#because Emori keeps stealing his attention

[doortotomorrow]

MURPHY + EMORI

Sheidheda: Must be hard settling for one woman, when as a god, you could have as many as you want. Murphy: You don't know Emori.

Beautiful Stranger by Madonna

[evilvvithin]

I just watched The Collector last night bc of your gifsets. I actually really enjoyed it! Arkin is a poor little meow meow to me and he should do way more numbers on here (single/divorced dad, good with kids, competent professional, dead eyed tired stare, covered in blood, tries to save people, still steals that ruby, etc). Please keep doing gifs I'll reblog them all and thank you for bringing this movie to my attention <3

This is so sweet to hear omg 🥺 asa emory and both his movies are my all time favorites, there's not a single day of me not thinking about them. But despite the collector franchise being "abandoned" since 2012, the fandom is surprisingly active and full of content throughout the years, BLESS 👏 and to add to that, arkin is popular. It's just people don't talk about him much anymore because it's been so long I guess.

But thank you again !

[fernweh-writes]

Hey hi hello!! I am in love with all of your slasher content!! (I may or may not have been stalking your page all day 😂)

Could I request the slashers (especially Michael 😘) with an s/o who is constantly cold?

Thank you!!! 🎉

I live in Georgia where it’s hotter than Hades and still freeze to death. Probably cause my family keeps the thermostat set on 65… but regardless my hands and feet are always freezing and that’s on poor circulation

-Fern🌿

S/O Who Stays Cold

Michael Myers

He produces plenty of heat but is very stingy with his warmth.

Michael is not big on cuddling, or touch of any kind for that matter. So it’s very rare that he actually let’s you cuddle up to him and steal some of his warmth. Usually he only allows it when you begin to shiver because when you’re that cold you get upset easily and he doesn’t like that.

He will make you a fire in the fireplace though in an attempt to keep you warm. Sadly since he is a human space heater this does also mean the fire makes the house to hot for him to stick around. But don’t worry he’ll just go about his murder things and let you keep warm.

Seeing you asleep on the ground by the fireplace with blankets wrapped around you is enough to make him cave in. You’re asleep anyways so it’s not like you’re going to notice him carrying you upstairs and tucking you in while he wraps himself around you to keep you warm…

Bo Sinclair

“We’re in Louisiana darlin’ there ain’t no such thing as cold”

Bo doesn’t understand how you can be cold in Ambrose. The place is so hot and humid and the air in the old house ain’t all that great. Not to mention, the summers are absolutely brutal. Seeing you walk around bundled up confuses the fuck out of him.

He likes to act like you’re just playing it up for attention. “Now darlin’ if you want me to hold ya all you gotta do is ask.” But he knows that you can’t fake shivering.

At night he pulls you so close to him you’d think he was trying to keep you from escaping. As much as he enjoys holding you close it’s best to keep your cold feet off of him or else he’ll get grumpy.

Vincent Sinclair

If you stay cold then Vincent will be your favorite person ever. Living with him you will not know what cold is!

With all the candles and the fire, Vincent’s workshop is always very warm and cozy. Plus he’s more than okay with letting you bundle up in the blankets on his bed if you want to be warmer.

He’s also more than happy to lend you on of his sweaters! After all he has plenty of them, hope you don’t mind some little spots of wax on them though. Plus he thinks the way they engulf you is adorable.

Need a cuddle buddy in order to keep warm? No problem! Cuddling with Vincent is a great way to stay warm seeing as he loves having you close. If he is busy then you can always coax Jonesy onto the bed with you. Of course you have to give her attention to make her stay, but the same can be said for Vincent.

Thomas Hewitt

This man is a human heater and no one can change my mind. He is large, warm, perfect for cuddling. 100% husband material right there.

Unlike some of the other slashers he is not stingy with his warmth. Thomas adores being able to spend time with you and just hold you close to him. Keeping you warm by cuddling you is so intimate and innocent and he loves it.

Would probably enjoy the fact you stay cold. Your cold hands and feet are very appreciated by him actually. The Texas heat is atrocious and your cold skin offers him some temporary relief from the inescapable heat. Plus you get to be warm so really it’s a win win situation here.

Will also smother you with blankets when you get cold in the winter. The old house doesn’t stay heated very easily, the only source of warmth being the fire place. Luckily Thomas has less work to do in the winter, which means you can cling to him for warmth all that you want!

Brahms Heelshire

Oh you’re cold? Here take his sweater! He won’t admit that he stole yours and cuddled with it within the walls and he’s not going to give it back so you can just borrow his.

Brahms is very clingy. Like needs to be attached to your hip 24/7 clingy. So of course he’s always down to cuddle in order to keep you warm.

Might even start turning the thermostat down to get you to seek him out and hold him. That or he will start claiming that he’s cold and he always keeps you warm so it’s only fair that you do the same for him. In other words, he takes advantage of your inability to stay warm.

Brahms also likes to wrap you up in blankets and cuddle with you by the fireplace on rainy days. The rain can make the old mansion even colder than usual. Luckily for Brahms, it rains pretty often!

Billy Loomis

If you put your cold ass feet on him he’s going to be very upset. Billy will 100% make a scene if you try it, don’t test him. Especially on movie night, he can’t focus on his horror movies when your cold limbs are trying to steal his warmth.

Will lend you his comfortable warm clothes though. He may have a bunch of the same white shirts but he has some hoodies and sweatpants buried somewhere in his room. Good luck finding them though because he’s not helping.

Good luck trying to get him to cuddle with you after putting your cold hands on him. You lost that privilege when you wouldn’t keep your hands and feet to yourself. He’ll still get up and get you blankets but he complains about it the whole time.

We all know this boy loves to sneak in windows so you can expect some surprise visits at night. If you complain about being cold, he will tuck you in before he leaves so the warmth can’t escape. Billy can be sweet sometimes.

Stu Macher

Oh you’re cold? Here take his sweater! Stu loves seeing you wear his clothes, it just does something for him. He thinks they look better on you and encourages you to raid his closet whenever you please. He thinks it’s cute seeing you walk around in his clothes that pretty much swallow you whole.

This boy will buy you so many blankets! Stu likes to make forts out of them with you so to him they’re a worthy investment. Plus he knows you’ll pile multiple blankets on top of you, so they all get used.

Stu is very physically affectionate. I think it’s safe to say that touch is his love language. So you already know that he’s always down to cuddle with you to help you keep warm. Unlike Billy, he doesn’t mind your cold hands. Let him hold them to warm them up for you!

Asa Emory

He has plenty of warm clothes for you to steal. Surprisingly, he doesn’t mind if you borrow his clothes, as long as you give them back. Also just try not to take anything he plans on wearing either or he’ll get a little upset. Likes the way his clothes smell like you when you give them back.

Asa is away most of the time which means you have free reign over the thermostat in the house. Just know that as soon as Asa gets home he’s turning it back down though. It’s not like you need to keep the house 100° when he’s around.

Once Asa is comfortable with you I believe that he likes for you to be affectionate with him. He may not reciprocate the touch much, but he definitely enjoys it. So when you wrap yourself around him to steal his warmth he’s not going to complain!

Jesse Cromeans

Buys you only the highest quality of blankets to keep you warm. This includes only the best heated and weighted blankets as well. However he refuses to put a thick comforter on the bed. Why would you need one anyways, you have him?

Jesse hates that he can’t always be there. His business trips can keep him away anywhere from weeks to months at a time. But when he returns he always makes up for it and makes sure to keep you warm at night.

There isn’t any reason for you to raid his closet. After all, he buys you more clothes than you could ever want anyways. But still, he thinks it’s cute when you do and loves the way you insist his clothes are just warmer and comfier as an excuse to keep them.

[slasherhaven]

can I request how the slashers would behave on Valentine's day? 🥰

The Slashers on Valentine’s Day:

Thomas Hewitt 

He’s excited to get to spend the holiday with somebody for once and wants to make it special for you.

He’ll take you out to a secluded area he knows, having a picnic where nobody will disturb either of you. He wishes he could take you out properly but he can’t, not that you mind.

Luda May will probably bake something, either for your picnic or for when you get back.

Will definitely get you a gift. Either homemade or something little he got Luda May or Hoyt to get for him when they went into town. He just doesn’t want to give you anything that he found on a victim, not for Valentine’s day at least.

And, of course, the day ends in the bedroom.

Michael Myers 

You’ll have to explain the day to him in the first place. He’s never celebrated it, possibly never even been told about it.

And, big surprise, he thinks it sounds dumb.

But, with some convincing, you get him to play along.

It’s not like the two of you can go out together so you keep it in the house. A nice dinner and a dessert, Michael certainly can’t complain about this. He might even watch a movie with you.

Jason Voorhees 

Might need a small reminder that the holiday exists. He never thought he would celebrate it with anyone so he probably just forgot about it all together.

But he will try to make it special, feeling bad that you have to spend the day stuck around the camp because he can’t go anywhere else.

Will take you for a picnic in his favourite part of the woods, a beautiful area he found.

He will get you a gift, most likely homemade.

Brahms Heelshire 

He’s eager to celebrate properly.

A candle lit dinner with classical music playing. He can be a real romantic when he tries...you might still have too cook. No! You’ll cook together!

After dessert, Brahms will invite you to dance. He just wants to replicate the kind of romantic dates that he’s read about, and he’s doing a good job at that.

He’s also extra sweet with you in bed that night, still trying to be as romantic as possible.

Bo Sinclair 

Big shocker, Bo thinks it’s stupid...but that doesn’t mean he won’t do anything on that day.

He might actually take you out of town, taking you to get something to eat else where. Where his brothers aren’t around to bug the two of you.

See, he can be romantic when he wants to be. 

Once he allows himself to relax and just enjoy himself, the two of you have a lot of fun. It’s also nice to be out as a couple somewhere other then Ambrose.

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent feels bad that he can’t take you out of town but he does want to celebrate with you.

He takes a candle lit dinner a bit too far. He has a lot of candles, he got a little carried away...but still very romantic! 

He’ll also cook dinner, his treat. Bo will try to steal some. So Vincent will either cook extra or just fight Bo off all afternoon.

He worries so much about you liking it that you need to calm him down, promising him that you would enjoy yourself no matter what he planned. You just wanted to spend the day with him.

Lester Sinclair 

Even though he could technically take you out for dinner somewhere, he’s a very casual guy and would feel more comfortable just doing something in the house. Which turns out great because the two of you can get a little loud once you start joking around.

So you just spend the day together at home. Having dinner, listening to music, watching a movie. 

To him, it’s more about you just spending time together and enjoying yourselves than some fancy date.

Bubba Sawyer

It’s difficult to get any privacy in this house. So, Bubba packs up a picnic and takes you somewhere on the grounds that he knows the two of you won’t be disturbed.

He’s just happy to be spending this time with you.

Will gift you something homemade. He’s proud of it but really hopes you like it. Of course, you do.

Expect lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddles. That’s what the day is about, after all. Not that Bubba needs an excuse for these things.

Billy Lenz 

Of course, you’ll be staying in the house. You’ll probably make dinner for you both and just spend the day together.

Billy is pretty excited. Does this mean that he is going to get every little bit of your attention?

He knows about the day but hadn’t really celebrated it before. So, he’s eager to get to it.

Dinner followed by cuddling up on the couch to watch some movies, Billy loves just laying there with you.

Until the kisses on your neck tell you that it’s time to move to the bedroom for the rest of the night.

Asa Emory (The Collector)

Asa will take the day off (at least from his night job), and spend it with you.

He’ll take you out for a nice dinner. It’s normal date because this is part of his ‘normal’ life.

He’ll be extra romantic. It might even surprise you.

Returning home, the two of you will sit and talk over wine. You hadn’t seen him so relaxed for a while, maybe just focusing on you was helping distract him from all his responsibilities.

Continues to take the romantic route with you once he gets you to the bedroom.

Jesse Cromeans (Chromeskull) 

Get’s a little carried away, as he always does when it comes to to treating you.

You’ll be going for a very nice dinner in a very expensive establishment. You aren’t sure if he is trying to show off to you, show off to other people, or just spoil you.

He’ll even buy you a whole new outfit for the date. As well as a bouquet of your favourite flowers and a box of chocolates, because they’re the more traditional gifts.

He also has some more...unsavoury gifts waiting for you at home. But that can all wait until you go to bed, of course.

Otis Driftwood

What you do that day is up to you.

If you’re into the same ‘hobbies’ as him, that’s how you’ll spend the day, because that’s the ideal date to him. 

If you want to go out, he’ll take you to a bar to get drunk and have a little fun. 

If you want something more private, Otis is happy to stay at home with you and just spend the day together since there aren’t many peaceful moments in this house.

He’ll get you something. Something he made himself or something he stole.

If you did decide to just stay home, you’re probably going to spend the whole day in bed.

