#composer: Freaky Fortune

[chrisdr3]

Damn, why so freaky? ~ DR3

Smut

Warnings: public fingering

Summary: Everyone knows that Daniel is very experienced and a bit freaky, but no one thought he would be THAT freaky.

Daniel was known to be very experienced in everything related to sex. There were old rumours that were still roaming in the paddock. Rumours of him being caught with different girls in any kind of places, even in his garage. Because of that, everyone knowing him well assumes that he's quite freaky too. But only you and him know what's rumours and what's not.

You were on a dinner with the grid, everything was going smoothly (like Carlos) and you were discussing about the Australian GP, joking about Carlos's appendix and it's "help" to his win. You were wearing a black top, blue Converse and a short, dark blue skirt.

Your outfit was one of your favourites and made Daniel painfully hard by only seeing you. He was wearing a pair of white and grey Jordans, black jeans, some rings and the sliver chain you got him, a white shirt and a black bomber jacket from Hugo Boss. Only the sight of his chain made you drool over him like a fangirl.

You were sitting beside him, his hand resting on your thigh. You were talking with Kika about some skincare products when you flet Daniel's hand moving higher and you gasped quietly, not expecting that. His hand stopped there and you continued your discussion. After a good amount of time, his hand started moving again, travelling up and down your thigh, caressing it. You held back another gasp, not wanting to seem weird, gasping out of nowhere.

Kika didn't notice anything, so she continued the conversation. Daniel stopped moving his hand, leaving it pretty high, nearly touching your core. Later on, you were having a chit chat with Oscar about pretty much everything. Meanwhile, Daniel didn't move his hand, not even an inch, distracted by his convo with Max and Nando. At least, you thought he was distracted.

As you were talking, you felt the padd of his fingers touching your core, going through the wet patch in your panties. You immediately shut your mouth, letting a little groan, but made it seem normal. "You okay?" Oscar asked as you felt Daniel putting your panties to the side and caress your folds. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." You responded, trying to seem normal. Oscar didn't quite believe you, but carried on with the conversation.

After a bit, Lando joined your convo with Oscar and Daniel, even if he seemed distracted by his convo with Max and Nando, he noticed that you were concentrating on your discussion and decided to put you in your place.

He suddenly stuck a finger inside you, making you gasp in the middle of your sentence. "Y/N are you surely okay?" Oscar asked again, a bit worried. "Y-yeah...yeah... I'm good." They still didn't really believe you but carried on with the conversation, whilst you were clenching around Daniel's finger.

He kept his finger inside you and started thrusting instead of staying still or pulling out, and continued to discuss normally, like nothing happened. You continued listening to what Oscar and Lando were saying, trying to keep yourself composed and not moan, groan or change your expression. Fortunately the sleeves of Daniel's shirt weren't rolled up, so no one could see his arm muscles flexing.

He turned his head to yours and whispered in your ear. "Do you like it babygirl, or do you want me to stop?" He looked at you and smirked. "I-i like it..." You responded.

"Good, now act normal." He said, biting your ear gently, then turned back to Max and Nando, his finger still thrusting into you, slamming your g-spot mercilessly. You tried really hard to act normal, successfully, sometimes letting out little, unnoticeable gasps.

As you were still talking with Oscar and Lando , you felt the familiar knot in your stomach, meaning that you were reaching your high. You started clenching uncontrollably around Daniel's finger and he noticed it, thrusting in you faster and harder. It seemed you were pretty lucky, because in that part of your convo, only Oscar was talking and you just nodded to him.

After a little bit, you felt that overwhelming feeling of your orgasm being released and you let out a relieved sigh. Neither Oscar or Lando noticed anything and they continued discussing. At the same time, Daniel looked at your thighs with a satisfied grin as he fingered your cum back inside you, they put your panties back to their place and licked his fingers clean without anything noticing.

He patted your clothed cunt and whispered to you. "Better save that pretty cunt's sweet juices for later, baby." Oh, if anyone knew what freakiness was going on under their noses.

Taglist: @pinkswaet @changetyre @dilemmaontwolegs @thef1diary

[starry-blue-echoes]

Well if we're sharing OC Stands...

My favorite one that I've made personally is known as Sunshine Riptide (after the Fall Out Boy song). It's kinda freaky, being a Long Range Colony-Type Stand initially bound to the User's skin, in the form of some sick-as-hell tattoos. Said tattoos are of a bunch of amber-colored frogs, with silver markings on their backs.

SR's Ability animates the tattoos, forming the "Colony" part of the Stand, and are composed of a semi-solid, inky goo that enables them to slip into virtually any unsealed structure due to Goopiness™. This goo is additionally toxic to humans, with exposure to it causing a numbing sensation and sluggish muscle movement for 5 seconds upon skin contact.

Fortunately, these amphibians are rather easy to dispose of, via using freshwater to melt/dispel the frogs. As you can tell, I took a lotta inspiration from poison dart frogs for this lmao

As for who wields the Stand... honestly idk but they're definitely frog themed, and maybe like. the Hol Horse of their respective story. That's kind of just me spitballing here though.

Ooooooooooo 👀👀👀👀👀

The Froogs (frog goos) sound like such fun and chaos, and every second you are not running They Are Getting Closer

[confettiibunny]

ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ⋆. 𐙚˚

older bf!welt x fem!reader ۶ৎ cw :: smut, age gap (not specified), he’s rubbing your clit the whole time basically 😭

۶ৎ notes :: pls accept this as a humble apology for not writing in a while :(( next fic might deadass be dark content so I’m warning my three active followers about that 😓🙏 I’m very paranoid about getting e-jumped so I’m telling everyone now

──── ୨୧ ──── ₊⊹ ──── ୨୧ ────

You were full of bad ideas. Fortunately, Welt put up with your bad ideas. In fact, with the way he had you writhing under his touch, one could argue that he indulged your parlous whims a little too much. It was just by chance you managed to melt the heart of Mr. Yang, the Express’s composed and sophisticated older gentleman.

But if you saw him now, one hand gently covering your mouth while his other gloved hand messily rubbed frantic circles on your clit, this was hardly composed behavior. Especially since these debauched acts were taking place in your cabin next to the others and during the daytime, to add to troubles. It didn’t matter though, because you liked this side of Welt more than anything else.

It hardly took any effort to get him all flustered in the parlor car, just a few tempting whispers and feather-light brushes to have him huffing and covering his miffed red face. And you knew you had him when you stood up and strolled to your room, not needing to turn back to know he was following right on your heels. While you had barely shut the door when he clawed the fabric of your skirt and panties off your body, the way he laid you on your bed was nothing short of tender. No matter how sharp Welt’s gaze would become and how authoritative his voice would sound, he could never stay cold towards a darling temptress like you.

“Mr. Yang…hurry up! Need you so bad-” Even though your hushed voice was muffled by Welt’s hand, he heard loud and clear that needy drawl in your tone. He shushed you with a few kisses to your temple, nudging his nose against yours to get you to relax. While he was tense as a drawn bow, you needed to be eased up if you wanted to take his cock. Gathering the slick at your entrance, it was the same cycle of his leather-clad fingers swirling figure-eights against your clit and his lips kissing every inch of your face.

Through your lust-fulled haze, you studied Welt’s face as you grinded your hips against his hand to silently coax him into fucking you. His bottom lip caught subtly between his teeth to suppress his noises, eyes lidded but his gaze was ever-so-passionate, his face twitching with crumbling restraint as every little mewl you let out made his resolve falter. And those undeniable lines under Welt’s eyes, a testament to mature age. How else would he have you so wet and compliant with just a few kisses and touches? Time has sharpened his skills and you were hell-bent on keeping such a man as himself in your grasp. So what if you were younger than him by a handful of years; you knew what you wanted and what your body craved. And right now your mind and body were working in tandem, with your only desire was to feel him buried in your guts.

Finally, after a purposefully loud whine, he pulled his hand away from your mouth, holding a finger to his lips to silence you again. No matter how much you loved the thrill of such a risk, the last thing you both needed was the whole Express to know you were getting intimate like a couple of hormonal teens. Or, as Stella liked to put it, getting freaky. A quick kiss to your lips was enough to quell your whimpers, not even complaining when his fingers slipped away from your cunt. “You’re doing so good for me, my dear.” His words were like honey on cream, cooeing at you in such a way it made your brain melt. “Such a good girl, just stay quiet and I’ll make you feel good. Just stay quiet and be good for me, pleasepleasepleaseplease-”

An uncharacteristic gasp left his lips and all at once, he pulled your hips forward and hoisted your legs on his shoulders. His gloved hand, still sticky with your slick, held onto your ankle as more open-mouthed kisses were pressed to your hot skin. It burned, everything burned when it came to Welt’s touch.

You scrambled to undo Welt’s pants, tugging at the zipper and pulling it along with his boxers down his thighs, just enough to see the sparse hairs of his happy trail and his neglected erection just leaking with precum. It made you feral like an animal in heat, gasping and whining for him to ruin you already. But all you got in return was the tiniest nip at your ankle before he folded you in half and bore his weight on top of you. Knees pinned to your chest, his cock rubbing against your needy cunt, and his face so close to yours, you could practically taste the pleasure that was to come.

“My pretty girl. Sweet girl, stay quiet for me. You’ll feel good soon, I promise you, if you just stay still and behave.”

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

What if Snowflake got sick and Wally took care of him for a fic idea

While I’m no fan of sick fics myself due to a mix of my own experiences, I hope that this scratches that itch.

Wally was losing it. The damned studio went too far this time and he half wondered if this was how Sammy constantly felt during work hours as he bolted down the hallway to Joey's office. If what the man had felt over the ink and it's effects was not rage, but fear. Pure, gut-wrenching, unbridled fear that could be mistaken for rage.

“It’s going to be okay, kiddo, Joey’s gonna fix this, everything's gonna be fine...”

He reassured the runny imp child in his arms, but had a bad feeling in his gut when his kid’s only response was a tired sounding gurgle. He couldn't lie to himself and say he believed it 100%. His son was melting for Pete’s sake! And if Joey didn’t fix this soon, he’d be nothing but a puddle!

“Joey!" The janitor practically broke down the door. "I don’t know how dis happened, but I swears, if you don’t fix this I’m gonna...”

"A-ah... ACHOO!"

With that sneeze, a sudden burst of ink exploded over the two men with the intensity of getting hit by a giant water balloon. The imp looked slightly more stable after it, but still worse for wear.

"Seems like it's just a cold to me." Joey confidently stated as he took out a handkerchief and wiped ink off of his glasses. "The good news is that as a toon, it's nothing fatal and won't last too long, but the bad news is that it's kinda messy."

"Wait, that's it?" Wally composed himself. "Ya tellin' me dat my kid melting like a freakin' ice cream cone in da middle of a hot summer day is just a cold?"

"Bendy also melts like this when he has a cold." He calmly stated as he put his hand on Snowflake's forehead. "In fact, Snowflake seems to share a lot of the same symptoms to the bug Bendy caught a few days ago."

"Can you two quiet down?" Snowflake grumbled as he slightly shuffled in Wally's grip, trying to get more comfortable. "I just wanna sleep..."

"An excellent idea." Joey stage whispered. "Wally, why down you take him back home and the two of you can rest for a bit?"

"So ya sure nothin' freaky's goin' on here?" Wally whispered back. "Just an ordinary cold?"

"Yep, nothing unusual."

"I mean.. if ya say so, guess I'll see ya next week?"

"Have a good day, Wally."

The director cheerfully replied as the janitor left with his sleeping kid in his arms. While he wanted to trust Joey's words, the older man was well-experienced with this, the truth was that he was still not fully convinced that it was just a cold and nothing for him to worry too much over.

But, fortunately for the janitor, all that Snowflake would need was indeed some rest and maybe hot soup to help. But as for him and the director on the other hand...

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 4: Empty Union

Lance and Keith marry, and endure what every couple endures: gossip.

First  Previous  Next

Lance hears Keith's footsteps falter, hears a tiny chirp as they reach the doors to the throne room. He grits his teeth and pretends he didn't. There's nothing he can do right now except bear the brunt of the work.

The procession enters the throne room, Lance allowing his gossamer cloak to drag the floor behind him. His gold decorations chime in time with his steps. He recognizes a few of his previous paramours among the throng. Poor things. They’ll surely miss him.

Lance has plans.

Lance is the last to ascend the dais, glancing to his sister as she takes her former place next to Coran. Lance sits carefully in his throne, hands dangling from the arms of his chair. His father reaches out to his quintessence, disapproving, and Lance’s gloved hands find their way into his lap, clasped just so. King Alfor draws away.

The doors open again, Emperor Zarkon and Empress Honerva leading the procession in, Prince Lotor following, then Keith, just behind.

The kit looks terrified, but also like he’s trying to look impassive. Lance’s insides clench with guilt. His eyes find a predesignated corner, to where Hunk and Pidge stand. The only people beside his family that Lance actually wanted here. Hunk is smiling, offering a thumbs up. Pidge waves, even as their eyes keep sliding to Keith’s smallish form.

Lance wonders fleetingly if Keith might like them. Hunk, certainly, since the Balmeran will keep him from starving to death. Everyone loves Hunk, anyway. Perhaps he’ll like Pidge, too. The Olkari can be loud and overzealous, but they can be understanding, too. Something Keith might appreciate. Lance makes a note to introduce them to each other as soon as possible...

The royal family of Daibazaal stands to one side of the aisle. Keith kneels before the dais, Shiro’s hand upon his right shoulder.

“Speak, Lord Yurak of House Kogane of Daibazaal,” Alfor murmurs, quiet voice booming through the room. Alfor commands a room just by being in it.

Keith opens his mouth. The entire congregation must hear that shuddering, composing breath. It rings in Lance’s ears.

“I, Lord Yorak of House Kogane of Daibazaal, do hereby swear fealty to the Planet Altea and the presiding Crown. I give my life to the people, my essence to the earth, and my heart to the one who would take it.”

“Speak, Crown Prince Lancel of Altea.” Alfor leans back almost imperceptibly, all the cue Lance needs. Lance stands, slow and trembling. He steps forward, stopping at the edge of the dais, standing right in front of Keith. Allura stands just behind him, hand on his right shoulder.

“I, Crown Prince Lancel of Altea, do hereby accept your oath of fealty to Planet Altea and the presiding Crown. I accept your life, and will keep it well. I accept your essence, and will hold it dear. I accept your heart, and will treasure it always. I, in turn, offer you my life, essence, and heart for your own, to keep, hold dear, and treasure.”

“I accept your generous offer, as you have accepted mine.” Keith sounds like he would rather be anywhere else. He sounds tired.

“Your oaths are heard, understood, and approved, and hereby you are wed,” Alfor declares.

Allura’s hand slips away as she retakes her place. Lance removes his gloves and holds out a hand. Keith takes it, ascending the dais and entering the Altean royal family. Lance turns to Adam, who holds a small pillow bearing a circlet. He lays his gloves next to the piece.

Their hands are now bare to one another, and therefore, so are their hearts. There is no longer anything to separate them.

There is everything to separate them.

Lance gently lifts the circlet, settling it on top of Keith’s head, where it just barely brushes against his ears where it sits between them. They twitch and rotate, adjusting to the gentle touch. It’s kind of adorable.

Lance simply sighs in relief: it fits. Pidge had nearly throttled him when he’d asked them to modify it. Then they’d conceded that they should have thought about Galra ears in the first place.

“Behold Crown Prince Lancel and Prince Yorak of Altea!” Alfor booms. The crowd cheers, more excited for the banquet than for the marriage of their Crown Prince to some smallish Galra nobody.

Lance does his duty and pulls Keith close, one hand at the small of his back, another softly cradling Keith’s face. He presses their lips together as gently and sweetly as he can. Keith responds, his attempt inept, obviously inexperienced.

It would be sweet, if not for the reasons. Instead of dwelling on that, Lance pulls back, rubbing their noses together sweetly. Putting on a show. He draws the pliant Galra into a gentle embrace. That tail wraps around Lance's ankle.

Leaning his head to the side, Lance whispers in Keith’s ear, “Do you remember what I told you in the drawing room?” The Galra nods, muscles shifting beneath Lance’s hands. “The court is a den of lions. Bear with it, and I will get you away as soon as I can, I promise.”

Keith draws back, meets his gaze, but says nothing. Lance isn’t troubled. After all, he’d told the newly-appointed prince to trust no one.

Instead, Lance pulls him in for another kiss, this one more affirming. The courtiers coo and babble. The illusion is working.

...Somewhat.

Keith understands what Lance kept going on about roughly five doboshes into the dinner. The underhanded compliments. The kind that make Keith seethe like nothing else.

“He’s almost cute. For a Galra.”

“Oh, by the Ancients! He has a tail! Oh well. There are worse things, I suppose.”

“It’s actually quite fortunate that he’s small, when you think about it... Not-not that I’m thinking about it dear!”

“He seems gentler than most of his kind.”

“It’s best that he’s the quiet sort. Don’t want those fangs scaring away common folk.”

“He seems surprisingly well-adapted to civilized society.”

“I understand he’s intersex. Freaky, but I suppose it’s for the best. We do need an heir after all. Hopefully they’ll put him away somewhere during, though. I don’t want to see that.”

“He seems very young if you ask me. Almost too young. Though the Crown Prince is probably into that, if we’re being honest.”

Keith stares down at the weird Altean food. It all tastes ‘sweet’, or so he’s been told. He can’t taste ‘sweet.’ Has no concept of it. Instead, everything tastes like what he imagines hatred would taste like: tiny hints and aftertastes that leave him nauseous. He can’t eat.

Lance’s hand reaches down to where his own are clasped tightly in his lap and gently squeezes them. Keith flinches, forgetting his place for a moment, and the warm hand slips away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lance chatting seemingly untroubled with some courtier who’s commenting on how the Altean garb “almost seems to suit the little creature.”

“He was trying to reassure you,” Shiro murmurs in his ear, switching to their native tongue in case anyone overhears.

“Of what?” Keith whispered back. “That he likes kits?”

“I doubt it. He was all but scolding Emperor Zarkon this morning. I was listening by the door.” Keith feels a little better at that. Perhaps Lance will be gentle with him, if nothing else.

Never trust an Altean.

Lance is an enemy in an exceptionally pleasing guise. His ears are adorned with piercings and clasps, tiny gold chains strung between them. His bottom lip is painted gold, his upper in blue. His eyes are lined with blue and gold kohl. His bright blue scales glitter in the light. Even his fingernails are blue and gold. Death in a luxurious vessel.

His smile is pretty too, especially when it reaches his eyes. The only people he seems keen to smile at are his sister and Prince Lotor, though he does try for his fathers. And for Keith.

The prince is definitely trying to smile for him. He never looks happy, though. Keith imagines Lance is disappointed. No doubt he would rather have an Altean sitting beside him.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s still going to-” Keith breaks off, scared. His mating instincts, his drive haven’t even kicked in yet. As he is, his instincts are to run, or, if cornered, to lash out. Like any kit. Shiro gives him another pained look, ears down and to the side in a show of distress. Keith takes a deep breath, pushing down his fear, getting control of himself again. He cannot seem weak before these people.

“Well it’s good that he’s so young. He can still be civilized,” a booming Altean voice rings out. Keith stiffens, on the verge of losing his temper, when Lance raises his voice.

“The next person who says a single word against my spouse or our guests will be removed from court. I’ve had enough.” Silence rings out. Lance sips casually from his chalice, not visibly troubled. “Prince Yorak has married into a society that has spent centuries perfecting the art of killing his species. He is extremely brave, and for that and more, he means the world to me. I won’t tolerate another word. Especially from you, Lord Lanval. You’re drunk. Go home.”

Lance rises from his seat in one fluid motion, offers Keith a bangled hand. Keith stares at it, a confusing mix of fear and gratitude making him slow. But anything’s better than being here. He takes the prince’s hand.

The prince turns to his parents, bows.

“Forgive me. I did not mean to cause such a scene. But we are tired, and shall take our leave.” Alfor nods, looking tired as well. Coran’s eyes seem to smile a little. As they head out, Lance puts a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, leaning down to his ear as the conversation begins to pick backup again, loud and lewd as they make their exit. “When you get to your room, Adam will bring you something else to eat. Don’t force yourself,” he whispers. Shiro has never looked so grateful.

The emperor isn’t eating either. Keith assumes something has been prepared for him as well.

He follows the prince out of the dining hall, comments and bawdy jokes hooted after them. Lance sighs, managing a small smile for him. "Come on. Let's get out of here so I can take this paint off my face. It's been driving me crazy all day. And you can take off that stiff vest. I'm sure you hate it."

"I do," Keith admitted. "I really, really do."

"Quiznak, me too. Let's get out of here. There should be some food waiting for you when we get there."

Keith smiles a small, genuine smile as the prince tugs him along down a series of hallways. It's only the second time that Crown Prince Lancel has seemed like a real person as opposed to some particularly well-groomed pet.

Keith likes this person.

[takerfoxx]

RD Walpurgis Nights 8, Part 6

Then…

Kriemhild had hoped that once she and Homulilly were finally off that enormous clock hand and had something solid beneath them that they would be able to make some sense of their surroundings.

No such luck.

The clock tower that she and Homulilly had woken up on was near the center of one particularly large island, so she had a very good view of the landscape. The city turned out to be composed of a network of circular islands sitting in a large body of water, all connected by bridges. Each island was itself was divided into circular segments, and every few seconds each segment would move a few meters in one direction or the other, each moving opposite of the two segments touching it, taking all of the buildings with it. And whenever it did, the rain would change direction. The city was constantly rearranging itself, and it frankly hurt her head to look at.

It was impossible. It was surreal. And yet, there it was, just a freaky city going around in circles.

Well, at least she and Homulilly weren’t in danger of tumbling into the abyss anymore. They were sitting together on top of the clock, huddled close for warmth. The gargoyles turned out to be depictions of themselves, just several Kriemhilds and Homulillies, all reaching out together toward the horizon, with each pair having one arm apiece tied together by stone wire.

What was disturbing was that though the gargoyles were naked like themselves, they were clearly human. The Kriemhilds all had normal, human legs, and the Homulillies all had flesh on their arms, shoulders, and backs, and none of them had flowers on their heads. Furthermore, on each of the Homulillies’ free arms was a circular shield, identical to the one that had bound the real Homulilly’s wrists together. As for the Kriemhilds, they were all holding bows, bows with stone flowers growing out of their ends.

Kriemhild couldn’t make heads or tails out of them. Were they indicating that she and Homulilly used to be fully human, and someone had turned them into monsters? That didn’t make sense no matter how hard she tried to figure it out. How was this accomplished? Where were they, and why were they stuck there? It didn’t make any sense at all!

Also, what was up with those bows? At least she had seen the actual shield, though its significance was still lost on her. She never saw any bows when she-

Suddenly Kriemhild remembered the strange, bendy wire that had been pressing against her neck. Oh. That had probably been it.

“What’s going to happen to us?” Homulilly said suddenly.

Kriemhild shook her head. “I wish I knew.” They had already circled the top of the clock tower in search of a door to the inside, but there had been nothing. No ladder leading downward, no method of escape at all. So they were stuck: stuck naked in the rain, to die of exposure or starvation, whichever got them first.

Unless we decide to beat them both and just take a walk off the edge, Kriemhild thought bitterly. It was a terrible thing to consider, but it might just be better than slowly wasting away out in the open.

Homulilly glanced at her, almost as if she knew what Kriemhild was thinking. “It’s okay,” she said, reaching out to take Kriemhild’s hand. “We’ll be-”

Then she glanced down, gasped, and suddenly jerked her hand away. Kriemhild stiffened. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, I forgot!” Homulilly said, cradling her arms to her chest. “I didn’t mean to touch you!”

Then Kriemhild understood. Sighing, she reached over to touch Homulilly’s forearm. The other girl winced and turned away.

“Let me see it,” Kriemhild said.

“No!”

“Come on. It’s okay.”

“But…but they’re ugly!”

“I don’t think so.” Kriemhild gently coaxed Homulilly’s arm out and drew it toward her. She clasped the other girl’s bony hand in both of her own. “Besides, we’re all weird here. At least people are supposed to have bones in their arms.” She raised a couple of legs and twisted them around into odd shapes. “Me? I’ve got spaghetti for legs! That’s way weirder!”

Homulilly looked down at all of Kriemhild’s wiry legs where they had spread out around her. She reached down and picked up a few in her free hand. “Can you still feel with these things?”

Kriemhild giggled. “That tickles.”

“This is so weird,” Homulilly sighed. “This is just so weird.”

Suddenly the thunderous bell rang, the sound of it smashing through their heads. They both winced and slapped their hands over their ears, but less than a second later the whole clock tower roughly jerked a few meters over.

The two of them fortunately were sitting a fair distance from the edge, but the sudden shift knocked them both over. Kriemhild sprawled onto the concrete, and Homulilly went down on top of her.

Reeling from the shock, Kriemhild turned onto her back to find Homulilly’s face staring down at her. The two girls locked eyes, and then with a flush of embarrassment, they simultaneously became aware of how much of their skin was touching. As well as…other areas.

“I’m sorry!” Homulilly cried as she leapt off. Her pale face was now red as a tomato. “I didn’t mean to!”

Kriemhild hastily sat up. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she said, though her own cheeks were burning as well. “It’s not like-”

Then, almost as if on cue, the rain reversed direction and started falling down again, soaking them both.

The embarrassment faded from both their faces, to be replaced with resigned misery. Homulilly sighed and sat down. Kriemhild scooted over next to her.

“I liked it better the other way,” Kriemhild said as she started shivering.

“Me too.”

The two glanced at one another. No words were said, but they moved toward each other anyway, huddling close for warmth.

“We’re going to die out here,” Homulilly said.

