#am i seriously going to have to go get the damn cd player from when i was a darn toddler?! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

commonalex · 4 years ago

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Broken Nose

-Oh my, a talking fox!

-Oh my, a talking fattie!

-Wait, what?

I don’t know what else I could expect coming down here from the tower today. I had this bad feeling stepping into the woods for the first time. It was really on the nose.

-He he, “on the nose”. Never gets old!

-Huh?

The fox keeps on giggling but maybe not on purpose. Judging by the dirty yellowish fur and the burnt patches on its weak body, you could say this creature has seen better days.

-Uhhh girl? Still here. I can hear, you know.

Wherever this fox was (before it comes to horrify me) the fire must’ve get it just in time, but it doesn’t look like hurting. On the contrary, the fox is playfully stretching like a cat on the dirt. I guess I seem so damn funny (or pathetic) for it to dare to come so near. Not that I would mind some chit chat at the time, I haven’t spoke to a person (or whatever that is) for far too long. But the way it follows me around with this sarcastic laugh rubs me the wrong way.

-Come on now, foxxy, I’m seriously busy right now. I can’t afford spending time with you. Stay away and no one gets hurt, nosey.

“Nosey”? Ha ha! It’s like you already know!

-Whatever.

I throw middle fingers and keep on my route putting in and out the batteries of my walkie talkie. No luck. Dad (or whoever was talking at the frequency I was catching from the tower) didn’t speak a word again and of course no one’s around here as far as I can see. So I already had my misery, but I guess I should come down here to play hide and seek besides still life. Thank god it’s still afternoon with the sun beaming through the trees so I am not scared shitless yet.

But still, the fire keeps on burning whatever is on its way and no one bothers if I’m burned alive or not one of those days. So here comes the panic again. I’m climbing a tree to see the valley burning a bit better, while screaming furiously on the walkie talkie in case signal comes up. I scream my lungs out, touch my throat, lose balance, slip of the trunk and fall face first. When I managed to get up blood was pouring off my nose like a fountain. I guess I knew better when I was staying in the watch tower picking my…

-...”nose”, huh? He he he. You are funny, but you really don’t listen.

I turn around to stare at the fox in a way so it gets the message and run away from me but here it is with its eyes shining like it’s waiting for something. I walk slowly to a direction, here it is following me, here it is talking shit about me, here it is turning to go somewhere else, here I am trying to catch her from going towards the fire, and we’re back at the start. Fuck it, I say. I let her leave to stop worrying. And that’s how I get lost in here. You see, all this time I had the smoke as compass and with all this chasing I failed to notice that the fumes scattered all over the place. I raise my head to see the sun radiating this weird red-like colors. Why on earth am I still here?

-Does anybody listen on this channel? I know some of you do. Dad, can you hear me? I’m the fire lookout and try to find you all this time. If you hear me, tell me your location so I can get to you. Copy?

I’d be damned if this walkie talkie thingy is even necessary at this point. They have probably gone deaf by my stupid screaming.

-Just hoping you understand how futile this is. It’s like the thousandth time I tell you that at this exact point, but I have my hopes that one day you will stop doing this. Mainly to yourself. Just like I have my hopes that you will stop wearing shorts that make your thighs look unevenly thick.

-Can you please help me with your mouth shut? All it takes is a second to become human torches. I don’t need your kind of silly attitude.

-Pardon me? What attitude. I said what I said for your own good. But I don’t judge you. Spending all this time trapped in here, no wonder why your brain got a bit rusty.

-Trapped?

The fox’s looking at me head to toes, sighs and sits in front of me waiting for something once again. What, exactly? No idea, but I wish it would be something that would take my guilt away and leave this thing get baked. It would smell like cooked fox all over to the watch tower.

-Highly doubt you could smell anything with a nose that fucked up.

-Shut-your-god-damn-mouth.

I get caught off guard by the walkie talkie screeching with an incomprehensible voice. I don’t get much, just small phrases like “wish you could hear me” or “one sign of life” and such. All enough to hear my dad on this. I press to reply with my hands shaking by the stress. I keep on losing him, without ever getting my voice across. Signal worsens, but if I can hear him that must mean he is somewhere around here, right? But what if he is somewhere near the fire? I’m mic screaming “DAD JUST TELL ME IF YOU’RE HERE” like a ten year old and that’s where I lose all contact.

Trying to catch a breath on a treat I get blood in my mouth (which has got everywhere and made me look sick) and burst into tears. I feel finished. I watch the ash raining down on my from the coal black slope on my right and I’m feeling shaky once again. I don’t even know if I’m crying being here all alone or because by the next few meters I could see my dad… You know how. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I see something like that.

-Come on, girl, please, don’t say that. I’ve listened to you say that like a hundred times and every time my heart is screaming for mercy. Come, get up.

Barely even remembered the fox is there all along.

-What do you want from me?

-Dunno. Company? A little adventure? This boredom you feel all this time on that watch tower all alone, I get that too. But you only make us the favor to come down here and spend time when you catch your dad on the radio. Only then I really have something to do.

-So you have seen me up there?

-If I seen you? What else could a fox occupy it’s mind inside those fucked up woods than stalk a fire lookout in her fourties? You know, playing with the binoculars, searching up radio frequencies, drinking beer and listening to the same music all day from her cd player? Is there anything better around here?

-What forties? I’m seventeen.

-Well I’m telling you, you absolutely are in your thirties at least.

-Why do I even bother.

But chatting with the fox really makes you forget, whatever bs you have to endure. And you have to endure a lot. And a lot of stuff the fox says are disses that don’t make much sense. However company is very much needed at this point, inside a dirt pool filling up with ash and red smoke.

-I’m not here to make your life difficult.

-I don’t even know why you’re here. And how come you talk? If that’s not too much.

-Why are you stuck on these questions by now? You do this every time. Even though that’s the first time I see fire getting that big around here. And to be fair you got lost in the woods too early this time. And to be honest I’m kinda like a baby boy right now, asking for his mama, cause I have no clue what the hell is going on.

-”Baby boy”? Are you male?

He looks at me with the most dead and disappointed stare a fox could ever have. I don’t know why I assumed he was a girl. But since he can hear me in my head, I apologize for perpetuating those kind of stereotypes. My bad. Ok? The fox nods as agreeing. we are ok.

During all that I forgot I had the walkie talkie on my back pocket so when it started “whistling” again I got shivers. Trying to hold it with my shaky fingers I drop it like the useless scum I am. Even the fox gave me a disappointed look.

The signal was better this time. I could hear for about five minutes non stop before I tried (with no luck) to respond. This is for sure not my dad. Those weird fast paced accents that invade the back of my ears are definitely from my mother. She even said her catchphrase “look at your own lil princess”.

“...should we keep on putting up a show anymore, darling?”.

“I’m tired. You wanna hear me say it? I say it right now.“.

“...I don’t understand? So am I the bad one and the heartless bitch once again?”.

“...please accept the bitter reality. We really missed the boat...”.

And then silence again.

Same attitude, same lines played out a thousand times in the kitchen or in front of people. The same arguing over and over again with dad. The reason was always dumb, but her voice here doesn’t seem so irritating. Something serious must have happened for my dead mommy to cry like a pig.

-No crying? So you’re over it?

-Don’t know.

-I get it, we’re still at the point where you adapt to all this. We have a little bit of walking left till you have to get back.

-Tell me, what’s this thing you seem to know but I don’t?

-We know the same. I’m just here as a reminder, like an alarm clock of some sort. You know, like that fox alarm clock you had besides your bed when you were younger? Do you remember? You even brought it to the watch tower. Weird to have an alarm clock if you’re waking up at noon, though. You a freaking fire lookout, woman.

It was a while until my brain got to work again. The fox was right, he is just like that alarm clock I have since a kid. How did I not see it before? And what does that mean now? Well, we know we won’t get any further just by asking. I don’t know if what I feel about that creature is trust, intimacy or curiosity. And those enigmatic stuff he throws here and there get tiresome. We walk and chit chat without noticing the orange fog swallowing everything within a meter around us. All we see in front of us now are burnt tree trunks and melting animals. All of them teddy bears I had while being a baby potato. If my heartbeat wasn’t hitting those three digits I would get goosebumps right now.

I’m covering mouth and nose with my hand and try to guess where the fox is, as he’s running in circles stunned. He doesn’t seem to care if we find my parents before we all get barbecued anymore. He is too busy looking somehow concerned at all this damaged landscape.

-Tell me, how long have you seen me in secret? Spent all the summer over there and I never saw a single soul besides you right now, my secret admirer.

-Are you serious? What summer? Get it together. We wasted our young years here. But what am I even saying and basically to whom. Sometimes I wish I had your luck playing in this kind of playground. You could say disconnection from the environment has its moments.

-I’m volunteering for the summer, that’s all. It was written on the papers I signed, too. I think.

-Wait… Is that it?

-After all that I’m going back home to find out if where I’m studying by September. It’s pretty much over.

-...so this was it all along? Disconnecting? -Wait, did I take the entrance exams? My brain just froze.

-Would you shut up about your exams? Something’s wrong.

-How could I forget exams, though? After all this studying?

-Oh man. We really are in deep shit and now’s the time for you to turn your nose up at what is happening.

-Oh, here we go with these nose jokes again.

-No, no. Didn’t mean it in a literal way. That was unfortun… Ah, you get it, right?

-Maybe that’s why there’s not a single soul down here. You must’ve killed them all with your crap.

-I don’t have a good feeling about this. Our routine feels off. We have done this walk so many times and something’s not quite ok right now. It seems as if we’re stuck at the same place for hours and I guess…

-”Guess” what…?

-...we’re lost. I guess.

Oh-you-don’t-say. When you spend so much time fucking with a broken person’s nerves, you tend miss what’s happening. We’re technically blind and we just go around for hours. Are we running away from the fire? Going straight at it? Only god know, because everything turned brown around here. We’re bumping trees and get shitless when we step on those blackened teddy bear bellies. I don’t lose my chance of cursing out the fox for driving us here, but all he cares about it digging holes while “trying to find our designated course”. That’s how we spend our next hour. Or maybe more since my watch stopped.

-How much battery is left in the walkie talkie?

-One line. And I swear I had it full, just like every time.

-”Just like every time”?

-Every time I climb down the watch tower to get here.

The fox leaves the digging on the side and looks at me with his eyes wide open. My brain gets stuck for a moment and before he gets to respond I get vertigo. When I return to normal he keeps on asking again and again if I “know”, as if I get what he is trying to say. I’m searching for the sun above us to make everything around me stop flickering, but no luck, so I have the fox right beside me irritating me with these questions while I’m throwing up.

-Oh boy, you really don’t listen. That’s it, we’re going back. Now.

-Back where? I have my parents over here!

-You play the fool all this time. We have to go back to the starting point, don’t you get it? With you at the watch tower listening to your parents on the radio, coming down to the woods and find me while breaking your nose. Dunno how more fucked up your nose can be than right now, but we might save our asses.

-You are the most irritating talking fox I’ve ever seen.

-Wow, that’s a lot. Now give me the walkie talkie.

-Stop, YOU’RE GONNA BREAK IT!

-WOULD YOU STOP THE BULLSHIT SO WE CAN SAVE OURSELVES?

-DON’T.

The walkie talkie slips, falls upon some cracked branches and shutters to a million pieces. Our eyes are glued to the ground, scanning for every piece in case we lose it. Time suddenly hits the brake, the orange fog from before has grown to this sick deep red light from the sun that sets down the edge of the valley as if we are in literal hell. Is this it?

-Nah. Not yet at least.

-Cut it out.

-Sure.

I’m paralysed. My head can’t get through this twisted procedure anymore; days are marching one after another as the same exact instance being copied again and again. I tried so much to resist but my “job” here stopped helping a long time ago. Every bit on me seems hurt and rough. How long was I force to see everything slowly catch fire as I try to not get burnt alive? I could never know. All I know is how much washed out I feel here. Breaking my face, getting lost and playing chase with flames while asking for my dad through a stupid walkie talkie. Not that I ever need it to hear him. I got him right beside my ear all the time.

Even now.

“Stop acting like that, you’re an old man. It’s like you think I’m not in pain myself.”.

“But is it so easy for you?”.

“You think I’m not suffering inside? We’re in the same boat and we’re sinking.”.

“And what is she stood up right now? Looking at you and asking you what were we discussing just before?”.

“Twenty years, dear. Twenty years talking ‘bout the same damn things. Our daughter is gone, don’t you listen to the doctors? Am I wasting away on my own? Am I struggling to keep up with money by myself just to keep on hoping? Why are you doing this? Why in front of others, dear?”.

“I won’t bear this. I can’t bear this.”.

“It’s time to let her rest, us too. Or whatever is left there...”.

“Don’t cry, damn it. Don’t you see I’m holding it myself?”.

That’s my mom. Stiff as one can be at first just to breakdown in the end. Now my dad must hug her with those big ass arms until she eventually calms down. What I’d do to see them now, even though they must got so old through all those years.

When my mother stopped sobbing I wiped my eyes and saw the fire waiting ten steps away. Clothes, shoes, all of them slowly melt and drop to the boiling ground. I take the fox in my arms and run away in case we can get saved somehow. The fox doesn’t seem to have much time left. All I see is burnt fur and burst open skin. I barely have the courage to look at his face with this bloody tongue and two concerning little eyes.

-Can you still talk?

-As much as you can run.

He knows what he’s talking about. My body is slowing growing heavy and lags to respond. We are really dead meat.

-So nothing in here is real, huh? It’s all in my head.

-Does it matter? The point was to get a bit away from all of this. To stretch this as much as possible, until you wake up or until you… You know…

I’m not forcing the conversation any more. I’m grateful for his stance amidst all this chaos. He looks at me and nods to seal the mutual understanding. I smile and the saltiness from the tears and the blood goes right into my mouth. Awkward yet suitable.

When my feet start to sink from the upward sprint up the hill, the watch tower is finally revealed about a hundred meters away.

-A little bit of patience, we’re here.

-All of this is so unnecessary. We’re gonna be consumed by the fire in the end.

-I need to talk to them. Last try. Promise.

-As if we had more.

The rusty ladder moans while I climb it with the fox on my right soldier. The door of the tower room slams by the wind and all the glass windows are shattered with dust pilling up all the way to my knee. All the beer can thrown out, all the books and cds buried; only the desk with the main radio got away through all this. I lie down the fox on a corner of the bed and I examine the completely fucked up world outside. Everything is red and everything flickers in the flames. It’s a matter of minutes now.

I plug the radio and fix the antenna that gets dragged by the wind outside. The fox is watching me like he wants to make sure I do everything right. I make a weird gesture with my hand to reassure him during his last moments and he smiles. Then I play with the mic switch in my hands due to awkwardness. How much time do I have left? Judging the fire coming close to the window I kinda get the idea. But it seems I don’t need this kind of boogieman anymore to live and move in here; just patience. So I’m looking the frequencies one by one, calling and waiting for a response.

-I don’t know if you can hear me, maybe you escaped. Old people don’t particularly stand those situations. I just called for the sake of it. I called to say it’s ok and I understand, dad. And please tell the other not to whine and be bitter. The only thing missing right now is one last hug with you. If only I could feel a touch on my hand, damn it. Anyway, I’m tired. Be strong. I have no idea if, but I wish we meet again someday. Somewhere by the sea if it’s easy. So much desolation and so much pine, I can’t stand it anymore.

It’s like I had it written down with the words flowing so easily. I repeated them about twenty or thirty times out loud until my mouth went completely dry. I turn off the mic and look at the flame waving me from every direction. I wave back.

-We’ve said it well, even though no one got to hear it. The most beautiful in vain gesture ever.

How poetic. Didn’t know he had it in him.

I leave the radio in a frequency full of white noise to scratch my ears to oblivion. I don’t wanna hear my head go off until they reply back. Afterwards I give a tight hug to the fox with all power I have left to a point I think I’m strangling him. He doesn’t flinch, he understands. We sigh together and watch in slow motion the whole process. Fire knocking on the door to come in, surrounding everything, painting them all with a different color as I leave my sweat (and something more) on this cheap mattress. Maybe they didn’t get my message, I think, and I’m kinda holding a grudge at myself. Maybe if I had another chance I wouldn’t waste so much time. Maybe I could even wake up and see them, even if that meant I would die right after. Talk about bad luck, twenty years here and the alarm clock never get me out of bed once. My nerves. I have so much anger I could a person right now. I swear if someone would close my nostrils right now I’d explode from rage.

-So much for breaking your nose, I guess.

-For the love of god SHUT UP.

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gofancyninjaworld · 5 years ago

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One Punch Man Serious CD Vol 2: Genos, Training. Full Dialogue Translation

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/OnePunchMan/comments/ekjf4a/one_punch_man_serious_cd_vol_2_genos_training/

Courtesty of @u-vibhavm who has produced a full translation with Redditor u/hdx514′s help. Full text is posted with his permission and follows below the cut.

Translated by me using a lot of help from /u/hdx514 and his previous summary of the audiobook.

Follow along with the audio:

Part 1: https://streamable.com/m08uk

Part 2: https://streamable.com/oiiss

Genos (G): Haaaaa, Machine Gun Blow!

MGB noises

G: Incinerate.

explosion noise

Computer (C): Target annihilated, mission clear. Simulation complete.

Inferiority OST starts

G: Alright, I managed to eliminate even the strongest opponent by myself.

G: Dr. Kuseno made this, the Virtual Genocide System. It works by using a computer to create a virtual reality, in which I can practice by battling virtual opponents.

G: If there are no virtual opponents of a higher difficulty left, then like the Doctor said, maybe it’s time to start the next training phase

G: The evolved Virtual Genocide System allows me to engage in practice battles against monsters restored from data I collected in the past

G: That means, Mosquito Girl and Deep Sea King, and even Carnage Kabuto. I can have a rematch with all the opponents I lost too.

C: Restarting simulation. Mosquito Girl: High pitched scream

G: Mosquito Girl’s data.

G: This time, I won’t let my guard down. Let’s go.

Machine Gun Blow noises

G: I can feel it…

G: How much stronger I’ve got since the time I fought her.

G: Target acquired explosion noise

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear.

G: Alright, next one!

thunder and rain sounds play

Wet DSK’s voice: I’ll tear you to shreds

G: Deep Sea King. Let’s go.

G: Machine Gun Blow. Incinerate.

MGB and Explosion noises

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear.

G: I will not be defeated by the likes of acid spit anymore.

G: With this combat practicing, my learning efficiency in battle will rapidly improve.

G: Against Demon Level opponents that I had trouble with in the past, my chance of victory is over 70%.

G: .And now, it’s finally time challenge that guy.

Alarms

Thumping footsteps

Carnage Kabuto: Well then, let’s start the killing.

G: Carnage Kabuto, it won’t be like last ti-

BOOM

G: Wha!

G: After all those upgrading my parts, learning from my defeats, and time spent studying with sensei, I am sure that I have gotten stronger, however…

CK: Hehehehe, Baaaaaka.

G: Estimated Disaster Level Dragon and opponents of similar level, I knew my chances of winning would decrease significantly in dealing with those.

G: I’m still a long way away from being able to defeat Carnage Kabuto.

C: Player, Genos: Seriously damaged. Simulation completed.

Sorrow OST playing

G: Even though I challenged Carnage Kabuto 55 times, I can’t seem to achieve victory, so I requested Doctor Kuseno for advice.

G: According to the Doctor, since the opponent is too powerful, it’s no good as reference

G: I should use my personal data to create something called “ghost”, then gradually accumulate experience through practice battles against the ghost.

”Machine Gun Blow” echoes

G: Using the past me to shape the present me, even if it’s a bit of improvement, that’s still good.

G: I have been following this training method until now.

G: In the process of repeating this training, I began wanting to see my ghost fight with Saitama sensei.

Saitama (S): Hmm? Do you need something, Genos?

G: Saitama sensei, please try on this device.

S: What’s this?

G: It’s “Virtual Genocide System”

S: huh?

G: It’s “Virtual Genocide System”

S: (Think) That’s not really an explanation is it…

S: Anyway, I just have to put this on my head right.

C: Player, Saitama: Commencing Simulation.

S: Ooh! What’s this! I see something Genos! Where is this!

G: You are currently in a virtual reality. Please defeat the enemies I’ve configured to appear in front of you.

S: What? I just have to defeat right? How do I move in here?

G: It will read your brainwaves; you just have to imagine the normal scenario.

S: Imagine you say…

Clothes ruffling sfx

S: Oh yeah, it moved!

G: You don’t need to move your body around like t-

Loud crash

S: Did you say something Genos?

G: Nope (Homonym for “house”)

S: Alright. Here I go!

Seigi Shikkou OST playing

Monster death explosions

S: Oh, this is great… It’s just like the real world.

G: We can also review that place’s footage from this monitor here.

G: So regardless of it being a virtual world, you can completely defeat any monster easily.

G: However, your last opponent is….

Mechanical noises

Compute Genos (CG): Target Acquired

S: Woah, a guy that’s the splitting image of Genos just came out

CG: I will eliminate you.

G: It’s me from yesterday. Please fight it with all your strength.

G: Use the punch from last time that you stopped just before connecting with me. In the VGS, it isn’t the real me, so it doesn’t matter if I get completely destroyed.

G: Against a very upgraded me compared to last time, please fight to your heart’s content.

S: Sokka

G: How will Saitama Sensei fight against the current version of me…

G: After analysing and studying that, I might have unexpected findings regarding my weak points and blind spo-

S: I punched it.

C: Target annihilated. Mission clear. Simulation completed.

S: Sighs Seems like a videogame, though it’s easier than one.

S: Huh, what’s wrong Genos? Seems like the lights are gone from your eyes. Hello hello?

more sorrow OST

G: (thinking) Saitama Sensei’s power is wrapped up in mystery even till this day. It’s naive of me to think I could figure him out with mere simulations.

G: Please excuse me. I’m going out for a bit. S: Huh, where are you off to?

S: What happened to him… S: Wha- Hey… There’s a hole in the wall! ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!

G: For the experiment, it might be more appropriate to find capable heroes other than Saitama sensei.

G: Thinking that, I negotiated with the Hero Association in order to summon heroes to the headquarters.

Mysterious OST playing

Sneck (Sk): Are you the guy who suddenly summoned us? What do you want with me, Snake Bite Sneck. Sk: I’ll only say this once, despite our ranks, i’m your senior.

Metal Bat (MB): Who on earth is the reckless guy challenging me, Metal bat, to a one-on-one fight!?

Darkshine (Ds): No no, I heard there’s some new training machine.

Zombieman (Z): What a bunch of unpleasant members.

Z: Hey you, Genos or something? What do you want with us? G: A-Class hero Snake Bite Sneck, and from S-Class, Metal bat, Superalloy Darkshine, Zombieman;

G: You all will now equip this device in turns and fight enemies in a virtual space.

MB: Eh? The hell is that? The latest toy or something?

G: It’s fine if you want to think of this as a game. There’s no risk to your life, but the feeling is nearly same to life so be careful.

Z: What do you plan to do with that combat data...?

G: I will use it as a reference for myself to get stronger

Z: You’re a surprisingly straightforward guy.

Z: Very well, I’ll go along with you. Well, I hope it will be helpful reference.

MB: Heh, seems interesting.

Sk: Can’t be helped, I’l pitch in and help out my junior.

DS: It seems like good training

G: Snake Bite Sneck, you go first.

(TN: Genos used the very informal second person pronoun ‘omae’ (おまえ) implying equal or superior status)

Sk: Oma…? I’m your senior you know… man…

Sk: Tsk, I just have to put this on, right?

C: Player Sneck. Commencing simulation.

Sneck: Hmph, I’m going to show you guys right here, that I’m actually pretty damn strong.

explosion

Simulation System Voice: Player Sneck. Incapacitated in battle. Simulation complete.

Sk: I was defeated in 3 seconds!

G: No. Correctly speaking, it was 2.52 seconds.

Sk: W..what the hell was that enemy just now?

G: It’s a monster I fought in the past, Carnage Kabuto.

Sk: There... There’s something wrong with its strength setting...

G: Hmm, you really can’t be used as reference.

Sk: Eh? that’s it for m-

G (cutting Sneck off): Next! Metal Bat, your turn to challenge it.

MB: Hmph, let me give it a shot.

C: Player Metal Bat. Commencing simulation.

MB: Bring it on!

metal bat grunting

boom

Z: A frontal exchange of blows huh.

DS: What a great number of at-bats!

G: No wonder he’s an S-Class hero. He wasn’t finished off easily, however...

Carnage Kabuto: YEAAAAAAAAAAH!

explosion

MB grunts

CK: Hehehehe, Baaaaaka.

C: Player Metal Bat. Incapacitated in battle. Simulation complete.

G: He wasn’t able to win huh

G: But that was his first fight with Kabuto and he lasted 3 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.

MB: Huh? That’s it? It’s over?

G: You lost, Metal Bat, because the damage you sustained were too grave for you to continue.

MB: Huh? What are you talking about? I can totally keep going.

G: No, when you get injured to that extent, it is over.

G: You are considered “dead” in the virtual world.

MB: No way Jose. I might have lost in the game world, but in the real world it won’t go like that.

MB: It might be over once you die in the game world, but in the real world, a death is just a flesh wound. You can totally revive through fighting spirit and have another go, know what I’m saying?!!

Sk: Eh, isn’t it usually the other way?

DS: Calm down, Metal Bat kun!

DS: It would make a mess of things if you get into a real fight with Genos here!

Metal Bat: Damn it!

Z: Next, it's my turn.

G: Zombieman, I heard you're an undying hero.

Z: Hmph, if the device can read my brainwaves and recreate my body's abilities as well as the damages in the simulation, it will be a reflection of my characteristics in actual combat.

MB: Aren't you confident.

G: This guy could provide great reference data.

C: Player Zombieman, commencing simulation.

Z: Bring it on, as long as it's something that can be defeated.

CK: Baaaaaaaka!

squashing noises

MB: Hey hey, that Zombieman, I thought he'd start the battle with leisure, isn't this a one sided beatdown?

Sk: Ouch, I can't bear to watch.

DS: His body is gradually disappearing, is it okay to keep it going? It's starting to look gory as hell.

G: This is strange, the battle should have long since been concluded, but the system isn't stopping it. What's going on?

Z: It must be because my brain isn't acknowledging this as real danger on a cognitive level.

Z: Stuff like this isn't even considered damage.

MB: No no no, what a load of bollocks. A body-less head is in no position to say that!

G: Totally not useful for reference!

Metal Bat: Looks like it's going to go on for a while, yawns, I'm gonna take a nap. Call me when it's over.

Darkshine: I'm also going to take a break and get ready for my battle.

G: Then aside from Zombieman, it's recess for everyone else. Everyone, go take a break.

G (monologue): Afterwards, Zombieman's battle lasted for over 3 hours, since there was no conclusion, the system automatically sped-up its simulation clock and one week has passed in the simulation.

C: Simulation complete.

DS: Ooh! Zombieman’s back!

MB: Finally acknowledging your defeat?

Z: I won.

G: What did you say?

Z: After transforming into Carnage Mode or whatever and rampaging, it spent all its stamina and couldn't even move.

Z: I saw my chance and started my attack.

Sk: Finally winning after losing for 1 week straight...

G: That's amazing! ...but can't be used for reference at all...

