#i feel vastly underprepared though

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

.

[artificialqueens]

star-uncrossed [jackie x jan] - pinkgrapefruit

A/N - this is a prologue of sorts to ‘i do like you’ but it’s mostly just more jackie and jan fluff featuring my favourite dialogue ive ever written. hope you enjoy it! <3

*

They meet on their first day of college and fall in love. Okay it’s not that simple but they do meet on the first day of college and they do fall in love.

Jan didn’t read the email properly.

(She’s from Jersey, screw it, she knows New York and she doesn’t need to read some stupid instructions to find her way around.)

She didn’t read the email properly so she ends up outside the Lillian Verge school for International Relations even though she enrolled in Tisch and quite frankly she’s just incredibly confused. And then she meets a sweet girl with dark brown hair and a loosely Canadian accent and she finds herself feeling a little bit less lost.

“You okay?” The stranger asks with a kind smile. “You seem lost.” And Jan smiles because goddamn, only she could be a damsel in distress in a city that she’s known for years.

“Just a little,” she admits as she stares at the name on the buildings signs - hoping maybe they’ll transform and she can just walk into her 10 am seminar on Performance Movement.

The pretty lady chuckles and bows her head. “What school are you in?” She asks, “you don’t strike me as an international relations student.”

Jan wants to be indignant, play the can’t judge a book by its cover card but she’s dressed in tight leggings and a pair of worn Nikes with a hoodie from her last regional theatre performance and a dance bag slung over her shoulder. She takes a second to look over the brunette and realises that if Jan doesn’t look like an IR major - she most certainly does. She has a white button-down tucked into a pair of light-wash-straight-leg jeans with a beige and red silk bandana in her hair and a leather satchel.

“Tisch,” Jan responds, doing a little twirl for emphasis because if she’s going to be seen as a ditsy blonde theatre major she might as well do it right but the response isn’t what she was expecting.

“Damn, you must have real talent.” The brunette says with genuine sincerity.

Jan decides she wants to marry her on the spot.

The woman pulls out her phone and fires off a quick text before she looks at Jan again. “I was just letting my friend know I’ll be late for brunch,” she states quickly as if it is normal to adjust brunch plans for someone you have never met before and then she grabs her wrist and starts walking.

It’s a fourteen-minute walk down ninth street followed by a three-minute walk down the second avenue in which Jan learns both everything and nothing about the stranger. She learns she’s supposed to be meeting her old pen-pal for lunch near Parsons because she’s an international student from Paris, that she’s fluent in French and Farsi and that she’s lived alone in New York for two years since she turned sixteen because she values life experiences over possessions.

In return Jan lets her know that she’s allergic to shellfish, will do anything for a smoothie and is gay as all hell prompting an in-depth discussion about the rights of LGBT people across the world, a topic that Jan was vastly underprepared to discuss at 10:03 on a Tuesday.

They arrive at Tisch with a start and out of breath but Jan has to stand there a minute longer before she can brace herself to go in.

“You look like you carry a pen,” Jan says, causing the Brunette to raise an eyebrow (although she reaches into her back pocket and produces one anyway). Jan grabs her hand and scrawls her number on it in a veritable chicken scratch before she hands it back.

“I’m Jan,” she says with a smile and an open palm.

“Jackie,” then non-stranger replies.

(Jan starts her first semester at Tisch on a negative grade. It’s worth it.)

*

Jackie texts her at three in the morning asking if she’d like to go for a smoothie tomorrow and Jan replies asking if it will be postponed due to her inhuman kindness.

(Jackie responds not to bite the hand that feeds you but she’s delirious and there is definitely a french word thrown in there somewhere.)

The brunette is laid across the end of Nicky’s bed waxing poetic about Jan’s blue eyes as she had been for three and a half hours and the Frenchwoman is getting very close to kicking her longest friend out of her dorms and forcing her to walk to her own apartment for the night but she knows there would be no point.

They’ve been pen pals since they were seven having long rambling conversations in french through decorated envelopes and sticker-covered letters. As they got older the letters for longer and they evolved into care packages too. Boxes would arrive full of foreign candies and stationery and a book here or there. One year, close to Jackie’s birthday, Nicky sent her a pair of fluffy socks and the letter she received back was tear-stained.

Nicky runs a hand through Jackie’s hair and sighs.

“”This sounds remarkable simple you know,” She offers up with a wry smile and exasperated tone.

“Yeah but it’s not,” whines Jackie in response as she rolls onto her front and lets out a dramatic sigh. “She’s cute and blonde and knows about gay rights.”

“I’m cute and blonde and know about gay rights,” Nicky reminds her.

“Yeah but you’re french,” Jackie responds with her tongue stuck out.

“God. you’re like Romeo and bloody Juliet, what was it - Star crossed lovers?” Nicky grabs a shirt out of her draw and tosses it so it lands on her friends head. “You’re making it so fucking hard for yourself. You’re basically star-uncrossed lovers. There is literally no issue.”

Jackie presses her face into the duvet and moans. “That made no sense you french son of a bitch.”

“Yeah, but you understood me.”

(She did and she’s not happy about it. The whole thing is refreshingly uncomplicated and that makes her very nervous.)

*

Jan wakes up and texts Jackie that it is raining. It’s not that she’s never encountered this before - she just feels the need to share it with someone and Jackie seems appropriate.