Kriemhild opened her mouth to deny this, but found that she couldn’t. Homulilly was right. There was nothing they could do, nowhere to go but down.

And as they sat together in shared misery, Kriemhild found herself wondering how long it would take until taking the long road down was the better option.

…

Now…

They sat down together on a pair of nearby rocks. Not too close though; Gretchen was very uneasy about the whole thing, and it was clear that Hitomi was too.

Hitomi’s outfit was…odd. She was wearing a hooded jacket that was too big for her and a pair of jeans that were too long. Gretchen wondered where she had gotten the clothes from. Maybe she had stolen them.

Of greater concern was how she had yet to banish her umbrella. She kept it folded up across her lap, clutching both the handle and the canopy with both hands, the fingers gripping so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. The rest of her was in pretty bad shape too. Her face was gaunt, her hair was a mess, and judging by the how sunken her eyes were, she had not slept well in quite some time. Also, her body would not stop shaking. Her tongue kept flicking out to lick her lips, and she seemed unable to look directly at Gretchen, instead keeping her gaze focused on the grass only to quickly glance at Gretchen every few seconds.

As for Gretchen, she considered keeping her bow at the ready, but realized that given how bad she was with it, it was pretty useless as a defensive weapon. So instead, she leaned it against the rock and pulled off her quiver and kept it near. If things got bad, she could at least grab up one of the arrows as a makeshift knife. She really, really didn’t want to have to hurt Hitomi, but the girl was clearly not stable.

As for Cheese, he remained perched on her shoulder, warily keeping an eye on newcomer. He normally did just fine with strangers, but it was clear that he wasn’t at all comfortable with Hitomi’s presence.

Gretchen couldn’t blame him. She still very felt very bad for Hitomi and wanted to help the poor girl, but she was also all too aware of the dangerous position she was putting herself in. It was like finding a feral kitten that had been hurt. You definitely wanted to make sure it was brought out of danger and taken somewhere that could help, but you also didn’t want to get scratched. And Hitomi could do much worse than scratch her.

“Um, sorry if you don’t like me asking,” Gretchen said. “But how did you get away from the FIB?”

“The what?”

“You know. The Freehaven Integration Bureau? That place you’ve been staying?”

“Oh. That. Um, it’s my umbrella.” Hitomi popped open the canopy, and the inside started glowing. “It…it can take me wherever I want.”

Oh, that couldn’t be good. “Anywhere? Just like that.”

Hitomi shrugged and folded the umbrella back up. “I don’t know. So far it has. I just ask it to take me somewhere and it does.”

“Oh. Um, okay.” Gretchen made a face. This was going to be hard. “So…”

“So you know. Right? Th-That one friend of yours…the witch…”

“Charlotte?”

“Yes. Her. She t-told you? About…about us? About how we’re friends?”

“She did,” Gretchen said after a pause. “I believe you.”

Eyes still fixated right in front of her, Hitomi slowly nodded. “And you don’t remember any of it?”

Gretchen braced herself. “No. I don’t. There were some…I don’t know, flashes of memory when I first showed up, some random pieces and stuff, but it’s all faded since.”

“Oh.” Hitomi winced as if she had been struck. “Oh. Okay. So…nothing about your family or anything?”

Gretchen shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“What about Sayaka? You know her, right? Does she remember anything?”

Gretchen looked at her in confusion. “Sayaka?”

Hitomi paused. Then she slowly looked up to meet Gretchen’s eyes. “Yes,” she said. “Sayaka. Your best friend!”

Uh-oh. That had probably been the wrong thing to say. Gretchen’s mind raced, quickly searching through what bits of her past she knew. “Uh…uh, short blue hair and blue eyes, right?”

Hitomi looked like she was getting a little angry. “You can’t be serious. You were just with her! I saw you!”

“What?”

“Down by the docks! I was following you, and she was there and…” Hitomi’s frustration tied up her tongue and she just huffed.

Uh-oh. Old friends or not, Gretchen did not like the idea of being stalked by anyone. “You were there?”

Hitomi didn’t look at her, but she did not. “Yes,” she said. “I wanted to find you, so my umbrella took me to you. And Sayaka was there! She was right there, in the chair!”

“Well, she has a different name now! She’s called Oktavia now!” Too later Gretchen realized that using Oktavia’s current name probably wasn’t going to make things any better. “But we are very close friends though! But no, she doesn’t know anything either.”

Hitomi stared at her for an uncomfortably long time. Gretchen wished that she could know what was going on in her mind. Was she saddened? Angry? Disappointed? Whatever she was feeling, it was probably awful.

Then Cheese suddenly said, “Bastard son of a corn meal. Son of a corndog.”

Hitomi jerked back in surprise. “Does he…did he just call me a…”

“That’s just…his unique way of expressing himself,” Gretchen wearily explained. “He curses, he reads off parts of recipes, and for some reason that’s all we can get him to do.”

“Oh. I…see.” Then Hitomi sighed. “And I’m s-sorry. It’s not your fault, I know. I didn’t mean to get angry. I didn’t…” She sighed again. “I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I?”

Maybe so, but Gretchen had to admit, she didn’t exactly know the proper protocol either. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then said, “So…how long have we known each other?”

Hitomi wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “About five years, I guess.”

Five years. So, about the same amount of time she had existed in this world. The same amount of time she had known all of her older friends. The amount of time she had known Homulilly.

“So you know everything about me, then? I mean, everything about who I used to be?”

“I don’t know. Most of it, anyway.”

Gretchen looked down the hill toward the town. She knew what she was about to do was a terrible idea. She knew that she would probably come to regret it. She knew that what she was about to do couldn’t be undone.

But she needed to know.

“Th-Then, you know my baby brother, right?”

Here Hitomi actually started to smile a little. “I do.”

Gretchen scooted closer to her and her hand on Hitomi’s. Hitomi stiffened and looked at her in surprise, but she didn’t move away.

Gretchen closed her fingers over Hitomi’s. “Tell me about him.”

…

Mitty and Alyssa’s apartment was…nice. Based on what she remembered of Mitty’s tastes back from the FIB, it was clear that Alyssa had done most of the decorating, with elegant furniture made from dark woods, china figurines of various kinds of dancers sitting on shelves, framed paintings of fantastical creatures like fairies and mermaids (Oktavia would probably have gotten a kick out of that), and a tiny garden all along one wall, beneath a large picture window.

There was a narrow staircase leading to an upstairs area, with a small space between the living room and the kitchen. That was where a dining room table had been set up, one covered by a pink-and-yellow tablecloth. Homulilly had sat down at one end of the table, Alyssa at the other, with Mitty hovering behind her.

“So, what’s the problem?” Mitty said. “Because I have to tell you, you’re like the last person I had ever expected to show up at our door. Especially alone.”

Homulilly bit her lower lip. “Y-Yeah. I’m sorry, but…but…this is just so…”

“Take your time,” Alyssa said.

Homulilly inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. “All right. Um, Alyssa? I’m really sorry if this is rude or whatever, b-but…how do you deal with it?”

“Uh…” Mitty’s face twisted up. “Deal with it? You mean, with me? What the hell?”

“No! No, not that! I mean, you two knew each other in the last life, right?”

Alyssa and Mitty exchanged a look. “Yeah…?” Alyssa said.

“So how do you deal with it? Knowing you had this whole other life and whole other identity and you’re dating someone who knows everything about you but you can’t really talk too much about it because it’ll make you go crazy or something like that. How do you deal with it?”

“Okay. What?” Mitty said. “Homulilly. Wow. That’s, like, super personal!”

Alyssa breathed out. “Maybe it would help if you told us what this was all about.”

Homulilly’s hands were shaking. She quickly moved them from the table to her lap. “Okay. You know how Gretchen and I are living with our friends now?”

“Yeah…?” Mitty said.

“And y-you know how we all were supposed to have known each other in the last life, but since we’re all witches we can’t remember any of it?”

“Sure. Gretchen’s mentioned it once or twice.”

“Okay. Well, we…met someone. Someone who knew us all. Knows us all. And she’s not a witch, so she knows our…our names, who we were, what we were like, what our friendship was like, and…” Homulilly pressed her hands to her forehead. “How do you deal with this? Because the more we know, the scarier it gets, and I’m scared to learn any more, but I also really want to? I don’t know. How do you deal?”

Alyssa and Mitty both gaped at her. “Oh,” said Mitty. “Oh. Holy shit.”

“Exactly! And now I don’t know what to do!”

Alyssa took a deep breath. “All right, have a seat. I’ll go put some tea on. I think we’re all going to need it.”

…

“…and there was this one time where your parents were out on a date, so you were home by yourself babysitting, so Sayaka and I decided to stop by and keep you company. And we all started playing ‘Save the princess from the dragon!’, with you being the princess of course, and Sayaka was the dragon, and Tatsuya was the knight…” Hitomi sighed and rolled her eyes. “And I ended up being his horse.”

Gretchen giggled. “His horse””

“Well, someone had to be!” Hitomi said with a shrug. “Sayaka wanted to be the knight, because she always wanted to be the knight! But after we convinced her that it was Tatsuya’s turn, she immediately called dibs on being the dragon. And you were already the princess, so that just left the horse.”

“That sounds pretty adorable, actually.”

“It was the cutest!” Hitomi all but squealed. “We got one of Sayaka’s helmets and covered it with tinfoil for him and gave him a rolling pin for a sword. And of course Sayaka really got into the being the dragon. After Tatsuya stabbed her with the rolling pin, she just flopped over on her back and starts giving this long, dramatic speech about…oh, I don’t even remember, but she would’ve started reciting Shakespeare if you didn’t make her wrap it up so your valiant knight could ride off with you into the sunset.”

Gretchen tried to imagine that scene. “On you?”

Hitomi paused. “Well, maybe as far as the bedroom door,” she admitted. “You weren’t exactly heavy, but I’m not really all that strong, so…”

The two looked at each other, and then they both started laughing. Gretchen could absolutely picture a young Oktavia over-dramatically acting out her own death scene. And the thought of her and her baby brother riding around on Hitomi’s back while Hitomi strained under the weight was pretty hilarious.

Then Cheese chose that moment to break in with, “Fuck her caramel, and two shits of Worchester sauce!”

Hitomi gaped. “That bird is so dirty!”

“You have no idea,” Gretchen said. She glanced up at the parrot, who seemed to have calmed down. “Do you…want to hold him?”

Hitomi looked shocked by the question. “C-Can I?” she said.

“Well, let’s see. Hold out your arm…”

Looking more than a little dubious, Hitomi obeyed.

Gretchen maneuvered Cheese onto her own arm and brought him over so that she and him were face-to-face. “Behave,” she said, tapping him on the beak. Then she moved him over to Hitomi’s arm.

Hitomi was trembling a bit from nervousness, but she remained still as Cheese stepped from Gretchen’s arm onto her own. “Wow,” she said as she slowly brought him in close. “He’s beautiful.”

“He’s a jerk, actually,” Gretchen snickered. “But yes, he is very pretty.”

“Can I…touch him?”

Gretchen shrugged. “Sure. He likes getting scratched around the neck.”

Hitomi extended a shaking hand. Cheese warily watched her, as if trying to judge if the gesture could be trusted. Evidently he decided that it could, so he turned his head around and puffed up his neck feathers.

“What’s his name?” Hitomi said as she gave him a good scratch.

“Cheese,” Gretchen said. “He belongs to my roommates, actually. We actually just moved in, but we’ve been friends for years. And now that Homulilly and I are living with them, we help out taking care of this guy.”

Hitomi started stroking Cheese’s back. He seemed a little perplexed by that, but he let it slide. “Your roommates? You mean, um, Charlotte and…the others?”

“Uh-huh.”

Hitomi shook her head. “That’s so weird. You were friends with all of them back then, and now you just so happened to meet them again here.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of cool how that worked out. Guess it must be fate.”

Hitomi smiled at that.

“You know, it’s sweet that my mom and dad still went on dates though,” Gretchen remarked after a bit.

Hitomi nodded. She moved Cheese over to her shoulder. “They were pretty great! Your mom’s name is Junko Kaname, and she’s like this big-time business executive. She’s crazy good at it too. It was honestly pretty cool whenever she’d get fired up about a project.

Junko Kaname. Gretchen wished that she had a picture.

“And your dad’s name is Tomohisa Kaname. And he’s one of the sweetest, most kindest men I’ve ever met.”

Tomohisa Kaname. Huh. “What does he do?”

“Well, actually he stays at home to take care of you, your brother, and the house,” Hitomi said.

“Oh!” Gretchen’s brow rose. “A stay-at-home dad, then!”

“Well, your mom is already killing it with her job, so someone has to be around to look after Tatsuya!” Hitomi said with a small smile.

Gretchen noticed. “You’re starting to sound like you have a crush on him.”

Hitomi giggled again. “What! No! I…” Then she gave Gretchen a sidelong look. “Okay, maybe a little one.”

Gretchen burst out laughing. “You have a crush on my dad?!”

“Just a tiny one, and not for very long!” Hitomi said, holding up a finger and thumb with a very small space between them. “It lasted for like a month, that’s all!”

“What changed?”

Hitomi immediately stopped laughing. Her face grew sad, and she looked away.

Gretchen blinked. “What is it?”

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Hitomi said, “Well, th-that’s when I really started to notice Kyousuke.”

“Who?”

The hurt look Hitomi shot her made Gretchen regret the question. “He was my boyfriend.”

Crap. Gretchen suddenly remembered that little detail from everything Charlotte had told them. “Oh. Oh, that’s right. You mean the one…” This time she caught herself, but not in time to recover. “The one that, uh, that…”

“That Sayaka was in love with, yes,” Hitomi said with a sigh. “You know?”

Gretchen slowly nodded. “Charlotte told us, yes.”

“How did Sayaka take it?” Hitomi said after a pause.

Gretchen winced. “Um…she, well, she…”

Hitomi shot her a look. She seemed to know that the answer wasn’t going to be to her liking. “Please. Be honest.”

“Sh-She thought it was…weird.”

“Weird?”

“Okay,” Gretchen sighed. “She thought it was a lame thing to give up her soul for. She was disappointed.”

Hitomi looked stricken. “Disappointed? Lame? She thought it was…” She cut herself off and inhaled sharply, no doubt to bite back on an angry outburst. She breathed in as deeply as she could and slowly let it out. “Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. Fine.”  

“I’m sorry,” Gretchen said.

Hitomi shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. It’s just…you should have seen her, Madoka! She was just so head-over-heels in love with him, everybody could see it!” Then she glanced over at Gretchen. “Well, I guess you did see it. And you saw her, up until the end.”

Gretchen sighed. “I guess I must have.”

The two sat in awkward silence for a bit, with Cheese casually grooming himself while the two girls on other side of him tried to think of what to say next.

Oddly, it was Hitomi that broke the silence first. “So…what about you?”

…

Homulilly and Mitty sat across from each other at the small dining room table as they waited for Alyssa to rejoin them. Homulilly was trying very hard not to meet Mitty’s eyes, but the other girl wasn’t making it easy. She was just sitting there, calmly watching Homulilly, no doubt wondering what was going through her head but content to wait.

The two of them had never really gotten along. Sure, they had sort of made up after that fight at the festival a couple years earlier, but that had been mostly for Gretchen’s sake, and it didn’t mean that they were friends, or even like each other. Even after hostilities had cooled, Mitty had just been Gretchen’s friend, one that Homulilly was willing to tolerate but never felt compelled to actually befriend herself.

And yet, here Homulilly was, paying Mitty a visit to ask for help. It was sort of bitterly funny in a way.

Finally the kettle started singing in the kitchen. There was the sound of the hot water being poured into cups, and a few moments later Alyssa entered the room, carrying a small tray with three cups. She set one down in front of Homulilly and Mitty both before sitting down with the third one next to Mitty.

Homulilly stirred in some cream and took a sip. It was good. “Thank you.”

Mitty sighed. “All right, Homulilly. What’s up?”

Taking a deep breath, Homulilly set her teacup down and, using as few words as possible, described the situation, starting from her and Gretchen’s encounter with Hitomi Shizuki in the FIB hallway and the complete disaster that had been and moving onto the phone call they had received and Charlotte’s subsequent meeting with the newcomer. She told them about finally learning all that was important about one Homura Akemi, and how unsatisfied that had left her. She told them about how much it was eating at her, how she couldn’t get it out of her mind, and how she was worried that if left unchecked, she was probably going to lose her mind. All the while, Alyssa and Mitty silently sipped their own tea and listened.

When she finished, Mitty sighed and said, “Damn.”

“Yes!” Homulilly said. She had tried very hard to keep her emotions under control during the telling, but now they were bursting forth. “And now I can’t stop thinking about it. Why though? There isn’t any reason for this to be bothering me this much! It’s just a name, and it as if I learned anything…big. I didn’t have a family to wonder about, my life sounds like it was pretty miserable, I still have everyone I ever cared about, so this shouldn’t have me all twisted up!”

Alyssa cleared her throat. “Sweetheart, if it’s got you that messed up, then you really should-”

“Go talk to a professional,” Homulilly flatly finished for her. “I know, I know. I’m just…tired of that being everyone’s answer to everything. I graduated. I shouldn’t have to keep going back.”

“Y’know, just because you’re out of school don’t mean stop needing help,” Mitty pointed out.

Homulilly shrugged one shoulder. “I guess.”

Alyssa and Mitty exchanged a look. Alyssa inhaled sharply and said, “Very well then. If you want to know what it was like for me, it wasn’t as bad as it is for you. I went through the whole wondering who I was and all that phase for a while, same as everyone else. Then I got over it, stopped caring, and then-”

“She met me,” Mitty said.

Homulilly settled back into her chairs, her cup held with both hands, though that was mainly to keep them from fidgeting. “What was that like?”

“For me?” Mitty shrugged. “Well, I literally ran into her in while getting coffee. It was like one in the morning, I was up late to cram for finals, so I went out to grab a cup.”

She paused a bit, a faraway look in her eyes. Homulilly didn’t have to ask why.

Mitty continued, “I was standing in line behind her, just running everything over in my head, when suddenly I was like, ‘Wait, I know that hair.’ Then I heard her place her order and was like, ‘Wait, I know that voice.’ And then I put two and two together, and it was like, ‘No fucking way.’”

“She, I will admit, scared the ever-loving shit out of me,” Alyssa said. “I getting home late from work and had been craving something sweet all day, so I stopped at the coffee shop to grab a pastry, then all of a sudden someone screamed right behind me. And the next thing I know I was getting hugged.”

“Can’t blame me for getting excited,” Mitty said.

Alyssa smirked. “I thought I was being attacked!”

“Attacked by love.”

“Attacked by something all right. Anyway, I pushed the crazy lady off of me and got ready to defend myself, but then she starts babbling a whole bunch of stuff that sounded like complete nonsense to me, about how she couldn’t believe that she found me and wanting to know where I had been and stuff like that.”

Mitty cleared her throat. “In my defense, I was already half-crazy from studying.”

“If you say so. Anyway, my first thought was that she was some kind of crazy runaway from the FIB or something down those lines.”

“Well, two out of three.”

“I really had no idea what’s going on, it was so very strange.” Alyssa paused. “And then she said my name. My old name. A-And it was…it was like…”

“It felt like a bell going off inside your head,” Homulilly said softly. “Something fast and sharp that immediately grabbed your attention and wouldn’t let go.”

“Exactly. It was exactly like that. And on top of that, I realized that…that I knew her from somewhere. I couldn’t place it, but she seemed just so achingly familiar. So of course I demanded to know why she called me that, but then…” Alyssa cast a sidelong glance over to her girlfriend.

“But then I accidentally pulled her whole goddamned arm off,” Mitty said.

Homulilly blinked. “Huh?”

In answer, Alyssa reached up into her sleeve and gave her upper arm a twist. The whole thing came right off. She held the detached limb up for Homulilly to see. Though it was no longer part of the whole, it suddenly flexed at the elbow, with the fingers opening and closing freely.

“Witch thing,” Alyssa said with a shrug, and she put her arm back.

Mitty nodded. “So…yeah. That pretty much reminded of what had happened to her in the first place. You could call it a massive discouragement. Anyway, I can’t say I took it well. Pretty much just up and split.”

“Oh,” Homulilly said. “So, um…”

“As for me, everyone told me to just let it go, that it wasn’t worth it, that staying away from this crazy idiot would be the smart thing,” Alyssa said.

“Looking me up was pretty dumb,” Mitty said.

Alyssa shrugged. “Well, I had already been doing the smart thing in each and every other part of my life up until then. I feel I was entitled to one extremely ill-advised decision. Besides, I really couldn’t get her out of my head after that. I looked her up and tracked her down.”

“You can probably imagine how weird it was for me to have her show up at my dorm out of the blue.” Mitty cringed. “I honestly thought that she was going to slap me silly.”

A reasonable enough worry in Homulilly’s opinion. “So, what did you do?”

“Well, I sat down with her and had a talk,” Alyssa said. “I already figured out most of it by then, so this was just confirmation.”

“You told her everything?”

Mitty shook her head. “Uh, no. We agreed to stay away from specific details. It was…hard.” She winced. “Actually it was kind of awful. I had to pretty much ignore everything we had ever done together and never, ever bring it up.”

“We didn’t talk long,” Alyssa said. “Just enough to touch base and get everything straightened out.” She smiled. “Still, I had to admit, there was something kind of intriguing about her, so we agreed to meet for lunch the next day. And the day after that, and the day after that, and before we knew it…” She looked over to Mitty and covered her hand with her own.

Mitty smiled as well, but it didn’t last long. “It was kind of rough at first.”

“At first.”

“Why?” Homulilly asked.

Mitty shrugged. “Well, I wanted so badly to tell her everything, but I knew I couldn’t! I mean, she looked like, uh, the person I knew, and…she acted enough like her to make it weird, but I couldn’t drop my guard and accidentally say something dangerous. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to have met her again, but, you know, circumstances were…complicated.”

Homulilly nodded. That much she fully understood. “How did you get over it?”

“Well, we just started making new memories together,” Alyssa said. “After a while, we had more of those than the old ones, so we just focused on that.”

The way that Alyssa and Mitty’s eyes sparkled as they gazed at one another left no doubt as to that. Normally Homulilly would have kept silent rather than interrupt such an intimate moment, but she had come here for a reason.

“Okay, that’s…great,” Homulilly said. “But how did you deal? I mean, you heard your name, right?”

Alyssa winced, but she nodded. “Right.”

“Didn’t that bother you? Didn’t it eat you up inside, having to deal with this…this big bunch of nothing where the rest of your life used to be, a gaping hole that you were never going to fill, but all of a sudden the most important is suddenly back, and you have the chance to get the rest, but you can’t! How did you deal with the unfairness of it all?”

Alyssa leaned back in her chair, eyes contemplative. “Homulilly, have you ever heard of a thing called ‘spiritual dissonance’?”

“Yes.”

“It sounds like you’re dealing with it right now.”

Oh, there was so little doubt of that. “Yes. Yes, I am,” Homulilly said through clenched teeth. “That’s why I’m here! I mean, didn’t you have it?”

“A…little,” Alyssa admitted. “Believe me, I was very tempted to keep filling that hole. I mean, I knew in my heart of hearts that Mitty had been part of that past, that she could probably answer all the questions I had. Keeping myself from asking was…difficult.”

“What stopped you?”

Alyssa stared off at a point past Homulilly. “One of the therapists had a pretty good way of putting it. She told me that filling that hole wasn’t the like getting a bunch of new dirt to pour in, that the dirt was deep inside me, and that I needed to, um, dig myself out in order to get to it, and that the parts that I moved don’t settle back when I’m done, and…the way she put it sounded a whole lot better, but do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I do.”

“Poor girl,” Alyssa said with a shake of her head. “You have it kind of rough now, don’t you?”

Oh, there was no question about that. “Do you…do you have anything that could help me? A trick, a technique, something I could do to help?”

“Actually, yes. Something that helped tons would be the same thing that helped Mitty. Keep on making new memories. Go and have some fun. Spend time with those you love. Do whatever it is that’s good for your soul. Just don’t try to do it alone.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Homulilly said after a pause, though she had been hoping for something a little more…specific. “It’s just that I’m worried that they might be in the same boat I am.”

“Sounds like you’re all going to need each other then,” Mitty remarked.

“You’re right. You’re right,” Homulilly sighed. Well, that was probably as good as she was going to get. Leaving her unfinished tea on the table, she rose and politely bowed her head. “Um, I’m sorry to have intruded. And thank you for your help.”

Alyssa rose up as well. “Of course.”

A thousand things running through her head, Homulilly turned toward the door. She hadn’t gotten some kind of concrete technique like she had been hoping, but it was a start. Granted, “Go have fun with your loved ones” wasn’t much of a start, since odds were they were all probably a little screwy in the head at the moment, but it was better than nothing.

And, well, if she needed somewhere to start, going to shoot arrows with Gretchen for a few hours in the hills sounded pretty good. That much she could do.

Then, before she could leave, Mitty hurried toward her. “Hey. Look,” the older girl said. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, and okay, we never really got along. But still. You’re kind of all right, and I know how much you love Gretchen. So…take care of yourself, okay?” Mitty stuck out her hand. “You can get through this.”

Homulilly blinked in surprise. Then she smiled and clasped Mitty’s hand with her own. “Thank you. And I hope you’re right.”

…

“M-Me?” Gretchen stammered.

Hitomi shrugged. She transferred Cheese back to her arm and handed him back to Gretchen. “Well, I mean I have been spending all this time catching you up on who you were, but I don’t really know anything about who you are now.” She glanced down at Gretchen’s legs, which were lying flat in the grass. “Other than, you know, being a…a…”

“A witch?” Gretchen said as she moved Cheese up into the branches of the dead tree, to keep him out of the way. Then she drew all of her legs up and curled them towards herself.

