#actually NO screw the number shaped candles

[rillils]

what do you think our boys are doing on this special special day

honey!!!!! ILY💕 but also you caught me on a really low-battery kinda night, so this is the best i could do, but. BUT.

i think steve has plans. i think he wants today to be about self-indulgence first and foremost, and the most self-indulgent thing steve can think of doing, is spoiling bucky rotten since the moment bucky opens his eyes.

i'll tell ya what, i think bucky's getting breakfast in bed.

i think the first thing he's gonna see when he blinks his sleep-sticky eyes open is steve, not next to him in bed as he expected him to be, but carefully backing into the bedroom to hold the door open.

steve's almost bashful grin, blond hair still ruffled on top of his head, old t-shirt and pyjama pants riding low his hips - the entire, strapping 220 lbs of his bulk padding awkwardly into the bedroom with a tray of food in his hands: buttered toast, diced fruit, a nice hot cuppa coffee made just how bucky likes it, a tall stack of pancakes with a single candle sitting brightly right on top, steve's hand cupped before the little wobbly flame so it won't be snuffed out before bucky has a chance to see it.

sweetheart, bucky's gonna think, heart feelin' so tender you'd think he'd had it cooking in a crockpot all day long, sweetheart because that's his stevie through and through, and because that's often the first word on bucky's lips in the morning anyways.

i see steve carrying the goodies to the bed while singing 'happy birthday', a little off-key, a little giddy, almost tripping over a couple times 'cause alpine keeps winding her fluffy body around his ankles - she's a domestic hazard, really -

and when he sets the tray down in front of bucky, eyes twinkling with this youthful sort of hope, like a kid about to unwrap his own presents, and asks bucky to "make a wish, buck", his pink lips sweeter than sin, well bucky almost cracks and tells steve his best-guarded secret.

(it's not really a secret, not to either of them, not these days.)

(he don't need to make no wishes.)

(he's already got everything he's ever wanted, and it's right here, in his bed, offering him a smile and a candle to celebrate his life with. offering him the life bucky's finally happy to celebrate. the life they keep building together, adding to it one day at a time.)

i think they end up feeding each other little morsels of breakfast, like say: a slippery slice of strawberry, a piece of nearly-burnt toast dripping with jam, a forkful of pancake soaked in maple syrup. all sweet, all richly decadent. i don't think they end up eating a lot though, not right away.

they reach for each other, fingers nice an' sticky, lips shiny with butter and syrup, and somehow steve's slipping back under the duvet, nestling low, low between bucky's thighs,

and bucky's toes are curling, his whole body sweet, warmed by steve's mouth, arching into steve's kisses, his fingers licked clean by steve's searing tongue, and it's a good job steve doesn't mind getting his hair tugged on a little, bucky thinks a tad wildly - because when steve scoops some syrup off of the plate with his fingertip, and trails it languidly down the length of bucky's flushed cock just to lap it up with the flat of his tongue, bucky isn't sure he knows how to control his hands anymore.

[aros001]

First time read through light novel vol. 7. Random thoughts.

Through some kind of mistake, Rem had completely accepted Subaru, but he knew all too well that the Subaru Natsuki she saw was an ideal far removed from the real thing. Compared with the man she envisioned in her mind, the cards that the real Subaru held were few in number, and poor in quality—

But he learned, now that he stood at the playing table, no one cared about his personal problems.

All anyone in his position could do was try to win with the cards he was dealt.

This is sign I think Subaru has grown a little bit, though he is still growing. It's not about him, and Ferris later seems like he's trying to drill that into him a bit more later when Subaru wants to help with the battle preparations. It's good that he wants to help but sometimes he's unintentionally making things too much about himself, just to ease his own feelings. There are places where he would be getting in the way if he tried to help and Subaru's learning to accept that; to be patient and give his services where he can actually be of use, not just to help himself feel better. And damn, does he put that new maturity to good use in the big battle.

Originally, these negotiations had been Rem’s appointed duty. He could easily imagine how being unable to divulge her task to Subaru and having to speak with Crusch day after day had whittled away at her spirit.

Subaru had continually rotted by himself while the future of the Emilia camp had been entrusted to her—she must have suffered under that burden.

He hoped that in some small way, this victory repaid the girl whose feelings had supported him for so long; if so, then for the moment, that was enough for Subaru to be happy.

I really like this part. Again, it's not all about Subaru. He's acknowledging how much Rem's had to deal with while he was having his breakdowns and indulgences during his prior loops, and how much she still did what she could to support him in spite of it all. We're getting a little more that she does have a life outside of just Subaru and a little more added on to why he feels he's been so selfish. It really feels like he is now doing this for her. It's not like Subaru was completely self-centered before but I imagine there were times, especially with Emilia, where he wanted to help, but he wanted to be the one to help. He wanted good things for her but part of him cared more that he was the one giving them to her, verses her just getting what she needs in general. It's like how he couldn't feel happy that Otto was in support of Emilia first time he met him, though of course that was when he was at one of his lowest points.

And, of course, I'm absolutely reveling in all the sweetness of Rem supporting Subaru through his negotiations. Even if it's just holding his hand and reminding him she's there, he clearly appreciates the strength and courage it's giving him. Obviously they're not a romantic couple but this is the kind of stuff I love to see in romantic relationships. Just the basic comfort and support they find in each other's presence.

“...If I am gone, will you remember me just as long?”

“...I don’t wanna answer that. It’s bad luck.”

Speaking with a voice of dismay, Subaru gave Rem’s forehead a little poke.

When he touched Rem’s forehead, she smiled with a happy expression, almost as if she’d received the reply she had been hoping for.

Given something I believe I've been spoiled on for what happens later in the story (after where the anime leaves off), this feels like a very cruel monkey's paw bit of foreshadowing.

“Subaru.”

“...What?”

“I am fine with being your second wife.”

They were words to make a man unwittingly halt in his tracks.

When Subaru, unable to resist, looked toward her, Rem made a face like that of an adorable puppy, seemingly wagging her tail as she awaited Subaru’s reply.

Oh, good grief, just how far is this girl gonna—?

“If Emilia-tan’s a very generous first wife...”

“Well then, when we get back you must convince Lady Emilia. I shall try hard as well.”

Rem clenched the hand not grasped into a fist, very animated as she spoke with a smile.

Speaking jokingly like that broke all the tension, driving home to Subaru how weak he was. He truly couldn’t hold a candle to the girl.

I'm...going to have to see where the story goes from here, and how truly joking/serious Rem was with that second wife line. Just to put it out there, I don't really have a good view of polygamy. I'm always going to think that, 1st wife or 2nd or 3rd or wherever, someone is always going to be treated like second best and second priority. What they're receiving doesn't feel like real love and that's not fair to them. The only way I can see myself supporting a polygamous marriage in this series is if it's made clear Emilia and Rem are attracted to each other as well as Subaru and want to bang. Then it at least becomes three people who love each other as opposed to just "the guy and his two prizes".

So, first time you read this part in the novels or watched it in the anime, was anyone else afraid of the White Whale not showing up where and when Subaru told everyone it would? Like the world would just want to gut punch him one more time and have everyone think he's a fraud? I remember I was.

One theory I have for why the witch's scent grows stronger, not just when Subaru RBD, but also when he tries to talk about RBD is that maybe the witch likes when he acknowledges her "gift" to him. But she's also quite screwed up and doesn't like it when he tries to "share" what's between them, thus why she punishes him or those around him for doing so.

In front, behind and up above, he saw yet another whale-shaped figure high in the sky, scattering mist all around.

—The infinite mouths of the three White Whales laughed together, drawing out the despair of men.

Subaru, Crusch, the soldiers, everyone, etc.

Though pests had interrupted it, the White Whale’s mission was to cover the world in mist. This, too, was the command of its instinct, and doing so was the purpose of the White Whale’s existence.

One thing I've enjoyed about the various light novel series I've been reading is that, compared to their anime, I get a better idea of various characters' and monsters' mentalities. The best example I could give would be the goblins in Goblin Slayer (that they are not mindless creatures; that they know EXACTLY what they're doing to people and they enjoy it) and this bit with the White Whale is another good one. It seeks to cover the world in its mist and thus destroy/consume/erase everything (maybe?) And it doesn't know why it seeks to do this. It just does, suggesting there is something else, possibly the one behind its creation, driving it.

It's also interesting that, to the White Whale, the witch's scent is described as foul, despite the stories that she's the one who created it. This brings to mind a couple different theories.

Satella didn't actually create the whale. Someone else, perhaps one of the other six witches did or one of the archbishops.

Satella did create the whale but maybe used one of the other witches to do it. Puck did mention something about Gluttony when he sensed the whale approaching in the last loop.

Satella REALLY cannot tell the difference between positive and negative emotions, even more so than we were already led to believe.

Kind of cruel of Rem to trick Subaru into thinking she was dying, but at least we do get Subaru's completely true feelings out in the open. Back to the polygamy matter, I don't have a problem with Subaru being indecisive between Emilia and Rem or being in love with them both. It's not just that they've done so much for him, in which case the relationship would feel just like how Emilia described, just the two of them repaying debts to each other. Both women have been a hugely positive influence on Subaru's life. They've impacted it for the better and helped push him into being more of a man he can live with being, and it works the other way around too. It would be hard to imagine his story without either of them in it. I feel the same way with Code Geass in regards to CC, Shirley, and Kallen in Lelouch's story. It was the only "harem" series I've ever watched where I had trouble saying who the MC should end up with, because all three were irreplaceable in his life and story. Take any of them out and it loses a lot. Emilia and Rem are a similar case.

As Rem looked back at Subaru, now beside her, large tears filled her blue eyes. It was not being left behind that she feared. No, what she feared more than anything was—

“When you are in distress, Subaru, I want to be the one offering my hand faster than anyone. When you hesitate along your path, I want to be the one pushing on your back. When you challenge something, I want to be at your side, stopping you from shaking. That is—that is all I wish for. So please...”

Again, more great parallels between Subaru and Rem, as this isn't dissimilar to what he wanted to do for Emilia.

Wilhelm might just be the biggest example of a tsundere I've ever seen. Married a woman he loved from the bottom of heart for what was assumedly a decent amount of time...never freaking told her "I love you" until he finally killed the beast that killed her.

As for Theresia, it's definitely a case of why context is so important. She never wanted to be the Sword Saint. She only did so because she found purpose in saving as many lives as she could with the insane power she had (the whole "great power, great responsibility" chestnut). If Wilhelm is strong enough to protect and save people, to where her absence would make no difference, then she doesn't have to be the Sword Saint anymore and can live the life she wants. It's what makes it an actual kindness vs. some chauvinistic BS. Probably helps too that she'd already helped put an end to a long war, so she wouldn't have been needed as much anyway.

“So it is said. The existence and origins of demon beasts are mysteries to us. Some propagate in the same manner as ordinary living creatures, but some suddenly appear out of nowhere like the White Whale. Though, properly speaking, the only exceptions on par with the White Whale are the Black Serpent and the Great Hare.”

Oh...I'm so not looking forward to meeting those two. After how much tragedy just the White Whale caused, what the f**k are those things going to do? My money would be that whatever it is, it will hurt Subaru quite horribly.

This book potentially answered a question I had in my last post. The Witch Cult is after Emilia because they see her as an impostor of the Witch of Envy, or at least so the characters in-story are speculating.

Not sure how many people here are fans of Rising of the Shield Hero but after this I kind of want to see the White Whale and the Spirit Tortoise duke it out. That sounds awesome. Mountain Turtle vs. Witch Fish.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Re_Zero/comments/gub735/novels_first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_7/

[thebonerpit]

~*~ Santa’s Little Helper Pt.2 ~*~

(Part 1 here) And here’s the smut! Also posted this in full on my Ao3 here. Thank you everyone for your notes/reblogs/comments, it totally inspired me to continue this. Tagging: @rileyrosebelluniverse @tony-is-my-daddy @annoyingcatto @baly0110 @areluctantsblog @consciencecoward

Saturday arrived before Tony knew it, but it still somehow took too long to get there. Ever since Peter texted him he had been buzzing with excitement over their date. It was ridiculous. He was forty-fucking-six years old and he felt like a teenager before prom. Fitting, he supposed, since he was going on a date with an actual teenager. He shoved that little moral dilemma to the back of his mind and concentrated on getting ready. He didn’t want to look too formal because he knew Peter probably didn’t have much of a budget for dress clothes and he didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, so he settled on a simple black suit jacket, worn open over a white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and black trousers. Peter didn’t have to know the entire outfit probably cost more than a year of his tuition.

It made more sense to meet at the bar rather than Tony go out of his way to pick Peter up (even though he did make it perfectly clear he would). Peter’s only stipulation was that they didn’t go anywhere Christmas themed which Tony was perfectly happy to comply with. He chose a secluded little lounge at the top of a ritzy hotel that most people didn’t even realize was there, which made it nice and quiet most of the time. He saw Peter waiting downstairs outside and smiled as he approached.

“Pretty sure they would have let you wait inside, you know,” he said, noting how Peter was shivering slightly in his thin jacket.

“Oh! H-hey, Mr. Stark, I just—”

“Hi sweetheart,” Tony interrupted, leaning in to press a kiss against his cheek which made Peter shiver even more, “call me Tony, alright? Not that the whole ‘Mr. Stark’ thing isn’t a turn-on.”

Peter blushed and laughed softly. “Ok… Tony.”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

The lounge was small, decorated with dim lights, flickering candles, and a number of plush couches. There was one in front of a roaring fireplace that Tony made sure would be empty for them. A handful of people were relaxing with drinks in their hands, all engrossed in their own private conversations, and they didn’t even look up when Peter and Tony entered. Peter immediately wandered over to the window where there was a spectacular view of the city, and Tony watched with an amused little smile on his face as Peter quickly took a picture before coming to join Tony on their couch.

“Oh wow,” Peter whispered as he sank into the fluffy cushions, “this is so nice.”

“Mmhmm, you bet. Drink?”

“Um… I’m… I’m only 19…”

Right.

“Don’t worry about that, I’m here a lot. They’ll be flexible.”

He motioned for the waiter and ordered an old-fashioned for himself. Peter looked at the drink menu, brow furrowed, and eventually decided on something called a sugar cookie martini. It looked hideously sweet, the rim decorated with green and red sprinkles, and somehow suited him perfectly. The waiter nodded and retreated to the bar without a mention of Peter’s age.

“See?”

“Thank you,” he said, glancing up at him through his lashes like he did when they first met. It was devastating and Tony was sure Peter had no idea what he was doing with that look which made it even sexier. They made casual, pleasant conversation for a while as they sipped their drinks until Peter darted his eyes over to Tony and swallowed thickly.

“I, um, have a confession to make.”

“Alright… but if you tell me you’re a real elf I’m taking that drink away.”

Peter giggled and shook his head, his cheeks pink from the alcohol.

“No! That’s… no. It’s just that, um… I sort of… I knew who you were. Who you are. When I saw you last week.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. He knew he was pretty well-known in the tech industry for his robotics work but he wasn’t arrogant enough to think everyone knew his name… yet.

“It’s my roommates fault. His name is Harley. He like, worships you, basically.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I took the wrong college student out on a date then. What’s his number?”

Peter looked horrified until he realized Tony was joking and smacked him lightly on the arm, which made Tony laugh.

“He’s taking mechanical engineering and never shuts up about the robots you built. So, yeah…”

“Does he know you’re currently on a date with me?”

“Absolutely not! He would probably be here right now, talking your ear off about something called a DUM-E, I don’t know.”

Tony laughed again. “Well, I appreciate the honesty. But that means you’ve got an advantage. You know all about me and all I know about you is how good your ass looks in tights.”

Peter groaned and hid his face in his hands but Tony gently pried them away by his wrists.

“Nuh-uh, none of that, sweetheart. Tell me about yourself.”

So Peter did. And by the end of it Tony was pretty sure he was in love. Peter was sweet, and intelligent, and incredibly kind-hearted. He was an orphan, his family ripped apart by gun violence, and instead of letting it ruin him he volunteered at hospitals and group therapy communities for people who have been through the same thing.

“So you aren’t an elf, then… you’re an angel.”

Peter blushed furiously and busied himself with polishing off the last of his drink.

“Not at all. I just… I just like to help people, that’s all. I’ve done bad things, too, y’know.”

“Oh yeah? Like what, accidentally stepped on an ant once back in the fifth grade?”

“Mmmmm nope,” he said, flopping back against the cushions. He was starting to look a little hazy-eyed and yeah, that was enough alcohol for this one. “I didn’t wear those tights like you asked me to.”

Tony laughed and settled back into the cushions as well, leaning in close so their shoulders were touching.

“Not exactly a criminal offense, Pete.”

“I wore something else, though,” he said softly, biting his lip as he looked over at him. Christ, his dick twitched just from that one glance. Tony was done for.

“Are you going to share with the class?” Tony whispered.

Peter looked around quickly to make sure no one was in their general vicinity before shifting down a bit further and tugging at the hem of his pants. Tony watched, eyes wide, and his mouth went dry as Peter revealed the edge of what looked to be some lacy green panties.

“Fuck,” he rasped, desperate to reach over and touch that sliver of skin, warmed to a golden brown by the light of the fire.

“Is that… something you like? I didn’t know—”

“Pete, if we were alone I’d already have those trousers on the floor,” he said, leaning over and instead of touching his hip cupping Peter’s cheek, letting him stare into those big brown eyes up close.

“Then let’s go somewhere we can be alone,” Peter said. He looked surprised by his own boldness but held Tony’s gaze as he licked his lips.

“Yeah. Good plan. Big fan of that idea. Check, please?”

The Uber ride back to Tony’s wasn’t far but it took every ounce of his willpower not to lean over and have Peter right there in the back of the car. Screw his perfect 5-star rating, some things were more important. But they managed to get there, all the way up the elevator, and into his apartment before he grabbed Peter by his slim hips and pressed him up against the wall.

“Tell me if I’m going too fast,” he said.

“If you stop I might actually die,” Peter responded, his voice high and breathy as he wrapped one leg around Tony’s waist to pull him closer.

Tony kissed him like he needed his mouth to breathe, like Peter was keeping all the oxygen in the room behind those perfect pink lips. Peter moaned as Tony pressed his tongue inside and god, he tasted like rum and sugar and Tony was sure he was getting drunk off it. He felt slim fingers scrabbling at his buttons and managed to pull himself away long enough to stop him, which earned a particularly cute pout from Peter.

“Bedroom. This way.”

By the time they managed to get there they had left a trail of clothing on the floor behind them, Tony completely naked, although he waited until he was seated on the edge of his bed with Peter in front of him to unveil the pièce de résistance. He leaned in to kiss at Peter’s taut stomach as he unbuttoned his trousers and pulled them down to reveal the panties, now stained from where Peter was leaking against the front of them. His cock looked delectable encased in green lace, and even better was the view from behind. His ass was more perfect up close, framed by a heart-shaped cut-out in the back and topped with a red silk bow.

“A Christmas present I don’t even need to unwrap to get to… what a treat.”

Peter looked back over his shoulder.

“Please,” he whispered.

“Please what?”

“God, please, anything, I’d let you do anything,” he begged, wiggling his hips.

“Ok, fuck, I changed my mind again. You aren’t an angel, you’re an actual demon, sent here to tempt me to do very, very naughty things,” Tony growled, leaning in to bite at one plump cheek. Peter yelped but pressed back against him, and Tony left two more bites on his ass before flipping them around so Peter was bent over the bed and Tony was on his knees behind him.

“Give me your hands, baby,” Tony said, and Peter immediately obeyed which wow, ok, Tony would definitely be exploring that later. Tony put one hand on each cheek and leaned in to kiss the base of his spine. “Hold yourself open for me.”

Peter made a whimpering noise into the sheets but did as he was told, exposing his perfect little pink hole. There was a brief moment when Tony thought about teasing him, but he would have only been teasing himself. All he wanted was to taste that incredible ass, so he did. The first touch of his tongue made Peter jolt and whimper again as he spread his legs even wider. Tony buried his face in between his cheeks, licking and sucking and rubbing his goatee against Peter’s sensitive skin.

“Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck Tony pleeeeeease,” Peter begged. He was rubbing himself against the mattress, obviously desperate for some friction on his cock, so Tony reached underneath him with one hand to press his palm against his bulge. Peter groaned, now unsure whether to push against Tony’s hand or back against his mouth.

“You like that, baby, hm? You like it when I eat you out like this?”

“Yes, oh my god, Tony please don’t stop!”

Who was Tony to deny such a sweet request? He dove back in, spearing his tongue as deep as it could go, licking him out until Peter was literally dripping with his saliva. It was running down the insides of his thighs, making his pale skin shiny in the dim light of Tony’s bedroom.

“Wanna come like this, sweetheart?”

Peter managed to prop himself up and look over at Tony. He was an absolute mess already, lips bitten red and hair mussed up from where he had pushed his head into the sheets.

“Want you inside me.”

“That can definitely be arranged.”

Tony stood up (and hoped to god Peter didn’t hear his knees popping) and rummaged through his nightstand for lube and a condom.

“Can we… I’m clean, and on PrEP.”

Tony looked down at Peter who had crawled up into the centre of his bed and was laid out there like a little prince.

“Me too. Are you sure?”

Peter nodded, rubbing at his cock through the panties.

“Want to feel you. God, your dick is huge,” he groaned, and Tony smirked as he crawled over on top of him.

“Should’ve pegged you for a size queen,” he teased. Peter just giggled softly and wrapped his legs around him to pull Tony down for a filthy kiss. “Leave these on?”

Tony fingered the edge of the panties and Peter nodded as he reached over to grab the lube. He started slicking up his own fingers but Tony stopped him with a shake of his head.

“Let me do that.”

“Fuck, ok… please hurry,” Peter said, shifting underneath him so he could throw one leg over Tony’s shoulder which was an incredibly pleasing development.

“Flexible… yoga?”

“Mmhmm, and I dance in my spare time,” Peter said, shivering a little as he felt Tony’s fingers rub against his hole.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you,” Tony rumbled out as he pressed two slick fingers inside. Peter’s mouth dropped open in a high-pitched moan and he arched into Tony’s touch, immediately pushing down to get him even deeper. “Oh fuck baby, look at you, taking it so well…”

“Feels so good,” Peter whimpered, jolting up against Tony’s sturdy frame as he started working his fingers in and out, slow at first but then in a steady, unrelenting rhythm. Tony was hard as rock, rubbing himself against Peter’s leg as he tried his best to concentrate on opening him up. He was just about to add another finger when he felt Peter shoving at him so he slowed, confused.

“What—”

“On your back. Quickly. Want to ride you.”

“Yeah?” Tony asked, already complying with a pleased smirk on his face. “Is that what you like?”

Peter nodded as he climbed into Tony’s lap, pausing to adjust himself in his panties. The head of his cock was peeking out of the top and Tony couldn’t resist rubbing one thumb over his leaking slit.

“Ahhhh! Tony st-stop, so close,” Peter whined, reaching back to blindly grab for Tony’s cock.

“So desperate, sweetheart,” Tony cooed, taking pity on him and lining himself up. Peter flushed, suddenly self-conscious at how uninhibited he was acting, but Tony was having none of that. He held Peter’s chin in one hand as he rubbed the head of his cock against his fluttering hole. “Look at me. Want to see that beautiful face when you ride me.”

Peter gasped as Tony breached him. He was so fucking tight and Tony really should have insisted on working him open a bit more but Peter moaned in pleasure as he sank down on Tony’s thick cock, his own twitching and leaking in the confines of those gorgeous panties. Tony could feel Peter squeezing around him and he squeezed back with his hands wrapped around his narrow hips.

“Does that—fuck, d-does that feel good?” Peter asked, breathless, his fingers scrabbling at Tony’s broad chest.

“So good, Pete, so fucking good. Wanna see you come on my cock, baby, just like this ok? Just take what you need.”

Peter bit his own lip so hard Tony thought it might actually bleed as he started grinding his hips back and forth. The angle must have been hitting his prostate perfectly because he was soaking his panties, shuddering and gasping as each spurt of pre-come leaked out.

“Gorgeous,” Tony growled, spurring him on.

“Hahhhh, ah, oh my god, so full, so big,” Peter babbled, his head thrown back, brown curls bouncing as he moved even faster, thighs shaking from the effort. Tony reached up and tweaked his pink nipples, rubbing his hands everywhere he could reach. “More, more, more, touch me, please, oh fuck, Mr. Stark, please!”

Oh, this little minx…

Tony planted his feet on the mattress and started snapping his hips up, jostling Peter in his lap and making him practically scream. Thank god for soundproofing.