Baby Firefly 

Baby will take you out to a bar to drink and dance, to just have some fun together.

But she is very clear that this is all about the two of you. If somebody tries to bother either of you, she’s just scaring them off. It’s not about getting a new victim either, she just wants to spend some time with you.

Will definitely give you some stolen gifts. When you’re out and you see something you like, she will get it for you because that’s what today is about!

Yautja (Predator) 

Well, you’re going to have to explain the tradition to him first.

Then he will do whatever he thinks he’s supposed to do. Flowers, chocolates, gifts, dinner, a whole lot of romance. He will do it all, to impress and please. It’s sweet, even if he goes a little over board.

Or you can take control, planning the day. He will still get you a gift if he’s heard that’s what he’s supposed to do.

He doesn’t actually think that the holiday is silly or pointless, he likes the idea. It’s oh so human but it’s cute. A day to celebrate relationships, a day dedicated to spending time with the one you loved. Yes, he likes that a lot.

[prismatica-the-strange]

The 100 Modern!AU Headcanon Masterpost

Below the cut: Present/modern day Headcanons for: Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin, Octavia Blake, John Murphy, Monty Green, Jasper Jordan, and Raven Reyes

The town in which this all takes place in is called Arkadia

Bellamy Blake

I really feel like Bellamy is a good cook

And not just because he'd look cute in a frilly apron (That's just a bonus!)

His mom worked a lot when he was younger, so he had to take care of Octavia a lot, especially when O started school (they couldn't exactly afford a nanny), and even more so after their mom died when he was 16

Since O was 10 when that happened, CPS put her into the system, but when he turned 18 he was able to get legal custody and take care of her

Started working part-time as busboy at Kane's Dinner in his Junior year (it's where all the teens (tm) hang out)

He now cooks there full time

When he's not there, he's driving O to school, or poking around the library

Over protective of his sister

They have a dog named Ceasar, a big mutt that gets whiney if he can't sleep in Octavia's room

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Clarke Griffin

Probably Class President in high school, maybe valedictorian and head of the track team

Over achiever type

Bit of a stick up her ass, but she loosens up after a couple drinks

Mom becomes mayor of Arcadia after Jaha is voted out

Her mom has one of her paintings hung in city hall, and is constantly trying to get her to paint a mural for the town

Go to order at Kane's is a tuna melt and a strawberry lemonade

Likes to study with Wells at the dinner

Has kept a a Tomigochi alive for 14+ years

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Octavia Blake

Bit of a rebel, but a total sweetheart

Extremely ride-or-die

High school senior (18)

English is her favorite subject, and is the only subject beside P.E. she excels at

Her boyfriend Lincoln is a few years older

While Bellamy isn't super comfortable with it, Lincoln makes his sister happy, so he deals with it

They take the back corner booth at Kane's where he sketches people he sees and draws tattoos on her arms

Go to order is chicken tenders, coke, and 2 baskets of fries to share

Likes to put on old rock'n'roll on the jukebox

Keeps a plush monkey she's had since she was 3, on her bed

she refuses to get rid of it and Bellamy has spent multiple nights fixing trips and tears in it

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John Murphy

College freshman

Works part time at Kane's as a waiter

Will steal fries from Octavia's table when she's not paying attention

Steals quarters from the tip jar to play music on the jukebox

Always late for his shift

Has probably spilled more drinks than he's delivered

Never gets an order wrong

Always brings leftover food and a milkshake home for his girlfriend Emori

Knows literally all the drama and gossip

Wants to be a writer, maybe a journalist

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Monty Green

High school senior

Applied and got into his dream tech school for programming or something like that

Spends most weekends at Jasper's getting high and goofing off

Considers Octavia (and Lincoln by proxy) the third best friend

Go to Kane's order is a Turkey club, extra bacon, chips, and a mixed strawberry-chocolate milkshake

Doesn't go anywhere without his laptop

Always carries extra pens with him

His favorite candy is Rolos

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Jasper Jordan

Stoner, obviously

High school senior

Plans on taking a gap year cause he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life

Spends most weekends getting high and playing video games in his childhood treehouse with Monty

Also considers Octavia the third friend

Go to order/munchies craving is deep fried pickles and a large, half'n'half cherry, blue raspberry slushie

Is never seen without a pack of twizzlers or mike and Ikes

His goggles are his comfort item, especially when he has a bad trip

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Raven Reyes

In the middle of a gap year, trying to save up enough money to go to her dream Engineering school

Part time mechanic at Sinclair's, part time waitress at Kane's

Likes classic monster movies

Has a tattoo of an astronaut spacewalking on her hip

Likes to drive fast

Has gotten multiple speeding tickets

Plays bass guitar in her free time

Has a little sister named Kyah, in middle school who thinks her big sis is the coolest person in the world, and has a little girl crush on Bellamy

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Anyone else you wanna know about? My inbox is always open!

This will be backstory for the modern AU of my self-ship Between Earth and sky

[lorata]

i have a weird attachment to callista's tribute jasper and i think its because his particular brand of madness is so characteristic to the way a lot of the fandom portrays twos but also because of the short pregames dynamic he had with misha

I love Jasper actually. Pretty much for the same reasons you mentioned. He's the stereotypical Evil D2 Tribute but even then I tried to show that he's a human kid who's had what is a pretty clear need for approval twisted by the system into sadism and violence. He'd always have that fascination, even without the Program, but in a normal world with a normal support system it could have been redirected. Like, Petra has a flash-fire temper and needs to hit things in every universe, but that's why she's an MMA fighter who goes to therapy in the non-THG world.

Misha and Jasper's dynamic I still love. These kids have known each other for upwards of ELEVEN YEARS, assuming they started at the same intake Centre. And both of them are weird, anti-social, kids who like to freak people out and crave attention and validation while pretending they want nothing of the sort. I think they've probably done the 'steal alcohol and drink after milestone tests' with their year-mates for a good while now.

ha ha made myself sad OOPS the hunger games are terrible the system is terrible and kids like Jasper are necessary for keeping it running, you can't have Emory types every year, but man. everyone gets chewed up and spat out so the president can grow his roses

[littlebitoffanfic]

Celebration

Fandom: The Collector/The Collection Character: Asa Emory – the collector Relationship: Asa Emory/reader Request: Since I have seen you do some slashers, can I request Asa from The Collector? Something sweet where the reader works with him and is an alibi and then saves him when Arkin comes for him in the collection?

  You knew him from your work although you didn’t know him well. Asa was a private man, reserved to his office and displays for the museum. You were tour guide with a hand in some of the office work. After all, the museum didn’t get an awful amount of funding to be able to employee more office workers. Today, you were happy. It was a sunny day, which meant people were less likely to come to the museum for an indoor activity. Your tours still ran ever 2 hours, but a smaller group had less questions and you could normally be done within an hour, leaving an hour free. You all but skipped down the halls like a school girl, your project held tightly in your arms as you stopped outside Dr Emory office. knocking three time, you waited for him. He towered over you, and had such a demanding presences that made you weak at the knees. Your crush on his was not unnoticed by your co-workers. 

“Good morning.” You smile, trying your best to work through the flutters in your chest. “Its 1.30.” he stated, his eyes unreadable. “Oh, well, good afternoon. Could I steal a few minutes of your time?” You ask, nearly slapping yourself in the face for your mistake. His eyes darted to the folder in your arms and he stepped aside, allowing you to enter. This was a privilege in itself. Barely anyone was allowed within his office. But Asa seemed to tolerate you more than the others. Perhaps because you were his neighbour. Now that had truly been a happy accident. His previous neighbour was selling and you were looking for somewhere when you moved here. It just so happened that your neighbour to your left was also a co-worker. Entering his office was like entering a new world. The walls were decorated with various bugs throughout different ages in their lives. Butterfly’s, beetles and roaches but the most prominent member of his displays were spiders. Your attention was drawn to a particular specimen. Pinned in a shadow box was a blue spider. The sign under called it a Cobalt Blue Tarantula. “Wow, those markings are fascinating.” You mumble aloud, more to yourself that to the mans whos office you were in. “Truly. The Cyriopagopus lividum.. native to the borders of Thailand.” Asa speaks so fondly of the dead creature that it makes you smile slightly. There was no denying his love for his work. “Are they venomous?” You ask, purely out of curiosity. “Yes, but the venom not strong enough to kill an adult human. Although its not pleasant.” Asa walks past you to his desk and drawing you from your thoughts. “Now, you wanted something?” “Yes, I was wondering if you might help me with an exhibition.” You hold out the folder to him as you sit at the other side of his desk. He takes it and opens it, showing a sort of mood board you had put together ranging from other exhibitions to enclosures to photo life-spans of certain creatures. “an exhibition?” His eyes flick up to meet your own with curiosity. In truth, you hated how under appreciated he was at the museum and his knowledge should be put to good use. “Yes, for insects. Of course, I’d do most of the work, but I’d really apricate someone who I can fact check with and can offer some insight.” You smile sweetly, and the small smile that pulled at Asa’s lips told you that he was in.

-------------time skip ------------------

Your time spend with the entomologist was one of the most pleasant and interesting interactions you had had in a while. Walking to his office, you held your papers in your hands. You were about to knock when you heard voices inside. Pressing your ear against the door, you listened. “Dr Emory, unless you can provide an alibi for your whereabouts on Saturday evening, we will have enough to arrest you under suspicious of connection with the collector killings.” A voice spoke with authority. Your heart stopped. The collector killings had fascinated you ever since they had come to light. And Asa, well, he was a private man. If they were threatening such a thing, there must be something behind it. And you wanted to know. The two men that seemed to cloud your thoughts could be one. Your mind thought quickly as you came up with a plan. Knocking on the door, you walked in without waiting – something you never really did. Once inside, you acted like a deer in headlights. Two men sat opposite Asa’s desk  in suits. “oh, sorry. Are you from the board?” You asked sincerely but you didn’t let them answer before quickly adding. “Look, Dr Emory and I are neighbours. Its perfectly reasonable for us to spend our evenings and weekends in each others company. Besides, if Tiffany told you about us, she has been having an affair with the janitor.” You could tell Asa was just as stunned as you were. One of the men smiled and stood. “You don’t need to be alarmed, miss. We are from the investigations team.” He then presented his ID badge to you. “Oh, gosh. I am so sorry.” You looked stunned, despite already knowing. “Its okay. But I am interested in what you said. Do you know where Dr Emory was on Saturday evening between 5pm and 11pm?” The man leaned back on Asa’s desk while the other twisted to fully look at you. “He was with me.” You said, talking to the two detectives. “At my house.” “with you? He said he was home alone.” The one with the strong jaw line narrowed his eyes at you. “Yes, well, its not against any policies, our director has been known to fire people for having… interpersonal relationships with colleagues. We’d agreed to keep it a secret. He would have been trying to protect me, in case this got out to the others.” You explain to them, not daring to look at Asa. You knew you were playing with fire here. But what you said wasn’t a stretch. The director had fired a member of the geology department… for sleeping with his wife in astrology. He really cared what staff did as long as they did their job. And didn’t fuck his wife.   “Is this true?” He asked Asa, who gave a single nod. “And is there anyone who can corroborate this?” The detective asked you, more kindly than the others. “Not really. As I said, it was a secret so I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us. Although, you can ask half the staff in this building and they’ll tell you that ive had a crush on the man since I moved here, and they know we have been spending more time together. They are so fond of teasing me for it anyway.” You manage to draw a chuckle from one as he jabbed the other detective in the shoulder which earned a smile. Apparently, there was a similar situation going on where they were. “Right, well, we’d better be on our way. We’ll be back in touch soon.” The one sitting rose to his feet, nodding to both you and Asa before he and his partner left. They left and the door had closed for a brief moment before you felt someone grab your arm and you were twisted to meet Asa. He didn’t say anything and his cheeks were slightly red, but his ears were bright red. “So, you are the collector?” You breathe, looking up at him with a small smile tugging on your lips. “What do you want?” He growled, his voice low and menacing. Oh, he wasn’t happy. “I want to know.” You breath, stepping closer to him. “You take parts, right? What do you do with them? Keep mementos? Are you making something?” His nostrils flares out, obviously angry. You understood. You had let yourself into his world, and he couldn’t do a thing about it. He couldn’t kill you because it would point the fingers back to him. No, it was smart to keep you close. He let out an exasperated sigh, reaching up and pinching his brow. “look, once this has blown over for you, I wont say a word. I don’t expect anything for it. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” You reassured him. “Why?” His eyes narrow at you, but you shrug. “honestly, you fascinate me.” You confess to the man, even more intrigued than before. You saw the smirk that twitched at the side of his mouth.