Hitomi winced. “Er…yeah.”

“It’s okay,” Gretchen said, patting her on the shoulder. “You can say it. It’s not a dirty word.”

Hitomi opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it and just nodded. “Okay.” She looked back out into the distance. “Also…you’re, uh, you a-and Homur…um…”

At that Gretchen had to smile a little. “Homulilly.”

“Right. Homulilly.”

“Does it really bother you that much? About us being together, I mean.”

“No!” Hitomi said, entirely too quickly to be convincing. She let out what she was probably hoping was a dismissive laugh, but it was too fast and too nervous. “Of course not! I m-mean, it’s your private business, and you c-can love whoever you want, regardless of gender and…” She sighed. “Oh, I am sounding like an idiot here.”

“Hitomi. It’s okay. Really. I know it all takes some getting used to.”

“Some getting used to,” Hitomi repeated. “Yup. Yes. Yes, it does.” She took a deep breath. “So…how long have you two, um, been together?”

Gretchen snickered. She knew she shouldn’t make fun of Hitomi’s discomfort, but it was pretty funny. “Do you mean as friends, or as…girlfriends? Lovers, even!”

Hitomi shot her a look. “You’re teasing me.”

“Who, me? Oh, perish the thought!” Then Gretchen laughed and gave her a playful shove. Hitomi stiffened a bit at the touch, but then she relaxed, smiled, and shoved her back. Gretchen’s smile grew. Yeah, they had totally been friends.

“Anyway,” Gretchen said. “Let’s see: we first officially got together at Sardi’s Land of Miracles, and…”

“Uh, at where?”

“Oh, it’s this great amusement park! I’ll take you there one day! But yeah, our first trip there…” She frowned as she mentally did math in her head. “Okay, it was about a year in, so…”

Hitomi suddenly leapt to her feet. “A year?!”

Gretchen blinked in surprise. “Um, yes. A year. We had been here for about a year.”

Both of Hitomi’s hands went up to cover her mouth. “A year. A full year! How is that even possible? You’ve only been gone a couple weeks!”

Gretchen’s own mouth dropped. “Wait, they didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Oh. Oh no. This wasn’t good. Gretchen was having to tell Hitomi stuff that generally was revealed to the newly arrived by trained professionals, not someone as incredibly unqualified as her in the middle of a grassy field. “About th-the time difference! Time moves faster in here than it does…well, than it does in the other place.”

“I…yes, I heard something about that, but I figured that you had only been here f-for a few months! At most!” Hitomi’s legs started to look like they were getting unsteady, so she plopped back down on the rock and leaned forward with her head in her hands.

Gretchen swallowed. “H-Hey,” she said as she tentatively reached over to lay a hand on Hitomi’s shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s…not…that bad?” She winced. Wow, that had been all kinds of unconvincing.

Hitomi didn’t seem to hear her. She was rocking back and forth, her fingers pressing hard into her forehead as her eyes practically bugged out of her face. “H-How old are you?” she whispered, still staring straight ahead.

“Um…I-I’m not sure, actually. How old was I when I, you know, disappeared?”

Hitomi’s fingers tensed up. “Fourteen. You were fourteen.”

Gretchen sighed. “Then I guess I’m about…nineteen now.”

Hitomi stopped rocking back and forth. Her hands fell to her sides, and she slowly turned to stare at Gretchen. “Nineteen?” she whispered. “You’ve been here for five years?”

Gretchen inhaled deeply. “Yup. Five years.”

“Oh my God,” Hitomi whispered. She got back and up and started pacing back and forth, one hand on her hip and while shoving the middle knuckles of her index finger on the other into her mouth. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…”

Gretchen awkwardly sat and watched her. She had seen other girls have similar mental breakdowns in the past, but there would always been an FIB caretaker on hand to handle that, and whenever it was Homulilly having one, she always knew exactly what to say and do to help her through it. But she felt completely out of her depth with this one. Anything she said could make it worse.

“Are you going to be okay?” she said after a bit.

Hitomi paused and stared at her, finger still in her mouth. “Okay?” she said around the knuckle. “Am I going to be…”

Then she dropped both arms, curled her fingers into fists, closed her eyes, and inhaled sharply through her teeth. “Five. Years!” she hissed out.

Then she sighed, her shoulders slumping. She sat back down with her arms crossed over her knees and gaze downward.

Gretchen leaned over to try to see her face. “Um, are…”

Hitomi sniffed. “I’ll be okay,” she said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “It’s just a lot to take in.”

“Do you…” Gretchen hesitated. What she was about to ask sounded incredibly cheesy. Still, nothing was lost in asking. “Do you need a hug?”

Hitomi actually laughed a little at that. “Actually, you know what? A hug sounds great about now.”

Gretchen gently put her arms around Hitomi and drew her close. Hitomi gratefully snuggled up to her.

“It’s okay,” Gretchen murmured as she stroked Hitomi’s hair. She really did have pretty hair. A shame that Gretchen didn’t have a comb on hand. “Don’t worry. I know everything is strange and scary, but you get used to things pretty quickly. And I’ll be there to help you. Promise.”

Hitomi’s body was trembling. “How can I though, when everything seems to change every five minutes?”

“It only seems like that for a bit. The first few weeks are the worst, yes. And it’s probably going to be hard for a little bit longer. But it does get better. And when it does, things get, well, kind of wonderful.

“I don’t want them to get better,” Hitomi said through clenched teeth. “I want to go home, where I belong.”

Gretchen didn’t have anything to say to that.

“I wanted nothing more to find you,” Hitomi said after a pause. “I thought that I’d save you and bring you home safe, and things would be like they used to be. Instead…” She sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Instead…”

“You found someone different,” Gretchen said softly.

Hitomi sighed. “That’s just it though. You’re so like yourself! A-And I can get used to the witch thing, sure. I can even get used to you liking girls now! But now…” She shook her head. “You not only don’t remember who you were, you’ve had a whole other life! You’re all grown up now. You have a long-term girlfriend, you’ve graduated high-school, you probably have a job, and-”

Gretchen cleared her throat. “Um, well, not yet. Homulilly and I were going to try to go to college first, then figure out what to do for a job.”

“Okay, but that’s so far ahead of me. I mean, a couple weeks ago we were in middle school together, and I thought having my first date made me more grown up. But now you’re a full adult. You’ve been in a relationship for years, you’ve probably ha-”

Hitomi suddenly cut herself off. Her face turned bright red and she hastily looked away.

Gretchen tilted her head, trying to see her face. “Probably what?”

“Never mind,” Hitomi said hastily. “It’s crass. I’m sorry.”

Then Gretchen got it, and she had to keep herself from laughing out loud. “I probably have sex. That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it?”

“Scissor my timbers!” Cheese squawked, which was just perfect.

Gretchen had never really seen someone cringe with their whole body, but Hitomi managed it. Every part of her tensed up. She grabbed her head with her hands as her knees pulled up close to her chest.

Adopting a flighty tone, Gretchen pressed on. “Not at first. We wanted to take things slow, so it was about…” She made a big show of thinking for a bit. “Okay, it was right after that beach trip, so I guess it was a few months after our first kiss.”

“Oh. My. God,” Hitomi breathed out

Gretchen acted like she wasn’t noticing her companion’s discomfort. “It was honestly kind of awkward at first. A little scary, and we didn’t really know what we were doing. But we kept at it, and we got better, so after a while it just…” She grinned widely. “Kind of became part of the routine!”

Hitomi made a loud sound of disgust. “Ugh, that sounds so weird coming from you! You’re…You’re Madoka Kaname! You’re not allowed to know what sex even is!”

Gretchen laughed. “Sorry. Most of my friends have really dirty minds. I guess it rubbed off on me.”

“Finger up the quarter tablespoon of curry!” Cheese declared.

Hitomi actually jumped up and started stomping around, her hands flapping as if the dirtiness were something physical she could toss away. “Ew, ew, ew! Stop talking like that! When did you start hanging around with perverts!” Then she froze. “Wait, is Sayaka one of them?”

Gretchen laughed again. “She’s actually kind of one of the worst ones.”

Hitomi threw her hands into the air. “Oh, of course she is! I should have known. I saw her with her girlfriend down at the docks, and they were, uh, flirting. After you left. Like, really, really…you know…” Her voice trailed off.

Fortunately, Gretchen knew exactly what she was talking about. They’re just like that. You get used to it.

Hitomi sighed and sat back down next to her. Her body slumped over her knees. “I missed a lot,” she said.

Gretchen squeezed her shoulder. “Well, I can help you catch up.”

Hitomi turned her head just enough to shoot her a small smile. She covered Gretchen’s hand with her own. “You always did like helping people.”

Gretchen returned the smile. She was about to make a suggestion when Cheese suddenly took off from the branch he was sitting on and sailed away.

“Cheese!” she said, leaping up. Cheese was a bit of a punk, but he never just took off on his own like that. “Cheese, come back! Where are you-” Then she saw, and she understood. “Uh-oh.”

“What is it?” Hitomi said. Then she saw, and she froze.

As it turned out, Cheese wasn’t flying away. He was going off to greet one of his favorite people, who was standing partway up the hill, staring up at her and Hitomi.

Homulilly reflexively raised her arm for Cheese to alight upon, but she didn’t look at him. “Gretchen,” she said. “What’s going on here? Why is she here?”

Gretchen’s tongue suddenly felt very thick in her mouth. “I…she…”

“Cheese. Home.” Homulilly threw her arm up, sending Cheese flying off back to the house as trained. Now that he was gone, she marched purposefully up the hill toward Gretchen and Hitomi. “Okay, she is not supposed to be here! And she is definitely not supposed to be anywhere near you!”

Hitomi suddenly jumped up and got between Gretchen and Homulilly. “Wait, wait, it’s not what you think!” she said, holding her hands up.

Homulilly focused her gaze on her. Gretchen had to admit, she did look kind of scary. She had seen Homulilly upset plenty of times. She had seen her angry and frustrated before. Heck, she had even seen Homulilly angry with her a few times.

But this was different. She wasn’t red-faced and pouting as she often was when frustrated, nor was she the teary-eyed mess she became when her anger got the better of her. Her face was…cold, her eyes dark and resolute. She had the look of someone who could do anything and everything to remove whatever she found offensive.

And at the moment, she was finding Hitomi very offensive.

“What I think?” Homulilly said. “Oh. Okay. Tell me: what do I think?”

“I wasn’t trying to make the moves on her!” Hitomi cried. “It wasn’t anything like that. I…I don’t even like girls!”

“I know,” Homulilly said flatly.

Hitomi was taken off guard. “What?”

“I know that, you…you moss-brained idiot! You think I’m scared of her cheating on me, of you stealing her from me? You?” Homulilly cleared the remaining distance between her and Hitomi and jabbed one bony finger against Hitomi’s chest hard enough to make her take several stumbling steps back. “No, what I think is that you’re doing the stupid thing and filling her head with everything that she shouldn’t be hearing! It’s bad enough that you already forced her old name on her, but now you’re telling her everything else, aren’t you?”

Hitomi looked absolutely stunned. “Uh…then I guess it is what it looks like.”

“See?” Then Homulilly’s glowered somehow darkened even further. “And hey, how are you even here? You’re supposed to be with the FIB!”

“Magic.” Now Hitomi was starting to scowl as well. “I have it too, you know.”

“Okay, let’s just calm down,” Gretchen said as she tried to insert herself between the two. “No need to-”

Hitomi held up an arm, stopping her. Keeping her focus on Homulilly, she said, “And why shouldn’t I tell her everything? It’s her life! It’s her family!”

“Guys, please!” Gretchen pleaded.

“No, this is her life!” Homulilly said, pointing at the ground. Then she stuck her thumb against her own chest. “And I’m her family! The only family she needs!”

“Can you hear yourself?” Hitomi demanded. “You sound like every crazy jealous girlfriend from every movie ever! She can make her own decisions; you don’t own her!”

“Stop it! Both of you, stop-”

“I’m not going to just stand here and let you destroy her mind with-”

“All right, that’s enough!”

Gretchen wrapped her legs around Hitomi and Homulilly both and yanked them apart. She lifted them into the air and held them there, a fair distance apart from one another.

“Now you two can just stay up there until you calm down!” she said to the struggling pair.

“I’m just trying to save you!” Homulilly cried.

Hitomi hissed at her. “She doesn’t need you to-”

“You’re going to make her go crazy! Don’t you know anything about this world? Witches that hear their old names too often and learn too much about their pasts go crazy!”

Hitomi stopped struggling. “I…they told me something like that,” she said. “But I don’t see…She seems fine to me!”

“Homulilly, I don’t think she’s done any damage,” Gretchen said to her elevated and infuriated girlfriend. “I don’t…feel any worse off.”

The look Homulilly shot her was honestly heartbreaking. “Do you know where I was before I came here?” she said. “Do you know what my errand was? I went to go see Mitty and Alyssa.”

Now Gretchen was just confused. “Mitty and Alyssa? Why them?”

“Because…ever since I learned who Homura Akemi is, ever since I met her,” Homulilly jabbed an accusatory finger at Hitomi, “I’ve had my mind all mixed up! My head keeps spinning, I can’t think straight, and finding out everything about my past just made it worse! So I went to them because they went through the same thing, and I thought that they could give me some advice. On how to deal with this! Because I sure as hell don’t know how.”

A beat passed. Then Gretchen slowly lowered both of them to the ground. She unwrapped her legs from around their waists and withdrew them. Hitomi immediately retreated a few steps while Homulilly just stood there, hugging herself.

Gretchen went over to her. “Homulilly, I…”

Sniffing, Homulilly shook her head and said, “Don’t say that you didn’t know. You did. I told you that this was messing me up.”

Gretchen didn’t have an adequate reply to that, so instead she wrapped her arms around Homulilly and hugged her tight.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should’ve been…I don’t know, I should have…”

Homulilly sighed. “I’m not blaming you! It’s not your fault. I just don’t get why you’re being so reckless!”

She drew back from Gretchen’s embrace to look at her and Hitomi both. “Don’t you guys get it? You can’t bring things back to the way they were! That girl Gretchen used to be? She isn’t coming back! She’s dead! It’s just Kriemhild Gretchen now, and you’re just going to hurt her, hurt yourself!”

Hitomi was openly crying now. “I don’t understand. It’s…it’s her family! Why is telling her about her family so bad?”

Homulilly pressed a hand to her own face. “Tell her,” she said to Gretchen.

“Lilly, I-”

“Just…just tell her! You should’ve told her already, so do it now!”

Wincing, Gretchen turned toward Hitomi. “It’s…it’s believed that when a witch has been made, everything about who they used to be isn’t really gone, it’s just locked away, deep inside us. Sleeping. And things like old names and memories makes them…stir. Start kicking in their sleep, I guess.”

Hitomi’s brow scrunched up. “But then…”

“But it doesn’t wake them up. It never does.” Now that Gretchen was the one reciting the rules instead of being lectured about them, she couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed. “They toss and turn and just keep kicking, but never awake. And in the meantime, all that kicking just…hurts the witch part, I guess. Psychologically, I mean.”

“B-But-”

“Eight,” Homulilly said, dropping her hand. “There are several million witches out there, probably billions actually, and there have only been eight confirmed cases of witches getting their memories back. And nobody knows why it happened, not even them! In each and every other case, the witch would just get more and more unstable until they either saved themselves through…copious amounts of therapy and rehabilitation, or they lost their damn minds!” She took a deep breath, and then practically spat out, “So I would take it as a fucking kindness if you would stop trying to drive my girlfriend insane!”

“I…I…I didn’t mean to…”

“I don’t care what you meant or didn’t mean to do, it doesn’t matter! We were doing just fine before you showed up!”

Hitomi stamped her foot. “I didn’t want to show up! I didn’t want to be here at all, but somehow the witch that beat me to death didn’t get the message!”

“Then you should be back at the FIB getting help for that like everybody else!”

“No! I’m not going back there! I’m not going to spend the rest of…of…of whatever in an insane asylum!”

“It’s not an insane asylum! You’re not stuck there forever! They help you with whatever you need, give you all the therapy that you should be wanting, and then they let you go!”

“No! Screw that! I already know how it works! You guys went through the normal program, while I got stuck with all the crazy people that they stick underground and never let out, just because I wouldn’t just meekly accept that everything and everyone I had ever cared about is gone and I can’t even try to get any of them back!” Hitomi stomped right past Gretchen to get nose-to-nose with Homulilly.

“You know, they must love witches here!” Hitomi said, jabbing a finger right into Homulilly’s chest. “You guys don’t have anything holding you back. You don’t have to worry about your families that are probably still grieving for you, you don’t have to worry about your friends that are never going to see you again! You just accept whatever they say and never make trouble! Well, I’m not gonna! Get used to it!”

Homulilly looked down at the finger pressing against the front of her jacket. Then she looked up at Hitomi’s furious face. She scrunched up one eyebrow.

Then, in one fluid motion, she yanked the sleeves away from her own arms and thrust her bony hands into Hitomi’s face. “Boo!” she yelled.

Hitomi let out a squeak of fear and surprise and fell back right onto her butt, just like she had the first time she had seen Homulilly’s unique appendages. But Homulilly wasn’t done. She yanked off her jacket and let it fall, exposing all her bones for the world to see. Once again, Hitomi’s face went pale and she scurried back.

“See these?” Homulilly said, spreading her arms and fingers wide. She walked forward as Hitomi scooted back, keeping the distance between them to a minimum. “You think it was easy walking around looking like a zombie? You think it was fun having a big blank in my head where my entire life was supposed to be? It took me years to come to terms with walking around in another girl’s skin, with expecting everyone who saw me to run away screaming like you! But then you had to go and say her name and get her kicking. And on top of that, you reminded me that I look like a monster! So don’t go telling me that I have it easy!”

She would have kept going, but she was passing by Gretchen then, who stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Homulilly,” she said, her hands trembling. “Stop. Please.”

Homulilly acquiesced, though it clearly took a great deal of willpower. She stood in place, hands squeezed into fists at her side. Her glare, however, remained.

As for Hitomi, she had scrambled to her feet and retreated back to the rock she and Gretchen had been standing on. She stood there, staring back at Homulilly with wide eyes. “You…you…” Then she screamed and whirled around to kick the rock as hard as she could.

It was an act of pure frustration, the emotional outburst of someone who had been continuously pushed far past what she was able to handle for too long. She had probably expected nothing more than a stubbed toe.

However, she had clearly not been expecting her kick to uproot the rock from where it sat and send it sailing clear over the top of the hill.

Hitomi froze in shock at what she had just done. “Huh?” was all she managed to squeak out.

Then she turned toward the two witches, eyes begging for some kind of explanation.

Homulilly sighed. “What? Really? You didn’t know? You’re a Puella Magi! You have super-strength now, everybody does!”

“I…I do?”

“Yes! Yes, you do!”

Hitomi glanced down at the depression the rock hand made. Then she looked back at Homulilly. Her expression hardened, and she thrust her hand out to one side. There was a twisting flash of green light, and her umbrella appeared in her hand.

Gretchen tensed up. Hitomi was going to attack. She was really going to go that far.

However, Homulilly didn’t seem all that concerned. “Try it,” she dared. “I’m just as strong as you are, remember? Probably stronger. And unlike you, I actually know how to use it!”

Hitomi hesitated. She stood in place, glancing first at Homulilly, then at Gretchen, and finally at her umbrella, clearly weighing her options.

Then she popped the canopy open, blocking their view of her. The canopy glowed bright, and then it snapped shut and disappeared entirely.

Hitomi was gone.

“Hitomi!” Gretchen cried. She ran over to the empty space and looked around. There was no sign of her. “Hitomi, where are you!”

“Gretchen.”

Gretchen turned. Homulilly was still standing where she had left her, her face downcast. The wind had picked up and was blowing her long, raven hair across her face. She didn’t seem to care.

“Let her go,” Homulilly said. “You can’t help her like this.”

“But-”

“You can’t. Get mad at me if you want, but you know I’m right. It was stupid to try to connect with her like we did. Going after her is just going to make things worse.”

Gretchen had to admit, she was kind of mad. Not as much as she was worried, but she was still angry. “Did you have to be so harsh on her?” she said. “Don’t you understand how much she’s hurting?”

“I do! Just like I understand that this won’t help her! It’ll only make things worse, for her and for you!” Homulilly sighed. “And to be quite frank, you’re the one I’m worried about most.”

“But-”

Homulilly went up to Gretchen and put a hand on her shoulder. “Gretchen, please listen to me! I know you feel responsible for her. I know you want to help her! It’s what you do, and it’s one of the many, many I love you so much. But you’re only going to end up hurting her more, and yourself!”

“I know, I know!” Gretchen said in exasperation. “It’s…it’s just…” She struggled, trying to find words to what she was feeling.

Homulilly knew her better than anyone. And she understood almost immediately. “Oh no,” she whispered. “You’re…you’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you? You want to wake her up. You want to remember.”

Gretchen winced. “I…I just…”

Homulilly buried her face in her hand. “Gretchen, no! You’re only going to tear yourself up, you know that!”

“I…I don’t…”

“Why are you doing this? Don’t you know-”

“Because I have a baby brother!” Gretchen wailed.

Homulilly stopped.

Now sobbing openly, Gretchen shook her head and said, “A baby brother. I have a baby brother out there. And I also have a Mama a-and a Papa who loved me very much and…and it’s only been a few weeks since we died, so they’re still looking for me, and they’re never going to find me or know what happened to me so…so I should at least know their names! Can’t I know that at least?”

Now Homulilly was tearing up as well. “But Gretchen…if th-they did somehow find out what happened to know, if they knew that you were here, hurting yourself, how would that make them feel? Wouldn’t they want you to do what’s best for you?”

Gretchen couldn’t meet her eyes.

“A-And there’s still me! There’s still me, Gretchen. I love you just as much as they do. And I can’t stand watching you do this to yourself!”

“But I…I haven’t really hurt myself yet, s-so maybe it’s different-”

“Everyone probably thinks that!” Homulilly cried. “Everyone probably thinks that they’re different, that they’ll be okay! We thought that, when we sent Charlotte to go talk to her!” She took a shuddering breath, tears streaming down her face. “And now look at me! Why do you want to do worse to yourself?”

Gretchen couldn’t meet her eyes. “Lilly. Lilly, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just…please don’t scare me like that. It’s bad enough that I feel like I’m losing my mind. I couldn’t stand it if you did too.”

Gretchen nodded. “Okay. Okay.”

The two of them silently packed up, with Homulilly retrieving her jacket and Gretchen putting away her failed archery practice. Then the two of them walked together down the hill.

Though she didn’t say anything, Gretchen’s mind was racing a hundred different ways. She was mad at herself for being so reckless, a little angry with Homulilly for interrupting things and scaring Hitomi off, ashamed because when it came down to it Homulilly was right, worried out of her mind for Hitomi and wondering where she had gone, and deeply concerned about how she might hurt herself before she was found again. Herself, or others.

It was a lot of confusing and contradictory emotions that she didn’t have the first clue of how to sort out. Maybe Homulilly was right about that too. Maybe this already had her more messed up then she had thought.

Then suddenly, her phone went off. Blinking, she pulled it out. It was Charlotte.

“Um…yeah?” she said, turning it on speaker.

“Hey. Sorry to bug you, but is Homulilly with you?”

“Er, yes. W-Why?”

“Could you guys get back home as soon as you can? We have kind of a family emergency. Candeloro relapsed, and we could use all hands on deck here.”

Candeloro? Relapsed? Relapsed with what? It didn’t make any sense.

Then Homulilly leaned over and whispered, “Drinking. Remember?”

Gretchen swallowed. Oh, that was right. But she had seemed so…so stalwart, and determined! How had she fallen so quickly?

“Understood,” she said. “We’re heading home.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte said, sounding relieved.

“It’s getting worse,” Homulilly said as Gretchen hung up.

“You’re right,” Gretchen said, though she hated to admit it. “Do we tell them about Hitomi?”

Homulilly pursed her lips, but she nodded. “I don’t see how we couldn’t. It’s the best thing for everyone.”

Which was logical, but as the two of them hurried down the hill, Gretchen found herself wondering how true that would end up being.

…

Would you all hold it against me if I said that it felt really good to write dramatic stuff that didn’t involve teenaged romances again?

Until next time, everyone.

[mamazano]

The Floyd needed help. They needed encouragement, equipment, rehearsal, roadies, work, recording contracts, direction and all the rest of it, and their new managers didn’t have the first idea about the roles and attitudes of the established managers, but waded in at the deep end. Now, there’s an old adage which says, “Fools rush in, and get the best seats” – and that, by a strange quirk of good fortune, is exactly what happened.  Over the next few months, the Floyd seemed to waltz into the charts, onto the television and into clubs and theatres without any problems at all.

The Floyd had, by this time, dropped most of their R&B repertoire in favour of the more electronic/freaky stuff and I, in my blissful ignorance, had assumed that this was a result of acid experimentation and the like, but this was not so.  It was done at Jenner’s insistence; he directed them off the “Louie Louie” trip towards the ‘Saucerful of Secrets’ style, and it turned out to be the perfect managerial move – although it was done largely out of ignorance… Jenner mere thought the electronic stuff sounded better than the American imitations which he’d never really been keen on.  Also, thinking that there was nothing difficult in composing new numbers, he impressed on them that they should write more original material of a ‘weird’ nature, but at the same time bearing the requirements of the singles market in mind.  So, their style evolved to the satisfaction of their managers, who thought it was good but had no idea how radically different it was from anything else that was happening in pop music.

