#can we try to limit human suffering instead of like picking battles and 'so there's to one up each other and trade it out

[littlebabycrybtch]

“lol how many ppl thought they were ~asexual~ bc of (ignorance, supporting ignorant exclusionists, silencing attempts at ace education) Tunglr” wow fun headcount anyways how many aspecs attempted suicide before age 21 bc adults constantly insisted your identity was fake and you were going to be sexy and normal someday lmfao

[bonjour-rainycity]

Double Heart | Chapter Twenty-Two ~ Cosima

|previous part|

Pairing: Haldir x OFC

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 3549

Warnings: None

A/n Thanks for your patience, and happy reading :)

Our first day of traveling is rough.

In my months of comfort in Imladris, I easily forgot the vigor with which galloping on a horse shakes you. By the time we stop for the night, every muscle and bone in my body is screaming for rest. And, despite Haldir’s assurance that I will get used to the weight and awkwardness of the metal that is somehow both cold and hot, the chainmail has grated on my nerves all day.

Haldir helps me down from Faervel and I wince when my feet make contact with the ground.

“Walk around for a while,” he advises, then nods towards Glorfindel. “I’ll return later — I’m going to coordinate watches and take the first shift.”

“Okay.” I smile up at him, waiting for a kiss goodbye, but he just nods once and then turns, off to get to work.

I purse my lips. I guess he’s sore from riding, too.

Trying to push the uneasiness from my mind, I spend just a few moments walking and stretching before I turn to my own tasks. I’m in charge of Faervel and two of Glorfindel’s horses, so caring for them will occupy me until supper.

{***}

When Baranor calls for dinner, I hurry to our campsite. We are close enough to Elrond’s borders that Haldir and Glorfindel feel we can light a small fire and, while nothing on the road could compare to the delicacies served at Elrond’s table, a meal cooked with fire is much better than stale bread and soggy fruit. I sit on a rock near the flames, accepting the bowl Baranor places in my hands. Alex, Glorfindel, and one of the extra guards, Nodron, join us.

After a few minutes of eating in tired silence, I hear footsteps behind me, and turn with a smile to welcome Haldir from watch. He nods at me and accepts the bowl handed to him. He sits next to me on the rock — that’s normal — but keeps distance between us and barely spares a glance in my direction. Instead, he alternates between talking strategy with Glorfindel and Nodron and scanning our surroundings. I huff, eating my soup in silence. This earns me a brief raised eyebrow, but his focus soon returns to the mountains and his conversations.

What is going on with him? Did I upset him somehow? Is he grouchy from the day of traveling?

With my food finished and no one talking to me, I have no reason to stay gathered by the fire. I stand and take my bowl to the stream, wash it out, and then return it to the bag holding our cooking supplies.

“I’m going to bed unless anyone needs anything,” I declare, picking my bag up from the ground. I’m met with shrugs and murmurs, but nothing more.

With a huff, I throw my bedroll on the ground, spread it out, and take my hair out of its braid. I roll onto my back, frowning when I notice that the stars are covered by clouds. The chainmail digs into my skin, and I shift uncomfortably. I sit up and take a cursory look around. No one can see me. How would they know?

Quickly, I stand and pull off my tunic, then tug the chainmail after it. As soon as the biting, cold metal is gone, I put my tunic back on, eager for its warmth. Already, I feel better.

“Put it back on.”

I yelp, the metal falling to the ground with a tinny clink. I whip around to face Haldir, who has appeared out of nowhere. “Where did you come from?”

My eyes have yet to adjust to the night, so I can’t read his expression, but I do see when he shrugs his shoulders. “You said you were going to bed, no? So, I followed.”

I narrow my eyes, deciding to just get to the point. “I’m not sleeping in the chainmail. It’s uncomfortable, and I don’t sleep well on the road as it is.”

“You are sleeping in the chainmail,” he counters, no room for flexibility in his voice. He bends over to lay his own bedroll a few feet from mine. Huh. Does he not want to sleep closer to me? “We could be attacked at any moment, including during the night.”

I shift on my feet, glancing warily at the peaks and valleys that surround us.

Haldir huffs, looking up at me from the ground. I’ve adjusted to the limited light and can now see the exasperated look he gives me. “I do not want to frighten you, but I do want you to be realistic. Should we be attacked, the chainmail could safe your life, so you will wear it. We are not having this discussion again.”

I set my hands on my hips and grit my teeth. So he ignores me all day and now he’s talking to me like I’m one of his wardens? Oh, no. I tilt my head to the side, staring him down. “Have you ever heard of a compromise? Do you even know what the word means?”

He stands, his towering height and stern expression creating quite an intimidating presence. But unfortunately for him, he’s kissed me softly, cuddled closer to me in the middle of the night, and told me how much he loves me. It’s kind of hard to be intimidated by someone after that.

He sets his feet. “This is not a question of compromise, it is a question of safety. I—”

“—It is a question of compromise, actually.” I cut him off. “I agreed—begrudgingly, might I add—to wear the uncomfortable, heavy chainmail for this journey. I’m only doing it for you. So that means you have to meet me in the middle and give a little. If we’re attacked, I promise I’ll put it back on. There. Compromise.”

He only raises an eyebrow. “So you are telling me that, should orcs rain arrows upon us, chaos erupt, and a legion of warriors come at us with sword and spear, you are going to take the time to undress, put the armor on, redress, and then attempt to save your life?”

Well. He’s got me there. I sniff, not ready to let him win this. “Yes.”

He doesn’t move. “Then by all means, when you study strategy for over three thousand years, fight in countless battles, and lead the most formidable military force in the realm, you can make that choice. But for now, you are a fragile, stubborn, human woman that, despite her ability to make me want to pull my hair out, I love very, very much. So you will wear the chainmail at all times.” Without breaking eye contact, he bends down, scoops the metal up, and pushes it into my hands.

I grit my teeth.

With a huff, I tug my tunic off once more. I feel a deep satisfaction when I finally make him break his stoic demeanor. He watches for a fraction of a second before nearly hurting his neck snapping his head to the sky so quickly. I smirk, pulling the chainmail over my body once more, then adding the tunic.

“You can look now.”

He clears his throat and lowers his eyes to mine, nodding once. “Thank you.”

I roll my eyes. “I didn’t do it for your gratitude, Marchwarden.”

He shakes his head and lies down on his bedroll. I sit on mine, gathering my cloak over me like a blanket before lying back.

Neither of us speaks.

After a few minutes, soft noises arise in the vicinity as those not on watch make their way to their own bedrolls. Footsteps crush the grass near my head and something heavy and warm drops over me. I raise up on my elbow, opening my eyes to the tall, grinning figure of Glorfindel.

“Here you go, dear Lady Cosima,” he declares in a near sing-song voice. “I have brought you an extra blanket. It seems you are in the path of a cold front, and I would not want you to suffer for it.”

I turn to look over my shoulder at Haldir, biting my lip to stop the laughter escaping at his glower. Glorfindel’s meaning is lost on no one.

I turn back to my friend and thank him.

“It is no problem,” he waves it off, still grinning from ear to ear. “Though, if you continue to find yourself in this uncomfortable position, my bedroll is nearer to the fire.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You would switch with me?”

“No.” He winks, making sure both Haldir and I can see it. “I would allow you to join me.”

My mouth falls open, my shocked laugher sounding through the clearing. I grin, playing along. “I shall keep that in mind.”

With a final, pointed look at Haldir, Glorfindel returns to his own bedroll.

I pull the new blanket over my shoulders, snuggling into it. It smells like the outdoors, and I breathe it in. The exhaustion of the day hits me. “Goodnight Haldir, I love you,” I call, not bothering to turn around.

His annoyed grumble is the last thing I hear before sinking into sleep.

{***}

The sun rises and brings wth it a cool chill, hinting at the autumn to come. I change into fresh clothes and brush my teeth quickly, re-braiding my hair as I go. With as many of us as there are, it doesn’t take long to tack up the horses, pack the bags, dole out breakfast, and get on our way.

Haldir smiles when I meet him at Faervel’s side. He reaches for me and I think he’s about to pull me in for a hug and make up for our disagreement last night, but instead of encircling me, his hands pat at my sides — he’s feeling for the chainmail!

I gasp, pulling away from him and glare at him in accusation. “You don’t trust me!”

He only smirks haughtily and drops to one knee, waiting to help me onto the horse. “Just checking. Now please get on the horse, Cosima, we haven’t got all day.”

I grumble and press my foot into his hands with more force than is strictly necessary. He chuckles and swings me up, settling in front of me a moment later. He nudges Faervel to encourage him to move forward, quickly guiding us nearer to the front of the line. While Glorfindel is here, he and one of his guards take point. Faervel seems dissatisfied with this, and Haldir frequently has to to tug on the reins to remind him to keep his place in line.

Behind me, I hear the familiar sound of Roch’s whinny, and I turn around in greeting. Rumil and I lock eyes. I smile. He clenches his jaw and lifts his chin in the air, avoiding my gaze. I sigh sadly and turn to face forward once more. I guess I deserve that.

Haldir shifts and a warm, calloused hand encases mine against his stomach. When he speaks, it’s in a voice so low I can barely hear it — probably to keep the others from listening in. “It won’t be like this forever.”

But I don’t have forever. And neither do you.

I bite the words back before they can escape my lips. It’s something Haldir and I both already know. Saying it out loud won’t do us any good. “Has he spoken to you?”

Haldir shakes his head, eyes continuing their scan of our surroundings. “Not yet, outside of what is necessary. But he will, I’m sure of it.”

The hope for a future reconciliation will have to be enough. With a sigh, I lean my cheek against Haldir’s shoulder blade, Faervel’s trot jostling me from side to side. We haven’t even been on the road an hour and I’m already longing for my bedroll.

“Did you really not sleep well,” Haldir asks, a hint of guilt in his voice.

I decide to let him off the hook. He really is only trying to keep me safe. “Yes, but it’s not the chainmail’s fault. It’s just getting used to the ground, and I was cold, and being on the road again…well, you know.” I sigh again, stopping my words. He can fill in the rest of my sentence. He knows well that, though I feel better traveling in a larger company and with some self-defense training behind me, being in the orcs’ territory still makes me nervous since the attack.

Haldir doesn’t say anything for a while, just nods absently while his eyes scan over the ridges to our left and right. “Can I join you tonight after watch?”

I blink. “Of course.” Then, I psych myself up, hoping I don’t sound too unsure or hurt. But I have to ask — it’s been bothering me since yesterday. “Why didn’t you last night?”

Haldir makes a noise of apology. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Our nights together have been in the privacy of your bedroom. I didn’t want to put you in a position where you would be close to me while surrounded by others.”

I breathe out a shaky laugh, glad that’s all it is. “That doesn’t bother me! I just worried that you didn’t want to be seen with me so publicly.” I take another deep breath, forcing myself to get the words out. “You’ve pretty much ignored me since we left Imladris.”

His shoulders tense. Then, he twists in his seat just enough that we can look each other in the eye. “I’m sorry, it was not my intention to treat you that way. It’s just—” he sighs, shaking his head. “I can afford to relax in Imladris and will be able to once we get to Lothlórien, but the road is completely different. Say I were to kiss you or hold your hand, and become distracted. In that one moment, I could miss something, and that could cost the life of someone here. I can’t risk that.”

I nod, the pieces coming together. “I can understand that.” I raise up, just high enough to press a kiss to his cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

{***}

Haldir takes the second watch shift, so I fall asleep on my own. But late in the night, I’m awoken by warm arms encircling me and pulling me against a solid chest.

I smile, snuggling into the warmth. “Hi.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispers, mindful of our companions.

“It’s alright.” I match his volume. “How was watch?”

He pushes a strand of hair over my shoulder and smooths it down my back. “Quiet.”

I hum in response, already slipping back into sleep.

He presses a tender kiss to my forehead. “Goodnight, melethril.”

{***}

An hour into our journey the next morning, dark clouds form ahead.

Haldir curses under his breath.

I rest my chin against his back, trying to use him to block the wind. “That doesn’t look fun.”

“No, it does not,” he agrees, voice grave.

The wind blows again, and I shiver.

“Not minding the layer of armor now, are you,” he teases, tilting this head slightly so I can see the upturn of his cheek.

I roll my eyes, not about to admit that I’m thankful for the extra layer. “Eyes on the path, Marchwarden.”

He leans to the side and hands me the reins. “Here.” Before I can register what he’s doing, he’s gripped Faervel’s mane and swung from the front of the horse to the back.

“What—” I sputter, whipping my head around to stare at him in disbelief. “How did you do that?”

“Practice.” He shrugs like it’s nothing, but his chest puffs out proudly.

I shake my head, still trying to figure it out. But all thoughts die when he shifts, pressing himself against my back. He takes his cloak and arranges it to fall over my shoulders and cross at my front, providing another layer of warmth. He takes the reins from me and holds them in front, his arms resting against my sides.

I lean back against his chest. “I’m not gonna lie, I like this way of riding much better.”

He makes a noise of appreciation. “I thought you might.” He presses a quick kiss to my cheek then returns to all-business.

I purse my lips. I never really considered how frustrating it would be to be in the constant company of others for three weeks straight. Because right now, I want to turn around and kiss him until neither of us can breathe, but I can’t.

But the thoughts of what else I’d like to do to him wash away with the torrent of rain that falls on us. I gasp loudly, streams of cold water pelting my face. The cloak Haldir had made for me is helping — I’m not soaked through like last time, but the rain is quite persistent. I look over my shoulder, seeking out Alex. He slouches on the back o Baranor’s horse, hunched against the wind and the cold.

I turn my head to face forward, calling loud enough that I hope Haldir can hear me over the thunderous rain. “Is it warmer in Lothlórien?”

His chest twitches against my back as he shifts to accommodate Faervel’s changed gait. “It rarely gets cold enough for snow, but we do see the odd storm like this, and that can really drop the temperature.”

“Wonderful,” I grumble, and shrink against him in hopes of warming up. Cold water follows the tendrils of my hair and slides down my back, over my chest, under my legs. It’s so uncomfortable. But the only thing to do is press on.

{***}

We stop for the night in the same cave we rested in on the way to Imladris. Glorfindel orders a fire to be started immediately, and his guards get to work. Minutes later, Haldir leads my shivering form deep into the cave and stops me next to the flames.

“I hate the cold,” I grumble, reaching my hands as close to the fire as I dare.

“Agreed,” Haldir murmurs, peeling the cloak from my body and lying it on the ground where it can dry. A second later, he hands me a pair of my least-wet clothes. The ellyn in the cave respectfully turn their backs while I change, but I know I’ve seen most of them naked by now, so they’ve probably seen me as well.

Ah, the joys of traveling.

Alex collapses on the other side of the fire, giving me a haggard nod. “Doing okay?”

I grin tiredly back at him. “About the same as you.”

He chuckles ruefully, shaking his head.

Haldir throws a blanket over my shoulders and tosses one to Alex. They were encased in a material similar to my cloak, so they’re mostly dry. “I will return shortly. Do not move,” he cautions, standing and leaving my side.

Alex and I warm up in silence, each of us too occupied by our discomfort. After a while, I turn to speak to him, but he has fallen asleep, snoring softly against his bedroll.

Minutes later, Haldir reappears with dinner, cooked on the larger fire near the front of the cave. It seems this one is only meant for the freezing humans.

“How are you,” he asks, tugging the blanket tighter around me.

I chuckle at his obvious worry. “Much better, thank you. And thanks for dinner.”

Haldir grimaces. “Thank Glorfindel. Though, proceed with caution, he is not an excellent cook.”

Warily, I take a bite of whatever dinner is, then scrunch up my face at the oddly sour taste. “No, he is not.”

Haldir laughs, settling himself behind me and pulling my back against his chest. “Regardless, I still recommend you eat.”

The empty feeling in my stomach concurs. We sit in silence, warming up and eating.

Haldir picks up one of my strands of hair so it catches the light of the fire. “It’s so wavy when it’s wet.”

I snort. “And it’s going to be frizzy when it dries. How do you get your hair to look so nice all the time?”

He grins, jokingly tossing his hair into my face. “Genetics, my love.”

At this, I laugh loudly, then clamp a hand over my mouth at Alex’s sleepy noise of annoyance. Haldir and I don’t move until Alex turns over and his snores echo through the cave once more.

Despite my efforts, a yawn escapes, betraying the cold exhaustion already weighing heavily in my bones. I push my bowl into Haldir’s hands. “You can finish my food. I’m more tired than hungry.”

Haldir places the bowl on the ground. “No thank you, I’ve already had more than enough of Glorfindel’s cooking.”

I grin, not blaming him one bit. I stretch out and, getting the hint, Haldir shifts to give me enough room to recline on my bedroll. To my pleasant surprise, he doesn’t rise to join the others. Instead, he lies down next to me and allows me to press my face into his chest, sandwiched between him and the warmth of the fire.

I glance up at him, forcing my eyes to stay open. “You don’t have watch tonight?”

“Not tonight,” he promises, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Sleep well.”

A/n Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs make me happy :) Let me know if you would like a tag!

|next chapter|

|masterlist|

Tolkien tag list: @anangelwhodidntfall @eru-vande

Haldir tag list: @tolkien-apologist @that-cute-stranger 

Double Heart tag list: @lainphotography @themerriweathermage @thophil2941btw @kenobiguacamole @wishingtobeinadifferentuniverse @from-patroclus-with-love @boywivlove @ordinarymom1 @my-darling-haldir @sweet-bea-blossom @moony-artnstuff @sleepyamygdala @thranduilseyebrows

[bleachanimefan1]

Oblitus Part 33

Hallelujah

33 Days Left Until Extermination...

Gabriel stood in shock as he dropped his sword. His whole body was trembling as he looked down at his hands.

"What have I done?" he whispered in horror. He looked over the edge to where Michael had fallen, down towards the city below. He was he going to cover this up? How was he going to explain this to everyone, including father? No, it had to be done. Michael would have been an liability. Gabriel nodded his head. He had done the right thing. Michael was just like that traitor, Lucifer. He had to do it! As Gabriel was in deep thought, he didn't see that someone else was approaching towards him.

"Hey, Gabriel!" he heard them call out to him, making him jumped, startled. Gabriel quickly turned his head, panicking, to see another angel as they walked over to him.

"Ariel," Gabriel answered, trying to remain calm. The angel before him was a female with a rounded face, short brown hair, shady dark blue eyes, wearing dark purple eye shadow.

"Why so jumpy?" Ariel smirked. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, frowning at her.

"Why aren't you at your post?" he questioned.

"I decided to take a little break and wanted to see my two favorite brothers," Ariel replied. She looked around. "Where's Michael?" Gabriel grew tense, trying to think of something then he answered her.

"He attacked me!"

Ariel stared at Gabriel in shock and disbelief before laughing. "Gabriel, Michael couldn't even harm a fly even if he wanted to!"

"I'm serious!" Gabriel shouted. "He headbutted me and was about to attack me with his holy weapon!" Ariel looked at Gabriel, who looked like he had been in a fight. She was that a bruise was beginning to form on his forehead, with a little bit of swelling on his left eye. His face had a few scratches as well. His uniform had some rips and gun shot holes.

"I just find this hard to believe that Michael would do this," she murmured still unsure.

"Please, believe me sister. I wouldn't lie to you," Gabriel pleaded. "And there's more that you should know."

"What?" Ariel asked.

"I've learned some troubling news while I was out scouting," Gabriel explained. "Our former brother, Lucifer is creating an army. They are taking residence in a hotel down there. They are planning to over throw father again."

"What should we do?" Ariel asked, worried.

"Give me some time to recover and then we'll take care of this ourselves together with my army." Gabriel told her.

"Okay, I believe you," Ariel agreed as she nodded. "Just let me know when you are ready."

"I knew that I can rely on you, Ariel," Gabriel smiled.

Back down in the city, Charlie helped Vaggie up, while Alastor was tending to Angel and Husk with their injuries. As Alastor was finishing with Husk's wing, stopping the bleeding, he turned his attention to Angel, seeing the nasty wound on the spider demon. Alastor tried to heal it but he was almost as his limit as well. The wound was only finished halfway healed.

"It's fine, Smiles," Angel replied. "You've done enough. My body will do the rest on it's own."

"I'm just glad that it's over," Anna replied. "That was way too close. I ever thought that angels could be this strong."

"Well, you've never been through an extermination to see it happen," Charlie said. "This is why I want to save my people so they won't have to suffer anymore."

"Can we go back now? I've had enough excitement for one day," Baxter asked.

"Me too," Niffty agreed.

Suddenly, just as everyone was about to leave, Anna looked up to see something falling. It was a person. It was head straight towards them, fast.

"Uh, guys, I think that we should get out of the way," she called out.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Move!" she shouted as she pushed everyone out of the way just as the person crashed, slamming into the ground, hard. Anna screamed it nearly hit her but Alastor pulled her out of the way just in time.

As everyone stood up to see what it was, they saw a large crater in the center of the street from where they were standing. Anna walked over to the edge of the crater and looked down to see that it was another angel. Everyone else walked over as well, seeing him.

"Oh great, another one." Vaggie groaned.

"Wait, he's hurt." Charlie said as she noticed that he was hurt, seeing a huge gaping wound on the angel chest. His left wing was torn and damaged as well. She jumped down and picked him up and jumped out of the crater and laid him down on the ground as everyone gathered around.

"We need to help him. Alastor can you heal him?" Anna asked.

"Are you insane?" Angel asked in disbelief.

"What?" Anna said.

"If we help him, then what's to stop him from waking up and attacking us?" Vaggie asked.

"I don't want to get my ass kicked again, one of them was bad enough." Angel added.

"It's probably a trick," Niffty added as well.

"Then why would this angel just fall out of the sky and land right in front of us, hurt, right after Gabriel left?" Anna questioned. "I doesn't make any sense." Everyone thought for a moment in silence as she continued. "Plus, maybe we could use him to help us with the hotel."

"That's actually, not a bad idea," Charlie agreed.

"Well, as long as he's tied up and confined, so he can't hurt anyone, and find out what his motives are, he can stay." Vaggie replied. "But, he's your responsibility." Anna nodded. She turned to Alastor.

"Heal him," Alastor groaned.

"Cher, I've almost used up all of my strength. I'm not sure that I'll able able to heal him completely."

"Just do what you can." Anna said, softly.

Alastor turned to the fallen hurt angel then knelt down and started to heal him. The gaping wound on the angel's chest slowly began to mend, closing up, until it was completely healed. However, his wing was unable to be healed as Alastor felt the last of his magic beginning to slip through his fingers. Anna quickly caught him as Alastor almost fell backwards from exhaustion.

"There, it's done," Alastor said, tiredly.

"You've done wonderfully," Anna smiled. "How about when we get back to the hotel, I'll fix up some jambalaya?"

"You've read my mind." Alastor agreed, feeling hungry. He could use some meat right about now.

"I'm starving!" Angel exclaimed.

"You can have some too Angel, as well as everyone else," Anna snickered. But, she stopped when she noticed that there was something strange happening to Alastor. Everyone one else noticed as well.

"Alastor, your hair!" Charlie exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Alastor asked, smiling confused. "And why are you all staring at me like that?"

Anna picked up a shard of glass, carefully, holding it up in front of Alastor. Alastor couldn't believe it himself as he stared back into his own reflection, like a deer in headlights. His hair was now brown, instead of blood red, but also tufts still sticking out like a deer's on the top of his head.

It was late in the middle of the night, everyone had gone to sleep, resting from the battle. Ever so often, they would take turns watching over their unexpected guest, who was now tied up and being confined in a locked room, waiting for the angel to wake up.

In Angel's room, Angel was lying in his bed while Fat Nuggets was sleeping at the end of it. He smiled as he rolled over on his side, expecting to feel warm fuzzy fur next to him. "Hmm," Angel groaned, sleepily. "Morning, Husky." But, he only felt strange leathery velvet skin.

He slowly opened his eyes only to be met with the color white. Angel immediately sat up with a shocked look on his face. He tried to pinch himself to check to see if he was still dreaming. Nope, he was wake. Sleeping, in front of the spider demon was an unfamiliar middle aged man with slicked black hair with a few grey streaks, while at the top of his head were two black cat ears. Angel nearly drooled at the sight of the man's well toned naked less furry body. He even had a black tail that was slowly swaying side to side as he slept. He had been redeemed.

"Husk?" Angel asked.

"What?" the former cat demon grumbled, sleepily.

"I don't want you to freak out but, your wing's grown back.-"

"And what else is new?" Husk asked.

"It's white and you're a lot less hairy than I remembered from last night-" Angel smirked, but still in shock, and continued. Husk immediately woke up as he sat up on the bed. "Your other wing's that same as well."

Husk folded his wings closer to him then stretched them out. Just like Angel had said, his wings were now pure white with feathers. Husk looked down to see his other wing lying on the floor. He looked back at Angel only to be met with different colored human-like eyes, one light blue and the other light pink.

"Kid, I'm not the only one changes," Husk murmured. "Have you looked in the mirror?"

Angel looked at him confused then stood up and walked over to the mirror across the his room. He saw that his other eye had changed as well, both now completely different colors.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"I know, it's unbelievable," Husk replied in shock. Angel looked back into the mirror, however, he noticed that something was off.

His wound hadn't healed.

It was still the same as it was before.

Fear began to build in Angel as he began to grow nervous and uneasy by the more he looked at it. He tried to stop himself from panicking, in front of Husk. It was fine. He was fine. It'll go away eventually.

It will...It'll just take a little more time that's all!

"Hey, what's wrong?" Husk asked, sensing that something was bothering him. Angel laughed, turning around to face him.

