#i can’t believe someone put a bomb in my mailbox and then left

[faynthearted]

I’ve been lately thinking that if Mo actually witnessed He tian being take away by his brother that it will remind him too much of the time they took away his father from him and reopen the old wounds

anon where did this come from?? 😭😭

what’s even worse is that you’re absolutely right!! fuck!!!! I can’t believe I never thought of this!! and I’m kind of glad I never have because this is heartbreaking!!

worst case scenario is 1) guan shan actually does witness he tian being taken and 2) he tian goes out swinging. all the yelling, commotion, crashing, crowds… yeah. that would not fare well for guan shan

[masked-buffoon]

Chapter 2: Twisted (Part 4)

Warnings: none...? (enjoy it for now XD)

Author notes: a kind of transition... More action in the next part, I promise!

Dazai-san's office was quiet when I entered, without bothering to knock on the door. It was not yet the middle of the afternoon, and the warm sun rays shone through the imposing bays, bathing the room with bright light. I sat down on the couch and contemplated how peaceful it was without my superior, before demanding my mind to come up with a plan to erase the slave trading company from the world. The orders given by the higher ups of the organisation had been clear; I could not let these people run free, for they had betrayed their contract with us and deserved to pay for our losses. In a way, the whole Port Mafia worked like an enterprise, a business, except it was led by a ruthless man who commanded countless armed men ready to kill on a single word from him. I sighed and closed my eyes. Ambushing them would be quite a difficult task. The location of the warehouse made it impossible to surround with the men and there was a single entrance, heavily guarded. Inside were stored the slaves, from different origins, whom I ideally wanted to spare from the fire, so launching a massive and blind attack was also not an option. Going all out for them in the open was not a wise plan, and I thought eliminating them from the inside was a much better strategy. As such, I had ordered the investigation team to gather information about Samejima Seiji that we could use against him.

For the moment, I could simply rest in the serene atmosphere of the empty office, without worrying about being beaten up by my whimsical executive. Erasing an entire organisation... I was not sure I could do this within a single night, just like Dazai-san and his partner, Nakahara-san, had done some time ago. This achievement had given them the title of sōkoku, double black, the strongest and most feared duo of the underground. I did not possess my superior's extraordinary foresight and intelligence, nor was I half as strong as Nakahara-san. His gravity manipulation ability was made for combat, it was undeniable, whereas mine... I did not even know how it could prove useful, considering I could not even control it. I was worthless, and deserving of the executive looking down at me. At least, if I could succeed this mission on my own, I would perhaps make sure he would not slap me upon returning by the end of the week.

A knock interrupted my train of thoughts and I groaned an annoyed "come in", much like Dazai-san each time someone would bring in a new pile of paperwork. It was Taneda-kun, the subordinate I had scolded in the torture room.

"Ogawa-san... I am there to bring you the intel we gathered about Samejima Seiji." He timidly said, putting the documents on the table in front of me.

"That's a thin file..." I grimaced before sighing.

"The man isn't very interesting..." He conceded "Shall I leave you alone?"

"Please." I nodded.

Once the door closed, I took a look at the information I had requested. There was not much, indeed, nothing exploitable at the very least. He did not even have a family I could have used to lure him into a trap, and despite being able to hack into his offshore accounts, stealing his money would not erase his organisation. As I was thinking about a strategy, at least a dozen of ships all around the world was transporting his slaves, which would bring in another tremendous amount of money. The fact he liked tennis was useless for the Port Mafia as well. The only thing I could use was his lewd tastes for women, but being the head of a slave trading company, he could surely have all the women he wanted for his personal pleasure. Finally, I came to believe it would be easier to drop a bomb on the warehouse and make them disappear all at once.

Once again, a knock disturbed me and, frankly annoyed, I stood up to open the door myself.

"I asked to be left alone —" I started grumbling before cutting myself "Oh. Yamada-san."

"I'm equally pleased to see you, Ogawa-kun. There is someone on the line who requests to talk to you." He gave me his most contemptuous look.

"I have a phone. Why didn't that person call me directly?" I crossed my arms.

"It is rather urgent, so I would appreciate that you do not ask any questions. For my and your sake." He replied curtly.

I was forced to follow him in the corridor, toward his office. It was fancier than Dazai-san's, heavily decorated with luxuries he would not be able to afford, did he not occupy such an important position in the Port Mafia. Without waiting for him to suggest it, I took a seat in front of the desk. He handed me the phone.

"Ogawa Yōko." I introduced myself "I was told you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, indeed."

My blood froze in my vessels and my hand started shaking uncontrollably as I struggled to keep holding the phone. It could not be... I breathed out and tried to calm myself down. I could not let him hear how frightened I was.

"Dazai-san." I clenched my jaw "What would you want from me?"

"Tell Yamada to leave us alone." He ordered.

I did as told and, as the door closed, brought the phone back to my ear.

"I heard you interrogated a prisoner earlier. Is that right?"

"It is." I nervously tapped my finger against the desk "I gave my written report to Yamada-san and ordered an investigation on Samejima Seiji, the leader of the slave trading company we are after. I also obtained the location of their headquarters."

"I know the details, the report was sent to my mailbox." He stated, making me frown "Which is why I know the man was released. What I want to know is why. You are perfectly aware that we don't let them go."

"I judged he did not need to die and simply made sure he disappeared from Japan." I answered concisely.

"You are a fool for thinking he could be harmless." He scolded me, rather harshly despite his poised tone "Now that he is gone, we can't even know if he isn't going to inform his boss, and any plan we can make won't change the fact we lost the upper hand of surprise effect...!"

I sighed, slightly.

"The man chose China to start his new life with his wife and future child. I made sure they were escorted by our men from Tokyo to Beijing, and also personally called our contact within the Chinese embassy to provide them with a new identity, which means we can find them anytime. Besides, I do not think he would even try to go against us... Not after how I threatened him in the torture room." I explained.

"Oh? And how did you threaten them, Ogawa-kun?" He sounded more curious than angry.

"Oxytocin." I said, staring at a painting on the wall "With his pregnant wife at my mercy, obviously. Then, I crippled him by shooting a bullet in his hip. I made sure to send them a souvenir from their stay among us as well, to remind them we are watching."

"Excellent." He somewhat chuckled at the other side of the line "It seems I was wrong for worrying. Yamada only mentioned you had released our prisoner in the wild, after all, I could not help wanting to question you about your clumsy mistake."

"I understand..." I relaxed a bit "But my report contained everything I told you, including the methods of torture and details about their release... You said you had received it in your mailbox... But it was a handwritten version I had submitted to Yamada-san."

"Is that so? Perhaps I should have a talk with him, then... Anyway, I entrust you with taking care of that company, so no matter what that second in command says, you have free reins." He declared "Try not to disappoint, this time."

"Of course, Dazai-san." I accepted his orders.

