#have no where to go to to talk so ill air out things vaugely in the tags

[lemoneychicken]

trying so hard t stay put together

[ifuckingloveryoshu]

Hi I saw ur tags on my posts lol 🔥😭😭 thank you so much for liking my ryoshu and oc arts, but can I ask where did the name of yuzuki for ryoshu's daughter came from? I don't think hell screen mentioned her name?

Thank you for helping me get up this morning. Very short tldr but vauge answer: Hell Screen has been translated and adapted enough you could have read the a translation that keeps called Yoshihide's daughter, "Yoshihide's daughter"

If you read the Little Penguins Books Publishing, they did not use Yuzuki as the name from what I can see, but Yuzuki exist somewhere.

Lazily doing a half-baked investigation under read more.

I will never claim to know anything about translation and I had too little sleep to do things today. I'm also broke so I can't go cross refrence evey translation and adaptation of Hell Screen. I hope someone better than I can could look into this or help out. Ill come back to this maybe

This is absolutly not how you do research or go off of things but Penguin Publishing version reviews don't use the Yuzuki name so I'm thinking they don't use her name there. The Jay Rubin Translation doesn't use Yuzuki. I say that because I'm re-listening to this while cross refrencing a pdf I found. Im guessing their one in the same.

This archeologist/writer named matthewrettino uses Yuzuki when talking about Hell Screen

Haunted Places Ghost Stories did a reading on this and unrelated but they pronounce Monkehide how an american would so its, "MONKEY HIDE." But anyway, they use it. They just spell it liker Uzuki

Portrait of Hell or Jingokuhen make Yoshihide Korean, apparently. I wanted to put that here, it''s not really important, just an example of an adaptation changing something. You have a story for so long and things get changed.

It's part of human history and how we tell stories, we like adapting things and giving thigs new meaning just like Ryoshu. She's not named Yoshihide but we're all thinking, "Yeah, she's Yoshihide, she likes art, she has fire, shes sadistic, that's Yoshihide." But she's not an old man, Yoshihide never spoke in acronyms, Yoshihide's not a woman. Jesus Christ was never white. He was born in Jerusulm in a dessert, it would be strange if he was white. Most people living in the middle east and closer to the sun normally have darker skin because they have more melanin in their skin to protect from the sun. The image has been passed around so much that, at least in our Eurocentric culture, I can't find the word for it, Jesus is commonly depicted as white. Yuzuki could have never had the name in the original language, or the inverse, she could have had a name but time let it go through the skin of its fingers and it was lost to oblivion. We just need to rediscover where it's orgin came from.

Meme - A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another

The name Yuzuki might as well be a meme. If it wasn't in the orginal version of Hell Screen, it just exist now. That's why people are like, "Yuzuki, that's the name of Yoshihide's daughter. That sounds right!" Because idea's spread from text, imagry, music notes, whatever you have come to life like a spark of flame from a lighter and drift off from its starting point. The co2 particles relase into the air and up to the clouds, and when enough people emmit co2 at a rate thats unsustantable for our planet, big things happen. Really big things happen. Or you just scream so loud that no one hears you and much like the effects of smoking, damage your lungs.

I hope it doesn't feel like I'm pulling stuff out of my ass. I'll come back to this and when I have a solid answer, i'll tell you or reblog this. No worries.

[cant-think-of-anything]

All my energy was used on the fic, you don't get a title

Basically I took the scenes of lord of shadows and replaced the characters

( @littlx-songbxrd helped me develop the plot a lot so thank you Zia)

TW: descriptions of blood and injury, mentions of homophobia and ableism

Thomas had quickly come to the conclusion that he hated the land of Fae. Not because the location itself harboured ill experiences, but rather because of his travel companions.

He glanced at said travel companions. Alastair and Christopher were attempting to assemble a fire, struggling greatly because London wasn't exactly a place of forests. Alastair's face was stern with concentration, eyebrows drawn together as they always were, a permanent appearance of disapproval. His lips were turned down slightly, frustration causing him to scrunch up his face.

It wasn't adorable, Thomas scolded himself, it was intolerable. And entirely unenjoyable. He breathed a sigh, turning away from them and back at the rushing waters of a river. They'd been sent to be audience to the Seelie court and request their assistance to defeat Belial. It was a useless excursion, the Faerie wouldn't intervene unless their own land was being threatened. But the Clave had sent them regardless.

Christopher called his name, his voice a whispered yell as to not draw attention from whatever lurked in the forests. He picked his way back, settling on his sleeping mat and looking up. Without a fire, only moonlight made anything visible. Christopher had curled up already, but Alastair was awake. He was staring up at the stars his eyes wide with something like wonder.

The sight was disarming, but Thomas turned away, before Alastair caught his stare. Nothing good could result from that. The Sanctuary was a few weeks past, and what had started as longing glances and tortured pining turned into short tempers and quick annoyance. They hadn't talked, not the way Thomas desperately wanted to, but they had argued and bickered nearly every time they crossed paths. And he despised it.

Curling his hand into a fist, he turned onto his side and willed himself to sleep.

____

Alastair was fairly certain they were lost. It was as if Faerie shifted everytime they were on the correct path, and it accomplished nothing but adding to his frustration. And apparently, Thomas's.

"We should go north." He said, his eyes glinting with annoyance.

"Are you stupid? Do you want us to get killed? We'll end up there either way."

"Your method would take longer and time is something I don't fancy to waste."

"And your brilliant solution is to- what? Traverse through an entirely unmapped territory? It's far too dangerous, and I would like to keep my head adjoined to my body."

"Maybe sometimes it would do you some good to do something dangerous."

"Oh?" Alastair whirled towards him, their faces inches away from the other, each sparked with anger. "Do something dangerous? Like you? To my memory, it got you imprisoned!"

"Perhaps it would suit you to travel in solitude! Since you always seem to prefer that anyway!"

"I do not-"

"I really do not think we should be causing this much of a disturbance," Christopher chimed in, his face twisted in confusion, head swiveling between both of them. "They're simply... directions?"

"Without directions." Alastair said, "you end up lost." His eyes stayed locked with Thomas's, head tilted to meet his infuriating height.

"We won't get lost," he hissed back.

"For someone with a tattoo of a compass you truly have a horrendous sense of direction-"

"We could just," Christopher started, flipping the map over, before looking up with wide eyes. "Go through here." He gestured at the map.

"Absolutely wonderful. Let's leave, I wish to depart as soon as we're able."

A few moments passed before a loud screech like noise emerged from the forests. Because why, Alastair thought drawing out his weapons, would anything ever be simple for him. Christopher and Thomas pressed closer when the creature burst forth from the trees. And really creature was the only world he had for it. It appeared as a demon but not one Alastair had ever studied, and from the looks on the others faces they hadn't either.

"Do we-"

The creature lunged faster than any demon could, a flash of the murky green that colored it's scales. It's claws flashed, charging at Thomas. Alastair briefly registered slipping in between the two, lodging the wooden shaft of his spear between it's jaw. He sought out Christopher sliding under the thing to stab it with his blade, killing it quickly but not quickly enough to prevent when the creatures claws raked against the top of his chest.

Air rushed out of his lungs and he felt familiar arms wrap around him, catching him before he could fall. His eyes fluttered shut on their own record. He fought to regain conciusness, he refused to be unconscious around the likes of his companions, but he felt himself dragged into blackness regardless.

