#and in that scene he was acting extremely shady and i / she thought he caught her AHH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[wyllzel]

yknow for my first time gifing a movie and trying a dark scene 😭 i will give myself a pat on the back for this one...

[strxga]

Thoughts & Review on V7C12

This is my personal review for the latest chapter of RWBY. I tried to keep my points objective and organized, and to not take too much time discussing each, and I would sincerely appreciated if it could be given a read. Thank you if you do read it.

Well. It’s finally happened.

After a hazy but relatively positive start, I can say that Chapter 12 is yet another tipping point in a direction. The last chapters of Volume 6 were certainly… A lot, but compared to this one, Volume 6 pales in comparison. This one is… A doozy for several reasons. Let me preface by saying this: I love this show.

I sincerely adore it and the characters, and the reason I’m writing this think piece is precisely because of that. Because it could be so much better, it could be truly a love letter towards Fantasy, anime, and its fandom… But the writers specifically seem to not know how to balance that… But enough ranting. Off to the meatier sections, which I will progressively go from what I liked the most to what I liked the least.

Penny & Winter Scenes

This was, by far, the best written scenes in the episode, and coming from an unlikely pair of friends. Penny has always been emotional despite being a robot while Winter, despite being human, has always acted mechanical. This episode provides a nice contrast between the two, with Penny emphasizing with Winter and trying to get through to her only for Winter to refute her claims, but doing so with a sadness to her face because deep inside she knows James Ironwood’s plan is flawed. In a way, one acts as the other should, but doesn’t. Their awkward but working friendship makes that its mold and comfortably rests atop it.

It’s flawed, but realistically, it’s the best option to take over having to fight Salem with depleted and exhausted forces. The two play off one another marvelously, and this keeps up until Cinder’s entrance (which is another point I’ll discuss later) and the entire time they keep up this great dynamic. Penny asking if it’s going to hurt Fria to transfer her Aura directly to Winter, only for her to once more act as Penny’s foil and say that it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is following orders and keeping the Relic and Maiden Powers safe.

Team ORNJ Scenes

Thankfully this time, it doesn’t take an entire episode to figure out where Oscar is. Frankly, there isn’t much to talk about here, but what little there is of it is good! A problem is established, and then it’s swiftly solved by Neopolitan’s confidence only for everything to fall apart when the real Oscar appears, confirming he wasn’t taken away but had been actually fighting solo against Neopolitan for the lamp.

It establishes he’s no longer the wimp he once was and is making full use of Ozpin’s cane, but I honestly do feel like it was mostly a cat-and-mouse game with Neopolitan stealing the lamp and him chasing after her, because I don’t think he could’ve beaten her on his own. Team ORNJ then sets up to fight Neopolitan, spicing up the fight between them that’s going to take place in the upcoming chapter.

(Upcoming) Neopolitan vs. Team ORNJ

There honestly isn’t much to talk about this regarding on what happened in the episode, but what it did amazingly is set up the fight. We know Neopolitan is an experienced fighter, and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Cinder without her using her Fall Maiden powers. We also know that Jaune and Ren aren’t the strongest fighters, but they can still hold their own, and them accompanied by Oscar who is slightly below-average but still powerful enough to hold his own and Nora who is, now that Pyrrha’s gone, the strongest member of what remains of Team JNPR, I think the battle between them and our favorite ice cream girl is going to be a highlight of this season, especially with how it was set-up.

Cinder’s Entrance

This is when we start to get into the ‘meh’ section of this episode. Cinder is usually compelling in small doses, but extremely dull, boring and irritable in extended scenes due to how confident, smug and self-assured she is despite her multiple failures ever since the Fall of Beacon. But from a writing perspective, she was amazing. She showed how fearsome she is yet again and that her cleverness is part of her character and not just a plot device. She sent Ironwood into a paranoia and then tracked Winter knowing he’d send her after Fria.

Now, the only thing I don’t get, but this might be just me having forgotten, is if there was one point in which Cinder actually learned Winter was the next candidate to be the Winter Maiden… After all, prior to this point, Cinder had never met or encountered Winter or even less have known of her affiliation with Ironwood in the sense that she is her second-in-command. I have difficulty following that thread of logic… Unless Neopolitan told her at some point? I don’t know. Not knowing is what makes me ‘meh’ about this scene.

Clover, Qrow & Tyrian’s Fight

Taking away the connotations and context from the fight and looking at it purely from a choreography perspective, the fight was amazing and showed all of the fighter’s individual styles and strengths. As per usual, Tyrian was shown as crazed and psychopathic. There is no rhyme, reason or logic to his moves, and therefore there is no pattern or proper way to attack other than improvise. Qrow was versatile in using both his hand-to-hand skills and Harbinger to get the job done, but who stands up the most to me is Clover.

Clover really shows why he’s the leader of the AceOps. He was strategic in using Kingfisher to constantly tie-up Tyrian a few times (I cannot remember if he caught Qrow though) and managed to actually keep up with both of them for a long time! Had it not been for Tyrian’s interference while Clover and Qrow spoke, well… I’ll mention that later. But the point is, Clover was an absolute king in the battlefield and despite his weapon being a fishing rod, he was able to use it tremendously.

Furthermore, what surprised me the most is the fact Qrow and Tyrian worked so well together. They made-up for each other’s flaws whenever Clover had one of them against the ropes, and this surprises me even more considering the fact Tyrian was responsible for Qrow’s closest brush with death. It was… Surprisingly bittersweet.

(Upcoming) Cinder vs. Penny & Winter

Nothing much to talk about here given that this hasn’t yet happened, but as per usual Cinder is flaunting and showing off her power while severely underestimating her opponents. It has been approximately three years since she last saw Penny and since she was rebuilt stronger than before, not to mention the combat experience she’s accrued defending Mantle from the Creatures of Grimm and the occasional bandit and the like.

Winter has also presumably gotten stronger since then, but the scope of her abilities are still unknown since she only engaged in combat once and it was against Qrow all the way back in Volume 3. There’s so many ideas up in the air regarding this upcoming fight that nothing’s stopping me from theorizing Fria will wake up and use her Winter Maiden abilities to kick the snot out of Cinder.

But I am looking forward to what the fight has to offer. I don’t think any of them will die though. Cinder is still too important to the plot as are Penny and Winter for as long as the setting is Atlas.

Clover, Qrow, Robyn & Tyrian Scenes

Yeah. This whole encounter was… It wasn’t exactly ‘bad’ but I felt like the characters here acted completely out of character. Well, sans for Tyrian of course, given that at his core, he is simply a psychopath.

Clover has always been one who acted as one of the most morally-upstanding member of the AceOps as well as the one who was, arguably, given the most screen time. But for some reason, this episode had him betray everything he stood for and wanted to arrest Qrow even though Qrow… Well, what did Qrow even do for Ironwood to want him arrested? That’s another minor nitpick I have about the situation. But with how closely Clover and Qrow had bonded, you’d think he’d try and make sense of the situation instead of acting as a drone even though before he had never done so.

Robyn went from a pragmatic and understanding leader-like figure to, well… Whatever that was. I sincerely can’t understand her character because she isn’t cohesive at all. The only trait about her that remains is her loyalty to Mantle… But that’s it. One moment she’s against Ironwood, the next moment she’s siding with him… Then she sides against him and then once more sides with him. It’s honestly very boring and for someone who is supposed to be based on Robin Hood, she’s never done anything Robin Hood-esque. Even her aesthetic doesn’t match him. She feels like an incomplete character and the only side of her we see is a temperamental, indecisive leader. She couldn’t even tell it wasn’t Penny who attacked her at the election party even though almost every single part of her, weapons included, are bioluminescent. It’s frustrating, really. She should’ve known something was wrong from the get-go when Ironwood gave the order instead of immediately resorting to blind anger.

Qrow… There has never been an instance in the show when Qrow reacted with direct violence ever since Volume 3 while he was drunk. He saw Robyn attack Clover first and decided that he was going to attack Clover when he was the one being assaulted. Robyn and Qrow, as far as I know, never even had a single interaction together one-on-one, and even if he did, he’s always been one to stand against wrongdoings despite his shady demeanor. It honestly sucked seeing him being so out of character this entire chapter because he is a fan-favorite and for good reason. He has had a good amount of development. But he acted on violence instead of simply sitting down and having a talk with both Clover and Robyn. It simply didn’t make sense to me.

AceOps vs. Team RWBY

Just like before, I will focus entirely on an unbiased analysis of how this fight went and criticizing the things that particularly stood out for me whether bad or good. I’ll also be dividing this into subsections because it’s going to be a more direct and easier way for me to do so, and in case anyone’s reading this, that way they can skip ahead to their favorite fight. I watched this battle several times in an attempt to breakdown as best I could. So, let’s start with the main show and the one we saw the most of:

Ruby Rose vs. Harriet Bree

Arguably the most balanced fight out of the four short ones we saw. While I am apprehensive of aspects such as Ruby’s Semblance being able of breaking through iron barricades so easily despite never having alluded or shown her Semblance doing something like that before… I can give it a pass if anything because it made the environment more malleable. Despite that, however, I did like the fast paced match between the fastest members of their respective teams. It’s a very fast battle, but we can see it fully and what we see… Is a fight in which Ruby is on the defensive the entire time, and a battle she should’ve completely lost.

Ruby landed exactly zero hits on Harriet. Zero. Well… Not entirely. She does push Harriet down once but Ruby… Isn’t good at hand-to-hand combat and it’s been shown time over time that she’s not very physically strong so I’d hardly say that counts as a hit… But it does happen. Yet we’re supposed to believe that she was taken out by running into an ice wall created by Weiss at the last moment and that her Aura broke from that? Harriet landed exactly 5 very powerful attacks on Ruby and yet her Aura never even budged. I find that hard to believe. First Ruby got kicked on the face with enough strength to send her flying towards an elevator and break the doors off the wall.

Then he got double-kicked by Harriet on the gut and sent flying back. Then she got punched right on her back by Harriet’s weapon, Fast Knuckles, which are basically Yang’s gauntlets. An attack like that should’ve, at least, done significant damage to her Aura given it was strong enough to buckle her legs and crash her against the floor, which in and of itself should count as another impact given how hard she hit it. Then after that, Ruby got headbutted on the face by Harriet and then choked on the neck by Harriet with her legs and once again slammed with tremendous force on the floor. But her Aura is unscathed for some reason?

Then in comes Weiss, puts an ice wall in front of Harriet for her to crash into, and somehow that takes her down and breaks her Aura. Objectively, this battle was amazing, but Ruby never even once had the advantage. Ruby should’ve been knocked out by Harriet when her Aura broke, but for some reason… That didn’t happen. Good choreography, however.

Weiss Schnee vs. Marrow Armin

I frankly can say this one was expertly choreographed as well. We finally get to see a fight in which Weiss gets to use her Semblance at its full capacity, and this time she doesn’t abuse ice dust only. While it’s still in the vast majority of her attacks, she also relies on fire dust, which does add a degree of excitement and a fresh take to her battle style. Not to mention she now isn’t as reliant on the Arma Gigas only. It was a good balanced diet of everything Weiss can do! There still was very little of her in actual close-quarters combat, but that’s never been her specialty. She’s more of a mid-ranged fighter than anything else with lots of tricks and gimmicks. As for Marrow– well, Marrow… Could’ve made things so much easier if he had used his Semblance effectively.

When it comes to the battle itself though it was… Very lackluster on Marrow’s end, but then again it is heavily-implied by Harriet that he’s not fighting seriously at all and was purposefully holding back, so perhaps the fact he was defeated so easily really isn’t that hard to believe considering his heart wasn’t on the fight and even then he still put up a good fight. But like with Harriet… I find his Aura breaking so easily to be… Weird? He only got hit one time by Weiss’ homing fire dust… Flames? Bullets? Rays? I don’t know what to call it, but he got hit just once with Weiss’ dust and I don’t really count it as a hit but he got pushed to the wall once, but nowhere with near the same intensity as Ruby getting slammed and thrashed all over the environment by Harriet.

But ultimately while it is a nice fight… Again, I find Marrow going down to a single attack borderline offensive and humiliating for one of the members of the AceOps, but then again this was the only battle that felt like a member of Team RWBY deserved to win, and that’s saying something given Weiss’ battle track record isn’t exactly the cleanest and she’s lost the most fights out of any Team RWBY member when it comes to one-on-one encounters.

Blake Belladonna & Yang Xiao Long vs. Elm Ederne & Vine Zeki

Honestly, this is probably the best fight out of the ones regarding Team RWBY vs. the AceOps. It is nice to see this fight’s choreography because it was quite enjoyable. It was very dynamic and there was a lot of movement which made it flow just like a river of water, but there were also… Lots of inconsistencies regarding the character’s power levels and how they performed in this fight, especially regarding Elm and Vine who, from an objective standpoint if one sits down and analyzes the fight as I did, it’s also easy to tell that… Elm and Vine should’ve won.

While it’s disappointing that we didn’t get to see Vine’s weapon in this final bout, we did see Blake and Yang working together as well as Elm and Vine despite their personality conflicts. There really wasn’t a lot of team coordinating, but both sides performed admirably. Yang & Elm with their brawn and ferocity as well as Blake & Vine with their strategic minds and nimbleness. Now… While I can only praise the dynamics, the battle was, again, stacked against Blake and Yang. Like I did with the battle between Ruby and Harriet, I went through this one thoroughly and counted the amount of hits each character received.

Yang landed a total of three direct blows against Elm. A punch to the face that sent Elm staggering back a few steps, and then she didn’t land a single hit on Elm until she punched the ground with her Semblance, destroying it and sending her flying, but this doesn’t count as a hit because Elm wasn’t harmed when Yang did this. She was only sent flying in mid-air and then Yang and Blake both delivered a single attack on Elm before she fell to the floor, shattering her Aura. Now, we know Elm is basically the Yang of the group, except bigger, stockier and presumably stronger, so with how tough she’s been portrayed up until now, that she was defeated so swiftly surprises me… Especially when she herself beat Yang down to the point her Aura should’ve broken as well.

First she headbutted Yang, knocking her off-balance and later swinging her hammer with enough strength to send Yang, the strongest and bulkiest member of Team RWBY, flying a considerable distance with her massive hammer. This didn’t happen just once, twice or thrice though. Elm hit Yang on the chest with Timber, her hammer, four times, and every single time she was sent flying. We’ve seen the ridiculous feats of strength Nora Valkyrie’s performed with Magnhild. Well, Elm is at least twice stronger than Nora. The fact Yang’s Aura never even budged despite getting hammered on the chest with the heaviest and most powerful hammer we’ve seen in the show is beyond me. It doesn’t help that she got also hit directly by Vine with a rock the size of her entire body and pushed back. If anything, Elm and Yang’s fight is the most balanced one so Elm being defeated is not the issue. The issue is how despite receiving double the punishment, Yang’s Aura never broke while Elm’s broke with just three hits that didn’t pack the same punch and power all of Elm’s attacks which connected did.

Now regarding Blake’s encounter with Vine… Like Ruby with Harriet, Blake landed a total of zero hits against both Elm and Vine. Coincidentally, however, Blake also was also hit the most in this battle to the point her Aura actually did break. Why only her’s though is not something I can answer. I could describe how Blake got hit, but two of those times she got crushed by Vine’s Semblance and slammed against the wall twice, the second time enough to break the wall as well, and the one time she got hammered on the chest by Elm with enough strength to send her several feet on the air, which likely hurt a whole lot since every single one of Elm’s hits pack two massive punches. Now if any of you are curious about how many hits Vine took before his Aura broke…

It was one. He got sent flying to the ground by Yang and his Aura broke. I don’t count the explosives that detonated near him because he was using his Semblance to hold onto them, reducing the explosion’s power and size, but it still destabilized him and sent him careening to the air for Yang to grab. But Yang’s explosives aren’t exactly the strongest anyways so even if they did do some damage, it was still extremely minuscule damage for his Aura to break from a single hit like Marrow’s did. It was honestly disappointing, especially after we got to witness how strong they truly are by perfectly fighting against a Geist in the earliest episodes of the Volume.

My overall rating of the fight is that, objectively, it was amazingly choreographed… But the power level in RWBY is still awful and largely-irrelevant, since there is no instance in which Team RWBY will actually lose a fight even if throughout the encounter they are taking more hits than their opposition. This is an issue they still need to fix…

Team RWBY’s ‘Plan’

This one is… Upsetting. Even more so than the above because, at this point, Team RWBY is devoid of any and all potential consequences of their actions, and frankly I’m tired of it. Ever since Volume 6 their ‘plans’ if they can even be called that, have been compromising even more things for the sake of their so-called righteousness. In Volume 6 they endangered all of Argus and attacked an entire military base, and to this day they’ve suffered exactly zero consequences for their actions. If anything, they got rewarded for their criminal activity by getting a free pass to Atlas. Ironwood didn’t even look in their direction after they did that too. All for their selfish righteousness too, which in most occasions isn’t even right. They just do whatever they can even if it comes at the cost of other’s safety as long as it serves them

Now they even refuse to even see where Ironwood is coming from. They don’t offer him help, all they do is judge him and criticize him both to his back and in front of him and only side with him when it benefits them. They are, physically, mentally and emotionally incapable of sympathizing with others yet they want others to sympathize with them and their hypocrisy only continues to go rewarded. The narrative is very obviously in their favor and attempts to sway the viewers into thinking Ironwood is the villain for… Doing the only few remaining things he can do to try and keep not just Atlas and the Mantle survivors safe, but all of the world. They don’t even bother to see his point. At no moment during that confrontation do they go ‘we see your point and where you’re coming from, but that’s just playing into Salem’s hands and we can’t do that.’ No, all they do is yell at him and tell him he’s wrong, that he’s an awful person.

They don’t see the greater scheme. All they see are their own lofty ideals. They physically cannot save all the people of Mantle. They physically cannot keep the Lamp and the Staff, and they certainly, at this point in time, physically stop Salem if she is coming. They need ships to save the people of Mantle, they need to be on guard duty to protect the Staff and the Lamp. They need to keep Fria safe to keep the Winter Maiden powers from being robbed, but how are they physically going to do that? By ‘standing their ground?’ That is such a nonsensical, idyllic solution. They can’t do all of those things, but somehow, someway, they are ‘right’ because they want to do ‘the right thing.’ Except. There is no right thing thing to do. Not everything is as black and white as they want it to be. And every single time they do this and experience zero consequences while reaping many rewards for their hypocritical and catastrophic reckless decisions, the more faith I lose in the writers and the show.

Team RWBY defeating the AceOps

Like I said above, this was something I really didn’t enjoy… As I’ve mentioned above, it seems Team RWBY’s recklessness and inconsiderate behavior that endangers far more lives than they save will always go rewarded, and here is no different. I’ve gone through the battle several times and the only fight which deserved to be won by a member of Team RWBY was Weiss’ battle against Marrow, and this was largely because Marrow was holding back and implied he could push Weiss more against the ropes if he wanted to. Not to mention that it was due to Marrow’s hesitation Team RWBY even had a fighting chance. Had he used his Semblance at the very beginning he could’ve frozen all of Team RWBY where they were and have them apprehended immediately because they’d be unable to move.

Besides that one, the only other one who could’ve gone in Team RWBY’s favor is Yang’s fight against Elm, but even so it was… 75/25 in Elm’s favor. But the proof is in the animation, and it shows Elm landing far more attacks on Yang than Yang ever did on her, but since Team RWBY’s victory is required for the plot to progress, they were able to defeat the AceOps. Blake’s fight against Vine and Ruby’s fight against Harriet is not something I can even justify if I tried to do so because it was entirely one-sided on the AceOps’ favor. I try to give a lot of leverage to the show and its writing, but I cannot suspense my disbelief for such a one-sided fight, especially when the AceOps dished out punishment after punishment for Team RWBY and none of their Auras broke nor did they look even remotely tired while the AceOps all went down with two-to-three hits that I find hard to believe would take down the most elite Hunters in all of the Atlas continent.

