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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years ago

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HASO “The Best Outcome.”

Just wrapping up a few loose ends from the past few months stories. I hope you all like it. And feel free to give me some ideas on what you want to see, or who you want to see more of. I will try to do my best :)

Breaking News tonight from the Apollo 11 memorial landing site as Admiral Adam Vr and Captains Warren Richarards and Mary Chavez were rescued from the Pacific Ocean following a journey that was supposed to be historical, turned harrowing. Amy Grey comes to us this morning with the story.

Thank you Julie, it was only a week ago here on the historic Cape Canaveral launch site, that the reconstructed Saturn V rocket was launched by the UNSC International Space and Aeronautics Division on the two thousand and fifty first anniversary of the original Apollo 11 mission. On board The reconstructed rocket were astronauts Fleet Admiral Adam Vir head of the UNSC deep space exploration division, Captain Warren Richards five year veteran and historical aeronautics expert, and Mary Chavez six year shuttle pilot veteran, and communications specialist.

The reconstructed Saturn V rocket took off thirty minutes behind schedule at 10:03 GMTJuly 16 after delays attributed to engineering standbys. However, reports by UNSC investigation early this morning indicate that the delays were called for by engineering head Jade Clein who noticed something strange during her final checks of the Saturn V recreated rocket. In an interview early today, flight director, Aaliyah Seif of the Apollo re-creation mission informed outlets that there was evidence of attempted tampering on the hull of the Saturn V rocket. The tampering case in the shape of these small silver tape strips covering loosened bolts along one of the Saturn V side panels. Engineers stated that the tape was not heat resistant and would have burned off in time to rattle the bolts loose and, likely, cause a devastating spin that would destroy the rocket.

While this attempted tampering was thwarted, the mission would only become more dire. A sudden and shocking report by Mericanda News 5 showed an uncut image of an unknown alien hybrid woman claiming that the UN President had ordered th attempted assassination of Admiral Vir, in conjuncton with an audio recording by Admiral Colter Massie, Head of the Galactic intelligence division an known isolationist, that admitted to the attempted assasination of Admiral Vir, and the acquisition of twenty thunderhawks which were used to harry the Satern V on it’s way to the moon. Admiral Kelly, long time friend of Admiral Vir, corroborated the story, saying she caught General Massie just after he ordered the deployment of the twenty thunderhawks. During their conversion he attempted to kill her before being detained by two members of Admiral Vir’s crew, and was later seen being escorted into custody by Military Police.

Indeed footage has been captured from the hull of the Saturn V showing approximately twenty thunderhawks attempting to destroy the rocket while Rundi remote piloted drones and an unknown group of what appear to be racing jets, fought back to delay the attack while word was sent to the UNSC to deploy F-90 darkfire pilots to assist. This all after communications between Houston and the rocket were sabotaged shortly after leaving orbit. The F-90 darkfire pilots were able to arrive on time to rescue the rocket, though a hole was reportedly torn in the hull sucking Admiral Vir out into space, though he was later recovered and returned to his ship without any injuries. Patch teams were then able to repair the torn hull and the astronauts completed their mission landing to crowds on the moon and returning to earth on time on time landing in the Pacific ocean only nine miles away from the waiting ship.

All three astronauts were recovered and are reported to be in good health.

The investigation into the UN president’s involvement is still ongoing at this time, however preliminary reports from the Global Bureau of Investigation suggest evidence is both staggering and damning to the current UN president, who earlier today, attempted to cut all ties to the sabotage efforts saying she was framed. Political experts report that, even assuming her innocence, she will likely not last to the end of her term.

International News Network was able to interview Admiral Vir shortly after his landing while still on board the rescuing ship UNSS Victory.

Here is what the Admiral had to say.

“I find it…. Really very disheartening that someone we all trusted, and someone that we all should have looked up to could do something like this. It really is a heinous demonstration of what political corruption can lead people to do.”

“And how do you feel, personally about all of this.”

“Personally, I…. well to be honest I am hurt and appalled. Not to mention that I fear for the safety of my family and my friends. Every day I wonder if my involvement with them is going to get someone I love killed…. The thought haunts me, but I hope after all of this is over I… and all of us can breathe a little easier.”

“Were you scared?”

“I don’t think that even needs to be a question. Of course I was scared, getting sucked out of your spaceship isn’t ideal.”

“What do you hope will happen now?”

“I hope that justice can be upheld to those who deserve it.”

“What do you have to say to the UN president.”

…

“I have nothing to say. Wouldn’t want to waste the air.

****

What followed would be one of the largest scandals in recent political history. At some point an unknown number of classified government documents was leaked onto the internet, and after that it was all over for the Presidency. Thousands of enterprising humans, and aliens alike, viewed the documents to discover all the underhanded and dirty things which had been going on in the UN governmental body over the past few years. Forensic accounting experts (mostly Tesrtaki) uncovered plenty of fiscal tampering which shed light on plenty of isolationist related projects and bank accounts. There was even evidence that they had something to do with the original assassination attempt against Admiral Vir so many months ago. The drama had even managed to capture the attention of Rundi political experts and Vrul computer science geniuses, and together they unearthed a world of unfathomable, but not unexpected corruption. The process to remove the UN president from office was probably one of the fastest movements of human government ever seen by UN congressional leaders, who were likely trying their very best tro distance themselves from association with the president, who despite not being the only one involved, had become the political scapegoat for everyone else that had a supposed link with isolationism.

Even the VP fell under suspicion and was watched closely for the rest of his term.

Admiral Massie and the UN President were placed under arrest and set up for court dates in the nearing future, though everyone saw a long and arduous litigation process ahead. Even Ramirez’s family had filed for damages against the government after the news came to light confirming that their son had been shot as collateral in one of the UN presidents plans to assassinate Admiral Vir. They settled out of court to the tune of an unknown, but impressive sum of money.

No one really knew how much, but a couple months later Ramirez’s younger sister was seen training at one of the most prestigious olympic academies on earth.

Ramirez himself was suddenly able to afford housing on the moon in a condo just next door to his best friend, though no one else inquired further.

The Rundi chairwoman came forward with her own investigation admitting to being suspicious for a long time though she feared accusations without proper proof. Admiral Vir was seen having lunch with her not so many months after the events took place, suggesting that the trust between the two of them had not been completely dissolved. With much of the isolationist element gone from government, public policy began to lean heavily towards integration with the alliance. The occasional isolationist demonstration or protest was held, but none of them managed to gain traction.

Admiral Vir was finding himself more important than ever, though it was to his chagrin that his ship was grounded for the intervening months while the investigation continued.

No one was entirely sure what the future held.

***

Admiral Vir stepped into Admiral Kelly’s office. The last time he had actually visited her here had been over a few years ago before his promotion to captain of the Harbinger. It seemed so distant now, and he never expected to walk into her office with a star on his shoulder. She stood as he entered, and the two of them shook hands, ignoring all the stuffy formalities that usually come with the meeting of two military officers.

The wall behind her was decorated with a myriad of metals and awards she had received over her career, and he couldn't help but note the slight tinge of grey he could see forming in her hair. He knew that feeling, he was going prematurely white much to his chagrin. She stood and the two of them shook hands.

“Vir.”

“Kelly.”

She motioned him to sit and he sat sighing lightly as he had been on his feet all day consulting with political figures and other members of the UNSC.

“A strange couple months wouldn’t you say.”

“Tell me about it.”{

Kelly reached under her desk and withdrew an amber bottle which she placed between them, “I always forget; Do you drink?”

“On occasion.”

“Well consider this an occasion.” She said popping off the top and pouring two glasses for them. She handed his across the desk and he leaned back in his seat cupping the cool glass in both hands.

She swirled the amber liquid around in her glass, “So what are your plans after all this.”

He took a sip of water warmed by the burning liquid, “Hoping things will go back to normal and I can go back to traveling the galaxy.”

Kelly grunted, “A simple man with simple motivations.”

He laughed , “Sometimes I think a stupid man with simple motivations.”

She chuckled then grew serious, “A lot of people make the mistake of assuming simple people don’[t have the intelligence to match. Some people assume that trusting means gullible means dumb. Just because we are trusting and expect others to do the right thing is not necessarily a fault. I believe there is a kind of beauty in assuming the fundamental goodness of humanity.”

\Admiral Vir shook his head, “How can you after seeing what we have seen.”

“How can you not?” She shrugged, “We always knew that politicians were corrupt, but think about everything else we have seen.”

Admiral Vir nodded slowly, “The enthusiasm for the Apollo 11 recreation mission, the people who flew up to help us. All of those people who went digging through years of information just to uncover the truth.”

SHe raised her glass, “Precisely. Goodness in humanity is all around us, but we tend to overlook the good in favor of the bad.” She placed her hat on the desk and sighed, “It is up to good people to keep their goodness going even when it might seem easier to give into the bad. I I have and will always believe in the fundamental good of humanity. Some may call it naeve, or even stupid. Others have said I have a romanticized view of a species that is fundamentally broken.” She turned her head to look out the window a contemplative expression on her face before turning back to look at Adam.

“You understand me, I think.”

He nodded slowly.

“People need to be believed in. You tell someone for long enough that they are fundamentally bad at their core and they will begin to believe you. For thousands of years pessimists have gotten it into our heads that we are no better than animals, worse even since animals don’t fight in wars. But I believe that is wrong, I have seen people, I have met people, and I have interacted with people who prove to me that humanity cannot just be fundamentally bad or else these people wouldn’t exist.” She tapped her nails against the glass, “I think it is easier to corrupt purity than wash away a stain,”

He listened quietly as she continued.

“Humans are born good, Adam, and life stains us. We aren’t born stained while some of us are wiped clean. “ She shook her head, “Doesn't make sense to me.” She caught him with a look pinning him to the spot with her intense stare, “People like you convince me of this every day.”

“Me….”

She held up a hand. “Adam Vir, I am convinced that the best outcome this universe ever had, was when a happy go lucky science fiction freak was lucky enough to be the first man to meet aliens. Any other way things would have gone horribly wrong.” She leaned across her desk, “The universe needs men and women like you, and not only that but the universe needs people who are going to support men and women like you.” She sat back, “Which is why I have made a decision.”

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity not entirely sure where this could be going.

She smiled, “I have decided to run for President.”

He nearly spit his mouthful of expensive scotch onto the table but managed to choke it mostly down.

Eyes wide he set his glass down, “Are you serious.”

She smiled, “Seriously serious.”

“Well shit, you have my vote for sure.” He raised his glass to her, “I couldn’t think of a better outcome.”

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thebookreader12345 · 4 years ago

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On the Loose - Chapter Three

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Four Chapter Five

The coffee in my system helped me wake up a bit, but I was still pretty tired considering that I had been shaken awake at around 5:00 in the morning. I yawned and rubbed my eyes again as Jay pulled up to our newest scene. I stepped out of the truck and glanced around to see police vehicles everywhere, along with a few crime scene investigators waiting for us to view the scene so that they could gather all of the evidence. The bright blue and red flashing lights of the police cars clashed with the light color of the barely morning sky, giving the street an almost unsettling look.

“Uh, hey. Detectives Halstead and L/N. Is Sergeant Voight here yet?” Jay asked the nearest officer, who nodded and pointed to the direction of the house we had appeared in front of. Jay thanked him quickly and started off towards the front door with me following behind him. It didn’t take us long to find the body because as soon as we stepped inside, we were met with a blood trail leading to the bedroom. And when we entered said room, I was greeted by a crime scene that looked very similar to the others. Except this time, something was different. There wasn’t a letter for me in sight, and instead, on the foot of the bed, right below the victim’s body, was a huge book. A photo album.

“Anybody open it yet?” I question. My voice caused Voight, Hailey and Adam, those in the room from the team, to look up at the sound of my voice.

“It’s addressed to you,” Adam responded. “Forensics dusted for prints and found nothing, so it’s safe for you to touch.”

“I’d rather not touch it, but I don’t want to offend the killer,” I counter and take a huge step over the puddle of blood in front of me. It hadn’t had time to dry yet, which meant this kill was fresh. Recent. Perhaps very recent. “Well, lets see what my admirer has to give to me today.” I reached forward and slipped my fingers under the front cover of the album, flipping it to the side to reveal the first page. The first page’s pictures were all of our first victim. One showed our victim bound and gagged, but still conscious on the warehouse floor. And the second showed her dead with dozens of stab wounds on her body. The second half of the page was of our second victim, the one found in her house, which was also where we found our first note. Again, the first picture was of our victim alive, this time unconscious. The second, the dead body. I then flipped the page and came to our third victim’s photos taken when she was alive, and when she was dead. On the other half of the second page was a letter.

“Terra Bretton was my first victim. I remember the first time I saw her. She looked so much like you, Y/N, that I was transported back to the time when you destroyed my life. Everything was taken away from me just like that. When I saw Terra that day, I got angry, so when she was closing up her bakery, and no one was around, I kidnapped her and then I took her to an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. That’s where I killed her, stabbing her so many times to rid my body of the hatred it held for you. Killing made me feel better, and so, when I saw my second victim, Addison Reed, I knew I had to do it again. She was a lot feistier than Terra, and when I broke into her house, she fought back. I didn’t want to kill her while she was unconscious because I wanted to see her squirm, but she wouldn’t stop talking, so I chloroformed her. A few minutes after the chemicals had set in, I struck. Again, I used my method of choice; stabbing. My third victim, the one lying dead in front of you, is Luci Denton. I saw her around a lot, and every time I caught a glimpse of her, I was reminded of you. I followed her home one night, and when she got out of her car, I was ready for her. I placed my knife against her throat and led her inside of her house where my attack began. I stabbed her once in the stomach, breaking the skin easily. As she bled, I dragged her body into the living room where I stabbed her a few more times, and finally, to the bedroom, where I ended her life with a knife to the heart, the blow that killed her. You may think that because you’ve got a whole team of police officers to back you up during the day and a detective for a boyfriend sleeping with you at nights that I won’t dare to come for you. But I will. I won’t stop until I kill you, and be warned, you’re next.”

“Well, that was comforting,” I murmur and close the album.

“Sarge, I think this is getting too far. Y/N’s life is in danger. We need to catch this bastard,” Jay exclaimed.

“And I understand that, but we’ve got nothing. There hasn’t been any forensic evidence at any of the scenes, and we’ve got almost no leads. The best we can do is continue combing through all of the cases Y/N has worked on and hope we find our guy,” Voight spoke.

“Um, hey. Do you mind if I keep this?” I ask the nearest CSI. She shook her head, and I thanked her before grabbing the photo album, holding it against my side.

“What do you plan to do with that?” Hailey questioned.

I shrugged. “Maybe something will jump out at me.” We left the crime scene quickly and headed back to the district to start working. Kevin and Kim were already in the bullpen going through files when we arrived. I slid into my desk chair and got straight to work. The first thing I did was re-read the note that came along with the photo album, and something jumped out at me. Our killer had said that he saw Luci around a lot. That could either mean he was always near where she worked or her house. That’s when I got an idea. I dug deeper into Luci and discovered where she worked, a book store out in Humboldt Park. Then, I started searching for PODs that might have a view of that building. After searching for a bit, I finally found a camera that was on the same street as Luci’s workplace, but the problem was, its view didn’t quite reach where Luci worked. I could see part of the store, but not the entrance. I guess that would have to do. I started scanning the footage, trying to remember as many faces as I could, but it didn’t do me much good because there were so many people passing by, and many of them could have fit the description of our killer. By now, it was 8:00 in the morning, and the bookstore’s website said that they were open, so I figured I’d head down there to see if there were any cameras that actually had a view of the bookstore’s entrance, and maybe see if anyone who worked there could ID our killer. “I’ll be right back,” I tell the team and stand up, grabbing my coat as I did.

“Where are you going?” Kim asked me.

“I just need some fresh air,” I lie. “I’ll be back shortly.”

“Y/N,” Jay started.

“I said I need some air,” I repeat. “So just give me a few minutes, okay?” And with that, I pulled on my coat and exited the bullpen. It was about a fifteen minute drive to the bookstore, and when I climbed out of my car, I spotted someone sitting at the front desk inside. I pushed the door open gently, and a bell jingled above me, signaling that I had entered the store. The woman at the desk looked up and gave me a small smile, which I returned, and set down the book she was reading.

“Can I help you?” the woman, whose name tag read Lila, asked.

“Yeah,” I reply and show her my badge. “I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.”

“This is about Luci, right? I saw it on the news this morning,” Lila confessed.

“Were you guys close?” I question.

Lila shook her head. “We never spoke outside of work. As soon as we both left after closing, we went our separate ways. She texted me a few times, but they were all work related texts. Things like she’d be late for work or couldn’t come in because she was sick or something.”

“Okay. Uh, this past week, have you seen any guys around here: blonde, green eyes, thirtyish, on the taller side?” I ask. Lila hesitated, meaning she probably knew what I was talking about, but she didn’t answer my question and looked out the front window. “Lila? Have you seen the man I described?”

“I don’t believe I have,” Lila responded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

“Lila, you’re impeding a murder investigation, and by lying, you’re committing obstruction, which means you’ll get up to three years in prison along with a pretty expensive fine. And I know for a fact that you won’t be able to pay it off with the salary you get from working at a bookstore. So tell me what you know,” I demand.

