw and theme in Marcy's arc, two others of her obstacles are her narrow-mindedness and hyper focus on one thing at the cost of the others' wellbeing. It was shown on the trials how concentrated she was, ignoring how she put Anne and the Plantars in danger while solving the magic Rubik cube, and then shrugging off Sprig and Polly's worries over Anne and Hop Pop's fight.

In the end, because of those flaws, she ended up in a cryogenic tube, in stasis, and look at that! Surrounded by water.

Last but not least, Sasha. As the most complex character and the most directly toxic, her arc is intertwined with an element that encompasses the best and worst of her, her duality and contradictions. Fire.

Pretty obvious because the third temple is inside a volcano.

Just like her, fire can be both a tool and a weapon, it can warm you and it can burn you. It is a source of energy but also it can become an inferno. And, using the words of the sun warrior chief from Avatar: "Fire is life, not just destruction."

This phrase might be applied in Season 3 once Sasha learns to lean on her better qualities instead of doubling down on her mistakes and toxic traits. Learning to be supportive and kind instead of controlling can represent the phrase above, that Sasha, despite her flaws and the bad things she had done, can get and be better, healthier, and wiser.

One of the most prominent aspects of her arc is how obsessed she is with control. Controlling her friends, her decisions, controlling the situation, everything has to be her way. But now, what can someone say about these two Avatar quotes?

"The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control."

"But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it!"

Don't they sound ironic concerning Sasha?

It's because they are. Sasha loves to be in control, to have power, but when it is needed from her, she can’t control herself and her toxicity. She lacks discipline and humility which in the end, holds her back and she pushes away and hurts the people she cares about.

Sasha is also arrogant, prideful. She thinks she knows what's best for everyone or even herself when in fact she has no idea what she’s doing but isn't willing to reflect on her actions and the consequences. Her emotional stuntedness is fueled by her selfishness and ego; it is a harmful, self-destructive behavior which is shown in how Anne called her out for being an awful friend, Percy and Braddock leaving her after she endangered them, and Anne breaking off her friendship with her after the second betrayal.

So, one aspect in her arc on Season 3 that she will surely develop is admitting she makes mistakes and working hard to make amends whether she is completely forgiven or not. In the words of Iroh: "Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."

There is also her severe case of narrow-mindedness/close-mindedness. Sasha is cunning and strategical but she neglects consideration for others' ideas and opinions. That tendency of always thinking she's right is another self-destructive behavior that makes her push her friends away instead of giving them a chance of being open-minded and grow.

Again, with another wise quote of Iroh: "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." So, what she needs to develop too in her arc on Season 3 is understanding others, not because she can gain something from it, but because it can help her do better. Comprehension, discipline, and humility are the virtues I bet Sasha will learn more about in her redemption by interacting with the Wartwood citizens.

Now with the environment and the temple. As we know, Sasha was captured and imprisoned in the Southern Toad Tower.

The atmosphere of that place you could say is filled with toxic masculinity because it's all about "the law of the strongest", also the way Grime considers softness a weakness and prefers ruthlessness and cruelty shows how intoxicating it is working there for many soldiers who aren't comfortable with their captain or his methods.

The aesthetic of Toad Tower looks from a horror movie too. Covered in spikes, surrounded by somber nature and steep mountains, with the crimson moon shining above it. Anyone would think the place belongs to hell.

When you added to that a hot-headed, arrogant, reckless, controlling, and manipulative teenager, you got the most explosive mix of all. Once again, the show has hit us with the irony because even when Sasha thrives there as a soldier and gains Grime's respect and support, she's actually digging her own hole.

Her strength and intelligence are used as weapons to terrorize the village, and her better qualities are pushed aside if not completely nullified while her manipulative skills and crave for control are feed by Grime's goals.

There was one opportunity in Season 2 for Sasha to get away from his influence and grow as a person: Toadcatcher. Being far away from Toad Tower wasn't enough because, despite having her pride at the lowest point when Anne was trying to save her in Reunion and kind of an epiphany of how her actions had hurt her best friend, Grime was still there, maybe not as the glory-seeking captain but he was the only thing left for Sasha, besides Percy and Braddock at a less degree, and she actively kept leaning on her flaws and mistakes, reigniting Grime's thirst of power which in turn fueled Sasha's obsession with control.

Apart from that, it was obvious there was a bond between Grime and Sasha despite how much of a bad influence he is, and believing she had lost Anne her attachment went directly to Grime, for that reason, she refused to leave him while Yunan was chasing them.

The other Toad Tower where Sasha was seen was the Northern one, and the appearance just shows us she's getting much worse, digging her hole deeper.

The place is much more threatening and terrifying than the former tower, is surrounded by nature that looks like it is rotting, while the site's display is of a castle partially in ruins that stubbornly keeps standing to showcase its power. It represents Sasha's arrogance trying to cover up how lost she is since Toad Tower and her insecurities.

A curious thing about both towers is the night. They were debuted in the night, making the environment more sinister than it could have been if it were in the morning or the afternoon. The night atmosphere embodies Sasha's worst self that she's letting grow and fester and ruining her along with her relationships. Unlike Wartwood and Newtopia that debuted on the day, the Toad Towers appeared at hours of the night, and it has happened two times, Season 1 and 2.

However, Season 3 will be a huge change because the Northern Tower has been destroyed by Andrias, and in the intro of S3, Sasha and Grime are shown with the people of Wartwood in what looks to be a new rebellion, this time against Andrias. So, being in Wartwood again and for a longer time and interacting with the villagers might help Sasha to find herself and nurture her better qualities while she works for her redemption.

And with that finished, we go now to the Third Temple, the temple of Strength/Power. As stated before, it is inside a volcano. And its trials are fit for Sasha due to her physical and fighting abilities. However, there's much more than that.

As everyone knows a volcano can be in two states: dormant and active. Fitting that with Sasha's personality shows that she is a closed-off person who keeps her feelings and intentions secret whether because of her being hermetic or because she can use it in her favor. In both ways, the image fits.

Honesty is important in a relationship, not only communication and trust, and Sasha has proven to be pretty dishonest with Anne and Marcy. She clearly cares and loves her friends, but her actions erode those feelings and her perspective of friendship is deeply skewed. Like a volcano, she kept her feelings inside instead of facing and understanding them to have a healthier mindset and comprehend others, and when she explodes or shows her true intentions it hurts the people around her.

This is the fourth lesson for her to learn in Season 3, how to be emotionally honest without using that new knowledge to manipulate people.

As the last points to check, if we compare the location of each temple, we can see that Anne is the one who has grown the most from the three girls because the temple of Heart/Courage is at the top of a tower, surrounded by clouds. Meanwhile, Marcy and Sasha's temples are on a lower level which signifies that their arcs will take much more time and work for them to be developed, especially changing for the better and atoning for their mistakes. Talking about that, Sasha is the one who will likely change the most of the three because her temple is inside a volcano, and a volcano's magma comes from the underground where the planet's core is.

There is one curious thing when the elements related to each girl are put together. Anne has the plant life; Marcy, the water; and Sasha, the fire. In a single picture, it's like watching a plant of any kind absorbing the warmth of the sun and drinking the water it needs. Sasha can represent the sun because it is a star covered by fire. With Marcy, it has been stated already. But here is the thing, too much warmth can suffocate the plant, and too much water can make it wither. There must be a balance which there isn't in their relationship as we have seen how toxic and dysfunctional it is from the start.

And the three have their own set of flaws and faults too, some are easier to point than others that can be portrayed in their elements. Plant life, for example, is not only filled with pretty little flowers or juicy vegetables and fruits, there are venomous, carnivorous, parasitic plants too. Fire, as I've listed, can be both a tool or a weapon, it can destroy or be used as an energy source. Water is life, but too much can drown you or it can freeze you because it changes depending on the circumstances.

Anne, Marcy, and Sasha can be pretty toxic and have the capacity to change and grow into better people. Anne has shown us her constant character arc and how much effort she puts in to be a better version of herself every day, and let's not forget that she is surrounded by a kind family, the Plantars, teaching her how relationships and friendships should be.

Now that Season 3 is a few weeks away, it's time for Sasha and Marcy to start their own betterment too, with the support of reliable people they might meet in the way.

[undertheknightwing]

Posted by popular demand: all my dad!Dick Grayson headcanons! 

I’m doing the canonverse ones first. My au ones will be in a separate post so this one doesn’t get too long! Enjoy random stuff I’ve thought of!

Important note: when I say ‘canonverse’ I mean I could see it happening in the show’s universe more than an au, I don’t mean everything is going to fit perfectly with the canon storyline we got since there’s not much I can headcanon with the real storyline anyway. Nothing is going on but useless drama and shitty treatment of the main characters. So keep that in mind,,

Dick had a hard time admitting to himself that he cared for Gar and Rach as if they were his kids because of the whole ‘i don’t do family, i work alone’ thing. Tbh the thought of loving someone again, let alone two people, with his luck of family death and misfortune was scary to him and that’s why after Asylum, he left the two in Angela’s care. He knew he was getting too attached to them (that became clear to him when he went dad rage mode on the guards). Then the Trigon thing started and when he realized he led Rachel and Gar into a trap without knowing, he said ‘fuck it they are my kids and they’re in some serious trouble, I’m going to get them out of that trouble even if it kills me’ and that’s why he ran head on into that force field with his only thought being: ‘my kids are in trouble and I will protect them. Nothing can stop me, not even a demonic force field.’

He treats the kids as equally as he can in normal life situations. Like if Rach got to choose dinner the night before, now It’s Gar’s turn to choose. But when it comes to how to comfort them, that’s when he has to change it up because both kids feel comforted in different ways. Both get nightmares and he had to learn how to handle the situation differently for the two. If Rach has a nightmare, he’ll know cause she wakes him up and they’ll talk about it together until she’s calm enough to go back to bed. Now, if Gar has a nightmare, he’ll hear it cause Gar’s usually screaming, which turns into panicking after Dick wakes him up and then him holding onto Dick while crying. Not much talking on Gar’s end, it’s Dick who’ll say a few words. Rachel needs words to feel comforted because her mother hugged and kissed her growing up but they never really talked, so she felt like she never knew her mother while Gar needs physical affection because he grew up without it and got his thoughts and emotions manipulated by words. And throughout the next day, he’ll check on the Gar or Rachel to make sure they’re doing alright.

When Dick went to Doom Manor to get Rachel, that man did not think he’d be leaving Doom Manor with another kid but surprise! he does. Why though? the show never explains why Dick just decided to take a random kid with them. Well in my headcanon it’s because Rachel refused to leave Gar with the Doom Patrol and to help Dick realize that Gar was being treated horribly here, she used her abilities to show him what Gar’s been going through. Dick saw the things Rachel saw like Chief shooting him just because he stood up for himself and the things she didn’t see, like all the times Chief treated Gar like he was worthless trash and the Patrol’s neglect by keeping him down in a basement with nothing to keep him entertained or company. Dick wasn’t going to let a child be treated like that. Since Chief was knocked out, he just talked to the other three and by talk, I mean rip into like an angry momma bear and tell them he’s taking Gar with him. Cliff wasn’t a fan of how Dick came in and acted like he’s entitled to whatever he wants. That ended with Dick and Cliff screaming over each other until Rita allowed Dick to take Gar with them, though Dick wasn’t looking for permission from them, just an agreement from Gar himself. He got that rather quickly. 

He’s never raised his voice at either of the kids in anger. Not even when Gar almost got himself killed by following Jason, he made sure Gar knew he was disappointed and upset with him by calmly explaining; not yelling. No shock to anyone there that Dick has some issues with his anger and he’s afraid one day he’ll take it out the wrong way on the kids and say something he doesn’t mean just because he’s angry/stressed, ultimately harming his relationship with them. I think the only time he’d actually yell at one of them is in serious situations, like if one of them froze up during a mission, making them an easier target, he’d yell their name or something to try to get their attention and snap out of it.

Kind of on the same note, how he manages worry is very different. He will be over the top about it. He’s very dramatic. Rachel got sick and better believe he learned how to make homemade chicken noodle soup because Alfred would do the same with him. Besides that, he’ll hover around her just in case she needs him, which Rach might take advantage of just a little because what kid doesn’t? She’ll have Dick carry her to bed and tuck her in. Gar slipped during a race with Jason up the net wall in the training room and broke his arm since ya know, he fell onto that hard ass mat and since him nor Rachel can go to the hospital because they’re metahumans, Dick had to fix Gar’s arm, which he wasn’t thrilled about since he was afraid he’d make it worse, but Alfred (over the phone) walked him through it and Gar turned out fine, no further injuries. The only thing Gar got was an overprotective bird dad constantly wanting to be around him and Gar was 100% cool with that. They got some well deserved father-son time. I’m also going with Dick feels awful about Gar’s injury because he wasn’t around when it happened so he couldn’t try to catch him and hearing ‘Gar fell from the net wall and he’s not moving’ coming from a panicking Rachel threw him into a completely frantic state of mind. It’s all worry for Dick but Gar helps him feel better with his cheesy jokes and puns.

 I have a feeling after a few months around him, Gar and Rach start adopting Dick’s reactions to certain things and his mannerisms. Dick feels conflicted about the whole thing. There’s a lot about him he’d rather them not replicate. But Rachel doing his pondering face where he puts his hand over his mouth and Gar folding his arms and leaning against whatever he can when people talk to him, like Dick does quite often, is fine with him. If this teaches him anything, it’s to fix his own act and be a good example. 

Dick doesn’t favor either kid, they’re both his favorite but there’s certain things they do that would be considered his favorite things about said kid. Like the way Rachel hums or softly sings her favorite songs while painting/drawing and Gar’s loud bursts of genuine laughter that turn into snorts the longer he laughs. The surprise and love he felt when Rachel gave him a sketch she did of him, he put it on the fridge and probably went to cry in his bedroom so no one saw him. Dick’s not known for his laughter, and most people haven’t even seen him smile, yet Gar seems to get him to do both more than he’s ever in years. The first time Dick has laughed so hard that he started crying was to some sarcastic joke Gar made about a commercial when the living room had been silent for awhile. The day Gar’s favorite show is new is also one of Dick’s favorite days because when the episode is over Gar rushes to him all happy and tells him about it like: “dude, dude you won’t believe it I was so shocked!”. Honestly seeing Gar and Rachel truly happy is his favorite thing in the whole universe.

I feel like there’s been a few times where Dick has been sad that Gar and Rach aren’t really his kids. He wishes he could have given them a happy childhood. Rachel shouldn’t have had to be terrified of her abilities and lied to cause of them and Gar shouldn’t have had to raise himself and be shut away like he was some kind of monster. 

At some point before they all reached the tower or the day after, Dick had to take the kids shopping because where did their outfits come from (and room décor?). This is the first time they’ve all been in a normal situation together and Dick learned a few things. Rachel had no problem being around crowds of people due to her more normal upbringing while Gar stared wide eyed at everyone like he had no idea what to do. Dick assumed since Gar’s been isolated from the world around him for so long mixed with his enhanced senses, he got overwhelmed by all the noises and sights. So Dick told him to focus on him and his voice until his senses get used to the many things happening around him. And that Gar could hold Dick’s hand if he wanted, which he did. He also learned that every piece of clothing Rachel wanted was either black or dark blue, there is no in-between, making Dick jokingly wonder if Rachel is secretly related to Bruce. Then with Gar, all his clothing is bright and busy,, matching his personality. I’m also going with this conversation happened at some point: “Hey, Dick, why don’t you get yourself something while we’re here?” “I don’t have enough money for me, just you two.” “You don’t take whatever you want? I do.” “Umm.. no? That’d be steali-- YOU WHAT.”

On the note of clothes, both of the kids absolutely wear Dick’s clothes. If he can’t find one of his shirts or hoodies, he’s pretty sure one of the kids took it and it’ll be obvious it’s his even if it’s plain cause his clothes are huge on them. He never asked them why they steal his clothes but goes with it comforts them in some way.

One night when Rachel couldn’t sleep, she wandered out to the living room where Dick was still awake and watching tv. She tells him she couldn’t fall asleep so he gives her permission to stay up with him. Dick’s tv show quickly turned into a disney movie after that decision was made and Dick’s not the kind of person who has an easy time sitting through all the marshmallowy stories and singing of those movies but they make Rachel happy so he’ll sit through one for her. He’d rather Rachel watch a kid’s movie than his true crime shows anyway. Rach falls asleep cuddling Dick before the movie ends and instead of taking her back to her room, he lets her stay asleep there and goes to sleep himself because she’s comfy and he’s not going to disturb her. 

Gar expends so much energy during the day that when he goes to his room to chill before bed, he usually falls asleep with everything on in his room and without being covered up because he just passes out. Knowing that fact, Dick finishes the rest for him. Go in Gar’s room, take the ps4 controller out of his hand (cause he normally streams his shows on his ps4), turn everything off besides the green night light, cover Gar up and just because, place one of Gar’s tiger plushies with him, which leads to Gar the next day being like: “really dude? The tiger again. You’re not funny.” and Dick answering: “I’ll stop when you fall asleep correctly.”

Dick now knows how to braid hair multiple ways thanks to Rachel. When the original Titans returned, Dawn said how beautiful Rachel’s hair was, asking if she did it herself and when Rachel said “No, I wish I could. Dick did it for me, he’s great!” Dawn just stood there, not knowing how to respond because the Dick Grayson she remembered would chuckle and act like she didn’t even speak when she’d ask him to do her hair in the past. Gar’s s2 hair was done by Dick as well. The kids said “our hair is boring, can you fix it” and Dick’s inner Wayne surfaced.  

At some point the kids are going to call Dick their dad and he’ll cry, no doubt about that. By the nature of the show, I’d imagine it’d happen during or after some serious thing. For Rachel, it’d be during the s2 premiere. After Trigon is defeated and they’re all settling into Titans Tower, Dick goes to check on Rachel. The day was pretty rough for her. At first Rachel tries to act cool, like nothing is bothering her, but Dick can see through that and she knows. Eventually they get into a deep conversation about Rachel’s destiny, her father, and her feelings about it all. At some point Dick says something on the line of “I'm sorry you never had a real father” after Rachel compares her upbringing to Dick’s. Rachel smiles and tells him she has a real father, it’s him. Sure he’s a little late to the party, but he showed up when she needed him the most and stayed. This will be the first time Rachel will see Dick cry. For Gar, it’ll be after he gets over some sickness his powers gave him since they’re connected to his system and didn’t get finished by the Chief to be properly balanced, they can get out of line. He gets weak and loses his bright green hair/eyes, turning them a dull forest green. It’s not deadly, it’s just his version of the flu. When he’s finally over it and turns back to his normal self, Dick is all overly worried parent to him and Gar, being Gar, has to joke with him first: “jeez man, you are such a parent! All that worrying and pacing you were doing yikes! I think my legs would have fallen off haha!” before going into the soft stuff: “but, it shows that you’re a good one. better than my folks.. thanks, dad-- for, like, everything you did these few days.” then cue Dick pulling Gar into a hug and crying like ‘my purest angel son too precious for this world’.

Early on, Dick kind of sucked at being affectionate through words because Bruce was never with him, so he really didn’t know how to. Instead, he’d buy the kids things they’ve always wanted or things that reminded him of them, like a wooden pencil case carved in the shape of a raven’s feather for Rach and a tropical jurassic park themed backpack for Gar. The ‘hey I saw this and it reminded me of you so I bought it’ gifts are the kids’ favorites.

Ya know that cauliflower pizza Dick makes in s2? Yeah better believe I have a headcanon for why he makes that type of pizza specifically. Dick was having a hard time forgiving himself for killing Gar even if it was Trigon controlling him and this was when he didn’t know how to talk about his feelings, so instead of trying to have a conversation with Gar about it, he decided to do something else to say ‘I’m sorry’. He’s pretty good at cooking (thanks Alfred!) and knows Gar’s favorite food is pizza and that he’s vegan, there’s got to be something he can do with that and as we know, there is. A knock on his bedroom door made Gar remove himself from a video game and see what’s up. On the floor sat a pizza box with a note typed on that read: “I know this is stupid and I need to work on my communication skills, but I’m so sorry for what happened. I hope someday you can forgive me.” now my reasoning for why Gar jokes about said pizza with Rachel is because he and Dick don’t really have a lot that’s just theirs. Dick and Rachel have a lot they share together and Gar kind of wants something he can share with his new dad. So joking about it is his way of covering up his real feelings and no offence to his sister, but he knows how she gets when she feels left out of something so it’s best if he keeps this one thing between him and Dick.

On the weekends aka no training days, Dick normally takes Rach and Gar out so they can do normal kid things. He refuses to be like Bruce and keep the kids shut in the tower all day to ‘keep them safe’ like he did with Dick in the Manor. They need fresh air, sunshine, and fun. Plus he’s with them so if trouble shows up whether by one of their powers or something else, he’ll take care of it. Day activities will be: going to places like the park or the mall, get lunch somewhere, go to the store cause grocery shopping day is Saturday, make dinner at home, then finish the day with a movie. If the daytime is busy with over-do chores and a long time at the store, then night activities will be: going to dinner, either going on a relaxing drive while the kids play their favorite songs over the radio or going on a walk. Both include slushies and snacks for Gar and Rach and coffee for Dick. The last thing of the day is still a movie but more than likely the kids will be asleep before it’s even halfway done and Dick has to carry them to bed. But that’s okay with him, he wouldn’t change it for the world.

There used to be a lot more for the canonverse but I added them into my Rewrite au cause they were already leaning towards au territory,, you’ll see them in my next post

I’ll probably turn some of these into a short fic at some point, but if you see one you’d like to write about, go for it! I’d love to read it!

tagging @not-so-mundane-after-all-97​ real quick cause I know she wants to see this post,,

[magnoliasinbloom]

Lie To Me - 16

AO3 :: Previously

“It’s happening.”

Murtagh’s voice cuts through the early morning fog clouding his brain. He bolts upright, his injured hand twinging.

“What’s happening? Athair-athar?”

“Yer man, Randall, came through. He talked to Grey, and with his support we’re ready, Jamie, my lad. There’s a stint being set up as we speak, Grey’s obtaining a warrant for all of Leoch’s enterprises, bank accounts, payroll, computers, everything. That might take a few days, but this is it.” Murtagh sounds tired, but there is a note of excitement in his tone.

Jamie leaves the bedroom, Claire’s wild curls rumpled on the pillow, still sleeping. In the kitchen, he sits on the dingy chairs and listens to Murtagh give him more information about what will happen. Jamie can’t help it; he begins to fantasize about living a normal life, with Claire at his side—no more hiding, no more pretending, finally free. In the middle of his daydream, he suddenly catches his father’s name and crashes back to reality.

“My father? What did ye say?”

Murtagh clears his throat. “Aye, Jamie. The Fraser surname came up in Randall’s investigations. Apparently, the MacKenzie used Brian Fraser’s name to manage their offshore accounts.”

Hot white rage flares in the pit of his stomach, almost blinding him. To use his father’s name for their lies, their scheming… He swallows hard past the knot in his throat and his left fist tries to curl involuntarily, sending an immediate blaze of pain up his arm.

“What else have they found?”

X-x-X

“Grey got a call from Frank himself,” Jamie tells Claire as she dresses in scrubs for work. The anger from earlier mixes with excitement and hope, making him speak fast. “There’s a video no one’s seen before. Someone saved the originals, where Bonnet’s face is clear.”

“Really?” Claire’s spirits lift and she leans over to kiss Jamie’s mouth. “That’s wonderful! I’m glad Frank came through.”

“Aye, some enterprising soul sent the videos to a centralized data company for storage. It’s the proof we need to clear my name.” Jamie holds her, burying his face in her hair. “Everything’s happening so fast. They dinna want Leoch to get wind of anything and stonewall.”

Claire wraps her arms around him, feeling his heart pound beneath her ear. She can feel the momentum, everything snowballing and she doesn’t know where this will end, but is glad she will be with Jamie, supporting him, no matter what happens. She thinks of the pearls he gave her, now carefully stored in the bag and placed with her other meager jewelry. She’d had some bits and bobs that had belonged to her mother, but this is different, special, sacred.

With another quick kiss, she leaves Jamie at the flat as she heads to work at the hospital. She is intercepted mid-morning by Geillis, and they both go have a quick coffee break in the cafeteria. Claire is aware of just how much she owes her gutsy friend, and knows it is a debt that can never be repaid.

“So, did ye hear? Abernathy called a big staff meeting when the shift ends.”

“Is something wrong?” Claire sips her coffee, almost wincing at the industrial taste of it.

“No’ that I know. He didna seem upset or anything.” Geillis stirs yet another pack of raw sugar into her cup. “How’s things at… home?”

Claire smiles. “Better. Much better.” Geillis perceives she can’t go into detail but is reassured by the expression on her face. “It might… things are looking up, G. I think we’ll be alright.”

The rest of the day passes in a blur, and before Claire realizes, her shift is over. She congregates with the rest of her colleagues and nursing staff in the doctor’s lounge; there is a low-grade buzz of murmurs until Joe Abernathy, the chief, steps forward and asks for silence. Claire likes him very much – American, a sassenach like herself.

“As you all know, we’ve been trying to get funding for new equipment for A&E, new beds, MRI machine, you name it. Well, it seems our prayers have been answered!” He flashes a big smile and the staff chuckles, intrigued. “There’ll be a fundraiser in two-weeks’ time, with all the big Scottish firms sending reps to meet you all, and assess the hospital’s needs. It means a party, good food, booze, the works. And we’re all invited!”

The buzz grew into excited chatter; it wasn’t often that they could enjoy themselves like that. Voices press Joe for more details, and he produces a stack of invitations, handing them out like candy. Claire smiles, wondering if she’ll be on call that weekend, and her colleagues begin to bargain amongst each other, trading favors and shifts for the chance to attend. She thinks of Jamie and wishes they were able to go together, like a real couple.