DS: Alrighty, finally, i’m up!

G: Superalloy Darkshine...

DS: Since we’re in virtual space, it would be okay for me to release the full power of my muscles, right?

Genos: Yes, let me bear witness to your power.

C: Player Superalloy Darkshine. Commencing simulation.

Darkshine: Hmph!!

booms and bashes

Carnage Kabuto & Darkshine: DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー DIE ー Hmph ー

Sk: Whoa, this is…

Z: A great fight

G: It’s working! This means Superalloy Darkshine’s strength goes beyond Kabuto’s defense.

continued sound effects of battle

DS: HMPH! !

Sk: WHOA!

C: Enemy, incapacitated in battle. Player, Superalloy Darkshine, is victorious. Simulation completed.

DS: Yeah! I won!

DS: He’s a lot stronger than I imagined, took me 15 minutes.

G: Zombieman is undying, so his body makes sense, but what’s with your body, Darkshine? Has it been modified?

DS: I’m not a cyborg! Although, I can’t say my body hasn’t been modified… by the power of muscles!

G: Muscles you say?

G: Looks like I have to give up on upgrading my parts. Maybe I should discuss with Dr. Kuseno about installing muscle upgrades.

DS: By the way Genos, I saw there are monsters in this to choose from, can I give them a go?

G: Sure, but Carnage Kabuto is the strongest monster who’s data is stored.

DS: Is that so… That’s unfortunate.

G: However, you can fight a ghost of yourself from the data collected.

Z: Wait a minute, that means, there are also ghosts of us right?

MB: So that means, it is possible to have Genos vs Metal Bat, and Zombieman vs Darkshine?

MB: That sounds interesting. Fight with my ghost, Darkshine!

DS: Ummm…

Button click and computer starting sounds

OPM OST Main Theme plays

DS: Oh, I pressed some strange button.

MB: Huh? What the hell is that enemy?

Sk: A black silhouette came out…

MB: Huh? That silhouette… I feel like i’ve seen it somewhere…

DS: Well, it’s not gonna be stronger than Carnage Kabuto. Let’s just test it out.

DS: Hmph!

boom

C: Player, Superalloy Darkshine: Incapacitated in battle. Simulation completed.

DS: Eh...?

MB: What the hell!

Sk: A bug in the system?

G: That Ghost just now… Could it be…

Z: Genos, do you know anything?

MB: Hey! Select that guy once again! I’ll defeat it!

DS: Oh, alright.

DS: Huh? It won’t move.

MB: What’s going on, Genos?

G: I do not know

Darkshine pressing the button repeatedly

DS: Ahh… It’s no good… It won’t boot up. Looks like it broken.

MB: Genos do something!

G: No. We are done for today here.

MB: Haah?

G: There’s something I want to confirm.

MB: What happened to him all of a sudden…

Genos slams a door open

G: Saitama Sensei! I have returned back home.

S: Ahh, Genos. Where did you go off to earlier?

G: I went to repair and improve this machine.

S: Are you still playing with that thing…?

S: More importantly, hurry up and go fix my wall.

G: Saitama Sensei, please active this once again.

G: I updated, but the previously collected data is still inside

S: Sure, but why? Won’t the same thing happen again?

G: No…

S: What do you mean? Well anyway.

C: Player, Saitama: Commencing Simulation.

G: Inside the system, yesterday’s Saitama sensei has been added as a ghost.

G: In other words, an enemy of the same level as Saitama sensei was born inside the virtual world.

G: Of course, including me, there are no heroes who can win against an enemy like that.

G: Even if I let the others try, they’ll probably think it’s just damaged strength balance data as the result of the machine being broken.

G (thinking): This enemy has power unlike anything Saitama sensei has ever faced, he will be forced into a hard battle against his own ghost… sensei has been down since yesterday putting holes in his wall, is this a bad time? Will not being able to one punch his ghost affect him mentally? What if a defeated sensei loses his mojo and retire as hero? This is a huge, putting sensei in such danger in order to satisfy my curiosity...no, I have to explain to sensei what I’m getting him into…

G: Sensei...!! The enemy you are about to fight is-

boom

G: Sen… sei… I was too late...

S: What?

G: Please excuse me, I failed to let you know beforehand…

G: Your current enemy was, yesterday’s Saitama Sensei…

S: Oh, was that so?

G: As such, even though Saitama Sensei lost, it was against himself at full power, please don’t mind it too much…

S: Nope, it was over in One Punch.

G: Yes… eh? You... you won?

S: Obviously. Why would I lose to yesterday’s me?

extensive scribbling

S: H- Hey… What are you writing down in the memo?

Genos nods to himself

G: However, that you won in one punch, that’s incomprehensible.

G: Sensei is far more powerful today than he was yesterday… is that even possible?

S: It’s just unreliable simulated data right?

G: No but-

S: GENOS!

G: Yes!?

Serious Saitama: It doesn’t matter how strong you become in the virtual world, it will never change who you are in real life. I learned this lesson the hard way as a kid when I was so obsessed with leveling up in an RPG I missed my entire summer holiday.

S: Now enough virtual reality... GO FIX THE WALL!

G: Ye… Yes!

#OPM #Drama CD #Genos #Saitama #Metal Bat #Superalloy Darkshine #Sneck #Zombieman #very entertaining but also informative #giving us great insights into how the other heroes work #also how Genos is able to improve so fast #he's now got a system to virtualise his training #and of course the idea that Saitama is still growing stronger is scary stuff indeed #also #Genos straightforwardly telling the others he plans to use them #you can't accuse him of being duplicitous #but still!

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pilot-boi · 4 years ago

Text

Shouting in Cafes: Chapter Seven

Highway Skyline

They’re burning down the highway skyline, on the back of a hurricane that started turning when they were young.

AO3 LINK

Neptune made a point to carefully open the car door and get inside. The car was… Nice. Surprisingly nice. The seats were clean and smelled like lemons, the floor mats were spotless. No trash. No stains. Sun was checking his hair in the rearview mirror.

“Huh,” Neptune said, not fast enough to hide the surprise in his voice.

“What?” Sun asked, freezing.

“It’s nice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“No beer bottles.”

“Wow, dude. I’m hurt, truly,” Sun said, pressing a hand to his chest in a facsimile of hurt. Or maybe it was real hurt. He could never tell with this guy.

Neptune supressed a laugh at his performance. He couldn’t afford to let Sun see him be happy. That would mean he was winning, and they weren’t friends. Nope. Totally not.

“Ready to ride?” Sun asked with a smile that said danger.

“Just… here? We’re going way over the speed limit here?”

“It’s fine!” Sun waved him off, adjusting his mirror and shooting himself a grin in the reflection. “There are never any cops or pedestrians here. Don’t worry so much, Neptune!”

“I have to worry. That’s the only way you won’t freaking kill yourself.”

Sun laughed, and he did have a nice laugh dammit. A laugh that made you want to laugh along with him. Neptune barely restrained himself from doing just that.

“Okay! Here we go!”

Sun was out of that parking space so fast, Neptune thought he might get whiplash. He stopped the car just as quickly, then started it up again before either one of them could get their bearings.

“Su- Su-” Neptune stuttered out between the breaks, his nails digging into the leather and his glasses threatening to fly off his face.

“Aw, see? We are good friends!” Sun called over the purring engine. “We’re already giving each other nicknames!”

“Shut up!”

The pavement screamed underneath them and Neptune watched his life zoom past. Oh, look, there went the time Scarlet knocked his head into the terrible birthday cupcake he got him and Neptune had sprinkles dropping out of his hair for at least a week.

Sun bucked the car onto the empty street and took off, wind tangling in his hair and eyes open wide. The trees turned into green blurs, the buildings into only smudges of paint on a blue backdrop.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Neptune yelled and promptly sealed his mouth closed. Air poured down his throat at top speeds and with it most likely a million bugs. No thank you, this was terrifying enough all ready, he didn’t need that.

The road bumped and threatened to make him bite his tongue off. And he needed that, thank you very much. For screaming, if nothing else.

“You know, you sure do take the Lord’s name in vain a whole lot,” Sun said as casually as if they were out for lunch. He pulled out some sunglasses and tucked them into Neptune’s hair without even asking. Yellow reflective aviators. What had he really been expecting?

“I’m already Catholic! It’s fine!”

“I’m not really sure that’s how it works,” he said conversationally as he pulled on a pair of honest-to-God fingerless driving gloves. He was going to die. Forget getting in a crash, his heart was going to stop.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Neptune screamed. Sun had started fishing around in the space between the cupholders, and his face was turned completely away from the road to do it. Neptune’s heart raced. Street signs smeared. Sun’s speed neared one hundred.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Cool your jets, dude! I’m just grabbing some tunes!”

“We’re going to die!”

“Oh, so now we’re a we?” Sun quipped, winking at Neptune and still not even glancing at the road that his car was practically devouring.

“What the hell are you talking about?! Just keep your fucking eyes on the road, you absolute maniac, or I’m going to have an actual stroke!!” Neptune screamed, his lungs in his throat and his heart hammering in his chest. He was going to tear the leather upholstery with how hard he was gripping it.

Sun laughed. Laughed! Like they weren’t doing something highly illegal and could die at any second! “We’re not gonna hit anyone! Hey, dude, do you dare me to beat one-fifteen?”

“No!”

More laughter. That laughter was going to be the last thing he ever heard.

Sun finally got what he was looking for. He wiped the CD (who still used CDs?) off on his tank top and popped it into the player. Big band jazz music blew from the speakers, the bass cranked up because of course it was. Still. Jazz? Trumpetey, 1920s, New Orleans jazz?

“What the fuck is this?!”

“You really lose your censor when you’re out of work,” Sun said, leaning casually back into his seat, seemingly ignoring his hair flying in every direction from the wind, and facing directly towards Neptune to speak.

“No, I don’t! I think it’s the life or death situation I’m currently facing!”

“My driving isn’t that bad,” Sun pouted, his eyes wide again. Damn those eyes, how dare they look like they’d been plucked straight from a noon day sky.

“Shut the fuck up and stop giving me those puppy eyes! Keep your goddamn eyes on the- You almost hit that sign watchoutwatchoutwatchoutwatchout holy fucking shit!!”

Neptune’s face was suddenly freezing, what with all the blood draining out of it and all. His hand had made its way to his heart somehow, bunching up in the fabric, while his other arm pressed up against the car door as if that would help if they hit something. If he had a heart monitor on, it would read well over one hundred.

“Puppy eyes?” Sun asked, said eyes lighting up once again and that fucking grin spreading across his face.

No. Oh God no.

“It’s a thing you do, Shut up a-”

“You noticed a thing I do?” He sounded delighted. God fucking dammit, what the hell?! Neptune was having a fever dream. That was it. He was dying of a horrible sickness, and this was the torture his brain had conjured up for him.

“Dumbass! Holy shit! Please just focus on the road!”

Sun sped up.

“No. No no no nononono!!”

“Yes yes hell fucking yes!!”

Neptune glanced over. Sun was grinning from ear to ear. A spot light that split the darkness. A smile for punching the sun, for setting off illegal fireworks just to have some color in the sky. A smile for street racing at unimaginable speeds just to bond with a barista he barely knew.

“You’re actually planning on killing me,” Neptune panicked, at whatever could pass for a normal tone of voice in this death trap. “If this was a trick to kill me, congratulations, it’s fucking working!”

Sun had the audacity to laugh. “I’m actually going to die in this neon blue convertible with a maniac at the steering wheel!” Neptune yelped, the calm demeanor his horrified realization had brought gone in an instant.

“Wow, you’re morbid!” Sun laughed. “Chill out, dude! I just want to get a little air!” His grip tightened on the steering wheel and he leaned forward as if that would make them go faster.

“A little…?!”

Neptune un-squinted his eyes and focused on the road up ahead. Sure enough, there lay a steep hill that Neptune had somehow managed to forget about. How could he? He drove up it every morning and back down it every night. It made your stomach fly up into your throat even at regular speeds.

“This is suicide!” Neptune cried, gripping his seat belt tight enough to snap it right in two.

“Not if we don’t die!”

“If we don’t die, we get arrested! That’s not better! You get how that’s not better, right?!”

“How is dying better than getting arrested? Besides, there are never any cops here!”

“You’re insane!”

“We’re almost there!”

“I’m going to vomit! Seriously, I swear to Go-”

“Hold on!” Sun yelled, teeth bared in a face splitting grin and eyes bright with manic fire.

Everything in the car went flying, including its passengers. Miraculously, that flight was only an inch or so out of their seat and not through the windshield. Still, the experience of rocketing over a hill at hundred of miles per hour speeds while bass-boosted jazz blared out of the speakers was a unique experience that Neptune never wanted to repeat.

Neptune’s seat belt caught him as he threatened to fly overboard. Sun was cheering his head off, Neptune was too terrified for any sound to escape his throat. His voice seemed to have been left on the pavement below.

There was a split second where he could have sworn that time froze and he was able to watch Sun’s huge eyes crackle with electricity and excitement. The red leaves of the trees on either side of the road swished with the new wind. The road beneath them blurred, the center lines losing all meaning. All within half a second.

But then their tires bounced once, then twice, and finally they were on the road again.

And Sun was grinding to a halt.

And swerving into a ditch.

He let the car turn completely sideways, pressing down hard into the brake. Dirt flew up around them along with clumps of grass and a few pieces of Neptune’s remaining sanity.

They lurched forward, then stilled.

And Sun hollered. “Holy shit that was awesome!!”

Neptune’s voice returned. “Am I dead?” he asked, frozen stock still in his seat, too scared to move.

“Not yet, bro!”

There was silence for a moment. Then a laugh bubbled out of Neptune. And another. And he was grabbing at his stomach in an effort to control them.

“I’ve never heard you laugh before,” Sun chuckled.

“I guess,” -a laugh break- “I save them for near-death experiences!”

Sun giggled a little. Then he joined, too.

Both of them clutched their sides with the laughing, and the more Sun laughed the more Neptune laughed because his laugh was so infectious it was annoying, but Neptune couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed. It faded in and out from high pitched snickers through his teeth and tongue to deep roaring claps of thunder. Woodland pixie. Hearty ship captain.

“Why the hell do you have bright yellow aviators, dumbass? That’s so lame!” Neptune cackled, pulling them off his head and wiping tears from behind his glasses.

“Why the hell do you have blue freaking hair? Like, more blue than my car! What the fuck?!” Sun pointed out before sputtering into more indistinguishable laughing.

They both slid down further and further into the leather seats, their shoes resting on the dashboard, the occasional putter of laughter from one of them sending both back into a laughing competition that their sides couldn’t handle anymore.

The wind messed up Sun’s hair. Bad. All that gel helped when it was styled correctly, but when Mother Nature had her way with it, it turned into a hot mess. Or just a mess. It splayed out around his head, combining with the straw yellow color and making his head look like he’d jumped into a haystack and a fan at the same time. The back just stood off his neck, straight up in the air like someone had just ordered it to attention.

He kept running his hands all through it. Like it helped. Neptune probably didn’t look that great either.

Sun’s chest was heaving with laughter and adrenaline, and there were bright pink spots high on his cheeks. His sparse freckles dotted under his flush and speckled like constellations across the arms brushing back his hair. Bright yellow hair framing eyes like drops of sky.

“Do you want me to take you back to your car?”

Neptune opened his eyes. Woozily, he addressed his surroundings. Sun was inches away from his face, eyebrows pressed together, one hand climbing through his messy hair. Had they been…? No. No stop. Neptune had just passed out from exhaustion and Sun was waking him up. That was all that had happened.

How late was it? The orange and pink shades of sunset scraped against the tops of the red-leaved trees that closed in around them. It shone through the gaps of the trunks in slats that blinded Neptune momentarily and lit up the flecks of gold in Sun’s blue eyes.

What was happening?

Sun just asked him a question. Focus Neptune.

“Uh. Yeah. Sure.” He thought for a second. Sun was still really close to his face, and for some reason his thoughts were moving more slowly than normal. He could count the individual freckles speckling his cheeks. “I won the bet.”

“It wasn’t really a bet. Just an agreement,” Sun murmured, his eyes flicking over Neptune’s face as if trying to memorize it.

“Sure, sure, but I survived.” He was too close. Why was he so close?

“Yeah,” Sun said, finally leaning back and rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly. “Am I really that bad of a driver?”

“Don’t make me start laughing again.”

Sun smiled bright enough to light up a dark room and clapped a hand on Neptune’s shoulder before starting up the car.

His hand was warm. Calloused and huge, and warm. Neptune definitely did not glance down at it.

Nope. Totally did not do that.

#rwby #neptune vasilias #sun wukong #seamonkeys #mine #my writing #coffee shop rwby #writing wednesday #chapter 7 #shouting in cafes

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago

Text

Survey #274

“now i can hear the marching feet / they’re moving into the street”

What color was the last swimsuit you wore? I only have a black one. Is your dream job attainable? I mean define “dream job.” I’d ideally be a meerkat biologist if I was willing to live in Africa and could handle even mild heat, but I can’t/won’t do either of those, so it’s not obtainable to me. I’d also love to be a paleontologist if I could travel and handle heat once more, but again, I can’t. My only *attainable* dream job is being a photographer, which I am aiming for. I’d LIKE to focus on nature/wildlife photography, but that’s unlikely to be able to support me, so. Do you have to go to school or work tomorrow? N/A Have you slept for longer than usual today? Yes, but only because of my nightmares. I tend to take at least two (though sometimes one) hour-long naps during the day because if I wake up once during the night, as I usually do, I’m fucked because I’m very likely to have an intense nightmare. It seems like the medicine I’m on wears off with consciousness, I guess. I only allow myself to sleep an hour at daytime because my mother has noticed if I have a nightmare, it’s usually no earlier than one hour into sleep. Even then I still have them occasionally. Have you ever taken classes for a musical instrument? Recorder in elementary school was necessary for whatever stupid reason, and then I played the flute for years. Out of school, I took guitar lessons for a while. I got semi-decent (at best I could do the intro to “Crazy Train” at normal speed, I think), but it didn’t last because it was annoying/time-consuming to build up the calluses that make playing painless, I was really bad at overthinking where my fingers were, and I just wasn’t invested quite enough. I’ll tell you, it gave me mad respect for guitarists, that shit isn’t easy by any means. Have you ever been on vacation with someone other than your family? Yes, though it was brief. I was a kid (okay, pre-teen, w/e) still in my separation anxiety from Mom phase and it was literally because of me we had to go home. I still feel shitty about it, though no one seemed upset at me. How old do you think you’ll be when you move out on your own? Who the fuck even knows anymore. Do you have a job? If so, where do you work? If not, do you want one? No; N/A; yes ultimately but no at the current moment because I have to keep watch over Mom. If you wear make-up, which brand of foundation/powder do you use? N/A Would you call yourself a “people” person? Nope. What is one change you need to make in your life this month? Just one??? What’s been tugging on your heart lately? My PTSD plus self-image has been very, very bad. What is the last thing you did that made you feel guilty? Mom had to clean up my cat’s projectile vomit even though she’s supposed to stay away from this kinda stuff through chemo. I literally cannot fucking touch vomit, never mind what came out of him that night. I felt like absolute fucking shit and I still do because WOW I’m a great adult right!! Do you have any physical traits that are bothering you lately? Like, everything. What kind of dog is your favorite? I’m biased to beagles. What was the last thing you received in the mail? A book. What is the last thing you wrote? Like, physically? My signature at the doctor’s office. Do you still care about the person you first kissed? Way fucking more than I should. Do you require a lot of private time? Definitely more than most people. Do you have any songs currently stuck in your head? I haven’t listened to it in forever for ~reasons~, yet “The Mortician’s Daughter” is stuck in my head badly and really needs to fuck off. What was the last song you downloaded? I dunno, I went on a download binge a while back. Have you ever read a really funny book? I remember at least one. “Bite Me” by IDR-Who. Some vampire satire. Have you ever done something humiliating while drunk? Never reached the point of being drunk. How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? fuckin YIKES I am NOT attractive rn go away Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? HAHA my mom has always had the decency to knock, not so much his mom a;lwkejrewoei but the answer’s still no. What electronics are in your room? (DVD player, CD player, etc) This laptop, my phone, a Nintendo DS, my iPod… Do you have a box anywhere with special items you'll to keep forever in it? Yes, actually. Grew up calling them “treasure boxes.” Do you have any pictures of yourself on your bedroom walls? Lol no, I’d definitely prefer to not see myself as much as I can. That sounds melodramatic, but I’m being serious. It either depresses me or makes me angry. Does your dad collect anything? The Cleveland Browns’ football team stuff, for one. Maybe Carolina Hurricane stuff, too? Idk. I don’t live with him and don’t go in his “man cave” at his house often ha ha. What's better, a desktop or laptop? Explain. A laptop. Portable; that’s all the explanation ya really need. Do your parents still hide chocolate eggs around on Easter for you? Nah. What do you typically do on Easter Day? We go to my sister’s house to watch the kids do their egg hunting and open their gifts, then we usually go to Ashley’s in-laws’ for dinner. Is there anyone you literally need to exist? Apparently not. Thought so. Never let yourself into that state of mind. What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand-written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? Oh, a hand-written poem would wreck me, yeesh. Or a drawing. But any would be very sweet. Do you remember why you made the last mistake you did? I don’t know the most recent mistake, but probably because I’m just in general a terrified person who second-guesses or overanalyzes everything. Did you check how many calories the last thing you ate had? Yes. I’m back on my calorie-counting obsession again. Are your nails long or short? Short, always. I can’t keep them long. What is your favorite kind of cookie? Just the ordinary chocolate chip is fine. What was the last compliment you received? I don’t know. Who will be the next person you kiss? I normally delete this question because the answer should be so obvious, but I feel like just pointing it out that no one fucking knows who they’re gonna kiss next. It’s a dangerous mindset. Don’t make assumptions about what you’ll have even tomorrow. Have you ever made your own icon? Yeah, on many sites. They’re just about always just edits, though, not truly original work. What color is your computer mouse? It’s black. Have you ever been sung to on your birthday in a restaurant? Yes. Do you like black olives? I don’t like olives period. Do you actually think there will be a zombie apocolypse? Personally, no. I do think it’s scientifically possible, we already see this in insects, but I just don’t imagine it happening to humans before we’re our own downfall. Do you like the person you’ve become over the past years? Fuck no. Have you ever gone to church just to get a significant other? … No…? Have you ever punched a wall out of complete anger? No, that shit is terrifying. Are you really ticklish? YES don’t fucking touch me. How do you decide what you're going to eat each day? I just follow what I’m craving that day. How are you similar to your siblings? Different? Compared to Ashley and Nicole at least, I can’t think of any real similarities off the top of my head. They’re intelligent, motivated, outgoing, successful, yada yada, then there’s me. What's your favorite type of non-fiction literature? Autobiographies by people I’m actually interested in. Do you believe in souls? Soulmates? Souls, absolutely. Soulmates, no. It’s fairytale ideation to think your soul has a perfect match with another, hate to break it to ya. Favorite soundtrack? BITCH don’t make me choose between Shadow of the Colossus and Silent Hill 2. Fucking masterpieces. Pianos or guitars? *shrugs* Depends on the music and my mood. Did an animal ever bite you? Never seriously. How many languages do you speak? Only English fluently. I’m poor at German by now. Wiggly worms or bumble bees? Worms gross me out, bees are Good Boys. Religion? I don’t really identify with any. I just believe there’s some form of ultimate intelligence and essences beyond just the body, and that’s all I even pretend to know. Fog, thunder, or rain? Fog gives me that Silent Hill Vibe *Italian kiss* What regret keeps coming back to haunt you daily? The way I treated Jason after the breakup. If you could cure yourself of one allergy, what would it be? Damn pollen. Do you know anyone else with your name? Yeah. What would you be most afraid of happening if you were to visit Africa? Viruses or botflies. Where are you tempted to move to sometimes? I very legitimately want to live in Canada by now, but I won’t because I’m not moving that far from family. Who seems like they have the perfect life? I try not to make that assumption of anyone. Do you ever take pictures of negative moments? Does taking pictures of roadkill count???? lmao probably Do you think it would be a good idea to post photos of negative moments as well as positive? Well… I guess it depends. Like ngl, the pictures some people share of them having panic attacks to just show how fucking real they are definitely touch you, as do those depicting poverty, etc., BUT I really do think there are limits and also differences in motivations. What time zone are you in? EST. Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media? Wow, speaking of. No. ^Why or why not? I am an UGLY cry-er, my man. But I also just don’t want people to see that, and it’s definitely not on my mind to take a picture during a breakdown. What was the last thing you cried about? My life. Have you ever held a newborn baby? Yes. Do you know anyone who has twins? Yes. Where do you buy calendars from? I don’t. Do you shop at the dollar store often? Not *often*, but we’ll stop by for a snack or something sometimes. Are you following in the career path of any family members? No. Do you feel you missed out on a lot as a kid? I guess in some ways. Who was that best friend you ever had? Sara. What color is your laptop? Black. What are five careers you think you’d be good at? My work history has shown I can’t do shit right. Are you thriving in your life right now? lmao no one is in 2020. Who do you have moral support from? My family, doctor, and a few friends. Who encourages you to go after your dreams? The same as above. Do you have people in your family who want you dead? Wow, I hope not. Do you have a walk-in closet? No, but my room at the new house will. :’) Not that I need one, it’s just pretty cool. How do you feel about people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos having so much power and control in the world? Do you believe that any one person should have so much power? Let’s be real, in our current world, money is power, and no one should have that much control of the world, especially if your intentions are bad. NOW I don’t know jack shit about any of those are far as morals go, but just saying. It’s dangerous. Has your anxiety alone ever prevented you from doing something you wanted to do? This is ACTUALLY the story of my fucking life. Do you enjoy reading stories and novels that are heavily stylistic, poetic, or unconventional or do you prefer your prose to follow a familiar grammatical structure? Okay, I LOVE those, like Johnny Got His Gun and The Handmaid’s Tale that’s kinda like, run-on writing. Just letting a train of thought go. Those are two of the most powerful books I’ve ever read and they’re both written in a unique fashion. Have you ever fallen for any sort of Internet-based hoax? (e.g., fake celeb death, satire news article…) I’m sure at some point, especially as a kid. Do you tend to read reviews before you watch a movie or read a book? What do you hope to get out of doing so? NO. I don’t wanna have any precognition. When you go to a concert, how far must you travel for the most usual venues you visit? Most are on the other end of the state, and NC is long, so. We’re lucky if they come to Raleigh. Do you rent movies frequently? I never do, really. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Take pictures or swim. What’s your favorite meal to cook? I don’t cook. What movie has been taken WAY too far, as far as sequels go? Oh, I’m sure there are some, but none immediately come to mind. I’m not that into movies. Do you refuse to eat certain foods because of what they look like? Yes. I am VERY poor at getting past how a food looks. What are you listening to? NSP’s cover of “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” It’s fuckin gorgeous. How much homework do you have tonight? N/A Are you wearing any bracelets? Yes; one that Sara got me as well as an ovarian cancer awareness one. What's physically wrong with you right now? JINKIES I just feel really lethargic like always. Do you take any medications daily? Ha ha thanks for actually reminding me I need to now. When was the last time you moved to a new house? Two years ago, and now we’ll be moving to a much better place by the end of this month/early September, finally. When it comes to relationships, are you the jealous type? Nah. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? Idk actually. It’s not like I use it a lot. Can you remember the last time you felt ill? What was wrong with you? A few nights ago. I was extremely hot, dizzy, and pretty nauseated. I was fine, though. If you wear make-up, do you take it with you, to reapply throughout the day? Does your make-up stay for a long time after you first apply it, or do you find that you need to reapply often? Are you wearing any make-up atm? I pretty much never wear makeup so have never really had a reason to reapply it. I’m definitely not wearing any now. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? GIRL yes. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. They’re more comfortable imo but more importantly block out exterior noise very well. Are you a fan of any independent films? ngl, I don’t know exactly what that is and I don’t feel like looking it up. Could you possibly write a successful novel? I very genuinely think some of the RP stories I’ve taken part in are novel-worthy, yes. I wanted to make them books when I was younger, but now I no longer do mainly because there are areas that are just way too fucking dark that I don’t wanna put out there but play massive parts in the stories, so like… Do you regularly watch the news? I never do. Facebook is my “news” source lmao. Who was the last person you video-chatted with? I don’t remember for sure, maybe some doctor? What do you want the theme of your wedding to be? I don’t really think about this, seeing as my mind has changed enough, and it also depends on what my partner wants, too. Have you ever been caught passing a note in class? Noooo, I absolutely hated passing notes because I was genuinely a good student. I only did so very, very rarely if another friend started it. Have you ever had dandruff? I have dandruff AND a dry scalp. It’s a wonderful mix. Have you ever gone through a phase of crushing on EVERYONE? Definitely not. Do you have any clothes with spikes/studs on them? I have a spiked choker, and I might still have gloves with studs? Can you remember what you last clapped for? My mom’s birthday! :’) Have you ever given a pet to someone else? Yes, with cats; we had to do that quite often when I was a kid because we had so many cats, none which we could afford to fix. Then we’ve done it with two dogs we just couldn’t handle. Oh yeah, I gave my iguana away too because he was too high maintenance for me, but also because he DESPERATELY needed a much bigger terrarium, which we couldn’t afford. I absolutely could not watch him in that tiny tank. I miss him a LOT, but he went to a wonderful home! The lady who adopted him sent me pictures upon pictures months after taking him in. Do you know anyone named Walter? No. What's your least favorite ice-cream flavor? Strawberry is fucking disgusting. And that’s coming from someone whose favorite fruit is strawberries. What's your least favorite song by your favorite artist? I’m not sure. There’s a handful that just don’t grab my attention that I don’t even remember them. What was the last good news you heard? I can FINALLY talk to my psychiatrist tomorrow. Who’s your favorite singer of all time? Probably Freddie Mercury. What airline do you fly most? Idk, I don’t really pay attention. I haven’t flown very often though anyway. Do you have a dog that is destructive? I don’t have a dog. What’s one TV series you’ve seen every episode of? Meerkat Manor is the most obvious, ha ha. Maaaaany times. Assuming you have Facebook, who last left you a wallpost? Probably my friend Sammi. Assuming you have hair, how are you wearing it today? It’s too short for me to “wear” it any particular way. It’s just… there lmao. Assuming you're not homeless, what kind of living arrangements do you have? I live with my mom in a house she’s renting. Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? I’m bisexual so you can guess I’m not opposed to it. Are you particular about any brands of food you will or will not eat? Are there any restaurants you refuse to go to? Brands, no. I don’t eat Chick-fil-a because they’re run by fucking homophobic bigots that monetarily support conversion therapy and other anti-LGBT projects. I’m not giving you any fucking money. What was the most current dream you can remember about? Do you generally dream every night, or hardly at all? It was actually last night, when I dreamed about accidentally running into Jason where I last knew he worked, and he was really hostile. If I don’t take my medicine, I always have nightmares when I sleep.

