#don't ask me about her scarf color or i'll make her green

[soothsayerditty]

the red hero and her [squints] cyan scarf

don't look too close at the motorcycle. i cant be bothered to draw an accurate one [shrug]

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC outfits

Thanks @mundanemoongirl here!

Rules: post pictures of your OCs' outfits! Remember to cite your sources and include image IDs to make sure your post is accessible!!!

Previous outfits:

Lexi, Maddie, Ash, Gwen

Noelle, Rose, Kelsey, Robbie, Akash

For the record, I'm still figuring out Alii outfits, so I'm avoiding those who grew up in Alium for now. I'm still keeping four pictures for each person.

Hye-Jin Song

[image ID in alt text]

Blouse, Vest, Turtleneck, Shoes

Gonna be honest, I wouldn't put it past Hye-Jin to where all three chest garments at the same time, but that's not necessary what I was going for. Hye-Jin varies with what I want her to wear, but I'll usually choose a blouse, a vest, and/or a turtleneck when designing it. The jeans pictured are all something like she'd wear, and I can see her sporting a high-waisted pants/crop top combo. She does wear gloves, due to not being in control of her powers, but she hates them, unlike Lexi.

Other Hye-Jin: OC in three, questionnaire one, questionnaire two, bingo, origin, fun facts

Liam Beaumont

[image ID in alt text]

Shirt, Shorts, Jacket, Shoes

Liam has had this color palette for as long as I can remember. Browns and greens. With brown hair and green eyes, he has such a natural aesthetic. I was stuck on what shoes to give him, but scrolling through a bunch allowed me to find both. I used to be so unsure about his pants, but as soon as I thought of shorts, I knew he had to have them! Even with his jacket! I think this is nice, and his design I think all comes together with his shorts, not to be dramatic.

Other Liam: OC in three, interview, questionnaire one, questionnaire two

Ewan Traeger

[image ID in alt text]

Sweater, Pants, Scarf, Shoes

Ewan and Liam used to have similar color schemes, but I knew I'd have to change that. Nothing was super interesting about Ewan's design, and while I used to associate him more with green, it's now Liam, so if anyone needed a makeover, it was Ewan. Purple is very different, and most of my characters don't have purple colors in their designs, so someone had to get purple! But the green is leftover in the shoes. The sweater and scarf were added a while ago when I first started adding to his design.

Other Ewan: OC in three, kiss, Picrew, questionnaire one, questionnaire two, questionnaire three

Jazlyn Nyambura

[image ID in alt text]

Tank, Shorts, Necklace, Shoes

Jazlyn has always worn a red tank top. I have to have her continue wearing it! She loves showing off her legs, which make up a noticeable majority of her height, and because she can't find any pants that fit properly, she just goes with shorts for daily wear. The necklace is her birthstone and it was a present from Ewan. I've been stuck on her shoes for a while, but I've given her basketball shoes since she plays, and I thought those went with the outfit.

Other Jazlyn: OC in three, interview, Picrew, kiss, questionnaire one, questionnaire two, questionnaire three

Tagging @urnumber1star @museandquill @mysticstarlightduck @imsoveryveryconfusedatlife @creatrackers

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[cloudymistedskies]

"The love language of gifting"

MariMui short fic

Even with his terrible memory, Muichiro seems to observe that Mari's way of showing her love is through gifts. Every once in a while, he sees her crow with a small gift for him. At rare times, she would personally gift him some bigger ones. She does the same with her family.

"Good luck on your mission, Tokito-san!" The brunette would then hand him a bento box, with the ravenette boy looking down at the box with a slightly confused look.

"What's this for?"

"I accidentally made a little too much and just took the opportunity to at least make some food for you. It's not as good as my sister's, but I hope it satisfies your appetite." Mari answered, smiling as her crow lands on her shoulder, nudging her to go.

"Ah. I should get going now. I'll see you probably some time later, and don't forget to eat!" She waves at him before taking off. The latter just watches her leave while following her crow's guide. He looked down at the box once again. Muichiro never says it, but he always appreciates every gesture she did. Little or small.

"I wonder what she likes..." He pondered, looking up at the sky. He does remember that she loves eating croquettes, but he feels like that would be a little too simple... A new kimono? No... She owns a lot of those... He thought about what to gift her for a while, and eventually began spacing out...

A snowflake falls on top of Mari's nose while she trained under the snowy weather. Ryouki suggested her to stop training under the weather, but she didn't seem to listen.

She swiftly slices off the dummy with her sword, and prepares to slice off another but quickly spotted another presence beside her.

"You probably shouldn't be training under this kind of weather." The Cloud hashira hears Muichiro's voice beside her, prompting her to turn around to face him.

"Oh, Mui-- Tokito-san!" She lowers down her sword, placing it back in her sheath. She straightens her body before speaking to him.

"Something you need here? You don't usually visit unless you wanted to train with me." Mari asked as she brushes off the snow out of her hair and nose. She noticed he seemed a bit flustered, which was odd to her.

"Here." Muichiro hands her something, she turns her head down and notices how soft it felt, then she realizes that it was a scarf.

"Hm? What's this?" The brunette holds the scarf, curiously examining it as her green eyes gazes at the texture and color.

"It's a scarf, obviously..." The long haired boy answered, with a dead-panned expression.

"...Yeah. But I'm asking why you gave this to me..."

Muichiro took his time to answer, averting his gaze on the ground. She raises her eye brow at his body language.

“It’s been snowing a lot lately, so I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t catch a cold.” He finally answered, but it didn’t really make sense to the young brunette. The protection on their uniform was enough to not get sick from the weather, mostly. She didn’t bother speaking out about it.

As she stood idly, and still looking down at the scarf, Muichiro stepped closer and took it off her hands, then tilted her head up a little, making the latter tense up a bit. He wraps it around her neck, then tucked it.

“Ah. I really appreciate the scarf, Mui!” Mari thanked him, not even realizing she slipped off, calling him by a nickname. His eyes widened slightly at that nickname.

It sounded oddly familiar… And nostalgic… And felt right when it comes out of her mouth…

“..Wait, what was I gonna say? Oh right…” Muichiro quickly backed off of Mari, looking at the petite girl wearing his gift. He fought against the urge to smile at the sight.

He always appreciated her gifts. He always adored how meaningful they are. It felt right for him to at least do it back to her…

“Just make sure you don’t get too cold. I’ll see you then, Kaizumi-san.” Before Mari even could respond, he quickly disappeared, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at the spot where he was standing before he left.

Her hand slowly makes its way to the scarf, gently caressing it as she feels its soft wooly texture.

“My heart is thumping faster than usual… Hopefully that isn’t a sign I got sick…”

Tagging: @larz-barz @kimetsu-chan @thewinterpillarhashira @bunskero @ta-ni-ya

Here’s my 3 day late apology for the MariMui angst fic WJAHANDNEN

[sweetpandorabox]

Lost Sweater - Fred Weasley x Female Reader (One Shot)

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨sweetpandorabox୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎…⋙

Synopsis: Your boyfriend Fred has been looking for a specific sweater that his mom knitted him and gifted to him during Christmas last year but he couldn't seem to find it, due to its cold bold blue color he adores wearing it a whole lot, especially during cold wintery months such as these, with no luck finding it he turns to you his girlfriend of 1 year only to find that you've been wearing it all along.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Female Reader

Story Setting: This fanfiction is set in your 5th year of Hogwarts during the Order of the Phoenix.

Warnings⚠️: None this one is pure fluff.

A/N : Hey sexy it's Angel here, this week I've decided to write a super short one-shot for all of you, I'll be sure to make one of these for at least all of the Harry Potter boys and girls because it's super easy, and don't require a lot of time, anyways enjoy love you. xx

Word Count : 937

✯¸.•´¨*•✿ Lost Sweater ✿•*¨`•.¸✯

"Oh, bloody hell where is it! Fred muttered as he trashed his whole wardrobe going nuts for his favorite cobalt blue sweater with a notable golden 'F' being knit into it, George shook his head towards Fred adding a facepalm motion into his own forehead, "Mate how can you lose your favorite sweater? mom made you that last year and you wear them all the time" George added as Fred gave in. "Sigh...I've looked everywhere in this room, maybe I've left it somewhere maybe it's in the common room?... but I know I brought it with me from home" he murmured cleaning up the messy state of his wardrobe back into order. George chuckled at his frustration, "How about you wear one of the older ones you have, maybe the green ones?" he suggested leaning his back into their shared room doorframe.

Fred gives in another sigh before nodding and putting on his older navy green sweater that he's grown out of due to his height now, but he simply went with it and puts another layering jacket over the top to keep himself nice and warm. "Well I'm heading off to see my girlfriend, I'm supposed you're going to do the same huh?" George asked knowingly, Fred gives him a nod as he puts on his shoes, "Well alright then tell Y/N I said hi...I'll see you later at dinner" he mentioned leaving the door open as he leave, "Will do" Fred shouted loud enough for him to hear. Fred made his way to your dorm room still upset about his favorite sweater and couldn't help but retrace his steps when he was wearing them, but his brain was foggy he couldn't remember anything which frustrates him even more.

He finally made it into your shared dorm room, you promise him that the girls will be out doing something together and won't be back for an hour so you and Fred can cuddle for a bit before you both head out to your usual ritual of butterbeer and exploding bonbons by the lake, celebrating the weekend before Monday makes its way back through the week. 'Knock...Knock' as the sound of your wooden door echoed inside, "Oh that must be Freddie" you muttered happily, "Come in" you let out continuing to put on mascara in between your lashes by the mirror you have above your dressing table. He entered your room and closed the door behind him, "Hey beautiful how are you?" Fred asked not paying much attention to you as he takes off his scarf, beanie, and outer coat.

"Hello love I'm alright how about you?" you asked excitedly as you finished your makeup look and made your way towards Fred as his back faces you, it was a perfect opportunity for a hug from behind so you did just that. He smiles at your actions and turned around finally paying attention to you. "I'm alright as well lo-" he paused scanning you up and down, his much shorter girlfriend in her lacy underwear and a giant cobalt sweater with a golden F being knit into it topping it off with a messy bedhead-like hair. Fred blushed furiously as if red paint had made itself paint a streak straight across his face with no warning. "Babe, when did you steal that sweater? I've been looking all over the place for it... it's my favorite one" Fred asked with a slight smile on his face, you pout and looked up at him, "I-I'm sorry I saw it laying around your bed last week when I was over at your dorm room and I was cold so I took it without asking. And I never had a sweater like this one before, it's comfy and it has a giant letter, presenting the first alphabet of your name, it's rather special really" you pleaded to hope your tall ginger boyfriend would spare you from his anger.

Fred chuckled lightly at your response, "Love if you wanted a sweater just like mine you could've just asked me, mom would be more than happy to knit you one this Christmas...I bet she already did she loves you, and she thinks you're the perfect match for me because you tone down my quirky personality and you can bake.... what more could I want?" Fred mentioned still warping his arm around your waist lovingly, your face lit up with excitement. "Really? she'd do that for me? knit me my own personal sweater like this one?" you wondered as your eyes sparkled with joy, Fred chuckled louder at your response, "Well of course but for now, you can wear this one, but it's incredibly baggy on you" he touched the blue sweater watching as the hem hits around your upper thigh area which puts a smile on his face, after a bit of staring Fred couldn't resist your lips, there something about them that drives him and forced a feeling of desires to kiss it every time and so he did.

He pulled you in by the waist close to his leaving no gaps in between the both of you, he uses his pair of chocolaty brown eyes to stare deep into your soul with a smile so enthralling you often wondered to yourself if this boy was truly real at times, and before you know it he'd managed to pick you up with his strong hands and kiss you passionately that soon becomes hungry, leading Fred into landing you softly on your bed breaking the kiss leaving the both of you into a fit of giggle like young children at the park.

[here-its-kayla]

Writing g/t one piece? *^* how about Law finding an injured/sick tiny?

Here! :D I'll be working on the other request soon :]

(also I might changed a bit the story a bit; Law doesn't find the tinies, one of them comes to him; Sorry that I changed that :'])

It's a bit short though (+ a drawing to see how my oc's actually look like), btw now Law knows how to cook UuU

Anyways enjoy this :)

It was a day like any other on the Polar Tang, the crewmen were doing their thing while Law was in his own room rereading his medical books. And although it could be his imagination, he had spent several days listening to small noises that the submarine usually didn’t make.

If that wasn't enough, every day around the same time, a shiver ran through his entire body. At first, he did not give it much importance, but when it began to repeat itself daily at exactly that same time, he thought that it was not a coincidence.

He put the book aside, ready to leave his room and talk to his crew, he heard a little tapping on the highest shelves. He slowly approached, his hand on his katana for good measure, looking up only to see a small head peek out. 

Law stares at it for a moment before speaking. “What the hell? There is no way this is part of my imagination…” “I am very real, mr. human.” Said a small voice of a little girl that seemed to belong to that little head that peeked out.

“I have also heard that you are a doctor, is that true?” the girl asked as she peeked a little further over the edge of the shelf. Law frowned. "Yes, I am the doctor of this submarine, why do you ask and how did you get into my submarine?" 

The little girl simply put her finger to her lip and answered. "I don't know how we got in or how long we've been here... But, I was wondering if it was true that you were a doctor, because my older brother's skin is very hot but he says he's cold and I don't know what to do."

"Hmm, it's very likely that he just has a fever, could you tell him to come over?" The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding and disappearing from sight. “What did I just get myself into…?”

About fifteen minutes passed before two small figures appeared walking across his desk. The so-called brother glared at him coldly before heaving a sigh and sitting down. "Here he is, although it took me a while to convince him, he made me promise that you wouldn’t touch me in any way if I wanted him to come."

Law heaved a sigh as he sat down across from them. "It's okay to be cautious around strangers, so that condition is fine with me." He answered looking at the two. The girl had brown hair tied into two pigtails and was wearing a light blue t-shirt with a blue skirt and brown boots, while a green scarf covered her neck.

The other had short hair the same color, was wearing a baggy white T-shirt, baggy black pants, and brown boots. Like his sister, he wore a green scarf wrapped around his neck. “Are you going to be watching us this whole time or what?” the brother said in a rather rude tone. 

The girl looked at Law for signs of anger before saying. “I'm sorry for my big brother, mr. human, it's just that he doesn't like humans…” Law just nodded as he got up from his seat. "I'm going to make some soup for you two, it'll help you warm up a bit."

Half an hour passed before Law returned to the room with two small lids filled with soup. He placed them in front of the little ones as he sat down again in front of them. The brother was the first to take a sip of the soup "Thank you... I guess..." The little girl smiled broadly. "Yeah, Yeah! Thank you very much! By the way my name is Kyoko and his is Kyo, I am seven years old and he is seventeen!”

"Trafalgar Law..." Who knew that now he would have to deal with two little people in his submarine?

+ Oc reference drawing :]

[parttimepuff]

Are we sure Magolor is a dark matter, I’ve only seen two eyes on this egg

"Ah, right, that." Magolor mumbled, wringing his hands as the group made their way across Green Greens, the moon lighting their way. "I didn’t wanna ask but, your disguise is really convincing." Beep pointed out. "I was curious, too." Reverie piped up, that being why he'd initially been wary of him. "Yeah, that's, entirely fair to be confused by. See, these two are my old eyes." He said, pointing at them. "They still work, luckily. I just, also have a big one."

"So you have, three?" Beep asked, already having been surprised at just two. "Yep." Magolor replied, nodding. "Do your old eyes work different from your big eye?" She questioned. "Well, no, they're about the same. It's just that the big one is, very suspicious." He hesitantly answered. That only confused her further. "Why???" She pressed forward, the Halcandran's two visible eyes fixated on the ground. "Well, it's… in a weird spot." He explained. "Like on your forehead?" Reverie piped up, pointing to his own. Magolor just sighed. "I wish."