She’s so absorbed by her thoughts that she returns to Earth only as Geillis presses the square piece of cardstock into her hand, gripping her shoulder enough to hurt.

“Ow, Edgars, what the hell—”

“Read it,” Geillis hisses, eyes wide.

Claire glances down and her blood runs cold. Faint splotches of black dance at the periphery of her vision.

The fundraiser is sponsored by Leoch Holdings.

X-x-X

“Fuck. Fuck, Claire!”

Jamie runs his fingers through his hair, pulling on it with such force Claire’s afraid he’ll rip it from the roots. He paces the length of the flat, his long legs eating up the space in three strides, back and forth.

“We knew they knew. What changes? Couldn’t they have gotten to me at the bloody hospital already? How is this different—”

“Christ, Sassenach, dinna even say that!” Jamie rushes to her side, kneeling beside her as she sits in a kitchen chair, the invitation on the table. “Please, I dinna ken what this means except that they’re targeting you somehow…” The wild look is back in his eyes.

“Even the MacKenzie can’t get away with murder in plain sight of all the hospital staff, Jamie. I think it’s a way for them to manipulate the management or myself, of course, but why not just have me fired?” Claire reasons, stroking the bedhead of red curls.

“Ye are not thinking of going.” Jamie stares at her, panic rising in his wame. The mere thought of Dougal being even fifty feet from Claire is unbearable.

“Of course I’m going. It’s best to play their game. They cannot suspect anything out of the ordinary, especially when we’re so close to the end!” She presses a kiss to the top of his head. “I have no real reason not to go.”

Jamie grips her hand tightly, rising from the floor and lifting Claire from her seat. “We’ll keep our heads down until then. Dougal wants me back in the office. I dinna think, love… our living together is prudent right now.”

“But your hand—”

“I’ll manage. Laoghaire’s in America, and shit is sure to hit the fan when the MacKenzie find out she’s gone. I willna risk ye further, Claire. And if ye’ll go to the fundraiser, I’ll be there.”

“How?” Claire’s arms go around him, head resting on Jamie’s sternum and hearing the steady thump of his heart.

“Dinna mind how. I’ll manage as weel. But for now, give Geillis a ring, and I’ll help ye pack yer things, mo chridhe.” He kisses the top of her head and holds her tight, already longing for her body next to his (under his) at night in bed.

“I’ll miss ye, Sassenach, more than I can say.”

- - -

A/N: We’re back! Tendinitis is sorted, and I’ve been cleared by the doctor to carry on as usual. Thanks for your patience; Happy Holidays to all, and a better, brighter 2021. All my love! <3

[selfships-in-spanish]

The Queen of Demons 3/?

Pairing: Erwin Smith x OC, Levi Ackerman x OC

Rating: Mature (the rating will go up as the story advances! But it will totally be explicit ;D But right now just in case)

Warnings: None for now, but sexist and misogynist upbringing (Eva's father is a huge asshole).

Word Count: 7103

ALSO POSTED ON AO3

A/N: Third chapter LET'S GOOOOOO– We are getting more into the plot of the story, Erwin being Erwin and Flora being the absolute best girl in the whole universe.

Gotta love Flora.

CHAPTER 3: DANCING WITH THE DEVIL

Both the Crown Prince and the Chief ordered their remaining men to step outside too, asking for absolute privacy. Everyone but Moblit left.

Friederich let out a loud sigh, taking a long gulp from his goblet to drown the image of their beloved little sister pleading them to not leave her alone. They sadly had to, it was safer for her this way. The Chief refilled it, the Prince thanking him with a nod.

“Now you understand what we meant, right?” Hans laced his fingers together, resting his arms on his knees.

“Father has had his claws on her for far too long.” Friederich stared at the wine in his goblet, frowning displeased. “Too long.”

He forgot when it was the last time his little sister genuinely smiled.

“I do, your Highnesses. And I swear to you both, and to the Goddesses, that she will be safe here.”

“This wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Erwin. You really don’t know how grateful we are to you, and for accepting our only request.” Hans looked directly at the Chief’s eyes.

“This is the safest place for her to be while the other stages of the plan happen.” Erwin took a sip of his goblet, eyeing both brothers as he awaited for Moblit to finish translating. “Your father won’t dare urge us Eldians to fulfill our end of the deal until the marriage happens. For now he waits, and that is when we must act. Sadly time is of the essence, and we cannot waste any of it.”

“Truly a race against time, huh?” Friederich crossed his arms, not wanting to let any negative thoughts cloud his mind and sully his purpose.

“Yes, a race we must win.” Both brothers understood now why the Eldian Chief was both feared by his enemies and deeply respected by his allies. His determination was contagious, and even if they had all the odds against them, they felt that they could truly win. This is how his warriors must feel on the battlefield, ready to give their lives following his orders as they fought side by side.

“Our sister–” Friederich insisted, his fingers twitching.

“My warriors will protect her. The chances of having an entire army mobilised here are very slim, especially considering their General is here, and that the troops are loyal to their General, before their King.” Erwin motioned with his hand towards Friederich. “And I suppose if it was inevitable, I would have a word of warning to prepare a scheme to avoid our armies confronting each other, wouldn’t I?”

“Still, it’s a big gamble. Even for you.” Hans replied, taking a sip from his goblet. “We should consider all chances.”

“He knows his chances.” Friederich leaned back on his chair. “Don’t you?”

“I’ve always been a man of big gambles.” The Chief’s chuckle made Friederich snort. “But rest assured–”

“This is our sister we are speaking of, not only Gottesreich.” From the two brothers, Friederich had always been the hot-headed one, and wouldn’t hesitate to say a piece of his mind when his little Birdie was concerned. “Harmony has been broken, Father has gone too far in his madness, and this is our only chance to do something, yes.” Friederich leveled the Chief with a hard stare. “But for me, my sister comes first. She’s an innocent in this, screw the Kingdom if any harm comes to her, screw Fa–”

“Friederich.” Hans fixed his eyes on his brother. A warning.

“I understand your feelings and concerns, Friederich. I do, and I share the same sentiment as you.”

“She is not a pawn to be sacrificed in any stage of the plan. This is why she is here.”

“I know. Trust my warriors.” Erwin’s determined glint in his eyes settled any doubts the younger Prince may have had.

Some said he was a master strategist, others a mad genius leading an army of demons. Friederich believed he was both, because you had to be brilliantly crazy to pull stunts as they had pulled before and be victorious each time. His warriors would follow him to the ends of the known world and Friederich deeply respected that.

“We will right the wrongdoings done to this world by the hand of our father. We only wished we realised sooner what his plans were.”

“You realised it in time, enough to do something.”

“We hope so, Erwin.” Hans had a somber expression on his face, really wanting to believe what the Chief said. “We hope so.”

That seemed to conclude their private meeting, seeing both brothers to their respective rooms in the guest houses. The Chief retired to his own too, soon to be shared with his fiancé, before finishing some matters concerning the evening banquet.

As he stepped into the wooden tub filled with warm water, releasing a pleased groan as he lowered himself further into it and felt the tight knots in his back loosen, he couldn’t help but to still think about their little talk with the Princes and the Princess herself.

There was so much work to be done. They were only in the early stages of their plan and so many things could go wrong. Erwin was not stupid, he knew every plan had its risks, but they made the hard work worth it. It was worth it. The three siblings were the key to change the course of the three nations.

Hans was going to be a good King. Down to earth, just, always willing to protect his people and their happiness. He had a great responsibility on his shoulders as the Crown Prince, but Erwin felt more at ease knowing one day he will be the one sitting on the throne of Gottesreich. The Crown Prince despised greed.

Erwin deeply respected Friederich, both as a General who had the trust of his men and as a fierce soldier with a big heart. Those were qualities appreciated in Eldia, since you had to understand life in order to take one in battle. Friederich always honoured his enemies, and Erwin knew that if they ever had to cross swords in a battlefield, it would be a good, honourable fight.

But that wasn’t the plan, no. If it all came together in the end, they would be side by side.

As he let his head rest on the edge of the tub, Erwin’s mind wandered towards the third of the Gottesreichan siblings.

Erwin would be an absolute blind fool if he didn’t agree with what the whispers and rumours said; the Princess was a beauty. Elegance, gracefulness, perfect manners, a lovely face… everything needed to survive in a court and its poisoned, claustrophobic walls. But he would never forget the way she looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of being alone, and Erwin couldn’t blame her at all. It would shake anyone to their cores to be ripped off their homes to be then thrown into an unknown territory. But there was also something else hidden deep under those layers of fear, another reason than a change of culture.

With her doe eyes and delicate features, the Princess reminded him of a scared little fawn.

Erwin only hoped she would lose her fear and be happy here, to be her true self without her father’s strings manipulating her every movement and word. It will be tedious and Erwin will have to use his entire patience, but he was positive he would succeed.

The door of the private bathroom opened without a warning, Levi stepping in with a confident stride and uncaring of Erwin’s nakedness. He closed it with his foot, not even turning back to properly do so, and took a stool to sit down on it. Erwin knew it would be futile to stop Levi from saying what he had on his mind, years of friendship proved him that, and that displeased frown sometimes said more than words.

“This is a terrible idea.” Levi crossed his arms, glaring at the man in front of him. “Are you sure about this, Erwin?”

The Chief chuckled. Levi’s frown deepened.

“Ah, straight to the point as always.” Erwin closed his eyes, feeling Levi’s agitated ones on him. “I am sure.”

“What made you think marrying that Princess will help Eldia?” Levi wasn’t happy about this decision he took, but he knew that deep down Erwin must have a good, important reason to do it. Or maybe not. This was Erwin, you never knew what he had in mind. “Or maybe you want kids now? Don’t tell me it’s that, you bastard. You could have chosen any Eldian woman, they’d be more than happy to do so.”

Erwin couldn’t contain the burst of laughter that escaped from deep in his throat.

“Rest assured, Levi, it’s not kids I want.”

“Then what? It’s Gottesreich we are talking about. Gottesreich and the mad, greedy King. Do you really want to be associated with that?”

“She will help our cause.” Erwin heard Levi sigh. “Thankfully the brothers think so too, the people of her Kingdom have a special spot for her, and that plays to our advantage. Let’s better leave the Mad King thinking he got a stupidly, unbelievable good deal and that he won us, uncultured barbarians, over. You know what they say,” Ah, there it was. That dangerous, cunning glint in his eyes. “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

The Chief and his insane gambles. Levi scoffed.

“You already have planned multiple ways to use her and her ties to the Mad King, haven’t you?”

“You make me sound like an uncaring monster, Levi. But I wouldn’t endanger her at all, that’s not part of the plan.”

“Sometimes you are, dipshit. When you have a plan and are adamant to carry it on, nothing will stop you.” Erwin placed his hand on his chest, chuckling and lowering his head as if he was hurt.

“You wound me.”

“Asshole.” Levi kicked the tub.

“But she isn’t here to be used as a pawn.” That caught Levi’s attention. “She is here for her safety. If she stayed any longer in her Kingdom, she would have her pretty head chopped off or worse. Here she has a second chance.”

“So that’s the deal with her brothers, then? Their sister?”

“That was their only selfish request, that only one life was to be secured at any costs, even over their citizens.”

“Huh. I see. So we are babysitters now.”

“You could put it like that, or also you could think of it as an opportunity to see a beautiful flower bloom, besides the enrichment and merging of our cultures. Don’t you want to expand your knowledge?”

Levi’s brow twitched.

“You are twisted.”

“And you are twisting my words. I meant this,” Erwin tapped his temple. “Our little Princess there is not just a pretty face. I want to see what she is capable of.”

“Huh.”

“I know that behind those scared eyes lies intelligence and knowledge. One time Prince Hans told me she would go with them on diplomatic visits, and how she would take over one day when he was King. She has the skills. She’s observant, or haven’t you noticed?”

“I guess, although today she looked mostly like a frightened mouse, or haven’t you noticed?”

“Ah, indeed I noticed. Do you blame her, though?”

Levi looked at his feet, sighing.

“Not at all.”

Both men remained in silence, going through today’s events. Their lives would drastically change from now on, and Levi wanted to believe it was for the good. Erwin’s voice grabbed his attention again.

“Let’s try our best to make her feel welcome. Everyone would be scared to be in a foreign land with no known faces, no knowledge of the language, only knowing your fate is sealed and you cannot do a thing about it.”

“I think your eyebrows are what scares her the most.” Levi snorted, rising up from the stool. “Although I know other things will scare her more when she sees them.”

“Oi, there’s nothing wrong with my eyebrows.” He splashed a bit of water towards Levi’s direction, knowing how his childish behaviour often set his right hand’s man nerves on edge. He also didn’t want parts of his anatomy discussed while he was, well, naked. Levi deserved a bit of water.

“I hope your kids don't have them.” It was Erwin’s turn to snort.

“Rude.”

“Get out before you look like a raisin. I bet the Princess won’t kiss you then.” Levi grabbed a towel and threw it at the Chief’s face. “Go take a shit and make yourself presentable. You should take her around the town.”

“We better let her rest, it has been a long journey for them.” Erwin left the towel on a nearby stool. “I will take her and her brothers tomorrow to see the town.”

Levi shrugged his shoulders, walking to the door.

“Be on your best behaviour.” Levi rolled his eyes, not sparing a glance towards the Chief. Levi knew he would have that infuriating smirk on his lips.

“I’m always on my best behaviour.”

“Absolutely.”

Erwin watched Levi shake his head and sigh, exiting the bathroom and leaving the Chief snickering and alone with his thoughts.

There were so many things to prepare for his change in his daily life in the upcoming months. For once, he would have to share his house and make room for whatever needs and space the Princess may have.

And tidy.

Erwin scratched his chin, knowing he really should pick up his clothes and take them to get cleaned before Levi lost his patience and set fire to them. Also pick up the maps and books invading every flat surface available. Change the candles, store the seal wax in its rightful place…

Yes, many things indeed.

Erwin let himself submerge slightly into the water, sighing.

///

“This is a nightmare.”

“Oh c’mon, you big dramatic oaf. Look at the bright side of it, he is handsome! And strong! I want one of them myself!”

“Flora!”

“What? I got eyes and I’m not made of stone! Did you see the size of him? I bet he can lift a cow without breaking a sweat.” Flora brushed her Princess’ hair, perfectly detangling and separating the strands to prepare it for the hair style she had in mind, and greatly enjoying her friend’s flustered cheeks. “And he will say to you: “Oh, my Princess! Look at these arms!”, and then will rip his tunic off–” Flora dropped her voice trying to imitate the same pitch as the Chief’s one, and also flexing her own arms as if she was displaying her own inexistent muscles. “And say: “Princess, tonight I will—“

Eva’s scandalised gasp made it worth it.

“Where did you learn all this?!”

“My dear, sweet, virtuous, pure, innocent, Princess.” Flora’s grin made Eva’s mouth twitch.

“No, save it. I don’t want to know.”

“You know the captain’s son, handsome young man—“

“Flora!”

“Those unused rooms where—“

Another gasp.

“No!” Eva covered her mouth. Those rooms?!

“That table— sturdy, let me tell you. But ah! He has good fingers!”

“FLORA.”

The handmaiden snorted, followed by a good-hearted laugh. She resumed brushing the Princess’ hair, already thinking what pins to use this time for the braid and bun.

“I know you had to be the beacon of virtue and holiness for the Kingdom, an example to be followed, but us women are curious and have our needs also. What’s wrong in having a little bit of fun? Haven’t you been curious yourself?” Flora’s smile reassured Eva. Sometimes Eva felt like her handmaiden was a caring big sister, and felt comfortable enough to discuss thoughts she had that never would dare to say aloud.

“I… well.”

“...I know about those forbidden books under your mattress.”

“Then you know the answer.”

Flora’s loud laugh echoed around the room, needing to leave the brush on the vanity and having to clutch her belly. Eva’s cheeks increased their red glow, pointedly ignoring Flora’s outburst. Certainly those who came from the countryside weren’t as lawful to the Holy Scriptures as the ones nearer the Capital or the Palace itself.

Once Flora managed to calm down enough and wiped away tears, she resumed her work, expertly braiding the Princess’s long hair. It always soothed Eva, the way her handmaiden gently manoeuvred her hands and fingers without a harsh and painful pull. Flora said having two whiny younger sisters made you learn fast.

“Hmmm,” Flora tied the braid with a ribbon for now, tapping her finger on her chin while deep in thought. “I was thinking that for tonight’s banquet you should look… exquisite. But distinguished. But making sure our darling Chief cannot take your eyes away from you.”

“You are enjoying this, aren’t you.” Eva rose a delicate brow, looking straight at Flora’s honey eyes through the mirror. Flora snickered, turning around to the multiple open trunks and luggage.

“Of course I am!” Flora rummaged through one of the Princess’ trunks, pulling out a dress. “What about this one?”

“Which one?” Eva turned around to see which piece was Flora holding in her hands. “The red one? Maybe it’s too much… The cleavage and open shoulders—“

“It makes a statement. Our Chief won’t be able to concentrate on anything else but you.”

“I really don’t want to draw too much attention to myself, Flora. You know how much I despise it.”

“You will draw it regardless of what you are wearing, my darling Princess. Sadly you are new, and everyone wants to see the novelty.”

“I know…”

“So let's make them look and drop their jaws when they do.” Flora’s eyes brightened at her own words, a fire burning in them.

“I wish I had your confidence.” Eva sighed looking down at her hands.

“Oh no no no—” Flora left the dress on top of the bed, walking next to her Princess and holding her face in her hands and squeezing her cheeks. “Do not give me that speech!”

“Whut Fwlora—“

“Not buts! Show them what the proud, brilliant and beautiful Princess of Gottesreich is capable of!”

///

“This was Flora’s doing, right?”

“You know there’s nothing one can do to stop her once she’s set on something.” Eva sighed, hearing Hans chuckle.

“Fierce woman.” Friederich replied, smirking.

“Indeed.”

“You will thank me later, your Highness.” Flora’s smug smirk made Friederich snicker.

Hans knew her sister’s handmaiden was a hurricane. Stubborn as a mule, also. But had the biggest heart and best intentions. He still remembers when Flora came to the palace to start as a maid, a twig of a girl but with a big smile and endless energy. Chatty, too.

She was perfect for quiet, reserved and shy Eva. He also remembers how Eva would hide behind curtains or a tree because she was not prepared for her new extroverted maid. Now, as they grew, they both turned to be exceptional women with an unbreakable bond. But Flora still pushed Eva to get out of her comfort zone quite often, much to the Princess’ dismay.

The dress did cause a statement.

Once she removed her cloak upon entering the Great Hall, rearranged now to be filled with long tables and so much food it made the royal siblings’ eyes widen, Eva’s shoulders were openly displayed, as well as her long neck and collarbones, the dress neck line following a V ending in the perfect spot to either not be a vulgar display of cleavage and being cheeky enough to intuit what was underneath. It fit perfectly to her body, Flora made sure of that when the royal tailor came to take her measurements. It really was a beautiful and warm dress, velvety to the touch and thick enough to compensate for the open area. It also had embroidered motifs of leaves and flowers decorating the neckline and long sleeves, and a beautifully crafted belt made by the best Gottesreichan artisans that accentuated her waistline. Flora named it the “Jaw Dropper”. Eva scoffed at the name, thinking of how silly it was, until she wore it one day at court and had to admit the nickname suited it just fine.

Like now.

Needless to say the Chief was shocked to see skin revealed, considering how covered and bound the Princess was earlier. A quick look to the Princess’ handmaiden, who stood behind her and not even making an effort to contain her pleased smirk, made the Chief know who was behind the sudden wardrobe change.

The Gottesreichan entourage were led to the main table, as etiquette dictated for being their guests of honour. Flora was being led to another table as they approached their seats, and the thought of having Flora alone and away filled Eva with dread. She wanted Flora with them, secure with her own people, and also to have someone to help make this moment more bearable; Flora always made everything better, especially boring banquets, and the handmaiden thoroughly enjoyed them, and well, sometimes making fun of some lords. That was refreshing, even more when she had to fake smiles and politeness when all Eva wanted to do is lie down on her bed with a book.

Disregarding everything she had been taught, surprising herself even for her own selfish actions, Eva sought Moblit. Father wasn’t there to punish her now, and hoped Hans and Friederich understood her.

“I’m terribly sorry to be a burden, Moblit, but I have a request to make if it is not much trouble.” the warrior in question raised his brows. Seeing how the Princess was fidgeting with her fingers and was trying to hide it, Moblit encouraged her with a smile.

“What can we do for you, Your Highness?”

“I’d like to have my handmaiden, Flora, seated with me. I know protocol dictates otherwise, but–” Eva really hoped it would be possible. She felt her brother’s stares on her and was making her even more nervous. “I’d really appreciate it, if possible.”

Moblit looked surprised, but nodded, still maintaining his smile.

“Do not worry, Your Highness, it’s not trouble at all.”

The way the Princess’ face illuminated itself with a smile shocked the man, and hurriedly went to fetch the handmaiden in question. Flora looked at Eva and then at her supposed spot on a table near the main one, but followed Moblit nonetheless. Eva was glad she decided to ask for her, because they seated Eva next to the Chief and wasn’t sure she would have survived if Flora had not been by her side.

The handmaiden was giddy, usually having to sit on the other tables and entertain herself with the other guests while the Princess dealt with Princes and Lords; Flora recalled those times the Princess would roll her eyes whenever they crossed their gazes and both women had to hide their smirks behind their drinks. Flora knew she wouldn't have had any trouble in making friends as usual, despite the lack of language between her and the Eldians. Eva often called her a social hurricane, besides a menace when Flora had ideas.

“This looks delicious, doesn’t it?” Flora looked at the table once they were seated and people started chatting, stopping herself just in time from whistling in amazement. “So much food! They certainly didn’t fall short on it.”

“It does.” Eva sat more rigidly than usual, the closeness with the Chief getting on her nerves. She tried not to raise her voice too much, but had to agree with Flora. “The vegetables look very fresh.”

Eldian servants poured wine to the goblets and left the decanter on the table, busy with the work they had ahead.

“Careful with it, it’s… strong.” Eva looked at her own goblet with dread. She did not want to repeat her performance from before.

“That’s because you cannot hold alcohol, Princess.”

“That’s not true.” Eva knew she sounded like a petulant child.

Flora was about to retort, but was stopped by the Chief getting everyone’s attention by standing up and grabbing his own goblet. The room became silent, everyone focusing their eyes on him. Moblit silently moved to stand behind the Gottesreichan guests, ready for when their Chief spoke up.

The Chief’s strong voice boomed, speaking so everyone in the room could clearly hear him. Eva was still impressed at how his voice reminded her of rumbling thunder on a summer’s storm, and how easily he filled any room with his presence. Eva knew many nobles and princes who wished they had such a commanding presence.

Moblit’s voice made her tear her eyes away from the man.

“People of Eldia, rejoice! For tonight we celebrate and welcome a new member of our tribe. Tonight marks the start of a new stage in our lives and history, the union of two cultures. Please, welcome Princess Eva into your hearts, as she is to become my wife in the upcoming months.”

The Eldians intently listened to their Chief, some nodding, some gasping with excited smiles, some crossing their arms in a display of concentration, some with skeptical frowns. The Princess dreaded the last ones, especially when the attention of the Eldians was shifted to her, their gazes and murmurs not helping the wreck of nerves inside her guts. She will have to be careful with those who weren’t compliant with such news. Eva was not stupid, she knew not everybody was going to be happy and excited to see her here, even less marrying their leader, to become his wife. Surely they all expected someone else, but certainly not her. It was not a secret that Gottesreich had enemies across the continent, and Eldia wasn’t exactly on good, perfect friendly terms with the Holy Kingdom. Eva only hoped her presence here would smooth sore bumps and begin more friendly exchanges between nations.

The Chief turned to her, gesturing to his left with his hand. His eyes didn’t leave hers as she took her cue to gracefully stand up and bow to those who were to become her new people, raising up more murmurs. Flora always told her how her stoic and impassive face amazed her, even though she knew the Princess was a mess inside every time she had to face public speeches and banquets, but remained calm on the outside, not giving away one single thought of hers.

Tonight she really hoped it was the case.

“I propose a toast.” The Chief raised his goblet as he kept talking, while Moblit kept translating. Everyone went to do the same, grabbing and raising their goblets up high. The Chief turned his palm up, offering it for the Princess to delicately pose her own on it, her heart beating wildly inside her chest as the Chief closed it in his grip. His hand was massive. “For this union, for my future wife, for the good of Eldia! May the Goddesses Maria, Rose and Sina bless our guests! Praise the Goddesses!”

“Praise the Goddesses!” The roar of the Eldians was deafening, and everyone cheered in unison as they heartily drank as was customary.

Eva swallowed down her grimace as the wine touched her tongue and went down her throat, scorching as it did earlier. The Chief squeezed her hand, and Eva realised it was slightly trembling. Her husband-to-be was looking at her, unreadable as before, as he let go of her hand and Eva tried to not yank it back to her side in a panic; for him to witness such weakness was embarrassing. Eva left the goblet on the table and sat down as the Chief did, careful of the dress skirt. This was going to be a long night. Moblit went back to his seat on the Eldian side of the table, but not without pausing to whisper “you did well, Princess” to Eva. That was comforting.

“See? Cannot hold it at all.” Eva’s earrings slapped her jaw from the force of her head turning to fix a stare at Flora. Eva ignored the sting.

“Oh, stop it! I told you it’s strong!”