Having been officially appointed to the task, I left the office of Yamada-san, not without a slight smirk as I gave him the phone back. Our superior wanted to have a few words with him about the reporting incident, and if he had expected that his false report would have doomed me, his lie would actually get him quite a lecture. However, I knew that he would not be demoted, because Dazai-san needed a stupid pawn he could move as he wished. The greedy man was the perfect tool for that motive, easily controlled and manipulated, quick to kiss up the higher ups and too nearsighted to see he was being played with. Quickly, I made my way back toward the executive's office, the only place where I could focus properly without being disturbed. There was no point in launching an attack on the organisation, we would have to kill them from the inside. I could still exploit his weakness for women and attempt to seduce him — I had been taught by Ane-san herself — but seeing as I lacked many feminine attributes, I would not even be able to get a glance from him. Disguising myself as a slave disgusted me, for I had been in their stead only a few months ago and entering the company undercover sounded like a waste of time. They were not that powerful, it was only the location of the warehouse which made it complicated. Then, I had an idea. Slaves were captured to be sold. As much as I despised this business, it was one of the Port Mafia's most important income, a market a powerful organisation like us could not neglect. Slaves were sent overseas, of course, but there were auctions in Yokohama as well. I had been the product of one of them, so I knew for sure such events occurred. I had seen different kinds of brands on many girls' skin, marking them for life as properties, and I recalled that particular company had been present as well. I only needed to know if they were to participate in another auction soon, or if there was a way to invite them to a scheduled one. Once everything would be settled, it would be my turn to infiltrate the event.

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[moonstone-blues]

Fallout 4 AU: October 24th

If you guys remember, a while ago I quickly sketched up an idea of a modern/what if the bombs didn't drop Fallout AU for FOCCA (I'll get round to finishing the rest of the submissions eventually.)

Well, I've been doing some thinking and just wanted to share my notes on how the story would go. (This is my own personal interpretation.) 

For now, the name is October 24th. Although the main story takes place after that, the name is supposed to symbolise that we're after the day of reckoning and everything is fine… mostly.

Be warned: This is a long one. 

Story:

Okay so the story starts on the Morning of October 23 2077. Everything is the same as in game. River and Jack do their thing, joking around and making sure they look good. Shaun in this story is older, being around eight years old. (This is because I wanted to keep the 10 year old Shaun element and he can't be an old man in this version.) The television continues playing the usual news and… The bombs never fall. Not a single detonation. The McConnell family continue on with their day and attend the event at the Veteran's Hall. 

When they go home, that night as they're sleeping, Kellogg breaks in and attempts to kidnap Shaun. In the struggle, Jack is shot dead and River is attacked, being knocked into a coma. This coma lasts a year with nearly another year of physical and mental therapy to go through before she returns home. Upon realising they never found Shaun or Jack's killer, she sets up on her own, trying to find her son and avenge her husband. The story beats are obviously very similar but adapted to be more modern. Synths are now clones because I felt like synths would be too Sci fi for this story. 

Factions:

The Minutemen - A kind of neighbourhood watch organisation. Funded by the army, they were supposed to try and keep the peace, without using violence. Thus made sure the military had all of their soldiers back so they could fight. However, after some fighting within the organisation and the military suddenly cutting off funding, things quickly went downhill from there. 

The BOS - This is simply the army. After the shut down of the Minutemen, a new group was made, the Brotherhood of Steel. These were soldiers sent by the military to patrol Boston, much like how they did before the Minutemen. However, since the threat of war is now gone, they have the soldiers to spare and want to show off their muscle to intimidate the people. 

The Institute - I'm still not entirely sure about the synths being clones instead things so this one is really up for debate. My thoughts so far are that the Institute still kidnaps people. They harvest their organs and make a clone to send off to replace the original person. I know, not the best idea. But I was thinking about what they would do with the kidnapped people that seemed justified in their minds? Well, they still have the same belief that humanity is doomed with the way it's going. Rioting, corrupt governments and the rest. They replace people with clones of themselves, engineered to behave. And they kill and harvest the organs of the original person and send them to hospitals for people who can't get organ donations because they're too low on the list. In their minds, they're getting rid of corrupt people, replacing them with people who they see as being better for society and giving people who may not have one a chance at life. They're technically doing good, but they are killing people. They still work out of the CIT but in secret laboratories.

The Railroad - Very similar to their in game selves. A secretive organisation dedicated to setting clones free and stopping the Institute. 

Characters:

Dogmeat - A stray dog that kept turning up on River's doorsteps during the first couple of weeks she stays at home. She eventually takes him in, being reminded of her other dog that ran away. She calls him Biscuit. 

Codsworth - Mostly the same. A faithful robot butler mourning the loss of two of his masters and constantly worrying over River. He makes sure she takes all of her medicine and never let's her miss an appointment. 

Preston - An ex Minuteman who spends most of his free time handing out fliers that promote it and tries to get people to sign a petition to bring the Minutemen back. His efforts are mostly in vain until he meets River after being attacked in an alleyway. 

Piper - The same noisy reporter working for the Boston Bugle. Known for her sometimes controversial articles and her willingness to do anything for a story. She's very interested in River since the kidnapping of her son seemed to be the beginning of all of what she believes to be the Institute's kidnappings. At first River wants to stay away from her as Piper is particularly intruding in her life but accepts her help. 

Nick - After the original Nick Valentine went for his brain scan, he was disposed of. The new Nick was made with Nick's DNA but due to the fact that the cloning technology had only just started being put to use, it wasn't perfect. He wasn't a complete copy of the original Nick and he was more than aware that he wasn't actually the original. At first he was loved up, the scientists not knowing what to do with him, but eventually Nick was broken out with the help of DIMA. He tried explaining that to 'his' boss and coworkers but they said he was mad. Eventually, Nick quit the police, feeling like he hadn't deserved to be there in the first place. After all, a man was murdered so he could live. He roamed the streets, no clue of what to do. He eventually found his way at the original Nick's home, still covered in evidence against Eddie Winters. Eventually, people started knocking on his door. They knew Nick Valentine was a great cop and did his job damn well. So when the police started ignoring missing person cases they came to him. Nick would've refused but without a job, he had no money to live. He begrudgingly accepted a job from someone in high power. (The same missing person case he dealt with in the original game but without the hilarious beeping part.) When he succeeded, he was overcome with a passion to help people. He stopped feeling sorry for himself and officially turned his place into Valentine Detective Agency. With the knowledge of his big case, people came to him from all over for help and he continued to give it to them. He had his lower right arm, some of his face, some parts generally all over damaged when one of Eddie Winter's men planted a bomb in his mailbox. He only placed his hand in so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. He did need everything below his left elbow removed and he now has a prophetic arm and eye. River Meets Nick when she rescues him from Mafia boss, Skinny Malone. 

