#OOGH LOOK AT THAT SKY

[acr3ss-the-cosmos]

Credit Source: tisuimi

[howlingday]

Witcher 3 is giving me brain worms so how about a RWBY AU where Jaune is possessed by a Hym after killing Penny.

Possessed

'Uncle Qrow, can you help us look for Weiss?'

The request was simple, but dire. His niece's partner had disappeared some time ago, gone without a trace, and Qrow Branwen had taken it upon himself to help search for her. When he told Winter, Weiss Schnee's elder sister, she'd admitted that she'd already known and said that the one person who might know where she went was Jaune Arc, the leader of Team RWBY's sister team, JNPR. The two men weren't usually on the best of terms, and he doubted the sudden vanishing act would make their friendship, or lack thereof, grow any further from this.

Stepping into Team JNPR's home was unsettling. The sun was high in the sky, yet the common area was as dark as midnight, save for the fire blazing in the hearth. Lie Ren, a thin, young man from mistral in a green tunic looked to Qrow, waving him to the side.

"We'll be done soon."

As Qrow leaned against the wall, he glanced at Jaune and noticed how miserable he'd become since arriving in Shade. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes, proof that he'd not been sleeping well. Worse yet, he had bandages running up and down his arms and legs. As he spoke, there was a quake in his voice, like he'd seen a Grimm for the first time.

"She came to me again." Jaune said as he shook. "Came and ripped my arm off with her bare hands." He blinked, wiping and rubbing his eyes clear of any tears. "She's demanding a sacrifice."

"Or it could just be a nightmare, Jaune."

"No, no, no." Jaune shook his head. "She's wanting a sacrifice. There's no other meaning. I have to do this."

"That sounds like an extreme." Ren reasoned. "Maybe you should talk to someone-"

"I don't need to talk to anyone." Jaune nearly snarled at his teammate. He stood from his seat, addressing Qrow at last. The veteran huntsman approached, wasting no time for pleasantries.

"I'm looking for the little Ice Queen. You seen her?"

"Weiss? Yeah, the other day."

"Where is she now?"

Jaune was quiet for a moment, then looked to the side. "Hm? What?"

"Weiss. Where is Weiss?"

"I... I dunno..." He shook his head, waving his hand. "I don't have time for this." He then walked past Qrow, climbing the stairs and out of sight. Qrow looked to the remaining huntsman.

"I say somethin' wrong?"

"He's..." Ren pursed his lips, trying to think of the best way to explain the situation. "He's been through a lot recently, and I think this whole thing is starting to get to him."

"You don't say? He did seem kinda distant at the war meeting. Think it-"

"AAARGH!" Jaune shouted from upstairs.

"Excuse me, I need to check on him." Ren stepped away.

"Wait, what about Weiss? I need to find her!"

"I don't know. Try asking around." Ren said, halfway up the steps. "Maybe Nora or Oscar have seen her." Then he was gone.

"Great..."

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

As Qrow walked around town, he noticed a lot of people steering clear of the JNPR home. It made sense; that scream wasn't one of joy, or anything positive. He'd heard stories of lonely villagers being ostracized to the outskirts, if only to keep them from drawing the Grimm closer with their negativity. Unfortunately, Vacuo took those stories as history and embraced the tactic.

Asking around, a girl mentioned seeing Weiss going to the top of a nearby cliff, carrying something wrapped in cloth. Following directions was simple, but walking through the cave to get there was unnerving, despite not seeing a single Grimm as he passed through. At the mouth of the cave, lying unconscious, was Weiss.

"Weiss!" Carrying her out of the cave, he checked her neck for a pulse. She stirred, confirming his suspicions of her vitality.

"What... What happened?" She winced. "Oogh... My head..."

"Looks like something hit you on the head. Knocked you out."

"Qrow...?" She blinked slowly. "Why are you here?"

"I came looking for you. Your team and half of Shade is worried about you." He stood up. "We're heading back-"

"Not yet!" She stood, but stumbled into Qrow, who caught her. "Not until I help Jaune." She patted herself. "The doll! Where's the doll?! I need to-"

"What you need to do is rest." Qrow scowled. "You were half-dead when I found you."

"But I-"

"-need to tell me what's going on." Qrow helped her back to the ground. "Why were you out here?"

"I'm helping Jaune."

"By wandering off into a cave in the middle of nowhere? How will that help?"

"If I had the doll, it would."

"What doll?"

"It's a Penny doll." Weiss explained. "I was coming to make an offering to Penny's grave."

"An offering?"

"It's a long story." Weiss took a deep breath and used the wall outside of the cave entrance to help her to her feet. "Jaune told me that his family are Ancestrians, believing that the spirits of the dead friends and family help us become stronger. The best way to make those bonds stronger is to make offerings. Offerings like a doll made in the likeness of the deceased."

"Ain't there a grave for her in the middle of Shade?"

"A shrine, but not to her, but to everyone else who didn't make it from Atlas. The grave has to be individual, personal."

"So why here?"

Weiss stepped away from the wall and stopped halfway to the grave. "From here, you can see the entire town. Ruby, Jaune, and I thought this would be the best place for her to look over the people she died to protect."

"I remember Winter saying that Jaune killed Penny himself."

"To stop Cinder from taking the Winter Maiden's power, yes." She turned to Qrow. "I choose to believe Jaune when he says she told him to."

"Even though you weren't close enough to hear her tell him?"

"The only people who know for certain are Jaune and Penny." Her fists clenched a bit, with her lips pursed to match. "And I've already told you my thoughts on Jaune's words. Regardless, it's affecting him now as we speak. And I think the doll offering will help him."

"By leaving a doll at Penny's grave. Alone."

"Ruby is busy with her own thing and Jaune... Well, you've seen Jaune. What his guilt is doing to him."

"You mean the scars?" Qrow quirked a brow. "Thought he got that from his time in the Ever After."

"Hardly!" Weiss balked. "The only scars he took from any Grimm is have completely healed by now! No, this is much deeper scarring than any Grimm could do. I asked him about it, and he said that Penny AND Pyrrha are demanding he inflict pain on himself- to make things right. But I'd never think it could be either of them. No, this is all Jaune. That's why I need that doll-"

"What you need is to rest." Qrow jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll go look for the doll. You stay here and recover."

She gave a harrumph and sat down by the cave. The sun began its descent from the sky, casting shadows along the cave wall. In the newly brightened cavern, he could see the doll, or what remains of it, shattered inside the cloth on the ground. Qrow hummed as he picked it up. To the side, caught in the sunlight, he saw a dark figure with horns, and it snarled as it stared at him.

"What the-?!" As fast as Harbinger came out, the shade had disappeared. Checking around him, he couldn't see the Grimm, or whatever it was, and cautiously scooped up the remains of the broken doll. Something strange was going on, and Qrow had a feeling Jaune was more deeply involved in this than he'd originally thought.

"Do you have the doll?" Weiss asked as Qrow returned.

"What's left of it."

"What's left of- Agh!" Weiss slapped her forehead. "Of course it would be broken when I passed out. Nothing can ever go my way..."

"You're complaining to the wrong guy about that." He hummed. "So what now?"

"Well, now I have to go back and buy a new one." She sighed. "So much hard work undone by bad luck."

"Again, not the right guy complain to about that."

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

"Where is my sister by the way?" Weiss asked as she and Qrow walked towards JNPR's dwelling.

"Now? No idea." Qrow answered. "Why?"

"Oh, I just wondered why she let you look for me on your own."

"What do you mean 'let me'?" Qrow's voice had a dangerous tone to him.

"Oh, nothing." Weiss turned away. "I just thought she didn't like having you out of her sight. Oh, there's Jaune and Ruby!"

Correct in her statement, Jaune and Ruby were standing on the balcony of the home. As they approached, going through the inside of the building, they found Ruby rubbing Jaune's back while he rubbed his eyes with one hand. The other hand was wrapped about a hundred times over with a bright red spot from the center.

"It's too bright." Jaune groused. "My eyes are stinging."

"The fresh air is good, Jaune." Ruby comforted.

"Penny won't like this, Ruby..."

"Ahem!" Qrow announced himself.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby gasped. "AND WEISS~!"

"What's with the hand, kid?" Qrow pointed at Jaune's injury. "Penny tell you to do that?"

"Penny needed an sacrifice."

"I tried to explain it to him, Jaune." Weiss spoke before Qrow could. "He didn't know about your belief until I told him just a while ago. But what I failed to mention is that some older offering methods is the pain of the living. It brings you closer to the spirits, helps build strength inside of you."

"It's more than an offering," Jaune gave Qrow a dead serious look, "it's a sacrifice."

"Right." The veteran nodded. "So, about these voices in your head-"

"Penny's voice." Jaune snarled. "HER voice."

"Penny's definitely related to this alright."

Jaune had a flash of anger in his eyes. He stood up, his wounded hand moving to his sword. Weiss stepped between, holding her hands up. "I told him about the grave! I showed him and-"

"Penny's grave could be the key to solving this. That's why I think you need to apologize to her, there, in person."

"I..." Jaune shook, his voice breaking. "I didn't want to..." Tears began to well in his eyes as raised his bandaged hand to his face. "She asked me... Begged me, even, but I... She's so angry."

Qrow could keep pushing the issue, explaining his doubts that this is really Penny's ghost talking in his head. However, he doubted both Ruby and Weiss could calm him down together if Jaune got angry. So, he pulled out an ol' trick he learned in his younger years. A little thing called empathy.

"Let me help you." Qrow offered. "I promise to do everything I can to keep Penny from being angry."

"Listen to Uncle Qrow, Jaune." Ruby said, trying to be as soothing as possible. "I don't think Penny is angry with you, and even if she is, she's not the kind of person to say no to someone saying, 'I'm sorry'."

Jaune looked down the balcony to his team. They had just come back from grocery shopping, and Nora was playing with a cheese knife set, still in box, while Ren and Oscar expressed their concern, annoyed more so at Emerald's goading Nora. He smiled, then took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"

"You know how to get to the grave, right?"

Jaune was quiet. "I do, but..." He shook his head. "My team won't let me leave. Not until my wounds are all healed."

"Even with Jaune's healing semblance," Ruby further explained, "he cut deep and nicked a really bad spot. Ren said he shouldn't be moving around too much."

"Well, we don't have much choice, do we?" Qrow shrugged. "I'm sure we can get a wagon to haul ya, if need be."

Jaune looked to the grave and winced. "No. No, I can't. Penny... She'll be angry. I can feel it!"

"She won't, though!" Ruby tried to calm him. "Uncle Qrow knows what he's doing, and Penny would want you to go with him!" Despite these words, though, Jaune refused to look away from the grave, even as the sun began to sting his eyes.

"Well, if you won't go, is there anything I can say on your behalf?" Qrow was getting tired of this charity case, moreso dealing with a fanatic like Jaune than his actual beliefs.

"Yeah... Tell her..." Jaune swallowed. "Tell her that I wish she was here instead of me."

"...Alright then."

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

The doll costed a hefty amount of lien, but that only made sense when you considered two facts. The first was that this was a figure made in the homage and likeness of a hero, a hero who died protecting Remnant. The second was that he was in Vacuo, which wasn't exactly known for thrifty prices, especially with how much they already pay for supplies, or "pay" by other means, either with coercion or intimidation. Or just plain stealing.

As he made his way up, he caught a few huntsmen walking in the opposite direction of the JNPR house. This normally wouldn't bother him, since huntsmen and huntresses make house call visits all the time. But what bothered him was what was on their shoulder patches; green wings, meaning these were triage huntsmen.

"Dammit..." Qrow began moving faster, almost sprinting as he could hear yelling from inside. He doubted they were Penny's voice this time.

"WHY?! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!" Ruby screamed.

"I... I had to..." Qrow rounded the corner, finding Jaune in the middle of a crowd of his friends. Some, like his nieces and Ren, were angry. Others, like, well, the others, were concerned to varying degrees, ranging from face-holding like Yang or almost bawling like Nora. All the while, Jaune spoke with a shaking voice. "Pyrrha... Pyrrha and Penny demanded it..."

"Neither of them would tell you to do anything like this!" Weiss wailed.

"What the hell's going on?" Qrow asked, getting everyone's attention.

"Jaune... He-" Ruby started, only for Nora to shove her out of the way.

"HE ALMOST STABBED HIMSELF IN THE EYE~!"

"What?!" Qrow flinched. Looking to Jaune, he had a bandage on the side of his face. Though it was likely stitched and cleaned, he could still see blood oozing from the wound. "Why'd you do it?"

"Because..." And with the coldest, most distant stare Qrow had ever seen from a huntsman so young, answered. "Penny and Pyrrha demanded a sacrifice..."

With a glare, Qrow barked to the room. "Everyone out except Jaune, Ruby, and Weiss!" There was slow movement at first. "NOW!" The movement became much quicker. Taking a deep breath, Qrow began to calm down.

This had gone far enough. One voice was strange enough, but two asking for the same thing? Too strange to be a coincidence. And the shadow in the cave leading to the grave could be the key. But he couldn't rely on a hunch. He needed facts.

"What did Penny and Pyrrha say? Exactly. Do you remember? What did they tell you?"

Jaune was quiet, shivering despite being so close to the alight firepit. "They were angry. Penny said, 'You coward, you could kill me but you can't face me yourself?' and Pyrrha said after, 'You haven't changed since your failure at Beacon.' and together they said, 'Cut out your eye and suffer and regret the failure you are!'."