By the beginning of 1967, UFO was already bulging to the walls with freaks – and The Pink Floyd, their music becoming increasingly strange by pop music standards, were the big musical draw.  Jenner: ‘At the first two or three UFOs, the Floyd were on sixty per cent of the gross to provide music and lights, and my first managerial blunder was allowing that to be altered so that we got straight bread instead of a percentage, because the place instantly became very fashionable �� I’ve never seen anything like it, before or since.  And the band had become even more fashionable; without any records or any exposure outside of a couple of places in London, we got a centre-page spread in Melody Maker.’

If you know anything about the workings of the pop music industry, you’ll know that any manager or publicist would sell his boyfriend to get a centre spread in MM, but Jenner wasn’t at all surprised… He assumed that this was the normal routine thing to happen to any band.  But the Floyd were becoming red hot; the word was spreading like a forest fire – all the record companies were interested and suited executives were lured into the addict-infested filth of UFO to see the band in action.  Eventually they signed with EMI, who offered them the best deal, including an advance of £5,000, which was just unbelievably astronomical in those days; more like a telephone number than a sum of money – and, surprisingly, EMI really did get behind them and did an incomparable promotion job.

~~ Peter Frame, Zigzag

[tyigoa]

Coping Up in the Modern World

In today’s world, everybody likes to live by their rules. Nobody wants to listen to anybody else who instructs them. They want to make their own mistakes and learn from them. 

Parents want their children to listen to them and obey them. But children don’t want to be told what to do. The movie ‘Freaky Friday’ also shows the same. In the movie a mother and a daughter had a huge age gap and hence could not get along with each other. They go to a restaurant to eat dinner. There the mother forbids her daughter from going on a date. The daughter wants to go on the date and hence they keep arguing while biting their fortune cookies. After having fortune cookies they happen to switch their bodies and the mother gets into the daughter’s body while the daughter gets into the mother’s body.

  After switching their bodies, they feel what the other person was saying and understand each other. Only selfless love for the other person can get this triggered. 

All this doesn’t really happen in the real world. It would be so easy if parents and children could exchange places. There would be lesser problems in families. 

We, humans, are not like plants and crops who give their way to the younger to grow and blossom. We live with our memories and are stuck there. We want the kids to learn from our experience.  If we try to change with time and understand children’s perspective, we might develop a better life with them. We should get open to learning from them. The perfect relationship between parents and children happens when they both understand and adapt to the other’s needs. Not adapting change can disrupt relationships which leave a scar. 

How can this generation gap be covered? 

A perfect medicine to the body, mind as well as the soul is Yoga (not Yoga asanas). 

Swadhyay can help us understand things from a broader perspective and distance ourselves from it. Yoga helps calm our mind which makes us understand the other person in a more composed manner. Yoga helps us look at the situation from the angel when we ourselves were kids and were rebellious with our parents. Life is one big circle; you will have to walk into your parents shoes sometime. We should respect everyone’s belief - be it our kids. 

Yoga teaches us to go in ‘Vairagya’- to distance ourselves from the world. It teaches us not to interfere in other’s lives and develop a philosophical attitude towards life. You should just be a witness to the changes in the world. 

Vairagya doesn’t say leave your children but it says ‘Do your best and leave the rest’. This means to put in all your efforts but post that things will not be in your hand. Explaining our kids doesn’t mean they will listen to us. 

We should not be driven by what society will infer from our kids actions. Rather we should understand them. Parents should understand that children’s happiness is more important than neighbours happiness.

We, at The Yoga Institute Goa, offer 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Course in Goa. 

[dont-hate-relate-pls]

Best Fake Smile II

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader 

Summary: Sometime after the Break Up, your ex decides to show up at your apartment, drunk and absolutely hostile

Warnings: Abusive Ex makes an appearance and name-calls

A/N: My best friend legit FORCED me to continue the ‘story about that blind guy’ and this happened...

 It had been a full week since the Break Up and meeting Matt Murdock at Josie’s, and you’ve been recovering so well; you dumped all of your ex’s junk belongings into a box and told him in a very-angry-and-borderline-threatening text message to pick them up or you’ll have them sent to the nearest thriftshop, you’ve learned to live life as a single woman once again, and honestly, you loved it. Before breaking up with him, you had a largely restricted life, having him tell you what to wear, who your friends were, warnings towards your male friends after any small ‘too-friendly’ contact...Truthfully, he was locking you in a cage as an attempt to hold you down and mould you to his desire, but now you knew, and now you are free from his chokehold on your life. 

Well, as free as you could be, until one fateful Friday night, you chilling in front of the TV with a sizeable tub of Ben and Jerry’s, the only two men you could count on, when a violent hammering at the door shifted your attention, one that belonged to an impatient and pissed off man. “Open up you slutty bitch!” It was a voice you recognized, one you hoped you’d never have to hear again. “I know you’re in there!” 

Opting to stay quiet and feebly pray that he’ll go away, you muted the TV, putting the ice cream away as silently as you could, only for your ex to continue yelling more obscenities and threats in the event you neglect to open the door for him. He’s fucking crazy, you thought, grabbing your phone to dial 911 in case it ever comes to that. Unfortunately, your unlucky door fell victim to the ferocious temper of your ex, you yelping in shock when the door flew open with a loud bang. “You destroyed my fucking door!” You yelled at him, not caring if you weren’t exactly supposed to be at home according to your pathetic plan of hoping he’d go away. 

“Trust me, you little cunt, your door will be the least of your problems when I’m done with you.” He growled before he lunged towards you, your feet betraying you during your attempt to run away from him, slipping up thanks to your suddenly-very-slippery-carpet. 

“Get the hell away from me!” You scrambled for something, anything you could use against the brute of a man you used to call lover, only to find nothing, nothing to weaponise except for your blind fear of him, fear of being assaulted by him. How could I have ever loved this monster? It was in that moment, your ex, with all his violent strength, grabbed ahold of you by the ankles and dragged your much smaller figure towards him across the floor, you trashing wildly at the man, kicking him in the face in the process. 

“Fucking slut!” His hands went up to nurse his most probably broken nose, leaving you to get up on your feet, using your TV remote control as a minimum-damage weapon. “Running around with that fucking lawyer from TV! You think you can run away that easily?!” He bellowed loudly, your heartbeat rising way too rapidly when he mentioned Matt, your blind lawyer friend. Has he been following me?

“For the record, I kind of like that lawyer guy.” A third voice, one you vaguely recognize but couldn’t put your finger to it, voiced out from the doorway where there used to be a fully-functioning door. “He sounds like a good guy.” Both you and your ex glanced curiously towards the doorway, your eyes widening as you realized who the newcomer was; the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, complete with the red suit and ridiculous horns, was standing right in your living room, glowering at your now-livid ex. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are, coming here and interrupting me?!” 

“No, I believe it should be ‘Who the hell do you think you are, barging into this woman’s house and attacking her?’.” Daredevil shot back, shutting down your ex’s feeble protests. 

“I’m her boyfriend, asshat, and I wasn’t even attacking her!” He blatantly lied to the vigilante, you and him sharing a look of disbelief due to your former lover’s false statement. “If anything, she attacked me!” He pointed at his broken nose, then turning to you in anger. But before he could do anything to you, Daredevil lunged towards your ex and had gotten a couple good hits in before the two entered a fistfight right there in your living room. 

The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had your ex pinned by the throat and delivered a relentless series of blows to your ex’s ribs like an unstoppable machine, up until your ex broke free and tackled the red-suited man onto your coffee table, which shattered into a mess of glass and metal under the combined weight of the two brawling men. Fortunately, Daredevil regained the upper hand by head-butting your ex, then composing himself by standing up and retaliating with an uppercut that snapped his opponent’s head back; he was the clear winner of the fight when your ex slumped to the floor, unconscious. 

Shocked by what you had witnessed, you only stared at the man in the red suit, stunned to silence. Turning to you, Daredevil asked, “Are you hurt, (Y/N)?”, before stepping over your ex’s body to be by your side, you visibly shaken. “Did he hurt you?” You shook your head no like a little child, a little confused on how the hell did the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen know your name. Does he have a list of people who lives in the city or something?

“I’m fine, but my coffee table isn’t and I really loved it.” You glanced forlornly at the mixture of shattered glass that was your coffee table on your carpet, knowing all too well that clean-up would be life-draining. “One of my friends gave it to me when I first moved here, and- hang on a minute, I know your voice, you’re...Matt...?” At the mention of friends, it suddenly struck you of how similar Matt and Daredevil’s low, almost eerie-calm voice was, to the point where Matt freaking Murdock, the Murdock of Nelson and Murdock, was an actual possible candidate due to the similar build and height as well. “It makes sense! Nelson and Murdock were working on that freaky Wilson Fisk guy’s case, and so was the Daredevil, and now the Punisher guy-” You began to ramble, just as he tried to cut you off. 

“It’s merely a coincidence, I’m not affiliated with Mr Mur-” Before he could finish his sentence, you caught him off-guard by executing one of those leg-sweeping techniques you learned some years ago, the result being Daredevil flat on his back. Surprised and determined by your ability to knock the red-suited vigilante down, you knelt and removed the mask from the man, revealing one frustrated Matt Murdock, eyes unfocused but knowing that his oh-so-secret identity had been compromised by the woman he had tried to save. 

“You have so much explaining to do.” 

@cigarettes-leatherjackets @nekodresden85 @dare-the-punisher @secondhandsmokemoncherie @batsofanarchy @welcome-to-awesometown @instantangelstudent @nerdyforyourbooks @claraoswald81 

*laughs* 

I freaking love cliff-hangers and then not posting the next ones until...idk next year? HAHAHAHAHA

[mveloc]

Half Life

Author’s Note: I recently had an anon ask me to re-post some of my older fics. I started writing for the fandom before I had tumblr, so some of my stuff isn’t on here (though it can all be found on AO3). Anyway, this is the very first fic I ever wrote for OB. I wrote it during the hiatus between seasons one and two. You can check it out on AO3 here if you’re interested.

"I'm sick, Delphine."

She hadn't meant to say it.

She'd been so careful to conceal it from Felix earlier and the thought of telling her sisters hadn't even crossed her mind. Alison was finally starting to piece her family back together and Sarah... well, she was fighting to hold on to hers. The last thing either of them needed to hear was that whatever disease that seemed to be afflicting them had finally grabbed hold of her.

There would be panic.

Worse than that, there would be pity.

She couldn't stand the thought of either.

She would obviously have to tell them both eventually, seeing as how her symptoms would be impossible to hide as the illness progressed, not to mention the fact that they both had a right to know about their own biology; they were also at risk. But for now, this would be her burden and hers alone.

"I'm sick, Delphine."

She hadn't meant to say it and yet somehow, the words flowed from her mouth like the blood that lined her lungs. She was uncertain if she confided in the blonde because she trusted her, or because she just needed to verbalize it, to accept it, so that she could face the oncoming horror that awaited her.

Now this was real.

No more hiding behind "nothing" or "I'm fine."

As if on cue, Delphine pulled her into a tight embrace and she allowed herself to sink into her confidant's body, temporarily losing herself in the warmth as she cried into the French woman's shoulder. They both sat there in silence, aside from muted sniffles, wrapped in each other. Cosima's eyes were sealed shut, tears searing a trail down her cheeks. The blonde's were wide with horror, attempting to quietly process the bomb that her lover had dropped. After a few moments of welcomed reprieve, Cosima broke away from the hug, wiping her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Sorry," she mumbled, staring down at her fidgeting hands. "Didn't mean to snot into your shoulder."

"Cosima."

The brunette looked up in acknowledgement, waiting expectantly for Delphine to speak. The taller woman opened her mouth, but instead of words came more silence. At a loss, she closed her mouth again and reached out, bringing a hand to the side of Cosima's face, gently stroking her cheek. Cosima closed her eyes and sighed, leaning into Delphine's hand and revelling in the contact for a few moments before they were interrupted by the front door opening loudly and suddenly. Their attention shot to Felix, who came strutting through it.

"Oh. She's still here," he remarked, giving Delphine a once over.

Delphine squirmed on the couch, Felix's hostility making her uncomfortable and small. Noticing this, Cosima quickly tried to diffuse the situation. The last thing she needed right now was two of her supposed allies at each other's throats.

"Have you heard from Sarah?" she asked, standing up and leaving Delphine sitting awkwardly on the couch.

She approached Felix, who was positioned safely behind the counter, scrounging to find a clean wine glass and pour himself a drink. When he heard her raspy voice, he stopped what he was doing and looked over at her, squinting his eyes as if to take her in.

"Are you okay?"

He wasn't an idiot.

Even though he was fortunate enough not to have to deal with the woes of a girlfriend or womanhood in general, he had grown up with Sarah. He'd gotten good at detecting even the slightest trace of disturbance in his foster sister; he'd always known when she had been crying, or when she had been upset about something. Sarah's pokerface was solid, but he always found the crack in it, ever since they were children. As he stared at the dreadlocked girl before him, all of those years came back to him and Sarah's broken face gazed back, only it didn't belong to Sarah this time.

"Yeah. I-I'm fine," she lied. "It's just... I managed to decode my genome. You know, the one that Leekie gave me? Turns out the bastards patented us."

Of course, this was only a small part of her current state of distress, but she withheld the rest from him. Delphine said nothing to betray her covertness, simply staring at the shorter woman from across the room, a look of concern written plainly on her face.

"What? Can they even do that?" Felix asked incredulously.

Cosima wasn't entirely sure herself, but before she could even begin to explain, he cut her off, fearing a possible tangent on the horizon.

"Forget it. How did our sister take the news?"

"Well, she was pissed. Then she hung up. She was on her way to make a deal with that Rachel chick, but I don't know what went down. Maybe you should call her? She's probably tired of hearing my voice," Cosima suggested.

"Right. Better make sure your freaky friends didn't snatch her up," he spat, his voice thick with venom and directed at Delphine, who released a defeated sigh.

"Look, Delphine's trying to make things right. She helped me decode my genome. She's on our side," Cosima came to her rescue.

"Oh, God. Please don't tell me that you two are still shagging each other. Did you shag in my bed?" he asked.

"God, no--"

"She's a narc, Cos. You can't trust a narc. Before you know it, she'll have to tied down to a table like a--"

"I would never hurt Cosima!" Delphine finally burst, shooting up into a standing position.

This caught the other two off guard. She approached them, stopping next to Cosima and staring defiantly into Felix's eyes. If he wanted to be angry at her, that was fine, but she wouldn't stand there and have him accuse her of hurting the very person she'd sworn to watch over.

"Yeah. You would never hurt Cosima," he retorted. "But you'd shag her like some cheap whore and break her heart, all for a few names. I hustle for a living and even I wouldn't do that."

His remark seemed to cut deeply and Delphine lowered her head, staring at her feet. There was nothing she could say because he was right. She had used Cosima. She had betrayed her trust and used their relationship to placate Leekie. She felt just as guilty about it now as she did when she lay in Cosima's bed, lying about the guilty tears she was too weak to conceal.

"Felix, just stop!" Cosima snapped, on the verge of tears herself.

She hadn't meant to get emotional, but the revelation that she was someone's property along with the fact that she was most likely dying had worn her down. All barriers were gone now and Felix was quick to pick up on this. He knew his words were justified, but seeing Cosima in such a state forced him to withhold further accusations.

"Sorry," he muttered in Delphine's direction.

She nodded silently, accepting the truce.

"Look, we're going to go," Cosima said.

She looked to Delphine in a questioning manner and was met with an understanding half-smile. The blonde quickly gathered up their belongings, handing Cosima her coat and bag and waiting for her in the doorway. Cosima slipped her arms into the scarlet coat and Felix briefly flicked his hand in a gesture of goodbye.

"Just... call Sarah for me, will you? Make sure she's okay."

____________________

The cab ride back to the hotel was silent.

Delphine had offered to take another cab back to her own hotel, but the brunette simply shook her head, quietly insisting that they ride together. She didn't see much point, since they were heading in the same direction anyway. That was the logical reason. Of course, her main motivation being simply that she was scared to be alone, so they rode together in a quiet understanding, the blonde snaking her hand across the leather gap between them, resting it atop Cosima's as the unsuspecting cabby weaved in and out of downtown traffic. She peered down at Delphine's hand on top of her own and a very brief, weak smile flashed across her face before she went back to peering out the window.

They rode together in the elevator, getting off at the eighth floor. Cosima led them down the hallway with her measured steps before they finally reached her room. She grabbed the card key out of her coat pocket and slid it through the slot. The light on the handle flashed green and she pushed it open.

"Are you sure?" Delphine asked. "I don't want to impose."

"It's fine, Delphine."

"If you wanted me to leave, I'd understand."

"I said it's fine. I'm fine."

She stopped, catching herself in her own lie and laughing at the irony of her statement.

"Okay, I guess I'm not really fine, but-"

"Cosima."

"Would you just come inside? You're already here."

Delphine nodded and followed her inside, closing the door behind her. She threw her coat on top of Cosima's, which she had draped over the singular chair that occupied the room, then removed her boots and placed them next to Cosima's, as well. She was finally about to speak when Cosima quickly darted into the bathroom, halting any conversation that may have taken place.

Delphine furrowed her brow in confusion, questioning Cosima's urgency. She quickly concluded what was going on when she could hear the shorter girl trapped in a coughing fit and her face softened, a look of woe replacing confusion. She clamped her eyes shut hard and released a silent sigh, composing herself before she hesitantly followed suit. She entered the bathroom and found Cosima hunched over the sink, coughing up splatters of blood onto pristine white porcelain.

"Mon dieu."

She immediately regretted her words as they fell from her lips. She hadn't meant to say them out loud, but somehow her internal voice externalized itself. She just couldn't contain her shock and horror.

"Not God," Cosima corrected, finally catching her breath while still hunched over the sink. "Biology."

She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand and stood up straight, staring at herself in the mirror. Her gaze was dark and intense and she stared into her own eyes, searching. She wasn't sure what she was looking for.

Anything, really.

Where was the flaw? The weakness? Would it manifest itself if she stared long and hard enough? Would she recognize it? Could she fix it? After a moment of quiet contemplation, she broke her own gaze, her eyes wandering slightly to spy Delphine in the mirror, standing just behind her with the same concerned and sorrowful expression on her face since she had heard the news of Cosima's fate.

"I'm sorry," Delphine said, her eyes glossy and voice barely above a whisper.

Cosima arched a brow, still staring at the blonde through the mirror.

"What for? It's not your fault I'm sick, Delphine."

"Cosima."

There it was again.

The only thing she seemed to be able to say.

Cosima.

324B21.

That was how she had originally come to know the spectacled girl, on a sheet of paper.

324B21.

There were many times when she would repeat that sequence, usually right before she went to bed. She thought it might make her task easier somehow. She didn't initially find the idea of being a monitor so morally compromising, but as soon as that charming, eccentric girl came wandering down that hallway to hand her her "forgotten" transcript, that immediately changed. And when they were running hand-in-hand through the quad with bottles of stolen wine, the change became painful. And when 324B21 had first pressed her lips against hers, the change became unbearable.

Now she was just Cosima.

"Cosima."

It was as if she was making up for lost time, familiarizing herself with the name that now occupied her every thought. The brunette finally turned around, but her eyes remained fixated on the floor. She couldn't bring herself to stare into Delphine's eyes. The thought of what she might find there terrified her. It was suffocating, even more so than her hacking fits.

"Cosima, look at me."

She looked up, her eyes settling on the French woman's lips.

"We'll figure this out. Je promets."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Delphine," she retorted, her eyes returning to the floor, yet again.

As if to reinforce her previous point, Delphine reached out, catching the dreadlocked woman's chin and forcing it up so that their eyes finally met. There was a brief respite, both women searching each other. Cosima couldn't remember another point in her life when she had felt this vulnerable; maybe when she had broken down in tears right after the blonde had left her apartment once her betrayal had been revealed. But right now, all of that seemed so far away and unimportant, considering everything that had unfolded in the last twenty-four hours.

Cosima carefully observed a sudden transformation in Delphine's eyes, once sorrowful and apologetic, now blazing with intensity. Before she had time to react, the blonde's lips came crashing down on her own and she felt her lips parting to greet them out of habit.

After a second of initial surprise, Cosima's hands slowly drifted down and found their place on Delphine's waist. The blonde cupped Cosima's face with both hands, holding her firmly in place and deepening their kiss. She'd spent the better part of the night trying to figure out just what to say to her cloned paramour, thinking of what words she could conjure up to try and make things better. When the two of them finally locked eyes and drank each other in, all the hurt and fear and exhaustion apparent, she found that words were not what she was looking for at all. All she could think to do was quell these emotions, to replace them with something else.

Their lips continued to tangle as Delphine slowly backed Cosima into the sink, the brunette's mouth opening even further to release a gasp as her back made contact with porcelain. Delphine took advantage of this, sliding her tongue further into the smaller girl's mouth, the action quickly reciprocated. There was the faint taste of blood, but this didn't deter either of them. She reached for the hem of Cosima's sweater, who lifted her arms up in compliance. In one, swift movement, the sweater lay discarded on the tile floor.

The pale woman's eyes drifted slightly south to absorb newly exposed flesh, taking in as much detail as she could, committing the clone's body to memory; her toned stomach that went taut as gentle fingers brushed against it, the curvature of her breasts concealed behind black lace, heaving as fingers continue their ascent up the ribcage, stopping to cup the perfect mounds through unwanted fabric. After pausing momentarily, her hands continued their journey, sliding up the column of Cosima's neck, tracing her jaw line with a slender finger, then gliding round to the back of the brunette's skull, pulling her head closer until their foreheads pressed together. Both their eyes clamped shut as they panted heavily, Cosima more so than usual. They took a moment to simply breathe each other in before Delphine opened her eyes once again.

"Cosima."

The brunette licked her lips, forcing her own eyes open.

"Yeah?" she mumbled in a trance.

She hadn't been expecting Delphine's sudden onslaught and while she knew that this was probably a bad idea, that they were probably moving way too fast and still had a lot to talk about, she decided, for once in her life, to stop thinking. The only thought in her head was concerning the heat she could feel building in the pit of her stomach, the heat that only grew each time Delphine whispered her name. There was something about the way the French woman said it; a word that seemed foreign to her lips and yet, a word she managed to make her own.

"Venir au lit."

"Huh?" Cosima asked, blinking rapidly.

While she could pick up on common phrases, her French wasn't exactly the greatest. Delphine just smiled lazily, grabbing her hand and leading her back out to the bedroom. They stopped at the foot of the bed, Delphine peeling her shirt off and tossing it to the side somewhere. Cosima found herself unable to control her wandering eyes, standing there in silent appreciation of the slender woman's body.

"I said..." Delphine began, gently nudging the brunette so that she fell backwards onto the bed.

As soon as Cosima hit the mattress, she crawled back toward the headboard, making room for Delphine to advance. The French woman crawled closer, like a lioness stalking her prey, positioning herself on top of Cosima. She pinned Cosima's head between her arms, hovering over top of her, then brought her head down over the tattooed girl's so that their mouths were just barely touching, her hot breath tickling and enticing Cosima's lips which parted in anticipation.

"Come to bed."

"Oh."

Their lips met once again and Cosima sighed, her body relaxing and sinking further into the bed. Delphine was pressed firmly against her now, her knee nestled between Cosima's legs, only contributing to the wetness that was quickly beginning to pool. They spent a long while lying there like that, exploring each other's mouths like teenagers in heat. Cosima had never been kissed like this before. She wasn't sure if it was because the other woman was French, or maybe she just had a lot of practice, but the movements of her lips and tongue were slow and sensual and deliberate. She kissed with such expertise, Cosima found herself lightheaded and she wasn't sure if it was a symptom of her condition or her lover's perfect mouth; she slowly traced the dreadlocked girl's bottom lip with her tongue before dipping it inside her mouth, Cosima's lips parting wider in compliance. Tongues grazed against each other in gentle, languid strokes and just as Cosima grew used to the motion, the blonde would reclaim her tongue once again, breaking away but never completely, always leaving her lips lightly skimming over Cosima's, as if to tease her and leave her wanting more.

"Delphine," Cosima whispered breathlessly against her lips.

"Oui, ma cherie?"

"Nobody likes a tease."

"You seem to," she quickly retorted, biting her lower lip in an attempt to conceal a playful smile.

Cosima sat up abruptly, forcing Delphine to follow suit. The blonde was now straddled in her lap and Cosima buried her face in her neck, planting kisses along her jugular. Delphine sighed in pleasure, her hands on the back of Cosima's head, holding her close to her body. Cosima's hands found their way to the clasp of Delphine's bra, opening the contraption with a quick flick of her fingers. The French woman couldn't help but be impressed at the American's deft fingers. Sensing her awe, Cosima smirked, then captured the blonde's lips in a quick kiss.

"I've had lots of practice," she explained.

"Je parie."

Mimicking the girl beneath her, Delphine reached around to unhook Cosima's bra, only her fingers weren't nearly as skilled as her lover's. After fiddling with the clasp for a moment, Cosima reached behind to help her.

"I guess I'll have to practice more, too."

"Well, let's hope I'm around long enough for you to get the chance."

"Hush, mon amour."

She brought her index finger to Cosima's lips in an attempt to silence her. Cosima planted a chaste kiss on it before taking the finger in her mouth, sucking lightly and eliciting a moan. Delphine withdrew her finger, forcing the girl onto her back once again.

"We won't speak of such things," she whispered, planting a line of open-mouthed kisses down the column of Cosima's neck.

Cosima moaned and writhed beneath her as she continued her trail, traveling down through the valley of her breasts. When she caught Cosima's left nipple in her mouth, sucking and tugging gently, the American jerked suddenly, feeling a jolt of electricity shoot through her body. Delphine's hand went to the other breast, massaging it gently, rolling the nipple between her fingers as her tongue continued to trace circles around its counterpart.

