#Enjoy my friends

[lemon-wedges]

Behold thou art fair, my beloved, behold thou art fair..let me see thy face, let me hear thy voice. For thy voice is harmonious and thy face enchanting, thou has ravished my heart...thy lips drop as the honeycomb....thy palate a heady wine that goes straight to my love and flows over my lips and teeth....

Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose

--

Monk x Shinto Priest Au

[cookiescribble]

Promised Me The Sky, Tossed Me Like A Stone

A/N: It’s been a bit since I’ve posted on this blog so uhh here ya go! I was listening to In Pieces by Linkin Park and got inspired. That song is about Gale’s feelings toward Mystra, I stg (I’m joking but it screams “I was tossed aside by my goddess lover” to me with some of those lyrics). Enjoy tho!- Mod Ghost

Summary: Stargazing and philosophizing with the rizzard known as Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep

Pairing: Gale Dekarios x GN!Tav

“…may I speak with you about something that’s been on my mind recently?” Gale began, breaking the silence between the two of you as you lay together in the grass to stare up at the starry expanse of night with intertwined hands.

“Yes, darling?” You replied, turning to lay on your side so you could look at him instead of the inky blackness above the two of you. He was much more interesting than some blips a few trillion miles into space.

“I’ve been wondering…why didn’t you take the chance to be with Halsin? When he asked you to?” he spoke in a soft tone, one you’d never heard from him before.

“I’m…not sure what you mean. It’s exactly as I told you then, I’d rather be with you. You’re the one I love.” You mimic the cadence of his voice, empathizing with the pain he was clearly feeling somewhere deep within him as you gently stroke your fingers through his hair.

“Why? He’s much more of a man than I, and could prove that to you any day,” He chuckled, but there was no mirth to his expression. It felt cold. Flat. As if he was simply trying to lighten your mood as well as his own.

You felt your heart clench with an aching despair as you took in his question, moving to sit up as you continued to hold his gaze. Even if he wouldn’t tear his eyes away from what was ahead of him.

“Gale…look at me.” You whisper tenderly, taking hold of his chin between your thumb and forefinger to turn his face toward your own in order to urge him further, “You are the one I love, the one I adore, even. Not Halsin, not Astarion, not Karlach…you, and I will continue to tell you the very same even after the day you finally are able to feel that. To know that I would give anything just to see your smile, to hear your laughter. Alright?”

The wizard simply lay there, in stunned awe, for a moment. As if he just didn’t understand that someone could love him so readily, so deeply. It startled him but he was warming up to the idea, letting himself welcome it. How could you find him so alluring anyway? He’s just…

Gale.

He’s just some wizard, a man that spent most of his life with his nose pressed into one book or another. Mystra’s discarded guard dog. If he wasn’t good enough for a goddess of all people, how could he even possibly begin to deserve love from you? The being closest to perfection that he’d ever encountered, let alone been with. The one who makes him forget his goddess, makes it tolerable to live again without her and brightens all the colors of the world just by being there. You were his everything and more, but he’s been so used to giving his all to Mystra only for her to give him scraps in return that weren’t even fully his.

To her, he was one of many. A mere drop in a plentiful ocean of lovers, to the point where it didn’t matter that he was her chosen. When she’d initially picked him, brought him into her good graces, he thought that might change things. Gale quickly learned that wasn’t to be the case, because to her, he was nothing but a mediocre experience at best. She had been what his entire existence was devoted to, and he’d been working to correct that. To slowly detach himself from all the threads that she had sewn into his soul. You make that easier for him, though, by treating him with such gentle care that he was only just now starting to truly believe he deserved.

“…Gale, honey, please…? Say something?” you insist, inching closer and adjusting to hold his face with both of your hands, “It’s quite rare that I’ve ever heard you be silent.” you continue with a tease, trying to summon some kind of reaction from your wizard.

He merely chuckled once more at first, before he spoke, “You…astound me. I have never in my life felt so out of my depth. I’d have plenty of reason to believe you were a siren if we were at sea, showing me my greatest desires as if it were as easy as breathing. Or even a god yourself, but that simply isn’t the case. None of the gods I’ve ever tangled with have shown close to half of the divinity you possess. I truly feel that you were sent from the heavens, but it has taken some doing to realize that it was specifically for me. I love you, too, with all of my heart and soul.” his voice came in almost a whisper, the wind carrying it gently from him to you.

It was more relieving than any balm sold by the best healers in the realm to hear him say that. You smiled, tugging him closer and laying your head on his chest while his hand settled on your lower back. Staring upwards while you lay in his embrace, the vast blanket of stars above you seemed much less daunting now, knowing that whatever was ahead would be conquered with Gale. Getting this far in your adventures together had been treacherous, but it felt effortless at his side. You now realize that it was love that fueled you, that urged you on all this time. To see this through with hopefully a bright future on the other side.

It’s what Gale, as well as you, had more than earned.

No matter what it cost you, it was what you were more than willing to give to him.

“Have you ever thought about killing Mystra?” your voice tore through the silence, almost startling him before he spoke himself,

“What?”

“What? She’s done nothing but–”

“You wish to kill the goddess of magic for…what, for me?”

“Why do you say that as if it’s so ridiculous?”

“Because it’s the goddess of magic!”

“I’m well aware of that–”

“We are not killing the goddess of magic. I use magic entirely too much for that.”

You can’t help but laugh at that, “and that’s the only reason?”

“I’ve long since stopped from trying to tell you that killing is wrong, my love.”

“How very clever of you.”

That ended the lighthearted threatening of Mystra’s life, at least for now, and left the two of you in silence to stargaze until you fell asleep where you lay, a few miles away from camp and wrapped in each other’s arms.

[changingplumbob]

A Party To Die For Templates: SFS

So I may have got a tad overexcited about the Halloween CAS Challenge created by @la-llama-sims, and I made templates for every prompt. I wanted to share them on the off chance someone wanted to also do the challenge but maybe didn't have time to do much other than screenshots.

Tutorial below on how to make your own cards using the templates if you are unfamiliar with photo software, all you need is the template and a screenshot of your sim! Very little technical skill required to so feel free to jump in for Simblreen (the month of October on simblr). Remember to go to the original creator post to check out the prompts and the hashtag given for creations is #LLPTDF. Hope to see some of your creations next month, keep them for the spooky season 🎃👻🦇

Strap in and follow along as I make Glenn here (he won't do the spellcaster prompt for Simblreen, it's dress up after all, but it makes sense for a demo)

Step one: Grab the zipped folder of templates on SFS HERE. Unzip the folder and put it somewhere easy to find in your documents, I have a tumblr specific folder my templates are normally sorted in.