Jackie sends back a smiley face and a request for the address of Jan’s dorm and when Jan responds, she tacks on that she will meet her in the lobby at eleven.

Looking at her purple alarm clock, Jan has the realisation that it’s ten am on a Wednesday and she is yet to leave her bed so she rolls out of bed, hits her hand on the drawer of her bedside table, yanks her phone off the charging cable and takes herself to the bathroom she shares with the rest of the floor before deeming that her hair does not need a wash.

(It probably does but it’s dyed a much lighter shade of blonde than it is naturally so she doesn’t want it to fade and she’s not feeling a cold shower this morning.)

By the time she has dressed herself the rain bounces a few inches off the ground and the roads have turned into rivers which is why it is all the more adorable that Jackie meets her in the lobby with a massive black umbrella. She holds her hand up (she’s written Jan on it in black marker) and waves like she’s in an airport which only makes the blonde scrunch her face up in happiness even more.

“Morning!” Jan exclaims with a huge smile and an enduring positivity.

“Morning Jan,” Jackie smiles back, linking their arms and settling the umbrella above their heads so they can walk through the automatic doors and onto the still busy streets.

They banter and bicker the whole way through smoothie bowls whether it’s over the best Disney film (Jackie says Beauty and the Beast but is entirely willing to watch them all with Jan to make sure), guilty pleasure foods (Jan waves her EpiPen as she raves about cocktail shrimp) and their respective majors.

By the end of it, Jan’s learnt her fingers fit perfectly between Jackies and she’s just about ready to put down a deposit on a three-bed two-bath house in Harlem.

They wander home in the early afternoon sunshine, fingers loosely intertwined and Jackie realises quickly that they could count quarters together and she’d be entertained.

They kiss in the lobby and Jan watches the way Jackie’s eyes flit from her lips to her eyes and back down before going in for a second. And then a third. And her mouth tastes like cherry and somehow cinnamon and she doesn’t think she’ll be able to get a smoothie again without recognising the taste.

*

“It’s so easy,” Jan moans with her head on Gigi’s lap. The taller girl is paying very little attention to the blonde but still cards her fingers through her hair occasionally as she sketches a blazer.

Gigi goes to Parsons but her accommodation got messed up so she ended up next door to Jan and they became friends rather fast. Gigi would define friends as someone she tolerates and Jan would define friends as her heart and soul so they both get everything they want out of the situation.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re an emotionally distant bitch,” Jan asked over pot noodles the day they first met.

Gigi smiled and said thank you and that was that so now Jan is disregarding any requests for personal space and is quite happy to just exist in Gigi’s gorgeously decorated dorm room and pilfer the french candy that she gets from a ‘friend’ who Jan happens to know is very loud in bed.

“I really don’t see the issue,” Gigi replies, looking down at the blonde with a raised eyebrow.

“I didn’t expect you to,” Jan states passively. “But thank you.”

“Anytime. Now stand up so I can measure your proportions.”

*

‘Did you know that in the war, Oscars were made of plaster?’

‘Did you know that the gestation of the Indian Elephant is 22 months?”

‘Did you know I love you?’

*

Turns out it’s absolutely that simple.

[ilianquisition]

additional headcanon, because I started thinking about it and now can’t get off the subject; when Curran says (in quite a few of his adventurer stories, if I’m remembering correctly) that he’s not really a good person, he’s... not exaggerating. At least not in terms of some of the things he’s done in the name of the Church in the past.

Namely, that he’s never been above using excessive violence to obtain information or confessions; you can still see it in him when he makes threats, though he absolutely does not make good on them (especially not compared to in the past). It was very much an “ends justify the means” ideology he ascribed to, as that was what he was taught was necessary to root out heretics. Furthermore, if not explicitly ordered to bring a suspect back for questioning, Curran would have absolutely no qualms against killing potential heretics, particularly practitioners of dark magic who openly admitted to harboring no shame for their actions (or other similar heretics whose crimes involved any sort of disregard for the lives of others around them). Quite frankly, he’s actually lost track of how many people he’s killed this way.

Granted, that does only apply to the ones who had undeniably committed crimes against their fellow man. Heretics who were only heretics in the sense of “didn’t worship Ilia” were never treated quite as harshly, considering Curran did still have, you know, basic morals, but it’s also worth noting that at the time he simply didn’t question the Church’s authority and would bring them into custody as ordered. That’s not to say he never felt guilty about it--particularly when it was otherwise a fairly normal person who was just trying to get by in life, and not, say, a fucking doomsday cultist, he did feel quite a bit of pity for them, but he mostly justified it by telling himself that assuming they weren’t guilty of anything, they would be returned to their normal life without much issue.

It legitimately wasn’t until Isabel died that he had any reason to start questioning the Church, as he realized after that that they had very much been sent into a situation where they were vastly outnumbered and underprepared; that he was assigned new cases incredibly soon after the fact did not help his growing personal doubts. It was during this period that his drinking got worse between cases and, frankly, he began to stop caring about most cases. The routine ones were often half-assed or overlooked entirely; the only cases he seemed to take any particular interest in were those directly related to reports of dark magic and, specifically, any relation to cult activity, mostly out of a (misguided) desire for revenge. Needless to say, this is what led him to meeting Heinwald one night and, thanks to his already growing doubt in the system, convinced him to actually consider what the hell Heinwald had to say.