“H-he said he’d kill me,” Lila stammered out, tears brimming the corners of her eyes. “He said that if I talked to the police, he’d find me and kill me.”

“When was this?” I question. Lila didn’t answer the question and looked down at her hands. “Lila, I promise that you’ll be kept safe, okay? I just need you to tell me what happened.”

Lila sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “A man came in this morning right as we opened that fit your description. I had seen him around a lot. He came in a few times asking to speak to Luci, but she told me that someone who looked like him and been following her the past few days, so I always told him no. When he came in this morning, I somehow knew he had killed her. I just knew. He threatened me, said he’d kill me and anyone I loved if I told the cops that he’d been stalking her.”

“Okay. Did you happen to catch his name?” I ask.

Lila nodded. “He said his name was Jeffery something.” That’s when something hit me. Or should I say, someone.

“Was it perhaps Jeffery Smaldor?” I question.

“Yeah. That’s it,” Lila responded.

“Okay. Um, I think it’s best you take the day off. Head down to the 21st district and say Detective L/N wants you in witness protection. Thank you for the help,” I tell her before leaving the store. As I got back to my car, I had the feeling that someone was following me, but when I turned around, no one was there. The whole street was empty. I pulled out my keys to unlock my car, and that’s when I felt a pinch in my neck. I reached up, my hands brushing against a needle, and suddenly, my whole body went limp. I then collapsed against my car, my keys falling to the ground. Hands grasped at my waist and turned my body around, and that’s when I saw him. Jeffery Smaldor. The man I was after.

“Hey, Y/N. I heard you were looking for me. Looks like I found you first,” Jeffery spoke and smirked. And with that, my eyes began drifting close, and after a few seconds, I fell unconscious into Jeffery’s arms.

_______________________

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sylvies-chen · 4 years ago

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Chicago PD's Characters and the Role of Reform: an Analysis (???)

Hi everyone! The finales of One Chicago aired a couple of weeks ago by now but I've been preparing this post in my head ever since PD's finale aired. I wanted to talk/write about each character's (and maybe even the writers') interpretation of police reform and how it affects the plot. This will also talk about police reform in general. Before I start, I'd just like to state that this will be a bit long and probably biased since a lot of it is influenced by my own views on reform. I'm not interested in debating people on the internet, just putting out interesting perspective on an interesting TV show. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and feel free to add thoughts of your own— as long as they’re respectful!

Chicago PD's handling of reform in this season was far from perfect but I did enjoy a few things they did with it. We had Kevin, a POC, stand up and fight back when even the people closest to him tried to shut him down. I did have some issue with the way they reduced Kevin's entire set of beliefs/morals to something so trivial and disrespectful as a "woke card" but I think the writers chose to do that on purpose to show how blinded white people can be sometimes. It's more the characters using that term, not the writers, which I thought was a good move since in both situations— Kevin v. Voight in 8x02 and Kevin v. Adam in 8x16– they made sure it's clear that Kevin is in the right. Voight may have been frustrated and Adam may have been spiraling over losing Kim (love me some #Burzek), but Kevin was still in the right. If only we could have some more varied representation on this show! That way, Kevin wouldn’t have to be used as the emotional punching bag all the time for these white characters and their misplaced frustrations with the system (added onto their personal frustrations which fluctuate on a episode-to-episode basis).

Now, onto the view on reform because this is where it gets interesting. I'm going to go ahead and say something that might be controversial: I think the majority of conflicts in this season have come from a gross misinterpretation of the concept of reform. This is especially highlighted in the finale when we see Adam saying he should be able to change/bend/break the rules to save someone he loves. It's also shown in the case with Miller's son Darrell and how they need to break the rules to save him, the case in 8x11 that Hailey considers breaking the rules for. It could even be loosely applies to 8x06 when Jay feels the need to break the rules only slightly in order to serve proper justice for their victim's father. Proper justice, in this case for Jay, being mercy towards the father and doing what's right in Jay's mind. Notice a common theme? These characters who are against reform (I know Voight was so good most of the season but he still falls into that category because of the first and last two episodes) all have one thing in common: the way they view reform. Voight, Hailey, and Adam, somewhere along the line (in my opinion), have all come to think of reform as a social push to get police officers to adhere to the proper guidelines when in reality, that's only a small fraction of an otherwise complex concept. Reform isn't all about getting police to follow the rules-- reform in and of itself is recognizing that the rules that are set into place aren't always effective. There are rules that are discriminatory, rules that are bureaucratic nonsense, rules that disproportionately affect specific groups of people, and rules that create roadblocks to solving real problems. Hell, the original police systems in North America especially were created to persecute minorities and maintain military power over citizens. The need for reform is referencing a larger systemic issue and getting police officers to follow the most basic procedures is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't want to get too much into the principles behind reform here because I am no expert. I recognize that because I am white I benefit from these rules/systems put into place so my voice shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I do think the majority of the tensions in this season of Chicago PD stem from the extreme oversimplification of reform. It surprised me too when I thought about it because they've managed to explore the grey areas/more complex aspects of it, but I think the writers are intentionally making that decision which makes it really interesting.

Throughout the season, I couldn’t help but feel that these characters considered reform as the push from the public to adhere to guidelines-- as they should, obviously-- but while ignoring the more nuanced principles of reform such as asking themselves questions like: is what I'm doing truly helping the communities we've sworn to serve and protect? Are the solutions us cops in Intelligence are offering permanent solutions? Should we be rethinking our principles of justice to be less retributive and more procedural-- or even more restorative?

This is all in reference to the characters, of course, not the writers. We have Voight, Hailey, and Adam resisting reform because they don’t see value in following the rules. But reform, in its purest form, is recognizing that the rules need changing, which is why it’s so interesting to see the “opposing side” against it even though they also believe the rules aren’t helping them. So I think it's really good and interesting how the writers have written these characters as having very complex and layered discussions/arguments about reform and about justice while still doing that. Because their contempt for the rules comes from a place of wanting to carry out justice, just like Kevin and all the others who push for reform, but they’re motivated by ideals closer to retributive justice and using their position of power to exact a more personal form of justice. Because of Hailey, Adam, and Voight’s more personal and intimate views of justice, their solutions always feel short-term. For example, Voight murdering suspects, bashing in cars, etc. This is all stuff that creates a temporary fix but their passion towards justice makes them care more about the personal, emotional release that kind of justice brings than the actual, long-term change. This is especially shown in that one scene where Hailey tells Jay the story about how a clerical error made an offender walk, which she sort of views as a reason why breaking the rules should be allowed whereas Kevin would view that as a reason why the rules need changing. Again, short-term vs. long-term.

This is not to say that Hailey, Voight, and Adam are evil, obviously. They're complicated, but they're far from evil. (Well, the jury’s still out on Voight. Haha!) What this show is portraying, however, is how the ideas of reform can be fleeting and temporary and all-around fickle in the minds of these characters when they reach a certain breaking point. They're able to throw this aside because they're all white, so it doesn't affect them personally. But right off the bat in season 8 we've seen it affect Kevin professionally AND personally in every single way. Others are almost viewing it as a social trend or a push to be a rule-follower though which is why both Adam and Voight, when put under emotional distress, are so easily able to downplay Kevin's push for doing things the right way. (Even though, really, he's asking for the bare minimum here of following the rules and not killing people.) Kevin, ever the conscience of the group, doesn’t put up with it and keeps people in check which can be extremely aggravating when you’re in a very emotional state and want to let your emotions lead you on a rampage. Hence, this is the root cause of the majority of tensions between the unit— in season 8 especially.

Anyway, this is all to say that I think this season of Chicago PD has done quite a lot in terms of portraying reform and the need for systemic change while still staying true to their characters and delving into how their privelege has led to them misinterpreting reform. Which leads to the portraying of some fairly corrupt policing, but never condoning it. At the very least, they show how it's less important for these characters since they all have a breaking point where reform becomes moot whereas for a black man like Kevin, it's more firmly ingrained into him. That’s a concept that is all too common in the real world, and one I appreciated that they represented even though some things weren’t so great.

#abby trying to be meta? it’s more common than you think #chicago pd #hank voight #adam ruzek #hailey upton #kevin atwater #analysis #meta timeeee #meta #police reform #one chicago

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spicysoftsweet · 3 years ago

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Chapter 8

Masterlist

Baji Keisuke was the king of mixed signals, Kumi decided, the thought leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

There was a part of her that wondered if that night had been a dream, if she had been so hurt she’d manage to dream up a situation where Baji’s feelings for her were crystal clear now that she wore her heart on her sleeve. There was another part of her that wondered if she’d conjured up every good thing about him in her head to ignore the type of person he actually was.

The type of person who would do this.

“I’m fine.”

Chifuyu pulled away from Kumi’s hands that slowly reached for the bandages surrounding half his face but not enough that she couldn’t gently touch the sides of his face with her shaking fingers, moving his head from side to side to get a closer look.

Kaksi fumed nearby and Takemichi paled, wondering if it was wrong to have gone to the two girls for intel as Kumi’s eyes ran over Chifuyu’s injuries. Kumi was gravely silent, her mind clearly racing a mile a minute despite the neutral expression she bore.

“Who the hell does he think he is?” Kaksi yelled, genuinely and righteously upset. She had been tolerating his odd behavior towards her, towards Kumi, towards everyone so far, but this - this was possibly the last straw for her.

If he could do this to his friend, then what was the point?

“He has a reason,” Chifuyu started, but Kaksi wouldn’t have it.

“Bullshit! You can barely see!”

Kumi let her hands drop to her side and nervously ran a hand through her hair as she took a couple steps. Chifuyu gave her a once-over, unclear of how to gauge her reaction and then turned back to Kaksi whose fists were clenched and positively vibrated with rage.

“It was a…,” Chifuyu paused, unsure if he really needed to explain all of this to these girls, then continued, “test of faith.”

Kumi let out a sudden nervous laugh, crossing her arms. “So he goes to church now?”

She was somewhere between upset and irritated, then apologized for being curt.

Takemichi suddenly spoke up.

“Baji left Toman for another gang called Valhalla... Which was what I was going to talk to you about, but it seems like you didn’t know,” he said, a little bit of disappointment in his voice. "We were at their hideout and then this-"

Chifuyu shot him a glance that suggested he was talking too much and Takemichi paled before trailing off.

Kumi’s eyebrows furrowed. He had been wearing Toman’s garb when he came to see her just days ago… or had she just imagined it?

“Did something happen?” She asked. "Like a fight or something?" At least to her, Toman had always been Baji’s priority; she couldn’t imagine him suddenly changing his mind now, unless there had been an incident.

Plus he had talked to her like nothing happened, but then again, she had felt like something was strange about him for the past few weeks.

What else did she not know?

Takemichi shook his head, and Kaksi grew impatient, both with the fact that Takemichi had no useful information to offer and the simple fact that he knew things that she didn’t, that Kumi didn’t, and she still had no idea where this guy had come from.

It was suspicious - maybe she was even a little jealous - how quickly Takemichi had gotten Mikey to open up. Something she had wanted for so long-

She didn’t know why she was thinking this way, back to the matter at hand.

“Where’s Valhalla’s hideout? We’re going there right now,” Kaksi declared.

Chifuyu let out a small incredulous laugh before his eyes widened when he realized she was dead serious. He looked at Takemichi who looked genuinely horrified, then at Kumi whose eyes were lowered, now deciding that her fingers and thumbs were suddenly very interesting to her. He couldn’t sense the turmoil inside her, and Kaksi was too righteously upset to notice by now.

Maybe Kaksi needed an outlet. She’d spent enough time feeling sorry for herself and now was ready to raise hell.

“Where is it?” She repeated to Takemichi.

Takemichi startled and Chifuyu gave him a warning look.

“Don’t tell them, Takemitchy.”

Kaksi glared at Chifuyu.

“If you don’t tell us, we’ll go find it ourselves. It won’t take a lot of asking to find out if it was that easy for you guys to find, after all,” she threatened. “Let’s go, Kumi,” she said, now grabbing Kumi, who seemed lost in her own world, by the wrist.

Kumi resisted as Kaksi pulled, and this actually surprised her.

“I-I don’t want to see him,” she finally admitted in a small voice, not looking up. “Or Kazutora,” she murmured. “I think we should just stay out of it this time.”

Kaksi genuinely appeared to be in shock.

“What?”

Kaksi let go of her arm gently, her rage fading slightly.

“Kumi?”

Kumi looked up at her, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” she said, a tear finally breaking loose and rolling down her cheek.

Was he good? Bad? Kind then not? Did she even know him? Even if he supposedly liked her now, she couldn’t forget that he was once her bully in some capacity, especially looking at Chifuyu’s battered face now, she wondered if there was something she was missing, and if he’d snap at her too.

Don’t hate me if I mess up.

What did that even entail?

Kaksi walked over to her crying friend and put her arms around her. “You don’t have to come if you’re worried, I get it,” she reassured her.

Kumi nodded.

“But I’m going,” she continued, pulling back now. Kumi’s tears had the opposite effect, making Kaksi even more adamant that she give the two - at the very least, Baji - a piece of her mind. “Takemichi, you’re coming with me,” she insisted.

“What?!”

Kaksi was already off, somehow in the right direction, and Takemichi and Chifuyu found themselves following suit before they knew it.

---

The smoke that greeted the four of them - Kumi had decided she wasn’t going to let her friend go on her own after all - was suffocating, even though the doors to the abandoned arcade were still technically closed.

Kumi held onto the sleeve of Kaksi’s shirt reflexively, slightly behind her and with her other hand subconsciously raised before her. Yes, she’d been around delinquents for the past two years, but she’d never been in or even close to the fray, and without having even stepped foot to breach the hideout, she could already tell she and her best friend were in incredibly hostile territory. Just the simple act of stepping over a ‘no trespassing’ had set her on edge.

“Now that you see it, will you go home already?” Chifuyu finally said, exasperated. The four of them had stalled in their advancement, possibly because Kaksi had had a moment of clarity, and Chifuyu expected them to go back.

However, the glass doors suddenly slid open, revealing a couple of grunts that were clearly low on the hierarchy. The taller of the two unnecessarily mature-looking teenagers looked at the four of them, probably having kept watch from outside, and laughed once he saw Chifuyu.

“You’re here for another beating? Didn’t have enough?” He jeered.

“And that scared bitch from Toman is here again, and he brought extra bitches with him!” The other laughed, hands still shoved in the white Walhalla jacket uniform as he threw his head back. Before Kaksi could turn and start running, he’d already grabbed her by her hair and started to drag her inside despite kicking and screaming.

Kumi screamed after her and tried to pry his hands off her friend but immediately was scooped up from behind and restrained by the second watchman.

“Fuck!” Chifuyu hissed, running in after the two of them, cursing himself for having tried to call Kaksi’s bluff rather than firmly telling them to mind their own business. He hadn’t anticipated either of them actually being this stupid, and now...

He threw a punch that connected with Kaksi’s captor’s back, but wasn’t enough to get Kaksi free, narrowly dodging a heavy kick launched in his direction.

“Let go of me, you piece of shit!” Kaksi shrieked, thrashing as Kumi began to wail for help, muffled by the clasp of a dirty hand over her mouth.

The shuffling of hands and fists and kicks right outside the hideout was loud enough that the inside stirred with excitement. The two girls were dragged in along with Takemichi and Chifuyu closely behind, brought in by additional gang members.

Kumi, and even Kaksi, were afraid enough by now, being ogled by all these strange boys, more unfriendly and harsh-looking, jeering boys (and probably some adult men) than they’d ever been in their life.

This had been a terrible idea, Kaksi thought, as fire tore through her scalp from the hold on her hair.

“Hey, we got visitors!” The first boy, grip on Kaksi’s hair still unrelenting. The taunts and whoops and leers grew louder, as they were brought to the leaders of the crew. Kaksi considered for a minute that she was done for - she knew what some gangs could do to a girl like her.

But Kazutora would never be part of those gangs, right?

“You’ve got what?”

Kaksi gasped, recognizing the voice immediately.

“Visi-”

The harsh thwock of knuckles hitting flesh almost silenced the crowd, and Kaksi felt herself get yanked backwards as the man dragging her toppled backwards.

“I’ll fucking kill you, you piece of shit!” Kazutora was on top of the crumpled body in seconds, dealing additional punches on either side of the teen’s face, his teeth bared in a vicious expression.

Kumi gasped as she watched the growing crowd freeze as Kazutora laid into the young man’s face, and the one who had restrained her released her immediately and set her down on her feet, surprising her even. From just a few feet away, she noticed Baji, also in Valhalla garb, new and nothing like the Toman uniform, glaring past her, his fists clenched as though he were itching for a fight as well.

The guy who had let go of her bowed, begging Kazutora to stop on behalf of his partner, and the young man paid him absolutely no mind, until another young man laughed loudly.

“Kazutora, we get it, she’s off limits,” he chuckled, as he walked forward. Kazutora paused, expression still frozen, then turned to look at Kaksi and frowned before getting to his feet.

He opened his mouth as though he planned to say something, then changed his mind. To Kumi, he looked blankly, then asked flatly,

“Did these bastards tell you where this place was?”

Kazutora pointed directly at Chifuyu and Takemichi’s general direction, the two also frozen in place as they stared at the bloodied pulp on the ground.

Kumi froze, then nodded slowly then shook her head quickly.