“Do you want me to remind you of that time, at Prince Zeke’s birthday party, where you–”

“No! Shush! Don’t remind me!” Eva turned her head towards the front, raising it with as much dignity as she could and a slight blush dusting on her cheeks. Not that night, Eva swore she let out even her first meal as a mere babe. It had been horrible. Flora had to hold her hair while telling another maid to get her water and a calming tea to settle her stomach. She did not dare step out of her rooms for the entire morning.

“Hmm?”

“...Okay, you are right. I cannot hold it. Satisfied?”

“For now.”

“Don’t make me regret this.” Eva sighed as she took her napkin. It was a nice fabric, Eva was surprised.

“As if! You already have to thank me, the Chief hasn’t taken his eyes from you.”

Eva froze, venturing a quick look to her right to see how indeed the Chief was glancing her way while sipping on his drink. He seemed amused but also as if he had his mind thinking on something. Eva hastily returned her gaze to her plate.

“Told you it would work!” Flora’s smug shake of her head made Eva sigh.

She was right. It did work.

“Don’t worry Birdie, I’ve seen princesses and nobles shoving their bosoms to everyone’s faces with their dresses.” Friederich leaned in, catching his sister’s attention with a cheeky smile. “You are safe.”

“See? Even Friederich here agrees with me! You have to show off that beautiful neck of yours!”

“Take some mercy on my poor sister, Flo.”

“Hm,” Flora drank from her goblet, leaning back on her seat. “Only because you asked nicely.”

“You both,” Hans’ voice rose. The three of them looked over at the Crown Prince calmly cutting some meat from his plate. “Behave. And Eva,” Hans looked at Eva with gentle eyes. “You did good today, I’m proud of you.”

Hans' smile and praise warmed Eva, happy of today’s efforts being noticed. She achieved to keep making her brothers proud, and hoped her father would be too. A timid smile rose to her lips.

The banquet passed without much more trouble, but Flora kept talking and made the Princess be out of her silent shell. Eva didn’t know if to feel relieved or saddened for not being able to communicate with the Chief, as one would do in any banquet with your dinning partner, but Eva pointedly tried to avoid looking at him, although she once or twice looked to his side for guidance when some Eldian dishes were presented and she had no idea how one was supposed to eat that. The Chief was patient enough to show her when she looked lost, and Eva kind of wanted to groan in embarrassment and thump her head on the table at the thought of what must the Chief think of her, even unable to eat without guidance as if she was a child.

The desserts were delicious, though.

As the night continued, some Eldians began dancing in the center of the Great Hall to the lively tunes the band played on a corner. They cheered and laughed loudly, inviting others to join and spin around the improvised dance floor. Those who weren’t dancing yet, followed the rhythm of the music with the clapping of their hands and thumping of feet on the floor, singing along.

The air was cheery and happy, contagious even. Some warriors went to the center of the floor, like Mike with that female warrior from before. Even Moblit was dragged to it by an excited warrior with a wide smile and sparkling brown eyes. The Chief remained on his seat, enjoying the jolly atmosphere of his people having a good time. Levi kept refusing people coming to ask him for a dance.

Eva watched fascinated at the Eldian dances, so different from those back home. They were not afraid of bodies touching bodies, hands clasping and hugging, spinning, jumping… it was as if a joyful spell had been casted on them. Even Flora joined, and Eva was really not surprised at that, when an Eldian approached her. Flora was torn for a split second, not wanting to leave the Princess alone, but Eva nudged her, begging her handmaiden to have a good time on her behalf. So there she was, dancing and spinning and laughing as the Eldian man tried to follow her pace. Eva couldn’t help her smile, enjoying her friend having a good time.

As the night progressed, more people joined and changed partners as others took a break. Knowing how Friederich loved to dance when he was at foreign banquets, Eva did not try to feign surprise or shock when he took Flora to join him in a dance as she had come back to take a break too, this time shoving her to her brother’s arms, whispering “go go go!” for only her to hear. Eva considered this payback for the dress, raising a brow with an almost imperceptible smirk as Flora sent her a dirty, flustered look her way when Friederich twirled her around. Her smugness fell when the Chief’s voice rumbled beside her, Moblit translating for him as the poor warrior managed to take a seat again after his dance partner let him.

“You don’t dance, Your Highness?”

Oh dear. Oh no. He was asking for a dance?

"My deepest apologies, I wouldn't want to expose my lack of gracefulness in front of my Lord. I am not acquaintanced with the dance moves or songs, and I’m afraid also I only know Gottesreichan court dances.”

Hans watched intently at their interaction, curious as to what her sister was going to do to get out of that one. Normally he would come to her rescue, or Friederich or Flora, but from now on she had to be on her own. The Chief answered and Moblit translated.

“I can teach you.”

Hans saw Eva swallow. There was no way she was getting out of that one, poor thing.

“I–I really don’t want to cause any embarrassment on you–”

“I was told you were a good dancer, though. I’m sure you are a fast learner too, Your Highness.”

The Chief stood up, his form towering over her as he offered his hand. Eva quickly looked at Hans, as if he would try to save her at the last minute, but he pointedly looked another way. Traitor! Eva didn’t have any other option but to accept the invitation and spend the most distressing moment of her life, for now. She heard Levi scoff and shake his head, saying something loud enough for the Chief and Moblit to hear, making the big man huff amusedly and Moblit to sigh.

People were staring, and Eva saw Flora encourage her with excited nods and smiles, mouthing “Go!”, and then “Like the summer solstice dances!”, at her. Friederich fixed a stare at the Chief as he saw his hand settle on the Princess’ waist after guiding Eva’s hand on his shoulder, holding her free hand in his own. The Chief smiled at her, trying to reassure the Princess as he squeezed her hand, and Eva had two swallow down a noise as she noticed how his hand engulfed her own. Even her waist felt small in his grasp.

The Chief gently guided her through the first steps of the dance, swaying and hopping to get used to it, and Eva felt clumsy like a newborn colt trying to follow him. Her nerves were not helping at all, too focused on the feel of his hand on her waist and back, its warmth scorching even through the thick layers of the dress, or the way his chest pressed against her back when the Chief tested the waters when he made her twirl through a step of the dance. Eva maintained her eyes locked on the Chief’s, as one should do when dancing with a partner, and Eva was sure the Chief could clearly see her anguish in them at the thought of either stepping on his foot, or being a poor dance partner, but he only saw genuine amusement in them. Maybe she was not doing that bad.

The music picked up a faster rhythm again, the banquet attendants getting back to their conversations and dancing partners, although curiously keeping an eye on the spectacle of having the Chief dance with the Princess. Eva could feel her uneasiness slip away, her confidence swelling at the thought that her trembling hands hadn't given her anxiety away, and allowed herself to move more freely. It was as Flora said, a dance like the summer solstice dances from Gottesreich where you let joy and music guide you and your partner. Still, the Eldian way of dancing was more wild, less bound and constrained, and more light on the feet, loose.

Feeling how the Princess was less strained and rigid, the Chief increased the speed of his movements too, following the band’s rhythm. He was enticed by the way the skirt of the dress flowed, reminding him of a flower in full bloom moved by a slight breeze, and the way her cheeks were reddened by both the efforts and her own nervousness.

The Chief felt bold, wanting to see how much he could push and test the Princess’ limits for tonight, and encouraged by the clapping of the people and the increased tempo of the song pushing the dancers into a more frenzied section, nearing the end of the song, the Chief made the Princess spin before picking her up in the air. He could see how both his hands practically swallowed her waist, fingers almost brushing against each other, and heard both the excited cheers and whistles from his people and the Princess’ startled gasp, frantically searching a place to find purchase for her hands, finally settling on his shoulders and tightening her grip for dear life, feeling his thick muscles underneath. She was light as a feather, and the thought greatly amused him. The Chief spun them around once, setting her back on her feet and continued to dance, Eva needing to ground herself to the fact that The Chief picked her up as if she weighed nothing, besides the boldness of the act itself. This was unthinkable back at court!

The Chief did it again and Eva wanted the earth to swallow her whole at the tiny, undignified squeak she let out as if she was a scared little mouse. Eva swore she saw him chuckle and the Princess pulled her lips in a tight line, fighting for her cheeks to not redden further.

The song was reaching its climax, the musicians wildly playing their instruments in an intense performance, and in a final spin and hop of the dance the Chief pulled the Princess close, ending the dance with their bodies pressed against each other and not taking their gazes away, staring intently into the other.

The Great Hall erupted with applauses and cheers, everyone taking a moment to step away from their partners, conversations and food to congratulate everyone in the room. Eva was panting, acutely aware of how her chest was squished and pressed against his own as he too tried to regain his breath, hands still clasped together and his other one on her small of the back. Her fabric felt flimsy and thin to her now, as if she was too exposed to his gaze, and Eva wanted to curse Flora for it; she did not need to look down to see how they were pressed upwards, Eva felt it.

Thankfully he stepped back, probably by the murderous glower of Friederich thrown his way, and released her as he respectfully bowed. Eva did the same, lifting her skirts and returning his courtesy. He then gestured to their seats, and Eva was never more grateful or in agreement with the Chief as she was now. She urgently needed to take a seat and process everything. Flora and Friederich did the same, the handmaiden excitedly sitting down and intently looking at the Princess, ready to open her mouth. The Chief speaking stopped her.

“I knew you were a fast learner, Your Highness. It was a beautifully performed dance.” Moblit translated, and both women saw the Chief nod at them both with a pleased smile before drinking from his goblet.

“Thank you for the dance, my Lord, I’m honoured.”

“Although, I never thought a mouse could make such adorable noises.”

Eva wanted to scream.

///

Eva still had the memory of the Chief’s hand on her body, like a scorching imprint deep in her mind. Eva swore her skin still tingled from the contact, even if she was in her nightgown and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her fingers were nervously braiding and unbraiding her hair, going over today’s events and banquet.

Flora was already out like a light, her deep breaths signaling how deep into her slumber she was, and Eva could not blame her. Flora truly tired herself dancing, and Eva did not have the heart to tell her to behave, that was Eva’s job. A perfect pretty puppet. Flora did not represent the virtuousness and regalness of the Holy Kingdom, and Eva preferred it that way; Flora was a free spirit, and Eva would rather have her fly like a free bird than have her caged as herself in her duties.

This was to become Eva’s new life here, living amongst demons. Different place, same cage.

The Princess was not looking forward to the walk around the village that the Chief proposed for tomorrow morning, much preferring to stay in her rooms and scream into her pillow until her vocal chords were sore. She also wasn’t eager to go on the customary hunt the Eldians performed for their brides and grooms in the forest. Whenever Eva had to tag along the hunting trips back at any court, rolling her eyes internally at the nobles and princes showing themselves like peacocks, she was bored out of her mind. The Princess usually sat down at the picnic blanket spread out on the grass and under a tree’s shadow, drinking her cup of coffee with the other ladies and Flora. Eva always zoned out, answering with monosyllables and enough words for the other conversing partner to not feel ignored, as she gazed at the flowers or birds.

Sighing deeply, Eva let go of her hair and shifted to her side, facing the window.

At least the moon was the same.

[calypsoff]

Eighty Five.

Meetings after meetings, studio after studio. New York is busy for me to say the least, and now I am onto meeting number three and this is with Jay Brown, he wants an update on the plan of action. Before we leave tonight to go back to California where I pretty much take my sound engineer and team with me to California to finish my album off, like this whole thing with Chris has inspired me a lot, I think the songs that are coming from me are going to be songs that people love, I have been testing different genres and I think I am pushing myself for this album but it’s hard, I have my private life on show too, I have people that need me. Meaning my daughter, I have a lot on and then building my own team, Fenty Corp, now I was thinking of getting Chris on board until he annoyed my life with his stupidity but it’s a lot, I could have done with him helping me with this. I am building an empire for my daughter, for my family. I rise, so does all my family. I want my kids, kids, kids to be rich and it starts with me but I will deal, I will get on with it and deal. I want to build my empire, this is something I’ve always wanted to do so I am excited but I need to get this album out “Miss Fenty, Jay Brown is ready to see you” breaking my daydream there, Jen and I both got up from the seat “you have been so quiet” Jen said at the side of me “planning my next move, doesn’t help when my voice is going so I am trying to be quiet” I chuckled “oh yeah, I mean it should just disappear, just have the break today and then tomorrow, by then you will feel better” nodding my head as I made my way inside the meeting room “Rihanna!” Jay Brown spat with his arms open, walking into the hug “long time boo” wrapping my arm behind his back “where is the mini Rihanna?” He said looking around me, I chuckled “she is plotting on her next milk feed, she is with her father” moving back from the hug and made my way around the table “oh he’s taking care of her? In a cast” he added “yeah, Rorrey is with him. She’s only Five months, not like she can walk away from him” he’s not incapable of taking care of her.

The meeting is underway and honestly my mind is drifting, drifting back to the meeting and then to my future, to my life but I am just thinking how Chris had to get hurt in this, I didn’t want that. It’s been a few days and I haven’t really spoken to him or even Rorrey until I said pick up Rylee to take care of her “for the album rollout we are thinking of going in partnership with Samsung and do a little fun thing for the fans but I also want to add we need you to use their phones too for a while, but we want to do something for the fans so they are involved” nodding my head “that is fine, I am here for all that and I am doing this album for my fans, this is who I am doing it for and they deserve it. I want to make sure I do the most for them, are we announcing the tour straight away after the release?” Jay nodded his head “indeed we are, and then of course after all that it will be your own personal ventures until you are ready to do another” all I can think about is missing out on my daughter “I wanted to ask actually, what happened to Chris?” I knew that was coming “erm, he had a fight. With Drake” I added, I came out with it, I am not holding back on it because he is a snake “Drake? He hasn’t said anything about it” Jay looks taken a back “because he is in the wrong, he used my husband. Manipulated him, Chris is new to this game, he’s come out of Jail, not knowing what things happened between him and I, I assumed he was just being friends with him, genuine. But then it escalated to the point where he was making out I am some Hollywood whore, kept feeding him shit, Chris is none the wiser because he thinks this nigga is being a friend to him, that Drake cares when he doesn’t, I’ve had enough and it ended up being an argument and it was like he was a good guy when he wasn’t so yeah it all blew up, and that happens” Jay is in shock, he wasn’t expecting that “that is so sly, this is over you?” I snorted laughing “shocking right” he waved me off laughing “it’s dramatic but not shocking, he’s had a thing for you, you just didn’t see it for him” he got that right, Drake is not my type at all “tell Chris he needs to be careful out there, nobody is really your friend in the business” Jay said and he is right.

Left the meeting feeling positive to say the least, stressed a little but we move on “busy, busy, busy. You’re actually going to take the world by storm, I am so excited for you” I cooed out “thank you Jen” I mumbled “you seem a little deflated though, how come?” Taking in a deep breath “a lot has gone on, I think before I even start my album rollout I would hope my private life is dealt with, it’s hard when it’s left in the balance and I’m having to hear how he is through Rorrey, I don’t ring, and he doesn’t ring me and I think it could be more because of him feeling bad about what happened you know? But I just want my marriage to be secure, I want to know when I go on tour that he’s ok, I really want to take Rylee with me, she’s my daughter and I want her to be close but also want to know my marriage is ok. Just worried, it’s ok I’m here building this when my marriage is falling. It’s a lot, I feel like a hypocrite too at times” Jen is so understanding, she is married herself “marriage is hard Robyn, I think what happened with Chris would have happened. He’s new to the game, he needs to learn and understand. He will grow and you both will be fine, why are you worried?” Turning to Jen “with Fenty Corp. I wanted him to overlook my business, I wanted him to be that person because I trust him, but I feel I don’t, and it’s annoying me. I didn’t want him to be just my husband, I wanted him to be clothing brand owner and also Vice President of Fenty. I wanted that but he trips up and I’m like I can’t have this? I wouldn’t have it with anyone else, I just don’t know” I have a lot of decisions to make, and he doesn’t understand that “like I need a decision now? You know, who is my team, that is it really. It’s just a mess” waving my hand.

Placing my bag on the countertop “oh and what are you doing back?” I said seeing Rorrey on my couch “I came to back of my stuff, Chris said come. I have done anyways, so erm, not to sound awkward but is Chris coming with us?” Rorrey laughed “oh and that is Chris’ dirty clothes” Jahleel sniggered “right, erm yes. He will be coming; I haven’t really spoken to you since. How is he?” making my way to the couch “good, I mean we have just been playing the console all day really, but he is good company, just watching movies after movies, so yeah. He is good, I think he is a little stressed because he can’t do anything” looking around the room “my daughter?” I asked “with her dad” pulling a face “right, go back and help him stupid. Just tell him to come with you, with my daughter thank you too. She better be fed too” he is so dumb “they were asleep, I just text him” the nigga has a cast on so of course he needs help and here he is, legs up “I am going back, don’t worry” Rorrey mumbled “I will see you all the jet then” sitting down on the couch, I am just thinking so hard on everything, I need to make that decision before I leave who will be doing what for my company, and my step forward was Chris being in it. By the time my album and tour is done, this will be ready and waiting for me, my baby.

“Spill, you’re thinking” Mel said, my people all gathered around “my team, who I want with me for this journey. Mel you said you want to break away, you want to do your own thing. Ciarra will chief creatively officer, Melissa is going to be my design director and Philippa creative director. Chris was going to be my vice, but I don’t know” I mumbled “Jahleel, don’t give me that face I barely know you” he gasped “right, I didn’t know that was your plan but go with your heart” Mel said “the same guy that royally fucks up every time, I just. I am scared and worried because he does it a lot, you know?” Jen is thinking, I can tell “what is it? Speak to me Jen” she has something on mind “how about Chris and I do it together, he messed up then I am the safety net?” furrowing my eyebrows “this is a big deal, I am talking a big scale. I can’t have half assed shit with him, but what do you mean? You’re with me? I got Tina to help you” I said “I need to step back from that, I need something where I can work from home, less travelling also. My other half and I are trying for a baby, and I need to be home more” letting out an oh “so I am asking, because you are the boss. I don’t want to leave you; I want to be around you forever. I love you so much, all of you but if I need to have an interview for this then I will but if you want me to do it alongside Chris, I can be a silent person on side” licking my top lip “well with Chris he isn’t getting paid for it, he is my husband. We will prosper together, but. Mhmm” I said thinking “no, I will make you Vice, Chris will be the silent person. Maybe he will be annoyed with that, it’s unfair to hide a title from you. That is it, you are president, and he is vice, that is how we will need to do it, it has to be. This is where you two can work, I am going to keep it as that” I am actually upset about Jen.

I don’t want to seem selfish, but Jen is actually leaving me, and I am so sad, I will discuss it on the jet, once it sets off. We are waiting for Chris, Rorrey and my daughter. They are taking a while, but I think it’s more to do with Chris, trying to get him in and out and stuff. Now his leg is in a cast, I hope my brother is staying behind because if he isn’t then I will have to go back home because I can’t leave Chris alone, he won’t do well alone “they are here, let me go and help them. More to get my daughter then anything” I chuckled, I have dealt with Chris when he has a cast on, he isn’t the best person, he whines about everything “just going to get my daughter” I said to the attendant, she is waiting around like us. Making my way down the steps, Rorrey is of course the first person to be out “hey, how is my daughter” Rorrey is laughing, he hugged me “please tell what is funny?” he shook his head “nothing, she is on my side. She is awake, I am going to help Chris get out, maybe carry him up they jet” he better not laugh too much, Chris will refuse to go anywhere “Miss Fenty” my driver said, going around the car “oh baby” looking up and seeing Chris, he is just looking at me with low eyes, but he looked away “come on baby, you my big baby” Rorrey is very annoying, especially to a stubborn men like him now.

My brother and Chris are stupid, that is all I can say. They did more falling then anything but least he got him on the jet “everyone say back to California!” Jahleel spat “I don’t want my picture taken” Chris said because Jah is taking the selfie in front, so everyone is in it “don’t be moody?” Jah said, “I don’t want it nigga now move” frowning at Chris “Chris!” I spat “just come here Jah, leave him out of it” Jahleel kissed his teeth, Mel eyeballed me but what the hell she want me to do with that “ok look at the camera everyone” smiling as Jahleel took the picture, leaning down and pressing kiss to the top of Rylee’ head “he was rude to Jahleel” Mel said to me in a whisper “I am not his carer but I know what his problem is, or maybe I don’t but I will speak to him, maybe it’s that. I didn’t speak to him when I got Rylee out of the SUV” Mel shrugged “let me take the princess and you go and deal with that” nodding my head as Mel took Rylee from me, getting up from the seat “sit down in my seat” I said to Jah “I didn’t say anything to him” he said defending himself “I know, it’s fine just sit” making my way over to Chris “this seat free” I pointed at the empty seat across from him “yeah” Chris breathed out pointing too.

Chewing on my bottom lip, we are both quiet with each other. I honestly know why I am quiet but him, I don’t know really because he is supposed to make the effort, but I will “how you feeling with your leg?” Chris looked up from his hands “erm, it was hurt at first but it’s ok. The bruises on my side hurt more than anything, it is what it is, what can I say about this. It’s happened, my fault” he is very agitated “you need to relax, like you don’t even know Jahleel and you are snapping on him” this is bringing me back so many memories of when he was housebound and he was ever so moody about everything “if something annoys me, I am going to say it. Are you coming home?” he asked but I only know one answer “I won’t be no, I am staying with Mel and you are going to ask why but I don’t want to live with a man that thinks I was a liar, missed out on our anniversary, our first one as a married couple, first Christmas too. You can be mad all you want but you did. The effort you made because you was busy wanting to believe him, you don’t deserve me Chris. Even now, just taking care of you. Let me know when you want to see your daughter but you right, I am not coming home” getting up from the seat, he ruined these moments for and now wants me to come home because it’s all out in the open, the issue still stands. He believed another man over me.

[utterlyinevitable]

Hurricane (Part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Rebecca Lao) Word Count: 1.7k Warning: Nothing outright. The story is rated T+. Summary: A hurricane is falling over Boston. Edenbrook has been evacuated and some very different doctor’s end up seeking shelter together.  

A/N: This series was inspired by an anon prompt request for “protection”. I hope I did it justice! This is a multi part story.  

________________________________________

The rag tag team of doctor’s sat around Naveen’s large dining table in the wooden room with endless windows looking over the river. They had copious amounts of wine accompanying Ethan’s homemade meat lasagna and garlic bread. Naveen sat at the head of the table, Sienna to his left with Elijah and Rebecca to his right with Ethan. 

The conversation was pleasant enough. The only awkwardness was Ethan, though the others were oblivious to it. Ethan stayed quiet at the end of the table drinking his wine and assessing how everyone moved about. He desperately was still trying to diagnose the outcome of their predicament. 

The young doctor’s were adaptable and Naveen took to them with fatherly glee. Neither of the older doctors could remember the last time this cabin was so full of life. It was easy to notice how the young doctors moved around each other like family, without any regard for the others personal space. For a while Ethan felt completely out of place. 

Naveen watched their antics like a doting parent, jumping in and out of the conversation with delight. While Ethan was on the sideline wondering if he could ever find the courage to take the leap. He doubted it. Ethan was well past his jovial years - he was too old for twenty-something antics and anything that didn’t serve a concrete purpose in the continuation of life. At least, that’s what he told himself. 

Could he see himself mixing with the personal daily lives of these residents regularly? 

The notion sent a shiver up Ethan’s spine. 

Sure, Trinh and Greene were nice and accommodating enough - a pleasantry even. And Ethan was thankful they kept his rendezvous with Becca secret, but could they be his friends too? No. He was a world older than them. They had a lot more learning to do. 

But they’re Becca’s family… 

Could he do it for her? Did he care enough to do it for her?  

Naveen’s next question pulled Ethan out of his thoughts. 

“How are you finding your interns, doctors?” Naveen asked with dazzling curiosity.  

“It’s…” Sienna began to say, not wanting to damper the evening with second-year struggles. Dr. Sienna Trinh had been grappling with the daily grind since intern year - her pure soul so easily crushed by rude patients and unfortunate circumstances. Her incompetent and manipulative intern didn’t help ease her anxiety one bit.  

“Challenging,” Becca finished for her. 

The Chief’s interest was piqued, “Oh?” 

Becca bit her lip before speaking, “I know Dr. Ortega is brilliant, but a bit hot headed and impulsive.” Dr. Esme Ortega had some character flaws Becca was well used to working with - the fiery intern reminded Becca a lot of herself, and her standoffishness and unwillingness to trust others was definitely reflective of Ethan. She knew with just some faith and a little push Dr. Ortega would be best in her class. 

“Sounds like someone I know,” Naveen jokes.  

Becca continued on, “She needs to think more before she acts sometimes.”  

A confident mumble came from Becca’s right, the first words he’s spoken in a while, “May I suggest taking your own advice, Dr. Lao?”  

She turned to look at him. Ethan’s eyes met her own. There was a crinkle at the corner of his lips, the ghost of a coy smile. 

“Oh shut up, Ethan,” she rolled her eyes playfully. “You know what I mean.” 

Their eyes were locked on one another and bodies frozen in place. Ethan’s implored Becca silently asking her why she didn’t tell him she was having problems. She gave an immobile shrug.    

Being the gracious host he is and not wanting to subject Sienna and Elijah and even himself to an awkward encounter, Naveen turned to his left and asked, “And what about you two?”  

“Sothey needs... a lot of hand holding. He’s a nice guy, but I’m not too sure he’s up for the challenges,” Elijah admitted.  

Sienna folded her hands in her lap as she looked down and agreed, “I feel the same way with Mitch. I wish I was more like Zaid with the no-nonsense personality - if I could just scare Mitch into doing better that’ll teach him a lesson.” 

Finished with her aphonic conversation Becca turned back to the table, piping in, “From what I’ve seen Mitch is just lazy.”  