"Like, on your body?" Beep assumed, her friend nodding. "Yeah… I could show you, just, don't be freaked out about it?" Magolor asked of her. She and her father shared a look, expressing the same thing. "Why would I be freaked out?" She asked. "Cause it, looks bizarre." The Halcandran responded, visibly nervous. It didn't sway her. "Try me." She stated, the other Matter glancing at her, unsure. "Ok, I warned ya." He relented.

Both Beep and Reverie watched as Magolor gripping his scarf, tugging it down to reveal his mouth for the first time. Shifting uncomfortably, he didn't say anything, simply opened his mouth. Where a large yellow eye stared out at them. "Whoa…" The Dream Fae muttered while his daughter stared back. The reaction wasn't exactly what he'd expected, but it didn't make him feel any better. "…o-ok, I'll just, close my mouth now-" He started.

"It’s the same color as your old eyes." Beep pointed out, stopping him. "Oh… yeah, I guess it is." Magolor realized, never having really considered it. "…I like it." She decided, smiling back. The Halcandran paused, before his mouth eye began to tear up. He was quick to wipe it away, knowing it looked more like he was drooling. "Tha-anks, Beep." He stuttered. He'd expected that they'd both recoil from it, just like he did. And still did sometimes.

"Does it, bug you to hide it?" Beep pressed on. "Y-yeah, it does… I'm, still not that fond of it myself. I just… I'm lucky I look as much like I did as I do, but it just reminds me that I'm different now. …which, isn't all bad, but… yeah." Magolor rambled, not entirely sure how to get across his feelings about it. "…yeah…" She replied, getting the gist. "…i'm, glad you like it." He added. "It’s nice." She expressed. "…you look like me, you know?"

That was true, wasn't it? Even if just because of this. "…huh. I guess I actually do. I like that." Magolor responded, closing his mouth to smile. "As you should!" Reverie chimed in, never missing an opportunity to praise his children. "You look awesome!" Beep added. His smile grew wider. "Haha! Thanks!!" It didn't solve all the complex feelings he had, but he felt just that much less like an oddity.

[zeldaelmo]

Read day 9 here or start with the masterpost

***************************************************

Day 10

"Do you think she bought it?" Zelda snickered in her scarf when they dashed through the door of the department store restaurant. 

"Are you crazy? Of course, she did," Link muttered.

Zelda sneaked a last glance over his shoulder to see if his grandmother was still waving at them from her table.

Then, Link added, "You fluttered your false lashes at me like an anime character in love!"

"Good." She grinned up at him from the next step of the escalator, but instead of watching the products on display rolling by, she asked, "Do you care for anime films?"

"Yeah. Sometimes."

"Me, too. I have a small collection at my parent's house. Maybe we can watch one of them if my family is getting on our nerves."

"Sure."

She turned and felt his gaze on her perfectly coiffed updo. At least she thought he looked at her, but maybe that was only wishful thinking. She had to remind herself that she wasn't asking for a movie night in terms of… a date night. No. They were pretending. 

It was the weekend after they had agreed to their little stunt. They had decided to spend the day together to get to know each other better so that they wouldn't blow everything up on the first evening. A date to make the fake-date believable, so to say. Thus far, everything worked out and they had a good time. The holidays were going to be fun, for once.

"Oh, no!" Abruptly, Zelda stopped right at the end of the escalator so that Link stumbled into her. 

"Whoa, Zelda?" 

"I forgot that you need a suit for Hylia’s Day!"

"A suit?" Link pulled her from the end of the escalator behind a giant tower of chocolate fairies so that they didn't stand in the way. "Why do I need a suit? I thought everything is at your parent's home? I mean, I do have a suit."

"Is it fancy?"

"It's a suit." 

"Thought so…" She sighed. "I know a place, don't worry."

Link chuckled and shook his head when she began to march in the direction of the exit. "You know a place for everything in this city. I've lived here all my life, but you showed me places today I've never heard of."

"Is… is that a compliment?"

"Of course."

"Oh. You’re welcome." Zelda used the cold air that hit them outside as an excuse to hide her blush in her scarf. He needed to stop complimenting her! It wasn't that she didn't like compliments in general, all her family members brimmed with praise for each other. Link only gave one here and there, but he offered them so casually that she began to believe that he meant them and that… wasn’t good for the “fake” in front of the fake-dating operation. 

After a short walk through Castle Town’s snowy alleys, they ended up in front of a small shop window that showed only two articles—a dark suit and a dress coat. 

"Fairy Queen?!" Link scratched his head. 

"I think it's a reference to the fairy tale in which the hero gets different colored clothes from the fairy queen. The one with the Windfish," Zelda explained and pushed the door open. "They don't sell, you can only rent. I'll do that, don't worry. I got you into this mess after all."

He shrugged. From what she could tell, he wasn't overly interested in fashion. His coat was of fine quality, yes, but underneath he wore a standard pair of jeans and a hoodie.

The shop owner had nothing fairy-like about him although the shop policy forced him to squeeze himself in a green fairy costume, which didn’t make him less competent. Zelda showed him a picture of her dress and before Link had finished admiring the rows of tuxedos, the man was back with an armful of clothes. Link tried them one after the other until Zelda and the shop owner simultaneously called “this one!“ when he pulled the curtain back. 

“Uh… velvet? Are you sure?” Link stroked over his sleeve, glancing again and again at the mirrors in the changing room. “What became of ties that match the dress?”

“Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that,” the shop owner said loudly behind his hand and patted laughing Link’s shoulder. “It’s perfect, boy. You two will be the couple of the evening.” He left to give them some privacy and Zelda took his place at the entrance of the cubicle.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to. You can wear your own if you are more comfortable with that.”

“No.” He shook his head and tore his gaze from the mirror to nail her down with his blue eyes. “Since we are already faking, we’ll do it properly.” His gaze lingered when she mouthed—“thank you”—and she craved the words that she could see him forming in his head, but he didn’t voice them.

She closed the curtain when the image of burying her fingers in the velvet to pull him closer under a bouquet of Mighty Thistles wouldn’t leave her eyes. It was easier to find the courage for her next question without looking at him, anyway. 

“Link?” she asked when the rustling of clothes had stopped and she heard him tie his shoes. “I’m aware that we already spent the afternoon together, but I have one other place… you said you like a good wine, and I wanted to thank you for doing all this for me and—”

The inside of the changing cubicle had become completely still. Zelda bumped the back of her head against the pillar she was leaning on. Now she had overstepped and her perfect holidays—fake or not—would collapse like a house of cards. She held her breath before she tried again, “Link?”

Deliberately, the curtain moved to the side. "Do I need another fancy suit to go there?"

The air left her with a puff. "No. Just you and me, as we are."

He held her gaze, a smile slowly spreading on his face. And when he said—"In that case, I'd love to"—she wasn't sure anymore what exactly they were talking about, but she smiled back and that seemed to be enough of an answer.

[kursed-curtain]

A Conversation

"Boss, someone's here to see you?"

The man groans. "Is it a complaint from one of the handlers? Diesel again? Darling, I frankly don't care. I'm busy." He takes another swig from some sort of greenish, bubbling liquid, which splashes his vest uncaringly. "Tell him to come back later."

"Actually um, she's kinda been waiting for a-"

The worker doesn't finish, as they're slammed against the wall and pinned there like a fly to the door. A colorful mess of a tree-sized piñata plays Limbo under the doorway, and continues to walk backwards until they slam their hands against the desk. The clown makes eye contact, though still upside-down. "Hiya, Oddyssey!" She hums.

The man wipes off the green liquid with his neck scarf and smirks, "That's still not my name."

The clown lady does a backflip and lands upright on cloven, stilted feet. Her circus-tent-striped hat brushes against the ceiling, and she catches it before it hits the floor. "Yes it is, Oddball! Don't wear it out!"

The man, Mr. Odden, chuckles and shakes his head. You can't argue with the Singleader - he should have stuck that in his head years ago.

"What brings you back here? I thought you didn't return to the towns you visited," Odden takes a subtle sip from a purple vial and gags.

"I have a ten year policy in place, so the carnival is back in town!" The Singleader claps. "Plus I was feeling extra nostrilgic."

"Nostalgic?"

"I don't recall asking for crissisism~" She hums.

Odden sighs. "Anyways… Honestly, I thought you left for good, seeing as you stopped buying from my supplier." He rubs the label on one of the empty vials. "She grows some of the most quality forget-me-so buds I've ever had, mind you."

The Singleader tilts her head. "Are you still eating those? They might have a good crunch, but they're bad in large quantimites."

"That's what Eves tells me," Mr. Odden shrugs.

"And about your supplier, I never left her, I simply moved on to much more convenient methodogies!" The Singleader giggles, "Have you ever considered using spells for the fighting business? It saves a lot on resources, and you don't gotta keep re-dosing. I think you'd like it!"

Odden leans back in his chair. "I don't believe spellcaating is for me. I've been doing experimental cocktails since I was a young lad, I might as well stick to what I know."

"Well, if you're ever incherested in the arts, just tell me! I have a few extra books in my caravan."

Odden chuckles, "Will do."

There's a knock on the door. The goon pops their head out, mumbling, "Um, I think Diesel wants to see you again…"

Mr Odden stretches. "Again?" He turns to the Singleader. "Well then, this has been a lovely chat. I do hope you figure out how to come by more often."

The Singleader sing-songs, "I should be getting back before someone realizes I'm gone!" She does a cartwheel towards the door. "I'll tell you about the new carnieling once they've been selected, Oddity!"

"Oh, I want every detail."

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 15: And One Too Our Lost

The two had spent the day after the party looking around, debating whether or not they should go through with the idea they had. It felt like the right thing to do, but the thought of the memories made them sad. Still, they eventually found what they needed, and both agreed it would be the best. They brought up the music event to their fathers the next morning during breakfast, although kept their plans to themselves.

Reginald and Right Hand Man were both a little unsure at first but agreed that they could go after a little bit of convincing. It could be a nice evening for them all to relax, after all, something they haven't had the chance to do for a while. It would take away some time that could be used to repair the orbital station, but with how long it was going to take either way it wouldn't leave too much of a dent in the plans to go home.

Members of the clan were also invited to the event, although everyone knew that not everybody could go. Most choose to stay behind, whether it was because they didn't want to go, already had plans, or to make it easier on those who would enjoy it more than they would. A couple did wish to go, but couldn't due to sudden events that came up or because they had caught some cold or another. This left not many members going, but it still would seem like a lot to those who didn't know how big the clan was.

Hat Girl and Platinum would spend a lot of the time leading up to the event in Hat Girl's rooms, parting the best they would for the day. Neither was the best at singing, Platinum is known to fail at some notes in songs, so they wanted everything to be perfect that day. It just had to be perfect. With what they were planning, it would feel disrespectful for it to not sound good. But they worked with what they had and made the best of it.

Before they knew it, the day had arrived. Hat Girl adjusted the outfit she was wearing in the mirror. It looked somewhat like the original outfit she wore when she first came to this planet but fitted to her size. It turned into more of a 'cloak' look further down it went, splitting into two. She took out one of her paintbrush dyes she got at the metro, 'Green Bean', and used it on herself to change the colors of the clothing.

"Going all out on this huh?" Platinum asked as he opened the door, adjusting the sleeves of the sweater he had put on. She looked over as she put on a red scarf with a shrug, as he gave a smile. "You can pull off any look, can't you sis?"

"When I want to I can." She said, shrugging as she grabbed a blue vest from off her bed, tossing it to Platinum to have him put it on. He gave her a small huff and eye roll, but he placed it on over the sweater, taking a moment to readjust his hat afterward. Hat Girl grabbed her backpack, tossing it on before snapping her fingers to make it disappear. "Well, I think we're all ready then. Is Van coming with us?" She smirked.

Platinum glanced to the side. "Maybe? I brought it up to them and they said they'll think about it. Probably won't, which is good since I would be butchering my part in front of them." Hat Girl could hear the blush in his voice as she giggled, the robot glaring at her and crossing his arms at her. She stuck out her tongue as they headed to the door. "Look, I'm still worried alright. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle it."

"'andle W'ot?" right hand man asked, making Platinum jump at his sudden voice.

"Have you been taking surprising people to death lessons from Snatcher or something?!" Platinum asked, taking a sigh after he calmed himself down. Right Hand Man shook his head, and Platinum nodded, giving a brief glare to Hat Girl who was simply giggling. He shook his head and looked over as Reginald came over, and crossed his arms. "Well, me and Hattie we're thinking of trying something at the event, and I'm just hoping I don't blow out people's eardrums."

"Oh, why didn't you two tell us you were planning something like that?" Reginald asked, but he gave a smile to her. He briefly glanced at Right Hand Man, who seemed to shake his head before Reginald had a chance to ask anything. He shrugged and looked at the teens again, placing a hand on Hat Girl's shoulder as she looked at him. "I know you both will do great. Don't let anything make you think otherwise, alright?"

"You got it!" She said, giving him a bright smile. Reginald nodded and seemed to adjust his gloves as he looked out one of the cracks in the nearby room. He seemed to pause as he glanced at the clan members he could see outside, as if worried. Hat Girl took a lookout as well, but nothing seemed wrong to her. "Well, we should probably be going now to get there in time before it starts." She said, Reginald, glancing at her and nodding.

"Let's go then!" Platinum said, beginning to race down the hall quickly. Reginald called out to him briefly but stopped when Platinum looked over. He let out a sigh and a smile, shaking his head as he began to follow, the other two doing so as well. A few of the staying toppers noted they were leaving and said quick words of goodbyes. "This is going to be one of the coolest nights on this planet."

"Just don't run off or anythin' w'ile we're not lookin'" Right Hand Man warn, letting out a sigh as he glanced at Platinum. Platinum let out a shrug as he hopped onto the ground, helping Hat Girl down when she got to him. Right Hand Man did the same with Reginald, holding his Husband close for a moment before letting go. "W'o knows w'ot could 'appen after all. Even if it's better t'en ours, t'is world is still a dangerous place."

"Where exactly are we even going, if you don't mind me asking." Carol's voice came up, making the man look over. She let out a sigh as she walked over, her arms were crossed and she seemed a bit annoyed. She took a look at Hat Girl's clothing and faintly raised a brow, before sighing as she looked back at the chief and his husband. "Why not have that bird just come, and take them all. I get some of us to want to go to it, but it's overall pointless."

"We haven't had a good family moment like this in a while," Reginald answered.

"And on one is making you go." Platinum pointed out, perhaps a bit too matter-of-factly.

"I don't. Gene is making me and the other elites go, saying we've been drifting since the... incident." She said, letting out a slight glare to Hat Girl once again. Right Hand Man took a second glance at his daughter, and it somewhat clicked in his mind. but surely it was a convenience. She kicked the dirt again, seeming to want to take her annoyance out on something. "I don't see the point, our relationship is meant to be pure business."

"We're family at the end of the day, Carol, even if you don't see it like that," Reginald said, Right Hand Man giving a nod in response. Platinum and Hat Girl glanced at each other, both sharing a look of possibly making a mistake, before glancing back at the three adults talking. Carol gave a small nod to Reginald as he sighed. "Gene is just doing what he thinks is best."

"Just know if I kill the mood, it's not my fault," Carol said, looking at him before heading to the group of people that began to form, getting ready to head to the event. Reginald saw her give a slight shove to Calla as she passed by her, Calla and Sven looking confused and slightly annoyed. He let out a sigh as he looked back at his kids, and was just barely able to pick up on the worry that had begun to fill their eyes.

