#I am not crying the rain master was just not aiming very well

[frogchillinginagrave]

Here we have me dealing very well with the end of "crimson wings shield the flower" by @scrapimmortal

I am not crying the Rain Master was just not aiming very well 🥹

It's dangerous to go alone! Here taking baby Hong Hong-er with you:

(I added the flames because I painted egg yolk first and it looked disgusting)

It was a great journey with a lot of wonderful moments! Thank you so much for writing this and I am super proud and impressed of/by you!!!!! (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

[wrongcaitlyn]

hellooo! ok this is quite a long message so i completely understand if it takes you a while to get to it / if you don't listen to all the songs - no pressure at all!!

i have given you song recs before but i cannot stop obsessively thinking about your fic and so i wanted to share more ✨nico di angelo songs ✨ (or at least ones i think would fit interestingly)

firstly!! 'everything to help you sleep' by julien baker (i reccomended one of her songs last time to but they're all so nda coded) and this one fits esp with the recent chapter where nico had a nightmare. it has quite religious themes but feels a lot like it could be him talking to bianca 'thought i made out your reply / the seconds between sound and light' and 'if i scream a little louder, i know you would have heard it'. her song 'turn out the lights' also has a similar idea of not being able to keep away nightmares (that one is a bit more self-deprecating though - but also one id highly recommend!!)

and more by her!! 'good news' is from her first album and i love it a lot - it doesn't fit perfectly but some lyrics really do - 'your long hair, a short walk / my biggest fear and a slow watch' and then straight after 'always scared that every situation ends the same' only for the song to end with 'i ruin everything i think could be good news'

and then 'repeat' (still jb) is also very nico to me and maybe aimed more at will? 'say i miss you like a mantra til i forget what it means / doesn't matter what you tell me i just need to hear you speak' - i feel like it kind of has that same of theme of how nico feels like bad things will just keep happening to him over and over again.

also!! this might not fit super well as a nico song but 'cartwheel' by lucy dacus is so so so solangelo to me (my goal in life is to write a will solace-centric fic called 'skin scarred and sun-kissed lol) especially in your universe with nico's father - not so much the second verse though.

okay then 'dream state...' by lucy dacus could potentially be a devestating nico song about bianca. i mean it literally begins with 'we woke up to the thunder' 'and then the water came / and washed it all away' and then she says 'without you i am surely the last of our kind' (this song also has a sequel in '...familiar place')

then (final song lol) 'keep the rain' by searows (he even has a song called haunted which is also kind of nico and i thought was a funny parallel) feels very much like nico + therapy + talking to will: 'i don't know what steps to take / i do the easy ones until it helps' and then THE RAIN MOTIF comes through again 'when you keep the rain from coming'

and i would just overall highly recommend listening to lucy dacus and julien baker!! i love them both so much as artists + they both have some of the best lyricism i have seen + their work is just very masterful

ok thank you for letting me take up your time and babble on so much!! <333

I THINK YOURE THE ANON WHO GAVE ME THE RECS OF ITLL ALL WORK OUT AND FAVOR AND JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'VE EXTENDED NDA3 FOR THOSE SONGS. THANK YOU FOR THE RECSKDSF AHH

okay now onto these!!

everything to help you sleep is SO nico oh my god 😭 can never have enough religious imagery and the "if you scream a little louder, i know you would have heard" is making me think specifically of smth in nda3 and AHGLSKDF this is so perfect omg😭 i NEED to listen to julien baker's discography istg i will at some point

turn out the lights is also. so. oh my goddksjf "is it real or a dream? which is worse?" and "i just wanted to go to sleep" is so😭 i wanna cry ik i put this angst on nico so really i'm the only one to blame but like this is so so perfect and fitting :((

and honestly i think those lyrics you quoted from good news was able to convince me on it's own but then i listened and looked at the lyrics and "when i stay up and throw my voice about you or less about you and more about how i ruin" is just SO him like going to the studio late at night all the time and justGOD THIS SONG IS SO PERFECT😭 it's literally just him constantly getting his hopes up that that's the last time and then these things keep happening to him and ahgskdf :((

(sorry i'm so incoherent i'm having a hard time conveying how much i love these in ways other than keysmashes)

anon. you recommended repeat. and then i searched it up and looked at the lyrics and listened to the song. and then i saw "ALL MY GREATEST FEARS TURN OUT TO BE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY". WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCKJSKGJASKLJTLAWE

sorry i need to find a way to include that somewhere ANON YOU'VE GIVEN ME TOO MANY GOOD SONGSJSDFDS i love this one so much😭😭

honestly cartwheel to me seems so will pov but also both of them like "and i remember when you used to call holed up in the closet in the hall scared you wouldn't live to 45 the same age as your father when he died" is so😭😭 i love this </33

(also i would 100% read a fic called skin scarred and sun-kissed)

dream state IS THE BIANCA AND NICO SONG WTFSKJDFD the lyrics you quoted are literally so so fitting and HEARTBREAKING but that's just the way it is with bianca tbh (also i'm a sucker for repeat lyrics so i love that ending with the slow build and the production and ahhh)

RAIN MOTIFS. WHENEVER RAIN IS MENTIONED IN A SONG I IMMEDIATELY THINK NICO AND THIS ONE IS SOOO AHGSDHF

you're so right with the "i don't know what steps to take i do the easy ones until it helps" it's literally him :// this is perfect😭

and i most DEFINITELY HAVE TO listen to julien and lucy bc like. those songs hit so hard. i swear i'll get around to it at some point i have so many artists i've been meaning to listen to and then i just go and listen to ttpd for the 35023809328th time😭

thank you so so much for the recs!! now to once again rearrange nda3

[phoeebsbuffay]

Imagine you are the twin sister to Luke, daughter of Padmé and Anakin Skywalker, who was raised in Lothal. However, at the age of seven you go through a difficult trauma. Years later you are part of the Ghost crew and Kanan Jarrus is your master. But the moment you meet Darth Vader, something changes in you… as well as in him. Part I

Warnings: the character’s plot is based on Ezra Bridger’s on “Rebels”. References to season two will be seen here. So no Ezra in this story and the reader is a 15 year old—same age as Ezra. Also, no Princess Leia in this universe, sorry.

Warnings 2: teenage angst and drama, but also it’s meant to be a light reading. Lol. Here we go!

Warnings 3: fluffy ending; we don’t work with misery and unhappiness endings here.

***

Intro.

It all begins when the seven year old you is outside playing with a false blaster your father had borrowed you. You like see yourself as a soldier like he is.

“Pew pew pew!” You make the sounds as you aim the toy to the tree, pretending it’s a trooper. Under the watchful gaze of your mother, you play against the wind, free and deprived of concerns. You are dressing comfortable clothes and your hair is tied in a similar fashion of your mother’s.

You turn at her with a smug on your lips.

“See how powerful am I? I just defeated the tree stopper!” You giggle softly.

“You are a very bright child, Y/N.” You are told, which makes you beam. “Come inside, though. It’s going to rain.”

You look up at the skies; they are instantly grey, but to you…these clouds are not only announcing a storm but something worse that might happen. You don’t know what nor why.

But you obey. Once inside, you see that your folks are restless. Your father walks from one side to another and your mother has everything packed.

“Are we going somewhere?” You ask, so innocent. You don’t understand what’s happening, even though you feel the fear from them.

Your mother comes to you and makes sure you wear your backpack. There is sadness in your eyes.

“I wish I could tell you the truth about all of this, Y/N. But there is no time. I’m sorry.” She strokes your cheek gently.

You hear the sound of thunder and a chill runs over your spine. You too are scared.

“Mommy…”

Before you know, she grabs your hand and runs with you and your father, who’s leading the way. The three of you try running from storms troopers who, out of blue, are being chased. You start to cry.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. We failed you.” She separates ways from her husband. “We love you. Never forget that. Now run! Run!”

You do as ordered, but when you turn your head behind, you see the blasters taking their lives away. Had you not been so terrified and prompted to flee, you’d have destroyed the enemy. But there is little time to think or do. You weep as you run under a heavy rain.

Maker knows what will be of you now…

***

Your POV.

Eight years later.

You tie your hair in a bun on top of your head before you move towards the ship where you see there’s a good content which you could make good use. Perhaps if you took that barril of fuel and gave to a contrabandist, you’d get enough credits to buy some new clothes and food.

Here’s my mission.

You are careful to follow the members of that ship. You see at least three of them: a tall guy with brown long hair tied in a ponytail; a girl with colorful hair who is using a Trooper’s helmet and a Lasat whom you’ve never seen before.

I thought they lived in stories.

You shake your head, refusing to access your childhood memories. You need to stay focused so you let this instinct lead you to them—although you interpret it as an easier way to get your things done. You are patient, though, so you take your time.

“All right. It’s almost time…”

You leave your safe position as soon as these three follow different paths. You throw your hood over you face, a master in disguise you’ve become in last years, and move like a ghost amongst the people of your planet.

You are about to get in the ship when a noise startles you. There is some confusion in downtown—which is near to your location—and you are spotted by the girl.

“Hey!” She pushes you out of the ship before you even get a chance to go inside. “What do you think you are doing?! Out!”

Your vision is good, as well as the instincts so natural to you, so you manage to fall out without getting harmed in the process and without taking a shot. But to worsen matters, the guy you’ve seen before is running by your side.

He frowns at you, seeing how the girl with the helmet kicked you off the ship. So many questions, but he is more preoccupied in getting himself safe.

Somehow you end up joining forces with him because the chase involves you too: the stormtroopers don’t seem to make a difference between you and the ponytail guy—looks like you’ve had a bad timing in trying to steal the fuel.

“Who are you?” He asks you, trying to take the vehicle you’ve just stolen and refusing to be kicked out from it. “What were you doing in the ship?”

“Does it matter?” You give a snark response. “Why don’t you let me go? I have nothing to do with your business.”

He laughs at you.

“Looks like you do. The troopers are chasing us.”

There is a fight. One of the kind that leads you to reckless behavior or panic attacks. Today, looks like the second one. You’d throw yourself from the vehicle and see a way to survive as you try to escape the pew pew pew from the troopers.

It’s when the ship comes closer. The guy senses your fear, but he also sees you are strong with the Force.

“Come with me.”

You look at him, amused and distrustful at first.

“What? No way! I don’t know you!”

“You were about to since you tried to steal my ship. Besides what other choice do you have?”

“I… I’ve been on my own long enough to know I can survive without any help.”

“Yeah but unless you’d like to go arrested from here, I don’t see how you are helping your situation.”

You narrow your eyes.

“Fine.”

You don’t ask his name. All you do is trust in him when he tells you to jump into the very same ship where not so long ago you tried to steal.

And that is how you get away with chasing. Again.

***

Vader’s POV.

The silence in his quarters is tense, disturbed as usual is. When their owner is meditating, darkness flows naturally and crudely. There is no a mid term. He is his own company—and his own enemy too.

When his eyes are cast to the sabers that are tied to his sides, Vader can hear his demons coming from hell to torment him. He knows today will not be different.

He usually goes under with the voices, enjoying the torture they make him. Because that is what he deserves—an eternal punishment from the choices he made and all that costed him.

However, as he begins to meditate, he is surprised by an unusual silence. The Force is reaching out for him… and as he shuts his eyes, confusion takes place.

A confusion of scenarios is seen. Vader perceives the moves, the chaos, the despair such input him. To his own surprise, it makes his heart ache. Such a suffocating pain. He can hear the screams. The loneliness, the anger, the fear… All sentiments very familiar to him.

However, when he concentrates… Vader’s arrogance and pride abandon him. He does not know why nor how, but this figure, whom he cannot see but rather feel a strange connection, is in suffering. The more he tries to reach out for this individual, the more he is repelled.

Which results in a great sense of anger and frustration, thus breaking the unusual channel the Force seems to have brought to him.

Whoever this person is, Vader comes to realize that it is imperative the Emperor be kept in ignorance. So that way, he takes a ship and decides to look for whoever is the individual responsible for disturbing him.

“Whoever you are, I’m coming for you.” He mumbles to himself.

***

Your POV.

You wake up suddenly with a chill in your back, restless and anxious all the same for some motive that escapes you. You just feel it.

“Hey Y/N”, you hear Sabine calling you. “Are you all right?”

“Hm, yeah, sure. Did I wake you up? Sorry. I don’t know what’s up.”

You have been with the crew for some months now. It was difficult at first to settle in because of the mutual distrust—you were trying to steal the fuel of their ship after all—-but as you started to joining the rebels in missions against the empire, you began to feel like now you are part of the family.

Sabine is now a good friend of yours and with whom you share a room. Every now and then you and Zeb keep picking at each other, and captain Hera has been the maternal figure you’ve been missing since your parents’s demise.

However, your bond with Kanan Jarrus is spectacularly exceptional. Specially because he’d become your Master Jedi. Yes, he sensed a great force in you and ever since he’s been trying to train you.

So that is why, now that you are more familiar with the Force and the trainings of a Jedi, you feel as if it has been trying to tell you something. But precisely what? You cannot tell.

“No. I was already up, just feeling indisposed about leaving bed.” She and you share a chuckle. “It’s time to make breakfast, then. The day is going to be long.”

She leaves you to your thoughts. You lie back down in bed, eyes closing, trying to concentrate once again what was the chill you got because you are sure this is meaningful.

When you do so, after two or three attempts, you finally get something. The vision that is before your eyes shows you a mix of scenarios: a woman you barely know weeping in the childbirth. A man in deep suffering left in tears in a place surrounded by lava. There is also a boy with sandy hair running, but you don’t see his face.

And finally… you see a masked male breathing mechanically. He seems to stare at you. You gasp and get instantly up. Your heart races. It’s too much for you.

You leave your quarters after changing your clothes, joining the crew for the first meal of the day. You look slightly grumpy and confused, but since it’s how you often appear in the morning, no one notices the difference.

Except Kanan. He decides to wait for a moment to have with you. And when you finish eating, he says:

“Hey, Y/N. Can I have a moment with you?”

You turn instantly at him. You smile at him.

“Yes, Master?”

Kanan sighs.

“I don’t think I am one, kid. But come here, I noticed you are acting strange.” He puts a hand over your shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I am.” Then you hesitate. But Kanan is patient, he waits for you. “I’ve been having some visions.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what they mean, though I do know they mean something.” And you tell him all about it.

Kanan strokes his beard, looking thoughtful as he’s being told of these enigmatic views. He gives you a long look.

“I think we should try finding a temple Jedi. There are few out there, but if we can find one then perhaps our answers will be there.” But because you look disappointed, he says: “Hey, Y/N. Be patient. Perhaps this is a test for you. Most Jedis must endure these lessons. Now come, it’s time for your training.”

***

Vader’s POV.

His heart is shaken with different emotions as he watches the color of your eyes coming right to his visions. Blue like his. No, he corrects himself, it’s like those of Anakin.

Your hair has the same shade of color that he used to have as a child. The more he sees you, the more he is hit by a sense of desperation. It takes little time before he knows you are alive. His child, his precious child is alive.

Right as he pauses in the middle of space to meditate, Vader is conflicted. He thought you’d been gone and now he understands why he was placed in a foster care, away from his reach.

Obi-Wan was wise.

However, you were supposed to have enjoyed a safer environment with a father and a mother who loved you. But when it comes to his thoughts the realization that he was not the father you needed, he was not there to rock you as a child, to tend your emotional wounds… Vader howls in pain.

What have I done?

To worse all of this, the visions show you running as a young girl from one side to another, hiding, often scared and alone. The more he concentrates, the more he sees with clarity.

When you start to sharp your mind and begin to shield yourself after two years on the run; Vader sees so much of Padmé in you, the braid, the diplomacy when dealing with others, when caring for the victims of the Empire.

An Empire he helped to build.

Vader swallows. But as if the darkness is snapping at him, the visions don’t end there.

A heavy, electrical storm comes to Lothar. Where the people know how to protect themselves, you don’t. You are actually in a spot far from the center when it starts to rain. You are scared, alone in this world. You want to cling onto the anger because of your situation.

However, you are exhausted and lonely. What’s the point of feeling angry? You realize it’s just you and you. The Force seems to calm you without your awareness. You stand and, from wherever you are, you start to run.

“Nothing will stop me now”, Vader hears your thoughts. Your strength is admirable, it reminds him of when he was a child, how he endured the years of slavery. He sees himself in you, though you are definitely a better part of him.

The vision shows you running the faster you can, heart racing loud as a whirlwind seems to chase you. It’s you versus the nature. You are breathless. But you refuse to give up. You begin to get exhausted, and had it not been for an old lady who sees you and helps you out, you’d been swallowed by the growing electric storm.

You won. But your tribulations had just begun…

The vision changes to you nowadays. Vader’s heart breaks when he notices the many years you’ve been by yourself. Not only that but you are not a child anymore, rather a young woman.

He sees how similar you look like Padmé. Your face is no longer chubby, but your blue eyes seem to carry the weight of the world. The shades of your hair have gone darker, you look taller. Vader doesn’t realize his eyes are blurred by tears until they roll down his cheeks.

“I’m coming for you, child. Wherever you are, I am not letting you go this time. Whatever it takes.”

He pilots back to Lothar, aware that there is where you are now.

***

Your POV.

You are at an old Temple Jedi. You look at Kanan in search for answers. But in his eyes he is as puzzled as you.

“Come, Y/N. We are here at long last. How are we going to get inside? Go on and try yourself.”

You hesitate.

“I don’t think I can. The last tests I took a while to succeed.”

Kanan sighs.

“You should have some more faith in you, Y/N. What you lack is discipline. You need to have patience.” He gives you a gentle smile. “Now go on. Do or do not, there is no try.”

You frown, confused.

“How can this be without a try?”

“Master Yoda used to say that…” The Jedi strokes his chin, looking thoughtful. “To be honest, I don’t think I understand much either.”

You chuckle softly before acquiescing. You close your eyes, take a deep breath and after a few attempts, you manage to lift a big rock in a weird shape from a very big size.

“See?” Kanan tells you proudly. “I told you that you could do it.”

You blush.

“Thank you, Master.”

Now the two of you finally step inside. You walk for some minutes before standing before one great door. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so small before.

“By the Maker!” You exclaim suddenly, startling Kanan as your voice echoes.

“What’s it, Y/N?”

You point at two skeletons of Jedi masters sitting right there.

“Ah.” Kanan says. “These were masters who waited for their Padawans who never came back. Now, Y/N, you have to cross that door over there. Can you see it?”

You follow the direction his finger is pointing at. You see an entrance in the form of letter “A” that seems to lead into the unknown. But you are frightened.

“Go on, lass. You can do it.” He encourages you. “Just… don’t do anything you’d do it normally.”

You roll your eyes.

“Very funny, Master.” But you nod at him before proceeding to it.

Your steps are hesitant, but you finally cross the door. You barely do so before the door behind you closes, much to your despair.

“Damn it.”

You question yourself if you can do it. There is darkness ahead you. But you have to be brave. You lift your head and move into the nothingness ahead you. It’s when you finally meet… the Inquisidor.

Not long ago, you and the Ghost crew had come across an Inquisitor who was meant to prosecute the remaining Jedis and destroy them. It wasn’t an entirely surprise that, as part of a rebel cell, he found out the existence of a Jedi amongst your group—your master. The Inquisitor tried to prosecute you constantly, but he never made it. You had come to think he died, but if so what was he doing right before you?

You are about to panic.

***

Vader’s POV.

He finally lands at Lothar. He never considered going to this planet one day. The sand he sees gives him disgust. It reminds him of Tatooine and the mere thought gives the Sith lord nausea.

As Vader does so, removing his mask and lifting his hood, he begins to confabulate a way to approach you. Knowing you are associate to the rebels, and perceiving your Jedi Master is with you, a battle is expected—perhaps.

There is conflict in him, nonetheless. He wishes you no harm, you are his child after all, the very link to Padmé, the daughter he always wanted. That he lost you becomes intolerable to him.

But there is also shame… of who he is, of what he’s become, what he’s done. Would you forgive him for his past, for the path of blood he followed? So many questions make him anxious.

Vader then leaves the ship and moves to an ancient temple Jedi. But for some reason, he does not walk in. No. He waits, he can be patient.

From some distance, his eyes contemplate it with despise and repugnance to the Jedis. So vain, so proud. How better did they think themselves before the Sith?

And yet… Were the Sith any different? His own logic tricks him: you remain kneeling to those above you, when will you be your own master?

A thought that begins to dissipate the dark mists that were once placed in his eyes like a blindfold. Is he starting to see clearly? That he’s been manipulated all along?

The weight of an empire is too heavy for him. It resulted in catastrophic losses, though Vader does not care about others than his own. He closes his eyes, looking for you.

The Force guides him inside the temple. He sees your Master anxiously waiting for you, all the while you are across the door. Your first Jedi trial. It gives him mixed feelings: part of him is proud of your path, you are following in his steps, but… part of him fears what will be of you if you do. He wants to disassociate you from the Jedis.

Yet the question remains: how?

Vader closes his eyes and meditates.

He sees you plagued by the old wound that comes back to haunt you—the fear of abandonment. You are forced to face it as the Inquisitor teases you constantly, and may even imply something about your origins: if you had the Force, how could your parents fail to use it to prevent their deaths?

You try to save your Master, but the Inquisitor manages to kill him, much to your despair and powerlessness. You are then brought to the ship with the crew you are so fond of and they are all pitying you and underestimating you.

However, when the Inquisitor presses you against the wall, you look right into his eyes and say confidently:

“I am not scared of you.”

Something about witnessing this moment makes Vader smile to himself. When he sees you leaving the ancient temple with your master by your side, he hesitates.

And you feel his presence. Vader knows you do. Your eyes seem to find him, the man underneath a vine cape, whose features are omitted by the hood. The male sees you furrowing your brows, confused and alert at the same time.

However, by the time you try to get your Master’s attention, he is gone.

***

Your POV.

“I finally have a saber to myself.” You tell your friends after you spent three hours using the crystal you found at the ancient jedi temple to forge a new lightsaber.

“Now she will not stop talking about it all day.” Sabine sighs.

“Oh please, shut up. You are just jealous.” You smirk at her.

“Well this looks good, Y/N.” Kanan tells you with a hint of pride that makes you beam. “Nice work. Now, let us put it to use, shall we?”

After some trouble in the planet Y/C with two new inquisitors, you are now in the air again. Hera is piloting it in the atmosphere of Hoth, and without some mission to be assigned, Kanan decides it’s time to sharp your Jedi skills.

So there you are: Kanan, Sabine, Zeb, C1-10P and you.

“When I say 1…2…3, now go!”

The droid starts throwing things at you and your whole point is to either deviate from the objects or defend yourself from these with your saber. The first attempts are terrible and you are frustrated.

“You are not concentrating enough, Y/N.” Kanan tells you. “Come on, try again.”

“They are not helping.” You frown at Zeb. “Would you PLEASE stop laughing at me?!”

Zeb and Sabine only roar in laughters as you disastrously try to defend yourself from C1-P10’s teasings.

“In the real world there’ll be distractions.” So you are told. “Carry on, Y/N. Put some effort and concentrate.”

You are grumpy and unwilling to obey when a voice comes in the back of your mind: empty your thoughts, little one, and the concentration will be an easier task.

Had you not been under constant attack, you’d wonder where on earth did this voice come from. It is male, but does not strike to any you’ve known. When you see Kanan shaking his head at how helpless you are, you can tell immediately that it’s not his voice.

So whose is?

(To be continue)

[angryschnauzer]

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 1

Summary: There’s a little town high in the mountains where everyone has a secret, and every family has something that makes them unique. In Blackwater Lake those that are outcast by nature come together. 

Characters: Werewolf!Captain Syverson, Werewolf!Female Reader, Vampire!Walter Marshall.

Warnings (for this chapter, all small mentions but warning just in case): Breastfeeding, Accidental Cutting Injury/Blood loss, blood transfusions. This chapter contains no sex scenes or scenes of a sexual nature.

A continuation of previous Werewolf!Sy stories Moonlight on the Sand and Castle Under The Stars. This will be a series of stand alone stories/2 parters, which will revolve around the residents of the town, with some recurring characters.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert every time i post something new.

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 1

The late spring day brought pleasant scents and mouth watering flavours, Blackwater Lake’s town May day parade in full flow as you held two month old Luna in her carrier to your chest, turning to smile at your husband Sy as he balanced Mikey on his shoulders so your son could watch the floats whilst they slowly cruised past. You knew he would be most excited about the Fire Department bringing their trucks past. At the first whoop of the siren Mikey squealed with joy, the ice cream cone in his hand tipping slightly and setting a blob of blue bubblegum flavour gelato into Sy’s cheek;

“Hey, no wriggles! Its raining ice cream down here”

Pausing the consumption of your own cone you handed it to Sy as you reached into your bag and found a baby wipe, moving to wipe his cheek before stretching to wipe your son’s face. Finding a trash can to toss the wipe into, you smiled as you watched your two boys as they waved to the Fire Trucks, the crew making sure to honk their horns when they saw Sy.

Everyone in town loved Sy. You’d moved there together when you’d found out you were pregnant with Mikey, your army days behind you and wanting to seek somewhere quiet where you could live in the woods to allow for full moon runs whilst being close enough to civilisation to raise a family. The aging receptionist at the realtor had pulled you aside the second you’d arrived in their office when you’d visited the town, recognising one of her own as her nostrils had flared and she’d explained that there were ‘all sorts’ in the town. That was your first meeting with Edith, and you’d gone on to move in just up the mountain from her. Once Sy had finished in the Army and baby number two was on the way, he’d started working alongside retired detective Walter at his construction company where they specialised in commercial buildings. They were always on call for when businesses had emergencies, so had come to the aid of half the town after storms and accidents.

As the parade dragged on Luna woke, grumbling for a change and a feed. The two boys were transfixed with the parade and you’d lost your ice cream cone to Sy who was now mindlessly munching away on it. Tugging on his sleeve you caught his attention;

“Luna’s woken up, i’m gonna take her into Sue’s Coffee Shop to change her and give her a feed”

“Sure thing Darlin, we’ll come find you in a bit”

-

The coffee shop was quiet, its doors opened onto the sidewalk and as the radio played soft rock music, just one or two tables taken outside but the inside empty. Sue - the owner - smiled at you as you walked in;

“Hey Sue!”

“Hey there! What can I get'cha?”

“Can i get a decaf iced latte? I just need to change Luna if that’s ok?”

“Of course, no need to ask, the restroom is empty”

A couple of minutes later your little girl had a clean butt but was still grizzling, now hungry for your milk. Sue had set your drink onto a table in the corner, a soft window seat she knew you liked to sit at to feed. Settling in you pulled your cami top down and unhooked the strap of your nursing bra, helping Luna to latch on as she cried before a blissful quiet descended over you as she happily suckled on your breast. In the quiet of the coffee shop you reached for your drink and sipped on it, smiling down at your beautiful daughter as she gazed up at you;

“Hey there my little Luna, better now? Is that the good stuff? Yeah? Well that’s what your Daddy says it is…” you said with a whisper and a smirk.

“Hey”

The sudden greeting made you jump, looking up to see Walter standing near your table;

“Oh, Hi Walter”

“Sorry…” he glanced away, averting his eyes from where you were feeding; “I just asked if you wanted anything?”

“Oh no, i’m fine, i’ve got a coffee… but you’re welcome to join me if you like? Sy and Mikey will be along once the Parade’s over”

Nodding once the quiet man went to order before returning with what looked like a quad espresso but faltering when it came to taking a seat;

“Where did you want me to sit?”

“Oh anywhere you like” you shifted Luna as she had finished on one breast, hooking that side up before shifting and moving her to the other breast. You’d mastered the art of switching breasts without revealing anything, the baby's head blocking any view of a nipple, and you were a vehement supporter of breast feeding - in fact any feeding - and had been known to get into loud shouting matches with anyone that told you to cover up something that was completely natural.

“I mean, i don’t want Sy to think i’m here oggling his wife’s tits”

Laughing, you kicked out a soft chair with your foot;

“This is fairly low, take this one and here…” you moved the upright menu on the table in front of Luna’s head, knowing that she would now be shielded from view and with your breast, and saving Walter’s embarrassment.

Just as Walter sat down Sue brough over his sandwich, the scent of it hitting your nostrils and making your stomach audibly growl;

“Oh wow, what is that?”

“A steak wrap with chimichurri sauce” he lifted one half and offered it to you, but you shook your head.

“Thanks, but that’s just a little too rare for me… looks like a good veterinarian could bring it back to life”

Walter laughed as you called out to Sue, ordering one of the same.

“You want yours still mooing too?”

“Medium, please” you laughed as she nodded and walked away.

As she cooked your meal you turned back to Walter. You’d had a few conversations with him over the 11 months he and Sy had worked together, but knew very little about him apart from his reputation of being quiet and surly, generally sleep deprived and a little pale most of the time. He’d been medically retired from the Police Department after an accident where he’d lost a lot of blood and had never fully recovered.

As Luna happily fed and Walter devoured his sandwich you sipped on your drink, watching with curiosity as the man ate in silence, savouring each bloody bite. When he finally crumpled the napkin onto the plate and sat back he caught you watching him;

“What? Do i have something on my face?”

“No” you laughed softly; “Just watching how quickly you devoured that sandwich. Rachel not feeding you at home?”

Walter’s face dropped;

“She left”

“Oh fuck. I’m sorry Walter, i wouldn’t have said anything if i’d known”

“S’ok. She got fed up with the way i lived my life, but i can’t change who i am”

“True”

Just then Sy and Mikey came running into the coffee shop;

“Hi Darlin! Hi Sue! Hi Walt… be right back, Jnr has a bathroom emergency!”

The two Syverson boys disappeared into the restroom, and you could clearly hear Sy’s voice;

“Point! POINT IT AT THE TOILET! That’s it, stand on your tippy toes… there we go! Got here in time!”

You suppressed a laugh, Walter raising his eyebrows;

“Potty training?”

“Uh-huh… it's been a challenging few weeks to say the least, but Mikey wanted to give it a go”

The sound of the dryer could be heard as Sy and Mikey reappeared, Sy giving you double thumbs up from behind his son who ran to you;

“A perfect aim Darlin, no leaks. Think this deserves a cookie!”

As Mikey squealed with joy you groaned;

“Sy… not more sugar! He’ll be up all night. Mikey, honey, how about some fries?”

“And Eggies?” Mikey asked

“Sure thing honey, get Daddy to ask Sue”

As the afternoon wore on and the boys chatted, you listened as Sy and Walter discussed work stuff, Luna sleeping peacefully in your arms as you ate with Mikey. Finally glancing at your watch you motioned to Sy the time;

“Hun, i’ve gotta go collect our meat order from Walkers Meats”

“Oh yeah, sure. Here…” He opened his wallet and peeled off a bunch of $20’s as he turned to Walter; “She makes the best Steak Tartare… it's unbelievable”

“You make that?” Walter asked

Angling Luna into her carrier sling you adjusted the straps and nodded;

“Sure do! Hey, did you want to join us for dinner?”

“Yeah, join us!” Sy parroted; “And before you say anything, you wouldn’t be intruding”

With a weak smile Walter nodded;

“Sure, that’ll be nice. I gotta go to the lumber yard before though… pick out the stuff for next week's job”

You noticed that Mikey had finished his meal and was looking sleepy, holding your hand out to him he slid off the chair and stood next to you;

“How about I take the kids home, Sy you catch a ride with Walter?”

With everyone happy with the arrangements you made your way along main street to where Sy had parked his enormous truck, helping Mikey into his seat before unlatching Luna and settling her into her carrier. They were both fast asleep by the time you got to the drivers seat. 

You managed to park directly outside the door to Walkers Meats, and Freya the weekend girl helpfully brought everything out to you when you called inside that the kids were asleep in the car and you didn’t want to leave them.

-

Dinner had been fun. The two kids were peacefully sleeping as the three adults chatted after the meal, before you finally stood to load the dishwasher and start hand washing the items that couldn’t go in there. Just as you were about to start you heard a cry from the kids, Sy standing;

“It’s Mikey, i’ll go”

As you started to handwash the various knives and delicate glasses, Walter stood at your side to dry items, the two of you talking casually before you let out a cry and pulled your hand from the soapy bowl of water. The dark crimson of your blood flowed from your finger, the knife you’d forgotten you’d put in the sink the cause;

“Fuck… hand me a towel…” you asked Walter, but were surprised when he sucked in a sharp intake of breath and turned, hunching over. Clutching your hand to your chest, you were surprised by his reaction, before he suddenly turned and you let out a shriek.

Sy appeared at the doorway in a panic before rushing to you, wrapping a napkin around your hand before he finally turned to look at Walter;

“What the fuck…”

Walter was pale, paler than usual, but that wasn’t what shocked the pair of you. No, it was the fact his eyes were pure white except for dark pools for his pupils, and as he opened his mouth to speak you saw his fangs;

“It’s… it’s the blood…” he gasped out; “It drives me…”

Sy wrapped his arm around your shoulders, but looked at his friend as he slumped onto the floor, shaking and sobbing;

“Think we need a chat Walt”

-

The three of you sat around the kitchen table, a hefty glass of scotch in front of each of you as Walter spoke;

“So umm yeah… this is why i left the Department. Went into a supposedly abandoned building, but it wasn’t empty. Two what we thought were junkies in there, looked like they were frail and would snap in a keen wind, but they had this strength and speed… They overpowered me, latched onto my neck. Drained my blood, and when the last drop was about to pass their lips one of my officers finally found me and shot them. They bled into me. The EMT’s took me to New Mercy and gave me a massive blood transfusion, and treated me for severe anemia… well guess what, the fangs and fucked up eyes were a surprise a few weeks after i was discharged”

You sat wide eyed and mouth agape, not touching your drink;

“I have so many questions...”

“Okay”

“Garlic. Crosses. Being invited in. Sunlight…”

Walter chuckled;

“Most a load of complete bollocks. Garlic? Well you put some in your steak tartare didn’t you? In fact it helps with the anemia. Crosses? No issue. Being invited in, again that’s just rubbish. Sunlight however… why do you think i’m so pale, huh? Have to wear factor 50 all the damn time otherwise i end up looking like a Maine Lobster at a cookout”

Both you and Sy were transfixed, Walter chatting away but his eyes hadn’t returned to normal and his fangs occasionally caught on his lip as he spoke.

“What ‘bout blood then?” Sy asked

Walter cleared his throat;

“Well, i’ve been making do with cows blood since Rachel left”

“You used to suck her blood?” you asked in a high pitched voice

Again Walter cleared his throat, this time just the faintest hint of a blush crept over his cheeks above his beard;

“Err yeah, about once a month… but she had enough in the end and left”

“I got another question” Sy interjected; “Why are your fangs still out?”

Although he answered Sy, Walter looked directly at you;

“Because she’s bleeding”

You looked down at your hand, puzzled as the wound had now sealed, before it hit you;

“Oh… I should go and sort that out”

Sy caught up quickly, glancing at the back of your dress;

“You’re fine Darlin, Walt caught it in time”

When you returned to the kitchen the two men had knocked back their drinks, Sy pouring another hefty glass for the pair of them. Pouring your drink into Sy’s you smiled at him;

“Luna won’t appreciate it”

Making yourself a herb tea you sat down next to Sy, leaning on his shoulder as you sipped your tea. Walter cleared this throat;

“You two have taken this a lot better than i envisioned anyone would… better than Rachel did…”

You looked up at Sy and smiled, his own grin crossing over his face before he nodded and you both turned to Walter as Sy spoke;

“Oh… we have a bit of understanding of this kinda thing”

With the full moon starting tomorrow night you knew that you could both force your eyes to turn orange, the bright ring of fire in your irises flaming like a pyre, shocking Walter so much he slipped back on his chair and fell to the floor. Greeted by both of you giggling, he pulled himself back up using the table as he righted his chair, knocking back the rest of his glass;

“What… the… FUCK?”

[buckystories-3]

Remember

Chapter 4

Remember master list

A/N: I am not sure if anyone is still interested but here is chapter 4...Sorry! Also very sorry about typos and spelling errors. 

     The winter soldier had been gone for almost three weeks now, and with him gone, a new type of training began for me. It started small. I would be pulled out of my cell and locked alone in a room with only a table in the middle. The camera was always in the same place, and I knew the mirror wall was not a mirror on both sides. If I squint hard enough I could see the glow of the lightbulb on the other side, and the tall shadows of the hydra men watching. The tasks they ordered were simple. Use my power to move whatever was on the table, sometimes small things like a pencil, sometimes big things like suitcases filled with heavy objects inside. I knew they were testing my abilities, seeing just how far I could go. When they felt I was ready for a challenge, they would move me to a caged-in yard. It was filled with different sized things like cars, big trucks, even concrete blocks. It felt stupid but I’d move whatever they wanted me to as long as I could stay outside and feel the sun on my skin for just one minute more. It was all very routine. Move stuff, then go. But then it wasn’t so simple.

     “707, pick up the gun.” Himmel ordered. I stared at the black gun laying on the metal table. I reached out with my shaky hand an-

     “Not with your hands 707.” I nodded, I focused my energy, radiating down to my palms, tingling in my fingers. Red energy glowed around them and wrapped around the gun, slowly lifting it in the air.

     “Good. Now aim.” I turned my body towards the red target across the room, the gun following my hands. I looked at Himmel, ready for his order.

     “Fire.” The trigger squeezed and the bullet flew striking in the center of the red circle. I moved my hand to guide the gun back on the table. A large hand wrapped around my shoulder and it took everything in me to not flinch away from his touch.

     “Very good 707. You may go back now. Rest up, you will have a challenging day tomorrow.” He said, his tone dismissive. I nodded and turned to walk out of the shooting range. Two soldiers were there waiting to take me back to my cell. I wanted to go back, and ask what he meant by a challenging day, but I knew I wouldn’t get an answer and likely end up injured for questioning his authority. I was taken back to my cell and stayed there until I fell asleep.

The next day began much the same as any other day. Wake up call, breakfast, and taken back to the mirror room. This is where things began to put me on edge. There were many people in the room today, and the mirror wall was no longer showing my reflection, instead it was a thick window with even more men in suits all sitting neatly in rows and leaning in close to each other to say things I couldn’t hear. Himmel sat in a chair in the corner, next to him was the table with a black gun laying on it’s side.