“Oh?” Naveen took a large swig of wine. 

“Yeah…” In the handful of times she interacted with Dr. Mitch Keller she hadn’t seen him do any doctoring, just looming over as Sienna did all the dirty work. “But I don’t know him well enough - it’s just a speculation.”  

Naveen nodded his head at the admission while Ethan made a mental note to watch Dr. Keller with a steely eye. 

As the conversation died there Elijah happily changed the topic; 

“Dr. Banerji, I hear you love a bit of hospital gossip?”  

The old diagnostician had the most elated smile, bringing every crack and wrinkle into the warm stormy light, “Who doesn’t?” 

“Any respectable human,” Ethan chided.  

Everyone ignored him. 

“What have you heard?” Naveen asked as he learned forward with utter intrigue.  

Elijah pressed his palms into the table, bracing himself for the bomb he was about to drop. “That Ines and Zaid are engaged,” he said it flatly and with a raised eyebrow. “I always thought them dating was just a rumour!” 

“They do show up everywhere together,” Becca added, polishing off the last bit of garlic bread. 

Sienna excitedly clapped her hands together and hopped in her seat, “They’re so cute together! I’m so happy for them.” 

“I haven’t heard that one,” Naveen told them. “But I do know the pair are quite close,” the old man winked and that was all the confirmation the young doctors’ needed.  

Keeping with the excitement Elijah let another rumor slip, “I heard from the nurses that a resident and attending were hooking up in a supply closet on the lab floor last year.” 

Becca stopped chewing and Ethan sat up straighter. They never ever “hooked up” at the hospital, but they did hide in a supply closet on the lab floor when they needed to sneakily run Naveen’s blood last year. Surely no one saw them? Did they? 

Out of the corner of his eye Naveen noticed the tension of his dearest of companions. He recalled that story - with his results Becca mentioned how they had to hide in a closet from Dr. Wren. She never mentioned anything else transpiring. Though the pair were allowed their own secrets, much to Naveen’s dismay.   

“How scandalous,” he sent a small wink Becca’s way. “I heard that our wonderful Dr. Lao didn’t act alone in her retrieval of the Rhode’s cure.” Naveen looked directly into Sienna and Elijah’s eyes,  “How was that for you?” 

The two friends spoke at the same time; “I -” Sienna began.  

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elijah finished.   

The group erupted into laughter. Well, everyone except for Ethan who was still too affected by the previous confession.  

“Speaking of relationships,” Naveen changed the subject “I hear you and Nurse Danny are quite close, Sienna.”  

Quickly Sienna’s face flushed, “We are. It’s new.”  

Elijah was having too much fun with all this banter flowing as effortlessly as the wine. With a rueful grin he let the words slip, “Word on the street is Dr. Ramsey’s been seeing someone.” 

Ethan nearly spit out his wine. 

Becca looked at her friend with sheer horror. 

Before anyone could question further Naveen interjected, steering the conversation, “Are you, Ethan?”  

The blue eyed doctor tried not to choke at the intrusion into his business, “Am I?”  

“Are you single or not?” he quizzed. “It’s the first I’m hearing of this.” Naveen had the biggest shit eating grin as he bore Ethan down, subtly shifting his glance between him and Becca. All three doctors were sitting on the edge of their seats as they waited for Ethan or Becca to confirm what was already apparent.

Becca wanted no part of this conversation, keeping a constant stream of wine flowing down her esophagus.  

Ethan sat back and crossed his arms, his stare ready to kill, “My personal life is none of your concern.” 

“Oh but it is,” Naveen said knowingly. 

Becca’s eyes never left her glass. 

Sienna and Naveen tried to salvage the conversation by moving onto lighter subjects such as hobbies and Naveen’s career. Elijah was very interested to learn about the old man’s childhood and how he found moving about the US over the years. Ethan was too dejected to contribute, and anyway he’d heard his mentor’s stories more times than he could recall. He could recount Naveen’s story of how his first day of residency went as easily as he could recite the alphabet backwards. 

Ethan topped up everyone’s glass with the last of the red wine before setting off to the kitchen to clean up. 

Becca noticed his retreat and helped clear off all their dishes while her friends were completely engrossed in a story she’d heard from Naveen before. 

“You survived dinner,” she praised as she walked in.

Ethan was standing in front of the porcelain farmhouse sink with his sleeves rolled up and forearms deep in suds. Becca loaded up the dishwasher with plates, cutlery and any smaller items. 

“I’m proud of you,” she told him.  

“I’m stronger than I look.”

Ethan’s right sleeve began to slide down. She caught it just before it met the bubbles attached to his arm.   

“Don’t I know it,” she winked as she folded the sleeve back in place. 

Ethan let the utensil he was washing slip through his fingers. Becca was so close. And all this was all so… comfortable. The warm feeling of her skin grazing against his was enough to subside the panic rooted deep inside him. He went to rotate his body towards her, letting them be flush against one another. Becca’s hand trailed and tightened at his wrist, keeping him in place.  

“Thank you for inviting us along.” She smiled so sincerely Ethan’s chest fluttered. “I don’t know what we would have done, god forbid the apartment actually floods.”  

He smiled back graciously as his free hand moved to cover hers. “I’ll always protect you, Rookie.”  

“I know.” She laced her fingers with his just above the waterline. “You always have my best interest at heart. Even if I don’t agree with it.”  

With their affectionate gaze still locked he leaned over to kiss her hairline. 

________________________________________

A/N: Where do you want to see this series go? I have one more chapter written before I hit an impasse 😞

Taglist: @ohchoices​ @dulceghernandez​ @aylamreads​ @binny1985​ @ramseysno1rookie​ @interobanginyourmom​ @queencarb​ @perriewinklenerdie​ @rookiefromedenbrook​ @eramsey28​ @choicesficwriterscreations​ @heauxplesslydevoted​ @schnitzelbutterfingers​ @purpledragonturtles​ @ramseyandrys​ @ermidc​ @mrsdrakewalkerblog​ @doilooklikeiknow​ @overwhelminglyaquarius​ @drethanramslay​ @edgiestwinter​ @rookieoh​ @lucy-268​ @mvalentine​ @lilyvalentine​

[abandonedcyberpunkspidermech]

Character Bio: Peni Parker (SP//dr)

Name: Peni Parker

Hero Alias: SP//dr

Bio:

Let’s do this one last time.

Peni Parker was born on October 15th, 3132, to Richard Parker, the first SP//dr, and New York City chief of police Yuriko Watanabe, the latter of whom died shortly after giving birth. Being the daughter of SP//dr, and all that came with it, defines her life. From a young age, Peni had little opportunity to actually bond with her father. He made sure she was well-fed, had a roof over her head, and fixed her boo-boos, but he was always too busy defending the city to really BE with her. Part of why the kid got into robotics and science was to try to bond with her dad, to give them something to talk about. School has never been an issue for her, with her regularly acing her classes. As the daughter of a celebrity (most superheroes are idolized in this world, and SP//dr, New York City’s finest outside the police, is no exception), she always attended private schools with enough protection to make villains think twice about trying to attack her to get to SP//dr. There’s also the fact that most people only want to befriend her for the clout, but that’s a story for another day. She isn’t necessarily friendless, though. One of her closest friends is Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp and one of her father’s bosses in the SP//dr program. The two of them hung out a lot as kids due to their fathers’ setting them up on playdates while they were busy with Oscorp and SP//dr, and they have been friends ever since. All in all, Peni leads a fairly normal life. However, things change at the ripe age of 9 years old.

Richard Parker was a hero. The guy who was bit by a spider and became the one and only SP//dr. The hero who saved the city again and again. The man who, no matter how many times he got hit, always got back up. But after one too many battles with one Doctor Otto Octavius, he didn’t. Couldn’t. Just like that, the man she wanted so badly to be with was gone, and with him, her world shattered. To say she was heartbroken would be an understatement. The next morning, still raw with grieving, Peni moves in with her aunt and uncle, fellow SP//dr program employees May and Benjamin Parker, but not before they introduce her to a certain opportunity. As it turns out, Peni had the right genetic material to be able to pilot SP//dr, just like her father. And so, May and Ben inform Peni that she’s the only suitable replacement for her father as the pilot. Basically, they tell her “Let this spider bite you and get in the robot, Peni”. In spite of knowing how dangerous it is, how massive the responsibility is, and how great a legacy she’ll need to uphold, she accepts. She lets the spider bite her, forming a psychic link with it and gaining a supportive friend in the process. But there’s one problem: She is nine, and thus has no idea how to actually fight or be a hero. After a few months of training under the tutelage of SHIELD and Daredevil, a friend of her father, and connecting with the other heroes based in New York City, she finally takes the leap of faith and starts her life as SP//dr, the hero of New York City.

Abilities:

Psychic Link: The spider bite granted Peni a psychic link with her spider by essentially setting up a wireless connection between their brains. What this means is that the two have access to one another's brains, including senses, thoughts, memories, emotions, and instincts. However, this isn’t always a good thing. While it does allow the two to share experiences, it also has possible consequences such as sensory overload and mental contamination.

Psychically-Operated Mech: SP//dr, the mech, exists on the bleeding edge of mech control systems. How it works is that the spider is half of the mech’s CPU, and a human pilot can link with the spider and become the other half. For Peni, this means that she can control it in tandem with her spider like it was her own body, with all the relatively enhanced agility and dexterity that entails and few of the harmful side effects normally associated with using brain-computer interfacing to control extra body parts. However, like the psychic link, this comes with consequences, such as mental contamination, sensory overload, and the sensation of damage. With the ability to move the mech like a body comes the ability to use the mech’s senses like her own, which extends to feeling damage like physical injuries. The mech’s armor and coding reduce the sensory data her brain receives, but she still feels pain when hit.

Physical Strength: The mech is capable of lifting and moving approximately 45000 kilograms of mass without risk of critically damaging itself. However, both pilots hold back to preserve the mech’s internals and to avoid collateral damage, such as undue property destruction, injury, or death. Without restraint, the max lifting capacity of the mech has been measured between 60000 and 70000 kilograms.

Webs: SP//dr is capable of shooting webs composed of fluid that solidifies into an adhesive solid in the presence of atmospheric conditions. These webs serve a variety of functions, including but not limited to the mech’s famous web-swinging, incapacitating enemies, and grabbing objects from afar. SP//dr can utilize a variety of varieties of web fluid (with different chemical compositions) for a variety of functions, such as electrocution, bandaging, and temporary welding. However, most webbing breaks down within an hour, the only exceptions being designed to last longer.

Adhesive Limbs: The hands and feet of the SP//dr mech are designed with microscopic, artificial “hairs” that allow the mech to adhere to objects by use of van der Waals interactions.

Magnetic Suspension: SP//dr is equipped with a magnetic suspension system enabling it to manipulate its limbs (as many as eight limbs composed of two or three segments) in ways that would be impossible with a conventional articulation system. However, this does come at the cost of increased power consumption, and the limbs are paralyzed without power.

LCD Screen: SP//dr’s cockpit is headed by a screen with an LCD display allowing the mech to display emoticons to show emotions, messages, visual aids, or other images. However, the screen is more fragile than the rest of the hull.

Hull Durability and Armor: The chassis and limbs of SP//dr are durable and well-armored enough for the mech and pilot to be able to walk away from being struck with a bus without losing function.

Miscellaneous Gadgets: Depending on the need, SP//dr can be outfitted with a variety of tools, such as scanners, enhanced sensors, saws, welding torches, fire extinguishers, and weaponry.

Neurogenetic Technology Compatibility: Peni Parker has the correct set of genes to be able to interface with SP//dr (and other technology by proxy) given the proper apparatus. The effects, in addition to operating SP//dr, consist primarily of limited neural hacking ability and enhanced thinking speed (mostly subconscious), memory backup, as well as other general abilities usually granted by neural cybernetics. Oscorp scientists have noted a similarity to a cyberbrain, except entirely organic.

Spider-Sense: One of the few superpowers not entirely dependent on a giant robot, Peni Parker, the spider, and the robot all have a Spider-Sense. It functions as a general danger sense, allowing them to sense dangers other senses can’t detect and avoid them almost autonomically. It can also detect other Spider-People. However, scientists have noted that the sense sometimes acts in complete defiance of scientific possibility.

Intelligence: Even as a child, Peni Parker was a genius, having been one of the brightest kids in her school, a trait that will only grow with age. However, she isn’t a “Renaissance woman”. She specializes in STEM subjects, most specifically robotics and computers, but would be nowhere near as competent with Shakespeare (unfortunately, still taught in schools) or ancient history. She’s also trilingual, with fluency in English and Japanese and some knowledge of Braille.

Fighting Skills: As part of her training to pilot SP//dr, Peni learned fighting skills to enable her to better fight villains. This included boxing, self-defense, martial arts, firearms training, general combat skills, and enhanced physical condition. Aside from “anime moments”, she isn’t superhuman though, merely an athletic baseline human.

Emergency Response Skills: As another part of her training, Peni received training in responding to a general assortment of emergency situations she’d face during her career as SP//dr, including fire rescue, first aid, and water rescue.

Weaknesses:

Peppermint: Spiders hate peppermint, Peni’s spider is no exception, and the psychic link means that Peni shares that resentment. A sufficient dose of peppermint around an area will make SP//dr run from it, at least temporarily.

Vibrations: One of a spider’s most powerful senses is its ability to detect vibrations. This hypersensitivity can also serve as a weakness, as the psychic link means that if the spider senses a particularly strong vibration (or the mech does through onboard sensors), the feedback would be paralyzing. The effect is like a loud guitar riff being played on an amplifier turned to 11 directly attached to both of one’s ears.

Pesticides: Any pesticides that would affect an arachnid would affect SP//dr, so if the spider gets exposed to (or detects through onboard sensors) any of several pesticides, the mech will flee the area as soon as possible to allow itself to stave off the effects of the pesticide. Onboard filtration systems would and do nullify this weakness, however.

Power Grid:

Intelligence: 3 (Grows to 5)

Strength: 2 (5 in mech)

Speed: 2 (3 in mech)

Durability: 2 (5 in mech)

Energy Projection: 1 (2-3 with specific mech weapons)

Fighting Skills: 1 (Grows to 4)

Additional Trivia:

Ideal English VA: Kimiko Glenn

Ideal Japanese Seiyuu: Rie Takahashi

Peni Parker is a vegetarian (like in the comics). This is due to her finding it weird to eat other animals after psychically linking with SP//dr. Similarly, she has an aversion to any animal products requiring killing the animals. Except for insects for reasons most likely related to the psychic link.

As a consequence of being psychically linked to a spider, Peni is one of the more “spidery” Spider-Heros/Spider-Totems/Spider-People. This means that she has a few additional miscellaneous traits only actual spiders would have.

I’m aware of the Web of Life and Destiny and the supernatural aspect of Spider-Totem powers. Thus, I’m going to leave the balance of technological/scientific power origin versus mystical power origin for you to find out.

The SP//dr program has multiple mechs for various situations. The abilities above mostly refer to the primary mech (The same as ITSV), although some things could change with in-universe time and upgrades.

Peni and her spider use “SP//dr” to refer to the spider, the mech, their hero identity, and the program of which they are a part. Due to the psychic link, they always know what they mean.

I don’t have a section on her personality because that would change a LOT in-universe. She goes through a lot, both good and bad. SP//dr stays a supportive friend though.

The SP//dr program is run by Oscorp under the supervision and oversight of SHIELD and the Commission on Superhuman Activities.

In case you’re wondering, I use “neurogenetic” instead of “psychogenetic” because psychogenetics, the word her comic uses, is actually another world for behavioral genetics, the study of how genes influence behavior. Neurogenetics, however, is the study of how genes affect the function of the nervous system. Thus, considering SP//dr’s control mechanism, “neurogenetics” is a more accurate word.

Also, I apologize for any formatting flubs. I copy pasted this from a Google Doc.

[morningflames]

a word of warning

well here’s a post i never thought i’d be making

it’s come to my attention that a Certain Someone is planning on making a comeback to WrA soon and it fills me with nothing short of dread. i spent the day yesterday warning people he terrorized and manipulated that this was happening. you know it’s bad when there’s a literal network of people who share an abuser that have remained in contact for years in the event this happened again.

i am not going to lie and say that making this post does not terrify me but i cannot in good conscience sit back and let him worm his way into the rp scene again and do what he did to me and at least half a dozen others all over again.

to summarize: tarcanus aka tarcanus frostborne is a manipulative, emotionally abusive and predatory individual that should be avoided at all costs.

i am the player behind lyrinel, a former officer of his and someone who was on the receiving end of nearly a years worth of abuse and manipulation. my experiences pale in comparison to those of others who dealt with him and came forward to me after i left his guild, and i cannot speak for anyone who does not feel comfortable coming forward. if you do want to let your voice be heard, feel free to reblog and add your own anecdotes.

my story below the cut.

tw: manipulation, emotional abuse, gaslighting, coercion, grooming

i first joined coram populo in early 2014 after my best friend and fellow survivor (i will refer to her by her character’s name of thradia from here on out) joined the raid team in december of the previous year. we were both just looking for a social place to park our characters and maybe start role playing again, as we hadn’t had a guild or dedicated rp group in a while. things were fine and friendly for the first couple of months, though it’s worth noting that a large part of the office corps had just left or was in the process of leaving when thradia and i joined. we were both 18 at the time.

i made the mistake of reaching out to tarc in the spring, when i noticed him posting to his tumblr about how busy he was. i offered to be an IC assistant of sorts to his character and he was more than happy to toss me into an absolute whirlwind. we still didn’t know much about each other, but in the span of a couple weeks we went from casual contact in guild chat to immensely long (sometimes between 10 and 12 hours) skype calls, constant DMing, and an almost uninterrupted stream of conversation. i was struggling to finish high school at this time (spoiler: i failed to graduate) and found myself suddenly caught in an all-consuming relationship with this man and his guild. from the moment i woke up to the moment i finally hung up and crawled into bed, my time was taken up by tarc and the guild and the game.

i was promoted to officer less than five months after joining the guild. this was overwhelming for a number of reasons, chief among them being the fact that i had never been an officer in a guild like this before and i was very quickly escalated to tarc’s “inner circle.” this was a circle that he evidently didn’t even include his most senior officers in, as he didn’t seem to communicate with them to the extent or abundance that he did with me - and later, when she was ALSO promoted to officer, thradia. 

within a few weeks i found myself at the center of dozens of micro-confrontations and venting from tarc about other members of the guild, raid team, and even fellow officers. every time, i would tell him he needed to take it to his co-gm and talk it through with her. she, like him, was a grown woman with a lot more experience and better people skills than me, a teenager barely out of high school, but tarc insisted on beating me over the head with his frustrations and then proceeding to guilt me and tell me i was a terrible friend when i didn’t agree with him or expressed i was uncomfortable being in the center of a vent session that i felt was unwarranted. 

tarc was never wrong. he did not apologize. the words “i’m sorry” did not exist in his vocabulary, and if they did, they were almost always followed up with the word “but.” constantly he would be sending multiple messages to me or thradia while we were running events and raids for the guild, ranting about a few particular members that he disliked at the time regardless of how we felt about said members. thradia and i would both be reduced to tears and/or anxiety attacks by his outbursts that all but demanded we take his side even if we didn’t. his feelings and circumstances were paramount. everyone else’s were just inconveniences. 

tarc was always the victim. no matter what was going on, no matter who had instigated whatever vein of conversation we were on that had gone awry, he had a way of making you feel like utter shit until you grovelled for his forgiveness, which he rarely gave. instead he would move on without giving any closure or allowing you to discuss your feelings at length. if you tried, you were the insensitive one who he couldn’t go to with his “unfiltered emotions,” which was the entire purpose of his inner circle to hear him say it. i was not allowed to just be his friend or just be an officer, i had to be both and neither at the same time, and it still was not the right course of action. nothing ever was.

tarc was openly manipulative and antagonistic, always citing it as an “inside joke” when called on it. i opened up to him once about my father’s alcoholism and how i was uncomfortable with alcohol culture and being around drunk people. regardless, he would constantly call while drunk (or maybe he was pretending to be to get a rise out of me, i honestly do not know what was genuine and what was put on with him) and make me stay on the call with him for hours. when he was (allegedly) diagnosed with an inability to process certain alcohols that could be life threatening, he continued to drink (or claimed he was drinking) dangerous amounts, which lead to me begging him to stop as i feared for his life. one of the worst anxiety attacks i have ever had was over him endangering his health and me believing i was going to see a friend die. he knew how much this upset me and he did not stop. he held me as a captive audience to his self destruction (or the playacting of it) and let me cry and beg and plead with him to take care of himself.

tarc loves to promote a clean, “family friendly” persona online. he will go on and on about the positive atmosphere his guild provides and how progress and accepting he and his “safe spaces” are. as soon as you are inducted to his inner circle, however, you learn otherwise. he will gladly engage in sexually charged conversation with you, even if you are ten years younger than him as thradia and i were. we were both legal adults, yes, but just barely. i can’t count the inappropriate remarks and jokes made about us, our friends, and even minors all in the spirit of joking “what if” conversation. he has a history of making young LGBT+ people uncomfortable, making their sexualities and identities about him and how he can relate to them. 

tarc was the most two-faced and divisive guild leader i’ve ever seen. he would rant to me mercilessly about wanting to kick one of the junior officers and raid team members in private while never saying a word to their face or bringing it up with the co-gm. he would start schisms between people, telling each what they wanted to hear and encouraging both parties not to confront each other about it, allowing the resentment and distrust to grow as he fanned the flames on both sides. he wanted people to stay in the guild and continue to basically work for him while also putting him above anyone else in their friend circles. he told straight up lies to thradia and i, claiming one of us had said things about the other that we never did, driving a wedge and distrust between us.

tarc treats his guild(s) like a business. he is entirely capitalist-minded even in an MMORPG that people play for fun, churning out “content” and keeping up appearances like a machine. he treats his officers and guild members like employees, not people. any time irl would demand attention away from the game, forcing someone to miss or cancel an event, he would subtly guilt them about it until they apologized, even if it was a dire situation or a family emergency. 

when tarc wanted to start a wow roleplaying podcast, he approached me about cohosting. he wanted a female voice, and since i was out of school and had no job lined up due to not graduating i was the perfect candidate. i came on to narrate and research the lore segment of the looking for roleplay podcast, which was little more than me paraphrasing a wowwiki article, but i was held to a “professional” standard. i had to have my research done by a certain day, my recording done in advance, etc. 

the podcast was a spot of contention for several reasons, one being the mysterious emails tarc would allegedly receive about it. the podcast had a shared email account that all three of us could access and look at, but tarc claimed that people sent emails directly to him since “everything’s under his email.” he would use these strawman emails as indirect criticism of turwinkle and i, reading them aloud or typing up what they supposedly said but NEVER producing a real screenshot or address to verify them. i’m convinced he only did this as a way to make turwinkle and i feel badly and work harder “for the listeners” to appease things tarc didn’t like about our segments. he also insinuated he got inappropriate emails about me specifically at this account but, again, i was never allowed to see them with my own eyes, just hear about them secondhand, which is why i believe they did not exist.

around this time, tarc began recording conversations without mine or thradias consent. he would start recording random sections of calls and taunt us, playing back out-of-context lines and joking that he would make “podcast commercials” out of them. they were often embarrassing, personal, or just wildly out of context lines that we didn’t want played to the public, and i heard only a fraction of what he possibly recorded of me. i have no idea what kind of material he has of me and thradia that was recorded without us knowing or consenting. it felt like blackmail. it still does.

i internalized all of this. i thought this was normal. i thought he was an excellent guild leader and a role model for leadership. i had begun to treat world of fucking warcraft like a goddamn job and i thought that was fine. my life revolved around coddling and entertaining him, socializing and promoting and recruiting for the guild, raiding, running pvp entirely on my own, keeping up IC connections and attending events, recording for the podcast, all of it. i ate, breathed, and slept wow and coram. it was insane. i had been talked into having no boundaries for myself and my time, and any time i tried to correct that and build a boundary i was attacked for it until i backed down. i have never felt worse about myself than i did while i was in this guild. i trusted no one. i was worn thin.

i finally had enough early 2015. at this point this man was trying to get me to come live with him hundreds of miles from my family so that i could attend a technical school in his area. i am still 18. he was 28. i had been trying to step down from my position as an officer, citing if i was going to be LIVING WITH HIM that it was going to give me an unfair bias in my standing in the guild. this set him all the way off. he was planning a trip to atlantic city for me, himself, and thradia, who i had a ticket to visit for my birthday. he was getting frantic because he had been pursuing thradia for months, and i was no longer cooperating. 

when i threw this wrench in everything, our relationship devolved in the span of a few hours. within the day i left the guild on all of my characters and pulled myself out of all of his projects. within the month i had frantically faction changed several characters and eventually unsubscribed from the game for two years because i lived in fear of him. he had always alluded to “knowing people” who could hack and track IP addresses and kept tabs on everyone who visited his blogs and websites. i didn’t know what i thought he was going to do - all i knew was his thinly veiled brags and threats were at the forefront of my mind. i have played this game since 2006, but for the first time in my life i couldn’t enjoy it out of fear and exhaustion caused by him. he had ruined my favorite game in less than a year and made me paranoid about my entire online presence, to the point where this blog was abandoned for months before i turned it into what it is today. 

and the thing is, tarc’s not a creepy or abrasive guy when you first meet him. he’s funny and charismatic and outgoing. he loves to tell you about his world travels and show you pictures of him petting baby tigers at rescues in southeast asia and go on about these crazy winnings he would have in vegas. he’s larger than life - at least online. he came to visit me twice in the year that we knew each other. the first time was also the first time i had ever met thradia in person, and we had been friends for six years at that point. he has met my family, and that of several other members (both my age and older). no one ever questions why he’s there. no one ever thought it was odd that for a week he hung out with three teenage girls exclusively. 

this horrifies me to this day. 

thradia and i are still best friends. we compared notes and were sickened at how we were played against each other. slowly, i returned to the game. i reached out to people who had left or been on their way out when i first joined the guild, curious to see if there was a common thread. there was. everyone i spoke with had similar stories: being made to feel like shit, nothing they ever did for the guild was enough, they weren’t allowed to miss events or raids no matter what the reason, they were questioned and joked about inappropriately and made to feel uncomfortable and preyed upon, etc. i was not the only one. thradia was not the only one. at least half a dozen other former members and/or officers had these stories, and tarc just kept getting away with it.

he cannot keep getting away with it.

i am being open with this for the first time in six years because i don’t want to see it happen again. because i don’t want to know that, had i said something sooner, more people could have been protected. i was 18 when this was going on. i had no real world experience. i had no standard for how i should be treated, much less by someone almost ten years my senior and who claimed to be my friend. but he knew better. he should have had boundaries and space and lines he refused to cross. he did not. he crippled my trust in people for a very long time. i have only become comfortable playing wow on horde side again in the past year or so. i finally stopped looking over my shoulder, /who’ing him and his guild, avoiding rp hubs. but now i feel like i can’t do that anymore. the safety i have worked so hard to achieve for myself is now threatened.

i understand my experiences are mild in comparison to what some offenders on this server have done. but at the end of the day, this year was the worst year of my life. to this day, the skype ringtone literally triggers me because i associated it with him and his endless calls that i never knew what to expect from or how to get out of. i can’t look at certain parts of the game without feeling fear. for months i held my breath going online or logging into wow because i was waiting for him to pop up and start accusing me of things or trying to guilt me into coming back.

tarc ran coram populo, a guild that, as far as i know, still staggers along with a few members who can’t be bothered to leave. whether or not he’s planning to return there, i don’t know. he organizes and runs (from what i can tell) the azerothian trade federation (whatever the fuck that is). i don’t know what his plans are. i don’t know what his online presence looks or will look like when he comes crawling back. but i beseech you, do not give him the time of day. do not give him a platform, no matter how nice and “woke” he makes himself out to be. he lures you in with humanist ideals and then sucks the absolute life out of you- and that’s if he doesn’t want to pressure you into a relationship on top of it.

to tarc: if somehow you’re reading this, stay away from me. keep my name out of your mouth. i do not want an apology and a string of half-assed, gaslighting excuses. i have records of past conversations. i have screenshots. i know what you fucking did to me and to my friends. i do not want you back. i do not want you here. i do not want to share space with you. i want you to go away and never come back. 

you alone made it so hard to trust myself and other people. thradia and i both have had to seek therapy due to you. and now, you have the audacity to come riding back into the scene on a white horse, being self righteous about abuse and predatory behavior online, and have the utter gall to condemn behaviors you yourself emulated without apology or second thought. i know you think you’re a good guy. that’s what makes you so fucking dangerous. you genuinely don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, and if you do, you’ve buried it and squirreled it away and have covered it up to the point where you can turn any accusation back on the claimant. 

do not attempt to contact me. do not try to threaten or appease me. go back where you were. i am finally at home again, and you will not take that from me. go. away.

