#and probably stab myself with the nearest object because WHY

[nineinchnailsonchalkboard]

.

[myuselessartandstories]

Story #23

Pain

(860 Words)

Every day I feel more tired. My body feels heavier, yet lighter. I feel weak, but my limbs are so easy to move. I’ve been losing weight. No matter how much I eat, what little I’ve been eating lately, I can’t gain weight. Yet, I’m getting no thinner.

I can’t feel when I hit my hand on anything. I can’t feel when something sharp breaks my skin. I can’t feel when the temperature outside changes anymore. I only feel nothing. That’s the only way I can describe it. I’m alive, I can feel happy and sad, but it’s like my nerves aren’t working anymore.

I can feel it when I move. I’m still aware of where my limbs are and what I’m doing with them. I just can’t feel when something else interacts with me. It’s like I'm numb to the world around me. I can still taste and hear and see and all that, but I just can’t feel.

I’ve seen doctors about this. They say they’ve seen nothing exactly like what I have. I’ve been told I’m probably just getting older. Maybe I’m developing a disease. The doctors have no clue what they’re talking about. Every time I go to them, it’s always a different excuse for not actually wanting to see what’s wrong with me. Now, I can’t afford to go to a doctor anymore.

I was too scared to go into work, so I was fired. Now I have no source of income. I’m running low on everything. I have to live off of barely any food, which is why I’m kind of thankful for the lessening appetite. My internet has been turned off and I’m about to lose my electricity. 

I’ve been turning to methods of calming myself that I used to look down upon. Now, my arms are like a piece of wood, lines carved into it, almost looking like a pattern if you look hard enough. Yet, I still can’t feel any of it. I only feel the lightheadedness that comes with the blood loss.

However, lately I’ve been feeling lightheaded all the time. It feels like I’m always bleeding, even when I know I’m not. There’s no open wounds anywhere,  yet I feel like I’m running out of blood. 

My electricity did eventually get turned off, and I feel like I lost some of my sanity in that moment. I took the nearest object, my pen as I was writing this, and stabbed it into my leg. No pain, no blood. I get angrier. I slide the blade down my leg, creating a large gash as it cuts my skin apart, splitting like ripping a leaf apart.

I pull the knife away and sigh. Only a few drops of blood drip from the gash. I look closer. There’s white inside my leg. It should be red, but it’s white. I dig my finger into the gash, gripping at whatever the hell is in my leg. I can see my fingers have grabbed it, so I pull.

A white cloth-like material is slowly pulled out of my leg. It looks like a long rag. I keep pulling and pulling and it keeps coming. One end of it comes out, coming from the end of the gash leading to my foot. It’s then that the blood starts to come. It rushes up through the gash, pouring from my leg and dripping onto the floor, making a large puddle beneath my chair.

I can feel it now. The immense pain of the gash. I can finally feel! I pull harder on the cloth, starting to pull it from the other side. Blood streams out of the side as well as I continue to pull the cloth. I notice that some of the blood is soaked up by the cloth, but it remains a pristine white.

I can feel the pain returning to my body slowly. It crawls up my leg, going through my lower section and reaching down my other leg. Shit. It hurts. It really fucking hurts. But I missed this pain. I keep going. I keep pulling. More blood spills out. I move my foot on the floor and it slips, making me fall out of my chair onto my back.

I lay in the blood, still pulling on the rag. I could feel myself hit the floor. I wish I could keep falling and hitting the floor. I missed feeling this. Feeling absolutely anything. I pull and pull. Blood keeps spilling onto the floor, but I don’t care. I’m only still moving my hands and ignoring the pain because I can’t focus past the lightheadedness.

I start losing focus. My head is pounding. It hurts. It hurts a lot. But I don’t care. I can feel something again. I don’t know what this cloth was doing inside of me, but I’m glad I got it out. But, now I can’t see the cloth. I can only see the darkness coming in through the edges of my vision. I don’t feel myself breathing anymore. I can’t feel the blood pooling below me. I can’t feel... anything. I can’t feel anything again. Damn it.

[tonystarktogo]

Last part of the time travel crack ‘verse for now (and sorry for making you all worry about the scepter, I didn’t mean it that way, it just seemed like a good cut-off point tbh):

"The scepter! Did anyone keep an eye on the scepter?"

"I assure you," Agent Agent, who looks a little singed and has a bandage wrapped around one ear, yet continues to rock the personality-free drawl that tricks people into thinking he’s not worth paying attention to, speaks up, "that the scepter is still safely in SHIELD custody, Dr. Banner."

Banner scoffs.

Rogers grimaces.

Barton winces.

And oh, all other issues aside, the vindication of this moment is glorious. Tony feels fully justified in the doubtful look he aims at the screen. You know your show sucks balls when even your own operative doesn’t buy what you’re selling.

"That’s great," Banner says in a painfully droll voice. "But I’ll feel a lot better when we hand it over to our resident Asgardian prince for safekeeping rather than put it into a secret high-security facility and hope for the best. Like the one you stored the Tesseract in took Loki what, five minutes to take over?"

Woah, talk about burn. Tony doesn’t bother muffling his snicker. Who’d have thought Banner has it in him?

[continues under the cut]

"Hang on, wouldn’t it be better—" Rogers interrupts before Fury or Coulson can come up with an excuse, which judging by their sour-slash-carefully-blank expressions isn’t as easy as they’d like it to be.

Banner raises one hand. It shouldn’t be a power move on part with his green counterpart squashing a car in his fist, isn’t even particularly aggressive but for some reason Rogers shuts up. Immediately. The bright, eerily green eyes might have something to do with it. 

"If you’re going where I think you’re going, I advise you to reconsider," Banner growls, the vocals deep enough that Romanoff reaches for the nearest weapon. "Even setting my personal issues aside, it’s not worth the risk."

Barton sighs with what sounds less like exhaustion and more like sad resignation. "Hate to say it, Cap, but he’s right. Sending the scepter off-Earth with the Tesseract is probably the safest course of action we can take right now. We can’t count on being that lucky again."

"Agent Barton," Agent Agent’s words drip with such a pointedly polite friendliness, it’s a wonder he doesn’t spear his own tongue on it. "Please desist in trying to hand off objects that pose an immediate threat to global security to an unvetted alien who, while a valued ally, is in line for the throne of a foreign world."

And wow. Tony’s not gonna win a prize for his sensitivity any time soon, but there’s some things you just don’t say to a guy who got brainwashed into doing an alien’s bidding less than forty-eight hours ago. Going by the way Romanoff has gone rigid, she agrees.

Luckily for everyone present, Barton doesn’t bat an eye at the dig. He leans forward instead, elbows placed on his tights, the picture of relaxation. As long as you ignore the expression on his face that could possibly pass for a smile. If you catch sight of it out of the corner of your eye. Through a dirty mirror. 

"Not that I’m not glad to see you alive and well, Phil, because I am. But getting my head rolled once was already one time too many and if the Tesseract is powerful enough to draw fucking aliens to it then it’s too fucking powerful for us to protect." Barton’s voice becomes progressively lower as he continues his little not-having-any-of-your-shit rant. "More people are gonna get killed over that thing. Good people. Because we don’t have the damn resources to keep it safe. So if we gotta bet on Asgard for this, then that’s what we’re gonna fucking do because to be frank with you sir I’d rather lead the hostile aliens to a world ready for interstellar warfare than my own."

Thor straightens from where he’s been fixated on Loki for the past hour or so, trying to crawl into his brother’s skull through willpower alone by the looks of it, and dips his head in Barton’s direction. "Thank you for your faith," he says gravely, as though Barton hasn’t straight up told everyone in this room he wants to use Asgard as a shield-slash-sacrificial-offering. "I hope my people will prove worthy of it."

"Should be fine." Banner shrugs with a nonchalance Tony envies. "’s long as we take care of your murderous sibling first."

Thor winces. Loki’s face loses whatever expressiveness it had left and it already was at state zero: emotions not welcome here to begin with. 

But. Tony tilts his head. Why not just call Loki by his name? Unless, of course, Banner isn’t referring to him. But how would the infamous Hulk-slash-brilliant-scientist have gotten himself wrapped up in alien family drama? And is there a form Tony can sign? Because he hates being kept out of the loop.

"Avengers!" Fury snaps before things can get any more awkward. Which, good for him, but in Tony’s fine opinion he should have taken the win and be done with it. There’s just no winning against whatever type of madness — not to mention feelings — these people are so inconsiderately spreading inside his walls. "You’re not bartering off our best chance to defend ourselves against alien invaders, have I made myself clear? That’s an order."

Rogers scoffs at the screen and damn it, Tony’s determined not to like the guy but the way he just smirks humorlessly as he stares Fury down, all aww shucks did you want the pretty, glowy thing too and well too damn bad for you makes it hard. Especially when Rogers goes that little extra mile and asks with a plain as day air of who fucking cares: "Whatever gave you the impression that this is a negotiation, Director Fury?"

It’s just too great a line to resist and Tony is only human. He makes a sharp gesture with his hand and JARVIS disconnects the call before they witness Fury pop a blood vessel. Let that be Agent’s problem for the time being.

"So," Tony states after a moment. "Besides all but declaring war on SHIELD, the organization two people in this room are officially employed by, for the record, and dealing with Reindeer Games over there, what’s the plan?"

Nervous shuffling. Awkward grins. Badly-hidden glances going back and forth. 

Perhaps most notably, nobody protests the declaring-war-on-SHIELD part. Tony would ask but frankly he’s still on his first glass of scotch — meaning way too fucking sober for whatever madness the answer to that question will undoubtedly raise. It’s a sad, sad day in the history of mankind when Tony is the voice of reason in a room filled with one-person-armies.

"What about Shawarma?" Rogers, apparently the most uncomfortable with the pressing silence, blurts out.

Tony gives that pitiful attempt to change the subject the nice try, have to admit I didn’t see that coming but you’re gonna have to give me more than that look it deserves. As it turns out though, he may have been overestimating his present company’s average ability to read a room.

"I could go for a bite," Barton pipes up, earning himself a soul-shriveling, dead-eyed, where the fuck did I go wrong with you and how have I not killed you yet stare, courtesy of Romanoff that he brushes off with admirable ease. Still not moving an inch away from her either and if Tony’s noticed the way her hand’s been edging ever closer to the knife strapped to her calf, there’s no way Barton hasn’t.

"Sounds good," Banner chimes in with a twisted amusement that makes Tony want to scratch his eyes out. "I know just to the place."

*

They do eat Shawarma together. [All of them, even Loki, because Thor insists his brother is far too thin. Considering Barton doesn’t protest and the only person Loki tries to stab with his salad fork is Thor himself, nobody comments on it.]

As if to add insult to a very long list of injuries that Tony is dying to poke and prod at, the food tastes delicious.

*

Okay so the whole antagonizing SHIELD thing wasn’t planned, but I figured in this AU there was no drawn out battle and no bomb and so there was no ‘thank fuck we’re even alive right now’ relief to take the edge of. Instead everyone is pissed off and frustrated (if for very different reasons) and not outright attacking the helicarrier right now is about all the diplomacy Steve has the patience for at this point.

[for-a-muse-of-fire]

chivalry fell on its sword

the wench and the witcher

“chivalry fell on its sword”

Fandom: The Witcher (2019)

Paring: Geralt of Rivia x Fem!POC Reader

Summary: Geralt witnesses one of the many perils involved in your profession. It rattles him enough to try and do something about it.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence. Geralt and reader continue to be foul-mouthed little darlings.

A/N: Holy crap, guys, I wrote something that wasn’t smut. “You know what that is? Growth.” Full disclosure, there is no real, actual plan for where I’m going with this series, thing. I’m just here to write shit.

@coconutxraikage​ ; @pantrashtic​ ; @kingniazx​ ; @onyour-right​

“Geralt, is this really necessary?”

“Yes.”

You eye the dirk in your hand. “I cook with these, I don’t fight with them - I’ll fucking stab myself.”

“And that’s why we’re here – so I can show you how not to fucking stab yourself.”

You glare at him. ‘Here’ happens to be the courtyard behind your tavern. The witcher has been with you for three days, warming your bed and keeping you company – even your regulars have started to get used to him. Well, mostly. At the very least, they’ve graduated from ‘outright hostility’ to ‘passive distrust’.

Baby steps.

Your only problem with Geralt’s extended visitation is the fact that he’s become annoyingly protective. He mostly keeps out of the way, doesn’t expect you to change anything about your daily routine to suit him, but having a very large, somewhat menacing companion at your back takes some getting used to. No, you’re not exactly what most people would term as ‘threatening’, but you’ve managed the damn place for near-on five years. Belligerent drunks are simply a hazard of the job. You have a very particular way of managing people when they get out of hand at your establishment, and while it does work – most of the time, kind of – the previous evening was a wholly different story.

_-_-_-_-_-_

“I think you need to leave, friend!“

How the bastard had managed to get this drunk on your watch was beyond you. You were going to have a talk with the staff about over-serving. Right now, you’re more about getting the sod’s hands off the barmaid – he’s ignoring you in favor of trying to drag the poor girl into his lap. “Hey,” you bark again. “I’m talking to you – “

Your hand grabs his shoulder and yanks. The girl he’s pawing manages to worm free as the drunk reels about with a shout of indignation, “Get yer fuckin’ hands off me, daft bitch!”

You have to laugh at that, “I may be a daft bitch, but I’m the one who’s name is on the lease here. You’re harassing my waitstaff, now get the fuck out.”

The bastard scoffs at you and has the unmitigated gall to turn his back on you; you see red. Somewhere behind you, you here the rumble of your name – Geralt, trying to tell you to stand down. You ignore him, obviously, because who’s going to take you seriously if you can’t deal with one drunken shithead? With an irritated growl, you grab said shithead by the back of the collar.

“That’s it – “

“Get off, you fucking slut!”

CRACK. Your vision flashes white for a second, like a firecracker has gone off next to your face. The impact of the back of the drunk’s hand sends you stumbling into the nearest table, bell thoroughly rung. You manage to catch the end of the table before you go spinning to the floor.

Geralt shouts your name. Behind you, your assailant gloats, “Come on, girlie. More where that came from.”

There’s blood in your mouth. You spit, grimace, and grab the nearest heavy object you can find; one of your solid clay pitchers.

It’s makes a satisfying “thunk” when it cracks the drunk across the face.

“Fuck you, prick,” you gasp.

_-_-_-_-_-_

 You’d woken up this morning with an impressive shiner, but that son of a bitch had been dragged off with a shattered jaw, according to the gossip. By your standards, everything had been taken care of, but Geralt didn’t seem to be of the same mind. He’d grumbled something about men and fragile egos - ‘reprisals’, blah blah blah- then hurried you through breakfast, and promptly dragged you out of doors.

So, here you were. Staring at a knife. “Geralt, come on – “

“No, you need to be able to protect yourself – “

“ – I’ve managed just fine for most of my life, thank you very much – “

“You have a black eye – “

“ – and I caved that other guy’s face in!”

“That was a lucky shot and you know it!”

You startle so violently that you almost drop the blade on your foot; you don’t think Geralt’s every actually shouted at you before. He’s glaring at you while a muscle in his jaw ticks and you feel you’re your own temper start to bubble – he can’t just yell at you, and you’ve a mind to rip him a new asshole, because fuck him your goddamn face hurts and you don’t have time for this, but then he’s marching up to you and you give a small grunt of surprise when he grabs you by the shoulders.

“You can’t…” He growls, obviously frustrated, before he continues. “You can’t just hope for the best, sweetheart. You’re tough, and smart, I’ll give you that much, but if someone bigger comes along and decides you’ve got something they want…”

He trails off, lets you go, and paces away. You open your mouth to argue, but then he turns and pins you with those pretty golden eyes – oh.

Oh.

He’s worried.

It’s… unexpected? Yes, that’s the word.

But not unwelcome.

You drop Geralt’s gaze and look at the thin blade in your hand. It’s quite nice, actually – small and light enough to palm against your wrist. Hell, you could probably slide it down the front of your dress, if you ever needed to.

“… So I don’t just jab them with the pointy end?” you finally ask with a weak smile.

The witcher blinks, narrows his eyes, and finally exhales on a chuckle. You tamp down on your smile and do your best to keep your sarcasm in check with he begins instruction. He helps you find the balance point on the dirk, shows you how to hold it underhand, then overhand, followed by a breakdown of how to easily switch your grip.

Next is vital points on human anatomy. You learn that the fastest way to drop a man is to stab him through the neck and let him bleed to death. Stabbing for the heart his more difficult; if your blade glances off a rib, it can get stuck. Same thing with the kidneys in the back – hard to get to, but effective if you can manage it. Geralt shows you on his own torso. You stand in front of him while he guides your hand, keeping the sharp point of the dagger tucked to your wrist and away from his vital parts.

“Aim for the middle, if worse comes to worse,” Geralt tells you. “Stab the bastard and get the fuck out of there – he’s not going to be moving very quickly with a blade in his gut.”

With that, he draws a small-ish knife from his boot and moves to stand beside you. He slowly walks you through defensive stances, watching you like a hawk to correct anything he sees as a potential opening. Each movement is numbered and he has you drill through each one, first in order, and then in random patterns of his choosing. You only realize how long you’ve been at it when your arms start to ache. Tending bar can be hard work, but this is a different sort of practice – you’re a little winded, and a little sweaty, but you grin and shake your head when Geralt asks if you want to stop.

“No,” you tell him. “No, I think I’m getting it. Give me more.”

There’s a fierce kind of pride behind his eyes when he nods. Flipping the grip on his blade, he turns to face you and raises an eyebrow. He attacks with slow, even movements and you counter just as slowly. It’s like dancing. When you stumble or misstep, he stops, and the dance begins again.

You only make it through two sequences, at first, but then it’s three.

Then four.

Then five.

And then you realize that Geralt hasn’t stopped to correct your form in some time. He’s gained speed, as well, and you’re able to keep up. You find yourself watching not just the glint of his blade in the sunlight, but the tension and flexion of his arm, or the way he twists at the waist – all of it gives you a clue as to where he might go next. The dance flows back and forth over the cobblestone courtyard, accompanied by the whispering of your blades when then slide together and deflect. Geralt’s smooth, flowing steps push you back towards a wall, but you find an opening, spinning under his arm and back to the center of the courtyard. The witcher is hot on your heels, sweeping a wide arch that you duck under.

Then Geralt missteps. You swipe forward without thinking and leave a thin line of blood on his forearm. He swears and hops back.

Shit – you drop your blade immediately, let it clatter onto the stones below. “Geralt,” you gasp. “Fuck it, I’m sor – hmph!”

Geralt sweeps you up, careful of his unsheathed weapon, and kisses you quite thoroughly. You’re startled for a moment, but it doesn’t take long for you to relax; you melt into his touch and wind an arm around his neck. When he finally draws back, you’re more than a little breathless, and it’s not just from the training.

“Good,” he murmurs. Honey-gold eyes stare down at you, and he lifts one hand to gently push your sweaty curls away from your face. “You did good, sweetheart.”

You’re only a little sorry when he lets you go and picks up your knife, holding it handle-out for you to take. “Find a place to keep that,” he says lowly. “Your bodice, your boot, your garter – doesn’t matter, long you can reach it without fumbling. Understood?”

You smirk. “Understood,” you confirm.

Geralt gives you one of his almost-smiles, offers you one more brief kiss, and turns back for the tavern. “Just think how good you’ll get when we have you working at this every day,” he calls over his shoulder.

You blanche. Every…

Shit. “Son of a bitch,” you mutter as you follow the witcher inside.

[secret-engima]

You’ve said that in Galahd, wearing yellow and pink together will get you stabbed on sight. What do those colors mean together? I know yellow is love (of varying kinds) and pink is poison/betrayal, so do they mean one who kills/killed or betrayed their friends/Clan? Or that they are essentially a snake in the grass, befriending someone and then stabbing them in the back? (Has any Galahdian EVER worn pink voluntarily, given its meaning?)

a-world-in-grey said: Also thinking of the other color combos with pink and whooo boy, none of them are anything but nasty. (I could see Titus being associated with red and pink.) Like, pink with blue or purple seems like it would get you a similar reaction to pink and yellow, while pink with black or white is a similar screaming fury to red and black/white (and probs has everyone reaching for the nearest pointy thing and eyeing you Just In Case.)

a-world-in-grey said: AND (wow my brain won’t shut up about this) white is such a SAD color. (Or terrifying. Or both.) Like, white and orange could mean freedom, but specifically the freedom of HAVING NOTHING LEFT. (Cue all galahdians going *must adopt*?) on the other hand, red and white is ‘I am so mad I will burn you out of existence and dance on the ashes.’ And then black and white is terrifying because ‘I will not stop until you (or I) are ash’ possibly because said person has nothing left to lose. So also sad.

a-world-in-grey said: I... am going to go make a table for the paired color meanings... (so my brain doesn’t fry itself trying to keep track of everything)

Me: If you make a paired color meanings chart feel free to tag me and share because I get a little confused too.

To answer! Pink is poison/betrayal but when mixed with other colors, it tends to take on the meaning of “grudge” as well, specifically “grudge associated with other color’s topic”. Another way of putting it is that Pink mixed with another color means “I consider myself betrayed by X value”. Sorry I didn’t make the betrayal thing clear earlier. It doesn’t mean necessarily “I have betrayed” but more like “I consider myself betrayed and thus no longer hold myself to the laws of courtesy”. That or “I have been poisoned in my soul”. That sort of thing. if that makes more sense? There is a sub context of “I will do to others what has been done to me” so in that sense it is a declaration of being poisonous/traitorous just as much as being poisoned/betrayed.

Anyway wearing Pink and Yellow is basically the Galahdian equivalent of wandering around covered in blood, giggling to yourself with a giant neon YANDERE ON THE WARPATH sign. Aka, someone who is IN LOVE but has been rejected by the object of it, thus considering themselves betrayed or their love poisoned. If you are announcing this via colors, it means you hold a grudge and intend to get revenge. Probably on both the object of affection and any perceived “rivals”, which is why people will preemptively stab on sight.

Yes, some Galahdians wear pink voluntarily, but those are extenuating circumstances and ... basically is a more focused and scarier version of wearing Red. Red is Wrath, Red is Anger and War and to some extent Righteous Vengeance. You know what to expect from Red and that is a lot of stabbing and probably a lot of shouting, but when it’s over it’s over and the Red is put away. But to wear Pink ... that means you go beyond stabbing. That means you have been betrayed or INTEND to betray someone you believe has crossed an uncrossable line and so you are, by wearing Pink, essentially saying “I will not be held responsible by any laws for what I do in the course of my revenge and I will Not Stop”.

There have been times in Galahd history where someone considered untouchable by the Clan (because Kin, possibly even Chieftain Blood Kin) crossed a line, but because they were Kin, they could not be killed or harmed (usually these circumstances are the answers to the question of What Happens When A Clan Chief Turns Tyrant/Corrupt). In those instances, SOMEONE very brave would don Pink and Purple (or possibly Pink and a mix of both black and white) and would kill that person. By wearing the Pink they are announcing their intent to become a Kinslayer because they have been betrayed and the family tie between them and the other person “poisoned”. According to Clan law, those who wear Pink for such purpose had to be exiled because law was law, but they were still honored in the history for doing the necessary thing and were allowed to live on Clan lands and even receive medical aid, even if they couldn’t be talked to or really interacted with outside emergencies.

Moving on to the other color combos, most have similar meanings to Pink and Yellow and all are considered screaming warning signs basically. Pink and Blue can easily mean either “the one who swore to protect me has betrayed me and so I’m going to horribly murder them” OR, if you’re not a sane person, can also mean “the one I PROTECTED has betrayed me and now I’m going to kill them” with an optional side dish of “I hate someone so much I’m going to specifically target the people they protect”.

Pink and Purple is one of the few acceptable combos because that one always and specifically means “I am loyal to someone/something who has been betrayed beyond all forgiveness, so I will go to any means to avenge them”. This isn’t a nice meaning, and people will still be very leery of interacting, but you are far less likely to be stabbed on sight than Pink and Yellow or Pink and Blue.

Pink mixed with Black is basically a shining sign going “I have lost my mind, stay away or suffer” and Pink and White is “I have lost everything so I will make someone ELSE lose everything”

White/Orange does actually mean that yes! And the Clans do tend to court and adopt people wearing those colors. Those are also the traditional colors for if you are the last of your Clan. Red and White is terrifying because it means “I am so angry I will Destroy Everything” but Black and White is HORRIFYING because it means “I will Destroy Everything and Not Stop Until I’m Dead, No Matter What”.

I hope this helps!

[modreduscycle]

Green Knight Pt. 4

“I’ll see you both before sunset!” Bertilak bade, leaning down to kiss his wife goodbye. Once their lips parted, the lord grabbed Gawain’s hand and kissed it. “And I have not forgotten our game.”

Oh dear sweet lord. Adultery is bad, adultery is bad, and would probably not be made better by committing it with both parties in a marriage. Besides, Bertilak was just being polite and chivalrous. He meant nothing by it. Gawain forced a smile. “Neither have I, although I still don’t think I’ll have anything to give you.”

“We’ll see! Farewell!” With a loud bang and a rush of cold air, the door slammed shut behind him and Gawain was left alone with Ragnelle.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced over to see Ragnelle smiling at him. “Come with me, there’s something I’d like to show you.”

She took his hand and led him into another room of the castle. Inside, the walls were covered with paintings and the furniture was covered in thick furs, many of which were splattered with paint. Easels stood up around the room, canvases upon many of them. There was a shelf in the corner with more canvases, these blank, along with jars of paint. There were also several potted plants, healthy, green, and some in full bloom despite being midwinter. Now that he thought about it, the castle seemed to have as many plants as furs, and they had a lot of furs decorating the place. Even Ragnelle herself always had flowers in her hair.

Ragnelle rubbed the back of her neck. “What do you think?”

“It’s amazing, you paint in here?” Gawain asked.

“Obviously. Bertilak sometimes joins me, but I think he gets embarrassed a bit. He doesn’t have as much practice as I do, so there’s a difference in skill,” Ragnelle explained, sinking into a fur-covered couch in front of two easels. Gawain noticed the canvases on them were both blank. Ragnelle picked up a brush and held it between her fingers like a pen. She cast him an alluring look. “Would you like to try your hand at a brush?”

“I haven’t really painted before,” Gawain muttered, trying to fight a blush.

“Then I can teach you, come here,” she bid. He sat down next to her and she angled the nearest easel toward him. “What do you want to paint?”

“I don’t know… Gringolet, maybe?” he suggested, picking up the brush and dipping it into paint.

“Who’s that?” asked Ragnelle.

“Oh, that’s my horse’s name. The one I rode in on.”

“Oh! Him!” Her eyes brightened in sudden understanding. “He’s a nice horse, I went down to the stables to visit him last night. He’s very spirited.”

“Right?” Gawain exclaimed. “Everyone else seems to think he’s a monster or something.”

“I mean, he was trying to bite the stablehand when I walked in, so I do see where they’re coming from,” Ragnelle admitted. She grabbed his hand and helped guide his strokes, sidling closer to him in the process.

“He’s just not a huge fan of men, myself excluded,” Gawain explained. “He has good reason to be, too.” His eyes narrowed. “I almost killed his previous owner because of how he treated him. Gaheris had to stop me.”

“Abusive son of a bitch?” Ragnelle asked. He could feel her hot breath on his neck.

“Yeah. I had to nurse him back to health for months before he was even fit to ride for a short period of time. It took a long time to get him to eat anything other than apples.”

Gawain felt Ragnelle’s hand tighten around his wrist. “Almost wish you did kill his previous owner, or at least caused serious injury.”

“Well… I did sort of hit him…” Gawain muttered. “Gaheris described it as me, ‘bitch-slapping him with my shield.’ He flew about three feet and slammed into the wall. Didn’t put up much of a fight about me taking his horse.”

“Wonder why,” Ragnelle quipped. She fell silent. “I know what it’s like for someone to hurt you like that, but I never had anyone like you to come and save me.”

Gawain stared at her with wide eyes. “Is it Bertilak or…?” He thought he was a pretty good judge of character, and her husband certainly hadn’t set off any alarms, but if he laid a hand on her, they were having words.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Ragnelle quickly denied. “Bertilak has never been anything but kind. I’m not even certain he has it in him to hurt anyone outside of a fight.” She sighed and looked away. “I just didn’t have a great family.”

Gawain bit his lip. “My mother’s pretty awful, too.”

“What’d she do?” Ragnelle asked.

“I know I don’t know everything, but…” He wondered how much he should say. Accusing a queen of such things, regardless of circumstance, was a bit scandalous and probably not something a knight should do, but on the other hand, she was his mother. “Well, my youngest brother was born because she raped someone, just to give you a general picture of the kind of person she is.”

“Oh, wow.” Ragnelle’s eyes widened.

“She always made it perfectly clear her opinions on my siblings and I range from indifference to outright hatred,” Gawain muttered. “She threatened to murder my youngest brother if my aunt didn’t take him and I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure she physically abused one of my other brothers but he clams up everytime I try to ask.”

“My mother is perhaps the only family member who I maybe could stand,” Ragnelle explained. Her brush strokes became furious and harsh. “I say ‘maybe’ because she disappeared when I was a baby. My father remarried and my stepmother is the the biggest bitch I’ve ever known. My half-brother’s a son of a bitch, and that’s an insult against both of them. My father either did nothing or was on their side.” She wrapped her fingers around a strand of hair with several blue flowers in it, even more than there had been a few minutes ago.

“That’s awful…” Gawain muttered. He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “They’re awful.”

She smiled over at him. “Yeah, took me a good portion of my life to fully realize it wasn’t me. When I did, I stuck around one more year before running away. I was sixteen.”

“That’s about how old I was when I left for Camelot,” Gawain replied. There was an awkward moment of silence. “So which one of your parents were fey?”

“Huh?” She jerked around and looked at him with eyes wide.

“Your flowers,” Gawain pointed to his own hair. “It’s a trait of nature fey, right? Plants growing in your hair.”

She stared at him for a few more seconds. “...both of them, actually. My stepmother is human, though.”

“I’m only a… I think it’s sixteenth myself? My grandfather was a fourth light fey,” Gawain mused. “So basically it’s barely worth mentioning.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard, I just didn’t know you were still familiar with the fey,” Ragnelle replied.

“My aunt is Morgana le Fay and I live in Camelot, how could I not be— wait, where did you hear that?” he asked suspiciously.

Her eyes widened, like she’d been caught at something. “I… well, you’re not exactly an unknown knight, Sir Gawain of Orkney.”

“So my reputation proceeds me,” he muttered.

“Parts of it, yes, but reputations and people are two different things. Just take it for granted that I might know a few more things about you than you do about me,” she explained.

“Being in the limelight sucks,” mumbled Gawain.

Ragnelle sighed and wrapped her arm around his neck, making eye contact. “I’m sure it does, but you know what?”

“W- what?”

“You’re so much better in person than any stories of your heroic deeds could ever make you out to be.” Before he even realized what was happening, she closed the short distance between them and kissed him. He couldn’t stop himself before he kissed back.

She was the first to pull away, smiling shyly afterward. Gawain knew his face was beet red, and he was trying to quell both the smile on his face and the giddiness he was feeling. “That… that shouldn’t have happened.”

“It’s fine, Gawain.”

“No, you’re a married woman and I—”

“Don’t want to commit adultery, I understand.”

“I… oh God, do I tell Bertilak?”

“You can, he’ll understand.”

“Will he?!”

Ragnelle rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

He stared at her. “Really?”

With a sigh, Ragnelle pushed a strand of red hair out of her face. “I know my husband better than you do. Trust me, he would not have a problem if we did it right here on the couch.”

“I feel like you’re screwing with me. Also, no!” Gawain added, objecting to the suggestion. He ran his fingers through his hair. “What do I do?”

She glanced over at him. “You know, you got that kiss.”

“I noticed that, what do you…” His eyes widened. “Wait… are you telling me to…”

“It’s a good way to tell him,” Ragnelle replied with a grin.

“It’s also a good way to get stabbed.”

“He won’t stab you.”

Gawain fell silent and thought for a moment. “Well, I’ll be dead soon anyway, what’s a few days earlier?”

“That’s not the spirit, but I’ll take it.”

They spent the rest of the day painting. Gawain’s didn’t turn out great, even with Ragnelle’s help, but he was proud of it. Ragnelle argued since he made it and didn’t receive it that it didn’t count by the rules of the bet, but he still gave it to her as a gift. After all, what use did he have for it?

When Bertilak arrived back, Gawain internally screamed while the large man took his coat and armor off. This was a bad idea, all previous experience told him this was a very, very bad idea. But it also tempted him, and he made a promise…

His thoughts were broken off when Bertilak clapped his shoulder and pointed to the game, laid out on a table. “That’s all yours. Is there any you want the cooks to serve for dinner tonight?”

“U- um, the boar looks pretty good,” Gawain stuttered, a little distracted.

“Excellent!” Bertilak boomed. “I thought so too! Now, do you have anything for me?”

“Actually, yes,” Gawain admitted. Before he could change his mind or lose his nerve, he got up on his tiptoes and pulled Bertilak into a deep kiss. The man really had a nice beard, he had to admit. It wasn’t scratchy, just soft and fluffy. If it wasn’t for the fact that this was bordering on adultery, he would have kept going but instead he broke away after a few seconds. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ragnelle hiding a smile while Bertilak looked pleasantly surprised.

“...and I thought I got the better catch today,” he muttered. “You are a very good kisser.”

“I’ve had some practice,” Gawain muttered.

“I’m sure you have,” Bertilak agreed, blushing. “Oh, and I know we can’t exactly request things from the other person, but if you’d like to get that again tomorrow from wherever you received it, I’d be most grateful.”

…there was no way they were both flirting with him. No way. He was either in heaven or hell right now and he didn’t know which one.

[mandowh0re]

Devil’s Advocate

Chapter 1

Summary: After a violent breakup with her now ex-boyfriend, Liza is ready to give up on relationships. In an attempt for safety, she moves to a city across the country. That’s where she finds herself now. In her new apartment, staring into the eyes of the devil, who claims to be in love with her. Also, since when is the devil a woman?

Word Count: 2186

A/N: Wassup my lovely fucks! I am in quarantine and have decided to show myself once again! This is a story that is NOT marvel related but I’m working on stories outside of fanfiction to practice writing my own characters. This will be an 18+ story. I really like this one so far, so even if you followed me for marvel content, please give it a try?

P.S. I am not a doctor so this will be filled with medical inaccuracies, sorry.

Warnings: domestic abuse, descriptions of injury, scene with a violent fight (I will warn when the scene starts and ends)

Happy reading!

“... Twenty-four year old female… multiple….”

“... C.T. is ready…”

“... We need to…”

“... Liza? We need you to…”

(!!!)

“Where are you going?”

Liza nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Luke’s voice. He was supposed to be at work for another three hours, and she needed all the time she could to pack her things. 

Slowly, Liza turned around to see Luke standing in the entryway of the living room. He looked mad. He always looked mad. 

“Hey honey, you’re home early.” Liza replied, not answering his question and fighting to keep her voice even. If she showed fear this would be even worse. 

“You weren’t answering my calls.”

Shit. 

“I’m sorry, I was cleaning and I guess I didn’t hear my phone-“

“You’re lying. Don’t lie to me. Where are you going?”

Liza’s eyes flickered from Luke to the nearest exit. She knew in her bones this wasn’t going to end well for her. 

The closest exit was past Luke, but there were multiple objects she could use as a weapon. The wine bottle at the bar seemed the best. 

“I was headed to Jess’. She’s really sick and needs someone over there-“

“You see,” Luke interrupted as he stepped closer, his hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on Liza, “I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, and I warned you not to lie to me. I stopped by the hospital, Jess was there. Said you felt sick so you stayed home today.”

Liza could feel her heart in her throat. She couldn’t very well argue with him. Jess, bless her, had tried to cover for her. Because the reality of it was that she had quit. She had planned on leaving an hour before Luke got home. She needed to leave him or he would quite literally be the death of her. 