"Nothings wrong! I'm just so fucking happy right now!" he exclaimed, jumping onto the bed, landing right on top of Husk, body slamming into him, while waking Fat Nugget's up as well.

It'll heal up eventually, right?

[liddolwhynot2000]

Decisions Of a Capricorn

____________________________________

Summary: Levi Ackerman woke up one fine morning. In the past. Shit.

Genre: Angst, lets-change-shit, drama, liddol romance (Levixhappiness)

Pairings: Levi/Original Female Character, Levi/Petra

Warning: Manga spoilers

____________________________________

Chapter 2: White Poppy

____________________________________

Summary: Capricorns are responsible and disciplined. You always make the most practical decisions. You think about things thoroughly before acting, and you make choices based on what provides the most benefits for everyone.

Alternatively, Levi decides what to do.

____________________________________

Usually, when he was left alone in his office, Levi was either buried in an absurd amount of paperwork, courtesy of Erwin, or trying to sleep a little.

Today, however, he was simply sitting at his desk and staring mindlessly at the table. He didn't even feel the urge to get himself some tea, too lost in his internal monologue.

He was back in the past. The Godamn shitty past.

Eren hadn't turned into a douche bag yet. Erwin was still alive. 95% of the people that had been dead to him a day ago, were alive and well. And if he played his cards right, he could ensure that at least some of them would stay alive.

He could and would change shit.

But.. How?

Levi was a practical man. He knew his own limits when it came to plotting and planning. There was no way for him to change things in a way that wouldn't result in the rumbling. Not on his own. Only the likes of Hange or Armin or-

Erwin

____________________________________

'Erwin.'

'Yes Levi?'

Erwin continued to work, not even bothering to look at Levi as he filled out forms for the upcoming expedition. It was late at night and the blonde commander was sitting at his desk, working away as everyone else slept. Others would think he was simply sleep deprived and that's why he was hardly paying attention to his trusted captain.

Levi knew better. Erwin was always sharp, he just preferred luring people into a false sense of security that he wasn't.

He leaned back against the couch, crossing his legs casually and took a sip of his tea.

'I've been thinking about your plan.'

'And?'

'I think we made a mistake.'

At this, Erwin calmly settled his pen down and finally deigned to look at him.

'Explain.'

Okay, time to put his plan into motion.

'We're sure that The Armoured and Colossal are like Eren right? Humans that's can transform into titans?'

'Yes.'

'The Colossal Titan and Armoured Titan appeared five years ago. Which means whoever is inside those shitty titans, they have at least five years of experience over Eren. Taking him and my squad into a battle field where they aren't prepared for enemies like that-'

Levi could only feel relief as Erwin's expression lit up with understanding.

'It means that I judged wrong. Of course, not all titan shifters would be like Eren. They've had more time and access to their power. More time to harness it in battle. Eren has hardly had 2 months and still can't transform at will. This makes it difficult to use him as bait to lure out the traitor, because simply put, Eren won't be able to protect himself. In which case, we would risk losing our greatest weapon and... '

Watching him open the drawer and pull out the mission plan, Levi realised that he had forgotten how smart Erwin was. He could practically see the gears turning in his mind. The brilliant bastard was changing the plan as they spoke.

'Exactly. And if the Armoured Titan comes after us, we're fucked. We don't have anyone except Eren who even stands a chance against it. And that's not saying much.'

Levi liked to believe it was sheer dumb luck that Annie had come after them, rather then Reiner. They could at least still fight and capture Annie with their limited resources--Reiner would have gotten away with Eren easily.

'Do you think your squad can take on a titan shifter?'

Levi blinked and snapped out of his thoughts.

'Frankly, no. If the shifter is Eren, he'll get his ass kicked. If it's the Armoured fucker, they're dead.'

His old squad just wasn't able to take on an opponent like that. They were all prepared to take on the worst, however, Levi acknowledged their lack of creativity and improvisation. They would simply think between to kill or to not kill, which was likely what would had gotten them killed in the first place. If they had let Eren transform first and tire out the female titan before they fought her, they would have likely lived. His next squad had proven better then them because of this--for they often found ways to fight and get out of it alive against the shittiest of odds.

'Even if we tell them about the traitor?'

'If we tell them, they'll judge accordingly and try to keep Eren safe no matter what.'

If he instructed his squad of the situation beforehand, he was confident they'd get out of it alive. They weren't the best at spur of the moment thinking, but they were still extremely talented. As long as they stuck to his orders and were informed enough, they'd manage well.

'Do you think we should tell Eren?'

Inwardly, Levi winced at the mention of Eren, remembering that he still hadn't figured out what to do about him.

'Yes. The brat needs to be prepared too. And.. I think we need to give him reasons to trust us.'

Erwin raised an eyebrow at him, silently probing for more. Levi obliged.

'The brat's a Survey Corps fanboy. The hero worship will wear off soon enough. I'd rather our greatest weapon actually trust us because we give him reasons to. Don't want to risk him acting out.'

'Fair. This is rather odd coming from you, I-'

'Don't take this the wrong way. I don't trust him. But he should trust us. We're gambling lives for his shitty ass.'

'Ah. I see.'

'How much are you going to change the plan?'

'I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you by tommorow. I need to think on it a little more.'

'I just want you to let me tell my squad about the traitor. The rest is your shit to figure out.'

'... Well, you do have valid reasons so-'

Levi smirked,

'So act in whatever manner you see fit.'

Levi nodded before making to leave. His job here was done. Just as he was about to shut the door and leave Erwin to strategise, he paused.

'You might regret letting me do what I want.'

Erwin smiled at him.

'No regrets.'

Levi almost smiled back, but instead opted to shut the door.

____________________________________

Early in the morning, Levi walked outside in the courtyard. The sun had risen a while ago and the air had been crisp. It wouldn't be long till his comrades would be awake, so he figured a stroll to clear his mind wouldn't hurt.

Had he made the right decision? Levi honestly didn't know.

Initially, he had planned to just tell Erwin everything. About Marley, Eren letting his inner lunatic out full blast, the truth about the King. But, he had stopped himself.

Maybe it was because he had grown used to not having Erwin around, that he was making decisions on his own? Or maybe it was just that he was tired of following orders that only got people killed?

He hadn't wanted to not tell his squad about the traitor, yet he had obeyed orders and stayed quiet. Resulting in their deaths.

He hadn't wanted to go along with the battle in Stohess District, but he had obeyed orders and watched countless civillians die.

He hadn't wanted to take part in any plan that involved keeping Zeke alive but he had fucking obeyed orders and done it. The end result had been a mass genocide that none of them had been able to stop.

He knew Erwin would lead them well if he knew everything, but for now, he would prefer changing things using his own authority. It was selfish of him, but he had learned his lesson.

Ever since that dark day in that field, when he had made his decision to serve in the Survey Corps, he had always relied on Erwin. Or rather, his orders. It had been easier to let him make all the decisions and just go with it. The objective was always completed, so the cost had always been brushed aside.

Except following orders like that had only worked for singular, short term goals. When it came to the end goal, it had only led to their destruction.

Levi was scared that if he followed Erwin half blind like before, history would only repeat itself. But what if he made it worse? Erwin had always been more visionary. The brains of the operation. Levi was used to being the brawns that just did as told.

He kicked a pebble, sighing. Taking a deep breathe he closed his eyes--only for someone to bump into his chest and fall to the ground.

Levi didn't so much as step back, hardly phased. He frowned at the person rubbing their head as they half lay on the floor.

It was a woman, with startling, long red hair. A basket lay next to her, full of flowers. Some had fallen out of the basket.

'Tch. Watch where you're going.'

The woman looked up at him, vivid pretty green eyes blinked up at him in confusion. Levi raised an eyebrow, and then realisation dawned upon her. She immediately scampered upto her feet

'I'm so, so sorry--I was - I mean- I didn't mean to bump into you Captain. It was an honest mistake.'

'Whatever.'

He rolled is eyes and gestured to the flowers on the ground.

'Well? Clean up this mess'

'Oh yes, of course.'

She began hurriedly picking up the flowers, before nervously apologising to him once more and running off. Just as he was about to walk back to his office, he noticed a flower she hadn't picked up.

Holding it in his hand, he couldn't help feeling a sense of peace. It was a white poppy. Clutching it tightly, he began to climb the stairs to his office, suddenly feeling more sure of himself then ever.

Hange had told him, in one of her I- learned-something-new-so-your-eardrums-have-to-suffer sessions, about what a poppy symbolised. Peace. The end and remembrance of a war. It had been one of the last happy conversations he had with her, right before Eren had unleashed hell on them.

Peace was all Levi had ever wanted--not just for himself, but for everyone living in the walls. And he would try his damned hardest to achieve that.

Yet again, he would believe in his own decisions. This time, he would trust himself even more. Feeding Erwin little information that made sense would be easy enough, the man was intelligent enough to draw conclusions that would benefit them.

And, there were somethings he would prefer that still happened. To keep things predictable for him. Like the 57th Expedition. He would capture Annie this time around and not let the Stohess Battle occur. The wall titans and humanity existing outside the walls could be proven when Historia was made queen and they reached the basement-

Wait, shit.

Historia was still part of the Survey Corps.

____________________________________

Levi stared blankly at the flower on his desk, debating whether if breaking the queen's legs before she was even queen would be considered treason. Because there was no way in hell he was letting her near any danger.

Historia was a game changer. A hope for the war. Levi knew some people would still die, but Historia was one who couldn't. Eren could be replaced, Erwin could be replaced, Levi himself could be replaced, but not Historia. He would have to get her out of the fold safely-

*knock knock*

'Come in' Levi answered without a second thought. Petra entered holding a tray full of biscuits and a steaming cup of tea.

'Captain, here's your morning tea. The staff had some biscuits today too.'

'Ah. Thank you. Just put it here.'

Petra settled the tea cup and plate on his desk, catching sight of the poppy.

'That's a pretty flower captain. Where did you pick it from?'

'I didn't. I got it from some girl.'

If Levi hadn't been busy checking the temperature of his tea, he would have noticed the slightly crushed expression on his comrades face. By the time he looked at her again, the girl was saluting him.

'Petra--go tell the others we'll be doing transformation experiments with Eren today. Everyone has an hour to get ready. If anyone's late, they'll have a special sparring session with me.'

'Yes Sir!'

Watching her leave, he resolved himself. He was doing what he could for them. He would try to get them closer to peace. He found himself looking at the white poppy again, the barest hints of a smile on his face.

He might just have to thank that girl for bumping into him.

.. And look into the law books regarding what injuries to historia wouldn't count as treason. There had to be at least one right?

__________________________________

A/N: hope y'all liked this! Sorry I've been MIA. My dad got pnemoneia and ended up admit in the hospital. Thankfully we caught it in time, so he's recovered well now. But it's been a crazy couple of days.

Soo, I debated Levi being absolutely honest with Erwin and telling him the entire truth but I realized it wouldn't work. The story is going to be set in more changing the timeline from chapter 4 I think, when the expedition starts. I'm actually writing this as I go sooo, *laughs nervously. Also poor historia. Will Levi actually break her legs? Till next time!

(also I'm working on those asks now, so they'll come soon)

[darkpoisonouslove]

Winx Club Season 6 Thoughts Part 1

I have watched this more than once and even though I have some memories of the ending, I still have no idea what is happening in this season. Now my expectations have been updated to “take what I can get” so that should go better. Also, I will be writing the number of the episode above the section of thoughts that deals with it so that it can be easier to navigate my posts. With that said, let’s get to it:

- Wow, they actually showed Daphne together with the Winx in the intro? Nice. However, I am torn between wanting to move on from Sirenix and despising the fact that I’ll have to suffer through Bloomix and Mythix this season. It’s a lose-lose situation for me.

6x01:

- The Trix now have beef with Daphne as well? And they are going back to the somewhat original plan of the Coven to destroy Domino? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am actually excited about this!

- Did Daphne just try to go through the door? Aww, sweet precious child who has forgotten what it is to have a body. I am in pain for her even though I am happy that she is human again. I do not like the way that Marion and Oritel seem to not grasp the very obvious problem that Daphne is facing, however. I wish we could see their relationship with Daphne but we can’t step aside from Bloom for three seconds. At least they are showing some consequences of everything Daphne has gone and keeps going through.

- If the beast is the most powerful thing in the Magic Dimension, why does it listen to the Trix instead of just eating them before moving on to Domino? And it looked pretty awake without them having to summon it. So yeah, not much sense in this.

- Okay, I can get that Daphne is still getting used to having a body again but her doubting herself does not feel in character to me. She was always the one to tell Bloom to not doubt herself and she never lost faith in anyone from their family even when she spent two decades as a spirit. This is not my Daphne. She would know how to proceed. It’s like they reversed all her wisdom after bringing her back. As if you can’t be wise unless you’re a non-corporeal entity. I don’t like that. And wasn’t she the nymph of Magix? She is now the nymph of Domino. I mean, she could be both, I guess, but the titles are never used simultaneously.

- Why are the Specialists flying on their bikes if the ship is also there? And why is Daphne wearing heels if she has trouble walking?!?!?!?!

- Did Marion do all of the decorations with her magic? I’m just gonna accept that it was her. Also, I am kinda glad that they kept the maids from Magical Adventure. They were well-intentioned even if a little overbearing.

- Yes, Bloom, great way to be empathetic with your sister. Keep telling her about DANCING even though she can’t even walk in a straight line... or any kind of line. They should have waited with the party. And Daphne tripped here because Bloom had stepped on her clothes. It wasn’t her fault. Though, a makeover might be good for her. I am not a fan of the way Stella referred to her as if Daphne is the younger one and needs help (even though she does need help).

- I also don’t like the fact that they are trying to say that Daphne is stuck on who she was which keeps her from becoming who she needs to be in the present. It does not sound like her. But it’s cute that all the Winx are trying to help her. I won’t mind her being a more central part of this season. She has helped them so many times that it would be nice to see them do something for her or even with her.

- Daphne does look nice! Certainly better than Winx in their hideous dresses Won’t we burn those things already?!

- Yeah, Daphne cowering away and hiding at Oritel’s side is definitely not in character. Sorry but she legit gave everything she had to save her sister from the Ancestral Witches even when she knew it would be the end of her.

- Oh, look. They’re using the special Sirenix spells. I can’t believe it.

- Oritel (and Marion) must be so goddamn sick of the Trix and them threatening his family already. And it hasn’t been more than a year since they came back from Obsidian.

- Oh, poor Daphne. I feel so bad for her. But at least she has her family now and they can hold her and help her get through it. Though, I still think this isn’t entirely in character for her. Tritannus tortured her and she refused to tell him anything and she kept fighting even from her cell despite how limited her resources were. Here she hasn’t even tried. They said she didn’t have her powers but we haven’t seen her try to use them and Daphne has always tried until the very last moment.

- Okay, but I hate it when they send them places only for them to realize they had the answer all along.

- Omg, she was gonna sacrifice herself just to not threaten anyone else. This is more like Daphne. But I am so happy that she got her powers back. Even though they really half assed her Sirenix transformation, though I guess that was to be expected. After Roxy (oh, wait, and Diaspro, too), she is the only fairy besides Winx to be given any transformation so I guess they thought that anything would do.

6x02:

- Why is Kiko excited to be back at Alfea? And what the hell are Daphne and Bloom doing there? Daphne should be on Domino and getting reacquainted with politics and economy for when she will be queen and Bloom and the other Winx should probably be in the Love and Pet store. Anywhere, really, but at Alfea. Why are they at Alfea again? *sigh*

- Aww, I love the fact that they are all still wearing the charm bracelets Bloom gave them for Christmas. It’s cute. I am not as much a fan of Stella being as obsessed with fashion as she was in season 5. They made her whole character about that (except the struggle with her parents but that has also been resolved now more or less so...)

- I guess bending down is overrated now. You just use magic instead of any other way of solving problems like picking things up from the floor or making space in a room. And poor Kiko. No one noticed that he got miniaturized.

- The new clothes suck. They look so... same. At least the old outfits still had some personality to them.

- How did Griselda not feel the wave of Stella’s magic? Or notice the... illusion? (I suppose Stella used dispersed light to create the appearance of a normal bedroom instead of the boutique.) At least she noticed Kiko. But ewwww, why did he lick Bloom’s face (and after he was angry with her)? He’s not a dog!!!!! Please, writers.

- Oh, no! The pixies are here. Why did they not only change Tecna and Musa’s pixies, but also the design for Piff? Locket, Amore and Chatta look almost the same but I am so not on board with the very fact that they are all back. The least the writers could have done would have been to keep the old pixies (and designs). (Just, please, tell me that the Winx aren’t students again.)

- Faragonda has been Headmistress of Alfea for 100 years? Yeah, right. Direct contradiction right there. In SotLK Hagen said that when they battled the Coven, they were Winx’ age. So they should be about 50. I just hate this. And Faragonda saying that she doesn’t like celebrating anniversaries because they make her feel old? That feels OOC to me but okay.

- Lmao, dying at that dance between Faragonda and Wizgiz. XDDD

- Griffin sounds like she’s finally turned the education in CT in the right direction. She even asked the elder students to help the freshmen which is nice because we’ve seen her not care about the malice witches exhibited towards each other (which I call bullshit on but still). But with the proving thing? Yeah, okay.

- Obviously Selina and Bloom know each other because Selina is from Earth and we all know that everything that happens on Earth is in Gardenia. Love how Griffin didn’t react to that info, though. Does that mean that there were witches on Earth even when the fairies were trapped? Dammit, writers, develop your damn world!

- How did the pixies even defeat the trolls the first time around? And why the hell did they decide that it was a good idea to imprison them under pixie village? You see, this is why you don’t live over the place you imprisoned your enemies. Because they don’t need to find you if they get free. They are already there.

- Oh, Griffin actually stopped the destruction of Pixie Village? I am surprised. I thought she would just let it go on. I mean, the show hasn’t been all that consistent with her characterization so...

- How the hell is Bloom sensing the other pixies? She isn’t bonded to them. If anything, Locket should be the one being able/unable to trace them.

- I was ready to be majorly pissed at this episode and now I am. It was already annoying me but the Trix defeating Griffin so easily made everything much worse. And like... she didn’t even try to fight them? She could have put up a shield to protect herself from all their attacks and she could have used her ability to fly in order to be more mobile while fighting them but nah. She just got soundly defeated. Amazing. And by amazing, I mean the exact opposite. This was horrible and I hate it.

- So... did the Trix ditch their Sirenix? And where did they get those new powers? Also, why the hell did the other witches join them so easily? I know that most witches must want recognition but some of those witches were there when the Trix nearly killed them both in season 1 and season 2. They at least shouldn’t have joined them. Or even if they’d joined, it should have been just a cover so that they don’t get spelled like Griffin and they could secretly work on taking the Trix down. Oh, yes, and why do the Trix want to take over the other colleges? That somehow doesn’t make sense. They already tried that back at season 1 and it didn’t work out.

- What the hell happened to Cloud Tower being a living being? They just destroyed parts of it but nah, that hasn’t come up yet. I hate this. Also, the fact that Griffin not only got turned into a crow but also hit by a lightning. Poor baby!

- Oh, great! She almost died. Love how it was never addressed what it was like for Griffin not just to be a crow but also unable to help save her school and her witches because she couldn’t even warn the others what was going on.

6x03:

- Why can’t Roxy just grant the crow the ability to talk? We know from season 4 that she can. The dark magic could have prevented that but at least they would know that there is a spell on the crow. And how did Faragonda not feel Griffin? There should be some part of her aura or whatever that hasn’t changed despite the magic in place. Not to mention that Griffin could have tried to show her it was her in some way. The two know each other. Surely if Griffin flew around and pulled out an object that means something to both of them, Faragonda would have started wondering and would have probably figured out what happened. There were so many ways around this but the writers didn’t want contact to be possible because otherwise, it would be over too soon when Winx defeated the Trix.

- Why are the boys at Linphea college now? Also, why doesn’t Brandon know that Sky has a cousin? I guess Thoren doesn’t show up on Eraklyon but does that mean that his whole family has just let go of their ties to the crown? I somehow doubt that.

- Yes, Musa. Destroying all of Alfea with your music will surely cheer up the pixies.

- So why is Miele not in Alfea? That sounds kind of weird. Although, it is possible that she didn’t want to be in Flora’s shadow or in her surveillance the whole time.

- Studies? *groan* Why the fuck are they students again?!?!?! I hate this. But I like the fact that Griselda is back. It’s not the same without her.

- So... not just Bloom, but all the rest of Winx know who Thoren is? But Brandon doesn’t? You know, Brandon who is Sky’s best friend and squire? Yeah, right.

- “Barbaric yell”? Fuck you, too, you “spiritual” snob.

- Is that Nex? Please, tell me it’s not. He seems even worse than Roy. Who is instantly jealous even though he has no right to be since he and Layla aren’t dating. God, I really miss Nabu. He was such a mature and sweet guy. Exactly what Layla needed. (And why is Roy with the Specialists when that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever?)

- Great job, Tecna. Now Helia is probably gonna think that Flora is visiting some old boyfriend. You could have just told him she was seeing her sister. Though, I have to ask where the hell Flora has been all summer if not at home (since she hasn’t seen Miele in so long)? And from her own words it sounds like she hasn’t seen her since season 3 which is just ridiculous.

- You tell him, Layla. Though, that will only make it worse if they get together later because I do not expect the writing to  be clever enough to imply that it was Layla who helped Nex (I presume) get over his pride and superiority complex.

- If Linphea college is so great, why didn’t Flora study there as well? Is it new? It has to be very new in order for that to be the explanation.

- Wait, they actually realized it’s Griffin? But why can she only speak in single words and not whole sentences? Roxy could make Artu talk like a person.

- Yes, they have to tell everyone else because it’s not like Cloud Tower is a whole castle floating in the sky that is probably visible from kilometers.

- Oh, wow. They bothered to give Miele a five-second transformation? I can’t believe it. How very generous of them.

- They actually managed to make the connection between the flying Cloud Tower and the trouble on the ground? I am surprised by their normal level deduction skills.

- Did the Legendarium just negate not only their spell, but also their powers? Wow. That is... actually kinda interesting even though I do not expect it to make a lot of sense when they bother to explain it.

- At least the Specialists caught Winx before they could fall and die. I actually like the fact that they all have to retreat. It was obviously hard on them even though they didn’t have their powers anymore.

- Oh, goodie. It’s Bloomix time. In case someone hadn’t realized that Bloom is sooooo special. She now gets her own transformation. It’s fun how they didn’t even bother explaining how it was possible for the Legendarium to extinguish all their powers.

6x04:

- Well, at least Stella’s enthusiasm can never be extinguished. But yes, just exercise in high heels, why don’t you? I am so sick of them never wearing comfortable shoes. Enough heels already! They need to wear something that is actually suitable for the activity at hand.

- Poor Kiko. At least Stella didn’t break something while pulling that stunt.

- So Thoren and Daphen actually know each other? Why is everyone acting so familiar with everyone else even though they shouldn’t know each other? I hate this. Also, Thoren doesn’t sound all that sincere. I mean, he probably is. It just doesn’t exactly sound like that to me.

- I am sick of them making Stella the most incompetent in everything. You’re telling me that Tecna that is always on her phone and computer is pulling off all the physical exercise with no problem but Stella that can probably run a marathon if there is shopping involved can’t? I am not buying it.

- I am so done with both Roy and Nex. But more with Nex. Roy is kinda jealous which is ridiculous because he isn’t with Layla but Nex is being a fucking asshole and I hate him so much. I really hope he changes if he is going to be with Layla. (He’ll have to. I don’t believe she would ever spare another glance at him if he remains like that and if she does, then the writers have completely ruined her.)

- I wish Daphne would go to the rescue mission as well. She was the one who figured out the whole way to save everyone.

- Miele was doing so well! She was so brave, fighting multiple opponents. She is great! She even has more interesting spells than Flora.

- Wait, basilisks? Aren’t they supposed to be like snakes? These look more like dragons. I know they said flying basilisks but still.

- The petrifying stares are kinda interesting. But we all know that no Winx is gonna get turned to stone so there is still no tension here. Cute Riven and Sky moment, however.

- Seriously? Bloom can withstand a Trix convergence on her own but Griffin couldn’t? Yeah, makes total sense. I have said this already but if Winx are obviously stronger than the teachers, why not just make them directors of the schools and be done with it? It’s not like anyone else is getting anything done anyway.

- Awww, Stella did the flip! Nice!

- That basilisk totally could have petrified Flora and the other fairies but, of course, it didn’t even try. Like I said, no fucking stakes whatsoever.

- Didn’t they already deal with the tree... whatever the hell they are (I am too lazy to check how you write that and, honestly, this show does not deserve the effort)? Why are there more? Also, she totally did not need to save Miele from falling because Miele has wings. She could have just went back into flight and Flora could have earned her Bloomix just for saving her from the tree thing.

- Okay, the Bloomix spells look better actually. I hope. Otherwise, this will really get on my nerves.

- Why weren’t the Linphea fairies using their wings? That could have saved them from being petrified. I think in flight it would be easier to dodge the rays than it would be while you’re running AND HAVING YOUR BACK TURNED ON THE BASILISKS. BECAUSE THAT IS FUCKING SMART.

- And talking about smart, Roy was an absolute idiot. He could have just whisked Layla away while he was on his hoverbike and been done with it. He didn’t have to get in front of her and get turned into stone. And what does Nex do? His sudden care for Roy made him all stupid as well and he got himself petrified too. Great fucking job! I see how amazing you are in your supposed area of expertise.