[jenovahh]

The Honey Pot - Ch. 29 - A Love Just as Sweet

“You’re sure you don’t need me to come help? No furniture you need to move?”

“I think you’re just looking for an excuse to ditch work, Ardbert.”

“You’re half right. I’m also looking for an excuse to come see my godchild as well.”

“Your godchild is at home with the babysitter, waiting for me to return from the grocery store.” You can’t help but giggle into the phone at Ardbert’s dramatic groan as you pick up a few rolanberries to put in your shopping cart. “You know you’re more than free to visit, Ardbert.” you grin, even if he cannot see it.

“I know, I know. But it’s hard work now being in charge of an entire luxury chauffeur service now that Varis is gone! I may be the boss, but I have employees to manage. Paychecks to write. Won’t you have pity on your poor friend? Won’t you pay for my ticket to Eorzea?” Ardbert bemoans, and already you can envision his melodramatic flare, unable to stop yourself from snorting at his antics.

“Maybe in a few years I’ll be ready to come back to Kugane.” you murmur softly, rolling an apple around in your hand.

“Always at your own pace, Honey.” Ardbert adds warmly, and it’s times like these you do miss your closest friend. “Even if you feel you can never return, I’ll never fault you for it. I’ll always do my best to come see you.”

You prepare to say something back when your phone beeps in your ear. Pulling it from your face, you see you have an incoming call. “Hey Ardbert, I’ll call back later. I’ve got an important call coming in.”

“No problem, talk to you later, Honey.”

Tapping on the screen, you transfer the call over, bringing your phone to your ear again as you continue to amble around the grocery store. “And what do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet a friend?” Cid scoffs, just as, if not more dramatic than Ardbert.

“It’s a way to greet this friend.” You laugh, nabbing some chips off the shelf. You were getting pretty low on snacks.

“I called to check in on you and also deliver some news. Are you busy?”

“I’m a full time mother, Cid. When am I not busy?” you joke, making your way to the meat department. “After all, my days are filled with diaper changes and games of peekaboo. Exciting stuff.”

“Boring, but peaceful.” Cid supplies, giving out his sage wisdom as usual. “But on a more serious note, is all well?”

Was all well?

It had been a year since your coming to Eorzea, landing yourself a fairly decent sized house in the Gridanian countryside. While off the grid, you were still afforded modern amenities, such as high speed internet and cable TV. Every so often you would have to work your way into the city to run a few errands, just like you are today. You would usually call up one of your trusted neighbors to come over and babysit to put some spare change in their pocket.

You had woken up in the hospital alone, feeling as if you had been hit by a truck while getting ran over by a train, and somehow managed to live. Merlwyb and Cid were the first to barge in your room at news you had woken from your sleep, having feared you would fall into a coma from the damage to your body, or even the damage to your mind.

There was hardly a day that either of them wasn’t at your side, working in shifts almost until Ardbert had even managed to convince them to squeeze in on the rotation. Ardbert’s presence helped break down the walls you had immediately put up upon waking, spending an entire night sobbing into his arms, finally allowing yourself to mourn everything you had lost.

With his help did you get yourself to therapy, Ardbert there with you every step of the way on the road to recovery.

When you reached a point where you felt stable enough to confront all that had happened, you had asked the three of them to tell you what had been going on since that day.

Cid and Merlwyb were quick to hold off the local news of misconstruing facts, Cid telling them to wait until he could get back to his home and compile all the evidence the public needed. The entire city was in an uproar, Varis’ most loyal followers spewing hate and lies to try and convince the public that everything was a ruse and that Cid was the one to cause the explosion at the research facility.

There seemed to be no hope in sight until an unsuspecting witness came to the front.

Gaius of all people had given his testimony, exposing every bit of collusion and dirty deals Varis had a hand in, debunking every lie that Varis had ever spewed, every promise he had intended to break. He had offered himself up for arrest for taking part in Varis’ crimes, even if he had been manipulated into thinking it was for the better of Kugane.

But with Varis gone, and his heir missing, what would happen to Galvus industries?

Cid would receive everything from the corporation, from shares to assets to the building itself. Cid, being the philanthropist he is, decided there was no use of him having so much extra wealth on top of what he already had, and decided to spend the rest of his days giving the money to charities and actually improving the city he now called home.

Said city of course let Lord Hien serve another term. Lord Hien, being an honest man, did not hide his taking part of your operation to stop Varis. With full transparency he informed the public of why he made the decisions he did, assuring them he had not taken out Varis for power, but had kept a tyrant from taking over their country.

When you ask what had become of Elidibus, everyone only stares at you in confusion. You try to describe him to the best of your ability, but all it seems to do is make people more concerned for your mental health by trying to make them remember someone who never existed. Hoping you had not gone off the deep end, it is only when you try to search for him on the internet do you realize his entire existence has been erased.

No notes of him being prime minister of Garlemald, no notes of him having a casual friendship with Vris. As if he had been a figment of your imagination.

Only when you reach for the back of your neck and feel the telltale pulse of your tattoo do you know it wasn’t all a dream.

Taking a deep breath, you finally answer Cid. “I...am well.”

“Good,” Cid breathes, and just hearing his voice makes you yearn for his company. You hope he’ll visit soon. “All good on funds? Need any extra change?”

“Cid, you already wire me nearly 500,000 gil a month; I couldn’t do anything else with more of it.” You grumble as you pick up some chicken breasts and place them in your basket.

“Hey, that money isn’t just for you. I know you want to keep baby Aldynn a secret, but he is still the rightful heir of the Galvus inheritance, and with me in charge of the funds I’ll ensure he gets it. The best time to start saving for college is now,”

“Cid.” you sigh, padding your way to prepare to checkout. Thankfully the lines aren’t too long this time of day. “Aldynn is barely a year old. I don’t have to start thinking about college for another decade and a half.”

“I know, I know…” Cid grumbles, and you can’t help but feel a little bad. Cid really did mean well, being every bit the overprotective uncle you knew he’d be. “I just worry. And I miss you.”

Smiling sadly, you begin to hand your items to the cashier to checkout. “I miss you too, Cid.”

“And better me to call you than Merlwyb, eh? You know we’re practically monitoring her bank account to make sure she hasn’t bought another round trip ticket to Eorzea.” Cid laughs, prompting you to snicker as you hand your payment to the cashier.

“I don’t know what she worries so much for...she really should work through her guilt…” you muse quietly, thanking the cashier as they help load your bags back into your basket.

“She will, in time. Granted, I'm sure the statue they are about to erect of Raubahn down at the police station will reopen some old wounds for a little bit.” Cid laments, both of you silent for a second. “You may be seeing her come over sooner than you’d like. Your statue,”

You stop in place as you glare angrily at the phone glued to the side of your face. “My statue?”

“Shit,” Cid curses under his breath. “Yeah, I fucked that one up. Sorry, Honey.” Cid apologizes, but you’re already fuming as you make your way out to the parking lot.

“I already said I didn’t want a statue! That Chief Raubahn was the only one who deserved it for his sacrifice!” You huff and puff, practically throwing your groceries into your trunk in frustration.

“I know, I know, but you know Merlwyb can be very convincing and very intimidating…” Cid winces as he tries to calm you down. “It’s just going to be a nice little statue in one of the parks, I promise. Merlwyb was prepared to give you an entire fountain--”

“Well thanks for making her show some restraint.” You drone sarcastically, slamming the trunk lid closed. You swear you were going to give that woman a piece of your mind. “Anyway, I appreciate the call Cid. I’m about to drive back home and cook dinner. Gotta send the babysitter on their way.”

“Of course, Honey. Take care.”

The call ends and you pull out of the parking lot, driving your humble car back out of the city. You took to Gridania almost immediately, the climate not too different from Kugane, though the entire country was packed with trees and native flora. You didn’t mind it though, having picked up gardening as a little side hobby as a result. You most likely wouldn’t try and go back into any line of work until baby Aldynn started going to school, which wouldn’t be for a few years yet.

Adjusting to an entirely new life hadn’t been easy, but you needed to just get away from everything. When you were fit to be released from the hospital after the whole ordeal, the outside of the hospital was packed with press, so much so that the only way out of there undetected was with Ardbert’s help since he wasn’t as prominent a figure as Cid or Merlwyb.

You were dodging letters and emails and phone calls every hour of every day it felt like, people badgering you about how you stayed undercover for so long, about how you had saved Merlwyb from being killed alongside Raubahn, about your supposed romance with the heir who had mysteriously gone missing--

It was Lyse and Y’Shtola’s idea that you leave Kugane.

You couldn’t have been any happier to finally reunite with them, the two of them crying their eyes out as they are finally allowed to see you, weeping about how they saw you on the news and how worried they were and for you to never leave their sight again.

You had thought to do just that, but even they could see your mental health continue to deteriorate. You couldn’t even leave your own apartment for fear of being recognized in public, unsure if people would question your “heroic deeds” or ask you things far too personal to answer. It was with their encouragement you got the idea to leave the country and start anew, and what better time to do so when you were halfway through your pregnancy? A pregnancy that against all odds, your unborn child had been just as strong as its parents.

Which, as hard as it was for you to admit, made you wonder if Aldynn would have some kind of freakish strength as he got older. No matter how many doctors checked you, after the sting operation, they said that both mother and baby were the perfect picture of health. While you were overjoyed that you would not have to deal with the trauma of a miscarriage, you can’t steer your mind from darker thoughts that your baby might have been the invincible weapon Varis had been hoping for.

Pulled from your thoughts as your phone rings, you activate the hands free calling, noticing it is your babysitter. “Hello, Zhloe. I know you’re probably eager to get home, I just left the grocery store a little while ago--”

“Oh don’t worry about it! Aldynn is safe with his father!”

Your heart stops.

“Excuse me?” you ask, voice tight but making sure to not lose your cool. While an adult, Zhloe was a very kindhearted, yet unfortunately naive individual. She lived with her younger sister down the road where they ran an animal sanctuary, the two of them orphaned when they were young but maintaining their good hearts regardless.

“Yes! I had left the house a little while ago, but a man knocked on the door. I asked who he was and he told me he was looking for you. I told him very nicely to go away at first because I thought he was a stranger, but when I got a good look at him through the window, I saw he looked just like Aldynn. I asked how he knew you, and he said he was Aldynn’s father.”

Your foot floors the gas before you can stop yourself. You had told her nothing of your past; for all you knew whatever stranger she let in your house could be out for revenge. “Zhloe, I hate to tell you this, but Aldynn’s father,”

“It’s okay, Ms. Honey, I won’t tell anybody! When I asked him questions about you, he answered all of them and that made me sure he wasn’t a stranger. I’ll admit, I had always wondered about Aldynn’s father, but it makes sense he was off in the military like he said. If you guys ever need a date night, just give me a call! He’s so handsome too...you really hit the jackpot!”

“Zhloe, wait--”

“I’m going to get dinner ready for me and Khloe. Have a good night!”

The phone call ends, and you decide not to try and call back to not worry the poor woman. She surely meant well, but you can’t stop your heart from leaping out of your chest as you turn onto the road that has you exit the city and leads to your countryside home.

It’s not possible, you keep telling yourself as you blaze down the street, passing cars like you’re in a street race. Could one of Varis’ old goons have found you, wanting revenge? Would they hold your baby hostage? It’s not possible, it’s not possible--

You’re practically drifting into the driveway of your home, kicking up dirt as you wrench the car to a stop, practically flailing as you kick the car door open. “Aldynn!” You cry. You can see the light on in his room upstairs. Your baby is in danger, he’s in danger--

Shoving the keys into the lock, you fling the door open, running down the entrance hallway and straight into the living room. Your living room is completely empty and you can see nobody in the kitchen or dining area. The house is quiet, not even the sound of your baby crying. Did they already get him? Is he gone--

“I would keep it down,” a voice calls from upstairs, “our son is sleeping.”

It’s not possible.

Halfway near tears, you numbly climb the stairs, afraid of what you might find.

You know that voice.

A single light fills the hallway from Aldynn’s room, and you hear not so much as a whimper from your babe. He knows he is safe, knows he is in no danger.

It’s not possible.

Reaching the doorway, Aldynn’s room is exactly as you left it, and so is your son. Not a hair out of place, his chubby face relaxed and asleep, entirely content in the muscular arms of the man who rocks him gently in his arms. With golden hair like your son’s adorning the man’s shoulders, there is no doubt of who is holding your child.

Blue eyes land upon you, twinkling with mirth. Pouty, pink lips pull into a taunting smile.

“Hello, my love.”

[takonei]

Beta AU - Main story, Chapter 5, daily life (Part 4)

Note of the author: I had a stroke writing this and you will have a stroke reading this. Sincerely: me.

Chapter 5: An oath to one’s lost humanity - Daily life

...

"It hurts."

"It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts."

"Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts."

"It... It hurts..."

"It hurts... It hurts so much..."

...

...

--

Day 20 since the beginning of the game.

8:00 AM.

The morning announcement rang as usual. Shuichi slowly woke up.

Tomorrow could be the end of humanity itself or the end of the killing game. There weren't any other fates awaiting for them.

Hopefully, they would manage to get through the exisal hangar and destroy them.

Kaito's idea may be completely crazy, but that type of madness is what they need right now.

The others were probably waiting for him, so he got dressed up and immediately left to go to the dining hall.

He didn't encounter anyone on his way, though.

Once he entered, he noticed Kirumi was already there with Miu.

"Hello there." Kirumi greeted him.

Shuichi took a seat next to her. "Have you two slept well?"

Miu scoffed. "I slept like someone who's fate is decided tomorrow. But thank you for asking."

It's not like they could have anything else on their minds.

The three started eating in silence.

Kaito and Kokichi came in soon after.

Of course, Rantaro and Ryoma were still in their own labs.

Once they were done, Kirumi left to get Rantaro since Ryoma wouldn't leave his lab until tomorrow.

The medic didn't seem to get better. His empty eyes held the same heaviness for the past three days. The only thing that changed was how good he was at composing himself in front of them- an ability that seemed to worsen over the days, but that no one commented due to how he would potentially react.

"So? Did Ryoma finish the weapons?" Kaito asked.

"He said he'll be done by the end of the morning. After we eat lunch, I'll get the weapons and you guys will be able to enter the hangar." he replied.

After lunch... It was fine. They would have enough time. And besides, he could prepare himself mentally for this operation.

"Hold on, you're not coming?" Miu asked.

He shook his head. "Nah. There are still things I need to do. Besides I don't think all of us going will be useful. Can I leave this to you guys?"

"Don't worry, we'll take care of these, no sweat!" Miu gave him a thumbs-up.

Rantaro had a point. There were only five exisals. Six of them going would be a waste of time.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Kokichi glanced at the others.

"Well, we can still train, right?" Miu suggested. "It can be useful for later!"

"While on the subject of training..." Kirumi mildly raised a hand. "It has come to my attention that someone here might need more than just training."

Shuichi felt her eyes on him.

"I will take Shuichi with me for this morning if none of you are against the idea."

He swallowed.

The others didn't comply, to his dismay. He glanced at Kaito whose eyes simply said: "Good luck."

Training with Kirumi was probably going to be the most painful experience yet.

The group separated, Rantaro still going to do... 'His own business' as he puts it in his lab and the rest of them left to do their own training.

He followed Kirumi to Tenko's lab. He didn't even want to know what she was going to do to him.

Unless... She had ulterior motives?

Once inside, Kirumi closed the door.

"So."

Shuichi turned to her.

"Now that we are alone, we can finally talk in peace."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"We are not going to be able to talk to Ryoma until the time limit. That's going to be very problematic."

"Y-Yeah..."

Should he talk about how he found Rantaro yesterday? At the same time, this looked like a really personal matter, but Kirumi was the only one he could talk to about the situation.

"We're going to have to proceed differently. Forcing him wouldn't help, I know that, but when I went to get him, he was asleep on his desk. And I mean 'collapsed' asleep." she explained.

"Huh? What was he even doing in his lab?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Beats me. There were different products on the table. Different types of painkillers, from weak to very strong ones."

He hummed. "Were all the bottles opened?"

"I did not make a thorough inspection, but overall most of them were opened at some point, I think."

Shuichi thought back at what could possibly have happened in the lab. And more importantly, the syringe he managed to get a glimpse of. Did it have anything to do with it?

After a moment of silence, Kirumi sighed, rubbing her eyes. "This guy really is giving me a headache."

He couldn't disagree. At least with Kokichi, they knew what was wrong and now know how to avoid problems when it comes to his trauma, but they didn't even know what was up with Rantaro since he refused to talk to anyone other than presumably Ryoma. And the latter didn't talk to anyone else either.

"So... What do we do?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "... You have Kiyo's notebook, correct?"

His eyes widened. Of course!

"Y-Yes, hold on..."

He rummaged through his pocket and took out the small, dark blue notebook of the now-deceased therapist.

"Kiyo trusted you with this notebook. Not me. It's for you to make a decision whether you tell me what it says about Rantaro or not."

She was right... He did judge Kirumi trustworthy enough, but he still hid things from her.

"... I think I'll judge after I read it."

She closed her eyes. "Understood."

The mercenary looked back at him. "For now we should keep a very close eye on him. Even more than ever."

"Do you think we should go to his lab?"

She slightly shook her head. "I will go alone. For efficiency purposes."

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "What will we tell the others?"

After a short silence, she made a quick movement under her skirt and took out her monopad, before putting it on the ground.

"You will stay here to read the notebook while I try to check on him. I will not be gone for long, but if the others do end up getting here before I come back, just tell them I had to get something in my room."

He nodded. "U-Understood."

But before she left, he muttered some words.

"... I didn't know you would care so much about him."

She stopped in her tracks.

There was a moment of silence. Had he said anything wrong?

"If that is how you see it. I simply feel like we should make sure he doesn't end up hurting himself."

The mercenary closed the door behind her.

... Kirumi was also a mystery, in some way. While Rantaro helped from the light, she was helping from the shadows.

Even if she hadn't gained the trust of everyone -even sometimes hated for her talent-, she was the only one aside from him to see through Rantaro's decomposing cover and willing to investigate.

His eyes stayed fixated on the door for a while.

Perhaps he should start reading the therapist's notes.

How was that thing even organized?

There were several bookmarks of different colors. Some were folded, some were not.

He opened the first page.

Angie Yonaga - Ultimate craftswoman

Upon a quick glance, he realized everyone was listed in alphabetical order. As for the bookmarks, he tried to see why some were folded, but he quickly put two and two together when he realized only eight of them were not folded.

To read them all would be useless at this point. He turned the pages when he stumbled upon Kirumi's.

What had the therapist deduced about her? Perhaps it could have answers to some of his questions.

He shook his head. The mercenary had left to check on the medic, and his role was to read about him.

Perhaps he still could try to look after reading his part.

He turned the pages to find the green, unfolded bookmark.

Rantaro Amami - Ultimate war medic

He took a deep breath and started reading.

-

Day 1 report.

Like for everyone else, I am using this notebook to keep track of everyone's behavior, and possibly help them adapt to this environment.

I did not have time to talk much to Rantaro, but he is of the people who stood out the most to me. He seems to already want to take the lead- in a good way. I can sense he has the instinct to do so. He says he is a war medic, I wonder if he was the chief of a crew or if it's just in him to lead people in dangerous situations. Both are plausible, but I shall study him more to see what enabled this behavior.

I do wonder if he has any sort of trauma linked to war, though.

-

Shuichi almost forgot there was a time Rantaro was the true 'leader' of the group. It felt like an eternity since then. So many things happened from the moment they were captured to now. Half of them have died already and there was a possibility the rest of them would die tomorrow, killing off the last glimmer of hope for humanity.

But the last sentence of the paragraph made him wince. It reminded him of how innocent he seemed back then- before almost killing him.

If Kiyo had a feeling on the first day, then surely he would have gotten more info about it over the days.

-

Day 6 report.

Rantaro is once again taking the lead by making us watch all of our motive videos to gain our memories back. I thought he was going to get us not to watch the videos, but I was proven wrong. He is more of a strategist than I thought. I do wonder if he has any other tricks up his sleeves to face Monokuma or not. He seems to already know someone is going to kill.

This afternoon only confirmed it to me. He seemed extremely forgiving of Miu's murder attempt, although I could also see a hint of uncertainty. Which is normal when you almost died. I hope he manages to play his cards well.

I cannot help but wonder if this side of him is genuine care for her or 'white manipulation' if you could call it that way. He doesn't seem to have any ill intentions, but if Miu learned she was being manipulated (even for a good cause), she would react very badly, I'm certain of it.

For now, I will stay silent, as I do not know his intentions completely, and to throw accusations would destroy the work he has started.

But if Rantaro is indeed able to manipulate people into acting according to his plans, I can't help but worry about what he could possibly do in the future.

I do hope he will not have to do this again, even though that is necessary, to an extent.

-

"White manipulation...?" Shuichi muttered.

He did notice how well Rantaro could act. Now he wonders if back then he had only done this to make her side with them.

He does feel bad though, to know that there was a possibility Rantaro was only taking advantage of Miu's feelings for him, completely disregarding the love and respect she had for him.

Shuichi really did hope there was at least a glimpse of sincerity in his words.

But right now, manipulating them? He indeed wanted everyone to act according to his plan to stop Monokuma, but now he wasn't so sure if there were any other intentions behind it or not. Rantaro never attempted murder... if he didn't count 'that' time. He saw it for himself: He was the most useful in the trials, always pointing out details on either the autopsy and major clues to continue.

Right now he was alone in his lab -with possibly Kirumi-, Ryoma was in his own lab and the others were training. But... that was necessary if they wanted to stand a chance against Monokuma.

... Perhaps he should continue reading.

-

Day 8 report.

Both Kaede and Maki are dead, but the trial let me see strange facets of some of them. Especially Rantaro.

He looks so dedicated to his job, I don't think I've ever seen such loyalty before. As Tsumugi was pushing him over and over again in the hope of getting info out of him, he felt insulted at the theory he would betray us. The emotion he put through his speech- that was genuine. A genuine pride and honor tied to his title as the ultimate war medic. He even insisted he would rather die than betray us.

While I am rather glad someone seemed genuine in his words of never committing treason, it stills makes me feel... Uneasy. I did feel chills hearing that last sentence.

“And I would rather die than to betray this loyalty I swore to myself.”

Those are definitely not the words of a normal person. I can tell he has gone through a lot as a soldier, but then again he never seemed to show any explicit signs of trauma.

I feel like I can trust him. He seems reliable enough as well as a very intelligent person who was a great help during those two trials. And while I do hope we are not going to get a third trial, I am pretty sure he would be just as useful if that happens.

