#Plot heavy

[aidaran-alha]

Finally finished!

I can’t believe I don’t have any more chapters to post. It’s such a bittersweet feeling, to let go of a fic after working so hard on it for such a long time.

Chapters: 42/42 Fandom: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Summary:

Heaven is so high up that once you’re there, Aziraphale realizes the only way out is to fall.

In an attempt to stop the apocalypse once more, he steals the Book of Life and The Messiah's soul, placing him back on Earth as Adam’s brother. Now suspended somewhere between falling and fallen, Aziraphale needs help from the only one he can trust to navigate his new life. The same demon he rejected a lifetime ago.

Despite how they parted, Crowley can't turn his back on the aching angel, working through his pain and heartache as they slowly inch towards one another, acting on millennia of bottled-up feelings and desire.

The only problem? Adam’s powers are still alive, and he wants everybody to have their “happy ever after” in his town.

Or else.

@goodomensafterdark​

[yayakoishii]

Before I send my request your way lemme tell you how much I loved reading your recent Sanji Fics!! I enjoyed them a lot!!

And as for a request, I don't have anything specific but a vague scenario in my head. The strawhats dock at a lone mysterious island. And they as usual disperse off to do their own things when Sanji happens to stumble upon the reader. Perhaps caught in some trouble, going around with a hidden identity? I'm sorry this is cringe. But it's been in my head for a while now. Whether this ends up interesting you or not, I just wanted you to know, it's been a lot of fun reading you! Have a good day! Or night :D

Unfortunate Encounters | Sanji x Reader

Fandom: One Piece

Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x Reader

Word Count: 5,997 (that's practically 6k)

Genre: Light Fluff, more Angst, happy ending ofc!

Warnings: Plot heavy, light swearing. Slightly ooc crew maybe? I'm still new to writing for OP, please excuse any mistakes!

A/n: First off, thank you so much for the sweet words anon ;-; they really made my day <3 As for the request, this was not cringe at all!! I got super into it and I had like 3-4 mental drafts of how this fic could go (the og ending was even more angsty lol, but I decided to cut back...) I may have focused too much on the 'lone, mysterious island' part because this was more plot heavy than romantic. The inner plot writer in me emerged because of your prompt; I'm not a romance writer so I struggle with that in this fic >< However, I did enjoy writing it so I hope you enjoy this one too! Thanks for sending such a fun request ❤️

also available on ao3!

The log pose had brought them to another island, but even before they had touched down, Sanji could feel something was up with it. The island just gave off some vibes he couldn't place and he wasn't one to chalk it off to a mistake. His intuition told him something was going to happen here.

"There doesn't seem to be a town here," Nami frowned, looking at the island. All they could see for miles and miles was a dense tropical forest, with trees that seemed larger than their usual size. When they got off the Thousand Sunny, Sanji realised that it was too silent. There were no sounds of birds or any animals that he could hear from the shoreline. "Be careful, guys."

They decided to separate and cover the island quicker. The log pose needed time to reset and it was a curious little island anyway. They could cover it within a day, maximum. Something in Sanji's gut twisted in protest but until he could explain it, there was no way he could stop the chaotic crew. So he let it be and started hacking a path to somewhere.

The trees were dense and the forest was dark, lit up on random intervals by sudden sunbeams that looked like nature's spotlights. Sanji hummed to himself as he studied the plants around him. He walked for a while, noting all the things he could use but not picking anything because the island just rubbed him off the wrong way. It felt dangerous to pick any part of it.

Sanji walked for a while, pausing only when he felt he had heard something – something that sounded like a rustle of leaves, but he couldn't sense a person. He couldn't sense anything but the wind, a gentle breeze drifting through the trees. Strangely, he had not yet come across any of the other Straw Hats either, even though he had been walking for well over an hour and the island wasn't that big in the first place.

There was another rustling, but this time, Sanji could feel a presence. Multiple ones, to be precise. He tensed and cautiously moved aside the curtain of vines blocking his views. The clearing revealed in front of him shocked him– it was like all the animals of the entire island had gathered in one place. And they were all looking at something that he couldn't see.

The moment he stepped in, the animals all turned to him, some of them baring teeth or growling and it was so much sound after so much silence that even Sanji couldn't help the shiver running along his back. A human shout of, "It's okay guys! I'm okay now!" distracted the animals and they turned back to whatever– or rather, whoever, they had been looking at.

Sanji held back, not quite sure what to make of the whole situation, until he heard a barely audible, "Disperse."

Almost like a flip was switched, the animals scattered and Sanji was left incredulously staring at the vines in the middle of the clearing, from where a figure gracefully jumped down. You straightened up and patted at your hair to check for any stray leaves or twigs before you walked over to him.

"An intruder?" You asked, smiling amusedly. "Been a while since we had one."

"That's a harsh word, beautiful," Sanji couldn't hold himself back from calling you that way, after he had gotten over his shock enough to note your features.

"Would you prefer 'uninvited guest'?" You cocked an eyebrow, not cutting eye contact as you straightened out your clothes.

"Ah, you hurt my poor heart," he said, a little bit dramatically as he leaned closer but still at a respectable distance. "Am I unwelcome in your home, goddess of these woods?"

"Wh-?" You couldn't help the chuckle that left your lips at his words. "You're quite something, alright. And as fun as you are, you really are unwelcome here, sorry."

"Why?" Sanji asked curiously. The entire experience felt like some weird fever dream to him, and he couldn't quite make head or tails of anything that was happening but the one thing he was sure of was that there was something about you that piqued his curiosity in all the ways.

"You can't stay on this island," you shrugged and walked past him, expecting him to follow you. Sanji did not fail, falling in step behind you as you started walking somewhere. "2 days, that's all you get. Any longer and… well, it's better if you don't find out."

"Alright, then I guess I'll let my crew know," Sanji sighed, figuring he wasn't getting any more out of you after seeing your guarded expression. The moment he finished his sentence though, you froze in your step and turned around to face him in horror.

"Did you just say… crew?" Your voice sounded a little hoarse and Sanji paused, looking at you in concern. "Please tell me your crew is not on the island."

"If I said that, it would be a lie, sweetheart," Sanji's brows furrowed even as he said it. Something was wrong. Your expression melted into one of full-blown panic, anger and horror.

"Not again!" You cried, burying your face in your hands.

"What's wrong?" Sanji would really, really like some answers today. The entire day had been confusing and eerie vibes and the growing chill in his stomach was now an unnecessary addition.

"What's wrong," you snapped, looking wild and terrified for a second, "is that your entire crew is fucking loose on a cursed island! If they do not get off this island in 3 nights, they will turn into animals and never, ever turn back to humans."

Sanji just stared at you for a few seconds before he dropped the unlit cigarette he had pulled out of his pocket. You were pacing around in circles and he had so many questions that he didn't even know where to begin.

"Then I'll just tell them when we all meet back?" He said unsurely except you turned to face him with eyes full of unshed tears.

"That's a great plan," you said a little sarcastically, "except for the part where this island is cursed and anyone who isn't an animal can't find their way out. Ever. They literally cannot find the way back on their own."

Sanji's jaw dropped. He stared back at you in equal parts horror.

"This has to be the Moss Head's curse spreading," he whispered to himself.

Half an hour later, the two of you were making your way through the dense foliage, exchanging questions and answers– although Sanji was the one doing the asking the most.

You had calmed down after finding out that the crew only had 9 members. You could probably find 8 people in less than 3 days. The island wasn't that big.

Sanji's first question was about how you weren't affected by the curse.

"Because I'm not fully human," you had replied off-handedly and not offered more. It only added to your mystery but despite all your secrets, Sanji could somehow feel inside him that you weren't a bad person. You were going out of your way to help out so that their crew won't turn into animals– if the curse didn't affect you, then you could have very well done nothing.

Then he asked about the other things on his mind. Were the animals in the forest also humans? To his horror, you had replied with a sad yes.

"The log pose doesn't take pirates to this island much," you had explained as you expertly and gracefully made your way over the thorny plants and overgrown roots. Your movement was almost like a mystical dance and Sanji couldn't take his eyes off of it, thankful that you were walking in front of him and couldn't see his ogling. "It's rare but it happens sometimes. Mostly single man boats tossed through storms end up here, but there's been two small crews who came here after me. There were already some animals on the island before though, and I'm pretty sure they were once humans too."

"And there's no cure for this?" Sanji swallowed, his heart hammering from a weird mix of fear, nervousness and excitement.

"Nothing as far as I know," you confirmed, pausing to close your eyes and feel something. "That direction, I can sense someone."

You ran over without waiting for Sanji and he was left to catch up by taking long strides. Before he could show himself though, he felt the presence close in on you and automatically moved in to defend you. His boots rammed against the blunt hilt of a familiar katana.

"Love cook?" Zoro's eyes widened in surprise and he immediately tucked his swords back in. Sanji ignored him in favour of ensuring that you were okay. He found you staring behind him curiously at Zoro, as if the swordsman fascinated you. It didn't mean anything, but it left him feeling a little irritated at Zoro. "Who's this?"

"Um." Sanji realised he had never asked you for your name. Or given you his.

"Inconsequential," you waved it off. "It's not like we're to know each other longer than a day or two. Let's just go and search for the rest. Blondie here can explain everything to you on the way."

"Sanji," he blurted out, reeling back when he saw your surprised face. "Forgive my insolence, sweetheart. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Vimsoke Sanji."

"Well, Sanji," you smiled at him, already walking like you knew where you were going, "get your friend to join us and follow me."

Gladly, his heart answered for him.

✿

You knew this was a mistake. It never ended well when you met other people and liked them. And as you collected more of the Straw Hats, you couldn't help but like them all more and more. You knew this was a mistake, but you couldn't bring yourself to regret it because you knew that if you didn't help them, they would be cursed too.

You had eventually acquiesced and given them your first name, careful not to offer your last name in case any of them recognised you. Zoro seemed to be staring at you quite frequently, but maybe it was just a Straw Hat thing? Sanji had been staring at you the whole time too. Or maybe you looked hideous and they were all politely staying quiet. You didn't quite know, but the thought of looking terrible in front of them (in front of that beautiful blonde boy) was a little mortifying to you.

All those thoughts took a backseat though, because you were on a mission. By the time evening rolled around and the sky had turned to pitch black darkness, you had found a cyborg and a rubber man called Luffy, who was the captain of the ship. He didn't really feel like a captain, or somebody who commanded everyone, but the Straw Hats didn't seem like a typical group of people. They were… unique.

"Let's stop for tonight," you said after assessing the darkness. Of course, you could see everything clearly even in the darkness, but they didn't need to know that. The less they knew about you…

"Shouldn't we keep going?" Zoro asked, looking around.

"Trust me, we're better off waiting the night out," you answered, already settling into the clearing for the night. You had to get a fire going and find food and there were things to be done.

"So I can't eat the animals?" Luffy pouted for the fifth time, asking the same question.

"No, Luffy," you sighed, waving a stick at him. "They might look like animals, but they are people. Please don't kill them or try to eat them."

"They won't attack our crewmates, would they?" Sanji asked, looking worried. You finally managed to light a fire and carefully structured a ring of stones around it to ensure it won't get out before answering.

"The curse lets them have their brain for most of the time," you fidgeted on the spot. "But sometimes, if you harm them, or if they get really hungry, or, y'know… their animal instincts kick in and then they are more animal than human. But it's rare, and won't happen if you don't harm their survival."

The crew fell silent and you watched them whisper amongst themselves a bit. They probably wanted to talk things out, so you got up and said you would go grab something to eat.

"Please don't leave this clearing," you warned them as you walked away. "Finding you again would be so much trouble."

You heard footsteps following you though and turned around to find Sanji trailing behind you.

"Sanji?" You asked, confused. His tall, lanky figure in the forefront of the golden orange light spilling from the fire you started was a picturesque scenery that left your heart thumping a little louder than usual.

"Would you be okay with some company?" He asked quietly. "I'm a chef, so I could probably help you gather some food."

"Alright," you nodded. The two of you walked a while in silence until you found the spot where there were a bunch of large fruits and flowers that you started gathering. Sanji observed what you collected in the little moonlight that was shining through the trees, but you could see him struggling.

"You can see in the dark?" He asked after a beat of silence.

"Mm," you were exhausted from the day. Lying and avoiding things was tiring as it is, and you really weren't in the mood to play the game. If Sanji knew who you were… would it really be that bad? He had been kind so far, always at a respectable distance but with honeyed sweet words that tugged at your heartstrings. You had never had anyone flirt with you, but Sanji was the first. And it left you feeling giddy and warm, the attention he gave you without losing any of the respect and your need for secrecy. If he knew… would he hate you?

Sanji didn't say anything for a while, just offered up his arms for you to stack all the food you had collected.

"Who else is remaining?" You asked, finding the silence was eating at your insides. You had spent so long in silence. And now that you had people around again, you wanted to make the most of it before they had to leave. Just for a while, you could forget and pretend that you're one of them. Just for a while.

"Nami-san, Robin-san," Sanji said, "Brook and Chopper. Wait, Chopper!"

Sanji clapped his hands like he had just thought of something. You looked at him curiously.

"Chopper is a reindeer," Sanji said hurriedly.

"You have a reindeer in your crew…?" You were confused. The Straw Hats were definitely one of a kind, alright.

"He ate the Hito Hito no Mi so he can talk and walk," Sanji explained. "He's our doctor but that's not important right now. He's an animal, right? So he wouldn't be affected by the curse?"

"Highly likely that he isn't," you confirmed.

"Which means he must be the only one back on the ship," Sanji murmured to himself. That's one person (animal?) less to search for, you mused. "He must be scared."

"I hope he's okay," you said quietly. The animals on the island knew each other well. If Chopper ran into them… You didn't really know what would happen. Animals could be scary when they were territorial.

The two of you finished collecting as much as you could carry and walked back, and you asked Sanji to tell you about their adventures. He indulged you, colouring a vivid and humorous picture of the crew in the short while it took you two to get back.

You came back to find Zoro sleeping on his side while Luffy was springing around in the clearing, howling about being hungry and crying for Sanji. Franky sat against a tree, fiddling with something on his body that you didn't wait to see despite your curiosity.

As Sanji started portioning the food to serve to everyone, you stood back and watched the crew interact quietly. It was strange, how at home you felt with them despite not knowing them– but you attributed it to your loneliness.

Even if you wanted to be one of them, you could never curse them like that.

The next morning, you found Nami at the top of a tree. You had seen her when gathering some flowers for breakfast, asleep. You decided to get Sanji to recognise her before you woke her up and got her down. Seeing Sanji fawn and fret over her made you insanely jealous; but you forced it down under a smile and led them back to the camp that had already been cleared up.

You gave the crew a few minutes to catch up and celebrate before you started the search again.

"So…" you searched for a topic as the six of you trudged through the forest. "A reindeer, a cyborg, a gum man, an ex-pirate hunter… Who should I expect next?"

"A skeleton!" Luffy excitedly yelled as he swung past you on the vines, nearly making you stumble from the shock.

"A… what?!" You turned to stare at Sanji in shock, who just smiled softly and shrugged.

"Brook is…" he explained the whole story without getting tired and you couldn't help but be fascinated by everything. The more you learned about them, the more they intrigued you, the more you wanted to beg them to let you join them. But you didn't let those thoughts come to life in words, just helping them find the said skeleton from where he was surrounded by some of the island's animals growling at him.

"Down, guys," you shouted and the animals immediately backed off, all staring at you with innocent eyes that made you huff in laughter. "Don't pull that on me, I just saw you. I know you mean well but it's a little scary when you're surrounded by animals."