If this were a romance, this would be the point where the hero shouts that 'They would never say that!' but life is way more complicated. Especially since Qrow was the hero of this story, he thought, and he didn't know Pyrrha or Penny well enough to say this. Still, even with so many people arguing that this isn't true only doesn't proves how untrue it is when he was there at their final moments. But everyone is so focused on who said it that no one thought to ask WHY it was said.

"When did Penny and Pyrrha talk to you? Was it after I left?"

Jaune numbly nodded. "A bit after. I felt tired, so I thought I'd take a nap." He lifted his hand. "Heal my wounds with a bit of rest. But instead, they came to me in my attempts to dream."

"They always talk when you're asleep?"

"A-Always."

"What do you see then? Where do they talk to you in your dream?"

"Penny's grave." Jaune answered. "They tell me to make a light, then talk to me from the shadows."

Things started to click in Qrow's head. It explained why the JNPR house was dark, even in midday, and why Jaune screamed shortly after he left earlier that day. Combine that with the location they talk from, the shadow on the cave wall, and what Jaune was being told, everything lined up almost perfectly with the exact Grimm he was thinking of. Just one thing left to ask...

"Did they ever appear in front of you? Did you ever see them for yourself?"

"Once," Jaune swallowed, "I decided to be brave and speak to them, face-to-face, bringing the light around. I saw a hazy figure, shaped like a person, covered in shadows."

Qrow nodded. He looked to Ruby and Weiss, then stepped away. As he did, though, he noticed the shadow coming from Jaune looked different. Almost wavy. Not human.

"Everybody back in!" Without hesitation, or not much if there was any, the people he told to leave shuffled back in. He pointed at them, barking different orders; change Jaune's bandages, clean his wounds, keep him calm. The only ones he didn't bark orders to was Ruby and Weiss. He walked upstairs, to the balcony, with Ruby and Weiss following close behind.

"Uncle Qrow, what's going on?"

"The doll isn't going to do anything." Qrow said, setting the gift on the balcony.

"What's wrong with him?" Weiss asked.

"It's a Zimora." Qrow answered. "Old Grimm. Never seen one outside of a fairy tale. It latches onto huntsmen overcome with guilt for their crimes. It drains them of their aura, using the person by fueling their guilty conscience. In the end, they force their victims to mutilate themselves."

Weiss gasped and covered her mouth.

Ruby tightened her hands into balled fists. "So what do we do?"

"If I remember right, there's two ways to kill it," he raised his hand up into two fingers, "in theory." He flicked one finger. "The first option is the huntsman way; we bring Jaune out to Penny's grave and wait for it to show up. The fairy tales say that if you spend a night with the victim in the Grimm's lair, it'll show up."

"So we just need to wait with Jaune by Penny's grave?" Weiss asked. "Shouldn't be too difficult."

"Afraid it is." Qrow shook his head. "Not only will the Grimm be fighting for all its worth, but it'll heal its wounds using the victim, eventually to the point of their exhaustion and-"

"What's the other way?" Ruby asked, not wanting to hear more of this clearly worse option.

"It's a Grimm from the old age, back when Salem had rules for them." Qrow explained. "And this one's rule, supposedly, is that it needs a host. Without one, it'll be weak and easy to kill." Before Ruby could ask for clarification, Qrow held up a finger. "The host has to be one with incredible guilt. Fresh guilt. If we can trick it into believing there's a new host when there isn't one, it'll panic and suddenly become weaker."

"Then let's do that!" Ruby said with a smile.

"This is just a theory I came up with, Squirt. Haven't heard or read of anyone pulling this off."

"Well, then that just means no one's thought of a trick that good yet!"

"It seems impossible, but it's something we should at least try." Weiss added.

"Tricks are never simple, though. Even then, neither method is perfect. A Zimora only attacks those with a guilty conscience, someone who truly believes they've committed a great sin. The Zimora strengthens this regret and feeds off it. In other words, if the new host doesn't feel true agony and sorrow, the Zimora will sense that."

"Then... in order for this to work..." Weiss tapped her lip. "If anyone comes up with a plan, the other can't know about it."

"Exactly."

"Both are dangerous, but..." Ruby nodded. "I think we should try to trick it!"

"Sorry if I don't sound convinced."

"What, do you need my sister to think for you~?" Weiss teased, earning a scowl from Qrow. "If all else fails, we'll try the huntsman's way."

"Still, why'd you keep bringing her up? You jealous of her?"

"No, but... I've just noticed you're a bit... distracted around my sister."

"What, saying I'm hen-pecked?"

"Hen pecs?" Ruby asked, imagining a chicken with a buff chest.

"No, just of one mind about her. Like all men are." Weiss waved her hand. "Take an Atlas Specialist, a Mistral wizard, or a Vale Huntsman- you all end up wrapped around someone's finger."

"Sure," Qrow rolled his eyes, "I guess you've seen it all before, huh?"

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

The hike to the cave late at night was its own trial. Some Grimm and wildlife in Vacuo don't care for the heat, so they hunt at night. There's even a saying in Vacuo about soft men last longer on cool nights, though the context for the statement may vary between survival advice and inappropriate tavern jokes.

Passing through the cave, Qrow saw a woman in a familiar white cloak on the ground ahead. "Summer!" He ran up to her, kneeling next to the unmoving body. "No, it... It can't be..." At these words, 'Summer' faded away into the shadows. Qrow growled into the darkness. "Trying to make me run?" He chuckled. "Good. Means you're scared."

Once at the grave, Jaune was already there. He was kneeling before the makeshift headstone, a rock painted bright green with a Penny doll sitting above it. The huntsman wept as he mumbled apologies and pleas for Penny and Pyrrha to forgive him. Qrow looked around for any signs of Ruby or Weiss, but only saw Jaune.

Looking at Jaune, Qrow felt something in his chest. Pity? Some form of rapport? After Summer disappeared, Qrow was a lot like Jaune, kneeling in front of the grave of someone you can't help but feel like you played a part in killing. He didn't think he'd have something in common with this guy when they first met, but here they were now.

Footsteps ran up behind him. Qrow turned and saw Weiss and Ruby coming from within the cavern. Better late than never, he guessed. The three looked between each other and shared a nod.

"You girls got a plan?"

"Yup!" Ruby beamed.

"Kind of?" Weiss shrugged.

Neither answer filled him with confidence.

"Jaune!" Ruby ran out to him, distracting the boy enough to look her way. "Jaune, over here!"

"So, what's the plan?" Qrow asked. The answer surprised him.

"He's a lost cause. We have to kill him."

"What- But-"

"Trust me. It's for the best." Weiss answered.

So this was the plan, huh? Make Qrow feel guilty enough for the Zimora to cling to him? It didn't feel right, but Weiss did have a point. Even if it's the death of one, dozens if not hundreds of lives would be saved from attracting more Grimm. So Qrow level Harbinger, hoping this would be some kind of trick Weiss planned that wouldn't actually kill him, but it did... He'd understand.

"KILL HIM NOW!" Weiss screeched as she turned away.

"WHAT?!" Ruby stopped, looking back to Qrow. He squeezed the trigger and Ruby pushed Jaune out of the way, getting shot in his place.

"NO!" Qrow ran out, tripping over himself as he tried to reach out for his niece as she fell from the cliff. "No, no, no, no, no!" Qrow looked over the side, straining to see her in the darkness. "RUBY!"

"Ruby..." Jaune fell to his knees, looking down over the cliff. He dropped his light down the cliff, hoping to find her.

And there she laid, her blood soaking the sands of the Vacuo desert. Qrow began to feel hot tears pouring down his face, his hand futilely reaching for his red-caped protege. Suddenly, the world was deaf all around him as he could only feel pain in his chest. Pain... and guilt.

From behind the two huntsmen, emerging from the shadows, was the Zimora. It stood almost eight feet tall, its humanoid body covered in black all over, save for the white rings acting as tunnels through the monster's head. Its real eyes were the fiery red orbs dotting around the white, all while its long black horns and talons remained as pure dark as the rest of its body.

Plucking its dark digits from Jaune, it began to sink its claws into Qrow, hissing in delight of its new prey. The former victim looked to his side to ask Qrow why he shot his own niece, only to reel in horror at the beast gripping the veteran huntsman. He was about to scream when a gunshot sounded from the cave.

Everyone turned to the familiar sound, finding Ruby Rose, alive and well, standing next to Weiss Schnee and Emerald Sustrai. With a grin, Ruby and the rest of her team, along with Team JNPR, emerged from the cave, all armed and ready to fight. "Gotcha~!" Ruby giggled.

"What..." Then everything started to click. Qrow was completely tricked into thinking he killed his own niece. The guilt would have attracted the Zimora, relieving Jaune of his burden, and the reveal would free Qrow of any guilt he may have. He'd be proud if he wasn't so angry at being tricked. Not as angry, though, at the Grimm he was about to carve up, which writhed in agony as its power waned.

"ATTACK~!" Ruby called, as the Grimm was overwhelmed by the power of Team RWBY and JNPR combined.

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"It's over." Qrow said, looking back to the grave as they left the cave for what he hoped would be the last time.

"Over?" Jaune repeated, carried by Yang and Ren.

"You're free, Jaune." Ruby added, giving a soft smile to her fellow team leader.

"Free?"

"The Zimora's dead, kid. Hopefully it'll be the last one." Jaune didn't say anything in response this time. He was just so tired. It wasn't until they got back to the house that Jaune spoke, left to stand on his own two feet.

"What... What happened..." He put a hand to his head. "My head is spinning..."

"Uncle Qrow, what's going on?" Ruby asked. "I thought we killed the Zumba?"

"Zimora." Weiss corrected. "And yes, I agree. Why is he still... drained?"

"It's fatigue." Qrow answered. "His body just needs time to get back to normal."

"What... What do I do now?"

"My advice?" Qrow offered. "Lay off the self-pity. Grimm or no Grimm, it doesn't do you any good."

"It..." He stumbled, catching himself before anyone else could, though they all tried. "I feel like I'm missing something from inside me."

"That's normal. Zimora's are parasite Grimm. Bonds between parasite and hosts can be strong, and their removal makes you feel empty." Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Give it a few days and you'll be fine."

"Th... Thank you... I think." Jaune stumbled his way to the stairs. "Good night." As he climbed the stairs, Oscar, Ren, and Nora helped him all the way up.

"I should stay with him." Ruby said. "He seems really out of it."

"Good idea, Squirt. Good night."

"G'night, Uncle Qrow. G'night, Weiss." Ruby left Qrow and Weiss alone at the door.

"Well, I can't do much worse here." Qrow shrugged, turning to leave. "G'night."

"Yes, I'm sure my sister is getting impatient with you by now." Weiss teased.

"I thought we already talked enough about that." Qrow groused, making Weiss giggle.

"We did." She nodded. "Good night, Qrow."

Qrow nodded. "So long."

[fix-me-sixteen]

Hard to tell because of the light glare

But the sky looked so pretty!

oogh light pollution my beloathed. but ooh nice sky

[yakkolicious-writing]

Nyctophobia

"Clear Night Sky with Orion" by Tom Olliver is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Genre: Friendship Fandom: Animaniacs Central Relationship: Cleff Lillipad (male OC) & Yakko Warner Wordcount: 2,370 words Summary: At a slumber party at the water tower, Yakko's best friend, Cleff, grapples with his fear of the dark. Will Cleff overcome it? Can Yakko help him get some sleep? Warnings: This fic is centered around Cleff dealing with nyctophobia, which might be triggering to some readers. Rating: G. Suitable for all audiences.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60684214

Hi guys! I don't have much to say on this one other than that I really love using Cleff, and I felt he deserved some more time with Yakko. I hope you enjoy this fic!

For most of their lives, the Warners didn’t have friends. Sure, they called lots of people “special friends,” and sometimes they would even make an actual friend, but most of the time, they didn’t see those friends again. Dr. Scratchansniff was the closest thing they had to an actual friend, but in reality, he wasn’t too close to a friend. Scratchansniff is an old fart. He’s fussy, stuck in his ways, and sometimes he’s mean. The Warners love him all the same, but they didn’t realize how much they needed friends their own ages until they met Cleff. Cleff was a little bit fussy too, and a bit of a goody-two-shoes, but he also had a lot in common with the Warners, especially Yakko, his best friend. He was also someone the Warners could always depend on to be there for them, even if he was too scared to climb the ladder to the tower. That was alright: Yakko could always carry him up. It wasn’t too much work for Yakko, and it meant that Cleff could do more fun things with the Warners. For example, go to their slumber parties.

In Yakko’s room, the Warners and Cleff were jumping around and giggling, holding and swinging fluffy, feather-filled pillows around. Wakko stood by Cleff’s side, and together, the two of them whacked Yakko in almost every place imaginable with their pillows. Wakko struck Yakko’s leg, while Cleff smacked Yakko in the face with his pillow. Yakko laughed and held his pillow above his head before smacking Cleff in the chest.

“Oogh!” Cleff cried with a smile.

Wakko laughed before running behind Yakko and repeatedly bashing his back with the pillow. As the boys attacked each other, none of them paid attention to Dot, who stood on top of Yakko’s closet, her pillow raised above her head. She had a large, sharp-toothed grin on her face. When the boys stopped bashing each other for a moment, Dot jumped from the closet. As she fell, she managed to smack Yakko, Wakko, and Cleff with her pillow all at the same time, knocking them over. When Dot’s feet hit the ground, she walked to check on her brothers and Cleff. When she saw that their eyes were all still open, she giggled and started jumping up and down.

“I win! I win!” she cheered.

Yakko and Wakko laughed alongside her. Cleff simply watched Dot jump up and down.

“Ya sure did, sis,” Yakko said.