“You gonna come, baby? Gonna come for me?”

“Y-yes, yes, so close, don’t stop!”

Not even a world-ending catastrophic event could make Tony stop at this point. He was relentless, pounding up into Peter until he went rigid above him, nails digging crescent moons into Tony’s thighs, as he came with the most beautiful gasping moan Tony had ever heard. Sticky fluid covered both of their stomachs and Peter collapsed on top of him, squishing the mess between their bodies in what should have been an unpleasant sensation but now just felt filthy in the best possible way. Peter was shaking, and Tony rubbed a hand up and down his back to soothe him.

“You did so good baby,” he whispered. Peter whimpered in response and squeezed around him again.

“Don’t stop,” he begged, wiggling his hips and burying his face in Tony’s neck, mouthing wet kisses wherever he could reach. “Want you to come inside me. Fill me up.”

Tony groaned and his dick twitched, something deep and primal inside him sparking at the idea of marking Peter as his in that way.

“Are you sure, baby? You aren’t too sensitive?”

“I… I like it,” he whispered, now moving on to nipping at Tony’s skin. “Feels amazing. Like… being used, just for your pleasure.”

“Fucking christ, Pete, you’re going to give an old man a heart attack talking like that,” Tony gasped out, to which Peter just giggled and kissed Tony’s jaw.

“Pleeeease, Mr. Stark,” he begged. Tony could feel the smile on Peter’s face against his skin and he couldn’t resist any longer. He grabbed two handfuls of Peter’s perfect ass and held him in place as he fucked up into him, hard, lost in the intense sensation of heat and slick. All he could hear was Peter panting into his ear and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, and it didn’t take long before he was reaching his own climax.

“Ready, baby? Gonna fill you up, just like you wanted” he growled. Peter whined and clung on to him so hard he was going to have bruises as Tony groaned deeply, coming in hot spurts inside Peter’s wrecked hole. He nearly whited out from the overwhelming feeling of it all. Tony hadn’t come that hard in years and he was actually breathless for a moment, gasping for air over Peter’s shoulder as his dick twitched inside him.

“Oh my god, I can feel it,” Peter whispered, reaching back to press his fingers where he was still stretched around Tony. All Tony could do was huff out a weak laugh and cling weakly to Peter’s hips.

“I never thought I’d say this,” Tony managed to say in between heaving breaths, “but fuck am I glad I listened to my ex and took my kid to a mall Santa.”

Peter groaned and slapped at Tony’s chest pathetically, but Tony could tell he was laughing.

“What, you don’t agree?”

“I do but, um, I just thought of something potentially… problematic.”

“What, me having to explain to everyone that I’m fucking a 19-year-old?”

“No. You having to explain to Morgan that her dad is fucking one of Santa’s elves.”

[beanie-beebo-writes]

Highway To Hell

Series Summary: An all-too-real nightmare and a missing brother sends Dean, Bobby, and Cas on a frantic search. All the while, what may be a bad dream leads to a probable jump-start to Dean's true worst nightmare, Sam jump-starting the end of the world. Set in season 4; consider this a parallel canonverse fic

Previous chapter, Masterlist

Chapter 4

The drive was silent, which was expected. Knowing that made the atmosphere less awkward, but tension still remained on the surface. Castiel rode along with Dean in the Impala, deciding it would benefit more to keep the older brother company. Bobby lead the way in his pickup, to keep one of his good vehicles handy.

Cas would have offered to turn on the radio, but Dean seemed to be in deep thought, and he didn't want to disturb him. From what he had learned from being around the Winchesters, when Dean was distraught, you left him alone. Unless if he specifically asked for help, which was a rare occurrence. Especially if family was at stake, Dean was at a fragile state; he should only be pushed when necessary. And now was not necessary, so Cas settled on watching the passing scenery outside his window.

"We will find your brother, Dean." Cas reassured.

"And what makes you so sure?" Dean asked.

"Because he left on his own, and he's Sam Winchester." Cas said.

Dean stared back at the road, contemplating the angel's response.

"I hope you're right." He said.

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since the gas pedal was basically floored, they arrived to Ilchester within no time. After quickly settling into a random motel, they head straight into town. The clock in the car wasn't much use, but the sun told them it was close to noon by the time they pulled up into city parking. All three of them got out of their vehicles and met at the space between their cars.

"Alright, so I figure we split up, to cover more ground." Bobby suggested.

"I like that idea, let's go." Dean said, starting to walk away.

"Not so fast, boy!" Bobby exclaimed with annoyance. "We need to set up some plans first."

"Well, I say screw a plan, and find Sam." Dean said.

"We can't find your brother faster without a plan, and you know that. Use your brain Dean; remember, treat it like a usual case." Bobby replied.

"But this isn't a usual case, Bobby!" He said.

"I agree with Bobby," Cas said, "Sam is a subject, and we are searching for him. As you would with any other victim or monster."

Dean inhaled, trying to conjure up a way to argue back with this statement. But he couldn't, they were right.

"Before you can begin to argue, you're sticking with me this time around." The older hunter added.

Dean grumbled in annoyance. "So how are we exactly going about this?" Cas asked.

"Do you have a phone, Cas?" Bobby asked.

"No, I don't own one. I never really saw a use for acquiring one." Cas replied.

"Alright, well you can use mine." Bobby said, handing the angel his cell phone. "I think the best way to go about this, is to show them a picture of Sam. We have the resources, we might as well use them to our advantage."

Cas examined the cell phone with curiosity, as if he was from Mars. Dean rolled his eyes and waited impatiently.

"Dean, you have a photo of Sam, right?" Bobby asked after pulling up Sam's picture on his phone.

"What? Oh, yeah, I have a couple." Dean said.

"Recent?"

"Pretty recent. Plus, his looks haven't changed that much in a few years."

"Point taken. Alright, all set guys?"

"Yes." Dean and Cas said in unison.

"Good. Dean and I will take this way, Cas, you take that way. All you have to ask is if they have seen Sam, and show them the picture on that phone. Capiche?" Bobby explained.

"I don't understand." Cas said.

"What don't you understand?" Dean fumed.

"Capiche." Cas answered.

Dean rolled his eyes; Bobby glared at the elder Winchester.

"I just asked if you understand, and if everything is good. That's capiche." Bobby said.

"Oh, then I capiche." Cas said.

"Can we go now?!" Dean asked.

                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You need to screw your head back on, and get it out of your ass!" Bobby shouted quietly.

"I think I'm fine." Dean said.

"No Dean, you're not. Whenever you're without your brother, you spiral. I've raised you long enough to know that." Bobby replied. "Now focus, will you?"

"I am focusing!" Dean said.

"Well focus harder." Bobby said.

The two hunters first stopped at a concession stand, knowing the worker had likely seen all of the action. To their benefit, they had a few moments before lunch came around.

"Excuse me," Dean started, "Hi, we're agents Tolson and Hoover with Missing Persons. Have you seen this man around?"

Dean pulled out his phone, which was already on a photo of him and his brother, trying out their fathers' sawed off shotguns a couple years back. The concession worker studied the photo briefly, but intently.

"Not sure, but the face looks familiar." He said.

Bobby slid the man thirty dollars with a gleam in his eye. "Are you sure?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I did see him. He was a little out of it; he seemed like he was out for something. From what I could tell, that something was drugs." He said.

"Do you know where he was headed?" Dean asked.

"No, but he was actually going towards a store down the corner, he asked for directions. It's a small shop called 'Loretta's Spice Garden', you shouldn't miss it." The concession worker said.

"You're a big help, thank you." Bobby said as the two of them walked briskly towards the small shop.

                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas awkwardly wandered around the slightly busy town square. There were so many people he could ask for information, but they all looked like they were in too much of a hurry. He couldn't help but wonder how the other hunters did it, no one remotely seemed to care enough to give him even a few seconds. His eyes finally settled upon a woman lounging on a nearby park bench; he strided over to her with a spark of confidence.

"Hello, um, I lost a friend of mine, have you seen him?" Cas asked as he sat down.

She looked quickly at the picture and then focused her gaze on him.

"Well, that depends." She purred.

"What do you mean? It's a yes or no question.." Cas said.

"If you're willing to pay, maybe I'll tell you." She replied with a wink.

"Well, I don't actually have any money on me right now, but I could-"

"No silly, I meant a little personal time, in the bedroom."

"I guess I could accommodate that, when I'm free sometime."

"How about within the next seven hours, what do ya say, handsome?"

Cas blushed as the woman began to play with his loose trench coat ties.

"Um, sure, I could always stop in tonight."

The woman pinched his cheek and smiled seductively, handing him a slip of paper with a series of numbers written upon it. "I'll be seeing you later then."

As the lady walked away, Cas realized he had never felt so confused and heated at the same time.

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~

A bell above the door chimed as Dean and Bobby walked into the comfortably small store. They were greeted by a plump woman at the counter, who just put down a book on mythological creatures.

"Hi, welcome! How can I help you fine gentlemen?" She asked.

"Let me guess, Loretta?" Dean asked confidently.

"No, actually. Loretta was my mother's name; I'm Lanie." She said.

"Alright Lanie, we have a couple questions for you. We're agents Laurel and Hardy with Missing Persons. Have you seen this man around, recently?" Dean asked, pulling out his phone from his jacket.

Lanie put on a pair of cat-eye shaped glasses and peered at the picture of the two of them. Recognition instantly filled her face.

"Oh yes, he was here yesterday. He didn't look too well." She said.

"Did he buy or take anything?" Bobby asked.

"Well, he did buy a few herbs and some candles. I could pull up the inventory, if you want to know the exact items he purchased." Lanie said.

"That would be great if you could do that, please." Dean said.

As the lady walked over to her old monitor, the two hunters glanced at each other questionably. They leaned over the counter as she searched her recent inventory.

"From what I can gather, he purchased four red candles, a small bag of Ambergris, Frankincense, and Benzoin." She said.

"And you're positive that's what he bought?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, since I mark each time I count inventory. And I don't get a large amount of customers daily, so it's normally easy to pinpoint who buys what." She explained.

"Did he happen to tell you where he might be going?" Dean asked.

"No, sadly, but wherever he was headed, he sure made a haste to get there."

Dean's demeanor changed so instantly, Lanie was about to ask if he was alright. Dean anxiously eyed Bobby and nudged his foot.

"Thank you for your time, it really means a lot." Bobby said as they began to head out.

"No problem, I hope you find the guy you're looking for!" She called out with a warm smile.

At that point, Dean practically rushed out of the store block until Bobby pulled him to a halt.

"Dean, wait," He said when he caught Dean's attention, "where do you think you're going?"

"Bobby, whatever he bought, it didn't sound like ingredients for baking a cake."

"I get that, but we have to stay together. This could be dangerous."

"It's Sam-"

"As far as we know, we know it's Sam. For all we know, he's.."

Dean clenched his jaw and inched closer to the older hunter.

"Don't."

Bobby nodded, looking at the older Winchester with a hint of sympathy behind his eyes.

"I don't care what it takes, we will find your brother." Bobby assured.

Dean broke eye contact before tears could cloud his vision; the thought of losing his brother again, he couldn't process it. Where could he even turn? He could only hope Bobby knew what to do. Right on cue, Cas began to approach from farther up the sidewalk, hopefully serving as a brief distraction to the current situation.

"Hey Cas, find anything?" Dean asked when the angel was close enough to mumble.

"Well, I think I might have. A nice young woman offered to spare me some details later on. I tried to ask around, but everyone was too busy." Cas explained.

"Later on? Cas, you know we need details now, right?" Dean said.

"I know, but she did seem quite sincere." He replied.

"It only takes a couple seconds to answer a few questions, ya idjit." Bobby said.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm confused." Cas said.

A small smile crept onto Dean's face. "Wait, Cas, did she say why she wanted to meet you later?"

"Yes. In fact, she said I had to spend some personal time in the bedroom with her, which I found rather peculiar.."

Dean stifled a laugh that began to arise in his throat as Bobby rubbed his forehead awkwardly.

"Son, I believe you were just played."

"I'm sorry?"

"What Bobby is trying to say, is that she wanted some… um.. personal body on body action, from you. She probably has nothing that could help us at the moment."

"Wait, do you mean… intercourse?"

Dean sighed and deadpanned at the angel. "Did you really have to let the whole world hear it?"

"Well, I.."

"Never mind, we'll talk back at the car."

[kathyprior4200]

Helluva Boss Pilot: Gender Reverse

 Not too far away from Pentagram City lay a shady place in the bowels of Hell. “Welcome to Imp City: est. 1981” was posted on a worn wooden sign with a white painted eye toward the top. Under a crimson sky, a wide array of buildings made up the city, some with spikes on the roofs. Downtrodden imps of various colors and sizes mulled around the streets and ghettos. Mugging, sex, drugs, poverty, and murder were common aspects of their everyday afterlives. Indeed, being considered “lesser demons” and the “lowest of the low,” not very many had opportunities granted to them.

 Well, save for a unique family of imps, trying to get their business running.

 Just who were these imps?

  A nearby screen showed old fashioned numbers ticking down, 3, 2, and 1 against red.

 Elektriza, a red and white faced imp appeared on stage in front of purple curtains. Elektriza smiled in front of the camera with a row of sharp yellow teeth, her eyes yellow with orange irises and black pupils. The left side of her face was red and the right side was white. A prominent black mark was visible on her forehead, looking like an upside down lotus. Her long curved horns were black and white, the horns curving inward toward her face like a ram’s. A dark navy blue business dress graced her form, orange-pink buttons going down the center of it. The collar of her dress was white and her red undershirt had a round pink pin with a stitched up face on it. Her dress had several tatters in it. Navy blue gloves covered her hands and wrists, with a yellow eye decoration on each one. She also wore matching cowgirl boots, the tips of them the same pinkish color as her pin. A red pointed tail with a few white spots on it excitedly swished back and forth behind her.

 “Hi there, I’m Elektriz, the “a” is silent, and I’m the founder of I.M.P.!”

 The logo appeared in red sparkles over her outstretched left hand. “I.M.P.” was shown in bold black letters, the “M” shaped like black and white imp horns. Down below were words in red: “Immediate Murder Professionals.”

 “Are you a piece of shit who got yourself sent to Hell?”

 A small screen in the right hand corner showed Elektriza wearing a black cape and two black pointed hats on her horns. A monocle rested near her left eye. She was grinning in front of a burning house. The sign beside her read “orphanage for disabled neglected children.”

 “Or are you an innocent soul who just happened to be fucked over by someone else?”

 The next slide showed Elektriza in a white angel costume throwing a styrofoam cup into a waste bin next to a recycle bin. An old clerk with large glasses was working behind a desk in the background. Red pentagrams decorated the walls.

 The next clip showed a video of a tall muscular red demon talking in front of a camera. She was wearing a white shirt that read “Ohio” on it in red. A 666 News billboard was in the background along with a “Hella” sign and a beer poster. An imp held a wooden sign that read “Some person who hired us!”

 The red demon spoke, “After lovingly killing my husband for fucking a delivery lady, you can imagine my surprise when I wound up here, after the state of Ohio killed me.” She punched one of her hands with her meaty fist. “I really wish I could just stick it to that yapping charter who saw me hiding the body!”

The scene cut back to Elektriza who was shown holding an ornate Satanic ritual book. She was in a room full of white candles and skulls scattered on the floor and a white clothed altar with a round mirror on it.

 Behind her were her two employee imps, Moxxia and Millard. Moxxia had white messy hair and black and white stripped horns curving back in a zig zag look. Several white tuffs of hair rested beside her cheeks on either side. She wore a similar dark navy blue business dress like her boss, with the pink buttons in the center and the cuffs of the sleeves white. Moxxia’s face was red, and her eyes were big and yellow. White freckles dotted near her eyes and an orange-pink bow rested on top of her head between her horns. Her red and blue curved hooves were visible, as was her red pointed tail with a couple of black stripes on it.

 Finally, there was the other imp, Millard. Millard had a red face like his wife Moxxia, and also had big yellow eyes. His hair was short, black, and wild on top of his head. A white spot in his hair took the shape of a skull. His tall long horns were black with faint white stripes on them. The horns curved slightly past the back of his head. Unlike the other two, he wore torn black jeans and a black crop top shirt that exposed his red shoulders. His clawed feet and red tail were visible as well.

 “Well luckily for you,” Elektriza mentioned, referring back to the red demon desperate for revenge, “Thanks to our company’s special access to the living world…”

 She grinned and wiggled her fingers.

 Fwoosh!

 A fast explosive sound was heard and a flaming portal appeared inside the candle circle. The impact sent the other two imps scurrying away. She walked over to the portal.

 “We can help you take care of your unfinished business by taking out anyone who screwed you over when you were alive!”

 She smiled and fell backwards into the portal.

 The next image showed a white figure with an angry expression, arms crossed. A thought bubble was above the head with a red x over another figure. A red monster fell next to the startled figure. The camera panned up and showed the three imps arriving in a red circle. Millard stood with a spear in his hands, Moxxia held a gun and Elektriza stood with both her arms out. Elektriza’s arms made the “M” in the I.M.P. logo.

 The commercial jingle began:

 “Who you want somebody gone

And you don’t wanna wait too long

Call the Immediate Murder Professionals”

  Moxxia threw a grenade out the window, Elektriza and Millard covering their ears and smiling as it exploded. A picture of a growling Moxxia hung on the wall.

 In an office room, Elektriza grinned manically as she hung a struggling human from the ceiling. Millard held a piece of paper and showed it to Moxxia, who was sitting on a chair. On the wall was a flat screen TV, a rocker poster, and a drawing of Madam Zmeya, the snake inventor.

 Elektriza shocked a bond and gagged victim, Millard used a mace on another victim, while a scowling Moxxia choked a third.

 “Whether grenade or cyanide

We’ll make it look like suicide

The Immediate Murder Professionals”

 “We do our job so well

Because we come straight up from Hell”

 The next clip showed Elektriza mentioning for her partners in crime to follow her through a flaming portal in the wall. Millard happily followed, along with Moxxia, who tripped on a book as she ran through. The three imps appeared through the floor and did poses after Moxxia quickly stood back up. They fell silent as humans in a church service stared at them in shock.

 “We’ll kill your husband our your wife

We’ll even let you keep the knife

The Immediate Murder Professionals

 Kids die for free!”

  Millard was shown greedily eying a pink pair of ladies underwear while stabbing a naked couple having sex in bed. Moxxia groaned and looked away. Elektriza found a pair of boxers and help them up for a closer look.

 Elektriza repeatedly stabbed another victim’s head in a chair at a circus in Hell. “The Elektriza Extravaganza” was shown in bold black letters on a sign.

 The imps killed more people, torturing people with Medieval stretching, chasing victims with a shark, roasting them with gasoline and fire, smothering them with pillows, dropping a piano on them, and electrocuting them.

 A little kid with white skin, brown curly hair, black pants and an orange shirt with a ringed planet on it was strolling along licking a pink ice cream cone.

 Bang!

 The kid fell to the ground after Moxxia shot her in the back. The imps looked at each other in shock, believing they had killed the wrong target. The kid was rushed to the worst hospital in the city, one where the doctors carelessly treated the kid and only cared about insurance money. The girl was rushed into the emergency room.

 “Doctor, she’s not responding,” said a pink haired male, rapidly shaking the girl’s still form.

 “Who ordered a stat?” asked a female with glasses. She gave the kid hard chest compressions. “It didn’t do anything!”

 The doctor came in. “Damn it! We’re not losing another one! Clear!”

 The kid received a shock to the heart and she gasped for air.

 “Holy shit that actually worked,” the blonde spectacled doctor muttered.

 The imps sat in the waiting room, just outside door 66. The doctor came out to see them.

 “She’s in stable condition, but she’ll need surgery. Now what kind of insurance do you freaks have?”

 “The fuck is insurance?!” asked Elektriza.

 The imps, kid and bed were promptly sent crashing through a window, glass flying everywhere. Everyone screamed as they fell. Thankfully, a flaming portal was underneath them, sending the group back into Hell.

  Moxxia and Millard later sang a murder love song in their living room before the meeting. Moxxia played on her purple guitar as Millard watched her with love in his eyes. It reminded them of the good times when they would shoot at demons together in the streets, when they dragged a bloody sack behind them and when Millard got a grenade as a present and used it to blow up a building.

 Moxxia began:

  “Oh what a thrill when the crimson starts to spill

And my Millard goes in for the kill

He takes away my breath

He’s the angel of death, Millard

Oh Millard”

 “Everything is like a dream

When I hear his victims start to scream

When I go for the attack

He’s always got my back, on guard

Oh Millard”

 “When the blood starts dripping down the sides

And the bodies start to fall from the skies

My heart skips a beat

When my Millard’s guns a blazing in the night

He makes me feel alive in every fight

Through blood and tears, we’ll never be apart

He makes the murdering fun from the start”

  Both of them hummed before Moxxia finished,

  “Of all the imps in Hell…it’s for him that I fell…”

 Millard joined in at the same moment, “It’s for her that I fell…”

 “Oh Millard.”

 They leaned in for a kiss.

  They paused. Moxxia yelled, while looking out the window. Elektriza was pressed against the window with a video camera.

 “Are you fucking filming us right now?!” she yelled.

 Millard glanced over and sighed, as a smiling Elektriza held up a sign which read “Meeting in 2 hours: nice job banging yo’ wife!”

    Just before the meeting, Elektriza walked into the receptionist room.

 A white and grey male Hellhound was already there, Chandra the grumpy receptionist. He wore a grey-blue shirt with black strings making a downward Pentagram design at the top. His jeans were torn and black, his paws visible. He wore a spiked collar around his neck and rings on his pointed ears. His eyes were red with white irises and black pupils, eyes that seemed perpetually angry or bored.

 The rotary bone-shaped phone made barking sounds as it rang. The hound picked it up.

 “Hello, I.M.P.” he said in a gruff monotone.

 “Me and my wife got stabbed! Somebody help…”

 Chandra abruptly hung up and continued reading a Hellhound Monthly magazine in front of him. His breath smelled like meth and cigarette smoke. A hidden “to do” list in front of him read: “terrorize the werecats,” “go get a drink,” “hang out with cute Sobtiny at the hound rock concert.” He already imagined himself back in the comfort of his home, punching a punching bag with Moxxia’s face on it.

 Moxxia stomped over to the Hellhound’s desk, holding a “chub be gone” paper in her hand. “Did you just send me an ad for weight loss?”

 “No,” he replied.

 “Why would anyone send me this?”

 Chandra let out a small smile. “Come on. You know why.”

 Moxxia sighed, “You’re just awful!” before she wondered over to get water.

 “Hello Chandy!” Elektriza beamed at her adoptive son as she came over. “Did you enjoy my adoption anniversary present?”

 “I already fucking told you,” Chandra growled. “It was a bunch of spiders and not a cure for syphilis. So no.”

 “Aw don’t be such a liar,” Elektriza remarked in a playful tone. “Although I’m sorry that it happened, regardless.” Chandra growled out loud, clenching his claws.

 The phone rang again and Chandra answered it.

 “Elektriz!” he called. “That clingy rich asshole’s on the phone! Says it’s urgent and wants to talk to you!” Then he muttered, “Sounds a little D T F y.” (Down to fuck).

 Moxxia walked back in, standing by Elektriza next to the water cooler.

 “Oh god that was one time!” Elektriza called, spilling water everywhere. “We wouldn’t be able to have access to the living world, if I didn’t sleep with that privileged asshole!”

 Moxxia paused, confused. “You what?”

 “And…I may have stolen her book after we fucked. Man it was heavy. Yeah, I then fell off a balcony and landed in the king owl’s cake. Then I was like, ‘Sorry I fucked your wife!’”

 “Elektriz!” Chandra bellowed.

 “I heard you already!” Elektriza shouted back.

 The head imp walked over to another desk and gulped down a cup of iced coffee. She took a breath and sighed in satisfaction. “Ah, this stuff never gets old! My horse Thumbtack agrees with me.”

 “Your horse doesn’t exist,” Moxxia remarked.

 “Don’t you be mean to our boss like that,” Millard piped up as he walked over to Moxxia.

 “Don’t tell me that you believe her?”

 “I just find it amusing that she changes her horse’s name every day!”

 “That’s more like it,” Elektriza responded. “You see, we need more of Millard’s good spirits in all of us. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain someone to talk to before the meeting.”

 Elektriza left and opened the door to her office, the one where “Elektriza” was written with the “a” crossed out.

 Moxxia huffed. “Great, now I don’t have my avocado salad for lunch because someone decided to eat it.”

 She glared at Chandra who flipped her the bird. “I was hungover and hungry, alright?”