One of the deer whined and bumped its snout into your hand. You could feel the Straw Hats staring as you petted it and whispered it to leave the skeleton to you. When the animals had dispersed, you shot a grin at Brook.

"Hi there!" You held out a hand, "It's my first time meeting a skeleton!"

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, you started covering the northern part of the island. It was the only place remaining, aside from the centre. You found Usopp and Chopper there, the two of them hugging each other and bawling.

As it turned out, Chopper had in fact gone back after finding nothing on the island only to find out that no one else had returned. So he had stayed the night in the ship and then came back in search of the others even though he was scared.

"That was very brave of you," you patted him on the head. The reindeer blushed and glared at you.

"I'm not pleased by that at all!!" So he said, but you could see the smile on his face. With almost all of them collected, you started your way to the centre of the island when you heard the clouds rumble.

The sky was full of grey clouds and you were ready for rain, since this was the season on the island.

"There's an underground cave near here," you told the crew as you led them through the thick canopy of trees. "I usually go there when it rains so let's wait it out before we search for… Robin, was it?"

Zoro grumbled something about constant waiting but you chose to ignore it. You knew this island better than any of them. Rains were harsh and the droplets were like bullets on the skin. You couldn't find Robin on the way to the cave but when you reached its opening which looked like a hole in the ground, surrounded by overgrown grass, you felt a presence inside.

The last Straw Hat member was inside the cave, much to all of your relief. This time, you truly stepped back and let the crew reunite, feeling like a true outcast for the first time. Your time together with them was over. Once the rain was gone, they would be out of here and you would be alone again.

Except Sanji turned to you and offered you his hand to invite you into their awkward group hug that Usopp had initiated. You didn't want to intrude but they all looked at you with similar grins and smiles and you couldn't hold it back. You joined them, savouring your first hug in years.

✿

As it turned out, the runes you had found on one of the walls of the cave actually had some sort of meaning that Robin had been able to decipher in the while she had spent in the cave. She had apparently found the cave the previous night and stayed in, then worked on the runes in the morning when she found them.

"It's about a curse on this island," she explained. "Like (y/n) already told us, if anyone spends 3 nights on this island, it turns them into an animal forever. There's a piece of it missing at the end, but the last line says 'the answer lies in the satisfaction of life and a prayer answered'."

"What does that mean?" you asked, confused.

"I'm not really sure," she admitted, running her fingers over the runes. The whole crew mulled over the words as you waited for the rain to stop. You didn't join into the conversation, just letting your mind work quietly with their suggestions as background.

Satisfaction in life… A prayer answered… None of it seemed to make sense. The Straw Hats didn't need to help the animals out, but they were still trying to figure it out. The crew was clearly good at heart and you were glad that you helped them out, even though you would only be left with hurt after they were gone. That pain was worth it.

A squirrel scampered up to you while you listened; the rain outside seemed to be slowing down. You knew the squirrel was the girl around your age who had ended up on the island after a shipwreck. You scooped her up and let her sit on your hand, where she tried to shake off the water from her soaking body. The water sprinkled onto you and you let out a fake indignant "hey!" that made her laugh. Not that you had ever seen squirrels laugh, but you could always understand the animals on the island.

"We found something here," you said quietly to her, bringing her close to wipe off some of the water from her body. "It could be an answer to turning you all back to humans."

She tilted her head and stared at you.

"But none of us understand the riddle," you continued, feeling apologetic to them. You had been the only person on the island who was unaffected by the curse, so you felt like it was somehow your responsibility to help them all turn back. And yet, you had failed at that over and over again. Saira, as the girl's name had been, simply shook her squirrel head and placed a tiny paw on your chest where you had tucked her close.

"It's alright," you could hear her saying in your head. To the others, it probably sounded like a bunch of squeaks. "It's not that bad. I long gave up hope of turning back. Being a squirrel is not that bad. Being able to spend everyday with you who looks out for all of us… I'm happy. All of us are."

Your chest swelled with the emotions and for the first time in a long while, tears streamed down your cheeks. You had held it all in for so long, not wanting to burden the helpless creatures that always kept you company. But knowing their faith in and love for you made your insides warm.

"All we want is for you to be happy too," Saira continued, turning her head to look at the crew. You glanced at them, noticing that Sanji was looking over at you two. "I know you. Go with them."

"I can't," you said in a choked whisper. "Even if they let me, I can't do that to them. I'm not… I'm a curse, Saira. I can't risk it."

The squirrel looked at you helplessly as you cried a little more. Eventually, you wiped away the tears and let your eyes shut to listen to the pitter patter of rain outside. Saira scrambled off your body and over to Sanji, who had watched you the whole while but hadn't heard what you had said.

When you opened your eyes, the rain had stopped. You looked around blearily, and found the Straw Hats all lying around, looking upset.

"You guys should have woken me up when the rain stopped," you said, rubbing your face as you stood up. "Come on, you must be missing your ship, yeah?"

"(Y/n)," Sanji started, looking a little nervous. You looked at him quizzically, but Zoro spoke up before he could say what he wanted.

"Or should we say Kuroneko no (Y/n)?" The familiar words made you freeze in horror. "Harbinger of Death? A 30 million bellies bounty."

"That's…" You took an involuntary step back, bumping into the cave wall. They knew. They knew the secret you had tried so hard to hide. They knew… and they were still looking at you with badly hidden curiosity and grins. None of them looked scared, or upset anymore, like they had been when you were asleep. "I'm… I don't want to lie. That's me. But I swear, I'm not going to do anything. I mean, I don't even actually do anything, all of those incidents just happened–"

"(Y/n)," Sanji placed a hand atop your head, effectively stopping your rambling. You looked up at him, afraid to see him look at you differently, but if anything, his eyes had only become softer. "It's okay. I wish you had told us before, but we get it."

"You do…?" Somehow, it felt too good to be true. People were usually upset when others lied and kept secrets. The secret of who you were could essentially have been a matter of life or death. Kuroneko no (y/n), or rather, Black Cat (y/n) was a name based on your Devil Fruit powers that let you turn into a cat. But they were also a result of you being the only survivor in 4 separate incidents– the annihilation of your home island, the mass genocide in a war town country and the two small crews you had once been a part of. Every single time, all the people had died and you were the only one alive left behind. You had never belonged anywhere, so how could you believe now would be any different?

"It must have been very lonely," Robin's sorrowful eyes reflected that she understood you on some level. You didn't know what to think or feel, unwilling to let yourself hope for anything beyond acceptance.

"It was," you admitted, more to yourself than to them. You had never let yourself truly dwell on the thought, but you had been so, so lonely. "I won't stick around for long. I'll take you to your ship and you'll be free of this island's curse, and of my own. So if–"

"Your curse?" Sanji looked at you, confused.

"It's not exactly a curse," you hesitated, "but there's nothing else I can call it for why… the people I care for end up dead."

"That's not true," Luffy frowned, walking over to you. "Everyone here is still alive. Everyone on this island is alive, we are alive. You are not cursed."

"You were like a blessing in disguise," Usopp said from where he stood, not looking you in the eyes. "I was of course not afraid at all, considering my heavy list of achievements, but you brought us all back together."

"I'm…" you didn't know what to say, feeling overwhelmed.

"You're not cursed, sweetheart," Sanji gently held up your hand, squeezing it to comfort you. "You just had a string of… unfortunate events."

Sanji's struggle to find the right term made you let out a small giggle. Maybe you should extend a hand. Maybe this time…

"Maybe I'm not cursed?" You said hopefully, looking up into his clear blue eyes. Sanji nodded, carefully tucking back a lock of hair behind your ear. The action made you flush, suddenly realising the proximity you two were in.

A flash of light startled all of you and you turned around to find Saira, the human, standing in the place of where the squirrel was. The girl was staring at her own hands and body, like this was a dream. You blinked, unable to believe your eyes either.

Outside the cave, you could hear shouts. Human shouts.

"What just-?" You ran out to find the people who had been turned into animals were back to human. "How…"

"Satisfaction of life and a prayer answered," Robin's voice from behind you was startling. You turned to look at her, and she smiled down at you. "Perhaps the answer was just for the animals to be happy with who they are, with no regrets."

"Then… Then why didn't it change them back before?" You said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Perhaps their prayer wasn't answered back then," she placed a hand on your shoulder and patted it. Did she mean that it only happened now because your one wish through life had been answered? To be free of the curse you had…

With much enthusiasm, the crew got out of the underground cave and everyone was celebrating. The sight of everyone back made you feel like this was the happiest day of your life. You participated in it, letting yourself enjoy the moment without worrying or thinking of anything.

The sun was already setting when the party started and it went on for hours as everyone laughed and danced and ate. (If you were fascinated by how much Luffy could eat, you kept it to yourself to be polite.) It was probably getting close to midnight when Sanji sought you out to where you were sitting by yourself and just watching everyone with fond eyes.

He didn't say a word at first, just sat down next to you. At that distance, you could feel the warmth of his body and you subconsciously leaned closer to the source. For the first time in a long while, your heart felt at peace.

"How did you end up on this island?" Sanji's question made you look over at him. He wasn't demanding an answer, just looking down at you with deep blue eyes that seemed to flash golden as they reflected the bonfire.

"I was on the run from the Marines around a year ago," you hummed, feeling safe and comfortable enough in his presence to finally talk about yourself. After years of not being able to share anything with anyone, it felt freeing to tell him something even as simple as this. "I had just escaped the battle between the crew I was in and this one big pirate ship that I don't even remember anymore. I was wounded but I reached this island on a small boat somehow with a half broken log pose. I shifted into my cat form, which looks less like a cat and more like a black jaguar if anything, to ensure that no one recognised me– because my full transformation is not known by the Marines. I stayed in that form for quite a while, too scared and shaken at that time to turn back into human. Only after a few days of exploring the island did I realise there are no humans here.

"I thought… if there was any place I could not affect anyone with my curse, it would be here. Away from any humans who would get affected by it. At that time, I didn't know about the curse. Looking back on it, I suspect that maybe the curse never affected me because I was in my animal form for 3 nights. Or maybe it was just because that form is like my second skin. I was never disappointed or dissatisfied with it. I only found out about the curse after Saira came on the island and turned into a squirrel. And then two other pirate crews."

"That must have been hard for you," Sanji's voice was quiet but there was no way you could miss the low timbre of it over the excitement all around you. Not when it was the same voice that set your heart off; you wanted to hear everything he had to say. Wanted to know him more and more, as much as he would let you. "(Y/n)-chan."

"Mm?" You turned to look at him, breathless at the proximity from where you could no longer smell the perfume he smelled of the first time you met. The smell coming off him now was something purely him. It was a little intoxicating when coupled with the warm atmosphere and the gooey feeling in your stomach.

"Would you… like to join us?" Sanji seemed a little nervous asking you that. The question gobsmacked you and you stared at him. He… wanted you to join them? As a part of the crew? "I asked Luffy and he said that if you want it, then he's all for it."

"Sanji…" you bit your lower lip, unsure once again. Even though you felt free of the curse, the mentality couldn't be erased in a day. The what ifs, the fear, the apprehension was all still there. "What if we're wrong, though? What if I really am cursed and this has just been a really long build-up to something worse? I might be a risk to your–"

"You're not," Sanji interrupted you for the first time since you had met. The quiet but firm determination blazing in his eyes surprised you. "I believe in you. (Y/n)-chan, if you would let me, I would gladly prove it to you by staying by your side for the rest of your life. I'll stay alive and well, and show you that it's not your fault. I'll be by your side to the very end, so place your fears in my hands and… trust me on this, even if you don't trust anything else."

That little crush you had developed on him at the start seemed to blow up in that moment into a gigantic furnace of emotions. He was ready to take the risk of death, and saying every word with such sincerity that any inhibitions you had went out the window. You couldn't stop yourself from wanting him any longer– he was like the sun, taking your world by storm.

"Really?" You didn't realise when the tears started streaming down your face until his gentle hands came up to wipe them. "You'll stay?"

"I will," and that genuine sincerity was something you couldn't help but believe in. "I will be there for you, as long as you need me."

"Sanji." His name felt both urgent and at ease from your lips.

"(Y/n)-chan," he whispered, voice open and vulnerable again. "Do you… want to be a part of the Straw Hats?"

You swallowed and wondered if you really deserved this much happiness after everything. Yet the moment you looked into his eyes, you felt like there was nothing you could do but be a moth chasing the sun– running after something that you knew will only end up in flames.

"I do."

°•❀•°

[savage-rhi]

Mending Shadows // Chapter 32

Summary:

Y/N was a simple Scavenger of Lucis, until meeting a deadly blow at the hands of an infected creature. At the crossroads of death, they are found by Niflheim’s cryptic Chancellor with his own agenda. Now bonded to Ardyn Izunia, and tossed into the world of Niflheim, Y/N struggles to cope with their new life as an Imperial Icon all the while battling their feelings toward their fate and that of Ardyn’s.

Click here to read on AO3

Tuti had never been so frightened in her life. With her back to the wall, she attempted to gather her bearings. The task was proving to be a futile effort, for her lungs clamored for oxygen. Her throat felt shattered with every inhale of breath. She was quite surprised to have a voice given her consistent screaming. A part of her subconscious that wasn’t falling apart at the seams joked she could’ve passed as an operatic singer in another life, for her air capacity seemed unyielding. 

Unyielding…Gods, she wished to have such strength. Her fingertips quivered against the cobblestone upon her back, wondering if she should look around the corner. A terrible crunch had Tuti reconsider tactics as her body flinched. Low growls intertwined with a quelching noise that fanned the flames of dread inside of her. She could feel it slither down her back, causing her legs to tremble. 

Tuti knew what awaited her around the edge, and the ghastly sight that would surely burn into her conscious for all time. Yet her curiosity was tempted to take a gander at what Y/N was doing to the bodies. 

Only for a second…She told herself. Just one second…

Tuti sealed her lips tight--took in a deep breath--and inched little by little.

As her head turned she resisted the urge to gasp. Six to seven corpses were scattered around. She and Y/N were a long way from the building that MedZin originally trapped them at. Tuti reminded herself there were plenty of lost souls to be found, and her eyes followed a trail of fresh blood. She settled her gaze on Y/N's back. 

Tuti squinted her eyes to get a better look. Y/N was crouched above the body of a woman. Although she couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening, she knew Y/N was eating her. The squishy noise of flesh being ripped had Tuti’s stomach fighting the urge to throw up as goosebumps trailed the fine hairs along her arms. 

Gods be damned upon me…Regret took the form of tears in the corner of her eyes.

Tuti knew she should’ve bolted when the men unhanded her to deal with Y/N’s daemonic state. She should’ve ran like hell until her legs could no longer carry the weight of her guilt, but devotion was a fickle thing. She couldn’t in good conscience leave Y/N behind. Not even if they had become a monster and massacred all who tried to stand in their way. Y/N was important, and so was witnessing every horrible act they committed. 

Tuti’s thoughts were interrupted as Y/N's growls began to stagnate. Their breathing quaked, and they suddenly flung the corpse away from them. 

Tuti jumped as the body tumbled off to the side. The strength behind the shove had her grimace. She could only imagine what her poor body would've felt had she been on the receiving end. Her pondering ceased as her eyes once again followed Y/N. 

