#but I do think that it is our duty to fix the damages we’ve done to ecosystems by removing these introduced animals

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Peramelemorphia

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

The marsupial order Peramelemorphia contains the living families Peramelidae (“bandicoots”) and Thylacomyidae (“Greater Bilby”).

Peramelemorphs all tend to have a characteristic shape: a round, arch-backed body with a long, delicately tapering snout, upright ears, relatively long, thin legs, and a thin tail. They range from the size of a rat to the size of a rabbit. They are omnivorous, feeding mainly on soil-dwelling invertebrates, as well as seeds, fruit, and fungi. They possess a well-developed sense of smell and eyes that are adapted for nocturnal habits. They are are generally solitary, with females taking care of their young.

Female peramelemorphs have a pouch that opens to the rear, to protect their young while they dig for insects and their larvae. The gestation period of peramelemorphs is the shortest among mammals, at just 12-14 days. As in other marsupials, peramelemorph joeys are born as tiny, relatively undeveloped neonates and must crawl their way from the vagina to the pouch to latch on to a teat, where they will complete the rest of their development. Peramelemorph growth is fast, with bandicoots setting off on their own and becoming sexually mature at just three months of age. Female bilbies reach sexual maturity at five months of age, and male bilbies become sexually mature at eight months. This allows a given female to produce more than one litter per breeding season and gives peramelemorphs an unusually high reproductive rate compared to other marsupials.

Peramelemorphs originated in the Late Oligocene. Both the oldest modern bandicoot (Peramelid) and the oldest bilby (Thylacomyid) are known from Middle Miocene fossil deposits (around 15 million years old).

Propaganda under the cut:

The name bandicoot is based on the animal’s ratlike appearance. The name comes from an English corruption of an Indian word "pandi-kokku" meaning "pig-rat".

The smallest peramelemorph is the Mouse Bandicoot (Microperoryctes murina), which is 15–17.5 cm (5.9-6.9 in) long.

The Golden Bandicoot (Isoodon auratus) is especially adapted for life in hot, semi-arid environments. It has a low body temperature that is constantly changing, making it heterothermic. This allows the internal body temperature to fluctuate in response to extreme environmental temperatures without inhibiting and denaturing necessary proteins. Additionally, its low metabolic rate correlates to less heat being produced by the body, and a low thermal conductance does not allow the animal to capture and store heat well. A highly efficient panting mechanism allows for a low rate of evaporative water loss when cooling the body, conserving precious water.

The Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) is one of relatively few native Australian ground-dwelling mammals that is able to survive in urbanized landscapes, due to their generalized diet and habitat requirements.

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) (image 1) is the basis for the popular videogame character Crash Bandicoot, and was selected from a number of Tasmanian mammals by creators Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin for its appeal and relative obscurity.

Described in 2014, a fossil species of Miocene bandicoot found at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area was given the genus name Crash. It was given the species names bandicoot. Because paleontologists are just Like That.

Wiped out due to predation from introduced foxes and domestic cats, as well as land-clearing for farming, the Victorian subspecies of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) was declared Extinct in the Wild. Thanks to 30 years of conservation efforts, breeding the bandicoots in human care and establishing fox and cat-safe sanctuaries, the mainlaind population was changed from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered in September 2021, a first for Australian conservation!

The Giant Bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti) (image 3) is more than twice the weight of other bandicoots and adult males of the species can attain weights well in excess of 4 kg (8.8 lb).

Unlike bandicoots, Greater Bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) (image 2 and gif) are excellent burrowers and build extensive tunnel systems with their strong forelimbs and well-developed claws. Burrows spiral down, making it hard for predators to get in. A bilby typically makes several burrows within its home range, up to about a dozen; and moves between them, using them for shelter both from predators and the heat of the day, as they are desert-dwelling animals.

Greater Bilbies are generally solitary, however, there are some cases in which they travel in pairs. Pairs usually consist of two females as the sole caregivers of their offspring.

Greater Bilbies do not need to drink water, as they retain all the moisture they need from their food.

Because rabbits are invasive in Australia, introduced by European settlers, bilbies have been popularised as an Australian alternative to the Easter Bunny. Haigh's Chocolates in Adelaide made 950,000 chocolate “Easter Bilbies” between 1993 and 2020, with proceeds donated to the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia, which does environmental work to protect the indigenous biodiversity of Australia.

Today, only the Greater Bilby survives and is vulnerable, but the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is a recently extinct relative, having possibly survived into the 1960s. Its extinction was much “quieter” than that of the Thylacine, and was likely due to introductions of invasive predators like the domestic cat and red fox. Other “quiet extinctions” include that of the Desert Bandicoot (Perameles eremiana) which appears to have disappeared between about 1943 and 1960, and the Nullarbor Barred Bandicoot (Perameles papillon) which was last collected in 1928.

Today, many peramelemorph species are still threatened and endangered due to habitat fragmentation and introduced predators, as well as from competition with introduced rabbits. Areas designated to conserve vulnerable populations of bilbies and bandicoots have predator exclusion fences built around them, and must be heavily monitored for break-ins. In Currawinya National Park in Queensland, high-salinity flood waters damaged a predator exclusion fence, allowing feral cats to enter the sanctuary, wiping out all the bilbies in the park.

[tiramisuucakeee]

2. BUBBLES FOR BRAINS

( sea salt, yang jungwon )

the next morning, jungwon woke up early, the heavy scent of salt and dampness still lingering in the air. the storm had passed, but the damage was undeniably everywhere.

his grandfather had already made breakfast - eggs and toast with a side of salty bacon - and nodded toward the back door as he handed jungwon a plate. "go clean up the backyard after you're done eating. we can't leave it like this."

jungwon sighed, but nodded, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "yeah, i know." he leaned back, gazing at his duties from afar.

after finishing, he put his plate in the sink and headed outside. the backyard looked like a disaster zone. the storm had tossed everything around. there were pieces of driftwood, fishing nets, and plastic debris scattered everywhere. the air still felt thick and heavy, a leftover chill from the storm that made jungwon wish he’d grabbed a jacket.

his sandals squelched as he walked, the mud sticking to his soles with every step. a large piece of wood was wedged against the side of the house, and the yard was littered with broken bits of seaweed and algae. even the old wooden deck had warped slightly in places.

and let’s not talk about the pool, because if you were looking for an ocean copy, it was right here in the backyard.

jungwon grabbed a trash bag and started picking up the mess. it felt like a losing battle, the debris just kept coming. he winced as he saw a few fish washed up in the mud, struggling to breathe. he wasn’t great at dealing with this kind of thing, but there was no choice. his grandfather would send him to do something equally as disgusting.

as he picked up a large plastic bottle, he heard a voice. "hey, jungwon!"

he looked up and saw jay walking over, a lopsided grin on his face. "looks like the storm really wrecked the place."

jungwon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "yeah. shouldn’t you be cleaning at your house though?"

"there isn’t much to do, besides, my dad hired someone for it already.” jay stepped closer, picking up a fish from the mud and holding it up, its tail still flapping slightly. “well, hey, at least we’ve got some fresh fish for lunch," he said, smirking.

jungwon rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "get that thing away from me or leave," he pushed jay out of the way.

jay shrugged, tossing the fish back into the mud with a laugh. "why are you mad now? is it still because of eunj-."

jungwon turned to him before he could finish his sentence. “don’t even mention it, i’m serious, i’ll really ban you from ever coming here again.”

jay raised his hands in surrender. “i’m just saying, forget about her so we can have fun alright? it’s our last summer before we go back to the city to different universities and most probably won’t see each other,” he walked towards jungwon, who tied the bag securely, before grabbing a net to clean the pool.

"yeah, i know," jungwon nodded, his eyes still fixed on the dark water. his mind was elsewhere, lost in thoughts he didn’t want to deal with right now.

jay observed him. this summer was supposed to be the one we’re jungwon finally confessed to his crush, but it all went downhill when he saw her days ago at a restaurant with the head lifeguard, holding hands.

jungwon had insisted on talking to her about his feelings anyway, but that hadn’t gone well either. to say the least, she hadn’t even remembered his name when he approached her. she’d laughed it off and humiliated him in front of her friends like it was nothing, and he’d walked away feeling smaller than ever.

jay shifted his weight, his gaze softening. "listen, won," he said quietly, "that little voice of hers inside your head? drown it, 'kay? don’t let her mess with your head like that."

jungwon’s shoulders slumped as he stared at the water. he didn’t say anything, but jay could tell he was still thinking about it. it was always easier to bury stuff than face it head-on, and jungwon was no exception.

jay clapped him on the shoulder, trying to break the silence. "we’ll go to the mall later. buy some stuff, get something to eat. it'll help, trust me." he gave him a small nudge, trying to pull him out of his thoughts.

jungwon finally looked up, giving jay a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "yeah. maybe," he muttered, and then his gaze went back to the water, the dark shape still moving beneath the surface.

"you gonna keep staring at that thing, or...?"

"uh..." jungwon hesitated, his attention split between the water and jay. "it's kinda... weird, right? like, what if it's still a shark? or something else?"

jay rolled his eyes playfully. "won, it's probably just a fish or something. or some junk that got caught in the current. but hey, if it is a shark, we’ve got… a cookie, right?" jay pulled a cookie out of his pocket and held it up with a grin. "i’m pretty sure sharks love cookies."

jungwon snorted "yeah, i’m sure they do."

jay rolled his eyes, and threw it inside the pool as bait. the two of them stared at the water for a few more seconds, waiting to see if the shape would move again. but then, just as suddenly as it had started, the movement stopped, leaving the water eerily still.

"guess it really was just some junk," jungwon muttered, his mood lightening ever so slightly.

"told you so," jay said, his grin widening. "or maybe it ate the cookie. you’ll never know." he laughed. punching jungwon playfully.

“i bet i know what it was.”

the two froze, slowly turning their heads towards the new voice at the other end of the pool, who definitely wasn’t there before.

"i should think it was a mermaid," you said casually, taking a delicate bite of the cookie in your hand, allowing the unfamiliar taste to linger on your tongue. with an elegant, almost imperceptible motion, you raised your tail just enough for them to see, its shimmering scales catching the sunlight.

the two looked dumbfounded, and one of them tried pinching themselves to see if they were dreaming. they definitely did not just see a beautiful mermaid on the edge of the pool.

you glided toward them with the fluid grace, the water parting around you as you dived in, sending a splash of water in all directions as your tail shined, glittering like a jewel beneath the surface.

jungwon moved closer to the edge of the pool, peering down into the murky water, though he couldn’t see anything through the cloudy, disturbed pool.

you then came out of the pool once again, stopping right in front of him. “please remain calm, do not scream or panic,” you softly said, remembering the words from a safety manual that had appeared at the bottom of the sea.

“uh huh…” the cat-eyed bot slowly nodded, looking pale. “y-you’re a-”

pursing your lips, you nodded, urging him to continue, but his breath got caught in his throat. “i see we will have to take this slow, i am a… mermaid…” you pronounced the word deliberately, allowing the weight of it to sink in, as your tail swayed gently in the water, catching the light. their eyes flickered between your face and the fin, unable to settle on either.

“okay, okay, okay, okay,” jungwon said, taking a deep breath, and gulped. “w-what are you doing, here?” he asked.

jay shot him a look, clearly not thinking it was the best idea to talk to you.

“very long story short, the storm,” you smiled. “but i bet you already knew about it, did you?”

“wait- you did that?! this?!” jay exclaimed, motioning at the whole mess with an incredulous face.

you shook your head, “no i did not, i would never do that. i was just… caught in it. right place at the wrong time, they say.”

the two were about two speak, but a voice interrupted. "jungwon! how’s the clean-up going, son?"

the boy named jungwon panicked, his eyes wide. before jungwon could respond, jay shot you a frantic look. "hide!" he whispered, pointing toward the water. "under the pool, now!"

you rolled your eyes but did as instructed, slipping gracefully back into the water with barely a ripple, your tail disappearing beneath the murky surface. they watched as you sank out of sight, and jay whispered to jungwon, "keep him busy. we can’t let him know about her or whatever that was."

jungwon nodded quickly, rushing toward the trash he picked up. "yeah, yeah, i’m coming!" he called, trying to sound normal. "just, uh, a little slow with the clean-up... give me a minute!"

but jungwon’s grandfather came out of the house, and started scanning the area. “hm… good. make sure it’s all cleared up before lunch." with a grunt, he turned to jay and gave him a nod. "hey, jay. good to see you, kid. your folks doing alright?"

jay gave a quick nod in return. "yeah, they’re good. thanks, sir."

with that, jungwon’s grandfather turned and started heading back toward the house, grumbling something about checking the garage door. "remember," he called over his shoulder, "don’t leave any mess around here."

as soon as his grandfather was inside, jungwon let out a deep breath, turning to jay with wide eyes. "that was close," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "he was about to catch us, for sure."

jay laughed quietly. "man, you’ve got to learn to relax. no one’s gonna find out anything if you stop panicking."

jungwon sighed, glancing back at the pool. "yeah, but... this whole thing is crazy. what now? how are we supposed to explain..." his voice trailed off as he thought about you still lingering nearby, but there was no movement in the pool.

"uh... where'd she go..?" jungwon dropped the bags of trash, looking around in confusion.

just then, they heard a soft voice, faint but unmistakable, coming from the direction of the shed. "hey, jungwon and jay, was it?"

both of them froze, turning to the small shed at the far edge of the yard. the door was half-closed, and they could see a shadow moving behind the small window. it was you, walking around.

"you’re in there?" jungwon said, stepping closer, eyes wide. "what are you even doing in there?"

"it is... complicated," you replied, your voice carrying through the still air. "but i could use some help." there was a pause, then you added, "this is a bit embarrassing."

jay glanced at jungwon with a raised eyebrow. "you gonna let her just stay in there?"

jungwon bit his lip, hesitating for a moment, but then nodded. "we have to help. it’s... not like we have a choice." he walked toward the shed and slowly opened the small window at the top. as it creaked open, the view through the glass made both of them freeze in their tracks.

you were inside, submerged to the waist in the shed's shadow, but your upper half was bare, covered by your now-dry hair. both boys stared at you, wide-eyed.

"uh... you... you’re not wearing anything," jungwon stammered, his face turning a deep shade of red.

you looked up at them through the window, an amused glint in your eyes. "well, it just so happens mermaids do not need dry clothes, or clothes at all," you said with a smirk. "i prefer not to be seen like this, so could you help me out?"

both boys stood still for a moment, unsure of what to say. finally, jungwon shook himself from his trance. "there should be some of my old clothes from surf camp in there. you can look around... maybe something will fit."

you nodded, disappearing into the shadows of the shed. "i will be quick."

moments later, you reappeared outside, now dressed in a long-sleeved aquamarine shirt that hung just above your knees. the fabric shimmered faintly in the sunlight as you stepped out, looking a bit more at ease but still carrying an air of quiet grace.

"better?" you asked, turning to face them with a raised eyebrow.

jungwon let out a quiet breath, clearly relieved. "yeah... but uh, the sleeves..."

“what are sleeves?” you asked, looking down at the dress, not knowing what the two were talking about.

“the- uh, the things- hold on…” jungwon stammered, and then walked over to you. he gently grabbed the sleeves of the shirt and, with careful hands, tied them behind your neck, avoiding any contact. he was still cautious, unsure of what might happen if he touched you directly. "that’s much better," he muttered, his voice barely audible.

you smiled, watching him retreat back to jay. "well, thank you, you."

“it’s… nothing…” he whispered awkwardly.

you gave a small turn, still getting used to having human legs and walking around. it was awkward at first, but not as difficult as you had expected. the sensation of standing upright on two legs was strange, but you adapted quickly.

jay nudged him playfully, trying to mask his own embarrassment. "well, it’s definitely an upgrade."

jungwon sighed, glancing around the backyard, eyes flicking nervously toward the house. "yeah, but... we need to hide her, somehow."

!

but that was the first thing they didn’t do. and you three were at a place called ‘mall’ searching for clothes.

“this is ridiculous,” jay groaned, rolling his eyes.

never in a million years did he imagine he’d be wandering around a mall in summer with his best friend, trailing a mermaid who could somehow turn human.

you wore sandals too big for your feet, courtesy of jungwon. you had learned that the pool you ended up in was his, in his beach house.

he seemed kind, kind enough to let you use his money.

and so you were jumping from store to store, still not knowing what to buy. you could offer him gold in return or even pearls, but you doubted it would be the same value to him as the little plastic thing he used to pay for things.

“are you going to pick something?” jay spoke. “you both have bought useless things and i’m hungry.”

you and jungwon both turned to him, your chat being interrupted by jay.

“yeah, seriously, we need to get you some clothes until you figure out what to do or where to go.” jungwon nodded, looking at you.

“but the clothes you wear appear rather uncomfortable. is there not something more befitting?” you inquired.

“yeah, there’s the women’s section… why have you been looking at men’s clothing?” jay asked, his brows furrowing in curiosity.

“i’m looking at the clothes that look like the ones you have on,” you trailed off, going into another store.

three hours and many fashion shows later, you took a couple of things, something’s they called dresses, shoes and clothes from a store they refused to go inside with you, apparently it was something you wore under the clothes. it seemed unnecessary to you, but they knew more about humans that you.

jungwon and jay were carrying all the bags, as you stepped out of the mall, letting the summer breeze hit your face, a new sensation you were dying to feel everyday for the rest of your life.

the place was so calming, as palm trees swayed from left to right, the air carrying the smell of something sweet and hundreds of flowers decorating the whole place.

you didn’t miss the ocean at all, the human world was much more interesting, they had machines they drove around in, and a device they used to call each other, similar to a conch.

“is that good?” jungwon asked, taking you out of your trance, and making you glance down to the drink he had gotten for you.

you brightened, sipping from the straw again. the sweet flavor danced on your tongue. “it is so, so, so good! i mean, i do not know what a lychee is, but i think i love it,” you smiled.

it felt strange to have someone from the opposite gender genuinely ask about you. the only person who had ever done that was the eccentric old merman living on the outskirts of the kingdom, but that didn’t really count.

jungwon looked like he was actually interested in your responses, and he truly was. he doubted he’d ever see a mermaid again, and go to the mall with her, just like he’d do with any of his friends.

he smiled so warmly at you, and laugh at every thing you pronounced wrong, then correcting you.

a loud honk then came your way. as a white machine stopped right in front of your three, some girls sitting in it, with objects covering their eyes.

you didn’t know why they did that, until you tried to look at the sun yourself, and almost got blinded.

the girl who was behind the round object that drove the car took them off, and looked at your new friend, jungwon, up and down, then at you at jay.

the girl behind the wheel removed her sunglasses and gave jungwon a once-over, then turned her gaze to you. “is this your girlfriend now, yang jungwon?” she asked, her tone laced with sarcasm, making you sense she wasn’t being friendly.

“what do you want, eunji?” jungwon replied, stepping in front of you as if to shield you from her. “you can’t possibly humiliate me more.”

“i just can’t believe how insensible you are! you just confessed your love to me days ago and now you’re running around with some other girl, huh?” she said, getting out of the white car, strutting over to the group.

eunji was the classic mean girl, always ready to ruin your summer. she wore tiny heels and even shorter shorts, pulling off the look with an effortless confidence that only added to her intimidation.

“eunji, leave her alone,” jay warned, pushing you behind him.

but eunji seemed unfazed by the fact that jungwon could like someone else, she was only fixated on how stunning you were, compared to her. “who even are you?” she sneered, invading your space. you didn’t step back.

you had no idea this was how an angry human looked like, or a jealous one of it is. if anything, you were curious about her and why she acted the way she did.

“my name is y/n, princess of aq-" you stopped yourself forgetting you were supposed to be a normal human, “i meant, my name is y/n aqualis, full name. it is a great pleasure, and you are?” you placed your hand in front of her, expecting to do something called a handshake.

“ew, get your paw away from me,” she said, swatting your hand aside. “who do you think you are, talking all high and mighty?” she snorted.

“excuse me?” you let out a laugh, “i am afraid i do not understand, paw?” you asked, truly clueless.

jay and jungwon, who were watching from the side, still carrying all of your bags, looked terrified at the scene, they knew that it never ended well when other girls crossed eunji, but you seemed like someone who wouldn’t understand if they told you to leave it.

“yeah, that’s right, some advice your you, never touch me with that dirty paws of yours, princess,” she spat, shoving you back, as her friends laughed behind in the car.

you gasped and blinked in confusion, then understanding she was referring to your hand, most probably, and also understood she was insulting you.

but you never let it go when mermaids spoke to you like this, so you wouldn’t let a human, who didn’t even know you, treat you and your new human friends this way.

you nodded at her, faking innocent, and spoke, “i know not why your head if so full of bubbles that the only entertainment you have is to try to make fun of others, but some advice for you, eun-ji…” you then took a sip of your lychee drink, and spat it at her.

her friends all gasped, as the water made contact with her shirt, leaving a huge wet spot, most likely ruining it.

jungwon and jay gapped, stunned at what you pulled of, expecting anything but that.

eunji nearly lost it, screaming as she jumped into the car and sped away with her friends. leaving you waving goodbye, and still wondering however did a car worked.

the two boys approached cautiously, clearly afraid to say anything that might earn them a splash of lychee drink. so you broke the silence first.

“you confessed your love to... that?” you asked jungwon, your face scrunched in confusion. “that human must have seaweed in her head, or maybe a crab controlling her brain. crabs can be pretty mean…” you pouted.

before, whenever spoke of eunji, ill or good, he’d always daydream about her, but right at the second, his attention was on you, and he was anything but mad.

“yeah, i think i did. crazy, right?” he laughed, and for the first time, he had denied eunji.

“i think that’s enough eunji for you both, i want some ice-cream so we’re leaving before that drink gets in someone else’s shirt,” jay stepped in, dragging the two of you away along the sidewalk to head back home, as you and jungwon laughed along at what had happened moments before.

TAGS: @jwonistic @garrdenwon @laylasbunbunny

EXTRA:

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prev chapter.

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all chapters.

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

I can't wait for the next part of the trio saving werewolf!reader it was so good!

Ask: I can't wait for the next part of the trio saving werewolf!reader it was so good! 

Ask: Hi! Just read part one of what is hopefully a mini-series of the trio x werewolf reader, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. If you like some suggestions on how to continue: maybe part two could be about the Reader learning how to be free, or perhaps the Trio helping reader recover enough to be able to shift back to being a human? Either way, can’t wait to see what else you have planned. Thank you so much!

[Combining the two asks here.]

A/N: My toxic trait? Answering asks for Part 2s of something I wrote over a year ago and then promptly abandoned lol. (To Read Part 1 to refresh your memory, like I had to do, click here [x].)

✥ ✥ ✥

“Do you think they’ll ever be able to turn back?” Sypha asked from where she stood, in one of the many rows of bookshelves lining the Belmont hold. 

Several levels below her, Trevor grunted as he hauled large pieces of shattered support beams to the base of the main staircase. “It’s impressive how sentient they are now, being a were-creature and all.” 

“Yes, but they don’t want to stay a creature for the rest of their lives.” 

“Well, life isn’t always fucking fair,” Trevor cursed, half-out of breath, as he began lugging the large beam up the stairs. 

“I’m fairly certain she knows that,” Alucard intervened, entering the main chamber, having just arrived fresh off the newly built lift he installed. “Speakers see far more suffering than most people, seeing as they believe it is their duty to help the less fortunate.” 

“How’s the lift?” Sypha asked, coming over to the railing. “Does it work? Were the calculations correct?” 

Alucard nodded. “I needed to modify a few measurements, considering the potential excess weight load-”

“We’re not that heavy,” Trevor interrupted. “Or do you plan to start bringing villagers in by the dozen and give tours?” 

Alucard narrowed his eyes at Trevor. “I was considering the repairs that need to be done for all the damage the night creatures inflicted. Unless of course, you’d prefer to drag that thing up yet another hundred feet.” 

Trevor huffed, refusing to show his fatigue. “What? This old thing?” He locked his knees to keep them from buckling. “Can barely feel it.” 

Sypha rolled her eyes. “Could the two of you stop competing for one second?! We’re supposed to be looking for ways to help our friend!” 

Admitting defeat, Trevor dropped the large piece of timber at the next landing. “Sypha, we’ve been at it for months. Every book says the same thing: only the shapeshifter can cause a shift at will. Outside of whoever cursed them with the affliction undoing it themselves. Or killing the shapeshifter and using death magic to alter their form post-mortem, there’s nothing any of us can do.” 

Accepting her friend had a point, Sypha took one of the adjoining bridges, healing toward Trevor as he stopped to catch his breath. 

“I could freeze that beam and toss it out you know,” she gestured to where Alucard currently stood. 

“The last time you did that, we ended up with a giant hole in the ground.” 

“That wasn’t me, that was the night creatures.” 

“But you did break the castle,” Alucard countered. “All of the gears were melted.”

“I did not! I do not break things. I am a Speaker, I fix things!” 

Alucard chuckled, sharing a knowing look with Trevor. For as knowledgeable as she was, she certainly had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. 

“In either case, it will take years to repair, even with my vampiric speed and strength. Dracula engineered those cogs and wheels over several centuries, often hiring the best blacksmiths around.” 

The trio boarded the lift together, Trevor having decided to leave the broken beam behind for another day. 