Their first time had been frenzied; clothes were quickly discarded and hands were everywhere, desperate for any skin they could claim. It was all a fury of tongue and fingers, hands and teeth, culminating in a somewhat awkward combustion. There was hardly any time to really explore each other and Delphine's nervousness prevented her from fully engaging the petite brunette in the way she would have liked, relying on Cosima to set the pace and guide the way. They hadn't even removed their panties, as every time Cosima's fingers wandered to the hem of Delphine's underwear, the blonde tensed up and the brunette relented. She had to settle for pushing the fabric to the side and slipping her fingers in when all she had really wanted to do was taste Delphine.

This time was different.

It wasn't hurried or clumsy. Each movement was deliberate and while Cosima could still sense a slight hesitation within Delphine, it wasn't as crippling as it had been before. The blonde had been almost afraid to touch her, uncertain in her actions. Every time her hands grew a mind of their own, she feared they were too sophomoric and quickly reclaimed them, suppressing her natural curiosity. Cosima had to grab her hand and place it between her own legs, just so Delphine could understand that she wasn't being invasive and that her touch was more than welcome, despite how inexperienced it was. The faint hesitation this time didn't come from performance anxiety, but from Cosima's now delicate state. She worried that if she was too rough, if things became too intense, she might hurt Cosima or send her into another bloody coughing fit.

"I'm okay. Really," Cosima said, reading the blonde's mind.

She wasn't sure if her words were true, but she couldn't stand to be seen as some sort of sickly patient, especially by Delphine. She figured there would be plenty of time to worry later. Right now, all she wanted was to be enveloped in Delphine's warmth.

Delphine's hands drifted down to the hem of Cosima's skirt. She looked up and the two made eye contact briefly, a mutual understanding passing between them as the French woman peeled the article of clothing off, removing the leggings underneath, as well. She lay there in nothing but her underwear and the blonde began to plant soft kisses right below her navel, treading over the top of her panties. She made quick work of removing them, then running her hands up Cosima's smooth legs.

"Tres belle."

Cosima smiled, reaching down to thread her fingers through messy blonde tresses. Before Delphine could proceed any further, she guided her head back up, pulling her into a deep kiss and wrapping her arms tightly around her pale lover.

She felt utterly exposed and yet, she was somehow okay with it. She never thought she'd allow herself to be so vulnerable around Delphine ever again, but her monitor was right, after all; whatever existed between them was not a lie. It simply wasn't possible.

Delphine pressed her thigh against Cosima's warmth, feeling the wetness that had accumulated even through her jeans. The quirky girl groaned, squeezing her thighs together and trapping Delphine's leg in position. She bucked against it, then dug her nails into the pasty flesh of the blonde's back, dragging them down to the small of her back. Delphine hissed and arched her head back, unprepared for the sudden pain but welcoming it nonetheless. Cosima took advantage of Delphine's exposed neck, pressing a kiss to her throat and nipping it gently.

"What was that for?"

Cosima flashed one of her characteristic, toothy grins.

"You're wearing too much clothing," she justified, reaching down to pop open the button on Delphine's jeans, then drag the zipper down. "It's not fair."

"Oh," Delphine uttered, returning Cosima's smile and stealing a quick kiss as she maneuvered herself out of her jeans. "So sorry."

Without missing a beat, Cosima quickly flipped them over so that Delphine was now on her back, the brunette straddling her waist. The look of surprise on the French woman's face quickly subsided, replaced by desire.

"Prove it," Cosima challenged.

The blonde shot up in an instant, her hands extended behind her, propping her up and supporting her weight. Their lips collided once again, all reservations lost. Their tongues dueled, both of them seeking dominance, neither willing to concede in the moment. Once again, it was a complete reversal from their last encounter, where Cosima had assumed the more dominant role and the uncertain blonde was more than willing to allow it. She reached for Cosima's glasses, breaking their kiss only for a second so that she could remove them, tossing them carefully onto the nightstand before her lips continued their dance. In an attempt to gain the upper hand, Cosima's fingers slowly trailed down Delphine's stomach, halting at her center. Despite being guarded by fabric, the wetness was undeniable and the flimsy piece of cloth was soaked through. Delphine's breath hitched as Cosima slowly ran her middle finger up and down, tracing her womanhood and smiling against her lover's lips.

"Mmmm. Don't seem very sorry to me."

Delphine caught the brazen girl's lower lip between her teeth, biting down hard, causing Cosima to jerk and inhale sharply. Satisfied with the response, she gently sucked on the brunette's lower lip, as if to soothe her previous nip, garnering a groan from the shorter woman.

"You cheeky little brat."

"Maybe a little," Cosima admitted with a smirk.

"Maybe a lot," Delphine corrected.

She guided the tall, slender woman back down until she lay flat on her back, dragging her lips down her chest and stomach, stopping right above the panty line. She hooked the fabric through her fingers and paused, waiting to see if Delphine would stop her like she had the first time. While the blonde did seem somewhat uncertain, she licked her lips in anticipation, an act which Cosima understood as permission. She slowly peeled them off and tossed them heedlessly behind her. This was the first time she had seen Delphine completely naked and she had to stop herself to take it all in, gazing up to admire pale and polished skin, running her hands over thighs and stomach and breasts. The blonde reached down, tenderly brushing her knuckles against Cosima's cheek with a small smile. Cosima tilted her head slightly to the side, planting a soft kiss on them before spreading Delphine's legs wider apart, giving her more space to work. The smell of arousal was overwhelming to the senses and she slid her arms underneath Delphine's legs, hooking her knees and drawing the French woman closer so that she could plant a kiss on her exposed center.

There was a loud, high-pitched gasp and Delphine squirmed, clamping her eyes shut. Cosima's smirk resurfaced; she had barely even touched her with her mouth and Delphine was already so flustered. She wondered how long the taller woman would last against her tongue and sought to satisfy her curiosity, first peppering Delphine's inner thighs with light, teasing kisses. Her tongue traced the crease between the thigh and groin, garnering yet another shudder from the blonde.

"Cosima..."

"Hm?"

"Je veux te sentir."

While she didn't understand the words, she peered up from between the French girl's legs to meet her gaze and the look in her eyes was unmistakable. They were dark and glossy and consuming.

A translation was unnecessary.

She dragged her tongue through the inviting slit in one long, languid motion and the slender blonde's eyes rolled back in her head, her back arching as she moaned deeply at the sensation of Cosima's skilled tongue against her core. The brunette continued with her ministrations, each stroke painfully slow and deliberate. She was testing her lover, all the while getting used to her taste which was sweet on her tongue. Delphine reached down, grabbing the back of Cosima's head, forcing it even closer until the American's face was buried in her sex.

"Someone's eager," Cosima teased.

Her words were far too muffled, making them indistinguishable to the blonde who merely bucked her hips into Cosima's face, reveling in the tiny vibrations the brunette's husky voice sent shooting through her. Cosima's tongue was more relentless now, trading in its lazy strokes for quicker, more precise flicks as it encircled the tiny bundle of nerves.

"Merde..." she whimpered, digging her nails into Cosima's scalp.

The student took this as encouragement, capturing the nub with her lips and sucking gently, applying just the right amount of pressure to send the blonde reeling. Her legs began to quiver and she bit her lower lip in an attempt to stifle the obscenities and strange noises that threatened to escape her throat. Sensing her lover's restraint, Cosima slipped a finger inside of her and Delphine's lower half came entirely off the bed, her hands flailing to her sides to grab fistfuls of sheets.

"Don't hold back," Cosima whispered softly.

She continued to tease the blonde's now swollen clit with her tongue while adding a second finger, curling them inside as they steadily thrusted, rendering Delphine a writhing, moaning mess. Her pale skin was now flushed, her arousal radiating through her entire body as Cosima pushed her closer and closer, leaving her teetering on the edge.

"Please," she begged.

Her breathing was so labored now, she gulped mouthfuls of oxygen between the whimpers and moans that involuntarily fell from her lips. Each breath was stolen and finite, her lungs screaming for relief, and she felt like a nomad lost in the desert for days on end, craving sustenance.

It was Cosima's life force she was fiending for.

She wanted to feel it flowing freely through her, to sink through her lover's skin to her cells and remove whatever abnormality that plagued her. She wanted to unravel their molecules and reassemble them, to bind themselves together in a more complete whole. All of these things were thought impossible, but as Cosima's fingers quickened their pace and depth, her tongue lapping greedily, she could feel them come into fruition.

"Come for me," the brunette encouraged sweetly.

"Ma doux amour..."

Her vision was kaleidoscopic as she felt the dam finally break, a wave of pleasure rolling through her body and finally sending her over the edge. Her body quaked, convulsing violently as one hand slammed against the headboard behind her and the other grabbed the back of Cosima's head, holding her in position as she rode her face. After what seemed like a short eternity, when the spasms subsided, her body relaxed completely and she let out a long, satisfied sigh.

"Wow," Cosima exclaimed, a proud smile plastered on her face.

Delphine simply nodded, bringing her hands to her face. She was unable to respond or even open her eyes. She merely lay there, trying to catch her breath. Cosima lifted herself from between Delphine's legs.

"Just so you know, you're sleeping in the wet spot."

The blonde smiled weakly and shook her head at the smaller girl's brattiness, grabbing her head and pulling her back up so they were level.

"Venir ici, méchante fille."

Their lips met once again, the blonde tasting herself on her lover's lips and basking in it. While she had never been with a woman before Cosima, she had had plenty of lovers in the past, some good and some bad. None of them, however, even compared to what she had just experienced. She didn't think sex with a woman would be so different, but apparently it was.

"How do you know how to...," she began, not knowing how to even ask the question.

"Oh. Girls are way better at eating pussy. I mean, who knows a girl's anatomy better than a girl?" she reasoned.

Delphine had never thought of it before, but she couldn't argue with her cheeky partner.

"There's that, and the fact that I've had a lot of practice. But I like to think that I'm just naturally gifted."

"I'm inclined to agree," Delphine smiled, pressing a kiss to the brunette's forehead.

The blonde pulled Cosima close to her chest, holding her tightly. They lay there in silence, Delphine staring at the ceiling, pressing the occasional kiss to the top of Cosima's head. Cosima's fingers danced along the French woman's arm, tracing light patterns and spelling out silent love confessions on skin. The brunette was eventually lulled to sleep by the steady rise and fall of Delphine's chest, soothed by the constant beating of her heart. It took Delphine a little longer to drift away, as she focused intently on Cosima's own breathing. It appeared to be steady, but every now and then, the tattooed girl's breath would hitch and icy panic would shoot through the blonde before the breath returned and she could relax again.

"Est-ce douloureux?" she whispered.

She knew Cosima was fast asleep and beyond the point of even hearing her question, but she had to ask it anyway.

____________________

When Cosima awakened, she was nestled snuggly against the contours of Delphine's body, her monitor's little spoon. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened over the course of the last twenty-four hours, but reality quickly came rushing back. She wanted to tell herself that it was a dream, but she was much too logical for that. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep, only when she repositioned her head on the pillow to get comfortable, she felt wetness. Confused, she opened her eyes again and slowly sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping Delphine. Gazing down at her pillow, she felt her skin go cold and her mind go blank.

Blood.

Lots of blood.

She couldn't possibly have coughed that all up without waking herself and Delphine. When she touched the side of her face, she discovered it was caked with blood, as well. Cosima stealthily maneuvered her way out of bed, looking behind her shoulder to make sure Delphine was still sleeping. She ventured into the bathroom and flicked the light on, leaving the door slightly ajar. When she stared at herself in the mirror for the second time that night, she realized what had happened.

Nose bleed.

Well, that was new.

The left side of her face was entirely stained in blood. She turned the faucet on, letting the warm water run with the intention of cleaning it off. A minute passed and she still hadn't made any attempt to clean herself. She just continued staring at herself in the mirror, mesmerized.

"Stupid," she spat, her voice laced with contempt.

She took a deep breath in, trying to compose herself, but when she released it, the sobs came. When she had been making love to Delphine, her breath didn't hitch once. The fear never settled in once. There wasn't so much as a tickle in her throat and she convinced herself it was because she was safe, that somehow, when she was with her monitor, the disease did not exist or if it did, it couldn't touch her.

"Stupid," she muttered again.

She knew better. She was a scientist, after all.

Love never cured cancer.

Trust was no treatment for AIDS.

No matter how she and Delphine felt about each other, at the end of the day, she was still sick and nothing could change that except for science... if science felt forgiving. She wanted to believe that it was. She was a child of science, a student of science, a minister at its church. Surely it would protect her?

"Ma cherie?"

Her head whipped around to the doorway where Delphine stood, her expression matching Cosima's.

"How long have you been there?" Cosima asked, wiping her tears away.

Delphine didn't answer. She stepped closer, taking the smaller girl's face in her hands and examining it. She had heard the running water and noticed that Cosima was not tucked up against her. Upon further inspection, she discovered blood where Cosima had been sleeping and her heart sank in her chest.

"Cosima," she whispered, brushing a few vagrant tears away with the pads of her thumbs.

She said nothing else, just continued to stare into pools of untold depth. When they finally broke contact, she reached for the faucet, turning it off. Cosima was confused at first, but Delphine wandered to the shower, turning the faucet on and drawing the curtain.

"Come," she said softly, reaching out.

The brunette accepted her hand and Delphine led her into the shower, the heat a welcomed relief on her skin. Steam began to gather as the taller woman backed Cosima under the spray, water streaming down her body. The blood on her face became streaky and with the help of Delphine's gentle hand, washed right off, disappearing down the drain. Cosima watched as it spiraled around the hole and then vanished, as if it had never been there in the first place. When Delphine realized what Cosima was doing, she stepped even closer until their bodies were pressed tightly against each other. Cosima rose her head and met Delphine's descending lips halfway and there were no more thoughts of sickness or DYAD or clone club.

Delphine reached for Cosima's waist, slowly turning the girl around so that her back was to the French woman. Pushing a few of her dreads aside, Delphine planted a hot kiss on the back of Cosima's neck which made the girl shiver. Her lips then moved to her ear, her tongue tracing the shell before gently sucking on the lobe.

"Mon couer," she whispered.

Her hands moved from Cosima's waist, journeying upwards. Cosima's body was wet and slick from the shower spray, making their quest even easier. Delphine cupped her breasts, eliciting a guttural moan as Cosima rolled her head back, resting it on the blonde's shoulder. Delphine ran her thumbs over Cosima's nipples and the brunette bit her bottom lip, trying not to lose control.

"Mon âme."

Her breath was hot against Cosima's ear and her fingers continued to toy with her nipples. The smaller girl reached behind her, wrapping her arm around Delphine's neck as she continued to whisper French terms of endearment in her ear.

"Ma lumière."

Her left hand remained occupied with Cosima's left breast while the right drifted downward, burning skin as it found its home between the smaller girl's legs. Even though they were both soaked now, Cosima's own wetness was distinct.

"Delphine," she moaned.

The blonde's index finger circled her clit, sending tremors through the clone's body.

"Mon grand amour."

Her left hand abandoned Cosima's breast and traveled upward, wrapping around her neck. She placed sensual kisses along the side of Cosima's face, the side previously covered in blood, while her more southern fingers teased at the girl's entrance.

"Let me show you."

She dipped a finger in slowly and swallowed Cosima's moan, tilting her head to the side to capture her lips in a heated kiss. She slid her tongue in, probing gently, memorizing every crevice of her lover's mouth as her finger explored the clone's inner walls, her thumb teasing her clit.

The pressure was slowly beginning to build.

Cosima tore her lips away, pressing her forehead to Delphine's and forcing her eyes open so she could peer into the blonde's glossy orbs. They both became locked in a smoldering gaze, all repressed desires and emotions strewn out before them, the air thick with steam and tension. Delphine's wicked fingers continued their thrusts, assuming a more hurried pace. When she felt the blonde's fingers hit her sweet spot, Cosima's eyes clamped shut again and she thrust herself into Delphine's hand.

"Open your eyes, Cosima."

She heard her lover's words, but found her request impossible to fulfill.

"Look at me."

Delphine's voice was more commanding this time, deep with desire and a hint of danger. The spectacled girl had never heard her speak with such force, such purpose. Delphine's words always floated like a feather in a light summer breeze, but now they hung heavy in the air, set in their conviction.

Cosima had no choice but to obey and she met her lover's gaze once again.

"Tell me."

What do you need?

"More," Cosima confessed with a shaky breath. "More of you."

Delphine removed her fingers completely, but before she could be met with protest, she grabbed the petite girl by the waist and spun her around roughly, forcing her back against the tiled wall. Her finger was back inside just as quickly, accompanied by another, and the blonde grabbed Cosima's leg with her free hand, pinning her knee against the wall to grant her fingers a better angle.

Her roughness contradicted the softness she had shown just minutes before, but Cosima found it was exactly what she needed, even though she was caught off guard by Delphine's aggressiveness. Her nails dug into her monitor's shoulder blades and Delphine pressed her thigh between Cosima's legs in response, pushing against her already punishing hands and creating a delicious friction, a welcomed pressure.

"Comme ça?"

Cosima arched her back, her head smacking against the wall with a thud.

"Yeah," she panted.

This was to be an exorcism, an expulsion of all the insanity from her life and the sickness from her cells.

This was her reclaiming her body, with the help of her lover's.

This was her half life.

They both understood this.

"God, yes," she whimpered. "Like that."

She could feel a tightness in the pit of her stomach, a tightness which expanded throughout the rest of her body. She lurched forward, burying her face in the crook of Delphine's neck, sinking her teeth in to stifle her moans. The blonde gasped, crushing her body into Cosima's so that any space that might have once existed between them was a distant memory. The clone could swear their skin had melded together, alabaster on olive. The tightness in her muscles matched by the tightness of Delphine's body pressing her against the wall of the shower made it impossible to breathe or think of anything else but her impending release.

"Not God," Delphine reiterated, curling her fingers inside of Cosima.

No.

There was no God here.

This was something completely different.

"Just us."

Cosima's knees finally buckled and her body lurched violently as she let out a final cry of passion, throwing her head back; if it hadn't been for the French woman pinning her to the wall, she would have fallen to a heap on the floor. Heat shot through her, white hot and instant, and Delphine's lips went to her throat while her nails dug crescent moons into the blonde's back.

Her world went black and quiet.

The brunette's body eventually slackened. They remained in place, their bodies completely still apart from labored breathing, molded together as Delphine supported the entirety of the smaller girl's weight with the help of the wall. They held onto each other for life, afraid to let go.

"You're safe here," Delphine whispered, pressing a kiss to Cosima's temple.

She could feel the heaviness in her chest return.

"It's okay."

With Delphine's permission, the sobs came. She wasn't exactly sure where they came from, but there was such force behind them, she sought to bury them in her lover's comfort, nestling her face the crook of Delphine's neck. Tears formed in the blonde's eyes, as well, who slowly lowered the both of them until they were sitting on the shower floor.

She cradled Cosima on the floor like that for a long while, stroking her head while quietly hushing her and whispering terms of endearment in her native tongue. It was hard for her to see the usually upbeat and witty girl in such a broken pile, but she knew it was necessary. It meant that she was coping, that she could accept their situation and attempt to change it, rather than hide behind an illusion.

Things were already getting better.

"Sorry," she heard Cosima mumble, finally breaking her long silence.

"Stop apologizing, mon amour," she replied with a smile, brushing tears away and kissing her softly.

Cosima smiled into her lips, then seized one of Delphine's hands, bringing it to her lips and kissing her palm.

"You're pretty good with you hands, too, you know."

Both women giggled.

"And I guess you're not the only one who cries after sex, either."

____________________

"What are we going to do, Delphine?"

She rested her head on the French woman's stomach, tracing circles around her navel as Delphine toyed with her locks, petting her head softly while staring at the ceiling, completely lost in thought.

"We'll find a cure. I know we can."

Cosima smiled, propping herself up on her elbow and turning to face her lover. Delphine returned the smile, reaching out and linking their hands, inspecting how well they seemed to fit together.

"Okay," Cosima replied.

She decided to believe Delphine.

She had no choice.

They lay there in silence for a few minutes, their fingers continuing to dance with each other, Cosima pressing tiny kisses on each of Delphine's digits. When Cosima drew her eyes back to Delphine's face, she could see that her half-smile was gone, replaced by a troubled look, shifting the mood to a more serious one.

Cosima knew exactly what the blonde was thinking.

"You want me to come with you, to the DYAD Institute, don't you?"

The thought had crossed her mind, as well. If the devil himself decided to rise up and offer his assistance, she would have been more inclined to accept it than to walk right into Leekie's hands. However, there had been no such offer and her options were few; she could try to figure this out on her own, with what few resources she had at her disposal, and most likely die before she could even make a dent in what was causing her illness. Or she could suck it up, put her emotions aside and align herself with the DYAD Institute. She would have to keep her cards close to her chest, but it seemed the most appropriate angle to play.

"It's your choice, ma cherie. But I think it's our best option."

She nodded in understanding.

Delphine flashed her a smile, but it wasn't returned. A frown stretched across the brunette's face, her brow furrowed. Delphine attempted to decipher the source of her lover's displeasure, but Cosima quickly explained her apprehension.

"I don't trust Leekie, and from what Sarah said about Rachel, I can't trust her, either."

She already knew that Leekie was a liar, so any promises he made to her, whatever help he offered, could just be an elaborate ruse. This could just be another part of his twisted experiment. Maybe he was banking on her death, there was no way to really know, and Rachel was just as dangerous, perhaps even more so; she was a wild card and a threat to not only Cosima, but her sisters, as well. Both Leekie and Rachel clearly had ulterior motives. She needed to unveil them, not just for her sake, but for Sarah's and Alison's and whatever other sisters she had out there.

"Don't trust them," Delphine agreed. "Trust me. Trust yourself."

Cosima smiled once again..

"With all the resources of the Institute behind us, we'll have the best chance of finding out what's happening to you and how to fix it."

"Yeah," Cosima nodded. "Yeah, you're right, as much as I hate to admit it."

It was settled then.

She'd infiltrate the DYAD Institute and find a cure for her condition. Maybe she could learn more about her origins, as well, and find out what exactly Leekie and Rachel were working towards. As she pondered these questions, she was dragged back to reality by the sound of her ringing phone. The two women looked at each other. Cosima got up, walking over to retrieve her phone from her coat pocket while Delphine lay back comfortably in bed, appreciating the smaller girl's curves as she pressed the talk button and held the phone to her ear.

"They took Kira!"

"Sarah?"

Delphine sat up a little straighter and Cosima sauntered back over to the bed, sitting on the edge.

"They took Kira and Mrs. S!"

"Wait, hold on. Who took them?" a confused Cosima asked.

"That Proclone bitch, Rachel! Cosima, she has my family!"

Cosima's heart sank in her chest. This really made her decision to align herself with the DYAD Institute that much harder, not to mention dangerous. If Rachel was willing to abduct Sarah's family, what else was she willing to do to achieve her endgame?

"Okay, okay. You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! That's my daughter and my foster mom!" Sarah snapped.

Delphine shot Cosima a concerned yet questioning glance, wondering what was going on on the other end of the line. Cosima wasn't entirely sure herself, as her sister was clearly distraught. She needed Sarah to be level-headed if they were going to make any sort of progress whatsoever, which was like asking God for a miracle.

"I know. Look, we'll figure this out. Delphine and I are already working on a plan," she explained, trying to reassure Sarah.

"Delphine? Come on, Cosima! She's a part of all this, too! When are you going to learn?"

Cosima expelled an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, but she wants to help us, and we could use all the allies we can get."

Sarah couldn't exactly argue with that logic.

"If Rachel did take Kira, maybe Delphine can figure out where they're keeping her. I'm sure Leekie would know. Delphine's his assistant," Cosima clarified.

The blonde shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms across her chest. This reeked of disaster, they both knew, and it was not going to end well.

"I don't trust anyone, Cos. I can't. It's us versus them."

She sighed once again.

Dealing with Sarah was becoming far too taxing. If there was a poster child for a guarded, slightly emotionally stunted adult with trust and abandonment issues, it would definitely be Sarah. Cosima couldn't help but think that if their situation were different, if they weren't clones and had met under different circumstances, they probably wouldn't have gotten along very well, Sarah being much too stubborn and abrasive for her taste. But they were sisters. More than that, they were two sides of the same entity. For some unspoken reason, the two women clung to each other anyway.

"Look. Just meet me at Felix's in an hour, okay?" she proposed, sliding off the bed and heading over to her luggage.

"What if they're waiting for us there?"

She began rummaging through her suitcase for clean clothes to change into, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. While she'd love to spend all day in bed with Delphine, there was too much at stake and Sarah needed her.

"Fine. Not Felix's, then."

"Meet me in Queen's Park," Sarah suggested.

"Alright. See you soon."

She hung the phone up, tossing it onto the bed as she picked out a skirt and top for herself. Delphine finally left the bed, peering out the window as she did so. The curtains were drawn, but dawn was breaking, a tiny beam of sunlight shining through.

"Sarah's freaking out. Rachel took Kira and her foster mom," the brunette summarized.

"Merde."

"Yeah."

The blonde began to search the hotel room for her own clothes which were scattered throughout. Cosima couldn't help but smirk as she watched her monitor desperately search for the garments she had eagerly torn off only hours before. Delphine's quest was halted, however, by the sound of her own phone ringing. Cosima stood up straight, watching as Delphine grabbed her phone. She had a good feeling she knew who was calling and why.

"Allo?” Delphine answered.

"There's been a situation. I need to see you right away."

She mouthed Leekie's name to Cosima, running a hand through her wild hair, still damp but almost dry from their earlier shower escapade. Cosima nodded in acknowledgement, carefully observing her lover's reaction.