 “Why would you get drunk on a workday anyway?” asked Millard to Chandra.

 “Dumbass! I was hung over from this morning!” he replied.

 “At least I don’t go around kicking babies in strollers,” Moxxia scoffed.

 “Just admit it, everyone knows you’re a white-haired loser, Moxxia.”

 “So…” drawled Elektriza as she played with bobbleheads of Moxxia and Millard on her desk in her office. A circus poster hanging on the wall reminded Elektriza of the times when she performed with her two brothers, Tillo and Barb Wire. She was sitting in her chair holding her cell phone. “What can I do you for, Stola?”

 An owl princess lounged on a couch in her palace, holding an old rotary phone with wings on it. Her eyes were large and red, her round black hat had a gold crown on it. The hat also had red markings similar to her eyes. Long silky black hair fell past her shoulders, brushing her grey feathery wings. Her chest was fluffy and a silvery grey. A portrait shown a picture of the royal family: Stola, her husband and their son, Prince Octavius. A red robe with a fur collar was draped over her.

 The princess spoke in a British accent. “There’s a doctor that’s causing trouble up on Earth for a few of my associates. He’s trying to convince people that the Covid 19 Pandemic exists and to take extra precautions.”

 “Doesn’t it?”

 “Well, yes, but more people die when they’re being careless and nothing’s done about it. And though I hate being lonely…it’s getting overcrowded here. Frankly, the global warming issue seems easier to deal with.”

 “Okay well now that makes sense,” said Elektriza. A mug with “#1 boss” was on the desk.

 “You know what happens when I’m lonely or stressed, Trizzy?”

 “God fuckin damn it,” she muttered.

 The owl grinned, her eyes glowing red, she spoke a lot of curse words and terrible things. “When I’m lonely, I become hungry. And when I’m hungry, I want to choke on that big red…of yours…lick your…bite with more teeth…until you’re screaming…like a fucking baby!”

 A stunned Elektriza hung up from the “one night stand bird dick,” broke her phone in half, banged another phone on top of it, then mixed the pieces into a blender.

 “Here, eat this,” Elektriza said to Chandra who came in. The Hellhound guzzled it down.

 “And you know that bridge over the freeway?”

 “Yeah?” asked the hound.

 “Shit off it.”

 The imps currently resided in a tall office building that seemed to stand out among the other structures. Along with spikes jutting from the roof and sides, there were a pair of giant black and white imp horns attached to the sides of the building for decoration. The lights inside near the top floor were on.

 Posted on a door were the words “I.M.P. Headquarters” with “IMP Meeting in Progress” written on a piece of paper taped to the door, a smiley face off to the side.

 On a white board was a bar graph and a line graph, the line graph pointing lower at a drawing of a raging horned demon. “Fix this shit!” was written in big bold letters that took up much of the board. “Elektriza is the best, by Elektriza” was scribbled off to the side. Several tall chairs with spikes jutting from the top boarders were set near a brown table in the center of the room. A white pentagram was drawn in the center of the table.

 Elektriza began to speak, pacing back and forth. She looked toward her audience of two imps and a hellhound sitting on chairs around a table.

 “All right, now I know business has been…a bit slow, lately.”

 She mentioned to the board at the downward sloping line. “In fact, there seems to be less people seeking out our services; 1,056 in comparison to the 1,066 from last month. We’ve basically spiraled from the True Blue Market to that of the Raging Bull.” She pointed at the roaring demon head drawing on the board.

 “Shouldn’t it be the Bull Market is good and the Bear Market is bad?” said a voice.

 “Moxxia, nobody cares what you think,” Elektriza said, before continuing.

 “Any decrease could spell disaster for us, not to mention how lots of people use our services and yet look down on us.” Elektriza cleared her throat and spread out her hands. “Now, I’m not saying it’s, *cough* Moxxia’s or anyone’s fault…”

 Moxxia raised her eyebrows.

 Elektriza continued, “…but let’s discuss how we can improve. Now does anyone have any ideas on how to get business drumming up again?”

 Millard, raised his hand with a grin and shining eyes.

  “What…about…a car wash?!”

 “This is Hell, Milliard, no one cares about cars being clean here, okay?!”

 Just then, there came a coughing from the other room. A small cyclops demon with hot pink hair with a patch of yellow opened the door and walked in. He brushed off soot from his white shirt and waved at the group, who stared in surprise.

 “Hi, I’m Preppy! It’s nice to meet you all.”

 He darted around the room and began removing cobwebs from the windows. “It looks like there are two women, a man and a dog here, a nice balance.”

 Chandra, the grey hellhound glared at Preppy, narrowing his red eyes. “What was that, you little shit?”

 Preppy stopped in his tracks. “Now, did you guys need any cars to be washed?”

 Elektriza shook her head. “We don’t have any cars here, we’re broke as fuck.”

 Millard stared at Preppy and cupped his own cheeks with his hands. “Oh my Satan! He’s so adorable! Can we keep him?!”

 “No!” Moxxia and Chandra shouted at the same time. The two workers then glared at each other.

 Moxxia crossed her arms. “We’re in the middle of a meeting right now. Do you mind?!” She pointed to the door.

 Preppy laughed nervously, “Oh okay, sorry about that, hehhehheh. I’ll be outside if you need me!”

 He scurried out of the room.

 Elektriza paused for a moment, then said, “Oh right! Ideas for our company!” She waved her hands, eyes shining. “How about a billboard?!”

 Moxxia crossed her arms. “We can’t afford a billboard, mam’.”

 Elektriza rushed over and held Moxxia in a headlock. Her voice was rushed and sarcastic, “So helpful, Moxxia, I’m really glad you’re in the room right now.” She shoved Moxxia away.

 Elektriza stared in frustration. “Have you guys forgotten what service we provide?!”

 She picked up a remote and turned on an old fashioned TV.

 After static appeared on screen, the footage showed the group killing off individuals.

 Elektriza bashing a red demon’s head with a mullet.

 Moxxia shooting a blue person tied up to a chair.

 Chandra grabbing a red person in his mouth and shaking the person side to side like a wolf.

 Millard beheading a blue person with a spear and laughing.

  Elektriza watched with a relaxed smile on her face, holding up a blue bowl of popcorn. Chandra sat on the table, popping popcorn pieces into his mouth. Millard perched on the table, enjoying the show, but Moxxia stood off to the side with a grumpy face.

 Posters hung from the walls, one showing Elektriza and her two brothers, Tillo (an imp with short black hair) and Barb Wire (a smiling imp with ram-like horns.) It was a picture of them at a circus, the banner reading “The Amazing Imp Siblings!” Elektriza remembered the good times she had with them when they performed on stage. Barb Wire would balance on a tightrope, holding a pole with flames on either end. Tillo tamed and evaded manticores, dragons and other beasts that were released into the arena. Elektriza would sing songs about murdering people and they would all pose and bow at the end as the crowd cheered.

 That was before Elektriza moved on to form I.M.P., recruited Moxxia and Millard, and adopted Chandra.

 Elektriza moved a hand toward her chest and sighed with content. “Ah, those were good times.”

 Moxxia spoke up as Millard ate a piece of popcorn. “We don’t need any reminding, mam’, considering you blew most of our salaries on an obnoxious TV ad last week, one that you then additionally paid to have run for a full three hours on a channel, nobody watches!”

 Elektriza turned her head, insulted. “Hey, uh, excuse me?” She stood up. “What’s “obnoxious” about a super fun jingle, all right? It’s a fun distraction when an advertisement’s spitting bullshit.” She walked across the room.

 “People love musicals, mam’,” Millard added.

 Elektriza smiled. “Exactly, Millard, and we’re basically doing a musical.” Elektriza did jazz hands before pointing rapidly at Moxxia with a scowl.

 “Are you gonna crush my musical theater dreams like my mom did?” She lowered her head.

 “Mam’…” Moxxia began, but her boss cut her off.

 “Because right now, all I see is just my mom’s asshole talking to me, crushing my dreams of being, who I truly am inside.” She turned his head away.

 Millard leaned in toward his wife and spoke with a teasing tone. “Are you trying to crush her dreams, Moxxia?”

 “I…what?” she asked, looking at him. Millard leaned in close and stuck out his tongue, tail curling. “I thought I knew you.” Moxxia rolled her eyes; her husband loved to annoy her.

 Elektriza turned back to Moxxia, tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe you, Moxxia. And after I made you Employee of the Month.” She held a picture of Moxxia with her mouth open in a roar, snake tongue showing.

 Moxxia threw up her hands, “Okay, mam’ I’m sorry, but a commercial jingle is not comparable to musical theater. Nobody actually likes the jingles.”

 “I liked it!” Millard pipped up.

 Moxxia turned to him, finger shaking, “Do not…do not agree with her in front of me.”

  Chandra sat, bored, playing on his phone. Moxxia’s head appeared on the screen but was crushed by a weight and then blown up by a bomb. At one point her face was sliced in half as “boom!” flashed across the screen.

 Moxxia spoke, hands forward in front of her. “I’d like to go on record and say that incident with shooting the kid was Chandra’s fault. Dispatch is supposed to give us the right info on the target. It’s very simple.”

 “Oh sit on some boobs, Moxxia,” Chandra replied without looking up.

 Moxxia stuttered angrily, looking for a comeback. “You sit…sit on a…a…do your job!” She slammed her palm on the table.

 Elektriza scolded her. “Hey, now we don’t blame our screw-ups on Chandra, okay? He didn’t do anything wrong.” She hugged him and nuzzled her head against his cheek, the hellhound growling at her to get off.

 Moxxia stared in disbelief. “Are you kidding me, mam’? He’s awful!”

 “The point is, Chandra is a valued member of our family and we don’t get rid of families.”

 “We aren’t a family, mam’,” Moxxia pointed out. “You are the boss. We are the employees. You treat him like he’s some troubled teenager. He’s more like a meth-addicted homeless man you let run the phones.”

 Chandra flipped her the bird.

 “Now, that is offensive,” remarked Elektriza, walking to the window, pulling open the blinds. “Without homeless people, I wouldn’t have half the joy and laughter I do in this life.”

  Outside, a homeless imp with a broken horn and ragged grey clothing held up a sign that read “Monee helps. Satan Bless.” An imp man with black clothing and little bat wings blushed at Elektriza who waved and did a playful raise of eyebrows before closing the blinds.

 Moxxia crossed her arms. “While we’re on the subject of “family,” can you stop finding me and Millard outside of work?”

 “Come on, it’s not that big a deal,” Millard said.

 Moxxia’s eyes grew wide. “Excuse me…what?! She was in our fucking fridge! She was spying on me while I was asleep. And worse, she fucking filmed me and you while we were singing and about to kiss!”

 Elektriza giggled. “I still have it on camera.”

 “It’s fine, honey,” Millard replied to Moxxia, patting her shoulder. “The “spoiler alert, butter’s spoiled!” was a funny use of wordplay Elektriza used.”

 “No way,” Moxxia countered. “I had a great dream about my parents being murdered and Elektriza interrupted it.”

 “I was just curious,” Elektriza responded.

 “Just…stop…doing that,” Moxxia growled.

 “I don’t see what the issue is,” said Elektriza with a mischievous grin. “Something you don’t want me seeing?”

 “No!” Moxxia spat.

 “Your shaggy flower blossoms?” Elektriza asked.

 Chandra giggled under his breath.

Moxxia was fed up. “Mam’, what you say and how you act is totally inappropriate!”

 Millard pulled her down gently. “Calm down, Mox, you’re gonna have another panic attack!”

 “I am calm!” she yelled.

 Millard rubbed her head and soothed her. “Shh, there, there.” Moxxia whimpered.

 Elektriza spoke again with a childish grin, making a hole with two fingers and tapping the opening with one finger. “Look, I don’t judge the boring couple stuff you do outside of work hours, so don’t judge me.”

 Veins popped out of Moxxia’s yellow eyes. “Oh I do judge you, mam’. Quite a lot, actually.” She crossed her arms as Millard gasped in horror.

 “Mox, she’s our boss!”

 “No, it’s fine, Millard,” said Elektriza with a wave of her hand. “Your wife is just…how do I say this without being offensive…retarded.”

 “Does immaturingly insulting me make you feel better about your sad, single, life?”

 Elektriza leaned in toward Moxxia. “Yes it does, actually.”

 Chandra appeared to agree, because he added to Moxxia, “The only reason you have a husband is because you’re easy to manage.”

 “No she’s not, you turd!” Millard yelled, holding up two middle fingers.

 “Do not talk to my assistant that way!” Elektriza demanded. “He’s sensitive!”

 “Yes I am!” Chandra barked.

 Then a squeaky voice sounded from nearby: “You guys are all fucking assholes.”

 Everyone turned and stared at a girl wearing an orange shirt with a planet on it. She had curly brown hair, white skin and was connected to a monitor.

 Elektriza pointed at her. “Oh shut up, kid, you’re lucky to witness this.”

 Moxxia pinched her nose and sighed in frustration. “Ugh, this company’s such a mess!”

 “Did someone call me?” Preppy’s voice rang from the hallway. He opened the door a crack. “I can clean up any messes you may have!”

 “No!” Moxxia called. “Go away!”

 Preppy slowly closed the door.

 An awkward silence…

 “Alright, let’s get back to talking about my outfit!” Elektriza said out of nowhere.

 “Nobody was talking about that,” Chandra mentioned.

 “Which is why I’m trying to get that ball rolling, so how does it look? It’s good, right?”

 The kid ripped off the wires from her stomach.

 “It was hell pretending to be paralyzed so you fuckshits wouldn’t kill me, but now? I want that. I want death. You!” she pointed to Elektriza. “You’re a selfish, greedy clown. And I’m a kid! We’re supposed to like clowns…even the creepy ones!”

 Moxxia scoffed. “Hey now, that’s not very…”

 The kid cut her off. “If I wanted to talk to a spineless jackass bitch, I’d rip out your spine and ask you some shit.”

 Moxxia shivered in fear.

 “That’s my wife you’re talking to!” Millard yelled.

 The kid snickered. “That’s your wife?! I figured you for a man whore, but I didn’t know you needed it that bad! Fucking with an old lady, ha!”

 Millard fumed at his wife being called ugly and weak. To think that he would have sex with anyone else at random…

 “And you!” The kid pointed at Chandra.

 “Yeah? What about me?” Chandra asked.

 The kid crossed her arms and smirked. “Nothing. I don’t talk to dogs. I’m a cat person.”

 Chandra whined before turning back to his phone.

 “Wow,” said Elektriza. “You know, kid, you kind of are a piece of shit.”

 “Oh you gotta admit, she’s good,” Moxxia muttered.

 A ding came from Chandra’s phone. He smiled. “Oh fuck guys, I just got a text from our client. Guess she was the right target after all.”

 “Who?” Elektriza asked.

 “Her.”

 “Me?” asked the kid.

 “Yep,” he confirmed.

 “They wanted us to kill an actual child?” Elektriza asked.

 “That’s what they’re saying,” Chandra said.

 Elektriza grinned and twirled a gun in her hand. Her job just got more fun and easier. “Well Christ on a stick, I guess there is a god!” She fired and shot the girl in the chest. She flopped down dead with a yell in a pool of blood, smoke and sparks lingering in the air.

 Elektriza spoke about I.M.P.: “You know folks, with this company, I really wanted to prove that we’re capable of doing the same things anyone else can, like killing people. So from us here at the Immediate Murder Professionals group, we promise to settle your unfinished business or your money is gone and you’re never getting it back and you can write us a bad review but we’ll play dumb to it because it’s Hell and no one fucking cares.”

 Elektriza, Moxxia and Millard kicked the dead kid on the floor, enjoying themselves. Blood coated the floor and walls. Chandra snapped a picture with his phone. After the imps left with the body, Preppy came in and gasped.

 “Well, time to clean this up. What a mess!” He hummed a happy tune as he mopped up the blood at rapid speed.

 Elektriza and Moxxia wore gas masks and green suits as Elektriza sawed off the girl’s arm and Moxxia sawed her chest, organs spilling out into a sack below. Millard tossed an arm into the sack and Chandra held it open. Moxxia dropped the girl’s severed head inside and shared a loving smile with her husband.

 Etched in red graffiti on a dumpster behind them were the words “Devil,” “Hell,” “Happy Hotel,” and “I’m always chasing rainbows.” A pentagram, and wide smiles were also doodled on the surface.

 Elektriza embraced the entire group in a forceful hug, knocking the phone from Chandra’s hands.

 “You know, even though this kid was a target, she’s still a child. It’s important that we’ve handled this going forward, respectfully.” She wrapped her long tail around the group, all of them smiling genuinely. For despite all their problems, they were still a company family.

 Back in the human world, a crying blonde father wearing a pink shirt held up a paper saying “missing girl.” Below in large letters on the news was: “Dad sucks at drawing own kid!”

 The father spoke into the microphone, “Please, if anyone has seen my little Ellie…”

 He gasped as a sack dropped into his hands. He and the news reporter looked up to see a smiling Elektriza, Millard, and Moxxia through a portal up above.

 “You’re welcome!” Elektriza called with a wave before the portal closed.

 The father looked inside the bag and screamed. “My daughter! She’s dead! Noooooo!”

[ledlights67]

That happen to be Better? Dedicated LED Boat Lights or DIY GUIDED Lighting?

Boaters are a good resourceful and industrious collection. Together with the high costs connected with owning and operating some sort of sea going vessel, they have to be. Aside from typical maintenance, boaters spend the great bargain of time performing their upgrades and modifications, in many instances in an energy to improve the particular productivity, sturdiness, and safety of their particular vessels. Particularly when considering handling power, boaters may find all sorts of exciting ways to decrease their very own amp use create often the most of the electricity these people produce onboard. Whether it's changing some sort of terrain based solar array to marine usage, as well as removing the guts away from the LED walkway light source to create some sort of makeshift spine light, paddle boaters will usually get some sort of way in the event that some thing looks possible. However these kinds of creativity and advancement offers resulted in a lot of fascinating together with effective results, often it is a good thought to verify if the effort is definitely really actually worth every penny. Throughout the case of changing LEDs to the vessel, this kind of can be especially accurate. Regarding ten or so years ago if led lights really began attaining attention due to new designs being able to supply better than meager lighting output, boaters commenced noticing how efficiently this LEDs produced light. About a good boat, particularly smaller sized veins with limited electricity generation and storage functions, handling power use can be a important affair, and lights most too typically ends up going down patient to compromise plus rationing as the result. On a ship carrying only 600 roughly amplifier hours worth regarding power storage, the previous issue you want for you to be doing is jogging the set of spreader lights for several hrs, and you can fairly well forget illuminating the whole cabin for an total night. That is certainly unless an individual don't mind managing a noisy and fuel famished generator repeatedly. Since there are usually different units like radios, stereos, radar, live wells, and in many cases refrigerators and air conditioning products being used, lighting effects is usually considered the extra that can get work close to using lights, battery power powered lanterns, and even identical momentary light methods, in order to conserve electric power for more critical products. Whilst rationing will be OK together with effective, it takes a lot away from the enjoyment and advantage of your onboard lighting programs the way they ended up meant to be employed. Think about it, might the partner be more happy being able to commit time under units finding and catching up on a very good e book for a small number of hours under the light source of some sort of well lit cabin, or even would that they rather try reading by the lighting of some sort of candle or maybe low-priced lantern? This is the form of issue which offers led several paddle boaters for you to consider replacing their on the deck of lighting systems. Since methods of improving onboard lighting are usually limited, the introduction regarding LEDs has become quite favorite with boaters due in order to their very high efficiency in addition to long life. A new typical tungsten halogen cabin lighting pulling with regards to 25 watts and 2 . 5 amplifiers will create about 425 lumens of light output, although an HEADED light involving about 8 watts drawing less than a good amplifying device can produce the same exact amount of light. Plainly the LED holds a tremendous advantage in the efficiency division. When LEDs were very first getting noticed by means of boaters, the available automotive aftermarket DIRECTED boat lights ended up much and few between. Together with few options, paddle boaters started out testing with retrofitting LEDs into their active fixtures. While this was initially a good idea, this unique attributes of LEDs and their in that case even so moderate power and light top quality made it a struck as well as miss prospect. Paddle boaters had been finding the light-weight from LEDs too chilly in appearance, poorly allocated, and output below their particular expectations. Making matters worse yet, the voltage sensitivity involving LEDs meant it has been frequently essential to add resistors into the cabling circuit in order to avoid ac electricity spikes and changes from causing premature failing and even poor performance. A new last problem boaters encountered with this do it oneself deal with involved the online characteristics of LEDs plus the standard style and design of often the fixtures they attemptedto re-fit them into. In contrast to amoureux bulbs which portray their light over his or her entire surface, LEDs produce light-weight over the top associated with their floor, resulting inside the much tight ray spread. Fixtures made for amoureux bulbs just had been definitely not effective at distributing the light from LEDs well, leading to fixtures that while reasonably bright, performed not get spread around lighting very far or perhaps evenly. These early problems with diy LED transformation had a good deal in order to do with the early poor feeling boaters shaped with LEDs. It had been later when vessel light manufacturers began making accesories designed specifically together with LEDs that the technology definitely began to take keep among boaters. LED vessel lamps being made now feature older LED technology, with LEDs making much better light high quality plus much higher output. These kinds of LED fixtures can develop mild output that how it looks seems "warmer" like together with incandescent, and the end product has increased to the point where LEDs are now up in order to 50 percent more efficient the fact that they were ten years ago. Even better, typically the dedicated LED boat lights now available are specially designed to take into consideration the directional nature connected with LEDs, contributing to fittings of which radiate light-weight more effectively and over some sort of much bigger area, identical to this way the incandescent fixture would. Most likely the top advantage to be had with dedicated LED fishing boat lights is usually the simplicity regarding installation. Whereas before the practice it yourselfer had to wire, solder, and change their particular previous incandescent fixtures inside of order to accommodate LEDs, these new fixtures are usually direct replacement for previous incandescent units that require little more than attaching their particular wires and securing typically the light fixture with screws. While a great totally new LED fitting could indeed expense more when compared to a do the idea yourself retrofit, the discounts in time, durability, reliability, and even increased performance, actually much more than make up intended for the simple savings of any one time cash cost. Include that the superb efficiency and long life of the LED may reduce your fuel and maintenance expenses, as well as increase the over-all excitement from your boat, in addition to there really is little reason for boaters in order to carry on trying to retrofit outdated accesories to accept new ENCOURAGED lighting technology.

[feferipeixes]

Lucy Ann & the Lunch Bunch - Chapter 2

The year is 3512, and pro-nat ideologies are gaining a political foothold in the United States. It's not a safe time for preters, so Lucy Ann decides to lay low... by pretending to be a first grader.

She was planning on just waiting for this to all blow over, but, well... some old habits die hard. Don Pines would be proud, if a bit exasperated. That dummy Alcor would be proud too but he really needs to chill so she's going to keep him happily out of the loop.

Chapter 2: First Grade Is (Not So) Boring (link to chapter 1)

Thanks to @toothpastecanyon​ for being the best beta reader!

(See the most updated version on AO3!)

This fic uses underlined text to indicate dialogue in sign language, but Tumblr doesn't show the underlines on mobile for some reason. Recommend viewing on desktop or just reading it on AO3 instead.

===

“Okay, it’s time for school, and -- oh stars, this is an absolute nightmare, I’m, I don’t know -”

Lucy Ann frowned at Alcor. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Of course it will! I trust you completely!” He giggled nervously, but the twitch in his face did not dissipate. “But if anything does happen, I got a phone so you can call me -- I know they’re called communicators now, so don’t call them phones in public, it’ll totally blow your cover and they’ll take you away forever -”

“Tyrone.”

“Actually, screw the phone number, you know my circle, and Lane has it stitched into her coat, but I really don’t want her cutting herself to activate it, so you should stay with her at all times and be ready to offer some yourself, I’m sure I’ve got a lancet around here somewhere -”

“Tyrone.”

“Wait, what am I saying, you’re a vampire, that won’t work -- maybe I have some spare candles I can throw in your bag for emergencies, stars above how do I not have spare candles littered around the house -”

“TYRONE!”

Alcor froze, and looked down at Lucy Ann, who had a big scowl on her face. “Y-yes?”

“Dude. You need to calm down. We talked about this.” She climbed onto a chair to get a bit closer to his eye level. “We’re going to elementary school, not Florida. I’ve got this.”

“Yeah, but just in case -”

“Nope. I’ve got this. You promised you wouldn’t intervene -- we had a deal.”