“They worked here? With him?” Sypha asked. 

“The castle’s forge is quite extensive. And no matter their level of skill, I doubt any local blacksmith’s forge would be large enough to mold such immense gears. They could only manage such creation within the walls of the castle.” 

Trevor scoffed. “Did they know who they were working for?” 

“I’m certain they had suspicions, but I doubt my Fath-, Dracula ever told them the truth.” 

“That’s-” Trevor started.

“Sad,” Sypha finished for him. “To be alone all that time. To not be able to tell anyone who you are.” 

The ingenious pulley system lift finally came to a stop as it became level with the forest ground outside the Belmont hold. 

“Is that why you wish to help them so badly?” Alucard asked, referring to their new werewolf companion. “You feel they’re lonely?” 

“Well they were lonely, back in that cage, in that life,” Sypha reminded her friends, as Alucard locked the lift in place.

“They seem better now,” Trevor remarked, being the first to disembark. “After all, you keep bugging them every day, they’re hardly lonely.” 

Sypha elbowed him, lovingly. “I do not bug them. They enjoy my company.” 

“You keep forgetting Speakers are used to traveling in large groups,” Alucard reminded Belmont, once again, as the trio made their way back toward the entrance of the castle. “It’s shocking how much you've forgotten, the two of you being companions and all.” 

“The three of us being companions,” Sypha placed a reassuring hand on Alucard’s shoulder. 

The dhampir gave a soft smile at the Speaker’s action before averting his eyes. Stepping out of her embrace, he started to ascend the many stone steps at the front of the castle. 

“It’s about time for dinner. Let me see what I can cook up.” 

✥

It had been a few months since the trio and their newfound companion arrived back home at Castlevania. Most of that time was spent with Sypha and Trevor bickering over how best to treat their new friend, while Alucard dedicated his time in between assessing the broken mechanisms of the castle to reading all of the tomes his father had collected on shapeshifting. Unfortunately, all roads pointed in the same direction: it was up to their friend to shift themselves back. 

At the present moment their werewolf friend, or Wynn, as they liked to be called, was resting in one of the many castle bedrooms. Their furry body was sprawled out over the entire length of the mattress, as they lazily tracked falling specks of dust around with their big puppy-dog eyes. 

Despite spending so much time resting, they felt exhausted this evening. It was as if the last few months of recovery meant nothing! 

‘I don’t know why I’m so tired,’ they thought, shifting to curl up in a tighter ball. 

Finally shutting their eyes, they made one final wish before drifting off to sleep, the same wish they had been making every night for god knows how long. 

‘Please let me be human when I wake up, please.’ 

✥

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon. Trevor and Alucard had woken up early to finally start clearing the major debris from the Belmont hold using the newly designed lift. So far Alucard had cleared twelve large beams while Trevor had managed to remove seven. Not that it was a competition or anything. It was at this point that Sypha had come to join them. 

“Well if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty, finally come to grace us humble footmen with her presence,” Trevor ribbed. 

“Nice pile,” Sypha gestured to Trevor’s lesser stack laid out next to Alucard’s. 

Trevor snorted. “Nice comeback.” 

Sypha crossed her arms. “I had a very long night last night. Which was entirely your fault by the way.” 

“My fault?” Trevor guffawed. “No no, I believe that last round was your fault.” 

Alucard, who had been watching amusedly from the sides, chose this moment to step in. “No, she’s right, I recall you were the one enticing us into that last round.” 

“Well, it’s not my fault if- hey,” Trevor suddenly straightened his back, and pointed to something in the distance. “Who’s that?” 

Both Alucard and Sypha turned around to see who Trevor was referring to. Almost immediately, Sypha clasped her hands together happily and began running over to meet this ‘stranger’. 

“Looks like Sypha wasn’t the last one to wake up,” Alucard nudged Trevor to come along. 

“No, but seriously, who the hell is that?” Trevor asked Alucard, keeping his wits about him. 

“You’re joking.” 

“I’ve never seen that person before in my life.” 

“That’s because you’ve never seen them before as a human.” 

Sypha, having finally reached Wynn where they stood, proudly and excitedly in their human form, pulled them in for a big hug. Clasping each other in a tight embrace, the two companion’s eyes began to water. 

“It’s so good to finally see you, my friend!” Sypha laughed, hugging Wynn closer. 

“It’s so good to be seen!” Wynn answered back, clearly overjoyed. 

After a good long moment, Sypha finally let go, turning around to face the boys. “Look who it is!” 

Wynn gave a polite wave, suddenly overcome by shyness under the focus of all three of their friends. “Um, hi? It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

Alucard stuck his hand out for a handshake, which Wynn eagerly accepted. “Likewise.” 

Sensing Trevor’s hesitation, Wynn outstretched their hand to Trevor. 

Shaking his head, Trevor grasped Wynn’s hand and pulled them in for a hug, nearly knocking them off their feet. 

Speechless and touched by Trevor’s gesture, Sypha shot a knowing look at Alucard. 

Despite being their gruff, sarcastic, and sometimes slower friend, Trevor really was like a teddy bear deep, deep underneath that jaded exterior. Sure, very few would ever come to know it unless they were close to him, but that made the trio’s relationship all the more special. And it was a very telling sign that Trevor was able to let his guard down for the sake of their new friend. 

It was as if at that very moment, the trio had become a quartet. And Wynn couldn’t be happier to finally be a part of it. 

[theysentarobottojail]

Imperfection-2

“I think you’re missing the point! This isn’t some kind of ‘research opportunity!’” 

“That’s not what was said, Kirk. We’re saying that this is an unprecedented development. If a machine can be rehabilitated, it says a lot about their potential intelligence. It is our duty to record this.” The voice through the ship’s communicator was calm and collected with a slight undercurrent of curiosity. “Preparing research protocols will take some time. It’s a good thing you’re a few days away.” 

“Don’t forget it’s also incredibly dangerous.” Kirk couldn’t help the sharp edge in his words. He’d never taken a penal colony for a bunch of easily blind fools but he certainly was close to it at that moment.

“Of course. Those blueprints of yours are practically stapled to everyone’s mind here. We’re already preparing safety protocols.” The other couldn’t help but beam at the thought. “But to think about a machine that can recognize its own flaws! Do you know what this means?”

“It slaughtered the Malurians.” Kirk’s words were dry. There was silence on the other end. “It killed all of them.”

“We’re aware. That’s why it’s coming here, after all.” If there was ever an audio equivalent for the wind being sucked out of a ship’s sails, the man’s voice was it. “We’ve got a welcoming party and everything. Should make the transition easier. It’ll be watched like a hawk by at least two guards at all times, with protocols in place in case it becomes an issue.”

“Have you figured out a way to convince it to let you examine its insides?”

“I… Beg your pardon?”

“You know, take out everything that makes it dangerous. Leave it a harmless space probe.” It felt genius when he said that, but the strange sort of stammering silence afterwards had the smile falling from Kirk’s face.

There was a swift inhale from the man on the other end. “That would be in violation of its rights. While we may not have concrete laws around machinery, if it turns out to be a sapient being, then that would be the equivalent of vivisection . Any other sapient lifeform has a right to their parts, no matter how dangerous.” 

“Are you mad?” Kirk stood up, his nose wrinkling. It took all of his will to not yell so loud that it’d find a way to Nomad’s confinement. “That machine can obliterate an entire planet’s population. It already has!”

“We understand, but those are its rights.”

“I hope for your sake it doesn’t use them.” He never thought he’d ever be choking words of that nature out so bitterly. 

★

Nurse Chapel, for a moment, honestly wished that her mandatory psyche training could be applied to herself. That she could look herself in the mirror and fix her problems. 

In essence, the nurse needed a nurse. Or a doctor. Someone else who wasn’t sharing the same weight everyone else was. A third party, honestly. 

For someone who hadn’t had their mind wiped, hers was definitely scrambled. 

Uhura had a tenuous grasp on English, maybe a little better. It was hard to tell how much damage had been done because of that. She certainly looked less vacant, less like a deer in headlights at every question. The fact she’d started with a near encyclopedic knowledge of Swahili, however, made her have a little bit more hope.

For someone who lived in an age of Warp Drives and rumors of prototyped holo-decks, Chapel hadn’t ever considered the possibility of a mind wipe. It was one of those, like considering what happened the moment your consciousness ceased. Nobody really liked to think about something they couldn’t control, and as a nurse her focus had to be on the controllable, the fixable. 

“How is she?” She nearly jolted at McCoy’s voice, for a moment thinking the damned machine was going to ambush her. He stared at her for a moment, she stared back, and the silence surrounded them. 

It felt awfully rude to talk about someone who was a few feet away in a sickbay bed. “I don’t know and I don’t like thinking about it.” Her eyes darted to Uhura and back to McCoy. His lips hardened into a grimace for a mere second. 

“Have you tried asking her anything?”

“I’m scared to.” The words were a strange, almost shaky gasp. “I don’t want to know if she’s dead. I never thought I’d–that someone could still be there and not be there.” 

“We don’t know if she is yet.” McCoy’s tone was grim, but there was some strange, strangled attempt at something . Chapel barely managed a tired nod. 

“If I could do something, I swear , I’d give Nomad what for.” Chapel’s lips turned into a snarl, teeth barely hidden behind her lips. McCoy nudged her, eyes widening as he did. Her body knew what he had seen before she did, tensing before her eyes could fall on Uhura.

The look of absolute terror in her eyes at the mention of that name had Chapel stumbling back, almost knocking McCoy over in the process. 

“Watch it.” He hissed as gently as he could, before his gaze softened and his mouth found its way back into a grimacing position. “Well, she seems to remember something.” He whispered. 

“ Why is that what she remembers?” Chapel could barely keep her shuddering voice down. “Why of all things is that what she knows?”

“It might be good news.” 

“How? How can that be good news?” It took everything in Chapel to not shout.

“Those are her newest memories. That might mean she remembers everything that happened. Or at least most of it.”

Chapel looked back to Uhura, unable to hide the horror creeping into her own eyes. She couldn’t imagine how awful it was, to remember things, but have your understanding of languages distorted. Or were the memories scrambled by language. If so, did it mean she remembered in order of language?

Chapel didn’t know which was kinder. 

★

The time had come. 

Steadily, the Enterprise had come into orbit around Envomia XII. Now came the matter of ushering Nomad into the transporter and hoping that this was the right call. Once that rubicon was crossed, there was no secret self destruct button, no act of god, no eleventh hour payout. There was just the hope that this wasn’t the worst mistake of Kirk’s career. That he wasn’t dragging a doomsday machine into the fold. 

“Come along, Nomad.” He beckoned the machine into the transporter room as if it was some kind of dog. The machine seemed to take in its surroundings, turning around in place ever so slightly. Was it curiosity? Confusion? Or was he simply anthropomorphizing it?

“The Creator will accompany me?” If it were possible, those words would have been squeaked out. Seeing the machine so meek made Kirk feel a flash of humiliation, almost. This was what had thrown his ship into disarray? 

“No, Nomad. You see, I’m not defective. There’s no need for me to accompany you.” Kirk held up one hand, a strange sort of gesture. Nomad seemed to stare at him, speechless for once in its existence. It turned away, almost as if cast out of Eden, and floated defeatedly to the transporter. 

“Will I see—” It was cut off by the energizing process.

“Hopefully not.” Kirk couldn’t hold back the hiss in his voice. 

★

Envomia XII was usually quiet despite its designation as a penal colony. Most of the ruckus came when a more unwieldy convict was introduced, but that was few and far between. Most apprehended in this quadrant who ended up at Envomia XII were at least crafty enough to keep their mouths shut and not start fights.

Soril was a decent warden, most of the time. Most of his flaws came from his background in psychology. While enjoyment was an emotion, and therefore something he was meant to suppress, but it still bubbled to the surface when he found a fascinating case. The illogical natures of some criminals could be infuriating, sure, but seeing the twisted logic of others was terribly fascinating. 

The last arrival he’d taken in was terribly docile, likely to be released soon. He didn’t need a mind meld to tell him that. Still, what drove someone so seemingly naive to take over a starship?

“Soril.” The voice was rattly, rather strange for someone in security. Soril sat up, freeing himself of his thoughts. It was something he couldn’t seem to overcome, no matter what he did. Raising an eyebrow, he faced the woman, taking note of the fact she was clutching her phaser like it was a lifeline. 

“I am going to assume it is–”

“The new arrival, yes.” She took a glance behind her, as if she was being pursued by something terrible and hungry. Soril hunched down, now terribly aware of his height and presence. The guard looked back over, the red streak of her rank becoming visible on her midnight gray uniform. “It caused quite a ruckus when it arrived. We had to stun it.”

“If you would allow me to–”

“Absolutely not!” The guard crinkled her nose, whites of her yellow eyes finally becoming visible. Soril doubted her species had any sort of color changing ability, but he swore the blue of her skin had become brighter. “Kirk stated that this thing is not to be mind melded with under any circumstances!”

Soril could feel the pause in the conversation as the other stepped aside. “Is it secured?”

“Yes, it’s in its quarters now. Kirk ordered it to be on its own. For safety.” The guard threw her head back and let out the loudest sigh Soril had ever heard. “...Since you’re one of the ‘blues,’ it’s your job to poke the thing’s mind—” She shot Soril a glare before he could even think, “--with your words. No contact, no linking, nothing. Use your head.” 

Soril sighed. “If you keep limiting–”

“Stop having a death wish and just get moving. Please.” 

“Has nobody told you to work on your attitude? If not, then I will be rationally inclined to offer some easy solutions for you.” 

“It’s not my job to be nice or diplomatic.” The guard grimaced, dull teeth grinding together for a moment.

“What a terribly backwards way of thinking.” 

“I feel you’d love ancient humanity. They were big on mind games and torture too.”

“If I were emotional, that would have wounded me.” Soril admitted.

“Assuming it already hasn’t.” The guard snickered, a smug smirk crossing her face.

[marauderundercover]

This Side of Normal Chapter Three

Previous

AO3

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is tired. She’s tired of emotional terrorists and liars and classes with a teacher who cares more about keeping the peace than teaching. She’s also just plain tired. Taking a long swig of coffee, Marinette jumps slightly as someone flounces down next to her. Wearily glancing over, she frowns at the look on her best friend’s face. Her mind runs a million miles a minute as she searches for the reason for the look on his face. The conversation on the roof with Jason flashes in her mind and she frowns, realizing why he looks so sad.

“Adrien-” She starts, but he shakes his head.

“I know, Mari. I know he’s our best suspect but...it doesn’t make it hurt any less.” He says, slouching so that he can lay his head on her shoulder. Marinette sighs in response

“You’re gonna get in trouble sitting back here, kitty.” She mumbles, trying not to laugh at the absolutely adorable pout on his face that forms once she’s done talking.

“It’s worth it. I hate sitting by Lila.” He grumbles, the sad look on his face breaking Marinette’s heart.

“I-Well, maybe Mme. Bustier won’t notice.” She offers with a small smile. The smile falls almost immediately as a loud gasp rings throughout the room.

“Mme. Bustier, isn’t Adrien’s seat in the front row? Has the seating chart changed again?” Lila asks, her voice wobbly with tears. “Do I- do I have to sit by myself?” She adds. Marinette groans and drops her head onto the desk.

“Adrien? Why don’t you come back to your seat. We’re going to start class soon.” Mme. Bustier calls out.

“Sorry, guess I spoke too soon.” Marinette mumbles from her spot against the table. Adrien groans, but drags his bag down to the front row, furrowing his eyebrows as Lila immediately attaches herself to his arm. Marinette rolls her eyes, trying her hardest to pay attention to the lecture when all she wants to do is sleep. Between Ladybug duties, commissions, and homework, Marinette was lucky to get more than a couple hours of sleep each night. Add in the fact that once she could go to sleep her brain wouldn’t shut off, and Marinette was ready to petition her parents for an IV drip for her coffee. Having been completely zoned out for the entire class, Marinette jumps when the telltale sound of an akuma alarm suddenly blares throughout the room. Pulling out her phone, Marinette curses under her breath. Another element based akuma. Quickly grabbing her bag, Marinette follows the rest of the class towards the akuma shelter, silently slipping away and into the bathroom. She wastes no time in transforming, instead swinging herself out the window and to the fight.

----

Glancing down at his computer, Jason frowns. Gabriel Agreste has a kid. A kid Damian’s age, who lives in Paris. If Gabriel Agreste really was Hawkmoth, he was doing it knowing that his kid could get caught in the crossfire. Damn shitty parents. Letting out a shaky breath, Jason tries to think about things that calm him. Breathe. Can’t get pissed off here. Can’t make it harder on those kids than it already is. Deciding enough is enough when it comes to research (especially since he didn’t give Replacement specifics, just told him to look into anything sketchy with Agreste), Jason walks over and glances out the hotel window. A sudden alarm blaring through the hotel makes him sigh in frustration. It was the same alarm from last time, when he watched Paris flood and hundreds of bodies float in the streets. Climbing out onto the fire escape, Jason hurries up to the roof, scanning the horizon in hopes of seeing the akuma.

“Shit.” He says, eyes widening at the sight of flames twenty feet high. Regretting letting Bruce convince him to leave the helmet in Gotham, Jason has no choice but to watch the akuma fight from afar. Even if the two heroes hadn’t recognized him, Jason was in Paris on “official” W.E. business. Being recognized as Bruce Wayne’s adoptive son while fighting a supervillain? Probably not the best idea. He’d do more damage than help, and at least by staying away from the fight, he could help the kids later. And maybe track down the son of a bitch who decided focusing the majority of his attacks on a school was a good idea.

----

Jason grit his teeth as the lights flashed and ladybugs flew around, fixing up the city. This battle took almost three hours, and the smell of burning flesh was lingering, despite all of the corpses being reanimated. Huffing, Jason climbs back off the roof, only thinking one thing. There was no way in hell he was leaving Paris until Hawkmoth was out of commission.

----

Landing softly on the rooftop, Marinette glances over at the strange man. Jason. The man who, for some reason, was willing to train them late at night on top of a roof, just so they could fight out of the suits. Not that he understood everything that the suits could do, but that was for the best. Even though his intentions seemed genuine, Marinette had learned not to trust easily anymore. Ever since Lila came, Marinette was wearier, and more likely to ask questions before accepting someone.

“Here’s your mask, if you wanna go ahead and change and start doing some basic stretches.” Jason instructs, getting right down to business as he passes the black domino mask to her. Marinette nods and flits behind the chimney.

“Spots off.” She says quietly, grinning at Tikki.

“Is this really a good idea?” Tikki asks, her face scrunched up with worry. Marinette sighs at her friend.

“He’s gonna help us find Hawkmoth. And he has a point. What happens if I can’t transform but someone still needs my help? I don’t want to be helpless, Tikki.” Marinette says.

“Just be careful, you don’t have the suit to stop you from being too injured.” Tikki warns before flying to the top of the chimney. Marinette hesitates a second before sliding the domino mask on, blinking to get used to the eye cover. It was...weird, having a mask on that wasn’t magic. With the mask that came with her suit, Marinette couldn’t feel it. It was just there, part of her. The domino mask, though, was solid. She could feel it resting on her face. Taking a breath to steady herself, Marinette walked out from behind the chimney.

“Chat Noir’s changing over there.” Jason says when he notices her, nodding towards an air duct on the opposite side of the roof.

“Thank you, for offering to help us.” Marinette says, Jason nods, a tense smile on his face.

“No problem.” He says.

“Did you happen to look into Gabriel Agreste today?” She asks.

“Yeah, what kind of asshole decides to be an emotional terrorist in a city where his kid lives?” Jason asks, a dark look crossing his face. Marinette flinches, looking at Jason nervously. If he had the means to train them, she really didn’t want to deal with him as an akuma.

“Gabriel Agreste, apparently.” Adrien says, finally joining the two, his arms crossed. Marinette frowns at him. It was much harder to read his face with his eyes hidden.

“So did you guys want me to look more into Agreste?” He asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks between the two. Marinette glances at Adrien, letting out a small breath when she sees his small nod.

“Yeah. Even if it’s not Gabriel, we need to know for sure.” She says. Jason nods.

“Alright. That gives me something to do tomorrow. Now, stretch and warm up. I don’t wanna have to drag your asses off this roof ‘cause you pulled something trying to jump right into things.” Jason says, a teasing grin on his face. Marinette grins back, finally feeling lighter. Maybe training would be a good thing.

----

Training was hell. Okay, maybe not hell, but it was not easy. Gasping for air, Marinette dramatically collapses on the roof.

“Aw come on Pixie, you can do better than that.” Jason teases, still standing in a sparring stance.

“Jay, I swear. We’ve been training for over a week. I’m exhausted. And you’ve already kicked my ass twice. I’m giving up.” She says, throwing her arm over her face to block out the lights from the surrounding street lamps.

“Come on Bug, don’t give up!” Adrien cheers from the side, a smirk on his face. Marinette sits up and narrows her eyes at him, despite knowing the mask wouldn’t let him see her eyes. And the level of done that was visible there.

“Why don’t you try again?” She asks in a taunting tone. Adrien snorts.

“You and I both know that I can’t beat Jason.” He says, shaking his head in amusement.

“Not with that attitude. Come on kid, let’s go.” Jason says, turning to face Adrien instead of Marinette. An idea flashes into Marinette’s head and she smirks, lunging forward and yanking Jason down as his attention is completely on Adrien. Grabbing his wrists as he falls, Marinette manages to twist him around so that his face is against the rooftop and his arms are bent behind him.

“Okay, okay, I tap out.” Jason chuckles, accepting Marinette’s hand when she jumps up and reaches out to help him up.

“I won.” She says with a wide grin.

“You totally cheated.” Jason replies with a snort.

“Nah, Kitty and I just worked together to outsmart you.” Mari says.

“Don’t drag me into this, I had no idea what was happening ‘til Jay was on the ground.” Adrien says, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Traitor.” Marinette huffs, sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

“Hey, you guys are gonna have to go home soon.” Jason says, glancing down at his watch. Marinette frowns.

“What about the Plan?” She asks. “I thought we were gonna work on that tonight so that we have an actual plan to stop Hawkmoth instead of just letting him run around and terrorize people nonstop.”

“Pixie, it’s late. I promise we’ll start with planning tomorrow. But you guys need to go get some sleep. Chat told me you’re already living off of coffee alone. That’s not healthy.” Jason says. Marinette rolls her eyes, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

“Coffee is my life fuel and I will not apologize.” She says, making both Chat and Jason groan.

“You’re worse than my brother.” Jason says and Mari grins.

“I’m sure we’d get along swimmingly.” She says, and Chat shakes his head.

“Nope. I draw the line at your coffee addicted butt meeting another coffee addict. I’m not about to watch that train wreck.” He says, grabbing Mari’s hand and tugging her behind the chimney so they can transform. Saying their phrases quickly, the two dart back over to Jason.

“Same time?” Marinette asks with a bright smile. Jason nods. Marinette waves, running over to the edge of the building and swinging away, waving at Adrien as he vaults towards his house. As she lands on her balcony, Marinette can't help the wide smile that stretches across her face. Maybe they could finally end this.

Next

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Love Is Not Forced ~ Love Me

MASTERLIST

The following is a one shot for my series, Love Is Not Forced.

Word Count: 3,300ish

Summary: King Steven and Queen Y/N of Brooklyn are having some troubles.

Warnings: talks about sex, human birth (not too graphic)

Steven wouldn’t let Y/N lift a finger, sometimes even the baby. Yes, she was still exhausted from the strain of child birth, but she wanted to hold her child. So, when Steven was out of the bedroom, finally, doing something for the kingdom, Wanda helped Y/N up and to the small bassinet in the corner of their room. She was rocking the swaddled baby boy in her arms when Steven walked in.

“Darling,” Steven’s tone already sounded reprimanding as took large strides across the room. “What have I told you about holding Tallen? You need your rest. Here,” he held his arms out and moved to take him from you, “let me—“

“No,” she firmly responded. 

“No? Y/N, darling, you really need—“

“I really need to hold my child. And my child really needs his mother to hold him as well. I can do this. Our little Prince won’t do anything to hurt me.”

Steven sighed. “At least sit down.”