Even still, it was a bit of a slow process for him in un-learning what the past several years of inquisitorial work had taught him--and, frankly, some of it was simply fear of losing his position (or worse) if he failed to fulfill his duties. It would probably be a good year until he really grew into his current mindset regarding heretics--worshipping something else isn’t necessarily a bad thing, nor is even doing dark magic within certain limitations and with the intent of learning rather than simply obtaining power, and that the line is ultimately drawn when you begin to bring harm to others, be it physically or psychologically. The only time he really gets back to his old self is, again, in regards to any cult activity. Though you don’t see it in the Accursed Archives as much--frankly, he figured that literally getting turned into books for several weeks is more than punishment enough--it is quite evident in the way he initially responds to Akasha (before correcting himself and admitting that, okay, yeah, TECHNICALLY worshiping not-Ilia isn’t the problem). It’s very obvious that he does NOT like the town’s whole deal right off the bat (and frankly he doesn’t ever really trust Akasha. ...Rightfully so.) Honestly, the whole “charming everyone in the Halidom” thing would be SUCH a crossed line that he would absolutely confront her about it almost immediately. And by confront I mean fight. He would fucking throw hands. Seriously y’all I will pay for an Akasha to pop up please guys I am begging you I NEED to explore that absolute disaster of a dynamic.

[painmade]

"jesse, just let me watch her for a little bit and get some sleep. it's okay. i'm feeling a lot better already." she runs her fingers through jesse's hair soothingly, trying to get him to settle down. "i don't think i've seen you sleep at all in days. you look horrible."

jesse hasn’t slept in days. // selectively accepting. 

PARENTHOOD IS SOMETHING THAT most people are vastly underprepared for. You can read all the self-help books in the world, take all the vitamins that they recommend, have everything set up in advance, and still, nothing will prepare you for the bone-deep exhaustion that comes along with raising a baby. Especially a premature one. There always seems to be something wrong. Every time that Jesse thinks he can close his eyes and drift off to sleep, Jane stirs in her makeshift crib, stuttering a cry, and Jesse has her in his arms, cooing at her before she has the chance to wail. 

He doesn’t seem to mind, though. Never once does he groan in protest, complain about his daughter’s absolutely incessant crying – he can’t. Every whimper that leaves her lips breaks his heart into pieces and he wants nothing more than to make her comfortable, to make her feel better and take away her pain and her fear and rock her back to sleep.

Jesse spends hours with his little girl in his arms, humming little songs and holding her to his chest. He has her cradled against him with one hand while he runs around the kitchen, fixing meals for Pat. She’s bundled up in a baby blanket in the dresser drawer while he paints. The only time she and Jesse spend apart is a few times a day when Pat is feeling well enough to dote on their daughter – and Jesse won’t let himself sleep through that. 

Seeing Pat smile down at their child, her hair long and messy and beautiful against his pale yellow sheets as the sunlight filters in through the cabin windows and falls upon her face and illuminates her lips and fuck, Jesse’s never been more in love with someone in his entire life. Sleeping through those moments would be like sleeping through the second coming of christ. He doesn’t want to miss a single second. 

Jesse doesn’t even realize how utterly spent he is until he lays his head against Pat’s chest, the light touch of her fingers on his scalp lulling him into a dizzying half-asleep state of mind within seconds. 

      “Mm… yer not s’posed’ta push it, babe.” he slurs. 

He cuddles up next to her, draping an arm lazily across her hips. 

      “’s fine. I’mma jus’ take a nap. Five minutes tops.”

@hammurabicomplex

[scullys-right-eyebrow-txf]

The Only Choice - Chapter 36

Thanks for reading! 

Previous chapters can be found on AO3. 

Set during the months of Mulder’s ‘death’ during the events of ‘DeadAlive.’

Chapter 36 – One Step Forward…

Dana Scully was sweating. She didn’t think she had ever been this hot in her whole life. And she had awful heartburn that had somehow seemed to make her even hotter. Her blazer made her feel as if she were incased in a furnace and she longed to shed it, but she had one problem.

 She was in a meeting in Skinner’s office. In a meeting with ten other men. She took the blazer off and the cat would officially be out of the bag.

Scully had only been back at work for a week, but somehow in this one week her belly seemed to have gone from ‘maybe she’s just gaining weight’ to ‘she’s definitely pregnant.’ When forced to leave the safety of the basement, she had taken to carrying file folders in front of her torso or wearing her most oversize coat. Anything to shield her ‘condition’ from the rest of the world. Sometimes she felt like she was an actress trying to hide her pregnancy on a sitcom; they always seemed to hide behind potted plants and it made Scully want to seek out all the plants in the building for camouflage.

 In this particular meeting, Scully’s blazer was her only protection from inquiring eyes and it was becoming increasingly evident that it would have to go. She managed to make it until they took a break before she practically sprinted to the ladies’ room. Once inside, she hastily peeled the jacket off, sighing with relief and then ran a wet paper towel down her face and neck.

 She looked in the mirror and noticed that despite her perpetually sad eyes and momentarily flushed cheeks, she looked healthy for the first time in months. She took in her figure, her breasts notably larger and her belly round and beginning to protrude. She was wearing a form fitting cream colored maternity shirt, one that was made for women who wanted to flaunt their form rather than hide it. She didn’t know what possessed her to wear it on this day, but she knew that if she stepped out that door like this there would be no question. The news would spread just as quickly as it did the day ‘poor Agent Scully’ finally returned back to work.