“T-they didn’t want us to come… but Kaksi forced it so-”

Baji stepped forward at this time, giving her a harsh look, mean enough that she could feel her stomach turn, then walked towards Chifuyu. Chifuyu actually flinched, a microscopic action, but Kumi and Baji both noticed, and the latter might have even been angered by it.

“Did I hit you too hard the other day or not hard enough?” Baji spat. “Why the fuck would you bring her here?” His fists clenched tighter and he leaned forward and before Kumi knew it, she’d moved closer to him, pulling his arm gently.

“Please stop.”

He shrugged her off instantly, staring down Chifuyu. Kumi tried again, while Kaksi froze in place watching the two of them. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen Baji this upset.

“Kei-” Kumi murmured. Her hands reached for him again, hesitant just from the hostile energy that seemed to radiate for him, and before she could touch him, he whipped around and turned to her, eyes wild.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He snapped.

There seemed to be a sudden stillness to the air, or maybe Kumi just imagined it, as she recoiled at the harshness of his voice. Before she could come up with something to say, he continued.

“Don’t you get the hint?” He continued. “Get lost. ”

Kumi’s heart skipped a beat, and for a moment she thought about the first time she’d met him, where instead of this twisted frown he sported right now, the face red with irritation and grit teeth, he’d sported an amused smile like he could swallow her up at any moment.

Get lost.

Had he ever liked her? He hadn’t, had he?

It had all been in her head, this idea that he was a good person with some bad qualities, and that she could look past them, that it could be different, because at least he liked her, right?

Before she could burst into tears, Kaksi seemed to move like lightning in between the two of them, and forgetting where she was, who she was, why she was there, her hand drew back to slap Baji across the face. He stopped her before her palm made contact, and Kaksi glared at him as he held on to her wrist.

“You fucking asshole,” she hissed.

He didn’t say anything, but let go of her arm. Kaksi let it drop to her side.

“You changed,” she told him. She laughed bitterly, glancing at Kazutora as though to imply that this applied to him too, as Kumi finally lost control over tears that were welling up in her eyes, letting them stream wordlessly down her cheeks.

The young man, tall and brown-haired with an almost perpetual leer to his face, who had mocked Kazutora’s sudden fury again laughed, louder this time.

“Are you bringing your relationship problems to the gang? Do we need a rule that says don’t mix business with pleasure?” He said, clapping, truly rioting as Kumi tried to manage the sensation of her heart shattering.

Baji’s eyes didn’t leave Kumi, still shaking with something between anger and confusion and maybe an instant bit of regret, he wasn’t sure, but she suddenly sniffled loudly, then looked him straight in the eyes, fiercer than she had for the past two years that they’d known each other.

“Fuck you.”

He may have been taken aback by the severity of her words, but he didn’t show it, stone-faced for a moment before looking away.

It was for her own good, right? Do what was necessary and apologize later.

Don’t hate me.

Valhalla was different from Toman. Someone like her, a deer in headlights, could genuinely get hurt.

Please don’t hate me.

He tried not to look back as Kumi hurried out of the glass doors alone. Part of him wondered if he should go after her, but instead he diverted his attention back to Kaksi who had dug in her heels.

Despite the uneasiness that took over Kaksi, standing there surrounded by so many dangerous and much stronger people than her, she decided that walking away from Kazutora now wasn’t an option. Takemichi and Chifuyu stood behind her, waiting for her to realize there was nothing she could do or say to reason with her ex-boyfriend or Baji.

She still had to try. Kaksi moved forward, walking past Baji and grabbing Kazutora by his arms, attempting to shake him, anger more than anything else taking over her now. Baji muttered in annoyance but knew better than to interfere. He wished she wasn’t so stubborn sometimes.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she asked, loud enough to express how she felt, but low enough that not everyone could hear.

Kazutora didn’t say anything, watching her with those eyes she didn’t recognize.

“Kazutora, please,” she begged. “This is not where you belong.”

Her ex-boyfriend chuckled, clearly not taking anything she could say seriously.

“And where do you think I belong?”

“With me!” she exclaimed as if the answer was evident. “With your friends! With Toman! With Mi-”

“Don’t fucking talk about him!” Kazutora yelled his turn to hold the girl, violently shaking her.

Baji watched the scene unfold, surprised by the harsh way his friend handled Kaksi, but not displaying any real emotion. The way he gripped her arms and pushed her back then pulled her in was very different from the way he would normally gently hold her hand and bring it to his lips. For a moment Takemichi and Chifuyu were afraid of what Kazutora would do to her, but it seemed that Kaksi was the most afraid as she burst into tears still firmly held by her ex-boyfriend.

Kazutora stopped moving, automatically releasing her as his eyes widened. He didn’t want to hurt her; Kaksi was the last person he wanted to see crying which was why he didn’t want her here. He wished that she could understand how he felt, the fury that Mikey brought each time Kazutora thought about him. But all there was and all she could see was madness in his eyes and in his actions.

Kaksi didn’t understand him anymore, she couldn’t understand him. For a moment she wondered if she ever did? Yes, of course. She used to know Kazutora like the back of her hand. But the young man standing in front of him wasn’t the boy she had fallen for years ago and she was afraid she would never have him back.

Tears kept rolling down her cheeks and she realized only confusion and sadness remained inside of her. She wanted to speak but she couldn't find any more words. Kazutora took a step back, looking at Takemichi and Chifuyu instead.

“I should fucking kill you for having brought her here,” he said. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”

Kazutora gave one last look to the girl and it was while wiping off her tears that she walked away. Takemichi and Chifuyu followed her closely. But she wished she could have left with Kazutora and Baji by her side too.

#baji x oc #kazutora x oc #tokyorev #off target effects #collab fic #mae.writing #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers imagine #tokyo revengers #longfic

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snow-wind-and-all-we-will-find · 4 years ago

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Hi! My names arthur and im working on improving my word and building my story, which currently has no name haha! I have a myriad of characters who ill try to list out and give brief descriptions of, aether is technically my main character and some of the characters who are up for question are dead in canon. But you can still ask them stuff, itll just be set before death.

When asking characters questions, rememeber to include the name, their age if theres diffrent ages, i dont mind repeated questions, but if you see the question try not to ask it again lol. If you cant find it with a quick scroll just ask it, although i dont know if this blog will even get that big.

Aether

He comes in three evolutions lol, technically, theres four but idk if i would count 7 year old aether.

Ages: 13 yo - colder, hasnt gotten used to emotions, there are two to this as well, pre-rev and then post-rev 13 yo aether, remember to specify lol.

16 yo- a bit more out there, still kinda disconnected and figuring things out, a bit more defensive

22 yo- lax, hes sorta figured shit out, hes not going to go grazy, hes just gonna be chill lol.

!The gaggle Ghosts!

Yurei

Her personality is very, ehhh, becuase i havnt done work with her, and i havnt completly figured out who she is fully yet, shes 18 yo when aether is 22 yo

18 yo- pretty oblivious, somehow still a bit cynical, very nice and sometimes motherly

Kakoku

Few thousand- mean, likes to bully yurei as he huants her, lowkey a simp for yurei but he wont admit that. Kinda cynical and likes to bring others down, generally a bully

Tamashi

19- emotionless, has to be a really strong emotion to make her emote, tends to stray away from other people, likes to be alone, blunt

Gunnar

A few thousand- sweet, warm and welcoming, tries to be very fatherly and a trusted figure, is very busy most of the tiime unfortunatly though.

!The greek gang!

Argus agapov

16- unstable, pretty baby, protective over friends and family

Mythos agapov

23- whore. He also loves his family, lowkey, hes a trad wife

Perceus

15/16- timid, intrested in posiosn and acids, generally quiet, likes to eat leaves, scaredy cat

Diogenes

14- germ of phobe, kind of a brat, more just a bitch, will yell at you if he sees your hands were dirty from gardening or something while you’re walking to the sink, other than that hes fine, picky eater

Herodotus

15- disorginized, trys his best, likes to write stuff down, helps plato with his writing and grammar in general, gullible, likes record data, has a nice typewriter with tha good clicky clack

Plato

8- sweet baby boi, loves his older brother (socrates), idolizes him even, not a good idea though. He writes down everything socrates does, sometimes he imitates his brother as well.

Socrates

17- dumb of ass, also just dumb, held back a grade, feral child, bites alot of people, soft aestechic but hed stab as a warning

Heracles

30- also dumb of ass, loves cars in that ‘mah babeh’ kinda way. Hates motorcycles, he thinks they’re ugly. Chaotic but he utilizes it to be the weird and cool uncle/cousin thing

Zeus

46- too tired for this shit, is a dad, went out to get milk, jk jk, dissapeared for a hot few years, probably got captured by some gang dunno, it happens. Very serious, would make the dumbest jokes with his brothers with a straight face

Hades

50- lowkey the neglected middle child, soft goth lookin ass, loves his kid, tries his best to raise his kid, sometimes gets help from esme

Poseidon

57- proud stay at home dad, buff but does the typically wifely duties, makes sure his children get enough love, nutrience and care

Lillith

54- very active, the money maker, kinda soft, both her and her husband poseidon are so just in love with their kids, dote on them constantly, very extroverted, always makes time for her kids

Esme

51- tired of zeus’ shit, does her best to make sure no one dies, still treats mythos as her ‘little baby boy, tired mom vibes.

!the Eden gang!

Eden is a fictional country that i slapped onto the globe. It is where aether is from, technically aether is apart of the eden gang as well. Everyone here, if they have an age option, the first age option is the age they are when aether is 13, and the second will be when aether is 16 unless stated otherwise

General kyelli

49- fatherly, thinks of most of the gang as his children, calls everyone ‘son’, as a general rule. If you ask for another nickname, he will do his best. Has a bad knee, and is kinda of bad at existing physically

52+- fatherly still, loves almonds, always has a bag of almonds, dont test him. Enjoys travel, might adopt people he meets along the way, still has pains but now he sees doctors, wants to stay active

Indigo

13- sweet, optimistic, always looks on the brightside and tries to see the good in others. Little heater, understands that sometimes fighting is the only option

Akrano

16- lively, very loose and relax, can get serious when needed though, always making jokes and trying to lighten up the mood

19- a bit more, mellow. Still quite lively and childish, but with two signifigant-others you have to settle down sometimes

Ekrano

16- lively, more stern than akrano and kinda worried, but ultimatly also very loose and bright

Lilliana

16- serious, seemingly colder towards everyone, gets along great with psycho-lops, makes him new eye-patches to pass time, actually just very monotone and blank most of the time, although she does care

19- she doesnt change much, she got a bit more expressive, likes babysitting howl

Psycho-lops

16 1/2- always looks determined, actually kinda scared of conflict, likes to help out with healing though, very proficient in it as well, sounds intimidating while talking about how cute puppies and kittens are

19/20- still the same, is considering studying medicine and medical practices to become a doctor.

Bark

17- bright, incredibly lively, loves to joke around and tease and sometimes bully the others, targets aether primarily, hangs out with his brother most of the time, he can fight for himself but he likes the backup, especcially since he is kinda glass-jawed, being that hes a twig

Bite

17- quiet, intense eyes, always sounds vaugly confused when he speaks, deep voice lol, likes to train, doesnt understand barks need to tease others, likes to read to the children

20- quiet, intense eyes still, more so nervous sounding, slightly paranoid, cluastrophobic and cant stand dusty places, usually in his house or at the docks, doesnt really go anywhere else

Hanelle

17- loud, headstrong, adamant about her opinions, gets along well with bark, she tries alot to be intimidating, not a twig, but not very big, pretty friendly and sociable

!the band of pirates!

Aklea

A few hundreds of years- kinda bored seeming, loves blood, technically cannibal, but not really since he isnt human, to an extent. Despite being fine on the ocean, he gets very car sick very easily. Actually quite nice, very easily triggerd into violence, especcially by something that could be used as a good murder weapon, blood makes him jittery and more lively

Nerone

21- calm, too calm, deals with akleas bullshit wonerfully, he just stands there, blank smile on his face as aklea beats the shit outta someone, unintrested in most anything, likes to draw, but hes a much better pastry chef.

!the shakespears!

Midem(pink boi)

33- lively, loves to work with kids, very creative, likes to make things, mainly art, mainly carvings. Often make little minitures of scenes from midens writing, loves his twin, does anything it takes to fund midens intrests. Very loving to those hes close to

Miden

33- calmer by alot lmao, pretty introverted but he can hold a long conversation without becoming too drained, enjoys writing and making stories, also makes plays for fun, runs off little sleep cuase he stays up so late to write, and gets up early to write.

!gods!

Gideon

9 billion- confused boomer, loves his ‘children’, hates to be hated, always tries to help in anyway he can, despite making them, always curious into what mortals are doing, loves the universe he created and does anything he can to protect it

Merik

7 million- sore loser, does get a little salty, ultimatly bounces back and becomes a very good sport, always will adopt tactics, whatever it takes to win within the rules, keeps most all of his trophies from random feats hes done

Ventus

5 billion - calm, straightforward, tends to disregard others and do things himself, likes to sit on cliffs and watch the ocean

Kyle

Hes been around since 776 bc- very loud, lively, bright, tries his best to educate people on proper form, workout regime i intesne, doesnt allow others to take it, makes custom workout regimes for free, owns a gym, dude bro but hes nice, baby

Horo-sha

Her age technicaly is not accurate, shes like, 2 billion? Since dima was made right after her death. But since her history still lives, ima count it

5 billion but older than ventus- bitter, violent, former god of justice, fucking dead haha, hates mortals, primarily humans

Dima

Also not super accurate, hed only be a few centuries of being an active god before being sealed, but since hes technically, concious and has cognitive function hes counted

3 billion- mean lol, likes blood and gets even more violent when it starts getting messy, ‘new’ god of justice, uh, pretty bad at it like the last one, but worse, will kill over slight misdeameanors, everythings a crime smh

!misc!

Ivan

24- softspoken, from imperial russia, died young, he no longer feels his face is his own, has a mask that he likes better, has the sickness, but since he was human it killed him, can control it post mortem, is strong enough to be seen, but weak enough he can go invisible and go through solid objects.

More ocs will be added when i remember them, or create new ones, characters i dont really have built at all are not included

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razorblade180 · 4 years ago

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Code Black

[Lasting Embers Au] [Warning, it’s dark]

Atlas, three o’clock in the morning. A lone airship soars across the barren tundra to an unmarked Atlas warehouse that had been abandoned for years, until recently that is. Inside, Sienna sat in silence with a deep seeded anxiety that went to her bones deeper than the frigid cold that made its way through the cockpit.

Today was mission 0, final exam day. Every recruit for The Shadows has to take it before actually making it in. They took it one at a time and weren't allowed to speak about it. Not that mattered since each test tailored to the recruit, but none of them were aware of that fact. Everything was so bizarre and mysterious more than usual, even the close. Sienna was in specialized gear for the first time today. A black form fitting bodysuit covered by white military style cargo pants, and turtleneck that would be disposed of once she got out of the snow. Sienna put on her black leather gloves and picked up her very own Shadows mask, which was simply a full face White Fang mask that was painted completely black with specks of grayish white to match her ears. She even had a change of shoes in her duffel bag once the snow boots served their purpose. The bag also housed extra ammunition for her party as well as her chain for the time being. This was a standard op it seems. This was…

xxxx

“A code black, what is that?” Sienna said to Adam in his office, clearly confused by the code. Normal recruits weren’t allowed in the office since only actual members and a few others knew he was alive, but Adam raised her so there wasn’t a real reason for her not to ask directly.

“Yes,” he said. Adam stood up and moved in front of his desk and sat on the edge with his legs stretched out. He found it a little funny how his daughter stood in front of him at attention. “You know it’s just the two of us, relax.”

Sienna shoulders dropped immediately. “Sorry, I was practicing for when we’re in public. It would cause trouble if the others suspected something.”

They already know but I’m glad she’s thinking ahead. “Did they go over the different color codes for recruits by any chance?”

Sienna stood up straight and cleared her throat. “Every mission for The Shadows is given a specific color depending on what kind of operation it is, that way members can have an idea of what’s entail and if they think they are qualified.”

“Did...was that in a handbook or something? Since when do you use words like entail?”

Sienna let out a sigh as she stared at her feet. “Ilia is a very strict instructor.”

Adam immediately felt her pain. Even in the old days, Ilia was always the kind of person to cross her t’s and dot her i’s when it came to just about anything.

“I guess that means you could name a few of those codes.”

“Oh of course!” Sienna perked up immediately. She loved flaunting her knowledge “Red is assassination, white is deep undercover, green is theft, gray tends to be more head to head confrontation, pink is torture…” that last one always creeped her out. “I could name a few more if you like?”

“No you’ve proven your point. I gotta remember to thank Ilia. Teaching was never really my strong suit.” Adam started thinking about how he tried teaching Sienna and Jael to swim. Jacquelyn might’ve actually killed him that day. He still thinks floaties are for the weak. Just dive right in!

Sienna got a little bit more comfortable and decided to sit on his desk next to him. “I’ve memorized almost all the codes and I’m positive I never saw black. Could she have forgotten it?”

Adam turned his body to his daughter. Suddenly everything felt like it had gotten more serious, even the air. “No, Ilia probably didn’t think it mattered since they’re rare. Code black, erasure.”