"Don't let her get to you, you both are going to do great." He said, looking at them both. She never said anything directly to them, but she tended to make people feel bad without even looking or speaking about them. The two gave small smiles, Platinum wrapping an arm around Hat Girl's shoulder before he pulled her as they began to head over to the group. Reginald looked over at Right Hand Man. "Everything will be fine."

"Wasn't askin'" Right Hand Man chuckled before he took his husband's hand and followed the kids.

-------

It had taken a bit for the toppats to get to the place, mostly because they had to make a decent bit of the way on foot. But when they got there it was a sight to behold, even if it was a simple one. Lights were strung from poles and trees, there were stands set up, there were even some small games. It looked like a small-town fair or something. Hat Girl looked around and took in the simple yet amazing feeling it provided.

"Darling, I wasn't expecting to see you here!" A familiar voice called, and Hat Girl looked over. Sure enough, as the Conductor had said, there were DJ Grooves. He looked a little tired but seemed fine enough. Nearby were some penguins carrying some music equipment, similar to how they carried the glass box with her timepieces back in the day. "It's wonderful to see you, what brings you and your family here? At such a convenient place too."

"Well, we went to Conductor's grandkids birthday a few weeks ago, and they invited us to come." Hat Girl said, giving a smile as she bent down slightly to shake hands with the penguin. Right Hand Man sighed, as if he was tired already, and walked off to grab something. "Raven and Crow said they were going to perform here."

"And we're going to perform as well! Or, try." Platinum said, letting out an awkward chuckle as he glanced to the side. He quietly began to hum the song again, as if feeling like he needed more practice before the moment, and that time was running out. He let out a slight cough as he looked back at the penguin, who seemed interested. "It won't be anything grand, just something small. Speaking of small, where's Dinenna?"

"She's at home. Not sure how long I'll be here and Hazel didn't want to keep her up too late." Grooves said, giving a small sigh as if he did want to bring her, but things were just how they are. Platinum nodded, he understood that babies and keeping them up late was supposedly a bad idea. DJ Grooves looked over at Hat Girl. "But don't mind all that. I'm just happy to see you again, I've been busier lately."

"Movie director work is hard." She chuckled, the penguin giving a nod in response to her. She began to look around the place again. The clan members who had come with them were now exploring or chatting among one another, taken in this simple break from the work on the orbital station. They all stuck out like a sore thumb yet not at the same time. "I just hope we don't end up getting kicked from the number of people we brought."

"I'm sure it will be fine! Besides, we have our Lawyer Snatcher in case anything does come up." Platinum claimed, Hat Girl rolling her eyes with a chuckle as she remembered the unofficial agreement at that moment. It was.. weird now that she thought about it. That was the first day back here, and it felt so long ago yet not too long ago at the same time. "Uhh. Second earth to Hat Girl?" Platinum called as she looked over. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded. "Just spaced out for a moment there."

"Considering you're from space, that's one of the things you do best," Reginald said after a moment, getting a giggle from his daughter in response. He smiled as he briefly adjusted his gloves, as they had been getting loose more than usual lately. He saw a blur enter his vision and just waiting caught the bottled drink before looking over at his husband. "You know you can at least warn me, Righty." He said, sarcastically upset.

"It's good to see 'ow quick ya can react to stuff. Besides, I already got t'e kids signed up for ya." Right Hand Man said, rolling his eyes faintly as he looked at his husband. The man let out a chuckle as he looked over at them all. Hat Girl gave him a small quick hug in thanks, and he just patted her back as he looked over at DJ Grooves. "Sorry if I interrupted t'e reunion, I know how ya bot' care about each other."

"Oh, it's alright Darling, no issue." DJ Grooves claimed.

"Please don't call me t'at." Right Hand Man sighed, shaking his head as Reginald let out a small chuckle at his response.

"Well, I need to go and get things set up, see you later darlings" DJ Grooves said with a chuckle, walking over to the penguins and beginning to help them bring the equipment over to the place it needed to be. Hat Girl let out a small giggle as she waved, while Right Hand Man rolled his eyes a bit. She then glanced up at the sky, seeing the clouds drifting by. Simple yet perfect at the same time. Like the planet.

"Well, we should get ready." She said as she snapped out of her trance.

"Saw some tables by t'e stage, we s'ould be able to get one if we 'ead over now." Right Hand Man said, Hat Girl nodding as she began to follow him to the tables. The place got slightly crowded as they got near the area, but luckily they were able to grab one before it was taken. Hat Girl brought back her bag and placed it on the table. "Don't t'ink I'll ever understand yer alien tech, Hattie. 'ow Do ya control time and make stuff appear and disappear?"

"Didn't we stop asking those questions long ago, Righty?" Reginald asked with a chuckle. "It's just common for us at this point."

"I mean, it isn't something that comes up too often to be fair. I mean, I didn't know Hattie had other magic hats until recently!" Platinum said, letting out a chuckle as he looked at his sister. He then glanced around, as if double-checking if anyone was nearby, but didn't see anyone important. He let out a sigh as he glanced back at her. "We're gonna do it as best we can, aren't we? Well, mainly you, your the better singer."

"Hey, you're pretty good as well Platy." Hat Girl chuckled, leaning back in her seat a bit. She reached into her bag and pulled out the paper with the notes and lyrics needed for the song. She placed it down on the table, before sighing as she looked up. She then noticed a familiar shade of yellow, and she let out a smile. "There they are!" She said, pointing to the bride before looking at her Dads. "Can we go say hi?"

"Of course, just don't run off," Reginald said, giving them a nod as Hat Girl quickly got up from her seat, Platinum following behind in a hurry.

Raven soon looked over. "There you two are! I knew you would come! Did you manage to sneak away from your dads!?" He asked, racing up to them with a smile, Crow shaking his head from the table nearby before following his brother. Hat Girl took the hug she got from the small bird, chuckling as she let go, Platinum coming up beside them. "Oh, you just wait. My singing is going to blow away everyone in a few short moments."

"Don't get too cocky, we're just kids," Crow said with a sigh as he walked up to him, Raven sticking his tongue out at him faintly. Platinum chuckled, they sorta reminded him of himself and Hat Girl at the moment. It felt nice.

"I know for a fact you two are going to do great, I can't wait to see you two perform!" She said with a smile as they both looked up at her. Raven's smile gained more confidence, and Crow allowed himself to straighten up a bit, look a bit prouder. She then glanced around, she could see Conductor and Mary at their table, but no one else. "Hey, where is everyone else? I figured they would all be here, town events and all."

"We all had lots of stuff planned for tonight, so everyone else is doing their things," Raven explained while Hat Girl gave a nod. She found herself glancing at where the clan members were, most just chilling and enjoying the small things there. The family was like that. "Doesn't matter, they'll just miss it."

"Don't even worry about that, I've got my camera rolling so you can show them anytime." The Conductor called over, has been adjusting the lens on the said camera. Hat Girl briefly noticed a few bottles of beer in a basket under the table, shaking her head a bit as she walked over. The Conductor soon finished the readjustments and looked over. "Aye, that's a nice outfit you two are wearing. Anyone or thing it happens to be based on?"

Hat Girl went silent, but luckily Platinum quickly shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Let's just say, you might get along with them." He said, letting out a chuckle as he glanced to the side, as Hat Girl nodded at the silent save. Platinum then sat down, looking at Mary who was glancing at the place DJ Grooves was. "You doing some spy work or something for your brothers, huh?" He asked, chuckling at her flinch.

"N-No. I'm not." She said quietly, tapping her fingertips.

"Ya should be, who knows what kind of dirty rat tricks DJ Peckneck might pull." The Conductor said, looking over at her. She just gave a nod and looked away from where the Penguin was. He looked over at Hat Girl, who had chuckled with an eye roll, as she sat down. He looked back at the camera and back at her after a moment. "Come on, lassie. We both know how far he'd be willing to go for any sort of award."

"Yeah... You do have a point." She said, nodding as she glanced back in the direction of the penguin. It was good that he didn't seem to focus on trying to win every word he could now. It would likely be a nightmare if he attempted to. He always seemed so chill, even compared to before. She looked back at Mary and patted her arm, making her look over. "Just don't worry about things, ok? Nothing bad will happen after all."

"I-I know. It's j-just... nothing.." She said, looking away.

"You think something is wrong?" Platinum quietly asked as he leaned closer to Hat Girl, and she just shrugged. If something was bugging Mary, she didn't want to bring it too lightly if the child didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't their place after all. Platinum just nodded, glancing up at the sky once again. It was a habit they all adopted at this point. "Eh, it's show night. We're the ones that are going to be worried."

"Good luck then," Crow said with a chuckle, glancing at the notebook he had brought with him. Hat Girl took a simple glance at it, noticing a bunch of words and some notes doodles. Likely the book they used when writing lyrics for their songs. Crow still seemed to be working on one, although whether it was for this show or something later she had no idea. "I'm sorta lucky Raven is the better singer of us two, I can put thought into our works."

"I do that too!" Raven said with a huff.

"When you try and come up with lyrics, every other one is something that already exists." Crow pointed out, making Raven cross his arms. Hat Girl shook her head, sure a bunch of the same lyrics would be used in different songs, but she asked if he meant specific ones that only made sense in that song. He sigh as he took a look at the notebook again. "I should probably take a break myself if I'm honest. Been working hard on these."

"Eh, just remember not every little thing needs to take up yer time." The Conductor said with a chuckle as he looked over at Crow. Crow gave a nod, and took another glance at his book, before closing it a moment later. He then placed it in the bag he brought, before opening a nearby case and checking on the small guitar he brought. The Conductor chuckled. "If I allowed that to happen, I would have bought the building long before Grooves."

"Really?" Hat Girl asked with a brow.

"While I easily could have gotten into movies the second I legally could, I was raised that family came first." The Conductor explained. Hat Girl nodded, in some way that was how the clan operated. Sure it was technically an illegal business and crime origination, but the way it was run everyone was family in some way or another. "Besides, it gave me a chance to save money ahead of time before I started, part of the reason I had a winning streak."

"That is smart." Platinum commented, glancing over at Hat Girl. Both of them had already decided to take leadership when they got older, but she could see Platinum considering what would happen if the clan didn't exist after hearing that. It was, creepy. She could tell the thought disturb him, but he quickly shook his head. "Not info I'll ever need, but I'll keep it saved in case I ever need it as a distraction point"

"Life advice as distractions. Not sure I ever heard that before." Hat Girl chuckled, although she widely thought she could. It wasn't really life advice, more advice on how to stay alive. Some of the faint words in her head were sarcastic, others were meaningful. She shook her head as she got up, looking at them all with a smile. "Me and Platinum are going to look around the place a bit if that's alright. We'll be nearby for the show."

"That's fine, go ahead, lots to do." Raven said, waving a dismissive hand. She nodded and got up, garbing Platinum's arms and pulling him out of his seat since he apparently didn't hear her. He then looked at the small family of birds and waved goodbye, before following her. It only took a few steps for them to hear a call of "Just don't you dare forget!" That made both of them chuckle, Reginald and Right Hand Man glancing at them.

"Everyt'in' alrig't t'en?" Right Hand Man asked, raising a brow at the two as they looked over at him. Platinum just nodded and Hat Girl did so with a shrug. She glanced at her blue sleeve and rolled it up, having felt a small chill go through the air. He nodded after a moment, tapping the top of their table faintly. "Alrig't, just checkin'. 'onsetly surprised ya two didn't try to race off. Ya were in our sig'ts but still."

"Speaking of which, as long as we stay in your sights would it be ok if we looked around?" Platinum asked, tilting his head. Right Hand Man let out a sigh, disappointed he didn't see that question coming. He really needed to remember how Platinum and Hat Girl was. Platinum turned some of his attention to Reginald. "You can call us if we're getting too far and we'll come. Easy." He shrugged.

"Of course, just be careful." Reginald said, and Right Hand Man didn't try to fight it. He wasn't gonna admit it right then and there, but he was slowly trusting the people of this planet more and more. And he could easily kill them if they tried to pull some trick with his children. As the two teens high five and began to head away, Reginald called to them. "Make sure everyone else is ok as well, we don't want to leave someone behind."

"You got it!" Hat Girl called, looking back at them for a moment. She then began to look around all the small stands, looking to see if there was anything interesting to do, or to see what they had in them. Platinum had made a joke about trying to steal some stuff early, and she still had her eye on him in case he tried anything. She stopped once she bumped into Calla. "Huh, oh sorry! I didn't see you there, Calla."

"It's ok, no need to worry." She said with a smile as she looked back at them. She rubbed the back of her head for a moment, and briefly glanced at where Sven was. Hat Girl looked over, seeing him talk to Jaques, looking annoyed as he explained something and the former leader nodding in response while glancing around. "Carol bumped into us and got huffy, Jaques doesn't understand why she's acting like that and Sven is explaining."

"I would just put 'she's annoyed' and be done with it, but then again this is Sven." Platinum said, getting a chuckle and nod from Calla as Hat Girl looked at them both. Carol was still being moody? She didn't understand why, sure she was strict but she had the ability to relax and chill, this place was the perfect place to do that. "Wait, isn't she supposed to be with Gene and the others? Or did she just left them."

"Probably left, she didn't want to come in the first place." Hat Girl said with a shrug, before glancing at him. "Maybe we should check on her."

"No, it's Carol, you don't get on her bad side!" Platinum stated.

"Well she seems like the type to always be in her 'bad side'." Jaques stated, Platinum's comment being loud enough that it drew both men's attention. Sven sighed and walked up to Calla, who simply held his hand as he mumbled something about stress under his breath. Jaques looked at the teens as he walked over and sighed. "I don't fully understand why she's so buggy. Is it regret or just upset that things aren't normal anymore."

"If it's what I think it is J, it's maybe a mix of both." Hat Girl sighed, not wanting to go to into detail now. Every moment made her slowly more and more worried about her choices that night. She didn't want to end up poking a bear, more than she and the others already had. It was supposed to be... she looked to the side. "I still think someone should talk to her. Knowing her she'll take it out on someone sooner or later."

"Fine." Platinum sighed, looking to the side as he looked at Calla. "I guess we're going after her. Which way did she go?"

"I think she was heading in the direction of one of the drink stands near the entrance," Calla said, pointing in the direction.

"Thanks, let's go Platinum." Hat Girl said, before heading in that direction. Platinum gave a look of 'save me' to the other toppat members, before following after his sister. It didn't take them long to find Carol, who was leaning against one of the stands walls, a nearby box torn open and her tossing water bottles at other water bottles she stacked up. "Carol? Are you ok, I understand you didn't want to come but this seems like much."

"I'm fine, fully fine." She said, holding anger inside her teeth. At least Platinum believed it was anger, and he got ready to run. He knew she wouldn't do anything bad to them physically, they were the children of the chief and doing so would put a risk to everything she cared about and worked for. She glared at them both. "They blame me you know. They don't say it but I know they do. I was just having fun."

"I understand, and I know it isn't your fault." Hat Girl said, looking at her.

"It's just who I am to be mean. He didn't like me either so I don't even see what the big deal is." She said, letting out a slight sigh. She glanced at the bottle of water she had, and held it in a way so she could see That Girl through it. She stared at it for a moment.

"Forgive me, but are you really doing what I think you're doing?" Platinum asked, looking at Carol. She slowly glanced at him, and then back at how Hat Girl looked through the water. Hat Girl reached up to readjust her hat, and Carol's hands shaked, her quickly throwing the water bottle away with a shake, before freezing and glancing at them. "That's my answer.." He sighed as Hat Girl looked at him, then back at her.