Y/N let Steven led her back to their bed. He helped her settle in, keeping Tallen in her arms, comfortably. As he watched his Queen look lovingly down at his little Prince, he knew that he would do anything to protect them. Anything. Even if that made him suffer.

~~~

It had been three months since Tallen’s birth, and Y/N was back up and doing her royal duties. Steven still wanted her to take it easy despite both the Queen and Doctor Strange saying that she was fine. Tallen was sleeping in the nursery now, rarely waking through the night. That allowed Y/N and Steven sometime alone. 

But, Y/N had noticed, ever since Tallen had been born, that Steven was careful about touching her and was becoming more distant. Even his kisses had become more on her forehead and cheeks than her lips. The Queen had noticed that her body had changed after the birth, and she was beginning to think that Steven didn’t want her anymore. One night, she was in her night robes getting ready for bed as Steven came in for the day. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Y/N greeted. “How was your day?”

“It was fine,” Steven replied. “Just trying to do what’s best for our kingdom.” 

He walked over, kissed her head and began to unbutton his shirt, revealing his perfectly sculpted body. This caught Y/N’s eye in the mirror she was facing.

“Steven?” She nervously called.

“Hmm?” He hummed, still focusing on changing.

“Did I… did I do something to upset you?” She asked, timidly, turning to face her husband.

Steven’s head snapped up to look at her. “Why would you think that, my darling?”

“Because you don’t… you haven’t… never mind.” Y/N shook her head, getting back to what she was doing.

“No, not never mind.” Steven walked closer. He stopped so that he was behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Something’s obviously bothering you, my darling. I obviously did something to make you think that you upset me. And I can’t fix it unless I know what you’re feeling and what I did.”

“You haven’t… you haven’t touched me.” Y/N flinched as the words came out of her mouth, she sounded desperate.

“I haven’t touched you?” Steven repeated, trying to not understand what his wife meant. But he already knew.

“Ever since Tallen was born, you barely touch me. I can’t even remember the last time my lips felt yours… Do you… I know that my body’s changed since our son came, but am I not attractive to you anymore?”

“My darling,” Steven quickly got down on his knees and turned her around, “you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I—“

“Then have you taken up a mistress? Has she been able to satisfied you in ways I haven’t?”

“No, darling, no.” Steven shook his head. “I would never.” He cupped one of her cheeks. Y/N immediately leaned into the touch, craving any she could get from him. “You are all I need.”

She reached up and intertwined her hand with his. “Then what’s going on? Why won’t you touch me? Show me that you love me?”

“Cause I can’t,” he whispered through a sigh. Pulling his hand away, Y/N tried to stop him but wasn’t fast enough. “I can’t.” He quickly stood up, walking into the ensuite. 

“Steven,” she got up as well, following him. “We have to talk about this. You won’t even kiss me.”

“I can’t,” he responded, quiet yet firm.

“You keep saying that, but you won’t give me a reason. Please, Steven,” she took one of his large hands in both of hers. “Just talk to me.”

He pulled his hand away, not looking at her. “I’m going to sleep in my separate quarters.” He headed towards the door.

“Really? You can’t be serious? Steven, please.”

“Stop, Y/N. I’m tired, we can talk in the morning.”

“I’m not understanding why we can’t take right now. I just want to know what’s going on and do my best to fix it.”

“You can’t.”

“Then just come to bed and make love to me.”

“I can’t,” Steven practically growled.

Y/N had never heard him use that tone with her before, but she was determined to find out what was going on.

“Why? Why can’t you?”

“Because you almost died.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You almost died having our child and I can’t risk that again.”

“That’s what this is about? Steven, women have babies every day things happen. If I end up getting pregnant, we’ll handle it. Just like we’ve handled everything else thrown our way. And if I die—“

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself!” Steven shouted. Y/N took a large step back, heart pounding. “If you were to die in child birth, it would be all my fault! And I can’t live with that!”

“So you’d rather not love me? Rather not even kiss me?”

“If that’s what it takes to keep you alive, yes.” He opened the door.

Y/N reached out to him. “Steven—“

“No!” He slapped her hand away, completely shocking her. “We’re not talking about this anymore, that’s an order!” 

Steven slammed the door shut on his way out. Leaving Y/N slightly trembling in place. The hand that he had slapped away as being held close to her chest. She tried to calm herself down, act strong. But she couldn’t.

Steven was outside the door, regretting everything that happened, when he heard Y/N’s sobs begin. It always broke his heart to hear her cry, but it practically tore his heart out of his chest right now knowing that it was his fault. He stood there, outside the door, as her sobs out worse. He longed to go in and comfort her. But he could not trust himself to do so and not get carried away. 

This was for her safety, he kept telling himself. He couldn’t stand what he had just done to her, shutting her away like that. But the thought of her being on death’s door to bring another one of his children into the world, made him able to live with himself a little more. Just a little.

~~~

The next morning, Y/N did not attend breakfast, she ordered it to be brought to her. Steven was not that surprised. It even didn’t surprise him that she didn’t attend to her duties that day. He understood she needed time. What surprised him was that she was still holding herself away in their room a week later. 

The King was beginning to worry and so were the members of his court. His closest friends had asked about her all week, but he simply brushed it off. Steven was shocked when Natasha asked him about his wife, since she tended to know everything. Later that day, the King found out that the only two people that Y/N had been allowing in their room was Wanda and the new Prince.

Steven knew that it was time for him to step in, try to fix the damage he caused. So, wanting to spend dinner with his wife, the King caught Wanda heading to their room with a tray.

“Your Majesty,” Wanda said curtly, with a small curtsy.

“Wanda. I was looking for you.”

“Yes?”

“How is she?”

“I’ve been ordered not to tell you.”

“I am the King. I make the orders.”

“Not my orders. I am here for the Queen.”

“Just, please, tell me Wanda.”

“No. Excuse me, Your Majesty, I must get this food to Her Majesty before it’s cold.”

Letting Wanda pass him, he followed her silently a few feet behind. Once Wanda was inside the room and the door was shut, Steven put his ear to the door.

“Please, Y/N,” Wanda pled. “You must eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” Y/N replied in a monotone.

“You have not eaten for days. This is not healthy.”

“I said I’m not hungry.”

Steven heard Wanda sigh. “He asked about you today.” Y/N didn’t respond. “The King might be coming around.” Still nothing. “Y/N—“

“You can go now, Wanda. I won’t need anything the rest of the night. Please see to it that Tallen is taken care of. I don’t have the energy for him tonight.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Wanda sighed.

Steven took a step away from the door, waiting for Wanda to exit. She wasn’t all that surprised to find the King standing outside the door. She shut the door as quickly and gently as she could.

“What did you hear?” She asked.

“Everything,” Steven answered. “She hasn’t been eating?”

“I haven’t been able to get her to, no.”

“I’ll go in there and tell her to.” Steven took a step toward the door but Wanda stepped in the way.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Especially since what happened the last time you two talked.”

“I didn’t mean to slap her away or talk to her like that. I just… I can’t take the risk of her getting pregnant again.”

“This is not the conversation we should be having. You and Y/N should be having it. So I’m just going to say this, you forced memories to be brought back up. It had been well before the Prince was born since she had a nightmare about what happened when she was with HYDRA. Your tone, you slapping her away, triggered them.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t mean it.”

“She’s not sleeping. Not eating. Honestly, she barely holds the Prince when I bring him. Y/N’s scared. Scared that you’ll do that to her again, scared the your fears will tear your marriage apart. Now,” she took a deep breath, “I’ve said enough. You need to go in there and fix this.”

Wanda walked away, leaving Steven standing there, thinking about all she said. He was letting his fears get in the way and destroy is marriage. Steven just couldn’t afford to lose her. Y/N was his world, and he definitely hasn’t treated her that way. With a shaky breath, Steven walked in to his room. There used to be so much happiness and love that filled their room, it broke him to walk in and feel none of that.

Y/N was sitting on the bed, looking out the window. She heard the door open but made no move to see who it was. She knew though, just by the footsteps. It made her close her eyes, not ready to see her husband just yet.

“Wanda says you haven’t been eating,” he stated softly, coming around the bed. “And that…. And that the memories are coming back.” A tear slipped through Y/N’s closed eyes and slowly trailed down her cheek. “I’m so incredibly sorry, my darling.” Steven sat in the chair in front of his wife. “I promised to never to anything to hurt you again and to make you the happiness woman alive, and I have failed you in that. I let my fear take over. And for that, there are not enough apologies in the world… I love you more than life itself. It was absolutely terrifying when I thought I would lose you when Tallen was born. I never want to have to feel that way again. But… seeing you like this, not talking to you this week, having done what I did. It’s almost just as bad.” Steven waited to see if Y/N would saying anything, she didn’t. “Y/N, please, say something.”

“I see him,” she whispered, still not opening her eyes. “I see Brock every time I fall asleep. And…” She slowly opened her eyes. “And I cry out for you every time. Though I’m mad at you for causing this, I know that you’re the only one who can fix this. But you won’t touch me. You won’t kiss me, you won’t hold me. And I can’t… I can’t do this anymore. I can’t go on without you. But if you don’t want me—“

“No, my darling,” Steven grasped her hands in his. “I want you, more than anything. Please don’t think I don’t ever want you. I haven’t touched you because each time I do, it makes my desire for you grow. Please believe me when I tell you that you’re it for me, that you’re all I will ever want or need.”

“Then love me, Steven. Love me like this is our last day on earth. Kiss me like there’s no tomorrow and never let me go. I can’t go on like this anymore… Please. Help me. Make me feel better.”

Steven’s hands quickly cupped her cheeks and he pulled her into a kiss. Steven’s tongue begged entrance into her mouth as he poured all is love and apologies into the kiss. Y/N welcomed it, her hands coming up to hold his hands in place. Neither of them wanted to break apart for hair, but they knew they had to. Steven looked into Y/N’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, my darling. I’ll fix this. I’ll take it all away.”

~~~

Steven made love to Y/N throughout the whole night. When the two of them were tired, he made sure to wrap his wife up in his arms and hold her close to him. He was so stupid for thinking that he could live without loving her, so stupid for hurting her. As Y/N slowly fell asleep, he peppered her head, shoulder, and neck with kisses.

The morning came without Y/N having any nightmare and with Steven still at her side. He ordered the court to handle things for the day because he was going to spend it with his wife and child. The husband and wife spent most of the day in bed, showing each other how much they loved each other.

It would be about 5 weeks later when the consequences of their actions would begin to show. Y/N woke up in the middle of the night, with the urge to vomit. She rushed to the connected bathroom, letting it all go. Steven immediately noticed the empty bed and heard her in the bathroom. He told the guards outside to go get Dr. Strange before he went to comfort his wife.

Steven held Y/N’s hair back as she let all her stomach go. When she was done, she willingly let him carrying her back to bed. Dr. Strange wasn’t far behind. Steven stayed in the room, holding onto Y/N’s hand, while Dr. Strange confirmed what he already knew. The Queen was pregnant. 

“Is there anyway we can stop what happened last time from happening?” The King asked when Dr. Strange prompted them for questions. “I can’t… I can’t do that again.”

“Well, after about week 12, I’m going to recommend bedrest. Just for the best safety outcome for the baby and Her Majesty.”

“Okay,” Y/N said quietly, her free hand holding her stomach. “I won’t fight like I have. For me and our baby.”

“Take it easy while you’re not on bedrest. Knowing you, my Queen, you’re going to want to spend as much time on the beach as you can before it’s 6 months in bed.”

“Thank you, Dr. Strange,” Steven said as the doctor packed up.

“You’re welcome.” Strange headed to the door. “I’ll come back for weekly check ups.” 

After the doctor left and the couple was alone, Y/N turned to her husband. It was clear he was worried.

“Hey,” she called softly, turning his head to face her. “Are you going to be okay?”

Steven sighed. “I want to me. I’m excited and absolutely terrified at the same time. I just…” He brought her hand up for a kiss. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t…. I will always be with you.”

~~~

Y/N and Steven spent everyday that Y/N could on the beach with Tallen. Once the Queen was on bedrest, the King did everything in his power to make her happy. And she tried everything not to be too annoyed with the fact she couldn’t leave their room, though it didn’t work all the time.

Eventually, it was time for the baby to come. Both parents were absolutely terrified, though Y/N tried her best not to show it. Steven didn’t even have to fight to stay in the room, everyone knew he wasn’t going to leave. He sat behind Y/N, propping her up when it was time to push.

“You can do this, darling,” he whispered, giving her a kiss. “You’re the strongest woman I know. You’ve got this.”

She nodded through the pain before Dr. Strange told her to push. The labor had lasted a lot longer than Tallen’s labor had, so she was already exhausted before she even had to start pushing. Steven continued to cheer her on as Y/N screamed through the pain. 

“One last push Your Majesty!” Dr. Strange exclaimed. “Almost there!”

“I can’t…” She panted. “I can’t…”

“Yes you can,” Steven responded, giving her a kiss on the temple. “You did it with Tallen, you can do it with this child. Just one more then our baby’s here and you can rest.”

“Okay…”

“Okay, my Queen, push,” Strange ordered.

With all the energy left in her, Y/N pushed, letting out a pained cried. When she was down, she collapsed back into Steve, exhausted. 

“You did so good, my darling,” Steven whispered against her hair. “So good.”

They heard a baby’s cry. They looked over to see Dr. Strange holding up a baby.

“It’s a girl,” the doctor stated. He came over and rested the baby on Y/N’s chest. “Congratulations.”

“She’s beautiful,” Y/N whispered.

“She’s… she’s…” Steven started crying.

“Oh, honey. It’s okay. We’re okay.”

“I almost ruined this. I almost let fear win. If I had, she wouldn’t be here right now. We wouldn’t be here right now. I’m so sorry, Y/N… I’m so sorry, my little Princess.”

“Steven. Please stop being so hard on yourself. We’re all okay. You need to move and on forgive yourself, cause I have. And your daughter will never need to know what happened. Want to hold her?”

Steven nodded, before carefully taking the Princess off of Y/N’s chest. Y/N’s heart melted at the sight before him. The little Princess already had the King wrapped around her finger, just like the Queen.

“She’s amazing,” Steven said in awe. 

“We need to name her,” Y/N said. 

“You choose.”

“How about Madeline?”

“Madeline… it’s perfect. Hello, my little Madeline.”

WAR

[qqueenofhades]

Do you think the technology/internet/broad access revolution we are in will change things for POC, queer people, racism, etc?

I think it's obvious that it already has? If you're asking whether technology/social media will change things re: marginalised people for the better, the jury is still out, and we're at a critical tipping point (both in America, but also worldwide) as to whether empirical reality, critical nuance, and acceptance of facts that don't fit your preferred worldview are going to have any continuing relevance to our political and social systems whatsoever. The internet has done a lot of good things, but the instant social media became a place where a) competing ideological narratives and outright fake news were all treated as equally valid, as long as it drove traffic and made money, and b) the owners of these platforms absolved their duty to control them with a shrug of "free speech," we were destined to go down this path, where we all inhabit custom-made information universes where we only ever interact with like-minded people, any critique becomes a sign of insufficient loyalty to The Cause, and collective civic responsibility no longer exists, but is instead replaced by downright sociopathic ultra-libertarian selfishness packaged as "individual freedom." (Just witness how some people have behaved during Covid, refusing even the slightest restrictions, even if making sacrifices would help save other, less fortunate people.) Not to sound like a grumpy old woman, but I think the impact on the real world was truly devastating and, in the short term at least, genuinely irreparable.

The internet has done us the service of connecting and empowering marginalised people who would never have met each other otherwise, providing the entirety of human knowledge at the touch of a button, raising visibility, and so forth. However, we are at an absolute crisis point of whether we're going to let people behave, act, legislate (and try to legislate for others) according to their preferred Facebook feed-version of reality, because see again: the monetization of information, no matter what kind of information, was always going to lead to this. We are just now realizing the devastating consequences of large segments of society walking around in their own personal universes and simply rejecting tenets of empirical reality that do not conform to their own ideology. The problem is, when a lot of people (on both the extreme right and the extreme left) live in lulu-land because of what they consume online, it inevitably affects everyone else. Social media makes it incredibly and poisonously easy to enter an entire information ecosystem that reinforces itself, therefore self-justifying itself in an entire universe of total bullshit, and once people get into that echo chamber, it is very hard (albeit not impossible) to get out.

So, you say. This all sounds awfully pessimistic. What would I do about it? Well, this is the part where I have to say that while I have ideas, and they're things I try to do for myself, it's not anything I can pull off alone. I have talked at length about how the humanities (and their attendant critical thinking skills) have been repeatedly, deliberately, and extensively devalued in late capitalism, precisely because they a) don't generate Production For The Machine and b) encourage people to ask awkward questions about power and control. As long as people aren't explicitly taught how to push back on this stuff, or aren't able to reject something -- even if it fits with their Ideology -- because it isn't true, we're going to be stuck in this mess. I'm not optimistic that legislative efforts against Big Tech will have any effect. I'm glad that at least we saw, however completely terrible it was/is, the stark result of alternate-universe grievance politics on January 6, and in the conservative media loudmouths dogpiling on the Covid vaccine as an attempted way to hurt those liberal sissies who believe in science. It's no coincidence that the states with the lowest vaccination rates are deep-red Trump-supporting southern states. It's only now, as the pandemic resurges in those exact places, that (once more out of expediency) the conservative "news" is finally, tepidly endorsing the idea that huh, maybe you should get vaccinated.

Anyway. The relentless monetization of social media at the expense of any kind of moderation for hate speech, the encouragement that you can post anything you want and never face any consequences Because Free Speech, and the way that we have all seen the vast and horrifically ugly prejudices that the social media universe has both exposed and cultivated anew... it's all pretty much a giant shitburger, if you ask me. I don't know how to quickly fix it. It's way too easy to exist in a bubble, to horrifically bully strangers you will never meet, and to have real and terribly detrimental consequences on our offline lives as a result. The internet obviously isn't going away, but if we don't seriously grapple with the kind of anti-citizens it's made us, I'm not sure what's going to happen, or if it's anything we should want.

I would like to think that we will slowly learn to use this awesome power more responsibly, and reverse some of the incredible damage that has been done, but if that does happen, it'll come when we've already hit rock bottom. Again, it has done good things: the worldwide protests after George Floyd's death, for example, would have been completely impossible without modern technology, in any number of ways. But if it's going to be a concrete social good for all of us, let alone the most vulnerable among us, we have so very far to go, and the global systems in place have absolutely no interest in enabling a reversal of the current trends. So. We will see, but I'm not too hopeful.

[sxypigeon]

Shepard is done with everyone's bullshit

Chapter 2 of An Extra Extended Ending

Summary: Because I hated the ending of the third Mass Effect game so much, I made my own with black jack and hookers. FemShep x Liara with damn near every character is the third game making an appearance.

Chapter 1

***

“How long until communications can reach beyond Sol?”

“It’s unclear,” the asari comm technician said hesitantly; the hum of the ship's electronics seemed to grow in the silence. “Quantum communication seems to be unsalvageable. That just leaves the Sol relay, but our latest reports indicate it sustained damage from the firing of the crucible.”

Sparatus sighed heavily and closed his eyes; this was a hollow victory until he knew the fate of Palaven. “Is there anyone working on it now?”

“No, sir. Those reports only came in minutes ago.”

“What about the team working on the crucible?” Tevos asked. “The brightest minds in the galaxy would have the best chance of fixing it – the sooner the better.” The asari councilor paced around a circular display in the middle of the CIC of the Destiny Ascension looking every bit as impatient as her turian colleague.

“They may be able to, but there is another group we would be foolish to ignore,” Valern muttered quietly, staring at the three dimensional screen, watching the number of surviving ships increase slowly as communication was reestablished ship-by-ship.

“What are you . . .” A look of alarm crossed Sparatus’ face. “No,” the turian said stiffly as he pushed himself away from the display.

“Is it really that terrifying of an idea? It’s only a matter of time before the geth come back online. If we act soon, we may be able to keep our alliance with them intact, maybe even strengthen it.” The salarian folded his arms across his chest and eyed Sparatus intently.

He narrowed his eyes. “Or they may turn on us the moment they realize they have nothing more to gain from our alliance. It’s one thing to cooperate when there is no choice, but what would be their incentive now?”

Valern shook his head condescendingly. “The geth are not as shortsighted as you think.” He brought up the pre-fight fleet numbers. “If even a fraction of their troops survived, it would be in their best interest to repair the relays,” he stated firmly, pointing at the image. “They value knowledge above all else and what better source is there than the relays?”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve come in contact with an AI species. There is too much at risk,” Tevos said quietly from across the room. “If we act quickly-”

“We’ll what? Destroy all of the units in Sol?” Valern shouted over the asari councilor. “How many more do you think are out there? We’d be risking another war - one we are ill prepared for.”

“And you want to send them to work on the relay?! What happens when they acquire the knowledge they seek? What’s to stop them from using it against the rest of the galaxy?” Sparatus marched back to the display and brought up images of the Citadel attack nearly four years earlier. “This is what will happen. They have no use for organics. They made that abundantly clear!”

The salarian councilor shook his head in frustration. “We know how persuasive the Reapers can be and yet even after being attacked by the quarians and being on the verge of annihilating them, they agreed to a truce. These are not simple machines, Sparatus!”

“Why are you so convinced?” Tevos asked suspiciously. She walked slowly around the display toward him. “You were vocally against curing the genophage, why is this different?” She fixed on him with a penetrating stare. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Valern scoffed at the accusation. “I see I’m alone in my conviction. What more can I say to either of you?” With a last impatient glare at his colleagues, the salarian turned and strode from the room. “If not as an act of the Council, then as an act of the salarian people, the geth will be brought back online!” he called back as the door closed behind him.

A tense silence followed Valern and lingered long after he left. “Do we even know if any of the science team is still in Sol?” Sparatus asked quietly while bracing himself on the terminal in front of him.

“No, but we will know soon enough,” she said before sending out the call for help.

***

Spirits, it’s a miracle she survived, the head nurse thought as he wheeled the patient out of surgery. At least it’s a bit of good news . . . Sure could use a bit more, though.

A sea of medics split to allow the turian and human through the bustling ward. Endless lines of beds on either side of the walkway were filled with too many injured, too many that would not last the next twenty-four hours. That’s not- No, I can’t think like that. There’s too much to do to focus on something so trivial. You’re in charge of this ward, damn it! You have lives to save. . .

He squeezed the gurney between two others and began setting up IVs and monitoring equipment. I need to make my rounds soon. We should be getting another shipment of refugees from the Citadel soon- He froze and stared at the patient. She’s not supposed to be waking up yet! “Ma’am, can you hear me?” he asked, staring down at her.

The woman drowsily blinked for a moment before lifting her eyes and focusing on the turian . . . and letting out a sudden, terrified scream. “AHHHH!!!”

Damn it, not again. “Ma’am, it’s okay. You’re aboard the Destiny Ascension.” Another blood-curdling scream. “Ma’am, you’re safe! You were injured-”

“Hey! That’s enough!” Both quickly looked over to the next bed and saw the occupant giving them a stern glare. “I know turians are ugly, but you’re going to make the guy self-conscious if you keep up the screaming.”

The woman stared, gaping at the other patient, long enough for the nurse to inject a sedative into her IV. “There you go, ma’am. Just relax.” They watched tensely as the woman quickly sank bonelessly back into her pillow. Finally. I’m not going to live this down any time soon, he thought as other orderlies snickered as they passed.

“So, who do I need to talk to to get out of here?” the other patient asked after a moment.

“Myself,” he said as he finished setting up the sleeping woman’s monitoring equipment. “Is there somewhere you need to be?”

“I figured you could use another empty bed.”

“What I need is for my patients to recover sufficiently, regardless of how much they think otherwise.” He walked over to the patient and looked at her chart. Human female, numerous serious burns, deep puncture wound to the right side, three fractured ribs – well this just goes on and on. “How are you feeling, ma’am?”

“Fantastic,” she said dryly inspecting the bandages on her hands and arms. “The pain meds wore off a while ago – No! No, I’m not asking for more.”

“If you need them-”

The patient shook her head. “I’m okay. I just,” she paused for a moment and chose her words carefully, “I need to be doing something. I can’t just lay here and – and think. Just give me a once over before you make me stay . . . please.”

He recognized the quiet desperation in her voice and the pleading in her eyes. “Fine.” With a healthy amount of skepticism, the turian gently unwrapped the bandages on her left arm. That can’t be right- He checked the chart again. How the hell? Humans aren’t supposed to heal this quickly. This is more in line with a krogan . . . maybe even faster.

“It’s not pretty, but it’s still better than it was before,” she said quietly, examining the slightly inflamed skin.

“Remarkable is what it is.” He unbandaged the other arm and stared in numb disbelief. “There has to be some sort of mistake in your chart-”

“I think you’ll find my side is sufficiently healed as well.”

The nurse met her piercing stare before pulling back the blanket and lifting her hospital gown. Spirits . . . this is incredible, he thought after removing the gauze. “How is this possible? Even if you spent the last six hours in a vat of medi-gel, you wouldn’t be able to heal this quickly.”

“I’m not exactly a normal human.” The ward around them moved on, unaware of the medical anomaly the head nurse was observing. “So what do you think?” she asked hesitantly.

I think the galaxy needs to study you, but . . . you don’t belong in the ICU. “I can see no justification for keeping you here, but we’re going to need to get you fed and cleaned up before you can go anywhere.” He noted the change in her status in her chart, shaking his head in disbelief as he did. “I’ll send someone over with a meal.”

“Thank you.”

He turned to leave but stopped, hesitating a moment. “Ma’am . . . everything you’ve done – everyone you’ve saved . . . there aren’t words strong enough to convey the gratitude we – I feel toward you. Thank you, Commander.”

The soldier nodded numbly, not meeting his eyes.

But it never feels like enough, he thought sadly. Stay strong, Shepard. I fear we may need you now more than ever.

***

“-he’s going-”

“No, it’s-”

“Where-”

A sharp radiating pain drilled between the exhausted asari’s eyes as distant voices became clear. “It all looks fine, no permanent damage. You are cleared for duty.”

Dr. Chakwas, the med bay. . . the crash. . . Shepard. . .

“Liara? Can you hear me?”

With an enormous effort, she opened her eyes. “Yes,” she rasped out. Her throat was so dry.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not at all well.” She rolled onto her side trying to lessen the pain.

