#I still haven’t even played One Shot Calamity yet I’ve been meaning to since it came out

[inkandpaintsnowleopard]

R E A L

I have been waiting for a mod like this -- basically ever since SM overtook my FNF hyperfixation, lol. And it's headed by the same person who made One Shot Calamity!!!!

Also like the seeing the title screen and the logo makes me SO excited

First off, the Hatz getting billing above Dexter and Bob in the logo is funny to me, but the SIDE ART-

Seeing both regular Moloch and him possessing Dexter implies he'll get one song for each, which?? Is really cool?? Moloch deserves the love, I just hope he gets a good voice this time

Also the Hatz in the corner, I REALLY hope they all get a chance to sing. All songs involving the Hatz usually only have Roy sing, which is fine! But they are a trio after all, feels weird without Ross and Robert (tbh I'm surprised nobody's done a week where they all get one song yet)

Anyways. I'd be shaking in more excitement if I wasn't so tired but I am ABSOLUTELY playing this later omg

THE HATZGANG BETTER ALL GET THEIR OWN SONGS BECAUSE THAT FEELS LIKE SUCH AN OBVIOUS MOVE

THIS WILL BE GREAT

[aimeelouart]

How about cursed cloud ending up in a universe where his and Sephiroth's roles were reversed?

The Calamity’s Cursed Child - 1789 words, ASGZC, dimension-hopping, may have a part two later

(Why do all my prompts go off the rails from what I expected? Whatever. I hope you enjoy it anyway!)

--

When Cloud first started bouncing between dimensions, he spent no more than a few minutes in each new world before being sent to the next. Then, slowly, the time between jumps started to stretch. First five minutes, then ten, then thirty, then an hour, then several hours. It was a mixed blessing at best. If he was in a good world, or at least a world that lacked the power to subdue him, then he had a chance to rest. If it was not, then he...endured. 

Always, he endured.

This newest world took all of three seconds to go sideways, and his only saving grace was that the previous world had afforded him nearly four uninterrupted hours of sleep. He drew in a breath as the buzzing faded, immediately diving to the side and smoothly drawing Tsurugi as he heard the whistle of air over a sword’s keen blade.

Sephiroth stood across from him, silver hair rippling in the wind. Cloud had narrowly avoided being impaled by Masamune for the...well, he’d long since lost track of the number of times he’d been impaled on that blade, actually.

Cloud wasn’t surprised. In fact, it was such a familiar scenario that he didn’t feel much of anything. He didn’t speak. He didn’t attack. He waited, ready to act once this Sephiroth revealed what kind of man he was. If he had to fight, he would. If it was better to flee, he would. He had neither pride nor preference left in him.

“Strife,” Sephiroth said, voice hard. 

Ah. That was a new one. Cloud cocked his head to the side. Sephiroth either called him Cloud, possessive as a hand around his throat, or he didn’t recognize him at all. Cloud had never been addressed with the cold distance of Strife before.

Zack was by Sephiroth’s side, expression equally hard. It wasn’t the first time Zack had been hostile to him, but it still burned like a physical wound. “How are you back, Strife?” he spat, sword in hand. “Haven’t we killed you enough already?”

Ah. Ah. Cloud thought he finally had an idea of what was going on. Well, this would either give him another chance to rest or he would be playing an unpleasant game of high-stakes tag against a mirror-image of the family he once knew. He blinked at them tiredly and spoke, not quite ready to holster Tsurugi yet: “Ah. No. I’m not the ‘Strife’ you know. Knew. The opposite, really. I’ve come from a different dimension entirely and I have no wish to fight you.”

Zack scoffed. “You expect us to believe that? After what you did?”

But Sephiroth held up a hand. “Wait. Zack, does he not look different to you?”

Cloud just stood silent, endlessly patient as the two SOLDIERs examined him closely. Zack’s expression in particular slowly melted from angry, wounded hostility to wary confusion. 

“Yeah,” Zack said eventually, tensed muscles relaxing. His eyes lingered on Cloud’s. “Yeah, he does.”

Cloud took a risk, slinging Tsurugi back over his shoulder and locking it to the magnetic holster. They might still try to kill him, but now he would have enough warning to bolt. In response, they slowly lowered their own weapons, though neither fully put them away.

“...Cloud?” Zack asked, soft, cautious...hopeful.

A tiny, tiny smile tugged at the edge of Cloud’s lips. “Most people do call me that, yeah, Zack.”

The dark-haired man’s answering grin was absolutely blinding in its intensity. He took a step forward, only to be stopped by one of Sephiroth’s hands on his chest. 

“Wait,” Sephiroth said, a hard light still lingering in his eyes. “Do you have any way to prove your claims...Cloud?”

He snorted. “I’m guaranteed to vanish into the next dimension within a few hours, but other than that, no.” He shook his head. “I doubt I could even offer you confirmable information. Where I came from⁠, and most of the worlds I’ve seen...well, I’m not the one Zack usually greets with hostility.”

They both blinked in surprise. “What?” Zack asked, head cocking to the side.

“This is just a guess, but by your reactions the Strife of this universe went Jenova-crazy and tried to destroy the world, right?”

Immediately, Zack’s expression shuttered and Sephiroth’s returned to coldness. “Something like that,” Sephiroth said.

“Mm,” Cloud hummed. “Well, sorry to spring this on you⁠—” he wasn’t “⁠—but nine times out of ten, Sephiroth is the one who gets...Jenova’d.”

 Zack looked at Sephiroth, aghast. “Is that⁠—would that have been better or worse?”

“I don’t want to know,” the silver-haired man said flatly. Cloud nodded in agreement. Apparently his words, or maybe his agreement, was enough proof for the silver-haired man to relax from outright hostility. Sephiroth finally dismissed Masamune and Zack followed suit, holstering the broadsword that...wasn’t the Buster.

Cloud didn’t want to know about that either.

Then Zack bounded forward. Cloud flinched as he was swept up into a hug without any warning. His feet were no longer touching the floor. He fought down the reflexive urge to cast a point-blank Firaga. After a few more seconds he even managed to convince his body to relax into Zack’s arms.

“It’s so good to see you again, Cloud,” the dark-haired man murmured, a world of weight behind his words.

The blond huffed. He didn’t share any history with this Zack, a fact which most Zacks tended to conveniently forget (or ignore), but the lingering wounds of his own Zack’s death made him willing to return the embrace and the words. “It’s good to see you, too.”

Zack finally let go, setting him down only to take his face in his hands in a surprisingly intimate gesture. He brushed his thumbs across the dark (and probably permanent by this point) circles beneath Cloud’s eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, leaning in close. “You look like shit, babe.”

Oh boy. Cloud suddenly got the impression that he was missing some very critical pieces of information about the Cloud of this world. He’d also never been confronted by this particular issue before⁠—his mind went blank, which was unhelpful at best.

His expression must have been something to behold, because Zack immediately let go of his face and stepped back. “Oh,” he said, eyes wide, “oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s uh⁠—” Was his face on fire? It felt like his face was on fire. “It’s fine. We⁠—I mean, you two were…?”

“Two?” Zack said, glancing at Sephiroth. “There were uh...a bit more than just us two involved?”

He stared. For once, something other than terror was steadily burning away his fog of tired apathy. “Sephiroth?” he squeaked. “We—I mean, you and him and Sephiroth?”

Then, to his shock (shock deep enough that his hand automatically jerked toward Tsurugi’s handle)  Sephiroth threw his head back and laughed. In fact, he laughed until he had to lean on his knees and tears streamed down his face. “Oh⁠—” he gasped, “oh it really is you, Cloud.”