---

Christopher was accustomed to his friends odd relations. He had certainly gained enough practice observing the spats they often had. But whatever anger his cousin held towards Alastair was always a puzzle to him. He was sure it was a puzzle to them too considering their never ending shifts in emotion.

He looked over at Thomas who's face was twisted in something between intense worry and sorrow. His eyes dropped to Alastair who had still not woken up, bandages covered the scratches that stretched from his shoulder to the top of his neck. He winced remembering the injury, bleeding profusely with no runes to stem it. His own worry for Alastair had occupied much of his mind. James and Matthew would be furious at such a thing but Christopher found he didn't care.

"I'll go stand watch," Christopher offered, making his way to the outside of the cave they'd taken shelter in.

Thomas hated being in debt, he remembered. When they were younger he would never accept help unless it was forced upon him, his stubborn nature preventing it. And now after Alastair had risked his life twice to help him, he must feel like he owed something.

Christopher pulled himself onto one of the rocks resting outside of the cave and tipped his head back. He missed his home. Not whatever had overtaken it in the months past, he missed Henry, he missed his parents who he'd barely conversed with since before the killings had happened. He missed Alexander even if the child cried a storm. He glanced up at the sky, noticing the first rays of dawn breaking through the clouds. He pulled himself off of his rock with a sigh. He wished for normalcy more than anything. But he doubted it would grace them anytime soon.

He ducked under the entrance of the cave, opening his mouth to call out for Thomas to get ready to depart. But Thomas wasn't awake.

He was curled onto his side, facing Alastair, both evidently asleep. Their hands stretched out the distance between them and were laced together.

Christopher sucked in a breath. "Oh, Thomas," he breathed.

He'd known of his cousin's vauge feelings for Alastair from the time that Thomas was quite a bit shorter than him. But he hadn't fully understood what the two felt towards each other. He knelt between them, gently attempting to pry their hands apart, but both their grips tightened. As if through the small action they were able to pour every unsaid emotion they'd held.

Christopher wasn't a stranger to the way the Clave treated anyone they viewed as different. The way they shut down every attempt Henry had made to better the Shadowhunter world, the way they would continue to deny any of his own attempts. They claimed to want happiness and order for all but the moment someone proved to differ from their standards they would shut them down and rid of the evidence. They would remain under the pretense of fairness while they claimed credit for any accomplishments him or his uncle managed to force into them.

Thomas never had chosen himself, never his own happiness. Christopher let go of their intertwined hands, then looking at Thomas's face. It was almost drawn up in concentration. He stood, glancing at them once more before returning to the front of the cave and yelling for Thomas to wake up so they could depart to the castle. It wasn't as much as he wanted to do, but it was all he could.

___

Thomas dumped their small pile of belongings near the foot of the bed. The Seelie Queen had apparently chosen graciousness that night and permitted them two rooms. Christopher claimed the first one, leaving Thomas and Alastair to occupy the other. Not that Alastair had woken yet.

Thomas crossed the room, refusing to look where Alastair was laying on the bed, where he would soon need to lay next to him. He made his way to Christopher's room, too tired to truly marvel at the tall marble pillars and regal decor adorning the halls and bedrooms. Christopher was cross-legged on the bed, scrawling something into a notebook under the dim lights that shone through the waterfall close to the wall.

He pulled himself onto the bed next to him, worrying at the material of his nightshirt. Christopher looked up after a moment, fixing his peculiar eyes on Thomas.

"Are you all right Tom?"

The question shouldn't have startled him as much as it did. "I'm okay."

Christopher lips tightened. "You're lying. You usually do when people ask you."

Thomas breathed a soft sigh, pulling his legs up onto the bed. "I know."

Christopher studied him for a few moments, debating something in his mind before saying "You don't have to sacrifice yourself to make us happy Thomas. Anyone who truly cares for you will not love you any less for your decisions."

Thomas startled, looking at him with widened eyes. Something in his heart sped up, as if a weight had lifted from it causing it to beat faster in it's absence. "I don't- I don't understand-"

A hand gripped his forearm. "Go back to your room Thomas. I suspect he'll wake soon."

___

When Alastair woke he wasn't in a forest. He had known the Faerie were images of royalty but the room seemed ridiculously extravagant. He wanted to pull himself up in the bed but a sharp sting on his neck forced him back down.

The door swung open then, Thomas entered with a odd look on his face. It switched to overwhelming relief when he saw Alastair.

Swallowing, Alastair rose a hand his neck. The Faeries must have worked on the wound, it had healed over somewhat but not enough to relieve him of the pain.

He heard Thomas clear his throat. When Alastair looked up again, he'd moved to the other side of his bed. "You had gotten injured in the forest. We're in the Seelie Courts now, you've been indisposed for a few hours."

"Oh." He wasn't sure what else to add.

Thomas stared at him for a few unnerving moments before making a frustrated noise. He slid onto the bed, folding his legs underneath him and giving Alastair an imploring sort of look. "I'm sorry. For everything I've done. And I'm sorry I couldn't give you the right words in the sanctuary. I'll try to give them now."

Alastair inhaled sharply, from surprise rather than pain. "I don't understand. You shouldn't be apologizing-"

Thomas half smiled before cutting him off. "Let someone apologize to you for once. You deserve as much after the way we've treated you."

Biting his lip and looking away, Alastair noticed the pile of clothes and other luggage in the corner of the room. Oh. He turned back.

"Well Mr. Lightwood I find your apology to be satisfactory, despite it still being unnecessary."

Thomas smiled fully then and something in Alastair's chest loosened.

"Does this mean I am permitted to use the bed alongside you?" His voice was teasing.

"As long as you manage to stay on your side of it."

But that rule was quickly broken, Thonas shifted close and carefully curled his body around Alastair, his head resting on in his curls and limb wrapped loosely around him. Alastair breathed a small breath of relief before pressing his face into Thomas's neck and sleeping peacefully for the first time in years.

Happy birthday Zia!! Ilysm and you deserve literally every good thing in the world, you're amazing and very talented and yeah <33

Tagging: @adoravel-fenomeno @thewarthatsavedmylife @eugeniaslongsword @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @foxglove-airmid @littlx-songbxrd @alice-got-the-blues @writeforjordelia (lmk if you want to be added or removed)

I'll tag @youngreckless for thomastair week

[magiefish]

The Ink Demonth Day 21-Rituals

(WARNING: Contains vauge period typical racism and sexism. And sort of body horror.)

Porter MacGibbon had not had a very good day so far. It was summer, so he was boiling up, and a deadline was peering it’s ugly head around the corner. Lambert had been making them work twice as hard and that incompetent janitor had spilt ink all over his frames. He was in the process of redrawing them, hunched over and teeth gritted. He barely noticed the door opening and closing.

“Mr MacGibbon”, A sharp voice cut into his ears.

He laid down his pen and moved his chair to face the person in question.

“Ah, Albert,'' He said without an ounce of warmth, “What are you doing here today? Shouldn’t you be making a ruckus with those pipes downstairs?”

Albert narrowed his eyes and adjusted his GENT branded cap.

“Mr Drew wants to see you after work.”, Porter’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at what he said. Albert smirked and continued, “You’re expected to be in Administration at 9:20. Don’t be late.”