 “To hell with it,” Scully mumbled to herself before grabbing her jacket and walking into the hallway with her head held high.

 Kimberly, Skinner’s secretary, did a double take as Scully strode by her into the office and she felt several sets of eyes on her when she stepped into the room. Skinner himself seemed surprised by her appearance.

 “You okay?” he asked quietly as she returned to the table.

 “Fine,” she answered quickly as the others began to take their seats.

 Every instinct told her to keep her eyes averted, lack of eye contact as a form of self preservation, but she refused. She met the stunned stares head on. She wouldn’t blink first, and why would she? She was not ashamed.

 After the meeting, none of those in attendance made a move to speak to her, but Kimberly stopped her as she left the office.

 “Agent Scully, I had no idea. Congratulations?” she seemed to ask in the form of a question, as if it’s not proper to congratulate a woman whose partner is six feet under.

 “Thank you,” Scully answered quietly but genuinely.

 She made it through the day, her first full day back to work, exhausted but relieved that the truth was out, and returned home to an empty apartment for the first time in a month. Her mother had left for home that morning, promising that she’d come back if she was needed for anything.

 Scully was never afraid of silence, but she had to admit that she felt a bit lonely.

 “I guess it won’t be like this for long,” she said to herself, rubbing her hands comfortingly along her baby bump. “If you’re anything like your dad, you won’t be afraid to make a little noise.”

 Scully let out a small cry of surprise as she felt something bump against her hand. It was a kick. The first kick that was strong enough to be felt from the outside of her body. And then something even more miraculous happened.

 She smiled.

 A full-out smile; the first one in many months.

 Scully laughed and felt around her belly for another kick, wishing that she had someone to share this moment with. She bit her lip as the tears gathered in her eyes. Mulder should be here. He should have his hands all over her stomach, speaking to her belly, trying to coerce one more kick out of the little miracle inside. But he wasn’t. She was consumed by sorrow as she was once again reminded that he was gone.

 She collapsed on the couch and wept as the sorrow was joined by guilt. Guilt that she had smiled, that for one moment she had been happy. Mulder was gone; how could there be any happiness left in the world?

 But as she clutched her stomach in despair, Scully felt it once again. It wasn’t yet strong, but it was there nonetheless. A kick.

 Though the tears continued to run down her face, she felt the smile begin to emerge again. This is what he would want. As hurt as she may be, he would want her to be happy. He would want her to celebrate the milestones of her pregnancy with their child.

 So Scully only allowed herself five more minutes of crying. Five more minutes of thinking about what should be before forcing herself to face up to what was.

 When she pulled herself off the couch and into the kitchen to make dinner, she felt better. She felt stronger and energized, and after dinner she put some of that energy to work. Scully had truly yet to prepare at all for the baby’s arrival so she began the process by cleaning out the nursery.

 One task; if she could get one task done, she’d feel accomplished.

 She completed her one task, emptying the contents of the dresser drawers into boxes marked ‘keep, donate, and trash,’ within an hour, and moved on to the closet. Her belongings were either relocated to other closets or boxed up, but she couldn’t bring herself to moving Mulder’s left behind clothes and shoes yet. The energy that she felt earlier was quickly dissipating when surrounded by his possessions and she chose to claim a victory for her other accomplishments and leave his things for another day.

 By the time she finally fell into bed it was well after midnight, and the morning came much too early. She knew that she was a sight to behold as she dragged herself into the office the next day.

 “Good morning, Agent Scully,” Doggett said from desk where he sipped his coffee slowly. “How are you today?”

 “Well, I miss coffee,” she answered as she eyed his caffeine filled drink with some jealously.

 He laughed. “Not too bright eyed this morning, huh?”

 “Not even remotely,” she answered. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

 His brow furrowed in worry. “Everything okay?”

 “Yes, it’s fine. I was up late, uh, I guess nesting is the word.”

 “Really?” he responded with a smile.

 “Yeah, I started packing up the guest room so I can get it changed over to the baby’s room and I was on a roll. I guess I lost track of time,” she answered, sitting at her desk and turning on the computer.

 “Well if you need any help, let me know.”

 “Thank you, Agent Doggett. I may take you up on that. You and your truck might be quite helpful in getting the furniture moved to my storage unit,” she said, relieved by his offer.

 “My moving services are available. Just let me know when,” he replied with a smile.

 The work day passed without incident. There were definitely some glances thrown her way, but nothing more than she expected. Scully was once again feeling pretty energized and on the drive home found herself in the Target parking lot.

 “You can do this,” she said, giving herself a pep talk. “Just buy one thing, just one thing to get started.”

 Determined, she strode straight to the baby section, endless aisles of everything you’d ever need for a newborn. It was a bit overwhelming if she were being honest. Cribs, bouncers, strollers, diapers, onesies, blankets, pacifiers, bottles, breast pumps, formula, tiny socks… The options were endless.

 Scully strolled aimlessly aisle after aisle with no idea where to start. She simply wanted to buy one item so she could finally say that she had gotten something for her child, but now she was questioning whether it was a good idea. She was suddenly feeling vastly underprepared for motherhood.