#survey #quiz #questions #questionnaire

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archivedatl · 18 years ago

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AP web exclusive: All Time Low tour diary

Posted by Scott Heisel on 08-Dec-06 @ 04:43 PM

Last month, Baltimore pop-punkers All Time Low took to the road with Sugarcult for a series of shows on the West Coast. Here's some of what they saw, in words and pictures. Learn more at www.alltimelow.com.

#1------------------------------------------------------------ Ooohooo So last night we celebrated two awesome occasions...well 3 since matt's molars finally grew in...anyways yesterday was Haloween and our first night of our tour with Sugarcult. I must say, it is pretty strange touring with a band who I spent the better years of my middle school life watching on MTV. Regardless of where this band has been, it definetly didn't eff with their personalities. They were all super nice to us and each came up and introduced themselves. The show went pretty well but it wasn't a good judgement of our the whole tour is going to be because Sugarcult didn't even headline, the Eagles Of Death Metal did, and the tickets for $25 on Haloween night :) I'm sorry but I would never go to a show if those were the circumstances...I'd be out expanding my collection of holiday treats. Tonight the 'real' tour begins so we will see how it goes. We are playing Washington State University in Pullman Washington. We haven't done too many college shows, so this should be interesting...anyways before we got on the road a couple days ago we were couped up in Ben Harper's (formely of yellowcard, now in amber pacific) house/studio in long beach, CA working on our new CD :). We demoed some hot licks that were going to send over to our producer matt squire so that he can put in some input. I heard my blogs are going to be posted on the Alternative Press website for this tour, so if that's the case then...helll yeah! Well I just woke up from sleeping in the van so I am gonna walk out into the freezing streets of Pullman, WA crack my back and grab some Qudoba. Much Love, Jack --jbstar #2------------------------------------------------------------ Yoo dooodds, So I'm gonna update you guys on the passed couple shows...on Wednsday we played Washington State University. Those kids are freaking crazy! Everyone seemed to be having a good time and we made some awesome new friends. I cannot stress enough, how cool the Sugarcult guys are. Which is really cool because I have been listening to those guys since 6th grade! Anyways before we played, matt thought it would be a good idea to have a fork and knife fight backstage...yeah it turned pretty ugly and we should have some footage online soon enough. That night we partied at 'The Christmas House'. Lets just say that I'm pretty sure alex made out with a dog...I really miss Hit The Lights :( Anways...we played Seattle after the college show and it was offf the hoooook. Everyone in the room was dancing and it got pretty redic. As soon as we told them the alex/dog story they went nuts. We met up with the Pink Spiders that night. We were nervous about that because we've heard some stuff...but for real those guys are the shit. There all super nice and we have no complaints about them. We have yet to tour with a band who we don't get along with (fingers crossed). We also heard that we may be doing a few shows with Cobra Starship in Dec, if that happends that would be sick. I'll keep you guys updated. Someone made us a bucket of the craziest donuts ive ever seen at the portland show last night!! They were reallly good. Sorry for the lack of pics, I'll make sure my next post has more, its just hard to take good pics on a sidekick :). Talk to you guys soon!!Jacko #3------------------------------------------------------------ Yo Babaayyss, Last nights show was off the hook! I love playing at The Boardwalk in orangevale calii. The crowd was as wild as usual and a bunch of kids were singing along. A lot of the same kids who saw us there on the Amber Pacific tour came back. Its always cool to see so many familiar faces,,,cough cough hint hint nudge...you get the idea folks! The next couple shows should be interesting...reno and vegas. I wont be able to gamble but at least ill be able to look at a lot of lights. We all have family comming out, so that should be exciting. I havent seen my brother and sister in ages and i know their gonna be wasted so that means they will be even more friendly :) Also Meg n Dia join up in vegas which is sick, SO SIKED FOR THAT!!! We met them on warped and their super nice. anyways i think its time, i go to In and Out because after this tour im not going to be able to go back for a while :( im going to eat there everyday twice a day until we leave Arizona. Ive attached pics from our set on the Epitaph stage at this years Bamboozle Left and also some pics of our acoustic set the 2nd day! Thanks to everyone who watched us either/both days :) love you peace peace n a bottle o' hair grease, jack #4------------------------------------------------------------ Wow...vegas has to be one of the strangest places on this earth. First of all we showed up in Reno (shity city) only to find that only sugarcults crew was there and the show probably wasnt going on. We were welcomed by a hooker in a pink tanktop and no teeth asking if we had any shirts we could give her...Thankfully we have power windows and middle fingers. Thankfully zack was asleep or he might have took her up on some of her offers...he's getting desperate you know..just kidding! Anyways we decided to hang out with sugarcults crew for a little then start the drive to vegas early since it was 8 house. We got to go over the Hoover Damn which was sweet. It's seriously Vegas Vacation all over again! Anyways, we got to vegas around midnight and it was a fantastic site! My bro and sis were staying at the MGM so thats where i headed. Rian to the Excalibur, Alex and Matt to the Venecian and Zack to the Luxor. We all split up and hung out with our fam for the evening. My brother took me around vegas and boyyy was it interesting. I was approached by numerous drunk people. It was basically like an Ocean City, Maryland for older people. It's just a place for adults to drink, walk around drunk, act like teenagers and maybe gamble a bit here n' there. it was Akward to say the least. Anyways the next day was the show at the House Of Blues at Mandalay Bay...probably one of the nicest venues we have ever played. We introduced ourselves to the Meg n Dia folks and got to know our new tour mates as we shared a dressing room. We soon found they are awesome people and they share a love for getting wild! The show was pretty cool, and the crowd was big. It was weird though because the merch was not in the venue, it was in the cassino haha. Anyways Vegas was an experience we wont forget, and I cant wait till we go there again. I hope the next time we go, were 21...actually nevermind because that would be three years :)stay rad, Jack #5------------------------------------------------------------ Lame! Tonight was our last show on the Sugarcult Tour featuring The Pink Spiders and Meg n Dia :( Damone will be taking our place on this great lineup. I am jelous that they get to join up! Anyways we made some lifetime friends on this tour and it was a great experience for everyone. Every single show was amazing and the fans never let us down. Traveling to bumfuck arizona and hearing a couple hundred kids sing your song is the coolest feeling ever. Sugarcult was very warming towards us and their personalities suprised the shit out of me. they were such cool guys and even when zack was sick they made him soup and gave him Emergen-C. WHO DOES THAT !?!? Thats like something my mom does...so in a way Sugarcult are our parents. They actually reffered to us as their younger brothers on stage. At the last show of the tour in Little Rock, Arkansas us and Meg n Dia ran on stage during "Bouncing Off the Walls" and started bouncing around and took over Tim's Guitar n Mic, Marko's (my twin) guitar and Airens Bass. It was so fun to bro down with a band that ive been listening to since middle school haha. Alex also got to soundcheck with sugarcult at Texas AM College because tim was at the hospital taking care of his sickness (i think he had a nasty cold). It was so crazy to see alex soundcheck with a band who for the past few years have held a special spot on my ipod and in my cd player :) I attached a pic of him sound-checking for fun. At the end of the show we said our goodbyes and gave our hugs. This is'nt the end of these friendships though, only the beggining...now we head home to write a new cd. Catch us on the road in the northeast in december when we head out with Cobra Starship! Stay safe, Jack

#2006 #blog #Jack Barakat #text #alternative press #all time low #sugarcult tour

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 6 years ago

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with you [3/6]

Summary: Clementine pops the question.

Preview:

Louis had read plenty of those magazines from the headmaster’s office, the ones about dating and relationships. He read an article when he and Clementine first got together, when they were preparing to infiltrate the delta. He’d read it out of curiosity, not knowing anything about how to be a boyfriend, and to take his mind off their imminent doom.

This article was bitter, written from a broken heart, and mean-spirited enough for him to skip at the time. But, now, thinking back…

It was about all relationships being a ticking time bomb, all because of one reason:

One person always loves a little bit more than the other.

One person always gives more than they should. One always cares too much. One is always at a greater risk of being hurt or left behind.

One is always weaker.

Warnings: There’s lots of smooching this time, but again, no sexual content. Violet’s still angsty. Tenn hates bottles. Aasim’s a bad liar but he’ll lie anyway because Ruby’s sweet. Louis gets a little angsty himself. Mitch’s secret stash of wine makes an appearance.

Author’s note: So, in case you didn’t see that little update I posted about this story, long story short: I’m the biggest goddamn liar and now there’s 4 parts 5 parts because I don’t know how to keep anything short and sweet.

I also just want to say thank you for all the nice comments. Like, I don't think there are enough words in the English language to describe how astonished I am to have received so many nice messages about this story. When I first started writing this, I didn't expect anything like that. I really started this because it was a request and I had a lot of feelings about ep3 [which, I still do hence why this turned out longer than I had planned]

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and for all the nice comments!

---

The window's open.

Louis slips in and out of darkness, stuck between a dreamless calm and a waking reality. Cool hair drifts in through the cracked window, brushing against the bare skin of his arm. But, it's not the morning chill or the golden glow flowing in through the parted curtains that wakes him up.

A gentle hand shakes his shoulder.

A familiar presence stands over him, he can feel it even in his drowsy state.

Nothing dangerous, of course. Otherwise, he'd be bolting out of bed and pulling Chairles from off the shelf, swinging with a blind fury.

He rolls over onto his side, eyes too heavy to open.

"Louis?"

The hand grasps his shoulder again, this time shaking a little harder. His grogginess worsens. It’s like someone poured wet cement into his bones. He stretches his arm out over the empty spot next to him in search of Clementine’s warmth, inhaling the morning air and letting it out with a groan.

The hand shakes him again, so he grabs and holds it.

"U-uh-"

Louis buries his face in his pillow. His voice comes out muffled, groggy, "Darling, come back to bed."

"Louis!"

The pillow's yanked out from under his head. His nose smashes against the mattress and his eyes snap open.

"Ow! Hey!"

He's ready to complain about such a rude awakening until he realizes whose hand he's still holding.

The room is awkwardly silent until Louis mumbles, "You're not Clementine."

"No," Aasim pulls his hand free and hits Louis with the pillow, "no, I'm not."

Louis snatches the pillow away, tucking it back under his head and sighing. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" He yawns. "I didn't take you for the creeper type."

"I wasn't watching you sleep," Aasim rolls his eyes. "I came to wake you up. We're going hunting."

"Hunting?"

It's the first he's heard of this. He and Aasim usually go hunting every few days, and they just went the day before. Louis props himself on his elbows to peer up at him with a dull expression. Another yawn builds in his throat.

"You must have your days mixed up," he says. "Mitch and Willy go today. We're not supposed to go ‘til tomorrow."

"No, it’s our turn," Aasim says quickly. "We gotta go now. James was out there earlier and he saw a deer."

A...

A what?

"A deer?" Louis perks a brow. "Sure it wasn't just a big possum? Or a walker on all fours? Maybe even a bunch of bunnies standing on each other's shoulders?"

"He's pretty damn sure it was a deer," Aasim insists. He turns to spread the window curtains farther apart. More light floods in, causing Louis to wince as his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.

"He's already out there tracking it,” Aasim grabs Louis’ coat from off the desk chair and tosses it to him, “so we gotta move fast is we want any chance of hunting it. We also have to check the traps and make sure the fishing shack is still secure."

"A deer?" Louis presses again. "Like, a real deer? Like Bambi?”

“Bambi was a cartoon.”

“You know what I mean,” Louis grins. “We've never seen a deer out there, like, ever. Not even at the beginning."

Aasim scratches at his chin anxiously. "Well, James just saw one, so... Get up and get ready. We're leaving soon.”

Louis swings his legs over the side of the bed and stretches out his arms, groaning in satisfaction as the muscles loosen.

“How soon is ‘soon’?”

“As soon as you put your boots on.”

Louis sighs.

This definitely isn’t what he had planned for this morning.

He glances over at the old CD player and the tangle of dingy headphones on the desk. He’d have to remember to grab another pair from the music room. Those ones only have one working earbud. He only hopes that those songs were enough to lull Clementine’s distress, even if just for the night.

It’s been a long time since he’s seen her so physically upset.

He knows Clementine well enough by now. He knows that she still holds in most of those awful feelings. Whenever something upsets her, or even after she has a nightmare of her own, her face defaults to a stoic expression. Whether she does it out of habit, or because she doesn’t want him or anyone else to worry, or some concoction of both, he’s not sure.

She has enough room within her to bottle it up. She has the strength to hold it in.

Sometimes, he wishes he was like that.

Sometimes, he felt he was bursting at the seams.

And there she always was, trying to sew him back together.

Seeing her like that… shit, it’s one of the most hopeless feelings when all you can do is hold someone without the power to heal their pain.

Louis squeezes his eyes shut, biting the inside of his cheek.

“I talked to Violet…”

Violet.

Shit, what could’ve possibly brought that on?

He hadn’t asked, even though he wanted to. God, he really wanted to. He’s so desperate to know... why now? Did it just happen, or has it been weighing in her mind for a while? What was it about? Why didn’t she tell him?

He didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was, though, so he left it alone. She would tell him when she was ready.

And, Violet…

He can’t imagine how she must be feeling right now.

He watches Aasim as he paces over to AJ’s desk, stopping to look over the several drawings hanging on the wall.

Louis really doesn’t want to go hunting.

He already had his morning planned out.

First, he’d wake up and kiss Clementine before her watch. Or, if she already left, go find her and then kiss her.

It’s sort of a rule he has. While Louis was never one for strict rules or planning, he does have certain things that have to be done. Kissing Clementine every day is one of those rules.

Okay, maybe it’s not considered a rule, per se.

But, he made sure to kiss her every morning, and whenever one of them left to go hunting or scavenging or on watch without the other, and every night before bed. It didn’t have to be a crazy, passionate kiss. Sometimes, just a little peck on the cheek was enough.

It made him feel better, even if he knows it’s his subconscious telling him, “Kiss her! It might be your last chance! Death is always watching you, Louis!”

Anyway.

After he kissed her, he’d ask her if she was feeling any better, or if she wanted to talk about it. Whether she would or not, he didn’t know.

Next, he’d grab two plates of breakfast and head over to Violet’s room. If she answered, they’d eat together. If she didn’t answer or let him in, she’d at least have food waiting for her. Then, he’d find Tenn to watch over her, make sure she ate.

However, it seems that Aasim’s determined to foil those plans all in the name of some deer James supposedly saw.

Seriously, a deer?

Louis tries to rub the drowsiness from his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. Aasim might as well of said, “Hey! Leprechauns are frolicking in the woods! Quick! Let’s go get their gold!”

Well, okay, maybe a deer is more plausible than a leprechaun.

But, still.

When Aasim notices Louis’ lack of movement and vacant stare, he crosses his arms and shoots him an exasperated look.

“Now, dude.”

Louis scratches the back of his neck as he hangs his head. “Do you really need me to go?” he asks. “I mean, it’s not like we need three people tracking a deer that may or may not be a figment of James’ imagination.”

“It’s not a figment of his imagination,” Aasim sighs. “Will you just put your boots on? We’re wasting daylight.”

“You’re awfully pushy this morning.”

“No, I just-” Aasim stops, looking away. "I want that deer, okay?"

Louis studies him for a moment as he pulls on his jacket, trying to understand the stress prominent in his features.

"Dude, if you're so worried about the deer, just go without me-"

"No! No, you- I-uh, " Aasim presses his mouth into a thin line. His eyes dart around the floor. He wears a taut expression that Louis recognizes. It's one that Aasim usually has when he's jotting down the day's events and he can't figure out how to word something.

Louis gets off the bed, hands on his hips and head cocked curiously. "You okay?"

"You have to come with me," Aasim says slowly. He scratches at his scruffy chin and looks towards to door, saying, “We need three people to carry it back when we get it.”

“I doubt it. Two people’s enough.”

“No, three people are needed to safely carry it.”

“James’ strong. Honestly, the dude could probably drag it back here himself. You don’t need me there.”

Then, Aasim blurts out, "I-I don't want to be alone with James.”

Louis almost laughs. "What?"

"Uh-” Aasim stutters, “Yeah, he makes me nervous, okay? You guys are friends. If you go, he'll have someone to talk to and I won't have to worry about him."

“Are you serious?” Louis asks. “I thought you two got along. I mean, you talk to him every time he’s here. Hell, don’t you always eat together, too?”

“That- that doesn’t mean anything. Will you just put your damn boots on, already?” Aasim finds his boots on the floor and kicks them towards him. “Why do you always have to be so damn difficult?”

Louis opens his mouth to speak, but then promptly shuts it.

Something’s weird.

Aasim’s being weird.

He never argues this much. Usually, by now he would’ve thrown his hands up, stomped out and left him behind, grumbling about what a pain in the ass he is.

But, there Aasim stood, moving about the room impatiently, still waiting for him.

Louis slips on his boots, keeping an eye on the other boy, and begins slowly lacing them up.

Aasim picks up the small venus fly trap on the desk and pokes it, causing it to steadily close its mouth. He’s so forcefully fixated on the plant that Louis is convinced something’s up.

Louis has known him for a long time, and he knows that Aasim avoids eye contacts and becomes defensive due to three things: when someone brings up the delta, when he’s lying about something, or when someone confronts him about his crush on-

Louis’ mouth falls agape.

Oh.

“He makes you nervous, huh?” Louis asks, hopping to his feet.

Aasim almost drops the plant, but luckily, he catches it. “Yeah, so what?”

“Why?”

“Uh?”

“Why does he make you nervous?” Louis repeats, drawing out each word. “I mean, aside from the whole wearing another dude’s face and hanging out with his walker friends.”

Aasim’s lips part as though he’s ready to speak, but it seems he’s stuck. He moves his hands about as if somehow that’ll help him articulate the words he’s looking for. In the end, he gives an agitated sigh and heads towards the exit, saying, “Just drop it and let’s go.”

However, Louis is quick to stride ahead and shut the door, pressing his back against it and raising his brow suggestively at him. “Not so fast!”

“Dude, really?”

Louis smirks. “I see you, Aasim.”

“What?” Aasim scowls. “Get out of the way. Clem’s gonna be pissed we haven’t left yet.”

Louis grins brightly. He ignores Aasim’s protests, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. “It’s finally happened. Our poor Aasim, the fool forever trapped within the realms of unrequited love-”

“Uh, what?”

“-has finally moved on from dear, sweet Ruby-”

“No-”

“-and onto the ever so mysterious-”

“No, no-”

“-handsome James!”

“Oh my god…” Aasim rubs his eyes, fingers curling over his face in irritation. “Oh my god, you’re so stupid.”

“Ah, James,” Louis disregards the insult, saying, “Gotta say, I did not see that one coming. Never thought I’d see the day you give up on Ruby.”

“I don’t have a crush on James, you idiot.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And I never had a crush on Ruby.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t-didn’t!”

“Uh-huh.”

Aasim inhales sharply through his nose. “I swear, it’s like you want to piss me off!”

Louis holds his hands up defensively, saying, “No, I hear you, dude. I just don’t believe you. You can’t look me in the eye and say with a straight face that you never liked Ruby like that.”

Aasim rubs his palms over his jacket before crossing his arms, not saying a word.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Louis continues, “Ruby’s a sweet girl- well, sweet until pushed otherwise. And, James is really cool underneath that walker getup. In fact, I dare say you two would be pretty damn adorable,”

Aasim holds up his hand inches away from Louis’ face. “I’m gonna stop you right there before you say any more stupid shit,” he says sternly. “I don’t like James.”

“If that’s true, then why’re you being so weird?” asks Louis.

“Look,” Aasim sighs. “We could stand here all day arguing about this stupid shit, and the longer we do that, the farther that deer gets, and the longer James is stuck out there waiting for us by himself. Clementine is counting on both of us to go out there and track it, so can you please just take this seriously for once?”

“Who says I’m not being serious?”

Aasim shoots him a look.

“Okay, fine,” he sighs. He pushes away from the door. “You really believe he saw a deer out there?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And so does Clem?”

“Why else would she send me to wake your ass up?” Aasim asks, glancing back down at the floor.

Well, so much for morning plans. He’d have to shorten his list and make it quick.

“Just answer me this last question,” Louis says with a wide smirk. “How long have you liked James?”

“I’m not playing this game with you.”

“What game? You wanted me to be serious, so here I am! Being serious! How long?”

“I don’t-” Aasim groans, rubbing his hands harshly over his face and through his hair.

Alright, that’s enough teasing, he thinks. Louis would ask him about it again later when Aasim isn’t so flustered or preoccupied with thoughts of a prancing deer.

“Okay, okay, let’s go get Bambi. But before that, can I at least do my morning business first?” he asks. “Or am I gonna have to hold it the whole time?”

“Fine,” Aasim sighs, relieved, “just hurry up. Meet you at the gates.”

And with that, he hurries out the door.

Louis shakes his head with a small smile. With Chairles in his possession and a set determination, Louis leaves the bedroom, ready to complete his morning plans in the short amount of time given.

---

From down the hall, Louis can hear the sound of glass shards scraping against the wooden floors. His gut tightens.

Violet’s door is wide open.

Uneasy, apprehensive to continue, he comes to a stop.

Violet never leaves her door open, not even a crack. Whether she’s alone or not, she always makes sure her door is shut and locked. There’s been plenty of times where he’d gone to see her and after she let him in, she’d almost push him out of the way to slam the lock shut.

He’d asked her about it the first time it happened. She hadn’t answered him. She was too ashamed to, so she pretended not to hear the question.

He didn’t say any more about it. If it made her feel better- safer, more secure- then he wouldn’t argue. He’s gotten in the habit of locking it himself every time he comes to visit just so she doesn’t panic.

Eventually, he does peek into the room.

But, he doesn’t find Violet.

No, he’s alarmed to find Mitch bent down on the floor with a dustpan and a small, broken broom, cautiously sweeping up shattered glass bits. There’s a small bag next to him with a wooden frame protruding from it. Clear concentration knits his brows and his lips move as if silently mumbling to himself.

Louis’ eyes narrow. He tries to wrap his head around just what he’s seeing.

When he moves closer, right into the door frame, Mitch doesn’t seem to notice, even when he clears his throat.

So, he speaks.

“Hey, Mitch,” he says, loud and flat.

Mitch jerks back, losing his balance, hissing out, “Jesus motherfucking-!” He drops the dustpan to help steady himself, letting glass slip out onto the floor again. He scrambles to his feet, cheeks flushing a furious red, but his glare dies when he sees it’s Louis standing there. He grows tense, unmoving, with eyes wide like a small child just caught sneaking around where they weren’t supposed to.

The two stare at each other for many seconds before Mitch points at him.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Funny,” Louis scoffs, pushing his jacket back to place his hands on his hips firmly, “I was about to say the same thing.”

“I, uh-” Mitch straightens out, looking down at the broom in his hand and the glass on the floor before peering back up at him. “Shouldn’t you be out hunting?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Louis frowns. He approaches the other boy, asking, “What are you doing here? Where’s Vi?”

“She’s with Tenn,” Mitch says. “Spent the night in his room after she, uh,” he motions down to the broken glass, “flipped out.”

Concern tightens in his throat. The panic must be clear on his face, because Mitch shakes his head and explains, “She did it after their talk.” He kneels back down and starts sweeping again. “Clem told’ja about that, I assume?”

“Yeah,” he says slowly. “And, how do you know about it, exactly?”

“I was keeping watch. Made sure Violet didn’t do anything.” Mitch dumps the glass bits into the small bag before motioning towards the desk. “She didn’t, at least not while Clem was here. She smashed this after we were leaving. I left the picture over there.”