He left the office without saying another word. Porter turned back to his work in a daze. Mr Drew wanted to see him after work? Why? He couldn’t tell if this was a good or bad thing. Mr Drew was known for being exceptionally weird. He had only seen him around, but his presence was intimidating enough. What if he had to speak to him? More sweat dripped down his face. He shook the thoughts from his head. He wouldn’t get fired. The studio needed animators. All he had to do was go meet him, talk, then go home to Daisy. Simple. And with that thought, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued drawing.

——

Daisy Adiele was sitting in the corner while the men did all the work. As usual. They were attempting to make some sounds with a big box while she sat at a desk playing Secretary. Not like anyone ever needed a secretary in Sound Design. But, it was pleasant enough. She was close to Porter and the paper stash so she could entertain herself at the very least. She perked us at footsteps passing the door before sinking back down again. She continued to scribble on her piece of paper until one of the men told her stop because it would apparently ruin the sound. It was at this point that Daisy had had enough. She got up, making her chair scrape as noisily as possible along the ground and ran from the room before anyone could stop her. She speed walked toward the lift. All she wanted to do was go to the roof. It was sunny and cool and free on the roof, unlike these claustrophobic halls. She was just about to press the button, when the doors slid open. It was as if they had sensed her presence. And standing in the lift, body as stiff as a plank of yellowed wood, was Murray Hill. Saffron had only heard stories of this man but she could tell it was him. Scruffy hair, dark shadows and a generally uncomfortable vibe. He looked her up and down and gave her a way too wide smile.

“Ah, Adiele, just who I wanted to see.”

Daisy wanted nothing more than to shove past him and get in the lift but knew it wouldn’t end well. So, years of pretend smiling at men finally came in handy.

“Why would you want to see me Mr Hill? If I recall, you’re busy building the new machine downstairs.”

“Ah, well my dear, Mr Lawrence wants to see you in Administration after work.”

She had often met with him to pass messages to Sound Design but this was different. They always met in his office, and he wasn’t someone to trudge down multiple levels just to talk. Plus, why send Murray with the message? She was pretty sure they only ever interacted to yell about noise levels. Something about it was just...off. Her eyes looked puzzled but she continued to smile.

“What for?”, She asked, feigning naivety.

Murray paused. Just for a second, but it was enough to tell he was lying through his teeth with what he said next.

“He’s decided his office is too cluttered. People coming in and out all day, can’t be good for conversations”, He patted her on the shoulder before calling back the lift. Daisy decided this would be a good time to run to the stairs.

“Oh, and Miss Adiele.”, She turned around to face him once more, “Avoiding this meeting will result in immediate termination.”

The lift doors closed and he vanished. Daisy swallowed, attempting to rid herself of the lump in her throat. She knew it was silly, but she somehow thought that termination didn’t mean losing her job.

——

Gwendolyn Dynan wandered through the lowest floor in the studio. It was exceptionally cold, colder than her ramshackle apartment in February, despite the harsh July sun on the surface. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. The sooner she got this meeting with Mr Connor over, the sooner she could get warm. She didn’t even get why she was down here. When Toy Department construction became relevant she was sure the higher ups would prefer to talk to Shawn, the mechanic (and white male) of the two. But she wouldn’t miss an opportunity to have some control over something. The journey seemed endless and her watch told her she only had 3 more minutes to reach Administration. She picked up the pace. She had almost reached Administration when a hand gripped her shoulder.

She spun around to see a familiar face, “Albert, I swear to god if this is to harass me about that snooker rematch-“

Albert Mendleman quickly hushed her, looking around with wide fearful eyes.

“(No Cutouts) Gwen I need you to leave. Now.”

He pushed her towards the door she came through, only for her to step back to where she was.

“Why?”

“Look, you’re in danger, Ok?”

“What kind of danger?”

“I can’t say too much…”, He looked around again and leaned forward, “The pipes have ears”, He whispered.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, “Um, do you need to go to the infirmary? I know Mr Drew doesn’t think mental illness counts but I’m pretty sure Dr Rosebush will check-“

“This isn’t mental illness, this is life or death!!”, He pinched his nose before continuing, “I like you, Ok? You’re a good person and you don't deserve to die. Just leave. Leave this floor, leave the studio, leave the establishment!”

“No Albert, if you don’t give me a solid reason why-I won’t leave! Do you know how hard it is to get a job round here when you look like me? It’s near impossible!! I don’t care what you say, I’m going to Administration. And if there is some ‘life or death’ thing I’ll run in the opposite direction.”

And walked past him, not listening to a single word of Albert’s desperate babbling.

——

The place was deathly silent. Albert seemed to have left her alone now. When she looked over her shoulder he wasn’t peering round the corner like a creep. She breathed a sigh of relief before frowning. The door was closed. All the doors were closed except for one. She looked about for a sign of life. No one. She shivered. The cold was getting to her again. She shuffled over to the door, which was open just a crack. The air felt heavy and tense. Every breath seemed to clog her lungs. She closed her eyes and pushed it open.

She opened her eyes. The cold pierced her soul, every bone in her body turning to ice. There was blood all over the floor. Candles lay all around the platform. Chunks of something disgusting floated on the top of an ink pool. It looked like chunks of flesh made with solidified ink, shining in the light like disgusting gifts at a shrine. Ink stained clothes lay in the chunks. A dress. A shirt. Trousers. A hat. Every item of clothing except shoes. The chemical and metallic smells seeped into her nose, making her throat close up. She covered her mouth in fear she might vomit. She needed to run, but her legs felt too weak to support her, and her head too nauseated to maintain balance. She started to gag, the candles flickered making her feel dizzy, the smells overwhelmed her, her eyes started to water, the world fell apart-

A pain erupted in her back. Something wet spread along her shirt. She felt whatever was jammed into her spine getting pulled out the pain worsening. She was in too much shock to scream. Gwendolyn felt arms grab her and drag her to the pool, shoes trailing through the blood. She didn’t fight. She already knew her time was up. She was held inches above the surface of the ink. The surface bubbled, like it was a hungry beast expecting a meal to tear to shreds. Someone patted her head as she felt the life leaving her body.

“Don’t worry.”, Joey Drew whispered into her ear, “You’re going to make a nice sacrifice.”

And the black beast swallowed her whole.

[fruitpunchninja101]

Perks of Coincidences Characters: Hanji Zoe x Levi Genre: Humor / Romance (AU)

Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended. 

____________________________________________________________________

A gust of frosty air blast trough every window in the city.The night was particularly calm and serene only to be interrupted by a loud explosion which pulled Nanaba out of her dreamless sleep.Swiftly,she put on her robes and rushed towards the laboratory downstairs.Upon opening the door,she found her best friend Hange crouched on the floor rocking back and forth,hands tugging on her scalp while wailing in frustration as droplets of blood and pieces of flesh slid down her face.Apparently,the pig's heart shes been experimenting on exploded while testing its limits.She approached her friend ignoring all the bits and pieces of gore splatterd on the floor and the tiled walls.Carefully,she crouched beside the brunette and placed a firm hand on her back making gentle circles to calm her down.

"You need to take a break" she whispered softly as she observed her friends face.Prominent dark circles formed underneath her eyes and dry cracked lips only meant that shes sleep deprived and dehydrated.No wonder her experiments are failing.

As if not hearing her,Hange fished a recording device from her labcoat pocket "Experiment number 65 failed"She murmured as she pushed herself off the floor.The brunette halted when she felt a quick pull on her sleeve.