He tensed up for a moment, and then let out a long, fake exhale. “Okay. You’re right. Please, just be careful, alright?”

Lucy Ann sighed, but her expression softened. “I can do that. I’m not actually a six year old, remember?” She jumped off the chair, and stood next to Lane, who had remained silent through the entire conversation. “She’ll be perfectly safe with me around, and no one will suspect a thing.”

Alcor smiled. “I know. I trust you -- you’re a good friend.”

“Whoa, a bit sappy in the morning, are ya?” She elbowed Lane playfully, and then winced when she remembered that Lane couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Lane, for her part, didn’t react to being elbowed. She did notice Lucy Ann staring at her, and signed “We go?”

“Almost,” Lucy Ann responded.

She turned back to Alcor. “She’s ready to go.”

“Okay.” He picked up two backpacks and handed one of them to her. “I packed you both lunches -- I know that wasn’t part of the deal but I wanted to make sure you had something you could eat.”

Lucy Ann rolled her eyes, but then smiled and slipped on the backpack. “Thanks.”

He smiled, and gave the other backpack to Lane. “I want a full report of the day when you get home, alright?”

“Yeah, you too buddy. Don’t forget your end of the deal. You better have some good ‘being a human’ stories for me, or you won’t be hearing a word about how boring first grade is.”

His expression faltered, and Lucy Ann watched his mouth flap open and shut several times. He finally tilted his head and put on a saccharine smile. “Of course! We had a deal, and I definitely haven’t found any loopholes in it. Nope!” He clapped his hands together giddily. “Now, I’ve put a few notebooks in your backpack, just to make sure you have enough space to record your thoughts about the day -”

“Bye Tyrone!” Lucy Ann interrupted. She grabbed Lane’s hand and pulled her toward the door.

“Okay, be safe you two!” He called as they left. “I’m- yes, I’m okay Lane, don’t you worry about me! Uncle Tyrone is going to be fine, just try and have a good day for me, okay?”

Lucy Ann glanced at Lane. She was staring blankly at Alcor, who was most likely talking to her telepathically again. Lucy Ann wasn’t sure why Alcor always spoke out loud when he communicated with Lane like this -- perhaps it was for her sake, but it didn’t really help all that much when she couldn’t hear Lane’s side of the conversation.

They exited the house, and walked to the end of the driveway. Lucy Ann looked back at the house to see Alcor pressed up against the front door, watching them leave. She snickered at how ridiculous he looked -- a grown man clinging to a screen door as if he was trapped in it.

Definitely funnier than a 6000 year old vampire going to elementary school.

They clambered on the bus together and sat in the same seat as before. Lucy Ann stared out the window and tried to watch the houses go by, but it wasn’t relaxing her like it had the day before. Alcor’s hysteria had set her a little on edge -- what if this wouldn’t actually be as easy as she thought? She was, after all, hiding from the government. If she couldn’t even be sure of her own safety, how could she be sure of Lane’s?

She turned to Lane and signed, “Who is your teacher?”

“Parsnip,” she replied, spelling out the name instead of using a sign.

“I didn’t see you in class yesterday.”

“I was at the ASL class all day. Today it’s only one hour.”

Lucy Ann frowned. That was a bit of a problem -- being in different classes would make it harder for her to look after Lane. She’d have to see if she could attend the ASL class.

---

“Alright, class, how about this one? Can anyone tell me what four plus seven is?” Hands went up. “Yes, Jimmy!” Hands went down.

Excitement turned to caution. “It’s, uhhhh, it’s eleven!”

Mrs. Parsnip smiled with a level of honesty that Lucy Ann could barely fathom. “Very good!”

First grade was boring. First grade was really boring. Lucy Ann knew this would be the case -- she’d been a first grader many times before. It never really sank in, though, just how tedious and draining it would be to sit in a classroom all day being talked down to like she was a child.

But then again, that was the entire point. Someone looking like her but acting like an adult would immediately arouse suspicion. No, it was better for her to blend in, tone down, and tune out. She could wait this pro-nat regime out and come up smiling on the other side of it -- after all, time was something she had an awful lot of.

Still, her grip on her pencil tightened in irritation every time she was asked to sound out a three letter word. Every time she was asked to add two one-digit numbers. Every time she was asked to identify different shapes. She couldn’t help but be jealous of Lane, who was getting to learn a language while she was stuck trying not to scream every time someone misspelled their own name. She felt it wearing away at her patience, but she couldn’t snap because she needed to blend in, not only for herself now but also for Lane.

So far, it didn’t look like watching over Lane at school would be much of a problem. Not only were they in the same class, but their names were adjacent alphabetically, so they were sitting next to each other. On top of that, the classroom had pair desks, which meant that she and Lane would be as close as physically possible for most of the school day. The only real problem so far was that Lane had the ASL class in the morning...

There was a loud creak. Everyone turned to see the door to the classroom swing open, revealing Lane’s small figure in the frame.

“Hi,” Mrs. Parsnip signed at Lane. “It’s nice to see you. You can sit next to Lucy Ann.” She pointed at Lucy Ann rather than spelling out her name or using a sign.

Lane waved at Mrs. Parsnip, and stepped into the room, followed by a tall man wearing tiny spectacles. Lane sat down next to Lucy Ann, and the man walked to the front of the class to stand beside Mrs. Parsnip.

“Class, this is Mr. Avenel,” Mrs. Parsnip announced, and the man started signing as she spoke. “He’s going to be helping us out this year by repeating what I say in sign language. Say hi!”

A chorus of “hi” echoed through the room, and Lucy Ann rolled her eyes. Mrs. Parsnip smiled, and went back to her lesson.

“Here’s another one! Can anyone tell me what two plus two is?”

Several kids raised their hands, squealing excitedly in the hopes of being called on. Mrs. Parsnip put on a show of thinking over who to call on, which was probably supposed to be fun for the kids but it made Lucy Ann feel like time was slowing down.

She glanced at Lane, who gave her a little wave. It was good to see her again -- she was a little more nervous about being separated from her than she would ever admit to Alcor. But Lane seemed fine, and everything was okay, except for the fact that she was so goddamn bored.

“Maria, how about you?”

The girl to the right of Lucy Ann grinned, opened her mouth, and then faltered. “Um… uh… it’s… oh I know this…”

“FOUR!” Lucy Ann screamed internally, “IT’S FOUR! THIS IS THE EASIEST ONE IN THE BOOK AND WE DID IT YESTERDAY!”

“It’s um… three!”

Lucy Ann’s head hit the desk. “I’m going to burn the school to the ground,” she thought. She wondered how long she could just lie on her desk before Mrs. Parsnip noticed and told her to pay attention. Not long enough, she was sure.

She felt Lane’s hand slide into hers, and an odd sense of relief trickled into her mind. Surprised, Lucy Ann picked up her head and glanced at her again, and got the same blank-faced wave as before. She returned it after a moment, and turned back to the teacher.

For whatever reason, the rest of the lesson didn’t seem so bad.

---

Lucy Ann took a bite of her sandwich, and gagged on the -- yuck, what was that, tuna? She let it fall out of her mouth onto a napkin. Alcor promised her a lunch that she could eat, and this definitely wasn’t it, which meant...

Shit. She waved frantically at Lane before she could bite into the other sandwich. “I have your lunch!”

Lane blinked and put the sandwich down. Lucy Ann peeked under the top slice of bread and... yep. Lane would not have enjoyed eating that. She handed Lane her lunch and started eating her own.

Lunch was a much needed break from the tedium of the classroom. It was still pretty boring, but at least she didn’t have to pay attention to anything at lunch. She and Lane were sitting at a table by themselves, which was unsurprisingly the quietest table in the yard. The other students were busy arguing and laughing with food in their mouths, and when they finished their lunches, they got right up and ran around the playground. Meanwhile, when Lane and Lucy Ann finished their lunches, Lane just held Lucy Ann’s hand again and the two continued to sit at their table without speaking.

Lane seemed content to just stare ahead into the distance, so Lucy Ann rested her head on the table and zoned out. There was a lot to think about, but she’d already been thinking about it all morning, and all of last night. What did she usually do to entertain herself when she hid out at a school like this? If only she had someone to talk to...

Lane's grip on her hand tightened.

"You're not human, are you?"

Lucy Ann looked up. There were two boys standing by the table. The first was about Lucy Ann's height, thin with very short dirty-blond hair, and was wearing something between a scowl and a smirk. The other was a bit stockier in a way that was strange to see on someone so young, had shoulder-length brown hair, and looked more bemused than anything else.

She frowned. "What?"

The blond boy -- the speaker from before -- grumbled. "You're not human. You're a preter."

Well. Getting her cover blown on day two of elementary school was a bit earlier than she expected. But this was a kid. Maybe she could still salvage this. So she put on a sickly-sweet voice and fluttered her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, that's not going to work. I can tell you're not human. What are you?"

Lucy Ann faked a cough. "I don't know. I'm pretty human. That's what my parents say, anyway."

She felt a squeeze on her hand again, and turned to Lane, who had a slightly pained look on her face. She used her free hand to sign "Are you okay?"

Lane cringed, but then nodded. "Who is that?"

“I don’t know. I’ll tell him to leave.”

Lane shook her head. “I think we can trust him.”

“What? Why?” Lucy Ann said aloud, confusion written all over her face. She spun around and was met again with the boy’s unblinking stare. There was something off about it, now that she thought about it -- something she occasionally saw in that dork Alcor: age, where it surely didn’t belong, behind the eyes of a child.

Maybe her cover wasn’t blown after all.

“Alright, Einstein,” she responded, shifting back into her regular voice. “You got me. I’m a vampire. What do you want?”

The brown-haired boy boggled. “Wow, really?” He elbowed his friend. “You’re really good at this.”

“Yeah, I know.” The blond one grimaced, not taking his eyes off Lucy Ann. “What’s your name?”

Lucy Ann frowned. “Doesn’t matter. You can call me Lucy Ann, though. What about you?”

The blond kid coughed, his expression broken for the first time since he’d started talking to her. “It’s, uh…” He scratched his head, and Lucy Ann raised an eyebrow. “Derek. It’s Derek.”

The brown-haired boy raised his hand. “I’m Andy.”

“Great,” Lucy Ann said, a hint of annoyance in her tone. “Oh, and this is Lane.”

She quickly relayed their names to Lane in ASL, and Lane waved at them. Derek flinched.

“What is she doing here?” he stammered.

Lucy Ann stared at him. “What are you talking about? She’s a first grader, just like me and you.”

“N-no,” he replied, looking surprisingly ill-at-ease. “She’s got a, well, uh…” He trailed off, and then went back to scowling. “Nevermind. It’s nothing.”

She raised an eyebrow. Andy shrugged, mouthing something that looked like “you’ll get used to it.” Next to her, Lane still looked pained but was otherwise blank.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lucy Ann signed at her. “Do you want to leave?”

Lane shook her head. “Tell you later.”

“Hey!” Derek waved his hand in Lucy Ann’s peripheral vision. “What are you doing?”

Lucy Ann fixed him with the most condescending glare she could muster. “Lane can’t hear you -- she’s deaf, so I’m telling her in sign language how much of a loser you are.”

He grumbled, and Andy smirked. “He’s not a loser, he just acts like one sometimes.” This just made Derek grumble even louder.

Lucy Ann rubbed her forehead. “Cool. Great. Now that we all know each other, what do you want?”

Derek slapped his palms onto the table and leaned forward in what was obviously an attempt at intimidation. “Tell me what you’re doing here.”

Lucy Ann, meanwhile, had to stop herself from giggling. “Whoops, looks like I have to tell you the whole story now! Guess what: I’m not actually six, I’m old and I’m pretending to be a kid because there are some meaaaan people out there who don’t like preters. Isn’t that sad?”

“You don’t need to talk down to me!”

Lucy Ann smirked. “Why not? You’re just a little kid.”

Derek looked mad enough that steam could have been coming out of his ears. “No, I’m-”

Andy put his hand on Derek’s shoulder, making the other boy flinch. “Hey, uh, someone’s gonna overhear us if you keep screaming like that. This isn’t really the kind of conversation we want people to overhear.”

“Fine.” Derek took a comically deep breath, and then exhaled. “The point is, we’re not really first graders either. Well, I am. He’s not.”

Lucy Ann boggled. “Are you kidding? Is the whole school made up of preters pretending to be children?”

Andy chuckled -- a gruff, deep sound that definitely didn’t belong in a first grader’s mouth. “I think it’s just the three of us. And, uh. Her, I guess,” he added, pointing to Lane. “Is she…?”

“No, she’s human. Nothing weird about her at all.” Except that she’s the reincarnation of an extremely powerful demon’s twin sister.

Derek looked ready to cut in and yell at her, but he stopped himself, instead crossing his arms. Andy, for his part, just looked confused again. Lucy Ann stared at the two of them, so out of place against the backdrop of first graders running around the playground, throwing mud at each other and screaming about boo-boo’s. First Alcor, then Lane, now these two?

Hiding from the government was going to be a lot more interesting than planned.

She took a deep breath, and turned to Derek. "So. What's your deal, then?"

His face twitched, and he responded in a sickly-sweet voice. "What do you mean?"

Lucy Ann rolled her eyes. "Okay then. What about you?" She nodded in Andy's direction.

He stepped past Derek and took a seat next to Lucy Ann. “I’m old too. I’m 28.”

“That’s not old. That’s not even old for a human.”

“It’s old for a first grader. And I’m not human. Well, I’m not completely human. I’m half gnome.”

“Oh.” There was an awkward pause. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“Thanks, neither did anyone else.”

Lucy Ann coughed. “Sorry, that was rude.”

Andy waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it.” Lucy Ann frowned, but let him keep going. “Anyway, I’ve been physically growing up like a human, just at a much slower rate. If I’m lucky, I’ll look like a teenager by the time I’m 60.”

Lucy Ann patted his back. “At least you get to grow up eventually. I’m a lot older than 28 and I still look like this.”

Andy shrugged. There was a squeak, and Lucy Ann looked up to see Derek with tears in his eyes.

“That’s so sad!” he said, voice and body trembling. “You don’t get to grow up? I want to grow up so badly!”

Lucy Ann’s jaw dropped at the jarring change in his behavior. Maybe this kid really was a six year old after all. She beckoned for him to sit with them, and he obliged, resting his head on the table and flopping his arms around erratically.

“Hey, Derek, it’s alright,” she said slowly. “I’m fine. Andy’s fine too, right?” Andy nodded. “Lane is, well…”

She glanced at Lane, who was staring very intently at Derek. She seemed to notice Lucy Ann looking at her, as she absent-mindedly signed “I’m still okay” at her.

“Yeah, Lane’s good too. Everyone’s having a good time.”

“Yeah, I know,” Derek replied, sounding annoyed. He scowled and sat up straight, any trace of having been upset completely gone.

Lucy Ann did a double take. “Was that a joke? Were you joking just now? I need to know. What?”

“If we’re all done with feeling time over here,” he continued, as if she hadn’t said anything, “let’s real talk. The three-” (he nodded at Lane and shuddered slightly) “the four of us aren’t supposed to be here. We need to stick together. And you can’t tell anyone else about us. We might be safe for now in this middle-of-nowhere town but that could change at any time. You understand?”

“Hey, who’s talking down to who now?” she retorted. The corners of his mouth started to curl up into a smile. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’m literally a thousand times as old as you, I know how to keep a secret.”

Andy blanched. “Y-you’re HOW old?”

Derek ignored him, and stared into Lucy Ann’s eyes. There it was again -- that aged look that made her question how accurate her previous statement was. “Good.”

There was the sound of a bell ringing, and Mrs. Parsnip called out “Alright, kids! Recess is over, it’s time for class!”

Derek stood up, keeping eye contact with Lucy Ann. “We’ll see you tomorrow at lunch. Let’s go, Andy.” He turned away and started marching off.

Andy, still looking a little rattled, waved at her as he got up. “It was nice meeting you. I don’t know sign language, but tell Lane it was nice meeting her too, okay?”

Lucy Ann nodded, and she gave him a little wave back.

“Come on, Andy!” Derek’s voice came from the side of the building. Andy smiled and walked off after him.

“What just happened?” Lucy Ann signed at Lane.

“New friends,” Lane replied. Lucy Ann felt something flutter inside of her.

Friends, huh?

Maybe first grade wasn’t so boring after all.

---

The bus dropped them off at Alcor’s house. Lucy Ann could see him at the door, pressing his hands and face into the screen in anticipation of their return. She really hoped he hadn’t been standing there all day.

“Hi Lucy Ann,” he said when they got to the door.

Lucy Ann raised an eyebrow. “Hi Alcor.”

There was a long pause.

“Were you thinking of letting us in anytime soon?”

“Oh, of course, yeah!” He disentangled himself from the screen door (were those claw marks she could see left in the mesh?) and backed up a few steps. Lucy Ann and Lane went through the door, and Alcor immediately scooped the latter up into his arms.

“Lane!” he cried gleefully. “How was your day, sweetheart?”

Lucy Ann pretended to gag, but Alcor ignored her.

“That’s great! I’m so glad you’re okay -- not that I had any doubt about it!” he added, grinning at Lucy Ann. He put Lane down and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll get you two some snacks!”

“I can get my own snack,” Lucy Ann grumbled light-heartedly. She and Lane followed him into the next room and sat next to each other at the table.

Alcor paused, and threw Lucy Ann an embarrassed look. “Oh, wait, no, not because you look like a kid or anything! Sorry, I’m still kind of in ‘work mode’. No offense.” He started rifling through the cabinets.

“Does that mean you actually did it? You got a job?”

“Of course I did! Did you really think I’d have a problem playing human?” He turned around, mock betrayal on his face and a bowl of red liquorice in his hands. “I got a job as a waiter at the diner on Centre Avenue. They were short staffed and desperate for some additional hands.” He punctuated this with a cackle, and set the bowl on the table.

“Alright, I’ll just pretend that wasn’t ominous. At least you’ve got something to do during the day, now.”

His expression immediately fell, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Well, uh… I said I got a job. I didn’t say I kept it.” Lucy Ann just stared at him, and he seemed to get even more fidget-y. “Turns out they didn’t like it that I wanted to shake hands with everyone who ordered food, or that I’d threaten people who left bad tips with nightmares. Yeah, I got fired before noon.”

Lucy Ann burst out laughing. “Wow, seriously? You’re worse at people-ing than I remembered! Looks like old habits die hard!”

Out of nowhere, a thought struck her like a slap to the face, reminding her that Lane was still in the room and had no idea what the two of them were talking about. She turned around and saw Lane just staring at the bowl of candy Alcor had set on the table. Lucy Ann gave her a little wave, and she looked up, expressionless but clearly bored.

“Do you want that candy?” Lucy Ann signed.

“No, I want carrots,” Lane replied.

Alcor, as usual, did not seem to notice any of this. “Yeah, yeah, get it all out of your system now. I’ll get another job tomorrow, which I’ll definitely be awesome at, and then who’ll be laughing?”

“Still me,” Lucy Ann replied. “Hey, why do you keep giving Lane candy? She clearly doesn’t want it. She says she’d rather have carrots.”

Alcor stuck his tongue out, and swiped the candy off the table. “Alright, fine, Miss. Parent-of-the-Year.” He rifled around in the fridge and pulled out a bowl of carrots. “Speaking of which, it’s your turn to tell me about your day. How was school? Was there any trouble? Do I need to go down there and take care of anyone?”

“No, you paranoid dork, everything was fine! It was just school, don’t you remember what school was like? There was class, and then there was lunch, and then there was class again, and it was all extremely boring, and I was right there with Lane the whole time.” Except for the ASL class.

Alcor put the bowl of carrots in front of Lane, who hugged his arm in response. He smiled fondly at her, and didn’t look up when he responded to Lucy Ann. “That’s it? Nothing interesting happened at all?”

Lucy Ann thought about the two “kids” they’d met that day, and what Derek had said before leaving. He didn’t need to know about them just yet -- they weren’t a danger to Lane and she had promised not to tell anyone about them. “Nope,” she lied, lips pursed. “Not a single thing.”

Alcor looked up from Lane and smiled the same sweet, genuine smile at Lucy Ann. “That’s good. Thanks for keeping her safe.”

Lucy Ann folded her arms behind her head and leaned back in her chair. “Yeah, well, I told you I could handle it,” she gloated, a big confident grin on her face. “First grade is boring.”

(AO3 link)

[wcmiunofficial]

WCMI (Unofficial): Ch.33 Goodbye May Seem Forever

((UPDATE AUG. 22 2019: All updates of this story will now be here as well.))

But if you want to leave, you can. I'll remember you though. I remember everyone that leaves.

‘Lilo & Stitch’, 2002

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

Alice was reading by the light of a lone candle near the window in her room. The fireflies were long gone as winter approached, which made her feel wistful for their soft glow that dazzled the summer evening skies. As winter's icy fingers crept across The Realm, Alice slumped into a depression she felt she couldn't open up to anyone about for fear that they may become overly worried about her. She also felt as if anyone she told wouldn't really understand the reasons behind her melancholia. So she spent the days preparing for a long and dreadful winter, practicing ways to hold up the perfect mask of normalcy to the rest of the world in the meantime. It would be quite awful, she knew. But, the comfort of a good book was usually helpful in the endeavor to lift her spirits, so of course that's where she turned to at night when there was nothing else to curb the nagging feelings of depression.

After awhile, a slow, hollow whisper on the wind blew into her room.

“'Twas brillig...and the slithy toves...”

Alice brought her eyes up from the book to look for the source of the singing, wondering at first if it might have been Reginald trying to serenade her from out on the lawn again.

“Did gyre and gimble...in the wabe...”

A dark ethereal voice echoed about her room from a source that was difficult to locate. It sounded as if it was all around her now. “What-” her words fell short as she felt compelled to listen. This song...was familiar to her.

“All mimsy...were the borogoves...”

Of course she knew this song! “Cheshire?” Alice inquired softly, remembering the plump, unusually colored feline she met so long ago.

“And the mome raths out graaaabe...”

What appeared before Alice was certainly a cat, but it was like a horrible version of the one she remembered. While it was still similar in shape and color, it was different in size and, well, everything else. His fur was ragged and was swept at strange angles. His teeth looked much sharper and jagged than Alice had remembered, too. But the biggest difference that she noticed right away were his eyes. Instead of the non-threatening usual cat's eyes he used to have, what gazed back at Alice in their place were wide, luminescent, color-changing orbs with slits in their middles. It felt as if the The Cat's eyes bore into Alice, to the very core of her being. To places within her she hadn't even known existed.

She shivered. The flame of the candle near her window was now put out, she'd noticed.

“Oh hello, Alice. What seems to be the matter?” the enigmatic feline questioned in an innocuous tone.

Alice struggled to find words at first. This terrifying thing staring back at her – no – through her, left her speechless.

“Cat got your tongue?” The Cat practically spat the words out and his rhetorical question spiraled into a fit of ghoulishly mad laughter before the creature composed himself long enough to let Alice respond.

“Who are you? And how did you get in here?” Alice asked, closing her book and laying it softly in her lap. She kept one hand on it in such a way that she could use it as a weapon, if need be. He was just a cat, but everything about him was so unnerving. As the flashbacks of this creature almost getting her head cut clean off started to bombard her thoughts, Alice figured it was better to be safe than sorry around him.

“Why, I'm The Cat, of course. You do remember me, don't you?” came his reply.

“I do. And that's why I'm only interested in getting down to the bottom of what you want so I can send you on your way. Preferably shortly,” Alice stated, shifting into a standing position to better see the cat in the darkness. Standing also offered her better leverage in case things went south.

The Cat's eyes never left her and followed her movements so intensely that it made Alice feel as if he could anticipate her every move before she made it. “Oh come now! We have so much catching up to do!” he shouted convivially.

Alice sighed and a look of annoyance crossed her face for a brief moment before she tried to compose herself. She would not let him fluster her this time. Coolly her answer swept across the room and tickled The Cat's ear: “All I want to know is what you want. So that I can go to bed soon..” She added, after a short pause, “Peacefully, I hope.”

A pointed grin glinted back at her from the dim room, illuminated by the moonlight. “Do any of us really ever know what we want, my dear?”

Alice put her book down and crossed her arms lightly, replying, “Well, yes. Otherwise no one would ever have any kind of direction in life.”

Laughter bubbled up in The Cat's throat and bounced around the room as he inquired in a sing-song manner, “Oh but do you know what you want?” His laughter came to an abrupt halt as his uncanny green eyes fixed tightly on her once more.