Y/N started to crawl on all fours as if bipedalism was an uncommon state of being. Their head violently shook from side to side while anguished shrills crept past their lips. Eyes tightly closed as bits of light from the sun trickled into the room. Suddenly, Y/N began to choke on warm blood that flooded their entire throat. Their body heaved as contents from their stomach began to spill. Black bile and bits of meat collapsed onto the floor, creating a noise that sounded like expired milk meeting concrete. The sensation was beyond words and disgust. Painful wheezes were the only noise Y/N made for a time. 

The purge of flesh had momentarily snapped Y/N’s conscious out of its catatonic state. They collapsed on their side, only to scramble to their knees once they caught a whiff of the vomit that lay not far. Weakly, Y/N forced the upper half of their body to rise. With heavy breaths, Y/N opened their black and yellow eyes as their head leaned back. They stared at the ceiling as the world twisted in disarray. They had no idea who they were, or what was going on, but everything felt terribly wrong. 

Y/N slowly brought their hands up to their eyes. A blotched purple hue plagued their skin as did black spider webbing. Then there was the blood. A murky red that nearly camouflaged well against their clawed fingertips. The copper smell inflamed their nostrils, and their heart skipped a beat. For a split second, Y/N became aware of what was going on. Tears instantly streamed from their eyes, mingling with the same black bile that touched their chin and mouth. The scourge--catching wind that it's hold was failing--attempted to steer it's vessel in another direction. Y/N felt their skull split in half as their brain was doused in sickness. 

Throwing back their head, Y/N let out an inhuman screech. The sounds devolved into melancholic growls. More sun came through and they covered their eyes. In a frenzy, Y/N dug their nails into their scalp to relieve themself of pain. Their cries weakened further, and their normal voice started to peak through the cracks of daemonification.  

All Tuti could do was cover her mouth as she watched. Her own tears had become heavy as she witnessed Y/N attempting to shine through the monstrous mask. She could scarce believe it. That there was someone that still remained underneath all that. 

A loose lightbulb overhead suddenly dropped near Tuti’s location. She gasped into her hand, observing the shattered glass then looked up. Y/N was staring right at her, unblinking. 

“By the six, Y/N…” Tuti stuttered. “Don’t come here. Please. Please. Don’t come here.” 

Y/N’s head canted to the side in a swift motion. The movement reminded Tuti of a bird cocking its head out of curiosity. Y/N sniffled and leaned forward. Once again on their hands and knees, they slowly crawled toward Tuti. Y/N's features went neutral while never taking their eyes off of her. 

Tuti wanted to scream.

Most would’ve followed animal instinct and run, but Tuti froze. She tried to rationalize her choice to remain, given what she witnessed when the MedZin soldiers attempted to flee. They were cut limb from limb in a matter of seconds. Perhaps if she stood her ground, this creature at the helm of Y/N’s body wouldn’t see her as a threat. By all accounts this was stupid, but she had no other choice but to lock in as Y/N was no more than ten feet away now. 

Y/N’s head twitched as they sniffed the air. Blinking a few times, the neutrality they wore began to shift. Fright plagued the dark eyes that stared right at Tuti. Uncertain what to make of her, all the while remaining attentive to what she’d do next. 

Tuti felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

“It’s alright,” Tuti whispered, more to herself than to Y/N. “It’s alright.” 

Y/N seemed to be hypnotized by her words, and Tuti let out a breath she had been holding back. The purr like snort Y/N let out would’ve been almost endearing had they not been consuming a person moments ago.

“Y/N, it’s okay.” Tuti nodded as her lips quivered into a smile. “Everything’s going to be fine!”

Everything’s going to be fine, but not for the dead...Tuti recalled the body count and bit her lip. Now wasn't the time for survivors guilt. Not when she had Y/N more or less settled down. 

“Y/N,” Tuti murmured. “I’m going to get help. Do you know what that means? I’m going to fetch the Chancellor. He’ll be here, and you’ll be okay. You hear that? You’re going to be just fine. He’ll fix this!” 

She took one step backward and all hell broke loose. 

Y/N lunged forward, snapping their mouth in rapid succession at Tuti while they attempted to grab her. Tuti let out a high pitch scream and bolted. Panting heavily, she sprinted down a hall and made a right. Her body slammed into a door, and she let out a pained yelp. She ignored whatever bruises were gained and continued to run as the sound of Y/N's brisk claws rapidly trailed. Suddenly, Tuti felt a huge weight upon her back as Y/N launched themself at her. 

Tuti shrieked and she tumbled to the floor with Y/N. Save for the stinging lacerations Y/N inflicted, Tuti couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. She yelled and used her weight against Y/N, and forced them both to roll over several times before coming to a stop. Tuti felt the wind knock out of her as Y/N slammed her to the ground. Frantically, Tuti's right arm reached out for whatever was near, and pulled a rifle off a MedZin corpse and used it to block Y/N's mashing teeth from reaching her face at the last second. 

“Y/N! Stop it!” Tuti bellowed. Her plead fell on deaf ears as Y/N kept snapping. The material of the gun was being peeled away quick, and Tuti knew she didn’t have long. Her eyes rapidly glanced between both their bodies, and using all her strength, Tuti pushed up and kicked Y/N not once but several times in the abdomen.

One pained cry after another escaped Y/N, and while stunned, Tuti adjusted the rifle and used it to hit them across the face. The power behind Tuti’s hit forced Y/N off as they plummeted to the side and away from her. 

Tuti scrambled to her feet and ran before Y/N had the chance to recover and finish the job. She ran so fast that the muscles in her calves began to spasm. 

“You there, miss!” An Accordo trooper beckoned Tuti to come forth. “Miss, do you need help? We’re looking for survivors of an explosion! Miss! Miss!”

Tuti didn’t register the soldiers who had come to search for survivors. She didn’t hear Y/N let out a haunting scream, nor did she hear the conversation the men had amongst themselves as to what caused it. She didn’t hear them make haste toward Y/N’s location. She didn’t hear the yells, the gunfire, or the sound of an unknown weapon going off, causing Y/N pain beyond measure that the daemonic voice all but disappeared as the human within called out her name. 

“TUTI!” 

Her ears fell numb to the world, and she didn’t stop running.

After what felt like an eternity, exhaustion had Tuti come to a halt. Out of breath and wheezing, Tuti forced her dry eyes to look around and figure out where she ended up. Buildings that hadn't been touched by the earlier attack greeted her as did a clear sky. The smoke was long gone, and there were seldom few down this road, save for Accordo troopers securing the area. It didn't take long for Tuti to realize she was in one of the districts closest to the port. 

“Thank heavens,” she said in between harsh breaths. She grimaced at feeling her clothes stick to her skin from all her perspiration, and felt guilty. This was nothing compared to what Y/N was enduring--that is if they were still alive. Tuti didn't have time to entertain the thought any further as a strong hand gripped her shoulder. She felt the world spin and she screamed. 

Ardyn flinched from the screech, making a face as he shook his head. “Tuti?”

“Chancellor Izunia?” Tuti’s bottom lip quivered, happy to see a familiar face. She threw her arms out and embraced him. "Oh thank the six!" 

Ardyn was dumbfounded as his arms flew up to avoid being fully ensnared. He acknowledged Tuti had a forcible strength despite her small frame, and wasn't sure if that shocked him or the fact someone genuinely sounded relieved to be basking in his presence. He looked down and his gaze met hers. Tuti's heartsore eyes reminded Ardyn of a devout praying before the heavens to be freed of strife. 

“Y/N is back there! I couldn’t do anything but watch. There was so much blood! Y/N’s not themself, and I don’t know what to do! What are we going to do? I didn’t want to run, but what choice did I have?! Y/N tried to kill me and I…Chancellor, what are we going to do?!”

“My dear, you’re going to let me go for starters.” Ardyn grimaced as he calmly coaxed Tuti’s arms and hands away from him. He composed himself the best he could, and softened his hardened gaze. “Second, I need you to breathe. Can you do that?”

“I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I can do that!” 

“You can and you will if you care for what happens to Y/N!” Ardyn stated firmly. He somewhat prided himself in the fact he scared her, for Tuti's disposition immediately changed like a switch going off. She shook like a cat who had nearly drowned as Ardyn gestured for her to follow his motions, taking in a big inhale followed by an exhale. Little by little, she started to regain her old self from what he gathered. 

“Good, good,” Ardyn replied eagerly. He only had so much patience to aid someone with a basic mindfulness technique. 

“Chancellor--”

“Tuti,” Ardyn rested both hands upon her shoulders, minding not to put his weight on her. He made a great effort to not sound hostile, nor give away the desperation that was tugging his pulse. “It’s imperative I know where Y/N is at. I need you to tell me everything.” 

“I…alright,” Tuti swallowed. She studied Ardyn's features, noting how tired he was, and she felt a pinch of intimidation run down her body. She also couldn't help but notice how golden his eyes were. Not like the earthy brown tones she had seen in many common people, but an almost ethereal hue that felt dangerous. For a second, Tuti thought she was looking at Y/N's daemonic eyes. Her breath hitched and she averted her gaze. No longer having the strength to be reminded of what almost killed her. 

“Y/N and I were heading for the port to evacuate. The Imperial caravan at the hotel was long gone by the time Loqui and I found them. We took to the smaller roads to avoid the crowds. Then out of nowhere, there was this…explosion. It was like a star fell from the heavens and blinded us. The impact sent Y/N and I flying in opposite directions. When I came to, I frantically looked for Y/N before I was manhandled by these people in black uniforms with a red patch--MedZin I think. They talked so fast, but they planned to take Y/N with them and kill me.” She had to pause for a moment, shuddering from the implications of her fate had Y/N not taken to rage. 

“And then?” Ardyn besought. 

Tuti let out a breath. “Y/N suddenly turned into…something else. A daemon. One by one, our adversaries were slain, but MedZin tossed another one of those bombs at us. Y/N retreated deeper into the building to avoid it. I stupidly chased, and Y/N just kept getting more and more violent. MedZin retreated at that point because Y/N overwhelmed them--"

“Do you know where the men ran off to?” Ardyn interrupted. 

“No,” Tuti shook her head. “I wasn’t paying attention. I was too scared Y/N was going to find me. There was a moment I thought Y/N came to their senses, but they tried to attack me. I ended up hurting them, and I think Accordo troopers went seeking them out.” she pointed past him. “The building, it was several blocks down that way…you can’t miss the impact site of the bomb.”

Ardyn let go of Tuti’s shoulders and made a fist. His fingers were loosing blood from the pressure he applied.

“Chancellor, I beseech you I didn’t mean to leave Y/N behind,” Tuti sniffled. She could sense the brief hostility that traveled through him, despite his hands no longer being upon her body. “I’m so sorry--I thought…”

“Don’t speak any further,” Ardyn breathed. He resisted the urge to strike, knowing most would’ve done what she did in order to survive. Using his right index finger, Ardyn poked underneath Tuti’s chin and coaxed her to look up before letting go. “You have my sincere appreciation for what you’ve confessed. What come may, I’ll handle everything.”

“T-thank you, Chancellor.” Tuti weakly gave a bow with her head. As she rose, she followed Ardyn’s hand while he gestured toward a group of Higher Imperials from afar, being escorted by two magitek soldiers. Her heart skipped a beat, knowing there were familiar faces. 

“Go to them,” Ardyn encouraged. “Now.” 

Tuti glanced over him one last time before she found the courage to pick up her feet again. 

After taking in the destruction nearby, Ardyn shadow stepped and headed for the spot Tuti had pointed out. While he transcended through space like nothing, he suddenly felt his body wanting to give out, and it did just that. His breathing raced as the scourge traveled through him, and Ardyn suddenly came to a grinding halt. 

“Oh Gods…” He hoarsely whispered, feeling his heart cease like it had been grasped by someone with a tight grip. The last time Ardyn felt his heart stop beating was when Somnus struck him down during their duel for the throne. He remembered it well. Pain and confusion danced in harmony as air left his lungs, and the muscle of his heart desperately pumped without realizing the action would be its undoing. Ardyn felt that same suffering both physically and metaphorically in the present. 

Multiple points on his body started to become inflamed, as if the very fibers of Ardyn's muscles wanted to break through his skin. He then heard horrid screams pulse in his ears, and behind his eyes he saw a familiar daemonic entity wearing Y/N's face. The scourge felt beyond excited. The rush of despair Ardyn felt at the last second on Y/N's behalf at Outpost 98 came back to haunt him with a vengeance. Y/N--his Y/N--was close to the finish line just as before. 

“Pull yourself together!” Ardyn snarled. He once again shadow stepped as if the gods themselves were trailing him in a hunt. 

Minutes passed, and Ardyn neared the site of the explosion. He didn’t want to waste time, but couldn’t resist taking a gander at the impact point. A hint of a sulfur like odor hung in the air which caused him to grimace. He then picked up on a bouquet of scents that had the scourge in his body attempting to shirk away. The hivemind didn’t like this. Not one bit. 

“A suffoco was deployed,” Ardyn said quietly to himself, and looked ahead to the large hole that led inside the building. A shroud of screams came tumbling out, and Ardyn braced himself for the worst as he ventured forth into the fray. 

The interior of the building was an abysmal mess. What was once a lavish series of offices and intricate halls was now a pigsty of debris, brick, and blood. Ardyn didn’t envy whoever worked here. He imagined how tedious the task would be picking up after the carnage he had observed left and right. The foul sweet smell of the scourge within Y/N’s blood waft in the air, and like an addict, Ardyn eagerly followed the trail. 

A noise with a rhythmic tap rang in his ears before the explosion went off. Ardyn lost his balance, and slouched against the wall nearest to his right. It felt as if the rays of the sun kissed through all layers of his flesh. A pained moan fell past his lips. His right hand reached for his chest, and trembled up his neck as a strain took hold. 

Confusion rampaged across Ardyn’s eyes while he rapidly glanced around. With each pass of air through his lungs, Ardyn felt his organs clamoring for relief. The commotion was far away. He hadn’t been hit by a suffoco, but by the gods, did it feel like it. 

As his ears rang, the rapid tempo of a pulse soon took over as the dominant noise. It wasn’t his heartbeat, but that of another. It hit him all at once as his mind seemingly began to download information at a speed unfathomable to a mortal. 

Y/N couldn't breathe. They were alone, terrified, and suffering. The scourge had given up its lust for dominance over the host, and was attacking the body from the inside out in a crude attempt to relieve itself of affliction. Ardyn felt his body flux in temperature. One moment boiling, the next cold as ice. The daemonic entities that resided within screeched so loud, that Ardyn shouted while covering his ears. Falling forward, the shrieking evolved into desperate murmurs of incoherent thought. 

“Y/N,” Ardyn gasped. His brain felt like it was melting, but he tried to keep himself afloat. The sclera of his eyes became a pitch black void, and Ardyn instinctively began to follow the voices and Y/N's pulse. 

With every step, Ardyn felt agony like no other wash over his soul. He nearly tripped over himself a few times, not used to taking on the burdens of a mortal. Despite discomfort, he persisted on his path. Gods be damned anyone or anything that got in the way of the impulse he felt enslaved to. The very atoms of his being desperately yearned to be with who his scourge had imprinted upon. 

Soon enough, Ardyn arrived in the room where he assumed Y/N would be. He stopped to catch his breath and looked downward. Bodies of Accordo troopers littered the area. He couldn’t sense any other life present, until heavy breaths captured his attention.

Ardyn watched in dismay as Y/N suddenly emerged. Like a fish out of water, Y/N crashed and tumbled into everything. In between hysterics, Ardyn noticed Y/N's skin sizzling with an artificial smell that was likened to a rich spice. Y/N had been directly hit by a suffoco, and the light magic within the orb had triggered asphyxiation. He could feel the light that had penetrated attempting to purge the scourge by any means necessary. 