Cloud looked to Zack for help, but the dark-haired man just grinned and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Me, and you, and Sephiroth,” he agreed. There was a mischievous gleam in his eye that immediately set Cloud on edge. “And... maybe one or two more.”

Sephiroth was still...giggling. Cloud didn’t think his eyes could get any wider without popping right out of his skull. “More? How many more? What the hell?”

“Oh man, is every version of you unbearably cute?” Zack cooed⁠—or maybe flirted, Cloud wasn’t exactly the best at differentiating⁠. “Dunno how you avoided it, but we five fell into each other like...gravity. It felt inevitable, really. You, me, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal.”

“I⁠—what? While I was at Shinra?” He and Zack hadn’t even met until the two commanders defected. A thought struck him. “Was I a SOLDIER?”

Both Zack and Sephiroth shot him odd looks. “Uh, ‘course? You were practically Shinra’s golden boy! Had a fanclub and everything!”

That explained it. Part of it. He didn’t understand why he felt like he’d dodged a bullet. “I never made it into SOLDIER. I was Infantry when we met for the first time.”

At his words, Sephiroth sobered back into the nearly emotionless mask Cloud was used to. “But you are enhanced, clearly. Based on the way you spoke, I would guess that you are enhanced to the same levels that Strife was.”

“Enhanced, yes.” Cloud smiled with bitter humor. “SOLDIER, no. This was Hojo’s doing. I caught his attention by killing my Sephiroth as an ‘unworthy little Infantry brat.’”

They both winced. “I’m...sorry,” Zack said, sincere and awkward. He glanced down, arm still heavy on Cloud’s shoulders. No one seemed inclined to continue that line of inquiry, which was fine by him. “Listen, I⁠—this is selfish of me to ask, but...you said you have a few hours before you leave, right?”

“Four, give or take,” Cloud confirmed. He’d been planning on stuffing himself into a nondescript hole somewhere to sleep, but he was willing to do a lot for Zack. “What is it?”

“Would you...would you come home with us? Not like that!” He added the second part when Cloud blanched and flushed crimson. “It’s just...the others, Gen and Ange, they….they deserve to see you too.”

“Zack…” Cloud sighed, “I’m not the Cloud you knew. You understand that, right?”

Zack’s lips pressed together. He stepped away, letting his hand slide over to rest on the top of Cloud’s shoulder even as he put some distance between them. “I do. I do get that. But you’re still...you. And you are...you’re sane. You’re...whole. It’s enough just to see you. Please. I know it’s selfish. You can say no, we’d still help you, but...” He reached out with his free hand and brushed a thumb over the dark circle under his eye for a second time. “You can just go right to sleep on the couch if you want. It’s enough just to see you. Please.”

He understood the impulse. Hadn’t he been thinking earlier about how soothing it felt just to see any version of Zack alive and happy? For some unfathomable reason, Cloud glanced over at Sephiroth. He nodded in agreement, an unfamiliar softness to the set of his eyes. Huh.

“Alright, Zack,” he said, relenting with a sigh. “I’ll sleep on your couch. All the...boyfriend wrangling is on you, though. I’m not much of a conversationalist even at the best of times.”

Zack just laughed, squeezing his shoulder once before letting go entirely. “I promise I’ll wrangle my boyfriends for you,” he said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Cloud regretted his decision immediately.

[tentimesthecourage]

Mail Through Time And Space

To whoever gets this,

Hello! My name’s Rinku and I’m 8 years old! I have decided I want to send letters to people and you get the first one!

I don’t really know what to put, there’s so much I could say. I’m practicing sword play with my twin, Link. We... don’t really like it, but we do it because we want to protect everyone, especially mom and Aryll, she’s our baby sister!

I hope I can hear from you soon!

Rinku

---

Dear Rinku,

You might find this a little strange, but my name’s also Link, like your twin. I am 9 years old. Sounds like fun, sending letters to strangers, and I’m glad I got to be the first to get one!

I think you two practicing for that reason is… noble. I think that’s the right word. I’m pretty good with a sword myself! Been practicing since I was 7, how long have you been practicing?

I hope this letter finds you well.

Link

---

Dear Link,

Wow! I didn’t think I’d reach someone with the same name as my twin! Link says hi by the way. Aryll probably would too, but she can’t really talk yet.

Noble? I asked mom what that means and she said having good morals, whatever those are, but I guess that means good things so thank you! 

Link and I have been practicing since we were five. Dad Father wants us to become knights when we’re older.

I… I don’t want to… but

Nevermind.

Rinku

---

Dear Rinku,

I’m sorry to hear that being a knight is being forced upon you. Sounds like your father is a bit stubborn.

I know how that feels, my father is the same, though more about teamwork than my plans for the future. Still though, I hope things can become brighter, maybe he’ll see that you and your twin’s passion lies somewhere else.

Take care,

Link

---

Dear Link,

Thanks, that really makes me feel better. Lately things have been getting… bad. I wanna tell you, but Link, my Link, doesn’t think it’s a good idea. So let’s talk about other things!

Our birthday is coming up soon! October 30th! When’s your birthday? Is it soon? I wanna be able to send you a gift!

Write back soon!

Rinku

---

Dear Rinku,

I’m sorry to hear things haven’t improved for you, but as my grandfather says, keep a stiff upper lip. There’s always a storm before a rainbow. He says strange things but he means well.

I don’t know if this’ll arrive before your birthday or after, but happy birthday regardless! I’ve put something in the envelope and hopefully it’ll stay safe.

It’s half of a kinstone, when you find the other half and fuse them together, something good will happen.

As for my birthday, it’s still months away. Mine’s March 4th

Looking forward to your next letter,

Link

---

Dear Link,

I don’t think I’ll be able to send letters as often anymore. Somehow Link and I pulled something called the ‘Master Sword’ and it split in two. Everyone’s calling us the ‘Chosen Heroes’ and telling us that we have to begin training soon.

I’m scared… I have a really bad feeling…

I hope I’ll be able to hear from you soon.

Rinku

---

Dear Link,

Hah… I don’t even know why I’m writing this. It’s been so long… a century. I doubt you're even still alive, but something in my heart urges me to write this anyway.

So much has happened, where do I even begin?

Link became the Hylian Champion at the same time that I became Captain of the Royal Guard. We barely saw each other after that, he always had to follow the princess while I had to train the troops to prepare for Calamity Ganon.

Even with everything, it didn’t matter.

We still failed.

That beast took everything from us, Hyrule is in shambles. I hope wherever you are, you’re safe. 

Link was shot by a guardian, these huge metal monsters, they put him in the Shrine of Ressurection, an ancient piece of Shiekah technology that would supposedly heal him.

I fell in Kakariko… yet, here I am. Apparently they put me in a room that had some sort of Stasis similar to the Shrine.

The difference however… I remember everything.

Link remembers nothing. Not even me.

But we managed, we survived, we took on so many trials together.

And then we took on Calamity Ganon.

It’s gone now, Hyrule is finally safe, we fixed our mistake.

So why does it still feel like we failed?

I wish I could have met you…

Like I said, I don’t even know if you’re alive, I might be sending this to a dead man. But on the slim chance that I’m not…

I really hope I can see you.

Rinku

---

Fiddling with the kinstone half that he had fashioned into a necklace, Rinku sighed heavily. Nearby he could hear Link fiddling with the Slate. The two of them were relaxing on the Plateau, needing some peace and quiet.