----------------- time skip ------------

The world of the collector was one you never dreamed you would see inside, and you loved it. It took trust to get him to let you see. First you saw the inside of the hotels lobby, then some traps, then some of the beautiful creations he made, then his prize possession. you never participated, but you provided a bit more support for him, offering help from the side lines in exchange for information and his time. If he was suspicious of you, he couldn’t deny the genuine interest in your eyes as he spoke, or how you hung on every word of his. He seemed to love how you marvelled at everything with a child-like innocents. Wide eyes and a curious mind. He kept you very close, at work and in your personal lives. It took 5 months in total for the cops to ease up off of Asa, but they still occasionally found their way to his house, watching it. He would come to yours in those situations, still keeping the façade up that you were in some kind of relationship.   Not that you cared. You found that the two of you had a lot in common which made the time easily spent. Of course, his dogs loved you. When you came round to his, they were pawing at the floor to get to you but waited for their master to give them the signal to move. They really were puppies at heart. Also, sometimes you thought Asa just said they were there to spend time with you. Either way, you didn’t mind. Tonight, you were buried in a book when a harsh knock at your door made you jump but you hurried to answer it, finding a slightly wet Asa. You smiled, stepping aside and allowing him to step in. “You’d think the police budget within the millions by how much they come around.” You giggle, helping his jacket off his shoulders to hang up to dry. He hummed in response, wiping his face with a hand to try get the stray rain droplet off. “So, how was your recent game?” you asked as he followed you into the living room, where you had been reading. You collapsed back into the couch and held your book on your lap. “Uneventful. No one worthy to take.” He mused as he walked over to your book shelf and pulled out the book he had been reading last time. As he returned to your sofa to sit beside you – a show for the police outside – the book fell open to the page he had been reading. But instead of the paperclip he had been using to keep his place, it was a book mark. A novelty bookmark that you had swiped from the gift shop. It was one of those fake 3D ones, with spiders moving on green leaf’s. You raised your book over your mouth to hide your grin. “very amusing.” He soft chuckle left his lips as he placed it to the side. You giggled, moving to reposition yourself. Your sofa faced the TV which was to the right of the window. Meaning anyone who walked by outside could see in. but it was a quiet neighbourhood. Apart from the undercover police. You lay on the sofa, your legs draped over Asa’ lap which you rested your head on some pillows propped up against the arm rest. Asa rose the book without tearing his eyes away from it to allow your legs to move before lowering to rest his forearms on your knee and thighs. Despite being a bit of a play for the police, it began to feel a little more real. You would engage him in conversation through out the evening, and he would tear his attention away from the book to ask you about your day. In fact, you had started to think that Asa had missed this. With the police’s interest dwindling, so had his trips. Even your encounters in work were now limited as you had finished your exhibition. Or many it was just the part of you that had fallen so madly in love with the man that wished he wanted your company. Your eyes left the page to glance at his face. mature features with intelligent eyes. You hated how he could make your heart stop. Maybe this was fake to him, but it was so real to you. Turning your attention back to your book, you didn’t look up until the sun had fully set. Glancing at the clock, you were surprised to see it was nearly 10pm. “Gosh, I swear I’ll never get use to these changing sunsets. Every year it takes me by surprise.” You sit up, stretching as Asa chuckles. Leaning forward, you press a kiss to his cheek before lifting your legs off his lap to stand up. Asa followed, and you smiled when he marked his page with the bookmark you had gotten him. “You’re nearly finished. I told you it’s a page turner.” You nodded to the book, which he was nearly finished save for 50 pages. “Yes, all the more reason to come back.” He shot a look over his shoulder that made you smirk. Playful teasing had become something you adored in the man. It was another reason that made you doubt this was fake. They couldn’t hear what was happening, so why play around. Sliding the book back into the slot, he picked up the remote which had been forgotten on the sofa to go to the window and place it on the stand. A ploy for him to see if they were still watching the house. “I think you’re right. They get far too much funding. It could be going to the museum.” He mused as he turned back to you. Maybe they needed to see more. Or maybe you wanted more. Just to test the waters. Walking up to him, you reach up and placed your hands on his shoulders. “Kiss me?” You whisper to him, pressing your body against his own. Wide eyes met your own and you couldn’t help but giggle. “They can see through the window.” That was enough to encourage the man to duck down, pressing a kiss to your lips. he could have lightly kissed your lips and pulled away after a few moment, but he didn’t. In fact, you were sure he had forgotten all about the car outside. His arms wrapped around your waist and you were pulled tight against his strong chest as his lips fought your own for dominance which you quickly surrendered. His tongue slipped inside your mouth, making you moan as reach up and place your hand on the back of his head near his neck to keep his mouth to your own. Not like he was pulling away any time soon. you felt him push you backwards and you allowed him to push you till your back hit the wall and he pinned you to it. they couldn’t see you anymore, but you didn’t care. Raising your right leg, you hooked it around his hip as his hand trailed down your side and followed the curve to your thigh, holding you in that position. He was driving you crazy, his touch was like fire as you cling to him. When he does pull back, you are left a panting mess with rosy cheek. But his tell was his red ears despite the smirk on his lips. “So, tell me, where does the line between fake and real stop?” he asks, keeping his face close to your own. “With a kiss like that.” You bite your lower lip, completely aware of how his hand had kept your leg hooked on his hip. “The police aren’t outside. They left over an hour ago.” Asa’s voice was low, barely about a whisper. “They did?” You raise your eye brows at him. A nod answers your question and you were left pondering your next move. “Good.” As leans down, sealing his lips over your own.

 -----time skip ------

 You were sitting in your living room, half heartedly flicking through the channel when you notice Asa’ car drive past your window. Smiling, you turn off the TV and grab your small bag. It was a Friday, which meant that Asa worked late. But it also meant you would be staying over with him. A few weeks ago, shit had really hit the fan. You really didn’t know what happened, expect that the hotel was burned to the ground, and Asa only just escaped with his life. He was badly hurt, and you were thankful that he had taken a week off for holidays. It had been holidays he was going to spend with you in his cabin up north, but plans changed. You stayed by his side during his recovery. Asa had lost nearly everything that night. His creations, his sanctuary, his dogs, his prizes. But he had been thankful to come home to you. He had extended his own holiday but you returned to work the next week. He said he had fallen while on a hike so no one questioned his cuts and bruising when he did go back. You took your bag and left your home for the evening, locking it up as you set to go to Asa. He had regained most of his energy and health back, which you were hoping he might be up for something a little more… activity related tonight. The lingerie in your bag certainly hoped so. he was already out the car and into the house as you walked up. But something caught your eye. In his living room, there was someone hiding in the corner. Your breath caught in your throat as you recognised the man. His name was Arkin. He had been the one who had escaped Asa, the one who caused his injuries. You only recognised him because Asa had pointed him out when the new came on one evening. And you highly doubted that he was here to say a friendly hello. Running around the back, you ducked under the window so as not to be seen. You ditched your bag in a bush as you made your way to the back door just as you heard heavy metal music blare through the house. You wanted to scream to Asa, but the glint you had seen in Arkins hands wasn’t enough to tell you if it was a gun or a knife. Slipping into his kitchen, you heard the music being turned off and then silence. You took a large knife from the knife block on the counter and held it as if to stab. And you were willing to. Then you slowly opened the bottom draw, which had some duct tape in it. You round the edge, only slightly pulling it off. If you were going to hurt someone, they cant make a lot of sound. You moved into the hallway which connected to the living room and dinning room. “All those insects. You’re quite the collector.” A voice, Arkins voice spoke, making you pause as you made sure no one knew you were here. “In a 200 mile radios from where we last saw each other, there are 14 licensed entomologists. You were number 12.” As Arkin spoke, you moved slowly down the hallway, looking behind you ever second in case someone else was here. “Your daddy ran a museum, didn’t he? Fucked you up real good.” His words made you feel sick. Asa never spoke of his father. His mother was held with high regard, and he said he wanted you to meet her when she was next in town. But he had shut off when you asked about his father. Arkin was right. “Turn around.” You pressed your back against the wall as you inched closer to the doorway. Tape in your left hand, the edge taped to your finger, and the knife in the other. You could see from the glass display cabinet that Asa and Arkin were standing face to face near the entrance to the dinning room. Arking had his back to you. And a gun raised at Asa’ face. Fear rushed through you as the analogy of ‘don’t bring a knife to a gun fight’ flooded your mind. “Are you here to kill me?” Asa spoke with a calmness you couldn’t fathom. “No. that would be too nice. First im gonna make sure feel everything that I felt. Then im gonna kill you.” You could hear the smugness in his voice. “So that you can never hurt anyone-“ He was cut off as Asa lunged at him. But Arkin gave a swift jab to the face, causing him to tumble back. Into a red box. Your gasp was covered as Arkin flipped the box and started slamming the lid shut again and again, growling “fuck you.”  Before the lack closed. he stepped back, gasping for air. He thought he was alone. Darting into the room, you raise the knie and bought it down into his right shoulder and an angle. He instantly dropped the gun. Letting go of the knife for a moment, you grabbed the roll of tape and started wrapping it round and round his mouth. He had only just managed to let out a cry of pain as his legs gave way under him. He reached up, struggling so you grabbed the knife and pulled it from the flesh. Using the sharp, bloodstained blade, you cut the tape and he collapsed to the ground moaning. You gave him a quick kick in the face before kicked the gun that had fallen out of reach. The last thing you needed was neighbours calling the police for gunfire at the house. You raced over to the box. “Asa, its me.” You reassured him through the small walls in case he tried to attack whoever opened the box. When you pulled the lid open, he scrambled to his feet, the anger in his eyes blazing as he found his attacker on the floor. Arkin was groaning, unable to move just yet but you were sure he’d be up and about soon enough. “Your hands.” You whispered, reaching out and taking his right hand which was covered in blood from Arkin slamming the box down. Your heart broke. He had not long healed. Arkin began to come around, his eyes darting between the two of you as he realized what had happened. He looked at you with an unimaginable about of rage and anger in his eyes as he tried to scream. Asa darted forward, twisting him around and pinning him to the ground, a knee in his back and his hand pressing on the new wound. “The tape.” He commanded of you, and you immediately grabbed the duct tape which had rolled away slightly. Finding the end, you saw Asa grabbing Arkins left hand and you mirrored with his right. Bringing them forcefully behind his back, you taped them in place, then went to tape his ankles together. Once satisfied, Asa hauled the man off the ground and threw him into the box, the lid closing over with the force. Asa flipped the latch. Looking him inside. You didn’t realise you were panting and shaking until Asa was looking at you. Racing forward, you wrap your arms around his torso and bury your face in his chest. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He ask, holding him as tightly as you could. A bloody hand stroked your cheek as another rubbed your back to sooth you. “No, you got here right on time.” There was a softness to his voice that made you melt as you looked up at him and smiled. “I’m too late to be a guard dog. Ludwig or Vivaldi wouldn’t have let him get close enough to hurt you.” You shake your head as you pull back, taking his hands in your own once again to inspect the damage. But he turned his hands over and took your own. “How about we go up to the cabin this weekend?” Asa askes, his question not very well fitted for the currant moment. “huh?” Your eyes glanced to the box which was moving slightly as Arkin struggled. “Oh, we’ll take him. And, since I am out of commission right now, perhaps I can show you some tricks.” Asa smirked as your eyes light up at his words. “Yes!” You bounce on the balls of your feet. You went up on your tiptoes to kiss him, resisting every urge not to pull him upstairs to his bedroom right now. Pulling back, you dart down and pick up the gun, offering it to Asa. “I’ll go get some stuff to see to your hands. And I’ll run back and pack a quick bag and then come and pack your things. I think I should drive, though. You’ll have to give me instructions.” You rattle off, the excitement obvious in your voice. “Oh, you’ll get use to taking instruction this weekend.” Asa whispered in your ear, making you blush and bite your lip with a smirk. Arkin seemed to get a burst of energy and started flaying around in the box, which only moved slightly. “He truly is annoying, isn’t he?” you huffed, hating the moment was ruined by him. Asa simply chuckled and walked up to the box, sitting on it and stopping it from shifting. As you flitted around, gathering supplies and seeing to his hands and then packing his things, Asa watched with a soft eyes. He would be lying if he said he trusted you from the start. And even more so if he admitted there had still been a small part of him that thought you were with the police. but that doubt was well gone. And this weekend, he wanted to celebrate this strange relationship. And oh, what a celebration it would be.

[friendlylocalwhumper]

They’re going to kill the Hunter.

Somehow. Kill him literally with a gun, or with magic, or with a squad of Resistance members who know exactly where and when to strike. Maybe kill him metaphorically, by stealing his resolve, tearing him down psychologically, gutting him of his magic. Maybe they’ll just convince him to stop, offer themself as his only victim for the rest of his life.

Whatever it takes.

