#-when she saw the post apocalyptic world she saw the few people who kept books safe and said this world is still good

[joleneghoul]

i am in my feelings about Bonnie Baxter says the first person ever.

[shegatsby]

The Last of Us

Warnings; Post apocalyptic world, mention of suicide. Attempt of suicide!!! Reader be aware!

Words; 1.582K

A/N; Hi guys! Its me again, I'm obssessed with the show so far, let me know what you think. See you later ;) Smut in the next chapters babes.

TAG LIST IS OPEN!

Summary; Ever since childhood you had to survive, you were born before the disease so you kinda remembered what was it like, to have a hot shower, clean food etc. You didn’t know what happened to your parents because they were on a vacation and left you with your grandma who passed away during the chaos. You were 10 when it happened, a child who had to be a woman over night. What happens when you are a brink from killing yourself and find purpose again?

Chapter Two- Step by step

Joel woke up to the sun rise, the warm sun was burning his face, when he looked at the small watch on the ground he realized that he only slept for 3 hours. His nightmares kept him waking up over and over again all night, it had been a while since he dreamt of his daughter Sarah. He first sat on the bed, recently waking up and getting himself out to the world was getting pointless. His bare feet touching the cold wood floor, he could feel the dust underneath, he was never good at keeping a house, not that it mattered anymore, but it would be nice to have someone… he thought. Joel stood up to wash his face and get ready for the day ahead. Today was the day, he was going to get the car battery and bounce the hell out of here and find his brother. Something in him wished that it wasn’t today when he looked at the apartment complex standing in front of his building, his eyes searched for her window, she had no curtains and he saw her walking towards her door. Every job started at 6.00 am he quickly got dressed, drank a glass of whiskey and left.

Y/N left her flat to go to her job, it was sunny outside and the smoke from cremation of people turned her stomach, she had to walk fast to reach her office and get inside. Everyday ever since her arrival to this QZ she had the same thing. Wake up, do her job as a seamstress, kindly smile to everyone and end conversations short and go home.  The days were getting heavier and heavier, like the Atlas himself carrying the entire world. As she was sitting down and fixing clothes her eyes were fixed on that old man’s jeans. They were dirty, some parts were covered in dry dirt but they didn’t smell bad, in fact, they smelled like him, rich of salt and something that smelled like man. Strong and demanding. She remembered his presence yesterday, they didn’t exchange too much words but the way he stood tall and his aura was there.

Y/N remembered the first day she arrived, the FEDRA soldiers checked her and others to see if they were infected, one of them was so a single shot to the head and the body dropped to the ground. Even though he was infected they should have done it privately, there were children watching. She flinched with that violent act, her eyes needed to focus on something, or someone to zone out and she found him. Warm brown eyes, he was eating his lunch, sitting on a half broken bank, legs spread.

After that day she was placed to a building, the person who was responsible of bringing new survivors asked if she was good at something and this is how she got her job, her grandmother taught her well. Sometimes she got excited for small things, such as; teaching. In her spare time she used to teach kids how to write and read, she brought few books with her and she could feel herself being happy when she was teaching, unfortunately that spark died away when FEDRA banned her from teaching. They said what she is teaching is against their law and she could get into trouble, trouble as in ‘’dead’’ it had been six months since she came here, even though she tried she couldn’t blend in, she felt like a witch in middle ages, one mistake and she is dead.

A cough brought  her back to the present moment, she looked up to meet the eyes of a stranger but found warm brown ones, the ones that looked like fresh soil after a summer rain. ‘’I was just finishing up.’’ She found herself stutter for some reason, maybe she was caught off guard, ‘’It’s okay. I can wait.’’  He replied shortly. This was their second conversation in six months.  She focused on the task at hand again, even though he wasn’t saying a word she could feel his energy, he has to be a fire sign, she thought but she didn’t ask because no one cared about astrology or planets anymore, all they cared about was eat, sleep, fuck and survive. What really surprised her was that women were giving birth, who would in their right mind to decide to have kids?!

‘’Here you go.’’ She gave the jeans back to him, ‘’Good as new.’’ She smiled gently, daring to meet his eyes and Joel didn’t remember when was the last time someone spoke to him in such soft manner and kindly smiled, it was probably before the pandemic.

He reached to grab the jeans and her hands touched his, even though it was for a split second he felt something, like a long gone emotion that is waking up and moving to the surface. He wanted to thank her but instead he was frozen, he placed the jeans onto his shoulder and put money on the table, it was more than the price, ‘’But that’s too much sir-‘’ she wanted to protest, ‘’Joel,’’ she looked puzzled, ‘’My name is Joel, Joel Miller.’’ He managed to say without being too awkward. She could see that it was out of character for him, explaining himself to someone because he didn’t look the type. Y/N didn’t want to be rude so she extended her hand, ‘’Y/N Y/L/N. Pleasure to meet you.’’  His callused hand took her honey like one, that was his first thought, smooth like honey. ‘’Pleasure is all mine.’’ She heard his accent, he must be from Texas or somewhere close, how did he end up in Boston? It was a question wanted to ask but pulled herself from. There was a moment of silence between them and he left, like a breeze he was gone.

Joel had too much to think, he had to get himself and his friend Tess out of here quickly. Tess was a woman of courage, she could take on any task at hand and do a better job most of the people, she was a good friend to have. Together they came up with the plan to escape and the day was today.

As usual Y/N locked the place up, it was moments before the curfew, it started to rain. She always liked the rain, it cleansed her soul. Tonight was the night, she was going to do it. On her way home she smiled to everyone, made small conversations.

When she reached home she locked the door, poured herself a drink, she placed her useful things on the table for others to use and grabbed a chair, placed it under the ceiling. Weeks ago she found a rope in an abandoned building and took it with her, maybe deep down she knew the purpose of the robe. She could hear the thunder and rain, beating the walls of her home. She drank another glass and another and then tied the robe to the ceiling. She shrugged her shoulder, this way of life… it wasn’t worth it anyway. She finished that bottle, tossed it somewhere she did not care and stepped on the chair.

Joel Miller packedhis bag yesterday, before he left he made sure that he got everything he would need, Tess was at the door waiting with Ellie, yesterday he had to make a deal to take this girl to a Firefly team, it was either that deal or no deal at all so he had to agree, Tess played a huge part in it as well. Now he was stuck with this kid who keep annoys him. ‘’Ready to go?’’ Tess asked, Joel looked from his window to Y/N’s window, her lights were on, ‘’What if we got someone else?’’ he asked to Tess, as soon as he spoke Tess rolled her blue eyes, she got so sick and tired of Joel talking about this girl… ‘’Whatever just make it quick. We will wait you outside.’’ Joel ran outside to get her. For once he felt like luck was on his side, he made sure no one saw him and he walked into her building. When he finally reached her door he was nervous, he would rather face infected than this but he had to. He couldn’t just leave without asking her to come with him, he knew he would resent himself.

He knocked on the door, no voice, no nothing. He knocked again, and again, something was wrong. The door was locked so he stepped back and used his shoulder to open it, the door was smashed to the ground and what he saw shocked him to his core. Y/N was tied to a robe but her neck wasn’t broken, she was struggling to get out. Joel immediately grabbed her by the waist and lifted her to give her some air and with his leg he pulled the chair close to him, at last he saved her. She was coughing really bad and her neck was red, her whole body was shaking, Joel made sure that she was in his arms, on the floor, ‘’Why?’’ he breathed, ‘’Why would you do that to yourself?!’’ he sounded angry and hurt at the same time. Holding her with his big arms, when her coughing declined he gave her some water, ‘’T- thank y-ou.’’ She said shaking, ‘’Get up.’’ He demanded, ‘’What?’’ her voice was so tiny and growling, ‘’We’re leaving. Now.’’

Thank you for reading. :)

Tag List;

@psychomanias

[dreamescapeswriting]

The Game ~ LF [M] [Request]

WORD COUNT: 8.3K

PAIRING: Felix x FemReader

GENRE: Angst, AU, post-apocalyptic world, a giant game of truth or dare, kill or be killed world, a little fluff, Smut, slow burn, ANGST

WARNING: Themes of death, blood, jumping from high heights, guns, knives, murder, hurting yourself, falling from heights

 There were only two things in the world that you feared, and that was whatever was controlling the pagers and the dares that came through them. Everything you knew and loved was gone, leaving behind a scary post-apocalyptic world but the scariest part was no one knew how it came to be. One night everything had been as it was and the next...Nothing but vast nothingness, crumbled buildings and small pagers that helped you survive.

"I think I saw someone go this way," You gasps pressing your back against the wall and holding your breath. Voices were never a good sign when you were in an abandoned building looking for supplies. It could have been where someone had set up their life and you were stealing or they could have been dared to find you. 

In this world it was, kill or be killed. Thanks to the machines that were permanently attached to your hips. No one knew what was controlling them and they said what because there was no way whatever it was was human. The dares ranged from something easy to something almost impossible but the incentives were always the selling point. It could be as something simple as a night in a real bed or real food to wake up to in the morning. You weren't sure how it all got to the people that won the dares or if it was safe but it was the first real food anyone had had in a long time. 

Though all of that was rumoured nothing was ever shown to be true to you, all you ever got were small dares in order to find a blanket to keep you warm or some extra clothes.

Edging yourself towards the window of the crumbling museum you debated jumping from the height you were at, it was nothing too large. Just two floors you would be fine but there was a group of guys right beside the entrance, if they saw or heard you there would be no doubt you would be caught. 

"I don't see anyone Soobin." A voice cried out as you kept your back pressed against the outer wall of the building, praying that you wouldn't slip or-

BeepBeepBeepBeep

The loud and irritating pager began to ring on your hip and someone's head snapped out of the window you had crawled from. 

"GOTTCHA!" Screaming at the sudden voice you slipped on the cracked lege slipping down onto the ground and grunting when you felt something stab you in the side. Holding your hand on your right side you saw a small patch of red begin to leak through your shirt, 

"Just got this," You mumbled getting yourself up from the floor, ignoring the group of boys that were starting to rush towards you calling out for you to stop. There was nothing on this planet, not even a dare, that would make you stop and speak to them.

"Leave me alone!" You coughed out as they continued to follow you down the abandoned street you had set yourself up in. A small abandoned store which no one else seemed to be interested in. You'd found it a few weeks ago and set up shop there, a makeshift bed made out of old books you'd found. It wasn't exactly the comfiest thing in the world but it was somewhere to lay your head, somewhere safe.

"We just wanna talk." The one who had caused you to slip cried out but you continued to walk, keeping your hand on the wound you'd gotten so you wouldn't bleed out too much. There was a small first aid kit stashed in one of the drawers of the store you stayed in, it didn't have many supplies left since the last dare you got was to get a pillow for a night. 

"Just leave me alone." You hissed through gritted teeth wanting nothing more than forever it was to leave you alone but a hand grabbed onto your wrist. Before you even had a chance to turn around and smack the culprit they were already on the floor with a bloody nose. 

"She said to leave her alone," A deep voice ordered, towering over the boy who had scared you was a boy. Well, a man. Dressed in all black clothing that looked new, guns in small holsters as he stood looking at the other men that had been bothering you. Had it not been for the guns you didn't think he would have intimidated them that much, he wasn't much taller than you and he seemed rather sweet in the face. 

"Thanks," You uttered as he helped you up from the ground, noticing the wound on your side when a whistling sound sounded in the air. 

"Someone's getting a package," You laughed softly as you looked up in the sky for wherever the package would be coming from but it dropped right into the boy's hands. 

"I was dared to save a stranger." He chuckled as he opened the mental container revealing two chocolate bars. 

"Here," He offered you one and you stared at him, there was no way he could have been serious. 

"You don't know me...Why would you offer me something you worked for?" Leaning back against a rock you tried to steady yourself from fainting. The bleeding was starting to worsen and you knew you were going to end up losing consciousness soon.

"Because that's what decent people do...You should clean yourself up before you get infected..." Spot the obvious sherlock you looked at him before down at your shirt that was starting to turn pink from the blood.

"I'm out of first aid stuff, I think all I have is gauze." You hissed out lifting your shirt up to reveal the small gash on your side. You must have landed on a sharp brick or a twig when you slipped from the museum building. It was a high chance it would become infected if you didn't get something fast.

"Do you have a dare? Maybe you could do something," Staring down at your pager you remembered it had gone off. The whole reason you had gotten into this mess, they should have come with a vibrating setting.

"Kiss a stranger and win a first aid box." You laughed looking at it, the words flashing over and over again as you thought about it.

"It's like whoever controls them knows what's going to happen to us before we do." You spoke looking back up, the boy knelt down in front of you rooting through his bag for something he could use to help you when you grabbed him by the face. 

"Sorry." You mumbled before pushing your lips against his. 

In that moment the kiss was something that felt as close to home as you had been in the longest time. The boy was shocked but pulled you closer to him, moving his lips in time with yours as he wrapped his arms protectively around you. The kiss was warm and inviting, something you hadn't felt in the longest time and you weren't sure you ever wanted it to end.

Neither of you pulled apart until the whistling sound happened and a box landed beside you but it was far too small for a first aid kit. 

"What did they give you?" He frowned as he looked at the box. Unlocking it you popped it open to find a hotel key. The whole time you had been doing these dares you'd never once been given a hotel room, you'd only ever heard stories about it and to be honest. You thought it was all rumours.

"Why would they give me a hotel key when I was promised a first aid kit?" The persistent pain in your side was starting to worsen when another beep signalled from your pager. It wasn't a dare but directions to a building with the words, 

"Take Felix with you." You glanced up at the boy you had just made out with and he seemed to be blushing deeply. It must have been him you were going to take with you to a random location.

"Felix?" He nodded his head as he held out his hand for you to shake which seemed pointless after the make-out session you had both had. 

"Y/n." You smiled before shaking his hand and getting up from the rock you were leaning against. 

"Let's go and find a hotel..." Felix wrapped your arm around his shoulder wanting to help you walk without hurting yourself. 

"I'm sure everything will be explained when we get there." He told you as he began to follow the directions that were now flashing on his pager. 

"Have you ever gotten a hotel for a dare?" You asked, truly interested to hear anything about the boy you had been kissing.

"No. I thought people were lying when they told me they stayed in one." You agreed with him. The stories you heard seemed too good to be true. One hotel building left standing, nothing wrong with it and it worked perfectly. Why would that be the only building left standing?

"I heard they have running water and electricity." He whispered as you continued to walk together but the same question was left. Why? Why would it be there and no one allowed to enter?

The question was answered quickly when you reached the hotel. The entire place was surrounded by large electrical fences as well as men as large as the fences guarding it. 

"They have to be...What? Eight-foot?" You whimpered as you looked up at Felix. The men all had the same faces and as you got close you realised they had no eyes. Just black holes where their eyes should have been and a creepy smile on their face. 

"Just a little creepy," You whispered as you moved towards the gate, one of the men bent down and opened it. Slamming and locking it shut once you were inside the safety of the fences.

"They remind me of Hachishakusama...The old urban legend only male." Felix muttered in your ear as you walked through the doors of the hotel. Suddenly it felt as though you were back in time.

The whole place was crowded with people, dressed in clothing that wasn't ruined or covered in blood. Laughing and joking with one another as they walked around the hotel lobby together.

"AH! Welcome! You must be Y/n and Felix, yes...Yes, we've been waiting for you." A small man said as he came out from behind the counter. Dressed in a fresh suit and he smelt like roses,

"Do you have the key?" Fishing the small key from your pocket you handed it to him and he smiled up at you. 

"I'll have Xavier take your bags," The small man clapped his hands together and you jumped when you saw one of the things from outside coming up to you. It said nothing as it held out its hands to take your bags. 

"You'll be given fresh clothing and don't worry Y/n we have some items in the room for you to clean your cut with. Nasty little gash," You stared back at the small man, how had he seen it when you were still dressed. 

"How did-"

"No time for questions dear, let's go to the elevators." Following behind the man you stared around the hotel. Red carpets, huge chandeliers and working lights, it was all too good to be true. You must have died when you slipped from the ledge there was no way this was real.

"There's always a catch." You laughed when you walked into the hotel room to find one double bed there. The small man, who you eventually learned the name was Wooyoung, gave you a key to the room and left you alone. Your bags were taken away and never seen again and now you knew why. Fresh clothes were hanging on the back of the door with a wardrobe filled with other clothes.

"I think this is for you," Holding up a small tube Felix smiling at you. 

"Healing ointment?" Your heart raced, you'd received it once before for a large gash on your leg. One layer applied to your body and it would fix whatever was wrong, no matter what kind of gash it was.

"I'll use a little and keep the rest." You stated lifting your shirt up to apply the cream but Felix came closer. 

"Let me." He whispered as he took the cream from you, applying a small layer to three of his fingers and adding it to your injury. You cried out clutching onto his hand tightly trying not to cry. You forgot how painful it was to have the ointment applied to an open wound but you knew it would soon feel good.

"Did the guys who were chasing do this?" He questioned when you lowered your shirt back down. 

"No. I fell off the museum ledge and I must have hit myself on a brick." You wanted to laugh at how clumsy you must have been but you were too busy looking around the room. 

"We have running water...Do you want to shower first?" You shook your head, offering him the shower while you could stalk around the room for any sign that this was a dream.

Laying on your back in the bed you stared at the ceiling, your mind was racing too much to comprehend what was happening. You were dressed in brand new clothes instead of something that was covered in wholes, rips and smelt like a sewer. The silk sheets around you felt as though they were something crafted in the heavens and you were laid beside someone you barely knew.

"Have you been alone this whole time?" You questioned randomly knowing that neither of you could sleep. The bed was far too comfy and the room was too quiet, both of you were used to having screams or loud noises happening around you. It felt too peaceful for either of you to find sleep anytime soon.

"No. I was with a group of friends but we got separated." He mumbled thinking back on seven of his friends he hadn't seen in lord knows how long. It was impossible to tell how many days it had been since this whole thing started. 

"What about you?" He turned his head to look at you and you shook your head. There'd been no one for you to attach yourself to, your family was gone and you knew no one in the world you could turn to for help so you went it alone.

"I've been alone the whole time..." Your voice sounded strained, it was the first time admitting it to someone other than yourself. Mostly because you never let anyone get close enough to you to speak. You'd run before they could kill you or take your supplies but with Felix it was different. It felt normal to be around him and it felt safe.

"Family?" You shook your head, everyone you had ever met was someone your age or only a few years older or younger. There was no one older than 30 anywhere to be seen.

"Do you remember what you were doing before all of this?" You shook your head once again, you remembered nothing besides your family and your name.

"I remember going to sleep and waking up to my house falling down around me. You?" He nodded his head, it was almost everything he had remembered from the time before his life here.

"The same. I was asleep in my room with my roommates, then nothing...We were in a crumbling building." Looking at him you could tell the memory of his friends upset him. There was no reason for you to pry besides an interest in getting to know him.

"When did you get separated?" His head turned to look back up at the ceiling. It had been a while since he thought back on what had happened between them.

"Sixteen days ago...We were doing some kind of dare in an abandoned factory and that was it. Never saw them again..." Your heart sank as you realised how scared he must have been after being with them since the start. From having the safety of other people around him to having nothing and no one.

"I waited outside the factory for ten days but then supplies got low and I had to move." He looked down at his hands, it was something he had always regretted. Had they come back while he was gone? Something he constantly thought about. There was only one way in and out of the factory there was nowhere else they could have gone.

"Felix I'm so sorry." You whispered reaching out to place your hand on top of his as you. Felix stared back at you to see your eyes were filled with sympathy for him,

"No...It's not your fault." He looked at you and smiled, a genuine smile something you hadn't seen in a long time. Your eyes flicked down to his lips and all you could think about was inching closer to kiss him again so you did.

Gently pressing your lips against his you sighed as you felt the feeling of home flooding back into you. Felix felt it too and all he wanted to do was never let go of you, to feel it all day every day. 

It was hard to describe it any other way than that. Kissing him felt as though it grounded you and took you out of the crummy world you had. 

"Goodnight Felix," You breathed as you rolled over onto your side, closing your eyes to finally get some rest.

Felix woke up long before you did and found a note on his pager, he hadn't even heard it in the night. 

Stick with her and good things will come. 

No dare. Just some cryptic message that good things would come if he stayed by your side. There was no way he was going to fight something he couldn't see so he stayed, laying beside you reading through a book that was left on the bedside cabinet.

"How long have you been awake?" You whined as you rolled over to see him sitting up in the bed,

"I'm not sure. You looked peaceful so I figured I should let you sleep for a while." He explained as he shut the book he was reading, he was about to mention the pager message when there was a knock at the door. 

"Come in?" You called out to the door, it opened and Xavier walked into the room pushing a small trolley. There was still the empty eyes and creepy smile plastered across its face. Grunting before leaving you alone with the tray of food you exchanged a look with Felix. 

"Creepy even in the morning." He mumbled as he watched you crawling to the end of the bed. The trolley was covered in food, breakfast desserts and a small envelope with your name on the front of it. 

"What does it say?" Felix asked as his mouth watered at the sight of all the food. Something he hadn't seen in however long it had been, frits, baked goods and actual food that wasn't some kind of animal they had to kill in order to eat it.

"Y/n, meet your new teammate. Follow the rules, the dares and you will be greatly rewarded. Enjoy the food and the hotel for as long as we see fit." You stared from the piece of paper and back to Felix who looked almost as confused as you did. 

"Teammate? What is this? Some sort of game?" You scoffed throwing the paper into the bin before grabbing food and handing some to Felix.

"Greatly rewarded? What could they give us?" Felix questioned as he thought back to the message he had gotten that morning. 

"I had a message on my pager. It told me to stay with you and good things would come." The two of you stared back at one another confused as to what everything could mean and why you had to stay together. Was it the same condition everyone was sticking to in the hotel? 

"So we stick together, what does that mean exactly?" He questioned you as he bit down into the croissant he was holding. You wish you had answers but the messages were so vague you didn't have a hint, at least if you were on your own you didn't have to worry about someone else all of the time. 

"We do our dares together? What happened when you were with your friends?" Felix thought back on everything. The first few dares they'd gotten were to receive items they needed by themselves but the rest were together. 

"Chan and I were dared to climb across a rope suspended over 15 floors...We did it to get food for all of us," You nodded trying to think back on some of the things you had to do, most of them not dangerous at all. 

"I had to give myself a tattoo in order to get some blankets." You pulled up the sleeve of your nightshirt to reveal the small circle you had done. 

"It was supposed to be a heart...But it hurt and I just did a circle instead." Felix smiled as he saw the small ink splodge just below the pit of your elbow. 

"Have you gotten anything dangerous before?" You shook your head in the answer to his question. Whoever was giving you dares had been going fairly easy on you which was beginning to worry you know that you heard Felix had hard ones. 

"I just wish we knew who or what was doing it to us." You admitted as you looked over at your pager. There had to be someone controlling them, governments, parents, some other world that had taken over? 

"My friend Jisung had a theory," Felix laughed thinking back on Jisung. He was the one that always made the group laugh, no matter what was going on around him he had to make people laugh.

"Aliens." That was all Felix said as you shook your head, 

"Explain more! How could it just be aliens," You shook your head laughing at the concept though you guessed anything could be possible by the state of the world. 

"Well, he thought that they came one night and decided they wanted to test us...See how far we would go to survive." You shrugged, it wasn't completely impossible. The entire universe was huge no one knew what was out there and if that thing like Xiaver was around who knew what else could be out there.

"I wonder when the next dare will be?" You hated the fact that you were being fed food just for kissing a stranger. There had to be more to it than that, there was always a catch.

But there wasn't. From what you could tell it had been two months since you and Felix moved into the hotel, there were no more dares for you to follow. Just notes every morning with breakfast complimenting how well you and Felix seemed to be getting on well with one another.

"It's starting to freak me out." You told Felix as you sat by the indoor pool one morning, another Xiaver was guarding the room to make sure nothing happened. Since staying in the hotel you learnt that all of the 8-foot-tall beings were called Xiaver, they had no personality and no ability to talk.

"What is?" Felix asked as he swam over to the side of the pool you were sitting at, you looked at him and then around the room. Nothing felt as though it was relaxing to you, couples around the hotel seemed on edge all of the time. No one looked as happy as they did on your first day there.

"This whole place...You don't find it off that there's nothing here, no dares? Just someone telling us how well we get along." The two of you had developed a friendship and budding relationship since being trapped together. Sharing a bed with the same person every night was bound to form some kind of connection. You would spend all day every day together because you were the only ones who know one another. 

"I find it nice, I would like if you stop trying to poke holes into my relaxation," He muttered pulling you into the water with him and wrapping your legs around his waist. 

"But why would they want us to relax? After all of this time why now?" You pouted as Felix held you in his arms staring into your eyes. 

"Maybe whoever it is thought we had enough...That we should enjoy our time together." Even that seemed far fetched to you but you nodded at him. 

"I still don't-" He cut you off by kissing you softly on the lips, smiling as he felt you relax against him. 

"If I rant again will you kiss me?" He shook his head, running his hand over your face and smiling weakly. 

"I don't need you to rant for me to kiss you." He leant down and connected your lips together once again making you sigh happily against his lips.

The two of you would do this a lot too, it was the first real human connection you'd had in a while and you never wanted to lose the feeling.

"Can I tell you something?" Your voice was hoarse as you pressed your forehead against Felix's.

"Sure, We're friends right...You can tell me anything," You smiled weakly as you shook your head,

"That's the problem...I think I'm falling in love with you." 

"Good. Because I think I'm falling in love with you too." You smiled softly smashing your lips together, all of a sudden the kisses were heated and filled with passion. 

From the pool to your room the two of you made out every chance you got, passion building between you whenever you had the chance.

"We don't have to do anything you're not ready for." Felix panted as he pressed you down against the bed, kissing up and down your neck as you shook your head. 

"I'm fine. I-I want you, Felix," You whispered as he began to press his mouth onto yours, pulling off your bikini you had been wearing in the pool and throwing it elsewhere in the room. 

Slowly moving your hands down his body you gripped him in your hand softly pumping him as he let out a choked moan. Thrusting his hips into your hand as he rolled his eyes back. It had been the first time in forever since he'd even thought about touching himself let alone having someone else do it for him. 

"Oh fuck that feels good," He moaned out as his head rolled back, thrust in and out of your hand while you used your thumb to rub the tip.

"Y/n." He whispered as he ran his hands down to your core rubbing your bundle of nerves causing you to whine out his name. Bucking your hips so much that the tip of his cock hit your entrance and you clenched around nothing. 

"Felix please," You whispered as you arched your back of the bed, desperate to have him buried inside of you.

Wrapping your ankles around his waist he pulled you to the edge of the bed running his cock through your folds.

"Lix," You sighed rolling your head back against the mattress as you waited for him. 

"You beg so sweetly," He chuckled before running his cock through your folds and up to your clit making you cry out louder.

Slowly easing into your he moaned out as he felt you clenching around him tightly. Nails digging into his arms you adjusted to the size inside of you, 

"Holy fuck," You moaned out as you could feel your pussy throbbing and clenching just from the first thrust,

"You're so fucking tight," He grunted out as he felt you clench around him once more. 

"M-Move Lix, please." You begged him bucking your hips around him as he slowly began to pull out and bottom back into you. Screaming out his name you rolled your head back against the bed, enjoying the feeling of his full length in you. 

"Faster," You panted as you looked up at him, pulling him down into a deep kiss as your pushed your hands into his hair. 

"Faster? You're sure?" He panted as he looked at you, 

"Make me scream." You smirked as he looked back at you, a smirk covering his face as he began to thrust in and out of you at a fast pace. Pounding in and out of you at a steady rhythm as he grunted loudly. 

"Fuck you feel so good!" He moaned out as he continued to thrust faster into you. Your moans of his name encouraging him as you gripped onto his arms. 

"S-Shit Lix, don't stop." You begged as you could feel your orgasm fast approaching. The feeling felt so foreign to you but so good, your mind was starting to go blank as you cried out nothing but his name. Hips thrusting harder and harder as he began to rub your clit making you scream out his name, by now everyone on your floor knew what you were going to be doing.

"I'm-I'm gonna cum," You warned him as your eye screwed shut, gripping onto the sheets as your back arched away from the bed. 

"Holy fuck! Right there," You begged him as his hips continued to hit you right where you needed it until you came around him. Exploding as you clenched around him, it felt as though your whole body was suddenly on fire as your pussy clenched over and over again. 

Felix's thrusts slowed to a stop as his breathing became ragged and hard.

"Shit." He panted as he kissed your neck, feeling himself twitching inside of you as he came.

Falling down beside you he pulled you into his arms, kissing up and down your shoulder softly.

"Well, that confirmed it," He panted as he placed a kiss on your shoulder, making you giggle at him. 

"Confirmed what?"

"That I am in fact, 100% totally in love with you." He breathed out before leaving a soft and gentle kiss on your lips. 

A loud tannoy began to play in your room startling you and Lix awake as you looked around to see what was going on. 

"Good morning our lovely couple. I'll expect to see you in the lobby in ten minutes!" You frowned hearing Wooyoung's voice coming through the speaker system in your room. In the whole time, you had been staying it had never happened, not once. 

"I wonder what that's about," Felix whispered as he sat up in the bed, looking over at the wardrobe to decide what he was going to wear that day. 

"Probably in trouble for how loud we were." You whined remembering the night before as you pushed yourself off the bed. Not that you were complaining, if that kept happening between you and Felix you were never going to complain about a single thing in the world ever again.

"New pagers?" You frowned as Wooyoung placed a white pager in your hands, smiling up at you as he nodded. 

"You've been chosen. Congratulations." The congratulations didn't make you feel comforted in fact it made you uneasy as you stared at the new pager in your hands. A notification coming through almost right away. 

"To stay one more night we dare you to...Get a new tattoo..." You frowned looking at the words on the screen, Felix frowned as his pager didn't go off yet. 

"Well. That dare seems simple, we have someone on hand if you want to come through." Wooyoung seemed overly chipper as he leads you and Felix over to a set of doors. Pushing them open he smiled when he saw one of the chairs were free, all of the seven others were taken by other people completing the same dare. 

"We have another!" Wooyoung cried out as he handed you a small folder of designs to look through. All of them had the words, "The Game," written somewhere into the design and you stared anxiously at Felix. It wasn't the fear of getting a tattoo but the fear that this was a game to some people, then there was the uneasy feeling that there were only couples in the hotel. Had whoever been creating the dares been waiting for you and Felix to come together?

"What design would you like us to give to her?" The question was directed at Felix who looked at you shocked, 

"I have to decide? But it was her dare..." You looked at the man who shook his head, 

"Her's was to get a tattoo yours should be-" Before he could say coming through now his Felix's pager lit up and the words came across the screen. 

"Two extra nights, you decide what she's branded with," A shiver ran through you. Branded? This had to be some kind of sick game but you never wanted out of the hotel. It had become too good to leave, going back into the world meant sleeping on the floor and not knowing when your next meal was going to come. 

"I trust you," You whispered as you kissed Felix softly, sitting down in the chair and waited for whatever he gave you.

The tattoo he'd given you was no larger than a usually sized post-it note, it was a floral design and besides the words it was perfect.

"At least we have two more nights," He whispered as you got into the elevator again to up to your floor. Another couple joining you as they looked at you, the male had a black eye and his girlfriend had a large cut on her stomach. As soon as they caught you looking at them they stared back at the doors making you stare up at Felix in a panic. The couple looked as though they'd been in a wrestling fight with a bear and lost but Felix just wrapped his arm around your waist protectively and kissed your shoulder. 

Days and weeks began to go by and the dares began to get more and more out of control. It had started with something small as running naked through the halls, jumping into the pool naked or just having a verbal fight with someone. Now it was out of hand. Just last week you had been dared to punch someone in the face while they had been dared to fight someone leaving you bruised eyes and a busted up lip. 

"There's no way." You whimpered as you sat beside Felix in the pool room. The Xavier's were loading the pool up with buckets of fish, you couldn't even tell what they were from this far away.

"Swim with Pirana's for another night's stay. Good things are coming." Felix read the pager to you and you gripped onto his hand, there was no way on the planet that you were even going to allow him of jumping into that pool. 

"You can't...They'll eat you," You panicked as you looked at him, begging him not to do it but he didn't have a choice. 

"Wooyoung said this is the easiest one. All I have to do is not move while I'm in there." You shook your head as he began walking to the edge of the pool, looking over at the fish that were calmly swimming around in the new water. 

"Felix we can go outside, we don't have to keep putting ourselves through this." You begged but he knew neither of you wanted to go outside into the world now so he did it. Climbing down the ladder into the water so he was in the shallow end of the pool, you sat right by the edge ready to yank him out if anything happened. 

"This is too easy Lix." You hissed at him as he just stood there, looking at you as he shook his head. 

"Not everything is going to be as bad as you think." His face dropped and the colour drained as he saw one of the Xiavers coming into the room with another bucket. 

"For an additional month-long stay, stay inside with the Pirarna's for an extra two minutes." You frowned reading the pager out to him not understanding until you saw the look of terror on Felix's face. Xavier had begun to pour fish guts and bones into the water surrounded Felix. 

"Get out." You ordered him as you stared back at Felix,

"Please just get out. It's not worth it." You panicked feeling your heart begin to pound against your chest but he didn't move. He stayed still as a rock as he looked at you, smiling weakly trying not to show how truly terrified he was. 

"Lix." Tears began to pour down your face, one bite was as sharp as a razor and there had to be around 400 Pirana's swimming around him at all times, eating parts of the fish that had been thrown in for them. 

A buzzer sounded and Felix practically jumped out of the water, grabbing you and cradling you in his arms as you sobbed against his chest. 

"Never again!" You yelled at home as you rocked back and forth a little. 

"You can't leave me...I won't lose you." You whimpered over and over again as he kissed the top of your year. Neither of you noticing the cameras capturing every moment you had together in the pool.

The final month had been and gone so quickly, you spent most of your time locked up in the room together trying to convince Felix that you could both make it out there but he dropped a bomb on you. The pagers you originally had were never going to come back and the white ones would only work in the hotel, 

"Once we're out there we're alone. No supplies unless we start stealing." He told you as he tried to convince you everything was going to be okay. That he would take anything too dangerous out of your hands while you told him not to be stupid. 

"Dare time. For one glorious night, stab yourself in the thigh." You read out right before a knock on the door sounded, you sniffled looking at Felix who got up to answer the door. 

"I bring you whatever you want to stab yourself with, we heard they wanted a show from you both. You're the hit of the hotel, everyone keeps talking about the two of you." Staring at the tray he had bought into the room you saw a selection of knifes all waiting for you to take. 

"I can take her dare, right?" Felix questioned but it was too late. You'd already taken one of the steak knives and lodged it into your thigh, holding back a shriek as you felt blood begin to trickle down your leg. 

"A girl that wastes no time, we love it," Wooyoung smirked yanking the knife out and leaving you there to bleed,

"F-Felix." You whispered pointing over at the wardrobe where your things were kept. 

"The ointment is in there," You'd get up yourself but you were busy clutching your thigh to stop the bleeding.

"I would have done it for you," 

"I am capable you know." You laughed as he began to apply the cream to your leg, looking at you and shaking his head as he thought about how bad things were going to get from there. 

"Maybe there will be one big dare we can do...So that we never have to do a dare again?" You hummed, it seemed too good to be true but you had hope that one day it would all end. That the two of you would have done enough dares between you to let you go.

Final dare. Freedom for you. Kill Him. Staring at your pager you frowned. Freedom for you? You glanced over at Felix who was in the middle of an arm wrestle with someone else on your floor. It wasn't a dare just something to do while you waited for the days to pass by faster. You wondered if Felix had gotten the same page but he never flinched or moved to signal that his pager had gone off.

Final dare. Freedom for you. Kill Her. You were in the shower when Felix got his page and panic flooded through him. Kill you? When did this become a game of murder? The water shut off and you came out wrapped in a towel and stared at him. 

"You got it too?" You whispered when you noticed the look on his face, you'd known him so long it was like reading the pages of a magazine with him. 

"You got the same?" He questioned as he sat down on the bed. You were laying there trying to make it look as though you weren't whispering to him. If there were people watching you at all hours of the day to make sure dares were completed there had to be a camera in your room.

"Why would they want us to kill each other?" You whispered as you looked through the book in front of you, Felix frowned as he thought about it more. The two of you sat there together as you read through the book in your hand, exchanging a couple of looks with him every now and again.

"Alien theory still stands. Want to see how far they can push us." You scoffed getting up from the bed and changing into some clothes. Sitting there and doing nothing about the dare was getting you nowhere. You had one more night thanks to a dare you'd completed the other day, a game of Russian roulette which you had clearly won. 

"Well, then I'm going back into the real world...I'm not going to kill you." Felix watched you as you began to pack different items into an overnight bag as if any of it was going to help you in the outside world. None of that was going to help you out there, not anymore.

"I can't go back out there," He told you plainly making you stare over at him waiting for him to tell you that he was joking but he stared at you with a serious look, not once giving you any indication that it was a joke. 

"Lix...I won't kill you," You frowned as you shook your head at him, there was no way you were going to be able to bring yourself to kill someone you loved that deeply.

"Then I guess I'll have to kill you." The breath felt as though it was knocked from your lungs as Felix got up from the bed just staring at you. Slowly beginning to walk towards you with a blank expression on his face as your heart hammered against your chest. 

"You can't! I-I love you, you wouldn't-" You stopped speaking when a knife flew past your head and lodged into the door behind you, staring at the handle you looked back at him. 

"I won't go back out there. I can't." Your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach as you began to realise he was willing to kill you in order to stay there forever. 

The tannoy speakers began to crackle before a song played through them loudly, 

"Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run." As soon as the lyrics played your eyes wandered to Felix who pulled out one of his guns from the wardrobe. 

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Goes the farmer's gun." Throwing the door open you slammed it behind you making a sprint for the elevators but two Xiaver's were guarding the doors and shaking their heads. Hands simply pointing in the direction of the stairs and the song continued to play louder and louder, faster and faster with each second. 