We don’t know the AceOps’ members’ age, but what we do know is that they’ve been serving directly under James Ironwood for years now, and as the most elite, that makes them the strongest military platoon in all of Atlas with several years long specialized training years under their age while Team RWBY received not even a year of formal training at Beacon Academy and fought some Creatures of Grimm on the way to Mistral, had very limited and minor training under Ozma/Ozpin and then had small bouts against Salem and Raven’s forces in the Battle for Haven. Then after that they faced off against more Creatures of Grimm on the way to Atlas except for the one time they teamed-up to fight against Caroline Cordovin’s Colossus. Compared to the AceOps’ rigorous daily training and constantly having to carry out extremely difficult tasks under Ironwood’s leadership, Team RWBY’s training really pales in comparison.

There are many other ways that Team RWBY’s physical, mental or emotional strength without having them win fights they don’t deserve, because at this point it simply feels like no matter what happens, no matter how gray the situation the writing team behind RWBY attempts to portray, the narrative always tries to portray Team RWBY as being in the right even though for the past two Volumes they have been wrong in their methods without suffering any consequences. It’s exhausting and frankly, not good writing. I understand this is said a lot, but in this case, it can really be attributed to bad writing. Team RWBY doesn’t have to win every fight, they don’t have to always come out on top. They don’t always have to be right. And they most certainly don’t have to always be at the center of everything. That’s what side characters are for, side characters that they rarely use at all but keep around and keep increasing the amount of side characters for the plot. It’s overwhelming in all the wrong ways.

By the way, it was Team RWBY who attacked the AceOps, not the other way around. They could’ve stood down, they could’ve calmed down and realized they were in the wrong in this scenario, and Harriet herself said it first. They decide what happens next. Ruby draws out her weapon and escapes the room, forcing Harriet to chase her. They were the ones who forced the AceOps into acting, not the other way around. But the next moment Ruby is begging Harriet to team up with her to fight Salem even though a moment ago she was challenging Harriet to a fight because of her arrogance and unjustified massive ego. At this point, Ironwood might be paranoid and making bad decisions, but Team RWBY certainly poured gasoline all over his paranoia.

Qrow

I think most of the FNDM can agree that what they did with Qrow makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. There are a lot of things wrong with his character this chapter. For starters, at no point since he was introduced did Qrow try to solve the problems he faced with outright violence. He always preferred the diplomatic and peaceful approach because that’s what Ozpin taught him to do and what he genuinely believed was the right step today, because violence leads to panic, and the panic leads to Creatures of Grimm… Except in this case where he… Decided to rely on violence.

But the greatest offender was the fact he teamed up with Tyrian of all people– that’s right. Qrow willingly teams up with Tyrian, the same person who has tried to slaughter both Ruby and himself and has successfully murdered dozens of innocent civilians for his own amusement to attack Clover… What? Then he has the audacity to blame Clover for what happened and feels awful when, to no one’s surprise, Tyrian betrays him and stabs Clover with Harbinger when it was him who knocked out Clover’s Aura in the first place.

It’s awful, and I can understand why so many Qrow fans are enraged by this, because even I was and I don’t relate to Qrow that much. Just as the meme goes, ‘everything happens so much…’

Clover’s Death

Didn’t need to happen. Literally that’s my entire point on this section. It didn’t need to happen, it shouldn’t have happened, and this was RWBY’s writing team attempt at shock for the Volume. Because Qrow is just not allowed to have happy endings or friends. Qrow has no rights mourning Clover’s death when he himself was the direct catalyst for it to occur in the first place. But there is something else that is horrifyingly atrocious in the writing department going on with Clover in the last moments of his death. Seconds before getting stabbed with Harbinger, Clover states that he would trust Ironwood with his life… Then, all that changes right after he is nearing the end of his life.

The moment he realizes his life is fading away, once again, Clover goes against anything and everything he stands for by wishing Qrow good luck when the other claims he’s going to make sure Ironwood takes the fall for what happened, when Ironwood is doing nothing wrong. Ironwood keeps getting painted as the villain even by his most loyal soldier, the one who claimed he would trust the general with his life, but that ultimately doesn’t matter based on the show’s writing. Clover previously also talked about how Ironwood was doing the right thing by making the toughest decisions, the decisions that realistically could and would save thousands of lives unlike Team RWBY’s lofty goals.

Goals which by the end of the episode continue being unanswered. How are they going to accomplish all the naïve promises they want to fulfill? From a non-biased opinion and how they tend to solve the writing’s plot holes in past volumes, what most likely’s going to happen is yet another Deus Ex Machina. In Volume 4 it was the ‘random’ troops that just happened to arrive to Kuroyuri on time to escort the group all the way to Mistral and seek medical first aid for Qrow. In Volume 5 it was Blake showing up with an entire militia of the reformed White Fang as well as Vernal, somehow, still living to get that cheap shot in for Raven to have an opening to knock Cinder off the vault’s cliff. In Volume 6 it was Ruby’s empty speeches somehow convincing Cordovin to give them a free ship so they could travel to Atlas even though Team RWBY and company were responsible for everything bad that happened to Argus because of their selfishness.

[samesongxox]

Savior: Chapter 4 (Rude Awakenings)

Summary: (Hellboy 2019) AKA Turning a New Leaf AKA Good Samaritans Need Love Too. The B.P.R.D is tasked to infiltrate a black market creature trafficking ring led by a powerful warlock. Hellboy rescues Phyrra who is found being held hostage, a slave for her magic. He must protect her as she is hunted by her master and his gang of monsters. (AU where Broom isn’t dead/Abe wasn’t found)

It will be rated M, it will include violence, swearing, smuttiness, all the good things in life.

Disclaimer: Hellboy belongs to Dark Horse Comics/Mike Mignola, I don’t own anything except the AU and my OC’s.

Phyrra awakened to a still space. She blinked dry eyes, the lights were harsh and she struggled to focus her gaze. Phyrra wasn’t in pain, but she felt fuzzy, colours were circling before her sight. Taking a cleansing breath, they started to stay together, creating an image.

She was lying down, tucked into a clean bed. 

In a bright, clean room she didn’t recognize.

There was a sizeable man with his head perched on his arms across the bed by her knees, he was snoring soundly. 

No, whoever he was, it was not just a man. The creature’s skin was crimson like an apple, and had stumps where horns could be on his head. His features were large and sloping, relaxed in sleep they held no danger, which a creature of this breadth was bound to be. Was he a guard of some kind? Asleep on the job? 

Phyrra ran her eyes down his broad shoulders encased in a dark jacket, she observed his tail. With as much silence as she could, pulled herself up to a sitting position, carefully watching the creature. She was unlucky however as the sheets shifted with her movement, he was roused from his slumber.   

Eyes the colour of lemon skins opened and affixed to Phyrra. She froze in alarm, clearing her parched throat.

“Hello,” The creature thick lips upturned slightly, Phyrra was even more apprehensive.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Despite the slight surprise, he sounded like he knew her well. He reached forward, clear intention to touch her hand. On instinct, Phyrra pulled back. She didn’t sense enough threat to jump out of the bed, but she didn’t miss the disappointing aura that surrounded him. She kept wary eyes locked on the creature, watching as he stood up from his perch beside her sickbed. 

Desperate questions were on the tip of her tongue, she dared not speak them. Fight or flight instincts were beginning to kick in and Phyrra felt the clammy wash of panic settling over her. Thankfully her dry mouth filled with saliva, but unfortunately only with the weight of impending nausea; why was she not remembering anything? 

Phyrra’s tense nerves flexed in agony as the door clicked open; a human casually strolled in. 

Quick eyes scanned over the woman: aged, lanky, olive skin, wise eyes. She smiled gently at Phyrra.   

“Hey sleepy heads, I came back here and both of you were totally checked out. Thought I’d leave you for a few hours,” The crimson creature and the human woman obviously knew each other well; she approached him, pressing her fingers to his bared, furry chest. 

“Your rib isn’t broken anymore Hellboy, in fact you’re completely fine. No injuries at all actually, I know I saw you bleeding when I let you in here.” The woman looked from him to Phyrra. “I take it that was your doing.”

Phyrra remained silent, she healed this creature? His name was Hellboy? Hell. A demon then, the answer was obvious to her now. Phyrra couldn’t stop herself from focusing her attention back to him, without a sound willing him to explain. Whatever sort of connection she had with him, maybe it would travel through a kind of bond or the airwaves themselves and reach him.  

She did not not how to feel about the way the demon was looking at her. So tender and sad, not at all how she expected a demon of Hell to behave. 

“Yeah she did. I better go let dad know she’s awake.” Quicker than she thought something of his proportions could move, he disappeared through the exit. Phyrra stared at it for a moment, perplexed, try as she might she could not yield the feeling she didn’t want him to leave her alone with this woman.

“I’m Sorah, they tell me your name is Phyrra?” It was confirmed, they did know her. Phyrra strived to figure out how she got here; she felt her eyes water sorry at the emptiness of her mind.

She licked her dry lips and croaked out a pitiful, “Where am I?”

“At the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. B.P.R.D for short. You were, well I would say rescued from that shady guy that dealt in creature trafficking. Elias?”

A light bulb burst in her head, Phyrra remembered. 

She was suppose to be with him. Elias. His precious trophy. Phyrra hiccuped in anguish, she no longer stop the flood of tears down her cheeks. The human caught who turned out to be not just as such...She went to her room to get away from him… Mordecai in the hallway.. She was going to take a bath, then she couldn’t find Binx, and….

That was it. She could recall nothing else.

Phyrra tried to control her breathing, but nothing could stop the great, gasping that had overtaking her. 

“Oh honey, you’re going to be just fine.” She felt the women's warm, comforting hand on her shoulder, Phyrra didn’t have the strength to move away. Keening, mournful sobs reached her first, before Phyrra realized it was coming from herself. Oh Goddess! Why did this happen? 

Was he dead?

Phyrra crazily felt hope permeating through her fear. It was too much, too many emotions were trapped within her. She was drowning. She had to find some solid ground before she lost what little mind she had at the moment.

Forcing herself to look up, she took notice of Binx. Her most trusted and beloved companion. Her lifeline. The glow in the darkness. Speaking to her.

“Phyrra! Snap out of this!" Phyrra’s grateful hands stretched out, cupped to allow her friend to land in the nest. The pixie held its little warm hands to the wet surface of Phyrra’s cheek, blowing gently in a drying enchantment.  

“Oh Binx! Wha-” 

“I’ll explain later, deal with this human!” Phyrra dropped Binx in her lap gently, finding the calm she needed from her friend’s instructions, of course; Binx always knew best. She wiped away the tears left behind on her face. She thanked Sorah for the handkerchief the human woman handed her, dabbing away the sweat on her neck, then blowing away the mucus building up inside.

“I’m sorry, I find myself quite emotional.” Phyrra tried for the even, serene tone she hoped would please this woman, striving to fall back into her formal demeanor. The lady went to some machine that held water, pushing a button that made it pour out into the cup in her hands. 

“Drink,” Phyrra accepted obliged, gulping back the cool liquid, practically starving for it. 

“You don’t have to say sorry, sweetie. I see no physical wounds on you, would you mind if I checked on you?” Phyrra shook her head no as the woman reached around her neck for some sort of medical contraption Phyrra could never recall seeing; she put one end of the object inside her ears, the other end was pressed against Phyrra’s breast.  

“Deep breath please.” A complex look spread over Sorah’s face, she pulled the instrument away, “Your heart is running so slow, considering you were just breathing hard. Have to say I haven’t ever treated...Someone like you.” 

“You do not have to worry, my body has to sustain extreme damage to require any medical attention…” Phyrra quietly contemplated what to say to this human, surely information like that would have been already found out in her incapacitated state. “That one you called Hellboy? Do I... I mean, do we ...” 

Phyrra had no idea how to pose her question. Sorah saved her from further suffering.

“He brought you in. Caused quite a little scene when you first arrived, do you remember any of it?” 

Phyrra, realizing she wouldn’t get very far pretending to do so, she shook her head and listened in horror as Sorah recalled the beastly way she acted. Her brows furrowed, Hellboy had also stopped her from… Phyrra shuddered, she would like to think she would not have killed this human called Hurse, but who was to say when she could not for the life of her remember doing it. 

“May I see this man? I wish to apologize,”

“I think that can be arranged, honey.” Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped another human, this time a man. 

Once again, on pure instinct, Phyrra’s eyes studied: Aged as the woman, dark features. A powerful, quiet confidence emanated from him. He was being followed by the demon…. 

Hellboy, Phyrra corrected herself. He had hardly acted demonic towards her, she could no longer call him that.

“Hello Professor,” Sorah greeted warmly.     

“Good morning Doctor,” the Professor replied, bidding Hellboy to close the door behind them please. Sorah looked back down on her patient, halting him mid-close.  

“I think I’ll go get you some decent clothes Phyrra.” Sorah spared the elf girl one last pleasant smile, leaving the room.   

The creature known as Hellboy was acting like a trapped rabbit, he was very flustered and anxious, pacing behind the one he had called father. They had no resemblance, both had black hair but that was no indication of heritage, the Professor looked to be completely mortal. 

Phyrra’s eyes followed Hellboy’s movement, she wished he would cease the nervous energy. Phyrra thoroughly sized him up, this one who she seemed to had sought out exclusively in her time of need. 

The way Sorah had describe how she clung to him disturbed her greatly. Who was she to throw herself at a complete stranger? She needed to ask in private how she had acted, and apologize for the ghastly behavior. 

It seemed she had multiple people to seek forgiveness from, and she had just arrived. 

Phyrra felt very unlike herself. In the daunting times of Elias’s capture, she had long since stopped the ferocious, feral way she would deal with things around her. Learning promptly the only way to survive was to learn, and subsequently, live the lie of a ‘friend’ to him. 

She would now do everything in her power to never go back to that fictional existence.     

Trevor looked from Phyrra to Hellboy, sensing as if neither one of them could even be bothered to know he was here. There was something peculiar going on between the two of them, no doubt about it.

The Professor cleared his throat in a grand fashion, “Welcome to our little operation. How is the patient feeling?” 

Trevor’s query was met with forced quiet, something was stopping the elf from answering, and he had a certainty he knew why. He could feel the anxiousness teeming from his boy. 

“Hellboy, I believe Major Daimio is still waiting for you downstairs,”

Hellboy wanted to protest. In the end, he was too nervous to voice his concern, what his concern actually was he couldn’t say it was absurd. 

Basically running away with his tail between his legs, quite literally, Hellboy realized his folly. He had just left Dr.Sorah with her. No matter if she seemed to be of a different disposition upon waking, mostly pertaining to her change of heart towards contact with him, he thought bitterly. He didn’t know if she would pull the same stunt with poor Dr.Sorah than with Hurse, Hellboy needed to concentrate. 

“Yeah, sure.” For the second time, Hellboy escaped from the room as if it was the last place he wanted to be. Leaving her alone with a human once again. Phyrra was curious as to why he seemed to be so… Frightened of her, she wasn’t anything intimidating. Nothing like a towering giant of a being he was, she had to get him to tell her what had… Transpired between them in her gaps of lucidness.   

“Alone at last. I’m sure you are quite overwhelmed right now, do you require anything?” 

“No. The woman, Sorah, has been most kind,” 

“Good to hear. I am Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, this is my home.” He gestured all around him, Phyrra tilted her head, starting to become puzzled.     

“Sorah mentioned this to be a.. Research Center for the Paranormal?”

“Yes we are a private, government funded organization that deals in the investigation of the occult, sometimes we combat evil forces, other times we help to defend and protect those creatures in need. As we have now done for you,” the Professor crossed the room to what looked to be a 

“I’m sure you have your fair share of them, but may I ask you a few questions?” The Professor sat down in the chair once occupied by his son,  “I want to broach this subject as delicately as possible. You seem much more agreeable now, pardon my term, than before. The man we extracted you from…”

The Professor got up, crossed over to the wall that once he tapped his fingers, appeared as a wide screen, the image flickered. There it was, the long gloomy hallways she resided in not so long ago. And at the end of it stood Elias, staff arched high in his hands, face pinched in combat with some unknown assailant on the other end of this camera.

“Is he your boss? Your friend perhaps? You were not with the others. In quite a luxurious room actually.” 

Phyrra snorted with disgust. “Please turn it off.” 

Trevor conceded, Phyrra heaved a great sigh. Bitter resentment welled up at the memory of her master. 

“Elias covets powerful creatures. As I’m sure you well know he’s made quite a career out of it. He has acquired vast knowledge of blood magic, but he is still a human man.” Phyrra found the courage to look at the Professor, making her words count. “Make no mistake sir, never did I ever want to be in his possession.”

“I am very sorry to hear that, dear. But I'm also glad I must confess, it would have been an awful turn of events to find out you didn’t want to leave.” Phyrra laughed abruptly, she slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the flow. 

“Oh, I don’t know what came over me sir. You must understand that is all I have ever wanted.”

“Please you can call me Trevor, dear. We have some other shots from the body cams of the agents, would you be willing to name some faces? It would be very beneficial to our organization.” Phyrra ascended, it was the least she could do, besides she also had a good feeling on whom he wanted information on.

Sure enough, the screen in front of her flicked onto an image of the centaur, standing proud and mighty. Phyrra smiled unknowingly.   

“That is Rhys, Elias uses him as a bodyguard of sorts. He is a very faithful employee. You didn’t hurt him did you?”

“No when last we have footage of him, he was in tip top shape. In any case, it was him that roughed up my boy.” Trevor raised an eyebrow at the elven girl’s apparent concern for the creature.

“It’s not like that. Rhys just does what he’s told to do, he would never have hurt Hellboy without Elias’s instructions...He is an ally.” 

“Mhm, and this unsavory type?”

 Phyrra once again flinched at the sight of the vampire, goosebumps broke out over her skin and she shivered, as if the mere sight of it sucked out all the warmth of the room.

“Mordecai. Elias and him seem to have some sort of companionship. He is a parasite. A bloodsucker. I would exercise great caution in your interest of him.”

Trevor resumed his seat, so much information to take in...     

“I thank you for your cooperation. But there is also the topic of your magic, Miss. I’m told you healed my boy.” Phyrra felt her face flush, strangely like she was caught doing something wrong. 

“Yes I did. Why I did I’m not sure, but if he saved me as you and the doctor have relayed, then I’m glad I did.”

“What of your history? How was it you came to be possessed by Elias?”

This was it, she had to choose: did she trust them? One brisk look through her time since waking up made it obvious to her that she could: Sorah, Trevor, Hellboy. They had been nothing but kind to her and it was time to repay that with her own respect. Even if this all turned out to be a farce, she was away from him. Right now that was all she needed.

“I cannot remember anything before my time with him, what do you think that means?” Phyrra felt relieved to tell Trevor, it was a weight off her shoulders.

“We can’t be certain, but you could just be experiencing some temporary amnesia, perhaps whatever caused you to be in the state you were when Hellboy found you,”

Phyrra was about to speak her thoughts, but held back. She didn’t want to tell Trevor she knew nothing when she woke up in this bed. Yes, trust needed to be established but Phyrra still felt the impulse to keep that to herself. They were strangers, after all. She had to at least have a failsafe here.

“I feel as if I stayed away from them for some reason. Perhaps that is how I came to know Elias, he never once mentioned my life.. Before him.” 

“Hmm maybe… What of this one? Pixies are not known to keep the company of any other kind, why has she?”

Both took in the sight of Binx dozing in Phyrra’s lap. The events of the last 24 hours seemed to have caught up to the poor dear. Phyrra could only imagine how ornery Binx had been through this whole ordeal.

“Binx? She is a true friend. Her and Rhys were the only I ever had in that prison.” The answer was vague, but seemed to be enough for the Professor. His thoughtful expression kept the room silent for a moment.