A snapping sound caught both of their attention, as one they looked over at the source of the sound, dumbfounded to find themselves staring at a group of people. How the hell did they get up here?

“Pardon us… but would either of you be named Link?” Rinku bristled faintly, defensive as he felt Link tense beside him.

“Who wants to know-?” His terse reply was suddenly caught off by a quiet gasp from seemingly the smallest of the group.

“Rinku…?” His ears flicked and he looked over at the speaker, the guy looked like he’d seen a ghost, the way his gaze kept flicking between his face and… his necklace?

“That’s me, yes…?” He replied cautiously, well aware of the confused looks both of them were getting. He tensed as the other approached after murmuring something to the supposed. The other raised his hands passively, showing they were empty and that he meant no harm.

“Your birthday’s October 30th.”

Rinku stiffened in surprise, he was not expecting him to say that.

“You didn’t want to be a knight and neither did your twin, he has a passion for baking while you had one for sewing.” The stranger continued softly. “On your ninth birthday, you drew the Master Sword together-” They were both aware of the sharp gasp from the group behind the smaller male, but neither acknowledged them.

“Just mere days before then, you received a letter holding half a kinstone.” A soft, hopeful smile crossed his face and Rinku could swear his eyes shone with four different colors. “Kinstones are special… if you fuse two halves together…”

“...Something good will happen.” Rinku managed to finish, staring at the other in disbelief. He managed to stand and half walk, half stumble to the other. He had hoped, he had wished… could it really be…?

“Link…?”

A small laugh escaped him before he held out his arms.

“You said you wanted to meet me, right…? Hope I don’t disappoint-” He grunted softly as Rinku slammed into him, knocking them both over as he hugged him tightly.

Four winced slightly as they hit the ground together, he knew the others would be completely confused about what just happened and he’d definitely owe them an explanation, but right now, he was more focused on finally being able to meet him. Finally focusing back on him, he paused before his heart melted at the mumbling he could barely hear.

“You’re safe, you’re safe, thank the goddess, you’re safe.” 

“I’m safe.” He agreed softly, gently rubbing his back. “I’m safe and you’re safe…” His voice lowered as his grip tightened slightly. “And you didn’t fail.” He felt Rinku stiffen in his arms, but pushed regardless. “Listen to me, you didn’t. You, your twin, you did everything you could, I know you did. And in the end you won.”

“But Link-” He started to protest and Four shushed him sharply.

“But Link nothing.” He replied sternly. “Yes, it took awhile, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Hyrule is safe. You’re safe, Link is safe. You won.”

Rinku sagged against him, burying his face against his shoulder. Four settled with a small sigh before blinking as his gaze met Link’s, Rinku’s Link, his twin.

-You… know my brother?- He asked, cocking his head. -You are… the one he writes to?-

“I am.” He confirmed with a nod. “My name’s Link, just like you. But they-” he nodded to the group behind them. “Call me Four.”

Link seemed to process this before he smiled and raised his hands again.

-Thank you.-

Four blinked, confused as the other continued.

-He told you what happened to us, right? About the Calamity?- At his nod, Link continued. -I think the only thing really keeping him going was the letters he had from you from a hundred years prior. He keeps them in the slate- At that, he pulled up the stone slab from his hip and turned it around so Four could see a screen. On it was the symbol of an envelope and the numbers 523. Internally, he could hear the colors flustering.

“We really wrote that much?”

“Some of them were before us, when it was just Link.”

“Yeesh, all of that…”

“...he kept them all…”

The colors quieted at Red’s words and Four fought back a shiver at the realization. Every letter from their childhood to now, Rinku had found a way to keep them all safe and sound. He tightened his hold on the younger male, overwhelmed at the emotion engulfing his heart.

A soft clearing of someone’s throat caused the trio to jump and finally turn their attention to the group once more.

“Four… perhaps it’s time for introductions?” The smith flushed faintly at the amused glint in Time’s eye.

“Ah… yes.” He managed, fighting back a pout (he did not pout, he did not) when Rinku pulled back to look at the group with a wary eye. Just because he trusted Four, didn’t mean he trusted the rest of them right away.

“Everyone… this is Link and Rinku. Twin brothers and the heroes of this Hyrule.”

His gaze met Rinku’s and he gave a half smile.

“We have a lot to talk about.”

[critical-analysis]

UnDeadwood: Deadwood’s Real and Fictional Dead Bodies That Could Show up in the Game

UnDeadwood is kind of a funny thin, as it's operating on multiple layers of pre-exissting material. The world and many of the NPCs are taken from the show Deadwood, which aired on HBO in the early-mid 2000s. It took place in the South Dakota city of Deadwood, which at the time was not yet incorporated, so it was a relatively lawless place, where people came to seek their fortune in the gold-rich land. The show itself is based on true characters and true events. While its major storylines are, for the most part, mostly fiction, certain real events are dramatized and many of the character are based on real people. With UnDeadwood utilizing both the setting and many of the characters, what do both the events of the show and the real people these characters are based on mean to the story?

Obviously, I'll be discussing spoilers for all three seasons of Deadwood and the recent movie, so if you haven't seen it all and you don't want to be spoiled, maybe stop reading here and come back once you're all caught up.

Also, I do have many sources I want to cite, but I simply didn’t have time to add them in since I wanted to get this posted before it was too late. So I will be adding in sources sometimes later this week. If you’re very interested in seeing the sources, then keep checking back. I’ll make an update post when I’ve added them. 

In today's part (the second part will be posted on Thursday or Friday), I'll be doing a quick overview of the Deadwood, both the show and the settlement, but I'll mostly be focusing on things that might be important in light of the most recent episode - episode two - particularly the bodies that might be in the cemetery, how they got there, and other things involved the dead of Deadwood.

The series starts in 1876, only about half a year after the camp of Deadwood was founded. Many people were flocking to the west in general, some hoping to get rich by striking gold, and others hoping to move to these camps and upstart towns to take advantage of these frontier settlements by starting shops, saloons, or offering their services in fields like medicine. Wealthy and poor alike went West, with poor people hoping to change their circumstances and wealthy people looking for both more wealth and a little adventure. Deadwood, as well as some other settlements, also drew its share of outlaws, as it hadn't even been annexed into the Dakota Territory, so the laws of the territory, and of the US, largely didn't apply. The Lakota people had originally been guaranteed the land of the Black Hills, putting it outside of US laws and territory, but once gold was discovered in the hills, white people moved in and settled, leading to a great deal of conflict with the native people which, sadly, ended in the US taking the land and annexing it into the Dakota Territory.

The series ended after three seasons, without a satisfying conclusion considering writer David Milch had not been expecting it to not be renewed when he was writing the season finale (though the book The Revolution was Televised describes a much more complicated misunderstanding that led to the lack of a fourth season). I'm not sure of the exact year in-story that the third season took place in, but I imagine it was probably 1879 or earlier, and the show had not yet depicted the great fire that occurred in the fall of 1879 that destroyed much of the town and led to many of the people who lived there to leave town. The movie, which was released earlier this year, picks up the story in 1889.

Deadwood was notorious for the amount of crime and, in particular, murder that happened there. The graveyard was quite full for this reason, among others. That's the first thing I want to talk about, since Undeadwood is dealing with the undead, and in this past week's episode they discovered two graves (who knows if there are more) without bodies in them.

Murders were relatively common in Deadwood, especially if we're going by the more popular mythical idea of the town than the reality. While experts and historians say that the crime in Deadwood in recent years, even as the population is significantly lower than its height in the 1800s, is higher than its ever been, even in the days of the Old West, it's commonly said that at its height there was one murder a day in Deadwood. Which means that there would be lots and lots of people buried in that graveyard from violence alone.