"HELP ME!" You screamed as you banged on different doors hoping that someone would hear your calls and come out to help you but nothing happened. 

"Y/n! Don't run, it spoils my fun!" Felix sang out in a singing voice watching as you walked into the stairwell, down was where Wooyoung would be waiting for you so you rushed up.

"I thought you loved me..." Your voice came out broken as you stood on the roof of the hotel looking at Felix who had followed you up to the top floor.

"I do! I need to do this, if you want to go out there you might as well be dead!" You stepped closer to the edge of the roof as you stared at him, shaking your head over and over again.

"If you truly loved me you wouldn't do this," You panted as he stared at you, 

"Y/n. Get down before you hurt yourself." Wooyoung cried out as he watched you so close to the edge, your eyes darted over to him. Felix watched you as you looked at Wooyoung, 

"If I jump what happens?" You looked over your shoulder, it had to be around a 12 story drop and you looked back at Wooyong. 

"The dare would be cancelled, he would have to do something else..." Eyes darting back at Felix you nodded slowly watching as he shot a bullet at Wooyoung hitting the floor beside him and rushing over to you.

"Then I choose Y/n. I don't want to kill her. I don't want to go out there." His arms wrapped around your waist as you smiled at him, you'd hope this would call someone's bluff, whoever was watching or maybe even Wooyoung but he stared at you both. 

"You think we don't get this all the time? People decided to call out bluff. Do it." He answered coldly as he folded his arms over his chest. 

"I love you," You breathed out to Felix as he held your face in his hands, 

"I love you more." He whispered kissing you softly as you both stepped over the edge.

A gust of wind hit you and then nothing. Just darkness. Your breathing was jagged as you moved around, complete darkness surrounded you until you felt something moving around you. 

"Here," Something was removed from your eyes and you saw Felix standing there perfectly fine as he stared back at you. 

"What- Where-"

"Look," He held up a headset that covered your eyes and you frowned even more. 

"It's all fake...Everything was fake." He whispered as he helped you stand up. Nothing he said was making sense until you looked around you, you were sat in a hospital room with a headset on over your eyes. 

"They've been researching us...Look." He pulled up a chart from the end of your bed to show you. Your name was printed on the front along with everything that had been happening in the world you thought was real.

"We didn't- We're not dead?" You couldn't find the words to speak and it was a wonder Felix was even able to put all of this together as he moved around the room.

"The two best players." A voice you knew cried out as the door opened, standing there was Wooyoung but he looked different somehow. 

"I know, you're thinking about how devilishly handsome I am in this world compared to the alternate one." You blinked at him as he rolled his eyes and came further into the room.

"Congratulations on getting through the game, you have won a quarter of a million dollars." There was no excitement in his voice and you wondered if this was still part of "the game".

"You won when you decided your love with too strong, blah, blah, blah." He grumbled as he looked at you both. 

"You'll get a full health check from a nurse but then you're free to go. Felix, your team are all waiting for you." All of this was beginning to hurt your head but Felix sat down beside you, holding your hand tightly in his. 

"So none of it was real?" You questioned Chan who was sitting in front of you in the dorms. You'd been able to picture them perfectly from all of the stories Felix had told you, 

"Nothing. The pain was all simulated through pads attached to your body and we were all knocked out on so many meds that none of us knew what was real or not real." You blinked once again, all of it had been explained by the nurses. That it was all some competition to win some money during a video game, you couldn't remember anything from before but they said it was normal. It didn't feel right to you, waking up a completely different person because of some video game/alternate universe Wooyoung and a team of scientists had made. 

"How do we know this is real?" You whispered to Felix who gave your hand a squeeze, 

"Because we know this world...We remembered it," You nodded at him laying your head on his shoulder.

"You'll get taken for tests every other week...To make sure you're adjusting back in properly." Hyunjin said as he handed you another plate of food. 

"But this is all real? We're home?" You questioned wanting to make sure that everything was as they said it was. 

"Well...We're home, your home is wherever you came from." Chan explained as he looked over at your phone, you had over 500 missed calls and texts from your family and friends wondering where you had been. 

"I'll call them," You whispered to Felix before getting up from the chair and kissing his forehead. Although everything that had happened in the fake world was fake, your feelings with Felix had been the most real thing you had felt and you were never going to let that go.

Tagline: @minholuvs @taestannie​ @sw33tnight​ @acciocriativity​ @justbangtanthingz​ @taeechwitaa​ @stillwithlix​ 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

FTWD 6x12 - In Dreams

Wow! This episode was Amazing! As I told my fellow theorists, this is one of those episodes, much like TWD 10x18, Find Me, that’s kinda gonna be a holy grail of TD symbolism. So buckle up! There’s a lot here to unpack. 

***As always, spoilers for FTWD 6x12 abound below. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

This episode really was amazing, but also super-sad. While obviously it’s extremely tragic the baby didn’t make it, I will say that I’m glad Grace isn’t leaving the show just yet. It was amazing for the symbolism but also for the masterful storytelling. I got to a point at the end where I was trying to decide which ending they were going for (whether Grace would live or die) but the truth was actually a third outcome I totally didn’t see coming. I write fiction myself and so it’s really hard to take me by surprise, but this episode did it. 

First and foremost, this episode is really great evidence that Leah is a hallucination and/or dream. I know I’ve posted about how we think the bright and somewhat fuzzy colors show that. But let me illustrate. Here’s is a pic from 10x17 of Daryl and Maggie in the woods. Just take note of the greens and browns. This is the filter they generally use in TWD and it’s not hugely saturated with color. That’s on purpose because it’s a post-apocalyptic world and they want it to feel bleak.

Compare that pic to the one below it from Find Me. See the difference?

Well, same thing in this episode about Grace. Here, they tell us flat out and pretty early that it’s not real. So they aren’t trying to trick us like they did in 10x18. So, this is evidence (if not proof in my book) because if the colors look like this and it’s a dream/hallucination for Grace, then it must be for Daryl, too, right?

Okay, but let’s get to specifics. First off, Roy Orbison. We’ve seen/heard references to him SO often, and usually in conjunction with Beth symbolism. Pretty much this entire episode centers around his song, In Dreams.

Not only is there the saturation of the colors, but there is tons of PINK. (Pink Theory).

So Grace wakes up in the middle of the woods, and already, things feel ethereal.

I didn’t even realize it at first, but she’s lying on her back and sees birds flying in circles above her. Just like Beth and Daryl in Inmates. 

A walker attacks her, and both it’s arms end up breaking. We saw that very recently in the Aaron/Father Gabriel episode (10x19). We’re not entirely sure what it means yet, but forearms symbolism has been a thing, in different iterations, for a while. So, that’s one we’re working on understanding.

She meets a young woman named Athena (who we’ve looked into before for various reasons; for one thing, the owl a symbol of Athena, and that’s definitely been a TD symbol in the past).

Athena asks her if she can remember her name, and Grace can’t. This is reminiscent of Dawn asking Beth at Grady if she can remember her name.

When Grace stands up, she pulls her sweater up over her shoulder. Even though this isn’t a romantic situation, it reminded me SO much of when Beth did it in 4x01 after hugging Daryl. And given the bright yellowness of the sweater? Yeah, she’s definitely a Beth proxy. 

In the opening credits, we see Grace, but just for a moment, there’s an overlay of Athena over top of her. We see her walking stick clearly, but then she disappears. I noticed that when I first watched it, and rewound, trying to understand what it was, but of course I didn’t until I watched the episode.

Speaking of Athena’s stick, @wdway did some research because she thought it looked similar to sticks the blind use to guide them. Check this out. 

So, clearly Athena isn’t using it that way, but the theme of being blind is there. I’ll talk more about this later, but we see several walkers get stabbed through one eye, which both suggests blindness and is part of the Sirius/one eye symbolism. The “blind” walking stick is just another way to show this same theme.

Athena takes her back to Morgan’s community, and we quickly learn that it’s been 16 years since the last episode, and Athena is actually Grace’s unborn child. So clearly, this is a dream or vision of some kind.

She had to convince Morgan of who she is, which she eventually does.

So, here’s the thing. I, for one, am very focused on what foreshadows Beth, right? And there is TONS of dialogue in this episode that could potentially be applied to her.

For example, in this scene, Morgan says, “You can’t be here.” Grace: “Why?” And then it just shows her grave stone. Morgan says, “I buried you myself.”

Now, we don’t think Daryl actually buried Beth, but he tried at a white church. (X). However, the idea of Daryl saying something like this, (You can’t be here. You’re dead.) works very well.

Later in the same scene, Grace says, “people don’t get what they wish for.” To which Morgan replies, “Sometimes things happen that you just can’t explain.” It reminded me of something Dwight said back in S4/S5 when he was still looking for Sherry. He says, “impossible shit happens.” He was referring to him finding Sherry again, which he did. This was referring to Morgan seeing Grace again after he thought she’d died. Which he also did (even if it was just in her dream). Although, it definitely gave the impression that maybe she did die for a few minutes in the barn before he resuscitated her. So, you could argue that that aspect of her dream came true.

I had to chuckle when June showed up to check her out. She literally checks her eyes and says she sees no sign of brain injury. Um, yeah. Brain injury CAN show up in the eyes, but just because it doesn’t, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have one. Clearly, they didn’t want to use screen time to show June do an entire, thorough check of Grace, but there was a little bit of medical unreality here. Of course, you could argue that this is Grace’s dream and she’s not a doctor, so she wouldn’t have known better.

But more to the point, they mention a concussion (which Edwards said Beth had), traumatic brain injury (which Beth sustained in Coda) and then combine it with Grace not remembering her name at the beginning, and the unrealities of Carol’s recovery at Grady in S5, and I’d say this is a very on-the-nose replay of Grady. 

We see a really sweet future where Strand and Daniel are friends and Sherry and Dwight are not only back together, but have two kids. A baby girl named Tina (Sherry’s sister who died in TWD S6 and, might I add, was a Beth proxy) and a little boy named John after John Dorie. Very sweet.

But I was thinking while watching it that chances are, none of that will actually happen. And I was thinking about it from an outside-the-story aspect. They’re already talking about people from Fear crossing back over to main TWD. And I don’t necessarily think we’ll see it in S11, but probably in the spinoff. So, I feel like this community Morgan is building will go down at some point.

And that doesn’t mean Dwight and Sherry won’t get back together. I actually think they will. I’m just saying it won’t happen exactly as Grace saw it in her dream. Compare it to Carl’s dream of the future during S8, before he died. Certain aspects of that have or will come true, but he won’t live to see it. So not all of it will. See what I mean?

And then the showrunner kind of confirmed this during the “inside the episode.” He said what Grace saw was just a dream and none of it was actually going to come to pass. ☹

Grace then asks Morgan how he managed to build the community and bring everyone together. He answers that it was Athena. Because they lost Grace, everyone rallied around her child and that’s what kept everyone together.

I actually think we saw this theme somewhat in 5b. After they lost Beth (and Tyreese) everyone sort of rallied around Judith, who was still a baby. I had an idea while watching the beginning of the episode that Grace = Beth and Athena = Judith. Now, Athena doesn’t survive, so I’m not sure how far I can push that. But it’s still interesting to think about.

This walker is an interesting one. We could really go down a rabbit hole iwth it. First off, there’s the shirt that says, “don’t mess with Texas.” As I’ve been talking about Eugene lately, I’m sure you’ll recognize the Texas/New Mexico/western theme.

The missing eye is sirius symbolism. But the glasses make me think of two specific walkers we saw in the past. The woman in the food bank that father Gabriel had a relationship with, 

and also this one that Glenn and Nicholas saw. You know, right before Glenn’s death fake out. 

I won’t go into what they both mean in detail. I’m sure it’s enough to say that both walkers, in both situations, are Beth proxies of one sort or another. 

And I’m sure we should be reading into the fact that it comes on a loop. They see/kill it over and over again as Grace becomes “awake” in her dream.

Of course, Athena has a Walkman and listens to music all the time. I’m sure I don’t have to explain that one. But what really caught my ear was the part where Morgan turned it off in the real world and in the dream, Athena said, “You broke it.” Very similar to the music box being broken in 5x10.

And then Grace says she didn’t break it. Morgan just turned it off. I’m seeing that as a hint that Beth was never dead. Just sleeping. When she finally starts connecting all the dots, Grace has lots of interesting lines that could apply to Beth, or could also apply to the Daryl/Leah situation.

“I’m unconscious.” (Beth)

“It’s just fragments of different memories. Things I’ve thought about. My brain is trying to make sense of it all.” (Daryl/Leah).

At one point, Grace tells Athena she is strong (Beth’s “I am strong,”) and that she’ll bring everyone together. Bring everyone hope.

Seriously, EVERY line of dialogue in this episode jumped out at me in some way.

Let me back up a minute. When we see the car with the “end is the beginning” graffiti on it, the trunk is open, which is significant.

Grace also talks about how she was on the highway with Morgan, and they saw this car, and there was an explosion.

Now, we’ve never talked much about anything like this with Beth because we don’t have tons of evidence for it. But I do remember that spoilers (the same ones that reported seeing her at the white cabin during S5 filming) mentioned a car chase near Terminus, and we never saw that, either. So, I think it’s possible something like this might happen during the missing 17 days. Just speculation on my part, though.

Also a major “wake up” theme here. I mentioned this about a week ago HERE when I did a bunch of mini rewatches. The symbolism of what’s real vs what’s a dream has actually been very prevalent throughout the entire series. I just don’t think TD homed in on it until the Leah episode just recently.

We heard it clear back in ep 1 with Rick. We saw it with Denise just before she died. And we saw Beth’s eyes flutter open at Grady when she “woke up,” so it’s safe to say this can be applied to Beth.

Morgan says repeatedly to Grace that she needs to wake up. Once she realizes she’s unconscious, she repeats it many times as well. “I need to wake up.”

In terms of how this might speak to Leah being a hallucination for Daryl, consider this. Grace is inside her hallucination, and she says things like this:

“I’m unconscious.” “This isn’t real.” “It’s in my head. Fragments of different memories…” Yeah, that’s what we’ve been saying about 10x18 for weeks.

Grace’s hallucination represents the future she hopes will come to pass, but what she actually sees is an amalgamation of people she knows and memories she has. Her brain just fills in the blanks.

By the same token, Leah represents something Daryl wants (not to be alone anymore) but she’s an amalgamation of past experiences and people he knows in real life. (Rick, Carol, and especially Beth.)

Then we have the white horse symbol. This is something we’ve known for a long time. It’s the black/white theme, but we saw a white horse and a “you’re still alive” sign near Morgan in 6x16. Rick also rode a white horse in 9x05, just before he didn’t actually die. So the white horse represents someone living.

Interestingly, the first time she sees the white horse, it’s a picture hanging in the air, apparently from nothing. But it reminds me a lot of the plate glass windows we see hanging from the trees during S8/AOW. 

Grace and Athena rode one to the barn where Grace lived and sort of reunited with Morgan. And yes, it’s a little bit sneaky, because both Athena and Grace were on the horse, and Athena didn’t make it. It was hard to tell which one it would apply to. But that’s exactly how the writers keep us guessing. It’s why we don’t usually know things for sure until we can see them in hind sight.

But in this case, we could have guessed Grace would live because of that horse. More on that in minute.

When Riley shows up in the hallucination, Grace kills him and realizes Athena represents her real baby and can feel the contractions too. She has an interesting line. “I was wrong. You are real. It’s the only thing that makes sense. We’re connected.”

This is the kind of line that jumps out at me as a foreshadow of Beth. For years, we’ve wondered if Daryl will see Beth and think he’s hallucinating. In the wake of the Leah episode, I suspect this more than ever. Especially if at some point, he realizes Leah isn’t real, when he sees Beth, he won’t trust his own eyes and his own mind. So this line could apply to some future storyline.

Of course Grace says things like, “I need to wake up so you can be born.” “I need to wake up so you’re all right.” I was writing so fast, my hand was cramping, lol.

While riding the white horse, they cross a small bridge, which is clearly symbolic. But I also noticed that Grace passed the truck we saw her driving around last season. In the cab is a walker in a radiation suit and a radiation detector (I’m sure there’s a more official name for that, lol).

It gave me a new perspective on the cars. While I’m sure they represent many things, they represent things that have happened in the characters’ pasts. And that works well for everything we’ve always said, because it means when Daryl sees a blond walker in a car, it’s all about his past. And Beth.

There’s a moment when Grace actually seems to die. She stops breathing and appears to be dead, even in the dream.

Couple of things here. 1) I’ve said for years that Beth may have truly, medically died for a short time period. As in, her heart stopped before restarting. That would be a sneaky way to fulfill all the “death” symbolism around her but have her still live/resurrect. This may be evidence of that. 2) Did you see everything run backward? It’s at this part when Grace stops breathing, we see everything run in backward motion for about 30 seconds. Almost as though they need to rewind or reset to get the story back on the right track.

The key. I guess we should talk about the key. Very interesting stuff. As per this episode, the key represents the cost of peace. And they talked about it being the future.

Remember back in S8, there was an episode called “The Key to the Future.” So this is a repeated theme. But we’ve seen keys around Beth for a long time, especially at Grady. It kept showing keys being used to open doors in order to get Rick and Daryl in to do the prisoner exchange.

So, here’s what I’m thinking for this. I think the cost of peace was Beth being shot. We’ve thought for a long time that Beth will save TF in some way. Probably during the CRM war or maybe in some way that has nothing to do with war (i.e. famine or lack of water).

We don’t know how that will play out, yet. But if key = cost of peace, then seeing keys at Grady probably shows that the cost of saving TF down the road is Beth getting shot. It went the way it had to. The way it was always going to. So she could save them.

@frangipanilove likes to say that Fear functions as our key (like the kind you find on a map) to understanding TD symbolism. And this is a good example. They told us what the key symbol stands for and it makes other things we’ve seen and theorized make sense.

In a more literal, plot-related sense, Riley also said, “That key is going to change everything.”

And, I don’t actually think it’s a good thing that they gave it away. I think Grace’s logic in the moment was absolutely sound. The baby was going to be the Savior. And the baby’s strength would supplant whatever advantage that key gave whoever has it.

But the baby, tragically, died. So…they probably need to get that key back.

Also interesting to note that back in S8, the book “A Key to a Future” was about building windmills and water aqueducts. Major water symbols, and once again, water = Beth. 

Speaking of the baby as savior, that’s definitely a theme, as I described above. The people rallied around her in Grace’s dream and she kind of saved everyone just by living.

@wdway pointed out that Grace giving birth in a barn on top of hay gives it a manger feel, which is probably what they were going for.

So, Athena, in the dream, is also something of a proxy for Beth.

When they enter the barn, we see something super interesting. There’s a walker point up at a cage with a dove in it. The walker doesn’t even try to get them when they enter, but that’s because it’s Grace’s dream. But this is SUCH a potent TD symbol. A bird in a cage = imprisonment. And there was an empty bird cage in Beth’s cell in 4x01, as well as near Connie just before she disappeared. 

We also think it was probably a dove (you can hear it cooing). So with the manger motif as she gives birth, from a biblical symbolism standpoint, a dove makes sense. The dove generally represents the Holy Spirit branchy of the Trinity. 

Just a super interesting symbol and, to me, it shows that this is all tied up in Beth symbolism, and that the person they’re foreshadowing here is the person who’s been imprisoned for a long time. The person who had the bird cage in her cell. 

I also think we need to appreciate that Grace had a dream that made her believe one thing was true (that she would die and the baby would live). But in reality, the opposite was true. We’ve come up with considerable evidence that Beth lived. But Daryl believes that she died. And the exact opposite will end up being true. They also tried really hard to convince us in this episode that Grace would die. We saw her accepting it and acting accordingly. Similarly, they’ve tried really hard to convince us that Beth really died. We’ve seen all the characters accept it and act accordingly. 

So, I said above that we saw several walkers get it in the eye, right? One of the sequences I noticed the second or third time through that I watched it, was when, in the dream, Walker Riley has Athena pinned against the wall. He was the first one to say, “I know you thought this would be different, but that was just a dream.” 

So, what I noticed is that he said this, at the exact same time that Grace stopped breathing or “died” and then suddenly revived. And directly after Riley said this, he got a stake through the eye when Morgan showed up. 

So we have this “dream” symbolism, Grace dying and then resurrecting and the eye/Sirius symbolism all within a few seconds of each other. It’s a very compelling and powerful scene. Maybe my favorite of the episode. I’ve watched it like a thousand times, lol. 

And of course there’s that heartbreaking, repeated line, “I [know you] thought this would end differently. But that was just a dream.” First, walker-Riley (super cool walker effect, btw) said it to Athena in the Grace’s dream. Then she said it while holding her deceased baby.

More lines that jumped out at me near the end, and could possibly apply to Beth and Daryl:

“You found us.” (Athena says this to Morgan when he shows up to kill Riley in the dream.)

“He’s here for me.” Grace says this when Morgan shows up and takes her hand.

Grace: “I don’t want to say goodbye, but I have to.” Beth hating goodbyes and not wanting to say them.

When Morgan is trying to revive Grace, he says, “Stay with me. Come back.” (Geez, if Daryl says anything like this during those missing 17 days, it’s gonna be freaking heartbreaking.)

When she wakes up, he says, “Good morning. You’re awake. You’re awake.” So there’s that awake/wake up theme again. But the “good morning” is interesting, too. It may be morning time as this scene is playing out, but we didn’t actually see them go from night to morning. 

We’ve said for years that the sunrise represents Beth and a new beginning, so that “good morning” line is highly symbolic of a new era in which Beth lives.

He also says, “I thought I lost you.” *coughs Daryl*

Grace replies, “I had to come back so Athena could be born.” And again, I really don’t think Beth will be pregnant when she shows up, but baby Athena represents the way in which she’ll save TF. Because Athena was supposed to be the Savior here.

“We don’t have much time,” is repeated two or three times. So that’s a time mention, but also probably foreshadows a future storyline where they’re up against a countdown clock in some way. 

“I had to come back.” Tell me you aren’t thinking of Beth when listening to that line. 

“The key is not the future. She is.” Okay, my fellow theorists and I have discussed that the child who will save the future may well be Judith. In that sense, Judith may be Athena, but that still leaves Grace = Beth. And hearing this line, I just can’t help but replace “she” with Beth. 

When Morgan asks Riley what the key opens, Riley says, “it doesn’t matter.” Also a Beth theme from Grady. 

And finally, after Riley takes it, he says, “Good luck.” Luck Theory. 

Phew. Quite a few of those, right? 

Side note: one of the reasons I really didn’t know if Grace would live or die, as I mentioned above, is that they were really trying to convince us she would, but a lot of what was said could be seen as dialogue foreshadow. 

That could be a problem for some of our theories. But here’s the thing. Going back through it again, the writers were super-sneaky. Most of it could be quantified differently than it came across. For example, Grace says to Morgan, “I don’t THINK I’m going to survive this.” Not that she absolutely won’t. See what they did there? I’m just pointing out.

Finally, I want to mention a few more things the show runner said in his interview at the end. 

First, in talking about Athena, he said they wanted to make her a very strong, together girl, so it was obvious she came from Grace and was trained and raised by Morgan. It just reminded me a lot of what they said about Beth after Still. The whole, “raised by Hershel, trained by Daryl, meet the new Beth Greene.” Athena gave off that vibe for sure, but the showrunner used almost the exact same words to describe her. Definitely side-eyeing that. 

He also talked about how they purposely crafted the “dream” so that it wasn’t only a dream that Grace was a passive participant in. Parts of it had to be real and have real world implications so she was driven by a ticking time bomb. For her, in this episode, it was because her baby was coming and she needed to wake up to give birth.

I just mention it because I can’t help but wonder what implications this will have for the Daryl/Leah situation. 

I think that’s what I have for this episode. But man, what a crazy, tragic, epic, awesome episode! Loved it. (And hey, they owed us a big one after killing off John a few weeks ago. ;D)

[always-and-forever-a-killjoy]

Hello fuckers! This is the ridiculously long fic I've been vagueposting about for like weeks. 23k words sitting in a doc! I'll be trying to post maybe once every two weeks, but once school starts again it will be a lot harder to get out 3k words in a week. I have seven chapters written, so I'll consistently update for probably 2-3 months and then no promises after that. This is going to be a fucking epic.

Note that not all warnings  apply to all the chapters, so I'll be warning for triggering/upsetting content in each chapter individually. Please heed those!

You all also get to play a game of 'guess which song the chapter title is pulled from', which is made more difficult by my music taste ranging from musicals (les mis! DEH!) to my chemical romance. I'll let you know what the chapter title was from when I post the next chapter. Also, the POV switches each chapter, so that info is also in the notes.

Title: Coming, Coming Home

Chapter Title: Do you want to live out loud?

Chapter Wordcount: 3099

Summary:

The story of 109 WKIL, from the mother that began it to the daughter who saw the end of it.

Warnings: None for this chapter!

Taglist: @wishiwasthemoon-tonight @sleevesareforlosers @stressed-depressed-emo-mess @tasteofamnesia @dagger-queen @no-braincells-here @piratecherricola (message me, send an ask, or reblog/reply to one of my posts if you want to be added or removed)

AO3 Link

(Actual fic under the cut)

It began with a handheld radio.

The killjoy who was already beginning to be known as Dr. Death Defying had stolen quiet a few of these portable transmitting devices when he left the army of the corporation called Better Living Industries. Now, he began to give them out, one after another, to the small clusters of rebels who were just beginning to call themselves killjoys. With those, the groups kept each other updated for a while, passing whispers back and forth over the airwaves. The positions of squads of dracs, who had extra supplies, where there were good buildings to scavenge from or shelter in.

Those were highly effective in the small rebellion, news passing quickly between the few rebels, but as more killjoys began to enter to desert, take up the colors and masks and ray guns and form themselves into a true rebellion, it was getting to be not enough. 

“We need something with a wider reach.”

Dr. Death Defying was sitting at the so-called strategy table (which in actuality was a shitty kitchen table strategically repurposed), listening to White Lily talk about rebellion. It was another ordinary afternoon, or as ordinary as one could get in a post-apocalyptic nuclear desert plotting to overthrow an evil mega corporation. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and he and his best friend, the fiery spirited White Lily, were in a partially wrecked house out in Zone Four, where they had been staying for most of the time since the Helium Wars. Both former soldiers, they had served together for a little bit after D had first been recruited. He had been transferred to a different squadron soon after, and they hadn’t deserted together, but they’d met up after the wars and become close friends. Two dreamers who wanted to save the world, she had said. And so now they were trying to do just that, one killjoy recruit at a time.

“If this is going to be a true revolution, Walkie-talkies aren’t going to cut it,” White Lily went on. “We need a way to reach more people. Get the word out quicker.”

“Did you have any particular ideas?” Dr. Death Defying asked dryly.

Her eyes gleamed in the way that meant she did, in fact, have an idea. “A radio station.”

“A what?”

“A radio station. I know I sound crazy, but hear me out. If we can get our hands on the equipment, a lot of killjoys already have radios and that way we can also reach the ones with only a car radio. We broadcast news- who’s dead, where bli is attacking, just generally what’s going on. We can also make speeches over the radio, like what’s his face, the president guy, did with his fireside chats."

“FDR. And you can make speeches over the radio.” It wasn’t that he couldn’t, per se, but he would rather leave the main speaking part of it to her.

White Lily briefly made a sad face, but was back to determination within seconds. “Right, well I can make big speeches if you do daily announcements and news, deal?”

“Deal.” They realized a second later what they had just accidentally agreed to and sighed. 

The other just grinned. “Time to get some radio equipment!”

And so it began with a hand held radio and a duo of Helium Wars survivors, and 109 WKIL was born.

109 WKIL didn’t actually broadcast until two full months and a new crew member later. It turned out to be not exactly easy to get their hands on the equipment necessary to send out signals, and neither of them knew precisely what running a radio station required anyways. They researched as best they could, asking around and reading any old books they could find, but supplies were scarce and electronic equipment especially so. And so they didn’t get the radio station fully running until after the arrival of their third crew member.

It was another of the somewhat lazy afternoons in the desert when Cherri Cola showed up at their house in a stolen BLI News Van. White Lily was gone, off talking to a small band of neutrals and trying to persuade them to aid the rebellion, so it was Dr. Death Defying who was there to see a no-longer white van screech to a stop. He kept his ray gun close as he stepped outside, since the van was Better Living Industries, but the side of it had a sprinkling of graffiti and it was covered in dust, which reassured him somewhat.

“Hello?”

The van’s engine clicked off and Dr. Death Defying breathed a sigh of relief as a lean teenager hopped out, squinting in the sunlight. They were clearly a killjoy, given the pink mask, and they also wore scuffed jeans and a too-small black jacket despite the warmth of a desert afternoon. Their hair was brown and a sandy mess, and they were perhaps an inch or two shorter than Dr. Death Defying. They were completely and utterly un-intimidating with the sole exception of their eyes, which blazed with fierce and bitter kind of anger. 

“Another killjoy?” Their voice squeaked a little, undoing any effect of those fiery eyes, and they cleared their throat. “Uh, another killjoy?”

At loss for words, he nodded. “I’m Dr. Death Defying, he/him and they/them.”

“Cherri Cola.” They fiddled with their shirt hem. “He/him.”

“So…I’m assuming you’re looking for White Lily?”

“Was actually just looking for a place to stay the night,” Cherri Cola mumbled. “I didn’t realize you were already staying here, I can leave-“

“Absolutely not, get inside.” They hoped their voice didn’t sound too firm. “White Lily and I are happy to let people stay with us who need.”

“Oh.” D pretended not to notice the relief on his face as he ran a hand through his hair. “Thanks.”

“Of course. Do you want to come into the shade? It’s baking out here.” He didn’t mention how hot the other killjoy must be in that jacket.

“Yes, please.” 

So he led the strange teenager inside, half-wondering what made the teen’s eyes so old and filled with hurt and rage. It wasn’t an uncommon sight in the zones, per se, but this kid’s eyes were striking in their pain.

“So, how old are you?”

“Sixteen, you?”

“Twenty. Do you want some power pup? We’ve got a bit of extra, I think.”

Cherri nodded eagerly, and he devoured everything D put in front of him. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to pull off a raid or anything, and hacking vending machines isn’t as easy as it looks.”

That would explain why he was so lean. “You’ve got the look of someone who’s been out in the desert a while.”

“Almost since the end of the wars.” There was no need for him to specify which wars. The Helium Wars loomed over everyone and everything, desert and city. 

“Ah. I’ve been here since the very end of the wars, so not too much longer than you. My friend White Lily and I were both deserters, we met up and decided to stick it to the man, as it were.” 

“So you live together?” Cherri Cola’s face had softened into curiosity.

“Yep. We’ve been sheltering in this house for quite a while now, but we’ve lived together for longer than that.” 

Cherri nodded. “I’m on my own. Runaway from Battery City, never found a crew. It must be nice to live with your friend, though.”

At that moment, said friend came tromping through the door. “Hello, D!”

“Hey, Lily!”    

Cherri waved with a quiet “Hello.”

“Hello, random stranger in my kitchen!”

Dr. Death Defying sighed. “White Lily, this is Cherri Cola, he/him. Cherri Cola, this is White Lily, she/her.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cherri said politely. 

“Nice to meet you too, kid! So I’m assuming this softy offered you a place to sleep for the night?”

“I did, he needed a place to stay.”

“Softy.” White Lily turned her grin on Cherri Cola. “You’re welcome to stay for a bit, we’ve got a nice place and an extra room, so I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”

“I can pull my weight,” he offered quietly. “I know how to sew and some first aid and a little bit of fighting, but I’m not great yet.”

“What makes you think you have to pull your weight for us to give you a room for a night?” Lily’s face was genuinely concerned. “Can’t believe I’m going to say this, but chill, kid.”

There was something in Cherri’s eyes that reminded D a little of a wounded animal as he glanced up at Lily. “You’re sure I don’t have to be helpful? I can do a lot of things- okay, not a lot, but I’m pretty good at fixing things and I know how to fire a ray gun, even if I can’t really do hand-to-hand combat.”

"Well, if some dracs attack, then you can put that to good use,” D told him.

“Wait, did you say you can fix things? Tech skills?” Lily leaned forward, and D didn’t have to see her face to know what she was thinking. 

“My…I knew someone who’s an engineer,” Cherri explained.  “I know how to fix a lot of things.”

“You don’t happen to know anything about radio equipment, do you?”

“Lily,” D sighed.

“Some, why?”

“We could use some help getting a radio station off the ground. And shush, D, if he’s going to stay anyways, we might as well figure out if he can help.”

“A radio station…do you have a transmitter? Or anything of the sort? And you need modulators.”

“We’ve got the modulators,” D told him. “We need a transmitter, the little one I found isn’t near powerful enough.”

Cherri Cola frowned, tilting his head. “Well, I’ve got a news van with what I’m assuming is a very powerful transmitter, haven’t tried to use it yet, though. We’d have to figure out how to make it work with audio instead of video, but I bet you could use the antenna from that. An FM station shouldn’t take too much technology, depends on how wide you want the range to be. Power is probably more of an issue?”

“We’ve got some large batteries, do you think we need a more permanent power source?”

They talked until the sun was starting to set, Cherri having quite a bit of useful advice and knowledge to supplement what little research D managed.

And after Cherri was safely asleep in the spare room, Dr. Death Defying and White Lily convened back at the shitty kitchen ‘strategy’ table. 

“You’re not seriously thinking of letting him stay forever,” Lily said as soon as she had taken her seat.

“Why not?” Usually, it would be Lily who asked this question, but “He needs a home.”

“This better not be fucking Socks all over again.” Socks, being, of course, the cat D had tried to take in during the Helium Wars. Not only had he been a lot of trouble, he had eventually run off onto the battlefield, and neither of them had been able to stop him. They could only assume he had been killed in the final days of the wars.

D still regretted that, but this was different. “He’s not a cat, Lil. But he does need a safe place to stay. Besides, you were the one who was grilling him about radio station technology.”

“At first. Then you took over with all your technical words and phrases.”

“All we were doing was talking transmitters.”

“Nerd boy.” 

D sighed. “Anyways. He can clearly be helpful, given how much he knows about radio technology and other things, and he’s obviously in need of a place to stay.”

“Well, we’ve got one of those at least,” Lily sighed. “He better end up a good radio station assistant for you.”

D knew that meant Cherri was staying. “We’ll offer to let him join in the morning.”

“We will.” Lily’s face was serious. “Be prepared for him to say no, D. We’re not famous yet, but being friends with rebellion leaders probably isn’t an easy lot.”

“Of course not.” The flashlight they had hung for light flickered. “We’ll warn him about a friendship with us means, but we can’t just kick him out.”

“Technically, we can, but we’re not going to.”

“Absolutely fucking not.”

The next morning dawned slightly overcast, which was rare in the desert. It provided somewhat of a gloomy atmosphere as Cherri Cola wandered into their living room area with a tired “Morning.”       

“Morning,” Lily yawned back. D was the only one properly awake at the crack of dawn, always an early riser. 

He found it somewhat amusing how non-functional Lily was until she had had some coffee or gotten some adrenaline from a fight. “Good morning.”

Cherri settled down in one of the chairs cautiously as Lily opened her mouth again. “So, D and I were talking. Big softy that he is, he wants to let you stay with us if you want, and I figured you might be pretty handy when it comes to radio stations.”

“Don’t let her twist it, she’s equally on board.” D resisted a sigh. “We do have to warn you, we’re leading a rebellion. Lily is, at least. I’m something like a right hand, I suppose. So it will be dangerous and difficult to be friends with us, and the radio station will not be an easy endeavor either.”

“Can’t be worse than…” Cherri trailed off. “Can’t be worse than wandering the desert on your own in a stolen news van. Do you really want me to stay?”

“Hey, we always want another pair of hands.” White Lily’s joking tone didn’t get a grin out of him.  “You seem like a neat kid, why not let you stay?”

“Guess so.” Cherri yawned again. “So, do you happen to have a screwdriver? I think I’ve got some ideas about the modulators.”

So Cherri Cola came to live with them. His primary occupation was trying to get the radio station able to broadcast, alongside Dr. Death Defying, combining each of their respective technology skill with a lot of guesswork and the knowledge gleaned from whatever books they could find. He rarely went on runs with White Lily at first, but as they found out a week or so in, he turned out to be more than a decent shot with a ray gun.

“Holy fuck, Cola.” White Lily was staring at the empty can he had just knocked over- from a distance of a hundred and twenty feet, further than D or Lily had managed yet. 

“Is that a good or a bad ‘holy fuck’?”

“Good. Holy shit. D and I haven’t hit that yet, not with a shitty little ray gun like yours anyways.”

“What’s wrong with this ray gun?”

“No offense, but that’s a piece of shit.” D watched as she took the ray gun and weighted it in her hands before handing her own to Cherri. “Feel what this one’s like- it’s a little heavier, but it’s a lot nicer. Yours doesn’t even have a stun setting.”

It took him one or two practice shots, but within a few minutes he was shooting even more effectively.

“A hundred and FIFTY feet! D, did you see that?”

“I did,” D told her, glancing over at the youngest of their little trio. “Cherri, we need to get you a better ray gun.” 

The better ray gun would have to wait, though, as the next day, they finally found the last few pieces of equipment and things that they would need for the radio station. They had decided that 109 WKIL would broadcast from the news van Cherri had arrived in, since the antenna was already attached and that way it could be portable if Better Living Industries managed to track their signal. So a few days of fixing later, they had cobbled together a working radio apparatus that could broadcast at a range of thirty miles or so. It had taken a lot of swearing, banging around, and failed test runs, but eventually they had it figured out.

The very first broadcast fell to D, as it was decided he would be the main DJ, and he settled at the panel a little nervously. Cherri was crouched beside him, fiddling with the last few cords. 

“Think we’re good to go,” he whispered.