Sienna’s body went cold. “E-Erasure? As in no evidence, or witnesses?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.” Adam rubbed his hand through his hair. “When it comes to the codes, all the other ones deal with small groups or even a single person that’s typically a key player or just beginning to cause trouble, so completing those missions usually puts whatever plan they had to a complete stop.”

“Like taking a gear out of a machine. Each mission takes a gear out and it gets too complicated to get new pieces.”

“Hey that’s a pretty good way of thinking about it.” Adam smiled. He’d have to remember that analogy.

“So what makes code black different from the rest?”

“Well following your logic, let’s say the other missions were machines that were being built. Many different things are in the progress of creating it and nothing is finalized, there’s not a true system to mass produce the machine. Black codes are for situations where the machine is already up and running. You can take a part out but it will be replaced eventually. So you break the machine along with the factory, with all the workers inside. As well as the inventors.”

“Oh…” was all Sienna could say to that. She could tell he wasn’t just talking about the grunts. If you want a machine to not be built, then even people who know if the idea has to go. “So, can I get specifics?”

“To put it briefly, a terrorist group's main base has been discovered. They’ve been doing things for a while now and with efficiency to boot. They’re incredibly dangerous and though we’ve dwindled their numbers, there’s still a lot of them. People keep joining their ranks which is the very reason we know all about them now. A recruiter slipped up and we got information. Down to the letter. They’re regrouping in two days.”

“So my final exam is to go to the base and…let it all fade to memory, erase it from history.”

“Mass murder, a slaughter.” Adam said it out right, like ripping off a bandaid. Sienna looked down at her hands and clenched them tightly. He had a pretty good idea what was going through her head. Seconds past before she looked back at him with a will that refused to break.

“What else do I need to know.” The anxiousness in her voice was being pushed back with all her strength. She knew what this job was about. Turning back was not an option. It was never an option.

“Code blacks are only carried out by the absolute best here, all of them. With the exception of me this time because it’s a test. I don’t trust myself to not baby you.”

At least he was honest about it.* Sienna honestly wished he was going but yeah, it would totally be cheating. Well, possibly. What she was being graded on was a mystery to her.

“Wait...” she replayed what he told her. “The absolute best? Do you mean-”

Adam put his hand on her head and rubbed it. “Yep. Just follow their lead and you’ll be fine. Do your best Sienna.”

xxxx

Turbulence hit the airship and the mask slipped out of her hands. Right before it hit the ground, Mercury’s foot hooked the inside of it and he sent it back up into her hands. “Careful, can’t have that breaking on us.”

Emerald sat right next to him and hit him lightly on the head. “If that’s your worry then maybe don’t use your feet?” She said, deadpanned. She might’ve hit him again if Neo didn’t turn around from steering and motioned towards their clearly one edge recruit.

Neo didn’t even have to speak for them to know she wanted them to do something. Mercury gave Emerald a look and shrugged his shoulders.

“Got any ideas?” He whispered.

Emerald shrugged back. “Maybe what Nora does for Tenzen? That calms his nerves.

Mercury thought about it for a minute then nodded. Sienna had completely zoned out, caught up in her mind when the feeling of Mercury’s hand ruffling her hair shocked her out of it.

“What the!? Hey!”

Mercury smiled. “There, now you can worry about your hair instead of anything else.” He watched the girl fix her pixie cut while giving him a pouty look that hid a small smile.

“That was so dumb” Sienna muttered. “Thanks.”

Mercury gave her a thumbs up then sat back down next to his wife. He peeked over at Neo who also gave him a thumbs up. So far so good. Missions could get tense so it was important to stay loose.

The ride continued for another twenty minutes before the ship finally landed. Sienna didn’t say anything but had decided it was best to mimic some of their movements. Checking shoes, stretching, putting on the mask; no way was she going to look like a complete noob. Though she did almost gasp from shock when she all three entirely suited up. There was something really cool about the only differences was the speckled pattern on the masks. She hadn’t seen herself in a mirror so she wondered if she looked just as intense.

Mercury opened up the door,letting in a rush a cold air that snapped Sienna into focusing. One by one they hopped out into the tundra. There was nothing but snow for miles, except for a cliff in the distance. Not extremely far, but far enough for Sienna to ask the dreadful question.

“We’re heading to the cliff by foot, aren’t we?” She really didn’t want to complain but the idea of it was really making her consider failing. Neo laughed at the girl though.

“I don’t need to see your face right now to know what you’re thinking. As entertaining as it would be to say yes, I need you in high spirits. That cliff is our destination, however….” Neo pulled out her scroll and started texting. “We’re on a tight schedule so we’re gonna cut a corner or two.”

A red portal opened up in front of her. Mercury and Emerald walked through immediately while Neo grabbed Sienna’s hand then led her through. Red and black consumed everything before she saw white again. They were on the cliff, just like that!

Sienna turned around to see the portal closing. Before it did, she caught a glimpse of a figure in red and black. It was easy to see that they were a woman by their outfit but Sienna couldn’t think of one person from what little details she saw. The hair did remind her of the blonde woman she met once. Yang was it? She couldn’t remember. Sienna turned back around to see an extra person she did recognize. Ilia was on her stomach at the edge of the cliff and looking through the scope of a sniper rifle. She was geared up like everyone else and seemed to have been here for quite awhile. Her hair had changed white but Sienna could see plenty of snow in it. Sienna walked over to her and went into a prone position as well.

Down below was the abandoned base. It looked like a base and more of a Frankenstein’s monster. The structure had looked part warehouse and part oil rig with how many pipes and beams there were, not to mention the size. The building was pretty huge from this far away but that made sense. There’s supposed to be a lot of these terrorists here. If it wasn’t for the wind then she could probably hear most of them. A good thing to keep in mind for later.

“See anything?” Sienna asked.

Ilia perked her head up and looked at the girl confused? “Wait, this is your test?”

Now Sienna’s face matched Ilia’s. “Dad didn’t tell you?”

“No, he just said this mission was extra special. Now I see why. Did the flight here agree with you?”

“Yes ma’am, I’m ready” her voice held a certain apathy to it that Ilia noticed right away. She gave Sienna some binoculars and turned her head towards some large busted pipes.

“See that? That is an old pipeline that was used for transporting dust. This base should still have plenty inside and even residue all up through it.”

“So… we’re blowing this place up?”

Ilia nodded. “That’s half right. They’re big enough for someone to go through without much of a problem. No doubt they lead somewhere inside.” Ilia takes the binoculars back. “That’s where you’re going.”

“I see…” Sienna bit her lip. If I understand this right, I’m taking out people from inside, I assume Neo disguises herself and goes through the front door, you’re picking off anyone who tries escaping if things get loud…” she turned to look at Em and Mercury. “I guess one of you goes for the higher up places?”

Emerald almost wanted to clap. “ Not half bad with these guesses, any rhyme to your reason?”

“It’s not like I don’t know what you all are particularly good at. That being said, Mercury, what are you doing?”

“Hmm what do you think I should do?” He cracked his knuckles. “If you were running this op, what would be your orders?”

Gears in her head were turning. There was a high chance that this was the test portion and the others would compensate accordingly. They were pros so no doubt they could actually fill any role. She however could not. Sienna knew she was bound to make a mistake. A slip up that might make things more challenging in the long run. Sienna needed a safety net.

“You’re with Mercury. If I’m going right into the lion's den then I might need help when things eventually get loud.”

“Roger that. Consider me your extra muscle.”

Glad to know my lessons got through to her. Ilia thought to herself. She looked back at everyone, they were all ready.

“What are y’all standing around here for? You heard the lady. Remember to keep calm and take off the snow camouflage when you’re inside. There could be hundreds in there and I’d like to do this quietly for as long as possible. It’ll make my life easier. Sienna, would you like to do the honors?”

Sienna nodded, “Let the operation begin.”

xxxx

“This operation stinks.” Sienna said while holding her breath in. These old pipes were disgusting! Her and Mercury must’ve been traveling down them for at least ten minutes. Both were now in black and besides from Mercury’s hair, it was pretty damn hard to spot him. Sienna was confident in her decision.

“Yeah stealth tends to have the smellier routes. They typically put us in sweet spots though.” Finally they reach an exit point in the form of a vent opening on the ground. Sienna looked down and spotted crates of old dust. The lights were dim and she could faintly here one, no, two people.

“Two people, far end of the room. They sound like two guys,older guys.” She whispered.

“One for you and one for me then. You ready?”

Sienna ignored the smell and took a deep breath to calm the last bit of her nerves and removed the vent. Mercury saw her ears fold down.

“Word of advice, it helps if you make it brief. For you and-”

“I’ve killed before Mercury.” She briefly takes off her mask to let him see her blank expression. Her eyes almost looked devoid of anything. Almost like a broken doll. Sienna put her mask back on. “Let’s get started.”

Sienna hopped down and immediately rolled behind the crates. Mercury followed suit. They poked their heads over them to see two people with rifles simply chatting. It would appear Sienna and Mercury had entered through the basement and the guards were meant to keep people from getting inside this room. Too bad for them. Sienna pulled out and looked at Mercury. He gave her nod and held up fingers, then two, and finally one. He dropped the last finger and they immediately vaulted over the crates, kicking off the edge of it to propel themselves right out the guards. The one on the left didn’t even register the blade gliding across his throat while the one on the right found himself trying to breathe desperately as his neck was in a deadly choke hold. In seconds they were both gone, two down. Sienna looked down at the body for a second before picking it carefully and placing it behind the crate. Mercury grabbed his duffel bag and pulled out a timed bomb that would blow in forty minutes.

“Shouldn’t take us this long to wrap this all up but it gives us wiggle room.”

“I can hear twenty more right above us, then another thirty above them. Anything above that is too muffled to tell.”

“Interesting, grab your chain. We’re gonna get creative.”

xxxx

Ilia watched the outside carefully. She can see Emerald taking down terrorists on the roof and Neo was visible a few minutes ago through a window. She was wearing her favorite disguise. The one with green eyes and black hair. “ She should really switch things up sometimes.” Illia thought aloud. Ilia kept watching. Twenty minutes had passed.

I wonder if Sienna is holding up? Mercury won’t baby her but I hope he shows some kind of compassion. That girl, she’s…

Ilia couldn’t help but think of Sienna’s eyes when they first met. The coldness, the complete lack of light they had. Sienna was in many ways still that girl. No matter how much love Adam and Jacquelyn has given her. That’s why Adam must’ve chosen this code for her. He knew Sienna had to traverse her demons, not block them off. Even if he hated the idea of it.

“Anyone got any info for me?” Ilia said, pressing a button on her earpiece.

“Top floor has forty, the main floor has about sixty.” Emerald responded. “What about you Neo?”

“I’m on the main floor. From what I can see there’s no one here huntsman grade. I doubt these people have aura honestly which makes sense. They keep trying to replenish troops because of us so guns are all they really got. Anyone know what the leader looks like?”

“All I know is that they’re a woman.” Emerald scanned the area. “Which means nothing without any features. Mercury, you and Sienna make it inside?”

There was no response. “Mercury?” Emerald said again but still didn’t get an answer. “Could they be held up?”

“Well we at least know they haven’t been made. Everyone would’ve been alerted if they had.” Neo looked along the worn down walls and followed the trail of pipes with her eyes. “ Want me to go look for them?”

Ilia bit her lip and looked at her scroll. Their aura was still full. “Don’t poke around too much. They should be-”

“Basement is full of live ammo, the floor above has seventeen, and the one above has thirty. The woman in charge has red eyes? White hair, and in a yellow suit.” Mercury said, abruptly. Ilia started looking through the windows of each floor she could until a woman with that description briefly passed by the top floor.

“Second floor, right side of the wall.”

Neo looked up and spotted the middle aged woman. What really caught her eye was the five people in black tuxes that made to stay several feet away, but close enough to keep an eye on things. Three of the five were also women who looked almost as stone cold as Cinder was. The two looked like loads of fun as well.

“She has five bodyguards, and I’ll bet my favorite hat they are huntsman level, or military trained at the very least. If this woman called this whole group here then she’ll probably make a speech. Could be a good opportunity to take her down.”

“That aside, Mercury, why did it take you so long to answer? Ilia asked.

xxxx

Mercury took a moment before responding. He stared at his that were thankfully covered by his gloves to avoid blood stains and evidence. He then looked at two more dead bodies that had piled with the first two. “I was trying to get some answers.” He finally answered.

“And where’s Sienna?”

“Sienna….Sienna is the one who got the info.” He said, with a bit of shock. No one said anything after that for several seconds, until Ilia spoke again.

“Do I even wanna know?” A bit of concern was in her voice.

Mercury looked towards the middle of the room to see their third victim on top of one of the crates, his toes barely scraping the top of it. The only thing stopping the man from screaming is the chain around their neck that was thrown over a support beam and being held tightly by Sienna.

“No, just know it’s handled. Say I was thinking we might need to speed things along, and I’m not just saying that because the time on the bomb has about half the time on it. Probably should’ve made it remote detonate.” He said, looking at the bomb options.

Sienna finally let the body drop now that it had expired. She made no attempt to hide her displeasure in doing torture, her hand clenching her stomach out of obvious disgust. It was one of the few things that truly ate away at her. “The only reason Mercury and I haven’t sent off anyone is because they know better than to shoot in a highly explosive room.”

Mercury walked over to her and rubbed her back. Suddenly she felt a lot less nauseous. He couldn’t see her gentle smile, the wiggle of her ears said thank you on their own. “Sooner or later they’re gonna realize five people are missing, and get suspicious.”

“The point of a code black mission is erasure right? You also said it’ll eventually get loud. May I suggest something?” Sienna asked.

“It’s your test squirt.” Neo replied.

“Let’s just blow everything up now. The explosion will at least get the floor below us, but this place doesn’t look too stable. Won’t the cold kill any stragglers trying to escape? Picking them off wouldn’t be too hard and if Neo or Em can kill the boss in the middle of the chaos then we’re on the up and up. I know it’s risky, not to mention completely chaotic…”

Sienna looked out the basement entrance and could see dozens of feet and shadows constantly moving. “But there’s just so many of them. They need to panic.”

Ilia looked around the building and saw several airships. Maybe, just maybe… “Emerald, can you be a dear and make sure no one can fly away?”

“We’re actually just blowing this place up?”

“Yes we are. It’s fucking cold out here and I’d like to get this done before sunrise. Sienna…”

“Ma’am?”

“The hard part starts now. Stay focused, and safe.” Her tone carried a sense of maternal love that made Sienna’s chest warm. Ilia caring about her was something she always knew but it was nice to actually hear it in a way that wasn’t a lecture or intense drills. It was weird when Sienna thought about it. Ilia must’ve known how on edge this was making her. They all seemed to.

Mercury pulled out his combat knife and handed it to Sienna. “Here, you’ll use it more than me.” Sienna twirled his and her knife in each hand. The weight felt good, unnervingly good.

“I know this isn’t the same, but all of us here have done some pretty dreadful things at extremely young ages. So if this is too much or you need to vent, we’re all ears. Except Neo. She’s really chatty.

Sienna couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment. “Thanks” Her attention turned towards the door filled with looming threats just outside of it. “I might take you up on that offer.”

xxxx

Life, a precious thing bestowed to all but never in equal shares. That’s how Mercury saw it anyways. To him, the world was always a place where your life depended on robbing that precious thing from others in some shape or form. He still believed that to a certain degree. Even while his own was fading.

The bomb had gone off several minutes ago. Thick smoke and immense heat from the rapidly spreading flames surrounded each crumbling floor as bullets flew in every direction, the screams of panic constantly attacking his eardrums. He felt a little bad for how much he couldn’t care less. Especially since he’s been on the wrong side of the law most of his life. He was more jaded than he thought. Emerald would say otherwise but she was just being nice. He’d miss that about her.

Mercury leaned against a broken wall clenching his left side. A lucky aimed grande had gone off inches away from him and took almost all of the shrapnel. Even with aura, his ribs didn’t enjoy that one bit. The pain was almost too much to bear. Between that and the heat, Mercury’s vision was starting to blur. Halfway across the room he could still make out a figure, that obviously wasn’t friendly, point a gun at him with deadly accuracy. All he could do was cough and try to stand, but his legs gave out on him. For once he missed the prosthetics.

“Well Em, looks like you don’t have to deal with my terrible sense of humor anymore.” He wheezed. Mercury held his arms in front of his body, hoping he had enough aura left to take a few more bullets. He never got the chance to know as the marksman gun got snatched from his hands by a chain and was quickly used against him, ending his life. It all happened too fast, or maybe it was because of his mission, but Mercury didn’t know what just happened.

“S- Tigress?” He said, barely catching himself from using her name in the middle of a fight. He couldn’t see her. All he saw, were the sway of flames. They flickered almost like a dying candle each time before he heard a scream or saw gunshots stop in a direction. A shadow on the walls contoured and flowed like a wave that engulfed other shadows like a predator on the hunt.

It was only when that shadow lunged out of the flames did he see what it was. Sienna crouched several feet in front of him on a body, someone in a suit that was breathing their last breath as Sienna pulled knives out of their chest. She didn’t appear to notice him, not at first. Her head was too busy swiveling to locate her next target. Mercury felt his soul leave his body the moment their eyes locked. The absolute hunger and lack of anything but fiery bloodlust made her look like a demon than anything else. Not even wild animals or grimm showed this kind of evil, this overwhelming desire to kill. Her blood soaked clothes and mask didn’t help either. This was Sienna? This was the same twenty year old girl he comforted earlier? One thing was for sure, nothing was robbing Sienna of her life.