"None of us knew what was going to happen that night. And you weren't the only one that treated..." She paused and glanced to the side. She herself wasn't guilty of what she was about to say, but those words were one of the last things Carol would want to hear, even if she denied it or said that she could handle it. "It's just human nature. Even if you took it an extra step, we tend to be mean to people we care about."

"I honestly didn't know how much I did until he..." She sighed, looking over at them and shaking her head a bit, reaching for the water bottle and picking it up. "I'm being him right now, aren't I?"

"Sorta. Only he just usually never went or was quiet when he was in places he didn't want to be." Hat Girl said, with a shrug. She found herself a bit uncomfortable, yet comfortable on the inside. She didn't know she needed a talk like this, with someone like Carol no less. She wasn't even sure why it made part of her feel better, it should be doing the opposite. "You and him were more similar than you think. You both wouldn't dare question fighting someone hurting the clan."

"I mean, it's my job to protect the clan either way. He never had too." Carol said, giving a shrug. She open the water bottle Hat Girl finally registered was stolen, and took a quick sip, allowing herself to be cooled off by it, mainly mentaly. She glanced at it again once it was gone, crushing the top part of it a bit. "He always was like a wall with some things yet so emotional with others. Play a wave sound effect and he'll be running."

"To be fair, if it was a wave made out of lighting, I would understand." Platinum said with a chuckle, a sad smile on his face as he looked at Hat Girl, who just started. "But everyone had their fears and phobias. He was scared of water, me of those demons... just makes us human?" He said, tilting his head a bit as if not fully sure. "I mean, if it wasn't for my very rightful fear I would have tried jumping on storm clouds by now."

Carol and Hat Girl both let out a chuckle, only for it to be stop by a very loud "CAROL!" The woman rolled her eyes and glanced in the direction of the voice. She couldn't see him, but she heard Ahnoldt's voice long enough to pick it out in any crowd. Not that it was too much of an achievement, considering how loud he was normally. "You got to get over here and see what Albert got himself stuck in, even Sven is laughing!"

"Coming!" She shouted, sounding annoyed, but a smile was on her face as she walked away.

"That is probably the least scared I have ever been around Carol. I wonder if she has been trying to control that..." Platinum sighed and looked at Hat Kid, walking up and helping her readjust her scarf that had gotten loose. He paused and a pause button shape appeared in his eyes, before it disappeared with a blink. "Just double checking we still have it. Would be mad if we didn't after all, all the work we put into this."

"I just hope he would find it good." Hat Girl said as she looked up at him, before pausing as she booped his nose. He gave her a small glare, but didn't do anything in retaliation. "Come on.." She said, doing it again. He sighed and as she did it again, a play button shape appeared in his eyes as a honk filled the air. She let out a laugh as he rolled his eyes again. "You're the best brother that could have existed."

"Kids!" Reginald's voice called, perhaps finally noticing how far they were now. "Get over here, the show should be starting soon!"

The teens raced over with little stopping them, and kept the conversation with Carol to themselves when Reginald asked about it. He had mentioned that the meetings with the elites had been more stressful lately, in mood rather than subject. It was clear why, and how Carol did have a small part in it, but he didn't name it aloud. Hat Girl and Platinum knew well however, and were just silent and nodded. They didn't quite know what to say.

"T'ose bird friends of yers s'ould be gettin' on soon, rig't?" Right Hand Man had asked once the show had started. He was mostly ignoring it, as he didn't really see the point in these types of things. Not to mention if he showed interest Reginald might make him go up. Sure he could sing and could do it on stage, but he rather not. "Do ya know w'ot song t'ey're usin'?"

"Not sure. I think they wanted to use one they made, but I think they could also use a pre-existing song they like." Hat Girl said with a shrug, looking at him briefly before getting back to listening to the song that was being sung right now. Platinum was half paying attention, tapping his hands to the beat of the song but looking to the side. Hat Girl looked over. "Are you still nervous? Are you scared Van is going to hear you and not like it."

"I don't think they're here, so no." Platinum said, crossing his arms and glaring at her. Right Hand Man raised a brow slightly as he looked at his robotic son, and Platinum almost seemed to pale when he saw the cyborg had noticed his wording. He let out a fake cough and looked up to the sky like he hadn't said anything. "If Van's here then a lot of the other teens would be too. A-And I don't want to hear them saying-"

"Just tell them already." Hat Girl said.

"There's nothing too tell Hattie, I don't know what you're talking about." Platinum said, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips as he looked at her, silent begging in his eyes. He didn't know how Right Hand Man would make him like Van, he had always been one of those 'no dating until your 30' parents and the last thing he wanted was to be banned from talking to Van. "You're always making up stuff on the spot, aren't you."

"If s'e is, she gets it from ya." Right Hand Man sighed, rolling his eyes as he glanced to the side, Platinum takes the opportunity to gently slap Hat Girl's arm and mumble in embarrassment, before looking to the side and trying to regain himself. Right Hand Man took another glance over and then looked at Reginald, who had looked over slightly in confusion. "'ave Ya c'eck 'im for bugs, 'e's been actin' strange lately."

"No, but I'm sure it's fine." Reginald said with a shrug. "I mean, all teenagers get huffy now and again, Righty."

"Hattie only does once in a blue moon." He pointed out, but Reginald just shrugged and went back to the show. Hat Girl looked smug when she said to just tell them, did Platinum do something that would get him in trouble. No, he knew his daughter and she wouldn't rat out her brother like that. Reginald noticed the look in his eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he sighed. "I'm just worried? I think? I don't know w’ot to expect anymore."

"Didn't we stop knowing what to expect when the orbital station crashed here?" Reginald asked, tilting his head to the side. Right Hand Man sighed and gave a nod, the red eye he had starting to get a glow as everything slowly became more and more darker. They would have to get going sooner or later to be able to see the way back. "We can talk about him more later if it still bugs you, alright? But I'm sure nothing is wrong. I mean, it's not like he could get himself affected by a virus."

"We don't know the kind of mess 'e can get 'imself in." Right Hand Man chuckled, getting a small smile on his face as he looked at his husband. He glanced at Platinum who was still tapping his fingers to the beat of the current song and let out a sigh as he glanced in the direction of the stage. He could worry about this later, could he. "I'll never understand these two and 'ow we ended up with them, but I'm grateful." he found himself thinking.

Hat Girl looked at the rest of her family as she looked from the stage and found herself looking around at where the clan members were. Some were just chatting among themselves, some were paying attention to the show, others were doing other things. She let out a sigh and glanced at her scarf, hoping everything would be ok when she and Platinum went on stage. It had to go right, hopefully it would.

Eventually, it was time for Raven and Crow to perform, and that got Hat Girl and Platinum's attention fully into the show. They could briefly see the two by the stairs on the stage, both looking a little worried but ready to perform, or at least do they're best. Hat Girl looked at Platinum as he gave a thumbs up to the two, even though they couldn't see. She let out a small chuckle as she looked over at them both, giving her own smile.

"You two can do it, I know you can." She whispered to herself as she saw them slowly get on stage. She could look over and faintly see Conductor and Mary watching as well. She looked back at the stage to see Raven and Crow both looking her way, Raven giving a smile while Crow gave a nod.

They both did great with their songs. It seemed to hint at how they clash with each other, but it wasn't too noticeable. Sure, it wasn't the best it could possibly be, but they didn't need it to be the best yet. The Conductor would be heard praising them from nearby, perhaps too loudly. Hat Girl couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that. Raven and Crow both were extruded by the end, but they both look the proudest they have been in their lives.

It wasn't too long later until DJ Grooves came up, and it was then Hat Girl and Platinum headed near the stage, knowing that their time would be soon. She could make out Conductor starting to drink the bottles of beer he brought, while Mary watched in so much awe of Grooves as he sang. It was a good song too, although it notably clashed with most of the other songs sung that night. However, it wasn't long before the awe faded, and they were up.

"Good luck darlings, I know you can do it!" DJ Grooves said as he passed them, Hat Girl nodding as she walked up to the stage. She handed the music paper to the owls at the instruments, and grabbed a mic.

"Hello everyone, and thanks for coming." She said, a little awkwardly as she glanced at the crowd. "I'll try not to make this long but, this song, while may not be the best for teens like me and Platinum to sing, shares a message I think needs to be heard. By now I'm sure a lot of my toppat friends know it, and it brings back memories to some like Icepick and Snowcap who heard it a lot." She said, the two toppats glancing over in confusion once their names were heard.

"We debated on whether or not to change lyrics, and we agreed to change on in the middle repeating part or whatever its call. It breaks the rhyming pattern though, so if it hurts your ears, know it's her fault." Platinum said, pointing to Hat Girl and getting a chuckle from the audience. His eyes got the pause symbol in them, ready to go. "So we hope you enjoy this song!" He said, before looking to the band.

Time seemed to slow as one of the owls began to play their guitar, the main instrument for the song. Hat Girl could almost feel every detail in the air as she waited for her moment. She could see Platinum's eyes scanning the area as if doing one last check of something before singing. She took a deep breath as the notes slowly ticked by, her bringing the microphone up to her mouth. It was now or never, and it would be more than awful to leave now.

"Kind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine Come lift up your voices all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again"

The second the words left her month, the form some instantly seem to change. She could see Icepick whisper something to Snowcap quickly, and a nod was received. A look of memory seemed to fill their and a few other toppats' eyes as she looked around, as much as she could without it being obvious what she was doing. Platinum stepped up beside her a second later, a smile as he brought the microphone up to join in.

"Here's a health to the company and one to our lost Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass Let us drink and be merry all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again"

She swore she saw him gulp as she stepped back, letting him do his part.

"Here's a health to the dear soul that I love so well,"

Hat Girl raised a brow, didn't they only agree to change one lyric? He looked to be avoided with the crowd as much as possible, all while acting calm.

"For their style and their beauty, sure none can excel There's a smile on their countenance as they sit on my knee There's no man in this wide world as happy as me"

By now a lot of the toppats had caught onto what it was, and her choice in clothing made more sense. She could see those from this planet enjoying it, but none had the emotions the toppats did. Sure, the emotions were stubble, but Hat Girl knew they were there. She could feel them start to appear in her own eyes as well. Nevertheless, she put on a smile as she walked up to where Platinum was, looking at him before joining back in.

"Here's a health to the company and one to our lost Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass Let us drink and be merry all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again"

As soon as she finished the lyrics, she turned around, facing away from the crowd. Tears started to from in her eyes, and she took the chance to studly wipe them away as best as she could. She still remembered him introducing them to this song. Him taking him in and letting them have someone when Pops needed fixed and Dad was in prison. She felt a slight shake throughout her body, and slowly glanced at the blue, green, and red clothing.

"Our ship lies at anchor, she's ready to dock I-I wished him safe riding, without any shock If ever I should meet you by land or by sea"

Platinum put a hand on her shoulder, as she turned to him with a smile, as he slowly began to join in on the next verse.

"I will always remember your kindness to me"

She felt more confident than ever, turning back to the crowd with a smile even though tears were still going down her eyes. Platinum wrapped an arm around her shoulder, likely feeling the same as her.

"Here's a health to the company and one to our lost Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass Let us drink and be merry all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again"

Her and Platinum glanced at each other, the final part was upon them. He was ready to play the audio at any moment, and she was ready to deal with whatever may happen afterwards. She glanced at the crowd, DJ Grooves was watching with a slightly concerned smile, Conductor was near drunk, and the toppats, her family. It was almost like they were in a trance. She took a step forward as more tears appeared in her eyes.

"Here's a health to the company and one to our lost Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass Let us drink and be merry all grief to refrain"

Quickly, Hat Girl stop singing and gesture to Platinum, who held the mic up to one of his hidden speakers and the pause symbol turn into a play symbol as the recorded audio begins to play. The c word, mainly the toppats, only had a second to register the sound of water slightly in the background, likely a sink, and something being moved within it before the faint, older voice came through, likely unaware of being recorded.

"For we may or might never all meet here again"

Before the crowd even began to clap, Hat Girl and Platinum headed off stage, looking at each other.

"I thought we agreed just to change that one lyric?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as Platinum looked at her. She let out a sigh and wiped her eyes a bit, tears still slightly going down as she looked at the ground. She didn't know if he was watching them, but if he saw, she hoped he enjoyed the show. She glanced up as Reginald suddenly appeared, wiping away her tears. "Dad. Yeah... I-I should have told you but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It was one, a good one." He said, smiling at her as she smiled back. Right Hand Man placed a hand on Platinum's shoulder and had him look up at him, where he sighed and gave him a hug, likely some comfort they both needed. Right Hand Man may not be showing anything, but the song got to him a bit too. Reginald sighed as he stood back up. "We should be heading back to the orbital station now, it will be dark when we get there."

"Yeah..." Platinum said, nodding as he began to leave, saying a quick 'bye' to DJ Grooves as they passed.

They met up with the rest of the toppats quickly after, and Reginald told everyone it was time to go home, and no one really complained. Carol walked up to them after a bit as they walked and glanced to the side. "So that wasn't a song I ever planned to hear outside the train... Thanks for that on behalf of the elites. It's... really a tribute that should have been done already, if we're all being honest." She spoke.

"We just felt it was the best way." Hat Girl said with a smile, before letting out a yawn. Carol nodded and began to head back to where she was walking before, Reginald giving Hat Girl a small look as she did, but didn't focus too much on it. There were more things to focus on now, and Hat Girl slowly glanced at Platinum, whose eyes were dull, likely didn't fully charge last night. "So, you do realize you came out as Pan on stage?"

"Really, now?" He asked but nodded with a yawn as she let out a tired giggle. Right Hand Man gave Platinum a look.

"Did you t’ought Van was ‘ere so ya switch the pronouns to t’em so t’ey wouldn't get upset in t’e case t’ey like ya back?" Right Hand Man asked, and Platinum blindly nodded, before freezing as Hat Girl let out a giggle. Reginald looked excited by the announcement of a crush but Right Hand Man shook his head. "Know I can't stop ya from dating behind my back but know you both will need my permission if you want to get married."

"We just got done doing a tribute to a dead guy we all miss why are we talking about this!" Platinum whined, as Reginald gave a small glare to Right Hand Man for the comment. The cyborg just shrugged as Platinum tossed the arm that was around his shoulder away and crossed his arms in a huff. He sent a glare when he tried to put the arm back. "I am very capable of walking, Pops." He said, getting some chuckles from the family. Hat Girl and Platinum had suddenly noticed the purple hair toppat walking by who gave a small glance to them with a small smile, before looking away.

They still thought about the memories they had with the lost that night. But the man was dead and gone and there was no bringing him back. He wasn't a Snatcher after all. And dead people outside of subcon don't come back.

[thesmallgremlinofdeath]

So, I've rewatchew film Z and it's been a while I want to talk about it so I'm gonna try preparing a big review.

While I'm working on it, here's my opinion on the designs of the final battle :

Beautifull boy, classic pirate look fits him really well, don't ask me why he has 2 big ass swords considering he is so bad with them but... Big piece of meat and flip/flops, final touch *chef kiss*

Red fits him so well, I wish he was wearing this kimono more often (make Zoro wear something else than green please), big ass coat over his soulders is so dramatic, perfect.

2 positive reviews ? Well here we go for the bad ones ! What the fuck is that ? I mean, it's Nami's outfit in a Toei produced movie, I knew it was going to be real bad in term of logic and sexualisation but damn this is not even making her sexy just... dumb. Helmet with mini skirt with protection and tiny heels ? Get outta here.

Usopp, my boy, my sweet sweet boy, why do people keep hurting you like that... I'll talk about it a bit more an other time but all of the outfits for him in this movie where atrocious, he deserves so much better 😭 Like, what even were they trying to do with this all mustache/beard situation ??? At least he uses his hammer so I guess there's one positive point.