They have one week left until their mission starts. It’s self-indulgence, they know, to put it off even that long, and self-indulgence to call it a mission. This wasn’t assigned to them by the Resistance. No one knows they’re going to do it. It’s a secret plan stitched together by someone who’s trying their best to be rational, but who admittedly has been through… something that makes their motivation decidedly emotional.

Nine friends dead. Slaughtered in the span of five minutes, left scattered and bloody on the ground. Javi says they all went quick, barely knew what hit them. Javi’s hands shake worse when he says that, his eyes go all distant and haunted.

Javi is lying.

Quinn thinks of their names. Their ages, too, so they don’t forget the tragedy of them dying so young. Quinn has pictures of them, hundreds, all printed out and kept in a neat pile in a box on their vanity. There are other things in the box: bottlecaps, crumpled post-it notes, a necklace, a chewed-on pencil. The last remnants of a big, goofy friend group that left an imprint of their times together on the world in little pieces. Quinn’s collected as many of them as they could.

Quinn’s talked to all their friends’ surviving family members. Parents, little siblings, partners. To soften the blow of the news, to sit with them while they cried. Nine times they cried, let themself be hugged, let themself be slapped and yelled at and accused of lying for attention.

They couldn’t lie about this much death, this much loss, for anything.

Even though lying is what they do.

Javi came back with a bruised throat. As in, from clear fingerprints peeking out on the underside of his aw, down to the base of his throat at the dip between his collarbones, there was a thick mess of black and purple and yellow and brown. He was more than choked, he was… this throat was crushed, countless times, for a long time. You can still hear it in the way he breathes, when he gets scared. And oh, he gets so scared, just trying to get through each day.

He came back with a gash across his throat. Straight and deep, healing but clearly still bothering him. It was hard for him to resist itching at it, covering it. Covering it as if it’d be sliced into again. And since then, it’s scarred, thick and ropy. Javi acts like it looks badass, like he can make it work. Javi was never the type to act badass, to intimidate others. He can’t even get through a dry joke about it before caving and going quiet.

Javi’s hands, once sure and openly shared with a pat on the back, a high five, offering a soda or a joint or whatever… they shake now. He keeps them to himself. He keeps everything to himself, looks smaller than he did before.

Javi can’t talk about the hunter who killed their friends. He can’t talk about the cellar he was kept in. He tries, because he knows Quinn needs to hear it - but every time, he falls apart. Shakes and loses his voice and needs to leave the room to collect himself.

Quinn let him stop talking, one of those times, and went to hug him. He flinched, apologized, and shoved himself into their arms all in the span of a second. As they rubbed his back, face drawn in concern, they felt his shuddering breaths and knew he was broken.

The Hunter has to go.

So Quinn’s been gathering all the information they could. They asked the Resistance for anything they have, and it’s a lot, but it’s also not much. It’s mostly rumors, whispers. The bodies found out on the street, most of them are from him. Anders Reyan got mindfucked by him. There’s a warlock, friend of Reyan’s, he’s the mindfucker’s favorite.

That’s a great place to start, the thought. Maybe the only lead Quinn would get, out here. So they went to see Reyan’s friend, the Hunter’s favorite.

Lux, his name is. Quinn went to the house, knocked on the door, greeted the man that opened it. Emory, his name was.

Emory heard that Quinn had questions about the mindfucker - it gets more of an emotional reaction, more camaraderie, when they use that word for him, instead of his moniker - and Emory’s expression darkened with mistrust, with anger. Protective. Outraged. Trying to escape the Hunter’s influence. Quinn watched, and waited, and then Lux himself pulled Emory out of the way to open the door all the way.

“Come in,” He’d said, and Quinn had, analyzing everything they could as they stepped past him. Lux was wearing short sleeves, scars on display all down his arms. His hands weren’t shaking. His voice was quiet, unobtrusive. He seemed like a nervous guy, but pulled together.

Quinn asked questions. Too many questions, for Lux and Emory, but not nearly enough for Quinn’s purposes. They asked about the Hunter’s house, about the cellar, about what restraints he used on Lux and when he took them off. About all the ways he hurt Lux - “Not the details, just the general things he tends to do” - and what he seems to like doing the most.

Lux seemed to fall apart, the longer they talked about it. He made Emory leave the room because he kept trying to end the conversation, and Lux wanted to get out his answers no matter what. Quinn learned just as much from their interactions, and Lux breaking down, as he did from Lux’s words.

It sounds like the Hunter likes a lot of things. Breaking bones. Choking. Beatings. Whipping. Humiliation, overwhelming his captive, and - most interesting - comforting them, after shattering them.

Lux was quaking and crying by the time Quinn left, grimly sated by all that they’d learned. They apologized, promising that this would help the Resistance, that Lux is brave for going through this, talking about it to save lives.

It’ll only do any good, really, if Quinn survives. If they don’t get out of the cellar with new intel, and a massively deepened understanding of the Hunter’s strategies and protections, then all that Lux shared only serves to make people sad and angry. It’s all heart-wrenching, chilling stuff, but only useful in attempting to survive the Hunter himself.

Quinn is going to survive. They might break in the process, they suppose. They’ll definitely scream, and cry, and beg. They’ll act like they’re breaking, and maybe he’ll push it even farther until it actually happens.

But they’ll keep a straight head. They’ll recap everything that’s been done to them, each night, and process it. They’ll be in pain, and they’ll be scared, and they’ll want out - but they’ll hold strong. For Lux, who somehow survived a year, there, and has carved out a manageable life for himself. For Javi, who cries, sometimes, when he’s startled into a panic attack and reminded of how scared he is now. For the nine friends, laughing and shoving at each other and lost in banter, who were slaughtered like fun, easy things to hunt.

Quinn doesn’t get angry about it. Like the photos and memories kept in a box in their room, they tuck away all their feelings about it, deep in their chest. They lock it up and save it for after the cellar. There will be an after. They will survive, succeed, and present the key to destroying the Hunter to the Resistance. They’ll stand at the front of a room before Daniel Peyroux, Anders Reyan, Lux Fortier, a dozen leaders of the most clever, hidden, weary survivors and say I did it. I survived the mindfucker, and I got everything we need to take him out. No one else has to suffer.

The next 24 months of their rent is paid for. Everything they own is neatly boxed up and labeled, in case they die, and their things need to be sorted, thrown away, kept as mementos. They’ve hugged Javi a little too long, and kissed his abuelita on the cheek, and laid outside on the grass to let the sun warm their skin and the breeze play with their hair.

They’re ready.

[kiddiepool]

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄:  caroline  elizabeth  forbes

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒:   care,  blondie,  prisoner 307,  karolin  kom  skaikru,  karolin  kom  speiskru

𝐀𝐆𝐄 & 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇:   17 - 23  (physically - s1 / 5)  ,  149  (biologically - s6 / 7)  ;   october 10th, 2131

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒:   elizabeth  ‘liz’  forbes   (deceased)   &   william  ‘bill’  forbes   (deceased)

𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄:   caught  with  painkillers  hidden  under  her  pillow  during  a  room  sweep

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒:   distraction,  guns,  knives  &  bow  and  arrow

𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒:   optimistic,  hard - working  &  loyal

𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒:   neurotic,  controlling  &  insecure

𝒑𝒓𝒆  -  𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔

caroline  elizabeth  forbes  is  daughter  of  -  former  guard  -  councilwoman  elizabeth  forbes  and  former  councilman  bill  forbes.

bill  was  kicked  out  of  the  council  after  his  drinking  habits  got  a  little  bit  out  of  hand.     liz  took  his  spot.

during  a  random  room  sweep,  a  guard  found  a  bottle  of  painkillers  under  caroline’s  pillow  and  arrested  her  immediately.     she  did  not  steal  it;  her  father  did.

she  was  locked  up  in  the  skybox  and  left  to  wait  six  months  for  her  eighteenth  birthday  and  retrail,  when  she’d  inevitably  be  floated  for  a  crime  she  didn’t  commit.

bill  tried  to  sway  jaha  into  pardoning  caroline  and  it  worked—  sort  of.     her  name  was  amongst  the  hundred  selected  to  go  on  an  exploratory  mission  to  the  ground  to  see  if  it  was  inhabitable.  

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒐𝒏𝒆

caroline  hates  the  ground,  plain  and  simple.     coming  from  alpha  station,  she’s  been  used  to  a  nice  bed,  functioning  showers  and  toilets  and,  god!,  shampoo.

she’s  one  of  the  first  to  volunteer  to  learn  how  to  use  a  gun  and  overall  defend  herself  and  the  other  delinquents,  but  she  sucks  at  it.

offers  to  keep  an  eye  out  on  things  along  with  miller  when  clarke  and  bellamy  leave  to  broker  a  peace  deal  with  the  commander.

once  they  deem  the  deliquents  vulnerable  to  an  attack,  the  mountain  men  throw  gas  bombs  into  the  dropship  camp.     caroline  is  amongst  the  47  kids  captured  and  taken  to  mount  weather.

additional  note:     bill  volunteers  for  the  culling.     it’s  his  way  to  make  up  for  what  he  did  to  caroline.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒕𝒘𝒐

caroline  buys  dante’s  crap  about  saving  them  from  a  surprise  attack  from  trikru  and  believes  that  clarke  and  bellamy  have  been  betrayed  and  killed  by  the  commander.     heartbroken  by  the  news,  she  focuses  all  her  attention  on  her  friends,  trying  to  keep  them  united  even  as  they  start  to  drift  apart  in  their  attempts  to  try  and  blend  in  with  the  mountain  people.

caroline’s  spoiled  ass  loves  mount  weather  and  tries  to  fit  in  as  best  as  she  can.     but  then  her  friends  start  disappearing  and  she  knows  something’s  shady  is  going  on.

when  she  finds  out  about  cage  and  doctor  tsing’s  agenda,  she  ends  up  chained  to  a  moldy  wall  and  is  forced  to  watch  her  friends  get  drilled  for  their  bone  marrow.

though  she  does  not  end  up  on  the  table,  caroline  still  has  nightmares  about  what  happened  in  mount  weather  for  months.

she  reunites  with  her  mother  back  at  arkadia  and  finds  out  the  truth  about  the  painkillers  and  her  dad’s  sacrifice.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆

she  hates  still  being  treated  like  a delinquent  child  by  the  ark  adults  despite  all  the  shit  she  and  her  friends  have  went  through.

tries  learning  more  about  medicine  with  abby  and  jackson.

reconnects  with  her  mother  but  the  two  still  butt  heads  every  now  and  then.

when  the  whole  chip /  city  of  light  /  a.l.i.e  hell  breaks  loose,  caroline  does  not  take  the  chip  and  ends  up  being  tortured  for  hours.

additional  note:     liz  does  take  the  chip  after  jaha  threatens  to  hurt  caroline.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓

caroline  is  only  half  surprised  to  find  out  the  world’s  ending  again.

tries  her  best  to  be  useful  and  helps  out  whenever  she  can.

goes  to  the  bunker  with  jaha,  clarke  and  bellamy  and  is  devastated  when  they  find  the  hundreds  of  skeletons  inside.

demands  to  tag  along  to  the  island  to  save  raven.

ends  up  going  back  to  space  with  bellamy,  raven,  echo,  emori,  murphy,  harper  and  monty.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆

she  hates  the  algae  but  would  never  tell  monty  because  he’s  one  of  her  closest  friends.

caroline  trains  with  echo  on  a  daily  basis  and  convinces  the  brunette  to  teach  her  how  to  use  a  really  shitty,  made  of  random  scraps  they’d  found  lying  around  bow  and  arrow.

goes  back  to  the  ground  and  finds  out  her  mother  is  dead.

is  against  bellamy’s  decision  to  put  the  flame  in  madi’s  head.

marches  with  spacekru  and  wonkru  to  the  valley  and  ends  up  caught  in  the  crossfire  during  the  battle.     caroline  manages  to  go  back  to  the  dead  zone  and  helps  niylah  tend  to  the  wounded.

she  almost  doesn’t  make  it  into  the  eligius  ship  because  she’s  trying  to  support  someone  who’s  been  injured.

attends  the  meeting  where  they  decide  the  fate  of  the  human  race  and  quickly  agrees  with  raven  and  shaw  when  the  suggest  cryosleep  -  call  her  selfish  but  she’s  absolutely  done  with  algae  -.

caroline  gets  a  chamber  of  her  own  and  goes  to  sleep  for  the  next  ten  years.     or  so  she  thinks.

additional  notes:     liz  dies  during  the  dark  year.     caroline  doesn���t  know  what  happened,  but  knows  octavia  is  somehow  involved  in  her  mother’s  death.     it’s  safe  to  say  the  two  are  not  on  good  terms  after  the  truth  comes  out.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏  𝒔𝒊𝒙

caroline  knows  something’s  wrong  immediately  after  waking  up.

she  listens  to  monty’s  video  logs  and  cries  silently  while  mourning  her  lost  friends.

volunteers  to  stay  in  the  ship  with  raven,  but  the  brunette  waves  her  off  and  tells  her  to  ‘ have  some  fun  and  try  not  to  get  herself  killed ’.

by  the  time  clarke  figures  out  that  the  toxin  is  somehow  related  to  the  eclipse,  caroline  is  already  feeling  the  effects  of  it.     she  ends  up  chained  to  a  wall  in  a  room  with  emori  and  echo.     

sanctum  is  pretty  and  lively  but  she  waits  for  the  other  shoe  to  drop,  mostly  because  that’s  how  things  always  are  for  them.

she’s  proven  right  when  they  find  out  about  the  mind  drives  and  bodysnatchers.

𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

[12-altunivkru]

List of horrible things Clarke has done

*in case you need more reasons to hate her*

S1

1. Treat Wells like shit even though she didn't have any proof that he had denounced her father.

2. Mess around with Finn in the lake while they were supposed to be looking for a badly-injured Jasper

3. Manipulate Bellamy into punishing Murphy for killing Wells without making sure he was guilty.

4. Be very harsh with Charlotte even though she's just a kid.

5. Ask Bellamy to secretly bring weapons to her meeting with Anya.

6. Encourage Bellamy, Raven and Miller to torture Lincoln.

7. Continue to flirt with Finn in front of Raven even after learning he's a cheater.

8. Fail to save the life of the little girl who happened to be on the bridge when they blew it up.

9. Kill one of Anya's guards who was only explaining grounder traditions to her.

10. Forget about Monty being missing once her and Finn are safe

11. Close the dropship before Finn and Bellamy could get to it.

S2

12. Threaten Maya without letting her explain herself.

13. Make it clear that she is in charge, disregarding the adults' authority.

14. Blame Murphy for letting Finn go when he was desperately looking for her.

15. Break her promise to Raven that she wouldn't let anything happen to Finn.

16. Doubt Raven when she denies trying to poison Lexa.

17. Allow the grounders to give Raven a bunch of painful cuts even though she was innocent.

18. Encourage Bellamy to infiltrate Mount Weather, saying his life is worth risking.

19. Ask Raven to lie to Bellamy about where his sister is while he's saving their friends.

20. Leave Octavia, Kane and an entire grounder village to die by not warning them about a missile.

21. Make sure her mom was out of danger because of selfishness.

22. Be foolish enough to trust Lexa to keep her side of the deal when they join forces against Mount Weather.

23. Kill everyone in Mount Weather, including Maya and everyone who helped them.

24. Leave Camp Jaha because she had a bad conscience.

S3

25. Betray Roan after changing her mind about killing Lexa like they had agreed.

26. Abandon her people because she was in love with Lexa.

27. Return to her people only to reprimend Bellamy and run away again.

28. Leave Murphy behind in the hands of Ontari after Lexa's death.

29. Try to force Luna to take the flame.

30. Be willing to let her mother hang herself.

S4

31. Give Bellamy shit for saving prisoners of Azgeda instead of extracting the generator.

32. Give Raven shit for rationing like she asked her to do.

33. Make the list.

34. Lie to everyone about how many people the Ark could support.

35. Lock up Jasper for wanting to tell the truth.

36. Try to manipulate Monty, Raven and the others into keeping it quiet.

37. Be dishonest with Roan about her plan B to save her people only.

38. Bring Riley along to face Azgeda even though she knew of his trauma.

39. Leave a stranger to wander freely in Arkadia without suspecting he might blow it up.

40. Play with Nylah's feelings.

41. Betray Trikru with an alliance with Azgeda.

42. Take Luna's blood by force.

43. Agree to put an innocent man in the radiation chamber.

44. Chain up Murphy.

45. Suggest putting Emori in the radiation chamber.

46. Disrespect grounder culture by trying to become the commander (blasphemy!).

47. Steal the bunker to leave all the other clans out to die, plus Octavia and Kane.

48. Almost shoot Bellamy when he refused to let his sister outside.

49. Leave Jaha and Kane the responsibility to deal with the aftermath of her actions in the bunker.

S5

50. Kill Eligius prisoners in cold blood, before knowing who they are and what their intentions are.

51. Judge Octavia for doing what she had to do to keep her people alive.

52. Treat Miller like she had more authority than him within Wonkru.

53. Lie to her friends about Madi.

54. Care only about Madi, not helping Bellamy get his people back.

55. Reprimend Madi for being honest with Octavia.

56. Make a deal with Diyoza to bring down Octavia.

57. Force Monty to go against his good morals to help her.

58. Get Indra involved in her plans against Octavia.

59. Murder Cooper.

60. Ignore Bellamy's sacrifice of poisoning Octavia to save her.

61. Betray Bellamy and ally herself with Octavia after Madi takes the flame.

62. Slap Bellamy for trying to save everyone.

63. Kill a guard sent by Octavia, even though he was letting her and Madi go.

64. Run away leaving Bellamy, Gaia and Indra behind.

65. Assume Bellamy died in the fighting pit, and not shed a single tear.

66. Continue to see Octavia as the villain after Abby confesses she was behind enforcing cannibalism.

67. Make a deal with McCreary and tell him about how they blinded the eye in the sky.

68. Electrocute Madi with the shock collar.

69. Help McCreary capture Echo, Raven and Shaw when they come for Madi.

70. Cause Raven and Shaw to be tortured.

71. Remind Echo of the horrible things she did in the past to justify her own present actions.

72. Switch sides for the hundredth time only when Madi quotes Lexa.

S6

73. Expect everyone to forgive her after all she did.

74. Think she's still entitled to lead an expedition to the new planet.

75. Be upset by Murphy's very truthful remarks.

76. Let herself loose during the Red Sun.

77. Agree to introduce herself as the leader of her people to the people of Sanctum.

78. Reprimend Jordan for being honest about who she is.

79. Fail to notice Madi was being possessed by the Dark Commander.

80. Let the leaders of Sanctum banish Diyoza.

81. Give no shits that Octavia is alone in the forest.

82. Hook up with a random dude who was acting suspiciously.

83. Get the dude killed after calling the attention of the Sanctum guards.

84. Try to brutally kill Josephine.

85. Think she deserves to live and regain control of her body.

S7

86. Play house while conflict is rising among the different factions of Sanctum.

87. Ignore the fact that Bellamy, Octavia, Echo and Gabriel had been gone for a while.

88. Refuse when Madi wants to talk about the loss of their respective mothers.

89. Burn the palace of Sanctum down because she lost her temper.

90. Change her mind about Russell's fate depending on her mood.

91. Show up to meet the Bardoans without a plan, forcing Raven to kill again to save them.

92. Leave Indra, Murphy and Emori to deal with her mess in Sanctum.

93. Leave Madi without explaining anything to her or saying goodbye.

94. Feel entitled to give Raven a pep talk on morality.

95. Walk up Bardo's front door knowing she's what they were after.

96. Imply that she's made tougher decisions than Echo when she tried to calm her down.

97. Judge Bellamy for believing in transcendence, without trying to understand him.

98. KILL BELLAMY BLAKE

99. Destroy the disciple's helmet so the team would be stuck on Earth

100. Decide to kill Madi when she was brain-dead instead of taking care of her

------- {+2 Bonuses=102 for Bellamy & Raven} -------

101. Kill Cadogan and all the disciples that got in her way.

102. Fail the final test, which could have resulted in the extermination of the human race

[limamuckraker]

          THE MUCKRAKER : SIXTH EDITION (  JUNE 22ND, 2040 )

                                                           PRIDE EDITION

THERE’S NEVER A DULL WEEK IN LIMA, OHIO. READ THIS WEEK’S EDITION BELOW TO STAY IN THE KNOW OF LIMA’S HOTTEST GOSSIP!

a note from the man behind the muck, jacob ben israel ii; devoted lima losers, here at the muckraker we took extra care and precaution to publish this issue. as a fellow homosexual, i view the people in this issue as my brothers and sisters. the slandering about to ensue is simply in the name of equality. happy pride month lima!

FEMINIST! LESBIAN! VAGINA! MURDER? (pg 2)

in the weeks since prom, we’ve seen @ljhollidays​ and @eli-stjames​ cozying up to one another. while in passing one might think this to be a rising sapphic power couple, unfortunately we think lj has targeted eli as her next victim. it is a simple fact that criminals (ie; murderers and drug dealers) flock together. we at the muckraker think the enigmatic new girl is plotting to slaughter eli, steal her drug empire, then skip town. 

MIDDLE CHILD LIES FOR ATTENTION IN ANOTHER PREDICTABLE TALE. (pg 4)

we’ve all come to know and appreciate the general bumminess of one @wrenschuester​! but this week we got a hot little tip saying that wren’s being lying about her sexuality for years in an attempt to get the attention from her peers that she never got from her parents! personally, i don’t think that’s something to joke about point blank period, even if you’re a nineteen year old burn out! #wrenschuesterisoverpary!!

THERE’S MORE THAN SKELETON’S IN THE KOO CLOSET, STEPH’S THERE TOO! (pg 6)

according to one of our more reliable sources, @sunshinestephaniekoo is actually a raging lesbian! this really makes a whole lot of sense to why she seems to be coked out and constantly acting crazy. it’s tough in there steph, but hopefully this gave you that push you needed! what better time than pride month to make that step into the light? or don’t and keep acting psychotic, i personally will be entertained.

BONERZ 4 JESUS: THE DREW HART STORY (pg 8)

for once, in an actual shocking development,it turns out @drewharts​ may be gay! a source has told us that in a drunken attempt of a hook up, he couldn’t get it up! is this because since the winnie incident he’s saving the rest of himself for christ or is it much less holy than that? another source has said he started tutoring joey because he has his first boy crush! the picture is painted more and more clearly. never did i think i would see the day winnie-love karofsky as a beard.

A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS (pg 10) 

turns out @softlcvers​ and @kylerxlynn​ aren’t so perfect! there’s trouble in garadise (gay paradise)! we’ve gotten an influx of reporters stating that sawyer is only with kyler because he’s got a hard on for football dummy turned dad mason! this would explain the sudden moves sawyer made on kyler as his attempts to get closer to mason. we wish sawyer luck in his efforts and hope we didn’t set them back by publishing this article! congrats on finally being interesting!

PUCKHEAD SKILLED WITH STICKS AND DICKS? (pg 12)

arguably the best tip we’ve gotten is another classic jock/cheerio hook up you won’t want to miss hearing! @joeyhqs​ is a dear friend and top tier informant to us here at the muckraker and he’s revealed that him and @julien-schuester​ have been seeing each other on the side! this comes as a shock considering the scandal with emory, ivy, and rory, julien has been wrapped up in! but hey, julien always has been suspiciously good at musical theatre for a straight guy. 

CHECK BACK NEXT MONDAY FOR THE MUCKRAKER (ISSUE #7)

[tj-beiste]

a thing called love → theo + lemon

WHO: @tj-beiste & @lemonsterling WHERE: WMHS Prom ‘40 WHEN: Friday, May 29 WHAT: Theo and Lemon win prom king and queen, have their slow dance, and make their relationship official.