Step two: Open your photo editing program of choice. I use paint.net which is old but for this demonstration I will use Photopea, the online free alternative to adobe. You will see the screen below

Step three: Click "Open From Computer" right in the middle under the main title. Find the screenshot you have taken that you would like to use and open it. Now the hole in my template is 744x991 but you can make it slightly bigger if you don't want to fuss as much with lining things up exactly. To resize image from the top bar (Image -> Image Size) We're going to use the crop tool when we have our picture.

Step four: Pull on the squares at the edges to change the size. If you need click View in the top bar and you can zoom in to allow finer selecting. When you have the right size click the tick and copy the image. Keyboard shortcuts are Ctrl+A to select all, then Ctrl+C to copy.

Step five: Open the template you want to use (File -> Open, from the top bar). Add a new layer using either the top bar (Layer -> New -> Layer) or the icons on the bottom right.

Step six: With the new layer selected paste the image, Ctrl+V.

Step seven: On the right of the screen you'll be able to see layer order. Drag the layer with your sim underneath the background layer. This is what will let you slot in your picture.

Step eight: Finishing touches! Unless you are super duper lucky your sim won't appear in the exact right place, you'll have to move them around using the move tool. For precision you'll need to zoom in and move your field of vision using the hand tool.

You'll know it's in the right place when you can no longer see any of the negative space behind it. I like to check both corners to make sure I've got it. This is where having a sim image slightly larger will make it easier.

If you like you can finish now. From the top bar File -> Export as -> PNG or JPG. The picture will save to your downloads folder. If you want to add your own text, keep reading, as I've left space at the bottom for your username, the sim name, and a profile pic or other logo. Or go ahead and crop it out, who needs extra hassle when there are cute CAS looks to be made?

Step nine: From the bar on the right select the large T to add some text, it will automatically spawn in a new layer. Scroll through text options and find one you like (the text style I used isn't in photopea so we will find another). Depending on the type of text you will likely need to play around with the size as well.

Step ten: Start typing. When you're done you can highlight what you have written and use that size box to adjust how big the text is. Select the move tool from the right to move your text where you want it. Repeat step nine if you want text on the other side. I've chosen to put my username on one side, and my sim's name on the other.

Step eleven: Logo time. Open a pre shrunk logo (I scaled my pride plumbobs down to 125x125) and copy. Back on the template add a new layer then paste your image (for some reason I had to copy twice before it would do the right thing, I don't have an explanation sorry). Then using the move tool and the hand tool get your image where you want it.

From the top bar File -> Export as -> PNG or JPG. Again it will have saved to your downloads folder.

Voila, we have a Glenn card! Hopefully you have a your sim card. I spent hours doing up all the templates so feel free to fill them with your sims for the challenge. All I ask is that you don't claim templates as your own work or shove them behind a paywall because rude and the whole premise of Simblreen is free treats! Obviously you do NOT need the templates to participate in the challenge, the cards are just how I'll be presenting mine. Like CAS challenges the possibilities are most often only limited by your imagination.

[moonfang182-magic]

Gregtober Day 24: Scare

"Halloween is just around the corner and it’s Gregory’s first time decorating a home for the occasion. Unfortunately for him, a lot of the holiday’s staples have been scaring him more than he thought they would."

@gregaverse

[theanoninyourinbox]

The Offensive/Defensive Roles in The New Longstar AU

The Brawler

Brawlers are those who hone their fighting abilities to their peak, but also their diplomatic skills as well.  A good Brawler knows how to end a fight before it starts, settling ruffled fur and sending both parties away mollified if not content.  But in a battle, the Brawlers are at the forefront of both offense and defense.  Working closely with Healers, they know just where to strike a cat to wound, cripple, or kill.  Brawlers are carefully watched by their leaders and clanmates for signs that they enjoy battles -too- much, for a bloodthirsty Brawler is a curse on their Clan.

The Hunters and The Trackers

Hunters are those who bring fresh prey to the camp, and Trackers are those who find the prey.  Many cats group these roles into one, and many a Hunter is also a Tracker, but there are some major differences.

Hunters do the killing of many kinds of prey, but they also clean and butcher their kills for ease of consumption and storage in Leafbare.  They are encouraged to take the prey apart (out of the sight of predatory birds and impressionable kits) to discover better ways to bring them down.  A great Hunter may know the difference between a sparrow and a finch by taste alone, how to bring down a squirrel without making a sound, and the proper way to pluck a rabbit so the fur is useable later.

A Tracker knows everything about the prey in their territory, and nearly as much about the dangerous predators lurking about.  They know the locations of every nest and each burrow, and which animal lives in each.  Their keen noses can pick up the scent of fox from far away, and their claws know just where to aim on a badger to send them reeling.

The Patroller

Patrollers keep the territory well marked and well mapped.  Each tree or rock or grassy knoll or riverbend is inspected with care, and when something drastic changes, the Patroller is there to find out -why-.  Often bringing Trackers or Brawlers with them, the casual observer may just see a hunting party, but Patrollers are there to see that their Clan, and their neighboring Clans, stay where they’re supposed to.

The Camp Guard

Camp Guards are the backbone of camp-keeping, the supply line that keeps everything both tidy and prepared for trouble.  They line nests with fresh moss and soft materials, either locating the materials themselves or getting Patrollers to find the best moss spots.  Camp Guards weave the den walls strong and keep the well maintained, repairing with clever paws and strong jaws.  They clear out the bones of old prey, and if ever a piece were to go bad, they bring that to the Herbalists for extra compost.  They’re the first line of defense in an attack on their Clan’s camp, and often learn some Brawler moves to supplement their training.

The Nursery Guard

Nursery Guards are sometimes interchangeable with Camp Guards, having many of the same duties, but specialize in kit-care and elder care.  They give badger rides to the squealing kits when the queens and kings are tired.  They clean elders of ticks and fleas when the cherished retirees can’t reach.  Nursery Guards train with Brawlers to better defend their charges, but also with Healers to spot any sign of illness before it becomes fatal.

The Warrior

A Warrior learns a little of all these roles, for a Warrior -is- all the roles.  They track and hunt; they stop fights with words and end fights with force; they patrol and guard camp and watch over the helpless.  To be a Warrior is to know many things, and keep them from being overwhelming to others, for an overworked Camp Guard may leave a wall too thin, a Tracker miss a hawk circling, or a Nursery Guard ignore a cough that becomes so much worse.  A Warrior is the ultimate role for many a cat, but there is no shame in specializing.

[zenlesszonezero]

As the conspiracy reaches its finale, the Void Hunter joins the fight.

Uncover the Conspiracy in Zenless Zone Zero's All-New Version "A Storm of Falling Stars", S-Rank Agent Hoshimi Miyabi is here! With S-Rank Agent Asaba Harumasa Limited-Time Giveaway! Pre-register to obtain additional rewards.