6x05:

- Aww, I love the way Stella pulled Layla out of danger. I am really starting to ship this. Could have gone without Layla asking her if she remembered the flip since she obviously did as Stella performed it just a couple of minutes earlier (but it was in the last episode so they have to even give a flashback!) but it was cute that they did it together. I don’t really think that their actions should have qualified them for earning Bloomix but anyway. I don’t mind that they transformed together because their dynamic is really cute and I am sinking in deep.

- Ah, yes. Bloom was fighting the Trix. Totally forgot that because there was no stakes to that fight whatsoever. I do like the aesthetic of Bloom being in a different transformation than Stella and Layla. We haven’t seen that since three seasons ago when the first Enchantix was won.

- How did Stella get inspired for THESE hats by the battle? This is so totally not appropriate wear for any remotely intense situation. At least she didn’t get sulky this time when the rest didn’t like her designs.

- They’re making Riven an asshole again. I am glad that they had Tecna also being busy with her own things. Honestly, I kinda feel like they’re making Musa too demanding when it comes to attention. And Tecna is right that her algorithm is quiet while Musa’s music isn’t. When you live with other people, you have to respect their space. However, you’d think that they’d resolved this issue years ago since they have been roommates forever. I do like the symbols on their door, though. It really personalizes the space.

- Oh, Daphne has friends! That is really cool! Though, I hope this girl is a magical creature that ages differently because otherwise, this doesn’t make sense. What they said about the long time they haven’t seen each other makes me hopeful.

- These pandemonium sprites look like rats. I am not impressed. Even if they have destructive screams. You’d think the Magic Dimension will have something more interesting. The legend of the four sisters from the Hallowinx episode was leagues above this both in complexity and in creepiness. They need to step it up a notch with the Legendarium. And they don’t even explain any extended history (if any) behind the legends which could have been a great way to worldbuild. But nah.

- I don’t understand what is Musa’s problem. Tecna is allowed to not enjoy herself. And Musa is acting as if if all of her friends don’t enjoy the place she loves, she will not be validated in her love for it. It’s getting annoying. Not to mention that the pixies are not helping. I forgot their only role is to clown around... Which by the way, we already have Kiko for.

- Okay, the thing with the sounds residing in the pandemonium cave is actually kinda cool. Still not sure how exactly Tecna and Musa defeated the sprites but it was cool to see them team up. I’ve always known that the two of them can combine to a very powerful result. And Tecna creating tech for Musa is super cute!

- Ooooh, Diaspro team-up with the Trix! I love it! And Diaspro and Icy circling each other looked like they were checking each other out. They just need to get Bloom to leave Sky and join them and it is going to be the most powerful OT3 ever. (Why is Diaspro still only in her Winx form, though. It has been six years (and possibly more depending on where the movies fit in the time line).)

6x06:

- Vortex of flames? And fire eaters? That finally sounds intense. Let’s just hope that it will deliver as much as that’s possible at this point in time. Also, I love the fact that Diaspro is invited to the event on Domino. She is a princess, after all, and it would be a good idea to try to smooth things out with her kingdom (since she and Bloom aren’t on good terms).

- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Daphne is getting crowned as the heir to the throne! Yessss! Good! I am so happy to hear this! And they’ve gotten rid of the ugly dresses. Though, you’d think that Daphne will also have a new dress that is special for her coronation.

- Well, Thoren has jumped on quite the fast horse. Which I know will keep being the case but... What is Sky’s problem? Is it that Diaspro is there? Or is it because of Thoren? They’re suddenly being inseparable.

- Yeah, I don’t think Bloom’s weakness is from sharing the Dragon Fire. It is supposed to be inextinguishable so it shouldn’t be weakened by a few sparks that she gave to her friends.

- Aww, Daphne, honey, we know you will do your best for Domino! You already have! The whole planet wouldn’t be here without you and your family wouldn’t be either. I am so glad she is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

- Yeah, okay, Thoren left Sky but that was years ago. People change. Though, considering who he’s grown up with (aka Erendor), I can see how that is a foreign concept to Sky. Not to absolve him of responsibility for being so quick to judge after all this time in which he hasn’t bothered to see Thoren. And besides, they should let Daphne make her own decisions. She is more than capable of protecting herself.

- “I just love love” Amore is every shipper ever. Probably why she is most tolerable to me from the pixies.

- This is bullshit. Bloom was born without Dragon Fire. She didn’t have any before Daphne gave it to her. She doesn’t need it to sustain her. Maybe to sustain her powers. But not her life. And back in season 1 when the Trix stole the Dragon Fire from her, she was just fine. She wasn’t passing out and stuff. Stop making inconsistencies just to have more drama, dammit!

- Those fire eater things look stupid. I hope they are more effective, at least.

- Love how Diaspro didn’t even get to have her transformation even though they didn’t have to draw her a new one. They just had to take the transformation sequence from season 1. But even that was too much. At least Sky has learned not to trust her anymore. I can’t believe this day came.

- I like to think that Oritel asking about the girls meant all of Winx not just Bloom and Daphne (even if he didn’t but I think that he did).

- So why did Daphne just stand there instead of blasting Diaspro before she could throw Bloom into the vortex? I do love Diaspro and her wicked good days, though. If only she would just stop caring about Sky. I mean, Icy is right there!

- So it is confirmed that Bloom is a pyromaniac now, right? She was falling towards a vortex of flames and thinking about how beautiful it is. I can def see her lighting things on fire just to see the pretty flames once she got old enough to use a lighter. What is that hydra in the vortex, though, and where did it come from?

- Of course, Bloom can defeat the hydra and survive the vortex even though she was too weak to walk on her own. Of fucking course! Makes perfect sense! (I just hope the Trix will take Diaspro on their side even though Bloom survived. Diaspro did her job and the Trix have been failing to kill Bloom for years. They can’t hold that against her.) Edit: Where the hell did Diaspro go? We never see her again for the rest of the first half of the season (and possibly the second half as well). This plot point was just abandoned midway and I hate it!

- They already danced. Nothing says that they can’t again but they’re making such a big deal out of it.

- I’m gonna say it here but I am really not a fan of the Bloomix designs. The separate elements are good on their own but combined all together are too much for me. I don’t know where in the outfit to look because every part of it is screaming for attention.

6x07:

- Wow. I guess Stella doesn’t have to worry about getting rid of spiders. She can just yell at them and they’re going to leave. That’s actually useful. Wish I could do that.

- Please, tell me that Faragonda is at least taking some interest in how things with Griffin are going. Not that I have doubts about how well Roxy can take care of her but I doubt that Griffin is feeling very comfortable with the whole ordeal. I think she’d feel better if she spent some of her time as a crow with Faragonda. (Also, why didn’t Faragonda try to break the spell on her? If she can’t, then how did anyone else?)

- I have to say that them saying the Library of Alexandria wasn’t burned but hidden is hurting me because I wish that could be true. At least then the books wouldn’t have been destroyed even though we still wouldn’t have access to them.

- Love it how Daphne’s class has only the Winx and some other fairies when it is convenient. Aka when the Trix need someone to pose as.

- Why did the Specialists only come to Alfea to wish Winx goodbye? They could have done that on the phone. And I really don’t like the way they are making me like Roy by having an even worse option there for Layla. But the gift was actually cool. At least he gets her to a certain level.

- What was the idea of Daphne taking an entire balloon for her and the pixies if the pixies aren’t even flying with the balloon? They’re flying on their own and are just keeping up with the balloon. She could have gone with Bloom and the pixies could have been in the other balloon with Winx.

- I thought Bloom used her fire to make the storm disperse but nope. She just brought the two balloons higher up. And I just got excited over nothing. Damn!

- Really? Cherie just solved this? On her own? Even though Winx couldn’t? Yes, I agree with the Trix. This is ridiculous.

- Of course. Where there is Egypt, there are mummies. Normally, I don’t complain about mummies as I love all things Egyptian but there isn’t one thing that Winx hasn’t managed to fuck up in the last couple of seasons so I am not thrilled about this development.

- Why aren’t the Trix attacking? They have a perfect opportunity. They could blast Winx in back as they deal with the mummies and finish them off. But that would be too reasonable a plan. They have to wait for Winx to get a handle on the situation because they can’t be bothered to move their asses and get something fucking done.

6x08:

- How is THAT going for their bandages? They just keep blasting the mummies.

- Really not a fan of the way Daphne’s magic appears to be elemental. I think it would have been cooler for her to have some other powers. Or at least have just one element (and I think water would have been more interesting).

- Why does light seem to work on the mummies? They’re dead! They shouldn’t care about light. Nor sleep for that matter! I was gonna say that rain would make more sense as it would make their bandages wet but that didn’t work, yet somehow sleep seemed to have an effect. At least for a while. The lack of logic in this is unreal.

- Chatta just found the oldest way for defeating a mummy - unwrapping it from the bandages. Has none of them watched any movies? That is literally everywhere! Even though it does not make sense either because under the bandages there is a dried up body and this should have been gruesome as hell, not successful.

- Why did Selina send the Sphinx after the city instead of after Winx? That seems like they wanted to cause some unnecessary destruction only to make the Sphinx look tougher. Like we don’t know they’re gonna defeat it.

- How can Bloom feel everything? This is getting preposterous.

- Well, of course, Bloom can also sense a diary that she has never seen. Because it obviously has the energy of a living person and she can feel it. Makes perfect sense, why are you asking?

- At least the Trix are pretty good at keeping up the charade as Alfea fairies. Despite Stormy’s almost instant fuck-up in the the previous episode. Though, if they were smarter, they would be studying Winx to find out how they beat them every time and then deliberately set out to prevent that from happening so that they can win.

- When did Selina get into the library? I know Acheron told her that she needs to find the diary but she managed to teleport to another planet and we didn’t even see it. Not to mention that he said he knows where she can find the diary, yet she doesn’t seem to be doing so well in her search for it.

- Of course, suddenly it turns out that Bloom had a friend in Gardenia that she has never ever mentioned before and no one knew nothing about. Makes sense. They did look cute together, though.

- Seriously????? Piff got the Sphinx?!?!?!?! The Trix are an absolute mood in those last two episodes. This is ridiculous... again.

- Yeah, sure. They’re just doing convergence left and right. And with Daphne. Not like that should be hard to pull off. And I hate to say this but it should have worked. They so totally don’t need Bloom in order for the convergence to happen.

- Originally, they were supposed to have only one try but whatever. And my guess was five letters because I thought he was only asking about the word “books”. I didn’t think it was supposed to be “those books”. But I was still close enough. And it wasn’t that hard a riddle.

- So the library didn’t get burned down. Winx fucked it up and now you can’t enter it anymore. Nice one! Yeah, successful mission for you. But you managed to send to hell the whole library.

6x09:

- “We’re getting to see the world”? Yeah, one country from one single planet. It’s not like they have been all over the Magic Dimension. Sure, they are totally impressed by Earth that has been shown to be behind on tech AND magic. This line would make sense if they were normal people from Earth. The way things are, it just sounds weird.

- They really have no better way to create danger and are using the pixies to mess with the balloons? Pathetic. Also, why is Daphne using water to stabilize the balloon? How does that make sense?

- They’re just making pointless filler. Stella could have given them the proper warm attire the first time around. There was no need for that ridiculousness. I cannot anymore.

- Oh, yes, suddenly Bloom’s rationalizing abilities peak and she is considering all the question marks around Selina being in the library. Right. Totally bought that.

- Well, at least the Trix are rocking the disguises and the undercover work. That is the breath of fresh air that I need.

- How are the pixies not dead? The Trix turned Griffin into a crow but the pixies are somehow putting up a fight against them? I am going to scream. This is unbelievably stupid. The Trix have the power to decimate the pixies with one hit. So why didn’t they? They would have done us all a favor.

- Yeah, it was so obvious that Piff would wake them up before the Trix could finish them off. It’s just too convenient.

- I see Icy is still struggling with her crush on Bloom that hasn’t let up since the third movie. She didn’t even try to fight. And after all of this, they didn’t even take the diary? Come on!

- They saved his restaurant? It never would have been endangered if they hadn’t shown up! And I didn’t see anyone putting any conscious thought into saving the restaurant... or destroying it for that matter.

- Speaking of their never ending journey, are you telling me that this is the still the day that they left Egypt? Please, do not tell me that they somehow managed to get from Egypt to China in hot air balloons in one day! The hell!

- Oh, yeah, Icy, blame Stormy. You totally had the chance to blow the Winx away but you decided to leave because you don’t actually want to be rid of Bloom. Just admit it instead of blaming Stormy for your leadership and decisions.

- Pearls of restraint? Seriously? How do pearls relate to restraint? This sounds ridiculous. Are you telling me that they are going for some ocean-fire opposition here? Thanks, I hate it!

- Of course, the pearls are easy as fuck to find. Why would they be hidden or protected or something? Pft!

- How the hell did he give them a live flower? And they just said it’s one of a kind and handmade. Where did it come from? That just... doesn’t make sense. Why do I even bother anymore? Not to mention that it is supposed to only grow in Gardenia but he totally had one that was still alive in China. I don’t even know what to say anymore. I have run out of reactions over how incredibly illogical all of this is!

6x10:

- How many colleges are there and why have none of them ever come up before? I should be glad that they are giving us some tiny bit of worldbuilding but what we get is half assed as hell. We don’t even know where these things are or how they even help the Trix.

- Yeah, the Specialists AND the palladins are training at Alfea because THAT makes perfect sense. But OMG! Riven humoring Kiko and being so cheerful? with him? Absolute perfection!

- I am sick of the pixies. They weren’t so annoying in seasons 2 and 3. What happened?

- Oh, they brought back the freshmen? I thought no one would remember about them. I am pleasantly surprised for the second time in two minutes and I cannot believe it.

- They also unspelled Griffin? Nice.

- Am I the only one that is weirded out by the fact that everyone is referring to them as “the Winx” now? They just called them “girls” before. And even the dragon tamer from the previous episode referred to them that way which was just weird af.

- Aaaaaand Alfea just gained another facility. Not like that takes space or anything. And they were like “Oh, yeah, there was totes a greenhouse in this school and Flora didn’t know about it because it was abandoned BUT... it’s in perfect shape.” The bullshit is unreal once again.

- Omg, Stella and Brandon are so adorable! He is instantly humoring her and just rolling with her theatrical performance. They were made for each other.

- Yes, of course, Sky is the only one that is picking on the “wrong” vibes Selina is emitting. Because he is just so instinctive and it would be an opportunity for drama between him and Bloom (further supported by her just instantly trusting Selina and breaking Alfea protocol for it). Edit: There was no fight between Bloom and Sky about Selina, I can’t believe it! At this point they would throw just about anything between them so I am surprised that they didn’t use the opportunity.

- Wow. Does Stella really have to change their outfits every time they step into a different room? And she just left Selina out. It would have been weird to change her clothes as well but leaving her out was also just... odd.

- Plant monsters again? Didn’t they fight similar plants at one point? I honestly don’t remember when that was anymore but the ones they already fought looked like sunflowers. Maybe in Gardenia when Diana took over? That sounds right.

- Ah, this explains why they unspelled Griffin. That way they had all Palladium, Griffin and Selina pretending to be with them just so everything can piece together in a convenient way.

- Well, this is the most consistent Bloom has been ever since season 3. Something happens and she is instantly running back to Gardenia. At least the Winx tried to talk her out of it (and aww, precious Stella even crying over it!). And okay, I get she is upset that she nearly got Flora killed (love how Selina will never answer for that even though it was one of the closest calls ever) but she just wanted to protect a friend. She couldn’t have known what Selina was planning. And leaving now after they were in such a rush to find Eldora seems very counterproductive and selfish or at least self-absorbed on her part. They still have work to do.

6x11:

- There’s a Bloom dopelganger at Cloud Tower? Why are they even accepting students? And why did that fairy decide to join them (also, the hair cages are the stupidest thing ever)? They didn’t even give her a reason to do that. I almost feel like they only did it to show it’s possible to switch from being a fairy to being a witch in order to set up Selina’s story. Not like Mirta ever existed or anything. Or Faragonda for that matter (and yes, they switched from being a witch to being a fairy but that implies that the opposite is also possible).

- What, Griselda now has a problem with classical music? But I can’t believe we are seeing Roxy after she is done being useful to the plot. And it was nice to see her in a class in the previous episode.

- Why did Stella need to give them wings? We can go an episode without being reminded that she’s into fashion. And I hate how they are making Winx fight the second Bloom is not there. How is training gonna help if they can’t lock up the Legendarium? That should be a priority!

- Oh, god, the filler is unbearable (so I’m skipping it) and it’s not even giving a good perspective on the emotional mess which I think was the point. They could have done so much in the half an episode they wasted. (Also, how come Layla ended up with Nex when she seems to have more in common with Roy or at least get along with him better?)

- Even the Trix know that Bloom runs back to Earth every time there are consequences for her actions that she doesn’t want to face. But why vampires? And they made it sound like the idea of vampires exists only on Earth. That seems kinda weird.

- And the flower is in Gardenia. I mean, I knew that because I remember parts of the whole Eldora thing. But still.

- Yes, Layla and Stella are the only ones that grew up as princesses so only they can try to be leaders when Bloom is gone. I have to say that that shot of all of them hugging with Kiko but without Bloom is literally perfect for the rewrite I would do that has Layla as the main character and her and Stella are dating. (Why the hell did Bloom leave Kiko behind? She has NEVER done that before!)

- Oh, they’re energy vampires? They don’t drink blood? Or that’s just a paralyzing spell? Oh, wait, no. It’s a hypnotizing spell. I do hate to admit that that seems to be one of the abilities of vampires but they have reduced them to just that? And kinda draining energy? Booooooooring.

- Wait, the vampires are suddenly shooting beams out of their eyes somehow. ‘Cause that makes sense.

- At least Bloom realized that the Legendarium brought the vampires to life. I was just gonna say that it’s dumb of her to not figure that out after so many episodes.

- Well, this episode was completely pointless and could have been easily cut. So could have been the next, I’m guessing. The pixies were pointless as well because Bloom was going to run into the vampires sooner or later and Winx were supposed to go to Gardenia anyway because the flower is there. There was no need for any of this, really.

6x12:

- Poor Mike and Vanessa. They have been threatened so many times because Bloom will not face her problems and drags them with her to Gardenia. And they are still never complaining about it, never even for a second wished that she hadn’t found out the truth about herself. They are so precious, I love them!

- If you can’t stay at your home, why did you barricade yourself inside it? The logic.

- Of course, she doesn’t have a complete plan. Why would she? She didn’t have to stop and fight them. She could have just kept flying to get them far, far away. It’s clear that she is their target. And that would have bought her time to think.

- And once again, Winx show up just on time to save her. Couldn’t have let the vampires take a bite or two... Oh, wait. They don’t bite. Why would they? Not like that is literally the MAIN thing to a vampire.

- Oh, come on! She’s acting like they have been apart for ages and she abandoned them forever. And her little speech is annoying me because she sounds like she had an epiphany and I call bullshit on that. She was moping right up until the battle and then she clearly wasn’t thinking about ANYTHING.

- Stella legit turned Bloom into a broom?!?!?! For what possible reason? And was she planning to sweep the streets with Bloom’s hair. Very inappropriate even if I would have had nothing against seeing that.

- Oh, yeah. Great idea to leave behind the transformations and go all casual. They might have been able to fight back otherwise and we couldn’t have had that. They needed to be “enslaved” in order for something to appear to be happening.

- What do you mean Stella’s address is Alfea college? Her address should be on Solaria. And why did she just not put Mike and Vanessa’s address? That’s the only Earth address she could have used. But no! Her fashion obsession had to be dragged back in but at least this time it served some purpose.

- “Solar halo”? That sounds so cool. But did the vampire really leave two pixies “guard” against a fairy and four more pixies? How does that make sense? Your math does not add the fuck up! I know you’re undead but you must have some brains left in there.

- Oh, yeah, and the sunlight even breaks the vampires’ spell BEFORE destroying the vampires. NO.

- They make me sick as well, Darcy, don’t worry. They really left enough time for the fashion show as well? I am getting sick of this fashion obsession when there is nothing else going on! There is no plot. There is no point to these episodes.

- She wants inspiration? She didn’t have enough of that when they were fighting all the goth vampires? Though, I have to say that I really like the designs! She really mixed them up and I am so happy to see Stella designing something with a goth streak because it works for one of my ideas.

6x13:

- This is the most important pizza on a TV show ever. But I am so happy to see how excited Mike and Vanessa are to have all the girls together. They have basically adopted all of them at this point.

- Does this episode intend to start at some point? 1/4 is already done and they have not done anything AT ALL!

- Oh, the touch of Selina and Bloom feels is the first interesting thing.

- Even Mike has noticed how convenient it is that everything is in Gardenia. But wait, Bloom had a drawing of the flower and she didn’t remember it when she first saw it? Wow! They are amping up the ridiculousness even more.

- Wait, why did Bloom keep saying that she’s Bloom and Eldora keeps ignoring that? Isn’t Eldora supposed to be the one that remembers her and Bloom should be the one to have her memories wiped or whatever? Also, Eldora’s cheerfulness is exhausting me when it is coupled with her chaotic energy. That post about Eldora being a drunk Faragonda is too real since Faragonda’s cheerfulness and positivity is a lot more peaceful.

- Weren’t there supposed to be no more fairies on Earth after the Wizards of the Black Circle? Then how come Eldora and Selina were just fine? That is stupid and contradicts the entirety of season 4 but, of course, no one cares about continuity. What is that? If it doesn’t make money, it’s not of interest.

- Yeah, Selina’s backstory makes no sense because she wasn’t after power. She was happy with Eldora and then all of a sudden, boom! She’s evil. Yeah, right. And where did the being the witch of snakes come from? She has never been shown to... oh, wait! That was somehow relevant to the finale, wasn’t it? Ugggggh!

- Lmaooo, the Trix are writing their own critique on the whole thing. Yes, it is all the same old song and dance. I wish they would get more interesting powers. And instead we’re getting Mythix that is both ugly and unnecessary.

- Why didn’t the Winx try telling the Trix that Selina is playing them? That would have made things different.

- “I’m so over the Legendarium.” We all are, Layla. We all are.

- So Eldora is the fairy of flowers? Aka the previous Flora.

- A bit responsible? Yeah, guess who would have never found the Legendarium if not for her. And leaving it unprotected where it could find Selina was so incredibly stupid.

Part 2 is here.

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 55 – Crisis

“Hmph... So it was more than pure luck that you took out Aris.”

Kornel mumbled through ground teeth, his voice seething, his face kissing the dirt.

Or rather, he was trying to get his behind back up, during which he inevitably got his mouth plastered to the ground.

Kornel was more than eager to wage himself against Takio. He was not alone, and Helga officiated that he is welcome to beat the snot out of the purple-haired sniper, so he played a bull met with a red flag as he chased after Takio.

To his utmost humiliation, Kornel has lost his count on the number of times he was forced to wipe the floor with his body.

He chastised himself that he should not have assumed Takio would be helpless in hand-to-hand combat, based on the pair of guns he was clutching.

Which was not the main reason why he was at disadvantage.

“Damn it, just what kind of drug has he been on since his departure from the Union? He’s too strong!”

Kornel did not stand a chance against Takio, perfectly equipped with agility in motion and action, precision in shooting, and qualified close combat skills supported by his bladed guns.

Because of which Kornel could not dare to lunge towards Takio, even after completely getting on his feet, to instead glare at the sniper poised on his feet.

However, Takio was not poised at heart, as he stared back at Kornel.

Their battle was as good as settled, but that was not the case with Helga.

‘Just what is her power? I could not land a single attack on her.’

In consideration of the situation, he took much more care than we could ever muster to pull the triggers, recalibrate his steps, and swing his guns.

All of which Helga reacted to cleanly.

She even twisted her body before he could point or lift his guns to fire.

Given that Takio’s responses were much faster, nevertheless, Helga could not avoid getting slashed on skin by his bullets from time to time.

Notwithstanding, the fact that she was in all unscathed was enough to render him wary of her.

‘And unlike this guy, she’s prudent, grounded, taking her time to put herself against me and pushing and pulling at me just about right to keep me rooted in this zone. It’s a wonder I had no idea such agent existed during my time at the Uni... Ugh!’

And in the meantime, he had to stop or shoo away modified civilians from engaging in battle royale or being a hindrance-slash-nuisance for him.

Of course, Helga and Kornel did not give him time to teach a lesson to the meddlers, which involved the biggest problem for Takio.

‘Is it just me, or does she see every movement I’d make in advance? Though my speed does not allow her to leave a mark upon me, somehow it feels like she can predict every coordination I will make.’

Everything about her – her blue eyes blazing with artificial glow, the direction her shoulders and knees would take, and the weight and air stirred by her body whenever she moves – was all pre-calculated to where Takio would prepare an attack, evade an impact, or devise a counter.

‘I would have suffered at least dozens of slaps and thwacks if I didn’t happen to have grown much faster and stronger.’

Even with Takio’s somewhat-recognition, Helga did not deem her standing better than that of Takio.

Just like how he internally pointed out, she could not connect a single attack to Takio’s body, and she could see that Takio has more than improved in terms of combat capabilities and specs.

And she did not have to meet his fists with hers or strike up a deathly waltz of kicks to realize that she was now no match for Takio.

She could not guarantee whether she could stand against him, even with Kornel and the rest of very few remaining combatants of Union by her side.

‘The fact that he did not manage to diagnose my power is serving as a shield for us. Along with these modified humans. Which is more than good for us.’

She knew that otherwise she and Kornel would have already hit the road to the afterlife.

