#.don't be sorry for Loux

[sansloii]

It was so scandalous of him, but he wondered how far he could push it, pressing his muzzle into Evan's palm after not having seen each other for a spell, as if vying for a good scratch. Pinkish-blond maw then weaseling between his fingers as fur gave way to flesh and fly-away hair, crouched on his knees with a playfully dark look in his eyes. Lips parted and the tip of his tongue traced some lines of Evan's palm, hmming at the somewhat salty taste of his skin. He fully expected a good swat, but still, the curiosity was alive and well. / im sorry about loux

The sensation of a wet nose and a furry maw pressing into his palm comes as a surprise and Evan treats it as such. The man jolts a little bit and and his hand withdaws a bit from the feeling look down over the side of his chair to find the source. When he does, he’s met with a pinkish-blond creature staring up at hum with intent. Familiar, stormy gray eyes stay trained on him even as the fox presses further against his fingers, coarse hair settling against his palm as well before it just begins to… retract without explanation — and without allowing him much time to process it either. The creature’s small-ish form gives way to a man crouched at his side with the tell-tale look of trouble in his eyes.

By the time Loux fully shifts back into a more humanoid form, Evan’s expression shifts into one that’s a little more… exasperated — dark brows tenting as a sigh bubbles up into his throat. “Dude, what — ” accompanies it, though whatever train of thought he has stops short for a bit when Loux licks him again. The tip of the other’s tongue against his palm again has the man pulling his hand back fully… but not without a gentle nudge of Loux’s nose with a bent finger.

“You know there are more normal ways to say “Hi”, sweetheart. You don’t gotta crawl up like that.” he says, the corner of lips quirking up as his brows lower. “You want attention—you can say so~”

“And if it’s a taste of me….” — and with that, comes a purposefuly little glance down to Loux’s lips before he meets the other’s gaze again. “ ...well… you can say that, too~”

Prompted | @astarab1aze

[funpolishfox]

If you could get one of these characters their own endings, which one it would be? (Part 2)

So, last poll asking which demigod should get their own ending, ended with Messmer winning! Of course, you don't have to align yourself with demigod in ER, so today, I made poll for NPCs- I choose some more interesting NPCs and you are choosing who should get their own ending! Sorry, if you don't see your favs- there isn't enough place for everyone/I missed them, maybe I'll do another poll if enough options show up under this post. Without further waiting-

Gideon is no-brainer, as he literally tries to stop you from taking the throne, he could easily have choice before his bossfight- either fight him or accept his idea, and choosing second option, he would either betray you to be Lord himself or simply everything would stay the same way. Millicent is part of Malenia and there was plan to make her new goddess, so imagine her actually becoming second Malenia, but this one would accept rot right away.

Rya was proposed as option under the last poll.

The rest are silly ideas, that could be for ending. Choose your own NPC for ending and tell me your propaganda, lol

[lemonmaid]

I kinda imagine Vil as a borderline Almond mom/wine mom personality.

Arrange but happy marriage with Leona, who acts like those dads in those 90s rom-coms, "Yes dear 🙄" or letting you have his black card, "use your own money? No let daddy pay for it".

Imagine this AU where Vil was a successful actor and model in his younger days, now pushing forty a successful fashion designer.

Leona "was" the heir to a successful family business that had been around for a few centuries, but was cut off after the paparazzi took some compromising photos of him in college, causing his family to quickly cut him off and publicly denounce him. Giving him a wake-up call, he quickly studied law, graduating early, getting his own law firm where he has spent five years conjuring a 500-page defamation lawsuit and a will contest.

He and Vil met at a social gathering.

Leona rest against the wall, staring at everyone in the room, watching.

He did notice a certain blonde eyeing him since he walked into the room, but who wasn't? This is the first time he has been to a social gathering since the press release.

Leona took another sip of his glass, "Leona Kingscholar correct?".

Leona eyed the blonde, "Yeah, you're the actor right?".

Vil rolled his eyes, "Yes, Vil. Vil Schoenheit".

Leona shooked Vil's hand, before going back and looking at the crowd. Vil joined him on the wall, sipping his glass.

"Vil Schoenheit you say? Hmmm you don't suppose your the same Schoenheit who pushed his competition off the runway stage?" Leona side eyed.

Vil remained quiet, taking a huge gulp of his rosè, "allegedly".

Leona chuckled, "allegedly".

Vil smiled at him, "I come with a proposal".

Leona raised his eyebrow, "I'm listening".

The next month the two had the most extravagant wedding, competeing against Ashlynn and one of the Charming brothers.

Small imagined conversations:

Vil: "stop scowling, you're gonna get crow's feat".

Leona: "Yes dear".

♡

Vil: *getting ready for bed with five different creams on his face and using a quarz roller* " I mean, did you see what she was wearing tonight? Everyone knows you don't put brown on brown, you put brown on creme and then make it lighter, ugh it's like her PR team didn't even care- this was a black tie event".

Leona: *wearing his reading glasses, already in bed, reading papers* "mhm".

Vil: "Ugh don't get me started with the wine the event had, absolutely dreadful. Be glad Jamil wasn't there, he would've made a scene immediately".

Leona: "You're right dear".

Vil: "I know I am".

♡

*the two publicy shopping after getting married*

Vil: *grimacing* "who is your wardrobe manager? This isnt the 1970s- plaid suits are... bleh. Come Brioni is over on the corner".

Leona: *rolling his eyes*.

Vil: *looking at the store's around them* "if we ever have kids, I will rather then be caught wearing Louxs Vuxtton than ever wearing a... Jucci item".

♡

*their adopted sons Ruggie and Epel*.

The two were rough housing all day, to the point where they broke Vil's secound favorite mirror.

Vil: *eyebrow twitching* "just wait until your father gets home!".

*later*

Leona: *rubbing his temple* "How I both give you $50 bucks each to pretend to walk out of this room crying and you promise not to break anything for the next three months".

Ruggie and Epel are somehow being raised by the same parent but have different personalities. Epel is still fighting on everything; meanwhile, Ruggie acts like the sibling who is doing everything right but is constantly sneaky. (Just like their normal personas in the game but like they were raised by Leona and Vil).

Currently, Ruggie and Epel are banned from 54 country clubs, each time they ask the staff to call "daddy" (Leona) to bail them out. They don't wanna be embarrassed by their Karen like mummy (Vil).

*last time they asked Vil to get them*

Vil: "I'm sorry? What did you assumed they did?"

Staff: "sir, they both stole food from other people's tables".

Vil: "how were they supposed to know that wasn't theirs?"

Staff: "they... were labeled?"

Vil: "Oh please, we don't need this! My husband is a lawyer!".

Idk something about Mom! Vil and Dad! Leona raising Epel and Ruggie as their bratty, spoiled rich kids itches my brain.

[mamoritxi]

"Hey, you! Cutie wit a lil booty~ Yeah, you," Loux howls with excitement and thinly veiled intent, arms circling the waist of so cute a creature, nose brushing through dark hair, warm skin against cooler, and breathed him in. "'ope ya don't mind too much, buh I couldn't help noticin' ya... standin' here, all by yerself... Ya looked so lonely, swee'heart, I jus had t' come an' bug ya." So sweet and so soft, right into the man's skin. "Wha's a terrible place doin' in a boy like you, hmm?" / i am so sorry, sanghoon, but meet your shiny new idiot--

"what's   a   terrible   boy   doing   in   a   place   like   this..."   he   corrected   the   male,   but...   he   was   here   to   hook   up,   not   to   complain   about   the   choices   presenting   itself   to   him...

sanghoon   turned   his   head   a   little   to   look   at   the   stranger.   he   was   plenty   good   looking,   he   also   wasn't   rough   or   anything,   he   was   more   like   a   love   hungry   kitten   honestly.   "been   waiting,"   he   answered   in   the   end,   both   hands   wandering   down   to   be   placed   on   top   of   loux's,   "for   you   to   pick   me   up   and   make   me   less   lonely."   he   couldn't   help   blushing.   he   wasn't   usually   this   straightforward...

"are   you   interested,   lovely   stranger?"

[astarab1aze]

what does each character feel about body hair?

personally, i don't think any of them really care about it? i think the only one who might have something to say about it is crovita (stubble can sometimes feel like sandpaper and she doesn't wanna go down on anyone with a bush, sorry; no hate, but she's like... mmmm no). like as long as the hair situation is clean and maintained, none of them have any strong feelings one way or another. the eager head-givers on the blog will still more likely than not eagerly give head and not think twice about it. leg hair's a different thing, but not a single one of them thinks about it ever. except maybe loux, but that's just to lovingly tease his partners. arm hair, underarm hair, whatever...genuinely, i'm wracking my brain and getting shrugs from all of them. they just do not care.

there's little things, like chest air. i'm pretty sure crovita and sortia are both okay with that, expressly. kaede doesn't care. loux's into it, since he likes bears. hydre's whatever about all body hair because he's literally eternal, he's seen and felt and experienced all kinds of bodies, it doesn't matter, who cares. kaede only cares about body hair if it's not clean, but at that point, it's really more about bathing than anything else. you will never see him with someone who doesn't bathe regularly. vayn is more or less far too accepting of far too much and that's all i have to say on that front. does that make sense?

[gloryundimmed]

It wasn't like he wanted this— to feel like his back was up against the wall, to feel like in order to survive, he had to lash out like some sort of wild animal. Yet here he was, shaky hand clutching the blade and pointing it at the person he loved the most. Fuck, why didn't Loux realize that from the start, the world had branded him unlovable, created him as an agent of hatred and death. But he still stuck with him.

Desperate, Kai thought there must be some sort of misunderstanding, some sort of distortion of reason that caused his boyfriend to stay by his side instead of loathing him like everyone else. He must not know just how awful a person he really was. Why didn't he push him away like everyone else? Why?