“What has happened to him?” Phyrra inquired in a quiet voice, scared to voice it too loud. She knew what the answer was, and also knew she did not want it.

Phyrra thankfully didn’t need to voice the name, Trevor knew who she was talking about.

“He lives. We recovered the beings that were held in that warehouse of his, but I’m sorry to say Hellboy tried his best, let me tell you.”

“You… Recovered them? I’m sorry, are you meaning to say they are here?” 

“Am I to assume you are pleased with this news?”

“Yes I am, that is. I am extremely relieved!” Phyrra felt elation at the idea of Elias without his prizes, all alone in that dungeon. The feeling didn’t last long though, he would be furious in his intent to get them back.  

“May I?” Phyrra was left wondering for a moment at the Professor’s request. She could not help but think back; she would of agreed to Hellboy’s touch if he had asked when she awoke. Phyrra nodded and Trevor took her delicate, pale hand in his much darker, much more weathered palm. A soothing sort of familiarity overtook Phyrra, he was a calming presence that was certain.

“Right now what I believe the course the actions you take should be with the B.P.R.D. We can provide you with a safe space for you to begin recovering your memories, and in return, you could perhaps join the team. I’ve seen what you did for Hellboy and was quite impressed, we can always use a helping hand.”

“I am beyond grateful to you for the opportunity, but you have made me aware of Elias’s survival. I know him Professor, he will come for me. I cannot in good conscience put everyone here in such danger.”

“Phyrra with all due respect, we are most prepared for the possibility of that. And I cannot in good conscience, turn you out onto the streets of modern day America. Can you remember the last time you were free enough to walk the world Phyrra?”

That silenced her. So many lonely, aching nights. Only Binx to keep her company but the pixie could only do so much for her. Phyrra now recalled the sleeplessness, when nightmares taunted her. Unfortunately what was once clear, lurid dreams of earlier days, could now purely be looked back on as shadows passing her in a dark space.    

“A very long time ago.” She replied, turning quite grim.   

“I apologize, I am not attempted to interrogate you, simply asking myself as well. Thinking out loud, if you will.” Also the questions might jog something in your brain. Trevor speculated, after this meeting, he was enchanted. This mysterious, amnesia stricken child was rather special. He would definitely need to return to those books.   

“No, it is quite alright Trevor. I will give your offer some thought.” Trevor nodded, patting his hand in a gentle manner against Phyrra’s.   

 “Right now, I believe you must get some privacy. We have begun cataloguing the poor creatures we found housed in that place, and you would be of a great help to us using your prior knowledge.” Trevor sighed with exasperation, placing her hand back beside her with care. 

“I’m getting ahead of myself,” He rose from the chair, crossing to the door. Turning back to look at her,  

“Rest well, Phyrra. You are no prisoner any longer, but a most welcomed guest here.” 

No sooner had the Professor left, Phyrra began poking at the dozing pixie, rousing her awake. 

“Alright Binx, tell me everything.”

-

Elias abhorred torturing humans. It was so plain, mundane. He likes his specimens to be of a thicker skin than the average son of Adam. But desperate times…

Counselor Louis Hudson had two decades of dedicated service to his country, both in times of war, and then from behind a desk. Tied up, beaten bloodied by this monster, he rued the day the funding for the B.P.R.D ever fell on his plate. 

“I’m really losing my patience Counselor, you realize the futility of not giving me what I want. Bring them in.” Counselor Hudson was most distraught at the sight of the vampire, followed by the centaur, dragging in Elaine and Morgyn, his beloved wife and child. The bloodsucker was decidedly more rough with his wife, heaving her down on the floor. Louis flinched at her pained cry. The beastman at least placed his daughter beside her mother, decidedly with more care.  

When at 14, his father told him his future would be in politics, Louis never would have even believed he’d ever be in a situation like this.

The vampire, with veily thinned glee, took a firm grip of the meaty flesh of Elaine’s upper arm, dragging it’s claws down the muscle, Elaine’s shriek pierced through the space. Louis could do nothing but watch in horror as blood oozed from the cuts.   

“Okay! I’ll tell you where they are! Just let them go! Please!”

Mordecai hissed in displeasure, 

Elias stroked down the shaft of his staff reverently, murmuring the gentle spell that created the illusion of the family. The figures blew away like dust in the wind, leaving behind the picture of them that Louis always kept in his wallet. 

“What?! Where did they go?” Louis cried out distressed, one minute they were there, real as anything...This paranormal shit was fucked. Elias stepped forward, grabbing Louis roughly by the mouth, directing the man’s attention to him.

“Worry no longer Counselor, they are safe. Now, your information please.”

[pirate-kid2k19-blog]

Opinions on things that might make people mad

Hunt pedos and rapists and murderers, not poor innocent animals, its a lot more fun. And it shouldnt be illegal because in my opinion those people have done things that are punishable by death.

Yall who say meat and dairy industries arent that bad are wild just do some goddamn research before you get mad at me for stating facts 👀

It should be illegal to have weapons anywhere near schools (unless you are a cop and are required to have them, but you should be very careful and guard them to keep them away from students AND TEACHERS at all times). I figured by now people wouldve learned how kids who are gonna shoot up a school or have weapons act before they use them, and those are the people who need to be checked and talked to. Having clear bookbags is not a good option because some people have comfort items theyll get picked on for and people who start their period early get picked on (i know from experience, trust me).

The voting age should be 16. People can form full thoughts by the age of 16. Enough said.

Thenwarning on cigarette boxes shoukd be bigger and more noticeable on the box, and you should be warned before buying them. So many people die from smoking, and 2 people in my house smoke, one of which as already had cancer and refuses to quit, and the other is too fucking stupid to realize he should quit if he doesnt want to end up like the other.

people should not be "cancelled" just because they said something was bad. They should be cancelled if they are a rapist, murderer, pedophile, etc.

ALSO the first one is half joking half not. I believe those people should be sentenced to death by law if and when they are caught but thats not always the case and that pisses me off

Add on number 1:

Hey just a reminder that when animals get harmed or slaughtered they do not understand why it is happening and they did nothing to deserve it but they dont reslize that. So yeah.

Dont be rude to people just because they dont eat like you do. Some people have to be vegan or vegetarian for health issues. And some people cant go vegan or vegetarian for health issues. Not everyone can be one way.

Dont be rude to people because they dont believe what you believe, unless their belief is IN ANY WAY harmful. Everyone has the right to believe what they want.

Add on number 2:

Scene kids and emo kids arent cringey, you guys are all just cowards.

You dont need dysphoria to be trans but taking a random object and somehow calling it a gender is really fucking weird and i have NO FUCKING CLUE how people turned autism into a gender but its disgusting to me im sorry. Though i am open to learn about this some more, so if you want to teach me about this stuff feel free to message me or send me an ask.

Otherkin isnt cringey or a mental disorder, its just people being people.

Shady jeff was only good whenever he sung in hu songs (literally once in scene for dummies and pretty much just background vocals) but everything else about him fucking sucks

NOT AN OPINION LITERALLY A FACT THAT 40 YEAR OLD WHITE SUBURBAN MOMS NAMED KAREN CANT ACCEPT: CHILDREN NEED TO BE VACCINATED!!!

Furries that dont harm anyone and dont fuck animals are not cringey.

Idc if you live in the most redneck area out there: being up at 5am blasting country music from your truck and playing beer pong when you have neighbors that are trying to sleep is extremely disrespectful. Same goes for roommates who play video games real loud at 3am. Its disrespectful to the people who are just trying ro sleep. This ones more so a rant abt my personal life and whats happened since moving to georgia.

WOMEN SHOULD BE ALLOWED ABORTIONS IF:

-having the child will kill them or the child, they cannot financially afford to take car eof the child, they were raped, its an inbred baby (this could give it a deformity that could hinder its life, but if it doesnt get to live to begin with then it wont have to suffer), the mother cannot take care od the child for whatever reason.

WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ABORTIONS IF:

-she just wants to have a kid to abuse it in any way for any reason

TEACHERS SHOUKD DO MORE THAN JUST SEND A KID TO THE OFFICE TO SIT FOR AN HOUR BC THEY HIT A KID EVEN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE ONE WHO THREW THE FIRST PUNCH NEEDS TO BE SENT HOME AND DEALT WITH BY THEIR PARENTS. IF THE KID ACTED IN SELF DEFENSE AND NO ONE NEARBY (WHETHER ITS A TEACHER, THE BUS DRIVER, OR ANOTHER STUDENT) WOULD HELP THEM, THEY SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED.

I DO NOT CARE IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THE FACT THAT IM VEGAN. I HAVE REASONS WHY I AM, AND YOU HAVE REASONS WHY YOURE NOT. HOWEVER!!! IF YOUR REASONING IS JUST THAT WE WERE "MADE TO EAT MEAT", AND YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING TO AT LEAST TRY AND UNDERSTAND BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUEMENT, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!

In ANY arguement, understand all sides first! Especially whatever side you take! It makes it s lot easier and keeps you from looking like a fucking idiot when you know what youre talking about and dont just use the same 1-3 points over and over.

Healthy food shouldnt cost so much just because its not junk food. A lot of people buy junk food because they cant afford to eat healthy.

Will add more as time goes on

[hamiltimebinches]

John Laurens x Reader: Flowering Affections Chapter 3

A/n: You can find chapter two here. You could also scroll down to the bottom of this post to the tags and click on either the #flowering affections or #hamiltime’soriginaljohnfic and you’ll find both of the chapters I’ve written there. CHAPTER 4 IS HERE!!!

Timeline: Modern

Warnings: Swearing

Words: 1,868

     We made it to the Brick House somewhere around 11:40. The moment I had stepped foot outside of the car I shivered. For two reasons. It was slightly chilly and the breeze that had existed earlier had picked up. On top of it I had forgotten how much this place made me uneasy. We were so close to downtown and there’s so many creeps that like to hang out around here. That’s why you’d never catch me going here alone or even with another girl. The only times I’ll ever come here is when I’m with John and the other boys, I only feel safe here with them. If I’m being completely honest though being with just John would make me feel safe too.

     Our group of six steadily made our way to the entrance. Alex and Laf were in the lead, John, Herc, and Eliza were in the middle and I was bringing up the rear. I noticed John looking back at me, confusion on his face. He slowed down and fell in step with me. “You okay?” He asked. “Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. What’d made think something is wrong?” I answered, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me, (Y/n). I can tell something’s bugging you.” John said with a tiny glare. I let out a sigh as I realized there was no getting out of telling him. “This place just makes me a bit nervous that’s all. So many creeps like to hang around here and we’re so close to downtown.” I explained, looking away in slight embarrassment. “You don’t have to worry about anyone bothering you, (Y/n). I promise that I’ll keep you safe. No one will bother you in any way.”  John assured, placing a hand on my shoulder. I smiled at the promise. “I’m going to hold you to that you know.” I said, my tone slightly teasing but he knew I meant it. “Oh, I’m sure you will.”

     Upon walking into the Brick House I felt like I was hit with a wall. The smell of beer and other alcoholic beverages was overwhelming. There was plenty of people packed into the building and the music was as loud as it was in any other bar. So basically it was your typical bar scene, just a lot more shady people were here than at you average bar. One of the first things I noticed was that the air felt hot and sticky in the building; it was so overwhelming that I considered turning right back around and waiting it out in the car. I wasn’t going to do that though, I wanted to spend this time with my friends. So, if I have to spend a few hours in a hot building with many shady characters I’ll do it.

     While Laf and Herc left to get the first round of drinks, John, Alex, Eliza, and I went to get a table. Sure, we probably all wouldn’t spend our time there, but at least one or two of us are going to have to be responsible. Normally the role of responsibility falls on Eliza and myself or Laf and myself. Seeing that Eliza’s here she’s going to probably end up helping me keep an eye on everyone. Then I’m probably going to end up being the one to drive us all safely back to our respective places. Because Eliza and I have to be the responsible ones we aren’t going to be drinking a lot. Knowing me, I’m probably going to drink very little from my glass and end up giving the rest of it to Herc. I’m going to want to be completely sober when driving and once I start really drinking I don’t stop until I’m wasted unfortunately.

It didn’t take long for all the guys to become drunk off their asses. That’s when Eliza’s and my job really started. We had to keep an eye on all four guys, we split them into groups of two. Eliza would watch Alex and Herc and I would watch John and Laf. I was very careful to not let the two out of my sight, which proved to be more difficult than you think it would be. Laf would wander around drunkenly trying to keep the other guys in line and John became a wandering hopeless romantic. That’s why Eliza normally deals with Alex and John, I couldn’t stand to watch John drunkenly flirt with other girls. I mean, it’s not like we’re a couple and he’s a grown man who can flirt with who ever the hell he wants but it makes my blood boil to see him flirt with all those women when drunk.

     Laf fortunately proved to not be too much of a hassle tonight but John on the other hand was just as much as a handful as normal, maybe even more. Honestly, when watching the guys I don’t really bother leaving my spot at the table and just keep an eye on them from a distance. The only time I really leave my seat is when I have to stop one of the guys from doing something that only a stupid drunk would do.

     I watched, seething, as John flirted with yet another girl. Sure, he didn’t really realize what he was doing in his drunken state but it still made me angry beyond belief. With every new girl he flirted with, with every pickup line he used, every flirtatious smile or wink my nerves became even more fried. I know I shouldn’t get so riled up over something so trivial but I can’t help it. I feel so possessive of him, even though he’s not mine. John is a grown man who can make his own decisions and flirt with anyone he wants because he’s not in a relationship with anyone, which obviously means he’s not in a relationship with me.

     I finally had enough when one girl got a little too close and touchy. This girl was obviously still sober, maybe slightly tipsy, and could see that John was drunk. Yet she still practically threw herself all over him. I abruptly stood up from my seat and stormed over to the two. I pulled the girl off of him and made sure to put myself in between the two of them. The girl glared at me, not seeming to like the fact that she was just ripped off some easy prey.

     “Who are you?” The girl snapped, her glare just becoming nastier by each second passing. I was about to open my mouth and reply with that I’m John’s friend and don’t appreciate her being all over him, especially since he was obviously drunk and not fully aware of everything that’s happening. John beat me to it though. “She’s a friend of mine. What’s wrong (Y/n), Dawn is really nice?” At that the girl, who I now know as Dawn, smirked.

     I sighed and turned around to face John. “John, I know she may seem really nice to you but she very obviously is not. The only reason you can’t realize this is because you are drunk. Believe me though, she can see that and she’s looking out to take advantage of your drunken state.” I gently explained, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and forth between me and this Dawn chick, confusion on his face. “Is that true, Dawn?” John asked innocently. I wanted to slap my palm to my face at that question. “No, I think your friend is not really your friend though if she’s lying to you like that.” Dawn said, her voice sickly sweet, how disgusting.

     John let out a sound of disgust and stared down at me in horror. Don’t tell me he believes this bitch, I thought. “Dawn’s right (Y/n), you really aren’t my friend. If you were you wouldn’t lie to me about nice people like Dawn. I think you should go, (Y/n).” He said, he sounded heart broken. “John, are you kidding me? She’s-” I started to say but was rudely interrupted by Dawn. “You heard him, he said you should go.” Dawn said, a proud smirk on her face. I glared at her and gave her both of my middle fingers, mouthing ‘fuck you’. With that I turned around and stormed through the crowds to the exit.

     The cool night air helped soothe my nerves the very moment I stepped out of the hot and stuffy building. I took in a deep, long breath of the sweet cool air. As I let it out I wrapped my arms around myself. Even if I wasn’t cold it was comforting. Even though John didn’t really realize what he was saying, he’s quite the delirious drunk, it still really hurt to hear him say something like that.

      I stood out in the cold for a few more minutes pondering what had happened. I really probably shouldn’t have left John alone with that predatory bitch. I probably should head back in and deal with the problem, but the more I thought about it the more I really didn’t want to do it. What if John got angry when I came back? I didn’t want that to happen. I know that drunk or sober he would never do anything to hurt me but I don’t want to cause any problems.

    Eventually I came to the conclusion of just leaving instead of sticking around. Eliza would realize soon enough that I wasn’t watching John or Laf and pick of the slack, even though she would have no idea where I went. It’s fine though, I’m sure she can handle all four of them and that she wouldn’t worry too much about me, I can take care of myself. Although, I do feel a bit guilty about just leaving like this. I just can’t stay here any longer though, all I want is to go home, complain a bit to Maria, and then go to bed. I would call John and see how smoothly things went the rest of the night tomorrow morning. At least then I wouldn’t be feeling too hurt by his words or pissy at that disgusting girl, Dawn.

    I slowly started walking away from the building. I walked past all the parked cars and started off down the sidewalk. I would walk to the nearest gas station then call Maria or someone else to pick me up. Maybe Theodosia, she lives a bit closer to here than where Maria and I live. Theodosia is one of my friends and she’s dating one of Alex’s other friends. I’ve known Theodosia ever since my first year here at college. She’s nice and wouldn’t mind too much having to picking me up.

    I was so caught up in my thought that I wasn’t as aware of things as I should have been. I should have been acting extremely careful, I am very close to a more shady part of town. But, I was foolishly was caught up in my thoughts and walked right into a dangerous situation. I let out a scream as I was dragged into an alleyway and pinned against one of the walls.

     “Hello there, pretty girl.”

[artificialqueens]

It's not personal, it's fiction (2) (Biadore) - shadyqueenie

A/N: awwww baes, I’m sorry this took so long – but this chap is twice the first one and I really had struggles with some sentences :(((( also, I’m not that happy of how it came out but I needed to write it that way since I have plans for the next one ;)))

I don’t know when I will be able to update again – I hope it will be at the end of the month but ehy, it’s the MFW and guess who’s working as hell?! Btw, I really love you (: thank you for your support, I wasn’t expecting it! As I always say, please keep on writing me! Your duh, shady

In this episode (?) ~

“Do you want to come out?” He started off suddenly, nervous as hell. […] “Out?” “Outside! We need to celebrate my win!” “You know it’s forbidden… do you?”

IT’S NOT PERSONAL, IT’S FICTION

The first day of airing after their deal went as smoothly as honey. At least for Danny. For Roy it was pure hell. He felt nervous and quick-tempered – as if he was about to bite someone. Then there was the elimination day. That night he couldn’t sleep well. He wasn’t worried about the race – he was worried about him being around Adore. But he made a deal and he had to honor it. “What are you going to wear?” Asked Bianca to Adore while they were doing their make up. To be honest, she already saw it putted onto the clothes hanger – and she really hoped that wasn’t the real Adore’s choice. “The black one” replied the other one pointing it. …And here we are. “Are you sure? Do you remember what Michelle told you?” “Yeah but you will help me by cinching me and no one would look at anything else” Adore blinked at Bianca in a very flirting way “Will you?” Bianca sighed “Just hurry up and finish this bitch smoking eye you’re doing”. She forced a smile while trying to put a pair of false lashes in her eyes, but ended up so nervous she messed all up. “Fuck” Bianca breathed. Why couldn’t she act as natural as Adore? Courtney was sit next to them. She watched the whole scene without saying anything. It was strange for her seeing Bianca not throwing any shades at Adore. Ok, Bianca was always helpful, but that was strange – even for her. Courtney didn’t even realize Adore has finished her make-up and that Bianca had already cinched her until she heard clearly from Adore’s wardrobe “Do I have a hot body now?” And Bianca’s reply “Yeah sure, the hottest one”. Yeah, sure?! What was that? A sarcastic line that didn’t came out well? A sincere compliment? Courtney couldn’t tell – the only thing she was sure was that wasn’t so Bianca-alike. I’m super late and that’s because all this flirty bullshits she thought blending her cheekbones faster than she has never done before.