THEO: "Will the candidates for prom court please gather on the stage?” Theo looked up from where he was standing on the dance floor when he heard the music stop and be replaced by the sound of their principal’s voice. He shifted his gaze back to Lemon, who was standing next to him, and raised his eye brows quickly. This was it. “Ready?” he asked quietly, grabbing her hand and quickly kissing the side of her head as they made their way to the stage. Once they were up there, he let her go and stood on stage left with all the other prom king nominees, occasionally stealing glances at her as they waited for their category. The principal went on his spiel about this being their moment and how everyone on stage was worthy, but Theo tuned most of it out. He wasn’t sure why, but he was pretty nervous. Finally he heard a drum roll. “And this year’s prom king is...” he held his breath, turning his head to look at Lemon for a moment, “Theo Beiste!” And then came the eruption of cheers. Theo grinned from ear to ear as he put his hands over his heart, dapping the other nominees before he made his way to the center of the stage to be crowned. He basked in the moment for a second, hollering along with his classmates at his win. But the room got quiet again once their principal started speaking. “And now, your 2040 McKinley High Prom queen...” Theo took a deep breath and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as he waited, all the while thinking ‘please say Lemon, please say Lemon.’ LEMON: "Lemon Sterling-Duval!" The principal shouted just as Lemon stopped clapping for Theo. She knew he would win, but what she didn't expect was for /both/ of them to win. Of course she wanted them both to, but she was sure Winnie and Emory would both have an up on her. She let out a breathy chuckled, her hands immediately going to her chest as if she couldn't believe it. Okay, maybe it was because she had years of practicing her 'winning' look for pageants. She gave Emory and Winnie both a hug, Winnie being more reluctant and only giving the blonde a side hug. She made her way to the center of the stage, immediately looking at Theo. Last year's prom queen came from behind her and placed the tiara on her head, that girl also giving Lemon a hug and a 'congratulations'. She adjusted the tiara, leaning to speak to Theo. "We did it," she whispered, soaking up the applause and taking in how gorgeous Theo looked. After the noise died down and the other candidates exited the stage, it was time for the pairs that had won to have a dance. She grabbed Theo's hand and used her other hand to hoist up her dress so she didn't fall down the stairs. Once they situated in the middle of the dance floor, she heard the voices of Julien Schuester and Rory Slade singing /I Believe in a Thing Called Love/. She wrapped her arms around Theo's neck swaying lightly. "You know, I really didn't expect this," Lemon commented, smiling up at the tall guy. THEO: When the principal announced Lemon’s name, Theo felt a wave of relief wash over him. He knew she’d win, of course, but the confirmation put him at ease. He turned his head and stared at her dreamily as she made her way to the center of the stage to be crowned. “I knew we would,” he whispered back when she was at his side, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek again as he chuckled at the loud applause they were still getting. He grabbed her hand and raised it, like they had just won some victory match and this caused the crowd to roar even more. The rest happened quickly and soon they were being ushered off the stage to have their dance. Theo held Lemon’s hand and followed her down the steps, making sure to watch his step and keep the area around her feet cleared so no one stepped on her dress. When they reached the center of the dance floor, Theo wrapped his arms around Lemon’s waist loosely as they began to sway to the rhythm of /I Believe In A Thing Called Love/ sung by Rory and Julien. Theo was sure it was nice, but he hardly noticed. Lemon had his undivided attention and everything else had melted away. “You really weren’t expecting it?” he chuckled out, looking down at her with big, dopey eyes, “not even a little?” On some level, Theo knew they were a shoo-in. It was pretty cookie cutter of them, but whatever. There was no shame in that, at least not for him. “You’re...so fucking pretty,” he said to her quietly, repeating the words he’d said on their first date. He felt like all he could do was stare at her, a lovesick smile making its way on to his lips. There was so much he wanted to say but didn’t know how to say. “I’m really glad I bumped into you on your run,” he started, leaning down slightly to kind of get at her eye-level, “and that you forced me to do the musical. I’m really happy about about...just...all of it.” Not very articulate, but hopefully she knew what he was trying to say. LEMON: Lemon felt on top of the world at that moment. She had just won prom queen and the guy standing next to her who she had come to learn more about and fall for was prom king. It felt like a fairytale, it almost felt too good to be true yet it was.  On the dance floor, she noticed how everyone had basically moved away besides the winners. She barely focused on everything else going on, all she could focus on was Theo. He looked amazing. He always looked amazing, but right now as she stared up at him lovingly the lights hitting his eyes and the blurry sight of draped stars behind him really accentuated just how beautiful his features were. “Maybe a little. I knew you would win, but I wasn’t sure I would,” and that was true. In her opinion, the only right choice for prom king was him. She smiled softly at his words. He had called Lemon beautiful probably a thousand time before but this time felt just a bit different. It was that moment that she really realized what they were. They really were a couple, boyfriend and girlfriend. Lemon just needed the courage to say it. “Thank you,” she smiled, resting her head on his chest as they danced. “You also clean up nicely,” she chuckled, looking back up at him. “But really, you look so handsome,” she confirmed. Lemon couldn’t stop smiling, she was just so happy like nothing could break this moment apart. “I’m really happy too. If someone would have told me at the beginning of this year that I’d be prom queen and that Theo Beiste was gonna win prom king and was my boyfriend I’d probably just-“ and that’s when she realized what she said. It had been on her mind, but she wasn’t expecting to say it yet there she was, calling Theo her boyfriend. “I mean, uh, not boyfriend?” She didn’t know how Theo would react so she was attempting to backtrack.

THEO: Theo clicked his tongue and shook his head as he stared down at her, a smile permanently planted on his face. “You’re too modest,” he chuckled out, tightening his arms around her a bit, “I knew you were gonna win. There really was no contest.” Theo had been to many proms and had danced to many slow songs, but none of those would stay in his memory forever the way this moment with Lemon would. He knew that for a fact. When she complimented him and leaned her head against his chest, he habitually pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling into her hair as she spoke. It was a relief to know that she was happy, even if their start hadn’t been perfect. Theo was definitely a work in progress and he was sure the road ahead for them wouldn’t be clear of obstacles, but he knew it would be worth it, whatever path they found themselves on. For the past couple of months, Lemon had been the first thing on his mind when he woke up and the last before he fell asleep. He knew what he wanted them to be. He just had to figure out how to say it. But as fate would have it, she beat him to it. “Theo Beiste was your what?” he asked with a big smile, pulling back slightly to look down at her. He was doing his best to contain how stoked he was, but he wasn’t great at hiding his emotions. “Is that what you want?” he asked, tilting his head down to catch her eye, “because I’ve wanted to be your boyfriend for a while. I want the label. I want anniversary dates and holidays and driving you around and reading your favorite books even though I’m slow and I want...the whole thing. So just say the word and I’m in.” He meant it, he really did. If the situations that had been thrown their way taught him anything, it was that the only person he wanted was her. Officially. At that point, the music had stopped, and students were clapping, but he stood tall with his arms still wrapped around her. LEMON: Was Lemon modest? Possibly, but Lemon didn’t think of herself as some popular cheerleader. It’s what she was, but she would always say that she thought Winnie and Emory had just as much of a chance as she did, which probably wasn’t true. The pair that won truly were shoo-in’s individually and together. The cheerleader and quarterback falling for each other? They were destined to win. As they swayed to the music, soaking up each other, she was taking a mental picture of this moment. Even if they wouldn’t be some suburban couple 15 years from now, she knew this would be a moment she’d hold onto and cherish forever. Everything about them made sense. Even when Lemon or Theo got into drama, with our without each other, they somehow found their way back to each other and seemingly came out better than ever. Lemon knew she was falling for Theo and hard. She tried to suppress it just so she wouldn’t set herself up for failure if Theo eventually got bored, but he seemed to want to be with her and he made that clearer with every compliment and kiss. When the ‘B’ word left her mouth, she was basically speechless hoping she didn’t ruin anything. Just as she was about to back up on everything she just said, he began to speak. /He wanted to be with her/. Theo Beiste wanted to officially be with Lemon Sterling-Duval. It was about a month too late on that but they were doing it now. “Yeah,” she softly spoke, nodding her head. “I want to be with you Theo. For real. I want to you to be my boyfriend,” she stated, smiling up at him. “I didn’t know what this would end in and if I’m being honest I thought it’d end in heartbreak, but I’ve wanted to be your girlfriend since our first date,” it was crazy to actually say it all out loud now, to really put all their feelings on the table. “We’re really gonna do this, huh?” She cocked an eyebrow, her arms still latched around his with a cheesy smile. THEO: Theo loosened his arms around Lemon slightly but kept his hands on her waist, smiling down at her as a warm feeling spread through his chest. It really felt like they were coming out on the other side of whatever shit had preceded this very moment. A lot of Theo’s past relationships burned too hot and moved too quickly, but not them. They had taken their time to get to know each other and ease into being with each other, which meant that their foundation was solid. Listening to her say she wanted to be with him, out loud and with no stipulations made him feels like he was on top of the world. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard,” he chuckled out, trailing his hands up the sides of her body until they were both placed gently on either side of her face. To know that she had wanted to be with him since their first date sent a pang through him, a good one. “Me too,” he told her earnestly, shrugging his shoulders, “I mean if I’m being honest I’ve had a feeling about you for a lot longer than that. But you know this.” His crush on her wasn’t a secret, especially at this point. Maybe they would end in heartbreak. But if that was how they went down, he’d do everything in his power to make sure it was him getting hurt. “We’re definitely doing this,” he assured her, leaning down and finally doing the thing he’d wanted to all night. He kissed her and it felt like for a moment they were in their own movie. He pulled away slowly, smiling down at her as he strummed her cheeks with his thumbs. He didn’t want the moment to end, but it was rudely interrupted as a drunk JV football player almost stumbled right into Lemon with a drink in hand. “Yo—watch it!” Theo said, pulling Lemon back slightly and sticking out his hand to stop the guy that was clearly drunk and not paying attention. Good save, he thought to himself. “Let’s get out of here,” Theo said to her with a smile, meaning off the dance floor. He grabbed her hand and off they went.

[christophe-delorne]

Good Dog: Chapter 14

Warnings: Blood, violence, NPC death.

Notes:  Took forever just to get the energy to write another chapter. I've never sighed so much in my life more than I have this past week.  Memory & ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

AO3 Link.

The rain on the old rusted tin roof was near deafening, a dull roar in the old abandoned warehouse. Christophe wondered why it hadn't been torn down already, maybe it was just too much money to spend on a location that wasn't ideal. The fringes of Denver, where the poor and the degenerates scraped to survive on what they could. It was Kenny's natural setting, people would be more loyal here to their own kind than in the more upper class parts of the city. Good for making deals that weren't meant to be noticed. Out here, you knew what to expect from a person, they were more upfront with their desires than in the city. That meaning they would stab you in the front than in the back.

With nothing to occupy his mind, Christophe's addiction clawed at his insides until he finally broke and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket. He'd smoked more this month than he had this entire year, a sign of how much he hated this job. He wasn't certain which was was, a slow death or staying in Colorado for another day. He lit up the cigarette just as he heard the sound of a door creak on rusted hinges, in this part of town, the 'rats' would be more stealthy if they intended on stealing something. So it must've been on purpose, Christophe didn't turn to look though his hand fell to the pistol holstered near his chest, hidden beneath his jacket.

He could hear the footsteps approaching, purposefully making noise to alert Christophe, smart move as the Frenchman didn't like to be snuck up on. Finally, he turned his head, peering over his shoulder to see the outline of someone holding a small flashlight. There was no light in the old building, leaving Christophe mostly in the dark, the only sight was the flare of his cigarette but it was enough to catch the other resident's attention.

"Who's there?" A familiar voice called out, recognizing it as none other as Kenny McCormick.

"Just me." Christophe didn't particularly care enough at the moment to toy with the blonde.

"Fucks sake, Chris. Creepin' around like a freak." Kenny grumbled as he made his way over before dropping a bag on the dirty floor at their feet. "Also, fuck you for leavin' Butters out there, shit move, man."

"Butters? Cute." Christophe exhaled smoke politely away from Kenny, even if the other was pissed at him, Christophe still held Kenny in some regard. "I got the job done and he wasn't harmed. Just like you requested."

"He's goin' to have nightmares for fuckin' ever after this shit, dude." Kenny shook his head, trying to calm his nerves. "Whatever, I got you what you wanted. Two uniforms and some ID cards. Better not fuck this up."

"I don't fuck up, its usually other people who fuck things up for me." He flicked his cigarette onto the ground, grinding it with the toe of his boot before picking up the bag. He hefted the strap over his shoulder, not bothering to check the contents, Kenny was reliable in a sense and wanted Cartman gone just as much as anyone did. Christophe and Gregory where their only hope in squashing out this menace before it got worse, not to mention Kenny seemed fairly attached to this 'Butters'. Love had a way of making people desperate, and stupid.

"Whatever, dude." Kenny didn't seem to keen on holding much of a conversation with Christophe, but he couldn't blame him. It was rare that anyone could stand him after a few minutes anyways, Kenny had been different, a level of understanding. However, Chris had harmed someone more important to Kenny, something Christophe could understand. While his relationship with Gregory was abnormal, he would not tolerate anyone harming the Brit either. A strange bond that couldn't be broken, no matter how much Christophe was aware of how much it wore at him mentally. It was his life, all he ever knew and though at times he thought of just vanishing from Gregory's life, he would never be capable of doing so.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Christophe nodded, though he looked ready to get back to Gregory. Something was unnerving him, maybe his mind lingering on the relationship between Kenny and Butters had twisted him up inside, he wasn't certain. However, he was certain to always trust his instincts, they had saved his life in the past and he wasn't going to ignore them just because he didn't want to feel anything that would turn him into a moron. He lifted a hand in a return of a farewell as Kenny departed, seemed like the blonde didn't want to spend any longer out and about than necessary or else he'd likely would have invited Christophe out for a drink.

Christophe pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking it just in case he missed any messages, nothing. He took a moment to send a text to Gregory though, updating him on receiving the goods for their next mission and he'd be heading back now. Gregory was always keen on wanting updates, Christophe didn't want to bother with him nagging and complaining for days on end. Better just to do whatever Gregory wanted than suffer the consequences of displeasing him. He used one hand to send him a message, short and straight to the point as usual. Christophe had never been one to hold decent conversations, even in text form.