"Hange!"The blonde raised her tone to snap her friend back to reality. "Nanaba?How long have you been there?" Nanaba let out and exasperated sigh while running a hand trough her scalp"fiteen minutes"she mentioned with mild reproach as she pushed herself upright.

Its the same cycle all the time.Hange losing track of time,missing meals and then the inevitable happens...something explodes.

Its been two weeks since Nanaba got enggaged,since then shes is in a perpetual worrying limbo for her friend.Hange tends to spend most of her days cooped up on her laboratory tinkering with god knows what,laughing creepily as she writes down notes.The blonde doesnt want her friend to hole up in her laboratory for the rest of her life.Her friend needed a good distraction. A new boyfriend perhaps?She asked herself as she guided the brunette to the sink stationed at the corner of the laboratory turning on the faucet and started helping her wipe the blood off her face.

"Whats up with that look?"The brunette asked her as she cleaned off her glasses.

"I need you to bring a plus 1 on my wedding day."Nanaba mentioned as she turned off the faucet.

"Sure,Ill ask Moblit if hes free."Hange inattentively replied as she pulled out paper towels from the dispenser mounted on the wall.

"No!Not your lab assitant Hange!A real plus 1...like a boyfriend or something."

The brunette simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave the blonde a questioning look."What this all of a sudden?"

Nanaba looked Hange dead in the eye and held both her shoulders."Hange,you need to meet new people.Once I get married you will be left alone and I worry about you." Hange can see how anxious the blonde was and she admittedly had the right reason to be.Hange knows shes not the most responsible adult especially when it comes to taking care of herself.Who has time to worry about trivial things such as showers and food when she could be saving lives by pressing on with her researches.The brunette took a deep breath.As much as she doesnt like where this conversation is going,she decided to help ease her friends concern by considering her request.

"Okay,how am I supposed to find a plus 1?"Hange replied with a soft smile.

"Oh I have a few Ideas..."

And thus began Hange's Blind date fiasco.

#

Its been three months since the pigs heart disaster.During that time Hange had been through six failed blind dates.Most of the guys she met run for the hills once the brunette starts talking about the morbid parts of her research.In her defense,she was never bothered by the fact that she scares people off by the aberrant details of her work.'Whats the point of spending time with someone who doesnt understand the importance of my contribution to humanity?'she recalled her usual reponse whenever Nanaba asks her to tone down her eccentricity.Shes unapologetically herself which is both her strength and weakness.

It has been three nights since Hange slept.At this point, shes literally sitting in a pile of garbage; dicarded pages from her past researches,bottles of booze,coffee and energy drink cans were disorderly spread across her floor. Suddenly,a loud thud echoed the room when the back of the door hit the wall.

"Hange what happned to you!?"Nanaba stood by the door and gave her friend distraught look.

"Hey Nanaba!"Hange sang out as she peeled her eyes off her laptop screen and gave her bestfriend a gleaming grin reasurring her that shes fine.

"Your assistant called me he said you havent left your office for three days." she mentioned with slight anguish as she desperately tried to shuffle off the mess splayed on the floor.

"Three days already?" Her eyeglasses sat slightly askew resting at the tip of her nose.Gently,Nanaba pushed them into its right place while tsking."Seriously Hange how did you become an adult?"

"Beats me."Hange chuckled as she stood up and streched her limbs for the first time in a couple of hours.She gave a sigh of relief as she heared her joints click into place and felt blood coursing trough her limbs once again.

"I brought lunch."The blonde mentioned as she settled a paper bag on Hange's desk.

"Whats the occasion?"

"Do I need an occasion to bring lunch for my bestfriend?"Nanaba responded as she walked towards the window opening it letting the sunlight slip trough the room. Despite the unquestionable concern the blonde has for her,Hange cant shake off the doubious vibe Nanabas throwing at her.She only uses the term "bestfriend" whenever she needs something. Seeing that Hange has her all figured out, Nanaba decided drop the act."Okay! okay! you caught me.You see,I set you up with Mike's friend at work."

"Not this again"the brunette said as she face palmed herself with the thought.

#

"You seem really hungry.Did you skip breakfast again?You look paler than before.Seriously Hange,You need to take better care of yourself from now on.Especially now that Im not gonna be around you all the time."

"Youre starting to sound like Moblit you know."Hange gulped swallowing the last of her food "Im gonna be fine.You dont need to-"

"I know youre gonna be fine,but youre still not getting out of this date.He's gonna meet you at Sina Cafe 2pm.He says hes gonna wear a black pullover sweater."

"Thats a pretty vauge description.Can't you just show me a photo of the guy?"

"No!That will ruin the surprise!I met with him last week,Hes a real sweetheart and handsome too!You're gonna love him."

"You said the same exact thing about the 6 other guys you've set me up with.None of them worked out.''

"Give this guy a chance...I have a good feeling about him"

" Whatever you say Nanabannana."The brunette tiredly responded.She knows this one is gonna be a disaster just like the other blind dates that shes been before.But shes doing this to ease her friends anxiety so shes going to try her best not to fuck this one up."Oh and by the way,I have a presentation for my research tomorrow so I might go over a few pages while Im there.You have to warn him."Hange added as she typed away from her computer.

"Can't it wait until after your date?"

"Science never waits for anyone!Besides,I'm pretty good at multi tasking."

Nanaba released a sigh of defeat.In the end,nobody can tear Hange Zoe away from her precious work.

#

Its 3:00pm and Hange's late for her date.So much for not fucking it up this time she thought.Clutching her satchel bag to her chest she used her right shoulder to push the cafe door open only to end up slamming against it.It took her a few seconds to realize her mistake,the door clearly says pull.Its as if the heavens are giving her a sign not to push throughthis date.A coffee shop employee opened the door and offered his hand to help her stand up."Thank you uhmm.." she pushed her glasses back to place in order to read the metal name plate pinned on the mans chest."Eren" she continued."No problem maam!"The kid smiled as he held the door open for her.Hange gave an apologetic shy smile as she entered and took in the welcoming aroma of rich coffee the cafe provided.Her eyes roamed around the place.The walls are lined with aged brick and provided fancy leather chesterfield sofas partnered with sturdy mahogany tables.Good thing the whole place practically screamed "This place is for serious adults.No whiny brats allowed".Which meant she doesnt have to deal with too much noise while working on her paper. She scanned the place looking for a guy that matched Nanaba's description.There he is,the only guy sitting alone in the whole shop.Wearing a black pullover sweater and jeans.His legs crossed while his brows were knit together,obiviously enthralled by whatever he's reading.Hange tilted her head to the side to peek on his book."Dark tower...nice"She whispered.She took a deep breath and flashed the biggest smile she can muster as she walked towards the man.

#

"Dad-a-chum? Dum-a-chum? Ded-a-chek? Did-a-chick?"

The raven haired man didnt repond but instead he peeled his eyes off his book and scoweld at the woman who inturrupted him.

"Lobstosities...Dark tower?"She sang out as she pointed on his book.

"I know what lobstosities are.I'm reading the fucking book."he responded matterfactly.

"Geez!You kiss your mother with that mouth captain grumpy pants?"She teased still beaming the most charming smile.

"Didnt your mother tell you thats its rude to interrupt people minding their own business?"

"Its also rude not to ask a lady to sit down...Mind if I join you?" Nonchalantly ignoring his cold response.