In a last minute attempt to save herself, Liza bolted towards the bar, but was stopped short when Luke grabbed her wrist. 

He spun her back to face him, and punched her square in the face. 

“You thought you could leave me? After everything we’ve been through?” Luke asked, as he backhanded Liza and threw her against the wall, “I did everything for you. I was so good to you. I loved you! And this is how you repay me?”

Another punch, this time to her stomach. Then another. And another. 

Liza coughed, and blood dripped from her mouth. She knew the only way she would get out of this alive was if she called for help now. 

Luke was currently going on a rant, so while he was distracted she quickly tumbled towards the couch and grabbed her phone from her bag. She unlocked it, found the app that Jess had made her download weeks ago, and pressed the panic button multiple times before a wad of her hair was grabbed and she was tossed across the room. 

“You fucking bitch! You listen when I talk to you! Are you leaving me for another guy? Huh? Is that it you slut!” He added emphasis on ‘slut’ as he reared his foot back and kicked her ribs, “I bet it’s that fucker, Dennis? The one at the coffee shop you like so much?” Another kick to the ribs, “I’ll fucking kill him!”

Luke dropped down on top of Liza, grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the floor several times before adding another punch to the face. 

Liza was wheezing and coughing, trying to keep awake and from choking on her own blood. Tears stung her eyes and she felt herself slipping. She faintly heard the sound of sirens, but they were too late. She saw the metal glint in Luke’s hands. 

She was dead. 

Luke leaned down so that his face was right next to her head. 

“I’ll kill him,” he whispered, “Right after I kill you.”

At first there was pain, and then, there was nothing. 

***(!!!)

Sounds. Sounds came back first. 

The first thing she heard was beeping. Then as she began to come out of her sleep she could make out the faint sounds of voices. 

Next was smell. 

Wherever she was, it smelled clean. And oddly familiar.

Suddenly, like a train, all of her senses crashed into her at once as she realized where she was and why she was there. 

Her eyes flew open, as much as they could, and then there was a loud alarm next to her. 

She knew that alarm. She needed to get her heart rate down. 

But it didn’t matter. Because Luke could come find her at any time and she had to hide.

She threw the blankets off of her and went to stand, but fell to the ground, bringing her IV drip with her. 

Several nurses suddenly burst in the door, as well as a security officer. 

“Ma’am, you need to stay in bed,” One nurse tried telling her as the other nurses tried to get her back on her bed. 

“No, he’s going to find me!” Liza shrieked, fighting against the nurses, throwing weak punches where she could. She vaguely registered someone yelling out for a sedative.

“No! No you can’t do that! He’ll find me and he’ll finish what he started and-“

“Liza,” 

That voice. She knew that voice. She opened her eyes, which she hadn’t realized were closed, and saw a blurry image of her friend in front of her.

When had she started crying?

“Jess?”

“Hey girlie. I need you to calm down okay?”

Liza’s chest heaved as she forced in a breath. Jess was here. Jess always kept her safe. 

“But… But Luke-“

“Is in jail.” Jess said with a certain finality to her voice, “The police found him when they got to your house. At first they thought…” Jess swallowed the lump in her throat and Liza was vaguely aware of the other nurses inserting new IVs. 

“But they rushed you into the ER. They paged me saying there was a critical Jane Doe. But I knew, I knew it was you. When I saw you I- It took everything in me not to go and kill him myself.”

“So… He’s... gone?” Liza asked, her voice shaking. 

Jess nodded, “Yeah. He isn’t going to hurt you again. So could you please lay your stubborn ass down so I’m not constantly on the verge of a heart attack, please?”

Liza smiled, or tried to, it probably looked like a grimace. She laid back down with the help of the other nurses. 

Now that she was up and the IV had unhooked for a few minutes, her brain fog had cleared enough to let her understand the situation. 

“How bad?” She asked. 

Jess placed a hand on the shoulder of another nurse, who Liza recognized as Rhonda. She was always nice to her. She always looked out for Liza.

“I’ve got this,” Jess spoke quietly. Rhonda nodded and finished the IV she was placing before leaving the two friends alone.

It was quiet for a moment before Liza asked again, “Jess?”

“You won’t remember anything I tell you right now. They’ve got you on some pretty strong stuff. Go to sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up and I’ll tell you.”

She wanted to fight, but Liza felt the medication pulling her under and she just didn’t have the energy. So she let the darkness wrap around her once again.

***

Jess was sitting in a chair next to her bed. Liza was finally moved out of the ICU and demanded that her friend tell her what all Luke had done.

“... Contusions everywhere. Ruptured spleen. And a stab wound to the abdomen that pierced multiple organs,” Jess sniffled and wiped a tear off her cheek, “They lost you twice in the first surgery. They wouldn’t let me in the room, said I was too close to the case. Honestly, everyone was shocked you made it out alive.

“You were in critical care for the first several days. On a ventilator for the first four. God, when you started breathing on your own I actually threw up, you know. I was so nervous.”

It was silent for a few minutes, Liza soaking up all of the information she had just been given. 

“How long was I out?” She asked. 

“Almost a week and a half. After you woke up the first time they put you into a coma so it wouldn’t happen again.”

It was quiet between the two for several minutes before Jess sniffed and swiped at her tears again, “You need to rest.”

Liza nodded and leaned back onto the bed once more, and attempted another smile when Jess squeezed her hand before leaving the room. 

***

“So I was thinking we could find you a new apartment, one of the fancy ones with extra security. Then when you’re feeling better you could come back to work-“

“I’m still leaving.” Liza cut off Jess’ thoughts, “I mean, I don’t want to. But I also do. I don’t feel safe here. I want to restart. Somewhere where nobody knows me.” Liza was poking at her food with her fork. Suddenly, she had no appetite. 

“Oh, okay. Yeah. I get that. I just, I guess I thought it would be easier… But you’re right,”

“Jess, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, no need to be sorry,” Jess sniffled and gave a watery smile, “You need to do what’s best for you. I’m just going to miss my best friend, is all.”

“I know. I’m gonna miss you too. But you’re gonna come out to visit me as soon as possible, right?” 

“Duh,” Jess gently pushed Liza’s shoulder and the two of them giggled, “Jack and I are coming out as soon as I have enough vacation saved up.”

A pang of guilt hit Liza. Jess had used up most of her vacation time while Liza was in the hospital, a majority used after she had woken up the first time. 

A feat that the doctors couldn’t figure out how it had happened, she learned, since she hadn't been weaned off the sedatives yet. 

Liza barely remembered that. Jess had to tell her what had happened. Though she supposed it was a good thing she didn’t remember most of that incident. Apparently she had nearly gone berserk. 

“Hey,” Jess’ voice stirred Liza from her train of thought, “You okay?”

Liza cleared her throat, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“Yeah, of course. You should rest. I’ll come see you later.” Jess got up and pulled the small table Liza had been eating on to the side of the bed and pulled the blankets up to cover her. 

Grabbing the food tray, Jess snuck out of the room and headed to the nursing station, dropping the food tray on the cart as she passed. 

“Hey, she sleeping?” Lynne, one of Liza’s nurses, asked. 

“I don’t know if she’s sleeping. But she’s resting.” Jess said as she slid into one of the empty chairs. 

“That’s better than nothing,” Lynne looked back up from her paperwork, “Why do you look constipated?”

Jess shot a look at her friend before pinching the bridge of her nose, “She still wants to move. And I get it, I do, but I can’t keep her safe if she’s all the way across the country!” 

Lynne sighed, “Jess. Honey, she was half way across town and was very nearly killed. I know you feel responsible. But you were doing everything you could. From what she told us, you were helping her get out,”

“I should have given her a way to defend herself.”

“You can’t dwell on the past. Not anymore. Because that’s all she’s going to do, and you need to be strong for her. You need to be that beacon of hope, even if you’re clear across the country.”

“How do I keep her from finding someone like him again?” Jess didn’t dare speak his name. It was like poison. And she didn’t want it on her tongue, “Because, Lynne, if someone lays a hand on her one more time, I might actually go to jail. No, scratch that. I definitely will go to jail. I would have that night if Doctor Tiruneh didn’t physically pull me into a supply closet and refuse to let me leave until I calmed down.”

Lynne blew out some air, running a hand down her face, “You can’t guarantee she won’t find someone like him again. In fact, it’s entirely possible she will. Some people end up in a cycle they can’t break, some people can break it after one relationship gone bad. Hopefully, this was enough for her to break that cycle. All you can do is be there for her and try to guide her.”

“I should have called the cops when I saw the bruises the first time,”

“That wasn’t your call to make,”

“Yeah, well, look where it got us.”

“She’s alive. That’s all that matters,”

Jess sat there for a few more minutes before she stood abruptly and headed out. She needed fresh air to think.

------

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[kittymaverick]

MCF Moths to a Flame commentary part 2...

I really heavily underestimated how much jumping I was gonna do watching the gameplay alone... So, Eipex, good job on making me scared for the MD’s life... MD: LEMME OUT. If this weren’t so entertaining, I would honestly be screaming the same still...

1. Pazu: I remember these people Who doesn’t? MD: I wish I don’t! 2. Oh, THEY MOVED THE ENTIRE DOOR HERE??? MD: ...Okay, next time, I’m not just bringing a lighter. I’m bringing lighter, and gasoline, and kerosene, and napalm, AND A TONNE OF TNT JUST TO BE SURE NOTHING OF THAT MANOR EVER SURVIVES AGAIN. 3. MD: this room, it’s like all the Ravenhearst cases in one-- I’m gonna go pass out in the corner. Eipex, when I asked for Ravenhearst, I don’t think I meant like... give the MD a full room of it... Or maybe I did... MD: I knew this case was bad before we started whyyyyyyyyy did I come whyyyyyyyyyyy *sobbing* 4. There’s even a shrine-- wait, why does Gwen’s nest have... eggs... MD, which one of the twins was it that survived? MD: Um, let me check your posts... Okay, apparently, it was Charlotte. ...Are we absolutely, 100%ly, without any doubt whatsoever, certainty beyond all reasonable speculations that Gwen LEGIT DIED WHEN ALISTAIR STABBED HER? MD: ...Look, I checked her body, OKAY? RANSACKED IT EVEN. THE DALIMARS DON’T EXACTLY STAY DEAD THOUGH IF YOU HAVEN’T EXACTLY NOTICED. (Meanwhile, probably elsewhere in this museum, maybe... Dalimars: The Master Detective sure likes arguing with themselves nowadays... they’re never going to get to the end of this game at this rate...) 5. MD: I probably shouldn’t go into a fireplace that just showed up, but... I’m too curious-- Oh, good to know you’re just like a cat like me! Which life are you on now? MD: ...Considering Ankou gave me the feather, negative 2? 6. Complex puzzles actually seem doable and logical this time! Though it is hella creepy. 7. “All the cases are too easy! I’m gonna look into some of the Master Detective cases next. Maybe there’ll be a challenge in there.“ MD: I’m second hand embarrassed about this man’s ego. And other than the security breach your agency has, can I say... Your cases don’t so much have challenges in them as so much as loose ends that never tie up... MD: Look, I REALLY try with the fire, okay??? 8. Shoot all the evil ducks. If you shoot a wrong one, you’ll have to start again! MD: THIS IS THE NEW WHACK-A-TROLL I SWEAR. Pazu: I got this. *100% it* MD: See, in the hands of a good player, I still got it. ...First, how dare you diss me. Second, You do realize your adversary now know your shooting skills, right? MD: Shut up and let me have my small victories will you? 9. Hm, Raven badge, crystal badge... wonder if the last one is going to be death badge.... MD: If the Dalimars and that Scottish guy teamed up, I’m as good as dead... 10. ...is that... is that? MD: ...ISIS??? PLEASE LET US KEEP HER AS A PET. MD: Wait, HOW DID YOU GET CAUGHT? YOU’RE BASICALLY A GHOST CAT. Isis: *innocent kitty eyes* 11. Gargoyle chest with... Madame Fate’s Crystal Ball. MD: Please tell me that’s not the real thing because if it is, I’m breaking it right here and now. I think the pieces are under lock and key because they have Charles’ soul fragments in them right now, right? MD: EXACTLY MY POINT. 12. Video guy assumes you’re a guy. MD: I’m glad as least one part of my identity has been kept secret more than anything else... (Note: MD’s voice acting in this game suggests they are feminine) 13. And the final badge is revealed to be... the cog badge? Wha? (Even Pazu is confused lol.) ((I also just realized, we’re still in the Beta segment of the videos...I’m gonna cry in act 2 and 3, aren’t I?)) 14. MD: Should I be scared or honored that someone made rooms out of my old cases? Do you really want me to answer the obvious? MD: ...Okay, VERY SCARED. FREAKED OUT SCARED. ...BUT THEN YOU KEEP ON DOING THOSE PUZZLES. MD: I CAN’T HELP IT OKAY IT’S MY OCCUPATIONAL HABIT AT THIS POINT. 15. Cheating with weights on the hammer, MD? MD: Look, I walk around a lot solving cases, but that doesn’t exactly leave me time to work out, okay? 16. Oh, so MAC... was constructed by this guy-- MD: ARE YOU SAYING MY BADGE LITERALLY BETRAYED ME??? Well... MD: I CAN’T BELIEVE IT I CAN’T EVEN TRUST MY BADGE IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE. WHERE IS THE NEAREST CLIFF I’M GONNA YEET MYSELF OFF OF IT. (...I did say they were gonna give us a companion cube just to take it away, didn’t I?...) 17. MD, considering how well you know the queen... um, why didn’t you check before coming here whether it was fake or not? MD: ... Well? MD: Look, UK’s going through Brexit right now okay, I don’t think she wants to be disturbed when her country is in a crisis. 18. Okay, past the spire staircases! And behind door number three is-- OH NO. MD: OH THANK GOD THEY ARE ALIVE. NO THAT’S NOT GOOD WE HAVE HOSTAGES. REPEAT WE HAVE HOSTAGES! 19. Chloe: Thanks for freeing me-- MD: Okay, can I first say, how could you fall for this? Um, pot calling the kettle black here? MD: ...OKAY OKAY I’LL RESCUE YOU THREE THEN WE’LL REEVALUATE OUR METHODS, TOGETHER. Aiden: Make that Archivist pay for what he did to us! Blake: ...No pressure? MD: *sobbing* 20. MD: OKAY I GOT EVERYTHING, AND THIS IS... an apprentice badge? Archivist: Yo. Wassup? *Springs trap* MD: I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT WE KNEW IT WE KNEW IT WE KNEW IT Other detectives: Um, oops, sorry? Archivist: Really, though, how could you fall for that? And you call yourself a Master-- MD: I AM GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE AND HURT YOU SO BAD YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE DUMBER. Archivist: Um... that wasn’t... on the script-- Me and MD: SHUT UP WE HAVE A LOT OF FRUSTRATIONS AND PARANOIA BUILT UP OVER THE YEARS TO VENT OKAY. MD: And YOU just happen to be on the receiving end of it. Archivist: *drops trap several stories down* MD: DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-- [Here endith the Beta section!] 21. Hey, we awake? MD: Yeah... awake, ish. OW. Need, to, break, out, somehow. How convenient this guy left sharp objects in the cabinet here for us to use... MD: ...How did the glass not break from the fall? ...Hey, I’m supposed to be playing captain obvious here, not you! MD: Oh right, sorry. Anyway, to vandalism! 22. Archivist: You’re sloppy, aren’t you? MD: Says the guy who left sharp objects for me to break out of here with. Probably because he WANTS you to break out. Archivist: Remember Broken Hours, detective? Tick tock-- MD: I can’t believe I preferred the Dalimars as the villains. Me neither. At least they had some competence in their madness, minus Victor. 23. Blake: Take this Detective! Quick, I’m almost out of time-- OKAY WE ACTUALLY HAVE A HOSTAGE SITUATION HURRY UP! MD: If we take back the incompetence comment, will you give us more time? Archivist: No, of course not. MD: I thought so, you incompetent bastard. Archivist: You little...! Um, PUZZLES AND LIVES TO SAVE PLEASE??? 24. MD: Solving books puzzles gives me more books? Really now, that’s real creative-- Um... is that what I think it is? MD: It’s... It’s nitroglycerin. I’m... I’m so moved. Finally someone understands me. *sobs* Might I remind you this guy has your colleagues HOSTAGE??? 25. There are literally so many references to past games that I’m like overwhelmed with joy. MD: And I’m overwhelmed with HORROR. 26. Pazu: He’s going to get squashed. THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING. MD: Nah, he’s gonna be fine. I hope. I wish. I mean, I usually turn out fine, right? Right??? ...I’m starting to think your agency is so broke because of all the health bills you guys need to get reimbursed afterwards. 27. Archivist: You fall into my traps again and again-- Let’s be honest, that’s just an MD thing, okay? The rest of the MCF crew-- well, actually... Okay, you know what MD, the Archivist is kind of right here. It’s like you guys are literally DRAWN to traps. MD: I’m sorry for being a bad role model and starting the trend? 28. Huh, this room, looks REALLY familiar. MD: I GET IT. THIS GUY, HE’S A COPYCAT. LITERALLY NONE OF HIS THINGS ORIGINATE FROM HIM. HE’S BEEN STEALING THEM FROM EVERYWHERE AND FRANKENSTEINING THEM TOGETHER. It’s almost kind of impressive in a very disturbing way... 29. MD: Oh hey, Parker, coming with? ...I think the reason why you didn’t get a partner for this mission now is because... they all got kidnapped. MD: Yeah, I’m starting to see that now. We REALLY need better security... 30. MD: Found the center of the mechanism! Now to stop it-- WAIT, THINK, THIS IS A TRAP? MD: Gosh I hate that I have to do that for everything now... 31. Pazu: what is this obsession with badges? Someone clearly didn’t get one and is salty. MD: Gods, all four of us agents are going to need new badges after this, aren’t we. Oh gods that’s gonna come out of our pay too, I’m sure... Speaking of badges, look! You get an agent badge! MD: Can’t believe I’m saying this but I really, really, really, much prefer solving the case involving STAIN as well as about the Hope Diamond to get my qualifications than this... massive puzzle tower... Wasn’t Huntsville how you got start on the whole MD path to begin with? And solving the Hope Diamond got the queen asking you to go to Ravenhearst? MD: ...*sighs* yes, this is a trip down memory lane in the worst way possible, I swear... 32. Um, someone’s calling. You gonna pick up? MD: You know, the least you could do is fix broken things after bringing them over, Archivist? Archivist: But if I did that, where’s the SURPRISE? MD: The last group of people that tried to surprise me got their asses kicked, you know. 33. MD: Draining people of their mind force, huh? I believe the Dalimars have officially been outranked on delusions of grandeur. If this note doesn’t scream trap, I don’t know WHAT does. MD: Honestly, considering how dumbly I fall into traps... I’ll like to see the guy try to drain my brain and see what he gets out of it. 34. Is that... THE PATH TO RAVENHEARST MANOR REPLICATED INDOORS? MD: I’m both impressed, and also feeling Charles’ jealousy emitting from whereever he is sealed. Let’s just hope this guy doesn’t propose at the end too. You have all of our blessings to defenestrate him if he does. 35. Awwww he didn’t have time to finish the rest of the manor. Only got up to the gate. MD: It’s like watching someone give up half way on their ambitious project. HEY GUY, AT LEAST ALISTER AND CHARLES FINISHED THEIR PROJECTS. DID YOU? Archivist: Did they build traps like these? *Trap Chloe* MD: ....You are rising up my shit list with record speed and that doesn’t happen often. ALSO CHLOE SERIOUSLY! 36. Archivist: Too bad for your companion, she paid the price. MD: ...I KNEW I should have kept some of that nitroglycerin! Oh hey look he even has a cable car ride for you! Don’t think we’ve seen that since Return or Escape from Ravenhearst? Archivist: If you want to get to the end of the ride, take a seat, NOW. MD: Oh I’ll seat, but only because I WANT TO. Also, your chair aren’t even replicas. 37. MD: Okay the box now... let’s open it-- Oh come ON! IT’S WHACK-A-TROLL!!!!!!! 8D MD: *Smash emergency exit button* Now ladies and gentlemen, please exit the ride into the next insane area. We hope you’ve enjoy the trip BECAUSE I SURE HAVE NOT-- Really? AN AMUSEMENT PARK NEXT? You did say you weren’t having fun... 38. Aiden: HEEEEEELP! MD: ...as much as I feel sorry for the old guy, I’m also glad I’m not the one stuck in that rocket ride... 40. Oh hey, it’s whack-a... detective. AND IT’S MORE FRUSTRATING THAN WHACK-A-TROLL. REALLY EIPEX? REALLY??? MD: ...Can’t believe this, but now, I miss Whack-a-troll. 41. Archivist: Can’t believe you made it this far without realizing I was one of the missing people? MD: ... Actually... Me: That makes sense, like, I was expecting it, honestly. There WERE four missing posters and we only found three. I was wondering WHEN that was going to come up. MD: See, some of the players don’t go through 19 cases and NOT develop SOME sense of paranoia that you’re going to be betrayed. 42. Archivist: Why don’t you step through the door to claim your prize? Me: How about, no? MD: No here as well. Aiden: Also no here. LET ME GO THROUGH INSTEAD! Archivist: WAIT NO THAT’S NOT HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO GO-- Me: ...Aaaand we’re out of the illusion. I KNEW IT! WHEN EVERYTHING WENT MISTY I KNEW SOMETHING WENT WRONG! MD: Okay, instead of celebrating you seeing this coming HOW ABOUT YOU GET ME OUT OF THIS CONTRAPTION THANK YOU. 43. Hey, you got your badge back. MD: I know. And it’s stabby. MD: I KNOW. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? MD: IT’S VANDALISM TIME! 44. Chloe: Hello? Anyone there? Blake: Um, same here? Aiden: AHA! Knew there was something fishy. MD: Okay, since we’re all awake, let’s do what we Master Detectives are great at doing. MDs: solving freakishly complicated puzzle panels. *sighs collectively* 45. Archivist: TOO MUCH BRAIN POWER! NOOOOO *Poofs* MD: THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR PLAYING GAMES WITH US-- Um, who, is, that? Basically everyone who remembers the sole survivor of the Dalimars: CHARLOTTE! [To be continue!]

[celestewritesoccasionally]

The Day My Life Got Interesting

I wrote this story last spring and I finally got around to editing it. Hope you enjoy! Reblogs and comments mean the world to me!

Helena Keenan is on her way home from work when she gets wrapped up in a sci-fi style adventure.

Word count: 1387

The elevator opened with a pleasant ding, ensuring certain death. I took a step backward, as the monsters emerged. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they seemed dangerous. They were humanoid and looked zombie-ish. They shuffled forward, and I drew the pocket knife I always kept with me. It wouldn’t help much, and I think I knew that, but I wasn’t going to let these things hurt anyone.

I took a second to observe my surroundings. I was in an office building, complete with dull fluorescent lighting and fake plants. I realized that the building was full of regular office workers, who were now hiding behind their desks. They were probably scared out of their minds.

So there I was, facing down a horde of monsters, holding nothing but a pocket knife. The situation was ridiculously hopeless, but I promised myself that I wouldn’t lose. The nearest monster advanced, and I plunged the knife into its wrist. I watched in awe, as it started to disintegrate. My knife wasn’t made out of anything special, it was just low-quality steel. I stabbed the next one, and it fell too. I went kind of crazy, and soon, zombie dust littered the office floor. I glanced down. There was a large gash in my arm. It didn’t hurt; I wasn’t sure whether that was a side effect of some venom that the monsters excreted, or simply shock.

One of the office workers, a woman in her late twenties, wearing a sunshine yellow blouse and black slacks pushed forward.

I started to feel dizzy, slumping against the wall. Definitely venom. My thoughts were hazy as the woman helped me to a sitting position.

“They must of followed me here.” Her voice sounded shaky and urgent. “Here.” She pulled my arm towards her. “This isn’t good,” she murmured. She proceeded to spread a goopy purple substance over the wound, before wrapping it in a silvery bandage. When she was done, she looked at me, and I noticed that her eyes were a brilliant, almost impossible shade of emerald green, the same color as an exit sign. The green ones, not the red ones, because her eyes were green, not red.

“How do you feel? I think you’ll be okay.”

“You think?” I managed. “What were those things? Who are you?”

She faltered. “It’s complicated. You go first. Tell me about you.”

“I’m Helena Keenan. I’m 27, I was born in Denver, Colorado. I moved here after college. Now you explain.”

She sighed. “Where to start…I guess I’ll just jump right in. I’m Alexa. I’m from the year 2150. I stole a time machine and went back to medieval Europe. I found those...things. I tried to figure out what they were, but they attacked me. I came to this time period hoping to escape them. What I don’t get is why your knife killed them. None of my weapons worked.”

“I don’t know either. I got it for ten dollars at harbor freight. I don’t think it’s special.”

“Can I see it?”

“Sure.” I handed it over.

She pulled an advanced looking smart phone out of her pocket and used it to scan the knife.

“Why are you here, working at an insurance company?”

“I got here a few months ago. I didn’t see the creatures anywhere, so I assumed I was safe. I got a job here to help blend in, in case somebody came looking for me. It turns out insurance is pretty easy once you’ve figured out how to build a time machine.”

“Who would be looking for you?”

“I worked for this company that was developing a time machine. They were planning to use it for evil. I snuck in one night and wiped the database, and stole the prototype, and went back to the dark ages. They might have put some sort of tracking device in it, so if they develop another time machine, they could come after me.”

“Oh.”

Her scanner beeped and displayed something. “Here. It says the blade has trace amounts of silicone and acrylate polymer, as well as pieces of plastic film. What’s that from?”

“Probably packing tape. I moved last week and was cutting open boxes.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Since the creatures were from medieval Europe, it’s entirely possible that their systems weren’t used to the—” She made air quotes with her fingers “—‘modern’ material.”

The office workers around us started to come out of their daze.

“They’ll ask too many questions. We should get out of here.”

I nodded. She helped me to my feet, then pressed the call button on the elevator. After a frustratingly long wait (it had gone back to ground level already?), the doors opened. We stepped inside.

Alexa looked at me. “So, how did you run into those things?”

“I was walking home from work when I saw them. I wondered what they were, and I tried to follow them. They led me here. They got in the elevator, so I took the stairs, hoping to give the people on the office floors some warning. They must have tracked you.”

“That’s not good. If they could find me, that means the government definitely can. We need to destroy the time machine.”

“Where is it?”

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a boring lobby.

“Here.” Alexa opened the door to a supply closet and reached up to get something off the top shelf. “I present to you…my time machine!” She held it up in triumph. It was a simple round disc, about an inch thick, and as big as a dinner plate. It was bright silver, with a black screen displaying today’s date.

The guy at the front desk gave us a strange look, wondering what we were up to.

“We should go.”

We stood on the sidewalk, watching the cars go by.

“How are you going to destroy it?”

“I’m still figuring that out. We made it near indestructible, not wanting to get stranded at a certain point in time.”

“Everything has a weakness. We just need to find it. You thought those zombie things couldn’t be killed. But…” I spread my hands in demonstration.

“Okay.”

“Its metal. If we got it hot enough, it might melt.”

“You’re pretty smart.”

I blushed a little at the compliment. “What kind of metal is it? How much heat would we need?”

“It’s titanium. It should melt at 1,700℃.”

“They don’t teach us the metric system here.”

“They should. It’s around…let’s see…3,100℉.”

“I have a pretty hefty blow torch at home. It might work.”

“We can try it. Where do you live?”

“Two blocks South.”

“Let’s go.”

“Here we are.” I displayed my blow torch. “Let’s give this a shot.”

“We should put it on something. I don’t want to ruin your countertop.”

I pulled a ceramic plate from the cupboard. “Will this melt?”

“The glaze might. Let’s hope not.” She placed the disc of metal on the plate.

“Okay then. Here goes nothing.” I set the blow torch to high and watched with bated breath as the metal began to soften. It was actually working! The time machine popped and hissed as the circuitry started to fry.

“I think it’s dead enough.” Alexa declared.

“Alright.” I turned the blowtorch off and set it to the side. I examined the plate, which had fused to the titanium. I slid it towards her. “There you go. One order of melted time machine.”

“Thanks. I guess I’m stuck here now.” She fished around in her satchel and produced a business card. “Call me if you run into anything else weird.”

“I will,” I promised.

“I should go. Can I take this?” She gestured to the melted lump of metal. “I want to study what’s left of it, see if I can find anything interesting.”

“It’s your time machine.”

She nodded and gingerly placed the object into her satchel. “Goodbye.”

“Bye!”

She left my apartment, giving me time to think over the odd events of the day. They seemed like they belonged in some sort of sci-fi novel. That gave me an idea. I had been trying to establish myself as a writer for years. These events seemed like a godsend, a perfect starting point. With this in mind, I sat down at my desk and began to write.

[writevswrong]

Eris Fanfic * When The Last Ember Falls * Chapter Two (Full)

Sorry for the delay friends! I will be posting on both Wattpad and Tumblr moving forward :):) Enjoy!

When The Last Ember Falls by L.J. LaFleur 

Eris:

To walk in the throne room or to winnow? Reminding my brother of my authority or showing him my weakness? Obviously, I would winnow. Just not yet. No, no, no…I would make him wait. This would remind him that he holds no position of authority, no power.

I took a detour to my private chambers, winnowing as often as I did was starting to wear me down. Burned out either way; I had to remind myself I hadn’t slept in days. Since the war, I sat beside Nesta every day, watching her with unwavering hope.

If I wasn’t guarding her at the Night Court then I was here. At first it was to visit the victims of war whether it was the hoard of injured soldiers or the devastated families. Then came the dozens of advisors—meeting after meeting of how to rebuild a fallen Court.  

Constantly busy, endlessly trying. I only wanted to do what was right but even then, it didn’t feel like enough. I am not enough.  

The pain in my knee continues to be a persistent bastard. Every step feels as if I’m being torn apart again. Instead of trying to hide my pain—my flaw, I kept walking. Up the steps, through the long halls and into my bedchamber. Falling within seconds of shutting the door, I grunted as my hands caught my full weight. “Gods-damn it,” I growled, throwing the nearest object, a thin novel, across the room.

I turned to lay on my back, letting the cold stones penetrate my clothing then bones. I released my held breath, dropping my guard for only a moment. I tried to stand but I couldn’t; even the slightest adjustment struck me still. I needed to get up, to keep moving—I needed to focus on something other than the sorrow that had built in my chest.

Too late. Memories of Nesta choked the breath from my lips. The stabbing pain in my knee echoed until I would focus on the past. “No…” I uttered, feeling entirely lost in time.

When the healers demanded I rest, I ignored them. When Bea brought me food, offering her kind words of advice, I ignored her too. I would only leave when it was Cassian’s shift. Not a word was exchanged between us as I winnowed back to the Autumn Court at sunset.

It wasn’t until the day Rhysand entered the room that I looked away from her—or should I say he held my mind and forced me to acknowledge him. Giving him a once over, I nearly rolled my eyes. I swear the man only wore black; probably to enhance his violet eyes—ridiculous.

Rhysand smirked, “you know I can read your mind, right?” When I didn’t answer, he continued, “and yes, obsidian does make my eyes pop.”    

“What is it?” I muttered, my own burning with exhaustion.

His smirk faded as he closed the door behind him, those violet eyes flashing to Nesta then to me. “You saved her—them,” he whispered, his words barely reaching me as he moved through his own timeline of events.  

“You hold my mind,” I replied, “go on, see for yourself.”

I watched as Rhysand’s face gave nothing away, or attempted not to. I saw a slight twitch of his right eye, the smallest sign of emotion as he witnessed Nesta’s entire duration in the Autumn Court. I may not have the same gifts as him and Feyre, but I’ve lived long enough to catch what others might miss.  

Rhysand released me, the sudden willpower resurfacing as I built up my walls. “What did you expect to see?” I grunted as I adjusted in my seat.  

Tilting his head, he again glanced between me and Nesta. “Was she your redemption after Mor?” he asked, his brows slightly drawing together.

“No,” I responded with a steady voice. My focus faltered as I stole another look at Nesta.  

“Then why?”

Bullshit. He knows, I’m sure they all do. They had to. I raised my brows as I studied him, “you’re telling me the most powerful High Lord in all of Prythian couldn’t see it?”

Rhysand stilled, there was a sense of understanding lingering beneath his careful stare, “no, I’m just waiting for you to say it out loud.”

I hesitated, my eyes dropping from his to rest on the beauty laying before me. I studied the curve of her lips then examined the high cheek bones that were no longer bruised. “I love her,” I replied, feeling a sensation, I had never felt before. A rush of colliding emotions exploded within.

Rhysand dug his hands into his pockets, “and what will you say to her when she wakes up?”

“Nothing,” I didn’t hesitate in my reply. It didn’t matter that I had practiced the words in my head for weeks. That I had gone over every scenario, mulling every word to form a proper sentence when she wakes.

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

Astonished, I did not hold back. “Cassian is your brother and her mate,” I barked at him.

He nodded, his voice drifting towards me, “yes.”

“So, you want me to go against him? To fight for Nesta’s heart? Is that it, Rhysand?”

“No. I want you to be honest. Not only with yourself but with her.”

“Tamlin loved Feyre,” I watched as I struck a deep-seeded chord within him. “He loved her…and what did you do? You took her. And luckily you two were mates, you fell in love—together. But what of Tamlin? What of the beast who could not love, who did not deserve her love in return?” I held his violent stare, “sometimes it’s best if us monster’s do not end up with the beauty in the end. No matter how badly we want to.”

Rhysand’s jaw relaxed, the crushing weight of my words settled into the room. “Monsters are made, not born—Nesta had said that about herself once. That means a monster’s ending can be rewritten if they so choose.”

I didn’t know how to respond, what I could possibly say to debunk that.  

“I’ll see you around, Vanserra.”

“No, you won’t.”

“You think I would release you on the Autumn Court without checking in?” he laughed, brushing his fingers through his hair.

I flashed my teeth, creating a ball of fire in my hand to throw at him, “prick.”

“Not the first or last time I will hear that.” Rhysand’s laugh ceased, his voice echoing through the room, “be honest, Eris.”

Before I could reply he turned to smoke and shadows, warmth retreating from Nesta’s bedchambers. I carefully raised the covers to shield her bare shoulders. Gently, I rested my hand against Nesta’s forehead, her temperature had decreased suddenly. Whatever she’s fighting, wherever she was lost—it was freezing.

I released a flame from my fingertips, watching as the seed of fire danced into her skin. Once I felt her temperature rise to a decent level, I dropped my hand to hers. Though a blanket separated us, I still held onto her. It was the only affection I dared to show.  

Rhysand’s parting words stung, mostly because I knew he was right—and I knew exactly what to say.

The pain in my leg increased, ripping me from the past even as memories threatened to break through. Flickering images of mine and Nesta’s exchange tore me apart.  

“It’s not that bad, I promise.”

“You’re a liar.”

“A damn good one until you came around.”

“…you prick…”

“Maybe not in this life and maybe not the next…”

“…you’ll always be my dear friend, Eris. The lord of fire and delayed wit…”

“Until then King Slayer.”

“Until then, Eris.”

[bettycoopergal]

Facing the Demons, Part II

Betty, still grieving her breakup with Jughead, finds out about his hookup with Toni and gets kissed by Archie. But she's done being sad. Now, she's angry.

Post-2.08 fix-it fic with a happy ending, in two acts.

Read on Ao3 | Read Part I

Part II

Jughead leans his head through the gap between the door and the frame. “It’s just me,” he says.

Betty nods, unable to form actual words. She was so wound up earlier that her body now doesn’t know what to do with the tension. She fights the urge to clench her fists and straightens her posture so much that it hurts. Jughead takes the hint from her silence and walks into the room, closing the door behind him.

For a second, they just stare at each other. Betty feels the fight in her completely evaporate as she thinks about just how much has changed between them. Her body slackens, and her shoulders sag. For the first time, she feels completely resigned—maybe she should have given up a long time ago. If she had known that it would hurt this much just to see him, that it would end in this much pain, would she still have fought for him? Would she still have given him so much of herself? Would she still have let herself love him?