"Right. Here goes nothing.” D took a deep breath. “One-oh-nine in the sky and the pigs won’t quit, welcome to the very first broadcast by one oh nine WKIL, the rebellious radio station of the desert. I’m Dr. Death Defying, and I’ll be your usual DJ, keeping you updated on all the news from claps to raids to Mad Gear concerts.”

The script had been decided on beforehand so that he didn’t stumble too much, but he still had to pause to take another quick breath and steady himself. “We’ll be doing our broadcast at this time every morning, pretty soon after alarm clock radiation, and we’ll be fanning the spark of this desert into a flame. So tune in, listeners, for all the latest updates, weather, traffic reports, and the best music we’ve got. One oh nine in the sky, this is Dr. Death Defying signing off.”

Cherri gave them a broad grin and a thumbs-up as D fumbled to click the right buttons to get the music going. D grinned right back, and White Lily came charging into the van a few minutes later, brandishing the radio they had been using to test their broadcasting capabilities. 

“It worked! You came though loud and clear, even a good ten miles away, and you’re already getting good at this. I told you, you could do it!” She gave him a high five, grinning, and turned to Cherri. “And good job, soda kid! You’re already a radio station technician.”

Cherri laughed and high-fived her. “Wasn’t expecting to become one at sixteen, but not the worst place I could have ended up.”

They had tried to spread the word as best as possible about the radio station beforehand, so D knew there had been a fair amount of killjoys already listening to the first broadcast. And word travelled quickly in the desert, so he didn’t doubt their listener base would grow over the years. But for now, the rebellion was small, and the twenty-one-year-old leader and her two best friends were heading inside for a celebratory breakfast of power pup.

[homogrimoire-archive]

The Remnant Branches

CH. 5 - Ash Qrow

Qrow ventures into the world where day and night are at a standstill. There, he gets stuck with a bunch of kids, and a book or two.

AO3 Link

You can kill two birds with one stone. But if those two birds are the same bird, are you really killing two birds?

-

Qrow flew right into a large rock that was hurled from below. With a caw, he flew away with it. It hurt like hell, but honestly, he was used to such inconveniences.

“Kainé! You hit that poor bird!” berated a child’s voice.

“What? It’s not my fault the damn thing came out of nowhere.” a woman said as she tore through a shadowy monster.

As Qrow recovered, he looked down below. There were four people: two young adults, and two children. There were also two floating books, one white, and the other red. The two children fought together, while the male teen and the white book fought together. The woman, whose clothing could hardly count as clothing, fought with the red book. He thought of joining in the fight to help them out, but they were taking care of the monsters, shades, he remembered, as if it were having a picnic. Not only that, they all used magic. He was happy to have found what he was looking for on his first day.

Qrow spent the rest of that first day scouting the surrounding area. Nearby, was a small village, a seaside town, a small desert civilization, a run down factory, a forest, and a village built into a cliff side. In the distance, he could see dilapidated buildings, an abandoned city in ruins. He knew that whatever happened to this world was unimaginable. He knew that if Salem won, Remnant could very well end up like that part of the world.

The first place he visited was the tavern of the village the four stayed in. His first order of business was to find out preliminary information on them. Bars were one of the best places to get info. Alcohol flowed, and information flowed with it. However, bars in small places could be either hit or miss with information. The people in such bars would either be too tight-lipped, wanting to keep their community’s secrets, or all too eager to share the latest gossip. He was all too happy to find this bar a hit. Great information, with even greater alcohol. He decided then that post-apocalyptic alcohol was the best.

“You mean you haven’t heard of them!? They’re like, only the strongest people in the world!”

“I’ve seen Grimoire Weiss and Nier take on an army of shades all alone! I wish I was as awesome as they were.”

“Kainé is soooo cool. She and Rubrum took down a shade the size of three building in five minutes flat. She even saved me from this giant shade and helped me up. I haven't washed my hand since she touched it.”

“Emil and Halua are soo adorable! And so strong too! Don’t let their looks fool you though. I heard that they took on Weiss, Nier, Kainé, and Rubrum on in a spar, and won.”

“They’re gonna save the world! Once they find The Shadowlord, we’ll be free of the shades at last!”

Qrow was having a great time. Apparently, he had showed up after a rare performance from the village’s leaders. The bar was filled with laughter and chatter. While he was chatting away with some man, he heard a roar rise from the crowd.

“Oh man! Here comes the main event!” said the man.

Qrow saw that an arm wrestling contest was going on, and the champion was one of the village leaders, the one with the straight hair. She seemed more drunk than anyone else, and did not appear particularly strong. The first opponent was a woman, a dainty thing that went down easy. Next was a beefy man. He went down with only a smudge of struggle on the champion’s part. After him was an even beefier woman. She was defeated just as easily.

“Come on! One more opponent! Who else wants to face me? You!” She pointed right at Qrow. “You’re a new face! Get over here! Let’s see how you hold up against me!”

Qrow shrunk and tried to get out of the challenge, but, the crowd pushed him forward. He may have been drunk, but still knew that it was almost never a good idea to attract attention on a mission. However, there was no good way of getting out of it, so he went to his slaughter. She sized him up and smirked. Their hands interlocked, and the match began. Qrow put up a better fight than the others. He assumes it is because of his aura helping out. But, she unleashes a burst of strength that not only seals her victory, but breaks the table they were playing on. While Qrow picks himself up, the champion raises a leg onto her chair and relishes her victory.

“Popola! Popola!” the crowd chanted. Qrow knew that there was more to this woman than meets the eye. But, pursuing her would have been illogical. He had his lead on magic, and would focus on that.

It wasn’t his first loss at arm wrestling. That was with Tai. Summer ended up winning Team STRQ’s little tournament. It was a nice memory. But, a memory is all it ultimately all was. He spent the rest of that day gathering bits and pieces of information on the group, nursing the great beer out of his canteen.

The Shadowlord and the black book, Noir, had taken the Nier’s kid sister. The two children were siblings and had lived at the mansion. Kainé had lived at the Aerie, the place built into the cliffside. Grimoire Weiss, who insisted on being referred to by his full name, and Kainé did not get along. Rubrum and Nier don’t get along. Rumor has it that Nier and Kainé are dating. Nier’s weapon is named Beastcurse. None of the info he gathers pertains to the specifics of the magic they wield.

Qrow always found sleep difficult, and the eternal sun only made it harder. He wondered why Popola was so strong. Ozpin didn’t mention anything about the people having such strength. He rested alone in a tree at the top of a hill in the village, and was grateful that it at least wasn’t cold. However, he was filled with apprehension. The previous two days had gone well. Too well for someone like him. All he could do was wait for things to inevitably go south.

-

Qrow was awoken by the sound of a scream. He quickly jumped out of the tree, but landed on his foot wrong and fell on his face. He quickly gets up and scans the area with his sword in hand. He notices that a kid is in front of him, protecting a shade.

“Don’t hurt him! He’s a good shade!” the kid pleas. Behind the child, the shade is cowering. Qrow then realizes that the two were probably just playing, and he heard laughter, not screaming.

“Don’t worry kid. If he’s a good shade, then I won’t hurt him.” He reassures as he sheaths Harbinger.

“Alright...” the kid says warily as she lowers her arms. From behind, the small shade seems to relax as well. “What were you doing sleeping in a tree anyways? Birds sleep in trees. Are you part bird or something?” the kids says, suspicious of Qrow.

“Nope, not part bird or anything.” he quickly clarifies. He’s technically not lying.

“What’s your name then, mister?” the child asks.

“Qrow.” he answers nervously. The child looks at the shade, and the shade looks back at her. Qrow knows that they know something is up.

“Ok then, Mister ‘not a bird’ Qrow. Wanna play with us?” she innocently asks, as if she weren’t just suspicious of him.

“No. No thanks, I’m good.” He says as he begins to back away.

“Sure?” she says. The shade comes forth, saying something in its odd voice as it holds out a palm full of worms. “We were just digging for worms. Don't you think that’s fun?”

“That’s, that’s good for you. I’m not interested though. I really should get going.” he lightly laughs to counteract the heaviness around him. The worms do seem enticing. The shade mumbles something again, and holds out some shiny objects. Qrow begins to sweat.

“Or maybe we could play with these shiny toys? They’re sooo shiny.” she smiles as she tempts him as she holds one up to the sun, making it sparkle brilliantly. He almost can’t handle it. He can’t handle it. With a loud caw, he transforms in an instant, and flies away.

“HA! YOU WERE RIGHT!” he hears her shout as he makes his escape. “You were right! He was magic! That’s how he lasted that long against Popola! I knew you were right!” Turning his head to look back, he sees the two dancing with each other, sharing their small victory. It was heartwarming, even if it felt like he was just being interrogated by them. However, he wonders why his avian urges were so strong. He chalks it up to his bad luck.

Since he was already flying, he decides to see if he can find that group of kids. He sees them in the plains below. And they’re riding huge, wild boars. They’re all laughing and screaming in wild joy as they head towards the town in the cliff face. However, he notices that the demeanor in the woman seems tense. He remembers that she lived there, and might have some bad memories of the place. He’s glad she had her friends with her though.

As they entered the cavern, he flew overhead and took the time to scan the town. It seemed no different than when he first saw it, save for a small gathering of people on one of the large platforms. He imagines that’s where they’re heading, but he knows he could be wrong. He perched on a wire above the group of merchants and customers.

“There they are.” One person says.

“Ok, get ready. Act like we planned.” whispers another.

“Did you say something?” asks one of the merchants.

“Huh, oh, no. I just remembered something.”

“Ah, ok.”

That’s not suspicious at all. Qrow thought to himself. He kept himself alert. The guy with the white book finally entered the little market. He hopped up the wire to see if he could find where the others were, and found them waiting at the entrance. They appeared to be chatting with each other.

Down below, he heard the book and the guy making small talk with the people there, and buying a few things.

“Everyone? Every one? Every one? Everyoneeveryoneeveryoneeveryoneeveryone…” said a guard as his voice morphed into the sound of a shade. And in a puff of smoke, he and a few others transformed into shades.

“Crap, an ambush.” Nier said.

“So it seems.” Weiss commented.

From his vantage point, Qrow could see more shades gathering around the other parts of the village. He decided then that now was the time to help.

He flies to a bridge where more shades have gathered, and with the slash of his sword, he sends them flying back. A few fall off the bridge to whatever lies below, but more shades manifest to take their place.

“Forget how to actually kill a shade, old man?” berates the female teen as she slashes through slade after shade on the other side of the bridge.

“Hey! I’m not old!” Qrow answers back.

“Then start killing them properly, or leave, dumbass. Rubrum, play Cold Steel Coffin.”

“Ooh, nice choice.” The red book compliments as she opens up and flies through her pages. “Tear those blood bags to shreds!” From her pages flows a song in an unknown tongue.

Vlee sieh tah, Vlee sieh reeh, Vlee raun stee yah, Vlee yon ston reeh. Begins the powerful, almost terrifying song. Kainé tears through the shades with even greater ferocity than before, their blood devoured by the red book as the volume intensifies.

“Kickass!” she shouts as a shade is torn to shreds, as promised. Her movements become quicker and quicker, stronger and stronger, and before Qrow can take care of even five, she’s already taken care of the rest of the shades on that bridge. “Out of my way old timer!” she says as she rushes past him.

“Kainé! Hold on!” Qrow hears a boy shout.

“Yeah, hold up!” A girl also shouts.

“We’re sorry about her.” The girl says.

“She just really gets into it when Rubrum plays a cool song.” The boy says.

“So, what’s your name? I’m Halua, and this is my twin brother.” she introduces.

“Hello, I’m Emil. It’s nice to meet you.” he says with a slight bow.

“Qrow. Nice to meet you two. We should chat later though, huh?”

“Oh, you’re right. We really should. Hm, follow me Emil.” she says.

“Okay!” he replies as he takes her hand. They proceed to walk off the bridge, and onto the empty air as if it were solid ground.

Nobody bats an eye at the two, but Qrow. The sound of a shade screaming right in front of his face scares him, and he jumps off the bridge. He turns into a bird to fly back up, but rather than his wings, he is instead brought back up by some unknown force.

“Huh? A bird?” Halua questions.

“You can turn people into birds? That’s new. Do you think you can turn me into a parrot later? I always wanted to be a colorful parrot!” Emil exclaims happily.

“Nooo. Waaaait… Qrowwww… Crowwwww… Sorry mister, I’ll let you go now!” she shouts from the center of the canyon as she releases her magical grip on him. “Let’s get back to this. Tell me when it sounds right.” she tells Emil as they toy with a glyph.

“What the hell???” he wonders. It’s the second time that day a kid guessed his magical secret. What that said about the adults in Remnant wasn’t good. Then again, it wasn’t like magic was common in Remnant.

He shifts back into a human and gets back to taking care of shades. By now, the song echoed through The Aerie for all to hear and empower. Qrow had to admit that it did help with the fighting, as it paired well with his fighting style. Despite the toughness of their armor and tendency to block, he soon finds himself flying through shade after shade at a good pace.

Everynow and then, he takes a look at one of the kids to see how they’re holding up. The villagers at the tavern had evidently placed their praise well. Nier and Weiss work as an experienced duo, efficient, clean, and powerful. Kainé and Rubrum, all Kainé really, were a shade killing machine. They are brutal, swift, and deadly. While Kainé hacks, Rubrum dances to the beat of the song as best a book can. Then it seems as if the young twins then appear to have finished their task.

“There! That’s it” Emil says excitedly.

“Alright. Applying the buff!” she announces. With an otherworldly, fear-inducing glow surrounding her, she absorbs the glyph, and Qrow finds that Harbinger is glowing as well. Looking around, he sees that Nier and Kainé’s weapons are glowing as well. A quick slash of the scythe shows what the buff was: armor nullification. Harbinger went through the armor harming the shade underneath.

“Fuck yeah!” Kainé yells with joy.

“Will she ever learn to hold her tongue around them?” Weiss wondered.

“Fuck yeah!” Emil and Halua echo as they jump with joy.

“I think it might be a little late for that, boo─ Grimoire Weiss.” Qrow corrected before he could finish.

“Well, at least someone has the decency to respectfully use my full name. Who might you be anyways?” Weiss asks

“Qrow. It looked like you guys could use some help, so here I am.” He responds.

“That’s nice of you, but─” Nier begins before being cut off by Weiss.

“Shush! No buts! We’re taking all the help we can get. Bah! Teenagers!” Weiss says as he shakes his head, or that’s what it looks like he’s doing.

“Don’t worry Weissy, we’ll be good teenagers when we grow up!” Halua says earnestly as she and Emil join them.

“But I wanna be like Kainé! She’s awesome!” Emil argues.

“Sorry Weissy, nevermind.”

“Apologize not. This old book has given up hope long ago.” he says tiredly.

“Done!” They hear Kainé probably declare as she joins them.

“Another day of honest work is complete!” Rubrum chimes as the song fades out. Slowly, they all begin to notice the ominous, dark mist that vibrates all around The Aerie.

“Rubrum! This is why you have to be more careful with the songs!” Nier reprimands.

“Oh calm down you big baby.” she tells him without a care in the world. “Like I said last time, it’s nothing we won’t be able to handle.”

“Last time?” Qrow asks.

“We were relaxing on the beach, and she was playing Repose. We even didn’t notice the giant shade in the ship.”

“Hey, things ended up alright, didn’t they?” she defended herself.

“I broke an arm! The mailman almost died! Halua was tired out for a week!”

“Well your arm’s okay now, the mailman is still alive, and Halua recovered. What’s your point?” she told him. Nier growled in frustration as he covered his face.

“Lose later Nier, we have a new friend to make.” Kainé smiled cruelly.

Before them, in the center of The Aerie, a giant shade formed. It was unlike previous shades. Its size made it in a part of a very small class of shades. It was a perfect, dark sphere. Tendrils, or perhaps tails, slithered to and fro to reveal what seemed to be an eye in the center. Its roar could be felt as it traveled through the air, rattling their bones through their flesh.

“Emil! Halua!” Weiss shouted.

“On it!” they answered, and began to manipulate a new glyph.

“Until they’re done, we’ll practice the tried and true method of concussive maintenance.” Weiss continues.

“If it worked on a grimoire, what wouldn't it work on?” Rubrum added.

“Emil and Halua.” Kainé answered.

“Dare I ask again?” Qrow dared to ask.

“Does it look like we have the time?” Weiss responded. As the monster appeared to wind up for an attack.

“Nope.”

With such a monstrosity, Qrow expected it to whip its many tentacles at them, or attack with some kind of magical energy. He expected wrong. It unleashed some kind of gas, a sickly pale green color. They all had no chance to try to avoid it.

What are you even doing here? You’re just endangering those kids. Don’t you know that, idiot? Or maybe you want bad things to happen to them? Why stop there? Make everyone as miserable as you! Oh wait, you already do that, you pathetic excuse for a human.

“I do, don’t I? That’s all I ever do, bring everyone bad luck and make them miserable. Why am I still here? I─”

“I am just a freak. I shouldn’t be here, near anyone. A monster with a cursed body like mine shouldn’t even exist…”

“Why is a broken guy like me even here? I don’t want to be here in this terrible world. It would be easier if I were gone.”

“I need to be alone. I need to be alone. They can’t turn to stone that way. If I never look at them, if I’m never close to them, my cursed eyes can't petrify them.”

“I’m just a weapon. That’s all I was ever good for. I couldn’t even protect Emil. A weapon like me shouldn’t exist. I never wanted this. I never wanted to be this...”

“I─ I─ I─ Snap out of it! Quit saying those things! Snap out of it!” Qrow yelled to the children.

“Use a song!” Weiss shouted as he fended off the shades as best he could.

“I have to find a proper one, or be given one! You know how this works!” Rubrum frustratedly replied. “God shit fuck!” she cursed as more and more shades inched closer, and closer.

“Hey, Rubrum, find one for me!” Qrow requested. All he knew he could do was protect the kids. “Weiss, try to wake them!”

“Scanning…” Rubrum said as Qrow began to attack the shades. “Searching… Found one. Ooh! She’s a beauty!” The song starts calmly enough. It gets a simple rhythm going in him, then…

Pain! Is your reward for being near me. Fate! Won't be your friend when I’m around. Blame! Me for the tragedy that follow. Grave! The situation that surround. …

Unfortunately for the armored shades, Halua’s buff was still active. They were felled easily, feeding more and more blood to the red book. More and more blood, more and more song and power, it was intoxicating.

“Blood!” she giggles. “Blood blood blood blood, blood!” She spins and twirls in ecstacy. “Make this song the end of the shades!” Qrow was happy to oblige. A tendril accidentally pierces an ally, a shade trips and runs its sword through another.

“Misfortune wins again!” Qrow laughs as he ends another shade. “I’ll bring you down! I’ll bring you all down!” he announces to his enemies.

His misfortune finally targets him when he gets unlucky and the last shade pins his cape down, causing him to fall onto Halua, waking her in the process.

“Huh?! What!?” she says, confused, having been broken out of the trance..

“I need to be alone… So my eyes won’t hurt anyone… Alone…”

“What? Emil, no, don’t say that!” she tells her brother. She then turns to the giant shade with fury in her eyes. The air becomes heavy, and the last shade runs away in fear..

“Weiss, Rubrum, get them out of here.” she orders. An image of a skeletal beast flickers around her. “Mister, get Emil for me.” He obeys, and picks up the child.

“What about you?” he asks her.

“Just get Emil to safety.” she solemnly tells him as she summons a glyph in front of her. The shade strikes it, but screeches in pain as dangerous power cackled from it in defense.

“You better come back safe too, kid.” he tells her.

“I will. Rubrum? Can you play the song? I need to be able to hear it too.”

“Sure can do. I have more than enough blood for that. And remember Halua, we’ll be with you no matter what.”

“We are a family, after all” Weiss says. Halua smiles, and the beast appears for a split second once more.

“I know.” The song begins, calm and soft with its ethereal vocalization.

Kaun mon-no ruutra, Kaun oulvadei-gyaiya, Droh fee lai-narszes, Whoul sheeg-ma rae, Restivaun, Whoul vajei hli mehg jzu, Sii-kyathrae, Whestel-ou har thehgehy, Quin-deskuel, Shoul-yaneiyan …

Soon, the song becomes not just calm and soft, but powerful and imposing as well. From the safety at the top of the canyon, the song echoes below. Qrow can see the beast flickering in and out of reality more and more.

“Earthly Zenith of Modernity, The uncontrollable might of solitons, The spiritus that threatens to devour all, Avenge and atone in the name of all that is accursed! Number Six!” Halua yelled as she activated the glyph. “Deconstruct!” The beast appears from behind her, and consumes her with a bone-chilling cry.

“What is that?” Qrow asks in terror with his mouth agape. Emil awoke and jumped out of his arms.

“It’s my sister, Number Six, The Ultimate Weapon. We were made to be weapons long ago.” Emil explains as he faces his sister, sensing the intense and unparalleled magic.

“What you are witnessing is perhaps the most powerful magic in all the world, much more powerful than even a grimoire.” Weiss reveals as The Ultimate Weapon latches onto the large shade and tries to tear through its protective tendrils.

“Mmnnn,” Kainé groans, “What the hell happened?” Number Six lets out a piercing screech as she jumps to cling to a cliff, and fires a beam of energy that the giant shade just barely avoids. The spot where the beam hit is pulverized into nothingness for who knows how deep. Quickly, Kainé jumps up to see her. “Halua! Halua! Goddammit!”

“Is she gonna be alright?” Qrow hopes she will be.

“She will recover, just like last time.” Weiss answers confidently. “But...”

Finally, she had the shade cornered. She howls as the song begins its closing. Cowering in horror, the shade makes a last ditch attempt to win, firing a volley of magic at Number Six. She is unphased as The Ultimate Weapon activates its true might. A bright light begins to grow from where they are. At a steady pace, it swells and devours the shade and everything else in the vicinity, turning it all into nothing. When The Ultimate Weapon deactivates, an unflinching Halua, eyes glowing a dull red, stands where Number Six once was.

-

“Are you sure you guys are alright with me being around?”

“Yeah old timer, we’re sure.” Kainé assures him.

“It’ll be only for a few days anyways, like you said.” Nier adds.

“Besides, fuckers like us have to stick together.” she reasons.

“And if the world can’t handle us, we’ve gotta find other fuckers who can!” Rubrum exclaims joyously.

“In a sense, we create a world of our own.” Weiss states.

“That’s… a nice way to think of it. A world of our own, one that’ll accept a bad luck charm like me. I like the sound of that.”

-

Qrow had arrived right in the path of a large rock that was hurled from below. He let out a pained caw as it struck him as he fell. It hurt like hell, but honestly, he was used to such inconveniences.

“Kainé! You hit that poor bird!” berated a child’s voice.

“What? It’s not my fault the damn thing came out of nowhere.” a woman said as she tore through a shadowy monster and looked up. “Wait, that’s not a bird. It’s a guy?”

“It is!” Emil gasped as he saw that Kainé was indeed right. “Don’t worry mister, I’ll save you!” With a wave of his staff, he slowed Qrow’s descent and uprighted him. Lightly, he landed on the ground. “Hmm?” Emil said as he cocked his uncanny head in confusion.

Qrow, meanwhile, realized that this was where the voice of the child was coming from. But he had little time to ponder the realization, as he sensed an enemy nearby, a skill honed from all his years as a huntsman. Swiftly, he unsheathes his sword and slashes at the shade to send it backwards. The lady in lingerie, Kainé, followed up and stabbed the shade in the chest, pinning it to the ground.

“Gawk later Emil.” she tells him as she extracts her sword and moves onto the next enemy.

“R─Right!” he says in an embarrassed tone. “Sorry mister!” he apologizes as he returns to fighting.

“Don’t worry about it kid.” Qrow replies as he joins the fray to help finish off the last of the little shadowy demons.

“So, who the hell are you?” Kainé asks him.

“Qrow.” he answers.

“A better question is, how does a man end up so high in the sky?” the book inquired.

“Ooh, I know that! It was magic!” Emil excitedly answered. “You were the bird Kainé hit huh?”

“Yeah, and it hurt.” an irritated Qrow said as he took a quick drink from his flask. Normally, it would be good to hide his little talent, but there was no reason to try to hide it now that the kid could sense the magic.

“Well damn. That sucks.” she replies nonchalantly.

“Weren’t you ever taught some manners?” he jabs.

“You’re wasting your time with this hussy. Manners are as foreign to her as proper attire.”

“Why don’t you two go and do whatever the fuck it is old timers like you do and shut up?” she jabs back.

“Hey Emil, how were you able to tell it was magic anyways?” Nier asks as they continue arguing. He is mostly unphased by their conversation, and the fact that the man is walking with them to the boat, even though he could just leave. A man falling out of the sky and joining them hardly compared to a kid getting consumed by his weaponized sister, and then joining him.

“Hey! I’m not even that old!”

“And my age is a symbol of my infinite wisdom and arcane power!”

“I just sensed it. It’s different from Weiss’ magic though, and Kainé’s and mine too.”

“Weird.” Nier commented. “Hey, uh, Qrow?”

“What now?”

“What kind of magic do you have?”

“Hell if I know. It was a gift from a friend of mine.” he answers. “What about the rest of you?”

“Mine is from my sister. We were experimental weapons.” he answers solemnly.

“Wha─??”

“It is a sad, and long story.” Weiss says.

“Still, it’s pretty cool that you’re an ultra powerful weapon though.” Nier says.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fucking kickass.” Kainé adds on. “Way cooler than some boring old book.”

“Aww, you guys...” he says shyly.

“I’ll have you know that my magic is far older than you can even fathom, hussy. But I unfortunately cannot answer your question because someone,” he paused as he looked specifically at Nier, “found it acceptable to perform concussive maintenance on The Grimoire Weiss.”

“I said I was sorry like a million times already.” Nier exaggerated.

“You are fortunate you have my mercies.”

“As always Wiess, as always. But, we’re here.” Nier says as they arrive at the boat.

“I’ll go ahead and scout the area. That tower place, I’m guessing? I’ll let you know if I see anything unusual.” Qrow tells them as he shifts to his avian form.

“Hey, wait, don’t you want to─ Aww, he’s gone.” Emil lamented as Qrow flew away.

-

Qrow scans the backside of the structure. It’s a bunch of shoddy workmanship. Loose planks of wood, metal poles, and cheap ladders are what make up this sorry excuse. But oddly, it does not appear to be old. In fact, it seemed like a recent addition to the place. Nothing is rusted, and none of the wood is rotten either. A few shades even jumped about, and nothing creaks or breaks. It is suspicious, and screams that this is a set up.

Regardless, he defeats about half the shades that lingered on the platforms built into the stone by the time the boat arrives. They’re tougher than the ones on the plain, but they fall just the same, into a dark smoke, and then into nothing. Despite how uncanny it was that slicing into them felt somewhat akin to slicing aura, they were otherwise oddly reminiscent of grimm. What wasn’t reminiscent of a grimm was their ability to bleed.

“Damn, save some for the rest of us!” Kainé yells. “Some of us have a bone to pick with the fuckers!”

“Quit crying and hurry up then!” he shouts to her down below. “Damn kid…” he complains as he takes a small drink from his flask. For all he knows, he won’t be able to refill it anytime soon.

Kainé swiftly jumps up a few platforms above him and starts her slaughter. While Nier and Weiss slowly make their way up, taking care of the few shades that happen to appear, Emil floats up to Qrow.

“So mister, where are you from?” he asks curiously as he floats a few feet away from the platform.

“A place called Remnant.”

“Well that’s an odd name. What’s it a remnant of?”

“It’s just what we’ve called it. Don’t know why either.” Qrow answered as he climbed up a ladder.

“Oh… Well how about your name? Did you get it after the magic, or was it a cool coincidence?”

“It was the name I was born with. Can’t say if I know it’s a coincidence though.” Qrow quickly replied.

“Emil,” interjected Weiss, “leave the poor man alone. He appears to be tired of your barrage of questioning.”

“It’s fine.” he responded. “I’m used to this kinda thing.”

“If you insist.” the book replied in his snotty tone. Something about it seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite put it on his finger yet.

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna be a bother.”

“If I can handle my two little girls, I can handle a single kid. Don’t worry about it. But─” He was cut off by a loud and excited gasp from Emil.

“Oh my god! You have two daughters? I bet they’re adorable!”

“What? No. I mean, they are adorable, but they’re not my daughters. They’re my nieces.”

“You just said they were your kids, dumbass.”

“How about you mind your own business?”

“How about I─” she began before her heel got caught in a gap in the planks of wood, causing her to fall backwards. “Ack! Fucking bitch! Stupidass wood!” she cursed as she got up and angrily punted the guilty board.

“Kainé! Look out!” Emil warns her.

“What?” she turns to see a shade about to strike her, and that it is too late to react. Ooh it’s gonna be my turn soon, Sunshine! Bwahahaha!

To her surprise, and Tyrann’s, they don’t feel the slash of the shade’s sword. Qrow is in front of her, blocking the attack. He knocks away the weapon, and brings the shade to its demise.

“I’ll be up top.” is all he tells her before he flies away.

“Hey, wait up! I’ll join you!” Emil says as he follows the black bird.

“Did you scare him off already?” Kainé hears the book assume.

“What happened?” Nier asks as he and the grimoire neared her.

“Shut up. He just went off on his own for no damn reason.”

“Hmm. Odd guy huh?” Nier asked no one, as Kainé and Weiss were already beginning the hour’s bickering.

Meanwhile, Emil chased after the man, wondering why he seemed so insistent on being alone. He didn’t seem like a bad guy who had anything bad to hide. Then again, looks could be deceiving. Emil knew that very well. Emil concluded that it was perhaps something about himself the man was hiding, maybe something he was ashamed of. Kainé was like that at first, and he probably would have really been like that without her.

“I’m here!” Emil announced once he caught up with Qrow. “Man, you fly fast.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be with your friends, kid?” he questioned the kid.

“Ohh, I don’t mind. I just wouldn’t want you to be alone. Being alone sucks most of the time, huh?”

“Meh. I’m used to it.” he waved dismissively, taking a small drink from his flask.

“Still, it’s better to be friends than alone.”

“Not always, kid.”

“Not always?! It’s always better to be with friends!” Emil shouted, to which Qrow winced at the young boy’s volume. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s fine. But I just prefer to be alone.” Qrow said as he took a seat.

“Why?” Emil asked. He could see that Qrow was thinking.

“Back in my world,” he began, “everyone has a sort of ‘magic’ more or less unique to them. We call it a semblance, and mine is Misfortune. It brings bad luck to anyone nearby. I’m sure you can see why now.”

“Hmm, I do see. … Well, that’s alright. I’d still rather be here with you than let you be alone.” He could see that Qrow froze for a moment, as if the words were somehow familiar, then he regained his composure and let out a short chuckle.

“You’re a funny kid, you know?” Qrow joked.

“Im serious! I know I only sound like a little kid, but I’m older than you!” Emil fussed.

“Yeah, let me guess, a thousand years old?”

“Mmm,” Emil pondered, “somewhere around there.” Qrow looked at him as if he were telling an obvious lie.

“Well, I guess I should explain. You told me something about you, and I’ll tell you something about myself. It’s not a very happy story though.” Emil sat down to tell the tale of him and his sister.

“And so, Emil and Halua Grimm became the most powerful weapons in the world.” He finished wistfully.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Qrow said solemnly.

“Yeah… But at least it led me to Nier, Weiss, and Kainé. I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything. Okay! Now tell me something about yourself!” Qrow was shocked by the sudden shift in mood, but was happy to entertain the child.

“My name is Qrow, with a “q”, and my last name is Branwen, though that’s just the name of the tribe I grew up in. So, would your name happen to be spelled with two “m”s?”

“Yeah. Me and Halua always wondered why though. Do you think you could know why?”

“Well, like this world has Shades, my world has Grimm. I think it’s just a coincidence though.” Qrow says as he takes a sip. “Besides, you’re a hell of a lot better than any Grimm back home.” It was hard to discern, but Qrow could tell he was happier than before. That made him happier too. “So, were your eyes silver, by any chance?”

“No,” Emil began somewhat shyly, “they were more of a really light purple. Though, I think they were a different color before I gained my petrification, but I can't remember what color exactly if they were different.. Could people with silver eyes petrify things in your world?”

“They could petrify Grimm. That’s about it though. But, people with silver eyes are said to be destined to become great warriors.”

“I think Nier said that Yonah had silver eyes.” Emil mentioned.

"What about Yonah?" They heard Nier say as he climbed up to where the two were sitting. At their own paces, the two got up.

"That she has silver eyes, right? Qrow said that in his world, they become awesome fighters!"

"Hmm… I don’t think she’s fit for the warrior lifestyle. But, if it’s a sigh that she'll live a longer life, I'll take it. But until then,"

"We keep on going, yeah, yeah. Let's hurry up already." Kainé interrupted as she kicked the rock blocking their entrance out of the way. "I haven't killed enough shithole shades for today."

"The hussy is right that we should move along. The sooner we take care of things, the better." Weiss stated as he ushered them in.

Once inside, the place was virtually unchanged since Nier's last visit. Kainé didn't think much of the place. Weiss seemed shocked that this was the place where he was stored. Emil, however, was clearly enamored by the place.

"Wowww… this place is pretty, isn't it?" He praised quietly as he floated over towards the center where the towering tree stood. There, warm sunlight filtered through, alleviating the coldness of rusting metal and decaying concrete.

"Hmm. It would be a nice place to relax for a little bit." Qrow responds as he follows Emil. It's quiet and calm there. He thinks it could have been a hotel, based on the layout.

"Not while shades are here though." Nier commented as the soulless monsters readied to fight.

Promptly, the group got to culling the local shade population. Swords galore, magic, and a favored spear, all end the lives of the shadowy entities. Some are even left petrified.

"Emil, you can still petrify shit?" Kainé asks him out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I, um..." he begins as if feeling guilty.

"Sweet. Smashing stone shades really hits the spot." Kainé smiled cruelly as she reduced a statue to rubble. "Ahh, that felt bitchin'."

Briefly, Qrow contemplated if he should allow himself to cuss. On one hand, he would feel a lot better. On the other, he was just starting to be able to control his tongue around Ruby and Yang, and he didn't want to undo his hard work. It took a lot more effort than he would have wanted to admit.

"Hey, Qrow?" Nier called to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Qrow called back before tripping over a stair step and hitting his head. "Fucking stair!" he snarled. Cussing was fine so long as it wasn't around Ruby and Yang, he decided. If he wasn't around them, it was alright. He then noticed the shade above him.

"I've got you!" Emil shouted. Swiftly, it was petrified, and then destroyed by Kainé.

"Careful old timer." Kainé warned as she helped him up. "Can't have your ass dying on us."

"Such a kind soul you have, helping an old man like me." he teased.

"Pft." she responded as she rolled her eyes. She heard a snicker come from Weiss and snapped her neck at him. "Got somethin to say, book?"

"Oh, to a kind, young woman such as yourself? Heavens no." He replied.

"If you say so, Weissy." she glared at him with an innocent grin. As they continued their trademark bickering, with Emil joining in to unwittingly embarrass both of them, Nier returned to his conversation with Qrow.

"So, what else can you tell me about those silver eyed fighters?" Nier questioned as he stabbed another shade through it's armor.

"Back in my world, they're a myth at most to many. But, they do exist. With their eyes alone, they can take down hordes of Grimm. I guess the equivalent here would be Shades."

"I’d just be happy if Yonah could even go a day without needing a nap, if I'm being honest."

"What's wrong with her?"

"The Black Scrawl. There's no cure for it yet, but I'll take any kind hope I can get. As long as she's alive, even if it's risky like this, I'll be happy."

Qrow knew that there was probably no way the power of silver eyes would be in this world, but who honestly knew. Besides, he also knew that people needed all the hope they could get, even if he himself has mostly given up on the notion of hope..

"It's also genetic. Either of your parents had silver eyes?" Qrow asks

"Well, my mom did. I got my dad's eyes, but we both have his hair color. … Hmm, they were both great people. My mom was a good fighter too." He said fondly. “But when the Scrawl started to take over her, she had weird dreams. She said she saw weird but huge rectangular structures that went high into the sky, and things that moved on wheels at unnatural speeds."

"It sounds like she saw a city. Maybe one from before whatever happened that made this world like this." Qrow commented as he and Kainé slashed away at a huge shade.

"She also… she also had nightmares. In them, she fought these pale white beasts with glowing red eyes she said she fought them with incredible powers, powers like Emil's…" Nier had never really connected the dots before. It was just something he had never considered, always too busy with other things to reminisce about his mother like this.

…

No response. It was quiet.

"Huh?" He said in confusion as he looked around. Kainé and Qrow were gone. "Emil! Get close to me!"

"Huh? What?! Where'd they go?!" Emil questioned as he noticed the disappearance of his friends.

"It could be a shade, one with powers previously unknown to us. We should stay close to each other." Weiss advised.

"Right!" Emil nodded. Cautiously, they circled about, looking all over to see if they could spot anything unusual, and fending off the few shades that remained on the floor..

"I can sense some strong magic nearby, but I cannot pinpoint where. Can you two here us!" Emil shouted out.

"Perhaps w─" Weiss's words were interrupted by a sudden crash that caused the floor to give way beneath Nier.

"I got you!" Emil said as he lunged for. Nier. But, his efforts were for naught. He too was mysteriously swept away by a shadow. Thinking fast, Nier stabbed his sword into the wall to slow his fall.

“What kind of shade is that?! What did it do to them?!” he shouted as he landed.

“We are in the presence of a powerful shade, one capable of using incredible magic. They’re still alive, I know that much. If we kill it, it’s magic should be undone!” Weiss replied.

“All we have to do is find it then.” Easier said than done, but, it would be done.

Silently, they were back to back, waiting in anticipation for an attack. Nier was tense, ready to pounce at the vile shade. Weiss readied a sealed verse, taut and set to pin down the enemy for the kill. Nier looked up, left, right, everywhere he could look, except for below himself, where his own shadow betrayed him.