[pierremcguire]

ok top 5 hrpf fics any ship

I decided to go with some older or maybe less popular pairings to hopefully give people insight into something new :) these are in no particular order.

genuinely anything connor/jack that @iddayidnight has ever written. I am idday's biggest fan 😤

give up the ghost (stop the haunting baby) by tourdefierce

"James Neal falls in love, gets traded, gets his shit together and (mostly) grows the fuck up. Just not necessarily in any order that makes sense. He hears it's the journey that counts, not the destination." paul martin/james neal, rated E, 15k words

how strange it is to be anything at all by thesaddestsong

in which taylor grows up, finds himself, and falls in love, though not necessarily in that order. (or, the one where taylor plays for the golden bears and jordan plays for the oilers, and still they find themselves gravitating toward each other) jordan eberle/taylor hall, rated T, 38k words

down by the brazos by ionthesparrow (archive locked)

"Sometimes you can love a place, even if it don’t love you back. But sometimes you can find someone that do." jeff carter/mike richards, rated M, 23k words

if heaven's hypothetical by impertinence (@stopthatimp) and shoemaster

"Jeff runs away from Toronto and finds himself homeless in Raleigh, where he accidentally starts serving eggs to Eric Staal." jeff skinner/eric staal, rated E, 63k words

settle down (you're not alone anymore) by hishn_greywalker (archive locked)

"they say the first six months are the hardest." danny briere/claude giroux, rated T, 9k words

[whatthe-puck]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Men's Hockey RPF Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jonas Brodin/Joel Eriksson Ek, Matthew Boldy/Brock Faber, Connor Dewar/Brandon Duhaime, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added Characters: Minnesota Wild NHL Team Ensemble, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, Matthew Boldy, Brock Faber, Connor Dewar, Brandon Duhaime, Jared Spurgeon, Marc-Andre Fleury, Other Character Tags to Be Added Additional Tags: Inspired by Mamma Mia! (Movies), Eventual Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fluff and Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

After a tough season in which they miss the playoffs, Spurgeon decides to take the guys out of the country for one last vacation before the off-season potentially decimates their team. The intention behind the plan is sweet: to make as many great, lasting memories while they still can, with or without the cup. A nice, easy couple of weeks outside on a beautiful remote island off the coast of mainland Greece. What could go wrong?

... Jared should really know better than to expect that everything will go according to plan when his teammates are involved.

The Mamma Mia Minnesota Wild spinoff that nobody asked for, but I created anyways.

[fatesmadesoldiers]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Eventual poly Chris/Grayson/Alex, Chris/Grayson, eventual percabeth - Relationship, Alex and Collin, Hades/Persephone (Percy Jackson) Characters: The Olympians (Percy Jackson), Hades (Percy Jackson), Hades Cabin (Percy Jackson), Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Damien Monroe, Collin Lighthill, Luke Castellan, Chris Rodriguez, The Stoll Brothers, Hermes Cabin (Percy Jackson), Camp Half-Blood Campers (Percy Jackson), Campers (Percy Jackson) Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Character Death, this is my sona's story, aka this is lowkey a self insert, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, The Gods Suck, Trans Male Character, mc is trans, Strap in this one's a doozy Series: Part 3 of Stories of The Forgotten Demigods Summary:

"I'm wanted and on the run."

 This is the story of a character who's life was spent hiding in the shadows. hiding from the men who sought to rip him apart, piece by piece.

This is the story of a demigod so forgotten, he's forgotten himself.

This is the story of Alexander J. Wayne.

This is my PJO sona's story.

[thebrandywine]