 But then she saw it. A simple white onesie with red lettering, perfect for a boy or girl. Her eyes filled with tears but she smiled through them. It was perfect.

 Happy with her selection and with a sense of relief and accomplishment, Scully quickly paid and went home where the small article of clothing was placed lovingly on the bed in the soon-to-be nursery. She traced the letters with her fingers and laughed. He would love it.

 In red block letters, it simply read, “My Dad is cooler than yours.”    

[valkyrieelysia18]

A Bit of Encouragement

Jaune collapsed the ground, his weapons falling from his hands after that very intense training session. "HURTS...."

Oscar was not too far behind him, collapsing right next to the blonde on the ground of the small training area the group had found since arriving in Mistral. "SO MUCH...."

Qrow simply scoffed. "Geez, Ruby wasn't this winded when I started training her and she was younger than you two."

The two males shouted in unison at the older huntsman. "DON'T PUT US ON HER LEVEL!"

The drunken shape shifter shrugged before he turned his attention back to the teens. "Fair enough, and I suppose it's a good thing you acknowledge that. And you are lasting longer than your first session. Out of the rest of us, you two are more....conventionally normal."

One of Jaune's eyebrows raised in questioning. "Conventionally normal?"

Qrow went on, before turning more of his attention towards Jaune. "Normal is whatever works for you I find, but you two probably had the most considered normal upbringings of this group. You two aren't fighters like how Ren and Nora fought with each other to survive or trained at young age by other fighters like Ruby. Oscar is understandable since he was a farm hand, but you.... you're vastly behind where you should be."

That hit nerve for Jaune as he visibly cringed while Oscar merely observed.

Qrow saw the effect and sighed. "Look, I can't claim to understand what Ozpin was thinking when he let you into Beacon, but if it weren't for the fact that our options are limited, I would have sent you home a long time ago. Can you honestly tell me you could face someone like Cinder, someone even your partner couldn't handle on her own?"

Jaune looked downward as he spoke. "...no."

The huntsman shook his head before turning around to head back to the Inn. "That's what I thought. We'll pick this up again tomorrow....and uh, don't tell Ruby I said that unless you want more exercises tomorrow."

Oscar stuck his tongue out a bit at the huntsman's retreating form. "Jerk!"

Then the farmboy turned his attention to Jaune, who was still looking down in silence. "Hey....Jaune...it's okay, you're not that bad. You're ahead of me."

That didn't get the desired effect as the blonde spoke softly. "He's right though. I'm nowhere near where I should be; where everyone else at Beacon is."

"Hey, there were probably a couple of people that hadn't fought as much as Ren, Nora, and Ruby have. You just had the extreme luck of being surrounded by very gifted and much more experienced people."

"That's.....not it."

Oscar looked at Jaune in concern. "What do you mean?"

Jaune finally looked up at that and sighed before going on. "My family has this sort of reputation of turning out great heroes. My father, my grandfather....heck my great great grandfather fought during the Great War. I grew up on those stories, wanting to be just like them. Kind of childish I know, but still it was my dream."

Oscar shook his head. "I may not come from a very notable family, but I don't think that's childish at all."

"Yeah, well, I wonder how people would react if they learned that the latest son of the Arc family, known for their heroics, was never even trained by his family."

Oscar was slightly confused, feeling Ozpin's undivided attention to what was being said. "What?"

"You heard me, my father never trained me. No sparring lessons, nothing about Aura or Semblances, forbidding me from enrolling in combat school. If anything, both him and my mom seemed to encourage me to become anything else. When I told them I was going to Beacon, I could see it on their faces. They were expecting me to fail."

The former farm boy but his hand on Jaune's shoulder in comfort. "Jaune..."

The blonde's voice turned hysterical then as his volume rose. "And I guess, maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if they had told me why or I wasn't the only one they treated like that. But, I have seven sisters and ALL of them were trained! Not all of them are fighters, but they at least know how to defend themselves! I wasn't even taught that! I wasn't even....given a chance to try."

There was silence between the two boys for a few moments, Oscar piecing all this information together while the headmaster in his head was morbidly quiet.

The fight seemed to drain out of the blonde as he looked back down. "You know, sometimes I wonder why Ozpin let me in. He must have known, the other teachers noticed something was up, but he let me stay anyway instead of sending me home. Maybe....if I hadn't been let in....Pyrrha could have gotten a better partner...and maybe she'd still be here. Qrow's right, I'm not a warrior."

That led to a more uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch on. Oscar could feel Ozpin in his mind, wanting to say something but didn't seem to have the exact words for it (a surprise, usually the wizard was very detailed).

Finally, Oscar sat up a bit and stared at Jaune. "Maybe Ozpin looked you....and he saw potential."

That got the teenage boy's attention and when he saw blue eyes were looking at him, Oscar went on. "You're right, you're not as skilled a fighter as Ruby, as much of a powerhouse as Nora, or have great control over your semblance like Ren. But Jaune....look at where you are, look at where you started! The fact that you've come so far in that amount of time, says so much about what you're capable of."

Jaune's eyes dimmed a bit at that. "I had help."

"True, but that doesn't change that you did it. And then there's all that stuff that came from you."

Jaune looked at him questioningly. "What stuff?"

Oscar bit back a laugh as he went on. "In case you haven't forgotten, last night you whipped all of our buts pretty handily at Remnant the Game. Even Qrow, as much as he'll say it was just luck."