He didn't even want to look at Loux's face, because he knew he would see hurt and confusion and maybe even betrayal, and he couldn't handle that. Not right now. So when he stepped forward towards his knife, Kai lifted it further, turned his head away, and squeezed his eyes shut. Part of him wanted Loux to just take the knife and hold him while he cried his eyes out like the stupid kid, not man, he was, because he was right— he would never be able to be close to him if he kept putting distance between them like this.

For a minute he stood, trembling, keeping up his defensive position until he heard Loux's voice crack. It was like a thunderbolt struck him and caused his heart to stop. He had never heard his boyfriend's voice crack like that before, and fuck, he felt it pierce and twist at his guts like he was the one who had been stabbed. Kai's teary eyes flashed open, and he looked over at the other man when asked to do so.

He saw exactly what he didn't want to. His lover was deeply hurt because of him. He did this. He was causing all of this, and had no idea how to make it stop. No. No. NO.

In a single moment, a million thoughts flashed through Kai's mind all at once.

I'm so sorry. I told you so. I love you. Go away. Please hold me. I knew this would happen. I'm not good for anything. I just should kill myself already. I want you to be with me forever. Don't leave me alone. I want to drown in my own blood. Let's get high and forget about this. Kiss me. I have to run away.

Shit. Shit. Fuck. Why couldn't he control his thoughts, control his actions, control his heart, control his breathing? All of a sudden, everything was crashing down on him, and he was stuck in the center of it all. Fuck, he could barely breathe. Kai lost his grip on the knife, which clattered to the floor, and he fell to his knees, burying his face in his palms.

"I'm— sorry—" he choked out between each breath, tears streaking his face, "I'm— no— good— really— no—good—nogood—"

"Gonna stab me t' prove yerself right or wha'?" Loux asked flatly, forcing himself to keep his voice level and strangling the knot tightening his throat. It stung, to be seen as an enemy, an other, just another asshole making things worse, to be denied, pushed away and thought so little of - but this wasn't about him, yet still... "'Cause yeah, I ne'er will, if ya don' let me."

But it hurt more to see Kai this way, tears in his eyes, knife drawn and leveled, poised to strike. He'd have done anything to change this, to dry his eyes and hold him, let him do as he pleased with his body be it to cut him open or fuck it out, kill with him, anything, anything, anything. Hesitant steps forward, eager to disregard the blade. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to touch his face, smear away the tears, kiss it all away like some corny creampuff from a 90s movie - he didn't want this, not a knife between them.

"Talk to me." A sudden swell of emotion cracked his voice and his eyes began to sting, but his chest was tighter than it'd ever been and his hands shook at his sides. "Don't...shut me out. Help me understand. I'll beg if I 'ave to. I'll do anythin'. Jus- Kai, look at me. Please."

[hawkins-losers]

Hey there 💞 do you mind if I ask for billy hargrove not knowing how to deal with a crying y/n -prompt 20- please don't cry?

Let’s be real, Billy wouldn’t know what to do with a crying girl

-

You and Billy had been playing cat and mouse since he arrived in town. You saw him get out of his car on the first day back to school and your eyes connected in the courtyard. You flirted with each other openly, and sometimes took a little escapade in the back of his prized Camaro - like that night at Tina's Halloween bash.

Although you were known as ‘Billy’s girl’, you weren’t exclusive. He didn't want the trouble of a girlfriend. He wasn’t good with emotions or feelings, or love. 

On Thursday night, Billy was in his room listening to loud music while lifting some weights when he heard someone banging at the door. 

‘’Max! Someone’s at the door,’’ he yelled, his loud voice making the redhead jump on her bed.

She sighed, putting her Wonder Woman comic down and went. ‘’I’m going! No need to yell like that…’’ 

He was the world’s worst babysitter. 

A few seconds later, Max stood in his doorway, a worried look on her face. ‘’Erm, Billy?’’

He groaned in profound annoyance, barking at his step-sister again. ‘’What do you want? I told you to get the damn door.’’ 

‘’I did. It’s…it’s for you.’’ 

Billy put down his dumbbell and sighed. Who the hell could be showing up at their door and asking for him? 

He walked out of his room and turned the corner of the living room, seeing a figure in a hoodie - a girl, according to the pink stripe on her sneakers - in their entrance. The hoodie was big on her and the hood was shielding a part of her face.

Billy approached slowly and you removed the hood, revealing your trembling lips, mascara tears and the worst of all, a developing bruise on your cheekbone. 

‘’The fuck is that on your face?’’ He stepping closer and took your chin between his thumb and index, tilting your face to get a better angle at the angry colors on your cheekbone. ‘’It wasn’t there when I dropped you off.’’ Billy’s jaw was clenched, anger boiling in his veins.

‘’I’m sorry for bothering you. I didn't know where else to go, I-’’

‘’I asked you a question. Who. Did. That.’’ 

‘’Same answer as you,’’ you mumbled, a tear falling from your eyes.

Anger crossed Billy’s. He could take his father’s abuse. He was tough enough to endure a hit or two, but a grown man touching a woman brought him back to when his old man would hit his mother. 

He was seething before you, anger having turned to rage, thinking about getting in his car and nail your father to his grave, but a sob escaped your lips. You tried to cover it, but Billy heard it.

‘’Please don’t cry.’’ His voice came out harsher than intended.

His raised voice made you flinch, reminding you of your father's. Because of his experience with abuse, you knew Billy wasn’t going to touch you. He might talk loudly and yell, but he never got physical with you. 

Billy cursed at your reaction, gently reaching out for you. He shook his head, trying to reformulate his words. ‘’I didn't mean it like that. It’s just, I don’t know what to do with a crying girl.’’ 

‘‘You could offer her some ice. That would be a good start.’‘ 

-

Taglist: @broadway-or-noway @violetsleftfist @thelaststraw3  @cursedandromedablack  @Slashersimpfor  @savagejane1   @wh0reforbucknasty   @eddiemunson-slut   @slvdsjjk  @hehehehannahthings  @dreamdancers-world  @grace-loux  @iamharrystyleslover  @matildavol6  @Original_babababoo  @eddiemunsonbby  @notbeforelong  @lexi-2004 @violetrainbow412-blog  @tatespillows  @alwayslexii  @lilygreennn   @milkiane  @imahomeslice  @bunnygrl16 @cwritesforfun @marauders3rawh0re  @your-mom21 @parkersmyth @voguesir @milkiane @andrewgarfields-girlfriend @lilygreennn @alexxavicry @charlie-chick  @wandamaximoffs-deadchild  @horrorstreet  @rmeddar123  @Pastel-abyss-x 

Billy Hargrove taglist: @irlganyuy @mystic-moonpie @italk2god @hope1869  @boomhauer @originalsoulcollector @zosia3666 @bubsonnobx bonked-@beyond-belief @evanstanwhore

[definesanity]

Six Plus Two.

TW: Mentions of death, and Five being herself. That is, on the verge of suggestiveness.

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

Life wasn't exactly yahoo at the moment.

I mean, for falling asleep after finally platinuming Drakengard 3 and then waking up in a field of flowers in a comfy chair, it could've been worse.

What's more, someone sat in front on you, leaning on his hands.

He seemed to be in his early twenties, with long, pure white hair and pale purple eyes. With a long overcoat, a large cape that draped over his shoulders and purple earrings, not to mention a plain white shirt that's definitely seen some better days, you're surprised he hasn't done a certain Skyrim joke yet.

"If you were expecting to awake in a carriage, then I'm sorry to have disappoint." he said smiling, his voice masculine with traces of femininity to it. "And, although I'd love to jest more, I'm guessing you're wondering where in god's name you are?"

"That certainly would be helpful, not gonna lie." you joked back, and his slight smile helped to break the oddity of the place around you two.

"To be completely honest, explaining it all would take too long in one sitting, and I'm already short on time, so I'll ask straight up: say if you were to suddenly drop into the land of the Intoners, what would you say?"

"...Which Branch is it?" if it was A, then you're fucked. B, C, D or E? Even more-so.

"Branch G. The previous one, Branch F, was where I originated from. My reason for being in this timeline is, well... Accord, simply put."

"...Wait, you're serious?"

"What, you thought I wasn't?"

You shook your head, laughing nervously. "No no no, it's not that! I just thought I was having one hell of a wacky dream, that's all!"

"Well, I don't blame ya for that one; this is the type of dream a person would have after a long day of gaming, after all." he chuckled lightly, before blinking, his eyes gaining a small light to them. "Ah, right, where's my manners?"

He placed a hand towards you. "Loux Corcea Gladiolus: at your service, my liege."

You paused. Wasn't it Corcra that meant purple?

...Eh, languages are different here. And besides, it's only a small error. Corcea and Corcra are incredibly similar to one-another, so...

You took, shaking slowly. "I'm... well, just call me whatever you prefer, I suppose. I'm not picky."

"Hm, that so?" he retracted his hand. "Well, kid, as you're probably really confused, ask away."

"What in the heck do you mean, 'drop into Drakengard 3'?"

"Oh, is that what they call it in your world?" he looked surprised for a second, before remembering the question. "Ah, right: it's exactly what it sounds like; again, very long story, but to make it short... well, ever heard of a little something called 'reincarnation'?"

"...I'm reincarnated?"

You're not the one for lying, so you're not going to; that's pretty damn cool.

"Indeed; to put it briefly, in this world, there exists a God who sent the Intoners down to keep the peace they made as their envoys, and whom they revere... and, well, in Four's case, very aggressively. Said God is called Llizel, The God of Peace, The Peacekeeper, The War-Stopper, The Victor, The Leader, among many more titles."

You paused, taking in what you heard. So, you're the reincarnation of a God.

"Neat." you replied, and Loux laughed lightly in response.

"I thought as much; of course, Zero is the black sheep of the family still, so don't worry about that."

"...Wait, will I get killed by Michael? Because, well, you know," you pointed to your face. "God, and all that?"

"Rest assured, the Dragons are allies with Llizel; you'll be fine."

"...So, I'm a peacekeeper..." you said slowly, "...Without any weapons?"