While some of his methods are a bit unorthodox, they do end up being efficient in the end. To entrust Ryoma with his lab key so he wouldn't be able to be pinned for a crime was a smart move. I do hope no one gets the wrong idea with him, though.

As for hiding Miu's murder attempt... He managed to be extremely rational and not let his emotions take the better of him. He could have told everyone about it but preferred to gain her trust instead. Although as I said a few days ago, I do not know for sure if this is about genuine care or manipulation.

Miu did try to kill for her son but backed down because she was unable to actually do it. I think Rantaro sensed her will to fight and is trying to turn it against Monokuma. That's what we are all supposed to do but are too afraid to act because of the consequences. He is trying to redirect us to the path he judges right.

Overall I do not see him as our enemy, but rather as one of the people I trust the most, for now. I hope I will not get proven wrong over time.

-

'Unorthodox methods' was an understatement.

Shuichi was ready to tell the others about what Miu did, but Rantaro had immediately decided not to. Any normal person would lock her and make sure she couldn't harm anyone else, but he decided to give her a chance, and he was right to do so. That was a huge gamble that paid off in the end.

And to enable their will to fight, not against each other but against Monokuma... That was what he called white manipulation.

He thought about the time he and Kaito had gone to his lab during the third investigation. When they learned Rantaro had kept the lethal aspect of his products a secret. It was like he had managed to plan everything in advance extremely quickly.

Shuichi supposed it's his own talent that granted him this sense of organization.

But Kiyo explicitly said he never showed any worrying signs... Which didn't help in the slightest.

-

Day 10 report.

Rantaro has volunteered to take care of the ones touched by the despair disease. It is a noble gesture, and a part of me knew that was going to be the case.

Right now there are no more 'leaders' since he will not be with us to limit the risks of contamination. He even asked Himiko not to stay here too much. And while I cannot talk to him face to face, his words still feel genuine.

As a war medic, he should know better than us about this type of situation, so in the meantime, I shall help those who have trouble coping with the killing game.

He looks trained enough to do his job and I trust him for this. For now, I should focus on those I can talk to.

-

Nothing much to learn here...

Kiyo doesn't seem to doubt Rantaro, but he does not give any sort of information that would help him.

-

Day 12 report.

Rantaro started giving me mixed feelings. I feel like half of what he says is genuine, and the other half feels... Not exactly wrong, but forced. Like he is forcing himself to act in certain ways. To do certain actions.

Himiko, Keebo and Angie died today. I'm still having a hard time processing it all. But right now I am focusing on things I noticed in Rantaro's attitude.

When most of the group separated to investigate, I stayed with both Ryoma and Rantaro to guard the corpse. Right after everyone left, Rantaro probably became the most expressive I've ever seen him. He was truly mad at Himiko's death, and that was genuine. A feeling of guilt I also sensed after the others' death, but Himiko was the one to stand out the most, and I am sure it is because of her cause of death.

When he found out later the most important parts of Angie's plan were made thanks to his lab, plus the fact she tried to pin the crime on him must have accentuated his guilt. He was trying to hide it so he could solve the trial, but it was there.

The rage against Monokuma when he declared Angie had the bloodlust disease is completely genuine as well, I do not doubt it for one second.

However, when he grabbed Monodam to make him face Himiko's mangled body, he was clearly forcing himself. Was he trying to prove a point to the robots? To encourage us to fight? Or is it something else entirely? I could tell he knew that was not a good idea and that he had the emotional capacity not to snap. He did it with rationality and I cannot tell why he took such risks.

I want to believe in him, but this is starting to worry me. I should try to keep an eye on him.

-

He is.. pretending? But for what?

What would he even prove to Monokuma by threatening his cub? The bears had much more power than him at the time. Taking risks without any reason behind it was not like Rantaro at all. Was Kiyo wrong?

At least it's more than he ever learned. But still, he knew Rantaro was hiding things, but to fake irrationality... Why? He knew showing signs of weakness could cause the others to lose hope, so why do it on purpose when everything he has done up until now is trying to get them to fight Monokuma?

Or was it like the second theory- to encourage them to fight?

Shuichi had no idea what the medic was thinking, although that was not new.

He should read more.

-

Day 14 report.

Once again Rantaro took the lead for the 4th motive.

It's not that I mind, but we will have to stay separate for the most part, and Rantaro seems to want to stay with Ryoma for the time being. The two seem close, now that I think about it. And both often give their inputs in the trials, although Ryoma is a bit more silent. I suppose their experiences as soldiers must have made them closer than with anyone else. I do hope I am not wrong by making this assumption.

Although there is something that worries me. Ever since Himiko died, Rantaro seems more on edge. My guess is that since her death was more brutal than the executions themselves added to the fact that he was drugged the time this crime was committed, he must think he could have done better and even save her had he been less 'careless'. I do not know if he knows that it is not his fault, unfortunately. I can only hope. If someone had asked me a few days ago, I would have said with no hesitation that he knew that. But now I'm not so sure anymore.

He may have faked his reaction back in the shrine of judgment, but if more actions end up feeling genuine, I might have to step in.

-

Himiko's death had shocked everyone, not just Kokichi. Even though the boy was the most mournful, they all deeply missed the astronomer.

Her death changed them all in some way. Miu became way more motherly, Kiyo acted on his own because he judged he was the one to blame for this, Kokichi was torn apart because his disease was the reason she died, and now Shuichi learns that Rantaro was actually feeling the exact same guilt as everyone else.

But finally, he was getting a glimpse of what was wrong- something related to his past on the battlefield and the guilt he is holding.

Surely Kiyo would have...

...

... He didn't have time to get any more information, did he?

This note was written one day before his plan to stop the supposed mastermind. He didn't have time to write more.

However, there was one last note, hastily scribbled on the last page. It looked like Kiyo was in a rush when writing it.

-

This is the final note I shall write. Everything has gone wrong, and Shuichi, since you are probably the one reading this, I am sorry for lying to you all. I am sorry for betraying you and I shouldn't have made this disastrous plan in the first place, but I need to write this.

It's not that I'm distrusting Rantaro, but something is deeply wrong. Something I don't have an explanation for, and of course I cannot ask him because I have to pretend to investigate with you all.

But the way he was standing, the heaviness in his eyes, the way he reacted to Tsumugi's death, this intense guilt in his expression... It's not something I've ever seen before from him. He always had a comforting smile and a genuine will to help. But now it's different. It's like he completely shut down, only leaving an empty shell deprived of reason.

But that doesn't make any kind of sense. He didn't show even a single sign of trauma up until very recently. Not a single time. I've noticed his actions started feeling off during the motive and brushed it off because I was focusing on the mastermind, but there was a hint of hesitation, of uncertainty that was never present in him. But now that Tsumugi is dead, he has been showing those signs of trauma -whether it is indeed PTSD or something worse- more than ever.

I fail to see the meaning of this, but that may be because I didn't have time to talk to him at all. He might have just completely snapped all at once. It's very rare to be able to swallow all the pain that well, but if we keep in mind his early life, that actually might not be that much of a stretch.

Anyway, I know this is going to be hard considering he is not the type to let himself crumble -besides the eventual faking-, but I need you guys to keep an eye on him and possibly help him with this. He is the one who will need it the most.

I will not be here to help you and I don't have the time to write methods on how to deal with PTSD, and I do not know how to deal with war trauma of all things. Added to the fact I didn't get to witness it much, all I can say is good luck. I know you can help with patience and perseverance.

I have faith in you all.

-

...

...

A note before the trial. The last thoughts of the therapist about them. But...

What did this even mean?

Somehow he could understand the 'shut down' part due to what he witnessed these last few days... But he could not even apprehend anything else on this note.

"He showed subtle signs and then... broke d-

The door opened, startling him. He instinctively closed the notebook, letting out a high-pitched noise. "Ah!-"

Kirumi stared at him for a moment. "... I'm back."

"I-I can see that."

She approached him. "So? Anything new?"

Shuichi looked back at the notebook for a moment. "He... never mentions any sort of trauma. Only that it seemed... sudden."

The mercenary raised an eyebrow. "Sudden...?"

"He said he only showed very subtle signs of trauma but never mentioned anything else about it. Only that he seemed to have snapped when Tsumugi died."

She pondered for a moment. "... Which does not help us apprehend the situation at all."

"He only mentioned PTSD or 'maybe worse', but he never got to talk to Rantaro about it."

"Rantaro stayed with the ill ones during the third motive, and we had to stay separated during the fourth motive. So I can understand that part."

Shuichi stared at the notebook for a moment. "Was the mastermind... trying to do that?"

She looked back at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Trying to separate Rantaro from Kiyo- the therapist. Rantaro is one of the smartest ones here... Were they trying to make sure those two couldn't talk?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I am starting to think this is a possibility."

"They have managed to manipulate Kiyo, I wouldn't be surprised if they took Rantaro's trauma at their advantage. To exploit the weaknesses of the ones causing them the most trouble."

He winced at the thought. "Which means we'll have to keep an eye on him at all times... If he lets us."

"Which I doubt he will. You should know Rantaro by now as well as I do."

He could only agree.

"Wait, how did it go? Did you... talk to him?"

She went silent for a moment. "I did confront him, yes."

He felt his heart skip a beat. "S-So...?"

"He refuses to say anything. I did try to ask him to join us in our training and at least be with someone, but he snapped at me saying he already trains alone, and has the medicine to prepare. I couldn't get a single thing out of him."

"Oh..."

There was a long silence.

"Should we... train anyway?"

"Sure. What I do is more of an aiming exercise than something physical. A technical exercise, if you will."

At least he wouldn't get exhausted this time.

Kirumi first gave him a simple exercise with the target and the darts from Kokichi's lab, which at first didn't sound too bad. That is, until they changed the difficulty from 'peaceful' to 'throwing knives at a moving target.' At least his aim at the end of the training was decent.

Finally, Kokichi went to get them for lunch.

After that, Rantaro would get the weapons and they would finally make their way to the exisal hangar.

Hopefully, his plan would work.

They reunited, but lunch was pretty silent as they didn't have much to say.

After eating, they stood up.

"So? What about those weapons?" Kaito asked.

"I will go to Ryoma's lab. You guys can still train in the meantime if you want." the medic replied.

Did that mean it was going to take longer than expected?

Either way, Rantaro was already on his way.

"So... What do we do now?" Kokichi looked at the others.

"I guess we're back on preparing ourselves." Kaito shrugged. "Not like we have much to do."

"Then how about we go to the warehouse? There are still the dumbells here!" Miu suggested. "And you will have to train your strength one day or another!" she pointed at Kokichi.

"O-Okay??"

They made their way here. But as soon as Miu started going through the boxes, the lights suddenly turned off.

They stood there for a moment. The sun still shone through the windows, but the additional lights were gone.

"Weird... Aren't they always turned on?" Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"That is strange. None of us pressed a switch or anything similar." Kirumi noted.

"I'm guessing the power went out..." Shuichi noted. "But it never happened in the academy, did it?"

Kaito shook his head. "Nope. Not even once."

"Well, I guess there's a first time for everything." Miu shrugged. "Should we go outside instead?"

They didn't have many solutions. It was still too dark to do proper training.

The group made their way outside. Since Rantaro would soon come with the weapons, they decided to do simple exercises outside.

Shuichi was still anxious about this. Sure, he knew a way to open the hangar, but would the weapons work? Surely, Monokuma would try to do something, right?

Who knows.

Around fifteen minutes, later, Kaito broke the silence. "What's taking him so long? I know Ryoma's lab is on the fifth floor but still."

"Agreed..." Shuichi muttered.

"Should we go and see what happened? Maybe the blackout did something." Miu suggested.

"No need for it. He's right here." Kirumi said, head turned towards the main door where Rantaro just appeared.

He had a backpack that Shuichi assumed to be full.

He approached the group, put the bag on the ground, and opened it.

"Those are the weapons we used for the tunnels and new ones. There are now grenades in there that are powerful enough to do heavy damage, so be careful keeping a safe distance when activating them. You guys should be able to disable the exisals with that." Rantaro explained.

Grenades powerful enough to destroy exisals?

That was definitely not what he had in mind, but... Perhaps they could change their plans, if Kaito accepts giving up on his dream to pilot the exisals.

"So you are still not coming with us?" Kirumi asked.

The medic thought for a moment.

"... Perhaps it should be better if I go with you guys indeed."

Rantaro didn't say anything as he distributed the weapons to everyone. The grenades looked very small compared to the damage they are supposed to do. They were about the size of a tennis ball, with Ryoma's sigil printed on them. They were a bit heavier than what Shuichi expected an item of this size to be, but it wasn't too bothering.

"Shuichi, I really do hope your method will work." Kaito said.

"Even if it doesn't, I'm pretty sure these will be enough to destroy the door." Rantaro eyed him.

He did hope this would work indeed. Not that he disliked the bombs, but it still worried him.

They made their way to the exisal hangar.

Shuichi noticed the lights were still on, which meant the blackout hadn't touched the hangar.

"That's weird... I thought the blackout happened in the entire academy." he noted.

"Yeah, that's right! Is it because it only touched the main building or something?" Miu added.

"Strange. Rantaro, did you also get it on the fifth floor?" Kirumi asked.

"I did experience it. Fortunately, there were emergency lights in Ryoma's lab. He said he'll work a way to create a sustainable light source in case this ends up being a long term problem."

Shuichi wondered if all the labs had those. Probably, but he would have to check sometime.

This made him worry about the state of the academy. Perhaps throwing bombs around and using hacking guns could do serious damage, and without electricity and thus heating, refrigerators, and many other essential elements in the academy. they were better off dead.

At last, they reached the shutter.

"So? Will you finally tell us your technique?" Kaito asked again.

Shuichi nervously approached the pad where he had to type the password.

"... Kokichi, could you come here for a second?"

"Um... Sure..."

The smaller boy placed himself next to him. "What... do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Let me just..." He placed a hand on the keys, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

He could sense the others silently wondering what he was up to.

"... Actually no. Miu, can you come here too, please?"

She raised an eyebrow. "O...kay? What's the big deal?"

"I want you to press keys at random until I say stop."

They all looked at him with dumbfounded eyes -except Rantaro, who somehow already knew what the plan was-.

"What the fuck?! That's your plan?" Miu exclaimed.

"There's one in a trillion of a trillion chance she'll get it right! Did you seriously think this would work?!" Kaito added.

"No, it can work."

Everyone turned to Rantaro.

"There is a chance it can work. Right Kokichi?"

The smaller boy jumped. "Y-Yes... I think she can do it."

"If karma is fully on her side, then I think she can get this one in a billion chances."

Her eyes widened and turned to the violinist. "You planned to use karma for this??"

He nodded. "That's why I'm asking you to type the code. You out of all of us are the most likely to succeed."

The street artist felt the gazes of her friends on her.

"I... I'll try."

She placed her hands on the pad. "So... I just type random numbers?"

"Yes, don't think while you type. And stop the exact moment I tell you to."

She paused in front of the pad. Shuichi closed his eyes to focus.

Miu closed hers as well and started typing, the beeping echoing through the room.

The intervals between the noises were short, but keeping track of them wasn't much of a problem.

beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep-

"STOP!"

Miu instinctively took her hands off. "Is it good?"

Shuichi swallowed. "I think we can press enter."

He was very nervous. He really hoped this would work.

tic!

A loading logo appeared on the pad, everyone staring at the machine with anxiousness.

Password correct!

Shuichi's eyes widened. "It... worked?"

Miu laughed and started ruffling his hair. "It worked! Shuichi, you're a genius!"

"I-I guess? Thank you?"

"And thanks for the karma, Kokichi! We couldn't have done it without you!"

He weakly smiled. "T-Thanks, Miu."

Kaito cracked his knuckles. "Alright! Now that this thing's open we can get in!"

"We shouldn't let our guard down. We don't know if Monokuma is ready to stop us or not." Kirumi advised.

"Agreed." Rantaro added.

They proceeded with caution as the door opened for them.

They slowly entered the hangar, checking every side to see if the bear was here to stop them.

... But nobody came.

"So." Rantaro approached the first exisal with his hacking gun, pointing it at the machine. "If the gun works, the exisal opens."

Kokichi looked unsure. "And... What if it doesn't?"

The medic shot a quick glance at him.

"... Then we're blowing this place up."

Shuichi felt his heart skip a beat. When he had requested weapons to Ryoma... This isn't what he had in mind in the slightest.

"H-Hold on! Ain't that a tad too dangerous?" Kaito exclaimed.

"Well, do you have any other plans?"

The biker went silent. "N-No..."

"If they don't open with the guns, we have no choice but to destroy them."

He took the grenade to look at it. "Ryoma made these specifically to destroy them. He is the ultimate weapons maker, I'm pretty sure those bombs are more than enough."

Shuichi was still worried. If Ryoma's bombs were as powerful as he just said, weren't there risks they would hurt or even kill themselves?

He could only hope the guns would work.

Rantaro pointed the gun at the blue exisal and shot it five times.

But it didn't move.

"Perhaps we should check if we can open it." Kirumi suggested.

She approached the engine and tried to move it...

... Without success.

"S-So the guns don't work?" Miu asked, already knowing what's coming.

"Nope. That means the system to open them isn't electric, but mechanical. We can't do anything with the guns." Rantaro noted.

Kirumi crossed her arms. "I had inspected them several times the day we discovered the hangar. They don't have an opening mechanism that can be used by hand."

"Then... We have to destroy the exisals?" Shuichi looked at the two.

"... We don't have a choice."

He didn't expect Miu to say that.

"We have a way to put an end to this, so let's blow these up!"

"Are you sure about this?" Kaito turned to her.

She nodded. "If you want to, you can wait for us outside. Just give your bomb and we'll take care of it!"

Since Kaito couldn't run, to escape the explosion would be hard. Perhaps he should indeed distance himself so he wouldn't have to risk his life.

The biker gave his bomb to Miu and left.

"See you soon, good luck!" He waved at Miu, who waved back. "Gotcha!"

Everyone had their bombs in hand.

"You pull the grip, throw next to the exisals and run away as fast as you can. Ryoma told me we have ten seconds to run before they explode. Which should give us enough time to distance ourselves from the explosion. Got it?"

Shuichi nodded.

"3..."

He held firmly the grenade.

"2..."

Hand on the trigger, hoping this would go well.

"1..."

He was about to pull the grip, but-

"AHEM!"

A familiar robotic voice was heard from behind them.

A voice they all hated.

They all turned around to see Monokuma had made his apparition.

"My, my! That was quite the elaborated plan! I'm sad you guys don't put that much effort into killing! To use Kokichi's karma to open the door, then grenades to destroy the exisals? I didn't think you would go that far!"

... Well. Shit.

Of course, Monokuma would barge in at some point. It was about time he did something to annoy them.

"However, that would be very unfortunate for me if you guys end up destroying my precious exisals!"

Rantaro glared at him. "You just had to ruin our plans, didn't you? I was surprised you didn't show up sooner."

"I wouldn't call it 'ruining your plans'. You see, I call it 'Killing game management'!"

Kirumi rolled her eyes. "So? Stop beating around the bush and tell us what you're planning to do."

He groaned. "Impatient, aren't we? Let me at least make things enjoyable for our audience!"

Kaito looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "Stop fucking around, you stupid dramatic theater kid. No one is watching and no one cares."

"Fine! Fine! I simply added an additional rule for our lovely stay at the academy! Make sure to keep it in mind!~"

Shuichi took out his monopad that just vibrated and turned it on to see the new rule.

#17: Any person damaging the headmaster's personal property (Exisals, kids) will be faced with punishment.

"Oh, come on!" Miu yelled. "Couldn't you tell us sooner?!"

"Puhuhu! Why would I? It was fascinating to watch all of you prepare this meticulous plan, and to almost destroy my precious exisals! By the way..."

The bear took out a set of keys he span around his paw. Four keys, each marked with a color- blue, red, pink, and yellow.

"Those exisals can only be opened by my precious cubs! I would never -ever- give you guys the keys!"

If the cubs had the keys and Monokuma took them back after their deaths, then only Monodam had his key left.

Although that didn't mean he would help them.

"Now, shoo! You wouldn't want to be executed for such an idiotic mistake!"

Shuichi was mad. But he had to restrain himself. He glanced at the others.

They didn't have a choice but to leave, no matter how much they wanted to complete their plan.

The group slowly walked out, disappointed by the outcome of this mission.

They had to go back to the original plan, to fight the exisals once the time limit comes.

Miu explained to Kaito what happened back there, the latter also mad at Monokuma.

"So... What do we do now?" Kokichi asked.

"We'll stick to what we planned to do. You guys continue your training, I'll bring back the bombs to Ryoma."

Shuichi didn't expect anything else.

He thought about the notebook. Should he make an excuse to read more of it? Perhaps he could try to understand better what Kiyo was trying to say, and he was also curious about Kirumi.

But at the same time, he had to train with the others. They wouldn't be able to survive if he doesn't get fit before the next day.

Rantaro left to go to the main building.

Kirumi was keeping an eye on him. She obviously didn't like the idea of leaving him alone.

And neither did Shuichi

"K-Kirumi? You did aiming exercises with Shuichi, right?" Kokichi turned to the mercenary.

"Yes, I did. I am guessing you would like to train with me?"

He nodded. "I know I don't have any kind of brute force, but... I still should try to get better at aiming, right?"

She hummed. "It would be preferable, yes."

Miu put her hands on her hips. "We may have failed now, but we're not giving up! C'mon, Shuichi! I heard from Kaito you weren't exactly the strongest~"

Shit.

"R-Right..." he faked a smile.

Kaito wrapped an arm around his neck. "You're coming with us whether you like it or not!"

He could throw the plan to keep an eye on Rantaro in the trashcan, then.

But they were right on one thing: They needed to train.

They headed to the main building, but noticed the blackout was still happening.

"When will Monokuma bring the lights back? Sheesh, he could at least do that instead of giving us stupid rules." Miu groaned.

"Do we still train here or...?" Kaito crossed his arms.

She hummed. "I guess we can take the dumbells outside. That's gonna be our first exercise!"

... He was going to be the one transporting them, wasn't he?

The trio got to the warehouse, thankfully still illuminated a bit by the sunlight.

"Hey Shuichi! Take those dumbells outside, would ya?" the street artist grinned.

I knew it.

They ended up encouraging him as he transported the heavy box outside. The encouragements didn't do much, but it was still nice to have them by his side.

The three trained for a while. Shuichi was getting better, to the others' pleasure.

Good thing those two were good at motivating.

"I'm... I'm exhausted..."

Kaito laughed. "Alright, alright. We can take a break."

Shuichi laid on the grass and looked up to the sky- or rather the fake sky.

It may be nothing but a screen simulating the day/night cycle, but that was also the symbol of all the efforts the Gofer project scientists had put to ensure their survival.

They could not fail this fight. Not now.

There was a long silence.

...

"Do you think we're going to make it?" he asked.

Ryoma could make weapons, yes, but would that be enough against Monokuma?

Did he have any other trick up his sleeve?

What would... What would the one behind it all do?

"I have hope in us."

As expected, Miu was the one to talk.

"I said it before and I say it again. We can't consider defeat as an option. Whatever is in front of us we will fight it."

"I promised to Kaz that I would live, that I would be one of the salvagers of humanity, and I'm keeping my promise."

"And I want you guys by my side too."

But no matter how many encouragements Miu would give, his worry would never die down.

However, seeing her so determined about this helped a little anyway.

After a long pause, they decided to continue the training, this time he and Miu cheering for Kaito who was trying to run with dumbells. He did end up falling more than once, though.

But every single time he got back up. Sometimes needing help, but overall being more than able to help for the next day.

Perhaps those training sessions did more good than he thought, both physically and mentally.

Some long hours later, they could see the sunset in the distance as they all sat on the ground.

...

"This... This may be the last time we ever see the sun setting. If we can even call it that way." Kaito broke the silence.

Miu groaned. "What did I say earlier?! We are going to fight! And we are going to win!"

"I know! I know! But still!"

Miu turned to the source of this beautiful golden light. "... But I get what you mean."

The screens reflected almost perfectly the colors they used to watch on summer nights, back before the killing game.

When everything was normal.

...

"Oh, you guys are here!"

A voice came from behind- Kokichi.

"Hey there! Have you guys trained well?"

Kirumi, who was accompanying Kokichi, approached the group as well. "We are fine."

The two turned to the sunset as well. A calm and peaceful scene.

A wave of nostalgia hit him. Of summers spent with friends, dancing around the beach with their families watching them.

Moments he wanted so much to live again, but couldn't.

...

"I see things are going well on your side."

Shuichi almost jumped at the voice.

Rantaro had joined them as well, to his surprise.

"I'm glad you guys are still up to this very last battle." he said with a weak smile- a weak smile still not hiding the emptiness in his tired eyes.

"Anytime, sweetie! We're ready to fight!" Miu gave him a thumbs-up.

Shuichi couldn't help but smile as well. "I've been getting stronger thanks to you all. I think... I think we can do this."

"T-That's right! We've been training and I'm sure that with Ryoma's weapons we can end this!" Kokichi exclaimed- although his voice was still lower than most of theirs.

"Then I believe we can survive this fight." Kirumi crossed her arms, her voice low, but confident. "I believe tomorrow this killing game will end."

It was rare hearing such words from her, but they truly felt sincere.

"Then how about we take a break?" Kaito suggested, standing up. "We've been training all day, how about we relax a little?"

Rantaro sighed. "As much as I hate it, I have to agree. Perhaps we should indeed end for today."

Shuichi smiled. Finally, the medic admitted taking a break was necessary.

The group stared off into space.