‘Not to mention apparently he did not even use his powers to maximum. Considering how Aris and her gang were the type that enhances powers through meds and employs a variety of equipment, he must be leaving his pills for the next stage. Which I didn’t even get a glimpse of. Damn it, just where is that man when we need him?!’

With the battle caught in the tense, unpleasant balance, Helga was naturally reminded of her accomplice.

An accomplice she told to stand by, since it would be preferable for their foes to learn about his betrayal as late as possible.

An accomplice who should be watching what was going on.

But how come he is nowhere to be seen?!

Kornel gaped at Helga with crumpled forehead, packed with inches-deep creases, his mind probably in synchronization with Helga’s mind.

“Guess we don’t have a choice. We’d be basically admitting that you are way out of our league, but we’re in no situation to place our pride above our purpose.”

Helga’s fiery eyes flashed in sinister blue, and Takio automatically grasped his guns, only to withdraw them in bafflement the next moment.

“Kraaaah!!!”

A modified citizen stampeded towards Helga with his mouth wide open, whom she grabbed and flung towards Takio.

Out of gut reaction, Takio stretched out his bare hands to safely pluck the man out of air and gently push him away, and as soon as he straightened himself with pow and wham Kornel and Helga punched his chest and kicked at his abdomen, respectively.

He raised his arms in defense before he could suffer legitimate blows, but as a result his balance was toppled, which Kornel and Helga were not satisfied with.

“Krgh!”

“Krah!”

The two Union agents were now fervently ripping away and pitching the nearby civilians, and Takio was in frenzy to save them and thwart Helga and Kornel’s blitzes.

“Ah-ah-ah! I wouldn’t move if I were you, unless you want this fella’s head cannonballing towards the sky.”

To top it off, whenever he attempted to fight back when the opportunity was given, they snatched one of the modified people as hostage to still him.

“Goddamn it...!”

Now no longer upper-handed in the battle, Takio furiously grit his teeth.

*****

Meanwhile, in the area off-limits

“This gear is much more useful than I had presumed.”

Deneb snickered, having accomplished a feat of staying alive against the head of the Kertia clan and faring pretty well.

Rael could not even move his lips to his taunting comment.

Without his Grandia, he could not flaunt his art of stealth or go all out against Deneb.

And since Deneb was to be captured, not butchered, he could not even exercise proper assaults.

Nonetheless, the dilemma lay with Deneb, not him.

Whenever he targeted Deneb’s shoulders, back, or waist with his bare hands, the Illiness responded each time, to very narrowly swivel and curl his body to nullify Rael’s thrusts and slices of hand.

Yet given that Rael is the fastest of all nobles, his clan being the genesis of assassins among mankind, nobody would have denied that what Deneb managed to pull off was worthy of a boast, the reason being the gear he was using – extrasensitive thermal detector.

Rael could make out from its title that the gear could detect his location by locking upon his body temperature; he supposed the gear in fact did more than picking up body temperature, since with the gear Deneb could react right at the moment when Rael was about to move.

Short in knowledge in terms of machinery, Rael did not even hope to dissect in his head what exactly the gear could do.

After all, what truly mattered at the moment was to figure out how to defeat Deneb.

‘If only I had skills in ranged melee, like Regis.’

He knew he could try out an adjustment he practiced at Yuhyung’s lab when he put out the fire.

Too bad Deneb was seemingly wary of Rael’s potential ranged attack, for he had not moved a bit from his in-a-way-battleground, with Yuhyung at the background.

No matter how deadly Rael was with his aim, he did not know and did not want to find out if Yuhyung’s human body could stand through the aftermath of his attack.

He would have been grateful if Yuhyung would step aside, but the man was impeccably frozen, after a series of shrieks and shouts into his device.

And Deneb added much more to his trouble.

“Humans are not so useless, after all. I’m so glad I could get enlightened before it was too late, unlike you.”

Unlike you.

Rael wobbled at his spot, his determination wavering at the brief statement.

Swirling just enough to stay safe from Deneb’s attacks, Rael did not even feel like parrying.

His head was too complicated – too distraught for the job.

‘Just what do I have to be... In order to be like me?’

With his soul weapon absent, with a number of conditions he could not fix at the moment, with the battle not making any progress unlike his prior experiences, and with his body and mind too fatigued, Rael could not collect his mind together.

Each time he endeavored to piece together the thoughts drifting within him, the memories struck him hard and corrupted his will.

I have never been recognized by the patriarchs of my clan.

I have never prevailed superb with a task for the QuadraNet Project, other than escorting Yuhyung.

I could not even keep my soul weapon safe.

I could not even realize we were hosting and housing an enemy with lethal goal.

And I could not stop this from happening.

As he thought of have-not’s and could-not’s, Rael eventually stopped moving.

His body growing heavy with cuts and bruises, to ultimately roll over dirt, Rael plunged deeper into the swamp of despair.

Maybe I was never meant to be a head of my clan.

Maybe I never should have thirsted after the title of the head of the Kertias.

Maybe I don’t deserve to be dubbed the son of Rayga Kertia. Or the brother of Razark Kertia.

Maybe this is where I should give up on Grandia for good. I have done nothing correctly ever since my return to Lukedonia.

Rael’s knees were glued to the ground, and he stopped altogether.

Not missing his chance, Deneb drove his pointed hand towards Rael’s heart.

*****

Somewhere in the far ocean

Splash!!!!

As many souls were flustered and jeopardized by the circumstances they could surely handle but could not, a watery thud broke through the salty surface and whisked up a bloody mist.

The werewolf’s eyes were already half-lidded as she was wrapped and dragged by the foams and saltwater.

‘No... I can’t let this... End here...’

Much to her devastation, her body did not cooperate.

Raising her hands towards the surface of water she was so sure she could rise through if she tries just a little bit more, Lunark sunk deeper and deeper into the endless dark and blue of the nether region down below.

(next chapter)

Sorry I posted this past the usual time I upload my fic. I was supposed to post this after attending something for a bit, but I had no idea so much time has passed. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future. :’(

There is trouble everywhere - but in order to take a leap into the sky, one must first crouch. And I promise the crisis won’t last long. :)

[the-weeping-monk]

visions are seldom all they seem (but i know you)

Chapter 2

previous-next/find on ao3

“I’m going to kill that child. The one who shot my Nimue,” Merlin snarled.

“You will?” Morgana paused, an odd, ethereal feeling overtaking her. It was almost like a sixth sense, something she had not had before she became . . . well, whatever this state of being was. At that moment, she believed the wizard in front of her. But Merlin’s resolve wasn’t the thing that made her believe him, rather it was a sense of foreboding, a prickling at the base of her spine. “Yes,” she continued, “I suppose you will.”

With his strike of lightning, Merlin had brought them to his old tower. Morgana had been uneasy with the thought of being discovered, but the wizard had only chuckled darkly.

“Uther won’t be able to face these rooms any time soon,” he had said. “Not after what he did to me.”

Morgana had raised an eyebrow. “You give his conscience a great deal of credit.”

“Perhaps,” Merlin had shrugged, “but I would like to think all of my years have taught me a thing or two on how to read people.”

Now Morgana stared out of one of the tower’s windows, contemplating all that had happened, analyzing Nimue’s final moments. Merlin paced the room, mumbling about revenge and wiping furiously at stray tears. Morgana pretended not to notice, pretended not to notice how she did not share in his grief.

Something wasn’t right. She felt every death as if it were her own, but she had not felt Nimue’s. It was strange, but perhaps the shock hadn’t worn off yet. She had screamed and cried when Iris had shot Nimue, but now she felt numb, as if she wasn’t quite attached to her feelings. Perhaps she would feel different once she accepted Nimue’s death.

Morgana frowned against the thought. She still could not shake the instinctual sense that something was amiss.

“You said that you know the woman who came before me,” Morgana started, breaking the tense silence.

Merlin turned to face her. “Yes,” he said, quiet. “I did. She and I . . . we were old friends.”

Morgana fiddled with her hands, contemplating how to properly phrase her next question. “Did she say anything about how it felt when someone died? Did she feel every death? Or only some?”

She knew that she was toeing a line, knew that if she was not careful, Merlin would figure out what she meant by her seemingly innocent question. He might have been an unreliable drunkard, but that did not mean he wasn’t smart.

Merlin studied her a moment before replying. “She did not tell me much, though I do know she felt every single death that occurred under her jurisdiction.”

That gave Morgana pause. “‘Under her jurisdiction?’” she parroted back.

Nodding, Merlin said, “There are many Daughters of Death. To have only one entity responsible for deaths all over the world is simply improbable—thousands of people could be on the brink of death at once, so of course there would need to be more than one Daughter accountable for them.

"The Daughters of Death, as I know, are separated into regions. The higher the population, the busier they are. The more deaths they would feel.” He frowned. “The Widow did not tell me much of what it felt like to carry the burden of so much death, but I do know that she felt every single departure.”

Morgana pursed her lips. Was Nimue not under her jurisdiction? Was that why she had not felt her death?

Finally, she said, “I see. That makes sense.”

Except for the fact that it didn’t make sense, not where Nimue was concerned. But Morgana couldn’t pry more for fear that Merlin would figure out what she was really asking, and she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t give him hope that Nimue was still alive.

“What else can I do now that I am . . .” Morgana gestured at herself, unsure what to make of her new self.

Merlin moved to stand next to her at the window, silent for a few moments as he gazed down at the sea below them. The waves lapped against the shore calmly, belying the horror of the day.

When Merlin spoke, he was looking out into the distance. Morgana would have found it a tad dramatic, had she not realized it was the action of a man who was shipwrecked and lost at sea. It was the action of one who had lost everything and was trying to pick up the pieces from the wreckage.

Guilt crept up her throat. Merlin’s behavior was yet another reminder that she did not feel his loss or pain or agony. Was this the rest of her life? Was she to be devoid of any and all human emotion? Had her empathy departed with her human life?

Morgana turned her face away.

“You, like the Widow and the other Daughters, can travel far distances in mere seconds.” He smiled grimly. “Though, I suppose you already knew that.”

Morgana nodded, still unable to meet his eyes. Being able to teleport was freeing—she could go anywhere, no longer tied down by earthly laws. Though she grieved for her old life, she was learning to enjoy the perks of this new one.

But her sole duty was to take life for the rest of eternity. She could not, in good conscience, enjoy anything about this situation. It wasn’t right.

“Most believe that the Daughters are unable to make contact with the physical world as if they are mere ghosts or apparitions,” Merlin said, shaking his head. “They are wrong. Just because you are no longer human doesn’t mean that you can’t do human things, per se.”

Morgana finally met his gaze. “Like what?”

His eyes gleamed. It took Morgana aback; it was the only emotion other than sorrow that he had shown all day.

“You can travel anywhere in the world and experience things the rest of us cannot. You are no longer limited by your mortal body, Morgana,” he said, a tinge of awe in his voice. “But you can also be human, in the sense that you can enjoy the simple things. You can enjoy the beauty of a sunset or the peace of the ocean.”

Morgana looked out to the sea once more, but instead of taking in its beauty, all she felt was the death inside of it. She could sense the decay on the ocean floor, could feel the life seeping out of a shark’s prey. Nothing about the ocean was beautiful anymore.

It was yet another piece of her human life she would be forced to mourn. She wished that she had not killed the Widow, now more than ever. Morgana would never again be able to enjoy the sun on her face or the tickle of an ocean breeze. She would never be able to look past the death that clung to every living thing.

Morgana would have to suffer through an eternity of this unless someone was kind enough to kill her and foolish enough to take her place.

It was suddenly difficult to breathe. She forced air into her lungs, blinked rapidly. Panic was the only word to describe what she was experiencing.

Eternity, eternity, eternity. The word rattled inside her head. Forever forever foreverforeverforever.

Morgana needed to get out of this room, she needed a distraction.

She stumbled back from the window, knowing where she needed to go. There were so many things she could not control, but she could get closure.

Merlin turned to her, worry etched on his countenance. “Morgana, are you alri—”

“I have to go,” she said at once, and vanished.

. . .

The wind howled through the rocky pass, buffeting against Nimue’s stolen robes. She clutched one of the Red Paladins’ swords in her fist, as if it would give her strength to push forward. She had had the foresight to grab it, knowing that she should be prepared for anything once she arrived at the beach, unsure of what she would find there.

Nimue knew that it was foolish to hope, but she did anyway. Even if King Uther had not betrayed her, once he discovered that she had escaped, there was a chance he would nullify their agreement and order the Fey charter ships to be sunk.

A chill seized her spine at the thought of the watery depths of sea pulling Arthur and Pym down, down, down. Even with magic, Nimue had almost drowned. If King Uther wished it, her friends would not stand a chance.

Nimue pushed herself into a jog, mindful of her footing—fallen rocks littered the path before her. One wrong move, and she could trip and fall into the abyss below.

A twig snapped behind her, and Nimue whirled, sword at the ready, only to lower it a moment later.

“Morgana?” she asked, relief flooding her veins.

Morgana merely stared at her, awe and incredulity shining in her eyes as if she could not believe that this moment was real. Only after she fully accepted the situation, did a huge grin break out onto her face. She rushed forward to embrace her friend, and Nimue’s sword clattered to the ground in anticipation.

“We thought you were dead,” Morgana breathed into Nimue’s hair. “Merlin was so worried—”

“Merlin.” Nimue pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on Morgana’s shoulders. “How is he?”

“Alive. Now that he has his magic back, his wounds are healed.” Morgana’s small smile contorted suddenly. “But, oh God, Nimue—he was so worried—”

“You must let him know that I’m alright,” Nimue said, adamant. “At once.”

“I will, don’t worry, but,” Morgana’s eyes tightened, “how did you even survive? You took two arrows straight to the chest, Nimue.”

Nimue smiled softly. “Merlin helped me.” When Morgana’s brows furrowed in question, Nimue hurried to explain. “Well, not physically, but back at the abandoned palace, he taught me how to  control the Hidden. I made fruit grow from a barren tree—I figured that creation was not far off from healing.” She shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“You truly are the rightful Queen of the Fey.” Morgana smiled, not attempting to hide the pride in her voice.

Nimue chuckled dryly. “I almost drowned. That sounds like too simple a death for a queen.” Morgana opened her mouth to object, but Nimue continued. “I feel as if my time as the Fey Queen was only a dream. It doesn’t feel real, anyway.”

Eyes softening, Morgana said, “Nimue, you have conquered wolves and Red Paladins and now you have conquered Death herself. You are the rightful queen who has walked away from every battle victorious. You rose from the lake stronger than you were before.”

Nimue couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at her lips. “You are a good friend, Morgana. I’m lucky to have you by my side.”

“And you’ll always have me,” Morgana replied, pulling Nimue into another hug.

The two girls stayed like that for moments on end, simply enjoying the other’s presence. It seemed as if it had been an eternity since they had felt safe, but they both knew that it wouldn’t last. There was a war to win and Fey to save. It was only when Nimue knew she could stall no longer did she retreat from her friend’s embrace.

“I should get going. Who knows what happened to the Fey while I was gone.” Nimue retrieved her stolen sword from the ground, frowning at its weight. Unlike the Sword of Power, this one was heavy and unbalanced, an impediment rather than an extension of herself. She had half a mind to ask Morgana to retrieve the Sword of Power from Merlin, but decided against it. She would make do with what she had for now.

“What do you want me to do?” Morgana asked.

Nimue’s brow furrowed. “You are a harbinger of death,” she said, incredulous. “You take orders from no one but yourself.”

At that, Morgana’s smile turned grim. “Ah. That.”

“You haven’t accepted your new life.” It was more of a statement than a question, and Morgana’s expression only served to confirm Nimue’s suspicions. “You must move on, Morgana,” Nimue continued. “It took me a long time to accept who I was. If I had done it sooner, I could have saved a lot of people.”

I could have saved my mother, she thought but didn't say.

Morgana’s eyes hardened. Donned in black drapery, she was a fierce sight to behold. “I can’t save anyone. You don’t understand what this—this curse is.” She turned away to glare into the abyss below, face stony. “For the rest of eternity, until someone kills me, I am to make a living out of murder.”

“I used to think my powers were a curse, too, you know,” Nimue said, though not unkindly.

Morgana only shook her head. “Maybe so, but you’re not the one forced to take lives—I am.”

“That’s not what I—”

“I am a Daughter of Death, Nimue,” Morgana snapped, whirling on her. “I am a soul-stealer and a monster, all because I allowed Cailleach to get in my head.” Her teeth were bared, though Nimue suspected that if Morgana was mad, it was at no one but herself. “I knew that Celia died in that fire, I knew that. And yet I still fell for Cailleach’s pretty visions and empty promises.”

“None of that is your fault,” Nimue pacified. “She’s an ancient, powerful being that preyed upon your love for Celia. Do not blame yourself.”

“How can I not? All of this is my fault,” Morgana’s voice broke at the end. “You don’t understand. No one can.”

“Let me try. Please.”

But Morgana only turned away. “I should let Merlin know that you’re alright.”

“Morgana, wait—”

But Morgana was already gone.

Nimue closed her eyes, mad at the world, angry at herself. She should not have brought up Morgana’s new life without thinking of the consequences. Before, when Morgana had rescued her, she had seemed fine with what she had become, had taken it in stride. But Nimue now knew that she had been mistaken.

Morgana was excellent in high-pressure situations—Nimue had seen it in how she reeled in her emotions and focused on the task at hand. She did not let her feelings get in the way of what needed to be done, but Nimue had mistaken that for complacency.

Oh, how wrong she had been.

It was then that Nimue heard it—horse hooves clopping atop the stone bridge. She froze, but quickly came to her senses and shifted into a fighting stance, sword at the ready.

The clopping of the horse was slow and unbothered as if the rider was taking their sweet time. As if no one was after her, as if someone just happened along this path accidentally.

Nimue didn’t buy it.

She could feel the magic thrumming in her veins, could hear the whispers of the Hidden urging her to unleash their power. It would be entirely too easy to make the bridge collapse in on itself.

The whispers reached a crescendo, Nimue called upon the magic—

And promptly stopped.

Because there, in front of her on a horse, sat a boy whom she had never thought she would see again.

“Squirrel?” gasped Nimue, disbelieving.

The boy’s eyes widened comically and a blinding smile broke out over his face. “Nimue!” He scrambled off of the horse, and it was only then that Nimue realized that there was a second rider helping him down.

Nimue’s grip tightened on her sword, but she was careful to make sure the blade didn’t touch Squirrel as he ran into her waiting arms. She pulled him in tight, her eyes not once leaving the second figure. Hugging the boy closer to her chest, Nimue stared down the man who had overseen the burning of her village, the man who had slain innocent Fey that had aided her when no one else would.

The Weeping Monk met her gaze cooly, betraying nothing. His hood was down, and his crystal blue eyes studied her as if he was not sure what to make of her.

Nimue stood abruptly and shoved Squirrel behind her as gently as she could, directing her fury at the Monk. “I don’t know what you’re doing here with Squirrel, but you need to leave. Now,” she snarled. “I have half a mind to kill you where you stand.”

Squirrel stilled behind her.

The Monk’s face was impassive. “I do not doubt it.”

“Then why are you still here? I make good on my threats.” She raised her sword higher for good measure.

Before he could respond, Squirrel darted out from behind Nimue and positioned himself between her sword and the Monk. Nimue opened her mouth to tell him to get back, but before she could, the boy continued. “Don’t hurt him, Nimue. Lancelot saved me from the Red Paladins. He’s good now.”

“Oh?” Her question was aimed at Squirrel, though her eyes remained on the Monk. “And why would he do that?”

The Monk spoke then, voice even. “I was wrong,” he said simply. “I couldn’t continue to follow Father Carden’s orders anymore. It wasn’t right.”

“I’m so glad you’ve come to this conclusion now, when there are only a handful of Fey left that you didn’t murder in cold blood,” Nimue spat.

The Monk didn’t say anything for a moment. Something flickered in his gaze—pain, perhaps, or sadness. Or maybe it was guilt.

Nimue shook off the notion. Men like him felt no guilt or remorse for the things they did. She would not make him out to be anything other than the heartless murderer he was.

Something in her eyes must have betrayed her feelings, for the next words that the Monk spoke were, “I see you are resolute in your judgment of my character.” He paused. “I can assure you that you are mistaken.”

“I know everything I need to know about you,” Nimue hissed.

“You do?” the Monk said, his voice almost patronizing. It made her blood boil.

Her tone was clipped. “Yes.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then, “Why do you suppose I left the Red Paladins?”

“Maybe you got tired of taking orders, or maybe you thought you could exterminate the Fey faster on your own.” She shrugged. “I don’t care because I do not believe a word out of your mouth. Nothing you could say would make me trust you. Ever .”

The Monk nodded as if he accepted her declaration, but the gesture only served to antagonize her further.

Nimue stepped around Squirrel, ignoring his protests as she leveled her sword at the Monk. The tip of the blade was inches from his heart. The Hidden shouted in her head, screamed for his blood. They wanted him to hurt, and she was more than happy to oblige.

The Monk merely stared at the blade. Was that a look of boredom, or of something else, something darker?

Nimue did not care to deliberate on it further, so she spoke instead, voice icy. “I will give you five seconds to leave this place or I will carve out your heart, here and now. Do you understand me?”

He did not respond, but his eyes met hers and she was suddenly struck by how hollow they were. It was as if the fire inside of him had been snuffed out.

The Monk turned his attention behind her to where Squirrel stood, silent. “It seems we will not be able to continue our lessons.”

Nimue tamped down her curiosity and watched the Monk carefully as he backed away from her blade.

“Remember what we talked about, Percival,” he said, his words directed at Squirrel.

“You know I don’t—”

Somehow, the Monk’s voice was soft. “I know. But it is still your name.”

Something passed between the two, an understanding of sorts. Squirrel nodded, resigned, and he said nothing more.

There was no mistaking it this time—there was genuine regret in the Monk’s eyes as he made his way to his horse.

Nimue did not think that the Monk was capable of anything other than violence. It was most likely a trick, an act to get her to take pity on him, to show her that he could be redeemed.

He has killed countless Fey, a voice in her head whispered. He watched as your village went up in flames.

She could not afford to take pity on a murderer.

Nimue watched, her sword still raised in his direction, as the Monk made his way back to his horse. He had a limp, she realized, and it appeared as though it was a struggle for him to get atop the saddle.

The words were out before she could stop them. “What happened?” She was not sure why she asked or why she even cared, but perhaps her curiosity was stronger than she had thought.

The Monk stared at her for a moment before he spoke, his jaw working. “I was injured in a fight with the Trinity Guard before Percival and I escaped,” was all he said.

“Oh.” Nimue paused, and the silence stretched on.

He waited for her to continue, almost as if he knew that there was more she wanted to say.

“I can’t trust you,” she said finally.

His voice was solemn as he said, “I know.”

“Ok.” A beat. “You may travel with us, but if you so much as make one move against me or Squirrel, I will make good on my threat to disembowel you where you stand.”

The Monk blinked at her, even as Squirrel exclaimed, “Really? You’re going to let him come with us?”

Nimue turned back to the boy. “I do not trust him enough to go off on his own and not alert the Red Paladins of our location.”

It was not entirely the reason, but it seemed to satisfy Squirrel. She looked back up at the Monk and fixed him with a sharp look. “Let’s head out.”

“Where are we going?” asked Squirrel.

“To find the Fey.”