She approached him slowly. The way she stayed low and never blinked made Mercury almost wish she stayed away. Sienna didn’t though. She got closer and closer until he was in arms reach. Mercury closed his eyes tightly in fear. He could feel her hand press against his mask gently, then adjusted it slightly.

“Icarus?” He heard her call out his code name. He opened his eyes slowly to see the soulless eyes replaced with the warm and sincere eyes he had gotten used to. “Are you okay?” She spoke again.

“I-I uh, can barely stand.” The lump in his throat was serious. It had been awhile since he felt this level of fear. That’s all he could think to call it. Sienna had managed to terrify him. A feat only achieved by a select few. Salem, his father, Neo, and his first encounter with Jacquelyn, to name a few.

Sienna lifted his arm and used herself as a crunch to support him. “Lady Em would be really upset if my plan killed you. Can’t have that now can we? Let’s get you somewhere a little bit cooler.”

“You should be...more concerned about completing the mission. Complete erasure remember?”

“I remember. I also remember you saying I could chat with you later if I wanted. I’m a ‘have your cake and eat it too’, kind of gal.” Sienna took no further protest from him and began walking. One of the good parts about a blown up building was the many holes leading outside. It took no time at all to find a sizable one to get through. Sienna placed by some debris out of reach of the flames but not too far to get cold. She looked to the right of her to find an abandoned rifle and gave it to him.

“Play dead or fight whoever you can. I’ll let our resident sniper know where you are to watch your back. This won’t take much longer by the sound of it.”

Mercury said nothing. He simply watched her walk back into flames, the faint sense of her intent to kill returning to her before she was out of sight.

Sienna could feel her body go numb again. It was only moments later when another person jumped out ready to fight and quickly regretted the idea as they saw a knife fly into the air, and get stuck in their windpipe. All of this felt so familiar to her.Blood, fire, tears, screams; what ruled her nightmares was back again happening in reality. How many have died by her hand now? At least forty five by now. In a single day, the blood on her hands had gone up forty three, yet that first two still clawed its way to the front of her mind. She could never forget that day. It wouldn’t allow her to forget that day. The day she died twice by her own hands. Sienna continued walking through the flames, looking for the next target.

xxxx

The ride back home was quiet. Ilia had decided to be the one flying since she didn’t have to fight up close while Mercury was fast asleep in his seat. Emerald clung to his arm, sleeping as well. The woman was almost moved to tears when she saw how battered he had gotten. Mercury tried to play it cool but Sienna got the feeling he was so relieved to be in Emerald’s embrace again. Sienna could see the love between them as clear as a shining star. She was happy that they were together again. Sienna hoped she too would find a love like that. A love that took the pain away. Not that her family didn’t do that, but she hoped that she'd find it from a stranger as well. Adam did it, so it was possible. Neo was awake for the whole ride but said very little. Ilia told Sienna that Neo tended to fall back into being mute after missions like these. As if they brought back the old her from days long past. Maybe that’s why she was so good at what she did. Even the shining pink in her eyes held a different presence to them. Somehow Sienna understood it perfectly.

Sienna wasn’t in a chatty mood anyways. She calmly waited for the airship to reach its destination when she realized it was landing in Menagerie, but not in town. It had landed by her house.

“It would be pretty awful for you to have to walk home or not sleep in your own bed after tonight.” Ilia commented.

“You could’ve dropped me off at my bunk.”

“What bunk? Those are for recruits, not full fledged members. I’d say congratulations but that sounds a little inappropriate so..” Ilia held out her hand. “Welcome to The Shadows.”

Sienna didn’t know what to say. She went to shake Ilia’s hand but realized she had never taken off the gloves that were now covered in dried blood. Almost all of her was like that. Sienna hadn’t even realized her mask was still on. She took it off and finally breathed her first breath of fresh air in hours. She removed the gloves as well and shook Ilia’s hand.

“Thanks” was all she could muster to say. Sienna turned around to hop off but not before exchanging looks with Neo. They raised their adrenaline filled fists and bumped them before Sienna finally left.

“What do you think she’ll do now?” Ilia asked

“I don’t have to think, I know exactly what comes next.” Neo responded before standing up and walking to the restroom inside the ship.

Sienna took the several foot walk home before staring at the front door to see both her family standing before her. Sienna suddenly started to feel hot. Her stomach churned and her throat tightened before tears welled up frantically. The adrenaline in her body left and Sienna dropped to her knees, vomiting hard into the sand. Adam quickly ran to her side while Jacquelyn stood by her second daughter.

“Jael go get your sister some water.”

“Yes ma’am.” Jael ran inside, taking the hint.

Jacquelyn walked over to Adam who was rubbing Sienna’s back as she wept. Jacquelyn followed suit by hugging the girl tight, silently shushing her and rubbing her fingers through her hair.

“Why?” Sienna gasped, “Why did it feel so good? My head went back to that day and everything just felt so wrong yet so...so natural! I felt… comfortable even. Like I finally got to take all that anger and give it back tenfold! How do you deal with that feeling!? How do you live with it!?”

Sienna balled her eyes out into her mother’s chest. If her voice wasn’t so horse then she’d probably scream her lungs out. Everything she did should’ve felt disgusting and it did to a certain degree, but not the way it should’ve. Sienna knew she’d do it again in a heartbeat. The feeling of Adam’s arms wrapping around here back controlled her breathing a little. The embrace of both of her parents somehow only brought more tears. It’s like she had forgotten what it’s life to feel safe until now. Adam let go briefly and turned her head in his direction. Her distressed face was enough to break his heart a thousand times over.

“I can’t say I have an answer for you, but know I’ll be here as long as it takes until we find the answer.”

“We both will.” Jacquelyn chimed in.

Sienna pulled them back into her arms as physically possible and simply wept. She opened her eyes briefly to see Jael watch from the door and Sienna extended her arm for the girl to come rushing in, giving her big sister all the love she could give. At last...

Daybreak came.

#rwby #rwby au #emercury #rwby lasting embers #sienna frost #jacquelyn frost #adam taurus #jael frost #ilia amitola #neo politan #mercury black #emerald sustrai

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thelastarchangelaskblog · 5 years ago

Text

Session 16

This is our most recent session! Our DM ( @the-grey-hunt) titled it “Oh Boy Guys” in her session notes after we were done, which goes to show just what...uh...happened.

A lot. An...unexpected amount. Including something our DM didn’t expect to happen for another three plot points but I don’t know what she was expecting with that curve ball she threw at us. (Her status on Discord is now back to RECALCULATING.)

Anyway, our entire party was present but for @imagine1117, which was a bit...unfortunate.

So what happened anyway?

(Read more.)

It’s still raining outside, and we’re no longer in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters and have never been in Ankh before but really do need somewhere to stay.

@heliocentricgeometric: I'm thinking about what this anxious weirdo would do.

Tony just asks a random gnome where an inn is that they can stay at, and they’re directed to a nice boarding house that has 3 rooms we split between the six of us. Once we’re dried off, we reconvene in one room to discuss S.H.I.E.L.D.

Zira is adamant that she’s joining but no one else has to. Rhodey ( @rebaobsessions) is just as adamant that she’s not going to join it alone and DJ (doxblogsstuff) agrees.

But what about Tony? He’s not a fan of joining a shady organization, although he doesn’t specifically list his reasons for why. He does state he’s willing to ally with them as an independent contractor.

Tony: I'm not going off by myself.

Rhodey: Good.

DJ has doubts about this plan, since he doesn’t think Fury will agree to an independent contractor role.

DJ: Cranky Pants made it sound like it was a black-and-white choice. I don't know if he's been paying attention, but there's a lot of grey out there.

Tony: Shady organizations that think in black-and-white aren’t organizations I want to join.

Bob ( @thechaoticwave) hasn’t agreed to joining either! He states he needs more information and just left with more questions after talking to Fury and getting some answers.

There’s a meta joke among us about the fact that Bob occasionally also has the name Tony and he and Tony can make a detective club. Zira suggests Tony become a detective and the joke spirals from there.

DM: Tony & Tony Private Detectives

thechaoticwave: Tony-squared.

Dox: T-squared. Their calling card is a t-square nailed to the door.

Back in game, Tony is stating his own decision shouldn’t affect anyone else’s, but Rhodey doesn’t want to leave him alone.

Rhodey: You’re not going anywhere without me by your side.

Tony: I’m not asking you for that.

Rhodey: You don’t get to ask or not ask me that— It’s already given, Tony. It’s already given.

(MY HEART, GUYS)

The conversation doesn’t really have a resolution since Bob still needs more info and Tony is resolutely not joining S.H.I.E.L.D. We wait for the rain to stop before heading down and do some errands.

DJ wants to visit the store his relatives have here since it’s an Artificing store. He invites Tony since it’ll be cool for Tony to check out. Tony agrees to come along but will have to leave for his own errands.

DJ asks the head of the inn where his relatives’ store is, actually using their name. He tries being stealthy but it’s not quiet enough to get past our groups’ passive perception.

There are...reactions among the players.

DJ last name reveal.

inu: wait WHAT WAS THAT

Everyone else: JAMJAR

There are Jar Jar Binks gifs going around in the lurking chat, and Tony in-game is going what very, very quietly.

In the meantime, Zira is interested in why DJ is wanting to go shopping and what is this about holidays?

Zira: We need to jump back. We need to jump way back. What holiday?

An explanation later that involves the practice of gift giving.

Zira: Does this mean I should be getting gifts for you? I don't even know what you like! I mean...explosions?

Some other folks are like...I don’t know if I can find a good gift since I’m terrible in real life. (coughrebacough)

inu (in lurking chat): Now I have an idea for DJ's gift.

Everyone else in voice chat: Oh no.

We do eventually find our way to JamJar Jar Jar Artificers.

The proprietors: Welcome to Jamjar Artificers ...Have I met you before?

DJ, their relative: I'm Junior.

Madi and Mani are the twin proprietors of a store that sells absolutely nothing made by actual artificers. Tony is familiar with almost everything in the store and is an actual artificer. The stores’ contents are also super expensive and we don’t have the funds because our DM hasn’t provided us with a ton of loot drops...

Zira: Being hunted for sport actually doesn't pay very well.

DJ: I could have used a little more gold and a little less near death experiences.

Madi and Mani would really like DJ to buy this cat figurine that has been in their store for absolutely ages. (Please guess which cats this figurine is modeled after. Please.) It’s still 75 gp but they’re willing to knock down the price!

After some more exploring, Tony eventually gives DJ everyone else’s money bags and leaves on his own errands.

He manages to find his way back down to the first floor, upon which he...senses a little something...a little something familiar.

It’s Balthazar.

Balthazar is here.

Balthazar is physically here.

He’s here and painting a mural on the wall!!

Tony has absolutely no idea what to do, but he’s too curious for his own good to just leave without acknowledging his brother in some way. It’s been two years since he’s last seen him in person!

Tony says something nice about Balthazar’s painting, getting his attention. Balthazar turns to him, presumably about to say something nice,

There’s a moment, and then Balthazar sees the signet ring Tony has.

Balthazar: What’s that ring you're wearing?

Tony looks down at this ring he has always worn and never even considered.

Tony (to himself): Oh shit.

Balthazar tries some kind of spell but Tony aces the wisdom save.

Balthazar keeps asking where Tony got the ring from. Tony is absolutely truthful that it’s his ring and he stole it off a table and not any fingers. Balthazar is incredibly doubtful and suspicious of this because his brother would never let go of that ring and why does Tony have it

I want it to be known that everyone in the lurking chat is losing their minds over Balthazar being physically present and ALL OF THEM IN A STORE AND NOT PRESENT.

Bob ends up leaving because he’s uninterested in what the rest of the party is doing. Zira follows after him.

thechaoticwave rolls a Nat 20 on perception.

DM: Bob, you go up to the balcony, look down, and see this dude about to throw hands with Tony.

Bob flies down, and Zira is right on his heels to see what’s up and is like HEY, WHAT’S GOING ON. This gets everyone else’s attention, and soon they’re all trying to find their way down to the first floor.

Bob interjects himself smack in the middle before Balthazar can throw any punches. His presence is enough for Balthazar to back off a little, but he’s still insistent on the ring being his brother’s (Gabriel) and why does Tony have it?

Bob makes the offhand suggestion that maybe Tony’s his brother! :D

The rest of the group sprints to Tony’s defense, and Balthazar is now faced down by a 6′6″ tall aasimar with sharp teeth, Rhodey who has a ton of weapons, a bird, JARVIS, and a halfling. (Luna is off to parts unknown.)

Rhodey asks Tony if he knows what’s going on here. Tony just nods because anything else would be a lie, wouldn’t it?

Balthazar is now amenable to moving this conversation somewhere more private because Tony isn’t having this discussion here.

They go into a side alley. Balthazar reiterates that the only reason his brother wouldn’t have this ring would be if he was dead.

Tony: He’s not dead.

Balthazar: And how do you know that?!

Tony: Because...he’s me.

There’s...a stunned pause. Helio is accidentally ejected from voice chat while Bob is trying to give Zira a high-five.

And then Balthazar is instantly in denial because how???

Zira: Well, is he your brother then?

Balthazar: NO!

Balthazar is insistent he’d know if Tony was his brother. He’s spent enough time with his siblings to know them! And Tony doesn’t look like any of them!!

This means...is Tony under a disguise??

Helio: 465 is now in the front y’all!

reba: Oh, NO

465 is mad. She is so mad, guys. She demands to know what Tony’s real name is. If that’s even his actual face!!

Tony doesn’t answer, just says they need to go somewhere private if he’s going to do this. Balthazar leads them to his place because he doesn’t want to be led somewhere unfamiliar.

Tony takes off the amulet, and it’s Gabriel.

Helio: Can we pause for a second

DM: Yeah, let loose.

(three to four simultaneous meltdowns)

Balthazar is having emotions. Gabriel is having emotions. Everyone else in the party is just probably in varying stages of wtf-ery and 465 is apparently startled enough and Zira startled enough that Zee is back in the driver’s seat because 465 and Zira are now fighting.

Zee: Mr. Tony... Gabriel. Mr. Tony-Gabriel.

Balthazar eventually tells everyone to make themselves comfortable. He’s found solace in a chair himself.

thechaoticwave: Bob just flops down as soon as he says make yourself comfortable.

DM: Like, on your stomach?

thechaoticwave: Yeah.

Zee is super talkative and introducing herself and the Zira collective to Balthazar. DJ puts a hand over her mouth. He’s wearing the gauntlets of ogre strength and I think Zee licks it?

DM: It tastes like metal and dead people. The dead person is mostly on the inside.

Balthazar swears a little as Gabriel talks; he doesn’t like what he’s hearing.

Zee: That was a bad word. Also is your shirt broken?

Balthazar: No. I'm hot.

Zee: Why don't you take it off?

DJ: Zee, darling, Mr. Balthazar looks a little stressed out right now. Why don't we not critique his clothing choices right now?

Balthazar: If you’re going to call me Mister, use my last name Quill.

Gabriel keeps telling Balthazar about what happened back home. That he left because he if he hadn’t then he probably would have gotten himself killed. And he’s going after the ones who left to join the Horned Crown.

Balthazar looks like he doesn’t want to hear this and doesn’t know whether to believe this. He’s curled in on himself in the chair.

Gabriel eventually reaches out, but something he says upsets Balthazar and he withdraws. Gabriel doesn’t try again.

Gabriel tells Balthazar they’ll leave and are heading to their boarding house. Balthazar can find him there and bring Hannah if he wants.

Balthazar snidely asks if he’s going to skip town. Gabriel glances over to the group and Rhodey and DJ are very adamant on going LIKE HELL with their eyebrows.

Gabriel puts the amulet back on and leaves before anyone else does. Rhodey eventually follows after, leaving Zira, Bob, and DJ to follow.

Rhodey tries to touch Gabriel’s shoulder, but Gabriel actually flinches and puts space between them. Rhodey doesn’t try again.

They end up back in the boarding house. Rhodey and Gabriel are in the room they share. Rhodey lets him know he can take time to think and Rhodey’s here if Gabriel wants to talk. And that he still trusts him and loves him.

There isn’t a verbal response from Gabriel, but he does nod.

Rhodey rolls a Nat 1 on insight against Gabriel’s 19 (17?) for deception. It’s...uh...bad.

Rhodey leaves the room, closes the door, and starts crying against it because he thinks something really awful, guys.

I’m just going ahhhh in the voice chat because owwww

DM to inu: This is your bed that you made and you're going to lie in it.

Zee and DJ find Rhodey crying against the door. Zee is instantly jumping to comfort and gives Rhodey a hug.

reba: Helio, your characters are too perfect and you have three of them.

DJ shoves Rhodey aside while he’s hugging Zee. Zee and Rhodey head downstairs for some water while DJ goes to talk to Gabriel.

DJ: Oh my god, you are so fucking DUMB

Gabriel doesn’t respond to anything. DJ accidentally injures him on trying to pull his hands away from his face because he rolled a Nat 1 and so the gauntlets catch on Gabriel’s skin. He’s rubbing at the wounds angrily but still kindly and is telling Gabriel to go talk to Rhodey because he was crying.