He waited before he received confirmation from Gregory, wanting to make sure the Brit received the message before heading out. His phone chimed, alerting him of a new text, Gregory seemingly pleased with how easy the transaction went down, as if he doubted that Kenny would hold up his side of the deal. In their line of work, it was always good to have a reasonable amount of doubt, people had a way of turning on you in an instant, without warning. It was good to never let your guard down around anyone, especially ones closet to you.

Christophe pocketed his phone and exhaled out heavily, time to face the downpour of rain, he wasn't looking forward to that. Settling his shoulders, he pushed open the old metal door and stepped out into the torrent of rain. Immediately he was drenched down to the bone, the sheet of water falling from the sky made it near impossible to see much. It'd cover up his whereabouts for anyone he might be following him, though he doubted anyone could truly keep up with him, he was far too paranoid. Instead of calling to be picked up by a driver, he decided to walk for a bit, another paranoid trait he'd picked up, not wanting anyone to know where he'd been and what he'd been doing.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him he received another message. Annoyed, he pulled it out of his uncomfortably soaked jeans. Rain splattered over the screen, making it hard to read. Luckily it was water proof, in his line of work he needed a durable phone, he couldn't count the times he'd ruined a phone from various, unorthodox ways. The text was from Gregory again, 'asking' him on what they should get for dinner. It wasn't much asking as it was just Gregory mocking him, Christophe knew Gregory wouldn't agree to anything Christophe suggested unless it was something Gregory originally wanted.

Christophe decided not to play this game, he was soaking wet and still had a ways to travel before he could be picked up. So he began to type a response, which left him distracted from his surroundings. He'd let his irritation for the Brit hone his focus so tightly that the surroundings fell away, the reason why thinking with your dick and your heart was never a good idea. Pain suddenly flared out across his torso, starting just below the ribs, closer to his side. He immediately knew what had happened, the pain was familiar. He'd been shot, the sound of the gun muffled by the rumbling of thunder and the roar of the rain, though out here, he doubted that gunshots were unusual.

He didn't hesitate to react despite the pain threatening to crumble him to his knees, instead he dropped his phone into a puddle so he could reach for his own pistol hidden under his jacket. The movement made the person behind him panic, firing off two more shots but only one managed to land in his shoulder, the other grazing his cheek. It wasn't enough to stop a man like Christophe though. He'd already whirled around to face his assailant, such sloppy work made him aware that this was no true hitman, likely just someone looking for money, or someone who didn't really know how to hire a proper killer.

Unlike the man shrouded in rain, Christophe wouldn't miss. He only needed a single shot, one pull of the trigger and the bullet was sent on its way, nailing the would be mugger right between the eyes. Even in such shitty conditions, Christophe would come out on top because he'd be damned if he'd let some scum put an end to him. Dying out in the gutter in such a way wasn't appealing, after everything he'd lived through, it would've been pathetic. Tucking his gun away, he pressed his hand against his side with a wince. It was hard to tell how much blood he was losing already when rain poured down his body, washing away the scarlet liquid into the darkness.

Hunching over a little as if that would lessen the pain, he limped is way over to the fallen mugger who stared blankly up at the clouded sky. Christophe didn't bother, wasn't the first time he'd seen a man's face contorted with surprise and horror right before death and likely wouldn't be the last. Crouching down with a pained grunt, Christophe searched the man until he found a wallet. He needed to ID this man, just in case he was a hired hitman, a terrible one at that. He took his pistol too, tracing guns was fairly easy if one knew where to look. Thinking about this made it easier for Christophe to focus on something besides the pain that threatened to consume him.

Tucking the wallet into his jacket pocket and the gun in the back of his jeans, Christophe went back to find his phone in the dark of a rainy night. The sidewalk wasn't smooth or new, leaving puddles just deep enough to hide a phone. Lucky, or unlucky, for Christophe, he managed to find it by stepping on it. He grimaced at the feel of it cracking under his boot, but regardless, with a smidgen of hope, he picked it up out of the rainwater. It still worked as light faded on the screen, but the screen was badly cracked. Great, probably wouldn't work for long though in this rain. He had to act fast.

He had to get out from the open, away from the body before someone found it. He doubted it'd be anytime soon, but Christophe wasn't going to risk it. The rain would wash away any trail he might leave behind as blood and water streamed down his body, draining into the gutters. Christophe quickly texted Gregory, sending him his coordinates and a single word. Help. That was all he needed to say, Christophe wasn't the type to ask for help lightly, so Gregory would take this summon seriously. Christophe tucked his phone away again, hoping it'd last long enough for Gregory to track his location if Christophe's address wasn't correct.

Honestly, Christophe could barely see clearly at this point, but far too reluctant to admit to it. He was aware that he'd likely pass out soon from blood loss, so he had to find somewhere to hide, and quick. Luckily, the grimy alleyways offered the perfect source of hiding places. Overfilled dumpsters forgotten by the city maintenance, forgotten boxes and even an old cushion-less couch lay to waste in the alley. There was also danger here as he likely wasn't the only one lurking in these shadows, but Christophe was willing to take that chance for now. He slumped against an old brick wall, feeling exhausted, a sign that he was fading from consciousness.

He could only hope that Gregory found him.

[johnmurphysreddit]

Ugh, so I think the better question right now is which cast members still remain unproblematic???

Everything I learn about this crew makes me enjoy the show a little less. I wasn’t going to post a separate rant about how shitty the cast is, but since the fuse is lit, list of reasons they’re shitty under the cut.  Save yourself.  Don’t read it. 

Eliza / Clarke - married a friend’s boyfriend a month after they broke up.  Friends with Jarod (matching tattoos) and Bob (married), and yes, you are judged by the company you keep.  Shills for donations to an unlicensed daycare in a tourist community run by a friend and calls it a charity.  Accused of sleeping with multiple married men including one affair that broke up a marriage when she was 18 and Roan at a con. 

Bob / Bellamy - Married his gf’s friend a month after they broke up.  Called Ricky Whittle a little bitch for complaining about on set racism.  Accused of a lot of gaslighting / talking over type dudebro behavior.   Accused of timing his recent twitter flares to steal attention from castmates. Accused of defending problemtic behavior of his castmates during the first three seasons. Accused of being unkind the the LGBTQ community post-Lexa and generally hating on Lexa.  (TBF, he was demoted to fourth lead or less while Lexa was on and a little bitterness from an actor is understandable. Also, things were HOT when Lexa was killed and any accusations from that era get viewed with an extra squint, imo.)

Ricky Whittle / Lincoln - Does a video of yourself jerking off count as problematic? 

Maria / Octavia - hit her boyfriend and was arrested for domestic violence.  Softest view of it is that she mixed new medication with alcohol, had an unpredictable response and he called for medical help (because he’s Canadian and thought that would happen) and instead got LA cops who are required to make an arrest in domestic violence cases.  Charges were dropped. 

Tasya / Echo - A few IG posts that were probably sponsored but she didn’t disclose it.  Dating with Sachin who is tight with Jarrod.  No opinion at this time. She did take a photo that mocked the Beliza wedding announcement before it was even clear to the general public that it was real, so snarky but that’s not a moral failure.  

Lindsey / Raven - no problems that I know of

Richard/ Murphy - no problems that I know of

Luisa / Emori - no problems that I know of

HIC/ Kane - accused of sexual harassment then getting the complainer fired 

Isaiah / Jaha - accused of using a slur for homosexuals on the Grey’s Anatomy set in the midst of a fight ten years ago and repeated the slur in his apologies and denials.  Fired due to backlash.  Openly supports Trump as of 11/8/19

Paige / Abby - no problems that I know of

Jarod / Miller -  Fully outed as Trump supporter as of 11/9/19.  Been accused of it for years.  His own IG declares that he’s politically incorrect and intentionally vague.  Accused of hostile behavior towards the LGBTQ community, esp Lexa fans. From what I’ve seen he’s more hated by the LGBTQ community than any other member of the cast. 

Sachin / Jackson - Friends with Jarod.  Accused of hostile behavior towards the LGBTQ community, esp Lexa fans. 

Devon / Jasper - Accused of fatshaming and disability jokes. This was on twitter during the first two seasons.  No clue where he stood in fandom estimation by the time he left the show. 

Can’t remember his name / Wick - On twitter he made some privileged white boy type jokes (casual racism and misogyny, so funny!), the kind that mediocre male comedians have made for years, and was fired for it after being widely defended by the cast and writers. 

Alycia / Lexa - no problems that I know of

I don’t have a great conclusion.  If that stat about 90% of Hollywood being absolutely terrible people is true then this cast is better than most?  Somehow I don’t find that comforting.  

[sometimesrosy]

how do you think the bellarke kiss will happen? if you have an idea

At this point, I think it will be done in STEPS.

Like, I thought the reunion would be all at once, boom back together. Because that’s kind of how other reunions were shown. 

But it wasn’t. The reunion was foreshadowed in s1, with Clarke yearning for him to come home and Bellamy yearning to go home. Then they kept pushing the concept of Bellamy living as if she were dead. And meanwhile, we see her fighting for her life. THEN they HEAR Eligius capture Clarke, and he doesn’t know it’s her. Then Bellamy meets Madi and finds out she’s alive. 

Then the first actual reunion, and they see each other and he says how important she is and saves her life, but they don’t speak or touch or even really react.

Then the actual touch and conversation. But so much is left unsaid. They get right to work. 

And you’d think that was it. That was the reunion, right? But there was always something more unsaid. WE knew about the 2199 calls, and the loss they both felt and how she hung onto him and he hung onto her even though they were just memories. But THEY don’t know.

And then she actively REFUSES to tell him about the 2199 calls when it’s just hanging there in space. And then we find out about Echo and it all goes backwards from there as she focuses on Madi instead of Bellamy, and she’s pretty cold and business like, but working together cracks them both open and it become about reconnecting, back to that soulmate connection. Octavia even calls him on his love, which is the absolute first time that their relationship has been identified as love by ANYONE, because they’ve always talked around it. And Bellamy then LETS her believe that he poisoned Octavia for Echo, Raven, Murphy and Emori, his family, as if she wasn’t his family. As if he didn’t do it ALL FOR HER.

Then he puts the flame in madi’s head and Clarke feels betrayed and WORSE, like she’d lost Belllamy for good in a way that 6 years did not lose him. He was no longer hers. Her fantasy was destroyed. And ALL IS LOST. They will never get together now. She even lets him go, lets Echo go save him, lets Madi go save him, after FlameLxa admits her mistake in betraying her and tells her not to do the same. Canon love telling Clarke not to betray her current love. But Clarke may have changed, but Bellamy is still lost to her as far as she knows.

But THEN Madi swoops in with her buttinsky ways and REVEALS the secret of how she survived, HER LOVE FOR BELLAMY. Okay we’re back to avoiding the word, but Bellamy knows what it means and he connects with her. Tells her he can’t lose his friends, not again. And he is back at her side, inviting her in, forgiving her, smiling, and their nonverbal communication is back and their care for each other and they wake up into a new world, just the two of them, TOGETHER, with the same goal, to live life, to be the good guys. 

AND FINALLY THEY ARE REUNITED. AFter all freaking season!

THIS WAS NOT THE KISS QUESTION. 

No. It was not. It is an illustration of how seriously they are taking the Bellarke romance and how much time of the story they are willing to DEVOTE to getting Bellarke together. 

So when you ask about the kiss? I think they’re going to treat it like they treated the reunion I don’t think it will take all season, because they have already started on working towards it with their admissions of love and reconnecting as soulmates.

But the way I see it, they’re going to tease us with it all the way through. First it will have the romantic obstacle of B/E to get through. That will be the first obstacle, because we’ve already gotten them back on the same side and together. So the thing that is holding them apart is B/E.

They’ve already set up the reason. They are committed to being The Good Guy. And Good Guys don’t cheat on their girlfriends or steal other girls’ guys. 

BUT and this is the reason why this romantic trope is used. 

The intensity of feelings between Clarke and Bellamy has already been established. That’s not going away. It lasted through betrayals and death and time and space. So we’re going to have two people who CAN’T TOUCH EACH OTHER, but the connection will still be palpable. 

They’re going to have to keep from touching each other. That hug we got at the end of the premier might be the last in a while. Or they’ll have casual touches and pretend it doesn’t mean anything, but it will. Or they’ll keep from touching each other and when they have to touch, there will be a noticeable tension, we call that SEXUAL TENSION, that others who are paying attention, like spies, will see. You can’t have sexual tension unless the sexual desire is there, but they are forced to keep from being sexual by external or internal reasons.

I think the hug will be the last touch between them without tension. As soon as Echo wakes up, EVERY touch will be tense.

And I think THAT is how we will build up to the kiss.