Hancock - John and his brother came from a poor family. Honest but poor. Living in a bad part of town, their parents tried to instill good values into them despite their circumstances. Unfortunately, neither really took it to heart. They were still a happy family, doing the best they could, even taking trips to museums as a treat. As they grew up, John found himself in a lot of trouble. Joining gangs, drinking, doing chems. However, his brother was going places. He worked hard, eventually becoming assistant to the mayor. However, once it was found out the mayor was using taxpayer's money to build his own luxurious vault, he was kicked out of office. With a position to fill, Hancock's brother worked hard. His campaign was brutal. His major promise was to move the poor people to the opposite side of Boston so they couldn't bother the more wealthy. This also meant they would be receiving less help from tax payers and left to fend for themselves. The people, after having plenty of money taken off them for years, loved this plan. He won at a landslide. John was furious. He thought with their situation, his brother wouldn't dream to hurt those who could barely afford to live. But his brother still carried it out. He left the promise of a cushy life with his brother and decided to live with the less fortunate. It wasn't the best situation but anywhere would've been better than with his brother. The particular section of Boston was horrible. Mostly lawless, police not even wanting to go near the place. It was a dog eat dog kind of town. Eventually, a mob boss named Vic overtook the town, making himself the leader. Forcing people to pay for protection or they would be beat. John watched every day. Despite wanting nothing to do with him, the mayor still gave John protection. He hated it. Being treated better than everyone else who was suffering. He got insanely wasted one night, feeling horrible for the protection he got and the way he ignored Vic's actions. He needed things to change. He couldn't stand the man he saw in the mirror. He poured his remaining bear over himself and set himself on fire. Most of the damage was on the left side of his body, mostly burning his face so that he was hardly recognisable. After putting the flames out, he broke into one of the museums he loved so much as a kid. He remembered learning about the men that built America. It was when he looked up at the coat of John Hancock that he decided enough was enough. After a very long trip to the ER with a very expensive medical bill his brother paid off, he went back to the town with a crew who hated Vic and challenged him directly. He managed to kill Vic, albeit not as barbaric as he does in the game, and took over the town. Vic's old crew feared John's strength and left the people alone. Hancock stepped up to be the leader, officially naming the town Goodneighbor. He even changed his name to John Hancock, fully separating himself from his brother and becoming his own person. He runs it mostly the same as he does in the game. River meets him after going into Goodneighbor with Nick following a lead on her case. 

MacCready - Grew up in an orphanage in DC. He was roped into criminal activity at a young age. When he met his wife, Lucy, he claimed he was military being deployed in many places when he was off committing crimes. When his son was a few years old, Lucy was killed by a pack of rabid wolves when he didn't check out a camping spot. Duncan eventually became sick so MacCready moved to Boston with him after hearing that Med Tek was working on a cure. Unfortunately, that meant that Duncan had to live in the Facility and the cost to keep him safe and quarantined was high. MacCready works odd jobs, even stooping to criminal activity to help his son. He meets River after she hires him to help with doing some shady things since he knows his way around a lock and he's good protection. 

Curie - Curie's 'father' Kenneth Collins works as a scientist in the CIT. While he isn't aware of the Institute, he had a friend in it who he confided in about how he was sad he could never have a child since he was alone and old. This friend wanted to surprise him one day and using his connections, managed to get the Institute to create a clone for him. They created an amalgamation of personalities, most intelligent and scientific and put it in a young woman. This became Curie. Collins quickly figured out that his friend must've been part of the Institute. After all, the rumours were largely spread around the CIT building. He kept Curie a secret, knowing how suspicious it would be for a random woman with no records of anything suddenly popping up. She stayed in mostly total isolation, learning everything she could about everything to do with science. While she did very rarely step outside her home only under the supervision of her father, she still didn't understand a lot and yearned to be outside to explore and study. Eventually, the Institute found out that their 'property' had been given away. Kenneth was killed and Curie remained trapped, locked in her room. River meets her after walking past her house, hearing her bang on her window. She eventually gets her out of the house and with nowhere else to go and no clue of what the outside world is like, River offers her guidance. 

Danse - A Brotherhood member who is very patriotic and eager to defend the people and his country. However, despite his love for his country, he hates how the country is run. Despite the threat of nuclear war disappearing, Danse believes that America has become too relaxed and lazy, expecting everyone else to do the work. He believes the military are the only people pulling their weight and the American people need to wake up. He was replaced with a clone shortly after being deployed in Boston. River meets him when she comes across a small riot going on in the street between Danse's small squad and some members of the Minutemen. She steps in and resolves the situation. Danse is, of course, mistrustful since they were her people and he doesn't know if the Minutemen are a threat yet. However, River offers her help, guilty that Minutemen were involved in riots and Danse finds her to be quite useful for his mission. 

Deacon - He was always a con man, weaseling his way into situations for his own benefit. However, he was also very troubled by the growing tensions between America and China. He joined a group that were against the Chinese and harassed any they met, even lynching a young man. Deacon left the group after this, being disgusted by his involvement and soon met the love of his life, Barbara. A Chinese-American woman. Despite some lingering feelings of fear and hatred, he eventually came to love her, growing out of his previous beliefs. They were happy together, even wanting to have a child together, however, before they had the chance, his old group found out about the pair and reported Barbara to be a Chinese spy, taking her away forever to what Deacon assumed to be her death for sure. Using his skills as a master of disguise and a con man, he managed to ruin every single one of their lives. The least someone got was being put in prison for life. He felt empty after he had his revenge. He didn't know what to do with himself. That's when he heard about the Railroad. A group dedicated to helping people. Deacon found his new cause. He may not be able to protect everyone but he could at least try to protect some. River meets him when she finds the Railroad, looking for their help. However, Deacon has had his eye on her for much longer than that. 

Cait - Her parents abused her much like in the game. After she turned 18, her parents made her work on the streets to get money for their drinking, drugs and debts. Cait was isolated most of her life with the abuse and didn't know what she could've done to escape. Eventually her parents revealed their debt was too great to be paid off by Cait being on the street. So, as part of a deal she wasn't aware of, she was forced into an underground cage fighting ring. The owner of the ring itself was Tommy who was sympathetic towards Cait but the real people in control were the gang that took over, the people Cait's parents owed money too. She was forced to stay there under a contract, her only option to fight. River Meets her accidently when she wanders into a bad part of town and uses her legal knowledge to get Cait out of her contract. 

Strong - Armstrong was the youngest out of six brothers. With his parents dying too young for him to remember, he was raised by his brothers, being abused and neglected by them. He was looked in his room most days and given the scraps of food. His brothers would fight them, knowing he was a weak target. Armstrong became stronger this way. Eventually, he escaped from his home. However, due to his lack of socialisation and education, he couldn't find work. Fortunately, he eventually found a free education program for adults. There, he was taught by radio personality Rex Goodman about literature. Macbeth stuck with him especially. Rex offered him work in his studio, hauling equipment but Armstrong still doesn't have the best socialisation and Rex doesn't get to spend as much time with him to teach him. River Meets Armstrong after she is invited on Rex's radio show to talk about her son. River feels bad for Armstrong and after some explanation about his life from Rex, River offers to help Armstrong and educate him in her free time. 