Of course, the answer is still yes.

“Betts—.”

“Don’t,” Betty cuts him off. “Don’t call me that, please.” She averts her eyes to the ground and wills away the tears that are re-forming.

Jughead is staring at her, and she can feel the hurt in his gaze, even if she can’t bring herself to see it. “Okay,” he says quietly.

He walks over to her and hands her a small, neatly-wrapped present that she didn’t notice he was holding before. Betty glances up at him now and has to stop herself from reaching out to him when she sees how anxious he looks. “It’s that dress you said you loved,” Jughead tells her. “You never buy stuff like that for yourself, so I bought it for you. And I still wanted to give it to you, even though…” he trails off, and an awkward silence settles over them.

When she doesn’t respond, he turns to walk toward the door. But as he places his hand on the handle, he stops and turns around. “Betty?” he asks, his voice unsure.

“Yeah?” she manages to choke out.

Jughead looks at her and swallows once, clearly wrestling with his words. “Why did you sound so mad earlier, when you thought I was Archie?”

Betty blinks, completely shocked. After everything they’ve been through, this is the one thing he chooses to say to her? She doesn’t know why, but this—this simple question—is what does it. In a matter of seconds, the anger comes flooding back, and she clenches her fists so hard that she’s sure blood will be dripping down her hands in no time. Jughead’s eyes immediately dart downward at the movement, and his expression is so pained that it physically hurts Betty’s heart. But she ignores the stab in her chest, because she’s not letting him off the hook.

“You want to know why, Jughead?” she snaps. He dips his head backward ever so slightly, clearly taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. “You want to know why I’m mad at Archie?” she presses on. “I’ll tell you why. Because he kissed me, tried to tell me that he wanted us to have a real shot together.”

The color completely drains from Jughead’s face. He looks so fragile in that moment, and all Betty wants to do is look away, but she can’t back down now. She stares at him, her jaw clenched and her fists burrowed in her crossed arms.

After a moment, the hurt in his eyes turns a shade darker, and color returns to his features in full force. “I’m glad you two finally found each other, then,” he spits out. His gaze is steely, and it brings her right back to the way he looked at her when she was up on stage at the Whyte Wyrm. Then, it made her feel small, like she was a child being reprimanded. But now, it fuels her anger so much that she wants to find another object to throw at the wall.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she says in a venomously quiet tone. The darkness in Jughead’s eyes fades a little, replaced by surprise. But then it returns in full force, and he crosses his arms to mimic hers as if to say he’s ready for a fight.

“No, Betty, why would I be kidding?” he yells. “You were only pining after him forever before we got together, and you fucking sent him to break up with me for Christ’s sake! What am I supposed to think?”

Betty laughs, shaking her head back and forth. “Oh, that’s rich. So we’re going there, are we?” she says, pulling up a chair from behind her and slamming herself into it. “Well, come on then, let’s go there. You want to bring up the Black Hood now, hold it over my head when you actually broke up with me for real two weeks ago? Sure, yeah, let’s do that.”

Jughead glares at her, but she keeps going. “I sent Archie to break up with you because I was completely wrecked, Jughead! I was so distraught that if I even thought about you for more than two seconds, I would dig my nails into my palms so hard that blood would stain my clothes. I thought the Black Hood was going to kill you. I couldn’t take the chance of coming to see you when I knew you’d see right through me!”

He responds as soon as she’s finished, shouting just as loudly. “That doesn’t negate the fact that it fucking hurt, Betty! Archie said that you’d been considering dumping me for weeks, how was I supposed to feel? You knew I felt insecure about him when it came to you. You knew that!” he breathes heavily for a few beats, calming himself down. “And now look,” he says quietly. “I was right, wasn’t I? The all-American boy and the girl next door finally get their shot.”

Betty wants to wipe the bitter smirk he gives her right off his face. “If you think for one second that I would ever consider him, consider anyone for that matter, when I’ve told you time and time again that all I wanted was you, then wow. You must think I’m a pretty terrible person,” she barks.

She thinks about Toni then, and she feels a pain deep in her side that makes her want to lie down and give up.

To his credit, Jughead immediately uncrosses his arms and pulls the nearest chair toward him, sinking into it. The tension drains from his body, along with the anger. He discards his beanie onto the floor, drops his head into his hands, and runs his fingers through his hair. “Betts,” he says, his voice muffled.

“What did I say about calling me that?” she asks sharply, although some of the bite has dissipated from her tone.

Jughead doesn’t respond, and Betty thinks for a second that maybe he’s not actually going to say anything. But then he looks up at her, and she feels a jolt run through her body as she sees the tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” is all he says. She can’t tell what exactly he’s apologizing for—if it’s for Toni, if it’s for assuming the worst about her and Archie, or if it’s just for everything in general. But she knows he’s being sincere.

Jughead looks as though he’s about to say more, but for some reason Betty suddenly can’t bear the thought of him continuing. If he apologizes for the things he’s done, if he tells her what happened with Toni, then it will all become too real. She’ll finally have to accept that the damage is done, that maybe there are too many obstacles to overcome.

“I’m mad, Jughead,” she whispers, cutting off whatever he was about to say. Her body is shaking now, and her chest is tight. For the first time in weeks, Betty feels like she has an opportunity to be honest—to release everything she’s been bottling up.

So she speaks, the words flowing out of her mouth so quickly that she doesn’t even have time to process them. “I’m mad that you told me to go home that night, that I put myself out there for you and you cut me off, not even telling me why.” As she talks, her voice grows stronger and louder. “I’m mad that you stopped talking to me, that you started avoiding me, like the second I got up on that stage you suddenly couldn’t look at me anymore.” She knows that her words probably sting. And, on some level, she knows that her insecurities about the Whyte Wyrm incident are just that—insecurities. But she needs him to know, because she’s bent on being completely honest right now, that it’s something she’s been struggling with ever since she left that night.

“I’m mad at how selfish and self-destructive Archie was when he kissed me, how he single-handedly ruined the only real friendship I had left standing. I’m mad because I had to push him away, just like Veronica pushed me away in her pain, just like you pushed me away…” She pauses, the tears flowing freely now. She swallows and tries to regain her composure.

“I’m mad,” she says much more calmly after a minute, “because I had to hear about your ‘meaningless hookup’ with Toni from her and not you, because I trusted you with my darkness and you… you lied to me.” For the first time, Betty breaks eye contact with Jughead and looks to the floor. She feels so vulnerable, and it reminds her of that night at Pop’s when she showed him her scars.

Jughead is crying now too, she knows, because she can see him wiping his face out of her peripheral vision. But, as much as she wants to stop, Betty knows she can’t. She has to get it off her chest, and she has to do it now. “I’m mad that no matter how hard I try, no matter how many times I keep picturing you two together just to punish myself…” She chokes on the last word a little, and she hears Jughead whisper her name in desperation. “…I can’t stop myself from loving you.”

The room is silent. Betty finally looks up at him and feels another stab of pain shoot through her as she sees the tears openly rolling down his cheeks.

“Betty, I…” he says, his voice cracking on her name. “I’m so fucking sorry. For all of it.”

Now she’s unabashedly crying, the anger completely gone and replaced with aching. He lets her break down, doesn’t reach out to comfort her probably because he knows it’s not his place right now. He waits until she’s calmed down and the tears have stopped flowing before he keeps going.

“With Toni, it... It didn’t mean anything,” he says, “except for that I’m a complete idiot.”

Betty chuckles a little through her tears despite herself. It’s a glimpse of the Jughead she used to know. The corners of his mouth lift slightly at her laugh, but they quickly turn downward again. “I was so numb, Betty. I just wanted to feel something. It’s a sorry excuse, but it’s what happened. I hated myself for it, too. I’ve been hating myself for it ever since.”

After a beat of silence, Betty stands up and drags her chair across the room to place it next to Jughead’s. She sits, resting a hand on his shoulder. He tenses a little under her touch, but then he relaxes, and she feels more relief than she has in weeks. “Is that why you lied about it, Jug?” she asks.

He meets her eyes, and the look on his face is tender, like she’s given him something meaningful by calling him by his shortened name. “I hated myself so much that I couldn’t imagine you wouldn’t hate me too, if you knew. And I was selfish. I didn’t want to give you up. You loving me has been the only thing keeping me afloat for a long time now, Betty.”

Forgiveness floods through her body, and all she wants to do is hold him close to her and tell him how amazing he really is. But Betty knows that there’s more they need to talk about, so she settles for something simpler. “I could never hate you,” she says. "And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way."

Jughead gives her that look again, like she’s given him everything. But, as much as she wants to melt into him, they’re still technically broken up. They haven’t even addressed the main reason they’re in this situation in the first place. “We need to talk about what happened at the Whyte Wyrm, Jug,” she says softly, moving her hand from his shoulder to his leg and giving it a gentle squeeze.

He sighs, and Betty suddenly feels anxious. If Jughead still wants her to stay away from him, then this will be their last conversation before they go their separate ways. She will finally have to accept that it’s over.

“My dad…” Jughead starts, looking past her to a spot on the wall. Betty doesn’t know what she expected him to say, but it certainly wasn’t this. She reaches up to touch his face, pulling his gaze back to her. She nods, encouraging him.

“At the retirement party, when my dad said he wasn’t quitting the Serpents? Well, it wasn’t because he had a sudden change of heart. He’d learned some… new information… and was trying to protect me.” Betty tries to keep the shock out of her features. She doesn’t want to disrupt his sudden honesty.

“What new information?” she asks, prompting him to continue.

“Look Betty, I screwed up. Bad,” he says, and Betty can feel tears threatening to spill over again.

“Just tell me, Juggie,” she says, the nickname slipping out before she has the chance to stop it. He lets out a small gasp that’s laced with pain and… something else.

“I made a deal with the devil to get my dad out of jail, and it came back to bite me,” he says. “I’m being blackmailed, Betts.” She doesn’t correct him at the name this time.

“With what?” she asks, afraid to know the answer.

He swallows and slowly lifts a hand to place it over hers on his cheek. “You,” he whispers.

Suddenly, everything makes sense to Betty—the way Jughead reacted to her at the bar, how worried he looked when he was telling her to go home. She should have realized. It’s the same thing that she did when the Black Hood was threatening her. He wanted to protect her, and this was the only way he knew how.

“No,” she says much more loudly than she intended. Jughead jumps in his seat a little, surprised. She pulls her hand from his face and reaches out to grab both of his. “No,” she says again, firmly. “We’re not doing this anymore, Jug. This town is dangerous—there’s a killer on the loose, there’s a civil war going on—, but it’s not going to stop being dangerous just because we’re broken up. Being apart isn’t going to protect either of us from Riverdale’s problems, Juggie. The only thing it’s going to do is make us miserable.” All the pain and sadness she’s been feeling the past few weeks is now replaced with sheer determination. Betty is done playing games.

“But I did some things I’m not proud of Betty, and they have evidence of that too. I’m on a bad road right now. I don’t want to drag you down with me,” Jughead says, gripping her hands.

“Juggie,” she says, a soft smile on her lips. “I love you, but you need to shut up.”

His mouth falls open, and he can’t seem to find the words to respond. She giggles.

“I love you,” she says, pouring her entire soul into the words this time. “I want to be with you, even if it means trouble, even if it means yelling at each other sometimes, even if it means we make mistakes. I don’t want to face any of this without you anymore.”

The look Jughead gives her is the same one he wore the night they visited FP’s trailer for the first time and she told him she believed in him. It’s pure adoration, and it makes Betty’s heart flutter in a way that she hasn’t felt in a long time.

“Betty Cooper,” he says, fighting a smile. “I love you so damn much, you know that?”

It’s all she needs. She crashes her lips into his, running her fingers through the hair that she’s missed so much. His hands go instinctively to her waist, and she’s jumped from her chair to his lap before she knows what’s happening.

It’s beautiful and raw and real, and Betty can hardly believe that it’s happening. Her heart swells.

Suddenly, Jughead pulls back to look at her. “You’re crying,” he says, clearly concerned. Betty reaches a hand to her cheek and feels the wetness there, surprised.

“Oh,” she says. “I guess I’m just… really happy.”

At that, Jughead smiles—a true, genuine smile that she knows he only reserves for her. He grips her arms and looks into her eyes. “Can we make a pact, Betts?” he asks.

“Sure Juggie.” She grins at the humorous twinkle in his eyes.

“Let’s never break up to protect each other ever again.”

Betty laughs, pulling him into a hug. When he embraces her, she can feel his breath through her hair, and it’s the most comforting thing she could ever hope for.

“I can do you one better,” she whispers. She can feel his heart beating against her chest. “How about we don’t break up for anything ever again?”

She can feel him smile against her hair.

“I think that can be arranged.”

[myuselessartandstories]

Story #9

Feel

(860 Words)

Every day I feel more tired. My body feels heavier, yet lighter. I feel weak, but my limbs are so easy to move. I’ve been losing weight. No matter how much I eat, what little I’ve been eating lately, I can’t gain weight. Yet, I’m getting no thinner.

I can’t feel when I hit my hand on anything. I can’t feel when something sharp breaks my skin. I can’t feel when the temperature outside changes anymore. I only feel nothing. That’s the only way I can describe it. I’m alive, I can feel happy and sad, but it’s like my nerves aren’t working anymore.

I can feel it when I move. I’m still aware of where my limbs are and what I’m doing with them. I just can’t feel when something else interacts with me. It’s like I'm numb to the world around me. I can still taste and hear and see and all that, but I just can’t feel.

I’ve seen doctors about this. They say they’ve seen nothing exactly like what I have. I’ve been told I’m probably just getting older. Maybe I’m developing a disease. The doctors have no clue what they’re talking about. Every time I go to them, it’s always a different excuse for not actually wanting to see what’s wrong with me. Now, I can’t afford to go to a doctor anymore.

I was too scared to go into work, so I was fired. Now I have no source of income. I’m running low on everything. I have to live off of barely any food, which is why I’m kind of thankful for the lessening appetite. My internet has been turned off and I’m about to lose my electricity. 

I’ve been turning to methods of calming myself that I used to look down upon. Now, my arms are like a piece of wood, lines carved into it, almost looking like a pattern if you look hard enough. Yet, I still can’t feel any of it. I only feel the lightheadedness that comes with the blood loss.

However, lately I’ve been feeling lightheaded all the time. It feels like I’m always bleeding, even when I know I’m not. There’s no open wounds anywhere,  yet I feel like I’m running out of blood. 

My electricity did eventually get turned off, and I feel like I lost some of my sanity in that moment. I took the nearest object, my pen as I was writing this, and stabbed it into my leg. No pain, no blood. I get angrier. I slide the blade down my leg, creating a large gash as it cuts my skin apart, splitting like ripping a leaf apart.

I pull the knife away and sigh. Only a few drops of blood drip from the gash. I look closer. There’s white inside my leg. It should be red, but it’s white. I dig my finger into the gash, gripping at whatever the hell is in my leg. I can see my fingers have grabbed it, so I pull.

A white cloth-like material is slowly pulled out of my leg. It looks like a long rag. I keep pulling and pulling and it keeps coming. One end of it comes out, coming from the end of the gash leading to my foot. It’s then that the blood starts to come. It rushes up through the gash, pouring from my leg and dripping onto the floor, making a large puddle beneath my chair.

I can feel it now. The immense pain of the gash. I can finally feel! I pull harder on the cloth, starting to pull it from the other side. Blood streams out of the side as well as I continue to pull the cloth. I notice that some of the blood is soaked up by the cloth, but it remains a pristine white.

I can feel the pain returning to my body slowly. It crawls up my leg, going through my lower section and reaching down my other leg. Shit. It hurts. It really fucking hurts. But I missed this pain. I keep going. I keep pulling. More blood spills out. I move my foot on the floor and it slips, making me fall out of my chair onto my back.

I lay in the blood, still pulling on the rag. I could feel myself hit the floor. I wish I could keep falling and hitting the floor. I missed feeling this. Feeling absolutely anything. I pull and pull. Blood keeps spilling onto the floor, but I don’t care. I’m only still moving my hands and ignoring the pain because I can’t focus past the lightheadedness.

I start losing focus. My head is pounding. It hurts. It hurts a lot. But I don’t care. I can feel something again. I don’t know what this cloth was doing inside of me, but I’m glad I got it out. But, now I can’t see the cloth. I can only see the darkness coming in through the edges of my vision. I don’t feel myself breathing anymore. I can’t feel the blood pooling below me. I can’t feel... anything. I can’t feel anything again. Damn it.

[a-decoy-soul]

Monster You Made Me (H2ONogla) - Vampire/Vampire Hunter - Chapter 1 - Underdog

Underdog, just look at the mess you made

It's such a shame, a shame

We had to find out this way

Revenge loves company, three makes it a crowd

So wash your mouth, sit this one out

.

    July 5th

I remember it like it yesterday.

I was 18 years old and my hunter graduation ceremony was soon.

My father was actually smiling at me for once. My older brother's and my sister's teased and joked but I knew they too couldn't be more excited about my transition into a true vampire hunter.

They all were so happy.

To send me away.

I wasn't working for them at the family headquarters here in Ireland, they were sending me over seas to America.

The only one upset that day was my mother and the family dog Brandy.

It seemed like they were always the only ones to care about me, I was the youngest of the triplets and the troublesome outcast to the others and nothing more than that.

The celebration of my departure- um graduation, was bittersweet to me. I was leaving the things and people I loved and the place I grew up but I was also leaving the people who blamed me for everything and pushed me away, maybe I would find a better life in America. Besides their headquarters looked a lot fancier than ours, maybe because they had a lot more vampires over there and needed a bigger base...or they're really rich and cool. Maybe I'll become rich and cool too. I guess I have that going for me.

The party was nothing special, Just friends of the family and of my siblings hanging out and talking about me, I assume that it wasn't positive because of the way their eyes immediately looked away when I noticed them staring. I simply sighed and walked inside the house where it was empty and quiet. The only people inside was my mother and Brandy. I saddened as I saw her crying and looking at our family album, her hand caressing a younger David that was trapped in time. Brandy was at her side, laying her head next to another photo of me, whining as she looked up at my weeping mother.

I felt tears stream down my own eyes at the sight of my dear mother sobbing over my father's desicion to send me away. I walked over quietly and hugged her tight as I began to cry as well.

As we cried and the others celebrated, someone unexpected decided to join our party.

I pulled away from my mom as both of our crying came to a slow halt and we wiped each other's tears away.

"I'll visit mam I promise. I'll even call ya or video chat with ya. Just please don't cry fer me. " I whispered as I tried my hardest to muster a smile.

"David Nagle, you are my son and I love you with all my heart. If I didn't cry for you, what kind of mother would I be?"

I felt a smile creep onto my face, this one was genuine unlike the other I had forced upon myself.

"I love you too mam."

Then it happened. The thing that changed my life.

The glass door shattered as a blurry of peach and black sped into the room snarling as it pounced on the closest target. My mother. The figure, obviously a vampire began tearing her to shreds as she screamed in agony. The music outside was too loud for anyone to hear which is probably why the vampire went tothis place, no one would hear it's victims screams.

I was caught by surprise but my adrenaline immediately kicked in, I grabbed the nearest object and made it a weapon, sadly this object was simply a kitchen knife and not any ofour actual equipment. I stabbed the vampire in the back of the neck over and over until finally it released my mother....and focused on me.

It spoke,"Well well you've got a bit of spunk for a newby. What? You don't think I heard about you from your loud guests outside? Sheesh bunch a loud mouths, you think since they're hunters they'd be a bit quieter and secretive. Amateurs. " His Irish accent wasn't as thick as mine but it still showed that he wasn't a tourist.

"Don't like it then fock off, bloodsucker." I kept a defensive stance and glares at the monster in front of me.

"Why do that when I've got two walking meals right in front of me. I just couldn't refuse this delicious offer. But if you want to resist instead of simply dying, who am I to turn down a challenge?"

As the seconds passed I knew my mom was running out of time and needed help immediately, I'd been taught in training how to treat victims of a vampire attack but with him in the way, just getting near her could end up killing us both.

I only had one option, fight him. I would make him come to me so he was away from my mother and couldn't use her against me or harm her further.

"If you want a challenge then come get it you overgrown mosquito!"

With that he smirked and with the force of a moving truck he slammed his body into me, sending me flying into the wall, my weapon falling out of my hand. I was exposed and unarmed as he pounced on me, snapping his jaws in my face as I used all of my adrenaline strength to hold him back. I moved my leg trying to retrieve my weapon with my foot. His saliva dripping on me causing me to almost puke due to it being filled with my mother's blood.

He smirked and snatched up the knife I was trying so desperately to grab and raised it over me and slashed. I tried my best to push it away put instead I only made it less deep. I helped and growled as blood started to seep from my wound, making the vampire go crazy. He threw the knife and tried his best to pin me so he could get a quick meal.

Suddenly I heard a voice, it was my dad. The vampire smirked and simply spoke one word which I assume was his name, he then ran off back to where he came from. All I heard was yelling...my mom was dead. They were yelling at me....blaming me. They were right, if anyone of them were in my position the vampire would be on the ground dead within the first minute. As their yelling continued everything got blurry, I fell deep into a pool of darkness and went unconscious.

Terroriser

[lyssala]

Time

Pairing: Terra/Aqua (and lots of brot3), Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Post KH III

Words: 5169

Rating: K

Notes: Okay so I never intended to post any of this haha I usually like to dabble in new fandoms to get the grip of it before I publish anything but I felt as though others might be in the same boat as me. The I’m so desperate for new material I’m just gonna damn well do it myself lmao So this was a prompt suggested by a friend for Ven plotting to get Terra and Aqua some time together. I’ve written a few little one shots from their perspectives (which are unpublished so far haha) so it was interesting to take a stab at it from Ven’s perspective. It was also nice to explore their interactions in everyday situations since really we’ve only seen them interact under stress or distress. So lots of headcanons went into this to build off how I saw the characters. It was fun! I might do it again haha Also please forgive me if I get anything story wise wrong. I tried to remember/research as best I could but man, there’s so much to this series lmao 

AO3

Ven didn’t understand. Okay, he got the exams were coming up and he knew a lot of weight was riding on that for both Terra and Aqua, that they were probably under a lot of stress. At the same time though he didn’t understand why they were flat out avoiding each other. It wasn’t a competition. It’s not like one would pass and the other wouldn’t. Yet for the past few weeks Terra and Aqua who were usually inseparable where barely in the same room as each other unless they had to be.

Ven didn’t like it at all and not just because it meant he was left alone, sitting on the couch, with his chin in his hands staring at absolutely nothing. Yeah, it was boring, but he felt like his best friends were fighting and he didn’t like that. Sure, Terra and Aqua bickered but they never stayed mad and really they weren’t even mad that Ven could tell. They were just…distant. They were like the best friends Ven ever knew, they weren’t supposed to act like this. It was weird honestly.

That was when he knew he had to do something. It was close to midnight when he left the living room, knowing full well if he was caught he’d be sent right back to bed. He was careful sneaking into the kitchen and carrying out all the snack foods he could fit in his arms (chocolate chip cookies for Aqua, chips for Terra, and the rest of the cake for himself…or you know if the others wanted any too). He laid out all the food on the small table in front of the couch and set out to drag his friends in so they could spent some stress free time together. If they could just relax maybe things would go back to being normal.

Aqua was on the training grounds, only a few lanterns and the moon shining down on her as she moved gracefully for through her routine. She was like the moonlight, just a flash of silver and blue. It was so different watching her than watching Terra; he was grounded, firm, and powerful but Aqua almost danced through her moves, always graceful and never missing her mark.  

Ven waited until she paused before he called out to her. “Aqua!”

She quickly turned her head to him, a frown on her lips. She only made her keyblade disappear when he waved at her. “Ven?” she asked as she walked closer to him. “What are you doing out here? Is something wrong?” Aqua looked concerned, like she was about to reach for his forehead.

Ven only then realized he was standing outside at near midnight in his pajamas. “Oh! Oh, yeah everything is totally fine.”

She looked like she was waiting for another explanation.

“Um, totally fine, but would you mind coming with me? Back inside?”

“Ven…” Aqua glanced back at the training ground before looking to him. “I…”

“Please? I have something for you.”

That seemed to do it. She gave him that smile she had whenever she caved. She reached up to brush some of his hair from his face. “Okay, whatever you’d like.”

Ven grinned and grabbed her hand leading her back to the castle and back into the room where all the snacks still laid out on the table. “Ta-da,” he said. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Oh, Ven,” she chuckled; even if she wasn’t hungry at all she was still humoring him. “You’re too sweet.”

“Okay, sit down, I’ll be right back.” Before she had a chance to object he was out the door.

If Aqua was in the training grounds then Terra must be in the library. Or already asleep in his room, or asleep in the library. It was one of them.

Thankfully for Ven, since waking up Terra was a nightmare he could sleep through anything, he was sitting at one of the tables at the center of the library with one lantern guiding his reading. The last thing Ven wanted to do was scare the older boy, so Ven stood in the doorway, door open behind him. Terra looked like he was reading intently but his eyes didn’t look focused. It looked more like he was zoned out, thinking about anything but what he was doing.

“Terra?” he said as quietly as he could.

Terra glanced up but he didn’t seem too surprised; he must’ve heard Ven coming. “Yeah, buddy, what’s up?”

“Will you come downstairs with me?”

Terra gave Ven a look similar to Aqua though Terra scrunched his forehead much more than she did. “Is something wrong?”

“No, just thought you’d need a break.”

Terra hesitated but Ven gave his biggest grin and the brunette was already closing his book. “Alright. My eyes were starting to blur lines anyways.”

Ven didn’t wait; he already started to head back down the stairs and hallways, though he kept track of Terra’s footsteps knowing he was still following.

When Ven walked back into the living room, Aqua was sitting on the couch though she didn’t touch any of the food. She looked up when he walked in and if she was surprised to see Terra come in the room she didn’t show it at all.

“There,” Ven said, plopping down on the ground in front of the table while Terra sat at the other end of the couch. “Now we’re all together.”

He didn’t have to read their minds to see the guilt in Terra and Aqua’s eyes. They glanced briefly at each other before looking off in other directions.

“It’s okay, I know you’re busy,” Ven said, trying to imply best that he wasn’t upset with how they treated him but how they were treating each other. “I just thought you guys might need a break. Together.” Okay, maybe he hadn’t mastered subtlety yet.

Aqua opened her mouth to say something but Terra leaned forward, clapping his hands together. “Well, thanks, Ven, that was kind of you.” He gestured to the table. “Let me guess, cookies are for Aqua, you grabbed my favorite chips, but the cake?”

“Oh, you know,” Ven shrugged, tracing his finger over the cover of the cake. “For…for us all.”

Terra laughed lightly. “Have at it.”

“You’ll never sleep if you eat that whole thing,” Aqua said, always the voice of reason.

 “Let him enjoy it. He can just fake sick in the morning and sleep in.”

“That’s what you used to do,” Aqua’s voice was a little stern but there was a smile pulling at her lips. “Whenever you snuck too many snacks from the kitchen in the middle of the night.”

“And it worked didn’t it?”

“Until Master caught on and made you train anyways.”

It was working. They were smiling. This was so much better. Ven went to uncover the cake when he quickly realized he forgot drinks. “Oh! I’ll be right back!”

Neither of them bothered to stop him as he ran out, heading back to the kitchen to grab cups and the nearest drink he could grab. Well, the second one; the first one was a sweet soda he knew Terra didn’t like. Juggling his newest addition to their small feast, he hurried back into the living room.

“Okay, now we have…” Ven trailed off the moment he walked in front of the couch.

Terra was sitting on his end of the couch, his head leaning back against the pillow and long legs sprawled out in front of him. Aqua was curled up on the cushions, the top of her head touching his leg. When Ven first came here, plagued with his own nightmares he snuck into their rooms enough times in the middle of the night to know sleeping near each other brought them some form of comfort. Maybe that’s what they needed right now.

With a smile, he placed down some of the cups, and headed back up to his room (but not without grabbing the cake first).

Ven knew everything had changed. The world was a very different place than it was before, though that wasn’t all a bad thing. He was back home; well, what was left of his home. It wasn’t exactly the bright world he remembered but Aqua and Terra were with him. They were all alive and they were home together.

It was a little strange knowing over ten years passed. Even now, as he sat at the dining room table, watching Terra cut up vegetables to cook for dinner, Aqua doing some of the dishes behind him, it was like nothing changed. None of them even aged a day while they were all apart; not physically at least.

Ven didn’t really remember his time…away so it was hard to say how it impacted him. Terra said he didn’t remember much either but Ven had a feeling that was a lie to spare their feelings. He saw the tentative glances, the uncertainty in Terra’s step, how his smile didn’t always reach his eyes, and how careful he was not to be too close to either of them. Also, he was terrible at lying.

Aqua on the other hand was an incredibly good liar. Ven never really knew when she was being honest with him or when she was just trying to make him feel better. He supposed it was because she was so sincere about everything even when she lied a little, she still only had their best interests at heart. She usually didn’t lie too often though. She told them what she remembered of her time in the Realm of Darkness; if anything she simply left the things out she didn’t wanna share which he understood. Even if things were upsetting her, she always put on a smile and did whatever it was she needed to do to get the job done in a way only she could do.

But Ven knew she wasn’t sleeping well, if it all. Aqua had these dark circles lingering under her eyes for weeks now, thinner than he remembered her being, and even though she tried to hide it her physical strength was weaker. Not by a lot, but enough for him to notice and if he noticed then Terra definitely noticed; which probably made him feel worse, like it was his fault. Even though by now he had been told a million times it wasn’t. Ven knew it didn’t matter what people said, sometimes it was only what you could believe. But it would only make Terra more cautious and more distant, which Aqua would then notice and make herself worry more but not be able to tell him for fear of making it worse.

It was a never ending circle with them sometimes; that at least didn’t seem to change. If anything, they still knew how to dance around each other just right; except it was almost worse now. When they were younger one of them would break, they’d fight, one would make the other laugh, and they’d be fine again until next time. Now they were almost even too afraid to fight with each other, like if they said the wrong thing the other would just vanish. Ven could understand the feeling after all they all went through, but at the same time he sometimes wished just to hear Terra’s annoyed outburst and see Aqua get that stern look on her face. Then at least things would seem more normal.

Ven sighed and looked down at the book he had opened on the table. He was pretty sure he read the last line about five times already. 

He supposed for himself, the first real shock of it was when they did finally get to go home. Their world looked like it aged for ten long years with no one to take care of it. What used to be a clean and beautiful land was overgrown with weeds, rubble littering all areas; it was dried and worn out. At least the castle reverted back to what it used to, the sun shining high in the sky again, but even then it lacked the brightness it used to hold. They all set to work to get it looking back like the place they used to live, for people to come visit or even stay, train, whatever they’d like. It was hard work every day but they were together, all three of them were together again.

Ven wasn’t unhappy, he really wasn’t. The world was different, sure, but it was better now. There was no immediate lingering threat anymore. They were safe to lead the lives they always wanted but things were different now. Their home was a little emptier, and little quieter. It wasn’t just the presence of their Master or the people who used to visit either.

Ven looked up from his book that he had now given up reading to look at his friends still lingering in the kitchen. They weren’t paying too much attention to him or each other, Terra choosing to focus on whatever he cutting up now and Aqua humming lightly to herself as she slowly cleaned a pan from last night’s dinner. Despite the fact Ven saw the tension that lay between them ever since they returned, times like this it was easy to watch them fall into an easy rhythm of working around each other. Terra would look up to see where the bowl he needed was and she was already handing to him, or he’d hold out a knife he didn’t need any more and her slightly soapy hand would be there to take it from him. They were partners for so long now that even doing the smallest tasks together was usually effortless.

A smile pulled at Ven’s lips as he watched a cup covered in water and soap slip out of Aqua’s careful grip only to have Terra catch it before it fell to the ground. He passed it back to her without a word, though even Ven could see the teasing glint in Terra’s eyes like he wanted to comment about his reflexes being better than hers. It didn’t need the words apparently cause she reached up to hit her hand against his shoulder, though not without trying to hide her own amused smile, to push him back over to the counter. It left a wet mark on his sleeve as her hand lingered just a little longer than a playful push would, his eyes watching her before they both went back to their own tasks.

Ven admittedly didn’t always know. He was young when he came to live here, and really that’s how they had always been; teasing and bickering but a special sort of devotion and loyalty. Ven didn’t give it too much of a second thought. He loved them and they loved him; that was all that really mattered. It wasn’t until they finally got Terra back, when he was the same person he always was before, that Ven really knew. Terra had been quickly tackled to the ground by the two of them, and through the mix of laughter and tears Ven realized that Terra and Aqua looked at each other very differently then they looked at him.

He felt a little stupid afterwards cause looking back it was so obvious to everyone except maybe the two of them. He kinda thought that would be it cause that’s what happens when you realize you’re in love with someone; they’d come home and he’d have to remember to knock before he went in any door. Instead he found them battling their own demons and pushing each other out. Ven didn’t get it, but he had never been in love like that either so it was probably way more complicated than any book he read made it out to be.

“Do you need any help?” Aqua asked, drying her hands with a hand towel as she looked over to what Terra was doing.

“Absolutely not,” he snorted in response.

“Excuse me.” She tossed the towel on the counter before placing her hands on her hips, though the action was lacking any real anger. “I used to cook dinner for you all the time.”

“Yeah.” Terra side eyed her, a little bit of a smug smile on his lips. “And every time it was your night to cook Master promised he’d bring me food later if I pretended to eat it and make you happy.”

“You’re such a dirty liar, Terra.” She reached up like she was gonna hit him again as he was already laughing as he poured the cut up vegetables in the nearby bowl.

Sometimes it was still like this, reminding Ven of the way their home used to be. He reached a hand up to his mouth to try and stifle his own laugh. It didn’t work as the both of them looked over at him. He knew they didn’t necessarily forget he was there, but they kinda forget he was there. It never bothered him; he really only wanted them to be carefree like that all the time. 

“You’re on my side, right, Ven?” Aqua said. Her tone was normal but her eyes were pleading with him a little bit. She really didn’t like to lose anything.

Terra was making a face at Ven, like the thought alone was gross. Terra could tease all he wanted but Ven knew if she put food she made on the table they’d both eat it with little complaint just to make her smile.

“You make the best cookies.” Ven settled on not lying but also making her feel good too.

She watched him for a second, like she was trying to figure out if that was a win or not. “I’ll take it,” she said with her usual smile.

“It’s fine.” Terra had his back to them, pouring whatever he had in the bowl into the pot on the stove. “Just about done anyways. We’ll have a little time while it cooks if you guys have anything you wanna do while you wait.”

That’s usually what happened so Ven knew Aqua would probably go off to the library and Terra would hang around the kitchen watching the food and snacking on what he could find. Ven would choose one to stay with depending on how he felt but the thought made his stomach sink a little. It’s not like they didn’t do things together, they spent all day fixing up various parts of their home usually together and they ate together but their down time was just different. Mainly cause he got the feeling Terra and Aqua avoided each other when they had nothing to distract them.

A memory lingered in the back of Ven’s mind, from back before. It wasn’t the first time he got that feeling. Ven really didn’t know why at the time but it was easy to recognize now for what it was. Even then he knew something was wrong. Sure her and Terra fought sometimes, they were rivals in their training but it was never aggressive; just always trying to push each other to be their best. At least, that’s what Ven saw when he watched them. When training was done Terra would tease her and Aqua would pretend to be mad at him but they’d go off with Ven and spend their down time together either outside watching the stars, or playing games, just having fun.

Something changed the older they got, the closer the exam started to loom. It was kinda like it was now; Terra noticeably distanced himself which hurt Aqua’s feelings but she didn’t know how to approach him so she just let it happen. To be fair, then or now, Ven didn’t know how to approach either of them about it too. Back then he just thought they were stressing themselves out to much, that maybe they just needed a break to relax some.

“Well, I guess I’ll go to the library then,” Aqua said, pushing some of her bangs from her face. “Just call me whenever it’s ready.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t read that whole place by now,” Terra snorted, wiping his hands on a towel.