However, the violence in the town might not generate as many graves as you might think, as in the series the bodies of murdered people were often fed to Wu's pigs. While there have been cases of bodies being fed to pigs throughout history, there's no evidence that shows it ever actually happened in Deadwood. So the cemeteries in the actual Deadwood might have been a bit fuller than the cemeteries in the fictional Deadwood.

But violence wasn't the only thing that put bodies in graves in the early days of the camp. In 1876 a small pox epidemic swept through the settlement, killing many. This was dramatized on the show, starting with the illness of the character Andy Cramed and continuing on with many unnamed characters taking ill and dying. In the show, Jane helped Doc Cochran nurse the ill, as Calamity Jane did in real life. It also wasn't uncommon for people to die of injuries sustained while working the claims. So that graveyard is going to be filled with bodies of various kinds, various ages, genders, and types. Some with bullet holes, some disease ridden, some mangled from injury. If the bodies in the cemetery are being reanimated, there's sure to be some horrifying sights ahead.

One of the people whose graves we now know is empty is Wild Bill Hickok. By the time Hickok arrived in Deadwood in in 1976, he was already an incredibly well known figure throughout the country, having fought in the Civil War and becoming famous as a marksman, performer, and gambler. He'd become known for not just his famous shootouts, some of which had seen him tried for (and acquitted of) murder, but the wild west shows he put on and took part in. Sadly, by 1976, even though he wasn't even 40 years old, and despite the fact that he was still a well known figure, Hickok had fallen on difficult times. Glaucoma had impacted his marksmanship so much that it was in steep decline, and he'd been arrested for vagrancy one more than one occasion. He married a woman named Agnes Lake and left to travel to Deadwood, joining a wagon train with Calamity Jane and Charlie Utter. He planned to find his fortune in gold and to continue trying to earn income through gambling.

Hickok hadn't even been in Deadwood a month when Jack McCall entered the saloon Hickok was gambling in and shot him in the head, killing him. McCall had been playing cards with Hickok the day beforehand and had been insulted when Hickok suggest he stop playing before he lose all his money, and offered him money for breakfast. While on trial, McCall claimed his motive was revenge, that Hickok had killed his brother. He was acquitted, then tried again after he was caught bragging about the murder. He was hanged in March of 1877. He was buried in Yankton, and when the body was exhumed when the cemetery was moved a few years later, the noose was still around his neck.

Which, honestly, as morbid as it is, would be great imagery for UnDeadwood, if Brian were to take some dramatic liberties with McCall's place of burial. While the show depicts him fleeing Deadwood in light of the town's growing anger after his acquittal, Charlie Utter and Seth Bullock are late shown to have tracked him down so he can stand trial for a second time, with the result of the trial and the execution not happening on screen. For what it's worth, Hickok's body was also moved from the original cemetery in Deadwood in 1879 and moved to a new cemetery called Mount Moriah, which was built on a hill near the town.

Deadwood was accurate in regards to Hickok's time in Deadwood in some ways and not so much in other ways. He was in Deadwood for such a short amount of time,  and most of the accounts of his time there focus on his gambling and his death. There's no evidence that he was even close to successful in securing a claim, and much of the storylines the character took part in during the series were entirely fictional. It doesn't appear that he did any kind of law enforcement work, and considering the fact that his failing eyesight was having such a strong effect on his marksmanship, it's unlikely he would have been able to take part in a shoot out the like of that which occurred with Seth Bullock in the pilot episode. In fact, he probably never even met Seth Bullock, as Bullock and Starr arrived in the camp just one day before Hickok's murder.

But the depiction of the actual events of his death were accurate in a lot of ways. The show depicts the card games that occurred between Hickok and McCall and the growing resentment from McCall. Hickok usually sat with his back to the wall, so that he could always see the entrance. On the day of his death, such a seat was not available, so purely by chance, he sat in a seat with his back to the door, which allowed McCall to come up behind him without Hickok noticing. This is how events unfolded in reality, and they're accurately depicted on the show, as was McCall's first trial and his revenge defense.

Another body that could show up and be important is that of the original reverend, Reverend Smith. While the fictional Reverend Smith was based on a real person, not much of the real Henry Weston Smith made it to the screen. While the real Smith was similar to his fictional counterpart in that he chose to make the move to Deadwood himself without being assigned to the camp, and he was a man of god who truly believed in a preaching the gospel and had no need for material things, pretty much the entirety of Reverend Smith's story is fictionalized.

Which is both a shame and not a shame. The Reverend's story in Deadwood is a beautiful and unbelievably sad one as it leads up to his death. But his death in real life might be even more interesting, as he was the victim of a mysterious murder that remains unsolved today. In August of 1976, he had left his home to preach in a nearby settlement, leaving as note on his door. While many were concerned about the danger of traveling outside of camp without protection, due to both robbers who roamed the roads and the tensions that existed with the native people who had rights to the land, Reverend Smith said that the only protection he needed was the Bible. His body was found to the side of the road outside of town, shot to death. Because he wasn't robbed, the murder was blamed on the native people, but it was never truly solved, and many people within Deadwood having reason to not want a man of god preaching in their camp. Smith was buried in a hillside cemetery, and then he was also moved to the cemetery on Mount Moriah.

In the series, though, Reverend Smith suffered from a brain tumor which causes him to slowly deteriorate as he suffers from hallucinations, headaches, and physical impairment. In UnDeadwood, Al refers to him as being "like a brother". The two weren't close before Smith's illness, but as Al moved from villain into more "anti hero" status, the Reverend reminds Al of his adopted brother, who had seizures and fits like the ones Smith has. He cares for Smith at the Gem as the reverend becomes sicker and sicker, finally smothering him in an act of euthanasia, sending Smith away from his suffering to go with God.

There are also the bodies of the Metz family, who were slaughtered in the first episode by men working for Al Swearengen (though not on Swearengen's orders), as they were on their way out of Deadwood, having not been able to make their fortune and finding the camp too rough. The only survivor was a little girl, Sophia, who would go on to be raised by Alma Garret Ellsworth. So the family's bodies, including those of other children who didn't survive, could possibly also be among those in the graveyard, or among those that are no longer in the graveyard.

The Metz family massacre was an event that occurred outside of Deadwood in 1976, with the family being slaughtered outside of Deadwood in 1876. The crime was initially claimed on the native people, as is shown in the series, but it appeared they were robbed and word spread around town that it was the work of Persimmon Bill Chambers - though not on any orders by Swearengen or anyone else.  Chambers' involvement remained rumors, though, as Chambers was never arrest or tried, and he disappeared, with papers claiming he was killed later the same year. Sources disagree on whether or not there were any survivors of the massacre, and those that do say there was a survivor say that it was an adult man, not a little girl.

Of particular interest, given the events of the end of this past week's episode, is Doc Cochran. In the series, Doc Cochran is a complex character who is ultimately one of the most truly good people in the camp. As the only doctor in town he treats the entire camp, from the girls at the Gem to the smallpox-stricken residents, to a traumatized Sophia after the death of her family, and pretty much everyone else at some point.

Historical records show no evidence of Doc Cochran having a real life counterpart. It's likely that his general existence and relationship to the settlement is a combination of multiple doctors who lived and worked in Deadwood in the first few decades of its existence (and interestingly, at least one of those doctors, Flora Hayward Stanford, who came to the camp to work in 1888, was a woman).