X6-88 - A clone working as security for the Institute scientists. During the times the Institute scientists are not working, he works as a security guard at the CIT. He also brings in any clones who figure out they're clones. River first meets him when she enters the CIT looking for answers after she gets clues that the CIT is where the Institute is.

DiMA - Dima was the Institute's first attempt at creating life without the use of cloning. He was put with Nick who was the first attempt at creating life with the use of cloning and the two formed a bond with their imprisonment. They even considered themselves brothers. However, with Dima's lack of an imported personality, he tended to be quite unemotional, something the Institute would take advantage of when making their security. However, Dima could tell how much Nick was suffering and wanted to freeze him. He himself wanted to be free too, of course, but he wanted his brother to be happy more than anything. He eventually helped him escape but something happened. Nick was injured in the escape, causing him to lose most of his memory of the Institute and Dima. Dima was scared, especially since his brother didn't recognise him anymore so he fled. He hoped to see him again some day but he would wait for Nick to find him. 

Obviously there's more characters and stuff but this is what I've thought of so far.

Feel free to ask questions or request something about this! 

[dontshootmespence]

Broken Homes Fix Broken Hearts

Chapter 37

Seeing the hate in her eyes nearly broke him in his tracks, but he couldn’t stop to comprehend anything. He had to get away from her to keep her out of danger, no matter how much it was killing him inside.

Without thinking, he drove. He let his mind go blank and somehow, 15 minutes later, he was at Spencer’s door. “Hey kid, can I stay here for a couple days?”

“Yes, of course,” Spencer replied, opening the door and stepping back to let him in. “Shouldn’t you be with Juliet? What happened?” Spencer wasn’t great with relationships, but Derek looked miserable. Something was wrong.

“I-I can’t talk about it. Can I just stay here while I figure things out?”

“Again, sure.” The psychologist in him begged his brain to prod Derek for answers, but his friend was in pain. “Make yourself at home.”

That was two days ago. He’d walked into the apartment, taken a seat on Spencer’s couch and stared off into the distance trying to figure out what to do. He’d barely moved.

But the universe took this inopportune moment to send another complication Derek’s way. His phone rang. It was Garcia. They had a case.

He heard Spencer pick up in the other room and quickly inform Penelope that he was on his way in. Derek just lay there, letting the phone continue to ring. The idea of picking it up, of going to work seemed...unimaginable.

In part he just wanted to wallow, to be allowed to sit in his own sorrows without the rest of the world creeping in. But, in his heart of hearts, Derek also knew he would be a detriment and not an asset if he went back to work now. As much as that hurt, knowing he couldn’t do his job, it was nothing compared to the suffering settling into his head and heart in the wake of losing her.

He hadn’t slept. Every time he tried to close his eyes, the look on her face as she’d walked away kept him awake.

Everything reminded him of Juliet.

The stack of books on the coffee table. The sound of running water as he washed his hands. His own face in the mirror.

She was everywhere and nowhere and in that, he was lost.

“You staying here?” Spencer asked as he hung up with Garcia.

All Derek could do was nod. “I’m no good to you right now.”

Spencer could see that. It was fairly obvious. “I know, but,” he hesitated, grabbing his go bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “I hope you know that whatever it is that’s going on, you can tell me. I won’t tell a soul if that helps.”

The corner of Derek’s lip twitched up. He couldn’t risk it. He didn’t want to put his kid brother in danger too. This was bad enough as it was without bringing the team into this mess. “I know, kid. Go save the world. I’ll be back soon.”

Spencer swallowed hard against the lingering uncertainty and closed the door behind him. For a profiler, he was having a very difficult time figuring out what was going on in his friend’s mind.

                                                            -----

“Miss Juliet?” Jefferson piped up from the other side of the desk. She looked up, only then realizing she’d stamped the same book three times.

“I’m sorry Jefferson. Now you’re book has extra stamps, for good luck.” Juliet gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and handed over the book. Jefferson waddled off to the children’s section once again to start reading his new lucky book. She stirred herself from the fog that had taken hold as best she could and went back to work, checking the book requests currently on file.

Her little ones hadn’t noticed yet but Juliet was a sight for sore eyes in the view of any adult. Dark circles hung under her eyes. They were bloodshot. And her nose still felt stuffy from crying. After finding resolve to get to the bottom of what was going on with Derek, she had jumped in head first with calls and texts and emails. At one point she even stuffed a letter in the mailbox at the post office.

Nothing.

Just silence and a growing sense of dread.

While the kids had their quiet time, she headed back through the fog and toward the computer, checking to see what books she had to pull from the shelves and for whom. A few of her regulars were going to be coming in soon for their weekly book - man, did she wish she had more time to read - but there was one patron coming in whose name was a surprise - Spencer.

Considering Derek didn’t have an apartment anymore since he’d moved in with her, in all likelihood, he was staying with Spencer. He wasn’t responding to any of her messages, but if she could slip something into the book Spencer was taking out maybe he could get it to Derek. It was her only chance. Something was very wrong, and she wasn’t about to give up on him. What he claimed just wasn’t him anymore.

Quickly, she took her phone out and snapped a picture of the book title, checking online for a copy of it; she would need to destroy the book and the book-lover in her couldn’t do it to one already on file in the library.

If Derek didn’t answer her this time, she wasn’t sure he ever would.

                                                             -----

8pm rolled around at an alarmingly slow pace but finally Juliet was out the door and headed home.

It didn’t really feel right to even call it that in the absence of the man who had transformed it into one many moons ago. But there was no time to waste on waxing poetic, she had to destroy some ancient poetry to preserve her own verse of potential happily ever after.

For the second time that day Juliet did something she’d never thought possible; she walked into a massive chain bookstore and willingly bought a volume of poetry that was available just blocks away at a free, community-oriented, public library. It made her shiver. In her line of work, corporate bookstores were evil, but she also couldn’t destroy a library book if it wasn’t necessary, so she relented and hoped she wouldn’t burst into flames upon entry. Under any other circumstances she wouldn’t have even set foot inside, but desperate times called for even more desperate measures.

Surprisingly that was the most difficult phase of her totally impromptu mission. Mission Impossible movies wanted everyone to believe that the only people in need of burner phones were the unfairly attractive super-spies and their nemeses. While Derek Morgan was built like a Greek god, this was no globe-trotting Bond adventure and Juliet was sure as hell no one’s Pussy Galore. It was less sleek, sexy action movie sequence and more a perilous hail-mary with no gorgeous sports car in sight. Rotten Tomatoes would not have scored it highly.