Ardyn briefly recalled witnessing demonstrations of the weapons use from Accordo officials. It was one thing to watch in trials, but another to helplessly observe a daemonified creature go through such suffering. He was pulled out of his head as Y/N choked while trying in vain to scream, and made direct eye contact with them. 

Despite a pair of abyssal eyes staring him down, Ardyn could see the human showing through. A desperate plead haunted Y/N’s features, and he felt his blood run cold knowing subconsciously what Y/N was telling him despite not having full control of their actions:

They were making their peace with the end. 

“No, no, no!” Ardyn shook his head. His voice teetered on the edge between human and monster, enough to startle Y/N. “You don’t have the right to do that! You don’t have the damned right! We don't take the easy way out, Y/N!" 

For a moment, Ardyn thought he had them under his control until he witnessed Y/N’s scourge veins rapidly pulsate. It was like witnessing a caterpillar attempting to burst out of its cocoon in a bloody mess. During his turmoil, Ardyn didn't pay attention to the fact Y/N suddenly attacked him. The punches made him snarl, and he felt Y/N cut open his left arm with a swipe of their clawed fingertips. Ardyn let out a pained hiss as Y/N flung themself off and retreated. 

“Y/N, come back!” Ardyn beseeched with a yell. “Y/N!” 

He chased after them and Y/N collapsed against the legs of a table nearby. Their airway now almost completely blocked, they began to let out a sickening wheeze. Ardyn came to their side and fell upon his knees. He gathered Y/N's body into his arms. His tear brimmed eyes desperately searched them over while he tried to shake them back into consciousness. 

“Oh no, no, no! Y/N!” Ardyn's voice strained while his mind flickered between the past and present. Y/N's painful rasps intermingled with the somber breaths Aera had taken before she had perished. History was repeating itself in a way that crushed him more than the blade of Somnus piercing his back, and Ardyn desperately cried out as Y/N violently escaped from his grasp. 

Amidst the sudden jolt, Ardyn froze as an idea leeched into his head. If the panic could be settled, if the scourge could be reassured--like he had done for Y/N's flares in the past--perhaps there was a chance of survival. Instinct beckoned him to give more of his scourge to Y/N, and to lure Y/N's pain to a singular point. 

Ardyn's mouth fell open as he saw the irony of their roles being reversed. It was now Y/N's turn to feed off him in order to heal. While the thought seemed counterintuitive, he had to try. He couldn't--no, he wouldn't go through a painful loss again. He rapidly began to think of ways to get the scourge into Y/N. There was nothing sterile like a syringe near, and he scarce doubted such an item existed in an office setting. Ardyn nearly settled for hovering his injured arm above their mouth and letting the scourge drip, but he realized Y/N could choke further.

"There's gotta be some damned way to-!"

Ardyn looked down at his sliced arm, watching blood and dark bile seep from the wound. His heart skipped a beat as revelation cleared his mind, then carefully brought the injured limb to his mouth and started to suckle. Ardyn could feel the underside of his tongue fill with scourge, and he tried to contain it without it falling to the back of his throat. After consuming much, he lifted his head. Blood and scourge oozed from the corners of his mouth as a determined fixation lingered in his gaze. 

While Y/N began to rise from the ground, Ardyn’s right hand grabbed a hold of their head from the chin in a tight vice. He forcibly turned them around. Y/N gagged out a hoarse yell in protest. The whites of their eyes were pushing and pulling against the darkness. Ardyn could sense through their agony that they didn’t want to fight him, but had no control over themselves. Not in this sorry state. 

Before Y/N had the chance to attack, Ardyn brashly pinned Y/N to the ground with his body. Either side of his arms caged their head. He leaned forward and Y/N cried out as his left hand cupped the side of their face. Ardyn let go of his hesitance, tilted his head, and softly pressed his lips to Y/N's. Closing his eyes, he forced his tongue inside their mouth and remained still, letting the scourge he had gathered slowly descend into Y/N's body. 

Little by little, Ardyn felt Y/N's trembling cease. He calmly breathed through his nose, and flinched when his throat captured one of Y/N's gasps. The scourge was definitely distracted. He could feel it begin to sync up with his own, losing its fear to the light that he was snuffing out. Gods be damned to all hells known if this wasn't going to work. This had to work. He would make it so.  

As the seconds ticked on, Ardyn moved his mouth ever so slightly. His tongue lifted and tugged against Y/N's, controlling the flow of the scourge. The sound of Y/N's heartbeat in his ears began to dissipate as his own increased. He felt a moan from Y/N reverberate through his mouth, and impulsively returned a groan of pleasure. Euphoria began to flood him, which confused Ardyn greatly. He shouldn't have been deriving any sort of satisfaction from this act yet his nerves melted. His knees grew weak as he felt Y/N's bottom lip feebly tug. If he didn't know better, they were trying to kiss him back. 

Ardyn tried to not allow such sentiment to interfere with his aid. This was nothing but a transaction to ensure both parties would survive, yet he could feel himself succumbing to the similar affections he craved at the springs. There was a part of Ardyn, a part he denied, that hoped the kiss would linger. He prayed even harder that Y/N wouldn't pick up on these feelings through their bond. 

Ardyn's face flushed with warmth while he slightly opened his eyes. He admired the little imperfections in Y/N's skin before the hand that was cradling their face gripped further. His thumb brushed upon their flesh delicately and he closed his eyes yet again and deepened the dark kiss. His movements were deliberately slow, giving Y/N plenty of time for their body to settle and even push him away should they be fairing well. Ardyn could feel Y/N's scourge merge with the hivemind that flickered in the back of his subconscious. It wouldn't be long before it would become dormant at his behest.

A muffled groan from Y/N’s end had Ardyn freeze. The noise wasn’t feeble and broken but strong, indicating to him that Y/N could breathe freely. He relinquished whatever desires that held him, and lifted his lips from Y/N’s. His eyes carded over their face, relief grasping him at seeing natural color return to Y/N’s flesh. Save for the small patches of scourge markings, they were by all accounts normal. He hoped in mind, that similar results would show. That Y/N was still there, in their head and in control. 

Ardyn removed himself from Y/N. He adjusted his legs, now sitting upon his knees as he bundled up Y/N close to his chest. While supporting Y/N with his left arm, Ardyn used his right hand to softly nudge their face. Fear tip toed around him as he pondered the what ifs. Y/N wasn’t dying no longer. The scourge all but confirmed that, but such assurance from spirits of darkness did little to calm the erratic ache of not knowing in full. 

“Y/N,” Ardyn whispered in plea. “Y/N, talk to me. Talk to me."

He stilled when Y/N opened their eyes. There was no trace of a familiar set of amber orbs looking upon him as if he had held up a mirror to himself. 

“Hi,” Y/N croaked. The word was faint and scratchy, but it was enough. Shortly after, Y/N closed their eyes and passed out. Their body and mind too worn to comprehend the world.  

Despite them passing out, words couldn't convey nor touch how relieved Ardyn felt in this moment. To be free of loss's burden was a blessing sweeter than all the sins he had committed upon others. Ardyn closed his eyes while settling down his nerves, and embraced Y/N tightly to him. Had he been a pious man, perhaps the gods would've deserve some praise for the occasion, but alas not. He saved Y/N himself. An immortal--Adagium--saved someone with his own curse. 

“What are you doing?” 

Like a mirror being crashed into, Ardyn’s body stiffened at the intrusion of Loqui's voice. He was rattled out of his peace, and the deep yellows behind his black eyes constricted while he growled under breath. 

“Chancellor, what are you doing with Y/N?” Loqui’s voice grew louder. He stepped forward, and his mouth fell open. Shock fell upon his face as he caught glimpse of the scourge markings that covered Y/N's legs. "Y/N's...no, Y/N's a daemon?" 

Ardyn kept his back to Loqui, shielding the majority of Y/N from him. His shoulders quaked as the relief he had felt seconds ago, began to burn off into a resentful anger. 

“This can’t be!” Loqui stepped back. He shook his head. “Did the attackers infect Y/N?!”

“No,” Ardyn lowly replied. 

“So then…” Loqui’s voice trailed off as he started to put it together. He could feel his face turning a pale. “Has Y/N been sick this whole time?” 

“You were supposed to be watching them!” Ardyn bellowed. He turned his face to the side; daemonic features long gone yet his animosity remained. "You stupid, reckless, boy!" 

The sudden scream had Loqui jump and lose his train of thought. He watched Ardyn rise to his feet with Y/N in tow. Despite being scared, Loqui felt weeks of pent up frustration toward the Chancellor come tumbling out. He stood his ground, and glared while firmly talking back to Ardyn. 

“Chancellor or not, you will not address me as such!” 

“I can damn well call you by the name of every filth on Eos if it would give me pleasure!” Ardyn spat. “Y/N and I argued for a day and night over you being their guardian while I attended the empires affairs in Altissa, and your negligence almost cost them everything!” 

“You can’t pin this all on me!” Loqui retaliated. “My commands from the battalion take precedence in the event of--!”

“Precedence? Don’t make me laugh!” Ardyn interrupted with a bitter scoff. “I know you all too well, boy. You walk in the shadow of your father and wished to be seen in the same light as he. That’s why aiding the House of the Courts benefited you versus keeping Y/N--and Tuti for that matter--safe from our enemies! It wouldn’t bode well on your resume, no, but saving Madam Secretary and all those Higher Imperials would’ve done numbers for your reputation! Admit it you little leech!”

“You don't know a damn thing about me, and you should talk! Like you've done any better regarding Y/N's welfare!" Loqui countered. “All this time Y/N has been sick with the starscourge, and you didn’t do or say anything about it? Does the emperor know?! Is Chief Besithia aware of that?!” 

“I am not privy to disclose or break Y/N’s confidence to the likes of you, regardless of how highly they’ve spoken of your character!” Ardyn yelled. “Y/N’s burdens are mine and Chief Besithia’s responsibility, not yours nor anyone else!” 

“So Y/N is a pet project then? Something for you and the Research Ministry to poke and prod at?!” Loqui felt his blood boil at the mere thought. “The laws are clear, Chancellor that we ease the suffering of those afflicted! The starscouge is a fate worse than death, the whole world knows that even our enemies! You're an inhuman monster for this! If you cared anything for Y/N, you'd-!" 

“Don’t you DARE tell me I don’t care about them!” 

The air stilled as both men froze, staring one another down. 

There was a time that Loqui believed while he could never beat the Chancellor in a game of wits, he could physically usurp him. The feelings of betrayal and anger tempted Loqui to prove his point. His mind was already made up, yet his body didn’t move to the commands of his conscious. Loqui was surprised. The fury behind Ardyn’s words were long gone, but the presence of an unfathomable rage lingered like a sickness that refused to part ways. 

Ardyn never once flinched. His firm posture--the way he held Y/N protectively to him--indicated to Loqui he had struck a nerve so deep, that the false bravado Ardyn displayed among the public could devolve into something dangerous. He had just earned himself a little taste of it. The very nerves under his flesh tinged at the realization. 

Loqui let out a snort, and lowered his head. Literally bowing out of a potential brawl. He made as fist as Ardyn began to walk with Y/N in tow and stopped. Loqui could feel the Chancellor’s eyes raining daggers upon him, and refused to look him in the eye. 

“There’s a thousand ways we can go about this, but I’ll keep it simple.” Ardyn coldly spoke. “Speak of Y/N’s condition to anyone, and I’ll ensure unfathomable suffering befalls you and your kin.”

Loqui flinched. “You’d really resort to that?”

“To protect Y/N, and the interests of empire itself, yes.” Ardyn firmly replied. He leaned in closer so he was nearly whispering in Loqui’s ear menacingly. “If I had half a mind, I'd encourage the Imperial army to demote you to such a low rank that worms would take precedence over your value. Alas, I will not be moving forward with such commands. I do this kindness for Y/N by sparing you, but make note: this will be the first and last time you ever question my sensibilities. Is that quite understood?" 

“Yes…”

“Yes what?” 

Loqui grit his teeth. “Yes Chancellor.” 

“That’s what I love to hear.” 

Loqui’s emotions were teetering on the edge at the way Ardyn mockingly said love. He didn’t know if Ardyn was mocking his feelings to Y/N, or if the Chancellor himself was admitting his own emotions in a subtle ploy. Mind games were not Loqui’s forte, nor did he ever want to become a person who enjoyed said things. It was best to let it go, despite having the urge to chuck his sword right through the man's chest while his guard was down. 

Enraged and at a loss, Loqui didn't hear Ardyn make his departure. Nor did he hear him state he would be seeking medical attention for Y/N. Loqui peered up and watched as Ardyn disappeared down the hall, leaving him with eviscerated corpses. The likes of which Loqui couldn't fathom. He grimaced as nausea curled its finger around his chin and tempted him onward. 

As he left the massacre behind him, Loqui couldn’t help but wonder if it was Y/N or the Chancellor who had committed these violent acts. Knowing Y/N was tainted by the scourge, it had to be them. But there was something about the Chancellor’s manner that him questioning everything down to his loyalties. He couldn't help but wonder how far the rabbit hole went, and wished more than anything, that he could lean on the wisdom of his father. 

[stashburnside]

Rules of Nature - A Final Fantasy XIV fic starring Fordola is now available for free on Ao3. It was a labor of love to write, and I would love if you gave it a read. Fordola is my favorite character and her story doesn’t end here! 🗡️🐺🔥

[jgyapologism]

“Reminder to Subject B41 that to run is to forfeit the fight.” To forfeit means death. (Liars, liars, liars.) He hadn’t cared about being a source of entertainment when someone he didn’t know — or care about — was dropped in front of him. He's killed hundreds of people without knowing their names, or hell, even looking at their faces. But now that he’s confronted with Spinner, someone who actually means something to Dabi, who he’s fought alongside rather than against for the better part of a year, he’s ready to fucking rage. Dabi turns to glare at the tinted glass, before shifting his gaze up. He can’t see the force field, but there’s a slight shimmer in the air if he looks closely enough.  He wonders how big an explosion would have to be to break it.

Things are ramping up in my dabihawks fic!!! Don't miss this update!

[meri-oddities]

Chapters: 19/19 Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (TV), Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Christopher Pike Characters: Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Christopher Pike, Number One | Una Chin-Riley (Star Trek), James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Philip Boyce, Christine Chapel, Robert April, Erica Ortegas, La'an Noonien-Singh, Nyota Uhura Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Time Travel, Drama, Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Romulans, My Own Head Canon, OCs - Freeform, Christopher Pike Lives, plot heavy, 90K Words Summary:

What if Captain Pike wasn't as disabled as he appeared in The TOS episode The Menagerie and, during Spock's court martial that becomes apparent? What if there was a conspiracy attached to Captain Pike that could have repercussions through time? What if Talos IV wasn't the best option for Captain Pike, after all?

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Title: Fragile Angels

Author: orphan_account

Website: Ao3

Published: 23.02.2012

Word Count: 139.460 words

Suited for minors? No

Warnings: Violence, suicide attempt, child neglect, and more

Smut? No

Finnished? Yes

Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Miles Tails Prower, Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, Storm the Albatross, Blaze the Cat, Cream the Rabbit, Chip, Mepiles the Dark, OCs

Ships: Sonic/Shadow (not much)

Author Tags: Gods, Mythology - Freeform , Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

Author Summary: Sonic, a bored 16 year old who believes life has too many restraints, is suddenly faced with the death of his brother. When a strange creature gives him a contract to become a god and revive him, he signs and copes with immortality. Sonadow, AU.