“Now what kind of a silly question is that? Of course I do,”Alice stammered. It felt as if she were facing off with him verbally and being swept around into a circle of confusion, much like when she came to Wonderland for the first time all those years ago. She began to feel small and helpless all over again. The Cat was just as frustrating to talk with as she remembered, too. This time around, however, she could sense something else in her more matured mind that she was not able to articulate as a child. The Cat, while it seemed he knew nothing when he spouted his nonsense, actually knew a great deal more than Alice gave him credit for. At any rate, The Cat was not a puzzle Alice dared to try and figure out tonight and she feared if she let him stay too long, mayhem would come knocking on her door in the wee hours of the night. Clearly, this was not a night that she was prepared to venture into anything like that.  

The Cat's body floated on the air and began to walk away from his now disembodied head. It danced about while his head stayed stationary in the air next to it. Alice's eyes flitted nervously between his head and the rest of him. The Cat yawned and his mouth gaped open like a forbidden portal of razors. Eventually he lazily purred in reply, “Hmm. I don't really think you know what you want. Anyone can see that you're so terribly indecisive. They say curiosity killed The Cat. But here I am, alive. And you? You're so very curious. It's killing you, isn't it?”

Alice froze. “What's killing me? Curiosity?” she asked the question stiffly, eyes wide as her emotional state teetered between fear and frustration.

“Not knowing,” said the cat. “The curiosity of wondering where you can be happy forever. What would make you happy, Alice? I mean truly happy. Here...or there? The bookshop? Your family?” The Cat's body had begun chasing its own tail at this point. “The Hatter?” he inquired lightly after a bit of uncomfortable silence.

Alice swallowed hard. She knew her cheeks were aflame because her ears burned as he went on. She wanted so badly for The Cat to leave. But it was killing her not to know where he was going with this. She was tired of feeling so very lost these days. With the hope that he strangely might be able to provide some kind of insight into everything if she could just ask the right questions, Alice pressed on.

“How do you know about all this? Has Reginald been talking to you?” she eyed him suspiciously.

“Quite the contrary! He nearly had my fur for a hat the last time I attempted to speak with him. If you ask me, I believe his ire is misplaced. He's mad and all, you know. Can't really trust his view on things,” a dismissive paw waved across the room as The Cat spoke.

Alice sighed. “Mm. It's completely his fault for not giving you a chance, I'm sure.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm which The Cat either willfully ignored or was truly unaware of.

“That is precisely what I have been saying. I'm glad we're on the same page!” he chuckled while his body began to dance slow circles around his head in mid air.

Alice couldn't help but be bewildered by this. Of all the magical things she'd seen in Wonderland, seeing The Cat's strange form separate, change shape, disappear, and any number of the other things he could do, would always baffle her.

She continued on. “I'm not quite sure where I belong or where my happiness lies at the moment, to be honest with you, Mr. Cheshire.

“So this is where you leave to The Other Side, naturally,” offered The Cat in a very matter-of-fact tone.

“I beg your pardon?!” Alice realized her voice was raised much higher than she had meant for it to be and she looked around for a moment as if someone were about to come in and chastise her yelling in her own home. In a softer tone she said, “What I meant was...how do you mean? I don't exactly belong here, but I'm not ready to leave Wonderland yet, really.”

The Cat's body came to a halt and brought itself around to connect to its head. Placing a paw on each side of his face, The Cat spun his head around on his shoulders as if to screw it back on.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before he turned to the full length mirror in Alice's room. Her gaze followed his movement and she noticed something strange. The mirror was beginning to glow a faint blue around the edges of the glass.

The Cat's voice broke through her state of awe. It was low and smooth. “Are you really so sure?”

Alice glanced back at The Cat and then at the mirror. He dipped his head encouragingly in the direction of the looking glass. Before she even touched the glass, she knew exactly what would happen. “I'm...I'm not ready to leave yet. I'm sorry,” she said softly, eyes still fixed on the glowing glass before her. The offer to escape and go back to living her old life was so tempting. Shedding the heartache and indecisiveness of her current life seemed like such a natural way to go. But something held her back.

* BANG BANG BANG *

A knock at the door downstairs snapped her out of the mental war she was busy waging on herself. “What on earth...Who could that be at this hour??” she looked at The Cat. “You stay here and don't touch a thing.”

* BANG BANG BANG *

In a flash, Alice tugged on her robe and donned her slippers before sweeping down the stairs to open the door. “Yes, yes! One moment!”

When she flung the door open, she came face to face with Reggie and her expression of anger dissipated into one of surprise.

“R-Reginald...” she stammered softly. Then she felt her cheeks get hot and the anger bubbled back up. “What are you doing making such a racket on my doorstep in the middle of the night? Haven't you any idea what time it-”

Reginald cut her off. “Alice, is everything alright? Are you safe?”

He seemed so worried. And at this point, Alice finally noticed that he seemed rather breathless. Beads of sweat gathered upon his forehead and his snow white, curly hair was disheveled. It was as if he had run all the way there. His concern melted her icy expression.

“Of course I'm alright,” she replied firmly but kindly.

He stood on his tip toes, looking into the house behind her, putting him unnervingly close to her. The Hatter didn't seem to notice as he worriedly scanned the room.

He was so close to her that Alice caught the combined scents of sweet spices, leather, and dried tea leaves that she'd come to associate him with. It was oddly comforting, especially after not having spent any time with him for months now. But this was all so much.

Hatter eventually stepped back and inspected the porch quickly, his eyes darting around suspiciously.

Suddenly, Alice could hear The Cat's voice in her head. “Just look at him. He's still madly in love with you. He's never going to leave you alone. You should do what's best and leave now, or you may never have the courage to.”

“Hush,” she thought. But a piece of her couldn't help but echo similar sentiments. That piece of her was much larger than she wanted it to be.

“What is going on? This had better not be some hare-brained attempt at trying to invade my home in the middle of the night in the hopes that I will fall prey to your wiles,” Alice spoke aloud to Reginald.

A switch seemed to flip on and the troubled man took a step back. Reginald cleared his throat and a deep blush spread itself over his befreckled cheeks. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I just thought...” he paused. Everything seemed to be alright. Maybe The Cat had never even gone to bother her and explaining the situation to her may have made it seem like he was indeed making something up just so he could trouble her doorstep and mind once more. Realizing this, Reginald sighed and said, “It's nothing. I'm so sorry. I just had a nightmare that something awful happened to you and I wanted to make sure that everything was alright, Cric- I mean, Alice.” It was half true. He had such a nightmare roughly a month prior to this where exactly that had happened. But it was an excellent cover for now, he thought.

Alice softened her tone a bit. “Oh. Well, that's...very sweet of you to come check on me, then. But as you can see, I'm perfectly safe. All in one piece. Fit as a fiddle.”

There was a moment of silence where the two just stood on the threshold of her home, staring at one another. In their eyes there was a longing that was evident to both of them as they searched each other's faces for the stories they told. Reginald could tell that Alice was still very much conflicted about everything. Her body language was stiff and reluctant, though her eyes called to him like he was the moon that she longed to one day touch, though never would because of the distance between them. It made his heart ache to know she was looking at him that way and there was nothing he could do to help her let her guard down so he could comfort her. He didn't want to be her moon. He wanted to be her Hatter.

His stunning ice blue eyes met hers with concern and warmth. Alice looked over Reginald and could nearly feel every word he wanted to say to her the last few months wash over her in a wave of unspoken affection.

Another part of her longed to embrace him and never let him go.

“You could only ever be friends if you plan on going back home, remember?” The Cat's voice came into her mind again. “When will that be? How much longer will you fight this battle? You said it yourself; you don't belong here.”

Alice was the first to speak. “It's late, Reginald.” A chilly, harsh wind blew through the door, whipping Reginald's curly tresses across his face and making Alice shiver. “You should go home now and get warmed up.” Reginald lowered his head in agreement. “Y-yes. You're quite right. You're shivering and I'd rather you be comfortable and warm, as well.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I suppose I shall see you whenever I see you.”

Alice hesitantly stepped back out of her doorway and nodded. “Good night, friend,” she responded quietly. And then, the door was shut. Reginald stood there in hopelessness longer than he cared to admit when questioned about it later on. After some time, the night swallowed him up and he was home with no memories of how he even got there the next day when he woke up.

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

Ears was enjoying a day sleeping in for the first time in awhile when a heavy rapping upon his door startled him into consciousness. * BANG BANG BANG *

The March Hare jumped out of bed and yelped as he hit the floor. “Whoever it is, this had better be good,” he shouted as he made his way to the door, still in his pajamas and nightcap. Reggie rushed into his home the moment Ears opened the door. Ears spun around in confusion as his friend thunderously and swiftly invaded his home.

“What is th-” his inquiry was cut short as Reginald launched into an anxious retelling of all the misfortunes from the night before.

After filling his dearest friend in on the series of events, Reginald finished with,“And now she must think me a fool for waking her up in the middle of the night with my nonsense. I think The ,” he caught himself and looked around warily before continuing, “C-A-T must have set this up to make me look like a desperate idiot in order to further drive her away from me.”

“Very likely, yes,” stated Ears bluntly as he went about the house making his morning tea while Reginald spoke. “I still think Alice may be in trouble, Ears. I have no doubt that if he hasn't already troubled her, he soon will.”

Ears shrugged and offered, “For what it's worth, I think it will be alright. She's got a good head on her shoulders.” “But she's not from here, Ears. She's not used to dealing with him. He'll probably drive her madder than, well, I am!” replied Reginald incredulously. Ears finished up preparing tea for the both of them and sat down at his table, silently beckoning The Hatter to have a seat as well. Reginald opted to pace around Ears' living room instead, it seemed.“If you haven't already driven her there, Reggie, I think she'll be able to handle him,” said The Hare finally before taking his first long and much-needed sip of tea.

Reginald ran his hand roughly through his hair and grunted in frustration. “That DAMNED Cat!” he exclaimed.

The Hatter clapped a hand over his mouth shortly after the outburst, but the damage was already done. A shrill, tiny cry sounded from the sugar bowl on the table: “CAT? CAT!!! CAT!!!” The dormouse scrambled out of the bowl in sheer terror, his tiny legs carrying him across the table as fast as they could go. “The jam, the jam!” cried Reggie as he darted toward the table in an attempt to corral the hysteric creature. Ears expertly sprinted to the kitchen and back in a matter of seconds, jam jar in hand. The two were able to pin down their little mousey friend, successfully coating his nose in jam, thus comfortably sedating him. Once he was back in his sugar bowl fast asleep, Reginald apologized profusely and promised to leave if Ears promised to keep an eye on Alice for him in the coming days since he himself was unable to without crossing her boundaries. Ears agreed, of course, stating that Reggie wasn't the only one who cared about her safety and wellbeing. The two parted and the next few days seemed to go by as usual. Ears lightly observed Alice for a few days before determining that things must have been going well for her. He witnessed her leave for work in the mornings and return home every night just the same.

Things seemed to go on as usual. Until a few days after that, when he never saw Alice leave or come home. The lights in her home were on, however. Figuring that maybe she had taken a few days to herself from work, Ears calmly informed Reggie of Alice's sudden inactivity for a few days in a row.

“What?? Why didn't you tell me sooner?” Reggie roared. “I'll bet The Cat got to her. What if he got her killed? I will have his pelt for a hat by the end of the day if he has so much as harmed a single hair on her!”

“Now, now. We'll just take a walk to her home and you can stay hidden in the treeline while I knock on the door and check on her. I think knowing that she is safe will put our minds at ease. The Cat isn't so dastardly as to intentionally harm someone for no reason, you know,” Ears reasoned.

When the two made it to Alice's home, they split up and took to their respective places. Reggie nervously fiddled with the leaves of a nearby bush as the third knock landed upon her door with no answer. Ears leaned against the door with an ear up to it for a moment. Nothing.

He called out to The Hatter. “Uh, Reginald. I think now would be a good time to get worried. There is absolutely no sound coming from inside.”

Of course Reginald was now on her doorstep in no time at all. Carefully, the two opened her door and called for their friend. No answer.

Reginald had just begun to devolve into a high-speed come apart when Ears pointed out an envelope addressed to The Hatter sitting on a nearby table.

He took a deep breath before opening it, fearing for the worst.

As soon as he took in the first few words, his heart sank.

“Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart's a memory, and there you'll always be.

Sincerely, Alice Liddell”

He was in the midst of searching for his handkerchief to dry the oncoming tears when a familiar and unwelcome voice purred from behind him, “Well, well. I think this is the first time I've ever seen you actually learning from a lesson. Don't worry. Not every rejection from a woman who denies you will feel as bad as this one did. Don't you think it's such a fitting punishment in return for being a notorious heartbreaker? Losing the one woman you actually ever did love? I promise you'll thank me later.”

Reginald spun around to witness none other than The Cat lounging on the coat rack behind the door, peering at him with those devilish eyes and smiling that insidious grin.

The Hatter dried his tears up almost immediately before his mood flipped over to overwhelming anger. “What are you doing? What is your endgame here, Cat? So help me, I will destroy you if you've done anything to her,” he snarled.

The Cat chuckled heartily. “Boldly challenging a god among madmen? You always keep me on my toes with your unpredictability and steadfastness. See, this is why I just love to meddle in your life when I have nothing else to fill my time.”

Reginald balled up his fist. Ears rushed to his side to hold him back from The Cat. “No! You don't know what he'll do,” the Hare cautioned firmly.

The Cat disappeared and his voice danced around the room while the two searched the room to no avail for any trace of the mischievous feline visually.

“You must understand that this has taken such a load off my shoulders. You and I both know she could have never stayed here forever. Things have just never been that way in The Realm. Allow me to explain. Have a seat.”

Two chairs from the parlor scooted themselves behind the bewildered pair's knees, buckling them backward into sitting positions. The arms of the chairs then stretched across their chests, holding them firmly down. Both Reggie and Ears struggled for a bit before deciding the point was moot.

“You see, if she would have stayed, she would have been the first person from The Other Side to stay here forever. And you know I have this fear of things ruining the balance between both our worlds. If it just so happens that she is like some of the other humans who have invaded The Realm only to threaten our way of life with greed, war, pollution, death, and famine, then there is no use to her being here. For centuries, I have helped maintain this land of pure whimsical joy and I would rather things stay that way. It's probably for the best that she is on The Other side for now. I can't say I didn't see it coming. It's always the same. Human wants to stay, but can't because they can't let go of their loved ones and natural way of existing. None of them will ever adjust to this world. Once they are on The Other Side, they eventually begin to talk about The Realm. Obviously, no one believes their wild tales and so the human almost always wants to come back to find proof of Wonderland that they can take back to The Other Side. But so far all of them have been unsuccessful in that endeavor due to me thwarting their attempts to do so. If the other humans on The Other Side who haven't been here don't know anything about us, it's for the best. I will not abide their selfish and destructive habits.”

The voice seemed as if it were coming from behind Reginald where couldn't see The Cat. This only served to make The Hatter angrier, and he was again on the verge of tears from the sheer helplessness of it all.

“You remember Gaston, right? He was such a bad egg. He died in The Realm because he was a selfish human who was not intent on staying in our world.  He landed here by accident, of course. As soon as he got acclimated to being here, he was determined to bring some magical prey back with him to show how victorious he was as a hunter. Along the way, he became utterly infatuated with Belle. You know her. Sweet girl. Anywayyyy”

The Cat's voice sung and Reggie struggled some more, tiring himself out rather quickly so he resigned to just listening now.

“So that muscled-up buffoon tried to win her over with the ulterior motive of taking her back to his world. Well, a lot of things happened, and then he got into a fight with Adam...and the rest is history. I'll let you in on a little secret: If any of these humans were to stay here long enough and choose The Realm without a single doubt in their heart, they would be made immortal, just like us. If they turn out to be terrible like that wretched hunter, then our world is doomed. A tyrannical, immortal human villain from The Other Side who seeks to bring our world to ruin is the last thing we need. People from THERE can't stay HERE without making the commitment to lose everything in the other world. I also have to deem them worthy of keeping a presence in Wonderland, as well. I am biased, though, since I tend to look down on humans greatly, as you may have gathered. I have never been wrong about a human so far. But that little bookfiend Alice...she  has a sort of special place in that old, dusty heart of mine. She did survive my madness the first time around, after all. I believe that she has the potential to stay and help Wonderland prosper, if she could just find a way to open up her mind. I think that girl may not be a good fit here unless she shuns most, if not all, of her upbringing. I wonder what she will choose. There are already a few smart, bookwormish, feminine types with their heads in the clouds that occupy the surrounding kingdoms...what makes her any different? I guess time will tell, won't it? But, truly, it is of no consequence to me which way this tumultuous affair ends. This is merely a game to me. One that I will always win. Rest assured, Wonderland will be safe no matter my decision. The forces that be have an eye on everything at all times in these matters. The fun has only begun...” he trailed off into a light laughter.

Reginald slumped into the chair, the gravity of everything now weighing on him heavier than ever. He finally began to weep. The arms of the chairs loosened until they settled down into their regular shapes,  setting the companions free. The Hatter sat forward, elbows resting on his knees with his head in his hands. “Aw come now. Cheer up. If she chooses to come back and is right for The Realm, you'll see one another again. The chances are slim, but there's always hope. Of course...you could follow her to The Other Side, maybe, to persuade her.” The cat paused for a moment, seemingly entertained by this notion. “Wouldn't that be interesting?”

Reginald didn't even look up as he stood, grabbed his things, and began to head out the door. Standing at the threshold of Alice's former home, he looked slightly over his shoulder to say, “If she wants to come back, she will. I just...want her to be happy anywhere she is. The choice is hers and I won't bother her, if that's what she wants.” He moved to begin walking again but then stopped for a moment. “Cat. I want you to leave me alone for awhile, if you're so inclined. I will not have the energy or will to engage you any time soon.”

The Cat's voice faded away as the two friends left the desolate house. “As you wishhh...” was his final remark.

The Hare's ears were perpetually pricked up throughout this whole exchange. As they sullenly walked home, Ears said carefully, “Reggie, I've never seen you like this. I...I'm so sorry. What now?”

“We go about business as usual. I can't keep ruining her life. It's time I've started to try to move on with mine.”

[jooheonspinky]

The Spirit Board

Character: Changkyun and Female Reader, ft Minhyuk

Word Count: 1.7K Genre: Halloween Thriller Synopsis: When Y/N finds an old spirit board while cleaning out her attic, will she still believe that spirits aren’t real?

Image Credit: @OfficialMonstaX

   “Come on,” she grabbed her best friend’s wrist yanking him forward before he had even fully stepped into the house. “I want to show you what I found!” She slammed the door, locking it before tugging her friend down the hall to her room.    “Can I get a minute to catch up?” he fussed. “You’re dragging me like some disobedient child!”    “Aish, Minhyuk, so dramatic!”    Releasing his hand, she rushed into the bedroom, plopping onto the bed. She tapped the tips of her fingers on her knees, waiting impatiently for him to finally join her.    “So, what is so urgent that you needed me here ASAP?” he asked as he dropped his messenger bag onto the computer chair. “This better be good.”    “Well, I was cleaning out the attic. My parents want to store some stuff up there so I needed to make space,” she started. “Anyway, I moved a box at the very end of the room and this board fell over.”    She pointed to the object on the bed. Both eyed the wooden board with its intricately carved details. There were celestial designs mimicking the moons and stars. The letters, numbers and symbols that had been shaped with such care had been filled in with an indigo ink. The planchette was also made out of wood and had a magnifying glass, surprisingly with only a few scratches.    “Oh hellll naw!” Minhyuk exclaimed as he jumped back eyes wide. “Y/N, do you even know what that is?”    “Yes, it’s a spirit board.”    “Exactly! A home-freaking-made Ouija board!” He shivered. “That is NOT a toy and we should NOT be touching it.”    “Oh, stop. It’s just a piece of wood with letters on it,” she brushed off his warnings. “Play with me. Let’s see what the hype is about. I’m sure it won’t move. This stuff isn’t real anyway.”    “I don’t…” Minhyuk’s eyes flicked from her, then the board, then her again. The skeptical look on his face that was laced with terror brought a laugh forth from Y/N.    “Come on, don’t be a baby,” she taunted.    “I swear to God, if ANYTHING comes out I’m sending that thing to haunt your ass!”    Minhyuk sat down, legs crisscrossed applesauce, at the opposite side of the board. Rubbing her hands together mischievously, Y/N straightened the board and placed the planchette in the middle.    “Ok, so we both have to put two fingers on this thing here and ask a question,” Y/N instructed. “Anything specific you want to know?”    “What spell did Y/N use to get me to do this?” he deadpanned.    “No, think of a serious question!” she whined.    Barely audible, Minhyuk murmured, “I was being serious.” Y/N rolled her eyes. “Fine. How about we start with who made the board ‘cause I can’t really think over the terror in my mind.”    Y/N scoffed, though she was not surprised at Minhyuk’s behavior. Placing their index fingers and middle fingers on the pointer, she closed her eyes. She could hear Minhyuk take a deep breath and let it out slowly as if he were trying to calm himself down.    “Hello, spirits,” Y/N began as she opened her eyes. “We come in peace.” She couldn’t help but snicker, earning her a glare from Minhyuk. Clearing her throat, she continued. “I found this board today and would like to know who created it.”    The two were silent as they peered down at their fingers and the planchette beneath. Just as Y/N was about to call bull, the pointer began to move, the movements jerky.    “Ar-are you moving it?” Minhyuk stammered.    Y/N shook her head watching Minhyuk’s Adam’s Apple bob furiously in his throat as he swallowed a few times.    “Stop screwing around. I know you’re trying to scare me,” Y/N laughed.    “I swear,” he whispered as the pointer continued to move.    “I…” they both read in unison. “M…”    The pointer slid down to the center.    “I M?” Y/N repeated allowed. “What does that even mean?”    “Initials maybe? For the creator of the board?”    The pointer shifted swiftly over the letters N-A-M-E then went back to the center.    “Oh, looks like that’s it’s actual name. Different,” Y/N mused. “Well, nice to meet you, I.M. My name is Y/N and this is-“    “Don’t you dare tell it my name!” Minhyuk whisper-shouted harshly. “Don’t you dare!”    “Oh come on, it’s friendly,” Y/N insisted.    Minhyuk refused to budge. “I said no. Once it knows your name it can have power over you. Haven’t you watched a scary movie lately?”    “Alright alright, sheesh. Don’t get your undies all in a twist!” Returning their attention to the board, she asked, “How old are you?”    The pointer moved down towards the numbers with no hesitation. Again, they read them allowed together.    “336,” Minhyuk’s eyes widened. “Wow.”    “Can you tell us how you died?” Y/N inquired.    Minhyuk whimpered, “Are you sure you should ask that?”    She ignored him, totally intrigued with the spirit communicating with them. She had never believed in spirits or much less that she could actually speak to one. This was turning out to be a pretty cool discovery.    The planchette began to glide smoothly over the letters and numbers again.    “S-H-O-T-4-M-R-D-R,” they repeated slowly.    “What does that…”    Minhyuk cut her off, “Oh shit! He said ‘Shot for murder’. He killed someone. He’s evil. We need to shut this down now!”    The pointer began creating figure eight’s faster and faster until they could not keep up with it. Y/N screamed, pulling her fingers away.    “What the hell!” she exclaimed as the planchette immediately stopped moving.    “What did you do?” Minhyuk jumped up frantically. “You can’t break away without closing the session. We didn’t say good-bye first. I gotta get outta here. I need to go.”    Minhyuk snatched up his bag and rushed towards the front door.    “Hey, wait!” Y/N called out behind him. “Where are you going?”    “I’m going home and I’m going to light some white candles and pray and hope that we didn’t just let an invisible murderer loose.”    “Minhyuk, it’s just a game,” Y/N insisted.    “Yeah,” he scoffed. “Right.”    He slammed the door behind him leaving a shocked Y/N standing in the foyer alone.