“Adore Delano, you’re the winner of this week challenge” As Bianca heard this words she clapped her hands, as etiquette required. Adore really made her laugh when she said that her dress was made for the judges to see through her body. She envied that attitude of hers, with those adorable (yes, adorable) jokes and flirty glances. Did she had to whisper ‘I’m so proud’ as Adore suggested days before? That could have been too much, and Bianca was a bit disappointed. She wanted to win, of course. I’m here to win, that’s what was in her mind as she looked at Adore smiling. Adore glanced back at her. She waited for Bianca to say ‘I’m so proud’ but nothing happened, and while reaching the backstage her smile died. The older queen seemed stressed all the day long, but while Bianca walked the runaway she still looked beautiful and flawless as she has always done. Adore needed to plan something in order to understand what was wrong – she hoped it wasn’t for their deal, and she had to know it before the next airing session.

Jay give him the perfect occasion. In the bus for their way back to the hotel he approached Danny and whispered “We have to celebrate, and I exactly know how” “Ganj please, I told you I don’t want to get stoned during the race” Danny didn’t even look at his friend. He was sure Jay was going to offer him some ‘fantastic weed a friend of a friend grows in his wardrobe’. “Girl, I was talking about going out tonight!” Even if he tried so hard to keep his voice volume low, he couldn’t really make it “I know how to escape from this prison” “Woah?! Really?!” As Danny heard ‘going out’ he suddenly felt excited. Twenty days closed in that hotel and now the only thing he really wanted was going out – without being eliminated from the challenge, of course. “Yes, please say we will. My room is the one next to Derienne’s and I swear if I heard her or any of those airheads laugh again I will put a gun in my head and pull the trigger” Jay took his hands in Dannys’, looking at him with puppy eyes. “Party!” Was the only thing Danny said, and Jay knew that was one of the 100 ways of Danny for saying yes, so he came back to his seat and giggled “at 10p.m. in front of the elevator, ok?” Danny nodded as he kept staring at the window – he caught Roy’s reflection and sighed. He wanted to invite him so bad. Something that meant “we’re not just two people that play together – we can be friends too, and friends go together in a club”. Hell, that’s exactly what he was going to tell him.

Hours later, Roy opened his door as someone knocked it. He was expecting it to be Benjamin – they had to join Shane and Greg for a drink. He was really surprised to see Danny instead. “Do you want to come out?” He started off suddenly, nervous as hell. During dinner Roy wouldn’t even gave him a second look, so all the discourse he prepared in the bus was a bunch of bullshits at that moment. “Out?” “Outside! We need to celebrate my win!” “You know it’s forbidden… do you?” “Yes I do. But being closed here is boring! So, so, so boring! Jay flirted with a concierge and he said he will let us use the back door. There’s a club, it’s not that far away and let’s be honest – none of the episode are already broadcasted, no one would recognize us out of drag” Danny put on the hood of his worn out hoodie. He tried to look funny and managed to get a smile out of him, but nothing happened. “Jay? Laganja? The one that makes you cry and furious?” Asked Roy ignoring most of the words Danny said. “When we’re not in the studios she’s still the same old chola I met years ago. Come on, Roy! We can have a drink and dance together” Danny tried to pull him closer, but Roy pushed him away as he shook his head. “I don’t get you. And no, I’m not coming. Shane invited me and others to have a drink at the hotel’s bar” Roy saw Danny’s smile disappearing from his face as he spoke “I thought you knew it.” The younger had nothing to reply. Of course the awesome Shane didn’t tell him anything. He has been speaking only with the older queens, the ones that were thought to be potential winners. Roy looked at the clock in the wall. In a moment Ben would be out of his room, which happened to be the one in front of Roy’s. He didn’t want him to see Danny in front of his room. Eventually, Danny spoke – and tried to be as natural as he could “No I didn’t, but… Hey! The hotel bar? I thought that was our place!” “And I thought you didn’t need to bitching in some unknown club” answered back Roy impatient. “You are jealous? If you ask, I’m not going to dance with anyone” Danny blinked “No, I’m just concerned” he crossed his arm. Please, please, please go. Danny sighed – how many time did Roy made him sigh that day?! “I will knock your door when I’ll come back” that was his last try. This was his night, he won the challenge and has every right to be treated as a queen. He wanted to celebrate and wanted Roy to be part of this moment of absolute joy – but he couldn’t force him. Not so much, at least. “Don’t bother” Roy didn’t wait for any replay, but closed his door as soon as he finished the sentence.

Later, Roy reached Shane, Greg and Ben. They talked about a lot oh things while drinking, but Roy was (as Shane noticed) extremely quiet. Too much for being him. Actually, Roy was thinking about how harsh he was with Danny. He didn’t deserve it. He was trying really hard to being friends with Roy – but he couldn’t help. He needed to stay focus on the race and nothing more. Especially, he didn’t want to give to the others something to gossip about. During the night he kept his profile low, laughing when needed and agreeing with everything has been said. Shane noticed it. Not that he was stalking Roy, but that attitude he kept having since yesterday seemed really strange. “Roy, are you fine? You didn’t say anything” eventually, Shane tried to do something. Maybe it wasn’t the right time, but he wanted to make sure that it wasn’t something serious. “Maybe he’s still burning about Adore’s victory” Greg suggested. “Guys, can you believe it?” Roy opened his mouth in a very fake shocked way “She basically won because I’m too kind for this race and cinched her!”. The others queen laughed. They kept on talking about the episode they just aired and, as Roy imagined, he found out that Greg was pretty a blabbermouth person. He had shades for every queen, and Roy shuddered at the thought of what he could have said about him. At 1a.m., the bartender asked politely the queens to leave “We are closing” he apologized before cleaning the tables.

“So sorry the night’s over…” said Ben in a whisper as they arrived in front of the elevator.   “Maybe not…” Shane answered back with a vicious smile, revealing he had a bottle of champagne hidden under his sweatshirt. “You Aussie bitch! Were did you took it?” “The bartender didn’t saw me so…” his laugh made the others doing the same. Roy felt a bit relieved. Those old chicks really helped him being a bit more cheerful and God, he really needed it. “Ok ladies, let’s go to my room” Roy proposed. It was kind of selfish of him, but he was sure that Danny would shown up at the end of his night of celebrations – and he didn’t want to be alone with him “and toast to these Aussies that stole our alcohol…” “…And the crown” Shane added, skipping in the hallway.

As soon as Greg and Ben decided it was time to go back to their rooms and exited Roy’s, Shane seized the opportunity “Ok, now you can tell me.” “Tell you what?” Roy looked at Shane puzzled. He noticed that during the evening Shane was suspicious towards him – as if he had done something strange. “What was today’s scene?” Ah, that’s the reason. “I thought that was the right thing to do, that’s all. I don’t really think of Adore as a competitor – I’m not scared of her, that’s why I cinched her” “You’re not scared by anyone” she sighed “But we both know I’m not talking about that scene. ‘Do I have a hot body now’?!” Shane tried to imitated Adore and Roy laughed, having to admit he was pretty good at it. But still, he had to play naïve “Shane, sorry, I still don’t get it.” “Well, I think we’re kind of…friends? So I can tell you.” The blonde set his glass down and looked at Roy right in the eyes “After episode five, I felt something different. Are you and Adore… a thing?” “What?!” Court shrugged “It was just a sensation” Roy was nervous. Bianca was a comedy queen, acting was something she should be used to. He thought that – to a certain extent – he should have gained enough self-confidence with Bianca’s help. In his out of drag life yes, he was sarcastic and harsh and all those kind of things – but at that moment he felt weak, extremely weak “You realized you’re basically asking me if I’m having an affair with Danny?” “Yes” “And not someone, but Danny. Who is fourteen years younger than me?” “He’s kind of hot for being in his early twenties…” “Bullshits” Roy was almost gasping. He felt nervous and attacked, and Shane could tell it. “Look Roy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound judgmental or something like that. Let’s pretend I didn’t say anything, ok?” Roy collapse into his bed “Don’t.” He breathed deeply “As you said, at this point we’re kind of friends” and that was the moment he started telling him anything. About the meeting with the producer, the deal and so on. He was the one who told Danny not to tell anyone and now he was spit it out – after four days. Good job Roy, he thought drinking what was left on his glass. “The thing is,” he said eventually “I’m not the type of person who does those kind of things. That’s not me” Shane was wide mouthed. He was sure there was something between them… but a contract? That was insane “Then why did you accepted in first place?” curiosity captured him – he wanted to know everything. A part of him was almost jealous: there was obviously something between them that enchanted the producers. He wondered how it felt, having such a strong connection with someone without even knowing it. “I… I don’t know. Danny was talking about opportunities and so on…” And then Shane did something Roy wasn’t expecting at all. He laughed, he laughed so hard he cried “Bianca Del Rio fucked up by a teenager” he dried a tear “Roy” he became suddenly serious “No one pushes you. No one pushed you. If you don’t want to do that, then stop. I’m sure Danny will understand.” Roy was about to reply, but got interrupted by a knock on his door.

Danny and Jay didn’t drink that much. Just few drinks, offered by some random guys. But Danny couldn’t enjoy the night as he hoped for. His mind was elsewhere – did he offended Roy in any way? Nah. He advised Roy he was going to be flirty as hell, he should have expected it. Maybe he didn’t like him at all? Not even by chance? That could be the first time someone rejects his attentions and, for the record, it hurts pretty much. Danny excused himself from a guy he’s been dancing around all night. He was cute, tall and his skin was milky – but in the end he couldn’t care less about him. He should have stayed in the hotel, forcing Roy to talk and then trying to spend some time with him. That was what he was supposed to do – staying with someone with whom Danny shared an important part of this journey. That fucking granpa ruined everything. “I want to go home” said Danny as he found Jay again in the crowd. He realized it was almost 2a.m. and he wanted to see if Roy was still awake and ready to talk. “Why?” Asked Jay, back from the bar with a tray of shots “the bartender gives us this!” “You know, I’m tired and all this stuff… Can we please go home?” Asked Danny again. Jay knew that if he would have said no, Danny would still have going home – even without him “Let’s drink one or two of this shots and then we’ll come back home, ok girl?”

What were those shots made from? Danny couldn’t tell, the only thing he knew was that they were strong enough and suddenly he wasn’t sober anymore. He still wanted to see Roy, but he wasn’t sure it was going to be a good idea. Hell, he wasn’t even sure how many of them did he drink.  He stayed silent all the way back to the hotel partly because they were hiding from the hotel staff, partly because his mind was wandering. “Ew, that’s the bitch’s room” said harshly Jay when the walked next to Roy’s room Fuck off, I’m doing it. Danny reversed his steps and reached for the door. “What are you doing?!” “I told him I’ll inform him!” “You what?” Asked Jay surprised, but Danny didn’t respond since he had already knocked the door. Was he sleeping? He couldn’t tell whether Roy was going to open or not. He smiled, thinking of him half asleep and with a hideous pajama. That’s why Danny was surprised to see Roy in the same clothes he was wearing in the evening, and not in night clothes, and most of all… he wasn’t alone?  Was that Shane?! “Oh, I thought you were alone” were the only words Danny was able to say. He saw Roy’s expression becoming from happy to nervous in a heartbeat. “I told you we were going to have a drink” “In the hotel’s bar, not in your room” Danny pointed. Jay opened his eyes wide. Why was Danny acting like that? Why was he worried for that grandpa? “Queens! No worries, I’m going to my room. Jay, you should too” Shane stepped in between Roy and Danny, smiling.

Roy and Danny stared at each other in silence until they heard Shane’s door being closed. Danny, leaning in the arch of the door, breathed and then finally spoke “I should be the one you are inviting to your room” and pointed the ‘I’ as if it was a matter of fact. “Danny. First of all, it’s just a drink – and you missed Ben and Greg for just a second. Second, I don’t need to give you any explanation” “But I…” “Also, you were the one that went to the club.” Roy knew he sounded too way fatherly, but he couldn’t help. That was his way to compensate his irritability “With Laganja, “added “and you smell like alcohol, how much did you drink?” “Not that much, I’m not drunk” Danny stamped his feet in temper. Duh, by acting this way you’re basically proving Roy’s right. “Go to sleep Danny” for once, Roy sounded caring. He had no point in fighting with someone who pretended not to be (a little) drunk. Danny looked at him, biting his lower lip “Why didn’t you asked me to join you and the others?” “I…” in a moment, Roy thought of what Shane told him minutes before – all that shits about being sincere sounded good “I’m so uncomfortable Danny. I know I should take it easy, but I don’t. ‘Cause I have to pretend and that’s not me. I’ve always been honest, brutally honest. And I thought I could resist, chatting with you and stuff, but I have never felt so under pressure before. And I can’t stand why it seems so easy for you.” “You know we can stop whenever we won’t, don’t you?” He waited for Roy to nod and then continued “maybe for me it’s really easier. Maybe because I’ve always admired you and you look so fascinating to me. So maybe I have a childish crush on you – that’s why I don’t mind being around Bianca as I did in those days” he paused, breathing “was it too much?  Fuck, I didn’t mean to confess you” Roy looked at him. Danny’s cheeks were a bit redder than before. It’s not his fault – I’m the stupid one. “One of the best confession someone has ever done to me” he said playfully “Thank you. Not for the confession, I mean” “If you want to stop now, just tell me. I won’t mind, really.” Danny has never looked so serious and mature before – that’s what Roy thought as he was looking him right in the eyes. “No, let’s give our fake relationship another shot” he decided suddenly “if all else fails, we would have found a friend in each other. And here, in this race, I really need a real friend.” “Are we friends?!” Danny wondered how much did he drink. “Yes, I’d really like to.” Danny looked over the other guy’s shoulder. In the wooden table there still was the champagne, half full “Why don’t we toast to this friendship by finishing the bottle?” He proposed “Why do you always propose me to drink?” “Because I want you to get drunk and then take advantage of the situation” he joked, and a smile peeked on his face “Just kidding” “Don’t make me regret it and enter” “Wait. Is it kind of a date?” Roy laughed, letting Danny enter in his room.   Immediately Danny jumped in his bed “hey, at least put your shoes off” said falsely pissed Roy, giving him a glass. Actually he didn’t want him to stay in his bed, but he couldn’t complain about everything. For that day he has been grumpy enough. “Join me” replied nonchalantly Danny, patting the space next to him in the bed. Roy obeyed “Danny” he started after minutes of silence “I’m really sorry, for being a grumpy all those days” “For a moment I thought it was the actual you. I got scared” The older one felt more relaxed. He hadn’t sleep well in those days, but since the biggest cause of his stress was gone, he was dead tired. “No I’m… an ordinary person, I suppose. Nothing noteworthy” “Don’t be humble, it doesn’t suit you” Danny placed his head on Roy’s shoulder “shall we watch tv? Late night programs are the trashiest” Roy smiled “Ok, but just thirty minutes. I really need to sleep”

Thirty minutes passed, but Danny didn’t really want to leave. He felt comfortable next to Roy – even staying like this. He wasn’t the type of person that enjoyed silence, but in that moment he didn’t need to add a single word to that situation. Was it too much asking Roy to stay? He has been silent since they started watching tv. “I’m going to sleep here” he tried. He was ready for a harsh replay, but it didn’t come. Roy was already asleep. Danny placed a blanket over them and closed his eyes.

[catastrothicc]

one of these days i'll make a coherent intro post, however *bts vc* not today !!  hello and welcome to johnny's world where we're shit @ introductions and even worse at consistency. honestly i cant stick to shit someone assist. anyways ! i bring the last piece of the puzzle rocky, who for some unfathomable reason wasn't taken ?? and i cried ?? fate. uh right i'm 19 and i never fkcing learned how to read. mdt timezone. them/they pronouns. continue under the read more to kill some brain cells !! 

tw: physical and mental abuse/manipulation, drugs/alcohol and death/murder. 

here's his soundtrack if u wanna listen while u read 

DON'T DWELL ON THE PAST // ( i'm not even sure if i'm sticking to this [ looks @ admins nervously ] so things might change up if it doesn't fall w/ the right timeline. ) ( forgive the length the muse is real )

born on october 31st, 1995 ( happy halloween ) in deadtree, rocky was an entirely healthy baby received with much love by his mother and with some hesitance by his father. all he knew was how to shit and cry and life was a paradise, until eventually the months started rolling by that became three years and his mother was in a freak car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down and with a bad case of major head trauma. 

rocky still firmly believes that she woke up from her coma by god's will even if her basic executive function skills and self-regulations were gone. she had to be taken care of just like him, and the doctor's promised she'd learn to eat on her own again and her speech problems would regulate. this... did not happen. maybe it would've, if she had lived longer, but rocky never got to see the day when he didn't have to help his mom bathe or brush her hair. 

his dad was the only source of income in the household besides his mom's monthly pension that the man would take and then disappear for days. he was bitter about having to raise rocky all on his own and even more bitter about the hefty hospital bills they were going to be paying off for the next several years. all the man wanted to do was laze about with a beer in his hand and a blunt in the other. 

from early on he was prone to anger and it often manifested itself physically, so rocky would always have a bruise or two somewhere on his body. it was fine as long as the man wasn't hurting his mom, and he couldn't do anything else but accept the rough treatment. 

he and his mom were becoming more and more neglected by his father, who only provided the bare minimum to eat and took his wife's pills for himself. rocky was already in school and he was that kid who always got off the bus running to get home. no one knew that he always ran to make sure his mom was okay while he was gone. 

he was nine years old when his dad handed him a bottle of morphine and explained to him that the whole bottle would help his mom get a good night's sleep for once. rocky, knowing how much his mom struggled to rest, took the bottle and put each and every pill in his moms hand and watched her drink them until the last one. she did go to sleep, of course. rocky thought he'd done good until she didn't wake up the next morning. 

he grew incredibly distant from his dad after this. he was already used to taking care of himself and his mom was the only reason he really bothered to make it home early, so after her death he got into every after-school activity he could manage, and when it wasn't enough, he ran around the streets with the older kids and pretended to be *cool*.

he started dabbling with the drug scene really early on in middle school, when he realized that his dad would never strive to be anything else but a piece of shit, so he decided to steal his pills and weed just like the man had stolen his mothers medication. he would sell them to his upperclassmen and never took any for himself because he saw what they could do, though eventually he did weed in high school and besides the occasional dose of ecstasy he doesn't do more than that.

one day, at age seventeen, he went home and his dad was gone. he waited for three weeks before he sold everything and fixed up a small abandoned house that became his new abode. with the cash he'd gotten from the car and the furniture he began growing his own hella dank nug, and eventually there was word on the streets about it. his dad had always been his unaware provider, but soon enough rocky joined a group as a dealer while selling his own stuff on the side.

he didn't want to follow under someone else so he got to the roots and offered the group's providers a better deal and eventually the business was going to him alone. people saw more opportunity with him and they flocked to his side one by one until he ran the original leader to the ground. honestly this kid was hella good in school and just as good in the streets. 

of course it didn't happen without a fight tho so talk about several near-death experiences !! the streets are dangerous children stay in school.

fast forward, he had what he intensely regrets with elaine-- honestly had a good time dating a rich ‘good’ girl until he got real bad vibes from her and it wasn't chill anymore. felt real personally attacked that she was ashamed of him and broke it tf off. fuck a fake bitch !! 

( me: plays hero by enrique iglesias for this section ) and then shiloh came ! his lord and savior. his fkcing BAE. would do ANYTHING for this boy is2g makes me so emo i'm shAKING just thinking about it. rocky truly believes this boy is his soul mate. he loves him so much oh my godfjsdh.

at this point his drug ring wasn't at all what it is now. it was relatively small and the profits weren't all that good but he was doing what he could. he had steady members who had been with him since the start and shiloh became an addition along with his best girl giselle and (eventually) barbara. honestly the dream squad nothing could stop them they were invisible. unfortunately there was a snake in their ranks and goddamn he's glad she showed herself honestly good fucking riddance barbie. he felt real betrayed after she left but if anything he thinks it made his crew tighter and stronger. still hates tht bitch tho afTER EVERYTGIH HE DID FOR HER.