“Never mess with the Pillow Fight Champion of Burbank, California!” Dot flexed her muscle.

“One of these days I’ll getcha,” Wakko replied.

“Oh, I doubt that,” Dot said.

Dot smirked at Wakko, but Wakko didn’t say anything back. Instead, he yawned, and everyone watched. Then, Cleff yawned, then Dot, and then Yakko. A wave of drowsiness hit everyone in the room.

“I’m tired.” Wakko rubbed his eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

“Alright, goodnight, baby bro,” Yakko replied.

Wakko stood up, picked up his pillow, and walked out of Yakko’s bedroom. When he was gone, Yakko, Dot, and Cleff looked at each other.

“So,” Yakko began, “is anyone else tired? Because I’m tired too.”

“Yeah,” Dot said, “I hate it when you guys yawn. I’m gonna go to bed too.”

“Goodnight sis,” Yakko replied.

“Sweet dreams, Dot,” Cleff added.

“Goodnight, guys.” Dot smiled softly.

Dot walked out of Yakko’s room with her pillow. Now, only Yakko and Cleff remained. They laid on the floor and maintained eye contact for almost a minute before Yakko broke the silence.

“I’m gonna get some shut-eye myself,” Yakko said.

“Oh, um, you are?” Cleff rubbed his eye.

“Yeah,” Yakko explained, “I don’t think I can stay up much longer. You can stay up if you want.”

“Oh, um… um… OK.” Cleff sighed.

“Goodnight Cleff! I’ll see ya in the morning!”

“Goodnight Yakko.”

Yakko and Cleff got up, holding their pillows, and Yakko quickly tucked himself in and went to bed. Cleff’s eyes wandered around Yakko’s room. He looked at Yakko, fast asleep in his bed, Yakko’s desk, the closet that Dot jumped from earlier, the various maps on the wall, the musical instruments scattered around the room, and finally, the light switch on Yakko’s wall. Yakko was asleep under a bright, yellow light. No other lights were on in the room, but that light was so bright. Cleff knew that most people couldn’t sleep for too long if their lights were on, especially not if their lights were as bright as the one in Yakko’s room. Cleff didn’t want Yakko to have to wake up later to turn off the light if it was bothering him, so he tiptoed towards the light switch. However, instead of turning it off, he stared at it. He held his pillow tightly in his right hand, while his left hand balled into a fist. He shook, and sweat rolled down his green face. He gulped, and then, he finally put his left index finger above the light switch and turned Yakko’s light off. Suddenly, the room went completely dark. Cleff couldn’t see a thing. He blinked twice before sprinting for the exit.

Luckily, Dot left the door open, and Cleff made a quick escape. He dashed out of the hallway and into the living room. It wasn’t as dark as Yakko’s room was, but it was still a bit dim. Cleff could make out the room’s furniture. He looked around for a bit until he saw the Warners’ couch. Cleff ran to the couch, tightly clenching the pillow as if it were his life force, and once he got close enough, he plopped onto it and laid down on his back. He stared at the ceiling, holding the pillow over his body and breathing through his mouth. He put his index and middle finger over his neck, and he noticed his pulse was much faster than it normally was. He quickly removed his fingers and gulped.

“Am I having a panic attack?” Cleff asked himself quietly.

Cleff didn’t know why he got this way when it got dark. He was just like this for as long as he could remember. He was like this since he was a tadpole. He didn’t remember much of his life as a tadpole, but the one thing he did know about that time of his life was that one night, he heard a strange noise, and it scared him wide awake when he was trying to sleep. He cried for his Uncle Louis, but he didn’t come. Cleff never found out what that noise was, but a part of his brain decided that darkness itself was the problem, and that was the way it was. That was the way it was, and that was the way it stayed. Cleff tried to cure himself of his fear, but exposing himself to more darkness just made him more afraid, and Uncle Louis would usually just turn the lights on and tell Cleff to be nice to himself. The support was nice, but Cleff didn’t want support: he wanted a cure. He needed to stop being such a baby. The darkness couldn’t hurt him, and he was fifteen years old. Fifteen was far too old to be afraid of the dark in Cleff’s mind. All of his friends were younger than him, and none of them were scared of the dark. Also, he needed sleep. He needed light to sleep, but he couldn’t sleep in too much light. His trick was a nightlight. A nightlight brought some light, but it wasn’t too much.

Cleff couldn’t remember if he brought his nightlight. If he had his nightlight, he could just plug it in somewhere and he could go to sleep. He brought a backpack that had some stuff in it, but he was too scared to go check it. All he could do was lay on the couch and grip the pillow he was smacking the Warners with earlier. He was stuck there. Cleff groaned quietly and covered his face with the pillow.

Then, Cleff heard the sound of footsteps. He gasped and jolted into a sitting position. His hands remained on the pillow, and he held it like a weapon, just in case it was an intruder. He looked toward the tower door, but no one was there; that meant it couldn’t be an intruder. Cleff was slightly relieved, but it didn’t show on his face. His pupils had shrunk, and his mouth breathing grew shaky. He turned his head the other way, and he saw a tall figure approaching. Cleff knew there was only one person it could be, but his brain just wouldn’t let him relax.

“Cleff?” the figure asked, “are you here?”

Cleff shrieked for around half a second before dropping the pillow and covering his mouth. The figure briskly walked towards him, and once he got closer, Cleff could finally make out who he was: it was Yakko, exactly who he suspected. Cleff exhaled loudly.

“Are you OK, buddy?” Yakko asked.

“Oh, um, yeah!” Cleff lied, “I am perfectly fine.”

“Uhhhh, I dunno. That scream sure said otherwise,” Yakko said.

Cleff sighed. Did he really have to tell Yakko he was afraid of the dark? Why did he have to do that? What would Yakko think? Yakko would probably make fun of a fifteen-year-old who slept with a nightlight at his own house: most people would. That’s what Cleff thought. But what else could Cleff say to Yakko? Maybe he could tell Yakko to go away, but that would be mean, and he was happy that Yakko was around. If anything, he just wanted Yakko to stay with him for the rest of the night. If he couldn’t have a nightlight, companionship was the best thing.

“H-hey,” Cleff stuttered, “c-could you… could you st-stay with me? R-right here?”

“Sure thing!” Yakko smiled softly.

Cleff scooted to the left side of the couch, and Yakko sat beside him.

“So, um, what are you doing out here, Yakko?” Cleff asked.

“I was just thinkin’ about ya,” Yakko said, “I wanted to check on ya.”

“Really?” Cleff replied.

“Yeah. You didn’t seem too excited about the idea of going to sleep.”

“Yeah… I really wasn’t. I-I didn’t want to go to sleep.”

“Oh, are you not tired?”

“Oh, I am tired, it’s just… just… I’m scared!”

“Scared? Of the dark?”

Cleff nodded his head slowly before lowering it in shame.

“Aw.” Yakko put his hand on Cleff’s shoulder and smiled at him. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

“It’s not?” Cleff looked at Yakko.

“Not at all!” Yakko explained, “everyone’s scared of something. Wakko’s scared of clowns, and I’ve got a few things that scare me. Dot… I don’t know what’s going on in that brain of hers, but she’s gotta have a fear or two.”

“That’s… actually a bit reassuring. Though, I’m not sure how to feel about you telling me about Wakko’s fear and me not hearing from him myself.”

“Oh, that’s for your safety. Wakko gets violent when he’s scared.”

“Oh, um, good to know!”

“Anyways, Cleff, you’ve got nothing to worry about here. You’re safe here, OK?”

“OK.”

Cleff smiled back at Yakko.

“Now,” Yakko began, “how do you sleep at home if you’re scared of the dark?”

“Promise not to laugh?” Cleff asked.

“Promise,” Yakko said.

“I… I still sleep with a nightlight.”

“Ah, I gotcha. Did ya bring a nightlight?”

“I don’t remember. I did bring a backpack though. Could… could you go check it for me?”

“Sure thing!”

Yakko pulled a flashlight out of hammerspace, turned it on, stood up, and wandered around the room. He walked in a few circles before he saw a blue backpack in the middle of the floor. He smiled at it, got on his knees, and started rummaging through it. He pulled out pajamas, a blanket, a phone charger, and headphones, but there wasn’t a nightlight.

“Nope, no nightlight in here,” Yakko said.

“Oh no,” Cleff replied, “I forgot…”

Cleff sighed and buried his head in his hands, trembling. Yakko stood up, and when he saw Cleff was trembling, he rushed to the couch, sat down, and pulled Cleff in for a hug. Yakko pat Cleff’s back.

“Hey, I gotcha,” Yakko whispered, “it’s gonna be OK.”

No response from Cleff. Yakko hugged Cleff until Cleff stopped shaking. Once Yakko let go, he started digging in hammerspace.

“What are you doing?” Cleff asked.

“Looking for something,” Yakko answered.

Then, Yakko pulled out a nightlight with a plug on it. It looked like a crescent moon. He stood up and plugged it into the nearest outlet. Soft, blue light filled the area, and Cleff could get a better look at Yakko’s facial features. Yakko gave Cleff a thumbs-up.

“There you go!” Yakko exclaimed, “how’s that?”

“Wow,” Cleff said, “thank you, Yakko.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Yakko replied, “friends help friends, ya know. Besides, if it was me, I know you’d help me too.”

Cleff smiled as Yakko pulled the blanket out of Cleff’s backpack. Cleff put the pillow underneath his head. Yakko walked over with the blanket and handed it to Cleff.

“Alright,” Yakko said, “how do you feel now?”

“Much better than before,” Cleff replied.

“Good. I’m gonna go back to sleep now, but before I go, take this.”

Yakko offered Cleff the flashlight, but he pointed it directly at his face. Cleff squeezed his eyes shut.

“Yakko, it’s still on!” Cleff cried, “it’s so bright!”

“Oh, sorry,” Yakko replied.

Yakko turned off the flashlight and tried to give it to Cleff again. This time, Cleff accepted it. He took the flashlight with a smile.

“Now you have some light,” Yakko explained.

“Thanks, Yakko,” Cleff said.

“No problem!” Yakko replied, “goodnight!”

“Goodnight Yakko!”

Yakko waved goodbye to Cleff and headed back to his bedroom. Cleff fiddled with the blanket until it covered his entire body. He gripped the flashlight tightly before turning his head and closing his eyes. It took him a few minutes to really fall asleep, but once he fell, he fell. As he slept, all he could think about was how grateful he was to have a friend like Yakko, always looking out for him and happy to help.

[prismsoup]

Are any of the rain world area concepts you draw related to your OCs? They all feel like real areas that could be in game!

Oogh hello !! Glad you think they'd fit well in the game ! Yes, all of the concept art I've drawn of areas such as the Collapsed Meteorological Superstructure (Perimeter) or The Corpse are related to my rain world ocs !

They're meant to be regions explored by my two slugcat ocs (the Hoarder and the Luminescent) during their own campaigns

There are also more areas I have in mind ! I just haven't drawn concepts for them yet, though I hope to do so eventually

If you've seen my iterator ocs as well, some areas are heavily linked to them, especially Twenty Long Spears Pierce the Sky

Speaking of him (and the others), I also hope to maybe open an ask blog so I can answer questions about them, have them interact with other characters and also develop more lore about them and the big regions I have in mind

Also, have a some extra concepts here :

This one isn't quite an area, but I wanted to throw it in because it looks cool

[detrasystem]

Thread The Needle and Fantasy Romcom Buddy Trip 👀

OOGH ok so Thread the Needle is Linkaan's old baby from NaNoWriMo 2020. she didn't quite make it to 50k words but the first draft is basically finished and tbh it's pretty decent all things considered. we've gone back and forth with whether or not to salvage it but i think with enough polish and passion we can really turn it into something good. here's an excerpt (blows a kiss up to the sky for Linkaan and her little journalist writing):

Orlando unlocked a drawer in the side of his desk, producing a ball of yarn. It was mostly blue, with silvery threads interwoven throughout the strands. He handled it like it was alive, gently setting it down on the desk before him. “This is a universe,” he said. “Or…it’s going to be one. If everything goes well.” Trin squinted at it. It was pretty, for yarn. But you can’t just throw around phrases like “this is a universe” and expect it to make sense. She turned her squinting glare to the scientist before her. “So…how has it been going? Well?” “So far, it hasn’t been going at all,” Orlando said. “I’m stumped. But that’s why I invited you here. Because you…you see the world differently.”

Fantasy Romcom Buddy Trip is...exactly what it sounds like. so far it's a short story that Dimitri is working on because he likes writing swoony romance stuff. the premise is that these two friends are tasked with delivering a peace treaty to the country they're at war with, and along the way they fall in love :) and also the peace treaty isn't everything it seems. anyway. here's some sap

The ship bobbed over the icy waves, all creaking wood and straining ropes as the water lapped against the sand. The night was quiet, the breath of the ocean slow and constant in its endless slumber, and Lin’s head was tipped up, the northern lights shifting and reflecting on the lenses of his glasses. By all accounts, Émeric should have been cold. The sea breeze was no more willing to relent despite the winter chill; it would have been smart of them to stay belowdecks, where at least the wind was not a factor, but Lin was right—the sky was beautiful. Though, Émeric would be lying if he said he was looking at the sky.

[commander-airachnid]

Ask meme: 3,4 and 10

Numbers sent from this TF ask meme

Ooh, these are fun ones!

-

3.) FAVORITE AUTOBOT(S).

Nautica has a very special spot in my heart (again, if you know you know), but so does Brainstorm. They're kind of separate on their own little fave island in my head I think... A league of their own. I also love Slug, Pyra Magna, Nightbeat, Windblade, and Ultra Magnus!