Judging by the numerous talks Ven hated at the time that Master gave him about growing up, and his friend’s ages at the time, Ven realized they probably felt their relationship start to change and neither knew what to do about it; kinda like right now too he supposed. Even though the exam happened shortly after that night, they seemed a little better after Ven forced them in the same room so maybe…

“Who says I haven’t?” she waved her hand at Terra as she started to head for the door.

He was still watching her though he made no move to stop her. So it was up to Ven, right? But he was pretty sure luring them with snacks wasn’t gonna work this time so what was he supposed to offer?

She already had the door open.

“Uh, wait!” he sputtered.

 Both Terra and Aqua stopped what they were doing immediately. She quickly moved back into the room, a concerned look on her face. Oh, whoops. He didn’t mean to make them worry.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, looking almost like she was gonna come try and feel his forehead or something.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” he said, trying to give her a smile.

Terra had moved to lean his elbows on the counter as he watched; his forehead furrowed like it did when he was concerned over something. “Then what’s up?”

Aqua was still standing near the door waiting for his answer too.

Well, crap. He didn’t really have an answer. He should’ve thought this through better. “I, well, you know, just thought we could do something together.”

“Of course,” Terra said. “What did you have in mind?”

Crap. Crap. Crap. “Um… we could…” Ven really wished he thought this through. He tried to quickly scan through his memory for everything they used to do together that didn’t involve training. Inside so Terra could hear the alarm go off on the stove, all three of them, somewhere nearby… “We could play a game!”

“A game?” Aqua asked. “Like a card game?”

Oh, that was a good idea. “Exactly,” Ven nodded, like he always knew what he was talking about. “I’m sure there’s some we used to play in the library. Will you, both of you?”

This time it was Aqua who caved first. “Absolutely we will,” she said with a kind smile.

Terra gestured to the door. “Lead the way, Ven.”

Did he mention they rarely said no to him? He left his book on the table and left the kitchen to take them to wherever he wanted really. The first floor of the castle was pretty much finished; the upper floors still were getting worked on so he figured the same room they used to play in seemed fitting. It wasn’t too far away from the kitchen and had places to sit and a small table to play on, though Ven didn’t quite plan on getting that far.

Terra was the first one who flopped down on the couch, breathing a sigh of relief as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

“Don’t fall asleep, old man,” Ven said. “I have to go find a game first.”

“Need I remind you again, I’m not that much older than you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t fall asleep in the middle of the day.”

Aqua covered her mouth to hide her laughter, especially when Terra arched an eyebrow at her. “What? He’s not wrong.”

Terra kicked his legs up on the couch. “Yeah, see if I make any room for you.”

That was a lie. The moment she sat down to swat at him, he moved them for her. Ven almost rolled his eyes. And people though he was naïve. “Okay, I’ll be right back. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Do you want any help?” Aqua said, probably already standing up to follow him but he was already halfway out the door.

“I got it,” Ven called back. “It’ll only take a minute.” Maybe he had gotten better at lying himself cause neither gave any opposition.

Okay, so he felt a little bad lying to his best friends but at the same time it was for them. Maybe if they could just talk about whatever was bothering them, they’d see what Ven saw. Granted, that wasn’t a strong point for either of them. Terra was never big on words especially regarding his feelings, and Aqua tended to like to hide how she was feeling so she could always seem like she had it under control. But maybe if they could just talk, they’d be happy too.

Ven slid to the ground outside the doorway. It was so quiet in there he couldn’t tell if he was too far away to hear anything or if they just weren’t speaking. Maybe he felt a little bad at eavesdropping too but he had to know if it was gonna work or if he’d need to try something different next time; maybe plan a little farther ahead too.

“Terra, if you lay down you really will fall asleep before Ven even comes back.”

There was Aqua, so Ven supposed he wasn’t too far away.

“Yeah, well, maybe you should give it a try sometime too.”

There was silence for a moment. Well, that was fast. Ven didn’t quite expect one of them to bring something up like that after a second of being alone. It kinda made him wonder how much they really put on appearances for his sake.

It sounded like she started to say something but she didn’t get very far.

“Don’t give me any of your excuses, I know you. I know how you operate.” Terra paused for a moment. “What is it? Nightmares?”

“Sometimes,” she said, though her voice quieter than before. “Sometimes I just don’t want to.”

He sighed; not really exasperated, just tired. “It’s the dark isn’t it?”

Her silence seemed to be her answer. “I just…what if I go to sleep and wake up and this is the dream. What if I’m still there?”

“Aqua, you’re not.” His voice was firm but it was also gentle, soothing. “This is our world. Ven’s here, I’m here. You’re home.”

“But I’ve dreamt of all that before, of here, of you.” She must’ve realized her mistake because she didn’t go on after that.

“Oh?” Terra asked, and Ven could hear the amusement in Terra’s voice. “Did you now?”

“Shut up, you know what I meant.” She didn’t sound mad but she did sound a little flustered; clearly she didn’t mean to let that bit of information slip.  

“Tell me, please, what was I like in your dreams?”

“Annoying, just like the real you is.”

Ven heard Terra laugh probably because Aqua was hitting at him somehow. Ven tried not to smile, even though he knew no one could see him. It was just, this was like how it used to be. He really just wanted them to be happy, whatever that meant to them.

“It’s okay to be afraid, you know,” Terra said, his voice sounding a little more normal. “You don’t always have to tough it out. Just don’t let it run your life.”

“Ah,” she breathed. “Takes one to know one I suppose.”

“What?”

“You. That’s why you’ve been keeping Ven and me at an arms distance away. You’re afraid too.”

It was Terra’s turn to be quiet. “It’s different.”

“It’s not. You were deceived and manipulated. That wasn’t you. This is you, laying on the couch and teasing me, waiting to play a game with Ven even though you’re exhausted.”

He gave some kinda grunt, clearly wanting the conversation to be over. That was Terra, more than willing to help his friends but never wanting to accept the same for himself.

“Are you afraid you’ll hurt us?” And that was Aqua, who always finished what she started.

He laughed, but it was sharp and bitter almost, disdainful. “I already did, haven’t I?”

“No, not aside from pushing us away.” There was some kinda shuffling on the couch but Ven couldn’t tell due to what. “Our Terra would never hurt us.”

“You’re such a sap,” he mumbled.

“Maybe, but it’s true.”

There was a pause.

“Alright, come on.”

There was more movement and then silence again. Well, at least if they were still talking Ven couldn’t hear them. He waited a moment longer but still nothing. He supposed maybe he should at least pretend to finish what he was doing. He did feel a little guilty for listening when they didn’t know he was there, but really it was for everyone’s own good. They did talk, maybe Aqua would be able to sleep better now and maybe Terra would realize neither of them was scared of him. Ven knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy, but it was a start.

Ven walked back into the room ready to announce he couldn’t find anything but if they wanted he’d try harder, which wasn’t a lie. When he rounded the corner around the couch he found he really didn’t have to say anything.

Much like when they were younger, he came back to find them both passed out on the couch. Terra didn’t quite fit anymore, one foot draped over the arm rest while the other was tucked up under Aqua’s legs. She was sleeping beside him, her back to his chest, and one arm hanging over the edge of the couch. Terra had one arm was tucked under his head and the other resting over her waist, hanging with hers over the side.

Ven was admittedly a little surprised, though he shouldn’t have been. Aqua probably hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep since they got back, and it would be naïve to assume Terra could sleep through the night too. They probably just felt an ounce of comfort and passed right out from exhaustion.

Well, he had to think with a knowing smile, at least his plan worked somewhat once again. Man, he was actually kinda good at this; though he realized it was probably just because he knew them like he knew the back of his own hand. Ven even betted that they’d sleep a whole lot better if they stayed together like he knew they used to as kids. Ah well, that was a plan for another day.

For now he left the room, making his way back to the kitchen. The timer Terra set was still ticking away as Ven sat back down at the table. He knew when it went off he’d just turn the stove off and move the food over till they woke up. He flipped the page in his book as he settled in to read. After all, they had all the time in the world now. 

[tvdiaries-imagines]

Needs Of Approval: Pt. 2

Pairing: Kol x Reader x Klaus (Ft. Elijah)

Warnings: some violence

Word Count: 1713

PART ONE | PART THREE

The feelings you had for each other grew more and more each day. After that whole situation with Esther attempting to kill her children, everything started to calm down a little. The best part of it was that you and Kol were able to spend more time together.

One thing led to another, meaning you and Kol eventually ended up becoming an item. The hardest part about it was keeping it a secret from Klaus. You and Kol even included Rebekah and Elijah in this lie and thankfully, they both approved from seeing how happy their brother makes you.

Every time Klaus was home, you had to keep your distance from Kol. But man, whenever Klaus left to ‘take care of things’, you would jump in his arms like it was your last day on earth.

You don’t know when you’ll ever tell Klaus and you don’t know if the day will ever come that you’re ready.

The day was spent with Rebekah shopping around in a city just outside of Mystic Falls. You were exhausted, so the first thing you did was brush your teeth and put on your pj’s. Then, you closed out the night watching some TV. You didn’t know where Kol was; you expected he was at The Grill or something having a drink.

Your eyes were getting heavy as you were laid up in bed and just minutes later, you fell asleep.

Klaus comes into your room to tell you that he’ll be back later and not to look for him. He assumed you were awake because he could hear your TV on from down the hall, but you were knocked out cold so you had no idea he was in here. Standing at the edge of the bed, he smiles at you, then plants a kiss on your forehead. “My sweet Y/N.” He whispers, trying not to wake you. No matter how old you get, he’ll always see you as the little daughter he never had.

Kol walks in, assuming Niklaus had already left, but he was wrong. He goes wide eyed seeing him, then tries to quickly walk away with stealth, but his older brother noticed and stops him, using vampire speed to stand face to face with him. “What is your business here, little brother? I don’t suppose your reason is to tuck in Y/N, because I already have.” He says, sounding like a complete smart ass with a huge grin on his face.

Kol just wanted to cuddle in bed with you and maybe even get freaky under the sheets. Luckily, he quickly thought of a believable lie. Sounding as confident as he could so that Klaus doesn’t see through him. “Actually Nik, Miss Y/N happened to borrow one of my movies the other night and I was coming in to ask for it back.” Kol glanced over at you, then looked back at his brother. “But seeing as she’s asleep, I shall ask her tomorrow.”

“Well alright then.” Klaus raises his brows, then walks out of the room.

Kol exhaled from relief, then uses his vampire hearing. He hears Klaus walk out the front door and a minute later, he hears him turn on his car and finally drive off. That’s when Kol found it as the perfect time to be able to have the chance to lay in bed with you. His movement from getting under the covers wakes you enough to notice it’s him. 

“Hi love.” You greeted him with your tired, raspy voice.

“Go back to sleep, darling.” Kol said, running his fingers through your hair. You laid on your head on his chest and wrapped an arm around him, then fell back asleep.

Kol was fighting the urge to fall asleep. But, the battle was lost between him and sleep, so he ended up drifting off.

Hours later, the deep sleep that the two of you are having gets disrupted. Klaus comes home to the silence within the walls. Walking by your bedroom, from habit, he glances to look inside since your door was wide opened. He noticed Kol sleeping in your bed and that’s when all hell breaks loose.

“What the bloody hell is going on here!” Klaus shouts with fire in his eyes.

There’s no doubt that it woke the two of you up. Kol wakes up immediately, jumping from fear and you lazily wake up with tired eyes thinking ‘who in the world is shouting at this hour?’

Kol gets off of the bed. “Brother.” He says calmly while putting his hands up in defense. He was hoping the tone in his voice would help Klaus listen to his explanation.

You go wide eyed after finally realizing Klaus caught you and Kol. You sit up in the bed. “W-we can explain.” Your voice grew weak from the guilt that you felt.

Klaus ignores you and immediately shoots a look at his little brother. He vamp speeds towards him, holding his throat up against the wall.

“Care to explain what you’re doing in Y/N’s bed!” He pauses and glances at you, then continues, “my-my daughter’s bed!”

Wow. Hearing Klaus calling you his daughter gave you all kinds of feels. This made you feel even more guilty going behind his back. You didn’t bother getting up to stop Klaus because you know that you can’t stop him once he’s in a rage. So you sat there pouting, letting the guilt eat you alive.

From the corner of your eye, you see a figure walk in and thank goodness, it’s Elijah. Elijah is probably the only person in the world that can calm him down.

“Niklaus.” Elijah says firmly to his brother, the original hybrid.

“Elijah, this is not your fight. Please leave so I can rip our darling brother, Kol in half.” Klaus says. He releases Kol from his choke hold and then immediately stabs him with the nearest object. Klaus digs it deeper and deeper, making Kol at a loss for breath from the pain. You gasped at a distance.

“Nik…p-p-please.” Kol struggles getting the words out of his mouth.

Elijah vampire speeds towards his brothers to separate them. “Stop this childish nonsense at once.” Elijah turns to Klaus and you quickly run over to Kol to make sure he’s okay.

“Now. Please inform me as to why you are so hostile towards Kol?” Elijah asks Niklaus.

“That vile creature we call our brother was making himself cozy in Y/N’s bed!” He pointed at Kol with hatred in his eyes.

“Calm yourself, Niklaus.” Elijah said in a stern tone, holding his brother at his shoulders to calm him.

Since Kol is all healed, you walked over to Klaus to explain yourself and Elijah removed his hands from Klaus. “Klaus please. I know this is hard to take in and I know we are terrible for keeping this from you. But Kol and I have been seeing each other.”

“You what?” Klaus looked shocked.

“Well-” You paused, looking down at your twiddling fingers, then looked back up. You were scared to death to tell him. “-For awhile now actually.” Kol walks over to stand next to you and crosses his arms.

This disgusts Klaus because he knows all of the inhumane things that Kol has done in these 1000 years of existence, which is the reason why he has daggered him all of these times. “This is a joke?” Klaus did a fake devil-ish laugh, which scared you even more.

“Perhaps not.” Kol said.

“No, brother.” Elijah added.

Klaus looks over at Elijah with a puzzled look on his face. “You knew, Elijah? You knew and you kept this from me?”

“Correct.” Elijah responded.

“I-” Klaus says, but Elijah cuts him off.

“-The reasoning for keeping this all a secret is because of this exact reaction.”

You looked down and sighed. This whole thing is just a mess. Now, a part of you wished you had never fallen for Kol and that the two of you merely saw each other as just roommates. But you can’t help who you fall for.

Kol slowly walks up to Klaus. “I’m sorry, Nik. But I love her.” He glances back at you and smiles, but that smile is quickly gone because Klaus darts toward Kol with yellow eyes and his fangs out.

Klaus sinks his fangs into Kol’s neck while Kol screams in pain. You gasp at this sudden action. Klaus pulls away, looking satisfied as ever and that’s when you found the opportunity to comfort Kol.

But instead of accepting your comfort, Kol decided he has had it with Klaus attacking him and tries to have a go at him, but Elijah quickly puts himself in between the two.

“Enough.” Elijah growled.

Seeing the two people you care about the most just breaks your heart, so you immediately run out of the room to sit and cry at the bottom of the stairs. Kol immediately runs after you to comfort you while Elijah handles his stubborn brother.

“Niklaus. You have to be more open minded. For Y/N’s sake.”

“Elijah are you not aware of how reckless our little brother is?” Klaus goes to your balcony to get fresh air, with Elijah following behind him.

“Yes, I am aware. But what you do not see is that your dear Y/N is now a grown woman. She should be free to be with whomever she pleases. Even if it’s Kol, out of all people.”

“If he lays one finger on her hair-” Klaus tightens his grip on top of balcony railing.

“I know. He knows. From what Rebekah & I have witnessed is that he is good to her. She simply tames him. He hasn’t been reckless since.”

“I will not take your word for it until I see the actions myself.”

Out of the blue, Kol walks in, weak from pain, and makes himself present on the balcony. “Brother, please hear me out.” Kol pleaded.

Instead of hearing Kol’s part, Klaus speaks instead. “If you so much break her little heart, I’m going to make you suffer in ways your spoiled, little mind cannot possibly imagine.”

Kol opened his mouth to speak, but Klaus quickly walks away to go and make things right with you.

[bad-draft-stuff]

det. au 2

Arsé-kun: *A few uneventful weeks pass. Events are happening, but nothing particularly major. Sisi thinks the newspapers on the floor are for peeing on.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he was working. Keyword: Was. It’s fairly late, and he’s dozed off for the two thousandth time.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he faceplants on the sofa. he hasn’t bothered removing his gear* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *this fails to wake him up.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Aarseeeeeeennnneeeee… I’m the woooooorrrrrsssstttt… I totally failed…. Sheepy: Sheepy: And now I’ve gotten myself into something big…