“This should help.”

Something wonderful flowed through her veins, dulling the agony. “Where are we?” she asked tentatively.

“Armstrong nebula, but beyond that no one is sure. They say the planet is habitable though, with a breathable atmosphere and a comfortable gravity.” She helped Liara sit up and handed her a bottle of water. “Finish this and then get some rest.”

She gulped it down gratefully as worry began to sink in. “Do you know what happened to us?”

“Not really,” the doctor admitted. “Whatever that energy field was, it left no physical trace other than several cases of acute epistaxis – nosebleed.” She handed Liara another bottle of water. “Your case was a bit worse, likely due to trying to help the engineers restart the core for over an hour with your biotics.”

Liara sighed tiredly, staring at the bottle, “Not that it did any good. Have we been able to reach anyone back in Sol?”

“I’m afraid not. Specialist Traynor thinks the quantum communication network is beyond repair. We will have to rely on the relays and hope someone is out there to hear us.” The doctor let her cheery façade slip for a moment, long enough to hint at the extent of the worry she was trying to hide. It slid back into place as Chakwas laid a hand on Liara’s shoulder. “Get some rest, I’ll wake you if anything changes.”

But will it ever? she thought as she stared up at the ceiling, feeling the numbing darkness pull her back under.

***

“This has got to be the most confusing hell-hole I’ve ever been to.”

“What’s so confusing about it, Mr. Vega?” Steve Cortez asked as he finished his lukewarm MRE.

“It’s not the layout or anything like that – it’s the people.” Vega pushed himself gingerly off the cot on the floor of a mostly intact office building and pulled the bottle of water from the shuttle pilot’s hands. “Thanks, Estaban. It’s like no one can tell what they’re supposed to be feeling,” he muttered, flexing his injured leg.

Cortez took back his water and scanned the area. Roughly five miles from where the beam had been in central London, a small outpost had been hastily established to tend to the injured. Understaffed and undersupplied, it was not a place of miraculous medical operations, but a last-ditch effort to save as many survivors as possible – including James Vega. “After months of hopelessness, there is plenty to be thankful for . . . and just as much to mourn for.”

“It just feels – shit, I don’t know. Maybe it’s all of that blood I lost on the trek over here, but this just feels wrong. Javik, what’s your read on the situation?”

The prothean did not move from his meditative stance across the room. “Your species celebrates prematurely and mourns before the heaviest of losses are counted.” He paused for a moment before bowing his head slightly, “But even with these flaws, it is your cycle that stopped the Reapers – whether for good or just temporarily. That is more than what can be said of my cycle.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Vega said tiredly. “Do you think – what set off the crucible?”

A sad smile pulled at Cortez’s lips, “Until I hear otherwise, I’m going to believe Shepard did.”

“I’m okay with that,” the lieutenant said as he laid back down. He was out within minutes.

“How is the human krogan?” Javik asked without moving.

Cortez rubbed his face roughly as he tried to shake the melancholy brought on by the thought of Shepard. “The medics think he’ll make it.”

“Good, our efforts dragging him here were not in vain,” the prothean said sternly. “Do not lose your determination – the fight may be over, but your people will need you and Vega.”

“That goes for you too, Javik. You’re one of us now. We aren’t about to forget what you’ve done to help us.”

Javik bowed his head in acknowledgement, but remained silent.

We’re going to need everyone, Cortez thought as he stared around the room at the other cots filled with injured soldiers. I just hope there’s enough of a galaxy left worth rebuilding.

***

“So what you’re saying is we’re screwed.”

“Not entirely,” Tali said hesitantly as Garrus and Williams stared up at the motionless mass effect core in despair. “What we’re saying is that it will take a while, a few weeks at least.”

“Assuming it’s fixable at all,” Williams said skeptically.

“I’m not saying it will be easy, Commander,” Adams said calmly, “but I think we’ll be able to get it up and running again.”

“That’s better than nothing,” Garrus offered.

Williams took a breath and nodded. “Okay, I’ll inform the crew,” she said before heading to the elevator.

“How is she doing?” Daniels asked as they all stared back at the core.

“She’s managing,” Garrus said quietly. “She still doesn’t know if she can fill the void Shepard left, but she knows she has to.”

“No one can replace Shepard, but that wasn’t ever the plan was it?” Tali asked.

“No, but it’s going to feel that way for a while – at least until we get a rhythm going,” Donnelly said. “Any luck with EDI?”

“Not yet.” Garrus headed toward the elevator. “I’ll let you know if we make contact with anyone. Let us know if there’s anything we can do topside.”

***

“Watch the right flank!” Grunt roared over the gunfire. He and his men were deep in the wards flushing out and dispatching Cerberus troops. “Take out that engineer!”

It was slow, grueling work. Street by street, building by building, the enemy was steadily falling back. They’d even managed to save a few civilians. It wasn’t their primary goal, but it did give him a sense of pride knowing he prevented someone’s death by causing another’s.

“Move up!” They were meeting fewer and fewer troops until recently, not that it bothered him. What worried him was the number of engineers they’d come across in this neighborhood. Something was brewing.

“Keep an eye out for explosives and turrets,” he growled as the last enemy fell. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

The squad moved carefully from the courtyard to the building interior. No resistance, no one at all. What are we missing? Cowards, where are you hiding?

“Let’s get out of here,” he ordered before they’d finished securing the building. “Double-time it!” This smells like a trap.

“What was that?!” one of his men yelled as the building shook violently.

Shooting out a window, Grunt bellowed, “Get out of the building NOW!” His men leaped from the window three stories up. The krogan commander followed and landed hard on the walkway below just as the building collapsed. “Those damn cowards,” he growled. “They’ll have to do better than that!”

***

I can’t wait to get off of this fucking ship. At least the food is decent – I am beyond sick of MREs. Jack checked her omni-tool for the fourth time in five minutes. What the hell is taking so long?

After arriving with an unconscious Shepard, she watched uneasily as her friend was wheeled away to surgery. The next hour was a blur of confusion, exhaustion, and anxiety. At some point she’d managed to sleep for a few hours. Now she was an irritable and short tempered ball of energy, desperate to get back to Earth and her kids.

“Keep that up and people will think you’re unbalanced,” a soft voice said behind her.

“Fuck you,” Jack said with a hint of relief. “I can’t believe they let you out. I mean – you still look like shit.”

“Thank you, Jack. You always know how to cheer me up.” Shepard sat next to the biotic with her protein bar and electrolyte drink. “What’s going on?”

“Who the fuck knows?” She stared at the table in front of her. “No communication outside of the system, Grunt is still securing the Citadel, still no word on my kids or the Normandy.”

“Earth?”

“Bits and pieces. Nothing yet on your boys in London.” She watched Shepard eat mechanically, stoic to the lack of information.

“I have to meet with the council and then after that, hopefully we can catch a shuttle back to London.”

“When’s the meeting?”

“Whenever I feel like it.”

About damn time you started telling those spineless fuckers where they can shove it. She stared at the softly glowing scars on her face and neck. Someone hasn’t been thinking happy thoughts. “So are we going to dick around here for a while to piss them off?”

She shook her head after she finished the last of the meal. “There are a few things I need to say before they start another victory tour. I’m going to need you there to keep me in check.”

A small snort of laughter escaped Jack, “You’re shitting me, right?”

Shepard stood and gave her a tight smile. “Let’s just say I’m a little short on patience at the moment.”

“Well, shit. I might have to film this.” She followed the commander with a sinister grin. “Let’s go make some councilors cry.”

***

“I don’t know what else there is to try,” Traynor said tiredly. “My expertise is on a smaller scale. I don’t know how to fix a comm problem on a galactic scale!”

Williams leaned on the terminal that had been Shepard’s in the CIC. “A galactic scale? What does that mean?”

The comms specialist ran her hands through her hair. “There are a couple of possibilities. First, we are the only survivors and that is why we haven’t reached anyone-”

“Let’s not go with that possibility.”

“Okay. Second, something is actively blocking our communications – natural or otherwise.”

“Reapers blocking communication,” the lieutenant commander said stoically.

“Or third, the mass relays are not functioning properly, due to damage or complete destruction.”

“From the crucible firing.” The CIC was silent as Williams contemplated the scenarios. “And none of these can be fixed while we’re stuck here.”

“No, ma’am.”

What are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?! Damn you, Shepard. It should be you here not me. “Let’s focus on the small scale then. What can we do to get the Normandy space worthy again?”

Traynor stared at the nonfunctional galaxy map as she bit her lip. “There are still several systems that haven’t come online that should have by now. There’s the exterior damage and then there’s EDI.”

“What’s the status of EDI?”

“Completely unresponsive.”

“Shit,” Williams muttered. “Do we have any idea how to get her back up?”

Traynor was silent for a moment. “I have a few ideas, but I’m not sure if they’d do any good. When Dr. T’Soni feels up to it, I’d like to get her input.”

“She was still passed out in the med bay last I checked.” She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. “Do what you can to bring up the other systems – keep me updated.”

***

“How are you holding up?”

Joker looked away from the foliage surrounding the cockpit and saw Garrus approaching. “Great,” he said sarcastically. “Crashed the ship, cracked four ribs, and my girlfriend might be dead. How about you?”

“I’m alive, that’s more than I expected to be honest.” He dropped into the seat next to the pilot. “In large part thanks to you.”

The pilot looked away. “Yeah don’t get too gushy yet. We may have to start calling this place home even if we can get the Normandy off the ground.”

“If that’s the case,” Williams said as she approached, “then I think our first priority should be finding something growing out there that can be distilled before we run out of liquor.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” Garrus chuckled. “I don’t suppose we know if what’s growing out there is levo- or dextro-amino based.”

“If we distill it enough it shouldn’t matter,” Joker said, staring back out at the jungle. “No protein in pure ethanol.”

Williams shared a concerned look with Garrus before speaking behind the pilot’s chair. “I’ve been talking to Traynor – she has some ideas on how to bring EDI back. Once Liara is up and about she and Traynor can start working on her.”

Joker continued staring out of the window as if he didn’t hear her. “Okay,” he finally said quietly.

***

Finally, Tevos thought as Shepard stepped through the open door. She looks much better, but are her scars glowing? “Shepard, we were beginning to worry. Who is your companion?”

The Spectre stood at parade rest in front of the asari while her comrade remained near the door. “Jack, this is the council. Councilors Tevos and Sparatus, meet Jack – a teacher at Grissom Academy. She’s here to . . . keep an eye on me while I’m recovering.”

A snort of laughter escaped the other human as she folded her arms across her chest. Shepard always did keep strange company.

“May I inquire where the salarian councilor is?” Shepard asked soberly.

“Valern has decided he would be more comfortable aboard a salarian ship,” Sparatus said stiffly. “That is part of why we needed to speak with you.”

Tevos activated the display at the center of the room showing an image of the Sol relay, it’s rings fractured and stationary. “It would seem the relays were damaged when the crucible fired. We have many of the crucible scientists working to repair it, but there’s been discussion about whether other groups should be recruited to help.”

“Why would we not ask everyone to fix it?” Shepard asked with a slight edge to her voice.

“This is the most advanced technology in the galaxy,” the turian said briskly. “In the wrong hands, this knowledge could endanger all of us.”

“So who hasn’t been invited to the party, the salarians?”

“No, the geth.”

Shepard frowned as she mauled over the information. “The geth are still alive?”

“They were never alive to begin with, Shepard. At the moment all units are offline,” Sparatus said, staring at the display. “Valern thinks they can be activated and recruited to help with repairs.”

Shepard fought to keep her face neutral. “Why not ask for their help? From where I’m standing, it looks like we could use all the help we can get. Don’t forget the rachni, they’ve also been proven to be very capable and intelligent.”

How does she not see the risks associated with her ideas? “Are you listening to a word you’re saying, Shepard? With the galaxy weakened as it is, it would take very little to change the balance of power and throw us all into another war.” Tevos turned and began to pace. “Caution is needed now more than ever,” she said as she stopped in front of the Spectre.

Shepard closed her eyes and let out a slow breath – her scars seeming to brighten as she did. “Are you suggesting we sever the alliances that we – no, what am I saying? – that I forged to win this war-”

“There’s a difference between having an alliance and handing out loaded weapons that could be pointed back at us,” Sparatus interrupted.

Despite remaining still, the marine radiated anger, enough to make the armed guards perk up. “If you intend on backstabbing your allies, then yes you will have something to worry about.”

“Commander, your vision of the galaxy is naïve,” Tevos stated impatiently. “You of all people should know what the risks associated with-”

Shepard barked out a laugh, breaking her immobile stance. She shook her head in exasperation. “I’m sorry, Councilor, but I can’t buy into the idea that I’m the naïve one. How long do you think it will take for the galaxy to find out your people have been hiding the best preserved prothean beacon in existence? Do you honestly think you will be able to remain the superior race? If it’s any comfort, I don’t think you will have to worry about the rest of the galaxy, I think your own people will be the ones to tear down your species. How many thousands of years have the asari been lied to, Councilor? Was that a risk worth taking?”

Tevos clenched her jaw as she fought her own anger. “And do you honestly think the galaxy will be better off without our guidance? Will the geth lead the way to the future or will it be the humans?” she asked acidly.

“I’d like to see what the galaxy can do together,” she said evenly. “But we can’t do that if we start severing alliances without just cause.”

Sparatus leaned over the galaxy map. “Shepard, what you’re saying is inspiring, but you can’t protect the galaxy with idealism,” he said standing beside Tevos. “The asari government will have to answer for their crimes, but what the galaxy needs now is stability . . . and someone they can stand behind-”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Shepard spat. Behind her, Jack was muttering loudly about spineless politicians. “I’m not about to smile and assure the galaxy everything is fine,” she explained as she also leaned over the map, “while you screw them over when they’re not looking.” Shepard glared at Sparatus. “If that’s what’s expected of me as a Spectre then you’ll have to accept my resignation.”

“This isn’t a matter of right or wrong, Shepard!” he said with fire in his eyes. “This is about saving our galaxy and preventing a complete collapse of the community!”

Shepard took a step back and shook her head again. “A little honesty and accountability could go a long way, Councilor. We are all vulnerable, but we have an opportunity to make all of us stronger than we were before this war!” Shepard turned back to Tevos, “The galaxy will stand behind me regardless of if you want them to or not. The question is whether you’ll be standing with us or on your own.”

The drone of the ventilation system filled the room as Shepard turned and headed to the door. “How many billions died because of the decisions you’ve made?” she asked as she paused at the door. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to-” She turned to face them. “You had four years to prepare, but none of you did a damn thing. But this guilt doesn’t just belong to either of you, though. It’s just as much mine for not doing more, for not – for not-”

“Shepard, let’s go,” Jack said quietly.

“For the sake of the galaxy, I do hope there will be a change in the balance of power.” She followed Jack out of the room without a second glance.

“That went well,” the turian muttered tiredly. “If there’s nothing else, I too would like to be with my people.” He left without waiting for a reply.

The asari councilor remained unmoving long after they left, contemplating Shepard’s words and the fate of her race. Things will never be the same again . . .

***

“They have hundreds of civilians in the buildings ahead,” the krogan scout reported to Grunt.

The commander and his men were camped out in a maintenance tunnel roughly fifteen blocks away from the Cerberus stronghold. “What defenses will we face?”

“Portable barriers and too many turrets to count. A direct approach will be nearly impossible.”

Grunt narrowed his eyes and contemplated his next move. “It looks like we’ll be needing stealth then.” Several of his men shook their heads and growled impatiently. “Complain all you want, but I can promise you we’ll kill more of them this way. These tunnels run right under them. They’ll be dead before they know we’re there. Pack it up and move out!”

The tunnels, unfortunately, were never meant to fit a krogan. Crawling on their bellies single file, the soldiers pushed the lifeless bodies of keepers from their path. The tight space was making his men agitated, something Grunt struggled with just as much. Damn those Cerberus cowards. . .

As they progressed further, voices could be heard above them. “Get those turrets up now! We’ve lost sight of the Krogans and spotted a turian cruiser near the shopping center. Where are those mechs?!”

I’m going to enjoy this. Soon voices multiplied and words became blurred – the sound of dozens of footsteps echoed down the tunnel. We must be getting close. . .

The scout signaled and the squad branched off down the numerous side passages and waited. Time to finish this.

With an angry roar the krogans sprang from the tunnels. Cerberus troops too stunned to move were quickly cut down. “No more hiding!” Grunt followed after those fleeing from the chaos.

Thick clouds of smoke flooded the building he entered, blinding him. I can still hear you, still smell your fear. Staying low, he let out an angry growl and sprinted through the fog into the nearest shooting enemy, crushing him against the wall behind him. “Who’s next?!”

As he cleared the lobby of the building more gunfire was heard outside. Those aren’t my men . . .

Turians, and lots of them, were flooding the walkways, pushing Cerberus forces back faster. Grunt growled in annoyance as he moved to the next floor. Bastards are going to have this fight finished before it gets good!

***

“That is out of the question.”

“But, Dr. Chakwas-”

“Absolutely not.”

Traynor and Liara sighed in defeat under the doctor’s stern gaze. “Can we at least inspect Glyph to see if he can be brought online?” Liara asked impatiently.

“Only if you plan on doing it here in the med bay so I can keep an eye on you,” she said shortly. “I am completely serious about not using your biotics. Twenty-four hours and not a minute less.”

“Okay then,” Traynor said hesitantly, “we can at least brainstorm about what that energy wave was.”

Chakwas shook her head tiredly, “All of the symptoms were very mild and nearly identical: loss of consciousness, headaches, and nosebleeds.”

“All electronics were rendered useless, but chemical and biological systems remained mostly unaffected,” Liara muttered thinking of the glow stick Donnelly lit in engineering before the crash landing.

“It would have to have been something mostly inert to have passed through the entire ship, but leave little damage,” the comms specialist said thoughtfully as she pulled up a chair opposite Chakwas and T’Soni.

“But everything affected by it seems to be salvageable,” Chakwas said as she examined the crew’s medical logs since the crash.

“If it is inert, then there would have to have been a lot of it.” Liara shared a look with Traynor. “You’re thinking about a wave of dark matter, aren’t you? Like a dark matter EMP?”

“Neutrinos to be specific. Dark matter alone can account for ninety-five percent of a system’s mass. Neutrinos are only formed when something expending a lot of energy happens like a supernova or a nuclear reaction-”

“Or a relay firing?”

“It would seem like a logical jump,” Traynor said with some hesitation. “It’s been observed in very low levels after a ship has used a relay.”

“So, if that’s what it was then how did it drain nearly everything of potential energy?” Liara asked, letting her head fall into her hands.

“Liara?”

“I’m fine, it’s just a headache.”

“We’re stepping well past my area of expertise.”

The bay was silent for a moment as the women thought. “I do have one rather unsettling question,” Chakwas said calmly as she put down her notes. “If we can restore function to our omni-tools and maybe even EDI, could the Reapers also be restored – assuming of course that they were affected at all? Are they simply in a state of inactivation?”

The room fell silent.

“That would also be a logical leap,” Traynor said quietly.

***

Jack glared as their shuttle veered away from their intended destination. “Shepard, this doesn’t look like Earth.”

“No, it does not. Apparently we’re having a layover at the dreadnought up ahead.” Shepard felt a chill run down her spine as the small shuttle entered the cavernous hanger. I don’t think we’ll be leaving any time soon.

“That’s one hell of a welcoming party,” Jack muttered, eying the scores of armed soldiers assembling at the landing zone. “This normal procedure or are we just special?”

“We are special,” she sighed. The shuttle door opened with a hiss as Shepard exited. Immediately the soldiers came to attention and held a salute. I am not ready to be back to this.

A lone soldier marched briskly through the ranks of the others and stopped in front of Shepard with a crisp salute. “Welcome aboard, Staff Commander Shepard.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Shepard tried not to think about how much she didn’t want to be there as she returned the salute. “I asked to be taken back down to Earth. I’m a bit confused why I’m here.”

“If you’ll follow me, ma’am, Admiral Ahern will be able to answer all of your questions.”

Shepard came to a sudden stop. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you referring to Admiral Tadius Ahern of Pinnacle Station?”

“Yes, ma’am, I believe that was his previous assignment,” he said stoically as he turned and led them across the hanger.

“You want to fill me in on who this guy is?” Jack asked quietly as they neared the elevator.

“I may have . . . won the admiral’s apartment on Intai’sei in a bet a few years back.”

Jack shook her head a few times before finally saying, “Queen of the fucking girl scouts . . . Have you even set foot in the place?”

“Once,” she admitted as they entered the spacious lift. “I was a bit preoccupied with stopping a rogue spectre and his army of geth from wiping out the galaxy.” Shepard found herself syncing back up with the strict protocols usually practiced on larger ships, a long way from the casual atmosphere of the Normandy. What I wouldn’t give to be back there. . .

“Commander Shepard, it’s been a while,” the gruff admiral said as the group entered the combat information center.

“Yes it has, sir,” she said, saluting. “I see you still haven’t retired.”

“Can’t do that without a retirement home, now can I?” Ahern waited for his men to disembark before continuing. “This your protégé?”

Jack frowned, looking mildly insulted. “Hell, no.”

“She’s a friend,” Shepard said with a grin. “I don’t mean to sound rude, Ahern, but why the hell am I here?”

The older man chuckled and motioned them to follow him. “With Admiral Hackett beyond Sol and Admiral Anderson deceased – a great man, the galaxy is a worse place without him – I am the highest ranking officer. It’s my job to make the big decisions.”

Shepard nodded silently, her throat suddenly unbearably tight.

“I’ve been contacted by the salarian councilor,” he continued. “It seems he wants our help with a project.”

“I’m guessing it has to do with the geth,” Jack said dryly.

“That it does. Not long after the crucible fired and we restarted the systems on the ship, we began sending ships out to retrieve as many alliance fighters as we could before the poor bastards suffocated. Some of our ships also brought back geth fighters. I’m thinking we must have over a hundred of them in the hangar wherever we could find room.”

“Are any of them online?” Shepard asked. They came to a platform overlooking the entire CIC as well as one hell of a view of Earth from the enormous widows ahead of them.

“They weren’t initially,” he said leaning on the railing. “I had some of our techs try to jump start them, but it’s a slow process. We are able to bring up basic processes, though.” He paused, rubbing the stubble on his jaw. “The problem is what happens if we can’t bring them back online completely. And now I’ve got the salarians breathing down my neck demanding access to them, but I’m not entirely sure if their interest in them is honorable.”

Shepard stared out the windows at Earth, feeling a wave of grief washing over her. “You want to help them, but don’t trust the salarians.”

“Organic or not, they came to our aid. Hell, I’m thinking of commissioning a memorial for them in London,” he said wearily with a bit of humor.

“And that’s why I always liked you, sir.”

“That’s touching, but I was hoping for a bit more feedback than that.”

She closed her eyes and took a long breath before answering. “What I know is that the turians and asari would rather leave the geth as they are.” Shepard shook her head sadly. “I haven’t spoken with the salarian councilor since shortly after firing the crucible, but I think you have good reason to hesitate.”

“I should have kicked his ass while I had the chance,” Jack muttered. “The prick wouldn’t stop going on about how saving Shepard’s life was a waste of time.”

“What stopped you?” Ahern asked, grinning.

“I was too busy fixing his and everyone else’s fucking omni-tools.”

“Shame. So what is your official recommendation, Commander?”

“For now,” she said after a moment, “allow them hands-off access. Be open to consultations, but have your men continue to take the lead on this. I’ve never known Councilor Valern to offer assistance out of the kindness of his heart.”

“That is as good of a plan as any.” He signaled one of his men to meet them. “Lieutenant Riley will show you to the armory and also get you fitted for a set of armor. There’s no telling what the situation down there is like with most of the comms down. It was good seeing you, Shepard, and meeting your protégé. Stay safe.”

Jack flipped him off before following Shepard.

***

Notes: Thanks for reading! I planned on adding more, but I forgot this existed for a few years and then lost the second half of this chapter. I'll see if I can track it down. :P

[2manyfandoms2count]

You can count on me (I will be there for you)

Aaaaand here we are with the final chapter of this story! A very cracky finale, with a surprising amount of fashion judgement and a lack of serious damage. I’ve made them suffer enough on their wedding day.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who’s read so far! It was a genuine pleasure to write this story, and the positive response has warmed my heart. Lots of love for everyone 💕 Hope you’ll enjoy this!!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | AO3

---

Chapter 9

Max has conveniently chosen the room they’d all met up in earlier for their lift back, Ladybug notices as she steps out of the portal. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are standing at the door, discreetly peeking at the reception on the other side. They turn around when they hear the portal’s low hum.

“How’s it going?” Ladybug asks, joining them in their stakeout.

“I think they’re starting to feel a little uncomfortable.” Alya nods towards the next room, and Marinette steals a look, not knowing if her friend is referring to their primary suspects, or Nino and Kagami.

A look inside answers her question. The four of them are standing in the middle of the room, and it’s quite clear from their body language that her friends are doing their best to look at ease, while their interlocutors are clearly desperate to go. They show it differently, though: whereas Gabriel is standing straighter than ever, eyes darting towards the nearest exit as Nino enthusiastically speaks to him about something involving large hand gestures and a lot of shoulder pats, Nathalie seems exhausted, shrunk on herself while Kagami talks about something technical, if Ladybug can trust her frowns as she explains.