Hey I also posted on the other side part 6

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

Side To Side

Chapter 239: A Day of Unwanted Confrontation

Characters: Ruby Rating: Teen Warnings: Language, Violence, Blood, Injuries, Light Gore Notes: See! I said I would update faster. Hope y'all enjoy :)

~~~~~~

After Ruby’s infuriating afternoon the previous day, she decided that she was only going to relax for the rest of the time in Musnia. She would read and soak her feet. She would eat pastries from the bakery and take a walk in the park. Now that she had been officially told to not bother Tas and Hanzi, she could spend time focusing on herself. 

That’s what she initially thought, at least.

She was calmly getting ready for the day in the quiet of the inn. She had hair pins in her mouth as she buttoned up her shorts. She hummed and stretched, enjoying the warm sun shining through the window. She started to pin her hair up into a large bun, her thick hair making the perfect bun atop her head. 

She paused when she heard a knock on her door and stared at it. She walked over to it and opened it slowly. She saw the innkeeper standing outside her door with a tight smile.

“Miss Elissa, you have a guest.”

“Guest?” She questioned with a cock of her head. “Uh, okay, I’ll finish getting ready and come down to see them, I guess.”

The innkeeper nodded and left her to continue getting ready. Ruby put her earrings in and then slipped on some strappy brown sandals. She finished by putting on deodorant and then grabbing her purse.

She made sure to secure everything in her room before walking out of the room and locking it. She walked down the stairs and waved to the bartender when he greeted her. Ruby walked up to the innkeeper’s table and stopped in her tracks.

“Ah! There she is!” Hanzi laughed. “Hello, darling!”

“Hi?” She stared at Hanzi with a shocked look on her face. “What…are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to get you!” Hanzi replied with a chortle. “Friends can’t let their friends end things with a bad taste in their mouths.”

“Ah.” Ruby walked up to him carefully. She smiled at the innkeeper who had a curious look on his face.

“Be safe, Miss Elissa,” he said with a nod. 

Ruby nodded back before she was led away from the inn. She followed Hanzi, still too surprised to say anything. How did he find her? Why did he find her? She thought she had been kicked out and told to stay away. What was Hanzi planning?

“I guess I should buy you breakfast.” She heard Hanzi say.

Ruby’s ears perked up at the mention of food. She watched Hanzi turn to look at her. “I’m always willing to eat free food.”

Hanzi laughed. “Good girl! That’s how it should be!” 

Ruby dared to crack a smile. 

“Why did you come find me?” Ruby asked after she ordered her strawberries and cream crepes. She brought her caramel latte to her lips and sipped.

“You’ve helped us out this far,” Hanzi started. “I would hate for you to not be there to finish it.”

Ruby cleared her throat. “It’s probably best that I don’t get involved anymore,” she said. “Could you imagine what would happen if news got out that I was helping people out?”

Hanzi took his chin in his fingers. “We don’t have to tell people who you are, we can let your little persona be upfront and center. Besides, this island doesn’t get much outside help, as I’m sure you’ve figured out. I doubt the WEJ news would care about us.”

“You’re telling me that an island that has a diamond mine doesn’t get any news or help from the outside world?”

“Did you hear about us before you got here?” Ruby didn’t answer. “Exactly. Besides, don’t you want acknowledgement for your work?”

“No.”

“None at all?”

“Nope,” she said. She smiled as the waitress as she placed Ruby’s food in front of her. “Listen, I’m…supposed to be…not obvious.”

“You’re on an undercover mission for your captain?” He asked. “That’s interesting, but none of my business.” He shrugged. “What I care about is you, me, and Tas finishing this whole thing together. Whether you like it or not, darling, you’re a part of this. We’ve got the map showing where the hideout probably is, let’s meet up with Tas and finish this.”

Ruby ate her crepes, not responding at first. She sighed through her nose. “You know, these crepes are fantastic. They’re light and airy, the strawberries aren’t too sweet, and the cream is the perfect balance of vanilla and sugar.” She sipped her latte. “The coffee isn’t half bad either. I bet my captain would even approve.” Hanzi stared at her, with his coffee mug in hand. “Are you really determined to have me see this through?”

“Yes.”

Ruby sighed. “Fine, I owe you for buying me breakfast anyway.”

Hanzi grinned at her in response. 

They finished their meals and Hanzi paid. Ruby stood up and stretched in the sunlight. A breeze rolled by and she smelled the air. She supposed that this was a nice island. It had good weather and good food. Tas and Hanzi weren’t bad, and the innkeeper and the bartender weren’t either. 

In all her travels Ruby always goes onto nice islands. Nice weather, good food, good people. Sometimes she wondered if she would find the one for her and her Heart Pirates. Would they ever find one or would they sail the sea forever, only calling the Polar Tang home? She supposed it didn’t matter, they still needed to survive Dressrosa and then maybe find the One Piece. Ruby wasn’t certain what Law was planning on after Doflamingo. Then again, he did say that he had planned on dying so he may not have even planned on anything. 

Ruby sighed sadly. She looked up from her feet and saw that her and Hanzi had already walked to the headquarters. Ruby made a face at herself. She couldn’t believe she was so lost in thought that she blindly followed someone. Sure, it was Hanzi, but for all she knew he could be lying about keeping her secret and was trying to get her into deep trouble.

Ruby swallowed as Hanzi grinned at her. “Let’s go get Tas and talk about our next steps. At this point we just need a task force to infiltrate the hideout.”

Ruby nodded and followed him in. “Do you think people will do it?”

“Yes. I think everyone is tired of this bullshit.”

Everyone started to greet Hanzi and some people even greeted Ruby. They walked to Tas’s office and Hanzi opened the door for her. Ruby suddenly realized that she wasn’t supposed to be here and that she was kicked out the last time she was. If Lucian caught her it would cause a ruckus. 

Hanzi allowed Ruby to walk in first. He closed the door behind him and grinned.

“I brought our favorite damsel,” Hanzi boasted. “We got some breakfast first, of course, couldn’t let a lady do work on an empty stomach!”

Tas said nothing. He was staring at a sheet in his hands with a serious look on his face. Ruby and Hanzi looked at each other. Hanzi shrugged. 

“Hanzi said you guys figured out where the hideout is. Is it marked on the map?” Ruby started to reach for the map on his desk but stopped when the map was snatched away from her. “Whoa! What’s up?” Ruby frowned at him.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s up?” Tas asked, practically seething with anger. He laid out the paper in his hands onto the desk. It was her old wanted poster. She looked at Hanzi in the corner of her eye and saw him pinch between his eyes.

“Tas,” Ruby started. “Let me-”

“Explain? Please do! Please explain to me why a pirate is on this island trying to work with the local authorities! What are you after?”

“I’m not after anything,” Ruby said calmly. “I didn’t want to get involved with any of this but…” she trailed off, not wanting to get Duhni in trouble. “Listen, I just felt bad about what was happening and decided to help. That’s it.”

Tas scoffed. “You expect me to believe that? It all makes sense. You’re rude and vulgar. You fight to kill. I knew something was off about you! No mourning woman could be so ruthless.” Ruby almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself.

“How do you know that’s not a fake?” Ruby asked.

“Lucian wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Tas said. “He’s the one who found this and gave it to me. He said he knew that you were hiding something and you were! You…you…you bitch!

“Tas-” Hanzi tried to speak.