"Yes, yes. I'll be right there," she responded.

"Delphine?"

"Oui?"

"Is Cosima with you?"

She paused, then stared over at the brunette. Cosima's spine straightened even more and she suddenly knew what Leekie had asked. She stared back at Delphine, gauging her reaction. Both her and Leekie were testing the blonde and she wondered whose test she'd pass and whose she'd fail.

"Non. I'm alone."

Cosima smiled.

"Well, you might want to double your efforts to bring her into the mix. We may need her in the near future."

Delphine frowned, not liking the words he spoke or the tone he spoke them in.

"Aldous?"

"If things go south, if we can't contain Sarah Manning, we may be able to use her... as a last resort, of course. Worst case scenario," he added, sensing Delphine's hesitation through the phone. "I'll explain everything when you get here.

Delphine hung up.

"Looks like I need to go, too."

Cosima nodded.

"I'll call you later on tonight when I know more," Delphine said.

Cosima slipped on a clean pair of panties, but before she continued dressing herself, she decided to assist Delphine in the search for her own panties, which the blonde seemed to be having a great deal of trouble finding. Cosima eventually found them, hidden in the leaves of the house plant where they must had landed when she tossed them aside. She held them up, dangling them on her middle and index fingers with a smirk plastered on her face. When Delphine finally noticed she had found them, she smiled mischievously, stalking toward the shorter girl.

"Looking for something?" Cosima teased.

The blonde grabbed Cosima's waist, then proceeded to slide her hands up the clone's body, over her breasts, stopping once they cupped her face. Cosima swallowed the lump in her throat, locking eyes with the femme fatale before she was pulled into an eager kiss. As soon as she began to really lose herself to Delphine's skilled lips, the blonde dropped to her knees, catching the clone off guard.

"If we had more time..."

She placed a kiss just above Cosima's navel, her tongue tracing a line down, over cloth, stopping at her center. Cosima's breath caught in her throat and she licked her lips, unable to peel her eyes away from the blonde who was staring right back at her, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Delphine broke the stare first, pressing a kiss against her sex and extracting a groan from her lover.

"Je voudrais vous faire mienne d'encore."

Her words were hot, sending a shiver up Cosima's spine.

"Huh?" Cosima asked halfheartedly.

Delphine rose once again, nuzzling the smaller woman's face for a moment before her lips went to the brunette's ear.

"I would make you mine again."

"Shit. Jesus."

The blonde seized the opportunity, snatching the now forgotten panties from Cosima's hand and chuckling lightly, sauntering back over to the bed where the rest of her clothes were piled. As soon as Cosima realized what had just happened, she couldn't help but chuckle herself.

"Fucking tease," she muttered.

She shook her head and resumed her own dressing ritual.

[superwholock-marvel-images]

Through time and space (part 3)

Part one, part two

→ → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← “Right then, Rose Tyler and Y/N Winchester, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It’s your choice. What’s it going to be?” The Doctor says with a cocky smirk.

“Forwards.” Both you and Rose reply. The Doctor then asks how far forward and Rose goes with 100 years.

“Come on Rose, be a little more adventurous.” You tease. “I say a thousand years into the future.” The Doctor takes you 10,000 years in the future just to show off. You and Rose aren’t buying it.

“Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!” The Doctor says messing with a few controls. When outside of the TARDIS you notice that you’re not on earth- but above it. A small smile forms on your face. “You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you’re going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future and this is the day…” The Doctor checks his watch as the sun flares and turns red. “This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world.”

“No way.” You say trying really hard not to sound shocked. The Doctor laughs and tells the two of you that the three of you should make way to wherever the other guests are.

On the way there, the Doctor gives you some details about what is going on at the moment. The steward stops the three of you, he’s suspicious- also blue. “But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They’re on their way any second now.” The steward points out. The doctor pulls out a piece of blank paper and shows it to the steward.

“That’s me. I’m a guest. Look, I’ve got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It’s fine, you see? The Doctor plus two. I’m the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler and Y/N Winchester. They’re my plus one and two. Is that all right?”

“Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you’re on board, we’d better start. Enjoy.”

“What was that?” You ask in a soft tone of voice.

“The paper’s slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time.” The Doctor answers.

“That’s one of the most ingenious things I’ve heard of.”

“We have in attendance the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Y/N Winchester. Thank you. All staff to their positions.” The steward says interrupting the conversation between you and the time lord. The staff quickly gets into position. “Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute, and Coffa.” You weren’t expecting actual walking and talking trees, you’re a little surprised to say in the least.

The steward then announces the other guests, which you tune out because you’re thinking about Sam and Katie, and how much they would enjoy this. You pull yourself out of your thoughts before you go in to deep. “The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather.” One of the trees say. She offers the three of you a potted twig. The Doctor pats his pockets looking for a gift, he can’t find one.

“Thank you. Yes, gifts. Er, I give you in return air from my lungs.” He says before gently breathing on them. He does this for all the guests, guess it works as a gift… the steward then introduces the last guest: the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen.

“That is a mouthful.” You whisper in Rose’s ear. She smiles in response. Now you and Rose were expecting an actual human with limbs and things like that, not a trampoline of skin with a face on it.

“Oh, now, don’t stare. I know, I know it’s shocking, isn’t it? I’ve had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don’t look a day over two thousand. Moisturise me. Moisturise me.” Cassandra says to everyone else before talking to her attendants. One of them sprays some form of liquid on her. “Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I’m sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don’t laugh. I’ll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity.” The other gift is a jukebox. “According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity’s greatest composers. Play on!” You have to hold back your laughter when the trampoline woman calls a jukebox an iPod- there is a huge difference between the two.

🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝

You and Rose walk the ship together, but the two of you are unsure if you’re allowed where you happen to be. “Sorry. Are we allowed to be in here?” Rose asks the woman in overalls and a baseball cap.

“You have to give us permission to talk.” She answers. Rose looks a bit uncomfortable as well as confused.

“Er, you have permission.” The woman in overalls smiles ever so slightly.

“Thank you. And, no, you’re not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere.”

“Okay.” Rose still looks uncertain about what is going on.

“What’s your name anyways?” You ask.

“Ruffalo.” The woman you’re guessing is some sort of maintenance answers.

“That’s an interesting name.” Ruffalo looks a little embarrassed. You then smile. “Its also fun to say. Ruffalo.”

“I won’t be long, I’ve just got to carry out some maintenance. There’s a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe’s suite. There must be something blocking the system. He’s not getting any hot water.”

“You’re a plumber?” Rose asks in response.

“That’s right, miss.”

“They still have plumbers?”

“I hope so, else I’m out of a job.” Ruffalo says with a slight smile. You, Rose and Ruffalo talk for a little bit. You and Rose allow Ruffalo to go back to what she was originally doing. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 The Doctor does something to Rose’s and your phones, now they can call or text from anywhere in time or space. Rose calls her mom to test it. You, on the other hand, send a text to Sherlock and John. “If you think that is amazing you should see the bill.” The Doctor says with a smile. You chuckle in response. Suddenly the ship shakes like an earthquake is happening. “That shouldn’t happen.”

“What was that?” You ask.

“Whatever it was it wasn’t a gravity pocket.” The Doctor then talks to the tree woman and she calls you and Rose the Doctor’s wives amongst a few other things that is a little awkward.

You and Rose walk towards Cassandra, only you veer left towards the jukebox. You then start messing with it seeing what songs are on that thing, you find songs you know and somehow get the jukebox working- you had to kind of hotwire it and insert a coin for it to work. Yellow Submarine by the Beatles starts to play. “I haven’t heard this song in many millennia.” The Face of Boe says startling you.

“Face of Boe, you frightened me.” You reply.

“Apologies Y/N.” The way how he talks is as if he knows you. You figure that he knew you five billion years ago if that was even possible. You and the Face of Boe talk for a while, Rose throws you the occasional glance but doesn’t say anything. For the first time since she’s known you, your guard is down and you’re not looking over your shoulder every ten minutes. You sway in time to the music playing, occasionally singing along. Metaphorically speaking you’re letting your hair down just this once. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 Someone has planted robotic spiders on the ship to sabotage the systems and pretty much kill everyone, and the person responsible for the sabotages is Lady Cassandra. “I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!” Cassandra commands. Her attendants raise their guns.

“What are you going to do, moisturize me?” The Doctor asks with an incredible amount of sass in his voice. You hide a smile behind your hand. You were going to say something to Rose about it but she’s nowhere to be found currently.

“With acid. Oh, you’re too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code wall. I’m not just as pretty face.” You make a mental note to never trust a talking trampoline.

“Sabotaging a ship while you’re still inside it? How stupid is that?”  

“I’d hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous.”

“Five billion years and it still comes down to money.”

“Do you think it’s cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours.”

“Hate to ask this but who are you referring to as the freaky kid? Me or Rose- both of us came with the Doctor.” You point out. Cassandra makes no comment in response. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 After everything, it’s just you, Rose and the Doctor once again. The Doctor takes you and Rose back to your original time, and he tells the two of you that he is the last of his kind. His planet was destroyed in a war. The two of you tell him that he has the two of you.

Rose and the Doctor goes one way to get chips. You, on the other hand, returned to Baker Street. You had enough adventures for one day. You head up the stairs. “There you are Y/N I was wondering where you disappeared to.” John says with a smile.

“Are you going to tell us what you were going to say before you left?” Sherlock asks setting down his violin.

“Right I mentioned that. Where do you want me to start?”

“Preferably from the beginning.”

‘Fair, you better not tune me out or tell anyone. If you do I might shoot you.“ 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 -Flashback- Your mom was a hunter and she did a lot of hunting with your dad, but she never told him that she made a deal with a demon and her time was almost up. When you were born your mom only had three years and a half years left.

“John I need you to come get Y/N.” Your mom said into the phone one day. You didn’t hear what your dad said in response. “I see… please hurry though.”

“Mommy, what’s going on?” You asked looking at your mother with large innocent eyes. Your mom didn’t have the heart to tell you that she was about to get ripped apart by a hellhound.

“Nothing sweetheart, but will you do me a favor… I want you to clean up your room a bit.” You nodded slightly as your mom tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “Whatever happens, just know I love you and I’ll always think of you.” You didn’t understand that your mom was saying her goodbyes to you, you thought that she was meaning something else.

You picked up your toys and then you left your room to tell your mom you were done- you nearly screamed when you saw all the blood that lined the walls and your mother’s body torn to shreds.

You were alone for three long hours, scared out of your wits. “(Mom’s name)? Y/N?” Your dad yelled when your family showed up.

Katie was the one that found you, trembling as well as crying your eyes out. Because your tears clouded up your vision you didn’t recognize your sister if anything she scared you more than you already were.

“(Nickname), it’s okay… I’m not going to hurt you.” Katie said trying to comfort you, without a lot of success. The boys had a little more experience comforting a scared toddler under their belts, Dean especially. She got up and walked away from you towards Dean. “Hey Dean, need your help… I think I accidentally made Y/N more scared then she originally was.” Katie then lead Dean to where you were. You had calmed down enough that you could at least see.

“Katie, how about you go help Dad and Sammy. I’ll get Y/N.” Dean said. Katie nodded and then took her leave. “Baby bug… you can come out now.” Your brother said coaxingly. You gave no form of verbal response, mainly because you had your thumb in your mouth. You did, however, shuffle forward a little bit. Eventually, Dean got you to come out of your hiding spot. He then picked you up and set you on his hip before carrying you to your room. He sets you down and takes off the backpack he was wearing and tells you to grab some of your favorite things and put them in the bag. Instead, you grabbed a different bag that looked pretty heavy for a toddler and held it out to Dean. “That isn’t what I asked you to do.” Your brother says slightly annoyed as well as confused. In an almost inaudible voice, you told your brother that your mom already put a bag together for you, you just needed to grab your stuffed animal friend and your blanket. “Grab them for me?” You nodded and grabbed your stuffed animal, your pillow and your blanket off your bed.

On the way out to the car you fell asleep against Dean’s shoulder clutching your stuffed animal friend to your chest. Your pillow and blanket are safely stowed in the backpack. “Got everything?” Your dad asked.

“(Mom’s name) had already packed most of Y/N’s things… as if she knew that this would happen.” Dean explained.

“She probably did… I mean she was a hunter after all.” -End of flashback- 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 “Six years later I first learned how to use a gun, and how to do stitches.” You say coming to an end of your explanation. “Started actually hunting when I was about eleven or twelve years old… I left hunting and came here after a bad argument with my dad, and I think you know the rest.” “That explains why you were worried about Rose. You thought the doctor was a shapeshifter.” Sherlock points out.

“Exactly.”

“What happened to your mother’s body?”

“Dad and my brothers gave my mom a hunter’s funeral, so basically, she was cremated.” Surprisingly it isn’t Sherlock that tries to tell you the supernatural doesn’t exist- it’s John.

“There’s no way in hell, that can be true.” John states folding his arms.

“Believe what you will, but I am telling the truth. Humans aren’t the only monsters in this world.” You answer rather calmly. “Now if you excuse me I have to go explain to my sister why I sent her a picture of a bitchy trampoline.”

“A what now?”

“You heard me just fine John, I don’t need to say it again.”

“I’m wondering what you mean by bitchy trampoline.” John clarifies. You pull out your phone and look through your pictures and find the picture of Lady Cassandra that you took. And hand your phone to John.

“That’s what I mean by bitchy trampoline… she’s one of the people I met on my most recent adventure with Rose and the Doctor.” John accidentally scrolls to the next picture: the Doctor throwing you an ‘are you kidding me’ look. “That’s the Doctor. I made him look at me when I took that hence the ‘are you kidding me’ look.” You then take your phone back and walk to your room about to troll your brother and sister.

← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← ← → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → → @the-third-winchester-warrior

@flannels-and-rocksalt

@always-keep-writing-spn

@winchesters-favorite-girl

@caroldanversinatardis

[cocoarosalia]

Rocking the cradle Chapter 12: Contemplation

Normally she’d be excited for things like this. Elly was having a sleepover at Alya’s house, she could finally go out on patrol, get some good air in her lungs, she should be looking forward to it.

But Mari could not bring herself to push out what happened yesterday from her mind. She was utterly dumbstruck when she found her daughter weeping into Adrien’s shirt. And when she found out what actually happened? If Elly hadn’t pleaded for her to stay close by she would’ve found the woman and strung her up by her neck with her yoyo.

Hell if she finds her tonight she still might, she’s not above using fear to get her point across.

When she finally met up with chat at the Louvre there was an odd tension surrounding him

“Lovely night for an outing don’t you think chaton?” she said, leaning over his shoulder to look down at the civilians walking by

“Not nearly as lovely as you my lady” He replied leaning back to gaze into her eyes

Something was off, that much she could tell in an instant “Alright chat, what’s got your fur all fluffed”

He was surprised by her sharp eye “What makes you say something is wrong? I’m just my usual completely composed self as is usual.”

He let out what he thought was a convincingly passive laugh but she was no fool. There was clearly something knawing at him and she would love nothing more than to talk it out but she was having too many of her own problems to really judge.

She pulled him to his feet and smiled warmly “I know there’s something eating you but there’s no point in pressing you for details. Instead, how about we take our time tonight, ok?”

He flashed his usual cheshire grin back “sounds like a plan my lady”

So true indeed the plan was to just leisurely take their time around the city but there was apparently a problem with that.

For the 3rd time that night Ladybug found herself perched on the railing across from Alya’s house.

She looked up at chat “Sorry about this Chaton, for whatever reason my body keeps bringing me back here. God only knows why.”

He peered down at her and waved a hand dismissively “No worries bugaboo, I actually know the family here so it’s good to know they’re safe for the night.”

They heard a commotion coming from inside. They readied their weapons, prepared to fight the impossible.

But what they saw looking in neither could win against.

Sophie had won yet another game against her brother and dared him to give Elly a kiss on the cheek. Too prideful for his own good he mustered up the courage to follow through. Eloise was shocked at first, she wasn’t used to this kind of wholehearted affection. Sammy had hoped she’d just shut up and take it so that they could keep playing in peace.

Oh if only he were so fortunate

Elly was now viciously determined to return the favor as she chased her bestest guy friend around the house. He tried hiding everywhere he could think of to escape her annoyingly confusing affection but she was like a pest, always where you don’t want her to be.

A video text popped up on both eavesdroppers’ phones, detailing the whole event.

“Those two seem pretty cute together don’t you think kitty?” Ladybug giggled

The look of disgust on Chat’s face was hysterical “She’s way too good for him. Her father would be furious”

“No question about that” She leapt up to the ledge beside him “Come on Alley cat, we have a lot more of the city to get to”

Chat wasn’t sure why seeing his sunshine chase Sammy around the house worked. Logically it should’ve put him in an even worse mood than before. And yet, his body felt a lot lighter, he felt himself focusing a little more. Somehow, in some way, seeing Elly chase around that little punk worked. He and his lady took a pause by the school to catch their breath and get a snack from one of the convenience stores. He was in such a good mood that he might even work up the nerve to talk about what was bothering him in the first place. 

“G-GET AWAY FROM ME!”

But apparently that would have to wait for now.

Chat raced toward the screaming voice from the rooftops. He would’ve called for ladybug but she was still in the store and there was no time to wait. Whoever was in trouble sounded desperate and out of time.

He stalked up to the alley from above to get a better look, his electric green eyes glowing. He could see three men surrounding something apparently small, couldn’t tell what it was. Sliding silently down some pipes he inched closer to find out what the assholes were terrorizing.

His rage boiled over from his discovery

“Hey don’t be like that little girl we’re only looking for a little bit of fun. It’s not like you were going anywhere important.”

“Please let me go! I have to get back home. My mama and papa are waiting for me.”

This girl didn’t look much older than Eloise. With bruises all over her skin she coward against the brick wall. One of them crouched down and got in close

“Look here squirt, that’s the third time you’ve that piss poor line. Now my buddies and I really aren’t that scary. Haven’t you ever heard that american phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’? Well that applies to you too!” He snaked his hand over her thigh “So why don’t we just curl up with a good book-”

Concrete met face which met Chat’s size 9 steel tipped black leather clad boot

“It’s that fucking Chat Noir freak!!” one of the thugs announced. Another attempted to rush him with a steel pipe that broke off. He ducked, grabbed the criminals arm and flipped him right onto his back. Even with a third one sneaking up to land a blow to his head Chat smoothly leaned left, grabbed his sleeve and hurtled him into a group of trash cans.

His breath was hardly labored as all three lumbered up to take another shot at him

‘Come with it fuckers. I won’t let anyone else go through pain ever again.”

*Back with lil ol Ladybug*

“Chatooon! I got our snacks!” Ladybug called out “I even found these neat catnip ones, figured i’d teach you a few tricks!” all she received was nothing but the sound of running cars.

“Where’d he go? I thought I told him to stay”

The sound of painful grunts and thrown bodies coming from close by suddenly caught her attention. She groaned and ran to check it out.

“That better not be him” She grumbled “See, This is why we need the treats”

The scene was straight out of a horror flick

The young girl was fine but the guys that were harassing her...less so. The shorter, fat one was crumpled into in a heaving bloodied mess, his face quite acquainted with the brick wall. Another, pinned violently to the ground by Chat’s staff going through his shirt.

The last molester only prays that he were in their positions

“Fuck man let me go!” It was surprising that the man could even talk considering chat’s gloved hand was firmly surrounding his throat. By now the hero’s breath was shallow from exertion but it was like he had no off switch. This man had to pay for what he did and chat was so close. He could almost feel his claws touch.

‘Just a little tighter’ The voice in his head cooed ‘Or maybe just use a cataclysm, that would end it so quickly.’

A flash of red and black wrapped around his waist as Chat was yanked backwards by his lady’s yoyo. The man fell to the cold ground, swallowing desperately for air.

“Chat what the hell!?” Ladybug scolded “Did you even try to restrain yourself? These are civilians you maniac.”

He pulled hard against the restraints and clenched his fist “Civilians are human ladybug, these are worthless pests that tried to hurt someone who they thought was weak and defenseless”

A sigh passed through her lips “Be that as it may how do you think it’ll look when she sees you grinding these dudes into the pavement”

He froze in place. That hadn’t occurred to him during the fight. He cautiously looked over at her. There was no trace of fear in her eyes. But what was lurking behind those eyes hit him harder than any akuma.

Pity

As if all at once he was rushed with guilt. Even if these guys were the scum of the earth, bringing them to the brink of death would solve nothing. Why even bother?

“What’s wrong ya pussy?” A wheezing voice taunted “You really need some freak bitch like her to tell you what to do? You must be into some really freaky shit huh?”

Chat lurched forward only to be pulled back again “You keep talking jackass and I’m gonna forget just how much energy it takes to hold him back” Ladybug advised coldly

Adrien’s head was ringing too loud with too many thoughts. He had to escape. If he doesn’t...who knows who else he might harm.

Ladybug stumbled back when she felt the string snap. Without even a single clue on where he was going chat leapt up to the roof and sped off to wherever.

“Shit that’s not good” she sighed. Ladybug looked around the disaster and noticed all that chat left behind “Fuck that’s no better”

She was gonna get him back for all this but for the time being she had to play clean up crew (not that different from home actually)

The wind made his ears tingle as he leaned against the eiffel tower 

Why did he go and beat those guys to a bloody mess? What about those assholes made it so easy for him to consider actual murder? It didn’t make any sense. He could’ve just scared them off and that would be the end of it.

His chest felt so tight. He knew perfectly well why. He just hoped that he wouldn’t have to admit it to himself.

‘She looked just like her’ he buried his head in his knees ‘Alone and afraid. Like she’s been through this pain before.’

Even as he looked over the glittering lights all he only saw the darkness in between them. How ironic. He’d always felt comfort in the shadows. It was somewhere to hide when the light began to overtake him. But now? Now it was like they were creeping in on him. Waiting for that perfect moment where he’d sink just low enough for them to drag him beyond any savior’s reach

Until a voice rang out to him

“I knew I’d find you sulking out here” Ladybug said expectantly.

Chat refused to even face her right now “I ran away to be alone you know”

“I do know but I don’t care. I’m not asking you to pour your heart out to me.” She knew he was feeling alone right now. So, even if he didn’t speak she didn’t mind just being another body beside him, filling the space.

They sat for a while in silence with nothing but 6 inches of space between them. He thought she’d read the air and leave. He truly did not want to have this conversation. He didn’t wanna face those dark thoughts all by himself.

*bzzt*

The buzzing of ladybug’s phone jolted him out of his funk. She quickly apologized and opened the message.

He could see her face contort into different expression. Confusion, laughter and even disgust at one point.

Chat felt so ignored ‘Uh, Hello?’ he fussed silently ‘I’m having a real inner turmoil over here! Questioning my legitimacy as a hero? ANYTHING!?’

Ladybug was straight up enthralled with whatever she was watching

‘I’m having an existential crisis...and she’s chuckling it up over a text...the fuck’

He craned his neck far to get a peek at this apparently quality content. She quickly caught onto his snooping and pressed her phone against her chest. He figured that would be the end of it and sighed in disappointment

‘Well at least maybe now she can-’

“Chat”

His tail straightened fully to attention “Y-yes my lady!”

Ladybug suddenly scooted up real close to him. His hairs stood on end in anticipation

“You wanted to know why you fought those dudes right? What you were doing it for?”

He nodded mechanically

She played the video displayed on her phone “If I had to guess. You did it for kids like her”

It was a video of Elly all dressed up for bed. She wore the cutest ‘I only wake up for breakfast” pajamas and clutched a stuffed black cat that he’d bought her.

“Alright Elly, how was your first sleepover?” Alya said

Eloise took a deep breath

“I had a super duper fun time! I got to listen to Uncle Nino’s music and dance with Sophie. We played lots of really fun games and I even got to talk about my favorite superhero Ladybug!”

“Is Ladybug your only favorite hero?”

Her face looked like it she had committed the greatest crime known to man

“Oh no, not at all!” Elly thrust the stuffed doll into the camera “I also really, really, REALLY love Chat Noir too! I think he’s really funny like my daddy!”

Chat’s face was turning redder than Ladybug’s suit he was so embarrassed by all the sweet compliments.

“Speaking of him, Wanna say goodnight honeybun?”

You could see Elly’s honey-gold pigtails bounce around wildly as she nodded her head

“So, I know that you’re probably out doing really cool adulty stuff but just make sure you go to bed at some point. Especially you mama! You look like an old lady when you wake up in the morning”

He snorted to suppress his laughter but didn’t notice Ladybug’s look of utter disgust that her daughter would oust her like that

“Anyway, I’m excited to see you tomorrow! Nighty night mama and papa, I love you!”

The screen went black as the video ended. She could see in the dim reflection Chat’s face turned up in a bashful smile. He leaned on her shoulder, his tail lazily yet happily swaying back and forth.

She was first to speak “Being a hero is a lot like being a parent. You work late hours because you spend all day enjoying your kid. Sometimes you have to handle massive temper tantrums and often there’s not a word of thanks for any of it.”

She stood up and look over all the peaceful people walking by

“But, If I know that there are kids like her out there who get to be as happy and safe as she is right now. Then I think that’s thanks enough, don’t you think mon minou?”

The tightness in his heart felt unbearable but it wasn’t from shame or guilt anymore. It was from pride.

This is what he was meant to be. A knight serving valiantly by his Lady’s side. Forever protecting the smiles of those who can’t.

He reached out for her hand…

But was immediately repelled by his own staff in his face

“Nice try you stray!  But I still haven’t forgiven you for ditching me when you threw your kitty hissyfit!”