[edwardsvirginity]

au where edward has aro’s powers and aro has his

read more bc this got looonnnggg

How Edward’s life would be different:

his power starts out just in his palms (like kate’s did, my hc for canon!aro too) and he makes no effort to expand it

actually he just straight up hates his power bc duh, he’s edward (”it’s a curse,” he says dramatically, whenever anyone asks him abt it)

he realizes he has it fairly quickly when right after waking up from being turned he touches carlisle and immediately knows everything

but since he touches carlisle pre-esme carlisle’s outlook is still pretty bleak

edward is 10,000x more emo and angsty

super nihilistic bc whenever he does read someone’s whole life it becomes clear to him that there’s no real order to anything or narrative guiding ppl’s lives so like... we all out here, suffering eternally

(tbh he’s deeply impacted by having touched carlisle first and absorbs carlisle’s pre-esme deep despair, loneliness, and nihilism, which colors his whole vampire life from the beginning)

he wears gloves all the time bc he hates touching ppl bc it’s an invasion of their privacy and mentally fucks him up

he tried to do the “kill bad ppl” thing like in canon in order to restore a personal sense of justice and order to the universe buuuuuuutttt it didn’t last long bc he had to touch ppl to eat them and it became abundantly clear that people are complex and not easily sorted into good/bad boxes, and it’s hard to condemn someone to die when you know their entire life

edward is deeeeeeeeppppllyy empathetic as a result of his gift. he’s also TERRIBLE at making decisions

he resisted going to HS with the others for a really long time bc he was afraid of accidentally touching someone

the only person he touches regularly is alice bc she worries abt him being touch-starved and lonely, and she insists. edward is ok with it bc alice is legit super optimistic and listening to her thoughts is really soothing/healing, and he has her consent. plus, it’s cool/useful to be able to see her visions. edward starts pushing his gift’s limits/expanding it in order to try and access alice’s memories from when she was human, as a gift to her

the rest of the vamps in the house fucking makes him even more emo than in canon bc he thinks he can never bang someone bc it would mean touching them all the time and he couldn’t condemn someone to an eternity without privacy, and no one would ever consent to that

edward hates himself bc he feels like his gift is unethical and he’s a monster for having it and invading ppl’s privacy the way he does

he does occasionally touch ppl for really important reasons... if the cullens are worried abt someone being a threat to their family, or carlisle is trying to save someone’s life but doesn’t know what’s wrong with them

edward’s gift is kinda a secret in the vampire world, only the cullens and denalis know

despite the fact that edward is emo abt being a vampire, he’s intensely grateful he was turned by carlisle, the original vegetarian vampire, bc edward would have HAD to become a vegetarian due to being unable to kill ppl bc of his gift and it would have sucked for him to be alone, the first vegetarian vampire

alice is always trying to encourage edward to touch ppl bc she thinks it will make him less emo. her theory is that he’s mostly only touched ppl with really sad lives and outlooks and that if he understood the fullness of most ppl’s lives he might be less nihilistic

another part of his gift edward works on with alice is turning his gift “off” even when ppl are touching his hands, and being able to root through ppl’s memories and only see what he’s looking for so it’s less invasive

alice encourages edward to wear his gloves less often to school so he can practice controlling his power, on teenagers, whose lives are shorter and less sad and therefore less mentally upsetting for edward

@ang3lba3 had this brilliant idea of edward touching bella while his gloves are off and being Shook af. i can’t stop thinking abt bella almost getting hit by the van on a day edward didn’t wear his gloves, edward bracing himself and rescuing her, then being overwhelmed when he can’t hear anything from her, thinking he’s finally “broken the curse” of his gift, going home and touching someone and Oh Shit It’s Not Gone It’s Just Her

edward is like. kind of obsessed with touching bella. he’s very tactile from the very beginning. holding hands with her is just incredibly blissful for him

throughout the series edward works on refining his gift to be more tolerable. it’s like his lil project. bella makes him want to try

edward is p reluctant to turn bella into a vampire bc he’s never met any vampires with happy lives or satisfying personal narratives/growth. he thinks all vampires just #suffer in the endless void for all eternity. humans have much clearer stages of life, growth, beginnings and endings that make them more fulfilled. (or so edward claims)

post bd edward would be able to pick specific thoughts out of someone’s head without seeing their whole life, and bella would work on her shield so she can deliberately send specific thoughts TO edward, and so with both of them concentrating really hard (at first), they could have mental conversations while touching, v similar to canon post-bd (except in this version bella has more control and edward is v specific to only find the thoughts she’s sending him)

tbh if edward ever manages to figure out his gift fully, he’d make a rlly good vampire therapist, bc he could isolate traumatizing memories (that ppl may not even consciously remember) and have a good perspective on how that’s affected their lives and how they can work towards recovery. since he himself would have to learn rigid mental compartmentalization in order to stay sane with that many lives in his head, he could teach ppl how to work thru a traumatic incident and then mentally shelve it once they’re done. also, some ppl define trauma as an inability to form a coherent personal narrative, which edward could also help with, bc he can identify patterns and similarities across a person’s entire life that the person themselves may have forgotten or overlooked

anyway, this version of edward is much more gloomy to begin with but would also undergo significantly more extensive character growth, which i think would be a really cool story

How Aro’s life would be different:

still volturi

still king of the vampire world

however killing other vamps/enforcing the law includes much more torture and interrogation bc aro can only hear what they’re thinking abt at the time

he has much less absolute power over other member’s of the volturi bc they can hide things from them by not thinking abt them around him, but at the same time, aro is more feared bc his gift is more omnipresent

aro is hella paranoid and keeps the most important members of the guard within his gift’s range at almost all times

as a result the volturi are much more mobile bc aro insists on going on most outings/executions

aro likes to keep his absolute range a secret to keep ppl on their toes and reinforce their fear of him

aro collects mental gifts in order to be omniscient and is constantly looking for power-amplifying vampires. so instead of focusing on recruiting vamps with physical gifts like strength or fighting, he looks for vamps like eleazar (&alice and jasper) who can sense things he can’t, as being able to read their thoughts allows him their gift by proxy

he’s constantly suspicious ppl are hiding things from him

i think this aro would just be a lot more vicious and violent in general

less useful in battle tho, bc he can’t know the opposition’s entire strategy, and while he can know if someone’s about to attack him, it doesn’t really help him keep anyone else from being attacked

i think this aro would be generally very twitchy and bizzaro, constantly responding to ppl’s thoughts instead of their words, lowkey always overwhelmed by what everyone’s thinking + his suspicions+ his own schemes, less of a shut-in and therefore more overwhelmed by a ton of thoughts. all the other vamps would think him slightly unhinged, talking to the air somewhat nonsensically all the time, visually emotionally reacting to other ppl’s thoughts (but just looking startled or angry at nothing), never having a predictable mood. 

as a result, there would be more of an underground resistance to the volturi, and his general hold on power is less absolute. (and he’s very aware of how unstable his position of power is, which makes him crazier)

he keeps trying to expand his mental range but the REAL problem is not distance but that he can only handle hearing a certain number of ppl’s thoughts at once. unlike edward, who was forced into hearing a ton of ppl’s thoughts all the time from the very start in order to pretend to be human, and who didn’t much care abt most ppl’s thoughts, aro is never forced to live in a city and get acclimated, and he cares deeply abt what ppl are thinking bc he’s a paranoid schemer, so each person’s mind requires a lot more concentration. 

sometimes aro gets reeallll mad when ppl talk out loud bc it interrupts his mindreading concentration. yet another reason why the rest of the volturi is both terrified of him but also think he’s insane

also more unhinged from hearing ppl die all. the. time. in canon he listens to ppl’s whole lives but obvs doesn’t listen while he kills them, why would he, whereas in this au he’s forced to listen everyone’s thoughts as he kills them (or eats them!) and it is one of the things that pushes him towards insanity. (canon edward doesn’t have this problem bc he kills significantly fewer ppl than aro and also obvs doesn’t feed on humans)

ALSO more unhinged bc canon!edward refines his gift so he can “turn down” other ppl’s thoughts or mute them/stop listening, whereas in this au aro is so obsessed with power he never even tries to develop that skill bc he wants to know what everyone is thinking always, so he has no regulation ability. he keeps trying to expand his power in stupid ways (like making the range bigger) without actually trying to regulate it in ways that improve his mental health or sanity

honestly in this au aro is just significantly more insane, but less powerful, both of which make him more dangerous bc he’s more desperate

how them having each other’s powers changes the larger plot:

honestly idk

i’ll think abt it

my brain isn’t working anymore u guys figure it out

[chemtrailsovertheclub]

old poems v1.

here you go. dated august-september 2019 or so.  

my brain is a conglomeration of suffering it is everything it's all in my head though. by the time it shows on the physical, the damage is done, the war has been won and i am not victorious, maybe i won a few battles but ultimately i gave more than i gained from all the agonizing pain it's all in my head though.

i don't have a sense of identity and i don't have very much empathy because i feel so much to begin with how am i supposed to take on your problems too? i don't want to hurt you that's the last thing i ever wanted to do but so i push you far away and i don't say the things that haunt me because i know you feel so much empathy i can't have your hurt be because of me so i push you away

it's all in my head though. it's not a real problem. i'm perfectly fine. and i live a lie.

-

you make my heart beat go faster and the time goes slower and i feel my heart get closer and it melds into yours for hours that seem like years so when you go and i'm left alone my heart craves you my mind misses you my body is cold our love grows old and i worry it'll never be renewed

you are my drug, my medicine, my addiction my confliction of interest, of distress, of wondering what will come next my love, my joy, my shining light, my star so bright, those lakeside nights, those neck side bites, those streetside lights, those endless nights, those endless nights

-

i don't know what you want from me i don't have any sympathy for your self made misery

i don't know what world you live inside, all you seem to do is hide maybe you should step outside

into the light i promise it's not too bright i promise it's not a fight i promise if you'd just try you'd see just why life isn't just suffering until you die.

-

it's fine, pretending you're divine, that life is great, you feel no hate, there's no need to do a thing did i mention life is great?

it's a shame there's no one to blame for all the ways you bleed from your very own knives what a surprise! you take so many lives, why not your own? when you're finally all alone, when everyone you ever cared for is gone, when you've pushed them all away, i promise i won't say i told you so don't you know?

it's fine, pretending you're divine, that life is great, you feel no hate, there's no need to do a thing did i mention life is great?

black like mold the staleness you bring to the air gets old darkness and decay only leave so many words to say statements of agony proof you're not okay, proof that there's no way, you're ever going to change

-

i like the way you make feel at home like i do when i'm all alone i like the way you love me with all of your fragile heart like it won't get broke, like what all i said was a joke i knew it from the start, and every, day and night, it tears me a-part

i like the way you make me wanna run, away, never to be seen again by anyone of any concern, it's like i never learn, but they're my bridges to burn, it's my turn

it's not too hard to disappear, if you live your life running in fear if all you ever wanted was right there

i like the way i sing this song so soft and distraught when i let out my thoughts

i can't maintain my composure it's over exposure it's vulnerability it's me showing me for all the world to see and i can't take criticism very well and i didn't think this would go so well go so well can't you tell can't you tell? i burn my bridges before anyone can cross them but you must have swam, you must have swam because you made it across and what happens now? all my defenses are down. fire at will.

-

i want to bleed out every single ounce of my soul let it leak out of my body through each and every pore i crave liberation from my whole i would much rather be a piece of the puzzle than the whole fucking picture but here we are and the light, the light is blinding, and the darkness is consuming and the love is gone the love is gone. i am not at home in the one vessel i have for my spirit. can i get a replacement? is there a warranty on the carrier of my essence? dance with me and sing with me and drink with me and smoke with me and numb your feelings numb your pain numbness is satisfaction and as a matter of fact, satisfaction smells like worms in the rain.

-

i am a person for equality i am of a nationality that presents me with an easier way across the street, a paved path to walk on, the white privilege meant i could easily defeat, anyones suspicions, all your nonsense superstitions, all your tired inquisitions, all your conniving accusations, declarations, the satisfying sensations that you leave dripping down my throat

i feel everytime i forget to wear a winter coat, it is a message from you, a dream in the way it is afloat, it will never actually be perceived as more than glasses that need to be cleaned but no one told me the world wasn't this messy, i grew up in a world that's so numb to their feelings it's depressing. and the weather, it gets colder than i planned for, my jacket still probably lying on the kitchen floor, i am getting older and the blasphemous ones wear sheep's clothing, my mom is in the basement crying in the basement cause she's insecure, she's not sure she's worth anything, not a price at a bargain store, please close the door, oh please no more, i do implore have some sympathy for my dystopian society it's not predicted (but it is) it leaves me conflicted (i start to hiss) it leaves me afflicted (with all your sins) and i will not repent, for the message is best sent through a "i'm disappointed" by your closest parent.

i will not listen nor will i give in, when the chorus comes in, when the guards come in, when the cops come in, when the lights go out, when the last bit of tension building inside my cranium as your fingers instrument a destruction of the last thing you have finally learned to call home, for when you are alone who is there to judge you for not conforming when you are the whole, you are 100% of whatever you want to be and if one day you can wake up and finally see the reflection that stares back at me from the awkward first compliments to the snarky half-assed arguments that ended with my sticking out my tongue at you and kissing you and forgiving you because no one is perfect and i am sorry, i am sorry i created a pedestal for you in my head, you know some days i'd rather be dead, or at least just in a coma something to give me a moment i got my highschool diploma like you said i was supposed to you said, nothing.

i didn't really plan to live this long. how could the world have done me so wrong? trying to teach me a lesson? but here i am just stressin? my fight or flight reactions actin up, i think i'm coming up, i think i've had enough, i think i'm kinda fucked up, someone get me off this ride i can't decide for the life of me why i get no sympathy, like the simple fact of my humanity, negates my value as a human being. i am seething, soon no newborn babies will be teething because the majority of people i ask on the street, seem to agree that this world ain't so organized and neat, and the people here all be trying to compete, trying to delete, any trace of their origins or else how are they supposed to make their fortune releasing an autobiography with insights the one and only, the prized show pony, the don't leave me i'll be lonely, the if you could see me maybe you'd tread slowly, maybe you'd consider the possibility that you are not everything a human can be, sure it is possible, but you sir are making me rethink making me wonder making me more aware, more scared, more fear, more here, less beer, more liquor and it's getting quicker to take a shot or two or three down my throat and the warmth has finally become an expected gift, it's not something i try to shift away from my body, it's not naughty to want to feel comfortable in your own flesh, you are some combination of all your physical features but most importantly you are a culmination of your choices, of every single one of the voices that you decide were worthy of being heard for a change, i know they may sound strange when they first start on the stage, but look at them, they are acting their age they are being vulnerable they are feeling satisfied without eating till they're beyond the limits of full, they are complete before you two even meet and if you refuse to give her the heat, the intensity, the devotion, the endless flowing fountains of emotion, she gives you all of hers if you just would pick her a pretty flower.

so what if, we were to develop a place where the motif, the reason for the season, the blinding sheet in which they are not told they are a project, no for once, they are not simply something someone has likely forgot, can't you see how i'm falling, desperate and distraught death is sometimes a thought, quite a lot. but instead i make a scrapbook, i get a pretty one, i make it fun, i try to make unburdening all the weights others put on my back a thing i do everyday but it's so much easier to say, to delay, to just offer "how much do i need to pay", what feminine figure of weakness do i need to portray so you can save her? every page has effort and time put into it and just because you're not as into it as that little girl fantasizing about that imaginary world doesn't mean you can't for one second for one, humble, moment, for one silent showing of hands, of all those who have demands from the dead, they must be read, we do not judge nor hold any grudge for the ending will be the same, no matter what personality we choose to play the game today.

[yukiwrites]

Byleth, Losing

Thanks for the support as always, @xpegasusuniverse! I was so emotional writing this wahh ;o;)

Summary: Byleth and Sothis come to terms with their feelings regarding the recovery of her memories, though she asks for only one thing in return. The full truth is still hidden behind the mist that it’s Byleth’s past, but perhaps Jeralt can help them uncover it all after the battle at the abandoned chapel...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10  - Part 11 - Part 12  - Part 13 - Part 14  - Part 15

It was customary to not have any classes on the week of that month's mission so everyone could go well-rested and properly equipped.

Byleth welcomed the chance to rest for another day or two before tackling the supposedly easy mission (as a mercenary, he'd always known not to underestimate a quest, no matter how simple it looked) of scouting the abandoned chapel.

His mind and body both were exhausted after the operation -- doubly so since he could feel Sothis' heavy grief despite not being able to talk to her while she shut herself off from him -- so holing himself up into his room was all he could do for the time being.

Closing his eyes heavily, the Professor focused the remainder of his energy into the intricate stonework he had seen in Sothis' memories before she had been... Well...

That place was also the one where he saw Sothis for the first time -- sitting upon that throne in a deep, confused slumber: it was an important room to the both of them, even more so now that they remembered everything.

The moment his mind's eye showed him the stonework, now freed from all the surrounding darkness, he saw Sothis' small back as she looked up to the throne.

Her child-like appearance hadn't changed, however it looked as though she had aged a thousand years; the very aura around her carrying an unthinkably large burden. Byleth walked towards her, his steps making no sound inside their shared mindscape.

"Sothis." He breathed out as they stood side by side, their heads staring straight upward to the faraway yet close throne. "I'm-"

"No need to apologize, young one." She interrupted, her voice devoid of its usual cheerfulness; even the cheekiness was gone. "It was something I also wished for, despite all the warnings the depths of my consciousness warranted me." She breathed heavily, though not quite sighing -- she seemed resigned instead.

Byleth hardened his jaw as he looked down to the steps in front of him. "Still, I should have respected when you kept denying-"

The motion of Sothis slowly shaking her head stopped Byleth's words. She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to him with a small, uncharacteristically meek smile as she extended one hand to him. "Will you come with me? I must admit that after a millennia of solitude and suppressing these memories, having someone with whom I can share this burden with makes it more bearable, albeit not lighter in the slightest."

"Of course." He replied immediately, taking her small hand in his before following her up the steps towards the throne.

They climbed the stairs in silence, Sothis' hand in his as cold as it had been before -- no wonder, one should think, since she didn't have a body of her own.

Once before the throne, they stopped their tracks -- the Professor watching his mindmate with visible concern. Yet, what flashed on Sothis' face was not hopelessness, but a smile filled with longing. "I used to sit here with Rhea on my lap during her infancy -- singing that song we heard her sing at the Goddess Tower. She truly loved listening to it to the point of following behind me like a duckling grabbing at the hems of my dress just to ask to listen to it one more time."

"Mhm." Byleth simply nodded. He could peruse the memories if he wanted, but chose not to -- they were Sothis'; especially the rare happy ones. Aware of her mindmate's consideration, Sothis' smile simply grew as she squeezed his hand slightly.

"She would always ask to travel with me whenever I went across the land to impart my knowledge upon the humans, you see." Sothis spoke with warmth, her eyes cloudy with tears. "She wasn't my first child, but somehow she became the one who got attached to me the most, that little one." She chuckled, stepping towards the throne.

Byleth let go of her hand as she sat, for the first time feeling like she belonged there instead of wondering what her role was in Byleth's story. The Professor crouched to be on her eye level, ultimately sitting on the floor right by Sothis' legs.

The girl bent down to her mindmate, taking his face with both hands, her expression of a mother worried for her child. "No matter what you find out about her once you get to talk with Jeralt -- I ask that you at least do not resent her. She looks just as lost as she did back then, perhaps even more so after all these long, long years."

Byleth's brow flickered with emotion. He had been so worried about his friend -- about her grief, her suffering, her memories, her powerlessness to be freed from this prison. And yet, to her, all of that mattered little compared to the wellbeing of her misguided child. His chin trembled with the effort of hiding his feelings, stealing a chuckle from Sothis.

She touched her forehead on his, understanding his unspoken thoughts. "I will not ask of you to take on a milennia-old fight, my one and only friend. I will not ask you to avenge me, nor do I want you to tear yourself apart to make amends. However..." Her voice cracked as she wrapped her arms around Byleth's neck into a tight hug. "If I can be selfish for only this once... Please, do not resent her no matter what." She sobbed, sliding down from the throne into Byleth's arms.

The Professor tenderly hugged his mindmate and friend, the words refusing to leave his throat, but his head nodding in confirmation.

He had so much to ask her. So much to talk about. So many memories to discuss -- but he couldn't. He wouldn't.

They were the source of her suffering; the reason why she lost her beat. He knew she would allow him to peruse them as he willed, but that didn't feel right, at least not at that moment, while everything was so raw and undiluted.

He remembered seeing the enemy stronghold -- the stonework akin to the very same one he and Sothis shared in their minds, though the blue lights and eerie atmosphere set them both apart. He knew that if he dove deeper into the nightmarish bits and pieces of memories from when she was being dismembered into the Sword of the Creator he would find out more about it all.

But it didn't feel right -- not to use such terrible moments of someone so special to him just to reach a truth that could be achieved by other means. Yet, even if it were the only way to find out the truth, Byleth still wouldn't do it, solely out of respect for Sothis.

To everyone else in the world, she was a Goddess to be revered; someone so high up in the heavens they could simply wish to be blessed by her. However, to Byleth, she was a trusted friend. Someone he brought suffering on, his good intentions not mattering to the guilt panging his unbeating heart.

Sothis hacked a sob, all of Byleth's thoughts flowing into her. "Thank you..."

It was only at the morning of their mission that Byleth finally managed to take ahold of his father -- true to Jeralt's words earlier that month, he had been busy doing Rhea's bidding to the point of barely stopping by the monastery.

"Dad, we need to talk." Byleth urged hurriedly amidst the rush of last-minute preparations.

Jeralt widened his eyes at his son's eagerness -- something he had barely ever witnessed during their lives. "I know I said we should talk when we have time, but are you sure we can talk about it like this? It seems serious enough to make you lose your cool." He placed one hand over the one Byleth had used to tug on his coat.

"It can't wait. We can talk as we march." Byleth looked around to check if the people rushing in and out of the gate could hear them before leaning towards his father to whisper: "It's about the Crest Stone inside my heart."

Jeralt flinched, pulling away from his son to look him in the eyes. From the surprised expression on his face, that seemed to be the first time he had ever heard of it. "Crest Stone?!" He whispered gravely. "Is that the reason it never- your heart-"

"So he doesn't know about it, either," Sothis commented as Jeralt muttered this or that.

"Yes." Byleth nodded to both father and mindmate, his frown deep. "Do you know who did it, Dad? Who put it inside of my heart?"

Jeralt hesitated, a word stuck inside his throat. As soon as he decided to utter it, a roar shook the ground beneath their feet.

"Demonic Beasts!" A scout shouted as he scrambled back to his feet. "There are students being targeted!"

"Tsk, shit!" Jeralt cursed under his breath, then took his son's shoulders. "We'll talk after this is done -- but don't forget what I told you before."

"What you told-" Byleth huffed, trying to search his mind, clogged with memories not his own.

"That dreary talk of looking in his room should something happen to him?" Sothis, now that she remembered she used to have a long memory, picked that scene up as though she was choosing a book from an endlessly long bookshelf.

Jeralt had already gone on ahead to muster his mercenaries to save the children by the time Byleth exclaimed an 'Oh!' of understanding. He, too, ran to the frontlines to guide the Blue Lions into battle.

Considering the amount of Demonic Beasts around the limited terrain and the runaway students they had to protect, it was no wonder that the battle took all of Byleth’s attention. He had unshakeable faith in his father’s prowess, so it never crossed his mind to even look in Jeralt’s way during it all.

A mistake.

Once he had felled the last beast did he look towards the chapel where his father’s mercenaries had gone into in search of more students. One of them, a red-haired girl -- Monica, if memory served right -- was thanking Jeralt for saving her.

It was all so fast.

So, so fast.

One moment, Monica was smiling at Jeralt.

At the other, she had dug a dagger deep into the side of his body, piercing a number of vital organs.

Byleth watched as Jeralt fell, slowly, ever so slowly; as though time itself had stopped.

Time! “Sothis! Pulse!” Byleth’s very soul shook, a dread gripping his guts from within.

“Don’t waste another second! Strike her down!” Sothis shouted as she turned back time until right before Monica stabbed Jeralt. Byleth quickly struck the girl with the Sword of the Creator-

Or so he thought -- a shadow blocked his attack, allowing Jeralt to fall once again.

“Pulse! Pulse! Pulse! Sothis!!” Byleth turned time back again and again, watching his father fall as many times as Sothis’ limited powers allowed. “Why? Why can’t you go farther back? You could- before you- could!” Byleth sobbed as he ran towards his fallen father, the rain finally allowed to fall once the Pulses ran out.

“I have the memories back, not the powers! This- F-forgive me, I-” She strangled a sob as Byleth held Jeralt in his arms. “Not another loss… Oh, why- why must this happen!”

“Just a bit further… a moment further and maybe-” Byleth cried out, feeling warm tears rolling down his face for the first time in his life. “Dad...!” He sobbed, drenching himself in mud, water and blood. “Please don’t leave me...”

[foreverlogical]

To battle the economic crash from the coronavirus pandemic, Congress is sending Americans cash. The deal just hammered out will send $1,200 to every adult making under a certain income threshold, and $500 for every child. But will the money actually get to everyone?

In many cases, it turns out, it could take weeks or months. And many of the poorest and most vulnerable Americans will face further difficulties once the check arrives.

"The Treasury Department is expected to begin directly depositing checks within a few weeks of the bill's passing," The New York Times reported. "But mailed payments will take one or two weeks longer, Republican Senate aides said Wednesday." It sounds like the mailed checks, for individuals who don't have bank information already on file with the IRS, could take up to two months, and earlier reports suggested they could take up to four. And that time frame doesn't even get to the question of people who may be too poor to have filed taxes, who may move a lot, or who may not have reliable housing, and whose address has to be pieced together from Social Security data or the Veterans Administration.

Meanwhile, one out of every four U.S. households either has no bank account or has real trouble accessing one, which adds further hurdles to actually being able to use the money. "You'll have to cash that check, and take that cash and put it into a money order again to pay your bills," Mehsra Baradaran, a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies banking inclusion and inequality, told The Week. That process will impose further fees, not to mention the costs, time, and effort required to physically go from the check casher to the utility and landlord's offices to pay bills and rent.

Senate Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown's office, tried to do something about this. Baradaran helped Brown draft a provision that would give any American who needed it a free banking account — available at any local bank or post office — in which the $1,200 aid could be directly dropped. Others in the House, like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), have their own proposals to do something similar. Ultimately, none of this made it into the Senate deal, which has now passed the House and is headed to President Trump for signing. But Brown and Tlaib have also introduced their proposals as standalone bills. And we really need to fix this, for both moral and economic reasons.

Around 8.4 million U.S. households (or 6.5 percent) are "unbanked," meaning they have no bank account at all. Another 24.2 million households (18.7 percent) are "underbanked," meaning they technically have a bank account but have real difficulty using it. As Baradaran explained, low-income Americans' finances don't mesh well with banks' business models, which are designed more for the steady income flows of the middle class. Less fortunate Americans are constantly hit with fees for things like overdrafts or not having enough money in their accounts. Nor are they particularly profitable for banks, so many institutions have simply abandoned those communities, leaving people with either no banking option, or a branch that's 50 miles away. Regulations used to require banks to keep a branch in every community, but those rules were dismantled in the 1990s, and "those voids were filled with payday lenders and check cashers" as Baradaran put it. Those outfits charge even more onerous fees and interest rates for their services.

Imagine the U.S. payments system as three concentric networks, with each network serving different groups — and each of very different quality. The innermost circle links the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve with the major private banks, and those banks to each other. This network can settle transactions extremely fast, say three to five days. (There are efforts afoot to get this down to 24 hours or less.)