***

   It wasn’t until three nights later that she started to feel like she was being watched. She’d been sleeping and a sudden overwhelming feeling of dread over took her, waking Y/N from her slumber. Out of the corner of her eye she swore a black shadow stood near her closet watching her. The shadow was darker then the darkness in her room. Shifting to face her closet directly she no longer saw it and blamed Minhyuk for transferring his fears to her. He was definitely influencing her thoughts.    The next few nights noises could be heard throughout the house. Scraping sounds, like nails raking across her walls and doors opening and closing on their own. The lights would flicker on and off for no apparent reason.    Her parents were supposed to be arriving in a week and she was counting down the days to where she would not have to sleep alone. She was having a hard time sleeping. Minhyuk had refused to step foot in her home ever since using the spirit board and she couldn’t blame him. Not anymore.    When she began to hear a man’s voice she could no longer brush it off as any natural house noises. She knew then, that on the night she and Minhyuk had used the Ouiji board, they had released something into her house.    “Y/N…”    She was walking down the hallway when she heard her name. It was just the quietest of whispers, but even then she could hear the deep timber of a male’s voice.    “Who’s there?”    She couldn’t keep the tremor from her voice as she froze in place.    “Have you forgotten me so quickly?” the disembodied voice queried. “You break my heart, Y/N,” he tsked.    “I.M?” she wondered aloud as she looked up and down the hall.    “It is I,” he chuckled.    Trying to steady her fraying nerves, she took a deep breath before asking, “What are you doing here?”    There was a heavy sigh. “I’m so lonely. It’s so lonely here.”    She couldn’t help continuing the interaction though every cell in her body told her to run as far away from there as she could.    “Where are you?”    The space began to grow cooler. She felt a slick shiver of fear wrack her body as she peered down the hall towards her bedroom. There, where the light didn’t quite reach, she could see a silhouette that appeared to be drawing closer and closer.    “Purgatory.”    She gasped, “Purgatory?!”    “Yessss.”    He was nearer now. His voice so close and bringing with him a frigid air. No longer a shadow, she could now make out a young man. Quite handsome, though he exuded danger causing warning bells to tickle at her mind. She felt goosebumps prickle along her flesh as he smiled wickedly at her with glowing red eyes.    “What the hell are you?!” The fear crept back into her voice.    “I am what I am.”    She wasn’t aware of stepping back, trying to get away from him, until her back hit the wall. The terror that was beginning to consume her made it hard to speak.    “Wha-what do you want?”    She saw the board and the planchette clutter to the floor, momentarily distracting her.    “It’s quite simple dear,” he murmured. “I want you!”    His hand flew out, snatching her wrist before she could turn and flee. Though she knew no one would hear her, she screamed until only thick black darkness surrounded her.

***

   Minhyuk curls up in his bed, staring despairingly at a picture of himself and Y/N as the audio from the news channel his mother is listening to finds its way into his room.    “...no new information in the disappearance of Y/N Y/L/N who has been missing now for three weeks. The police have confirmed there was no sign of forced entry and are not ruling out the possibility that she may have run away. Her friend, Lee Minhyuk, stands by his statement. He alleges that Y/N had confessed that she suspected she was being followed and that the stalking began after they used a Ouiji board. He claims a demon was released that night and is the cause of her disappearance. He is currently seeking psychiatric help and is not a suspect. If you have any information on this case, you are asked to contact the local police at...”

Thank you so much for reading! Happy Halloween!

[themalicealyce]

Sarcasm and Puns: Chapter Nine

Summary:  You're an introverted person, have been all of your life but it wasn't as if you were shy, you were just content to have your only friends be your brother and your roommate. Though when your brother's young daughter makes friends with the human ambassador of monsters you open up to the idea of having a larger group of friends.

Rating: M

You very quickly began to regret your decision to take a taxi. The ride seemed to take an eternity, and you felt trapped, shackled into the backseat of the yellow metal prison. You found yourself gritting your teeth in annoyance, nearing the breaking point of shit you could put up with from the driver. It wasn’t just you, Vincent's entire focus was funneled into his phone. He was staring down at it so hard you worried it would burst into flame due to sheer determination to ignore the man.

“All I’m saying is, I think everyone would be more comfortable if they just kept to themselves." The taxi driver added to the lengthy rant he was on about monsters. Chuckling as if it was pleasant conversation he spoke again mimicking secret sharing. “Personally, I think they should just go back to that hole honestly, Right?” Even though the both of you ignored him, he didn’t stop. It was disgusting, you didn't even know there were that many racist slurs people had come up with for the peaceful race. “I mean seriously!” He chuckled jovially.

You checked the map on your phone again, praying to whichever deity in the sky that wanted to listen that you got there soon. You could feel your anger rising, calming yourself with the thought that it would really suck to go to jail on an empty stomach. Thankfully, whatever cruel force that was currently screwing with you must have grown bored because you saw you were approaching the restaurant. “Just drop us off on the corner here.” You directed trying to keep your voice even. Vincent let out a long breath beside you, some tension easing off his features. You however were still stressed and upset that you had to stay in the man's presence for even another second.

The driver had the nerve to scoff as you pulled in front of the quite honestly beautiful, rustic looking diner. "See, places like this, these monster-run businesses are bringing down this whole neighborhood." he sighed shaking his head sadly to himself only causing you to grimace further. "Careful as you pass by ma'am who knows what those things get up to."

Vincent reached out to you as if in a silent attempt to quell your rising rage. It didn't help, and he couldn't blame you, he did however scurry quickly out of the car without a word.

“Actually, this is my stop.” You forced yourself to smile as you tensely handed him his fair. “It looks like a great place for lunch.” You said in an eerily calm rage flinging the door open so harshly it bounced on its hinges back to you.

"You’re not really going in there are you?" his face morphed from utter confusion to contempt as he snarled, "That ain’t no place for a nice young lady." You stepped outside the car but leaned back in to get the final word "Maybe I’m not a," You rolled your eyes and said the next bit with air quotes. “’nice young lady’ but at least I am a good person.” With that you slammed the car door, something petty you couldn’t help but indulge in.

The taxi peeled away from the curb, and you allowed yourself another petty indulgence, flipping it off as it sped away. As soon as the yellow blob disappeared out of sight you sagged and exhaled wearily. You noticed a few people and monsters watching your outburst curiously, causing you to shove your hands into you jacket pockets and look down at your feet.

Vincent returned to his place at your side but instead of looking at him you just lifted your head to watch the calming movement and flickering lights from inside the building’s large window that spanned nearly the entire length of the wall.

Vincent shifted awkwardly from foot to foot before releasing an exaggerated breath of air "So Grillby's huh? How hot do you think that grill be?" he laughed nervously at his own joke.

You gave him a half-hearted glare that quickly became a smile. "I'm pretty sure that's the owner's name." you let out a small laugh as you bumped his shoulder with yours.

Sensing the tension in the air quickly evaporating he smiled and continued, "I repeat, how hot you think that Grill Be?" You rolled your eyes but continued to smile. "Come on dork, I'm starving." You said, walking into the building with him following at your heels as he giggled to himself.

Upon entering the diner, the bell hanging over the door rang causing all sorts of different monsters to look up at you and Vincent for a long moment. Most regarded you with curious expressions, but some looked wary to see you. They soon all returned to their activities, a wide variety of monsters all so different from each other ate, drank, played cards, and chatted happily together. A small group of humans sat on their own in one small booth tucked away in a corner curiously trying to study the monsters without looking at them for too long. You noticed the smell, standing in place for a moment to take it in. The aroma clung thickly in the air was like a mixture of a wood burning stove, burgers, and something sweet you couldn't put a name to. It was mouth-watering, and your stomach growled violently at the scent. Belatedly you noticed the warmth of the place. Glancing around you figured that it was probably due to the large number of people inside with help from the candles on the tables. Hunger mostly in control now, you pulled Vincent past the more crowded central area crammed with tables and booths and moved instead towards the bar along the back wall that looked like it was straight out of a noire film.

As you took your seat at the bar and glanced around in search of a waiter or bartender you soon laid eyes on what was probably the biggest reason why this place was actually this toasty amidst the bitter autumn weather. You leaned over to tell Vincent, but his eyes were already locked on the heat source.

"Oh. That hot." Vincent whispered breathlessly.

Fire. It took you a moment to quell your panic. The place was not on fire. The fire was man shaped. A thin, stately man who appeared to be entirely made of fire. The flames around him crackled and danced in an entrancing way that reminded you of watching the fireplace during winters as a kid. He kind of seemed overdressed for the venue. His neatly pressed black pants and matching vest looked out of place in a bar this casual and cozy, but it somehow fit the timeless vibe. He turned toward you a pair of black, neat rectangular framed glasses sat on his face making it clear where he should have eyes. When the man made of fire saw you he nodded in acknowledgment. It completely fascinated you the way he didn't have any clear facial features, yet you still got the gist of his expression.

“Oh, of course Vinny. You fucking pyro.” You rolled your eyes, but you agreed the man was very intriguing, and also kind of confusing. You once again had to silently remind yourself that magic was real even though it still felt very odd to think about, since you never used to believe in that sort of thing. Though, if a bartender literally made of fire didn't start to fully drive the fact permanently into your brain nothing else probably ever would.

As if drawn to you and Vincent’s intrigue the fire monster gracefully approached you dropping off a very short menu before flitting away again, giving you what you interpreted as an apologetic look as another monster motioned him over. Vincent pulled his leather jacket to himself and you knew he wasn’t cold, it was way too warm in here. It was a shy gesture, it was even easier to tell when he begun to curl up into himself. His social anxiety had to be hitting some pretty high levels.

You nudged him encouragingly, "C'mon dude, lighten up." you stage whispered to him in a playful manner.

You thought it was the overly crowded restaurant he was having an issue with, he didn’t really like talking to new people or large groups. Though you were hopeful he would have fun because he genuinely seemed more comfortable around monsters than other humans. He gave you that pleading stare, the one with those big round puppy eyes that only he could pull off that innocently. Once he was sure he had your attention his eyes quickly darted back to the fire elemental pointedly.

"Ooooh." The realization dawned on you suddenly and you saw the blush creep up his face. He couldn't speak up because he thought the bartender was cute. He gave you a weak nod in confirmation and you smiled comfortingly at him. "You can do it man. Go for it." you urged him on eagerly with a light punch to his arm. He shot you a glare, but there was no malice behind it. You returned it with a stern expression. Vincent groaned and swiveled back to face the bar in his stool. The man made of fire returned appearing very patient, though you seriously weren't sure if he was making these expressions or if you were imagining them since his few facial features seemed as though they would be impossible to read. You still felt as though you got the gist of what they meant.

Both you and the monster behind the bar patiently watched as Vincent took a moment gathering all of his courage, straightening himself out and sitting as tall as he could in his seat. Vincent offered the bartender a shy smile after clearing his throat.

"S-so uh... Has anyone ever told you that you look really hot?" Vincent finished, smiling a little brighter clearly a bit proud of his pickup line. You groaned barely resisting the urge to hide your face in your hands, embarrassed that he actually used that dumb pun to the barman’s face. You braced yourself for the awkward silence, but it never came. Instead you heard a deep chuckle rumble behind you.

"yeah, i'm pretty sure i have."

You jumped, startled at the sudden interruption, but Vincent nearly fell off his seat. His face was entirely red, and his eyes went wide in shock. You turned to face the speaker to find a short skeleton watching the two of you with an amused smile. He was about the same height as Vincent, he stood with his stands shoved into his baggie blue hoodie, standing in a pose that exuded casual ease. You quickly turned back to Vincent to see your friend’s face had grown so dark with his blushing it was kind of worrying. He let his head drop down on the counter with a dull thud and a defeated whimper.

The bartender’s breathy laughter drew the attention of everyone within earshot. It sounded like crackling logs in a bonfire, and made the air feel warmer. Vincent’s head immediately darted up, the embarrassment in his eyes replaced with awe. If he was a cartoon character, there would have been gleaming stars in his eyes. “Now, now Sans. Play nice with the new customers, unlike you they don’t have tabs yet.” It was the first words you heard the monster actually speak and you watched in amazement as his face cracked open becoming a mouth. The only word you could think of to describe his voice was… smokey.

“aww, c’mon grillbz. you know i ain’t gotta bone to pick with nobody.” The skeleton who must have been Sans shrugged, posture slacking even further as he did, slipping away to pull himself up onto a nearby barstool.

Wait, Sans? Why was that name familiar to you? Had you heard it recently? You were pretty sure that you had.

Then it clicked. You instantly felt stupid, a skeleton named Sans.

“Wait! Sans?” You asked aloud while frowning at the furnace like heat in Grillby’s, shucking off your jacket mid thought. “Are you Papyrus’s brother?” Turning away from your friend instead facing the ever smiling skeleton, you questioned the new monster at the bar.

He chuckled, it was a lazy but really pleasing sound. He turned to face you “who’s askin’?” His retort cut short as he made a strange choking noise.

Your eyebrows scrunched up in immediate confusion. You followed his line of sight from the bright white pinpricks of light that seemed to serve as pupils. They lead down to your now visible tee shirt. You weren’t even sure what you were wearing, having grabbed it in a rush this morning. When you caught a look at the design you couldn’t help but laugh, mostly out of nervous habit, as your cheeks glowed with a heated blush.

Standing out starkly from the black fabric was the design two white, skeletal arms wrapped around the shirt with their hands placed over your breast.

The atmosphere of bar was warm and inviting with the soft lights flickering dimly like candles, casting slowly swaying shadows across the dark wood paneling of the walls. All around, the ambient chatter and laughter reverberated happily through the large cluttered building and filled the space with life. Despite all the joyous noise and the general uplifting mood, you and the skeleton sitting beside you had fallen into a slightly uneasy staring contest after your nervous laughter petered out. Drawing your bottom lip between your teeth you couldn’t be sure how much time had passed since took your jacket off making the interaction tense. You definitely didn’t know what to say in this situation, you’ve honestly never encountered one like it before, so you just let the awkwardness hang thickly between you. Unable to stop staring at him you thought you saw his cheekbones turn a faint blue color, but it was gone so quickly you weren’t sure if it was some kind of trick of the light. He was first the break the silence causing you to let out the breath you didn’t realize you were even holding.

“gotta hand it to ya kid, that’s a pretty cool shirt.” His smile stretcher into an amused smirk as he gestured nonchalantly at the design.

“I didn’t even realize I was wearing it I am so so- Was that pun?” you asked in disbelief, your minding reeling at his reaction. Glaring when he began to laugh.

“nottin’ gets past you huh?” Sans shrugged settling into a far more relax position.

You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. So, you closed it again with a slight frown, staring at him while you tried to process. Was he making fun of you? Did he think you were dumb? Luckily you were saved the mental energy of overthinking it when an urgent nudge from Vincent.

“Dude, I’m starving.” He whined pushing the menu into your open hands, willing you to order quickly before Grillby moved on to another costumer again. You briefly scanned the, admittedly limited, menu. You wondered to silently over some of the stranger items that caught your eye, but you knew as soon as you saw a description that made your stomach growl embarrassingly what you wanted.

“The burger for me.” You smiled up at Grillby handing your menu back over to the bartender before glancing back to your friend who was nodding in passionate agreement. You waited a beat to see if he’d speak up, but he seemed unable to do anything more than watch Grillby in lovesick awe. So, you spoke up for him, “Make that two.” Taking Vincent menu, you offered it to Grillby as well.

Grillby nodded taking both menus from you and wandered off into a backroom that must of housed the kitchen.

Vincent stared after him as he left, and you rolled your eyes. “Can I take you anywhere without you crushing on some guy?”

He sputtered turning back to lightly slap your arm, his face turning red again. “I do not crush on guys everywhere! And I mean…” he paused his furious blush darkening. “HE”S MADE OUT OF FIRE WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO?”

You laughed at his flustered speech. “Of course, you fucking pyro.”

He crossed his arms in a huff “First of all, I am not a pyro… fire is just aestheti-“ he sighed cutting off his usual response. “secondly it’s not just, just that…” he muttered defensively pulling his jacket closer to himself once more as if trying to sink in it to get away from the conversation.

Taking pity, you relented from picking on your friend and instead you could resist the urge to curiously glance around the bar. You deeply regret not having your camera on you. When you caught sight of the skeleton sitting next you it caused you to groan, instantly mentally berating yourself for your pervious fuck up. You tried to come up with something to say to end the silence without sounding like an idiot or a jerk. He was your new friend’s brother, so you didn’t really want him to hate you. It was admittedly more for Papyrus’s sake than your own, you didn’t really mind people not liking you, though for some reason this felt different.

Your eyes grew wide at the thought of Papyrus, you suddenly remembered this is the shirt you put on when he was over earlier. You were instantly glad for jackets, sending a silent thank you for their invention.

“Papyrus didn’t see this shirt.” You blurted out in a matter of fact manner, not really to anyone in particular more just comforting yourself in that fact. Instantly you knew that sounded ridiculous, your stare boring into the bottles lining the back of the bar as if they had suddenly become fascinating. You could only hope it didn’t come out of your mouth as loud as you thought it did. Though, you were pretty sure he heard you because he choked on his drink, one of his skeletal hands shoot up to cover his mouth but doing little to help the amber liquid from spraying out and dribbling down his chin.

“m’sorry, what?” he asked voice rough as he tried to clear his throat, coughing slightly. His attention was now locked on you again.

“I uh, just realized I was wearing this shirt when I saw him earlier… and that just… feels weird.” You mumbled picking at the hem of your shirt, eyes darting from the bar to him over and over finding it hard to keep contact with those bright lights in his socket trained on you.

“so, you’re the new human tori was talkin’ about heh.” His head tilted a bit to the side and his eyes never wavering. He watched you as if he was searching your face for something.

“Um? Maybe, I guess?” you tried to smile but it was weak. “I’m kinda making a bad first impression, right?” you grimaced, remembering how dumb you came off to Toriel as well.

“God, which one of us is worse at meeting new people?” Vincent chuckled having been eagerly eavesdropping.

You left out a startled laugh a Vincent’s interjection, but before you could reply Grillby had come back from the kitchen with a plate in either hand. The smell alone made your mouth water as he placed them in front of you, and Vincent couldn’t help but stare at his burger lovingly at the big, juicy burger. Vincent even ley out a slightly pornographic moan next to you as took a large bite and nodded enthusiastically.

Eager to dig into your own you scanned the bar in search of ketchup. You pouted upon not finding any and you considered flagging Grillby back down to ask for some when something firm was tapped against you’re the back of your hand. Looking up you saw Sans, he had apparently figured out your dilemma and was leaning over to you, arm outstretched. He was holding out a glass bottle to you tapping it against your hand to get your attention.

You looked at him, not sure of what to say. He just shrugged at your silence and set the ketchup next to you.

“no need to bottle things up, you should speak up. plus, it looks like you need’a ketchup with your friend.” He nodded at Vincent who had already eaten half his burger with zeal.

You repressed an eye roll at his puns and nodded in thanks. Taking the bottle from the counter you moved the top bun aside and tilted the ketchup over the burger only to have the top fall off and a river of red spill from it messily coating your plate.

You could hear San’s laughing off to your side. You frowned at your plate, had he sabotaged you?

“sorry‘ll get a you a new…” He started, confirming your suspicions, but you shrugged to yourself and picked the top off your food and replacing the bun.

You took a big bite, you usually drowned your food in ketchup anyway.

Vincent grimaced looking up from his own plate. “Ugh, I don’t know how you can eat that. It’s disgusting.”

“Don’t you judge my burger.” You answered back. “You can’t throw stones, you put salt in your chocolate milk.”

Vincent slammed his burger down on the plate looking very offended at you comment. “A little bit of salt enhances the flavor of chocolate!”

You laughed and shook your head at his outburst. “It’s so wrong though.”

Sans chuckled, again catching your attention, and once he noticed he had it again his smile grew wider. “my condiments to the fellow ketchup lover.” He winked and brought the now half empty bottle to teeth and tipped his head back to down the rest of it’s contents like it was nothing.

You smirked at him amused, the food warm in you stomach making you more comfortable. His face fell for only a second to express disappointment at your lack of response. Probably hoping his drink of choice would make you squeamish.

“Well, I guess we have something in common, that’s a good start. I’m sure we’ll find out more thing we agree on.” You said.

He shrugged, the blue hood of his jacket bunching up around his skull. “if you’re plannin’ on stayin’round that long maybe.” His smiled dopily.

You were going to ask what he meant by that, but your phone rang out its whirring Dr. Who tone alerting you that your brother was calling. Your eyebrows furrowed together, not expecting his call. “Sorry I have to take this.” You apologized to Sans while fishing your phone out of your pocket.

“Hey Gabe, what’s up?” you answered your phone with a smile, covering your other ear in hopes it would make you hear better in the loud bar.

“Morrigan is asking about her mom again.” Came his voice, it sounded quieter and sadder then you had heard his voice in a long time.

The smile quickly slid from your face. “I’m on my way.”

He mumbled out some kind of goodbye response before hanging up.

“I’m sorry, I gotta go. Nice to meet you.” You said this time to the people on either side of you.

“What’s wrong?” Vincent half whispered in worry.

Pulling out the money for your meal, passing it to Vincent. “Gabriel needs me.” You said as you did, hoping he wouldn’t press further. You were doing all you could to keep yourself looking calm and polite.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk with you?” He asked hesitantly.

You answered with a look.

He sighed as he backed down. “Alrighty then, see you later.”

“Later.” You agreed. You hated the way your voice sounded so cold and stern. You leapt down from your barstool sparing Vincent and Sans one last strained smile as you pulled your jacket back on. You fled without another thought.

[hollenka99]

Being an August Baby

After having the revelation that I'm slightly older than someone I follow, I've started thinking aboug how being born in August is a freaking weird experience sometimes.

Sure, it's in the summer so you're likely to get warm, sunny weather. But it's also in the middle of the school summer holidays. In Junior school, we had this hat for kids who were having their birthday party that lunchtime. It was shaped like a birthday cake, candles and all. Most kids in my class would get to wear it on or within a few days of their birthday. The time I had my party? It was end of June/start of July so roughly 6-8 weeks before the actual day. Any presents I was given were promptly confiscated by my parents to save for my real birthday. And when you're 9 going on 10, a month of waiting to get something feels like forever.

Because we're born at the end of the academic calendar, one of us will be the youngest in our year group. This leads to claiming the title of 'Youngest in School' during Y3 and Y7 as well as 'Youngest of the Eldest' in Y2, Y6, Y11 and Y13.

It might have just been me but we're also possessive of our claim of youngest. I remember being 15, a number of months before taking my GCSEs and leaving secondary school, and learning that one of the other girls' birthdays was 2 days after mine. My attitude was along the lines of "No, Heidi can't be younger than me. That's impossible. I'm the youngest in our class". It's been four fucking years and whenever I randomly remember about it, I still get slightly annoyed at her. Despite the fact her only crime was literally being born and that event happened to occur a couple days after my own birth.

That said, we tend to feel proud if we find out someone was born after us. I had a friend in high school whose birthday was exactly two weeks before mine. She never let me forget she was a little older and an inch taller. She'd tease me about how I should respect my elders whenever she wanted to borrow a pencil or rubber etc. Good way to remember when the other's birthday was though.

Of course, I'll be starting my time at university in September so I doubt being older or younger than someone (especially when it's a matter of months) will matter quite so much now that I'm an adult. Besides, A Levels kinda screwed me over. I should already be in my 2nd year of my degree.

Whatever. At least I'll be a little older than my friends.

[sexstories-101]

How to Have Sex with Multiple People at the Same Time in a Relaxed Manner

The orgy invitation email appeared in my inbox unexpectedly, addressed directly to Gmail; whoever was in charge of the organization's public relations knew me personally. The subject line was enticing — "This St. Valentine's Day...," it read in the big text — and the email concluded by inviting me to "Come and join us on our voyage down the rabbit hole (or any hole you'd want)." I highlighted the message, allowing it to linger at the top of my priority inbox like a red mouth. After that, I pitched the story to my editor.

On the 14th of February, I washed my hair with lavender Dr. Bronner's, painted my toenails poppy-red, shaved my legs and labia while hopping on one foot in my tiny shower, chose a pair of silky underwear, and then carefully rolled on a pair of black thigh highs, which I clipped to a $75 garter belt I bought online my freshman year of college.

Then I put on a dress and proceeded to the indicated address, which was enclosed in a second letter and included a phone number. The wind blew up my skirt and moved between my legs in the cold winter air.

The book's title, The Bonobo Handshake, comes from the fact that bonobo monkeys greet each other with oral sex, which is actually cunnilingus. This is significantly superior to the human greeting of circular jerking. group Sex At Dawn, a pop-evolutionary psychology book published in 2010, made headlines for comparing human and bonobo sexuality; one of its primary points was that monogamy is against human nature. Birds do it, after all. It's done by bees. Even the trees participate. So, you want to screw? The argument is that our sexual preoccupations are social constructs, and it might be preferable if we followed the lead of bonobos.

The sex party was hosted in an apartment, with the host bringing us into a dimly lit living room with candles and a floor lamp set to its lowest level. In case you were wondering, we shook hands like humans, not bonobos.

The apartment smelt like incense, with smoke rising in white columns from pillars burning throughout the space. It was considerate of them to us something to make us forget how our bodies smelled while they worked. There was champagne and candy, conversation hearts mixed with boxed chocolates and caramels. Condoms and lubrication were also strewn over the place like sweets. I poured myself a glass of white wine, drank it faster than I should have, and then poured another.