“Well, as long as it’s them and not the guests, it should be alright. Wouldn’t want a mass akumatisation on our hands.” Ladybug straightens up and sighs.

“So, it’s really them?” Alya asks.

“I think saying ‘most probably’ would be an understatement.” She shakes her head.

“Poor Adrien,” Queen Bee mutters next to them. “This is honestly the last thing he needs.”

Marinette looks at Alya worriedly, and her friend squeezes her hand. “He’s up to speed, I think he’s hanging in there.”

“I’ll have a talk with him later.” Ladybug promises herself.

“Anyway, what’s the plan now?” Queen Bee turns towards her expectantly.

“Well, see, that’s my problem, I’m not entirely sure how to go about it-”

“I am.” Chat Noir walks straight past them, stormy eyes fixed on the two suspects, his tail slipping through Ladybug’s fingers, and he's out in the open before she can retain him. She hadn't heard the portal close behind him, nor his approaching footsteps.

She starts to run after him, we don’t have a plan, what is he doing, but Rena Rouge grips her arm before she can, yanking her back inside their honorary headquarters. Ladybug’s offended look melts as her friend delicately takes her veil out of her hair. She’d completely forgotten about it.

“Might not want to out yourself to them right now, since they probably don’t know who you are,” her friend says softly.

“Now go make sure your partner doesn’t get into too much trouble. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We’ll figure something out if anything happens, but you generally do pretty well without the B team.” Queen Bee pushes her out of the room with a wink.

Ladybug glances back one last time before she heads in; Max has come closer, and her three friends smile at her reassuringly as she does. She smiles back, hoping it expresses just how much she’s thankful for them being there, and not how worried she is about what might unfold.

---

Chat Noir barely hears the guests’ gasps as they make way for him. He strides purposefully into the room, his eyes trained on his father. Gabriel Agreste. Hawkmoth.

When he catches sight of the dark figure approaching him, the man tenses even more than he’d already been, which Chat hadn’t thought was possible. Yes, you can be worried, he thinks, nodding at Nino and Kagami to relieve them of their duties. Both stand aside, and start ushering people away from the newly formed trio.

“Chat Noir,” Gabriel greets coldly, eyes flickering to his right hand’s ring finger.

Even now, that’s all he can think about, Chat shakes his head, protectively balling his hand into a fist. He’s ready to seize the opportunity, even if it means disrupting his only son’s wedding. He hopes his scorn is visible as he looks at him.

“What a… pleasant surprise,” his father lets out without conviction, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

It takes all of Chat Noir’s willpower to not spit at his feet, and even more to not spit in his face.

“Mr. Agreste,” he says through gritted teeth. “I believe we need to talk.”

“Do we? Whatever about?” His eyebrows shoot up, and he looks around the room with fake amusement, as if trying to find an allied face in the crowd. Most people look away uneasily. He’s a powerful man, but his challenger is one of Paris’ most trusted protectors. Something must be up, and although it isn't clear what side it's best to be on, something tells them it's not Gabriel Agreste's.

To the untrained eye, Gabriel looks perplexed, almost hurt by the request. To Adrien Agreste, though, who has spent years scrutinising his father’s facial expressions, searching for any hint of pride, love, anything positive, there’s no mistake; he can read the fear in his eyes.

He takes a step forward.

“That’s a nice scarf you have today.” He nods towards his father’s neck, sporting his classic candy-cane Ascot. “A little… ten, fifteen-years ago, though, don’t you think? If it ever was in fashion.”

“It’s a signature look,” Gabriel scoffs, offended by the superhero’s words. “As Chanel once said, la mode se démode, le style, jamais.”

“Yet that implies that you actually have style, which is a statement I’m sure I’m not the only one to disagree with.” He takes a look around the room, pouting pensively. “Actually, you know what? I think the scarf should come off. It clashes with the wedding’s colour scheme. Unless it holds a higher meaning to you?” He asks innocently, but there’s no mistaking the threat in his eyes as he holds a hand out.

Gabriel shares a look with Nathalie, who nods uneasily. He takes off the tie, revealing a single, gleaming, amethyst underneath (bingpot, Chat thinks), and hands it over to Chat Noir. “Of course not. In fact, if this is a way of getting something of mine, you know, I would’ve given it to you for a lot less hostility. Would you like it signed?” He smirks again.

Chat is about to lunge at him when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Chat Noir, don’t you think we should take this some other place? Somewhere less public, perhaps?” Ladybug asks soothingly.

Chat’s eyes flicker to her for the briefest of instants. It’s enough for Gabriel to seize the opportunity.

“Nooroo, dark wings rise!” Gabriel makes the most of his opponent’s distraction, yanking Ladybug by the arm to hold her against him.

She yelps as she feels the cold metal of his cane against her neck, almost choking her. Her eyes dart wildly around, taking in the panic that washes over the room, and she tries to free herself, but Hawkmoth tightens his grip. People scream and push each other as they run for shelter. This is exactly what she’d wanted to avoid.

“There, you have what you want, don’t you?” Hawkmoth lets out a dry laugh. “A public reveal. Maybe you should’ve consulted with your girlfriend first, though.” Ladybug feels the cane start digging in her neck, and she gasps.

“She’s not my girlfriend anymore,” Chat Noir snarls, taking another step forward. He knows he can't go straight for his opponent with Ladybug trapped like she is. He'd run the risk of her getting severely injured.

Ladybug is thankful for his diversion; her captor’s attention is fully on him, rather than on the hundreds of agitated guests. Her mind whirrs as she tries to think of something to do that wouldn’t end in total carnage, but the lack of oxygen is making her mind fuzzy.

“Oh? What a shame. You know, I could help you get revenge for her breaking your heart. I’ll take her earrings as down payment, and you can give me your ring when you’re done.” His smile makes him look deranged. Chat Noir can feel the panic rising in his chest, but represses it.

“Who says she broke my heart?” He shoots him a look of disgust and opens his hand, ready to invoke his Cataclysm.

He doesn’t get that far - a portal opens behind Hawkmoth and out flies Carapace’s shield in a flash of green, hitting the villain straight in the head before falling at his side.

He grunts and loses his grip on Ladybug, who seizes the opportunity to take a deep breath and scramble to Chat’s side. Her partner steps in front of her, his arm extended protectively in front of her body, as Hawkmoth pushes himself up to reach for his cane.

He stumbles back down before it can fly back in his hand, yellow flashing out from the same portal and hitting him in the lower back. His knees buckle under him. Queen Bee and Carapace step out of the portal, the former rewinding her spinning top.

Chat Noir yanks Hawkmoth’s brooch off of his immobilised body, releasing his transformation. Kagami comes forwards, holding Nathalie with her arms pinned behind her back. The assistant had apparently tried to make a break for it when her accomplice had transformed. They are soon joined by the police special forces, advancing cautiously behind their shields to secure the perimeter.

As Gabriel and Nathalie are cufflinked and brought out of the room, Ladybug catches Adrien and an illusion of herself out of the corner of her eye. She doesn’t think she’d look as panicked and distraught as Alya is making her, were she a mere bystander, but then again, her expression matches Adrien’s. It probably isn’t as over the top as she thinks it is.

Carapace picks up his shield once the floor is cleared, dusting it a little before fastening it to his back.

“I know it’s not the first time I knocked Hawkmoth in the head, but man, it feels even better now that I know who he is.”

“He deserves all the worst.” Chloé looks at Nathalie and Gabriel’s backs the same way she’d looked at socks in sandals the previous summer - with complete and utter disdain. Ladybug is almost surprised that she doesn’t sprint after them to kick them or something.

Chat nods along, before his attention snaps to Ladybug. Worry wrinkles his forehead as he holds her at arms’ length, looking for any sign of injury. “Are you alright, my Lady?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.” She waves his concern away, even if her voice is hoarser than usual. She pushes him back slightly and cups his cheek.

He’s the one she’s worried about. An anger she’d never seen so potent on him had seemed to emanate from him as he talked to Gabriel Agreste. She needed to talk to him about it.

“Marinette?” Alya’s voice sounds in their ear, interrupting their fussing over each other. They wince a little at the volume.

“Yes?” She replies, keeping a hand on him.

“People are starting to fuss over you and Adrien, I think you should come and detransform. I’m not sure I can handle hugs.”

She glances at Chat Noir.

“Go, I’ll be fine.” He squeezes her shoulder. “I’m going to make sure they don’t escape their lift to jail. I promise no punching will be involved, even if I feel like I missed out earlier.” His smile is a little tense.

“Okay.” She lets go of him cautiously. “Come and find me after?”

“I purr-omise.” He kisses her forehead and watches her walk out of the room, barely sparing a glance at their doubles who start following her. She therefore misses fake-Adrien retaining fake-Marinette and whispering something in her ear. The latter nods, and he kisses her knuckles before leaving through another door. Fake Marinette blushes and gives him a small wave with a lovestruck smile. Alya really has us nailed down, hasn’t she, he shakes his head as he watches the scene unfold.

“Hey dude, how are you holding up?” Carapace drapes an arm around his shoulders. Queen Bee and Kagami move closer to them as well. From the concerned look on Chloé’s face, Adrien deduces that the others must have brought her up to speed on the situation. She’d never been a big fan of Chat Noir.

“It’s a lot.” He admits, raking a hand through his hair. “But I’m so thankful for you guys. I lost it earlier, and that almost lost us Hawkmoth and Ladybug.” He looks up at his three friends with a small smile.

“We’ll always have your back.” Chloé pats his arm. “Especially when it’s this satisfying.”

“Now, go and watch your progenitor get driven away. I hope you’ll find it enjoyable.” Kagami nudges him towards the exit.

He nods and takes his leave. He has one last card to play to make it truly fulfilling, and he’s definitely putting it down.

---

Chat Noir walks towards the van, feeling his anger boil again at the sight of his father’s profile through the back doors’ windows. He takes a moment to breathe in deeply and think happy thoughts. Now that Hawkmoth has been arrested, he’ll finally be able to reveal his identity to Marinette. He’ll do it before the end of the day, so they can make the most of their honeymoon. Maybe there is a silver lining to this, after all.

Having regained his cool, he strides up to the van, his step unusually heavy. Gabriel Agreste looks up at the sound of his footsteps on the gravel, and frowns.

“What do you want?” He asks dryly.

“See, I just thought our conversation earlier was cut a little short. What with you attacking Ladybug and everything.” His eyes shoot daggers.

“Why would you care, if you’re not together anymore?” His father scoots a little away from the van’s back doors as Chat Noir approaches.

“I never said we weren’t together anymore. And even if that were the case, I’ll remind you that we’ve been fighting evil, you, for over a decade. Nothing could break our bond at this point. But what I actually meant was that ‘girlfriend’ is no longer a suitable title for her. She’s now my wife.” He tells him, an almost manic glint in his eye. This is going to hurt you so much, and I'm going to enjoy every last minute of it. This is for hiding Maman from me.

“Are you expecting congratulations from me?” Gabriel all but rolls his eyes, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“Well, even if you didn’t exactly say it, I feel like you covered that part earlier.” Gabriel’s eyes are on the verge of reckoning. He would probably figure it out with a little mulling over during the drive, but Chat needs the satisfaction of seeing his expression at the exact moment he realises what he means. “She’s a bit busy at the moment, but I’m sure she’d join me in thanking you for coming to our wedding today… Father.”

Gabriel’s jaw drops and Chat enjoys watching the thousands of emotions that flicker through his eyes, distorting his face as the van starts to drive away. It’s perfect timing. He can see his father shouting, banging on the doors, but he’s out of earshot. He stands on the porch until the vehicle is out of sight, then heads back inside.

He’s almost tackled by Marinette as he does.

“Chaton, something just… doesn’t seem right,” she whispers as she hugs him. She’d thought about it while she reassured her parents and some other guests that she and Adrien were fine, although the latter's absence made her question his well being. Not wanting to worry too much about it, she’d dissected the events in her head, instead. “Everything seems to be sorted now, we uncovered Hawkmoth’s identity, but then who was blackmailing me? Who was blackmailing him? And why?”

Chat Noir notices people are looking at them a little pointedly, whispering. He untangles himself from her arms and reluctantly steps away. “We’ve got all the time in the world to discover that, Princess.” He nods towards their audience and she nods in understanding, although she looks a little disappointed. “It was an honour saving your wedding.”

“Yes, thank you for that.” She clears her throat.

“We can discuss it with Ladybug after your honeymoon.” He says, and she notices he’s a little tense, almost brooding as he stands before her.

“Speaking of which, I… I should go and find Adrien.” She looks around, hoping she’ll finally spot the familiar mop of blond hair in the crowds that have returned, slightly shaken. Alya told her that he’d gone to freshen up after the arrest, and she can’t help but wonder if he’s okay. It’s been a little while. “Want to come with?”

“I don’t think my presence is necessary. I’ll catch up with you later.” He feels a giddy smile spread on his lips, his thoughts clinging to his reveal. Marinette shoots him a quizzical look before heading off towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

He manages to beat her to his. He detransforms, and opens the door right as she’s about to knock.

“Oh, hey, Marinette.” He jumps back a little, pretending to be caught off-guard by her presence. “I was just about to join you downstairs. Is everything alright?”

“That’s my line.” She tries to joke, but his jumpiness concerns her a little. “Can we talk, just for a second?”

“Yeah, of course.” He opens the door wider for her and leads her inside the room, fidgeting with his ring. He invites her to sit at the foot of his bed.

Marinette opens her mouth, then closes it. She frowns as she tries to find a good opening question, comment, anything. She hasn’t been this tongue-tied since collège, and this has got to be the worst moment for it to strike again. She utters a couple of words, but backtracks again and again. None feel really right in these circumstances.

Adrien patiently listens as she tries to find the words. She doesn’t dare touch him, if her distance on the bed tells him anything. He wished she would though; he could do with a hug, their previous one having been interrupted. He knows hugging Adrien could make her feel uncomfortable, though, on account of the fact that she thinks he might have feelings for her, and that she doesn’t want to lead him on. Always so thoughtful, his Lady.

“How are you feeling, Adrien?” Marinette finally says, carefully taking his hands in hers and squeezing them. “You say the word, and everybody goes home. I’m really so sorry things turned out this way, had I known, I wouldn’t have done anything today…”

“Marinette,” Adrien squeezes her hands back and looks at her earnestly. “Trust me, you did the right thing. It would never have been a good time to learn about my father’s… activities anyway. At least you had everybody who matters with you, ready to help. It might have been more complicated to have that any day.” He smiles sadly. “Besides…” He starts, but hesitates.

“Adrien, I’m here for you. You can count on me to be there, to listen. Don’t hold back.” She leans forwards, encouraging him when his silence stretches.

Adrien’s smile strengthens, becoming almost hopeful as he shifts closer to her on the bed. This is it, he thinks. Now or… well, not never, but this is as good a time as any.

“Besides,” he clears his throat, “I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now, and I guess this is just a sign that we should have this conversation now. You said that we should wait, but-”

“Ah, there you two are!” Alix barges into the room without knocking, and Marinette would have flung herself at her to thank her for the interruption, had she not been afraid of hurting Adrien’s feelings. She carefully lets go of his hands and stands up, crossing her arms over her chest.

She hadn’t liked Adrien’s tender eyes just now. Like they were hoping for something she knew he knew she couldn’t give him. She didn’t feel like turning him down today, not after everything that had happened, after he’d basically lost his family. But she wouldn’t really have a choice if he tried again later.

Where are you, Chat Noir? she thinks. Having him around would probably keep Adrien at bay. She wonders what better things he could have to do at this moment, but nothing comes to mind.

She turns towards her friend. She’d have to do, for now.

“Alix?” The young woman had started slow clapping about halfway through her inner monologue, looking excessively smug.

“I’ve been looking for you two everywhere, I wanted to congratulate you in person.” She grins.

Marinette and Adrien look at her, slightly puzzled. Marinette wonders if she’s off somewhere, and just wanted to say goodbye. Clapping seems a little over the top, though.

“You solved my mystery!” She clarifies, prompting Adrien and Marinette to look at each other.

“Care to elaborate?” Adrien raises an eyebrow.

“She got us a sort of escape game as a wedding present,” Marinette starts explaining, although she’s failing to see how everything ties up together.

“Yeah, and you did really well! Not gonna lie, I was expecting more drama from today, but hey, it was probably for the best.” She sighs when she sees her dumbfounded friends’ faces. “See, both of you were just so cute together, it was honestly getting a little nauseating back in the burrow.” Alix sarcastically joins her hands near her cheek. “Everything was in order, no end of the world in sight” she shoots a pointed look at Marinette, “but that made you slow down on the Hawkmoth hunt, so I had to do something. I know I’m not supposed to meddle, but hey. Hawkmoth and Mayura were getting on my nerves, and I’d kept my mouth shut long enough. ” She shrugs. “And I thought the detective play was pretty fitting, remember Mylène’s Akumatisation, when we were trying to film that movie for a competition in collège? You guys played some agents or something, and I think it was the moment pretty much everyone started shipping you two together, if they hadn’t already been.”

“But, we're not..." Marinette starts before another thought goes through her mind, the first of many that prevent her from finishing her sentences. "And the envelopes…” She shakes her head, trying to organise her thoughts. Things don’t add up in what Alix is saying, but she’s too stunned to figure it out.

“Planted by me, for you and Hawkmoth. I thought it would speed things along, whoever made the first move. Sorry for freaking you out so much. I actually wasn’t expecting you guys to go through the fake wedding route, but it ended up making things a lot easier for me. Everybody was in the same place at the same time, so really, great job on that.” She nods to herself before looking up at them again. “It was even super easy to get Max to bring his equipment, just had to make a post on one of his usual forums saying a life-size hide and seek was a great wedding activity, especially if you had earpieces for the seekers, and voilà. You have a convinced man.” She gives them a satisfied smile. “I’ll get him to launch a game before the end of the day. He might be disappointed otherwise.” She adds pensively.

Her friends still look at her like she’s grown a second head. She rolls her eyes at the lack of response, but kind of understands.

“Anyway, I know there’s a lot to unpack, but just know that everything’s fixed now. I’ll leave you two to enjoy the honeymoon you so deserve. Ladynoir for the win!” She winks.

Turning around, she takes a couple of steps, hands digged in her suit pockets, mentally counting down for Marinette to connect the dots.

3, 2, 1…

“Wait, Alix?” Marinette calls out to her friend.

“Yes, boss?” Alix smirks as she turns around.

“What do you mean, Ladynoir?” She’s frowning, eyes darting between her and Adrien.

“It's a ship name, for Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alix asks, angelically batting her eyelids. "Oh, no, don't tell me; you guys hadn’t reached that part of your discussion yet.” She snaps her fingers and shakes her head, her grin giving away how unrepentant she is. “Well, spoiler alert, then, I guess.”

Marinette turns towards Adrien, who’s smiling sheepishly at her.

“I was just about to tell you, Bugaboo,” he says and her eyes widen in response.

"I'll leave you two to it!" Alix smiles as she walks out of the room, whistling the wedding march tune. She doesn’t need to turn around to know Adrien has probably taken his bride’s hand in his and is probably kissing her knuckles, while Marinette is on the cusp of having a meltdown.

Her job here is done.

She slides the ‘do not disturb’ panel on the door handle; something tells her they might need it. So what if the first dance is even more delayed. She’s not in charge of the day’s schedule.

But she definitely won the best present award.

[jovialyouthmusic]

Silver Service

At last Bastien has Anton in his sights

Word Count 3352

A/N There is a lot of action in this chapter - firearms are used and some are injured, but there are no graphic descriptions. Whole series is not suitable for under 18s

12 Just Desserts?

‘So as you see, we need to know numbers so we can accommodate the Court’ Gladys said as she lead him along the corridors of the first floor, swinging wide door after door to various guest rooms. ‘His Majesty can have the master suite, which has been thoroughly cleaned and renovated since the Duchess passed away’. Eventually she came to a door at the end of a corridor and turned to him.

‘This part is closed off, I’m afraid’ Her tone was apologetic ‘It may look sound from the outside, but dry rot has been found in the supporting timbers so it’s out of bounds until it can be repaired.’ Damien made a mental note – perhaps this was a ruse and she had something to hide.

‘Well it’s certainly an impressive building’ he said admiringly. ‘The walls are thick – are there any secret passages I should know about?’ He pitched his voice to make it appear a joke, but he saw Gladys blanch slightly before laughing.

‘Oh no, nothing like that, although there is a priest hole in the part that’s blocked off. It’s the oldest part of the building’ She turned and they made their way back along the corridor.

‘So I hear the Duchess was quite a character’ He saw her shoulders tense slightly

‘She certainly was a taskmaster’ she replied ‘To be frank, I’m relieved she’s gone, it was very challenging trying to keep her happy. She had mental health issues, but she refused to take medical advice’

‘I’ve not worked with Royalty before’ Damien replied ‘King Liam seems a nice enough person, but those born into wealth and privilege can’t understand things the way most ordinary folk do’ he probed gently, attempting to sound out her loyalties. She gave a hollow laugh

‘And don’t I know it’ she replied ‘Honestly, she genuinely thought we’d been born specifically to serve her and not question her eccentricity’ He made a sympathetic noise.

‘A lot of rich and famous folk in the States are exactly the same. I worked with a few celebrities who’d be right at home in the Court’ he said ‘But I’m not here to complain about the folk who pay me’ he grinned, satisfied that she might be easily influenced by the Sons of the Earth.

‘Well, I must admit the pay cheque is some compensation, she was oddly generous. I think she didn’t really understand the value of money and I’m glad she wasn’t a skinflint.’ Gladys replied as she lead him into her office. They perused some schematics of the grounds to work out parking arrangements and staging for the lantern release. There wasn’t enough time to bring in any heavy duty staging, so they had to work with what they had available.

‘I’m afraid I have to ask about your security arrangements too’ he said ‘the King’s Guard need to know what’s in place before they bring his Majesty in. I have full authorisation to evaluate any weak spots and work out what might be needed to make sure he is safe, though that of course will be up to Captain Lykel’ He saw a shadow cross her face

‘Of course. We didn’t need anything elaborate, despite the Duchess’s dislike of visitors. She relied on keeping the walls and fences well maintained, and the only technology she agreed to was the intercom at the gate.’

‘That’s fine Gladys. If you would email schematics of the house and grounds to Captain Lykel, he’ll make an evaluation’ She nodded uncertainly

‘I’ll do what I can’ she said.

-----

Later on, Damien bid her farewell. He had charmed her and they were on good terms.

‘Are you sure you won’t stay?’ she asked ‘As you saw, we have plenty of room’

‘Thankyou, but I promised to visit some family friends. It’s been a long time since my parents left the country and I’ve a slew of relatives to reconnect with’ He’d thought long and hard about staying, but on balance thought that leaving would bring Anton out of hiding – presuming he was at the manor. The bugs on the luggage could just be sitting in the old locked off wing of the castle and he might have gone elsewhere, but he judged that going back and reporting to Bastien would be a more effective use of his time.

‘She should have emailed plans of the castle to you by now’ he explained to the Captain of the Guard. ‘If you let me look them over I’ll tell you if I think they’re accurate. I think it most likely that if they’re still here, Anton and his men are hiding out in the old wing and plan to stay undetected until the Court arrive. The grounds are extensive but there aren’t any outbuildings they could use that I could see. There’s a stable block that’s unused but it’s not big enough to house anything of any use’

‘I have some plans from a couple of decades ago’ Bastien mused ‘Let’s compare them for any discrepancies. If you go back you could check with her for any additions or renovations – but I think we’re ready to go in. The sooner we move the more advantage we have’

‘Gladys told me that the Duchess relied on keeping the perimeter sound, but it looks like there’s an old entrance that’s not been used for years’

‘We’ve already done a sweep, it’s an old wooden door in the walls, locked and bolted, but the hinges are rotten. The vegetation is challenging, she appears to have only cared about the portion of the grounds she could see from the Manor. Our neighbour Monterisso have some excellent stealth tech that they loaned us for this operation, and we sent a spy drone in as low as we dared. It shouldn’t have been noticed on the ground, it’s whisper quiet and damn near invisible.’ He sat up and straightened his jacket.

‘Time to brief everyone. We move at midnight’

------

‘So the whole damn court is coming here in less than 48 hours’ Anton mused ‘I was planning on striking at Applewood, but this is too good to miss. All we have to do is sit and wait for them to come to us’

‘It does seem too good to be true. Are we sure it’s not a trap?’ Claudius asked cautiously, but Anton waved his hand.

‘They have no idea of this little bolthole, they don’t even know we’re in the country’

‘But that American that snuck around this afternoon saying his parents were Cordonian…’

‘I thought the same, but the accent tied in with his story’ Anton said dismissively. ‘The lantern festival is a fixed date so it’s to be expected they’ll be scrambling to get the place ready, and the Americans have little or no interest in who runs Cordonia as long as they continue to trade with them’

‘As long as the housekeeper kept her mouth shut’ Claudius glowered

‘Of course she did, she’s right in my pocket. I spun her a sob story about how cruel Constantine was to my parents – which is exactly the case, I just threw in the hearts and flowers. She’ll cooperate with us, and I can deal with Lykel when the boy King’s been disposed of.’