     “707 today marks a new chapter. We have seen your capabilities and they have exceeded our expectations. We only have one final test for you.” He stood up, picked the gun off the table, and slowly walked towards me. With one hand he grabbed my hand and with his other, he placed the gun in my hand. The cold metal weighed heavy in my palm and a terrible feeling sat in my stomach. The doors opened again as two soldiers dragged in a man, fighting on his knees. A cloth bag tied around his head to hide his face. They dragged him until he sat kneeled across the room. I looked down at the gun in my hand and back at himmel. No...they didn’t want me to-no, please.

     “I...I don’t understand..” I stared down at the gun in my hand, and tried to erase my assumptions from my mind. Himmel placed a hand on my shoulder, and squeezed.

     “Shoot him,” He said calmly, looking straight ahead at the man kneeled across the room. I looked up at the man, and then to himmel.

     “N-no..” I whispered, sweat beginning to form at the back of my neck from fear. Himmel’s hand squeezed tighter around my shoulder. His cold eyes slowly moved to mine.

     “I gave you orders 707, shoot him. Now.” He said in a threatening voice. I dropped the gun at my feet, and ignored every instinct in my body that screamed for me to self preserve and follow orders.

    “I have done everything you asked, bring me objects, I’ll move all of them, I’ll shoot as many targets as you want. But please, not this, I-I can’t shoot him, ple-” a slap across my face immediately shut me up.

    “I said shoot him!” Himmel yelled, and I flinched away from him. My body was on high alert, but I stood my ground and looked at him definitely. I would not shoot that man.

     “707 is no longer compliant. Wipe her, and we will try again.” Himmel stated, calm as before. My body instantly froze in fear, and I frantically watched as soldiers approached me. Before I could react, a blow to the back of my head dropped me to my knees and the world began to spin. I tried to refocus and get up but the soldiers were already grabbing my arms and dragging me up.

     “No please! I’ll be good, I promise!” I yelled at Himmel as I was dragged out of the room. I was dragged down the dark hall and thrown into the room, the chair sat neatly in the center. I am not going back in that chair! I screamed and with all the force I could muster up, threw my body against the soldier grabbing my arm. The action caught him off guard and I thought back to compat practice with the winter soldier. Focus! I could practically hear him shout in my head. I grabbed the soldier's arm and used my small size to roll my back on his, breaking his arm behind him. He dropped to the floor crying in pain. Someone grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked hard enough to slam me down. My head slammed into the concrete. I blinked furiously trying to clear my vision. I crawled backwards, desperate to get away from the group of approaching soldiers. Someone was yelling but the ringing in my ear wouldn’t let me clearly hear. I fist slammed into my cheekbone, pain seared through my face and before I could I breathe another fist slammed into my eye, blinding me. I tried to get up but received a sharp kick to my stomach. I curled in on myself to protect my body, as if I could.

     “Please stop!” I cried out, but the blows continued to rain on my body.

     “STOP!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, a chorus of cracks was heard all around the room. The room was silent except for the sound of my crying. A clapping echoed on the room. I opened my eyes, but I stayed still on the floor, the pain not allowing me to move. All around me were bodies laying on the floor, bodies of the soldiers, their necks all in unnatural ways. Broken and mangled in horrible directions. My hands glowing red. Across the room Himmel approached me, a big smile on his face.

     “Well done 707, you continue to impress me. This is more than what we could have hoped for.” He laughed and kneeled down by me. “There is the beast I knew was hiding beneath the innocent act.” He whispered low enough only for me to hear. Hot tears streamed down my face and shock took over my body. What have I done? I killed them...I killed all of them...I am a monster. Sobs wracked my body and escaped in pained screams. I curled in on myself, but a new group of soldiers entered the room and Himmel instructed them to take me out of here. A soldier approached me slowly. My eyes opened, and anger surged through me. I raised my hands, red dancing between my fingers, and I shoved the red energy, the soldier flew back and slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch. My body began to function on auto pilot as I did the same with any soldier that approached me. I couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t survival. Soon the soldiers stopped trying to get near me and I leaned back against the wall, hiding my face from them.

     “Get him down here.” I could Himmel speak, and heard a response through his radio. I wanted to try and decipher what he meant but I was just too tired. I closed my eyes and let myself drift. A hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality and I raised my hands, the red illuminating the dark room.

     “Hey, hey it’s me, it’s me, calm down.” The winter soldier held his hands out in front of me, showing me he had no weapon or intent on grabbing me. No, this wasn’t the winter soldier, this was James, I could see it in his eyes. His blue eyes meeting mine in calming waves. I could feel my body still shaking but the red glow was dimming around my hands until it was gone. He took a step closer, another, and one more until he kneeled in front of me.

     “You know I won’t hurt you,” he whispered so quietly only I could hear. His arms wrapped around me, the metal cold under my knees, and he picked me up quickly. I hid my face in his chest and let the tears spill.

     “I’ll take her back” he muttered to Himmel and the others. He stepped over the dead bodies scattered around the room and the soldiers stepped aside as he walked down the hall leading to my cell. It was a quiet walk and I breathed in his smell and my body soaked up his heat. He gently set me down on my mattress, he covered me with the thin sheet, and pulled a vial of clear liquid and a needle out of his jacket. Morphine, I was eager to feel the numbness again. I allowed him to do the same as he did last time, injecting the liquid in my arm. He stood up ready to leave.

     “You were gone so long,” I said quietly. He looked down at me, took a deep breath, and sat down next to me. It was hard to see him in the darkness, but I could still see his outline as he leaned his head back against the wall.

     “I had unexpected challenges.” he muttered lowly.

     “I just killed a lot of men, I don’t want to think about it. Please, I could use a distraction,” I prompted quietly, desperate to just hear his voice after so long.

     “ On my mission, I fought someone, someone that I knew a long time ago. I didn’t know I knew him until I hit my head pretty bad, must have knocked some memories loose or something.” He looked up at the ceiling, reliving his memories.

     “Were you close?” I asked quietly, I wanted him to keep talking, to stay.

     “I considered him my brother.” He closed his eyes and sighed, his body remained tense.

     “Do you remember his name?” I was afraid to ask, unsure if it would trigger him or something.

     “Steven Grant Rogers.”

[danddymaro]

Erron Black X Reader |Pt.3

Previous: A Familiar Sense

Thoughts are italics in quotations = ‘Example’

Flashbacks are in italics = Example

Fixed

Wordcount :   8111

Pt. 3 |   The Big Bad Wolf

His dark, espresso-colored eyes lazily fell over the captive female, eyeing the silent, somber woman as she sat across him. 

She was still bound and helpless, her face set blank as she slept, yet again escaping reality through her slumbering moments.

‘She’s out again,’ He thought to himself, emitting a low blow of air that flew up to the flat under-piece of his hat. By then he’d quickly caught on to her ingenious, little plan, taking it in with growing exasperation,

“ Nearnin' three days and not a bite,” he told himself before standing, rolling his shoulders with a low, little groan escaping him before he strode over to her. 

He knew that if she kept up with her act, she’d starve before they made their way to their destination, something that would definitely reduce his pay, bringing the number down to zero if she so happened to perish while under his watch.

‘That has to be your plan...right?’ He mused while he stepped towards her slumped form, quickly reaching over to where she was, soon looming over her just as a shaken breath left her.

It was as though a cold gust of wind had violently struck her, but he knew her reaction had nothing to do with the weather.

It was still sunny out, the last bit of heat the day could provide slowly dying out, but not enough to bring anyone to such violent shivers.

‘Sunny... Well as sunny as it can get in this godforsaken place,’ He told himself, looking up to see the blinding brightness of Outworld’s star spread its last bit of light out to the realm before it retired.

'Pretty soon we'll see sundown,' He thought to himself, '...And I can't help but wonder...Just what are you're thinking of little miss...’ He wondered while bringing his eyes back down to his sleeping captive, his gaze instinctively drawn to her. 

He’d formally wasted what felt like short minutes gazing at her, when in reality they were hours of silent entrancement.

It had occurred earlier too, soon after her messy outburst, following his discovery of her lovely orbs. 

Even after he'd been cautious, moreso, unwilling to fall under any little spell she would have set for him, he still found himself entranced by her. 

However, he reasoned that technically, it was part of his assignment. 

So silently, he sat back and watched, interested in just what lay deep within the crevices of her mind, haunting her.

‘Just what does she see?’

He briefly wondered just what had her so shaken and helpless, however, the interest was easily overrun by the annoyance he felt at the small act of rebellion, because all it did was make his job harder.

- All it did was threaten his pay, and that was what it was all about.

The pay.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“- Not a scratch on her,” The masked man said with an icy undertone present in his already curt way of speaking. “Do you hear me?” He pressed on. 

With rolling eyes, Black agreed, not needing to be told twice about the done deal, because by then, it’d become almost insulting.

"- Got it." He replied back nonetheless, his tone calmed as he wiled out all of his annoyance from the short response.

“That is the only rule I have; that you bring her to me in one piece.” The cloaked male added while handing the brunette a sack of golden coins along with many other little treasures in the bag, none of which could outweigh the value of the woman within the mysterious man’s sharp eyes.

“Here. This is only a small portion of what is to come,” His new employer said with a nod full of certainty, promising so much more in exchange for the job.

“Riches await you, So long as you complete your task.” He added while he blew out a little huff of amusement, well aware of who he spoke to, having personally asked for him, because until then Erron Black hadn't had a single blunder to his name.

He knew the language the native Earthrealmer spoke, aware that so long as there was profit, there was a way to convince him.

And that was just who he needed, 

- A man willing to spare no expense if it meant success.

Holding the bag within his own hand, Erron stared down at the handsome pay with widely peeled dark orbs, struck by a small stun of disbelief, 

“You mean to tell me there’s more than this?” He asked with a small chuckle, tickled by the high pay he started off with, weighing the contents with his outstretched hand.

‘All this for a woman,’ Black thought while shaking his head, amused at how much the man before him was willing to pour into his hands just to have the female delivered to him.

Black was of course, a man; one who’d lived a long life. 

During all his time living, he’d become aware of just how much a single woman could reign over a fool, but even then he was still in awe at the situation he was in.

But who was he to complain?

‘I’d be a bigger fool to let you take your business elsewhere,’ He thought while he chose to stay silent, swallowing down his own opinions.

“There is plenty more, but remember Erron Black, your pay will depend on the state you deliver her to me.

Take care of her throughout your travel, and make certain she is steered from danger,” He specified while he lifted his chin up, aiming to the sky as he gazed at it.

Simultaneously, while his sight properly aligned up to the heavy clouds, the sky above them roared with a mighty cry, the vicious sound echoing for miles to where the man hoped it'd reach his darling beauty.

'Hear the sky cry out; be aware of my existence as I am yours,' He thought to himself.

“Do whatever it takes, and do not fail me,” he then went on, his already dark eyes dimmed, “ And If you have to get rid of anyone that blocks your path, then do so,” He added, caring of only the end goal.

All he cared about was having (f/n) with him.

“Soon... Soon the spring will be invaded by the rain, and they will exist as they should. " he declared.

" Together, as one.” He added softly, the mask which hid his face not only hiding his identity, but the small smile that played at his lips as well.

The expression was touched by a linger of sweetness that then reached his eyes, infecting every bit of his being.

 “My dear goddess… soon she will be within my arms,” He mused aloud, the change in tone apparent.

“Only you are worthy…” He added lowly, still referring to the woman and all her splendor.

“- Very well,” Black murmured while taking hold of the brim of his hat, lightly tipping it as he performed a single nod, a hidden smirk curling his lips as he agreed with the condition, taking in all of the other man’s odd behavior with astounded amusement that had yet to cease.

‘All this… All this for a woman,’ Erron thought to himself while he was also handed a scroll that gave him all of the information available.

‘It’s easy pay,’ He mused while his dark eyes scanned over the illustration of the woman, making sure to remember it down to the last detail.

With his small, personal booklet in hand, he recorded down every bit of information he had of her, including her location.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the precise location, but it narrowed down the search considerably.

‘ (F/n)’ He thought to himself while he scribbled the name onto the once blank page,‘ That’s your name little missy..,’ He thought to himself while he found himself staring down at the dark ink delicately painted onto the paper in hand.

“I’ll get back to you soon,” Black said before he whistled loudly, the call responded to by his snow-haired steed as it approached the two men with an assertive bray, letting his master know he was at his disposition.

“Good boy,” Erron said while his palm fell over the side of its long, strong neck before easily mounting the creature with a leap up,

“ And don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” He repeated while taking the reins of the saddle, turning to his employer with a wide grin, “ Very soon...with your goddess,” he added with a tickle of amusement, shaking his head at the praising address.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Hey...You,” Erron said while lightly tapping the side of his boot onto her leg, repeatedly doing so until the action caused her to stir, the (h/c) haired young woman seemingly bothered by the disturbance, but not enough to immediately wake.

Instead, A fussy, little groan then fell past her, the small sound rousing a grin from him as he detected the annoyance weaved within it,

“Rise and shine Darlin',’' He said while nudging her again.

Her dark lashes slowly fluttered up as she opened her (e/c) colored orbs. Soon, her glazed eyes slowly found his as she looked up to see who woke her, a little pout then performed right as her sights landed on him.

“-Glad you’re awake,” He said flatly, eyeing her shining (e/c) colored eyes for just a moment before his own strayed, falling down to what he had in hand instead.

“I’ve noticed a certain someone hasn’t been eating,” he started, “so... here," he said while shoving the piece of meat over to her, immediately glaring at her as she turned her head, her lips pursed together as she showed her notable disdain, not even wanting to give any consideration to the offer.

‘After being kidnapped by him…

Tied up so uncomfortably...

Forced to be so close to him…On that damn saddle too!’

She thought with a little huff, the muscles in between her legs involuntarily squeezing, causing the soreness that previously settled onto her to become more prominent.

‘After seeing only just part of who you truly are… I wouldn’t dare take anything from you,’ She thought with hard resolve.

‘Because despite what you think…

Despite what you may find amusing…

I’ll make sure to find my freedom.

I’ll make sure that even if I don't get to escape… I’ll ruin every bit of satisfaction you can get from delivering me!’

There wasn’t anything she could do while being tied up, and she despised the fact.

‘I hate you! I really hate you!’ She repeated while yet again her muscles strained, ‘And I don’t want to get on that horse again!’ She added while biting her inner cheek, not thinking she'd ever get used to it.

They’d spent nearly two days on foot, and in her opinion, it was much better than the other form of transportation.

‘I’d rather walk,’ She thought with a low blow of breath being released, deciding that it was much better than the humiliation he put her through during the first time.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“There you go!” he mused, watching her glare at him as he perfectly sat her on his horse’s back, having let loose of the binds on her legs to do so, but not giving the same treatment to the ones binding her hands together. 

He played it safe by altering the position of her arms, tying her wrists up in front rather than back for the ride.

“Come on, lighten up doll,” He told her, reaching up to give her thigh encouraging little pats, the little contact causing her to jump at the first tap. 

“It’s much better than walking,” He assured her, knowing she was already dog tired.

Soon after, an actual shiver then ran through her as he mounted the creature himself, sitting right behind her, his arms draped over her bound ones to take the reins.

“Don’t wanna chew gravel, right?” He asked her, his strong arms at each side of her, holding her still, 

“- So just stay still...no squirmin," He advised her.

Momentarily, her eyes fell down to the dirt ground, swallowing hard as she realized that if she did struggle against him, she’d only end up hurt.

‘He's right...I’m so high off the ground…’ She thought while hanging her head, her chin aimed to her chest with hopelessness.

Anxiously, she tried to squeeze herself tiny, not wanting any contact with him. Little by little, she tried to inch forward, her torso leaned ahead to try an attempt at even the slightest bit of distance, failing altogether as he took the opportunity to press his chest to her back each and every time, knowingly irking her.

‘I don’t want to be pressed to you,’ She inwardly cried, straightening her back from the uncomfortable slouch she had set it at.

‘The very idea disgusts me…’ She added while the warmth of his body was shared with her via the contact.

‘And the action itself...’ She went on, trailing off while her stomach churned, her heart set into anxious mode as she slowly caved. 

By then the air began to mellow down and grow colder, the woman begrudgingly appreciating the comfort of his heat whilst the wind began to pick up, and the sky began to darken furthermore.

She tried to not think much of it, wanting to put every bit of memory she had of him down a deep, dark abyss to never think of him again, but finding it nearly impossible.

‘I detest this more than anything in the world…’ She thought while her vision began to blur, her stiff shoulders falling as she was lulled to sleep, the slow, careful beating of his heart which bounced off his chest and melted with hers providing a strange sense of comfort that overwhelmed her. 

 The rest of the travel was silent, save for the occasional soft hums he released out of sheer boredom, something that was normal during his travels. 

 What he did find surprising was that throughout the ride, she'd let out not a peep.

'I guess they're not all bad then,' He told himself, beginning to think that perhaps she had a nice dream every now and then.

' Or don't tell me…. ' he then thought while grinning, a stupid little thought coming to him and livening him up,

'Darlin'...have you taken a liking to me already?' He mused with a powerful grin, the thought so far stretched, it was almost comical.

'The second you realize what you're doing… I know it'll give you all the more reason to want to kill me,' he went on, by then having the sleeping woman leaned back to him, for the most part, cradled by him as he made sure she was safely secured within his grasp.

"And here I thought you hated me," he said whilst he came down to her little ear, certain that it'd be an action that would bring her back to reality.

-And he was right on the money because not a second after she stirred.

She had awoke to the sound of warm chuckles and what was the unmistakable touch of gloved hands grazing her forearms with slow strokes.

Groggily, she answered back, emitting a soft groan in response that was preceded by yet another sound of amusement by him,

“I see...” She heard the awful man speak, “Taken a liking to me already sweetheart?” He asked her, her tingling spine shooting up stiffly straight as over the course of her entire body, cold shudders raked her.

The events afterward happened in a blur, perhaps because she tried hard to forget it, that, or her mind was so frazzled by him that she could barely focus.

It was all fuzzy to her, but through it all, she could hear him chuckle, the deep, warm sound twisting her already knotted stomach as she tried to sleep yet again, attempting to ignore him after he had the nerve to sit her back down and tie her up again, moving her around like a little sack of potatoes.

‘ Just one,' she decided with certainty, biting her lip, convincing herself that she just needed the chance, whatever slim it may be, to slip away.

‘ And then I can go back home.

I can make my way back…

And I can wait for you there,’ she thought while for just a moment her mind drifted back to the hazy vision of the woman.

‘ I’ll wait for you there,’ she said again, ‘ because I know deep in my heart that you'll make your way to me.’

Sure he'd been able to catch her easy, but she wasn't going to let him win in the long run.

She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, and what was much more, she'd make certain she'd get away.

'I need to get away from him.

Far ...Far away from him.'

 "hm...What a rude, little lady," he said lowly, taking the piece meant for her in between his own teeth, taking a bite as he watched her, studying her and every twitch of her face as an array of emotions broke through.

It wasn't like he had anything else to do but watch her anyways, so entertained, he watched her display her truths.

She went from stubborn bitterness to a hard resolve, slowly but surely melting in a softhearted expression that was touched by sadness before she came back full circle, her lips pursed as she willed herself into the same bullheadedness.

'I won't take it…' she thought to herself, ' I don't want to…' she went on, trying to convince herself, 'but…' she thought while she swallowed hard, trying to brush away the empty feeling she felt, and what was much more, the desire she had to sink her teeth into the savory, smoky scented piece.

Her pressed lips then loosened in the slightest, the bottom one lightly sinking into her mouth as she continued to watch him, (e/c) colored eyes trained on his chewing mouth.

Longing invaded the lovely shine of eyes as she watched him, but stubbornly, she continued to deny him the satisfaction, not wanting to give the man any more reason to reign over her.

However, despite all the effort she made to seem collected, her stomach rumbled, the sound immediately drawing his eyes to her pathetic, little figure.

Catching the little twinkle in his eye she swallowed down fiercely.

Instantly her face grew warm, color blossoming over her cheeks from being so easily put to shame, all by her own roaring tummy.

“ Stubborn too.” He added with amusement, eyeing the warm color sitting on her shamed face.

‘I see… so that really was your plan,’ He mused, watching her determination slowly crack. ’Good to know,’

It'd been a hunch, but now he was convinced she purposely starved herself, be it for the reason he’d assumed or not, that was her intention, and now he was certain.

Seeing his notable enjoyment at her dismay, she tightened her teeth together, glaring at him viciously, still willing to keep up her front despite her humiliation, which always came at his hands,

“ I'll die before you get me there!” she said through gritted teeth, her words filled with malice as all the while, her face showed the same evident embarrassment that had yet to leave her even while she desperately tried to fight it.

‘ I swear… I swear I’ll find my way home,’

“You won't get a single coin for me! Not One!” She taunted him, snorting, picking at the mercenary like a madman poking a sleeping bear,

‘Because I know well enough that whoever paid you to take me wants me unscathed,’ She thought with assurance. 

‘So you can either let me go….Or let me die,’ She went on, the latter being a path she didn’t want to take.

‘I don’t want to die…’ She thought to herself, pained at the thought, her heart aching, ‘ I don’t want to meet an end where I feel such incompletion, but...but if I were to continue to live, What would be my fate?’ She wondered, afraid of all of the horrible things she could be subjugated to.

‘What awaits at the end of this journey?’ She wondered helplessly.

‘Who...Who awaits me?’

“Oh really?” He said amused. “You think so?” He asked her, continuing to eat, unbothered by her threats, interested in provoking her in order to see just how far she’d really go, because he hadn’t known she could bark so much.

He thought she was meek. 

He figured she was easy to break, but he was slowly being proven wrong.

At the sound of his entertained tone, she strained against the tight ropes, “I know so !” She answered back, roaring at him with a voice that held a dangerous firmness within it,

“I don't know who paid you to do this…” she started, in her own mind trying her damn best to figure out just who in the world wanted her so bad that they'd pay some armed mercenary to whisk her away.

"But they won't give you anything seeing me dead!" She cried out, her arms still attempting to pull away from each other, wiggling on her seat on the floor, attempting to do the same with the restraint on her legs.

“I’m starting to see that you’re really stubborn,” he muttered, watching her waste her energy, seeing her waste the lovely, flickering flame that had him entertained.

“You’re barkin’ at a Knott. Wiggling so much won’t get you anywhere, so all in all, I’d say that once we get there, you’d just wasted that breath of yours,” He informed her, watching her continue to shift with the knowledge that she’d stay bound regardless of what she did.

'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'

Fuming, she stopped squirming, refusing to answer him back, instead looking up at the sky, her nose turning up to it as she inclined her head back to gaze at it fully.

Up there in the sky….

‘ Does anyone see me?’ She wondered. ‘Can anyone save me?’ She continued to ponder, wishing that somehow the ropes that bound her became unwoven, somehow unthreading.

(F/n) continued on, ignoring him instead as her thoughts strayed up to the sky with a yearning gaze, sadness dancing with the little shining specs in her (e/c) colored orbs.

‘If you know I need you…

If you know where I am…

If you come to me in my hours of sleep…

Then why don’t you save me from this nightmare? From this horrible isolation and sorrow?

Why don’t you show yourself?

Why have you abandoned me?’

Hearing no reply back, Erron took a step closer, staring down at her from his upturned chin, glaring down at her with an irked twitch to his brow.

 “So...After all that, you're ignoring me again?” He asked her, approaching her again and crossing his thick arms above his chest.

He saw her jaw move, tensing up and tightening as she kept her eyes up to the dark sky, seeming to grow more and more annoyed by his presence, and nearing an approach to yet another explosion of hers.

He knelt down to her, his eyes fixed on her, staring at the woman dead on yet, still being ignored by her as she continued to reside in her thoughts instead, choosing to do away with his presence the only way she could.

“Really now?” he said with a low sigh,” After all that bark you plan on giving me the cold shoulder ?” He asked her, receiving a cold, desolate silence in return, irking him, the woman easily crawling under his skin with her little act.

'Stubborn little brat…' he thought while huffing.

“...I’ve said all I need to say to you,” She said lowly, still not bothering to look towards him, instead, gazing up at the air, the dark, night sky soon in her line of vision,

“...You rotten man,” She added with a clenched jaw.

 "Alrighty then,” he said with a nod, “That's just fine,” he told her, shrugging disinterestedly. “Fine by me if you keep your mouth shut,” He retorted, “But you know… I can't have you starved,” he informed her. 

“ Dying on me…” he added nonchalantly.

“So eat,” He told her, receiving a brisk and snarky No in return.

“ It’s not good for my business, you know?” He told her, and as he spoke he could see a thick shiver run through her, rattling her as he put in his complaint.

“Bringing in a dead body won’t do me any good,” He added, almost as though him telling her about his little dilemma would convince her otherwise.

“Screw y-”

Not letting her finish, he caught her nose in between his two fingers both his thumb and index pressed on either side, squeezing tightly and cutting off her airflow.

At that, her eyes bugged, arms flailing to tear his hand away, but as she did, she was left with the same helplessness as the restraints which bound her didn't budge.

Being trapped, she couldn't really fight back, and the best she could do was shake her head, but even then, his grip was firm, causing tears to bubble in her eyes as the sting of his press and lack of oxygen overwhelmed her,

“Ah!”

It didn't take long for her to gasp, her mouth flying wide open, and with a quick hand, he shoved the last of his morsel in her mouth, offering her a satisfied grin while he succeeded.

She would have spit it out had it not tasted so heavenly, especially while she was starved.

He watched as she begrudgingly ate, satisfied with himself, "’atta girl," he muttered, making her scowl, her eyes once again glowing with a fierce fire.

“ If looks could kill,” he started,” by now I’d be dead, dead, dead,” he mused, “ right honey?” He asked her, making her scoff before she swallowed down the bit of food with a dried mouth,

‘ How dare he…

How dare this… this… rotten man toy so much with me!’ She thought with dismay, convinced that every thing he did was to bother her.

If it wasn’t bad enough that he’d caught her and had her at his mercy, he seemed to enjoy picking at her and making her suffer.

‘But then again…’ She mused while a sudden thought came to her as she saw an open window, ‘It's to my advantage…Right?’ She thought to herself, slowly finding her voice, her (e/c) colored eyes drawn to his boots, not daring to look up at him, knowing her eyes could betray her,

‘If he finds me to be so vulnerable…

If he thinks I’m so helpless… then wouldn’t that mean he sees no threat in me?

Wouldn't that mean that he doesn’t expect me to get the best of him?

Isn’t he too confident?... Enough for me to take my needed chance? ’ She wondered with hope.

‘I’m nowhere near as strong as he is...’ She thought with certainty, ‘But maybe I don’t have to be,’ She thought while momentarily bringing her eyes to the weapon strapped to his side.

‘Maybe I just have to be smarter,’ She added.

‘If I can get it away from him... and maybe even use it myself...’ She trailed off, biting her lower lip, 

‘If he can get closer to me...and give me just a moment...’

“Can I...I have some water? ” She asked him softly, making him chuckle.

“ You have to be sweeter than that honey. After all that big talk I'm a little hesitant to get closer to you… Who knows right? “ He asked her. “For all I know you could try and bite me.

From that little devilish look in your eye, I can only assume you're on the shoot.” He told her, betting on the chances of her planning to escape.

“I’m parched,” She told him, which wasn’t too much of a lie because she actually was thirsty.

“ I haven't had anything to eat or drink,” She said to him, giving him large doe eyes, the sudden look of plea hitting him with surprise.

Again, her little stars were shot to him, causing his jaw to lock at the sight, remembering just what they did to him the last time, figuring she was making the same attempt,

'She's a damn witch,' He told himself, convinced she had some sort of magic to her as he reached towards his water canteen, unscrewing it as he approached her yet again.

He then kneeled to her, coming closer to her level while his right hand began to tilt the opened container just over her mouth, his left hand momentarily running his fingers over the soft skin of her chin, lifting it up with the tips of them to make sure she didn't spill anything.

"Open up," He murmured, his actions making her frown, the expression instantly washing over her as he leaned in.

"C-Can't you let me go?" She asked him, having expected him to untie the restraints to let her drink," I can drink on my own," she said softly, barely uttering the words, because as she spoke she knew she was being too hopeful and that he wouldn't take a bite to her bait.

- But she had to try.

She had to take every chance she could.

Adorning a little smirk, he chuckled, " I sure hope you don't take me as a fool darling," he said while watching her stiffen.

"Insincerity...It really isn't in you, is it?" He asked her, having noticed how little she could hide her true self.

"You want me to let you go, don't you?" He asked her, placing the canteen aside, moving it out of the way before he trailed his left hand down from her waist to her thigh, moving down even more to reach her ankles where he'd tied her up.

All the while she stared at him wide-eyed, watching him undo the knot that held her before he made his way to the other tie, both knees pressed to the ground as he placed himself before her, his arms fully around her figure.

" You know...All you had to do was ask," He told her, his grin present as he was pressed to her, momentarily working on the binds while she basked in his strangely warm, sweet scent of leather.

"If you'd just kindly asked me before...there'd be no need to try and fool me," He murmured, the thickness in his voice causing her to swallow down strongly.

 "After all, I'm a sucker for pretty girls..." He informed her, her face blooming with color at the statement.

During then the tip of her nose was pressed onto his chest, breathing in his smell with tightly shut eyes,

'It's overwhelming,' She thought to herself, having already been surrounded by the scent while they'd rode on the hooved creature, but not having been encased by it as she was now.

It was inescapable and tantalizing. 

Unlike before, now she was facing him, and it felt so much more intimate to be pressed together in such a manner, 

'-But...wait...what...what's going on?' She wondered with confusion while the pit of her stomach warmed, a strange, yet sweet, and warm feeling spreading out to the rest of her body as it was surrounded by him.

" You think I'm the big bad wolf, don't you?" He asked her with a small hum, hearing her reply to him with a nearly soundless sigh, having nothing more to really respond with.

' No. I think you're awful...I know you are...' She thought to herself, trying to ignore the strange, and foreign feeling that washed over her.

'You're...You're the worst,' she reminded herself.

"But really... I'd only bite if you gave me a reason to...If you'd tempt me to..." He added while drawn so close she felt uncertain on whether or not he could actually feel the wild pace her heart ran with.

'You must know what you're doing to me...

Whatever it is you’re doing to me...You have to know...' She silently spoke, wanting to draw back from him, yet left stupidly stilled.

Unwillingly, a little, anxious whimper escaped her, causing his chest to rumble with yet another chuckle, the sound surrounding her, causing her skin to bump up, the woman becoming thoroughly flustered.

'You must be enjoying this...' She thought with perturbation. 'Toying with me like this... making me feel so helpless and small...I...I...Just why do I even feel like this to begin with?'

He suddenly stopped, his voice low, beneath his breath, sounding clear as day to her as she was at such a close range, daring to ask a question that needed no answer, 

"Am I making you nervous?" He asked her, teasing her, causing the tension between them to thicken furthermore.

It had always there. The same thick, uncomforting feeling as the villain was pressed so close to her was always present, however, somehow, with just the single teasing utter, he'd made the air became almost unbreathable and suffocating.

'Is it just me? ' She wondered, suddenly feeling warmer, the feeling somehow similar to standing near a blazing fire. 

She felt so nervous and small, her vulnerability making her feel delicate beneath the rugged man who she was growing certain remained unmoved.

" what do you want from me?" She then asked him, her chest heaved as she shook, wanting to know just what his plan was.

She was aware that he was dangerous.

She knew he wasn't there out of the kindness of his heart, and that the only reason their paths crossed was because of who he already was.

‘You’re someone who’s done awful things. 

You’re someone who doesn’t care about anything but himself and what he can get back.‘

She knew it, and yet, within such a short time, the warmth of his body had already become familiar to her, melting over her sweetly, and leaving a mark that now responded at any form of closeness. 

‘You’re not someone I should be comfortable with in any way...

So why is my body responding in this way? '

 "Why me?" She asked him in search of a concrete answer.

Why her of all people?

 " Someone just wants you that bad..." he replied, answering briskly.

"Who?" She asked him anxiously, all while pleading.

'Just who,' she thought with fright.

" Can't say," he answered back because truth be told, he had no idea.

He'd only ever met the man once and during then his voice was slightly muffled by the mask he'd worn. And if that wasn't enough, he'd also worn a long hood, hiding most of himself save for his dark gaze.

The almond-shaped eyes clicked in his mind, but not enough to give him certainty on just who it was.

 " But we'll see when we get there," he told her.

"In the meantime-"

" Why don't you just let me go?" she interrupted him, questioning him in the same hushed tone of before, "You can let me go," she assured him, her glimmering eyes pleading as she inclined her head back, gazing up at him.

 ' If there is any good in you, please... please let me see it.

Please let it shine through.' She thought with growing faith. ‘ This feeling...give it reason.’ She went on, searching for a soft spot within his glaring dark stones, trying to weave through to a portion of his heart that held mercy.

"And why would I do that? What do I get in return?" He questioned her, scoffing at her plea, because she couldn't really believe it was just that easy, right?

Did she think she could give him puppy eyes and she'd be set?

His resolve then hardened even more as he looked down at her, challenging her, letting her understand that if she thought a look from her eyes was enough to bind him again, she was sorely mistaken.

It wasn't going to happen another time, because he was a strong man, one that wouldn't be caught off guard.

- One who would cave down to no little woman.

Just then the ropes fell, and in that instance of freedom her hands went up to his chest, intent on pushing back while he did the contrary, slowly falling onto her until she was left supported on her elbows.

 ' Do you understand..?' he mused while he was coming close to her, ' I'm In charge...and for now... I make the rules.

So don't think you have anything over me.

Don't think you can play me in any way. '

Her hand then moved to snake over to the side his gun was strapped to when he spoke, stopping her, 

" Tell me Darlin', if we were to cut a deal....what would I get from you?" He asked her, the question making her eyes widen.

The featherlight hope within her grew, her eyes gleaming with the lovely look of trusting faith causing him to shake his head in disbelief. He was amused she really had so much optimism in her despite being trapped beneath him, and that all in all, she was stuck at the mercy of a man that made his living spilling red.

" Anything," she said nodding, starry-eyed and happy, "Anything you want," she breathed.

"Oh? And How much is that ?" He asked, interested, "How much can you give?" he asked her, "You might be able to buy your way out of this," he informed her, knowing there was no way in hell she could, but entertained by just what she'd give,

 What did she think was valuable?

 " I already told you, you can have anything you want!" She said desperately, not understanding why he pressed on so much. 

Didn't he understand that anything was better than being sold off?

Didn't he get that all she wanted to do was make her way back home?

 "Just let me go home and leave me be!" She exclaimed.

"So..." he started, dragging out the word with a little teasing grin, "You're willing to give me anything I ask for... You want to be free that bad?" He asked her, and with a furious nod, she agreed again.

"Please..." she airily murmured.

' I don't know what I've done...

What I've done wrong...

But if it gets me back home, I'll owe you my life.'

A miserable, little smile touched her face while her wet eyes looked up at him, holding onto the small string of hope he'd tossed at her. 

"Well..." He started, idly running the fingers of his left hand beneath one eye to catch any escaping drops, the sweet touch giving her a soft form of comfort.

The hand so close to the weapon withdrew fully, moved to his kind hand, offering a lax hold to his wrist that assured him she was thankful and appreciative. 

‘There is something in you then...something that is good,’ She began to think.

"Now that you mention it, there is just one thing," He said to her, continuing to smile, leering down even closer to her, the proximity causing her breath to hitch as he fully climbed over her, caging her down.

" I know there's one thing you could pay me with," he added. " Hell...I don't think you've shared it with anyone yet," he said chuckling, running the same hand's fingers down over her neck, falling to her chest to where his touch became nearly nonexistent, ghosting over the bosom until he went down to her ribcage.

All the while, his eyes were glued to her ripening face as it glowed and realization dawned onto her.

"Mind sharing it with me? "He asked her, his husky voice falling over her little, heated ear as he whispered the offer.

'Did it cross your mind?' He wondered, 'Or are you that innocently foolish?' He went on, interested to know what went through her mind.

During the entire time, he'd been just toying with her, but even then he felt a small twitch, growing excited as he caught a whiff of the sweet scent she carried around. 

 The smell that emitted from her (s/c) flesh was eerily similar to fresh wildflowers, and it was only really noticeable as he brushed his nose over her flesh, the little arousing aroma only just letting itself be known.

' I'm starting to see how you could make a man go stupid,' he thought to himself, recognizing that she was arousing from sight to scent.

"Not! Not that!" She cried out, literally shaking at his fingertips, the woman growing as delicate as a brittle leaf,

"Get...away..." she said with harsh pants, her voice trembling.

"But you said anything, right? " he said in a low murmur, reminding her of just what she had said, making her realize just how stupid she was.

 ' You thought you'd strike a chord in me and that I'd cave.

 You really thought this world worked that way.'

 "So convince me," he said whilst his lips grazed over her neck, the little contact tickling her, causing her to shiver.

A little sound that she'd never produced before set free from the confinement of her strongly heaved chest and soon after, A sweet, virginal moan struck him. 

With a tight bite to his lip that slowly raked over the flesh, he then took a long breath through clenched teeth.

"No... no..." she shook her head, tears bubbling in her eyes as she wanted to pull back every promise she made, swallowing down the words of compromise she had given him because by then she had become thoroughly frightened.

" ...Off," she weakly begged, her hands which were still on his chest fisting his shirt before she resorted to pushing her balled hands toward his chest, feeble, shaken strikes bumping him.

'For just a moment...For just a measly second...I actually trusted you!' She thought with growing anger. 

' You made me think that there was a shred of kindness in you when you're nothing but a sick... 

Degenerate...

Awful... 

Rotten man!' 

The little quakes that had overcome her ceased, as she clenched her teeth tightly, barring them with a low snarl, "Get off of me now!" She demanded, her voice suddenly stern and certain, filling with spite. 

Her right hand flew up to his face, her palm greeting his flesh with a vicious contact that echoed out, the quiet silence of the desert land interrupted by the clash.

His head moved with the force she used on him and blankly, he stared off to the side, feeling the bothersome sting left on his cheek after the well-deserved assault.

"You actually went and struck me..." he said slowly, his brown eyes glaring down at her, darkened down to near black as he watched her fierce features then melt, regret gleaming in her eyes as she realized just what she did.

His tongue slowly ran over his top lip, a heavy breath passing through his parted lips as he inhaled, sucking in a low breath.

His two hands then reached for her wrists, one pinning her left over her head with unkind force, the other lifting up her right hand back up to his face, forcing the offending hand to lay over the stinging spot it had struck.