-

With heavy breathing, Qrow opened his eyes to be surrounded by darkness. It wasn’t the darkness of a moonless night in the middle of nowhere. That did not even compare. This was an advanced darkness very few things in the world could compare to. In front of him lay an unknowing expanse, a field of nothingness, a─

“Turn around, dumbass.”

“Huh? Oh.” Qrow sighed as he stopped flailing about. There was Kainé and Emil. She was lulling about as Emil did… something magic related. They all floated in the void, but were otherwise perfectly fine.

“Make yourself comfortable, or whatever. Emil will get us out soon enough. I swear to hell I’m gonna tear the little shit stain that did this to fucking shreds.” she hissed.

“I take it this isn't a thing that happens everyday?”

“No.” Emil answers as he fiddles with a glyph. “The craziest things tend to be giant, monstrous shades every now and then. But we always take care of them!”

“Yeah, we take real good care of them, don't we, sunshine?” a cold, cruel, and sharp voice says from the unknown. Qrow knows that this voice is dangerous. He can sense it, so he held Harbinger out, prepared to strike. Emil notices the voice too, and hurries with his magic. Kainé is unphased, and rolls her eyes at the remark

“Show yourself!” Qrow shouted into the void. For a moment, he thinks it is the monster that captured them.

“Hmm? Ooh, they can hear me. Finally! Do you know how boring it can get just talking to one person? Real fucking boring.”

“Ugh, do you ever shut up? Like really? I could cut your tongue out and you’d still find a way to talk more than anyone else.” Kainé complains. But, she is justified in her grievance. “Hm? Oh. That’s just the shade that lives in me. Just ignore his bitchass.”

“Hello mister shade!” Emil greets innocently.

“You’re supposed to tell this one to fuck off, Emil.”

“Oh. Okay. Fuck off mister shade!” he corrects, and resumes his work.

“Adorable.” Tyrann deadpans. “So, dear black bird. What sort of atrocities are there in your home. I’d kill to know.”

“There’s the kinds of things that would kill you first.” he retorts. Qrow didn’t like this thing. If this was the standard for shades, then it was a good thing they were being slaughtered.

“Fat chance, but that sounds like my kind of place. Tell me, is the death slow and painful?” Qrow is disgusted as the thing laughs.

“You get used to it after a while.” Kainé shrugs. Before Qrow can respond, they’re on the roof, where Grimoire Weiss also is.

“It worked!” Emil triumphantly shouts

“GAH! Don't sneak up on me like that! You’re all fortunate I can’t get a heart attack!” Weiss berated.

“Where’s Nier?” Kainé demanded.

“Beyond this door, but, it is blocked by a magical barrier. If we all focus our attack on it, we should be able to break it.” Weiss explained, and on the count of three, magic assaulted the door Nier was behind, breaking it and the barrier. They could see the shadow descending down onto Nier.

“YOU WILL DIE YOU FILTHY BROTHER KILLER!” it screamed.

Thankfully, Emil was quick enough to cast a protective barrier around him. It floated in place as it attempted to break the barrier. Quickly, Qrow rushed at the thing, except he could see that it wasn’t exactly just anything. It was Hazel, possessed by a shade? Qrow had a million and one questions, but he had no time for them. He kicked the monstrous man and fired a bullet to his chest. He knew it wouldn’t be enough to take Hazel out, but it was enough to send him flying, flying back into the shadows.

“We’re not too late, are we?” Emil wondered.

“Nope. Just in time.” Nier responded gratefully as Qrow helped him up.

“Hold your conversing for later. More pressing issues are at hand.” Weiss reminded them as he floated back over to Nier.

“Right. Let’s just stay close together.” Qrow ordered. “He can't take us all on at once.”

With great tenseness, they all cautiously made their way out of the shrine. They eyed every shadow they passed, and relied mostly on ranged attacks to dispatch any brave shades that dared to attack. Only when they finally left the shrine and onto the boat did they all begin to feel safe, all but Qrow. Something wasn't sitting right with him, and it wasn't just Hazel appearing. He couldn't make a sound conclusion yet, but he knew he would in time

-

“That guy, he was possessed too, but it was different somehow.” Kainé revealed.

“I have some information that might help make sense of things. We should try to settle down first though.” Qrow suggested.

“Agreed.” Weiss concurred. “It has been a long day, and we’ll be much safer in the sunlight and the open field.”

With that, resident expert campers Kainé and Emil decided on a good spot to set up on. While Emil got the fire ready, which didn't take long thanks to magic, Kainé reaped some fresh mutton. Before long, a fresh meal was served. It was plain, of course, but it was warm, edible food, that didn't taste like an abomination, which Nier was particularly grateful for.

“Old timer,” Kainé began as she bit into a piece of meat, “what were you gonna say about that possessed guy?”

“He’s from your world, isn’t he?” Weiss guessed. Qrow nodded his head yes, and swallowed a bite.

“Hazel. He works for the woman that controls the monsters of my world. I’m sure that at least one of his goals is to get in the way of my mission.” Qrow said with annoyance. But, if anything, he expected Hazel or someone to show up sooner and pose a problem.

“Why would he focus on me then?” Nier wondered. “It’d make more sense for him to target you then.”

“Maybe it was the shade that possessed him?” Emil Suggested.

“Could be. It looked like the shade in him had a lot of control.” Kainé answered. She remembered how the massive fiend was covered almost head to toe in the shade pattern. Filthy brother killer, huh? Sounds like someone was having a lot of fun before we even came along. A man after your own heart, ey sunshine?

“But…” she continued, “he didn’t exactly seem out of control either.”

“Now that I think about it, the eyes seemed familiar. Remember those stone guardians that imprisoned you, Weiss?”

“Not fondly. It was hardly how a Grimoire such as myself should be greeted.” Weiss complained. “But, yes, why?”

“Remember that one of them had glowing red eyes? His had that glow to them.”

“I see now. My former wardens were siblings, and it appears as if one of them survived our initial attack and wants revenge.”

“And that would be a cause Hazel would sympathize with. I could be that they're in sync, rather than one of them being in control.” Qrow murmured as the gears in his head turned. Shades and Grimm appeared to have some similarities, so perhaps Salem had taken interest in that. After all, what better way to learn about the monsters than to become one?

"There's just one problem though, why would a shade have a brother? Shades don't have family." Emil reminded them.

"Just as I am a product of ancient magic that is unknown today, perhaps they are too. They may very well just be a special case of rare, ancient magic influencing an archaic pair of shades." Weiss reasoned.

Wanna tell them the truth? I wanna see the looks on their faces when they realize just what they've been killing! Ha ha haa!

"Doesn't matter. They're our enemy now." Kainé tells them firmly.

"Right. It doesn't matter what kind of shade they are. They're still a shade, and we have to kill them before they kill us." Nier affirmed after taking one last bite and letting out a long yawn.

"... You three get some sleep. Me and the book,"

"Grimoire Weiss." he interrupted to correct.

"Me and little Weissy Weiss here will keep watch." Qrow taunted. Qrow had to say he felt proud of himself when he saw the grimoire's reaction. It was like ruffling up an Atlesian, which always made him feel better.

"Oh joy. Another bane to my existence." Weiss commented sarcastically.

"Will you shut the fuck up already. We’re trying to sleep." Kainé

"And when you want some sleep, let me know. Don't feel bad or anything either. I hardly even need any sleep." Emil directed at Qrow.

"Sure thing." he answered.

As the hours progressed, Qrow and Weiss managed to turn civil with one another as Qrow sipped out of his flask every now and then. From Weiss, Qrow learned that blood and words were the focuses of the grimoire's magic. Blood was the physical component of the magic, and words were where the power resided. Although, the words used were a mystery much like the script that occasionally accompanied it.

In turn, Qrow shared the scant information he knew about magic. The most common magic of his world was elemental, the magic that belonged to the maidens. Then there was Oz. His powers included the elements as well. A simple way to understand the rest of his magic was that it concerned energy, the flow, transfer, and magnitude of it. A specific portion of that ability was given to him and his sister to aid them in their little parlor trick. Upon their deaths, that power would return to him.

And then there was the depraved woman known as Salem. The full extent of her powers was unknown to him. Power over the Grimm was an obvious magic of hers. He imagined her abilities included the elements as well, since it seemed to be a common magic. Beyond that, he could only guess with uncertainty.

“So, what about the magic that made you a book? I doubt you were always a grimoire.”

“Truth be told, I do not know if I ever was anyone or anything else. The best theory I have is that it involves humans of the old world. But, for what purpose I was intended to serve or how exactly I came to be, it is all hardly of any importance now.”

“Now?” Qrow wondered. The book looked around to make sure the kids were truly asleep.

“When Nier beat me out of my slumber, I only had my knowledge, no memories to speak of. Without him and my memories, I still could have done as I so pleased, but I did not because I couldn’t just let him end up hurt. And then it just so happened that our goals aligned. And then came the Shadowlord and Grimoire Noir. They almost succeeded in using me for what I can only assume was my purpose, but I eventually came to my senses thanks to a certain foul mouth. I didn’t want to leave them, you see.”

“Well aren’t you a big softie?” Qrow teased. He had a feeling the book would have rolled his eyes if he could have.

“You are a menace, second only to Kainé. But, I suppose I am. She is much the same. Therefore, I imagine you are much the same, hmm?” the grimoire accused.

“... I guess so.” Qrow admitted. “Can’t say it always feels good.”

“I imagine so.” The book commented as the man took the last drink of his canteen. “While it has been nice talking to someone who isn’t a moody teen, I’m sure you need some sleep.”

“Yeah. Some sleep sounds good.” He said as he gently awoke Emil, and took his place to rest for the “night.”

-

“So, where to next?” Qrow asked as he served himself a piece of mutton seasoned with nearby herbs courtesy of Emil.

“Back to the village. That was the best lead I had, and nothing came out of it. So I’ll have to see if Devola and Popola have any new information for me.” Nier answered.

“Me and Emil will be around then. See you two in a bit.”

“You two aren’t gonna go with us?” Qrow wondered.

“Yeah, the shitfaced villagers don’t really like us.” Kainé answered.

“So?”

“Devola and Popola thought it would be best if we stayed away so we didn’t scare them or anything.” Emil replied sadly.

“What? Do they own the place.”

“No, they do not, but─” Weiss was about to explain before being cut off.

“Who cares then. Come on Kainé, I never took you as someone who followed the rules like that stick in the mud over there.” Qrow taunted, referring to the book in the air.

“Alright then. Emil, we’re going to get in that dumbass village.” she said with finality.

“But what about the guards?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Hmm… Remember what I said about making people feel sorry?” she questioned him with a sinister smile.

“I do not like that look, hussy.”

“Fuck you.” she spat at the book and turned to Qrow. “And we have just the perfect prop.”

-

Two guards are stationed atop the gate see Nier and his friends rush to the gate. It’s difficult to tell, but one of the two outsides appeared to be holding a blob of black in their hands.

“Oh god it’s them again.” says one.

“What do we do? Popola said they wouldn’t be a problem.” said the other.

“Okay, let’s just remind them. Maybe they forgot.” guard A suggested doubtful they indeed forgot.

“Did you forget they have magic?!” guard B shouted quietly and fearfully as they neared.

“Shit.”

“Hey! You gotta let us in!” Nier shouted.

“Please, we have to help this poor bird!” Emil begged as the black bird twitched in his boney hands.

“I just couldn’t leave it to die at the hands of a shade,” Kainé began innocently, “Just like when I saved you two from that giant shade.” Her voice had added just a bit of edge to it, enough for the guards to feel the weight of her words.

“Or like when I helped fight the Shadowlord when everyone else ran away! Or when Kainé saved Yonah when no one else could!” Emil added.

“Won’t you please let us in? All so we can help this poor little birdy here?” At that moment, the crow let out a wheeze of a caw. The guards could not still help but feel somewhat threatened. But, despite this, they conceded.

“Fine. Just… neh. Nevermind.” One said with defeat.

“Thank you so very much.” Kainé smiled.

“Yeah, thank you mister guards!” Emil thanked genuinely. “Don’t you worry little birdy, we’ll fix you up in no time.” he cooed.

“Thanks guys!” Nier waved as they passed through the gate. They all tried to hide their giggling as they made their way to nier’s home.

“Well, that went better than I imagined.” Weiss admitted. “And here I thought you were going to directly threaten them.”

“That was plan B.” Kainé told him.

“Of course it was.” he deadpanned.

“Cheer up. You guys’ll finally, really meet Yonah. She’s always wanted to thank you two properly.” Nier told them.

“Oh I’m so excited! Should we surprise her?” Emil suggested.

“Umm, probably not. She’ll probably faint. Okay, just wait here for a moment.” He said as they got to the front of the home, and he quickly went inside. After making sure none of the villagers were looking, Qrow turned back into his human form.

“Excited?” he asked the two.

“Eh, sure.” Kainé shrugged with nonchalance. But, she could not hide her smile.

“I am! Do you think she remembers what we looked like? Does my scarf look alright? I want to make a good impression.” Emil worried.

“I don’t really think she’ll care about that, kid. But,” he began as he fixed the green scarf, “it looks fine.”

“Alright come on in.” Nier said nervously. “Sorry if it looks messy, I tried to clean up a little but,”

“I’m so happy you’re all here!” Yonah shouted, interrupting her brother. “It’s nice to finally get the chance to talk with you two!” she said to Emil and Kainé.

“It’s nice to officially meet you Yonah.” Emil greeted.

“Yeah. If Nier’s not gonna shut up about you, we might as well meet you.” Kainé reasoned.

“And it’s nice to meet you too, mister Qrow. I’m glad Nier has another friend for me to meet!”

“No problem kid. It’s nice to meet you too.” he replied. She was an adorable little thing, reminding him of Ruby with her bubbly demeanor. It was also obvious she was her brother’s kid sister. They had that same white hair, and a similar facial structure. And now that he could see her eyes, they were indeed silver. But, it was likely that didn’t mean anything.

“Do you guys want a drink or anything?” Nier offered.

“How about I make them something! Nier says I make great food!” she beamed. Behind her, her brother’s eyes went wide with fear, an emotion any of them had rarely seen.

“No! I’ll buy something!” he quickly interjected. “It’s a special day. We should buy them some food from the village. You guys’ll like that, right?” he said as if it were a plea.

“Sure.” Kainé said indifferently. While she had heard of Yonah’s atrocious cooking, she wasn’t a wimp and would have taken some of her cooking just fine. But, she figured Nier could use a break.

“I’m fine with that.” Emil answered. While he too had heard of her cooking, he doubt he would have minded it anymore.

“... I’ll try some of your cooking.” Qrow told her. If Nier’s reaction was anything to go by, it was a very bad decision. But, he couldn’t stand to see her face droop down a little, even if it meant suffering a single poor meal. He was sure it couldn’t be that bad though.

“I’ll go to the market real quick then.” Nier said as he made his way to the door.

“Or, how about you let me and the grimoire go. You kids should stay here and have some fun.” Qrow suggested.

“By my word he can think! We’ll be back soon then. Don’t tear the house down.” Weiss quickly agreed before Nier could say no.

“No promises Weissy!” Yonah shouted as she waved a quick goodbye.

“Yeah Weissy, no promises.” Kainé teased. Once outside, they could hear the lively and joyful commotion as it just barely escaped the walls.

“A rare moment of peace and quiet, I must thank you for that at least.” Weiss thanked.

“I just didn’t want them to think I’d run with the money.” Qrow reasoned.

“Believe it or not, they’re rather trusting.”

“And it hasn’t come back to bite you yet?”

“No, surprisingly. Though I suppose that should be cause for concern. Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now.” Weiss dismissed as they passed the fountain, absent of Devola for once.

“Well, did you notice anything odd about the back of the building as we climbed up it?”

“Hmm… I can’t say that I do. All looked as a rock face should.”

“Even with the ladders and wooden planks?”

“Well of course! How else─ Ooh, I see! Based on the location, it all should have rotted or rusted away.” Weiss finally realized.

“But it wasn’t.”

“Begging the question of who set it there for us…”

“Any idea who that might be?” Qrow asked.

“Well, Popola said it was near a trade route, so it’s possible traders built it.”

“But why would they?” Qrow asked.

“Why indeed. There was no other activity in the shrine save for us and the shades. My, this is a most concerning conundrum.” Weiss worried. “But, a small break from that is in order. The market awaits us, and I doubt you know what they want.”

“And that is also what I brought you for. See, I can think.”

“Indeed you can.” Weiss replied. All in all, the book was rather surprised by the man. He was much more capable and intelligent than he looked or let on.

After gathering a few items, some healthy fruits, a few vegetables, some juice, and a bit of seasoned meat, they began to make their way back to the small home.

“So, any idea on who could set you all up?” Qrow asked.

“If someone is in fact steering us onto a path of their creation, I do not know who it could be. Such a person, or group, would have to have quite the amount of resources and power to do so, as I imagine they would have been doing so for some time.” Weiss answered.

“Yeah, there is the chance it could just be some odd coincidence or some rare natural phenomenon that preserved the metal and wood. But still, I’ve got a feeling something’s up.” Qrow reasoned. His instincts tended to be rather good after a lifetime of honing them.

“As do I. But, I believe we should not mention this to Nier and them. They’re all stressed enough as is, and this may not even be a real concern.” Weiss suggested. His unparalleled wisdom told him it would not be a bad idea to suspect some foul play.

“If you say so. In the meantime, I’ll be doing a bit of recon. Hold these.” he said as he handed Weiss the groceries, placing them in a magical hand.

“Such a waste of my talents.” he huffed. “But if you could, give Popola a visit at the library on the hill? Tell her what happened and see if she has any new information would you?” he requested.

“Consider it done Weissy.” Qrow taunted.

“I will enjoy seeing you eat the lass’s cooking.” he said ominously before Qrow left and he reentered the home.

-

After scanning the town for half an hour, Qrow had found nothing of interest, save for a shiny coin. He was sure it likely wasn’t worth much though. He then made his way to the library at the top of the hill. Once inside, he could see that it was a rather small library, but all things considered, impressive. A number of patrons were scanning the walls of their contents. He asked one of them to point him to Popola, and told him where she was.

Just as he stepped onto the stairs, he could have sworn he saw Ironwood. He looked back for a moment, and saw that no one was looking at the books by the stairs. Children’s books, by the looks of it. Qrow laughed at his mind playing such a trick on him. Qrow had no affinity for men like him, but, Ironwood was not a bad man. Not exactly a good one either but the same could be said for many. At the very least, he was easy on the eyes and a decent drinking buddy, and very fun to rile up.

After knocking on the door and waiting for an answer, he entered when Popola told him to come in. In there were two women, twins by the looks of it. The main difference was their auburn hair, more red than brown though. One had slightly messy hair, with it jutting out in some places, while the other’s was perfectly straight.

“Hmm? You’re a new face. I was kinda expecting Nier.” said the one with messy hair to her sister.

“I’m Popola, and this is my sister Devola. Is there anything we can help you with?” The twin at the desk asked.

“Yeah, I’m a friend of Nier’s.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m glad then.” Devola said.

“He needs all the help he can get. So, what was it you needed?” Popola added.

The two seemed innocent enough, but Qrow could just feel that something was up with them. Though, he could not tell if it was something good or bad. Time would tell.

“Nier’s with Yonah right now, so he wanted me to pass on some info.” He began. He went through the gist of what happened at the shrine, to the possessed human. Though, he left out the info about he and Hazel being from another world. Around these two, he wanted to feel secure and revealed as little about him and his situation as possible.

“I see. That is concerning.” Popola commented.

“The shades are becoming more and more brazen, huh?” Devola commented as she lounged on the couch.

“Any idea why?” he asked them.

“Their leader is the Shadowlord. Whatever the reason, its because of him. I’m surprised he hasn’t told you yet.” Devola responded nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry, but was that all? We were kinda in the middle of something.” Popola explained. Qrow wondered what exactly they were in the middle of, but knew he couldn’t just pry like that.

“Yeah. Nier wanted to know if you came across any new leads.”

“Yes actually.” she responded happily. She opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and an oddly shaped piece of stone. “This is a part of the key to the Shadowlord’s castle.” she said as she handed him the paper and key piece. The Stone Guardian, Sacrifice, The Law of Robotics, Memory Tree, and Loyal Cerberus.

“We’re not sure what Sacrifice and Loyal Cerberus are referring to, but its likely that The Stone Guardian piece was somehow connected to Gretel at the shrine.” Devola began.

“The Law of Robotics likely concerns the junk heap, and Memory Tree may have something to do with the Forest of Myth.” Popola finished.

“Alright then, Thanks ladies. I’ll be sure to give him this stuff.” Qrow waved goodbye as he walked out.

“Of course. Take care now.” Popola said.

“Yeah, and make sure Nier stays safe, will you?” Devola requested with undeniable concern. Of course, he agreed to.

As he closed the door, Qrow wondered just how they knew the shade at the shrine had a name. That was most concerning and suspect. Just how they came into the possessions of the items was a suspicious mystery too. Not only that, why just ask to keep Nier safe? What about his friends? He may not have been as capable as them, very few likely were, but there was no doubt they could be hurt too.

And then the Shadowlord. Qrow thought he must be somewhat like Salem, a manipulator of shadowy beasts. It was safer to assume he was intelligent, and leading those kids down some path of his creation. But why? And there was still the concern of who was helping him, if there was anyone.

By the time he made it back to the house, his mind was running through the possibilities. He was glad he could run them by the grimoire. While somewhat annoying, he was no doubt wise and smart. Though, he was snapped out of his thoughts by a terrifying smell.

“Brothers, what is ─”

“You’re back!” Yonah exclaimed, holding out a pot of… something. He wondered how she made it an unnatural looking bright blue. He doubted she had food dye.

“Just in time for your dinner, it seems.” Weiss snickered. Qrow gulped.

“Looks… interesting.” He commented with a smile. He reminded himself he was doing this to make a sickly little girl happy.

“It’s an awesome color isn’t it? I wonder if I could get Sebastian to make something as cool looking as that.” Emil said.

“Not unless─” Weiss said as he was cut off by a jab to his spine and a dirty look from Nier.

“I guess I’ll try some. I doubt it would taste bad to me.” Kainé said.

“Not that it ever tastes bad!” Nier affirmed intensely.

“I’ll try some too then! Can’t let Mister Qrow have it all for himself. I think it smells good anyways, so that means it’ll taste good.” Emil said as a bowl was set before him. Next was Kainé, and finally Qrow.

“Are you sure you don’t want any, Nier? I made a lot more than I meant to.” she told him.

“Oh, no, I’m fine. I already ate a lot.” he reasoned. He was thankful she didn’t press any further.

“Okay, on the count of three, all of you take a sip!” she adorably ordered. “One… Two… Three!”

Each of them took down some of the soup. Nier covered his eyes as he did so, and prayed they would all act fine. When he didn’t hear anyone gag, he uncovered them to see the trio gulping down the soup.

“This is good.” Kainé said in between gulps.

“My word, this is the quietest I’ve ever seen her! … See! The hussy didn’t even bark back at me! What kind of enchantments do you use young Yonah? I must know!” Weiss insisted as he moved about in grimoire fashion. It made her giggle.

“It’s my secret!” she joked.

“It’s sweet and salty, with a bit of bitterness to even it out.” Emil explained. “I really like it.”

“I love it.” Qrow said as he savored it. There was definitely some alcohol in this, weak, but alcohol nonetheless. Just how she got some in there, he did not know. He wasn't going to complain or question it though. “Pour some in here for me, will you kid?” he said as he offered her his empty flask. The soup, if it could be called that, wasn’t anything strong, but it was free, and the best kind of booze is free booze.

“Of course mister!” she replied gleefully. Internally, Qrow laughed that he would get a refill from such a situation.

“Hmm… I guess I could try some.” Nier said after contemplating grabbing a spoon.

“Hey! Back off, or else!” Kainé threatened as he went for her bowl. Cautiously, he backed away.

“You can have some of mine.” Emil offered.

As Nier took a spoonful out of Emil’s bowl, he inspected it nervously. It did not smell good to him, and was beginning to regret his decision. But, Yonah was watching, so there was no backing away. Quickly, he took the spoon into his mouth. It was terrible. Either they were good liars, or they somehow all actually enjoyed it. Quickly, he swallowed it.

“That was… Great!” he tried to say with enthusiasm.

“I’m glad you like it! Here, have a bowl!” She said as she slid him a bowl.

“Oh no, I’m still to full Yonah, I─”

“Mine now.” Kainé announced as she stole the bowl and began to wolf it down. Qrow chuckled.

“More please!” Emil asked as he held out his bowl.

“Fill me up again, yeah?” Qrow asked as he offered his half empty bowl. Happily, she refilled both of their bowls.

“I’m so glad you all liked it!” she said, smiling brighter than the sun.

It made Nier the happiest among the group. Despite everything, she wanted to help, so seeing her actually able to do that made him feel a warm feeling he hadn’t felt in some time. She proudly placed the pot back on the stove and resumed eating her meal from earlier.

“Hey, you’re not gonna eat any?” Kainé questioned, hoping she wasn’t taking any food away from the little girl.

“Oh, no. It tastes terrible to me. Devola said that it’s because I have weird taste buds.” She answered cordially as she reheated some food from earlier. Nier lamented the fact that he didn’t think of that excuse for himself. Well, he could perhaps use it in the future, blame it on puberty or something if he had to.

-

After a day of rest in the home, the group decided to leave for the Junk Heap. Yonah begged for them to stay just a little longer, but Nier was quick to say he needed to take care of things. As she deflated, he was even quicker to remind her that they all had such a fun time together, and that they would do it again soon enough.

“So, what’s the junk heap like?” Qrow asked aloud.

“It’s in the name. It’s a heap of junk, duh.” Kainé sassed.

“To be precise, it’s a place filled to the brim with junk from the old world, before it regressed to become what it is now.” Weiss explained.

“There are a lot of machines there. They’re a mix of technology and magic. The world sure had a lot of power and knowledge back in the day.” Emil reminisced sadly.

“Well, the machines still break against our weapons, so the old world couldn’t have been that powerful if you ask me.” Nier added.

“Power alone only does so much. Still, let’s just hope we don’t have to spend more time than we need to. But, based on what your friends said, I’m thinking the piece might be tied to a specific machine. And that, might take some time.” Qrow lamented.

He had already learned some nice info about magic from Weiss, but it wasn’t enough to feel satisfactory. He doubted a place filled with machines would reveal much to him, even if they also were part magic. However, he was glad he was able to help these kids. That was a goal he came to value more than he originally thought he would.

When they made it to the entrance to the heap, Nier made one stop at the brother’s weaponsmith to see about upgrading Beastcurse. He left Emil, Qrow, and Kainé outside longer than he anticipated. Weiss expected some sort of verbal spat when he joined them back outside. To his surprise, the two were formally sparring, with Emil as their referee.

Kainé was strong and quick with her swords, but Qrow still surpassed her. Serrated blades screeched against the sword Harbinger. Weiss could see that it was a well crafted weapon. Their back and forth was a sight to behold, though Weiss was sure Kainé could beat him if she used her magic. With a skillful parry, Kainé was sent skidding back.

“You’re a pretty good fighter, no surprise there, but you could still use some more experience.” he told her.

“Experience this!” she yelled as she rushed at him. Once they met, a volley of exchanges could be heard echoing.

“Get his ass Kainé!” Emil cheered. So much for a clinical ref.

“You got him now Kainé!” Nier assured.

“Show that hussy the might of incomparable wisdom!” Weiss cheered on Qrow. Someone had to.

In one swift motion he kicked her away. And almost as if by magic, the blade transformed into a scythe before their eyes. Kainé, however, did not notice, and sped back to him for another assault. That was her error. The scythe hooked the blades out of her hands by their chain, and a low kick felled her to the ground.

“Like I said earlier, power alone only does so much.” He told her as he held out a hand to help her up. Rolling her eyes, she took the help.

“Yeah, whatever.” she said.

“Your weapon, how did it do that?” Nier wondered as Qrow handed Kainé back her swords.

“Huh, wait, when the fuck did that happen?” Kainé exclaimed as she noticed Harbinger’s new form.

“That?” he said as it transformed back into a sword. “In my world, this kind of thing is commonplace. Its just a series of gears and stuff. Nothing special.” he replied dismissively. “... Well, no. It is kinda special.” His weapon was a rather unique one, even among the many huntsmen of Remnant.

“Impressive indeed, but our fun has been had. We have a new clue on the Law of Robotics. There is a machine that has partnered with a shade. If there is anything that is our target, that must be it.” Weiss announced.

“Don't be such a stick in the mud, book. The fun doesn’t even have to end, you know.” Qrow told him as they made their way into the heap.

“There is such a thing as a time and a place, you know.” Weiss annoyingly reminded him.

“I’d say this is a good time and a place.” Qrow replied. Then, an idea came to him. “For example, this is a good time and place for a bet.”

“... Really? I never would have guessed.” he replied sarcastically. “Please impart your wisdom unto me, Grimoire Weiss, as to how this is the proper setting for what is likely a petty bet?”

“Simple. I bet I can teach beach day over here better than how you can teach big brother here.���

“Pah! Do you truly think a ruffian such as yourself would serve as a better instructor than me? I agree to your little bet. I am sure some humility will do you good, once you lose.”

“Hey! Who said I gave a shit about this?” Kainé protested. “I am not gonna spend some time listening to some old timer telling me how to fight.”

“Here take this then.” Nier said as he held out a large sword with a bird motif. “You can wield two swords like Kainé.”

“Uhh, are you sure? I mean─”

“Yes, it’s fine.” he assured. “I still have the spear and dagger anyways on me anyways. It’s no big deal.”

“If you say so.” he said as he somewhat reluctantly took the sword. Now, he matched Kainé with two swords in hand. Granted, his were larger and heavier and lacked the chains her sword had. Looking at the golden sword, it was rather simple. But, it did have a strong and unique silhouette.

“Good. With that settled, let this one-sided battle begin!” Weiss announced confidently.

“I still haven't agreed to this crap.” Kainé reminded them.

“Don’t worry. I was a combat teacher for a bit, and I was amazing.” Qrow proudly assured.

“Wait, what about me?” Emil asked.

“You’ll be our judge.” Qrow answered him.

“It is an important and honorable task, one I am sure you will perform well in.” Weiss added.

“Yes!” the little mage excitedly nodded. “Don’t you worry, I’ll be a great judge!”

“Ugh…” Kainé sighed as she rolled her eyes. Now she had to do it, for Emil.

“Hey, It’ll be fun, Kainé. If you end up winning, that means you’ll have helped beat Weiss in a bet too.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” she chuckled, a grin spreading across her face.

“It was nice knowing you, Weiss.” Nier said dejectedly.

“And what is that supposed to mean? I will not accept a defeatist attitude!” Weiss yelled affirmatively.

“Let’s show those losers how its done!” Kainé yelled excitedly as a wave of machines approached.

“Now you’re talking my language.” Qrow replied as he swiftly felled some machines in a display of bravado. The other sword, it felt surprisingly good in his hands, almost empowering as if by mysterious magic.

As they progressed, Weiss barked “tips” for Nier to follow. Most of the time, he followed them well. Nier didn’t mind. It was different fighting without Weiss’s magic, as he focused his attention onto studying Nier’s movements and technique, but Nier considered it a good challenge. Plus, it was safer to practice on the machines rather than shades. They had become more and more dangerous, just as he did. The machines remained much the same as they were when he last visited, and the time before that, and the time before that.

As for Qrow, he found that Kainé was difficult to teach, at first. She was a difficult person in general. But, he knew that he was too. In a sense, that made her easier to deal with. Qrow quickly found that she didn’t take well to being told what to do, even if it meant improving her fighting. What she did take well to was being shown what to do without being told to do it. She was someone who learned by observing, which is what he realized after going down the first elevator.

The machines at the lower levels of the Junk Heap were more of a challenge, but still nothing compared to their talent and skill. Dual wielding the large swords, many automatons were easily felled. Qrow had half a mind to take up dual wielding back home. An impressed Kainé followed in his footsteps, turning machines into scrap much more efficiently than before, and without the aid of magic.

However, Qrow’s semblance was starting to act up, and it was eating at him. Nier had tripped and nearly met the electric end of an automaton. And sure, some machines were crushed by falling ceiling tiles, but one even fell near Weiss, almost flattening him.

It was at that point Qrow said they could spit up in their search. To cover more ground. At first, Weiss and Nier wondered if that was a wise move. But, Kainé convinced them, saying that if they ran into the shade and machine, they’d reduce it to smoke and scrap metal easily. Emil also supported her and Qrow, but opted to stay with Nier and Weiss.

Having split up, Qrow was sure less bad things would happen to the people around them. But, it seemed as if his semblance just decided to focus more on him and Kainé. At one point, he fell down one of the bottomless pits, and had to fly out. A few feathers were singed as a result.

Later, in a dead end room, Kainé got body slammed by a machine because she was too preoccupied mangling a P-33. Thankfully, the machine that body slammed her didn’t have its electricity on, for some reason. Regardless, Kainé quickly exacted her furious revenge. After that, Qrow suggested they take a break out in the empty hallway.

“Dammit, what the hell?!” Kainé yelled frustratedly as she kicked the wall. “Why the fuck is today so shitty!” Again, she kicks the wall. “What! The! Fucking! Hell!” Qrow leans against the wall, and she takes a deep breath and joins him for a moment of rest. “Well, at least its not boring today.” Qrow lets out a quick chuckle.

“Sorry.” he apologizes. “Not everyday I hear something good about me.” She could now sense his unease. She looked at him, and saw that he seemed hurt. Well, not hurt, per say. More sad, the kind of sadness that comes from the bitter acceptance of what one perceives as terrible. It was familiar to her.

“So, what’s up with you, then?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was a curse?” he asked her. She gave a quick laugh in response.

“You’re asking another walking curse that, you know?”

“Oh. For what its worth, I don’t think that shade makes you a curse.” he earnestly told her. After all, you can’t really blame a person if a literal monster inhabits their body against their will. Her sad and bitter laugh surprised him.

“He’s hardly a curse. More of an annoying bitch than anything.”

“That’s not hard to believe.” he scoffed all too knowingly. From what he could infer about the shade’s personality, he was the very sadistic, and very annoying type, He’d come across a few similar people in his work for Oz. In Qrow’s eyes, the only thing that separated such people from Grimm was their intelligence and other desires aside from sadism.

It did not escape Qrow that this meant that some other thing weighed her mind, some other thing that made her mark herself as cursed. He knew better than to pry. If she wasn’t going to say, she didn’t have to. He could respect that. He knew he’d be a hypocrite otherwise. Still, he felt that she at least deserved to know what plagued him, what was plaguing her because of him.

That, and she was still just a kid, an teen hardened by cruel life, but a kid to him nonetheless. If his time teaching had taught him anything about kids, it was that they opened up to adults who took the time to understand and empathize with them. Mr. Branwen, man who had lived through a hell of a youth worse than most, found that he was rather good at getting the kids to open up about their feelings and concerns. It was one of the few things he could say he was proud of about himself.

“I told Emil already, but I guess you should know too. I… ”

“Uhgg. I’m gonna stop you there. These kinds of things are always sob stories.” she told him, rolling her eyes in usual teenage manner. “I fuckin hate sob stories.” she said under her breath. “It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with us. At the end of the day, we’re abominations either way, and we’ve still gotta live on regardless.”

“You’re pretty smart, you know?” Qrow chuckled. He’s sure she had a shitty life too. In an ideal life, kids don’t get that kind of thinking, so young at least. “You still wanna beat that book with me, yeah?” he asked, getting off the wall to stretch.

For a moment, Kainé hesitated. There was just something about him she felt that she could trust. She then noticed the concern, almost hurt yet resigned look on his face because she was taking so long to answer.

“Yeah, definitely.” she quickly confirmed. “But first, can you keep a secret?” she asked.

“Of course. What is it?”

She motioned for him to come closer. Even though it was just them two in the empty hallway, she still felt the need to whisper it. He lowered his head down, and let her whisper her secret to him. He was surprised at first. It was not what he was expecting in the slightest, but it was something he could very personally understand. In return, he shared a “secret” with her too.

He assured her, they were not monsters because of the body they were born with. She was a strong young woman. He told her that he felt much the same once, a long time ago, but assured her she too would overcome it.

Qrow knew he was not an epitome of self-love by any means. Far from it. But, his body was not a source of his self-hate. With an uncontrollable and unfortunate semblance, he was going to love that aspect of himself that he decided on, the part of himself that he could control. That part of himself he did not, would not, hate was a source of solace and comfort.

Qrow knew that Kainé wasn’t just going to love herself overnight, but he had given her some hope. That, she was thankful for. Just knowing that someone like Qrow was kinda like her, was comforting.

Don’t lose your hate so quickly now, sunshine. A weak, sad, pathetic voice told her.

-

While they all lost to Hazel and Gretel at the Junk Heap, they did manage to find the Law of Robotics key piece among some rubble.

But, Emil did later declare Qrow and Kainé the victors of the bet. Nier was ambivalent, but Weiss was absolutely livid, nearly unable to accept defeat. Qrow and Kainé had a lot of fun rubbing it in.

By the time they returned to the village to rest, he had come to accept his loss. Though, he stated that if their bet concerned magic, rather than weaponry, Qrow wouldn't stand a chance. He teased the book, saying he shouldn't be so sure of that.

Although reluctantly, the guards opened the gate on their command. Devola was playing the Song of the Ancients at the fountain this time around, eyes closed and focused on the song. So, it wasn't much of an issue to get past her unnoticed.

Once inside the home, Yonah squeaked with joy that they all returned so soon, and ran to hug her brother.

"It's nice to see you again too Yonah, but take it easy, ok? I don't want you to overexert yourself so much." Nier worried as he hugged her back.

"Ohh, you worry too much!" She scolded.

"He's just concerned, is all. Besides, you've got a good big brother. It's only natural for him to worry." Qrow explained.

"Well…" she sighed, "I guess you're right. I do have a pretty good big brother. I probably shouldn't complain too much. I promise to take it easy today then."