At the end of last week's episode, a hat was found in Wild Bill's grave that displayed the initials D.C., and as the group remembered that Doc Cochran had been unable to find his hat when they knocked on his door, the assumption was made that Cochran must has had some part in the strange happenings of the empty graves and the walking dead.

But there's more to support the idea that he's at least SOMEHOW involved in what's going on than the presence of a hat with his initials on it. In UnDeadwood, while talking to the group about whether or not he had ever seen anything like what had occurred in the shootout, Cochran describes seeing similar things during the war. According to his backstory in the series, Cochran served as a doctor in the war, having to treat the wounded and dying soldiers. He was traumatized by his experience. But the real kicked is a little bit of info that dropped when the leaders of the community were trying to put together a government and assigning jobs. It's revealed that Doc Cochran has been arrested for grave robbing. Seven times.

People hear "grave robbing" and think that it signifies the Doc is not a good person, but grave robbing wasn't entirely uncommon when it came to the medical profession in those days. It was actually a pretty common practice in the 19th century, when those working in the medical field were showing an unprecedented curiosity and making more frequent advancement than ever before, demand for bodies to study and experiment on was high, but the amount of actual, legal product was low. While grave robbing is undeniably a crime and a horrible thing to do, it was a pretty common thing at the time, and not necessarily indicative of whether or not someone was a good or bad person. Doc Cochran shows throughout the series and during the movie that he's a good, decent person, compassionate and ethical in his practices.

The main thing that separates Doc Cochran from the real grave robbers of the era is that, in most cases, grave robbers were never caught. Cochran must not have been very good at it, considering he was nabbed seven times.

So Cochran being connected to an empty grave is not unprecedented. What could this all mean, though? Having a past that includes grave robbing could very well connect him to something mysterious and otherworldly going on that involves graves being found empty. He didn't play dumb when the group asked him about whether he'd seen anything like it before. Instead he was open and honest about what he had seen during the war.

Perhaps what's going on in the game is a result of Doc Cochran's experiments having gone wrong. Perhaps he took bodies from the graves to experiment on, and maybe he took the unburied bodies of the bandits to examine/experiment on before they were scheduled for burial. Maybe wasn't attempting anything nefarious and it's just innocent experimentation gone wrong.

Or maybe it's a red herring. It's possible that while he did take the bodies, and maybe even possible that the bodies he took were or will be reanimated, that he has nothing to do with the actual raising of the dead. That he simply took the bodies for experimentation/examination, and something else happened that he had no part of that reanimated them. It's even possible that someone knows of Cochran's past with grave robbing (as is stated in the series, he was pretty open about sharing it, so it's probably at least somewhat common knowledge), and has stolen his hat, placing it in the grave in an attempt to frame him.

I personally hope that it's one of these options and that he's not up to anything nefarious. Doc Cochran is my favorite character from the show, precisely because while he's a tough and complicated person, he's genuinely good and compassionate. I think it would very much go against his characterization for him to be doing anything intentionally bad or wrong.

But I think that the fact that he does have a history of grave robbing is going to play into things in a major way.

Deadwood was an incredibly violent show, and while the actual Deadwood settlement might not have been quite as violent as legend says, there was a lot of death and suffering that took place there, even in its first year. There are plenty of bodies produced by the series that UnDeadwood can capitalize on for its undead hordes, so I suppose we just have to wait and see what bodies pop up and what from the show is going to effect the narrative moving forward.

Stay tuned for the Thursday/Friday essay, where I'll continue the UnDeadwood discussion, talking about the other characters from the show that we've seen so far, their historical counterparts, and how their stories might come into play in the game. Thanks for reading!

[wolfie-rood]

Unspeakable Fate - Sidon x Mute!Reader

“Your highness; Thank you for coming on such short notice!” The Zora King exclaimed.

Zelda nodded with a gentle smile and replied with, “Of course. It is my duty to assist you in any way I can. Now, you said that Vah Ruta was malfunctioning; what exactly is wrong?”

“Oh, you should go and talk with my son, Sidon. He’s the one who noticed the issue and informed me about it.” King Dorephan responded. “Though, it’s late, and I’m sure you’re all exhausted. Please, go and rest; I’m quite sure Vah Ruta can wait until morning.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Zelda said kindly. then she turned to (Name) and Link. “Alright then; let’s go and rest.”

But, this place is beautiful, and I want to explore, (Name) thought as she pouted like a child. With only one look, Zelda knew exactly what she was thinking, and she waved the mute girl off.

“Fine. Link and I will go and sleep, but don’t stay out too late.” Zelda warned; walking away with her silent, blonde knight. (Name) nodded excitedly and ran off in the opposite direction.

(Name) is a very close friend with the royal family since her great grandfather was head of royal security. She’s usually invited on long trips across Hyrule because of her exceptional combat skills. To any man, this girl would be the total package! Cautious, generous, artistic, loyal, trustworthy; The list goes on and on! but, there’s always a flaw…

And (Name)’s flaw is selective mutism.

When (Name) was 13, her mother was her everything, while her biological father left when she was only a baby. Her mother fell in love with another man after almost 12 years of being single, and he was just about perfect… I mean, besides the fact that he tried to drown (Name). Somehow, he failed to do it, but he made her swear not to mention the incident to anyone. Being so terrified of what might happen to her, she just stopped talking altogether.

Of course, Zelda - being her best friend and the smartest girl in Hyrule - she found out what happened almost instantly. Zelda took her under her wing, and she was treated like the princess’s sister. But no matter how much she tried, (Name) only spoke in front of Zelda and Link.

As (Name) walked up a long path, she noticed the divine beast in the distance. It was powered down for some odd reason. Oh, that must be the problem, she thought. she continued to stare at it until she was forcefully shoved to the side. (Name) looked up to meet the eyes of a guilty Zora holding a stack of books. Thankfully, none of them fell.

“M-My apologies! are you alright?” He asked worriedly. (Name) smiled and nodded gently. “Are you positive? I wasn’t exactly gentle…”

She simply waved him off; saying it was nothing. Then, she turned around and began walking away. “Um, are you perhaps staying at the Inn? I’d be happy to accompany you, if that is alright.” (Name) gave him a reassuring thumbs-up, and he picked up his pace to walk beside her. “Oh, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet. Sidon, at your service!” He exclaimed; giving off an infectious smile, which made (Name) grin as well.

So, this is the prince, huh? She felt him staring her, and she thought that he was probably waiting for her to introduce herself as well. “And you are…?” He wondered, confirming her suspicions.

(Name) put a hand up to her throat; signalling that she can’t speak. “I see…” once they made it to the Inn, Zelda - who was waiting outside - walked up to them.

“(Name), I see you’ve met prince sidon.” Zelda said, and the mute nodded in reply.

Sidon bowed his head gracefully. “Your highness! I did not expect you to arrive so quickly! A-and, this young lady is with you?”

“Yes, this is (Name); she usually comes with me on long trips such as this one.” Zelda said. The silent girl nodded and waved to them; walking into the Inn.

“So, about (Name)…” Zelda began quietly as soon as she was out of sight. Though, (Name) could still hear them. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but she is selectively mute. This means she has the ability to speak, but refuses to in most situations.”

“I understand, Zelda.” He mumbled.

“Good, then I’m off to bed. You should probably do the same.” With that, (Name) hopped into the bed beside Link and slept.

~~

The next morning, Zelda, link, and Sidon all went over to Vah Ruta to fix whatever was wrong with it. Meanwhile, (Name) stayed behind. Not that she minded, but it had nothing to do with her. She was only there because the princess could always use more protection; even with Calamity Gannon destroyed.