Gabriel: You’re a good kid.

DJ: I’m an adult.

Gabriel: A good kid.

Gabriel goes downstairs, but Rhodey and Zee are sitting together and drinking some water. Zee has managed to cheer Rhodey up some, and Gabriel doesn’t want to bother them.

Zee catches sight of him and waves him over. Rhodey catches sight and raises a hand. Gabriel makes to go to a corner table and Rhodey droops.

Only DJ is there and keeps poking Gabriel in the back, but JARVIS headbutts him because that’s just rude and stop poking Gabriel! DJ hauls Gabriel off to Rhodey and Zee because he’s not leaving them to not talk about this!!

DJ: Zee, sweetheart, let's go over and talk to Neil and Luna, who is invisible. Because Rhodey and Tony need to have a conversation like two adults.

Gabriel sits down but has a chair of space between them. Neither of them speaks.

inu: Two guys at a table sitting in awkward silence.

DM: Two bros sitting in a hot tub.

Rhodey gathers his thoughts and eventually tells Gabriel he’s still there for him.

Rhodey: I still trust you. I still love you

Gabriel: You don’t know me.

Rhodey: Are you going to say that, after all we've done? That it’s all a lie?

Gabriel: ...no.

Gabriel tells Rhodey it was a mask. Rhodey doesn’t like hearing this. He wants to know if everything about them was a lie. If anything was real.

Gabriel tells him a little about leaving and that none of this was intended. That he made attachments he never intended to make but he’s made them.

Gabriel: I don’t want to leave.

Rhodey: And I definitely don’t want you to go.

Gabriel: Then...I guess we can try.

(There is a part where Rhodey says he loves part of Gabriel already. Can’t he love the rest? my heart)

Rhodey reaches out a hand, and Gabriel gives it a look before grabbing hold of it. He’s holding it pretty tightly, and Rhodey’s squeezing back just as hard.

And that’s where we end the session!!!

see, so much happened

#d&d campaign #imagine1117 #doxblogsstuff #thechaoticwave #the-grey-hunt #rebaobsessions #heliocentricgeometric

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theworkofxanderking · 5 years ago

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The Hunter Diaries

Volume One

Warnings: I do not own the original content to “The Originals”, “The Vampire Diaries” or “Legacies” or any of the characters from the television shows.

15 plus, displays of Violence, Gore, Torture, M/M, F/M, F/F.

Dear Diary,

I returned to Mystic Falls to protect my sister Elena from a darkness she never understood but it was me who never truly understood it and now I stay while I try to work out if the Salvatore brothers are allies or enemies.

My name is Hunter Gilbert, and this is my story.

Episode 3: Hunter Gilbert, Tomb Raider

Weeks had passed since Hunter returned to Mystic Falls and he was beginning to start to enjoy being back home except for the numerous deaths he suffered at the hands of one Damon Salvatore. In the past few weeks Hunter had endured several different types of poisoning, gun shots, stabbings and most recently being set on fire all of which killed him but much to Damon’s dismay none killed him permanently.

Hunter knew his permanent death wouldn’t come easy for any vampire and he knew each time the Gilbert ring brought him back that he’d be closer to the last time it would work on him but he never admitted the ring’s weakness to Stefan or especially Damon.

Hunter had become used to the idea of dying young and besides he found each death valuable as he seemed to come back to life with more strength, faster speed and reflexes every time so although Damon was merely experimenting with death and trying to be a nuisance of sorts he was actually helping Hunter in a weird sense that Hunter would never admit.

“I say it’s a bad idea,” Stefan said to Hunter while they stood in the woods of Mystic Falls fight training before launching a punch at Hunter which Hunter managed to swerve. “The tomb vampires are very dangerous and very old vampires.”

“Exactly more training practice for me,” Hunter replied before punching Stefan several times in the face and kicking him to the ground. “No offence but vampires on bunny blood aren’t exactly the best trainers.”

“Offence taken,” Stefan responded before vamp speeding a kick to floor Hunter making Hunter fall to the ground next to where Stefan lay. “Trying to set free any vampire for practice is a crazy idea bound to end in disaster.”

“You may have a point, but I’ve never once claimed to be sane.” Hunter said as Stefan rose to his feet and held out a hand to pull Hunter up off the ground. “If we can even break out just one vampire specifically the one who was best friends with Katherine before being entombed we might be able to learn more about your vampire ex and in doing so learn more about her current doppelganger who you just so happen to be dating.”

“Why must you always bring that up?” Stefan asked while laughing at Hunter’s words.

“Because it’s weird,” Hunter admitted. “Albeit no weirder than your twin sister turning out to be the good twin of a centuries old self-serving vampire.”

“Did someone say my name?” Damon asked as he vamp sped his way to stand beside Hunter and Stefan. ��So, this is where you two love birds spend all your time.”

“We’re going to free Pearl from the tomb and then interrogate her until we get some information on Katherine’s whereabouts who knows she may even know something about Elena.”

“Finally, somebody has an idea actually worth following through,” Damon said with a smirk. “Good on you little Gilbert.”

“Please tell me my brother agreeing to your plan is all the proof you need to know that this is far from a good idea.” Stefan said to Hunter who just ignored the younger Salvatore brother’s advice.

“I guess we better find ourselves a witch!” Hunter replied to Damon with a sly smirk of his own.

“I’m just saying before you go and ask Bonnie’s grandmother to reopen a tomb that took a lot out of her the last time she did it for Damon only to find out Katherine wasn’t there you’d at least consult with your aunt and see what she thinks about this idea.” Stefan said to Hunter as the walk down the streets of Mystic Falls, attempting to talk Hunter out of his latest decision.

“Haven’t you got a girlfriend you should be pestering instead of me?” Hunter asked him as they continue walking down the street. “Sheila Bennet is one impressive witch and as far as I know Bonnie’s still in the dark about her magical lineage so Sheila’s our best bet besides, she always preferred me to Elena growing up.”

“I don’t think you’ll still be her favorite when you drag her into vampire business she wasn’t exactly pleased when Damon forced her hand before.” Stefan replied.

“In my defense I’ve got a lot more charm than Damon.” Hunter stated. “She’ll be eager to help me out.”

“You actually think your charming?” Stefan laughed.

“You haven’t seen my charm, yet I can be quite charming.” Hunter argued.

“Clearly I’ve just been missing it,” Stefan joked before being hit on the shoulder by Hunter as the two laughed at each other. “Don’t use that approach to convince Sheila Bennet your charming or you might end up with a hex.”

“See this is why I never normally talk to vampires.” Hunter replied while rolling his eyes at him.

“Well consider me well and truly privileged.” Stefan sarcastically said as the two stopped outside of Sheila Bennett’s home. “Now is the time to back out if your having any second thoughts.”

“First step in the hunting guidebook is learn as much as possible about any possible target,” Hunter stated while staring at Mrs Bennet’s home. “Learning about Katherine will teach us about Elena and by doing so make us prepared if her evil twin ever plans a return to Mystic Falls because something tells me she’s going to be pissed to see her two ex-lovers lusting over her doppelganger.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that logic,” Stefan responded as he placed his hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “After you Hunter Gilbert.”

Elena knocked on the front door of the Salvatore home eager for Stefan to answer having felt him growing distant over the last few weeks and hoped that they could spend the day together to calm her nerves about their relationship but much to her dismay it was Damon who answered the door without a shirt on not exactly shy about his impressive chest.

“Do you ever wear clothes?” She asked him.

“We both know I’m a lot more likable to most people when I’m wearing as little clothes as possible.” Damon replied rather smugly.

“I wasn’t aware anyone found you likable,” Elena said sarcastically. “So is Stefan in? We’re meant to be spending the day together.”

“Sorry my little brother is already outside playing with your brother I’m sure if you search high and low you will soon find them, but I doubt they want to be found.” Damon proudly revealed.

“If your trying to make me jealous about my brother’s friendship with your brother then you clearly don’t know me very well at all I’m happy Hunter’s made a friend.” Elena replied.

“Wasn’t he real friendly with Tyler Lockwood too?” Damon asked ironically. “Wonder what they got up to.”

“Clearly you have a problem with Stefan getting close to another guy maybe someone’s ego is a little hurt that Stefan’s not chasing after you as much since my brother came to town.” Elena stated before reluctantly sighing. “Look I don’t want to spend all day going back and forth with you.”

Elena quickly pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket dialed Stefan’s number and held it to her ear as it rang and rang until it went to voicemail much to Elena’s frustration and Damon’s amusement.

“It’s not like Stefan Salvatore not to answer his phone to you straight away.” Damon mocked.

“He probably just missed the call,” Elena replied before dialing Hunter’s number which went straight to the voicemail making Damon laugh. “Hunter’s phone is always off I swear he doesn’t know how to use it.”

“Or maybe he does.” Damon retorted before seeing Elena being clearly upset about being ignored. “You may as well come in someone’s got to tell you the truth can’t have your pretty little head fretting over the small stuff when there’s much bigger stuff for you to worry about.”

“What is that supposed to mean Damon?” A clearly confused Elena asked him.

“Come on in.” Damon repeated while rolling his eyes.

“Absolutely not!” Sheila said without hesitation upon being asked to reopen the tomb holding many vampires under the ruins of a church in Mystic Falls as she stood at her open door with Stefan and Hunter on her doorstep.

“I know this sounds like a crazy idea Mrs Bennet but it’s kind of the only idea any of us have.” Hunter explained to her.

“I’m sorry Hunter but those vampires are there for a reason and I will not risk any getting out it’s beyond miraculous none managed to escape the last time I opened the tomb in search of Katherine Pierce before.” Sheila replied making it clear where she stood about Hunter’s mission. “You can’t begin to understand how truly sorry I am the you wound up following in your father’s footsteps one should never meddle in vampire business never mind being forced to make it their own.”

“Nobody forced my hand Mrs Bennet I did what I knew was right and that’s what I need you to help me do again.” Hunter responded adamant to change Sheila’s mind. “I know Damon forced you hand with threats and violence before, but you know that’s not my style. This is my sister we are talking about your granddaughter’s best friend I just want to have as much information as possible to keep her safe.”

“This entire town won’t be safe if even of those vampires get out, they have been trapped in that tomb for centuries without any blood if any got loose, they’d waste no time in slaughtering everyone they came into contact with.” Sheila warned Hunter while standing her ground. “There is no way you can convince me that opening that tomb again would be a good idea under no circumstances will that tomb be opened.”

“I guess if there’s really no convincing you then I’ll have to turn to Bonnie herself I’m sure she’d be more than willing to cast a simple spell to protect her best friend.” Hunter revealed shocking both Stefan and Sheila in the process. “And if she’s reluctant at first then I guess that’s when I’ll have to get Damon himself to persuade her.”

“Hunter!” Stefan snapped, shocked to see Hunter’s darker side.

“Are you really threatening my granddaughter Hunter Gilbert?” Sheila asked while clearly furious. “I have known you since the day you were born and that makes me reluctant to put you in your place but if you ever threaten my granddaughter again, I’ll do just that.”

“And you would be right to do so because Bonnie’s your family,” Hunter said. “Just like Elena is my family.”

“You really are your father’s son.” Sheila stated while glaring at Hunter with a death stare.

“Thank you.” Hunter replied with a smile on his face.

“That was no compliment,” Sheila revealed. “Your father and his brother were ruthless hunters in their day far more cruel than any creature they may have hunted however your father softened when he found love with your mother your uncle however remained a cold hearted monster with the kind of look in his eyes I’m starting to see in yours.”

“Mrs Bennet I’m only trying to protect my sister.” Hunter tried to explain himself.

“Elena Gilbert is merely just a pawn in your hunt it is the hunt itself you live for it’s even in your name.” Sheila told him. “I will help you temporarily break the tomb spell but only because I know a hunter never lets anything or anyone get in their way despite the casualties but you Hunter Gilbert are never to step foot on my doorstep again you hear me.”

“I understand.” Hunter admitted with a sigh of sadness knowing that his mission to protect his sister had in that very moment just cost him a friendship of a woman he deeply admired.

Hunter, Sheila and Stefan had found underneath the ruins of what was once a vibrant church and a vital part of the community of Mystic Falls as Sheila drew a pentagram in the dirt while looking through a large and clearly ancient grimoire while Hunter and Stefan stood in front of the cave where inside the tomb vampires were trapped.

“I still can’t believe you threaten somebody you grew up with just to get somebody you said you liked to be forced into doing what you wanted of them.” Stefan said to Hunter making it clear he was far from impressed with Hunter’s earlier actions.

“She may not be my sister by blood Stefan, but she’s been my sister all my life and I don’t care if my actions turn the entire world against me as long as she stays safe.” Hunter admitted. “I can’t lose another member of my family; I won’t lose another member of my family.”

“I don’t want to lose Elena either and trust me I will stop at nothing to ensure she’s safe but threatened her best friend and her best friend’s grandmother is not the way.” Stefan told him. “I had hoped to have came into your life soon enough to stop the hunter mentality being your only way of thinking, but I’m started to worry Sheila may have been right about you.”

“You really think that of me?” Hunter asked clearly wounded by Stefan’s painfully true words.

“I fear your humanity is just as in trouble and just as fleeting as my brother’s and I’m sorry Hunter, but I can’t save you both my loyalty is to him and your sister.” Stefan explained. “After this you’re on your own or better yet maybe you should find a new partner in Damon you two are clearly more suited.”

Sheila began chanting in Croatian and within moments each candle located in each corner of the pentagram was lit.

“I’m ready.” She said breaking the boys’ awkward silence.

“Use didn’t really think you’d be tomb raiding without me now did you?” Damon said upon vamp speeding into the underground cave holding Elena by his side. “I may have also got a little bit too gossipy with my girl talk but you know me the only thing looser than my lips is…”

“Elena!” Hunter said in shock, not expecting to see his sister and knowing what her presence meant.

“Damon told me everything,” Elena admitted to Stefan and Hunter while pushing away from Damon. “He told me about vampires, about doppelgangers, hunters and that I’m adopted.”

“Whatever he told you…” Hunter tried to deny.

“Is the truth.” Stefan interrupted unable to lie to the woman he loved any longer. “All we were trying to do is protect you from it.”

“We’ll talk about everything later,” Elena replied to Stefan. “But right now, we have a tomb vampire to break free.”

“Wait you want to go along with Damon and Hunter’s plan? You can’t be thinking straight clearly you’re in shock by all the revelations it’s completely understandable.” Stefan said to Elena as he walked over to his girlfriend.

“I’ve known about Bonnie being a witch for quite some time now,” Elena revealed before looking at Sheila. “And that you were one too after adjusting to that vampires, hunters and doppelgangers aren’t really much of a stretch but yeah I want to know why the hell I’m connected to a centuries old vampire.”

“Then I guess I shall begin the spell.” Sheila responded before beginning to chant in Croatian once again.

Hunter and Damon stood side by side silently watching as Stefan took Elena over to one side of the underground cave they had all found themselves in a bid to explain some rather unexplainable things both too busy eavesdropping to speak to each other while Sheila stood in the middle of the pentagram she had drawn continuing to chant in Croatian as the flames on the candles in each corner of the pentagram grew longer, wider, harsher and more powerful by Sheila’s chants.

“Why are you dating me Stefan?” She asked the youngest Salvatore sibling. “Why would you date someone who loud exactly like your ex-girlfriend?”

“It’s not like that at all what I had with Katherine was never real I was a human under her compulsion and then she turned me and my brother only to leave us like some cruel game.” Stefan explained to her. “My feelings for you are what is real, Elena yes I may have been drawn to the mystery of you and your connection to Katherine, but I fell in love with the amazing person you are.”

“I wish I could believe you Stefan I really do but you’ve lied to me the entire time you’ve known me, and I don’t know if I can ever trust you again.” Elena admitted to him.

“What does that mean for us?” Stefan asked her, fearing the answer.

“I honestly have no idea.” Elena revealed much to her own heartbreak as well as Stefan’s.

Hunter and Damon just stood there, Damon looking at the hurt on Elena’s face and wanted to do anything to make her feel better while Hunter looked at Stefan feeling the same way about Stefan in that very moment there was no denying that Damon Salvatore was madly and deeply in love with Elena Gilbert just like Hunter Gilbert had just realized he was in love with Stefan Salvatore.

“The seal is temporarily broken.” Sheila revealed in between her Croatian chants.

“I guess that’s my cue then.” Damon said before vamp speeding into the cave in which the tomb vampires were trapped without hesitation clearly eager to escape this painful for moment for all involved.

“I suppose this means we’ll probably have our answers soon.” Hunter told Elena and Stefan in a bid to break their awkward silence towards each other.

“And then later we can have a talk of our own.” Elena replied to him, her very words striking fear in her brother fearing she wasn’t happy with his secrecy.

“Not to be the guy who blames ghosts, but I was just simply following my parent’s orders.” Hunter mumbled awkwardly. “Then aunt Jenna’s orders so if your mad at anyone you should totally be mad at her.”

“Hunter I’m not mad at you,” She responded while walking over towards her brother. “What you must’ve been going through the last two years only to come back to this madness I mean I can barely get my head around all this and it’s been your life for two years.”

“It’s definitely been an interesting two years but trust you to one up me over being a vampire hunter with having a vampire doppelganger.” Hunter joked as his sister hugged him.