"Thank you Yonah. I heard that Popola managed to find some cards and taught you how to play with them. Maybe you could teach us, and we all could play?" He suggested. A smile beamed from her happy face at the idea.

"Okay! I'll go and find the cards." she announced as she went upstairs.

"I'm gonna go to the store real quick then!" He shouted.

"Alright! Don't take too long!" she shouted back.

"We'll help her look then." Kainé said.

"Sure. Want anything in particular?" He asked.

"No, I'm alright." Emil answered.

"A potato. … Two potatoes." Kainé said after a moment.

"Alright… Two potatoes." Nier said. He was unsure why she would want such a plain food.

"I'll go with you." Qrow offered. "I'm sure you need a break from the book."

"It is a pleasure and honor to be in my presence you know? Honestly, do you think the Grimoire Weiss is as common as a crass paperback?"

"Sure." Nier agreed as the two were walking out the door.

"Have fun, Weissy." Qrow goaded.

As the door closed, Weiss sighed. But, if he were being honest, he wouldn't mind just resting on a nice bookshelf for a moment. Nier was with Qrow, and the other kids were just upstairs where they could cause no trouble. He deserved a little rest, and there likely wouldn't be a better time for quite a while.

So, he found a spot on the nearly empty, but comfortable shelf in the corner near the staircase, and felt himself slowly drift into a calm and relaxed state.

-

"Thanks back there. For talking to Yonah and convincing her for me." Nier said graciously as they entered the shopping district. Truly, he was thankful.

"Eh." he shrugged. "Think nothin of it. Besides, you are a good brother. Trust me, I know what a bad sibling is, and you definitely aren't."

"It doesn't feel like that sometimes…"

"Yeah. It's easy to feel like you're never doing enough. I can promise you though, you're doing all you can, and it is a lot." Qrow assured him.

"Thanks. Again. That means a lot." Talking to Qrow, hearing him reassure him, it felt good, like it was something he needed, but didn't know he needed.

"You're welcome kid. Now come one, we've got some memories to make." He said, and proceeded to trip in front of the women at the fountain. He could hear them giggle. So much for trying to seem cool and stuff.

-

"Well, here are your potatoes." Nier said as he tossed them to her.

"Nice! You don't know how much I've been fucking craving these." She said, and took a bite out of one potato like it was an apple.

Qrow was not a man easily caught off guard. But that, that was shocking, and frankly, revolting.

"What?" she said to a staring Qrow as she took another bite.

"Why??? That's not how you eat them…"

"How the fuck are you supposed to eat 'em then?"

"Cook them?"

"And lose the crunch?"

"Ok my gods… give me those, I'll make fries."

"What the hell are fries?"

That broke Qrow's heart. After all that happened to him, it was not an easy thing to break. He could almost cry. He had to sit for a moment to process this. All the while, Kainé loudly munched on her potato.

"Okay." Qrow said once he recovered. "Just find me the other potato. I promise you will love fries. If you don't I will literally give you Harbinger."

He gave her a confused look. Right.

"My weapon." He clarified. Satisfied with the offer, she tossed him the other potato.

"You really named your weapon? You sleep curled up next to it or something?"

"That reminds me," interjected a refreshed Weiss, "the other blade you are currently in possession of is the Phoenix Sword."

"That's pretty believable." He said as he cut up the large potato. He was glad they bought cooking oil earlier.

"Would you like to hear the story I've collected on it?"

"Sure. Why not."

"Ugh." Kainé groaned. "I'm going upstairs so I'm not bored to fucking death." With that, she joined the others in a game of cards.

So far, Yonah had beaten both Emil and Kainé. Qrow imagines Nier was next to lose, and that Yonah was probably making up rules as they went. He'd figure he'd indulge her and lose later.

"Anyways, let me begin." Weiss said, and told the story.

This is an old story. A beautiful bird with brightly shining feathers lived silently and carefully in the depths of a forest.

One day, a child abandoned as a burden wandered into the depths of the forest. The bird took pity on the starved and sunken child, and pecked off one of its feathers to give to the child. The child brought it back and pleased his relatives, and he was able to live with his family again.

Hearing the story, people barged into the forest one after another, and told the beautiful bird of how poor, how unfortunate and how unrewarded they were. The beautiful bird took pity on them, and gave them one shining feather after another, and when it gave its last feather, the bird’s beautiful body was reduced to a sorry state. However, the ugly bird did not have any regrets.

The ugly bird that lost its feathers was freezing in the cold, and the child from before appeared in front of it. He told it that he was searching for a brightly shining and beautiful bird to repay his debts. The ugly bird was overjoyed, and told the child of its desire. "That was me. Please, would you not keep me warm in your chest?" But the child merely took one glance at the ugly bird and called it a liar, killing it with a huge sword and eating the burnt bird. Afterwards, he continued to search for the beautiful bird.

"... Well, that was something." Qrow commented.

"What were you expecting?" Weiss said accusingly.

"I don't know." Qrow responded defensively. "Ow!" He hissed as some oil splattered onto his hand. "Maybe how it was created, or something about its original owner?"

"Hmph, I imagine your weapon's story isn't to your tastes then."

"It doesn't have a story!" Qrow affirmed.

"Pah! All noteworthy weapons have a story, and yours is no exception!"

"Wait, wait. You're saying that Harbinger, my Harbinger, has a story?"

"Naturally. Do weapons in your world not have stories? Most odd." Weiss said before letting Qrow answer. "I suppose it is my duty to tell you your weapon's story then. So, I implore you to listen and listen well."

In a time not known, there lived an archer with jet black hair who killed, and killed, and killed the allies of the wretched light. The Goddess of Light ordered his death, as he was far too much of a threat for a mere mortal. She sent her greatest warrior to slay him. Equipped with divine magic and a holy armament, he obeyed his Goddess and killed the Hero of Innocent Darkness with his own fiery arrows.

Being an honorable and just soul, he ascended to an afterlife within the light. There, the cruel goddess controlled him as another one of her puppets. In her name, he ended the lives of many valiant souls who sought a world of freedom. Wherever he went, the goddess’s will followed in the form of a fiery arrow. To his dismay, he soon even surpassed the one who killed him, and became her new greatest warrior.

So, when a new living, breathing soul threatened her as he once did, it was this warrior’s duty to dispatch the threat. The threat was a young woman, much younger than he was when he took up arms against the goddess. He announced his arrival with the shining shot of a holy arrow into the air.

The woman… she seemed familiar to him. But, it was no time for distant memories. He had to carry out the will of the Goddess of Light, even if he did not want to. While a magic user, she was unique in how she wielded it. Rather than fight at a range, she fought up close. She lasted much longer than he had in his last fight, but even she too was felled. However, he too succumbed to her efforts. He lay there, burning by fiery arrows once more. In his final moments, he wondered, and feared, what awaited him in the death after death.

“Well, there’s your story. More satisfactory than the Phoenix Sword, hmm?”

“No.” Qrow deadpanned. “In fact, I’m gonna forget it. Well, I’ll forget it soon.” With that, he popped open the flask and downed it. He was hoping to ration it, but in all honesty, he’d rather not have to live with the fact that even his weapon was a sad mess. He was sure the alcoholic “soup” wasn’t going to be strong enough to actually help him forget, but, it was worth a shot.

“Underappreciated as usual.” Weiss sighed to himself.

“You’ll get used to it soon enough.” Qrow joked. “Come one, we’ve got kids to feed.”

Qrow carefully ascended the stairs, as to be sure he wouldn’t drop them. A cautious Kainé scrutinized a fry before taking a bite out of one. Her face lit up and she quickly shoved it into her mouth. The others quickly joined in on the indulgence, enjoying the simple treat as much as their voracious friend.

Nier threw money at him to get some more potatoes, and Yonah begged him to teach her how to make them. He was happy to oblige. It made him happy to see them all so energetic and pleased. He also made the book go with him to the shopping district so they could discuss some important matters.

All in all, Qrow was satisfied in how things were turning out. Sure. things could be better, but they definitely could have been a lot worse. So, this is a win in his book. It seemed odd that he felt so happy in this world, but he knew that he would have to leave this world soon. If anything, he preferred that. That way, he had less of a chance to ruin his time here, or ruin anything else. But, for now, he would enjoy this mission.

-

Qrow woke up feeling groggy, and was hit with a terrible headache. His first thought was that he had gotten stupid drunk before returning to Oz and was paying the price. But, as his senses came back to him, he noticed that he wasn’t at Beacon. He wasn’t sure where he was. He quickly got up and searched for his weapon. It was at the side of the bed he was on, and he quickly shifted it into its scythe form.

Cautiously, he went for the door. He found it odd that his capturers let him hold onto his weapon, but he wasn’t going to complain. Just as he was about to touch the handle to make sure it wasn’t rigged or anything, the door shot open.

“Hello there.” A woman greeted as she blocked the scythe with a suitcase. “Just on time. I was hoping to have a few words with you, if you don’t mind?”

Qrow really wasn’t going to take his chances entertaining this woman, so he figured that the best course of action was flying past her as a bird, which he did. Though, he didn’t get far. He flew straight into another suitcase and fell limp to the ground.

“Thank you Accord.”

“You’re welcome Accord.” cordially replied Accord. She walked over to pick up the knocked out bird, and took measurements and notes as she walked to her destination.

When Qrow awoke, a different woman was in front of him. She was eating some fries, sitting on her comfortable looking bed. She had off white hair, and silver eyes. Qrow shifted back into human form.

“Yonah?”

“Oh Qrow! It is you!” she shouted as she jumped up and pulled him in for a hug. “I almost didn’t believe Accord when she said you’d be here. I’m so glad you’re alright. I’m glad you remembered me too.”

“I’m glad you’re alright too. Couldn’t forget someone like you if I tried. But, uh, mind filling me in on all this?” he requested as she released him from the embrace.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! I guess Accord didn’t have time to huh? Come and walk with me, and I’ll give you the basics.” she said as she picked up her sword, one with a phoenix motif, and then her fries.

“Still hooked onto those fries, huh?” he asked. He was glad to see a familiar face. It put him at ease. That, and he did not feel or sense any danger in this place. It felt safe. That was a good sign.

“Mmhm.” she said with a mouth full of fries before swallowing them. “I always remembered how to cook them how you taught me. In fact, because of you, this place has fries now.”

Qrow lightly laughed. It was an odd honor to have, but an honor nonetheless.

“So, what exactly is this place?” he asked, still smiling.

“This, is the base of the organization known as The Dragon Guard. Though, dragons are practically extinct in most timelines now. But, we do have Mikey. He’s funny. But anyways, our goal is to defeat god. His goal is to destroy humanity and our creation.”

“And naturally, you guys aren’t gonna let that slide, right?” Qrow stated. Yonah eagerly nodded.

“Yup! I was recruited a couple years ago. Though technically, its been millenia since then.” she said as if it were no big deal. Qrow looked at her, eyes wide with surprise. “It’s actually not that complicated if you want me to explain it.”

“I’m good. My head hurts enough as is.” he complained as he rubbed it.

“Yeah… Accord said that might happen.” Qrow looked at her curiously, almost concerned.

“Did you call for me?” they heard a voice say from behind. He jumped up with a yelp in shock.

“On time, as always. How are you Accord? Come across anything that needs some of my special attention?” Yonah casually asked.

“I’m good, as always.” Accord smiled. “Though, there have been reports of another dangerous interloper. This one wields elemental magic and a bunch of swords. But, I doubt you’ll need to take care of her. She’s in one of the timelines where the Seeds of Destruction activate the goddess.” Qrow wondered what the hell any of that meant.

“Another moment of rest for me then, I guess.” she sighed. “Hey, do we have time to spar real quick?” she asked Accord, who thought for a quick moment.

“Sure. I’ll be sure to set up an arena for you.”

“Thank you Accord. Alright, follow me!” she said as she excitedly led Qrow to what he assumed would be the training area.

They passed many different places on their way. There was a large mess hall, a weapons room Qrow would have to see if he could look at later, a magical test center, and he even saw Mikey. Apparently, the white dragon loved his fries, which he confirmed Yonah made perfectly just as he did. When they finally reached the training room, he was out of breath.

“Here,” she said as she pulled out a seat, “rest for a moment. Do you think you could watch my swordsmanship and critique it? Kainé said you were an amazing teacher.” Her face betrayed her cheerful voice, as a hint of sadness could be seen.

“That, I am. So show me what you’ve got.”

After watching her go toe to toe with an android in black, he could say he was very impressed. Her attacks were quick and precise. Additionally, some damage she took seemed to be shrugged off by her own attacks, as indicated by the health bars on display. As the battle ended with Yonah as the victor, he proudly made her way over to Qrow.

“So, what do you think?” she huffed excitedly.

“I’d say you’re even better than me.” he answered honestly. Time had been kind to her. He hoped it would stay that way. She deserved it.

“Really, you think so?” she asked. Qrow nodded his head to reaffirm. She squealed in joy. “I’m so glad you think so! It means so much to me!” she yanked him in for another hug. It was rough, but he didn’t mind too much.

Just then, they heard the door open, Accord walking in.

“Oh, you’re here early, er, on time, actually. I guess it just feels early.” Yonah said. Sadly.

“Your time’s almost up. The magic that brought you here is strong. We were lucky enough to even be able to intercept it.” Accord neutrally explained. “You know, you’re a singularity. Of sorts.”

“You’re someone who causes timelines to branch and split off. You even made a timeline that survived.” Yonah said happily.

“Yeah, an incredible feat. If I were you though, I wouldn’t feel bad about the ones that didn’t survive. Those ones were gonna fail regardless. But man, you did give me a lot of work, not that I mind though. It provided some nice data. That brings me to this: I’ve temporarily sealed off a majority of your memories from during your time away from your world. You have a choice. You can choose to remember or not. It will be a lot to take in, and you’ll have a nasty headache for a bit. So. what’s your choice, avian interloper?”

“I…” he wasn’t so sure. He had a bad feeling about this. But, something compelled him to choose to remember. It felt like he had a duty to remember. It felt somebody was convincing him it was the right choice. “I want to remember.”

“As you will.” Accord answered, pulling out her large phone. “Alright. Initiate code. MEM-3313.”

She was right when she said the headache would be nasty. But, the memories were worse. So many things made sense, and it was all saddening and terrifying. But, mixed in there, were some good memories, ones people wouldn’t trade for the world. There was little Yonah, so much like Ruby to him. Her, Nier, Kainé, Emil, Halua, Weiss, and Rubrum, were a part of many wonderful memories, memories of a world where he felt normal, even if just for a moment. And there they were, in a few terrible memories too, reminding him of his fears and hatred.

“We have another choice for you. Do you wish to keep your memories?” Accorded asked. “Regardless, I already have the important ones recorded, so don’t let us influence your choice.”

Those memories worth more than the world, weren’t worth more than all the suffering and sadness and betrayal he had witnessed so many times. He could barely handle it.

“Take them… take them all…”

“Are you sure?” Yonah asked this time.

“Kid… I’m sorry. I’m not that strong of a person.”

“You are a strong person, Mister Qrow, just not that kind of strong, and that’s alright.” she sat down to take a seat next to him. “The world is a pretty terrible place. And we can all only take so much. I don’t blame you, okay? Accord, transfer them to me.” Qrow looked at her in shock.

“You’re a good man Qrow. Don’t forget that. I know that someday, you’ll be stronger for the people who need you. I believe in you. You have someone who believes in you. Don’t forget that, okay? You have someone who believes in you.”

Qrow wasn’t sure what to say as she tearfully pulled him in for one last hug. He just noticed that he was crying too. He began to feel sleepy.

“Thank you for so many good memories, Qrow. You helped make those days with my brother and friends possible. …Thank you, and goodbye…”

“Goodbye. . .”

You have someone who believes in you.

[aboutcaseyaffleck]

Actor Casey Affleck Reflects On The Past And 'The World To Come'

The last time I saw Casey Affleck was after an 8:30 a.m. Sundance Film Festival screening of “Manchester by the Sea,” which left my colleagues and I so emotionally drained we were pretty much useless for the rest of the day. Affleck finds this very funny. “Oh man, that’s awesome,” he laughs. “That was a tough screening. At Sundance I’m usually just going to sleep at 8 a.m.” We’re talking on the phone a few days after the festival’s virtual premiere of his latest movie, “The World to Come,” which made its Sundance debut last month under very different circumstances. “It’s so strange doing these things sitting in front of your computer,” he sighs.

Directed by Mona Fastvold, “The World to Come” is a powerful period piece about a forbidden love affair between pioneer women played by Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, set in upstate New York during the early months of 1856. Affleck produced the picture, in which he plays a supporting role as Waterston’s uncomprehending husband, and he did his best to soldier through a crowded Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening, with results pleasant enough, but nonetheless missing that in-person festival magic. “I used to love going to film festivals and talking to journalists and seeing all the movies and talking to other filmmakers,” he laments. “Sitting here alone in a little office in my house is such a drag. But it was nice to know that the movie was getting seen, at least.”

While big brother Ben plays Batman in studio pictures, Casey has exhibited a restless independent streak ever since he was a student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. (Our ninth-grade classes competed against each other in the Mass. High School Drama Guild Competition. His won, perhaps unsurprisingly.) A longtime friend of the Brattle Theatre and former creative advisor for the Independent Film Festival Boston, the younger Affleck has always seemed more at home in indies. Not a lot of actors would follow an Oscar-winning role in “Manchester by the Sea” with a microbudget art film like “A Ghost Story.” But then his internalized, minimalist acting style is often at odds with the concerns of contemporary blockbusters. There’s a weird dissonance watching something like Disney’s hokey Chatham sea adventure “The Finest Hours,” with Affleck going full Montgomery Clift while surrounded by CGI silliness.

“The World to Come” is the most ambitious project yet from Affleck’s Sea Change Media, which partnered with Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon’s legendary NYC indie institution Killer Films for the arduous production that began with a conversation between Affleck and novelist Ron Hansen nearly a decade ago. “When I did ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ I got to know Ron Hansen, just because I loved the book so much. Ron has a very unique talent for writing 19th century language. He’s just from another era. I asked him if he had something he wanted to work on together, and I thought he would send me one of his things. Instead, he sent me this story by Jim Shepard. It was beautiful. I said, why don’t you and Jim write the script? And they took about six years, but it came together beautifully. Good things come to those who wait, I guess.”

The film eventually shot in Romania with a break built into the schedule to accommodate the changing seasons that are so crucial to the movie’s rugged, outdoor textures. “We were way out in Transylvania, out in the mountains,” Affleck explains. “We were just in some valley and they built a couple of farmhouses. I like being far away in a new place. It makes you feel outside of your life. And I love working in weather. There are so many aspects of moviemaking that are artificial, but when there’s extreme weather, it’s real. I did this Disney movie about a boat rescue, and it was, like, December in friggin’ Quincy and they were just soaking us with water every single take. There’s not a lot that you have to quote-unquote act. You’re just standing there, teeth-chattering, shivering, just being.” This reminds me of the scene in “Manchester” when he and Lucas Hedges have an argument walking in the blistering cold and can’t remember where they parked. “I forgot about that one,” he laughs.

I’d never say so on the phone, but I consider Affleck’s performance as Lee Chandler in “Manchester by the Sea” among the finest I’ve seen in my 22 years of reviewing films, worthy of discussion alongside Brando’s Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront” in its aching, inchoate longing. Lee holds his grief somewhere very private and dear, as if to begin to forgive himself would be an act of betrayal. The movie nails a gruff, emotional constipation popular among men of a certain stripe, especially in New England. (My mother offered my favorite review of the film: “Why don’t they just talk to each other? Jesus, this is like watching you and your father.”) Words don’t come easily to most of Affleck’s movie characters, but he chafes at the description of them as inarticulate. “It’s funny, I find the characters in ‘Manchester’ to be sometimes very articulate,” he argues. “There’s misunderstandings, but they end up communicating what’s inside.”

“The World to Come” is rife with such mixed signals and miscommunications, about which co-star Katherine Waterston raved during the Zoom Q&A after the Sundance screening. “It was so much fun to play the scenes with Casey,” she said. “A lot of these scenes are written as dances, where somebody tries to reach out and engage and they’re misunderstood. Inarticulacy is a very interesting thing to see in film. The failed attempts. Failed communications. It’s actually fun to play those things. You don’t know what the other person’s going to throw at you. It keeps it really alive on set. Mona and I felt if we had the money we could have kept shooting this thing for months, because the scenes were so much fun to explore.”

Affleck agrees. “When Katherine’s character writes in her journal or she starts talking to Vanessa, they have this beautiful, expressive way of speaking to each other,” he enthuses, whereas his character “says what he’s gotta say in as few words as possible. He’s very brusque and curt, which I enjoyed. The way that he talks is the communication equivalent when he gives her a birthday gift of sardines and a tin of raisins.”

Indeed, her increasingly florid diary entries — originally intended as a ledger to keep track of the farm’s monthly expenses — become the heartbeat of the film, providing an emotional release otherwise suppressed by the rigid formality of the era and the ugly drudgery of day-to-day farm life. “The World to Come” is ultimately a movie about the need to share our stories, and how through telling them we make sense of ourselves. As producer Koffler explains in the press notes, “Part of the film’s vision is to dramatize a very basic human impulse: to create, to connect, to say ‘I was here, and I mattered.’”

This has become a recurring theme in Affleck’s recent work. In 2019, he wrote, directed and starred in “Light of My Life,” a little-seen but strikingly tense post-apocalyptic road movie about a father and daughter hiding out in the wilderness after a pandemic has wiped out most of the women in the world. The film begins with Affleck telling the little girl a bedtime story that runs almost 13 minutes and sneakily sets up the movie’s major themes. Then in last month’s well-acted but regrettably soggy “Our Friend,” he starred as real-life journalist Matthew Teague, whose soul-baring Esquire story about his wife’s struggle with cancer became a national phenomenon.

“Matt Teague wrote that article and then wanted it made into a movie as his way of processing everything that had happened,” the actor elaborates. “You transform pain into other things as you go through life. That was all him working through it. I like stories about storytellers and I like stories within stories. Obviously, I wrote and directed a movie that starts with a 12-minute bedtime story. I love that. I know that other people don’t love it as much as I do, so I have to be careful about it.”

That kind of love led to last summer’s “Stories From Tomorrow,” a project initiated during lockdown by Affleck and his schoolteacher mom Christine, encouraging children to send in poems and short stories to be read on social media by celebrities like Matt Damon and Jon Hamm, as well as his “The World to Come” co-stars Waterston and Kirby. “That was something I started out at the very beginning of the quarantine as a small project to encourage kids to write creatively, because I know it can be a great way of processing anxiety and working through feelings that you aren’t really talking about or aren’t aware that you’re having. It wasn’t something I thought would go on forever; once the kids are back in school that ought to be where they should be doing all that kind of work. But while they were sitting at home, I thought it would be a good way to get their attention off the awful news and into something more imaginative. And I also got a chance to read all these super-cool stories! Really creative stuff that kids sent from all around the world.”

Finally, as a Boston publication it would be dereliction of duty not to mention the hysterical Dunkin Donuts commercial parody from when Affleck hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2016, so dead-on in its depiction of a local 'regulah customah' that on one of my critics’ poll ballots that year I tried to nominate the sketch for Best Documentary. Alas, the performer shoots down a pet theory I’ve been hanging onto ever since, that the dirtbag Boston guy in the Bruins hat is secretly a grown-up version of Affleck’s scene stealing, bug-swallowing Morgan from “Good Will Hunting.”

“I hadn’t thought about that, dude. That’s really funny. It never crossed my mind." He pauses before confiding, "I wasn’t that great on SNL… I just wasn’t all that funny on the skits, because it’s live and you’re reading the cue cards and it was my first time. But when we went to make that little pre-recorded short film of the Dunkin’ Donuts ad, I really felt like that was my wheelhouse there. I could’ve played that character in a movie. I could have gone to work and played him every single day, and I would have had a blast. That was really fun to do. I would love to do another one of those. That would be funny to see that character again.”

I bet that guy’s got some stories.

“The World To Come” is now in theaters and will be available via video on demand Tuesday, March 2.

[source]

[broadway-book-badger]

Let’s talk about books

Back in the day, about three years ago, I went through a phase of posting monthly write-ups of what I’d been reading on here. In these trying times there seems to be a little bit more time for reading, plus escapism and procrastination are always fun, so I though I’d share a few recommendations. There’s a few different genres (amazingly, hardly any YA fantasy), and I’ve mostly read these in the last year or so. I’ve kept my thoughts as spoiler free as I can. Read them under the cut.

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Everyone and their mother has read The Hunger Games. I have read The Hunger Games before. But, a couple of weeks ago, I reread the trilogy for the first time since my first reading, which was around Christmas 2011. And to be perfectly honest, these books hold up! I think maybe it’s because I read so many not so good dystopian YA novels after I first read the Hunger Games that I thought less of this trilogy, but I don’t know. This is a solid series. If you’ve never revisited it (or if you’ve never read it at all), now could be the time! I love the fast paced writing - once things kick off, they do not stop and I burned through the whole trilogy in about three days. The world building is decent, and it doesn’t back away from some pretty heavy stuff. I remember certain scenes being much more gory, but that’s probably just because I’ve read much worse in the past 9 years. Also being older, I appreciate Katniss as a character a lot more. I remember 13-year old me getting annoyed, but now I kind of like that she is allowed to be confused about her feelings and struggle with what she’s been through and generally be a pawn rather than a flawless 16-year old rebel commander as seen elsewhere. The love triangle also isn’t as bad as I remember, although I was reminded of my own love for Peeta. Some people complain that he’s boring, but I think he’s a lovely boy.

2. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

I’ve been wanting to read this since I saw someone on the internet pitch this as something along the lines of “The queer dragon fantasy epic you’ve been waiting for.” I did a lot of waiting for it to come out in paperback, because it is an absolute behemoth over 800 pages, and while incredibly pretty, the hardback was just too big. It was, however, well worth the wait. I haven’t read a ton of adult fantasy, because a lot of it is so big, but this was a good place to start, because the writing style is pretty easy to read and also its a standalone, so the story is told by the end, it’s not the first of like 6 800 page bricks. While the plot and the characters and the love story between a queen and her handmaiden who’s a badass sorceress in disguise are all enjoyable, the thing I loved the most was the worldbuilding. I love the time and effort that was spent developing the religions and mythologies of all the different kingdoms and how they clash in ways such as different takes on the legend of St George and the dragon, and the contrast Western dragons as monsters to be slain by knights vs benevolent Eastern dragons that kind of echoes real world mythology. I saw one review of this describing ‘Priory’ as ‘a feminist successor to Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.’ While I think you could definitely say that that is the case, I would say that equally being more feminist than either of those titles is not a particularly high bar, given that there are only about 5 named women in the whole of Middle Earth, and most of the women in Game of Thrones are assaulted and brutalized for no good reason. 

3. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This book made me so happy, you have no idea. An enemies to friends to lovers story about the son of the first female American president and the Prince of England, that reads kind of like fanfiction but in the best possible way is exactly what the world needs right now. Everything about this book is delightful, from the characters to their relationships to the pseudo-alternate history that its set in. I think the thing that increased my enjoyment of this is the fact that the main characters are in their early twenties. It seems to me that most protagonists, regardless of genre are either 16 or pushing 30, and while I still enjoy their stories, there was just something infinitely more relatable about a character the same age as me. If anyone knows of any more books with characters in this age range, please let me know, because they seem few and far between. Back to this, however, I think I was grinning like an idiot through most of this book. I laughed, I may have shed a little happy tear, I fully recommend.

4. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N K Jemisin

Another foray into adult fantasy, this is such a good series. The books aren’t too long and the writing style is easy to digest, but it is DARK. It’s set in a world which experiences apocalyptic natural disasters every couple of centuries. There are people with powers that can help control this, but they’re super oppressed and treated as evil, rather than potential saviours. The story follows a woman searching for her missing daughter in the wake of an apocalypse, a young girl coming into her powers and others, and it is so well done. It’s such a unique and diverse world, and there are some great reveals as to why the story is being told the way that it is, as well as interesting takes on things like living vs surviving and systems of oppression.

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

An aging and reclusive Hollywood star decides that the time has come to share her life story to an unknown journalist and it’s amazing. This is so well done that its easy to forget while reading that Evelyn Hugo is not a real person and you cannot go and watch her films. I first heard about this book and thought it sounded interesting, as I have a love of Old Hollywood musicals. I then promptly forgot all about it, until I heard other people on the internet talking about how it had a bisexual protagonist, which both reminded me about it and made me want to read it more and here we are. Evelyn Hugo had a hell of a life, with seven husbands and another great love story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. This book does a great job at showcasing both the glamour and less glamorous underside of the era, as well as the lengths people are willing to go. It also had me sobbing at 1am because I couldn’t put it down, and if that isn’t the mark of a quality book, I don’t know what is!

6. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

A coming-of-age story following two childhood friends as they move from their small town to Dublin for University in the 1950s. Quite a chunky book, but a lovely story and I found it read pretty quickly. As I was saying about Red, White and Royal Blue, it’s rare to find books about characters of this sort of age range. Equally rare I think are books with a university setting - the only others I can think of are Fangirl, the Magicians and the Secret History - any recommendations, let me know! I enjoyed the characters growing and finding their confidence and independence, as well as the period setting. I also greatly appreciated the ending, in terms of the main character’s love interest, as it’s something that you don’t often see in this type of book. I may have to read more by this author.

7. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

This is one of those books that I just happened to read at the perfect time in my life, and for that reason it means a lot to me. I read it at the very end of 2018, when I was feeling really down and not myself, and something in there just spoke to me and maybe gave a little perspective. I don’t read much non-fiction and this is just the memoirs of someone as she navigates her teens and twenties. I can see why someone might not like it, but I really did. There’s some relatable content in here. As the book went on and I read all these parts about bad dates and third-wheeling friends, I kept waiting for the part where she said, ‘but then I met so-and-so and it all changed’ but that NEVER happened. By the end of this book, this woman is still single and praising all the types of non-romantic love in her life, and that I think is a bit of a revelation. It is so rare for a woman to stay single at the end of a book (see every YA love triangle ever, even when both boys are terrible), and so this resonated deeply with me. I laughed, I cried, I go back and reread bits every so often, and I wholeheartedly recommend.

8. Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

There are those who say that Cassandra Clare needs to stop, but I wholeheartedly disagree. As long as she wants to keep writing Shadowhunter books, I will keep reading them, because they are a hell of a lot of fun. I’ll admit, bits of the OG Mortal Instruments series aren’t the best thing I’ve ever read, but the historical series are in another league altogether. I adore the Infernal Devices trilogy, which features one of the few good love triangles in YA, and Chain of Gold is a promising start to a new series about the children of the Infernal Devices characters. I think there’s something about the historical setting that just works so much better than the modern series, it could be the angst that comes from things like marriages of convenience and ruined reputations, but I digress. I really enjoyed getting to know this new cast of characters, while also getting some appearances from old favourites. The plot was solid too, and I liked the new expansions to the mythology, while wondering what they mean for what’s coming in the rest of this trilogy. I think the fact that I read this in less than 48 hours, mostly sitting in the same spot tells you everything you need to know.

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2019 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 1: Anime

Health problems have laid me up a little, but now I’m finally posting this.

As you can tell by the title, this is a post in the vein of last year’s notes about the Myanimelist.net Anime Watching and Manga Reading Challenges. While I didn’t complete everything by the deadline, I had some fun with it and saw/read some good things, some okay things, some things I’ve been meaning to watch anyway, and some things I probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for this challenge.

This post will deal with the anime side. Part 2, dealing with the manga side, will come soon.

I will mention some notables/honorable mentions and then some of my favorite things I watched for this challenge.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables: Millennium Actress - completed for the task “Watch an award-winning anime”

Two filmmakers interview Chiyoko, a retired, reclusive actress from long ago. She brings the two filmmakers through her memories.

As far as I’m concerned, anything Satoshi Kon does is great. A movie with an interesting concept and an interesting art style. I teared up a little at the end, ngl.

RIP Satoshi Kon.

My Neighbor Totoro - completed for the task “Watch an original anime”

Two little girls move to a house in the countryside with their father. While at the house, they discover forest spirits and go on adventures with them.

As expected from Studio Ghibli, the art is gorgeous. The story was fun. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t seen this until now.

While not my favorite Miyazaki movie, this was still beautiful and also fucking adorable.

It was also pretty cool to hear the Fanning sisters in early roles.

Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They? - completed for the task “Watch an anime in which your favorite character’s voice actor participated”

Three kids, each with a different special ability, are whisked away to a world called Little Garden. They are called upon by Kurousagi (Black Rabbit in the English dub) to win “Gift Games” and help the community regain its former glory and resources after a demon took them away.

I’d put this under the group of “Things i probably wouldn’t have watched if not for this challenge”.

I’m not normally into isekai anime (I feel it’s been way overdone lately), but I had fun with this. I honestly didn’t like a couple of the characters at first, but then I realized it was kinda the point. They did get better, though.

Automatic props for having Josh Grelle in there voicing one of the titular problem children.

I had fun with this one overall.

Aoi Bungaku Series - completed for the task “Watch an anime with more than 16 minutes in total and tagged as Mystery, Psychological, and/or Thriller”

An anthology adapting several classic Japanese books and stories.

This anime was different than a lot of what I have watched before. Bleak as hell a lot of the time (especially in the first story), but I found this anime interesting. I might try and read the books that these stories were based on.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor - completed for the task “Watch an anime suggested by Myanimelist or Anime+”

Justy Ueki Tylor is a bit of a lazy bum. He signs up to join the space military because he wants to live a relatively easy life and get a good pension when he retires. Through sheer charisma and dumb luck, he helps diffuse a hostage situation, leading him to be promoted to Captain of a ship with a bad reputation. An evil space empire and higher-ups looking to get rid of Tylor are also involved.

I found this show funny, but I also feel like this is one you need to be in the mood for. That being said, this was a fun watch.

A lot of zany hijinks and watching Tylor get by through sheer luck and charisma. Gave me some mixed feelings at times.

I have a weakness for things that came out in the 90s, as I grew up with that animation style and shows from that time period. As such, it was very cool to hear voice actors from my childhood, like Rachel Lillis and Lisa Ortiz, in this anime. (I was internally going “OMG it’s Misty!!” every time Yuriko talked.)

Favorites from the Challenge:

Hanayamata - completed for the task “Watch an anime that began airing between 2010 and 2015″

An ordinary student, Naru, wants nothing more than to be pretty and dazzling like in her fairy tale books. One day, she meets a mysterious girl, Hana, who dances with her one night. Hana turns out to be an American transfer student who ends up transferring into Naru’s class. Hana then introduces Naru to Yosakoi dancing and forms the Yosakoi club.

I thought this was a cute and fun slice-of-life anime. Premise can be a bit iffy if you really think about it, but I had fun with this show. I love how everyone slowly opened up with each other and was able to make their club work.

Also, I couldn’t help but have this thought: I feel like the first couple episodes had so much lesbian subtext that I had to check if this anime was made by KyoAni (it wasn’t, it’s made by Madhouse).

Tatami Galaxy - completed for the task “Watch a Noitamina anime”

A third-year college student runs into a mysterious guy at a ramen shop. The student reflects on his past 2 years at college, mostly spent with his friend Ozu trying to break up happy couples. The student wonders if he’s wasted his life and resolves to do better. Then a time loop starts happening and more chances arrive.

*clasps hands like Gendo Ikari*

We meet again, Masaki Yuasa.

No better time than this challenge to work through more of Masaki Yuasa’s filmography, especially after watching the decent Mind Game and the excellent Kaiba for last year’s challenge.

While watching this anime, I felt myself going back and forth on whether or not I really liked this anime. Whether it was overrated or underrated. Whether it was a good idea on what the Endless 8 could have been or something that kept going unnecessarily long because the Student couldn’t see what was in front of his face. Whether it was style over substance.

The answer?

Yes.

I honestly liked it, but I do understand the criticism. I feel like the confusion about my feelings can be a good thing and this anime still had some great points and made me think.

I also thought the art style and soundtrack were great, as usual from Masaki Yuasa.

One Outs - completed for the task “Watch an active staff member’s favorite anime with 10 episodes or more”

A struggling baseball team recruits Tokuchi Towa, a pitcher who is more of a gambler than anything. Kojima, the team’s veteran player, hopes that Tokuchi will lead them to the championship. Corrupt ownership and unethical opponents also add problems.

Tokuchi was a great character. He’s a genius, but also a huge troll. His method is basically trying to psychologically get to the other players and go from there. I liked seeing him work through situations and outsmart people. This was one of the few anime from the challenge where I could watch several episodes in one sitting and not even realize it.

Basically, this was a take on sports anime I didn’t know I needed.

Aggressive Retsuko (aka Aggretsuko) - Season 1 completed for the task “Watch an ONA,” Season 2 completed for the task “Watch an anime with more than 16 minutes in total and a popularity lower than #700″

Retsuko, a red panda, is an average office worker. Unfortunately, she hates her job. She is harassed by her boss and given unreasonable amounts of work. To relieve the stress from her life, she secretly goes to karaoke and sings death metal to scream everything out.

I love this. I love Retsuko. I love the little songs sprinkled in. I love Retsuko’s relationships with several of her office-mates.

I feel like I can relate so hard. Not necessarily with the heavy work load, but just the general stresses of life in your 20s. Being stuck in a job that isn’t the best, and also liking metal.

I had a ton of fun with this show. Season 1 was slightly better than Season 2, but I loved this show all the same.

Girls’ Last Tour - completed for the task “Watch an anime that finished airing with more than 10 episodes and has a synopsis by MAL Rewrite”

In a post-apocalyptic, war-torn landscape, two girls, Chito and Yuri, travel the world for answers, with only their motorbike/tank, their supplies, and each other.

This, by far, wins Best of the Challenge this year.

This anime gave me a mix of emotions that I don’t know if I’ve ever felt before. A strange mix of existential dread and sadness and going “aww” at the slice-of-life adventures the two girls have. It made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think.