“No, Han. She’s been fooling us this whole time. She’s a pirate. She’s no better than any of the ones that attack us all the time! I bet she was just doing this to take advantage of us and take our goods!”

“You can speak with me directly,” Ruby said, the shock from being yelled at faded away. She remembered who she was. She was Sela D Ruby, Captain Trafalgar Law’s subordinate and no one to be trifled with. “I am a pirate. I’ve been a pirate. Nothing will change that. That doesn’t mean-”

“You’re right! That doesn’t mean anything because you don’t mean anything! All you assholes do is take advantage of the misfortune of others. You attack good people who don’t deserve it! You’re no better than the Nine Lives. How many people have you hurt doing whatever you want?!”

Ruby’s nostrils flared but she said nothing. 

“Tas,” Hanzi spoke up. “She’s been helping us this entire time.”

“That doesn’t matter! A pirate is a pirate!” He snarled. “Get out!” He yelled at Ruby. “Get out and ruin someone else’s life! That’s all you’re good for!”

“Tas!” Hanzi exclaimed.

Ruby sighed and placed her hand on Hanzi’s arm. He looked at her sadly and she smiled at him. “I know when I’m no longer welcome,” she said to Hanzi. Hanzi sighed. “Good luck,” she said and left the office. She noticed that multiple people were staring at her nervously. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the office. 

She walked through the town, not looking back. Her stride was purposeful. She was going back to the inn. She was going to do what she originally planned on doing, which was relaxing and only taking care of herself. She would stay out of trouble, which is what she was supposed to be doing anyway.

Ruby walked through the open door of the inn and took the first step of the stairs. 

“Miss Elissa,” the innkeeper greeted. “Did you have a nice breakfast with your…friend?”

Ruby smiled as kindly as she could. “Yes, thank you. I’m going to relax in my room now.”

“Of course!”

Ruby walked to her room and unlocked it. She walked into the room and locked the door behind her. She huffed. She walked to the bed and sat on it, dropping her purse as she did so. She stared at herself in the mirror on the dresser. She stared at her frustrated face. She groaned. She was going to  get wrinkles at this rate.

“Man, what the fuck was that,” she grumbled. She started to pull the pins out of her hair, letting it fall against her back. She laid back in the bed and threw the pins on the nightstand. “What a fucking joke.”

She was going to take a nap. Maybe she’ll be less frustrated afterwards. 

She laid in bed, after stripping naked, with her eyes closed. She tried to sleep, she tried really really hard to sleep, but it just wasn’t happening. She felt hours pass as she just tried to sleep. Of course she knew why she couldn’t sleep. It was a combination of her frustration at Tas and the lack of comforting touch from Law. 

Ruby was too frustrated to realize that that meant she was lonely.

She sat up and groaned. She got out of bed and redressed herself, growing more irritated by the moment. Absolutely unbelievable that she allowed someone to yell at her like that. Where had her anger gone? Where had her righteous fury gone? She used to easily take down anyone who even dared to stare at her wrong.

Ruby huffed as she paced around the bedroom. She was so damn frustrated and annoyed. How dare Tas speak to her that way when she had nothing but try to help him and this island?! 

“Ughhhh!!” She groaned angrily. “This is such bullshit! This is what I get for being nice!”

Ruby plopped down onto the bed with her arms crossed. She crossed her leg and sulked. She glared at the floor. She was so mad. She really tried her best to be helpful, but because she was a pirate she wasn’t needed anymore. 

Fine.

Let the idiot authorities take credit for the work she’d done. She was done with this island and would be shipping off in two days. She laid backwards. She stared up at the ceiling, wishing she was home with the Heart Pirates. It was times like these where she wished she hadn’t convinced Law to let her go to Dressrosa. She could be home right now, hanging out with Ikkaku and Jean Bart. 

She sighed and turned on her side, staring at the wall silently. She was so frustrated that she couldn’t think of anything to do. She couldn’t vent to anybody, she couldn’t work out, she couldn’t even go to the kitchen and snack to forget her feelings.

She jumped in her skin when she heard loud noises outside her room. She heard stomping and yelling. Ruby groaned and stared at the door confused. She stood up and started to walk to the door.

“Sir, sir! You cannot just barge into people’s rooms! This is absolutely an invasion of privacy! SIR!”

Ruby opened the door to see Hanzi and the innkeeper in front of her. Ruby blinked, surprised.

“Miss Elissa, I am so sorry for this ruckus!” The innkeeper said, completely flustered. “I tried to stop him from finding you but he refused to back down!”

Ruby sighed. “Thank you. I appreciate that you tried,” she said to him. She looked at Hanzi and raised her brow.

He grinned at her. “Let me buy you a drink.”

Ruby was staring at her glass of wine as Hanzi drank a large ale.

“Oh, don’t look so dour, Sela! Things will be okay!”

“Shhh,” she hissed. “I’m Elissa, remember.”

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it?” Ruby didn’t respond. “I came to get you so Tas can apologize to you.”

Ruby blinked. “What?”

“Listen, I’ve been in this game for years. I’ve been a marine, I’ve traveled the sea, and when you’ve seen the sea you don’t see things in black and white anymore. Tas,” he sighed. “Tas has never left this island. He doesn’t really see shades of gray. He sees that pirates attack his island and therefore all pirates are bad.”

“Well, I’m on a Warlord’s crew. You’d think that would matter.”

“Just because you’re allowed by the government doesn’t mean you stop being a pirate,” he laughed heartily. “Listen, I’ve known people like you. You act tough and like you’re some ruthless person, but deep down you’ve got a soft spot for helping people.” Ruby scoffed. “I appreciate all that you’ve done to help, and I know Tas does, too.” 

Ruby frowned. “He didn’t seem too appreciative when he kicked me out.”

“Well, that’s the shades of gray I was talking about. You forced him to confront a way of thinking that had never been challenged. A pirate, helping out people in need? Unheard of for him! He got frustrated and lashed out at you unfairly. You see, he’s supposed to protect people from you, you’re the bad guy. So when he realized that not only have you been helping people but that he also considers you a friend, his worldview changes.”

Ruby stared at him for a moment before taking a long sip of her white wine. “That’s not an excuse.”

“You’re right, it absolutely isn’t. Which is why I’m bringing you back to the station where he will get down on his hands and knees and apologize profusely for being an asshole to the beautiful pirate who helped save the island.” Ruby drank her wine, tilting her head back as she finished it off. She sighed. “I don’t think you want to leave this island with such a bad taste in your mouth.”

“No,” she groaned. “I don’t. And I want to finish this stupid bandit bullshit. We know where they are! We just gotta…” she punched her hand.

Hanzi laughed. “You’re right.” He threw berries onto the table. “Let’s go. I’m sure he’s still at the station sulking like he just got dumped.”

Ruby snorted. “After you.”

Ruby followed Hanzi to the police station. Hanzi was speed walking and was much larger than her, so Ruby had to practically run to keep up. He stopped in front of the station. Ruby caught up to him and breathed deeply.

“Did you have to go so fast?” She took a deep breath. She looked at his serious face. “What’s wrong?”

“Something isn’t right,” he said. “I didn’t see any officers at their posts on the way here and there’s no officers out here.”

“They could all be inside…” Ruby suggested.

“Let’s find out.” He walked into the station, with Ruby following. 

They walked in and it was quiet. There wasn’t the laughter and rowdiness from before. It was solitude and heads down. Lucian was in the front of the room, looking pissed and stoic. Ruby narrowed her eyes. What did he do?