And good reviews are back !

Look at this absolute snack ! The coat ? Sexy as hell. The guns ? Iconic since Strong World (and a dozen of colours spread, seriously Oda, you keep drawing him with guns, actually give him some). The red gloves ? Ngxdfvjknx.

I adore how big coats and gloves fits him, I fell in love with this style at Strong World and Z did it again so, real happy with this one !

How tiny were the pirates they took the clothes from ? 'Cause they're from one of the crew that got their ass handed over by Z and... well this outfit is tiny. Were they children in this boat ??

Anyway, not a big fan of it but it's not to bad, the bandana he wears under his hat is real cute and his little pink coat, adorable. But otherwise I don't think such a bright red fits him so well, the blue used for the belt is really of putting for me and... well a hat over his hat... I know it's how his post-timeskip design works but I really don't like it (maybe I'll do a thread on post-timeskip design one day because boy do I have things to say).

* breath in deeply *

God, am I tired of their designs on women -_- Trying to be positive and ignoring the fact that she is in litteral underwear on a battlefield, we got her wearing a hat again and I would sell my soul to see that happen more often (besides it is a gorgeous hat, shape and colours fits her very well and the black feathers are so extra I love it), she also wear gloves and as previously stated, I have a huge appreciation for those. Her jacket is also looking rather nice, more the colour than the shape, but I'll let it slide.

To be short, illogical, over-sexualised, but with nice elements so better than Nami's outfit.

The dad is next ! And it is a positive review ! I mean look at him ! This color scheme suits him so well I actually wish he wore it more often ! His gigantic black jacket is so nice looking, and the pink slip and tights are such a nice touch, especially paired up with those flowy red boots (with tiny heels who are so freaking funny with how big Franky is).

A beautifull dad with a beautifull outfit.

And our last candidate for today, Brook ! Who absolutely rock this outfit ! I think this is my favorite outfit out of all of them because, as usual, the monster trio was really respected and had gorgeous clothes but they weren't super... original in the way that we've already see them in such outfits in the past (it's not a critic, just an observation). While Brook here is in an esthetic that fits him extremly well, as a design and as a character, and that makes his ecentric personality show even more with the mix of bolds colours and accessories (I'm in love with those earings (don't ask me how he can wear any)). And his hair looks so good in red ❤ One tiny negative spot for me would be the blue belt/scarf 'cause I don't find that this colour goes well with the rest of the colour scheme his outfit is in. But otherwise, 10/10, brilliant design, our favorite skeleton has been served !

[twst-rose-prisms]

Alisa Whiterose

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~Technical Information~

Japanese: アリサ • ホワイトローズ

Romanji: Arisa Howaitorozu

Nicknames: Angelfish-chan ( Floyd ), Lisa-chan ( Cater ), Reine des Mensonges ( Rook ), Lady Alisa ( by some of her fan ), Mrs.Famous ( Ace )

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa ( voice sample )

~Biographical Information~

Species: (Merfolk) Angelfish ( can stay in the human form like Azul, Jade and Floyd )

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Birthday: July 10th

Starsign: Cancer

Height: 1m63

Eye color: Ruby pink

Hair color: Silver-ish gray that slowly faded to pink

Body type: Semi-tall, slim, flexible

3 sizes (bc why not?): B77 - W56 - H78

Blood type: AB

Homeland: Rose Kingdom

Family: Alice Whiterose (non-blood related sister)

~Professional Status~

Dorm: Octavinelle

School year: First

Class: 1-B, student no.5

Occupation: Student, Mostro Lounge's Employee

Club: Boarding club

Best subject: Alchemy

~Fun Facts~

Dominant hand: Right

Favorite food: Strawberry flavoured sweets, Milk tea

Dislikes food: Alcohol, Green smoothie, Bitter chocolate

Dislikes: Her sister, Guessing people's age, Saving money

Hobby: Card games, Taking pictures, Yoga, Shopping

Bad with: Being honest (no she's not a tsundere), Wearing dark colored clothes

Talents: Photographic memory, Fashion coordinating

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“Hey now, there's no need to rush on the payment! But~ Don't even try and think about running away~”

Alisa Whiterose is a first-year student at Night Raven College and a member of Octavinelle Dorm. One of Azul's assistant ( alongside Jade and Floyd ), she doesn't hestitate to put on an act just to saw people suffered.

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APPEARANCE: Alisa is a young girl with mid-back length silver-ish gray hair that slowly faded to pink and round ruby pink eyes. She usually put her hair into side ponytail with a white ribbon and only tied up her hair when in sport uniform or put into waterfall braid in Dorm uniform. Very flexible and fast, she often appeared and disappeared quickly and rarely ever stand still for a long time in one place. Her body can be described as an "ideal one" for many girls, hence why lots of people got jealous of her.

In her mermaid form, like Jade and Floyd, her entire body is a slightly deep pink color but it slowly faded into white around her chest area. She have sharper nails, her ears got replaced with gills and have appendages on her arms (like Jade and Floyd). Unlike the twins, she have shorter and smaller tail, fluorescent and shorter gills & appendages (don't worry, I'll draw her mermaid form... soon... maybe...)

In her Dorm uniform, she wears a black fedora with a grey bow around it and a purple sea shell on the bow. Her outfit consists of a purple dress shirt with a white necktie, a black double-breasted suit, a cool toned grey scarf with the Octavinelle logo on it and white gloves. She also wears black-and-white boots with heels and is seen wearing black tube skirts accompanied by a pair of purple thigh highs.

PERSONALITY: A girl with good communication skills, a fashionista and a gourmet, she got admired and jealous by many people due to her appearance and cheerful attitude. She can talk with almost anyone easily and won't afraid to raise her opinion at others. Although she's bad at guessing people's ages, she can still call them with respect (if they're older than her). Alisa also have a very good fashion senses and eyes when taking pictures, some of her styles even become the latest trends on MagiCam for more than a month. She also love her followers and often replied back to their comments when she have spare time, which of course, gained their affection even more.

“Huh? My fault? Fu...! Hahaha! How funny! The one decided to sign that contract is you, not me right? So, it's your fault for listening to my words in the first place!” - Alisa's initial SSR personal story ( part 1 )

However, her cheerful personality is just a facade to hide her true nature. Alisa is actually a sadistic, cruel and calculating girl who doesn't afraid to bend the truth just to get what she wants. She knows where and when to pull the right strings while acting innocently. Can manipulate anyone easily with her unique magic, though she mostly relied on her charms and only use her magic when necessary. Often have dark thoughts about others but never said it outside, to her, anyone that interested in the contract is a new "toy". Alisa also loves to lure students into signing a contract with Azul and "accidentally" mess them up so they can't do(?) the payment. While she's his assistant (along with Jade and Floyd), her ways of "working" is distinctly different from the twins. No one can really tell what her next move is, even Azul himself sometimes got surprised too.

“I wonder... why does Mom love her so much that she forgot my existence...? Huh...? O-Oh, it's nothing!” - Alisa's classroom chat no.3

Alisa also shown to despite her sister - Alice but of course, she never show it outside and always act cheerfully around her, even call her with nickname "Ari-chan" and act friendly with her. The reason why she hates her is because she think it's her fault that her mother doesn't love her anymore. Because she has stayed with her mother ever since she's still a little human child, her mother is the person who she cherished the most (until now) for taking care of her and show her the human world. That's also the reason why she strike to be the best in beauty in order to let her mother notice her again. Because of this, she decided to learn and did research on how to dress up and do make-up all by herself without anyone's guide. Alisa did mentioned once that it took her 10 years to have a very good taste in fashion like now, but she said “My mother did notice how much I changed, but, I don't understand why she still give that girl more attention!?”

This is the reason why she got sorted into Pomefiore at first and not Octavinelle. Alisa did felt very glad that she got into the most beautiful and elegant Dorm in Night Raven College, which encourage her to become even better at "being beautiful". Vil did comment that she was one of the first years that reach his standard in beauty, though of course, she still have to improve more. Although Alisa did enjoyed her time at Pomefiore, she said that she wanted to "make another step" and decided to sign a contract with Azul. That's the reason why she is now in Octavinelle. Although she can still talk with Vil normally without any problems afterwards, deep inside, she did felt guilty for leaving like that, but there's no point in crying over split milk, so she have no other choice but to keep stepping forward from now on.

“Sometimes, I like to take pictures of simple things, to me, they somewhat calmed my heart down... Haha! Weird, right?” - Alisa's school uniform R card's personal story

Aside from her cruel side, Alisa have a soft spot for taking pictures and doing yoga. Her heart is always at ease whenever she look at all the pictures she took. While she often post selfies and fashion pictures on MagiCam, her gallery actually have lots of pictures related to scenery, food or even people. (She have at least 10 pics of Azul in her phone) She also never use photoshop or editing app, because she said that “it'll ruin the beauty of the pic!”. If you want to improve your skills at taking pictures, you could always ask the gray haired girl for advice, she'll wholeheartedly guide you. Alisa is also a morning person because she often woke up early to do yoga (and dressing up too of course), hence why her body is very flexible. You could see this clearly at PE classes, even other students are also impressed with how fast she run. While she loves playing all sorts of card games, she will only accept other's challenge when they have something to bet for, to her, betting will make the game become way more interesting and thrilling, especially if anyone dared to bet their life or things that precious to them.

UNIQUE MAGIC: "Sugar-coated Words" ( 嘘の行進 "Parade of Lies" ) Can bend the truth permanently with any lies she wants ( even joke or nonsensical words, if she want to ). However, she can't lie to the same people with the same lie twice, and if they remembered the truth then the lie that she told them will become useless.

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BACKSTORY ( just a part of it ):

She couldn't remember much what happened before she got "adopted" by Mrs.Whiterose.

The only thing she remembered was the warm, peaceful blue sea. She felt so free at that time, as if she could go anywhere she wants. She also remembered how beautiful the coral reefs look, how the dim sunlight shone gently through the water surface and how warm it was on her skin. It was a very blissful scenery, too blissful that she couldn't forget it no matter what. But, it also made her remembered the painful times too.

It's strange. Whenever she remembered that scenery, her chest unconsciously got tighten. Maybe it's because of how painful it was. But, other than that, she felt like she forgot something, no, more like someone important to her. Someone that become her friend when she was still a little fish. Someone that stand up and protect her from other mermaid's bully because she can't grow into a mermaid herself (which is a very rare case in the Sea of Coral). Someone that stand out from the other, just like her.

At first, she thought that it was a curse. A curse that can never be get rid of. She cried and cried, but because she's under the sea, no one will notice how much tear she shed because she's just a mere fish. No one will bother watching a normal fish "crying" or even "talking". In the sea, the merman have the most authority to literally do anything after all. As long as she's still a fish, no one will stand up to her when she got bullied. Because fishes are very pathetic and weak, a single slap could make them died so easily. That's why she always hate the merman, because of them she have to suffer for oh so many times. She couldn't do nothing about it except swimming away in fear, with bruised fin and scales on her small, fragile body.

Until that person appeared.

That person, unlike other merfolks, doesn't laugh at or bully her. She still remember their first encounter. It was quite interesting, to say at least. When she was hiding away in fear because of those merman again, she encountered a small cave so she quickly hide there in convenience. What she didn't expected is that another person also there. Even though she doesn't remember their appearance anymore, she still remembered clearly of how kind their words were when they saw her bruised fin. They were the first person to care for her and talk to her with such a soft, worrying and somewhat curious voice. Although they can't see it, but at that moment, she cried, her tiny droplet of tears immediately became one with the deep blue sea.

Who it is? Who is that person that always made her chest tighten whenever she remember it? Why can't she remember them now? Why? She don't want to forgot them. Especially when they're the reason why she can turn into a mermaid like now. She curse herself for not remembering one of the most important person that changed her life, but there's nothing she can do but keep rewinding the same scenery on her mind like a broken tape and hope that by any chance, she can remember their face and, if her own mind let her, then maybe their name too.

RELATIONSHIP ( in Alisa's opinion )

Heartslabyul

🌹 Riddle Rosehearts: "At first, I thought he was a first year because of how small he look! Aside from that, I think he should learn how to control that temper of him, it's really annoying sometimes~ Also, his face when he's angry is just... *laugh*"

❤️ Ace Trapola: "An annoying, stupid, hot-headed and dumb guy. Opps, did I just say "stupid" twice? Well, because he IS stupid. I felt bad that Ma-chan have to deal with the dumb one in the school~ *giggles*"

♠️ Deuce Spade: "At least Deuce-kun is less stupid than Ace-kun~ Also, he have to learn how to chill out because sometimes, his serious attitude annoyed me. Aside from that, he's quite reliable if you asked him to help you, though with that personality of him then he might get tricked someday~"

♦ Cater Diamond: "Cay-senpai is really stylish and cool~! Not to mention, he's popular on MagiCam as well so I admire him quite a lot! Whenever I took a picture together, my fan would spam the comment section with compliments which really warm my heart! *giggles* And oh! He also know lots of nice cafe to take a picture, so I often thanked him for that~!"

♣ Trey Clover: "Unlike other upperclassmen, he's a super nice and kind guy! His sweets is top notch so I often buy some from his family's bakery, and let me tell you, you have to eat it at least once in your life or else you're missing one of the most delicious thing in the world! Ari-chan sure are lucky to be sorted in Heartslabyul~"

❄️ Alice Whiterose: "...Do I really have to talk about her? I do? Ugh, fine... Well, Ari-chan is my sister and I guess my mother love her a lot? Well, as long as she doesn't brag about it then It won't bother me... Huh? I look very angry right now? Oh, no, I'm not that angry! Well, maybe just a little~ *giggles*"

Savanaclaw

🦁 Leona Kingscholar: "I'm kind of wondering why he can still be a Dorm leader when all I see is him sleeping and being lazy? Even Floyd-senpai's laziness couldn't match him! I guess I could somewhat understand Ruggie-senpai's feeling now... *chuckles*"

🐆 Ruggie Bucchi: "His ears look really cute~! Opps, did I just squeal a little there? Hehe, sorry, but it's the truth so I couldn't help it~ Aside from that, I'm impressed by how sneaky he is! Maybe we can be partners in crime someday...~ *giggles*"

🐺 Jack Howl: "For a guy that have the same age as me, he doesn't look like one at all! I actually thought he was an upperclassman at first! *giggles* His tail is like a pillow, it's super fluffy that I want to hug it all the time~ But of course, he always tried to shoo me away if I tried to touch his tail... *sigh*"

Octavinelle

🐙 Azul Ashengrotto: "Azul-senpai is soooo cool! I really like the way he make those guys suffer while still keeping a smile on his face! *giggles* He's also very smart and gentlemanly too, though his merman form as a child is a little... *laugh* S-Sorry, keep this away from him, okay~? I don't want him to get mad at me~"

🦈 Floyd Leech: "He almost scares me to dead when I first met him! Aside from that, his threats is quite effective against those guys~ His merman form also look quite nice too, I love the skin color, it kinda reminds me of the earrings that I bought! But... If only he stop being so annoyingly lazy when it comes to working...

🐬 Jade Leech: "Unlike Floyd-senpai, Jade-senpai is such a gentleman! He's also a hard-working person too, as expected of our Vice-leader! Of course, I know his true nature and it makes him become even more interesting~ *giggles*"

Scarabia

🕌 Kalim Al-asim: "Kalim-senpai sure are very energetic huh? *giggles* He might look naive and easily get tricked, but I'm actually impressed that he can quickly detected poison from food! One time, one of my haters, who disguise as my fan, tried to poisoning me with their gift but luckily, Kalim-senpai save me from it! Hehe! I felt really grateful about that!"