"Yes."He replied in a monotonous tone.Apparently,his answer had no use.Shes already pulling up a chair from the table accross them.She dragged it out across the room earning a screeching sound that obviously garnered looks from the other tables.He opened his mouth and closed it.Its not worth it he thought as he returned his gaze on his book. Hange sat infront of of him. She placed an elbow on the table and propped her chin on her palm.She stared at him waiting for him to say something about her tardiness.

"Well?"He mentioned plainly.

"Well what?"The brunette asked.

"Don't stare four eyes.Just do whatever you need to do."

Hange felt relief.It seems Nanaba warned him about her reports.Maybe,he was also forced unto this date.Either way shes glad hes cool with it.

"I wouldnt call it staring per se.Id like to call it observing.Dont be such a grump shorty I'm just analyzing if Im sitting with a nice person."

"Shorty?"He lifted his gaze from his book and stared at her one eye twitching with irritation.

"Just an observation,Averaging your eye level and shoulder height youre probably like...what?5'3?"

The man responded with a glare.Not even his closest friends dare exploit his insecurity in his face like that.

"And a half?"Hange added gingerly.But all she got was an angry stare "I'll take that as a yes!"She gave him a triumphant smile.

The raven haired man did not respond and continued glaring at the eccentric woman as she started setting up her laptop,struggling to detangle knotted cords.How was this woman able to mess up cables like that?Her efforts to straighten them out are only making her problems worse.His hands are aching to yank the cords away from her hands and detangle it himself.'Tch..pathetic'He thought.

"Now look whos staring"she mentioned without looking at him still trying to figure out how to solve her cord problem.He simply scoffed at her and got back to his book.When shes finally done wrestilng with the cords,the brunette bent to plug her laptop on the outlet on the floor and when she sat back up she hit her head under the table almost spilling the cup of tea sitting on top of it earning an exasperated sigh from the man infront of her.

#

Thank God shes done talking.Levi thought to himself.He started feeling relief when silence engulfed them for a while.He can finally get some peace and...nope.Shes done talking and moved on to murmuring accopanied by creepy laughter as she typed on her laptop.Levi rolled his eyes.He wasnt even reading at this point.Hes just staring on his book reading a sentence over and over desperately trying to block out everything shes mumbling.After a while,he gave up and shifted his attention from his book and glanced at her.

"Do you really need to mumble while doing that?"

"Doing what?" "Whatever it is that youre doing?"he said as he gestured to her laptop.

"Oh,this?Sorry!Its just I had this really interesting project.You see,Theres this animal that doesn't secrete feces and we are trying to figure out if it can help us improve bowel programs for paralized people or better yet,build better artificial organs." His head perked up a little.something about what she said piqued his interest and before he can even stop himself words came tumbling out of his mouth. "Theres an animal that doesnt shit?" He immeditely wanted to punch himself in the face when he saw her eyes lit up like christmas lights.'Goddamit Im supposed to shut her up not encourage her!'He internally berated himself. The raven haired man didnt hide his unwillingness to listen as the woman started explaining scientific things which he doesnt have any idea about.Still,he quipped and threw retorts to her statements every now and then. The brunette turned her laptop to him and showed him a photo.

"These babies are called Demodex Mites.They're microscopic animals that dont have anuses.They basically store their wastes inside their body till they die".

"Well thats a shitty way to live."He answered as he placed his hand on the rim of his cup took a sip of his tea.

"Wow,Is that a pun? I'd better write that one down. "she sarcastically replied as she beamed a smile. He ignored her and went back to reading. The brunette let out a small chuckle as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear dug trough her remaining paper work.

They fell in a comfortable silence after that,with occasional mumbles from Hange from time to time which at this point Levi got used to and was able to tune her out.Hange tilted her head a little to take in his facial features.Dark raven locks in a neat undercut and pale blue eyes which hid behind his dark circles.Hes definately not the sweetheart Nanaba hinted at,but his snappy comebacks and dry responses amused her.

"You are staring again."

"I just realized that never got your name.Mine's Hange...Hange Zoe." She extended her right arm.

"Levi" He mentioned plainly.Staring at her offered hand."I'm not touching that.You just said youre working with shit animals"

"Well,technically they dont deficate so..."The brunette stopped herself midsentence when Levi gave him a look which she cannot place if its confusion or annoyance.

Hange pulled her arm away chuckling."Fair enough...No last name?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Why nice to meet you Levi Why do you wanna know.Thats a pretty uncommon last name"

"Youre the worst."

"So I have been told...You know what,I was very skeptical walking over here a while ago since I was late and all but good thing Nanaba set this up."

"Late with what? and who's Nanaba?"Levi asked her while his eyes were still on his book.

"What do mean late with what? and how come you dont know Nanaba?"

"Four eyes,theres 7 billion people on earth.You cant expect me to know everyone of them.And I couldnt careless with whatever it is you're late for."He shifted his gaze from his book to Hange.

"What?Wait!Aren't you here for the date?"

"We're on a date?"He raised an eyebrow.

A thousand questions ran trough Hange's head. but before she can even open her mouth Levi's phone rang.He held a finger as he answered the call. "I'm on my way."Levi responded to the person on the other line.The man looked a bit disoriented as he looked at her with outmost bewilderment with what she just said. Hange heared a faint click as the call ended.

Levi took a last sip of his tea and stood up."See you around four eyes"

"Yeah,See you around shorty"Hange responded faintly almost sounding like a whisper.Watching the man fish his car keys out of his pockets and leave the cafe.

Hange was left dumbfounded as the realization dawned upon her.She sat with a random stranger on a cafe and assumed he's her date.

_____________________________________________________________________

Hello Everyone!

This is my very first fanfic so it will be a bit rough around the edges.I'm very hesitant to post this since I'm not much for writing but I really want to practice and learn.Hey!Nothing ventured nothing gained right?I had this story idea in my brain for almost a week now and I just have to share this with my fellow LeviHan shippers out there!I wrote this on my phone so theres probably a lot of spelling errors etc.Please bear with me.Ill definitely try to transfer the rest of the chapters on a word document next time. I'll also do my best to update this every week.(I dont promise that but I'll try my best I swear.)

Contructive critisism is very much appreciated!(Please go easy on me.)Also,I'm not a native english speaker so theres that.

Check out chapter 2 on AO3 !

[gulescamisade]

MN, Ground:  Day 22, Concert Broadcast

DIRK: -tonight is the night of the concert... but he's been stuck in bed, having run out of mindless tasks to occupy himself with. somebody can probably roll him to the living room later... for now, he turns the pendant around between his fingers over and over while staring up at the ceiling.-

RUFIOH: -large wing swoops by the window. Somebody's taking a flight outside, it looks like.-

KANKRI: -Is he leaving forever?-

DIRK: -stares out the window then. look at him go.-

RUFIOH: -lands in some tree and kicks back. Casually lighting himself some nip... before raising it to acknowledge that he DOES see Dirk.-

DIRK: .... -looks back up at the ceiling for a second, then crawls out of bed to open up the window and peep at rufioh-

DIRK: Hey.

RUFIOH: -takes his time with the hit before breathing out.- sup, man... long t1me, no see.

DIRK: No joke. I was expecting it to be longer.

DIRK: How did you even get here?

RUFIOH: mm.

RUFIOH: 1t's got to do w1th mak1ng we1rd acqua1ntances on avalon... and some portal hopp1ng? that sh1t was pretty scary...

RUFIOH: but next th1ng 1 knew, 1 was on the sh1p. and then breach1ng the atmosphere on one of those... emergency pods...