So, instead of staying cooped up at the Inn all day, she left note and decided to go out and relax farther down the river.

For a while, she just walked along the riverbank; enjoying the scenery. Then, she found a spot to relax, so she sat down and pulled a book out of her bag and laid down to read.

(Name) stayed there for a most of the afternoon, just reading her book until she noticed the sun was beginning to set. (Name) sat up to see a red figure swimming in the river in front of her, and she jumped in surprise. “Do you know you hum quietly when you read?” Sidon wondered, and she shook her head silently. She used to sing a lot when she was younger, but it all stopped when she went mute. “I’ve come to inform you that link and the princess have fixed the issue with Vah Ruta, and are preparing to leave.”

(Name) nodded and stood up while placing her book in her bag. With that, her and sidon walked back to zoras domain together.

“Ah, there you are, (Name)!” Zelda greeted kindly. “Link and I have already packed your things for you while you were away. Are you ready to leave?” She smiled with a thumbs up and grabbed the rest of her things. “Well, I suppose our work her is finished for now. Remember sidon, if there are any more problems, you know who to contact.”

“Of course! If anything else happens, you will be the first to know! Sidon exclaimed with that famous smile of his. “And, feel free to visit anytime.” And just like that, the three of them left.

~~

“Hm… it’s nice to have a day to myself every now and then…” Sidon hummed quietly as he floated gently in the water. Meanwhile, (Name) ran her fingers through the waves as she sat silently on the grass beside the prince. She shot him a knowing look and he chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I’m not by myself, am I?”

the past eight months, (Name) has been visiting Zoras Domain very often. She enjoys the prince’s company more than her own, even though he doesn’t have much of his own free time. But when he does, Sidon prefers to spend it with (Name), which is very sweet.

“Strange,” sidon began with his eyes closed. “Even though the domain has been quite cold These past few days, your being here has certainly made it warmer.”

(Name) looked away and blushed a bit by his compliment. “What? Do not be so modest; it is alright to to accept a compliment every once in while.” Sidon said quietly. The girl shrugged and went back to playing with the water. Sidon sighed and looked off in the distance. “When Zelda mentioned to me about your condition… I assumed it would be difficult to communicate with you…” The prince explained nervously; drifting a bit closer to (Name). “But I was mistaken. In fact, I feel as though I’m able to understand you more than I understand most other people.” At this point, (Name) stopped what she was doing, and gave her full attention to Sidon. “I understand that you prefer not to speak, but I hope… I hope that someday you will try to let your walls down for me… I care about you more than you could ever know, and I vow to wait for you; as long as it takes.”

Her heart beat rapidly while her eyes teared up. (Name) couldn’t remember a time where even Zelda had cared as much as this enthusiastic Zora has. It was so mind-blowingly adorable, and yet… the poor girl couldn’t even tell him that…

But…!

Slowly, (Name) leaned over to the calm Zora prince and - ever so quietly - she whispered hoarsely…

“Thank you…”

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 318

 “Thank you, James!  I never would have managed without you!” insisted Mrs. Coleman.

 “You are quite welcome.  Do call again if ever you need something.” I replied with a smile before stepping into the elevator to leave her floor.

 Mrs. Coleman had purchased a new painting and hired Best Friend For Hire to aid in displaying it.  Mila used a scan of the room from my initial visit to take measurements and fabricate an airtight display system to match the condo’s aesthetics after sending a simulation to Mrs. Coleman.  I merely had to install it.

 Now I had an hour until my next job for a “new client”.  I sighed wondering what Maxine wanted.  She was hiring me through one of her employees this time.  Well, the man’s company was a subsidiary of a company where she sat on the board of directors, so there was a small chance that this wasn’t Maxine’s doing, though I wholeheartedly agreed with Mila’s assessment that Maxine was probably involved.

 I found myself sighing again as I walked.  Being engaged felt all the more real to me now that I had given Alma a ring.  The wedding seemed at once too soon and too far away.  I was nervous, despite being certain I wanted to marry her.  We had yet to thoroughly discuss the details of what we wanted married life to be, or at least I felt there was more to discuss.  In addition to worrying over what marriage was going to mean for us, I still was worrying over Dejon.

 I hired Dejon yesterday, despite my remaining doubts about his character.  Working for me, I’d likely know if he did something truly evil with his ability.  If I sent him away now, he’d probably be using his powers to stay afloat, given his need of a job.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t consider how his actions would affect others if that were the case, possibly the very thing which troubled me about him.  A lack of solid moral values could be very dangerous with a gift like his.

 Furthermore, I felt behind in my studies again.  There never seemed to be enough time to read all that I would want to read, even with Aaliyah and Carl helping me cheat a bit.  If I really wasn’t aging, did it really hurt to give me a few extra years of study?  I found myself smirking at the thought of it.  Even I realized that would be suspicious to those in my household.  No one questioned how quickly I learned these days, but everyone was perfectly aware of what my schedule was like.  There was only so much I could fit into my day, and I had some very intelligent friends who would surely see something amiss if I suddenly knew far too much.

  Despite what I’d like to believe, I knew I wouldn’t be willing to study too much without breaks.  I’d miss my friends.  I’d miss Alma.  I’d want to visit my parents again.  I already went too long between visits at times.  At least they visited the house often enough that I saw them more than I otherwise would.  I smiled to myself as I considered again how my parents didn’t seem ready for me to be married.  How long would Alma and I wait before having children?  I believed she wanted children… What would they even be like?

 I rounded a corner and found a couple police cars with their lights flashing.  Glancing around, I guessed that the man in the back of one of the cars was apprehended after attempting to rob the pawn shop where one of the officers was asking questions.  Hearing someone walking toward me, I looked over and saw Officer Tracy out of uniform.

 “James Michael Somerset III.  Were you here for this one?” he asked.

 “No.  I just finished helping Mrs. Coleman with her painting back that way.” I replied, pointing toward her house.

 “Hear anything new about Calamity?” he inquired.

 “Calamity?” I questioned.

 Nodding, he said, “Oh yeah.  The city apparently has a vigilante using that as her name.  Strange choice if you ask me.”

 “I agree.  Sounds ominous.” I told him.

 “It does.  It does.  This is the second… no, third time you just happened to be walking by a crime scene after she appeared.” he informed me.

 “She?  I thought this umm… Calamity, was it?” I asked, waiting for him to nod.  “Was a he.”

 “No.  Calamity is definitely a she.  Hard to miss in that new suit she has.  White hair from what we’ve been told.” he stated.

 “White hair?  Not a wig?” I questioned.

 He laughed and said, “Would you believe people claim to have seen part of her head shot off?  Well, not recently.  Lately, they’ve claimed she’s bulletproof.  Whatever the case, she has to have some expensive tech to survive some of the things she’s supposedly been through.”

 “I bet she would.” I admitted, knowing that she was using some very state-of-the-art technology.

 “I also noticed that you have an employee with white hair.  Portentia, I believe her name was.  Unusual name.  Your website says she’s deaf though.” he told me.

 “She was born deaf from what I was told.  Very friendly girl.  Would you like to meet her?” I suggested.

 “I would.  I really would, but I’m afraid I can’t.  People might believe I’m investigating into your business.” he told me.

 “That might look bad if my business was associated with criminal activity, but I’ll gladly help law enforcement where I can.” I assured him.

 Portentia really seemed to be making a large difference in the city, and I did help her a little not that long ago.

 He smirked and said, “Funny.  Would you believe I was called immediately by my boss’ boss right after I ran your plates that day we met?  He directly ordered me not to investigate you and informed me that investigating into your business was considered investigating you.”