Louis hesitates, but steps around Mitch, wary of the remaining glass bits. As he approaches the desk, he notices that her water bottle is tipped over onto its side, empty. What’s worse, is he can see it’s completely dry, like it hasn’t been used in a long time. He stands it up, moving it right next to her journal.

He remembers when Aasim gave that to her. It wasn’t bound like a real book, but Aasim had gathered some thicker paper from the basement and had Ruby sew it together into a makeshift book. It even had a cover, drawn by Tenn.

Aasim gave it to her after the delta, said that writing was easier than talking. He gave her a bunch of pencils and pens, too, but he can’t spot any lying around. Louis doesn’t know if she really writes in it, though he hopes she does. Anything to help, anything to release a little bit of that pain.

Louis considered it, once. But, trying to write down his feelings only frustrated him. Instead, he turned to Clementine and music for solace.

He glances away from the journal and to the photo laying at the bottom corner of the desk.

Violet, Minerva, and Sophie, all together, all smiling.

He can’t help but grin, even if there’s no joy in it.

The photo’s covered in scratches, from the glass, no doubt. But, the faces are still clear.

Minerva.

The real Minnie.

Not the husk that pointed her crossbow at him, who tried to kill Clementine and take them all away to that sick hellhole.

As he stares at her radiant face, her long hair and sincere eyes, he wishes that’s the only way he could remember her; happy, radiant, beautiful.

Fuck, he couldn’t even remember her laugh, or how charming her singing was.

She used to always laugh at his stupid jokes, at his silly voices and silly songs. Even when no one else would, she’d take pity on him and laugh.

They’d sing together in their downtime, too. They’d sing until Violet threw her head back, groaning out that he was ruining the song. So, he’d shut up and just play the piano, and Minerva would sing.

Louis thinks that’s when it happened.

When Violet first fell in love.

That’s why she always told him to shut up. Something in Minerva’s voice brought her comfort, gave her some sense of purpose.

He can remember Violet sitting there, watching both of them, and when Minerva sang to her, it was like he didn’t exist anymore. He was just there for background noise, a mere puppet to set the mood and a witness to what was blossoming.

It was beautiful.

Violet was beautiful.

He’d told her that shortly after she and Minerva became official, told her how happy he was for her. She punched him in the shoulder and called him stupid.

Minerva had agreed with him, though.

God, the way they looked at each other.

“I killed her.”

But, the memories of her glazed over expression, her washed out, gaunt face overshadow those fond times now.

Minerva...

“I killed her.”

Sophie.

“I killed her.”

Poor, poor Sophie.

He has to squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lip to stop his quivering chin. He’s not about to cry here, especially not in front of Mitch. He swallows the lump forming in his throat and breathes in, and out. He places the picture in the desk drawer.

“She wasn’t hurt, right?” Louis asks, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. “By the glass?”

“Not that I could see. I didn’t see any blood anywhere.”

Well, at least she’s physically still intact. That doesn’t make him any less worried, though.

Mitch’s eyes dart all around the floor, looking for any shards he might’ve missed. He turns on his heels to grab his bag again.

“Clem told you?” Louis asks. “That she was gonna talk to her?”

“Yeah.”

Louis knows Clementine and Mitch had some sort of understanding with each other, but of all the people he thought she would’ve turned to when it came to talking to Violet, he didn’t put Mitch too high on the list.

“Why?”

“Uh,” Mitch stops sweeping. “Why what?”

“Why’d she tell you?” Louis asks. “She could’ve come to me.”

Mitch tenses. “I-I don’t fucking know, dude!” he exclaims far too loudly. As he continues, his speech becomes quicker, more defensive, “She just said it and I told her it was a shit idea but no, she just had to come and poke the bear right in the fucking eye and when you do that you get your hand bitten off and so I said I’d come with her and make sure her hand doesn’t get bitten off- shit I didn’t actually say it like that but I said, ‘don’t do it,’ and she was all, ‘I’m doing it,’ and-”

“Okay, okay,” Louis interrupts, startled by the outburst. “I get the idea. But why are you here now?”

Straightens himself out again, leaving the broom and dustpan on the floor to tie up the bag. “She wasn’t gonna clean it up,” he mumbles. “Hey, shouldn’t you be hunting? Aasim’s gonna kick your ass if you don’t get moving. We need that deer.”

Again, with the hunting thing.

“Yeah, yeah, the deer,” he sighs. “I’m going. I just wanted to check up on Vi first.”

“Doubt she wants to see anybody. Better off going straight to Aasim.”

“I will,” Louis crosses his arms, “as soon as I see you out.”

Mitch eyes him questioningly before it dawns on him. “Oh, right. Fair enough.” He leaves the broken broom and dustpan in the corner of the room and scopes out the floor one last time. “Tell her not to break any glass shit next time. It’s a pain in the ass to clean up.”

Louis doesn’t bother responding. Mitch is already out the door anyway, leaving him alone in the emptiness of Violet’s room.

---

It’s chillier this morning. While the sun is still bright it the sky, there are more clouds floating about, all various shades of gray. Maybe not dark enough to worry about rain at the moment, but they still pass over the sun and bring a coolness over the school.

Louis tugs on the collar of his jacket, covering up a bit. Upon looking around, he’s a little surprised to only see Tenn sitting at his usual table, holding a board with a piece of paper taped on it in his lap, and Aasim pacing in front of the gates. He can faintly see Clementine and AJ up on watch.

No Ruby, no Willy, no Omar.

Even Rosie isn’t outside.

Odd.

But, he shrugs it off. He didn’t think he’d been late enough to miss breakfast, but that does bring up another concern.

Ignoring Aasim for a moment, figuring he can wait just a little bit longer, Louis makes his way towards Tenn.

There’s a line up of old bottles, some broken, some filled with a gross looking grey liquid. The board rests comfortably in Tenn’s lap. He’s focused on his drawing, his eyes constantly darting up to stare at the bottles before going back to copy it onto paper.

“Hey, Tenn,” Louis greets.

The boy looks back at him, eyes wide and blinking rapidly. “Oh, h-hi, Louis,” he says.

“What’cha drawing today?” Louis asks enthusiastically, peering over his shoulder.

Tenn sheepishly sets the board on the table, careful not to knock anything over. Several drawings of bottles fill up the page, all a little wobbly or disproportionate.

“James said I need practice drawing from life more, but,” Tenn sighs, “bottles are hard.”

“Yeah, but it looks like you’re getting the hang of it.” Louis points to a sketch in the right corner. “I like this one. It looks real enough to drink out of!”

A small, timid smile spreads across the young boy’s face. “Really?”

“Totally,” Louis gives an encouraging grin. “Wait until James sees these. He’s gonna be floored at how good you’re getting. Oh!” Louis pats his shoulder. “By the way, that one you did of me looks amazing on our wall.”

“You-you hung it up?”

“Of course I did!”

Tenn looks away to hide his diffident smile. “Thanks, Louis…”

“Of course,” Louis grins. He moves around and takes a seat next to him with a sigh, his usual grin replaced with a more serious look. “Hey,” he lowers his voice, “how’s Vi doing?”

Tenn sets his pencil down, keeping his eyes locked on his hands. “She’s okay. She slept in my room last night.”

“I heard,” Louis scratches at his chin thoughtfully, “but, she’s okay? Well, as okay as she can be?”

“I think so,” Tenn says. “She-...she cried a lot, but she’s stopped, so...”

Shit.

“Did she get any sleep?”

“A little. She’s still in bed. She told me I didn’t have to wait for her.”

“Did she eat anything?”

“I brought her some breakfast,” he nods, “and she ate a little.”

Relief washes over him.

“Good,” he says. “That’s good. Keep an eye on her, okay? I was gonna go check on her myself but it seems I’m needed elsewhere.”

Tenn goes back to his drawing, pulling the board back into his lap, saying, “Uhm, aren’t you and Aasim-”

“Going hunting, yes, to capture that magical deer prancing in the woods.” Louis stands up again, giving Tenn one last pat on the back. “Her waterbottle’s in her room. When you take a break, would you fill it up and bring it to her?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Louis smiles warmly. “Keep up the good work.”

He waves good-bye to the young boy, but still strays away from the gates. He knows Aasim can see him, and it’s only a matter of time before he stomps over and drags him out by his ear.

There’s just one more thing he has to do.

Approaching the post where they take turns on watch, Louis calls up, “Clementine?”

At first, he doesn’t get a response. Then, AJ leans over and smiles down at him, excitedly waving. “Hi, Louis!”

“Hey, little man!” he laughs. “Clem up there?”

“Yeah!”

Clementine appears beside him, giving AJ a set of binoculars. Louis steps back, watching her climb down.

He’s pleased to see her smiling.

In fact, he dare say she’s glowing this morning.

She hurries over to him and slips into his open arms. Her cold nose brushes his skin when she leans up and pecks him on the lips.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he grins. He opens his jacket up more, pulling her close and wrapping it around her as much as possible. “You’re freezing.”

“Been out here a few hours,” she sighs, melting into his touch, soaking up his warmth. “I expected to see you a lot sooner. Aasim’s been waiting.”

“Ah, yes, so we can hunt this infamous deer everyone’s so obsessed with,” he says, “He was ready to drag me out of bed by my feet this morning. I think I can actually feel him glaring at us right now.” He peeks over Clementine’s head nonchalantly, and sure enough, Aasim is staring at the couple, exasperated.

“Believe me, I heard all about it,” Clementine pulls back with a stern look. “You shouldn’t give him such a hard time.”

“Yeah, I know. He just makes it too easy sometimes. Anyway,” Louis leans forward to kiss her cheek. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay before I took off.”

She hums against his chest, mumbling, “I’m a lot better, actually. All things considered. It’s… a good day.”

“It’s a cold day.”

“It’s not that cold.”

“Your nose is about to fall off.”

“So dramatic.”

Louis chuckles, pulling back to rub warmth into her arms before stopping to hold her hands.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Later,” she says. “You have a deer to hunt.”

“Ugh.”

He’s getting pretty tired of hearing about this deer.

“Don’t pout. Think about how much a whole deer could feed us.”

“Not much, because I’m, like, eighty percent sure Bambi doesn’t really exist.”

“Louis.”

“Clementine.”

She shakes her head, trying to hide her smirk. She playfully smacks his chest. “Just go. You two have kept James waiting long enough. We’ll talk later, okay? I promise.”

Louis doesn’t let her hands go.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He studies her face for any sign of unease but finds that she’s still smiling up at him.

When she notices his hesitation, she tugs on his hand.

“Are you okay?”

He murmurs, “I went to check on her. She wasn’t in her room.”

Clementine doesn’t say anything, but her grip on his hands tightens.

“But, I did find Mitch cleaning up glass, which was pretty surreal.”

Her eyes flutter shut as she lowers her head. “The picture…”

“Yeah,” he nods, “Tenn promised to keep an eye on her today. Try not to think about it too much. And if she does come out, well... ”

“I know.”

He doesn’t say any more about it. Her promise to talk about it when he gets back is enough assurance for him.

“Louis!” Aasim calls from the gates. “Let’s go!”

Louis shakes his head and forces a cheerful smile. “Best not keep poor Aasim waiting. He’s gonna need a shoulder to cry on when we don’t find that deer.”

Clementine rolls his eyes. “And here I thought you were the optimist.”

“Optimist, sure. Delusional? Not as much as you’d think.”

“Just don’t give Aasim such a hard time,” she says, quirking a knowing brow. “I hear he’s had a rough morning already.”

“I won’t,” he promises. “I have a feeling that he won’t hesitate to shoot at me today if I push the wrong button.”

Clementine’s fingers brush against his cheek before she pulls him down. Their lips press comfortably together as a pleased sigh escapes her. They savor the moment, reluctant to pull away. It takes him a second to recover, a second before he can open his eyes again.

God, she is glowing today.

And he’s just standing there, smiling and chuckling like a fool.

She turns away to hide the pretty blush blossoming on her cheeks, hitting his chest again. “Go.”

“Fine.”

Louis goes to the gates, turning to wave good-bye to her. He’s still grinning when he meets Aasim, who shakes his head and gives an exaggerated eye roll before pushing through the gates. Louis isn’t too far behind.

---

AJ watches through his binoculars as Louis and Aasim get farther and farther away. As soon as they’re out of sight, he rushes to the other side and gives Clementine a thumbs up.

She absently runs a finger over her bottom lip.

The giddiness is back.

She gives him a thumbs up back and rushes over to the basement, flinging the doors open and calling out, “They’re gone!”

“Oh, it’s ‘bout damn time!” she hears Ruby exclaim. “Thought they’d never get outta here! Alright, Clem, we got everythin’ we need!” She comes into sight carrying a box full of lanterns and different kinds of blankets. Behind her, Willy and Omar come up, each carrying a box of their own. Rosie rushes past them, eager to see Clementine.

She makes room for all of them to set the boxes down. Tenn wanders over, curiously looking over all the different materials.

“What took them so long?” complains Willy. “We’ve been down there forever!”

“Louis got sidetracked,” Clementine replies. “Just like I said he would.”

Omar scoffs. “‘Course he did. Did he buy the deer story?”

“I don’t think so,” Clementine laughs. “But, he believes that Aasim believes, and that’s all it took.”

“Told you Aasim would have his hands full.”

Oh, he did.

All morning, Clementine kept a close eye on the front doors, waiting for the two of them to appear. When only Aasim came out looking ready to rip his hair out, it worried her.

Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as she expected. Louis hadn’t really believed the deer thing but was willing to go along anyway after Aasim panicked and lied about why he needed him there. Now, Louis was under the impression that Aasim had a crush on James, which Clementine had to admit was kind of funny.

Aasim wasn’t as amused as her. When he was relaying the conversation and where they were at in the plan, he openly expressed his dislike of having to lie. Then, he went on a rant about lying never really being beneficial and how the whole deer story made absolutely no sense. He stopped when Clementine reminded him that the deer thing was Ruby’s idea, and if he had a problem with it to take it up with her.

James snuck back in with a rabbit over his shoulder a little bit after that, asking what the hold up was. Aasim couldn’t even look at him.

Eventually, she had to take the rabbit and shoo James away before he blew his cover, then she sent Aasim to the gates so she could hide the rabbit and get back to her post before Louis showed up.

All in all, it’s been quite a morning.

“Ya should see all what we found down there!” Ruby beams, clapping her hands happily. “Found all sorts’a blankets, ribbons, candles, and decorations. And look at this basket! Perfect fer a picnic! Here, Omar,” she hands him a large woven basket with a long handle, “fix that up real pretty, would’ja? And Tenn, here’s yer vase.”

Tenn accepts the pale green vase with great care, looking over and rubbing the dust off it. Ruby hands him some ribbon, too.

“Willy, you’re going to help us pick flowers, right?” Tenn asks.

Willy nods, though not enthusiastically. “After I bring Mitch his candles.”

“He should already be in the music room,” Ruby says, “at least, he best be.”

Clementine doesn’t doubt he is by now. After she asked him to clean up the glass in Violet’s room, he promised he’d head there straight away to make sure Louis didn’t try and hideout. That backfired a little.

That’s why she told him to hurry. She knew that Louis would try and check on Violet before leaving.

Tenn heads back to his table to set the vase and ribbon down and meet up with AJ.

“Omar, ya got everythin’ ya need?”

“Think so,” Omar nods.

“James caught a rabbit for you to cook,” Clementine tells him. “I left it over by your dutch oven. Will that work?”

“You can count on me, Clem,” Omar grins. “It’ll be the best damn rabbit you’ve ever eaten, guaranteed.” Then, he reaches around in his box and pulls out a half-empty bottle of red wine. “Mitch’s secret stash will do wonders for the flavor.”

Ruby shakes her head. “Secret, my ass,” she mumbles.

“Want me to save some for you?” Omar asks.

She hadn’t considered bringing something like wine. Hell, she didn’t even know if she liked wine. She knew she didn’t like whiskey, and rum was pretty gross.

“I don’t know,” Clementine takes the bottle from him, twisting the cap off and sniffing. It smells faintly fruity, a little sweet, but the alcohol’s still prominent. “Is it good?”

“It’s pretty good,” Willy smiles.

Ruby shoots him a stern look, causing Willy to look away.

“Uh, at least, that’s what Mitch says.”

“I’ll leave some for you, just in case,” Omar decides. “Who knows, you might want it for the wedding. Have to make a toast to the bride and groom.”

Clementine smiles. “Right.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Ruby points up at him, “don’t let me ferget ta pull out the headmaster’s nice drinkin’ glasses.”

“Drinking glasses, got it.” Omar turns back to Clementine, cheerfully saying, “I’ll get to skinning and marinating the rabbit before I fix the basket.” He’s clearly thrilled to be cooking something a little extra special.

“Will ya be okay by yerself?” Ruby asks.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Omar says. He reaches down to pat Rosie before pulling more things out of his box. “I got all the company I need. I’ll keep an eye on the boys, too. Make sure they don’t cause too much trouble.”

“Thanks, Omar,” Clementine grins. “Really, it means a lot.”

“Of course, Clem.”

Ruby hauls up her box. “Oh, let’s go! I’m itchin’ ta fix up the place!” She hurries towards the doors.

Clementine can’t help but giggle a little at her enthusiasm. She helps carry the other box in with Willy right behind her.

---

Mitch is already in the music room. He’s moving the couch up against one of the walls, and it looks like he’s already brought up the gramophone and box of records, too.

“Jesus,” he groans. “‘Bout time. He finally leave?”

“Yep!” Ruby sets down her box with a huff. “Aasim and James should keep him plenty busy fer a while.” She rubs her hands together before digging back into her box.

Clementine and Willy set their boxes down, too. Mitch approaches them, huffing.

“Y’know, this would be a lot easier if you just slapped the ring on him and said, ‘You’re my husband now.’”

Clementine chuckles, rolling her eyes. “Always the romantic, aren’t you, Mitch?”

“Is that how yer lookin’ ta propose in the future?” Ruby teases. “Guarantee that won’t get’cha far.”

“He has to find someone who’ll put up with his charm first,” Clementine smirks.

Mitch glares at both of them, snapping, “Shut up.” He shakes his head, grabbing a dirty looking rag from Willy’s box and moves towards the piano. He starts wiping it down, causing little bits of dust to fly up in the air.

Willy lingers a little bit, pulling candles of various sizes out of his box, as well as a box of matches.

Ruby flattens out a large, fluffy blanket out onto the floor. It’s blue, with gold and green patterns swirling across it.

“Didn’t find any extra pillows down there,” she says. “Need some ta make it extra cozy.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Clementine smirks. “We’ve got plenty. Louis is a pillow hog. You should see his collection.”

And a collection it is.

During a one-on-one card game, Louis told her that he’d gone around to all the vacant rooms and collected all the pillows, storing them in his room. He said they made him feel safe, in a weird way.

Also, he made a lot of pillow forts out of them.

When he moved in, she had to put a limit on how many he could bring with him.

She turns towards Willy. “Wanna grab them from his old bedroom?”

Willy nods eagerly, rushing out.

“Don’t ferget the flowers!” Ruby calls after him.

Soon, the music room is like an entirely different place.

Ruby brought up a small, modified table to sit in the middle of the blanket. She explained they found it in the basement last night and had Mitch cut the legs down to size so that she and Louis could sit on the floor and eat off it comfortably. She covered it with a thin blue sheet as a makeshift table cloth. Pillows lay all around the table, making the entire thing look cozy.

Mitch had dusted off the whole piano, as well as other parts of the room. He went into a hilarious sneezing fit, cursing after each one. Then, he and Clementine placed candles everywhere. She settled on using the clear glass holders so that the room would glow a golden color when lit.

AJ brought up the vase filled with different flowers, with Omar following behind carrying the picnic basket.

A white ribbon adorns the vase, tied into a neat bow. Little, crudely drawn hearts done in red marker decorate every inch of the smooth surface. Clementine sets it down atop the piano, careful not to place it too close to any of the candles.

The picnic basket has a matching ribbon tied around it. The bottle of wine sticks out, resting next to an open bag of chips and a bottle of water. Ruby takes it, marveling at how nice it looks, and places it in the center of the table.

Once they’re finished, they all stand back to admire the final look.

“Wow,” Clementine gasps out. “This is amazing.”

“This does look like something you would’ve seen in an old movie,” Omar says.

“Imagine how romantic it’ll be when it gets dark and all the candles are lit,” Ruby gushes. "Oh, I can jus' see it now!"

“Gross,” Mitch mumbles.

Ruby smacks his arm. “Oh, hush! Ya gotta admit it looks nice!”

He shrugs, but Clementine can see that small grin betraying his lips. He’s pleased with it too, even if he won’t admit it.

Clementine turns to them, saying, “I don’t think there’s any way I could thank you. All of you. I mean,” she motions around them, “I couldn’t have done this by myself.”

“Oh, hon,” Ruby pulls her into a tight hug, “don’t gotta thank us! ‘Course we’re willin’ to help! It’s you and Lou!”

“Yeah, don’t gotta make a big deal out of it,” Mitch mumbles. “You’re just proposing.”

"Just proposin’’?" Ruby objects. "It's their engagement! It's gotta be special! Oh, and jus' think of their wedding! I was thinkin' we do somethin' similar, with the candles and all, but we'll make one'a those round altar things and decorate it real nice fer them ta stand under and we'll need lots'a chairs over here-"

"Ruby, slow down!" Omar laughs. "We're not there yet."

Ruby's cheeks flush a pretty red and she looks away bashfully, saying, "Sorry! Gettin’ excited again."

Clementine giggles. "We'll talk about it afterward, okay?" She turns to AJ. “What do you think, AJ? Think he’ll like it?”

“He’s gonna love it!” AJ exclaims. “What else can I help with?”

“We need you to go back on watch,” Clementine tells him. “You and Willy need to watch for Louis and give us the signal so that Omar knows when to bring the food in. Then, keep him distracted with James until it gets a little darker, that way I can get the candles all lit and add any finishing touches.”

“Yeah, they’ve already been gone a few hours,” Mitch says, wandering over to the window. “Don’t imagine they’ll be gone too much longer.”

He’s right.

James and Aasim can only keep up the deer thing for so long before it becomes suspicious. They would still hunt for other animals, and she told them to try fishing out there after they check the shack, but she knows Louis hates fishing. That’ll only keep him occupied for so long, as well. Then, checking the traps wasn’t that hard or time-consuming.

It’s only a matter of time before they come walking through those gates.

“Okay,” AJ says, full of determination. “Keep watch and distract Louis until sundown. Got it.”

They give each other a firm nod before AJ hurries out.

“I gotta go check on the rabbit. It’s still cooking, but I can already tell it’s going to be delicious,” Omar says proudly. “I’ll bring it up when AJ gives the signal.”

“Can’t wait,” Clementine beams.

“I’ll go with ya,” Ruby tells Omar. She gives Clementine one more hug, whispering, "Good luck!"

With Ruby and Omar gone, only Mitch and Clementine remain. He’s quiet, still peering around the room with an unreadable expression. The silence is calming, she thinks. She moves over to the small table, admiring how nice it all looks.

It’s happening.

After almost two weeks of mulling over what she wanted and preparing for this moment, it’s finally here.

Soon, they’ll be sitting down, eating and talking like it’s any other night. Then, she’ll bring him over to the piano.

For the past several months, Louis has been giving her piano lessons. She thought it might be a nice idea to play a little song for him, all by herself. However, now that he’s not here and the piano’s left to just her, she’s not sure if she can do it.

She’s going to try, anyway. Regardless if she’s good or bad, she’ll play. And, afterward...

Her pulse quickens, becoming heavy in her ears.

She’s going to ask him to marry her.

She’s finally going to do it.

And, shit-

What if she can’t say the right things? She’s gone over it all in her head every day, every night since she made up her mind, gone over all the thing’s she wanted to tell him. What if she can’t make him understand how she feels? What if something goes wrong?

“Need anything else?” Mitch asks, breaking her of her thoughts. She almost forgot he was still here.

She shakes the thoughts away, motioning toward the piano and saying, “I was thinking of playing him a song.” She gives him a smirk. “You’re honest. Wanna tell me if I suck or not?”

Mitch scoffs. “You’re really going all out, huh?” he says. “He’s gonna say yes. You don’t have to woo him.”

“Is that a no?”

Mitch sighs, moving over to grab one of the chairs he pushed back towards the wall and takes a seat.

She places herself on the bench, shifting to get comfortable. It’s strange sitting there by herself. There’s a lack of warmth without Louis at her side. But, seeing their initials, the heart carved into the wood, brings her some confidence. She takes a deep breath and places her hands on the keys.

It’s a simple song he’s taught her over the past few weeks. Barely a minute long with simple strokes. She stumbles a few times, silently cursing herself as she does, but doesn’t let it stop her. She pours all her focus into the song, nearly forgetting that Mitch is still there, watching her.

When she finishes, she glances over at him. He’s wearing a thoughtful expression, his head tilted as if still listening.

Finally, he says, “You don’t suck too bad.”

That gets a laugh out of her.

“Think he’ll like it?”

“Definitely.”

She grins appreciatively as her gaze finds the carved heart again. Her finger runs over the rough edges of the wood, tracing the L. Then, with a heavy sigh, she stands from the bench. She paces over to the window, peering out at the cloudy sky.

She wishes she could untangle the nervous, twisted knots in her belly.

“Hey,” Mitch knocks her shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Just…” she frowns. “Thinking too much.”

“About?”

“Everything.”

“Like?”

Her hat taps the glass of the window as she leans against the wall, hesitating to reveal what she’s actually thinking. After all, it’s Mitch. He’s not always the most sensitive and she’s not in the mood to argue with him.

He nudges her again. “You better not be having second thoughts,” he says. “Because I’m not about to break that news to Ruby and cause that shitstorm.”

“No, it’s not that,” she sighs.”It’s just… things are really good right now.”

“And?”

“And… good things don’t always last.”

“Yeah. And?”

She frowns at him. “And, what if after this good thing, something bad happens?”

“It’s that how it usually works?”

She’s not surprised that he doesn’t get it.

Never did she think this would be happening. Years and years ago, something like this seemed impossible. It was just her and AJ, it’d always just be her and AJ, but now… Now she has more than she could’ve ever imagined.

Every single group she’s had, it’s gone to shit. Everyone she’s ever loved has left, either by choice or not. Some stuck around longer than others, most died too quickly to be fair. She always hoped the school would be different. They’ve lived and survived together for two years, longer than most of her previous groups. Fuck, she loved more people in this group than she ever did before. She had AJ, Louis, everyone. There wasn’t a single person under the roof of this school that she wouldn’t risk her life to protect.

They’ve fallen into a good routine of hunting, building, repairing, eating, laughing… while there have been incidents, some close calls, it’s been too good.

Things never stay too good.

“Alright, sit down.”

She quirks a brow at him, blinking away her thoughts.

He goes over and pulls the piano bench out a little farther, motioning to it. “Sit down,” he repeats. “I’m gonna get real with you.”

“Real with me?”

“Yeah, so sit.”

Clementine eyes him at first, but curiously places herself on the bench facing away from the piano. Mitch stands tall in front of her with his arms crossed and his stare serious. She shrugs, waiting for him.

“I’m not gonna pretend like I get this whole wedding thing,” he starts. “Because I still think it’s gross and unnecessary, but… I won’t deny that it’s kind of cool. I mean, not an explosive kind of cool, but cool in a, uh, nice change kind of way? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Ruby or Willy so pumped to be doing something. You shoulda seen Willy when I told him how we could make your rings.” He grins before shaking his head. “Anyway…”

Mitch shifts his weight onto one foot, looking past her and at the carving.