The sky may be nothing but a pale copy of reality, but those rays of sunlight still warmed their hearts.

They were here. Six of the seven survivors of humanity. And if they were chosen as ultimates to save it, then they were going to fight until their very last breath.

Their journey was coming to an end.

A long and painful journey of what felt like endless suffering.

Tomorrow would mark an end to this game, and they would finally live in peace.

But right now, they just enjoyed the silence. The comforting artificial light from the dome.

Though the wind was not present, Shuichi could almost feel a light breeze on his face.

A calm before the storm, and hopefully then, calmer than they ever have been.

...

Shuichi turned back to the group. "How about we relax for an hour and then we get to dinner?"

"Sounds good to me! I need a shower." Miu stood up as well.

They all agreed, heading back to the dorms.

Shuichi started walking but noticed Rantaro was staring at the building- or the void, most likely.

"Are you okay, Rantaro?"

He turned back to the violinist. "Huh? Sorry, I'm coming."

Once in his room, Shuichi let out a sigh. He really needed a shower as well.

After that, he looked at his monopad. 45 minutes left before going to the dining hall. Perhaps he could finally read a part of Kiyo's notebook.

He sat on his bed and opened it to Kirumi's page.

The violinist may be worried about Rantaro, but he was curious about her as well.

Kirumi Tojo - Ultimate maid (?) mercenary

Shuichi forgot for a moment she was known as the ultimate maid for a while. But if he did note a question mark, did that mean he was doubting her even before the reveal? That wasn't that surprising actually.

-

Day 1 report.

Like for everyone else, I am using this notebook to keep track of everyone's behavior, and possibly help them adapt to this environment.

I do not know this person well, I will admit. However, I am pretty sure she was lying about her talent, at least partially. She may be in a maid outfit, but I have a feeling she is hiding things. I do not wish to point things out so soon. After all, cooperation is the key to survival in a killing game. One simple thing could lead to a disaster.

Who knows what would happen if I exposed her as a liar so soon. Besides, I lack concrete evidence to do so. I should keep an eye on her to see if I can get any information out of her behavior.

-

Even on day 1? Shuichi didn't know what he expected, but certainly not that soon.

Good thing he didn't expose her back then, though. He doesn't even know how he would have reacted.

He did learn it during a trial, which was why he had to brush it off rather quickly to solve the current mystery, but had she been exposed at any other moment he would have probably panicked a lot more.

At least Kiyo knew what consequences it would have had.

-

Day 5 report.

Kirumi is definitely not the ultimate maid.

I have heard from Tsumugi's group that Kirumi wished to stay in her lab for a moment before any of us could even enter. She may have gotten out of her lab afterward, but I have my doubts.

I did end up talking to her, though, in her lab of all places. The lab did look like it belonged to a maid, but something is amiss, I can feel it. And I am pretty sure she knows I know. She looks like she is carefully choosing her words every time she talks to me.

In her lab, our conversation was rather interesting, although I do not doubt for one second that she was lying through her teeth about certain things, mostly her daily life. I have a few theories about what she could be, although my main theory is that she is indeed a criminal, and not the 'robber' type. I would not be surprised if she revealed to have killed people in the past. How many? That I do not know, but she surely did.

I do understand why she stays silent about it, though. Even I, the first day, realized anything can make us crumble. I do not know if we will ever know one day, but knowing Monokuma, he would surely find a way to rat her out.

Although there is one thing that reassures me, is that she does not seem like the serial killer type. If she really took pleasure in killing, she would have done so during the first blood perk motive.

So I am guessing she is a retired mercenary or assassin. I do not know what could have made her stop her career, perhaps I should talk to her once her talent is fully out.

-

Even back then he knew about her being a mercenary, or at least an assassin.

He was really glad he didn't tell anyone. But was it the reason why Kirumi got Maki's motive video instead of hers? Monokuma did blame it on his cubs, but there is a possibility this was on purpose.

After all, how else would she get her talent out in the day? Just seeing her lying about her talent must have given him the will to expose her himself with the second motive.

He was glad Kiyo acted carefully back then.

Back then...

He preferred not to think about the fourth trial again.

-

Day 8 report.

So she is indeed the ultimate mercenary, just as I thought.

A strategical woman who does not wish to take unnecessary risks. She looked unhappy to have her talent exposed by Keebo and Ryoma, which is more than understandable. However, they did not specify if she was retired or not, which worries me a little. But since she is a mercenary and not an assassin, I think she does not wish to kill someone unless there is a reward behind it- most likely money.

Although I fail to understand why she didn't kill anyone during the first blood perk if she knew how to kill. Actually, now that I think about it, it might be because she realized the same thing as me- the fact that Monokuma may or may not have been lying about letting us go scot-free. And since Kirumi is intelligent as well, that is the most plausible possibility. A distrustful and independent nature has its perks.

I will try to talk to her about it during the next few days, but I will have to balance her with a few others, such as Kokichi, Rantaro, and Tsumugi.

-

Kirumi had mentioned retiring if she could, which meant she was indeed still active before the game.

And she did tell him about the reason why she didn't try to kill anyone for the first blood perk. And as Kiyo said, it was because she realized Monokuma may have been lying.

A strategical woman indeed.

But Kiyo also seemed to have realized that Monokuma may have been lying as well, but perhaps he feared the direct consequences of exposing him.

It's not like he could ask him now.

-

Day 9 report.

Kirumi is indeed an interesting person. Now that her talent is out I got to experience her real self. She is still helping with tasks, this time with Miu by her side, that I am glad didn't isolate herself from the group after the incident.

Miu aside, Kirumi seems to have mixed feelings about her own job. That if she had any other opportunity, she would retire, but that circumstances didn't allow her to do so. I did ask her how it was affecting her- to kill people for a living. However, the moment I even tried to talk about the subject, she glared at me and immediately closed herself off. It isn't anything surprising, really. To bring yourself to describe your killing career must be very hard. But in that case, she just doesn't want to, I think.

She doesn't show any signs of trauma, though I could be wrong. Since she is a strategist, she must know that showing weakness could cost her a lot. For now, I will try to focus on other people, since she seems very reluctant to talk about her feelings.

Although she did talk about preferring to end her targets' lives as painlessly and quickly as possible. That making people suffer and torturing them was not part of her job. On that point, I can respect her. She knows killing is wrong, and I can sense a respect for the dead coming from her. A necessity not to kill those who aren't involved with her job.

At least she is more reasonable than I first thought when I heard about her talent as a mercenary.

-

To respect the dead... That was exactly what she talked about a few days ago when she reproached them that they didn't respect those who died and their wishes. Kaito had taken it the wrong way, but this was what she really meant.

When they talked later, Shuichi learned that she wouldn't kill if she didn't have to and that she mostly did so to survive, putting her life before her targets'. It was a selfish mindset, but... Could he blame her?

Killing was horrible, and it is an unforgivable crime. He knew that more than anyone.

But as Kiyo said, at least she hated making people suffer.

He was really glad she was on their side.

-

Day 13 report.

Himiko's death was a shock for everyone. There is no questioning that. But Kirumi's stone-cold facade finally crumbled enough for me to see some specks of humanity in her.

Although she does have experience in killing, her reaction upon seeing Himiko's corpse was almost just as normal as ours. Pure horror. I didn't expect Himiko to be tortured in such a way either. I wanted to vomit.

But to see her shocked about her death proved me right on a point. She does respect the dead a lot. I do not know how exactly she achieved this mentality, but I presume this is because of her job. To watch people suffer weighs a lot on someone's mind, so making things quickly would limit the damage on her psyche.

Deep down she does feel the same horror as us to this madness.

And her last interaction with Angie only intensified this feeling. When she grabbed Kokichi to torment him, Kirumi was the only one who had the nerve to step in and slap her away, denying whatever similarities the two could have, and I suspect this mentality is the 'why'.

Two killers, yet drastically different ideologies, although I do not think I can consider Angie's bloodlust disease as an ideology.

I should try to get through her again if I have the chance.

-

...

There is nothing else in the notebook about her.

Kiyo had stopped writing about the others to focus on his plan. Each time he remembered that, his heart stung. Tsumugi's death, the trial, everything coming after... That was a horrible memory in his mind.

Upon reading Kiyo's statements, Shuichi had an answer to one of the questions he didn't dare to ask Kirumi.

How could she live with so much blood on her hands?

Being a mercenary must be an extremely hard job, especially if you hate killing. So this... this mentality helped her bear through this.

He did wonder if she sometimes wished for her targets to be happy in the afterlife.

... He preferred not to think about it too much.

Shuichi checked his monopad. It was almost time to leave.

After putting his shoes back on, he left the room.

Kaito and Kokichi were already there waiting.

"Oh, are you two waiting for the rest of us?"

The biker smiled. "Yup! We might as well go together, don't you think?"

He nodded. "Yeah... We still have to wait for the others, though."

Time passed, and Miu, Kirumi, and Rantaro left their rooms soon after. They all had noticeably taken a shower, for obvious reasons.

The group went to the dining hall to prepare what could be their last dinner.

They noticed the blackout was finally over, and they could at last cook in peace.

Miu had asked everyone to help- and they did. Shuichi wished Ryoma was there with them, though.

The dinner was nice, although Shuichi could see a hint of nervousness in the entire group.

The last dinner before the end of the killing game, whether they win or lose the fight.

"Alrighty then! We're gonna sleep and tomorrow is the big day! So sleep tight everyone!" Miu announced.

Rantaro chuckled. "I still have some things to do in my lab so go on without me."

How much of it was a lie?

The street artist narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Just don't stay up late. Got it?"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about me, okay?"

She slightly blushed at the remark. "A-Anyway! C'mon guys!"

Shuichi saw Kirumi shooting one last glance at the medic before following the others.

He couldn't do anything but go back to the dorms.

He laid on his bed, wide awake.

He couldn't sleep knowing Rantaro was up to who-knows-what at this point.

Carefully, the violinist opened the door, making sure no one would witness him, and stepped out of the dorms.

He quickly made his way to the main building.

Checking his monopad, he saw Rantaro's icon right in front of Ryoma's lab on the fifth floor, and Ryoma's icon in the lab.

... Were they talking?

Shuichi felt bad, but he didn't have a choice.

He walked through the corridors, but on the stairs leading to the fifth floor, he heard some noise.

Or rather, tapping, coming from both behind the door and from the hallway.

taap, tap tap tap tap, tap. taap tap tap tap, taap taap taap, taap taap, taap tap tap tap, tap tap tap. tap taap taap, tap, tap taap tap, tap. tap tap taap, tap tap tap, tap, tap taap tap tap, tap, tap tap tap, tap tap tap, tap tap taap taap tap tap.

This was from behind the door. And it oddly sounded like...

... Morse code.

A rhythmic tapping of fingers on the door. Quick, but understandable if you are experienced, he supposed.

tap taap taap tap, tap taap tap, tap, taap, taap, taap tap taap taap. taap taap, tap tap taap, taap tap taap tap, tap tap tap tap. taap tap tap tap, tap tap taap, taap. tap tap. tap tap tap tap, tap taap, tap tap tap taap, tap. tap taap, taap tap. tap tap, taap tap tap, tap, tap taap.

This one was from the hallway.

He hadn't mastered morse code at all, he couldn't understand a single thing.

But what if...

Shuichi quietly went down the stairs. If he grabbed a pen and paper, he could try to note the conversation.

If only he could go to Kiyo's lab where he knew were stored many notebooks.

But perhaps Kaede's lab had enough of them as well.

He ran there, grabbed a pen and a notebook, and sprinted back up.

He took out a piece of paper and focused.

taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap. tap tap tap, tap tap taap, tap taap tap, tap. taap, tap tap tap tap, tap tap, tap tap tap. tap taap taap, tap tap, tap taap tap tap, tap taap tap tap.  tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap, taap tap taap, tap tap taap taap tap tap.

It was a bit hard to follow the rhythm, but he could do it. He had to thank his good hearing for that.

tap taap, taap tap tap tap, tap tap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap tap, tap tap taap, taap, tap, tap taap tap tap, taap tap taap taap.

Supposing Rantaro was the one talking here, what is he even saying?

tap tap.  taap, tap taap tap, tap tap taap, tap tap tap, taap.  taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap.  taap tap tap tap, tap tap taap, taap.  taap, tap tap tap tap, tap tap, tap tap tap.  tap tap, tap tap tap. tap tap, taap tap, tap tap tap, tap taap, taap tap, tap. tap tap. tap tap tap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap tap. taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap.  taap tap taap, taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap. taap, tap tap tap tap, tap taap, taap.

taap taap taap, tap tap tap tap. tap tap. taap tap taap, taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap. taap tap tap, taap taap taap, taap tap, taap. tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap, tap taap tap, taap tap taap taap.

A pause.

taap tap tap tap, tap tap taap, taap.  tap tap, tap tap taap tap.  taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap.  taap tap tap, taap taap taap. taap tap tap tap, tap, tap taap tap tap, tap tap, tap, tap tap tap taap, tap. tap taap taap, tap. taap tap taap tap, tap taap, taap tap.  tap tap tap, tap taap, tap tap tap taap, tap.  tap, tap tap tap taap, tap, tap taap tap, taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, taap tap, tap...

... taap, tap tap tap tap, tap, taap tap.  tap tap.  tap taap taap, tap tap, tap taap tap tap, tap taap tap tap.  tap tap taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap tap, tap taap tap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap. taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap.

...

tap tap tap, tap taap, tap tap tap taap, tap.

...

...

tap tap taap taap tap tap.

...

tap tap. tap tap tap tap, tap taap, tap tap tap taap, tap. tap tap taap tap, tap taap, tap tap, tap taap tap tap, tap, taap tap tap. taap taap, taap tap taap taap. taap taap, tap tap, tap tap tap, tap tap tap, tap tap, taap taap taap, taap tap. tap taap taap, tap taap, tap tap tap. tap tap tap, tap tap, taap taap, tap taap taap tap, tap taap tap tap, taap tap taap taap. taaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaaptaaptaaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaptap

Shuichi couldn't even take notes anymore. This was way too fast. He wondered how Ryoma could even understand anything.

taaptaptaaptaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaaptaaptaptaaptaaptaptaaptaaptaptaaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaaptaaptaaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaptaptaptaaptaptaaptaaptaaptaptaaptaptaaptaptaptaaptaaptaaptaap-

BLAM!

Shuichi jumped at the brutal slam on the door, echoing through the large, empty corridors.

There was a long silence.

taap tap taap tap, tap taap, tap taap tap tap, taap taap. taap tap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap, taap tap. tap tap taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap. tap taap. tap tap tap, tap, taap tap taap tap.

taap tap tap tap, tap taap tap, tap, tap taap, taap, tap tap tap tap, tap.

Shuichi could hear Rantaro's heavy breathing from the stairs.

What the hell happened?

He doesn't know how much time he spent waiting for an answer before the tapping came back from behind the door.

taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap. taap taap tap, taap taap taap, taap taap taap, taap tap tap, tap tap taap taap tap tap.

tap tap, taap taap. tap tap taap tap, tap tap, taap tap, tap.

taap tap taap taap, taap taap taap, tap tap taap. tap tap tap, tap tap taap, tap taap tap, tap. tap taap, tap tap tap. tap tap tap tap, tap, tap taap tap tap, tap taap tap tap. tap taap, tap taap tap, tap. taap tap, taap taap taap, taap.

taap tap, taap taap taap, taap. taap, tap tap tap tap, tap taap, taap. tap tap, taap. taap taap, tap taap, taap, taap, tap, tap taap tap, tap tap tap. tap taap tap, tap tap, taap taap tap, tap tap tap tap, taap. taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap.

...

A long pause.

taap, taap taap taap, taap taap, taap taap taap, tap taap tap, tap taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap. tap tap, taap, tap tap tap. taap taap taap, tap tap tap taap, tap, tap taap tap.

tap tap. taap tap taap, taap tap, taap taap taap, tap taap taap.

tap taap taap taap, tap tap taap, tap tap tap, taap. tap tap tap, taap, tap taap, taap tap taap taap. tap tap tap, tap taap, tap tap taap tap, tap.

tap tap. tap taap taap, tap tap, tap taap tap tap, tap taap tap tap.

...

Shuichi felt bad eavesdropping like this.

Perhaps he should leave. This felt so wrong.

He looked away for a moment and left.

He had heard enough.

And he had no right to interfere. If Ryoma was already taking care of the matter, then he had no choice but to leave it to him.

After closing the door of his room, he looked at the notes he had taken.

They looked like a mess. But hopefully, he would manage to translate it.

He put the paper and the morse code guide on the desk and started writing.

...

After what felt like an eternity, he had the full dialogue -if he didn't count whatever Rantaro was rambling about for a moment.

~

- You sure this will work? - Absolutely - I trust you but this is insane I hope you know that - Oh I know don't worry - But if you do believe we can save everyone... then I will follow you - Save ... - ? - I have failed my mission was simply ????? ... - Calm down for a sec. Breathe. You good? - I'm fine - You sure as hell are not - Not that it matters right now ... - Tomorrow it's over - I know - Just stay safe - I will

~

That's all he got.

But at least he got to learn one thing...

... It's that his auditor was indeed Ryoma.

Why, though? They could talk face to face. They have no reason to complicate things for each other. So why the morse code?

He didn't get it at all.

The second thing he learned from this conversation is that Rantaro was not getting any better.

But what could he even do?

Tomorrow was the final day. If they all survive the battle, they would finally be able to rest. And both Ryoma and Rantaro knew that.

Just one more day.

Shuichi laid on his bed, closing his eyes, a lot of things lingering on his mind.

Tomorrow they would fight.

They would end this.

Once and for all.

[anotheronechicagobog]

Tylenol and Tequila Part 3

written by @anotheronechicagobog​

Warnings: swearing, mature themes, fire, chemical reactions

A/N: This one is REALLY long. I don’t know the word count but it took up ten pages in google docs with size 11 font, so I hope you guys like it!

Also, I came up with the term ‘Hermann Horde’ to describe him and his kids, I think it’s hilarious, but let me know what you gusy think.

Stella Kidd has always wanted to be a mother. To experience the joy, fear, love, frustration, cheer that being a parent brings. The only problem? She didn’t want to be the one to actually give birth to them and she didn’t agree with surrogacy. But she had been homeless and in the foster system when she wasn’t living with her addict parents, so she knew that there were lots of kids who just needed someone to love them. This had been a point of contention between her and Grant. Biological kid(d)s are the only ones he would accept. It would end in screaming matches, Grant saying at some point that it would happen whether she liked it or not. That should have been a huge red flag for her, but she’d loved him so she ignored it.

With Kelly though, he understood. He understood that if she got pregnant she would have to take leave from being a firefighter for a while, so long as there weren’t complications with the pregnancy that were severe enough to end her career, and that was something he would never ask or expect her to do. When Stella wanted to have a serious conversation about kids he watched her collapse in relief that he shared her opinions. That he thought it would be better for both of them to foster older kids, pre-teens and teenagers.

Kelly had never liked Grant. Always thought that he was a manipulative piece of shit, and every even remotely serious conversation had been about Grant ignoring Stella’s wants, needs, and choices. If Grant showed his face again it would take an army and at least one dragon to stop him from killing Grant.

The only people they’d told were Boden, cause he’d need to know as their chief, Matt and Sylvie because they’d need someone to talk to about it besides each other and references. They’d all been ecstatic for the couple, Sylvie in particular. She didn’t remember much about her time in foster care, but she remembered enough to know how terrible, nightmarish, and broken it was. 

Kylie was the first kid who popped up in both their minds. Her dad was a neglectful cop who had multiple families and her mom was a heroin addict. Kylie did what she could to remain afloat, to distance herself from who her parents are and what they do, but it was hard. Her dad just showing up and doing whatever the fuck he wanted and leaving ruins in his wake, and her mom was only around a third of the time, almost always on a bender with whoever she was ‘dating’ that week. Kylie had spent most of her childhood living with her grandma after being placed there by social services but was dumped back on her mom after seven months after her grandma passed three months in the system. The four months she spent being tossed between group homes and foster families were not times she advertised or wanted to remember. Girls on Fire had brought the support that she hadn’t had for so long into her life. When she missed a Girls on Fire meeting Stella got worried, it didn’t correlate with her character. 

A call to detective Jay Halstead from Kelly brought out the depressing truth. Her mom had gotten high, signed her out of school, and then dragged her to a scummy abandoned warehouse to help her score some product. Kylie managed to slip away and call 911 for help after the dealer smacked her around for saying ‘no’. But he found her at the end of the call, and he didn’t react well. They’d rushed over to the ED when they found out where she was.

Stella actually started to cry when she saw the state Kylie was in. So frail, monitors beeping, covered in bandages, arm in a sling. Kelly tracked down Natalie to figure out what her condition was, and it wasn’t good. Amelia Wood, a social worker showed up just as she finished explaining everything.

“Hello, I’m Amelia Woods from DCFS, here for Kylie Reyez?”

“Of course, Ms. Woods as I was just explaining to lieutenant Severide, Kylie has a minor concussion five bruised ribs, a shoulder fracture, and we’re waiting on the results from her sexual assault kit.”

“And why would you be explaining it to lieutenant Severide? The only relatives listed in her file are her deceased grandmother, ineligible father detective Mark Reyez, and criminally negligent mother Daphne Adams.”

“My girlfriend Stella Kidd runs a program called Girls on Fire, a fire department outreach program for girls, and Kylie’s signed up for it. When she didn’t show up for the last session she had a really bad feeling and Kylie wasn’t answering her phone so we called some people and found out she was here. We rushed over, Stella’s actually with her now. What, uh, what’s going to happen to Kylie?”

“Well she’s not going to live with either of her parents, and she has no other family, so she’ll go into the system.”

“Group home or foster family?”

“... Group home to start... We’ll try to find a foster for her but that’s unlikely at her age.”

“Stella and I are in the final stages of getting approved as a foster family, would it be possible for Kylie to be placed with us?”

“Who’s the social worker assigned to you?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a week in the ED Kylie was permitted to leave, and go to Severide and Kidd’s apartment. Kylie was ecstatic, Stella and Kelly had made it clear that their apartment was a safe place for Kylie, that all she would have to do was be a teenager. There would be some rules and curfew in place but Stella and Kelly were just focusing on making sure that Kylie had a stable home.

When they got home Stella gingerly showed Kylie her room. It was plain, had been seen Matt moved out the year before, but Sylvie had offered to help Kylie decorate it when she was comfortable. “We can arrange for that shopping trip in a few days, let’s just get you settled in first.”

“Ladies, our deep dish order has been placed and should be here in forty minutes. I think that maybe we should take this time to talk about some rules and stuff. Then we can chow down on pizza.”

Stella chuckled at her boyfriend’s attempt at humour, and Kylie smiled at how they looked at each other. “That sounds like a good idea Kel. You ready Kylie?”

“Yeah, let’s hear it.”

“Okay, so curfew is 10:30pm, but if there’s something special going on that night just let us know in advance and we can extend it.”

“School is priority, if you want a part-time job or something that’s fine, but school comes first.”

“Look, we don’t want you drinking or having sex-”

Gagging from Kylie interrupted Stella, “yeah, yeah, it’s gross to talk about with your guardians but we get that as a teenager that’s just something you might get into, so if you need condoms or a ride home or something, just let us know or call, we just want you to be safe. We won’t exactly be happy that you’re partying or whatever, but anything’s better than playing keep-up.”

“And if there’s stuff you want to talk about, we’re here. And if you don’t want to talk to us, that’s okay too. As long as you’re talking to someone, a teacher, guidance counselor, Brett, whoever, just as long as you talk to someone.”

“When we’re on shift we’ll both have our phones on if you need us, we’ll leave you by yourself so no parties, please. If you want to have a friend over that’s fine, but let us know beforehand and we’d like to meet them first.”

“The system actually covers therapy bills so you could even talk to a therapist if you want. And as far as the money from the government goes, we’ll budget it so that some pitches into groceries, and there’s some spending money for your room or stuff you want, but the rest will go into a post-secondary school fund for you, which we’ll also be personally putting some money into.”

“... Really?”

“Yes, really. We are here to make sure that you have support, and that includes making sure you have some money for when you’re out of high school.”

“Thank you...”

“You really don’t need to say ‘thank you’ sweetheart, we’re here to help and love you as much as we can.” The doorbell ended their conversation that left tears brimming the eyes of all three, “I guess it’s time for pizza.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There had been some disagreements and adjustments, but overall everyone could agree it had been a complete success. A month later, after the move-in and hours spent convincing Kylie that having money spent on her was okay, Sylvie, Stella and Kylie met up at the nice shopping area of downtown with money to spend. The plan was to spend the morning shopping then meet up with Kelly and the rest of 51 at the park for a picnic with the lovely souls from 51, 21, and MED.

“Where to first, Kylie?”

“Umm, a bedding store maybe?”

“Kylie, we talked about this, it’s okay that we want to spend money on you, okay?”

“Kylie, I went through this too. I still get freaked out when people spend money on me, especially if I didn’t have time to discourage them from doing so. I’m still pretty stingy if I’m honest. I know that it’s hard, you feel panicked and like you’re not worth this, you’re not worth this waste of money. What I find helps is taking lots of deep breaths, going straight to the sale and clearance racks, and remembering that all the stores we’re going to are family businesses, and that by spending money here we are supporting small businesses and people who work really hard to earn money and own a store of their own.”

Kylie thought for a moment, taking in Sylvie’s advice. “Okay, I’ll try that.”

“Okay.”

“So, where to?”

“I could use a couple shirts...” Stella and Sylvie smiled brightly, grabbed onto an arm, and marched over to the nearest boutique.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dropping everything off at the apartment the three women made it to the park a thirty minutes after the designated time. “‘Bout time you three showed up!” 