🐍 Jamil Viper: "Is he a babysitter or something? Because I often saw him go with Kalim-senpai for like 24/7 or something... I did tried his cooking once and let me tell you, it was so good that I can't forget its taste until now! I clearly understand why Kalim-senpai keep bragging about his cooking skills~!"

Pomefiore

👑 Vil Schoenheit: "Vil-senpai is soooo pretty! No, more like stunningly beautiful! He's also have amazing make-up tips too so I really admire him! Although... I did felt kinda bad for leaving Pomefiore like that... I hope that he doesn't hold a grudge against me or something... W-Well, since it's a bad thing you know? Haha! Sorry if I sounds a little negative there!"

🏹 Rook Hunt: "A weird and somewhat creepy guy, to be honest... I mean, it's normal to like beautiful things, but do he have to call me with some weird nickname for like, every single times!?"

🍎Epel Felmier: "He look quite cute for someone who doesn't know how to do make-up! Epel-kun sure are lucky to have such a natural beauty huh~? If only I could be pretty like him too... Aside from that! His apple cutting skills is really amazing, my fan also comment that the person who carve those apple must be an amazing artist, and I agree with them!"

Ignihyde

💀 Idia Shroud: "For a upperclassman, he's way too gloomy! I haven't talk to him much but I felt like he dislikes people like me because of how popular I am... His little brother is also the complete opposite with him, which is a little weird I guess...?"

🤖 Ortho Shroud: "He's really cheerful and friendly! Unlike Idia-senpai, he doesn't afraid to talk to everyone like me, which is actually a good thing if you think about it! Also, he looks super cool! I've never saw an cyborg before so I actually got stunned st first when I saw him!"

Diasomnia

🐉 Malleus Draconia: "He's definitely not human for sure... Well, I haven't talk to him yet so I don't know much about him, but he look like he got misunderstood for something... And never got invited to the school's Ceremony sounds really sad, to be honest~"

🦇 Lilia Vanrouge: "I actually thought he was a first year when I first saw him! Also, I have to say, Diasomnia sure are an... interesting Dorm~ *giggles* Lili-senpai are really knowledgeable, and talking to him is surprisingly pleasant~ He kinda reminds me of an old man... Haha! Sorry, keep this away from him, okay? I don't want him to scold me or something~!"

⚔️ Silver: "A very mysterious and interesting guy~ I heard some rumors that he got adopted by Lili-senpai and Mal-senpai so it makes him even more interesting~ He definitely have some rich information for Azul-senpai though... *giggles*"

⚡Sebek Zigvolt: "God, do he have to like, shout everytime in literally everywhere!? At least he doesn't shout at me yet or else I'll kick him on the face or something... And he also seems to respect Mal-senpai a lot I guess, but he don't have to brag about "how great he is" for like, every single time you know?"

Others

🌻Mary Merveilles: "Ma-chan sure are quite positive, even in troubling situation! She also look quite naive and easily get tricked, I just hope that no one tried to take advantage of her~ Also, I must say, she's quite lucky to have those guys as her friends, at least she's not alone in the school... Unlike me... Huh? O-Oh, it's nothing!"

🐱 Grim: "This cat is like Ace-kun but in animal form or something! I don't understand why Ma-chan can deal with this annoying cat for like, 24/7 or something... If I were her I would literally go crazy because he keep causing unnecessary troubles around the school!"

🌙 Luana Crowley: "What a mature and beautiful woman! I really admire the adult like aura that she gives off and I want to give off the same vibe too~ Although I'm kinda surprised that she's Headmaster's wife... I didn't think that he actually can get a wife... Haha! It's harsh but it's the truth! Though, don't tell him about this, okay~? *giggles*"

Dire Crowley: "Aside from his fancy clothes, his personality is the complete opposite of my imagination! Maybe it'll be better if Mrs.Vice-headmaster should be the Headmaster instead~ Haha! I'm kidding~! But I'm really curious about his masks, I wonder how does he look like without it...?"

Mozus Trein: "Lucius is annoying sometimes, to be honest. Because of his constant meowing, I can't focus on History, which is one of my worst subject! ...Aside from that, at least Trein-sensei's words is not too complicate to understand, or else I'll choke– I-I mean, scares that cat off!"

Divus Crewel: "Crewel-sensei looks like a Dalmatian, not gonna lie *giggles* The stick that he keep carrying around is kinda weird, to be honest... If my fish form got poke by that I'd definitely died huh? Haha, sorry for sounding a little negative there, I'm just kidding~!"

Sam: "His shop sure are amazing! He's pretty cool if you talk to him, he might teach you some tricks when go shopping~ I also often come there to buy some interesting stuff~!"

TRIVIA:

+ She's based of a pink florescent Pterophyllum scalare ( commonly known as a Angelfish ). Hence why she have florescent tail and gills in her mermaid form.

+ While her profile stated that her homeland is Rose Kingdom, her backstory actually revealed that it's not her true origin. ( The same case as Alice )

+ While she dislikes saving money, she's actually very good at it.

+ She always tied her hair with a white ribbon, some of her fan also noticed that she decorate her hair with that ribbon in every single outfit in her selfies.

+ In Alisa's initial SSR's personal story (part 3), she did said that the ribbon was "something she hates but can't let go of it from her side"

+ She hates it if someone photobombed her pictures. And guess why she hates it? Poor Alice got tons of attention on MagiCam because she accidentally photobombed one of Alisa's selfies (Luckily she didn't lash out at her sister)

+ She love strawberry flavoured sweets to the point of eating them at least one time per day (of course, she eat various type of sweets)

+ She have lots of pastel color or girly color clothes in her room

+ Speaking of pastel color, her room also have a lot of cute and pastel colored decorations

Will add more in the future~

----------------💮-----------------

Anddd that's it for Alisa's grand debut! If you wondered why my artstyle looks a little different with the fem!Riddle one is because fem!Riddle was finished after I finished Alisa's design :> Again, for anyone who read until the very end, thank you very, very much 💞💞💞

Mary will be the next one to make her debut so stay tuned! 😊 Anyway, peace~~

[useless12sstuff]

Short stories #3

. 3 Above and Beyond

Trudging through the woods, I try to place the majority of my weight on my makeshift cane. Squinting my eyes, I try to keep sight of my path. The moon is of barely any help. If I had known it would be dark I would've snuck out a torch. Pulling my coat tighter around myself and wishing, not for the first time, that I should've worn something warmer above my hospital gown. I buried my nose in my scarf and yet, the crisp air still burned down my lungs. If my cigarettes don't kill me first, the cold certainly will. 'You shouldn't be here', the guilty part of my brain whispered. I squashed that thought down just like the leaves under my feet. Silly Linda, I scoff. She thought she could keep me in the ward by locking the door. Well look now, I jumped out the window. Well the pangs in my leg are almost making me regret. Almost. Oh whatever. To hell with Linda and her false pretenses. She can act sweet and coy all she likes but I know she wants me dead. Not more than I do but it is a mutual sentiment that is reciprocated. She's far too young anyway. A bit naive and very gullible. Very overconfident too but she is under the assumption that she's being 'smart' and 'sharp' and that an old, miserable midget like me won't be able to see right through her. An absolute fool. I despise it here.

I hobble my way to my usual spot, a clearing somewhere in the middle of the woods. The crescent moon stares down at me, as if judging. Sitting down on a tree stump while catching my breath, I pull out a pack of cigarettes that Linda missed and a lighter from my coat pocket. A cold draft rushed and rustled the trees and I held my coat tighter, shivering badly. With numb hands I light a cigarette and hold the lighter close, the tiny flame giving me a semblance of warmth. Sigh. I wouldn't want the fluid to run out. I pocketed it, closed my eyes and enjoyed my cigarette. Deep inhale and then exhale. Inhale and exhale. Finally, some peace and quiet….

…. Which did not last longer than twenty minutes. A sharp, whip like crack sobered me up and I opened my eyes to a terrifying sight. A creature with four faces, more than a hundred wings, taller than the trees, so huge that I can't distinguish the sky from its body. The moon is nowhere in sight. His whole body consists of uncountable eyes and tongues. What on God's green earth is this!? I can't move. Why am I not moving? Its hellish eyes stared me down. The cigarette I was holding had long fallen. I am a stone, glued to one place. I can't tear my eyes off this- this creature. All too soon, it descends and shifts into a shape more recognizable. A man. Dressed in a pure white robe, inky hair curled in every direction, skin the color of rich soil and piercing charcoal eyes, this man would stand out among any crowd. I must be hallucinating. Are cigarettes supposed to make you hallucinate?

"What kind of alien are you?" I asked in a quivering voice.

The man blinked. Then blinked again. Then stared at me long enough to make me wish I hadn't spoken.

"What kind do you think I am?" he smoothly replies, evading my question.

"A shape-shifting one."

He folds his hands neatly behind his back and doesn't reply.

"And who would you introduce yourself as?" he asks. I have a distinct feeling that he's humouring me. Like a cat who caught a canary.

"I, well, I-uhm-I fancy myself a student." I stuttered out. He doesn't need to know where I am from.

"A student of?"

"Life."

The alien smirked. An uncomfortable silence surrounds us, uncomfortable for me atleast. I feel weaker. Sweat beads at my eyebrows. This alien's presence has a weight that is taking a toll on me.

With nothing to do, I whip out another cigarette. I finished smoking it. Then I pull out a second, then a third, then a fourth.

"How long have you been smoking?" the alien asks suddenly.

"A few decades." I say, lighting another cigarette. A hush falls again.

"How do you speak our language?" I inquired, anything to keep the oppressive silence at bay.

"I've been here before."

"Oh?" I ask, hoping for an elaboration.

"Yes."

None came.

"What is it like?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Your planet. What is it like?"

"It is a human's dream come true. You can have whatever your heart desires. Food, clothing, land, companions. It is eternal peace-"

"Sounds like heaven." I interrupted.

The alien's lips quirked.

"Something of that sort. It can be very beautiful or very terrible depending on the person."

"Why so?"

"Would you wish for good things to happen to evil people?"

"No. Not at all."

"My point exactly."

"What is evil anyway? Is evil caused by a difficult life?You know, I've always wondered."

The alien calmly looks back at me.

"Have you had a sorrowful life?" he asks, a curious gleam in his eyes.

"Sorrowful?" I scoff. "I can barely recognize myself in the mirror anymore. A saying goes 'Let a man walk the halls of sorrow. Whatever comes out, can it be called a man anymore?' " I asked.

"Sorrow is either growth or wasted potential if you have not learned. Power on the other hand, man cannot be trusted with power. It is too corrupting." the alien argues.

"I'll have to politely disagree. Power in itself is not corrupt. Power attracts those who are corruptible. Those who took the wrong lessons from their sorrows."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You have become a cynic only because you felt your life was difficult. Your cigarette is proof enough. It kills you, yet, you stick to it. Doesn't that make you just like them?"

"You are not a human. You don't, and maybe, will never, understand the delicate intricacy of addiction. I am not defending myself. I am ashamed but leaving it is no easy task."

The alien hummed," If you believe so. You are quite a melancholic person." he says, matter of fact.

"So I've been told." I smiled self deprecatingly, "Look at me, debating about ideologies with an alien."

The alien smirked, as if he was in on a joke I wasn't. Strange.

I cleared my throat. It felt itchy. Must've been the cigarettes.

"Anyway,how does your planet deal with 'evil' people."

"You need not worry your head over it. Our, ah, justice system is very fair."

"Oh. Where is it located? Your planet that is."

"Not here. It is somewhere above all the galaxies."

That most certainly piqued my interest. I have wished for death on my worst days but on my best days, I've always been a curious bug, too curious for my own good. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Why are you here?" I finally cave in to my curiosity.

The alien side eyes me and replies, "I'm here to take one person home with me. Forever."

A thrill raced up my spine and anticipation settled in my bones. I licked my frozen, chapped lips. Perhaps I am being selfish. I spent my entire life looking for an escape, an escape from everything, my depression, my poverty, my disease, that hospital and its disinfectant smelling wards, Linda, this wretched world. That is an artist's curse. Escapism, they say, is an art too and I am anything but unacquainted to art. I always wondered about what was beyond, a place where no man had stepped. The golden threads of time, weaved into the fine fabric of the universe, permitted this opportunity to occur in front of me. I will take it even if my hands bleed.

I have no family that left, nobody who loves me. I'm bitter and alone. I deserve to be selfish for once in my life. To take a big leap, a risk. Yes, I will.

"Take me with you." I begged. "Please."

"Why should I?" the alien replied, staring right in my soul.

"You came for me. I know. If you didn't you wouldn't have landed here." I say, hopefully.

"And if I say that is false? What else would you offer?“

"I can offer you beauty and art. I can create for you."

"We have many of those."

"There will ever only be one like me. Just like there is only one artist like them. Themselves only."

Silence enveloped us again while rejection stung my chest again.

"Allow me to prove myself." I plead.

The alien looked at me, questioning.

"Look in my mind, see all that there is." I say determinedly. And I let him in my mind, let him see the world through my eyes and feel what I felt. I let him see my arts, my music, my poetry, my paintings that I crafted lovingly with my aged hands. I let him see what a human sees, something I know that he had never witnessed. Then I revealed my sorrows. Hopefully humanity would appeal to it.

With a pull he left my head. My eyes burned and I felt a blood vessel burst. I dry heaved on the dead ground but the nausea still lingered. I am glad I was seated or my knees would've buckled and I would've been an undignified heap on the floor. All the while the alien just stared and stared. I am getting sick of his staring too.

Once again, I broke the silence.

"I will paint your skies," I continue, hesitantly, "and your buildings and walls. I will write for the children and even for the old. Just please, take me. I'm exhausted ."

My eyes burned again, unshed tears waiting for release. I avert my eyes and let out a sigh. I feel heavy and my shoulders slump. Unexplainable exhaustion overcomes me and my temperature keeps rising, beads of sweat rolling down my face.

"If," he began,then stopped. It was the first time in our entire conversation that I saw him hesitate.

"If," he continued, "if I were to ask you to scream your wish at me, what would you fear more; your echo or my answer? “

"My echo", I reply instantaneously.

"Why?"

"Because it would mean you have declined."

"Hmm. Recite a poem for me."

I gave a shaky, hopeful smiled and offered him my words:

My river by the oak tree

has turned molten gold again,

as the glowing orb of light and life surrenders to the sapphire sky.

The cotton clouds float in shy, pink circles

While the rush of the river awakens a memory I had long forgotten,

When this same tree once bore luscious flowers,

Their scent wafting lazily into the cool breeze,

While I sat and reminisced about the possibility of other lives in the universe,

Under the wrinkled, silver moon.

Silence hugged us again while the impact of my weakened voice lingered in the air.

"Do you believe in other lives? Aliens and such?" he questioned.

"Yes I do, I mean you are here so that confirms it too."

"You are a funny one. No one has ever mistaken me for an alien." it grinned, crooked, as if a gesture it wasn't familiar with.

My body went cold and tremors shook it to its feeble core, my breath coming out in shallow pants. My eyes shut down of their own accord. The entity then spoke with a voice that might have held the weight of a thousand suns,

"Beyond the stars we go."

[grs-the-neighborhood]

Name: Verdona Levin

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Birthday (Zodiac): January 16; Capricorn

Species: 50% Human, 25% Osmosian, 25% Anodite

Ethnicity: White / Alien?