The blonde looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just...play a lot strategy games, that's all."

"Yeah well, it shows. I have never seen someone able to think up tactics on the spot like you can. You may not be the best physically, but you make up for that with your mind. Then there's way you just pick upon things; whenever Ren, Nora, Ruby, and I are bothered, you immediately catch on to that. You know when to talk to us and when to give us space."

Jaune's expression dimmed a bit at that. "Hasn't always been like that."

"Everyone makes mistakes and you're learning. Being to able think logically and emotionally, that's a gift I wish I had Jaune. And you chose this path all on your own Jaune, you didn't have to be here but you chose to be here. Maybe....what Ozpin saw wasn't someone who could just fight....but someone who could lead."

"But Ruby is just as...."

"Don't get me wrong, I like Ruby a lot, I wouldn't have drunken death glares thrown at me every opportunity if I didn't. But....she's a warrior first and a leader second. You, on the other hand.....I could definitely see you leading people."

Jaune's face tinged red with embarrassment for a moment before it faded as he smiled. "Thanks Oscar....made me feel a little better."

Oscar smiled in return. "Anytime, you've listened to me more times than I can count. Makes sense to return the favor."

The blonde male smile as he got to his feet. "Well, I'm going to head back to the Inn and get a shower. Want to come back with me?"

Oscar shook his head. "I'll be along in a while, just want to clear my head here for a bit."

Jaune walked away back in the direction. "Suit yourself, I'll make sure to tell Ren and Ruby."

Oscar smiled, watching the young Arc walk away. Once he was out of sight, Ozpin spoke. Oscar...thank you.

"Didn't do it for you."

I know, but still thank you. I wanted to talk to him before all of this, but there was so much else to be done...I thought I had more time then I actually did.

".....Ozpin, you said you let Jaune into Beacon because of....reasons. What were they?"

....I'm sorry Oscar, but I'm not ready to share that just yet.

Oscar sighed, frustrated with the headmaster in his head. "You know, for someone who talks a lot about trust, you're not a very trusting person.

Fair enough. I promise, I'll tell you the full story eventually. For now....let's just say I knew his great great grandfather pretty well.

Whoa, lot of personal head canon territory with this. I kind of wanted to make sense of why Jaune was underprepared as well as what makes Jaune a good leader.

Oh Ozpin, I'm pretty sure you knew Jaune was unqualified. I'm hoping we'll get to the reason why you let him in eventually.

Next time, I might list my ideas for my future RWBY story.

[twxntrash]

Homeworld Police Department Ch. 1

There was something divergent in Peridot’s way of thinking and living that had always set her apart from other Gems of her kind. Her ego liked to say it was her being much more intelligent and far more driven than all the other Peridots. But, in truth, it was her ambition that set her apart, or rather, what her ambition had her aim to be. On Homeworld, though they had made tremendous steps (one may even say leaps)in integrating diversity and equality among the Gems and have torn down the class barriers that set Gems apart from one another, opting for a more democratic ruling rather than a dictatorial one, if one could call it democratic, there were still aspects that Gems clung to from the old world. Along with the stigma that went along with it. What a Gem did for a living was one of those old traditions that many clung to.

They went where the strengths they were made with would have them most useful at.

Quartz Gems still more often than not chose paths primarily for warriors, such as soldiers and officers. Many Sapphires went into the stock industry, some even in the gambling and betting side of the market, their future vision proving quite useful in knowing where to put their chips in. Most Gems with healing powers chose to be doctors and nurses. So on, and so on. You can get the picture.

Peridot Gems primarily went into tech work. Building machinery, acting as tech support, mechanics, the such.

Except, Peridot, this little Peridot had no intention of just being another mechanic for the small colony she was made in. Even when she was fresh out of her kindergarten and going through basic education with other Gems that came out around the same time as her, Peridot knew she wasn’t going to be a technician. Sure, she was good at it; she was a Peridot after all. That information was ingrained in her very core. But, she had her sights set on a different career path.

Peridot was determined to enter the police force. To be the very first Peridot officer. And she was going to be a damn good one too if she had any say in it.

When the Gems she shared a dorm with heard, she got quite a few mixed replies. After all, a Peridot standing alongside all the other, much, much larger officers? That was just ridiculous. Many just laughed at her for that dream. But, a few whom she considered her friends had actually been, tedious it may have been supportive of her goal.

Homeworlds Police Department was made up primarily of Quartzes. There was also a number of Bismuths as well. Perhaps the only Gem who, like Peridot, was made to make things. But unlike Peridot, a Bismuth had the size and muscle to back her up on a police force. The only other common Gem on the force who were as small as her were Rubies, but even they were built for combat, unlike a Peridot who was made for machinery. But, this was Homeworld, where any Gem could be what they wanted to be, as the slogan went. And Peridot was determined to be a police officer.

By the time she had finished her primary education and graduated, she had already applied and been accepted into the HPD police academy to start her training. Today was the day she’d be leaving for it.