( to be 10/10 honest tho rocky is a manipulative bastard and he thinks he's real slick but barbie caught on and he feels extremely attackt )

anyways so knowing that shiloh and giselle are his tru ride or die pals ( 👀 @ giselle ) the business continues and they're still the dream squad. sure they're doing shady af things and they've always been doing them but u kno what they say there ain't no rest for the wicked !! 

he didn't at all like the fact tht shiloh pursued an internship w/ the mulani family but he tried to keep it chill because he loves and supports his bae but honestly could not do it. he doesn't personally pay too many visits to sycamore city precisely bc he goddamn loathes the mulani and moon families after all they've done to his people ( esp the moon’s ) and to think shiloh was getting involved w/ them really tested him as a person. he fcking failed because of how much shiloh wanted a pass into the city and rocky held him back but he's so goddamn proud of their love like damn. he knows he doesn't offer everything shiloh wants but he's out here tryin' his best to get his bae the life he deserves even if he's the worst street rat and everybody knows it. 

( what is he secretly doing w/ all tht money tho hmmm ) 

BABY RIDE WITH ME // in regards to the *gollum vc*  precious ( the ring )

just so the squad and ex-squad can get a feel of how rocky runs the ring i'm includin' this here

so rocky makes it a point to be an approachable leader whom you can go to with your problems and he'll have your back 100%. honestly everyone's dad there's no one left out. he keeps his status as the leader not by cruel acts to show what happens to rats but by making sure he's understood by each individual member. he's not the violent type at all unless someone really tests him but this guy preaches that people understand by words and acts of kindness not by violence and torture. he needs loyalty above all else so he offers a safe sanctuary to anyone who needs it. it comes with a price ofc but all he asks is that u do ur job and he'll keep u off the streets. basically in his group everyone has each other's backs and he's involved with everyone, not only because it helps him keep close tabs on everything but because that blanket of safety for his members is very important to him. 

when it comes to his dealers he basically lets them do things their own way as long as they're not out there hurting innocent people. he pays by commission so it's really up to the dealers how much they wanna sell and who they wanna sell it to. he doesn't force his own morals onto his peeps so if they wanna sell to junkies who are gonna overdose on their next hit then that's really up to them. he just tries to guide them by telling em' the right things to do even in a shady business like their own. 

w/ that being said shiloh is also a huge part of it, being his right hand man and all. rocky isn't all too meticulous or anything fancy like that, so he leaves a lot of decisions up to shiloh and honestly they're both huge dads just running a drug ring fjsiudhfgi 

HE KNOWS HE'S SO FUCKING TALENTED // regarding his personality 

rocky is a cocky piece of shit honestly i hate it but best concept

he genuinely thinks so highly of himself ?? even though he knows he's up to Some Shit ??

anyways i just wanted to mention that LMAO but find his full list of attributes here that i jst ctrl c ctrl v from the app. honestly will tell u all about his personality. thanks for reading this long ass, terribly structured, shitty shitty intro honestly u.... deserve a medal if u got thru it. is it too late to mention tht english is not my first language fhsuidfh 

[lcydragneel]

Day 2: Secrets

Highschool AU

Word Count: 2k

Summary:  Lucy escaped from her old life under a secret identity to hide from her past. Little does she know it will all catch up to her on her eighteenth birthday while she’s spending the day with Natsu.

Lucy sat on the bar stool in front of the dining table, scooching closer in towards to rest her elbows upon it. She then gently laid her head in between her hands and sighed, looking up to face the person sitting across from her.   "What's wrong, Lucy?" The man across from her called, running his fingers through his spiky locks as his face adorned a white sparkly grin. He could tell something was the matter with the blonde, and he couldn't help to smile since he was always wanting to cheer her up.   She shifted her chocolate brown eyes to meet his, and couldn't help but smile too since his was always so contagious.   "Nothing Natsu, don't worry about it. Just stressed out a bit." Lucy said softly, muttering a few words to herself under her breath. It was along the lines of her trying to convince herself everything was fine, but he overheard and knew better, no matter how dense he seemed.   The pinkette pursed his lips a little unsure what to do then since she wouldn't talk. He didn't want to pry, but he wasn't much for  conversations in awkward tension either. He looked down towards the plastic tablecloth below him, pondering what to say.

    The two had spent the entire summer day together doing frivolous little things around the town. They went shopping, checked out new stores, and tried on clothes at the fashion boutiques. Although it was mostly Lucy doing all of that, and him trailing behind her complaining as he carried her bags.   "Lucy, you don't have to be weird about it." He sighed curious about what was troubling her, but at the same time curious as to what he'd order since we starving.

    He wasn't sure what to do about her though, since she was always usually acting happy no matter what was bothering her deep down. He just wanted to protect her from whatever was making her feel such a way, but he couldn't if he was clueless. Although he immediately expected it to be a person upon instinct as to what was troubling her.   The blonde girl thought over the idea in her head repeatedly of whether she should tell her best friend, she always trusted him with about everything in her life. He knew her more than she even knew herself half the time.   "Natsu, it's about my dad." She began, sitting up straight to face him as they conversed. 

  At that exact moment, a loud banging noise rang through the small restaurant at the corner of the street. The glass doors had been thrown open revealing a couple of men dressed in clean black suits. They each wore a pair of dark, not fashionable, sunglasses to hide their faces from everyone in the vicinity.   A chill ran down Lucy's spine as she prayed to whoever was out there that it wasn't who she thought it was, her father’s personal mini militia of bodyguards. She hoped with every ounce of her being that they weren't there for her. She did everything she possibly could to be untraceable and hidden from everyone else.   She immediately picked up a tall card menu and hide her face behind it, grabbing her long golden hair to tuck it behind her and out of view from the entrance.   Natsu instantly noticed the girl's odd reaction upon the dressed men's arrival, and he knew something extremely odd was going on. He knew without a doubt he needed to protect her like he'd always promised to do, and had always done with a fight.   As the group of three mysterious figures surveyed the area, the pink haired boy slowly stood up to face towards them with confidence evident upon his facial features. The threatening aura was very obvious to everyone emitting from him, he looked serious without a doubt.   "You're going to tell me everything later, but for now I'm going to see what these jerks want." Natsu declared with a firm voice as he balled his fists. He could feel a fiery passion of protectiveness boiling inside of him.   "Natsu...don't!" The blonde whispered with a stern tone, as she barely peeked the top of her head from the top of the menu to look at him.   When she did that, the group caught a glimpse at her facial features and immediately started heading over to the two at the dining table. As the three started to hastily walk towards them is when Natsu caught site of the Heartfilia family crest ironed onto the fabric of the suits. It stood out with its golden colored thread forming the large symbol with the blonde's last name written under it.   Lucy began tearing up terrified about what was about to unravel before her, she just wanted nothing more than to spend the day with her friend. She didn't want to have to handle any of the drama that was soon to occur.   "Lucy Heartfilia." The man in the middle of the trio announced sternly, more of stating his question.   That's when Natsu immediately jumped in front of her as they finally neared, causing the attention of everyone at the restaurant to have their attention focused on what was happening.   "What do you want with her?" The pinkette spat towards the men, not even caring to figure out the answer to that question.   He just knew it was serious if the blonde was honestly so scared that it had been eating at her for awhile. He had noticed that she'd been acting more strange than usual, that day. He just didn't want to bring it up before, because he knew she'd get mad and hit him for calling her weird.   "We are here to retrieve Mrs. Lucy Heartfilia, heir to the Heartfilia railroad company. We are on strict orders to bring her back to the estate, seeing as today is the day she can take over the family business." Another one of the shady figures announced as they stood before Natsu, all being much more taller and built than he was, which still didn't intimidate him.   "What do you mean?" Natsu replied with a snarl, balling his fists. He'd be damned if he let anyone take away Lucy from him. Not if she obviously didn't want to go.   "It is her eighteenth birthday, July 1st. It tis the day Mrs. Heartfilia will take her place, and not continue to run away and hide from her responsibility as she has been for the past four years." The last man declared, finally speaking up. Natsu giving a raised eyebrow towards her hidden figure having no clue it was her birthday, she’d always told him it was a day in February.   The blonde girl finally lowered the menu to reveal her shocked face, seeing as they already knew her hidden identity. She had done everything she possibly could to ensure her safety, only revealing her real last name to Natsu and telling him a short story about her verbally abusive, money hungry father. She just didn't include every single bit of information in what she did entrust him with.   "I'm not going to let any one of you goons touch her!" Natsu shouted, causing everyone else to realize the severity of the situation and either run out of the building or hide.   "We do not wish to get physical, we just require the presence of the woman and we will leave."   The pinkette brought his fists up and collided it into the jaw of whichever one was the closest to him, sending the man stumbling back.

  The other two stepped forward and restrained Natsu by his arms as he flailed and struggled fiercely. He didn't care if he was obviously overpowered by bigger men, he wasn't going to give up.

  “You're not going to take Lucy!” He screamed prepared to protect his highschool friend at any cost.

  “You just assaulted an officer, young man.” The guy with sandy blonde hair announced firmly, gripping the pinkette’s muscular arms harshly.

  “You aren’t no damn officer, you're just some freaks who work for her father.” Natsu raised his voice as he kicked one of their shins.

  The man who had been punched fixed his glasses on his face, went to reach for something in his pocket. He pulled out a wallet, opening it to reveal a police badge.

  Lucy could only watch the scene reveal itself silently, stunned with fear that she couldn't move or speak.

  “Now stop resisting, or we have to detain you. We just need Lucy Heartfilia.” The dark haired man holding his other arm said.

  Natsu had never known his limits, especially with the law. He had many arson incidents on his record as it was. He definitely wasn't going to start caring then when it was up to him to protect Lucy though.

  He put all his weight on his arms that were being restrained and kicked his legs up to collide with the officer’s jaw once more.

  “I'm not going to let anyone touch Lucy, ever.” Natsu screamed furiously, anger pulsing through his blood.

  The guy who had been attacked stumbled back only slightly before he immediately reached for a gun on his belt, and pulled it out with the barrel facing the young boy.

  “What the fuck!” Natsu screamed staring at the gun pointed towards his face.

  By that point everyone had left the vicinity, even the restaurant employs had vacated not wanting to get caught up with the law.

  At that moment, Lucy finally jumped up to intervene and face her problems. She always depended on Natsu to save her, but this time it was her job to save him from dealing with her own issues.

  She throw herself between the gun and the man with her arms spread out, and a stern look upon her face.

  “Stop this, leave him alone this instant and I will go with you with no complaints.” The blonde girl announced with as much confidence as she could muster, despite her slim legs shaking under her.

  The man holding the weapon took a moment to consider her offer before lowering his arms and signaling for his buddies to let go of Natsu.

  “Fine, but there better not be any more fuss. Your father isn't paying us to be late.”

  The reason as to why police were even under the control of Jude Heartfilia wasn't known to many except Lucy. She knew her father was sneaky and conniving with money. It wasn't a surprise someone handling a railroad company would be in charge of much more.

  Natsu and Lucy both turned to each other once he was released. They started running and immediately wrapped their arms around each other. The world seemed to stop revolving as the two hugged.

  They didn't want to let go, but they both knew they had to for the best. Despite the burning passion in the pinkette’s chest he knew this was a fight she’d have to face herself. He believed she could handle anything though, she was Lucy Heartfilia, one of the strongest girls he knew without a doubt.

  “Your life is here with your friends, not him,” he whispered in her ear, “I'll find you and save you, no matter what. I promise.”

   “I know you will,” Lucy replied giving him a light kiss on the cheek before reluctantly breaking away from him.

  The three men got between them and slowly ushered her out the door. As the four figures left the building, she flashed him one last smile that he could remember her bye with.

  Natsu just watched her retreating body disappearing past his view through the glass windows. He stood in his spot stunned from what had all happened. He should have just stayed home with her, if they had he believed this wouldn't have had. He blamed himself.

  He couldn't do anything while he watched her being taken away. That fact burned in his chest, tearing his heart apart. What if he never saw her again?

  No, he couldn't think that. He would do anything for her, and he wasn't going to let some policemen who pulled a gun too quickly to prevent him this time.

  Even if her secret identity under the name of Lucy Ashley couldn't protect her anymore, he would. That was a fact.

A/N: I lowkey started this on the NaLu book club word sprint yesterday, but was too lazy to finish it. I’m disappointed in myself for taking so long to contribute to the own week I created but y’know. I’m lazy. Sorry it’s cringy, I tried to think of something. 

[dcreed013]

Chapter 3: The Grimoire

Ellie woke that morning to the sound of a bird calling directly above her. She stared at the ring of early morning sky for awhile, disoriented. Then yesterday’s events began to replay and slowly sank back into her, and her stomach felt heavier as she recalled that she was still a ways from home.

She turned her head and glanced over to her right to spot her new companion, Chevias. He was still asleep, his back to her and his tail lying twisted in the dirt like a huge snake. The tail twitched occasionally and Ellie was once again amazed and slightly alarmed at how bizarrely quite Chevias was. Thanks to her father and older brothers, she had been under the impression that all men’s snoring sounded like wild animal growls or saws going thorough wood. But Chevias’ snore was so quiet and soft that it was almost indistinguishable from the rustling of the leaves in the trees above her. She was half convinced he wasn’t actually sleeping, but his lack of response when she softly called his name proved he was.

Ellie got the distinct feeling that walking over to him and shaking him awake would result in her being smacked across the clearing , so instead she sat up and tossed a rock near him. It clacked loudly on another rock near his head, and the witch bolted upright with a startled and sleepy mumble. He came to his senses with amazing speed, considering Ellie had spent about five minutes groggily staring at the sky, and looked over at her.

“Oh right…morning.”

“Good morning….”

Chevias yawned loudly and started stretching, reminding Ellie of the old cats in Flatrend. Ellie tried to get up and was met with a sharp pain in her back and aches in her legs. Chevias noticed her rubbing at her back, “Stiff back? Sleeping on the ground’ll do that. Try twisting and popping it, like this.” He demonstrated and Ellie copied him, flinching in horror as her back made a series of loud popping sounds. However, it did help the pain, and Ellie was able to stand up and look around.

The fire pit in the middle was now just ashes, the smell of smoke still hanging in the air. She looked down at herself and found that the bright yellow of her dress was getting dull with dirt. ‘Just as well,’ she supposed, ‘it was annoyingly bright anyway.’

Chevias was nice enough to let Ellie have some of the water from his waterskin, though it was made of some hard metal and he called it a canteen. She shared some of her bread and cheese the old woman had given her for breakfast, and the two made their way back to the main road to continue their trip.

This walk was much like the yesterdays, though there was less terrified silence on Ellie’s part. They talked for most of the way, but this time Ellie found that Chevias was less willing to talk about himself, to her annoyance and frustration. Ellie was extremely curious about witches, but whenever Ellie asked him a question about him or witches, he would either flip it around to ask about her or smoothly change the subject.

“So, what’s your family like?”

“Oh, what you’d expect. What about yours?”

The chat had been going on in this fashion for a while and at this point, Ellie was quite annoyed with his suddenly suspicious behavior. She put her hands on her hips and huffed, “Alright, why are you acting strange? You were so chatty yesterday, and now you’re dodging my questions!”

He looked a little caught off guard by Ellie’s directness, “What? I’m not dodging.”

“Yes you are!”

He sighed and paused for a moment, thinking about something, before replying. “Ok, look Ellie. The fact of the matter is, part of my job includes keeping my mouth closed about it. Apparently, the higher ups aren’t comfortable with people knowing a lot about witches, so they tell us that the most important part is to keep quiet and not cause any scenes. An annoyingly big part of our training is keeping up conversations while being what they call ‘diplomatic’.” He put that last word in air quotes.

“What they really mean is that they don’t want non-witches in witch business, so they train us to shut our yaps about it.”

Ellie was incredulous about this, “But what about that big story yesterday?”

“I’m allowed to tell people what I’m doing, not why I’m doing it. Plus, you were jumping at shadows yesterday. Let’s just say there’s a big, long list of subjects that are a no-no, ok?”

“Talking about your family is a no-no?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, but stayed silent.

“Right, no-no. Well then, can you just tell me if you’re not allowed to talk about a subject instead of jumping over it? This is all sounding really suspicious.”  

He sighed again, sounding exasperated, “Yeah, I know it does. I’ve told my boss a big part of why people don’t like witches is how shady we’re told to act. But she just-” he cut himself off.

“…No-no?”

“Yup, yeah, that was a no-no. Say, why don’t you tell me about your family now, before I start running my mouth again?”

So Ellie talked about her family for a long while. She talked about Wormwood farm’s history, about the dragon scale roof, and about town. She found that talking about her life was a far more productive course of conversation than Chevias’. It seemed every time she ventured to ask about his personal life, he had to shut her down for it being against the rules.

Ellie couldn’t fathom why his ‘higher ups’ were against him talking about his parents or school, or even about where he lives on the occasions he’s not traveling. She didn’t know how they would know if he did talk about them, but when she voiced this question, he just shook his head again. It was quite frustrating, so instead of trying to pry information out of him, she buried her curiosity and tried to focus on chatting about the other kids in town and how big a deal the adult made of the school teacher’s alleged affair with the butcher.

“I’m actually not really sure what an ‘affair’ is, but it must be something really terrible for the adults to almost kick them out of town over it. Do know what it is Chevias?”

He had seemed to be amused by the small town gossip, but Ellie was surprised by how loud he laughed at that question. His laugh was sharp and barking, and surprisingly shrill compared to his normal voice. He quickly reigned himself in and chuckled, “That’s something for your parents to tell you, not me. So, did they get kicked out?”  

               As a matter a fact, they hadn’t. Ellie hadn’t been there to hear it, but apparently there had been a big commotion in the square one afternoon while she was helping her brothers fix the henhouse roof. After that incident, the townspeople stopped pestering the teacher as much and instead focused on the teenage son of a merchant who lived in town. She relayed this to Chevias.

               “Why’d they do that?”

               Ellie shrugged, “I kept hearing different stories. Harriet Row told me that he made a mess of the statue in the middle of town, but Eddy Warthren said he’d harassed a lady and had a fight with her husband. Then Sarah Trout said he’d set off some kind of explosion, Trevor Grove said he won a duel to the death in the square, and Patrick Morton said that he’d let a bunch of wild cat’s loose on a fish merchant! By the time I heard about it, there were a thousand different stories!”

               “You couldn’t just ask someone who was there?”

               Ellie threw up her hands, “You think I didn’t try that? Every time I asked someone who supposedly saw it, they’d just brush me off and say ‘never mind all that’!”  

               Ellie was surprised she could talk about her town so much. She had always been under the impression that Flatrend was a boring place where not much of note happened. But every time she thought she’d exhausted a thread of conversation, she remembered another funny or odd thing that happened. She had also been worried that Chevias would quickly get bored of the silly nonsense and stop paying attention to it, but she found that either he was genuinely interested in the goings on of a small town, or he was just an excellent listener. Anyone else she knew would’ve tuned out long ago.  

               As she recounted the tale of when a horde of the town’s troublemaking kids had plucked a bunch her family’s chickens so they could tar and feather the statue in town square, Chevias stopped walking abruptly and interrupted.

               “Hey, we’re almost there.”

               She stopped next to him, “Almost where? I don’t see the town.”

               Indeed, it had been several hours, but they were still far from town. Chevias pointed over to the right side of the road, “This is the turn off for where I’m going. It’s a bit of a detour, but there’s a way to get to Tyman from there to.” He paused a bit, “This way might even be safer than the main road.”

               He started heading for the edge of the forest before looking back at her, “Last chance to change your mind. Are you coming or not?”