‘There’s not many of us though’ Claudius cautioned ‘The Guard will be on full alert’

‘You forget the secret passageways. We can get hold of the King anytime we like with a full guard right outside his door. As soon as he’s dealt with we can invoke the clause of succession and I’ll be on the throne along with the Nevrakis woman. She’s a bit skinny for my liking, but she has spirit. My lawyer has the papers and is ready to make the announcement as soon as I call him’ He yawned and stretched. ‘I’d better get some sleep. Tomorrow we make our plans, and then Liam will walk right into our grasp.’

------

On the stroke of midnight, the Guard entered the grounds of the manor through the old oak door, quickly and quietly. They moved cautiously, using the drone with infra red sensors to check for security patrols. None had been in evidence when Damien had visited, but that was to be expected. Only one man was detected, and was swiftly captured and silenced. Next, two groups infiltrated the Manor, one through the staff entrance which had been left unlocked for night staff, and another through the conservatory. Frightened staff were rounded up and corralled in the staff dining room with a man to guard them in case anyone not loyal to the Crown decided to warn Anton, if indeed he was still there.

Bastien monitored it all from the surveillance van which had been moved to the perimeter of the Manor grounds, as they didn’t expect to meet much resistance. Although the manor was a good size, Damien had been able to ascertain that the bedrooms he had been shown were all unused, and the part that was closed off could not house more than half a dozen men. It was risky not knowing if Anton was there and how many men he had, but that was outweighed by the advantage of surprise.

Damien confronted Gladys, tight lipped and angry at the intrusion. He explained the situation and reluctantly she revealed that the manor did indeed house a number of Anton’s sympathisers. The Duchess had allowed him space for his operations, but she swore it was only a resting place for him – there was another bigger location, though she did not know its whereabouts. It appeared he and the other two men had arrived from Monaco and had planned to move on before he had learned of the charity tour coming to the manor. There were three other men resident at the manor, one of which Damien knew they had already neutralised on their way in. That left Anton, Claudius and three others to track down.

The numbers and the element of surprise were all with them, and Damien lead a team to the first floor of the blocked off section of the manor, which Gladys admitted was not damaged. Another group went in at ground level. He took a deep breath before he carefully opened the door to the corridor beyond.

-------

Anton woke to a rough shake and a cautioning hand on his mouth, and he sat bolt upright without a sound. Claudius stood by his bedside, picking up a torch from the bedside where he had left it to wake him.

‘Get dressed fast, we have company’ he hissed in a low tone.

‘Shit’ he swore ‘How the fuck…’

‘Never mind how, just get some clothes on. Preston and Parks will hold them off, we need to move’

‘We should stand and fight’ he blustered as he grabbed some clothes.

‘We don’t know how many there are. They must have taken out at least one of us to get into the house.’ He went to the door to listen while Anton struggled into pants, sweater, socks and shoes, thanking his lucky stars he slept naked. It had given him valuable seconds. He heard a noise in the corridor outside – voices and a scuffle.

‘For the King! Severus, come out with your hands up.’ was the loud proclamation.

‘Shit, if it’s the Guard they’ll have more than one team.’ He snarled in anger, but Claudius was opening the window and beckoning him over. Swiftly he went across, now hearing gunshots outside. Claudius was scrambling down the vine that grew up the wall to gutter height, and he followed, cursing. He looked out across the lawn and saw a glint in the moonlight in mid air.

‘Fuck, they’ve got a drone’ Claudius swore. ‘I’ll shoot it down and we can run for it. Make for the stables, there’s a car there’ He hit the ground and aimed into the air. A shot rang out, followed by a curse, then another shot. Anton looked toward the stables and they ran together, hearing the whir of the drone’s rotors. Claudius had hit it but it stayed aloft, no longer silent. Anton heard shouts from the manor and looked back to see someone following them, hitting the lawn and racing toward them at breakneck speed.

‘Interpol, stop or I’ll shoot’ he heard the figure shout as he ran. By this time they were at the stables and Claudius turned to fire at their pursuer. Anton fumbled with the door latch and heard a shot and a grunt close by as the door swung open. He saw Claudius stumble and fall, before regaining his feet and lunging after him. A third man was making his way to the car from the house, obviously one of his men, firing at the Interpol man, who threw himself to the ground and rolled toward a bush.

‘Keys - glove compartment’ Claudius gasped. Anton flung himself into the car and rummaged for the key before locating it in the ignition and turning it. Claudius got into the passenger side, blood staining his shirt in the dim light of the dashboard, the other man getting into the back seat. Claudius and he wound down the windows ready to shoot as the engine roared into life. Anton turned the headlights on full to dazzle anyone trying to get to them, and burst out of the stables to barrel off down the drive. He heard shots hitting the car from the Interpol operative – and maybe more.

‘The gates’ grunted Claudius, pain in his voice ‘We’ll have to ram them. They’ll have them closed and covered’

‘Interpol?’ growled Anton ‘Lykel must have called them in, damn him’ They careered along the driveway toward the presumably locked gates. There were no other vehicles blocking the way and no obvious presence, but armed men could be hidden nearby. There was no choice – this was the only exit. Anton rammed the gates and Claudius gasped in pain at the impact, the third man bracing himself so he could shoot if needed. The gates didn’t budge. He tried again without success, and screamed with frustration. He flung the door open and dropped out of the car, hugging the ground.

‘Cover me, damn you’ he snarled as he moved toward the gate, and they crouched with their firearms out, using the car doors as shelter. More shots rang out, but Anton had lost a sense of where they came from in his drive to escape. Cursing his lack of a firearm he climbed onto the top of the car and scaled the gates, feeling a sharp stinging pain in his lower leg.

He dropped over onto the road outside - his ankle blossomed into pain and he realised he’d caught a bullet. He ran for his life as best as he could, adrenalin spurring him on. Shouts and more shots rang out followed by a cry of distress, and he crossed the road alone to make for the forest in the hope of shaking his followers. He had almost made it when lights suddenly dazzled him. Just ahead of him was a van, dark in the shadow of the trees on the verge of the road. The headlights had suddenly snapped on full and he stumbled, arm across his eyes against the light. A figure appeared in the harsh blue white light, broad and tall, and he heard a familiar voice. He also heard the cocking of a firearm behind him.

‘Stop, Severus, there’s no place to go’ came Bastien’s voice. He screamed in rage and threw himself at the Captain of the Guard, barrelling into him with all his weight, judging that the gunman behind him wouldn’t shoot for fear of hitting the Captain. It was sheer luck that he caught Bastien’s injured leg and made him stumble, but that was where his luck ran out. Bastien stepped to the side, regaining his balance and sending Anton to the ground. He swiftly followed him down, knee in his back with his full weight. He heard the breath wheeze out of him and  twisted his arm up behind him.

‘Let me go’ he panted when he could get his breath ‘You’ll regret this – I should be king - you’ll see. I’ll have you – executed - when I’m crowned’

‘I think not, Severus’ he replied. By now, others were arriving, and he was cuffed and dragged to his feet. ‘It all ends here, you’ll not escape this time’  Bastien assured him. Damien appeared, breathing heavily, Lewis behind him.

‘Mission accomplished, Captain’ Lewis said ‘We’re double checking for any stragglers, but if our information’s right, we have them all. We’ve a couple of gunshot wounds on both sides but everyone’s alive. One of the men by the gate needs an ambulance, he could bleed out’ Bastien frowned at Damien as Anton was lead away.

‘Looks like you were one of the unlucky ones’ he said, pointing at his upper arm. Dazedly, he turned his head to look at his bloodied sleeve.

‘Just a flesh wound’ he said ‘Are you okay?’

‘Not a scratch, Nazario. Thanks for your help, you made our job much easier’

‘That’s what I do’ he grinned ‘Now, do you think Gladys would break out the brandy?’

‘You can go and find out’ Bastien said ‘I have a phone call to make.’

-------

Bastien settled into the seat in the back of the security van. He called up Sophia’s number and barely heard the ring tone before she answered.

‘Bas! Is that you?’ her voice showed no sign of sleepiness despite the fact that it was some time after midnight.

‘Yes theá mou, it’s all over and I’m fine’

‘Are you? Are you really? No gunshot wound, no knife injury, burns, broken bones?’ Her voice was becoming shrill.

‘Perhaps a bruise or two’

‘A bruise? How could you get a bruise in the surveillance van?’ she scolded, frantic with worry. He sighed.

‘Really Sophia, I’m unscathed. I had the pleasure of capturing Anton myself, but only because he came to me’

‘He came to you? Why didn’t you have a lookout?’ she asked incredulously.

‘Theá mou, be calm’ he said soothingly. ‘Breathe, my goddess. Listen to my voice. All is well. Anton scaled the gates to escape and ran in front of the van. He had no weapons, so I stepped out and apprehended him myself. I had armed support, and all is well’ There was a hiccup on the other end, and he realised she was crying, hopefully with relief, though it was hard to tell just by listening.

‘Come back to me, agápe mou’ she pleaded ‘I need to see you – hold you’ He took a deep breath.

‘Sophia, I love you more than life itself’ he pledged ‘I will be with you as soon as I can. Please, try to sleep, you need rest’

‘It was – it was Anton’ she sobbed ‘I was so afraid he’d take you from me’

‘He’ll not escape this time, I promise’ he said ‘Rest, théa mou. I still have tasks to perform’

‘Let Lewis do it’ she said faintly ‘Please. All I can think of is when Anton had me in the dungeon. I need you’

‘Call Drake’ He replied ‘Remember the techniques I taught you. Breathe’ He wondered at what had triggered her, feeling a pang of guilt at the probability that it was his departure. His normally calm and self possessed lover was in distress at the other end of the line. ‘I have to ring off’ he said soothingly. ‘Promise me you’ll call someone to sit with you until I return’

‘O – okay’ she sniffled ‘I’m sorry Bastien. I don’t know why I’m like this’

‘I broke my promise’ he said regretfully ‘I went into the field. This was important, I know you understand in your logical mind, but your emotions are not so easily soothed. I’ll tell Lewis that I’m coming back. Hold on Sophia, I know you’re strong. Be strong for me, my love’

‘Drive carefully’ she said, her voice a little calmer.

Next Chapter 13 Home and Dry?

[phoenix-downer]

Thanks for Waiting Chapter 1/2

For Rikunami Day 2019. Chapter 1 will be posted today, and chapter 2 will be posted next Monday. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Length: ~3300 words

Summary: Riku and Naminé are an unlikely duo working towards a common goal: helping Sora. But as they spend more and more time together, they start to question if they’re doing the right thing. It’s easier to focus on that than on what might be happening between them. After all, a Nobody doesn’t have feelings of her own, and a human wouldn’t fall for a Nobody… right?

Characters: Naminé, Riku

Relationships: Riku/Naminé

Additional Info: Romance, Friendship, Angst, Mutual Pining, (Mostly) Canon Compliant, Missing Scene(s)

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Naminé rubbed her eyes, then picked up the pencil and continued her work. This memory was an old one; Sora wore a white shirt with red pants, and there was a light shining in his hands. It was one of those memories he probably didn’t even remember, but it was a part of his heart all the same and needed to get put back together. 

“Naminé? You’re still awake?”

Naminé looked up from her sketchbook. A figure wearing a black coat and a blindfold had entered her little sanctuary, a blank white room with drawings of Sora’s memories attached to the walls. 

“Oh, hello Riku,” she said as she turned her attention back to her drawing. “I take it our hideout is still safe?”

Riku took a seat at the opposite end of the table from her. “For now,” he said with a sigh. His silver hair was getting long, including his bangs. Between that and the blindfold, Naminé wasn’t sure how he could even see anything.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” she asked. 

“I guess. I just… don’t feel like I’m doing anything.”

“Well, there’s not much you can do right now other than stand guard over Sora. And it’s an important job. His life is in our hands.” 

He rested his head in his hands. “That’s just it. After what I did, I don’t know how I’m gonna face him when he wakes up.”

“Well,” Naminé said as she put her pencil down, “if it makes you feel any better, there are plenty of good memories of the two of you together. And Sora forgave me for trying to replace Kairi. He wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t hold it against me. If he can forgive me, he can forgive you too.”

Riku was silent, and Naminé stole a glance at his face. With his eyes covered, it was harder to get a read on what he was feeling, but not impossible. 

“Riku,” she said softly, and he lifted his head. “I think you’re being harder on yourself than anyone else is.”

“I could say the same about you. How long have you been working on Sora’s memories without a break?”

She pursed her lips. “That’s different. I have to make it up to him. I have to fix my mistakes. With each day that goes by, he’s apart from his friends for that much longer.”

He sat back in his chair. “And how is what you’re doing any different from what I’m doing?”

“It’s not,” Naminé finally admitted.

His lips twitched, ever so slightly, and for a moment Naminé caught a glimpse of the Riku Sora and Kairi must know.

“Listen to us,” he said. “Two people bumbling around, trying to atone for what we’ve done but probably doing more damage in the process. What a pair we make.”

Naminé stilled at that. “I’m not a person the way you are, Riku. I’m not… human. I’m just a Nobody. Kairi’s shadow.”

He said nothing for a long time, and she picked up her pencil again and continued. When he stood, she glanced up at him one last time. 

“Goodnight, Riku.”

“Goodnight, Naminé.”

With that, he stole out of the room as quickly as he’d entered it. The only sound left was the scratching of pencil against paper.

The more Naminé spread her drawings of Sora’s memories across the walls and tables of this lonely room, the emptier Naminé felt inside. Like she was pouring everything into those drawings until there was nothing left. She set her pencil down, the drawing of Sora as a child finally finished, and rested her head in her hands.

His memories mocked her. They were always waiting for her as soon as she closed her eyes. Reminding her of the life she could never have. It didn’t matter that Sora had promised to be her friend. Once he woke up, he wouldn’t even know who she was. She was alone again. 

Riku was trying, he really was. But a human like him couldn’t understand what it felt like to know you were never meant to exist. That you were a mistake, an accident. Naminé could hardly blame him for thinking that way. She and Roxas and Xion were all just fakes, and he and Sora and Kairi were the real ones. The humans. The ones with actual hearts. And even though Roxas and Xion were never meant to exist, either, they still had Axel. Who did she have?

No one. Sora had chosen Kairi over her. Riku wanted his friend back, and so did Kairi, even though she couldn’t remember his name. 

There was one person who had wanted to be with her. The Riku Replica. But he was gone now, and his feelings had been fake. Given to him so Marluxia could manipulate Sora. Given to him so she could toy with him and break him. No one had ever cared for her out of their own free will. 

What she wouldn’t give just to have that, for once. But she could never ask for it, for if she did, she would simply ensure the same thing would happen again. Love without a choice was not love at all. 

When she left the white room for the night, a shudder went down her spine. How could a Nobody like her be haunted by ghosts of memories that weren’t even her own? 

But it didn’t matter. Her time was limited. In the end, she would have to return to her Other, just like every other Nobody did in the end.

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Riku sighed as he sank into his creaky bed that night. The Old Mansion was hardly a nice place to live, but somehow it was still less creepy than living in Maleficent’s lonely old castle with its big empty room back on Hollow Bastion.

Being away from Sora and Kairi was hard. But it wasn’t their fault Riku was currently in this mess, struggling with his darkness as he tried to fix his mistakes. And Sora wouldn’t wake up unless he went to questionable lengths to get his friend back. 

His thoughts wandered to his task at hand. Sure, DiZ kept saying Roxas and Xion and Naminé weren’t real people. But if that was true… why did Xion have a face now? A face that looked like Kairi’s? And why did Roxas seem so much like Sora? Why was Riku reminded so much of his friend when he saw him?

And Naminé. Naminé, with her gentle smile and earnest manner. Naminé, who was just as determined to atone for her mistakes as Riku was for his. How were the two of them any different, really? Why was it that he was human and she was a Nobody? Did it even really matter?

Yes, it did, because if he accepted Naminé had a heart, then he’d have to accept Roxas and Xion did, too, and he couldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that and still bring Sora back.

DiZ was right. Nobodies and Replicas weren’t real people. They were just fakes with fake hearts, and no amount of wishing would ever change that. 

But as Riku fell asleep, Naminé’s face was in his thoughts, and a part of him wished he was wrong.

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When Naminé woke up the next morning, faint smells were coming from the direction of the mansion’s kitchen. 

Curious. Usually she was the one who did the cooking. Riku was in and out too much to be a reliable cook, and DiZ had probably never made anything more complicated than a sandwich in his entire life. 

She had no clothes but her white dress, so she slipped it on now and folded the oversized Twilight Town t-shirt that was her nightgown in a neat pile on her creaky old bed. She’d managed to snatch it when no one was looking, because Diz didn’t think a Nobody like her need worry about things like clothes or even food.

But her body, faint and ethereal as it was, still needed sustenance of some kind. She had made do by scrounging around in the woods near the mansion or snatching scraps from food stalls in town until Riku put a stop to that and started bringing back actual groceries for her to cook with.

Taking the stairs as quietly as possible, she made her way down to the kitchen. The smells drifting to her nose triggered Kairi’s memories of other mornings spent with Riku and Sora, mixing batter and adding in chocolate chips.  

Sure enough, Riku was hunched over the stove with a metal spatula in his hand. The stove had been a little too short for him before, but after his recent growth spurt, it was comically so. 

“Good morning,” she said as she peered over his shoulder. A plate of pancakes was next to the stove, and he scooped the latest one off the skillet and dumped it on top of the pile.

“Morning,” he replied. “Pancakes are about the only thing I know how to make, so I figured I’d take over cooking duty for once. Grab yourself a few and take a seat. Syrup’s already on the table.”

“Thank you.” She found a chipped but clean plate to use, along with a mismatching fork and knife, and took a seat on one of the creaky old chairs. Miracle of miracles, the table didn’t wobble as she set her plate down, and she gave Riku a curious look.

“I tried to stabilize it this morning,” he explained as he brought the remaining pancakes over along with another clean plate and took a seat. She watched as he poured syrup over his stack of pancakes, leaving a few for DiZ. 

So that was what you did with the syrup. She copied him and then tried a bite. The pancakes were warm and fluffy, and the syrup was just the right level of sweetness.

“These are really good, Riku. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, you can thank Kairi. She’s the one who taught me how to make them.”

But of course. Riku wouldn’t make them for her sake; he was making them because he missed Kairi. 

“I hope I get to meet her soon,” she said. Well, more like she knew she would, she just wanted to talk to Kairi before she merged with her.

“She’d like you,” Riku said. Not a question, a matter-of-fact statement.

“She would? Even after I made Sora forget her?”

“She’s not the kind of person who holds things against other people.”

“Why don’t you go see her then?”

Riku sighed. “I can’t. Not without Sora.”

Naminé didn’t know what to say to him. What she wouldn’t give to have real actual friends of her own. He had friends who cared deeply about him, and yet he wouldn’t even talk to them.

“Well,” she said at last, “I hope the three of you can be together again soon.” 

He coughed and quickly changed the subject. “What will you do, when all of this is over?”

“I suppose the same fate that befalls all Nobodies will befall me eventually. I’ll return to Kairi like I’m supposed to.”

He was silent for a while, then finally replied, “Doesn’t that make you sad?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have a heart, remember? So I can’t really be sad about it.”

But Riku’s head drooped, and she had the curious thought that perhaps he was sad for her.

No, that was impossible. Humans didn’t feel any empathy for Nobodies. How could they, when Nobodies were just empty husks masquerading as people?

She couldn’t let Riku get attached. That would just lead to heartache for him and make it harder to do what had to be done. 

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Naminé sat in the white room, staring blankly out the window at the courtyard below and the woods beyond that. Xion had made her promise to look after Roxas, and… 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

She glanced at Riku, who must’ve entered the room without her noticing. His eyes were still covered, but she didn’t need to see them to sense something was on his mind, too.

“I don’t know why,” she said, “but something about this feels wrong. I know I’m not supposed to be able to feel, and yet… I can’t help but wonder… are we really doing the right thing, Riku?”

He didn’t answer her for a few moments as her question hung in the air. Was he having a crisis of conscience over what they were doing? Was it possible he felt guilty? Ashamed?

But this was all to help Sora. That was what mattered, right?

“Right or wrong, Xion made up her mind in the end,” he said at last, his voice heavy. “There was no stopping her.”

“You’re sad for her?” 

Riku didn’t reply; he just sat down and stared at the drawings on the wall. As the memories of Xion faded one by one despite her attempts to cling to them, Naminé couldn’t help but wonder. Would anyone remember her after she’d returned to Kairi? Or would she just fade away? Would everyone forget her like Sora had forgotten her, or would someone, anyone, remember her? Would she become a part of Kairi, or would she… 

She shook her head. Roxas. She was supposed to look after Roxas, for some reason. 

Riku stood and walked to the door. 

“Where are you going?” she asked. 

“Xion… I’m supposed to… face Roxas.”

With that, he was gone, and so were the last memories of… 

That was the thing about memories fading. Once they were gone, they were gone for good. Hoping that someone would remember her after she returned to Kairi was pointless. She was doomed to be forgotten in the end, just like every other Nobody. 

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Diz’s secret basement laboratory, with its blue glowing lights and creepy monitors, was usually somewhere Naminé merely passed through when she wanted to visit Sora. But someone had entered the Old Mansion and was in the lab now, and she wanted to know what was going on. Otherwise she’d never find out, as Diz wasn’t going to tell her otherwise. 

She took the steps one by one, clutching her sketchbook to her chest as she peered down. What she saw at the bottom of the stairs made her breath catch. 

A tall figure was there, dragging an unconscious Roxas along with one arm as it favored the other. Her promise to help Roxas rang clear through her head, and she cast her sketchbook aside and addressed the figure.

“Who are you?”

“Naminé, it’s me.”

She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. “Riku?”

Sure enough, the memories were his. His heart was his. But his appearance was not. He… he looked like Ansem now. Like his own worst enemy. He still wore a black coat, but he was taller and bulkier than he should be. His hair wasn’t messy anymore, either; it was perfectly smooth, and he was no longer blindfolded. Instead of the beautiful green eyes she had come to expect, golden ones stared back at her.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, averting his gaze. “But I had to do this to defeat Roxas.”

Naminé’s lower lip trembled as she looked from Riku to Roxas back to Riku. How was this right? How was any of this right? Why had Riku transformed? And why did Roxas have to be sacrificed? Why did bringing Sora back have such a high cost? She didn’t know helping him would… would—

Her eyes rested on the unconscious Roxas once more. Maybe she and Roxas weren’t human, but surely they didn’t deserve to just—

“I see you’ve brought Roxas back,” Diz said, and Naminé stiffened at the sound of his voice. “Place him over there. The digital Twilight Town is ready.”

Riku moved to do as Diz asked, and Diz turned his attention to her.

“Naminé, now that we have Roxas, you must make haste. The Organization will begin searching for us.”

“Of course.” 

She still owed it to Sora to put the rest of his memories back together. She’d promised.

But… she could at least comfort Roxas in his final few days of life. It was the least she could do for him, for the only person left who might understand. 

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“Dispose of Naminé.”

DiZ’s command to Riku rang through his head as he listened to Axel and Naminé speak to each other. And then Axel brought up the elephant in the room, the reason why Riku had come to  Sunset Hill overlooking the real Twilight Town in the first place. 

“DiZ? Wants to get rid of me?” Naminé asked. Her voice wasn’t angry or accusatory, just sad and a little surprised. She stared at the sketchpad in her hands. “Well, I suppose it makes sense. He doesn’t want a Nobody with powers as dangerous as mine around.” She looked up at him, and her eyes were heavy. “I don’t blame you, Riku.”

As he stared at her, he thought of all the days they’d spent together over the past few months. Thought of how she’d treated him kindly, even after he’d taken on Ansem’s form. Thought of how she’d smiled when he’d made pancakes for her. Thought of how she always knew just what to say as well as when to be silent. Thought of how upset she’d been over Roxas’s fate. How she’d defied even DiZ’s orders after she’d cooperated with him for so long. And why? 

That was when it hit Riku. She was lonely. She was trying to bond with the only person she thought might understand her. If she really didn’t have a heart, then why was she trying so hard to connect with someone else?

DiZ was wrong. Riku had made a terrible mistake. Naminé had a heart. Roxas did too. Maybe even Axel as well. And even though it was too late to help Roxas now, he could still do something for Naminé. He could still show mercy on Axel.

“Go,” he told them, and Naminé’s eyes went wide and her lips parted. “I owe you both,” he explained after Axel questioned him. What he didn’t say was that a part of him couldn’t bear to see Naminé dead. Couldn’t bear the thought of her not existing anymore. 

“Thank you,” was all she said after a few moments, but it was all she had to say. He watched as she disappeared inside the portal Axel had opened. Now he was the one defying orders, but he didn’t care. She was gone, but at least this way, she might be safe. 

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As Naminé merged with Kairi, she realized at long last the truth that had been staring her in the face: she did have a heart of her own, a will of her own, a mind of her own. 

While she was glad that she continued to exist at all, a part of her still wished that she could feel the breeze on her skin again, the sunshine beaming down on her face. Wished she could talk to Roxas and Kairi and Sora face to face again. Wished she could see Riku again—

She caught herself. Where had that thought come from? Strange, unbidden, and yet… here to stay. The more she tried not to think about Riku, the more she thought about him. Thought about his wry humor and dry wit and teasing smiles. Why had he spared her? Was it really because of guilt, or could it be something more?