“You need to fill me in on everything,” She told him as she broke off the hug. “No more secrets.”

“No more secrets.” Hunter repeated accepting Elena’s more than fair demands.

Suddenly Sheila let out a loud scream as mysterious figure after figure vamp sped out of the dark cave and quickly out of sight before Sheila returned to chanting in Croatian raising her voice louder while clearly in a lot of pain.

“Mrs Bennet!” Elena screamed clearly concerned for her best friend’s grandmother.

“Something’s clearly wrong.” Stefan said clearly worried for his brother.

Hunter could sense what Stefan was about to do and quickly tripped Stefan as Stefan began to vamp speed towards the cave snapping the Salvatore vampire’s neck before his body hit the cold hard ground.

“Hunter what the hell are you doing?” Elena asked her brother confused by his sudden act of violence.

“I’ll be right back.” Hunter said in a bid to reassure his sister before running into the cave after Damon.

“Hunter!” She screamed. “Damon!”

“I can’t keep this seal open much longer.” Sheila warned Elena as more human figures vamp sped out of the cave.

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cards-onthetable · 6 years ago

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Hi, is this Jamko Grievances Hotline?

(This is it y’all, Aussie’s letting loose. Straight text is hers; any of my own additions are italicized. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU, AUSSIE!)

My perception of Eddie season 4 - younger than Jamie, sheltered upbringing, bit of a private school princess as we say here. Rookie so she has a steep learning curve ahead of her. All pretty normal I think. Fyi I don't buy the BS that nobody saw their chemistry etc behind the scenes. Her whole "You're my first Reagan, be gentle" was to me the very beginning of this farce. It was obvious she was brought into the show to be his eventual love interest.

Season 5 - 1st episode Jamie loses his shit when Eddie pushed to the ground. Eddie apparently doesn't realise Jamie wants to jump her bones? doubt it but ok writers. His talk with Erin about Teresa Mancini being his first crush because Jamie likes opinionated bossy women etc. So writers/producers clearly want idea in viewers minds that yeah he wants her but noble, never-screw-your-partner Jamie Reagan denies it and Eddie supposedly remains oblivious.

Episode 2 - Jamie sides with Kara Walsh much to Eddie's disgust. It's Eddie that talks about bringing stink back with him etc after he partners with Walsh. It's Eddie talking about nobody trusts a rat etc etc. (geez I hate season 9)

The rest of the season passes with Eddie being kidnapped (Jamie handled that smoothly didn't he)? and Eddie's first kill. He wants to be there for her. Eddie also wants him there. Ok I get slow burn in TV shows but they in my mind have already crossed lines emotionally and MR HARVARD GRAD on some level has to know this. Eddie always showed signs of knowing she had feelings in my opinion.

Eddie undercover and Jamie loses his shit with Danny about getting his partner out etc. Danny and Maria knew about their feelings. Hell seems basically the entire precinct did but ok this slow burn shit continues all the while Jamie believing can't go there because dangerous on job blah blah blah. Sorry but you are already compromised. (AGREED. They’ve been emotionally compromised since early on.)

Season 6 - More interesting for me because Eddie started to be more his equal I felt. She would express opinions and argue more with him. But I did not like her "do you know who my partner's father is" BS (same, I still struggle to categorize that as a momentary lapse in judgment? A scared gut reaction when she got confronted? Not sure, but it was gross). They also had a fight in episode 11 when Eddie got them assigned to a detective detail. Eddie's "I'm not gonna apologise for wanting a career". Opinionated Eddie on display. You know the type Jamie is always attracted to. But still this slow burn BS continues.

Season 7 - Well we all know how that played out. The year they confess feelings (no, the year Eddie confessed feelings in a moving, vulnerable moment and Jamie stammered about bad ideas and roads they’ve been down before. 😒😒), pash, attend out of town weddings together and get into fights. But yeah ok JUST PARTNERS. Honestly fuck off BB it's just a farce. Oh wait we are now going to ignore the kiss etc. Erase it from your memories like it never happened folks. UGH UGH UGH.

Season 8 - Mostly about Danny and losing Linda at first. OK I can deal with that. Jamko dinner date at the Chinese restaurant and we're reviving the sexual tension again. JUST FUCK ALREADY. But nope surprise Eddie has a boyfriend called Barry. Well she is entitled to her life considering the WE ARE JUST PARTNERS BS!! But apparently this boyfriend is enough to make Jamie stop and think as opposed to the other men that have come and gone. Yeah she got shot, Jamie could've lost her etc etc. Barry mentioned again so Eddie was still with him or had very recently split oh hey surprise WE'RE ENGAGED - (Adam Sandler starts in my head BUT IT ALL WAS BULLSHIT IT WAS A GODDAMN JOKE).

As an aside I absolutely hated the episode where Eddie recognised the absolute pig from her past and used her job to get even. Showing Eddie to be that unprofessional and needing to be brought to heel by Jamie and Erin really pissed me off. That right there is why Eddie is considered beneath Jamie by the I hate Eddie brigade. I understand being shocked running into the guy but showing Eddie to have such poor judgement just didn't sit well. And hey T.O. you failed cos you probably should've taught her that you can't use your authority for personal gain but clearly you didn't but you know it's wrong so the all powerful Reagans can get you out of the trouble silly little Eddie tried to get herself in.

Season 9 - ARE THEY FUCKING JOKING?

1 - Still working together because their judgement won't be affected in a negative way. oops Eddie trapped in fire and Jamie loses his shit. But ok engaged and working together CHANGES NOTHING

2 - Jamie promoted and getting transferred and immediately Eddie brings up putting in for a transfer. He says no. He then requests her. She says no. Good maybe they really will let them be separated at work which given it meant Eddie basically relegated to family dinners surprised me.

3 - Oh my guy's being talked about meanly. This won't do. FYI I actually was ok with Jamie appearing a bit irritated when she arrived at work as his girlfriend. I like to keep home and personal separate so I could understand his less than thrilled reaction but that's not everyone's cup of tea and I understand that. But hey spoiler BB his colleagues have seen his girlfriend you morons, so transferring her into work there by end of episode and pretending people don't know IS BULLSHIT

4 - Think I already discussed this with @ontherockswithsalt but I was irritated. Jamie made it clear he did not trust that detective and Eddie seemed to see it solely as an attack on her capabilities. Old Eddie I think would've at least listened. But SHIT goes wrong and it is Jamie coming to rescue Eddie. I understood why the majority felt Jamie over stepped and Eddie is trained etc. But she had found herself in an out of control situation because she was pinned with breath knocked out of her and help was not coming until it had gone further. Jamie is aware of what this arse would be rapist is doing. He is aware of Eddie's history with sexual assault. He does not trust this detective. THE MAN IN JAMIE WILL ALWAYS PROTECT HIS WOMAN WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY WORKING TOGETHER IS TOTAL BULLSHIT KEVIN WADE AND YOU KNOW IT. That was not Sergeant Reagan that was ANGRY JAMIE out to play. But Eddie is upset which i get because she feels it's an attack on her capabilities and no chick is gonna be happy with that and she talks about "we agreed we'd separate work and home Jamie you gotta choose".

5 - It was Eddie telling Sean about what it means to be a Reagan, higher standards etc etc. Oh look a little bit of affection seeing Jack off. Works for me because they are at home, not working.

6 - He puts both Maya and Eddie on foot patrol AND SHE DEFENDS HIM? Oh come on Old Eddie is not that stupid. Sorry it's Eddie 2.0 this season, I forgot. So again it's Jamie Reagan the HARVARD GRAD telling her that was a mistake well NO SHIT and old Eddie wouldn't have done it.

7 - I kinda enjoyed that low growl as he went to kiss her in the kitchen. Her mum's a delight but to me supportive Jamie was on display this episode because they were at home. He can be Jamie there. At work he's supposedly Sergeant Reagan not Jamie.

8 - Jamie upset with his decision and Eddie is supportive. Only really saw them at home so nothing really annoyed me here.

9 - Eddie and Maya and 2 others supposedly bullied and Jamie has to explain why it's a bad look. Not convinced old Eddie would be so keen to just let the loud mouths go but maybe the point was to suggest Eddie really not that capable without Jamie by her side? Oh no it's not that because Eddie caught the wanted killer. You girl. Then their boss tells Frank he's not blowing smoke when praising them. So what their CO does know?

10 - NO NO NO. EDDIE FLAT OUT LIES WHEN ASKED BY MAYA HOW LONG THEY BEEN SLEEPING TOGETHER. BUT OH NO JAMIE IN A SHOOT OUT AND HERE COMES EDDIE RUNNING SERGEANT REAGAN ARE YOU OK WITH THE PUPPY EYES. But ok sure Maya and co believe you aren't screwing. BULLSHIT

11 - Jamie stuffs up. Did that actually happen? He makes a mistake someone gets shot and nothing is said? SAY WHAT? Also Eddie has to pull Jamie off the shooter and is calling him Jamie which apparently is wrong so again THEY ALL KNOW YOU ARE SCREWING FOLKS.

12 - I'm annoyed that anyone can mention 100k and wedding in same breath but hey maybe that's really what a wedding in NYC costs. Wedding talk bores me so I found that episode blah. He certainly needs to learn to express himself better. The venue seemed ok I guess.

13 - Wedding dress description to the guy you gonna marry? I'm bored. Oh wait personal and professional lives must be separated so yeah it seems really logical to therefore be discussing their issues at work. What's this did Jamie just tell her he loves her in busy precinct? Ok maybe it's me who has a head injury because I thought we were still playing secret squirrel.

14 - Not that much Jamko really but hey Henry while I understand Danny's point I am firmly team Jamie because how on Earth can he maintain any discipline/control when his own brother totally disregards him? Henry and Frank care more about Frank's precious job and the family name. OH Fuck Me Frank Reagan's bullshit is a separate rant. Did love the dinner table spat though. Give me more of that. Also kinda impresses by that saga at the end.

15 - we've discussed this

16 - Nice to see them working together I guess

17 - Maya corrupt. I'm ho hum in a way. I kinda think making the first black recurring police officer corrupt plays into the ‘blue bloods is racist’ crowd but I really don't know enough about the culture there. I did like Jamie having her arrested at roll call because I'm all for sending a message. Again this woking together and screwing is BS but hey that's the theme of the season.

18 - Who knows I haven't seen much but I'm over it. IT DOES NOT WORK. END OF STORY.

But in closing Eddie does look like can't be trusted in my opinion because she came to the new precinct that was known to be trouble. And for a year her and her boss have been lying. Jamie has the Sergeant has power. Eddie does not. Given how rats are seen how does Eddie's position not come with major blow back when all is revealed? Jamie can't shield her cos that'd be playing favourites and hey we keep work and home separate (except for when we don't) BECAUSE IT'S ALL BULLSHIT.

If the go ahead with season 10 and I'm silly enough to watch I am hoping for serious fallout. I want Eddie ostracised at work because I think that is realistic and they supposedly pride themselves on being real. I think it would be interesting character development for Eddie and also for Jamie because HEY HARVARD HOW'S BEING A BULLSHIT ARTIST WORKING FOR YA? I'd like to see HARVARD have to grapple with how his stupidity has truly affected the woman he loves. And hey maybe Eddie can return to her old self.

This dummy spit written and authorised by Aussie.

Sorry if I've broken your eyes due to eye rolling.

#submission #aussie

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dinglesugden-af · 7 years ago

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literally sat thinking about this recent storyline and what's going to happen with it and something just clicked in my mind. As much as it's been said robert wants home farm to be lord of the manor and blames all the whites for the breakdown of his relationship with Aaron I think the real reason he wants home farm is because it's where he was when aaron fell in love with him. he was part of the big house when aaron fell for him. he had power and he wants to have that again in hope aaron will feel the same again. if aaron came to him tomorrow and said "I want you back let's try again" he'd ditch home farm and rebecca so fast but it's like he's being reminded of so many good things he's loosing control and lashing out. in terms of the baby I honestly don't see this baby being part of their future. danny is still saying aaron can't accept the baby because of what it represents and for the first time in his life aaron knows just how important his mental health is and he's putting that first. he loves robert and probably wishes every single day he had him back but he knows if he took robert back he has to share him with rebecca and the baby and he won't put himself through that. Not only that but liv too. He has to think about her. She's his number one priority and she's the only child he should be making sacrifices for. When the reunion has been talked about nothing about how aaron would accept the baby or having rebecca around has come up. Robron reuniting would surely lead to a story of Aaron accepting the baby and co-parenting but nothings been mentioned about that. Knowing what's to come for robron together and individually the baby won't be around them. They get back together but liv also has her own storyline which robron will support her in. It was even said aaron would become the supportive big brother and help her. Surely if the biggest issue lying in the way of their relationship was sticking in their orbit the first thing they'd explore is accepting the baby and co-parenting? And also Adams exit. This is Aaron's best mate. Aaron will no doubt be heavily involved when adam leaves dealing with his best mate leaving. Victoria will no doubt struggle loosing her husband and Robert will as per usual take on that supportive role for both aaron and vic. then their wedding in the summer. so much is happening for them or for the people around them they'll be so busy and preoccupied they won't have time for this baby. Their focuses will be on their relationship other people and their wedding. For someone like Aaron who's struggled a lot in the past and often takes a long time to forgive or finally start being at peace I don't see him marrying Robert 6/7 months after they reunite. Robert promised to be "faithful" why would aaron risk being hurt again by marrying him if this one night stand truly did happen? Reading articles surrounding Rebecca's birth honestly gives me life. Last week when she had braxton hicks but thought she was in labour robert mentioned her only have 8 weeks left and it being too early but yet not one of hers articles mention the fact she's giving birth to a premature baby. In terms of how small her baby is it's honestly baffling at the weight and how far along she is. We all know this baby isn't roberts because of what's been hinted on screen and the fact both her and the baby leave hospital a day later which would NEVER happen after a premature birth. It's obvious Rebecca is bang on time when she gives birth but she has a small baby. A baby weighs 4lb at 33/34 weeks pregnant not full term. The fact she's giving birth to a baby so small is baffling because it's obviously after 34 weeks this baby stopped growing and if that was the case they would of actually induced her so they could get the baby out and help him put on weight. I don't see a future for robron with rebecca or this child. I don't see a future in the village for rebecca. Emmerdale went from "who thinks Victoria would be a good mum?" To "Victoria is going to be a good mum" but never added "one day" and Rebecca mentioned in tonight's episode about how she'll be a good mum. Do you know what I think? Either rebecca is going to take the kid and run or she's leaving him with Victoria because she knows how desperate she is for a child. Everything has gone Rebecca's way throughout the storyline. She's got everything she wanted (at least she thinks she does) but one thing that always sticks on my mind is her back in May saying to chrissie she's "ready to be a mum". Realistically no one is ready to be a parent. You could spend years trying for a child but you're never ready and the lack of focus she has on her own child aswell is shocking. All the things were everyone else's idea. Nursery? Victoria was planning it. Ante-natal classes? Robert used that to scheme which she then ended up moaning about the day she was going. Baby shower? Victoria and Lydias plans. When she stops Robert seeing the baby she's going to have so much on her plate. Not only is her nephew missing but Lawrence and chrissies focus will be on him. She's going to be doing it all on her own. Looking after a newborn. The sleepless nights aswell as keeping roberts scheming a secret. There's only so much one person can take before it all comes crashing down on them and I couldn't be happier it will come crashing down on her. It's about time she's the one in the storyline not getting her own way. She's got away with EVERYTHING she's done since she arrived and sooner or later you have to pay for your actions. She came into this village and took a dna test. She'll take a dna test and leave the village. Robert brought her in. He'll take her out. She outted Lachlan. He'll out her. Robert wins by the end of it all. They loose everything. He gets aaron back. He marries him again. Something WILL go wrong for rebecca. I truly believe chrissie knows about the dna situation. How supportive was she of rebecca considering she's having a baby with her ex husband? I never bought the supportive sister act. Lachlan hiding in the attic will be where the twist comes in. He knows about Lawrence and Robert but no one believes him. It's Rebecca who doesn't want him around and I think she's his target. Chrissie and Rebecca will be talking about Lachlan being missing and Rebecca arguing over Robert and Chrissie will mention lying about everything wasn't mean to turn out like this. Rebecca will mention how they agreed to keep it quiet and Chrissie will mention how lying about robert being the dad and having him around isn't worth loosing her son for. Killer Lachlan rise? It think it's too obvious now. I mean I think his exit will probably the the most dramatic out of all the whites but I don't think he'll kill anyone. Everyone thinks he'll hurt Robert physically but I think it'll be emotionally. He'll be the one to tell Robert about the baby's paternity which will break robert knowing what it cost him. Robert will confront Rebecca and Lawrence will walk in which Robert asks him if he knew about it and when Lawrence tries to be disgusted in rebecca she'll confess everything roberts done over the past few months. This will result in the fight between him and robert and robert will most likely end up falling and whacking his head (hence the coma) and everyone promises to keep the baby thing a secret. I think he'll end up in hospital well before Christmas. Robert will be in a coma knowing the truth about the baby and noone else will find out till he's awake. There's no future for Rebecca in their lives.