               “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

               Ellie dashed after him and followed him off the road. Unlike the path to the clearing, which had been completely hidden aside from the scratches of Witch-Speak on the trees, this path was marked by nothing more than a thin deer trail. Ellie had a bit of trouble pushing through the thick brush, but Chevias seemed to know the path down to each step to take.

               “So where are we going?”

               “To a small, unnamed lake. It shouldn’t be far. I was told it was about a ten minute walk from the road.”

               “You were told? You mean you’ve never been there before?!”

“No, not to this place specifically. Don’t worry, I know where I’m going. I don’t get lost.”

His confidence made Ellie want to believe him, but she wasn’t entirely certain anyone could keep they’re bearings in the forest like this. If it wasn’t for the barely-there deer trail, she wouldn’t have known if they were going straight or in circles.

After a few minutes of walking deeper into the forest, doubt started to creep up from the recesses of her mind. The darkness of the foliage and the stiff air were causing her mind to swing back to the anxiety that had been waiting to resurface. ‘Idiot,’ a voice told her, ‘you’re an idiot! You should’ve waved goodbye to him back on the road and made your merry way to Tyman. But nooo, you decided to put your faith in a witch! You let one of the most notoriously untrustworthy creatures in all of creation lead you off the road and to Thia knows where!’

‘Chevias has been nothing but nice and helpful,’ Ellie argued with the voice. ‘Yes he’s a little suspicious, but if he’s not allowed to talk about things, then I should respect that. Besides, he didn’t force me to follow him! I had every opportunity to go on without him!’

‘Then why didn’t you?!’

Ellie wrestled with her doubt for a long time, not even noticing that she was making a very troubled face that Chevias could clearly see. He didn’t try to snap her out of it though. If anything, he found the fact that everything she thought showed on her face rather funny.

So he didn’t bother her fight with her inner turmoil until they finally reached the lake. He had to reach out and grab her shoulder to keep her from walking right into it.

“Ah!” The feeling of his hand brought her back to reality quickly.

“Watch out. It’s a steep drop down.”

So it was. Ellie looked around at the strange lake. If you could call it a lake, that is. It was almost perfectly round, and about ten feet in diameter. The water in it was a murky green from algae and lily pads, and the bottom of it was completely obscured so you couldn’t tell how deep it was. It had less of a bank than a steep drop into the dark water. It had no sign of a creek or stream running through it. It looked more like a man-made pond than something you’d find in the middle of a forest. “Chevias, you said we were going to a lake. This doesn’t look like a lake.”

He scratched his head, a little puzzled, “Yeah, it does. Errol told me it was a lake, so I thought it’d be bigger.” He started digging through his bag and mumbled, “Though I suppose it is a lake for someone his size.”

“What?”

“Anyways, this is defiantly it. Look here.” He walked over to and crouched beside a rock that was sitting besides the pond. Ellie joined him to see that the rock had some now familiar looking scratches. Below the scratches and taking up the majority of the rock was peculiar handprint with only four digits; the thumb and three fingers.

“What’s this?”

“The entrance.”

Chevias finally pulled what he’d been looking for out of his bag. It was a slim book with a silvery, metallic-looking cover. Ellie looked at it with wide eyes. “What’s that?”

He smiled, “This is a grimoire. Can’t tell you more than that though. Sorry.”

Ellie pouted as he opened the book to reveal…blank pages. The pages of the book were a little odd, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was about them that was strange. She raised her brow, “It’s blank.”

“Yup.”

Chevias ran his finger down the center of the book and, to Ellie’s shock and amazement, the book lit up with bright green lettering. She gasped as the green light crisscrossed into Witch-Speak across the pages. Then, as she watched, Chevias gave the book a command. He only said one word, and she would bet it was in Witch-Speak because she’d never heard anything like it.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t tell.”

She huffed, “So you can do whatever this is right in front of my face, but you can’t tell me what it is?”

“Yeah, that’s how it works.”

“That’s stupid. These are stupid rules.”

“They are, but I still have to follow them. Now pipe down.”

She didn’t know what it was he told the book to do, but the characters on the book pages flashed and changed, settling into a single line of letters. Chevias tapped those letters with his finger and then the pages once again filled up with Witch-Speak. Chevias gave another command and the letters flashed and changed once more. This time he took the time to read what was on the page instead of poking at it.

“Ok…ok, simple enough. Easy.”

He reached over to the stone and placed his hand over the print, pressing his pinky and ring finger together so they’d fit into the groove made for one. After settling it into the indent, he glanced back over at Ellie, “Stand back, ok?”

She obeyed and hopped away from him as he looked back at the book and read aloud from it. He rattled off a string of Witch-Speak that sent a chill up Ellie’s spine. From the snippets he’d said, she could gather that Witch-Speak was a language mostly comprised of hard constantan sounds and lots of ‘sh’ noises. It wasn’t a pretty sounding language, like Runic or Hedeshoi. It was slithering and clicking, harsh and sharp, like the lettering that matched it.

As the last syllable left Chevias’ tongue, the scratching above the hand print started to glow the same green as the grimoire, and the ground trembled a bit as the sound of rushing water filled Ellie’s ears.  She looked back at the pond to see that the murky water was draining from the pond at a startling rate, disappearing within a few minutes.

Ellie peered into the now empty hole in the ground, astounded, as Chevias stood up. She saw that the muddy water had been concealing the fact that the pond was quite deep; a little deeper than Chevias was tall. “Well, that’ll do. Come on.”

She gaped at him, “Come? Come where?”

Then he hopped down in the hole and landed without slipping on the slimy pond scum and vegetation that had sunk to the bottom. He turned back to her and held out his arms, “Come on down, I’ll catch you.”

The look on her face told him what she thought of that.

“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you. Unless you’d rather try to come down yourself.”

Ellie was always a little frightened by heights, as her father can attest from when he tried to put her on his shoulders. Although the drop wasn’t terribly high, it was still a little under six feet. Ellie was a rather small for her age, and she only came up to about the bottom of Chevias’ ribcage. She looked for another option but found that the walls of the pond were made of a smooth stone; it was defiantly manmade. With no way to climb down, she sighed and steeled herself.

She dropped off the edge and quickly landed in Chevias’ arms, who barely dipped down under her weight. She didn’t know if she should be surprised by how strong his arms felt considering how skinny he was, or not at all considering she watched him drag a bear off the road.

Either way, he set her down on her feet quickly. “Alright, start kinda shifting all the debris around. There should be a hatch door on the floor.”

It wasn’t one minute before Ellie tripped over it. She would’ve landed with her face in the algae if Chevias hadn’t lashed his tail out and caught her by the waist with it. His tail was as thin and flexible as a length of rope and just as solid and steady under her weight as his arms. She was genuinely creeped out by it, only able to remember a picture of a snake squeezing the life out of its prey she’d once seen in a book, but sputtered a thank you as he uncoiled it from her and walked closer to see the door.  

He crouched down and wiped the debris off it, revealing a metal door with no visible handle, knob, or hinges. Instead, there was only another one of those strange handprints on the center of it within a circle of Witch-Speak. Chevias opened like he drained the pond; he put his hand on it and read a line from the grimoire. This time, it wasn’t as responsive. The letters flickered a bit, as though trying to obey him, but having trouble doing so.

               “Come on you piece of….” He muttered and banged on the hatch. The lights blinked on and stayed steady as a soft whirring noise sounded, and the door swung up and opened by itself. It revealed a hole going down with ladder rungs protruding from one side. Ellie peered down and could see that there was a landing not too far down that lead to a narrow corridor that sloped down into darkness.

               “What in Thia’s name IS all this?”

               Chevias was already starting to climb down the ladder rungs, “It’s an old bunker. Two-hundred years or so ago we built hidden bunkers like this to house soldiers for the war. They’re scattered around, but most of them have been forgotten. Records of this one were only recently dug up.”  

               Ellie started down the ladder after him, “I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

               “I’d be surprised if you did. I didn’t think there was any this far west, but I guess they managed to scrap this one together right before the tables turned.”

               “Wait, is it ok for me to be here?” As she asked this, Ellie reached the bottom of the ladder and stepped onto the landing, squinting into the darkness to see what looked like entryways lining the walls of the hallway.

               Chevias nodded, “Yeah, it should be fine. It’s not like it’s a secret that places like this exist. There’s one over in Ovanhagen that’s been converted into a kind of museum.”

               Chevias reached over to the wall beside him and firmly placed his hand on some kind of panel, and then the dark gloom of the bunker was alleviated by a red glow from the rooms lining the halls that spilled through the doorways. The whirring noise sounded again and Ellie looked back up to see that the trapdoor was closing on its own. As it shut, there was a faint but strange sound that a little like wheezing that was followed by the muffled sound of running water. Now that the door was closed, the pond was refilling.

               Chevias started walking down the path and Ellie hesitated a moment before following him. The corridor was just wide enough for two adults to walk abreast, and was oddly sloping downwards, but the rooms were level, as Ellie saw when she passed the nearest one. The rooms were huge and filled with dusty looking beds. The bedding was mostly tattered cloths and what looked like rolled up clothes for pillows. The red light shone from a huge plate in the ceiling, strangely bright and vivid and cast deep shadows across this gloomy, forgotten place.

               Each door had scratching of Witch-Speak above them that also glowed that menacing red. She wasn’t entirely certain, but Ellie could guess that they denoted what kind of room was below them. As they descended, they passed one set of what she assumed were barracks after another, until finally the hall leveled out. Ellie had no idea how deep underground they were, but the mere thought of it was about to give her a bout of claustrophobia.

               To combat the panic that was welling up in her chest, she started talking again. “Chevias, why are the lights red here?” She had expected her voice to echo, but the echo she got was far louder and creepier than what she expected. Her voice reverberated for a full minute before finally dissipating.

               “Red light is easy on the eyes. If someone stumbled in here at night, they wouldn’t be totally blinded by it.”

               “Oh…well, umm…can you tell me what happened here?”

               Chevias glanced at her before quickly looking away, his face hard as the stone around them. “I know rural towns don’t have the best schools, but I know they teach you that much.”

               Ellie gulped and cowered at his sharp tone, falling a few steps behind him, “Sorry.”

               “Ellie, for future reference, NEVER bring that up around a witch. Some are a lot more sensitive about it than others.”

                 “I’m sorry…I really don’t know exactly what happened though. They’ve taught me about the Great War and before, but they always skip what came after. Whenever I ask about it, the adults tell me that it’s something complicated and that they’ll tell me when I’m older.” She wrung her hands nervously, trying to keep her voice from trembling, “…It must have been something really bad though…I can tell.”

               Chevias sighed, “I guess that makes sense. You’re still a kid after all….” He stopped and turned to her suddenly, startling her. “Listen, when they do teach you about it, they’re probably gonna tell you a lot of…” he trailed off, looking for the right wording. “Well…just keep in mind that every story has two sides, ok?”

               Ellie wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but nodded anyway. She guessed it would make sense when she was older. As much as that notion annoyed her, right now she just wanted this uncomfortable conversation to end. Asking about the time after the Great War had clearly been a mistake; the stale air in this bunker was almost suffocating with tension and Ellie was wishing she’d kept her mouth shut.

               Chevias spun around and started down the hall again, “Sorry if I scared you. Come on, we’re almost there.”

               She didn’t bother asking where exactly ‘there’ was, but followed him silently. The idea that maybe she should’ve parted ways with him back on the road flittered through her mind again, and not for the last time.

               It was about another five minutes of awkward and silent walking before they finally reached something other than barracks. The right side of the hallway suddenly gave way to a gigantic room and the left side was adorned with the only actual door they’d seen down here. The door was wooden and had a glass window at the top of it, but it was oddly opaque and dappled looking. Both had more glowing Witch-Speak to their sides, and the giant room was lit by another plate of crimson, this one enormous. It was full of tables and chairs, with what looked like in the gloom long counters towards the back.

               Chevias spoke up, “That must’ve been the cafeteria. And that’s the main office. Come on, we’re going to the-“

               A long, loud grumbling sound interrupted him and Ellie grabbed at her stomach, her face heating up.

               Chevias was clearly trying his best not to laugh in her face, “Pfft…yeah, it is about noon, isn’t it? We can sit down and eat first.”

               He walked over to the table nearest to the entrance and pulled out a chair. He frowned at the tabletop and swept his arm over it, sending a cascade of dust flying to the ground.

               Ellie delicately walked over, looking cautiously around the room. As hungry as she was, the idea of eating in this tomb was intimidating. The idea of the shadows leaping at her didn’t seem so silly here, and she wondered how the soldiers that were once quarted here could stand it. Even so, she forced herself to sit at the still somewhat dusty table across from Chevias and pulled the last of her bread and cheese out of her basket. “The lady only gave me enough for myself, so there’s not much left….”

               “That’s ok. I’ve got…” he rooted around in his bag, “…jerky!” He pulled a small bag filled with sticks of dried meat out. Combining that with the bread and cheese made for a decent meal, and Ellie stuffed down all she could get.

               “Take it easy Ellie. We’ll be in Tyman by tonight and we can get dinner at an inn, ok?”

               She swallowed her last bite of bread, “Speaking of which, what will we do about food for the way to Flatrend?”

               “I’ll spot you a bag in town so you can carry some things-”

               “I-!”

               “Don’t argue. We’ll buy some provisions the morning after we get there. We’ll spend the next night to rest and head out the next morning. If we can get someone to give us a ride, we’ll do that. But we have to be prepared if no one wants to. Then we’ll make our way and I’ll hunt for dinner most nights. Sound like a plan?”

               “It does…I suppose….” Ellie wasn’t too happy about having to spend an extra night in Tyman, but she supposed it was necessary for the long walk ahead of them.

               “…Wait Chevias, you’re going to pay for all this? Do you even have the money?” Ellie recalled his story about being stranded in Weshan because his employers gave him the bare minimum, so how could he have enough to pay for all this?

               At first she expected him to say that he wasn’t allowed to tell her, but he responded with, “You remember that I had a run in with goblins last night? Well,” he pulled a very fat and bloodstained coin purse out of his bag, looking a bit smug. “This should cover it.”

It was the fattest bag of coins she’d ever seen, and she was a bit impressed that a band of goblins managed to get a hold of that much. “Yeah, that should work. But can I ask you something I’ve always wondered? What do goblins need with money anyway? I always hear about how they steal things and raid towns, but I’ve never heard about one actually using the money they steal.”

Chevias shrugged, “I don’t know, I’ve wondered the same thing myself. They’re not smart enough to use it for anything and no one would sell to a goblin even if they tried bartering. Maybe they’re just dumb.”

He laughed and pocketed the purse again, “On the bright side, if I’m ever strapped for cash I can just find some goblins. Even a little group of them is bound to have some money on them, and they’re not hard to find.”

               True enough, but the way she was sure Chevias took the money from them made Ellie pity goblins, even if just a bit. He gave the impression that he didn’t care for goblins enough to give them a chance to run, and she was glad she wasn’t in their position.

               ‘Not that that’s my business. I’ve never actually met any goblins, but I’ve heard they’re nasty creatures. He’s probably doing the kingdom a big favor by getting rid of them.’

               Chevias tucked away the rest of the jerky and stood from his chair, “Alright, let’s get moving. The sooner we’re out of here the better.” Ellie couldn’t have agreed with that statement more and stood up with him. They reentered the hallway and Chevias walked over to the door he had earlier identified as an office. He put his hand on the panel next to the door that was much like the one that turned on the lights.

               The panel flashed red and gave five long, annoying sounding beeps, then did nothing.

               Chevias  growled, “Uggghhh…” Then he grumbled something in Witch-Speak that Ellie was ninety percent certain was a swear.

               “What’s wrong?”

               “It’s only supposed to open for authorized personnel. Stand back, I’m going to bust it open.”

               She jumped a few feet away, “How?”

               He hesitated with his hand on the door, “…Ok, I’m gonna do something, but freak out, ok? It’s totally normal and I’m not going to hurt you.”

               Ellie wasn’t sure what to say to that. She was sure that he was about to open the door the same way he killed the bear, the goblins, and skinned last night’s dinner. Last night she had been scared of him enough to not want to know, but now her curiosity far outweighed that. So she nodded, “Ok, I won’t.”

               “Alright. Just stay back; I don’t want any glass hitting you.”

               Ellie stared at him intently, waiting for him to do something odd. She waited a moment and nothing seemed to happen. He just stood there, his shoulders and tail stiff as he expected  her to start screaming. She flicked her eyes down and up, then down again as she finally saw what had changed.

               What had been Chevias’ oddly pale, but otherwise perfectly normal hands had been replaced. Now they were pitch black, and each finger had been replaced by a long, sharp looking claw. Ellie’s breath hitched and a squeak escaped her throat.

               “It’s ok!” Chevias held up his new hands, “This is just something I can do! Please don’t scream, the echoes in here are bad enough at normal volume!”

               Ellie let out her breath and forced herself to suck in one after another to prevent a scream, “Ok, I’m alright. W-what exactly is that?”

               He waved his hand and Ellie could swear she heard the faintest sound of splitting air as the knife-like claws swept through the air. “They’re my hands.”

               “I can see that, but happened to them?!”

               “It’s just something I can do. It’s as normal for me as being able to walk is to you.”

               “Can…can all witches do that? I’ve never heard that witches could do that.”

               Chevias sighed and put his hands on his hips, rolling his eyes.

               “You can’t tell me? Fine…just-just open the door already. I want to get out of here.”

               “Alright,” he turned around to face the door, “you know, you took that better than a lot of people have. Once time a grown man ran away from me screaming after I saved his life and a kid your age fainted. You’re pretty level headed for your age.”

               “Thank you...?”

               Chevias reared his clawed hands back, “Shade your eyes, you don’t want any splinters flying in them.” Then he started to hack through the thick wooden door, his claws slicing through it like it was made of butter. Ellie had seen her dad chop fire wood before and not even the sharpest, most well made axe money could buy would cut through solid wood as cleanly and easily as those claws. In fact, chopping and cutting weren’t the right words for it; the claws were gliding right through it, so sharp that the wood wasn’t resisting them at all. Ellie could only stare wide eyed and wonder just what all those blades could cut through.

               Chevias finished cutting a large hole out of the middle of the door, and stepped back to look at it, “Yup, that outta do it.”

               Ellie watched as his hands shifted back to their normal, human shape. They shrunk the slightest bit, as though that form had made them swell up a bit, and the claws receded until they were the normal, blunt and human shape and length. Then the blackness that coated his skin like ink pulled back and disappeared beneath the cuff of his shirt. All this happened in just about two seconds; if Ellie had blinked, she’d have missed it. It was also, like the rest of anything Chevias does, an eerily quiet process. Perhaps you would expect such a drastic change to be accompanied by the sound of clicking or crunching bones, or a sandpapery, slithering noise as the inky blackness crawled onto his skin, but it was completely silent. It was no wonder Ellie hadn’t noticed anything at first.

               Chevias went through the hole into the dark office. Ellie waited until another crimson light flickered on, bathing the room in that eerie glow before following him, being careful not to scratch herself on the wood.

               The office was sparse and messy; it looked like it had been ransacked. The desk had been overturned and flung across the room, the book shelves had been cleared of anything that was once on them, and a tall cabinet with four drawers had been yanked out and emptied. Despite the mess, there wasn’t a single scrap of paper strewn about.

               “There’s nothing here.”

               “They must’ve cleaned it out before leaving. Come on, see if you can find a metal plate. It’ll be long and rectangular, with some Witch-Speak on it.”

               It didn’t take long to find. It had been stuffed behind one of the open drawers of the cabinet, obviously hidden.

               Chevias picked it up, appeared to read the Witch-Speak for a moment, before turning to the back wall of the office. It was unadorned except for a slightly indented portion of the wall. Ellie would’ve missed it entirely, but Chevias seemed to have known it would be there.