"Well, you answered your own question there, kid." Loux joked, but raised a hand to continue. "Don't worry; the Staff of Llizel, a staff of unparalleled magic, will be your instrument of protection. Including, if you want, my own power."

"And, what? You can control wind?"

"No, that was my previous life," he opened his hand, and a ball of electricity generated in it, arcs of violet lightning perfectly controlled. "In this life, I control lightning. Think Palpatine, or Cole Macgrath."

"...While I want to ask about that first bit, I'll leave that be for now. Besides, how would you be able to do that?"

"I'll let you have some reign over my power, while I stay as a sort of 'ghost'. Sort like, oh, what's-its-name... the thing someone made? About a skeleton sharing their Soul with a child trying to rebuild their Universe?"

"...I think so?"

"Brilliant; stand up, it'll be quick."

You did as he asked and he came over to you, leaning down. In front of you, you saw that he was tall. He placed his hand to your head and, after a small static shook, he pulled it away.

"There, quick and easy. Try it out."

Shrugging, you pointed your hand forwards--

--And jumped back as a bolt of fucking lightning nearly hit Loux.

"...Yep, it works!" you smiled, putting your thumb up. Loux returned the gesture.

"Great, now he can go." he then paused again, and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, right! Hang on, I believe I have your staff here somewhere..."

He reached back into his coat (which you silently thought was like a certain half-gaint's from a certain British book series), and after a second, he presented you a beautifully designed staff, engraved with a white gemstone at the top, with the bottom of it appearing to be curved and made of steel.

"Your staff, my liege?"

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

You know, with all that happened, a costume change was the last thing you were expecting.

But, lo and behold, when you appeared, you wore clothes that were so high quality you actually felt bad for wearing them. That, and also a hood.

The guards didn't take kindly to you, but nor did you to them. A shame, really, even after you tried to compromise...

Your staff, which you've had for the last five minutes, was already like another part of you. Not to mention it housed a very, very large array of magic at its disposal.

"W-Who is this guy?!"

"They must be helping the demon! Kill them!"

"Wait, their face... it looks like the Peacekeeper's!"

The soldiers also talk a lot. And, are quite a lot in numbers.

From behind you, Loux chuckled softly to himself, his figure transparent and floating, observing the circle of soldiers that encircled you both. "Hm, I wonder... have they noticed our trap yet?"

"What do you mean by that?" you whispered back, and the mysterious man chuckled.

"Remember what the Finisher of the Smoke power is from 'InFAMOUS: Second Son'?"

You blinked, remembering... and then smirking.

"Showtime." you muttered, as you launched quickly into the sky. Looking at Loux, he nodded, before his eyes grew wide.

"Shit, murderous lady at twelve o'clock!"

Looking down, you saw what he meant: Zero was fighting the soldiers below you. And you were flying towards them.

"OI, ZERO! MOVE IT!" you yelled and, thankfully, she seemed to have noticed you coming towards her at high speeds and dodged just as you landed into the ground, a shockwave in your wake.

Looking up, your hood down, you placed your hands up towards Zero and prayed she wouldn't just kill you. "I'm not here to fight you."

It worked, thankfully.

"...Llizel?" she asked, both of her rose-coloured eyes looking at your own. She looked almost shocked, but then invoked her sarcasm. "Well, look who decided now would be a good time to prevent a war."

"I would've been here sooner, if not for complications... and, how do you recognise me? I thought I wasn't as, should we say, 'spread'?"

Zero rolled her eyes, walking past you, with yourself following. "With my sisters, you should know by now. And if you're here to stop me from killing them, then I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not going to."

"And how will killing them help?" you shot back, your knowledge on the game coming back at full force. "You of all people know that you can't take them all on at once, not to mention you won't be able to just kill the Flower--"

She stopped, them looked back at you. "How the hell does someone like you know about the Flower?"

You rolled your eyes. "The Flower is all the chaos and discord in the world, Zero; it's only natural that I know about it, given I'm its polar opposite."

In truth, Loux was quickly whisperings information to you, but even you can pull shit out of you own ass.

"Well, that's all well and good, but what the hell do you mean, 'just be able to kill the Flower'?"

"The Flower, their Angels; both the same thing. Kill the Angel, you stop the Intoner and kill a part of the Flower. Not only that, but the Flower and them have two separate sources of their strength." you sighed, shaking your head. "I know it's rich, coming from a God, but for once, have some trust."

Zero chuckled. "Want to know what happened the last time I put my trust in someone?"

"Well, my eyes aren't indigo, are they?" you replied dryly, with Zero stopping, her eyes flashing various emotions, with anger being among the most common.

Finally, she sighed deeply. "Fine, oh 'God of Peace'. But the moment that you're wrong? I'll kill you myself."

Loux let out a small laugh. "Good luck with that."

"The hell do you mean?" you asked back.

"Ah, don't worry. Hopefully, we might not see it."

"...Who the hell are you talking to?" Zero asked.

"Huh? Oh, right, you can't see him." you gestured to where Loux was. "He's basically the guy helping me with the whole..." you zapped a bolt between your fingers. "Lightning powers."

"...Well, thanks for nearly getting me killed, dumbass."

"A pleasure."

"He said 'a pleasure', by the way."

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

Finally, finally, you got to the battle.

And, to say the least, the Intoners knew who you were, and that you'd already arrived. Then again, you weren't exactly subtle...

"Llizel?" Five asked from on high, her beauty still enchanting, even more now thanks to actually being living. "My oh my, Sister, I never took you for being so fast!"

"My Liege, you must help us stop Zero, we're sisters!" Four interrupted her, her mask hiding what she truly felt. "I know it's arrogant of me, but please, you must!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude, little sister!" Five chastened Four, and then licked her lips, looking at you as if you were the finest meal she's ever seen. "After all, a good catfight really gets my juices flowing~..."

Three didn't say anything; although, she did lazily laugh.

"Oh, wow, Zero and Llizel! Hey there, you two!" Two waved to you both, smiling as she did so... then she frowned, snapping her fingers. "Aw, if I had known both of you were going to be here, I'd have worn something more professional..."

One was silent. However, the twitch of her eye told you everything you needed to know.

"...So, not only wanting to kill your own flesh and blood, but you decided to even trick The Sustainer as well?" One coldly asked, red eyes piercing into her older sister. "You truly are despicable, sister."

"Trick?" Zero shot back, tilting her head with a wry grin. "Funny, because they came to me to help me."

"Do not act coy with me, Zero!" snapped the blonde, even more angered now, before turning to face you, her face softening.

"Hoo boy, here we go..." muttered the spirit next to you.

"Please. Do not involve yourself in such pitiful drivel, Peacekeeper. Keep to one side; this shan't take long."

Two, Three, Four and Five then dropped down, and Zero rolled her neck. "Oh, it won't, alright..."

Up close, the fight is much more intense than what we saw on your TV.

However, as you walked forward to observe, you found yourself distracted by Five's... 'distractions'. You know that her increasing factor is her breasts, but for God's sake...

A sharp pain then came over you, causing you to gasp. Looking down, you saw the edge of Two's sword. Looking over your shoulder, you saw a pale-faced, horror-struck Two.

"...Ow." you simply said, before your legs gave out.

...It's not as bad as you thought, honestly. In fact, you swore you could see light beaming into your eyes, trying to get you to open them--

You choke, suddenly finding yourself standing up, outside the Central Cathedral, very much alive, with Zero looking wildly about.

"What the fuck?" she muttered to herself, before turning sharply and facing you. "What the hell just happened?"

"That, was what I feared." Loux admitted from your right side. "You see, this world is a video game to you, yes? Then, by that logic, these so-called 'Checkpoints' would also exist, and bring you back to your last 'Save.'"

"From what our invisible friend here said," you faced Zero, nodding. "If I was to die, time would rewind back to my last Checkpoint, or 'major point', in my life; in this case, just before your fight with the other Intoners."

"Huh, is that right?" Zero rolled her eyes ('Still odd to see that,' you privately thought). "Well, try not to die again, will you? I have a job to get done."

"...Say," you asked, looking at her. "How come you, not so much as trust me, but at least listen to me?"

"This shit again?" irritability, she started moving towards the fight with her sisters. "You already know; as your envoys, we can't not trust you, as annoying as it may be."

"...I see. So you're still not convinced."

"No shit I ain't."

You walked next to her, tilting your head. "Then what will it take to change your mind?"

"Staying alive would be a start. Then we'll talk about that goddamned Flower."

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

The same interaction happened, although this time around, you decided to step in. From Loux's expression, he seemed glad to have a companion who could get things done.

"One." you began, looking up curiously at the red-eyed Intoner. "What happened with peace?"

Gesturing to Zero, you continued. "I understand that you don't want to forgive your sister, but she deserves to live just as much as you do."

One looked at you. So did the Intoners, of various expressions. Finally, One turned to Zero, a cruel smirk on her face. "Ah, I understand it now; since you couldn't fight all of us on your own, you instead brainwashed Our Liege to help you. Am I right?"

"No, you're off by a fucking longshot." Zero replied dryly. "Me, brainwashing a God? Do you realise how stupid you sound right now, One?"

"...I was afraid this might happen."

One looked to her sides, nodding. "Sisters: defeat Zero, and save the Peacekeeper!"

"Oh, grief..." Zero muttered, then looking at you from the corner of her eye. "Ready, kid?"

You nodded, flipping your staff to use it as a spear. "Aye; try not to kill them."

With that, you shot forwards, and immediately crossed spears with Five, who smiled sultry at you, golden eyes twinkling.

"Not even going to invite me out to dinner~?" she teased, swiping your left side and causing you to jump over her (wow, anime logic!) and hitting her spear again.

"Honestly, I was hoping we could be talked over tea, but I guess it just has to be like this?"

"Sadly, I suppose... oh well!"

Five was a powerful opponent, surprisingly; with her fast responses and flexible attacks, an opening was almost non-existant.

Unfortunately, Loux doesn't like things going to shit, it seems.

Lightning forming in your other hand, you fired a bolt directly into Five's chest, causing her to fall over clenching it.