Watch this one, please.

[amidalasmistress]

Us || Chapter One:

{gif cr}

pairing; Michael Langdon x Reader

warnings; swearing, angst, & violent descriptions

summary; After Michael has been named Supreme, the woman he loves has been killed by Cordelia and the Coven. Out of rage and loneliness, Michael begins his apocalyptic reign. The witches have only one way to possibly save/redeem the world. Bring Y/N back.

a/n; Damn it feels good to be back! A lot of the dialogue I did steal from a few episodes so, you may recognize them. I just felt that changing around the canon dialogue for a fic, made it feel a bit more...real(?). I’ve erased the whole time travel plot ‘cause it’s pretty pointless in this story. I do believe this fic will only be two chapters but, we’ll see. As always, I hope you all enjoy! <33

words; 2,664

-

The morning sun woke Y/N up from a sleep she’d very much enjoyed. It was her and Michael all cuddled up and cozy in bed. No worries or cares in the world. Michael had been too busy at Hawthorne’s. Always having to prove himself to someone even though it was obvious that he was special. It was her suggestion that he takes some time away from there to relax and the only place he truly wanted to be was with Y/N. It warmed her heart how much he had loved her. As much as he did, tonight was the night he’d spend with Mead. That woman freaked Y/N out in so many ways. Plus, it seemed like she hated her for some unknown reason.

“I wish I could just stay here forever,” Michael mumbled half in the pillow.

She rolled over to face him, letting her fingers play with his soft curls, “You know you can. All you have to do is say so.”

“I know,” his eyes were still closed and a soft smile appeared on his face. “But, if I don’t go to Mead, she’ll come here and you don’t want that.”

No she didn’t. The two of them fell back asleep despite the bright sunlight and singing birds. As long as they were together, they could probably sleep on top of an erupting volcano. They both needed this moment though. Just the two of them at peace and feeling the utmost comfort with one another. Nothing but complete and utter serenity.

-

After Michael had left, Y/N made a quick run to the store to stock up on food for the next few days or so. She had figured Michael would be back the next day and she didn’t want to just order takeout for him. Everyone deserves a good, home cooked meal and Y/N was kind of slacking in that department. Once she had packed the groceries in her car, Y/N started it up only to see that the gasoline was so close to being empty. So, her next stop was the gas station.

The station seemed very vacant. The lights kept on flickering on and off. It made Y/N’s stomach drop. Nonetheless, she needed gas. The silence echoed all around her, chilling her to the bone. It felt as if there was some sort of horror film serial killer lurking in the shadows. It didn’t help that the light at the pump went out as she began filling her car up. She jumped once her phone began to ring, only to see that it was Michael calling her.

“Hey,” she picked up almost instantly, her voice shaking out of fear. “How’s it going?”

“Boring,” Michael practically whined. “I miss you.”

She smiled at how adorable his need for her was, “I miss you too. I’ll pick you up early tomorrow and we can go out for breakfast. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect,” his smile was audible through the phone.

“I’ll see you in the morning then,” she hummed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The moment she hung up she regretted doing so. She had forgotten her frightening surroundings. The silence had returned and sent goosebumps all over her arms. If only Michael had been physically with her, she wouldn’t be so afraid.

“Y/N?” A female voice sounded from behind her.

She quickly turned to see a group of women dressed in black stalking towards her, “Can I help you?” She searched the group to try and find the voice that had just spoken.

“My name is Cordelia Goode,” the woman’s voice spoke again. “Are you Y/N Y/L/N?”

Something wasn’t right but, Y/N couldn’t lie for the life of her so, she gave in, “I am…Is there something I can do for you?”

“Don’t scream,” another woman spoke then appeared right next to her, stabbing her side.

Y/N squealed loudly at the pain and was rewarded with another stab through her belly. She was stabbed over and over until someone had come up behind her and slit her throat. She lay there bleeding out at the scene. Twitching and sputtering. The woman called Cordelia said some sort of chant and it was all over.

-

Michael waited until late in the afternoon for Y/N to pick him up. Mead came out onto the porch only to talk him down. She swore up and down that Y/N wasn’t coming for him and it’d be best if he had just gone inside. Michael couldn’t accept that. His Y/N would never ditch him without calling him beforehand. This was unlike her. He had called her well over hundreds of times only to get her voicemail. He had warned her of his enemies, how relentless they were to see him fail.

“Fuck it,” Michael spat as he began to his journey to her house.

With his determination and worries, he was outside her door in no time. He waved his hand to open her door. All of the lights were out and her car was no where to be seen. Michael’s heartbeat quickened. If the Coven were behind this, he’d destroy them all.

“Y/N,” he called out, examining her house for any signs that she may or may not be there somehow. “Baby girl?”

No answer. Her entire house was empty. Michael began to shake out of fear and anger. She was no where to be found. The love of his life has gone missing and he didn’t no whether she was safe or not. Harmed or unharmed. All he knew was that he would make it his mission to find her and bring her back.

Michael booked it back to Mead’s only to find that her home, too, was abandoned. What the hell was going on?

-

Michael had received a message from Cordelia, summoning him to some lot it looked like. When he arrived there, he had noticed three poles of charred wood standing, surrounded by nothing. On those poles looked like burned remains. Michael’s heart dropped at the thought of Y/N being among them. If she were dead by Cordelia’s doing, the Devil himself couldn’t stop the reckoning Michael would bring upon the Coven.

When Michael had touched each body, he saw glimpses of their final moments. The first two were from Hawthorne’s. The last was Mead. The only mother he had. Touching her burned corpse gave him the image of her embracing the flames with a smile on her face. Michael fell to his knees. He was truly alone. He didn’t have the four people who had believed in him most with him. He only knew where three were. Y/N was gone and that fact alone had broken his heart.

“It’s over,” Cordelia spoke after his agonizing scream. “We know who you are. Your allies are all dead. You failed.”

Michael wasn’t giving in to Cordelia’s threat easily. Besides, Y/N could be alive somewhere for all he knew. All he had hoped.

“What have you done to Y/N?” His face was wet with tears that fought against his struggle to put on a brave front.

“As I said,” a smirk spread across Cordelia’s face, making Michael want to punch it off her. “Dead.”

“I’ve already proven to you that I can defy death,” Michael’s voice slightly cracked. “I’m just gonna bring her back. And when I do, my Y/N will stand by me as we watch you die.”

Bringing someone back from the dead was no simple task but, Michael could do it. Michael would do it to bring her back. Y/N was all he needed to go on. She was the source of his strength.

“You can certainly go to hell,” Cordelia mocked him. “But you won’t find her there.”

Michael’s stomach dropped, “What have you done?”

“Her soul is hidden by a spell only I can break,” Cordelia spoke shamelessly. “You’ll never see her again.”

That was it. Michael dropped to his knees. Silently asking himself why anyone would ever harm someone who played no part in all of this. Cordelia and her Coven’s war was with him not her…not her. This was proof that Cordelia was just as evil as he was, if not worse.

“You’re alone,” she continued.

“I’m never alone,” Michael fought against her power to intimidate him with a broken voice. “I have my father.”

“Where is he now?” Cordelia spoke in a condescending tone. “Why did he let this happen?” She knelt down before him, now displaying some sort of motherly bullshit, “You don’t have to follow this path your father laid out for you. You can write your own destiny. You can still turn away.” Michael only wanted to burn her alive to see how she feels but she still continued, "There’s humanity in you. I see it.”

Michael played into her attempt to lure him into her trap. Michael knew what his fate would be if he actually believed in her “good” intentions. She’d slaughter him. Probably make some sort of sick, sadistic show of it.

“If you come with me,” she stood. “Maybe we can find it,” she held out her hand. “Together.”

Michael continued this act. Hesitantly grabbing her hand before she pulled him up. She was such a fool. Especially when she thought things would work out in her favor. Self-righteous Cordelia Goode actually believed she had brought the Antichrist over to her side. She was dumb enough thinking he’d go with her after the stunt she had just pulled.

He rose to her feet and jerked her towards him, looking into her eyes with a hard-set jaw, “Somehow, some way, I am gonna bring her back. And then I’m gonna kill every last one of you.”

-

Post Apocalypse:

The scent of the witches hit Michael as he tried to share a moment with the robotic Miriam Mead. Why they’re still fighting when the earth has been wiped clean was something he found pointless. There was no human race to save. Everyone was dead or going to die. The best thing they could do now was give up. Especially since the majority of the population of witches and warlocks have been destroyed before the Apocalypse.

Michael had made his way to the main staircase. The witches were having some idle conversation about “defeating” him. There was no “defeating” him. Everything had worked out in his favor. Aside from…He had won. And that was all to it.

“How can any of you defeat me?” Their heads all turned to him as he spoke from atop the stairs. “When I’ve already won?”

Cordelia took a step forward, already annoying Michael with her existence, “You haven’t won.”

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed the state of the world,” he boasted.

“Almost as bad as your dinner jacket,” the woman with the crazy hair, Myrtle, spoke. “But at least the world could be saved.”

“By you?” Their arrogance amused him.

“By all of us,” Cordelia corrected him.

This was all too entertaining. The witches’ pathetic attempt at trying to intimidate him at his strongest peak nearly made him burst out in laughter. They just couldn’t accept that they had failed to save the world. There was no “saving” the world. Especially since there was no world to save. Michael had made sure of that.

“When I’m done,” Michael spoke again after they had argued amongst themselves. “You’ll all wish you were still dead.”

“I always thought the world would end in fire and ice,” Myrtle spoke again. “Not witches and warlocks.”

An image of…her...flashed in his mind. It was an image of her smiling. The one smile that had brought him a peaceful and carefree world. If only she were here now. If she could just be by his side. The very reason why she was no longer with him was standing right before him. If they wanted to avoid a war, they shouldn’t have isolated him. Most importantly from the woman he loved.

“What would Y/N think of all of this?” Cordelia noticed his silence and took advantage of it.

“How dare you,” Michael’s jaw clenched as he spoke through his teeth. “How dare you speak her name.”

“I don’t think she’d appreciate you being the cause of the Apocalypse, Michael,” she continued.

“You didn’t know her,” he wasn’t going to let her get the best of him. “You wouldn’t know. Yet you killed her anyway.”

Cordelia took a moment of silence before continuing, her eyes narrowing, “Knowing what I do now, I never would’ve harmed her. She may have guided you to making the right decisions. Killing her is something I regret.”

“Spare me your false sympathies, Cordelia,” Michael spat, the anger rising in him. “You took the one person I have ever truly loved away from me. Simply because you wanted to isolate me. Make me feel alone,” Michael’s jaw wavered. “You only made my hatred for this world worsen. You’ve failed.”

“Cordelia,” Myrtle reached out to the Supreme before she could say anything in return.

Cordelia only turned to look at her. Myrtle must’ve said something with her eyes. There were no words spoken yet, Cordelia turned back to Michael with hope in her eyes. Which, made Michael even more irritated with her. All he had to do was snap his fingers and those girls would be dead. Something within him told him to hold off.

“I know that you’re angry, Michael,” Cordelia began. “But, please allow me to gather with my girls in private.”

Michael scoffed, “Why should I let you do that?”

“The world is not over yet,” she took a step towards the stairs. “Allow us the chance to at least try and change your mind.”

Michael’s initial reaction was to just laugh off such a ridiculous request but, looking into Cordelia’s eyes, he could tell that she was cooking up something. Whether it actually was worth his time or just mere entertainment, he wouldn’t know unless he let them congregate. What ever the idea was, they’d never be able to defeat him or his mission.

“I won’t wait forever,” Michael warned.

Cordelia let out a sigh of relief before she turned to motion the witches into the dining room. As they made their way to plan, or what ever they were doing, Michael turned to Ms. Mead before heading back upstairs and into his bed chambers. There was no way the witches could devise a plan to save themselves and the world. The world was already destroyed. Their fight was hopeless.

-

Michael sat in his room. He had asked Ms. Mead to guard the door, both for protection and so he could be alone. The mention of the woman he had loved made his thoughts clutter with images of her. The only thing he had left of her were memories. The image his mind had painted of her made him question whether he could truly remember what she had looked like. All he knew was that she was beautifully perfect. Everything about her made Michael want to exist. It wasn’t just about her appearance, though, Michael’s mind could go on and on worshipping her beauty but, it was also the love she gave. The love she had for the simplest of things. The love she bore him. The feeling of being loved by her was unlike anything he’d ever imagine. She was, well, everything to him.

The sting of tears in his eyes brought him back to reality. He couldn’t cry. Not now. Not when the witches were proposing a battle strategy. Showing weakness only made him weak. Which was something he had fought against for quite some time now. Since the day Cordelia had confirmed Y/N’s death, to the current state of ashes and radiation.

Then he felt it. A sharp punch in the gut, nearly knocking him off his feet to where he had to grab onto the mantle for support. The air left his lungs as his heart swelled with the familiar feeling of her overwhelming presence.

Y/N was back.

[shegatsby]

The Last of Us

Warnings; Post apocalyptic world. SMUT! P in v, unprotected sex, don't be silly wrap your willy. Angst. MINORS GET THE F OUT!

Words; 2.493K

A/N; Hello babes! Another day another slay, if you have any request about Joel don't hesitate to send them to me. See you on another fic. bye xxx

Summary; Ever since childhood you had to survive, you were born before the disease so you kinda remembered what was it like, to have a hot shower, clean food etc. You didn’t know what happened to your parents because they were on a vacation and left you with your grandma who passed away during the chaos. You were 10 when it happened, a child who had to be a woman over night. What happens when you are a brink from killing yourself and find purpose again?

Chapter Eight- The Finale

She couldn’t sleep, neither could Joel. They just laid on the bed, Joel’s arms around her, when the first lights of morning came she noticed that he was gone. A sudden panic took her body and soul, she ran to Ellie’s room, she was gone too. How dare they leaving without a goodbye?! Was she disposable to them? Y/N immediately got dressed, the cold air hit her face when she left the house. They should be at the stables, she thought and she ran.

It wasn’t too late, Ellie was there with Joel and Tommy, ‘’Y/N?’’ Tommy asked, confused. Before she could say anything Joel cut in, ‘’Change of plans. I’m taking Ellie, not Tommy.’’ She was so relieved that the thought of them leaving without saying goodbye didn’t matter at all. Joel came up to her, ‘’I’m sorry but you were sleeping like an angle so I didn’t want to wake you up.’’ He shortly explained, when he saw the purple hicky he left on her neck he had a grin on his face, ‘’When I come back,’’ he kissed her forehead, ‘’I’ll have you all to myself.’’

‘’Eww!’’ Ellie made her presence known, ‘’Can we just get the fuck out of here?!’’

Before they got on to the horse she kissed him passionately, his hands went to her waist, ‘Come back to me.’’ She said when they parted, ‘’We will.’’ These last few months Joel realized that he let these two girls in, they became a family and he wasn’t going to let that go. Y/N also didn’t forget to kiss Ellie’s cheeks and making sure that she didn’t feel left out. ‘’Gross but you two are meant for each other.’’ She said with a cheeky smile, ‘’Thank you for the input.’’

The tall wooden doors were opened for them to leave, the last look Joel gave her broke her heart but he had to take Ellie and the Fireflies had to make a cure, the entire world depended on them..

And that was 4 months ago…

She settled quickly, Maria said she could stay at that house which was a relief for her, her job was to work on the fields and teach kids gardening. She took pride and joy in teaching, these children were so different than Ellie and all she hoped for was to see Ellie, not scared and always on the run but relaxed and joyful. She had a ritual, everyday she would wake up early to clean and organize the house so that it would be comfortable for Ellie and Joel when they come back, and every damn day her tired yet hopeful eyes wander the wooden walls, waiting for her family to come in and surprise everyone.

The first 2 months no one dared to even talk to her, she felt as if she was invisible, they seemed scared of her or rather Joel. It didn’t matter to her because she liked the silence, the 3rd month some women at the bar made a small conversation with her about how useful her teaching was and she could feel her heart get warmer, she loved teaching and making a difference.

On the 3rd month she joined Tommy and others to go into the city to find useful things. Others brought soap, clothes and she brought books for kids. She didn’t forget to hide the comic books for Ellie, she put them in her room. During the 3rd month she could hear people whisper about the possibility of Joel and Ellie dying, she tried to dismiss the thought but lately she couldn’t. Every day she grew restless, they kept hearing rumors about raiders chasing and killing people, what if they were hunted by these raiders? What if they were captured and tortured?

Y/N heard the ring which meant the school was finished for today and she watched her students leave the classroom. It was a small space with paintings on the walls, books on the shelves and a big white board, it worked for them and she couldn’t wait to have Ellie in school too. As she gathered her things and put them in her bag she heard some people running and speaking louder than usual. When she popped her head out of the door to see, another teacher approached to her, he was older than her and he was teaching mostly math, chemistry, etc. ‘’What’s going on?’’ she asked, she tried to keep her voice normal but the idea of raiders or clickers climbing those walls made hair shiver in fear. ‘’I think we have new people.’’ He shortly said and it relieved her.

She left the school, the smell of fresh spring air gave her comfort. The flowers and trees were blossoming and filling the air with a nice scent, it reminded her something… her grandma’s backyard.

The school building was further away from the gates but she could still see people gathering towards the gate so she followed them with curiosity. Her heart was beating in her throat, if it was them what was she going to do? What if they already had forgotten about her? Her legs had their own minds, she was practically sprinting to see, and she saw the wooden doors being opened, two people walked in.

She had to suppress her gasp, it was them, Joel and Ellie. Tommy was the first one to greet them, she watched him hug his brother, and Ellie, and then she could see his eyes searching the crowd and they locked eyes, neither of them dared to move a muscle. As soon as Ellie saw Y/N she ran to her and gave her a big hug. It seemed like she needed it, Y/N hugged her back, brushed her hair gently, and whispered ‘’I’m here sweet girl.’’ Y/N cupped Ellie’s cheeks, ‘’Let’s go home, I’m sure you have a long story for me. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed.’’ Together they walked among people, she could feel Joel’s eyes watching them leave.

As Ellie was getting a shower Y/N was getting the dinner ready for them, soup, meat and bread she freshly made this morning. The table was ready, she was about to go and check on her when the door of their home smashed open by none other than Joel Miller. She halted in her steps he closed the door and saw her standing few inches away from him, her intoxicating scent filled his nostrils, she had a long sleeveless dress, it was red and her hair was longer than before, ‘’Hi.’’ She managed to say, ‘’Welcome home.’’ She regretted as soon as she said it, ‘’Home?’’ in these months the place became her home but what about him? In order to change the subject she spoke again, ‘’Dinner is ready, Ellie is in the shower.’’ Before she let him speak she quickly climbed the stairs, her heart was about to jump out of her rib cage, Y/N had to brush the odd feeling and knocked on Ellie’s door. No answer, so she silently opened the door to see Ellie, in her pink robe and sitting on the bed. Her weary brown eyes locked on the window in front of her, shoulders shrunken,  ‘’Ellie, dinner is ready.’’ Y/N said but no answer came, something was off. Y/N approached to her gently, when Ellie startled for a second it broke Y/N’s heart, they spent almost a year together and built a daughter-mother bond and to see it vanish in few months shook her, obviously something bad went down when they were outside, ‘’Dinner is ready.’’ She only nodded which made Y/N sat next to her, ‘’You don’t have to tell me anything but know this,’’ Y/N held Ellie’s hands, ‘’it’s not your fault.’’ And with that Ellie started crying, this was the first time she saw her cry and all she could do was to be there for her, Ellie’s head on her chest, Y/N kept hugging and rubbing her back just like taking care of a baby, it was official, Ellie was hers.

Joel, as soon as he walked through those walls all he wanted to do was to just put Y/N to his shoulder, hold Ellie by the hand and take them home but he didn’t want to scare her so he watched them leave.

When he came home and saw how tidy and clean the inside was and how welcoming she was… Joel was never going to leave her or Ellie. He was struggling though, should he tell Y/N what happened with the Fire flies? How he killed those people to save their girl… it could wait for a while. After all these years he was in pain and torture but after having them in his life, a found family, killing bunch of people to protect them seemed worth it. He wasn’t going to let this go, not in a million years.

However, something in Y/N was changed, the way she looked at him seemed distant, of course, it had been 4 months since they last saw each other and in those months anything can happen, his worst fear was Y/N finding someone younger and more handsome than him. Did his worst fear become true? He was in his dark thoughts when he climbed the stairs and saw Ellie’s door open, Y/N and Ellie were sitting on the bed and talking, he couldn’t help but listen,

‘’it wasn’t your fault.’’

He could see Ellie cry, he was still angry with himself for getting stabbed and that weird man kidnapping Ellie. They never talked about it and he wished he was the one who killed that pervert. He would make it slow, torturing him for days and then he would finish it, not with a gun but with a knife. Gun would be too easy but knife is a lot more intimate and hurts like a bitch. His hands clenched into fists but he was happy to see Ellie letting all out and finding comfort in Y/N, he was never good at these thing anyway, he watched them, hugging each other and Y/N taking the role of the mother, he wished Sarah also had Y/N in her life, she would make his job so easy and coming home to Y/N after a hectic work day would be a bliss, there he was again, in his fantasy world. He quietly closed the door and walked to the parents’ bedroom, everything was the same but cleaner, he hit the shower immediately, when he left he found clean clothes for him on the bed, obviously Y/N put those for him, his heart did a jump. She was so caring and thoughtful, after getting dressed he went downstairs and saw Ellie sitting at the table, food was ready and Joel took his place at the head of the table, ‘’Smells delicious.’’ He made a comment, ‘’Enjoy. Oh Ellie, I found some of your favorite books, they’re in your room on the shelf. Seeing her brown eyes lit worth millions of ‘’thank you’’

Throughout the dinner they avoided the most obvious question; ‘’What happened with the Fireflies?’’

Joel’s yearning looks didn’t go unnoticed by her, after the dinner Ellie said she was tired and would like to go to bed and left them at the table. Y/N, in order to avoid his burning gaze she immediately bolted to her feet and started to do the dishes, Joel joined her, in silence she washed the dishes and he dried them. It was so strange to him to see himself adapting to domestic life just like that. He was meant to be a father and a husband, a provider, he couldn’t escape it anymore.

‘’Thank you.’’ She said with her soft voice, tasted like honey to him and they found themselves standing few inches away from each other, not moving a muscle. Joel wasn’t sure to take the first step and he was still thinking of the possibility that she could be with someone else. To prove him wrong Y/N took a step towards him and kissed him. He melted into her, pushing her to the counter without breaking the kiss, Y/N jumped to the counter, her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer and closer.  They parted when they were out of breath, his warm brown eyes were like tiny stars, her hands were clung to his shirt, ‘’You came back to me.’’ She said more to herself, eyes never leaving him as if he could disappear, ‘’I’m persistent.’’ he said that before at the car when they were in Kansas City and he was a man of his word. This time he took the lead and kissed her, she could feel her lips getting sore and she didn’t care.

Her hands travelled down and down, found his waist, belt and zipper and her hands thankfully were fast.

He helped her and Joel pulled his cock out, Y/N spit into her mouth and started to stroke it slowly, ‘’Fuuuuck-‘’ he moaned, ‘’Every goddamn night I dreamt of you darlin’ your soft hands,’’ she kept stroking him, ‘’your juicy cunt, uhhh- stop-‘’ he had to stop her because if she kept doing that..

‘’Joel, please, I want you.’’ They had to whisper, Joel’s eyes got darker, she laid on the cold counter, her hand went to pick her dress up, and then she got rid of her panties to show him how wet she was.

Joel watched Y/N finger herself, ‘’Look at you, needy slut,’’ his words were getting her wetter, ‘’Please Joel, I want to feel your cock, I kept touching myself thinking of you.’’ Her confession made his cock twitch, with that he pushed her hand away and positioned himself, he wanted to feel her fully so he just went in, he was thick which was something Y/N forgot so the sensation made her shiver. ‘’Fuck yes-‘’ Y/N was a mess and Joel was the reason, and he knew, deep down he knew that he belonged there, between her legs, in these 4 months he even planned to propose to her and finding her like this… it was done. She had to be his wife.

He leaned into her, kissing her, biting her jaw like an animal, giving her small bites on her neck, she guided his hand to her neck and he gave her what she wanted. He was choking her and fucking her raw, it had to be raw because it had been months away from each other. Y/N liked his harshness, it made her cunt squeeze his cock, his movements got sloppy, ‘’Come in me.’’ She said, sure of herself, ‘’Baby girl-‘’ he was surprised by her request but he had been imagining this, coming in her and giving her a baby. He came after few thrusts, he was balls deep in her, his head in her neck, smelling her scent.

He lifted his head, eyes droopy, ‘’Be mine.’’ He said, ‘’Already yours.’’

Tag List;

@psychomanias-deactivated2023041

@stitchattacks

@anxiousbeech

@elmontsmile

@cheyxfu

@mushroomelephant

@avengersheart

Thank you so much guys! Love you xxx

[aliceslantern]

Beyond this Existence, chapter 16

Summary:  After Xehanort's death, Demyx finds himself unexpectedly human in Radiant Garden. With nothing but fragments of his past and a cryptic statement from Xemnas, he's left to figure out who he is. When Ienzo asks for his help with a project, the two find common ground, but the trauma and secrets in both of their pasts could tear it apart. Zemyx (Demyx/Ienzo), post-KH3 canon compliant

Read it on FF.net/ on AO3

----

Excerpt of an audio recording from device 5.875.32.852 (admin is registered as EVEN [surname REDACTED]. Transcription programs recognize the speaking voice of the admin as well as one other distinct voice. Transcription errors due to colloquialisms, slang, accent, muffled speech, etc. are acknowledged and will be used in further evolutions of this program.

Recording commences at 16:03.

--I hope you do not mind that I am recording this. I assure you any we can redact any exceedingly personal information. This is for my edification only. I would never dream of letting it fall into unsavory hands.

--Uh. Sure.

--Can you state your name and age in its entirety?

--Yeah. I’m [birth name and surname REDACTED]. I still go by Demyx. I’m twenty-two.

--That’s your name? That’s not what I thought.

--Yeah, well. It seems like I’m full of surprises. I don’t care who knows it, but it doesn’t seem to fit right anymore. You know?

--I suppose. So. Can you tell me what you remember, as far back as you can, as comfortably as you can?

--I’ll try.

----

These memories don’t feel like mine.

It’s weird. I guess it’s more like I’m reading a book, or watching a movie.

“It” started, if by it you mean all this Keyblade crap, when I was five. I was my parents’ only kid. We were broke. Like, squatting and going to soup kitchens broke. There were the early days, when the Foretellers--the five chosen ones or whatever--were just building their unions and preaching about their ideas in the plaza. I’m honestly not sure if they were the first wielders, but they were definitely the ones that made it a thing, That promised this as the way to seek the light.

Heartless started coming--from the future, or so they said in the square. We needed a way to defend ourselves. So they started testing people for worthiness. Kids were always easier. Less corrupt. More full of light.

More manipulable.

They said they would take the kids from more troubled circumstances, and give them what they needed to survive. In my parents’ eyes, food and a place to live. The luckier ones could stay at home. So that caused a big influx of poor people sending their kids in to be tested and trained. While some of the better off ones saw it as a sign of honor, everyone else wanted to keep their kids safe. Even the ones with Keyblades were dying.

My parents figured Heartless were better than me starving to death. So they sent me, by myself, for the test.

The older ones could pick their unions, but the real little ones like me they chose a more “organic” approach. They take you inside, and there the Foretellers are with a little table of five toys. Apparently picking one shows some intrinsic quality they’re looking for, or whatever. I got chosen to be in Ursus. And just like that, my mom and dad hugged me goodbye and left me there.

It was hard. Physically, mentally. I missed my parents. The training was grueling, and it hurt. But whenever I would cry or get upset either Master Aced or one of the older kids would tell me to be quiet. Because I was lucky. And I had a chance to be something.

But you see, Even, it doesn’t matter how lucky I was. I was still getting razzed by Heartless, getting thrown in and out of time to these worlds, getting reprimanded for bunging off quests or not getting enough lux. I got kicked out of a few parties for that. Making friends wasn’t so easy when I got a reputation for being a crybaby and a coward, even though I was six or seven.

I still tried to see my parents when I got a chance. They moved around a lot. Dad tried to get steady work a few times, but I think he had some kind of mental illness or something, and he could never be on time, or do what he was told, or get out of bed, so they lost their apartments a lot. Mom was a street musician, and she took in students sometimes, but it wasn’t enough money.

She taught me, too.

Compared to Keyblade stuff, music was so easy. I was so good at it. Knowing I wasn’t terrible at everything gave me strength to go on. I had a way to take all the bad feelings, all the nightmares, and make something beautiful out of it.

I tried to quit the union.

You wouldn’t believe the telling off Master Aced gave me. “Why was I ashamed of my heritage”. “Why wasn’t I doing my part.” “What did I think I would become otherwise, I came from the gutter.” It was devastating. Without the Keyblade, they said, I was worthless. I didn’t want to believe that was true.

As the years passed, and this all kept happening, I tried to study music on the side. That’s when I started keeping the diary. I wrote these weird avant-garde compositions, but that wasn’t enough to salve the pain. So I wrote how I felt, and if anybody found it, I’d just say it was nonsense. But nobody did, though. During that time the tensions between the unions started to grow, mostly over who was getting the most light. Kids were fighting in the streets. Killing each other’s Chirithys--that’s how I lost mine. Even the most legendary parties fell apart. People were still dying.

One of these days, when I was almost seventeen, I was going back to the dorms after another quest. Master Ava--Vulpes’s leader--stopped me. She said she’d heard about me, and I braced myself for another lecture like the ones Aced liked to give. But it was my focus on the bigger picture of my life she liked, she said. She wanted me to join a special union she was building.

The Dandelions.

The reason she built this union was because she feared there would soon be war between the others, and that war would escalate to apocalyptic proportions. Remember, we’d all been training for years at that point, we all had way overpowered magic--even me. But because we had no foresight as to anything other than collecting lux, nobody could see the consequences of fighting.

She was going to take this special union, and she was going to teach us how to escape this world altogether, just to make sure somebody survived.

I know you’re probably dying to know how we did it, but I honestly can’t remember. It was some kind of spell, for sure. I know that each of us cast it, and we were all supposed to go together. But it’s one of those things too slippery and powerful to hold onto for long. Not to mention, this travel was supposed to wipe our memories of the trauma and give us a fresh start. So she said.

The war started earlier than expected. The only reason I went to the battle was to find the other Dandelions so we could leave. But I’m not sure if I missed a memo or something. They were gone. Then again, there were so many bodies that had been just so completely fucking destroyed that they could have been some of these people.

…

…

…

[Audio muffled or indiscernible; external knowledge of social cues suggests emotional distress.]

People were just fucking killing each other. They… they tried to kill me, too. I remember Keyblades hitting my armor and I panicked. And I guess instinctively I cast the spell and got out. Got somewhere, or I guess some when is the better word. I ended up in the same place, just later, surrounded by all these rusting Keyblades, my memories completely cleaved and running through my fingers like sand. I remember that, feeling it all drain away like a dream.

That’s when Xemnas found me. When things started to hurt. The shock and the armor made it hard to tell, but someone had stabbed me clean through the chest.

He was nice to me, too. He said he’d been waiting for me and that I was going to be okay. He could give me purpose. My wounds would heal.

I died, and Demyx was born. Memory-free.

You know the rest.

End recording, duration--25:17.

----

“Goodness gracious. ” Like a child listening to their favorite story, he’d been leaning forward attentively. He’d even started recording it on his gummiphone, which Demyx initially felt was a violation of his privacy. But considering how close-lipped Vexen had always been about his experiments, he knew, if anything, his words would be safe in Even’s hands. “This is a window into our history.”

“Yours, maybe.”

“You simply must tell me more about these Foretellers. How is this organization structured? What was their training regimen like? Who was their leader--did they have a leader?”

“It's a lot to talk about." His throat was dry from talking for so long.

Even exhaled. He paused the recording. “I suppose you’re right. Of course you must be very tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I would say so.”

A beat of silence.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Even said. “I realize… it is not easy. Especially given our past relationship.”

“Like you said. Forgiveness.”

He nodded once, curtly. “Would you like something to help you sleep?”

“I think I’ll be okay. But thanks.”

“Well. Don’t get too used to it.”

Demyx looked at him. He didn’t know how else to be kind, Demyx realized. It must take immense effort. “Wake me up if anything changes with Ienzo,” he said. “Please.”

“You can be sure of it.”

----

The next several days, he felt utterly hollow. Demyx slept a lot. This was a sort of mental exhaustion. He was afraid to stray too far away from Ienzo’s side, but his condition remained unchanged. Guilt clung to him. He wasn’t really sure what to do with himself. He cleaned his room, which took all of ten minutes considering his lack of possessions. Did laundry. Found a couple books to read which weren’t half bad. It was a toxic combination of boredom and stagnation. At the end of the first week of this, Dilan asked him to come play cards.

“I figure you could use a bit of a diversion,” he said. He offered a smile.

“I guess I’m being pretty pathetic, huh,” Demyx said. He forced a laugh.

“Given the circumstances? No. But wallowing must be horrifically boring.”

Dilan’s quarters were even smaller than Even’s. He and Aeleus shared a sitting room and kitchenette. A faint smell of garlic lingered in the room, along with something like eucalyptus. He had a small herb garden, each one meticulously cared for. Near this was a pile of puzzle boxes.

Dilan took out a pack of cards. Demyx sat gingerly on the couch. It was less stern than the other furniture, a bit more comfortable, a soft velor that felt good to touch. He was becoming increasingly reliant on the tactile to stay grounded. He didn’t know if this was one of his myriad issues, or an effect of being overwhelmed.

Dilan crossed to a small glass cabinet. “Would you like a drink?”

“God. Yes.”

He poured them each a few fingers of whiskey into small crystal glasses. It burned when Demyx sipped it, but he liked it. “What shall we play? It’s a shame we’ve no third. I’d rather have liked to play Blackjack.”

“It’s not like I have anything to bet.”

“Too, too true.”

They settled on Hearts. Demyx didn’t know what to say to Dilan. After winning the first game, Dilan got them another drink.

“I’m not sure how I feel about your newfound reticence,” Dilan said. “It’s so odd, to see how humanity has changed you youth.”

“How so?”

“You were hardly ever so reserved. Ienzo was never so friendly. You should have heard him, chattering away to Sora. ...I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t bother me. To hear his name. Either of them, I mean.” He felt only a shadow of the ping of anxiety he got when thinking about Sora. Of course, knowing what he knew now, it made sense that Sora’d had to strike him down. Psychically, there were bigger fish to fry.

“You’ve got a focus to you. An intensity. It’s like you’re more present.”

“I don’t feel very present.”

“Well. We’ve all received some shocks recently.”

The alcohol was making him warm and a little dizzy. Demyx wasn’t sure whether or not he liked the sensation. He slipped off his shoes and pulled his feet up under him. “Why did you become an apprentice?”

Dilan thought for a moment, shuffled his cards, and then drank down the remainder of his whiskey in one swallow. “Why indeed,” he muttered. “I was only a boy at the time, a bit younger than yourself. I needed something to do with my life. I’d always liked creating things. Building things. Ansem had passed some initiatives to make Radiant Garden a haven for the sciences. I applied to study engineering under him, and was accepted.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He chuckled. “Why did you choose to become a Keyblade wielder?”

“I didn’t,” Demyx said. “It chose me. I was poor. Being a wielder was pretty much the only way to survive.”

“I abhor such economies,” Dilan said sourly. “I cannot understand how some leaders will let their charges suffer for basic human rights.”

“I can’t really have a realized perspective of it. I was still a kid when I left.”

“What will you do now?”

“What will I… do?” Demyx repeated numbly. “Frankly, I didn’t think I’d get this far.”

“You and I both.”

He continued to pet the velor. He was feeling dizzier still, and heavy. “I want to be with Ienzo,” he said. “And I want to make friends. Real ones. But I don’t know where I’d fit.”

“What’s that old adage? “Be yourself?””

“Hasn’t exactly worked in the past.”

“It is a theory of mine that becoming a Nobody worsens one’s flaws and insecurities.” Dilan poured them another drink. “Our personalities devolved and repelled. Fed by darkness. Take your time. Be honest. That’s all.”

Demyx picked up the crystal cup and swirled the amber liquid around a little. “I guess.”

“What about that guitar of yours?”

“Sitar?”

“Yes. That.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’ll find out.”

---

The next day, it sleeted. The echo of the splotches of snow piling up outside was audible within the confines of the castle. Demyx went to the library, armed with a cup of coffee. He lit a fire in the hearth. Once it was large enough to tend to itself, he sat down cross legged in front of it.

For some reason he was nervous. This was akin to stage fright. He’d much rather be worthy of Arpeggio than the stupid Keyblade.

Demyx held out his hands and pulled from within. The Keyblade appeared. He sighed. “I don’t want you,” he muttered. Let it disappear. He remembered the way the sitar had felt, the perfect weight of it, the smooth varnished wood.

Keyblade again. Demyx had to resist the urge to just toss the damn thing. He stared down at it. Traced the smooth shaft, twisted the links of the chain.

“Please,” he said to it. “I don’t want to fight. I just want--”

Not to be an idiot talking to an inanimate object?

Vanishing. Reappearing. It didn’t matter how long he thought about his Nobody memories, of all the music he’d ever made with Arpeggio. Of the fights or occasionally lack thereof.

“Are you mad at me?” Demyx asked out loud. “I didn’t ask for this to all happen.”

Hadn’t he?

Oh, we do too have hearts. Don’t be mad.

“Shut up,” he hissed at himself.

The fire popped as a log settled, startling him.

“Is it because I’m not him anymore?” he continued. “I’m still the sa-- no. I’m not.”

Demyx lay back on the plush carpet.