I probably knew 10 to 20% of the folks in the room. We lingered with our glasses of wine, talking around the truth because we were all conditioned to think of sex as something shameful and private. We were getting itchy after standing around for what seemed like an eternity, fully clothed, conversing, and introducing ourselves. Occasionally, one of us would massage the other's arm or down the back in a long, smooth gesture. This would turn into a signal later in the night — should we? — but for now, it was merely a reminder of why we had all come.

Then, because I'm always the first to do things like this, I pulled off my dress and drew it over my head. Shirts and jeans popped off all around me like a chain reaction, turning the room a fleshier hue of heat. A couple who had arrived as a pair began kissing. A girl in glittery lingerie hung the heart-shaped insert that came with the box of chocolates and put the night's safe word — cacao, after the Portlandia sketch — on it.

    If you are looking for motivation to enhance your sexual drive.

Kindly visit https://porno19.com/ a Vietnam porn website about group sex movies

[wenqtranslations]

Mo Dao Zu Shi 魔道祖师 - Chapter 3

魔道祖师 Translation Project by 杨文秋 （为了学读中文）

It’s actually incredible how fast reading improves your language skills. I have to admit, I’m already on chapter 12 (edit: just finished reading chapter 12, it’s freaking beautiful I’m in tears). I did half the translation for this chapter while I was reading it, then I came back to it this morning and finished it off -- some of the paragraphs I’d puzzled over in my first parse suddenly made sense! Anyway, enough excitement from me X)

Recently I’ve been reading Donald Keene’s translation of Osamu Dazai’s seminal works (finished “No Longer Human”, in the middle of “The Setting Sun” atm), and this got me thinking about translation in general -- given both Japanese and Chinese are asian languages, I’d imagine they share much of the same peculiarities. Keene did a really great job, I think. The crux of his skill is the ability to convey the same message in fewer words (isn’t that poetry?) but it’s much easier said than done.

Chapter 3

Wei WuXian’s immediate thought was – could it be possible that the young cultivators made an error in their flag formation?

Just a small moment of incaution could brew a calamity. That’s why he’d gone intentionally to check the inscriptions on the shade summoning flag, in case of an error. Hence, when the two cultivators dragged him away, Wei WuXian meekly let them manhandle him.

The East Hall was very quiet, though the numbers gathered around the Mo household during the day time had not diminished. All the servants and their relatives had come out, still rough from sleep - some of them still in their underclothes, hair a mess, faces pinched in fear. The Mo Mistress was slumped, stunned on a chair. The corner of her eyes appeared stained with tear tracks, her eyes still wet and shiny. But when Wei WuXian was dragged inside, that tear shine turned into a cold light of resentment.

On the ground lay a person shaped thing. The body was covered with a white cloth, leaving only the head exposed. Lan SiZhui and the other disciple were bent over the corpse, conversing in a low voice, a grave expression on their faces. Wei WuXian caught their words.

“… it has not yet been a candle’s length since you found him?”

“He’s just deceased. When we rushed from the West to East gardens, we found the body lying in the corridor.”

The corpse belonged to Mo ZiYuan. Wei WuXian swept his eyes over it but could not resist looking at it again.

The body looked as if it was Mo ZiYuan, but also wasn’t. Though its shape and appearance was unmistakably those of his cousin of circumstance, his cheeks were deep sunken, his eye balls bulged, his skin wrinkled. Compared to the Mo ZiYuan of yesterday, a child who’d barely entered the Spring of his youth, he seemed aged by twenty years. His blood and flesh seemed to have been sucked dry, until he was a paper-thin, wizened layer of skin stretched over a skeletal frame.

Wei WuXian had leaned in for a closer look, when the Mo Mistress suddenly rushed over. Something in her hand glinted. She was clutching a dagger. Lan SiZhui – quick eyed and nimble handed – knocked the dagger from her hand, and hadn’t had the chance to speak, when Mo Mistress rushed at him and screamed at the same time, “My son died a wretched death, I will avenge him! Why are you stopping me?”

Wei WuXian crouched again behind Lan SiZhui’s body, using him as a shield. “Your son’s wretched death has nothing to do with me!”

Lan SiZhiu had seen Wei WuXian clowning around in the daytime in the East Hall, and later heard from bystanders many rumours regarding the bastard child, embellished from person to person. He could not help but feel compassion for this madman, and couldn’t resist speaking up for him, “Mistress Mo, the deceased is in this shape – his spiritual essence has been sucked dry. This is obviously the method of an evil spirit. This man shouldn’t have been the perpetrator.”

The Mo Mistress’s chest rose and fell. “What do you know! This madman’s father is a cultivator, he must have learned some sorcery!”

Lan SiZhui said, “This… the Mistress has no proof, or…”

“The proof is on my son’s body!” The Mo Mistress pointed at the corpse. “Look for yourselves! A-Yuan’s body is telling me, who his murderer is!”

Taking the initiative, Wei WuXian grabbed the cloth and flicked it off the body, uncovering it from head to toe. Mo ZiYuan’s dead body was missing something.

His left arm, from below the shoulder, had disappeared without a trace.

Mo Mistress said, “You see now? You’ve all heard what was said today -- what this madman said. He said, if A-Yuan ever touched his things, he would cut A-Yuan’s arm off!”

After this moment of arousal, she covered her face and choked out muffled sobs. “… But my A-Yuan didn’t even touch this madman’s things. Not only was he framed, he had his life taken by this sick hearted, sick minded man.”

Sick hearted, sick minded!

How many years has it been since he had heard this evaluation of his character, what a truly familiar feeling. Wei WuXian pointed at himself, speechless. He didn’t know whether he was the mad one or Mo Mistress was the mad one, who through a random figure of speech would bite him dead. Exterminator of clans, exterminator of families, a river of blood on which souls floated -- he’d certainly not minced his words when he was young, but those words largely remained words. If what he said were really done, he’d have long declared hegemony of the Cultivator society. Mo Mistress didn’t want to avenge her son, she just needed to vent her grievances. Wei WuXian didn’t care to be entangled in her affairs. He pondered a while, then stuck his hand into Mo ZiYuan’s breast and rummaged around. He found something. Spreading it open, it was a Spirit Summoning Flag.

His heart brightened. He thought: it was your own undoing!

Even Lan SiZhui, seeing the thing taken out from Mo ZiYuan’s bosom, understood.

Recalling the theatrics of the day, what eventually happened wasn’t hard to guess: during the day, Mo ZiYuan lost face from Mo XuanYu’s clowning. Filled with resentment, he sought him out to make him pay measure for measure. But Mo XuanYu had been wandering outside, so he couldn’t find a trace of him for half a day. Mo ZiYuan decided to wait until he returned to teach him a private lesson.

He waited until night fell before he snuck outdoors, passed by the West Gardens – and there saw the Spirit summoning Flags waving on the walls.

Even though he had been implored countless times, that in the half-light of night he can’t go out, can’t go to the West Gardens, and especially, don’t move the black flags, but Mo XiYuan thought it to intentionally frighten him away, for fear that some people will steal some magic items. He was not aware of the inauspicious function of those flags, whereupon tucking one into his breast, would be henceforth transformed into a living target. He was used to stealing Mo XuanYu’s scrolls and magic tools, so seeing this new item was a new itch to be scratched. He need to get his hands on it! Seeing the owners of the flags were distracted by the imminent appearance of the walking dead in the West Gardens, he stealthily tucked a flag away.

The formation used six flags. Five of them were not in the West Gardens. Instead, they used the Lan disciples as bait, who carried on their person countless spiritual weapons. Though Mo ZiYuan only stole one side of the formation, he carried no protective items. To the undead, he was like a ripe persimmon -- the evil spirits would naturally be attracted to him. If it were just undead, then that would have been the end the story. He would’ve had a few chunks bitten off, but would not have died in such a short while. But as fortune would dictate, this Shade summoning flag summoned something more frightening than walking dead. It summoned a malevolent spirit, who killed Mo ZiYuan and snatched away his arm!

Wei WuXian lifted his wrist – as expected – a laceration on his left hand had healed. It looks as if the “body offering sorcery” decided Mo ZiYuan’s death was at his hands, because the Shade Summoning Flag was his creation. A product of many mishaps, or a wild stroke that met its mark; it seemed Mo ZiYuan solved one of his headaches for him.  

The Mo Mistress was sensitive towards any small slight to her son. And while she soon guessed the approximate circumstances, would not acknowledge Mo ZiYuan’s death was his own doing. She was both shameless and spoiled, her temper rearing like a forest fire. She grabbed a ceramic tea cup and threw it towards Wei WuXian’s face. “Yesterday -- If not for you, framing him in front of all those people, would he have gone out in the middle of the night? It’s all your fault, you bastard child!”

Wei WuXian was long prepared. He dodged and hid himself. Mo Mistress turned to Lan SiZhui and shrieked, “And you! You useless things! Cultivate what power, exorcise what demon, you can’t even protect a child! A-Yuan is only 19!”

The disciples were young and inexperienced. They’d only been in the field a few times. They had thought this would be the usual situation and did not expected such a savage spirit. Originally, they thought it’d be drudgery, so now felt a degree of regret. But, now becoming the new target of Mo Mistress’s indiscriminate savagery, their faces drained of colour. They were born in a distinguished family and would never had dared to treat other family’s juniors this way. But the family teachings of GuSuLan were strict; even though their hearts were sullen, they stifled it until their faces screwed. Seeing this, Wei WuXian could not help but step in.

He thought: So many years have past and the Lan family is still this morally uptight*, what are they using that self-restraint for - they’ll stifle themselves to death. He sighed heavily, “Who do you think you’re scolding, treating other people like your own servants? These people -- who travelled here from afar to exorcise without charge – owe you an apology? Your son’s age? This year he’s 17 years old, and he’s still a child? How old is a child that still doesn’t understand what people say? Yesterday he was told over and over: don’t move anything and especially don’t go near the West garden, but your son in the middle of the night went out to steal the birds from the trees, the dogs from their kennels, and you blame me? Blame them?”

The Mo Mistress was at once despondant and resentful, her thoughts cycling like a broken record: “… die die die…”. If not her dying to join her son, then to have everyone in the world die, no, especially the people in front of her!

Seeing these thoughts running across her face, her husband gave her a hard shove. “Call someone in! Call everyone inside!”

Her husband’s face was expressionless as wood. He had swat her like a bug. Mo Mistress, caught off guard, collapsed to the ground, stunned.

In the past, she’d just need to raise her voice, and he’d comply. Yet today he dared to retaliate!

The servants of the household were scared to death by her expression. A-Ding, knees knocking, helped her up. The Mo Mistress clutched the lapels of her robes closed, her voice trembling, “You… you… you get out!”

It fell on deaf ears. Mo Mistress looked as if she were about to faint, A-Tong noticing A-Ding had made several cluing expressions, A-Tong hurried to support the mistress outside. The East Hall had become a mess with no reprieve. Wei WuXian, now that it had finally quietened, prepared to continue examining the corpse to determine the identity of the spirit. He hadn’t yet given it two glances, when another shrill scream emitted from the gardens.

The people inside the hall rushed outside. In the East gardens, two people were twitching on the ground. A dazed A-Tong was alive. As for the one sprawled on the ground, their blood and flesh had been sucked clean. They looked wrinkled and parched, their left arm missing, no blood leaked from their wounds. The corpse was in the same condition as Mo ZiYuan.

Mo Mistress shook off A-Ding’s arm, but then saw the body on the ground. Her eye balls grew rigid. Finally sapped of energy, could only take a tilting step towards it. Wei WuXian was standing nearby, so gave her some support, before handing her over to A-Ding.

He looked at his wrist. Another laceration had disappeared.

He’d only just stepped over the threshold of the house and hadn’t walked out of East garden, when Mo Mistress’s husband died on the spot. Lan SiZhui and Lan JingYi’s faces were white. Lan SiZhui was the first to recover his composure. He persistently questioned the dazed A-Tong. “Did you see what it was?”

A-Tong was scared half dead. His jaw seemed frozen shut. They could not get a word out of him. He could only shake his head. Lan SiZhui, despite the mounting pressured, let his fellow servant take him inside the house. He turned to Lan JingYi. “Did you send the signal?”

Lan JingYi said, “The signal’s sent, but even if there’s a senior nearby to help, I’m afraid they need two hours at the least to come over. What do we do now? We don’t even know what it is. Should we leave, or should we defend?”

The spirit had already arrived. If they left, the remaining members of the Mo household wouldn’t have the heart to run and would descend into senseless plunder. Lan SiZhui grit his teeth. “Defend. Wait for someone to come.”

Since they’d already sent the signal, other cultivators should soon hurry to assist. To avoid involving himself unnecessarily, Wei WuXian decided to retreat. If whoever came was someone he didn’t know – well and good. But in the case it were someone whom he was acquainted with, even he wasn’t sure what would happen.

With the body offering sorcery’s lingering effect, he could not leave the Mo household. Plus, in this short span of time this summoned thing had already snatched away two lives. If Wei WuXian dusted his hands and left, he could not ensure the entire household were not annihilated -- when someone finally comes to find the entire Mo household resting row upon row, their bodies all missing a single left arm.

As for now, he could only try end it quickly!

*a stick up their arse (sorry, couldn’t resist) I wonder if that would be something wwx would say?

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [898]

Mahanon doesn't normally answer his phone when someone calls him. Answering his phone is usually more trouble than it’s worth. He’s made a few exceptions to this rule. His mother, his father, his sister, his sister’s husband — sometimes one of his cousins or extended family.

He’s reconsidering these exceptions very strongly right now as his sister talks his ear off at about the speed of light.

“Slow down,” Mahanon cuts in. He has to cut in because his sister somehow knows how to breathe and talk at the same time so she never runs out of air. It’s a skill that she has the absolute gall to deny having to his face whenever he mentions it. “I can’t understand a single word you’ve said.”

He hears his sister draw in a deep, long breath. In the background he can hear the sounds of people’s aimless chatter and the humming of some sort of machine. Machines.

“Where are you?”

“Do you remember how you said you’d gotten me a job?” Ellana asks. Mahanon’s interest is immediately sharpened.

“Yes.”

“One last job before I retire forever?”

“I didn’t phrase it in so many terms, but I do recall, yes.” Mahanon’s recovering from his latest job so he can’t take it on, but the reward offered had been very high and it seemed easy enough from the basic details given that he felt comfortable with putting his sister’s handle forward as an alternative. Ellana’s just as good as he is at their special line of work, it shouldn’t be a problem for her at all. Granted she’s been out of the field for a while what with her wedding and the honeymoon and the moving to a new house and settling in and all. But still. Some things are like riding a bicycle. Or so he’s told.

“I’m in trouble.”

“How? You were supposed to get the target file today,” Mahanon asks. “You can’t have fucked up already.” Something in Mahanon’s mind starts to click and set some errant thought into motion towards something his mind can’t really conceive, but is starting to realize the shape of. “Wait, are you at the drop location? You have the file, right?”

“The drop was at the mall next to the vending machines on the third floor. In the wing no one ever really goes to because the stores suck. God this place is so bougie. Three stores dedicated just to bedsheets and another five for candles and aromatics. I have no idea how these stores are in healthy competition with each other. Anyway — no, getting the information wasn’t the problem. The problem is the target.”

“Ellana, for that amount and with that time frame the target can’t be that hard. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is I’m in love with the target,” Ellana replies, voice starting to rush and bleed again as she panics. “Mahanon, the target is my husband. Except it isn’t his name on here, it’s some kind of — code? Just numbers. Holy shit my husband’s got a code name. Code number. Fuck.”

“Why the fuck would anyone call a hit on your husband?” Mahanon sits up, grimacing when he feels the still healing wound on his side pull. “On paper if you take away the fact that the’s six foot eight of muscle, he’s the most boring man on this planet. Studied architecture, plays chess, bakes, collects rocks.”

“I don’t know, Mahanon, but I’m in deep shit because I can’t refuse the job now.”

“What, you’re actually going to go through with it?” Mahanon feels his eyes widen. “Ellana, I love you and I would eventually forgive you murdering my brother in law whom I love very much, but there will definitely be a period of time in between where I am furious with you. I would, of course, still help you bury the trail because you are my sister and unfortunately that has to win out poverties of marriage.”

“Of course I can’t refuse now,” Ellana hisses. “If I refuse it it’s going to be passed onto someone else, wouldn’t it? And I’m not going to — well. Maybe I’ll have to fake it. I don’t know. Point is, I’m in deep shit because there’s no reason why my sweet, six foot eight, architect husband who braids my hair and bakes bread is worth getting a seven figure hit called on him. Mahanon, we need to figure something out. I’m going to send you the details on this file. Can you see if you can investigate this code name for me?”

“Yes, I’ll work on it. In the mean time, what are you going to do? You have to go home and look my brother in law in the face and know he’s got a bounty on his head for something.”

“Oh no. I didn’t think that far ahead, Mahanon. What do I do?”

“First you need to get better at lying, which I’ve been trying to tell you for almost forty years now.”

“You were not telling me to get get better at lying straight out of the womb. Also I’m plenty good at lying, he’s just — really good at seeing through me. It’s the Iron Bull, Mahanon. You could be the best liar in the world, the champion of liars, and he’d pick up on that thread to unravel you within minutes.”

“Untrue. I’ve lied to him plenty of times.”

“What? Why are you lying to my husband?”

“Because I can’t just tell him that the reason I’m home on sick leave is because I got shot in the thigh, can I? Or that I’m going away to steal several items and I don’t know how long that will take and that’s why I need someone to water my plants. Or that the reason my hands have so many scars is because I practice knife work a lot and it isn’t because of several strange pottery accidents? I had to take pottery classes on the side for that lie.”

“And we all appreciate your dedication to keeping the family secret,” Ellana replies. “Fuck. I’m screwed. Maybe I shouldn’t go home.”

“Oh yes, because that really won’t set any flags off. Go home, tell your husband I need to borrow you overnight because the medication is making me feel awful and I might die in my sleep. That’s going to buy you at least one night.”

“You’re a life saver.”

“Normally the opposite, but whatever. See you soon.”

[nautilusopus]

The Number I

Chapter 9: A Repeat of the Previous Chapter in a Move that Could Conceivably Be Called “Lazy”

I'm still taking suggestions on better titles for this thing. I pulled "To Live" out of my ass in five minutes after I realised I was literally right about to post the first chapter and still had the .rtf file saved as "This Was A Mistake". Nietzsche quotes sure are abusable out of context, huh?

Thank you to @auncyen, @cloud-and-tifa, @fury-brand, @limbostratus, and @cateringisalie for dealing with me pestering them about this shit.

Four years after meteor-fall and Cloud Strife still isn’t himself. The thing that haunts him comes always at the same time… and when it does, on a distant far-off world, a needle moves. Twisty AU. Contains graphic depictions of violence

She had been stroking his hand for the last five hours. Any minute now, she'd tell herself. He's fine. He's stayed together through worse. Any minute now.

She could hear the buzz of conversation downstairs. Cloud wasn't quiet, either, softly murmuring about Mother, and Her Reunion. She was pretty sure he hadn't blinked once, which was one of the less eerie things she'd seen him do tonight. She quietly reviewed the conversation she'd had with Barret on the way off the airship.

"He's in a bad way," he'd said, and she'd immediately feared the worst. So technically speaking his present state was a pleasant surprise. He was still alive. He hadn't had any relapses of the conditions he still refused to see a psychologist for. He hadn't run off to go die alone in the Wastes.

Cloud hid too much, was the problem. He somehow managed to both trust them implicitly and not trust them at all. Tifa thought that after four years he would have loosened up about it, but if anything he'd gotten worse. They'd been as patient as they could, since having a social life outside of his mother (either one, really) was a new experience for him, but Cloud seemed to be cottoning onto this. Any help offered seemed to make him wary, as though it were a trap.

He would never talk about himself unless very directly prompted either. In fact, the very concept of doing so seemed to send him into a mild panic. She didn't remember much about the boy from Nibelheim she had thought was a bit creepy when she was young, but she was certain he hadn't been like that. Cloud never talked about what had made him that way, either. They weren't sure he knew himself.

She decided to try talking to him again, to see if that prompted anything. She'd run out of conversation at hour three and didn't know if he'd remember she'd been repeating herself over and over again, so she opted for a story instead. A very old one, about a barren woman who made a bargain with the mountain for a child from the fey, and the horrible things it had done to her neighbours in the name of fleeing its mother and repaying its debt to the gods in the earth, until one day she was forced to drive a spear of mage-cast iron through its heart. She'd always been fond of that one when she was little, and had once spent an entire week drawing different kinds of dresses the mother might have worn, and different kinds of spears she would have used to kill the bargain child. It was one of those stories that hadn't quite aged well, in the same way that "cock" used to just mean "rooster" once upon a time. Not that there was anyone left alive that would catch the double-entendre.

Perhaps an old story in Nibeli wasn't the best thing to be reciting to Cloud right now; he barely remembered the language, and had all but lost the stories of the gods. (The proper gods, the ones that stoked the hearth and shaped the black earth around flame, not the twelve they worshipped here around Midgar.) It was just one more bit of culture Shinra had buried that they'd never get back. He probably didn't even remember getting his ears pierced.

Eventually the slitted pupils twitched, and shifted, and he turned to look at her -- not in the right way, not in a way a human would ever move, but he couldn't have known that. She gave his hand a squeeze.

"Sorry," he'd said, and was confused for a minute before remembering the fight they'd had over five hours ago. It had likely been minutes from his perspective.

They had talked for awhile, and things had almost felt like they had before, when they'd been travelling. It had been months since they'd had a good spar. Cloud had been giving her casting pointers, and she'd been teaching him hand-to-hand in turn. He was a fast learner. She'd have to see how much he remembered.

Marlene knocking on the door jarred her from her train of thought.

“Are you okay? I heard something loud.”

Next to her, Cloud muttered "fuck" in a voice that might have been slightly too loud, and she shot him a look before getting up and opening the door to Marlene.

“We’re fine. Is Yuffie still with you?”

“She went downstairs for drinks," said Marlene. Of course she had. It was long past ten. “...Can you come make me a float?”

Tifa considered it for a moment. It was absolutely past her bedtime, but this was a special occasion, and she probably wouldn't get much sleep knowing something was wrong with her family and they were talking about it in the other room. “Yeah, alright."

She said, before turning back to Cloud. “You’re okay here, right?”

Cloud nodded -- gods, she hated it when he moved after getting like this -- and scooted himself off the bed. “Gonna stretch my legs a little, actually. Everything still feels weird.”

Marlene led her back downstairs to the kitchen and eagerly dug a notebook out of the bag she'd brought over for her stay. It said "RECEPIES!!! by Marlene Wallace Age 5 6 7 8" on it in bright orange highlighter, and Nanaki had brought her pressed lilies from an entire continent away for her to glue to the cover. Tifa hoped one day she'd be able to take Marlene to see live ones.

Marlene flipped the notebook open to a new page and began taking careful notes as Tifa poured her root beer from the tap at the bar, then scooped ice cream into it. She presented it to Marlene, who held up a hand and climbed up on the counter, digging through the spices available until she found the cinnamon, then sprinkled a few liberal shakes into the glass and began to stir it.

"It's a new one I came up with right now," she said proudly. "They make vanilla cinnamon candies, so they should make vanilla cinnamon drinks."

Tifa decided not to clue her into the existence of lattes just yet and nodded as Marlene finished stirring and took a drink. "It sounds really good."

"It tastes good, too," said Marlene, licking a bit of ice cream off of her chin, and Tifa didn't doubt it. They'd had her making hard drinks for them at one point, after all. Tifa had begun teaching her tricks she could do with the cups. "Can you help me make a new one with meat?"

Tifa nodded, then glanced back towards Reeve, who was now discussing the election. "Sure. We can do it upstairs if you promise not to spill your drink."

She led Marlene back up to her room, where she'd been staying for the night, and she briefly considered sleeping arrangements before resolving to deal with it later. If worst came to worst they could all just pile into one or two rooms together. They'd all dealt with worse.

They spread out blankets on the floor, and Marlene upended a box of markers she'd brought with her next to her notebook.

"So, what kind of meat?" asked Tifa.

"Chicken. There's this food cart in the market that has it on a stick, and they cook it so it doesn't even taste like chicken. But not in a bad way. I wanna do something like that."

They spent the next few minutes alternating between discussing ingredients and drawing pictures of kebabs in her notebook, stealing sips out of her root beer float (which was, in fact, delicious). Marlene's stuffed tonberry leered at them from the corner. Tifa tried not to look.