“Cool it, Halstead, besides, shouldn’t you be spending your girlfriend?”

“Hailey is not my girlfriend!” 

“Y’know, it’s kinda funny, Stella didn’t even mention a Hailey...”

“Hey! I have more than enough people on my back about this, I don’t need a kid I haven’t met- oh waiiiiit, you’re Kidd and Severide’s foster right? Well, I’m Jay Halstead, Severide hasn't shut up about you, everyone’s really excited to meet you.”

“Including Hailey.” Jay froze for a second, before an exasperated expression took over his face, then he leaned his head back and groaned loudly before stomping away, leaving nothing but laughter in his wake.

“You know what Stella? I think Kylie should meet Hailey first.”

“Ooooh, yes.”

“Hailey! We have someone we want you to meet!”

They all ran across the field to her after hearing the panicked ‘NOooOOOooo’ from Jay Halstead. The confused blonde greeted them with a chuckle. “Hi, I’m Hailey Upton, you must be Kylie. It’s really great to meet you.”

“You too, I’ve heard a lot about how badass you are.”

“Oh, don’t listen to all that you hear-”

“Ig- *gasp* ignore her. She’s awesome.” A stressed-looking Jay sputtered out as he took his place beside Hailey. “Well,” Kylie slyley started, “I’m not sure that you’re unbiased, but I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Jay panicked, Hailey was confused, Stella and Sylvie were doing everything in their power not to laugh.

“Wha-”

“Maybe she should meet Casey next, hmmm?” He gave a well-placed look to Sylvie and she started to pout.”

“That was cold.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long day, filled with grilled food, cake games, and new family members. Kylie was happy though. It had been a lot, but she felt like she connected with and could count on everyone there. She was full of food and happiness. “That was really fun. It was great to meet everyone.”

“Really you didn’t feel like it was too much?”

“We were worried that we’d overwhelm you.”

“No, I think it was good to do it this way, like ripping off a bandaid.”

“Good. Well we have shift tomorrow, starting at six in the morning. So we should probably head to bed.”

“I’m gonna do the same, I am beat the Hermann Horde really knows how to wear it out of you.”

“The Hermann Horde, oh my god... That describes them perfectly.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shift had gone rather smoothly so far, a couple fire drills at local schools, a few fall-down and PD calls for ambo 61, and a smoke-detector check in an apartment building. All was well and good until around two o��clock when Stella got a horrifying phone call from Kylie.

“Stella?”

“Kylie? What’s wrong your voice sounds really shaky.” Kelly’s head snapped up at her words and she gestured for him to come over, he’d arrived and Stella turned the phone so they could both hear and talk just as they heard screams. “Kylie? Kylie!”

“There’s a fire, it’s getting big and we’re trapped and I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, where is the fire? What lit it? Has anyone called 911 yet?” Kelly prattled off doing his best to be helpful instead of curling into a ball and crying. “Chem room, sulfuric acid and a chlorate, and everyone else is calling 911.”

“Okay, are you near a carbon dioxide extinguisher?”

“Uh, cupboard next to me... Yeah!”

“Pull out the pin, lift the nossel and aim at the BASE of the fire by squeezing the levers together.”

They didn’t get a response but could hear what was happening, it took a few minutes before Kylie picked up the phone again, “it’s ou-t but smoldering or- smoking a bit? What-ever, it was down enough for all of us to- get out, so- we’re running.”

“Oh thank god. We’ll  come right away- or do you want us to meet you at the hospital? You need to get medical attention if you were near ractive sulfuric acid.”

“Uh, how about I just keep you on the phone as I get checked out, we can figure it out from there?” 

“Okay, we- we’ll wait.” Stella and Kelly just about collapsed in relief, all the members of 51 who had gathered around them smiled and offered them as much comfort as possible. “Hey, um- my foster parents? They’re on the line, they’re firefighters, uh, just want to know what hospital we’re going to, if I’m okay.”

“Well, tell...”

“Stella Kidd and Lieutenant Kelly Severide.”

“Kidd and Lieutenant Severide to meet us at Chicago MED.”

“We’re leaving now.” They both froze and stared at Boden like deers in headlights. “Alright,” in Boden’s usual gruff voice, “mount up everybody. We’re going to MED. We’ll keep our radios on and leave from there if necessary. Kidd, Severide, I’ll need to call in a floater to cover one of you for the rest of shift. It’ll be easier if it’s Kidd, cause at least one of you has to stay with Kylie. I’ll see what I can do about a floater for you though, Severide.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amelia met them at the hospital, there were some incident forms, but because Kylie called them for help and saved herself and her classmates because of it, Amelia just gave them a smile and told them they were doing great. Kylie needed to stay at MED for a couple days because of the smoke she inhaled, but so did her classmates and they kept each other entertained. Then OFI showed up. Seager was quite obviously still carrying a torch for Kelly, but was still very polite to Stella and Kylie. “Well, your story matches up with the evidence we have and the statements collected from your teacher and 29 classmates.”

“Wait, she has 30 classmates, there’s 31 kids in her class.”

“Yes, well, Chad is the only one who’s story is off, but that’s because all the evidence points to him messing around and starting the fire. None of you can say anything to any of the other victims and their families.”

“Got it.”

Seager left with a longing look directed at Kelly, but no one was looking at her. Kylie had started to tear up, the reality that she could have died finally hitting her at full force, and both her parents (what she’d started calling Stella and Kelly in her head) immediately tended to her. Hugging her, letting her know they were there, and that it was okay to cry. So Kylie lay there, shaking and sobbing, as the two people who loved her just as much as her grandmother had, did everything they could to let her know they loved her, and that they had been scared too. That they would be sad if she had died. At some point the tears stopped being about fear and started being about love.

This was the scene that Casey walked in on, he quietly stepped away, knowing just how intimate this moment was supposed to be. He walked back to the waiting room. “Not yet guys, they need some time to themselves. I think it might be better if we came back later with some food or something.” A call came over their walkies before anyone got a chance to agree with their captain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kylie had transferred schools after the fire, the smoke from the chemical reaction that started the fire had gotten into a vent and messed up the entire air con system, meaning the school had to be shut down for the rest of the year while it was replaced. The air quality was deemed too dangerous for students and staff to even retrieve their stuff from the school. So Kylie had been transferred to the same high school as Lee Henry Hermann. He’d shown her around the school and introduced her to his friends. Things had been going really well until 51 got a call to a mattress factory fire. Kylie hadn’t been around when Otis died, but she could still see how everyone was affected by his death. The fire was so bad that the news had been reporting on it since before school even started and new, terrifying developments were still coming. Kylie was scared, her stomach was so twisted she felt what she could only describe as extreme nausea, she couldn’t focus, and she was practically jumping out of her skin everytime she got a notification on her phone. She couldn’t find Lee anywhere either, she had no way of knowing how he’d be handling it. While he was around to know Otis, his dad had been a firefighter longer than he’d been alive. Maybe he had coping methods.

After another panic grab for her phone Kylie was excused from class with a sympathetic glance from her teacher. She wandered the halls for a few minutes, doing everything not to cry, not to feel hopeless, when one of Lee's friends spotted her. “Henry heads to the greenhouse on bad days.” Was all Donovan said before walking away. Kylie took a breath, hiked her bag higher onto her shoulder, and headed to the greenhouse. What more did she have to fear?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door was unlocked, so she walked in and... Immediately took off her cardigan. “Lee?”

“Kylie...” His voice wasn’t confident like it usually was, it was hoarse and weak. She maneuvered her way around all the planter boxes before finding Lee sitting on a small, poorly made if she was being honest, wooden bench that was surrounded by peonies of varying colours. It was strange seeing Lee the way he was. Sickly pale, eyes red, exhausted lax muscles. “You’re scared too.”

“Terrified... I don’t know how you’ve dealt with this your whole life...” Kylie couldn’t control her emotions anymore. Lee tugged her by the wrist to sit beside him and wrapped her in his arms. “I don’t know how I’ve dealt with it either. I don’t think I do, really.”

“Does chocolate help? Cause I’ve got some in my bag...”

“Oh, yes. Chocolate helps.” The rest of their last two periods were spent crying, hugging, and eating chocolate in the greenhouse. They didn’t find out until they were leaving that the last of the fire had been put out, and that no first responders had died, and while three had been injured none of them were from firehouse 51.

“This may seem childish, and I know you don’t do this, but I think I’m gonna head to 51... I need to see that they’re okay for myself...”

“The only reason my siblings and I don’t do that is because our mom manages to keep them in the dark still. She used the child safety functions to keep the news from giving us alerts, she only tells us something happened after the ash has settled, or she just tells us that dad had a bad shift a half hour before he gets home. She runs so much interference, but, I... I disabled the child safety stuff when I was twelve, so that I could watch some PG-14 movies, I didn’t find out about the news notifications until a month later. I mean, I saw that news apps were specifically selected when I disabled the setting, but I didn’t think anything of it until they got a call to a train wreck. I had never been more afraid for my dad in my life. I hadn’t fully comprehended just how dangerous my dad’s job was until that day. Every five minutes there was a... higher body count, reports of trouble at the scene, a video of a gas explosion that 51 was barely able to control... I strongly believe that it was the worst day of my life. I wanted to go to the firehouse, I told my mom that I found out from friends, I didn’t want her to turn the news off again... But she told me I couldn’t go see him. I had to wait. It was a long four hour hours. So, I get it. If you want, there’s some time before I have to pick up my brothers and sister. How about we go pick up some doughnuts, then my siblings, and then make a visit to 51.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this for me.”

“Yeah, this way I get to see my dad after fearing for his life all day and I can use you being worried as an excuse when my mom asks.” Kylie laughed as Lee smirked, proud of his plan.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Brett.”

“Hey, I brought you doughnuts, courtesy of the Hermann Horde and Kylie.”

“How annoyed is Hermann that the nickname caught on?”

“Very.”

“So, how do the kids look? I imagine at least Lee Henry and Kylie saw the news today.”

“Kylie looked like she was going to burst into tears when she saw Stella and Severide. Lee looked like a weight came off his shoulders when he saw Hermann. But then, he uh...”

“Hm?”

“Lee Henry looked at Kylie and smiled, really softly, and he got this puppy dog look in his eyes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I know what I saw.”

“You think there’s something going on?”

“Not yet... But I’m keeping my eye out.”

[voltrontranscript]

VLD S8E1: Launch Date

Season 8 Episode 1: Launch Date

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Summary: It’s the final day on Earth before the protagonists launch back into space on the IGF-Atlas to face the Galra. Lance has a big question for Allura, and the Altean pilot Luca provides more questions than answers.

[Google Doc]

DOTU Pidge: Hold it, I’m getting all shook up!

Pidge: I don’t really sound like that, do I, Bae Bae?

[Cut to the medbay where Luca is surrounded by medics, as Allura observes through a window.]

Romelle: You know, back on the colony, Luca and I didn’t always get along. But despite that, I always respected Luca. She had an inner strength that many did not and a desire to be a part of something greater than herself.

Allura: If she was so desperate for something to believe in, it may have made her susceptible to being manipulated.

[Cut to the Garrison kitchens.]

Hunk: Alright, that’s all of it.

Hunk’s Mother: Here’s all our family recipes. And this is something special just for you.

Hunk: Banana cake! Mom, you’re the best!

Hunk’s Mother: Well, your father and I are just so proud of you, saving the universe and all. We love you.

Hunk: Launching tomorrow. The big day. It seems like it was forever ago when we piled into the Blue Lion and blasted out into space. Man, we had no idea what we were getting into!

Lance: Yeah.

Hunk: But, now it’s different. We’ve seen it all. We’re rugged veterans now, going back into battle one last time.

Lance: Mm, yup.

Hunk: Guess that makes us heroes or something? Like the type of heroes that would have their own TV show! Did you watch it, Lance? Ah, it’s so cool! It’s so cool. They got you spot-on, but Coran is like, he’s all super-serious and stuff. And Allura is a little… I don’t know, she’s different. Keith is friendly! He’s happy all the time. I mean, they got it so wrong. Plus, I think they’re hinting at some romance between him and Allura.

Lance: What?! Keith and Allura? No, it should be Lance and Allura!

Hunk: Ooh, a love triangle. I like where you’re taking this.

Lance: No, no. It’s not about that.

Hunk: Wait, that’s right. You said you were gonna ask Allura on a date. You asked her, didn’t you? Oh, and she said no. Oh. Oh, man. Here I am, rubbing your face in it.

Lance: She didn’t say no. I… Well, I never asked her.

Hunk: You chickened out?

Lance: I was going to ask her, but she’s been spending, like, every day in the med bay. Maybe… Maybe this just isn’t the right time.

Hunk: No, Lance. What? It’s the only time. After tomorrow, we’re back out in space fighting the Galra. There is no other time, literally. You’re asking her today, and that is final, young man.

[Scene change to a large meeting hall.]

Shiro: Everyone, welcome to our final briefing here on Earth. It’s been several months since we began to rebuild, and tomorrow we launch and continue our liberation efforts across all planets still under Galra rule. Commander Holt, what’s the latest from your team?

Sam: We’ve confirmed that there’s still no Galra activity within several galaxies of the Milky Way. It appears Earth was Sendak’s only target.

Shiro: Where are we with Earth’s defenses?

Keith: I finished my check-in with all the garrison facilities around the globe. All defenses are up and running. Earth has everything in place to keep itself safe.

Shiro: Great. And Atlas preparations?

Veronica: Repairs to the IGF-Atlas were completed early last week and it has since passed every test protocol we’ve put it through.

Shiro: Good. Any updates on the Altean pilot?

Allura: Still unresponsive, but she could wake any day now. Perhaps if we had a little more time, we could find out who sent her.

Keith: There’s no way to know when or if she’ll regain consciousness. We can’t wait any longer. We need to get back out there and end this war before the Galra can reorganize.

Shiro: Keith’s right. We’ll be in constant communication with Earth. When the Altean wakes up we’ll know. I have one more item to discuss. It’s our last night on Earth and we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us. We may not be back home for years. So I’m ordering you: take some time for yourselves. Be with the ones you love. You’ve earned it.

[Scene change to the hallway outside the meeting room.]

Lance: Hey, uh, Allura?

Allura: What is it, Lance?

Lance: Oh, nothing much. Just, uh, checking in. So, how are things?

Allura: I’m sorry, but I really need to be getting back.

Lance: Oh, right, yeah. Okay. Um, w-well, I don’t want to keep you, so… Oh! Uh, actually, I was wondering if--maybe, if you want to, you could have dinner with me tonight? A-and my family? Dinner with me and my family? My mom’s cooking for our last night together. I… I just thought you could join us.

Allura: That sounds wonderful, but I can’t.

Romelle: Allura, I know you’re worried about Luca, but we’re worried about you. It’ll be good to get away for a night and clear your head.

Lance: Right, yeah, all that stuff she’s saying. Totally.

Allura: Perhaps dinner would be nice. I’d love to.

Lance: Really? Awesome! Dinner tonight. Us. Yes.

Hunk: Okay, Loverboy Lance. Now walk away before she changes her mind.

[Scene change to the green room on the IGF-Atlas.]

Allura: Pidge, do you have a moment?

Pidge: Sure. What’s up?

Allura: Well, you see, I, um… I have a--

Romelle: She has a date… with pointy chin! Where are proper courting vestments obtained on your planet?

Pidge: Wait. A date? With Lance? Weird.

Allura: I was hoping you might be able to accompany me as I choose my proper attire in accordance to Earth’s custom.

Colleen: Katie? Fashion? That’s a good one.

Pidge: Well, I heard the mall has reopened. I’ve been wanting to check it out, but I’m grounded.

Romelle: Grounded? Oh, I wasn’t aware humans could float.

Pidge: No, no. It just means I’m not allowed to leave my mom’s supervision. It’s a form of punishment.

Allura: What are you grounded for?

Colleen: She’s grounded because apparently my daughter thinks that running away from home and gallivanting off into space without her mother’s permission is an acceptable activity for a fifteen-year-old.

Pidge: Well, apparently, finding my brother and saving my father [voice distorting] from an intergalactic tyrant doesn’t get me a pass!

Colleen: [voice distorting] Not on your life, young lady.

Allura: Please, Colleen, I could really use her help.

Romelle: We will not let her leave the ground once.

Colleen: Alright. But only because I know how much Katie hates shopping for clothing.

Allura: Thank you.

[Scene change to the med bay where Luca is kept.]

Sam: What is it?

Doctor: She’s stabilized, but we need to be careful about how we proceed.

[Scene change to Earth’s mall.]

Rizavi: Okay, Operation “Find Allura a Date Outfit” is go. We’re gonna take it one store at a time ‘til we come out of this place successful. Let the hunt begin! I love shopping. Don’t you, Ina?

Ina: It’s a primal urge from when collecting and gathering was a means of survival.

Rizavi: It just calms me, like skydiving. Now, come on, I’m gonna shop this mall so hard.

Pidge: Killbot Phantasm 26: Revengifiance! This is out?

Rizavi: Oh my gosh! It came out a few days before the Galra invaded. No one was ever able to reach the end.

Vendor: That’s right. I have one of the few undamaged units left.

Pidge and Rizavi: We’ll take it!

Vendor: Okay. Great to meet such passionate KBP fans. What have you got to trade?

Pidge: Trade? I, uh… I don’t really have anything.

Vendor: I’m sorry, but no trade, no game.

Rizavi: Well, that’s some way to treat a Paladin of Voltron.

Vendor: Wait what? You mean, like, from the show?

Pidge: Show? Well, kind of. It was based off me.

Vendor: My kid loves that show. The game is yours if I could just get an autograph for my daughter.

Pidge: [DOTU Pidge impression] Sure thing! Anything for the kids!

Pidge: [normal voice] Ah! Ooh?

Pidge: [DOTU Pidge impression] What?

Pidge: [high-pitched] You got it, chief! Far out! 

[Scene change to Lance in a residential hallway.]

Coran: Yes? Oh, Lance! To what do I owe this visit?

Lance: Hey, Coran. I wanted to ask you about Allura.

Coran: Sure. What is it? No one knows her better than I do. Except for maybe the mice. They do have a telepathic connection to her, which seems like cheating to me.

Lance: Right, yeah. Well, I’m going on a date with her tonight and--

Coran: What?! But you’re not even royalty! Or Altean! And you’re definitely not Altean royalty!

Lance: Whoa, Coran! Chill! I don’t think Allura even cares about stuff like that.

Coran: It’s not just about Allura. Did you even acquire permission from her primary guardian?

Lance: Well, who’s that?

Coran: Well, let’s see. Ah, me! Now, count to zingor, then knock.

Lance: But, Allura already said… Ugh!

Coran: Ah, Lance. Please, have a seat. Exactly what makes you think you’re qualified for such a prestigious position? For example, who are your references?

Lance: Position? References? What are you talking about?

Coran: You see, I’ll need at least two notarized certificates of commendation speaking of your greatness from reliable sources before I’ll even consider giving you my approval. And you must do something about that outfit. Altean courting vestments are essential. Seeing as we’re not on Altea, we’ll just have to make do.

[Scene change back to the mall.]

Rizavi: Oh, I’ve got a good feeling about this place. Allura, leave this to us. Ladies, divide and conquer!

Rizavi: I think we’ve done it.

Unilu Shopkeeper: Well, hello there. Is this everything?

Rizavi: Yep. Mission complete.

Unilu Shopkeeper: Let’s see, what have we got? A decorative tarp with casing, one foot container and its mirror match, and some miniature chain binding. That’ll be one phoeb of servitude from your small friend there.

Rizavi: What? A year?

Pidge: A month. I got this. [DOTU Pidge impression] How about you give us all this and I give you an autograph from a world-famous Paladin of Voltron?

Unilu Shopkeeper: No! Price just went up to three phoebs.

Allura: I could give you a royal decree of service from the Crown Princess of Alte… oh, right, I, um…

Romelle: I could bake you a decaphoeb’s worth of blomfruit pies. I just need blomfruits. You wouldn’t happen to sell any, would you?

Unilu Shopkeeper: Shipping will cost you ten phoebs of servitude alone.

Allura: Perhaps this was a bad idea. I don’t need the dress. Let’s just go.

Unilu Shopkeeper: Wait! I’ll give you a friendly deal. You can have this for Killbot Phantasm 26: Revengifiance.

Rizavi: No deal! What could you possibly need it for?

Unilu Shopkeeper: I’ve been looking to get my claws on that game for decaphoebs. I’m a huge KBP fan.

Rizavi: Mm-mm, sorry. No can do. I’ve waited three years to get to the end of this game.

Pidge: Fine, you can have it. We don’t have any time to play it, anyway.

Allura: Thank you, Pidge.

[Scene change back to the med bay.]

Sam: She’s stabilized, but she won’t speak to any of the doctors. I was hoping a familiar face might put her at ease. Maybe Romelle can help.

Coran: I’ll see if I can find her.

[Scene change to Black Lion overlooking the sunset.]

Lance: Man, you can be a real hard guy to find when you wanna be.

Keith: Hey, Lance. Whoa! What are you wearing?

Lance: Coran made it for me for my date with Allura.

Keith: A date with Allura? Wow! Well done, Lance.

Lance: Thanks, but it could be our last. I can’t keep all these Altean customs straight.

Keith: Listen, if she’s going out with you, it’s because she likes you. The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.

Lance: You watching the sun set?

Keith: Yeah. Might be a while before we get to see it again.

Lance: Man, I’m really gonna miss this place.

Keith: That’s why we’ve gotta end this war. And we’re gonna do it with the Lance that’s the Paladin of the Red Lion. The Lance that’s always got my back. And the Lance who knows exactly who he is and what he’s got to offer.

[Scene change to Allura at Lance’s family home.]

Lance’s Mom: Come in, come in, my dear! Oh, you look wonderful! Doesn’t she look wonderful, Lance?

Lance: Wow. You look amazing.

Allura: Thank you. You look nice, too.

Lance: Well, it’s no Altean vestments, but...

Allura: Imagine you in a Forlongian brill hat.

Lance: Oh, Allura, this is my mom, and Pop-pop. You know Veronica. That’s Rachel, my brother Marco, other brother Luis, his wife Lisa, and their kids Silvio and Nadia.

[Scene change to the middle of dinner with Lance’s family.]

Marco: ...or the time when we were kids and Veronica mixed dirt with water and told Lance it was chocolate milk.

Veronica: Oh, yeah! I still can’t believe he fell for it.

Allura: What did he do?

Veronica: He told on me, of course. Then, Pop-pop gave him ice cream and I got none.

Marco: Yeah, Lance was always the baby of the family. It only took you coming to dinner to finally graduate him to the adult table.

Veronica: Speaking of dates, maybe you can put in a good word for me with that long-haired friend of yours, hm?

Lance: What, Keith?! No, no, no, no, no! No way. No.

Lance’s Mom: Lance never brings girls home. You must really mean something to him.

Allura: That’s strange. He always gave off the impression of being rather popular with women.

Lance’s Mom: Oh, he gets that from his father. It’s all talk, but if you can get past that, you’ll find a good boy with a big heart.

Veronica: A toast to family. Though we may be apart after tomorrow, we’ll always remain close at heart. Family is forever.

All: To family!

[Scene change to the med bay.]

Romelle: I’m so glad to see you’re alright, Luca. We can help. What happened to you? Where’s the colony?

Luca: So you can betray them yet again?

Romelle: What?

Luca: You abandoned us, Romelle. And for the Paladins of Voltron, the very ones who killed our savior, Lotor.

Romelle: No, it’s not like that!

Luca: You’ve sided with the great destroyers! She told us of their lies. She’s going to fix it all. She’ll reunite us with Lotor, with Altea. You don’t stand a chance against Honerva--

[Scene change to Lance and Allura walking along a park full of dead trees.]

Lance: This place used to be so beautiful.

Allura: It’s all my fault the Galra did this to your home.

Lance: No, it’s not your fault. Besides, meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Allura: When we were out there fighting against the Galra, I somehow felt like… like we were a family. Each of us was alone, but we were alone together. But now, here on Earth, I see that everyone already has a family and a home to return to once the war is over. Everyone except me. And for the first time, I feel uncertain about what my future holds. It’s silly, I used to think that the team relied on me. That I needed to be strong for everyone else. But now I see it was I that needed all of you. You are my strength.

Lance: Allura, you are not alone, and if I have anything to say about it, you’ll never be alone. I--I don’t care if this is only our first date. I… Allura, I love you. I have for a long time. I wanna be your family. Earth can be your home, or anywhere you wanna go. It doesn’t matter. I would follow you across the universe.

Allura: You truly feel that way?

Lance: With all my heart.

Lance: I think he wants us to smile.

[Scene change to the meeting room, this time only with Allura, Coran, Shiro, and Romelle.]

Allura: If Honerva sent that beast, then our mission must change.

Shiro: No, we have a plan and we need to stick to it. If Honerva’s really behind this, then I’m sure we’ll find her along the way.

Allura: Or she’ll find us.

[Scene transition to the outdoors, where the IGF-Atlas stands before a crowd of people.]

Sam: This will be perhaps the most defining moment in our history. The day humankind reaches beyond its home world to help the immense universe of which we inhabit such a small part.

Keith: In the blink of an eye, the world as we knew it became much larger than we’d ever thought possible. And now we rise up to join the fight alongside so many others different from us, but of like minds, to stand firm in the face of tyranny.

Allura: For all deserve to decide their own future as we have decided to spend ours ensuring the freedom of the universe.

Shiro: Each and every one of you has given something to this fight. Many have been lost, but not in vain because through their sacrifice, many more will live on. I make you this promise now. We will return triumphant.

End.