Arsé-kun: Arséne: …..Eh..? *he picks his head up and looks at Sheepy* …? Did you get stabbed again…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Whyyyyyy… he’s worse than I thouuuught…. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wish I had beenn.. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’d be better than this…. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he sits up and fixes his hair. Priorities, lupin, priorities.* What happened..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Saint-Germain. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You really did it..? Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s challenged me… and I couldn’t successfully steak from him tonight Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t want to waste my precious time on some old guy! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I did warn you about the man. *he yawns* Now, what is this about a challenge? Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s challenged me. He left out notes for me to read. I brought them with me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Show me. Sheepy: Sheepy:…Here. You read them. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he gives them to Arsene* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes back to feeling terrible about himself* Arsé-kun: *Arséne begins to look them over. Most of them name an item, a location, and a timeframe. The last is a rather taunting note. Arséne looks… Interested, to say the least.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t wanna… Arsé-kun: Arséne: You’re going to let him win? Sheepy: Sheepy: Whatever man… He’s thrown my ego from an all time high to an all time low… Sheepy: Sheepy: Win, lose, it doesn’t matter so long as you have fun. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And lets say you are able to do it. Wouldn’t that make you feel better, proving him wrong? Maybe it will be fun trying. Sheepy: Sheepy: Because if you have fun, you’ve already won. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess… Arsé-kun: Arséne: If the last Phantom could do it, so can you. Sheepy: Sheepy: The last Phantom did it? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes. They made the mistake of trying to steal from the Count, as well. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess I should try.. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s the spirit. Sheepy: Sheepy: …Hey, Arséne, do you actually think I can do it? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Of course I do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, if you think so, I probably can. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don’t see why you would not. Sheepy: Sheepy: He picked me up by the collar and dropped me outside the gate. Sheepy: Sheepy: Never have I felt more offended in my life!! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll show him how good I can be! Arsé-kun: Arséne: How humiliating. Prove him wrong. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll compose the letter and set it tomorrow. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sounds fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, I’ll prove him wrong for sure! Arsé-kun: *The next 24 hours pass. The letter has been set.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I told them I’d steal it tomorrow. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Excellent. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m gonna make him marvel at my skills. Sheepy: Sheepy: Just he wait! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m excited! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he grins* I’m going to try the hardest I ever have! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll make you proud! Sheepy: Tom: yay Sheepy: Sheepy: And also I’ll fix my broken ego. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That, you will. Sheepy: Sheepy: But I’ve gotta wait until tomorrow. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Perhaps it’d be best to go to bed early. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, you’re right. Sheepy: *and so sheepy does just that.* Sheepy: *tom is screaming but that’s not important* Arsé-kun: *and the daytime is boring* Arsé-kun: *daytime is for losers.* Sheepy: *SO SHEEPY GOES OUT THE NEXT NIGHT TO GO STEAL SOME STUFF* Arsé-kun: *Arséne sees him off and goes back inside.* Arsé-kun: *8965 Mulberry Court. Here, there is a popular bar (The Wandering Goat) on the first floor, and a hotel from the second floor and above. The letter notes that the object that the Phantom is going after is on the fourth floor.* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Now I just gotta figure out how to get in without being caught!) Arsé-kun: *There are multiple options. The first, being the front doors, is automatically out. There is a ladder to the right side, an open window on the second floor, and a closed dumpster around the left side* Sheepy: Sheepy: (I’m not gonna possibly get my clothes all gross from some stupid dumpster! I’ll go for the ladder.) Arsé-kun: *He goes up the ladder. The open window is about three window sills away. There is another one one floor up, but only two sills away.* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Hmm.. maybe. The ones up at the third floor may be a trap, but it cuts some distance…) Arsé-kun: *Someone peeks out the third floor window, and immediately retreats when they spot him. uh-oh.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ….! Sheepy: Sheepy: *INTO THE SECOND FLOOR WINDOW I GO* Arsé-kun: *In he goes. The room is empty, the door is open. Go, go.* Sheepy: *HE GO* Arsé-kun: *HE IS GO.* Arsé-kun: *anyway, he goes up to the fourth floor. he takes a moment to recall what it is he is taking- a painting. it should be around somewhere.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks forthe painting* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Where could it be…) Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes into a room* Arsé-kun: *The painting is most certainly present. Unfortunately, so is another dapper-looking gentleman, seated next to it with a glass of wine. He is masked as well, and he seems amused.* Sheepy: Sheepy:….! Sheepy: Sheepy: Who…? Sheepy: Sheepy: …and why?? Sheepy: Sheepy:…(Maybe he’s been hired by the Count to confirm that I’ve gotten it…) Arsé-kun: ?: Bonjour, mon amie! *they’ve got a particularly noticeable french accent.* I’m glad you arrived! Unfortunately for you, ma chérie, only one Phantom is getting this prize. Sheepy: Sheepy: One Phantom? Prize? Sheepy: Sheepy: Uhmmm… where’s this… second Phantom? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Salut. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you saying that you’re the other Phantom? Sheepy: Sheepy:…I’m sure the original Phantom appreciates that people think that he’s cool enough to make his name live on, but, um. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’d rather that you did your striking debut not tonight and not for this specific item… because… uh… Sheepy: Sheepy: Personal reasons. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Non, non, silly child. *he grins* Did you believe the original to be gone? I am offended, truly. I am wounded. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Do you know him? Arsé-kun: Phantom: … … I was going to allow you to take this, but now I’m just going to leave with it. Sheepy: Sheepy: B-but… Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re too young to be the original, aren’t you? Sheepy: Sheepy: I bet he’s like… your grandpa or something… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Non. I stopped approximately ten years ago. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then you’re…?! Arsé-kun: Phantom: I’m glad you understand. Sheepy: Sheepy: *groan* This is the worst streak of luck I’ve had since I can remember… Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s great meeting you and all, but. Wait. You’ve tried to steal from Saint-Germain, right? Sheepy: Sheepy: He challenged me to steal this and I was kind of… pushed into it. I couldn’t care less about the painting. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oui. He seems to get some odd amusement from this. He never specified which Phantom had to steal, though! Sheepy: Sheepy: So I guess, take it or whatever. It doesn’t matter to me either way ‘cause from my knowledge the owner isn’t bad, from what I know… Sheepy: Sheepy: And I guess that’s right. So. Where’d it go… Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. I guess I didn’t bring it with me. Well, whatever… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Hm, hm. I suppose it would be fair to allow you to take this. You may need the headstart. Sheepy: Sheepy: H-Headstart…? Sheepy: Sheepy:…Wait, do you mean… Arsé-kun: Phantom: I do have more experience, so it may be.. Slightly unfair, otherwise. Sheepy: Sheepy: …….. *he doesn’t appear all too happy* Sheepy: Sheepy: …OK. Whatever you say. Arsé-kun: Phantom: What can I say? I am bored. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s not a victory if I’m allowed to have it. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s a loss on my behalf. Only a victory on your part. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, eh… I guess you really want ne to have it considering you’re offering it to me. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s not a victory if I’m allowed to have it. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s a loss on my behalf. Only a victory on your part. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, eh… I guess you really want ne to have it considering you’re offering it to me. Sheepy: Sheepy: So. Thanks. I guess. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he puts the glass down and stands up* Well, then. I’ll see you tomorrow night. Sheepy: Sheepy: *yoink, painting is mine now* Sheepy: Sheepy: Sure. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he decides to return home as well, after delivering the painting to Saint-Germain* Arsé-kun: *Arséne is asleep at his desk as per usual.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he changes out of his thief gear and does his best to sleep* Sheepy: Tom: sweet dreams or bitter nightmares depending on what you want Arsé-kun: *so the next morning* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he appears anything but happy* Sheepy: Sheepy: Arsene….. Sheepy: Sheepy: Once this is over with….. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….? Sheepy: Sheepy: …remind me to change my thief alias. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Eh? Sheepy: Sheepy: I ran into the original Phantom last night.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sheesh, what a ​jerk! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh? Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t wanna be associated with that guy! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Rather egotistical, isn’t he? Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s.. ughhh!! Sheepy: Sheepy: Why’d he have to decide to show his face when I’m at my all time low?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Probably hasn’t changed, either. But… I wouldn’t know that…. All though…. If he’s around…. Sheepy: Sheepy: “If he’s around”…? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then so will HE… Sheepy: Sheepy: “He”? Arsé-kun: Arséne: …… Herlock. Sheepy: Herlock: *he kicks the door in* Lupin! Sheepy: Sheepy: *DFHDFJSFHKKFHHSADHKSAD*​ Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he screams. literally. screams, and throws the nearest object at him. Bye, Tom* Get out of my office right now immediately! Sheepy: Herlock: I think not! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Whatever you’re thinking, shut up, I didn’t do it. Sheepy: Herlock: *he appears to have caught on, and crosses his arms* I’m not here to accuse you of anything. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s a goddamn miracle. Sheepy: Herlock: Hah, hah. Sheepy: Herlock: I came here about the Phantom. Sheepy: Sheepy: *oh shoot* Sheepy: Herlock: … I ​did​ hear all of it, yes. I was just about to open the door when you started the topic, so I thought I might as well stay and listen. Sheepy: Herlock: Luckily for you, I’ve got no interest in posers like you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then what. The hell. Do you want? Sheepy: Herlock: He met him. Last night. And I want information. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can’t. Understand. Your. Accent… . Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….. I wasn’t there, so do not ask me. Sheepy: Herlock: You aren’t the Phantom Faker here, so I’ve got no interest in what you have to say. Arsé-kun: Tom: if i could fly i would be a bird. birdsheep. sheep can fly with sufficient thrust. it was me, all along. i was the murderer of this scooby doo episode Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll only answer your question if you say the magic word. Sheepy: Herlock: I’ve got no time to play along with your games. Arsé-kun: Tom: murder Sheepy: Sheepy: Then you don’t get your info. Sheepy: Sheepy: Shoo. *herlock voice* I’ve got no time for bullies like you! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he watches* Sheepy: Herlock: Tell me what you know. Sheepy: Sheepy: Not until you do what I want and you say the magic word. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’ve raised you so well. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m so glad you’re proud of me. Sheepy: Herlock: What. Do you want me to do. Sheepy: Sheepy: You gotta be super duper nice, right. Sheepy: Sheepy: Like. Sheepy: Sheepy: You can’t say anything mean at all for the next month. Sheepy: Herlock: I’ll act as I feel fit. Sheepy: Sheepy: Bye, bye, go away, you aren’t getting anything from me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then say please. Sheepy: Herlock: I do not need to say that in order to get information. I’m a detective. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes, you do. Sheepy: Herlock: I am not three, Lupin. I do not need to go through the common courtesies taught to toddlers. Arsé-kun: Tom: did he kill me Sheepy: Sheepy: Probably. Sheepy: Sheepy: What a bully. Sheepy: Herlock: I’m sure I’d be able to find someone you would listen to. Sheepy: Sheepy: Probably not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Even if you tried to threaten me, it wouldn’t work. Sometimes, the only way yoi can succeed in life is through the power of kindness. Sheepy: Herlock: “Kindness”…? Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t have the energy to deal with this today. I just got back from a long trip and I was already very tired. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good for you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe you can try again when you’re not as tired. Like. Next year. Arsé-kun: Arséne: He has a point. Sheepy: Herlock:… Expect to see me tomorrow. Sheepy: Herlock: Good day, Lupin. Fake Phantom. Sheepy: Sheepy: Bye Hurly. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Bye, loser. Sheepy: Herlock: *he leaves, looking pretty irritated* Sheepy: Sheepy: Same… Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t wanna tell him anything. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s mean! Sheepy: Sheepy: Sheesh! He should get some manners! Sheepy: *ding! new text for arsene.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he pauses and checks* Sheepy: *it’s from Sherlock! It reads: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Sherlock] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA​AAAAAAAAAA Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene] HES HERE Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene] IVE LOCKED MY DOOR AND BARRICADED ALL POINTS OF POSSIBLE ENTRY INTO MY ROOM Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene] IM HIDING UNDER MY BED HOW DO I ESCAPE IF HE GETS IN??? Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene] I can hear him in here and he sounds like he’s in a bad mood Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Sherlock] Sheepy and I gave him no slack. Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene]I’m gonna hide all day Arsé-kun: Arséne: [text: to Sherlock] come hide over here. I’m locking the door soon. Sheepy: Sherlock: [text: to Arsene] coming Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sherlock is hiding here. Why is HE back now… Sheepy: Sheepy: It can be a sleepover! Sheepy: *after a bit, Sherlock slowly enters the door. … is he crying?* Sheepy: Sherlock:…….. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh! You’re here!! Sheepy: Sherlock:….hullo, Arséne, Sheepy. Sheepy: Sherlock: Why’d he come back now…. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don’t know, and I wish he’d go. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s always really rude… Arsé-kun: Tom: bet on horse number five Sheepy: Sherlock: He really needs to work on his personality. Sheepy: Sheepy: If it helps any, I can get a critical hit on him. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please, do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Do you want me to go down and kick him right now? Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t think that’s a good idea. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not Now. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, I guess. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s umm… very strong, despite his appearance. Sheepy: Sherlock: And I think he chose his fighting style specifically so that if we were to spar, he’d have the upper hand. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sheesh, what a jerk. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m gonna fight him the next time I see him. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please don’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: But… but… Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you very much for letting me hide here! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Anytime. Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t know what to do in return…. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Why would we make you do anything? Sheepy: Sherlock: Umm.. I didn’t get that far. Sheepy: Sherlock: But I’m sure, if I turn my thinking around, I can come up with a reason! Sheepy: Sheepy: There’s no reason. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You don’t need one, either. Sheepy: Sherlock: Ah…! I’m very glad!! Sheepy: Sherlock: Again.. thank you! Arsé-kun: Ars��ne: Quite welcome. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is he staying the night or something? Sheepy: Sherlock: Me? Umm.. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It shouldn’t.. Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Of course. You can use the upstairs bedroom. Nobody uses it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, we sleep down here usually. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We probably shouldn’t, but we do. Sheepy: Sheepy: I think that’s your reason, too. Isn’t it? Sheepy: Sherlock: I forgot to.. uh, un-barricade my door.. but I’m sure that won’t be an issue. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ll have to climb in through my window to get into my room again. But… Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Then how did you get out..? Sheepy: Sherlock: The window! Sheepy: Sheepy: “The window”? Arsé-kun: Arséne: And did you tell Watson you were leaving? Sheepy: Sherlock: No. Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Great Sheepy: Sherlock: …? Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s not going to worry, probably. Arsé-kun: *that text arsene just got says otherwise* Sheepy: Sherlock: ? Sheepy: Sherlock: What was that? Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s called a text. Arsene’s the one who got it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I think he knows what that is. *he checks and responds* It was Watson, asking if I knew if you were okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. No. He’s dead. Sheepy: Sheepy: He just told us his last words. Sheepy: Sherlock: I am? It did? Arsé-kun: Tom: knife to meet you Sheepy: Sherlock: What were my last words? Sheepy: Sheepy: “Arsene… I love you…r shoes…” Sheepy: Sherlock: Those were my last words? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, everyone heard them. They were very dramatic. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I already answered him. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he peeks over Arsene’s shoulder* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he goes back to home screen* Yes? Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re being mean to me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s not very nice. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wanted to see what you wrote and you’re not letting me. Sheepy: Sheepy: I"m gonna call the meanie cops on you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, wait, they’re already here. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock, you’re playing the part of the meanie cop. Sheepy: Sherlock: I am? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. You gotta put Arsene in bully jail and then I’ve gotta reveal that I’m the true jerk, and that it was my plan all along to throw him into bully jail. Arsé-kun: Arséne: anything but that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, take him away, sir. Sheepy: Sherlock: But you just told me that you’re the bad guy. Sheepy: Sheepy: But you’re actually a corrupt cop who’s working under me. Sheepy: Sheepy: And Arsene’s the good guy. Arsé-kun: Tom: who am i Sheepy: Tom: im the murder victim Sheepy: Sheepy: Tom, it’s not a murder. It’s a case of being a meanie. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock is actually hypnotized to do as I say, and Tom is the only one who can break it. Sheepy: Tom: woah Arsé-kun: Arséne: How absolutely horrible. What ever will I do? Sheepy: Sheepy: Cry. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Your suggestions are terrible. Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re terrible Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thanks. Gracias. Merci. Sheepy: Sherlock: Sheepy, that’s not really nice to say… Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re not really nice Sheepy: Sherlock: B-But I do my best…! Sheepy: Tom: *gasp* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sheepy, that was a little out of line. Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re a little out of line Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you, captain obvious, for pulling into our port. Sheepy: Sheepy: If it was a stormy night and I was in a boat, if the only port I could pull in was into yours, I’d abandon ship and hope maybe I’d have better luck there Sheepy: Sherlock: … Oooh… you’re kidding… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes, we are. We’re only teasing. I’m horrible, yes, but… Sheepy: Sheepy: No I’m Sheepy Arsé-kun: *And in comes Watson, completely out of breath, looking somewhat annoyed, and with Sisi.* Sheepy: Sherlock:? Oh! Watson! Arsé-kun: Watson: How could you leave me alone with him, Holmes? Sheepy: Sherlock: *whimper* Sorry… Arsé-kun: Watson: It’s fine. Just, tell me next time? I had no idea you even left! Sheepy: Sherlock: Ahh… that was the intent… so he wouldn’t know and wouldn’t yell at me or something. Arsé-kun: Arséne: He’ll find a reason to anyway. Sheepy: Sherlock: That’s true… Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ll try to remember to tell you next time, Watson! I’m veeerrrryyy happy to see you! Arsé-kun: Watson: When are you not? Arsé-kun: Sisi: *NEW PLACE! NEW PLACE! SNIFF ALL THINGS!* Sheepy: Sherlock: Never!! Sheepy: Sheepy: *PUPPY* Sheepy: Sherlock: How did you find out? Arsé-kun: Watson: Find out what? Sheepy: Sherlock: That I wasn’t there. Arsé-kun: Watson: I asked Lupin. Sheepy: Sherlock:… But, wht would you ask him that in the first place? Oooh.. and.. I forgot to remove the barricade from my door… Arsé-kun: Watson: Because you barricading your door in of itself is unusual and I was unsure if you were even there. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh.. that makes sense… Sheepy: Sherlock: But I’m okay! You don’t need to worry! Are you okay? You seem out of breath. Arsé-kun: Watson: I had to chase Sisi. I’ll be fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: I think he’s staying with us tonight. We’ve got a bed upstairs that we never use. Arsé-kun: Watson: That’s fine, then. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh! You brought Sisi! I didn’t notice. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m glad you’re okay! Arsé-kun: Sisi: *Holmes? Holmes! HOOOOOLLLLMMEESS!!! pet me* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he pets Sisi* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *yay* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh! I nearly forgot! *have a hug, Watson* Arsé-kun: *watson is dead. not really* Sheepy: Sherlock:? Arsé-kun: Watson: too.. tight.. holmes Sheepy: Sherlock: *he loosens his grip* Sorry! Sheepy: Sheepy: Iris just texted me saying that Herlock is in a bad mood and was getting amgry at Hudson and her, but after shooting him with the smoke gun he’s leaving the two alone. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m proud of her…. Sheepy: Sheepy: We may or may not be responsible for his bad mood. We being me. Oops. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We aren’t apologizing. Sheepy: Sherlock: No, no, it’s, um, the phantom guy. Sheepy: Sherlock: I never really cared about the cases so I never tracked them, but he’s… very into the cases. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s probably because he’s been made a laughingstock by the thief in the past… Arsé-kun: Arséne: So we’re aware. Still no excuse to eavesdrop on us and bust in without permission. Sheepy: Sheepy: You don’t care about the phantom? Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s not bad. Nor is the new one. They both seem like they’d be fun friends to have! Sheepy: Sherlock: Being a thief and going on adventures sounds very exciting… Sheepy: Sheepy:…Uh-huh. Sheepy: Sherlock: Also, um, I apologize on his behalf for that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ordinarily, I would not accept such an apology. I’ll make an exception. Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you! Sheepy: Sherlock: I can ask him to refrain from that in the future. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Please kick him in the stomach too Sheepy: Sherlock: B-but… Sheepy: Sherlock: That’s not nice… Sheepy: Sheepy: Nor is he! Sheepy: Sherlock: Strength isn’t for hurting others. It’s for protecting yourself and those you hold dear. Sheepy: Sherlock: And for hugging people. Sheepy: Sherlock: Like Watson and Arséne! Sheepy: Sheepy: But not me?? Sheepy: Sherlock: You don’t seem like the type to like hugs. Sheepy: Sheepy: I love hugs. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh…! Sorry! I didn’t know that! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he lets go of Watson, and then bends down and hugs Sheepy* Sheepy: Sheepy: *THIS IS FINE* Arsé-kun: Tom: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *sisi found him and is holding tom in his mouth. again* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. Tom’s being tormented. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Nothing new. Sheepy: Tom: Misfortune will be coming your way soon. Sheepy: Tom: woah Arsé-kun: Arséne: thanks. Sheepy: Tom: watson backwards is Sheepy: Tom: bird gender Arsé-kun: Watson: *what. pardon. i. what* Sheepy: Tom: watson means Sheepy: Tom: snuzzfuzz Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’d believe it. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s the dictionary definition of Watson. Sheepy: Tom: sherlock means Sheepy: Tom: shearlock Arsé-kun: Arséne: *all right, anyway* Sheepy: Tom: but he does not have sheared locks Sheepy: Tom: his name is a dirty lie Arsé-kun: Watson: … I should probably head back. He is in the sort of mood to have my head, after all. Sheepy: Sheepy: What a jerk. Is he ever nice? Arsé-kun: Watson: ……… Not really. Sheepy: Sherlock: I guess there had to be a time where he was nice, but… I certainly wasn’t born yet. Arsé-kun: Watson: Seems accurate enough. Sheepy: Sheepy: If he’s mean to you, you really don’t have to help him in the next case Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suggest you don’t, since it’s the Phantom case. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s not even that bad… Arsé-kun: Arséne: He is sometimes. Arsé-kun: *Watson heads out after rescuing Tom* Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? He didn’t seem like it… Sheepy: Tom: woof woof Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Eh, I thought you meant Hurl-lock for a minute. Sheepy: Sherlock: No, no! Sheepy: Sherlock: The Phantom. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The Phantom is not that bad, this is true. Sheepy: Sherlock: He seems like a very nice person! Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s very possible. Sheepy: Sheepy: Uh-huh. Sheepy: Sheepy: Stealing is bad but I guess he’s okay for a thief. Arsé-kun: Arséne: But, one does not know how he behaves when he is not the Phantom. Sheepy: Sheepy: People tend to show their true behavior when wearing a mask. Sheepy: Sheepy: A mean person normally may be nice behind a mask, and a good person normally may be downright evil behind a mask. Arsé-kun: Arséne: This is entirely true. Sheepy: Sherlock: So whoever he is out there, he’s actually a nice person. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You think so? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah! Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh. Weird. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Hm. Before I forget: Sherlock, Sheepy is going out for me later tonight, so if anyone comes in at an odd hour, it’s him. Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you for telling me! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll do my best not to wake you. Sheepy: Sherlock: Don’t worry, I’m usually up all night! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Maybe you should… Er.. Stop doing that. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s not exactly a choice. Sheepy: Sherlock: I just get to sleep when I get to sleep, you see? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose I do Sheepy: Sherlock: After all, if I had a choice in the matter, I’d definitely sleep more than a few hours at night. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sleeping is easy for me. It’s one of my best skills. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don’t think that’s a good thing. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you against sleeping? Arsé-kun: Arséne: No. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then why’s it bad? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well, if it’s your “best”, that implies your other skills are lesser. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can’t think of anything I’m actually good at other than sleeping. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, maybe mimicing voices. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m okay-ish at that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Other than that.. nope, no skills here. Arsé-kun: Arséne: hm, hm. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh well! Arsé-kun: *later, that night* Sheepy: Sheepy: OK, I’m going out! Arsé-kun: Arséne: All right. Good luck. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes out* Arsé-kun: *605 Heather Lane. The local library. It, by now, is closed. Someone is waiting by the entrance.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ….? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Salut! Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, it’s you. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oui. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is this revenge for me taking on your name or something? Arsé-kun: Phantom: No, of course not. How could I be angered if others are so inspired by me that they take my name on themselves? Sheepy: Sheepy: … Hey, wait a minute. Sheepy: Sheepy: How did you even find ​out​ about this challenge? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I have my ways. Connections and such. Sheepy: Sheepy: … Except. There’s only two people who know. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I highly doubt this. Sheepy: Sheepy: I only told one person, and obviously, the Count knows of it. Sheepy: Sheepy: And then there’s you… Sheepy: Sheepy: I probably should warn you… Arsé-kun: Phantom: .. Eh? Sheepy: Sheepy: Herlock’s back and he wants your head, basically. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Excellent! I can’t wait to embarrass him again! Sheepy: Sheepy: I refused to tell him anything about what happened. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Non, non, do tell. I’d like to play another game with the monsieur! Sheepy: Sheepy: OK. If he decides to kick my door in again and demand information from me, I’ll give it, I guess. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Merci. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess you really do want to compete with me… I’m more of a fan of teamwork, but… Arsé-kun: Phantom: If something occurs, there is nothing stopping us from being of assistance to the other. Sheepy: Sheepy: … Really? You mean that? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Why would I lie? We are not enemies. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s true.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: So. Are you ready, mon amie? Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess so. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Go at will, then. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he enters* Arsé-kun: *its very library* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Now to recall what I needed to steal tonight …) Sheepy: Sheepy: (He said there was some book he published? This card has the location and all, but boy, this will be tedious…) Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes searching for the book* Arsé-kun: *looking for a book in a library. good luck.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *this is irritating* Arsé-kun: *and then Phantom comes in about ten minutes later, casually humming and scanning bookshelves* Sheepy: Sheepy: *oh. it’s him. better look harder* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Where’s that book…?) Arsé-kun: *The Phantom pauses and takes out a flashlight.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks over* ….? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Yes? Sheepy: Sheepy: Now that I think about it, Phantom… Where, exactly, are the night guards? Sheepy: Sheepy: It seems empty other than us two. Arsé-kun: Phantom: In a library? Don’t be silly. They only have cameras. Which I took the time to disable. You’re quite welcome. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh… Arsé-kun: *so the Phantom goes back to humming and scanning the shelves.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he continues his search* Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m never gonna go to a library ever again because I’ll forever be reminded of this miserable hunt. Arsé-kun: Phantom: If it makes you feel better, I have not found it yet either. Sheepy: Sheepy: Not particularly, because it doesn’t matter which one of us finds it, what matters is that it’s found. Arsé-kun: Phantom: That is true. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m having trouble getting into the competitive mindset because usually I work wity a partner. Sheepy: Sheepy: She’s more techy than I am, so she usually deals with the security cqmeras and stuff. Sheepy: Sheepy: So, as I see it, we both have a common goal and even if we aren’t directly assisting each other, we’re still helping each other. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Heh. I’m not used to partners, but I don’t usually compete, either. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ooohhh.. I can be your partner, then! Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean, if you want one. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I’ll think about it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay! Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s too bad it isn’t by itself. Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. Maybe it is. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh…? Arsé-kun: Phantom: The book isn’t where it belongs, so it must have been moved. It was most likely separated so it would be harder to find. Sheepy: Sheepy: That makes sense! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks around* If I were a book,where would I be.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Somewhere high up where no one can reach me! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Tu es magnifique! That is most likely it! Sheepy: Sheepy: I would try to look, but I’m much too short to be of use. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Very well, allow me. *he climbs up a bookshelf to the top, and looks around from there* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, good idea! Sheepy: Sheepy: Do you see anything? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I believe I do! Sheepy: Sheepy: Great! Sheepy: Sheepy: I doubt I can reach it, so.. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can will you on from down here!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he jumps from shelf to shelf, before picking something up and jumping down* Here we are. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, you did it! Arsé-kun: Phantom: I can’t say you did not help Sheepy: Sheepy: I didn’t really, I just gave you an idea. Arsé-kun: Phantom: And that stopped this from taking far longer than necessary. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess that’s true!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Because of that, I think you should take it. Sheepy: Sheepy: But you’re the one who got it… Besides, it doesn’t matter who takes it. 'Cause in the end, it’s the same end result. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I see. You’re going to continue that train of thought. Very well, then, I will take it. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he nods* Arsé-kun: Phantom: I shall see you tomorrow night, then. Au revoir! Sheepy: Sheepy: Good night!! Arsé-kun: *so Phantom leaves* Sheepy: *so does sheepy* Arsé-kun: *so he goes home.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he changes out of his Joker outfit* Arsé-kun: *Arséne isn’t downstairs.* Sheepy: Sheepy:….? Arsé-kun: *He’s probably upstairs.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he heads upstairs* Arsé-kun: *Arséne is upstairs. Seems he remembered he had a bed.* Sheepy: Sheepy: (Oh, there he is. … … … Wait a moment…) Sheepy: Sheepy: (I guess he forgot…) Sheepy: Sheepy: (Oh well. Not my problem.) Arsé-kun: *and it continues to not be his problem* Sheepy: *so he heads downstairs and goes to sleep* Arsé-kun: *and everyone gets up by about noon bc everyone is friggin’ lazy.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you veerrrryyyy much for letting me stay over! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Quite welcome. *he chuckles* I have a feeling that someone is going to overthink this situation. Sheepy: Sheepy: Um. Yeah. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The answer is no. Sheepy: Sheepy: You memory must be going with age 'cause you forgot he was there. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The answer is still no. I knew he was there. Sheepy: Sheepy: But…but why Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because neither of us care anymore. We’ve known each other for… Long enough, honestly. Sheepy: Sheepy: How long?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: … I knew his brother first, unfortunately, so from there…. I knew Sherlock for about… Eleven years? Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s a long time. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Long enough for neither of us to care. He’s not interested and he’s also not a woman. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he nods* That’s right! Sheepy: Sheepy: So you’re friends???? Sheepy: Sherlock: More than friends!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….. That makes it sound like what he’s assuming it is, Sherlock. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he leans over and whispers something to Sherlock* Sheepy: Sherlock: …Oh!! Sheepy: Sherlock: OK!! It’s fine if you think that. It’s not true, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ……. At least no one else is hearing this. Could you imagine HIS reaction if he heard you claim we were sleeping together? Sheepy: Herlock: *THE HERLOCK IS IN* ​What did you say?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *JESUS CHRIST!* STOP DOING THAT!! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he hides behind Arséne. where did he come from* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *bark, bark* Sheepy: Herlock: I’d think I’d have the right to at least be a bit concerned! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Since you were listening, and hopefully have an IQ high enough to understand the English language, I think you know better. Sheepy: Sheepy: Arsene, people with high IQs don’t need to know English- Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’re speaking English, are we not? Sheepy: Herlock: You, Joker. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah I’m a real kidder. Arsé-kun: Arséne: A comedian. Have your discussion outside. Sheepy: Herlock: You know exactly what I mean, Fake-Phantom. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Herlock. Outside. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is it actually a good idea to discuss this outside? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ……. Never mind. I think it’s too late. Sheepy: Sherlock:? Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? You’re the Joker?? Sheepy: Sheepy: Heck yeah I am. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *apply hand to face* Herlock, nobody told him. I was trying to make this easier on everyone involved. Sheepy: Sherlock: Hmmm… … ’M not upset or anything, just a bit disappointed… Sheepy: Sherlock: You never invited me…!! Sheepy: Sherlock: Iris and I could be the best thieving duo ever seen if we put our heart into it!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please don’t Sheepy: Herlock: Now that that’s over with… Sheepy: Herlock: You’ve been in connection with the real Phantom. Where is the next place you’re stealing? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mmm… should I tell you… Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he goes and sits down, looking less than impressed* Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re lucky the Phantom told me to tell you Arsé-kun: Arséne: Did he? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah Sheepy: Sheepy: Bend down, Herlock Sheepy: Herlock: *he hesitantly does so and Sheepy whispers something into his ear* Sheepy: Herlock:…There? Thank you. Arsé-kun: Arséne: …… *he seems to be expecting something* Sheepy: Sherlock: ? Sheepy: *Tom is on the sill of the door or whatever it’s called* Arsé-kun: *that’s called a doorframe, friend* Sheepy: *tom is on the doorframe* Arsé-kun: *and how the hell did he get there? nobody knows, but Arséne expects him to fall off any time now.* Sheepy: *he falls onto Herlock’s head* Arsé-kun: *Arséne laughs.* Sheepy: *Tom falling on Herlock’s head made Herlock temporarily stop from standing up straight from his crouched position. Sheepy knees him right in the crotch.* Sheepy: *Herlock just. Collapses. He wasn’t expecting that.* Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s for calling me Faker Phantom so many times Sheepy: Herlock: *he doesn’t appear as though he’s gonna reply to that.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he wasn’t exactly paying attention, so he finally looks over and* Oh!! Were you two sparring?? Good job, Sheepy! I haven’t won against him for many years. Sheepy: Herlock: ​Shut up, Sherlock. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he retreats to the corner, nibbling at his caramel bar, his buddy in times of loneliness.* Arsé-kun: *Arséne was grinning at Herlock getting FUCKING OWNED. Not anymore, though* Arsé-kun: *And Sisi decides to sniff Herlock’s face* Sheepy: Sheepy: Get wrecked nerd. Arsé-kun: *And this is what Watson walks in on. He wisely opts to not ask what he missed.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I kneed Herlock in the crotch. Sheepy: Sheepy: He deserved it. Arsé-kun: Watson: I wasn’t here, so I can’t argue. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. Yeah. And Sherlock knows I’m the Joker now. He’s not very good at keeping secrets, so can you do your best to make sure he doesn’t tell everyone? Thank you~! Arsé-kun: Watson: I’ll do my best. Sheepy: Sheepy: Thank you~! Sheepy: *Sherlock is still nibbling a this caramel bar, sitting in the corner* Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Ah, Sherlock? Sheepy: Sherlock: *sigh* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh… you noticed me, finally. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Implying I hadn’t before? Sheepy: Sherlock: Herlock told me to go away… Sheepy: Sherlock: And I didn’t want to seem like I was sitting around, moping… Sheepy: Sherlock: …So I sat in the corner, reading about things I’m not interested in, all the meanwhile nibbling on my caramel bar, my buddy in times of loneliness… Arsé-kun: Arséne: you stop that. he’s a jerk. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m reading about snakes. Sheepy: Sherlock: They’re even worse now. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then stop reading it. Sheepy: Sherlock: But then what will I read? Sheepy: Tom: the obituary Arsé-kun: Arséne: tom, no Sheepy: Sherlock: *sigh*… Everyone looks like they’re having such great fun… Sheepy: Sherlock: While I alone have been shunned… Arsé-kun: Arséne: stop Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh.. sorry. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s fine. Sheepy: *Herlock has gotten off the floor* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh, I was hoping you’d become the carpet. Sheepy: Sheepy: Aww… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Wait, then we’d have to deal with him daily. Never mind. Sheepy: Sheepy: He can be the carpet at Sherlock’s place. Sheepy: Sheepy: And then he can’t come here. Sheepy: Sheepy: And carpets can’t talk! Arsé-kun: *That night: 41 Deerfield Drive. Moonshine Bank. The Phantom is, of course, there first, though he seems… Rather uncomfortable. He’s pacing, cane in hand.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hellooo, Mr. Phantom~ I did as you asked and when Herlock demanded info, I gave it to him and kneed hin in the crotch. Sheepy: Sheepy: I did more preparing than I usually do. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Salut, as did I! I.. I do not particularly enjoy dealing with him. Sheepy: Sheepy: Don’t worry! I’ve got a solution to that! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Eh? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he produces a cat-looking and bunny looking… toy?* Here they are. Sheepy: Sheepy: My partner let me borrow these. Sheepy: Sheepy: The bunny’s full of sleeping gas if things get desperate, and the cat’s skill is tripping people and knocking things over. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Convenient! Excellent thinking, mon amie! Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s probably mad at me, so I needed to pull out the big guns. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ve put the bunny on mute mode, too, so he won’t rat us out. Sheepy: Sheepy:…Normally it likes saying, “The game is afoot!” and “It’s elementary!” … it gets annoying. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sometimes it’d be nice if the real one had a mute button. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he smirks* How true that is. Do you have a plan, or shall we go with mine? Sheepy: Sheepy: Probably yours, because mine consists of don’t get caught. Sheepy: Sheepy: Do you know Sherlock or something?? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Fine, and perhaps I do. It is hard not to know who the man is. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, yeah, I guess his stories are popular Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s like the really weird uncle who’s the best uncle ever but he’s also convinced that aliens exist and all he reads about is aliens. Sheepy: Sheepy: Except in Sherlock’s case, replaxe aliens with snakes Arsé-kun: Phantom: Hm, hm. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m ready whenever you are! Arsé-kun: *So, Phantom quietly explains his plan, including what Sheepy brought with him.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good to me… Arsé-kun: *And, they go!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he’s keeping a close eye for anyone who isn’t the Phantom* Arsé-kun: *So, you mean like Herlock* Sheepy: *yeah* Arsé-kun: *Right there.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he sees Herlock.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ah, Herlock’s here.. Arsé-kun: *So what is he going to do?* Sheepy: *keep the bunbun close just in case* Arsé-kun: *this is widely regarded as a good idea.* Sheepy: *he considers releasing the Cat* Sheepy: *but. he does not! because that’s not part of the plan!* Arsé-kun: *Good job!* Sheepy: *he is a bit nervous though, and sticks close to Phantom* Arsé-kun: *Phantom doesn’t seem too bothered. The most he does is occasionally glance back to see if Sheepy is still there.* Sheepy: *Sheepy’s keeping his mouth shut so he doesn’t draw the police and Herlock over to them* Arsé-kun: *Oh, shit, there are police. What a plot twist. Not really. It has been previously established most cops are assholes or idiots. This continues to stand.* Sheepy: *Herlock seems incredibly serious* Arsé-kun: *Water is wet.* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he glances back at Sheepy, gestures to the rabbit, and then points ahead. This is not a very detailed explanation.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he puts the bunny on the ground and presses a button. it begins to walk forward* Arsé-kun: *Phantom backs away, and around the corner, pulling Sheepy with him* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he allows the Phantom to do this* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *quietly* …. I suppose we now wait. How long does it take to work, and how long can you hold your breath? Sheepy: Sheepy: *also quietly* Once it stops, it, uh, does this little boxing pose, and then spews gas once it’s done. And… um.. I’d assume long enough, maybe. Sheepy: *the toy stops, and Herlock turns. he looks down at it and … picks it up to inspect it. herlock, no. the bun does its boxing pose, which he seems a bit surprised by. why is this bun doing the pose? … oh SHOOT* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *try not to laugh. succeed.