Under her touch the spot was pulsing hot, throbbing with pain which overall left him impressed, 

"I didn't think you'd actually go ahead..." he said chuckling, no true show of malice or rebuttal being reflected.

'Serve's me right, right?' He thought to himself cheekily.

" I Didn't take you to be so brash," he admitted to her, because despite the spikes of strength that glowed in her eyes, he hadn't figured she'd be brave enough to actually take a strike at him.

"Not with these hands," he added, continuing with the same amusement, feeling her shake, the little quake present even in her fingertips.

‘These little hands that were so sweet to patches of weeds, ‘ He thought to himself as he remembered how sweetly she interacted with her garden. 

" Little miss sweet and innocent; Miss I wouldn't hurt a fly..." he jeered, "She has some poison in her, doesn't she?" he said while watching her, the said venom which had previously brewed not there, replaced with fear.

"It's a real shame..." he murmured, pressing his lips over her stinging palm, giving it a quick, playful peck that lingered.

' I know it hurts darling'...it hurts you more than it does me, doesn't it? ' He mused while his lips rested on her warm palm.

‘ I can only assume you detest violence. You loath it as much as you say you hate me.

Maybe because... To you, I am violence.

To you, I’m a complete nightmare. ’ 

There was so much shame in her eyes that she shut them close, not wanting to be ogled by the man that had already greedily drunk in their sight.

' It is such a shame...

A shame I can't touch you,' he thought with the same excitement.

' It’s A shame your nothing but an inexperienced girl at that,' he added with a shake to his head, his mind wandering to territory he knew shouldn't be threaded upon, but was unavoidable.

He dared her to stop him again, willing to take her command if she found her voice, 

' Tell me no and I'll stop.

If you can...

If those pretty lips can form the words...I'll step back now,' He thought while in the end, she stayed silent, leaving his warm mouth stuck to her, not moving from the little spot it’d landed on.

Afterward, he let her limb fall, retreating and ultimately, leaving her little body to lay with haggard breathing that was difficult to ease.

It was then that her hands reached up to her risen chest, scrambling back further from him, wanting to run, but left a wobbling mess.

Her erratic heart was in desperate need of a steady hand to grasp it, and helplessly, she clutched her chest, her wide, teary eyes following the man, afraid of him, and yet, somehow excited.

It was all too much for her.

What was much worse, the present excitement she fizzled with had her in a poorer state, the woman wondering why her body had grown so hot, as well as questioning why the sight of him caused her chest to ache so much.

' I can't stay here... I just can't,' she told herself, watching as he seemed unaffected, the light of the fire being put out by the sand he gently kicked into it. 

'I have to leave...' She told herself, letting the precious time slip past her fingers as she stayed motionless instead, watching him in quiet silence until he decided to pay her mind again.

As his eyes landed on her, she couldn't help but shrink furthermore, much more as he went to her, the bind in his hands yet again, having already given her enough time to enjoy being unbound.

'She didn't try anything,' He told himself, somewhat surprised. ‘She didn’t even move an inch,’ He observed.

" Time for some shut eyes darlin," he murmured lowly, suddenly seeming somber, all the traces of amusement he typically wore drained out, the overall sentiment having been vacant throughout the entire two hours of calm quietness.

Reaching towards her, he pulled her dangerously close to him as he carefully knotted the rope around her wrists and ankles, each twist done with slow carefulness, making certain it was secured, yet kind. 

‘Since you’ve been good...I suppose I’ll be nice.’ He silently spoke to her as he finished up restraining her, doing so in a much more comfortable manner, leaving her arms before her rather than behind.

" We're heading out in the morning, just before the sunrise," he informed her while draping a small, woolen blanket over her, her little, balled body covered by it.

"So rest up..." he added while going back to his previous spot across her, keeping his eyes on her until he was sure she was out.

Again, the same small sounds of discomfort he'd become familiar with drew from her, making his lips press together firmly, his head shaking. 

Inclining his head back, he then stared up at the stars, leisurely counting them until somewhere along the count he closed his eyes a final time, his eyelids grown to heavy to blink open. 

‘A good night’s rest,’ He thought to himself. ‘That’s all I need.’ 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Next Part: I Know I shouldn’t 

[this-forest-within-me]

I write fanfic, and I’m actually really proud of it! I’ve been writing for many years, and have poetry accounts on Facebook and Instagram, but my main ambition has always been to write fiction novels.

Funnily enough, Robin Hood BBC gives me oodles of inspiration to do just that. This is a short story I wrote for my friend, Michelle, a huge Gisborne fan, for her Secret Santa gift. I hope you like it.

** It is aimed at Gisborne fans only - no outlaws are involved in the making of this **

Third Chances

The end was nigh. Sir Guy of Gisborne, once the Master-at-Arms and evil henchman to the Sheriff of Nottingham, black knight supreme, and killer of Lady Marian, his one true love, was dying. Stabbed by Vaisey, the sheriff himself, in a fight to the death, he lay on the ground in the tunnels beneath Nottingham Castle, and thought about the life he had lived. About the mistakes he had made, and the people he was leaving behind.

Robin Hood, formerly his sworn enemy and love rival but now his brother in arms, held Guy tightly as his breathing slowed, and then, the black knight was gone and Robin laid him gently on the ground.

He was left alone, his lifeless body, swathed in black leather, resting on the cold, stone floor, his black hair fanned around his head. And, when the castle exploded above him, he didn't notice a thing.

***

Two days later, after a full day and night of torrential rain which had doused the raging fire in the castle, leaving a smouldering, blackened pile of stone, the salvage team was sent in. Made up of various villagers from Nottinghamshire, as well as bounty hunters from further afield, their main aim was to recover bodies, along with any valuables that hadn't been destroyed in the explosion, caused by Robin Hood's final arrow, aflame, hitting a barrel of Byzantine Greek fire.

There wasn't much hope for survivors. The Byzantine fire had decimated the castle keep, and there was barely anything left of the imposing fortress. Only rubble and death.

Michelle of Clun was part of a small team who had been sent below the castle, into the secret tunnels that had connected the castle to Sherwood Forest. Unused for many years, they had recently been the scene of a bloodthirsty battle between Isabella of Gisborne and Vaisey, former Sheriffs of Nottingham, and Guy of Gisborne and Robin Hood. The battle, that had been coming for many months, had ended with the death of everyone involved, apart from Archer, the illegitimate brother of both Gisborne and Hood, who now lived in the forest with Robin's outlaw gang.

All that should remain in the tunnels below the castle was the body of Gisborne, which Archer had requested be removed and receive a Christian burial.

Michelle felt a degree of melancholy as she descended into the tunnels depths. Although she hadn't known the imposing black knight in person, she had seen him around, and had admired his dark good looks from a distance. She had also sensed the yearning deep in his soul, for it mirrored her own.

She wasn't looking forward to seeing such a great man reduced to nothing more than a corpse, but the pay for salvaging was handsome, and she needed the money. It had been a difficult year. She only hoped that the sight of Guy of Gisborne's body wouldn't make her openly cry.

There was rubble all around, and, as Michelle and her compatriots scanned the area, she worried that they would not find a body in one piece. Setting out alone, she moved further into the cellar, coughing a little as she disturbed piles of dust. Holding her lantern above her head, she glimpsed a flash ahead of her and recognised the muted shine of a leather-clad arm, and a motionless hand. As she drew closer, she realised a wooden beam had fallen diagonally, wedging itself between the ground and the ceiling, and causing the rubble above it to pile onto the wooden beam. Beneath it lay Gisborne's body, protected.

Michelle called out to her workmates and fell to her knees beside the body. In repose, Guy's face was pale and austere, beautifully handsome. His leather jacket was a bloodied mess, and she tried not to look too closely. She felt a pang of loss. Although she had never even spoken to him, he had felt like a kindred spirit, yet his life had been snuffed out so early. Before she had even had chance to say hello.

She reached out a gentle hand to brush the dust from his face, and it barely registered that he was still warm before his bloodshot eyes snapped open, staring at her uncomprehendingly.

She shrieked, and Denton, one of the other salvagers, reached her first, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Michelle, are you alright?"

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "It's Gisborne. He— he's alive."

The rest of the gang joined them, and Guy was briefly and inexpertly examined. He was alive, but in a bad way. He had lost a lot of blood, and his wound was deep and jagged. It was unlikely that he would survive, but Michelle was suddenly galvanised into action.

They fashioned a makeshift stretcher and lifted Guy onto it. He cried out in pain, but his words were delirious and made little sense. There was no room to take him to the upper levels of the castle, so it was agreed that he would be transported further along the tunnel and into the forest. From there, Michelle intended to take him to her home nearby, where she would call for the wise-woman, Matilda.

***

It took a while to manoeuvre their way out of the tunnels, but, eventually, they reached Michelle's modest cottage in the village of Clun. They laid the knight out on her mattress.

"What will you do with 'im, Michelle?" Rose, one of the other salvagers, asked, and Michelle shrugged.

"I don't yet know, but I have to try to save him," she replied.

"Just be careful, Michelle," Denton warned. "He was never a nice man. I'd hate for yer to get hurt."

They left to return to the castle, and Michelle covered Guy with fleeces and ran as fast as she could to Matilda's forest dwelling. The wise-woman was tending to her herb garden, yet gathered her things together and followed Michelle, sensing the urgency in her friend's words.

Once in Michelle's cottage, she stopped and stared at the figure on the bed.

"My dear, dear 'Chelle. Why are yer wasting yer time on this scoundrel? I reckon 'e deserves to die, more so than my poor Robin did."

"Maybe so," Michelle replied. "But he's alive, and I can't allow him to suffer."

Matilda shrugged. "Very well. We will need hot water, and rags. Oh, an' a sharp knife so I can remove these leathers. I need to get to the wound," she added to a wide-eyed Michelle.

Matilda worked long into the day, removing Guy's clothes, cleaning the deep wound, and stitching it. Guy cried out in delirium and stared about him, although he never saw them. He muttered to himself and shouted, speaking to Robin and Marian and Archer, crying for his mother. Michelle did her best to hold him down while Matilda worked on the wound, and it wasn't difficult for he was very weak.

Once the wound was sewn and covered, they attempted to feed him with broth. He took a little and drank deeply when offered water. Matilda added something to the cup, and, eventually, he slept.

Michelle stayed with him almost constantly. His sleep was restless, and his skin burned with fever. He called out constantly, and pawed at the bandages. Sometimes, he cried, speaking Marian's name, begging for her forgiveness. Other times, he shouted for his mother, his voice forlorn and lost. Michelle tended to him, cleaning him constantly, and ensuring he was comfortable. She slept in short intervals, alert to Guy's needs, always on hand to serve him. She was exhausted, but the desire to nurse the knight back to health was paramount. He deserved a second chance; everybody deserved a second chance. Even a third chance.

On the seventh day, Guy's fever broke, and the knight slept peacefully, at long last. Exhausted yet pleased, Michelle pulled blankets around herself and curled up by the fire, falling into a deep sleep.

When she finally awoke, she had no idea where she was. She was facing the stone hearth, and her slumber had been so deep that she was, for a moment, confused. But then, it all came flooding back; entering the castle ruins, finding Guy's body, bringing him home, and nursing him through the worst of his fever.

She rubbed her eyes, sleepily, and stretched. Behind her, the mattress creaked and a tentative voice broke the silence.

"My— my lady. Please tell me where I am and why I am here."

With a gasp, Michelle whipped round, clutching the blankets beneath her chin. Guy was awake, watching her in bewilderment. His gaze softened as he regarded her startled countenance.

"I don't mean to alarm you. But," he looked around the cottage. "I have no recollection of getting here. What happened? And why am I," he looked downwards, appearing embarrassed. "Why am I naked?"

Michelle blushed and scrambled to her feet. It had been easier to keep him unclothed while she tended to his needs, including his bodily functions. She couldn't deny having admired his body while she worked, and she hoped it wasn't written all over her face.

"My lord," she stammered. "I apologise. I found you in the castle, close to death, and brought you to my home. You had been stabbed and everybody thought you were dead."

She watched the puzzlement on Guy's face turn to realisation as he recalled the events that had lead to him being stabbed. He looked stricken.

"Robin?"

Michelle shook her head, regretfully, and his expression fell. "What about Isabella? The Sheriff?"

"The castle exploded," Michelle explained, gently. "They both died."

A tumult of emotions passed over his features before they settled on grim satisfaction. He nodded, stonily. "They got what they deserved."

Unsure of how to reply, Michelle fell silent, and, after a short pause, he looked up at her, hopefully.

"I'm hungry and thirsty. Is there anything to eat?"

Glad of something to do, Michelle fetched him broth and cooled boiled water, and he drank both, greedily, and asked for seconds. Once he was full, he asked for clothing.

His leather outfit was ruined, having been cut off his body by Matilda, who had commented bawdily on his emerging body parts. Cringing slightly, Michelle told him that his former outfit was not suitable to wear anymore, and he shrugged.

"Leathers were the old me. I need something new."

Enthusiastically, she left him consuming more broth and ran to her neighbour's cottage. Robert was tall and built similarly to Guy, and he presented her with clothing suitable for the black knight. Returning to the cottage, Michelle found Guy sleeping again, and she lay the outfit, roughly-made leggings and a loose black tunic, out on the mattress beside him, before setting to work filling the water supply and collecting firewood.

He awoke much later and dressed, gratefully, before attempting to rise. He was too weak, though, and Michelle had to help him, wedging her shoulder under his armpit and guiding him outside so he could relieve himself. Although she turned away to preserve his dignity, he remained unembarrassed in her presence.

"I don't even know your name," he said to her, once they were back in the cottage, and he was eagerly spooning more broth into his mouth.

"It is Michelle," she said, shyly.

He nodded. "Of course. A beautiful name for a beautiful person."

"Oh, I don't know." Michelle avoided his eyes, directing her gaze at the floor, modestly, but he reached out to put a finger under her chin, raising her head until her eyes met his.

"I tell the truth," he said, softly, looking into her eyes. "I owe you my life. You have selflessly nursed me back to health, even though you didn't have to. I don't know how to repay you."

Michelle smiled, faintly. "I'm just glad that you are recovering, my lord."

"It is Guy," he told her, firmly. "You can call me Guy. I am no longer lord of anywhere."

"You will always be a lord to me, Guy." Michelle looked at him, unable to hide the adoration in her eyes, and he stroked a finger across her cheek.

Michelle could feel herself falling for the black knight, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Indeed, the longer he resided with her, the less effort she put into hiding it. She hoped against hope that he would eventually feel the same way, and sometimes, she thought that he did. It was in the way he watched her when he thought she didn't know, in the way his hand lingered on hers when she helped him to move about. It was in the way he spoke her name, like it was the most precious, exotic word he had ever uttered. Maybe he was just grateful to her, but Michelle hoped it was more, because she was mad about him.

The day that she was dreading finally arrived. Guy was finally well enough to return to his home in Locksley. His wound had almost healed, and she couldn't blame him for wanting to leave her small, humble abode for the opulence of Locksley Manor.

She could barely contain her grief as he prepared to leave. He seemed reluctant about something, and hadn't spoken for quite some time, which sent Michelle spiralling into a depressed silence. He had no need for her anymore; this was obvious.

She busied herself about the small cottage, attempting to convince herself that his leaving was for the best, and that she could get back to normality once he had gone, when suddenly, he was by her side.

"Michelle," he said, urgently, and she looked at him in surprise. Next minute, he took her in his arms and began to kiss her with a desperation that astonished her.

Sensing her reluctance to respond, he released her quickly and backed away. "I'm sorry. I overstepped the mark."

"No, no." Michelle reached out for him, then stopped herself. "You surprised me, is all. I didn't think you felt the same way."

"You mean, you have feelings for me?" It was Guy's turn to express surprise, and Michelle nodded.

A genuine smile spread across his face. "Then, may I kiss you again, my lady?"

"Yes, please," Michelle said.

A long while later, they parted and he smiled, taking her by the hand and leading her with him to Locksley. They paused on the edge of the village, looking across at Locksley Manor, Guy's former home. The outlaw gang were waiting in the courtyard, a shadow of their former self. Archer saw Guy and moved a few steps in their direction, a hand raised in greeting.

Autumn had Sherwood in its grasp, and the trees surrounding the small village blazed with russet and gold and brown, the ground coated with fallen leaves that crunched underfoot. Locksley was in mourning, for the great Robin Hood was dead, but, as Guy and Michelle walked through the village towards the manor house, hand-in-hand, Guy realised that not everything had to end in the fall, and that new beginnings were always there if you wished for them hard enough.

The end.

[andieperrie18]

Egoistic: Bruce Wayne x Reader

I am in love with MAMAMOO and I like how this song inspired by this. I am just a random writer writing random content depending on what inspires me or what comes to my mind but I do hope to some of you who would read this one-shot would like this. So I have no particular bias in mamamoo but I just thought moonbyul would be perfect as Reader-chan. now Enjoy!!

part II

Egoistic: Bruce Wayne x Reader

I foolishly adjusted to you and it’s torturing me

Making me lonely till the end

-          Egoistic: Mamamoo

Bruce Wayne, the notorious philanthropist, and playboy in the city of Gotham. The man that captured hearts of many and had bedded some of a few. A man of power and looks as he is not only a wise man but a total lady killer as well.

Then came he alters ego, none other than the Dark Knight himself, Batman. A hero he calls himself yet he does the most despicable things to every villain he encounters. He embosses cruelty and violence that he knows that will strike fear to every dirt lingering in his city.

Only a few people know that these only masked. Specifically two people. Alfred Pennyworth: The Wayne Family Butler and Y/n L/n: The Childhood Best friend.

There was also Selina Kyle, but she cannot really penetrate his wall. Yet.

What she and Bruce had been considerably more than just a fling. They had their nights together as they let themselves lost in their desires. And the man seems to not mind at all as he is starting to consider the woman as the only person who understands him. The man was truly and Egoist.

Too encased with the idea that he was a man who lost everything. A man who wants to rid the society of its parasites and pest. A hero equipped with the most convenient ways to help people of Gotham. And he had a perfect companion in his goals, Cat woman. Although a criminal but Selina did things for the good, well most of the time.

     Y/n was nothing compared to Selina. The moment the woman entered her best friend’s life, it was she never existed in Bruce’s life. The way she would break with every conversation they would have about the said vixen vigilante made her blood boil and heartbreak all the time. But what can she do?

“What can I do?” Y/n mumbled to herself as she stood before Wayne mansion.

The skies thundered, heavy droplets of rain drizzled endlessly that night. Flashes of lightning gave glimpses of her peripherals from the metal fences, the shrubbery. She cast her eyes upward and from her spot, she had a perfect view of his bedroom window. The light was on in his room. She saw a silhouette of two figures inside before the light disappeared and so did the breath from her lips.

It was one of those nights where Selina would come home with Bruce from his patrol. Another night of sheer bliss from both of them. And another night of torment for Y/n.

           Eyes never leaving the same window, Y/n remained in her spot as the rain continue to drench her from head to toe. Droplets of water missing with the salty ones that slid along her cheeks from her glassy eyes. The pattering of rain was being accompanied by small sounds of light sobs.

           And from that night, she vowed. That this will be the last time Bruce Wayne will make her cry.

^^^^^^

           It’s been a couple of years now. Bruce has seen his best friend who left him with nothing but a letter of confession. At first, he was oblivious of his best friend’s disappearance until one day he asked his trusty butler to why the sudden absence of woman. Alfred replied with silence before handing his master an envelope.

           There is a saying where in order for someone to realize their feelings for that person is for them to lose that said person. And that he just did.

           The closest person he considers as a family had gone off somewhere after verbatim-ly confessing in a letter that she can no longer resist that pain she has to feels upon seeing him in bed with another. And it was made more difficult years later when he realizes that there were still differences between him and Selina. She can handle publicity, unlike Y/n who handles everything for Bruce.

           It was hard to function for him for a while before he met Dick.

           Bruce is now as at a party, Mayor Garcia had somewhat called up all people from around to for the ball. Of course him being a big shot, it would almost seem impossible for him to not be invited. With that opportunity, he brought his son’s along with him yet they all went to separate directions later after a few minutes of entering the venue.

           The party had an unknown purpose as the said leader of the city stated that it was just another celebration.

           Damian Wayne was keeping himself occupied by marveling all the pieces that seem to be sponsored at the party.

           “An Obra Maestra in my opinion. Maybe I should get one for my room or maybe two?” the young Wayne boy stared at work with utmost admiration and respect. He was entranced by each stroke on every canvass, hook, line, and sinker. The colors working along with the movements and directions. There was something aggressive with each one that Damian cannot explain.

           Soon he came through an empty hall, littered with more canvasses. Each art contained different messages now but he could tell the artist was still the same person.

           Although he was rather drowned out with admiring one particular piece where it was a portrait of a Sabertooth sitting in a calm meadow with a Robin fluttered upon its snout. Both animals didn’t show any discomfort but rather a pinch of sparks fly. “You like art?”

           Damian didn’t turn as he was still engrossed with the painting mumbled small ‘Yeah’.

           Y/n smiled, her eyes from the boy turned to the painting hung on the wall. “What do you think this piece talks about?” The boy still didn’t turn his gaze away from the painting but manage to muster a reply.

           “It tells about a Robin that had fallen with a Predator.” Y/n hummed, “How do you know it’s a love story kid?” Damian’s green eyes sparkled with curiosity as he analyzed the said piece. “I don’t but I like to think that the Robin had fallen for the predator due to admiration on how well she hunts her prey.” Y/n’s head flicked to the left, lips curling to a smile.

           “A debatable answer.” She chuckled.

           “I’ll take this one to my room. Do you know anyone here I could talk to about buying this piece? I am somewhat very fond of it.” Damian spun her head to the direction of his company. Y/n only smiled at him.

           “I guess I do.”

           “Good, will you take me to him?”

           “SHE is right in front of you darling.”

^^^^^^^

     “Fancy seeing you here Clark?”

     The disguised man of steel took Bruce’s extended hand. “Well, it’s just that my agency heard of a big occasion here and nothing really special but they still sent me anyway just in case.” Bruce eyed the small notepad and pen on his one hand. “Still working on a weekend?”

Clark on raised his shoulder to a shrug before a short pause.

“You alone?” The blue-eyed man shook his head. “I’m with the boys, they’re out there somewhere. Maybe drinking their asses out or something.” Clark nodded in reply.

     “Hello, Good Evening everyone.”

Clark and Bruce turns to the podium where the leader of Gotham city now stood.

“I know some of you are still questioning why I invited you all here. In a very normal party. I think many of you notice the setting.”

“Bruce.”

The said the male’s attention was taken by his eldest who was accompanied by his other two siblings. “Dick, Tim, Jason. I’m surprised you’ve found me. Where’s Damian?” the three looked at each other, brows furrowed.

“The Painting exhibited on the walls are sponsored by a surprise guess tonight. I know some of you have been eyeing some pieces of our liking but sadly they are not yet for release.”

“We thought he was with you.” A surge of worry climbed through Bruce’s bile a bit.

“Don’t worry too much, Bruce. I’m sure he’s just around here somewhere.”

“Now I would like to present to all of you the mind of all the masterpieces spread across all of you. I must say I was rather excited when she had finally accepted our invitation. And our guest was generous enough to have all her works be the highlight of this event since we’ve been aiming to have an Artistic type of setting.”

All attention finally was to the speaker on the front Bruce and his sons were still quite occupied to where the youngest was. “Clark would you mind keeping an eye out to where my son is.” Of course, the man agreed.

Still occupied, Bruce kept turning his head every five minutes in hopes of spotting the jaded eyed boy.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you. The Artiste Visionnaire of France. The Famous 21st Century Art Critique Maîtresse. Painter and Ex-Marine Sergeant;

Madamoiselle Y/n M/n L/n.”

At the moment, everything had stopped for Bruce. The familiarity of the name that should have been long forgotten in the back of his mind rang like he had heard the name like yesterday.

“Wow, who would’ve thought that I could hit a jackpot tonight? Y/n is a big name in the industry. Have you ever seen such and influencing woman- Bruce?” With air caught in-between spaces of his throat, he can’t form any type of reply.

His eyes watched from the edge of the stage, a good ten feet from the podium where the Mayor stood. He awaited the familiar petite frame of a woman that he remembers that likes to dress into big skirts and conservative tops. The same woman that he had come to realize to be his only one.

And with no denial, a woman did emerge from the side. But not in the said attire he had thought as he almost didn’t recognize that it was a woman. The person emerges wearing a very prestigious and recent collection Dolce and Gabbana. It was a suit, the type where big businessmen would wear. It was tailored from a very expensive satin called satin-jacquard. The satin suit glowed in its canary yellow hue that lights from every chandelier allowed it glimmer a lot more. Like the person walking in them was wearing gold. And along the satin suit was loitering designs of floral in dominating shades of reds and greens.

“Y/n…” It was her.

Yet he felt different from her. Like he was somewhat culture shocked. The woman who never failed to show femininity to the crowd is now walking before him in the most expensive suit somewhat only she could pull off. Eyes held no type of emotion but stoniness.

Bruce watch each of her strides towards the podium. Poise. Just poise.

He described that moment as if she was the most feminine of the feminine yet masculine of the most masculine.

As she arrived by the podium, facing the seemingly endless crowd of elites. He didn’t miss the moment her eyes found his.

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

What if Fionn was the Grand Saber

the justice we deserve... I literally have no idea what that would look like in canon but boy oh boy do I have IDEAS and COOL IMAGERY that I want to see regarding this

(read more because it turned out longer than expected WHOOPS lol)

Picture the final stage of the Camelot Lostbelt - the reverse side of Avalon, if you will. A crumbling tower surrounded by black flowers, each one draining mana from the air. Sherlock Holmes is long gone. Da Vinci and the rest of their crew, from the Shadow Border to the Wandering Sea, is far, far, far away. Beryl’s Assassin Servant has killed King Arthur, preventing them from destroying Beryl with a blast from Rhongominyad. Beryl has possession of Excalibur, the Holy Sword of the Planet, and intends to destroy it - the last remnants of the guardians who once protected this cursed land - and unleash his Lostbelt until it covers the world. The Phantasmal Tree is in full bloom, raining stardust. There will be no more gods, or faeries, and Galahad’s protection is as far away as it ever was.

Ritsuka’s power is fading, too. When they first came to Chaldea, they were considered a biological phenomenon - a human with no magic circuits that somehow produced enough mana to power a small city - and they’ve only gotten stronger with time. But it’s not enough. Not against this endless sea of curses, not against the embodiment of wickedness itself.

One by one, the Servants who assisted the remnants of Chaldea begin to fade away. Cu Chulainn, Queen Medb, Fergus and even Scathatch, the True Scathatch of Pan-Human History, who has finally met her end against an opponent she did not train, who she did not even anticipate. It has been a long and bitter war. The knights of the Round Table - first Lancelot, then Tristan, and brave Gareth, and Gawain, and Mordred, though the Traitorous Prince manages to send one last blast of signature red lightning through the skies. It does not reach it’s target, and Mordred slumps before disappearing. Finally, there was Sir Bedivere, winking out like a comet passing over the horizon.

Even if this place hadn’t been so evil, even if Assassin wasn’t so challenging as an opponent, it wouldn’t have mattered. Ritsuka can no longer support the Servants, can no longer cause them to manifest. It is hard to tell if they are dying, or if the flowers have swallowed their very Spiritual Origins, feeding the Phantasmal Tree.

Paracelsus and Jekyll are barely hanging on, trying to keep Assassin busy behind Mash’s cracked and broken barrier. The mold of Camelot is going to fall, and when it does, they will die.

There is one Servant, though, who does not stop fighting even for an instant.

The arc of Moralltach burns through the air. When it comes into contact with the black flowers, the hiss and fade away, filling the air with a burning stench. Diarmuid is nearly as fast as Assassin, and it’s clear that the enemy Servant is getting frustrated.They cannot keep Paracelsus’s spells at bay while simultaneously blocking each of Diarmuid’s attacks forever. Indeed, the dual-classing Servant has proved their greatest weapon in this Lostbelt. Closely attuned to the ancient gods and fey of this world, able to destroy any magic and even cut the threads of fate with his weapons. He even resisted the nega-genesis. Provided that he didn’t get too close to the Phantasmal Tree, Diarmuid seemed able to keep fighting indefinitely. At least, that seemed to be his intent.

Assassin must have realized it, too - and must have realized that Beryl was too busy playing around with the seals of Excalibur to be of any help - and that was why they changed tactics.

Ritsuka saw it unfold in an instant, and opened their mouth to shout a warning.

Assassin changed course. They were not heading for Jekyll, whose work with Diarmuid had given him an extra combative advantage - or for Paracelsus, who was drawing his sword and taking aim.

Instead, they went for the cracks in the Mold Camelot.

They were going to kill Mash.

She could block the blade - and destroy her barrier, leaving them vulnerable to the nega-gensis.

Or she could take the hit, and pray that she was strong enough to stand after Assassin was finished with her.

Time moves very slowly - Ritsuka feels like they are moving through molasses - and then, something happens that they didn’t expect.

Gae Dearg reappears; his Spiritual Origin flickers and shifts, contracts in response to the sudden change - Diarmuid has aimed for a killing blow while Assassin’s back was turned to him.

The red spear sinks into Assassin’s stomach, and then, it disappears -

An illusion! Ritsuka forces their legs to work, and breaks into a run.

Assassin’s blade sinks into his back, sliding cleanly between powerful shoulder blades. 

At once, Gae Buidhe stabs outward, slicing a clean line down Assassin’s torso as they leap to get away from the weapon. There’s a spray of blood, and then a scream of delirious laughter, and then the enemy Servant is gone, back to their Master to get healing before they come back to finish the job.

But even though Diarmuid ua Duibhne sinks to his knees, blood streaming into the bed of black flowers beneath him, he does not immediately fade away.

Ritsuka feels a bubble of panic rise like a scream in their throat as they come up to Mash, who is in tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry -”

“No,” says Diarmuid, levelly, putting a hand to the exit wound in his chest. “I managed to get a fair number of strikes in. No matter what power source they are drawing from, it cannot last forever. Nothing can. I think we have some time now, anyway. You must hold the barrier, Mash. It’s important for what comes next.”

Mash nods, even as tears streak down her cheeks. “I will! I won’t let go no matter what!”

“Good. Master?”

He looks up, clear-eyed and expectant. Tears prickle in Ritsuka’s eyes.

“You should have given me more of a warning,” they say, choked. “I needed more time.”

Diarmuid smiles, almost sheepishly. “Well, if I’m right about this -” a wet cough; blood bubbles up from his lips and Ritsuka feels cracks spreading in their resolve. “- which I am, then it doesn’t matter what happens to me now. Everything will be fine.”

And even though everything is awful, he says this with such radiant confidence, that Ritsuka believes him.

Diarmuid holds out his hand, and Ritsuka hands him the hunting horn that they had collected from the Wild Hunt. Ritsuka comes close and helps Diarmuid stay upright, pressing their hand tight against the gaping wound, feeling the crackling energy within - Assassin’s poisonous mana - and with gritted teeth, begins running through a healing spell. Please, oh, please, let this work.

Diarmuid speaks in a language that Ritsuka does not know or recognize.

Then he lifts the horn to his lips, and -

All other sound disappears.

A single, clear note, pure as a hawk’s cry.

A breeze washes over them, and only then does Ritsuka realize how unbearably hot this flowerbed was - a greenhouse from hell - and even as the thought crosses their mind, the flowers wither and die. Mana is immediately restored to the area behind Mash’s shield, and immediately, the Earth begins to repair itself. Ritsuka feels it like a pulsing heartbeat, and thinks, Is this Avalon restoring itself? Or is it - the Counterforce?

No, that didn’t make sense. But - at the same time - they are summoning a guardian. The circumstances are extraordinary, and before it was cursed, this was indeed Avalon. So perhaps...

A hand comes down on Ritsuka’s shoulder, and they look up.

A familiar-looking man is standing there, even though there had been nothing here a second before, and there was no way for anyone to enter this place since Beryl had sealed the gateways. He is wearing a blue cape over simple, fur-lined armor. His hair is spun gold; he seems to be glowing faintly. He is at once divine, a giant, and perfectly normal, though he smells faintly of river-flowers and dark woods. His eyes are filled with fire, infinitely gentle and warm, and he carries a sword across his back that is not Excalibur - but -

“Please,” says Fionn MacCumhail. His voice is just as Ritsuka remembers, but at the same time, it seems to come from everywhere. It fills him with a sense of strength and peace, and Ritsuka thinks they might cry all over again, just from sheer relief. “May I?”

Stunned, Ritsuka steps back.

Diarmuid grumbles when Fionn takes a waterskin from his side and pours a measure into his hand.

“Took you long enough,” he says, as Fionn tips the water into his captain’s mouth.

At once, the wound on Diarmuid’s back closes, and Assassin’s poison disappears as if it had never existed. Ritsuka registers a surge of mana - that counts as a mana transfer? 

Diarmuid stands, and Fionn claps him on the shoulder.

“You’ve done well to protect these two,” says Fionn. “Now, please - I know it is difficult for you to avoid showing off - but please don’t get in my way.”

Diarmuid smiles thinly, amused. “No promises, my lord.”

“Dear shieldmaiden,” says Fionn, smiling down at Mash. “You have become an exemplary warrior! I see I was right to single you out back then! I have always had a keen eye for talent. Kindly lead the way for us?”

Mash stutters. “But the barrier -”

“It is no longer necessary. I am here now.”

He spoke simply, with no room for arguments. Ritsuka looks at Mash, whose mouth is stretched thing, whose lip is raw from biting into it.

“Mash, do as he says. We’ll take our cues from you -” Ritsuka pauses, blinking at Fionn, trying to get a better read on him and his new status. (A part of Ritsuka honestly hadn’t even believed Diarmuid when he proposed this plan - could summoning a Grand Servant truly be so simple as sounding a hunting horn?) “Saber.”

Fionn smiles. “Ah yes,” he says, with a chuckle, as if just remembering an obvious fact. “I still am a Servant, even like this.” He turns to Diarmuid, who is at attention. “Call for the others, will you? It is time for the Fianna to fulfill our responsibilities. Lady Mash, when I draw my sword - drop the barrier - we shall finish the battle now, without further delays.”

Diarmuid nods, and lifts the horn to his lips.

Fionn takes the sword from his back, and the battle begins again.

[marasamsara]

Dark Avatar

This is my version of a dark Avatar (known from Atavar - The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra). I adore Korra and love the Avatar universe. And if you don’t like this dark Avatar version, then go fuck yourself. (Also, I have not proofread or in any way revised the story.)

____________________________________

The bartender looks like an ugly version of Steve Buscemi. The scotch he puts in front of me lacks at least one finger. I let him get away with it, the dick’s not worth it. Not this time. To vent my anger, I put a cigarette between my lips, light it with my will and take a deep, deep drag. Better. And when I exhale through my nose, it is even better. Cool looks make everything more bearable. I decide to play a little with the smoke. I catch it, form it to an orb and then let little streams shoot out of it in random directions. Fucking looks like an explosion or something. Totally rad. Until I hear that voice.

»You the Avatar?« it says.

I turn left and look into the face of a mother. I know she not merely is a woman, because she is holding hands with her little sun. He, too, is staring at me. Not madly, though, as his mother.

»… fuck you care?« I say and take another drag which almost consumes the rest of the cigarette.

She orders a cola and an orange juice and then gives me the look. The look, ya know? The look only a perfect mother can give a slutty bitch.

»You’re a disgrace.« she tells me.

The barkeep gives her the drinks. I exhale more forcefully than I intend and blow the smoke almost directly into his eyes.

»Come, Fred. Let us sit down back there.« the perfect mother tells her even more perfect son and leads him to the back of the café.

Yeah. I know. I’m boozing at the bar in a fucking café. At one pm. On Tuesday. For complaints, please write a handwritten statement and shove it up you cunt’s pussy. Wrapped around a brick, preferably. I’m not even allowed to smoke in here. No one is, ‘cause the fucking government is caring so much about their people that they chose to ban smoking at all nice places. Even in kindergartens. Is that even a word? Up yours, pricks …

I turn around on my bar stool and behold the people. How they enjoy their coffees and cakes. How they are immersed in checking their fucking phones and writing Pulitzer price worthy messages. And don’t lecture me on what the Pulitzer price is, I happen to know, you know? Fuck you.

I snap my finger. Several times. Finally, the dickhead barkeep cares to look. I point at my glass, empty it in one go and then beckon him to fill the darn glass up again. But Buscemi frowns. What the …?

»Whassrong with you?« I say.

»I better give you the bill.« he says.

What now?

It’s only one fucking pm! There’s time to down plenty more of those scotches. But with the right finger measure, you know what I mean? Nope, Buscemi hands me the bill. On a little silver plate. Is this the darn Ritz or something? Is Gene Kelly about to jump out from behind the counter and sing how much fun it is to fucking dance in the rain?

»Hey, dude …« I say and make some gestures.

The barkeep ignores me and polishes a glass.

Really?!

The empty glass in my hand melts to a steaming lump.

Really?!?!

I throw the steaming lump at the wall. It pierces through and makes a thud noise as it hits something. Fucking shithole. Then I put a quarter or two on the counter and take my leave. I owe them like twenty or thirty, but I don’t care. Who’s gonna stop me anyway? The coppers? Hah! Being the Avatar has its perks.

I stumble on the sidewalk and look around. Busy, busy people everywhere. All dressed up nicely for their offices. And casting weird looks at me. Never seen a drunk master of the elements before, dipshits?

Naw, I’m not drunk. I am enlightened. I am connected to my spiritual side. Yeah, that’s what I am. Very spiritual. Like fucking Buddha, that fat bastard.

As I walk down the sidewalk, people keep bumping into me. Can’t you watch out, assholes? The next piece of crap, who’s about to bump into me, I swear, I’m gonna airbend to the moon. And so I do. The guy flies off like a mosquito on acid. Whoa, there he goes. Can’t even see where he lands. T’was a good one. Hehe.

I stumble on. But not really, because someone is holding me back at the shoulder. I whirl around and grab him at the neck. Don’t do that. Don’t ever fucking do that. Dark red energy fills my chest. And then I smell burned flesh. My hand got fired up a bit. Charred the guy’s neck. Collared him like a fucking slave or something. Sorry, pal. Don’t mess with the Avatar, didn’t ya know?