Surprisingly all it took was a wad full of cash and some small-talk with a convenience store owner named Earl and Juliet was walking out of the MiniMart with a nondescript burner, no gold-plated spy ID necessary.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the Road Runner so she couldn’t get back to her house in the blink of an eye, but she did the best she could, slamming the door behind her so she could participate in the sacrilegious act of defiling a book in the confines of her own home. It made her physically ill to think about, but living without Derek or living with regret was even worse.

With the utility blade from Derek’s toolbox, she dug into the pages, hollowing out enough to safely bury the phone inside. Her previous determination to do anything to save her relationship faded into a hollowness that settled into the middle of her chest when she realized what she was using. The man she loved pervaded every aspect of this house. House - not home. Not as long as he was absent. She allowed herself to wallow for a moment before banishing all doubt and sadness from existence. Juliet had learned from the best personal superhero around so it was time to become her own.

                                                            -----

“Hey Morgan? I got this book out of the library. It’s a book of pieces by Ovid, the Roman poet.” Spencer explained from his spot in the kitchen.

Derek didn’t look up, just continued staring into the couch cushions. “That’s nice kid.” He sighed.

“Well, yes, it would be. If it wasn’t defaced. Pages have been cut out and...there’s a phone it in. Along with a message. This looks like Juliet’s handwriting actually. She must have seen the request in the inter-library loan system and gotten this to me. I think it’s for you.”

Just hearing her name hurt. All the things he’d said. All the tears they’d both shed. He couldn’t get her face out of his head. “What?” He reached out for the book, taking it tentatively from Spencer’s hand as if it were a ticking bomb that might explode at any moment. “This is her handwriting.”

Most of the book had been hollowed out, but a section at the top of one page was highlighted, her handwriting scrawled underneath.

Fortune and love favor the brave. The passage read, before her words covered up the rest.

I think Ovid might have been right. So this is me trying to be brave, for the both of us. I don’t know what happened but I know something must be wrong, because you promised I would be stuck with you forever. And Derek Morgan is a man of his word. If you’re reading this, call me. Please. Whatever it is we can figure it out as long as we’re together. Be brave my love.

-Juliet

Without a word, Derek swallowed against the lump in his throat. Spencer had already left the room, wanting to give him the privacy he so obviously needed right now. As he pressed the button to dial, his heart raced.

One ring.

Two-

A third ring didn’t come, but silence did. “Juliet?”

A sob wrenched through her body when she heard his voice. She knew he was lying. She knew he wouldn’t do that to her. She’d been right. “Derek?”

“I’m here,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry, I-” His voice started to shake, the look on her face when he’d broken things off burning into his brain. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he’d ever forget it.

Juliet stopped him in his tracks. “What happened? Why did you walk away? I know you were lying, but why?”

Leaning back into the couch, a tear fell from his eye. “Someone is threatening me. When my mom got sick? That was him. I thought it was a prank or something, but it wasn’t. And then I got another call saying I had to break it off with you and if I let anyone know, you, the Bureau, my family, anyone...he said he’d kill you. Baby, I had to walk away. I had to-”

“I know,” she breathed. The sense of relief she felt was akin to feeling the weight of the world leap off her shoulders.  The tears kept coming as she tried to speak. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. We will fix this, Derek. We have to. God I just- I just miss you so much.” Juliet broke off, a sob taking over for words.

Derek felt himself beginning to weep. He hadn’t let himself feel it in so long for fear of losing himself to it forever. But she was here. He could hear her voice. And it was all too much.

They both just stayed there like that. Listening to the other cry on the other end of the line, knowing that their love was there. That this was real.

@virgoswlw​​ @crimeshowtrash​ @literallyprentissstwin​ @jazz91121 @tommyhollandd​ @spencer-puppies-and-stuff​ @fl0werb0nes18​ @stunudo​ @spencerthepipecleaner​ @theofficeofsupremegenius​ @ultrarebelheart​ @lookwhatyoumademequeue​ @lukeassmanalvez​ @mentallydatingspencerreid​ @nobravery​ @criminal-anatomy @matthew-gray-reidler​ @remember-me-forever-silent-angel​ @original-criminal-fanfics​ @lovelukealvez @stories-you-wont-hear @speedreiding @marvelfanlife @butsomeofusarelookingatthestars​ @wonderboygenius​ @naturallytom​ @imagines-for-criminal-minds​ @acespence​ @sweater-vest-reid​ @criminalmindskeepsmealive @spenncerreiid​ @sam-carter-in-training​ @parker-hopper @spencerwreid​ @ssahotchner​ @profiler-in-training​ @were-skye​ @trollitis​ @heyboywonder​ @ficrecswithcassie​ @janiedreams88 @gingeraleandcontemplation @cynbx @fortheloveofspencerreid​ @tippy06​ @cleocc @bestillmystuckyheart​ @ssaunitchief​ @xxm3xxj​ @xocriminal-minds-imaginesxo​

[mercuryeet]

The Lie, Love You Till I Die

Welcome to the chronological series. New episodes every Friday 🚀

Episode IV, Sweet Home Alabama

The wheels of the plane touched down and Miranda turned her eyes to me with a flash of a smile. My girl was both happy and nervous to be home again. I was just excited to see the place she came from, and uncover new parts of her I hadn’t seen before.

“You ready to meet everyone, Bri?” She tucked the magazine she was reading back where she got it and reached for my hand. Her palms were clammy and hot.

I nodded my head and brought her hand to my lips. “It’ll be a fun trip, love. Stop worrying.”

“Just know that they’re gonna have questions about you and I. And even about Freddie.” She squeezed my palm in her hand three times. Something we used to do as kids to say ‘I love you’. I’m not sure if it means something different now.

“Let them ask away, love. You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.” I squeezed her hand back four times. ‘I love you too’.

“I guess you’re right.” She smiled and leaned over me to look out the window. “Welcome to Alabama, Dumplin.”

Outside were fields and fields of cotton and wheat and corn. Miranda’s face lit up and she admired the scenery. I wanted so badly to kiss her right then and there. The gleam in her eyes reminded me of how fast I really fell for her when we first met as teenagers. Her long unruly hair dangled over her shoulders and her big pretty eyes were always wild and amused. I’ll always remember the first time I met her, sitting on the stoop of the library steps with an iced lolly that had stained her lips and tongue bright pink. She looked as wild then as she does right now, staring out the airplane window.

Miranda turned her face back towards mine with a smile. “Ceils should be at the gate waiting for us. She’s excited to see you again.”

I took my chance to kiss her now while her attention was on me. Her lips curled against mine with a breathy giggle. “You’re absolutely adorable Bri. You know that?”

“Only because you tell me all the time.”

She playfully smacked my arm.

The stewardesses began to let everyone off the plane and into the terminal. Luggage claim was a wreck as usual and I was grabbing Miranda’s bag when a tall leggy red head comes running towards us. Her yellow tee shirt had a grass stain on the left shoulder and her shorts were most definitely pants that had been worn out at the thighs and been cut into daisy dukes.