The next network out is essentially the public-facing side of the private banking system — it's what connects individuals and households and businesses to the banks. This is the network that can get everyone their direct deposits in a few weeks.

This situation is already rather remarkable, since we have a public system — the first innermost network — that no one but big private banks are allowed to participate in. Meanwhile, private for-profit banks get the privilege of being the middle-man between that public system and the actual public. "There's no reason banks should be that middle man unless they're mandated to give everyone an account, and they're not," Baradaran noted.

Things are even worse out at the fringes of the circles of inclusion. That's the third network that serves the unbanked and the underbanked and people less directly tied into the second network. This is where people have to wait two months for a check in the mail, cash it with a bank if they're lucky, and otherwise go through the whole obstacle course of check cashers and payday lenders and money orders.

At a minimum, we should plug the people in the third fringe network directly into the first, which is what Brown's bill would do. Under that proposal, when your check got mailed to you, you could pick it up at the post office and open a simple banking account — free, no fees, no minimums — that would plug you directly into the Fed and Treasury Department's payment system. You could cash your check right there and use the money via a debit card that would come with the account, without dealing with any profit-seeking third parties.

Providing a public option for basic banking services via the U.S. Postal Service is an idea that's actually been floating around for a while — in fact America did do that, from 1911 to 1966. (There are also proposals to just give every American an account with the Federal Reserve directly.) Baradaran said her "dream version would be every post office would have this option" — i.e. use this scheme to take every American in both the second and third networks, and plug them directly into the first, innermost network. But Brown's more limited bill would've at least plugged the third network's unbanked and underbanked into that first inner network.

Admittedly, this wouldn't completely solve the initial problem of how fast the checks go out. But it would help, and it would end the obstacles and exploitation that marginalized Americans face when using the money. And if Congress needs to authorize more of these payments — which will almost certainly be needed — the bank accounts will now be in place.

Tlaib's bill is even more ambitious: It would give every American a pre-paid debit card that would plug directly into that inner network, and that Congress and the Treasury Department could automatically refill with money whenever they wanted. In fact, Tlaib's proposal called for four payments of $2,000 each to every person of all ages. "It's trying to provide a novel infrastructure through the pre-paid cards, to get past the limitations of direct deposit or mailing checks," Rohan Grey, president of the Modern Money Network, who helped Tlaib's office draft the proposal, told The Week. (News reports tended to ignore this aspect of Tlaib's bill, focusing instead on its unusual financing mechanism: have the Treasury Department mint trillion-dollar coins and deposit them with the Fed to avoid having to issue new debt.)

The U.S. government already uses similar debit card systems for programs like food stamps, so the basic infrastructure is in place. Between mailing the cards and making them available for distribution at banks and post offices and schools and the like, Tlaib's proposal might actually have been able to get the first payment out even faster. And again, further payments would be automatic, and the debit card system could be integrated with a postal banking public option or Fed-accounts-for-all down the line.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, none of these ideas made it into the final package. It's not clear why, but we can speculate: lobbyists for industries like payday lenders have clout on Capitol Hill, and these proposals would be an existential threat to their industry. For the moment, the ease and reliability of that inner network remains a privilege reserved for the powers of the banking and financial industries, while we mere citizens have to deal with the private banking system on its terms — and the least fortunate among us are left out in the cold entirely.

Many of the millions who have already lost jobs probably need money now. Even people who still have jobs, but who don't earn much, face a coming cascade of hardships, from the need for food, rent, utility bills, and more. (The government also didn't do itself any favors by making the money means-tested, which will add further time for government agencies to calculate what everyone is owed.) Millions of human beings will suffer because of the delay. Meanwhile, the longer it takes for that money to hit people's pocketbooks, the more time there is for the negative feedback loop of job loss leading to less spending leading to business closures leading to more job loss to build on itself, deepening the hole the economy will eventually have to dig out of.

But Congress can always pass more bills, and by all accounts the coronavirus crisis will last long enough that political pressure for more cash aid to average Americans will likely become overwhelming. The sooner we can stand up a fast and simple public banking option for all, the faster we can get aid out to everyone — both in this crisis and the next.

Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.

VISIT WEBSITE

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 188 Review

Yoriichi’s backstory has touched my heart; easily empathized his struggles and sufferings. Although the purpose is to acquire the 13th Form, I was absorbed by his character more so than anything else. This chapter forced the fans to shift focus back to Muzan versus the remaining Pillars. However, upon seeing the chapter’s cover, the twist is that it presents another backstory; one that is due for some time.

The battle is intense as ever. Just from the first page alone, you’ll sense the chaotic mayhem is growing. It appears that the battle picks up right where we last left off with them, instead of time-skipping due to Tanjiro’s journey. Although Himejima and Sanemi had a badass entry, nothing has changed with Muzan. He maintains to have the upper-hand with everyone barely keeping up. Kanroji is still in great pain from injuries, which irks me greatly. It gets a lot worse when the chapter shift solely focus on her.

By this point, it’s safe to justify that no one is safe from death. Sadly, that means her as well. She can barely keep up, going by her intuition and luck to dodge. It gets me nervous the more I read. She’s trying her damn best to think of a ploy to strike Muzan. Her drive is to be as supportive as possible for her friends. That’s sweet, but Croc-sensei is merciless. It’s been a while since I feared turning the page, but out comes this scene. She gets strike down badly by those claws. Who knew the world ending arrive so early?

With a glance, it looked like her arm was cut and part of her face was ripped off. Fortunately, as far as minimizing injuries, her arm remains intact, though I think some of her ear is ripped off. Most importantly, she’s alive and thank God for Iguro to save her. Who knew I would be happy for a snake guy to save best girl. Also, thank God for Pillars for protecting them. This faction is awesome. It is unclear how she took damage or rather, why couldn’t she dodge it. It’s either a secret technique from Muzan or Kanroji didn’t have enough stamina. I’m glad to see her safe. I’m not glad, however, to see her crying.

Part of me is glad that she’s out of the battle, so her death flag has lowered, but I can’t ignore her determination being sidelined. All she wants is to be helpful for her friends, but her heavy breathing and fading eyes are distracting. She can’t fight. I admire Iguro to give her to others to treat her wounds, getting Yushiro to look after her. He’s growing on me. Even so, it sucks for her to stay behind. Sad to see her trying to recover, but falls down. She can only cry out her feelings for no one to die. This is physically painful.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, thanks to the chapter’s cover, but it is welcoming to read Iguro’s monologue and backstory. He truly loves Kanroji; I mean who doesn’t but hear him out. He wish the two to meet under normal circumstances, but then he take his words back. The only way he deserves her love is if he were to die and get a different body without filthy blood on his hands. That’s sweet and depressing. His face is revealed. The nasty scar from his mouth region strikes me. Sums up his words perfectly. On top of his appearance, his lineage doesn’t help the matter for he was raised under a clan that steal and killed the rich for their own personal greed. He already has my attention.

His family commonly birth to girls and the last time they had a boy was 370 years ago. Once Iguro was born, the mother, the sisters, and aunts treated him like a pet, caged him to a cell as they fawned over him. It’s as if it’s the first time they see a boy in their entire life. You can easily claim his childhood was harsh, but it gets worse. When he turned 12, he was greeted by a female demon that resembles to Medusa, only with normal hair and inability to turn people into stone. She has a slick design, I’ll give her that. I like the layer of horror to Iguro’s storytelling. He was pondering on the noise earlier, only to realize it was her; clearly frozen with fear.

He was only spared because he was too small. It turned out that he was set to be sacrificed to the demon as the family’s offering; so long they can live rich. Calling them a family is inaccurate. The demon took a liking to him. So much so, they forced him to cut his mouth to match her appearance. How insane. The image isn’t the most graphic, but it’s painful to imagine the process, let alone see the aftermath. The blood pouring is nauseating though. The only being he can trust is the snake Kaburamaru. It’s ironic and sad.

Iguro ran away from prison, but the demon caught up and it was about to kill him. That is until Flame Pillar saved him at the last moment. It’s best to say all Flame Pillars were/are true gentlemen. Seriously, it’s the lineage you can always count on, like real heroes. Only Iguro and his cousin survived, brought together like lost family reuniting. Sadly, his cousin rejected him because she blamed him for the death of the family. All were killed once he was caught running away. Honestly, this is one of the most frustrating backstories.

On one hand, her words were uncalled for. What would one expect when dealing with a demon? They done this to themselves. On the other hand, the family’s life was on the line and he was the holder. It’s still not his fault, but what’s more important is her words pained him deeply. It’s like hearing your family member telling you that you’re dead to them; it’s mentally scarring. It’s very telling for every good deed he has done for citizens, the scars of his family haunt him to remind him of his sins.

The only way for him to approach to Kanroji is to defeat Muzan, hoping to purify his blood, and if he can be reborn as a human being, he will confess to her. I didn’t expect him to be such a gentleman, but dammit, he won me over. All he wished was to live normal, but was born in a wrong life. This definitely raise the death flag higher above the rest. It’s hard to predict with every past actions that blurred the line of predictability. Sure, it creates excitement, but I’m at the point that asspull would be perfectly acceptable.

This was a nice, sad, and tender chapter that features the Snake Pillar with romantic interest and despair. Kanroji receiving the deadly strikes will haunt me in my dreams until the battle is over. I felt sad for her wanting to go on, but she’s at her limit. Iguro’s backstory was painful and frustrating. It’s not to say it was bad, rather the investment and connection I felt were striking. The pairing with him and Kanroji can come true, but he has inserted himself to be the next in line to die. I wish all the best of luck. Survive. Do it for her.

[heartshapedbruisesonmyskin]

You.

If the princess doesn’t get her way, she’ll kill herself. The princess always thought she was Queen of the castle but she was never even in line for the throne. The Queen takes care of her kingdom and reigns with her King. They are the ones you run to when it’s time to go to war. So if the princess thought she was in charge, why did she and her prince always run to the King and Queen? 

I know that I can never take it back. I know that I can never undo all the damage that you did to my psyche. I know I can never take back the burn mark you left on my soul, the mark of your hand on my very core. I know all these things. What I don’t know is why I’m still so angry. I’m not this mean or angry or anything like that. I’ve never thought of myself like that, not really. But you. You made me into this monster that I didn’t recognize. I didn’t know who I was looking at in the mirror. I didn’t love myself anymore. I didn’t like anything about myself.

I felt like I was just a hair away from losing myself, my mind, my life every single second you were around. Other days, I couldn’t bring myself to feel anything and I had to wear a mask. If I didn’t, my entire world would fall apart because you would hurt everyone I love. You would lash out and scream and kick and get mind-blowingly high. You ruined everything if you didn’t get your way. And I had to be the one to take it all just so everyone around me wasn’t affected by the blows. No one understood it though. Not really. And that’s okay because it meant they were safe. That’s all I wanted. I wanted them to be safe from you. I never wanted you to be happy though, I wanted you to suffer. That is how I know you made me into someone I wasn’t and I wasn’t like this. I wasn’t this cruel or sadistic or crazy-sounding, it was your burn mark on my soul. It was your grip on my throat getting ever so tighter. 

At first, I thought I was going to be alright again. I thought the love of my life and I were going to be safe again. I thought we could get our life back on track and you were allowing me to be happy again. I thought after letting others, who were toxic to my life, go and moving in with you would finally give me some peace of mind. I thought I’d finally have a friend again after not having anyone there for me when I was suicidal and so utterly alone. I thought all these changes would benefit us. I thought we would both have a friend in you and your husband. I thought after 6 months of having to be away from my fiancé, now husband, I was going to be happier than I had ever been. I never knew..it could ruin me. Ruin my husband. I never knew that everything involving you would rip our lives apart. 

Now I understand you think you are a victim in everything even though, you were the one who screamed at me. I understand that you think you have every right to me and you think I’m your property. I understand that you HAD to be my only friend and I tried to have another, you would tear her down and ruin it with all your craziness and lies. I understand you put me on a pedestal because you lost your mother and you thought I could fill the void. I understand you wanted a friend but the way you behaved, called for a mother. I understand that you saw me in a certain light because I was kind and patient. I understand that you built up this unreachable and impossible image of me in your head but you need to understand that I am not responsible for that. I am human and I am vulnerable. No one is that patient and everyone has a limit. You just never saw mine. You never saw or respected my boundaries even if I laid them out for you plain and simple. And you would say that you can’t live your lifestyle because I didn’t like it, I told you why and I told you the damage it did to me but I know you didn’t care. You never cared about my boundaries or why I have them.

You never saw how mad I was at you. Or how I screamed and cried into my pillow because I was left alone to deal with your cruelty. You never saw how you disrespected me, on a daily basis, by just being your destructive self. You never saw how hard I fought to keep my sanity together. You never saw how rude you were to my husband and obscene you were around my husband. You never saw how disgusted I was because you wanted to flaunt your father's money around me. You never saw how my self-esteem was shot every time you talked about my weight to my face. Or how sick I made myself because I couldn’t bring myself to eat after you mocked my weight. You never see how damaging you are to anyone around you. You never see anything besides yourself because it’s just so unfathomable to do so!

If you truly saw me in such a good way, put me on a pedestal or saw me as a replacement mother then why did you scream at me because I ate a box of macaroni and cheese? I did it once in the 2 and a half weeks where all I knew was safe to eat was my cereal and potatoes. I had to leave the apartment when you did that and your husband had to calm you down and convince you to stay in the house. He had to remind you, in a way that didn't make you have a meltdown, that you’re always the victim and you did nothing wrong. And when you screamed at my husband about how I wouldn’t even share some honeydew melon with you, you hit a sensitive nerve. He got in your face and screamed at you that I’m the kindest person he’s ever met and if you slap me in the face, I would say sorry for hurting your hand. He walked away and went to our room. You stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. I waited outside for my mom to pick me up and I cried in her car for an hour. If I was such a good person, why would you destroy the kitchen every time you made dinner and never cleaned it? You knew that I hated the way you lived in complete disarray and filth. You would throw down everything you had in your hands from wherever when you went everywhere. You constantly left food out so we ended up getting cockroaches in the kitchen. You always depended on me to clean the kitchen and when my chronic illness, my anxiety or my lower back pain got the better of me, I couldn’t clean it for a few days. When I couldn’t be your maid, you always threw a fit because nothing was clean and we didn’t have any clean pans and because you didn’t cook, everyone would decide to eat out. After a few days of this, you would get mad at “everyone” for eating out. When really, you were just mad at me because I wasn’t your maid when you “needed” me to be. I told you that I hated that several times for a year and a half but you never listened. You always said you were sorry and maybe I was taking it the wrong way and you “promised” to help me “tomorrow”. Well, tomorrow always came but you never lifted a finger. Oh no, wait I’m forgetting about the handful of times you did help me and would scream at whoever made the tiniest of messes in “your” kitchen. On top of that, you damn near lived in the living room. It wasn’t OUR living room, it was YOUR bedroom because your husband moves too much in his sleep and he would “hurt” you in the night. You dragged all your filth into the living room and even when my husband's best friend had to move into our dining room after a bad break up, he kept his area 10x cleaner than you ever attempted to. I don’t have a sense of smell (Not completely gone because I can still taste but it’s mostly gone due to chronic sinus infections) so I never knew what my mom was talking about when she said our living room smelled like your vagina. She came over one day and was utterly repulsed at the god awful smell you left in the living room, on the couch all because you lived on it and left your underwear on it all the time. My mom finally saw first hand at how I would clean and literally in the middle of it, you would drop all your shit and shoes and clothes everywhere. When she left, she couldn’t believe the disrespect that you showed her that day. 

If I was such a good friend to you then why did you steal $700 from your dad and give me $200 to shut up and not tell anyone? Then when it finally came to light, you tried to throw me under the bus because of it? And my husband and I waited outside for you to leave, just so we could go run into our room and barricade the door with our laundry baskets. If I was your “best friend”, why did you have to get so high that we thought you OD’ed? While in your high state of mind, you took out all of your real feelings on everyone in the house and scared my saving grace to death because she thought you would hurt her unborn child. But thankfully we lived with 3 large men so they stopped you. Your husband left you the next morning for work, in our care without asking, because he thought you were sober enough. My husband stayed home with you all day to make sure you didn’t stop breathing. And I went out and ran to my mother because I had no idea what to do. When it was time for my husband and his best friend to go to work, they lost their jobs because of a technicality. Because they stayed to take care of you when your husband should’ve stayed home instead. Because you weren’t getting enough attention from me or everyone, you went and raided your dad's stash of medical supplies leftover from your dead mother’s cancer battle and found fentanyl patches. You were tripping hard, driving and acting like you were the goddamn victim in everything for a week and no one knew because a drug addict knows how to hide it. But because you did that, you ruined mine and my husband's financial well-being. I can’t even imagine what my future is going to look like anymore because you took away the one time we were financially set and happy together. 

 I’m free now. We moved out. It’s been over a month now. You finally stopped trying to talk to me. You stopped trying to come over. You stopped harassing me and my real best friend. I guess that’s something I can..give a smidge of credit to you for. I can say that, in a way, I finally got a friend. A friend I had had for years but had lost touch with. No…no, fuck that. You get no credit. None! Fuck that. She reached out to me and I ran to her like I was going to be killed. She came into my life when I needed her the most. She wasn’t in a perfect situation either so in a way, we saved each other. But I will always give her the credit for saving me from you. I was finally, FINALLY able to start to be happy again. I had a friend and that was all I wanted. She let me cry, vent, was there when I needed help dealing with you and she did it all while she was pregnant. And that you couldn’t stand. You still can’t stand her, not only for stealing me and having a better friendship with me but for the fact that she has a baby. It is not her fault that you got an STD and on top of that, have active cervical cancer cells. You ruined your chances of having a baby and that doesn’t give you the right to try to push her into a wall while 9 months pregnant because you got unbelievably high on a fentanyl patch. You don’t get to touch her. You don’t get to be jealous or angry at her for something she didn’t do. 

 I’m now expecting you to come back or to try to claw your way back into my life. I’m waiting for you to text me and get passive-aggressive about how I haven’t texted you or hung out with you. I think you might’ve gotten the picture but I don’t think that’s possible. Maybe you’re mad at me? Or maybe you’re having an “episode” which gives you an excuse to be rude to or ignore everyone around you? Or maybe you’re just too high to function again? I don’t..I can’t give in to this bliss in the lack of your presence. I’m happy..ish? I just want those pieces of myself that you took back. I wanna be able to live my life and be myself again. The sad part is, I don’t think I know who that is anymore. Can I start over? Can I get over it? In time, yes. But right now? No. I don’t know yet. And it’s sickening and festering. I’m just waiting for my whole world to fall apart again. I want to be happy and I have moments where I’m happy but..I know that I’m not because I don’t have closure and I’m not over everything you did to me. 

After it was finally over, I moved out of your apartment but because you and your husband were always late or short on rent, we had to move into another apartment in the same complex. You two ruined our rental history so I’m only partially free from you. We also still have the car we paid $1000 for, that was your husband's old car.  But when your mother died, you both got new cars so we got his old one. With the icing on top, your husband is incompetent and doesn’t keep track of anything, (or he has the title and just refuses to sign it over) so he has to buy a new title to our car. It’s our only way of transportation that doesn’t completely wreck everyone's way of life. Yes, our best friends have 2 cars but they also have a baby to take care of now so they can help but only so much. I’m waiting for you to throw a fit and manipulate your way into your husband's head and convince him that you need to take the car back. All because I don’t want to be your friend anymore. Who fucking does that though? You would. Now I’m just sitting on my ass and waiting for you to rip another piece from us again. When’s it coming? What are you doing? What are you planning? Are you looking for a way to hurt me again? I can’t stand living like this. I tell people to stay away from you and I tell them little things you have done to not only me but everyone, including your husband, and they can’t believe it. I've been told that it sounds like I have a mild form of PTSD. There are clear reasons why I barely left the house, why I never left my room, why I never told you what was bothering me when you KNEW there was something wrong, why I never truly opened up to you and why it always seemed like I was just a little too eager to move out. Even if you didn’t or don’t see the truth, eventually I’ll be able to let this burn mark of yours go.

I moved in with my husband, his best friend who became a brother to me and my best friend of 10 years who fell in love with my husband's best friend. I have the kitchen constantly clean and even if it’s a little dirty, my heart doesn’t drop into my ass every time I come out of my room. I’m allowed to come out of my room and be in the living room without feeling like I’m invading someone's space. I’m allowed to be angry and show how I feel. But I might have PTSD now. Even with that possibility, I feel like I have to be 100% perfect all the time and it’s so damaging to my self-esteem. Any time I mess up just a little bit, I have a nervous breakdown because I’m terrified that someone is going to scream at me or hurt me. I expect the ones I live with now, the people I love with all my heart, to explode at me. I still live like I’m walking on eggshells but I know, logically, that I’m not. I locked myself out of my best friend's truck at Wal-Mart and thankfully, strangers helped me and I got in. When I came home, I ran to my room and cried like I was still living with you. My husband came in and hugged me and talked me down and I calmed down enough to come out and talk to them. They weren’t even mad, they said it’s ok and these things happen. She hugged me tight, said that she’s not mad, she’s locked herself outta that truck more times than she’s willing to admit and that she loves me. 

I think that’s the difference. When they say they love me, it feels real. It’s genuine. And I’m terrified. Of course, I’m scared though. I’m scared that it won’t be real anymore or that this life I have now is all a dream. I keep waking up though and I’m still here, I’m still in a new apartment with the man I love and my best friends. In all that pain and suffering..I never thought I would get here. I was in a cycle of doubt, anxiety and endless darkness. I never believed I could get out of there because you stole every shred of hope I had, every chance you could without fail. So why would I believe that I would be free? I had no “real” reason to not live with you and your husband if we were “happy” and like a “family”, so why would we want to leave right? Nope! I had plenty of reasons to leave. But thankfully, my best friend was pregnant and needed more space for her baby boy. And thankfully, she fell in love with my husband's best friend so where he goes, my husband goes and where my husband goes, I go too. Through a beautiful chain reaction, I was given my freedom from you. 

My mother asked me how does it feel not living with you anymore, besides all the craziness and the dictatorship. I took a long time to answer because yes, it’s great for several reasons but I said: “It’s..quiet”. It’s so..quiet and all I want to do is cry. Cry for the pieces of myself I lost but cry for the weight of you is finally off my heart and my shoulders. Yes, your mark is still there but it’ll fade, they all have and they all do. I can breathe and cry and speak and be me again. Yes, there are pieces of me that have been taken but..I’ve grown before and I can grow again. I have to, not only for my loved ones but for me. I have to do things for myself again. I want to and that is what matters. I want to live life again and I feel like I will be able to soon. I will be able to forget you and give myself closure. Maybe not today but I will.

I will be able to let it go. I will let go of the damage you did to me, Shaila.

[mobscene-london]

BASIC INFORMATION:

NAME: Viktoriya Arkadyevna Kurylenko. AGE: 31. PLACE OF BIRTH: Launceston, Massachusetts, United States. AFFILIATION: The Russian Mob.  OCCUPATION: Loyalist. FACE CLAIM: Elizabeth Debicki. AVAILABILITY: TAKEN.

  BIOGRAPHY:

“You know, I can help you. You just have to trust me…”

It amazed her she could be convincing enough in her kindness people often wanted to.

Forced meetings like these were hardly uncommon in their circles. Usually, they would convene in derelict warehouses the Russians procured for precisely such usage; underground fights as far as the brain dead Irish were concerned, but population control to those smart enough to see what was really happening. People didn’t attend to watch a brawl, they came to witness death. Whilst she was above getting involved physically, however, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy watching.

“We aren’t unreasonable, grenouille,” she assured, voice almost as soothing as her fingertips as they danced across his tensed shoulders. The man was ready to fight, but only in the way an injured animal fought for survival. Tragic. “It might be a fight to the death, but given the terrifying reputation that precedes you, it should be an easy win, no? I have faith in you.”

Oh, how she loved to mock.

“You’re fucking insane, you bitch.”

“Somebody’s feeling touchy,” she said with a pout, letting her finger trail down his impressively chiselled back. Such a waste that he was one of them. It was then that she shoved him toward the makeshift ring; a reminder that he had no choice. “That’s no way to speak to a lady.”

Leaving out the fact the Frenchman would be fighting his little brother was a choice made for her own entertainment. If they disobeyed their orders and refused to battle it out, she was sure Anatoly would kill both captives. If they did settle on one surviving the other, she may have neglected to mention that the victor would be fighting Maksim next. Where was the fun in being honest when you could enjoy the suffering of St. Clair scum, instead? Had it been anyone else she might’ve offered a sliver of mercy, but despite grudges being as pointless as they were exhaustive—especially against people who didn’t deserve an iota of her time—Viktoriya would always make an exception for the French.  

The sense of superiority that radiated from them vexed her. They’d swept into Launceston as though they owned the place, and her family had been fighting for dominance of their own home ever since. Viktoriya couldn’t remember a time in her life when the French threat hadn’t loomed on the horizon; when there hadn’t been whispers in the Russian inner circles about how they kept losing to an enemy that was growing more powerful by the day. For a woman who was more pride than sanity—even if she wasn’t technically a part of the gang herself back then—it was natural she took it personally when her family was being reduced to a punch line.

Pride was just another one of many traits she had picked up from her father.

Whilst Maksim might’ve mirrored the man most closely, Viktoriya had absorbed just enough of his characteristics that when combined with her mother’s smarts and charisma, made her equally as dangerous. No, she wouldn’t come at you with a knife and a snarl (unlike her brother) but her mind could reach lows even he couldn’t conjure up in his worst nightmares. The inside of her head was terrifying, and that was a fear that could not be instilled with brute force alone.