“You two have been through some shit,” he says slowly. “I mean, shit that would’ve killed anyone else, or at least had them booking it outta here. All that shit with the delta, with Vi, the constant shitfest of worrying about other pieces of shit finding us here, or just the everyday threat of death. Something could happen, and we could lose someone, more people. It’s shit that we think about every day, whether we want to or not. It’s all stuff we’ve had to deal with. But, through all of it, you two are still together. He’s still with you. I mean-” His eyes fall shut as he inhales deeply, “-for fuck's sake, AJ killed Marlon.”

Those words alone shoot a painful shock through her entire body.

“His best friend,” Mitch shakes his head, “and you know what? He forgave you. On top of it all, he still fell in love with you. I’m not stupid, and I’m not blind. He’s not faking anything when it comes to AJ. He fucking adores that kid. And the way he looks at you?” He rolls his eyes. “It’s gross.”

She can’t stop the laughter from bubbling over, short and breathy.

Mitch looks her in the eye now, holding the stare. “It’s not gonna always be this good, and I’m sure the future holds a lot more fucked up things for us, but after everything you and Louis have been through?” One of his smiles shines through now. “You two are gonna make it. No questions asked. So, whatever depressing shit you’re thinking about, stop.”

As the words soak in, she thinks she’s gone into shock. She must look like an idiot gawking up at him, but how can she not?

Then she’s off the bench and wrapping her arms around his torso, hugging him with all her might. He stiffens, grunting with surprise, but instead of shoving her away or cursing her, he cautiously returns the hug and awkwardly pats her back.

“I mean it,” he says softly. “It’ll… be good.”

It’s a rare moment of sincerity from him, one that he’s clearly uncomfortable with. She moves away, giving him back his space.

“Thank you, Mitch. Really.”

“Whatever.” He scratches the back of his head, clearing his throat. He nods towards the piano. “You gonna stay and practice?”

“Yeah,” she says, “Omar’ll tell me when he’s here and I’ll start lighting candles.”

“Don’t think so much, ‘kay?”

“No promises.”

He gives her one more smile before leaving her alone.

The stillness is a little relieving, calming. She reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out the little box, lifting the lid to admire the rings one last time before they find a permanent place on her and Louis’ fingers.

She doesn’t know how long she has, so she practices her song over and over again, still stumbling, still forgetting keys, adding new keys that aren’t supposed to be there.

It gets to the point where her mind wanders while her fingers move on their own.

She knows Mitch is right.

She and Louis are strong. They have been through a lot of shit, they've survived together. And she wanted to believe they would always be together, even if it's just wishful thinking.

She thinks about everything; the walkers in the train station, the rings, Louis and his nightmares, Louis and his smile, Violet and her fury, Louis and his tears, AJ’s excitement, their wedding with everyone there…

She thinks about Lee.

God, she wishes he was here. He should be here, not just to see her wedding, but to be with her and AJ, with the rest of the group. He deserved to survive, just like she has.

Then, her mind wanders to Kenny and Katjaa, and the day they lost Duck.

To the day AJ was born.

All the days she and AJ traveled together, alone, fighting for their lives every single night.

The first time she walked into the music room, hearing the soft, calming piano and seeing AJ again.

Hearing Louis’ voice for the first time, seeing his smile.

Their first kiss, right there at the piano.

Soon, her eyes flutter shut and her fingers pause.

The piano echoes.

It’s so close.

---

No deer.

No deer at all.

And the craziest thing? Aasim isn’t even upset. Nope, he shrugged it off like, “Oh well!” then proceeded to look for more rabbits.

It actually left Louis speechless.

Like, what the shit?

After spending an hour searching for James, only to find him hiding out in a tree- which was really weird, even for him- they spent another two hours hunting the damn thing with little to no direction.

Sure, they caught three rabbits during that time and let a bunch of baby ones go, but that still wasn't worth it.

Every time he got too loud while telling jokes, making cracks about the deer, or sharing stories with James, Aasim would shush him, claiming he could scare the deer away.

It wasn’t until James said the trail was cold that Aasim gave up.

And, through all this, it wasn’t like Louis could entertain himself by taking out any stray walkers; James is very adamant about keeping the walkers alive and it still boggles his mind.

So, he had to settle for trying to get Aasim to talk with James, which he refused. He just wandered up ahead, leaving Louis and James by themselves for most of the trip.

Then they went fishing. Fishing.

Because tracking an imaginary deer wasn’t bad enough.

They had better luck with the fish than they did with the rabbits, but Louis didn't have the patience for fishing. There's a reason he prefers hunting; he can move around, there's more to see, he can take out walkers. With fishing, you're stuck in the same place, looking at the same thing.

So, he volunteered to inspect the fishing shack. It’s still secure, and nothing was missing, so he hung out there a while to tidy up. It gave Aasim and James alone time, anyway.

Not that Aasim did anything. He never does anything when it comes to crushes.

Now, after what feels like years, the sun is beginning to set and the gates to the school are in sight.

Beside him, James carries a bag full of the fish they caught while Aasim has the rabbits. At least they’d eat good tonight.

Louis suppresses a yawn. The day’s left him drained, ready to sit down with the others and relax, eat a hot meal, and go lay in bed with Clementine.

But, once they enter the gates, AJ’s running up to him, tugging on his sleeve and practically dragging him over to a table where Tenn is.

“Woah, AJ-”

“Louis! You gotta come sit with us!” AJ exclaims. “We’re drawing! Tenn already drew you, but I never got the chance to.”

“Oh, uh-” Louis bite his lip. “Sure, buddy, but do you mind if I find Clem first?”

“She’s patrolling,” AJ says. “She won’t be back for a while!” Then, he waves James over. “Can I have my lesson now?”

James approaches, smiling. He turns to Louis. “You don’t mind?”

Well, if he were completely honest, he’d rather just sit on the couch and relax, but he couldn’t say no to AJ’s pleading eyes. Plus, Clementine was on patrol. Might as well stay busy until she came back.

“Nah, not at all. Besides,” he winks at AJ, “need yours to complete the wall, right?”

With that, he watches as they all gather on one side of the table, handing out papers and pencils. James helps AJ set up a drawing board, just like the one Tenn’s been using.

He sits in front, looking straight ahead and lets his mind wander.

Being gone most of the day had not only left him weary, but it also left him missing Clementine.

It’s dangerous to think that, he knows. Being attached like that, where even being away from her for practically a whole day left him anxious, isn’t how he wanted to feel.

Of course, he enjoyed his alone time, and the time he spent with the others, but it was seeing her every day that made getting out of bed worth it. Seeing her, talking with her, making music with her, kissing her, all of her… sometimes that’s what he has to think about those mornings after a night full of the dark horrors in his mind. He has to think of her, of AJ, of the piano making soft melodies, to get out of bed. Otherwise, he’d wish for his sheets to swallow him whole.

He didn’t want to need her so much, hated the thought of being clingy, suffocating her. He hated wasting her time, making her lose sleep over him, making her worry.

Shit, sometimes these thoughts got so bad, so out of hand that…

Clementine thought his nightmares were getting better. She said so herself.

“It’s been a long time since you’ve had one that bad.”

No, it hasn’t.

They were all different levels of bad, but the past month he’s been able to wake up and keep his crying quiet. He’d roll onto his back, hand pressed firmly over his mouth, and he’d silently sob with her right at his side. Sometimes, he’d sneak out of bed and sit in the hallway, or he’d go outside. Sometimes he found himself sitting at the piano, absently pressing the same key over and over again.

He couldn’t always do that, of course. Sometimes, the dreams are bad enough that he does need her to pull him out of it.

And he hates it.

This article was bitter, written from a broken heart, and mean-spirited enough for him to skip at the time. But, now, thinking back…

It was about all relationships being a ticking time bomb, all because of one reason:

One person always loves a little bit more than the other.

One person always gives more than they should. One always cares too much. One is always at a greater risk of being hurt or left behind.

One is always weaker.

Louis knows she loves him. He feels it every time she looks at him, kisses him. Every time he makes her laugh, or every time she cracks a joke of her own. He feels it in their more intimate moments when her lips trail down his neck and her hands cling to his shoulders.

She wouldn’t stay with him those nights if she didn’t love him, and she’d freak out if she knew that he’d been hiding away from her to cry by himself.

But, there was always that little question whispering in the back of his mind.

Did she truly love him, or did she just accept the love he was so willing to give her?

Because, the truth is, he’s the weaker one.

Hell, he’s known that from the beginning.

When Clementine confessed to him that night, carved the heart around their initials and kissed him, he couldn’t believe it. He’d been ecstatic, the kind of over-the-top ‘pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming’ happy that you’d only read about in those shitty poems they used to learn about in class. He’d even named his song after her.

She could’ve had anyone she wanted, someone better, someone stronger or smarter or braver, and she chose him.

Him.

Why?

He wouldn’t have chosen him.

She’d said it was because he made her feel alive. He showed her there’s more to life than just survival both her and AJ. He made her laugh, brought music to her life, made her feel safe. He’s important to her.

How-

“Louis, your ears are funny.”

That snaps him out of his depressing thoughts. “Excuse me?”

AJ cocks his head, leaning forward to point at Louis’ right ear. “It’s like… weird.”

“Your ears are weird!” Louis playfully shoots back, reaching across and lightly poking the boy’s ear.

“Nu-uh!”

“Ears always give me a hard time, too,” James grins. “Here, let me show you…”

“First my nose, now my ears,” Louis mumbles, shaking his head. The earns him a chuckle from James.

“I like doing ears,” Tenn says with a small smile. “They’re kinda fun.”

Louis catches a glance at Tenn’s paper. Even in such a short amount of time, his skill has improved so much.

He wants to ask Tenn about Violet but decides against it. Maybe he could check in with her tonight after he and Clementine had their talk.

Shit, he couldn’t talk to her with all those negative thoughts plaguing his brain.

So, he does what he always does.

He forces a smile and cracks another joke as they all continue to draw him.

---

Aasim sits down at the table closest to the school with a huff. His head pulses after a stressful day.

He hates lying. Lying does nothing but bring trouble. Once you lie, you have to lie more to cover up your other lies and it’s just a tangled mess.

When Ruby came to him and James to explain the plan Clementine wanted to execute, he almost refused to do it.

Of all people, it did make sense for him to be the one to keep Louis occupied away from the school. They hunted together more times than not these days, and he’d actually gotten more used to Louis’ idiotic jokes. The guy still pissed him off a lot of times, but not as much as before. He’s not nearly as laid back. He’s willing to take things more seriously now, which Aasim appreciates.

But, in the end, he couldn’t turn it down. Not after Ruby sounded so damn ecstatic about the plan, and it was Clementine’s plan, at that.

Shit, it’s Clementine and Louis’ engagement.

He thought that kind of stuff was long dead.

“Aasim!”

He’s startled when Ruby comes from behind and takes a seat right next to him. She gets close, comfortable. Her arm in touching his.

Shit.

Omar comes and sits on his other side, whispering, “How’d it go?”

It takes his brain a second to figure out what he’s referring to.

“Oh, uh, as well as expected?” Aasim scratches at his neck. “He probably thinks I’m a nutcase after the whole deer thing, though. Then there’s the misunderstanding with James...”

“What misunderstandin’?” asks Ruby.

“Nevermind,” he says quickly. “Not important.”

“He don’t suspect nothin’ though, right?”

Aasim glances over at Louis. He’s sitting up, laughing at something AJ said. He shakes his head, and murmurs, “He has no idea.”

Ruby gives a tiny squeal, almost bouncing with glee but still trying to be discreet. “Oh, this is wonderful!” she whispers.

“The rabbit turned out perfect,” says Omar, pleased with himself. “We set it all up. Should still be hot by the time Louis shows up.”

“Ya should see the music room, it’s gorgeous.” Ruby places a hand on Aasim’s arm, excitedly shaking it. “Clem’s up there now, jus’ waitin’ fer it ta get dark enough.”

Aasim, trying to ignore the warmth of her hand seeping through his sleeve, peers up at the sky. “We’re close, then.”

In less than an hour, the sun would fully set, leaving the sky Aasim’s favorite hue of purple. They just had to keep him occupied until then.

The table shakes. Mitch and Willy plop down on the opposite side, eyeing the place before leaning in.

“She’s lighting candles now,” Mitch whispers.

“It looks super cool!”

Ruby covers her mouth to keep her excitement quiet. “Oh, I bet it’s beautiful in there. We gotta have the weddin’ at this time, too, in the evenin’.”

“Not that late,” Mitch argues. “We’re already wasting candles on this. We’ll do it during the day.”

“Oh, they’re not havin’ a mornin’ weddin’. Mornin’s aren’t nearly as special.”

“I didn’t say morning, I said day.”

“What’s wrong with the morning?” asks Omar. “We could wake up extra early and have it during the sunrise. That could be nice.”

“I don’t wanna wake up that early,” objects Willy. “I’d rather just stay up late.”

“We gotta have it in the afternoon, in the least. We’ll just hafta find another way to light up the place.”

“Maybe we can build a fire pit?” Willy offers.

“Nah,” Mitch shakes his head, “Louis won’t let a whole fire pit near his piano. That thing catches on fire and he’ll probably croak on the spot, then we’ll have to deal with Clem.”

“‘Sides, we don’t wanna burn the buildin’ down.”

“Which is why we should do it during the day,” says Mitch. “That way we can use the sunlight.”

“But, evenin’ time’s more romantic!”

Aasim watches them quietly argue, amused.

“If I’m not mistaking,” he interrupts, “shouldn’t Clem and Louis have a say in their own wedding?”

“‘Course they’re gonna get a say,” says Ruby, “we’re jus’ throwin’ around ideas ‘til they’re ready to start plannin’. Oh,” she points at Aasim, “don’t lemme ferget ta pull out those boxes of spare clothes fer everyone ta look at.”

“Don’t forget about the headmaster’s drinking glasses.”

“Right! Drinkin’ glasses! And Mitch, ya need a haircut.”

“The fuck I do.”

“Ya gotta look nice-”

“Why? I’m not getting married.”

“Don’t matter, yer not gonna show up lookin’ like a caveman. You too, Willy.”

They continue to bicker while Aasim chooses to focus on the sky. He watches the fluffy clouds slowly float away, drifting over the setting sun.

It’s a breathtaking image, he thinks. The outside itself is breathtaking.

---

Louis’ neck starts to stiffen from the lack of movement.

He decides that being a model is far too much work, even if it’s just sitting there looking straight ahead. Not being able to move around much for the past hour is driving him insane.

Though he’d have to admit, it’s almost worth it. Tenn focusing all his skill and concentration on getting details right is quite a sight to see. He’s trying his best, trying to impress James and improve himself.

And James couldn’t be a better teacher. Not once has he made Tenn feel bad about getting a line wrong or for screwing up a detail. Instead, he points out the mistake and then shows him how to easily fix it, then he watches and praises Tenn as he repeats what he’s learned.

It’s been a long time since he’s seen Tenn so eager to learn, to flourish.

And then there’s AJ.

Bless the kid, he’s trying his best, too.

James is just as patient with him, explaining in detail while keeping it simple enough for the young boy to understand just what he’s doing wrong.

Once he’s done, AJ holds up his drawing, frowning. “This… is hard.”

Louis takes the paper. He chuckles, saying, “What are you talking about?” He holds the wonky portrait up beside his head. “Can barely tell a difference!”

AJ giggles. “Yes, you can.”

He spots Aasim approaching from the corner of his eye. With the picture still held up, he turns to him.

“Whattya think?” he asks. “Looks just like me, right?”

Aasim quirks a brow, studying the drawing, trying to understand just what he’s seeing.

“Uhm… yes?”

“See? Aasim said so, therefore, it must be true.”

AJ giggles again, snatching the paper away. He looks over it again, this time with a proud grin. “Yeah,” he nods, “it’s not as good as Tenn’s, but I’m gonna keep practicing. It’ll look like you one day.”

“I know it will, little man.”

Aasim nudges his shoulder lightly. “Clem’s back.”

“Huh?” Louis’ eyes widen as he looks around. She’s nowhere in sight.

“She didn’t want to disturb you,” Aasim says. “Think she said she was going to the music room.”

AJ quietly giggles, causing Tenn to elbow him. Louis doesn’t seem to notice as he looks to James with pleading eyes.

“Go ahead,” he says softly. “They need to practice their bottles, anyway.”

“Bottles?” AJ asks.

Tenn’s shoulders slouch unhappily. “Bottles…”

Louis hops off the table. “You got this, Tenn. You’ll show those bottles who’s boss.” He turns on his heel, leaving the boys with an encouraging smile and a wave.

The group, as inconspicuous as possible, all watch as Louis heads up the main stairs into the building.

---

The hallway’s layered with shadows. All the curtains are pulled closed, hiding away the orange and pink sky. They dance a bit as the breeze blows through.

Something savory, with a hint of sweetness, wafts through the air. Something delicious that he can’t quite name.

There’s music. It’s so faint at first, he’s almost sure he’s imagining it. Only when he gets closer to the music room does he realizes it’s the piano playing a song he immediately recognizes.

The acceleration of his pulse seems to beat in time with the music, a soft fluttering in his chest that vibrates through his body, making him anxious.

The door’s cracked open wide enough to see her sitting there. He pauses, squinting through to watch her fingers glide over the keys, slow and precise. She fumbles, just a bit, but keeps playing. His heart swells and a smile spreads along his face.

The room’s lit up with a golden glow despite the main window’s curtain being pulled over. He can see the candlelight reflecting off her concentrated brow, illuminating her entire presence.

He reaches out to carefully press the door and steps inside.

His breath catches in his throat.

There aren’t just candles lit on the piano. No, they’re everywhere, decorating the room and washing in a lovely, warm golden glow. His eyes dart down to the table placed on the floor. Two bowls full of meat garnished with a thin sauce rest on opposite sides. There’s a basket with what looks like a large bottle of wine sitting in the middle, surrounded by glass protected candles.

Taking in all that rests before him causes his lips to part in a silent gasp.

The piano stops.

He turns to look at Clementine’s grinning face as she stands up from the bench.

“You’re back.”

A breathless laugh escapes him. “I’m back.”

She’s slow to approach him, first stopping at the gramophone and cranking the handle. A soft, classical song flows through the room. He reaches for her hand, unsure if he can properly speak.

“Clem, this…”

She stands on her tiptoes to kiss gawking face. “It’s been a while since our last date night,” she says, “thought we were due for something special.”

He wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. He rests his cheek on top of her head, the fabric of her hat pressing into his skin.

“All this trouble for little ol’ me? Looks like I need to step up my game,” he tries to joke in an attempt to suppress the emotion threatening to tremble his voice. “When did you even find the time to-”

And like that, it clicks.

He pulls back, narrowing his eyes playfully at her.

She laughs.“Well,” she drawls, “it wasn’t just me. I did have some help.” She smirks. “I meant to ask, did you get the deer?”

“Oh yeah,” he clears his throat, dramatically waving his arm through the air. “Deer as far as the eye could see! Just frolicking through the woods! Majestic as can be! Aasim plans to tame and ride them into our next battle.”

She quirks a knowing brow. “So, no deer.”

“No deer.”

“Oh well, maybe next time.”

“Next time?” He shakes his head, chuckling. “Y’know,” he says, “you didn’t have to put poor Aasim through all that. You could’ve just kicked me out and told me to wait an hour. I wouldn’t have been too butthurt.”

“No?”

“Okay, maybe I would’ve sulked a little bit.”

She rolls her eyes, grasping his hand again and leading him towards the table.

“While you were gone, Chef Omar was kind enough to whip up some very special rabbit for us, and Mitch was more than happy to give us some wine to try.”

“Wine?” His laughter comes out more nervous that he’d hoped. “Trying to get me tipsy, are you?”

“Guess we’ll find out,” she says. “Then, I was thinking after we ate we could tune the piano a bit. Or, rather…” she glances away, “I thought it might be nice if I played you a song for a change.”

His heart flutters, eyes lighting up. He squeezes her hand. “I’d like that.”

They place themselves down on the floor, getting comfortable with the pillows surrounding them. Clementine pulls the basket off the table and pulls out the wine and a bag of chips.

The rabbit tastes as delicious as it smells. It’s warm, mouth-watering. He has to pace himself. He doesn’t want to scarf it all down and look like an absolute pig.

“Chef Omar has outdone himself this time,” Louis compliments. “I dare say this is the finest rabbit in all the land.”

“He’s pretty proud of it himself,” she says, taking another bite. “It’s a nice break from stews.”

He takes another bite, savoring the sweetness of the sauce. They’re both quiet, enjoying the meal as the light music continues to play in the background. Words race through his mind, but it’s like he suddenly doesn’t know how to form sentences.

“Uhm, this-” he clears his throat, “-this is really nice. Like, ‘I don’t even know what to say’ nice, Clem.”

She bites her lip thoughtfully before shrugging a shoulder.

“Just trying to sweep you off your feet,” she says honestly.

Air escapes his lungs. The way the candlelight flickers over her skin and reflects in her eyes is breathtaking. “Consider me swept.” He reaches across the table, taking her hand and brushing his thumb over her knuckles. “Been swept a long time.”

He watches curiously as she reaches for the bottle of wine. She pops the cap off, leaning over to smell the rim on the bottle.

“Ladies first,” he smiles.

She takes a sip, her tongue darting out over her bottom lip as she mulls over the flavor. She scrunches her nose, shaking her head and handing him the bottle.

He can taste the alcohol, but it’s not too strong. There’s a tart sweetness to it that he enjoys, but he doesn’t know if he could down a whole bottle himself.

Soon, their bowls are empty. He hasn’t felt this satisfyingly full in a long time.

“Well, I’m ready for a nap,” he half-jokes.

“Not yet.”

Clementine takes their bowls and stacks them together before she stands, offering him her hand. He happily takes it, letting her help him up.

“And what shall the lady be playing tonight?” he asks as she leads him to the piano.

“Well, it’s a classic, you see,” she smirks, reaching over to quiet the gramophone. “One that a cute boy taught me.”

“Ah, ‘cute,’” Louis chuckles timidly, “heh, sounds like a charming guy.”

“For the most part,” she elbows him playfully.

Her fingers ready themselves on the keys. She glances at him briefly, waiting. He gives an encouraging nod.

Her playing is slow but powerful. Every key she hits, she hits with a purpose, even if it’s the wrong key. Her determination is what makes it feel right, feel intentional. Though it’s short, he still finds himself entranced by the way her slim fingers move and the way she bites her lip in concentration.

When she’s finished, her fingers remain pressed on the keys. The song echoes through the air, through him.

She finally turns to him, and it’s that stupid grin of his that makes her giggle.

“And so, the pupil becomes the star,” he kisses her cheek, “that was beautiful.”

“So, I played it right?”

“Well,” he drawls, “there is one part that needs work.”

He scoots closer until their legs pressed together and he can easily reach around her.

“Put your hands in position.”

She lays them on the correct keys. He rests his hand over hers, barely hovering. She relaxes under his touch, leaning closer to his body.

“You see,” he mumbles, “you’re pressing these keys,” he maneuvers her hands and presses her fingers against said keys, “when you should be pressing these ones.”

He guides her through the whole song like this and he can’t tell if that’s his heart racing, or hers.

Clementine takes a deep breath.

“Louis?”

Her voice is thick.

“Clementine?”

She hesitates, and it worries him. He pulls back, just a bit, enough to see her eyes are closed.

“Thank you,” she says slowly, “for last night. I-”

Louis waits, but she doesn’t continue. He brings their hands off the piano down to rest against their connected knees.

“Do you still want to talk about it?” he asks quietly.

She leans her head against his shoulder, breathing out a long sigh. “I just wanted to try and make things a little better,” she starts. “I thought, maybe if we just talk and get everything out in the open, then the healing can really begin. I just… wanted to understand, I guess.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “I could’ve come with you.”

“I know. I didn’t want that pressure, though. I wanted it to just be us. I mean, Mitch insisted on coming, but he waited outside. I know you, Louis. You would’ve wanted to be there in the room with us. Besides, what we talked about… it was pretty personal.”

“Yeah,” he sighs. “It’s okay. I get it.”

“It wasn’t all bad, though,” she says. “There was this little moment where it felt like we were just talking, no yelling or fighting or anything. Like we used to, but it didn’t last long. Now I know. She absolutely hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you-”

“Yes, she does,” Clementine’s grip on his hand tightens, “or, in the very least, will never trust me again, and I think I finally get why.”

“She’ll come around, Clem.”

“You’ve been saying that for two years.”

“And I’ll say it for another two. She’s still dealing with a lot of shit, just like we are, but I know one day she’ll be ready to try again. It happened when we first lost Minnie and Sophie. She did the same thing; she didn’t talk to anyone, she stayed in her room most days, barely ate. I know it’s different, worse even, but Clem, we can’t give up on her. She needs us, whether she admits it or not.”

“...I know.”

“I promise, things will get better. They have to, right?” His smile is sincere, heartwarming. “And you know I’ll always be here for you, too. Through thick and thin.”

She kisses him, a small chaste press that becomes long, passionate. They break apart when she moves closer to hold him, clinging to him tightly. They stay like that for a while, enjoying each other’s comfort. The day’s exhaustion washes over him.

“Close your eyes.”

Like a reflex, they do, even when he feels her pulling away. They flutter shut at the sensation of her lips on his jaw and her hands running down his arms. Her fingers caress the back of his hand, grasping it and turning his palm up.

Her lips brush against his ear as she whispers, “I’m going to spell something out on your hand, and when I’m done, you tell me what it says.”

He tries to question this until her lips press to his again, silencing him.

She traces the letters slow, precise. Each caress tingles his skin to the point where he has to suppress his giggle behind a smile. When she finishes, she rubs his palm to takes away the ticklish sensation.

Let’s see.

L-O-U-

“Louis,” he says, confidently.

She rewards him with a light kiss on the back on his hand and small, approving, “Hmm.”

The feeling doesn’t become any less ticklish, even with small words.

“Will?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Another kiss, another trace of her fingers.

“...You?”

She hesitates.

He can feel her move a little. She rubs his palm again, and this time she’s much slower, dragging out each and every letter. He concentrates, trying to visualize and put it together.

She doesn’t stop at one word. She takes a pause, then writes another.

He freezes.

His eyes shoot open. He blinks down at her, brows knitted together questionably. She spells it again without breaking eye contact. He doesn’t even notice the tingle now.

“What does it spell?” He almost doesn’t hear her she’s so quiet.

He searches her eyes, so clear and boring into him, trying to comprehend the letters.

What does it spell…?

It-

It spells-

Something cool touches his finger.

The candlelight reflects off the smooth, silver band as she slips it onto his finger.

“Louis?”

His gaze snaps up, meeting hers.

“Will you marry me?”

His lips part in a silent gasp and his eyes grow wide.

When he doesn’t speak, Clementine gently presses her palm again his cheek.

“I know it’s not something that many people do anymore,” she whispers. “But I don’t care. I love you, Louis, and there’s no one I’d rather have at my side in this world. Before we came here, all I had was AJ. I never once thought that I’d meet someone who knows just what to say to make me feel better or make me laugh. I never thought I could feel this way with someone like I do with you.”