My summary: A long, complicated story about Sonic making a deal and becoming a god. There's violence, mental health issues, child neglect, and talk about suicide in this story, so only read whe you don't have triggers. There are also very long, very descriptive, and metaphoric paragraphs.

Not really suited for people with adhd, lol

You can read it here

[soupsspoons]

27. How It Ends

Hannah didn't know how many days it had been since she left the gun shed. Their home. She had wondered for what felt like months, and it very well might have been. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't know if she cared. Without the warmth of her mother and the security of her father, Hannah was left with nothing. She was nothing. Hannah was just a small speck floating through the deep woods, burying herself in thick grass when the monsters came by. All she ever did was move and hide. Move and hide. Over and over. She had never felt more alone.

Hannah slept when she could, which wasn't often. She could feel the rough bark on her back, digging at her spine as she tried to get comfortable. That night Hannah had finally found a place to settle, to try and rest. She had kept her eyes closed as the sun went down, gripping a knife over her chest. But she never fell asleep, not really. Each branch that snapped, every creature that darted by, forced her to stay alert. Hannah had never been so tired.

The grumbling of her stomach was what had finally forced her to move from her spot by the tree. She grabbed her bag, brushing off the dead leaves that had drifted on top of it, and pulled it over her shoulder. Hannah decided she had been out here for at least two months, though she could only base that on the routine she had kept. When she could feel the sun come up, Hannah would leave wherever she had stayed that night, not wanting to be in one place too long, and move on to find her next home. Sometimes, she would go far, maybe finding an abandoned shelter before the sun went down. Other times, she would only make it a mile before darkness enveloped the sky. That was her day. Every day.

Hannah hoped she would find a more comfortable place today. The sun was high in the sky, telling the girl she would have time to get at least a couple of miles in before the sun went down. As she walked through the thick woods, occasionally stumbling over branches, Hannah's stomach continued to growl. God, she was hungry. The path she had been following ended eventually, letting her out onto the road. She didn't like traveling that openly, but Hannah still found herself stepping onto the warm pavement, its heat burning through her shoes. She walked past the occasional abandoned car, frantically stabbing at the monsters that were still left inside, before rummaging around to see if she could find anything useful. When she couldn't Hannah only continued to walk.

It didn't catch her eye immediately. She almost walked right by it. It wasn't the blood that made her stop or the matted fur. Instead, it was the shiny bell that hung off of its neck. Off of its collar. The cat was so big. That was all Hannah could think about. She had looked around before walking up to it, checking that there were no monsters behind her. She couldn't look as her knife dragged through its stomach, the flesh thicker than Hannah had imagined. It was already dead, she told herself. Hannah cried when she'd finished it, her tears mixing with the blood it had left on her face. She couldn't pinpoint what had triggered the emotions. She felt so evil. She had just torn up a living thing, pulling at its insides for her own benefit. She couldn't bare to read the name she knew would be on the collar. It was someone's pet, someone's friend. And yet, her tears had also turned desperate as her stomach began to growl once again. Hannah looked at what she had done, at the blood on her hands, and still found herself wanting more. She was greedy and she was evil. Hannah was just like the monsters.  

Her vision was blurry as the tears fell. All she could see were bursts of dull greens and fiery reds. Hannah's head began to hurt with each heaving sob she let out. She wanted her mom. She wanted her dad. She wanted things to be as they had been so long ago. Hannah cried and cried until a soft whistling sound appeared, engulfing everything around her. She didn't know the tune it was singing, something just on the line between eerie and comforting. It seemed to grow louder and louder, piercing her ears. It screamed at her. And then it stopped.

---

Hannah woke with a shout, her forehead damp with a layer of sweat and grime. She sat up, pulling at a woolen blanket draped across her up higher to her chest. She hadn't dreamt like that in a long time. She didn't even know she remembered what it was like outside. Before she got to Alexandria. She wasn't sure if the things she had dreamed were in fact real or just that, dreams. Hannah didn't want to know.

She could feel a hand on her head, smoothing her hair lightly. She looked up to see Daryl, his eyes towards his side, away from her. She didn't even notice she had shifted until Daryl turned towards her, his eyes softening at the sight.

"Good, you're awake. I was gonna be pissed if Eugene used up all you're blood"

Now she remembered. Denise. Eugene. The saviors. It all came back to her.

She had passed out in the car, sleeping the entire way home. Hannah assumed they brought both her and Eugene into the infirmary. She looked over to the bed across from her to find Eugene, just as she suspected, fast asleep on the gurney.

"How long was I out?" Hannah asked, her voice scratchy as she spoke.

Daryl reached to the table beside her bed, grabbing a half-empty glass of water, "Just about an hour since we got back." He helped her sit up so that she could sip from the glass. The water went down her throat like ice.

"How is everyone?" Hannah spoke softly. She wanted him to say that everything was fine. That they had all made it home safely. She didn't want him to mention Denise. She wasn't ready for that.

"Everyone's good. Eugene's been knocked out longer than you, but I think he's just trying to get out of work," Daryl whispered the last part and Hannah smiled, "You did good out there, kid. I'm proud of you." Hannah didn't know how to respond when his words become serious, so she only nodded and he seemed to understand her.

"I gotta get going alright? I'll see you when I get back," He continued abruptly and his words dazed her. Hannah moved to sit higher in the bed, her back getting caught in the pillows.

"What? Where are you going?" She wanted to sit with him a little longer, even if only in silence. She was still on edge from her dream.

"I just gotta do something. You'll be fine without me." He began to get up, moving away from her side.

"Daryl?" Hannah tried, but he said nothing. As he turned to leave, Hannah could see the way his face dropped. He wasn't the same light-hearted man he had been a moment ago. Now, he was angry.

She knew where he was going when she heard the motorcycle engine revving. She knew what was happening when she heard people shouting for him to stop. Hannah knew this wouldn't end well.

---

Daryl had gone to look for Dwight, to kill him, and Carol had left with only a letter to explain herself. When Hannah finally got out of the infirmary, the spinning in her head slowing to a stop, most of her group had already left. Glenn, Michonne, and Rosita had gone to look for Daryl, while Rick and Morgan left to find Carol.

She could see Maggie wandering by the gate as if searching for something to do. Her hair was up in a loose bun and her hands were placed on her stomach.

"Hey," Hannah said as she approached the woman, not wanting to startle her.

Maggie turned at Hannah's voice, smiling wide as she realized who it was.

"You're awake," She happily stated, her slight accent drawing out her words.

"Yeah, Daryl was there when I got up," she said and Maggie hummed, "What are you up to?"

The woman began to walk slowly, so Hannah followed behind, "I tried to rest for a bit, but I can't keep still I guess. Came out to get some fresh air."

Hannah didn't respond as they walked, holding a peaceful silence between them. Her dizziness was long gone, and the sun felt good on her skin. It was peaceful. Once they reached closer to the center of town, Maggie began speaking once again.  

"Do you think you could help me with something?" Her smile was almost mischievous as she spoke and Hannah couldn't help but nod without thinking.

"Of course."

They ended up in Maggie's dining room, with her sitting on a chair and Hannah standing just behind, scissors in hand. She had only ever cut her father's hair before, but she was eager to help, not wanting to think about everything happening. Maggie explained what she wanted, a short cut, out of her face, and Hannah got to work. When she finished, she ran her fingers through the woman's hair, admiring her work. It had turned out much better than Hannah had expected, though she wouldn't tell Maggie that. The woman gazed at herself in a small hand-held mirror, running her own hands through her new hair, and Hannah felt proud when Maggie smiled at herself.

"You like it?" She asked.

"I do," was all Maggie said, placing the mirror back onto the dining table.

"Me too," Hannah softly brushed some fallen hair from Maggie's shoulder as she continued, "But why?"

Maggie sighed, "I have to keep going. And I don't want anything getting in my way."

Hannah quickly took her hands off the woman's shoulders as her face turned, eyes pinched in discomfort.

"Maggie?" Maggie only breathed heavily through tight lips, "Are you alright? It's okay if you don't like it. I've never really cut off that much before, I should have told you that."

"No. No, it's not that," Maggied cut off her ramble, her hands curling against her stomach as she continued to breathe.

"Okay," Hannah only whispered, unsure of what was happening.

Then Maggie screamed, pushing herself off of the chair and crawling beside the table. Hannah immediately bent down, her voice frantic as she tried to help, but Maggie's cry was the only thing she could hear. As Maggie rocked back and forth, it engulfed the room and pierced Hannah's ears as it grew louder. It was like a whistle.  

This wouldn't end well.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾

Hiii Lovelies!!

I'm finally posting again! I really am sorry it took so long, but I hope you guys are as excited as I am to get back into Tour Guide! This is a bit of a filler chapter but we all know what is to come so I didn't want to get too crazy.

I'm addition to editing the story, I have some really exciting news!! The wonderful Polinap_14 is translating Tour Guide to Greek! Make sure to go follow them as they update!!!

What do we think of the updates?

Thanks for Reading!

[nocasdatsgay]

From the Ashes the Wildflowers Grow

Chapter 3: Secrets

Summary: Eris is a master secret keeper but when his own secrets are threatened and discovered, he is left scrambling to get Celeste out of the court.

Word count: 4256

Warnings: Beron, implied threat and violence towards a female character, implied homophobia, implied but not detailed torture, mild descriptions of wounds, acosf spoilers

Authors note: This takes place after acosf. My timeline will start to get iffy but the timeline in the books leave much to be desired. Also due to word count and the fact I can’t access tumblr at work, this is an ao3 only chapter. It’s plot heavy.

Read chapter 3: Secrets here on ao3

Masterpost and full summary info here

Excerpt below

How many days had it been? Eris lost track again. She was going to kill him. He winnowed directly to his cabin. If he was lucky, she was still there. When he landed just outside the wards, he heard barking. He cursed to himself; he left Willow unattended. He really hoped Celeste was there. He unlocked the door and a faint floral smell greeted him. He sighed, relieved she was indeed in the home. He called out to her and immediately heard footsteps rushing.

“Eris?” She ran into the foyer, stopping short in front of him. She looked him over, and worry etched itself into her features. “You’re hurt.”

[findthefandom-orbecomethefandom]

only 3. 5 episodes in and Arthur Lester has gone through... so much

if this is what the rest of the show is like I really hope there's a beach episode this man can't catch a break damn

[callicoversy]

The Spice Emporium

Prompt:

"Have I told you about the giants of Alghubar Al'ahmar? Beasts called Alhitan Alhamra' that abandoned the water hundreds of years ago to swim in the red dust, accompanying the Ruh Alsahra', the free people of the desert, during their journeys.

But now these gentle giants are long gone, killed by the spice traders of old... The sins of the fathers, though, are carried over to the next generations, who sadly are doomed to repeat the same mistakes of the past...

The desert is calling. It demands retribution. Will you answer? Or will you choose to ignore it?"

In a world where whoever controls the Spice Emporium is the king of the world, Jeon Jeongguk has managed to become one of the most ruthless and powerful Spice Traders in the Red Dust, the center of the spice trading operations, after his late father passed away.

As the most powerful one among the spice mining tribes, Jeongguk is feared and envied by the fellow tribe leaders who won't hesitate to send assassins after him to seize his wealth and title.

Days before the annual calling of the spice leaders in the City of Winds, Jeongguk's base of operations, the young boy receives a message from a suspicious man, telling him about a new kind of spice that he has in his possession. Intrigued, Jeongguk and his loyal bodyguard, Namjoon—a slave Jeongguk saved from a cruel fate due to his peculiar hair color and eyes when he was young— travel to the old desert outpost to meet him.

What Jeongguk expected to find out was a variation of the red desert spice they have been mining.

Instead, he found a slave with eyes full of pain and skin that tastes like warm cinnamon.

A living spice, a creature of legend in the shape of a man whose eyes make Jeongguk question everything so far.

Whoever has the living spice is meant to be the king of the world. They will live forever and see visions of their future.

Now Jeongguk has to hide this little secret to prevent a brutal war. Because when the secret is out, everyone will want to get their hands on this peculiar boy going by the name Taehyung...

[aidaran-alha]

Chapters: 26/42 Summary:

Heaven is so high up that once you’re there, Aziraphale realizes the only way out is to fall.

In an attempt to stop the apocalypse once more, he steals the Book of Life and Jesus’s soul, placing him back on Earth as Adam’s brother. Now suspended somewhere between falling and fallen, Aziraphale needs help from the only one he can trust to navigate his new life. The same demon he rejected a lifetime ago.

Despite how they parted, Crowley can't turn his back on the aching angel, working through his pain and heartache as they slowly inch towards one another, acting on millennia of bottled-up feelings and desire.

The only problem? Adam’s powers are still alive, and he wants everybody to have their “happy ever after” in his town.

Or else.

Excerpt:

Adam felt like a monster, and yet Aziraphale was still being nice He was still looking at him with sad eyes, still looking at him as if they were the ones in the wrong, not Adam. He ordered the voices in the back of his head to shut up once and for all, and breathed several times until he calmed down.

“No idea. She seemed nice.”

“Then why?”

“Because I don’t know what else to do.” And then the boy doubled on himself, falling to the floor, shaking. “The voices… I can’t do this anymore. I want to fix everything, give everybody something good, give you all a reason to not leave me, and things keep going wrong. I just wanted you to be happy. They get louder when I try to help. I can’t do this anymore. The more I try — I want everybody to be happy. And they come back, and tell me to do things, and I can’t… everybody is angry, and scared, and I can’t — I thought if I listened to them I…”

Continue here: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53075170/chapters/144348544

@goodomensafterdark​

[lilprincegoo]

at the end of the rainbow by haejungg

OT7

jungkook-centric

Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Spirit Animals, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Jeon Jungkook-centric, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism, Shy Jeon Jungkook, Heavy Angst

93.3k words

rating: T

In a futuristic world full of magic and spirit animals, Jungkook lives a simple life. He works in his grandfather's bookstore, he splurges on coffee, and he writes his book in his free time. However, with whispers of an uprising and a prophecy soon to be fulfilled, Jungkook finds himself drawn into the lives of six mysterious (re: attractive) men who start to visit his shop more and more often. In their search for “an impossible weapon” and a plan to “reclaim the throne”, Jungkook realizes that his grandfather may be hiding more than he seems. Although Jungkook worries what these mysterious men will think when they realize that Jungkook may be hiding the biggest secret of them all.

[savage-rhi]

Duality

Chapter 3: The Standoff

Summary: Sawyer Kiddo has walked a razor's edge as a hacktivist for several years, driven by the loss of her family in the Raccoon City incident. Haunted by past choices and fueled with desire for vigilante justice, Sawyer's work takes an unexpected turn when she ventures to Spain and crosses paths with Luis Serra—a man with blood on his hands long thought to be dead. Together they unravel a web of corruption and face an impending bioterror threat, fighting not only monsters but also the darker elements of their humanity. As they delve deeper into each other's pasts and the conspiracy at large, Sawyer begins to sense something unsettling about Luis—something that might be even more dangerous than their mutual enemies.

Read on AO3 Here

The morning of an ambush was always filled with trepidation. As Sawyer ventured closer to Plaza Hermanas Gemelas, she let out a breath. Her mind rehearsing the plan from last night as a soft breeze ventured through the main street, causing the hairs on her neck to stand at attention. 