4.) FAVORITE DECEPTICON(S).

Looking at you. Looking at my layout. Looking at my twitter. Looking back at you.

I like Airachnid. I hesitate to call her my favorite TF character of all time because Nautica and Brainstorm are also right there but... oogh, she's close. Special places in my heart go out to Shockwave, Soundwave, Dreadwing, Crankcase and Sky-byte. :)

10.) FAVORITE HUMAN CHARACTER(S).

Miko Nakadai, hands down. I love her growth as a character. There's a lot you notice after watching Prime as many times as I have and that's one of them. I do really like Fowler and Raf as well, and Sari too of course! I am also loving the Maltos. :)

Oh, and shout out to Meltdown for being like... the coolest human villain TF cartoons have had, even if he feels more at home in Ben 10 than TF. Kick ass vocal performance AND consistently fun episodes? I love it.

[nvcr]

I posted 28,383 times in 2022

That's 1,872 more posts than 2021!

56 posts created (0%)

28,327 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dragonsareawesome123

@blackmesasourvoice

@transgarveycoolatta

@catboyhdb

@cry4judas

I tagged 1,638 of my posts in 2022

#mecore - 124 posts

#fave - 115 posts

#save - 58 posts

#.txt - 54 posts

#oogh - 41 posts

#me - 24 posts

#humans - 18 posts

#obsessed - 15 posts

#humanity - 14 posts

#unreality - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#mmine atm just had a ribbon belt but it's waaayyyyy too short so. idk what to do other than get more ribbon and do some super gluing work

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Honestly how does one advocate to a psychiatrist that they suspect having a personality disorder / cluster of personality disorders without the psych thinking you're being over dramatic about your symptoms?

The last time I did a psych eval, it was invalid because I "over exaggerated [my] symptoms"

Which... Was not true. I was completely honest LOL

Anyways how can I advocate to my psychiatrist that I suspect personality disorders?

I really want to know if I have them so I can better help with them with therapy. And if a therapist is aware of the specifics of what I have, it'll definitely help them help me

11 notes - Posted July 17, 2022

#4

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Welcome to Night Vale Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carlos/Cecil Palmer Characters: Cecil Palmer, Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), Earl Harlan, Josie Ortiz Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, in which cecil palmer is a radio host, but instead... at his university Summary:

Cecil Palmer hosts his own local radio show from the depths of Night Vale Community College, going on about strange things at 3 am. Carlos happens to stumble upon his ramblings as he studies for his finals, and so he wants to learn more about Cecil.

- - - - - - -

“Anywho, this stranger just caught my eye. He wasn’t anyone I’d seen around the science building before. Because, again, I do hang around there quite often. Now, his hair was just… stunning. Long and luxurious.” Carlos found himself running his fingers through his own hair, greasy and slightly tangled from pulling at it out of frustration. “I asked Earl about him and I found out his name was Carlos - a transfer from, well… quite frankly, a school I’d never heard of.” When he heard his name, Carlos felt as if the coffee he drank was coming back for round two. Him? It couldn’t have been. His hair was… long, sure, but it was a mess. Nothing luxurious about it, he’d argue.

17 notes - Posted July 4, 2022

#3

You are driving down a road with your friend. It's nighttime and they're sound asleep in the passenger seat.

You try your best to avoid every crack or rock in the road as to not wake them.

You watch as street lights begin to disappear, leaving you stranded in the darkness with nothing but your headlights guiding the way, pulling you along.

The radio is on, though you never truly make out what is playing. It doesn't matter though. Your friend wanted it on to help them sleep, and who were you to tell them no?

You look at them for just a moment and you find yourself smiling. When you turn back to the road, you skid to a stop as a deer makes its way into the road.

The deer stands there, right in front of your car. Fearless. Most deer would have run across the street and into the woods by now. Most people would have woken up to the skidding car. But neither of those things happened.

As the deer stared at you, you felt as if it was looking into your soul. As if it were deeming if you were worthy or not. As if it were seeing if it wanted to allow you to continue.

You swore, at that moment, you hear the radio say your name. You couldn't make out anything after that. But you hear it.

The deer raised its head to the sky and you did the same, flicking off your lights to get the full view of the stars above.

Even without your headlights on, you knew the deer was looking back at you. And then it fled.

You turned your lights back on and looked at your sleeping friend, feeling as if you may have just met God. Or something of the sort.

You are driving down the road with your friend. It's nighttime and they're sound asleep in the passenger seat.

19 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

#2

I'm looking to raise funds for top surgery as I'm hoping to be able to get it done within the next year or two!

I've already had a consultation, so all I need now is to actually schedule it, which I was hoping to do when I had a bit more $$$

Anything helps!

126 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Autistic flirting is basically acting like a cat

- giving the person in question small objects that you think they'd like (like how cats will bring dead animals or toys to humans)

- sitting in the same room as them and doing your own thing is your favorite

- stares at them intensely when they're talking to you, practically slow blinking at them

- occasionally leaning against them or just doing subtle touches (I literally do rub my cheek on people like a cat does)

- sharing with them my favorite things (again, goes back to the giving humans a toy)

- biting them

- making weird noises at them

516 notes - Posted March 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[cypressbranch]

starlight (best + worst leader and why?), twilight (favorite + least favorite ship?) and sunset (favorite + least favorite book cover) for the warriors asks :]

Oh ty! I was hoping id get more warrior asks!

OOF THIS IS A TOUGHIE... Cause it says best and not just favourite hmm... worst is Brokenstar because baby killer and best is Fffirestar I guess???? I gotta admit i feel im wrong with these answers...im bad at warriors politics...

OOGH FAVE SHIP... I think SandxFirexGray is my fave! And least fave is really tricky as theres a lot I dont like, usually creepy ones? Maybe thatd be a bit cheating...but im gonna have to say RedxTiger for A: obvious reasons and B: I had a really bad experience seeing a RedxTiger post as it was super transphobic and just gross and haunted my mind for several days!

Best cover is a toughie, as I feel theres a lot of good looking ones... im even using two book covers as my home and lockscreen!!!

But I wanna say this one for the sun trail! I mean shit is it NOT gorgeous?

Now then...a book cover I dont like... im gonna say the sky one and the midnight one I think are REALLY BAD...

[dorkicon]

starscream :)

starscream :^) im gonna do g1/idw here

send me a character and i’ll list:

•favorite thing about them

g1: uhh what isnt to love...is the real question here...

i love his voice, i love when he pesters megatron, seeing him onscreen is like :^) what kinda trouble r ya gonna get into today little man

idw: im not done with idw yet but phew, the deep layers of trauma really hit home for me. i get where hes coming from by lashing out at people. i really just want the best for this starscream

•least favorite thing about them

g1: umm...oh, i dunno. i didnt like when he manipulated red alert. that really sucked.

idw: ok back to the lashing out at people bit, he needs to learn how to soften up.....let people in...starscream....pl

•favorite line

g1: oh, that one part in fire in the sky where star gets real quiet talking about skyfire, and hes like

"I circled half the globe looking for him. But he was gone."

oogh.

idw: :^) when he tells bumblebee about his dictionary calendar. also...

"You're awake."

"And you're ugly, Prowl."

•brOTP

g1: oh just the whole seeker trine. theyre jerks to each other, its huge sibling energy

idw: does starscream have friends? i think he and windblade could be a killer duo if they didnt hate each other

•OTP

g1: starscream/soundwave (the workplace romance jokes are mine for the making here) starscream/skyfire (this one is obvious, i think) and i read one starscream/grimlock fic that sort of lives rent free in my brain now, i guess...can i say starscream/bumblebee? is that allowed

idw: starscream/bumblebee is very good...oogh it makes my heart hurt

•nOTP

g1: i dont like megatron/starscream. it gives me the willies, no matter what fandom it is

idw: see above. also starscream/windblade

•random headcanon

g1: honestly if he ever actually led the cons i dont think hed know what to do. soundwave would probably have to do most of the work.

idw: i think he misses being close to thundercracker/skywarp :^(

•unpopular opinion

g1: honest to god i dont think i have any

idw: starscream isnt as sexy as you guys think he is. im sorry.

•song i associate with them

g1:

oh, you know,

idw:

part of the reason i included him was so i could put this song here

•favorite picture of them

g1:

wow! your mom lets u have two starscreams?!

(i have several good g1 starscreams but i had to limit myself here.)

idw:

:^) he bought a dictionary calendar.

[magioftheseas]

Boom Through Jabberwock!! Bang Bang!

Summary: An alternate/bonus scene spanning from Matsuda giving Ibuki a certain CD in Chapter 24 of Super Danganronpa 2: Matsuda Yasuke’s Battle of Despair and Wits.

Rating: PG

Warnings: None really.

Notes: It’s the yukata bonus scene but for SDR2 Protag Matsuda Yasuke. There’s a bunch more song references and extra banner. The yukata scene’s probably my favorite of the bonus events in sdr2, so it ended up being the longest. Hopefully that’s okay. It’s also much gayer. Because pride.

Read this fic among others HERE

Main story is HERE

Commission? Donate?

“If dealing with her is your way of dealing with guilt over Koizumi, then—I don’t think you could continue bothering.”

Mioda blinked again. Her mouth hung open, jaw slack before it began to tremble.

“Y-Yasuke-chan, that’s—way harsh! You’re making it sound like I don’t care about Hiyoko-chan at all!”

“It’s suffocating to have someone dote on you because they feel sorry for you,” he said. “It’s even worse when that person is floundering because then you feel bad for them.”

“Wah!”

“The fact that you approached me screams that you’re pulling your hair out over what to do about her.” Matsuda sighed, rubbing his nape. “That’s not remotely helpful. Gather your bearings first. Maybe...”

It’s not that I’m obligated to help, but it would be to my benefit that she and Saionji get along.

“When you kick the gachapon enough times, you can get prizes,” he finds himself saying, digging around in his coat to pull something out. “I happened to get this.”

This being the debut single of the band, The Black Cherries. Summer Festivitrees.

He tossed it to Mioda, but it just smacked against her chest as she gaped and he hurriedly had to catch it before it fell to the ground and broke before even having a chance to play.

“Um,” Mioda uttered as Matsuda handed it to her a second time. She didn’t take the CD. “W... Wow, Yasuke-chan.”

“No good, huh,” he guessed, waving it in front of her. Somehow, that did not make the CD more enticing. “Guess this kind of thing isn’t your jam.”

“I was just thinking that you’re fearless,” she said. “I mean—coulda guessed that from you and Nagito-chan being a thing... But seriously, that you’d have the brass to show me this...”

Matsuda’s frown deepened. His brow furrowed for good measure. However, when he pondered about what the fuck this girl’s problem could be, he could scrounge up a few ideas.

“Rival band?” he guessed, looking at the back of the CD. All it listed, of course, was the songs and artists and some copyright. “Or was there some stupid band drama?”

“Rivals!” Mioda confirmed with a chirp. “Did you not hear about all the hype of boys versus girls?! The battle of the boy bands and the girl bands?! The epic showdown of chicks and di—!”

“...isn’t battle of the sexes so last decade?” Matsuda asked, raising an eyebrow. “Hell, wasn’t it more thing two decades ago? Talk about outdated.”

“It super is,” Mioda agreed. “But that was just the press for ya. Out of time, out of tune, out of touch! My old band’s ticket sales and concert attendance numbers still got compared with the Cherries’ all the time.” She perked right up. “But out with the old, in with the new! It doesn’t matter to me because it’s old news about my old band!!”

“I see...”

“Music shouldn’t be about sales anyway!” she exclaimed. “Down with capitalism! Eat the rich!” A pause. She groaned, pained. “Oogh, Byakuya-chan would have been so yummy and chewy... I miss him so much...”

What the hell am I supposed to say to that?

“The meeting’s about to start,” he reminded her. “And...about Saionji...”

“This lightbulb has now been lit!” Mioda went right back to shouting, undeterred even as Matsuda grimaced. She just looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes. “Yasuke-chan, can I have you for the night?”

“...” His grimace darkened. “...”

“If you’re that busy with Nagito-chan, I gueeeeeeess he can come too,” she says, huffing before outright whining. “But you gotta give me an answer! Even if it’s not the story that I planned, I gotta hear your answer! I wanna know the answer!”

Matsuda squeezed his eyes shut, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

I really don’t want to, but...

“I guess I might as well go,” he grumbled.

“You should!” Mioda agreed happily. “GOOD answer! There wouldn’t have been much point in this bonus scene if you said no, Yasuke-chan!”

Matsuda stared.

“Ooh, so sharp! So cool! Cutting like the highest note!” she gushed. “Alright! The meeting time is two hours before the evening announcement! At the supermarket! No carts needed!”

Matsuda turned on his heel to hurry on ahead.

“Alright, then, guess that’s that.”

When she shouted some more, he didn’t look back. Only quickened his step.

--

After all the plot-relevant stuff of which the reader shouldn’t be concerned with right now, Matsuda did end up remembering the plans he made.

“Oh, right. It’s probably getting about whatever time that rocker girl wanted to meet up.”

“Oh, Matsuda-kun!” Komaeda exclaimed. “If you had already made arrangements with our Mioda-san, shouldn’t you have respected that first and foremost?”

“I had more important things going on,” Matsuda muttered. “Stuff more...relevant.”

“Geez, you’re such an asshole,” Hinata griped because he was here too for reasons. “Just hurry on. You shouldn’t keep Mioda waiting.”

“Eh.” He really shouldn’t. That said—“She said Komaeda can come, so I guess you should come, too.”

“H-Huh?! Why?!”