"Sorry, I hope you understand!" you smiled at her, and then flipped your staff right-way up again. Testing the waters, you imagined a fire--

--And from the ground surrounding Two, who was currently fighting Zero, fire erupted, causing her to yell and jumping backwards into Three, with the two scrambling to get back up.

"I don't wish to fight any of you!" you declared, holding your arms out. "If you trust me, then please, stop fighting your own flesh and blood!"

"You don't understand, My Liege!" Four called back, shaking her head. "Zero--something happened to her! She isn't the same Zero I once knew, and nor the one you would recall!"

"Oh, shove it already, will you?!"

A brief second later, they all jumped back up.

One walked forwards, raising her hand...

"Here it comes..." Loux tapped his fingers against his arm.

"Gabriella!" One called, snapping her fingers.

"Wait, what?"

From the skies descended not a Daemon, but One's Dragon, the ever-so sassy Gabriella.

"Well, well, well... never thought your God could get brainwashed so easily, One." Gabriella spoke, and from the cold fury in the second-oldest Intoner's eyes, she thought the same.

"Oh, so this thing is still kicking, huh?" Zero drawled, twirling her sword. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

Famous last words.

Gabriella immediately flew into the air and shot multiple fireballs at her, but you quickly erected a shield in front of you both. Silently praising your staff, you glanced at Zero.

"I fear we won't be able to fight this Dragon." you admitted, and Zero scoffed, clearly offended by the idea of it.

"You're a God, aren't you?! Can't you just summon a tornado?!"

You turned her head to her, your eyebrow raised. "I'm a guy fresh out of college, with a strange medical condition. But, since you insist..."

The Staff of Llizel, once again providing support, helped you appear in the air and, at your mental image, summoned an array of spears constructed from lightning (because when the going gets tough, steal your comrades powers).

However, in the end, things continued as Branch A did: Zero's arm was blasted off, Michael came in to help her, but was killed, and Zero had vanished.

Observing with a curious gaze, Loux turned to you, feet on the ground. "You've surprised me. I had expected you to a little... different, should we say."

"Thanks, I like to defy expectations." rolling your eyes, you slammed your staff into the ground, creating a dust field and allowing you to follow after Zero.

"Well, don't stop now, will you? I quite like people with a brain."

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

Update:

The Singularity known as Zero has appeared to have joined forces with the Singularity, who's alias is 'Llizel', and the Singularity of Branch F, Loux Corcea Gladiolus.

As a shift has already been detected in this timeline's events, I shall continue to observe at a distance, should anything go astray.

G_379_248_101_YD: Begin Recording.

[astarab1aze]

🩵 lounie tunesssss

muse relationship headcanon game

who curses more?

well, as far as i know, they both cuss a lot, but loux's gotta take the cake on this one. sometimes, every other word out of his mouth, literally, is fuck or some variation of, and he says shit like it's going out of style. like that one song by blink-182? that's ya boi, poppin' off at the mouth.

who is more patient?

i feel like.......loux....loux is more patient than loni. no no, i think about it, and how this man is willing to wait FORTY YEARS to be with her. forty years, turbo. forty. he waits. that is the longest any of my muses have ever waited for anyone or really even anything (hydre doesn't count >:/). he is a man determination, commitment, and sheer fuckin' will--

who does the driving?

loni 100%. loux can't drive and she shouldn't let him....ever.

who is louder? who is quieter?

i think they're about matched. they both can be quiet, both can be loud, and it seems to pan out at about a 50/50 imo. they just shake hands and dance to dirty r&b songs on this point, and i love that for them.

who is more physically affectionate?

this seems to be another both of them thing, but i'd still venture to say loux far surpasses her in this respect. he's always got his hands on her in some way, always kissing on her, holding her, just - touching her constantly, maybe even to the point of it being annoying. that's his wife, she can live with being wanted and desired 24/7 🙄

who is more likely to tease the other?

i think they're equally likely to tease each other, one more...flagrantly sexually than the other, but-- boffum, m8. you know as well as i do how bad they can get too uwu

who is better with time management?

both of them are good about it, empirically. loux has the benefit of fancy magical tools that can sort of bend time and space for him to get anywhere at a moment's notice, so he's maybe just faster, but i'd think it's pretty fair to say they manage their time well. i don't see either one of them being late on anything, literally ever. and in the offchance they are late to something, it's because loux got a little too handsy lbr

who wins the arm wrestling matches?

loni, hands down. not because loux lets her win, not because he's weak, because never. mans is too competitive to just let anyone do anything skjdfhs but genuinely i do think loni beats him out here, cos he's not as muscular as she is and he's a good sportsman. without all his magic, using only his physical strength - loses to his wife, who is stronger than him.

who controls the music in the car ride?

loux and loni share music, so it doesn't matter. i fully headcanon this.

who covers dinner when they order in?

loni would insist, i'm sure of it, and loux would fight her on it. he will absolutely not let her pay for dinner. he is so determined to be a provider and a protector in his own way, he just - will not. he already paid, in fact, with cash because they used his phone to order. i am telling you, turbo. they're just gonna have to fight over this until they're old godly bitties in the sky. not sorry uwu

who is more outgoing? who is more shy?

loux is the most outgoing. he's an idiot, but he's truly a social butterfly, life of the party, fratboy ringleader, class clown type of guy. loni's the shier one, of the two, for sure. i think? that sounds right to me. loux's here to do backflips and steal the show (which includes taking all the heat, too)

who has the more outlandish fashion sense?

loux. i have an entire pinterest board to prove it...! you cannot tell me loni has anything in her closet that could top loux's >:U

who starts the tickle fights? who ends them?

HMMMM loux, then loni. but then also loni, then loux.

who has the darker/more "edgy" sense of humor?

loux, hands down. i don't think i need to elaborate here ksjdfhsd but i do think he'd make a few jokes that'd piss loni off or disgust her.

who is more competitive when it comes to games?

i think it's a toss-up here, although i don't really imagine them playing video games together. maybe some ddr at the local arcade on a date or two? otherwise the 'games' they're playing are probably in the bedroom--

who has the bigger appetite? the bigger sweet tooth?

i'm...admittedly not sure. loux eats and could put away a mountain of food, but i don't think his appetite is really all there. he loves to cook though, so he ends up eating somewhat regularly anyway, but he has a generally low appetite, i think. oh but he loves sweets. loves sweets. and is more than happy to share with loni.

who is more likely to get in a confrontation in public?

i'm calling it 50/50 here because loux'll throw down with anybody over nothing and loni is a tough cookie who don' take no shit. 1+1=2 for me, mhmm.

who hosts the parties/hangouts? who organizes them?

loux doesn't party as much as anyone thinks. he just shows up, sells the goods, does a little, and nopes out. hangouts are different - he is literally up her ass right now begging for a date tomorrow lbr. loux. but also loni does too... loux is just insane about her so naturally--

who is better at cooking? do they ever cook for each other?

loni is not allowed in his kitchen except to sit there and look pretty and taste what he makes. she will find a way to burn water and mans can't have his etoufee fucked up. he loves her, of course, but girl do not even think about filling a pot with water. loux's a perfectionist, unfortunately, when it comes to food and he can be such a brat about it too.

who is more likely to engage in dangerous and/or illegal behavior?

they both are, but loux moreso, i think. i mean, he's got a rap sheet a mile long. :I from public indecency to capital murder and just about everything in between. he loves breaking the law, and killing people, and hustling, and committing fraud, tax evasion, theft, torture, more murder, arson... okay, i shouldn't say he loves it because he doesn't actually, but it is all very fun for him.

who is more likely to notice when something is wrong with the other?

thaaaat really depends. they're both very sensitive to each other in their own ways, be it emotionally or sensorily. like loux would notice right away if something physical was wrong with loni, and he's usually pretty good about the emotional stuff even if he is a little unconventional or A Lot about it. i think loni would be able to tell right away if something was wrong with loux physically, but maybe not emotionally since he locks his shit all the way down and it's usually hard to tell how he's actually feeling without him physically expressing it. um, something like that?

who does the talking in public settings (i.e. to the waiter at a restaurant)?

i feel like they'd take turns. loux getting to be a gentleman sometimes, loni getting to be the proverbial 'daddy' other times. they defend each other, they speech together, they sing together, they yell at people together, literally prove me wrONG TURBO

who is more likely to extend a helping hand & provide emotional support?

uh, emotional support? maybe loni. loux will probably default to physical stuff and small conversation before he approaches the meat. it's just how he is. this could change over time to be more even between the two, though.

who is the bigger prankster? do they get the last laugh or do they suffer for it?

loux, and he gets the last laugh. he also suffers dearly for it. marriage :sparkles: uwu

[astarab1aze]

[ dee, for sortia ] “ What if I said ‘to be honest’ but then lied? ”

unhinged comedic relief

"It would depend on the lie - there's a time and a place and neither are with me - but I suppose I would have to approve. Manipulation is a valuable survival tool, and keeping it honed, in any context, is wise." She doesn't have time for jokes, sorry to say; A bit distracted by the incessant babbling of her screamrag. "Your attempts at humor don't move me, but I'm sure Loux wouldn't mind them - he's due for a reckoning, I should say."

[hawkins-losers]

heyyyy how’s it going? i was wondering, can i get a 49+59 with robin buckley please? your writing is awesome and i love it :) thank u!!

The new season told us Robin doesn't have a licence, so I figured she could learn to drive

(“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” + “You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you?”)

-

‘’Oh my god. Is that your brother’s car?’’ 

Robin was in complete awe at the Camaro you just pulled in. Its loud engine echoed in her less favored neighborhood. She didn't know shit about cars, but it looked - and sounded - powerful and sexy.  

You nodded, a pair of sunglasses perched on the bridge of your nose. They were Billy's, but the finder is the keeper, right?

Robin opened the passenger door and sat in. ‘’He let you borrow it?’’ 