I’m getting fed up walking, so I channel fire from my arms and fly away like fucking Apollo. The rocket, not the god. Gods are all dead. I am the only one left. I land in another district, which is not well-known for its good schools, to put it that way. A car is burning, some trash cans too, graffiti everywhere, even on the sidewalks. I like this place, because here people tend to ignore me, should they happen to recognize my face at all. Here, everyone minds their own business.

Without a goal in mind I wander around. As I take a turn, I see a bunch of police cars. Not burning, and with their disco lights on. The coppers are pointing their pistols and assault rifles at a minimart. A guy is standing in front of it, some dollar bills at his feet, and a gun in his hand, pointed at the head of a little boy in his grip. My legs up their pace.

The coppers yell at the man to drop the gun and let the boy go. The guy yells back that the coppers shall fuck off or he’s gonna put a slug in the boy’s head. Now, I am running.

»Everybody! Move back!« I shout.

The officers turn around, some are taking aim at me.

»Move back! Get fucking lost!« I yell at the top off my lungs.

One officer starts yelling something back and I lose it. I stop so abruptly that my foot digs into the asphalt. I clench my fists and stomp at the ground with my other foot. With a metallic bang, all the copper’s weapons shatter to pieces. One or two officers get hurt by shrapnel. Then I widen my stance and my fists light up in bright red flames.

»Move. It!« I say, »Now!«

My eyes must have lightened up red, because now the coppers run for it. They know red is bad. The guy with the boy held hostage in front of him takes aim at me. I let him keep his gun. I have it in my mental grip. He can’t move it one bit without me letting him.

»Go away!« he shouts at me, »Go away, or I’ll kill the boy!«

»Not gonna happen, pal.« I say.

He points the gun back at the boys head. The kid is crying and at the brink of breaking down. Time to end this.

The flames at my fists turn almost white like welding torches. The gun in the guy’s hand melts. As he drops it with a cry of pain, the kid runs away. His tormentor wants to flee, but I form one of the cop’s gun shrapnel into a metal band and bend it around his neck. Gasping for air he nearly drops to the ground, but I bend the metal up, just enough to keep him in a strangle hold.

»So, pal. Tell me, is it fun, torturing kids?« I say, noticing the dark smoke coming out of my throat.

»P … Please! Let … Let me go!« he croaks, hardly able to breathe.

»No can do.« I grin, slowly shaking my head.

I bend another gun shrapnel and let it penetrate the guys knee. Another one into his shoulder, the other knee, the thigh, arm, everywhere, until he looks like a voodoo doll. Blood is pouring out of him and amassing in a growing puddle beneath him.

»Let me feast on your agony.« I say with flames licking out of my mouth.

And then I light up his clothes. His screams are wonderful, as he hangs there from the metal band around his neck with the bolts everywhere in his body, and with the flames slowly burning through the layers of his skin. When the flames have consumed the cloth, I keep them alive with my bending powers. The limbs first, torso next, and face for last. The scent of burning flesh is unique. Nothing like backyard BBQ.

When he had enough and left this world, I stomp at the ground bending up a metal lance impaling him through his ass and out of his skull. There he hangs, impaled like a fried fish on a stick. My eyes turn normal again, and no more flames coming out of my mouth. I turn around and see quite some people standing close, shooting videos and taking pictures with their smartphones.

»Fuck you.« I say.

They leave a passage for me as I take my leave. I can’t help but bend most of the phones to pieces of scrap metal. Some, I leave intact. Will be rad to see the footage on youtube.

[thesecondcircleofkel]

Gift

Aizawa x Reader (gender neutral) 

3.5K

Summary: Aizawa receives a gift that he simply cannot turn away. 

Warnings: none

To say that you were tired of the rain would be an understatement. The downpour had barely let up over the past few days, and if it kept going on like it was, you were going to have to swim your way back to U.A. It was already hard enough having to pack up the majority of your belongings in order to move to the campus, and the rain did absolutely nothing to alleviate your struggles. It also made things seem much grimmer than they already were, which should have been difficult everything considered. Between what had happened at the training camp and the Kamino Ward Incident, it certainly seemed like U.A. was currently experiencing the lowest point of its history.

It was a blessing that Bakugo had made it through everything relatively unscathed, but Ragdoll’s Quirk had been stolen, and while you weren’t privy to all of the details, you knew that All Might could no longer use his Quirk, either. Whether it was because of his physical condition or something else entirely, you didn’t know, but you were glad that he was able to stay on as a teacher even though he had to retire as a hero. The whole situation was still a mess, though, and you could only hope that Nezu’s dorm idea would help things to settle back down.

As it was right now, you and the rest of the teachers were having to move to the U.A. campus along with the students, in the hopes that having so many heroes close by would keep them even safer than they already were. You were sure that the principal had other reasons for keeping you all so close by, but that information hadn’t been made known to you, and you weren’t going to make things any harder on yourself by trying to figure everything out. You were just going to roll along with all of it and do your job as best you could.

The only reason that you had journeyed out into the torrential downpour this go around was because you needed a few extra things to make your new room on campus feel more welcoming. You had contemplated just waiting until the rain stopped to go out, but now that you had finally finished unpacking, you wanted to be completely done with setting up your room so you could focus on relaxing until classes started.

You had just crossed the street after leaving the store when a faint rustling caught your ears. Normally, you wouldn’t have paid much attention to random noises like that, but the faint mew that followed it definitely put you on alert, and you immediately started searching for the source of the cry. It didn’t take you long to track the noise down to an alleyway, where it seemed to be coming from underneath a dumpster.

With little regard for your clothing or dignity, you crawled onto your belly in order to look under the dumpster, and there you found a small kitten, soaked down to the bone and shivering. The poor thing was too tired to even think about resisting you as you reached under the metal receptacle and delicately grabbed it. You quickly stood up and put the kitten under your jacket, holding it against your stomach to give it as much warmth as possible as you ran back to U.A.

For once you were somewhat grateful for the rain, because nobody was around to stop or question you as you stormed through the campus gate and sprinted to your room. You immediately threw your shopping bags down and went to your bathroom, where you wrapped the kitten up in a towel. You held onto it until it finally stopped shivering, and then switched the damp towel out for a fresh one. The kitten (who you found out was a little lady when you switched the towels out) obviously appreciated what you were doing, if the purring was anything to go by. You started to rub her behind the ears, and that was enough to send her straight to sleep.

Your next dilemma was figuring out what to do with her. It wouldn’t kill you to keep her yourself, and you assumed that none of your colleagues would care if you had her, either. Vlad had been able to bring his dog with him, so why would it matter if you had a cat in your room? The thing was, you were pretty sure that you knew someone who would enjoy having her even more than you would. Aizawa’s love for felines wasn’t exactly a secret; you had lost count of the times that you’d caught him looking up pictures of cats on his phone during his down time, plus you’d seen him trying to feed strays on many occasions. The question was, did he already have a cat? And if not, why?

You could just go directly to the man and ask him all of that yourself, but you were afraid that it might be awkward. For whatever reason, he was always quiet around you, quieter than he normally was, at least. You weren’t aware that you had ever done anything to offend him, but maybe you were just being paranoid. You were a little hyperaware of everything he did on account of…well, you’d be lying if you said that you weren’t attracted to him.

It wasn’t just a physical attraction, either. There was just something about that overly serious attitude of his that got to you, and then when you added his strange habits on top of that (his sleeping bag being the prime example), your curiosity was certainly piqued. What really sealed the deal for you was the USJ incident. Just seeing how far he went to protect his students, how he kept fighting even through injury, sent your heart soaring and the admiration that you already had for him grew tenfold. So yeah, you were a little nervous around him, and that was only made worse by the fact that you had no clue if he even liked you. Hizashi assured you that he did, but you weren’t convinced.

Speaking of Hizashi, he’d probably have some of the answers that you needed. You quickly took out your phone and sent him a text.

Y/N: Yo Mic, can you pop over to my room for a minute?

MIC: But Y/N I juuuuuuuuuuust sat dooooooownnnn.

Y/N: Dear god, I can hear you whining over a text. Just get over here. I need to borrow your knowledge.

MIC: Weird, but alright.

There was a knock at your door shortly after that, and you opened it to let Hizashi stroll into your room.

“Now, Y/N, just what was so important that you-ooh! Kitten!”

Hizashi had immediately spotted the ball of fur that was now curled on top of your bed, still asleep even through his loud voice. Whatever he was going to say was put on the backburner as he went to sit on your bed, where he picked the kitten up and put it on his lap so he could have easier access to pet it.

“Is this why you had me come over?”

“Yep. I’m trying to figure out what to do with her.”

“Are you not keeping her?”

“If it comes down to it I will, but I was thinking of trying to give her to someone else, first.”

“Oh? Someone I know?”

Based on the devious look in his eyes, Hizashi knew exactly who you were talking about, but he was going to torture you and make you say it. The glare that you gave him was very unimpressed.

“Yes, Mic, I was thinking of giving her to Aizawa.”

“Well, well, how convenient of you, Y/N, wanting to give Shouta a gift, and it’s one of his favorite things in the world, too. One would almost think that you were trying to impress him.”

“Look, I have no qualms with strangling you, Hizashi. Be helpful for once.”

“I am always helpful, thank you very much. Just admit that I’m right and then we’ll move forward.”

“You’re not right! Not in those exact terms, at least. He just so happened to be the first person I thought of when I found her, for obvious reasons.”

“So, you’re not denying that you’re trying to impress him, is that what I’m hearing?”

“I don’t even know if he likes me, Hizashi! For all I know, he’s barely tolerating my presence as it is! Although, knowing him, he’s probably just indifferent towards me, but that’s not the point! Does he already have a cat or not?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s…complicated?”

“How so?”

“They just don’t…like him.”

“What?”

“Cats just seem to have a natural tendency to hate him, Y/N.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope, they hiss at him on sight.”

“I don’t know what to make of that, Hizashi.”

“I mean, I don’t think he’s ever tried to get a kitten before, so maybe it’ll be different? Maybe she hasn’t grown into her anti-Eraserhead instincts yet.”

“So, it won’t be catastrophic if I offer her to him?”

“Probably not.”

“Probably not…that’s totally the answer I was hoping for.”

“You’re really putting too much thought into this, Y/N. Just offer him the cat, and if he doesn’t want her or she hates his guts, then you keep her.”

“I suppose you’re probably right. For once.”

“Don’t be mean. Besides, she’s obviously the perfect cat to have on campus. Look at her, still knocked out even through all of your shouting. Little thing must have nerves of steel.”

“She’ll definitely need those around here. Well, I guess I should go see who the little lady will be rooming with, huh?”

“Wait, I have an idea! Just give me one second!”

This whole living on campus situation was certainly going to have interesting results, considering that it was only the first day and Hizashi had already bolted out of your room like a bat out of hell. You were almost scared of what he had gone to get, but when he came back just as quickly as he had left, you saw that he had only went to get a strand of ribbon. Where he had gotten it from, you wouldn’t question.

“Presentation is everything, Y/N!”

“You know what? If you think you can safely tie a bow around that kitten, go for it. Entertain me, Hizashi.”

“Are you doubting my bow-tying skills, Y/N? You better watch and learn, because you are about to witness a master at work.”

You wouldn’t exactly describe him as a master, but he did manage tie a rather nice bow. He made sure that it was loose enough around her neck that the kitten could easily slip out of it whenever she wanted to, and then he put her back on the bed with a cheeky grin aimed your way.

“I stand corrected. Now, if you’ll be so kind as to excuse me, I have an appointment to go embarrass myself. Thanks for the help, Hizashi.”

“Any time, Y/N! I expect to be the first person invited to the wedding!”

“Feel free to leave now, Mic.”

“Fine, fine. You’ll thank me later, Y/N! I’m the best wingman this school has ever seen!”

U.A.’s greatest wingman promptly received a door slammed in front of his face. You could hear him laughing the entire time he walked away from your room, and you prayed that he would trip and fall on his face. You doubted that karma would be that kind to you, though.

After giving Mic ample time to make it back to his own quarters, you swallowed the lump that had taken up residence in your throat and started to march your way towards Aizawa’s room. You were at the halfway point before you realized that you had forgotten the cat. After a short trek back to your room to retrieve the still sleeping kitten, you finally stood in front of the ominous doorway of Aizawa’s room. Every fiber of your being was screaming at you to turn around, but you took a deep breath to steel your nerves and knocked before you could chicken out.

You waited…and waited…and then you started to contemplate all of your life decisions. It would be your luck that he didn’t answer the door. Did he not hear you? Should you knock again? But what if he was asleep? God forbid you wake him up from the slumber that he so desperately needed. He could have stepped out for a moment. You could always wait for a few more minutes to see if he came back. Wouldn’t that make you seem like a weirdo, though, just hovering outside of his room and staring at the door as if it had personally offended you somehow? What a tough decision to have to make…

“Something wrong, Y/N?”

The sound that came out of your mouth was beyond undignified. Obviously, you had been so lost in thought that didn’t hear Aizawa walk up behind you, and you really wished that you had been paying more attention. You were pretty sure that the noise you’d made was so awful that it was going to haunt his nightmares; it certainly would yours. At least he hadn’t seen the kitten yet.

“Well, your stealth skills certainly aren’t lacking.”

Why couldn’t he have just said something? It didn’t have to be anything to lighten the mood or make you feel better, but just something. The silence was killing you, and it was moments like these that made you wonder if he actually hated you. He was just…staring, and you were starting to feel like he could see right through you. Was there something on your face? Why was he just-

“Are you alright?”

He very pointedly nodded his head down, causing to you to finally realize that you were in fact still wearing your dirty and wet clothes. That explained why he was staring: he probably thought that you were either crazy or stupid. Fantastic. He was probably also wondering why you had one of your hands behind your back. Seeing how your day was going so far, he was probably waiting for you to pop a knife out on him or something. He must have been planning the best way to disarm you and take you down. You were probably looking way too far into this.

“I’m fine. Just peachy, really.”

You were not peachy. You were actually quite disappointed in yourself, plus your clothes were wet, and now that he had pointed that out to you, you realized just how cold you were because of it. You were not peachy, at all. You were already so done with all of your own bullshit.

“Anyways, I just…uh…fuck it. I found a kitten earlier, do you want it?”

You had never seen Aizawa’s eyes shoot open as fast as they did when you brandished that kitten at him. She was still asleep, head lolled to the side as your hand supported her body. He seemed mesmerized by the tiny ball of fluff, taking in every little detail about her, from her white paws and underbelly, to the light grey tabby pattern that covered the rest of her body, all of which was topped off by a red bow hanging loosely around her neck.

“The bow was Mic’s idea.”

For once, Aizawa looked like he wasn’t sure how to comprehend what was happening. He kept switching his gaze from you to the kitten in your hand, and it was making you anxious. Maybe you had been a little too forward with your offer. Or maybe he just needed a little push, given what Hizashi told you about his unique effect on cats earlier.

“Do you want to hold her?”

He looked at you like you had slapped him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Just give it a try. She’s a sweet little lady, so I’m sure she’ll love you.”

You really hoped she would, at least. You had waited a long time for an opportunity to come around to actually build some sort of relationship with Aizawa that went beyond ‘coworkers’. Obviously, talking to him was not your strong suit at this point, so the kitten was the best chance that you had. You could only imagine that your hopes would be completely shattered if the little lady decided to scratch his face off at first sight.

Before either of them could sense your own nerves regarding the situation, you quickly shoved the kitten towards Aizawa, forcing him to take her from you. He held her at a distance at first, like he was waiting for the inevitable bad reaction to start, but when she still didn’t stir from her sleep, he took the opportunity that he was given and held her closer as he started to pet her.

You both froze as the kitten finally started to wake up, but you let out a very audible sigh of relief as she only stared at Aizawa for a few seconds before she nuzzled her head against his hand and started to purr. Aizawa looked thrilled at her affection, at least, he looked as thrilled as someone of his countenance could. Honestly, you weren’t quite sure what to make of the Totoro-style grin that he was sporting, but you’d take it as a good sign.

“See? No anti-Eraserhead instincts in this little lady.”

“You really did talk to Mic about this.”

“He’s actually said that to your face before?”

“Multiple times.”

“How shameless. But, ignoring Mic for a minute, now that we know she won’t attack you on sight, do you want to keep her? It’s not like we live far from each other now, so if you ever need anything, I’m more than willing to help.”

“…There’s no logical reason for me not to keep her, so long as you don’t want her.”

“Who wouldn’t want this precious angel?”

You emphasized your statement by scratching the kitten behind her ear again. Aizawa didn’t flinch at your close proximity to him, so you took that as another good sign.

“But, I think she’ll make you just a little bit happier than she would me. Just a little, though. Now, since all that’s settled, I’ll leave you two alone to bond. Let me know if you need anything!”

You quickly walked around Aizawa with the intent of going back to your room before you had the opportunity to embarrass yourself in front of him again, but a hand on your forearm held you back.

“Wait, Y/N. I obviously need to go get a few things for her. You should come with me.”

To hell with Mic, he had just lost the title of greatest wingman at U.A., and it now belonged to a tiny little kitten. It wasn’t exactly a date, but you’d take the chance and run with it. He was still holding your arm, too, and the warmth radiating from his hand was enough to make you practically melt on the spot. It also reminded you of just how cold you were.

“Yeah, I’d love to. I should probably go change first, though.”

“That would be a smart decision. We’ll wait here for you.”

It took all of the willpower that you had not to skip back to your room, and even more of your effort was going to have to be put into wiping the giddy grin off your face before you went back to Aizawa.

Speaking of Aizawa, he was going through his own struggle to quit smiling. He was afraid that he had chased you off with his unintentional cold demeanor- Mic had told him that you thought he didn’t like you before- but there you were, in all of your cheerful glory, giving him a cat that actually seemed to like him. He wouldn’t let the opportunity go to waste; he had been struggling with his own emotions and the illogical reasoning that they brought with them, and that was why he had been acting so strangely around you. In actuality, he was quite fond of everything about you, from your dedication to your job and hero work to the small things, like the way that you greeted him every morning.

Now that the ice had been broken, he’d make sure that you knew exactly how he felt about you. He wouldn’t rush it though; he didn’t want to take a chance on scaring you away again. For now, he would take things slow, and that meant going to pick up pet supplies with you even though he already had just about everything he needed in his room from his previous attempts to befriend strays. It wasn’t the most logical thing to do, but he could live with that, so long as he was able to make progress towards a relationship with you. Maybe the two of you could bond over picking out a name for the kitten; you did find her after all, so it was only fair to let you help with that since you weren’t keeping her. At least it would be a good conversation starter.

[sincerelybluevase]

Didn't think all questions from 'Asks' could be proposed, so there you go: all the questions (1 to 96) or as much as you can!

Well thank you, nonny! I shall put these under a cut. 

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed? Closed, because you never know what might be in there!

(2) Do You Have Freckles? I wish I did, but alas! My sisters do have them so jealous much. 

(3) Can You Whistle? I can, but I can’t carry a tune I’m afraid. 

(4) Last Song You Listened To. Almost by Hozier. 

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour? It’s a tie between blue and red. 

(6) Relationship Status. Taken, and happily so!

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now? 16 degrees Celsius, so that’s about 61 F.

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky? I woke up from a nightmare, so it wasn’t really the best sort of waking. That said, I’m not cranky per se, just a bit sleepy still.

(9) How Many Followers? 438

(10) Zodiac Sign. Aquarius

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour? Blue!

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily? Not daily; I take vitamin D tablets you have to take every few days. Before I used to take a different vitamin D tablet daily, though!

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower? No but I do talk to myself haha. 

(14) What Books Are You Reading? The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien for a course at university, and Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel for fun. 

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14. I don’t think you have to worry about Bilbo. 

(16) Favourite Anime? Hm, probably Howl’s Moving Castle. 

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of? I’m trying to remember when I last cried. Either in front of my gf, or in front of my sisters. 

(18) Do You Collect Anything? Books and crystal skulls!

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch? Nothing yet, because it is still morning. 

(20) Do You Dance In The Car? Our car isn’t big enough for that haha. 

(21) Favourite Animal? I think I would have to choose otters. 

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics? I watch parts of it.

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed? Well, I usually go up at 9.30, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually aiming for sleep at that point, haha. 

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now? I’m allergic to make up, so no.

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean? Neither, because I hate swimming. 

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog? How could I ever choose?

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water? I live in the Netherlands, which has the cleanest tap water in the world. Therefore, drinking bottled water is almost criminal. 

(28) What Makes You Happy? Many things! My gf, my sisters, my dog, good books, writing, playing the piano, petrichor, warmth, hot tea...

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music? It depends on what I am studying, truth be told. I do both, though I always use instrumental music. 

(31) Dogs Or Cats? Both. 

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be? I don’t know. Probably a pastel blue, maybe orange?

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox. Sadly, I have had neither. 

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean? Not if I can help it. 

(35) Do You Believe In Magic? Define magic. 

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing? I’m wearing a dress. It’s denim, therefore blue. 

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue? I can!

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It? I’d like to say both, but I mainly spend it. 

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You? Yes; my phone case. 

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now? I wouldn’t call it an obsession, but I have been listening to Lana Del Rey’s new album on repeat, and I’ve found myself craving gothic books.

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly? I haven’t. 

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People? No. 

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams? All the freaking time!

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes? No; the air is super dry, the seats are cramped and uncomfortable, the food too little and not very good. I do like I’m going somewhere, though. 

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry. The only thing that comes to mind right now is Shrek the Fourth, which is somewhat embarrassing, but really I cry easily with films.

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds? Sunflower seeds, though both are lovely when salted. 

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be? Hozier. 

(48) Are You A Picky Eater? I can’t eat gluten and I’m also lactose intolerant, so in that sense I am picky. If it boils down to what I actually like, I’m not. 

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper? Not at all. 

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning? Nope!

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write? Yes and yes!

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud? No because I am perpetually afraid I will damage my ears and go deaf. 

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents? I have only ever carved a pumpkin once, so I am going to go with that because it is so new. 

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up? Mrs de Winter bin ich! From the German musical adaption of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather) Transitioning from summer to autumn. 

(56)What Are You Craving Right Now? Some free time so I can finish my first draft and finish the book I’m reading. 

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed. No.

(58) What Is Your Gender? Female.

(59) Coffee Or Tea? Tea.

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About? I’m doing an English literature master, so I have homework all the time! I have to write a little essay about the letters of Margaret Cavendish, read LOTR, and choose a topic for an essay for my course on British and Irish fantasy novels.

(61) What Is Your Sexuality? Lesbian.

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning? Yes.

(63) Favourite Pokemon? Bulbosaur.

(64) Favourite Social Media? Tumblr.

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories? They can be fun!

(66) Do You Get Homesick? As a rule, no, but it depends on where I am and most of all with whom.

(67) Are You A Virgin? What a personal question!

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now? I don’t use conditioner, but I am using a shampoo bar by Lush which I don’t remember the name of, but it is for blondes and has chamomille and smells like lemon. 

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free? What an American question! It is not really something I will have to deal with, living in the Netherlands. Still, if it came to it I suppose my car is less dirty than a crappy motel room.

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life? Yes.

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters? Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex? I don’t have one. 

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now? I don’t really have one. 

(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest? That fully depends on the person those eyes belong to. As a general rule, brown eyes.

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set? I do, and yes!

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate? I’m eating a sandwich as we eat. 

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone? Microsoft’s solitaire collection. 

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not? I can’t give CPR, but if i could, I would, because I damn well hope someone would give me CPR if I was in that situation. 

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight? Yes.

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network? No.

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People? Again, depends on the context. 

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them. I wear one on each thumb and one on my right middle finger. Can’t take a picture ATM

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed? Closed.

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today? Brushed my teeth, made breakfast, talked to my gf. It’s 7.45 in the morning, guys.

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed? Nothing. 

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now. I have face moisturiser and that is it guys.

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person? A day person.

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc. Candy crush friends, and Microsoft solitaire collection.

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened. Well this morning I had a nightmare where I had to perform an exorcism on a loved one, and it didn’t work. Come to think of it, I did try to bless them with ‘the father, the mother, and the holy ghost,’ so that may have had something to do with it not working. 

(90) Favourite Soda Drink? Fanta or 7-up.

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite? My gf laughing, rain on leaves (I am not that much of a rain person though), birds. 

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More? Sweats are more comfy, Jeans look better. 

(93) How Do You Look Right Now? Tired. 

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You. Music. 

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want? I don’t want one. I am too fickle; I’d grow bored of it after a while.

(96) Favourite YouTuber? I don’t have one favourite since I use youtube for different things. 

[spacetrashpile]

Hi. I was very lucky to see the National Tour of Les Mis tonight and HOLLLLYYY SHIT. It was beautiful and I loved it and I have to talk about it a bit. This is gonna be a long post so buckle up.

Okay so to start: Everyone killed it, every performer was amazing, and the children in the show were so good.

Act 1

The staging for Look Down was really cool, and all the different prisoners killed their solos. Valjean and Javert’s interactions were great to watch throughout the show, and this was just the beginning.

The ensemble in this show was just *chef’s kiss*. They were always entertaining to watch, and they did everything so well.

Who Am I? KILLED me. I may have ascended during that song, it was so amazing. The blocking was so simple and yet so striking, and there were a million different parallels in that blocking to the blocking in Stars and Javert’s Suicide, even in the directions the actors faced at different times. Amazing.

The Foreman in At The End of the Day was as disgusting and horrible as he always is and FANTINE. This is just a side note, but the woman playing Fantine needs to be Anastasia some time, she’d kill it. 

I Dreamed A Dream, lovely and simple. 10/10

Lovely Ladies was,,, interesting to watch with my mother. I tried not to look at her the whole time but WHO BOY. It was well done and the Foreman being the first person to solicit Fantine after she became a prostitute? That killed me, I did not know that was gonna happen.

The scene with Valjean and Javert after the cart incident was so stressful. I knew Valjean wasn’t going to get arrested there and yet I felt so terrified that Javert would know, props to those actors.

Come to Me, first time of many times I cried during this show. Fantine was such a beautiful singer and her displays of emotions killed me. When she called out to Cosette,,, :( She died hugging Valjean and he placed her really gently back on the bed and I was holding back tears.

Confrontation was GREAT but for the first minute I couldn’t see Javert at all because he was standing right on the end of the stage where my vision was obscured and I just kept internally going “Sir,,, sir please move to the middle of the stage, please”

Young Cosette, my baby. Castle on a Cloud was adorable but at the same time I almost cried, I love her. One side thing that was super weird, Young Eponine was white but adult Eponine was a WOC?? And I don’t know why?? I don’t know, just a bit strange.

Madame Thernardier! She stole every scene she was in my GOD. She had such a powerful voice and stage presence that you couldn’t help but watch her every move, she was great. Monsieur Thernardier was funny and crude and he did a very good job, Master of the House had the whole theater dying laughing.

Young Cosette and Valjean’s interactions were genuinely some of my favorite moments of the show. They were very few, of course, but they were lovely.

Stars SLAPPED. Every parallel to Who Am I? was really cool, and the set was very beautiful. They had Javert bless himself a LOT during the show, and most of it was of course during Stars. Javert was one of the best performers in the show, hands down. 

Gavroche was adorable, and all eyes were on him the second he came on stage because he owned it. He knew what he wanted to do and he did it. 

Marius was adorable and also Latino which was really nice. His first meeting with Cosette was so adorable and I think this might just be bias towards those two on my part, but God every interaction they had with each other was so good.

The Les Amis de L’ABC. Oh my God. They were all so amazing and watching them do anything was wild, even just in their first scene in the streets.

Cosette was so good, those high notes could just kill me. Marius jumped the wall into the garden after she went inside, and then he threw a pebble at her window to get her attention, classic and adorable. When she came out on the little balcony he started the song and he purposely voice cracked on the first line and it was so endearing. Cosette then came down and they did the rest of the song face to face and Marius did the song really well, I loved his performance in the whole show, but especially here.

I know I just talked about the Les Amis but I’m gonna talk about them again. All of them were so great, but my eyes were constantly drawn to Combferre. He had such good interactions with the other Les Amis and he had really great reactions to everything that was happening, props to him. Red and Black was just overall good, after Grantaire taunted Marius (during which he climbed on one of the tables), Marius took his bottle from him and the Les Amis started throwing it around with each other before Enjorlas took it, sang a bit, and gave it back. Grantaire and Gavroche also had really good interactions throughout the whole show, they had this really deep bond, and you could tell just from how they worked with each other. Do You Hear the People Sing? was so beautiful, I just loved it a whole lot.

One Day More, I almost gave them a standing ovation. They deserved it. The blocking was lovely and it was so beautiful.

Act 2

This Eponine, I genuinely think she could rival if not best some of the greatest Eponines, INCLUDING Lea Salonga. She killed On My Own and there was some guy in the audience who yelled “bravo” really loudly when everyone was applauding, which is great because she deserved it.

Valjean had a limp in act two, which was super interesting. I don’t know if that’s a consistent in every production or not, but I really liked it. When he read the “Now that I know you love me too” part of Marius’s letter, he kinda slowed down as he read it and paused after the “love” as though he was confused about it, which was great, very funny

Gavroche revealing Javert on the barricade is always one of my favorite parts of the show, if only because I love Gavroche so much. This was actually one of the few times where he’s not right next to Grantaire during the show which I thought was interesting. After he reveals Javert, Combferre pulls a gun on him and Gavroche just walks in between them and puts the gun down like a whole adult, it was great. At the end of the song, he straight up gave Javert the finger and I was crying laughing because that small child SOLD IT. 

A Little Fall of Rain, oh boy. Eponine and Marius’s voices complimented each other so well but still, I don’t want this scene to happen. The first person (other than Marius of course) to notice Eponine was dying was Gavroche which HURT because he reaches out for her but one of the Les Amis pulls him back. When she’s carried off stage after the song her hat falls off, and Gavroche picked it up and then very solemnly handed it to Marius and I SOBBED.

The scene where Valjean lets Javert go was really good (Javert’s acting man, like I said, one of the best performers in the show). As Javert went off stage, Valjean kept the gun aimed at him for a few moments before turning and firing at the sky. Also the gun actually went off? Like sparks and everything, it was so jarring I was NOT ready for it.

Drink With Me was really nice, everyone’s voices blended super well and it was really pretty. Grantaire’s solo (which I am always happy to hear) was really good, and so was the Grantaire. They didn’t go as far out with Grantaire and Enjorlas as I might have liked (no hug at the end of his solo, which I know some productions do), but when he went off stage afterwards, Gavroche went and tried to pull him back on which I thought was really nice.

Bring Him Home OH MY GOD. I was halfway through standing up at the end of the song before I realized we weren’t giving that man a standing ovation, he was EVERYTHING. Bring Him Home is a really special song for me overall and it was just so beautiful.

Gavroche’s death killed me as it always does. He climbed over the barricade and sang almost his whole song over there. After the first shot (the one that doesn’t kill him) there was this super long silence and even though I knew he wasn’t meant to die there, I was freaked out, it was so horrible. He was climbing up the top of the barricade as the song ended, and he threw the bag of ammunition over there before he finished climbing, actually. He got right in the middle of the barricade as the song was ending (”So you better run for cover”) and he stood up tall RIGHT in front of Enjorlas who was ready to help him over, and that’s when he got shot. He fell right into Enjorlas’s arms and it was awful. Enjorlas turned around, all back lit from the lights, and he handed him to Grantaire who was right below him. Grantaire brought him over to stage right and laid him down, and he stayed with him for most of the scene.

The deaths of the Les Amis, oh my god. It was painful, and loud; the guns were firing constantly, and every death was worse than the last. I think Claquesous was the first I saw die, although I don’t know if he actually died first. Both Combferre and Courfreyec were at the top of their barricade, and the shots fired them back it was awful. There were a lot of people lying dead on the barricade. Enjorlas died almost in the main gap where Gavroche was shot, right next to it, and then Grantaire, who’d been at Gavroche’s side the whole time, ran all the way up the barricade, right in the main gap next to Enjorlas and he put his fist in the air and was shot like that. It was just, oof. It was sad but they did it very, very well.

They also had a small scene after the barricade was cleared away that just twisted the knife in further. Javert and two other soldiers came out, and the two soldiers were leading a cart. Javert prayed over Gavroche’s body, which was nice, but the cart killed me. The only body in the cart was Enjorlas, and he had his hand dangling out, still barely hanging on to the red flag. After Javert prayed over Gavroche, he picked him up and placed him in the cart next to Enjorlas. I died. Just, my God.

Dog Eats Dog was gross because ew the sewers but ya know. I felt so bad for Marius and the guy Thernardier was dragging around because there was SO MUCH FOG on stage and I know how hard it is to breathe in that stuff. The scene looked cool as hell though, so pros and cons.

Javert’s Suicide, holy shit. As Valjean went off stage with Marius, Javert had a gun aimed at him the whole time before he ripped it away and aimed at the sky, although he didn’t shoot, and it was basically a perfect mirror of when Valjean let him go. The first half or so of the song he actually wasn’t on the bridge, and I straight up thought they were going to have him shoot himself, which would’ve been wild. But as he started to spiral more he backed up and the bridge set came down. Something I noticed almost immediately was that the back side of the bridge was the same set as during Stars and I was YELLING. He didn’t technically jump off the bridge, but he climbed up on the front and then at the end of the song the sides and back of the bridge pulled away and the part he was standing on backed up into the spiraling water backdrop and it looked so, so cool. 

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. I cried HARD, this Marius killed the song, and really sold his guilt. During Turning the women had brought out candles and left them in different places on the stage, so it gave the scene really nice lighting. About halfway through Empty Chairs at Empty Tables I noticed something. I can’t say for sure, but from what I could tell, each of the candles was placed in the spot where one of the Les Amis died, as well as one where Marius lay when he was injured, and just: holy shit. The Les Amis came ON STAGE during the song (also the sign for the cafe de L’ABC was in the background the whole time too, oof). They each picked up their candles, and Marius picked up his as well, and they all held them out to Marius as he sang “Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me/That I live and you are gone”. At the end of the song Marius raised his candle like a glass and then blew it out and like. Damn.

Just a small thing I noticed, Marius and Valjean were mirrored entirely during Who Am I? Reprise, they were both dressed in all black and they both were limping on the same leg. Idk I just thought that was cool.

Marius and Cosette’s wedding was really nice and I loved it but then I realized as I was watching that all the male wedding guests were Les Amis de L’ABC and I started crying again. At least Cosette’s wedding dress was pretty, and at least Marius punched Thernardier in the face.

Oh the Finale. OHHHH the Finale. I was sobbing the whole way through, everyone was amazing. They had Fantine with her long hair, and she was in an all white dress too. When Valjean died, he stood up and Fantine ripped off the shawl he was wearing to reveal his pure white shirt which was REAL nice. I thought that they had given Eponine an all white costume too, but I realized near the end that she was still in the costume she died in, hat and all, except her coat was now pure white. All of the ensemble came in first, but then the bishop came onstage and hugged Valjean which was really, really nice. The Finale was beautiful as always.

Okay, that’s all. I know it was a lot but I just loved the show so much and really wanted to talk about it. Props if you got here.

[basicsofislam]

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : The Day of Uhud

The morning of the battle had come at last. Seven hundred Muslims were standing against a polytheist army of three thousand people. That morning, after the Prayer, the Messenger of Allah sat with his Companions and talked with them lengthily. He advised the believers to behave accordingly to the holy book of Allah, to be mindful of what is permitted and what is not, to be patient and dignified at all times. He commanded them to be unified, work as one, and be cautious of the enemy at all times. Then he asked that his Companions get ready for battle. He personally lined them up in rows and said to them, “No one shall start fighting until I have given permission to do so!”

The Meccan army, full of excessive self-confidence, was waiting for them at Uhud. Khalid ibn Walid was standing on the right side of the army, with his two-hundred horsemen. The Messenger of Allah chose fifty archers and appointed Abdullah ibn Jubayr as their commander. The he pointed to the horsemen in the polytheist army and firmly instructed them,

“Keep these horsemen away from us; do not let them come from behind and besiege us! Even if, for a moment, it seems as though the victory is on our side, do not abandon your positions! Make sure that we are not attacked from your side. Take your positions and do not leave them for any reason whatsoever! Even if you see that we have defeated them and you see us among their soldiers, do not leave your positions! Even if you see crows hovering over us eating away at our flesh, do not leave your positions unless I have sent word to you! If you see that we are being killed, do not attempt to come to our aid; do not rush to our defense and support! Shoot them with your arrows instead because horses cannot advance when they have arrows being shot at them! And never forget that, as long as you stay in your positions, we will be the conquering side.”

After Allah’s Messenger prayed, 

“O my Gracious Allah! I make the effort and attack in Your Name only, and only in Your Name do I advance onto the enemies. My struggle with the enemy is for Your sake only! You are my sole power of support and what a wonderful Protector You are,” 

the battle had finally begun. It was a ruthless and fearsome battle. Ali and our Prophet’s uncle, Hamza, had gone in through one end of the nonbeliever army and had come out through the other end. The other Companions were also fighting courageously, shouting periodic cries of exaltation to their Lord. Before long, the non-believer army was dispersed and had started to retreat. The clinking of the swords had decreased and a kind of chase had started, so to speak. The polytheists, whose unity had been shattered, were running to save their lives.

On that day of battle, the mounted troops of the Meccan army attempted to attack at three different occasions, and each time they were driven back by the attack of the archers. The horses were unable to advance against the flood of arrows raining on them, just like our Prophet had said. The reason that our Prophet had so insistently warned the fifty archers to not leave their positions was indeed this very fact. However, seeing that the Muslims were chasing the non-believers, the archers atop Mount Uhud left their positions, thinking that they had won the battle. The mounted troops of the polytheist army noticed that the archers had left their position. Without wasting any time, they rushed over and besieged the Muslim army from behind. Without having the arrows raining over them, the polytheist horsemen had taken advantage of the opportunity for easy attack. Thus the Islam army found itself in between the enemy just when it was least expected. When the non-believers who had been running away noticed what had just happened, they turned around and came back to attack as well. Shouts of, “For the sake of Uzza!” and “In the name of Hubal!” rang in their ears. The believers had unexpectedly found themselves in a very tight situation. What seemed like a small act of neglect was about to change the course of everything.