“Lucian!” Hanzi greeted. “Ruling with an iron fist today? What’s with the quiet tension in this office?”

Lucian glared at the two of them. Ruby looked around at everybody. They were all nervously at their desks, avoiding eye contact with her. Ruby’s gaze landed on Tas’s office door.

“They’re all getting work done, which I can’t say the same for you, Hanzi.” He narrowed his eyes. “I hope you’re bringing in this pirate so she can be arrested.”

“Well, sir, I can’t do that. She’s on a Warlord’s crew and you know what would happen if we were to harm her in any way.” Hanzi petted Ruby’s head. “No. I came for Tas.” He turned to Ruby. “Let’s go.” Ruby nodded as they started to walk towards his office. 

“He’s not here,” Lucian said shortly. Then tension in the room grew and everyone looked at her and Hanzi nervously. “He decided to confront the Nine Lives.”

Ruby’s eyes widened and she looked around the room. “Seriously?!” She questioned everyone. “You all just let him go on his own?”

Hanzi was quiet. He started to walk into Tas’s office, despite Lucian’s loud and commanding objections. Ruby followed after him. Hanzi looked around the room. He opened drawers and cabinets. “No weapons. No files. The map we made is gone. Lucian is right, he’s gone.” 

“Then we need to go after him. There’s no way he can do this on his own. He’s going to get himself killed!” 

“We don’t have the map, though. How are we supposed to get to the hideout?”

Ruby shifted nervously for a moment, trying to think of something. What could she do in this situation? There had to be something. She blinked and then practically smacked herself. “Wait, I think I know what we can do.”

“What?"

Ruby pointed to herself. “Me. My powers can help me see through the forest.” She couldn’t believe she had forgotten about that. She was so preoccupied with being sad, lonely, and pathetic she forgot about who she was and what she could do!

Hanzi stared at her before laughing. He picked her up causing her to squeak. “You’re amazing, darling!”

Ruby blushed. “Thanks,” she swallowed “We gotta go!”

“Right you are!” He set her down and they started to rush out of the station.

“Hanzi,” Lucian called. “I don’t approve of this. Don’t waste your life like Tas did. He’s probably dead because he didn’t listen to my order to stay here.”

Ruby frowned. She wondered if the reason everyone was so quiet was because they tried to go with Tas and Lucian ordered them to stay. Hanzi sighed. “Well, then I definitely have to go. I can’t just leave him there to rot.” He turned to Ruby. “Let’s go, darling.”

Ruby nodded. She followed him out of the station. “Okay, so we go to the forest, find the cave, take care of the bandits, and then get Tas out of there. Simple enough.”

“Hanzi!” Lucian shouted behind them, rushing outside. “I order you to stay! I cannot lose another officer to this bullshit!”

Hanzi looked at Ruby. Ruby shrugged. “I can go on my own.”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I let the lady storm the castle alone? No, we go together and we save our friend.” He turned to Lucian. “Lucian, fuck you, I’m going.” He dropped his jacket, with all his medals, on the ground. “If any of you other assholes in there have any balls, you’ll come with us! This is a raid and we’re saving Tas and our island!” He turned to Ruby. “Ready, darling?”

Ruby grinned. “You bet your ass I am.”

They ran off, leaving everyone behind. They rushed to the forest, Ruby’s heart beating quickly, adrenaline flowing through her veins. Ruby and Hanzi stood outside the forest, staring into it. She took a deep breath and a step forward.

“Hanzi!” Someone yelled behind them. 

They both turned around and saw a small group approaching them. Ruby grinned when she saw Duhni with other officers. 

Hanzi laughed. “Now what are you all doing here?”

“We’ve come to help!” One said. Others chimed in, crowding Hanzi and his laughter.

Duhni walked up to her. “I did say I was here to stop these attacks,” he said to her. “You’ve been working with the uppers on this, it’s time for me to put in the work, too.”

Ruby nodded. “Good.” She turned to Hanzi. “Ready?”

He grinned at her. “Let’s go. They probably already know we’re coming by now, but that won’t stop us! Lead the way, darling.”

Ruby smiled and put her hand up to a tree. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the roots in the ground. She breathed out and opened her eyes. “Let’s go.”

It took about thirty minutes of hard rushing for the cave to appear. Ruby stared at the cave from some nearby bushes as Hanzi ordered the officers to surround the cave at a distance, making sure no one could escape.  

The hair on the back of Ruby’s neck stood up and she jumped to the side, avoiding the blade that tried to stab her. She swung her legs under her attacker, causing them to fall to the ground. She grabbed the knife from the attacker and kicked him in the stomach. The man curled into the fetal position and coughed.

Hanzi picked him up by his hair and stared at him. “Looks like we’ve gotten our first one. Ugly motherfucker, isn’t he?” Ruby chuckled. “Alright, guys, cuff him!” He threw him back towards a couple officers who searched him and then cuffed him. “They definitely know we’re here,” he said to Ruby.

She grunted. “Yeah.” She rolled her neck. She started to stretch and rotate her arms and legs. She tied her hair into a bun with vines. She rotated her torso, loosening her muscles and causing her back to pop. “Doesn’t feel right to do this without heels,” she mumbled.

“Oh, so “Stiletto” is literal?” A toothy grin spread across Ruby’s face. Hanzi chuckled. “You are scary.”

“That’s the point.” She cracked her knuckles. “Let’s go.” She started to walk forward, Hanzi giving out final orders as he followed after her. 

There were two guards waiting outside the cave. They raised their guns to shoot at them but Ruby quickly took care of them, making vines grow out of their guns and rendering them useless. Hanzi rushed in and knocked their heads together, causing them both to pass out.

“Alright, you two,” Hanzi turned to the two officers who followed them, “you will guard this entrance. Hopefully there’s no other way out, but that’s what me and Sela are about to find out.” They saluted him and stood at the entrance of the cave. Hanzi started to walk in and Ruby followed after.

The cave was…disgusting. It was the kind of cave that you would hear about in horror stories. Skeletons hanging by their necks, skulls on pedestals, weapons scattered around everywhere, alcohol practically dripping off the walls, and the smell. It made Ruby gag. Ugh. She wanted to get out of here.

“Pretty ladies like you aren’t used to dark and dank places like this, huh?”

“I dunno if it’s about me being pretty. I’m just used to the ocean.”

“You tryin’ to tell me pirates aren’t disgusting?”

“Oh, no, I’d definitely never say that. I’m just saying we don’t go into dirty, gross caves,” she said as she almost tripped over a skull.

The both looked further down the cave as they heard rabble and commotion. Hanzi sighed. “Looks like we have company.”

“So it seems,” Ruby agreed and created a thorned whip. 

“You really have a handy devil fruit. Imagine just being a logia.”

“It definitely has its perks,” she said and cracked her whip at the first person who came into view. The whip snagged the gun out of their hand and Ruby brought it to her. She handed the gun to Hanzi.

“Oh, darling, you’re too kind.” He aimed the gun at the next person, and then shot them in the leg. 

Ruby rushed forward to the final person. She wrapped the whip around them and jerked them forward as they cowered. 

“W-wait!” He cried. “Please stop! I don’t- I don’t!” Tears rolled down his face. “I don’t want to die.”

Hanzi walked up to them before sighing. “Rusty, what are you doing here?” Ruby raised her brow but said nothing. 

“I-I just needed food! They said I could have food if I joined! Daisy is pregnant, she needs steady meals.”

Ruby groaned. “Seriously? You get her pregnant when you can’t afford to feed yourselves?” Ruby scoffed.

Hanzi sighed. “He’s safe,” he said. “He works in the park, he keeps it clean. He wouldn’t do any harm.”