Her voice becomes thick. She has to blink back the wetness threatening to spill over.

“I want to keep fighting, laughing and enjoying life with you and AJ and everyone else, not just as your girlfriend, but as your wife.”

Louis pulls always completely, turning to face the piano, looking straight ahead.

Then, he laughs.

He laughs because he doesn’t know what else to do. It’s a breathless laugh, one you do when in shock, one that rocks your core. His shoulders shake as he presses his hand firmly over his mouth, shaking his head in absolute disbelief. He can’t process anything. Somehow his thoughts are both jumbled and flatlining -how is that possible?- and he can’t do anything but laugh until his tears finally fall.

“Louis?”

He removes his hand, sucking in as much air as possible, coughing a little. He wipes at his eyes, still chuckling. He runs his thumb over the silver band when he notices something etched into it.

This time, he grasps the back of her head and kisses her. He moves his mouth with hers, attempting to pour all of his feelings into his movements. His efforts earn a pleased moan from her, deep in her throat.

He’s still giggling when their lips part.

“Yes,” he finally breathes out.

“Yes?”

“Yes,” he nods happily, sniffling. “Yes, Clementine, I will marry you.”

And, just like that, they’re kissing again. Quick presses of lips, more giggles from both of them now. Louis’ cheeks are actually hurting by the time they stop.

“I-” he shakes his head, “You’re serious, right?”

“Of course I’m serious,” she tells him.

“Holy shit, you’re serious!”

Clementine reaches into her pocket and pulls out another ring, placing it in his palm before offering him her hand. It’s just like his, smooth and silver with their initials scratched into the surface.

His heart is hard and quick, full of glee and laughter and everything else, as he slips the ring onto her finger.

“Clem, I- How did- where did you find these?”

“You’ll never believe it,” she says. “Mitch and Willy made them.”

“Um, what?”

“Out of quarters.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe that-”

There’s a sharp bang, though not very loud, it still catches their attention.

Another bang, this time followed by a strange hiss.

They both stare at the door quizzically.

“You heard that too, right?” asks Louis. “Or am I going crazy? Because that’s starting to feel like a real possibility.”

Another noise.

That-

That sounded like-

Another bang.

They shoot each other a look before getting up off the bench, hand in hand.

As they get closer to the door, it becomes clear what’s making the ruckus.

“Shh!” they hear.

“You shhh!”

Louis raises a brow at her smirking face. “Um?”

Clementine rolls her eyes, putting a finger to her lips and sneaking closer to the door. She waits a moment before grabbing the handle, listening. Then she throws all her weight into the door as she shoves it open.

It doesn’t get very far before there’s the sound of a rough collision followed by several thumps and a sharp, “What the fuck!”

Louis is dumbfounded to see Mitch, Willy, and AJ all on the floor, with Mitch rubbing his forehead and the other two holding their noses. Rosie comes over to lick AJ’s face, nuzzling him to make sure he’s okay. Around them stand Ruby, James, Tenn, Omar and Aasim, each frozen in place, gawking at the two of them.

“Um?” Louis’ eyes dart from face to face.

“That fucking hurt,” Mitch grumbles from the floor.

“Told’ja not ta get so close,” Ruby says, shooting him a glare. “Ya blew our cover.”

“Oh yeah, I blew our cover.”

“Uh, this isn’t-” Aasim scratches the back of his neck. “We were just-”

“Checking up on us?” Clementine finishes for him.

“More or less,” says James sheepishly. “Ruby couldn’t wait for you to come out.”

“Sorry,” Ruby’s face flushes, “I jus’ couldn’t sit still out there!”

“Or keep your mouth shut.”

“Can it, Mitch!”

“Wait a minute…” Louis turns back to her, hands on his hips. “Were they all in on this?”

“I did say that I had some help, didn’t I?”

“‘Course we helped!” Ruby clasps her hands together. “Had ta make it real special fer the both’a ya!”

“How was the rabbit?” Omar asks. “Best you ever had, huh?”

“I think my nose is broken,” Willy complains from the floor.

Mitch shakes his head. “S’not broken. You’d know if it was.”

“It feels broken.”

“It’s not.”

Louis can’t help but chuckle now. He pulls Clementine close, mumbling amongst the group’s chatter, “Suddenly, a lot of things make sense.”

“I bet,” she replies lightly.

AJ, still rubbing his newly sore nose, scrambles to his feet now. All the pain forgotten, he exclaims, “Well? Did you say yes!? Did you!?”

His grin says it all. With one arm around Clementine, Louis proudly holds up his hand to show off the ring to the group. “What do you think?”

Ruby’s squeal echoes through the halls as Aasim and Omar begin clapping, followed by the rest of the group. Louis bows, bringing Clementine down with him as they both laugh. AJ throws himself at the two, trying to wrap his arms around both of them. Then, here comes Ruby, hugging the both of them as well.

Soon, they’re surrounded, all a hum of laughter, gleeful words and happy smiles.

“We can finally start plannin’ the weddin’!” Ruby exclaims.

“Why don’t we let their engagement simmer for a bit, “says Omar. “Best not to overwhelm them.”

Clementine grasps her hand. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

Louis doesn’t know how long they stand there amongst their friends, each expressing their congrats in one way or another. Eventually, Clementine has to announce that they’re going to bed and they all part ways. The buzz of excitement is still there, filling his brain, and his heart.

AJ walks alongside them back to their room, asking plenty of questions about the wedding and how big of a party isn’t going to be. For once, Louis isn’t the one answering all of his questions. He’s in a daze, sure that if Clementine wasn’t holding his hand, we would’ve walked straight into a wall by now.

When they reach their room, Clementine shoos AJ inside and closes the door.

Louis leans back against the wall. God, his cheeks hurt with an aching strain, but he can’t force the grin off his face.

“Holy shit,” he says.

“Holy shit,” she echoes.

“You’re really serious, right?”

“I already said I was.”

“Just making sure,” Louis crosses his arms, resting his head against the wall to look up at the ceiling, “this just… I don’t know. I never thought this would be something you would want.”

“Well, I do,” she advances closer now. “I want this with you.”

“Are you sure?” he asks. “I mean, you want to willingly marry me?”

“I want to willingly marry you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Is this going to be a thing?” she teases. “Twenty years from now are you going to ask me, ‘Are you sure you’re sure?’”

“Twenty years,” he laughs. “Think we’ll live that long?”

“If we’re together, we have a pretty damn good chance.” She grabs his hand now, her thumb brushing over his ring. “Right?”

Louis smiles, though it's a little uneasy. “Right.”

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dramallamadingdang · 6 years ago

Text

The post I want to make on the MTS forums but can't...

...because they're touchy about discussing the "p" word. As in "piracy." I understand why they are, but I also think that they're wrong to silence people about "pirating" yet not have a care in the world if people tell others to buy used disks, for reasons that you'll see if you choose to read this thing. But...Their site, their rules and that's cool and all that. I’ve got no problems with that. I just think it’s doing the current (and future) TS2 community a disservice. Hence, this post.

Now that EA has announced that they will no longer give out the TS2 Ultimate Collection, I think it's time to address how to get the game if you don't already have it and want it. Or if you have it but your disks are lost/damaged. Or if you suddenly find yourself with a new machine that doesn't have an optical disk drive and you don't have and/or don't want to buy an external one. Or even if somewhere down the line EA removes the UC from your access, if you have it already and you then can't install it on a new machine. (They'd be entirely within their rights to do that, by the way.) If one is concerned about legality, then one ought to know what actually is legal or not and why and where the shades of gray are, so that you can make informed decisions about what you want to do. So, if you're interested in that, that's what I'm going to talk about in this post.

I'm going to say this up-front, though, as a sort of teaser: Now that EA is no longer giving out the UC like people give out Halloween candy: THERE IS CURRENTLY NO FULLY-LEGAL WAY TO GET OR PLAY THE GAME, if you don't already have it. Yes, the above is true, and behind the cut is why.

Here are my "credentials," if you will: A nice chunk of my income comes from royalties and licensing and stuff. Much such stuff is sold in digital format, music CDs and data CDs of original compositions and stuff like that. I have sued individuals and companies, successfully, who've infringed on my copyrights and/or the licensing agreements that I'm involved in. I'm pretty well-versed in this stuff.

So let's make one thing about this issue clear off the top: You do not these days purchase games or non-game software or movies or music or whatever that comes on a disk or in some digital form like, say, a book you download onto your Kindle. You only purchase a license to use the information on that one, single disk or that you got from that one, single download that you paid for. It's a small but all-important distinction, and it pretty much defines what makes things legal or not when we're talking about getting TS2 now that EA is no longer selling it or giving it away themselves.

Now that EA is out of the picture, at least for now, you have three options for getting the game:

1) Find someone selling disks that you know absolutely for certain have not been used.

Guess what? Still probably not fully-legal. The reason is this: If you're buying from a genuine retailer and not some shady "business" in Taiwan or a guy on eBay or something, EA recalled all new, existing, unopened TS2 discs from all retailers (at least in the US and I believe -- but am not certain -- worldwide) years ago. 2013ish, if memory serves. Those retailers were given full refunds for any unsold discs but were actually not required to physically return those discs. (Because, of course, EA didn't want to pay for return shipping!) They were supposed to destroy the disks, in good faith, in exchange for the refund. Even if they didn't receive a refund, they're still not supposed to be selling disks anymore because they've been recalled. Those disks are not supposed to exist and all end-user (that's you) licenses associated with them are now void. Which means that even if you now manage to find a genuinely unused retail disk, you have no legal license to use the game because EA voided it. They only way it would be legal is if you are buying from an individual (not a retailer of any kind) who bought the game and somehow never installed it...and I'd take such stories with a grain of salt, personally.

Because, remember: You're not buying a game; you're buying a license to use a game, and EA has revoked those licenses on retail disks that were unsold as of 2013ish. Now, is someone going to come pounding on your door to arrest you or to serve you court documents because they’re suing you? Of course not! But bear in mind that if the above applies to you, your game is not fully legal.

2) You can buy used disks from someone. Ebay and Amazon Marketplace and such are teeming with them.

Also not fully legal. Why? Because, as I said, each disk comes with a license to use the game for a single buyer and his/her household. No one else. That's one of the things that the End-User License Agreement says and that you agree to, probably without reading it, when you install the game. So as soon as the original buyer of the disk you subsequently bought installed the game on a machine, that single user license was used up. It cannot be transferred to another person. The disk can be transferred, sure, but not the license to use it, which when it comes to legality is all that matters. So, if you buy used disks, you still do not have a legal license to use the game.

Again, no one's going to come pounding on your door, of course. No one's pounding on the door of second-hand game shops, either, because it's not illegal to sell the used disks at all. But it is legally shade to actually use those disks when you buy them. So, just realize that your game is not fully legal if you bought used any or all of the disks you have. Then move on and don't worry about it...but also don't claim that you have a "legal" game so you're somehow more moral or whatever than people who pirate it. Because that's not true at all. In fact, legally you're in exactly the same boat -- pirate ship or otherwise ;) -- as people who've “pirated” the game. Which leads me to...

3) You can "pirate" the game. Meaning, you can get it via torrenting so that you never have a physical disk and you use a no-CD crack to play the game. Or you can make a copy of your friend's disks. Whatever.

There are multiple legal issues here. I'm not going to discuss why it's illegal to pass around copies of a game. I trust that everyone understands why that's so.

But you might be surprised to learn that it's actually not illegal to download the game illegitimately, for the same reason why buying and selling used disks isn't illegal. But there’s a catch. Again, the issue is that you don't buy a game; you buy a license to use it. So the problem arises, again, from using what you downloaded (or using that copy you made of your buddy's disk), because you don't have a license to do so. Sure, obviously no one would download something that they wouldn't then use, but my point is that if you download the game from a torrent, your legal problem is exactly the same as the legal problem that people who buy used disks have. And at least you, as a "pirater" did not pay someone for your legally-shady copy of the game. No one profited at EA's expense, in other words, whereas someone did exactly that if you bought used disks, especially if the seller didn't originally buy the disks themselves, which is usually the case at second-hand shops.

If you download the game via a torrent (as opposed to making copies of someone's disks), it's illegal not because you downloaded the file but because of the way torrenting works. It works by sharing your incomplete download with other downloaders as you download, as you go along, as well as after you do so, if you continue to "seed" the torrent after your own download is completed. The sharing part is illegal for what I hope are obvious reasons; the downloading part is not. It’s a technicality, sure, but then all of this discussion is.

In the end, the most-illegal thing you can do when it comes to this stuff is not downloading via torrenting but making a copy of your buddy's disks for your own use because in that case you're transgressing twice. And here's why.

There's a thing in copyright law called Fair Use. This covers multiple things, but the relevant bit here is that it allows you to make a backup of digital media that you've legitimately bought for archival purposes. This has always been on the books, as long as there've been digital formats, which goes all the way back to tapes. So if you have, say, a copy of The Lion King on DVD and your three-year-old insists on watching it twice a day if she can and in the process breaks a disk a week, you have a right to make a copy of the original in order to preserve the original. (OK, you're not supposed to make multiple backups, just one, but seriously? The kid breaks them constantly and Disney disks are terribly overpriced. And no, I'm not talking from experience at all. :) ) Anyway, Fair Use = 1 backup of your legitimately-purchased disks.

But then in the 90s the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) came along. (In the US, that is. There's similar bullshit worldwide, though.) Mostly it came about because movie and music distributors (not the musicians, one needs to point out) are absolute control freaks and were really, really pissed that CDs/DVDs are so damn easy to make copies of. The relevant bit of this was that it said, "Nope, no more personal backups for you! At all! And hey! No ripping that CD to put the songs on your phone or MP3 player, either! You gotta buy another copy of the songs from iTunes or whatever it is that we want to make more money from today!" It all comes back to "You don't buy a movie. You buy a license to view the content on that one disk, so if your obsessive three-year-old breaks it you have to buy a new disk every week. Sucks to be you, but it's really awesome for us." (Needless to say, you can guess what I think -- as a musician -- of this bit of corporate greed.)

My ranting aside, the issue now is that it is technically illegal to make copies of disks and stuff that you legitimately own, even for your own use and you never share anything with anyone. Again, no one's going to come knocking on your door, but you should know about this. (Mostly, in the wake of DMCA, court cases have involved small companies that make software that can rip DVDs by decoding/bypassing encryption, not individuals who make or use copies of disks. They know they can’t pursue such individuals in any practical way. Instead, they seek to take away the tools that allow you to do it.) So, that's transgression #1 when it comes to making a copy of your buddy's TS2's disks. The other, of course, is the same as the other points: You don't have a legal license to use that copy of your buddy's disk. So, you're transgressing coming and going, so to speak.

So, what's a TS2 fan to do now? Honestly? All three options are problematic, legally. Unless you can somehow manage to find genuinely never-used disks from an individual (not a retailer), you will not be fully legit. So, if you want to be pure and clean and looking down on all the sinners from your fine high horse, you can't get TS2 now if you find you need it, unless EA decides to distribute it again. But for the rest of us? I'm not going to advocate any particular thing because, as I said, all of the options are shady and more or less equally so and for the same reason across the board. But you have the info now -- if you’ve actually managed to read all this -- and you can make an informed decision for yourself, should you need to acquire the game again. Or for the first time. But for the love of God, please don't go around saying that you're all legit because you bought used disks while that person over there *gasp* got their game on the torrents. Because you're not legit, and you’re not legit for pretty much the same reason as a dirty pirate is.

#sims 2 #this has been your psa for the day #and a rant too #woo!

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hazzasgayvodka · 6 years ago

Text

25 * EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE * 25

Impact: Chapter 25

Chapter title song: Every Breath You Take - The Police

HARRY

How does she do this to me? How does she make my heart beat faster and my head pound harder? How does she flood every thought that pops into my mind and influence every move I make? Every fiber of my being wants to turn around and go back for her, to apologize for being an idiot and tell her about the way she makes my body feel like I'm floating.

It's otherworldly, indescribable. The way her eyes can burn into mine and inflict the sensation that they do. They rattle my bones, stir up my breathing, get my heart truly beating. Everything about her is so precise and spectacular. The angle of her nose and the lines of her lips, the fiery curls of her hair and the warm golden brown of her eyes. She makes me crazy, insane even. I hear her voice in my head, sweet and soft or sometimes loud and strangled. Either way it is music, a piece of art meant to be cherished rather than strung in a line to make a sentence and forced into un-wanting eardrums.

I lied to her again when I told her I wasn't going home. My instinct was to go to the bar and drink away the feeling of the boulder sitting on my chest but with her voice in my head and the image of her behind my eyelids I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I walk inside and despite having already taken a shower today, I find myself walking into the bathroom and starting the water. I step into the shower with a grimace, my leg is still sore from the fight last night. I look down to see my torso covered in bruises, some worse than others. A mix of purple and blues adding to the black sketches across my skin. I let my eyes travel across my skin and I wonder how she looks at me and isn't horrified. The bruises, scrapes, and bumps all over me. The angry red blotches across my stomach from a car airbag and the giant scars down my back.

The water stings as it hits them, cascading down my back and I have to remind myself that it's all in my head. I reach my hand over my head to run it along the divots in my skin where they reside, the deep scars scraping down my spine. I flinch as my fingertips just barely brush the tip of one of them. It doesn't hurt, my body simply remembers where it's supposed to hurt, it's not real.

I hear my old shrink's voice in my head, reminding me of the three steps to getting through psychosomatic injuries and it makes me feel nauseous. The water is far too hot, but I welcome it gladly as it scorches my skin in the same places her hands have touched me. I can still feel them, soft and small as they trace the black lines across my skin and hold my face so gently as if I'm something to be protected.

I run my fingers along my wet skin wishing for the burn that accompanies her each and every touch, but I am cold. No matter how hot the water I'm freezing, the scorching cascade down my back is no match for the inferno she creates within my veins. No number of cigarettes could give me the high I get from her lips on mine. The electricity that runs up my spine when her fingertips brush my skin cannot be met by any amount of adrenaline from any fight.

There is not a number, not a description, not a word to describe the way she makes me feel and the way she has impacted me.

JESS

How does he do this? How does he melt my insides and rip my heart out all in the same sentence? Why do I still want to turn around and chase his car down after it all. After all the secrets and the yelling, after everything he's done I still want to be in his arms. I still want to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him impossibly close to me.

His voice won't get out of my head, smooth and velvety or rough and raging there is never an in-between with him. I can hear his laugh in my mind, it fills a room and never fails to make me smile. I can picture him, his beautiful viridian irises as they look up into my eyes from underneath his rich curls that frame his face. I can't take my eyes off him, god he looks like an Adonis when I'm looking up at him like this. His eyes, his cheekbones, his jaw, his lips. He looks like a protagonist, like the one that wins in the end, how appropriate.

I feel my mind whirling, coursing through every moment we've shared together and wondering how I didn't figure it out. How did he never slip up? All the times we hung out with Miles and studied in the library, all the times he was jealous when Miles picked me up from his house. They knew, and I didn't. How did I never wonder enough about their relationship? Their obvious dislike for each other. It was so obvious, so right under my nose and I never saw it. I guess I was too busy looking up at him.

HARRY

I walk out of the bathroom, redressed in my long sleeve shirt and jeans. I feel better, finally able to breathe without her standing beside me. Niall meets me in the kitchen, reaching in the fridge to grab a beer as he passes me.

"Where's Jess?" He asks.

"I don't know." I shrug, leaning against the counter behind me.

"What do you mean you don't know? That's not like you-"

He's cut off as Louis and Sam burst through the door groping each other. I thought Louis said she was pissed at him? She doesn't look pissed now as she kicks the door closed and grabs his face in her hands roughly pressing her mouth to his. He walks backwards, his arms contortioned around her as they maul each other, stumbling through the living room to his bedroom around the corner.

I turn back to Niall and my stomach sinks, despite the severity and aggression of it, part of me wishes me and Jess could be doing something similar. Perhaps not sucking each other's faces off but there's not much I wouldn't give to be able to kiss her face right now.

"What happened?" He speaks up, smacking me in the arm.

"She knows." I sigh.

"About?"

"About everything Niall."

"Everything?"

"The fights, Zack, the scars, my dad and the fact that he's getting married," I groan, running my hands through my soaking hair, "Everything Niall, she knows everything.

I can tell he doesn't know what to say. I've never told a girl everything. Hell, I've never told a girl anything. All of those other girls who came through here and never went past the confines of my bedroom door. They all meant nothing, I thought they were everything, but they were a speck, a blip in the timeline. Jess is the timeline.

"So, where is she?" He asks.

"Somewhere hating my guts." I mumble, taking his beer out of his hand and taking a sip.

"Why aren't you there making her not hate your guts, then?" He shouts, smacking me in the head.

"Because we need time!" I shout, distancing myself from him so he can't hit me again, "She needs time, she's had a hundred bombs dropped on her in the past forty-eight hours and I don't want to drown her."

He shakes his head, "No Harry, when girls have time they make decisions, bad ones in your case. When they have time they're able to convince themselves they don't need you that bad," He says seriously, shoving me towards the door, "Now go get in your car and drive your ass to wherever she is and apologize until she's kissing your face again."

"Niall-"

"Harry, she is good for you and you're about to let her go because you think you let her get too close. I know what you're doing, you're backing out. You're not drowning her, you're letting her drown because you handed her an anchor and didn't help her get back in the damn boat!" He shouts, shoving his finger into my chest with every word, "Do not let your ego get in the middle of this because she is way too good for you, but she is stupid in love with you for some reason."

He shoves my keys in my hand and nearly throws me out the door. I walk in a daze to my car and collapse inside, putting my keys in the ignition and banging my fists against the steering wheel.

In love with me? Jess? No, of course not. A girl like Jess doesn't fall in love with a guy like me.

The music starts playing again, haunting me. I skip through song after song and every one of them makes her appear in my mind. They're tainted with images of her in the car beside me, singing along to the lyrics with smiling eyes. I grip the steering wheel with white knuckles as the music surrounds me in a beautiful haze of her.

I can't stop myself before I'm snatching the CD out of the player and snapping it in half in my hands. I break it again and again in the unbearable silence I've created. Soon I'm holding smithereens, reflective shards of memories of her and surrounding myself in the silence. I embrace the ringing in my ears and let it flood the foreground of my mind, drowning out every other thought fighting to encompass me right now. I'm being rash, why am I doing this? What kind of hold does she have on me?

I look around me at the countless CDs I've destroyed, the plastic pieces littering my lap and strangling my arms, wrapping around my fingers, the music holding me hostage. I want to drive, to go anywhere but here in this deathly silence, imagining her arms around my neck.

I drive in circles, my mind aimlessly wandering. My head is filled with images of her. Warm brown eyes to match her soul and fiery red hair to compliment her personality. I remember the first time I kissed her and the longing for her lips on mine grows stronger. I remember my hesitancy and the way she let her hands roam my body. I remember the taste of her lipstick and how she grabbed me by the shirt just like the first night I ever met her.

I long for the inferno we create within ourselves. I long for the fire, for the electricity that she sparks in my veins and spreads through my body. The rush of adrenaline I get from her skin on mine. I long for it all so much that my head is spinning. I want to hear her laugh and see her eyes squint when she smiles. I want her to blab to me about manuscripts she's reading at work and dance with me while we make dinner in the kitchen. I want to watch movies on the couch with her feet tucked under my legs because she's cold. I want to scrape the snow off her car and start it for her so it's warm when she drives to class. I want to see her in my clothes every day of the week, every night when we go to bed and every morning when she goes to class. I want to take morning showers with her and kiss her with toothpaste in my mouth, I want her to roll her eyes at me and yell at me and fight with me because fighting with her will always be better than kissing anyone else.

I want her.

No, I lied to her.

I need her. I need her.

JESS

I sit in Taylin's arms, tears running down my cheeks like waterfalls. She rubs her hand up and down my back, cradling me like the big baby I am. She ordered pizza on the way over, but I know I won't be able to bring myself to eat it. It only reminds me of him and all I want is for him to pick me up and take me to Spiro's.

"What did he do?" She asks finally, and I can tell she's been holding off from asking.

I don't even know where to begin. What did he do? Nothing. Everything. He lied to me, well, he kept secrets. Every time I turn around another one comes to light and he's having to explain himself. I feel like I'm being dragged further and further into darkness and soon enough it will swallow me whole and I'll be blind.

"He's complex." I say carefully.

"Complex?"

"There's a lot of parts to him," I explain, "He wears different masks, and has too many secrets and I just don't know if I'm the person to be able to keep up with all that."

"What do you mean?" She asks, brushing my hair behind my ear.

"Well, I work with him, and he's an editor," I breathe, my chest caving as I speak his secret for the first time, "And he's a tattoo artist, and a boxer."

"A boxer?" She asks, sitting up straighter.

"Yeah, he fights people, and people bet on who will win and he makes money."

"Is that legal?" She asks and my stomach twists.

"I don't know."

I don't want to tell her about Niall and how confused their relationship makes me. I don't tell her about him hotwiring a car or how angry he got when he beat up Jackson the other night. I don't mention the scars or the temper or his dad because deep down somewhere I don't want her to hate him, I think I want her to like him and convince me to stay with him too.

There's a knock on the door and she sits up excitedly, "That's the pizza."

I know she's trying to cheer me up but as soon as the smell of pizza fills this room, she won't be able to drag me back from my crying fit.

"Will you grab the door and I'll go find my wallet?" She asks, "I think I left it in the bathroom."

I drag my feet across the room and fold my arms across my chest to keep warm. It feels foreign being here again, this dorm doesn't even feel like mine anymore. I pull the door open and my heart stops in my chest. He's standing there with soaking wet hair and the same clothes as this morning. He's shivering, it's fucking freezing out, but he doesn't seem to mind as she takes a step closer to me.

"Jess, I've never needed anyone," He sighs, his voice cracking, "But I'm starting to think I might need you."

I can't breathe. My chest is collapsing, my stomach is in my throat. My mouth is glued shut, I don't know any sum of letters that could be half as beautiful and profound as the words that just fell past his lips.

"I know I've fucked up, I should have told you everything, but I was scared. I thought you would leave, I thought it would freak you out. All the fighting and the shit with Miles, but I just want you back," He breathes, "I'm so sorry baby, I know I'm going to have to buy you every concert ticket in the stadium for this one but I'm willing to do that. I just need you next to me in the morning wearing one of my shirts, even my Pyromania one, I don't fucking care, I just-"

He doesn't even have the rest of the sentence out of his mouth before I'm grabbing his cheeks and pressing my lips to his. It's not rushed and messy like other kisses we've shared, it's slow and meaningful, our lips molded to each other's with no desire to break away any time soon.

He tastes like spearmint and smells like laundry detergent and cologne. I feel the chill of his lip ring against the corner of my mouth and I'm reminded that it really is him I'm kissing. I'm stuck in a whirlwind, in a cyclone of him, a hurricane of emotions and feelings and fears of the unknown. He's crazy and he makes me crazy, but I love it all the same. He's up and down and hot and cold and I thrive on it. We're so alike and so different, polar opposites and yet one in the same. He fits against me like a puzzle piece, his hand moving from my cheek to wrap around my waist and the shock of electricity I get from his touch makes me jump.

His touch is the only contact I crave, the only feeling I can never seem to get enough of. I wish he'd never stop touching me, just a constant hand on my skin, inflicting small bursts of electricity in my nerves every few seconds.