“Everything you need is in here, I’ve packed plenty of clothes and a few instructions on how to remove stains or repair the stitching if they get damaged. Your toothbrush and paste are in here, oh! And polish for your gem, so you can keep it clean and shining” Pearl rattled off as she held onto the large green suitcase that had all of the belongings that Peridot was taking with her to the academy. The lithe Gem was fidgeting where she stood as the small group waited for the bus to arrive, “I’ve also packed a couple of books you might be interested in reading on the way or if you have some downtime.  Oh, and plenty of envelopes and stamps so you can mail us if your phone breaks! There’s a first aid kit in there too, for any injuries you get; you know how much of a brute Jaspers can be.”

“Wow, thanks,” Peridot said as she held out her hands to take the bag from her friend, “I still don’t think you really needed to repack for me this morning. I had everything I’d need.” Peridot had finished packing last night, but this morning Pearl had just taken her bag and threw everything out of it and began packing it herself. Peridot was sure she went a bit overboard, but, she did appreciate the gesture.

The pale Gem bit her lip as she looked down the mostly barren road, still no sign of the bus. “You know, you don’t have to go,” she tried again, worry in her blue eyes, “I could get you a job easily at my shop; we could always use another mechanic, and you’re one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to repairing anything with metal and wires.”

Though the compliment did stroke her ego, she wanted to correct Pearl that she had no intention to be a mechanic. But, before Peridot could argue, a hand was placed on Pearls shoulders and both looked up at the taller Gem who had been silent for most of the wait, “Let her be, Pearl,” Garnet said softly, “She wants to do this, it’s not our place to stop her.”

Pearl looked away and nodded quietly.

Peridot honestly really appreciated the concern Pearl had for her, and she did feel a bit guilty about leaving them to follow her dream. But, as Garnet said, this was what she wanted. Besides, she had already made many promises to visit and call often.

The three of them, well, they went way back. Garnet and Pearl were quite a bit older than Peridot, but they were her closest friends, practically family. She’d met them during her first year of education after emerging from the Kindergarten; she was being harassed by some a Gem from her dorm and it had gotten physical. She thought for sure that the Jasper was going to poof her, but then, out of nowhere a cerise colored Gem had dashed over and her fist colliding with the orange, streaked Gems face and knocking her to the ground, standing between Peridot and the Quartz as another Gem had helped the girl up. Pearl and Garnet had been out running errands for their shop when they heard the commotion and rushed to help. Pearl had taken Peridot back to the garage and patched her up while Garnet had a stern talking to with the Jasper.

Ever since Peridot had stopped by daily to hang out and talk to the Gems, eventually she even left the dorms to live with the two in their house after Pearl invited her to do so. She loved them, that much was true and would always be true. They had been there for her when things got bad, and she had been there for them as well when they had issues of their own.

They’d promised to see her off when she headed to the police academy, and, here they were waiting with her for the bus.

“I just worry is all,” Pearl wrung her hands nervously together as she took a seat on the bench. “I know you’re durable, we’ve seen how hard it can be to poof you first hand, what with all those boulders you took,” at that Peridot cracked a small smile remembering the trip the two had taken last year that had resulted in the entire canyon trying to kill Peridot, “But. These are going to be Gems, really big and strong Gems you’ll be with, and you’ll be doing dangerous work with an unpleasant company. I just, I’m worried if you’ll be okay or not.”

Peridot rested a hand on her thin arm and tried to give her an assuring smile, “I’ll be fine,” she promised her, “You said it yourself; I’m tougher than I look. I can take whatever they throw at me and dish out twice as much.”

From beside them, Garnet nodded her head, “She’s right. She’s going to do great,” it was hard to tell if she was saying it out of faith for her friend, or from her future vision, but, either way, it still meant a lot.

Pearl wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at Peridot as the bus finally came into view. “Alright,” she conceded, tears were prickling at the corner of her eyes but she was smiling sadly, still not the happiest to see Peridot go even if it was just for a few months, “Okay, I trust you. You guys are right, you’re going to do excellent at the academy and as a cop,” she stood up from her seat while the bus rolled to a stop beside them, “You better not slack off any, this isn’t going to be all lectures. There’s going to be a lot of physical training to it, and you have to pull your weight to pass. You understand that, right?”

The small green Gem scoffed, “I’m well aware, did you think I was going into this vastly underprepared for the extensive work that I would have to put into it?” her expression softened soon after, however, “But, thank you for worrying so much. It’s completely unnecessary, but, thank you.”

She would have just grabbed her bag and head onto the bus right then after saying her thanks, but Pearl had other plans. The lithe Gem dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Peridot, pulling her close into a hug, “Just be safe, you annoying gremlin, okay?” she muttered as she buried her face into Peridots hair.

“I can assure you that I will,” Peridot replied a bit awkwardly as she gave Pearl a tentative pat on the back.

It ended up with Garnet having to pry Pearl off of Peridot, who was at this point declaring that she was taking back her consent to let Peridot leave like this. That Peridot was staying with them where it was safe and where they wouldn’t have to worry about big, bulky Quartz Gems crushing her. It was a bit funny with how protective Pearl was, truly living up to the name of the Bird Mom. At least, it would have been funny if it wasn’t Peridot who was the target of this maternal instinct. For her, it was nothing but embarrassing, especially when she had future classmates on the bus watching.

“I promise I’ll call, but, I have to go,” Peridot quickly picked her bag up and backed up to the bus, “Bye you guys, I’ll call as soon as I get there, and I’ll call later tonight, too.”