No, it had to be guilt. There was no other explanation. He felt bad about what he’d done to Roxas, and this had been his way of making up for it. 

There was no way he felt anything for her. None at all. And that was how it should be. She might be her own person, but she had no hope of being distinct from Kairi ever again.

Did she?

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A/N: I’ve been wanting to write something that delved into Riku and Naminé’s bond in more detail, as well as what might have happened behind the scenes during those moments the games can’t include because of time and budget restraints. This chapter covered the material leading up to KH3, and next week’s chapter will cover KH3 itself. Hope you enjoyed!

[swanqueeneverafter]

Sins of the Past Pt.12

Storybrooke. Swan-Mills House. Continued. Henry: (Pulling away from the kiss:) "Uh, hey. That... This is not what you need right now.” Drizella: “Believe me, it is.” (Leans in to kiss him again.) Henry: “No, wait, wait. Just stop. Stop. (Stands:) Listen. Listen, I get it, okay? Back during the first curse when I was feeling really down, I tried all sorts of stupid things to make me feel better.” Drizella: “Oh. So now I'm stupid?” (Drizella returns to her seat.) Henry: (Sighs:) “No. No, you're not stupid. You're...You're trying to grab onto something. It's just that I'm the wrong thing.” Drizella: “Well, then I'm screwed. Because guess what? You're all I've got.” Henry: “Oh, come on. That's not true. You still have your sister. Look, if you're trying to figure out who Drizella is now, make her best person she can be. You can't change things with the family you lost, so maybe you should try it with the family you still have.” Drizella: “And what about you?” Henry: “What about me?” Drizella: “Henry, you talk about stupid choices, but come on, choosing to go star-gazing with your parents instead of helping your fiancée find her family? Something's not right there. Something's broken, something's wrong and you have to go fix it. (Henry nods and drops his head:) Or, you could stay and make out with me? (They share a good-natured laugh:) You’re a great guy, Henry. But Neverland can wait. Ella can’t.” Wonderland. The Underland. (Ella and Will descend a spiral staircase.) Ella: "It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside.” Will: “You're used to Wonderland, Ella. Welcome to the Underland. Follow my lead. This is my world. Let me handle things.”

(Will is then immediately tackled and pinned against a tree by a tall brute.) Will: “Nazim! Pleasure to see you again.” Nazim: “Don't ‘pleasure’ me.” Will: “I wouldn't dream of it.” Nazim: “You owe me money. You owe everyone money!” Ella: (Holding her sword to Nazim’s throat:) “Let's all keep our heads now, shall we?” Will: “I said, let me handle it. (Several of the patrons gather around them, their own weapons drawn:) Okay, maybe I could use a little help.” Caterpillar: “Stop! Let him go. (Nazim releases Will and Ella lowers her sword:) Let them through. (Will and Ella walk through the crowd to stand before the Caterpillar:) The Knave of Hearts. I've missed you.” Will: “The feeling is certainly not mutual.” Caterpillar: “Or rather, I've missed the money you owe me. I take it you've brought it to me. Or is the girl your form of payment?” Ella: “Hey!” Will: “Careful, mate. Ella here is to be the future daughter-in-law of Regina and Emma. Now this part of Wonderland might be a bit behind the times, but I’ve bet you’ve heard of them, haven’t ya? (The Caterpillar murmurs:) And it just so happens that Ella’s looking for her mother. So, I came here hoping to make a deal for the Forget-Me-Knot.” Caterpillar: (Chuckles:) “So you want to go deeper into my debt?” Will: “Not me first choice. But one day, with that knot, I'll be able to pay everything back and then double.” Caterpillar: “I don't believe you. Now shall we talk about other forms of payment?” Ella: “He doesn't have it.” Will: “What?” Ella: “The knot. He's greedy. He would have taken double. You don't have it, do you, Caterpillar?” Caterpillar: “Clever girl.” Ella: “But you know where it is.” Caterpillar: “Indeed.” Will: “New deal. Tell us, we'll get it for you, and my debt is erased.” Caterpillar: “Hmm. The deal is accepted.” Will: “Cheers, mate. Now where is it?” Caterpillar: “With the Grendel.” Will: “The Grendel?” Caterpillar: “I believe he still lives and eats in the Whispering Woods. Good luck.” Will: “You want me to fail?” Caterpillar: “I don't care. All outcomes favor me. Either you achieve what none before you have and get the knot from the Grendel. Or you die trying. Or you get the knot and try to keep it for yourself.” Will: “How does the last one favor you?” Caterpillar: “Because then I get to exact the revenge on you I've been waiting so long for. And when I am through, I will not only possess the knot, I will possess you.” Will: “Possess me? I thought you wanted me dead.” Caterpillar: “There are fates worse than death. (He lifts a cloche beside him and a man’s screaming head is revealed:) I can always use another pretty face on my desk.” Camelot. Past. Castle Battlements. (Morgana looks out at Cenred's army as it approaches the city. Directly beneath her, Morgana watches the soldiers file out of the castle.)

Outer Edge of the Battlefield. (Cenred and Morgause are mounted near the forest with their guards as they watch his troops prepare the trebuchets.) Cenred: “Fire! (The trebuchets launch flaming material and Cenred’s troops advance on the city:) The lower town is as good as ours.” Morgause: “That will hardly fill the pages of history. What of the citadel itself?” Cenred: “Their defenses are strong, but nothing we can’t handle. Time for you to deliver your side of the bargain.” Morgause: “Patience, Cenred. You will not be disappointed.” Neverland. Present. (Emma and Regina spar together with swords. The sounds of metal on metal echo through the forest.) Regina: "You know, for someone not formally trained to use a sword, you're really quite good." Emma: "Well, I suppose a sword never runs out of bullets." Regina: "Now all we have to do is find someone to teach you how to use a gun. (Regina twirls her sword, ready for Emma's attack. Parrying her strikes, Regina looks pleased:) Well done. Now loosen your grip. You're holding it like a street fighter. (Emma does as instructed and advances again:) Better. Have you always been such a quick study?” Emma: “When you grow up in the foster system, you learn to like whatever your foster parents are interested in. (They clash swords again:) I thought if I learnt everything about whatever it was and got really good at it, then it would make them happy.” Regina: “And that would mean they’d want to keep you. Oh, Emma.” Emma: “Sorry. I didn't mean to...” Regina: “Don't be.” (They spar again. Emma blocking every one of Regina’s strikes, which brings a smile to her face. When Emma goes back on the offensive, she overreaches, allowing Regina to move out of the way and disarm her.) Emma: “Hey! (When Regina picks up Emma’s sword and points both at her:) What do I do now?” Regina: “Same thing you've always done. Be creative.” (Emma backs up against a tree, when she attempts to move one way, Regina puts a sword in her path, when she tries the other way, the same result. Out of options, Emma ducks under Regina’s arm and rolls to the ground.)

Emma: (Laying on the ground as Regina advances:) “It's hard to be creative when your opponent's uncommonly creative, too.” Regina: “Well, I suppose the trick is to always be smarter than your opponent. Which means you have to know who you're up against.” Emma: “I'll remember that.” Regina: (Placing a sword either side of Emma’s body and leaning down:) “So, Emma, what now?” Emma: “I think I know my opponent. I think I know her weakness.” Regina: “Really?” Emma: “I hope so. (Emma reaches up and pulls Regina in for a kiss:) Looks like I was right.” (Dropping both swords, Regina returns the kiss with great passion whilst Maria dozes peacefully in the shade.) Storybrooke. The Dragon's Lair. (Remy is behind the bar when Hook enters.) Hook: "Remy." Remy: "Ah, Captain. What can I get you?" Hook: "Nothing for me, thanks. I'm on duty." Remy: (Laughs:) "Yeah, right. (At Hook's expression:) Oh, you're serious." Hook: (Coldly:) "Shouldn't you be prepping in the kitchen?" Remy: "I should, but I'm holding fort here while Robin's out." Hook: "And where's Robin?" Remy: "Talking with the suppliers." Hook: "Isn't that usually the owner's job?" Remy: "Usually, yeah. Hey, where is Maleficent?" Hook: "She's not here?" Remy: (Shakes his head:) "We've not seen her all day. Is everything all right?" Hook: (Tapping the counter:) "That's a good question." (He leaves.) Camelot. Past. Uther's Chambers. (The room is in disarray with items of furniture scattered across the floor. Although no longer under the mandrake's enchantment, Uther sits huddled on the floor in the corner of the room, his woes about to get much worse.) Uther: (Shakily:) "Who are you?" Jabberwocky: (Stalking her prey:) "I am known as the Jabberwocky." Uther: (Mustering up some courage:) "I am Uther Pendragon. King of-" Jabberwocky: (Giggles:) "You dare call yourself King after all you've done? (Leans down, extremely close to Uther:) Perhaps you prefer to forget. Block it all out of your mind. Well I am here to make sure you remember every last one of your victims." (Uther paws desperately at the Jabberwocky while he sees a sopping wet Ygraine with five drowned children in the middle of the room.) Ygraine: "Please!" (Uther closes his eyes, screwing up his face in an attempt to block out the voices of his tormentors while the Jabberwocky watches on, delighted.)

Castle. Main Doors. (Having been beaten back by the seemingly unstoppable onslaught of Cenred's men, Arthur has had no choice but to retreat, bringing most of his forces back inside the castle.) Arthur: (Pacing the halls:) "Everything we throw at them just bounces off. Nothing seems to penetrate their defenses. It's as if they're-" Guinevere: (Cutting in:) "Enchanted?" Arthur: "Guin, what are you still doing here? I want you to take as many people as you can and run! Escape to the woods." Guinevere: "I'm not going anywhere without you. And I think I know why you've been unable to cause any damage to Cenred's army. They're being led by Morgause." Arthur: "Morgause? Why would she attack Camelot? She has no right to the throne." Guinevere: "No, but Morgana does. I believe Morgause seeks to see Morgana replace her father." Arthur: "But why?" Guinevere: "I can't be sure, but I think she has Morgana under her thrall. I saw them together in the forest last night when I followed Morgana." Arthur: "Guin, you knew of this and said nothing?" Guinevere: "I didn't realise what I saw, until now. I think... somehow Morgana is the key. I watched Morgause put an enchantment on Morgana while she was unconscious. I don't believe even Morgana knows the depths of Morgause's plans." Arthur: (Scoffs:) "I wouldn't be so sure of that. You give Morgana too much credit sometimes. I've seen how she speaks to the King. I refuse to believe Morgana is just some unwitting pawn in all this." Guinevere: "So what do we do now?" Arthur: "We fortify our defenses. Until I can speak to Morgana, our army has no chance of defeating one protected by magic." Guinevere: "I'm coming with you." Arthur: "No, Guin. (Sighs:) If you won't leave for your own sake, I need you to protect the King. Make sure no further harm comes to him." Guinevere: (Grabbing his arm:) "Arthur, please. Promise me you won't harm Morgana." Arthur: (Stroking her face:) "I give you my word, I will not touch a hair on her head. Now go, protect the King." (Guinevere leaves. Watching her go, a dark look crosses Arthur's face.) Neverland. Present. (Regina and Emma stop to have lunch beside the river. Regina watches Emma play with Maria on her lap, a pensive expression on her face.) Emma: “Is something wrong? You seem a little quiet.” Regina: “Sorry. Just thinking.” Emma: “About?” Regina: “Us. This is the closest thing we've had to freedom in a long time.” Emma: “Well back home is hardly a prison, but I know what you mean.” Regina: “I think you’re right. About us retiring. I mean, it’s not like we’re not halfway there already. The Jones's have practically taken over the Sheriff’s department and I’ve been sharing the Mayor’s workload with Snow for months now. We’d have the whole world, Emma. Not just the united realms. We could move on and let people deal with their own problems for a change. I think it's time.” Emma: (Nods:) “I’ve traveled a lot. I was never in one place very long for one reason or another. I know what it’s like to be moved on from.” Regina: “I find it hard to imagine anyone wanting to move on from you.” Emma: (Smiles:) “Since this morning I keep finding myself thinking back to when I was alone. Until Henry came and found me and brought me to you, to my family, I had gotten used to being on my own. Now I have everything I could possibly wish for. You are everything I've ever wished for, Regina, and just the thought of being able to spend twice as much time with you makes me happier than I can put into words.” Regina: (Grins:) “How about we make a deal? I'll never move on from you if you never move on from me." (They kiss.) Emma: “So this is a yes on retirement then?” Regina: “Just as long as I don’t have to learn how to play shuffleboard or play bridge with Marco and Granny every night.” Emma: (Laughing:) “Agreed.”

Storybrooke. The Dragon's Lair. (Henry is talking with Robin and Rumplestiltskin at the bar.) Henry: "So I realise I've made a huge mistake by not going with Ella to Wonderland and I asked Alice if she would help me try and catch up with Will and Ella." Robin: "You asked Alice to take you to the dangerous parts of Wonderland?" Henry: "Yeah, but she can't go right now because she's running the library while Belle's in Dun Broch." Rumplestiltskin: (Suddenly interested:) "Belle's where?" Robin: "Alice isn't going anywhere near the dangerous parts of Wonderland. I can't believe you asked her to take you." Henry: "Well I didn't mean for her to join me, just point me in the right direction. Besides she said she wouldn't go without you anyway." Robin: "Oh, well that's... you still shouldn't have asked. I definitely can't leave as I have to keep this place open. God knows what Maleficent would do to me if I let this place close for a day." Zelena: (Enters, wheeling in a keg:) "And there's no way you're leaving me here on my own!" Rumplestiltskin: "Excuse me, my wife is where?" Zelena: "Dun Broch. She went to help rescue Mulan with the others." Rumplestiltskin: "So where's Gideon?" Zelena: (Sighs:) "Well he was with me until I got the call from Robin to come and help out here." Rumplestiltskin: "So who has him now?" Zelena: "Blue took him." Rumplestiltskin: "I'm sorry? You left my son with-" Zelena: "The penguins, yes. He's better off there than being propped up on a bar stool next to you anyway." (As they glare at each other, Henry steps between Rumplestiltskin and Zelena before an argument can erupt.) Henry: "Can either one of you help me navigate my way through Wonderland?" Rumplestiltskin: "Sorry, Henry, I never had a need to visit that pointless land." Zelena: (Shakes her head:) "Why would I want to go somewhere stranger than Oz?” Henry: (Nods:) "Fine, I guess I'll just have to figure it out for myself. Can you please get a message to my Moms to tell them I’m not going to make it to Neverland?" Zelena: “Of course. You go get her, Henry.” Henry: “Thanks.” (He leaves.) Zelena: (Watching Rumple take a drink:) "Aren't you going to 'rescue' your son from the nuns then?" Rumplestiltskin: (Agitated:) "Are you going to be here all day?" Zelena: "Looks like it." Rumplestiltskin: "Then I won't be. (Finishes his drink and slams the glass down:) I think I'll go find out what the Captain's up to. See if we can't track down his wayward wife." Zelena: (Calling after him as he leaves, sarcastically:) "Send him my love!" (Zelena rolls her eyes and continues moving the keg behind the bar.) Dun Broch. The Southern Moor. (With his co-conspirators rounded up and guarded, a defeated Lord Macintosh sits awaiting his fate while Belle speaks to him.) Belle: "Listen, you know the punishment for trying to assassinate the Queen is death, right? But if you help us by telling us who you were conspiring with, you could save yourself. (Macintosh just glares at her:) Look, we know the poison used on Merida was made with magic. We know you didn't do this alone. All we're looking for is a name." Lord Macintosh: "She said her name was Morgause. (Everyone reacts to this revelation:) She promised that she could make me King. All I had to do then was lead our army into battle against Camelot."

Merida: "You blithering idiot. Camelot are our allies now. Why would you want to shatter the peace we've all fought so hard for?" Lancelot: "Morgause used the same tactic many years ago, employing Cenred's army to attack Camelot." Xena: (To Macintosh:) "Where's Morgause now?" Lord Macintosh: (Shakes his head:) "I haven't seen her since she told me to stop those two from retrieving the Mortaeus flower." (Ruby and Mulan look to each other.) Mulan: "What made you bring me here? If the plan was for you to attack Camelot, we're about as far from there as you can get." Xena: "Which is exactly what she wanted. (Everyone looks to her:) This was her plan all along. (To Lancelot:) You said she tried this once before? (Lancelot nods:) Then she would have counted on you believing she would try it again." Gabrielle: "Classic misdirection. (Xena nods:) This is just like Satrina." Ruby: "Satrina?" Gabrielle: "Many years ago, Xena lead an attack on Corinth. Satrina was Xena's nursemaid at the time and later used Xena's own tactics against her." Xena: "Morgause set a trap and we walked right into it. She knew that if you brought the full might of the your army here on a rescue mission and to prevent a war, then Camelot would be left practically defenseless." Merida: "And she could just walk right in and take the throne." Lancelot: "No, Morgause has no claim to Camelot's throne. The people wouldn't accept her." Merida: "Oh come on, Lancelot, think! Morgause doesn't want the throne for herself." Lancelot: (Comprehension dawns:) "Morgana?" Xena: (Nods:) "They're in this together. They set this whole thing up." Lancelot: (Turns to his men:) "Everyone, back to the castle, now!" Merida: (Turns to Ruby & Mulan:) “I need you two to stay here, make sure the clans know what happened and to tell them I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Ruby: “Wait, you’re leaving?” Merida: “Aye, I’ve a score to settle with Morgause.” Neverland. (Playing down by the beach with Maria, Regina and Emma are as happy as can be. However, unbeknownst to them, a lone figure watches from a distance.)

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Gregg Popovich & Leeds United

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – GREGG POPOVICH AND BECKY HAMMON

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history by becoming the first woman to serve as a head coach in an NBA regular season game against Los Angeles Lakers on New Year’s Eve.

Hammon has been working with San Antonio since the 2014-15 season, but her in-game move to Head Coach – due to Gregg Popovich’s ejection – became national news with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris tweeting about it.

While Hammon deserves all of the credit for continuing to be a key role model for women throughout America in helping to remove gender barriers in sport, Popovich should also be praised for his comments on the topic which were a testament to the environment that he has created in his 25 years as head coach in San Antonio.

“As you all know, we’re very participatory. I like to have my coaches coach. The Lakers were her scout team. It made total sense for her to take over. That’s what we’ve done for decades. That’s nothing new,” Popovich said.

“But on the bigger question of her having taken over a NBA game, to me, it’s not a big surprise. To a lot of other people it meant a lot. I can understand that. She’s somebody who’s very skilled and could very easily fulfil the duties of a head coach in the NBA. That goes without saying.

“There are women in every other endeavour in the world, whether it’s government, science, technology, aviation, it doesn’t matter what it is. Women do the same jobs as well and better than men. That’s a fact. There’s no reason why somebody like Becky and other women can’t be coaches in the NBA.

“On a larger scale, that’s why it wasn’t a big deal to me — because I know her. And I know her skills, and I know her value and I know her future is very, very bright. I understand the attention it got, but in all honesty, I assumed that most people already knew that she was qualified to be a head coach in the NBA.

“We didn’t hire Becky to make history. She earned it. She is qualified. She’s wonderful at what she does. I wanted her on my staff because of the work that she does. And she happens to be a woman, which basically should be irrelevant but it’s not in our world, as we’ve seen as it’s been so difficult for women to obtain certain positions. It was business as usual for us.”

Popovich could’ve taken the chance to praise the organisation or even himself for providing Hammon with such an opportunity, but he was right to put all of the emphasis on her credentials and why she was so deserving.

As Popovich stated, the hope is that this story will cease to be news as more women are able to showcase their abilities in high-profile sports roles, but it’s important to shine a light on role models like Hammon to inspire the next generation of female athletes, coaches, and officials.

MISS – LEEDS UNITED PROVOKE PUNDIT PILE-ON

Official football club social media accounts have evolved from simply posting results and links to an official website to a two-way communications channel with fans.

Leeds United have won a lot of plaudits after returning to the top flight for the first time in 16 years this season, playing a dynamic form of football.

After beating West Bromwich Albion 5-0, TV pundit and former England international Karen Carney observed that the Leeds’ style and promotion owed something to the rest players had during lockdown.

She said: “They outrun everyone, and credit to them. My only concern would be, will they blow up at the end of the season like the last couple of seasons? I actually think they got promoted because of Covid in terms of it giving them a bit of respite. I don't know if they'd have got up if they didn't have that break.”

It was a fair comment and Carney’s opinion rather than being stated as a fact, but the Leeds official Twitter account then shared the clip, prompting thousands of trolls to target and abuse Carney.

Targeting an individual is never appropriate on social media, much less so when by an organisation, but sometimes, mistakes can be made.

The key, as with any sort of crisis, is to recognise the error and fix it quickly: in this case, that means deleting the tweet and offering a full apology for the consequences it provoked, which were obvious to anyone who has ever used social media, particularly in the public eye.

But Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, who has overseen such progress at the club since he took over in 2017, doubled down and endorsed the tweet.

“I take the responsibility of the Club tweet,” he said on Twitter. “I consider that comment completely unnecessary and disrespectful to our Club and particularly to the fantastic hard work of our players and coaches whom were understanding on the pitch for the last two championship seasons by all stats.”

The tweet and the club’s official response to it led to widespread outrage, with Women in Football echoing the sentiments of many when they said: “Whether you agree with the comment or not, singling out & ridiculing an individual on an official club account is not what we’re here for. Karen Carney is a well-informed pundit. This tweet is inciteful & inappropriate. Not a good look now, or at any time.”

The story has gone global, with USA Women’s World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe tweeting: “Shame. Shame. Shame. Thicken up that skin y’all. Also, don’t come for @karenjcarney she’s a National treasure.”

Leeds had many opportunities to realise the damaging consequences of their tweet, and they subsequently issued a statement – notably NOT on Twitter – in response to the abuse Carney has suffered: “Leeds United completely condemns any abuse received by Karen Carney on social media following last night’s Premier League game with West Bromwich Albion.

“Everyone at our club respects Karen greatly for all she has achieved in the game, as well as her work in the media and the charity work she undertakes.”

Given the abuse, it was too little, too late.

Carney, meanwhile, has deleted her Twitter account and the tweet remains live as of January 4, almost a week after it was first posted.

According to The Athletic, Leeds have spoken to Carney’s representatives and invited her do a TV report at their Thorp Arch training ground before their televised FA Cup third-round match against Crawley Town.

This situation is a case study in how a lack of empathy or understanding can create a crisis that affects reputations and individuals. Certainly Leeds have lost some goodwill as a consequence.

Rather than inviting her to their training ground, their staff, from the top down, need education into the daily challenges that women in football face to avert problems like this occurring again in future.

[ask-de-writer]

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 1 of 83 : World of Sea

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 1 of 83

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

First draft written 2007

copyright 2020

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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Chapter 1: The Voice of the Sea

The day was fair and the sun was high, glittering off the water of Sea. Big Wohan was near the horizon and swift little Dorac was nearly at the mast head.  Carsis, the third moon, was not due to rise until well after night fall.

The helmsman turned the three hundred foot length of the Longin dead into the wind.  The breeze, now acting as a brake, slowed the big ship to a stop.  Her large lateen sails went slack and fluttered in the gentle wind as the big ship, resembling a cross between a Chinese junk and a Yankee Clipper, finally went dead in the water.

“Why is the Captain even listening to her?” Silor, the lead deck-hand demanded of nobody in particular, gesturing offhandedly at the young, white haired girl standing beside Captain Mord Halyn near the bow of the ship.  He was further back, near the foremast, in a knot of people prominent in the ship’s community.  The Masters of the Craft Council were there along with many of the officers who were off duty.  There were many others who were simply curious as to what Kurin was going to do this time.  The nearly unbelievable rumor was that she was going to sound the bottom without a fathom-line.

Master Juris, the chief boat-wright and head of the Longin’s Craft Council, seeing a chance to needle Silor again, chose to answer him. Sarcastically he asked, “Why?  Is your memory as clumsy as yourself?  Do your recall as far back as three Wohans?  A whole hundred days?  There was a Coriolis storm, remember?  Quite a large one.”

Silor did, in fact, remember the storm.  I was on deck through most of it.  I took the Captain’s orders and directed my mast crews.  We saved the mainsail, the Longin herself, and every life aboard, when the reefing points tore out in hundred mile per hour winds.  It was me up in the rigging.  Rain and freezing wind tried to hurl me to Dark Iren.  I set the puling blocks and caught lines that the hurricane whipped out of the control of my men and women.  We got the yard secured to the boom and rebound that flailing canvass.  We were almost done, the last line fought into its block, when slippery footing on a wet line let a hard gust throw me twenty feet to the deck.  I broke my left arm.  Silor was still paying the cost of saving the ship in his aching left arm, only recently out of its sling.  Yes, Silor remembered the storm.

“Everybody knows how to deal with a blow like that,” Master Juris went on, patronizingly lecturing Silor like as if he were a child.  “Run before it, close hauled and quarter your way out to safety after you are on the back of its path so it won’t just run you down again. The trick is to know when to quarter your way out with neither sun, moons or stars to help.  We came out of the storm with only one section of one sail blown out of shape beyond salvage.  The damaged section was replaced in five hours, and we were back in trim.  How many ships did we find in that storm’s track?  All needing major repair?”