It didn’t matter how many bioterrorists Sawyer had tricked into getting arrested--she knew better than to go in cocky. There was always a variation to the stage performance both she and the seller would put on. An extra bad guy lurking in the shadows, a getaway car, or even a sniper could fill in as extras. That was the nature of this show--anything that could happen, will happen.

She knew all this, yet screwed up in Colorado. 

Sawyer stopped walking. 

As people trailed past her, she remembered what happened. How she kept pushing the envelope with the BOW monger, getting innocent people killed in the process. All the signs were there to back off, but she persisted. She hadn’t sat long enough in her feelings to understand where those actions came from before being shipped out to Spain, and the guilt was almost heavy enough to keep her from pursuing this mission any further. 

“Hey Kiddo, I’m not detecting any movement. Did you bump into trouble?”

Samuel’s voice broke through the microscopic earpiece disguised as an inner earring, breaking the spell she was in. 

“Negative,” Sawyer replied. “I needed to adjust my clothes. How much longer until you guys can block both internet and cell reception?”

“Another five minutes and we could kill the whole grid if we wanted to.” Samuel said proudly on the other end. 

“Copy. I’m getting back on the trail, heading to the plaza.” 

Sawyer sighed as she retraced her steps, knowing she was getting closer. The last minute fleeting flames of anxiety started to sink in her gut as she pushed past it--tampering the fear down to a white noise by giving herself a reality check: this was nothing in comparison to what her cousin had endured. Carmen watched thousands--even her own family--be torn to shreds by beasts and zombies. Sawyer hadn’t earned the privilege to be scared, but that didn’t mean she was immune. The altercation from last night suddenly came to mind, and she was mad at herself--not believing how easy it was for her getting reduced down to a fawning doe, all on account of a single drunk. 

A drunk… that’s what she kept telling herself--the lie she fed to Samuel.

As Sawyer entered the plaza, her thoughts on the matter ceased. Eyes roaming, she landed on a cathedral that stood not far from here. There had to have been a couple hundred people present, nothing too serious but enough to warrant extra precaution. The last thing she wanted was more casualties under her belt after breaking her streak in Denver. 

Setting her sights on a series of fountains near the center, Sawyer played a little with her earring, making a face to feign to the public she was adjusting her jewelry out of irritation. 

“There’s no sign of Soldado,” Sawyer spoke. “I’m ten minutes early.”

“Copy that, ” Samuel replied.

“Onyx, give me a body count.” Kari requested.

“Shit,” Sawyer murmured, lips mouthing numbers as she gazed from person to person. “Maybe a hundred twenty, one fifty at most.” 

“Excellent,” Kari sighed in relief. “According to my scans, the majority of the public are staying away from the fountains and remaining close to the plaza exits. If something goes amiss, I think everyone can get out safely.” 

“Let us pray!” Mobley sarcastically commented. 

Sawyer visibly cringed. The sound of his voice like nails to a chalkboard. 

“Alright friends, we’re about to go dark and shut down the plaza.” Samuel replied. “Everyone will think there’s been a power outage. This should corral the public to flock somewhere else, and keep Soldado from communicating with his buddies if he brought any backup.”

“And our two amigos from last night?” Sawyer commented, referring to the cops. 

“They’re not far from your location and they notified us they have their eyes on you--”

“As do we!” Mobley chimed in, interrupting Samuel’s transmission. “Break a leg, Kiddo!” 

Kari cleared her throat on the other end, signaling for the chatter to cease. “Onyx, if you need backup you know the signal. We will seldom speak into the mic as you and Soldado initiate the transaction unless there’s a new development. That should help conserve our power. Remember everyone, if we are at any point separated, we will meet up in Toledo within twenty-four hours.” 

Sawyer let out a breath, giving a reassuring nod. At this juncture, she knew everyone on the team could see where she was standing. Her eyes looked at three large buildings in the distance, each one housing a teammate. “Alright, I’m entering code grey.” 

With that, communication ceased between Sawyer and the rest of the team. She took a seat on the ledge of the fountains and went about people watching. 

Fifteen minutes flew by, and Soldado had yet to make his debut.

Delays were usual with BOW sellers, but if it went longer than twenty, Sawyer knew one of several circumstances must’ve occurred: One, the seller was busted by authorities who were already on his tail. Two, the seller was ensuring backup before entering the plaza, and finally--he had no intentions to meet. The last scenario was more dangerous than the former, because that usually meant the seller knew exactly what was going on and would retaliate. Sawyer had a few occassions where she found herself in that position, and dreaded that happening here; mostly because the layout of Madrid was entirely new to her. It wouldn’t be easy pulling the usual tricks out of the book to get out of dodge fast enough. 

“American, are you enjoying the splendors of Spain?”

Sawyer glanced to her left, grinning as she heard the first part of the ‘password’ between her and Soldado being spoken, his French accent thick in the ears. 

“I am, but I could use a fresh pair of eyes,” Sawyer replied, completing the incantation.

The stage had been set.

She stood up as Soldado--Jean-Jaques Clouet--came more into view and observed his appearances. Needless to say, he didn’t fit the stereotypical look of a bio-weapons dealer. If anything, he looked like a college professor who just finished lecturing a bunch of kids and couldn’t wait to go on a lunch. This was further accentuated by his attire: red tie, complimenting a maroon vest which he paired against a pine colored shirt with a khaki overcoat and pinstripe black pants. The colors reminded Sawyer of a Christmas ornament, and she did her best to keep a straight face as Soldado extended a hand. 

“It’s good to finally put a name to a face, Onyx.” Soldado remarked, smiling warmly as he felt Sawyer’s soft but firm handshake.

“Likewise,” Sawyer nodded, letting him go. “I was beginning to think you bailed on me! What kept you?” 

“Quality control,” Soldado shrugged as he gave a small bow with his head. “I had to ensure the mystery bag you ordered was up to par with what was advertised. I did attempt to message you I’d be running late, but it seems that didn’t patch through?” 

“Fuck, if that’s the case it should be me whose apologizing,” Sawyer frowned as she let out an irate breath. “The reception in this area is shit. Do you have any bars on your phone?” 

“Let me check,” Soldado took out his phone from the right pocket of his coat and began to scroll. He was so invested in the task that he didn’t notice how quickly Sawyer gazed over his body for signs of weapons. “Et bien merde! It seems it’s on the fritz. That explains why some of the locals looked pissed."

"Probably a power outage or something," Sawyer gestured to one of the exits of the plaza. “If you’re uncomfortable, we can proceed elsewhere?” 

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Soldado shook his head, holding up a hand for emphasis. “After how far you’ve come to purchase my product, it would be rude of me to have you jump through further hoops.” 

“What a gentleman,” Sawyer complimented. “I gotta say your competence is a breath of fresh air!” 

“I take it you’ve had trouble with sellers in the past?” 

“Many times,” Sawyer admitted with a chuckle. “There aren’t many women on the dark web, much less who show enthusiasm for BOWs. Needless to say, my physical presence has spooked many."

“And speaking of,” Soldado grinned, licking his lips. “Forgive me--but from the way you presented yourself online--I didn’t expect to be meeting someone of your stature.”  

“You’re not the first nor the last to make that assumption,” Sawyer grinned, trying to ignore the way his eyes lurked over her like he was staring at a menu appetizer. “A gal can’t help it though if she has an appetite for monsters.”

“Nice job making him cozy.” Came Kari’s voice in Sawyer’s ear.

“And speaking of appetites, Soldado continued. “I never got the chance to ask what you intended on doing with your mystery bag.” 

“Funny, I don’t recall having to tell you.” Sawyer remarked sarcastically, teetering on the edge of being rudely blunt. Samuels voice patched through. 

“Kiddo, careful…”

“You see, that wasn’t in the fine print.” Sawyer added with a tease to soften the blow. She noted the playful but dark curiosity that grew against Soldado’s face--seemingly more turned on by the unknown of her answer rather than looks from before. Not that she was complaining--anything to get his mind off her form was a good thing. 

“You must enlighten me with a hint!” Soldado coaxed. “It’s not everyday I receive a buyer from the US.” 

Sawyer hummed in thought, debating with herself. “Maybe if I can see what I’m working with, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to share my ideas with you?” 

“That would spoil the surprise,” Soldado murmured. “Are you sure?” 

“You’re the one that wants to know what’s happening under the hood.” Sawyer countered, gesturing at him playfully. “I’d say this is in your best interests.”

“Ah, cheeky! I like it.” Soldado chuckled warmly. “I think you’re going to be in for a real treat.”

Sawyer watched Soldado pull out a small tube from the depths of an inner pocket on his coat and presented it to her. Glimmering through the glass was a deep amber, a flaming orange that had a sea green hue running against tendril like strands. Sawyer nearly did a double take, swearing she saw one of the green lines pulse. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” Soldado teased, breaking the brief pause. 

“It’s interesting to say the least. Alas I’m not familiar.” Sawyer murmured to herself. She looked up from the glass, meeting Soldado’s eyes and smiled. “Can I buy a vowel?” 

Soldado’s haughty demeanor softened. He debated with himself for a time, and Sawyer could almost see the internal fight through his eyes as his pupils bounced about. 

“Considering the tip you gave me for the product, I guess I can spare some details. It might help you brainstorm before you go off playing with it.” Soldado grinned and handed the tube over to Sawyer. “What you’re seeing is fossilized amber that has been turned into a liquid state, courtesy of a progenitor strand.”

Sawyer raised a brow as she carefully took the vile into her hands. “Progenitor?” 

“You know of the Raccoon City incident, yes?” 

“Who doesn’t?” Sawyer scoffed. For a moment she worried her tone would betray her feelings, that somehow Soldado would see through her performance--alas he appeared emboldened. 

“To further your education and endeavors, let’s just say progenitor is the granddaddy of the T-Virus. Without it, there wouldn’t be so many colorful variants of the viruses we have today that procure bio-organic weapons. The amber you’re holding contains parasitic DNA--obtained from a chamber deep within the heart of the Cueva El Pendo caves, dated back to the early ice age. The progenitor essentially resurrected it--brought the parasite back to life. Consequently, the DNA has remnants of prehistoric animals the parasite had fed upon in its former life. Saber teeth, mammoths, you name it. All those traits can influence the outcome of experimentation.”

“I’ll be damned,” Sawyer muttered. She looked down at the substance. 

Mobley’s voice piped up on the line. “A parasitic virus? I’ve never heard of such a concept!”

“I don’t believe we have any vaccines on hand for that…” Samuel followed, his playful tone trying to mask the concern that was obviously hidden behind his words. “Rebus?” 

“Atom, start reporting this to Maestro, now.” Kari urgently replied. “I’m not getting information on progenitor through the VITA network. Onyx, keep the conversation flowing.” 

The vile--small and insignificant--felt like a nuclear weapon in the palm of Sawyer’s hands. The weight of it’s potential heavy on her head as she fought against baser instincts to shirk it far away from herself. 

“I’m assuming you know all this from personal use?” Sawyer curiously quipped, getting the conversation back on track. She smiled as Soldado laughed, momentarily proud of herself for breaking the tension that wormed its way between them both. 

“Oh yes,” Soldado nodded. He followed up with a sigh. “At one point, I had about hundreds of these specimens at my disposal. The BOWs birthed from Plaga Type Epoch or Type E were marvelous things. Sadly, they didn’t make the cut for Umbrella’s long term goals.” (1)

“Get out of here!” Sawyer exclaimed. “You worked for Umbrella back in its heyday? That’s so messed up, but cool.” 

“Indeed, I did!” Soldado proudly chortled. His cheeks tinted pink, ego stroked by Sawyer’s compliment. “I was once part of Umbrella’s Team 6, the European branch.” 

“I feel like I’m talking to a legend!” Sawyer laughed, shaking her head in disbelief while holding up the vile of Type E to the sun, so she could see it a little more clearly. “So what I’m holding here is a piece of two histories--bred into one marvel.”

As the words left her mouth, Sawyer felt bile rise in her throat. Every nerve in her body itched for Soldado to give her an excuse to burn the script an improvise. She needed to play this right, dig deeper and remain calm--but that didn’t change the fact Sawyer felt her own mask chip as an intrusive thought of shoving the very substance down Soldado’s throat came and went. 

“ Kiddo… ” Samuel’s voice, firm but compassionate, already saw through the cracks of her brownnosing. His tone reigned her in just a little as Soldado beckoned for Sawyer to lower her hand. 

“I should warn that prolonged exposure to sunlight could render it useless, or at best not be as potent.” 

“Oops…” Sawyer smirked, her head tilting slightly as she exaggeratedly shielded the tube from the sky and brought it down. 

“So,” Soldado raised a curious brow. “Are you going to tell me how this could be relevant to your aspirations?” 

Shit… She was so caught up in her anger, that the tale needed to be spun almost slipped away. Sawyer hummed to save face as she mulled over the details. 

“You can say I’m someone who chases nostalgia. That’s the theme of my personal projects.” She began, smiling as little by little the plot began to grow. “Tell me, do you know anything about a BOW called Fossil?” (2) 

“Can’t say that I do,” Soldado admitted sadly. “With how intense the competition was between Umbrella USA and Europe, both sides tended to keep their projects hush-hush.”

“To further your own education,” Sawyer began, calling back to Soldado’s earlier chiding remark toward her. “Fossil was allegedly a lost Tyrant variant compiled from prehistoric DNA. I’ve been wanting to create a similar organism.” 

“That’s fascinating,” Soldado said sincerely. His eyes growing with further intrigue. “What have you tried already?” 

“Well, I attempted to buy a couple Hunter variants off the dark web to use as a base, but after the Terragrigia fiasco, they’ve been difficult to come by.”

“Consider luck being on your side today.” Soldado grinned. “I guarantee you’ll find success with Type E at your disposal since you're going the prehistoric route.” 

“God willing,” Sawyer agreed. “I’m curious though…”

“Hm?” 

“With something this novel, why barter at a mystery bag price? You could be rolling in cash as we speak.”

“The glory days are over. I’m sure you can imagine after Umbrella’s demise, there are people who wish to seek me out for whatever information I can procure about the company.” Soldado sighed through his nose and quickly added. “Please don’t take my tale of woe as a warning. I doubt the law will be seeking you out for having this in your personal collection. Type E is fairly unknown even among the black market.” 

“Good to know.” Sawyer proudly smirked, giving an appreciative nod. “I gotta say it takes balls being this forthcoming considering the way things fell through with Umbrella and anyone associated with the company.” 

“You’re easy to talk to,” Soldado smiled. “I trust after this meet I can count on your discretion?” 

“For sure.” 

Although his smile seemed genuine, there was a darkness that hung on the tip of his tongue that Sawyer had picked up. As if he were alluding to something else. While processing this, she could hear Kari on the other end of the hidden mic. 

“Once again Onyx, good work interrogating. Some information about Team 6 surfaced. Wrap this up and meet with the officers, on the double.” 

“Maestro responded. He says we need to---shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!” 

“Atom? Atom, you’re cutting out----fuck!” 

“Spector! Atom? What’s going on? One of you talk to me now--!”

Sawyer’s heart pounded as the line went dead--a new noise replacing it. 

Click. 

Her breath hitched. The sudden pressure of a gun barrel against the back of her neck made Sawyer’s body lock up. 

“Who the fuck...”

“Lo siento,” The voice from behind interrupted with a whisper. “I’m not dying here today, and before you start asking questions--Soldado pays more.” 

She knew immediately who the perp was. That damned younger cop. She angrily let out a breath. 