The main goal for the non-believers was, without a doubt, the Messenger of Allah, and, even amongst all this chaos, they had him especially in target. A non-believer named Utba ibn Abi Waqqas had thrown four stones one after the other, and one of them had struck our Prophet’s blessed face. As a result, his lower right tooth had broken and his blessed lips had also been wounded. Taking opportunity of the disorder, the nonbelievers were attacking non-stop. Arrows and stones were raining over the Messenger of Allah. For a moment, Ibn Qamiah’s voice could be heard. “Take this! I am Ibn Qamiah,” he was shouting, and he was attacking Allah’s Messenger with one blow after another. Upon this, our Prophet turned towards him and responded, “Let Allah himself take care of you.” In the face of another danger, the Messenger of Allah called out, “Who will fight against these?” The response was from a high-pitched but strong voice calling out, “I will, O Messenger of Allah!”

The voice belonged to Nasiba bint Ka’b. This self-sacrificing woman had mounted her horse and rode to Uhud, to our Prophet’s side, and she was fighting to protect him. Upon hearing the cry of Ibn Qamiah’s challenge against the Messenger of Allah, she and Mus’ab ibn Umayr decided to advance onto him and eliminate him with a few blows with their swords. However, Ibn Qamiah had put on two coats of armor that day and So, the strikes from Nasiba bint Ka’b’s sword could not finish the task.

Mus’ab ibn Umayr was carrying the banner of the Messenger of Allah that day, and he was fighting like a lion. The scattering of the Muslims, for an instant, had saddened him deeply. He was fighting with all his might, with the banner in one hand and his sword in the other. Meanwhile, the non-believer Ibn Qamiah had taken an oath to kill our beloved Prophet. Mus’ab looked very much like our Prophet when inside his coat of armor. So, Ibn Qamiah found Mus’ab and stood against him to fight. After a fearsome struggle between the two, Mus’ab was martyred. After his martyrdom, the banner of Islam did not fall to the ground. An Archangel, in the form of Mus’ab, carried the banner of the Muslims in his place. Ibn Qamiah, on the other hand, thought that he had killed Allah’s Messenger. He returned to the Quraysh and cried out in joy, “I killed Muhammad!” These words echoed throughout Uhud. This news devoured whatever strength the Muslims had left. There were ones who dropped their swords and cried out frantically when they heard of the news echoing throughout. Amidst the turmoil, Ka’b ibn Malik was the first to see and announce to the believers that the Messenger of Allah was living. He cried with a strong voice, 

“I saw the Messenger of Allah with these very eyes; there was blood streaking down from under his headpiece but he was alive! O Muslim men and women! Good tidings to you! The Messenger of Allah is right over there,”

and announced that our Prophet had not been killed to everyone that he came across.

With these cries of joy, Uhud had found life once again. Everyone turned to where the voice came from and life had filled Uhud once again. Meanwhile, our Prophet’s headpiece had broken to pieces and two of its rings had sunk into his cheeks. One of his teeth had been broken, and his lips and face were wounded and bleeding. This situation brought unbearable pain to our Prophet’s Companions. Blood was oozing down the face of the Messenger of Allah, for whose sake they were willing to sacrifice their lives. The beloved Prophet of compassion, on the other hand, had opened his hands to the skies and was praying for those who had wounded his head and broken his tooth.

“O my Gracious Lord! Show my people the rightful path! For they do not know,” 

he prayed. He was so full of mercy and compassion, even towards those who wanted to kill him. There was another great sorrow that awaited our beloved Prophet on that day of Uhud. His uncle, Hamza, had been martyred by a slave named Wahshi. Hamza had been known as “the lion of Allah” when he was alive, and he handed in his soul as “the master of martyrs.”

The Companions of our Prophet were trying to protect Allah’s Messenger with all their might, on one hand, and were retreating towards and gathering at the foothills of the mountain, on the other. This was the first step in turning the battle at Uhud to the advantage of the believers. Following that very challenging and tough period in the battle, Allah the Almighty sent down a feeling of Divine peace and serenity over the Islam army to assure that the believers both reach a state of inner comfort and physical rest. The Archangel, who had taken over Mus’ab ibn Umayr’s duty of carrying the banner of Islam after he had been martyred, continued to wave the banner of Islam in the air at Uhud.

Both sides had suffered great casualties, and the commander of the Meccan army, Abu Sufyan, found it dangerous to attack the Muslims once again. The retreat of the Muslims towards the foothills of Mount Uhud, and the way they gathered together has startled him a bit. Therefore, he called his army to return back to Mecca in order to, at least, not harm the victory they had achieved up to that point. As Abu Sufyan and his soldiers were starting to turn back, the Messenger of Allah wanted to be certain that they were not planning something evil against them. For he was worried that they might enter Medina to harm the women and children on their way back. Thus, he called his leading Companions to his side and instructed them to follow the polytheist army.

“If they mount their camels when leaving, this means they will leave without committing any harm. However, if they leave the camels and mount their horses, this means that they are aiming for Medina! And this would mean none other than explicit plunder. If you notice such an intention, then we will all unite and advance onto them,” he said.

After being instructed by the Messenger of Allah, the Respected Companions started their pursuit of the enemy. They were so close that they could even hear the things that the polytheists were talking amongst themselves. A group of polytheists wanted to plunder Medina while they had the chance, but others, like Safwan ibn Umayya, said, 

“Don’t even let the thought cross your mind! Don’t you see how they’ve come back together and how fearlessly they walk into the eyes of death! There is no way that we can reach Muhammad before killing them all. Let’s get out of here before turning our victory into a pathetic defeat.”

And so, the Meccan army mounted their camels for the long journey and set off on the road. The fearlessness and determination of the believers in honor of the cause they believed in had discouraged the Meccan army and forced them to leave Uhud with a rush.

When the non-believers decided not to take the risk of continuing in battle and retreated out of Uhud, the Respected Companions of our Prophet walked back to the battlefield among the bodies of the dead and wounded. The wounded were to be taken and the martyrs were to be trusted over to Mount Uhud. Testifying on account of his Companions who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Allah the Almighty, our beloved Prophet declared,

“The Messenger of Allah testifies that in the Day of Judgment you will also be martyrs in the eyes of Allah!”

Then, he turned to the Muslims and said, 

“O people! Come here to visit them on different occasions! Send greetings to them. I swear to Allah, whose Hand of Power bears possession to myself, that they will accept and respond to the greetings of every believer that greets them until the Day of Judgment.”

After the Muslims returned to Medina, every believer took sanctuary in their own home and started to take care of their wounds. Before long, Bilal shouted the call for the Evening Prayer. Upon hearing the call, the believers gathered in the masjid and performed the Prayer altogether. The Night Prayer was also performed in congregation in the masjid. The Battle of Uhud, which had started in the morning of that Saturday, ended by the Evening Prayer of that very same day.

The believers retreated into their homes to rest and heal their wounds that Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, with the call to Prayer from Bilal, they all gathered again in the Masjid an-Nabawi.

The Messenger of Allah was not sure whether the nonbelievers were going to come back or not because they were returning from the battle with nothing in their hands. It was highly likely that they change their minds while on their way back, and come back to Medina to attack once again. They had to prevent such a possibility from arising. Also, they needed to let everyone know that Medina was the authority once again after the battle of Uhud. Surely, a short while later, our Prophet’s worries were justified. After having advanced a bit on their journey, indeed, the Quraysh evaluated their situation. Talking among themselves,, they decided that it was wrong for them to return empty-handed and that they needed to attack Medina once again, this time to wipe the Muslims out altogether. They had fought but now had nothing in their hands to show that they had won the battle.

Some of them insisted that they go back to fight, but not everyone agreed. Safwan ibn Umayya expressed his own opinion,

“O my tribe! Do not dare to try this! Right now they are much more furious with us than ever before. I am afraid that they will gather up those who were not with them at Uhud, and they will come to attack us all together. The best thing for you to do is be content with what you have in your hands and go back without losing any time. For I am afraid that if you do attack them once again, you will also lose what you already have!”

When the Messenger of Allah heard of this news, he first consulted Abu Bakr and Umar. They decided to follow the non-believers to keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, despite the fact that there were some who insisted on going back to Mecca, the majority had agreed on the idea to attack Medina once again, and the Meccan army was just getting ready to take off. Just then, news that the Muslims were coming after them reached the army. Seeing that they had been mistaken in thinking that they had heavily beat the Muslims, the non-believers started to panic when they learned that they were being pursued, and so decided to return to Mecca. Even when full of fear, the polytheists did not pass an opportunity to supposedly challenge the believers. They sent word to the Messenger of Allah, through a caravan they ran across on the road, saying, 

“After gathering up our strength once again, we are going to come back and wipe out you and your Companions!”

When this news reached him, our Prophet merely said, 

“Allah is sufficient for us and what a wonderful support He is!”

After intimidating the enemy, the Muslims returned to Medina having bandaged the wounds from Uhud. Thus, the victors of Uhud were the Islam army once again.

[elliotthezubat]

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 101

more dead apple stuff and others

 ango: .....

*footsteps*

murakoso: um...ango-

*Chuuya emerges from the shadows, glaring*

ango: chuuya. i suppose you know why i called you here?

Chuuya: "You have to be pretty desperate to call in this debt."

ango: indeed. perhaps it's our folly for allowing shibusawa to live.

Chuuya: "You think? If it wasn't for you and that bastard, they wouldn't be dead!"

ango: .....we thought that by bringing shibusawa in, we could prevent an ability user war amongst the gangs of death city, and possibly beyond, but we didnt expect-

Chuuya: "That your precious tool Shibusawa would kill 6 of my people at Dragon's Head?! That Shibusawa would go on to kill all these ability users, you sick fuck?!"

ango: we were trying to do what we thought was best for death city-

Chuuya: "They're dead!" *slams his fist into Ango's jaw*

ango: GRK-

murakoso: ANGO! *draws sword from it's holster*

Chuuya: "The Sheep. Six at Dragon's Head. Rain...This mess that Shibusawa created allowed Mori to escape...with my daughter!" *slams his foot into Ango's side*

ango: NGH-

murakoso: *aims sword at chuuya's neck* beating ango up isnt going to make it any better!

takeuchi: worst case scenario, we can try and locate mori and your child.

Chuuya: *glares at them all* "...How?"

takeuchi: this is the special abilities department, and mori _is_ an ability user, we can locate him and bring your daughter back.

ango: please. if you help us, we'll do anything you ask of us.

Chuuya: "...Anything?"

ango: yes, if not for our sakes, then for the sake of the city, and your child.

Chuuya: "...If it wasn't for Sonia...this city could burn for all I care..."

ango: .....

Chuuya: *holds up fingers, counting down* "First, you will pardon all crimes, alleged and otherwise, by the members of the Port Mafia."

ango:.....very well.

Chuuya: "And second...You get Sonia back safely."

ango:....it will be done.

Chuuya: "Then get me to where Shibusawa is."

-elsewhere-

Dazai: *looks at the crystals* "..."

Fyodor: "All according to your plan."

Dazai: “Yes...So, why did you go along with me on this?”

Fyodor: “In the end, I want a world without Abilities.” *grins* “That doesn’t mean I don’t want an entertaining interlude first.” *holds out two crystals* "One brings all visible Ability users to one location. The other crystallizes Abilities."

Dazai: *pauses* "..." *touches both*

-FWOOOOM-

-a vortex forms in the center of the room, sucking up all the crystals in the process-

Dazai: “Now to touch this vortex, and it’ll be the end of all of this--”

-SHRK-

Dazai: "URK!" *coughs*

shibusawa: *has stabbed dazai literally in the back* didnt i tell you, mr dazai? there's nothing that surpasses my expectations~

Dazai: “But the door--”

Fyodor: *small laugh* *twirls a key on his finger*

Dazai: *trying to sigh, but in pain* *in Russian* <Typical…Heh...This is new...>

Fyodor: <Cliche, but still--entertaining.>

Dazai: *collapses, struggling to breathe*

shibusawa: in the end, there was only one target, mr dazai~

Fyodor: *smiling*

shibusawa: tell you what, i'll let you in on a little secret. that knife was laced with a slow acting poison. so now you can savor your death, like you've wanted for so long.

Dazai: *opens his mouth, but can't talk, coughing blood*

Fyodor: *slowly approaches behind Shibusawa*

Dazai: *passes out*

-something begins to appear, a clear crystal-

shibusawa: *huge grin as they reach out*

-however, the crytal joins the others in the vortex, creating a singularity-

shibusawa: !!!! WHAT?!

Fyodor: *searching through his coat* “Unfortunate. Even if you acquire Dazai’s ability, Shibusawa, it won’t help you regain what you lost: your memories.”

shibusawa: ?!?!?!? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, DOSTOYEVSKY?!

Fyodor: “Let me jog your memory--”

*SLICE*

shibusawa: GRK- *their throat begins bleeding*

Fyodor: “--of the time when you died.” *holds up a knife*

shibusawa: *collapses* fa....ther....

{shibusawa: *a young child* ....}

{Shibusawa's Father: *reviewing notes*}

{shibusawa: ....}

{draconia member: hey, isnt that shibusawa's kid?}

{draconia member 2: yeah, the one with that ability, right?}

{draconia member 3: just a tool for daddy's work. can that thing even think for itself?}

{-that's right. for as long as i could remember, i had always been in my father's shadow. i was nothing more than a tool-}

{Shibusawa Father's: "Come here."}

{shibusawa: yes, father?}

{Shibusawa's Father: "Follow me...We have to discuss the next step in this research."}

{-of course. my father's research. my _father's_ legacy...-}

{shibusawa: .....}

{Shibusawa's Father: "You will carry on after me...Find what I have not."}

{-even after he died, i carried _his_ burden. i never truely had anything to call my own....and yet.....the feeling of death.....feels familiar...-}

-elsewhere-

atsushi: *facing a door in his mind*

odasaku: you sure you want to do this?

atsushi: (i have to.)

odasaku: ...you know once you see it, you wont be able to unsee it again.

atsushi:...(i know.....) *he opens the door*

-...-

{shibusawa: so, mr nakajima, was it? how are you feeling?}

{*tied to a chair is seven-year-old Atsushi*}

{Young!Atsushi: *paralyzed*}

{shibusawa: from whay i heard, you have quite the unusual ability. and i havent been able to obtain it like normal. curious. very curious. nothing a little shock therapy cant fix, right? ^^}

{Young!Atsushi: "N-No...Please...Stop..."}

{shibusawa: now, this may hurt quite a bit. *hits the switch*}

{Young!Atsushi: *convulses, too stunned to make any noise but a small squeak, his body twisting under the electricity*}

{-a small blue crystal begins to form-}

{shibusawa: *wide grin* yes, that's it, come on...}

{Young!Atsushi: *SCREAMS*}

{*some light shines out of Atsushi's head*}

{shibusawa: ??}

{*the tiger forms out of Atsushi--and slaps Shibusawa's hand away from the crystal*}

{shibusawa: *holding their hand, yelling out in pain* GAH! w-WHAT?!}

{*The tiger takes the crystal in its jaws--and bites down onto it*}

{shibusawa: NO!!}

{*The tiger faces Shibusawa--and brings down its claws--*}

{shibusawa: !!!!!!!!}

{*SLASH*}

shibusawa:....i......i died......

atsushi: i.........i killed them.......

shibusawa: im...dead? no...nonononono that's not possible! i returned to the castle that day! i know it!

{shibusawa: *stumbling into the castle* ......}

shibusawa: it was that day that-....that....

{lux: *freaking out* MASTER SHIBUSAWAAAAA! t-t-the witch!}

{shibusawa: ??}

{Lux: "Th-The Witch...Master..." *shaking*}

{nox: the witch...the witch has given birth.}

{shibusawa: ?! }

{-in a room, a young woman with white eyes is holding a small infant-}

{shibusawa:.........}

{woman: *looks up and smiles* look tatsuhiko, it's our daughter, miyuri.}

{miyuri: *opens her eyes and smiles at shibusawa*}

shibusawa:....ha...hahaha....so that's it.....that damn witch....she put a curse on me...

-meanwhile, in the draconia room-

Fyodor: *picks up a skull from a bowl of apples* *grins* "Now, for the finale..."

-the skull is sucked up into the singularity, causing the fog to turn red and the singularity to mutate-

-the vortex seems to pull dazai in as well-

Fyodor: "How selfish of you...Even in death, you wish to watch the city go right to hell..." *turns away, smiling*

-the vortex seems to be mutating into...a dragon?!-

Fyodor: "Had you considered, in the midst of the Dragon’s Breath, my ability never once tried to do me harm?"

-a figure appears, resembling fyodor, with a light purple tone to its coloration appears, a red crystal on it's hand and holding an apple-

Fyodor: "I am crime."

CP: i am punishment.

-the ability shatters the red crystal and returns to fyodor slowly-

Fyodor + Crime and Punishment: "And crime and punishment, are quite good friends..."

dragon: *ROOOOAR*

Fyodor: "Soon, the fog will expand and consume this world. The dragon of the fog that consumes all abilities...like a dead apple..."

-elsewhere-

miyuri: *walking along and humming* hmmmmm......are we there yet, sana? Owo

Sonia: "I'm not certain..." *looks around*

miyuri: hmmm, i remember she lived in a tall building....but i dont remember which one. ^^;

onia: "Who was this person?"

miyuri: oh right! it was a while back when miyuri got lost in the outside the first time. everything looked so big and scary, and she couldnt find tacchan anywhere.

{miyuri: *sitting in an alley in the rain, crying*}

{-but then, the nice lady found me!-}

{???: um....e-excuse me?}

[miyuri: *looks up*}

{*a young woman in a yellow sweater jacket, red hair and glasses is there*}

{rain: are you alright?}

{miyuri: uhh....WAAAAAA! MIYURI'S SCAAAARED!}

{rain: wah! i-it's alright! i-i wont hurt you! i promise!}

{miyuri: *sobbing* TACCHAN! TACCHAAAAAN!}

{rain: o-oh goodness....umm...oh! here! *hands her a cracker packet from her bag*}

{miyuri: *sniffles*....}

{rain: you can eat that.}

{miyuri:.....*tiny nom*...*hic* t-thank y-you miss nice lady...}

{rain: *smiles* please, call me rain.}

miyuri: miss rain let me stay with her for a while until tacchan found me again.

Sonia: *stunned*

miyuri: she was really nice and had yummy food. miyuri really wants to thank her for being so nice. ^^

Sonia: "You can't."

miyuri: *head tilt* miyu?

Sonia: "...Mama is dead."

miyuri: ??

Sonia: "The woman you saw...She is dead."

miyuri:........where's she sleeping?

Sonia: "...H-Hook Cemetery..."

miyuri: yay! let's go there! ^^

Sonia: "Would you stop?!"

miyuri: hm?

Sonia: "She's not asleep--she's dead! She is no longer alive! She is not coming back! She is dead! Dead means you don't come back! You're gone forever! She died! She's gone!"

miyuri:....does your mama visit you in your dreams?

Sonia: "..." *nods, her eyes stinging*

miyuri: miyuri's mommy visits her too. so they're not gone completely, right?.....do you think our mommies became friends where they are?

Sonia: "...I hope so."

miyuri: *holds sonia's hands and smiles* then they can be friends like us, sana!

Sonia: "..." *too stunned to respond...just crying*

miyuri:....sana? why's water coming out of your eyes?

-elsewhere-

-a plane is now flying to where the dragon is. the hanger door swings open as if to let something, or someone, out-

Chuuya: *stands at the door*

ango: *over earpiece* chuuya, are you sure about this? your daughter-

Chuuya: "If I don't survive...Find Sonia. Bring her back to Kouyou. If you can't...make sure she has a good home."

ango: i understand, and dazai isnt there, so-

Chuuya: "He is. I can feel it..." *holds up his fist*

ango:....

Chuuya: "And even if he isn't responsible for this mess...I have to punch him in his goddamn face."

-high heels can be heard clicking along the floor of the hangar-

tsujimura: this is insane! ability users, we're human beings, and that things a damn monster! it's suicide!

Chuuya: "I'm not about to let a little thing like fear make me run away scared. When would be the best time to back out?"

tsujimura: i dont know, when?

Chuuya: "There's never a time." *leaps out the door*

dragon: *ROOOOOOAR*

Chuuya: ("If this does kill me, at least….then I'll see you again...") “Oh grantors of dark disgrace….do not wake me again.” *his eyes widen as rocks around the Dragon start to glow*

dragon: *FIRE BREATH*

Chuuya: *dodges, flinging rocks and other debris at the Dragon*

dragon: *ROOOOOOAR*

*something is shaking the ground at the foundation of the castle*

dragon: ?!?

*is that...a building rising?*

dragon: *ROOOOOOOOOOOAR*

Chuuya: "AAAAAAAARG!" *slams the building down onto the dragon*

dragon: *mouth fulla building and trying to release a fire blast, but it's stuck inside and causes the dragon to explode*

Chuuya: "..." *starts falling...*

-in the remnants of the dragon and rubble, dazai is floating peacefully-

Chuuya: *growling *falls towards Dazai* GRAAAH!! *punches him in the face*

-the pill in dazai's mouth breaks, letting its contents release in his mouth-

Chuuya: *growls...coughs up blood*

-please......dont scare me like that anymore!-

Chuuya: "Rrrr...Ra...in......" *closes his eyes...the dark energy around him dissolves, as he regains control* *he opens his eyes, drawing Dazai down carefully with control over his gravity abilitie sand lands with Dazai...then collapses onto the ground, panting*

rain: *letting him rest his head on her lap, gently stroking his cheek* you did so well.

Chuuya: "??? Rain? How..."

-she wasnt there...-

Chuuya: "..." *cries*

???: come on, it should be this way...

Chuuya: *struggling to hear* "Wh-What..."

???: ok sana! hehe.

???: and i told you, it's _sonia_ -.-;

Chuuya: *his eyes open wide* "S-Sonia!"

sonia: ??? papa?

Chuuya: "I'm coming..." *gets up, running towards her*

Dazai: "Zzz..." *smiles lightly*

miyuri: oh, that's your papa?

sonia: yes. hi pap-

Chuuya: *tight hug*

sonia: !!!!

Chuuya: "Thank God...Thank God..."

sonia: papa? are you alright?

Chuuya: *nods* "I am...Where were you?!"

sonia: i'm sorry. it's a bit of a long story, but i was with miyuri.

miyuri:...sana....why's water coming from _my_ face now? *she's got tears in her eyes*

Chuuya: "...Sonia...Where did you find her? Where are her parents?"

miyuri: miyuri's mommy is gone, and tacchan's back at the castle.

Chuuya: " 'Tacchan'? I don't understand--"

miyuri: oh no! the castle's all broke! tacchan might be hurt!

Chuuya: *looks at the castle's remains* "..."

Dazai: *sniff* "That was so touching back there..."

Chuuya: -___-#

sonia: -.-#

miyuri: ??

Dazai: "Did I inspire you to overcome Corruption, Chuu-Chuu--"

Chuuya: *slams his fist into Dazai's face*

miyuri: OxO

Dazai: *knocked down*

Chuuya: "Do not compliment yourself. You made this mess, you piece of shit...I should've figured you can't die that easily."

miyuri: sana? who's that?

sonia: a good-for-nothing mackerel.

Dazai: *sits up, with a black eye* "My, my...Such a violent way to awaken Snow White~"

miyuri: *giggle* he doesnt look like a fishy! silly sana! ^^

Chuuya: "Go back to sleep!" *starts trying to stomp Dazai's head, but he keeps dodging*

Dazai: "Fufu~ I suppose it's good Ango approached you~"

Chuuya: "?!"

miyuri: *notices something* hey! that pin looks like miyuri's necklace and hair pin!

Dazai: "..." *looks* "..."

Chuuya: "...Dazai...Whose are those?"

miyuri: are you friends with tacchan?

Dazai: "...Just wait. This isn't over yet...It's up to Atsushi now."

Chuuya: "..." *looks at the castle*

-meanwhile-

Fyodor: *sets a crystal to the skull--*

-the skull glows and summons shibusawa, now in a somewhat more monstrous form-

shibusawa: so. i've become a lich, eh? damn that witch.

Fyodor: "Welcome back.”

???: "So, that's it. An ability user who regains their ability..."

shibusawa: oh? and who's this?

*Akutagawa steps forward*

Akutagawa: "Evidently, the support team."

shibusawa: so, you've regained your ability? i must say, i'm quite impressed.

Akutagawa: "I suppose I have you to thank for this ordeal..."

*SHNICK*

shibusawa: hmm?

*a kunai passes Shibusawa's face*

Kyoka: *steps out*

shibusawa: well, _that_ was quite rude.

-meanwhile-

ango: damn, the fog's beginning to spread outside city limits.

murakoso: we got a phone call coming in from london!

ango: oh dont tell me-

agatha: good evening, dearies~ i see you're having a tad bit of trouble~

Ango: "What do you want?"

agatha: it would be problematic if the fog spread to other parts of the globe, so i've sent reinforcements to nip it at the bud as it were. there's a plane flying over with an ability user with an incineration ability. i'm afraid the city will have to be evacuated if you wish to survive.

Ango: "Evacuate an entire city at this rate?!"

agatha: but im sure you'll find a way to do so, cheers love~ *switches off* *on phone* how's everything on your end, franny dear?

frances: quite well. the pistol comes quite in handy.

agatha: indeed. i'll be sending a teleporting ability user to collect you and bring you back.

frances: you'd go to that trouble for lil old me, aggy?

agatha: *nods* if i let you be killed, i would never forgive myself.

-elsewhere-

vita sexualis: *slashing at mori* huhuhu~ *taking on shizuka's face* i love you, rintarou~

Mori: *sneers* "Hard to believe that--seeing as you're dead and all..."

vita sexualis: *opens its mouth to bite his head off*

-SLICE-

fukuzawa: ...

Mori: "...Well, hello."

fukuzawa: *chop* you've gotten sloppy. what ever happened to the doctor mori i know and at best, tolerate?

Mori: T_T "It's been a rough patch..."

fukuzawa: so i've noticed...

*SLASH*

-KICK- *SHATTER*

fukuzawa: ...

???: jeez rintarou, i swear. you're really helpless without me.

Mori: "...Elise."

elise: *in a sailor dress with heart-shaped sunglasses* well DUH, who else _would_ it be, genius?

Mori: "..." *hug*

elise: !!! HEY! LET GO'A ME YOU OLD CREEP! DX<

Mori: "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK! AND NOT A CREEPY KILL-BOT!"

fukuzawa: *sigh* i guess some things never change.

-elsewhere-

Plague Doctor: <I just need to bleed it out of you...>

pushkin: *hiding on the roof, holding a cinderblock* (come on, just a liiiittle further now.)

Plague Doctor: <I can practically smell you...Where are you, you sick murderous monster?>

pushkin: *lets go of the cinderblock*

Plague Doctor: *looks up* <...Oh, fu-->

-CRASH-

-shatter-

pushkin: <SUCCSESS!> *victory dance*

zhanna: *over talkie* <alexsey, how's everything on your end?>

pushkin: <victory!>

-elsewhere-

10 Seconds: *TICK TICK TOCK*

katya: *hiding, gun in hand* .....

*WHOOSH*

-she's...not there?-

katya: *has slid herself up with the grappling hook* *aims her gun at the ability's face with a murderous grin on her face*

-BANG-

*HEAD-SHOT*

10 Seconds: *goes down...*

katya: hehe~

-elsewhere-

leo: .......

*A woman in a maid outfit appears*

leo: ........

Woman: <Hello.> *holds up a gun*

leo: ............you're.....

Resurrection: <Yes.> *aims the gun--at her own head* <It hurts...>

leo:.....it does.......being unable to die......

Resurrection: *crying* <It's never going to stop, is it?>

leo:.....<no....no it's not....>

Resurrection: "..." <But if you lack your ability...I could end this now.> *aims at Leo*

leo:....you could....

Resurrection: <Then...why aren't you stopping me?>

leo: ....it's strange.

Resurrection: <What is?>

leo: for so long, i've wanted to die. to be free from my loneliness and sorrow, to see my mother, father, and siblings again....but im _not_ alone. i have friends, a wonderful fiance, and small baby inside me. i finally found something to live for. *smiles*

Resurrection: "...It's not fair..."

leo:.....*hugs her* the world can be truly cruel and frightening. but i've learned it can also be so beautiful.

Resurrection: *holds onto her, as she puts the gun away* "..." *sobs and shoots the crystal off herself*

-elsewhere-

atsushi:..........

???: *soft growl*

atsushi:....i killed them.......i just wanted to live....and i killed them.....*sniff*

*the tiger walks slowly, never taking its eyes off Atsushi as it approaches*

atsushi: *not even looking* no matter where i go, you're always right there....arent you?

Tiger: "..." *sits in front of him*

atsushi: you're like a part of me, like blood, a lung, my brain....right?

Tiger: "..." *slaps a paw across his head*

atsushi:...*weak chuckle* you're more than my ability....you're my will to live....

Tiger: "..." *nuzzle*

atsushi: ....*smiles and hugs* come on, buddy. we got a job to do.

-elsewhere-

Akutagawa: *pants, wiping blood from his mouth* "Damn you..."

shibusawa: AHAHAHA! is this really the best you have?! a shadow beast and a samurai ghost?!

rashomon: *snarls*

demon snow: *blade out*

Kyoka: "And all you have is conditioned hair." *assumes battle pose with her own blade*

shibusawa: tch-, cute. now die. *charges at them*

*ROAR*

shibusawa: hn? *looks up*

*It's Atsushi, now in tiger-man form, as he swipes his claw at Shibusawa, putting some distance from them and Akutagawa and Kyoka*

shibusawa: *knocked back* well! isnt _this_ a pleasant surprise! will you really kill me again, atsushi nakajima?

Kyoka: *eyes widen*

Akutagawa: *raises an eyebrow*

Atsushi: "..." *shakes his head* "I just have to bring back a thing where it’s supposed to be.”

shibusawa: very well, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!!

Atsushi: "..." *rushes*

Kyoka: "..." *leaps with blade* "Demon Snow!"

Akutagawa: *sends Rashomon to create a ring around them all*

shibusawa: *attacking them, slashing and blocking*

*Rashomon grows spikes, closing in on the three...*

Kyoka: "Demon Snow--slash them!"

Demon Snow: *rushes at Shibusawa from above*

shibusawa: *PUNCH*

Demon Snow: X_X *knocked back*

Kyoka: "?!"

Akutagawa: "Damn it..."

Atsushi: "...We can't do this alone..."

Demon Snow: *collapses on the floor--dissolving*

Kyoka: "Demon Snow!"

atsushi: you're doing good, kyouka. use your phone!

Kyoka: *dials* "Demon Snow... ... ...Sh-She's not appearing..."

shibusawa: *smirks*

Akutagawa: "What's wrong with you? Summon your ability--"

Kyoka: "I can't!"

atsushi: you dont _want_ to hate her, do you?

Kyoka: "..." *shudders* "What I saw..."

{mrs izumi: demon snow, please.....protect kyouka}

Kyoka: "I'm conflicted...But I know this power is mine...And I want it to protect others..."

atsushi: then im sure the demon snow you dont want to hate will respond to your feelings.

Kyoka: "..." *inhales, shivering* "..." *calls into her phone* "Demon Snow...I need you."

demon snow: ~i am here.~

Kyoka: *smiles* "Then let's stop this."

demon snow: *charges and stabs shibusawa down*

shibusawa: *laughing* YOU THINK _THAT'S_ ENOUGH TO STOP ME?!

atsushi: AKUTAGAWA, NOW!

Akutagawa: *smirks* "No." *stabs Rashomon into Shibusawa* "I think you need to suffer _more_..."

shibusawa: AHAHAHAHA! I'M ALREADY DEAD! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN POSSIBLY-

*a sphere forms around Shibusawa*

shibusawa: -eh?

*the only other one in the sphere is--*

Atsushi: "..."

shibusawa: *laughing* well, isnt _this_ ironic?!

Atsushi: "How so?" *flexes a tiger claw, practicing crouching with tiger legs*

shibusawa: you're trying to kill me again, and im already dead! break me all you please, it doesnt mean a goddamn thing to me!!

Atsushi: *slams his fist into Shibusawa's jaw*

shibusawa: *laughing and bleeding* oh to hell with it! to hell with it all~ nothing matters! nothing! i have nothing of my own! ALWAYS MY FATHER'S FUCKING PUPPET! IM NOT EVEN CONSIDERED A HUMAN BEING BY THEM!

Atsushi: "...Yes. I know..."

shibusawa: im dead! dead, dead, dead, dead, deeeead~! *intensly focusing, blood, dripping from their mouth, nose and eyes*

Atsushi: "..." *sighs sadly...* *rushes at Shibusawa, punching repeatedly* "Just stay down...Stop...Please..."

shibusawa: just give me your ability, then i'll have something to call 'mine'!

Atsushi: "IT'S NOT 'MY ABILITY'--IT'S ME!"

shibusawa: ah-ahaha....AHAHAHA! so that's what dazai meant.....an angel that would save me....an angel of death....the one who killed me....that's....really ironic....

Atsushi: *his fist charges with energy--his mouth grows fangs as the tiger's power overwhelms him--* "I'm so sorry..."

-the skull appears in front of shibusawa-

shibusawa: …no…..i...i cant die here again.....miyu-

*SLAM*

-shatter-

-meanwhile-

-the red gems on lux and nox's foreheads shatter-

nox: lu- *fades to dust*

Lux: "No--!"

-meanwhile-

ayla: *gem shatters as she fades to dust*

lydia: <what the hell?!>

Ivan: <?!!!!>

zoey: oh?

-elsewhere-

ango: the singularity just...it vanished!

tsujimura: the fog is receding!

murakoso: we just got an update from the clock tower, they're turning the plane around!

-cheering-

-meanwhile-

agatha: *sips tea* hm. a real shame. the smell of a burning city always goes so nicely with tea.

-elsewhere-

shibusawa: ah......im....still here?.....but how? you- *slowly fading* oh.....its not for long.....how am i still alive?

Atsushi: "I thought that perhaps there's something you wanted to live for."

shibusawa: what could i have-......*eyes widen as tears fall* ryoko.....our baby.....i....our child was born that day......perhaps....i wanted to see them....

{miyuri: tacchan! ^^}

shibusawa: *small pathetic laughter* that damn child....even with how cold i was to her. even with faked affection, even with how i rarely spent any time with her, she would still always greet me with a smile on her face....*laugh crying* i dont get it....

Atsushi: "..." *tenses his jaw*

shibusawa: if it wasnt an ability that kept me alive? then what was it?......perhaps it was sheer willpower? but why?

Atsushi: " 'Faked affection'? That doesn't sound 'fake.'"

shibusawa:.....i see......that willpower, the will to keep living......it wasnt the result of a curse, or an ability, it was something stronger. a power much stronger than any curse......it was love.

Atsushi: *clenches* *nods*

shibusawa: *laugh-crying* i'm a real damn fool, arent it? just as i finally realize that, i had something of my own; my child....my family....and now, i have no time left to spend it with her....im a real damn fuck up, huh?

miyuri: TACCHAAAAAAN! *TACKLE HUG*

shibusawa: !!!! m-miyuri!

Atsushi: "??" *looks up* "!!"

miyuri: miyuri's sorry she went out without telling you, but she wanted to thank the nice lady and-

-chuuya, and sonia arent far behind either-

shibusawa:...^^; child, child, please. settle down.

miyuri: *INHALES* okaaay. are you hurt, tacchan?

shibusawa:.....*hugs* miyuri...im afraid i cant stay long.

miyuri: what do you mean, tacchan?

shibusawa: im going to where your mother is...and im afraid i wont be able to come back.

miyuri: !!!! no! you cant go, tacchan! *clings*

shibusawa: *sad smile* i wish i didnt have to...*strokes her head* but im afraid i have no choice in the matter...

miyuri: but if you go away, then so will lux and nox and ayla, miyuri will be all alone! *sobbing* mi-miyu-miyuri doesnt wanna be alone!!!

Chuuya: "..."

shibusawa: *pats her back* it'll be ok....im truly sorry....i wasnt a better parent to you, miyuri....i just hope, you forgive me for being selfish.

miyuri: b-bu-but you arent selfish, tacchan! y-yo-you're my favoritist person in-in the whole world!

shibusawa:...i appreciate that, little one...

Dazai: "..."

Chuuya: "..." *rests a hand on Sonia's back*

miyuri: b-bu-but where will miyuri go, tacchan? *sniffle*

Chuuya: "Sonia...This child..."

sonia: if she really wont have anyone left....we can take her in.

miyuri: ?? y-y-you'd do that, sana?

sonia: *nods* we're friends, right? and friends look after each other.

Chuuya: "Of course."

shibusawa: .....would you...really be willing?

Chuuya: *nods* "Yes."

shibusawa:....then i'm happy......please....for miyuri's sake....be a better parent for her than i was.....*small kiss to miyuri's forehead*

miyuri: *sniffles*

shibusawa: it's ok now....even if you cant see me, i'll still be with you....always.

-with that, shibusawa fades to dust-

Chuuya: "..." *lowers his head*

miyuri:....*hic*...

Chuuya: ("...This one took too much from me...") *approaches Miyuri* "..."

miyuri: *hic* a-are you....n-nice?

Chuuya: *stares at her* "I...don't think it's fair for me to make that judgment myself."

sonia: it's ok, he's nice, even if he has his moments.

miyuri: *sniffle* t-that's good. m-miss rain was really nice.

Chuuya: "...What did you say?"

miyuri: oh! t-that's the lady miyuri and sana were looking for! *sniff* she had red hair and glasses and she was really nice! she fell over lots though.

Chuuya: "..." *nods*

miyuri:.....*hugs*

Chuuya: "..." *pat pat*

atsushi: ......*watching the sun rise*

Dazai: *limps over* "Hey there."

atsushi: dazai!

Dazai: *in his old suit* "Hello...I'm missing a shoe. Have you seen it?"

atsushi: .....*hug*

Dazai: "..." *blink* "..." *pat pat*

atsushi: ....crazy night, huh? Haha

Dazai: "Yes...Look, Atsushi, I was only--"

atsushi: you were trying to protect death city, right?

Dazai: "...More than a city..."

atsushi: yeah.....being able to live with everyone here.....it's really wonderful, huh?

Dazai: "Well, there are some people who aren't all bad. I could take or leave a few of them--"

atsushi:.....hey.....dazai?.....can i tell you something?

Dazai: "Oh?"

atsushi: now, i need you to promise you wont freak out on me.

Dazai: "Okay?"

atsushi: you see, it's-

*TIGER ROAR*

atsushi: FJNKDJIJIPVLNDLJIK! oh right! phone, phone! *picks up* h-hello?