Remembering death was not easy. Doubly hard now that he knew it wasn’t the first time he’d been slain with Keyblades. Some of them were sharp, most blunt. You’d crush your ribs before you drew blood. Which was what happened. He rested his palm on the spot were the scars were.

Sora, Donald, Goofy. So much rage. Realization that this was a murder-suicide. He was able to pin Sora twice before the pain was too much. Before fading. Before waking up. Before Braig, with a soft smile, and a boy with silver hair, and a hot stab to the chest. What would have happened, really, if he hadn’t been turned into a vessel? What would he have done? Run away? Spent his life friendless, unloved and alone?

Without Ienzo?

He needed connections. Without them he could never hope to be whole--at least, figuratively. He had to do better. To be better. But how? Fancy displays of heroism were functionally worthless if there was no real intent behind them.

Demyx stood. Despite it all, he sort of had an idea.

----

The winter coat he had was warm enough, but it was not quite waterproof, and by the time he’d waded through the slop he was damp and chilly. When he reached the door of the committee’s headquarters, though, a knot of anxiety overrode his physical discomfort. Demyx stood for several moments at the door as wet snow piled on his hat, unsure of what to say. Several times he reached up to knock and withdrew his hand. He had barely placed his palm on the doorknob before it opened of its own accord.

“‘Could’ve finished War and Peace in the time it took you to make up your mind,” a middle-aged blond man said gruffly. “Come on in, kid.” He was smoking a cigarette, and its smell mixed with the ambient woodsmoke. “Don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Cid.” He offered his hand. “Saw you unconscious, but I don’t think you remember that.”

“Not--exactly--” Demyx shook his hand.

“Let me take your jacket before you get snow everywhere.” He took the wet garments and hung them on a coat rack.

“It’s warm in here,” Demyx said, half in wonder. He was so used to the drafty castle that he’d forgotten what adequate heating felt like.

Cid raised an eyebrow. “‘Course it is.”

“It’s, um, the castle. Heating’s not very good.”

“I imagine it wouldn’t be.”

A beat passed. Demyx felt his anxiety rising and floundered for things to say.

“I’m guessing you’re here for Aerith?” Cid asked. He stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray.

“Well. Sort of. I want to help.”

“With what,” he said blankly.

“Anything. I mean I--” Demyx could feel himself turning red.

“In the middle of winter?”

He bit his lip and looked down.

Cid chuckled. “I’m messing with you, kid. We’re always happy to have an extra pair of hands. Any of ya’ll got a sense of humor over there?”

“Let’s just say it’s been a tough week,” Demyx said.

“I’ll say. Weather’s been driving us mad. I finally kicked out Yuffie and Leon to get some peace and quiet.”

“...Er. Sorry about that.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure one or both of them will be back soon. They know a bit more about the operations stuff than I do. Why don’t you have a seat?”

Demyx perched in one of the folding chairs. Cid sat back down at a computer and began absently writing code. He wondered if he should say something. Anything. Ask questions. He kept his hands knotted in his lap.

A door he hadn’t noticed previously opened, and out came Aerith, drying her hands on a towel. “Demyx? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Fine--well, enough. I’m here to help.”

She crossed over a plant on the table and cut off a few of its leaves. “Can’t do a whole lot in the winter other than plan, unfortunately.”

“What are you doing with those?”

“Making medicine.” She nodded her head towards the other room. “Want to see?”

He followed her. It was a small, narrow room, with a cot up against one wall. The other wall was lined with cabinets and some counter space. A few different types of dried leaves and blooms were stuffed in the myriad little drawers. She took the leaves, scattered them into mortar. To Demyx, the mix looked like a salad more than a medicine. She crushed it down, whispered a spell, and then with an odd little device began packing it into capsules. “Pectin,” she explained. “Goes down easier than the raw leaves. And doesn’t get stuck in your throat.”  She held up the tiny pill so he could see.

“What does it do?” Demyx asked.

“Cold cure,” she said simply. “We need lots of it this time of year. And colds always change. I’m forever tweaking it.”

A memory he hadn’t fully process washed in. He’d never been the best fighter in any of his parties, often left to provide background support. The spells then he’d used had been barbaric in comparison, but at least it kept people alive.

“When did you learn how to do all this stuff?” he asked. He was feeling odd.

“Oh, ever since I was a kid,” she said. “My mom and grandma before me were healers. They sorta taught me what I know now. And I’m also teaching myself.”

“Do you think it’s possible for someone else to learn?”

She crushed more herbs. “I’m sure it is. It’s magic like anything else.”

“What about--say--me?”

Aerith turned slightly. She appraised him.

“I’ve been wanting to help people and I don’t know how. You saved me. You saved Ienzo. I can’t do science, and I’m not a good fighter. But I have a good memory.” He considered the irony of that statement. But he’d always been good at memorizing.

“It’s a long road. This isn’t something you can do halfway. People’s lives could be at stake. But you know that.” She smiled a little. Tapped her forehead. “You’ve been through a lot in your life. Seen a lot of suffering.”

“Haven’t we all,” he said dryly.

“That’s… right.” She dusted off her hands. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, or believe you can do it. But you’ve gotta have a certain kind of tenacity. An ingenuity. Tell you what. Why don’t you read some base healing theory? There’s no way Ansem doesn’t have books about it. If that doesn’t send you running for the hills, we can talk.” She winked.

Demyx nodded. “Okay. Sounds good.”

“Good luck.”

He stood.

“Was that the answer you needed?” she asked.

“I think it was.”

----

A week or so passed. He tried to do what Aerith said, and study. But Demyx had never been the most studious, and almost everything he learned sans the very basics he’d learned in the field. He spent these minutes and hours alternating between the text and the dictionary. Why were academics such bad writers?

Sometimes he studied near Ienzo, sometimes he didn’t. Ienzo slept and slept and slept. Demyx could feel the utter lack of presence like a missing tooth. Honestly, being around him and not being able to talk to him was nearly painful.

During one of these marathon reading sessions, Even came in to check Ienzo’s vitals, as he did several times each day. “EKG activity is still fairly limited. But improving. He must be dreaming.”

“About what?” Demyx asked.

“I’ve no idea. ...What is that?” He reached town and felt at Demyx’s temperature. “Are you quite alright?”

Demyx sighed, marked his place in the book, and shut it. “I’m studying. Sue me.”

“But why?”

He drummed his fingers on the desk. “You’re just going to make fun of me.”

“I will… not,” Even said with great restraint.

Demyx raised an eyebrow.

“I must admit I am still getting used to the new you. Tell me. I will withhold judgement.”

“I’m thinking of learning to heal. Like. The magic.” He braced himself.

Even didn’t laugh. “Really? Why is that?”

“I want to help people. And this seems like something I can actually do.” He sighed. “I hate feeling helpless. If I can help someone not feel that way, it’d be nice. You know.”

“I admit I never put much stock in such magic initially. But seeing how that woman has cared for the two of you, I’m starting to change my mind.”

“Do you think I can do it?”

Even considered this. “You had a fairly potent magical ability in the Organization. I don’t see why not.”

“You don’t think I’m too stupid?”

He scowled. “I find it stupid that you hold my opinion in such high esteem.” Then, softening. “As you said. You’re not a scientist. But that really has little to do with practical intelligence.” He picked up the tome. “I’d be glad to help you, should you so want it. These aren’t exactly light reading. It’d be convenient to have another pair of hands.” He picked up another bag of saline. “Well. If you’re so interested, I might as well teach you how to do this much.” He showed Demyx how to change the IV and how to take base vitals. “I’m hoping we won’t need to do this for too much longer. But that’s all up to him.” Even patted Ienzo’s head.

“I miss him.” He felt tears in his eyes.

“As do I,” Even said softly. “Come. Are you hungry?”

---

The more Demyx studied, the more his memories became clearer. In those first shocked days, it had been hard to focus on any memory for very long. Now, not so much.

He’d been a healer then, but not a very good one. He’d still been a coward. More than once someone had gotten egregiously hurt because he hadn’t been willing to step up. He’d been kicked out of multiple parties that way.

He didn’t want to be a coward. It was time to be mature; a grown up. Deal with grown up things in a grown up way. Don’t run. Face it. The hurt will be over that much faster.

For the first time, he tried to summon the Keyblade because he wanted to. But that wasn’t what happened. Instead of cool metal, there was warm, varnished wood. Familiar. Well-worn. He held the sitar tenderly. Cried a bit out of relief.

He was still, despite it all, himself.

[serenzippity]

Cold War

Words: 4,050 Member/Pairing: Monsta X, Jooheon/OC Genre: Alternative Universe, inspired by “All In” Warning(s): Violence, implied smut, language.

Book One - Chapter One

It was easy to act as if the world ended and we were living in a post-apocalyptic society. Acting like there was no other way of life before this, nor that there were societies beyond our borders that had it better than we did. We went through our grey and dull lives like robots who didn’t know better. Programmed into our existence we adhered to everything the Jeong regime told us.

Go to primary school until 18. Test your skills when you graduate. Train until 25. Work when you graduate. Marry at 27. Have a child by 30. Live the rest of your life for the Military Republic of Korea. 

Everything was correlated and quantified into a strict pattern where deviation was rare. 

The MRK arose from the ashes of what was formerly known as North and South Korea. The Great War of 1952 decimated the Earth with nuclear warfare and mass loss of life. Bombs, guns, and machines roved over the innocents and the guilty, leaving nothing except destruction and blood in its wake. When the dust settled and the ashes were blown away the people gathered to assemble the ruins. From the black arose six powers that would shape the world in their image. 

Isolation would overtake the powers, each choosing to remain within their own territory rather than risk venturing into the nuclear badlands. Large masses of land where radiation and nuclear winter destroyed all signs of life rested between the borders of each power. There was no sharing of knowledge, culture, or life. Each one was left to their own devices, rarely having any inkling about the ongoings of other powers. 

The MRK spanned from the tip of the Korean Peninsula all the way up into what used to be the northeast border of China and into what was known as Mongolia. With Seoul destroyed in the bombs, the Jeong regime moved the capital to what was formerly known as Shenyang, one of the only Chinese cities that was untouched by nuclear warfare. The lands were vast, but the badlands in between the MRK and the neighboring powers were bigger. Hundreds of thousands of miles spanned the distance between the end of the MRK and the beginning of the closest power, effectively trapping us within the regime. 

Our history books were filled to the brim with the greatness of the Jeong’s and their perseverance over outside forces that wanted to destroy our way of life. They were the heroes of the MRK and everyone had to go each day thanking them for our liberation. 

Liberation was a loose term. 

Poverty was rampant and the gaps between the upper and lower echelons of citizens were monumental. The rich were disgustingly rich, and the poor were disgustingly poor. The middle tier of people, arguably the smallest tier, just tried to get through the day. There was virtually no crime but this was due to the stringent grip that the MRK had on its people. Governors in cities were Generals, commanding small armies to keep their citizens in line. Public executions, searches and seizures, as well as strict adherence to the Jeong Ordinances, kept people in a constant state of fear and silence.

No one dared to speak a word. No one dared to raise a hand. No one dared to do anything.

-x-

July 15th, 2018

The dinner rush died down and I was finally able to sit down for a minute. The clanking of forks on cracked plates were the only sounds in the dark restaurant. The smell of the bland and rationed food wafted through the air, and I felt my own stomach lurch to remind me that I had yet to eat. 

Tapping my watch I checked to see how many weekly rations I had left. A large, red 18 blinked back at me and after a quick mental calculation, I figured that one meal wouldn’t hurt in the long run. Moving over to the register I scanned my watch and picked out a simple meal of rice and boiled meat. Nothing too fancy so as to save my accumulated rations. 

The bland meal popped out of the metal vendor built into the black wall behind the bar. Surrounded by bottles of non-alcoholic drinks the ‘chef’ handed me the food and I walked over to an empty table to eat for the first time in almost 24 hours. Such was life. Wake up, head to the restaurant, work for hours, go home, sleep. There was no time for anything else, and I found a sense of peace in the monotony.

Running a hand through my dark hair I continued to eat the insipid food, taking in the customers scattered throughout the establishment. Every single inhabitant was a student. The medical ones were distinguished by their black and white striped robes. Political students had red buttons on their white shirts. Military students wore green berets and carried weapons, while agriculture students were covered in dirt. Other professions were scattered around, but the four major types of trainees were the most distinct. 

The clinking of the bell over the door drew my attention, and I got tense when a brown haired boy entered. He was dressed in head to toe black and had a green beret on his head, indicating his military training. He paid no attention to anyone in the room, honing in on the three other military students in the corner table and joining them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other waitress make her way over to them. Taking his order with a smile and scanning his watch, she headed back to the register at the bar. The smile on her face had me gripping my bowl tightly, anger beginning to bubble under my skin. 

Forgoing the final few bites of my meal, I rushed back behind the bar and put the dish away into the sanitizer. The distinct ping of the meal coming out of the vendor sounded and I watched as the other waitress placed the dish on a small tray. 

“Mina,” I said, commanding her attention. “Take the dishes back to the sorter. I’ll take care of the rest of the tables.”

“I only have two more tables, I can handle-,” but I cut off her small protest quickly, not in the mood to deal with her whining. 

“Take the dishes back to the sorter,” I growled, lifting the tray out of her arms and walking towards the military student’s table. Locking eyes with the brown-haired boy, I placed the bowl down with a dark glare in his direction. He met my gaze evenly, not phased by my apparent aggressiveness. Giving him one final glance, I left the table to their devices.

The rest of the night went by without a hitch, but the boy stayed at the table even when his friends had long since left. He lurked in the corner, not ordering any food but not causing enough of a problem to warrant being kicked out. Mina would occasionally pass by his table, offering water or a snack with a shy smile. No matter how many time I tried to keep her busy and away she always seemed to find herself back at his table. 

By the time 8 PM rolled around the sky was dark and soldiers began to patrol the streets. “Go home before it gets too late,” I told Mina plainly. Her incessant protests were cut off by my raised hand, forcefully silencing her. With an eye roll and huff, Mina hung up her apron behind the bar and headed off. She stared at the boy in the corner until she was out the door, his eyes following her every move. 

I followed behind her, locking the door and pulling the shutters down on the small windows leading out to the street. Cutting off the restaurant from the world and any prying eyes, I turned to the boy in the corner with a scowl. Crossing my arms across my chest, I looked him up and down with distaste. He only smirked back at me, and I rolled my eyes at his cheeky personality. 

“What do you want Jooheon?” I was tired and ready to go to bed and dealing with him was the last thing I wanted to do. 

“You don’t seem happy to see me,” he pouted, unable to hide the chuckle that bubbled up in his chest. I scoffed at him and returned to the bar, beginning my closing duties. Pointedly ignoring him, I worked even through his groan of annoyance and shuffling to sit at the bar. I could go on ignoring him for as long as I wanted. He needed me, I didn’t need him. 

He sat at the bar, following my every movement. He laid his head in his hands and tapped the counter in an irritating one, two, three pattern. Once, twice, a third time. Soon the tapping grew louder and louder, showing he was purposely going out of his way to irritate the shit out of me. 

One, two, three.

One, two, three. 

One, two, three.

Gripping the rag in my hand harder, I snapped it on the wooden bar-top in frustration. “What do you want?” I all but yelled at him, annoyed by his frustrating presence. He smiled brightly at me, showing off a row of white teeth and dimples.

“I need supplies, nine ants specifically. Three boxes.” He gave me a beaming smile, and I just stared at him with dark eyes. I didn’t say anything in return, instead, I nodded and walked towards the storage room. The cold closet was filled to the brim with government-issued supplies. However, it held a buried secret that was older than I was. 

Shifting a shelf full of rice I pulled a latch and opened a hidden doorway in the wall. It swung open with a screech, revealing a metal staircase that depended into a black abyss. Making my way down the familiar steps, I switched on a light and illuminated the sterile metal room. The high walls were lined with boxes, each containing something illegal that would demand my instant death warrant.

Shelves containing medical supplies filled one wall while another was stocked with things like rope, cement, and even building supplies. The largest wall was full of weapons ranging from handguns to rifles. Bullets, replacement clips and magazines, and even kevlar took up every inch of the shelves. No space was unfilled from floor to ceiling. The furthest wall held military food boxes, illegal alcohol, and a large metal door that lead to a tunnel. It wound under the city and into the woods on the outskirts. The miles of tunnel was where I got my stocks from my supplier, meeting in the dead of night with the shadowy figure and their henchmen carrying heavy boxes for me to sell. 

My clientele varied. I had doctors come to me when the government refused to give them the necessary supplies to do their work. I had men and women who were desperate for some kind of release come to buy alcohol that would make them forget the sorrows of the world. I had clients that were loyal, but the process of becoming one was difficult. 

Jooheon was a regular client, and he was by far the one who paid the best. He’d buy supplies at least once a week, ranging from rice rations to large AKs. He was the one who bought most of my weapons arsenal, and despite our professional relationship I couldn’t help but dislike the kid. I didn’t ask questions, nor did I want to know about his so-called ‘X-Clan,’ but our dichotomy was slowly shifting as his eyes wandered. He was a long-term issue, but the money was too good for the time being. 

‘Ants’ was the code name for bullets. ‘Nine’ was the size of the caliber. He and I had a code and we used it on a regular basis. Grabbing three boxes, I left the hidden room with a click of the false wall and made my way back to the bar. He was in the same position with a bored look on his face. Slamming the three boxes down aggressively, I glowered at him and held my hand out for the money he owed. 

“Thank you,” he said dropping a wad of paper into my hand. I counted the notes with a steady hand, and when I got the sufficient amount plus a little extra I quickly shoved them in the register. He paid me too well, and that fact only made him much more irritating. He inspected the boxes and silently rose from his seat with a small nod in my direction. 

Making his way to the door, I spoke up before he could exit. “Stay away from Mina,” I growled before he could leave, his hand hovering over the lock. “I don’t want my sister associating with trouble like you.” 

He gripped the lock and slowly turned it, the click breaking through our tense silence. “My weapons dealer calling me trouble? Interesting.” Jooheon gave me a short look and nodded before pushing out the door and into the black night. He left quickly, shutting the door behind him and leaving me alone in the empty restaurant. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in and continued to lock up, pushing the ritual deal into the back of my mind.  

-x-

July 17th, 2018

He was back two days later, and much to my chagrin he broke one of my cardinal rules. 

Coming at his usual time near the end of the dinner rush Jooheon occupied a table in the corner. Soon everyone in the restaurant cleared out except for him, a young boy who was previously sitting with a group of Political students, and myself. After sending Mina home, her flirty smile in Jooheon’s direction not going unnoticed, I began my closing chores. I was expecting the random student to leave, but when he joined Jooheon at the bar with a sheepish smile I felt objection soar through my veins.  

“I told you no friends.” I hissed at Jooheon with venom, narrowing my eyes to glare at him in a way that had the young stranger reeling back with a mix of shock and fear. “You know my rules, and you just broke the first one.” I was pissed, my hands itching for the dagger hidden in my sleeve. 

Raising a hand in an attempt to placate me, Jooheon gave me a wary look before speaking. If looks could kill he’d be dead. “This is Changkyun,” he said gesturing to the younger boy. “I have to be on base at midnight and we need supplies. He’s going to transport them.”

“Is he a member of your little club?” Changkyun looked between Jooheon and me with weary eyes. I was outraged at Jooheon, but my anger melted a fraction when I looked at Changkyun’s innocent looking face. He reminded me of a puppy that was stuck between two warring pit-bulls. I didn’t let his look fool me and I still remained wary of him, but my hand unclenched and I sighed with exhaustion. I had a long day and even longer night ahead of me and I wasn’t in the mood to argue with Jooheon and his stupidity. “Look I don’t care,” I said waving a hand as if dismissing the subject. “Don’t bring him back, and I’ll forgive it this once.”

“You’re the best,” Jooheon smiled at me, dimples on full display and I made a mental note that if he pissed me off for real next time, I’d send a knife through each of the indents. Clapping Changkyun on the back, Jooheon shifted in the barstool like a child. “We have a list,” he said pulling a slip of paper out of his military-issued jacket. Sliding it across the wood I took it delicately as if it was poisoned. It was a simple list, containing only a few items that Jooheon rarely ever bought: Rope, bandages, bullets, and kevlar vests.

“The vests are going to pricey. How many do you need?” I asked, tearing up the lists into tiny pieces and shoving them in the waste bin. 

“I can pay,” Jooheon said nonchalantly. Changkyun still looked uncomfortable but he said nothing. “And ideally we need seven, but I’ll take as many as I can get.”

I nodded and like usual didn’t ask any questions. Hurrying back to the hidden storage room I gathered all the materials on his list in record time, shoving them into a dark duffel bag that was lying in a crate. Double checking the contents, I came back up to the bar and tossed the bag to Changkyun who caught it with surprising dexterity. “I only have five vests right now, but I’m meeting with my supplier tonight. The shipment should come in next week. Come back and see me then.” 

“Deal,” Jooheon nodded, counting out a large stack of notes before passing them to me. I shoved them in the register without counting, and before I could even look up Changkyun and Jooheon were hurrying out the doors. The night welcomed them and they once again left me alone in welcomed emptiness. I looked at my watch for the time, noting how I had an hour or so to kill before I had to head out through the tunnel. Taking it off, I placed the watch on the bar so my tracker wouldn’t show my location when I went to meet them. I rested my head in my hand and took a small cat nap before I’d begin my nightly duties. 

The exchange went off without a hitch as usual. I met my supplier in the dark forest, well beyond any patrols or prying eyes. Their henchmen walked in and out of the tunnel, placing boxes in the middle of my supply room to be sorted later. Finally, I handed off their portion of the profits, gave them a listed order, and went my own way. The whole thing was simple, but it consumed my night and I was mentally exhausted by the time I was able to trudge home. 

The walk between the restaurant and our house was short but with my weary bones it felt like it took hours just to get to my worn front door. Unlocking the thin wood and stepping into the hallway I was immediately covered by darkness. Taking my shoes off, I tried to tiptoe to my room over the creaky wood floors. The house was small but cozy, our extra income allowing Mina and I to afford small luxuries like plush beds and a fully stocked kitchen. It wasn’t much, but I was content with our life. 

I slunk into my bedroom and turned on the light, trying my hardest not to wake Mina in the adjacent room. The small room was furnished with a bed, desk, and wardrobe. It had no decorations nor any personal items, but it on nights like these it felt like a room in an opulent mansion. My bed was calling to me, begging me to sink down into it with a content sigh. I was sorely tempted to, but a thud from the other room caught my attention. 

The tell-tale sliding of the old windows of the house screeched through the thin walls, and I could distinctly hear a grunt and whispering. My mind worked quickly noting that the sound came from Mina’s room. Taking off like a bullet from one of my guns I ran next door with adrenaline running through my veins, ready to fight whatever I was about to stumble upon. Slamming the door open loudly I was met with a screaming Mina and Jooheon. 

Mina was clutching a sheet to her chest and I saw red when I registered that she was naked. Jooheon was half out of her window, clothes rumpled and haphazardly hanging off of him. I didn’t have time to contemplate much of anything through the red blurring my vision. I felt like fire was licking my skin, and I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything except for the half-naked boy crawling through my window and the cool feeling of steel against my forearm. 

A quick flick of my wrist had the small blade soaring through the air and embedding in the wall next to the window. Catching the fabric of Jooheon’s sleeve, he was effectively stuck in the room as he tried to stumble out the window. Rushing out of the room and to the front door, I vaguely heard the screaming of Mina. She was calling my name and Jooheon’s name, cursing me to the depths of hell and swearing revenge that she would never pull through. 

Walking out into the warm dark night, I rounded the house and marched through the alleyway. Jooheon was struggling to rip the sleeve off his shirt, but when I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him to the ground the fabric broke with a loud split. He landed with a thud on the dirt and I was quickly upon him. Taking the knife from the sheath in my boot, I dragged him by the hair and shoved him against the wall of the house. The knife in my hand was pressing into his throat with a cold bite, and once he looked past the pain in his head fear began to swim in his eyes. 

“What did I tell you about staying away from my sister?!” I growled with unadulterated and unrestrained fury. Mina was sticking her head out of the window begging me with tears in her eyes to let him go, but I ignored her pleas as I held the life of the younger man in my hands. “If I ever catch you even looking at her I will make sure that knife hits you instead of your shirt next time.” I pressed the knife harder into his skin causing him to gulp audibly at the small bite. 

“JAE STOP!” Mina cried through the open window, and I finally looked at her tear soaked face. Rather than feel sympathy however I was furious at her stupidity. 

“Go back inside Mina. We will discuss this in the morning,” I said with a deadly cool voice. I didn’t give anyone time to react before I removed the knife and my knee came up to meet Jooheon’s stomach. He keeled over with a pained gasp and I gripped the strands of his hair to shove him away down the alley. He stumbled and fell, Mina crying out and calling me various profanities when he met the ground with a harsh thud. 

“Go,” I shouted, kicking his shin with a force. Jooheon tried to stand up, using the side of the house as leverage as he all but crawled away from me trying to catch his breath. When he made it to the end of the alleyway he turned to look back at us. But rather than shoot me a glare he met Mina’s tear-filled eyes with a rueful smile before stumbling away into the dark night. Mina’s sobs came harder as she fell back into her room, crying into the sky and cursing me profusely. 

With a sigh I looked at the now empty open window, winching at the sounds of Mina’s sobs. Despite all the anger, I felt in my body only seconds before, I still had a soft spot for my little sister. She was my everything and knowing that I was the one who made her break in such a way gripped my heart. I instantly felt remorseful, but the voice in my head kept telling me that I was doing the right thing by keeping her away from Jooheon. 

Walking back into the house, I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing. Letting Mina take her frustrations out on me, I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing. Falling asleep to the sounds of my younger sister’s crying, I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing.

I was doing the right thing.

Right?

A/N: YAY THE FIRST CHAPTER!! I’ve been working on this baby for about a month now and I’m so damn excited to begin rolling it out. I’m gonna go more in-depth with the characters later on, but if you have any burning questions feel free to reach out to me loves. S/o to @prinzelee for beta-ing me as always! hope you enjoyed this 🖤

[tothewaterhq]

ACCEPTED // INERTIA ASMEA

district twelve → mentor →   dichen lachman fc

pronouns: she/her positive traits: extremely loyal, compassionate, focused negative traits: cynical, selective, blunt

tw: emotional abuse, child abuse, agoraphobia

describe their arena:

The 46th arena was just like any other forest at first glance. The tributes were surrounded by towering trees and peculiarly tall grasses; boulders covered with moss, hiding behind them deep caves used by smart and lucky tributes as their safe place – of course, only if they’re free of predators – and in the middle was a wide clearing where the Cornucopia was situated. The arena had the tributes thinking that it was the most normal setting with mutts ready to chomp on unlucky tributes within their line of sight.

But the setting turned out to be what people would call a post-apocalyptic world. The earth had recovered from the damage caused by nuclear explosions, resulting to the extinction of humans and animals alike. Or so, they thought. The contaminated air had caused a mutation amongst surviving animals, and so the tributes encountered gigantic spiders, snakes, eagles, gorillas, and others.

bio: 

Inertia was a product of a drunken night and nine months of grumbling about an unwanted child. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise when a newborn baby was eventually deposited in one of the district’s alleyways one cold night of December.

The woman who gave birth to her hadn’t been subtle, however. Someone saw her put the baby beside the trash littering the ground, but instead of chasing after her and reprimanding her for her inhumane decision, Inertia was wrapped in thin blanket, instead, and was brought to a barely livable home. Tess, the woman who took in the baby, reasoned to her husband that it was the perfect opportunity to finally start a family. However, it wasn’t very easy for Tess’ husband to accept a stranger in his home. That, and it only solidifies the fact that he couldn’t provide his wife a child, so he refused to nurture the child as his own.

With the lack of support from her husband, Tess found herself unable to keep the enthusiasm she once had while she was carrying the newborn baby home. She wasn’t as hardhearted as Inertia’s birth mother, however, so she kept the baby and raised her out of responsibility and guilt, regardless of the circumstance.

As such, Inertia grew up reserved and unfamiliar with the concept of taking other people’s needs into consideration. When there wasn’t food to be fed into their stomachs, Inertia ran outside and scavenged for her own survival – most of the time, she stole what little other people had in their possession, and not once was she ever caught, courtesy of her stealth and light weight. For the few times that someone did see her and threatened to tell on her, she settled matters with her fists, scared whoever it was that dared interrupt her business into submission – into never telling anyone about her. It was through these little encounters that Inertia somehow unexpectedly found her strength in fighting.

That was, until another baby girl came into the picture when Inertia was a month shy of  thirteen, right after the death of Tess’ husband due to old age and lack of nutrition. It was the night of the baby’s arrival that Inertia found out about herself; about the woman who left her to die, only to be saved by the same woman who only spared her enough compassion to keep her alive instead of dying in the streets.

Inertia wasn’t sure how to act around the baby, but there was something in the way those blue eyes peered up at her with such innocence, with the way that toothless smile seemed to make her feel light after another day of barely caring at school, and the way those chubby, little fingers held onto her longer finger that made her care.

And cared, she did.

It was scary at first: having to think of another mouth to feed as she stole a small portion of food from a family of four. Her young mind knew that babies weren’t old enough to consume bread, so she left the responsibility of making sure the baby was fed properly to Tess, at least until the baby was old enough to consume what Inertia could provide for her. To make up to it, she made sure to bring home thicker blankets for the baby, and even learned how to sew new clothes out of old ones – at least, the dead man’s clothes could be put to use.

The baby was later on named Sage, and Inertia swore to protect her sister for as long as she was capable of doing so. It was nerve-wracking, of course; knowing that since turning twelve, it’d be the first time for her to care so much about the possibility of being reaped. She’d been so lucky in the past years, some would say, but Inertia – without Sage in her life – didn’t care whether she was reaped or not. Get reaped – she had nothing to lose. Be spared – guess she’s stuck another year with Tess.

Not now. Not anymore. Now, she had Sage to think of. Now, she had that child, who was barely one, to care for, and even if she knew that Tess would never let her perish, she couldn’t find it in herself to trust the old woman enough. Not when she was there to make sure that Sage would ever lose the innocent smile on her face.

But it’s as if whoever was up in the clouds heard her prayers every night, and interpreted it the other way around. A year later, when Inertia turned fourteen, her name was finally called and, with no one to volunteer in her stead, it was inevitable for her to end up in the games.

The only token she had was a handkerchief with Sage’s name sown on one corner. It was Tess who gave it to her, and for that simple, yet meaningful act, Inertia decided that she was going to save Tess, too.

She was going to win the games – not for her sake, but for Sage.

Inertia was wise enough (or foolish, for others) to try and avoid the bloodbath during the first few minutes of the games. She ran as fast as she could in the middle of the clearing, grabbed her backpack, a machete, and an archer’s bag not far from the Cornucopia’s mouth – no doubt taken for granted, for some stupid reason – and sought refuge deep in the forest. She came upon a boulder covered in moss, sitting carelessly by the foot of the mountain, and found a little passageway right beside it, leading into a cave safe enough to be a sanctuary from the killings happening outside of it.

For the first few days, Inertia was in and out of her little cave, the entrance now curtained by veins and leaves to avoid attention. She killed tributes when necessary and stole when she was outside, and lit a little fire in her cave when it was time for a short rest during the dark hours. The cave was her only refuge, and Inertia eventually came to hate the world outside; hated the openness and options for hiding, the fear of being watched by someone she couldn’t see.

Being able to stay alive for longer than a day probably got to Inertia’s head, which resulted to her being careless one night. She forgot to kick some soil on the fire she’d built before passing out, and when she woke up a few hours, there was a girl sitting right next to her, with her small hands hovering above the embers surrounded by little rocks.

“I’m tired,” the little girl murmured brokenly when Inertia sat up and grabbed her machete, shaking in fear and coldness.

Inertia knew she shouldn’t trust her. Not during these times, no. She couldn’t afford to get killed because she let her walls down, but the little girl’s eyes were the same shade of Sage’s blue ones; her hair was the same dirty blonde and her bleeding gums – her missing teeth – as ironically funny as it was, they all reminded Inertia of Sage, and she found herself dropping her weapon and staring at the young girl in resignation.

“What’s your name?”

“Rica.”

Rica was twelve and she was from the eleventh district, Inertia later learned. Against her better judgments, Inertia took Rica under her wings and helped her during the games. She told her strictly to stay inside the cave during the times she would go out to kill and scavenge for supplies, and at night, they’d share stories about themselves – though Rica did most of the storytelling than Inertia.

It was through this that Inertia found out about Rica’s father hurting her, pouring his bitterness and pain over the death of his only son during the previous games on the undeserving, young girl. Rica had bruises and cuts in places where people should not see and touch, and that night, Inertia wasted her energy and arrows on mutts to let out the anger simmering deep inside her.

Because what if it was Sage? What if she died and Tess, with her old age, couldn’t take care of Sage, anymore? What would happen to Sage?

Who will keep her sister safe?

And… Rica. If she won, she’d have to return to her father. That bastard would get to live a good life that he didn’t deserve, and who’s to say that he’d stop hurting Rica?

Who would take care of Rica?

When the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon, Inertia made her way back into the cave with a small bag full of fruits for breakfast. She sat down with Rica and told her a story about this place called heaven, a place she read about in one of the books in school. She told Rica that not a lot of people believed in heaven because there’s solid proof of such place existing, but that a huge percentage of people from the past insisted that it was real; that it was where good people go to experience everlasting peace.

“So, everything’s good there?”

“Yes,” Inertia smiled tightly. “They said that this thing – the Hunger Games – doesn’t exist there. They said that everyone is smiling and laughing and… and loving each other. There’s only peace. No war, no sadness, no tears. It’s a place where people like you should go.”

“But I’m not good,” Rica replied meekly. “I killed the boy from the sixth district when he tried to steal my apples.”

“You were defending yourself. It’s why you have a toothless smile.”

Rica giggled – and it’s a sound that Inertia stored in her memories.

“So, how do we get there? To heaven?”

Inertia hesitated for only a second when Rica asked her the question. When she told her about the fruit, Rica gave her a thoughtful look and Inertia knew – she knew that Rica knew. Rica was from the eleventh district; she was well-versed about poisonous and non-poisonous fruits. Rica knew, and yet she took the small, round fruit anyway and popped it in her mouth, flashing Inertia that toothless smile one last time before succumbing into a deep, everlasting slumber.

Her death was announced shortly after she took her last breath.

Rica looked peaceful, at least, like she was just sleeping. No pain. No blood. No agony,

Beside her still body, Inertia sat with her arms around her legs. She watched as the fire slowly turned into nothing, waited until it was the perfect time to carry Rica’s body outside of the cave so the hovercraft could claim it.

She hid and watched from afar as the device took Rica, and just like that, something broke inside Inertia.

Grabbing what was left of her supplies, along with a bludgeon she found lying near the mouth of the cave, she cried out loud and hunted every single tribute she could find –male, female, injured or not, young or old.

She killed them.

She killed them all.

For Rica.

For Sage.

PLAYED BY // HAN

[r5h]

Little Witch Academia: Falling Stars

EPISODE 2: HOW TO MEET YOUR HEROES (PART 2)

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“Professor Chariot! We need to talk to you!”

Akko kept hammering away at the office door, to the point that Tiff wasn’t sure whether she meant to knock on it or break it down. Tiff, for her part, hung back a few steps—maybe passers-by wouldn’t think they were together—and held the Shooting Star in one hand. It had twitched a few times as they ascended the steps to Chariot’s room in the tower, but hadn’t moved much more than that.

Finally, Chariot’s voice called from inside, “Come in, Akko!”

Akko opened the door to reveal a vastly disorganized study. Books were scattered everywhere, the rug was clearly discolored, and a ratty old bird snoozed in one corner. If Tiff had ever let her room get this messy, her parents would have grounded her for a week.

Professor Chariot seemed to be on the tail end of a conversation with—and here, Tiffany had to blink a few times to be sure her eyes were working—a tall, translucent witch chugging from a heavy duty thermos, standing atop a red disk. Chariot glanced toward Akko and Tiffany, flashed them a smile, then turned back to her previous guest. “Sorry about this, Croix,” she said, “but it looks like duty calls. Another time?”

The witch named Croix gulped and nodded. “Another time. See you later, Chariot…. Akko.” She nodded in Akko’s direction, looking more than a little uncomfortable. Then, without fanfare, she disappeared into thin air. The disk scooted under Chariot’s desk and out of sight.

“Oh. Hi, Professor Chariot!” Akko said, all smiles again, as Tiff stared. Not even a puff of smoke—just gone, like she hadn’t been there in the first place. Was this what Mani and Char had called a ‘hologram’? “What were you two talking about?”

“Just chatting over lunch,” Chariot said. Indeed, there was a plate with silverware on her desk, and a half-finished roast chicken thigh upon the plate. “What brings you here on your first day back? And I believe I recognize you from earlier today,” she added, smiling at Tiffany. “You did quite well on the astronomy quiz.”

“I’m here to introduce her!” Akko jumped to the side and waved her hands at Tiff. “This is Tiff Vandergard! She’s a new witch here from New York—”

“—New Amsterdam—”

“—no one calls it that—and she’s got a new broom I figured you might wanna see! Well, okay, not a new broom exactly, but….”

Chariot’s eyes widened. “Is that… the Shooting Star?”

Tiff sighed and walked forward, holding the broom in both hands. Tenderly, as if holding the Mona Lisa—except that that wasn't quite right: Tiff knew she would eat pizza off the Mona Lisa before allowing the Shooting Star to be damaged. Chariot scrutinized it, holding her hands close to its shaft but not daring to touch. “How did you find it?” she asked, looking up at last.

Akko grimaced brightly. “Well, we kinda took a detour into the forest yesterday, had some misadventures, found a magical artifact. You know the drill... actually,” she said, glancing over and seeing Tiff’s withering stare, “I should let Tiff tell it.”

“Thank you.” Tiff scratched her neck. “I suppose I’m not certain. I was being attacked by mandrakes in the forest, and I’d lost my wand, and I was trying to fight them off, and… it came and saved me. And it’s still here, which I understand is unusual?”