 “You’re a detective now, aren’t you.  Sorry.  I had been wondering why you weren’t in uniform.  Congratulations on the promotion.” I told him.

 “Thank you.” he replied, frowning.

 “Though I find what you just told me somewhat surprising, I can’t claim any knowledge as to why he would tell you that.  Perhaps there could be some sort of international problem considering that a foreign dignitary resides in my home.” I suggested.

 “Your fiancée.” he stated.  “Congratulations.”

 “Thank you.  For someone who isn’t investigating me, you’re very well informed.” I told him.

 Shrugging, he said, “Your wedding is a big event.  I heard that the mayor and even the governor are going to be attending.”

 “I honestly haven’t seen the guest list, but I would imagine it’s quite extensive.” I replied, wondering how much Detective Tracy actually knew.

 “You obviously don’t have to answer, but do you know sign language, James?” he asked.

 “Yes.  Several forms, actually.  With someone who is deaf working for me, I felt obligated to learn.  If you ever run into Portentia, don’t worry.  She can read lips just fine.  Make sure she’s facing you when you’re speaking though.  She has a tendency to turn her head when you’re saying something she doesn’t want to hear.” I admitted, not wanting to have him feel I was withholding anything.

 “Sorry if I’m keeping you from anything, but I appreciate your time, Mr. Somerset.” he told me, holding out his hand.

 I shook it and said, “No trouble.  With an hour between jobs, I thought a nice walk would be a good way to kill some time.  I might have to call a taxi if I take too much longer.”

 “Would you want a ride?  I don’t have a DB5 like yours, but my car still runs.” he offered.

 “I wouldn’t want to trouble you.” I replied.

 “No trouble, not after I took up your time.  I’m the green one just up the street.” he insisted, starting to walk as he spoke.

 “There are green taxis around.” I teased.

 He smiled and led me to his car.  Noticing a folder on the passenger seat, he said, “Let me get that out of your way.”

 I read enough snippets of the pages when the folder flopped open from being raised that I was certain the entire thing was devoted to researching Portentia.  The picture of her at the convention we attended probably confirmed his suspicions about her, but he didn’t have a way to approach her as long as long as she worked for me.  I wondered if I had Alma or Aaliyah to thank for that bit of protection.

 After getting the address and driving a little ways, Detective Tracy said, “Sorry if I might have seemed a little suspicious of your employee, James.  The Calamity thing is a bit of a thorn in our side.  She’s a criminal, breaking the law, we’re required to catch her, but she’s also busted a large number of cases open for us.  The amount of evidence left for us at some of the crime scenes is staggering.  Full videos of crimes in action on microSD cards sitting on top of pictures.  There are even printed reports at times connecting the dots easily enough for kindergarteners.”

 “That sounds incredible.  I’m a little concerned though.  If you do pin her down eventually, how are you supposed to bring her in if she’s capable of taking on large groups who don’t play by a rulebook?” I inquired, ignoring the vibration in my pocket.  If he caught a glance at my phone’s screen when the wrong message was up, he’d certainly have more questions.

 “Can I get your word that you won’t mention this?” he asked.

 “Of course.  Confidentiality is in my contract.” I informed him.

 He laughed and said, “I can imagine, given the people you rub shoulders with.  No one even organizes the evidence we have on her.  It’s just a bunch of reports from witnesses.  She’s officially a myth, since few of the reports sound remotely credible.”

 “Even though she’s been seen multiple times?” I asked.  “That sounds hard to believe.” I insisted, though I knew he wasn’t lying.

 “Fighting crime is tough.  Even the people we protect are against us half the time.  Having someone actually working to help us doesn’t make any of us prone to bringing her in.” he admitted.

 “So what are you after?” I inquired.

 He shrugged again before saying, “I’d like to meet her and understand how she does it.  Collecting the evidence as she does might revolutionize police work.”

 I nodded and kept myself from frowning.  I doubt anyone would be pleased to find out how much Mila spies on the city.  If the government had a clue how much she spies on countries, they’d want to possess her.

 “Here we are.  I’ve got a new card if you want one, just in case you hear something.” he told me.

 “Sure.  Thanks for the ride!” I told him, shaking his hand once more.  As I did, I felt my phone vibrate again, so I pulled it out as I got out of the car.

 “Marvelous Max is heading toward you.  Calamity is also on her way as well.” wrote Mila.

 I sighed.

 “Is something wrong?” asked Detective Tracy, leaning to look at me.

 “Just looks like my day is going to be even busier.  Thanks again.”  I told him with a wave.

 Barely a few steps away, I frowned, hearing the faint sounds of familiar thrusters.  I considered running, but there were a large number of people around, and Tracy knew who I was.  What was Maxine playing at?  Was she really coming straight to me?  If so, why?  Not wanting to seem unusual in front of the detective, I walked to the most open area I could, pretending to read my phone as I did.  If Maxine was coming to me, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

 I glanced up and caught sight of Maxine descending straight for me with some sort of cylinder held in her arms.  Causing her engines to fail would be relatively easy, but preventing her from crashing into anything or anyone without things seeming unnatural wouldn’t.  I waited and wondered.

 She flipped around and slowed her descent barely twenty feet from the ground, still landing hard near me.  Then she grabbed me with one of the giant machine’s hands, pushed me into the metal cylinder, and launched back into the air just as cylinder closed.  Surprisingly, the cylinder was very well padded.  I could hear the sound of air coming into it.  I did not look forward to explaining this to Detective Tracy if we ever crossed paths again.

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 297

 “Oh my…  James, is she really…?” asked Jemal.

 “Good morning, Aaliyah.” I told her.

 “Good morning, boss-man, sir!  Hi, Jemal!  Oooh…. Kayla!  What’s that!?” she exclaimed.

 “Just my laptop.” replied Kayla.  “Jemal bought it for me a couple years ago.”

 “Dad helped.” stated Jemal, smiling at her.

 Grinning, Aaliyah told her “I love the color.”

 The startling shade of pink was definitely up Aaliyah’s alley, as were the sparkles everywhere.

 “Sorry.  I know this is probably weird and all, but… but can I get your autograph?” asked Jemal.

 “Okay.” replied Aaliyah, not even looking up.

 Raine was suddenly there, her eyes wide as she stood behind Jemal while holding a box for Ancient Tribes of Earth.

 “What?  You still hadn’t asked her?” I inquired in shock.

 Raine shrugged sheepishly.  She obviously wasn’t comfortable with Jemal yet, given how she stood a yard behind him, but I couldn’t say he was comfortable with her either.  When we were testing out Jarod’s flying machines, Alma and I had caught most everyone with spells before they had fallen all the way off their board, but Jemal had a rather spectacular spill while trying to chase after Kayla.  Raine had caught him.  Seeing the small girl holding him easily over her head was comical for the rest of us, but Jemal seemed spooked.  Maybe he had caught a glimpse of her other form or simply felt it.

 Aaliyah pulled out a pen from her backpack and signed a picture of Jemal’s character, Destiny.  Then she cocked her head and stared up at Raine.

 “Au-auto-graph.  P-please.” stated Raine as she held out the box.

 “Sure!” exclaimed Aaliyah, happily taking it.  “You should have asked sooner!  You do see me frequently.”

 “I-I know, b-but… w-well… Y-you’re my… m-my hero.” mumbled Raine as she blushed.

 “Aww… We’re all friends here.” stated Aaliyah as she hugged Raine.

 Jemal whispered to me “How long’s she worked here?”