Native Language(s): English

Nationality: American

Appearance Info

Height: 5'9"

Skin tone: Light

Eye shape/color: Round; Green

Hair style/color: Long Wavy; Black

Outfit style: Oversized Sweaters and Jeans

Accessories: Charms

Markings (birthmarks, scars, etc): N/A

Alignment Info

Hero/Villian/Civilian: Hero

Rank: Vanguard League (Supernatural Department)

Powers/Abilities:  

Natural Powers (By Mother) 

    -Mana Manipulation

    -Mana Absorption

    -Mana Detection

    -Memory Manipulation

    -Clairvoyance

    -Teleportation

    -Portal Creation

    -Telepathy

    -Telekinesis

Anodite Powers (By Mother)

    -Anodite transformation

    -Astral Projection

    -Magic

    -Flight

    -Size Alteration

Matter Absorption (By Father)

Fighting Style: 

    -Taekwondo (Taught by Mother)

    - Jujutsu (Yaught by Mother)

Weapons:

    -Spell Book

Personality:

    Verdona is very nonchalant, she tends to be very relax and reserve with people. She's kind and can be motherly to some of the other members, making sure they're fine if not then she would offer her healing. She enjoys music, it's something that puts her in a good mood. She's not nesessarily quiet but she's also not very talkative. She's the type that needs to be spoken too, however she has her moments when she gives a remark. She can be somewhat sarcastic but it's something that makes other laugh. She's very helpful and is a good ear, listening to other people's problems and helping them out.

Backstory:

    Born in Bellwood her parents had always given her a nice life. Making sure to not let their jobs or plumbing take up too much of their time. She was raised to be skilled in fighting, so when she's older she can help people like they did. Kevin, her father, had taught her how to use her osmosian powers in ways of defense and even offense. He gave her an insight to the good places to brokers. Her mother however taught her the ways of magic and being Anodite, even gave her lessons in some martial arts.

    Having these skills made Verdona a nice assest to a team, so she had asked about maybe joining the Vanguard League. Her mother was glad she would be wanting to join heroes, her father didn't seem to care. He was a villain and a hero, very hard to pick a side. But he was happy that she's doing something she wants. She teleported to Townsville and had search but managed to find the Vanguard League, where she met Damian. Son to Danny Fenton and Valerie. She had grown a crush on him. However she kept it professional and asked to join. After showing all of what she had the League had seen her as a valuable member for the team and she was accepted.

    She was excited and even transferred to the local school. Of course she teleports to the school and League whenever needed, she just needed a reason to be somewhere new. Plus she got to see Damian more. She was growing a liking to him and even wondered if she had a chance with him.

Relatives:

- Gwendolyn Tennyson Levin (Mother)

- Kevin Ethan Levin (Father)

- Ken Tennyson (Uncle)

- Ben Tennyson (First Cousin Once Removed)

- Max Tennyson (Great Grandfather)

- Verdona (Great Grandmother)

- Frank Tennyson (Maternal Grandfather)

- Natalie Tennyson (Maternal Grandmother)

- Mrs. Levin (Paternal Grandmother)

- Zed (Pet)

Relationships:

    Her parents and her get along well. Gwen and Kevin have their moments when they argue about the way one another trained Verdona but in the end they have seen that she's grown to be a wonderful daughter and fighter. She gets along well with her father being daddy's little girl, however she also gets along well with her mother. They are supportive and helpful with Verdona's future.

    Damian is the leader of the Supernatural Department she's in. She had grown a liking to him after their first encounter. Something about his scaredy-cat personailty made her smile. She just wanted to be there to help and protect him. In fact in battle she tends to be very protective of him and the team. She stays by his side and listens to his commands, and sometimes at school she can't help but ogle him from her locker. 

    As for Envie, the two seem to get along well. However they have their moments when they engage in a sarcasm battle that some people in the team wonder if they're fighting or just casually having fun. It's usually the latter.

    Vivian is someone Verdona has a hard time getting along with. Mainly due to her being unable to withstand Vivi's obnoxious and loud personality. Verdona tries to avoid her as best as she can but being in the same team it tends to get difficult. 

Small Stories w/ Characters:

            DAMIAN

    As she saw Damian walk by she nervously waved a hand at him, hoping to get his attention without scaring him. He stopped in his track and looked up at her.

    "Hey Damian, I don't mean to hold you up long, but... I was just hoping if you'd like to read this in your free time." She smiled and cautiously handed a small black journal to him, his hands took it curiously and opened it, skimming through it's content.

    "What is it?" He asks, but quickly realizes that it appears to be a journal filled with poems.

    "Just some poetry, I heard that you liked poetry so I wanted to show you some of my stuff. Maaaybe you can let me know if they're any good? I want to go to a poetry slam but I'm just too afraid that my work is ... well childs work."

    Damian smiles and gladly takes the book, he looks up at her eyes, "Thanks, I'll give it a read and let you know what I think about them tomorrow." With that he walked off, leaving Verdona to respond to his dissappearing body.

    "Awesome! Thank you-" she pauses, "Wait tomorrow morning?!" He was gone and she was nervous, was he planning on reading them all in one night? She creates a portal sending herself home, hoping for tomorrow to come sooner.

            Next Morning

    She walks around a room in the league where she ran into Damian the day before. She impatiently fiddled with her scarf before seeing him phase through a wall into the room.

    "Ah there you are," Damian spoke softly and she responded in the same manner.

    "So? What'd ya think?"

    He thought for a second and reassured her with a smile, "It's good. I think these would be perfect for a poetry slam."

    She blushed, taking her journal back she hugged it in her crossed arms and smiled at him, "You think so?... Hey maybe if you aren't busy, you'd like to join me friday for the slam?"

    He smiled, "Sure, Just text me the details and I will meet you there." She nodded, and with that he left again. She excitedly texted the details right away and walked out of the room her book still in her arms as she internally squealed with joy.

            VIVIAN

    It had been a while and Vivi hadn't stopped talking, she was talking to another member in the group and they didn't seem to mind her constant blabbering. However Verdona was starting to get a bit irritated, and with the potty mouth Vivi has Verdona found herself finally speaking up.

    "I know this space is free for members to socialize and relax but do you think you could maybe tone down the profanity?" She dodn't want to come off as a goodie goodie but she just wasn't a fan of profanity, mainly due to her high intelligence she found slang to sometimes be unnessecary.

    "Oh shit sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt yer quiet time," she reponded, only to turn back and continue her conversation. Her profanity had lessen but that only lasted less than a minute before she continued to do it again. Not on purpose, just out of habit.

    Verdona groaned, she just wanted to be in this room and enjoy some poetry reading with Damian, but he was running late and she was running out of patience.

    "We have a language filled with so many words that can replace that vulgar slang street talk of yours," she said slamming her book shut.

    "Why are ya bitching so much? I have the right to use any words I want, freedom of speech look it up."

    Her hands became fists and she stood up from her seat,"For your information I am fully aware of the Amendments-"

    "Well are you fully aware you got a stick up your ass that needs to be taken out?"

    Without another word Verdona gave up and grabbed her book and walked out, Damian had just walked in but quickly followed after her.

    Vivi sat there, a bit confused,"What's her problem?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp that's it for my entry oof took forever

But I'm glad with the outcome, I love both of my new children and if neither wins I wont even be mad, I just love them too much xD

Sorry if any character is OOC, if I need to change things just let me know!

Bio Template (C) MintQuetzal 

Vivian (C) ppgzmlpfimlover 

Verse, Opal, Damian, Vivian, Serena, Kandi (C) PrincessCallyie 

Art, Junji, and Verdona (C) @japanda-draws

Any other character belongs to their rightful show and creator

She will be in @ej-cappy-universe 's GRS series: The Neighbors.

[annaphoenix1994]

Horseshoe Overlook - Polite Society, Valentine Style

"You sure you'll be alright here by yourself?" Jameson asked Minnie as she helped him mount her horse.

"I know I will, nothin' is gonna happen while you're away," She assured. "Now, smoke you a pipe as Trace leads the way. He'll take care of you and knows when there's trouble," She explained. "Now, if he starts to get antsy, hang on!" She giggled. She could tell her father was intimidated by her horse who towered over anything close to him, but he knew that she was confident in her horse as he had been in her possession for a few years now. Trace was considered "broker than broke" as he was more used to gunfire and running than walking along a trail, which Minnie considered to be a good break for him as he toted her father along the way to the town of Valentine, which was a good hour-long ride at a walk.

"Be good, I'll see you when you get back tonight!" She cheered.

"You too," Her father replied.

"I was talkin' to Trace," Minnie teased.

"I see where I stand!" He joked.

She playfully scoffed, "Get outta here!"

She smiled and shook her head as she returned to her duties around the cabin. Sweeping the porch, making the beds, tidying the cabinets, and tending to the chickens while replacing the straw that lined their nesting boxes. She enjoyed being an outlaw, but something about the simple and honest life suited her. She guessed it was where her mother had always wanted to be. 'Momma would slap me blind if she knew how I made a livin',' Minnie said to herself as she wiped her hands on her apron, letting her thoughts wander to the loving memories of her mother, not paying any mind to the two pairs of eyes watching her from the treeline a few hundred yards away.

"Is that her?" One of the stalkers asked the other, using his green scarf to wipe the beads of sweat on his temple.

"Oh, that's her," The other one replied, licking his lips.

"Should we go and get her?"

"No, we go back and tell Colm where she's at, then he'll give us the go," He explained. "The place is nice and quiet - good to lie low for a while. Colm's itchin' to get off of that mountain."

"Why is he sending us after this woman anyway?"

"He didn't tell you? That's Minnie Barlow - the most dangerous woman outlaw since Pearl Hart!"

"So he has some sort of crush?"

"I guess you can call it that. He met her in a saloon a while ago and she threatened his life. Reckon it embarrassed him since he expected to get along so well with another outlaw, but you know how Colm is. His pride gets the better of 'em. She also has a high bounty of a few thousand dollars. Enough to get us outta here for a while!"

He scoffed, "Shit, I say let's get her now and take the money and return it to Colm!"

"No, we do as he says. Let's hurry and get back. Reckon he'll want to make a move when her father gets back. You go to Valentine and scope things out and I'll get back to camp," He directed as the other man nodded. "Don't screw this up!"

───※ ·❆· ※───

𝓦𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼. 𝓐𝓲𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓻 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓪 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻. 𝓓𝓾𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓼 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻. 𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓴𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓱𝓮'𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓬𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓻. 𝓘 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝔀𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓮𝓻. 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓼...

Arthur closed his journal and put on his jacket, which was something he was eager to wear as it was lightweight, yet warm. Something to keep the morning chill off of his shoulders. He looked around the new camp as he placed his hat on his head, nodding at Hosea as he approached him with a hot cup of coffee.

"Arthur," Hosea nodded.

"Hosea," He greeted, taking the warm tin cup from the old man's hands.

"Quite a day!" Hosea smiled, his arms wide.

"Let's hope so," Arthur grunted, taking a sip of the coffee.

"There's a bunch of the boys already in Valentine. Bill, Charles, and Javier... I'm sure they're, uh, finding some way of relieving some stress, and Swanson found something down at the train station by the lake apparently. And Strauss came back with that creepy little smile on his face. I'm sure there's a whole list of unfortunates he's forced money upon," Hosea explained as he watched Arthur sip his coffee, yawning in between.

Arthur chuckled, "Thank you. And you?"

"I'm gonna read a book," Hosea replied hastily.

Arthur nodded with a chuckle, finding a comfort in talking to the old man as he will forever look up to him as a father figure - something he never had, or at least he never remembered.

He was eager to get out and explore the Heartlands, but he would also rather sit back and rest without having to use all of his energy to stay warm. He looked around as he walked to the pot to get a bowl of stew, scarfing it down before making his way to the sleeping older man sitting up against a wagon. The man went by the name 'Uncle,' which nobody knew his real name, nor did they want to know. All Arthur knew him as was the old man who was just another mouth to feed, but was much entertainment when the camp needed it. He at least had some stories, whether they were true or not.

He shook his head as he stormed over to the old man, waking him with a solid kick to the leg. "Careful not to work yourself to death there, Uncle," Arthur said.

"I was thinkin'," Uncle replied as he staggered to his feet, his white beard stained with tobacco just below his bottom lip.

"Does it pay well?"

"Eventually," Uncle grumbled as Arthur placed a palm on his shoulder.

"So, while the rest of us are busy stealin', killin', lyin', fighting to try to survive, you get to think all day," Arthur explained.

"It's a strange world we live in, Arthur Morgan," Uncle said.

"Do you wanna head into town, see if we can find anything out?" He proposed.

"Sure, I got some errands to run!"

"Great, go check the horses are ready," Arthur commanded as Uncle did as he was told with a grumble.

"If you're gonna take the old man into town, can you take us too?" Karen Jones asked as she eavesdropped into their conversation.

"Why, what you got planned?" Arthur asked, striking a match on the bottom of his boot, lighting a well-needed cigarette.

"Nothin'," Karen replied, waving her hand for Mary-Beth and Tilly Jackson to follow her, hoping to pressure Arthur into taking them into town. "We'll find somethin' for y'all to do, we always do!"

"We're bored out of our minds!" Mary-Beth added, her brown eyes begging Arthur for approval. "Karen's about ready to murder Grimshaw!" She giggled.

"Well, can Miss Grimshaw spare you?" Arthur asked, puffing his cigarette.

"Can't Miss Grimshaw spare you?" Karen repeated. "What's happened to you, Arthur? Three young healthy women want you to take 'em robbing and you're worried about house chores! Let's go!" Karen begged.

"Fair enough, you got me," Arthur chuckled, throwing away his cigarette as the women loaded themselves up onto the wagon.

The women cheered in excitement as they were about to see civilization, something completely opposite from Arthur's thoughts, of course, but he was eager to see other people aside from the ones he shared his life with. He could definitely use a drink, especially sharing a bench seat with Uncle.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Howdy!" Jameson Barlow said as he entered the general store, making his presence known to the shopkeeper and his long-time friend, Graham.

"How're you, sir?" Graham replied.

"Eh, I'm gettin' on," Jameson replied. "I need some produce and canned foods. Runnin' low back at the cabin!" He chuckled.

"I understand. I just got these in this past Tuesday - nice and fresh! How's little Anna doin'?" Graham asked, referring to Minnie by her middle name as he knew she was well known around Valentine. He and Jameson have become close friends throughout the years as they once attended church together and he kept a close eye on the rumors he had heard, wanting to do his best to protect Jameson and Minnie as he held them dear to his heart.

"She's doin' well. She's actually stayin' with me for a few days I reckon. I don't like when she goes out on her own like that," Jameson frowned, referring to her "work" as an outlaw. If he could change one thing, it would to keep her a good, honest young lady instead of a thief, but nonetheless, he loved her.

Graham nodded, "I understand. I haven't seen her in a while. I miss seein' her little curly blonde hair on Sunday mornin' when she was little!" He chuckled. "Miss hearin' those church songs, too. She has the voice of an angel!"

"That she does. She didn't learn it from me! That's all her momma's doin'!" Jameson smiled. "I think I'll get me a couple of cigars and a bottle of whiskey. Can't leave out the whiskey!" The men shared a laugh as Graham gladly packed up Jameson's provisions, nodding at the new customers who had walked through the door. "Good day, gentlemen!" Graham greeted. Jameson turned to look at the men, one of them around his age, but with a coarser white beard and the other around Minnie's age, wearing a worn leather hat and light leather jacket. He took note of the bright blue shirt he had on underneath as it was one of his favorite colors.

New faces.

Jameson nodded at the new faces as he made his way out the door of the general store, taking a seat on the bench just outside, cracking open the new bottle of whiskey.

"I'm gonna run to the saloon real quick, Arthur," The old man addressed as they were now outside the general store as well. The younger man nodded as he walked towards Jameson, greeting him. "You mind if I rest here, bud?" He asked.