Viktoriya was sure that her mother could always sense she wasn’t quite right. That something human was missing. Sadistic seemed too kind a word for a daughter so troubled, and try as she might—and oh, the wretched woman tried—she still couldn’t guide the girl to a kinder path. The tension between her parents was always obvious. Maria fought her husband consistently about how involved she would become with family business. Maksim might’ve been a lost cause by the time his sister was a teenager, and maybe that was why her mother had been all the more adamant about her not going the same way. Viktoriya was remarkably intelligent, and so charming—albeit sociopathic, to her mother’s misunderstanding—that the idea of her wasting away in some street gang was heartbreaking.

Being forced into medical school was dire. Whilst she appreciated the challenge intellectually, what Viktoriya didn’t care for was her life being planned out regardless of what she wanted.

Maksim was out there fighting, just like her father. All of her cousins got to choose.

Why did she have to suffer exclusion?

Viktoriya envied her brother’s involvement with her father’s work—not just because she wanted to play a bigger role in restoring her family’s reputation, but because she was so close to her father, it felt as though she was disappointing him. Still, she couldn’t resent Maksim for something that was out of both of their control. In fact, they had always been close; enough so that his imprisonment in Russia was very much the catalyst that pushed her mind over the edge.

When her mother was kidnapped—no doubt by the French they were now violently warring with—her reaction had been so contrastingly limited even her father looked at her with some concern. Viktoriya wasn’t pleased her mother was gone, but she hadn’t really been sad about it, either. The bright student was two years into her surgical residency, and still dropped out without so much as a hesitation as soon as the woman was gone. With Maksim back in Launceston, and her father on a cold-blooded rampage, it finally seemed like the time was coming for her to prove her worth.

Viktoriya has shown that you don’t have to be hands-on to be invaluable. She might not be the one to pick up the knife, but she will happily watch and offer medical advice on how best to flay, dissect, or harvest an enemy. She might not fight herself, but she will patch up the wounded who have. She might not be the one carrying out the orders, but her infallible mind picks up on the holes in plans before those who do act on behalf of the family fall into them. She might not be the one to hurt the mob’s victims, but her ease on the social stage makes her a prime lure for sucking in the most valuable ones when the rougher members of the family can’t get close.

She has certainly found her niches, and will play whatever games she needs to if it ensures the success of her family. Though she is hesitant to trade Launceston for London, she will go wherever her father does. Wherever the family needs her.

The French that await them to be tormented are simply a bonus.    

SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. FAMILY: Arkady Kurylenko (father), Maria Kurylenko (mother, deceased), Maksim Kurylenko (brother),  Mikhail, Konstantin Vorshevsky (cousins) CONNECTIONS:

Anatoly Veselov: Best friend. Viktoriya doesn’t consider herself close to many people who aren’t blood relations, and trusts even fewer of them, but when it comes to Anatoly, she’s always made an exception. She admired him from afar long before she became actively involved with the mob, and now that she plays a bigger role, spends most of it at his side. There aren’t many people she could claim understand her (and she suspects he feels the same way) but he is one. For that, she is grateful.

Aviv Kasyanenko: Good friend. Though her brother initially warded her off getting close to Aviv, it was a pointless protest. Like-minded people always end up gravitating to each other in the end, and that was exactly what happened with them. Viktoriya is a fan of his violent streak, and often accompanies him when he’s paying visits to victims of the basement. She admires how hard he works for her family.

Mila Korshunova: Friend. Although their relationship is young, the two women have made quick strides toward becoming friends. It is rare she forms any connections that aren’t entirely shallow, but even she can admit that it’s nice to have her cousin’s wife around. They often attend social events together, as they’re two of few members of the family who are accepted (and sometimes admired) on the public stage.

[thesffcorner]

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a live-action/CG animated film, set in the universe of the Nintendo Pokemon games. It follows Tim (Justice Smith) who goes to Rhyme City, a metropolis where Pokemon and humans live side by side, to find out what happened to his father, detective Harry Goodman, after disappearing along with his Pokemon partner.

At Harry’s apartment, Tim runs into a Pikachu, except this Pikachu can talk, and Tim seems to be the only one who can understand him. The two set off on their own investigation to figure out what happened to Harry.

I really dislike when people justify the quality of a movie by saying “well it’s a kid’s movie”. That’s no excuse; Zootopia, the film Detective Pikachu is desperately trying to be, is also a kid’s movie, and that film deals with racism, discrimination, prejudice and even drug abuse, while still being incredibly entertaining and funny. Even the OG animated Pokemon films had more bite than this wreck; at least the first Pokemon film was about animal abuse, and the limits of power. This, is a toothless film that does nothing new, and has no story; it only exists to sell merchandise.

Let’s start with the positives, because there really is only one; the animation.

It’s clear that the budget for this film went all into the Pokemon designs and animation. All the Pokemon are beautiful; they are lovingly rendered and animated, and their designs manage to walk the really thin line between being adorable, and photo-realistic. They are still Pokemon, brightly colored and out there, but they look perfectly at home in the noir setting that is Rhyme city, and for the most part make perfect sense in this context.

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t know what to do with the. There are very few scenes that are inspired, and actually use the Pokemon in anything fun or creative. There is a scene with some giant Torteras that was pretty fun, and later on a scene with a flock of Bulbasaurs that was beautiful, but it also reminded me a lot of Avatar. However, most of the film doesn’t have the Pokemon do anything; they hang out in the background of shots, they look cute or adorably gross, and sometimes they are part of a small gag, like the Kubone at the start. The most fun I had in the film was just pointing at the different Pokemon, and calling out their names, like a 5 year old child (which I imagine is exactly what Nintendo wants me to do in this film).

Because Rhyme City doesn’t allow Pokemon being caught in Pokeballs, training, or Pokebattles, we only get a single illegal battle that’s hamstrung by the fact that Pikachu doesn’t remember how to use his powers. Most of the appeal of Pokemon as a franchise is the collection and battle of the various Pokemon, and that element is almost entirely absent here.

This film’s other big selling point is Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu. Once you get over the initial shock of hearing his very recognizable voice coming out from the mouth of a yellow, electric rat, the appeal diminishes pretty quickly. Reynolds just isn’t funny in this film; he talks a lot, but makes very few jokes, and the ones that do land are far too few. Additionally, there is a pure dirth of visual gags; having your lead character be the only one who can hear his Pokepartner and understand him in a world where no one else can is a goldmine for comedy, but there was really only one gag that landed for me, and no it wasn’t the one where Tim loses his pants.

Moreover, I feel it’s maybe gauche to complain that Pikachu’s characterization was inconsistent in this film, but it really was. Even without the twist, when Reynolds is voicing Pikachu, he flip flops wildly between comedy, and serious drama, and a lot of the more dramatic elements aren’t justified in the film. He has a very strange mental breakdown at the end of act two, where he claims he hurts the ones who are close to him, and he’s dangerous and it’s like… where on Earth is this coming from? He’s been nothing but incompetent for 70 mins of this film, where was this characterization before?

This wouldn’t be so bad, if the film didn’t insist on telling both an engaging, noir detective story, and hard hitting emotional drama between a father and a son. But that’s the hill they are willing to die on, and it’s at the expense of all the stuff that makes Pokemon fun.

Let’s talk about the ‘mystery’ first.  It’s just a rehash of the first Pokemon film; there is a billionaire benefactor obsessed with Pokemon, a corporation wanting to control them and manipulate evolution, Mewtwo is here. How Harry ties into all this could have been interesting if the film had a consistent through line and allowed Pikachu and Tim to actually be detectives and retrace Harry’s footsteps, rather than constantly having various other random characters drop in and tell them what happened.

Even ignoring that, it’s still unavoidable that this plot is a poor and obvious rip-off of Zootopia: we have the unlikely pair of detectives, a convoluted mystery that links to the government, a creepy abandoned experimenting facility, a drug that makes the Pokemon/animals go feral, and EVEN a missing person’s case no one wants to touch or investigate.

The difference is, Zootopia committed to the story and tropes it was using; the relationship between Judy and Nick was a mirror into the larger conflict between predators and prey in the city. They kind of try to do a similar thing here, where Bill Nighy’s character has a strained relationship with his own son (Chris Geere), but it’s a poor, muddled attempt. We don’t care about either of these people, and the revelation that Harry knew Nighy’s character comes too late in the film to change that. The film is too inconsistent and lazy to make any real points about why experimenting on Pokemon is bad, other than in the most simplistic animals shouldn’t suffer message.

The absolute worst part was definitely the relationship between Tim and his dad; mild SPOILERS for this part.

When Tim was 11, he was about to enter his most important Poketurnament, but he missed it, because his father had to take his mother to the hospital due to some kind of accident. Tim was mad at both of them, but then his mother died on that day. Unable to cope, his father moved to Rhyme city, and then invited Tim to live with him, but Tim refused, because he was 11, and depressed, and his father had LEFT him and SENT HIM A TRAIN TICKET, instead of picking him up like a normal adult would.

The whole film, we spend watching Tim, who is lonely, awkward and doesn’t have a Pokepartner, or like Pokemon bond and grow to care for Pikachu, only for then to have his father come back, and he ends up without a Pokepartner again. So why were we building up this Pokemon-master relationship the whole film?

Everything to do with Tim’s mom and his dream to be a Poketrainer was done really poorly. Until my friend pointed it out, I didn’t even realize Tim had stopped training Pokemon because he missed the tournament the day his mother died. There could have been some real drama there, about a child being angry at his parents for not taking him to his then most important event in his life, only for him to then lose one of those parents and have to live with the guilt of being angry at his mom the day she died. But we get nothing like that in the film; Tim is just angry at his dad, with good reason, I might add.

His dad was a shitty parent; he left Tim alone after losing his mother, and he couldn’t even bother to come pick him up and take him to the city, sending him a ticket instead. He then never contacted Tim for the next 9 YEARS. I can’t blame Tim for thinking his father didn’t care; I’m more shocked he so quickly decided he did care because he saw the picture of Tim’s mother in his dad’s house. And then his dad thought it would be a wise idea to send him another train ticket for his 21st birthday? I feel like there are some steps he could’ve taken in between, like I dunno, maybe CALLING HIM.

There is also a twist in the film, that is so obvious and predictable, it’s insulting to call it that. Throughout the film, we never see Tim’s dad; he’s always in silhouette, or obscured or out of frame. The only other big name actor in this movie, outside of Bill Nighy is Ryan Reynolds; hmmm, who could Tim’s dad be.

Let’s ignore the fact that Smith and Reynolds look nothing alike, not to mention Reynolds doesn’t look a day above 30, so him having a 20 year old child is wild, we are supposed to find it heartwarming when Tim throws the stupid train ticket away and stays in Rhyme City. But Reynolds acts nothing like what he did when he was Pikachu, and we spent the whole movie watching Tim bond with Pikachu, not his dad. So for us, this is a complete stranger, who is even less funny than when he was playing a yellow rat, so how is this a win for anyone?

Overall, I only recommend this film if you really, desperately want to see CGI Pokemon, or you have young children who are into the games. I promise, you will have more fun just watching the first movie, or the show, or heck, just playing the games. It’s uninspired, it’s predictable, and it’s not really funny; watch anything else instead.

[texanredrose]

Carry Me Home

Uh, somehow I thought I’d already posted this? But apparently I haven’t? Weird. Anyway, the reward for meeting one of October’s goals! Winter x Sienna fake dating AU, plus some Calichrome (not a triad; still working on that part) on the side.

Sienna scanned the interior of the bar, the light bass that pumped out of the speakers soothing her as much as the alcohol in her system. She'd already been out for a ride earlier, though she'd politely kept out of trouble this time if only to soothe Ghira's nerves, but returning to the bar remained the best way to unwind after a long day. Faunus from all around came to the place- a true landmark, the first Faunus owned establishment in Atlas. It remained a bastion even after all these years where their people would always be welcome.

But her senses remained sharp, always alert to any danger. Sometimes, particularly problematic humans would come along, attempting to provoke them into a fight.

And Sienna? She'd give them that fight, to the point that it'd made Ghira turn grey at the temples but their paths had diverged long ago. Now, he stood as a pillar of the community while she... well... Sienna stood as a pillar of her community, the camaraderie of the White Fang Gang and the patrons of the bar. They achieved the same goals... just through different means.

Even she had her limits, though.

"Sienna?" Her ear flicked before she turned to face Corsac properly, though she didn't bother getting up from her seat. She could tell just by the look on their faces what they would bring up and wouldn't give it any serious thought. "We have a proposition."

"What is it this time?" She drawled, sipping on her beer idly. Before they could start speaking, though, she held up a finger to stop them, lolling her head slightly. "And if I hear that bastard's name come out of your mouth, I'm kicking both of you out for the night."

"But, he has a point," Corsac said, his brother beginning the pitch in earnest.

"We used to be feared all over Remnant. The White Fang Gang stood for something and now we're a run-of-the-mill biker gang." Fennec swept a hand to indicate the rest of the bar. "While we sit here and get drunk, the humans-"

"Also sit places and get drunk." She rolled her eyes. True, some part of her longed for that days when they were as much a group a bikers as that of traveling warriors, showing up in force whenever bigoted humans thought they could intimidate Faunus in one way or another. But those were the old days. "We have to fight our enemies in the proper arenas. As long as we ride, we still stand for that desire to fight and protect what we've built. Our reputation hasn't suffered. But we're not hoodlums destroying property because it makes us feel good." That last part she'd delivered with a sneer, showing clear disdain for the brat who'd dare try to usurp her control of the White Fang. "So unless you have something worthy of my time, go play pool, get drunk, or go home."

"Sienna, we must be proactive-"

Shooting to her feet, she rounded on them, making both cower before her. Even if she didn't typically employ intimidation anymore, that didn't mean she'd lost her knack for it. "Are we not proactive? We have a community that spans all of Mantle, a free flow of resources to ensure no Faunus goes without food or shelter, that each and every one has a safe place to stay. I rode out today to act as guest speaker during a history lesson, to give an account of what Faunus have faced in the past, so our history isn't forgotten." Her eyes narrowed, ears laying back as neither Albain would raise their gaze to look her in the face. "Is that not proactive enough for you? Or do you only define 'proactive' by how much blood is shed?"

They didn't dare lift their heads. As loyally as they seemed to follow that bullheaded idiot's lead, at the end of the day, she was stronger, and they wouldn't start a battle they knew they couldn't win.

"Is everything alright?" Even over the music pulsing through the club, Tukson's voice carried well as he stepped up into the booth area carrying two beers.

"Everything's fine," she replied, resuming her seat. "They were just leaving."

Without another word, Corsac and Fennec left, brushing past the patrons and other White Fang bikers quickly. No doubt running back to tell how they'd failed, yet again, to persuade her.

"Let me guess." Taking a seat beside her, Tukson offered one of the beers, though she still had half of hers left. "The Albains were trying to pass off Adam's ideas as their own again."

"I don't understand their fanatical devotion to that cretin." She scrunched up her nose and then sighed. "I suppose it's my fault, in part. I shouldn't have encouraged his more... violent inclinations."

"It was a different time." He shrugged. "The kid's gone too far now; we all know it."

Sienna remained silent, occupying herself with her beer. Frankly, some part of her missed the days when force was met with force, but she understood the need to be more... reactionary in that capacity now. Rather than picking fights, they attended rallies and protests and marches, acting as the muscle to discourage humans who refused to see them as equals. It worked- and rather well- but, sometimes, she got the itch to throw the first punch, too.

She just had self control.

Her ears flicked forward, picking up the sudden change in chatter that droned beneath the music, how movement suddenly stopped. Scanning the room, her gaze landed on the disruption- though the woman causing it appeared oblivious.

"Hey..." Tukson sat forward, a frown coming to his lips. "Isn't that-"

"I do believe it is." Sitting forward, she set down her beer. "Tonight's about to get more interesting."

Brushing past other patrons, Winter Schnee marched towards an empty seat at the bar, trying not to ground her teeth with every step. She'd made the foolish mistake of heading straight from the airship to the family mansion to meet with Father, hoping for a quick resolution to whatever errand General Ironwood had her running but no.

Of all the stupid, controlling, underhanded, low down-

"Can I help you?"

Absently, she noted the bartender's stiff posture and tone, but couldn't be bothered to care. Instead, she reached into the pocket of her uniform jacket and slapped down every lien she had, plus a card. "Double scotch. No, nevermind, the strongest you have instead, whatever it is, please."

"It's not that much-"

Her gaze flicked to meet his, trying to control her fury as best she could. "The lien is for encouragement; the card is for my tab. I'd thank you to trust that I know my limits."

"Alright." He reached beneath the bar with a nod, then coughed into his fist. "Just the one or..."

"If you could line up four more, it would save us both some time," she replied, running a hand through her bangs while he complied with her request.

Being a soldier, she'd put up with her fair share of last minute changes and nigh impossible deadlines, but the stresses that came with military life paled in comparison to the ongoing agony of putting up with her family.

Well, she shouldn't say that, seeing as she was actually rather fond of her sister, but with her brother taking more after their father than anything, and Father himself being just about the only person she could think of that she wouldn't save from a burning building, the generalized statement remained true.

Some part of her thought that rather harsh, even if the sentiment only existed as a vague frustration vented in the privacy of her own mind- he was her father- but then she thought of all the reasons she had to be furious with the man, added on their conversation just an hour ago, and decided that she wouldn't be remiss at all for such barefaced hatred. The entire reason she'd joined the military straight after university was to leave behind all the trapping and annoyances of her youth, to include his overbearing parenting, but he seemed determined to drag her back into it. Not for any sentimental reason, no, he just didn't like the idea of someone being out from under his nerve.

She tossed back two of the shots the moment they were poured, the unfamiliar alcohol burning all the way down and making her almost regret her decision to drown her anger. The third went down much smoother, though, and the fourth almost felt pleasant.

A single night to drown her anger, to indulge it, before she buried it deep and muscled her way through the misery just like every time before.

With her fingers closing around the fifth, she paused to sigh and rub at her temple. Her last mission to Mistral had kept her at sea level for a few months and she hadn't drank during that time; her tolerance must've quickly left her, for the alcohol to already be filtering into her system. The lack of food probably didn't help.

Did this place sell food?

"You... want some more?" The bartender regarded her wearily while collecting up her empty glasses.

"Does this establishment sell food?" She ignored the question for the moment.

"No."

"Fuck." She ran a hand through her bangs again. "Just one more, then."

Without food, she wouldn't be able to sit there and drink all night- experience had taught her it was a good way to end up in someone's bathtub, and she was running rather short on people in the area she could trust. Reporting to the Headquarters building just so General Ironwood could personally inform her that Jacques had somehow gotten him to order her to attend his stupid gathering left her without a unit to contact and she'd intentionally driven as far from the base itself as possible to put distance between herself and everyone she'd rather like to punch.

She didn't even know the name of the bar, much less the town.

Tossing back the fifth shot, she slammed the glass onto the bar top with a bit too much force.

"You should be more careful." Winter twisted around on the barstool, ready to snap at whoever had so foolishly intruded on an already bad day, but her gaze landed on a Faunus... with absolutely stunning amber eyes framed by dark stripes that stood out against chestnut colored skin. The words died on her lips as she stopped to take in the biking leathers, the metal of zippers catching the low light of the bar. Tall with a nigh regal air about her that seemed much larger, somehow filling Winter's vision with her statuesque physique though they probably only differed by a few inches. Amidst short midnight black hair, two feline ears canted her way, the stripes on her arms clearly marking her as a tiger Faunus while the subtle definition indicated she was a warrior first and dignitary second. She couldn't begin to decipher the meaning of the red mark in the center of her forehead but set that aside for the moment as she began to speak. "If you break a glass, you will be paying for it."

Blue eyes darted to the recently emptied shot glass. "That's... fair. And you are?"

"Sienna Khan." With long, smooth strides, the Faunus claimed the seat beside her and set her beer down on the wood with a dull thunk. "And this is my bar."

"I apologize for my misconduct," she replied, sitting up a bit straighter and making an attempt at controlling the light flush filling her cheeks. "I'm Winter."

Somehow over the music, she heard the quiet chuckle that quite nearly sent shivers down her spine- likely due to the alcohol now crashing through her system. "I'm well aware of who you are."

She looked away coughing into her hand and grabbing the next shot, thankful to see the bartender had another at the ready. "Forgive the attempt at anonymity."

"Now isn't that curious." Sienna leaned against the bar and tilted her head. "Your family isn't usually so keen on hiding themselves. Loud, proud, and rather... obnoxious, I suppose would be a polite way of putting it."

With a shake of her head, she downed the next shot and set it on the counter- much softer this time. "While part of me recognizes it's well deserved, another part of me is constantly at war with the idea of never escaping a legacy I didn't build."

"Turnabout is fair play."

"Indeed it is." She raised the next shot glass. "And here's one to a lesson that never ends."

Part of the reason she loathed attending any manner of family gathering tied directly to her Father's awful personality and terrible business dealings. Their shared home life remained a point of contention as well but, ultimately, unrelated to the much longer problem he'd presented as being a complete and utter douche.

Ah, the alcohol had started kicking in, it seemed.

"So, what brings the eldest scion of the Schnee lineage to a little Faunus owned bar?"

Winter turned her head, meeting those burning golden eyes. "A mighty need for alcohol."

The laugh that answered her brought a little grin to her lips. "I suppose that's the correct answer. Perhaps it's on me for expecting a bigger reason."

"Now that is a longer story and, frankly, you'd probably be amused by it."

"Try me."

Downing the next shot, Winter leaned back, keeping a firm grip on the bar to ensure she didn't lose her seat. "My Father, in typical Jack-ass fashion, has opted to host an extravagant party, to which I am being ordered to attend by the military. Because otherwise, I wouldn't want to be around those old, stuffy, bigoted, pieces of Grimm shit for anything." Blinking her eyes, she noticed the fuzziness in her vision, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the bar. "I fought tooth and nail to get out of that house, away from him. Weiss, too. Now we're being forced back, like there's chains about our throats. It's absolutely abdominal." ... wait. "Abdominal? Abominable? That one."

She reached forward to collect another shot but a hand landed on her wrist, gently stopping her just short. "As amusing as it would be to watch you drink yourself under the table, I think you should be at least somewhat coherent."

"Any particle- particular reason?" Despite the occasional stumble, she remained remarkably in control of her facilities and aware of her surroundings. Like how Sienna leaned closer, using her foot to drag her stool near, and the mixed scents of gas and leather and sweat coming from her jacket, and the way her mouth quirked up into a smirk.

"Have you considered making your father regret forcing you to attend this party of his?"

Her eyes narrowed, unable to connect the dots- and she didn't think that had anything to do with the alcohol. "How so?"

"Do you have a date?" Her smirk slowly pulled a little wider. "Because, unless I miss my guess, your father seems like the type who would sooner jump out a window than willingly stand in the same room as someone like me."

Again, her gaze roved, at first missing the implication, because she saw nothing before her that would prompt her to leave a room- rather the opposite, in fact- but her father was a lesser creature. He'd turn his nose up at the riding leathers and stench of gasoline, he'd roll his eyes as the ink tattooed into her skin, and he'd absolutely go red in the face seeing a proud Faunus sitting at his dinner table.

"You... do you have any idea what you're suggesting?" Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. "He's not a man known for being reasonable or caring."

"And I'm not known for being a doormat." Sienna offered her hand. "Perhaps I forgot to mention. I'm the owner of this bar and the current leader of the White Fang Gang."

The White Fang Gang- the unofficial militia turned motorcycle gang that had always stood ready to protect the Faunus all over Remnant. Painted as criminals by Father but more often than not merely toeing the lines of legality to ensure the safety of their own; she'd heard her fair share of stories about them, and far more correct versions during her tenure in the military. Just knowing the organization continued- and had gained favorable repute in recent years- nearly gave the man a heart attack whenever the news mentioned them. Having a member under his roof, and for that member to be the leader?

Now, she'd caught on to exactly what Sienna was suggesting, leaving the alcohol alone and turning to face her, slipping her hand into the waiting one. "Would you like to be my date for the party and potentially send my father into an apoplectic fit?"

In those eyes, a fire ignited. "It would be my pleasure."

Sienna, somehow, managed to reach her front door without too much difficulty, despite carrying over a hundred pounds of dead weight. "If I'd know you were this much of a lightweight, I would've cut you off sooner."

"I'm not a lightweight; it's the altitude," the woman replied, words slurred but still  understandable, if barely. "Where are we again?"

"For the fifth time, my apartment." She rolled her eyes but got the door open and carried Winter inside, having hoisted her onto her back when it became apparent that dismounting the motorcycle would be a bit too difficult. The ride from the bar hadn't been eventful- in fact, she'd honestly though her passenger had fallen asleep- but her state had deteriorated rapidly between points A and B, making this next step a bit... sticky.

It had seemed like an entirely sound suggestion for them to head back to Sienna's apartment, spend a bit of time in close proximity to really 'sell' the idea that they were together, but that was when she thought the woman would be capable of standing on her own two feet. Now, going through with that idea felt disingenuous at best.

"I like your tattoos." Kicking her door closed with her foot, she debated where to set down her drunken visitor while Winter continued mumbling into her shoulder. "I always wanted a tattoo."

"Of what?" The couch was closer, so she felt a mighty temptation to set her there and grab an extra blanket she kept on hand, but it wouldn't be very comfortable and it wasn't very close to the bathroom. That could be mitigated with a trash can, of course, but she didn't know if Winter would be able to aim well enough and scrubbing vomit from her carpet didn't sound like how she wanted to spend the following morning.