“Six,” muttered Silor sulkily thinking correctly, Master Juris will always find a way to criticize whatever I do.  Saved the ship, Logged a hero, and Master Juris calls me clumsy!  Didn’t see Juris in the rigging helping!  Once, five years ago when I was a kid, one bad thing happened, and Master Juris has never let me, or anyone else, forget.

“Kurin called the timing sooner than anybody expected and the Captain believed her. She was right.  She got us to safety. It’s only one of the many times that she’s been right. That’s why the Captain listens to her.  Now, let’s watch and see what this is all about.” The other Craft Masters of the Longin had come up from their shops below-decks to watch Kurin’s demonstration.  They nodded in agreement.  

Master Cirde the head of the weaving shop said, “I wish that Kurin was my apprentice instead of yours, Juris.  She learns quickly and works well, rarely showing anything until she is sure of it.  She came to my shop to play and that’s how we found out that the secret of Longin Lace had not left the ship when Cat went back to the sea.”

“She actually pays attention to instruction, instead of letting her mind wander onto dry land,” said Master Clard, the drummer.  There was some good-natured laughter at the expense of apprentices in general. “They’re about to start,” he added.

“Just time for a friendly wager,” said Master Juris, smiling predatorially at Silor.  “You are sure that this stop is a waste of time.  I have some confidence in my apprentice.  Two steamed fish cakes from this evening’s dinner will be the stakes.  Acceptable?” He held out his hand and Silor, cornered by his own dislike, shook on it.  In the background, others could be heard making various bets as well.

The attention of the whole group was now fixed on the Captain, the sailor beside him with a sounding line, and on twelve-Gatherings-old Kurin, the center of this storm on a calm sea.  She closed her gray eyes and appeared to be concentrating on something that nobody else could notice.  The deck was rolling gently in the swells, that was all.

She nodded to herself, satisfied, and wrote quickly on a tallow-slate with a bone stylus, showing it to Captain Mord, who signed it.

“Make the sounding,” he ordered the sailor who was standing ready.  The sailor nodded with a brisk, “Aye, Sir!”  He heaved a coral stone attached to a light line overboard and let it sink.  The line had knots at regular six foot intervals and the sailor counted them as the stone sank.  To the surprise of everyone except the girl, who was nevertheless relieved, the weight found a bottom at only twenty one fathoms, a mere sixty six feet down.

“You were right, Kurin,” said Captain Mord loud enough for all to hear. “There is a shallow bottom here that we never knew of.  This could mark a good crabbing reef, if it has any size.”

He took her tallow-slate and added another note to it.  Then he showed it to the waiting Craft Masters, officers and crew-folk.  There for all to see, in Kurin’s neat writing, was ‘Bottom about 20 fathoms’ with ‘Cpt. Mord Halyn Longin’ signed beneath it as witness.  There was also a note in Captain Mord’s hand, ‘Bottom found at 21 fathoms, Cpt. M.H.L.’

As the tallow-slate was passed about the group.  Theatrical groans and cries of glee went with it.  The sailors and some of the Masters could be heard cheerfully settling bets.   Master Juris gloated to a gloomy Silor, “That’s two steamed fishcakes that you owe me from your plate at dinner.  Want to try for all three, when we actually map out the shallows?”

The Captain now held up a carefully made chart on paperfish parchment for the Masters and Officers to see.  Kurin’s neat drawing showed carefully marked depth contours for the expected bottom.

“I will let Kurin explain to you, as she did to me, the means of making this chart without long and laborious soundings.”

“Kurin, you know the Masters of the Craft Council.  Please explain your method and answer their questions.”

She had known these men and women for Gatherings and worked and learned in their shops as a way of playing in her free time, but she was nervous still.  This time, for almost the first time, she was going to try to teach them, instead of learning from them — and all of them at once.

She nervously twisted her long white hair in her hand as she began, “Five Gatherings ago, when we were on our way to her last Gathering with us, Cat gave me a hint to how she was able to steer the Longin so well in spite of her blindness.  She said, ‘The sea speaks to me and tells me where the currents and reefs are.  It’s voice is the long waves under the waves that we see.’

Kurin went on with gathering confidence, “It took me all of the five Gatherings since to figure out what she meant and how to interpret the waves.  Look at the little wind waves on the surface.  The Longin is big enough that they don’t move her at all.  Still, she rises and falls to a longer, deeper wave than those.  The long deep waves are the ones that I read for this work.

“It wasn’t easy to sort them out without help.  They get shorter and higher when they pass over a shallow bottom.  They bend when they go around the end of a shallow area and make a pattern that I can show you as the bent waves cross the ones that go straight.  Currents, both big permanent ones like the Naral and Cliftos Currents, and transient flows caused by the tides, push the waves around.  You can learn to tell which way the current is going, and about how fast.”

“I grasp the basic idea,” said Master Juris, absently scratching his bald head, “but I’ve watched you work on that chart in the boat-shop for most of a Gathering.  Wouldn’t soundings be faster and more accurate?”

“I chose this place because we always sail past wide of it, due to the sudden change in the direction of the Naral Current, caused by this very reef.  The turn that the current makes can throw dead-reckoning between navigation sightings way off.  Because of that, we’ve always avoided this area.  This is the one place in all three of our home waters where there is nothing but wave information to go on.  Each time that we went past at a distance, I was able to add a little more.  I could chart it to this same accuracy in only two passes if we came up within a mile of the reef and sailed along it.  At most, three to four hours.”

The Masters retired down the deck to confer for a bit, trying to decide how to handle this turn of events.

While they were conferring, Captain Mord announced, “The second part of this experiment is to go ahead and do soundings by tried and true methods, to verify the accuracy of Kurin’s chart.

“While we do that, we’ll put some crab nets down in the known part of the shallows and try our luck.”  The crew began to launch boats for the soundings and bustle about, preparing nets and crab-rings for use.

In the background the large, tubular hailing drum could be heard pounding out directions to the boats doing the soundings.  Its main use was long-distance ship to ship communication, in favorable conditions it could bridge distances of over a mile with its very directional pulses of sound. Two officers, now using Kurin’s chart and a wide based range-finder, were telling the drummer what was needed next and he was telling the boats where to plumb the depths.

While the soundings were being taken, the other small, four and six oared, boats were lowered to the water with that absence of splashing that signals both experience and skill.  Women and men both clambered down a big meshed net secured to the rail for that purpose.  The ring nets, lines and floats were being lowered on boat hooks to the waiting crews.  They were accompanied by good-natured banter and a few jeers from folk on deck, envious of those chosen to go.  Oars made little whirlpools in the water and drove the boats ahead of quickly vanishing wakes as the crews rowed out to try the reef for crabs and to set some shrimp traps.

As Silor was eagerly preparing to go over the side to a waiting boat, Captain Mord approached.  “Silor, I know that your arm is out of its sling but take the word of another who’s had a broken arm. Don’t over do it at first.  I want you to organize the lookouts for Strong Skins and Wing Rays.  I don’t need to tell you how dangerous those fish can be.  Stay aboard this time and man the small crane. Somebody has to bring the catch aboard.  I’m the Captain, and I don’t get to go out anymore.”  He leaned on the rail beside Silor and looked at the departing boats with a heavy sigh.

Silor gripped the net cords so tightly that his knuckles turned white.  I want to go out!  My arm’s getting better!  How did she do this?  “Yes, Sir.  Set the lookouts.  Man the crane.  I’ll take care of it, Sir,” he grumped stiffly.  Stung at the loss of a chance at something fun to do, he went to do as ordered.

TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

[hunterbahamut]

Today’s story is one I’m calling ‘Transformer’.

There’s more to this than meets the eye. I hope you enjoy!

--

Zech stood in front of the time chamber nervously, feeling the power radiating from his gauntlet.  This was it, it was time for his final trip back through time. He would never be able to save his father from the errors of his ancestors.

In that moment, a familiar voice boomed from his head. "My son, are you ready to enter the time chamber?"

"Yes, yes... I'm glad you're here, Eblan."

"I would like to have a word with you before you enter. When we last left, you were more than ready to enter the time chamber. However, you overlooked one crucial fact. The Destiny Ascension Program is now complete.”

Zech frowned and let out a sigh of frustration. "That's exactly the problem, the program was never meant to be."  He looked down, "How many lives did we loose already?  They were never meant to be involved, and you know it."

"Let them out, Zel, it's not like the Volturi will know what hit them. "

Zech held his hands out, "I don't want any more suffering, not from this place, not from our soldiers either."

Zesh rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to be done about this, as long as we don't find any more information, this place won't respond in kind to the Volturi."

"Yeah. I know. We've just been trapped in this cycle for so long now."  He sighed out, "I want things to go back to the way they were before.  I miss them all, especially Nova."  He shook his head, "You can't change my mind, I have to go back."

--

"I know." The nurse on duty got up and passed a small red pouch to the Wasp. "Thanks Nova." She bowed to the Wasp, then turned to the beaten Martian and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't let them get you down, buddy." The Martian nodded to her. "She's right."

Now that the doctor had gone, Nova had begun to really notice the problems.   Oh. It was definitely her fault.

Everything was going just fine until another explosion rocked the building.

As the dust settled Zech and Lon chose a shortcut, heading back to the lobby. They quickly noticed that Harry had disappeared and Lon collapsed to the floor, shaking. He looked at the cage, thinking it was the most likely explanation. Zech stepped outside, looking for his friend. Things were getting worse, it was hard to keep any thing coherent; Nova, Lon, Harry, Sparks, so many people he thought he knew only to be forgotten or disappearing. This was getting worse, and he knew he had to fix it.  And to fix that, he had to find either the team or Ezskar. 

"This has to stop!" Jobe said, upset, but trying not to look so hopeless. "A lot of people are putting a lot of trust in you, but I want to know you're going to keep your word. I have done some research, I don't know what you're doing, but you have to know that you're hurting a lot of people if you've let something like this happen."

"I know..." Zech said, "Too many people have been hurt by all of this." He looked back to Jobe, "You know that I've always kept my word.  I am going to fix this, one way or another.  You just have to trust me.  I have to find find Wart or Ezskar first before Trask or the others do."

Rody thought about this for a moment, "I suppose, but I hope you don't give up."

Zech shook his head, "No, not yet, boss."

Rody chuckled, "Well, we'll see."

--Chapter 7--

"What are you doing, Zech?"

"Looking for Ezskar." He said, checking his scanner. "He's close, but so is Nova, Trask -and- Sparks.  He let out a sigh, "This is getting out of hand, if I don't get that time device back, then nothing will make sense anymore!"

With a flick of his wrist, Jayne's X-COM helmet twitched, and he smiled. "Oxygen converter." he said, showing it to McCoy. "Alright, this ought to be good enough." He turned around and pointed his knife at the scanner. "Auspex locator." he said, and waved the device over. The device beeped, and Jayne pulled back his hood.

Zech blinked in confusion for a moment. "Uh, yeah...something like that." He sighed, "Alright, you guys take care of that, I'm going in after the pink terror."  He didn't wait for any kind of response, instead he just threw his arm out, teleporting out of the room and into the street; what was left of Union main square.  If he remembered it right, this was the epicenter of it all.   Nodding to himself, he simply charged forward through the center of the square, where his tail extended forward and lowered to touch a street lamp. As it closed in on him, all the signals for the various Villagers came to life.

"Great, the supposed hero appears."  The all-too-familiar voice of the pink mutant sneered.  Ezskar stood on the remains of the central monument and looked over to Zech. "How many more times must we go through this?  How many more times will you be plucked out of time to face me here?"  

"As many times as it takes!"  Zech shot back, "You don't know what kind of damage you're doing!"

Ezskar attacked, causing a shimmering sphere of energy to form and began firing a laser array at Zech. It was only a matter of time before Zech's energy shield was cut off and he was done for.

Zech charged into laser, pushing his shield out as much as he could before he broke and dashed to the side, letting the laser explode behind him. He threw his arm out, teleporting closer to Ezskar before firing a bolt of magical energy.  "This ends now!"  He shouted, "Give up!" He picked up a bladed weapon and slammed it into Ezskar's shield. "Great!" As the two charged, Zech flicked his wrist and the laser disappeared. He was quick and nimble. Ezskar couldn't use his weapon while his shield was up, and he would just get slammed into the wall if he tried.

"You time-hopping freak!"  Ezskar yelled out before he fell back, dropping the shield and raising the weapon up, aiming for the hybrid. This was his chance; Zech teleported out of view, reappearing behind Ezskar and raising his gauntlet up, energy charging up before he released it.

He felt the blast pass through the back of his shield. With a loud crack, Ezskar's armor and his core began to cool as the drones assimilated his form. Ezskar screamed as he felt a bright beam fly towards his head and slice open his helmet, leaving him with his other eye showing. Ezskar fell to his knees and gasped in pain.

Zech raised his gauntlet and aimed it at the weapon, unleashing an energy tether to grab hold and yank it back to him. "Got it!"  He cried out, "Now to put an end to it once and for all!"  He reached into the weapon's core and yanked out a blue crystal as it glowed and sparked with very familiar energy.  He had to destroy it, and hopefully this will all be put to an end. The mysterious energy caused his blood to heat up and he started to sweat. The jet black suit looked as if it was coated with at least thirty years of ash, and the single pale finger on the right hand was similar to the fading image of Darkstalker- whatever he was.

Zech held the crystal in his gauntlet and started to charge up his own energy; causing the ground and air around him the shake and vibrate.  Time energy creating a paradox like this was dangerous, and he had no way of knowing if this would restore everything, or destroy everything.  But it had to be better than this. As Time energy, he summoned up the holographic arms, showing himself pulling on each one of them, changing their material form as he went, until he finally got a long metallic straight line stretching from where the crystal should be to his hand. Time broke into three pieces in his hand. He flipped the crystal, leaving it in the air. Suddenly, the ground began to tear apart and come to life; energy spilled out from the cracks as the time shards began to reform.  Everything around the hybrid began to distort and fade away as the timeline was reforged.  He felt the pain shoot through him as he started to become consumed into the distortion wave as well.

"God..." he gasped with his voice as he continued to be dragged into the past. God's eyes widened as the myriad of terrible thoughts crossed his mind. The most haunting thing about being a Time Lord is the moment you realize how far behind you are in time. I could've sworn they were slowing down by the second. "Dumbledore." God breathed heavily, his thin lips wriggling with sadism. "The universe is a pain."

--

There was a heavy amount of silence for a few moments before Phineas spoke up. "What the hell was that?!"

The video ended and the lights came back on.  The members of the team had the most confused, flabbergasted or concerned looks on their faces.

"What the hell was that?!" Phineas said again, "What kind of bizarre trash was this?  'Based on a true story' my aching ass!"

Nix sighed, "I was willing to give them some slack, this feels like it was written by a bad AI program or something."

Sparks looked flustered, the end of his smoothie straw all crunched up from his chewing. "They got me all wrong! I don't act like that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman!"

"They make me look totally stiff and humorless." Tero said with his arms crossed.

"Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on."  Phin snorted, "But the script writers thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!"

Tero shot him a glare. "You tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics."

"I know!"

Nix shook her had, "Can you imagine how Wart or Ezskar would react if they would see this?"

Phineas couldn't help but let out a laugh, "I'd actually pay good money to see that!"

Zech meanwhile was sunk down in his seat, his hood covering his head as he wished he could sneak out of there.  This was embarrassing to say the least.  "That...wasn't a good movie."

Nix sighed. "I'll say."

"No kidding." Phin grumbled.

Tero snorted.  "Horrible."

"But the effects were decent!"  Sparks said.

--

--

--

ATUHOR’S NOSE: Hey everyone, Happy April Fools!

So this was a very strange idea I had and wanted to play with.  Some of this story was written by me, but the rest was written using ‘Talk to Transformer’, a kind of computer AI network that finished story prompts you put in.  After watching the madness from Vinny and Joel of Vinesauce when they played with it, I thought this would be perfect for an April Fools story.

As for the ending...yeah, it’s from Avatar: The Last Airbender. It only seemed appropriate.

As ever with these, the story is not in canon with Team Prototype or the AU stories of mine. This was just a little experiment in some madness.

[arolla-pine]

No room to swing a Cat? - p.23

(23) – Ladybug to the rescue!

Before the classes with Pierre de la Coste Marinette was so nervous that nothing could calm her down. Even her memories of the last talk with Adrien – especially its end with the Cheshire Cat mug in the leading role, that had lightened up her day, couldn’t help her now.

When de la Coste appeared at the door, Marinette’s stomach made a triple flip, and she clenched her fists. Fortunately, her project had been safely put down on the table before, otherwise it would have been ruined right now. She glanced at the design to check if it was okay, and because of that she missed the moment when the most hated teacher turned into an ordinary pig. Before students managed to express their delight, a strange furry creature entered the classroom and yelled:

“What will you say now, you pig?! Maybe that will teach you to respect the others!”

The students applauded, but Marinette felt torn between her duties and satisfaction of seeing her oppressor punished so spectacularly. She was sure the creature was akumatised, yet she had no idea about the reason of akumatisation nor superpowers of the villain. All in all, she had to defeat the opponent as soon as possible. And to do so, she had to escape the classroom quickly and unnoticeably.

“Quiet!” the supervillain silenced the students. “You’re not better than him! I’m Fur Fury and I’ll teach you to respect our planet and animals!”

The joy was immediately gone. Some girls began screaming in horror, and Marinette felt she was running out of time. She had to leave the room somehow and to help her colleagues to run away from the supervillain. Fortunately, Pierre de la Coste – at the moment in the form of a fat hog – was making a fuss that engaged Fur Fury enough to create an opportunity for superheroine.

Hidden behind desks, Marinette led her colleagues to the exit. She was the last who went through the door, but before she did it, she looked back if everyone had left the classroom. At that moment, she noticed Cat Noir who had just appeared on a window sill. He was checking the room to assess the situation. And finally, their eyes met. His face twitched as if he was horrified with a thought how close to the danger she’d been. Marinette nodded to give him a hint that everything was okay with her. After that she ran away to let him focus on the fight.

She immediately went to the toilet to transform into Ladybug, so she could go to fight by her partner’s side. When she jumped in the classroom she saw Cat Noir trying to avoid Fur Fury’s shots. The Hog de la Idiot was squeaking and writhing – and definitely not helping in the fight against the supervillain.

“I’ll turn you into a mouse, you alley cat!” Fury yelled.

“I admit I’m Cat Noir, but I don’t eat mice!” the superhero laughed. “Actually, I barely eat meat. You could say I’m almost a vegetarian.”

Ladybug glanced at him amused. A couple days ago he ate a pizza with salami that was totally opposite to a vegetarian meal.

“You can lie all you want!” Fury mocked. “But as soon as I hit you, we’ll know the truth! You’ll turn into an animal you’ve just eaten.”

“Oh… So you’re one of those fanatic vegetarians…” Ladybug commented ironically just to distract the opponent.

“This world is heading for destruction!” the superviallain yelled, unknowingly touching her WWF panda necklace.

“Thank you for helping in its way!” Ladybug answered back, noticing a plausible object hiding the akuma.

“Not true! All I want is to make people aware what they’re doing to those animals, to the planet!”

“Lucky charm!” Superheroine stopped chatting and went to the action.

After a second she caught a plate with a steak on it. Fur Fury rushed at her immediately, but Ladybug eluded the attack luckily, shouting to Cat Noir: ‘The necklace!’. He destroyed it with his ‘cataclysm’ and the fight was over. Ladybug purified the akuma. Seconds later both superheroes recognised a famous supermodel, sitting on the floor, confused, not remembering anything that had happened.

“What… What happened?” the woman asked.

“You were akumatised.” Ladybug explained, sitting down next to the blonde.

“And what’s that pig doing here?”

“You turned one of teachers into a hog. I have no idea what he’d done to you, but knowing him, I’m sure it was something nasty.”

“You’re right. The last thing I remember was an affront. But it started before, when I was on a meeting with one of the most popular designers. Have you heard about Gabriel Agreste, maybe?”

Cat Noir froze, and Ladybug felt her heart stopped for a moment. Poor Adrien! She couldn’t do anything to help him, except answering on behalf of them both:

“We’ve heard about him…”

“He tried to make me pose in fur coats. In animal’s natural furs! Can you imagine?! I made it clear in my contract! Everyone in fashion knows about my priorities! So, I left disgusted. But it wasn’t the end. Right after the argument with Agreste, I met this hog. He told me that I’m ‘no one’, because I come from the country with no achievements in fashion. Idiot! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! And I am not ‘no one’! I’ve worked with the best ones in the industry! I know almost all catwalks in the world. I’ve been on Vogue’s covers!”

“We know that…” Ladybug muttered. Cat Noir glanced at her in astonishment. Of course, he knew the supermodel, but how on Earth Ladybug could know her as well?

“I feel so helpless…” the blonde continued. “People are so stupid. They’re not aware that they devastate the planet. They use the cheapest fuel to heat their houses and then they breathe the air polluted by themselves. Their children breathe the same air. What will they leave as their legacy?”

“Don’t lose your faith in people…” Ladybug smiled. “Never give up. We also save Paris every single time for something bigger. For the better future…”

“Thank you.”

“So, what are we going to do with that hog?” Cat Noir cut in.

His partner looked down at her lucky charm in hesitation.

“I almost regret to use the spell fixing all damages…” she sighed. “That idiot will turn back to his mean self. I’m more than sure that he hasn’t learnt anything from this lesson…”

Cat Noir took a glance at her, uncertain. Did it mean that Pierre de la Coste’s reputation was so well-known?

“We have to go back…” he muttered to Ladybug and then turned to the supermodel: “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m great, thank you. I’m so grateful for giving me back the faith in young people.”

“You’re welcome!” Ladybug replied and added in whisper: “Oh, and thank you for the therapeutic salt. I know someone whom it helped a lot…”

Then she used her spell ‘Miraculous Ladybug!’ and observed detransforming the hog into Pierre de la Coste. She sighed regretfully. ‘Welcome back, you jerk…’

“You should apologise to this lady!” Cat Noir commanded to the teacher, indicating the supermodel. “Not only to this one…” he added under his breath.

Ladybug looked at her partner gratefully. Soon after, they both jumped out to the nearest rooftop. Both should go back to their work interrupted by the akuma attack, yet neither of them could do it. Cat Noir apparently was plucking up the courage to say something…

“Are you okay, Cat?” Ladybug finally asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“Not quite…”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“You’re not rushing back?” he glanced at her, surprised.

“I’ll manage.” She assured him. “I don’t have to go too far…” she added quietly, rather to herself.

“Er…”

“What’s bothering you?”

“You can retrieve everything that akuma destroys, right? Could… Could you fix something that was ruined by someone who wasn’t akumatised?”

She knew perfectly what he was referring to. She felt a heartache. For a moment she was tempted to tell him the whole truth right now, but she gave up quickly. They were standing on the rooftop in the middle of a day, and someone could notice them any minute. The more, she wasn’t sure how he would react on the news she had for him…

“What happened, Cat?” she asked softly instead.

“I screwed up…” he confessed and sat down as if he couldn’t stand up straight anymore.

“Don’t you dramatize too much?” she tried with a joke, but he looked at her with such reproach that she immediately sat down next to him and embraced his shoulders. “I’m sorry…”

“How would you feel if your happiness was at your fingertips, and you ruined everything?”

“I’m sure you can fix it!” Ladybug comforted him, internally kicking herself for not answering for Cat’s letter.

“She unbosomed herself to me. She told me everything. Everything, you know? And I left. I left her. Can you imagine?! What did she think about me?!” he asked with pain in his voice, and she felt like start crying. She could tell him now that she hadn’t thought anything bad about him. She hadn’t answered his message not because of being mad about his leaving, but because of discovering his true identity.

“Why don’t you talk to her?” she suggested.

“I let her decide if she wants to see me again…”

“You have to talk to her.”

“But she doesn’t want to see me…”

“Not at…” she began, but stopped in the middle of ‘not at all.’ “Oh, Cat…”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bother you with my love problems…”

“You’re not bothering me… It’s just…”

“I know. That’s weird that I’m talking with you about my girlfriend, right?”

“You already did it once. Remember?”

“That was ages ago. And that was a mistake…”

“Why are you so sure, Cat? Maybe you wouldn’t be the same person if you weren’t with… her?” she hesitated, because she almost blurted out ‘Kagami’.

“I don’t know…” Cat Noir shrugged. “I’d be happier without that part of my life.”

“You’ll never know. My kwami always says that everything happens for something. Maybe even that latest akuma was for a reason?”

“Maybe for my heart attack. You have no idea how I felt when I saw her so close to the supervillain…”

“Her?”

“Ma… My girlfriend.”

“Oh…” she sighed and felt hot. Like last night when they were hugging the mug. “Talk to her.” She insisted and squeezed his shoulder.

“But…”

“Don’t wait for a message. Just go to her. Trust me!”

Saying it she ran away, before she gave up and kissed him right there. She left Cat Noir on the rooftop and his face expressed how confused he was.

—

No room to swing a Cat? p.22  <-  Previous part |  Next part  ->  No room to swing a Cat? p.24

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