 “Since November.” I told him.

 “J-James!” exclaimed Raine before vanishing.

 As her clothes fell, I realized Raine must’ve changed into a kitten in embarrassment, so I walked over there, waited for her to peek out, and apologized.

 “She’s a cat!?” exclaimed Jemal.

 “Werecat.” I replied.

 “Kayla!  Back up!” he exclaimed.

 “What’s wrong?  Didn’t you notice her yesterday before she saved you?” I asked.

 “What?  No.  Kayla’s allergic to cats!” he exclaimed.

 “Ah…” I said as I started working through what to do.

 “But she’s so cute, Jemal…” complained Kayla, sneezing at the end.  She was already starting to look red.

 Raine ran, not that I saw her.  All of her belongings were simply gone.

 “Where’d she go!?” exclaimed Jemal, looking around.

 “She ran.” I told him.

 “S-sorry.  I didn’t mean to make her run away, but I didn’t think there’d be cats here.” he stated.

 “Found it!” exclaimed Aaliyah, who had been rummaging through her backpack.

 “Found what?” I inquired.

 “Kayla’s new allergy medicine.” she replied.

 “What!?  Her doctor needs to approve new medicine.” stated Jemal.

 I stepped over to him, placed my hand on his shoulder, and said, “I know this is all a great deal to take in, but Aaliyah has more doctorates than anyone else on the planet.  I’d trust her.  If you want a quick second opinion, Alma happens to be an M.D. as well.  If you want a third opinion, Aaliyah’s aunt might be considered this planet’s authority on everything medical, having over a thousand years of practice.”

 “Too late.  Already took it.” stated Kayla.

 Jemal ducked to my side as he asked “You what!?”

 She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue as if to show the medicine was swallowed.

 “James!  This serious.  She has other allergies as well.” stated Jemal.

 “I have her complete medical records on file, Jemal.” stated Mila.  “Yours as well.  There really is no need to be alarmed.  Everything was transferred as stated in the contract of employment you signed.”

 Jemal still looked worried.

 I sighed and said, “Aaliyah, would you mind giving a very, very brief explanation of what Kayla just took.”

 “Brief?” questioned Aaliyah, now pouting.

 “Yes, please.” I told her.

 “How brief?” she asked.

 “Under twenty words.” I told her.

 Aaliyah sighed and said, “Kayla took the first stage of a therapy which will cure her of all allergies.  Two stages are left.”  She had been counting words on her fingers as she talked and wiped her brow afterward.

 “What?  Is that even possible?” he asked.

 “Jemal, I’m feeling better already.” insisted Kayla.

 “You’re the one who wanted her autograph.  She’s a genius.” I stated.  Then, slightly louder, I called “Raine, you can come back now.  Everything’s fine.”

 “Master, Raine’s in her room, mumbling about ruining something and looks rather distraught.” stated Mila.

 The girl was still so scared.

 “Aaliyah, how long till Kayla will start benefitting from that therapy?” I asked.

 “She already is.  Look at her.  She’ll be perfectly fine by the time you walk down the hall with them.” she replied.  “Auntie’s medicines are magically delicious.”

 “Really was!” exclaimed Kayla.

 I was surprised that the concoction wasn’t her own, but I nodded and thanked her.  Then I asked Jemal if he and Kayla would mind coming with me to calm Raine down.

 “Sorry.  Sure.  I guess this is my fault for overreacting.” he replied.

 “I can really pet kitties now!?” asked Kayla, staring at Aaliyah.

 “Of course!  We can’t let our best friends suffer from allergies.” explained Aaliyah.  “Raine has a little kitty named Pufflewink!”

 “Jemal, I can pet kitties!” exclaimed Kayla.

 “Has this stuff been tested?” he questioned, looking between me and Aaliyah.

 “You can relax, Jemal.  Everything will be fine.” I assured him.

 He nodded and followed as we went toward Raine’s room.  As we walked, I talked to Raine, trying to reassure her that Kayla was fine.

 “How is she supposed to hear you?” asked Jemal.  “Is Mila telling her or something?”

 “I can hear across a hallway just fine.  Raine’s hearing is vastly better.” I told him.

 “Maybe this is a bad question, but I gotta know… are you human?” he asked.

 I laughed and said, “Yes, with a few perks of my own.”

 “Like… what?” he questioned.

 “One you’ve been feeling for a while.  You want to trust me and generally like me.  That’s due to an magical field I emanate.  Unfortunately, I cannot suppress it.” I told him.

 “What?  You’re using magic on us and can’t help it!?” he exclaimed.

 “Correct.  I’ve been assured a number of times not to worry about it, but the idea still bothers me.  I also can move far faster than an average human and am considerably stronger.  Lifting a car, for example, is easy.” I added.

 “And you call that human!?” asked Jemal.

 “I think it sounds amazing!” exclaimed Kayla.

 “I also have considerable aptitude with a type of magic, using what we call residual energy.  Through its use, I can manipulate energy in numerous ways, such as lifting things at a distance as you can do.” I explained.

 “So you’re like a superhero?  You sound like the strongest person ever!” exclaimed Kayla.

 I laughed and said, “No.  Calamity’s this city’s superhero.  I’m just a businessman.  Raine, by the way, is far stronger and faster than me.  She’s far more than an average werecat and equally wonderful as a person.”

 “This is a bit much to take in.” stated Jemal.

 “But it’s so cool!” exclaimed Kayla.

 “There will be an acclimation period, but I have faith that you’ll get there.  I know you haven’t met Cosette yet, given how her schedule hasn’t lined up well for meeting her yet, but she’s our resident vampire.  Fair warning, she might play a prank on you.” I cautioned.

 “Like what sort of prank?” he asked.

 I shrugged and said, “I wouldn’t put slitting Portentia’s throat and drinking her blood in front of you past her.”

 “She’d what!?” he exclaimed.

 “Portentia can’t be killed and has abnormally beneficial blood for vampires, so the two have an interesting relationship.” I explained.

 Kayla’s eyes were wide with excitement as she stared up at me, but Jemal looked disturbed.

 “Ask Portentia about her experiences if you wish.  She’s been stabbed, shot, blown up, decapitated, and many other things without sign of injury a moment later.” I assured him.

 “I-I don’t think my sister should be hearing all this.” he told me.

 “Oh.  Sorry.  I figured she’d have seen as much in video games.” I admitted.

 “Well, maybe, but still…” he argued.

 Arriving at Raine’s door, I knocked and said, “Raine, we’d like to speak with you.”

 The door opened.  Raine was curled up in a corner, holding Pufflewink.

 “Have I mentioned that Raine speaks cat?” I asked.

 “Cats have a language?” inquired Jemal.

 “Cool!” exclaimed Kayla.

 “I don’t know about a language precisely, but she can communicate with them.” I replied.  “How would you describe it Raine?”

 “I-I….  S-sorry.” she muttered.

 “No-no.  I’m sorry.  I really didn’t mean to make you run.  I just got a bit worked up worrying about my sister is all.” he assured her.

 “Can I see your kitty!?” exclaimed Kayla.  “I won’t sneeze or anything!  Aaliyah told me!”

 “I-I heard…” mumbled Raine.  She looked up at Jemal and said, “I-I d-didn’t… k-know.  S-sorry.  I-I’d never h-hurt… K-Kayla.”

 “Really, don’t worry.  Look at her.  I can’t even worry when I see her smiling like that.” he insisted.

 Raine still looked nervous, but she smiled a little as she watched Kayla pet Pufflewink.

 I knew they’d be fine.