Kunikida: "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Dazai: "..."

atsushi: >x< a-at the castle ruins by the abandoned high-rise? ^^;

Kunikida: "DID YOU DISABLE THE GPS ON YOUR PHONE?! YOU COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED ON OUR RADAR--"

???: "YOU IDIOT!"

atsushi: ??

Dazai: *turns, looks behind him* "..." *takes the phone* "Kunikida. They already found us."

*Lucy, her dress torn and scuffed...looking pissed*

atsushi: O-O l-l-lucy!!

sylvia: *peeeeeks from behind lucy* Q~Q;;;

Lucy: "WHAT DID YOU DO HERE?!"

Kyoka: "!!! Sylvia!"

Tanizaki: *limping up the debris* "Wow...Doctor! Up here! We got injured."

yosano: lovely! *cleaver out* line up everyone~ ^^

Kunikida: *yelling into the phone* "--WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE I'M HEARING THAT YOU WERE WORKING WITH THE ENEMY TO--"

Dazai: =_=;

atsushi: um....i can explain-

Lucy: "I WAS TRAPPED IN ANNE'S ROOM AND I WAS SO SCARED AND I THOUGHT I'D BE STUCK FOREVER AND NEVER SEE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN, AND HERE YOU ARE--Oh, hello, Kyoka--" *smiles* *turns back to Atsushi* "--AND YOU COULD'VE BEEN DEAD FOR ALL I KNOW, YOU STUPID, STUPID--Why is Dazai missing a shoe?"

atsushi: im sorry, things came up. if it makes you better, you can punch me in the face as hard as you want to.

Dazai: "..." ("I am so thankful Yosano can't heal me...") *smiles* "Kunikida, I'm going to turn you over to my assistant--" *shoves the phone back to Atsushi, walks past Akutagawa*

Akutagawa: "..."

Lucy: "..." *blushing, puffed cheeks* "I'M GOING TO DO MORE THAN THAT!" *grabs his arm*

atsushi: O_O *gulp*

Lucy: *pulls back an arm--then wraps it around him* "I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND!"

atsushi: !!!....*hugs her back*

sylvia: m-m-miiiss k-k-kyoukaaaaa! *hugs* Q~Q;;;;

Kyoka: *pat pat* "I'm so glad you're safe."

Lucy: *sniff* "I'm going to catch up..."

sylvia: it was so scary i just hid in the closet the whole time and i peeked out once and my ability was hiding in the kitchen all scared and i ended up panicking and hitting it with a frying pan.

Akutagawa: "Chuuya. We need to run before we are caught--"

Chuuya: *hand up* "I took care of it. We're no longer under threat of arrest."

Akutagawa: "??? How did you strike that kind of a deal?"

Kyoka: ^^; "Congratulations?"

sonia: papa. *holding up chuuya's hat* you almost lost this.

Chuuya: "!!!" *pats her head* "Thank you."

miyuri: *GLOMP HUG* PAPAAAAAAAA!

Chuuya: ^^; "Miyuri..."

miyuri: *spots everyone* *GAAAASP* WOOOOOOOOOOOOW! ARE THESE ALL PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE?! THERE'S SOOOO MANY OF THEM!! *shiny eyes*

sonia: oh boy.

Tanizaki: ._.; "Who’s the small child?"

miyuri: *GAAAAAASP* WOOOOAH! SANA! THE SKY! THE SKY'S ALL DIFFERENT!

Lucy: *shiny eyes* "D'aw..." *grabs Atsushi in a neck hold* "DID YOU TRY TO HURT THAT CHILD?!"

sonia: that's because it's morning.

atsushi: I WOULDNT DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT ^^;

miyuri: more-ning? what's thaaaat?

Akutagawa: "...How are you going to do this?"

Chuuya: -_-;

sonia: *pap pap* it's ok papa, i'll help out with her.

Akutagawa: "...Sonia, where were you this entire time?"

sonia: it's a very long story. we'll tell you on the way home.

-meanwhile, with mori-

Mori: ^w^

elise: where the heck are we even going? -3-;

Mori: "Home, of course~"

elise: home's the other way, you dummy!

-footsteps running up-

Mori: "Hmm?" *turns around*

-KICK TO THE FACE-

Mori: *knocked down*

katya: *holding a knife to his neck* ALRIGHT YOU NABAKOV WANNABE, WHERE'S THE GIRL?!

Mori: Q_Q *points at Elise* "There?"

katya: *looks*... ._. who the FUCK are YOU?!

elise: who the fuck are YOU?

katya: i asked you first brat!

elise: well _i_ asked you second!

Mori: "This is my ability, Elise~" ^w^

katya:......<what the everloving fucking shit?>

pushkin: *pant pant* oh...thank goodness....*phew* um...wait, you arent sonia.

elise: who the hell is HE?!

zhanna: alexsey? are these two...friends of yours?

pushkin: well...you see-

zhanna: KATYA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!

katya:...oh yeah, about that-

elise: he's a lolicon.

zhanna:....*dialing 911*

pushkin: OwO;;;;;

Mori: "I AM NOT A LOLICON!" >~<

zhanna: then what are you?

Mori: "The leader of the Port Mafia, Ougai Mori!"

zhanna:.....yes, i'd like to report that i've found the mafia boss, ougai mori?.....wait....what do you mean 'all port mafia crimes pardoned'?

pushkin: *gasp* YOU HEAR THAT KATI?! OUR CRIMES ARE PARDONED!

katya: FUCK YEAH!

elise: wait, these two are mafia? SINCE WHEN?!

zhanna:.........*hangs up phone*

pushkin: OwO;;;;;;

zhanna:.....aleksey.....may i have a moment with you, dear little brother~? ^^#

pushkin:....*gulp*

zhanna: *drags him into the alley*.....<THE MAFIA?! YOU JOINED THE MAFIA?!?! HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY?!>

Mori: "???" *looks at Katya* "...Wait, who are you again?"

katya: new mafia recruits. now tell us where the fuck sonia is-

Mori: "??? I have no idea?"

katya: THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU- *talkie buzzes* WHAT IM IN THE MIDDLE OF-....oh....wait really?.....huh.....*hangs up*....*KNEE TO THE FACE* you got off easy today.

Mori: *knocked down*

elise: you got knocked the FUCK out, rintarou!

-elsewhere-

Fyodor: *at a cafe, sipping tea*

tsujimura: *in a waitress uniform* enjoying your drink sir? ^^

Fyodor: "Very much so. I find it tastes best when you know you have only that short period when it's not too hot, not too cold."

tsujimura: would you like me to recommend our special of the day?

Fyodor: "I'm listening."

tsujimura: today's special is....*snaps fingers*

-several government officers posing as staff and customers pull out their guns, including one popping his gun out of a baby stroller-

tsujimura: you're under arrest. again.

Fyodor: "..." *smiles* *puts his hands up*

officer: you know the drill, let's go.

Fyodor: *stands, keeping his hands up* *smiles* ("All according to plan...")

-elsewhere-

higuchi:......!!!!!!!!! they're back!

leo: *patching up kajii's injuries* that's wonderful!

leroux: hello all~ ^^

hans: leroux! walter, etta, kafka! you're ok!

Motojiro: ^^;

Walter: "Yep! Guess what? I won at Smash!"

Kafka: *guiding Etta* "We need medical..." *he's bruised but healing*

george: *running back, covered in twigs and drenched* *cough cough cough*

hans: oh-oh goodness! right this way!

Gin: "??? George? Where were you?"

george: lost in the woods, wandered for a bit, got attacked by some crazy homeless kids in the woods.

Gin: "...Oh."

george: strange bunch...

sonia: *wave*

higuchi: SONIA! you're ok!

Q: ~?

Chuuya: *following*

miyuri: WOOOOOAH! WHAT A BIG HOUSE!

kouyou: ??? who's this?

Chuuya: "Everyone. This is Miyuri."

miyuri: hiiiiyaaaa! miyuri's super happy to meet everyone!! ^w^

higuchi: so i take it she's staying with us?

Chuuya: "She's staying with me. Now, let's get out of here."

higuchi: ??? chuuya, we cant exactly-

Chuuya: *hands over a piece of paper*

higuchi:..... !!!!!!!!

kouyou: my stars.....

Gin: "...H-How?"

Chuuya: "I cut a deal."

naoya: well hot damn!

Tachihara: "We get to leave here? Damn. Just when I was getting used to it..."

Motojiro: QwQ "...My teaching..."

hans: hey, you're always welcome to visit any time. our home is your home, whenever you need it.

Tachihara: "Cool. Could save on rent that way--"

sonia: *smiles*

Gin: *ear tug*

mito: *mew*

sonia: *picks her up* ^^

miyuri: WOOOOOOOOW! A KITTY!

mito: o^o mii?

Chuuya: *yawns* "Let's rest...I could use some sleep."

*footsteps*

sonia: *yaaaawn* yeah....

higuchi: !!! ryuunosuke!

Akutagawa: *waves* "Hello--"

Gin: *hug*

Akutagawa: "..." *pat pat*

higuchi: *wipes her eyes*

naoya: say, let's have a party!

Akutagawa: =_= "Okay...Could I rest first?"

naoya: by all means. *pap pap*

katya: ooooi, look what we found!

pushkin: *waves, a bit disheveled* (big sis is real scary when she's mad) TTuTT;

Akutagawa: "...!"

Mori: *waves* "Hello~"

Gin: "..." *glaring*

higuchi: -_- yaaaaaay.

katya: OI! WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF FUCKING BULLSHIT TO FIND THIS BASTARD! AT LEAST SHOW _SOME_ ENTHUSIASM!

Akutagawa: "Yay."

higuchi: pushkin, katya, we apprecate your heard work, but, it's mori.

Mori: "Now, I need you all to get ourselves packed. We'll also need to begin repairs on the building--"

katya:....i guess. he's a fucking loser.

Mori: ^^;;;

higuchi: um, about that, you technically arent the boss again yet.

Mori: "Oh? Says who?"

hirotsu: out of bed, i see.

Mori: "Hello, good sir. Thanks for watching over things while I was indisposed."

elise: wow. lamest, welcome back party, eveeer.

Q: ELISE!

elise: Q! *HUGS*

Q: hehe! ^^ we have so much to tell you!

miura:.....if it's any comfort, _i_ was worried about you.

Mori: "I knew you would, my dear~"

miura: just 'miura' is fine, sir.

elise:....who're those guys?

Q: oh, those other people are part of 'sturm', they're cool. and that's miss leo, she's kajii's new fiancee!

elise:.....WHAT?!?! HIM?! ENGAGED?!?!

Motojiro: *waves* "Hello, Elise!"

elise: IS Q BEING SERIOUS?!?!?

leo: w-why yes.

Motojiro: "Isn't it great?"

elise: D8

leo: *rubs her stomach*

Motojiro: ^^ *snuggle*

Mori: ._.; "...Man, I was really out of it."

elise:....what....is- is she really....

Motojiro: "We're expecting!"

elise:.............NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I MUST HAVE SLIPPED INTO SOME WEIRD ALTERNATE DIMENTIOOOOOOON AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFEKDLHFJLDKHD!!!!!!!

leo: ._.;

Motojiro: "D'aw, she's back to normal!"

naoya:...hey kid, have a candy bar.

elise: AHHHHHHHHH- *nom*

Mori: "Where's my candy bar?"

higuchi: *puts her hand into her pocket, then pulls her hand out, flipping him off*

Mori: ._.; "...When I am back in control, I'll reprimand you for that."

higuchi: just dont forget what got you into this mess.......i guess you really _do_ take after your father.

Mori: "...I think I'll retire for a few hours. Come, Miura, Elise."

miura:...

-elsewhere-

frances: well, all's well that ends well, aggy.

agatha: *over phone* indeed.

frances: im glad none of my babies had to be burnt up! ^^

agatha: speaking of your babies, listen to your one violet a moment.

frances: *doing so*..... !!!! O/////O >////< a-a-aggy! please!

barrie: ???? jack, any idea what she's talking about?

Jack: *sipping from a flask* "I don't want to know."

-elsewhere-

ranpo: *sipping ramune* ah.......(i wonder if oguri's alright where he is....)

mii: *meow*

ranpo: oh, there ya are. *pets* guess the incident's over. *opens his safe full of snacks* cheers.

-elsewhere-

blair: wow, the hospital's sure full today, isnt it katai~? ^w^

Katai: .\\\\\. "..." *nod nod* "Th-Th-Thanks for treating me..."

blair: any time, hun~ ^^ *cheek smooch*

Katai: O\\\\\\\o "Nyaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

cervantes: ah, young love, aint it beautiful?

Katai: *not responsive*

Dumas: *grunts*

marquis: so luckyyyy~! fuwaaa~ i hope i get some intimate healing too~<3

Dumas: -_-# "Stop bothering the nurse and her patient--you'll be treated when they're ready for you, you weirdo."

twain: ayyy! marquis!

marquis: marky!

twain: *waves* you guys in the hospital too?

Steinbeck: *shifting uncomfortably* "Ah...Ah..." *struggling to walk, like a toddler*

oscar: poor ebie, dear. i hope she'll be alright. she got a lot of spider bites...

Hemingway: "I once bathed in spiders. I do not recommend it..." *bandaged all over*

emily:....how are you even alive. ._.;

Hemingway: "Perseverance. Calisthenics. Protein."

marquis: hehehe, your friends are so funny, marky!

Steinbeck: T~T "So many vines...I'm still picking out leaves..."

Dumas: -_-; *thumbing through his phone*

nurse: mr steinbeck? you have visitors.

lavinia: *staaaaare*

Steinbeck: "..." ^^; *waves*

lovecraft: we brought....flowers. *hands him an entire bush*

Steinbeck: "Lovely!!!"

lovecraft: lavinia, dont you have a present for uncle john?

lavinia:....*her eyes roll back in her head as her jaw unhinges and she coughs up a tree stump*

emily: ._____________________.

marquis: o,o

Steinbeck: "Thank you, dear." *pats Lavinia's head*

oscar: Q_Q

Dumas: "...WHAT THE ACTUAL F--"

lavinia:....i wassss.....hungryyyyy....

cervantes: how thoughtful!

Dumas: *grumbles*

-elsewhere-

stocking: alright, let's get searching.

Rin: "Right! We need to follow Shura's path. Fortunately, we got her GPS signal--"

Computer: *SIGNAL LOST*

Rin: "...OH, SCREW YOU!"

gilda: *signing and pointing to a picture of shura*

Rin: "???"

salaryman: <what on earth is with her hair? is she some kind of subculture girl? what are they called, 'gyaru'?>

Salaryman 2: <Wait--she looks familiar...>

stocking: <you've seen her?>

Salaryman 2: *nods* <Yes--she got into a cab after me.>

stocking: <do you know where she went?>

Salaryman 2: <She said she was going to Lake Towada.>

Yukio: "Which matches what we already know..."

stocking: <thank you very much sir.>

Rin: "So we're cabbing it to the Lake?"

*A nearby electronics shop has weather reports*

stocking: guess so.

Yukio: "Except the roads are covered in ice."

stocking: hmmm....

Rin: "Maybe a taxi has snow-chains or something--"

*IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOUD ENGINE*

gilda: OxO;;

Taxi Driver: "Taxi? Need a taxi?!" *they've modified their cab with monster wheels and a plow*

stocking:....huh...

Rin: "Cool! You take credit card?"

Taxi Driver: "Sure thing, kid! Hop in."

-elsewhere-

kirika: *grumbles and sits up* =~=

lord death: *pokes head in* hey there, sweetie! just checking in on ya!

kirika: well, im better than yesterday....i guess.....

lord death: well, nygus will be here later to check up on you, since the hospital's rather busy today.

kirika: *grunt*

lord death: oh, and your boyfriend is here to visit.

Gopher: Q^Q "..."

kirika: hey....y'know, after yesterday's shitshow, you being here is actually an improvement, goph.

Gopher: >~< "I was so worried!" *hug*

kirika: h-hey now, you're gonna get sick too, moron.

lord death: *exits*

Gopher: "I don't care--I take plenty of vitamin C and want to share my good health through my hug!"

kirika:...*chuckle* you're one weird kid, y'know?.......*sigh*

Gopher: "Do you feel better?"

kirika:.....i feel drained....a lot's happened this week....

Gopher: "Are you eating and sleeping? Did you see a doctor?"

kirika: -_-; yeah, a doctor was here...but yeah, i've been eating and sleeping and shit....

Gopher: *nods* "Yes, digestive health is also important."

kirika: *chuckle*.......*sigh*.....mind if i talk about everything? might help, i guess....

Gopher: "I'm all ears."

-she explains what all happened in shirase town-

Gopher: "Jeez...That's a lot for you to deal with. That punk didn't hurt you, did she?"

kirika: pssh, like i'd get owned by some rookie kid, haha!

Gopher: ^w^ "Good. As for the town itself...Will your sister be okay?"

kirika:...she seems to be doing well....it's so weird....everything feels...different now....it's nice but.....it's scary......

mocha: *nuzzle* ^w^

Gopher: *smiles* "...A lot has changed..."

kirika: yeah.....*hugs* thanks for being consistent, you little weirdo.

Gopher: O\\\\w\\\\O "Al-Always..."

kirika: *smug grin* now dont go getting any ideas. *tiny chop*

Gopher: O\\\\\\O "Wh-What on earth do you mean?"

kirika:.... 737;

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Hello! Two donuts, please!"

clerk: coming right up!

lukas: ._.;;;

Saria: ^^ "Anything else you want, Lukas?"

Clerk 2: "--and then the cake was gone! And five bucks was left!"

lukas:......im good, thanks....

clerk 3: i think your sleeping meds are messing with you again, dave.

Dave: "Shut up, Stewart--I know what you do with the leftover muffins!" >_<#

-elsewhere-

ochako: *playing some fantasy quest online with some other UA students* so then i saw like this big plane flying towards death city, and then it turned around! i guess they're doing flight practices or something.

jirou: could be.

eijiro: that does make sense.

kinako: dude, that's rad.

Aoyama: "Oui. They must not be revealing the reasons so not to alarm residents."

ochako: maybe. still, it was pretty cool to see. i would have taken a picture, but my camera was charging. would have made for a pretty cool background.

jirou: you could always ‘shop one up.

ochako: that's true.

eijiro: also wtf was that fog last night?

ochako: oh ya, that was pretty weird.

Mina: "Yeah, really--it came out of nowhere. It's not even fall."

Monoma: "I SAW WEIRD FOG DURING MY TRAVELS OVERSE--"

jirou: probably one of those weird death city things.

Aoyama: *holds up a hand* "Begone."

-elsewhere-

kirako: morning everyone. ^^

Kyoka: *yawns*

Tanizaki: Q_Q

fukuzawa: indeed.

Dazai: *sips tea* "Hello~"

atsushi: i'm so exhausted T-T;;

Kunikida: "--YOU WERE BELLIGERENT, OUT OF COMMUNICATION, PUT THIS CITY AND WORLD AT RISK--"

aya: what's biting _his_ butt?

Dazai: *puts headphones on*

Kyoka: "Things were rather violent last night, Aya."

aya: did you guys do some super cool detective stuff and i totally missed out?! boooo. =3=

-knocks-

atsushi: ?? oh! l-lucy!

Lucy: *dramatic finger point* "Doppo Kunikida! I'm calling you out!"

atsushi: huh?

aya: eh?

Kunikida: -_-# "...Atsushi, get your girlfriend out of here. We have important business to deal with and no time for--"

Lucy: *grabs Kunikida by his tie, pulling him until his forehead slams into hers*

atsushi: D8

Kunikida: O_O;

yosano: oh shit.

aya: WHAT THE HECK, LADY?!

Lucy: "LISTEN UP! I just spent hours trapped by my own ability in a whimsical psychedelic world of my own making, so I'm only asking this once..."

Kunikida: O_O;

Lucy: "..." *gets on her hands and knees* "PLEASE ACCEPT ME AS YOUR STUDENT!"

atsushi:.....wait what?

aya:.....*blinks*

Kunikida: ._.;;; "...I have a lot of work to do today--"

Lucy: *looks up, glaring*

atsushi: lucy?

Kunikida: "!!!" *backs up* "Two-Two o'clock?"

Lucy: *bounces up, smiling* "Yes, thank you, sir." *bows* *smiles at Atsushi* ^^

atsushi:...^^ congrats!

Lucy: "...AND YOU! Did you get enough sleep?!"

atsushi: well....i dont think _any_ of us did.

sylvia: .~.

ranpo: dazai just snuck out.

Lucy: "Then get home early to catch up! ..." T~T "Because I didn't either...I'm going back to Anne's Room..."

*the window is open*

-elsewhere-

Dazai: "Ow...Ow..." *takes a step* "This was easier when I was younger..."

-on the roof of a building-

Dazai: "??? Oh. Am I late?"

???: took ya long enough.

Dazai: "Sorry--had something important to discuss."

-yana turns back and looks at him-

yana: rough night?

Dazai: "You would know." *sits on the ledge, kicks up his feet* "It was a real killer~"

yana: you dont look too dead to me. guess you took my advice and kept an antidote in your mouth. im surprised.

Dazai: "Yes, thank you. But next time, find one with better flavor and fewer side-effects--I've been itchy all morning."

yana: *chuckles* no promises......so you brought the info you promised?

Dazai: *holds up the file, fanning himself with it* "Of course~"

yana: *examining it* thanks........Olivia Wallace....she looks just like me....

Dazai: "Neat, huh? So, that's your DNA donor?"

yana: yeah...that's mom.....*smiles* thanks for doing this for me....

Dazai: "You're welcome. Thanks for letting me live."

yana: *chuckles* sure fam, sure....

Dazai: "Why do you want to leave?"

yana:....the rats.....it's a toxic environment. me being one 8th of dos, means i'm often compared to him...he's my DNA dad, yet he's never been a 'dad' for me.....i've only existed as a pawn for his own goals. i guess....i want to find something to live for, for me.

Dazai: "..." *nods* "Better than the alternative, huh?"

yana:..yeah....i guess....*takes her glasses off* you know......the sunlight...feels kinda nice.

Dazai: "Warm summer light..." *looks at her* "You're kinda pale."

yana: to be fair, i've spent way too much time underground.

Dazai: "Makes sense...But you're heading back there?"

yana: ....*shakes head* i had you look my mom up for a reason.

Dazai: "And how are you getting there?"

yana: i'll find a way.

Dazai: "Got it. Don't get yourself killed."

yana: hehe.....shame im leaving. i feel we could be real good friends...

Dazai: *smirks* "Don't sell me so short." *stretches--then winces* "Ah...You know how to reach me."

yana: yeah.....one more thing. if you ever meet a girl named Anya Hepburn. tell her that im sorry, and that i hope she meets someone who makes her happy.

Dazai: "??? What, that princess?"

yana:...yeah....we-...almost kinda had something....didnt work out.

Dazai: "...Relatable. Cursed?"

yana:...maybe, maybe it's just shit luck....but at the very least, she deserves some closure. she's a good person.

Dazai: *looks down to the street, where Atsushi is following Lucy* "Rare to find those kind of people..."

yana:....yeah....best of luck to you then.

Dazai: "Same to you, kid."

-elsewhere-

Fitzgerald: *his hand is bandaged* "Sorry for my lateness..."

louisa: Q_Q;;;;

daisy: what on earth happened to you?!

bram: *collapsed on the floor* *muffled groans*

Fitzgerald: "Evidently someone caused Abilities to turn against their owners." *frowns* "No amount of money could assuage my 'other half.'"

Toby: *nudges Louisa*

mary: marinara pop tarts were a mistake.

louisa: *pet pet*

Fitzgerald: "Any appointments?"

daisy: yes, you have a meeting with a mr danglars coming up later this month.

Fitzgerald: "Ah, from the shipping company. Any dirt you find on him?"

daisy: i beg pardon? ._.;

Fitzgerald: "Blackmail material. Illegal activities. Failed marriages. Children born out of wedlock. Unpaid parking tickets. Has Eckleburg been falling down on the job?"

daisy: -_-; i'll get right on it.

-elsewhere-

erina: .......

Jordan: "Zzz..."

erina:.....alli?

Allison: "Hey, roomie!" *holding her phone* "Now, this may be triggering, but it's good news."

erina: .....?

Allison: "...Dostoyevsky has been arrested."

erina: !!!! r-really!?

Allison: "Really really!"

erina: that's great i-...i.....*shaking*

Allison: "..." *smiles, hugs*

Jordan: *yawns* "Hmm? Oh, hey, Allison. Erina, what's up?"

erina: w-w-what if he gets o-out again?! w-what if he comes after me?! ................*staring off into space*

Jordan: "...Allison?"

erina: ...........................

Allison: "He's not out now. He's locked up. So...Are you going to stay here forever?"

erina:..............................

Jordan: "...Erina..." *holds her hand*

erina:....*blinks* hu-huh? w-what....what just happened? j-jordan?

Jordan: "...Let's get you home."

erina:.....im never going to get better from this....am i?

Jordan: "You don't know what the future has in front of you."

Allison: "You're going to get better--I promise!"

erina:....i....i need help.....

Allison: "..." *nods*

Jordan: "We'll call up a doc today."

-elsewhere-

Sansa: "Color of the vehicle?"

garage owner: kind of a navy blue?

Sansa: "I see. Let me check the datab--" O_O;;;;;; "...Um...I found a car matching your description."

-there is a car completely on fire-

-meanwhile-

yosano: .________.

naomi: holy shit kyouka.

Kyoka: "It was the most logical solution."

Tanizaki: "..." *sighs* "I'll get a gift basket ordered..."

fukuzawa:....................

ranpo: certified chaotic good.

Kyoka: "...Am I to be punished?"

fukuzawa: *walks up to kyouka....*head pat* everyone makes mistakes. try not to do it again.

Kyoka: ^^ "Thank you, sir."

-elsewhere-

-audience cheering-

audience: LILISA! TSURURI! YAMAMIN! LILISA! TSURURI! YAMAMIN!

audience dude: UWOOOOOOOOOO! YAMAMIN-CHAN IS BEST GIRL WUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

creepy dude:.....

Announcer: "And now to perform 'Shabon Song'--you know them, you love them--Misa Yamamura, Ruri Tsubomi, and Lisa Iori!"

-cheering intensifies-

-the girls do their performance-

Announcer: *watching*

audience member: TSURURI BE MY WIFE!

audience: LISA IORI FOR THE WIIIN!!

creepy dude:....*slips into the shadows*

-the girls finish their song-

-MASSIVE CHEERING-

lisa iori: *waves*

misa: ^^

lisa iori: thanks for coming today everyone!

guy in audience: I LOVE YOU LILISA!

lisa iori: and i love _you_ random side character!

-in the backstage-

lisa iori: uuuuuugh, fuuuuuck, my heels are goddamn killing me. *chewing gum*

misa: wow, full house today, huh miss producer? .w.;;

Producer: "Not bad, kiddos."

lisa iori: swear, im getting too old for this shit....

ruri: ^^;

misa: i'm gonna get some sodas for us, ok?

lisa iori: bring me a morning rescue, ok?

misa: *nods and heads to the vending machines* ^^

creepy guy:....hello....yamamin.

misa: eep! oh, um...hi there. ^^ im almost done with the machine now-

creepy guy: im not here for soda...

misa: eh?

creepy guy: *approaching* sing for me...

-text on producer's phone-

Producer: "???" *checks*

misa: [hi miss producer! ^^ there was a creepy guy here @ the machines. scary! >~< ]

Producer: "..."

ruri: did something happen?

Producer: "Yes." *marches to the door--*

-text message-

Producer: *looks*

misa: [btw i think i have powers now]

Producer: "... ... ...What?"

misa: [what do i do??? D8> ]

Producer: "..." *texts* [scare the creep away with these powers]

misa: *trembling as vines have come out of the ground with dark purple flowers, which have drained the life from the creepy guy* m-m-miss p-producer? w-what do i do? *she's crying*

Producer: "..." *looks at the creep* "...First, can you reverse this? Second, we'll get you help."

misa: i-i dont know, i-it just happened! i-is is he...is he..

Producer: *checks* "...No pulse."

misa:....*screaming* ah. ah.....*throws up*

ruri: what's-? !!!!! misa!

lisa iori: what the fucking shit?!

-elsewhere-

tsugumi: and luck with fani?

mio: not that i see, no.

Meme: "She's...taking her time to get used to things. You know, new city, new school...New terms of imprisonment."

mio: pretty stubborn too. =3=

tsugumi: sounds like she's...a tough nut to crack. *finger guns*

mio:...no. you did not. you seriously did not.

Meme: ^^; "Ha."

mio: please dont encourage her. -_-;

tsugumi: ^^;

Meme: "For now, we just have to keep trying to reach her...I'm sure she'll come around."

-elsewhere-

sonia: *snoozing*

miyuri: zzzzzzz

mito: *sleep purring*

Chuuya: "Zzz..." *has his arms out, the kids sleeping on them*

kouyou:....*small smile and slowly closes the door*

Gin: *standing outside the door on guard duty* "..."

kouyou: they're all tuckered on out....

higuchi: yeah....its just.....hard to believe....*wipes her eyes* this is wonderful....we can finally go home.

etta: im super happy for you all! ^^

hans: i'd be lying if i said i wouldnt miss your company.

Gin: "We appreciate what you have done. I'm sure Hirotsu and the others would like to repay you."

hans: we're just helping out, from one group of ability users to another.

higuchi: goethe still drinking in his room?

hans: yes. *sigh*

-in his room-

goethe: *sips wine* ah....strange.....an ability that can turn abilities against the user...how strange.....ah...i wonder what you'd think about that, you crazy old genius...

-elsewhere-

preston: well, aint this just a predicament?

Yafeu: "WHAT EVEN ARE THOSE THINGS?! DEMONS?"

Patty: "I think they're masks? They still have tags on them..." *grabs one by the face*

Demon 1: "OW!"

Patty: "Nope--this one is real."

preston: *aims and shoots*

Patty: "Sis!" *transforms*

Demon 2: *dodging* "I just wanted the money--not this shit!"

liz: *shooting*

Demon 3: *somehow has a stick in the air with a white flag...no...a white shirt?...waving it* "We surrender!"

liz:...

-BANG-

liz: *phew*

preston: mission accomplished.

Yafeu: "IS THIS NORMAL? THEY JUST GAVE UP THIS EASILY."

Patty: *counting stolen money from the bank*

-elsewhere-

Kazue: *ribbon hanging off of sword form* <Tighten your grip, or I'll go flying.>

amelia: *holding on* right. *SLASH SLASH*

Black Star: *blocking with Tsubaki's Uncanny Sword* "Watch your right." *about to kick at her right*

-BLOCK-

Black Star: "Nice! Now your left!" *swings*

-BLOCK-

Black Star: *smirks* "Good work. What do you think, Tsubaki?"

tsubaki: she's really good at this.

Black Star: "Like she's used a blade before..."

amelia:.....

Black Star: "Well, let's take a break. We'll get some tea."

amelia: thank you.

-elsewhere-

Soul: "...So...When's Spirit getting married, Izumi?"

izumi: i think sometime in june? i'll have to ask again....

Soul: "Hmm...Glad for him and your mom..."

Asher: "..."

izumi: yeah......

Asher: "...So, what're we doing?" *looks around the trees*

Soul: *points at Izumi* "You can't read souls, right?"

izumi:....*shakes head no*....

Soul: "Which puts you at a disadvantage for soul resonance."

Asher: "?!"

Soul: "I could knock Asher out of your hand, and they'd revert to human form like that--" *snaps fingers*

izumi:.......

Soul: "So, you two needs to strengthen that bond." *puts on boxing punch mitts* "Aim the tonfa for my mitt, and keep striking. I'm going to try to break your bond."

izumi: o-ok then.....*gulps*

Asher: *groans, turns into tonfa*

Soul: *pats the mitt* "Right here."

izumi: *AIMS*

Asher: "Let's do it!"

izumi: HAAAH!

Soul: *absorbs the blow* "Harder."

izumi: HUOOOOOO!

Soul: *absorbs the next blow* "Is that all you got? I can't even feel it. What's your weapon even doing?"

izumi: grk-....HAAAAAAA!!!!

Asher: "We'll show you what we got!"

*Asher's tonfa glows*

Soul: "?!!!"

*POW*

Soul: "AH!" *holds his arm*

izumi: ah-!

Soul: "Stop! Ah..."

izumi:....is your arm alright?

Soul: "Y-Yeah...Just numb. You struck a nerve..."

Asher: "...Sorry."

izumi:........s-sorry....

Soul: "Hey, it's fine. I told you to hit harder...And that glow shows something."

izumi: you did really great, asher!

Asher: "...I didn't do anything..." >_>;

izumi: neither did i, really ^^;

Soul: "You had a stronger resonating rate than usual. So now you need to figure out what you did differently...You either really got into it, or you both just got really pissed at the right moment together."

izumi: hmm.....

Asher: "...I was pretty annoyed with you, Death Scythe...But I felt something else coming off of Izumi...I don't know."

Soul: -_-;

izumi: really? i didnt feel anything come from me though... ^^;

Soul: "Well, I need to put ice on this...Ah...Go over to that dummy over there and keep hitting its mitts until I get back."

*The dummy has Stein's face drawn onto it*

izumi: *sweatdrop*

Asher: "...You could've taken one of that bear's masks?"

Soul: "I'd like _not_ to have Tezca talk to me. Ever." *walks away*

izumi:......*sigh*

Asher: "..." *human form* "We need a break, too. How are you?"

izumi: ok, i guess..........did i make the right choice?

Asher: "...You want a new partner?"

izumi: no, im not saying that! i mean...did i make the right choice, coming to the DWMA?

Asher: "...What's making you think that?"

izumi: i mean, i dont really have any talent as a meister, and i barely know how to fight. i dont even have any real skills or soul perception or anything.

Asher: "Yeah, but did every student who came here know how to fight?"

izumi: i guess _some_ did? ......

Asher: "...Well, they aren't letting us do heavy-duty combat classes until we get through physical stuff..." *pokes her forearm* "Build up muscles, I guess."

izumi: =3=;

Asher: *smirks* "Maybe ask Death Scythe for a training regiment?"

izumi: can i even do that?

Asher: "Of course you can--you're Izumi Albarn."

izumi:............

Asher: "...So, ready to bash that dummy and build up some muscle?"

izumi:....y-yeah....

-elsewhere-

Tezca: "How're your charges holding up, Esther?"

esther: quite well i'd think. and yours~? ^^

Tezca: "Super! We got them on espionage training."

esther: oh, and how's that been for them?

Tezca: "I think they're taking well to the horse suit."

-elsewhere-

naho: *humming*

???: hiya miss naho!

naho: ?? !! ame!

ame: *HUG* hehe! ^^

Ame's Father: "Oh, hello." *smiles*

naho: hiya mr isawa!

ame: lookie lookie! my hair's growing longer again, see? *holds up her pigtails*

naho: oh that's great! you look so cute!

ame: ^w^

Mr. isawa: "Is that a school uniform, Naho?"

naho: oh this? well sorta, i thought i'd wear a more stylized uniform today. ^^

mrs isawa: oh right! you were in that fashion show recently werent you?

Mr. Isawa: "How did it go?"

naho: it was super fun, and i even got to meet yamamin in person! she's an idol singer btw.

Mr. Isawa: "I see." ^^; "We were taking Ame out to the park."

naho: oh that sounds nice. have fun! ^^

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Just focus on your aim..."

lukas:...*inhales*

Saria: *smiles in her weapon form, closes her eyes, trying to resonate with him*

lukas:...*aims and strikes*

*Perfect hit*

lukas: !!! YAY! ^u^

Saria: "Great work! We were in sync there!" ^^

lukas: yeah...

-elsewhere-

higuchi: *knocks*

Chuuya: "Hmm?" *opens the door*

higuchi: hey, the party's just about ready. how're the girls?

Chuuya: "Getting ready. Thanks for finding a dress for Miyuri."

miyuri: WOOOOW it's so soft!

Chuuya: ^^; "Ready to head out, Miyuri?"

miyuri: *nod nod*

sonia:...yes papa.

Chuuya: *pats Sonia's head* "That dress looks great."

sonia: *smiles*

Chuuya: "Let's get going..."

-in the party room-

miyuri: *shiny eyes* WOOOOAH!

Walter: *turns on the remote for the disco ball*

miyuri: *GASP* WHAT IS THAT?!

Walter: "A mirror ball! Perfect for getting down to boogie!"

miyuri: oooooooh.

sonia: ^^;

Motojiro: *putting snacks onto a plate*

miyuri: *sniff sniff* !!! *looking at the snacks* *drools*

Motojiro: "Anything you want, Miyuri?"

miyuri: *staaaaaring at the snacks* *spots wasabi* what's that?

Motojiro: "Wasabi. It's kind of spicy?"

miyuri: *nom*.... OuO ...... QuQ;;;;;

Chuuya: "!!!" *hands Miyuri some punch*

miyuri: >XP the green stuff is yucky!

sonia: *sweatdrop*

Motojiro: "Maybe something sweet?"

miyuri: yes please!

Chuuya: *offers a cupcake*

miyuri: *nom* MMMMM!! >w<

Chuuya: ^^;

sonia: uncle kajii, if it's not too much to ask, do you think you can come over sometimes to help tutor miyuri?

Motojiro: QwQ "Of course! I was hoping someone would want me to help..."

sonia: thank you.

higuchi: ^^; (from terrorist bomber to teacher. this mafia sure is something else...)

Gin: "Ichiyo. May I speak with you?"

higuchi: um s-sure! whats up?

Gin: *pulls her aside*

higuchi: ah-

Gin: *they are in a separate room* "We need to speak privately about something important."

higuchi: ._.;;;

Gin: "While we are now pardoned of previous actions, the threat we faced also exposed our previous residences."

higuchi:...yeah...it did....

Gin: "Since we are all finding new places to live, I do not want you and your sister to be unprotected..."

higuchi: gin...

Gin: "..." *reaches into her purse, and removes a key*

higuchi: oh!

Gin: "I'm sorry for not asking you first...but I found a place for Ryu and me. We would be happy to have both of you live with us."

higuchi: i would love to!

Walter: "How's it going, Etta?"

etta: doing better. my wrists are a little sore still, so i'm taking it easy.

Walter: "Yeah. That was crazy...Good thing you and Kafka survived it."

etta: yeah....im glad franzy was there...