"Where's the green?" said Marlene at one point. "I want to draw the spices."

Tifa felt around for the marker on the blanket, then carefully stood up. "Scooch up for a second," she said, then began to shake out the blanket. After a moment, they heard a quiet clatter, then the sound of something rolling before settling against a hard surface with a click.

"I'll get it!" said Marlene, and began to squeeze herself under the bed. Tifa could hear the sound of her rummaging, and a moment later returned out from under it with a marker and a wooden box.

Marlene began to undo the latch, and Tifa sprung from where she'd been standing, staring blankly at what was happening, and snatched it out of her hands. "Don't touch that!"

It had been the wrong thing to say. Marlene's eyes began to fill with tears, and Tifa quickly knelt by her. "Hey, no, don't -- it's fine, it's just..."

"I didn't know," said Marlene, her face beginning to screw up. "I didn't see what's in it, I swear!"

"It's not..." Tifa was staring at the box in her hands. The wood was like ice in her hands, in contrast to how its contents had felt when she'd first discovered it, almost burning hot. Her thoughts quickened.

It was insane. There was nothing this would accomplish, surely. Maybe it wouldn't do anything at all. Maybe...

"Stay here, alright?" she said, and gave Marlene a quick hug before snatching the white materia out of the box and quickly heading downstairs. Cloud said something to her as she passed him, but it barely registered. She left the bar and began walking briskly down the street.

There were four spots she knew would probably work. The little town in Mideel was too far away, as was the Candle. She was never, ever going back to Nibelheim. So that left the old broken down church.

The walk into the ruins was fairly long, and her phone rang twice on the way there. She ignored it -- she would call back as soon as this was over and done with.

The inside of the church was still warm, at least compared to the outside. There was still a little spot on the floor that had been cleared of dirt where Cloud had set his bedroll two years ago. Tifa looked at it for a moment, and knelt in the dirt in front of the pool of water.

There was a spot in the dirt, too, that showed signs of disturbance -- the spot where she'd buried her medal. Tifa stared at it contemptuously. A medal, of all fucking things.

It was the closest she'd get to being able to bury all those victims of the stigma. Victims she'd killed.

She clutched the materia tightly in her hands and tried desperately to find the knowledge of how to use it that it had placed in her head. As before, it was nigh-impossible. It almost seemed designed so that one couldn't use it.

Tifa still didn't know what the materia was meant to do. She knew what it did, but it was impossible to tell if that was the spell working as intended. What was even more unfathomable was the entity it put her into contact with in order to use it. She sat there, and she reached, and reached, and reached...

The sky was choked with grey. The infected were in the streets, their eyes like Cloud's, empty and inhuman, staring towards the swirling mass of shadowy matter above the city. Loud crashes could be heard, even in the distance. Tifa ran towards the source, dodging the people that cried out for her to help, and the claws of things that sprung out of the earth to rake at her legs. She would help. She would help them all.

The white materia clutched in her hand almost seemed to buzz, and she felt it pulling her through the ruins to a specific spot. She followed, even as the world seemed to shake apart above her head. It was drawing her towards a building -- a ratty old church, long since abandoned.

She burst through the doors, looking around for what led her there, and the air in the building seemed to thicken as she caught a flash of something in the pile of dirt towards the front -- a luminous green thread, vanishing as soon as it appeared. The

Lifestream. It had led her here? The men at Cosmo Canyon two years ago had said it would destroy whatever was a threat to the Planet. There was certainly a threat to the Planet, and it wasn't in some old abandoned church.

She stood in front of the dirt, gripping the white materia as tightly as she could, as though that would make it work more. Something was different about her using it here; the wall she seemed to have to punch through seemed thinner, or perhaps she was just closer to it. She centred herself, trying to not force the memories, to let the spell come to her, and then something caught and pulled her in, and she Saw.

Humans had long since forgotten how to listen to the Planet. They are not meant to speak to it. The consciousness at the centre of the world, of all things, the force that had lent her a spark of itself that would one day be washed back into the fathomless ocean it had sprung from, was vast, and old, and furious. What it knew was years, and depth, and anger; and for the first time, Tifa, a human, saw it all. And it saw her.

She steeled herself against it. Try. She had to try. If Cloud had survived this, so could she.

It spoke to her then, and its voice washed against her, threatening to drown her out. The white materia burned in her hands.

She didn't know if it knew words, but she began to talk anyway.

Jenova is here, she began. The Calamity from the Skies. It came here two thousand years ago, and it's poisoned you and it's poisoned us. We can't fight it ourselves.

It roiled against her. A response would have been nice. She felt herself drifting, and she tried to remember that she was standing in a church in what was left of Midgar, begging for the lives of humanity.

We need help, she told it. Help us. The stigma, it's -- it's killing both of us. That's... you need to help. If you won't give me that power, you'll need to use it yourself. Help us.

Silence again. The air around her smelled like burning ozone. Far above her and in the distance, she felt a discharge of magic -- an enormous one, if she could feel it this far away. The kind she'd seen combatants let loose on death's door, a blade in their heart, their life dripping out onto the ground.

Her heart sunk into her stomach, and she thought of Cloud, still wasting away, fighting an opponent that was stronger than ever. She thought of her friends, still trying to evacuate the city as things made of black rotting smoke clawed their way into being began ripping apart anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way. She thought of how, even if they won, Cloud would have a month left to live. Perhaps two. That they might have six, or twelve, until they were eventually claimed by the stigma as well. She thought of how this man had died once already, and would continue to manifest again and again as long as there was a single drop of Jenova left. She thought of the decrepit remains of the world and the families they'd fought to preserve. She thought of how there was nothing she could do about any of it.

The materia in her hand began to glow. The spell gradually faded from her mind, until it locked itself behind the wall again. She stood there, defeated. She hadn't managed to cast it after all.

And then the Planet unleashed its fury.

It had been festering there, for almost two thousand years, and had been building more and more over the last hundred. It had built towards the humans draining its life away and the parasite burrowing into its veins. It was two thousand years of pain and anger on an incomprehensible scale. The white materia would summon a force to destroy whatever threat remained to the Planet. Before Holy, there could have been Weapons. And before Weapons, there were the Cetra. The Weapons were dead, and there were no Cetra left alive to shape the will of the Planet, to temper and channel its force. Tifa had reached the Planet, but Tifa was only human.

By the time they'd discovered the damage done, it was far too late to stop it.

Holy burst from the patch of dirt in a torrent. When it arrived in the form of a violent maelstrom that lasted three days, it burned away Jenova with the wrath of the world She and the humans She had infested had destroyed.The rain sank into the sores of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught outside, and the flesh sizzled and disintegrated upon contact. Tifa watched, her clothes drenched, as it carved away at their bodies. One child had a patch on her arm that looked like a particularly bad rug burn. Another was missing a chunk of his forehead and part of his eye, and was unmistakably dead and stigma free. The injured-but-alive took cover inside the buildings, while anyone carried those who couldn't walk inside.

As the storm continued, she began to observe. Some were stepping out into the rain, deliberately. She watched it mangle their bodies. She watched more and more pour out, as it became clearer what the rain did. There were even more on the second day, and more still on the third.

All this she watched in complete silence. She set about moving the bodies somewhere they wouldn't be washed away.

They found Cloud eventually, when the rain finally stopped. He had been lying on the remains of a skyscraper in the ruins, his left arm and chest bloodied from the rain and from the multiple stab wounds all over his body. It had taken him another day to wake up, but he was somehow still alive. He kept looking at his arm and doing something with his mouth that she thought might have been a smile. She thought he was delirious from blood loss at first, until she noticed, exactly, what part of his arm he kept looking at, and what parts of his flesh the rain had removed.

Most people had not been as lucky as Cloud. Most people had had the sores on their faces, rather than their arms.

Tifa did not speak to anyone for a while after that. How could she? What was there to say? Few had recognised her, fortunately enough -- she had been drenched. They had aired a televised service a few days later, formally thanking her for the cure. She didn't say a word during that either.

Cloud didn't say much to her during that time, either. Or maybe she didn't remember him saying much. He seemed afraid to, she assumed. Barret had stayed at Seventh Heaven another month, joined at the hip to Marlene, who he frequently checked for sores on her arms. He would often sit by her at the bar. "You did your best," he'd say. "You did the only thing you could do."

That had been the part that hurt the worst. "The only thing you could do".

It seemed that was all she'd ever been able to do.

"Tifa."

Tifa turned to see Nanaki and Barret standing behind her. She looked at them. Barret looked back and saw the white materia in her hands. He looked back up at her face incredulously, and Tifa threw the white materia into the pool in the church in frustration.

"Didn't work anyway," she said, looking away from them.

"What in the world were you --"

"Nothing. Look, I chucked it," she continued, cutting off Nanaki. "I shouldn't have been keeping it under the bed anyway, we should've known Marlene would find it. We're lucky she hasn't gotten to anything else."

"...What were you trying to do?" Nanaki sat down and watched her patiently.

"Something isn't right." She could feel her hands shaking slightly as what she might've almost repeated caught up to her, and she clenched her fists to keep them still. "You know he wouldn't just snap like that. We know something's wrong, and we're all just..."

"You can't fight this one away, Teef," said Barret, sitting down on one of the pews. Tifa sat next to him. "Cloud can handle it in the meantime."

"Sometimes he can't," said Tifa. "He probably wouldn't accept help anyway."

"You ain't his caretaker," said Barret. "And not the world's, either."

"We used to be," she said, and there was an uncomfortable silence for several moments.

"...I am not sure the Planet would know what this is to begin with," said Nanaki. "But thank you for trying."

"No. I know that. I threw it out. We're done here." She stood up, then paused. "...Don't tell Cloud. Alright?"

Nanaki cocked his head to the side. "And what are we supposed to tell him, should he ask?"

"Not this. It'll just make everything worse. You know how he... how we -- you know how it’ll go."

“He’s rubbing off on you,” said Barret. “Thought you had more sense than that.”

“Let’s just go,” she said, and strode out the door, leaving the white materia behind, like she should have done in the first place.

She returned back to the bar and found the front room empty. She checked the back and found Cid and Jessie camped out in the back room. Jessie was asleep, but Cid was lying against the couch, smoking a cigarette. Tifa stood in front of him, cleared her throat, and waited.

Cid put out his cigarette. “What the hell kinda bar doesn’t allow you to smoke in it?” he growled.

“The kind that I live in,” she said. “The whole place is gonna smell now.”

“Think I’m entitled to one fuckin’ cigarette, lady.” He stood up and stretched. “Everyone else went to bed.”

"'Bout one in the morning. Mind tellin' me what you ran off for?"

"I thought I had a lead," said Tifa uncomfortably.

"...And?"

"And I didn't."

Cid continued to stare at her.

"It was nothing," she said, a bit firmer this time. "I wish it wasn't, but it was."

"This ain't gettin' to you, is it?"

Tifa shrugged. "We've dealt with worse and come out--"

"'Cause if it is that's nobody's business but your own, but you're gonna rip yourself apart trying to pretend everything's fine when it's not. Just look at your boyfriend over there." Tifa shifted uncomfortably at the word boyfriend, and Cid rolled his eyes. "Fuckbuddy, then. Whatever you two are callin' it."

He got up and stretched himself out with a pained grunt. "No shame in admitting you're outta your depth. Shit, we've all been that way for four years."

"...I want to help," she said after a moment. She suddenly felt very tired as the events of the day began to catch up to her.

"Ain't that the fuckin' statement of the year," muttered Cid. "I'm heading out back for a smoke. Your bed's probably full by now. No one likes Cloud's piss-poor excuse for a mattress." Cid disappeared around the corner, and a moment later she heard the screen door swing open and then shut.

Tifa removed her boots, which were still a bit muddy from the church and the half-melted snow slush up north (she'd been there earlier today, hadn't she?), and quietly crept up the stairs. She made a quick stop to her room to change into sleep clothes (which were really just some of Cloud's "civvies" she'd decided were comfortable), stepping over a sleeping Barret on the way over. It seemed nearly everyone had filed into her room. It was slightly larger, which left more space for blankets. A quick headcount indicated Nanaki was the only one missing.

She left a quick peck on Marlene's forehead before leaving. She probably owed her that much.

She checked Cloud's room and found him and Nanaki curled up against one another in his bed. If it could be called a bed, anyway. It was really more of a cot: the mattress was only a few inches thick, and there was a single blanket and a single pillow for comfort. No, that wasn't right -- there were two pillows now. One of them was hers. She wasn't sure how she'd missed it before.

She'd have to see about buying him something warmer when he wasn't looking. She knew from experience he wouldn't accept it as a gift. Cloud didn't do gifts. If anyone got him anything, he'd wind up either "paying it back" or "working it off". The actual chair for his desk had been an uphill struggle as it was. They could barely get him to do birthdays, and not just because he didn't quite remember when it was.

Tifa carefully slipped in behind him, since Cloud was already using Nanaki's stomach as a pillow -- Tifa shook her head in exasperation -- and slipped under the blanket. Cloud jerked awake and twisted around to look at her. He was still using Barret's shirt, it seemed -- he was practically swimming in it.

"It's me," she whispered.

Cloud stared uncomprehendingly at her for a moment, then nodded and rolled back over. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't remember her leaving, or was too tired to know what was going on. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt toward the latter.

She hooked an arm over his shoulders -- partially to keep him from jumping out the window again without her knowledge, and partially because she wanted to. He relaxed into her grip, and a moment later she heard his breathing even out.

For a moment, Tifa wondered if he actually needed air.

She scolded herself for considering it. Of course he needed air. You probably couldn't genetically engineer someone to not need air, could you?

Perhaps you could. It was possible to genetically engineer someone to be able to walk through walls, after all.

It would be so much easier to deal with if they just knew what it was they'd spent five years splicing him with. What kind of thing Jenova was, what the world it had come from was like, if it had come from one at all. Cloud had a lot of issues understanding the passage of time -- perhaps She experienced it differently? Anything that had been preying on planets for an unfathomably long amount of time would have to. And She would have to be a preditor, naturally, because she couldn't think of any bigger predator out there that would eat something that already ate the Lifestream. Maybe there was something lurking out there that ate galaxies, and Jenova was just the space equivalent of a rabbit. She certainly seemed to spread like one.

Sometimes she'd find herself thinking of Her as a disease Cloud had -- other times, as a person. When they'd been fighting Her on the ground, they'd thought of it as more of an animal. She wasn't really sure which one was more correct.

On that day four years ago, though; the sky filled with fire, the low roar of something immense entering the atmosphere, of Meteor hanging in the sky, seeming like more of a living entity than a chunk of rock as it began tearing through Midgar to reach the earth below it... she wasn't sure what to think of it then.

The noise it had been making was the worst. She wondered if it was anything like the music Cloud claimed to hear. She'd asked him to hum the tune once, but he'd just shaken his head. "It doesn't have one I can make," he'd said.

She wondered how much time he spent listening to it that they didn't know about. By the time she managed to get to sleep, the sky had already begun to lighten.

A noise roused her from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, the bed was empty. She heard the mumbling, crackling chatter of a poorly-tuned radio. Perhaps Cloud was fixing it? Then she heard a low growling, and she sat up.

Nanaki had backed up against the opposite wall, ears flattened and teeth bared. Across from him was Cloud, who was sitting at his desk wheezing faintly.

She got up from the bed and slowly approached his chair. "Cloud?"

Cloud didn't respond. The distressed look on his face quickly faded away to one of indifference. He looked hollow.

The last time Tifa had seen that look on his face it had been four years ago on the Highwind, when he'd tried to slit Barret's throat.

Then his head tilted towards her and the eyes focused on her, and a new expression appeared that looked wrong on Cloud's face. He seemed inquisitive, in the same dry sort of way one would look at an interesting bug. His arm moved.

Tifa had seen enough, and immediately ripped him from his chair and pinned him to the ground with a loud thud, twisting his good arm behind his back and applying pressure to his throat with her other hand to partially restrict his breathing. No human could match the strength of a Soldier (or something very like one) no matter how strong they were, but Tifa had the element of surprise and, unlike Cloud, eight more years of experience than him from the tuition of a trained professional. She wasn't sure what kind of training the thing using Cloud had, but she'd gone toe to toe with Soldiers before. It would have to do.

She heard Cloud grunt involuntarily as he hit the ground, but he didn't do anything to free himself. She kept contact on him anyway.

Nanaki crept into place beside them, still on edge. "There's something wrong. It shouldn't be here."

She looked sharply at him. "What shouldn't?"

Nanaki just paced anxiously. "...I don't know."

Cloud began to struggle against her then, and she braced herself against him more firmly as Nanaki prepared to pounce if necessary, but then she paused. His movements were all wrong -- not a former MP attempting to break himself out of a hammerlock. He didn't even try to blast her off into a wall; it was just uncoordinated thrashing.

"Shh... shh, c'mon, it's okay," she said, doing her best to sound soothing while maintaining the pressure on his neck. "It's okay... wake up." Could he even hear her like this? He'd never been straightforward with her about the whole thing. Might as well try anyway.

By this point the noise from their struggling and Nanaki's growling had gotten attention, and a moment later five more people burst through the door into his room. They stared at her. Tifa stared back. Cloud continued thrashing.

"Don't just stand there," she snapped, as Cloud gave a particularly spirited thrash and she was flung off, prompting Nanaki to pounce on him instead.

It took the combined efforts of Tifa, Barret, and Cid to wrestle him back into the bed. They were probably a bit rougher than they should have been, given he was a bag of broken bones at this point. She'd apologise to him later.

A few moments later, he stopped moving entirely. Tifa very carefully released her grip on his arm, panting heavily, and saw with a brief flash of relief that he quickly pulled it towards himself but made no attempt to leave the bed.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

Tifa took a deep breath. "...You --"

"I know." He sounded tired. "I remember."

Tifa looked away and turned to the others. Barret let go as well, looking worried. Marlene was now peeking in through the doorway, her eyes wide and her face drawn. Reeve just looked grim.

"That's what that was?" she asked again.

Cloud closed his eyes. "Mm-hm."

"You in any pain?"

"Yep. You gonna break my legs next, too?"

Well, at least he was coherent. Yuffie sat down on the bed next to him and ran a weak healing spell through him. There probably wasn't much point in getting him to take anymore pain pills right now.

Barret stood up. "Marlene and I are gonna have a chat," he said firmly. Tifa nodded. Cloud rolled back over into his pillow, causing Barret to simply shake his head and walk out the door.

"...What time is it?" asked Tifa after a couple minutes of silence.

"A little after eleven," said Reeve. "We would've woken you up, but we thought you'd both appreciate a bit of a lie-in." He sank into Cloud's chair and sighed. "A good thing, in retrospect.

"I wouldn't have let him leave," said Nanaki. "I was watching."

"He could've run off anyway. It's not like you could've barred the door or anything," said Yuffie.

"I shouldn't have slept in," said Tifa curtly. "That's really all there is to it."

"I'm right here," muttered Cloud into his pillow, and everyone went silent again.

Eventually, they all filed out of the room. Tifa got up to leave as well. Closed the bar might be, but she still had dates to check and product to rearrange. Cloud caught her arm on her way to the door.

"I'll just be downstairs. Alright?" she said.

"What if it doesn't stop next time?" he said. "What if I wind up like that again, and it doesn't go away?"

Tifa glanced back at the door. What could she possibly say? She'd long since run out of fodder for lies to keep him stable.

"If I did... you'd kill me, right?"

She turned to look at him sharply. "Cloud --"

"I don't want to wind up like that ever again. I'd already be dead anyway, right?"

"I'm not killing you." He looked away at the anger in her voice, but this wasn't something she'd back off on. "You'd still be alive, and we'd find a way to fix it. But I'm not killing you. You..."

"But if there wasn't anything left to save, then --"

"There would be. And I'd -- we would find a way to do it. And you're not convincing me any other way, so you might as well drop it."

How dare you ask me that? was what she also wanted to say, but didn't. How dare you ask me that after everything?

She hoped he knew it anyway. He ought to.

She stood there for a moment, trying to come up with something else for him to reply to.

"...Why don't you come with me downstairs?" was what she came up with eventually. "You can help me check dates, and we can talk."

"Your customers aren't gonna like that I've been around your food," he said flatly.

"They don't..." She hesitated. They would know now, wouldn't they? If Cloud had been outside with no glasses, or if the paramedics had talked about what they could've seen...

"...Fuck 'em," she said eventually, with more confidence than she felt.

Cloud let out a short huff of laughter. "That's bad form. What if somebody heard that?"

"Nobody's gonna hear it."

"Well, I heard it."

"Guess you did. C'mon." She offered a shoulder, and he got to his feet with a pained groan and hobbled his way downstairs. She glanced at his swords lying by the bar and sighed. One thing at a time. At least they weren't in his room.

They spent the next few hours combing through their inventory. She talked to him for a while about the cave she'd spent several days clearing out. He'd asked a few questions every now and then, mostly about what kinds of things she'd punched, but otherwise kept quiet. Yuffie stopped in at one point, and by the time Tifa remembered she was supposed to be yelling at her for skimming thirty gil off a register she had already slipped out the back door again. She eventually got Cloud started chopping vegetables, since he at least knew how to handle a blade. He seemed to enjoy it... probably. It was always hard to tell. She didn't think she'd ever seen him properly smile once.

Come to think of it, she wasn't sure when she'd last smiled either.

[raymondwbaa152-blog]

All you require to know about tin container bundle

Tin containers are a functional as well as flexible product packaging service that are excellent for saving and showing things such as cosmetics, candles, coffee, teas, flavors, sweet and also various other food associated things. And also given that they are manufactured in a wide range of sizes and shapes, they are an ideal marketing product packaging tool.

The Benefits of Tin Containers

Made in a variety of sizes and shapes

Constructed of eco-friendly products

Highly durable - Will not corrosion, dent, or chip

Air-tight seal to maintain items fresh

Drip proof

Food quality storage medium

Seamless building and construction

Easy as well as economical to shop as well as ship

Cost-effective product packaging remedy

Nearly infinite storage space uses

Supply Tin Containers - Metal Tins

Supply tin containers are manufactured in shapes and sizes that are most often utilized by individuals and small company alike to show and also store their products. They are generally created in large quantities to provide their wholesale purchasers the lowest cost feasible. A thorough list of one of the most prominent stock tins are listed here. The majority of are supplied in additional sizes.

Hinged Tin Containers - Hinged tins are made with a top that is connected by a joint at the bottom. They are usually used in a rectangular form that permits the individual to easily open up and also close the packaging.

Slip Cover Tin Containers - Slip cover tins supply an easy open top that fits smoothly however provides a tight seal with all-time low. These sorts of metal tins are the most typical and are normally produced with a printed or debossed lid.

Clear Leading Tin Containers - Clear leading tins are essentially slip cover tins with a clear, see-thru top. The tops are made with a polystyrene plastic that enables you to display any kind of products that might be within.

Screw Top Tin Containers - Screw top tins are constructed with threaded lids and bottoms that allow the user to easily open up and also shut the container with a simple spin. It can be made use of to compel an air-tight seal, depending on the lining.

CD Yicheng Tin Can Tin Containers - CD tins are very slim metal tins that hold a conventional dimension CD or DVD. Glue CD/DVD foam dots and also inserts can be acquired to make certain a safe fit.

Move Cover Tin Containers - Slide cover tins are manufactured with an internal lip that firmly holds the gliding top lid. These kinds of tins permit the customer to conveniently open and close the container as well as offer a convenient storage space tool for smaller sized things.

Personalized Tin Containers & Packaging

Custom tins can be produced to client specs into a nearly endless number of shapes and sizes. They make an outstanding marketing product packaging tool and also since they are generally made in smaller sized quantities than stock tins, they do have a collectible worth.

A budget-friendly alternative to having a personalized tin made is using a printed tag. Space tags can be acquired in a variety of sizes and shapes and also can be fitted perfectly to any type of tin container. Online labels provides several sort of labels specifically developed for tins.

Recycling Steel Tins

Tin containers utilize significantly much less resources and energy than either glass, plastic, and also aluminum. Right here are some tin and also steel recycling realities.

Every year, even more steel is reused than glass, paper, aluminum and plastic combined.

Tin containers are actually 99% steel

Tin is contributed to steel containers to assist fight deterioration

The majority of tin containers go to least 25% - 100% recycled steel

Steel can be conveniently separated from various other materials making it easier to reuse

Every 2,000 lbs. of recycled steel conserves 2,500 lbs. of iron ore, 1400 lbs. of coal and also 120 lbs of limestone.