“You better,” Garnet said with a thumbs up, “Pearl might go nuts if you don’t.” Peridot laughed a little at that while the taller Gem just smiled, though the Gem in question just crossed her arms and looked away, a blue blush across her otherwise pale skin.

Boarding the bus, Peridot found herself an empty seat near the back, and as it drove off, she waved to Pearl and Garnet before getting herself fully settled into her bus seat.

Looking at the others on the bus, a wave of trepidation washed over her as she took in their appearances. They were all vastly taller and bigger than Peridot, and she noted that she barely went up to their waist in terms of height for a good number of them. She wished for a moment that she had Garnets Future Vision, so she could know for sure what was in store for her. But, just as quickly as the apprehension came, it faded away. Replaced by a strong sense of determination.

Sure, she was tiny compared to all these other cops-in-training, sure she wasn’t built for anything that police work would have in store for her, but, that was the point. Peridot was going to show the world that even a Peridot could do something meant for a Quartz and Ruby.

[vsplusonline]

Coronavirus: Canada, U.S. in contact ‘almost daily’ over COVID-19 measures, Champagne says

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/coronavirus-canada-u-s-in-contact-almost-daily-over-covid-19-measures-champagne-says/

Coronavirus: Canada, U.S. in contact ‘almost daily’ over COVID-19 measures, Champagne says

The federal government and the United States are communicating “almost daily” in a collective effort to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus north of the border and across North America, Canada’s foreign affairs minister said Monday.

Francois-Philippe Champagne struck a diplomatic tone as he described a “science-first” approach that includes the government’s Five Eyes security partners — the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand — to keep COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, from running amok across the continent.

“We have been guided by science, we have been guided by the World Health Organization advisory and we’re continuing to work with our Five Eyes partners,” Champagne said Monday. “I would say our relationship and our interaction (with the U.S.) is going well — it’s almost daily at all levels of government — to make sure that we protect the safety of all Canadians.”

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READ MORE: How many Canadians have coronavirus? Total number of confirmed cases by region

The muted statement stood in stark contrast to growing alarm in the U.S., where critics fear U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration are more preoccupied with managing the political fallout in an election year than they are with the crisis itself.

“The notion that we can’t do our day jobs and work on this very serious issue is absurd,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told a conference call. “We’re taking COVID-19 incredibly seriously, and our teams, our public-health agencies, are actively working as we sit here and also trying to reform the entire health-care system.”

Champagne said the U.S. asked for Canada’s help repatriating some of the 237 Canadians from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which docked Monday in Oakland, Calif. Those who are healthy will be quarantined at a military base in Trenton, Ont., while any Canadians who test positive will stay behind and undergo treatment in the United States.

1:06 Coronavirus outbreak: Government will help workers with no sick leaves, Freeland says

Coronavirus outbreak: Government will help workers with no sick leaves, Freeland says

Canada has been working closely with the U.S. on the cruise passengers “to make sure that not only do we protect the health and safety of Canadians both at home and abroad, but we also are mindful of how we can protect North America from the threat of the virus,” he said.

In an election year, it’s hardly surprising that Trump would be preoccupied with the political consequences.

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“The more we know about this developing crisis, the more it is becoming clear that not only is the Trump administration incompetent, but that our current dysfunctional health-care system is vastly underprepared for this pandemic,” Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said in an email to supporters.

“Sadly, I have very little confidence in the Trump administration to do anything that is right or decent, or certainly based on science.”

READ MORE: COVID-19: B.C. announces Canada’s first coronavirus death

Then there was the market reaction: a 2,000-point plunge in the Dow Jones index on a frantic day that saw trading halted temporarily to give investors a chance to catch their breath and resist panic selling.

Aside from the obvious economic repercussions, cross-border supply chains are already beginning to feel the impact, said Dan Ujczo, a trade lawyer in Columbus, Ohio, who specializes in the Canada-U.S. corridor.

One central issue for suppliers and manufacturers is the question of “force majeure” — a legal principle that refers to a major disruption like a war, civil unrest, a natural disaster or “act of God” that makes it impossible to fulfil the terms of a contract. Whether the outbreak can be considered as such is sure to be a major point of future litigation, Ujczo said.

1:11 Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland: We have the ‘firepower’ to support the economy against coronavirus

Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland: We have the ‘firepower’ to support the economy against coronavirus

“At the moment, everyone is just putting out the fires of the day to keep supply chains moving,” he said. “The fallout will come later in the spring, as companies regroup to assess economic impact, restructure procurement and suppliers, and, of course, litigate for damages.”

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The political and the practical intersected in other ways Monday.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather and Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow said they would be self-isolating for precautionary reasons after three people who attended a prominent pro-Israel conference in Washington last week tested positive for the virus. Housefather attended the conference in person, while Matlow said he had contact with an attendee. Neither has symptoms.

Trump himself may have had contact, too: he was photographed shaking hands with Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, during the Conservative Political Action Conference last month. Schlapp reportedly shook hands with an attendee who later tested positive.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Trump to tackle public health, economy amid COVID-19 whirlwind

“I’m not concerned at all,” the president said Saturday when asked about the possible impact of the virus on White House operations. He has also vowed to continue holding his sprawling “Keep America Great” rallies, even though health authorities are advising against hosting or attending large public gatherings.

There were 580 active cases in the U.S. and 22 deaths as of Monday.

© 2020 The Canadian Press

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