He could barely speak because she was pressing it so hard into his cheek

“B-but bugaboo I was so conflicted in my emotions! I had to leave to protect you and those around me”

“Emotions my ass. Who had to be the one to yank your staff out of guy’s shirt, comfort a group of sniveling assholes that you weren’t going to kill them, and then ON TOP OF THAT, escort that little girl all the way home? Her parents insisted that I take all these sweets”

She took notice that his ears twitched at the sound of sweets ‘God he has a sweet tooth’

“I truly am sorry my lady, I’ll never do it again. What can I do to make it up to you?” He professed “andpotentiallygetoneofthosepastries” He finished much quicker.

“Hmm I wonder” she hummed passively. She took chat’s weapon from his face and crouched down to his face

“You know you’ve been a very bad kitty tonight, don’t you?” Her voice felt like it was drenched in seduction. His mind flashed back to the night he and his had that flirty chat session. He swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

“Very good. Now then, I think it’s time for you to learn a few tricks, don’t you?”

‘I have no idea where she’s going with this…but I’m gonna be the best pet she’s ever had’

She held out his staff, holding his gaze the whole time “Our first trick for the night, mon minou?”

He held his breath in anticipation…

“Fetch” She tossed his staff right down the tower

“…….what?”

“You have three minutes to retrieve the stick and bring it back to me, In your teeth of course. Succeed and you can have a treat. Fail?... I string you up by your tail till morning, secret identity be damned.”

Only unintelligible sounds came from his lips

“Aaaand start!” She exclaimed cheerily

Adrien had to skip morning classes the next day from how bad his body ached

“Mothy! You’re home!” Hawkmoth was starting to grow real annoyed with his newest akuma. He’d never had someone actually want to be akumatized before, so he took the risk and accepted her deal.

Had he known part of the deal would be her laying up on his couch all hours of the day, smoking on her 5th pack of cigarettes and constantly being just a general nuisance, he would’ve left her at that decaying apartment building they met up at.

“Have you captured the miraculous?” he responded coldly

Noemie let out an exasperated sigh. She peeled herself off the chic modern couch and swung her arms around his neck, pressing her mature body onto his “oh mothy, you worry far too much. These things take time, like our solid relationship”

“The only thing solid is that door that you will soon be on the other side of. Get my miraculous or leave my sight. I took you in on the chance that you might be worth my time. I would highly suggest that you don’t make me regret it.”

Noemie got off him and returned his icy stare with her

own “Pop quiz Hawky dear”

He raised his eyebrow in annoyed curiosity “What do all living things crave more than anything in the world?”

She didn’t give him the chance to answer “The answer is light. Take someone’s light and they kneel faster than a dollar store hooker”

The sound of heels striking tile rang loud in the open air “Next question, can I still obtain those miraculous however I see fit?”

“Hand them to me with the slightest imperfection and I snap your neck”

“Ooo talk dirtier to me daddy” she retorted

He turned and strode out the door, slamming it behind him “Hmph, can’t take a joke, can he?”

Getting comfortable again on the couch she switched on her phone to an image of Adrien, Marinette and little Eloise walking happily toward the bakery.

“Won’t be long now Elly. Hope you’ve been a good girl for mommy.

[borisbubbles]

32. AUSTRALIA

Montaigne - “Don’t break me”

🤡 KLOUN  🤡 🤡 KLOUN  🤡 🤡 I MOU KLOUN  🤡 

HA HA HA HA -- Afrodyti Fryda -- Jessica Charro 

Normally I wouldn’t be ranking Montaigne this low, actually :o I do feel like there is *some* potential to be had from her entry and it could’ve been reached greatness in Rotterdam, but since ESC has been cancelled, we’re going to see none of it. So, all I have to go by is the live AD version I just posted, which... I lowkey dislike? Let’s dissect this sucker. 

Song Analysis

Every once in a while, we get that sort of avant garde-esque entry where I’m like “Okay, I get what you’re doing and I like the idea but the execution, babe. It just ain’t there.” I think “Don’t break me” might be the new textbook example of that archetype? I know some media love portraying “Don’t break me” as... what was the Wiwi headline again?

The problem is, it don’t add up.

Like, what exactly is alternative about this entry? Not the music, despite the statements claiming otherwise. Montaigne wrote this song together with established “indie” songwriters DNA, hits of other ’indie’ miracles “Don’t come easy”, “Tonight again” and “#WeGotLove”. “Don’t break me” is equally indie, that is to say, not indie at all and blatantly mainstream. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, (DBM is hands down the best song DNA have produced for ESC) but don’t sling LIES at me. 

Secondly, the staging, we need to address the staging, hunties cuz boy it ain’t holdin’ up. (lol I’m merely channelling Wiwi Adams because that’s what the spirits whisper to me - that is to say, pink gin & tonic). There are some *conceptual* strong points to me, clearly spliced in to fabricate some perception of free artistry, but the execution of it is lacking. In lay man’s terms: IT’S SO FUCKING INCOMPETENT OMG I should stan... but don’t because, well.

Et tu quoque, Sennek?

Montaigne herself said she styled her marionette-frock after mr Mime (Mimes aren’t marionettes? Am I missing something?), but it’s Not Very Effective when your style is more inline with Grundel Toad. YES, One Shot Camera Angle, yes super artsy and creative were it not for the fact that Trijnwreck Oosterhuis already pioneered this and it came off similarly feeble. 

I however am not *that* offended by “Don’t break me” or its act as many others appear to be though. Again, the song is decent and it’s mostly brought down by a lack of performing experience on Montaigne’s behalf. While not good, it’s salvageable at the very least. 

However, I’m more annoyed that this (decent) mainstream song is being sold as innovative and mold-breaking, neither of which it actually is. This is the root of the problem imo. The utter denial of "Don’t break me’s” own mainstreamness and the desperation to prove the opposite. 

And honestly, this even applies to Montaigne herself? Her appearance, creative decision making and hell, even her own social media posts read a bit too much “How To Be Different For Dummies.” to really make it believable. ”I AM ALTERNATIVE. HERE’S MY PORTFOLIO OF UNCONVENTIONAL HAIR COLOURS AND UNIBROW STYLES TO PROVE MY POINT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO TALK TO ME. WANNA SEE MY ARMPIT HAIR? I JHERI-CURLED IT YESTERDAY.” Her brand of off-beatness feels shallow and uninspired because it is. She  being conformist with regards to her own nonconformity and that makes her a bigger slave to societal norm than you and I. 

NF Corner

Lol this was not a great Aus Decides. Sadly the standard wasn’t nearly as high as it had been last year. I cheered *FOR* Montaigne at the time, that’s how bad it was. There were several *atrocious, easily last in this ranking had they won”-entries she needed to slay (DIE JACK! DIE MITCH! DIE CASEY!) and she did. A pity my interest very quickly evaporated, but oh well, such is life. Fortunately there were a few... decent-ish entries that I’d like to share. Don’t hold you breath, though - this selection had no Electric Fieldses.

Vanessa Amorosi - “Lessons of Love”

“Lessons of love” almost completely passed me in studio -  I liked it mostly because “Absolutely everybody” was a BOP and I was edging for a good performance, which... Vanessa delivered honestly. CRAWLING OUT OF A CAR CRASH <3 The one-woman vocal bidding war she engages in once the first chorus hits. The rainy drizzle <3  The song’s merely adequate but Vanessa’s affect and the staging are enough for me. A ballad that in fact isn’t boring and provides a host of tiny little gems I can cling onto for three minutes, what a treat!

Now I’m mentioning ballads, (um, this is about Aus Decides 2020; of course ballads are being mentioned), this one was pretty good too. 

Didirri - “Raw Stuff”

“Raw stuff”, like Vanessa’s song, completely passed me by in studio version (except, I didn’t even bother simulating appreciation here - disheveled, homely men aren’t my thing, cf.: Salvador). “Oh a stripped down power ballad with personal meaning” well am I ever not interested?

And then the live disarmed me, lol. I have NO idea why but it just clicked for me. iDidirri managed to give it certain sincerity, a certain pathos that I could empathize with and the staging (which was highkey good - Non-boring piano ballads! The Concept!) provided me with enough sustenance. I also firmly believe that had “Raw stuff” made it to an actual ESC stage, it could’ve won the whole thing - it has that Salvadorian quality, minus the pretence. Alex Callier quaking in his boots rn. 

But anyway, the ONE song everybody and their dog loved was of course also a fave of mine. It is, of course,

Jaguar Jonze - “Rabbit hole”

CHASE ME IN TO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

From pretty much second one Jaguar IMMEDIATELY unleashed her inner psychotic weirdo self, flailed her body around on designer furniture (dislocating her shoulder!!! what a trooper), LITERALLY tore down the walls around her and snagged every wig in the audience. SHE’S A JAGUAR, A MARE, A GAZZELLE

*THIS* how you indie. Not Mundaigne’s safer-than-seclusion puppetfest. You inject genuine personality quirks into your song and performance, don’t give *a single* fuck about what other people think. And like any good indie song, you aren’t rewarded for your nonconformist attitude by “professional” juries. 😁

and now she has coronavirus! STAY STRONG GIRL :( (lol she streamed a jam sessions a few days back, I’m fairly certain she well) WLU!

Australia 2020 & Australia 2021

“Don’t break me” is one of those entries where qualification *entirely* depends on how good or bad the live was. Usually you can tell whether X will (not) qualify UNLESS their live is much worse than expected (or better if they’re a projected NQ). This does not apply to Montaigne; The “Don’t break me” we saw at Aus Decides definitely *would* have NQ’d, but who knows about the modified, improved version. It could’ve Katherine’d itself, it could’ve Sennek’d itself, it could’ve KMH’d itself. Who the f knows and I ain’t gonna spec on it. What I do know is that the subpar singing and dancing would not be present in the final product because, you know, rehearsals. The real hurdle for “Don’t break me” was something different: namely Montaigne herself and her compulsion to break the mold by not breaking it at all. All the decisions w/r/t the staging and styling can be traced down to her and these decisions suck because they are being made for the wrong reasons. Like, you don’t *NEED* tryhard symbolism when your (actually pretty goodish) song already possesses good and transparent lyrics. It’s okay to be MAINSTREAM, Montaigne, it is OKAY to be Mundaigne. Don’t let your ego get in your way. LOVE YOURSELF, sweet Jessica and BE YOU!!! For all our sakes...

  FREAKY! FRIDAY! FACTOR!

Australia deserves a few senheads, I think. Not many because, yep, a whole NF with self-composed songs and they STILL went for the ballad that had a DNA co-writing credit. SIGH. However, I do believe the *funk* of Montaigne’s ordinary uniqueness, and how it bled into mainstream indie song, is kind of a Freaky! thing (it’s similar to how Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic”, a song about irony, contains zero examples of actual irony - which ironically enough makes it one of the most ironic songs ever penned), if a severely diluted one. Oh well, beggars cannot be choosers, I guess. 

Score: 1 Senhits out of 5.

[berfometalpha]

Legacy of Eternity Chapter 2: Side Story I AM NO HERO

wFlash back 4 years ago - Pre Ren’veil discovery

Deep inside the ferry ship the Chariot of hope their nearly 2 million recruits both for knight candidates and marines are carried to the Academia. 

The Academia is a place where no mere mortal can walk upon as it is the training and proving grounds for a mere mortal to become a knight in ancient legend. 

This place was designed by the Custodians as a place to freely train a mortal to become a knight or a marine for the Xer-razh legions. This place is considered as a sacred proving grounds for all who wish to become a knight. 

As the Chariot of Hope exited the jump ring the ship entered into a dark space where lies a star split in half. deep inside the shattered star a Jump ring could be seen and the only way for anyone to reach it is through a pattern only known to the captains of the Chariot class ships. 

This place is one of the most heavily guarded secrets on creation and is heavily defended by a fleet of Automata’s called Forsworn a dedicated slave fleet made by the custodians with a single overriding purpose to protect the secrets of the Academy and how to locate it.

As the Chariot ships entered through a specific yet randomized route in between the shattered star. The gate led to an alternate dimension that can only be entered through Jump gate X-01. 

“So this is the route to the academy huh? I am impressed and shouldn’t we be torn to pieces by the shattered star’s gravity or something?” Clayton asked. 

“Indeed because the custodians made many things both good and bad for creation... I guess not even the physics of a star apply to them so to say... And If I were to say it... The shattered star’s unpredictable gravitational pull will rip apart any ship that isn’t a Charriot class ship and this ship alone is as big as austria of old earth.” Kent explained.

“I see so this thing is almost as big as 7.2 million square meters? or at least comparable to it huh Kent?” Marky asked.

“Indeed, or at least that is what the books in the New Dawn’s library say so...” Kent replied.

“Hmm, then this thing can probably survive a planet cracking this thing?” Genji asked.

“Probably but let’s not get to that point... Because here comes the Knight Judicator.” Kent pointed to the podium.

Many of the candidates and recruits watched the podium where a massive grey armored knight took to the stage with a disgusted look upon his face he proceeded to say this to all who could hear his voice.

I am Knight Juidcator Glarox the demon breaker, I see many aspirants to become knights and marines who possess talent to be here... I will get straight to the point... 

This place is a sacred place where knights are born and I do not appreciate anyone who muzzled their way through the trials of knighthood to come here... 

If you are looking for fame and fortune then you are only looking for a quick death...

You will all die that I shall guarantee if you entered the academy with the intent of seeking glory and riches... Then you shall die... If you had not honed your skills and simply used your family name to enter the academy then... you shall die... We shall cull the weak and seek only the strong to be molded in the fires that shaped creation...

You shall be tempered in the forges of the first born... 

For you shall be the shield that protects and the sword that cleaves through the endless night... 

Here in the Academy you shall be tested in every way possible for we shall break you before you are reborn... 

For a knight is born to protect his own and his soul belongs to creation and nothing more... Now children of creation I welcome you... to hell...

The Judicator said as the ground beneath their feet started to open as the air pressure was slowly sucking every student out of the ship. The initiates and knight candidates grabbed the nearest jump pack due to the panic some were not so lucky. More and more of the initiates were sucked out of the ship including Kent’s team though they were able to grab a jump pack Kent didn’t bother to get one. 

As they fell about 50,000 feet many knight candidates flew through the skies passing through debris and several large spires that nearly reached the stratosphere.

Rex reached out to Kent as he saw him not taking his own jump kit earlier while the others lined up along side him.

“Kent grab on!” Rex shouted.

“No need... I got this...” Kent shouted.

“You won’t survive if you crash... at the last possible second try and tumble on the ground so you will survive!” Marky shouted. 

“Yeah the idiot is right you wont make it!” Clayton shouted.

Kent looked on as he pulled out his Great sword and sliced through several boulder like debris with relative ease. 

“Follow me in... I’ll clear the path Clay.” Kent shouted.

The team lined up right behind Kent as they rapidly reached the ground as more and more debris were hurdling towards them. Kent showed off the results of his training inside New Dawn’s Gravity dome as one strike from his sword is equivalent to 50,000 tons of force. 

Upon reaching the 500 Feet mark Rex and the others activated their jump kits at the last possible minute. 

Though they were safe but nothing is said to be true when Clayton and Rex’s Jump packs particle fusion vent exploded as they slowly but surely crashing to the Academy ground.

“Hang on! our pack’s are failing!!!” Rex shouted. 

“Let me go!!! I’ll be okay.” Kent shouted.

“Not going to happen boss man! We stick together no matter what!” Clayton shouted.

Just before they hit the ground Genji and Marky caught up to the three and ignited their jump packs saving them at the last possible second.

The entire team managed to get to the Forest area of the Academy though they were safe their jump kits were rendered useless now.

“Well at least we fucking made it...” Clayton sighed. 

“True but you guys should have let me crash land I will be fine regardless...” Kent said.

“That’s utter bullshit Boss! no man can survive a fall from the upper atmosphere and come out okay.” Clayton mentioned.

“Right... Well moving aside thank you all for the assist but now where are we anyway?” Kent asked.

“According to the holo-book we are in section 719 of the training grounds... So after we arrive their should be a total of 10 teams in each sector... We need to reach our designated quarters before nightfall because their are only 3 dormitories in each sector...” Marky stated.

“Then where should we go?” Kent asked.

“We need to head north after we pass a massive plain we should be able to spot a bunker like house and that is our building... And that is about 17.9 kilometers from here and not to mention the monsters inside the forest.” Marky explained.

“Then let’s get a move on shall we? Who will take point for this?” Kent asked.

“I’ll do it... Clayton you got center... Genji and Kent take the sides and Marky you take the rear.” Rex said.

Kent agreed to the formation as they made their way through the forest they encountered several Feral fang wolves and grey mamoth bears with cybernetic augmentations. 

Though the resistance of the monsters are fierce they were no match for Kent’s strength alone. As they took a quick break inside the forest Clayton wondered about what the young knight mentioned earlier.

“Boss Man, tell us why the ever living fuck would you fucking jump out of a ship without a damn jump pack?” Clayton asked.

“Yeah I am curious about that as well?” Marky asked.

“““sigh”“Since we might be working together I might as well explain why but I guess it’s better to show you guys...” Kent stated as he took out a knife.

He then proceeded to cut open a massive wound on his left arm which caused the team to panic. when they saw the wound didn’t even spew out blood instead several ligaments started to repair the wound as if nothing happened.

“Holy fucking shit that is... Freaky...” Clayton replied.

“Wait... Kent is your bones... Cyber-grafted?” Marky asked.

“Indeed... Their were... complications when I was young and the nano-machines inside my body that compose my blood keep me alive... Technically speaking I don’t need to worry about getting a jump kit...” Kent explained. 

“So that’s why... But we will ignore that part and we will still have your back boss man!” Clayton said with a smile and thumbs up.

“Right... So How far are we from the dormitory anyway and what time is it?” Kent asked.

“We are about 13.2 kilometers out boss and we have a bigger issue about the time... we have about 3 hours left... I think we should run...” Marky suggested.

“How so?” Clayton asked.

“Well... We have a massive hoard of Grey wolves heading towards us and they look angry and hungry as well.” Marky stated.

“Oh shit fuck book it!” Clayton shouted.

Everyone of the team grabbed their gear and ran for their lives Kent could take on at least 21 of them but they were up against 500 Grey wolves and a Greater primal Grey wolf was leading them.

They were able to at least pick off a few of the Grey wolves from a distance with Marky’s sniper rifle and Rex’s crack shot pistol skills proved invaluable. When they reached the plain’s Clayton turned around when his Chain gun started to spin.

“Move aside you bitches!!!” Clayton shouted.

His chain gun started to fire both ballistic rounds that tore through rows upon rows of Grey wolves with relative ease though the forest itself was torn apart at the same time.

“Clay let’s go we will cover you!” Kent shouted.

“Got it!” Clayton replied as he started running.

As they moved through the plains and killed as many of the grey wolves they set up a defensive position in a small hill just a few meters from where they came out.

“Boss man another squad at our right!” Clayton shouted.

Kent looked to his right he saw a squad of 4 girls one critically injured while the rest were running for their lives.

“I see them... Wait a minute... Lily over here!!!” Kent shouted.

‘Kent help we got wounded!!!” Lily shouted.

“Guys cover me!” Kent said as he charged towards the grey wolves.

“Got it boss!” Clayton replied.

The heavy gunner began ripping up the ground with his Chain gun killing a row of Grey wolves in rapid succession.

The young knight charged towards a dozen Wolves and with a powerful side swing he cleaved a massive arch like trench killing the wolves and clearing a path for Lily’s team to reach their position.

As the squads regrouped at the hill the calm yet are free Kent changed to a completely different person with serious eyes and courage in his heart he then gave orders to everyone.

“Okay everyone we move as one... Lily get that guy patched up Rex, Clay, Genji we will hold here... Marky can you pick off any monsters that comes near here?” Kent ordered. 

“Got it!” Marky said as he shot another wolf in the head. 

“You two stay here and protect Lily... As soon as that guy is patched up we red line it to the bunker... am i clear!” Kent ordered.

With a nodd the two other soldiers understood his orders Kent turned to face his opponents as he pulled Trail Blazer from the ground. With a deep breath he closed his eyes mustering the courage to protect his friends and those who need him.

Trail blazer Heeded his call as it split into two the Trail Igniter and the Blaze ripper revved and roared out to answer their master’s call He slowly walked towards the enemy that is before him.

Oh Faith I offer my prayer to you... Should this day be my end... may you be my witness this day... May my actions save the lives behind me and give them the opportunity to live to fight another day... Should my end be this day... I ask you to judge me not for my sacrifice but for my actions this day...

May your light shine brighter than the stars... 

FOR FAITH... FOR THE FRONTIER!!!

He unleashed a terrifying roar as if he was no human the young knight slowly ran towards the remaining 297 Grey wolves head on and jumped right in the middle of the pact and started cutting them with relative easy. 

His friends watched from a distance as Kent systematically cleaved through the hoards of feral Grey wolves as if he was dancing to the beat of the glimmering stars upon the night’s sky.

As they watched in shock one of the monsters was approaching from behind Rex when Kent pulled out 3 knives from his coat and jumped into the air dodging a charging wolf and threw it towards the beast that nearly bite Rex’s head off.

“Rex don’t lose focus and watch each other’s backs our job is far from over!” Kent shouted as he sliced a wolf’s head off.

“Oh right... sorry!” Rex replied.

As the day went on more and more of the beasts went down before Kent’s blades the team managed to whittle down more monsters than any other team in the academy. 

Kent faced off against the Pact leader alone as he ordered his team to take the wounded to the bunker before time ran out. 

Though he was covered in wounds and several bite marks one of the wolves managed to even bite him right in the shoulder and is not letting go. It was as if he was a shield that will not break as he swung blaze ripper up igniting a line of plasma flame clearing him a path to escape later on.

He stabbed another wolf in the stomach forcing him to let go of Trail igniter the young knight also grabbed the wolf that was nibbling on his shoulder by the face and crushed it’s skull with more than 50,000 tons of force.

“Now that the annoyance is over it’s time for me to end this...” Kent thought to himself.

Time was running out as more and more wolves joined the battle Kent grabbed the Trail igniter and charged at the pact leader. He threw Blaze ripper towards the wolf stabbing his shoulder the young knight delivered a powerful upward swing grabbing the Blaze Ripper and tore off the pact leader in half killing him with only two strikes.

“Well that was quick... But now I need to run...” Kent thought.

He fused the two blades and ran towards the team who reached the bunker already. Meanwhile at the bunker Rex and his friends with a soldier from Lily’s team were waiting as they held gate open.

“We have to close the doors now... Those things are almost here!” Sarka said.

“No we won’t we have to wait for Kent to get back!” Marky replied.

“How sure are you that he is still alive.”Sarka asked.

“We put our trust in the team even though we just met each other a few days ago... and their he is!” Rex shouted.

“Damn that is a lot of ass fucks!” Clayton said as he mounted the turret of the bunker.

Clayton provided covering fire for Kent while Rex initiated the locking procedures of the bunker. As the gate was about to close Kent slide into the gate at the last possible second as it shut closed behind him by an inch of his hair. 

Exhausted and covered in wounds He breathed a sigh of relief as they were safe inside the bunker.

“Sweet merciful Faith... My god how long did I run here... Damn... Can I get a cup of water first... man I’m thirsty...” Kent said as he sighed.

“Here you go boss man and damn you ran that far to get here... You really are a beast boss man... Or should I say a Hero...” Clayton stated as he patted him on the back.

“Argh... Clay I am a bit injured please cut me some slack please.” Kent said as he drank the entire cup of water.

Kent exhaled steam as his body’s cellular regeneration kicked in healing the bite and scratch marks on his body. Lily walked in with a medical kit in hand as she inspected Kent’s bio-metrics and injected him with a bio-med-gel called Gen-tech. 

“Okay Kent I don’t think your cells will be able to regenerate your wounds for a little bit since your bio-plasma stocks are dangerously low... I think Miss Charlotte will scold you for being gung-ho again.” Lily said as she flicked him in the forehead.

“OUCH! Sorry Lily... I will try not to be a hero...” Kent said as he received another flick from Lily.

“OUCH what was that for?!” Kent asked when Lily gave him a hug.

“Just don’t be so reckless Kent...” Lily whispered.

Everyone in the room became curious as to what Lily’s relationship with Kent they helped him to the medical room.

Lily placed the young knight inside a special healing chamber to fully replenish his bio-plasma stocks. 

“Sleep tight Kent...” Lily said as she kissed the chamber door.

As she went out of the medical room Rex and Clayton asked Lily if the young knight will make it.

“Yes he will since he over clocked his cellular regeneration and modded his abilities to temporarily exceed his own capabilities.... Though some of his bio-cyber ligaments had was slightly damaged but he will be okay...” Lily reported.

“Then that is all well and good but what is your relationship with the boss man anyway are you his girlfriend or something?” Clayton asked.

“““blush”“ I wish, I am Lilian Starseeker I am Kent’s Adopted sister and personal attendant/doctor/advice giver and friend... But you can call me Lily.” Lily said with a smile.

“So how are you adopted by his Family anyway?” Rex asked.

“That is a story for another time... i believe the Judicator will give out an announcement in a bit let us go first to the meeting room.” Lily explained.

“Okay but we want them details?” Clayton asked.

“Fine, Fine... I will tell you the details Later on...” Lily replied.

When the three entered the room Judicator Voraiha the current trainer for batch number 781M looked and saw most if not all the initiates survived the initial testing.

“Well done team Zeta, Ah Rex the champion of Shard your tactical leadership and skills with your pistols did not go un-noticed by the other Vindicators of the Academy and you shall hereby receive the title of Captain... Make your family proud.” Voraiha reported.

“Thank you Master Voraiha I am humbled by the Vindicator’s decision...” Rex saluted.

“Yes quite right... Now where is Kent Redridge I wish to speak with him.” Voraiha asked.