“Just...a feeling I have. Come on, you two.” Matsuda gestured for them to follow. “We’re heading to the supermarket.”

“Uwah, how exciting! Mioda-san’s kindness knows no bounds!” Komaeda gushed to which Hinata could only grumble.

“I feel like I’m just going to get pulled into extra work...”

Good news.

--

“O-nya-su-mi! O-nya-su-mi!” Mioda waved them over frantically from behind one of the aisles. “Ready for something to happen?!”

She gasped, gripping one of the cereal boxes with glee when she saw that Matsuda hadn’t arrived either alone or with just the resident crazy on the islands.

“Ooh, you brought Hajime-chan, too! I guess you do know the saying! Three’s a crowd, four’s a party!”

“Hey, Mioda,” Hinata greeted half-heartedly as she put the cereal back. Hinata strode up to her only to pause. What laid scattered before him was undeniable and he could only sigh at his fate. “Okay... What’s all this?”

When Matsuda got close enough for a look, he could see the piles upon piles of cardboard boxes. Komaeda, too, blinked at the sheer volume.

“Kaboom! Through summer!” Mioda exclaimed with a thunderous clap. “You can’t have a summer without fireworks!”

“I’ve had many of those,” Matsuda informed her without missing a beat.

“Loud noises make me a bit nervous,” Komaeda admitted before exclaiming, “How exciting!”

“Oh, right,” Hinata remembered. “Komaeda, on your student profile, it lists your dislikes as...”

“D-Don’t worry about it, Hinata-kun! It’s for the sake of hope!” Komaeda did in fact seem more nervous than excited. “Hope can come in loud, colorful bursts!”

“Eh...?”

“Filthy fireworks disappear into the sky!” Mioda sing-songs. “From Summer Festivitrees! Haven’t you heard it?”

“I don’t really listen to music that doesn’t play in anime,” Matsuda replied.

“Bang! Bang! There go my dreams!” Mioda gasped, but she recovered quickly. “Anyway!” With a salesperson grin, she gave a wide sweeping gesture towards the boxes. She even wiggled her hand while she was at it. “Boys, get those boxes! Let’s go! Set up!”

“Hah,” Matsuda huffed. “You could have gotten literally anyone to do grunt work.”

“Between the four of us, it won’t be too bad,” Hinata points out. “I mean...”

“Yeah, it’s a party!” Mioda agreed. “A super spicy party! Well—it’s a real party since I’ve already invited a few others! Chiaki-chan, Akane-chan, Mikan-chan, Sonia-chan—and did you know?! Hiyoko-chan’s gonna take pictures!”

...that’s good.

“Oh, and Nekomaru-chan juuuuust for Yasuke-chan!” she added, giving him a wink. “Everyone else already brought these fireworks in, so we’ll leave the rest to you! It’s Ibuki yukata time!”

“I suppose everyone else will be wearing yukatas as well?” Komaeda asked, to which she gleefully nodded.

“Yep! Sonia-chan’s gonna wear what she calls a Japanese yukata! So will Nekomaru-chan! Just for Yasuke-chan!”

“Great,” Matsuda griped, unenthusiastic. “What about us?”

“You want to wear yukatas too?!” Mioda yelped. “Unexpected! Aren’t the protagonists supposed to be the normies?! Or—wait! You want to see Nagito-chan in a yukata too, don’t you?! Sly dog! I should’ve known with my Ibuki sense!”

“W-What’s that mean?!” Hinata stammered. “I-I mean... Komaeda...!”

Komaeda blinked twice. His head tilted.

“I guess you’ll change into a yukata, too,” Matsuda told him. “I’ll look for some earplugs. Hinata will handle the boxes.”

“Wait why did I suddenly get saddled with all the work?! If Nidai’s here, he should help, too!”

“Nekomaru-chan helped during the day, Hajime-chan!” Mioda tutted. “Now, it’s your turn! Yasuke-chan has already asserted his dominance as top antenna!”

“What does that even mean?!” Hinata cried.

“Good luck, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda exclaimed. “Work your hardest so that your hope can shine your brightest! Oh, but, Matsuda-kun, please don’t feel obligated to...”

Aaaand Matsuda was already making his way down the aisle. No longer listening. A man single-focused on his mission. Mioda saluted him before marching on her merry way. Komaeda, too, left to go obediently change. Hinata, left alone, could only sigh.

Resigned to his fate, he began to move the boxes with only a mild grumble.

(Thankfully, once he found some earplugs, Matsuda did go back to help. He wasn’t that heartless.)

--

Thus, the night ended with a climactic series of colorful explosions in the starlit sky. Nidai whooped, Mioda cheered, and Sonia chattered excitedly.

Another burst. Nidai whooped again. Tsumiki was stammering in delight. Owari was happy, too.

The only one who wasn’t was...

“Pffft, so fucking lame,” Saionji muttered, but she snapped away with her camera. “It’s just because Mahiru-nee would’ve taken these pics...”

“The Ultimates are more radiant than any blossoming firework!” Komaeda exclaimed, voice uncomfortably loud as he likely couldn’t hear himself with the earplugs. “How wonderful! Sublime! Vibrant!”

Matsuda gave him a thumbs-up before gritting his teeth and adjusting the other’s yukata lest it be too revealing for this rather chilly evening.

Nidai whooped again, much to Nanami’s apparent confusion.

“Nidai-kun...keeps doing that...”

“It’s because when fireworks go up, you...whoop,” Hinata explained. He was looking away quite pointedly from a giggling Komaeda, his ears almost as red as a firework that just dyed the sky. Another whoop from Nidai as Nanami let out a curious hum.

“Girl power!” Sonia exclaimed.

“G-Go...burst...” Tsumiki stammered.

“Oh god, you two are so laaaaame,” Saionji groaned, to Tsumiki’s despair.

“E-Eep! I’m so sorry!”

“Oh! That’s a better face!” Saionji snapped with more enthusiasm. “Bwahaha! Pathetic weeping suits you waaaay more!”

“...Hiyoko-chan’s having a great time!” Mioda shouted. “Wahoo! Ibuki’s decisive victory!”

“W-What the hell are you talking about?!” the dancer shrieked.

“Lit ‘em up, Hajime-chan!” Mioda yelled, whooping with Nidai. “Do it, just DO IT!!”

“Got it, got it,” Hinata sighed, doing as he was told.

“After that one, we’ll trade off!” Nidai laughed. “You gotta enjoy these fireworks TOO, ya know!!”

Hinata did smile back, even warmer under another burst of color above.

“So lovely,” Komaeda cooed, and Matsuda didn’t care to ask if he specifically meant the fireworks.

Regarding everyone’s bright faces, made brighter by the fireworks, nothing else...really mattered.

The scent of summer enveloping the night. Goldfish fireworks trickling down, falling in drops,

Matsuda thought, remembering a song.

With eyes dazzled by the light, your gentle face was reflected for an instant.

When everyone parted, it was with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. One could even think it contentment if not for the erratic stumbling of a few stray thoughts.

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

im probably gonna skip prasad and the forest witches for now i HAVE to look at the charms

oh my god shooting vine grappling hooks is already good but firewands shooting smoke grappling hooks is really good. hfjd and it counts as a craft

holy FUCK thousand thorn artillery. how the fuck is anyone supposed to deal with this

frozone charm frozone charm

flying dagger leap is SO dramatic

oh man i really like victory-seeking insight. tells you so much about the character

SKYWARD EYE VIGIL! FUCK YES!!! do you know how good it is to be paranoid that the sky can see you

OOGH flotsam and jetsam approach is meaty. i like that its water

MAGMA! HELL! UPHEAVAL!!!!!!!!!!!! there are not enough exclamation marks in the world to say how i feel about this

oh my god charting unfamiliar tides. hang around the office for a minute and then just tell everyone what their policy is.i know thats not what introduce a fact is but thats basically what it is

meddling bridge burner approach. WHY are fire aspects like this

i like growth investment propagation bc its just between the boundaries but for money. kanamori has this charm

pearl and coral diadem. love me bitches

dragon ancestor bequest... love a Family

[howlingday]

The same question of temple-of-temptation but in Lancaster or Knightshade

Hm, been doing a lot of Lancaster lately... I'll do a Knightshade one then!

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

Blake: (In the rafters, Thinking) It can't be... This is Beacon! And that's me with Sun, and Penny, and... Pyrrha. She's alive, which means I traveled back in time. Just like that samurai. What was his name? Ja-

Jaune: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! (Crashes into the table) ...Ow.

Blake: Jaune! They noticed him! They're moving in...

Nora: Jaune? Where's your dress?

Jaune: Uh, Nora? I'm right here.

Nora: (Gasps) Two Jaunes?!

Jaune: Oogh, my head... Where am I? Wait... Am I at Beacon?!

Jaune: Uh, yeah, where should you be?

Jaune: Vacuo. Or at least until-

Blake: Jaune! (Lands next to him) Are you okay?

Jaune: Physically or emotionally?

Blake: Both.

Jaune: A little sore, but my aura's patching me up. On the other hand, I'm a little bewildered. What happened?

Blake: I was going to ask you. I remember falling, but after that, everything's went blank. I suddenly found myself here, and I've been in the rafters for about ten minutes. Did everyone make it out? The civilians? Weiss? Winter? Penny?

Penny: Salutations!

Jaune: Wah!

Penny: I heard my name and had to investigate! Who are you kind people?

Jaune: Penny... I... (Leans against a pillar) I'm gonna need a minute.

Blake: Jaune? Are you alright?

Ironwood: Everyone back away. Give this young man some breathing room.

Blake: Ironwood.

Ironwood: General Ironwood, yes. And you are?

Blake: It's a long story.

Ironwood: I advise you start telling it. If need be, a private room can be provided.

Blake: We're fine, thank you.

Jaune: Blake. (Rubs his fingers)

Blake: (Leans down, Whispers) What is it?

Jaune: (Whispers) Take his offer. We can stop this before it starts. Save lives.

Blake: Or make it worse.

Blake: What are you two whispering about? Stop what?

Blake: Oh, you, uh, heard that?

Jaune: I guess your hearing's gotten worse, Bella.

Yang: Bella?

Weiss: What does that mean?

Blake: He means me.

Sun: What, are you two dating, or something?

Jaune: Well...

Blake: Yes.

Sun: Oh.

Jaune: I guess we're just telling them everything, huh? It's not like paradoxes are a thing, right? ...Right?

Penny: I am uncertain. There are varying theories, but nothing yet proven.

Jaune: R-Right. (Looks away) General, please take us to interrogation.

Ironwood: I was going to discuss this in a side room, actually.

Jaune: That's fine, too, just... I need to get away from Pen- this party.

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

Blake: Please understand that what we're going to tell you is... very, very different from what is going on now.

Ironwood: Understood. Please, state your name and occupation for the record.

Blake: Blake Belladonna, Huntress.

Jaune: Jaune Arc, Huntsman.

Ironwood: Do you have proof?

Blake: Here. (Shows her license) We recieved these at Atlas Academy about a month ago.

Ironwood: ...These are legitimate, though the date would confirm your time travel claims. What was the last thing you remembered?

Blake: I was fighting Cinder Fall before I was knocked off the crossroads. Before that, we were evacuating Atlas to Vacuo.

Ironwood: For what purpose?

Blake: The situation, that is, in our time-

Jaune: We were saving Atlas from you. Salem was coming, and you wanted to run to the sky, putting people in more danger than when you enacted martial law.

Ironwood: ...I see. And what were you doing?

Jaune: I was trying to escape the crossroads. Everyone had evacuated, including the Winter Maiden. But... I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't-

Blake: Jaune, you did everything you could. No one blames you. Cinder was just too strong, the situation kept getting worse, but at least Penny made it out.

Jaune: ...Penny is dead, Blake. (Tears up) I... I killed her.

Blake: Jaune...

Ironwood: This is... a lot to take in. I'm... I'm going to need a minute. I'll leave you two alone.

Blake: Shshsh... It's okay.

Jaune: Oh god...

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

Sun: Phew! Man, that was... kind of a mood killer.

Blake: Was it? I thought it was fascinating.

Sun: Yeah, but... I just thought... Well...

Blake: Sun, that wasn't me.

Sun: It's going to be you.

Blake: Maybe, or she's a me in an alternate timeline. Besides, I think Jaune is already happy with someone else.

Sun: So, who do you think you'll end up with?

Blake: Who knows? It could be Yang, for all we know.

Sun: Yeah, right. The day you and Yang hook up is the day I start dating Neptune.

[rpchive]

109th Encounter-- Walls and Shells

oogh this is...a surprise that I bet nobody was expecting

Clair heads over to Daedalus room to try and check on him as usual. As she goes to knock on the door, it instead swings open slightly at her touch, already unlocked. Cautiously entering the room, Clair glances around. "...Daedalus?" The room is empty and quiet. No voice answers her. However, as she looks around the room, she quickly notices a new door directly across from the one she stands in. It seems noticeably rusty and worn, with a symbol on the upper half of it that Clair can't quite make out from this distance. Clair: A...door? Why is there...?

Debating on checking the door, Clair ultimately decides going alone would be a bad idea, and hurries off to find Collin and Jay. She quickly finds them in their room. They both stop what they're doing and turn their attention to her, slightly confused.

Collin: Uh, hey Clair. Is something wrong? Clair: Th-there's some kind of weird door in Daedalus' room, I...I think he might've gone in; but I don't know what it is... Collin: A weird door? Why would...

His voice trails off as he thinks for a second, then turns to Jay. "You don't think...?" alienrabitt: ...We need to hurry; if it's one of those, whatever's on the other side can't be good.