Walter: ^w^ "You told him that?"

etta: hm?

Walter: "I think he'd like to hear it--he was really concerned for you."

etta: *nods* ok! ^^

Walter: "Speak of the devil!" *flips over the couch, sneaking away*

Kafka: *walks into the room, looking around*

etta: *waves* ^^

Kafka: "!!! ..." *wave*

Q: and this is elise!

elise: hi everyone!

tom: hi!

bessy: your hair is pretty!

elise: ^^

Wilhelm: "Where are you from?"

elise: well it's a bit of a long story.

higuchi:...hey gin? how big is the new house?

Gin: "1 master room, 1 bedroom each for our siblings, 1 guest room..."

higuchi: do you think the guest room can be for a 5th person?

Gin: "Someone you have in mind?"

higuchi: ...i think we should adopt Q.

Gin: "...I see."

higuchi: he's been through enough, maybe we could rehabilitate him in a loving home?

Gin: "..." *small smile* " 'Loving'?"

higuchi: .////.;

Gin: "I would be happy to...if it's with you." *holds her hand*

higuchi: =///////=

Gin: "Let's speak with Q."

katya: speakin of loving homes, dont you and lev have a wedding to plan, kajii?

Motojiro: "..." O_O;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

leo: ^^;

Motojiro: "My mind just reeled from the expanded options now that we are no longer confined to this location--so many more options for the ceremony, reception, honeymoon--Too much--"

leo: *pats his shoulder* it's ok, <love>.

Motojiro: ^\\\\^; <I promise--first thing tomorrow, we'll find a place for the ceremony.>

-elsewhere-

atsushi: *passed out on the futon* =~= longest.....day.....ever......sleep has never been more needed.

Kyoka: =_= *yawns*

sylvia: *asleep*

Kyoka: "..." *tucks Sylvia in* "I think we all need sleep..." *yawns*

atsushi: yeah....

Kyoka: *lies down...* "Zzz..."

atsushi:...

Odasaku: Still not sleeping?

atsushi: (trying to...)

Odasaku: (Sorry--I didn't mean to interrupt.)

atsushi: (it's fine...)

Odasaku: (...I know Dazai appreciated what you did.)

atsushi:...*nods*

Odasaku: (What will you do now with what you have learned?)

atsushi: (nothing i really _can_ do but move forward.)

Odasaku: (...I suppose you're right.)

atsushi:.....(should i wait to tell dazai about...you know..?)

Odasaku: (...This is your body. I don't think I have a say in your decision.)

atsushi:... (good point.) *sigh* (maybe i shouldnt say anything for now.)

Odasaku: (I'm sure he'll understand.)

atsushi: yeah.....night.

Odasaku: (Good night.)

-elsewhere-

Poe: "..." *lying in bed, staring at the wall*

lana: feeling better, edgar?

Poe: "..." *shakes his head*

lana: ...*hug*

Poe: *shivers, quiet sob*

lana: i love you, you know that?

Poe: "Y-Yes...It was knowing that fact that kept me living..."

lana: *kiss on the cheek*

Poe: T\\\\\T *hug*

lana: say, why dont i invite rowena and ranpo over for tea tomorrow?

Poe: "...Okay. Yes."

-elsewhere-

naomi: hey bro? still cant sleep?

Tanizaki: "Sorry...Was I keeping you awake?"

naomi: *shakes head* i brought hot cocoa if that helps.

Tanizaki: *nods* "Sounds good...Marshmallows?"

naomi: mmhmm ^^ how about tomorrow you, me, and kirako visit one of the cat cafe's in the shopping street?

Tanizaki: "Gr-Great." ^^;

-elsewhere-

kenji: hey yosano? my friend nankichii's gonna be sleeping over tonight, is that ok?

nankichii: *holding onto kenji's sleeve, crying*

Yosano: "Sure. Hello, Nankichii."

nankichii: *hic* s-scary, this place is scary! i-i wanna go back to ihatov! *sobs*

kenji: *rubs his back* it's ok, nankichii, gon wont bully you anymore.

gon: kon kon! i said i was sorry! >3<

Yosano: ^^; "I see you had your own experience..." *stretches* "I'm done from hospital work, so just keep it down."

kenji: ok. come on nankichii. we'll make a blanket fort!

Yosano: ^^ *yawns* *grabs a glass*

-elsewhere-

Dumas: "..." *staring at a laptop screen*

marquis: *sleeping, holding his pillow* mama....papa...dont go...

Dumas: "..." *sighs* *searches online for a name*

-some results come up-

-there are photos of a woman named 'Mercedes'-

Dumas: "..." *clicks a social media profile*

-one page is Mercedes Mondego, she's holding a young toddler boy-

Dumas: "... ... ..." *buries his face into his hands, lets out something between a groan and a sob*

emily: hnn? hullo? =.= *still half asleep*

Dumas: "..." *wipes his eyes* "Hey."

emily: is everything ok with you?

Dumas: "...Just looking up someone."

emily: ah.

Dumas: "...How are your comrades recovering?"

emily: well, they're doing well. they managed to get all the poison out of ebie, so she's resting right now too.

Dumas: "Hmm...Good. ...Did you have a similar experience?"

emily: well...

Dumas: "???"

emily:.. *shakes head* it's nothing.

Dumas: "...It's none of my business, but that doesn't sound like 'nothing.'"

emily: ....

Dumas: "...You like dogs?"

emily: i suppose so.

Dumas: "This is mine." *shows his laptop*

emily: aw, how cute!

Dumas: "That's Haydee. I adopted her."

emily: she's so sweet. ^^

Dumas: *nods* "Very affectionate..." *points at Marquis* "Even to this goof."

emily: ^^;

Dumas: "Your people have pets?"

-elsewhere-

stocking: here we are.

Rin: "Looks kinda empty..."

gilda:.....*knocks*

manager: yessss?

Yukio: <Hello. We are interested in rooms for the night.>

stocking: <room for 4 please>

manager: <right this way please.>

Rin: *looking at the decor* "Looks pleasant enough. How're the baths here?"

manager: <quite nice. the young lady that was here asked the same thing.>

Yukio: "???" <With striking hair?>

manager: <yes, quite unusual for this area>

Rin: "As our map said..."

manager: <well, here's your room. and feel free to reserve a private bath if you need to.>

gilda: *smiles*

Rin: "Cool! I'll take one--"

Yukio: "Sit down and help me review these maps."

Rin: -3-

manager: <enjoy your stay.> *exits*

*there's another room, locked up*

gilda:......*pokes the lock*

???: "OUCH!" *thump*

gilda: !!!!! *startled jump*

stocking: ?!? what the heck?!

Yukio: "???" *pulls out his gun, aims for the door--*

gilda: D8

stocking: yukio, you're gonna get us thrown out!

Yukio: *to the neighbor* "Exit right now, or I'm giving you a failing grade and reporting you to Pheles."

Rin: "...Yuki, in the real world, no one caves into bad grades from people who aren't their teachers--you'd have better luck with the gun."

stocking: *sweatdrop* let me handle this. *ahem* excuse me, are you alright over there? sorry my friend poked you in the eye. ^^;

???: *struggling to change their voice* "It-It's fine! You're a very nice lady, and I know you're sincere in your apology..."

stocking: not a problem. ^^; (hmm....) why dont you guys go check the baths out? im gonna see if there's a vending machine.

???: *small annoyed groan* -_-;

Yukio: "But we have maps to review--"

Rin: *already dragging Yukio away* ^w^

stocking: ^^ .......

-elsewhere-

lydia: *packing boxes*

Ivan: *shaking* <Wh-Where is Master? And Young Master?>

lydia: it's ok, vanya. fyodor did mention this being part of the plan, remember?

Ivan: *sniffles*

lydia:....*pats his back*

Gogol: *looking outside* "..."

elizaveta: *hug*

Gogol: ^^; *hugs her*

elizaveta: *holds up leila* *wrrr* *different voice* it's ok, kolya! you still have us!

Gogol: *nods* "I know--and I appreciate you both." *head pat*

elizaveta: ^w^

lydia:......*sigh* <our numbers are dwindling more and more....>

Ivan: <And we have to move quickly out of here.>

lydia: <i dont think we can move the comatose one in this state....>

Ivan: <So, what, we leave her?>

lydia: <if we bring her, it'll take up time and risk us getting caught. just one of those sacrifices we have to make.......>

Ivan: <I suppose...At least we have other bargaining chips.>

lydia:.....*nods* (it hurts looking at her......it reminds me of-...) *bites her lip* <r-right.>

Ivan: <I'll get the prisoners...I'll need help since we lack the previous servants.>

lydia: <right.> ...... <perhaps we should contact our base back in st petersburg to send recruits?>

Ivan: <Shall I?>

lydia: *nods*

-elsewhere-

Inka: O_O;;;;;; "..." *rubs her eyes*

sasori: *asleep*

Inka: "..." *lies next to her*

sasori:...mmn....mama....

Inka: "..." *hug*

-morning-

Chuuya: "Zzz..."

mito: *paws at his hair*

Chuuya: *grumbles, turning*

miyuri: zzzzzz

sonia: *yaaawn*

Chuuya: =_= *yawn* *looks*

miyuri: zzzzzzz....

Chuuya: "..." *carefully getting up to go to the kitchen*

sonia: miyuri, its time to wake up now.

miyuri: *yaaaaawn*

sonia: papa, can we have pancakes?

miyuri: ??

Chuuya: *nods* "Coming right up."

miyuri: *looking around*

*there's a window facing the forest*

miyuri: *peeeeeek*

*looks like Akutagawa is outside, looking at the woods*

miyuri: *knocks*

Akutagawa: *turns*

miyuri: *waving* hiya! ^^

Akutagawa: "..." *nods*

miyuri: ^^

sonia: come on miyuri. the kitchen's this way.

Akutagawa: "..." *waves*

miyuri: *takes a seat* what's all that stuff?

sonia: that's the refrigerator, it keeps things cold. and that's the oven. it makes things warm.

miyuri: oooooh!

Chuuya: *at the stove, flipping the pancake*

miyuri: *sniffs* mmmm~ smells yummy. =w=

Chuuya: "Any fruit with it, kids?"

miyuri: *looking at everything*

Chuuya: "...I guess take it slow..." *sets down a glass of orange juice*

sonia: maybe start with just syrup and butter first.

miyuri: okaaay.

Chuuya: "Okay..." *sets out the syrup and butter before plating the pancakes*

miyuri: *nom*...*WIDE EYES* .......

sonia: ._. miyu-

miyuri: MIYURI CAN SEE ETERNITY!!! 8D

Chuuya: .___. "..." *takes back the syrup bottle--*

sonia: *sweatdrop*

Chuuya: "Sonia, make sure she packs...and keep her away from sugar."

sonia: noted.

miyuri: miyuri doesnt have anything to pack though.

Chuuya: "...Well, you have that new dress?"

miyuri: ^^

Chuuya: ^^;

-elsewhere-

shinra: *YAAAAAWN*

Relan: "Morning..."

shinra: morning. *streeeeetch*

lisa: oh hey, your up.

shinra:.....hey rel, when did we get a new recruit?

-CHOP-

lisa: -_-# its me, lisa.

Relan: ^^; "I love the new hair."

shinra: >3<; im sorry! i didnt recognize you cuz of the hair!

lisa: yeah, decided to try something new.

Vulcan: ^^ "It's great." *passes a hand on the back of her neck*

lisa: *blush* thanks vul.

Vulcan: ^\\\\^

-elsewhere-

Lucy: *knock knock knock* "I'm ready to begin my training! ...Hello? Open up!"

Kunikida: =_= *pulls blankets over himself*

aya: kunikida, lucy's here!

Kunikida: "It's not even 7 AM. Tell her to come back--"

*PUNCH*

*the door is knocked down*

aya: she's in.

Lucy: *the doorway now seems to show Anne's room behind her* ^w^ "I'm ready to train!"

Kunikida: =_= "...We'll begin with morning exercises. Aya, show her the usual stretching exercises...I need to get replacement hinges..." *writing in his notebook, summoning hinges*

aya: yes sir! *salutes*

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: *holding up Konro's medicine, looking over its manufacturer* "..."

kabuki: been quite a lot of excitement these past few days, hasnt there?

Benimaru: "Uh huh..." *sets it down* *groans*

kabuki: sir?

Benimaru: "...I have to do it."

kabuki: ??

Benimaru: "..." *writes something down* "Go to the Fifth and drop this off. Make sure only the Commander there sees it. I have to do something at home."

kabuki: *examines* very well sir.

Benimaru: *nods* *walks towards home*

*two sets of eyes watch from the alley*

???: "..."

-elsewhere-

Kyoka: "Feeling better?"

atsushi: yeah.

Kyoka: "..." *head pat* "You're doing good."

atsushi: *smiles* thanks

Kyoka: "Want to go out today?"

atsushi: sure!

sylvia: o-ok..

Kyoka: "We can get lunch, shop..."

atsushi: why dont we visit the museum today?

Kyoka: "Oh, good."

sylvia: t-that sounds nice.

Kyoka: "Any new exhibits?"

atsushi: i think there's one on robots and aliens. ^^

Kyoka: "...'Aliens'?"

atsushi: like in the movies.

Kyoka: "Ah. We should watch some movies, too--maybe this weekend."

atsushi: sounds good. ^^ maybe i'll even invite lucy, if she's not busy.

Kyoka: "Like training."

-elsewhere-

sayaka: welp, got my stuff packed, and i leave for hoozuki first thing tomorrow.

ouya: ^^ you be safe, you hear?

sayaka: i will, mom.

Mr. Miki: "And call home."

sayaka: will do!

-elsewhere-

Spirit: ._.; "You both look exhausted..." *sets down breakfast*

sachiko: no kidding. *sigh* -~- *takes coffee mug* come to mama, sweet brown medicine.

Spirit: ^^; *hands an ice pack to Izumi*

izumi: thanks dad.

Spirit: "How's training?"

izumi:...it's been good.

Spirit: "Well, if you're sore, that may indicate you're strengthening...And if Soul gives you any trouble--" *summons a blade* "--_you let me know~_..."

izumi: ^^;;; will do.

-elsewhere-

Rin: =w= *curled up in the bed*

stocking: [morning, kiddo <3]

Kid: [good morning. miss u, love 💗 ]

stocking: [u get the pics i sent? *winky emoticon*]

Kid: [oh yes .\\\. very much appreciated. have fun?]

stocking: [so far. dinner was delish last night.]

Kid: [oh? fancy?]

stocking: [it was interesting. mission work will begin today. secondary mission is to try some traditional japanese sweets]

Kid: [^^ of course. be safe--and enjoy!]

-elsewhere-

Viktor: "I'm heading out." *picks up a file folder labeled "Hajima"*

nozomi: good luck. ^^

Viktor: *smiles* "Thanks!" *turns around...looks a bit grimmer as he exits the Eighth's church*

Petra: "Come along--purification needs to be finished on time..."

rita: *nods* *signing* <ok!>

Vulcan: "--and the new garbage disposal should be quieter." *flips a switch...nothing happens* "???"

-BOOM-

tamaki: AGH! WHY?!?

Vulcan: ._.;;; *runs away*

Petra: "...Well, you were going in for purification anyway..."

tamaki: =_=

-elsewhere-

Sakuya: O_O;

naho: ._.

Higan: "What up, young people? I'm your substitute teacher. Call me Higan."

naho: *tries to slump in her seat to hide*

Higan: "Now, I want to get to know all of you--starting with an important question...What's the subject of this class?"

izumi:.....*face desk*

-elsewhere-

Walter: "How's packing?"

higuchi: coming along.

Gin: "Not like we brought much..."

higuchi: we still need to move the stuff from our old homes to the new house.

Walter: "Never fear--I kept security tabs on your old places to deter visitors--" *looks at his phone*

*tiny shrieks are heard*

Walter: "...I may have scared some Death Scouts who were stopping by to sell you cookies."

higuchi: ._.;

Gin: "...The pardon wasn't for _you_."

Walter: ^^;

Tachihara: *laughs* "Ever think of being tech support for the Mafia?"

Walter: "Um...Thanks, but no thanks. I like not getting shot at."

goethe: *staaaares* besides, he's under contract~

Walter + Tachihara: QwQ;;;;;;;;

-elsewhere-

rin: *relaxing in the bath* =w=

Yukio: *yawns* =_= "So much to review..."

rin: ....so when are you gonna tell shiemi you like her?

Yukio: "...You don't understand."

rin: what's not to understand? you busted a dinner date for her!

Yukio: "...If she knew the real me, she'd hate me."

rin: you dont know that. she's seen me at my most fucked up, and she still considers me her friend. ^^

Yukio: "..." *gets up to leave* "She'd hate me..."

rin:.....*pouts* *grumble grumble* stupid stubborn yukio.

Yukio: "..."

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: "More tea?"

kirei: *nods*

Benimaru: "Right away." *heats up water* "How has your sleep been?"

kirei: it's been alright for the most part.

Benimaru: *nods* "You're appointment is tomorrow?"

kirei: *nods* konro offered to bring me.

Benimaru: *smiles* "I'm glad...Please remind him to pick up his medicine."

kirei: i will....do you want to say hello? *rubs her stomach*

Benimaru: "..." *leans his ear to her stomach*

kirei: ^////^ *head pats*

Benimaru: =\\\\= "Hello, small one... Your father is here...He's not going anywhere."

-elsewhere-

axel: *checking his phone* yes! just caught a growlithe!

Zeke: "Sweet!" *looking at his phone* "...Nothing."

-elsewhere-

Steinbeck: "Good to be home..." *scratching his bandages*

ebie: ^^

baum: *hugging dorothy* Q~Q

dorothy: =A=;

Hemingway: "Held down the fort for us, then? Good lad."

baum: not a problem. oh sweet dorothy, the doctors didnt try to do shock therapy on you did they? TT~TT

dorothy: no, im fine. please stop, brother, you're only embarrassing yourself.

Steinbeck: "...Dark. Let's get going on our next heist--" *shifts--and winces* T~T

emily: are you sure you're ok, john?

Steinbeck: "I-I'm sure I'm fine." *smiles...then falls over* "Zzz..."

emily:...*sigh*

-elsewhere-

Dumas: *pets Haydee*

haydee: ^w^ *licks his hand*

Dumas: ^^ "Miss me, Haydee? I missed you, too."

haydee: *nuzzle* ^w^

cervantes: good doggo!

Dumas: "..." *sighs*

cervantes: ah *lays on couch* good to be back! ^^ .....you ok, dumas?

Dumas: "...Fine."

marquis: you've been gloomier than usual since this morning.

Dumas: "...It's nothing."

marquis: *huuug* would cuddles make it better~? 💗

Dumas: -_-; "...It's not hurting, but it's not helping either."

cervantes: huzzah! group hug! ^^

Dumas: "..." *sighs* "A regular trio..."

-elsewhere-

Poe: *sips tea* "Ah...Thank you for this..."

rowena: ^^

ranpo: *nomming on scones*

Poe: "Any work coming up for you all?"

lana: well, there's gonna be some fundraisers held at the hotel's restaurant.

Poe: "Oh? Charity or politics or investors?"

lana: pharaon shipping company, if memory serves.

Poe: "Ah, so courier service?"

lana: *nods*

Poe: "Hmm...Invitation only?"

-elsewhere-

Hibana: *opens the blinds to her luxury office--* "..."

kabuki: hello. ^^

Hibana: "...Look, if you want an autograph, you mail a form, my secretary sorts it, then I have my gopher do it for me. Now, beat it, before I call security."

kabuki: um actually, i have some questions to ask. ^^;

Hibana: "Interviews also go through my secretary--"

kabuki: *hands her a paper*

Hibana: "..." *looks* "Seal of the 7th..." *takes it, opens it* "..." *looks up* "You read this?"

kabuki: *shakes head*

Hibana: *snaps fingers* "Angels."

angels: yes princess?

Hibana: *writes a prescription* "Get him this for his captain. He'll be back to pick up more." *stares at Kabuki* "No one is to see you coming or going to pick up your captain's medicine--is that understood?"

-elsewhere-

Kepuri: "Okay, try this on..." *holding some mechanical contraption that looks like a travel pillow*

mana: *doing so* now what?

Kepuri: "Stand perfectly still..." *gets behind a metal barrier* *presses a button on a remote--*

*the metal collar on Mana's neck shakes--before metal juts out of it*

mana: ._.;;;;

*the collar has formed a suit of knight-like armor around Mana*

mana: woah!

Kepuri: "Now, try to move your right foot forward 3 centimeters."

mana: *step*

Kepuri: "Okay, releasing the weight--"

*a panel in the ceiling opens, as a weight falls towards Mana*

mana: O_O;;;

*the weight knocks Mana's helmet, but no obvious damage*

mana: huh. impressive.

Kepuri: "Yep! Newest in combat equipment! There's just one problem..."

mana: and that would be?

Kepuri: "I haven't figured out how to get someone _out_ of the suit."

mana: ._______. CHIE! HELP.

-elsewhere-

*a lighter goes off, as someone puffs on a cigarette*

izzy: ....

Joker: "We're all here--minus our newest partner."

izzy: so what's the plan?

Joker: "The Holy See has only one entrance--through the front gates."

nailfile: oh, so we just waltz right in?

Joker: "Not without some extra muscle..."

benimaru: ...

nailfile: oooh, he's cute.

benimaru: i'm also married. -_-#

Joker: "That's where the Strongman comes in to clear the path."

izzy: *whistle* im amazed you convinced a battalion commander to help us.

benimaru: and you want _my_ help in particular because...?

Joker: "You aren't curious what the Church is hiding? Or have you forgotten what the Church has done to your people? Or how they drafted you as their latest firefighter, their latest mutt?"

benimaru:.....

Joker: "And you're here-- even with a suspicious guy like me."

izzy: well then. *holds up her dice* shall we get this party started~?

-and so-

*inside the Church*

Raffles III: *praying*

-BOOOOOOOOM-

priest: !?!?

izzy: good evening, padres and madres. hope you dont mind us dropping in~

Raffles III: "W-Who are you?!"

izzy: well, i suppose you can call us 'renegades'.

Raffles III: "...Get me out of here." *grabs a priest's arm*

izzy: aww, leaving so soon, gramps?

*an open palm lands on Priest 2's chest*

priest 2: !!!

Benimaru: "Back off." *with the tiniest press of the open palm, the Priest is knocked back*

izzy: well fuck me gently with a chainsaw.

Benimaru: *staring off in the direction of Amaterasu* "..."

Joker: "Quite the entrance--as suited to this brand of justice."

nailfile: ....*glances in the same direction* yeah. that thing always creeped me out. something feels....evil 'bout it. i dunno.

Benimaru: "I feel blood coming off of it, like it's in the air..."

Joker: *smiles*

priest 3: and just what are you, smiling about?!

Joker: *turns* "Because I'm going to kick your ass."

priest 3: LANGUAGE!

Joker: *slams his fist into the Priest's face* "Fuck you."

???: please. allow me.

Joker: "???"

bowl-cut priest: ....

Joker: "You're new..."

Benimaru: "I'll handle this." *approaches--*

-POW-

Benimaru: *gasps...collapses*

Joker: O_O;

izzy:....well shit.

Joker: "So much for a strongman...Well, guess we need to run." *looks up at Bowl-Cut* "What'd you do to him?"

bowl-cut priest: so much for 'strongest firefighter'. nothing more than a dumb animal.

Joker: "..." *sniffs* "What's burning?" *looks down*

bowl-cut priest: ??

Benimaru: *he's on fire*

bowl-cut: oh?

Benimaru: *climbs up* "I'm not finished..."

bowl-cut: but- but that's impossib-

Benimaru: *leaps with a punch to Bowl-Cut's stomach*

bowl-cut: GRK-

*something drops from Bowl-Cut's hand*

Joker: "??? A blow-pipe?"

nailfile: and not the drug kind.

izzy: -_-;

Joker: "How did you survive that poison from this pipe, Strongman?"

Benimaru: "...I have too much to live for."

Joker: "..." -_-# "Fine. Be a dick and don't bother explaining things."

izzy: (is he even human??)

-more priests charge-

izzy: ...*smirks* alright chucklefucks. let's get this party lit.

-elsewhere-

gilda: *sleeping*

stocking: *asleep*

Yukio: *turned away from the others*

rin:...hey, you awake?

Yukio: "..."

rin:...you never really talk to us.....i get it, sometimes i like my space and privacy too, so i wont dig too much...but you've been acting more distant lately. from me, kyouko, dad, shiemi.....just- if things get bad for you, you can rely on us, ok?

Yukio: *clenching his jaw, eyes open*

rin: i really mean it....we- i worry about you......not saying anything?....*sigh* love you too, bro. night.

Yukio: "..." *holding back tears*

-elsewhere-

izzy:.....well where the fuck is everyone?!

Benimaru: "Did I blow up _everyone_?"

Joker: "No." *points to the altar* "We have to go underground."

nailfile: underground? you dont mean-

Joker: "The Nether."

izzy: well shit....

Joker: "Just lift the top--"

nailfile: waiiit, how do _you_ know this?

Benimaru: *kicks the entire altar away*

nailfile: OxO

Joker: ^^; "I grew up in darkness. I acclimated to darkness. I love darkness~"

nailfile: ooookay. (weirdo)

izzy:....you knoooow, we _do_ have an open position for the oni of wrath, mr shinmon.

Benimaru: "Hell no."

izzy:....eh, worth a shot. oh well. into the rabbit hole we go.

Benimaru: "You know this path? Then you should go first."

Joker: "More so you know I won't stab you in the back?"

-and so-

nailfile: ugh, this place gives me the creeps. my grandma used to tell me stories about this place...

Joker: "Good things?"

nailfile: what do _you_ think?

Joker: *shrugs*

izzy: .... so joker, what's your story?

Joker: "Hmm...I don't like talking about the past. If we survive this, I'll tell you another time."

izzy: hmph 737

Benimaru: "..." *grabs Joker by the collar, slamming him into a wall*

Joker: ^^;

Benimaru: "Do not test my patience. I've followed you this far without answers. I have put my home--my family--at risk for your bullshit. Spill, or I spill your blood."

Joker: "..." *smacks away his hand* "Don't test my patience, either. ...Let's just say, I was in the Church."

izzy: really? didnt take you for the religious type.

Joker: "I wasn't a willing member."

nailfile: the hell does _that_ mean?

Benimaru: "Wait a minute...Were you..."

Joker: *smirks* "Oh? Asakusa's God of Destruction has his interest piqued? Very well--I'll answer your question."

Benimaru: "...You had a bowl cut?"

izzy: *snerk* *stiffled laughter*

nailfile:.....<so gross.>

Joker: O_O; "No! I was working for the Church's dark side!"

izzy: ....huh. who'da thought.

Benimaru: "I don't understand."

Joker: "Just keep moving forward--you'll get it soon enough."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *scrolling through real estate listings on a web site*

sonia: *showing flash cards to miyuri* and this one is called a 'rectangle'

miyuri: oooooh.

Chuuya: *smiles* *marks down 3 listings*

miyuri: and what's this one?

sonia: that's a 'triangle'.

Chuuya: *writes down a number* "Hey, kids--I'm going to be making some calls."

sonia: ok papa. come on, miyuri. i'll show you our room.

miyuri: YAAAY! ^o^

Chuuya: *smiles* *dials*

lady: HHA homes, this is carly speaking, how can i help you tonight?

Chuuya: "Hello. I'm looking through your listings...I'm interested in a house?"

carly: ah i see.

Chuuya: "In fact, you had one listing in the suburbs--the one on Dorper Avenue?"

carly: ah yes, two story, three bedroom, two bathroom?

Chuuya: "And the backyard."

carly: yes, yes.

Chuuya: "I was thinking...I have 2 children and a cat. I think they'd like the yard. Maybe a treehouse..."

carly: well, there is a park and a school nearby, as well as a few small shops.

Chuuya: "Excellent. Could I schedule a tour?"

carly: of course! what day works for you?

Chuuya: "As soon as possible."

carly: alright.

-elsewhere-

nailfile: so this is the place, eh?

Joker: "The Nether."

nailfile: ....

Benimaru: "What is the Church hiding here?"

-the lights go out-

nailfile: *flame claws*

Joker: "They're here..." *lights up a cigarette*

izzy: _who's_ here?

*...Are those...eyes in the shadows?*

izzy: the hell?

seven: ......

Benimaru: "...Clowns? Your people?"

Joker: *smirks*

izzy: oooi, who the hell are you shitheads?

Joker: "The Shadows of the Holy Sun."

izzy:....the uniforms look stupid AF.

Joker: "Yes...This is a group of assassins, operating in secret on behalf of the Church."

commander: halt, interlopers. leave this sacred ground or else.

Joker: " 'Leave'? But this is my grand return!"

commander: what?

Joker: *smiles* "52."

commander:...after all these years.....

{*A small boy knocks a taller person down*}

{???: jeez, he's tough for a kid.}

{???: well done, 52}

{52: "It was no big deal...It's what a 'child of the sun' should do, yes?"}

{???: indeed. your next opponent is me.}

{????: he's not really gonna do it, is he? it's suicide!}

{52: "..."}

{commander: COME AT ME!}

{52: "..." *side-steps, swinging his fist at the Commander's head with a gazelle punch*}

{commander: *grabs his wrist and punches him* you're nothing. we are all children of the sun, abandoned by society and taken in by god. dont go thinking you're so special.}

{52: *stunned...acting on instinct, bites the Commander's wrist*}

{commander: GRK- why you insolent little- *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*}

{???: h-hey, knock it off, you're gonna kill him!}

{commander:...heh. if i killed him now, it would be merciful.}

{52: *gasping, choking on blood..his nose is broken*}

{-...-}

{52: *bandaged...staring at a pocket watch* "..." ("This was all they found on me...'3:32'...Was that when I was abandoned? This world...is such shit. I don't think I'm special--I don't think anyone is. I just want to survive this madness...")}

{commander: again with that watch?}

{52: "!!!"}

{commander: *takes it and crushes it, burning it* this way. now.}

{-...-}

{*a house is on fire*}

{-cries can be heard-}

{???: the demon made off with the child, we must find them and destroy them at all costs!}

{???: "Sir! 52!}

{???: what about him?}

{-...-}

{*someone tosses a mask down onto the cement bottom of an alley*}

{52: *huff puff* ("The fire distracted them...Good...Can I get away? Can I escape?") "..." *takes a step forward, leaning on the alley wall for support* ("The sun should shine on all, yes?") *clutches his eye* ("...So...It happened again...Burns...")}

{-...-}

{girl: *humming* hm? ?!?! what the-}

{*52 is passed out in the street*}

{girl: ._.;; *nudges his head with her foot* umm....hey, uh....are...are you ok?}

{52: *groans, panting, like he's dehydrated*}

{girl: oh, um... *takes water bottle from her bag and gives it to him* hey, you alright?}

{52: *opens his eye* "..." *takes the bottle, guzzling like his life depends on it*}

{girl: feeling better?}

{52: *looks, his vision blurred* "...An angel..."}

{girl: e-eh?? O////O oh i-im not-}

{52: "Save me...I don't want to go back to Hell..."}

{girl: ._.; um....daaaad?}

{-...-}

{52: *nom nom nom nom* >3< }

{woman: my my, he's got quite the appetite hasnt he?}

{girl: i guess...}

{woman: kinda cute too, and around your age~}

{girl: >///< mom! its not like that! jeez.}

{woman: fufu, just teasing. ^^}

{52: *stops...sips water* "...Ma'am...Young lady...Thank you both. I promise, I will repay you."}

{woman: oh, it's quite alright, really. right dear?}

{Man: *nods* "You looked pretty roughed up out there, son. Are you...in some kind of trouble?"}

{52: "..."}

{-...-}

{52: *standing on a balcony, looking up at the Moon* "..."}

{woman: *inside* is this really the right thing for us to do? letting him stay here? for all we know he could be some drug addict or a felon...it worries me.}

{Man: "I know...So far, he hasn't caused any problems...But he won't tell us where he's from."}

{woman: do we call the police?}

{girl: *walks out onto the balcony* hey, just thought i'd check up on you. ^^}

{52: "Ah...Hello, angel."}

{girl: 7//7; ...s-so whats up?}

{52: "I was admiring the Moon...It looks so happy..."}

{Moon: "HAA HAA HAA..."}

{girl: ^^; yeah.....they say people once lived on the moon.}

{52: "Wait, really? That's amazing!"}

{girl: yeah. maybe one day, i'll become an astronaut and walk on the moon. i think that'd be pretty cool......ah, look at me, spilling my dreams to a stranger. ^^;}

{52: "No, that's great--dreams are what keep us motivated. You know a lot about astronaut stuff?"}

{girl: yeah. see that constellation up there?}

{52: *looks up...nods*}

{girl: that's called 'orion's belt'.}

{52: "??? 'Orion'? 'Belt'? Like those...what are they called...'asteroids'?"}

{girl: hehe, close.}

{-...-}

{52: *tying his shoelaces*}

{Dad: "And here's the list. The grocery is 2 blocks north, 6 blocks west."}

{52: *nods* "Okay..."}

{Dad: "Don't forget my smokes either."}

{52: "??? Um..."}

{girl: ugh, dad, those are seriously gonna kill you someday.}

{Dad: "It's just when I'm stressed..."}

{girl: -_-; still...}

{-...-}

{52: *reading the list on his way back* ("That's everything...Even got the extra money back...")}

{-two figures in suits exit the house-}

{52: "!!!" *ducks back around the corner*}

{-the two figures leave-}

{52: "..." *sneaks back into the house--* "!!!"}

{-the girl and her parents lay dead on the floor-}

{52: "..." *drops the groceries* ("This is...They're dead...There--There's nothing I can do for them...Oh God...")}

{-...-}

{???: sir, the family 52 was staying with has been terminated.}

{commander: good. now he has nothing to return to. he's nothing more than a stray dog.}

{-...-}

{Joker: *puffing away on a cigarette, standing on an incomplete building*...This world sucks."}

Joker: "You taught me a lot..." *points his cigarette at the Commander* "Time to teach you the truth of this world."

commander: so you came running back like a little puppy? *draws sword* how pathetic.

Joker: *throws off his coat, revealing playing cards on fire* "Eat shit."

commander: thou who hast forsaken the sunlight, shall be left to rot in the dark.

Joker: "Which book of scripture is that, asshole?" *to his team* "I'll fight the Commander. You take care of the rest."

commander: seven. consider this your chance to prove your worth to us. kill them.

seven:....*CHARGES*

Benimaru: "??? How old is this brat?"

seven: *SNARLS and spin kick*

shadows: *charging*

nailfile: *SLICE SLICE*

Benimaru: *sighs* *struggling with one Shadow* "Fast...but reckless." *trips them*

shadow: grk-

izzy: tch- what a hassle. *pulls out a pistol* guess it's time to pull out this bad boy.

Shadow: *growls, swinging their blade towards Izzy*

izzy: *BANG*

-BOOM-

Shadow: *silent, falling down*

izzy: *smirks*

Shadow: *bear hug from behind*

izzy: ?!?

nailfile: *SLASH*

Shadow: *sliced across the chest--but even as they're bleeding profusely, punches at Nailfile's face*

nailfile: *dodge* hey! <watch the hands, buddy!>

izzy: hey! little help here!

nailfile: *SLICE*

*WHOOSH*

izzy: pah- thanks.

nailfile: anytime, girl. ^^

Benimaru: "Their breathing...They intend to kill."

commander: *attacking joker*

Joker: *dodges* "You haven't changed...The mask still looks the same."

commander: you'd be best going back into hiding.

Joker: "I just came here to play. Interested?" *flips cards over his head in a half-circle path*

-SLASH SLASH-

Joker: *charges his cards with flames, sending them to go around the Commander's sword swings--*

commander: you think you can honestly stop me? You think you're the underdog in this heroic tale--but, really, you're not the hero. You're just a mutt, who shook off his leash--and needs to be put down.

~TEN THOUSAND WILD BLADES OF THE WHIP~

Joker: "!!!" *screams in pain, before collapsing*

commander: giving up so soon? pathetic.

Joker: *tries to climb up--*

-STOMP-

Joker: *face slammed into the cement floor*

commander: *grins*

Joker: "..." *his head starts to rise*

commander: ??

Joker: *lifting his head up--with his tongue against the floor*

commander: ?!

Joker: *slides his tongue along the floor--backing up enough to push himself up, swinging his fist back at the Commander's face*

commander: *knocked back*

Joker: *spits* "I'm through with games...I need to take this more seriously..." *smiles wickedly* "A fight to the death."

commander: oh?

Joker: *puffs* "52...I'll end your life, with 52 cards."

commander: heh.

Joker: *shows his remaining cards* "Let's count!" *begins flinging cards*

commander: pah! we are as a group! you may cut us down as many times as you wish, but we shall always regroup. and those that remain solitary die alone! so tell me 52, how many cards will remain before you die?!

Joker: "Tch..." *continues his attack...but he's running out of cards*

commander: you thought you would be free if you left, but you're a weakling who couldnt survive without our help! a failure is a failure, simple as that! and a failure like you cant win on your own!

seven: ....

Joker: *pants...he's holding 2 cards in-between his fingers...as he clutches his bleeding left arm*

commander: i know all your moves, 52. im the one who taught them to you!

Joker: "..." *smiles widely* "I'm the Dreamer of the Dawn..."

commander: hn?

Joker: "I am the Smoker..."

commander: ?!

Joker: "I'M THE JOKER!"

commander: ?!?

*multiple Jokers appear around the Commander*

commander: WHAT IS THIS?!

Joker: "I learned...how to clone myself."

commander: ?!?!

Joker: *snort laugh* "Nah, I'm just kidding you." *waves his cigarette* "I smoke the good shit."

izzy: WELL THAT EXPLAINS THE SHIT SMELL!

Joker: "This is a rare breed I cultivate. I had to figure out how to make sure it only affects certain people. I'm kind of surprised my comrades today aren't seeing melting eyeballs, humanoid roaches on walls, or talking animals..."

commander: what the hell?!

Joker: "What sucks is that it kind of screws up your perception of time. Helps me to escape in the blink of an eye--but it can be disarming if you aren't used to it."

commander: damn you!

*something drops with a PLOP noise*

commander: ?!?

*The Commander's forearm is already sliced off, lying on the floor*

Joker: *smiles* "What's wrong? You're always talking about teamwork. So pull your 'team' together..."

commander: ?!?!?!?