“Quite unusual… at least, based on our admittedly small sample size.” Chariot frowned at the broom, then looked up at Akko. “So, Akko, why did you want me to see it?”

“Um… because you’re the expert in ancient magical destiny artifacts?”

Chariot winced. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry, that’s not….” She sighed. “Akko, I knew so much about the Shiny Rod—the Claiomh Solais, if you’re curious,” she added, glancing at Tiff, “because it was mine. I’m not a generalist.”

Akko’s face fell. It put Tiff in mind of a deflating moonbounce.

“Not that I can’t look it up,” Chariot added hurriedly, “and I will, the next time I can find the time! But… I’m sorry, Akko. I might not be as much help here as you hoped.”

“Oh, uh… that’s okay!” Akko perked up almost immediately. “Thanks anyway, Professor! Let us know if you find out anything!”

“I’ll be sure to.” Chariot stood and offered her hand to Tiff. “It’s a pleasure to meet more formally.”

Tiffany took Chariot’s hand and shook it: at least her grip was firm. “Likewise,” she said, regardless of her actual feelings.

Akko clutched her hands together as soon as they’d left the room. “Isn’t she amazing?”

Then a bell rang. Tiffany squinted. “Did you just waste my entire lunch break?”

Five minutes later, Chariot heard a telltale hammering on her door again. “Akko,” she called out without looking around, “you’re going to be late for class!”

“It’s important!”

Chariot sighed and swiveled in her chair. “Come in.”

Akko burst through the door and shouted, “I used a Word!”

Chariot frowned.

“I mean—” Akko took a deep breath and continued, “I mean, like, a Word. Capital W. Just like last year. Noctu orfei and the rest.”

“Oh. Oh!” Chariot put her hand over her mouth. “You did appear from a glowing green portal, which I suppose I should have thought about if I wasn’t….”

“Worrying about your performance?” Akko smiled disarmingly.

“Anyway.” Chariot took a breath before continuing. “The Shiny Rod hasn’t reappeared, has it?” When Akko shook her head, Chariot frowned. “Then… when I said the Word in my performance last night, that was just stage trickery. But you used it for real. How?”

“I just….” Akko’s face was screwed up in concentration. “It felt right, you know? Like the other times when the Words came to me, it felt right to use it right there and then.” She groaned. “It’s so confusing. Not that I’m complaining!—but why can I use the words again?”

The bell rang for the second time. Akko froze. “Oh. Whoops.”

“You’d better get going,” Chariot said needlessly, as Akko turned tail and bolted out the door. Chariot chuckled to herself, but only briefly.

The Words didn’t disappear with the Claimh Solais.

Chariot frowned and leaned her elbows on her desk.

They were here in the first place for a purpose—to unlock the Grand Triskelion. And if they can still be used, even without the Shiny Rod… maybe their purpose isn’t yet finished.

She groaned. This was going to require a lot of research.

Tiff’s stomach was growling. To her left, Mani squirmed. “Nervous in the bathroom, huh?” Char said.

“Shut up,” Mani muttered.

The bell for the start of class had rung, and no teacher was present, unless the short dark-haired girl leaning against the wall was the teacher—but she looked young enough to be a student. However, before long, a red disk glided out from under the teacher’s desk. Then another eight. Then another sixteen, forming a five-by-five grid.

“Welcome to the new world of magic.”

The voice was disembodied and commanding. The lights in the room dimmed, but new lights bloomed from the disks on the floor: a wide pillar, which resolved into a fifteen foot tall female shape. People gasped.

Far from the usual teacher’s robes and hat, she wore a billowing red cloak and had unruly, light-purple hair without anything covering it. Add to that her tanned skin, and Tiffany couldn’t help but wonder whether this was a teacher, or some sort of post-apocalyptic cosplayer—until she felt a start of recognition. This was the witch Chariot had been speaking to.

“My name is Professor Croix,” she said, “and it’s a pleasure to be here… or that’s what I would say.”

The image flickered and disappeared.

“If I were here.”

Tiffany whirled around in her seat, seeing the professor up at the back of the class, her image projected by another disk. Little murmurs and gasps sprung up from the class as Croix, with one hand on her hip, floated down toward the front of the room again. “As you can see from this hologram, though, I’m not here at all. In fact, I’m in the Arabian peninsula, in the middle of a vast desert. Would you like to see it?”

There were no murmurs this time. Croix’s disks arrayed themselves around the walls of the classroom and glowed—and the standard Luna Nova lecture hall, flat at the front and with steadily rising seats in the rear, was replaced by an Arabian dune. The floor under Croix’s desk turned to sand, and the walls disappeared, replaced by vast cloudless sky, bleached blue and seemingly infinite, holding nothing but the punishing afternoon sun. Only the exit door remained: incongruous as it was, it only highlighted the majesty of the situation.

No, there were no murmurs. Only slack-jawed gasps, and applause. Tiffany joined in both.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” said Professor Croix. “Please, take a look around. I spent hours scouting out a location with a good view.” No longer confined to her disk, she strode across the simulated desert and leaned casually on the desk, as if she were there. And it was very hard to discern that she wasn’t, Tiffany saw: she was very slightly translucent, as were the sand and the sky. If she squinted, she could barely make out the walls of the classroom.

But if she didn’t squint… Tiff reached down, scooping up some virtual sand, and it actually rose in her hand. She splayed her fingers, letting it trickle out, and fancied she could feel it running against her skin. She found herself sweating under the oppressive heat of the sun, and in fact had to cover her eyes as she looked behind herself to see it, lest it should blind her.

And Tiffany wasn’t the only one looking. All around her, the other students were playing with the sand, and shielding their eyes from the sun, and staring at the scenery. The only one who seemed unimpressed was the short, dark-haired girl at the front, who was still leaning against the wall despite its apparent disappearance. As Tiffany watched, she rolled her eyes and fidgeted with the large red bow in her hair.

“So, first question for the class.” Professor Croix was smiling, like she’d told the world’s best joke and was waiting for them to get it. “How did I do all this?”

The class’s attention was on her once more, but no one raised any hands for several seconds. “Any takers?” Croix prompted.

A tan-skinned witch behind Tiffany stood up and called out, “Magic!” The class laughed, but she didn’t flinch or wince or make any show of embarrassment.

Croix laughed too, and a bit haughtily. “Miss… Lopez, correct? If we answered every question at Luna Nova with ‘magic’, even if the answer was technically correct, I doubt we’d learn very much. Especially since, in this case, it isn’t the correct answer. Not entirely, anyway….” She trailed off enticingly, daring someone to continue.

Char flopped her hand up, then let it fall against the desk again. “You’re using technology too, isn’t that it?”

“Now that’s more like it, Miss Jones.” Croix smiled. “Of course, technology alone can’t produce this kind of hologram. Magic alone might be able to, for a split second, but an illusion of this scale, for this duration, requires….” She grimaced, her cool air of charisma flickering for a moment. “Unconscionable amounts of power.”

That was a weird word choice, Tiffany thought.

“And yet here you are, in the desert of Arabia. How?” Croix grinned, and there was that charisma again, the kind that made her the most eye-catching thing in this room of wonders. “Because we have magic, to provide the ability that technology needs—and we have technology, to provide the efficiency that magic lacks. That, my students, is the power of—!”

A pointer materialized in her hand, and she rapped it against the blackboard behind her, which materialized just in time to be struck. Words shimmered into existence on the board as she said them: “Modern magic!”

Tiffany couldn’t help herself. She applauded again, bolting to her feet and clapping as loudly as she could. It took a few seconds to notice that no one else was clapping as hard as she was. Once she noticed, her hands slowed to a halt, and she slowly sat back down.

“First of all comes our syllabus. If you could just pass that out, please, Constanze? She'll be your very capable TA for the year.” At this cue, the short witch with the bow stepped up and grabbed a stack of papers from the desk, then walked up the dune—the stairs, almost concealed by the dune, Tiff reminded herself—and thrust a sheaf at each row.

“First on our agenda,” Croix continued, as Tiff received her syllabus, “will be a crash course in the basics of electricity and circuits: most of you are probably familiar with magic, but the modern part of the course is likely new to you. Once we’ve mastered that, we can move on to how it’s applied to spellcraft….”

“That was freaking ace,” Char breathed, as the trio walked away from the Modern Magic classroom.

The departing students around them were chattering so much that the words faded into a sort of white noise. The word “Croix” kept popping up, though.

“I take back what I said earlier,” Tiffany said.

“About what?” Mani said. She wore a pained expression once more: whatever she’d forgotten about during Modern Magic, it had come back to her.

“I said Chariot was a decent entertainer. But after this?” Tiff laughed. “That was the most incredible illusion I’ve ever seen! Not flashy, not garish, just beautiful. Croix blows Chariot out of the water!”

“I suppose I should say thank you.”

Tiffany jumped back. Another of Croix’s disks was scooting along the wall next to her. From it projected a miniature image of Croix. “Sorry,” she said, “eavesdropping is a bad habit of mine. Always nosing in on things I shouldn’t—but what were you saying about Professor Chariot?”

“Oh, that you’re way better than she is.” Tiffany smiled. “And, to be quite honest, I’m not sure what value she provides to this school as a teacher.”

“Mate.” Char tapped her on the shoulder. “That’s harsh.”

“Oh, tell me I’m wrong!”

“Ahem.” Croix was smiling in a thin-lipped kind of way. Her disk slid down the wall and onto the floor, and her hologram grew to full height. “I know that my colleague can be… easy to get the wrong impression of. So let me offer some advice to help you on your educational journey.” Her eyes narrowed, and suddenly Tiff felt like an experiment that had produced a null result. Something about the way Croix looked at her, as if through a microscope, with the faintest of frowns on her face. “Never underestimate Chariot du Nord.”

Tiffany put her hands on her hips. “And how would that help my education?”

“Because Professor Chariot is one of the greatest and most influential witches who has ever lived,” Croix said, her tone utterly flat as she leaned over Tiffany, “and the sooner you realize how lucky you are to have her as your teacher, the sooner you stand to benefit from your extraordinary good fortune.”

It was the same way Diana Cavendish had described herself earlier that day: not an opinion but a fact. This time, it was harder to credit. “She’s a talented illusionist,” Tiffany said, squinting, “but you just blew her out of—”

“How do you think I was able to do what I’ve just done? By building on her work.” Croix rolled her eyes. “Kids these days. Not appreciating the classics.” Then she looked past Tiff and frowned. “Miss… Kairouani, is that right? Are you feeling okay?”

Mani’s teeth were clenched. “I’m fine,” she said, a lie that couldn’t have fooled a five-year-old.

“Mani,” Tiff said, “what’s wrong? Is it really trouble with your….” She trailed off, but motioned with her head in the general direction of Mani’s digestive tract. However, Mani shook her head sharply. “Then what is—”

Char burst out into guffaws. “What?” Tiff said.

“I just got it,” Char gasped. “Modern witch. Rides the modern version of a broom.” She gestured at the disk under Croix’s feet. “She’s riding a roomba! It’s a roomba! This is the greatest thing ever!”

Professor Croix frowned deeper. “I’m… not sure if I understand.” But Char just kept laughing.

“We’re going to be late,” Tiff muttered, and grabbed Char. “Have an excellent day, Professor,” she said perfunctorily, and hurried along the corridor.

“You as well, Miss… Vandergard. And mind my advice.”

“Did you not do that on purpose!?” Char howled, as she was dragged away.

“Mind my advice,” Tiff muttered under her breath. Which was hard to do, since her breaths had to be pretty low themselves: Professor Lukić’s classroom was filling up with noxious fumes as she stirred her cauldron, and Tiff found herself breathing through her shirtsleeve. If the Professor had ever heard of lab safety, perhaps she’d thought it had been some passing fad. Maybe she’d thought the same of hygiene.

“Potions and poisons, poisons and potions,” the crone cackled. “If you don’t concentrate hard enough while brewing, dear students of mine, one may very well become the other! We potion-makers dance on the knife-edge between life and death, soaring potential and cold hard reality….”

Impressive-sounding boilerplate. Tiffany squinted, and not just because the gases were irritating her eyes.

Why would Croix defend Chariot?

“Ow, my organs,” Char said, flapping her hand around in an attempt to dispel the gases encroaching upon her. Mani wasn’t even trying, though: she was just turning green as they wafted over her. She was still trembling, glancing around the room as if searching for escape routes.

“So, let us begin. The cauldron has boiled enough, and we are ready for the infusion of—”

“I have to go!” Mani yelled, and stood up. With something between a sprint and a hobble, she ran down the stairs and out of the room. Apparently she had been looking for escape routes.

“—pickled garlic,” Professor Lukić continued as if nothing had happened. “Just a pinch will do, of course, and then after that….”

Tiff nudged Char. “I’m not sure she’s okay.”

“Course she ain’t.” Char shrugged. “If she’d just gone at lunch she’d be fine.”

There was a long pause, filled only by the droning of Lukić and the bubbling of her cauldron. Then Tiff spoke up again.  “Don’t you think we should—”

“No. I don’t think we can help her.” Char frowned. “Or if we can help, I really don’t want to.”

“Don’t be crude.” Tiff shot Char a glare. Then her eyes widened.

Through the window, just barely visible behind the classroom’s noxious fumes, there was a witch sprinting out onto the grounds. And unless Tiff’s eyes were deceiving her—which was, to be fair, a very real possibility—that witch was Mani.

Tiff squinted, then glanced at the Professor, but she seemed determined to continue her lesson no matter what happened. So Tiff stood up and strode to the window, peering through it.

That was definitely Mani running across the grounds. She kept glancing back at the school, and redoubling her pace each time she did. Sweat beaded on her face, visible even from this distance.

“We need to go,” Tiff said, and grabbed Char’s arm.

“Mate?”

Tiff turned to the front of the room and declared, “Professor Lukić? Please excuse us.”

“You’re excused—now add this leaf of wormwood, crushed and dissolved, to produce the effect we desire….”

She didn’t even pause, and her eyes remained fixed upon the cauldron. Tiff supposed she had to have tenure.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Char said, as Tiff dragged her from the room.

“Something’s wrong with Mani,” Tiff hissed. “And don’t say it’s constipation. I just saw her run outside. Unless you think she’s trying to find the outhouse?”

“I dunno. She’s from Tunisia, maybe they use them—”

“Not funny. Where are the stairs?”

Tiffany sprinted down the corridor, Char in tow, looking around for any evidence of a stairwell. Then she looked up and noticed two things. One of them was that Professor Chariot was walking down the hallway in front of her, carrying a load of textbooks and conversing with Diana Cavendish. The other was that Tiffany wouldn’t be able to stop in time. “Sorry!” Tiffany yelped, frantically trying to halt her momentum.

“Mm?” Chariot glanced up from her conversation, and her eyes had time to widen before Tiffany slammed into her. Tiff hit the floor hard, expecting to hear the thuds of textbooks hitting the floor all around her like giant hailstones. However, when she looked up, Chariot hadn’t fallen or dropped a single textbook. “Can I help you?” she asked. “And shouldn’t you be in—”

“Where are the stairs?” Tiff scrambled to her feet. “We need to find our friend Mani, it’s important!”

“Er… keep going and take a left, but what’s so important that you should skip—”

“Thank you! Sorry about the collision!” Tiff grabbed Char again and sprinted.

“Where are you going? Hey!”

What an odd question to ask, Tiff thought, after Chariot had just told them where to go. Then she winced. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was feeling the impact of having run into Chariot. For some reason, it felt like she’d run into a brick wall.

“Mani!”

It had taken another minute to exit the building, and another five to find Mani on the grounds, but they’d done it. Mani turned around as Tiff called out again, “Mani!”

“Too much running,” Char gasped. “Way too much running.”

“Stay back!” Mani’s voice was pained. She was posed in an awkward half-crouch, and had her wand out thrust at the sky. She flicked it upward a few times, breathing hard each time, and nothing happened. “Pharus, come on, pharus—it’s not… coming out. I waited too long!”

“Are you… sure it’s not the bathroom problem?”

“Shut up!” Mani took in a shuddering breath. “And run.”

“Mani, what’s wrong?”

“Too much magic,” she grunted. “Not just a static amount. It’s always building up, and if I don’t—if I don’t find an outlet—” She gasped. Her wand was glowing, vibrating. “Get away!” she yelled, brandishing it.

Tiff had seen what the business end of that wand could do. “Come on!” she said, grabbing Char’s hand again and backing up.

Sparks flew from the wood. Now Char was backing up under her own power. Mani took a deep breath, looked up, and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

Her wand glowed with a blinding light, and then something slammed into Tiffany’s stomach. A moment later, she heard the explosion.

Then she just heard ringing, and saw nothing but black. A moment later, her sense of touch caught up and told her she’d been knocked prone, and the feeling on her face was dirt. She shoved herself up and saw a crater in front of her, and Char on the ground to her left. Her breath caught. “Mani!” she shouted, with a voice she couldn’t hear.

But Mani was still standing, still holding her wand—barely. Jets of light kept blasting out of it, and the jets kept exploding either when they struck a solid surface, or a few meters away if they were flying into the air. Between the recoil and the shockwaves, Mani wasn’t able to keep control of her wand. Her arm whipped around like a cat toy as magic flew in every direction, and the pain on her face was obvious.

“Mani!” Tiffany yelled, barely able to hear herself over the tumult. She tried to run forward, but her stomach struck something yet again. She looked down and saw the Shooting Star hovering at just above waist height, blocking her as she tried to run. “Let me go!” she yelled, but the Star was as firm as an iron railing in front of her.

“What’s going on?”

The voice was faintly audible under the explosions and through the ringing in Tiffany’s ears. Tiff forced her head around and saw Diana, who must have followed them. She looked somewhat out of breath. Behind her, Chariot was running as well, though quite a bit further back. “What is she doing?” Diana said, pulling out her wand and brandishing it.

“Diana!” Tiffany gasped: she’d have sighed with relief if she could spare the breath. “Mani’s got too much magic, she can’t control it! She’s going to hurt herself! Do something!”

“All right.” Diana took a breath and strode forward. “Obviously, the first step will be to contain her, so she can’t do any damage to the school or herself. I’ll start with a shield spell.”

“Yes—wait, no!” Tiffany stretched out an impotent hand. “Containing it has been the whole problem! She needs to let it out!”

She tried to run forward at Diana, but the Star still held her back. “Please stay out of the way,” Diana said, flicking her wand to the side in preparation. “I don’t want you to get—”

Mani’s wand sent off another explosion. The explosion struck the ground and blasted a shower of rocks into the air, and one of those rocks struck Diana right between the eyes. She went down like a sack of bricks.

Tiffany gawped. Diana Cavendish, greatest witch at Luna Nova, had just been KO’d by a pebble.

“Get down.”

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her firmly to the ground. She looked up and saw Chariot standing firm. “Chariot,” Tiff said.

“Please look after Diana for me.”

And then she was off, striding toward Mani. “You can’t!” Tiff said, reaching toward her. “Mani’s too dangerous, she’s going to—”

Mani’s wand twitched and then blasted again, sending an explosion right at Chariot. It happened too fast for Tiff to even close her eyes: the blast shot toward her—

And Chariot deflected it with a flick of her wand. The motion was almost offhanded.

Tiffany stared.

“Stay away,” Mani sobbed, as the teacher kept walking closer. She seemed to be murmuring something under her breath, and her wand shimmered, followed by her whole body. “I mean it!” Mani yelled. “I’m going to hurt you!”

“Imani, right? Imani bint Abdallah al Kairouani.”

The witch’s voice was calm, measured. Like she was walking through a tranquil garden. “If I’ve heard correctly, your friends call you Mani.”

“Please,” Mani gasped. Her arm was worn out: it was all she could do to hold onto the wand, as the magic boiled inside her. She felt like the proverbial teapot, holding a tempest. Ready to blow her lid at any time.

Her wand was pointed at Chariot. It fired.

Chariot deflected the blast with casual ease.

“What,” Mani said, and then Chariot surged forward and grabbed her wrist, and held her hand toward the sky.

“Is it okay if I call you Mani too?” she asked, smiling. Her eyes were a warm red behind her glasses. “If I understand correctly, you’ve got some magic you need to vent.”

“It’s too much,” Mani gasped, feeling the power lance along her arm again. Her wand fired another blast. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here—I’m just messing everything up.”

“Then I guess we’d better find a good use for all that magic.” Mani could feel her own breaths slowing down as Chariot spoke, her voice as soft as her grip on Mani’s wrist was firm. “Repeat after me, Imani. Bella vida.”

“I can’t cast anything,” Mani said, “it just comes out as explosions—”

“Trust me. Bella vida.”

“Bella vida?” Mani said.

“On three, cast it with me. One, two—”

“Bella vida!” they both yelled.

And abruptly, Mani felt like the stopper had been pulled off. She yelped as all the magic in her body surged up her arm and through her wand, into a jet of green light that surged skyward. It flew for five long seconds, and then—

Red exploded across the sky. Red, and then yellow, and the rest of the spectrum forming a beautiful rainbow of fireworks, filling Mani’s whole field of vision, as though the sun were peeking out after the world’s worst storm. The fireworks thundered in her ears, as loud as her earlier explosions had been, but after it was done and the last embers glittered their way out of the sky… silence.

Mani’s legs trembled beneath her, and she would have collapsed if Chariot didn’t bend down right then and pick her up in both arms. “It’s okay,” Chariot murmured, as Mani’s vision swam. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

Mani closed her eyes, and felt a sensation of movement. It seemed Chariot was carrying her back to the building. That was nice: she didn’t feel up to walking there on her own.

“Diana,” said Chariot, “are you all right?”

“Yes, I think so,” said a shaky voice, and Mani heard the rustling sounds of someone getting to her feet. “I was caught off guard, that’s all.”

“Miss al Kairouani!”

This was the strident voice of Professor Finnelan. With dread brewing in her stomach, Mani cracked open her eye. “You have damaged the school grounds and disrupted classes with your actions,” Finnelan declared, and indeed there was a flood of students coming out of the school behind her. Mani wondered how much of the show they’d seen.  “Would you mind explaining yourself?”

Mani tired to say something, but the words didn’t come.

“No? Then for this, the punishment will be—” And then, Professor Finnelan looked at Chariot. Her expression paled. “None. There will be… no punishment.” She backed away sheepishly.

Mani glanced up, just in time to see Chariot with an expression in her eyes like a loaded gun. Then it faded as soon as she looked back down at Mani, to be replaced with that comforting warmth. “No punishment?” Mani asked. “But I could have hurt someone. I did hurt someone.”

“Let’s talk, first.” Chariot sighed. “Why did this happen?”

“I—ever since Starfall, I’ve had too much magic. It builds up if I can’t vent it off, a-and—”

Mani stammered herself into silence. Chariot just nodded. “I see,” she said. “This school’s had some troubles in the past with meeting the needs of our more unique students, so I’m not sure if there’s much we could have done… but I really wish you’d told someone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll figure out a way you can safely vent your magic. And in return,” Chariot said, her voice taking on a harder edge, “if this ever happens again, there will be consequences.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mani said without thinking about it. She wiggled her legs, feeling some strength in them again. “Can you let me down now? I think I can walk.”

Chariot bent down and set her on the ground. Mani took a few stumbling steps away, and got a good look at Chariot. She hadn’t realized before, but Chariot’s hair-tie seemed to have been blown off, letting her long red hair hang loosely behind her.

“You really are her, aren’t you,” Mani mumbled. “You’re the Shiny Chariot.”

Chariot smiled.

“I watched your show, you know.”

The smile vanished. “Oh, um. You did?”

“Yeah. Not live,” she added, and for some reason Chariot’s body seemed to be sagging, as if with relief. Mani frowned, but kept going: “I don’t think you ever did a show in Tunisia, but I watched tapes and DVDs. You were amazing. I couldn’t use magic back then, but I thought that if I ever was able to, you were the kind of witch I’d want to be.” Mani looked down at the ground. “But look at me. How could I ever be a great witch like this?”

“I am looking at you.” Chariot’s hand rested on her shoulder. “And do you want to guess what I see?”

“A walking disaster?”

“A witch who looks a lot like I once did.”

Mani looked up, startled. Chariot chuckled. “If you watched my old videos, then you remember my catchphrase, right?”

“Um… a believing heart is your magic?”

“That’s right. I know it sounds pretty lame, but… I was always making mistakes when I started out. I got some people pretty upset, and I wondered if I’d ever be a great witch at all. But if you believe in yourself, and keep working hard….” Chariot’s eyes twinkled behind her glasses. “You’re going to be an amazing witch, Imani. As long as you believe.”

Mani felt herself smiling. “Call me Mani.”

The three of them sat in their dorm room. Mani was holding what looked like a magic eight ball, but it was something Chariot had given her. “Watch this,” she said, and shoved her wand into it. “Pharus!”

There was the sound of an explosion, but quiet. Like something heard through someone else’s headphones.

“I can use this!” Mani said excitedly. “It’s got some kind of anti-magic rock in it, and I can vent magic into it so I don’t ever have to have an outburst again!”

An anti-magic eight ball, then. “But what if you lose it?” Tiff said from her bunk. “Isn’t this a bandaid solution?”

“Tiff, mate,” Char said below her. “Don’t spoil this.”

Tiff groaned.

“Professor Chariot is amazing, isn’t she?” Mani said, leaning back on her bed, eyes shining. “She said I can be a witch.”

No, she wasn’t, Tiff wanted to blurt out. Chariot was a nervous wreck who couldn’t even conduct a class without getting flustered. And yet she’d seen Chariot walk into an explosion hazard without flinching.

Maybe she did have a twin.

Tiffany groaned.

“Whoa, Mani,” Char said below her, “those are some pretty gnarly bandages.”

Tiff looked up and saw Mani with her wand arm extended, a wrap of bandages visible under her sleeve. “Oh, yeah. Chariot took me to the hospital wing, because my arm got kind of messed up with all the magic. It’s okay, I can take them off tomorrow!”

“That’s good.”

“It is!” Mani frowned. “I’m glad I didn’t have to stay overnight or anything. There was a girl in one of the beds there, and she didn’t look too happy.”

Tiffany bolted upright, slamming her head into the ceiling. “Ow—what? Who was it?”

“I don’t know. She was really pale… short black hair.”

Tiff’s eyes widened. She’d completely forgotten, with everything else happening that day.

Alice.

[whimsical-ness]

Cataclysm | 01

◇ Link to Masterlist

◇ Baekhyun series: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

◇ Genre: Soulmate! AU, End of the World AU, Angst

◇ Warnings: mentions of death

◇ Summary: It’s a race against time when there’s a month left until the end of the world and you have yet to find your soulmate.

◇ Word Count: 2.4k

It was funny, how the entire universe was playing some sort of a practical joke on your life. 

The concept of soulmates was one that you had always found silly enough, never really paying it much heed. Especially because the ‘soulmate signs’ everyone had were so horribly depressing and obscure.

The last words your soulmate would ever say, tattooed across your wrist.

The words on your own wrist were a mystery to you. Black and curling across your skin.

We saved each other.

The words were so familiar to you, now, after all these years. Yet, they were a enigma.  You’d always sensed a heavier meaning behind them, something you couldn’t exactly explain. And perhaps didn’t want to explain. Perhaps it was better off that you never had to hear your soulmate, whoever he was, say it to your face. 

Perhaps your life could go on as it always had, and you would meet someone and fall in love, but the person wouldn’t be your true soulmate at all. Perhaps that would be better.

Except, one morning in mid-September, when everything changed. A morning like any other, with you struggling to wake up for your classes, rushing to get ready, stumbling out the door of your dorm room to get there on time.

In such a rush, that you missed all the notifications blowing up on your phone. Which is why when you got to your lecture, breathless, and saw all the room empty, you were confused.

You double-checked your schedule to check if you were in the right place, but you were, you definitely were.

Just when you were wondering what to do, your professor walked in, his face grey.

“Professor! Where is everyone? Am I..am I that late?” you asked stupidly, as he gripped his desk and sat down.

“Haven’t you heard the news?” he said warily, meeting your eyes. You shook your head, your heart thumping in sudden anxiety. 

Your professor took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was uneven. “I think you should go back home and turn on the TV.”

An astroid. On course for a collision with Earth in approximately 3 weeks. Scientists were at a loss for words as to how they had missed it. 

A completely unpredictable scenario, but one that was going to wipe off the face of humanity.

3 weeks.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there with your knees pulled up under your chin for, staring at the wall in front of you. Your mind was blank. 

How could this be happening? This was real life, wasn’t it? Why had it suddenly become some sort of a twisted apocalyptic disaster film? 

You choked back a sob, clutching your phone close to your chest. You’d called your parents, and they’d been hysteric, telling to you come back home to them. You’d promised you would try, but it wasn’t looking likely.

Because the world had collapsed. Flights had been overbooked, phone lines were constantly busy, and you were pretty sure riots had already begun outside.

You shuddered, not bearing to think of the inevitable. 

Everyone was going to die. You were going to die. 

And suddenly, ridiculously, you were pushing back your sleeve and staring at your soulmate tattoo. Absurd, that without warning, the thought of your soulmate and where he might be sprung into your mind. But you couldn’t help it. 

This person, whoever he was, he was going to die too. And you had never even met him. You were furious at yourself for suddenly erupting in a fresh bout of tears. For this lost opportunity of love you would now never find. 

We saved each other. 

Clearly, your soulmate had no idea what he was talking about, did he? No one was going to be saved. 

There was nothing going to be left to save.

The next day, all news outlets and radio channels had started a countdown until the end of days. 21 days and 20 hours.

You wished you could just block out the world instead of being reminded of the disaster every waking minute.

Everything around you had basically shut down. No one attended their classes, no one went to work. The few people that did seemed to be in an odd sense of calm.

You were one of those people. And so you attended your full day of classes, sitting by yourself in empty lecture halls, staring out the window. 

Trying not to think about the fact that you were likely never going to see your parents again. Or how there were so many things you had yet to accomplish, so many places you’d dreamed of seeing, that you would now never see. 

So many words you had left unspoken, feelings you had suppressed. So many regrets. 

You were pulled out of your dreary thoughts by someone clearing their throat. You looked up bleakly at the source. 

“Guess Mr. Roberts won’t expect us to submit that essay in anymore, huh.”

It was a boy you knew from a few of your classes. Baekhyun, his name was. 

You swallowed. “Yeah. Good for us,” you replied, turning away to stare back outside the window.

To your astonishment, Baekhyun sat down next to you. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here,” he said. 

You glanced at him. “Neither was I. But here we are.”

His eyes were sad as he ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair. “I just thought if I kept following the routine, it would get easier, you know? To deal with all this,” he said. 

You said nothing.

“Are you...going to go home?” he asked uncertainly. “So many people have left already, even though they’re saying on the news that they’re going to cancel flights—”

“You just answered your own question,” you replied, your voice hard. “If I could have, I would have already left. But I’m still here.”

Baekhyun flinched. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I want to be alone,” you cut him off, standing up and grabbing your things. Without another look at him, you left the room, biting your lip to stop the already brimming tears in your eyes.

“Commercial airlines have announced that they will be ceasing all flights in 2 days. Currently available flights are completely booked, leaving millions of people unable to travel and reunite with their families.”

3 days later, and you were still there.

And apparently, so was that Baekhyun guy.

Suddenly guilty about the way you’d spoken to him, you avoided making eye contact when you saw him behind the counter at the cafe you’d just walked into.

“I didn’t know you worked here,” you mumbled, pretending to scan the menu. “A guy’s gotta continue making his living. Even if the world’s ending and all that,” he said, shrugging.

“Why are you still here?” you blurted. “You asked me that the other day. But what about you?”

“I have no one to go home to,” he said, his tone neutral. “My parents are dead.”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “I-I’m so sorry—”

Baekhyun shrugged again. “It’s okay. It was ages ago. A car accident. It killed them, but it didn’t kill me. Funnily, I’d probably take that over an asteroid right now.”

You offered a small smile. “I’m sorry about how I acted that day. I was just...tense. And depressed,” you said, finally looking straight into his eyes.

He smiled. “Understandable. Apology accepted. Now what can I get you?”

You began to frequent the cafe in the next few days, merely just to have someone to talk to. Even though you didn’t really know Baekhyun well, he seemed nice enough.

You’d thought of him as one of the cool kids, the troublemakers, the ones you’d always avoided for the most part. 

The fact that he regularly wore a thick leather jacket and rode a motorcycle had always made you think of him as somewhat unapproachable, outside of his own gang of friends.

But the more you talked to him, the more you realized he wasn’t as tough as his appearance made him out to be.

You were sat with him at the empty cafe in silence, both of you nursing mugs of hot chocolate.

“The owner told me I didn’t have to come in anymore,” he said quietly. “She packed up and left, taking her car. Said she had to go to her soulmate. But I thought I might as well stay in case people still wanted a cup of coffee from time to time.” 

You let out a short laugh. “Soulmate huh? It’s funny how people throw that word around without even being certain that they’ve found their true soulmates. It’s stupid.”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure there’s more to it. There’s a pull you feel, when someone’s your soulmate. You just...fall in love. The words on our wrists just confirm it later.”

“How do you know so much? Has it happened to you?” you asked, curious. 

He shook his head. “No. But my parents were soulmates. I know this because I was in the car with them. I heard their last words. They matched the ones on their wrists. They were true soulmates, and they fell in love.”

“Oh,” you replied, not sure of what else to say. Baekhyun glanced down at his wrist, turning it over for you to see.

“I wanted to love you for longer,” he read out loud. 

The words sent goosebumps across your skin. “Wow,” you murmured. “That’s quite...romantic.”

“And sad,” he said, matter-of-factly. “What do yours say?”

You pushed back the sleeve of your jacket and showed him. 

“We saved each other,” he said. “Huh.”

You shrugged. “My soulmate must be an optimistic guy,” you said. Baekhyun chuckled. 

“Are you curious to find out who he is?” he asked. “Yes,” you admitted, out loud for the first time. “I am. Especially now, I think. I wouldn’t mind finding him before...before it’s over.”

Baekhyun was silent for a few seconds, until he spoke again. “Me too. I read this post online about an event being held a few hours away from us. It sounds stupid, but it’s been organized by a group of people who want to find their soulmates. It’s some sort of a convention, almost, where you can go meet people and hopefully find the one.”

You stared at him. “People are really desperate, huh?”

Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck. “Can’t blame them. Everyone wants any love they can find before it’s too late. I was thinking of going myself.”

You looked away. “That’s good. I hope you find who you’re looking for.”

“Do you...want to come, too?” he asked uncertainly. 

You shook your head. “No, I think I’ll stay here.”

Baekhyun face fell slightly. 

“Right. No worries.”

When you finally managed to get in touch with your parents over the phone, things did not go well. 

They made you connect to a Skype call, one that was so incredibly blurry that you could hardly see their faces. 

They were crying, and you were crying, and hearts were breaking as you all realized you weren’t going to make it. There was no way, with the flights cancelled. An ocean separated you. 

There was nothing you could do.

“I love you both so much,” you whispered through your tears, not bearing to see your mother cry. “I’ll keep in touch until...until the end. I’ll be okay.”

And that was all you could assure them.

You spent the night curled up and sobbing, your heart splintered and your lungs squeezed for breath. Each day was just getting worse and worse, and you hated it. You despised feeling constantly unhappy, but you didn’t know how to change that. 

You had no one to talk to. Your friends and roommates had all left the day of the announcement, rushing off to try and get to their families. You were quite literally all alone, and the knowledge of that cut you deep.

Maybe that’s what soulmates were for.

You sat up with a start, hurriedly brushing away your tears and grabbing your phone and belongings. You sent a text with shaking hands as you made your way hurriedly, to the cafe you hoped would be open.

Your heart fell to your stomach when you entered to find it desolate, with no one behind the counter. 

Had he left already?

You walked back outside, your heart thumping, and cursed as the phone refused to connect. 

The roar of a motorcycle made you whip your head up with a start. The person on it got off and unbuckled his helmet, and you let out a breath in relief.

He was still here. Baekhyun.

“I was looking for you,” you said, as he walked over, shaking his hair off his forehead. He raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“I changed my mind,” you blurted. “If you’re still going to that soulmate convention, I’ll come with you. Because I think I’m going to go crazy here all by myself, waiting to die. I need a...distraction.”

A small smile spread across Baekhyun’s face. “Good choice. We can leave tomorrow, if you want.”

“We can leave today, I don’t care,” you said breathlessly. “I just want to get out of here. I’m ready if you are.”

Baekhyun nodded, still smiling. “Alright. Do you have all the stuff you need?”

You indicated your backpack, stuffed with your bare essentials. The only things you planned on taking with you till the end of the world.

Baekhyun cleared his throat. “I hope you’re okay with sitting on a motorcycle. I couldn’t get a hold of a car.”

You swallowed. “How far is this place?”

“Apparently a few hours away. We might be able to get there quicker on this, what with all the roads being blocked and jammed with traffic,” he said.

“Do you have an extra helmet?” you enquired. Baekhyun laughed. “Yes. I promise, you won’t die. Not until two weeks from now, anyway.”

You found yourself grinning. “Alright. Then let’s go.”

15 minutes later, you were nervously getting onto the motorcycle seat behind Baekhyun, his own backpack secured in front of him, yours on your back.

He glanced back at you as he kicked off the engine, the sudden roar making you flinch. 

“You’d better hold on tight,” he said, his lips curving into a smile. You hesitantly put your arms around his waist, saying a silent prayer that you would get there in one piece.

And then you were flying down the street, clutching onto him for dear life while Baekhyun laughed, the sound of it surging through your body and lessening the tightness in your chest.

You were done with being depressed. Sure, the world was about to end in 2 weeks. But you were damned if you weren’t going to try and have a little fun before it did. 

With or without a soulmate.

A/N: And there’s Part 1! I would really appreciate any feedback so leave me your thoughts...what are you expecting from this story? Thanks for reading💗