After that? I don’t know. We’re going to get words before a kiss. We’re going to get hand touches. WE’re going to get other people talking to them about what is going on and denials. We’re going to get awkward moments, pregnant silences, heavy eye contact. Maybe a cheek kiss before a lip kiss and it will give us flashbacks to camp jaha? Maybe a kiss in the rush of feeling, which they will then back off from and deny, and separate them further. Maybe they’ll finally kiss and be immediately parted so we never find out what it means and they don’t either. 

They are going to WORK this kiss and we will be in an agony of hope and despair over it.

I can’t freaking wait.

[bombshellsandbluebells]

Romancing the Flame (2/?)

Summary: When Emori’s brother is held hostage in exchange for a priceless, mythical jewel called the Flame, she teams up with sarcastic thief and treasure hunter, John Murphy.

But someone else is after the Flame too, and it’s a race to find the lost city of Polis and the jewel hidden inside.

To get there first, Emori and John will have to overcome booby traps, mercenaries, and their mutual mistrust of each other.

AKA my ode to the classic action/adventure films of the 80s/90s, packed full of as many references and tropes as I can manage. The title is a reference to the film “Romancing the Stone.” Official film poster here!

All my love to @infernalandmortal for editing and being just as excited about this fic as I am!

read on ao3

Chapter One

Chapter Two: The Deal

There was something about seedy bars that made Emori reckless. She’d like to blame it on the alcohol, but she’d only had one beer so far, and she knew she could drink half the men in this bar under the table. Maybe it was just the general sleaziness of the place – the atmosphere of crime and depravity hanging heavy over everything left the implication that you could get away with anything while inside.

Out in the real world, the law was a real threat, and one that Emori was cautious of. She’d long since learned the importance of staying inconspicuous and hidden, and normally she avoided unnecessary attention – but here she knew for a fact there was an illegal poker game unraveling in the back room, and that made her feel safe.

Normal grifts called for days of preparation and careful execution, but bar grifts were easy. They only required that she keep the mark drunk and horny enough not to notice what was happening – or just that she win the inevitable fight that broke out. No one was going to call the police in a place like this, after all, and she could handle a few bruises and cuts for the sake of some extra cash.

She does a lap around the place on her way back from the bathroom. By the time she reaches her table, she’s already zeroed in on at least three different opportunities.

Otan is exactly where she left him, staring morosely down into his own drink like the loser she often tells him he is. He looks up when she sits down.

“Hey.” She jerks her head towards the back corner. “Check out the dart game.”

Her brother follows her gaze to the two men in the midst of a game, then looks back at her with a deeper frown. Her excitement must be obvious, because he sighs heavily. “Hustling? Really?”

“It’ll be fun,” she says, her voice sing-song. She pokes at his shoulder, but Otan shrugs her off, grunting unenthusiastically in reply. “Come on, you know we’ll win.” Emori herself can probably hit the dartboard from where they sit right now. Otan, she knows, would hit the bullseye.

“I’m not worried about winning,” he argues. “I’m worried you’re going to start a fight, and we’ll get kicked out before I can finish my drink.”

Emori deftly grabs his drink from his hands and downs the entire thing. The whiskey is cheap and biting; it burns the back of her throat as it goes down. She slams the empty glass back on the table with a loud clink, and roughly wipes her mouth with the back of her gloved hand.

“There, drink finished.”

Otan glares at her. She smiles sweetly back at him.

They stare each other down, Otan looking for all the world like the human embodiment of a rain cloud and Emori bright and grinning, unwavering. Finally, with the kind of disappointed certainty that comes with having lost hundreds of similar arguments before, Otan sighs deeply in resignation and kneads at the rough, scarred skin of his forehead.

“Fine,” he says, and Emori laughs, delighted.

“It’ll be fun,” she promises as she tugs him out of his seat and towards the game. “Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve treated ourselves. We could use some extra cash.”

“You’re buying me another whiskey with it,” Otan tells her, then falls quiet as they reach the two men.

It’s easy to slip into the roles. They fit as comfortably as well-worn shoes.

“Come on, Em,” Otan says, gently tugging back the arm Emori has a hold of. She follows the movement, exaggerating her stumble a bit before she rights herself against her brother. “These guys are already playing.”

“Come on, O! I want to play!” she whines, slurring her words in a convincing charade of drunkenness.

The men pause their game and glance over at them.

Emori smiles at them and waves lazily. “Hey, you guys want to play with us?”

The two men look at each other in silent debate, and then eye Otan and her speculatively. They’re hesitant to accept Otan, she can tell, as people usually are – his sour expression and bulk might not be unusual in a place like this, but it certainly doesn’t do him any favors when making friends – but she’s laying the drunk, ditzy charm on well enough that they’re interested. One of them drags his eyes up and down her body.

“Ignore my dumb brother,” she slurs, emphasizing the last word. “I think you guys look fun! I want to have some fun!”

Otan tugs gently on her arm again. “They’re not interested, Em.”

“We didn’t say that,” the one eyeing her like a snack says quickly, and Emori hides a triumphant grin. Hook, line, and sinker.

He turns to at his opponent for confirmation, and the other man nods. “Yeah, we’d be up for a game.” His grin makes her skin crawl. “I’m Emerson. This is Dax.”

“I’m Emily,” she says, then slaps an uncoordinated hand against Otan’s chest. “This is Oscar.”

She steps closer to Emerson because the hungry way he eyes her makes him the better target. “I don’t know how to play,” she tells him, pitching her volume as if she’s trying to whisper but too drunk to manage it.

And he buys it. His grin stretches wider. “Don’t worry,” he assures her, placing an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll teach you.” He strokes down her arm, lower and lower, then switches to her back. It creeps dangerously close to her ass, and it's only years of practice that keep her smile in place. If they weren’t about to rob him blind, she’d have decked him the minute he touched her. Instead, she just giggles and leans in closer.

It’s all almost too easy.

Emori and Otan return to their motel room that night with their pockets heavier than they left. They hadn’t been able to raise the bet very high – Emori’s thinks the men had grown suspicious despite their flawless act – but Emori had treated herself to Mr. Grabby Hands’ wallet before they left.

“What’d I tell you?” she boasts as Otan unlocks the door. “It was fun, right?”

“Sure,” is all Otan says, but he’s grinning.

Emori is so high on their success that it takes her a moment to realize what happens when they enter the room. Something grabs her and shoves her face-first into the wall beside the door. Her nose throbs with the impact, and she has enough clarity to hope it isn’t broken, before she manages to take in the rest of the situation.

There are people in their room. One of them, clearly a man much stronger and larger than she is, has her pinned securely against the wall. She hears struggling behind her, but all she can see is the ugly paisley wallpaper of the room.

“Get off of me!” she shouts, straining against the arms holding her down. “Otan?! Otan!”

“Emori!” she hears him shout, before the distinct thud of someone getting socked in the face. She hopes Otan’s getting one up on their attackers, but she has a horrible feeling that it’s Otan who’s been hit. Her suspicious are confirmed when she hears her brother groan. Fear settles in her gut. She tries harder to fight back.

“You didn’t really think I wouldn’t find you, did you?”

The familiar voice coats her ears like tar, heavy, thick and vile. She freezes.

“Did you, Emori?” Baylis continues, and she chokes down a whimper. Even if she can’t see him, she can picture him perfectly in her mind – the cocky, feral grin, the hateful eyes. He probably still has the scar on his temple too. Baylis laughs, and she flinches. Her nose throbs sharply when she pushes it further into the wall. “Come on, we all know your brother’s an idiot, but you’re smarter than that.”

She wants to spit an insult. It sits on her tongue like ready ammunition, only the pistol’s jammed. She can’t get her mouth to say the words. They’d known it was a risk when they left, but they’d thought it was worth it. For months, she’d worried Baylis would find them again, and when it hadn’t happened, she’d grown passive in her sense of safety. She’d stopped worrying. She’d forgotten to be scared.

Now, the weight of that terror comes back all at once and locks her limbs tight and her jaw shut. She feels like a rabbit cowering in a trap, and she hates that almost more than the man behind her. Almost, but not quite.

“Turn her around,” Baylis orders, and the hands yank her from the wall and spin her around so roughly her rattled head spins. There’s definitely blood dripping from her nose.

Her imagination had been spot on. Sure enough, the scar is visible on his temple with his hair gelled back the way he always wears it, but she can’t even enjoy it – not when she sees the gun on his hip or the two large, heavily-armed men flanking him. Two others have Otan pinned, one with his arm tight around Otan’s neck. Her brother’s face is turning red with the strain.

He locks eyes with her and she reads her fear mirrored in them. Two men on Otan, one on her, two others waiting to act, and Baylis.

They’re fucked.

“Well?” Baylis barks. The man who has a hold of her tightens his grip. His nails dig into the skin of her arms. “You have anything to say?”

She tries to voice an apology, but her mouth fumbles around the shape of it. The words get lost somewhere in her throat. Baylis waits, his eyes locked on hers. Emori licks her lips and tries again. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Baylis mocks. “For what? For running away? For stealing my money? For this?” He gestures at the scar on his face.

“All of it,” she gasps. Anything to please him. She’d gotten in his good graces once before; maybe she can do it again. “I’m sorry for all of it. I’ll make up for it. I’ll – I’ll-“

Otan squeaks, and her eyes dart to him. It’s too small a sound for a man as large as her brother, but he looks small now. The man holding his neck is squeezing it tighter, and her brother flounders like a fish caught on the shoreline as he struggles for breath. She can see his fingers dancing and twitching in the air for something to grab onto, but he’s too well-pinned. He clutches uselessly at open air.

“I’ll pay you back!” she shouts, desperate.

“You will?” Baylis steps close to her. He’s at least a foot and a half taller than her; she has to crane her neck to look up at his face. But then he crouches, and she has a bewildered second to wonder what he’s doing before he digs a hand into her boots, searching. She tries to not to squirm at the feeling.

He finds the wad of cash stuffed in her right boot, and the knife stashed in her left, and then Mr. Grabby Hands’ wallet in her jacket pocket. He pockets the knife and thumbs through the wallet and the ball of cash. Then he does the same to Otan, pulling out the knives he keeps in each boot and his own wad of money.

“See, we already found the pathetic bit of cash you had stashed in your bags here. And with this,” he waves the money he’s holding, “and whatever you hid in the car you stole, I know you don’t have nearly enough to pay me back.”

“I’ll get you more money. You know I can.” It was, after all, why he’d brought her in in the first place.

“Oh, I know you will,” Baylis assures her, pocketing the cash. He pulls a folded-up piece of paper from his pocket and unfolds it, then holds it in front of her face.

The word “Polis” is written on it, which means nothing to her. Below it someone has drawn an infinity symbol.

She can’t help the incredulous laugh that bubbles out of her. “I can’t get you that,” she argues.

Baylis slaps her. Her nose protests loudly. She can see her blood on Baylis’s hand as he pulls it back. His grin is gone; now he just looks angry.

“It’s a symbol, you bitch,” he hisses. “For an ancient city called Polis. There’s a jewel there that’s worth more than the fucking queen of England. It’s called the Flame. That’s how you’re going to pay me back.”

It takes her a moment to connect the dots; she blames the distracting throbbing of her face. “You’re sending us on a goddamn treasure hunt?”

“Not both of you. I’m keeping your brother so you don’t run off on me again. You bring me the Flame, and I’ll give him back to you, safe and sound.”

He’s offering her a way to freedom, but it smells like bullshit.

“I need Otan’s help,” she tries. “You need to let him come with me.”

Baylis sneers at her. “You think I don’t know who the brains of the operation is? You don’t need him to find it.”

“There’s no way I can find this. Baylis, please,” she begs, “let me pay you back some other way.”

He moves towards her, and she thinks he’s going to slap her again. She braces herself for the hit, but instead, he grabs her face roughly in his hand and squeezes. His rough fingers dig into her cheeks. She can feel them pressing against the bone. “You either bring me back the Flame, or you find some other way to get me as much money as the queen of fucking England. Or you run off and let your brother die. Your choice.”

Emori locks eyes with Otan again. It’s easy to make her choice. “Fine! Fine, I’ll find it. But you have to give me a lead.”

Baylis lets go of her face, and she wishes she had an arm free to scrub the feel of him off her skin. She wants to throw up.

“I gave you a lead. Polis.”

“I need something more than that,” she pleads. “Look, if you want to get this jewel, then you need to give me something more.”

Baylis considers her as he folds the paper back up and tucks it in his pocket. Then he nods. “I got the information from a man named Murphy in The Dead Zone. Look for him.”

She thinks that’s it, but then he pulls out her knife. There’s no way in hell he’s handing it back to her, and that worries her.

“One more thing,” he says. Her stomach churns with fear, writhing like a pit of snakes. She tries to stop herself from trembling, but it’s hopeless. He’s already seen it anyways; there’s no use in playing brave. Baylis gestures with her knife at the scar she gave him. “I’m gonna repay you for this.”