"Sure!" Jameson said as he scooted closer to the edge of the bench, giving the younger man plenty of room as he was broader than most young men he had seen in the area.

"Name's Jameson," He said after taking another sip of whiskey, offering his hand to the other man.

"Arthur," He nodded, shaking his hand.

"You from 'round here?"

"Not really," Arthur shook his head. "We've been travellin' for a while, tryin' to find somewhere to settle down. So far, we think this place looks good."

"You and your wife?" Jameson assumed.

Arthur chuckled, "Nah, I don't have a wife. Me and a few of my colleagues were laid off from our jobs at the oil plant. Guess we're livin' like a bunch of gypsies now, but that's all we have." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry, friend. Times is tough nowadays. You sound like my daughter. She's all the time travellin' and I get worried. Gangs and all that," Jameson explained. "She used to be a homebody, never wanting to leave home. I guess she grew out of that,"

"What's her name?" Arthur asked, getting a hint that he was talking about who he thought he was.

"Anna." Jameson replied after a brief pause.

Arthur chuckled, resting his suspicion, "You folk from around here?"

Jameson shrugged, "Somewhat. We moved here from Annesburg years ago, right before Min-Anna was born," He hastily corrected himself, hoping Arthur didn't take note, in which he did, but kept a calm demeanor when he was erratic inside. "We were real big into church for a few years. Anna sang in the choir and has the voice of an angel. I wish she'd sing more when she's home. Reminds me of her momma. She passed a couple of years ago," He frowned.

"I'm sorry to hear that, friend," Arthur assured. "I can tell you were sweet on her."

"I sure was," Jameson chuckled, remembering his lovely wife. "I don't know much about you, friend, but I can tell you have more heart than any other fool who sat and listened to my troubles. When you find that special person, you'll know. Once you do, don't ever let them go. Anything can happen and it's a hard feeling, but it's worth it in the end - to have all kinds of special memories with someone you hold dear to your heart. My daughter is the only thing I have left and I try so desperately to hang on to her, but when she leaves, I worry that she won't come back and that's what keeps me up at night." He explained.

Arthur's heart broke for the man, realizing that he had never had this type of feeling before. He actually wanted to listen to him and his stories. Not just because he put together the pieces that Minnie Barlow was his daughter, but Jameson had a heart that reminded him of himself. He cared deeply about those close to him, but a stranger would never know it.

"I hope things get better for you, friend," Arthur sighed. "What does she do, if you don't mind me askin'?"

Jameson sighed, not wanting to tell Arthur in fear of him being a bounty hunter, but something about Arthur told him that he could be trusted as he didn't seem the one to seek information so boldly. He at least cared to hear about her life story beforehand. "She's, uh, I guess you can say a traveller..."

He really wanted to get her secret off of his chest as he has kept it inside for almost ten years now.

But for her safety, he couldn't.

"She works here and there as a journalist. She's been back and forth to Saint Denis a many a time. I worry, but she has been takin' the train a lot, so I don't worry as much," He lied. Arthur took note of this, but he understood why. All he could do was nod as he listened.

"I'm sure she will be fine, sir," Arthur replied. "So, I see you got some bait here, you like to hunt?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I sure do. I like goin' after deer and elk, but I'm not as young as I used to be." He chuckled.

"You sound just like my father," Arthur smirked, referring to Hosea.

"If you're ever free, I live north of Citadel Rock back in the woods. It's a little cabin that I named 'Six Point Cabin' after my wife..." He suggested.

"I'll give that some thought," Arthur nodded. "Why'd you name it that, if I may ask?"

"She killed a six-point buck before she passed and thought it was the greatest trophy in the world. She remembered that for a long time as it made her dearly happy as she never went huntin' much, especially for deer," Jameson smiled. "Like I was tellin' ya, when you love someone that much, you remember the things that make them more happy than yourself," He explained, pointing his finger. "I remember her every day looking at that trophy over my fireplace, remembering how happy it made her. And come to think of it, I remember her every day I see my daughter. I guess she's the last thing I have left of her and I worry every day about losin' her. I guess it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all," He frowned. "Anyway, I won't keep ya much longer. I gotta get back," He continued as he slowly rose to his aching feet. "It was nice to meet you, Arthur."

Arthur nodded as he shook the old man's hand, watching him walk towards a tall buckskin Quarter Horse, putting his provisions in the saddlebags. Jameson turned to Arthur once more, "I gotta run to the hotel real quick and wash up, care to keep an eye on the horse for me? The old bastard will spook on my watch!" Jameson joked.

"Sure thing!" Arthur nodded as he looked at the horse once more, taking in how beautiful the animal was. 'He must've paid good money for that one,' Arthur thought. To pass the time, he pulled out his journal, noting a quick sketch of the horse for his memory before writing a brief passage:

𝓜𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓻 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓙𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓷 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓷' 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓷 𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮. 𝓦𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓷𝓸𝓽-𝓼𝓸-𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓼𝓾𝓫𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓼: 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮. 𝓘 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓰𝓸 𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮, 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵. 𝓘 𝓰𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽. 𝓦𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓸 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓲𝓷' 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓘 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓑𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓸𝔀. 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓼𝓸 𝓸𝓭𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓲𝓷' 𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷' 𝓼𝓸 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓯𝓮𝔀 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝔂 𝓪𝓶 𝓘 𝓼𝓸 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻?

He closed his journal, feeling better that his thoughts made it from his brain to paper. He leaned back in the bench, stretching out his legs and crossing them at his ankles as he crossed his arms over his chest, bowing his head to rest his eyes. He soon was joined by Uncle, hearing him through his muffled thoughts, going on about how he pictured himself to be married to an heiress by now instead of moving with a band of outlaws.

Small patters of shoes gently nudged him awake, seeing that Mary-Beth had some interesting information for the men. He sat up slowly, looking at the woman as she kept her voice hushed. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he listened to her explain.

"Gentlemen, I think I got somethin' good!" Mary-Beth proposed, giggling at how rapidly Arthur blinked as he tried to keep his focus on her when his main focus was on napping.

"What?" Arthur slurred.

"I snuck into this fancy house - acted like a servant girl, usually works," She explained. "Someone was saying her sister was taking a trip from New York or someplace. Train full of rich tourists heading to Saint Denis and then cruising off to Brazil!"

"Okay," Arthur nodded, his attention fully on her.

"A train laden with baggage and passing through a bit of deserted country at night as to get to the docks in time for the tides in some place called Scarlett Meadows..."

"Yeah, I know it," Uncle nodded, his face plastered with a cheeky grin. "Yeah, yeah, it's right out near New Hanover. Right, it's real quiet out there,"

"Sounds good," Arthur nodded, scratching his growing beard. 'I really need to get a shave!' He thought. "Where's Tilly and Karen?" He asked.

Mary-Beth scoffed, "I think at the hotel, they were pickin' up some drunken fellers that they was going to rob-"

"Why?" Arthur asked, almost panicked.

"Seemed easy!" She argued. "They have been gone for quite a while..."

Arthur sighed, "I guess I'll go see if there's any trouble," He groaned as he stood to his tired feet, feeling Mary-Beth's hand graze his arm as he walked by, getting his attention.

"There's Tilly over there!" She pointed. "That does not look ideal..." She trailed off as she watched a tall colored man grabbing all over her, almost dragging her to the alleyway to the side of the hotel.

"Excuse me," Arthur growled as he quickly made his way to the scene, wasting no time in intervening.

"You thought I wouldn't find you, Tilly?" The colored man hissed as Arthur was coming closer to the pair.

"You can go kiss a damn snake for all I care! Get off me!" Tilly pleaded.

"Get your hands off her, friend," Arthur sneered, relieving his pistol from its holster.

"Who are you?" The colored man growled.

"A friend of mine!" Tilly replied.

"Get off her," Arthur said in a low tone, hinting that his next move would be fatal if he didn't follow direction.

"Or what exactly?" He taunted.

"You wanna find out?" Arthur questioned, pulling back the hammer slowly.

The colored man backed off slowly, pointing his finger at Tilly, "You're makin' a big mistake, Tilly Jackson," He warned.

"Just get lost!" She hissed before turning and walking towards Arthur, seeking his protection.

"I ain't doin' this with you right now!" He mumbled.

"Go wait with Uncle and Mary-Beth, they're across the street," Arthur directed.

"Okay, thanks Arthur," She smiled. He nodded as he gently pats her shoulder, "Uncle! Look after her! I'm gonna go see about Karen in the hotel!"

He steadily made his way into the hotel of Valentine, politely asking the receptionist about the woman's whereabouts, informing him that she was in her mid-twenties and had blonde hair and was last seen with a man. The receptionist nodded as he said a woman fitting her description made her way upstairs not too long ago.

"A-Are you a friend of his?" He dared to ask.

"A friend of hers," Arthur grit. "Where is she?"

"Uh, 2B! Please, no trouble!"

"Just a word," Arthur assured as he ascended the stairs, cracking his knuckles as he knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Get off of me!" He heard Karen plead. His pace became faster as he tried to pinpoint the exact location of 2B. He gripped the knob firmly, growing agitated that it was locked. Instead, he stepped back and got enough momentum to kick open the door, seeing a man in his underwear putting his hands all over Karen. Sure, Arthur could be a bad man and easily kill a man, but something about a man putting his hands all over a woman made his blood boil.

"Hey!" Arthur shouted.

"Who are you?" The stranger questioned, obvious that he was drunk. Arthur quickly scanned the room, growing more aggravated that he saw Karen's lip bleeding.

"A friend of hers," Arthur growled.

"Get outta here, buddy, I paid!" The stranger slurred.

"Ain't paid to hit her, you goddamn animal!" He said as he balled his fists, lunging at the man before he had a chance to lunge at him. Arthur was upset that it was a brief fight, but was glad it was over with.

"What the hell were you doin' here?" He questioned her.

"Tryin' to play him... Not very well," She explained.

"You okay?" He asked, looking her over.

"Fine..." She said, waving her hand and gripping her wrist as Arthur ushered for her to walk in front of him just in case the stranger got another wild streak to come after her again.

"You sure?" He continued to question as they were now walking down the hallway.

"Yeah, nothing... Nothing to worry about... Just men, but, stupid bastard - the stupid bastard was boasting about the bank..." She explained.

"The bank?"

"Sure, I know small-town banks are usually a waste of time, but this is a livestock town, there's lots of cash sometimes," Karen explained as they descended the stairs.

"Okay," Arthur said as he scratched his beard. "Keep investigating,"

"I will," Karen breathed. He nodded at the receptionist as he ushered Karen outside, motioning for her to meet the others at the general store. He looked both ways before crossing the muddy street, taking note of the buckskin Quarter Horse still hitched next to the general store.

"Thank you, Arthur," Karen said, holding her cheek. "I don't much like bein' saved, but when I have to be,"

"I understand," Arthur assured her as they met up with the others, Mary-Beth and Tilly quickly tending to Karen's injuries.

"You okay?"

"Sure, he only punched me!" Karen replied. Arthur chuckled as he pat her shoulder in assurance, knowing that she secretly wanted it. "Arthur punched him a lot harder."

"Yeah, alright then," He replied, furrowing his brows as he looked at Mary-Beth, seeing the concern in her eyes.

"Hey, who's that guy over there looking at us?" She whispered.

"Weren't you in Blackwater a few weeks back?" A well-tailored stranger questioned.

"Me? No, sir. Ain't from there," Arthur replied sternly.

"Oh, you were. Well, I definitely saw you. With a bunch of fellers!" He accused from the back of his horse.

"Me? No," Arthur shook his head. "Impossible. Listen, buddy, come here for a minute," He coaxed.

"I saw you!" He spat, spooking his horse. "Come on, get!" He encouraged.

"I don't like this..." Uncle said as Arthur turned to the others.

"Me neither," He groaned, rushing to the buckskin horse, hoping he won't regret his decision. "Go get the girls home! I'm gonna go have a word with our friend," He explained as he mounted the tall horse.

"Be careful, Arthur!" Tilly said.

"Just a word!" He replied as he encouraged the horse into a gallop, amazed at the animal's agility and speed. 'Jesus Christ, what an animal!' He thought to himself as the horse made it seem easy to stay caught up with the stranger.

"Hey! That's my horse!" He heard Jameson yell from the hotel as it was now clear that Jameson was done with his chore.

"Just borrowing it!" Arthur yelled in response, hating himself for feeling like he stole an old man's reliable horse for his own selfish need. The horse had no trouble in catching up to the stranger, almost stopping on a dime when Arthur asked him to slow down to dismount as the stranger had now fallen off, hanging dearly to the cliffside.

"Why are you tellin' lies about me?" Arthur questioned.

"No, no! I-I-I got it wrong, partner... I got it very wrong, now please, help me up!" He begged.

"I ain't never been in Blackwater," Arthur growled.

"Then why are you chasing me?"

"I've got an unfortunate face!"

"Yes, yes... Me too... Now please, pull me up, please!" The stranger cried.

"Alright... Come on," Arthur sighed as he easily pulled the stranger to safety. "You okay, partner?" He asked.

"No... No, I am not," The stranger groaned as he staggered to his feet. "I'm a mess," He panted, looking at his now dirty clothes.

"Well, you ain't dead," Arthur reminded.

"There is that," He breathed, bracing his palms against his knees before standing up straight, offering his hand to shake. "Jimmy Brooks."

"I think it's best for both of us if we pretend this never happened," Arthur explained.

"Oh, I agree," Jimmy Brooks nodded. "You saved my life. You're a good man and I, err... Here, you want a pen? It's one of those steel ones!" He bargained, pulling the pen from his pocket.

Arthur nodded, amazed at the new stationery before him, "Oh, that's very kind of you, but I'm not a good man, Jimmy Brooks, not usually," He said before stepping closer to him. "You see, I was in Blackwater. I kill people. And maybe I should've killed you. Should I have killed you, Jimmy Brooks?" He intimidated, keeping eye contact with the man.

His lip quivered as he searched for a response, "Me?... I n-never saw you... Not-not now, not-not never... I think we have an understanding?"

"Of course we do," Arthur replied. "Jimmy Brooks - I will remember that. I've got a good memory," He smirked.

"I haven't! Not one lick in this old mind!" Jimmy pleaded as he made his way to his horse. Arthur shook his head as he approached the horse he had borrowed, admiring how the horse was patiently waiting on him to mount back up. A brief thought crossed his mind that if he didn't know the man who owned the horse, he would keep it as his own, but he knew the horse had to return to its rightful owner: Jameson.

The horse loped slowly along the trail until he arrived back in town, meeting Jameson halfway as he was happy to see the horse's return. "My horse! Thank you!" He smiled as Arthur dismounted.

"I told ya I was just borrowin' him!" Arthur chuckled.

"Well, my daughter would've had my hide if I let somethin' happen to her horse!" He joked. "His name is Trace," Jameson added.

"Well, Trace is a very nice animal. You're lucky, sir," Arthur said. "I had a horse like him once. Big mare who I called Boadicea," He explained.

"That's an interesting name..." Jameson replied, stroking Trace's muzzle.

Arthur chuckled, "My father named her that after a queen," He explained, his cheeks flushed as he was embarrassed.

"Ain't nothin' to be shy about, my friend. Thank you for bringing him back. Saves my daughter the heartache and me the headache!" He joked, winning a laugh from Arthur.

"I'd say so, sir," He smirked. He held out his hand to him as they have now earned each other's respect and trust. "Arthur Morgan,"

"Jameson Barlow,"

His suspicion was now confirmed: he had borrowed Minnie Barlow's horse and had a deep conversation with her father.

'And now she may kill me for ridin' her horse...'