''No, but he let me borrow his jacket and his keys were in the pockets so I thought, let's take my girlfriend for a drive,’’ you explained with a wink. ‘’Buckle up, babe. It’s gonna go fast.’’ 

Robin barely had time to buckle her seatbelt that you backed out from her driveway, tires screeching, and sped off. 

‘’Holy shit, this is fast.’’ Her hand was holding onto the dashboard, your little maneuver having taken Robin by surprise.

‘’Sorry.’’ 

It wasn’t your first time driving the Camaro. Billy has let you drive it from time to time, but never by yourself. This car was the most precious thing he owned, so he didn’t want anyone wrecking it.

After a few minutes, you pulled in an empty parking lot and undid your seat belt. ‘’Let’s switch.’’ 

Beside you, Robin gave you a confused look. ‘’Eh, what?’’

‘’Remember two weeks ago when you told Steve you couldn’t drive his car because you didn’t have a license? Well, today is the day you’re gonna have your first driving lesson.’’ You lowered your sunglasses. ‘’A private lesson,’’ you added with a wink. ‘’Let’s switch!’’

Unfortunately, Robin didn’t share your excitement. ‘’In your brother's car?’’ 

‘’Yep.’’

‘’I don’t think you want me driving his car. What if I wreck it?’’ 

‘’You’re not going to.’’ You covered her hand with yours. ‘’I trust you.’’

A little convincing later, Robin's hands were crisped around the steering wheel, stressed although the car was not even on drive yet. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

‘’Calm down, babe.’’ You reached out and put your hand on her thigh, trying to calm her. ‘’Everything is going to be fine.’’

‘’I'm driving a sports car for my first driving lessons. This is a recipe for disaster. I'm gonna crash Billy's car and he's gonna be angry at me and- Please don't let him scream at me. I can't handle being screamed at-’’

‘’He's not going to,’’ you promised. ‘’Now, press gently on the on the gas.’’

Robin nodded, biting her bottom lip. “You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you?”

‘‘I promise.’‘ 

-

Taglist: @broadway-or-noway @violetsleftfist @thelaststraw3  @cursedandromedablack  @Slashersimpfor  @savagejane1   @wh0reforbucknasty   @eddiemunson-slut   @slvdsjjk  @hehehehannahthings  @dreamdancers-world  @grace-loux  @iamharrystyleslover  @matildavol6  @Original_babababoo  @eddiemunsonbby  @notbeforelong  @lexi-2004 @violetrainbow412-blog  @tatespillows  @alwayslexii  @lilygreennn   @milkiane  @imahomeslice  @bunnygrl16 @cwritesforfun @marauders3rawh0re  @your-mom21 @parkersmyth @voguesir @milkiane @andrewgarfields-girlfriend @lilygreennn @alexxavicry @charlie-chick  @wandamaximoffs-deadchild  @horrorstreet  @rmeddar123  @Pastel-abyss-x @lil-tracys  @lanalanabanana

Robin Buckley taglist: @uhidklol-26 @prettyplant0   @ran-rap   @eddiemvunsongf    @batorchids222  @scarlet-kazuha  @saphmoth  @uhidklol-26  @you-makeme-crazier-blog  @spongebob-in-the-upsidedown  @swiftbyul  @xenon54xe  @tribute-101  @starstruckspring  @whyamihere2673  @moonlight-imagines  @p40l44 @moonlight-imagines   @ofherscarlettwitchways  @pastelbabygirl19 @eddiemunsonbby  @bitterbyfletcher @i-could-be-lonely-with-you @chrisxevans-seb @robinbuckleyluvr @lol-lol—idk @satinselenite  @missmaxmayfield  @soph69420world @nancewheelersworld  @nluvwitheddiemunson  

[dykeishheart]

Like the Godrick phase shift feels earned bc you have to see what drives him to Do That. Fire Giant is getting injured so that one makes sense. But like, Hoarah Loux? We didn't ever get a chance to learn the significance of that cat so his phase change mostly does nothing for me and if the fight was never more than either phase one or two I don't think it'd have lost anything in terms of impact. Maliketh would be exactly as impactful if him seeing you made him reveal his true form right away bc 1. That's the more fun part, and 2. The impact of the reveal is still there bc you met him hours and hours of game ago. Elden Beast is just lame, and the game would've felt complete on Radagon's death, not to mention Radagon already feels on par with a boss like Gwyn or Soul of Cinder or Gehrman by himself. Malenia is honestly fine with two phases but I'd cut her phase one hp down about 30% so it's less of a slog. And honestly I wouldn't mind Mohg just not existing bc I don't find him interesting or fun. We already had enough shardbearers by the time we got to him and his fight just doesn't do anything for me except look cool. Sorry delayed attack enjoyers.

I've said it a million times but elden ring would have been a million times better if they cut it down to like 30 boss fights tops. Genuinely we didn't need the cemetery shades or the burial watchdogs or the bell bearing hunters or the deathrite birds and holy shit we didn't need at least 4 of each. There are like 200 bosses in elden ring or something and like less than 10% of them are actually fun. They could also make basically every story boss more fun and interesting by removing the entirety of their first phase and just, like. Starting with the actually interesting part? I don't understand why we needed to fight the Gurranq part of Maliketh at all when the only fun part of the fight happens after the second phase cutscene. Just do that for all of them.

[hawkins-losers]

Okay but can u write a strong about being Eddie’s girlfriend aNd him being CLINGY AS HELL at the party drunk asf with his girlfriend. Literally cannot keep his hands and lips off her. Not letting his hands off her and just whispering sweet nothings to her while he’s just hugging her and swaying them back and fourth. When she’s having conversations with her friends he’s hugging her from behind kissing her neck and rubbing her back not even caring how clingy he looks

-

Sitting in whoever’s party’s living room, you were talking to Chrissy about the new Molly Ringwald movie coming up. You saw a magazine talking about it and you and Chrissy were making plans to see it together in theaters, knowing there was no way you could drag Eddie there.

‘’I read she's filming another one already. She never stops,‘’

‘’We gotta see it when it comes out too.‘’

You nodded, taking a sip of your drink.

‘’Ohh! We should totally have a Molly Ringwald marathon,‘’ Chrissy suggested excitedly, her eyes lighting up at her brilliant idea.

‘’Yes! My parents are going out of town next weekend, we could do it then?‘’

‘’You don't have plans with Eddie?‘’

‘’We do, but he has Hellfire on Friday so we can have our marathon.‘’

As if he knew you were talking about him, Eddie plopped on the couch beside you, almost spilling the beer he was holding in by doing so. ‘’There you are. I've been lookin' for you,‘’ he said sweetly, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and once again almost spilling his beer.

‘’Careful,‘’ you warned, straightening the bottle that was dangerously tipping. ‘’You’re gonna make a mess.’’

He kissed your neck then mumbled a 'sorry', making you wonder how many beers he’s had. He was never that clingy in public when sober. ‘’I missed you.’’ The bottle slipped from his hand and you grabbed it before it could spill or shatter.

‘’Okay, I think you’ve had enough,’’ you decided, putting the bottle away.

Chrissy giggled, then excused herself to the bathroom.

When Chrissy returned, the situation had progressed...but not in a getting better way. Eddie was now clinging onto you, talking sweetly in your ear and making it tickle with his breath. You wouldn’t have minded if you had been at his trailer or at your house, but not in the middle of a party.

‘’Eddie, can you please stop that?’’ you asked, gently pushing him off of you. 

He shook his head, then kissed your shoulder and neck. ‘’No.’’

-

Taglist: @broadway-or-noway @violetsleftfist @thelaststraw3  @cursedandromedablack  @Slashersimpfor  @savagejane1   @wh0reforbucknasty   @eddiemunson-slut   @slvdsjjk  @hehehehannahthings  @dreamdancers-world  @grace-loux  @iamharrystyleslover  @matildavol6  @Original_babababoo  @eddiemunsonbby  @notbeforelong  @lexi-2004 @violetrainbow412-blog  @tatespillows  @alwayslexii  @lilygreennn   @milkiane  @imahomeslice  @bunnygrl16 @cwritesforfun @marauders3rawh0re  @your-mom21 @parkersmyth @voguesir @milkiane @andrewgarfields-girlfriend @lilygreennn @alexxavicry @charlie-chick  @wandamaximoffs-deadchild  @horrorstreet  @rmeddar123  @Pastel-abyss-x @lil-tracys  @lanalanabanana @Sinclairlust  @luvmybbies  @chloepricesgrafitimarker  @inluvweddiemunson   @i-like-trains  

Eddie Munson taglist: @nighttwingg @yourfavoriteakutagawakinnie @heizenka @eddiemvunsongf @Eddie_munsons_girlfriend @magicalchocolatecheesecake @eddiemunsonistheloveofmylife @avril-reblog-cave @Fandomfaeryreads @harrys-tittie @straycatarang @fourlokiss  @eddiemattress  @ghoulishlygrey   @paola-carter @bubsonnobx @pauldanoswifereal @ofherscarlettwitchways @kiszkathecook  @truewdw1 @bubsonnobx @ohhrexella @Dreamtiara @pastelbabygirl19  @steves-robin @eddiemunsonbby @jenlouvre @bonked-beyond-belief2  @tvserie-s-world @bootlegmothman420 @courtmr @chrisxevans-seb @satinselenite @thikkiesixx  @jennilynn63  @nia-um  @welcometohellfirw @strangermarvelgirl @sugar-simz @fandomloversvaries @miakatharinaa  @julsss321 @m1rkw00dpr1ncess  @Minksblog @soph69420world  @ameliakf13 @nancewheelersworld @parasadic-blog @nluvwitheddiemunson @veniceb1tch88 @ali-r3n @Luv.eddie @stephylovesmayahawke

[definesanity]

Off to the Harbour, The Android's Companion, The Knights and the Alchemist.

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

"I need to get going, see y'all later!"

"At least let me help then just sit waiting for nothing!"

"You all stay here for now. This probably won't take more than a minute or so."

In the past half hour, these three sentences were spoken.