"A bird." One hand made a gesture that... probably would've resembled something, had she been sober, but came out more like an inelegant flap in a nonspecific direction. "Flying, free, perhaps a falcon of some sort."

"You strike me as more of a swan, really." Ultimately, she decided it would be poor manners to simply dump the woman on the couch. The bed was more comfortable anyway. "Why haven't you gotten it?"

"I'm not very free, am I? Trading one set of chains for another." A groan. "I shouldn't say that. It's insensitive."

"I assure you I have much thicker skin than you seem to think." She moved through the hallway leading back to her bedroom, careful not to drift too close to the walls. Not that Winter was waving her arms about but she'd rather not be picking up glass from a shattered picture frame. "Here, you can always speak freely. If you step out of line, I'll be sure to educate you." She toed her door open, momentarily regretting that she hadn't exactly expected company but also not bothered by it. In all likelihood, the woman would stumble out of the bedroom before she'd completely sobered up and wouldn't recall a bit of mess here and there. "And I'm beginning to see that it's not an inaccurate description. Just avoid a direct comparison."

"Of course. That makes sense." Winter sighed. "Your hair smells nice."

Sienna stopped at the side of her bed. "... thank you?"

"Skin, too."

"Excuse me?"

"You just... smell good." A slight groan. "I don't look forward to waking up and realizing this is all a dream."

A grin curled her lips. If someone asked her to imagine how a drunken Schnee scion might act, the reality would be just about the furthest thing from her mind. "Do your dreams often involve the smell of someone's skin?"

"Only the really good ones." With a bit of cajoling, Winter gained her feet, though she still clung to the Faunus' arm as a means of steadying herself before ungracefully falling onto the bed. "Why did you get them? The tattoos?"

For a moment, she stood beside the bed, mulling over whether she should really answer that question or not. Admittedly, she probably shouldn't, but part of the reason she'd invited the woman back to her apartment was so they could become more comfortable around each other. Hiding the truth seemed counter intuitive to that plan.

"There was a time when humans called Faunus nothing more than mindless animals." She sat down on the edge, unzipping her jacket and peeling it off to put her arms on full display. "So I became the tiger of their nightmares, because not only did I bear the stripes and ears of one, I had a mind just as sharp as theirs. They're a testament to how every insult they hurled at me just made me stronger than them."

Blinking slowly, Winter watched her for a moment, obviously fighting the inclination to sleep. "You earned them."

"I did. Through trial and tribulation, through every set back, I earned them." She smiled. "And they're nothing to be ashamed of."

A few nods before her brow pinched together, realizing that perhaps she was too drunk to accomplish that sort of motion at present. "I think they're rather fletching. What? Fetching. Beautiful. Divine."

"That is a step too far, I think." Chuckling, she got up, helping the woman settle and pointing her towards the bathroom. She even flipped on the light and cracked the door, just in case she needed the extra assistance in the middle of the night.

With all that done, Sienna settled on her couch and idly wondered how the following morning would play out. On the one hand, they might still try to pull this off, and she stood a good chance of making a massively public statement without spilling an ounce of blood. On the other... it could be very awkward if Winter had no recollection of that conversation.

She'd find out in the morning, one way or another.

Sienna carefully crept down the hallway, alert for any sounds. She'd woken up shortly after dawn and opted to doze while waiting for her guest to join her but, with the hour just shy of midday, she had to admit to some... serious concern. Surely Winter had to be awake by now, unless she'd somehow slipped out in the middle of the night, and there still remained the question of just what sort of person would wake up. Provided she woke up, of course, though she seriously doubted the woman had imbibed that much in the short time she was at the bar.

From the door, she could hear the gentle sound of the woman breathing, deep and even, and carefully pushed it open.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said softly, leaning against the doorjamb for a moment. Apparently, Winter was a very messy sleeper, though that might be because she fell asleep three sheets to the wind. Experience had taught the Faunus that waking up someone who didn't have their bearings could be a dangerous affair- especially if that person happened to be trained in any manner of combat- so she merely raised her voice. "Time to wake up."

"I am on leave, I wake up when I damn well feel like it," Winter replied, voice thick with sleep and not moving a muscle in the process.

"You may be on leave but you're in my bed."

A moment of silence before the woman suddenly jerked upright, scrubbing at her eyes and casting around before settling her gaze on the Faunus. "... it wasn't a dream?"

Sienna shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Though, if sober you has reservations, we needn't proceed with our plan. Sometimes liquor pulls from us things best left resting."

She looked away, obviously contemplating whether or not to go through with it, but when she looked back, blue eyes seemed focused on the ink on her arms before moving up to her face. "Is breakfast or lunch more appropriate?"

"I know a place that sells both." Her attention fell to the wrinkled clothing the woman slept in, the military uniform beyond wearable at this point. "But you aren't leaving here dressed like that."

The smirk that curled Winter's lips bolstered her confidence. "I would be delighted if I could borrow something more appropriate."

Walking over to her closet, Sienna threw it open to reveal a fair amount of leather. "Let's see if I have something in your size."

After picking out a suitable outfit and seeing Winter bedecked in riding leathers, with her hair down and a smirk on her lips... she had to admit some part of her regretted that this entire venture would only last until the party.

During her life, Winter had imagined more than once wiping the smug look off Father's face. She thought joining the military might do it, denying anything to do with the family legacy, perhaps even flippantly insulting him whenever some reporter chased her down for a sound bite, but it had never worked. He looked at her as he always did, with that stern tilt to his jaw, as if she was just another stone he had to step on to continue on his path. It infuriated her more than she'd ever admit.

But with the roar of Sienna's motorcycle ringing in her ears as they pulled up to the estate a short week later, the potential for what awaited her... honestly, she almost didn't care. It would be good of course, and something she'd look back upon often after he disowned her- or whatever other manner of 'punishment' he might dream up- but it wouldn't be the highlight of the night for her.

No, that spotlight had already been stolen entirely.

Sienna had forgone her usual riding leathers for a more formal outfit- a bit awkward to wear with their chosen method of transportation, but she made it work- wedge heels that gave her just a few more inches and an intricate shawl dyed blood red. Not exactly subtle but it fit her so well, enhanced the cutting look in her eyes, and Winter knew, the moment she saw her, that she would be entering the mansion with the most gorgeous date.

Though, only for the night.

As they pulled up to the gate, she reached out and punched a code into the keypad, allowing the gate to swing open. She could see on the ride up the drive that they weren't the first to arrive but certainly not the last; Father had taken up a position at the top of the steps leading into the mansion, obviously awaiting their arrival.

Unlike the first time she'd rode on the bike, drunkenly slumped against Sienna's back, this time she had her arms firmly secured around the Faunus' waist, squeezing lightly and tilting her head to speak into the special holes cut into her helmet to allow her ears free movement.

"He's watching us."

"Then let's give him a show," she replied, revving the engine and shooting them forward before coasting to a stop off to the side of the drive- within easy reach if they had to make a quick escape.

The moment the engine died, Father began his tirade. "Winter, where have you been?"

Reaching up, she pulled off her helmet- her helmet, because borrowing Sienna's extra one made her feel awkward, seeing as she didn't have a second set of ears to fill the spaces- and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm on leave, Father, and I decided to spend my vacation with my girlfriend."

She dismounted the motorcycle first, the creaking of her leather jacket music to her ears. She hadn't bought herself a new wardrobe in years- the military provided her with work and workout attire, and her 'social life' may as well be nonexistent- but riding leathers of her own, ones that fit her style and her frame, gave her just a bit more confidence as she met his gaze. Truly, she relished the rising tide of fury turning his delicate skin the same shade as a tomato, but turned her attention away to offer a hand as Sienna dismounted.

"Thank you, my Seraph." Removing her own helmet brought her ears out on display, the appendages rotating and wiggling as they often did whenever freed from the constraint. They both set their helmets down on the seat, Winter offering her arm and smiling softly.

They'd spent the past week... well... getting closer, would be one way to put it. Trading simple information at first, over brunch at a Faunus owned bistro that served some of the best food she'd ever had. But, when the night came, Winter found herself reluctant to either return to her family home or retreat to a hotel room, so she found herself on Sienna's couch- after a brief argument, to be sure, but she didn't think it appropriate to kick her host out of her own bed. They spent a few days practicing simple motions, like the casual touches that would naturally come between partners, sitting close together on the couch while watching television, dancing at the bar whenever there were few patrons to object to the change in music, and the like. Winter honestly had never felt more comfortable around someone.

"Father, I'd like to properly introduce you," she said, tearing her gaze away to look at the man- and they very well might push him into a heart attack before they even hit the door, given how he was shaking with barely contained rage. "This is Sienna-"

"I know. Who she is." Through gritted teeth and with an artery pulsing at his temple, he looked at both of them with utter contempt. "How dare you-"

"Please, don't hold it against her, Sir." Sienna's voice was smoother than silk and sweeter than the finest sugar, because they both knew that would piss him off much worse than if she scoffed in his face. "She's always so mindful of the family legacy."

"Of course." Winter chuckled warmly, pouring it on thick as she spied just what she wanted to see out of the corner of her eye. "I know how dalliances would look in the public eye, Father. I wanted to ensure we were serious and committed before going public with our relationship."

Before he had the chance to blow up, they all heard the snap of a scroll picture being taken a moment before some reporter or other darted up to the trio with his device out and most likely recording. "Miss Schnee, can you confirm that on the record? You two are dating?"

"We are indeed," she replied, a soft chuckle passing her lips as Sienna pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

Father opened his mouth, likely to deliver one of his famous, grave 'a word in my study, now' lines, but his attention got pulled away as a limo started up the drive. With Klein in the front seat- and Whitley living at the mansion- he'd obviously just returned with Weiss, whom she hoped would simply shrug off being informed about her supposed girlfriend. They kept in touch more regularly in recent years but... well, she couldn't be exactly sure how her sister might react.

Until the limo came to a stop and Klein hurried to the door, opening it with a beaming smile hiding beneath his bushy mustache.

And he had every reason to do so.

Weiss got out first, of course, but she immediately turned around and offered a hand to her date- someone Winter immediately recognized from her sister's correspondence, even if they'd never been formally introduced.

"Blake." Her own date smiled even wider, obviously enjoying this stroke of luck. "What a wonderful surprise."

"Sienna?" Feline ears- not the same size or shape as the tiger Faunus', and idly she wondered about that- perked up as she laughed, though it sounded somewhat forced. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, my sweet Seraph only informed me a week ago that we'd be attending." She gestured to Winter, and something must've been communicated in that gesture because Blake immediately relaxed.

"See?" Weiss- either playing along or being entirely genuine, it was difficult to tell- turned her attention towards her date. "I truly informed you as soon as I knew."

"I never said you didn't," Blake replied, offering a hand to a third person exiting the limo. "I just wished for more warning; Ilia and I did have a date planned for tonight."

Another Faunus stepped out- this one unfamiliar to Winter, but about the same age as her sister, and she might've missed the brilliant red flush to her skin if she hadn't been so curious- and grey eyes flicked between Weiss and Blake before a scoff left her lips. "I still say this is breaking the rules."

"I will absolutely make it up to you." She reached up, pushing her bangs away from her eyes, highlighting the lack of foundation to cover her scar. "I promise-"

"Who. Are. They?" If Father wasn't close to some manner of aneurysm before, he certainly had to be on the verge of one now.

"Oh, forgive my manners, Father." Weiss turned. "This is my girlfriend, Blake, and her girlfriend, Ilia."

The reporter, who'd shied away when it looked like Father might make a scene, snapped another picture of the trio, drawing a heated glare from the man as he struggled with trying to formulate words.

Although aware of it, she didn't particularly care.

"Her girlfriend?" Winter raised a brow, certain she'd missed some manner of nuance.

Sienna put a hand on the small of her back, a soothing gesture. "Oh, Blake's polyamorous; her partners don't always date each other."

"Ah." She couldn't admit that she didn't quite understand the concept so instead offered a hand to both of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Weiss' sister, Winter."

"We've heard a lot about you," Blake said, offering a small smile and subtly nudging Ilia into at least shaking her hand.

With a huff and something... almost like a growl, Father turned on heel and marched inside, all the while muttering beneath his breath and being trailed by the reporter at a safe distance. Some part of her relished it but she didn't watch longer than absolutely necessary, instead turning her attention to her sister as a question nagged at the back of her mind.

"Last I heard, you two were just friends." She motioned between Weiss and Blake. "How long have you been dating?"

Almost immediately, her sister's composure crumbled. "Uh, well, officially dating is- that, I mean, I don't exactly remember when-"

"Three weeks," Blake replied, her ears twitching slightly as she wrapped an arm around one girlfriend's waist. "She wanted to tell you but... thought doing so in person would be better."

A frown tugged at her lips as her brows furrowed. "While I appreciate the consideration, I would've been happy to know sooner. I'm glad your studies abroad aren't your sole focus." Her gaze drifted to Ilia. "And thank you."

"Me?" Seemingly taken aback, she looked at the others, her high ponytail whipping to the side slightly before her eyes narrowed. "For what?"

"I don't... exactly understand what polyamorous is-"

"Polyamory." Sienna gently corrected, chuckling. "I'll explain it later."

"I appreciate that." She nodded before continuing her thought. "Anyway, while I don't understand it, I do realize that it must be a unique position you're in, and I'd like to thank you for giving my sister this opportunity. I've always worried she'd be a bit too closed off to form close relationships-"

The hand at the small of her back slipped beneath her jacket, the surprising touch cutting her short. "I realize your intentions but I think you might be embarrassing her." Confused, she looked over to find Weiss looking a touch... shocked, she would say, though a blush had started in her cheeks and crept down her neck, but any attempt to further investigate was stopped when Sienna very gently prodded her up the steps. "Perhaps it would be better to have those conversations privately, and not before the sort of night we are expecting."

Winter pressed her lips into a line for a moment before acquiescing, heading through the double doors that served as the entrance to the mansion. "I... suppose you have a point."

"If it helps, I'm quite certain Blake's genuinely interested in her."

For a moment, she considered replying with 'as opposed to us' but the words... well, after spending so much time with Sienna, she had to admit that she didn't look forward to the end of the party, when they'd undoubtedly part ways. She still had to go back after her leave ended and the Faunus had a bar and biker group to run.

They could probably stay in touch, though. After all this, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to propose remaining friends, right?

... although that would mean she'd have to return Sienna's jacket at some point, the very one she was wearing, with the White Fang emblem on the back.

"Something's troubling you," Sienna said as they strolled through the foyer, past several servants who seemed hard pressed to hide their amusement.

"Have you... given any thought to what will happen after the night ends?" She cleared her throat as they stepped into the main ballroom, where guests were mingling and whispering to each other, more than a few throwing curious- and barely concealed disgusted- looks at them, not that either cared. "What I mean is, well, are we going to remain in contact after this?"

A hum answered her at first as her ears flicked around, catching the quiet conversations better than she could. "What are your thoughts on the matter?" One corner lifted up in a wry smirk. "I'm already here so I'll not be running off in the middle of the party, if that's your concern. You can be honest and it won't change the outcome of the night."

"I'd very much like to continue talking," she said, flashing a polite smile at one of the waiters while plucking two flutes of champagne from his tray, offering one to her date. "I'll have to return to Mistral at the end of the week, though, and my next leave won't be for another few months, at least."

"I never thought I'd say these words." Sienna accepted the flute and lightly clinked them together in a toast. "But I'm happy to have made a friend in the Atlesian military."

Although 'friend' wasn't... quite the word she would've wanted to hear, Winter smiled all the same and took a sip. "Likewise for the White Fang. Perhaps next leave, you'll teach me how to ride?"

"I can do that but I must warn you, you'll have to pick out your own bike."  She nodded her head towards the entrance, indicating her own motorcycle. "You can learn on mine but I don't ride bitch for anyone."

"I'd have it no other way." They both laughed, lightly, perfectly at ease despite the rising tide of outrage surrounding them, which only doubled when Weiss walked in with her own dates. Or... date? "Now, about this polyamorous thing-"

"Polyamory." Sienna rolled her eyes, though she didn't seem too upset over her continued confusion. "I'm surprised you're unfamiliar with the concept."

"Enlighten me, please."

"It's when-" Suddenly her ears flicked and her brows pinched together, turning towards the entrance to the ballroom. Whatever had caught her attention seemingly also caught Blake's, causing her to turn around as well, and that set both Ilia and Weiss on edge. "Don't tell me he's that stupid."

Before Winter had a chance to ask, she caught the reverberating roar of several motorcycles... inside the house, by the sound of it, and that proved true a moment later when three motorcycle roared into the ballroom, one after another. Her first thought was to pull Sienna out of harm's way but she got beaten to the punch when an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her just far enough off her feet to be moved back safely while several shouts of alarm from the other guests. Thankfully, the ruffians crashing the party didn't seem inclined to run anyone over, coming to a stop in the middle of the room and shutting off their engines.

"I'm guessing they're not friends of yours." She ventured, setting down her champagne and watching who appeared to be the ring leader of the trio- a bull Faunus with horns sweeping back over his red hair, having ridden in sans helmet.

"More like unruly children I'm forced to babysit." Sienna sighed, drawing herself up to her full height. "Adam, you absolute fool. Just what are you hoping to accomplish?"

"You mean aside from justice?" He sneered, hands clenched into fists. "The White Fang's grown weak under your leadership. It's time we take things in a... different direction."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that going to war is a bad idea." With slow, deliberate movements, she reached up and unhooked the pin keeping her shawl in place. "But if it's a fight you want, I'm more than happy to oblige." As the red fabric fell away, she turned her head to look at Winter. "Have you ever been in a bar fight?"

"Can't say that I have," she replied.

"First rule: only grab a weapon you can use," she said, wasting no time in kicking her leg out and hooking her foot around a nearby chair, pulling it towards her and unseating the stunned man formerly occupying it. In one smooth motion, she folded it closed and lifted it up, grabbing the chair by the legs while Adam pulled a metal bat from the side of his bike. "Second rule: everything's a weapon if you know what you're doing."

Winter watched, slightly stunned, as the other two Faunus- on one she could quite tell, but the ears on the other pointed to some manner of fox- charged forward with switchblades in their hands. They were both soundly met with the chair, Sienna hitting one and using the rebound to strike the other. She thought it would be then that this Adam character would strike, but he'd gotten distracted while glancing around the room.

"You." So much vile hatred packed into a single syllable as he stared at Blake across the ballroom, taking a menacing step forward. "It's almost like fate's brought us together again, my darling."

Quickly looking around, Winter couldn't quite find a recognizable weapon- plenty of paintings of Father, but not a single sword, even a decorative one, really, did the man's ego know no bounds- but opted to simply follow Sienna's lead, grabbing an empty chair and folding it in before coming up behind the Faunus with the ears and slamming the chair against his back. Sure, it probably counted as a bit underhanded, but she was also only armed with a chair while they had knives, so it probably balanced out.

While the two renegade Faunus stumbled and groaned from their injuries, Winter stepped up beside Sienna with confusion plain in her voice as she watched Adam's lunge miss its intended target. "I thought he was here to fight you; why is he going after Blake?"

"Because he's an idiot who doesn't understand the word 'no', and that's the answer to almost any question you ask," she replied, pressing their advantage and delivering another wicked blow to one's head while Winter caught the other as he tried to help, both blows resounding with rather satisfying thuds. "He's never been the most focused, except when blinded by rage, and he possesses absolutely no foresight."

"Then let's use that." She waited a moment until it looked like Adam might to lunge for Blake again, who'd broke away from Weiss and Ilia to draw his attention, before tossing her chair at him, the top of it catching his cheek solidly.

Shaking his head to clear it, his eyes fell upon her with the full strength of his rage.

"Good rule of thumb," Sienna said while stepping in front of her. "Don't throw away a weapon unless you've got a better one handy."

"I wasn't throwing it away; I was handing it off," she replied as Blake, seeing her opportunity, grabbed the chair and cracked Adam across the back of his head with it while Ilia disarmed one of the underlings and Weiss tackled the other to the ground. As the bull Faunus slumped to the ground, Winter plucked the bat from his limp grip, though she didn't have much reason to use it now. "See?"

"I stand corrected." Those golden eyes flicked over her and she couldn't help but preen a little bit. "You're rather good in a fight."

"I'm better with a sword." Purely for the purposes of showing off, she flipped the bat around, the weight of it hardly a problem after so many years spend studying swordplay. "Though I've never seen anyone wield a folding chair with such expert grace."

"I learned from the best." Her attention slid to Blake as she pointedly dropped the chair on Adam's unconscious form for good measure. "Your mother, specifically."

"So I've heard; never thought I'd have a chance to live up to her example." With a small nod, she excused herself to check on Weiss and Ilia, both of whom seemed to be having a quiet conversation that looked far more friendly than their interaction before.

"Klein." Winter turned, handing over the bat. "Keep this somewhere close by and call the authorities. Let them know we've dealt with some party crashers and we'd appreciate their assistance."

"I'm afraid I'll need to step out and make a call." A frown touched Sienna's lips. "Although Adam's been... removed from our ranks, the other two are still active White Fang members and I'll need to spread the word that their actions tonight have changed that. I'll not waste our community resources on them." She looked over at the motorcycles. "Could you ensure their bikes are impounded? They've certainly forfeited any right to them."

"I'll see to it, Ma'am." Klein bowed before shuffling away, bat in hand.

Winter turned her head, flashing a small smile towards some of the other guests. "We do apologize for the interruption. Please, everyone, continue with your evening."

"Is that all you have to say?" Her gaze slid over to see Father fuming as he entered the room. "That degenerate you call a date brought her filthy friends-"

In that moment, something happened that had never occurred before, because for all the times the man tried to get under her skin, she'd retained her poised at least until she left his presence. It was a skill Weiss didn't possess, always quicker to talk back, to show her emotions, but Winter never let him see her break composure. That, she would only allow in private, away from his judgmental gaze.

But that didn't hold true now.

"Shut your fucking mouth," she said, meeting his gaze evenly. "I know your mind's too small to think outside the box you've built around yourself, so allow me to translate into words you do understand. Sienna was just violently attacked by a political opponent, purely because bigoted curmudgeons like you continuously resist all attempts to be decent and fair people. Were you a little less of a blithering idiot, this whole mess could've been avoided, much like the recent poor turn your quarterly reports have taken." A pause, only long enough for him to think her finished, and then she continued. "It's really no wonder the only people willing to be near you have to be compensated for burden."

It remained one of the family's most guarded secrets. That about half of their supposed status and respect in Atlas was bought and paid for with 'donations' made almost every month. That the real reason any threats to the SDC's bottom line were considered so dire was that it would ruin the reputation Father had built. Where their maternal Grandfather had built his legacy upon being a good man, Father could only buy a shadow of the same, and Winter and Weiss knew it.

She knew, by the shaking in his voice and the look in his eyes, that she'd finally crossed the line. "Get out and do not come back."

"Gladly," she replied with a smile on her lips, turning and offering her arm to Sienna. "Shall we?"

"Let’s."

She caught Weiss' eye and noted the look of pride touched with a bit of jealousy- because she would've loved to be the one to tear him down like that- as well as the flash of the reporter's scroll as they left. Frankly, she hoped the caption read that it was one of the proudest moments of her life, because that would be true, but she looked forward to seeing how badly the man wanted it changed. Regardless, being disowned would be impossible to cover up, and no doubt General Ironwood would address the matter personally if asked for comment. Watching the fireworks fly during that interview would be something she'd also anticipate.

"I'd call this a rather successful night." Winter nodded to herself. "Pity it has to end so early."

"The bar's still open." Sienna pointed out, withdrawing her arm- which quite nearly caused her to frown- only to wrap it around the woman's shoulders. "But I think we should go to the tattoo parlor, first."

"Another stripe?"

"No. A swan, for you." She smiled, briefly glancing behind them. "I'd say you've earned it."

She smiled, then, and felt even more pleased with herself than before. It must've clouded her judgment for a moment because she stopped dead in her tracks, slipped a hand to the back of Sienna's neck, and pulled her down into a firm kiss.

In the back of her mind, she panicked, because she'd just grievously overstepped their agreement, but the vast majority of her didn't particularly care in the moment. However, as she pulled away, a blush began to rise in her cheeks that she fervently tried to beat down while looking away.

"I- I apologize. I shouldn't have-"

Fingers grabbed her jaw- gently, but firm enough that she couldn't imagine not complying as they redirected her back to meet those shining golden eyes.

"I agree." Then, Sienna smirked, that same expression she wore when the first met, a look that came to her several times whenever she had an idea she wished to pursue. "You shouldn't have pulled away so quickly."

Twenty minutes later, while people left the party and the police showed up to deal with Adam, Jacques came out to try and dissuade some of his 'friends' from considering withdrawing their support from the SDC. He didn't get very far, of course, seeing as he got sidetracked when he caught sight of them enthusiastically making out, Winter with her back pressed up against the side of the mansion and legs wrapped around Sienna's waist, and it took him screaming until he was almost blue in the face for them to stop.

Rather than bother listening or replying, Sienna just rolled her eyes, gathered Winter up in her arms, and started heading for her bike. A proud soldier she might be but the woman found herself rather enjoying her girlfriend's growing habit of carrying her places.

All in all, the best decision she'd ever made, and Winter casually flipped Jacques off while informing Weiss- who seemed absolutely beside herself with glee as she and her dates prepared to leave for the evening- that she'd be heading out to get a tattoo and that they should meet up for lunch sometime before she left for Mistral.

She never could've guessed that going to a bar with the explicit intention of getting hammered out of fury would turn out so well... but neither was she complaining.