“Miranda!” It was Ceilia, flinging herself into Miranda’s arms.

“Ceils!” The two of them hugged and jumped around before pulling back to do that thing where they talk over each other really fast but can still somehow completely understand what was said.

“I’ve missed you so much Mandy!” Ceilia had such a thick southern accent, if Miranda hadn’t had one when I first met her I doubt I’d be able to understand what she was saying now.

“I missed you too Ceils. It’s nice to be back in Huntsville.” Miranda’s expression was more relaxed than it had been on the plane. She looked comfortable again.

Ceilia slowly let her arms down Miranda’s shoulders before finally looking in my direction.

I forgot how much of a hugger Ceilia was and couldn’t get my hands out of my pockets fast enough to avoid the most awkward hug I’ve ever had.

“Brian! It’s so good to see you. When Mandy told me all about how you were coming with her instead I just couldn’t believe it! Last time I saw you you had hair ABOVE your shoulders!” Ceilia playfully smacked my arm before picking up Miranda’s bags.

“It’s good to see you too Ceils. Congratulations on the engagement and the wedding and all.” I reached out to take the bags from her hands and she patted my hand away.

“It’s alright Bri Bri, I’ve been tendin my Uncles farm for years. Im probably stronger than you are Sweet Cheeks.” Ceilia turned around and waved for us to follow her. Miranda smiled and hooked her arm around mine as I carried my own luggage.

“She’s probably got a point you know. Ceils holds the Mugs N Jugs record for bull riding.”

I smiled and pecked the top of her head as we followed behind her cousin. Ceilia parked her white Chevy pick up right out front, which I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do.

“Load her up baby.” Ceilia smacked the tailgate of her truck before flinging herself up into the bed with what looked like little to no effort at all. I handed her our bags and she lined them up carefully and secured them with a bungee cord.

“You ready to meet Ma and the rest of the family?”

-

The driveway to Miranda’s mothers house was one of those things that you can’t actually find on a map. You have to rely on directions like ‘take a right at the chicken farm but if you pass the cotton field and the donkeys you’ve gone too far’. The driveway was a plain red dirt road, the stone mailbox that marked the driveway was probably about a mile back now. I knew her family had land but not this much. Miranda and Ceilia did most of the talking. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I also enjoyed holding her hand for a good thirty minutes. She made me feel like a teenager again. I’ve never been so giddy and excited to just hold a girls hand before.

The lights on the outside of Miranda’s home began to shine through the trees surrounding the property. The faint sound of people laughing and talking in the distance came through the open windows.

Miranda turned to me, breaking my focus on the tree line.

“So Brian. Welcome to the Anderson Farm.”

In just seconds her home was fully in view. It was beautiful and rustic. It was a lovely white wash home with a porch that wraps all the way around on both the upper and lower decks. The front porch had a hanging swing and several wooden barrels for seating. There were three trucks parked out in the lawn, all Chevrolet.

“I guess the Chevy thing is a trend?” I leaned into Miranda’s ear, making her giggle.

“Daddy would flip his lid if we drove anything else.” She leaned in even closer and whispered “So don’t tell him I drive a Volkswagen.”

She let go of my hand as Ceilia parked the truck alongside another white Chevy. The truck sort of jolted as she put it in park.

“Get ready to be bombarded Brian. Watch out for Victor and Vann. They’re dumb AND nosy. And don’t let Uncle Curtis scare you too much. He’s all bark and no bite.”

Confused about how to even respond to Ceilia I just nodded my head and gave my best attempt at a smile. Honestly my heart was flopping around like a fish in my chest. I was about to meet Miranda’s entire family. Including her father, which would be a first. I met her mother in London a few months after I met Miranda. She’s an incredibly sweet woman. Mrs. Anderson is very down to earth, but still knows how to make someone laugh. Her father is who I assume to be the very formidable man lingering on the porch with a pistol strapped to his hip, but I’ll hope for the best.

“You’re going to do great sweetheart.” Miranda pecked me on the cheek and practically dragged me out of the car. If she hadn’t I’m not sure I would have gotten out. I felt glued down by the fear of completely bombing this meeting with her family.

“Oh my!” As soon as the car doors shut a small plump woman came rushing through the storm door of the house. “My Mandy Pandy is home!” It was Miranda’s mother. The two of them ran to each other, almost like you see in the movies. They looked so alike. Both had dark hair and green eyes and very Italian features.

Ceilia had left my side to go hug the big, slightly terrifying, man on the porch, leaving me on my own with my hands shoved in my pockets like an idiot.

“And of course Brian!” Mrs. Anderson waved me in to get in on the hug as well. “I’m so happy to see you both again. Especially you know,” she lowered her voice to whisper “together.”

My eyes darted to Miranda to look for a little guidance. I wasn’t sure what all she’d told her family about us but by the nervous smile she gave me and the way Mrs. Anderson whispered I’m convinced her mother knows a little something.

Mrs. Anderson let go of us and pulled back to look us over with a toothy grin. “London is starvin’ y’all but we’ll get to fixin’ that while you’re here.”

“Aw, Mom don’t say that.” Miranda said awkwardly.

“It’s alright.” I smiled back at her mother, trying to seem more comfortable than I really was “I’ve never had southern comfort food, I’m excited to try it.”

With a quick glance upwards I locked eyes with the scary man on the porch. He had been watching me.

“Well you came to the right place Brian.” Mrs. Anderson patted my arm before turning around to call into the house “Victor! Vann! Come get the luggage out the truck for Mandy and Brian!”

“Oh it’s okay I can get our-“ I was interrupted by Mrs. Anderson.

“Nonsense these two can get it.”

Two tall lanky boys in oil stained tee shirts and blue jeans came wrestling out of the house. Both had long hair and the same facial features but one had a scar on his left cheek bone where he clearly had stitches in the past.

“Woah there Mandy you didn’t tell us you were bringing the worlds best guitarist to Ceils wedding.” The boy with the scar on his cheek came barreling down the steps, his brother in tow behind him.

“Victor mind your manners.” Miranda punched his shoulder as he and his brother stopped right in front of me. Almost examining me you could say.

I smiled and held out my hand “It’s nice to meet you both.” Victor completely ignored my hand and pulled me right in for a hug, patting my back pretty rough.

“Nah dude. It’s a freakin honor to meet THE Brian May.”

“Enough boys.” The big man on the porch finally spoke.

Ceilia had joined Miranda’s mother back in the house and the twins were behind us in no time grabbing the luggage from the truck.

“Hey Daddy.” Miranda gave the man a soft doe eyed smile. “I missed you.”

I was right. The man was her father. I thought knowing that for sure would make me less intimidated but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

She took my hand and brought me up to the porch where her father stood and waited for us. I followed just behind her. Staying just one step behind her, taking her lead in the conversation.