The first was from Xinyan, who had to leave in order to reach her destination elsewhere. You wished you could've chatted more but, well, unlike you, she had an amazing carer to continue. Sure, you can play a piano better than others, but... well, Genshin had one hell of an 'Impact' on your social life (and, if you were still on Earth and caved in to getting Eula, your credit card too.)

The second was from Collei, who had an argument with Phillip over the Archon Residue in her blood; he believed that it was too dangerous to use without any sort of catalyst to control it better, but she had her rebuttal ready; it had already been a year--nearly two--since it was sealed, and she had only recently undone it for research purposes.

However, something went wrong; during one of the experiments, an attack happened, and she was badly burned during it, hence her bandages. Not only that, but Cyno, her teacher, had sent her to Mondstadt for almost no reason other than to 'perfect her abilities.' (Or, so she says. You don't judge her for keeping secrets, though.)

Which brought her to now: she's had it up to here with Phillip's parental instincts, and she said she'd rather die from overusing it than just sit around twiddling her thumbs. Phillip, seeing both no way out and Collei's valid points, obliged. At least Collei seemed to be a little happier now.

The third is from Phillip himself, and relates to his plan's last phase: meeting with a certain CEO of Geo.

He told you that, despite the distance and slight hostility between the two, Phillip knows that Morax is a good listener when he wants to be. Plus, what with the higher-ups in the Liyue Qixing not yet catching wind of you being in Teyvat, and Zhongli being able to put in a good word, you like your chances.

And, when you saw the two approach each other, you three sat and waited for them.

"...You know, despite how fast paced and quickly this whole situation has been, I've enjoyed it." you said, looking at Collei and Hank. "What about you two?"

"I admit, you've been a thorn in my side these past few days," Collei said, before giving you a smile. "But, well, you've not judging what I've done and what I've hidden, not to mention someone who uses their head, so you're at least somewhat okay."

"While it has been... interesting, I am content to know that I won't be running around as much now." Hank replied, sitting stiffly. "Still, is Phillip truly that untrusting of us, or am I overanalyzing?"

"Well, Phillip has never liked being watched. It puts him on too much on edge to talk normally. Plus, we might accidentally say something we shouldn't have." you also recalled the times he was Loux and Lux, but that's way into the past.

After another five minutes, you were interrupted by a white flash dashing by you, with Geo in its wake. Then, a deep and old voice spoke up. "You can come forwards now. Don't worry, I will not harm you."

Putting caution to the wind, you gestured for the two to stay on standby, and got up. Walking forwards, you faced Zhongli himself, looking at you with a smile on his face.

"Your Grace, The One True Creator..." he said, slowly getting on to one knee and bowing. "I daresay this isn't the meeting we were hoping for, but regardless, it is my absolute pleasure to meet you."

"I, um... it's a pleasure to meet you too, Zhongli." you nodded, smiling awkwardly.

Looking up at you, he nodded to himself. "...Ah, I see Tungsten was right; your memories of your time as Our Creator haven't yet returned, and nor has your divine strength. Include the fact of the Anemo Archon's drunkenness... I am truly sorry for the things you have endured thus far."

Really, it wasn't as bad as those 'Imposter AU' stories you saw back in your home. If anything, it was incredibly tame. Besides, only Amber's fire arrow, Venti's wind (and drunkenness) and Eula's sword physically hurt you. (But ouch, they don't mince their words there, either...)

"It's fine, Zhongli, really. If I might ask, what was it that Phillip wanted?" you know it's about the hunt, but... well, never trust him with anything involving Llizel, you've learnt repeatedly.

Although, considering he ran towards Mondstadt, you're guessing he's going to see what's happening. (At least your arm grew back. Not exactly the nicest sensation in the world, but at least you have both arms again.)

Surprisingly, it was neither of those things. Or, at least, it wasn't the first part of your guess.

"It wasn't anything too serious, do not worry for anything related to your status as the Creator. He had only asked for you to head near to Liyue Harbour, and for you and your companions to enjoy your time there, without any concerns for your status as the Creator."

"...The guy is a nutcase, but he's lucky I wanted to visit it anyway." concentrating on the Teleport Waypoint near the Harbour, you closed your eyes.

Upon opening them again, you saw you that you had arrived near Harbour. But, now...

...What to do in the meantime, though?

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

Back with Zhongli and the others (on a mountain with... a table and seats?), Zhongli then nodded to the two. "Ah, yes; Tungsten wanted me to say one last thing to Miss Hank: 'She might try something again, so I'm hoping for you to have Collei help you use the medication.' That is all." with that, he walked past them and down the mountain, leaving Collei blinking.

"'Her?' If he wanted to be cryptic, at least try to subtle..." turning to face Hank, she sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Right, what do I need to do?"

Hank lied down on her back. "I had hoped for this to happen later, so first, I'd like to express that I'm sorry for making you do this."

Collei waved her off. "Eh, I've had worse happen. So, what do I need to do?"

"First, take the small vial from the poach on my left leg, and put it to one side for now. Do not, I repeat, do not, let it break under any circumstance. Got it?"

Collei nodded, went to Hank's left leg, and opened the small poach. Taking the vial in it, she removed her hand to look at it. It wasn't much in terms of flair, but the crimson liquid made the green-haired girl wonder what it was.

"Next, do you see the small button under my jaw? Press it, then the one near my right eye, then my left, then the jaw button again."

Collei did as Hank instructed. When the last button was pushed, Hank's face opened, leaving Collei reeling back in surprise and shock as the literal faceplates of the android stay opened like a flower blooming.

"Ah, yes; I forgot to mention that in advance." Hank apologised. "I should mention, once you do the next set, I will be unable to communicate verbally."

"That so... well, how about this; with your left hand's index finger, tap the ground once for 'yes', and twice quickly for 'no', is that sufficient enough?"

"Yes, completely; now, press the button on my jaw. That'll open up my chest cavity, and them simply press the button there. One you're done with the part in-between now and the main part of this, simply press the buttons in reverse order to close them."

Collei nodded; she has a pretty good memory, not to brag, so it'll probably be fine. So, she pressed the buttons in order, which caused the entirety of Hank's body to open...

And revealed that, as a whole, Hank's inner body is hollow, and is holding a goddamn person in it.

The person was clearly an Oni from Inazuma, with her horn being a dead giveaway. Her other horn, her right one, was cut clean off, and is rapped in bandages at its base. Her skin was fair, her right arm was missing, and wore a curious outfit. In all, she was quite pretty, Collei can admit.

Looking at Hank's split face (she gave a small shudder just by looking at it...), she breathed in and then out. "Can you hear me, Hank?"

Tap. Well, that was a good start...

"So, this vial- do I make her drink it?"

Another tap.

"Is it all in one quick go?"

Two quick taps answered her.

"Okay... do I feed it to her slowly?"

Tap. From her hand, she began tracing letters in her air:

'C-H-I-Y-O'. That must be the girl's name, Collei acknowledged.

"'Chiyo'... what an odd name." she said, although she then shrugged to herself. "Then again, I'm one to talk..."

Opening Chiyo's mouth, she slowly had the sleeping Oni swallow the liquid, helping it travel down the windpipe without it having any problems. Luckily, she was able to prop her up slightly more, so the throat won't be constricted. After about thirty seconds, it was empty. There wasn't a visible difference, but she seemed almost more... content, in a way.

Quickly pressing the buttons in reverse order, Hank was quickly reassembled, the girl leaning forwards and crossing her legs.

"Once again, thank you for your assistance, Collei. You helped them both of us a great deal today." she gave a smile to her, her human eye gleaming with gratitude.

"It's fine," Collei waved her off, looking at her star-shaped pupil. "More importantly, why the fuck is there a woman in your body?!"

"That was Mikoshi Chiyo; Mikoshi being her family name. I have kept her in my hollowed out body for the last five hundred years, keeping her sleeping and controlled. The medication you gave her will keep her sleeping for another few days, at least until I and Phillip can successfully wake her up and for her to not kill everything she sees."

"Is that because she's an Oni?"

"That, and the fact she was once a trusted ally of the Electro Archon. She went mad due to being in the stomach of a beast of sin, corrupted by it. Before her insanity, she and Phillip seemed to have been good allies, and we're hoping that it'll continue once she wakes."

Collei looked at her bewildered, before letting out a loud laugh. "Wow, you two really love to make problems to fix problems, don't ya?"

Hank gave her a small smile. "Perhaps so. Now, then," she got up, and offered her hand to Collei. "Shall we be off?"

She grabbed onto her hand. "Yeah, I was getting a bit sick at looking at the clouds, anyway."

Hank nodded. "True; it's not for everyone."

"...Say, you wouldn't happen to have any spare clothes, do you?"

"Funnily enough yes, I do."

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

It didn't add up.

Barbados was an idiot, sure, but even he can figure out who Llizel is just by smell.

Then, it clicked: who, in all of Teyvat, would want the True Creator and a person who knows of the true origins of this world dead?

If you guessed Celestia, have a Yorkie bar.

Up until now, Phillip hadn't even thought that Celestia was able to control people but, then again, Visions are quite peculiar.

They're also very potent with Elemental energy, such is the case of a Pyro and Cryo energy behind him.

"The Spindrift Knight and the Outrider, I assume?" he asked, not turning around and just looking towards Stormbearer Mountains. "If you're here to apologise for injuring our mutual friend, don't; I don't believe you wouldn't recognise them, powers or no powers."

"Then why return?" the Lawrence girl demands, and he can feel a cold look directed at his nape. "If it is about a scramble to help people, them don't bother; the Acting Grandmaster has already taken care of it."

"My, aren't we fast?"

"...Is that sarcasm or...?" the Outrider--Amber, was it?--asked, but he could hear a hushed 'quiet!' from the Spindrift Knight.

"You want to praise your Maker, I want to stop the ones who want to kill them. Make sense?"

"And pray, do tell, why we should help you?"

"I haven't any way to convince you, but what would you rather; a dead Creator, or an living Creator?"

"Living, of course!" Amber--he's sure that's her name--blurted out.