He pulls away from me and the grin on his face makes my heart flutter. It's just a small turn up on the right side of his face, a small laugh escaping his lips. God he's so handsome. His eyes are locked on mine, his arms loosely wrapped around my waist, holding me to him. I think back to those car rides in his car with the radio on and all I can think about is how much better this would be with music in the background.

"Jess I can't find my wallet, I checked everywhere in the-"

I turn around in his arms to meet eyes with Taylin. I completely forgot she was even here as soon as my eyes landed on him at my doorstep. Harry releases me and leans forward, extending his hand towards her.

"Harry Styles." He smiles, shaking her hand.

She laughs, looking at me incredulously as he pulls his hand away, "Taylin McCormick."

The awkward air around us is tangible and I find myself biting my lip as I turn around to talk to him quietly, but he cuts me off.

"Can I uh, steal her, for a bit?" He asks, looking straight at Taylin.

"Be my guest." She laughs, gesturing to the door.

He grabs my hand and tugs me outside and I'm instantly shivering in the cold. His hands are shaking, from the cold or the delightfully nauseous feeling that's taken over me, I'm not sure.

"Can we go home?" He asks, his voice nearly begging.

"Harry, I'm not just going to leave Taylin alone in my dorm." I sigh, my teeth chattering.

"Sam will be back at some point, I'm sure they'll be best friends by the time you're back tomorrow morning."

"Harry." I warn, raising an eyebrow.

He sighs, his breath coming out in a fog as he rubs his hands together and swears under his breath about how freezing it is.

"Fine," He huffs, "But you better make this kiss good if it's the only one I'm getting tonight."

I laugh as he pulls me to him and presses his mouth to mine. I can feel his lips grinning against mine as his arms wrap around me, momentarily keeping me warm. He pulls away and presses another kiss to my forehead, holding me tightly in his arms.

"I'm picking you girls up for breakfast in the morning," He says, turning away and heading back to his car, "Be ready by eight, baby."

I watch him get in his car and drive away. My heart sinks but my stomach flutters at the thought of seeing him again tomorrow morning. I walk back inside to see Taylin sat on the couch, her eyes wide as I sit next to her.

"I can't believe you didn't leave with him," She scoffs, punching me in the arm, "Actually, I can't believe you're dating him, I mean, how many tattoos does he have?"

"Oh, shush." I groan, tossing a pillow at her.

He shows up the next morning at seven thirty, a whole half hour earlier than he originally promised. I've barely crawled off the couch where me and Taylin fell asleep watching Twilight the night before when I hear him knocking at the door.

I drag myself from the confines of my burrito of blankets and open the door, my eyes adjusting to the flood of sunlight outside. He walks past me, rubbing his hands together to warm them up and I close the door behind him.

"You're early, Styles." I tease, leaning up to peck his lips.

"Couldn't wait to see you, baby." He smiles, holding me to him and pressing his lips against mine again, clearly not satisfied with our first kiss.

I pull away from him and stare into his eyes, noticing the bags surrounding them. He looks like he didn't get an ounce of sleep last night.

"What's happening?" Taylin groans from the couch, stretching her arms out as she yawns.

"Harry's here, we should probably get ready for breakfast." I laugh, tugging the blankets from around her.

"Free breakfast? I'll be ready in five." She grins, standing from the couch and making her way to the bathroom.

I turn back to Harry, shaking my head, "Looks like I'm gonna have to wear my own clothes for once."

"My jackets in the car," He laughs, "I grabbed it on the way out the door."

I roll my eyes at him, turning towards my room and deciding to get ready. He tries to follow me, but I sit him on the couch and hand him the remote, promising to be out in twenty minutes. I undress from my pajamas and slide a pair of jeans on with a black and white striped long sleeve shirt. Taylin comes in after brushing her teeth and sorting out her crazy long hair to get dressed in white jeans and a floral blouse. She looks adorable in seconds and I'm still trying to untangle the knots in my hair.

"I'm ready when you are." She smiles, spraying some perfume on herself and throwing a jacket over her shoulders.

I nod, shoving my feet into a pair of boots and following her back out to see Harry watching an episode of Law and Order. He stands from the couch and grabs my hand, twirling his keys around his finger.

"Are we ready ladies?" He asks, holding the door open for the both of us.

We both nod, walking out to his car parked outside. I get in the front seat and Taylin climbs in the back as he starts the car, Guns and Roses flooding the car from the speakers. He reaches into the backseat and hands me his jacket as he backs out and drives onto the main road. I meet eyes with Taylin and she looks like she might burst as she eyes the acid washed denim jacket in my hands.

He pulls into a shopping center parking lot and parks in front of the IHOP. He stops the car and gets out, running around to my side and grabbing the door. Taylin nearly squeals in the backseat as she gets out herself and rushes to walk next to me, Harry walking slightly ahead of us.

"You two are fucking adorable." She whispers, hooking her arm through mine as we approach the front of the restaurant.

He holds the door for us, making Taylin nearly explode, "After you," He smiles, gesturing inside and following us inside the doors.

He walks up to the podium and gets us a table, following the hostess to the back where she sits us by a window. Taylin insists that I sit beside him, but he shakes his head and claims he should be the one to sit alone. I roll my eyes at him, sitting down next to Tay just as she jumps up, excusing herself to use the bathroom.

"I'll be right back." She says, heading back to the front.

I turn to him with a conscious smirk on my lips, "What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?" He laughs.

"You're being too nice, like, Miles nice."

"I am not being Miles level nice," He sighs, "I just want her to like me, she's your best friend."

"That she is," I nod, "And she does like you, you don't have to butter her up."

"I know I don't have to, but I should," He insists, "Louis says the best friend of the girl you're dating is the most dangerous thing in the world because if they don't like you, the girl dumps you."

I can't help but laugh as I take in the nervous look on his face. Oh my god, big bad Harry Styles is nervous. Shitting himself nervous.

"The girl you're dating?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him, "Is that your way of officially asking me to be your girlfriend?"

He looks up from the table in shock, meeting my eyes with his mouth hanging open. I can tell I've caught him off guard.

"I uh, yes? Wait, no, I'm supposed to make it a bigger deal than that, right?" He asks worriedly, trying to search my eyes for an answer.

"You're so cute when you're flustered." I laugh, leaning across the table and pecking his lips.

I pull away to see him rolling his eyes and shaking his head at me. Taylin comes back and slides into the booth beside me just as the waitress appears, asking for drink orders. Me and Harry get coffee and Taylin decides on a glass of orange juice.

Breakfast goes perfectly other than Harry's grumbling about their pancakes. I can tell he doesn't like them as much as his own and he definitely doesn't want me to think they're better than his either. He kicks his foot against mine under the table multiple times, making me look up at him with a teasing glare.

Too soon we're leaving, and Harry is driving us back to my dorm. We spend the rest of the weekend shopping and taking Taylin around the area to do tourist things. She consistently gushes about how cute we are, and I have to hide my blushing cheeks away from them both. On her last day before she has to go back for another week of class, she asks me about homecoming.

It feels like she's the hundredth person that's asked me, but I don't know if Harry would want to go to something like that and I don't want to go without him.

"It doesn't matter if he wants to go," She huffs, packing her suitcase, "It matters that you want to go, and therefore he should want to take you."

"I don't think dances are really his thing." I shrug.

"Who cares? It's homecoming! Dances can be his thing for one night." She laughs, zipping up her suitcase and standing from kneeling on the ground.

"I guess I'll ask him about it." I sigh.

"You better, I'm going to call you to make sure you did, too." She warns, pointing her finger at me as she drags her suitcase to the door.

I sigh, pulling her in for one last hug before she has to go. I never get to see her anymore now that we're in two different colleges, two hours away from each other in good traffic. She hugs me tight, kissing my cheek as she pulls away and grabs her suitcase again.

"I'm glad you worked it out with him," She smiles, "I like him Jess, he's different than the other ones."

"I know, he's not a high school jock." I laugh.

"True, but not what I meant," She says, "I mean he's different in the way he is with you, he opens doors for you and gives you his jacket. He's so happy around you Jess, you should see his face light up when you walk into the room."

I shake my head, cupping my blushing cheeks in my hands and hiding my face from her. She's right, he's different than the others. They never cared, they made me pay for dinner and expected me to put out every night of the week. None of them would fight for me like he does, every time I think we've gone too far, pushed each other too hard, we come back together.

Being Harry's girlfriend had to be the weirdest title only because, no one has ever worn it before. Whispers around campus spread like wildfire the more we walked around hand in hand and kissed before class. I constantly had strangers asking me if I was really dating Harry Styles and I got to proudly tell them yes. He loved calling me his girlfriend, perhaps more than dollface or even baby. Everywhere we went he introduced me as his 'amazing girlfriend, Jess' and his face lit up every time.

Although the bet was technically over, I definitely spent more nights at Casa de Styles than my own dorm. More than half of his closet was taken over by my clothing and he sacrificed one of his dresser drawers to hold my underwear and socks. No more suitcases or bags, I had two toothbrushes and two hairbrushes and even two bottles of face wash.

Rather than switching back offices, Harry dragged the hallway desk into his office one morning while I was in class. He split his office in two, moving his own desk further into the corner so I have my own space on the other side of the room. He even decorated, well, decorated for Harry I guess. He put a picture of us on the wall and a picture Niall took of me on his desk. He claims it keeps him focused.

Homecoming is around the corner and the more proposals I witness in the courtyard between classes, the more I want Harry to do something. Louis surprised Sam and payed for the question to be written in the sky by a plane. She screamed and jumped into his arms and I rolled my eyes as I walked passed them.

Even Miles is caught up in the homecoming spiral. He's the captain of the football team and the homecoming game is right around the corner. It feels like he's always at practice or weight lifting and I feel like I barely ever see him anymore. He asked Nicole, a girl in our stats class. He asked her to help him with a graphing problem and when they finished graphing it, the calculator said 'HOCO?' Needless to say, she said yes.

I try not to get my hopes up, I doubt Harry even wants to go, but it's hard when everyone under the sun is getting asked to go.

"Why don't you just ask him instead?" Miles suggests as we sit in the library, avoiding our stats homework like the plague.

"Because that's not how it works Miles." I sigh, twirling my pencil between my fingers.

"Why not, it's a time of progression, do it Sadie Hawkins style." He laughs, taking the pencil from my hands so I'll actually look at him.

"How hard is it to just ask though?" I huff.

He sighs, standing up and reaching a hand out to me. I start to protest but he shushes me, grabbing my hand and pulling me up from the butt-numbing chair.

"Where are we going?"

"Café, I need a coffee to get through this work." He groans, dragging me behind him.

I roll my eyes and turn to look at him as he shoves me towards a short haired boy walking past me. I knock straight into him, bracing myself and holding my arms in front of my face. His cup drops to the ground and splatters against my shoes and I gasp, looking down to see my white converse covered in only water.

"Oh my god I am so sorry-" I apologize, looking up to meet their face.

"Don't worry about it dollface," He smirks, holding out a piece of clothing from behind his back, "I guess I'll just have to lend you this dress, so you can wear it to homecoming with me."

I gasp, my mouth nearly hitting the ground as my eyes land on him. My mind doesn't know how to react, I want to kiss his face, but his hair is all I can focus on. I grab him around the neck and pull him to me. I can't take my eyes off his hair, it's short, so short. I run my hands through it over and over. It curls around his ears and the back of his neck and the front lifts off his forehead, tousled into a wave.

"You cut your hair," I mumble, running my fingers through the strands at the back of his neck, "Oh my god you cut your hair, Harry, it's gone."

"I did," He grins, laughing at my reaction, "I also bought you a dress which I honestly thought you'd be more excited about."

I pull away from him, looking at the dress held in his hands. He holds it up to show me it in its full length, I immediately recognize it from the mall. I tried it on with Sam, but it was at least a hundred dollars over my budget. It's gorgeous, all white lace and see through. I can't believe he would buy me this, it's so sheer, it's so everything he would never want me wearing out. I can't imagine his reaction when he realizes it's also skin tight.

"Harry! Oh my god I loved this dress!" I shriek, taking it from his hands and holding it up to me.

"I know, Sam told me," He grins, "I was a little cautious when I first saw it but I'm sure it looks fucking gorgeous on you."

He smiles, laughing at my excitement as I twirl with the dress held up to me. Sam offers to hold the dress for me and as soon as it's out of my hands I grab his face and press my lips to his, feeling his lip ring against the corner of my mouth. I reach my hands around his neck and thread my hands through his short hair, it feels so different, so foreign, and yet I love it.

I pull away to see his smiling face again, it's so crazy seeing him with short hair, he doesn't even look like himself. I can see the earrings in his ears for once, two rings on the top of each of them and plain black circles in his earlobes. The time piece tattoo on his neck is in plain view, something I've only ever seen a few times.

"So, is that a yes?" He asks.

"Yes, yes of course, yes!" I say, running my hands through the front of his hair instead.

I hear a chorus of cheers behind me and I turn around to see Louis, Sam, Niall, and Miles all standing behind me. They're all smiling, Louis and Niall whistling, and I can't believe the amount of noise they're making in the library.

"Did you like it?" He asks, making me turn back to him, "Recreating the first night we met?"

"I loved it, oh my god Harry I loved it, it was perfect," I gush, "I mean I can't believe you just soaked my shoes, but it was still perfect."

He laughs, throwing his arm around me, "I can't take all the credit, it was like ninety-five percent Niall's idea."

Niall smiles proudly, holding up his phone to snap a picture of us. Harry presses his lips to my cheek at the last second, making me flinch just as the flash goes off. Niall laughs and shows us the picture and I look to see my eyes squinting closed, a huge smile taking over my face. I can't believe how happy I look with his arm wrapped around me, how happy he looks as he attacks me with kisses.

He leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek, but I turn my head, pressing our lips together instead. He pulls away and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear like he always does.

"This is perfect." I sigh, holding his cheek and letting my hand fit perfectly behind his ear where I can feel his short choppy hair in between my fingers.

"I'm not even finished yet," He laughs, "Don't you want to know the reason for the big chop?" He asks, pointing at his hair.

I nod eagerly, grabbing his hands in mine and awaiting his response. He turns me away from the crowd, secluding us a few feet away from everyone.

"Lex put my application through for the board member's position and they liked it, I have an interview next month!" He says enthusiastically.

I can hardly wrap my mind around it. He might be a board member of one of the largest publishing companies in the nation. He's only twenty-four years old and he could be a board member.

"I thought a trim might help." He shrugs, running his hand through his hair.

I grab him in my arms and he lifts me up, laughing. I kiss all over his face, attacking him as he sets me down and leans down to press a kiss to my forehead.

"If I get this job I won't even have to work at the shop anymore, I'll be making more than when I was fighting. I could get a better car and a better apartment, this is it baby." He grins, pressing his lips to mine.

The excitement of the homecoming proposal finally dissipates and soon we're off to work for another day behind our desks. I can't wipe the stupid smile off my face as I walk through the office, heading to the break room to grab us both cups of coffee.

Tonight, is Vance and Eliza's wedding announcement party. They've invited everyone over for cocktail hour and Harry and I have been asked to make an appearance. He's been on edge about it all week, still not loving the idea of his father getting remarried, but I can tell the walls he's built up are starting to crumble.

"Hey there, Jess." Vance smiles as I enter the breakroom, a cup of coffee also in his hand.

"Afternoon, Vance." I grin, making two cups of coffee.

"You two are coming tonight, right?" He asks, leaning against the counter in front of us.

"We are, not sure for how long but Harry says he will make an appearance." I nod, hoping he understands Harry's hesitancy.

"I can't believe you even got him to come in the first place," He thinks aloud, taking a sip of his coffee, "I've got a question for you Jess, do you think it'd be too much if I asked him to my best man?"

I nearly drop both cups of coffee as the words come out of his mouth. Best man? Harry? He can hardly stomach the idea that his father is getting remarried let alone attend every single event leading up to the wedding.

"Best man?" I ask, my voice wavering.

"It's too much, I knew it." He sighs, setting his coffee cup down.

"I don't know," I say quickly, hating the way his face falls, "I'm not sure right now, I think your relationship needs to bond a little more before you ask him. It might freak him out this soon. He just started agreeing to being in the same room as you."

He nods his head, thinking over my words in contemplation. He chews the side of his lip the same was his son does and once again I'm astounded by how alike their mannerisms are. With his short hair, he looks even more like him.

"Oh, have you seen him today?" I ask, changing the subject and lightening the mood. He shakes his head and I grin excitedly, "Just wait."

I poke my head out the door of the break room and call his name, hoping he isn't playing music while he's working. I turn back around and wait for his door to open. He peaks his head out and I divert my eye contact, turning back to making the coffees. I can feel his eyes on me through the glass walls of the break room before he pushes the door open.

"Did you call me?" He asks.

"Yes, I'm showing off your haircut." I laugh, running my hands through it to get it off his forehead as it's fallen throughout the day.

"It looks good, you look like a future board member." Vance grins, walking passed him and patting him on the back.

He rolls his eyes but smiles nonetheless and I can't believe he's actually smiling at something Vance said. Lex pushes past Vance to get in here, his eyes wide.

"I saw you walk in here and I thought you were some intern I haven't met yet!" Lex exclaims, "Oh my god, Harry, your hair hasn't been this short since you were a teenager."

He claps him on the back and Harry rolls his eyes again nodding along to get Lex to shut up. I can tell he's embarrassed as Lex goes on and on, but I can't help but laugh. Soon, nearly everyone in the office is complimenting his hair and telling him he looks so professional.

"Thanks everyone, thank you." He sighs, grabbing my hand and dragging me back to our office.

He collapses into his chair and runs a hand through his hair, frowning when he realizes he's only got a few inches of hair to work with.

"It's so weird," He laughs, "My ears are cold all the fucking time now."

I giggle, turning back to the paperwork for the new publishing deal we're working on as he gets up from his chair and goes to open the window. He cracks it open and takes a cigarette from behind his ear, lighting it between his teeth.

"I need to get Niall to print that picture," He thinks aloud, "From today, I want it on my desk."

I shake my head as I walk up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my cheek against his back. He places his free hand over mine, intertwining our fingers and kissing my knuckles. I feel content, looking out the window to the street below.

"Tell him to print two of them," I smile, thinking about how happy he looked in it, "I want one for our room."

"God, I love it when you say that," He smirks, turning around in my arms and cupping my cheek with his hand, "Our room."

#harry styles #harry styles au #harry styles smut #harry styles imagine #harry styles angst #harry #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles fanic #one direction smut #one direction #one direction fanfic

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errantknightess · 7 years ago

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A game for three

Chapter 1/3: Two nerds and a newbie

Pairing: Lavi/Allen/Kanda

Word count: 3,427

Summary: searching for his place at the new school, Allen joins a struggling karuta club -- and soon finds there’s much more for him to learn than just the cards and the game rules

[Read on AO3]

Allen roamed helplessly through the corridors, searching for anything at all to set him on the right track. His lousy sense of direction had thwarted him again. This school was huge, and the two weeks since he transferred hadn’t been nearly enough time to get used to it yet. How ironic, to get lost on his way to see the student advisor. Maybe he should ask him to draw him a map when he finally gets there; that’s one way he could definitely help him assimilate.

He wasn’t too sure which room Komui-sensei said he would be in. He wasn’t even sure he would be there at all. It was pretty late already, and the entire wing seemed dead. Allen strode briskly along the hall, peeking into each and every classroom he passed. All empty, not a soul in sight.

As he rounded the corner, the silence broke, punctured suddenly with a distant thumping sound. Intrigued, Allen decided to follow it; so far, it was the only sign of anyone’s presence. The thumping continued, growing louder the further he went along the corridor. Soon, Allen started to make out other sounds, faint voices and some sort of – singing? It was coming from the last door just next to the staircase, pretty clear now that he stood right in front of it. Puzzled, Allen slid the door open a crack and looked in.

Something whizzed past his head at a dangerous speed and smacked loudly against the window behind him.

“Sorry!” a voice inside the room called. “Can you get that?”

Allen turned around and picked up the deadly projectile. It was a card – fairly big and springy, with a few columns of hiragana printed in a simple font. He turned it in his fingers with interest, so preoccupied that he nearly tripped as he stepped into the classroom. Grasping at the doorframe, he steadied himself quickly and tried not to look too embarrassed under the taxing gaze of the two students watching him from the tatami mat set out on the floor.

“Thanks.” One of them, a guy with an eyepatch and red hair of a delinquent, reached out his hand with a smile. Allen gave him the card and watched that smile grow even wider as he inspected it.

“See, Yuu, I told you! You got it wrong! This is The spring has passed, not If I lay my head. That’s another penalty for you! You’re careless today.”

“Whatever,” the other one snorted, his long dark hair flying as he snapped his head around to glare at Allen. “Hey, you! Be useful and get that one as well.” He pointed at another card laying under a desk by the door, seemingly thrown there with the same force.

“Yuu!” the redhead hissed with a slight panic. “You can’t order people around like that!”

“Then what the hell am I the captain for?” Yuu rolled his eyes and once again fixed them expectantly on Allen. The redhead cringed.

“He’s not even in the club!”

“It’s fine,” Allen minced out politely and bent under the desk to retrieve the card. It looked similar to the first one, but with a different set of lines.

“What withers and falls away in this place is I myself,” he read out loud, his eyebrows rising higher with every word. He looked up from the card, shifting his eyes between them, from the red hair and piercings to the murderous scowl. “… Are you a poetry club?”

“Something like that,” the redhead laughed and leaned towards him, eye glinting with curiosity. “Hey, you’re that transfer student, right? From England? Have you ever heard about karuta?”

“A little bit,” Allen admitted, glancing at the tiles spread out between the two of them. “It’s a card game, isn’t it?”

“It’s a sport,” Yuu growled with emphasis. “For fuck’s sake, we’re a sport club.”

The redhead laughed nervously.

“I know, Yuu, I know.” He turned to Allen again, his smile apologetic. “He’s right, it’s a sport, in the same way go and shogi are, I guess. You can play for fun, too, but it takes some skill to do it at a competitive level. The rules are pretty simple, though! After all, even kids play it, you know. Once you memorize those hundred cards, it’s a breeze. In the end, it all boils down to how quickly you can match the poem being read with the correct ending – not that hard, eh? By the way, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet! You’re a first year, so you go first. What’s your name?”

“Uhh… Allen. Allen Walker,” Allen said, his head reeling a little from this rapid speech.

“Nice to meet you!” The redhead grabbed his hand and shook it with joint-twisting enthusiasm, plucking the card from his fingers while he was at it. “I’m Lavi Bookman, and this grumpy prettyboy here is Kanda Yuu, our esteemed club captain.”

“Shut up, moron.” Kanda turned away, glaring at them with the corner of his eye. “We both know you should be the damn captain.”

“And we both know you need it more, Mr. I-Have-No-Social-Skills-To-Speak-Of-In-My-College-Application.”

“College?” Allen looked at them with surprise. “So you’re third years?”

“He is.” Lavi pointed his thumb at Kanda and lowered his voice to a conspiratory whisper. “I should be. Got held back a grade cause I was travelling abroad last year. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Everyone knows,” Kanda growled. “Now stop clowning around and get back to the game already.”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Lavi saluted and scooted back to his spot, but his eye was still fixed on Allen. “Hey, just a thought. How good are you with reading?”

“I can read, thank you very much,” Allen replied, offended. “I wouldn’t be going to school here if I were illiterate.”

“Relax. I meant loud reading,” Lavi chuckled, waving his hand towards the clunky CD player at his side. “I’m sick of the recordings. Let’s see how you’ll do with these.” He reached over to a nearby box and procured another deck, which he promptly thrust into Allen’s hands.

“What do I do with them?” Allen shuffled through the cards, taking in the colourful pictures and the crisp lines of kana.

“Just read the poems out loud, slowly and clearly. You can stop when either of us takes a card, just finish the line so we know which one it is.” Lavi cracked his knuckles and turned to Kanda with a wide grin. “Come on, Yuu! Let’s show the kid how it’s done!”

Allen cleared his throat and started reading, his voice wobbling uncomfortably. He didn’t even get through the first line when Lavi and Kanda both slammed their hands on the mat and sent the cards flying across the floor.

“It’s mine.” Kanda got up and went to pick up the card that landed the furthest, casting Allen a patronizing look as he passed by. “Speak up, Beansprout, we can barely hear you.”

Allen looked back at him with annoyance and deliberately raised his voice a little too much with the next card. Once again, though, he was cut off by the both of them pounding on the mat just three syllables in.

“Nice one.” Lavi smiled as Kanda took the card off his field and put it to the side. “Your guard is sharp as always, I see.”

“You could put up yours more, too,” Kanda grumbled. “Don’t let me leave you behind, idiot. I know you can do better than this. Stop being lazy!”

“All right, all right,” Lavi laughed, poking at Kanda’s hand as he straightened his cards. “I’ll take the next one, if you insist.”

Allen watched them over his cards, only partly paying attention to what he was reading. There was something mesmerizing in them, in this air of fierce focus shooting sparks between them as they moved, bent low over the mat, faces hovering just inches apart. He barely had any work to do there at all, it went so fast. Their hands cut through his words with the speed and grace of a tiger, taking the cards out one by one until just three remained, all in front of Lavi.

“Thank you for the game.” Kanda bowed deeply, his long hair obscuring his face as he touched his forehead to the mat. Lavi followed suit, though it seemed more like he just banged his head on the floor in frustration.

“I can’t believe you beat me again! Three times in a row! Man, this isn’t my day.”

“It’s never your day,” Kanda shot back, tapping his cards flush into a neat pile.

“You’re just too good.” Lavi sat up with a sigh and turned to Allen, his sour face lighting up immediately. “Nice job on the reading, by the way! Not bad for a beginner at all, I’m surprised. You should work on keeping the rhythm though, your intonation was all over the place. But you have a pleasant voice, even if it cracks a lot, and you breathe with your belly, that’s good.”

“Uhh… Thanks,” Allen said slowly, not sure if he should be more flattered or embarrassed.

“See, this is why you should be the fucking captain.” Kanda measured Lavi with a long glance, waving his hand in frustration. “I can’t do any of this… people shit.”

“Aww, don’t sell yourself so short, Yuu! You’re great at other things!” Lavi wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, rubbing his cheek on top of Kanda’s head. “You’ve got this awesome, intimidating presence, you know! And a strong sense of leadership! And a proper Japanese name, let’s not forget about that. You’re perfect for the job! If I was the captain, no one would ever take us seriously at the tournaments!”

“We don’t go to any tournaments.” Kanda rolled his eyes and swatted half-heartedly at Lavi’s bicep to shake him off. “We can barely keep it up here. You heard what the principal said. Find more people, or we’re out.”

“But now Allen is here, so we’re good, right?” Lavi let go of him, only to throw his arm around Allen’s shoulders instead. “You’re not in any clubs yet, are you? Help us out and join here, how about that?”

“And what will I have out of it?” Allen freed himself from the embrace and looked at them both with a frown.

“Participation points?” Lavi shrugged. “It will look good in your papers. Plus, you’ll get to hang out with two coolest guys in this school,” he added cheerfully, leaning into Kanda once again.