* Sheepy: Herlock: *he begins to go for his pocket to grab… something to deal with the situation, but he just can’t seem to find his pocket and proceeds to get a dizzy spell. … … … down he goes.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he appears to have relaxed some* Arsé-kun: *the idiot police have either scattered, fell over, or generally didn’t do anything useful. go figure* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he seems amused* Well done. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, thank you…! Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe Wag won’t be used much after all.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: You never know. Sheepy: *the clover on the bun’s back flashes, and it slowly turns around and heads back* Arsé-kun: *Phantom picks it up and hands it back* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he puts it in his bag* Arsé-kun: Phantom: We’re going to have to cross the room. Are you ready? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he nods* Arsé-kun: *so they hold their breath and cross the room relatively easily. the rest of the plan goes without a hitch* Sheepy: *it was awesome* Arsé-kun: *herlock- 0. team phantom- 1* Sheepy: Sheepy: *…once they’re out* That was a lot of fun! Thank you! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Je vous en prie. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m looking forward to the next few nights! Arsé-kun: Phantom: As am I. Au revoir! Sheepy: Sheepy: See you tomorrow!! Arsé-kun: *and they split up.* Sheepy: *sheepy heads home* Arsé-kun: *and he is home now. does he have the loot, what the heck was it, and if he does, where is it being put?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *oh shoot was this supposed to go to rhe count* Arsé-kun: *that definitely answered everything.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he rushes over to the Count and drops it off* Arsé-kun: *since you didn’t say it twice, it was gems or something. but whatever, NOW he’s home* Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m home~! Sheepy: Tom: knees weak arms shaky Sheepy: Tom: when your sheep comes home Arsé-kun: Sisi: *HELLO! HELLOOOOO!* Sheepy: Tom: and makes the spaghetti Arsé-kun: Sisi: *!!!! IT’S ME!!!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he pets Sisi* Sheepy: Tom: in 49 of the 50 states, it’s legal for tom to be a dog’s chew toy Sheepy: Tom: but these are not the states Sheepy: Tom: so it’s illegal for this dog to use me as a chew toy any longer Arsé-kun: *and once again, arséne is presumably upstairs* Sheepy: Sheepy: C'mon Sisi, let’s go upstairs. Arsé-kun: Sisi: *oK! OK!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes upstairs* Arsé-kun: *there’s sherlock. and there’s arsene. it’s very much not shippy.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *ok, nothing new* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, there’s nithing interesting going on up here. Let’s go downstairs. Maybe there’s a way to play fetch inside. Sheepy: *and then sheepy stayed up all night playing with sisi* Sheepy: *tom babbled a bunch, it was great* Sheepy: Tom: if you were to attach a jetpack to a penguin Sheepy: Tom: not only would it be superior to me in absolutely every way Sheepy: Tom: but it would be unstoppable Sheepy: Tom: nothing can stop the penguin air force Arsé-kun: *and this is what Arséne came downstairs in time for. He stares* Sheepy: Tom: penguins can’t fly because otherwise they would be perfect Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. I’ve decided I don’t want to ask. Sheepy: Tom: sheepy played with sisi all night Sheepy: Tom: im lonely Arsé-kun: Arséne: That does explain the noise. Sheepy: Tom: now they’re both dead Sheepy: Tom: ive been thinking Sheepy: Tom: maybe i should get a job Sheepy: Tom: im going to be a bee keeper Sheepy: Tom: bee-lieve in me Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Maybe. Sheepy: Tom: the truth… Sheepy: Tom:…sometimes stings. Sheepy: Tom: but a bee keeper must keep going forward no matter how much he’s stung Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m getting weird texts from Herlock. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Everything he says is weird. What is it? Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s demanding an explanation over a boxing bunny. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ah. That. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Sheepy: Sherlock: I want to see a boxing bunny. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It wouldn’t be a good idea. It’s filled with sleeping gas. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh…? Sheepy: Sherlock: Why…? Arsé-kun: Arséne: It was used as a defense mech when the Joker goes out. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Case in point: From the sounds of it, it seems Sheepy used it on Herlock, and he is most likely upset. Also tired and grumpy. Arsé-kun: Tom: A, Bee, C the bees, D Sheepy: Sherlock: Oooh… Sheepy: Sherlock:…But what do I have to do with that? Sheepy: Sherlock:…Oh,he’s saying I made it. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s saying that there was a clover icon on the back, so it must have been made by me… Sheepy: Sherlock: But without the knowledge of the fact Sheepy is the Joker, it could have been made by anyone who was a fan if the books. Sheepy: Sherlock: The boxing pose isn’t really incriminating evidence either. Sheepy: Sherlock: However, my guess is that Iris created it, and the sleeping gas I made for her was used in it Arsé-kun: Arséne: That seems accurate enough. Add in that Iris has free access to anything you make, and that she is a capable inventor in her own right Sheepy: Sherlock: But why would she make that??? Sheepy: Sherlock: And why does Sheepy have it… Arsé-kun: Arséne: To help Sheepy? It is entirely possible that she knew he was the Joker. Sheepy: Sherlock: Maybe… Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s more than possible, actually, because she built more than one. One resembles Wagahai. Sheepy: Sherlock: She did…? Sheepy: *There’s a buzzing noise that sounds like it’s at the window* Arsé-kun: Arséne: …? Sheepy: *there’s a little blue dog-looking robot hovering at the window* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Exhibit B: That. Sheepy: Sherlock: What’s that? Sheepy: *it looks like it wants in* Arsé-kun: Arséne: A little spybot Iris built. *he makes a face at it, then opens the window* Sheepy: *it flies over to sheepy’s bag, hooks onto the zipper, and opens it. #mad skills* Sheepy: *it proceeds to pick up the bun and fly away. goodbye my dude* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sometimes I wonder why she does not come get it herself. Sheepy: Sherlock: If Herlock’s upset about it, she may not want him finding out she’s the one who made it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That is true. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he sleepily rubs his eyes* Oh. Iris told me she’d check that for any damage in the morning, 'cause Herlock dropped it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That does explain it. Now, why were you up all night? Sheepy: Sheepy: I was playing with Sisi. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sisi’s so cute. How could I say no??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s going to impact your performance later tonight. Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshhh, whatever, Sisi’s worth it. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m strong anyway. Sheepy: Sheepy: Did you think teens actually sleep? Sheepy: Sheepy: Were you ever a teen? Sheepy: Sheepy: Or did someone just imagine you up and you appeared in this world as an adult? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Unfortunately for the world, I was. Sheepy: Sheepy: You mean you were a teen once? Sheepy: Sheepy: Or maybe you were born an old man. Sheepy: Sheepy: And every year you age, you get younger. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s horrifying. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s how one story went. Sheepy: Sheepy: And then he poofed out of existence. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thankfully, that is not based on a true story. Sheepy: Sheepy: Or is it? Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe it’s based on you!! Sheepy: Sheepy: That’d explain a lot. Arsé-kun: Arséne: No, it would not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah it would. Arsé-kun: Arséne: How. Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re always acting like an old guy. Sheepy: Sheepy: But you’re only like.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Fifty. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s not fifty. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I hope I’m not! Sheepy: Sheepy: You age backwards, so you’ve got another fifty years to live. Arsé-kun: Arséne: no. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m a scientist. Sheepy: Sheepy: So I know this stuff. Sheepy: *HERLOCK IS HERE* Sheepy: Herlock: Tell me where you’re going to be tonight. Sheepy: Sheepy: Nice people knock before they enter unless they’re Sherlock, and also they say “hello”. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m going to get a restraining order. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t care. I need to know this information so I can catch the phantom. Sheepy: Herlock: … Besides. Some gray-haired kid came to me and asked the same thing, like I knew. Sheepy: Herlock: Claiming he was the “Joker’s rival”, or something along the lines of that. Sheepy: Sheepy: … *shrug* No idea who that is. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t feel the need to tell him anyway. He’d just get in the way. Sheepy: Sheepy: OK, bend down. I’ll whisper the next place in your ear. Sheepy: Herlock: No, you come up here. You hit me yesterday. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We do not get an encore? A shame. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe you’d be able to successfully catch the Phantom if you were to think about what you say before you say it. Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re almost 6’ with your dumb platform boots. Sheepy: Herlock: …. *he hesitantly bends down* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he whispers the information into Herlock’s ear, and Herlock immediately stands up straight again* Sheepy: Sheepy: You’re no fun. Arsé-kun: Tom: death is not fun, dont recommend it Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s true! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I think we may all agree on that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock might. Maybe. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Anyway. Sheepy: *Herlock takes his leave* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he sighs* I’m going to lock that door. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good!! Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ll do my best to remember to knock! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you both. *he gets up and locks the door* Sheepy: Sheepy: Besides, people could’ve come in here and snoop through my stuff. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Implying people other than him will. Sheepy: Sheepy: You never know. He could tell.. whoever he was talking about about me being the Joker. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Hm. Sheepy: *SO LATER THE LITTLE SHEEP GOES OUT TO THE PLACE HE’S GOTTA STEAL FROM, WITH A REFILLED BUN AND A CAT* Arsé-kun: *Anyway, he’s gone to 896 Garfield Avenue. The Great-City Museum. Nobody has bothered to fix this name. Nobody cares. Anyway, the chalice Sheepy needs to take was hidden among the exhibits.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *time to enter real sneaky… after a quick look for the phantom* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he gets down from the ledge he was on, and follows Sheepy in* Evening! Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, hi! Arsé-kun: Phantom: I, eh… I already took the liberty of getting started, I must admit. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, that’s fine! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Well, then lets get started, shall we? *and then he just walks off.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he follows* Arsé-kun: Phantom: By “got started” I meant to say “I shut down the security and we have at least an hour.” Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, thank you! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Pas de soucis! [no worries!] It was simple enough. Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t understand that stuff very well… Arsé-kun: Phantom: My apologies! I said no worries! Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, I meant security cameras are confusing, but I don’t know any French either. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oh. Yes. Those are, too. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, don’t worry, I know some people I understand even less than you when you speak French. Sheepy: *who’s this grumpy detective man??? ITS HERLOCK* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he turns, and gives Herlock a huge smile* Long time no see, rival! How are you and your brother doing? Would you like to join us on this museum tour? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he immediately hides behind Phantom. nopenopenope* Sheepy: Herlock: Don’t try to have some pleasant conversation with me. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to catch you Arsé-kun: Phantom: I cannot ask how an old friend is doing? How terrible! Why is it that you always refuse casual conversation? Sheepy: Herlock: “Friend”… With my brother, maybe, but not me. Sheepy: Herlock: If you want to have casual conversation, talk to my brother, not me. Arsé-kun: Phantom: We’ve known each other this long, and I am still not a friend? I am heartbroken! Sheepy: Herlock: Good. Arsé-kun: Phantom: You’ve killed me! I’ve died, and in the grave, where you will never catch me. Sheepy: Sheepy: Mr. Phantom, I don’t think he has any friends. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t. I don’t need them. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he shakes his head* See, this is why I liked Ganimard better. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t care. Arsé-kun: Phantom: He was my friend, and he managed to catch me more than you ever will. Sheepy: Herlock: My brother is the social one, not me Arsé-kun: Phantom: Too bad, too sad, nobody is going to love you and you’ll never accomplish anything, while the social butterfly will flourish and grow. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t believe you. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he shrugs, and glances at Sheepy* He’s got no interest in you, I notice, so go get what we need. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay! *off he goes* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he watches Sheepy go* … Now that we are alone. I don’t think I’m going to allow myself to be caught by you. Sheepy: Herlock: You don’t know me or anything about me. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Sure I do. It’s all clear from the way you speak. *he shrugs again* You think you’re superior to everyone else. You don’t need anyone else, you think. Anyone who disagrees with you, or opposes you, is an imbecile. How fantastically close-minded. Sheepy: Herlock:….!! Sheepy: Herlock: *he look pretty annoyed from hearing that* Arsé-kun: Phantom: You forget! I am talented in reading others. You are not an exception. Sheepy: Herlock: *he glares* … That’s not… Arsé-kun: Phantom: I’m sorry, Monsieur, is it not what you wanted to hear? I only lie when it is necessary, as you know. Hm, hm, hm. I feel bad for your brother, having to put up with you. You are lucky your brother is, well, your brother. Had he been a she, I’d have stolen her away from you a long time ago out of spite, and possibly love. Sheepy: Herlock:…..! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Maybe I’ll make an exception. Anything would be better than you. Sheepy: Herlock: Y-you wouldn’t dare… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oh, what’s that? A quiver in your voice? *Phantom Smirks!* Maybe if you prove to me, or anyone around you that you are not a completely heartless bastard, I will not consider it. Sheepy: Herlock:…..I’m doing what’s necessary… Arsé-kun: Phantom: I’d understand if you pushed me away, of course. But I have not even seen your partner any of these nights. Have you neglected him, too? Sheepy: Herlock:….Partner…? You mean… Sheepy: Herlock: He’s just…busy. … Arsé-kun: Phantom: The good doctor? Mmm… Understandable. Sheepy: Herlock: I don’t drag him everywhere like my brother does. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I already conceded. Sheepy: Herlock:….. Arsé-kun: Phantom: ….. So be it. *his tone seems colder, somehow* I will not offer again. From here on, we are strictly enemies. I hope everything in your life goes wrong. *he turns away* If you do not mind, I need to find my student. Sheepy: Herlock: *glare* … Sheepy: Herlock:..Go ahead. See if I care. Arsé-kun: Phantom: No objections? Excellent. Je peux vivre sans toi. Au revoir, mon ennemi! [I can live without you. Goodbye, my enemy!] Arsé-kun: *With that, he walks away without a glance back. He then goes and looks for Sheepy* Sheepy: Herlock: *he watches and then just.. walks off.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he exits the building, chalice in hand, and accidentally slams directly into Phantom* Oh!! Sorry! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Ah, there you are. I see you succeeded without me! Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he grins* All of the guards were totally oblivious~ It was kinda funny watching them act like nothing happened. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder what the count wants this for… Sheepy: Sheepy: Technically, though, isn’t he the one really benefiting from this? Sheepy: Sheepy: In a way, I feel like we’re being used… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Perhaps! It is quite fun, though! *he holds his arms out* Wouldn’t you agree? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah! And I got to meet you, so that’s even better! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Sadly, we only have 3 nights left. Perhaps we will meet again! Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… that’s unfortunate. I really hope we do. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I want to say we will! There is no use worrying now, though, we have 3 nights left! So, au revoir, mon amie! Joker: Sheepy: Good night! Arsé-kun: *Phantom exits stage left* Sheepy: *Sheepy delivers the chalice to the Count and heads home* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *for whatever reason, he is up when Sheepy gets home* Good morning. Sheepy: Sheepy: Helloooo~! Herlock got wrecked big time! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh? That is the type of news I like to hear. Sheepy: Sheepy: I didn’t hear most of it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: How unfortunate. I suppose we will hear about it tomorrow. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m kinda sad that the challenge is going to end soon, but… oh well. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he yawns* After that, we get to catch you up on schoolwork. Sheepy: Sheepy: *internal screaming* Arsé-kun: *Skip to later that morning* Sheepy: Sheepy: By the way, why were you up so late? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I was assisting Sherlock with something. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ooooh.. yeah, he’s always up really late. Sheepy: Sheepy: What did he need help with at that time of night??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh, you’ll find out soon. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess I’m looking forward to finding out? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You should. Sheepy: Sheepy: I should be? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes. Also, do unlock the door for me. Sheepy: *Sheepy unlocks the door, questioning why Arsene can’t do it on his own* Arsé-kun: Arséne: I didn’t feel like standing up just yet. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oooh… I guess that make ssense. Arsé-kun: Distant Watson: holmes no Sheepy: *there isn’t a reply from Sherlock because he’s gotten his head stuck in something* Arsé-kun: Distant Watson: damn it holmes Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder what’s going on out there. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Go find out. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes outside and looks around* Arsé-kun: *He finds Watson and Sherlock moving boxes into the apartment next to theirs. Or would be, if Sherlock hadn’t gotten his head stuck in one.* Sheepy: Sheepy:…? Do you need help?? Arsé-kun: Watson: Ah, Sheepy! We do. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he comes over* Um… how did he manage that? Arsé-kun: Watson: Somehow. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he finally gets himself unstuck* Oh! Sheepy! Hullo! Sheepy: Sheepy: What’re you doing? Arsé-kun: Watson: Moving property. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can help, but why’re you…? Arsé-kun: Watson: You’re a smart kid. What does it mean when someone is moving property? Sheepy: Sheepy: They’re moving to another location? Arsé-kun: Watson: Correct. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah… you’re moving here… Arsé-kun: Watson: *wait for it.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ….. Sheepy: Sheepy: W-Wait, you’re moving here…?! Arsé-kun: Watson: *boom.* Well, are there any other obvious conclusions? Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s great!! … Other than um… the fact Herlock will be right next door… Sheepy: Sherlock: He will? Arsé-kun: Watson: Oh, he isn’t coming. Sheepy: Sheepy:!! Sheepy: Sheepy: Really?? Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ve gotta ask two things, though… Arsé-kun: Watson: Go on. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why are you moving, and why isn’t he coming? Arsé-kun: Watson: Because we’re here often enough that we may as well move in, and because he refused. Sheepy: Sheepy:…He refused…? Sheepy: Sheepy: … *he appears bothered by something* … Arsé-kun: Watson: I think it’s simply because he’s stubborn. He’ll come around, eventually. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder if last night had anything to do with it.. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’d never seen that face on him before~ Arsé-kun: Watson: Hmmm? Did something happen that we were not informed of? Sheepy: Sheepy: He was spouting stuff about how he didn’t need friends or whatever before I left. Arsé-kun: Watson: I’ll remember that next time he asks for help. Sheepy: Sheepy: I saw them through the window. Sheepy: Sheepy: Herlock had this look on his face… Sheepy: Sheepy: It looked sort of like he was trying to hide fear with anger, but not very well, if thay makes sense. Sheepy: Sheepy: Unfortunately I didn’t hear any of it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Other than the stuff before I left. Sheepy: Sheepy: Also he was basically shoving the Phantom on Sherlock. Sheepy: Sheepy: Saying that he refuses to be friends and try that with Sherlock if he wants results. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he has stopped paying attention* Arsé-kun: Arséne: That sounds like we should try that one night. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, maybe! Sheepy: Sheepy: And then we can all be friends. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh!! Arsene!! Sheepy: Sherlock: Hullo! We’re busy moving. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Busy running your mouths, more like. *he picks up a box* Lets hurry it up, or you’ll be here all day. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? B-but… Sheepy: Sheepy: *he picks up a box* Arsé-kun: *so does Watson. Carefully.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he frowns and picks up a box or two* Arsé-kun: *world of str. anyway, they get all the boxes inside* Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you! *he hugs arsene. Sherlock, please* Sheepy: Sheepy: Arsene, Herlock isn’t moving here. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank the lord. Sheepy: Sheepy: We’re free. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well, I doubt that. Sheepy: Sheepy: And Iris can send robots through our windows. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Actually, about that.. Sheepy: Sheepy: ? Sheepy: Sherlock: We should put doors between this wall so we can see each other whenever! Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s basically a constant sleepover! Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s terrifying. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You would not appreciate being able to meet with Iris quickly? Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s a good point. Sheepy: Sheepy: She generally likes staying in her room and working on robots, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The point stands. Sheepy: Sherlock: But howbare we going to make a doorway? Arsé-kun: Arséne: If everyone would go upstairs for a couple of minutes, I have an idea. Sheepy: Sheepy:??? i want to watch, whatever it is Sheepy: Sherlock: OK! *he goes upstairs* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Go upstairs, Sheepy. You’ll be able to watch the end. Sheepy: Sheepy: Aww.. okay. *he goes upstairs* Arsé-kun: *It’s quiet downstairs for a few minutes, followed by a sound that is suspiciously like a chainsaw.* Sheepy: Sheepy:….he still has the chainsaw Sheepy: Sheepy: ​he still has the chainsaw Arsé-kun: Watson: …… Why does he have that, exactly? Sheepy: Sheepy: Because we stole one a while back. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s a long story. Arsé-kun: Watson: “We”? .. I suppose it can wait for a time when it isn’t running. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… Sheepy: Sheepy: Ask Arsene. Arsé-kun: *the chainsaw stops, and arséne yells “Okay, done!”* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he heads downstairs, Sheepy follows* Arsé-kun: *There is a door shaped outline in the wall.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Wow!! Sheepy: Sheepy: Chainsaw.. Arsé-kun: *And then Arséne tackles the cut-out part down. “OH YEAH” optional.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Good job! Sheepy: Sheepy: Chainsaw…. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why do you still have that?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. Emergencies? Sheepy: Sheepy: What sort of emergencies do you need a chainsaw for? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Very specific ones. Sheepy: Sheepy: Like zombies? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sure. Sheepy: Sherlock: When you can’t find the kitchen knives and you have vegetables to cut!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I was going to say for the day plant life stages an uprising and the trees kick the door in, but okay. Sheepy: Sherlock: Close enough! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I guess so. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are we gonna put a door there eventually? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good. Sheepy: Sherlock: I should bring Sisi and Wag here! Wilson is staying with Herlock, even though Wag and Wilson are friends… Arsé-kun: Tom, somewhere: aaaaaaaaaaaaa Sheepy: Tom: why did the chicken cross the road Arsé-kun: Arséne: why Sheepy: Tom: chickens have no real meaning or thought process behind most of what they do, and they’re wired to do things. so, there’s no reason behind it crossing the road, it’s just an action it took on its quest to stay alive and lay eggs. what a mysterious creature Arsé-kun: Arséne: But what came first, the chicken or the egg? Sheepy: Tom: Technically, the egg had to have come first. as creatures evolved, they slowly changed appearance and the way they stayed alive, so eventually, what hatched out of the bird’s egg was a chicken. the original mother of a chicken may not have even been classified as a chicken by every day standards Arsé-kun: Arséne: That is the first time I got a good answer for that. *he looks impressed* Sheepy: Sheepy: Tom can be smart sometimes. Arsé-kun: Tom: I will be the ruler of egg kind. Call me Tom Egg. Sheepy: Sheepy: I take that back Sheepy: Tom: im one eggciting egg Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh yeah, why don’t you two have pets??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Tom does not count? *he’s kidding* Sheepy: Sherlock: He doesn’t. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I thought it may be too much work. You having two proves me wrong, I feel. Sheepy: Sherlock: Watson helps! And Wag is very independent! Arsé-kun: Watson: Watson has to make sure Wag doesn’t go indoors. Sheepy: Sherlock: Should we stick a cat door on the door once we add one? Arsé-kun: Watson: Yes. Sheepy: Sherlock: Wag is great other than that. Arsé-kun: Watson: And we cannot toilet train a cat. Sheepy: Sherlock: That’s true. Sheepy: Sherlock: But Wag does his best! Arsé-kun: Watson: … Since Herlock isn’t coming, I suppose I should ask. Sheepy, where are you going tonight? Sheepy: Sheepy: *because Watson isn’t tall feet tall like Herlock, he instead stands on his toes and whispers to Watson where the thieving will take place* Arsé-kun: Watson: … All right. I wonder why there. Sheepy: Sheepy: I was told to. Arsé-kun: Watson: No, no, I mean why it was chosen. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh..no idea. Arsé-kun: Watson: .. It is supposed to be poor weather later tonight as well. Sheepy: Sheepy: Stinks to be me, I guess. Arsé-kun: *That night! 745 Evergreen Drive. The main entrance to Grimview Graveyard- it’s actually a cemetery, but shut up* Sheepy: Sheepy: Ooohhh… creepy. Arsé-kun: *It does not help that a thick fog is beginning to roll in..* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmmm… this doesn’t look good.. Sheepy: Sheepy: *time to find the phantom* Arsé-kun: *The Phantom is not far away, sitting on top of the gate and staring at the surrounding area.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he comes over* Hi!! Sheepy: Sheepy: Watson will be here today, I think! I don’t know about Herlock. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s kinda creepy here~ It’s too bad we don’t have time to summon spirits or something. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh well. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he looks down* Salut. And I do not think we have the time to mess with the occult. Sheepy: Sheepy: What’re you doing up there?? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Good vantage point. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oooh.. Arsé-kun: *Phantom gets down, grinning* Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay, so we’re stealing a crown thingy, right? Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he nods* Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay~ Now we just have to find where it is…. Sheepy: Sheepy: If I was a crown-thingy, where would I be… Arsé-kun: Phantom: There aren’t many places to hide things.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmmm… Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe it was buried. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I hope not. Sheepy: Sheepy: I didn’t bring a shovel, so me, too. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I doubt the Count would be so cruel as to do that. Sheepy: Sheepy: True… Arsé-kun: Phantom: It’s most likely over there. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, probably! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes to investigate* Arsé-kun: *He doesn’t find it* Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s not here. Arsé-kun: Phantom: So, it’s hidden more carefully than I had hoped. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder where Watson and Herlock are… I hope they don’t see us yet. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I doubt it. If it keeps getting thicker, I won’t be able to see you, either. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks deep in thought, and grabs the end of Phantom’s sleeve.* You won’t lose me like this, right? Now we won’t startle each other thinking we’re someone else! Arsé-kun: Phantom: If I manage to lose you like that, then it’s time for me to retire. Sheepy: Sheepy: You don’t mind, right? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I do not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good! Arsé-kun: Distant Watson: *faintly* holmes no Sheepy: Distant Sherlock: Maybe this figure in the distance knows something!! Heee~ey! *thunk* Oh, that’s a lamp post! Who would put a lamp post there?! Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s not Herlock. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I’m so glad. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder why Sherlock’s here. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Hm, hm, hm. Whatever the reason is, this is much more preferred. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah! Sheepy: Distant Sherlock: We’re looking for ghosts, right?! Arsé-kun: Distant Watson: We may as well be. Sheepy: Distant Sherlock: Oh!! Maybe Sheepy’s here to do occult stuff!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. (Do) you know them? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, I do. Sheepy: Sheepy: They moved next door. Arsé-kun: Phantom: … Ah. I’ve seen the kind doctor on occasion, but seeing ​his​ brother is just a treat. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s been sleeping over with us for the past few days 'cause Herlock came back, so I’m kinda used to seeing him. Arsé-kun: Phantom: And I presume he knows just who you are? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. *he seems thoughtful* So was it you he was just referring to, then? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Valuable information. Shall we go? Sheepy: Sheepy: OK. Arsé-kun: *they get going. the fog is ridiculous. sheepy considers raising the dead. water is wet* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he squints* IT’s foggy… Arsé-kun: Phantom: This is almost hopeless. Sheepy: Sheepy: If you give up now, we’ll never find it. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I would never! *he sounds offended* Sheepy: Sheepy: It sounds like you were, that’s why I said it. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Of course not. Arsé-kun: Distant Watson: Holmes, shall we unleash the hound? Sheepy: Distant Sherlock: Yes!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: H-hound..?! This is…. Inconvienient..! Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s a puppy. Arsé-kun: Phantom: It does not matter. They have the advantage, and we cannot cover our tracks. This is… Problematic. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? It is? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oui. The canine will have a trail to follow. We do not. Sheepy: Sheepy: But he likes me. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll serve as a distraction. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Are you sure you will not get lost? Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll could stay right here, maybe. Arsé-kun: Phantom: If you wish so. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah! I’ll distract the puppy! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Fine. I’ll come find you once I’ve retrieved it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay! Arsé-kun: *and Phantom runs off.* Arsé-kun: *And, he does eventually find it. He decides to put it on his hat, and look fabulous. He starts to go back, before realizing he has no idea where Sheepy is.* Sheepy: *do you know who else does’t know where his partner is? sherlock, but he’s busy running around being sherlock* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he can’t help but stop when he hears Sherlock slam into yet another tombstone.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Why would someone put a tombstone there…?!! Ow!! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he keeps searching for the Phantom* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he wonders if he should help any.* Sheepy: *Just as he’s wondering this, Sherlock’s footsteps begin to get louder… and then he gets slammed into by Sherlock.* Arsé-kun: Phantom: !! *he’s actually knocked over, and a bit stunned. this poor man* Sheepy: Sherlock: ! Are you okay??? *he picks up Phantom* Are you dead?? D-Did I kill you?? Sheepy: Sherlock: D-Don’t worry, I know a doctor!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he can’t help but laugh* I’m perfectly fine, mon amie. Please do put me down. Sheepy: *Sherlock puts him down* Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m very sorry!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he brushes himself off* You’re forgiven, Detective. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? You know me…? Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m looking for the Phantom! I dunno why, but my brother’s very serious about getting him captured.. Sheepy: Sherlock: …He seems really nice, though… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Of course. I never forget a face. Hm, hm. Well, now you can brag to him that you actually had me for a good minute. That’s longer than he ever has. Sheepy: Sherlock: ??? Sheepy: Sherlock: You’re the Phantom? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Je suis. Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t really want to capture you….. it just seems mean, because really you pose no threat… Arsé-kun: Phantom: You’re too kind, Detective. Sheepy: Sherlock: So instead, let’s be friends! Sheepy: Sherlock: You haven’t hurt anyone, so I don’t see a reason tp capture you. Sheepy: Sherlock: If you’d battered or murdered anyone, it’d be different, but… Arsé-kun: Phantom: You are.. Far too kind. Mon coeur t’appartient, monsieur. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? I didn’t understand that last part… sorry about that. Arsé-kun: Phantom: That’s perfectly fine, I’ll keep it in English. I said, my heart was yours. Sheepy: Sherlock: …huh? Sheepy: *he appears to be processing this* Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. *he takes the circlet off, and puts it on Sherlock’s hat* That looks much better on you! Sheepy: Sherlock: Ah, um.. does it? Sheepy: Sherlock: It looked great on you as well! Arsé-kun: Phantom: That’s because everything looks great on me. Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. I think.. I think I know what else would look good on you. Sheepy: Sherlock: …Huh? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Me. *he pulls Sherlock over and kisses him straight on the mouth, before letting go and running like hell. He is most certainly gone.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *WH AT* Sheepy: Sherlock: *SHERLOCK.EXE HAS CRASHED PLEASE TRY REBOOTING* Arsé-kun: *And of course, Watson catches up as Sherlock.exe is crashed.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *BSOD* Arsé-kun: Watson: …. Holmes? Sheepy: Sherlock: he just… Arsé-kun: Watson: …… ? Sheepy: Sherlock: ph-phantom just.. Arsé-kun: Watson: Holmes, I don’t understand half sentences. Sheepy: Sherlock: watson….. Arsé-kun: Watson: … *he sighs* Save it for when we get home. Sheepy: Sherlock: pinch me. I must be dreaming. Sheepy: Sherlock: he just- he just started flirting with me… Sheepy: Sherlock: and then he uh… Arsé-kun: *Meanwhile, Phantom has found Sheepy, and he’s grinning like an idiot* Sheepy: Sheepy: …? Oh, hi! You’re back! What happened? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oh, I just had a little fun! I spoke to Sherlock, as well! And yes, I did find it. I will take this one. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay! Arsé-kun: Phantom: And where has the dog gone? Sheepy: Sheepy: He just took a bathroom break but I was petting him earlier. Arsé-kun: Sisi: *he barks and sits next to Sheepy. he’s here.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he pets Sisi* Arsé-kun: Phantom: …! Why, that’s no hound at all! To think this little pup is what had me worried! Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah!! He’s cute and shakes his butt when he’s excited. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Pet him for me. I’d rather he did not learn my scent. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay! Arsé-kun: Phantom: You may want to return their dog, as well. Sheepy: Sheepy: I dunno where they are currently, but if I bring him home, I can just drop him off next door. Arsé-kun: Phantom: They were in that direction a bit ago. Sheepy: Sheepy: Or I could call out for them.. or look for them. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, thank you! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he picks up Sisi and goes that direction* Arsé-kun: Watson: Holmes, you’re starting to worry me. Sheepy: Sherlock: h-he Arsé-kun: Watson: Full. Sentences. Please. Sheepy: Sherlock: watson he kissed me Arsé-kun: Watson: WHAT Sheepy: Sherlock: he flirted with me and Sheepy: Sherlock: said hed look good on me and kissed me Arsé-kun: Watson: I Sheepy: Sherlock: right on the lips Sheepy: Sherlock: watson im dreaming right? Arsé-kun: Watson: Well, I. I don’t actually have the words for this. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he is just. listening to all of this* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *so is he* Arsé-kun: Watson: I would like to know the same thing. Sheepy: Sherlock: i think… I think he was serious… Sheepy: Sheepy: Is THAT whay he meant by fun, and is that why he was grinning ear to ear? Arsé-kun: Sisi: *woof!* Arsé-kun: Watson: *sWEET JESUS CHRIST OF-* You are going to give me a heart attack! Sheepy: Sherlock: !! Wh-when did you get there?! Sheepy: Sheepy:…? Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m not a ghost. Sheepy: Sheepy: I just have your dog. Arsé-kun: Sisi: *I DID MY JOB, RIGHT? RIGHT? PET ME REWARD ME* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he pets Sisi* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *YAAAAAAAAAAY* Sheepy: Sheepy: Can I follow you home? Arsé-kun: Watson: I see no reason why not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Great! Arsé-kun: Watson: Just take that mask off in case we stop for any reason. Arsé-kun: Watson: We don’t need to get into anything because the Joker is with us. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he takes the mask off* I still have these contact lenses and the clothes, but- Sheepy: Sherlock: *he puts his coat on Sheepy* Arsé-kun: Watson: Now just the lenses. Sheepy: Sheepy: Uhhh… … Arsé-kun: *they get home safely. Arséne’s sleeping at his desk again.* Sheepy: Sheepy: That always seems very uncomfortable… Arsé-kun: Watson: How does he do that so often…? Wouldn’t that hurt his back? Sheepy: Sheepy: Probably. It doesn’t look healthy Sheepy: Sheepy: He was only using the bed when Sherlock was sleeping over. Sheepy: Sheepy: Now he’s back to sleeping at his desk. Arsé-kun: Watson: Was he, now…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Arsé-kun: Watson: That’s not strange at all. Sheepy: Sheepy: It isn’t? Arsé-kun: Watson: I was joking. Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder what’s up with that. Arsé-kun: *Later that morning!* Sheepy: Sheepy: Last night, apparently the Phantom kissed Sherlock. Sheepy: Sheepy: He couldn’t form complete sentences for a bit after that. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s probably doing better today. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he nearly chokes on his tea* He what? Sheepy: Sheepy: You heard me right. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m not sure if I feel bad for him or not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Doesn’t the Phantom do that with women? Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe he just wanted to get at Herlock through Sherlock? Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s possible, but I doubt it is entirely fake. That would be rather cruel. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s true. Sheepy: Sheepy: There’s also the fact that he was flirting with Sherlock. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That does not make it any less true or false. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, he could’ve been faking it, maybe not. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It isn’t like you cannot ask. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll ask him tonight, then. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m sad that the challenge is ending soon. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Aren’t you glad you did it, now? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah! Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh yeah. Herlock wasn’t there. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That doesn’t sound good, actually. Sheepy: Sheepy: It doesn’t? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You know how he is about the Phantom. And he suddenly stopped showing up? Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s a good point. Sheepy: Sheepy: But isn’t it good that he may actually leave us alone? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: So it should be fine. Maybe he’s just learned to give up. Sheepy: Sheepy: 'Cause it’s not good to give up, but sometimes it’s necessary. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That, or maybe the Phantom said something to them. Sheepy: Sheepy: He did, actually. Sheepy: Sheepy: The other night. Sheepy: Sheepy: I didn’t hear most of it, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Maybe we should ask… Sheepy: Sheepy: Whom? Herlock??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose.. Sheepy: Sheepy: I doubt he’d answer us. Arsé-kun: Arséne: This is a valid point. We could bring up how he repeatedly expected answers from you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good to me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Lets check on Sherlock, first. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Arsé-kun: *so they go check on Sherlock through the hole in the wall* Sheepy: *he’s asleep on a chair. the way he’s sleeping looks very painful* Sheepy: Sheepy: That looks like it hurts. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It probably does. Sheepy: Sheepy: He shouldn’t do that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’d move him, but that may wake him up. Sheepy: Sheepy: And if he gets startled, his reaction may damage his neck. So maybe we shouldn’t do that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Right. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh well, should we wait, or should we go over and ask? Arsé-kun: Arséne: We should wait, I think. Sheepy: *guess who’s waking up! it’s Sherlock.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh. Good afternoon. Sheepy: Sherlock: … … Oh!! Arsene! You’re here! And I slept through you being here! How rude of me! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I just got here. Sheepy: Sherlock: !! Oh, good! Arsé-kun: Arséne: So again, good afternoon. How are you doing? Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m feeling fine! And you?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’re fine. A little worried about Herlock, but fine never the less. Sheepy: Sherlock: Worried..about Herlock? Sheepy: Sherlock: …Are you feeling okay? Arsé-kun: Arséne: … I suppose you have a point. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s super serious about the Phantom and yet he wasn’t there last night. What’s up with that? Sheepy: Sherlock: … … … *shrug* Sheepy: Sherlock: I think he said something along the lines of the Phantom not being worth his time. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Whaaat? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah, something like that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Note to self: Visit Herlock. Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t think he’s interested in visitors, but it’s worth a shot! I can go with you!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’ll wait a day. Just in case he shows up tonight. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s a good idea. Sheepy: Sherlock: Okay! Arsé-kun: *That night. 669 Church street. Today’s target is a government building.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he arrives* Arsé-kun: *the Phantom is not here yet, it seems… Wait? Or go ahead?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he waits* Arsé-kun: *He’s left waiting for about ten minutes, before Phantom arrives* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, hi! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Salut! I am sorry, I needed to take care of something! Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s okay! Sheepy: Sheepy: by the way, why’d you.. uhhh… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Hmmm? Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock was all flustered when I found him last night. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Ah, that. I should apologize, but I will not. Sheepy: Sheepy: But..why? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Because I’m an egotistcal jerk that does what he wants, when he wants. Sheepy: Sheepy: N-No, I wasn’t going after you over it or anything, I was just confused, because.. uh.. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s not a part of the part you usually… Arsé-kun: Phantom: Also, I think he’s quite cute. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Just because only my flirtations to women were public does not mean there were others. As well, I never meant them seriously. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, um, it’s not exactly, uh.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I meant what I said to him. Sheepy: Sheepy: B-but still….. it’s not exactly nice to um… lead people on. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oh, I’m not leading him on. And neither is stealing, yet here we are. Sheepy: Sheepy: I see your point. Sheepy: Sheepy: Also, do you know why Herlock didn’t come yesterday? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I do not, but I may have been too cruel… Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock said that Herlock considers you not to be worth his time.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Then I most certainly went too far. I must make sure to personally apologize later. Sheepy: Sheepy: Do you actually want that guy around you? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Well, no, but I did not intend to so deeply wound his psyche. Sheepy: Sheepy: But he’s got like… no redeemable qualities to speak of. Arsé-kun: Phantom: That’s not true. But, lets speak after we get these files. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: I know the perfect thing for this, but I forgot to bring it. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Hm? Sheepy: Sheepy: Another one of those robots, specifically for hacking into things and downloading info. Arsé-kun: Phantom: But… I had figured we were taking physical files. Sheepy: Sheepy: ..Huh? Arsé-kun: Phantom: It never specified if the files we needed were digital, or physical. Sheepy: Sheepy: oooh… Arsé-kun: Phantom: … Get both? Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good to me! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll focus on the digital, I guess. Arsé-kun: Phantom: That’s fine. heepy: Sheepy: Although… I dunno if I’ll be able to do it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Worst comes to worst, we’ll just get the physical ones, I guess. Sheepy: Sheepy: Should we go in yet, or…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmm… maybe we should just stick with physical. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Certainly. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. I’ll follow you in! Arsé-kun: *does anyone try to stop them today?* Sheepy: *no* Sheepy: Sheepy: That was more stressful than usual. Sheepy: Sheepy: It was incredibly well guarded… Sheepy: Sheepy: But we did it! Mostly you, though. Arsé-kun: Phantom: You were still a great help. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh.. thank you! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m glad! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll let you deliver it, because you did more work. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Certainly. Sheepy: Sheepy: Thank you! Sheepy: Sheepy: I definitely couldn’t have done it on my own! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Quite welcome! *he leans against the gate, seemingly thinking* One night left, eh? Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he slowly shakes his head* What a pity. Perhaps I will… No, non, I do not think I will tell you who I am. I may visit you in secret once this is over, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s unfortunate that there’s one day left, buuut.. maybe we’ll steal together! And, um, “in secret”? Like, out of costume? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oui. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh…! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll be looking forward to it! Sheepy: Sheepy: Well, good night! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Au revoir! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he heads home* Arsé-kun: *Arséne is, as per usual, at his desk.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m back!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he turns his head, and sleepily blinks* Welcome back. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, sorry, did I wake you up? I didn’t mean to. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You did.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Whoops… Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, yeah. Herlock wasn’t there. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Hmm? That’s worrying. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… the Phantom said he went too far, from what I recall. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Then I suppose we shall hear from Herlock tomorrow. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess so. Arsé-kun: *now it’s tomorrow aka later* Sheepy: Sheepy: Ewww.. do we really have to visit him? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’d like to make sure he’s still alive. Sheepy: Sheepy: If we have to. Sheepy: Sheepy: Let’s drag Sherlock along so we can hide behind him. He can’t see us behind someone tall like Sherlock. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Only if he’s willing to come. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay. Sounds good to me! Arsé-kun: *so they ask Sherlock* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, you want to go and see Herlock? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes, just in case. We were wondering if you would come along with us. Sheepy: Sherlock: I can go with you. Sheepy: Sherlock: I forgot something of mine there anyway. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s fine. Arsé-kun: *so they go ddududududu* Sheepy: Sherlock: I probably have a key… Sheepy: Sherlock: … Umm… I don’t appear to… uhhh… Sheepy: Sheepy: You have like, twenty pockets. That’s about 16 more than you’ll ever need. Sheepy: Sherlock: Maybe we can knock. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Or break in. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Sheepy: Sherlock: Wouldn’t he get mad? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s true. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he hasn’t waited for an A-OK, and he’s already picking the lock* Sheepy: Sheepy: Should I not be doing this? Sheepy: Sherlock: He might be mad…! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well, we’re breaking in now. Sheepy: Sheepy: Stinks to be him. Sheepy: Sheepy:…OK. We’re in. Sheepy: Sherlock:…There’s a letter here… maybe it just came and he hasn’t seen it. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I wonder what it is. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he opens it and starts reading it* Sheepy: Sherlock: ….Huh. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he gives it to Arséne* It’s, um… Sheepy: Sheepy: I just remembered that the Phantom said that he was completely serious when he was flirting with you and when he kissed you. He also called you cute. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, the letter is from the Phantom. How did you know? … Wait, what? Really? … … Huh. Sheepy: Sheepy: I thought that’d bring Herlock out, but it didn’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: maybe he’s dead. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good riddance, I guess. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Maybe he’s out. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe. Sheepy: Herlock: …What are you three doing in my doorway? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Breaking in and stealing- No, no we aren’t. We wanted to make sure you were alive. Also, you got that letter. Sheepy: Herlock: I noticed the letter. I was going to read it later. And yes, I’m alive. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he imitates Sheepy* No, you’re a ghost. Sheepy: Sheepy: Do I actually sound like that? Arsé-kun: Arséne: No. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m glad, 'cause I was getting scared! Sheepy: Herlock: Since you’ve obviously already opened and read it, you might as well enlighten me on its content. Sheepy: Herlock: Just, let me bring these inside first. You can come in if you want. Sheepy: Sheepy: …Is he sick? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he moves out of the way, and shrugs* Perhaps we should have brought Watson along. Sheepy: Herlock: *he goes in* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, he’s usually like this when he isn’t all upset about the Phantom… Arsé-kun: Arséne: I appreciate this change, to be honest. Sheepy: Sherlock: I find it a bit strange… Arsé-kun: Arséne: That, as well. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh well. Maybe he’s really given up the Phantom. I’m sure that’ll really help his blood pressure! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose you’re right. Sheepy: Herlock: Okay, I’m done packing things away. Thank you for waiting. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Quite welcome. Sherlock, could you pass him the letter and let him read it? Sheepy: Sherlock: *he passes Herlock the letter* Sheepy: Herlock: *he begins reading it* … … Sheepy: Herlock: He’s just mistaken. I’m not hurt. I’ve just lost interest. Sheepy: Sherlock: Do you have a fever? Arsé-kun: Arséne: There is odd, strange, and weird. This fits none of them. Sheepy: Sheepy: I think the real Herlock’s tied to a chair or something and this is a doppelganger. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Herlock, you’re fooling no one. Sheepy: Herlock:… Okay. I was hurt. Which is specifically the reason why I’ve backed off - if I get this emotional over someone I’d otherwise not care about, it’s time to take a break. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That makes much more sense. *he nods, as if confirming something to himself* Sheepy: Herlock: Once I’ve calmed down, I might consider chasing him again, but… Sheepy: Herlock: For now, it’s easiest just to ignore him and go on with my own life. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose that is for the best. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he appears to be thinking* Are those two even related, or do they just act it because their names are the same except one letter was changed? “Sherlock Holmes” and “Herlock Sholmes”… Arsé-kun: Arséne: I. Where did that thought come from?? Sheepy: Sheepy: My theory is that Herlock is an identity thief who tried to steal Sherlock’s identity but made a typo, was caught, and they became friends. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s my headcanon and because it’s a headcanon it can’t be wrong. Sheepy: Sheepy: I saw the name on the letter. I didn’t know that that was his last name. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s almost like you can ask. Sheepy: Herlock: He’s been calling me that for years now and no matter how many times I tell him my name, he won’t stop. Sheepy: Sheepy: Phantom? Sheepy: Herlock: No, Sherlock. Sheepy: Herlock: I’ve given up correcting others because he introduces me to everyone by that name. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Well, why expect it to change if you do not do anything about it? That’s not how logic works. Sheepy: Herlock: I’ve gotten used to the name. In fact, it’s almost like you’re special if you know my real name. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suddenly feel average and I hate it. Fix this immediately. *he’s teasing.* Sheepy: Herlock: Since I’m in a good mood, I think I will. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh, boy. Sheepy: Herlock: My name’s actually Harley Holmes, not Herlock Sholmes… Sheepy: Harley:…But he’s close enough, I guess. Arsé-kun: Arséne: And so that’s what I’ll use. *a grin* Except when you kick my office door in at a stupid hour. Then you’re Herlock. Sheepy: Harley: I doubt I’ll be doing that much anymore. Sheepy: Sheepy: That alliteration hurts my brain. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’ll see about that. *a glance to Sheepy* So do a lot of things. Sheepy: Sheepy: Everything you say hurts my brain. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m sorry, I did not know I was Tom now. Sheepy: Sheepy: Both of you hurt my brain. Arsé-kun: Arséne: How have you not gotten used to it yet? Sheepy: Sheepy: Used to what? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Us. Sheepy: Sheepy: I have. I’m just in constant pain. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m offended. Sheepy: Harley: *he’s grinning… jerk.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: H-hey! I see you doing that! Sheepy: Harley: Sorry, I just found it funny. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Even when you aren’t being a jerk, you’re a jerk. How horrifying. Sheepy: Harley: Am I? I’m very skilled, it seems. Arsé-kun: Arséne: See, this is why I hate you. Jerrrrk. Sheepy: Harley: I’m hurt. Arsé-kun: Arséne: By little ol’ me? :3c Sheepy: Harley: Mhm, like I want to cry. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Do you? I heard Harley tears cure diseases. They must be rare. Sheepy: Harley: They’re worth a fortune. Arsé-kun: Wilson: *good morning, friends, it’s at least 3 pm and I’m here to bark* Sheepy: Harley: *he pets Wilson* Arsé-kun: Wilson: *YAY* Sheepy: Harley: *he seems unusually happy* Arsé-kun: *Wilson seems to notice, and is very happy that he is happy!* Sheepy: Harley: *good dog.* Arsé-kun: *That night! It is time for Sheepy’s last challenge. 72 Shady Road. The Clocktower. The Phantom is already here, ready and looking confident.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, hi!! Herlock isn’t gonna be here today. He’s taking a break from you, because he thinks it’d be better for his health. Sherlock, my dad, and I visited him today. He was much nicer than usual… Sheepy: Sheepy: He seemed much happier, too. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oh? Was I too much? *he quietly laughs* That’s up to him, of course. I will not complain. Sheepy: Sheepy: I didn’t ask. Sheepy: Sheepy: He said something along the lines of, “If he gets so emotional over something that normally wouldn’t mean anything to him, he should back off and try to calm down” Arsé-kun: Phantom: So he recognizes that. Good for him. Sheepy: Sheepy: Now we don’t have to deal with him as much! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Lovely. Sheepy: Sheepy: And I guess it’s good for him, too. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Mm. Sheepy: Sheepy: What’re we stealing today? I didn’t check. Sheepy: Sheepy: Did he even specify? Arsé-kun: Phantom: … Now that you mention it… I do not believe so. Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmmm.. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s probably obvious. Sheepy: Sheepy: So, let’s get going! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Right! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m gonna try to enjoy this as much as possible, 'causw it’s our last day together. Arsé-kun: Phantom: We’ll see about that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe we have to steal the entire clocktower. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Wouldn’t that be a stunt? Sheepy: Sheepy: Is it even possible? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Sure it is. It would just take large amounts of work. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, let’s keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious!! Arsé-kun: Phantom: But of course, Joker. Sheepy: Sheepy: *so he goes searching* Arsé-kun: *the Phantom joins him, seeming equally puzzled* Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe it’s just a prank.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Unlikely. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he continues to look* Arsé-kun: *And so does Phantom.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Sheesh… Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s hars to look for something when you don’t know what it is. Sheepy: Sheepy: He should consider that before setting something like this up. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe we can discuss interesting things as we look for it! Sheepy: Sheepy: Like, ummmm.. Sheepy: Sheepy: …do you think that a lobster can have an existential crisis? Arsé-kun: Phantom: *a pause* What? Sheepy: Sheepy: Lobsters don’t age. Sheepy: Sheepy: So do you ever think they look back on their life and they’re like… Sheepy: Sheepy: “I haven’t accomplished anything over my 600 year life”… Sheepy: Sheepy: “What have I been spending it doing?” Arsé-kun: Phantom: This is absurd. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s a way to pass time. Arsé-kun: Phantom: You’ve killed me, and I’ve died, mon amie. Look what you’ve done. Sheepy: Sheepy: Rest in pepperoni. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Now shush. What if someone else is here? Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, you’re right.. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he continues looking around, appearing to slowly lose interest* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he splits up, looking around with as much vigor as before* Sheepy: Sheepy: *yawn* He could’ve chosen a more fun place, at least.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: …? I think I- No, never mind. Forget it. Sheepy: Sheepy: What’s up? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Thought I found something. Sheepy: Sheepy: What do you mean? Arsé-kun: Phantom: It’s a bunch of old rope and a few bullet shells. Nothing of value here. Arsé-kun: Phantom: …. On second thought. These shells are new. Sheepy: Sheepy: …Huh? Sheepy: Sheepy: New…? Sheepy: Sheepy: So then, someone was shooting around here recently? Arsé-kun: Phantom: … About a week old, I want to say. .. Am I talking too much? Sheepy: Sheepy: No, no, you aren’t. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Ah… And yes, it seems so. Sheepy: Sheepy: ..D'ya think they’re around? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I would hope not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, of course they wouldn’t be… I just thought I might ask… Sheepy: Sheepy: Gimme a moment, though, ummm… Sheepy: Sheepy: “About a week old”… Sheepy: Sheepy: The count most likely was here about a week ago to choose the areas he wanted us to steal from… Sheepy: Sheepy: ….. Arsé-kun: Phantom: That is true.. But he is not the sort of man to carry a firearm. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… Sheepy: Sheepy: Besides, what would he use rope for? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I don’t know… Should we start heading up? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Arsé-kun: *So they go up. Phantom freezes up once he is off the stairs, seeing something off to the side* Sheepy: Sheepy:…? Sheepy: Sheepy: What’s up? Arsé-kun: *The Phantom doesn’t get to answer before there’s a loud bang. Phantom is knocked over just as suddenly, followed by something metal hitting the floor.* Sheepy: Sheepy: ?!! *he rushes over to Phantom’s side* A-Are you okay?! Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he’s eerily silent for a few moments, before grimacing and putting a hand on his chest* That hurt…. B-but yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: You aren’t bleeding, right…? Arsé-kun: Phantom: N-non… I’m not. I… I can keep going.. *he shakily stands, looking to be pained* heepy: Sheepy: I can bring you to Watson! He treated me when I was hurt!! Sheepy: Sheepy: B-But he’s really far away… Arsé-kun: Phantom: N-not now… *he looks to where the gunfire had come from. Said gun is now lying on the floor..* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he still seems worried, but follows Phantom’s gaze* Sheepy: Sheepy:….? Arsé-kun: *There’s definitely someone there, but they don’t seem to be trying to hide.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he hesitantly approaches* ….? Sheepy: Sheepy: Who are you? You don’t look like Saint-Germain… Arsé-kun: *The poor sod is tied to a pole with a large amount of rope… They weakly look at Sheepy, looking surprised when the Saint is mentioned* Arsé-kun: ?: …. N-no… D-did he send you…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, um, maybe you’re why he sent us here… wait a minute.. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he takes out his knife and starts to cut the rope, making sure not to cut the other man in the process* Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he stumbles over, seemingly out of breath. He doesn’t help, just watches.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he’s still cutting at the ropes, having made some progress* Who tied you up? Arsé-kun: ?: …. Dunno their names.. ’m of no help… sorry.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, umm… how long have you been here? Arsé-kun: ?: Lost track… Think a week…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah…! Th-that’s when… Arsé-kun: Phantom: … Oui. Don’t think this entire set-up would be to rescue someone, though… 'f it were, we’d have gotten 'im the first day… Sheepy: Sheepy: He challenged the Phantom and me to steal stuff. This was the last place… and there was no object specified… Arsé-kun: ?: …. Again? Sheepy: Sheepy: I wasn’t involved in the first one. Sheepy: Sheepy: I only heard about it. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ve almost got you free… Arsé-kun: ?: …. thanks, kid.. *he doesn’t seem to care that sheepy’s a thief or anything.* Sheepy: Sheepy: …Oh! There we go! *he done* Arsé-kun: *without the rope holding him up, the poor guy sinks to the ground, looking positively miserable* Sheepy: Sheepy: Y-you can use me for support! I’m sort of strong! Arsé-kun: Phantom: Not immediately. Give 'im a minute. And… *he takes a canteen out from under his cape, which is tossed to sheepy* Let him use that. One can only go so long without water. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he gives the canteen to the man* Arsé-kun: *They gladly accept, albeit a bit shakily* Sheepy: Sheepy: My dad’s a detective, and Sherlock Holmes has been a family friend for as long as I remember, so we might be able to investigate what happened.. Arsé-kun: *They’re more preoccupied with getting a damn drink, but they are listening, and nods.* Sheepy: Sheepy: If they aren’t willing to help, I’ll do my best, even though I’m not a detective yet. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Don’t see why they wouldn’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: Me neither. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Sherlock’s too nice. *he pauses, like he’s had an idea* Why, speaking of the monsieur… Why not have him help you get this unfortunate man out..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, you’re right! Arsé-kun: Phantom: I would help, but I would like to check the rest of the tower.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Are you sure you’re okay? Arsé-kun: Phantom: Oui. *he grins and picks up his shirt to show a vest* I go prepared. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh! Sheepy: Sheepy: Should I tell Watson about you, too? Arsé-kun: Phantom: It just knocked the wind out of me, that is all! Sheepy: Sheepy: You sure? He was all upset over one little stab wound for me, but if you insist… Arsé-kun: Phantom: It did not go through the vest, I promise. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he dials Sherlock/Watson’s residence* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he picks up, sounding like he just woke up* Hello..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh!! Dr. Watson! Hi! There’s a man, here, who’s been tied up for about a week… Arsé-kun: Watson: Oh?! *he sounds much more alert* A week, you say?? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm. We need both you and Sherlock, because I doubt I could get him all the way back there, and Sherlock’s ripped. Arsé-kun: Watson: I’ll see if he’s still awake. Hold on. *there’s some muffled noise, and Watson yelling for Sherlock to pick up the other line* Sheepy: Sherlock: *yaaaawn* ….. Hullo? Arsé-kun: Watson: Sheepy’s on the other end. He found an injured man, and cannot bring him here by himself. Are you up to it, or must I bother the neighbors? Sheepy: Sherlock: I was dreaming about puppies… little, fluffy puppies… Arsé-kun: Watson: not the time, holmes. Sheepy: Sherlock:…Mmm? I guess I could… Arsé-kun: Watson: If I can properly motivate Holmes, we’ll be there in at minimum 20 minutes. Sheepy: Sherlock: Watson… do you think dream puppies ever grow up? Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, thank you!! Arsé-kun: Watson: …… Holmes, shut up. Quite welcome, Sheepy. I’m hanging up now. Sheepy: Sheepy: OK. Sheepy: Sheepy: They should be here in at least twenty minutes. Arsé-kun: Phantom: *he looks away from the other guy for the first time in five minutes* That’s good. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll stay with him. Arsé-kun: Phantom: Please, do… I’ll stay put for now, for lookout purposes. *so he goes over to the window and looks out* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, thanks! Arsé-kun: Phantom: It’s the least I can do. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s more assuring for someone to be here with me, 'cause all I brought was my smoke gun. Sheepy: Sheepy: It just creates a bright-colored smokescreen and a loud “Bang!” Arsé-kun: Phantom: Helpful, but not now. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah.. Arsé-kun: Phantom: There is a time and place for everything. The best uses are the unintended ones, but sometimes that simply does not work. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s why I’m not allowed to use the stove. Arsé-kun: Phantom: I do not want to hear more. Sheepy: Sheepy: Okay… Arsé-kun: Phantom: And that was not twenty minutes. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Sheepy: Sheepy: They’re already here…? Sheepy: Sheepy: I wonder if motivate meant threaten… Arsé-kun: Phantom: It seems it did. I suppose I should go. *but first, he leans out, waves to Sherlock, and then withdraws* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he waves back* Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Why’re you leaving? Arsé-kun: Phantom: I told you. I wanted to explore the rest of the tower. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oooh.. okay. Have fun. Arsé-kun: *so Phantom exits stage right* Sheepy: Sheepy: They should be here shortly… Arsé-kun: *and right on cue, here is Watson.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he arrives a few moments later* I saw a dog, Watson! Arsé-kun: Watson: that’s great. *he directs his energy into going over and checking on the poor dude, who really doesn’t look well.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Did the Phantom leave already? Aww, OK. Arsé-kun: *Watson is too preoccupied to respond* Sheepy: Sheepy: He did. Sheepy: Sheepy: He actually got shot, but he was wearing a vest. Arsé-kun: Watson: *he doesn’t say anything, but he raises an eyebrow* Sheepy: Sheepy: This guy originally had a gun, and I’m guessing he shot Phantom because he thought that Phantom was the guy who tied him up. Arsé-kun: *said guy confirms, not looking apologetic at all* Sheepy: Sherlock: B-But the Phantom is nice!! Arsé-kun: *the only response Sherlock gets is a deadpan “’m I supposed to know that?”* Sheepy: Sherlock: That’s his main thing. Everyone knows that. Arsé-kun: Watson: Enough. We do not need to work him up. Sheepy: Sherlock:….? Sheepy: Sherlock: Work him up…? Arsé-kun: Watson: Agitate. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh!! Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ll do my best not to agitate him! Arsé-kun: Watson: …. I’ll ask you for your information later, but may we ask for your name? Sheepy: Sheepy: I was wondering that, too. Arsé-kun: ?: …. Helsing. Van Helsing. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ve never heard the name before! Arsé-kun: Van: … good for you. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m Sherlock Holmes! This is Watson! Sheepy: Sherlock: And this is Sheepy. Arsé-kun: Van: *he grunts. he looks tired on top of looking like shit.* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he pauses, looking up at Sherlock* Yes, because he’s definitely going to remember that. Arsé-kun: *Van, who, in the ten seconds of being left alone, took another drink of water, curled up, and went to sleep. classy.* Arsé-kun: *and watson is not impressed.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Finally, someone I can relate to. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? How d'ya know he has a bad memory? Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh well~ *he picks up Van* Sheepy: Sherlock: Where am I bringing him? Arsé-kun: Watson: I suppose back with us. It’s far too late to travel, so I’ll just keep an eye on his condition tonight, and bring him tomorrow. Sheepy: Sherlock: Okay, sounds good to me! I forgot to take off my coat to give to Sheepy. Sheepy: Sherlock: So he’s gotta somehow figure out how to not be the Joker when he returns. Sheepy: Sheepy: I just walk home like this. No one asks questions! Arsé-kun: Watson: Truly? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm. Sheepy: Sheepy: There’s no place that I can go to change out of this. Sheepy: Sheepy: So I just go home like this. Sheepy: Sheepy: Is that really bad or something? Arsé-kun: Watson: Other than possibly cluing people in to who the Joker is? Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshh, I stay hidden. Sheepy: Sheepy: But, if you’re really that serious about it…. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he rifles through his bag and takes out a sweater. he takes off his coat and mask and puts the sweater on* Sheepy: Sherlock: …Do you just keep your hair exactly the same as the Joker? Isn’t that kinda.. y'know, obvious? Arsé-kun: Watson: Apparently it isn’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: No one has noticed. Sheepy: Sheepy: Except for Herlock. Arsé-kun: Watson: Of course he did. Sheepy: Sheepy: I think he’d notice it even if I did something with my hair. Arsé-kun: *can they go now* Sheepy: *yes* Arsé-kun: *ok good* Arsé-kun: *so i guess they’re home now. watson goes looking for his supplies, finds most. some stuff is missing. that is no good.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Is something gone? Arsé-kun: Watson: Yes. Fortunately, not something I need right now… Sheepy: Sherlock: I can go look for it! Arsé-kun: Watson: Go ahead. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he goes looking for it* Arsé-kun: *it’s not in their apartment.* Sheepy: Sherlock: …? Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s… Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s, uh, not here. Arsé-kun: Watson: That’s… Worrying. I know I had it when we moved. … I didn’t want to suggest this, but go check on Lupin. Sheepy: Sherlock: OK! *he goes over to Lupin’s apartment* Arseeeeeene, have you seen Watson’s thingy-merbobberydo? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *from upstairs* What? Sheepy: Sherlock: His doctor-thingy! The thing he uses to do doctor things. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he doesn’t respond. Better go check.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he goes upstairs* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *He does, indeed, have the supplies. He’s also got no shirt on other than an open vest, and nursing a wound on his chest. He looks startled when he hears someone come up, but relaxes when he sees it was Sherlock. He’s also speaking rather quietly.* … 'Lo, Sherlock. Sheepy: Sherlock: …? Are you okay? Arsé-kun: Arséne: … Y-yes. I’ll be fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: Arseeeene, where’d you go this time, I wanna tell you what happened- *he comes up and just. stares.* Sheepy: Sheepy: … Why d'you have the same clothes as the Phantom??? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *Once he sees Sheepy, he gets a face only described with the phrase “a deer in headlights”* ……… *he glances away, rather uncomfortable* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he seems to be thinking* And that’s where the Phantom got shot…….. Sheepy: Sheepy: So you’re…? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ………. *Discomfort changes to something more like… Being ashamed.* ….. Oui. Je suis désolé. …. I truly am sorry. Sheepy: Sheepy: No, that’s awesome! Sheepy: Sheepy: I can’t believe one of my heroes is my other hero!! That means you’re like..double the hero! That’s super weird! Sheepy: Sherlock: ????????? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….? You don’t mind my tricking you, or my dishonesty throughout the years…? Sheepy: Sheepy: No way! Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. To you, it makes it so much better, doesn’t it..? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm! Sheepy: Sheepy: I was super sad that I wasn’t gonna see him again~ but, you’re him! Arsé-kun: Arséne: … And, by the by, your statement of “People tend to show their true behavior when wearing a mask.”? Not entirely true. Such things make it much easier to act. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? So the whole Phantom thingy is an act? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Some yes, some no. Sheepy: Sheepy: Mm.. I kinda doubt that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The part that was fake was my pretending we had never met, and were for the first time. Some other small things, as well. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, that’s true, but the ego’s really not an act. Sheepy: Sheepy: You were commenting on how great the Phantom was. Arsé-kun: Arséne: … I suppose you’re right. Sheepy: Sheepy: Partially for ego fluffing, I bet! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Hm, hm. I suppose you noticed more than I had intended- or, more than I had realized. I’d better compliment you for that, too. Sheepy: Sheepy: I found it a bit strange that you were telling me to go and do the challenge, honestly. Sheepy: Sheepy: It made me a bit suspicious. Arsé-kun: Arséne: As well as explaining how the Phantom knew. Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I could most likely find and explain exactly where I messed up… But I won’t, for the sake of your easily hurt brain. *he’s teasing again* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he nods* Mm. And I apologize for leaving early- I had simply wanted to return here before you did. Sheepy: Sheepy: *pout* My brain’s stronger than you think. Sheepy: Sheepy: That makes sense… Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he fake-wipes away a tear* I’ve raised you so well. Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. *he stops smiling, looking at Sherlock* … Sherlock? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I should apologize to you personally for the my behavior at the cemetery. I couldn’t help myself. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Oh, it’s okay. I’ve almost completely forgotten about that. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I wasn’t lying. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? You weren’t? Sheepy: Sheepy: ..But I thought you said you weren’t interested in him. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I was not. Except to you, Sheepy. That’s when I lied. I’m surprised you did not mention my insistence that the Phantom had not been fooling around. Sheepy: Sheepy: Wow, I’m offended. Arsé-kun: Arséne: No, you aren’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, but I didn’t even know that you were the Phantom. And when you said that you weren’t interested, it was before the incident in the graveyard happened, wasn’t it? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Correct. Sheepy: Sheepy: So obviously, that’s why I didn’t mention it. Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean, at the time. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ah. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Admittedly, everything I said was not a lie. Only small parts of it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Uhuh. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Truth being that he does not care about what had been implied at the time. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Moving along- Arsé-kun: Watson: *who was lurking outside the door for the last few minutes, somehow* No, I’m going to stop you there so I can make sure you did not break a rib Arsé-kun: Arséne: *ASDFJKLKAFK* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, hi, Watson! Arsé-kun: Watson: Hello, Holmes. I was wondering what took so long. Sheepy: Sherlock: He has your medical doohingy. Arsé-kun: Watson: I see. Sheepy: Sherlock: I forgot to tell you, because I was listening to what they were saying. Arsé-kun: Watson: I see this, as well. Sheepy: Sherlock: You aren’t mad, right? Arsé-kun: Watson: Do I look angry? Sheepy: Sherlock: Well, no, but you usually don’t, and you were mean earlier, so I thought you were. Arsé-kun: Watson: I’m not mad. Please move aside. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he moves* Arsé-kun: *And Watson checks Arséne. Arséne doesn’t complain.* Sheepy: Sheepy: D'ya think I should maybe talk to Saint-Germain about the whole, uhhh.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Finding a tied up guy? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That sounds like a good idea. Sheepy: Sheepy: I will tomorrow. Arsé-kun: Tom: butts. Arsé-kun: *the next day!* Sheepy: Sheepy: Before I go, I just wanna know how you’re doing. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m doing better. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, good. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he copies Arsene’s voice as best as he can* Don’t move around too much! Sheepy: Sheepy: .. Or whatever you like to say when I’m hurt. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don’t intend to. Sheepy: Sheepy: OK, good. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Go on, then. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he gets going* Arsé-kun: *and he’s go* Sheepy: *he arrives to sanchan’s house/mansion/whatever* Arsé-kun: *it big* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he knocks on the door* Arsé-kun: Germain: *and he gets it* *and his face is, as to be expected, the epitome of :)* Hm? How may I help you? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi, I have something to ask you. Arsé-kun: Germain: Go on. Sheepy: Sheepy: We found this guy last night in the clock tower. His name was “Van Helsing”. Do you know him or even recognize the name? He knew you. Arsé-kun: Germain: Ah, so you did find him! I must gratefully thank you, then. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, but.. why’d you leave him there? Arsé-kun: Germain: I didn’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: Then.. who did? Sheepy: Sheepy: I meant more like, “Why’d you let him stay there despite knowing about him, and why was it the last challenge,” but… Arsé-kun: Germain: I had already intended to hide something else up there, yes, but I also had vague knowledge of a plan that’d put dear Helsing in danger. So, I chose to use it. If it went off, he would be located. If not, you would still pass. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah…. Sheepy: Sheepy: I get it, now. Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s currently at the hospital. Fortunately, I had my phone on me… Arsé-kun: Germain: *he looks sheepy over. somehow.* Mm. Do not share that first section of information freely. *he pauses for a moment* Considering who you are, I suppose you and the kind detective you live with will return for the aforementioned details of the “plan” I mentioned? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he nods* Yeah. But. Um. How do you know I live with a detective? Sheepy: Sheepy: …And is someone after him or something, if they can’t know about him being at the hospital? Arsé-kun: Germain: How could I not? And that is correct, yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: 'Cause I never told you my name or anything. Arsé-kun: Germain: That does not mean I have not seen you go by with the kind detective. Sheepy: Sheepy: B-but I was in my thief clothes when I first met you.. Arsé-kun: Germain: You’re doing nothing to hide your voice. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah.. I guess that’s true. Sheepy: Sheepy:… Should I be trying to do that? Arsé-kun: Germain: It would be a good idea. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess that’s true… Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, um, he’d apparently been there for a week… Sheepy: Sheepy: Why’d you never go back and check…? Arsé-kun: Germain: A week? *he :(* I did not think it was going to be done so early in the week. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, he was quite weak when we found him. Fortunately, my neighbor’s a doctor, and he already knew about, uh, that. Arsé-kun: Germain: *he is still :(* That is good news. Sheepy: Sheepy: Did you know him or something? Arsé-kun: Germain: Helsing? Yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah… that’d explain why he seemed a bit surprised when I mentioned you. Sheepy: Sheepy: I believe that Sherlock Holmes’ll be helping out. Sheepy: Sheepy: 'Cause he said he would, and he usually doesn’t say something and then not do it. Arsé-kun: Germain: *ok, he’s :) again* That is a relief. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. So, if we come back later to ask questions, he’s probably gonna be with us. Arsé-kun: Germain: That is fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, that’s good! Arsé-kun: Germain: Honestly, if we are just going to talk about it, it would be easier if they would simply show up. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah, you’re right.. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ll bring them over here. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he calls Arsene* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he picks up, and before he can speak you can faintly hear tom saying “good morning america.”* … Yes? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hi, he wants to talk to both you and Sherlock if you’re taking the case. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sherlock said he would, didn’t he? I mean, sure, I’ll come too, but..? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: that was my ear Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Sheepy: Sherlock: What was your ear? I didn’t see anything. Arsé-kun: Arséne: nevermind. Tell the Count we’re coming. Sheepy: Sheepy: They’re coming. Arsé-kun: Germain: Great! Oh, where are my manners? Do come inside! Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, thank you! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he comes inside* Arsé-kun: *and then sherlock and arsene show up. like, ten minutes later. or somethin* Sheepy: Sherlock: Hi!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Bonjour. Sheepy: Sherlock: we came because you called!! Sheepy: Sherlock: But, I’m okay going anywhere as long as I have Arséne with me! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I have a response for that, but we are in public. Sheepy: Sherlock: Okay, you can tell me later. *he seems a bit confused* Arsé-kun: Germain: *he’s patiently waiting.* Sheepy: Sherlock: I dunno why we’re here other than that! Arsé-kun: Germain: *ahem.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh! You want to tell us something. Arsé-kun: Germain: Indeed. *he then repeats everything he told sheepy slowly, and in an easily understood manner. looking at you, sherlock* Sheepy: Sherlock: Ah… makes sense. Arsé-kun: Germain: Now.. *he folds his hands, looking more :( than :)* As far as I am aware, the ones responsible do not know I was assisting Helsing, so I should be safe from them. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, good! Sheepy: Sheepy: You don’t appear too happy. Arsé-kun: Germain: That is because at this juncture, everything that happens is out of my hands. At this point, the most I can do is provide information. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, I see.. Arsé-kun: Germain: So, on that note. If there is anything you wish to know, do ask. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah. umm… Sheepy: Sheepy: Where’d you get the information from that there was a possibility of that happening? Arsé-kun: Germain: Helsing himself, actually. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh.. what’d he say? Arsé-kun: Germain: He told me that he was leaving a group he had been in, and they did not appreciate it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah… Sheepy: Sheepy: Then, that must be the people who went after him. Arsé-kun: Germain: Right. Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t think I should ask him right now, because he seemed like he was in bad shape yesterday. Arsé-kun: Germain: That’s completely understandable. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess maybe we should investigate the scene? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Perhaps. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe, once he gets better, we can ask… Arsé-kun: Germain: I would suggest you do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm.. I can’t think of any other questions to ask.. Arsene, can you think of anything? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not now. Sheepy: Sheepy: OK… Sheepy: Sheepy: Sherlock? Sheepy: Sherlock: *he appears to be zoning out* Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s a no. Sheepy: Sherlock: How can you see with your eyes closed? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sherlock, that’s- Arsé-kun: Germain: *he lightly laughs* No, no, it’s all right. The answer is practice. Sheepy: Sherlock: So if I try hard enough, I can, too? Arsé-kun: Germain: … Just don’t try it outside. Sheepy: Sherlock: I won’t! Sheepy: Sheepy: He slams into everything already. Arsé-kun: *Anyway, so team Detective eventually leaves* Sheepy: Sherlock: What did you want to tell me earlier, Arsene? Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess next up is the clock tower.. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’re still in… Oh, you know what? *he leans over and whispers something to Sherlock* Sheepy: Sherlock: ? Is that bad? Sheepy: Sherlock: We’re a couple of friends! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I guess you have a point. Sheepy: Sherlock: Mhm! Arsé-kun: Arséne: And yes. We should investigate the tower. Sheepy: Sheepy: Great! Sheepy: Sherlock: Won’t we be in danger if we investigate this? Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s possible. I think we can hold our own if something happens, though! So, allons-y! Sheepy: Sherlock: I guess so. Arsé-kun: *so they go there* Sheepy: Sheepy: Time to investigate furiously! Arsé-kun: Arséne: You do that. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he is already inspecting something irrelevant* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Somewhere around here are old bullet shells and some rope. Try to find it. Sheepy: Sheepy: OK. *he goes looking* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Sherlock, what are you..? Sheepy: Sherlock: *he seems pretty focused on whatever he’s inspecting* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *so he joins Sherlock* Sheepy: Sherlock: Arséne, why would a ring be here? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That is an excellent question, and a good find! Sheepy: Sherlock: Thanks! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he takes a small bag out of his pocket. tiny bag.* Pass that. We can look it over later. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he passes it over* Arsé-kun: *Arséne bags it and puts it in his other pocket* Sheepy: Sherlock: Also, if you start feeling real bad from your wound, I’m here to help! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I almost forgot how much pain I was in. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m sorry that I reminded you…! Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s all right. *he decides to sit on the floor where he is* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he appears to just want to stay with Arsene* Arsé-kun: *and how is Sheepy doing?* Sheepy: *his best* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, there it is… Arsé-kun: *He found it?* Sheepy: *yes* Arsé-kun: *Hooray! Bring them back to Arséne!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he comes back* Guys, I found it! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he turns to look at Sheepy* Excellent! Sheepy: Sheepy: *he passes what he found to arsene* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he takes out another small baggie and puts the shells in it. he doesn’t seem sure what to do with the rope.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I dunno where to put the rope either. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’ll just have to hold it, I suppose. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… Arsé-kun: Arséne: *and he stands up* Shall we head upstairs? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah! Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m ready whenever. Arsé-kun: *so they go upstairs* Arsé-kun: *Arséne stops at the top of the stairs, looking around. He carefully enters, looks around again, then looks at the ground. “There are slight footprints,” he notes, following the dusty tracks towards the back of the room. Occasionally, he stops, taking in more of the environment, before continuing on. Upon reaching the back wall, he leans against it, looking puzzled. He looks back across the room, towards Sheepy and Sherlock, his vexed expression not changing. “The tracks disappear into this wall. That can only mean there is a passage here, and we need to find the switch to open it.” Sheepy: Sherlock: OK! Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good to me. Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ll begin looking around! Sheepy: Sheepy:…Should we really be going there unarmed? Who knows, that might be their secret base. Sheepy: Sherlock: I can take 'em! Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m skilled in boxing! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he looks ready to 1v1 anyone* Arsé-kun: Arséne: I think we can handle it. But again, we need to open it. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah… hmm.. I wonder if there’s a clue around here. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Most likely. Sheepy: Sheepy: It'l be difficult to find it otherwise. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Or we’ll give up and accidentally find it. That seems to be a reoccurring event. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s always the last place you look, because once you find it, you stop looking. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Actually look. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m looking, I’m looking. Sheepy: Sherlock: *once again, he’s up to his usual antics* Arsé-kun: *Arséne sits down and watches* Sheepy: Sheepy: I dunno what the button will even look like. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Nor do I. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s probably in some really weird place. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Or right in front of us. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, maybe.. Sheepy: Sherlock: …Huh? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Did you find something? Sheepy: Sherlock: I dunno. I think so. I wonder what this does… *he presses a button he found* Arsé-kun: *And the passage opens.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he looks over* Oh! It’s open! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Excellent find. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he grins* This is exciting! Sheepy: Sherlock: Let’s keep going! Sheepy: Sheepy: This seems like a bad idea- Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he gets back up, brushing himself off* Allons-y! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he picks up Sheepy and heads in* Arsé-kun: Arséne: That also works, I suppose. *and he follows them in* Sheepy: Sheepy: *pout* I’m not some little kid who needs to be carried everywhere. Sheepy: Sherlock: Hmm, I wonder what’s hidden here~ Sheepy: Sheepy: Dust, dirt, dead bodies, and spiders. Sheepy: Sherlock: This isn’t a horror movie! Arsé-kun: Tom: *from Sheepy’s bag* spoop Arsé-kun: Arséne: One of those things was not like the others. Sheepy: Sheepy: They probably tie people here often. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I want to say you are right. Come on, let’s look. Sheepy: Sherlock: Okay! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui. You were right. All of these have ropes around or near them. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he glances around* It definitely seems like someone was here recently- Oh!! Arsene, you found dead bodies! *he seems surprised* Oooogh.. what a horrible way to die… Sheepy: Sheepy: *yawn* How unexciting… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Shush, you. Any missing persons reports could easily be connected into this, with this many bodies… What I don’t understand is why it does not smell like people died here? Sheepy: Sheepy: They probably use strong amount of febreeze or something. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ha, ha. We would smell that, anyway. Sheepy: Sheepy: Nooo idea, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he seems to be thinking* Sheepy: Sherlock: Why didn’t they clear these out? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Laziness? Or maybe they died recently… I’m no doctor, of course.. *he bends down to look at one* No, no, that isn’t it. This is not new. Sheepy: Sherlock: Are they used to threaten people? Sheepy: Sheepy: maybe they’re fake. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It’s real. *he goes to check another one* And maybe. ….. Hm….. *he seems to be thinking again* Sheepy: Sheepy: Dead bodies are super duper gross. Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. Sheepy: Sheepy: Like, they’re breeding grounds for infections, I bet. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ……. I. May have an idea. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Sheepy: Sheepy: What is it? Arsé-kun: Arséne: There was rope and bullet shells downstairs, yes? I feel that there may have been a struggle down there. It may also be possible our man was intended to be tied up in here, but was not, due to lack of room. The prints leading here, as well, imply that. I will return in just a moment. *He leaves, and returns about ten minutes later* It was as I suspected! There was a struggle on the first floor. It was cleaned up, poorly. I want to say our victim escaped, ran upstairs, and was caught again. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh. Yeah, maybe. He’d be cornered up there! Sheepy: Sherlock: Mm.. huh? You were saying something? Sheepy: Sherlock: What’s the purpose of a clocktower when people have watches now? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes, Sherlock. *he gives a shortened version* So… … Sherlock. Why. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, I get what you’re saying. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….. As I was going to say, there are things that do not fit in. The lack of scent. Why he would not be brought in here. The ring. And how he managed to have a gun. Sheepy: Sherlock: Now, why was he here in the first place? Arsé-kun: Arséne: We do not know that, either. Sheepy: Sherlock: My guess is that whoever went after him was the owner of the ring. Sheepy: Sherlock: I wonder if it has fingerprints…? Arsé-kun: Arséne: That is one possibility. Another is that it was what the Count had hidden. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s possible he came here before he got tied up and hid the gun here, or he just brought it with him on the day of the event. Sheepy: Sherlock: I do wonder why he only told the count and not, say, the police… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Implying the police have any use. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s better to have a group than be alone. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I guess. Sheepy: Sherlock: We might want to show the ring to the Count. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Right. Sheepy: Sheepy: …Why do they just tie 'em up? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I could think of many a reason. Sheepy: Sheepy: They don’t kill them. Arsé-kun: Arséne: They may be. Sheepy: Sheepy: What is this group, anyway? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m not sure I entirely want to know. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess once we find out, we’re gonna be their target. Arsé-kun: Arséne: It is highly likely. Sheepy: Sherlock:…Is it really a good idea to investigate this, then..? Sheepy: Sherlock: Because I have Watson and Iris, and you two are very important to me, so if we investigate this, we may lose what we hold dear. Arsé-kun: Arséne: …. You have a point. However, that has not stopped us before. Sheepy: Sherlock:…I guess. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s just… it worries me, that’s all. Sheepy: Sheepy: Either way, I’m gonna investigate it. I always keep my promises. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose you both have a point. Let us start by bringing the ring, and then returning home for the night. Sheepy: Sherlock: Okay… Sheepy: Sheepy: Sounds good to me! Sheepy: Sheepy: This is gonna be a super fun case, I can just feel it! Arsé-kun: Arséne: people died. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, they do that sometimes. Arsé-kun: Germain: That is indeed a natural event. *he’s peeking in, and he’s very :(. also, confused* On the other hand, this most certainly is not. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, when did you get here? Arsé-kun: Germain: Just now, in fact. I could not help but give in to curiosity. *he crinkles his nose* This is disgusting. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s like something out of a slasher movie where they censored the blood. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ! Right, is this yours? *he takes out the ring and shows Germain.* Arsé-kun: Germain: …… *>:(* It certainly is not. I do recognize it, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: You do? Sheepy: Sherlock: Whose is it? Arsé-kun: Germain: I do not know exactly whose. I do recognize the style, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Arsé-kun: Germain: This belongs to a group member. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ah.. do you know what group it is? Arsé-kun: Germain: Yes. Let us not talk among the dead, though. Sheepy: Sheepy: ? Sheepy: Sherlock: I agree. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Me, too. Sheepy: Sherlock: So, let’s leave this place! Arsé-kun: *so they go. downstairs.* Sheepy: Sherlock: So, um, what were you going to say? Arsé-kun: Germain: I was going to say that the group calls themselves Twilight. Last I was aware, I had thought they were only a scientific group. It appears that was, well, incorrect. Sheepy: Sherlock:….Huh. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe they test on humans. Arsé-kun: Germain: I would not at all be surprised, considering that room. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s like a horror movie. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please stop saying that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Why? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because I’ll cry, of course, and you’ll have to deal with it. *he’s kidding. I think* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he sticks his tongue out at Arsene* Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m being bullied. Sheepy: Sherlock: Don’t bully him. Sheepy: Sheepy: I do what I want. Arsé-kun: Germain: Oh, you all get along so well. *^^* Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah, we’re so nice to each other. Arsé-kun: Germain: Clearly. Sheepy: Sherlock: He’s just kidding around, of course. Arsé-kun: Germain: I was well aware. Sheepy: Sherlock: You were? Arsé-kun: Germain: Quite. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess we might as well look into Twilight. Arsé-kun: Germain: Will you? Just be careful. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We will. Sheepy: Sherlock: I can take most people on! I’m good at boxing! Sheepy: Sheepy: You don’t seem like the type to fight anyone, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’d rather he did it than I. Sheepy: Sheepy: Good point. I feel the saaaame way. Arsé-kun: Tom: me too Sheepy: Sheepy: Shh, Tom, not now. Arsé-kun: Tom: ok. Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess I can google it as well, to see if I can find anything. Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you very much for your assistance, mister, uhhh.. Sheepy: Sherlock: ..I never caught your name, actually. Arsé-kun: Germain: *so he gives it to Sherlock* Sheepy: Sheepy: We’ve said his name multiple times. Arsé-kun: Arséne: What talent. Sheepy: Sherlock: Thank you! Arsé-kun: Arséne: You’re welcome. Sheepy: Sherlock: I guess we should investigate that room to find clues, but oooh.. those dead bodies.. Sheepy: Sherlock: They’re creepy.. Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshhh, I’ve seen living people who looked worse than those things. Arsé-kun: Arséne: The police, you mean? Sheepy: Sheepy: Mmm, many people. I can’t say just one. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That was plural. Sheepy: Sheepy: I can’t say just one group, either. Sheepy: Sheepy: Who knows! Maybe this Twilight is actually zombies! Sheepy: Sherlock: I, um, highly doubt that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Think about the possibilities! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Enough. Sheepy: Sheepy: *pout* You’d be the one getting the chainsaw anyway. Arsé-kun: *so i guess they go home i guess* Arsé-kun: Watson: Welcome back, everyone. How did it go? Sheepy: Sherlock: Well- Sheepy: Sheepy: We found dead bodies. Arsé-kun: Watson: I. Oh. Okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: So basically he got attacked by a group that may or may not test on people. Arsé-kun: Watson: … That’s. That doesn’t sound good. Care to sit down and update me? Sheepy: Sheepy: Sure. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he plops down next to Sherlock, who’s already sat down* Arsé-kun: *And Arséne takes up the entire sofa because he’s an asshole.* Sheepy: Sheepy: really. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *and he makes a face at sheepy* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he sticks his tongue out at Arsene, what time is this, the third time?* Arsé-kun: *and then watson is updated* Sheepy: Sheepy: So, what d'ya think? Do you think it’s actually worth looking into, considering the possible threat? Arsé-kun: Watson: Since we’re now involved already, we may as well. Sheepy: Iris: Um… did you mention “Twilight”…? Sheepy: Iris: *she doesn’t appear happy, that’s for sure* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Evening, Iris, and yes…. Do you know something we do not? Sheepy: Iris: Umm.. … Arsé-kun: Watson: Iris? Sheepy: Iris: I, um, do know about it, yes…. I guess… *she seems very bothered* N-no, I’m sick and tired of hiding this…! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he sits up, looking startled* EH??? Sheepy: Iris: Twilight, for quite some time now, has been forcing me to build things for them. Th-there’s other people under their thumb, too… Arsé-kun: Watson: *there goes the pen he was holding* You never said anything?? *he looks equal parts upset, offended, and worried* Sheepy: Iris: They at least let me go home, but those other people… they’re stuck there. B-but they told me I couldn’t tell anyone about them, or what they’re making me do… or else they’ll… Oh… maybe it was a mistake to say anything… Sheepy: Sheepy: That’d explain your overall absence. Arsé-kun: Arséne: They’ll what? Sheepy: Iris: B-burn our house down. Arsé-kun: Arséne: ….. Do they know that you, y'know *he vaguely gestures to mean “moved”* Sheepy: Iris: No. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I suppose I am going out, then. *he heads through the wall hole and upstairs. that is not “out”, arsene* Sheepy: Sheepy: We really need to put a door there eventually, but I’m starting to get used to how it looks. Arsé-kun: Watson: That didn’t look like “out” to me.. Sheepy: Sheepy: That too! Sheepy: Iris: Sorry… Arsé-kun: *Watson has a comforting father moment with iris, but see, i don’t know how to write that.* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he returns moments later, leaning in the “door” in full Phantom gear* I never specified where I was going out from. Sheepy: Iris: …? Sheepy: Sheepy: That seems a bit unnecessary, but okay. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Ta gueule. It is completely necessary. Sheepy: Sheepy: Just like your French, which I don’t understand. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *and here comes the french accent* De rien, you’re welcome, it is definitely quite necessary. And now I AM going. Sheepy: Sheepy: *pout* I’m being bullied. Arsé-kun: Tom: bet on horse five Sheepy: Sherlock: *he looks up from wagahai, who’s decided to take over his lap and force sherlock to pet him* Sheepy: Sherlock: How’re they listening in, anyway? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he pauses* Most likely a bug. I’m really going now. Sheepy: Iris: Huh? Umm… Sheepy: Iris: Y-yeah.. Sheepy: Iris: I think it’s as he says. Arsé-kun: Watson: We’ll just have to find it. Sheepy: Sheepy: But in a way, this is sort of good luck, right? Because we might be able to assist each other. Arsé-kun: Watson: shhh. If there is a bug, it’ll pick everything up. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, I guess you’re right. Sheepy: Tom: *screaming* Sheepy: Tom: you cant catch me im the gingerbread man Arsé-kun: *Sheepy gets a text! Text for you!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks at the text* Arsé-kun: *It’s from Arséne! All it says is “bad fire few blocks away. Will return soon.”* Sheepy: Sheepy: …*he slowly shows Tom the phone* Sheepy: Tom: that’s hot Arsé-kun: *Watson squints* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he shows Watson the phone* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he frowns* Sheepy: Tom: i cant believe this Sheepy: Tom: some sheep have been shown to have special genes Sheepy: Tom: these genes make them capable of Sheepy: Tom: batman? Sheepy: Tom: flamethrower Arsé-kun: *Watson has found the bug! He doesn’t say anything, though.* Sheepy: Sheepy: …? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he seems to have caught on, and leaves for a moment. … he’s returned with a lighter. Sheepy do NOT set that bug on fire* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he puts the bug on a candle, and nods to sheepy. LIGHT IT.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he lights it on fire* Arsé-kun: Watson: Whoever is on the other end has died from internal bleeding. Well, not really. Sheepy: Sheepy: Poor them. Too bad I can’t feel any pity. Arsé-kun: Tom: get wrecked batman Sheepy: Iris: Thank you…! Sheepy: Iris: ..But… Sheepy: Iris: There’s a fire…? Sheepy: Iris: ..Isn’t Herly still living there…? Sheepy: Sheepy: Stinks to be him, I guess. Sheepy: Iris: Sheepy, you really need to start at least acting like you care, even if you don’t. Sheepy: Sheepy: Lying to others ends up making you lie to yourself. It’s better to be true to everyone and true to yourself. Arsé-kun: *Another text for Sheepy!* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he checks the text* Arsé-kun: *It only has two words: “harley safe”. that’s the entire message* Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh. Arsé-kun: Watson: What? Sheepy: Sheepy: “Harley safe”… Arsé-kun: Watson: That’s good to hear! Sheepy: Sherlock: Who? Sheepy: Iris: Oh, good! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he glances at Sherlock* Herlock. Sheepy: Sherlock: Weird nickname, but okay! Arsé-kun: Watson: It’s- You know what, nevermind. Sheepy: Sheepy: Once he arrives, we can explain what’s happening. Sheepy: *the door slowly opens. it’s harley* Sheepy: *on a scale of 1-10 of okay, he looks a -5* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he immediately gets up and more or less pulls Harley in. Mostly more.* Sheepy: Harley: ……*he just lets Watson do this* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, hi! Arsé-kun: Sisi: *watsons seat is mine now its my city* Sheepy: Iris: *SISI YOURE HERE!!! ITS YOU!!!* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *IM HERE! IT’S ME!* Sheepy: Iris: *she pets Sisi* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he immediately checks Harley’s breathing and such* Sheepy: *he’s hyperventilating. rip in pepperoni harley* Arsé-kun: Watson: … *he doesn’t seem too worried. he’s also speaking a bit quieter than usual* How do you feel, Harley? Sheepy: Harley: ………….headachy…​ Arsé-kun: Watson: understandable. Do you think you can make it up the stairs, or would you prefer to rest here? Sheepy: Harley: *the response he muttered seems to be “here”* Arsé-kun: Watson: *he nods* lie down. *He then shoos Sherlock, Sheepy, and Iris out, to the other side of the wall, so he can help Harley* Arsé-kun: *but wag and sisi can stay. they can help* Sheepy: Wagahai: *he bumps Watson’s leg* Sheepy: Iris: If only I’d kept my mouth shut… Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshh, it would’ve ended the same, but they would’ve done it 'cause you lost your usefulness rather than because you said anything. Sheepy: Sheepy: This way, we could predict when it’d happen. This “Twilight” doesn’t seem very bright to me. Sheepy: Sheepy: If they were smarter, they would'a waited until we let our guard down. If I were the head of a super evil organization, that’s what I would do. Sheepy: Sherlock: But, the whole thing about being a phantom thief is letting your opponent know ahead of time so you both can fight on an equal ground. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yes, and gentleman thieves aren’t heads of evil organizations. They’re good guys, not bad guys. Bad guys are dirty, rotten liars who’ll do anything to get what they want! Arsé-kun: *Upstairs, the sound of Arséne falling in the window. Graceful thief.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he goes upstairs* Arsé-kun: Arséne: oww. Sheepy: Sherlock: Are you okay?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yeah. I mis-stepped. *he sits up, looking sheepish* Did Harley make it here? Sheepy: Sherlock: Herlock? He did, yeah… Sheepy: Sherlock: Watson is with him now. Did you get burned or anything? Arsé-kun: Arséne: A little. Not enough to stop me. Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? B-but… at least get some ice on it, I think, before you say it’s fine.m Arsé-kun: Arséne: of course. Just let me change out of my gear. Sheepy: Sherlock: OK! Sheepy: Sherlock: *he gives Arséne his privacy* Arsé-kun: *And Arséne is done fairly quickly. He still smells like smoke and fire. ha ha* Sheepy: Sheepy: Eww… Arsé-kun: Arséne: ? Sheepy: Sheepy: You smell bad. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Do I? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yeah. Sheepy: Iris: Um, we got rid of the bug. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh! That’s good. Sheepy: Sherlock:…Ah, um… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oui? Sheepy: Sherlock: What happened to Wilson? Arsé-kun: Arséne: ……………….. *he glances elsewhere* …. I couldn’t find him. I do not know if he escaped. Sheepy: Sherlock: I see.. Sheepy: Tom: fun bee facts! Sheepy: Tom: according to all known laws of aviation Arsé-kun: Tom: bees are actually sheep? Sheepy: Tom: the bee is unable to fly. its wings are too small for its fat little body. Sheepy: Tom: but the bee flies away anyway Sheepy: Tom: becayse bees dont care what humans think is impossible Sheepy: Tom: did you know? Sheepy: Tom: the leader sheep is born smarter than the other sheep Sheepy: Tom: sheep are very Sheepy: Tom: bear Sheepy: Tom: televisions are just windows into someone’s imagination Sheepy: Tom: what did the sheep say to the detective Sheepy: Tom: woold you like to Sheepy: Tom: bee? Sheepy: Tom: wasps are the bullies of hive school Sheepy: Tom: bumblebees are the class nerds Sheepy: Tom: yellow jackets are the jocks who are also bullies Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he left, cleaned up quickly, got an ice pack, and came back. Tom is still not done* Sheepy: Sheepy: Welcome back. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Thank you. Is this better? Sheepy: Sheepy: Yes. Sheepy: Sherlock: As long as you feel better, it is!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m glad, then. *he sits down* Did I miss much? Sheepy: Sherlock: No. Arsé-kun: Arséne: That’s good, I suppose. Sheepy: Sheepy: Scary~ I guess we’re deep into it now. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Seems like it. Oh, well. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s like a spy movie. Sheepy: Sheepy: Or the Godfather. Arsé-kun: Arséne: At the rate this is going, it might just be safer for the Phantom and Joker to solve this one. Sheepy: Sheepy: Mhm! Sheepy: Iris: Huh? I thought the Phantom was the Joker… Arsé-kun: Arséne: Yes and no. The Joker is the next Phantom, and most people call him the Phantom. The original Phantom is another man. Sheepy: Iris: Awww, I totally missed out on meeting him… Sheepy, why wasn’t I invited? Sheepy: Sheepy: Because the letter was directed at the Phantom, and you’re not the Phantom. Sheepy: Sherlock: ?????? Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he looks up at Sherlock, then at Iris and Sheepy* Wording, kids. Sheepy: Sheepy: He already knows about me. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Not what I was referring to. Sheepy: Sherlock: Iris is a thief, too? Sheepy: Sherlock: Why am I never invited…? *whimper* Arsé-kun: Arséne: … That’s what I was referring to. And maybe you will. Sheepy: Sherlock: !! Really?? Arsé-kun: Arséne: We’ll think about it. Sheepy: Sherlock: Yay! Arsé-kun: *there’s a scratching sound at the door!* Arsé-kun: *Confused and curious, Watson gets the door. It’s Wilson! He’s okay! He happily woofs and trots right to Harley’s side, staring at him with those big round puppy eyes of his.* Sheepy: Harley: *he hugs Wilson* Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh, I guess that answers the question. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s Wilson!! Sheepy: Iris: I’m sure I can help somehow… Sheepy: Sheepy: If you get captured, that’d just put everyone in danger again. Sheepy: Iris: But isn’t that the same for you? Sheepy: Sheepy: The Joker’s already relevant to the case. Sheepy: Sheepy: As is the Phantom. Sheepy: Sheepy: If they captured me, the situation wouldn’t change very much. Arsé-kun: Arséne: If you were captured, it most certainly would change. Sheepy: Sheepy: I mean that, if they capture her, more people are gonna be in danger than if I’m captured. Arsé-kun: Arséne: She, at least, is of use to them. They’ll most likely kill you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Pshhh, I’d like to see them try. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he looks serious* Sheepy: Sherlock: But… it’s not exactly possible to shut down a group that we know barely anything about, right? Sheepy: Sherlock: You, *he looks at Arséne* are injured, and he’s careless. Is this really a good idea? Sheepy: Sheepy: I always keep my word. Arsé-kun: Arséne: At the moment? No. It isn’t. I’d like to at least wait until we know more. Arsé-kun: Arséne: So, Sheepy? We are not going to start yet. Sheepy: Sheepy: Aww.. okay. Sheepy: Sheepy: But don’t forget about me when we’re ready. Sheepy: Sheepy: If you do, I’ll be sad. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I would never. *he looks somewhat offended, but he isn’t* Sheepy: Sheepy: Good! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he joins the party, looking a bit happier than he was before* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, you seem happy. Sheepy: Sheepy: What’s up? Arsé-kun: Watson: Simple. Both Harley and Wilson are fine. Sheepy: Sheepy: Ooohh.. I guess that’s a good reason to be happy. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he goes and looks in the doorway. takes his phone out. gets possible blackmail material. comes back. arsene no* Sheepy: Sheepy: Arséne, no. Arsé-kun: Arséne: You never know when you need a picture like that. Sheepy: Sheepy: Are you gonna blackmail him? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Hopefully not. Sheepy: Sheepy: But there’s still a chance there, huh Sheepy: Sherlock: Can I see the picture you took? Arsé-kun: Arséne: You sure can. *he shows Sherlock. it’s adorable.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oohhh.. this is really good blackmail material. Sheepy: Iris: *she peeks over Sherlock’s shoulder* It is!! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he looks too* I want that as my phone background. Sheepy: Harley: *he appears to have heard all of this, and he looks embarrassed* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he looks back at him, and then makes a face. adults* Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmmm… D'ya think Van Helsing has a bug on him? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I wouldn’t be surprised. Sheepy: Sheepy: That certainly is an issue! Sheepy: Iris:…? Arsé-kun: Watson: That would classify under “Major Issue” Sheepy: Iris: Who’s that? Sheepy: Iris: “Van Helsing,” I mean… Sheepy: Sheepy: He’s a guy who worked for Twilight, but he left and got tied up. Arséne and I found him. Sheepy: Tom: *whiny voice* do i have to do everything????? Sheepy: Tom: like? Sheepy: Tom: beekeeping and infiltrating evil groups’ bases Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he waits for tom to finish* Dirty blond, had glasses, looked like he had a permanent frown on his face. Ringing any bells? Sheepy: Iris: Oh, I’ve seen him a few times. Sheepy: Iris: We never spoke, though. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Do you know what he did? Sheepy: Iris: Oh, um… he was mostly tested on. He seemed a bit scary because he’d beat people up. Sheepy: Iris: I felt bad for him, but there was nothing I could do. Sheepy: Sheepy: Usually people don’t feel bad for scary individuals. Arsé-kun: Arséne: If he wasn’t a willing volunteer, I could understand the violence. Sheepy: Iris: I don’t believe he was. Sheepy: Iris: I went to talk to him once, but Franny said that the higher-ups might not appreciate it… Sheepy: Iris: So I didn’t. Arsé-kun: Watson: “Franny”? Sheepy: Iris: He’s someone else who’s being forced to work for them, except he can’t go home. Arsé-kun: Watson: Are there many like that…? Sheepy: Iris: *she nods* Uncle Barby also is like that. He and Franny are friends. Arsé-kun: Watson: … “Uncle”?? Sheepy: Iris: He’s very cool! Like, the weird uncle stereotype, who’s always making really cool things. Arsé-kun: Watson: Ah. Sheepy: Iris: Franny’s name is Victor Frankenstein. He’s a scientist with some knowledge in the medical field, except he apparently dropped out of medical school in his “rebellious times” and pursued what he loved… Uncle Barby’s an engineer. He seems like a very fun person! Sheepy: Iris: His name is “Impey Barbicane”… I’m not sure if either name rings a bell. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *on mention of Impey’s name, he furrows his brow. He doesn’t comment, though.* Sheepy: Sheepy: What’s up? Arsé-kun: Arséne: I did know Barbicane. He’s where I got my bulletproof vest from. Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh. Sheepy: Sheepy: How long ago did you get that? Arsé-kun: Arséne: This one? Last year. Sheepy: Sheepy: How did I never notice it…? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Because you don’t go through my clothes drawers, ever. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s because I’m not creepy! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Exactly. Sheepy: Sheepy: But now I’m curious… Sheepy: Sheepy: Curious what secrets are hidden in there!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Please don’t. All you’ll find are clothes. Sheepy: Tom: dead bodies Arsé-kun: Arséne: tom no Sheepy: Sheepy: Aw… that’s dull. Arsé-kun: *skips to next morning* Sheepy: Tom: *trumpet imitation* it’s morning Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he opens an eye slightly, and pushes Tom off the nighttable* non. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he’s still asleep. Wag is prodding him with his paw. …. … oh, he’s on his face now* Arsé-kun: *Wag has decided it is time to wake up. Pay attention to me, human* Sheepy: Sheepy: *.. … ASDSGHS IM ​UP​* Arsé-kun: *faint trumpeting from tom upstairs* Arsé-kun: Tom: *from upstairs* you are now wed as tom and tom. you may kiss the tom Sheepy: Sherlock: *he has exactly one leg on the chair. the rest of him is on the floor ans he’s sleeping like that* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *and he’s on Sherlock’s chest. this is fine* Sheepy: Sheepy: Wag… I really wanna sleep… Arsé-kun: Wagahai: *mmmmmmmmno* Sheepy: Sheepy: Why… Arsé-kun: Wagahai: *mrow. this means feed me in cat* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he stands* What would a cat want this early in the morning… Sheepy: Tom: sacrifices Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, food. Arsé-kun: Wagahai: *MYAAHH. YOU SAID THE WORD.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Where do they keep the cat food..? Sheepy: Sheepy: *he looks for the cat food in the kitchen* Arsé-kun: *he eventually finds it* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he gives it to Wag* Arsé-kun: *Wag is a happy cat* Sheepy: Sheepy: *thank goodness. he puts it back to its usual spot and heads back to bed* Arsé-kun: Tom: if i were a bee id be Arsé-kun: Tom: the letter b Sheepy: Tom: *beatboxxing* it’s 6:30 am rise and shine Sheepy: Tom: *he gets close to Arséne and whispers into his ear* omelette du froumage Arsé-kun: *Tom is pushed off the bed* Arsé-kun: Tom: long live the king Sheepy: Sheepy: Why… Sheepy: Sheepy: I can hear Tom from here. Arsé-kun: Tom: *behind him on Arséne’s desk* im the gingerbread bee Sheepy: Sheepy: Shush. Arsé-kun: Tom: I’m. The King Bee. And you’re Arsé-kun: Tom: yellow, black, yellow, black Sheepy: Sheepy: Sisiiii~ Sheepy: Sheepy: I’ve got a toy for you. Arsé-kun: Sisi: *he picks his head up, yawns, and trots in.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he gets Tom and puts him in front of Sisi* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *OH BOY MY FAVORITE TOY* Sheepy: Tom: aaaaaaaaaa Sheepy: Sheepy: *he pets Sisi some, yawns, and heads back to bed* Arsé-kun: *Well, Sheepy isn’t getting any quiet, because TOM KEEPS SCREAMING* Sheepy: Sheepy: *groan* Arsé-kun: *despite tom, sheepy manages to get about four more hours of sleep before someone wakes him up again* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he opens an eye* ….? Sheepy: Sheepy: whaaat now… Sheepy: Tom: i wanna play some bee-ball Arsé-kun: Sisi: *he’s sitting next to Sheepy* *who said ball???* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he pets Sisi. it’s ok if you woke me up sisi* Arsé-kun: Sisi: *yay.* Sheepy: Wagahai: *he is napping on Sheepy’s chest* Arsé-kun: *it’s fucking animal kingdom in this shit* Sheepy: Tom: why is no one but you awake Sheepy: Sheepy: Because you woke me up. Arsé-kun: *well, sheepy is awake now. what will he do next?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he sits up* Maybe I should look into that case… Arsé-kun: *Is this a wise idea?* Sheepy: Sheepy:..Or look in the magical clothes closet.. Arsé-kun: *and the dresser.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he decides to investigate the dresser* Arsé-kun: *This is a dangerous crusade, as Arséne is right there. One wrong move, and he may wake up. Do it anyway.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he’s already probably in trouble with twilight so arsene isn’t too bad* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he investigates* Arsé-kun: *There are six drawers. Which will he start with?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *#3* Arsé-kun: *Of course Sheepy picks that one drawer first. You know the one.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *let’s just, close that* Arsé-kun: *but what if there are secrets in there?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *it’s not worth looking through that* Arsé-kun: *Okaaaaaay.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he chooses #2* Arsé-kun: *So THAT’s where he keeps his phantom gear. Check the rest of the drawer?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *…yes* Arsé-kun: *There are a few bagged packages of… Something. It looks clay-like* Sheepy: Sheepy: *huh, whatever* Arsé-kun: *Anything else of value?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *probably not* Arsé-kun: *So, next drawer.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *#6* Arsé-kun: *Sheepy has hit a jackpot. The first thing in sight is a bundled wad of cash, and some gems. Looks like he found some of the Phantom’s loot* Sheepy: Sheepy: *better just close that* Arsé-kun: *All right, next?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *#1* Arsé-kun: *Found the sock drawer. Investigate further?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *no way. that’s creepy* Arsé-kun: *are you sure* Sheepy: Sheepy: *yes* Arsé-kun: *okkk* Sheepy: Sheepy: *#4 next* Arsé-kun: *it’s empty, except for something in the back. check?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *seems risky. maybe when arsene is out.* Arsé-kun: *sheepy for wuss* Sheepy: *sheepy doesn’t wanna get wrecked* Arsé-kun: *wuuussssss. but whatever* Sheepy: Sheepy: *lastly he checks #5* Arsé-kun: *there’s a plastic bag. check?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *yes* Arsé-kun: *there’s a sheathed dagger, and what is shaped like a nice little pistol. What matters, though, is if the gun is real.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *nice. he closes that drawer because using guns indoors is bad* Arsé-kun: *Since plastic bag noises did not wake Arséne, would you like to check anything you skipped?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *#4* Arsé-kun: *That lone object is still there.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he checks whay it is* Arsé-kun: *it’s a book. there’s no title or anything. check?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *yes* Arsé-kun: *Thankfully, it is not a diary. Instead, each page has a neatly drawn map, and notes. If the page does not have a map, it is dated and has some sort of record. It seems that this was the Phantom’s record book.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he puts it away. interesting.* Arsé-kun: *Anything else?* Sheepy: Sheepy: *no* Arsé-kun: *Okkkkk.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he closes the drawer and goes to leave* Arsé-kun: *and then he leaves. it’s very uneventful* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he decides to start getting ready to go out. why is everyone sleeping. he wants to check on van* Arsé-kun: *Watson swears a room over, hitting the floor. Bye.* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he rushes over* Are you okay…?! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he tripped on Sherlock. get rekt.* A-ah, yeah. *he gets back up, wincing as he does* Sheepy: Sheepy: Did you hurt something? *seems he noticed that* Arsé-kun: Watson: Long before this. *he doesn’t say anything else regarding the matter* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he appears to be waking up some* Arsé-kun: Watson: Morning, Holmes. Please stop sleeping on the floor. Sheepy: Sherlock: But it’s comfortable… Arsé-kun: Watson: Okay, then stop sleeping in a spot that I regularly walk past, because I just tripped on you. Sheepy: Sherlock: You didn’t injure anything, right…? Arsé-kun: Watson: No, Holmes. Sheepy: Sherlock:…OK. Arsé-kun: Wagahai: *he places a single paw on sherlocks face. you have been blessed my man* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he pets Wag* Sheepy: Sherlock: it’s comfy here.. Arsé-kun: Wagahai: *he places another paw on Sherlock’s face.* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he continues to pet Wag* Arsé-kun: *and then Wag climbs onto his face.* Sheepy: Sherlock: I’ve been betrayed… Arsé-kun: Wag: *myaaah.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I fed him this morning because he woke me up at 6:30. Arsé-kun: Watson: Oh, I thought Sisi had been getting into something. I’m glad it was only you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, sorry. He wouldn’t leave me alone otherwise. Arsé-kun: Watson: No, I don’t mind. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he shifts Wag off of his face and yawns* Sheepy: Sheepy: How is that even comfortable Arsé-kun: Watson: I wish I knew. Sheepy: Sherlock: It’s the least uncomfortable. Arsé-kun: Watson: *he rolls his eyes* I’ve decided I’m going to check on dear Helsing today. Would anyone like to come with me? Sheepy: Sheepy: I was planning on goinf whether anyone else wanted to or not. Arsé-kun: Watson: So I will have company. Great. What about you, Holmes? Sheepy: Sherlock: I can go… Arsé-kun: Watson: You’ll have to get up, first. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he gets up* Arsé-kun: Watson: Would someone get Lupin, and then we may go, assuming Harley is not coming? Sheepy: Sherlock: I can go and get him. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he leavrs momentarily and returns carrying Arsene* Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he looks like he isn’t fully awake yet* … why.. Sheepy: Sherlock: We’re going to visit Van Helsing. Arsé-kun: Arséne: … right now? Sheepy: Sherlock: Yeah. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he groans* why this Sheepy: Sherlock: I can give you a piggyback ride if you want! Sheepy: Sherlock: Or just carry you like this. Sheepy: Sheepy: How romantic. Arsé-kun: Arséne: not in public you arent. *he rubs his eyes* Put me down. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he puts Arsene down on the chair* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Merci.. Sheepy: Sherlock: Umm.. what could wake him up… Sheepy: Sheepy: Very loud tap dancing. Arsé-kun: Tom: bees Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, I know! Arsé-kun: Arséne: ……. *this does not seem to be helping, sherlock* Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe it’s like Snow White. Sheepy: Sheepy: Maybe he needs a kiss from a prince. Arsé-kun: Tom: beelieve it or not Sheepy: Sherlock: Really? Arsé-kun: Watson: …. I need my coffee before I deal with this. *off he goes* Sheepy: Sherlock: I’m not a prince, though… Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t know any princes, either. Arsé-kun: Watson, from the kitchen: He means you. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh…! Sheepy: Sherlock: I guess I could try, if it’ll wake him up… Sheepy: Sheepy: I… I was kidding… Sheepy: *too bad. Arsene gets a kiss.* Sheepy: Sheepy: I was kidding!! Arsé-kun: *That most certainly woke Arséne up, because he looks very confused and about one shade redder. Good morning.* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, you’re awake! Arsé-kun: Arséne: What… Was that?? Sheepy: Sherlock: He said that a kiss from a prince would wake you up, and Watson said he meant me! Sheepy: Sheepy: ​I was joking!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he blinks, processing this information. he also opts to ignore sheepy.* Well, for future reference? It’s a bit more like this. *he pulls Sherlock down and kisses him again. Arséne, no, there is a child present. Arséne.* Sheepy: *there are actually two. Iris has come downstairs and she’s just. excited* Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, I see! I’ll remember that for future reference! Arsé-kun: Watson: *he comes out with his coffee* Good morning, Iris! And really, you two? It’s 11 am. Sheepy: Iris: Hi!! I knew they were together! Sheepy: Sheepy: *whine* I was kidding… Arsé-kun: *Sheepy makes a gagging noise probably* Sheepy: Sherlock: Huh? Oh, sorry! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m not. Sheepy: Sherlock: What’re we apologizing about, anyway? Sheepy: Sheepy: Why does every joke I make backfire on me… Sheepy: Iris: Isn’t this great, Sheepy?! Sheepy: Sheepy: Kissing is gross!! Sheepy: Sheepy: Who knows what germs you’re transferring…! Sheepy: Iris: What are you, two? Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s really unclean!! And lots of people want to kiss the Joker. Sheepy: Iris: Maybe if you didn’t have such a bad boy rebellious look, and your cards didn’t have “Take your heart” on the back, you wouldn’t have that issue. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I’m still not apologizing. Sheepy: Sheepy: It’s still gross. Arsé-kun: Arséne: *he shrugs* Arsé-kun: Watson: Anyway! Iris, dear, would you like to come with us? Sheepy: Iris: *she nods* I want to help in any way I can! Arsé-kun: Watson: All right. Sheepy: Sheepy: Also, the fire last night probably has Pierce out and about, trying to get any info he can. If he tries to talk to us, I’ll just walk faster and not make eye contact. Sheepy: Iris: Who’s Pierce? Sheepy: Sheepy: Some journalist guy who talks too much. Arsé-kun: Arséne: A newspaper reporter I occasionally work with. Sheepy: Iris: Oh! Sheepy: Iris: His name is hard to make a nickname from… Sheepy: Iris: Just like Sheepy’s! His name’s impossible to make a nickname from. Sheepy: Sheepy: That may be because it’s already a nickname. Arsé-kun: Tom: shep sheps obscure trek Sheepy: Iris: Wh-what?! Really? Sheepy: Sheepy: Of course it’s a nickname. Who would name their kid that? Sheepy: Iris: Luppie. Arsé-kun: Arséne: I would not. Sheepy: Iris: You call him that all the time. Arsé-kun: Arséne: So? It’s the name I was introduced to him with. Sheepy: Sheepy: People would call me that 'cause of the name of the bar my father would always go to. It stuck. Sheepy: Iris: That doesn’t seem like a very cute nickname anymore. Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s what I remember anyway. Sheepy: Sheepy: I don’t remember much about then. Arsé-kun: Tom: i was a smart. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yes you were. Arsé-kun: Tom: yaaaaaaaaaaay Sheepy: Sheepy: You also woke me up. Arsé-kun: Tom: good Sheepy: Sheepy: So, uh, should we get going? Arsé-kun: Watson: It would be wise. Sheepy: Iris: I need to know your name so I can make a nickname perfect for you! Sheepy: Sheepy: Later. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he go. it’s up to everyone else to follow him* Arsé-kun: *So they go, I guess. Watson brings a cane for some reason.* Sheepy: *Iris is worried about that. Sherlock is as well. Sheepy’s oblivious to it* Sheepy: Iris: Did you hurt your leg? Arsé-kun: Watson: I managed to trip on Holmes earlier. Sheepy: Iris: Are you sure it’s okay to walk on it? Arsé-kun: Watson: It’s not too bad, so I’m all right. Sheepy: Iris:..OK. Sheepy: Sherlock: *whimper* I didn’t know that I was in the way.. Arsé-kun: Watson: It’s fine. Sheepy: Sherlock: Maybe I should try sleeping in a regular bed.. Arsé-kun: Watson: That would be a good idea. Sheepy: Sherlock: The chair is closer. Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, we’re almost there. Sheepy: Sherlock: Where- *he sees the hospital. nopenopenope. he looks ready to ditch* Arsé-kun: Arséne: Oh, no you don’t. Do you want to check on him, or not? Sheepy: Sherlock: B-but….!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: I can’t carry you, and no one is staying out here with you. Sheepy: Sherlock: But…but… Sheepy: Sheepy: Have fun being alone! Sheepy: Sherlock: But…! Sheepy: Sherlock: But I…!! Sheepy: Sheepy: See you later. Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t want to be alone…! Arsé-kun: Watson: Then come with us. Sheepy: Sherlock: *whimper* Arsé-kun: Watson: Well? Make up your mind. Sheepy: Sherlock:….*he takes Arséne’s hand. apparently that’s his response* Arsé-kun: Arséne: … *he sighs* Just stay close to me, all right? Sheepy: Sherlock: …OK… Arsé-kun: *so they go in i guess* Sheepy: Sheepy: Now just to find the room he’s in.. Arsé-kun: Watson: I know where he is. *and so he leads them there* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, is this the room? … Looks like it. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he peeks in to see if Van is sleeping* Sheepy: Sherlock: *he’s internally screaming* Arsé-kun: Van: *he is awake, and he looks over. Squints. Because his glasses are over there, out of reach. Who did this to this man* Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh, hi! You probably don’t remember me. Sheepy: Sheepy: Or, recognize. Arsé-kun: Van: ….. I remember your voice. Sheepy: Sheepy: Um, do you need your glasses? Arsé-kun: Van: Yes. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he goes over and gives Van his glasses* Arsé-kun: Van: Thanks. *he blinks a few times.* Oh, you. Sheepy: Sheepy: Yup! Me. Arsé-kun: Van: I see quite a crowd. Why. Sheepy: Sheepy: Um, they all have their different reasons. Arsé-kun: Van: Oh, fun. Sheepy: Sheepy: Those two *he points to Arsene and Sherlock* are detectives, *he gestures to Watson* he’s the doctor who assisted you, and *he gestures to Iris* she’s his daughter, and has personal reasons to help you. Arsé-kun: Van: *he takes a moment to look at everyone, and his gaze settles on Iris* …. I’ve seen you before. Sheepy: Iris: Oh, um… Sheepy: Iris: We’ve met before. Arsé-kun: Van: …. Ah, yes. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he does not seem like he’s a happy camper.* Sheepy: Tom: what if he Sheepy: Tom: what if he have bug Sheepy: Tom: aaaaaaaa Sheepy: Sheepy: That’s a very good point. Arsé-kun: Van: …? Sheepy: Sheepy: Oh. Um. Sheepy: Sheepy: *he takes Tom out of his bag* Here, hold this. Arsé-kun: Watson: I don’t know if that is a good idea… Sheepy: Sheepy: Huh? Arsé-kun: *too late, watson, van now hears tom being. tom.* Sheepy: Sheepy: Why not? Sheepy: Tom: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Arsé-kun: Watson: Never mind. Sheepy: Tom: iris had a bug but we killed it Arsé-kun: Van: :I Sheepy: Tom: what if edgy glasses man has one Arsé-kun: *Van looks more confused than anything* Sheepy: Tom: im tom Arsé-kun: Tom: call me the bird king. Sheepy: Tom: sheepy is my bee prince Sheepy: Tom: arsene is my servant Arsé-kun: Van: *he produces a bug and puts it on the table. looks like he found it already* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he takes the bug and grabs his lighter out of his pocket. Sheepy. Don’t use that in a hospital- nope, he’s already done it* Arsé-kun: Van: *he looks at Tom, still confused* Sheepy: Tom: woah Sheepy: Tom: the bug is dead Sheepy: Tom: do you know what else is dead Sheepy: Tom: me Arsé-kun: Arséne: Tom, no Sheepy: Tom: baaaaa Sheepy: Sheepy: Now that that’s done with, we actually came for information. Arsé-kun: Van: Huh? Sheepy: Sheepy: About the group. Arsé-kun: Van: … Oh. *he sits up.* What do you want to know? Sheepy: Sheepy: As much as possible. Arsé-kun: Van: That’s quite a bit. Sheepy: Sheepy: Anything could help, probably! Arsé-kun: Van: … Very well. Where should I start… Sheepy: Sheepy: *he waits patiently* Sheepy: Sheepy: *he realizes that this may be a question for him. oh shoot. uh. better look to the actual detectives for an answer* Sheepy: Sheepy: Arséne, what d'you think? Sheepy: Sherlock: *he appears to have calmed down some* Arsé-kun: Arséne: I don’t have a particular preference Sheepy: Sheepy: I guess, um… maybe from the start? Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m not very good at this detective thing. Arsé-kun: Van: I suppose… Sheepy: Tom: once upon a tom Sheepy: Tom: there were three little bees? Sheepy: Tom: one built a hive of paper, one built a hive of wood, and one built a hibe of Pure Titanium Sheepy: Tom: and they lived happily ever after Arsé-kun: *Van then Exposition Dumps. The useful information consists of having been captured like many others and being tested on, many people dying, many people being rendered clinically insane and tied to the poles to “calm down” (they would always die), and others being used to build new equipment or weapons. None, bar Iris, were allowed to leave. He looks like he isn’t done, but he seems tired.* Sheepy: Iris: Are you feeling okay? Sheepy: Sheepy: Hmm… sounds like a horror movie. Sheepy: Iris: Does anything not sound like a horror movie to you? Sheepy: Sheepy: When you get angry, it’s more like a slasher film. Sheepy: Sherlock: It seems as though the research they’re conducting has to do with one’s mental state. Sheepy: Sherlock: My guess is that they’re trying to create an “artificial being” - by manipulating one’s mind, they could probably create the perfect human with all the traits they want. Arsé-kun: Van: …. That sounds accurate to me. Sheepy: Sherlock: How frightening… Sheepy: Sheepy: That sounds like a cheesy movie plot, except it’s real. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Stop with the movies. Sheepy: Sheepy: Stop with the hate for movies. Arsé-kun: Arséne: Vague threat based on b-list movies. Sheepy: Sheepy: Wow. I’m offended Sheepy: Sherlock: Um…not to scare you, but… since there was a bug on you, you may want to be careful… Sheepy: Sherlock: They set our old address ablaze yesterday. Arsé-kun: Van: That’s not surprising. Sheepy: Sherlock: We were hoping to keep your presence here a secret.. Arsé-kun: Van: Doubt that will last long. Sheepy: Iris: Don’t worry, we’ll do everything we can to stop them. Arsé-kun: Van: Please. I do not want to go back there. Sheepy: Iris: I feel terrible that I may have contributed to your suffering with the inventions they forced me to make.. Sheepy: Sheepy: This is why I hate adults. They think they can trample over anyone and that as long as the end is good, any evil they committed is worth it. Sheepy: Sheepy: And they get away with it, too. Arsé-kun: Tom: ive been betrayed Sheepy: Sheepy: Tom, you aren’t an adult. You’re a sheep. Arsé-kun: Tom: i am a hardworking business sheep Sheepy: Sheepy: Yes, you are. Sheepy: Sheepy: Thanks for the info. Sheepy: Sheepy: I’m sure it’ll be of help! Arsé-kun: Van: … You’re welcome. Sheepy: Iris: I hope you get better soon. Arsé-kun: Van: ….. Thank you. Sheepy: Sherlock: *he wants outtie* Arsé-kun: *and so they go outtie, except Watson, who remains to check Van’s health* Sheepy: Sherlock: *whimper* It was horrible there!! Sheepy: Sherlock: I felt like they’d take me away at any moment and then I’d be all alone…!! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Why would anyone? Sheepy: Sherlock: I don’t know… Sheepy: Sherlock: B-but, you wouldn’t abandon me, right? Sheepy: Sherlock: If I were stuck at the hospital, you’d visit me if you could, right? Arsé-kun: Arséne: Of course I’d visit you. It would be cruel not to. Sheepy: Sherlock: Oh, good…! Arsé-kun: *so they go home* Sheepy: Wagahai: *he nearly trips them.* Arsé-kun: *And Sisi jumps on everyone* Sheepy: Sheepy: We learned a whole bunch today, I think. Arsé-kun: Arséne: We did. Sheepy: Sheepy: How’re we gonna use this info, though? Arsé-kun: Arséne: However we can. Sheepy: Sherlock: Maybe it’ll become important later! Arsé-kun: Arséne: Or soon, most likely. Sheepy: Sherlock: Maybe.