"Which is exactly why we need to help each other!" he smiled, turning around. "Although, judging by your expression, I take it that you have some reservations about me?"

"That I do; however, seeing as you might be our only chance to see Them again, and to prevent anyone else trying to kill them, I will take my chances." the blue-haired girl said, her glare still not going away.

"Same here, I've got a few things to apologise for..." Amber chuckled nervously.

"Excellent!" he clapped his hands together. "First order of business," he stretched his arm out, offering his hand. "Hold on to me, and don't let go."

Lawrence raised a brow. "What are you trying to do?"

"Get us to our friend faster. By the way, are you motion sick?" before either could replay, he then nodded to himself. "Actually, never mind, you'll probably be fine. Now, arm, please?"

Lawrence and Amber looked at each other, shrugged, and grabbed on to the offered hand.

With a sound like a whipcrack, they suddenly felt they were upside down, then right-way up, then falling, then rising, all the while flashes of colour came over their eyes--

And then, suddenly, they found themselves dizzy, on the ground, and then vomiting up their meal from Good Hunter.

"Ah, right, should've told you the first trip's always a headache." Phillip awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Duly noted..." Eula spat on the ground, looking back at him. "Where are we, anyways?"

"This," he began, as a flame lit up in a lantern he got from the inside of his coat. "Is where I hope to find what I'm looking for."

[definesanity]

Hearts of Iron, Souls of Tungsten.

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

The next ten minutes was spent explaining many, many, many things, and you got plenty of information out of it, too:

Phillip is Loux Corcea Gladiolus, a former friend of yours back when your first Iskeai: however, while Loux was Reincarnation Number Three, Phillip is Reincarnation Number Six.

The mask-wearing assassin at his side is the 'Humanlike Automation Nebula Kaleidoscope', abbreviated to 'H.A.N.K.', or just Hank. Despite the name, the Automation is female.

As it turns out, you did remember Collei: she was from the Genshin Manga. But, it didn't make any sense; after all, she took off her bandages at the end of the manga, so why does she have them on again?

You pondered that last one for quite a while, even after the four of you were walking forwards into the forest near the first Statue of the Seven the Traveler comes across. When you stopped, it was because Collei and Phillip stopped as well.

"What do you mean, 'my eyes tell a tale?'" the girl raised a brow, staring upwards at the absurdly tall man. (Like, seriously, is he 6'7?).

"Everyone has a tale to tell: to put it simply, I can see them through people's eyes." Phillip explained, as he started to walk forwards again. "It's why I like getting to know people more; I get to find out if their eyes aren't deceiving me."

Collei gave him a long, hard look. "You're the weirdest person I think I've ever talked to..."

"Thanks, I try." he laughed.

From you side, Hank seemed to be curious... you think. It's hard to see through that mask of her's. She, however, didn't question the scene in front of her.

"Say, Collei?" you ask gently, and the girl looked at you with a 'hm?' to show she's listening. "I was wondering... why did you decide to trust me?"

She stopped, turned to face you, and shrugged. "I'll be completely honest: I don't know. Or, more like, I don't know yet."

"Happens to the best of us, I'll tell ya." Phillip replied. He then turned to face you. "So, where you taking us?"

You blinked owlishly. "Wait, I thought you was the one leading us?"

"...We're lost, are we not?" Hank dry response was as monotonous as you expected, honestly.

"No, no." Phillip waved his arms, looking around. "If I remember correctly, we should be far enough now for us to test a theory of mine."

"...Is it to do with me?" you don't even know why you asked; you already knew the answer.

"Well, that depends if your able to use the Teleport Waypoints or not, but--"

"I-I'm sorry, the what?" Collei looked at you two with an expression that screamed 'I call bullshit'. "Wait--go back a sec; how did you two even meet?"

Now, there was a nice memory: the one where he was a ghost, sustained by his own lightning. Speaking of which...

"Can you still control lightning, Phillip?" to your surprise, he shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, kiddo: the most I can do now is this." he placed his hand in front of him, opened his hand, and gems appeared above it, floating in a circle. "I can control all manner of the earth. Useful in many situations, but I'm sorry to say I can't make earthquakes yet."

Collei looked at him (and so did Hank), and she raised a brow. "You've got a Vision?"

"Nope." Phillip's reply was quick, simple and straight to the point.

"...But you just controlled Geo." it took you all you had not to laugh at Collei's deadpanned expression.

"I did. The only ones I have are in my sword," he pointed to the large blade on his back, "And, well, they're not mine, anyway."

You coughed, trying to avoid another headache, and looked at Phillip. "How on earth do I access Teleport Waypoints?"

"And they are?" Collei started to look really annoyed now, so you tried to explain it, but Phillip took the initiative.

"You know those blue floating pillar things? Well, I think, think, our pal here can teleport to them, with us following suit."

"And you're sure that that's safe?"

"I never said anything about safety."

"So why should I risk my ass with--"

A loud ticking noise sounded to your right, and Hank suddenly looked at Phillip. "The Knights are on our trail."

"Because if we don't, we'll get our asses killed!" Phillip now looked at you with urgency.

Shaking your head, you concentrated. Usually, that's how teleportation works, right? "Any place in particular?"

"Enkanomiya; the Dainchi Mikoshi, if you can!"

You thought, concentrated on the massive tower in the middle...

And suddenly, you hear Collei gasp. "Where are we?!"

Looking up, you faced the tower, and immediately looked away due to it being in Whitenight.

Then, you realise something else:

Phillip and Hank aren't with you.

--------------------------------------------------

Phillip was old, even he can admit it. But, even still, he knew his way around his sword like he was still in his first life.

He was staring into the lake, Hank at his side, and thoughts in his head.

Most notably, that he finally met you again, after all these years.

For you, it must have been only a few months, maybe more, but for him? It's been literal millennias since he last saw you.

And, well, call him soft, but he won't care; it was nice to see you again. More than that, but he could never find the right words for it.

Was he annoyed that he was left behind? No, not really; it was a first time thing for everyone, including that girl. A girl who, from what he could tell, has the power beyond that of a normal Vision, but he didn't have the time to ponder such things.

...Especially when he heard numerous footsteps behind him, and the call of, "Halt!"

He sighed, stood up, and clapped. "Congrats, you found me. Want a prize or something?"

"Do not act so coy! Where are they?!" they demanded, but Phillip simply gazed around.

"You know, it's quite rude to speak about someone without using their name, you know." he remarked, placing his hands in front of him. "Besides, this is the Land of Freedom, is it not? Therefore, I have the freedom to not say a single word about--"

He moved his body to the side just as an icicle whizzed by, and when he looked from the direction it came from, he raised a brow.

The woman in front of him, holding a Claymore, glared at him. "I suggest you talk, heretic."

From his side, Hank spoke. "That is Captain Eula Lawrence, The Spindrift Knight: no offense, but even you couldn't take on her own by yourself, Phillip."

At that, the white-haired man nodded; it was a shame, really. Normally, the diplomatic approach works...

And, with a shrug, snapped his fingers.

From the ground, pillars erupted, quickly surrounding the Knights. Of course, they can be broken easily, but their appearance makes it seem otherwise.

And people say that Geo and its abilities aren't fun. 'Jokes on them.' Phillip thought to himself. 'Still, a pity that Lawrence believes them; she seems to be an interesting character.'

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

"Hey, I'm back, what did we miss?"

With your neck almost cracking, you looked at Phillip and Hank, with the former causally waving at you.

"Well, someone took their sweet time!" Collei sarcastically shouted, adjusting her bandages. "What took you, the Knights giving you a bit too much trouble?"

"No, they were incased within a Geo Construct; it was the fact he couldn't stop taunting them that took too much time." Hank said simply, looking at the tall swordsman. "Speaking of which, why on earth did you choose here of all places?"

From your's and Collei's looks, you three were still unable to rap your heads around Phillip's thought process.

"Well, for once, I had a plan; there's someone I want us to meet. Please, follow me." he gestured, and started walking away from the tower.

Sighing heavily, you followed the madman.

While walking, Collei started to talk to you. "You know, I'm surprised you haven't asked me about it yet."

"About what?" you assume it's her bandages, and she confirms it.

"My bandages. Back when I was traveling, I got asked about it almost everywhere I went. So, I just thought you'd do the same."

You shook your head. "Gonna be honest, we all have secrets we'd rather keep to ourselves. You've got to be wearing them for s reason that's not related to me, right?"

Collei nodded slowly, before stopping and staring at you with a hard gaze. "Okay, cut the crap; why are you being nice?"

"Common curtsey?" came your immediate (and, technically correct) response.

Collei, however, only snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I'm being sincere; I mean, there's plenty of stuff I want to ask to those two," you jabbed your thumb at the two in question, "But I don't want to be rude."

Collei went quiet, her eyes darting around every few seconds, before she finally huffed. "Fine, I'll at least try to believe you." she pointed a finger at you, her eyes a vortex of the deepest purple. "But the second I find you're lying? I'll make sure that your life will become worse than a living hell."

You nodded. "I'll make sure you won't regret it, Collei. I mean, I'd rather not lose the only other Fatui hater I know, honestly."

She huffed again, but not out of annoyance this time. "Fair enough."

A thought them crossed your mind, and you called to Phillip. When he came hither, he looked at you with a knowing look.

"You're curious about the real reason as to why I said to bring us here, yes?" at your nod, he smiled. "Well, a friend of mine, who may or may not be able to control time, was able to keep someone I know alive and well: now, here's the thing; you know about... well, you-know-what, right?"

"I do. What, they'll help to defuse the situation?"

"Yes, in a way; she has something that'll help you defend yourself, and I have a way to make everyone's opinion on you do a one-eighty."

Now that was the best news you've heard all day. Although... "Do they have a place for us to sleep? Because, well..."

"Don't worry, she promised me it, and she never goes back in them." and coming from someone who literally tricked even Gods, you still had your doubts.