“I missed you too Mandy. Is this the Brian fella you were telling me about?”

Miranda nodded and Mr. Anderson held out his hand for me to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you Sir.” Miranda told me to mind my manners and make sure I address her parents as Ma’am and Sir as much as I could remember.

“It’s nice to meet you too Mr. May. I like your music but you need a haircut son.” Mr. Anderson smiled and opened the door behind him for us to come in. “Come inside and get settled y’all. I’m sure you’re tired.”

-

Miranda nuzzled her head under my chin as I held her close. We were listening to the sound of the crickets outside. Miranda had one twin sized bed that sat directly underneath a window. The moonlight lit up her face enough for me to admire her while she slept in my arms. She was so pretty. Even when she wasn’t trying to be. She looked like an angel in the veil of the moonlight. The light bounced and danced off her cheeks. I ran my fingers up and down her back as she drifted off. I could do this with her forever. I could wake up next to her forever. The image of her big green eyes and her disheveled hair strewn across the pillows is something I’ve always wanted to have the privilege to see.

“Goodnight Miranda.” I whispered “I love you.”

[uldren-sov]

ignite

PART 1 / 2

Hey this was super fun to start thinking about and getting into. It’s a real formative time for Eva. Thanks so much for the collab @damarlegacy and for allowing me to borrow Rax for these!

The first time he heard of Coruscant was when his brother Talcyn came home from bombing it in the war. A chaotic skyscape of sun, smog, and skyscrapers, is what he had said with a confident sneer that Evacios could still see in his mind’s eye. Now standing in the spaceport looking over the same sky that his brother had flown under the day of the Sacking, he could finally say with full confidence he agreed. Squinting in the sunlight, the sky was a rich gradient of golds and burned coppers, due no doubt to the pollution in the atmosphere. It was probably majestic to others, but being able to see over the gaudy Senate plaza full of a skyline of construction cranes and glass, and Evacios couldn’t help but bristle with disdain.

“First time in the capital, ey?” a man said, sidling up beside him like it was his every right to do so. People of the Republic generally had a base familiarity in their social interactions - which is no doubt why he thought he could just come up and talk to him without any preamble. He swallowed his pride and put on a smile.

“Yeah! Yeah, it’s quite a view,” he heard himself say. No trace of any accent beyond the smallest lilt of a Mantellian one borne of Intelligence speech classes and at least a hundred hours of internet holovids. Best to get in practice where he could, he had to do everything in this accent for the foreseeable future, and a quick glance to his compatriot saw not even a batted eyelash from the older man. “Can’t believe I made it.”

“Enjoy it, kid,” he said. The stranger was about to pull away before a second thought nearly visibly flashed over his weathered face. “And hey, welcome! To the beating heart of the Republic.” A friendly smile, a clap on his back, and he waited until Evacios nodded in acknowledgement.

“Thanks a lot. I intend to.”

A tagged taxi drive to an affordable hotel where he was going to have to stay for a few days while he searched for an apartment to live. After taking the time to thoroughly look over the room for any sign of surveillance he set his singular bag onto the side. The hotel had the basic amenities to it, as did the room, but he was a long way away from the luxury of home that was to be sure. Not that it really mattered, the job came worse and any suburban landscape - even Coruscant - was better than the places he’s bunkered down in. It was almost a bit liberating, to not have to worry about the need of esteem and fashion. He passed the hotel’s bar and restaurant and started walking to the office. He’d see how he felt about being free of the burden of society in a week.

He had a name, a street address, and an office number on a singular email a couple of weeks back. The building itself was fairly nondescript, the bottom was a normal office building, receptionist and all. The young man pointed the way towards the stairs - sorry the elevator was out of service - and Evacios started making the climb all the way up to the seventh floor. He caught the surveillance cameras out of the corner of his eye, careful to keep his head down and watch his steps up instead of back at the camera as he finally got to the seventh floor and pushed open the door.

The floor itself only had a singular hallway, five doors on each side with a mailbox for each, enough space for just some modest small business office spaces. Nothing special and that was on purpose. He decided against looking winded from the trek up, the SIS had his “file” and knew his history.

Kestas Canis, born in a small town on Ruan, stationed on Ord Mantell, career soldier, and made Sergeant. Was a candidate for Special Forces but instead of going into military, was transferred into SIS instead. Good marksmanship scores, smart soldier, with a little something-something that made him a good candidate for the SIS. It was enough to give him this chance - give Intelligence this chance. Now he just had not not fuck it up especially with the constant reminder of his deception right front and center. At least to him.

For show he checked the ink on his hand where he wrote down the office number and then wiped his hands together to get rid of the ink. Using the door panel next to it, the gray metal door slid open and he stepped through. Inside was a small waiting room, a small seating area, a desk with a young man behind it. He was clean, fresh faced, nice looking enough to catch someone’s interest but fairly forgettable. Three doors, a side office to the right, another to the left, and one directly behind the desk of the secretary. There was also a very, surprisingly nice, aquarium with some tropical fish along one wall, coupled with a table with holopads along it. It was deceptively normal, beyond the fact that he was given this address in the first place, his gut told him this place was inherently off. The young man looked up from his holodisplay expectedly at him with a piercing brown gaze. This was definitely the right place.

“Sorry, am I in the right place?” he asked. The secretary looked a little nonplussed as he looked to his computer once, then back up.

“Sergeant Canis?” he said and Evacios nodded, making a note to straighten out his navy sports jacket as an “afterthought” before straightening to present himself. “Through this door,” he said without any preamble, gesturing to the door behind him.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” he offered. The receptionist widened his eyes and tightened his lips in recognition of it but clearly had no time to regard him any further. There was just the smallest of second glances. Maybe he was also trained in some sort of personnel training, or maybe he really was just an annoyed receptionist. Either way, he moved past the young man and opened one door into a small entryway with another door just a couple of feet past. A red light was by this second door until the first door closed. It flashed green and he pressed the corresponding touchpad button.

Then things made sense.

Inside was a much larger room than he expected, a corner desk on one side with a full on archive behind it and an impressive holodisplay for the desk’s built in interface. On the other side of the far wall was a full floor-to-ceiling grid of displays, all of them showing a different scene, all of them showing active feeds. He could quickly identify more than a few in Nar Shadda, some probably around either Coruscant and Corellia - but it was impossible to ignore the person in the room any longer than that. Sitting on the edge of his own desk, a man who maybe had half a foot and forty pounds on him sat straight backed, arms and ankles crossed. Dressed in military khakis wearing Major stripes on him with a flash of defiant blue in his tawny brown hair.

He read the write up on Major Cyrus Rax on the way over, all that Intelligence had on the official stuff he had done, things he committed, things he admitted to, and rumored skirmishes with the Empire as well as official ones. But he hit into the wall of his hard blue gaze and small scowl and stopped dead. He couldn’t help but smile, unbidden. Showtime.