“I don’t know…” Allen scratched the back of his neck, hesitantly eyeing the discarded cards between them. Sure, it looked fun, but could he do that? And was it okay for him to burden his two senpais with his lack of experience? Club activities were for people to have a good time with their friends. The last thing he wanted was to get in the way.

“I’m not really sure this is my thing. Sorry. I need to go.” With a twitching smile, Allen heaved himself up, brushed his pants off and reached for his bag.

“Of course,” Kanda scoffed with a nasty smirk, not even looking at him. “Didn’t expect anything else. At least it’s good that you know when you’re too weak to handle something, Beansprout.”

“Weak?” Allen turned to him in a blink, gritting his teeth. True, he had a similar thought just a moment before – but he couldn’t stand hearing it in this tone, from this guy. “What does weakness have to do with this? It’s a memory game!”

“That just proves how little you know.” Kanda crossed his arms, finally meeting him with a burning gaze. “I’ve told you, it’s not a game. It’s a sport. You need training and technique. Reflex. Stamina. Precision. And clearly, you don’t have any of these.”

“Oh, you think so?” Allen took a step forward and dropped his bag back on the floor, fists clenching. “Challenge accepted. Bring it on, I can show you just how much I’ve got.”

“It’s pointless,” Kanda scoffed. “Waste of time. You don’t even know the poems.”

Allen held his glare, his stomach twisting. Too late to back out now.

“It’s the One Hundred Poets, right? That classical anthology. We’ve discussed them in the literature class recently. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Oi, Allen!” Lavi piped in, his eye wide and shooting between the two of them. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into? Yuu is a B class player. He’ll run you into the ground!”

“We’ll see about that.” Allen narrowed his eyes, still piercing Kanda with a furious look. Somewhere deep down, he realized he was on a straight course to disaster, but right then, he didn’t care. If he had to make a fool of himself, he’d rather do it trying than giving up.

“All right, then. Here’s a quick rundown of the rules for you, sprout.” Lavi scooted over to make room for him on the mat. “You get twenty five cards each. The first one to clear all of his is the winner. With me so far?”

Allen nodded, watching him shuffle the deck, cut it in half and in half again.

“Great.” Lavi pushed the two stacks towards them. “Here are your cards. Now, you put them in front of you and memorize the positions. Remember to pay attention to your opponent’s side as well, you’ll be taking his cards too.”

“Like hell he will,” Kanda snorted. “I’ll be damned if he can take even one in the whole match.”

“He might get lucky.” Lavi shrugged with a smirk. “You know sometimes it’s just guesswork and gamble as much as skills.”

Gamble. Allen lit up a bit, hopeful. That, he could do.

He placed his part of the deck in three rows in front of him, mirroring Kanda. The cards felt weird in is hands, thick and heavy and unfamiliar; still, he caught a glimpse of a few verses that rang a bell faintly – or so he thought. Allen glared at them with determination, doing his best to remember their positions and ignore the seething presence in front of him.

“Are you ready?” Lavi looked between them, impatiently fiddling with the reading deck at his side.

“Yes,” they replied in unison. Allen wiped his hands on his pants, anticipation tingling like steel needles on his dry tongue. Across from him, Kanda took a deep breath, his eyebrows knit together as he eyed the cards in front of him.

With a sigh, Lavi took the first card from his pile and brought it slowly to his eye. Allen barely managed to register the first word he read when Kanda already slapped a card out of his field with a force that sent it spinning to the other end of the room. Lavi leaned away just in time, clicking his tongue with reproach.

“Careful, Yuu! Wanna knock my other eye out?”

“Is that what happened to you?” Allen blurted before he could stop himself. Lavi just laughed, following Kanda with a fond gaze as he stood up to pick up the card.

“Nah, but I like telling people that just to mess with them. It’s fun to watch them get all shocked when they learn we’re actually best friends.”

“I can see that,” Allen muttered, just before Kanda returned to his place to hear it.

It went on much like he had seen in the match before. Kanda took the next card too, and the next two after that, lunging on them before Allen could even make a move. It got his blood boiling, his heart pumping faster, raising the pressure until he felt ready to burst. The frustration coursing in his veins made his head light, but his limbs felt lighter too – weightless. Matching Kanda’s swift movements, Allen started throwing himself at the cards with a newfound aggression. He was going in blindly, but it didn’t matter, just as long as he could be quicker than his opponent – just to get the card he was aiming at, just to swipe it right from under his fingers. His hand knocked into Kanda’s more times than he cared to count, always just a second too slow. Lavi’s voice, strong and oddly melodious, rose over the battlefield, a sharp contrast to their violent thuds and cries. Another card, and another – and then Allen finally got this chance. This one, he knew – he had read that line out himself not long ago.

He remembered.

And in a blink, he slammed his hand against the mat so hard it reverberated in his bones, hitting the card right in front of him and sweeping a couple others out along with it.

“Whoa, Allen!” Lavi cut himself off, staring at him with a proud grin. “Your first card! Congrats, man! It feels good, doesn’t it?”

Allen let out a heavy breath and squeezed the card tight in his fingers.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “It does.”

It was not the turning point he was hoping for, though. This one small victory set him on fire, but it was merely a flickering flame compared to the roaring inferno he was faced with. A few more strikes, fast and forceful, and soon enough Kanda was giving him the obligatory bow of the winner, bent over his empty field with a neat stack of cards to his right.

“Don’t worry.” Lavi gave Allen a consoling pat on the shoulder. “You stood no chance against Yuu on your first try. Even I hardly ever get to win against him, and I’ve been playing for over ten years.”

“Wow, really?” Allen blinked at him in amazement and turned to Kanda, his frustration slowly dissipating into grudging respect. “Have you been playing that long, too?”

“More or less.” Kanda shrugged, looking right over his head at Lavi. “So, what do you think?”

“A little rough on the edges, that’s for sure.” Lavi tapped his chin with his finger, shuffling on the floor around Allen to look at him from all sides. “But you’re quick, and looks like you have a pretty good memory. You’d only seen those poems in lit class and when you were reading out loud for us earlier, right?”

“Right.” Allen nodded, fidgeting under their insistent stares. “I guess a few of them stuck.”

“That’s great.” Lavi beamed, turning to Kanda with a shine in his eye. “Maybe he doesn’t know much yet, but he makes up for it with a hell of a fighting spirit. Some practice, and who knows what will come out of it!”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself.” Kanda flicked him lightly in the forehead before piercing Allen with a steel gaze again. “All right, so maybe you’re not as completely useless as you seem. And hell, we can’t be picky right now, anyway. You sure you don’t want to join?”

Allen hesitated. He thought back to the thrill of the game, the tension coiling up in him, the adrenaline-driven focus that sharpened his senses; and most of all, to the warm wave of satisfaction flooding his chest as he gripped the card taken right from under his opponent’s nose.

It was fun.

“I think I can try,” he decided, looking up at them with a small smile. “If you will have me.”

“Woohoo!” Lavi yelled and grabbed both him and Kanda by the shoulders, pulling them in a painful, awkward group hug. “Welcome to the team! Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you”

“You take care of him,” Kanda growled. “I’m not babysitting a complete newbie.”

“But Yuu! Isn’t that your responsibility? You’re the captain!”

“Yeah, and as your captain, I’m telling you to do that.”

“That’s mean.” Lavi pouted, poking Kanda in the cheek with his finger. “I’ll train him to kick your ass for this, is that what you want?”

“I’m counting on you.” Kanda gave him a punch in the arm, probably a light one by his standards, but it still made Lavi wince.

Allen watched them struggle for a moment, sinking back into the silence of the empty room. It was new to him – people wanting him to join them, to be a part of a team. Was there really something he could help them with? Even if they just took him because they needed members, it would be wrong not to give it his best. He still wasn’t sure if it was really a good idea – but somewhere inside him, the spark had already been lit, and now it was glowing faintly in his chest, warm and pleasant.

#dgm #d. gray man #fanfiction #and now for something completely different lol

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cosmos-demiplane · 6 years ago

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Microsoft E3 2018 Press Conference Thoughts

Another year, another E3, time to post on my seldom used blog! No promises for when this is going to be more active... but we will have to see what the future holds!

So I’ll start by saying I’m not an Xbox guy, I play mainly PlayStation and PC with a bit of Switch thrown in there for good measure. I won’t be making a big post like this for the other conferences except Sony’s and maybe Nintendo’s. I’ll be looking at all the things mentioned out of chronology, but in an order that bundles the similar stuff together.

This time around Microsoft gave us one hell of a show. Forgetting the exclusives for now, as a PlayStation player I was very happy with the showcase. They showed off 15 world premieres of games, some noticeable ones that I’m personally excited for were: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (Set in the Life is Strange universe), The Division 2 (they probably feel privileged they got to announce this), Devil May Cry 5 (surprising to see this and other eastern developed games here as I would normally expect this to be revealed at Sony’s show), Jump Force (Blew my freaking mind, a weeaboo gamers wet dream), Dying Light 2 (Again, Xbox got to unveil this, I know PS is scaling back this year but hot damn, incredible), Just Cause 4, and they rounded out the show with a major title that I am very much looking forward to (more on that one at the end!). In brief, WHAT A SHOW. I want all these games *sigh*.

Notable mentions - NieR: Automata is coming to Xbox, Fallout 76 was briefly talked about before Bethesda’s show, Kingdom Hearts 3 will be coming to Xbox (!), Tales of Vespira, Shadow of the tomb raider, Tunic (furry Zelda, looks cute and the world has a nice design, but the design of the player character is meh imo), and I guess I have to put Gears 5 in here somewhere or someone will bite my arm off.

THE GAME PASS, the value of this thing keeps getting better, The Division, Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 4 are being added as well as some new tach (machine learning algorithms) that allows your games to start twice as fast. I don’t think the internet infrastructure is in place yet for the future of purely streamed games, but tools like this will probably help it become a stable, staple service sooner rather than later.

Next I want to talk about exclusives, but before I do I’ll put this game (DLC) here as I’m very much looking forward to it, Sea of Thieves Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores. These next two updates to Rare’s open world PvP pirate game, which I love, should hopefully inject it with some more much needed content (and hopefully not a time limited campaign!).

Xbox’s weakest point has always been its exclusives. After the cancellation of Scalebound and the further delay of Crackdown 3, they had to show us something during this conference to give us confidence in the future of the platform. After all, strong exclusives lead to strong sales, growth, competition etc. And of course, great games all around.

And oh boy did they deliver! FIVE studios have been brought into the fold to increase their roster of First Party exclusives (The quality of these studios can be discussed later, for now let’s just focus on the positives). The first, one formed for the occasion: The Initiative, led by the guy who worked on Tomb Raider. The other four were snatched up as part of a major investment: Undead Labs (State of Decay), Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Ninja Theory (Formally a PS third party dev, they made 2007s Heavenly Sword and 2017s Hellblade), and finally Compulsion Games (Currently working on We Happy Few). Ninja Theory is the big one that will help them the most against the competition, and for the others, the extra money they will receive from being first party will no doubt be a boon to the scope and quality of their games (looking at you State of Decay!).

The exclusive games they did show off were a mix of the highly anticipated and totally unexpected. Battle Toads, a game wanted by the passionate community was show to exist, with a release date of 2019. Session, a new and exclusive skateboarding game was shown. Forza Horizon 4 was shown off, open world, changing seasons, it looks very different to what they have done with the franchise previously. Crackdown 3 was shown to alleviate fears of any more delays (although, anything is possible).

Lastly, before I give my general thoughts, I wanted to give the show opener and closer their own section. They opened the show by unveiling Halo Infinite, the trailer gave vibes of it being a more open world full of wildlife (rhinos anyone??) and a story centred on Master Chief. Other than that and the name, no other info was given, but you can bet it will be taking the series in a new direction. The show was closed, remarkably, by CD Projekt Red’s, Cyberpunk 2077! They have been silent about this game for a while (approx. 2077 days in fact!) because they pride themselves on quality and only showing their stuff when it’s ready. There was no release date given as the game is still in the oven, but I highly recommend you watch the trailer as this is surely going to be one of the best games of the decade.

Of course there are a few things I left out of smaller importance (PUBG was there for some reason?), but, onto my thoughts. I’ll keep this bit brief because I think you can already gather what my opinion is going to be - Holy shit this was the best Xbox conference in the history of Xbox conferences, maybe ever. Awesome exclusives, brand new/acquired studios, game pass improvements, many BIG world premieres, amazing games for everyone; this conference honestly felt like a show for every gamer as much as it did a show for just Xbox fans. I am excited and looking forward to the future of Xbox and the new first party games they will create. This conference seriously impressed me, and E3 has only just begun!

I don’t like thinking of E3 as a competition, but I don’t see how the others can trump this. Bethesda will be the best conference for Bethesda fans, Sony has downscaled, and Nintendo showed all its cards when it won E3 last year. This year has started on a high and I can’t see it getting any higher, which is a great feeling! If the other conferences are anything like this one, this is going to be an incredible E3!

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willardswritindump · 6 years ago

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Scott Dump

Part 1

My name is Scott, and I am a slave. Okay well that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, I'm actually a convience store clerk. I know what you're thinking, truly a pathetic existance and yeah for the most part you are right. However allow me to enlighten you on something, no one actually gives a shit about the asshole behind the counter.

Now while that might sound terrible to you its actually beautiful, I mean not having to deal with people's bullshit. I mean nine times out of ten an encounter at the counter is silence only broken when I have to tell some asswhipe the total price of ciggerets and mountain dew. Believe me its a beautiful thing, that is it was, until she ruined it. Ash Thomas, the bane of my quote profesional life.

Now I've know Ash for a long time before she decided to be the biggest pain in my ass. She actually works at my favorite video store and encounters there were much like encounters at my place of work, silence only broken by being told that I have to cough up two bucks in order to rent whatever Z grad horror shlock I decided to watch for a laugh. So is it too illogical to think that she should return the favor when she buys her friggin yoohoo?

Now I think I might be getting ahead of myself, this all really started about a week ago when she came in to the store for first time in a while. You see this job is ninty percent boredom and ten percent restocking so in order to keep myself from completely going nuts I've started mentally keeping tack of people who come into this run down hole in the wall. I mean with the exception of Ash and my brother Wally I don't know anyones name so I just give them nicknames like Dave and Jane, or just group entire bunches of people together like milk maids, protesters and egg testers. Shit I've lost track again havent I?

Now where was I, oh yeah so a week ago Ash comes into the store and she does the weirdest thing, she actually asks me to to show her something. I mean I shit you not she comes up to the counter to ask and I quote "Hey Scott right? Could you show me where the Yoohoo is?" I mean seriously, the one thing she buys here and she is asking me to show her where it is, what the hell kind of twilight zone episode is this? I mean after asking the only logical thing that came to mind "Are you sure you need me to do that?" she just nods and I let out sigh before leaving the counter to show her the freezer where the Yoohoo is and watched as she did that stupid little thing she does where she bites her lip like she's making some life altering decision as she grabs the drink so I could finally ring it up and go back to my peaceful day. Yeah I mean seriously, this place is a hole in the wall with like three rows of shelves and two freezer, I mean what kind of wack job disturbs a peaceful clerk like myself just to ask where a friggin drink in here is. I swear first this and the next thing you know its going to anarc... OH SHIT SHE'S COMING IN!

Part 2

My name is Scott and I am bored out of my damn mind. I've been debating with myself for about a year now about which day's are worse, with a shit ton of jackasses otherwise known as customers or days with none. Now the days with a shit ton of customers come with the downsides of having to both do more work with people and sometimes having to deal with the rather chatty types customers. However the days spent alone have the downside of now allowing me to endulge in one of my favorite hobbies.

Yes in all my time as a clerk I have found that it is actually quite fun to mess with customers. One of the easier ways I have found to screw with the dumbass customers of Nowhere, New Jeresy's pride and joy LJN Convience Mart is to simply play music. Well we aren't exacly the most sophisticated hole in the wall so we don't have a P.A. system to play it over but turns out the boss let me bring in a cd player that had some damn good reach. Now while Joe Schmoe who comes in just to buy a paper and ciggerets isn't going to hang around for it to make any impact but certain types who like to hang around have certain types of music that drive them insane. Take for an example the jackass teenager who is killing time while they skip school can't stand anything from before say 1998. I personally find that Frank Sinatra is a sure fire way to annoy them. Unfortunantly Frankie's music is something that is quite enjoyed by the older clientel of the store. No for them I find something more modern is of annoyence. Generally if they are over the age of 38 either punk rock or most rap are a sure fire route to annoyance. Some things that annoy all demographics is 90's Ska and the Salt'n Pepper Diner method but I believe I've started rambling again.

Then there are the other ways of messing with customers, rearraging the drinks in the freezer, changing the price tags, ect. ect. Sometimes I find its enjoyable to just go after a certain group like the milk maids, but first I should probably explain what the hell they are. The milk maids are the women who decide to take three hours to look through every single milk jug to try and find that one mystical gallon that that goes that doesn't go bad for like an extra week. I mean they don't really hurt anyone but I still find it funny to see the look of confusion on their face when I mix together all the different types of milk.

I suppose I could just clean the store again, but on a day like this that's usually the first thing that I go to and there is only so much I can do for this shit hole. I swear I don't know and probably don't want to know how half the stains on this floof got here. Hell I could almost tolerate the anarachist herself Ash showing up today. Key word there is almost, and yet the strangest thing I can't stop thinking about my last encounter with her. I try and I try to think of everything, hell anything else but I just can't help it. So the last time she came in, that stupid little smirk as always and this time she doesn't even try to look this time. I mean at least for my sake take the effort to look for whatever you want before you disrupt the peacful clerk. She just walks straight up to me and asks where the 3 Musketeers are. I swear to God you walked right past them and you have the nerve to come up and say "Hey Scotty, could you do me a favor and find the 3 Musketeers?" Seriously could you not just get them for yourself? I mean of course I did it because I may be an asshole but for some reason I can't stop myself from helping her. Is that weird, because even I can't figure it out. So I got up and showed her exactly where on the shelf that the 3 Musketeers were and then proceeded to take the buck fifty that they cost and took great joy in watching her leave the store. Now why on earth can I not stop reliving that afternoon? Anyway its about closing time so, till next time.

Part 3

Of all the lunchbreaks, of all the convinence store clerks, in all the country she chooses to barge into mine. Now if I just took my lunch break at the counter or closed the store to go out like a normal person that wouldn't be such a big deal, but when you take your break on the roof it kinda becomes annoying. I was just sitting in the folding chair that I stashed up there when I started working here and was peacfully eating my grilled cheese when I think I hear something. Turns out that noise was a ladder getting set up on the side of the store, she actually took time out of her day to get a ladder to climb onto the roof to annoy me. Am I the only one who see that as insane?

So she just takes a seat on the air conditioner and starts talking to me. I mean seriously what kind of cruel joke is that? The guy who purposely goes out of his way to avoid human intereaction, the guy who takes his lunch break on the damn roof, you choose him to talk to. Are you insane, I mean why go through the effort? So I just sat there, trying my best to ignore the anarachist sitting across from me chatting off my ear. I started paying attention when she asked "Is that a peantbutter jelly sandwich?" I of couse responded "No, cheese toastie" because the British name is just more fun to say. She then starts go on "Oh well, I was just curious. I never actually had one. A peanutbutter jelly I mean, I kinda have a little bit of a sevear peanut allergy. I mean people always say they are so good and I always wanted to try one but again allergies, I would like swell up and die if did try one."

She went on rambling like this for another twenty minuets, I don't even think she noticed that I finished my lunch and read through like three comics. Then, right as I conteplated sneaking back down to the store she just gets up and says "Well been nice talking to you Scotty, see you round" and she just climbs back down the ladder and leaves like it was nothing. Of couse she left the damn ladder so I had to keep the store closed an extra ten minuets to drag the hunk of shit into the alley behind the store. Ah shit, its closing time, well until next time, I guess.

Part 4

I swear this town is filled with a bunch of savages I tell you. Come on I mean sure I don't like her but even I have the damn decency to not have just ditched her or stand her up like that. Damn, I mean that is just a dick move alright. Okay I should probably backtrack so you know what the hell I'm talking about. So my attempts to avoid she who will not be named had been going smoothly, with the exception of a few minor hiccups. Well I had a major flaw in my plan, in that I forgot to plan for the one place I never thought I'd see her, the comic store.

Yes the one place that gives me pure joy, the one place I was certain I would never have to deal with that damn thorn in my side, my second home and she attacks me there. So it was Saturday and I was going in for my usual pick ups and to see if there was anything else of interest. I go though the motions, say hi to Dante who was working the counter, grab my issues of Doom Patrol and Hawkeye then start looking through the back issues. When I looked up, what I saw (nearly) caused me to fall backwards, less than a foot away was a pair of ever so familiar blue eyes.

When I say fall backwards I don't just mean like a little slip, I nearly jumped out of my skin and almost slammed into a rack of marvel books. Of course Ash has to go to the same store I go to, of course the one thing I don't plan for and the anarchist strikes there. Anyway she helps me up and then she does the strangest thing, she says "Hey Scotty, didn't think you startled that easily. Well at least judging by your rental history at least. Anyway so uh some friends and I are gonna go to the arcade in the mall tomorrow. You wanna come?" Of course being the cool guy that I am, I barely stutter out "Sorry but I have a D&D game here tomorrow." So of course Dante being the dick he was, yells across the shop "No he doesn't" across the shop. "So you wanna go?" Ash asked and I don't know what came over me, or why I did it but I said "Um sure." "Cool meet me... I mean us at 11:30 at the mall food court." she told me.

So yeah, turns out sleeping in until eleven wasn't the greatest plan. Hey don't give me any shit, its not my fault the damn alarm was set for eight PM. Okay well it kinda was my fault but it was an honest mistake. So I rushed through my morning routine, threw on an old hoodie and book it down to the mall. After sprinting to the food court just to be on time only to see she isn't even there. I was so temped to leave, but low and behold I feel a tap on my shoulder and hear the familiar voice of everyone's favorite anarchist. I nearly jumped out of my damn skin when Ash began "Hey Scotty dude, I hope you like pepperoni cause that's all they had." It was probably a miracle that I didn't accidental knock the pizza out of her hand when she said that. So we sit down and I notice she only had two slices, promoting me to inquire "Hey where is everyone else?" She just calmly responds "Oh uh, everyone had to bail. Guess its just you and me today dude." The weirdest thing, she seemed happy about it. I don't know about you but when someone ditches me I kinda get a little pissed, but here she was smiling like it was the best thing that could have happened.

So we eat out pizza and then head to the arcade. Me still pissed about everyone ditching her and her still having that smile on her face. On the way she stops at the cookie stand and we had a little debate about weather or not it is part of the food court. I think that since it is an eatery it is a part of the food court but by her logic its an independent eatery for mid mall snacking. Now usually when I get into a stupid debate like this either one or both of us get pissed and hold a grudge for like a day or so, but the weirdest thing happened she actually doesn't get mad. Even stranger neither do I, its just so odd.

So we finally make it to the arcade and we get like ten bucks worth of tokens each. I search out the retro cabinets in the very back corner, and for some reason Ash did too. Yeah while I played my usual two bucks worth of Galaga she was going nuts on Digdug. I mean it was insane, she was more intense than I had ever seen her. Then when she dies she just looks up and gives that usual Ash smile that is so, shit whats the word? So we spend about an hour and a half going around playing different games, I think we got pretty far in the D&D beat up game. You know the one where when you put in a quarter it announces "Welcome to the D&D world." Man that game was always so cool. Anyway, we also beat one of the Time Crisis games, pretty sure it was three but at this point they all kinda run together to me.

Then as we are about to leave we are about to leave we run into him, Tommy Marino. Now this guy, this jackass has had it in for me since grade school. I can't remember the exact story but apparently his big brother and my big brother Wally were hockey rivals or something and that's why he hates my guts. So we were just about to leave when I hear that jerks tough guy Italian accent that he fakes when he's trying to intimidate someone. "Well well well, if it isn't little miss dork. How long's it been Ash?" Ash let out a long sigh and responded "Not long enough Jackass, considering I haven't seen you since graduation. Thank God." Then that greasy asshole just continued "Yeah, such a shame you never got to see me at my best. Only girl in the school who didn't if I remember right?" "I swear to God, what was with you're insane infatuation with me? Was it that I was the one girl who actually said no to you? Was it really that or was there more?" she retorted. Thankfully he hadn't noticed I was there, when I said he had it out for me I mean he really had it out for me. Like clockwork almost once every month the dude would come in and trash the store. When I say trash I mean he completely wrecks it, he actually broke some of the shelves, and I couldn't do anything because his goon of a brother held me back.

Now you may be asking "But Scott isn't that illegal? Why don't you call the cops?" Well to answer your question Tommy's daddy has a little we bit of power, and by that I mean he owns like a quarter of the businesses in this piece of shit town. I do anything about it and Tommy tucks tails and goes crying to daddy and I get sued or worse. So yeah, I'm completely shit out of luck. Now, to get back on track. This greasy asshole also puts his pride in the weirdest of things. For some reason he is extremely good at Dance Dance Revolution, I don't know maybe its boosts his ego and makes him think he can actually dance. So after a bit more of back and forth he finally realizes that im here. "I mean first you wont go out with me and then... wait are you seriously here with him?" he let out that annoying laugh of his and looks directly at me.

"You are seriously here with the biggest failure of our class. The piece of shit who just sat in the back of class and never talked. The one all your friends said was a waste of time back then, the voted most likely to disappear. The friggin joke who spent his weekends at that piece of shit comic store on fifth street and has been working for what two years at that shitty convenience store. You are here with him? That is just hilarious, the two biggest dorks in this town together." At this point I was ready to lay his ass out in the middle of the arcade, and just as I start towards him Ash stops me. I began to protest but when I looked at her I noticed the pure rage on her face. Her normally blue eyes burned as red as her hair. She tied back her hair, took off her jacket and like a redneck with a beer about to follow through with a stupid bet demanded "Hold my hoodie."

She just walks up to the machine and says "You me, any song, any difficulty" She actually was actually challenging this guy to a DDR game like this was some shitty anime. "Um excuse me, look around sweetheart. You see all these guys around me, they're all the guys I've beaten at this. I mean alright doll, I'll humor you, lets play. Hell I might even go easy on you. Wait what, you are seriously... There is no way you can handle that song on that speed." Now I may not know much about DDR but I can tell when someone pulled a Through Fire and Flames. By that I mean I can tell when someone has picked something extremely hard on the hardest mode. For once the arcade is dead silent, the countdown begins and then music kicks in. Both Ash and Tommy are going full throttle, I swear their feet were nothing but blurs. The music blared and then the strangest thing, Tommy began to slow down. He started to slip, and then he actually gets so tired and sluggish he fails. The look on his smug face, the only thing that could have made it better would be if the Black Hawk Down score played. He just stops trying, he actually failed. Everyone in the arcade was stunned, okay well not everyone but the people watching were.

Then she just hops off the machine, that same little smile of hers, wraps her arm around mine and suggests "Scotty lets go." I don't know how long we walked through the mall like that, it could have been ten minuets or ten hours. It didn't matter, and I have no idea why but I think I kinda liked it. So after I don't know how long we finally decide to leave. For some reason she hugged me and I begrudgingly told her I had a good time and then we just kinda left. I'm really just now beginning to wrap my head around this, so uh until next time I guess. I just gotta go think some man.

#writing #original #this is some really early stuff so quality isnt the best #sorry

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