When he finally stopped, it was near the edge of the island, off to the southeast. He went over to the wall in front of him, and pushed against it.

The wall then moved, similar to those moving bookshelves you've seen in movies, and what greeted you made you do a double take.

There, sitting in the middle of the (surprisingly well-preserved) room, was Mimi.

You looked at Phillip, but he gave you a sideways look of 'Just go with it, kid.'

When the prototype model of Kokomi looked up, she smiled at you all. "Ah, you've returned unharmed. I do hope your journey here wasn't too unpleasant?"

"It was confusing, I'll tell you that much." Collei remarked, and Mimi giggled at her.

"My, aren't you straightforward? But, yes; even I can admit it's not exactly the most pleasant route." she clasped her hands, gazing her ocean-blue eyes to Phillip's purple. "I take it that they know who I am?"

He nodded, looking at you with a subtle 'You better' look. You replied, "You're... Mimi, right?"

Mimi smiled more, her shoulders now less tense. "Ah, I'm glad. Indeed, I am Sangonomiya Mimi, the first Divine Priestess; however, before our journey towards the surface, my name in Byakuyakoku-script was Nero."

Nero... wasn't Enkanomiya based off Ancient Greece though? Then again, you thought, the ancient Greeks and Romans were quite intertwined in history, so it doesn't surprise you.

"It's an honour to meet you, Mimi." you gave a small bow, your smile both warm and anxious. "I suppose I don't need an introduction?"

Mimi giggled, her gaze looking through you. "No, you do not... Your friends, on the other hand, as I'm afraid I have never spoken to before."

"I am Hank, an Automation created to, quote, 'keep Phillip's forgetful arse in line'." Hank stated, and you could see Phillip role his eyes in amusement.

"...Collei." the young girl said after a long pause.

"Hmhm, such odd friends you've made yourself, old friend; tell me, how's the other one holding up?"

"She sends her regards and," he paused, "Wants me to tell you that still look good for someone who's... oh, well now, that's just rude."

"The hell's he talking about...?" Collei whispered, and Hank bent down to her ear.

"Phillip shares his body with another soul; whom she is, he has never explained, as the two share an agreement on secrecy."

"I-- what?" Your's and Collei's expressions were of utmost confusion, so much so that Phillip decided to try and explain it himself.

"After a... certain incident, I ended up with another being sharing this body of mine; while she's quite content with staying in the corners of my mind, poking at my memories, she has given me permission to use her power as an emergency panic button.

"I'd say more, but I'd rather not push it." he concluded his vague description. He then turned to Hank and Collei. "Hank, Collei; would you mind leaving us be for a moment? This is something to be kept secret for now."

The girl opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by Hank saying, "Understood."

Once they left fully, Phillip sighed while groaning. "Well, first off, sorry about the whole 'Imposter' thing, kid; I never thought that Barbados was really that blind, but he continues to surprise me."

"Okay, question: how old are you this time around?" Loux was already 165 when you first met him, so you won't be surprised if--

"I've been here since before the beginning of the Seven Nations."

...Never mind, he's REALLY old this time around, then.

Mimi hummed, her expression level. "Before even Inazuma and Byakuyakoku?"

"Oh, very; I've been getting rather bored these past five hundred years, though; it's thanks to the kid that I've got some of my old drive back, so..." he gave you a purely genuine smile. "Thanks again. From all of 'I'."

You returned the smile. "Anytime, Da... Phillip."

After a moment, you turned to Mimi. "So, do you want to run by what Phillip's grand plan is?"

Mimi nodded. "Of course."

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

It was quiet, and while Collei likes it, spending it with another person isn't something she's used to.

Hank was standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead without her mask on, giving Collei the chance to look at her properly.

Her hair was short and slightly spikey at the front, and was blood red with it becoming snow white near the edges. Her right eye was a turquoise blue, and her left wasn't even an eye: it was pure black with a moving red circle in it, constantly changing in size, rotation, and had lines coming from it, traveling downwards towards her chest.

Her suit was both simple yet elegant, with her sharing the same tailcoat as Phillip, just with a different design on it. On it's back was the head of a hawk, with one side made out of metal.

Her hands were covered by fingerless gloves, showing painted red nails, black pants and black and dark red high heels.

In all, Hank gave Collei the impression that should could kick her ass in seconds, Archon Residue be damned.

"I.. do hope that I'm not causing you discomfort, Collei." Hank's normal eye was looking directly at her, with her other switching it's size every few seconds. "My intention was to secure a proper comradeship, but you're not exactly... fond of people, am I correct?"

"It's only certain people, so don't get it mixed up." she warned, but received only a nod. "And I'd like a verbal agreement?"

"I understand. I shall take note of this." her eye spun around rapidly, and then returned to normal. "Completed. While on the subject, is there anything you wish to know about me?"

"Yeah, what's up with your weird... eye thing?"

"This," she pointed at it, "Is my Optical Analysis Provider; 'OAP' for short. It allows me to scan my environment, people, objects and others to determine the best course of action. I am also able to tell one's life force, and you appear to have something... else, in you."

"That's none of your business," Collei snapped, waving her hand. "Also; why do you look like that?"

"My design was based off of the android known as 'Yuyukokoro', of whom was Phillip's old partner, many years ago. In her honour, and to be more relaxed, he made me appear identical to her in all but her personality."

She want quiet again, before smiling. "I feel like we will get along swimmingly."

"I... don't share the sentiment, but..." Collei scratched her hair, thinking: on one hand, she could say no, and have Hank persist, or say yes, and potentially have another ally... "...I'll at least try to get along with you." she said in the end.

"Excellent; if I may ask, would you like to share with me?"

"Hell no." came her immediate reply. "I'm sure you can appreciate wanting to keep secrets secret?"

"Yes. I can."

Silence once again befell them, and Collei looked down; at her bandaged hands, them at Hank's OAP. She sighed, something she's beginning to hate to do so often. "Just what are you, Hank?"

"I am an Automation; one that is able to understand human conversation, emotion, and culture."

"...Say, if that's the case, ten what's the meaning of life?"

Hank squinted, and her real eye looked around. "That... that is a question with multiple answers."

"What'd'ya mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said; different people say different things, and I am no different." Hank turned around, looking at Collei over her shoulder, and readjusted her tie. "It's getting late. We should get some rest."

Collei nodded. "Yeah... yeah, you're right." taking one last look at Enkanomiya, she started to walk back to Mimi's hideout.

'Maybe...' she thought, glancing sideways at Hank's face. 'Maybe this world does have some good and honest people in them. Even if they're nosy and blunt at times.'

"Ah, one last thing," Hank quipped, turning to face Collei with her mask back on. "Is it true that you hate the Gods?"

"Yeah, why?" she didn't even try to defend it. Why should she, when her decision is final?

"Well, you should get along with Phillip then." her smile was ominous. "As he hates the Gods more than any creature in the Abyss for what they did to him and the ones he was once friends with."

[definesanity]

She Who Follows Their Teachings, He Who Questions Their Teachings.

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

Once upon a time, many moons ago...

There lived a devout Intoner, who's senses were both a blessing and a curse.

She, who first followed Their teachings, continues to do so without stopping, much to her 'brother's' concern...

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

One had always enjoyed the silence, even before her senses had increased to unbearable amounts. And, with her current state, it would be better not to make a single sound.

Her eyes, a beautiful ruby brimming with intellect, were close to closing. She herself wasn't any better, as another yawn exited her lips.

She had intended to finish this specific book on stories of Llizel by five but, from the sky outside, it seemed to be close to seven.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

Rhythmic footsteps approached her small bedroom office. And, judging by the lightness of the steps...

"You may enter, brother." One said quietly, making sure not to hurt her ears.

The door creaked open, and One's brother, bearing an uncanny resemblance to her, walked on through, closing the door softly behind him.

He looked at her with soft ruby eyes, and yet they also showed concern, and spoke quietly to her. "Sister, shouldn't you rest now? It's approaching night."

One waved her hand. "You need not worry for me, brother. I know my..." she then trailed off, yawning. "...I know my limits."

"...Sister, I mean no offense, but you look terrible." stopping in front of her, the boy with the Dragonbone Sword sighed. "Once again, no offense, but what do you take priority more of: your health, or your God?"

One's eyes snapped towards him, a bright flame flickering in them. "What do you mean by that, dear brother?"

Her brother's eyes, a warmer yet just as intense flame, gazed back. "Nothing at all, dear sister; only that your health should be more important than Llizel's--"

One quickly stood up and glared at him. "Don't you dare speak ill of Them!" she hissed venomously. "It is through Their teachings, Their very will and existence, that we can hope for peace in our lands!"

"..." he tilted his head, before sighing, deciding it to best not to argue. "You are right, sister. My apologies. I shall take my leave now."

"I--brother, wait." One called, and her brother looked back, ruby meeting ruby once more, but with quiet flames instead. "...Sorry. I'll make sure to look after myself. I'll finish these last two pages and I promise I'll go to sleep."

Her brother nodded, smiling. "Thank you, sister. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, brother."

The door closed, and the smile on One's brother faded slightly. Turning right, he made his way to his bedroom...

...When he spotted a cloaked person writing something down a small book. The two looked at each other, before an electric shook coursed through his body, and the intruder ran, with himself giving chase.

"INTRUDER! THERE'S AN INTRUDER IN THE CASTLE!" he yelled out, and guards were quick to respond. However, the individual seemed to be skilled, as he managed to dodge every attack thrown at him. When one did, it seemed like it literally passed through him, as if he were a ghost...

In the end, he escaped using a smokescreen from a smoke bomb to hid himself. At his side, One came by him and cursed, before wincing, grasping her ear lightly.

Looking at her, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, sister. We'll catch them again."

She nodded, eyes tired. "I hope so, yes..."

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

That wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be, all things considered.

Regardless, all the Intoners have been accounted for, including the brother of One.

I will see to Llizel's mortal self upon their arrival. Until then, Accord, I'll be doing my own thing.

Good luck, to all of us.

--Loux Corcea Gladiolus.