“And your partner?” Sawyer asked through gritted teeth as her muscles tensed, keeping as still as possible. “Did he have anything to say about this?” 

“That’s none of your concern,” The cop firmly nudged Sawyer. “Hands up, slowly.”

Swallowing, she complied with the request. There was no choice in the matter. Not when Soldado could take her out from the front, and she couldn’t risk causing a scene in public--lest she become arrested or cause unintentional causalities. Everything was happening so fast she barely had time to ponder about what had become of Samuel, Kari and Mobley just now as she went through the motions. She half smiled, shaking her head at herself. 

“I should’ve known all cops regardless of country are bastards.” Sawyer grimaced as the cop jerked her hands behind her back, binding her in cuffs and once more pressed the end of the barrel tightly against her scalp. Her right hand gripped the Type E vile in her right hand. 

“¡Por qué estás jodido--!” (3)

“Ah-ah, that won’t be necessary.” Soldado interrupted as he made a face toward his younger peer. “There’s no need to take drastic steps. She’s already compromised as is.” 

Sawyer wished she could’ve seen the look on the cops face after he growled and adjusted the pressure he had on the weapon. Her thoughts on the matter vanished as soon as Soldado approached and snatched the vial of Type E from her hand. She gave him daggers as he stepped back, eyes roaming over like a parent disappointed in their child for misbehaving. 

“I was hoping we could’ve had a business relationship long-term. My new friend here kindly informed me that you and three other companions intended to trap me in a sting operation--in broad daylight no less!” 

Sawyer bit the inside of her lip, further hardening her gaze as she stared at Soldado with contempt.  Ignoring his words, she chuckled as little signs from before hinting that the jig was up began to play out in her head. 

“Talk about too good to be true. There’s no way you would’ve told me half the information about that virus, let alone that you worked with Umbrella if you weren’t planning on making a quick escape and getting rid of me.”

“Get rid of you?” Soldado raised a brow, seemingly taken back. “I mean you aren’t wrong, but where’s the fun in making things quick? There’s something else about the parasite I forgot to mention, how it’s activated.” 

Sawyer's pulse dropped. “I take it you’re going to give me a live demo?”

“Bingo!”

“You know, for a French guy, you really suck...” 

The cop suddenly moved to grasp the back of Sawyer’s scalp by her hair, yanking her head back as he forced her to the ground with a kick. She landed on her knees. A sharp pain pulsed through her skull, eyes watering. Soldado stepped into her personal space and pressed a button on the bottom of the vile--causing the cap to unseal with a sinister hiss. Within seconds, the parasite seemed to come to life, tendrils writhing eagerly in the amber liquid as sloshing sounds became more pronounced. 

“You see,” Soldado began, his voice calm and sinisterly comforting, “Plaga Type E is uniquely attracted to carbon dioxide. The very breath you exhale draws it in.”

Sawyer began to struggle. The idea of something so invasive, so intimate as a parasite entering through her orifices made her skin crawl like the many black strings slithering against the glass of it’s tube. Every instinct screamed at her to escape, but the cop’s iron grip held her firmly in place. 

“As you breathe out,” Soldado continued, bringing the vial closer to her face, “the parasite senses the carbon dioxide and becomes more active, more eager to find a host. It especially loves to enter through the nasal cavity—so direct, so efficient.”

Sawyer’s eyes widened in terror as she saw the tendrils within the vial growing more excited, lurching out towards her with every millimeter the vial drew near. Her breaths came in short, panicked bursts--only serving to attract the parasite more. She could better see the fine details of its body, it's sinuous movements like hungry snakes. 

“You better hope I don’t shove this up your nose instead,” she choked out, trying to suppress the rising tide of panic. The cop’s grip tightened painfully, forcing her to stay still.

Soldado smiled--a cold, satisfied expression. “Don’t worry, Onyx . This will be over quickly. And then you’ll be part of something much marvelous than yourself. By the way, once again for your education, you shouldn't have played with the big boys. Look where it got you.”

With a final, sadistic glint in his eye, Soldado tilted the vial forward. The tendrils moved vigorously, stretching towards her face--seeking the warmth of her breath and the path to her body. Sawyer's fear reached a crescendo, her mind a chaotic storm of desperation. This was it—her worst nightmare realized in a way she never imagined. 

Desperation fueled Sawyer’s next move as she made a split-second choice. Twisting her body, she used the cop’s grip on her hair as leverage as she lunged forward and pulled him off balance. The sudden motion brought him tumbling over her, pushing his face directly toward the vial in Soldado’s hand. 

“¡Por Dios!” the cop screamed, but it was too late. The parasite jumped from the vial, tendrils shooting out as it slipped into the cop’s nostrils with a grotesque speed. Blood curdling screams erupted from his body as the entity clawed and ripped through tissue and bone, wriggling deep into his skull. The cop fell on his knees and convulsed as a flurry of intangible curses left Soldado as he shirked himself away. (4)

Sawyer scrambled to feet and ran, her hands still bound by the cuffs as she glanced back to see the horror in action. The cops eyes rolled into the back of his head, body jerking uncontrollably as skin rippled with a sickening crack that echoed while muscle and bone began to shift like molded clay. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Sawyer had seen videos of zombies--victims of the T-Virus. Live footage of Lickers and other genetically modified beasts going after military and civilian alike--enough to where she had grown desensitized to such imagery for the sake of her training. Seeing this creature in the flesh high jacking a living person was on another level, and she found herself stunned, realizing how much more visceral it was to see something this nasty happen in person. 

This should've been fake--movie magic even. Not some natural phenomenon that scientists had tweaked for their own ends, yet the newly birthed entity made it's existence known to the world as it began to scream through it's host. 

“Getoutoftheplazagetoutoftheplaza!” Sawyer yelled at herself as she began walking backwards, tearing her gaze away from the horrifying sight.

Soldado’s enraged shout and the sound of a gunshot spurred her into action. She darted toward one of the exits. The plaza erupted into chaos. Inhuman roars echoed around her, and she looked back to see a monstrous, humanoid creature with appendages like an insect and feline traits--including a large set of saber like fangs at the front, tearing through the crowd. It’s movements unnervingly fluid like water, bone chilling guttural cries erupting from it’s enlarged throat--unlike anything she had ever seen. 

Soldado was trailing behind the creature--one arm injured and bloody from a swipe--his other hand holding a gun that he fired wildly toward both the parasitic entity and Sawyer herself. Bullets whizzed past her, striking walls and ground as she zigzagged to avoid being hit. She burst out of the plaza and into a narrow alley, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She could hear the chaos that continued behind her--the screams of civilians, the roars of the creature, and Soldado’s relentless pursuit. 

As she rounded a corner, Sawyer stumbled upon a grim sight: the body of the older cop, lying behind a dumpster. His expression frozen in time with a look of shock and disbelief. There were already flies making themselves at home upon his eyes. He had to have been deceased since last night given his color, more than likely right after leaving the bar. 

Her heart sank at the sight, shuddering as an image of Carmen near death in the hospital invaded whatever peace of mind she had left. 

There was no time to mourn. She had to keep moving. Her eyes zipped around while she tried to get her bearings. 

"God damn...Samuel, what the hell happened to you guys?" She murmured to herself. "Where the hell am I?" 

Before she could think further, a sharp prick hit Sawyer's neck. Her nerves suddenly teetering against pins and needles as she gasped. 

Sawyer’s hand flew up to the tranquilizer dart embedded into her neck. Her vision blurred and her knees buckled. The last thing she saw before shadows sank in was a figure approaching, their features obscured but intentions clear with every beat of their step. 

This wasn’t Soldado, but someone else. 

Everything went dark.

Notes: 1. Plaga Type Epoch (Type E): I came up with this plaga variant myself, going for a prehistoric theme with the BOWs that are going to be present in the story. Not sure if there's going to be dinosaur like variants, but I have Pleistocene Epoch based critters fleshed out already. 2. FOSSIL: A human-reptile bioweapon featured in Resident Evil books developed by S.D. Perry. I like the dinosaur concept of this BOW, and wish we had more monsters like it in the main games. The wiki for it is here if you want to look further into it: https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Fossil 3. ¡Por qué estás jodido! - "Why you fucking…!" 4. ¡Por Dios! - "Oh my god!"

[castle-dominion]

4x23 always

Liveblog

ooh <3 always, great title!

I can't believe it has been a whole season since the shot! Good recap sequence!

Ok lmao both my father & I have fallen down mountains before. You cannot catch yourself like that, & if you do then you are probably able to swing yourself to the side to land on that balcony there. Like you can see, she pulls herself to get a better grip there!

But once one arm falls, you need to pull it back up & grab a different (non-sweaty) part of the ledge. & while yes your fingers are strong, you would do better to Bring Up Your Other Hand

Ok def sounded like castle not "man" as the captions said, then it sounded like "someone" pretending to be castle, then it sounded somewhat like castle again. (first "beckett" might have been SD told to speak like castle, could have been a different person told so. Then it was def not castle, then it was someone pretending to be castle & then the "hang on" was castle again.)

Still tho, I don't much like the unrealistic hanging scene. Actually no I really did like it & I can find reasonable excuses for the stuff I find unreasonable. It's cool.

3 days earlier

no caps. I love it.

Alexis <3 <3 <3

oh lmao she is valedictorian. I sometimes relate castle & alexis to me & my mom, but in this situation mum is alexis (smart val) & I'm castle (barely passed).

or TWILIGHT! *blinks*

RC: You know, the most worthwhile things in life are often the most difficult. For example…

*phone rings from beckett*

RC: Wow, that really is a smart phone.

btw love the golden light

KB, with a bomb cute jacket: you're probably the guy who had nothing on but boxers underneath his gown.

Me: *ran away from my graduation & climbed my way on top of a giant dumpster/storage pod*

RC: That is so insulting. If you must know, I was naked underneath.

THEY ARE GOING ON A DATE A DATE A DATE

KB: You coming, Castle?

SDFHSKJDHF I LOVE IT

Hm, two shots...

Love a shoe thing

Ooh lockpicks. Nice. I finally picked one of my locks the other day. I was using my rake tho, not my feeling peg so I would not be easily able to recreate it. I want one of those clear locks that you can see through.

Cazadores, love it when they tap the r.

Ryan is not super pretty rn

lmao poor guy down on his luck broke af, goes into the military? Sounds about right. Screw the military, this poor kid.

Captions were missing the accent on the N

Marisol? parasol? paraplui? paranormal? paralysis? analysis? synthesis? Synthwave? Literally my little brother & I went down a thought path like this. we both have adhd btw. I can't remember what thoughts came after that but we got all the way to fruit-by-the-foot.

How old is she?

I believe her.

F yeah girl. They keep blaming him & you just want to get the one who killed him.

They are so wrecking the crime scene lol.

Love how he smells the gun to see if it was fired recently ugh so good.

MONTGOMERY'S HOUSE???

Love how beckett & espt know his address but ryan looks shocked & castle (who was friends, or at least acquainted with montgomery before the show) did not know.

That was ryan not esposito who said that. This time I could tell.

Doesn't he have three kids? These pics are so weird. Roy, his wife, an older daughter, some boy... oh maybe it is a boyfriend. The baby boy would be what like 5 by now?

Girl I hope it is Not Loaded. In canada you need to have your gun locked up, though on the farm we would only lock up the bullets not the gun.

Love her.

So he knew when they were out of the house.

Btw I love espt's scar on his forehead & beckett's mole on her cheek, both give a little bit of Character to them.

Well obv this is going to be a plot heavy episode, but now is about the time I'd say it has to do with beckett not just roy & his files.

It has been like a year, or almost a year, why would you still have his old work files? nvm a year is a really short period of time

Her handwriting right now...

also I like her turtleneck.

I mean it COULD be a coincidence & it could be just for their own personal gain like maybe some rando roy put in jail & it is not actually related to johanna (in fact it makes things harder for The Big Bad Guy bc now Rando has the files)

Castle is still here, he did not leave after all <3.

She is stirring her coffee so smoothly.

KB: Say something reassuring.

RC: There are thousands of break-ins in New York City every year.

He's right: "Montgomery worked hundreds of cases. Just because this guy was after files doesn't mean he was after your mom's case."

Castle now might be the time to tell her

Green intro. Remind me to take a pic of that

Martha <3

Ooh transition! Murderboard to murderboard!

Yeah no she looks tired af.

Holding hands & they are not quite together yet but aaaah

Esposito looks nice & ryan looks incredible. Must pic this.

They blamed gangs for johanna's murder too

A MONTH after mongt was killed!?

That door really WENT. they BLEW IT UP.

Finally! They are wearing helmets!

Esposito *gets file* *face goes*

Ryan *what???? what is it?* *takes file* *face also goes*

RC: Well at least that's something. What was the crime scene?

JE: It was a shooting.

Me: ...!

their faces upon telling her, you can see how much they love her

Ryan's hands dangling there like that.

You can see ryan feeling conflicted abt this.

RC: Maybe you should be off this case.

Me: So true bestie

He brings out the first name. He loves her so much & wants her to be safe. In fact, castle has confided in him, like that time he asked ryan to keep an eye out for stuff related to johanna's murder but didn't tell becks nor espt.

(that was a weird way of pronouncing "why")

Esposito is right tho in the sense that nothing will stop her. (Except maybe castle telling her that someone forced him into a deal for her life.)

(also ryan's hair & the way he avoids eye contact)

I think I remember seeing something in the s5 bloopers but this is s4... hmm weird. I'll clip it for u tho.

No the heck you do not hold all the cards...

Who is "they"?

tbh smith is kind of unhelpful with that. I mean the rest of it was good but... idk man.

also like, they just killed another person. a thief. How many more people are they going to kill if they don't get taken down? Beckett would SO be willing to put her life in (temporary) danger to take down this ring that not only wants to kill her but also other ppl sometimes. Is her one life worth more than the lives of so many others who die because of this? They are turning a blind eye on so many things to let her live...

Interesting lighting. like the scene with alexis.

Girl he is more afraid of Them than of you.

Oh or not or he's telling her stuff

"make him whole" interesting words

Same "they"?

He KNEW he would come back to the gang & he accepted that price? Even tho he literally said he just wanted the loan? & the wife said he would not get into that?

Vincente Delgado, being poetic: Caught a glimpse before the night swallowed him whole.

KB: Yeah, but how did they know [he was desperate for money]? How do they know his background?

Me: bc they can tap into police files?

JE: Because they knew him from the military. He was hired by somebody he knew.

Me: or that

RC, trying to keep everyone safe: But whoever's gotten close to that secret is dead. I think it's clear we're in over our heads here.

JE: Speak for yourself, bro.

of course she is. If you get a mysterious $10k & don't question it & then your husband ends up dead you too would run.

Oh no the poor son!

WHAT is going ON with the lighting?

Also this room needs to be brighter than the observation room.

GIRL NO. WE ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH NATIVE KIDS IN THE FOSTER SYSTEM

Captions come on, I want to read what she said! I'm hard of hearing but I am NOT monolingual! If hearing people can understand the spanish, I WANT TO SEE THE SPANISH.

Someone military.

Getting files from the dead cop's house.

Montgomery would DEF have duplicate files hidden somewhere of the important files at least.

I love a good church. We have a native church where I live & it serves as the base church for other ethnic churches. The huge & popular italian church got its start here, the eritrean church is still in here just getting started... Plenty of good programs. It is a great church. It is one of the few churches I feel comfy going to, as a queer fnmi christowitch.

They just happen to sit near the back of the church?

& he just happens to show his face?

You can just go through the files manually.