““Any harm?”” Ruby questioned. “He joined the bandits! How many people have you killed? How many lives have you ruined already?” She snapped at Rusty.

“I-I-I didn’t kill nobody! I just joined a week ago! Please, Miss, I just want to get out of here!”

“Ruby,” Hanzi called her softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let him go. Remember the reason why these people can’t afford food?”

Ruby sighed. Her whip went limp and fell to the ground as a normal vine. “Fine. I’m not in a position to judge anyone anyway.” She patted him down, taking any hidden weapons he might have had on him. 

“There’s some officers out there, Rusty. You tell them what happened and they’ll get you a nice meal when we get back.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” He cried and ran behind them, out of the cave.

Ruby stared at Hanzi. Hanzi petted her head. “He’s not a bad person, just in a bad situation.”

Ruby sighed, all too familiar with things like that. “Let’s move on.”

They continued into the cave, taking care of enemies who attacked. It was easy. How did this group have such a hold on the island?

Hanzi must have read her mind because he chuckled. “We’ve only met the henchmen, don’t let your guard down, yet.”

Ruby snorted. “You’re right, can’t be too careless.”

They made it to an opening where it was much brighter than the rest of the cave. Ruby and Hanzi crouched down and looked into the cave. Ruby covered her mouth. 

It was…terrible. 

There were people in cages. There was blood. It looked like there were weapons and torture devices. Ruby looked around the wide room and also saw crates of jewels and gold. And even worse, there was a beautiful spread of food on the table in the room, looking grotesque because of the blood and body parts splattered around the cave. There was a large smoked pig with an apple in its mouth, baked potatoes, baked apples, leeks, buttered bread, and so many other things. There had to be somewhere in this cave where the food was stored. 

Ruby looked around the room again. She looked at each cage. Her eyes widened. She shook Hanzi’s arm.

“I know. I see him, too.” 

They both stared at a cage in the middle. Tas was in the cage, looking bloody and beaten. He was passed out on the floor, at least, Ruby hoped he was only unconscious. She would be furious if he got himself killed. 

But there was a problem. 

There was a man standing in front of the cage, staring at Tas with his hands behind his back. A very large, burly man, looking like he could put Garp to shame. 

Ruby took a deep breath. “Let’s go get him.”

“You’re so brave. I think I’m falling for you,” Hanzi teased. 

Ruby chuckled lightly. She stood up and stepped into the room. Hanzi followed after her. The man turned and stared at them. 

“Ah, see, here they are, saving the day after all!” The man opened his arms with a laugh. 

Tas groaned. He was alive! Not only that, he was conscious! “H-Han! L-lissa, what are you doing here?!”

“Saving your ass!” Hanzi boasted. “Miss Sela over here insisted!”

Ruby rolled her eyes. The burly man opened his mouth. Ruby created a scian duille. She pointed it at him. “Nope. No. No monologuing. I don’t need to hear your side of the story or how everyone else is just as corrupt. I’ve been the more corrupt person. I’ve seen the worse side of things. You’re going to shut up and fight and we’re going to take Tas back along with the food you’ve stolen.”

The man didn’t say anything but he sighed. He quickly moved, shooting his tiny gun at her. Ruby dodged just in time, but the bullet nicked her skin. Ruby scowled. Sea prism. How did measly island bandits get ahold of something so exclusive as sea prism?

Ruby threw her leaf before lunging forward, hoping the quick attacks would throw him off. And the thing was…they did. The man didn’t react the way she thought the leader of the bandits would. He took the leaf head on and then broke against her leg when she kicked him. 

Ruby stared at the man on the ground as he huddled over in pain. She looked at Hanzi confused, and he looked back at her just as confused. Ruby growled. She picked up the man but his collar and stared at him. 

“Are you the leader?”

He coughed and blood came from his mouth. He laughed. “Only on the ground. This operation will continue because our true leader will come and kill you soon. The men followed my orders, but-” he coughed and got blood on Ruby’s shirt. 

Ruby groaned, disgusted. She dropped him to the ground. Hanzi immediately tied him up and took away any weapons. “That was too easy.”

“Because he’s right. He’s not truly in charge. Someone else is the one who's been keeping this organization going. He may have started the Nine Lives, but there was a sponsor. An investor. Someone to get a cut of all of this.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because every time you guys manage to capture one of these assholes they break free. And Tas said that they always manage to get past guards and patrols.”

Hanzi stared at her seriously. “So it’s one of us.” Ruby said nothing. “That whole bit about “everyone is corrupt” that was something you counted on.”

“Yes,” Ruby swallowed nervously at how calm Hanzi was. “Han…” her hands shook.

He blinked before laughing. “Oh, darling, it’s definitely not me. Don’t worry.”

Ruby swallowed. 

“He’s right,” Tas groaned. Both Hanzi and Ruby rushed over to the cage. “It’s not Han. He wouldn’t-” he groaned. 

Ruby narrowed her eyes as Hanzi searched the leader of the bandits for a key. He found the key and opened the cage. He very gently picked up Tas. 

“Tas, who is it? Who’s pulling the strings?” Ruby asked. 

“Elissa,” he whispered. “Why did you come back?”

“Because you owe me a fucking apology. Now who in the hell is in charge? Is it Lucian?”

“Lucian?!” Hanzi exclaimed. “That bastard is too far up the chain and has been doing this for too long for it to be him!”

“That’s why it has to be him! Who else would have all the knowledge it takes to avoid patrols? Who else would have access to every cell and key for them! He’s also made this entire investigation a giant pain in the ass!”

“Ruby, I don’t think that-!”

“No, the pirate is right, Hanzi.” They heard a voice from outside of the room. They turned to look at the intruder. Ruby narrowed her eyes at Lucian. “I tried to stop you from coming here. Tas just had to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. It’s that damn pirate girl’s fault. She had to give him hope.”

Ruby scoffed. “You could also just not fund criminals or steal from the people of this island. I feel like that’s even easier.”

Lucian stared at her and cocked his head. “Why would I do that when I’ve spent the last 20 years designing this operation.”

“20?! You old bastard!” Hanzi yelled. “How could you do this to these people?! How can you say you protect them while also ruining their lives!?! You’ve been betraying this island for 20 years?!”

Lucian sighed. “Well, it wasn’t all of the people, just those who are weak.”

“Those are the people who need the most protection!”

Ruby looked at Tas and frowned at him. He had tears in his eyes. 

“I’m not exactly sure what you want me to say, Han. That I had some divine plan? That it wasn’t about the food or the money or the power? It was. I wanted money, food, and power. I deserve it, and if people get it in my way it’s their fault.”

Hanzi stared at him stunned. Ruby sighed, the familiar pain of expecting people in a position to help to do the opposite. 

“Han,” Ruby said. “You know how we were talking about shades of gray?” Hanzi didn’t answer her. “Sometimes people are just evil.”

“That can’t be true! There has to be a reason! There has to be-” Hanzi was interrupted by a gunshot. 

“Han!!” Ruby screamed. She caught the injured Tas as Hanzi fell backwards. She laid Tas next to Hanzi and knelt over him. “Han! Fuck! Say something!”

He groaned, gripping his stomach. Ruby swallowed. Ruby turned her head, a beautiful rage burning in her eyes.

“How dare you hurt my friends!” She stood up, tears threatening to fall.

“Friends? You’ve known them for a few days.”

“That doesn’t matter! They…they treated me with kindness. They made me laugh while I’m away from my nakama. They’re my friends and you’re going to get your ass kicked for hurting them!”