               He walked over and placed the panel into the indent. The Witch-Speak flashed, this time the same light green as Chevias’ grimoire. Then the wall behind it opened up and slid to the side.

               It was high up, so Ellie had to stand on her toes to properly see what was inside. She was a little disappointed. The wall had opened up to reveal what looked like a safe. Ellie had been expecting a safe to contain jewels, or valuable information. The contents of this safe were mostly…junk. There were several items in it, most of them made out of what looked like copper, steel, and another bluish metal that Ellie didn’t recognize. They looked like tinker-toys, or pieces of a clock tower…Ellie wasn’t sure how to describe them.

               Chevias ignored the large pieces of metal and pushed them out of the way until he found a box. The box was somewhat small and covered in very dusty velvet. He pulled it out and opened it.

               The box contained a necklace. Now, a necklace was closer to what Ellie imagined belonged in a safe, but this necklace hardly looked valuable enough to stow away. It looked like a piece of junk that was laced onto a string. It was a flat, irregularly shaped piece of metal that was silvery-blue in color (at least Ellie supposed it was, as it was currently bathed in the red light). It had a strange pattern and was otherwise un-noteworthy.

               “You came all the way down here for this? Who would want this?”

               Chevias shrugged, “Who knows, I’m just an errand boy. Come on, let’s go.” He turned around and started heading for the door.

               Ellie glanced back at the still open vault, “Aren’t you going to close it?”

               “No point. Even if someone found this place, those things aren’t valuable anymore.” Naturally he didn’t explain why these items were useless, or what their original use was. He just exited through the hole and didn’t look back. Ellie scrambled after him.

               Instead of heading back the way they came, Chevias lead her further into the bunker, finding that the floor began to slope up again and that the rooms on this side were a bit different from the ones on the other.

               Several appeared to be armories filled with dusty, ancient looking weapons. None of them looked fancy or particularly valuable. Another room was a sprawling one filled with empty shelves. Ellie wasn’t sure if this had been a larder or a library, but she supposed that it didn’t make much sense for an army to carry a library around with them. They passed another particularly large room that looked like an infirmary with beds surrounded by tattered curtains, trays with abandoned medicine, and shelves of old bandages. Even in the crimson light Ellie could see that most of the beds were covered in bloodstains.

               They passed several rooms that were identical to the ones above and several more that Ellie couldn’t fathom the purpose of, like rooms filled with large bird cages and rooms with nothing at all.

               They walked and walked and walked for what seemed to Ellie like an eternity in this dreariness until the hall finally came to an end.

               Instead of a ladder and a trapdoor, like the other end of the bunker, this end was a door. A big, heavy looking metal door. Chevias opened this one just like he did the trapdoor and it swung open at his command. Ellie looked through the door to see that it was surrounded by dead leaves and debris and that there was a steep and narrow set of stairs going up for awhile. At the top of the stairs, the first natural light she’d seen in hours spilled in from a hole just big enough for an adult to squeeze through.

               Chevias climbed the stairs and, with his lithe form, slipped through the hole as easily as a rabbit. He turned around, “Come on, you’re almost there!”

               Ellie clambered up after him and grabbed his hand through the hole. He pulled and picked her right up out of it. Ellie gratefully breathed in the fresh air as Chevias set her down. She was so thrilled to be at ground level again that she barely noticed the way the setting sun stung her eyes.

               Chevias shaded his eyes and looked around, “Alright! Tyman should be about a half hour’s walk from here. We should be able to make it by nightfall.”

               Ellie squinted and looked at her surroundings. The hole that lead to the hidden bunker was nestled between the roots of a large tree, hidden well from all but bunnies and squirrels. The tree wasn’t especially odd looking, except that it was surrounded by the same kind of stone markers that had surrounded the clearing last night. She supposed that anybody who didn’t know what they were would easily overlook these signs, and that one of them must point the way to Tyman.

               “Come on Ellie, we wanna get there before it gets too dark!”

               “Coming!”

               Ellie glanced back at the hole, so dark and innocuous you’d never guess what was down there just by looking, before following Chevias as he stepped over one of the stone markers.

[bloomsoftly]

the world at your tongue

Darcy/Nat, rated T for Darcy’s potty mouth and some serious kissing

Darcy does Jane a favor, gets drunk, and maybe falls a little in love in the process.

for the delightful @paranoidwino, the best muse a girl could ask for.

Also on AO3. (it would mean a lot if you could leave a review!)

Darcy has always been powerless against Jane’s puppy eyes, and today is no exception. She knows it’s no coincidence that Jane waits until she’s trapped in a bridesmaid fitting to ask her the favor, and part of her wants to say no out of spite.

Jane can obviously see the compulsion in her face, because she juts in quickly, whispering furiously, “Please, Darce. I’ll owe you a million, but please don’t make me go alone with them.” Her eyes dart to the door of the fitting room, as if her future mother-in-law might pop out of nowhere.

Frantically, she hisses, “Please! You know what Thor’s dad said about me. If I’m stuck with his family alone with limitless alcohol and no escape, you might have to bail me out for murder.”

Darcy rolls her eyes. “One, limitless alcohol is still better than getting stuck with them while sober. And two, at least that way maybe I’d get out of maid of honor duty. I’m not seeing a problem, here.” Jane throws a wadded up ball of tulle at her for that and Darcy, trapped on a pedestal and covered in satin, is too slow to dodge. It smacks her square in the face. Seeing that Jane has switched from joking to overwhelmed, eyes swelling with tears, Darcy relents. She carefully hops down from the platform and shuffles over to Jane, swishing obnoxiously as she goes.

Gathering her into her arms, Darcy soothes, “I’m sorry for teasing, Janie. Of course I’ll go to the damn wine tasting with you. Someone’s gotta keep Odin in line.”

Petting Jane’s hair, she grumbles, “Damn old rich men who think they can say anything they want.”

Jane snorts wetly and pushes away, wiping her nose. She gives Darcy a mock glare, but they both know she’s in complete agreement with the statement. Still, Darcy doesn’t want to spend their only alone time for the day—Frigga really will be back any minute—talking about Thor’s terrible father, so she diverts the subject. Nudging Jane’s shoulder affectionately, she teases, “You better not have gotten any snot on this dress or the attendant might actually kill me. That woman is way too into weddings.”

Jane eyes the gown frantically for a moment, looking for a wet spot, before she catches on to the joke. She reaches forward to smack Darcy’s arm in retaliation, but is interrupted by the sound of Frigga’s footsteps echoing down the narrow hallway to their changing room. Like lightning, Darcy jumps back on the platform (miraculously not ripping the ridiculous dress) and Jane pretends to be deeply conflicted about whether she likes this style compared to the previous sixteen Darcy already tried on. Despite their impressive acting skills, Frigga isn’t buying it.

After a perfunctory knock on the door, she pokes her head inside to check how they’re doing. Based on the sparkle in her eye, Frigga knows exactly what Jane and Darcy are up to, and she diplomatically offers, “Well, dear, we still have a ways until the wedding. Perhaps we can set aside the bridesmaid dress shopping for another day?”

Jane agrees with alacrity, and Darcy is out of the dress in half the time it took to get the damn thing on. Neither of them protest when Frigga suggests they get mimosas, either. Darcy’s policy whenever she’s around Jane’s future in-laws is to consume as much alcohol as possible, because it tends to make things easier.

Like the time at Jane and Thor’s engagement dinner when Loki sabotaged the whole thing by loudly confronting his father about the ‘shady’ circumstances of his adoption. To be blunt, Darcy would probably remember the whole sordid tale a bit better if she hadn’t drunk an entire bottle of wine in a futile attempt to drown out the awkwardness.

She’d feel guilty about drinking so much, except she caught sight of Jane and Thor doing the same thing. They’d just saluted each other across the table and settled back to watch the fur fly. It was a memorable evening, but probably not in the way Jane or Thor had hoped.

That night was still second to the night that Jane and Thor introduced their families to each other, which basically means that it was the night Thor’s parents and brother met Darcy. (Erik was out of town for a research conference, and he and Darcy are the only ones Jane’s got.) Things fell apart pretty much around the time that Odin began insulting Jane’s chosen family—complaining that he rearranged meetings with several important diplomats just to meet one measly friend— but the evening really became an unmitigated disaster when the asshole obliquely referred to Jane as a goat.

Darcy was ready to launch herself over the table at him and scratch his eyes out, or worse, but Jane held her back; for such a small woman, she has an extremely firm grip. It was a ridiculous scene: Thor berating his father for insulting his fiance, Frigga eyeing Jane in concern, and Loki slouching against the table, grinning with unholy glee. Meanwhile, Jane maintained a vise-like hold on Darcy’s elbow and frantically gestured at a waiter to bring another couple bottles of wine.

And that’s the story of how Darcy and Jane discovered that socializing with Odin requires at least two bottles of wine.

In all the times Darcy’s met her, Frigga has always seemed very kind and welcoming, so there’s no indication that she would necessarily be the same as her husband in that regard. And Darcy knows better than to judge a person by their family, but still—it’s probably better that there’s alcohol involved, for everyone’s sake. And as far as precautionary measures go, mimosas are some of the least painful. Drinks with the mother-in-law is not even close to the biggest sacrifice Darcy’s made for Jane, but this wine tasting might be another story.

-:-

“Thor, I have a very serious question for you.”

In anticipation of Thor’s reply, Jane mutes the TV (it’s on some random show that none of them are really watching anyway). In response, Thor looks up from where he’s been combing his fingers through Jane’s hair. Shifting slightly on the couch, he pulls Jane more firmly into his side and turns to face Darcy.

“Yes, Darcy?”

She pauses for dramatic effect, causing Jane to roll her eyes. They’ve been friends long enough that they can practically finish each other’s sentences, which means Jane immediately recognizes when Darcy is about to say something absurd. But hey, it’s her apartment, she can do what she wants. “Are you sure you aren’t the adopted one in the family? I mean, I know it’s supposed to be Loki, but he fits right in with your dad’s crazy.”

Darcy has always loved Thor’s laugh; it rolls from his body like thunder, unstoppable and warm. The whole couch shakes with it now, deep and loud and hearty. Thor laughs and laughs until tears trickle out the corner of his eyes and trail into his beard. Jane and Darcy laugh with him, helpless in the face of his unabashed amusement.

Eventually, Thor wipes his tears away with a finger and says, “I can see why you would ask, as my father and my brother are of similar temperaments.” Darcy and Jane both snort; trust Thor to  find a diplomatic way to say his family members are batshit crazy. “I take more after my mother, I think. She can be ‘crazy’ in her own ways, but in a manner more palatable than that of my father or brother.” Eyeing his fiance in concern, Thor asks Jane, “She was good to you when you went shopping, was she not? I was under the impression it went well.”

Thinking back on some of the scandalous stories a tipsy Frigga told them over mimosas, Darcy grins behind her hand and acknowledges, “Yeah, I can see that, big guy. She does remind me of you a little bit.”

At the same time, Jane rushes to reassure, “No, she was great! It was a lovely morning all around.”

Assuaged, Thor grins and leans back against the arm of the couch. A frown crosses his face, and he queries, “May I ask, if my mother caused no offense during your outing, what prompted your question?”

Darcy groans and flops her head back against the couch. Rolling her eyes, Jane guesses, “Is this about the wine tasting?”

Flinging an arm across her face, Darcy moans, “Why did I agree to do that with you again?”

Unsympathetic, Jane crosses her arms and replies, “Because you’re my best friend and my maid of honor and you love me.”

Thor’s a little nicer, and he reaches around Jane to pat Darcy on the arm. “Cheer up, Darcy. I’m sure it’ll be quite fun.”

-:-

The wine tasting is not particularly fun, surprising absolutely no one. Darcy has managed to get drunk, though, much to Jane’s jealousy.

It takes approximately an hour and a half for Darcy to lose all patience with Odin’s veiled disparagement of their commoners’ palates (seriously, does that man think he lives in the Middle Ages?), and in that time she has managed to get herself properly sloshed. As she allows herself to get lost in the crowd, Darcy feels a momentary twinge of guilt for abandoning Jane. Even as she drifts away, though, she can hear Odin’s booming insults and the guilt fades quickly. Jane has Thor—she’ll be fine.

Darcy’s not really sure where she’s headed—the opposite direction of Odin’s voice is about as far as she’s gotten planning-wise—so she stops to gather herself near one corner of the room. She’s in the midst of looking for a place that will spare her any potential run-ins with Thor’s family when a flash of color catches her eye from across the room. She glances over and spots the most gorgeous woman she’s seen in…well, a really long time.

The woman’s face is partially obscured by her sleek red hair, but then she turns in Darcy’s direction and their eyes meet. Darcy’s first coherent thought, if you can call it that, is hot damn. The redhead’s face is as striking as the rest of her, but there’s a little pull at one side of her mouth like she’s laughing at a joke the rest of the room isn’t privy to.

The woman lifts an eyebrow, and Darcy knows she’s been caught staring. In response, Darcy shrugs and offers a grin. You caught me. The redhead smirks and gives Darcy a slow, head-to-toe perusal. Darcy swears she can feel the heat of her gaze all the way across the room, and by the time the woman’s eyes make contact with hers again Darcy’s face is completely flushed.

Darcy sways in her high heels, just slightly, not sure if her strongest impulse is to run away and hide from the woman’s scrutiny or to beg her to do it again. Apparently the woman would prefer the latter, because she takes a single step in Darcy’s direction, eyes intent on her face—and is waylaid by what looks to be an acquaintance of hers.

Their eye contact is cut off, and a number of other people also walk between them, until Darcy can’t see the woman or her friend at all. Shrugging off a slight sense of disappointment, Darcy realizes that she’s been in one place for too long and resumes her wandering throughout the room.

Not twenty minutes later, Darcy realizes her mistake in sticking to less populated areas of the room when she’s cornered by a smarmy pathetic excuse for a man. He has clearly decided that she is going to be his one night stand, and doesn’t even bother to ask her name before he starts hitting on her.

Great.

Reaching the end of her limited patience, Darcy cuts him off mid-sentence.

“Oh, sorry, I’m into girls.” Darcy’s expression and flat tone indicate she’s not sorry at all, despite her words. There’s only so much effort she can put into protecting this guy’s feelings, and she’s already running out of reasons to care. Especially since the douchebag ignores all of her nonverbal cues and sidles closer.

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet, honey.” He leers at her drunkenly, in what he no doubt thinks is an attractive manner. In reality, it’s gross and invasive.

Darcy wishes Jane hadn’t insisted that she leave her taser at home, though where she would have hidden it in this dress or this clutch she has no idea. She’s faced with two options: either she punches the guy in the face and risks breaking a finger (and drawing the wrath of Odin, which would be a nuisance), or she uses the classic fake-out technique.

She’ll spare Jane the misery of an angry Odin this time.

Pulling her mouth into a wide, insincere grin, Darcy fakes a sympathetic expression. Shrugging, she says, “No, really. Actually, my girlfriend will be here any second and she really hates having to deal with guys who don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘no,’ so you should probably go.” Darcy looks at the creep pointedly, but of course he doesn’t get the message. He’d have to be looking at her face for that.

Eyes firmly on her chest, he takes a step even closer. She flinches, growing alarmed. “Listen, man—”

“You can call me Brock, baby. What d’ya say we take this party somewhere a little quieter?” He reaches a hand for her arm, but she pivots out of his reach at the last second and steps back.

Darcy’s not sure what to do next, short of causing a scene. Just before the pushy asshole is able to box her in to a corner, Darcy spies the gorgeous woman from earlier standing over by the Malbec (which Darcy had sampled generously not too long ago). As a last-ditch effort, she pushes past Brock and moves toward her, calling out as she goes.

“Darling, there you are!” Darcy unsteadily weaves her way toward the stunning redhead, hoping she isn’t about to get punched in the face. She slides in close next to the woman, anxiety shining in her eyes. “I didn’t see you walk in, or I would have come over immediately.”

With a quick glance from Darcy to the man pursuing her, the woman’s face lights with understanding. Staring right at Brock, the redhead presses against Darcy’s side and gives her a silky kiss on the cheek. Heat warms Darcy’s cheeks at the contact, and she wobbles slightly.

The redhead presses her face to Darcy’s hair and slides one arm around Darcy’s waist, sparking a trail of fire where her fingertips brush against Darcy’s skin. Flushing, Darcy briefly gives mental thanks to Jane for convincing her to wear a backless dress.

Softly, the redhead murmurs into her ear, “My name is Natasha.” The name fits her, Darcy thinks. Poised and graceful and somehow utterly deadly.

Louder, Natasha apologizes, “I’m sorry, Солнышко. I came in a little late and thought I might find you by the Malbec.” With a warm look, she adds, “I know how much you love it.” There’s no way she could know that her statement is actually true, but Darcy gets the weird sense that she isn’t bluffing.

Darcy is caught up in the heat of Natasha’ s gaze and the soft brush of her fingertips against Darcy’s waist—the heat of her hand scorches through the thin lace of her dress, and Darcy feels as though she’s been branded. She’s so caught up in trying not to melt into a puddle of lace and lust on the floor that she forgets all about the creep she was trying to escape—until he claps a meaty hand on her shoulder.

Slurring, he demands, “Where do you think you’re going? We aren’t done—”

In a flash, Natasha steps between them in such a way that breaks his hold and has him stumbling back. Glaring fiercely at the drunk man, she hisses, “Just what do you think you’re doing?” The soft menace of her tone is terrifying, and something must register in the man’s measly little hindbrain because he takes another step back and holds his hands up in placation.

“Sorry, Red, didn’t know she was yours.”

Bristling, Darcy opens her mouth to retort but Natasha beats her to the punch. “She’s not a doll, jackass—she doesn’t belong to anyone.” Her glare intensifies, and she steps closer to him, threatening, “Now get the hell out of here before you say something you’ll really regret.”

Darcy almost expects them to come to blows (the guy pursued her doggedly halfway across the room, after all), so she places a gentle hand on Natasha’s upper back. As sexy as it would be to see Natasha defend her honor—and she’s surprised to find that the thought really does turn her on—Darcy is aware that Jane and her future in-laws are still roaming somewhere in the winery. She really doesn’t want to cause a scene, because of course either Loki or Odin would find out and pick a fight with her best friend over it.

Darcy gears up to break the standoff somehow, but in the end she doesn’t even have to. After a long moment, Brock inclines his head in defeat and turns to leave without further comment, tail tucked firmly between his legs. She stares at his profile over Natasha’s red curls, dumbstruck by this turn of events. Once he’s completely out of sight, Natasha’s shoulders relax slightly and she turns back to Darcy.

They stare at each other awkwardly for a second. Darcy’s trying to think of a way to say thank you and that was so attractive but also ask are you single? interested? come home with me? without sounding like a total creep.

She must linger a little too long in hesitation, because Natasha shrugs one shoulder and moves to slide past her back toward the wine. With a quirk to the side of her mouth, Natasha notes, “He should leave you alone now. Those bullies are all the same.”

In reflex, Darcy reaches out to catch Natasha as she goes by. She pulls back as soon as she realizes what she’s done, but it’s too late; her fingers skim lightly across Natasha’s upper arm, and they both shudder. The other woman turns her head toward Darcy, expectant. Still not knowing what to say, Darcy stutters, “That was so…amazing.” Natasha laughs, but doesn’t walk past her. Hunting for something else, anything to keep her attention, Darcy adds, “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with that, or…well, if you’re not into women—”

Natasha snorts at that, turning to fully face her. “I wasn’t just admiring your dress earlier, you know.”

A thrill runs up Darcy’s spine. “I know—I mean, I hoped—okay, why is talking so difficult? Wanna—” She stops, self-conscious, knowing that the wine has made her tongue thick and clumsy.

“Get a drink?” Natasha gestures to the wine around them and chuckles, warm and throaty. “Yeah, I do. But first, can I have your name? I’ve been wanting to find out for hours.”