Joker: "Now, I know what you're thinking--'But 52 used up all of his cards'! So, I need to remind you: I AM NOT 52!" *holds up a Joker card* "I always had one more..."

commander: you-

Joker: *lets out a maniacal laugh, swinging the one card, decimating the Commander's body*

seven: !!!!!

izzy: so, whadda ya want us to do about the rugrat?

seven: my name is seven.

Joker: "...Nah, that's not a name...We need to change that."

seven: thats not you-

Joker: "Nana. That works. 'Nah-nah.' Easy to say, rhymes with itself. Nana. Come, Nana..."

seven: shut up! im seven! se-ven! child of the sun! i'll cut you all to ribbons! i'll make you all pay for this!

Benimaru: *reaches out a hand, patting her head*

seven: ?!?!?!?

Benimaru: "Children should listen to their elders...But since your elders were screwed up in the head, listen to us, now, or I'll show you something to fear."

seven: *growls*

Joker: -_-; ("As if Shadows didn't have enough abusive guardians...") "You kind of suck at this parenting thing, Strongman."

Benimaru: *glare*

izzy: well, we cant take her. we got enough brats to deal with in the hell blaze. like mantis.

Joker: "..." *smiles* "What about it, Nana? Want to come home with a fellow former Shadow~?"

seven: dont touch me, traitor! the minute your back is turned, i'll stab you in the throat!

Joker: ^^; "..." *picks Nana up, slings her over his shoulder*

seven: *pounding on his back* UNHAND ME! I'LL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE! DX<

???: "As much as I would like to see that, I can't allow it."

izzy: ?!

*Burns walks in*

nailfile: aw hell.

Burns: "...Commander Shinmon. 52. 7. Miss Godfrey. Random other person."

izzy: ?!?!?! *her tone is murderous* how the hell do you know that name?

Burns: "Haijima Industries has long associated with the Church."

izzy: *hateful glare*

seven: how do you know about us? who even are you?

Joker: "Commander Burns of the 1st Brigade--your handler in the Church, Nana."

seven: my name isnt nana!

nailfile: wait, you mean commander goodie-two-shoes burns is in on this whole thing?!

Burns: *crosses his arms* "So, you're associating with common thugs, 52? I trained you better than this."

Benimaru: "... ... ..." *lightbulb* "So, you're the one who gave this clown a bowl hair-cut?"

Joker: "!!! I'LL GIVE YOU A BOWL HAIRCUT!"

izzy: we dont have time for...whatever _this_ is. we're here for-.......wait, why are we here? i forgot in all the excitement.

Joker: *composes himself* "...To get to the Secret Holy Scriptures, I have to fight the old man now?" *sighs* *looks at his one card* "Still, this should be enough for you, gramps."

Benimaru: "Great. I wanted a real challenge."

seven: ?!

Burns: *stares at Benimaru* "...I just realized...Now's not the time to fight."

Joker: "HUH?!"

Burns: "If you're here for information about the Church, I can help."

izzy: oh? and here i thought the 1st was so loyal to the church, like dogs.

Joker: -_-; "Could everyone stop with the 'dog' insults--I'm feeling self-conscious."

Benimaru: "I think we have another question to ask: you two know each other, don't you? What's going on? We've already had an extended fight sequence--time to know what your goals are and whether I can trust you."

Joker: "...Burns was the intermediary between the Church's light and dark sides. He was one of the people who trained me..."

nailfile: wait, seriously?

Joker: "Yes...Until he formed that Adora Link."

izzy: so wait, are you guys....adora bursts?

Burns: *sighs* "No. Forming an Adora Link is connecting _to_ Adora."

Joker: "And those with the Burst get a power-up from the Link. We just lose our fucking eyes."

izzy:........ .___.

Burns: "The Burst is what a handful of people possess to withstand linking to Adora, to that other world. We were not so 'blessed.'"

Benimaru: "When did you see it? When Arg or Kusakabe did?"

Joker: "No. When Amaterasu released a bunch of Infernals."

nailfile: WHAT?!

Benimaru: "I never heard of this."

Joker: "Of course not: people have to believe Amaterasu is absolutely safe...So, that's when the Shadows are called in to do the dirty work to cover it up. And Burns led that mission."

{Burns: "Where are the others?"}

{52: "Knocked down."}

{Burns: "One more target...Straight ahead?"}

{52: as far as i know, yes. just leave it to me.}

{*footsteps are heard...like crackling fire*}

{Burns: "Here it comes..."}

{infernal: GRRRK-KRAAAAAA!!}

{Burns: "AH!" *falls to his knees, covering his ears*}

{52: what the hell is this?!}

{Burns: *looks up* "!!!"}

{It's a hellscape...Are those eyeballs in the sky?}

{52: is this...hell?.....grk- GAAH! m-my eye!!}

{*A figure hovers in the sky, cloaked in white, looking down on them*}

{*The ground is burning under them*}

{52: ?!?!?!}

{???: "Mathematics. Truth. Insect. Hell. God..."}

{52: what?}

{*something is burning under 52's hand*}

{52: *looks*}

{*the entire ground is on fire!*}

{52: ?!?!?!?! *screaming*}

{Burns: *struggles to stand...before he rushes at the Infernal*}

{52: where is this?!}

{???: "Hell..."}

{Burns: *screams, as he charges his arm, putting it through the Infernal*}

{-...-}

{Burns: "52! Wake up!" *clutching his burning eye*}

{52: !??!!? w-what....what was....}

{Burns: "The Infernal...must have had the ability to cause illusions..."}

{52: no...hell...hell exists...}

Burns: "That stone you brought still burns, even in vacuum."

Joker: "Which proves your Church is hiding the existence of Hell--or Adora, or whatever you're calling it. That's what I want to prove--what Hell you're hiding here."

Burns: "..." *reaches into his jacket*

Benimaru: *fighting stance*

Burns: *pulls out a notebook* "Here is your clue."

izzy: and what's that?

Burns: "A notebook, belonging to the wife of the founder of the Church of the Holy Sun, Raffles I."

nailfile: ?!?!

Benimaru: "His wife?"

Joker: "That thing must be ancient...You took it from an archive or something?"

izzy: is it even real?

Burns: "It is. I verified the records, the paper, even the handwriting."

nailfiles: then what about the holy scriptures we came here for?

Burns: "They don't exist. Ever since the Adora Link, what I saw has not matched what I knew to be true about this world. I've used my position in the First and my association with the Church to get access to archives--research from around the world." *taps the notebook* "This was hidden away. I can't say where without revealing sources and the original location, but I assure you, this is real. This investigation led me to this book." *hands the book to Joker* "Her journal begins with the Great Diaster, the founding of the Church--and is a rare firsthand account about who Raffles I really was."

Joker: *opens* "...Her handwriting is atrocious."

Burns: "Raffles lead a team to see where the Great Disaster first happened...He was the only one to survive the trip."

nailfile: *reading* 'still, i was relieved that he had returned safely, but something seemed different about him, like he had become a different person. even though he looks the same, his habits and behavior is that of someone else. is he truly the same man i've been married to for three years?'

Joker: "I mean, when you go through something traumatizing..." *stares at his cigarette* "...it's expected you go through some changes..."

Benimaru: "...Wait...This happened in Asakusa, too."

izzy: really now?

Benimaru: "Someone who was able to change their appearance--to impersonate people from the Eighth, people from my home..."

Joker: "Yeah, but that only happened, what, months ago? We're talking 250 years ago!"

Burns: "Yet you've seen how durable Infernals are. Who's to say there isn't one that's immortal? Someone else from that higher plane, someone as long-lived as that Preacher..."

Joker: "..."

nailfile: so then...

Burns: *nods* "The Church may have been founded by Infernals, by the Preacher."

nailfile: so how do we confirm this is real?

Burns: "Aside from what I've told you--that the evidence all points to this fitting into the other facts we can confirm, such as the coincidence of Raffles being the only survivor, that he changed so much, that there are Infernals who can impersonate others...Beyond all of that, I've been thinking about how to verify this with outside-sources for a long time..."

izzy: so what now?

Joker: "Who else in the Church knows about this?"

Burns: "No one."

-elsewhere-

*A bald bearded man walks through the halls in a cloak*

guruna:...hey haumea, who's that old dude?

Haumea: "You don't know~?" *smirks*

guruna: noooope~@ OwO

Man: *makes a sign* "Bless you, child."

Man: *moaning out a religious hymn* "Bless the Sun, whose light shines upon us all, conferring its blessing onto us on our mission to convert the masses, to bring them to the light."

sasori: ......

Inka: "Wait a minute...That energy around him... ..." *grabs the beard, tugging hard* "How the hell are you doing that, Jonah?!"

Jonah: *the beard is pulled so hard it is stretching his face into a grotesque form* "OW OW OW OW!!!" T~T

sasori: WAIT WHAT?!

guruna: oh! they do that.

Jonah: T~T "You and your bodyguard have gotten so mean since you got those new outfits..." *sniff* "How dare you treat the founder of the Church of the Holy Sun like that! I, Raffles I, will not stand for such treatment! Guruna, prepare the boiling Holy Water!"

guruna: *salutes* aye aye!

arrow: -_-

sasori: suuure, and im the goddamn queen of sheba.

Inka: "I think Jonah's serious, Queen--I mean, think about it: disguises like this, never dies no matter how much you beat them--" *punching Jonah repeatedly in the head*

Jonah: "OW OW OW OW!"

dahlia: it is the truth.

sasori: GAH! jeez....so creepy.

Jonah: -3- *changes their face--into Inka's, then changes their voice to hers* "You're so mean, Sasori!"

sasori: .... -_-;

Inka: "...Is it wrong to say I look damn good?"

sasori: *facepalm*

-elsewhere-

Burns: "Raffles III must have been kept in the dark..."

Benimaru: *raises an eyebrow* "How do you know Raffles III is actually the grandson of the first one? What if he's some imposter, too?"

Joker: "Or, what if his DNA has Infernal DNA in it? Trippy..."

nailfile: gross.

Joker: "And we leave here without knowing the Preacher's plans..." *looks at the mess they left behind*

seven: ..........

Benimaru: "At least we didn't kill your Shadows. I mean, except that one." *gestures to the body pieces of the Commander*

seven:.........................

nailfile: brutal.

Burns: "Since they're from the Shadows, no one will miss them."

izzy: so do we tell everyone in the church that everything they know is a lie?

Joker: "That's my plan!"

Burns: -_-# "And ignite chaos that undermines a large segment of the world?"

Joker: "That's my plan!"

Burns: -_-# "And ignite chaos that undermines a large segment of the world?"

Joker: *crazy grin* “And yet you gave me this.” *holds up the notebook* what do you suggest?"

Burns: "More evidence. You take this to the public, they won't believe you, and the Church will not believe the word of some clownish terrorist--"

Joker: "Hey!"

Burns: "--and a commander who attacked the Church. In public."

Benimaru: -_-;

izzy: we could always blame that shapeshifter impersonating him, if that helps.

Joker: "Works for me!" ^^

Benimaru: -_-; "Maybe we should look outside of the Church...Someone else with something to gain from all of this."

izzy:....haijima.

Joker: "Makes sense."

Benimaru: "...They're the ones who give medicine to my home..."

izzy:....

Joker: "Well, you should've thought about that first."

Burns: "Get out of here--I'll clean up."

seven:....

Joker: "What'll it be, Strongman? Not too late to back out."

Benimaru: "...The Great Disaster almost destroyed this world. If anyone is going to rip things apart, it’s me--to rebuild a better world for my child. Lead the way."

Joker: "..." *smiles* "Very well. Come along, Nana."

seven: i told you, my name is seven! and who said i was going with _you_?!

Joker: *stares at her, no longer smilng* "I said."

seven: i'll kill you first!

Joker: *shows off a playing card* "Come at me, then."

seven: *bites her finger, causing it to bleed...the blood then catches fire?!*

Benimaru: "..."

Burns: *watching*

Joker: "...Oh, I get it--hot-blooded. Ha."

seven: *lunges*

Joker: *swings his card at her, dodging the hot-blood as best he can* "You're quick."

seven: *spin kick*

Joker: *catches her kick, feeling the impact* "Grk!"

seven: *GLARES*

Joker: "Very well, then..." *lifts her up by her foot--*

seven: *flailing* LET ME GO! DX<

Joker: *holding her by her foot* "...Burns, I'm taking the child."

seven: MAKE HIM UNHAND ME!

Burns: "...I'm debating which is the worst option..."

seven: *GROWLING*

Joker: "Hey, come on, Burns! You know you can trust me." *smiles*

Burns: "..." *shrugs* "Go ahead. Maybe if I'm lucky she'll keep you in line. Or kill you. Has to be better than leaving her here in the Nether to go as crazy as you did."

seven: D8<

Joker: >w# "Yay!" *carries her by her foot, upside down* "Onto Haijima, Strongman!"

Benimaru: "...This lowers the bar on parenting..." *follows*

seven: *flailing and screeching*

izzy: yeah....haijima........

-elsewhere-

man: hmmm, any reports on the dolls?

Scientist 2: "Yeah--my samples suck."

blonde man: quite unfortunate.

scientist 3: go stuff it, godfrey.

godfrey: .....and how about you?

Scientist 2: "You got an S-class--I'm so jealous. Swap with me!"

godfrey: indeed. and how about _you_. that boy...

Scientist 4: "Rekka's boy? He's coming along just perfectly."

-morning-

scarlet: ......

Joker: *whistling as he climbs in through the window*

seven:.....

scarlet:....what. did you do.

Joker: "Say 'hi' to Mommy, Nana!"

scarlet: *grabs joker by the neck* WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?

Joker: Ow# "...It was either this, or she'd stay underground as a child soldier."

scarlet:......

seven: .........

Joker: ^w#; "Can I keep her?"

seven:.........*punches joker in the nuts*

scarlet:...huh. i think she might grow on me.

seven: let me go back.

Joker: QW# "..." *collapses* *higher pitch* "I-I promised not to send you back to that...I lived there, and look how I turned out..."

seven:.....

Joker: "Red, back me up on this--tell Nana how good we have it here!"

scarlet: -_-; well, it's better than nothing i guess.

Joker: "The standard by which I live my life!"

seven:.....

scarlet:...*sniffs* ugh, you both smell terrible.

Joker: "You can give Nana her bath."

seven: ?!?!

scarlet: come on-

seven: noooo!

scarlet: ...*picks her up*

seven: *screeching and flailing*

Joker: "I'll just nap here..." *stays collapsed on the floor*

ivy: ahhhh-CHOO!

Joker: "??? Sick?"

ivy: were you smoking those fucking drugs again??!

Joker: ^w# "Daddy had to calm someone down--I promise, I'll quit tomorrow~"

ivy: you know those trigger my allergi-*ACHOO*............wait, 'daddy'. WHAT THE FUCK?!?!

Joker: "I'm just getting into the parental mindset. Nana will need her own bed. Want to share a bunkbed with her?"

scarlet: *getting the water running* come on...

seven: *SCREAMING* NO! NOOO!!! DX<

ivy:....who the FUCK is nana!?

Joker: "That loud hot-blooded screaming child is Nana. Isn't she delightful?"

ivy:......................................

Joker: ^w^;

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: *hiding in the shadows on his way to his home*

kirei: *asleep*

Benimaru: "..." *carefully enters*

kirei: zzzz

Benimaru: "..." *just looks at her* "..."

-she seems peaceful-

Benimaru: "..." *lies next to her*

kirei: mnn....

Benimaru: *hugs her*

kirei: *yawn*

Benimaru: "..."

kirei: *opening her eyes* good morning...

Benimaru: *smiles* "Good morning..." *kiss*

kirei: ^////^

Benimaru: "How are you?"

kirei: doing well. you?

Benimaru: "...Some difficulty sleeping."

kirei: mm...

Benimaru: *yawns* "Let me make us some breakfast..."

kirei: *nods*

Benimaru: *gets up, goes to the kitchen, filling the kettle with water

*knock knock*

Benimaru: "???" *slides open the door--* "..."

Konro: *eyes wide open, staring* "..."

benimaru: ah, konro. what bri-

Konro: "WHERE. WERE. YOU?"

benimaru: ... i wasnt drinking or anything like that.

Konro: "..." *pushes the door open, revealing...priests from the Church*

benimaru:...oh...

Priest 1: *bandaged* "That's the guy who punched me!"

Priest 2: *face wrapped like a mummy* "He slammed me into the side of the Church!"

Priest 3: *looking a little scuffed up* "I lost the nail on my pinky toe!"

benimaru: .....

Konro: "...Well?! Say something! Say you didn't do it!"

benimaru: i didnt have anything to do with this.

Priest 2: "YOU HERETIC LIAR! Then where were you?!"

???: "We can tell you where he was."

benimaru: ??

*It's Tsukiyo and Fang-Hua*

fang-hua: ...

Benimaru: ._.;

Tsukiyo: "Yes, we can tell you where he was! Beni-Hottie was in my bed--"

-CHOP-

Tsukiyo: T3T

fang-hua: ^^; he was helping mr owada with making dinner.

Tsukiyo: "Yeah, sure, go ask him--he'll back it up..."

Konro: "He is an older gentleman, so perhaps check when he wakes up later this morning--"

Priest 3: *screams, pulling his hair* "How are we to believe this nonsense?! They could all be lying! He can't have been in two places at the same time--"

???: *ahem* "What did I tell you three about coming here?"

fang-hua: c-commander burns!

dia:...

Priest 2: "?! S-Sir! Why are you here?"

Burns: *holds up a file* "Finally looked over fingerprints left on your clothes. They don't match Commander Shinmon. It's as I told you when I found you all unconscious: when I caught up to the suspect, I discovered he was actual one of those imitators who came through Asakusa a while ago. Obviously they got enough of a view up-close to the Commander to perfectly imitate him."

benimaru: ....

dia: indeed.

Priest 1: "Oh, you have to be kidding--"

Burns: "You doubt me?" *intense stare*

Priests 1, 2, and 3: O_O; "..." *shake heads 'no'*

dia: that's what we thought.

Burns: "Dia, bring them home. I have to check with the Commander on coordinated training exercises."

dia: yes sir. come along you three.

Priests: T_T "Yes, captain..." *follow Dia*

Burns: "..." *stares at Konro, Benimaru, Tsukiyo, and Fang-Hua*

fang-hua: um....

benimaru:....thanks.

Tsukiyo: ._.;

Tsukiyo: ._.;

Burns: "..." *nods* "You're welcome. Be less sloppy next time."

fang-hua: ??

Konro: "...Do you have time for tea?"

Burns: "No, I have to return to the church." *nods to them* "Keep your commander in check." *turns*

fang-hua:.....

Benimaru: "..." *looks at the others* "...Well, that was completely unexpected and I have no idea what he was talking about--"

Konro: *staring wide-eyed* "Are you kidding me?"

Benimaru: "..." *looks at the others* "...Well, that was completely unexpected and I have no idea what he was talking about--"

Konro: *staring wide-eyed* "Are you kidding me?"

Tsukiyo: "We were worried sick!"

fang-hua: oh jeez, what would kirei think?

Benimaru: "...None of you have any idea..."

Konro: "...Young Master..."

Benimaru: "?"

*SLAM*

fang-hua: !!!!!!!!

*Konro's fist collides with Benimaru's face*

Tsukiyo: "?!"

Benimaru: *has not moved...absorbing the blow* "..."

Konro: *shaking* "...When are you going to grow up..."

Benimaru: "...If you heard what I found--"

Konro: "You kept us all in the dark! You told us nothing! You left with some maniac and his thugs! Is this how little you trust--"

Benimaru: "I WANTED NO ONE ELSE TO GET HURT!"

kirei: beni? what's going on?

Benimaru: "..." *enters the house* "...Get inside. All of you. You too, Kabuki."

kabuki: *pokes head out* nyoron .w.;

Tsukiyo: "Oh, hey, Kabuki!" *waves*

Konro: "..." *sighs, follows inside*

-elsewhere-

Yukio: *eating breakfast, thumbing through his tablet*

stocking: jeez, the blizzard's really getting bad....so weird....

Yukio: "Hmm..." *a file with Shura's photo is on the tablet*

manager: how was your sleep?

stocking: GAH! oh jeez...

Yukio: "..." *looks up* "It was fine. Thank you. And the food is excellent--thanks."

manager: you're welcome.

gilda: *nudging rin awake*

Rin: *groans* "No, Madoka--you need to add cinnamon to the muffins..." *turns over*

stocking: *sweatdrop*

Yukio: "...Rin."

Rin: *yawns, sits up* =_= "...Oh, hey. What's up, gang?"

stocking: morning.

Rin: *stretches* *sniffs* "Smells good..." *nom* "What're we doing today?"

Yukio: *to the manager* "Pardon. I wanted to ask again about that woman who came by?"

manager: ah, yes.

Yukio: "Could you tell me more where she was heading?"

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "I'll be back at 1--just checking the house with the real estate agent."

sonia: ok.

Chuuya: *pats her head* "You're going to keep an eye on your sister?"

sonia: *she nods*

miyuri: *doodling butterflies, which come to life and flutter around* ^^

Chuuya: "...Keep her from drawing big or violent animals*

Mito: *paws at one*

sonia: noted.

Chuuya: *looks around* "Thanks for babysitting*

higuchi: any time.

Gin: *nudges Q* "Go play."

Q: ok! ^^

Chuuya: ^^; "How's your move going?"

higuchi: pretty busy.

Gin: "Having to buy some new furniture and sheets."

-elsewhere-

Kanin: *hands Amelia her lunchbag* "Here you go!"

amelia: thank you.

Kanin: ^^ "How's your mentor-mentee training going?"

amelia: ok, i think.

Kanin: "Is your weapon working out well?"

amelia: *nods*

Kanin: "That's good--they always seem kind of quiet--" *TRIPS*

amelia: ah!

*He tripped over...a sleeping Kazue*

Kanin: @_@ "Wh-When did they get there..."

-elsewhere-

Spirit: "..."

izumi:...um....hey sis...h-happy birthday....

Spirit: *sets down a wrapped box*

izumi:....i really wish i could have met you.

Spirit: *closes his eyes, kneeling...wipes his eyes*

*footsteps*

sachiko:.....

izumi: ??

Damon: *hiding behind Soul's legs*

becky: ....

Spirit: "...Hello, Soul."

Soul: "..." *nods*

izumi:....*small wave*

Soul: *small wave back...he's holding flowers*

becky:....hi mom.

Damon: "..." *sniffles*

Soul: *gulps, sets down the flowers, hugs Damon*

izumi:......

Spirit: "..." *leans down, pats Soul's back*

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Morning, Dad."

saria's dad: morning, bugbear. *forehead kiss* dad's makin waffles~

saria's father: ^^

Saria: "Yay! Smells great!"

-elsewhere-

fuyumi: *doing laundry*

???: "Need any help?"

fuyumi: sure sho-...!!! natsuo!

Natsuo: *waves* "What's up?"

fuyumi: *hugs* it's so good to see you! how's uni?

Natsuo: "Alright..." ^^; "...I kinda brought laundry to do, too."

fuyumi: ^^ glad to hear. im sure shouto will be surprised when he gets home today.

Natsuo: "Oh, he's around? Where is he?"

fuyumi: he's at school right now. but he'll be home this afternoon.

Natsuo: "Ah..." *rubs his arm* "...How's he doing?"

fuyumi: ...he's doing better, i think.

Natsuo: "..." *nods* "...Um, I'll bring my laundry in when you're done. Want me to make something? Tea?"

fuyumi: sure thing.

-elsewhere-

Bakugo: -_- "Too hot out..."

Todoroki: "Feels cool enough."

Bakugo: >_<#

tsuyu: *casually swimming in the canal*

jirou: *stiffling* the sun is mocking us.

Tokoyami: =~= "There is no joy here."

Dark Shadow: *whimpering*

momo: maybe try to wear something other than black?

jirou: no, we live by aesthetic, even if we have to suffer for it.

Tokoyami: *fist bump*

kaminari: *sniff* so brave.

mina: TT_TT you two are martyrs of our time.

jirou: thanks babe.

Eijiro: "See, this is why I go shirtless for my super-suit...except in winter, because that would be impractical and lead to frostbite."

momo:...*writing down notes*

Iida: "Hmm...Perhaps sports drinks...Hm? Momo?"

momo: !!! i was just, um...writing poetry! OwO;;;

Iida: "...Oh!" *taps his fist into his open palm* "Creative writing can help change one's focus from the heat around them! Excellent idea! Let's try haikus--"

Bakugo: "Oh, that's just stupid! Why not write short stories, too?! So fucking dumb..."

Eijiro: "..." *counting*

Todoroki: "You're one syllable short on the third line--"

Bakugo: *GLARE*

momo: yeah...ahaha... .///.; (STUPID ME! HOW DID I NOT ACCOUNT FOR COLD WEATHER?! but how do i keep warm and still have access to my quirk? GRAAAH HOW FRUSTRATIIIING! >~< !! midnight! maybe she has a winter uniform! i could ask her!)

Iida: "We're not going to handle this heat well at this rate in our training...Perhaps we need to seek an alternate location to assist us."

ochako: how about the water park?

Eijiro: "Kinda pricy--and probably packed with people."

Todoroki: "We could pick a non-busy day."

mezou: we could check out the aquarium.

Iida: "It's air-conditioned, and seeing aquatic life may be cooling..."

ochako: yeah! maybe we'll see gang orca!

jirou: but the ushimitsudoki aquarium is in a different town...

Todoroki: "...Well, that's disappointing."

ochako: we could still go to death city's aquarium.

tsuyu: *nods*

Iida: "Then let's schedule it! Bakugo, when are you avail--"

Bakugo: "Go to Hell."

Iida: "...Momo, when are you available?"

momo: r-ru-ri-right now? OwO;;

Eijiro: "I'm up for it!"

Todoroki: "Sounds good."

ochako: heck yeah! i'll dial up the others to see if they're game.

Tokoyami: =_= "Yay..."

mineta: *duct taped to a pole* hey, you guys are gonna come back for me right?....RIGHT?! GUYS?!

Iida: "..." *walking away faster*

mineta: D8> GUYS COME OOON!

-elsewhere-

Twice: *sitting in a smoking jacket, sipping tea...that falls down his face because he won't lift his mask*

fang: *nomming on blocks*

himiko: *giggle* ^^

Dabi: *scanning the painting with UV light* "Hmm..." *draws a path on a separate sheet of paper*

Twice: "That kiddo sure seems pleased. IT'S MAKING ME JEALOUS HOW HAPPY THAT BABY IS."

fang: dada. ^o^

Dabi: "..." *keeps staring at his paper*

kurome: whatcha doin?

Dabi: "Finding what's hidden in this painting for the next search...The painter was someone with a talented Quirk for cryptography."

kurome: creep-to-graffy? what does that mean?

Twice: " 'Cryptography.' Noun. From the Greek for 'hidden writing.' ...I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!"

Dabi: -_-# "It means hiding messages..."

kurome: oooooh. why's it hidden?

Dabi: "That's what the boss wants to find out...Kirby had access to a lot of hidden info, plus served as a secret keeper for the weaknesses of multiple Heroes."

kurome: ooooooh.

Mustard: "And yet it's taking you so long to find the answer. What's wrong--not smart enough?"

Dabi: -_-#

banshee: hmm...perhaps it's a riddle?

Dabi: "We'll know as soon as the de-coding finishes..." *types something into the computer* "Any of you good at riddles?"

banshee: i suppose. just thinking outside the box i guess.

*The computer 'BINGS'*

Twice: "*GASP* The machine that goes 'bing'!" *looks at the screen* "...I don't get it."

banshee: *sweatdrop*

*The computer now shows nine dots, arranged 3 by 3*

Message: "Connect all dots with no more than 4 straight lines to reveal the next message."

Mustard: "..."

Twice: "..."

Dabi: "..." *rips up his sheet of paper*

*The painting under UV light shows 9 larger dots glowing on it...*

Twice: *growls* "I don't know who this Kirby fool is, but I want to break every bone in their body!"

Dabi: "They're already dead."

Twice: "THEN I'LL FOLD THEIR CORPSE IN HALF TO MAKE IT EASIER TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN THEIR BODY."

Mustard: "THEY'RE DEAD."

Twice: "I'LL SNAP YOU IN HALF, STRING-BEAN!" *strangles Mustard*

banshee: hmm. *connecting the lines to form an arrow, with two points ending outside of the dots*

Twice: "Hey, wait! That painting is priceless! WE WON'T BE ABLE TO RETURN IT WITHOUT A RECEIPT!"

Mustard: X_X

*It looks like something is showing up when the painting is folded...*

himiko: oooooh!

Twice: "Numbers?"

Mustard: X_X "Coordinates..."

himiko: sweet!......to where?

Dabi: *types* "Looks to be...New York."

himiko: ooooh!

Twice: "Great! Let's take in some off-Broadway! WILLIAMSBURG HAS GOTTEN TOO BOUGIE!"

tomura: and new york is home to one of the biggest hero schools on the east coast; Silverwings Academy.

Dabi: "Hmm...Something you have in mind?"

tomura: this is where the coordinates lead.

Dabi: "Ah..." *checks the map* "On Yancy Street."

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: "It's lovely..."

carly: ^^ the main floor has the den, the kitchen, dining room, sunroom, back room and the first bathroom. upstairs is the two bedrooms, two spare rooms, and the second bathroom. there's also an attic and a basement.

Chuuya: "Could I see the backyard?"

carly: it's right this way.

Chuuya: *follows, looking at the walls* "Lots of room..."

-elsewhere-

Wes: *cooking*

liz: smells delicious.

Wes: "Thanks...I hope the kids like it." *sighs*

-elsewhere-

shura: jeez, what's with all the damn snow up here anyway...

*it sounds like something is shifting through the snow alongside her*

shura: *glances*...tch- some homecoming _this_ is, hachirou.

*a snake pokes out through the snow*

Snake: *hisses* "You've taken too long to return..."

shura: yeah yeah, i know. and what's with all the snow in the middle of may?

Snake: "I'm afraid my associate..."

shura: ??

*wind blows in Shura's face, more snow landing on her*

shura: ?!?!

*a figure emerges from the snow-covered trees*

shura: *draws sword*

*it's a woman, cloaked in white...another snake slithers onto her shoulder*

shura: so a yuki onna, huh? i thought they'd all be in hibernation by now...

Yuki Onna: *grumbles* "Can't sleep..."

shura: well this sure is strange.

Snake: "I was so impatient waiting for you that some company was appreciated..."

shura: =3= well _that's_ rude.

Yuki Onna: *grumbles* "Damn them...Lucifer..."

shura: ??!!

Snake: "The Illuminati have been encroaching on my land...If you were here, this would not be happening...Those interlopers are upsetting everything."

shura: -_-# oh sure, put all the blame on me.

Snake: "You were off gallivanting with the humans...and their weaponry. What have you learned?"

shura:....bazookas are heavier than they look. 737 also the recoil on those things is crazy.

Snake: "Hmmm...Helpful information. How many weapons are you now proficient with?"

-elsewhere-

Rin: *sneezes* =_=

stocking: find out anything helpful?

Yukio: "This is where Father located Shura before..." *tapping a temple on the map*

stocking: that's great!

Rin: *sniff* "So, we're heading there?" *grabbing a blanket*

stocking: yep. better get bundled up.

Rin: *grabs a sweater and a jacket and a scarf--*

Yukio: *checks his bullets*

-elsewhere-

Joker: "How you like the dress, Nana?"

nana: -_-####

Viktor: ._.; "...Is there anything else I need to pick up for you all?"

-elsewhere-

Benimaru: "..." *kneels down* "I ask for your forgiveness."

Tsukiyo: ._.;

Konro: "..."

fang-hua: ....this is....a lot to take in....

kirei: benimaru.....

Benimaru: "I did what I thought was best, to remove the rest of you from this, in case of culpability..."

kirei:.....*hugs*

Benimaru: "..." *holds onto her*

kirei: if you ever go on one of these excursions again, please at least tell me first.

Benimaru: "I will."

Tsukiyo: Q_Q

-elsewhere-

[erokitsune707]

When Xiaoxiang Guys Meet A Jinjiang Girl Chapter 3

At present the rain is getting lighter, but its downpour is still very uncomfortable to people; moreover, I was wearing such rough linen cloth. Half an hour ago I was able to hide in the temple, but now I am in the rain, carrying a handsome and tall man on my slender back.

My complexion goes pale with anxiety and concerns, while my lips are shaking. I spoke in a small and weak voice, hardly audible in the rain: “Sir, please don’t let anything happen to you, I will take you to see the doctor at once!” After showing him my worry look, I turned to look straight ahead, my expression this time is … … sinister.

Half an hour ago, I just wanted to harm that thing of the Imperial Lord. Who could know that my kick at his member could subdue the drug efficacy, so he sobered up. The lord saw the attack, immediately jumped up, and grabbed my neck. In order to save my life, I pinched my thigh to let my tears instantly drop down. I feigned vulnerable and benign, quietly crying in front of him.

Just this pinch directly turned my face into pallid. I know how his face was as white as snow, with my teary eyes and trembling eyelashes, drops of sadness slowly roll down, sorrowfully and delicately. My beauty, my frail posture must be used well! 

After letting him see my stunning beauty and delicate posture, I took advantage of his daze and displayed my innocent eyes, to convince him I was just a feeble girl. 

I am sobbing delicately, knowing I couldn’t wail at this time, which besides undermining my image would make the other party regard me as a vulgar woman. If such an action were to compel my opponent to show me no compassion but punch me straight away, it’ll be too unjust!

I know this is basically a world where the martial art masters fly but weaklings like me climb. I only had the plot as my single advantage, but weaknesses in all other areas. So, I want to turn them into my strengths! Without martial arts, I have the crying art. Needless to say, so many men were defeated by this “magic” of the heroine and villainess team.

I didn’t simply cry but blame all the wrong on him!

“Even if you kill me, do not ever dream of touching me! If you d-dare to do such a thing to me, I will die right here!”

Keeping up my desperate look, I acted determinded to suicide, “My mere request was to preserve my chastity until after I die…”

This lord does not have the perverse habit of raping the corpse, nor the routine of whimsical homicide. Afer I had expressed my intention, he just looked at me deeply and slowly let me go. Probably that thing was crazily hurt, he released me and fell to the ground. Though his face went super weird, he prevented his hands from covering his member, only aimed a perplexing pair of eyes subtly at my cute petit feet. 

After a prolonged period, the lord unhurriedly spoke, “Who are you? Why do you appear late at night here?" 

Looking at him, I knew if I did not give a real answer, he would not spare such a suspicious person. Moreover, this suspicious woman might also have made him … … sterile. The Imperial Lord watched the rain outside. The sky seemed to clearly indicate that it would not easily stop, so his expression darkened.

I guessed he looked outside speculating about who could have ambushed him. Even though I did not want to disturb him, I had to start talking. 

I knew I absolutely couldn’t spark any trace of a murderous intent. If I had turned around and run off, it would have given him a more dubious impression, and consequently driven him to chase after my life. Furthermore, soon there would come a villainess. Were I to run out and encounter her, what could I do? 

The current situation would lead to death were I to stay here or casually run off, so I could only force the appearance of weakness and despondence to draw the line to achieve his statement of never violating me. After he firmly asserted that he wouldn’t touch me, I slowly explain my miserable fate …… 

I told him I lived in the Wang Village not far from here. I was adopted as a child by an alcoholic father, who wasn’t a good man and took care of me for a profitable transaction with a brothel. After I had known the adoptive father’s plan, I get angry and upset. In my desperation, I unexpectedly found that my beloved brother had an ulterior motive towards me!

"I did not give him my consent, so my brother picked up the ropes tied me down. I took the chance when the brother turned around, knocking him out with a bench , then hastily escaped overnight. Who knows, who knows, it’s still … … ”

When I said these words, I fearfully stole some glance at the lord, implying at that time he wanted to do the same to me, which made me angrily resist. 

Squinting, the man slightly relaxed his body, so I knew he would not think of killing me any more. After I told my story, the way he looked at me obviously changed. The role I played, just so happened to be his favourite type of woman: frail but virtuous. 

The lord stretched his eyebrows a bit, as his eyes didn’t seem ice-cold any longer. When he indicated with his stiff face that he was not a bad person, but was framed by others to become like this, I feigned innocent once more and shedded a tear. I was blinking my teary eyes as clear as the clear blue sky, expressing my sense of guilt and worry. Finally, I proposed to send him to a doctor.

The Imperial Lord refused, but I used endlessly uneasy eyes to watch him. I know this person’s weakness is weak, beautiful woman who’d wholeheartedly depend on him. I just looked at him, tightly grabbed his weakness. Then, I’d do something that could hurt him, but make him touched regardless. 

As a tiny and delicate girl, I am a dwarf to the lord. Yet, in order to “compensate for my own mistakes”, I piggybacked the lord on my fragile back, half dragging half pulling him out of a ruined temple, telling him non-stop that I’d definitely take him to the doctor! 

This temple was absolutely unsafe to stay based on the original plot. I personally prefer making everyone suffer to suffering alone, so I resolutely resorted to the tactics of killing 1000 enemies by losing my own 800*! 

As I carried him, I used my pretty hip. Every few steps I rubbed fiercely against his wounded thing! 

I am a weak woman with little strength, so naturally I wouldn’t be able to carry a big man very far. Although the drug was no longer effective, he still didn’t have much strength left. He could only let me carry

He was tired and feeble - such a convenient time for me to commit crimes. 

Because of my bad intentions, the unconscious lord would be cruelly woken up for a while, then faint to only wake up again, which made his already pallid face turn ashen. However, every time he's about to lose his temper, he'll see my worried eyes. The rain soaked my body, made my face paler and my appearance more helpless. Given such a circumstance, he couldn’t get angry with me were he a man.

Sure enough, he did not get angry at me. 

Every time he wanted me to put him down, I put on a concerned expression to glance at him, and would rather die than agree. I told him that he absolutely could not walk alone, so I would take him to some place to seek medical treatment, even if I would lose my life. My entire heart was set to do the best for him, regardless of my own needs. Therefore, this so-called “bloodthirsty” man got softened and let me half-dragg half-carry him away. 

A certain lord did not know, my real goal is unimaginably dark: continuously rubbing till your member withers. Ah! 

Sometimes, the beautiful buttocks can also be a deadly weapon! 

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TL’s Box

*杀敌一千自损八百: is originally a Chinese military strategy by Sun Tzu to gain a marginal win despite a great loss.