“They only treated you kindly because they didn’t know who you were. This island has been ravaged by pirates, do you honestly think they would have welcomed you with open arms if they had known who you were from the beginning?”

“I don’t care! None of that matters now!” Ruby turned her body into petrified wood, her hair turning into white flower petals. “Nothing you say actually matters! Some people are just fucking assholes and I’m going to take you down so that you can’t hurt anyone anymore!”

“It’s ironic that a pirate is trying to act as if she’s the morally superior one.”

“Because I am!” She took a step forward before lunging to attack Lucian. 

Lucian completely blocked her first attack, holding her back with a grunt. “Do you even care why I’ve done this?”

“Your ideas, your motivations? It’s all bullshit. You can’t claim “oh, I had a messed up childhood.” We all did! Everyone has their own trauma! We did what we could to survive! But some of us grew up and grew as people!” Ruby turned her nails into sharp points and scratched at Lucian’s face. 

He hissed in pain. “You bitch!” He threw her off of him, holding his face in his hands. 

Ruby gracefully landed on her feet, not even stumbling from her lack of heels. Ruby watched as blood dripped from his face and onto the cave floor. He groaned in pain, his face dark from anger. 

Ruby took another step forward. She easily dodged the bullet he tried to surprise her with. He seethed at her. He hissed at her. He was boiling over in fury as Ruby approached him calmly. He shot at her again, this time missing completely due to the blood in his eyes. 

“That’s the thing about you small islands. Even in the New World, you’re still no match for us Worst Generation pirates.” She kneed him in the face, causing him to crumple to the floor and pass out. Ruby sighed. “Well, technically I’m not considered Worst Generation, that’s my captain, but the point still stands.” Ruby sighed. “Oh, shit! What am I doing?!”

She rushed over to Hanzi and Tas, both breathing heavily.

“Did either of you two bring a den den mushi?” She grabbed the cuffs from Hanzi’s belt and quickly cuffed Lucian. 

Tas groaned. “I did. It’s in my supply bag. It’s in the…” he pointed to a wall. “It’s a fake wall. You should be able to push on it.”

Ruby rushed over to the wall he was pointing at and pushed on it. The door scraped open and revealed another large room completely filled with an incredible amount of food. Ruby let out a breath. 

She looked around and found Tas’s bag. She ran back over to him. He told her the number to call and, luckily, it was Duhni who picked up. 

Ruby didn’t leave Tas’s or Hanzi’s side until they were taken away by the medics. Ruby was taken away, in cuffs, back to the station. She didn’t fight, she knew how everything looked. She knew that when Tas and Hanzi were conscious they would defend her. Duhni even argued for her, saying she was the reason everyone was alive, but it fell on deaf ears. The captain, the deputy, and the chief were all injured and unconscious. Of course she looked suspicious. The assistant chief, who had to be called from his vacation, was none too pleased with the situation.

Ruby was sitting in a cell, trying not to look as annoyed as she felt. It had been four hours since they had returned from the cave. Duhni let her know that people were still gathering everything from the cave. Food, money, jewels, weapons, people, and bodies to identify. Ruby sighed and hoped she would be released soon. She was tired and wanted to go to bed.

Soon, there was heated yelling and arguments. Ruby looked up curiously. 

“Get her out of there!”

“But Captain Tas-”

“Just give me the damn keys!”

She heard someone coming towards her. She looked up and saw Tas, who was cleaned up, covered in bandages and stitches, and had crutches. He sighed.

“I can’t believe they locked you up after everything you did,” he said and opened the cell door for her. “And you didn’t even put up a fight?”

“It would’ve made things worse,” she said. She walked out of the cell and stretched. “Glad to be out of there, that’s for sure.”

“Elissa. No, Sela.”

“Ruby is fine.”

“Ruby,” Tas sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Hm? I said it was fine they put me in a cell. It was the easiest thing they could do.”

“No, not that. I mean…I’m sorry that I was an ass to you after I found out who you are. It was uncalled for.”

Ruby grinned. “You’re right! It was!” Tas looked ashamed. “But, I forgive you. I can’t expect people to welcome pirates with open arms, especially when their island is being regularly attacked by them.” She shrugged. “How’s Hanzi?”

“He’s awake and complaining that they won’t let him out of bed. He was shot! You’d think he’d take it easy.” Ruby chuckled, knowing how boring it could get staying in a hospital bed. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Tas led her back into the main office, where it was rowdy and busy. Many people looked up at her, some wary, some excited. Those who were part of the attack crowded her, apologizing for being unable to help her while she was in a cell. She waved them off, letting them know she understood and there were no hard feelings. 

Duhni came up to her and smacked her back hard. He laughed at her and said that even pirates could be good people. Everyone offered her food and drinks but she shook her head, she just wanted to go to the inn. 

“You’ll want to go out the back,” Tas said. “Reporters are already crowding the front.”

“Word spreads fast, it seems.”

“Well, when you have multiple officers in the hospital, rumors are going to spread,” he sighed. “I’ll show you the way.”

Tas hobbled her to the back door where there was, thankfully, no one there. Ruby started to walk out of the building, ready to eat a hearty meal and sleep until her ship came. 

“El- Ruby,” Tas called. Ruby turned to look at him. He swallowed. “I…thank you.”

Ruby grinned at him. She turned and started to walk away, waving at him as she did. 

She walked to the inn, avoiding the people rushing towards the police station. Everyone wanted to know what was going on. Ruby just wanted to go to bed. She made it to the inn where she was greeted by the innkeeper.

“Miss Elissa! I was so worried after that policeman took you away! Are you alright? You have a bandage on your arm. Is that blood on your shirt?!”

Ruby smiled. “I’m fine. I’m actually starving, so I’m going to get some food.”

“Oh, yes, o-of course! Right away. We have some nice game hens tonight, if you’re interested.”

“I absolutely am.”

Ruby ate her dinner and beer at the bar, where she made small talk with the bartender. He said that it was so empty today because of what happened with the authorities. Ruby just smiled and ate her food. She was sure there would be an official report soon that would cover up details and make it look like there wasn’t any real corruption in the police. Oh, and she would definitely be left out, there’s no way that anyone would let a pirate be the hero of the island.

Ruby finished her meal plus a cherry pie for dessert. She paid and thanked everyone before slugging it up to her room. She opened her door and saw everything was, once again, left untouched. She closed and locked the door. She stripped and immediately walked to the shower. She scrubbed all the blood and gunk off of her body. She exfoliated her skin and washed her hair. She dried off and replaced the bandage on her arm, just like Law taught her.

She collapsed onto the bed, exhausted enough that she didn’t need to take melatonin. She sighed, listening to the static from the radio. Just one more day and she’ll ship off from this island. She just had to make it through tomorrow.

She took a deep breath, the static lulling her to a restful sleep.

[ionomycin]

Grief

ref photo by @jawsstone

[bacchuschucklefuck]

typical tavern scene

[squidthusiast]

“I could listen to your laugh all day”

[chloesimaginationthings]

Cassidy loves to scare the FNAF night guards..

[zenlesszonezero]

As the conspiracy reaches its finale, the Void Hunter joins the fight.

Uncover the Conspiracy in Zenless Zone Zero's All-New Version "A Storm of Falling Stars", S-Rank Agent Hoshimi Miyabi is here! With S-Rank Agent Asaba Harumasa Limited-Time Giveaway! Pre-register to obtain additional rewards.