Hours? Darcy blushes. She’s no stranger to flirtation, but this woman is a master. “Darcy. My name is Darcy.” Gathering herself, she winks at the redhead. “Can I buy you a drink?”

That earns her a full-blown grin, and Natasha purrs, “Nothing would please me better, Солнышко. Lead the way.”

All Darcy wants is to escape the overcrowded room and actually get to know her redheaded savior. So, with a silent apology to Jane she steals a newly-opened bottle of wine from one of the tables (much to her companion’s amusement) and leads Natasha out to a side balcony. It isn’t until they’ve propped themselves up on a balustrade looking out over the vineyard’s hills, wine bottle nestled between them, that Darcy thinks to ask, “What does that word mean? You’ve said it twice now.” Snagging the wine, she takes a sip straight from the bottle. Somehow she manages not to spill red wine down her chest, which quite frankly is a bit of a miracle. She should have grabbed some wine glasses when she stole the bottle, but it’s too late now.

“Солнышко is a Russian endearment. It means sunshine.” When Darcy offers her the wine bottle, Natasha takes a long swallow. Even drinking straight from the bottle, she’s the epitome of class and grace. Darcy’s inebriated brain fixates on the glide of her throat as she swallows and the path of her tongue as she licks her lips to catch any stray drops of wine. Shaking herself mentally, Darcy drags her eyes back up to Natasha’s. The redhead smirks at her knowingly.

Darcy quirks an eyebrow, unashamed. “Russian, huh?” Natasha passes the bottle back to her and nods, explaining that she spent some time living in Russia for a job. Darcy props the bottle in her lap but doesn’t take a drink. She’s had enough for one night, and she wants to remember every single detail of this evening.

Through more prompting, Darcy finds out that Natasha lives relatively close, just like her. She used to be a government agent, but now owns a self-defense fitness studio in the city. Overall, she says it’s a much more relaxed career and she loves it.

In turn, Darcy tells Natasha about her work as an assistant to a world-renowned astrophysicist, and all the shady situations Jane’s research has gotten her into. Then she finds herself talking about Jane’s impending marriage to Thor and her duties as maid of honor. Once she gets started, she can’t help but rant that her best friend is about to acquire one of the most horrifying father-in-laws on the planet, and that Darcy is only at the wine tasting in the first place because Jane couldn’t stand to be around him with Thor as her only support.

Natasha laughs at that, and reveals that she too was conned into coming to the wine tasting. Her best friend and former partner, Clint, was invited to the winery along with his wife and several other couples and guilted Natasha into coming along with the group. “His argument was that we don’t see each other often enough now that we no longer work together,” Natasha grumbles, “but I still ended up being the ninth wheel.”

Darcy laughs exuberantly, throwing her head back and drawing the attention of another couple who wandered out onto the balcony. Still smiling, she notes, “What a pair we are! So indignant that our friends forced us to come to an expensive winery where we get free drinks and a magnificent view.” She gestures at the scenery to punctuate her statement.

“I guess you have a point,” Natasha replies, admiring the rolling hills in the distance. Turning her head back to smile softly at Darcy, she confides, “I’ll never live this down if I tell him, but I’m glad I came.”

As Natasha speaks, Darcy’s eyes catch the sight of their lipstick mixing together on the lip of the bottle; it’s a striking blend of vibrant red and purple, and she’s transfixed. Darcy absently wonders if she’ll get the chance to see that exact shade on her own mouth. She hopes so.

They talk for what feels like hours, long after the sun has gone down and torches have been lit around them. Darcy’s phone goes off several times but she ignores it, trying to muster the courage to ask Natasha to the wedding. It’s a bold move, but one that could pay off extremely well.

When her phone buzzes for at least the tenth time, Darcy sighs. “Sorry,” she mutters, reaching into her clutch to read the latest message. It’s from Jane, of course.

Darcy, are you okay? Where are you? We’re ready to leave and I might murder Odin and/or Loki if we don’t head out soon.

Darcy blows her bangs away from her face in a burst of pure frustration. It figures that she’d meet someone like Natasha and then have to leave. But Jane needs her, so she turns to Natasha with regret.

Natasha already knows what she’s going to say. “Time to leave?”

“Unfortunately. If I don’t go, the bride might murder either her future father-in-law or her future brother-in-law, or both. And then I’d have to help her hide the bodies, and we’d probably both end up in jail for life.”

They gingerly climb down from their perch, both a little less steady on their feet. For a moment they hover awkwardly, neither one knowing how to proceed. Drawing in a fortifying breath, Darcy takes the plunge. “If—well, if you’re not busy in a couple of months, do you want to be my date to Jane’s wedding?”

Natasha blinks, surprised. “I—” she falters, glancing to the side, and Darcy’s courage fails.

“You know what? Don’t worry about it.” She forces a grin and says goodbye. “Thank you for the company, and for making this wine tasting a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise.” Staggering backward, she offers a half-wave and pivots, walking quickly away. It’s only a few seconds until she’s back in the warmth of the room, and she lets herself get lost in the crowd of people. Nursing her disappointment, Darcy heads for the entrance. Jane is probably worried by now, and Odin will have a fit if they have to wait too long.

After a couple of wrong turns, Darcy finds the entryway and steps back out into the night. As expected, there’s Jane and the rest of the gang. “Where have you been?” Jane whispers furiously, drawing Darcy away from the group.

Slightly guilty in the face of Jane’s concern, Darcy apologizes profusely. “Jane, I’m so sorry. I was out on the balcony and lost track of time.” Glancing at Odin’s stern face, she wonders, “Did Odin give you a lot of trouble?”

“Not too bad, actually. He—” Jane cuts herself off in mid-sentence, distracted by something over Darcy’s shoulder.

“Jane? What—?” Darcy turns, trying to figure out what has captured her best friend’s attention.

It’s Natasha, striding toward her with determination. Darcy turns all the way around, eyes widening, but Natasha doesn’t stop. Instead, she slides one hand to the back of Darcy’s head, the other around her waist, bringing her close. As she moves, Darcy’s eyes close and her arms come up around Natasha on reflex, and their mouths meet somewhere in the middle. It’s a little too rough, at first—teeth clacking together—and they pull apart slightly.

Darcy tilts her head and slides her hand into Natasha’s silky hair and just like that it’s perfect. Their lips slide against each other in a sensual caress for long moments, and lightning races down Darcy’s spine. Tightening the arm around her waist, Natasha licks into Darcy’s mouth heatedly. Darcy stumbles closer and tightens the hand she has in Natasha’s hair, moaning into the kiss and nipping at Natasha’s mouth in return.

Mindful that they are in a public space and have likely gathered quite the audience, Darcy somehow restrains herself from hiking a leg over Natasha’s hip. Natasha must have a similar thought, because she slowly gentles the kiss and extricates her hand from Darcy’s hair.

As she pulls away, Natasha’s pupils are blown wide with wine and wonder. She bites her lip and whispers, huskily, “You took me by surprise.” Stroking Darcy’s cheek with her thumb, she leans forward to press another light kiss to Darcy’s mouth and murmurs, “Also, I’ve been wanting to do that all night.”

Darcy can see by the look on her face that surprises don’t come Natasha’s way very often. Determined to give her another one, she leans in for another kiss. This one is gentle, soft, and wet. They take their time, lips clinging as they explore each other slowly. Natasha sinks into her, one hand sliding along Darcy’s neck in a soft caress. One of Darcy’s hands slides up Natasha’s back in return, coming to rest between her shoulder blades. This kiss is perfect in an entirely different way from the first, and Darcy pulls back reluctantly. Breathing unevenly, she jokes, “Stick with me and you might get more of those.”

Natasha chuckles. “Surprises? Or kisses?”

“Both.” It’s a promise.

Holding out a torn piece of paper for Darcy to take, Natasha makes a promise of her own . “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And by the way, I would love to be your date to the wedding.” Her gaze drops to Darcy’s mouth, then to the crowd behind her, and she visibly restrains herself from leaning in for another kiss. “Unfortunately, it looks like we’re out of time tonight. Text me?”

She takes a step back, then another, and then she’s lost in the crowd.

Darcy turns, dazed, toward Jane and the others. Frigga has already turned Odin and Loki around to coax them into the car, so it’s only Thor and Jane waiting. Jane is tapping one foot, equal parts exasperated and proud. “Damn, Darce. Well, I guess I know now why you weren’t answering my texts.” As Darcy reaches her, Jane nudges her side and adds, “Also, that kiss? So hot. She’s a keeper, you take my word for it.” Even as she rolls her eyes at her best friend, Darcy can’t help the flush that overtakes her cheeks. The kisses were hot. So hot.

Thor doesn’t tease her, just winks and asks, “New friend of yours, Darcy? Anyone I’m likely to see again?”

Darcy can’t help her grin as she answers, “Yeah, big guy. She’ll be at your wedding.” Thor laughs in delight and ushers her to the vehicle.

As they slide into the back of the Escalade limousine (because Odin wouldn’t know the meaning of the word subtlety if it bit him in the ass), Darcy leans toward Jane and whispers, “This was hands down the best sacrifice I’ve ever had to make in the entirety of our friendship. I’ll never doubt you again.” Jane snorts and wipes a way a smudge of lipstick from the corner of Darcy’s mouth, winking at her.

Not wasting any time, Darcy plugs Natasha’s number into her phone. Darcy starts to type out a text, then hesitates briefly, wondering if she should at least pretend to be hard to get and wait until she gets home. Nah, fuck it; she’s all in with this one.

Want to get an actual drink sometime?

Her phone chimes in less than a minute.

Friday, 7 PM? Casual clothing this time.

Darcy grins to herself and looks out the window, ignoring Odin and Loki’s snide remarks about the ‘embarrassing and humiliating scene’ she just made.

Apparently, she has two dates to look forward to. Life is looking up.

[sueboohscorner]

#Lucifer--Season 2, Episode 14:"Candy Morningstar"

Denial is in the air this week on "Lucifer."

This week's episode opens with Lilith sitting on some guy's lap and making out in Lucifer' club, engaging in sexual role play. In the middle of said role play, Lilith begins ranting about being neglected by her son and her sex partner immediately runs for the hills, leaving Maze to enter and gloat about how Lucifer is probably plotting revenge against Lilith as they speak, though, in truth, even Maze doesn't know where Lucifer is.

Cut to Lucifer sitting in a dark office with some gangster types, asking him for payment for something. The head gangster says "it's your funeral" and opens a briefcase. Chloe and Dan walk down the street, talking about missing Lucifer. Ella says that she misses him too. Lucifer's absence can be felt.

Ella describes the murder o' the week as she, Dan and Chloe look down at Ash, the murder victim. Chloe notices as Ella is talking that Amenadiel has appeared and then vanished across the street from her. Amenadiel appears to be watching her. Ella notes the oddly shaped dents in Ash's head and Chloe happens to notice that the victim played guitar due to the callouses on his fingers. Unfortunately, in a cruel of know-nothing-ness, show-runners allowed the scene where Ella picks up THE WRONG HAND to look at the victim's fretting hand callouses. Unless they're looking at the body of a deceased Sir Paul McCartney, then they be looking at the wrong darned hand. Fretting hand callouses would be on the left hand for almost any guitarist--even a left-handed guitarist, as most musicians simply learn to play right-handed guitar.

After this grievous travesty, the show continues as Chloe notices a copy of Ash's band's book, musing aloud that Ash was the band's, front man.  Det. Chloe Decker and Det. Dan interview Ash's band. Ash's female band mate somewhat gleefully suggests that the two detectives talk to Ash's ex-wife. While they're on their way to do that, Lucifer shows up at the station to tell Chloe and Dan his "news" about getting married to a Vegas stripper-type called Candy, who goes by CottonCandy86 online. Oof. Candy immediately shows Dan and Chloe her ginormous wedding ring, leaving Lucifer to apparently happily explain that the two are married (!!). Lucifer tries to explain to Chloe and Chloe isn't interested. Lucifer seems to be pretending that he and Chloe never had a relationship.

Det. Dan comes to tell Chloe that he has Ash's ex-wife in the interrogation room, where Chloe reads reports from Ash's band members to Ash's ex-wife that make her look like a good suspect. Chloe tries to bate Ash' wife into a frustrated confession, but she doesn't bite. Ash's ex-wife suggests that their shady divorce mediator may have run off with the money she had to pay Ash in the divorce.

 Amenadiel and Lilith are searching for online records of Lucifer's marriage to Candy, and they find them. CottonCandy86 has posted a boatload of cheesy photos of their marriage and honeymoon. While waiting in the station with Lucifer, Candy notices a man that appears in several of the crime scene photos. Surprisingly, it's Ash' divorce mediator. Chloe tells Lucifer off in no uncertain terms and confides in him that he let her down and that she doesn't need him anymore.

Lucifer shows up in his session with Dr. Linda with Candy in tow. Dr. Linda covertly mentions hell, and Lucifer tells her that he's not hiding anything from Candy. Dr. Linda suspects that Lucifer's rash decision making and denial are symptoms of trauma from his "travels" to hell. Lucifer denies it. Dr. Linda asks about Det. Decker and Lucifer state that his feelings toward Chloe were fake and manipulated by God. Dr. Linda challenges Lucifer about his feeling for Chloe and says that to be healthy; he should take some dubious advice Candy blunderingly offered during their session and "act as if."

Lucifer follows Det. Dan to the divorce mediator's office. Det. Decker and Det. Dan moves to investigate the divorce mediator Ash and his ex-wife used. Lucifer makes an appointment for himself and Candy to covertly interrogated divorce mediator.

Lucifer introduces Candy to his Mother, and the two go out shopping together. After examining Candy, top to bottom, Maze asks Chloe what she thinks of Candy. While Chloe suppresses her feelings on that matter, Maze calls her out and dishes out some good advice for Chloe. Chloe uses Lucifer's in with the divorce mediator to pose as Candy herself and interrogate the divorce mediator. The two appear to benefit from the divorce mediation. Lucifer opens up about his concern for Chloe's well-being during the session and Chloe isn't sure that she believes him. The divorce mediator approaches "Candy" aka Chloe while on a break during their session, where Chlor propositions the divorce mediator to weight things in her favorite. He doesn't bite. It appears that Ash's divorce mediator helped Ash in the divorce simply because he liked Ash's band, of which the divorce mediator planned to be the future manager. Ash's divorce mediator was at the crime scene, looking for Ash, having known that Ask and his bassist Marla were fighting.

Candy remarks to Lilith while out shopping that clearly, her large ring is indicative of Lucifer's large amount of love for Candy. Surprisingly, however, Candy turns out to be rather intuitive, intuiting that Lilith simply wants the best for her son and telling her that she will be there for Lilith to help make Lucifer happy. While talking to Amenadiel later on, Lilith suggests that Lucifer might be broken because of her pushing and manipulation. Lilith decides that she's a terrible Mother (a state of affairs which is not wholly untrue). Ella and Dan appear to be rooting for Chloe and Lucier to patch things up. Chloe is frustrated but appreciates her team's support. While talking, the team comes to a conclusion, with Ella taking the lead, that Ash was murdered by Marlowe's bass. During one of the band's shows, Lucifer comes up on stage for an exceptional performance where, after having looked through Chloe's phone and noticed her penchant for '90's pop ballads, starts singing and playing the Bangles' "Eternal Flame." Cleverly, however, Lucifer announces that his song is going out to a very special girl--Marla, who now cannot escape the club without being noticed (devious!). Lucifer tells the audience that this song goes out to a special someone--a woman who thinks she doesn't need him anymore. Chloe smiles and begins to soften a bit toward Lucifer. The killer is caught! Lucifer reminds Chloe while still on the stage of what a good team they make.

So cute!

Lucifer continues on a strong campaign of acting cute in the hopes that all will be forgiven. Ella is glad to see Lucifer and Chloe Decker reconcile a bit. Amenadiel, however, calls Lucifer out for his bad behavior toward Chloe--as any good brother would. Lucifer caves to Amenadiel and admits that he's trying to protect Chloe. Amenadiel empathizes with his brother, Lucifer, and then tells Lucifer to apologize to their Mother who, after all, went to hell and faced her worst fears to find and help Lucifer on his quest to save Chloe. Pretty great mothering, huh...

When the team questions Marla, she says she ran because she thought she was going to be busted for the fake I.D.'s she's been making and one of her stalker fake I.D. customers. Marla maintains her innocence, swearing she didn't do this.

The team finds that her bandmate, Doug, had Marla's bad guitar last and is a much more likely suspect. While banging on the door of Doug, the murderer, Lucifer's phone rings: it's Candy. Whoops. Guess that silent option on your iPhone doesn't work too well for desperate wives who call through and activate the emergency connect function. Sadly, Doug, the murderer hears Lucifer's brief phone call with Candy and attacks Lucifer from behind, strangling him. Chloe attempts to talk Doug down as Doug confesses to Ash's murder, which was committed in the heat of the moment. Doug threatens to kill Lucifer if Chloe doesn't lower her weapon, demanding that if Chloe cares about her partner [Lucifer], she should drop her weapon. Even while being strangled, Lucifer quips, "you may as well just yank the sucker then, Dougie, I'm useless to her," saying "go on, do your worst." Tom Ellis is never better than when he's playing a petty-on-the-surface, deep underneath Lucifer. His quips are priceless. I haven't heard such great quipping and punning since my days of watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which admittedly aren't yet over (love that show!). Det. Decker clips Doug in the shoulder with a round and Lucifer and Det. Decker apprehends their suspect, meeting a distraught Candy back at the police station. Candy approaches Chloe to ask after Lucifer and to see if he's okay after being attacked (an attack Candy was unwittingly complicit in causing). While talking to Chloe, Candy just so happens to mention that Lucifer talks about Chloe all the time and that it's "detective, this and detective, that." She tells Chloe that work with her is extremely important to Lucifer and briefly recaps [for the audience] Chloe and Lucifer's ordeal, trying to cure Chloe of the poison she was given two episodes ago. Apparently, Lucifer shares more with Candy than previously thought. Chloe tells Lucifer that she'll see him tomorrow at the precinct and not to be late, thus giving Lucifer another chance at working with Chloe and the rest of the team. While Lucifer is clearly relieved to have an invitation extended to him to work with Chloe and the team again officially, he is clearly unhappy about the new set of professional boundaries Chloe seems to have installed. It is evident that Lucifer still cares deeply for Chloe on a personal level and wants to be with her in a romantic relationship. The depth and breadth of human emotion are still something Lucifer must become used to, though Lilith and Maze are excellent foils for him in that regard as they are both clearly way less emotionally mature than Lucifer is on many levels.

Speaking of Lilith, Lucifer speaks with his Mother, telling her that although she messed up, he knows she was probably coming from a place of love, even if the way she has gone about it has been, shall we say, suspect... Lilith comes clean with Lucifer too, saying that all she's wanted since she escaped hell, was to reunite Lilith, fer and Amenadiel' heavenly family. Lilith suggests that Lucifer gets ahold of the heavenly flaming sword, which is Azrael's blade, which, conveniently, Lucifer happens to have in his possession! Cut to the final twist of tonight's episode, during which Lucifer meets with "Candy," telling her she's done excellent work and thanks her for helping him to get inside of "that scheming head of his Mother's." It seems "Candy" was fake all along. "Candy" as simply someone whose life Lucifer saved out in Vegas, who owed him a favor. Wow. Surprise ending! Lucifer kindly lets' "Candy" keep her wedding ring, citing the fact that divorces are expensive. It turns out that Candy does have plans to open a business--maybe just not the tanning salon/juice bar she waxed poetic to Lilith about earlier in tonight's episode. "Candy's" parting advice to Lucifer was to try not to mess things up with Det. Chloe Decker. As "Candy's" limo drives away, ostensibly back home to Vegas, Lucifer whispers into the night that he won't.

So what's to come on next week's episode, "Deceptive Little Parasites?" Well, let's see...