Clair: Wh-what is it? He's in trouble? Collin: It's... It's possible. The last time a weird door showed up on the IT, it wasn't exactly a party on the other side. We should probably get some other people; going in by myself didn't work out too well last time... Clair: O-okay...um, I'll go get Demo and meet you guys there, then! Collin: Alright, we'll see you there.

Collin and Jay head for Daedalus' door and wait for the others to get back. Clair returns to the door with Demo and Azreldeh.

Demo: ...You're right, this is definitely one of those rooms again...damn it...

Azreldeh: This happened before? You're seriously not even safe at home, huh...? Collin: Only once. I think these only show up if someone's having some serious issue. Are you coming with us? Azreldeh: Of course. Someone's gotta be able to sneak out in case you get in too over your head, right? Collin: I guess that makes sense. Hopefully it won't come to something like that though... Demo: He better be okay in there...I know things went weird with me, but maybe it's different if you're not a ghost...still...

Azreldeh: Won't know until you go in, right? Collin: I guess so...

As the group approaches the new door, they can finally make out that the weathered symbol on the door is actually a worn out Aperture Science logo. "Oh, this is not good." Demo: We need to get him out of there now! Collin: Oh God... Alright, just brace yourselves.

Collin pushes the door open and they step through. The door creaks harshly as it swings open and shut. Ahead of the group is an old metal corridor, although the condition seems to improve slightly as it stretches further on, turning off to the left. Fluorescent lights flicker weakly to illuminate the path, humming with a low buzz. Azreldeh: ...So this is kinda like where you came from? I can see why you wanted out... Collin: It didn't look nearly as worn down as this. At least, the parts /I/ lived in didn't. Wasn't any more inviting than this though...

As they start walking down the corridors, they hear the faint sounds of a large crowd of people and some other noises that they can't quite identify yet. alienrabitt: ...What is that...?

Clair: Sh-should we really be getting close...? Collin: I don't think we have a choice if we're going to find him. Just stay close. Even for Aperture, something about this place feels off.

A little further ahead, the hallway turns right into a long glass tube that stretches ahead in front of them. A raised platform in the tube allows them to continue walking through, and a more clean and maintained corridor begins on the other side.

Of much more significance is the scene that stretches out before them all around the glass tube. They appear to be suspended above a city in a state of frenzy as strange creatures and robots swarm around its streets, capturing or attacking people indiscriminately. Up in the sky not too far away is the Aperture airship, the Aurora, hovering over the chaos. alienrabitt: ...Oh...oh no, this is...

Demo: ...This never stopped eating him up...we couldn't help him at all, could we...?

Clair: W-we can help him now! That's what really matters, right? A speaker somewhere inside the tube suddenly sparks and crackles to life. Harsh static bleeds out for a second before finally swapping out to a synthetic female voice. "Oh. Well well... I wasn't expecting guests. Still, breaking and entering really was your forte, wasn't it?"

As the voice begins speaking, Collin instinctively reaches out and grabs Jay's arm tightly, struggling to keep his breathing under control. alienrabitt: ...Of course you're here too. ...What the hell have you done?

feels like S1 in here

GLaDOS: "Doing" is the more accurate tense, at the moment. If you're referring to your surroundings, though, that's not really me. That's just a fun little trip down memory lane he's having. It's strange, you know. I thought being a figment of imagination like everything else here would have had some sort of stronger effect on me, but I actually feel pretty good right now." Demo: Wh-what?! You...you leave him alone!! We're not afraid to kick your ass twice!! GLaDOS: You're free to try. Fortunately for you, I don't have full control over... whatever this is. If I did, you'd be breathing a healthy dose of neurotoxin right about now. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Revenge requires a fair bit of concentration.

The speaker cuts out, leaving them alone with the sounds of the city around them. Clair: ...This...this is awful...how are we supposed to find him...?

Demo: We keep moving; let's go...

Collin never lets go of Jay as they continue further on. They reach the end of the glass tunnel and turn a corner to find a set of automatic doors. The doors slide open silently as they approach, and the group passes through and finds themselves in a waiting room. The decor is incredibly clinical and the faint sound of some form of instrumental music leaks out from a speaker in the ceiling. Up ahead is another set of doors, but the handles are bound together with chains and an oversized padlock. Azreldeh: Does she seriously think that's gonna keep us out? I could burn through that like a knife through butter! Collin: That's... weirdly primitive for Aperture. Hang on, I'm pretty sure I can-

He steps toward the lock but is abruptly stopped as a red laser wall suddenly drops down over the locked door. He snaps his hand back and hops backward slightly, swearing in surprise. alienrabitt: Ugh! Of course it won't be that easy...

Demo: There's gotta be another way...

Collin: Fuck, if that had touched me... Okay, I think I can block it with something. Azreldeh, how quickly can you cut through all of that? Azreldeh: As quickly as I can heat things up! So I'd be willing to say a minute or less, for sure~!

now is not the time to hit on people

Collin: Alright... Once I block that laser grid, I need you to get in there and sear through all of that as fast as you can. Once the door's open, everyone needs to get in there immediately. I'll follow after once everyone else is through. Azreldeh: You've got it, babe! I'll have it open as quick as I can, so you'd better be ready! Collin: Don't- Sheesh, nevermind. Alright, here we go...

He takes a deep breath and holds his hands out toward the barrier. An archway of blue light forms around the chained part of the door, blocking the grid from all directions and allowing safe access to the lock. As soon as the barrier is disrupted, a siren goes off and a red light slowly flashes inside the waiting room. "Shit, hurry!" Azreldeh immediately begins to burn off the chains around the door handles, the flames from her hands burning brighter and brighter until they're white hot, at which point she removes the chains and opens the doors in one swift motion, allowing the group to enter the room behind them; though Azreldeh stays close to the doors to wait for Collin. While Azreldeh finishes burning away the chains, a horde of rusted androids suddenly rushes toward the room from the way they came, filling the air with the harsh grinding of metal. As the others rush inside, Collin quickly hurries after them while the androids lash out after him. He practically dives through the doorway as he dissipates his archway, dropping the laser grid back down behind him. The closest few androids fall into the grid and immediately vaporize, while the others slowly back away and wait outside. Azreldeh: That was close...! You okay? Collin: Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I forgot how much I hated those laser fields... Everyone else alright? alienrabitt: Miraculously; I think so... Collin: Thank God...

He pushes himself back up onto his feet as the group takes a second to observe their new surroundings. They appear to be in some sort of observation room with a few rows of chairs. Double doors to the left and right seem to lead down a flight of stairs, and through the windows in front of them they can look down into some sort of large, round room. An android constructed of mismatched parts with GLaDOS' head mounted on it is standing at a console next to a table in the center, casually typing away and monitoring several screens. On the table itself is Daedalus, who appears to be conscious but in significant pain as an ETI suit seems to be forming itself around him out of thin air.

Clair: Wh-what is that?!

alienrabitt: We have to stop her now!! Wasting no time, Collin grabs the closest chair and lifts it up behind him. A tether suddenly lashes out from the chair and latches onto the next nearest chair and quickly chains several more together. He runs toward the window and hurls the chair through it, sending the rest of the chairs after it. Collin clenches his fist and then extends it foward, causing the chairs to bend and fuse together to form a makeshift ramp down into the central chamber. "There, go!" Demo practically flies through the opening Collin made as she creates a massive drill from the black sands of her anubis, hurtling towards the GLaDOS construct as she screams "GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"

Following after her is Jay, who jumps the window and summons forth his spears as he runs down the ramp. Clair, however, stays close to Azreldeh, who seems to be saving her remaining magic to defend her as needed. GLaDOS: Close enough.

She presses a key on the terminal and then springs backward as Demo crashes down where she just was. "Intrusive, destructive, and disruptive. You're a grocery list of bad traits, aren't you?"

Dismissing the drill, Demo stands up shakily. "...Maybe so, but that's just who the hell I am!" She lashes out with her sand like a scorpion, rushing forward with Jay's old sword.

and there’s plenty more where that came from

GLaDOS uses one arm to block and parry Demo's attacks. "You know, I wouldn't be so focused on me right now if I were in your position." As Demo continues to focus on GLaDOS in her blind rage, Azreldeh helps Clair sneak over to where Daedalus is.

Azreldeh: ...I'm guessing you don't know the first thing about this either...? Clair: W-we have to do something... Although the rate of the ETI's formation has drastically slowed, it still creeps up toward Daedalus' chest as he lies there. His eyes suddenly snap open and he looks toward the pair. A mix of realization and fear washes over his face as he begins to tremble. "G-Get away..." Clair: N-no! I'm not leaving you here! I can't leave you like this!!

Carefully lifting Daedalus, Azreldeh grabs Clair with her tail and starts to leave the room. "Don't care if you want to or not; if tweedles Dee and Dumb start tossing around spears, all three of us are gonna be in trouble!" Daedalus suddenly twists around in Azreldeh's arms and lands on his feet, then clasps his hands together and swings toward Azreldeh's side. Yanking Clair close, Azreldeh shields her with her body and wings as flames erupt around her. "Don't move!!" Daedalus recoils from the flames instinctively. "I t-told you! Y-You have to... get away from me!" Clair: No!! I can't just keep running away; I have to be able to do something!

Azreldeh: Sweetheart; you literally died the last time you tried to play hero; let's not wake up with anything else weird in our bodies, please; I'd rather just lose one of you if we have to.

The flames burn bright enough to create a diversion, if only for a moment, only for the flames to vanish along with Clair and Azreldeh. Daedalus' face shifts between fury and relief before turning his attention to Demo and Jay. He takes a step forward and then topples to the ground as an avalanche of chairs tumbles down on top of him from the observation room. Collin steps out onto the ramp and calls out to the others. "The suit's already affecting him! We have to do something!" Demo: And just what the hell are we supposed to do?! GLaDOS: Try paying attention.

An electrified blade swings out of her other arm and she brings it in for a slash toward Demo. Demo shields with her sand; but still gets knocked back by the blow. Growling in frustration, she throws the sword down. "You...! I'm so sick of you!!"

Charging forth through the sand, which envelops her entirely, Demo shifts to a massive, black wolf, flames billowing out of the edges of her mouth as her glowing red eyes focus on the construct before her.

"I'LL TEAR YOU APART LIKE YOU DESERVE AGAIN...!"

ooh ooh ooh woo ooh ooh

Sparking cables shoot out from various exposed parts of her chassis as she rushes toward Demo, a second blade flipping outward from her other arm.     "Then try it, little girl!" Exhaling forth her flames, Demo lunges forward, slashing out with her massive claws. The sands of her anubis are no longer anywhere to be found.

this is what happens when Demo successfully manages to “integrate” with her anubis

GLaDOS makes no attempt to dodge Demo's attack, letting her body be cleaved apart. She clatters to the floor in pieces, and the light on her eye flickers as she says one thing before it burns out. "Good luck with that."

A klaxon blares throughout the entire building as the ground seems to tremble. A cheery, synthetic male voice calmly speaks over the alarm as it reverberates through the facility.

?: Warning: Catastrophic reality failure detected. Please evacuate immediately. All personnel left behind will be permanently fired from existence. Thank you, and have a pleasant emergency exit.

Collin: I think that might be our cue to get out... Whirling around on her heels, Demo snaps Daedalus up off the floor in her jaws, carefully enough not to hurt him, but forcefully enough to refuse him the chance to move. Barreling back the way they came, Demo leaves without a word, Jay frantically shifting to their dragon form and grabbing Collin before taking off in a desperate attempt to keep up. As they hurriedly make their way back out of the building, the entire area around them seems to crumple like paper and twist in unnatural ways. The glass tunnel begins to crack and shatter around them as the city outside dissolves and collapses. The entire facility seems to collapse toward them as they near the door, rushing toward them like a tsunami. Demo and Jay revert to their humanoid forms as they emerge from the doorway, Demo sliding onto her back in a desperate attempt to keep Daedalus from being launched across the room while Jay makes an effort to cradle Collin as he crashes into the room behind her. The door slams shut behind them as the wreckage reaches the doorway, then gradually fades away as if it were never there to begin with. The ETI suit around Daedalus crumbles away into dust and then swirls off into nothing, leaving him back in his normal state.

Collin: D-Did everyone make it out? Azreldeh: There you are! See? I told you they'd be fine.

Finally shoving Azreldeh away from herself, Clair stumbles forward as she rushes over to Daedalus and Demo. "P-please, please be okay...!" Daedalus groans in pain and tries to move on his own, but winds up collapsing back onto Demo. "I'm... not dead..." Demo: That's such a relief...I could die...let's...let's not die, though... Daedalus: Yeah, coulda just... stayed in there if you wanted to do that. Azreldeh: ...Seriously, I'm glad you all got out of there alright. I feel bad for having to come out here, but I really didn't wanna risk getting anyone else hurt... Daedalus: Don't apologize. I... I couldn't stop myself, and if you hadn't gotten her out of there... Clair: ...I'm just sorry I couldn't help you... Daedalus: Unless you wanted to kick my ass around or pry me out of that fucking suit, I'm not sure you could have done much... Azreldeh: But hey, everything worked out in the end, right? You're all okay now? Daedalus: Yeah, j-just...

He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "... A little shaken." Demo: ...Do you wanna be alone...? Daedalus: N-No, it's just... I... A little less of a crowd would be nice. Azreldeh: Sure thing.