What does cid stand for btw?

KR: How are we supposed to investigate if we can’t investigate?

My little bro while I had it paused: "I work in homicide." 'YOU KILL PEOPLE?'

Nice zoom there, love it, going into her window murderboard.

Wow a lot of shots from the past there, love it.

Oh & now we see castle doing castle investigation at home!

& we also see esposito doing investigation at night in the precinct, which kind of sucks for him, he hasn't gone home yet. (Also they haven't made his apartment set yet lol)

What is that, a pair of pliars? A razorblade?

& we don't get to see ryan investigating?

Wow he shows up at her house & esposito called her & he was ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THAT IT WAS A KEYCHAIN?

But at least it's a haystack.

He's going to tell her!

& he is not talking about mental health.

Ok so now Tell Her!

RC: Before Montgomery went into that hangar, he sent a package to someone, someone…he trusted. It contained information damaging to the person behind all this. Montgomery was trying to protect you. But the package didn’t arrive until after you’d been shot. Montgomery’s friend…struck a deal with them. If they left you alone, the package and the information inside would never see the light of day. But they made one condition—you had to back off. And that’s the reason you’re alive, Kate, because you stopped.

He's crying he loves her he really does.

Ok chill! Also he was not the one striking the deal! He was a pawn!

Yeah I thought he was behind the murder too but he could not have been bc why would he SAVE kate? maybe he is NOT saving her but he is preventing her from looking into it.

Yeah bro now is not the time to bring it up

(but I always love a "because I love you" & it is always SO good)

RC: How are you s—? Because of everything we’ve been through together! Four years I’ve been right here. Four years just waiting for you to just open your eyes, and see that I’m right here…and that I’m more than a partner. Every morning, I—I bring you a cup of coffee just so I could see a smile on your face, ((AAA <3 <3 <3)) because I think you are the most…remarkable…maddening…challenging…frustrating person I have ever met. And I love you, Kate, and if…that means anything to you, if you care about me at all, just don’t do this.

KATE NO HE WAS NOT THE ONE WHO CUT THE DEAL LIKE YOU WERE A CHILD. MONTGOMERY DID BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU LIKE HE IS YOUR FATHER. AAAAAAAGH

Actually yk what? He should have told her ages ago that someone struck a deal & she would have to back off. Except she would not have listened, just like this conversation now.

KB: Let them come. They sent Coonan, and he is dead. They sent Lockwood, and he is dead. And I am still here, Castle! And I am ready!

Ugh I had to stop my watch (which was the plan in the first place anyway) but I had the opportunity to try on my computer, I wanted to finish watching the ep & maybe post some photos that I could more easily get, but the issue is the library DVDs we have are blue ray. My computer won't play them. So yeah that's fun. I ended up doing some recording for the audiobook which I have not worked on in over a year. (About since I've been on T.)

Ok good morning I have work at 16.00 (so I need to leave before 14.45) & it is only 10 right now so I have plenty of time. But ofc I am working until midnight so that sucks pine sap. Tho I will be let off 15 minutes early so I can get home w/o breaking the law.

sdfjkfdhdsjkhhdffdkash aaaaaaah hdskjhfdska;euvn

& alexis is graduating... I cannot believe it is 2012. I mean half of 09 (s1 was short), all of 10, all of 11, & "all" of 12 (tho it has kind of only been 6m of 2012 bc she is graduating now in june)

I put my graduation tassle on my bike helmet. I rode my back to school during the warm months & I had an extra year of high school after graduating so I got to bike to school boasting that I graduated.

AC: I have watched or read every graduation address ever written and compiled all the best advice into one speech,

Me: Good idea, you overachiever

AC: and then I read it out loud. And guess what I sounded like? A pompous ass.

Me: Yeah

AC: I’m eighteen years old. What the hell do I know?

Me: You are correct, you are missing a lot more life experience than you will end up with, but you have a lot of experience now & your current speech will be relevant to the people who are here in this situation.

That's one of the reasons I stayed in high school for an extra year, I did not feel ready. I mean I also was not ready in the sense that I needed to upgrade courses but other than that I also did not feel ready on a psychological level. As an adhder my brain develops more slowly so at 18 I had the executive functions of like a 12 year old. That last year was great. I was legally an adult, I had mstured since g10, I knew the people & teachers, I was willing to accept help but I had also grown more independent, & I had gained the respect of people/staff. I was not some baby googoo gagaa, they were not robot overlords, we were people. Equals as people, though they had authority over me.

Oof fidgeting with the ring hhh

The lighting again.

They don't know what happened last night to get castle off the team & they are thinking "he would NEVER abandon beckett like that" so they know smth bad happened.

Cole Maddox.

But they looked him up so don't They know they're coming for him now?

I like how ryan is watching beckett this entire time through here, he is not looking at the driver's license he is watching beckett

Also since the tiger don't they need to tell ppl where they are going?

(also ryan's sweater is great)

Becks used to be the goody two shoes & now ryan is arguing her to go the pro way

The ether?

Wow it has been 13 years!?

First names

IDK IF YOU DO GOT THIS

"or the entire graduation" I mean like it is fine lmao

WHO from the 12th?

RYANNNN

beckett SAID he was off the team but ryan didn't believe her, he knew castle would help, like that time beckett got montgomery to kick him out & then monty still got castle back to pick her up & take her away from the hangar.

But now ryan probably thinks castle truly is NOT on the team anymore

Y'all at least wearing vests?

"get out of the way" lmao

Girl grab it & go OR un-ass the place

Oof those sexy Xs on the place

I thought they said this place was clear

Wow that was way too easy. he just Took Down both of them.

So he comes in from the front door I think. Maybe the door to the kitchen actually bc becks falls in the living room it looks like. He grabs her & smacks her against the wall, then she falls the other direction & drops her gun, which slides over to where the doorman is lying too; then esposito comes up trying to attack the guy near the door again, arms out probably trying to take a gun or maybe maddox is the one who had the gun, Madx twisted espt to the side, then looks like he maybe kneed him in the gut & threw him down to the floor too. esposito is left reeling, doesn't look unconscious.

My little bro: Savais! ("know" in french) Javier!

back to the fight scene: becks then pushes herself on the floor to grab her gun. Madx is already running away. She gets up & runs after him, then he is already running up the stairs when she shoots at him.

You can tell they had multiple sets to film this here bc suddenly they are on a roof. Lighting is fun. I'd like to hear this episode commentary by the lighting one. (Sorry, I don't watch the credits most of the time.) Well, it is also plot heavy so I'd like to hear the writer & director but shush, I want Every episode with commentary, & I want some of my fave episodes commented on by several groups. I want to hear the actors, I want to hear the writer producer & director, I want to hear the DP & lighting one & the set designer & costume designer...

Also her gun. When did she cock it & turn the safety off? I would not feel confident running like that with a loaded cocked gun like that.

She could stop for a second & shoot him... I'm sure she could make the shot.

Oh wait she does.

Look up. He probably climbed it & is going to jump you from the top.

& he probably does climb it bc he managed to get behind u.

Why does he pick her up like that? If I were him I'd use my Cool Military Training to karate chop her shoulder & knock her out.

Ooh now that was a great scene, he flips her over his shoulder & she rolls & we see it from a bird's-eye angle of destiny long shot thing? So good.

There we go he finally kicks the gun away from her, but why kick with your foot? Kicks are not useful so high, they should always be low. Chi geuk or whatever.

She is really wailing on him & he is just Fine.

Kick him in the balls hun.

lol I slowed down the video & that kick was... well. Again, don't kick the face, kick the nuts. I cannot tell if he dodges it or if he gets kicked & doesn't flinch.

Also what happened there? She goes to attack him but the camera pans down & his hand is just kind of Out & she falls?

Solar plexus? Winded her?

XD the way he just picks her up

For a sec I thought they were going to kiss

Grab her gun & shoot her? Bro come on.

The people on the street was a good choice in filming this.

(why is he just waiting there?)

(I said that out loud & lil bro said "because he's Powafull!!")

btw where is eposito? Was he knocked out there? He didn't seem unconscious. If Becks got up & came out here, surely espt (even if he was unconscious for a few seconds) could be coming up to help... UNLESS MADDOX HAS ACCOMPLICES THAT ARE KIDNAPPING OR KILLING ESPOSITO RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK

KB: Just tell me who’s behind this.

As if there is One person, which doubtless there is not

CM: You’re wasting your time, Detective. You have no idea what you’re up against.

KB, hot af: Neither do you.

*tries a sort of double takedown which really just fails*

& now is the start of the episode. Why doesn't he kill her tho? Long live the king mufasa style?

Oh I see. She DOES catch herself for a moment on the big ledge, making her slow enough in falling to catch herself a second time.

Like you can see she readjusts her hand! She should start side-bar-ing to the balcony to her right.

Your fingers are surprisingly strong. She is doing all this flailing & readjusting & gripping that she should totally inch her way to the right

Ooh the music

Ooh a pushzoom

Maybe growing up with parents who rock climb made me too smart.

Losing one hand might make you swing which can be dangerous but girl Bring Your Hand Back Up. Hold on with TWO hands. Unless catching absolutely ruined your tendons so you can hold on as long as it is up there but as soon as your arm fell you can't pick it up again.

She is yelling for castle not esposito who is Actually There

I already went over the voices, but this time I went over them with my little bro. Whose voice did they use when? Was it Dever trying to sound like castle?

The wedding ring!

Also y'all, if someone is falling, you do NOT have the weight to keep them up. You need to anchor yourself.

See the only reason ryan did not also fall was bc ppl were holding HIM.

Again good music

(also upon slowing it down you can see the uh.. consistency in grabbing someone falling. Have you ever done that bar trick where you get someone to catch a bill? They cannot do it. In fact, we did a similar thing in biology class. They cut & zoom in a little bit. They make ryan's sleeve into beckett's sleeve somehow.)

Castle is not here babe. It sounded like castle bc you were on the brink of death.

& gates there. She looks mad, not concerned that becks almost fell off a building

At least someone else's hand comes in there too to help her up.

& NOW beckett reaches up her other hand.

See? they have ryan & the other one down low holding up beckett & then there are also (at least) two others who are holding THEM up.

The thing is, ryan would probably be too low to pull her up, he was just holding her up. The other one helped by taking off some of the weight & pulling so that ryan could reposition himself & use his weight to pull her up.

You can see tho that she stops *there* once her elbows are on the ledge. It is hard to lift someone up. They would need to lift her up enough that she can do a pullup & get her elbows on the ledge. Then they probably grip her shoulders/upper arms to help her up while she pushes up with her arms & gets friction with her feet. Then she would roll onto the ground. & THEN she would stand up & they would be face-to-face. I would honestly like to try out smth like this (in a safe environment) to see how it works for myself rather than my logic limited experience. I want more exp.

Ryannnnnn!

(again with the lighting)

I mean yeah communication is important babes. I'm surprised she doesn't fire them.

Also esposito looks so saddddd.

VG: Don’t you “sir” me!

XD idk why I find that so funny

they don't even wear uniforms tho lol.

Girl don't resign. Don't do this you're emotional.

btw esposito in the t-shirt is great.

She looked at the badge so fondly there before resigning.

Ooooof alexis' speech over this ending? immaculate.

Wow I really feel that.

oof she looks back at the chair castle sits in hhhh

(btw they took esposito's gun but not the extra magazines he has on his belt.)

*Esposito walks angrily past Ryan and grabs his coat.*

KR, sitting on his desk after watching beckett leave & now watching esposito get going too: Javi… I had to.

*Esposito leaves without looking at Ryan.*

(& then beckett takes the elevator but not esposito??)

*Ryan throws a book across the bullpen.*

(which like...??? we often see emotion here but he yote a book. What did it hit? Where did it go?)

Ugh the rain & Her SwingsSet! I looove the swingset location in this show. I read a fic after this scene recently & it was p good. ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/3122723 )

What song is this btw?

Self is a construct. You are a person made of all the people you surround yourself with. When mum & I make the exact same noise of sympathy at the exact same time, you know she raised me. When I adopt a new word into my vocabulary from a character on a show. When I make my tea the way a past friend taught me. When my brother gets a new fidget or display of physicality...

She ends it with always instead of putting the always first shfaskjdfhsdjkfhsjhf this episode aaaaaaahhh

"in our hearts that will be with us,, always."

See? Adults are meant to play too. xbox is not just for preteen to teenaged boys.

Eeeee he puts the tassle On His Lamp!!

Don't delete it don't delete it don't delete it at least send it to her before deleting it or smth hsdjhskjdh

(at least he still has the recycling bin lol)

Knocking on the door, it has been like one minute since she called. She was probably calling to say "tell your doorman to let me in"

(fun fact, according to that set design bonus feature in new york, caskett live a 5-10min walk from one another.)

YOU

FINALLY THEY ARE KISSING WHY DID IT TAKE FOUR WHOLE SEASONS.

Sorry for what?

YOU DIDN'T CARE?

yes YES this is GREAT

& the MUSIC

& the lightning+thunder & the closing the door

& HER SCAR (but no surgery stars from when they cut her open to fix her heart lol)

Oohhhhhh it is not the end!!

Wow man looks way younger

NOOO MADDOX IS HERE IN SMITH'S PLACE AAAAH ON NO

Why is there an obsession over kate beckett? She is surely not the only enemy of Them.

& that's the end of the season!

Ok I started at 10, it is quarter to noon, it took me two hours to watch like 15 minutes of show. Holy moly.

I need to get all the clips & bonus features I want & then I'm good to send this back to the library.

[molassified-minipak]

1. Helpless

The first time, Anaranë had known she was helpless. She cowered in the dark Scribes’ Guild, mangling her pipe stem in her nervousness as the sounds of battle raged around town. She was a civil citydweller! She had no business getting caught in anything bigger than a pub scrap! The bandits of this outlaw frontier cesspit didn’t seem to care, though. Ana had clutched her walking stick - because that’s all it was - and tried not to hyperventilate.

The next time was worse. They’d locked her in the tavern “for safety”. The town was empty. She couldn’t even leave to grab her tray of wares, prepare for the inevitable wounded! She shook and cursed and swept the whole building.

Eventually, she learns. Her walking stick becomes a staff. Her breakfast pan is reforged, fatally bolstered. She learns defense, a few dirty tricks. The gibberlings are the first to taste her ire, and she revels in the way they scream and shriek under her. No longer will she be at the mercy of every invading force that Misthaven suffers! Her apothecary goes longer and longer between raids! The townsfolk begin to seek her out specifically when their fae beasties grow problematic!

The trip to Unity had been… rough. Her staff was useless. Her engraved leather guard tore under the elemental onslaught. She fell. Helpless.

They’d lost Turin. Ana wished the fighters well, marketed her potions, locked up the shop as normal. Just another Misthaven battle. The injured, pouring back in through the gate, brought a gloom with them unfelt in town before. She attended the funeral; it was all she could do. Helpless.

They lost Misthaven. The tree, damaged; the barrier, obliterated. The temporal magic radiated through the buildings, tearing stone from floors and beams from walls. The place she’d clawed her way up from shame and abandonment. Her home away from home. She leaves with the rest of the Mistfolk, because it was all she could do. Helpless.

They lost Finch and Kalasta. She waits. She comforts Isaac and takes comfort from him; all she could do. Helpless.

They recovered Finch and Kalasta. Rather, someone else did. She’d been ready to go! She hadn’t been ready for them to come back. They flinch from others, curl into each other. They won’t take her potions. She comforts Isaac some more. Helpless.

They lose Isaac.