RUFIOH: flew the rest of the way. fast, h1gh, qu1et to myself so nobody saw me.

RUFIOH: met up w1th the folks 1n earth canada... now 1'm here.

DIRK: -raises brows- Damn. You've had one hell of a journey.

DIRK: It's good to see you again. Just a shame it has to be under these conditions. -leans a little heavily on the window frame-

RUFIOH: yeah... -eyeballs him a lil, flicking the cig.- some scar that's gonna be.

DIRK: -grunts- Pretty cool, huh? -barely even trying to sound like he believes that-

RUFIOH: looks pa1nful. -rises to stand on the branch again.- wanna hang?

DIRK: -pauses for a second. he wasn't really expecting to be asked that.- Uh... -but he wants to lay in bed all day???-

DIRK: Yeah. Sure.

RUFIOH: -gestures for him to follow and then flaps all the way up to the lake house roof. Bird perch.-

ARADIA: -standing in the doorway of the room dirk is in. like a normal person does for long periods of time-

DIRK: -he definitely doesn't have the energy to scale the house right now.... THOUGH HE IS FULLY CAPABLE... anyway, he turns so he can make his way to the stairs that lead to the roof's terrace, only to see aradia.-

DIRK: -JUMPS- Shit-- How long have you been standing there?

ARADIA: a while

DIRK: -makes a face-

DIRK: Well, I'm heading up to the roof to hang out with Rufioh. You wanna join? -starts shuffling around her-

ARADIA: -lets him shuffle around her without moving out of the way before turning to follow him- okay

DIRK: -geez, aradia... well, there he goes, ascending to the floor and looking around for rufioh-

RUFIOH: -just sitting up there, cross-legged and having himself a smoke. It just so happens that it's also been a while since Rufioh saw Aradia around. He eyes her, surprised but also not surprised to see her.- sup meg1do.... been a wh1le.

ARADIA: -follows behind dirk and smiles at rufioh, waving- ill say

ARADIA: its about time you got here :D

RUFIOH: 1 was tak1ng 1t easy, 1 guess... but not too easy. -Join him. Sit with him.- 1 have a wr1ggler.

TAVROS & GAMZEE: =They are a ways from the safehouse people are in, in apparent conversation. Tavros' shoulders are slouched, head turned away from the other troll while they talk. Gamzee stands taller, and is using his hands while he speaks. Sometimes Tavros looks back at him, at the hands, fidgets, and looks away. Gamzee's body language seemingly growing more frustrated, hands waving a bit in the air while struggling on what to say. Then placing a finger to his own temple. It makes Tavros look back at him, and they both stand still. More fidgeting from Tavros, and he rubs the back of his neck. Whatever they are talking about don't seem particularly comfortable for either party.=

RUFIOH: -peeks from the roof... concerned.- }:(

DIRK: -glances over at them as well, brows furrowed, but takes a seat with rufioh for now.- You do?

ARADIA: -she plops down next to rufioh- tell me everything

RUFIOH: oh yeah... he's th1s egg 1 found when a y1pbeast tr1ed gett1ng away w1th 1t for lunch... 1 guess from the hatch1ng caverns on avalon.

RUFIOH: d1dn't know what else to do w1th h1m except... keep h1m unt1l he hatched? 1 d1dn't th1nk he would anyway.

RUFIOH: now he's just k1nd of... eat1ng everyth1ng 1n s1ght, haha.

RUFIOH: h1s name 1s em1let... l1l egg bro. }:)

ARADIA: thats great! where is he now

ARADIA: on the ship?

TAVROS & GAMZEE: =Tavros' mouth is moving, and whatever he is saying is making Gamzee's hands drag down his face. Drags, then a rub, and he shakes his head. He waves his hands around again, and Tavros' shoulders grow tense. The bull troll makes a vauge handgesture to all of Gamzee, then inclines his head to the side before shaking it. A brief laughter, uncomfortable and uncertain. Gamzee lets out a frustrated noise followed by a loud "ain't you a fucking doctor or no?" that sounds both angry and confused. He's turning away and motions to move, but Tavros grabs his shoulder before he can. There's silence again, then Tavros speaking with his head ducked. Gamzee still appears stressed, hands in tight fists, but then easing.=

RUFIOH: yeah, he's... safe. -eyes this conversation with more concern.- }:((

ARADIA: -also watches in front of them. that looks about right- im glad you could join us

DIRK: ...

DIRK: -glances at rufioh- Do you know what's up with all that? -gestures to tavros and gamzee talking-

RUFIOH: -looks off, avoiding his eye. Dragging the cig more.- not sure...

TAVROS & GAMZEE: =They're standing close, Tavros doing most of the talking by the looks of it. No doubt rambling by the way his mouth moves. The hand holding Gamzee's shoulder is gradually tightening until Gamzee has placed his on top of it, gently prying it off. He pats it, and Tavros withdraws his hand. Gamzee watches him while Tavros avoids his eye, looking down and shrugging. The capricorn rubs one eye with his palm as they both continue to stand there in silence, then reaches out to unfittingly give Tavros a playful shove to the shoulder. It makes Tavros take a step back, surprised, but he's looking up again. Gamzee says something, Tavros lets out a faint laugh, but at least it has a twinge of humor to it even if it's half hearted. He says something back, taking a step to return the shove, then the two of them walk further away from the house together.=

MEULIN: -She's watching this herself from inside, tail swishing contemplatively. She should talk to Gamzee later...-

ARADIA: -it's always a relief to be completely sure that they're in the right place, and even little things like this are enough evidence. she watches them walk off, her wings fluttering while she sits- guessing in order to fill in the blanks sometimes feels better than just not knowing

ARADIA: but it can also be completely wrong and steer you away from your original purpose -aradia tf you talking about-

DIRK: -watches them walk away, relieved they seem to have worked out whatever was going on with them, before looking at aradia.- ...

DIRK: I see.

RUFIOH: -side eyes her before frowning.- ...

RUFIOH: 1'd rather not... be left to f1ll the gaps. but that's just me.

ARADIA: i think most people feel that way

DIRK: -goes quiet after that. unfortunately, he's got too many unfilled blanks in his thoughts right now, and his mind can't help but guess. he just wishes it did make him feel better.-

RUFIOH: -passes dirk the blunt. He feels him thinking.-

DIRK: -hey, maybe that will make him feel better.- Thanks.

DIRK: -accepts it and takes a hit, staring off at the landscape.-

ARADIA: theres something about earth that feels worth saving

ARADIA: and i dont know what makes the distinction

DIRK: -stares at her- Was that ever a question?

ARADIA: -shakes her head- ARADIA: i mean that theres something

ARADIA: special about it

ROSE: -She's down in the lower floor, having set up some kind of large whiteboard with some dry-erase markers. Some kind of chart, at a glance, though no one's going to see the details til later, when they come back down.-

RUFIOH: what k1nd of spec1al? 1 mean... -brings his knees up to rest his chin on.-

RUFIOH: 1f you're go1ng out of your way to ment1on 1t... the spec1alness.

RUFIOH: compared to every other place people have tr1ed sav1ng.

ARADIA: thats what im wondering

ARADIA: it seems to have something the other planets dont

ARADIA: given the extent of the conquest

RUFIOH: not sure 1f that makes me feel better... -sighs-

ARADIA: -looks over at rufioh- doesnt have to

ARADIA: i just notice it you know?