Taking Jay and Collin by the hands, Azreldeh leaves Daedalus with Demo and Clair. Daedalus: Can either of you help me to the couch? I'd say you could just throw me on my bed, but then you'd just have to... stand there and stare at me. Carefully shifting out from underneath Daedalus, Demo scoops him up off the floor and moves him over to the couch. "That better?" Daedalus lets out a long sigh as he rests against the back of the couch. "Yeah, thanks... You guys can take a seat if you want. Might as well make yourselves comfy." Clair takes a seat on the opposite side of the couch, while Demo sits on one of the arms.

Demo: ...I'm uhh, sorry for...carrying you out like that. Pretty sure I was quite literally seeing red at that point, so I just kinda...did something.

so that’s the funny thing about Demo being a broken trickster; she feels emotions to extremes. y’know; literally seeing red, steam coming out her ears; crying legitimate puddles of tears; ect.

she has a handful of “forms” as a result; R G B Y are the most notable. this one’s R, obviously

Daedalus: It's fine, really. I couldn't really feel it through the... y'know... Clair: ...What even was all that? Daedalus: The suit? It's... It was called the Eternal Testing Initiative, or ETI. Basically GLaDOS was getting tired of losing test subjects all the time, so she whipped up a fancy tin can to stuff people in so they'd live for far longer than normally possible and be completely under her control. It's... about as shitty as sounds. Clair's face twists up in disgust as she glares down at the floor. "...S-so...you were gonna be in that..."

Demo: ...Look, we fixed it. He's okay; and that pile of scrap's back where she belongs; so don't worry about it...

Clair: I...I can't be calm about that!! He was gonna be like Zenith!!

Demo: W-well...no, but... Daedalus: Clair, please... I know it's horrible, but... it could've been far worse, alright? I don't remember if I ever told you about what happened to me before I died, but... I'm just really fuckin' grateful this wasn't a repeat. Clair: ...I just...don't want to lose you too... Daedalus: I know. It wasn't really a conscious choice to go in there... Demo: What, it drew you in? Or did you just...wake up there? Daedalus: The first one. It was... It was like sleepwalking, but with a nightmare. I knew that if I went in there things were going to get bad, but I just... couldn't stop myself.

He sighs and buries his face in his hands for a second before sliding them back down. "Well, at any rate, I know what you saw. Guess I've got some explaining to do, huh?" Clair: ...Y-yeah...if you want to... Daedalus: I... I guess I'll just start with the city thing. I still remember how I was back then, standing up above and watching the carnage unfold below. That happened because of me; the deaths, the damage, Collin's leg, being exiled from the entire planet... every last bit of it on me. I still don't understand how he can look me in the eyes and not spit in my direction after everything I cost him. And even though he eventually killed me after that, it felt more like... mercy, not punishment. It's like I never paid for a goddamn bit of the pain I caused.

As for GLaDOS, well... I still have nightmares about what she did to me. Between all of the... changes she made to me and the ETI suit, I... It fucking haunts me to this day.

Daedalus is tearing up at this point as his voice wavers, but he presses on.

"Part of me wishes I could've forgotten about it after I came back, but... I guess maybe that's my punishment for what I did, but that still doesn't feel like enough..."

I can fix that

the...forgetting thing, not the punishment thing

Clair: That's...n-no; you...

Her voice trails off as she chokes up, unsure of what to say. Demo's expression hardens as she goes quiet for a minute, then shakes her head.

Demo: The whole thing's a chain of fish that goes way back before any of us were even here. Jay couldn't have given Collin a trickster of any sort if he had been more stable; if he hadn't taken Collin to the session; and if I hadn't existed. I wouldn't exist if Jay hadn't been made; or maybe it's the other way around...either way; between me and Jay, you wound up being like that; and then you got hurt; and then it quite literally came back to haunt you. You kept saying this wasn't my fault; but indirectly, there's a lot of fingers to be pointing and a lot of people that did something they weren't supposed to. Daedalus: I don't care about what fingers are pointing to who, I just-

His voice catches for a second. "... I just wish I could do something to redeem myself. The guilt is like a lead weight in my chest, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to get it out..." Demo: ...I...don't know if you'll ever be able to do anything that'll let you go back to the Earth you came from, but I mean, play hero with heroes long enough and everyone else is gonna see you as one too. Nobody else out in the vastness of space knows what you did...

Clair: ...That won't change that he did something bad...

Demo: ...Maybe not, but the first step to making up for something is proving that you can do better, right? Daedalus: That's my hope, at least. That's why I went out with you guys that time I got shot by the sun or whatever. I figured maybe if I went out on missions or whatever you call them, then maybe I'd have a chance to... I don't know, do something that might make me feel like less of a monster. Demo: ...I think this whole second chance thing is all about opportunities. We've all been handed things we didn't have before; chances at stuff we couldn't do; things we don't understand...whatever happens as a result of our actions towards that stuff is what'll determine who we are now, I guess, but most of this stuff is...weird, and hard...but I think pushing that comfort envelope's kind of the right call, even if it feels like you don't deserve it. Daedalus: I feel like I don't deserve a lot of things frankly, especially you two. Demo: The feeling's mutual. Guess it comes with the territory. Daedalus: I guess so. Being a former bad guy sucks... Clair: ...Well, that just means we all have to learn how to be good together! Daedalus: Clair, I swear you're gonna give me a cavity with how sweet you are sometimes. Demo: Maybe we should be calling her Eclair instead, then! Daedalus: ... Nevermind, throw me back in there. Death is preferable to that pun. Demo: Jeez, lighten up!

Clair: Ugh, that was pretty terrible. Maybe our real punishment is having to put up with your puns. Daedalus: She really puts the "pun" in "punishment", then? Clair: Ughhh, this is horrible...

Demo: Clairrible, even?

Clair: Uuuuuugh; that's the worst one!! Daedalus: That was unforgiveable. I'm pretty sure my will to live has weakened slightly just from hearing that.

BAD PUN ZONE

Demo: Hahaha! I didn't think it was that bad...!

Clair: It's not hard to tell you weren't a real trickster, huh?

Demo: H-hey, that's a little much...

Clair: ...Horrible puns aside; I'm glad you two are alright. Getting dragged out of there and just having to wait was...really not cool. I'm glad I didn't have to lose you guys too. Daedalus: It'll take a little bit more than that to get rid of me again. I'm afraid you're stuck with us for now. Clair: Hey, I'll take it! Horrible puns and all.

Demo: Be careful what you wish for. Or not; you're technically a kleivenn too... Daedalus: Yeah, but she's not a genie or something. I don't think her wishing for something is gonna actually do something, right? Demo: Nah; I'd be willing to bet the only wish she could make that would've come true would've been the one she made when she got like that.

Clair: ...What was your wish for? You became a kleivenn on your own too, right?

Demo: ...Mine? ...I've been stuck with so many other people, I guess it kinda got so mixed up that I forgot already. Really I just...wanted freedom. I wanted myself; and that's all I got. I can't make gates like Jay or anything, but I'm pretty tough. I'd say I'm even stronger than him, but I don't like to fight...why ask? Clair: ...I'm still trying to figure out what I can do, but just knowing what I wished for doesn't seem like enough...

Demo: ...Sometimes it really is just trial and error. You don't exactly strike me as the offensive type, though; I'm guessing you're more of a shield? Daedalus: Actually, she did heal a burn I got from a little while ago, which was pretty handy. Not sure if she can do other stuff aside from that though. Demo: Healing? Now that's a shocker. ...But I guess that makes sense. Hmm, but that really doesn't help out in the thick of stuff; surely there's gotta be somethin' else...

Clair: If there is, I'm not sure what it is, or even how to do it...

Demo: Well, like I said, trial and error. You're just gonna have to try stuff and see if it works out. Daedalus: That seems pretty open-ended... Demo: W-well...! She's got healing powers, right? So maybe all her powers have to do with bodily functions? That's still pretty broad, uhh...I don't know, there's a few things that could mean...I mean, what can you heal? Just the physical? What if something weird happens; what if you gotta calm somebody down? Could you do something then? Something like that... Daedalus: What, like... change someone's mood or something? That seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn't it? Demo: Well, maybe not their mood as much as their mental state, y'know? Daedalus: ... Is that not the same thing? Demo: A person's perception of a situation, or maybe their perception of reality itself, is a lot bigger than just how they feel. That's what I'm talking about; the real big guns.

Clair: Wh-why would I ever need that?!

Demo: I don't know; you're surrounded by a bunch of superheroes with PTSD and depression; you do the math. Daedalus: I mean, it'd be handy but also... weird. Demo: Right? But she won't know if she can do that stuff unless she tries it; and that's...not exactly something you can just ask to do. "Hey, my powers might be healing, can you let me fuck with your head for a bit and see if it does something?" Clair: Y-yeah, that's...a little impractical around here...

Daedalus: What would you even try to do to test something like that? Clair: I...I'm not sure! I could do a few things, but I think I should probably start small, whatever I do... Daedalus: Well I assumed that much. It sounds like you already have a few ideas though. Clair: I...guess? Demo said I could probably help people with mental stuff, but that still seems a little risky, and I doubt either of you'd--...

Demo: Jeez, look, it's different when it's somebody we trust, y'know? Besides, it's not like you'd hurt us...especially after what just happened, and how we're, y'know, totally surrounded by people that'd kick your ass if you did.

Clair: Th-there's gotta be a nicer way to say that...

Daedalus: Probably, but I can't put the words together right now. The important thing is that we don't really feel like we're in danger around you. I told you before, I'm willing to help you figure out your powers and stuff. Clair: Y-yeah, but I just...don't wanna make things worse after what just happened is all... Daedalus: I really don't think you could make me feel any worse than the stuff back there did.

would you bet on that?

Clair: ...Alright, if you say so...um...well, I want to start small, but I mean, I don't think I could make you forget or remember anything very simple if I'm supposed to heal stuff, so it'd probably need to be something important... Daedalus: Oh, wow, you're uh... jumping straight to that, huh? Clair: W-well!! I could...try the other thing first, but I don't know...

Demo: Are you always gonna be this cautious about this stuff? Jeez...you're not gonna get anywhere in a pinch if you keep this up... Daedalus: What's the other thing? I'll pick, but I don't know what you're thinking. Clair: I could probably see if I could uhh...make you calmer or something? I don't know, the implications of that are really vague; I don't want to take advantage of anybody...

Demo: You're not taking advantage of a volunteer, oh my god... Daedalus: Clair, it's fine. Go with the calm option; the memory thing is... a little much for me right now. Clair: ...Y-yeah, okay; that sounds alright...

She sits there for a really long time, unsure of what to do, much to Demo's annoyance. After a good 5 minutes of guesswork, Clair places one of her hands on the side of Daedalus' head; the other upon the back; and touches her forehead to his, causing Demo's face to turn a little red as she glares at Clair but remains silent in her curiosity. Taking a deep breath, Clair only asks one thing of Daedalus: "G-go to sleep?" Daedalus' eyes slowly shut as he sags forward into Clair. His body rolls slightly to the side as he loses consciousness, and his head comes to a rest on her shoulder as the rest of his weight pushes gently against her. Clair: A-ah, it worked! Wh-what do I do now?

Demo: Wake him up, dummy!! Jeez!! Did you seriously have to do it like that?

Clair: W-w-well, most of my powers only work if I'm making physical contact, so I figured--

Demo: Wake him up first!! You're just gonna have to say it twice!!

so flustered

Fumbling a little as she tries to set Daedalus relatively upright upon the couch, Clair takes Daedalus' head in her hands yet again and nervously asks him to wake up. Daedalus groans slightly as his eyes gradually open again. Tilting his head back up, he rubs his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath. "Well... Definitely feels like it worked. I haven't gone to sleep that easily in at least a week." Clair: Ahaha, y-yeah, it...definitely worked! Sorry about that... Daedalus: No, it's fine, I just... didn't expect you to get so close to do it. Clair: I-I mean, everything else worked with physical contact, s-so I just figured...! Daedalus: It's alright, just give me a heads up next time. I almost thought- well, anyway... You can definitely do something to people with your powers. Clair: Y-yeah, I guess so...sorry I surprised you like that... Daedalus: Clair, I'm fine, really. You don't need to apologize so much. Honestly it felt... kinda nice. Not sure if I can wake up on my own if you do that though... Clair: Then I guess I'd just have to...stay around for a while, huh?

Demo: Ugh...get a room... Daedalus clears his throat for a second. "Well, does that answer your question, or was there something else you wanted to try?" Clair: I wanna know if I can do that other thing eventually too, but we can wait on that one; so I guess I don't need to know anything else right now... Daedalus: Alright. I... I think I can handle the memory thing later, just not right now, sorry. Clair: That's fine! I'm honestly surprised you wanted to do the first thing too... Daedalus: Sleeping isn't that big of a deal. Besides, what part of "I trust you" are you not getting? Clair: It's just...a little weird, is all. I've never had anyone let me get close to them besides Zenith...in any sense, really. Daedalus: Well, uh... I guess you've gotta start somewhere, although you picked a hell of a person to start with, honestly. Demo: I'd say you're pretty close to a couple of people now, given that we're all sharing the same couch and all...

Clair: You're not even sitting on the couch itself though...

Demo: I just didn't want to get any closer than he was comfortable with is all; but you two look pretty cozy... Daedalus: W-Well, I... I mean, it's not like either of you make me uncomfortable... Halfway between reluctancy and genuine shyness, Demo slides down from the arm of the couch to the couch itself. "...Good to know." Daedalus, now between the two of them, stares down at the floor and seems to be lost in thought. Clair: ...Is something wrong? Daedalus: I... No, it's just that... I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, but I really don't know how to say any of this... Demo: ...Say what? Daedalus straightens his back and takes another deep breath. His hands are clenched tightly around his knees as he lets the air back out, then slowly starts to speak again.