#god I'm so clever #but seriously can she leave #robron #rebecca white

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bruno-in-barovia · 5 years ago

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Session Four, Part One

Opal shook off the shock first. She pointed out the wolves that our party had managed to kill and suggested that we make use of the corpses, seeing as we were low on resources.

Elliott checked in on Ireena with Ismark. I knelt by Donavich’s body to see how he could have been killed with that one bite. All I was able to see was that there was a lot less blood than I would expect from a body his size. Huh.

As she headed to start skinning one of the wolves, Opal suddenly shouted to Zazear that she had seen “a kid running that way” and pointed to the corner of the chapel. He took off in the direction she had pointed to find out what was going on.

That handled, we returned to our tasks. Ismark got our attention next.

“Listen, Strahd could come back at any time. You need to get out of here.”

“I mean, he bit Ireena,” Elliott pointed out. “Shouldn’t we be concerned about that?”

“Well, this is the first time, but you need to get going. Father Donavich is the only person who knows how to deal with this, and he’s dead.”

I asked him what “this” meant. Ismark gestured at Ireena’s neck and the two punctures from when the dread lord had bitten her. Seriously, I need answers about this biting thing. Ismark said that a priest in one of the other towns might have an idea of what to do, either that or an abbott who he says lives in a farther village called Krezk. I’m a little confused about the specific danger of a bite from Strahd. We saw it kill Father Donavich, but Ireena, Haku and Lith all seemed fine once they’d had a little healing magic.

Ismark expressed a lot of faith in us, given that we’re strangers to him. He said we handled ourselves well against Strahd, all things considered.

Elliott was a little incredulous at that. “He kicked our asses.”

“All things considered,” Ismark repeated. Yikes. How in over our heads are we?

I could hear the screaming start up again from the direction of the chapel. Well, better now than never. I asked Elliott and Ismark about it.

“Now is not the time.” Ismark seemed pretty adamant about that, but my question knocked something loose for Elliott. He turned to Ismark.

“With the priest dead... I know that he was working towards some sort of solution with the…”

“You’re welcome to check his notes, see if you can find a cure. Actually, that might be good for Ireena. I’ll help, if you want…” He has very intense eyes, as I found when he turned them on me. “Would you help?”

“Sure,” I stammered. “With what?” Help? Helping is good. Helping hot twunks is great.

“Uh, the priest’s son, Strahd did something—”

“What’s the whole biting thing?” I admit I kind of exploded there, but seriously, it felt like everyone knew something I didn’t, and that was bothering me, and if Ismark was going to connect Ireena with this other person, it sounded like the bite thing was important, and I just, I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t.

Ismark looked about as frustrated as I felt. “All right. So. You’re clearly not from here. Strahd is a vampire.”

“A what?”

“A vampire. So he can do all kinds of crazy magic stuff and I don’t really know what that entails, but somehow he managed to turn Donavich’s son into a vampire. And Donavich has him trapped in the basement, he’s been trying to save him, but… well, clearly he hasn’t succeeded yet.”

Whoa. I would have liked a minute to process all that, but the conversation moved on. Elliott was on board with going through Father Donavich’s notes, as was I once my head had stopped spinning. Ismark insisted that we needed to be fast, to get out of the village of Barovia as soon as possible, so Elliott and I hurried to the priest’s study. Ireena and Ismark followed, Ireena stopping in the chapel to sit down for a bit. We skimmed through the papers and books, looking for anything that might be useful. Which was hard because I had no idea what would be useful. I had to ask how “vampire” is spelled, for Moirta’s sake. I found a sack and put the things that seemed most promising into it, about a dozen books’ worth. After all, they wouldn’t be any good to Father Donavich now. There wasn’t much that seemed explicitly useful, but some things did, and I probably picked up a fair number that weren’t relevant along the way.

Five minutes later, Zazear came tearing in, calling for the two of us. He explained between breaths that the kid Opal had pointed out for him to follow had alerted the town to our presence, and the townspeople were heading our way—with pitchforks. So we needed to go. I asked about Donavich’s son, in the basement—would he be okay if we left? No one offered an answer.

Elliott asked Ismark why the townspeople would be coming for us. Ismark wasn’t sure but said that he might be able to calm them down so long as it was just him that they saw when they arrived. If they saw us, he said, they would riot. Ismark asked if we would be willing to leave Lancelot, the little dog from the death house, with him. “It would look nice if I had something non-threatening with me, and that dog is the least threatening thing I’ve seen in a long time.” Elliott agreed, both to add to the harmless appearance and because, quite frankly, he’d be a burden if we kept travelling with him.

Our party gathered behind the church while Ismark took Lancelot and started down the road toward the approaching mob. Opal and Lith only managed to get a few sections of wolf pelt taken off, and they decided it wasn’t worth bringing those along. We headed in the opposite direction, to put some distance between us and the village before we could get on the road to Vallaki.

#campaign #curse of strahd #d&d #session notes

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ms-maj · 8 years ago

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Tell Me How pt. 2

First I have to say, I was blown away by how well the first chapter was received, you are all awesome. Seriously, the bughead family is probably the best fandom I’ve been a part of and it’s because each and every one of you is simply amazing! Especially @wordsonpages1, thanks for everything! And now I give you…chapter two :)

Betty Cooper was stuck. Her instinct was to turn heel and walk away like he’d done all those years before, but there was so much more than her pride at stake. It was one of those moments that seemed to last a lifetime or at least flash it before your eyes. Betty felt the breath hitch in her throat, her hands clung to the car seat as Jughead Jones stepped into the moonlight. Millions of thoughts ran through her mind, so rapidly she couldn’t find the words or bandwidth to process them. Her eyes steeled against the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, the taste of blood spilling across her tongue once again.

“Let’s get him inside,” Jughead said quietly. Betty nodded and followed him into the house. It was warm, and not just in a temperate way, but in feeling. She didn’t see much; he’d ushered her into the kitchen where the red walls were covered in cast iron cookware, and took the carrier from her arms, setting it on the table. Betty picked up the binkie attached to the baby’s sleeper and placed it in his mouth, whispering nonsensical things as she tried to placate him back to sleep. She could feel Jughead’s eyes on her, feel the questions lingering on his lips as she watched his mouth open and close in her periphery, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed them down.

The baby settled, but only for a moment. He was fighting against sleep, desperately trying to hold on…even if he had no idea what it was he’d lost. Just that something was terribly wrong in his universe, and Betty wanted nothing more than to hold him to her chest and kiss away the tears. Jughead’s heavy sigh drew her attention but she still didn’t dare look at him. Thoughts bombarded her, her insides felt as if she were being pulled in a hundred different directions, the room started to spin until the pain pierced the veil she hadn’t even been aware she’d been constructing. She needed to maintain some semblance of professionalism, which she felt she failed to do up until this point. He was going to provide shelter, stability, affection…love; her teeth found the inside of her cheek already tender, but she bit down anyway. He deserved that love. They both did. The breath that passed her own lips was shaky, her nerves were all but shot from the proceeding day, and Jughead’s proximity did nothing to allay them.

“Jughead Jones,” she said once her voice returned to her, “meet Elliot.”

He was standing next to her, his shoulder making the slightest contact with hers as he tried to draw Elliot’s attention. He smiled, softly, at the baby, voice hushed and calm, each word that fell from his lips stung her. Stepping back, Betty turned to look out the window, unable to focus on much more than the sound of the Sweetwater churning in the distance. His voice made her raw, exposing nerves she’d long thought healed, and his scent, lingering in the air around her…

“Betts?” He questioned, so casually, as the tips of his fingers pressed against the small of her back. For a fleeting moment, she nearly gave in. The warmth of his touch spread through her, the strength she’d so relied on for so long within her grasp. She could feel his fingers grip at the fabric of her coat before she turned away from him, arms wrapped tightly around her torso. Betty steeled herself against the resignation that settled in his eyes as he stepped back.

“All of my contact information is in the diaper bag, but I would understand if you maybe wanted to deal with someone else, um, I’ll just tell my supervisor to be waiting for your call.” She nodded, resolute.

A deep crease furrowed his brow. “No, Betty, that’s not going to happen.”

“Listen, Jughead, this doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. It’s not going to be easy; infants rarely are, I mean the twins were…” A lifetime ago, she thought. But she didn’t know this Jughead Jones. Fuck, she thought, if the words rose in her throat as steadily as the bile seemed to, she may be able to discern a thing or two about how to salvage this increasingly awkward encounter. She smiled, politely, as air huffed softly through her nose. “I just don’t want him to suffer because we can’t even have a conversation.”

“Betty, come on, if anyone else had been standing at that door you would have been the epitome of professional. I mean look at you,” he waved his hand, appraising her form: impossibly high ponytail, pressed slacks, matching jacket, kitten-heeled pumps. “Even at three a.m.; you’re a vision.” Jugheads voice faded out, his eyes dropped from hers and back to Elliot, now blowing bubbles in his sleep.

The urge to move possessed Betty suddenly, it was too quiet, too still…she could hear the wheels turning in his head, could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. She started pacing. “Jughe…Jug, this is not going to be easy for me. Being here, in your house… Hah, I didn’t even know you were back in Riverdale! But I guess that was kind of the point then, wasn’t it?” She held up her hand when he tried to speak. “I will not ask questions unless it’s about Elliot. I won’t contact you unless it regards him, and if this is going to work…” she swallowed hard as she stopped pacing and turned back to face him, glassy-eyed, her heart stuck in her throat. “This has to work Jughead. I need to be there for him, I can’t really explain why.”

A soft smile broke his lips, but his eyes still held onto the sadness that always seemed to pervade them. “Because you’re Betty Cooper. He’s so lucky to have you on his side. I promise I won’t fuck this up for you, like–”

“We can’t do that, go down that road. Not tonight, maybe not ever. Right now, I’m Elliot’s case worker and you are his foster parent, we’ll keep to professional courtesies, and see each other only when necessary. Okay?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, “okay.” His voice sounded hoarse to her ears and if the last three years hadn’t happened, she might even felt a little bit bad about being so terse. Instead, she nodded, turning to walk out of the room, out of his house, until her eyes refocused on the baby, still in his car seat on the table. Her eyes softened as she thought about all this little boy would have to get through, a watery smiled tugged at the corners of her lips as she looked back to Jughead, who was looking at Elliot the same way. While she wasn’t exactly sure what her feelings about Jughead would be, or even what they were at the moment, she was thankful that, at least for a little while, Elliot would have him.

——————————————————————————————

Betty was thankful for the warm, yellow lights as they cascaded from the sky in even intervals the closer she got to town. The road from the Sweetwater didn’t have but a couple of streetlights and Betty’s tired eyes could hardly handle the strain. She just wanted to be home, wrapped in her ratty, flannel blanket, listening to something that was bound to make her cry even harder than she already planned on doing.

How the hell had Jughead Jones ended up a foster parent? The question and a thousand crazier-than-the-last theories cycled through her head. She couldn’t remember him discussing it at any time, though, it had been a long time ago. She was certain she’d remember that though, considering why they’d parted ways in the first place. Her hands clenched the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as she drove back into Riverdale, the last words he’d said to her, resonating as loudly now as then. Betty must have been driving on autopilot, her mind a million miles away as the car shuddered to a stop before looming wrought iron gates. Betty looked up confused, not even realizing she’d made her way to the cemetery rather than her own home. Resigned, she killed the engine and made her way to the gate, pulling the loosely chained panels apart and sliding through.

This was unfortunately not Betty Cooper’s first dalliance with breaking into the cemetery after hours. She’d done it a few times when she was younger, more now that she moved back. Some nights she just needed the kind of comfort only the graveyard would offer. What she was looking for lie up ahead, too large an obelisk to be anything but a beacon. A sad smile settled on her lips as she slid down the left of the monument, wind whipping stray strands of hair into the tracks of her freshly spilled tears.

“What am I supposed to do now, Pol?”

—————————————————————————–

It was nearly six before Betty got home, her house engulfed in the blush, rosy hues of sunrise. She sent a quick text to her boss, letting her know what happened and that she’d be in late. Stripping off her clothes and pulling the hair-tie free, Betty threw herself back onto the pristinely made bed, where she desperately willed sleep to claim her.

It didn’t.

Her eyes traced the cracks in her plastered ceiling, each spindly branch weaving through the stucco, all eventually leading back to the center where the fan was haphazardly suspended above her. The air whirred around her, chilling her skin but doing nothing to assuage what bubbled under the surface. She felt fire, rising in her stomach, and almost too late realized that she was actually going to be sick.

She barely made it into the bathroom, opting to empty her stomach into the sink as it was a few steps closer. Wiping a hand across her mouth, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and promptly sank to the floor. Hands tangled in her hair, the vinyl tile sticking to her bare skin, the tears overtook and the battle she’d valiantly fought all night came crumbling down around her.

Betty opened one eye, then the other, still bleary from sleep as the percussive cries of her niece woke her. She rolled to face her clock, the glaring red numbers read 7:22. Annoyed she couldn’t sleep in on the only Saturday she had free until graduation, Betty flung off her covers and hopped out of bed.

The door to Polly’s room was cracked open with the light from the adjacent bathroom peeking out from under the door. Rolling her eyes, Betty opened the door to the nursery and was greeted with the sight of her infuriated niece and nephew. Seeing their tear-streaked, ruddy cheeks, Betty was overcome with guilt, she should be more willing to help, she knew how hard it was getting on Polly. Between work, online classes, Hal Cooper’s complete and utter detachment from his eldest daughter, Alice’s incessant over-bearing…everything; she’d been flailing. Betty tried to help her. She and Jughead took the twins every Wednesday night, Cheryl had them Saturday and Sunday, but maybe she should be doing more.

Betty tried figuring how she could work more twin-time into her already hectic schedule as she changed Calliope, her little hands fisting red curls as she babbled. Smiling at her niece, Betty put her back in the crib and tended to Xander. Once the twins were cleaned up, she walked over to the bathroom and rapped on the door.

“Pol? I’m taking the twins downstairs. I’ll get them fed and everything, just, take your time.” She heard a garbled ‘Thank you, Betty,’ through the thin door, and couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her lips.

A kid on each hip, she walked into the kitchen with purpose. And that purpose was waffles. She secured Callie and Xan in their highchairs and sent a quick text to Jughead before pulling the iron from the pantry and starting on breakfast.

The music was turned up loud, Betty dancing and singing along to whatever random kid’s song played on satellite. Xander laughed and swayed back and forth in his chair, making silly faces at his aunt while Callie tried her hand at singing, or loudly screaming. Betty couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of her; smiles, sticky, syrupy-hands matting Xander’s spiky blonde hair to his head, Callie’s quasi-toothy grin as she recognizes the next song.

She’s distracted by the ding of her phone, quickly reading the text before rushing up the stairs.

“Hey Pol, there’s still some waffles left if you want them. Juggie’s on his way, so seriously, if you want them you’re going to need to get a move on!” She waited a beat; still nothing. Her knuckles tapped against the door gently. “Pol?” When more silence followed, they connected with more urgency. “Polly?!” There was some noise coming from the other side, but whatever it was made Betty’s blood run cold.

Frantically, she screamed for her sister, hands desperately yanking at the locked door, the knob not giving as much as she fought it. Then she tried to kick it, she felt the door bow as her foot made contact, but it wasn’t enough. Taking a step back, and a deep breath, Betty lowered her shoulder and hit the door just above the knob, splintering the frame with the force as the door swung open.

“POLLY!!!” Betty dropped to her knees, sweeping her sister up into her arms. Vomit clung to Polly’s hair, ran down her face, pooled next to the base of the toilet; it’s pervasive stench assaulting Betty’s nostrils. “You can’t do this to me! You promised…” The tears now freely flowed down Betty’s face as she turned her sister to face her and maybe see if she could get her to throw up again.

“Betty,” she croaked before the drugs overtook her. The last image that would be seared into her sister’s mind would be that of the whites of her eyes, vomit dribbling off her chin as she went limp in her arms.

“No no no no no no…” Betty muttered, sliding Polly to the floor before she started chest compressions. “You cannot leave them, Polly. Calliope and Xander need you. I need you, please,” she cried.

“Betty? What’s going…oh my god,” Betty looked up, tears falling onto Polly who lay unresponsive under her.

“Juggie,” she said brokenly as pain in her wrists and shoulders started to set in. She had no idea how long she’d been doing compressions, she only knew she stopped when Jughead had pulled her off, insisting that EMTs would be there any second. She hadn’t even seen him call. He led her down the stairs, back to the kitchen where the twins were still entertained by the Barenaked Ladies. She stared, dazed, her breaths coming in short, shallow gasps.

“Betts, please, I need you to breathe. Okay, can you do that for me?” He asked, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. The smell of his laundry detergent and stale smoke did wonders for her nerves, or maybe it was just the way he never took his hands off of her, tethering her to Earth before she slipped away from reality. Together they moved the twins into the living room, and as soon as the first gate went up, Hal and Alice Cooper burst through the door, Riverdale paramedics and police arriving just seconds later.

Betty knew the moment her mother had made it upstairs. The sound Alice Cooper made upon finding her daughter dead on her bathroom floor would haunt Betty’s dreams the rest of her life. She pulled her feet up on the couch, wrapping her arms around her legs, curling herself into the smallest form she could as Jughead wrapped his arms around her, and promised, in no unwavering terms that he would be by her side. Always.

#Bughead #bughead fanfiction #riverdale

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