RUFIOH: yeah... 1 know.

ARADIA: -softens her expression and just lightly touches his arm, silent.-

RUFIOH: -rumble rumble chirrs. A comforting sound.-

DIRK: -he has some ideas, but he already feels like enough of a downer, so he just glances off, exhaling smoke.-

ARADIA: -chirrs softly in response, only momentarily, hand still on his arm. sadness. pain. it's all inevitable at one point or another. but she will gladly sit with both of them for as long as they feel alone. now, she watches dirk-

DIRK: -the gaze seems to pressure him to speak and he huffs, passing the blunt back to rufioh.-

DIRK: I don't think special is the right word to describe Earth's role in all this.

DIRK: It implies there's some big cosmic scheme, putting this planet at the center of some kind of turning point in this war.

DIRK: But here's what makes it different from Beforus and Europa -- The Condesce already had control of it.

DIRK: Both of those planets were once a part of the Empire, or founded by former Alternians. Which means they seperated from the Condesce's regime, and at no point was she able to dig her claws into their government.

DIRK: She destroyed them to teach them a lesson. That they should've taken her side a long time ago.

DIRK: -sighs- Earth and humankind thought they had the upperhand after the War of Alternian Repression, but I wouldn't be fucking surprised if the empress "disappearing" was all just a ploy for her to give them a false sense of security, lure them into forming T.U.M.U.T. and then using her connections to Skaianet and Crocker Corp. to hallow Earth out from the inside while fucking up as much of the galaxy as possible through stooges like us who actually believed we were repairing the damages she had done.

ARADIA: youve thought this over a lot

ARADIA: youre doubting yourself again

DIRK: Doubting what? Those are just the facts. -seems irritated now...-

ARADIA: through stooges like us who actually believed we were repairing the damages she had done

ARADIA: what you said was full of facts and truth but thats what im talking about

MEULIN: -She's leaning out the window below them, just reading what's on her glasses. She doesn't want to climb up and interrupt... but listening is something she can do. Maybe it's mostly all she ever does. It's hard to have the power to help. Maybe that's what Dirk means, too.-

MEULIN: -She leans on the sill and sighs. She keeps telling herself that it doesn't matter how she feels, that she's here for everyone regardless... but being here isn't enough, either, and maybe it does matter how she feels. It matters enough to get in the way, after all.-

DIRK: I hate to break it to you, but that's as factual as anything else I said.

DIRK: We were used and we've been floundering to get back on our feet since then. Even with all this divine fucking intervention, we're as useless as we ever were. I shouldn't have believed there was any point in fighting.

DIRK: -he immediately regrets the words coming out of his mouth, if only because he doesn't want anyone to know he's thinking these things. he definitely doesn't want anyone to feel that way, too, so he gets up quickly so he can make his way back into the house.-

DIRK: ... Forget I said that.

ARADIA: -she's still trying to do her job, trying to keep them on track, but something in what he says stirs something that makes her eyes water even though she doesn't look sad in the slightest-

RUFIOH: -looks between Dirk and Aradia... not saying anything. He's not especially good at these things in the moment. Hell. He's notorious for making bad decisions on the subject if left to his own devices.-

RUFIOH: -but he does hold Aradia's hand. Just wordless about it.-

---

DIRK: -there he goes, DESCENDING THE STAIRS. he's upset, but instead of retreating back to his room, he paces through the house until he happens upon rose's white board.-

ROSE: -She seems to be sorting out members of the crew based on injury and ability...-

ROSE: -maybe not necessarily the BEST source of inspiration for a cause here-

ARADIA: -it's confusing sometimes, when she thinks she's entirely positive and certain of the route they take only to be reminded of all of the bad routes, the wrong ones. it's hard to remember. it's hard to cycle between feeling numb to it and not numb at all. she's not sure what part is making her feel to this extent, but her fingers intertwine with rufioh's and she tries to ground herself by focusing on the physical connection.-

RUFIOH: -He breathes out. Not knowing what's on her mind exactly... but hoping that even for a minute, reality will make sense if he just holds her hand. As they sit quietly, a breeze comes to ruffle their hair. It's nice.-

DIRK: -just kinda hovers there, reading over everything she has written down. he's awfully overwhelmed, but hey, he's here so he should get involved in the planning probably.-

SOLLUX: -He's inside, in a room on his own. Right now, it's where he wants to be. He doesn't think he can handle the thoughts and feelings of anyone else right now.-

JOEY: =she's downstairs with a mug of coffee in hand and slouching lazily in a chair near the whiteboard as she reads it over, ankles crossed.=

ROSE: -She glances at Dirk as he arrives.-

ROSE: Hello.

ROSE: I didn't want to sit around too long.

ROSE: I'm growing restless.

ROSE: I think this might be useful.

ROSE: At least. I know not everyone is in a strong enough condition to fight, when it comes down to it.

[[Out of nowhere, a wrapped sandwich hurtles from the minifridge and slaps Sollux on the side of his head. A water bottle also falls from the counter, rolling across the floor until it came to a stop at his foot.]]

ROSE: -She pays the sandwich NO MIND.- ROSE: Most of the crew presently stranded in Alaska-- though I believe they're on the move-- we are going to want to keep away from the action.

ROSE: We lost two up there. They've faced the harshest conditions out of anyone.

ARADIA: -it would be pretty difficult for anyone to guess what's on her mind--it's so complex and vast and endless--but rufioh's right in thinking that any sort of physical sensation is making everything feel that much more real. the breeze does. the sound of his breath. the way her palm feels pressed up against his. tension she didn't know was there in the first place starts to ease-

DIRK: -nods slowly- Right.

ROSE: -TAPS HER WAND AGAINST THE BOARD.-

ROSE: We can probably look them over individually when they arrive, and I'm certain Dave is going to want to be involved, but we are going to have to hedge our bets.

RUFIOH: -It's as easy as breathing out. When he catches her eye again, he manages a lopsided smile.-

RUFIOH: -ruffles her hair with his hand now.- heh.

ROSE: -She takes a deep breath..-

ROSE: My implants burned out and I'm not going to be able to do much of anything with my abilities in a fight. Everyone else here in our group is in decent enough health, though.

ROSE: Physically speaking.

ARADIA: -she gently laughs and uses her free hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks- sorry ARADIA: not sure what happened there

RUFIOH: someth1ng crazy... but uh...

RUFIOH: 1mportant, 1 th1nk. 1t's 1mportant to talk about th1s sh1t... even 1f 1t's bad.

RUFIOH: to try... and a1r 1t out so 1t doesn't st1nk up your th1nkpan.

DIRK: -rolls his shoulders and finds a chair to pull over, taking a seat next to joey.- In case I forgot to mention, we're kinda holding an officer of the Alternian army hostage here.

DIRK: Her name is Lucana. She might be able to help us with infiltration or... something.

ROSE: Good to know.

ROSE: For what it's worth, of course. She's probably not anyone important—

ROSE: -pauses to glance at him.-

ROSE: At least, no one they'd hesitate killing alongside the rest of us if given the opportunity.

ROSE: -She sighs again, going back to the board.-

ROSE: Our two other assumptions are that we're going to have to work a goal within a timeframe.

ROSE: Freeing Jane and Jade. Orchestrating a prison break. If there's time, destroying the entire facility, but that's in the ideal scenario where we're all able-bodied and unobstructed by an army of drones and soldiers.