“You better be Kestas,” he said gruffly.

“Yes, sir,” he said, and straightened like he was going to stand to attention. He saw the pained look and rub of his chin from Rax.

“Y’know, calling me ‘sir’ anywhere except this room would get us both fuckin’ shot. So don’t. I’m your handler, not a CO,” he got to his feet. Maybe he was unconscious of the fact that he was an imposing figure or maybe he did keep that in his back pocket, Evacios wasn’t sure what to make of him quite yet. “We good?”

“Yes, s-” he purposefully caught himself and tucked his hands into his pocket, taking the chance to take another scan of the room. “-So what do I call you, then?”

“Rax. Major. Papi. Whichever.”

“Well if ‘sir’ is suspicious, wouln’t ‘major’ be too? Some random sergeant getting orders from a random major?” he laughed a little nervously but then quickly shut up and showed his hands sheepishly. “I’ll, um, I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Shut up, some people have nicknames. But, let me tell you something. Real heart-to-heart,” he actually turned from him at this point, walking around his desk, Evacios noted his favored side. There was a rumor with a fight that came to mind but he’d have to look into it later. In the meantime the burnmarks on the side of his neck were oddly purposeful - letters? High Sith was always hard to recognize out of context. “Try-outs are slow, boring, and belong on the Huttball field. When you come into my fucking office, I need to not be commanding you, I need someone to take initiative. Can you take initiative Kes or are we both standing around with our dicks in our hands wasting each other's time?”

“What’s the mission, Rax?” he said simply, lips lifted just a touch into a smile. The bluster either how he just was or designed to put the fear of command in him. Either way, Rax leaned over his desk and gave a contemplative nod.

“Don’t be smug about it,” he handed over a datapad from a drawer. “Addition to that?” He sank a digit against the screen and pushed it a bit, Evacios took the hint and he gathered it up before it got to the edge.  “I’m gonna need you to slice the surveillance of the neighborhood, make sure I know about it first if you make a mess. You understand.”

“Absolutely, anything else?” Evacios asked.

“Yeah, if you don’t do it? We can find you a nice analytical post on Quesh. Now get out, thanks, my soap opera’s about to start,” he stood back and fell back into his seat. Resting his hands laced on his stomach, he propped his feet up on his desk as, from behind, a title of some novella came up on the desk’s display. He tipped the datapad toward Rax and tucked a hand into his denim pants as he turned and started to read it. “And give it to Jones in the front when you’re done.”

He gave a two finger salute over his shoulder, edged around a Nautolan woman with an armful of similar datapads that he quickly looked over. Aqua skin, white markings, lithe, and maybe looking a little pissed. He offered a smile and nothing more as he waited for the lights to change from red to green on this quick series of doors. By the time he was out the second door he could confidently hand it back to “Jones”, the receptionist, and simply continue walking.

Harmless, maybe a bit of a shit, perhaps stepping into shoes too big for his feet just yet, he hoped he conveyed that image well enough so far. He could stand to develop the character more later as time moved on and he got “used” to spy work. Until then, harmless he hoped he remained.

Well, seems even here the Intelligence agencies policed their own. He just didn’t know he’d get into messing with Coruscant Security so soon.

[gotmattitude]

[Left in Matt’s mailbox is a medium-sized cardboard box filled with goodies. There’s artisanal jars of honey and honey candy, a honeysuckle beeswax candle, a bar of expensive soap, and a tin of healing salve. But not that’s not all! Tucked behind the box is a ceramic jar; it looks to contain grapes, judging from the sweet tangy smell that wafts from it. Next to it is a beautifully multicolored ceramic mug, a small potted aloe plant, green tea bath bombs, and a special edition knitted version of NYADA’s iconic purple-and-green striped scarf. Or is it the green-and-purple striped scarf? There’s a thick envelope wedged in between the cardboard box and the jar. It’s addressed to Matt Rutherford in free-flowing cursive.]

Dear Matt,

Happy Birthday and Rising Day! I hope that today brings you joy and happiness. You are a talented young man, and your status a doppel doesn’t have to define everything you are, even at times it feels that way because of the world we live in. Hopefully, I know that the world can and will change for the better, let’s both do what we can to help it change! :)

I saw that you’ve been feeling out of place at NYADA, and I wanted to make this birthday gift something that could help you feel welcomed. If you ever need someone to talk to, please know that I’ve got a pair of good ears! ;D There’s a honey basket, I’ve heard great things about their curative properties and soothing quality. The jam jar filled with a potent grape jam that’s been said to be blessed by the Egyptian Goddess Hathor. Thought it might be a nice addition to toast in the morning for the boost! The aloe plant I heard has some uses in hoodoo magic, which I was amazed to see during the NAO, and it’s also nice to have a plant I think! It certainly works well for the air.

Please enjoy the green tea bath bombs! It should color the water a nice minty shade of green (isn’t that funny, since mint’s another type of plant and yet I’m using it to describe this green tea one’s color), and I heard it helps with sore muscles when you soak. And last but not the least!! This is one of my favorite things: NYADA merchandise! Now you can look spiffy and be super warm in NYADA’s wonderful special knitted edition of the iconic purple-and-green striped scarf! I also recommend the green-and-purple striped scarf. I have both versions, as well as any limited run specialties, so I can vouch for their excellent material. 

It was really nice to meet you, Matt. You’re really sweet and I hope you know that you’ve got a friend in me. :) Happy Birthday and Rising.

Yours Sincerely,

Blaine Devon Anderson.

[Matt doesn’t care for his birthday. Auntie usually whips up a special meal, Aveline is extra nice, and Darrius goes easy on his training, but nobody really mentions it. Now that he knows more Doppels (or he knows of more Doppels, rather) he knows that the feeling tends to vary. Some, like Auntie, see it as the celebration of life most witches and Commons see. Others, like him, see it more as an anniversary of a tragic event. And yet others, like Yejun stand somewhere in the middle; they recognize their double’s death, they honor it, but they also know it was the origin of their life, which is worthy of celebration. 

Despite his views on December 11th, he walks down the halls in with a couple gifts from friends and clubmates; a muffin here, a card there. When he catches sight of his mailbox, he sees it’s not empty, and he can’t help but crack a smile. Auntie, Aveline and Darrius didn’t send anything, so did Blaine really… yes, he did. He takes the box back into his room, and after shuffling through the various contents, scoops out the envelope.

He reads it, and for a moment, he almost believes in this seemingly blind optimism. Almost. Blaine is impossible in a way Matt has never dealt with before; he’s kind, and passionate and incredibly fucking organized. But he’s naive, talking about changing the world. Still, it’s a very nice gesture, to leave all of this in his mail when they haven’t really spoken to each other that much. Truth be told, sometimes he refers to him as The Butt Guy or The Club Guy or Tina’s Friend in his head. He thinks that has to change now.

He puts the plant by his window, and takes out his cellphone to say thank you.]