“Master Voraiha, I am Lily Starseeker I am Master Redridge’s personal aide He is currently recovering in the medical bay. But he will be okay by tomorrow morning.” Lily reported.

“That is good to hear... After all I expect no less from an Archon Candidate... He is to be rewarded for his accomplishments I have sent each and everyone of you some Digi-credits to your holo-pads for each kill you had... You can use that for upgrades to your weapons and armor and purchase of supplies... You all survived the first day well done... But the next coming months will be more brutal than the first... Make your families proud and miss Lily... Tell Kent that he has received a special reward for gaining a total kill count of 412 which is quite impressive for his age... That is all... May Faith shine upon you all... Voraiha out.” The Judicator said as the transmission ended. 

“Well that is to be expected he did train with the Sentinel guards and the iron Wolves for most of his life and Lord Victor as well personally over saw his training...” Lily said outloud.

“Wait... Victor as in Victor Redridge the last son of Wodan Jeager Redridge?” Sarka asked.

“The one and only... And if you guys are planning anything...”““ pulled out weapons”“ I won’t hesistate to kill any of you if you have any thoughts of killing him!” Lily said without hesitation.

Lily was approached by a beautiful pale skinned 18 year old girl with long black hair, with blue eyes and wore a black and white trooper armor with a black belt cape carrying an assortment of throwing knives and held a pair of twin photon rifles with short barrels for close quarter combat.

“Eunice, I appreciate you being comforting but now is not the time!” Lily asked.

“Lily, we owe Kent our lives and we wont do anything to hurt him... I promise... For now lets get some sleep we have a long day tomorrow...” Eunice stated.

“Agreed, you guys go on ahead I need to check on our wounded before I get some sleep.”Lily replied.

“Rex, Can you help me with my Chain gun I think the rotation engine is slowing down.. I could use some extra hands to help out with that...” Clayton asked.

“Understood I also need to maintain my pistols as well...” Rex added as they went to the armory.

With a sigh of relief Lily want back to check on Kent while the rest checked their equipment and went to sleep.

The next morning Lily pulled Kent out of the Bio-tank as he fell to the ground coughing heavily and vomit the bio fluid inside the tank. Lily handed him a towel and patted him on the back to help release the fluids inside his body.

“““Heavy coughing”“ Thank you Lily...”“Vomit”“... Ugh being stuck inside that tank all night is rough...” Kent stated.

“Well Miss Charlotte did say you should Avoid being a hero... And you did it more times than i can count... Hopefully Judicator Voraiha did not report it to her...” Lily said as she helped Kent to the bed.

“Right... But what’s the status of the squad and what happened while I was out?” Kent asked.

We’ll Rex was promoted to Captain, Clayton was promoted to sergeant as well, Mister Markus was promoted to a specialist but he is assigned to you. I think that would be good while Benjamin received a pair of plasma blades earlier I believe he is going to be a brawler of sorts... My team got dissolved because we received casualties and got transferred to yours... Miss Eunicia will be your co-commander for all daily activities until graduation and I will be the medic of the team. 

“That is well and good I am glad we will work together again Lily.” Kent said with a smile.

“Indeed, I look forward to it... now here have some breakfast... I made some jam toast and an omelet sandwich.” Lily said. 

The young knight happily ate the breakfast made for him as she continued her final medical exam on his body.

“Well Everything seems to check out... The Viruses are active but not in an aggressive state which is new... For once... Everything should be all good... Your eyes seem okay... Response time is good...” Lily said as she walked towards the table.

“Kent HEAD’s UP!” Lily said as she threw a scalpel at him.

The scalpel nearly hit Kent right dead center in the eye when his Left hand moved on it’s own and caught the scalpel before it hit his eye.

“Lily, Mind if I ask why you had to do it?” Kent asked.

“Sorry, I needed to make sure your time in the Bio-chamber didn’t affect your reaction time... I’m glad it didn’t...” Lily said as she grabbed the scalpel and smiled at him.

“Right... By the way whats today's mission Lily?” Kent asked. 

Lily threw a holo-pad to Kent explaining the mission details as follows The realm of the Academy is a dimension that has never been explored like a living creature it continues to unravel secrets that many Judicators and Vindicators tried to unlock for many Millennia’s now. 

We pass this mission onto the next generation of initiates who wish to become a marine and or Knight. Team Zeta your mission is to scout the new region you shall be provided with a transport for this mission. 

“Okay then we shall accept it... Lily is the team ready?” Kent asked.

“Yes they are and by the way Kent I took the liberty of choosing the reward for you in terns of our transportation if that is okay?” Lily asked.

“Sure you are my best friend Lily so I trust your decision making no matter what.” Kent replied as he got off the bed.

“Before we leave I took also the liberty of repairing and modifying your clothes and your leg armor with mini-boosters and your boots with gravity wheels so it will be more easier for you to respond.” Lily stated.

“Thank you Lily, I am glad I have you on my side...” Kent said as he wore the leg armor.

Kent looked at his new Leg and boot armor when he noticed that the vernier boosters are similar to the Night Hawk’s booster designs. While the boots itself was made with a steel claw attachment for wall running and wall climbing purposes. 

He also noticed that the knee guards had a small pair of spikes since the young knight preferred close quarter combat.

“Sweet this fits just fine... Thank you Lily but what of our transport?” Kent asked.

“Our transport should be here already...” Lily said as she looked at her watch.

A brief moment passed as they heard a high frequency roar of 4 star crusader class engines could be heard over the distance.

“Wait I know the sound of those Star engines anywhere...” Kent said as he went out of the medical bay.

Everyone watched as a black 80 meter long Gunship class Starcruiser entered through the star gate of the Academia. 

“The Night Hawk, my family’s ancient gunship you have been through many adventures with my family... Now a new story begins and I would be honored to write my story with you...” Kent thought as the Night Hawk landed.

“Holy shit that is a bad-ass cruiser!” Clayton shouted.

“That is the infamous Night hawk... and that thing is not a cruiser it’s a gunship...Though it is a bit concerning to why it is classified as a Gunship when it is a cruiser because of it’s size, fire power and capacity fits a light cruiser class to be honest.”Marky stated.

“This ship does belong to my son and this gunship can transform into a cruiser but it is far superior than those flimsy gunships being built today...” A familiar voice said.

“Wait... mom?!” Kent said outloud.

The Night hawk’s rear bay doors opened as a dozen marines lined up as Charlotte Sentinel the current queen of the Dragon-wolf kingdom of the frontier.

As she approached the initiates with two Primera Fang wolves (One of the 7 royal guards of the Dragon-wolf kingdom) in tow. She looked upon Kent and his team and with a smile she embraced Kent and gave him a head patt.

“You have done well my son... But your battle is far from over... I have brought the needed supplies that Lily requested... But...” Charlotte said as she delivered a smack at the back of Kent’s head.

“OUCH! Mom what was that for?!” Kent asked.

“My son did I not tell you not to be a hero?!” Charlotte scolded Kent with her arms crossed.

“““awkward smile”“ Sorry Mom, I guess I was influenced by you and Dad’s war stories... And how Grand Father Wodan and Great Grand Mother Tallis saved a lot of people... Including Uncle Aliucard... I want to follow their footsteps... Including yours mom...” Kent confessed.

“I know you do but...””sigh”” My son please heed my words carefully and take it to heart... Not everything on creation happens like the stories we told you... I hope and pray that you never have to experience it... I don’t know if you are prepared for it... But please do not be a hero... Be someone who you can be proud of... your Father and I shall be very proud of you always and forever my dear...” Charlotte explained.

“Understood mom... I will try not to be a hero...”Kent nodded.

“Good... I wish i can spend more time with you my son but I am needed back home... I left a little gift for you inside the armory... I believe you shall like it.” Charlotte said as she looked to her guards.

The Primera knight nodded as Charlotte’s group was enveloped by a bright white light.

Before the teleportation was complete Charlotte looked at her son one more time as she said Remember the line between hero and monster always remember who you are and never let your desires take you.

Charlotte and her escorts were taken away by teleportation when Clayton approached Kent and gave him a tap on the shoulder as he told him.

“Now that is some family service for you... Got to hand it to a nobleman... So Boss man what should we do now?” Clayton asked.

“Easy... Let’s bring the supplies aboard the ship and proceed to the marked location... Lily can you handle piloting the Night Hawk?” Kent asked.

“Sure, I had some simulation training on flying this thing... But are you sure we should use the Flight mode for this thing?” Lily asked.

“Hopefully we wont have to use the Drifter mode so it should be easy for you to fly her.” Kent replied.

“Ah thank god I thought I was going to fly this thing using the Drifter... But sure let me get the systems ready just give me 2 minutes.” Lily added.

“Okay Everyone as soon as the supplies are transferred from the transport we move to the facility as stated by Judicator Voraiha...” Kent shouted.

“Understood Kent...” Eunice replied.

Eunice approached Kent as he was dumb founded as she saw her for the first time.

“Hello Mister Redridge, I am Eunicia Striker of the 7th Legion but you may call me Eunice... It is a pleasure to meet you.” Eunice said with a salute.

“The pleasure is all mine Lady Striker... Ugh... í mean ugh... This is a bit awkward but we need to get moving to the mission area... May I have another conversation with you after we are done?” Kent asked.

“Sure... I am a part of team Zeta now since im a failure of a leader after all...” Eunice mentioned.

“Mistakes happen My lady.... You can only call yourself a failure if you dont accept that failure and learn to make it better...” Kent replied as he boarded the Night Hawk.

The was well under way to the Facility mentioned by the judicator in the mission briefing as they passed through several key areas in the academy like the Graveyard of the Titans, the Quaronox desert, tempestor sea, and the Raging mountains each area is more dangerous than the Forests of the Feral. 

Since the Realm of the academy is divided into several ringed sections being the forest is fairly near the Administration block. And the Learning Block is considered as rank 2 in terms of threat level while the succeeding blocks are ranked from 3 to 92 depending on which area of the block ring that a knight team landed. 

As they reached the newly unlocked section only machinery and pipes could be seen as far as the eyes can see. 

“Kent, we are approaching the Facility’s main research facility their are multiple ruptured areas, Infested sections and a lot of toxic areas... Perfect for discovery...” Lily said as she flew through several spires.

“Lily be careful this place also has Tesla spires according to mom those things can fire lightning strong enough to stun the Night Hawk.” Kent stated.

“Alright it does look like those spires are in-active but i will be cautious around them... We are approaching one of the platforms now... It seems like we were beaten to the punch Kent... bringing up display now.” Lily pointed out. 

They saw a massive number of Intiates had already landed and had already entered the facility. There are even several dead initiates and unspeakable horrors that tore apart the initiates in droves. 

When the Night Hawk was slowly approaching the landing platform when all of a sudden the facility comes to life as the Tesla spires began to activate dark plasma electricity began to ignite and shoot out in every direction that had biological life. 

The defenses began to fry any initiate and marine recruit that tried to enter the facility and escape the area. 

“LILY!” Kent shouted.

“I know i’m on it Strap in everyone!” Lily said as she tried to fly away from the facility.

Before the Night Hawk could get away the Facility’s defense drones fired gravity disruptor disks on the night hawk’s four wing engines forcing it to lose power.

Lily tried her best to keep the bird on the air but was forced to land on one of the already occupied docking platforms.

“Everyone Brace for impact!” Lily shouted.

The entire team strapped down as the Night Hawk was losing power though Lily tried to keep the ship up in the air but what she could do was a controlled crash. 

The Night Hawk crashed as it slid through the platform and tore some of the gunships off the explosions slowed the gunship from falling off the edge. 

It finally stopped at the last possible second before hitting the edge into the abyss below the Facility.Lily somehow survived thanks to the Night Hawk’s Trinity layer Zerrohmite plating and its nearing indestructible Crystorium frame and the pressurized and shielded cockpit of the Night Hawk’s pilot chamber saved her life.

“Ugh... Some how I’m okay... I’m just glad the Night Hawk can withstand a dozen super nova explosions....”Lily sighed as she activated the emergency release on the cockpit.

She grabbed her rifle and made her way into the Night Hawk’s Trooper chamber where the entire team was in. 

Lily opened the doors to see the team at least those that she know were strapped in. 

“Okay time to get to work...” Lily said to herself.

She slowly but surely removed each member of the team starting from Clayton, Rex, Genji, Marky, Kent and Eunice were the only survivors. 

Sarka and Raleigh didnt as the force of the crash tore them off from their seats as Sarka’s neck was snapped from the force of the impact and Raleigh died from heart failure.

She offered a silent prayer for them and bagged their bodies and checked on those who are still okay.

“Ugh... My head... Wait... Is... ugh.. Everyone okay?” Kent said as he tried to stand up.

“Easy Kent... Your still recovering from the shock... I’ll check everyone you sit their for a bit.” Lily said as she rested Kent on the floor.

Several minutes later everyone was thoroughly checked and provided with medical care. 

“With both Sarka and Raleigh dead... We are at disadvantage... one we need to get the Night Hawk back in action...” Kent said.

“How boss those fucking Tesla spires shoot black plasma and will rip us a new ass wipe one molecule at a time!” Clayton shouted.

“I have an Idea about that... Clayron head to the hatch next to the Night Hawk and deploy the Scorgon tank it has a seperate power core and cna be piloted by a single person only... You will cover us while the rest of us will get into the facility.” Kent ordered.

“Sounds like a plan... Ugh... Lily can you help me out on how the fuck to get to the tank thing the boss mentioned?” Clayton asked.

“Okay, Luckily I know the way... Be right back!” Lily said as she helped Clayton to release the Scorgon tank.

“Okay, Rex, Marky and Genji all four of us will head to the command hub of the facility and shut down the defense grid and disable the Disruptors that latched on the Night Hawk.” Kent explained.

“What about me Kent I know a thing or two on how to hack computers specially ancient custodian class computers.” Eunice mentioned.

“Very well, our VIP is Eunice everyone box formation... Lily is Clayton ready?” Kent asked.

At the same time in the lower deck of the Night Hawk...

“Yeah, I’m activating the Emergency release now... Clay, the Scorgon tank is similar to a Mamoth cyber tank but more agile and has greater response time... the control systems has a 6 way camera control system with neruo-link motion control systems...” Lily explained further.

“In Fucking English please?” Clayton shouted as he put on the Neuro-link helmet.

“long story short... That helmet will let you see and feel what is in front and around the tank and those gloves will allow you to use it’s wide variety of weaponry also if you are in danger the Neuro-link will be disconnected by the Scorgon to protect you from sensory overload!” Lily explained.

“Okay got it... Boss Im ready to kick butt and take names!” Clayton said as he slammed and cracked his fists together.

“Good to hear it... Clay cover us first so we can enter the facility... Lily get as many of the surviving candidate knights and recruits into the Night Hawk and do your best to help them... After we are clear Clay protect Lily and the Night Hawk and if possible try to destroy the Tesla spires.” Kent ordered.

“Got it boss... Okay it’s time to nut up or shut up!” Clayton said as the emergency release. 

The Scorgon tank as the name suggest it is a 20 meter long Scorpion class tank equipped with a layer Titanium layered Zenomite steel making it impervious to light to moderate gunfire and almost any energy attack is absorbed through it’s  plasma reactor. 

Clayton deployed one of its many guns such as the claw mounted 35mm Auto cannons and open fired at the spires drawing the attention of the defense drones towards it. 

“Okay That sounds like Clay doing his thing.” Lily said.

“Lily open the door... Everyone as soon as the doors open Run like your life is depending on it!” Kent ordered.

“Opening in 3...2... 1...” Lily said as she opened the rear bay doors.

As Clayton kept firing at the spire’s  center column the Scorgon tanks 4 quad AA rotary laser guns at the drones covering Kent and his team ran for their lives to one of the facility’s entrances. 

As they dodged the debris and dead bodies Kent grabbed one of the fallen marine’s Energy rifles and blasted at the drones that went for them.

“Oh no you don’t!”Clayton shouted.

He moved the scorgon tank at the entry pathway to the facility acting as a shield for his friends while they tried to get in.

The team managed to enter the facility’s main corridor instead of a warm welcome they were greeted with only death. 

Many of the recruits were shredded by the defense drones and the knight initiates were barely holding on as the facility’s defenses managed to counter the standard methods of knight based combat.

“Rex cover me... Marky, Genji protect Eunice!” Kent ordered.

He charged in as he pulled the Trail Blazer sword from his back and started to slice and dice the defensive turrets.

Kent jumped over the barricade made by the survivors as he ripped a slab of metal off the floor and threw it towards one of the wall turrets destroying it and two others on impact.  

He then jumped on the back of one of the security droned and stabbed it multiple times before it went down. 

“Everyone Gather your wounded to the main door! those who can fight provide cover to those who are rescuing the wounded Hurry we do not have much time!” Kent shouted.

His voice, courage, and nerves of steel rallied the knight candidates and recruits together as they followed his leadership. 

The Marines gathered their wounded while the candidates pulled out as much of the reinforced steel and used it as shields. 

“Night Hawk this is Kent, Their are a lot of wounded here please be ready to receive them over?” Kent said over the inter-com. 

“Roger that... Clay please provide cover for the wounded I’ll try to dock the Night Hawk as close as possible to the doors.” Lily said over the radio.

“Got it but let me flip the Night Hawk first... Hang on Lily!” Clayton said.

They could hear a loud metal crash on the ground as the Night Hawk docked as close as possible to the front of the main doors. Rex and the others carried the critically injured back on the Night Hawk for Lily to treat them while the other Knight candidates coordinated with Kent on the next phase of the plan.

After many hours of fighting the main corridor was cleared of any possible threats the young knight gathered the surviving nobles to talk about their next plan.

We need to get Eunice our team’s computer literate in custodian tech once she is at the command center was can figure out why this place activated its defense grid and report back to the Judicator about what happened.

“Those bastards don’t even care about us high nobles since they just want us dead you know!” Knight candidate 1 shouted.

The other nobles shouted in their discontent to their treatment in the academy while those who had to earn their place knew the cost of being a knight.

Chaos began to run down the surviving initiates when he tried to clear his thoughts began to wonder off into the distance. the noise  and the hatred caused by the other knight candidates who used their connections to get into the academy caused more anger for him. He slammed his fist to the ground creating a 3.2 earthquake in just 12.1 seconds. 

“ENOUGH!!! IF YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO COMPLAIN THEN TAKE IT UP TO THE JUDICATORS THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE THROUGH BECOMING A KNIGHT FOLLOW ME! WE HAVE WORK TO DO.” Kent said angrily. 

“You ignorant fool i am Tarson Von railok, HIGH NOBLE of the 5th Legion’s 3rd royal family you should obey me!” Tarson said as he grabbed Kent by the shoulder.

Tarson tried to force Kent to kneel before him but he merely shrugged him off and didn’t listen to what he said. He grabbed Kent again by the shoulder and punched him in the face the young knight’s eyes changed from a calm brown to a raging black. 

He closed his eyes and remembered what his family told him before leaving the Academy and what his mother told him The line between man and monster is a blurry one our actions will dictate our future what will you decide my child will you be a man worthy of being a hero or become a monster?

“I am a Hero...” Kent whispered.

He looked at the Noble and grabbed his arm and nearly broke his arm and simply told him. 

“We are here to become a knight not become a wining pig... We are the greatest line of defense against the demons should they return that is why we must never lower our guard... If you just used your family’s connections to enter the academy then so be it let your way be done... But my team and I are here to get the Job done... So move aside or die... your choice...” Kent said.

The noble knew right away that his talk could be easily backed up by his strength as he looked away and walked away. With a smile on his face he asked his team to regroup on him and entered the Facility.

What awaited them was more than they could ever expect....

[zncuaccretion]

The Week(s) of Unconventional Quadrilateral Boundaries Part 4

The festival was finally coming to a close and I cannot recall how many times over the week I heard “Augusta Read Thomas will be here in X amount of days!” Today was the day that I had the opportunity to come face to face with one of the greatest living composers in music. I must say it was a surreal experience that started like any Friday of the semester I went to class, got coffee, and practiced aural skills. At approximately 9:45 a.m. I closed my tech slate to be punctual for the seminar which was located in the choir rehearsal room. A sat next to a few of my colleagues who would not squander the opportunity to hear from such an incredible talent. In addition to my colleagues some of my teachers had also filed into the room to listen to this compositional titan. The remaining time dissipated as ART entered the room to give her seminar and was introduced by Dr. Walczak. The introduction concluded and ART took the floor to showcase her unique signature as a musical auteur.

           She opened her seminar with a picture of a four-bar phrase in one of her compositions and carefully broke down how she selected her notes and her vision as to exactly what she envisioned. Next, she showed a recording being played by a remarkable group of instrumentalists and one of the had slightly misinterpreted what she had written. She immediately pointed out the tiniest error of the recording and said “it should be like X.” I sat back in my seat for a moment and thought “ignorance is bliss and I should have opted out of coming to this seminar because I am going to mess things up in Magnetic Fireflies with the added pressure of her knowing every little last detail.” The thought slowly faded from my mind and I continued listening to her composition lecture.

Thomas described her unique compositional signature with a few noteworthy words consisting of circuit, integrated, nuanced, and vibrant. With that in mind I started to get a glimpse into the exclusive signature of ART. She showed a picture of a frozen lake and used the example of water and the states of matter She looks for a molecular bond in her compositions which makes them cohesive and adds to the uniqueness of her compositions too.

           A round of applause echoed through the choir rehearsal room halls as she finished her seminar. At this point I think my brain started hurting and I thought that I had just gotten a composition lecture from a computer run simulation. During this semester I have noticed an interesting vein that has been pricked on multiple occasions. It seems that great artists seem to find themselves at a unique crossroads of art and science.  In ART’s case when she was explaining the picture of water aesthetically it looked pleasing and could offer a source of inspiration perspiration, but she was also able to abstract a particular state of matter to keep a composition consistent. After the seminar I walked through the halls relishing that I had just gotten a lecture from a musical genius.

            I was sitting in my chair on edge later that day in wind ensemble looking down the double barrel of Dr. Morehouse and ART for the Magnetic Fireflies run through before the performance tomorrow evening for the conclusion of the festival. The baton was raised and the downbeat was given it was time to share what our ensemble had been working on. Honestly, this was not the best that I had played through this piece. I know that I botched the rhythm of the small solo that I had to play. In the last few bars, I have a few whole notes followed by an 8th note B-flat and then a high G for the next few counts and then the pattern repeats itself. This particular first trombone part will come into play again in a few sentences. The composition concluded with a swift shimmer and the sound dissipated to the peripherals of the rehearsal room. The swift shimmer dust of the fireflies settled as our run through concluded for ART.

           Honestly, I think she was genuinely impressed with our run through. She complimented many of the ensemble players. Aside from two spots I thought I had a solid play through. ART complimented my sound, but during the last few bars she need more of a contrast in the part I was explaining earlier. It was discussed that I need to be subtler with the first entrance and then explode during the second-high G to really bring the character that she wanted in her composition. When the time came to touch on this spot I did exactly what was asked. I concluded playing the remaining notes and from the back of the rehearsal hall I received a thumbs up and I could see her mouth the word perfect. I sat in my chair with an expressionless face and continued as if nothing even happened. ART wrote and exceedingly nice compliment on the Magnetic Fireflies score which seems to be a magnet for attracting ART comments �� go figure… the comments we had received were some of the same noteworthy words that she used to describe her compositions from her seminar.

           Additionally, the ensemble was also showcasing Dr. Kathleen Ginther’s The River Merchant’s Wife an Asiatic composition that tells the story of a wedded couple who long for one another’s company. The composition paints an exotic landscape of flowing waters and mischievous monkeys, but ultimately tells the story of this woman’s love for her husband. We were joined by an alum of SIU, Emily Fons, mezzo-soprano who had the privilege of singing the solo from the perspective of the wife longing for her significant other.

           There is a certain amount of awareness that is needed in order to play this piece because most of the parts are exposed, so it is imperative to count and play your part. I believe that our section tends to play too timidly, including, myself. However, after a few sharply critical captain comment cuts things seemed to ironed out. The rehearsal concluded and all that was left of the festival was the dress rehearsal and concert tomorrow evening.

           The dress rehearsal was an afternoon affair that concluded in catering from Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches Our dress rehearsal went fairly well it was the second-best performance of Magnetic Fireflies and some of the troubled spots of River Merchant’s Wife had been addressed. There were a few transitional problems that had occurred between the winds and choir. For instance, during one of the movements there is an exposed 5/4 bar that usually caused our section a bit of a hiccup… because counting…  Additionally, there was a syncopated rhythm that usually ended poorly too… because more counting. Hopefully these mistakes would not happen during the performance….

           After the freaky fast feeding frenzy the conclusion to the 2018 Outside the Box was about to begin. Once again Dr. Walczak led the opening remarks of the concert and was given a gargantuan round of applause for organizing Outside the Box 2018. I remember that this particular concert felt surreal especially playing Magnetic Fireflies. Overall, the performance went well, but it was the third best we had played the composition. Personally, I navigated the small solo rhythm correctly and thought that it was the best I had played the composition.

           Unfortunately, River Merchant’s Wife did not go as well as the dress rehearsal as there was some derailment during one of the movements. I believe that I was too focused on playing the piece to realize any type of derailment. Although there were some sub-par moments in River Merchant’s Wife, Dr. Ginther was still floored that we had played her composition for Outside the Box. The festival concluded and the surreal feeling of the concert faded into the abyss as I came to grasp with a grounded sense of reality.

           I am extremely fortunate to have had this experience and to see so many great contemporary composers and teachers perform their compositions during the week(s) of unconventional quadrilateral boundaries. Now that the insanity of the week(s) has subsided things can finally get back to normal, or so I thought… because the meeting with the sorceress was fast approaching…  

FIN