ARADIA: you think so? ARADIA: even when people wont understand?

ROSE: -She's starting to pace now, a little bit.-

ROSE: They don't know you have her, so... maybe you can use her clearance to get inside and find information.

ROSE: And the rest of us can... fuck, I don't know. Hold out. Until Hal can get the ship back to us, or... something.

DIRK: Sounds solid to me. -its ok, rose, his leg is bouncing and he's wondering why he bothered to sit down.-

JOEY: =Wordlessly turns her cup around and offers it to Dirk.=

ROSE: -nods a little bit...-

ROSE: I, um.

ROSE: Feel like I may be obligated to tell you that Jane offered...

ROSE: ...

ROSE: For me to join her. ROSE: It may be exploitable, tactically. ROSE: At least for the sake of isolating her from the facility.

DIRK: -takes the cup, perfectly timed to sip it at rose with raised brows-

DIRK: She contacted you specifically with an offer to join her?

ROSE: Yes.

JOEY: you didn't decline outright, did you? =tilts her head towards dirk= he's right, we could use something like this, but how do we know that they won't do the same funky headspace thing that happened to jane and jade. =she waved a hand around her head=

JOEY: jane wasnt ever like that in the time that i knew her. they did something to her that made her do all those things, i know it.

ROSE: Yes, I...

ROSE: Suppose.

ROSE: And the answer being, we don't really know that.

ROSE: It's a calculated risk. If they could have done it to more than just her and Jade, then why wouldn't they have?

JOEY: well not everyone is an heiress or has zappy powers

ROSE: Of course not. But there's got to be more to it than that. ROSE: They captured Jake and Roxy, but the two seem to be under their own power. If they're going to use them, why not use them?

ROSE: Unless they can't.

JUDE: -creeps up on this conversation- I can't say for certain about jade

JUDE: but jane? she's always carrying around crocker corp tech... I kept TELLING her to throw it away but of course she didn't

JUDE: -points to his head- the tiara top, specifically... I'm sure it's a mind control device that they could hack into directly and control her

JUDE: who's to say they haven't done that with their prisoners by this point? I'm not sure why they captured them but maybe they're using them for something we just don't know about... something they're doing privately at the facility while jade and jane do the dirty work...

ROSE: Well.

ROSE: I wouldn't doubt that.

ROSE: Even if it's somewhat of a stretch to think that everyone is entirely enthralled.

DIRK: -grunts- She's probably usin' them for their abilities. Roxy can make shit outta nothingness. Jake can pretty much manipulate anything so long as he believes it's true.

DIRK: I figure she just doesn't need the rest of us. That's what makes Jane's proposal so strange to me.

DIRK: It might suggest she still has her own agency despite the mind control, if she wants to recruit folks from our crew. It must not have been in the empress' plan.

SOLLUX: -belated but WTF SANDWICH AND WATER OUTTA NOWHERE.-

SOLLUX: -his head jerks up almost immediately as it plaps him- g0d damn it t—

SOLLUX: ...

ROSE: ...

ROSE: Well, uh.

ROSE: Yes.

ROSE: I think that was definitely a part of it.

JOEY: =just...absorbs all of this before mumbling to herself= (how did my original timeline turn into one with teenage mutant ninja turtles?)

DIRK: - ... 👁️ 👁️-

ROSE: -stop....-

DIRK: -SIPS MORE- Cool.

DIRK: So we get Rose to seduce Jane.

MEULIN: -peeks in at this- OH???

MEULIN: 👁️ 👁️

ROSE: -NO-

ROSE: That.

ROSE: Really won't be necessary.

ROSE: I'm just going to take her up on her offer.

ROSE: And she'll know that something is up, because of a familiarity with me.

ROSE: ...

ROSE: And on account of that, I already know that she knows.

ROSE: Which gives me an advantage.

JOEY: =snickers=

ROSE: And. Is not seduction.

RUFIOH: -also peeking from a window to gaze.- 👁️ 👁️

JOEY: if you decide to go undercover, you might have to do things undercover

JOEY: you know

JOEY: to prove youre one of them

JOEY: =takes her coffee from dirk to sip it before handing it back to him=

ROSE: I think this was the exact reason I didn't want to share this potentially significant information in the first place.

ROSE: No.

DIRK: -😏-

JOEY: no ones gonna judge you, if you were worried

MEULIN: -while they keep talking, she's sniffing around the room... and then lifts open the window if it's not already open-

JOEY: ;)

ROSE: Oh mygod.

MEULIN: -HUP. She jumps out of the window. She's gone.-

ROSE: -looks out the window-

ROSE: -...why.......-

RUFIOH: -Meu why.-

MEULIN: -DONT WORRY. She's just heading for the lake!!-

JOEY: =she looked up from her device and crossed the room, turning on the TV. Glancing down at her phone once more, she flipped to the channel shown. It appears to be a concert.=

DIRK: -YES IT'S TIME-

DIRK: -he was waiting for this-

TYRENA: -She's been scarce for most of the time they've been here... except now, with the TV on. She's still laying flat on the ground but she's listening closely.-

DIRK: -WATCHING TAKODA LIFTED HIS SPIRITS A LITTLE... that and teasing rose earlier. but hey.-

JOLENE: -SQUINTS AT THIS CLOWN ON THE TV-

SUMMONER: =He's out and about somewhere, doing god's knows what, but he has a feeling his kismesis is doing something that makes him feel human homosexual down in his soul. Clenches fist mid flight.=

JOEY: =holy shit who is that cute little carapacian?=

DIRK: - 👀 -

DIRK: -it's snans undertale-

DIRK: ...

DIRK: Holy shit.

DIRK: -BAFFLED BY THE MAYOR'S VOICE???-

JOEY: =Actually jumps in her seat when the VOICE happens.=

DIRK: -smiles softly at qirin with her drum... gosh-

SOLLUX: -just listening to this in the bg-

TYRENA: -still on the floor like a mummy, but she appreciates this. quietly.-

JUDE: -lurks when he hears penny's voice on the tv... wowee, there she is. he's a little starry eyed.-

DIRK: -watching this is getting him so hype??? it's nice to have something positive between the anxiety and the numbness whoo boy-

DIRK: -dammit... his parents are cute...-

DIRK: -somewhere out there, he knows dave is crying. haha wimp.-

DIRK: -wait fuck he's crying too-

JOEY: =sliiiiiiiiides over a tissue box=

DIRK: -ffffffff.... takes the whole tissue box. but he's trying to hold it in. ffs.-

DIRK: -he's getting chills... yes, this is exactly what he needed to lift his spirits. but it's getting late... he should probably rest if he wants to be useful at all... but he's so hype.-

EQUIUS: -There's the sound of gentle, but heavy, steps-

EQUIUS: D --> I heard a ruckus. Is everything okay -His veins are deep blue, clearly from the poison, however, he is looking better.-

JOEY: you're looking lively

JOEY: your crewmates have blatantly challenged aych eye see

JOEY: it was glorious

EQUIUS: D --> Dirk, who the heck is this tiny human

JOEY: excuse me, i'm above average height for human women

JOEY: you're just abnormally tall

DIRK: -looks back at equius- This is Joey Claire.

JOEY: :)

EQUIUS: D --> One of the human refugees we were transported for

DIRK: -nods- That's right.

EQUIUS: D --> Okay. I surmise we are in Minnesota now, I seem to remember hearing that

JOEY: yup! it's a state.