"I... Well, when I wasn't thinking about all of my... past stuff, I found myself thinking about you two a lot. The way we talked, the way I felt around you... and, well... I sort of realized that at some point, I had started to care about you guys in a way that I haven't felt before. I mean, I still care about the others here, but with you two it's something... different. And finally I realized that what I really wanted is... uh..."

His hands are shaking slightly, and his face is now a noticeable shade of red. Demo: W-wait, you're serious? I wasn't expecting this, I...

Clair: H-huh? You're not joking, are you? Daedalus: Geez, I know I'm usually a smartass, but do you think I'd joke about this? I... I mean, I get it. I know it's not traditional or whatever to feel this way about multiple people, so if that's a problem, we... don't have to make anything out of it. It's just that clearly bottling up all my bullshit isn't going to work anymore, and after all of that shit back there, I... I wanted you to know how I felt. I know I don't really deserve anything like that, but I can't keep all of this locked up inside me... Demo: N-no, it's fine; I--

Clair: ...I feel the same way. I just...I don't know, it's so surprising to hear somebody say they love me and mean it, you know?

Demo: --Y-yeah, that... Daedalus: ... S-So wait, you're not bothered about the fact that I feel this way about both of you? I thought that was going to be a dealbreaker or something. Clair: ...Why would that be weird? I mean, I guess it's not a common thing, but you can still be with more than one person at the same time! You just need to make sure everybody's okay with everybody else.

Demo: ...And we are! So it's fine. Daedalus is quiet for a second before a quiet laugh escapes from his lips. "I know I say this a lot, but you guys are really too good to me."

this is so cute and it’s so nice to see this softer side of him and just dhdjdjksff

Clair: Well hey, you're a good guy now too; so I'd say good things happening to you are just what you deserve now, right? His hands unclench from his knees and he drops them down to either side, palms up and still slightly trembling. "Sheesh, quit being sweet to me and hold my hand or something." With a big grin on her face, Clair pulls Daedalus into a tight hug, which Demo joins in on a little more softly. Daedalus grunts as he's suddenly squeezed between two people and shuffles his arms around slightly, unsure of what to do with them in the situation. "O-Or this, this works too..." Demo: ...Is this too much? Daedalus: N-No, just... underestimated you two a little bit. Clair: Well, you know us; always full of surprises, right? Daedalus: That and... surprisingly warm. Demo: Probably has somethin' to do with the whole "kleivenn are stars" thing... Daedalus: Doesn't explain you though... Uh, c-can you guys let me go for a second? Need to breathe... Clair: S-sorry!

The pair let go of Daedalus, though Clair continues to hold his hand after letting go of the rest of him. Still slightly red in the face, Daedalus can't stop a smile from creeping into his expression no matter how much he tries to play it off. "S-So... I guess we're a thing now?" Demo: Yeah, I guess so...i-if that's what you want, of course! Daedalus: I... I would like that, yeah. Clair: Then it's official! Daedalus squeezes Clair's hand slightly and puts his other hand over Demo's. "I... have no idea what to say now, actually. I spent so long worrying about trying to even say this, I didn't prepare for either of you to actually say yes."

ugh I love you so much I wanna cry

Demo: Thank your lucky stars you didn't die, I guess? Daedalus: Sounds like a pretty decent starting point, yeah. I just wish I didn't feel so worn out. This day has been one hell of a trip, and the restless nights before this aren't helping much either. Demo: Well, maybe you'll sleep better now that you have less to worry about? Worst case Clair has to help... Daedalus: Somehow I don't think babysitting me while I sleep sounds like much fun... Demo: I mean, it's better than barely sleeping, if at all...besides, I don't even need to sleep anymore; so I could just wake her up if she fell asleep. Daedalus: ... Wait, Clair do you even sleep now since you're also sort of...? Clair: I do; I just don't need nearly as much. I can basically get away with 3 hours of sleep. Daedalus: Damn, wish I could get away with that. Well, I might wind up taking you up on that if you want to try again. Clair: If that's what you want; then sure!

Demo: We'll be waiting when you wake up. Daedalus: That sounds... really nice. You can just leave me on the couch if that's easier; I'm too burnt out to move much right now. Getting up off the couch, Demo nods. "Alright; then I'll give you some space. We'll see you tomorrow then."

With that, Clair takes Daedalus into her hands and puts him back to sleep, carefully lowering him back down onto the couch afterward.

hopefully the next stuff will be a lot lighter, though the fluff in this one was

[readbookywooks]

‘Yes. That’s right. You’ve got it exactly.’

Conina and Creosote exchanged glances. Nijel remained sitting proudly in the saddle, a faint smile on his face.

‘Is your geese giving you trouble?’ said the Seriph.

‘Geas,’ said Nijel calmly. ‘It’s not giving me trouble, it’s just that I must do something brave before I die.’

‘That’s it though,’ said Creosote. ‘That’s the whole rather sad point. You’ll do something brave, and then you’ll die.’

‘What alternative have we got?’ said Nijel.

They considered this.

‘I don’t think I’m much good at explaining,’ said Conina, in a small voice.

‘I am,’ said Nijel, firmly. ‘I’m always having to explain.’

The scattered particles of what had been Rincewind’s mind pulled themselves together and drifted up through the layers of dark unconsciousness like a three-day corpse rising to the surface.

It probed its most recent memories, in much the same way that one might scratch a fresh scab.

He could recall something about a staff, and a pain so intense that it appeared to insert a chisel between every cell in his body and hammer on it repeatedly.

He remembered the staff fleeing, dragging him after it. And then there had been that dreadful bit where Death had appeared and reached past him, and the staff had twisted and become suddenly alive and Death had said, IPSLORE THE RED, I HAVE YOU NOW.

And now there was this.

By the feel of it Rincewind was lying on sand. It was very cold.

He took the risk of seeing something horrible and opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was his left arm and, surprisingly, his hand. It was its normal grubby self. He had expected to see a stump.

It seemed to be night-time. The beach, or whatever it was, stretched on towards a line of distant low mountains, under night sky frosted with a million white stars.

A little closer to him there was a rough line in the silvery sand. He lifted his head slightly and saw the scatter of molten droplets. They were octiron, a metal so intrinsically magical that no forge on the Disc could even warm it up.

‘Oh,’ he said. ‘We won, then.’

He flopped down again.

After a while his right hand came up automatically and patted the top of his head. Then it patted the sides of his head. Then it began to grope, with increasing urgency, in the sand around him.

Eventually it must have communicated its concern to the rest of Rincewind, because he pulled himself upright and said, ‘Oh, bugger.’

There seemed to be no hat anywhere. But he could see a small white shape lying very still in the sand a little way away and, further off -

A column of daylight.

It hummed and swayed in the air, a three-dimensional hole into somewhere else. Occasional flurries of snow blew out of it. He could see skewed images in the light, that might be buildings or landscapes warped by the weird curvature. But he couldn’t see them very clearly, because of the tall, brooding shadows that surrounded it.

The human mind is an astonishing thing. It can operate on several levels at once. And, in fact, while Rincewind had been wasting his intellect in groaning and looking for his hat, an inner part of his brain had been observing, assessing, analysing and comparing.

Now it crept up to his cerebellum, tapped it on the shoulder, thrust a message into its hand and ran for it.

The message ran something like this: I hope I find me well. The last trial of magic has been too much for the tortured fabric of reality. It has opened a hole. I am in the Dungeon Dimensions. And the things in front of me are … the Things. It has been nice knowing me.

The particular thing nearest Rincewind was at least twenty feet high. It looked like a dead horse that had been dug up after three months and then introduced to a range of new experiences, at least one of which had included an octopus.

It hadn’t noticed Rincewind. It was too busy concentrating on the light.

Rincewind crawled back to the still body of Coin and nudged it gently.

‘Are you alive?’ he said. ‘If you’re not, I’d prefer it if you didn’t answer.’

Coin rolled over and stared up at him with puzzled eyes. After a while he said, ‘I remember-’

‘Best not to,’ said Rincewind.

The boy’s hand groped vaguely in the sand beside him.

‘It isn’t here any more,’ said Rincewind, quietly. The hand stopped its searching.

Rincewind helped Coin to sit up. He looked blankly at the cold silver sand, then at the sky, then at the distant Things, and then at Rincewind.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ he said.

‘No harm in that. I’ve never known what to do,’ said Rincewind with hollow cheerfulness. ‘Been completely at a loss my whole life.’ He hesitated. ‘I think it’s called being human, or something.’

‘But I’ve always known what to do!’

Rincewind opened his mouth to say that he’d seen some of it, but changed his mind. Instead he said, ‘Chin up. Look on the bright side. It could be worse.’

Coin took another look around.

‘In what respect, exactly?’ he said, his voice a shade more normal.

Um.’

‘What is this place?’

‘It’s a sort of other dimension. The magic broke through and we went with it, I think.’

‘And those things?’

They regarded the Things.

‘I think they’re Things. They’re trying to get back through the hole,’ said Rincewind. ‘It isn’t easy. Energy levels, or something. I remember we had a lecture on them once. Er.’

Coin nodded, and reached out a thin pale hand towards Rincewind’s forehead.

‘Do you mind-?’ he began.

Rincewind shuddered at the touch. ‘Mind what?’ he said.

- if I have a look in your head?

‘Aargh.’

It’s rather a mess in here. No wonder you can’t find things.

‘Ergh.’

You ought to have a clear out.

‘Oogh.’

Ah.’

Rincewind felt the presence retreat. Coin frowned.

‘We can’t let them get through,’ he announced. ‘They have horrible powers. They’re trying to will the hole bigger, and they can do it. They’ve been waiting to break into our world for-’ he frowned -’ians?’

‘Aeons,’ said Rincewind.

Coin opened his other hand, which had been tightly clenched, and showed Rincewind the small grey pearl.

‘Do you know what this is?’ he said.

‘No. What is it?’

‘I–can’t remember. But we should put it back.’

‘Okay. Just use sourcery. Blow them to bits and let’s go home.’

‘No. They live on magic. It’d only make them worse. I can’t use magic.’

‘Are you sure?’ said Rincewind.

‘I’m afraid your memory was very clear on the subject.’

‘Then what shall we do?’

‘I don’t know!’

Rincewind thought about this and then, with an air of finality, started to take off his last sock.

‘No half-bricks,’ he said, to no-one in particular. ‘Have to use sand.’

‘You’re going to attack them with a sockful of sand?’

‘No. I’m going to run away from them. The sockful of sand is for when they follow.’

People were returning to Al Khali, where the ruined tower was a smoking heap of stones. A few brave souls turned their attention to the wreckage, on the basis that there might be survivors who could be rescued or looted or both.

And, among the rubble, the following conversation might have been heard:

‘There’s something moving under here!’

‘Under that? By the two beards of Imtal, you are mishearing. It must weigh a ton.’

‘Over here, brothers!’

And then sounds of much heaving would have been heard, and then:

‘It’s a box!’

‘It could be treasure, do you think?’

‘It’s growing legs, by the Seven Moons of Nasreem!’

‘Five moons-’

‘Where’d it go? Where’d it go?’

‘Never mind about that, it’s not important. Let’s get this straight, according to the legend it was five moons-’

In Klatch they take their mythology seriously. It’s only real life they don’t believe.

The three horsepersons sensed the change as they descended through the heavy snowclouds at the Hub end of the Sto Plain. There was a sharp scent in the air.

‘Can’t you smell it?’ said Nijel, ‘I remember it when I was a boy, when you lay in bed on that first morning in winter, and you could sort of taste it in the air and-’

The clouds parted below them and there, filling the high plains country from end to end, were the herds of the Ice Giants.

They stretched for miles in every direction, and the thunder of their stampede filled the air.

The bull glaciers were in the lead, bellowing their vast creaky calls and throwing up great sheets of earth as they ploughed relentlessly forward. Behind them pressed the great mass of cows and their calves, skimming over land already ground down to the bedrock by the leaders.

They bore as much resemblance to the familiar glaciers the world thought it knew as a lion dozing in the shade bears to three hundred pounds of wickedly coordinated muscle bounding towards you with its mouth open.

‘… and … and … when you went to the window,’ Nijel’s mouth, lacking any further input from his brain, ran down.

Moving, jostling ice packed the plain, roaring forward under a great cloud of clammy steam. The ground shook as the leaders passed below, and it was obvious to the onlookers that whoever was going to stop this would need more than a couple of pounds of rock salt and a shovel.

‘Go on, then,’ said Conina, ‘explain. I think you’d better shout.

Nijel looked distractedly at the herd.

‘I think I can see some figures,’ said Creosote helpfully. ‘Look, on top of the leading … things.’

Nijel peered through the snow. There were indeed beings moving around on the backs of the glaciers. They were human, or humanoid, or at least humanish. They didn’t look very big.

That turned out to be because the glaciers themselves were very big, and Nijel wasn’t very good at perspective. As the horses flew lower over the leading glacier, a huge bull heavily crevassed and scarred by moraine, it became apparent that one reason why the Ice Giants were known as the Ice Giants was because they were, well, giants.

The other was that they were made of ice.

A figure the size of a large house was crouched at the crest of the bull, urging it to greater efforts by means of a spike on a long pole. It was craggy, in fact it was more nearly faceted, and glinted green and blue in the light; there was a thin band of silver in its snowy locks, and its eyes were tiny and black and deep set, like lumps of coal.[24]

There was a splintering crash ahead as the leading glaciers smacked into a forest. Birds rattled up in panic. Snow and splinters rained down around Nijel as he galloped on the air alongside the giant.